The Bean Gets a Big Girl Bed

At the end of May, my in-laws came to visit for a few days. The main reason for the visit was Joe's foot procedure (more on that later, I promise), but they also brought a big-girl bed for Charlotte.

Pop & Charlotte - a SnapChat pic. ;-)

Bossi & Millie

As I'm sure anyone would be, I was a little bit concerned about how she would do with the new bed. We had turned her crib into a toddler bed just a few weeks before, so I had hoped she would do fine with a bigger bed, but you really just never know. When we got her ready for bed, she seemed pretty excited about her big-girl bed, and requested that Joe and I leave the room without reading to her. To say we were surprised would be an understatement! We just laughed, tucked her in, said good-night, and crossed our fingers.

Our first little girl is quite the trooper, and I really should have learned by now that not much phases her when it comes to sleep. We did hear her playing in bed well after bedtime, but that's not unusual. The next morning we woke to find her as happy as always and waiting for someone to come get her! *sigh* Perfection. I am sure there will come a day when she is either big or brave enough to get out of bed, start playing, and/or knock on her door begging for us to let her out. But until then? I'm going to enjoy every minute of this! 

Once we got her new bed, I decided it was finally time to put some decorations up in her room. We moved in a year ago and I didn't hang anything but a shelf on her wall until a couple weeks ago. Seriously. {Never underestimate the level of tired you feel while pregnant and chasing a toddler. I never had energy!} 

It took a while, but I finally decided to a gallery-style wall in her room. I had really wanted to put her bed in the center of the wall, but it really kind of looked weird. So this is what we ended up with:

I think my favorite part of the gallery wall is the canvas of her 6 month photo that I received from Easy Canvas Prints. First, because it's such a great picture of her. Second, because it's a beautiful reminder of where we lived for a short time, and where she was born. I hope she will love it as much as I do! 

The poms hanging in the corners are from her baby shower. Maybe it's weird, but I just can't seem to part with them! And it turns out that, even though they don't 100% match the color scheme in her room, they fit perfectly.

She loves her big-girl bed!

The rest of her room could use a little organization (and possibly some phrases in vinyl above her little kitchen and bookshelf), but I'm not sure what else to do with it all right now. It'll probably be easier to figure things out when we don't need a changing table in her room anymore. We're working on that.

Honestly, I still can't believe that she's 2. I mean...when did that happen? How is she old enough to not be in a crib?! On the other hand, though, I am totally in love with the way her room looks now. And other than the occasional tantrum, I enjoy her sweet little personality that seems to grow and emerge more every day.

I love you, Bean!

*Psst! Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Still plenty of time to enter, and a good chance of winning!

So Fast

I'm not sure why, but I've been very very nostalgic lately. Maybe it's because I've suddenly realized that these babies of mine are sprouting up like little weeds and there's nothing I can do about it. Or maybe it's because my 10 year high school reunion was last weekend (I didn't attend), and I'm just....feeling it. It's probably a combination of the two. 

Today my in-laws are on their way for a visit. Along with them, they're bringing a big girl bed for Charlotte. While I'm super excited to fix up her room and to see her in this new stage, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit sad about it. Because somewhere in the back of my mommy brain, this is the picture I still see:

My Bean in her bed for the very first time - the day we brought her home from the hospital. Gosh, she was so tiny! Compared to other kids her age she is tiny, but she is definitely earning her big girl status every single day. 

This one was taken last year, while we were still doing the hotel living thing after we PCSed. The girl is a crazy sleeper! A little less so now that she's bigger, but I've always found her in the strangest of positions. {The same can be said about Millie, haha!}

This one was taken just a few months ago. It's rare that I have to wake her up anymore, but it does still happen in the afternoons sometimes. Yet again with Bunny over her face. I guess she felt her room still wasn't dark enough? LOL! 

