Miss Rose turned two on February 7th. This joyful, smart, spirited, and loving child keeps us on our toes, and has us laughing more times than we can count. Being a two-year-old means it's still difficult to communicate emotions, so we also have our fair share of tantrums. Thankfully they more than balance out with fun times. We continue to learn what works for Rose. Sometimes what works one day does not work the next. I'm always happy to see Facebook posts where my friends share how toddlers are emotional roller coasters. It's comforting to know we are not alone.
Smiling for the camera
Posing for her 2-year photo with her bear
There are so many things to share about Rose as a two-year-old, but I'll try to provide a snapshot.
At school, Rose transitioned from the 18mo-24mo old class to the 2-3year class. She's now the youngest, but seems to fit right in with many of her classmates (a few of which are only 1-2 months older).
Since Rose is now in the 2-3 year class, the teachers are able to help support potty training efforts. She goes to school in a cloth diaper, but wears pull ups during the school day. She has successfully peed on the potty several times at school (and does it often at home). This week (February 21-29), she pooped on the potty four times and asked to go to the bathroom to pee once. We are not at a point where she asks to go before she needs to. When she goes, she has often peed a bit in her diaper and then remembers to ask. We are getting there slowly, I think/hope.
Rose is such a smart girl and her vocabulary is impressive for her age. At her doctor's appointment, she has met all the 2.5 year milestones and has reached several 3 year milestones. One of the questions asked about speaking in four word sentences. Ha! The girl can sing her ABCs, count to (almost) 20, and sing various nursery rhymes and kid's songs in English and Portuguese. She has no problem telling you what's up in more than 4 word sentences.
Singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Singing the Alphabet
Rose also knows most of the words to "Goodnight Moon." We read it just about every night and she's got about 90% of it down. Sometimes she forgets that kittens rhymes with mittens and not socks. To her credit the mittens and the socks on the clothes line do look similar. She also still loves Green Eggs and Ham (aka "Sam I Am"), though she has lately been only "half listening" while we read books. She prefers to read her own while we read our books.
Our bedtime routine seems to keep increasing in length as Rose learns what strategies will delay her going to bed. Bath, brushing teeth, drinking (water or milk), saying goodnight, singing, and now going potty are all requested at bedtime. She often wants us to sing Rock-a-Bye-Baby (aka "Rock-a-bock-tic-toc"), substituting "baby" for every member of our family. Sometimes she throws in her school friends and teachers too. Where she has learned mommy will give her more time is when she says she needs to go "potty." I always let her get out of bed to try one more time. To her credit, she always goes, even if it is just a little bit.
We often struggle with nap time at home. At school, the kids take a nap around 12pm every day. On days at home, it's hard for us to get out of the house by 10am, so getting back by 11:30 to have lunch and go down for a nap is really difficult. We are often getting home to eat at 12:30-1p, and not getting to naptime until 2pm. At 2pm, she's overtired and fights sleep. If Zoe is awake, Rose also seems to fight the nap even more. She doesn't want to miss out on the fun.
Rose loves her baby sister and often wants to help care for her. Now that Zoe is 5 months and sitting up on her own, we have started using a double umbrella stroller. The girls love sitting side-by-side and Rose loves holding Zoe's hand as they stroll. It is the cutest! Rose still occasionally will be a little rough with Zoe, but we notice it tends to be when she is overtired.
Rose "nursing" her baby
She loves taking care of her babies the same way mommy takes care of Zoe
Rose walking her baby in the stroller while carrying her backpack
At her two-year doctor's appointment, Rose showed significant growth in her height. Between 12-18 months she had been between the 15-20th percentile for height. Now, at 33" tall, she is at the 29th percentile. Her weight has been consistent at the 30th percentile for the past year.
I've noticed her strength increase quite drastically as well. She seems to be able to climb places where she could not before, especially in the older kid playground areas. She stands up for herself at the park (and at home), letting other kids know when it is her turn. Unfortunately, she is fairly sensitive if others do not play nice, and is quick to cry if pushed over.
Rose is a lover and gives the best hugs and kisses. Most people are very surprised when she says goodbye and gives them a kiss. At school, she gives all her teachers hugs often. Perhaps she knows the way to getting what you want is to shower people with affection.
One of her favorite activities outside of the home continues to be seeing Mr Keith at story time at the library. Mr. Keith is awesome and his story time sessions are often way too crowded. But, she loves his songs, bubbles, and the stamp she gets at the end of the session.
