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Showing posts from 2010

Backlog of Renee Videos

Renee is over 8 months old! I can't believe it has gone by so quickly. Over the past two months, Renee has started solids and practiced drinking from a sippy cup. See for yourself: Oh, and Renee is definitely teething now. Today she was very cranky. We can see the whites coming out of her gums!

San Francisco Pictures

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Turns out that I did not take that many pictures while we were sight-seeing in SF. Luckily Patty took a lot. Trevor took a few too, but he needs to edit/postprocess them before posting. In the mean time, here are the pictures that Patty took. (Click on the picture and you will be redirected to the rest of the pictures.)

Clearly I'm Obsessed

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I'm going to H&M this weekend. I need more warm clothes. Last winter I was pregnant and got away with wearing just T shirts. A fetus will do that to you...make you hot all the time. And, can you believe that these pink dresses are $10?

Day 6 - Tuesday - San Jose Children's Museum and the Ride Home

On our final day in California, we spent the morning packing up. It took a little while longer than expected. Then we had lunch at In and Out Burger. It was tasty and as a restauranteur, my dad was very impressed with the concept. After lunch, we took Kira and Trevor back to the hotel for a nap while my mom, sister, Renee and I went to World Market. I wish we had those stores here. Kira woke up just before our late-checkout deadline. We had a couple hours to kill before having early dinner, so we went to the Children's Museum. It was a cute little museum. If I lived there I would probably take Kira there once a week. Lots of little things to explore and pretend. And there is even an appropriate area for little babies like Renee. I should go check out the Children's Museum in Boston. I'm sure it's so much better than I remember. Our flight was at 9pm, so we had dinner at 530 and made it to the airport by 7. The airport was very quiet and everything went smoo...

New things with Renee

Renee is approaching 8 months in age, time really flies. Some recent things she's been doing include: - Saying dada - When we ask her where mama, dada, and Kira/Dede are she turns her head to one of us. We're not sure if she actually knows who we are by name or if it just appears that way - She has always recognized me, Vickie, and Kira, but recently we can tell she recognizes her grandparents. As soon as they walk in the door she wriggles with excitement - Renee sometimes gives big wet kisses. When I'm standing her on my lap facing away from me, she'll sometimes turn to look at me, lean her mouth on to my cheek or neck, and attack me with her mouth and tongue. Thats how babies kiss. Wet and cold. - Renee is very stable when sitting up nowadays - She loves sitting in her walker, she jumps up and down in it, and she is even mobile in it - which can be problematic since there is a plant w/ mulch in our living room. On a couple occasions she has grabbed a handful, th...

Day 5 - Monday - More Sights

Monday was another later than expected start to the day. Despite the late start, we saw a lot! Again, we didn't get to San Francisco until about 11. Our first stop would be lunch at Mama's on Washington Square. It's a very well-known breakfast place (they also serve lunch). Unfortunately it was closed! Now we have an excuse to go back to SF (besides friends and family of course). So, we walked around the neighborhood and found another place. We were right in the Chinatown/Little Italy area. It was nice to walk and take in the atmosphere. After lunch, our goal was to drive to Muir Woods. It's one of my favorite places in the whole world. It's a conservation park of redwood trees! They are amazing and I couldn't wait to take Trevor there. On the way to Muir Woods, the GPS took us toward Lombard Street, the crookedest road in the world. So we had to stop and take some pictures. The gardens are lovely on that street! Then, to get to Muir Woods, we dr...

Day 4 - Sunday - Dinner with my Great Uncle

Our original plan for Sunday was to get to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco at 9 am and then head to the Exploratorium (museum) when it opened at 10 am. There were two reasons for such an aggressive start to the day: 1) to beat the crowds at Fisherman's Wharf (which is a very popular tourist spot) and 2) to fit in as many sites in San Francisco before having dinner with my mother's uncle. Unfortunately, we did not make it to San Francisco until 11:30! We went straight to the Exploratorium and got out at about 1 pm. I already had a place picked out for lunch, so we drove straight there. It was only 4 blocks away! When we got there, it turned out that they were closed for lunch on Sundays! But there was a hostess there preparing for the night and she was so friendly. She recommended another place that was also family-friendly and was only 2 blocks away. We walked over and enjoyed a great lunch. Even my dad, who is very picky, liked the food! The only downside was...