This is the one that gets me; it tells me she's not a baby anymore and it hurts my mama heart!! In preparation for her big girl bed, we bought a rail for her crib a few weeks ago. I wondered how she would handle the transition. I prepared myself for the worst - climbing out of bed, not sleeping, etc. But I have to brag on this girl - we haven't had any problems. She stays in bed and waits for us to come get her in the morning and after naps, just like before. I'm hoping this stays the same once we change her bed!

A friend of mine called me last week to tell me her little girl (who is about 8 months younger than Charlotte) had climbed out of her crib. I felt so bad (well, kind of) that I didn't have any advice to give! We've been really blessed with this kiddo - she's never given us problems regarding her crib or sleep. She'll sleep in a pack n play when we travel, in the car, goes to bed when we put her down - you name it. It really surprises me that she does so well with change, but I guess you have to be adaptable when you're a military kid. ;-)

Some days I really can't believe that the last 2 years have gone by so quickly. I guess it's true what they say - the days are long, but the years are short.

TWO

Exactly a month ago, my little bean turned TWO. I don't even know how this is possible. It seems her second year went by even faster than the first. *sigh*

Left: First birthday; Right: Second birthday. 

So much changes in a year....

We first celebrated her birthday in NC, a couple weeks before her actual birthday. All of our NC family was there, and Grammy (her great-grandmother) made her birthday cake. Even though she wasn't feeling well that day (she had a yucky cold, and also busted her lip right before the party), she had a great time. 

The next weekend, my parents came to visit and we celebrated her birthday again. Needless to say there was no shortage of celebrating this year!!

My mom and dad. Known to Charlotte as Mimi and Pop/Papa.

The girl knows exactly what to do with birthday candles. LOL

Charlotte and Daddy.

Toys!

Mommy, Daddy, and the birthday girl. 

Since we did so much before her birthday, we had a pretty low-key day on her actual birthday. Don't worry, we still had cake. ;-)

Showing me "two." Haha.

Some facts about the birthday girl:

• She's still earning her nickname, Bean. At her 2 year checkup, she weighed a whopping 19.6 pounds. No matter how much she eats, she's still teeny! (And I'm thankful we finally found a pediatrician who doesn't freak out over her size. Only took 2 years. *sigh*)
• She has a huge vocabulary...and uses it constantly. LOL! She said her first 3+ word sentence in February, and now surprises us with all the things she says. 
• Her favorite show is "Jake." AKA Jake and the Neverland Pirates. And we watch it all. the. time. (Read: TV is how you survive 2 kids under 2/3.)
• She recognizes a bunch of letters, and can sing most of the ABCs. She can count to 10, but only when she wants to. :P
• She loves playing outside on her little jungle gym my parents bought for her last fall. 
• She loves dancing to music, and frequently asks me to sing either the ABCs or "Spider" (Itsy Bitsy Spider) so she can dance.
• She loves Jasper...much to his dismay. 
• She LOVES shoes, which makes me a proud mama. Haha
• She loves to give us all hugs and kisses. She is the best little cuddler. I hope this never changes.
• She is the best big sister - always making sure Millie has her toys and isn't upset. 
• She's also started throwing tantrums, so I'm guessing we're smack in the middle of the dreaded "terrible twos." YAY.

I could probably write forever about her, but you get the gist. ;-) Basically, she's a two year old and I can hardly believe it. When she's not throwing tantrums she's a bundle of fun, and I'm loving it. 

Happy Birthday to the sweet little girl who made me a mama.

Love you forever, Bean.

My Bean

It's hardly fair of me to call her that anymore. Well, except for the fact that she's still teeny. We're fairly certain her 6 month old cousin has surpassed her in weight. This does not surprise me at all.

I hate that I haven't posted much of anything about her since, like, her birthday. Mommy fail. She has changed so much since then, it's not even funny.

She was still crawling then, not walking. She was still babbling then, not using words. I was still "mama." Joe was still "dada." Jasper was just fun to watch. Toys were thrown, books were eaten. Onesies, not tshirts, were the norm. Shoes? We don't need no stinking shoes. Outside was boring. Cabinets had nothing in them to explore. The high chair was for eating in, not pushing around. Mommy had all the milks, which was needed at least 4x a day.