Playing with Bubbles at the Library
If Rose has had a good night's sleep and we are calm with her in the mornings (ie not rushing in any way), she will often reward us with her best behavior and will be able to play independently throughout the morning and part of the day. Her babies are her favorites and she can spend a significant amount of time taking them for a ride in the stroller, putting them to sleep, rocking and singing to them, etc. She also sometimes gets really into her books or puzzles. Occasionally she'll opt for riding her tricycle in the house. At night, she loves playing chase around the house after dinner. Usually she prefers that we chase her. We haven't quite figured out the pattern to "clingy" days where she wants to be held most of the morning and struggles to help us get out of the house. We all have our days and Rose has a difficult time telling us why she's feeling down. Parenting on these types of days are difficult, especially since there is now another young child who needs care.
Rose is still a very good eater. We try to limit snacks and when we are successful, she eats a solid breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She doesn't discriminate against many foods, but still loves her beef best of all. Meatballs are probably still #1. She will eat various types of fish, chicken, turkey, beef, beans/lentils, and loves my mom's soups. For breakfast, oatmeal with different mix-ins is our go-to staple. We've cut down quite a bit on eggs, mainly since I am not eating them due to Zoe's allergy. If we let her, Rose would eat bread or eat crackers at every meal. She loves when someone has a bagel at breakfast, or a sandwich at lunch or dinner. She also likes dipping her crackers in her soup. Some of her favorite foods are hummus, tomatoes, raisins/craisins, cheerios, sesame sticks, cheese, bananas, grapes, and yogurt. We continue to provide her with kefir milk to drink, and now offer more low-fat kefir than whole-milk kefir since many companies don't offer the whole milk option and the American Academy of Pediatrics says we can decrease the fat content at this age.
Finished a meal and let mommy put in pigtails (that were removed 30 seconds later)
Creating art on a rainy day at home
I could write a long narrative of every little detail we love about Miss Rose, but I'll just share a few of my favorite things:
We have entered into the phase of significant developmental changes with Miss Zoe. During the month of December, she turned into quite the chatterbox. She loves talking to her family and her toys. When Rose is in the room, Zoe's eyes follow her wherever she goes, and she loves watching Darwin. She has become increasingly more attentive and reacts to our animated faces with great joy. I'm grateful that she has proven herself to be very tolerant of her sister's less-than-gentle ways, and that she continues to be very healthy and strong.
During her fourth month, we continued dealing with Zoe's skin rash and sensitivity on and off. We were in the northeast during early December and had to apply lotion and vaseline to her face daily, and sometimes several times per day because the air was so cold and dry. I stopped eating dairy after reading about the various causes of eczema in infants, which can include the mother's diet in breastfed babies. We did notice some improvement, but it was really difficult to maintain that diet while traveling, and especially hard over the holidays. The dairy seemed be be a major trigger, but there also seemed to be something else that caused the rash that I couldn't figure out. In addition to the dairy, I eliminated breads (because of yeast) and eggs. When I was off all three ingredients she did seem to do a lot better, but it is so hard to stay away from all of these when eating out. So many restaurants cook with butter!
We noticed the greatest improvement in Zoe's skin during the few days that we went to Hilton Head over Christmas. I think Zoe is trying to tell us we need to live at the beach! Her daddy is in complete agreement. During those few days at the beach, we cooked most of our meals at home since restaurants were closed. I was able to keep to a strict yeast, dairy, and egg-free diet. Unfortunately, when we arrived back home, she had a few more flare ups, making me question whether it was diet or environmental. It was so frustrating to not be able to control the rash, and to not be able to completely be in control of my food intake because of eating out on the last day of our trip. I also hated lathering her face with over the counter hydrocortisone cream, which seemed to be the only thing that would help clear her face when it was rashy. The worst though, was seeing her uncomfortable and itchy. We had to cover her hands with mittens because I just couldn't keep her nails trimmed enough or prevent her from scratching her head and face. Leading up to her 4 month doctor's appointment, her face was not only rashy, but raw from her rubbing, scratched up from her nails, and a little dry from the cold weather and forced hot central air.
Zoe at 4 months
At that 4-month doctor's appointment we arrived without treating her face with any hydrocortisone so the doctor could see how bad it was. Thankfully, Zoe was given a clean bill of health otherwise, giving the doctor her full attention and showing off all her skills during the visit. We spent most of the time discussing what to do about the rash. The doctor swabbed the areas that were raw to test for bacteria, and gave us two cream-based prescriptions, a 2% hydrocortisone and an antibiotic, after we voiced our objections to an oral antibiotic. He said the skin was likely infected (needing an antibiotic and confirmed to be a staph, not MRSA, infection), and that we really needed to treat it with the hydrocortisone to keep Zoe from being so uncomfortable. In his opinion, it would be too difficult to figure out the cause of the rash. I had hoped we could identify the cause, but really didn't expect the doctor to have an answer. One of the most helpful suggestions we received at the doctor's office came from the front desk staff who suggested filing nails instead of using the scissors.
