But now I am literally counting the weeks and days until you can meet your daddy.
Weight: 13 lbs (98%)
Height: 22 1/2 in (75%)
Clothing size: 3-6 mo
Diaper size: One
Feeding: You still eat every 2 hours during the day unless we are out running errands.
During the night you eat at midnight, 2am, 8am, and then 11am officially starts our day.
Milestones: You smiled at your MoMo and your mommy both in your 5th week
You are almost a pro at holding your head up. You hold it up for a good 30 seconds or so and then kind of get tired and flop it back down. You have discovered your hands and put them in your mouth a lot looking for your thumb.
Loves: Being held and snuggled by mommy,
Being in the Moby wrap, you stay content when mommy is up and moving around, but get irritated the moment I sit down. I think it's because you get squished. :)
Dislikes: Waiting too long to eat. The moment you start fussing to eat, you demand mommy NOW! :) If you have to wait even a minute, you let me know you are definitely upset by this.
Adventures: A trip to Tennessee! You did amazing on the 8 hour drive. You were carried around a lot in the Moby wrap and you enjoyed this very much. You got your first pair of cowboy boots :) red ones! They are so cute and fun.
You also went to the circus this month! (Where, you had a major blowout through your clothes from neck to toes and even through onto Momo's white shirt.) That was definitely an unforgettable experience.
Mommy could not get through the month without: The Moby wrap! The bouncer seat. Lots and lots of wipes and laundry soap! There was a week where you made a mess through your diaper every single day.
After writing about BabySister's milestones and growths, I feel that it is important to document Babygirl's as well. If not for her, then at least so her Daddy can read!
Babygirl,
So much has changed in the 4 1/2 months since Daddy has been gone. You have definitely grown out of the baby stage and into a toddler. Daddy left when you were not yet 2 years old. So in his eyes you were only one and still a baby. It will be a big adjustment for him to see how different you are when he comes back. You were his only child, his baby. He remembers your chubby little fingers and the rolls on your thighs. He remembers seeing mommy being able to pick you up and hold you with no problems.
But my how you have grown!
No longer are you our baby. You are such a big girl! You seemed to age overnight after BabySister was born. I won't lie and say it wasn't a struggle adjusting to her arrival, for both you and I. When you walked into my room at the hospital to meet your new sister, it was like you were a different person. I will be honest and say that when I had a moment to myself, I cried. I cried because you were so big! The last 2 years has flown by and I feel that I missed it even though I was right here. It happened so fast that I can't remember large parts of it. But your Daddy has given me an amazing opportunity to be able to stay at home with you. I have been able to spend all my days with you. We have learned so much together. Being able to teach you things like the alphabet have made me even more grateful for this experience. You are such a fast learner and are always eager to learn more.
Thank you for being patient with mommy. You always seem to want or need something as soon as I start nursing BabySister. I ask you if you can wait until we are finished or if you need it right away. You are usually willing to wait. This is such a help. You will get diapers, wipes, and burp cloths whenever I need them. You will shush BabySister and pat her belly when she is fussing. You are always trying to stick her pacifier (which you call it her "foo-foo") in her mouth as soon as she makes the tiniest squeak. You love your sister and are always asking to hold her. I am so looking forward to the day that I see the two of you running around the house playing together.
Stats at 2 years, 4 months:
Weight: 34 lbs. (95%)
Height: 36 in. (92%)
Language: Thankfully you haven't started asking "why" to everything. But you do love to ask "What's that". Your favorite is "What's that noise?" You talk in complete sentences now, although I do have to translate sometimes for adults who aren't around you too often. You know your alphabet and sing it a lot. You recognize all of your letters. We play with ABC flashcards and you are able to tell me all of the letters that you see. You know a phonic song and sing it all the time. You know your vowels and can recite them, although you have no idea what they mean. I think it is so smart that you know them when most kids don't understand them until it is time to learn to read. You say please and thank you, not always without prompting. Once you have those down pat, we are going to work on adding ma'am and sir.
Counting/Numbers: You can count to 15 successfully, 20 sort of. By the time you get to fifteen, you start repeating eleven and thirteen until you get to twenty. It is funny. You recognize and can tell me 1-10 when you see them. You recognize and can repeat patterns. (Thanks to Umi Zoomi)
Singing: You LOVE to sing. You know ABC's, 'Twinkle Twinkle', 'The Wheels on the Bus', 'Yes Jesus Loves Me', 'Big Yellow Bus', And all the theme songs to your favorite tv shows. 'We are never getting back together'-Taylor Swift. 'Call me Maybe' -Carly Rae Jepson. "Home" -Phil Phillips. 'Somebody I Used to Know' -Gotye. And anytime we are in the car you sing along with whatever is playing. You pick up things so easily. You know the chorus' to a lot of songs, way too many to name.