So many changes. Walking. She started walking the second or third week of June, and hasn't really looked back. For a while, she would crawl when she wanted to get somewhere fast, but not much anymore. Now, when she does crawl, we're perplexed. Because why crawl when you can walk?! Crazy kid. She's trying out the running thing, but she's been face-planting a whole lot lately. Sorry kid. You got your mama's klutz gene.



Talking. (Words that other people can understand.) Mommy. Daddy. Jappa (Jasper). Up. Down. "Peer" (up here). Bunny. "Bankie." Shoes. 'Side. Bye-bye. Night-night. Hug. Juice. Cup. 'Nack. Hungee. "Comey" (come here). Hold you. Cookie. Cracker. Chip. Cheese. (All the important food groups, LOL.) Go 'way. (Always said to Jasper.) Move. (Also always said to Jasper. Haha!) Rock. Play. Door. Clothes. Close. Open. Car. Uh oh. Show. Boom. Watch. On. Drink. Dog. Puppy. Barking. Helping. Water. Rain. Book. Back. Cute. Shoes. Come on. Picture. Boom. Eye. Nose. Mouth. Ear. Hand. Foot/Feet. Toes. Hair. I'm probably forgetting some... So many words!



Doing. She's starting to try and climb things. Like the couch. Or the TV stand thingy. Today was a new one - the coffee table. *sigh* She's started getting her legs stuck between the slats in her crib again. Still not totally sure how that keeps happening. But at least she can tell me she's stuck now. It's slightly funny when you hear whining, then "stuck, stuck!" coming from her room during what's supposed to be nap time. Haha. ;-) I also think she's trying to run. She is definitely not the most graceful child ever, and my genes aren't helping her out in that area at all. She starts walking fast, and then the next thing I know she's tripped over her own two feet and landed on her face. Poor girl.



Though we've been having trouble with naps lately, she's still sleeping like a champ at night. Some days she'll even let me sleep until 8am!! It's kind of awesome. Especially since I know my sleeping-all-night days are numbered. {The lack of sleep is definitely my least favorite thing about having a newborn. I need sleep.}

She has just recently stopped nursing. Some days I'm sad about it, other days I'm totally okay with it. Part of the sadness comes from the fact that my boobs have started to get really heavy because of all the colostrum. Would be great if she could help me with that. ;-) She did actually ask to nurse once last week, and I let her. She pulled off after barely a minute, looked at it, and said "no" as if something just wasn't right. Sorry, baby girl! She was eating like a champ, but she has recently decided to be picky. I guess this is how we know she's officially a toddler? Some days she'll eat everything I put in front of her (or most of it), other days she refuses almost everything. *sigh*



No idea what she weighs because I keep forgetting to make her well-baby check up. At this point, I might as well schedule her 18 month one. Mommy fail. As usual, her size in clothes is all over the place. She can wear 9 month onesies, but I rarely put her in them. 12 month tshirts. 6, 9 or 12 month pants, depending on the brand. (This frustrates me so much.) She's a size 3 or 4 in shoes, also depending on the brand. Dresses she can wear anything from 6 - 12 months, although the 6 month ones look more like long shirts on her now. We just started putting her in size 4 diapers, although she could have been in them about a month ago. We just had to finish the box of diapers... They're too expensive (even the cheapos) not to use them!

She has about 9 teeth now, and will probably have more on the way soon. She's been teething like crazy for the last couple of weeks. Which means we've had a whiny, clingy, touchy little girl on our hands! I hate it for her. She cut 2 top teeth (pre-molars, I think) last week and I could just tell she hurt. Top teeth are harder on her than bottoms, too. And of course, teething always makes her tummy upset....which results in a diaper rash eventually. Hence the upset little girl. *sigh* I'm hoping she won't get anymore for a while. It's hard on all of us!