Within 24 hours of treating the rash with the antibiotic, it was significantly better. Instead of using the 2% hydrocortisone cream, I found a 0.5% over the counter (marketed "for sensitive skin") that seemed to work really well in combination with the antibiotic cream. I decided not to use the 2% after reading the medication information inside of the package that said no research had been done on children under 2. While I don't like that the 0.5% hydrocortisone also says not for children under 2, I feel a little better that it is not as potent. The doctor told us there would be no problems using the over-the-counter (1%) hydrocortisone long-term, but I will continue to use the minimum amount necessary to keep the rash at bay. We only needed the antibiotic a few days to clear up the rash, and used the hydrocortisone daily for a few weeks. Now, at 3 weeks since starting the medication regularly (and me continuing to avoid dairy and eggs, and sometimes bread), we only spot treat with hydrocortisone as needed.
Sweet Zoe enjoying a rest in the co-sleeper
As Zoe approached 4 months, and I started working in the office again, we transitioned Zoe from the co-sleeper in our bedroom to her crib in her own room. The transition was fairly easy, starting with a few naps in her crib to putting her down in her crib at night. We still swaddle her at night only and try to put her down sleepy, but awake. Sometimes she falls asleep while nursing and I am unable to arouse her before putting her to bed. We've also continued using the incline wedge since she seems to sleep better on the incline than flat on her back.
Her overnight schedule continues to be a challenge, and was especially difficult at the notorious "4 month sleep regression." I had read about it and thankfully only experienced one night where she woke to nurse every two hours on the dot (11:30p, 1:30a, 3:30a and 5:30a). At least it was over the weekend, when I could sleep in the next day! For the most part, Zoe goes to sleep around 7:30-8pm when Rose does, and sleeps until 6:30-8am with only a few wake ups. I always check in on her before I go to bed (10:30-11:30p), and will feed her if she stirs when I walk in. If she is sleeping deeply, I don't wake her, and sometimes get woken up shortly after going to bed. She has been waking up around 2am and/or 5am to nurse. The 5am is the tough one for me, and it is really hard when she wakes at both times.
Zoe gets serious in front of the camera
Zoe's eyes remain very blue and she continues to have a fair amount of hair in the back (with serious male-pattern baldness). She smiles so much, but gets very serious while I pull out the camera! She is a very sweet child, and still gets a little tired/cranky in the evenings around dinner time.
We continue to cloth diaper both Rose and Zoe, with both only using disposables at night. The disposables are great at keeping all the pee in the diaper all night (8p-8a) so I don't have to change Zoe when I wake up to feed her. Unfortunately, they are not as good as the cloth diapers at keeping poop explosions in. There have been a few nights where Zoe has pooped during one of her nighttime feeds and I've had to change her whole outfit when I just wanted to finish nursing and get back to bed.
At 4 months, Zoe is outgrowing her 6 month clothes. The doctor weighed her at the 65th percentile (14.2 lbs) and measured her at 23.5 inches, or 33rd percentile. I don't think her height is accurate, but I will confirm that her 6 month clothes are more tight than too short. :) She is such a cute chunky baby!
Having gone back to work in early January, Zoe now stays with my mom at home while Colin and I are at work and Rose is at school. I try to pump a bottle (or two) before I leave for work and about 3 bottles (all about 4oz each) during the work day. I have a freezer full of stored milk, but much of it was pumped before I went dairy, yeast, or egg-free. I think the first day I went back to the office, when Zoe took a full day's worth of previously pumped milk, was what triggered her really bad rash that became infected. I'm nervous about being able to meet her demand by pumping, and try to pump 3-4 times in the office. So far, no one has commented on my door being closed so often, and I've been able to pump a little extra on a few occasions. I continue to be grateful for a job where I have a private office where I can work as I pump.
Sisterly love for the camera
A couple of friends of mine on Facebook posted a beautiful piece about appreciating each moment in time as it comes. I knew the first three months would be difficult and will admit I looked forward to their passing. But now that Zoe is sleeping a little longer, engaging with us, and sitting up more independently, I want time to slow down. I know life doesn't work like that. Days, weeks, months, and years pass quickly. I want these milestones and these memories to be recorded, which is why I write the blog. But I need to remember to balance documenting the milestones with enjoying them as they happen.