Day 3 - Saturday - The Wedding

By Day 3, I was full blown sick and Trevor was at his worst. Kira and Renee were also sick, but they had been sick the week before so they were actually on the mend. As a groomsman, Trevor had responsibilities that started at 7 am. Kira's responsibilities as flower girl did not start until 2 pm, so we slept in and took our time getting dressed. We could have done some site seeing in the morning, but I didn't want Kira to get too tired, and I especially didn't want to be late for the wedding. Kira did a glorious job walking down the aisle. The cute ceremony included a sand mixing (rather than a candle lighting). Then it came time to take family pictures. That was chaotic as expected. The reception was fun. The DJ was very good. The bride's mother sang a song as part of her toast. And the groom serenaded the bride. It was adorable. We were all very very tired by the time we got back to the hotel. I had plans to start the next day bright and early, but it wasn...

Day 2 - Friday - Rehearsal

Day 2 was not as exciting as I was hoping it would be. I was hoping we would have some time to explore San Jose in the morning before the rehearsal at 2 pm. But, it didn't work out that way. Trevor had to get his tux, so he took the car. We had to explore on foot. The hotel we stayed at was beautiful and luxurious, but, it is located in the financial district where tourist spots are sparse. We ended up just strolling from hotel to hotel. We brought the single stroller that we've always had since Kira was born, the Inglesina Zippy. And, the new car seat I bought (Combi Coccoro) comes with a stroller attachment (Combi Flash). It's actually a very nifty car seat because it will accomodate both toddler and infant, and it becomes a stroller. So, while we were in CA, it was Kira's car seat whenever we were driving, and it was Renee's stroller whenever we were walking. It's very narrow, so once the trip is over, the car seat will have it's permanent home...

Day 1 - Thursday - Flying Out

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I was having a hard time deciding how I would document the California trip. I could write by category and talk about how we dealt with gear, kid/baby schedules, meals, wedding...but then I was afraid I would forget something. So, I'm going to write about each day and just point out the highlights. The uneventful days will have short write-ups. Day 1 was the day we flew out. Our flight was in the afternoon, which meant we would be missing dinner. So, my biggest concern was to make sure Kira ate a big lunch. At her usual dinner time I gave her snacks (e.g., yogurt, cheese, cranberries, sliced apples, strawberries). Kira did *excellent* on the plane, especially compared with previous experiences. It helped that she is older now and had her own seat. She sat in a new car seat that I purchased for the occasion, the Combi Coccoro (plus Flash stroller). Renee was okay on the plane, not great. The good thing was that she was willing to sit with my mom or sister as well as with m...

Forgot to Post

This video has been up for a while, but we forgot to post it here, so maybe people don't know it's been up on YouTube for a few days.

Rough Night

I was just about to start a post about our recent California trip, but now I'm too pooped to do it. Trevor went to the gym for a couple hours and I held down the fort. Here's what happened: - Logan took poopie baby wipes out of the garbage - Kira jumped out of bed claiming to have to pee - While Kira was going to the toilet, Renee woke up and started crying furiously - After putting Kira back to bed, took Renee downstairs to make some formula - Fed Renee 2 oz of formula and burped her - Still fussy, so I proceed to breast feed her which then leads to throwing up - Changed Renee's clothes, changed my clothes - Cautiously breast feed Renee and put her to sleep - Clean up the throw up - Let Logan out of his crate, try to sit down and blog, but can't because Logan keeps getting into trouble (e.g., sneaking into the office, ate Kira's hair rubber band) So...I'm tired. Stay tuned for stories and pictures.

Parent-Teacher Conference

It's surreal that I just had my first parent-teacher conference, and I was the parent! It wasn't as rigorous as I expected or would have liked, but still informative. Kira gets along with all her friends. She likes to interact with them by watching them and telling the teachers what others are doing. I asked Norah, Kira's teacher, if Kira showed any signs of teamwork, and she says that all the kids in Kira's class are a bit young for that. They all are more interested in doing their own thing. During the 2nd half of the school year, they will be working on writing letters and to prepare for this, Norah suggested that we improve Kira's hand strength. That means more drawing, cutting, and things like that. I told Norah that Kira is already pretending to make letters and write. She makes loops and lines separated by spaces. And these figures line up next to each other across the page. She will also continue on a new line if space runs out. Trevor calls them ...

