Piper's 4 Month Well Baby Check

Piper had her 4 month well baby appointment on Tuesday. She did so well! Of course she had to get some nasty shots, but unfortunately they are a necessary evil. Here are her stats:

Weight: 13 lbs 11 oz (51%)
Height: 25 inches (77%)
Head Circ.: 16 cm (40%)

So she's not as tall as Morgan was, but she's definitely leaner at this point. She still is pretty tall and quickly growing into those 3-6 month clothes.

The rest of the day after the appointment was a challenge. Piper was pretty fussy all day and didn't nap well. When she woke up in the night she had a bit of a fever, but we had been warned that the immunizations could cause a low grade fever. She got her first dose of Tylenol and slept fine.

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Day

Piper is 4 Months Old!!

Piper was 4 months old yesterday! She is growing so fast. We have her Pediatrician appointment tomorrow so I'll announce her "stats" then. I also acknowledge that I haven't posted any Christmas photos yet. We got some really great ones...I just downloaded them, so we'll get them up soon. Here are a few cute photos David took of Piper yesterday...

And one for the blooper reel...

Timber!!

Rolling and Talking

Piper rolled over for the first time on Tuesday and has done it several times since! It was especially nice when she rolled over for the Physical Therapist who was here yesterday (for Morgan). Nice performance!

So, Wednesday a Speech Therapist, Physical Therapist and Teacher came to our house to do an evaluation of Morgan for Early Intervention. To bring everyone up to speed, at Morgan's 15 month well baby appointment the pediatrician was concerned about her verbal communication development. She fell in a borderline area, not way behind, but a little behind. Basically she's supposed to be putting together some phrases (maybe not full sentences) and really use her words to express her wants and needs. She uses some words ("please" and "down" most often), but when she gets upset she just yells instead of trying to communicate what exactly she wants.

We decided to wait until closer to her 2 year appointment to do any further evaluation. At one of Piper's early appointments I obtained the questionnaire that they use at Morgan's 2-year appointment so I could determine where she was at...and she still fell in a borderline area. I decided it wouldn't hurt to contact Early Intervention to have a full evaluation. Early Intervention is a program that is run (in our area) by the Spokane Regional Health District. They provide services for children with "special needs" from birth to 3 years old. Not that I think of Morgan as a child with "special needs," but they provide some helpful services if your child is either slightly or more severely behind developmentally.

The therapists put Morgan though some exercises and asked me a lot of questions. The speech therapist called me later in the day at let me know that Morgan "just" qualified for speech therapy (apparently 25% behind), so we will start some weekly sessions in January. I'm pretty sure Morgan will catch up to her age group soon and especially when she starts her first preschool class next fall, but I will appreciate any help the therapist can give us and so we can learn how to help her along with her communication.

I haven't heard back from the other therapists yet, but they are moving offices next week. They said if she qualifies in one area she can get therapy in all areas, so we will wait and see what they say.

Baby Piper/Jesus

Yesterday I put all of our Christmas cards on the walls of the living room. They look really pretty! Morgan was checking out a card with Mary and baby Jesus on it. Here's how the "conversation" went:

Morgan: "Puh-puh (Piper)... baby."
Meg: "Morgan, that's Baby Jesus"
Morgan: "A-meen (Amen)"

Morgan's 2-year Pedi Appointment

Yesterday Morgan had her 2-year Dr. appointment. We had to go to a new pediatrician (darn insurance), so we didn't know what to expect.

It went pretty well. Morgan weighed in at 29 lbs. (74th percentile) and 35 inches (78th percentile), so she's still pretty tall for her age, but thinning out overall. I heard someone say once that if you double their height at age two, that how tall they will be as an adult. If I'm calculating it right, she'll be 5'10"! That's way taller than me.

She was a trooper through the appointment. She fussed a bunch during the exam and, of course, wailed through some vaccinations, but she calmed down pretty quickly. I think that's pretty typical for 2-year olds though. The Dr. thought it would be good for us to get her evaluated by Early Intervention for her speech. He did not seem worried about it at this point, but he didn't think if would hurt since we already had it set up (next week). Our old pediatrician seemed more concerned about it. Huh? Well, we'll see how it goes.