One of the really awesome things about where we live is that there are so many holiday events for families and kids that are affordable. There are parades, visits with Santa, electronic light shows on houses, light displays on farms, Polar Express rides, and holiday shows.
I wanted to do so many things, but since we were out of town the first couple weeks of December, we missed several of the events. The only things that were on schedules were the parades and the Polar Express rides. We missed all the parades since they were held early in the month, and almost didn't get to do the Polar Express ride at Pullen Park. Tickets went on sale in July and I happened to notice that day. I'm so glad I bought tickets right away because they sold out in a day (yes, in July!). There are only 6 days (two consecutive weekends) when the park opens up in the evening for Christmas celebrations. Only ticket holders can get into the park after 4pm and a ticket gets you a ride on the train. The train, which Rose loves when it's not the holidays, rides the same route around the park and has Christmas lights on it. You can only ride once, but there are other events and things to do in the park. You can ride the indoor carousel as often as you'd like and it plays Christmas music. There's also a scavenger hunt, visits with Santa, carnival games and art stations for the kids, and the normal park items (slides, swings, etc).
Back in July, I bought tickets for the second Saturday. When we made plans to travel north in early December, I realized we were going to miss it, getting back to Raleigh on Sunday and not Saturday. The other nice thing about our area is that there are a bunch of local Facebook sales pages and mom's groups. I posted on several of these sites to see if anyone wanted to switch their tickets with me and someone did! We just had to make sure we were back in Raleigh to catch our ride around 5pm. In a previous post, I mentioned that we drove back home from Albany at 2am. With just a few stops, we were home around lunch time, giving us plenty of time to get to the park in Raleigh.
Even though we were tired, it was still fun to enjoy the Christmas fun as a family. Rose loves the train and carousel, so even if she didn't engage in anything else, it would still be worth the $8/ticket ($24 for all of us). Surprisingly, she did some of the carnival games and enjoyed getting treats on the scavenger hunt. Zoe got to enjoy her first ride on the carousel. She was awake for most of the time we were there. The weather was warm, so we didn't have to bundle up much and the food was pretty good.
Waiting our turn for the carousel
Rose and mommy on the carousel
Family picture at Pullen Park's Polar Express
A tired family on the Polar Express train ride at Pullen Park
We have an artificial Christmas tree, but decided that we were going to get a real tree this year. With just a little over a week before Christmas, many of the cut-your-own tree farms were sold out of trees, or only had weekend hours. Instead, we picked out our tree at the North Carolina State Farmers' Market. There was one vendor trying to get rid of the rest of his trees and gave us a pretty good deal on one that was about 8 feet. The weather continued to be crazy warm leading up to Christmas and we were out shopping for a tree in light sweatshirts. I was not complaining!
Picking out our Christmas Tree
While we were up north the first few weeks of December, we did go to a few holiday light displays, one being the famous (and free!) LaSallette Shrine and another at the first or second Winterfest at Diamond Hill State Park in Cumberland, RI. Even though the weather was mild for northeastern standards, it was still very cold and we were all bundled up in heavy winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves. Winterfest was our first time seeing the new laser lights, which were really cool in some of the forest areas of the park. I thought their $10 admission was a little pricey for having to walk around the event ourselves. There was also lots of open spaces without much to see and do, and no place to get warm.
In North Carolina, we had a little cold spell right before Christmas, but it meant that we needed hats and gloves once the sun set. There were several options for checking out large holiday light displays in the area and we opted to go to the farm where we spent a very long day in the fall. Hill Ridge Farms was where Rose enjoyed a hay ride, train ride, tunnels, farm animals, and more a few months ago. At Christmas, the tractor ride takes you through a very large light show, with Christmas music blaring in the wagon. They also run their train around a big open field (with a few lights) and keep many of the farm features available into the evening. Rose is too small for their large bouncing ball and huge tunnel slide, but she enjoyed swinging on the large log, seeing the farm animals, and drinking hot chocolate. They have a few fire pits and sell kits to make smores, but we didn't do that this year. Entrance for their "festival of lights" is reasonable, at $10 per person for the tractor ride, and only an additional $3 for the train. The only downside was that we sat at the front of the wagon and inhaled lots of exhaust during our ride.