Renee's 6-Month Appt

I'm a little disappointed. Renee's doctor usually writes down her new measurements in the "blue book", which is a little booklet that the hospital gave me to track her vaccinations, weight and height. But this time, he forgot to write it in the book! I think he was distracted with writing the prior authorization for Renee's hypoallergenic formula. So, anyways, the point is that I don't have her specs. Sorry! Trevor is going to be bummed. The doctor did say that she is heavier than average and taller than average. I never bother to ask him for percentiles like I did for Kira because there is no hope for me to remember the numbers. As we walked into the exam room, the doc asked me if I had any concerns, and I told him that my most important question for him was about Renee's sleep schedule. She has never been a very good sleeper and has never established a solid routine. Lately, she will go to sleep at around 7 or 8 and wake up at around 1 or 2 and...

California Trip

In less than a month, the whole family will be flying out to California for Brandon's wedding. I'm so excited for him and Yvonne. Weddings are so much fun and seeing two families come together is so amazing. Sounds cheesy, but I really do believe that. I've never been to a wedding where I wasn't brought to tears. I'm a dork. There is so much I need to do before we leave. Here is a list so I don't forget anything: - Rent a car - still not done yet - Pack (just in case I forget - ha) - Choose looks/outfits for whole family - Make a list of places to see in CA - Plan itinerary (complete with arrival times to every place and pre-selected places to eat and go potty) - Buy presents (still owe one for Kegan) - Make plans with friends/family in CA - Pack a toy bag for Kira - Emergency meds Things to do in CA: - Mir woods (one of my fav places) - Golden Gate bridge? - Alcatraz? - Pier?...all the touristy places?...Trevor has never been to SF, so we need to do some ...

Mom and Baby Sick Log

My symptoms started on Tuesday and yesterday I developed a fever. Renee is coughing, it's a raspy cough, but that's about it. Last night, we both slept more that we usually do. I hope this passes quickly.

Renee Videos

Where are the videos of Renee??? I have some, but honestly, they are boring. Renee's range of emotions and expressions are not as extreme as Kira's were, and so her videos are not as interesting. I will post an interesting video as soon as we capture one! In the meantime, here's one of Kira =)

eew

Renee does this new thing where she sticks all 4 fingers in her mouth. She gets them really wet with her saliva and then WACK - she smacks me across the face with her nasty wet hand. She's 6 months old today. Wow, that was fast.

More H&M

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Recently

I took Kira and Renee grocery shopping today. It's only the third time I've ever taken both at the same time. Strangely, I enjoy doing it. I never rush, and when we make it home in one piece and the cold groceries get put in the fridge, I feel like I've crossed a finish line! I feel like a superhero =) And, today, I took them out in the rain!..By the late afternoon it was only sprinkling. When we were walking back to the car, the rain was just starting to pick up and Kira was getting wet. She was giggling the whole way back to the car. I asked her, what's so funny? And she said, I'm getting wet *giggle giggle* I'm glad she was amused =) Renee spit up while we were doing the grocery shopping. Poor thing. I usually have a bib on her, but this time I didn't. Her shirt was all wet and gooey and smelly. Napkins were on my list of things to buy and they were already in my cart by the time she spit up. So, I just opened up the package and stuffed a...

Family Portraits

A friend of mine participated in a BuyWithMe deal and shared it on FB. I saw it and was interested in joining too. It was a photo session with photographer Elaine Donohue for $75. She normally charges upwards of $300. This is something I've been meaning to do for a long time. Pat, Nat, Richard and I had decided years ago that we would take a family picture for our parents' 30th anniversary. This year it will be their 33rd, so it's about time! After weeks for correspondence on setting up a date, we finally did it. She took pretty good pictures! Take a look for yourself: http://photoEcoz.com/link/UTioJ3/

Kira v.s. Renee

Trevor is constantly reminding me to take out toys for Renee, and to spend more time talking to her and reading to her. He thinks that being the first, Kira received so much more attention than Renee and thus Renee won't be as clever as Kira. Surprisingly, I actually don't worry about this at all. It's true that Kira was surrounded by attention and still gets a lot today, but Renee has a lot that Kira never had. Here's the list: - a sister - experienced parents - more living space Besides that, Renee still has plenty of time to enjoy me all to herself. Trevor's parents watch Kira the whole day on Thursdays, and Kira has school three times a week. She's there the whole morning until lunchtime. Furthermore, the girl nurses every 2-3 hours and that's a lot more nursing time than Kira ever had! And, I don't see any detrimental effects on Renee due to her circumstances. She smiles and laughs all the time. And, she even seems more secure than Kira...