I think that's about it. We have Piper's 4 month appointment on the 29th, so we'll be back there really soon.

Gym Workout

Note: To explain yesterday's Wordless Wednesday...it's been tough to get good pictures of Morgan lately. Every time I pull out the camera she wants to look at the "pictures" on the back of the camera (the display). When I took that picture she was really pissed that I wouldn't let her look. She didn't cry, but she made a lot of whiny noises.

On to today's post...Piper's been getting a workout in her baby gym lately. Check it out!

She rolls all the way onto her right side. If she could just get over that shoulder...

She's reaching for the toys

As usual, she has to put up with as David calls "getting mugged" by Morgan

Whew, that was a rough one!

Not so wordless... this just in...

Morgan actually "mooned" me during her nap. I checked out the video monitor not so long ago and I was looking right at her naked butt!!! She managed to remove her diaper before she fell asleep. I had visions of a wet, yucky bed, but when I went in all was dry. Whew!

Now am I going to have to fight to keep a diaper on her? On the other hand, maybe potty training is closer than we think!

Wordless Wednesday: Mad Morgan

And the stockings were hung...

We put up our tree and decorations this weekend. I love our little tree! Enjoy!

Morgan likes playing with the ornaments around the bottom of the tree. None have been broken, yet. She especially likes the "M" ornament and says "M! M!" every time she sees it.

It only looks like we have three stockings, but there are four here. Mine is the green one and David's is hanging behind it on the same hook. That's what happens when you think you'll only have one kid and you buy stocking hangers that say "J-O-Y". I'm looking for an angel or other single stocking hanger to add to the three letters so we can show all four. Isn't Piper's cute (the red and white one)?! Grandma B and Aunt Ali made it and just delivered it to us when Ali visited.

Here's just the tree. Isn't it pretty! I wanted a small, simple one and it turned out perfect.

Toddler Adventures

Morgan has become increasingly independent since Piper arrived. At least once a day I will find her headed downstairs (if we are upstairs) or upstairs if we are downstairs. Just this evening I was feeding Piper in the bonus room and she disappeared for a few minutes. I called out to her and thought I heard some noise coming from down the hall. A few minutes later I see Morgan coming up the stairs with a crinkly package in her hands. It was a bag of crackers. She had gone downstairs, then into the kitchen, opened the door to the pantry (we don't always completely shut the door), grabbed the crackers and headed back upstairs. She had already had a snack...I guess she wanted some more. If she had been able to open the bag herself I think she wouldn't have bothered bringing it to me at all.

Morgan is 2 Years Old!!

This is so late in coming, since Morgan's birthday was on Saturday. Aunt Ali came to visit and Piper has been in a major growth spurt, so I haven't had much time to blog. Here's a few pics from the birthday evening...

Pretty Present

I think I like the ribbon the best

Piper looking on

The top of the box is fun too!

Mmmm, yummy cupcakes

My mommy says cream cheese frosting is the best

They're pretty too. Check out the cupcake "window cling" behind me.

More frosting?!

Potty Meltdown

So...I broke down and bought an actual potty chair. David did not want to do this as he hates the idea of having to clean out the cup they pee/poop in. I was over at a friend's house the other day for a play date and they have a really cute one for their little girl. I also noticed that the seat on the potty chair detached from the chair and attached very securely to the "big" potty. The potty seat we currently have is not very secure and every time I put Morgan on it I'm afraid she will slide off. I also thought maybe she'd be more comfortable on a chair her size.

I pulled it out of the box after Morgan's nap and she was instantly fascinated. No, she was not interested in peeing or pooping in it, she became obsessed with the music...yes, music. The little "pink princess" potty chair plays "royal" tunes when the child pees in it. I figured out that you can just touch the sensors and it will play the music. Big mistake. Morgan kept trying to get the music to play on her own and couldn't figure it out. She kept wanting me to do it and when I got tired of it and tried to put it away she had the most MAJOR meltdown yet. Then Piper started screaming. I really think both of them screamed for about 15 minutes. I finally put the potty chair in the bathroom and closed the door.