Visiting Hill Ridge Farm's Festival of Lights
Heading to the wagon ride inside the farm
Selfie in the caboose of the train
Rose and daddy riding the swing at Hill Ridge Farms
Rose and daddy swinging on the log at Hill Ridge Farms
In addition to our ticketed events, we also did our annual driving around to see holiday light shows, this year adding a trip to try Duck Donuts and pick up hot chocolate for our drive. I probably love the light shows more than anyone else, but hope that both girls enjoy it with me as they get older. There are some very impressive synchronized light shows in the area, with a map to the addresses available online. I posted a video with one of the light shows two years ago and this house continues to be the best in the area.
For Christmas this year, my parents joined us in North Carolina. With rain and mild temperatures predicted for the whole week in the Raleigh area, we opted to spend the holiday in Hilton Head, SC, a place none of us had ever been. I found a reasonable rental through VRBO.com and we set out, packing everyone (including Darwin) into the 7 passenger 4-Runner on Christmas Eve for 3 nights and 4 days.
The 5 hour trip was uneventful, the rental property was bigger than we expected and the weather remained warm for the 3 days. On the flipside, the weather was damp down there too, and while we didn't have rain, the beach was foggy pretty much every day. We were able to check in to the property early, but by the time we got settled, went grocery shopping and ate, there wasn't much time to enjoy the beach on that first day. With it being Christmas Eve, we had to get our shopping in for the next day before everything closed. It was late in evening before we realized we forgot to pick up a few essentials (like coffee!!). We had a few adventures with finding an open store, but eventually got our coffee, milk, and bottled water before returning back to the rental.
The unit was very accomodating to our needs. There was one master bedroom with a patio and full bath, and a second spacious bedroom with a double and twin bed that was attached to the second full bathroom. The sleeping quarters were separated from the main living area with a door and each bedroom also had it's own door. Rose slept in the twin bed in the second room with my parents while Zoe slept in her "beach bed" in the master bedroom with me and Colin. The kitchen, which also had a washer and dryer, opened to the dining area and living area. Cathedral ceilings added to the spacious feel of the apartment. We were super comfortable and about a 10 minute walk to the beach. We didn't notice many amenities offered through the resort complex and all of the outdoor resort pools were closed for the season.
I found the water to be a little too cold for my liking, but had the sun been out, I may have done some swimming. Rose had a great time enjoying the pools of water that formed at low tide. We managed to have Zoe dip her bottom in the ocean, but as you can see in the video, the water was too cold for her as well. The day we left for the beach and the whole time we were away, the skin on her face cleared up and looked amazing. I think it's a sign that we need to live at the beach! :)
Enjoying the foggy beach in Hilton Head, SC on Christmas Day
The day after Christmas, we managed to explore a little bit of the island by car and we did get out again for some dessert after dinner. It was the only time we did much outside of the rental property/resort complex. We just assumed most of the attractions were closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Rose holding Zoe at the ice cream parlor in Hilton Head, SC
On our final day of the trip we had to be out of the apartment by 11am. The morning was spent packing the car, cleaning the apartment, and making sure we didn't leave anything behind. Rather than spend the day in traffic (which we assumed we would get on I-95), we decided to spend the day in Savannah, GA. Colin and I had been on a trip before having the girls, but my parents had never been.
Savannah was less than an hour from Hilton Head on back roads, so we arrived just before lunch. Knowing the city has many good restaurants, we used Yelp to find one and managed to find a good parking spot near Chippewa Square, between Forsyth Park and the waterfront. We ate at Fire Street Food, a restaurant that could appease a variety of palates, and then walked around the city, taking in the historic sites, hanging moss trees, and the overall hustle and bustle of a city. By the time we got to the waterfront, we were ready for some dessert and picked up beignets at Huey's. Since Zoe's skin has been better when I don't eat dairy (more on that in another post), I did not indulge in any, but took everyone's word that they were delicious. With our bellies full again, we continued back towards Forsyth Park (and our car), stopping at a playground to let Rose enjoy some kid time. We found a cute little playground near a huge cemetery that was not crowded at all. At that point we were debating when to leave, seeing that traffic continued to be bad on I-95, and knowing good food options would be slim once we left the city. Rose was getting tired, but fighting a nap as we continued on to Forsyth Park. At the park, we took a few photos at the fountain, saw a man propose to his bride-to-be, and found the very busy toddler and preschool playgrounds (but didn't stop to play here). With it approaching dinner time, we decided to find a restaurant close to the car. Unfortunately, Yelp didn't provide us with many ideal options, so we settled for a little coffee shop near the car. They had a very tasty hummus and pita platter and some salad/sandwich options. At the time, we were slightly disappointed that we didn't get a better meal, but in hindsight we all had a more pleasant ride home with the lighter fare.