Complaints Department

I have been complaining AAAAALLLLOOOOTTTT lately. I hate being in a funk. I want to remember what gets me through the lows - besides the number one thing: my one and only husband, of course. I love love LOVE watching Kira and Renee interact. Their huge attachment to each other has totally blown me away more than anything else I have ever experienced. Seriously, it's amazing for me. Kira loves to play with Renee. She will bring her toys and rattle them to get a reaction out of Renee. Kira tickles Renee, and even though it's more like jabbing or poking, Renee usually laughs! Kira sings to Renee in the car when Renee is crying ferociously, and sometimes, Renee will actually calm down. Whenever Renee wakes up, I take her down the stairs and she immediately starts looking for Kira. She spins her head around, looks right, looks left. When she finally sees Kira, she kicks her arms and legs in excitement and squeals. She does whatever she can to let me know that she wants t...

New Project

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I'm working on a little project. I know, you must be thinking, how the heck do I have time for a project? And, there must be a thousand other things that should be taking priority right now. Despite that, I'm working on a little project because it could be the start of something for me. At the very least, it will be the start of getting some much needed balance in my life. I never realized how vital balance is until I ended up so utterly unbalanced. Being unbalanced affects the most important people in my life, (and not in a good way). Anyways, I really don't want to get into that. I just want to share a taste of my new little project: Source: remodelingcenter.com

The Simple Things in Life

Earlier this month, we were invited to a kids' birthday party. The birthday girl turned 11, and her brother turned 6, (their birthdays are only a couple weeks apart and they have always had their parties together). Now that I'm a parent, I couldn't help but notice how different the birthday-present ritual was compared with how it is for Kira and Renee and compared with how it was for me. Specifics: The birthday girl received DS games to add to her existing collection and a cell phone. Her brother received his own DS and a couple games. These gifts were from their parents. (We got them a scrapbook kit and a Spongebob camera, respectively.) Watching the birthday girl and boy open their presents forced me to imagine what it would be like when Kira and Renee reach tween age, and my thoughts made me nervous. At the moment, I'm having trouble getting my child to happily go to school. How am I going to fend off all the "I want that" moments? And as for what...

Kira's First Day of School

Kira's first day of school was three weeks ago. Clearly, both Trevor and I are finding it very difficult to blog right now. Life is crazy at the moment and here are some key words to give you a gist: - crying - whining - tantrums - nighttime waking - sick, boogie - exhaustion - double-teaming - hungry - feedings - changing - dirty - spilt - chewed up - Logan gets one too By the way, I am not complaining here, I'm just explaining the craziness. And while all this is going on, Kira is going to school! I don't want to say she hates it, but I should say that she is not fully adjusted. She cries when I drop her off and she cries the minute she sees me when I pick her up. The teachers are always telling me that she has a good day, that she participates, and that she is self-reliant. I even received a phone call from her teacher further explaining that she is doing well at school. Despite that, the past couple times we've had a school day, (Kira attends onl...

Renee 4 month stats

So Renee is almost 6 months old and I'm finally getting around to posting her 4 month stats. Sad but true...that is what happens when you're not the first child. Anyways here we go: 15lbs 15oz with an average sized head 94 percentile in weight 93rd percentile in height Some things that have made it much easier to take care of Renee include the fact that she goes to sleep between 8 and 9 at night. Renee also generally wakes up in a good mood - Kira used to, and still does cry like a mad woman when she wakes up. I'm not sure if its because of Renee's build or if we're just better at putting on diapers but we hardly ever have diaper leaks. I recall multiple times per week Kira having diaper leaks. At times when it was a poo diaper, we would just strip off her top layer of clothes and take scissors to cut off her onesie. Leaks tend to happen only maybe once a month or so with Renee. August 16th was the first time Renee rolled over, we woke up in the morning to find her ...