She has quite the little personality, and [most of the time] I love watching it come out. ;-) She's hilarious, and always keeping us entertained. Her latest obsession is my sunglasses. Always asking me to put them on her ("on? on?"), and then wearing them around the house until she either trips or they fall off. LOL! For a while, she did the same thing with Joe's range earmuff things. That was pretty funny, too. She is a very friendly little thing, too. She likes to wave at people walking down our street, and she loves getting attention when we're out and about. Oh, and people watching. She is a serious people watcher.



At this point, it's really hard to sum her up because she is such a little person! She is really sweet - always giving hugs, but on her own terms of course. She has just started asking for kisses, which is pretty much the cutest thing ever. She loves to play with her baby dolls, and will even "share" her snacks and juice (or milk) with them. I'm definitely enjoying this stage, although it blows me away how much of a big girl she's getting to be. I'm sure it'll be even more apparent when little Millie arrives, too. {Yeah, I'm giving in and just calling Amelia, Millie, full time now. It's cute. And Charlotte can say it!} 

Really, I'm just thankful that she still wants to cuddle with me from time to time, and give out hugs and kisses. It eases the tough days and moments, and reminds me what a sweet little heart she has. And nothing is better than that.

A Journey

That's what breastfeeding has been for Charlotte and I - a journey. 

I've been meaning to write this post for weeks - if not months now - but for some reason just never got around to it. Okay...that "some reason" is probably Charlotte herself. Haha! Let's be honest: toddlers are demanding and busy little people. Cute, but needy.

Our breastfeeding journey has been full of ups and downs. We've had great, sweet, cuddly moments and I-want-to-rip-my-hair-out moments. That's just life, and breastfeeding is part of ours. We had a rough time in the beginning, but thankfully it got easier as my body adjusted to doing the breastfeeding thing and finally healed up. There were days when I felt like nothing but a milk-maker....and days when I was the one who needed the cuddles. 

3-4 months old. Life is tough for a baby. ;-)

After almost 17 months, our journey has come to an end. I breastfed Charlotte for the last time on Monday morning. I had known this moment was coming for a while, so I tried to enjoy every nursing session I could. Even if she was pulling my hair, shoving Bunny in my face, or putting her fingers in my eyes/mouth/nose (she's big on pointing out facial features and showing off). 

I probably could have stopped nursing her weeks ago and she wouldn't have minded much. But I really wanted to wait until she completely refused. That way, it was her idea to stop. Even though Babywise (our go-to parenting method) is all about the parent(s) deciding these things, I felt like it would be easier on both of us if it were her idea. I did wean her down to 2 feedings a day back in June, but she never seemed to miss nursing throughout the day. (Well, with the exception of the stomach virus she - and I - had in July. She nursed like crazy that week! And I was happy to do it considering she wasn't eating and barely drank anything.) She's a busy little thing, so I can't I was surprised she didn't miss her mid-day nursing sessions.

6 months old, nursing in the doctor's office. One of my faves.

She stopped nursing before bed a few weeks ago, which I found kind of odd. Most babies hang on to that feeding for a while... Charlotte was the opposite, though. She hung on to the morning feeding. Can't say I blame her, though. I don't wake up ready to go first thing in the morning, and I like cuddles too! :)

Also around 6 months...another sweet favorite. :)

I'm sure the real reason behind her end to nursing is that my body is producing colostrum now. I feel pretty certain that she'd still be going strong if it weren't for that. Part of me is sad that our breastfeeding relationship has ended....but the other part of me is really glad that she did it on her own so that I didn't have to wean her before December. I know some moms tandem nurse their toddler and newborn, but I personally don't feel like I could handle that. Now, if Charlotte asks to nurse after Amelia arrives....? I have no idea how I'll respond. Haha! I'm not totally opposed to the idea of it, but it doesn't 100% appeal to me, either.