Walking down to the waterfront in Savannah, GA
Rose playing with other kids on a waterfront boat
Enjoying the hanging moss trees
Some toddler fun at a playground in Savannah, GA
After getting the girls fed and dressed in their pajamas (I hate that cities rarely have changing tables in bathrooms!), we got on the road around 7pm. Rose didn't take long to fall asleep and even Zoe slept most of the way. She only needed a bottle once during the 4hour and 45 minute trip. Yes, we managed to skip all the northbound traffic, and were home around midnight.
It was a nice and relaxing Christmas holiday, filled with love, laughter, and peace. These are the best gifts we can give and receive.
Dressed up on the eve of Christmas Eve
At some point we will all look at the camera
Impossible to get them to look at the camera
And my poor rashy Zoe!
Opening Christmas presents on the eve of Christmas Eve
Yay! Another doll
I hope your holidays were enjoyable and that your 2016 is off to a great start. We celebrated the New Year by the backyard fire pit with friends, family, and smores.
We had our first (and hopefully only) snow storm of 2016 this past weekend. Our northern friends always joke that the south shuts down when it snows. It's true, but we do get a lot of ice. This storm was no different. All day Friday, we had sleet and freezing rain with some snow mixed in. All together we only received a few inches, but it was very icy.
To prevent cabin fever, Colin, Rose and I ventured out on Friday and Saturday for a bit. Neither Rose or I were thrilled to be out on Friday in the soaking rain, but Saturday we managed to enjoy about 20 minutes of sledding around the yard/house. The backyard has a slight slope towards the house and since the snow was icy, it served as a nice sledding slope for Rose. We also sledded down the driveway, but it was not as smooth as the backyard. Rose seemed to enjoy it a little bit, but she definitely didn't want to be out for very long. She takes after her parents who prefer the beach and warm weather to snow and cold.
We kept Zoe indoors for both days, keeping her nice and warm with her avó.
My little girl has passed the "fourth trimester" with relative ease. We have experienced a bit of a witching hour in the evening where she just wants to nurse from dinner time until bedtime. We've started putting her in the bouncy seat while we eat dinner so she can join us at the table. The routine is that sometimes I get to finish dinner before she wants to eat, I feed her, and then Colin puts her in the Ergo carrier while we do Rose's bedtime routine. Zoe still nurses like a champ, and she still doesn't burp that well. Many times that means she spits up later. The goal for the month was to try and get her to take a bottle and we have experienced much success, thankfully. For Thanksgiving (at 2.5 months), we traveled to the northeast to visit family. My sisters-in-law and mother-in-law were the first people to successfully give Zoe a bottle and she hasn't had any more problems taking one since.
My sweet girl is growing so fast
Before we traveled to the northeast, Zoe's cradle cap appeared to be getting better and her baby acne got a lot better. I had been making and eating lactation cookies during her first month and once I stopped (after reading about skin issues related to mom's diet in breastfed babies), her skin got better. The only ingredients I could think of that caused the problem was Brewer's Yeast. Unfortunately, once we reached the cold northeast, her cheeks became (and stayed) red and got very dry. The raw skin on her face got so bad that I debated going to urgent care and opted instead to call the pediatrician. The nurse on call suggested coating her face with Eucerin lotion and locking it in with Vaseline. The remedy worked a bit, but we had to constantly clean her skin and apply the lotion during our stay. We had to treat the cradle cap a little bit, but it seemed to be improving, as opposed to the skin on her face. I think the rash looks like ezcema and much of the reading I have done suggests it could be a dietary or environmental allergy. We'll have to see if we can pinpoint the problem. Many people have suggested dairy in my diet is the problem and I agree it is the most likely cause.
Celebrating Thanksgiving with the family
Rose loves her sister and gives her lots of kisses
At three months, we are now getting lots of smiles. Zoe loves watching mommy, daddy, and big sister Rose. Darwin's bark sometimes startles her, but it doesn't seem to upset her. Daddy likes to move side to side, making Zoe follow him with her eyes, and Rose loves to try and make her little sister smile by mimicking mommy's sounds. Zoe also seems to love music and it often calms her down when she's fussy. She has started taking a pacifier since becoming more comfortable with a bottle.