Physical: You love to dance and twirl. Mommy is going to look into getting you into a gymnastics class this spring. You like to run and hop. You always ask mommy to hop with you, so silly.
Emotional: Sometimes you easily remind mommy that you are in your "Terrible Two's". You prefer playing on your own. When you are with other kids you play well for a while, then I think you just get overstimulated and need time on your own otherwise you are prone to fighting. You have your occasional meltdowns after being told no. You get upset when you are corrected. You usually don't care if you get a spanking, it just makes you more mad. You are very sensitive when it comes to your BabySister. If she is crying or upset you try to fix it. If you can't fix it by patting her or giving her the pacifier, you get upset and usually cry with her until mommy is able to comfort both of you. You miss your daddy so much. I can tell on certain days that you are missing him more than others. On these days I try to be patient and sensitive to your needs. These days have become more often lately. There are certain things that you have found that trigger memories of your daddy, simple things like just seeing a flag flying. You always request that we drive 'Daddy's truck' and you talk about him whenever we ride in it. Other days you say we need to drive the van because mommy can't drive the truck, "No, it's just for Daddy".
My girl,
I love you more than words can describe. I love seeing you grow into your personality. I love that you are outgoing with family and people you know, yet quiet and polite to strangers. I love that you are a diva, but not so much when you are yelling at me. I love that you are a princess and can never wear just one tiara at a time. I love to see you clomping down the hall in your dress-up heels. I love that you have a love for shoes! You always ask to wear boots every day, most recently your new cowboy boots. I love our new game when I tuck you into bed. We share hugs and kisses and I say, "I love you baby." You respond with, "I love you more!" Then we go back and forth for a minute as to who loves the other more. I always let you have the last say, but believe me... I love YOU more! :)
You are such a smart girl and I'm not just saying that because I am your mommy. I am so proud of everything you have achieved up to this point. For being just two years old you have gone through a lot in your life. You deal daily with the sadness and frustrations of your daddy being deployed. You are old enough to know he isn't around but too young to understand why. But for being so young you are one of the most patriotic people I know. You are so proud of your daddy. Anytime we see a flag flying you scream and holler and yell, "Yay! WOO! Flag for my daddy" You point out any star you see and say it is also for your daddy.
You have broken my heart numerous times at how you react when you see someone in uniform. You stop whatever you are doing and just stare quietly in awe. I have lost count of the number of times we have been in public and you saw a soldier from behind and yelled out to your Daddy... only to realize it wasn't him.
Please believe me when I tell you that Daddy left his heart here when he deployed. There is a giant hole in his chest from having to say 'see you later' to you. I have never seen your daddy break down and cry as hard as he did that day. It was almost easy for he and I to have our 'see you laters'. But to watch the last few minutes of the two of you together still hurts me. It's hard for me to drive through the parking lot where he let you go. I get reminders and flashbacks of that day.
But Babygirl, he will be home soon! We have almost made it to the halfway point of this deployment and Daddy is coming home. I can't explain to you how ready I am for him to be home. Not for myself, but for you. I love to watch you two together. You are two peas in a pod. You are your daddy's whole world. I love to hear you talk about him.
Soon our family will be whole again. You will get to help me introduce BabySister to daddy. I dream of his homecoming. I can picture what you will wear and the signs and balloons that we will have fun making for him. I plan on making it an event that none of us will forget, especially you.
So much easier and less demanding that your older sister.
You are nursing like a champ and growing so well!
You love to sleep and cuddle with mommy.
Your photos are shared daily with your Daddy and he can not wait to meet you.
Weight: 11 lb 5 oz ( >95%)
(That is 3 lb since birth!)
Height: 22 in. (80%)
(1 inch growth since
birth)
Clothing size: 0-3 months
(I'm worried you won't be in these very long!)
Diaper size: I had to burn through the NB size that I had opened.
I returned 2 cases for size 1.
You desperately need to move up to them.
Feeding: You nurse every 2-3 hours during the day.
Unless we are out of the house.
If you are in your carseat you will go sometimes 4+ hours!
Through the night you only wake me up 2-3 times.
Milestones: You started lifting your head up,
following my voice,
focusing your eyes on objects around you.
Loves: Being held and snuggled by mommy,
sleeping on mommy's chest,
vibrations -swing, bouncer
Dislikes: Being put down after you have fallen asleep in mommy's arms.
Adventures: Christmas shopping at the mall at 2 weeks old,
Christmas celebrations with both mommy and daddy's families
Mommy could not get through the month
without: My mom, who took care if big sister
for your first week of life so you and I could get as much rest as possible.
Also, your daddy's encouraging words.