Renee Update

Today I'm at home with Renee on my own. Kira is with Trevor's mom. It's been sort of a rough day for us because Renee is not sleeping well. The reason for this could be a variety of things from itchy gums, gassy belly, to irritated skin. Last Tuesday, Renee developed a rash. Usually that's nothing to write about, but this rash was peculiar in that it formed circles on her face. By the time Friday rolled around, I was concerned enough to take her to the doctor. He said that the rash was most likely 1 of 2 things: eczema, or tinea. If it were eczema, then it would reduce in redness with OTC hydrocortisone, but would not completely disappear for another couple weeks. If it were tinea, then it would actually get worse with the hydrocortisone. So, his recommendation was to apply the hydrocortisone over the weekend and reassess on Sunday. Well, the circles actually got bigger, so it was probably tinea. But if it weren't tinea, then he said it could be a whole ...

H&M Accessories

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Wow, I'm totally in love with these accessories from H&M. Someone tell me they look bad because I'm going to by every single one! And don't even get me started with the kids stuff.

Recently

For a couple weeks now, Kira has been putting her shoes on by herself! It's very cool from a parents' perspective because I don't need to sit her down and keep her still. The only downside is that she ends up touching the bottom of her shoes and I need to remember to sanitize her hands if she is going to play with toys or eat something. But sometimes, we just put on shoes to go outside and play, and in those cases, I don't need to worry about sanitizing. Renee laughs and squeals at almost anything. This morning, she was laughing and squealing at the spoon sitting in Trevor's coffee cup. On Friday at Panera, she was laughing at a group of people sitting at the next table. Almost every time you make eye contact with her, she was laugh and squeal. Kira never laughed at so many things, but Kira had fits of laughter that would last up to 10 minutes. Renee doesn't laugh like that. Renee has also been experimenting with her voice. She has learned how to scream...

Giant Baby

I met up with a friend who I haven seen in over 10 years! Se has a 6-month old baby boy. He's Chinese from his mother and Caucasian from his father. And, Renee is the same size as he! I have a giant baby.

New Things

Kira has recently learned how to use scissors. Thanks to her great aunt Buckie, she has left-handed snippies. Give her a catalog, and she will shred it into tiny tiny pieces! At this point, the vacuum cleaner just stays out for the messes she is constantly creating. I should give her information-sensitive mail to play with. Renee is getting better and better and controlling her hands. She often stares at them and plays with them. And she's starting to grab things too. Renee also stands very nicely when you support her by the armpits. She has really strong legs. If you lean her forward, she will even make stepping motions, one foot in front of the other. Trevor loves this despite my telling him that it's a reflex. We successfully weeded the front walk way! It was such an embarrassment how weedy it became...nevermind the rest of the garden. Oh well, baby steps.

Renee Bath Pictures (2 months)

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Here are some pictures of Renee during her bath time at 2 months old...

Kira Renee Random Stuff

Its been nearly two weeks since both Kira and Renee have been going to sleep consistently around 8:30pm at night. This gives us a lot of time to cleanup the mess made making dinner, pick up after Kira, tend to Logan, and then sit down and relax in front of the TV or computer! I keep telling myself not to get used to it because Renee's sleep cycle is bound to change. It'll either happen because she will need less sleep, starts to get teeth, or will not be used to her new crib once we switch her from her bassinet to her own room with the crib. Speaking of which, its getting tight in her bassinet, it'll soon be time to move her over. And she seems to be sleeping for longer stretches during the night. I think she has been sleeping from about 1am to 6am without interruption. Some things I've been meaning to jot down. Kira is can be dyslexic at times. Some of the words she reverses regularly are: - Paper toilet - Muffin banana I find it funny whenever she means to ask ...