Giving mommy a smile during a mid-November walk
Now that I have more experience as a parent, I am trying different techniques with sleep training than I did with Rose. When I put Zoe down to sleep, I make sure she is drowsy, but awake. And, when she wakes up in the middle of the night to nurse, I feed her and put her back down. During the first two months or so, I would change her at every nursing session. I did that with Rose for several months, even when she was only wet. Now, unless I hear her poop while I feed her, Zoe goes back to bed without being changed. It doesn't seem like she minds too much, but it means her diaper is very soaked in the morning. To make it easier on us (so we don't have to worry about soaking through clothes), we now do a disposable diaper on Zoe at night. Unfortunately, if she does poop overnight, I usually have to change her whole outfit because it often goes up her back. The disposable is not as good as cloth on keeping the poop contained. But, if she only pees, the overnight diaper is much better at absorbing it all. We continue to swaddle Zoe at bed time, but not during the day. So, when we put her down for naps, Zoe only sleeps short periods of time.
Celebrating Thanksgiving in RI
Every now and then, Zoe will go back to a 2-3 hour sleep schedule at night, but for the most part she is sleeping 4-5 hour stretches. I haven't noticed a predictable sleep pattern during the day, but we were also traveling and so she had to go with the flow of our travel schedule often. We drove the 11 hour trip and left at 2am to take advantage of both girls preference to sleep longer in the morning. On the way up to NY Zoe woke Rose up at 5am because she wanted to eat. Since Zoe wasn't taking a bottle yet, we had to stop so I could feed her. That meant Rose didn't go back to sleep, but she did talk, read, and sing to herself until we stopped for breakfast at 8am. Both girls napped most of the morning and we took another long break for a late lunch before reaching our destination that afternoon. On the return trip it was easier because I could pump a bottle of milk in the car and feed Zoe as we drove. We made it from Albany NY to Richmond VA without having to stop for anything except gas.
In early November, Rose had her 2nd ear infection and took a long nap with Zoe
With all the traveling and eating holiday meals, I'm still holding onto those last 5-10 pounds of baby weight. I have one pair of jeans that fit (because they have a little stretch in them!). The weather was relatively mild in the northeast (for them), but we had quite a few days in the 40's, which is cold to me. And, walking with Rose is a slow stroll, unless she is willing to go in the stroller. I've continued to work part time from home and it was nice to have family around to help with the girls while I worked.
Stay tuned for an update on our Christmas and New Year, which included a much-needed trip to the beach!
My little Rose is getting so big so fast. I think she's grown a lot in the past few months. I don't know if that has increased her size on the growth chart, but her 24 month clothing is getting too small and she is fitting better in the 2T clothes. Pants are still a big long, but her body is definitely looking more toddler-like than baby-like.
Rose at 21 Months
Beautiful smiles
Rose at 21 Months and Zoe at 2 Months
Though Rose does have her tantrums and we really struggle with getting in the car seat and putting on a diaper and pants at times, I love this age. She repeats everything you say. Her development is wonderful to see. She now strings sentences together to tell you what she wants, she knows pretty much all the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," she can count to 10 (but often omits 2, 5 and sometimes 9), she can sing most of her ABC's, she knows many of the words to other favorite songs like "Ba Ba Black Sheep," "Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and a few others.
Rose counting at 21.5 Months
Over the past month, I've also noticed her ability to play independently. It's been really helpful when I have things to do or need to attend to Zoe. As long as I'm in the room, or close by, she can often play by herself for up to 30 minutes. She loves taking care of her babies, putting them to bed or taking them for a walk around the house with her stroller. She also loves sitting with a pile of books around her, looking through and reading some. When we go to museums or play areas, she gravitates to the trucks and cars more than the dolls, but at home she loves her babies and books. She also loves to chase, or be chased, around the house. Playing tag is one of our favorite activities before bed. We have also gotten into the routine of reading "Goodnight Moon" each night before bed. We often read a second or third book. The other staples are "The Giving Tree," "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", and "Sam I Am" (Rose's title for Green Eggs and Ham).
In addition to books, Rose also loves electronics. We skype often with family and Rose knows which button to press to get to the Skype app. If she finds one of our phones unattended, she brings it to us. We've given her one of our old smartphones connected to wi-fi to play with. It's her device to watch her "Aula de Portugues" (or "Portuguese Class"), which are kid's music videos in Portuguese. She loves "Avo Cantigas" and his songs, but frequently needs "help" getting the app back when she presses a button on the phone.
Rose loves electronics - here at the library
Rose will be out of school for half of November and all of December due to travel and family visiting. She has not forgotten any of her friends as she often asks me to sing "rock-a-bock-tick-tock" (or Rock a Bye Baby) replacing "baby" with the different kids at school. Rock-a-Bye-Baby is now our nighttime song after reading. Since she's been out of school, we've tried getting her some socialization by going to several museums and the park as much as we can. Unfortunately, she's still more strongly connected to her family than to other kids.