Last breastfeeding picture of us - 16 months old. ❤

 An impromptu feeding on the couch, recovering from the stomach virus.

Anyway, I have mixed feelings about this. Overall, I've enjoyed breastfeeding her. Every single moment wasn't fabulous, perfect, or wonderful, but it was a great way for us to relax and bond. That's what I miss. But even now that she's not nursing, we still have a great bond. (I know...it's only been a few days. Humor me here, okay?) She definitely has an attachment to me, and she obviously still needs me for lots of things. She just doesn't need my milk anymore. And...I guess that's alright. 

I Have a Bean

Today we had the, um, pleasure of taking Charlotte to the doctor for a well-baby visit. Yaaaaay. I've pretty much dreaded these visits from day 1, and they've only gotten worse as she's gotten older. 

See, here's the thing: I have a bean.

Little miss Charlotte was born weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds, 5.4 ounces. Oddly enough they had diagnosed me with gestational diabetes, which usually translates as "you're going to have a huge baby." Not so in my case, and part of me truly wonders if it was a misdiagnosis in the first place. Anyways.... She's been tiny from the start.

Even before we left the hospital she was gaining weight. The day after, she had surpassed her birth weight by a few ounces. (Hooray for breastmilk!) 

Somewhere along the way (around 4 months, I think) our pediatrician started to get "fussy" about her weight. Our first pediatrician pushed formula on me, and I all but told her to shove it. The second was much more kind, but still showed obvious concern. I get that it's their job to be concerned if their patient isn't healthy. But she is healthy. 

Come on. Look at that face!

She's always met developmental milestones, although sometimes she does things at her own pace. She's never had any kind of health problem, aside from jaundice at birth and reflux. That's it. And her reflux was never bad enough to keep her from gaining. She always gained something, just never enough for a doctor to be happy.

At first it really, really, really stressed me out. Which, if you're a breastfeeding mama, you know that stress only causes more problems with feeding and the amount of milk they get. The first time it was mentioned, I did everything I could to up my supply. I pumped, I supplemented using our freezer stash, I took fenugreek....you name it. And then when my baby was stressed out from me being stressed out, I said enough. I still took fenugreek, but I stopped freaking out so much. 

More recently, I have come to accept the fact that I have a bean. She will probably always be small. Doctors are going to guilt-trip or give really unhelpful advice, much like I received today. 

"You just need to feed her more. She should probably have 1-2 more snacks a day."

Sure. Because a snack is going to make her gain by leaps and bounds!! Plus, I'd like to know when the heck I'm supposed to fit one of those in during her schedule.... Morning: nurse, breakfast, 1.5 hr of play time, nap. Afternoon: nurse, lunch, 1.5-2 hrs of play time, nap. Evening: nurse (sometimes), snack, play, dinner, nurse, bed. I mean, maybe another snack after lunch? But I feel like that might be pushing it. She eats very well at meal times, and she often eats more than I think a baby her age normally would. *sigh* Just what do you do with that kind of advice?

Clearly we don't feed her or give her anything fattening. *eye roll*

P.S. This is one from our trip to Arkansas!

She eats. She nurses. She snacks. She plays, grows, and develops. I don't know what more they want from her. She's different. Sure, she's in the 0% for her age group. So what? All babies are different and therefore grow and develop differently. 

I mean, really. Does this look like the face of a kid who isn't well-fed?!

If I had any reason to believe she was sick, I would worry. But I don't, so I'm not. And all the worry-wart doctors can kiss it. =P 

Gosh, it feels freeing to finally say that! 

P.S. In case you're wondering, my awesome, 13 month old bean weighs 14 pounds, 6 ounces and will probably be surpassed in weight by her 11 week old cousin in no time flat. But that's ok. =)

That Time My Baby Turned One

So, last week...my baby became a toddler. Well, except that she's not walking yet. Basically there's no difference in her between March 27 and March 28, but....she's still a year old. Not gonna lie, tears were shed. I mean, how do you not feel a little bit sad when your baby isn't much of a baby anymore? Especially when, the day before her birthday, you wake her up from a nap and realize she doesn't even really look like a baby anymore. Sads.