He told me numerous times how great of a job I was doing taking care of you 2 girls on my own.
It meant so much to me, as I had a few emotional breakdowns and lots of crying spells.
January opened my eyes as to how much babygirl was turning into a toddler and leaving the baby stage behind.
February
February was a rough time in my life.
I'm just glad to have made it through the month.
I took a hiatus from the blog and stayed off social media sites.
March
In March we took a trip down to Nashville and Gatlinburg right in between hubby and I's birthdays. Our birthdays are only 6 days apart. It was fun to take babygirl on a vacation and she was actually able to enjoy things this time around.
April
April was an amazing month. We had so much fun with the opening of the Tincaps season. It is always a great time for our family going to the baseball games. I got a new niece in April! My sister delivered baby Gabriella this month.
But the most important thing to happen in April was discovering we were expecting! On April 2, I had a positive pregnancy test. I was going to take it on the 1st but waited an extra day because I knew I would spill the beans to hubby right away and he probably wouldn't believe me because of April Fools.
May
In May we spilled the beans that we were expecting baby #2.
Hubby spent a lot of time away at Army training.
June
In June we learned we were having another girl! Hubby and I both expected this, so it came as no surprise. We went and paid for an ultrasound so that hubby could be there when we found out the gender. He was away for Army training when we had the gender-reveal for Babygirl, so we felt it was important for him to be a part of such an exciting moment this time!
We were able to spend time with hubby's family before he started up official deployment training.
His whole family, including extended family from out of town met up in Ohio and we stayed at a massive cabin. It was so fun. It was nice to meet people in his family for the first time.
July
Most of July was just me and babygirl at home. Hubby was away for 3 weeks for Army training. This picture is one of my favorite moments to date of Babygirl and her daddy. She had missed her daddy so much and it was becoming very evident how much of a daddy's girl she is. She and I waited for him and even though there were a hundred people wearing the exact same uniform, she spotted her daddy the instant he stepped outside. She took off running into his arms and gave him the biggest bear hug.
One of my favorite things to do is pick hubby up from training after he has been away. Whether it is just a week or a whole year. I just can't describe the feelings I get waiting for him in the parking lot, knowing that he is finally just inside that building... not states or countries away anymore. When he finally steps foot outside the door, my heart bursts. I love even more now knowing that my girl feels the same way.
August
In August we didn't say goodbye, just see you later to hubby.
Hardest day of my life.
There is nothing worse than watching your husband part ways with your child for a time.
He had a lot harder time letting Babygirl go than he did with me.
We set out for a rough 10 months.
I also quit my job to be a stay at home mama to my girls for a while.
September
September was a blur.
I kind of just existed.
Most days were spent in bed and lounging on the couch with Babygirl.
My siblings decided it would be a cool idea if we all hung out one day and went to Chicago together.
It was fun to hang out with them, kid free.
Just enjoy a day to ourselves.
You can see a fun video of that day here:
My big girl also turned two in September!
October
October was spent gearing up for BabySister.
We made all the final purchases and everything was ready.
Hubby finally touched down on Afghan soil in October.
I spent a girl's weekend in Indianapolis to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday even though her birthday wasn't for another month yet.
This was my favorite part of the month.
Mani's, Pedi's and hour long massages.. my dad treated us good!
November
Thanksgiving kicked off the first official holiday with hubby away.
It was sad that he wasn't there but definitely nothing like we would be feeling at Christmas.
The very last day of November we welcomed our beautiful and perfect second babygirl.
Words cannot describe the emotions felt with her arrival.
Utter joy and deep sadness.
So much joy that she was able to enter the world easily and healthy.
So much sadness that her daddy could only witness it through a computer screen.
December
December was a tough month!
It was a huge adjustment learning how to be a mama to two kids.
I was so grateful to my parents who kept Babygirl entertained for the first full week of BabySister's life. It definitely helped me to not be a crazy zombie every day.
My mom had surgery the second week, so me and the girls packed up and moved into their house for three days to help take care of her.
Then came Christmas.
Talk about one of the toughest days of deployment since the day hubby left.
We were able to be on the webcam together when Babygirl woke up and opened her gifts.
It was such a blessing to spend that time together, even if it was yet again, just through a screen.
Babygirl was so silly opening her gifts.
She would get excited about something and refuse to open anything else.
We didn't have all of the gifts open until about 11pm that night.
The 28th of December was our 5th wedding anniversary.
We spent that morning chatting online and being mushy.
I am holding him to a postponed date night.
He owes me. ;)
2012 has definitely had it's ups and downs.
One of the hardest years of my life so far.
But we have been blessed with new life this year.
I am looking forward to what 2013 has in store for us.
Exciting homecomings, vacations and a possible change of scenery.