Enjoying one of our many fall farm visits
We continue to have success with Rose eating. She loves meals, and beef entrees still tend to be her favorites (meatballs, shepherd's pie, etc), though she also loves soup and fish. She often asks for cheerios, crackers, cheese, or raisins, which we limit to occasional snacks or after she's had most of her meal. This week she's been asking for hummus and actually ate a fair amount of it for snack today. We also continue to only offer water or kefir milk. We have given her regular milk, but she doesn't really like it now that she is so used to the kefir.
Rose also feeds herself just about every meal. She's coordinated enough to use both the spoon and the fork (it appears she is right-handed) and only resorts to using her fingers if she is very hungry and doesn't have the patience to use a fork, or if her attempts at using the fork have been unsuccessful. We still have to cut up some food for her, and she's good at telling us if something is too big, or if a spoon-ful is "too much." Most foods are fine, except for watery soups, which end up all over the table, floor, and Rose. Her top canine teeth have finally come in, so now we are waiting on the bottom canines and the two-year molars. When her teeth bother her, she is a very cranky child.
Sometimes feeding yourself is messy
We continue to cloth diaper Rose and haven't made any progress in potty-training for the past few months. The novelty and excitement of using the potty has worn off, but Rose does go every morning and when we remind her (pee only). She now lets us know she needs a diaper change when she's very wet or when she has pooped. She likes to help put her diaper in the washing bin, and to help dispose of her poop in the toilet. I hope that school will assist with potty training when she goes back in January, or when she moves up to the 2 year old class in February-March.
I love Miss Rose's personality. She's such a joyful child and makes my life more fun. She has her occasional meltdowns, which primarily take place when she's tired or when her teeth hurt. But overall she is a great child. She's a great helper most of the time and sure does love her music (to sing and to dance). When we go somewhere new or where there are older children, she is very shy until she warms up. If she is participating in a group activity, she is very good at waiting her turn and following directions. She is also very good at sharing and I have a difficult time seeing her surprised and somewhat hurt when others don't share in return. I've also noticed her act bored with programs that she goes to often (like storytime), but she is paying attention in her own distracted way.
Rose dancing at 22 Months - the girl has some moves!
Thankfully, Rose has remained healthy through these late fall months. She was a bit snotty early in November when she was in school, but since she's been out, she seems to be cleared up. I worry about her going back to school during prime sick season and hope she doesn't bring anything back to us (mainly Zoe), but I'm sure it is inevitable.
Stay tuned for updates on our winter activities and a 3 month update on Zoe. I'm catching up!!
I continue to fall behind on the blog posts, but will try to catch up before the new year!
Here is a quick photo recap of some of our fall adventures. We probably visited 3-4 pumpkin patches and went on at least two hayrides. Rose got to step out of her comfort zone a bit and explore some new activities. Zoe, still being so new to the world (and in the 4th trimester), slept during most of the trips, with some nursing sessions as needed.
One of our first adventures of the fall season brought us to Hill Ridge Farms, about an hour from home. The farm was amazing and I wish we got there earlier. We still ended up spending over 5 hours enjoying their many activities and eating lunch. We did the hayride to get pumpkins, did the train ride to see some fall displays, saw some animals, raced some ducks, climbed hay stacks, crawled through tunnels, and rode a giant log swing. There was so much to see and do and Rose had a great time. The food available for lunch was mediocre, but their bakery was excellent. We will definitely head back there again next year and I look forward to having Zoe get to participate in the fun.
Rose is bravely climbing through the tunnel
One of several hayrides
We also visited Farmer Ganyard at Upchurch Farm and got to meet the farmer himself. We talked to him a bit about how we could support the farmland in Cary to prevent the land being used for development. It's a shame that farmers are better able to support themselves when the farm is a tourist attraction as opposed to it being used to grow food for people.
At the Upchurch Farm, we enjoyed another hayride to get pumpkins, and got to go through a corn maze. Rose led the way and only led us to 1-2 dead-ends. She also had a great time jumping in the "corn box." Of course, she did not want to go in the toddler corn box, opting instead for the older kids box. In the older kid's box, there was a slide feature that was not available in the toddler box. Since there were lots of kids playing in the older kid's box, we had to watch her a little more closely.
Navigating the corn maze at Upchurch Farm
Enjoying the climb and slide in the corn box at Upchurch Farm
We had a great fall enjoying the wonderful farm activities located in the Triangle. Since Thanksgiving, we've also been enjoying some holiday activities that will be posted on another day. I'm so glad we live in this area and have so many options for reasonably-priced toddler and kid-friendly activities.