Morgan kept running around upstairs, crying, trying to find it. I put her on my lap and sangs some songs, still crying. Had her do the ABCs, worked for a minute, then she started bawling again. I finally got her calmed down, then went to feed Piper (to get her to stop screaming). There were random bursts of tears throughout the evening. They both conked out about 8:15 pm, exhausted. Morgan must have worked up an appetite too. She cleaned her plate of macaroni and cheese, peas and carrots, and asked for more...twice! In the midst of the tantrum she didn't get her usual snack. If that results in her actually eating her dinner, I might hesitate on the snacks more.

Before her bath I put Morgan on the potty chair to try it out. She did not want to sit on it. Looks like we've got a long way to go...

ABCs Revisited

Morgan is currently winding down in her crib by reciting the ABCs to herself...we think she got almost all the letters, too!!

Sitting Pretty

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa A for my new table and chair set! Now I have a place to color in our bonus room. Love, Morgan

Piper is 3 Months old today!

Yay! Piper is already 3 months old! She is getting more fun every day. She has all kind of smiles and makes cute baby "coos" and noises. Her Daddy got some great photos after she woke up from a nap today.

Note: Do these pictures look blurry to you? They look that way to me. If I click on them, they look good, but I'm not sure why they look blurry in the post. It might be something we have to figure out with our new camera. Please let me know in a comment if you can.

All smiles

She's found her hands. She likes to suck on the knuckles on her right hand. I'm all for the self-soothing!

Sweet baby

Look, I match my doll! She has blue eyes too!

Wordless Wednesday: Bathtime Babies

Nursing Update

In case you were wondering, I thought I'd give an update of where we are on the nursing front. We are doing fairly well! I say "fairly" because it is still not easy because I will probably never have a full supply. I find that I still daydream about what it would be like to have a plentiful supply for Piper and how much easier it would be. But...then I have to pat myself on the back and tell myself that I've done so much better than I did with Morgan and we are fortunate we are in a place where I can nurse Piper at all.

The difference is that Piper wants to nurse and for whatever reason, Morgan couldn't have cared less. The Lactation Consultants call those babies "happy to starve." Luckily there is formula and the bottle for them and they will thrive that way. I do remember that Morgan took FOREVER to finish her bottle though. I think she also must have had an "immature suck" as they call it. It happens.

So, we are still supplementing about 6 oz total a day and that is just after the nursing sessions in the early evening and right before bed. It's nice to make up just a 6 oz bottle per day (that is used across a few feedings)...the formula lasts a loooong time. Piper is almost 3 months old. Between 2 and 4 months they gradually increase their volume to about 35-40 ounces a day total, then stay pretty consistent from 4-6 months maxing out at 40 ounces. So, the next 4-5 weeks will be key to see if we can keep the nursing going. I may have to increase the supplementing a bit, but I hope not much. We've stayed at this amount for a long time, so I hope to stay there and have my own milk supply increase. It's been working so far. Her weight checks have been good, consistently gaining about 5 ounces a week. Usually the rule is about 1 oz a day, but 1/2 an ounce per day for a mostly breastfed babies is considered OK. So, she's right inthe middle.

We have her 4-month pediatrician appointment set up for right after Christmas. The LC said to come in one time in-between now and then to make sure we don' t have any "surprises." So, I think that means they are confident that we are doing well and they are not concerned. I'd say its good news all around!

Tummy Time

Have I done a tummy time post for Piper yet? I probably have, but don't have time to look back through the posts. We haven't been quite as diligent with the tummy time this time around. Piper's doing OK, but she doesn't last long before she gets upset. Check out these cute shots though. Morgan wanted to join in on the pictures too. She loves her sister! I just have to make sure she doesn't accidentally suffocate Piper with her "hugs."

It has begun

We have been able to avoid it until now, the one and only...

...the worshipped...

...the obsession...

... that is known only as...

ELMO.

Need I say more?!

Wordless Wednesday: Boo Boo in the Box

Whoa!