Annoying and Amusing Renee

Annoying: - eating every 2-3 hours, even during the night - drooling!...her clothes are wet, my clothes are wet, it's all over her face, it's dripping down my arm - gas...lots of crying from about 9 pm to 11 pm - sweating - she gets hot so easily I'm forced to keep the house cool even if it's not really that hot - sleeping for very short periods during the day - she's a light sleeper and Kira is a loud singer - big throw-ups - I call them splat attacks because it goes splatt on the floor - baby acne/rash - not sure if it's dairy, so I'm trying to stay away from it...I miss icecream - so heavy when I hold her with my one arm while washing her hair Amusing: - BIG BIG BBBIIIGGG smiles for anyone who will make eye contact with her - full-out conversations with me after nursing - wacking herself with her own wild arm movements and crying because she got wacked - good head control - squealing when she's excited!

New Things (30 months, 3 months)

Here are some new things that Kira has been doing over the past couple months... Puzzles - she loves to sit down and put puzzle pieces together. I remember when I bought her first puzzle, after a couple days she understood the concept but got very frustrated putting 2 peices together. She would try to push slide two pieces on the floor together and that would never work. Then she started putting one on top of the other - but even that takes a little bit of dexterity. After a few weeks she was picking out pieces and connecting them by herself. Allows more help - she seems to have gotten past the phase where she wants to do everything herself. She accepts help more often which is great for getting things done faster. She used to want to get on the toilet herself, wipe herself, get the soap by herself, and wash her hands by herself. She would protest if I tried to help her...more recently she has not complained at all when helping her with these things Feeding - she no longer is fascinate...

Can't sleep so I'll post

This mornings episode: When Renee was born, Kira regressed a bit when it came to sleeping. This includes naps during the afternoon as well as going to bed for night. The lack of attention, the change in family dynamics, and the fact that we hung out at my parents' house past her bed time on a regular basis all played a part in the regression. When its time for her to go to bed at night she would do one or more of the following: Put on a show by fake crying Avoid the situation and ignore me Make numerous excuses to stall Refuse to close her eyes Over the past couple weeks Kira has finally put up less resistance before going to bed. It is probably due to a combination of things. Everyone's schedules have started stabilizing She is a bit older My night time routine has been more consistent (2 books, a hug, a kiss, and lights out) I found that being more nurturing puts her in a better mood before climbing in to bed Anyways, so Vickie and I haven't setup the one monitor in this ...

Another Kira Thing and Video

Kira has figured out how to tie knots. Too bad she doesn't know how to take them apart because she has asked me to take apart about 100 knots! Here is a video of Kira and Renee:

One More Kira Thing

Kira answers the phone when it rings. I try to beat her to it because who knows who could be calling, but usually she's faster than I am. Most of the time it's a friend or family member, so not much harm can be done. Besides that, Kira knows more or less what to do. She picks up the phone and says hello. Then she tells the person what she's doing, be it painting flowers, eating cranberries, watching tv, building a city (with her blocks), or watching mommy feed mei mei. Kira has used the phone before, but only recently has the light bulb gone off in her head that the phone is used for communication, as a means of exchanging information. Before, she would just talk gibberish into the phone, but now she can answer questions posed to her, and she can pose questions to the caller. She still has some things to grasp; sometimes she will tell the caller to look at something and proceed to point the phone at the object. Oh, and one more Renee thing, too: Renee cries a lot les...

New Kira Things

Kira seems to do or say something new every few weeks. Here is a list of new things from the past month or so: Things she says, and I quote: - Daddy, you go upstairs by yourself while I watch Mei Mei (little sister in Chinese). - Yee Yee (maternal auntie in Chinese), do you like cheese cake better or ice cream better? - I'm the old baby - I'm crossing my legs (said, as she crosses her legs like a business woman) - It's a tunic, Kew Kew (maternal uncle in Chinese) FYI, her Chinese is pretty much nonexistent at this point. =( Kira can color pictures while staying inside the lines. She can also free-hand draw a variety of things, such as, flowers, fish, bananas; earlier on, she could only draw smiley faces. Kira has slowed down on the painting lately. I guess she's bored with it. I can't wait for her to start art lessons! Kira puts on dance shows. It's a combination of ballet, jazz and new age. Her usual dance uniform is a T-shirt, tights and a tutu. K...