Anyway, we didn't do much the day of her birthday. We played and did the usual thing. I was going to make her pancakes for dinner, but forgot some ingredients... And since Joe had the car and didn't get home until 15 minutes before bedtime....pancakes didn't happen. I did give her an Oreo, though, so there's that. ;-) Come on. I had to give her something! And she totally enjoyed it. I felt better after a day of nothing. 

Friday afternoon, we packed up the car and headed to NC for the weekend. FINALLY! First road trip in our car in 3 years! {Whoops. Totally forgot to mention that Joe picked up our car on her birthday. WIN!} Other than a near diaper blowout and minor meltdown from the birthday girl, the short trip up to NC went fantastic. We got in a bit late because we weren't able to leave until about 4:30, but we made it! And just in time for little missy to get in some snuggles with her auntie.

I mean, seriously. Isn't that the sweetest?!

{Side note, Charlotte was chewing on her jacket's zipper. At second glance, it totally looked like Anna was nursing her. Not the case.}

We had her party planned for Saturday evening, so Anna and I spent the afternoon shopping and decorating for it. It was fun, but it made for a bit of a crazy day! In hindsight, we probably should've gotten an earlier start to our day. Oh, well!

I tried as best as I could to stick with a rainbow theme, but I'm not totally sure how it turned out. Sorta girly, sorta rainbowy. Haha! I really wish you could see the "happy birthday" sign hung from the mantle. It was super cute!!! I also really loved the balloons that Anna got for her. I mean, we picked them out together, but...I really love them. 

The biggest part of her party {for me, anyway} was the cupcakes. I made rainbow cupcakes inspired by this pin. Thank God for Pinterest, right?! Anyway, they turned out so much better than I imagined!!!

You can click the pin to find out how I did it. I really wish the pics of the cupcake up close were better... They were so pretty! I don't want to toot my own horn, but I was very pleasantly surprised with the end result. And I'm not the only one who enjoyed them either!

You guys, this was the highlight of the party. I about died laughing at our sweet girl. She demolished that cupcake! Never in my life have a seen a baby take to sweets like this! After she got a taste of the icing, she picked the whole thing up and put it straight in her face! It was priceless. She was totally NOMing on that thing for like 5 mins. She barely even left a crumb on that highchair. It was pretty much all over her face and in her hair.

She also got a piece of cheese pizza before the cupcake. She ate all but a few bites of that, too. I swear, you guys, this girl is a bottomless pit! I'm guessing that her sweet tooth is from mama and her bottomless pit of a tummy is from daddy. Maybe.

And of course, after stuffing our faces, it was time for gifts and a few photos.

Suffice it to say the little miss thoroughly enjoyed herself...and being the center of attention for a night. You should've seen her face when we were singing to her! Oh, so cute. {I do have a video of it, but it's on Joe's phone and he's currently asleep with it plugged in upstairs. So...not happening right now.} Also, she's a smart cookie. She played with the dollar bill from Joe's grandparents until I took it away from her because she was going to put it in her mouth.

The rest of the weekend went pretty well, with the exception of sick cousins. They ended up having a blast together. Eden is always so sweet with Charlotte and wants to play with her. 

Harry even showed a little affection and brought Charlotte a toy and her sippy cup. Talk about melting our hearts!!!

As usual, I don't think I got a shot of any of the adults together. I guess that's what happens when you have such cute kiddos around to photograph!

So. My baby turned 1. I cried a little. I celebrated a lot. And we had a great time with family. All in all? I guess it wasn't so bad, I guess.

Happy Birthday, my sweet Little Bean! My sunshine, my joy, my little love. I can't believe it's been a year since we first met and held you. I'm looking forward to lots more cuddles, giggles, fun and learning. We love you so, sweet Charlotte!