Days of our Laives

Hiya.  Here are some pictures of Kira and her friends at a birthday party.  The birthday boy turned 2 years old.  Everyone had a fabulous time.  I need to start planning Kira's #2 birthday, too!

I just bought a great sippy cup. It is easy to clean and does not leak - the only two requirements I have for a sippy cup.  It's called "The First Years Take and Toss Straw Cups"  They come with plastic straws, but I use disposable straws, because I'm assuming the straws will be difficult to clean. Difficulty cleaning is my biggest gripe with previous sippy cups we've used.  The first one I ever bought for Kira was "Playtex First Sipster Trainers"  What I like about it is that it has handles, which were useful for Kira when she had limited coordination.  And, it helped that there was a stopper in the spout which made her suck the liquid out; she was comfortable sucking rather than "drinking" as adults do.  But the stopper was also a problem because it was difficult to wash.  Every now and then I notice mildew growing in the stopper and in the spout of the lid.   It happens even if I meticulously take apart the thing and attentively wash each c...

Here are some pictures from this month:

1. Kira can count to 10 very reliably.  She started counting a couple weeks ago, but would usually stop at 6.  I would say 7, then she would say, 8 9 10.  But now she goes from 1 to 10 without a pause.  About a month ago she was saying numbers, but she was saying them randomly; like: 1 4 6 9.  But her tone was right. 2. Being sick and taking care of a baby is the worst thing ever.  I think I would rather clean college dorm bathrooms.  Seriously.  I would even do it while being sick at the same time. 3. I hate maternity clothes.  Nothing looks like something I would actually choose to wear.  I've looked everywhere: GAP, Old Navy, Target, Walmart.  I could look into more boutique-y places, but there is really no point in buying fancy maternity clothes especially when simultaneously taking care of a toddler...a snotty toddler.  When I was pregnant with Kira, my mom spoiled me ROTTEN with clothes from Bloomingdales.  Some were maternity clothes, but most were normal clothes that allowe...

Now that Kira is a little older, she needs more directed activities as opposed to free play.  She gets bored with free play very easily, even if I give her specific directions.  Drawing still keeps her somewhat occupied because she is deliberate about what she's drawing.  But blocks and stuffed animals don't do much for her anymore. The best things are activities that have a beginning, middle, and end.  She is most engaged with crafty things that have an end product.  Baking has been especially great for keeping us busy in the middle of the day.  I've been baking more than I usually do, and some mornings Kira wakes up and says to me, "Mommy, make cookies." I need more baking recipes.  If anyone has any good ones, send them our way!!

Wednesday Night - Kira went to bed crying, which happens occasionally.  We usually let her cry it out and eventually she falls sleep.  But this time, she woke up and cried every hour...for the entire night!  It was around 2 or 3 am I realized she was waking up because she was congested.  Every time I picked her up to soothe her, she would calm down and start breathing through her mouth.  Then, her reflexes would kick in and she would try to breathe through her nose, but because it was all blocked up she would actually stop breathing.  Finally when she would run out of air, she would kick her legs and get upset.  I felt so bad for her. Thursday - Kira wakes up and clearly she's sick.  She has a runny nose and is cranky all day...not a fun day for me either, especially on very little sleep.  During one of her tantrums, I bent down to pick her up and she declares "UP" and while doing so, she spit into my mouth. Friday - Kira was in better spirits, but I woke up with a sore t...