All About Renee

I documented so many more things about Kira when she was Renee's age (almost 3 months old). And, Trevor admits he took more pictures of Kira than of Renee. Here are some Renee stories off the top of my head: One thing Renee does that makes me laugh is she whacks herself with her fist and starts crying. It's so cute. Poor thing; she can't control her muscles very well. I can tell she doesn't take any nonsense; Renee annoyed, Renee cry. Despite having little control of her muscles, Renee is stronger than Kira was. She holds up her head pretty well, and she kicks hard. While we are comparing Renee and Kira, I must say that Renee eats a lot more than Kira did. Renee feeds every 2-3 hours, while Kira fed every 3-4 hours. And, I think Renee eats more than Kira did at each feeding based on what I'm perceiving as greater milk production by me. Renee does not suck as long as Kira did and she does not seem to work as hard. I attribute this to my milk coming out eas...

Top excuses for not going to bed

Kira has a whole bunch of excuses that she uses to stall before going to bed at night and in the afternoon for naps. Here's the list in no particular order: - I gotta go pee pee - I gotta go poo poo (usually used after pee pee is no longer valid) - My turtle is broken - I got boogie - I want water - I got to turn the lights on - I wanna read a book

Pesticides on Strawberries

It is our conscious decision that eating organic food is optional. Maybe I sound defensive, but a lot of my peers, of whom I respect and admire, make eating organic foods compulsory. They site the negative side effects of hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides as the primary reason for spending the extra money on special food. Added nutritional value and better taste are secondary reasons. I've done my own research, and I'm still not convinced that eating organic foods makes a significant difference in our health and development. But, sometimes I have a friend who is really convincing, and I can't shake the feeling that I'm doing something wrong. Specifically, Kira eats fresh strawberries almost every day. She loves them for breakfast. Strawberries are one of the most notorious items in produce for having pesticide residue; supposedly, according to my friend, of whom I totally trust and believe. I'm a little worried that although the pesticide residue found on...

The Bottle

As I was surfing the web yesterday, something reminded me that I need to introduce the bottle to Renee, and fast! Experts recommend giving a breast-fed baby a bottle between 6-8 weeks of age so that they accept the bottle as a means for eating. Otherwise, if I need to be away from Renee for whatever reason, she might not want to suck on a bottle, which will make life very difficult for the babysitter. Renee is already 10 weeks old, so I'm a little panicked. I gave her a bottle yesterday and she didn't take it. She gagged and almost threw up; and, when she throws up, it's always a major event. It's possible she didn't take the bottle because the breast milk was not perfect. I defrosted some breast milk I had stored in the freezer. Maybe the temperature wasn't right. Or, maybe she could taste something funny about it. I tried to defrost the milk as slowly as possible to avoid degradation, but in the end, I submerged the container in really hot water to s...

The Double Stroller

Features I Want: - standing fold - light weight - accepts infant car seat - comfortable seating for Kira (suitable for napping) Front-Runners: - UPPAbaby Vista - Baby Jogger City Select - Baby Jogger City Mini (initial concern is a slight recline in the seat when fully upright) - Peg Perego Aria Twin - Joovy Ergo - Britax B-Ready - Chicco Cortina Together Disqualified So Far: - UPPAbaby Vista - Tried it in the store and Kira doesn't like the Rumbleseat. It's way too close to the main seat. Plus, it doesn't recline. - Baby Jogger City Select - The only complaint is the size and weight. It's very long, I feel like I'm pushing a train. And it's very heavy, making it close to impossible for me to take it out on my own, which defeats the whole purpose of having a double stroller. -Peg Perego Aria Twin - Doesn't accept the infant car seat that I have. - Joovy Ergo - does not have a full 2nd seat, which I really need for Kira since she's still so youn...

Writing

I wish I had more time to write posts. Keeping memories is so important, and writing is important too. It keeps my brain working to some degree. I'm going to try and write a post every day; even if it is a short post. Renee had her 2-month doctor's appointment last week. She weighs 14 lbs and received 4 vaccinations, 1 of which was given orally. I'm sorry to say this, but the nurse who administered the vaccinations was horrible. The oral vaccination came in a little pouch and Renee was to swallow the syrup that was inside. The nurse did not know that Renee did not have to take all of it, just a little of it. Rather than stopping after Renee took a gulp, she continued to feed her slowly and eventually Renee vomited. She threw up what seemed like the entire contents of her stomach. The nurse ran out to ask the doctor if Renee would have to take another dose. He said no, as long as she swallowed a little. And the nurse forced the remaining few drops in the pouch in...