Morgan has taken to using this word often. Tonight she was running from the dining room into the living room. She looked over her shoulder at David who was doing the dishes in the kitchen and she tripped over her own feet. She caught herself with her hands, then slowly stood up again, turned around and said "whoa!" She'll also say this when she does her "twirls" and gets herself a little dizzy. Hilarious!

ABCs

Morgan has been very diligently learning her ABCs. When we say each letter she'll repeat it back to us. Here's how it goes:

Parent: "A" Morgan: " A"
"B" "B"
"C" "C"
"D" "D"
"E" "E"
"F" "F"
"G" "G (followed by rolling tongue)
"H" "Aesh"
"I" "I"
"J" "ppbbbttt"
"K" "Kkkkkkk" (one long k sound)
"L" "L"
"M" "M"
"N" "N"
"O" "Ohhhh"
"P" "P"
"Q" "Coo"
"R" "S" (yes, she jumps ahead to S)
"S" "S"
"T" "T"
"U" "UUUUUUUUU!"
"V" "V"
"W" "byoo"
"X" "Xssssss"
"Y" "Y"
"Z" "Z"

So, she's pretty adept except for a few letters she puts her own spin on. We think it's pretty cute.

Bedtime Bonus

Success!! We made a few key changes yesterday in our house and our routine that made a HUGE difference. Since all of our visitors have left for now (until Aunt Ali comes for Morgan's birthday)...we decided it was time for Piper to move to the guest room. We rearranged the furniture and moved in the bassinet and glider. I was a little nervous about her being "on her own," but we moved Morgan even earlier (at 6 weeks) and she did just fine. We found that we slept much better with her in a different room, so we figured the same thing would happen with Piper.

I also decided to try out a new bedtime routine. Piper has been going to bed pretty late still, around 9:30-9:45 pm. She still seemed so tired to me. I'm thinking a lot of her evening fussiness is her trying to tell us she just wants to go to sleep. Sooo...

...we started BOTH kids' "bedtime routines" at 7:15. David bathed Morgan and I bathed Piper in separate bathrooms. We read a story together and said prayers. We said our goodnights to Morgan then David fed Piper her bedtime bottle...then I nursed her to sleep. She was asleep and in her bed by 8:40 pm!! This was the earliest my far that she has fallen asleep. Then she slept until 3:30 am...7 hours!! Good Girl. Then I nursed her and she slept until 8:30 am. She seems so much happier today with long times of just hanging out between feedings.

AND, I feel like I got a little of my own time back. When Piper was asleep I was able to do a few chores and read a little in bed before turning the light out at 10:00 pm. I didn't sleep so well, since I kept wondering if Piper was going to wake up at an odd time. That was to be expected. Just give me a few more nights of consistent baby sleeping and I will be sleeping much more soundly myself. We'll be keeping this schedule for a while. Eventually she may need to go to sleep even earlier, but this is a great routine for now.

Ring Around the Rosie

A little more than a week ago, David and I took the girls with us to Safeway to get our flu shots. We had to wait a bit before getting the shots, so we took turns following Morgan around the store while the other waited with Piper.

On my turn with Morgan she headed towards the frozen foods aisle. When we got there she stopped next to a few ladies who were chatting. She turned around and said to me "ashes, ashes!!" This is what she says when she wants to play Ring Around the Rosie. Unfortunately she doesn't pronounce "ashes, ashes" quite right and it sounds like "ass, ass." Oops. I hurried her away from the ladies before they heard her...I think. It was pretty funny though. We still laugh when she says it at home.

How old are you?

We started asking Morgan this question tonight. We're preparing her for her birthday in a month so she can reply to this question that she will be TWO! We also incorporated putting two fingers up for people to see the visual as well. After a few times of asking her (without the fingers), she would say "two," but only when I would say "say two." Then David put up his two fingers and after asking how old she is a few times, Morgan replied, "Y." Hee hee. Get it...his two fingers in the air, plus the rest of his hand and his arm looked like the letter "Y." She's a genius.

More on letters later...we're pretty sure this girl is going to be a good reader like her Mama.

Wordless Wednesday: Dandelion