Pediatrician visit (2 weeks, 4 weeks)

Poor Renee is almost 2 months old now and we've hardly had any new blog entries about her! This blog has been great for history keeping because we can compare Renee's stats with Kira's old stats from the same age. 2 Week Visit When Renee was born she was 7lbs 15oz. By the time she left the hospital she had lost 8oz and was 7lb 7oz. At the 2 week it is common for babies to reach their birth weight, so we were pleasantly surprised when Renee weighed in at 8.5oz! I did not get the official length from the pediatrician, but he marked the top of her head and bottom of her foot on the paper liner under Renee. After he left I measured it at 21.5 inches, she was born 19in long. Most notably, there was no mention from the pediatrician about Renee having a small head. Ever since Kira was born, she has always had a small head, and the pediatrician would go out his way to mention it after measuring her head. 4 Week Visit The 4 week visit Not much info to post about this other than Rene...

Kira's Best Qualities

To get over all the trying days that I've had, it helps to remember the things about Kira that make my life easier.  She's a good girl...mostly  =)  - playing by herself  - articulating wants and needs  - decent amount of cleanliness  - having creativity and imagination to keep herself busy Writing out this list makes me think of her annoying traits too.  - impatience, meltdowns, stubbornness  - overreacting, shouting, crying  - refusal to nap Typical for a two year old, right?  Oh well, she's playing quietly by herself right now, and I can enjoy my cup of coffee while Renee sleeps.

Renee's 1-Month Dinner

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Kira's H&M Shopping List!

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H&M Shopping List

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Renee's Name

Ok, time for a proper post with a beginning, middle and end. Sorry my posts have been so retarded. Trevor and I agonized over Renee's name for weeks...no, months! We just don't like the same names. In general, I like names that are traditional, and Trevor likes names that are modern. But, I also have issues with certain names whether they be traditional or modern. I don't like names that sound like nick-names or that sound overly casual. My name is a nick-name, and I dislike it in formal situations, like in the workplace, or on my BS degree, and other similar instances. Thus, I prefer my kids to have names that will work in a formal/professional setting. Also, I am particular about spelling; my name is spelled in a peculiar way, and everyone misspells it. It's annoying. And so, I like names that are easy to spell. That may not be obvious based on how we named Kira! I think the more common way of spelling Kira's name is "Keira" or "Kiera...

Randoms!

Everyone has been asking how Kira is coping with the new baby. Kira is doing pretty good. She has no jealousy what so ever. She loves Renee and wants to hold her all the time. Kira kisses Renee and tells everyone that she's "cuuuuuuuute." Maybe I'll post a video of Kira saying how "cuuuuuute" Renee is, but it's been up on Facebook already, so maybe I won't. The only thing that Kira is struggling with right now are all the new rules. "Kira, don't touch that", "Kira, be more gentle", "Kira, don't make noise, Renee is sleeping". Whenever I bark a command at her, she gets frustrated and barks back, literally. Her little outburst seems to communicate, "Why are you always telling me no? I'm embarrassed that I'm getting yelled at, but how am I supposed to know all these rules. I'm just trying to do my thing. It's not fair I'm getting yelled at!" Other randoms that I need to jot d...

New Baby

The new baby is over 2 weeks old.  Only now have I downloaded the pictures and videos from my camera.  Here is an early video of Renee.  She is about 1 day old.  More videos to come!

Easter

Video from Feb

Here is a video from my sister's camera.  She took it at the beginning of Feb, so K was just about 24 months old.

Advice

About two months ago I was less concerned than I am at this moment about delivery and labor and more concerned about the logistics of having two kids.  I knew that ultimately everything would work out and I would find a way to take care of two, but thanks to my control issues, I must know exactly and specifically how everything is going to work!  No doubt, I will find out soon enough, but that wasn't soon enough for me, so I emailed my few friends with more than one kid (actually, all these friends have two).   I asked each of them what it is like having two?  What is the most difficult part about raising two children, and what is the most rewarding?  What did they learn about managing two kids and what tips and tricks worked for them.  I know they are just a few stories, but their responses really helped me get into the mindset of having two little babies to take care of.  Here are their letters to me: Mother of girl and boy approx 3 years a part: The jump from one to two is huge,...