24 weeks.......I have feet?

Yes - Layla finally found her feet. She is not obsessed with them like Hannah was, but it is still so very cute. She had that wonderful surprised baby look on her face when she found them.

Layla had her second double ear infection and second round of thrush this past week so it has been a rough stretch. Remember, antibiotics make her puke and thrush medicine makes her puke, so together it is just ridiculous. We will be done with both medicines this weekend so hopefully we can have some good weeks ahead just in time for the holidays! Layla is around 16.5 lbs now so she is growing well. She is not too tall, so her 16.5 lbs is pretty condensed into her chubby thighs. Here are some new pictures of my big baby girl :)

We are getting ready for Hannah's big 3-year birthday bash! She is so excited and I'm sure it will be fun. We will have about 9 kiddos and some family here to celebrate. With the holidays and the birthdays coming up, we will be a very busy family. Take care.

My girls really do wear pants, but they were so cute here after new diapers for each. :)

Layla Laughing

Isn't she cute? Aunt Shelly is funny. This was from the girls first evening with Aunt Shelly and Tony. Seems to have gone ok :)

So cute.

I just think my girls are so cute. I know I am biased, but really - they are very cute kids. Although she is spitting up a ton, Layla seems to be doing pretty well on the Neocate. She has been pretty comfortable and falls asleep while eating (like a regular baby). It is a wonderful thing. So it looks like she is protein intolerant after all. This may pose issues with food in the future, but one step at a time. Right now I have a happy baby and that is all that matters.

We had a great playdate this morning with Jane and Ellen. It was much fun for all. The babies were so good and the big girls had a blast.

Tonight is the big night off for Mommy! I'll let you all know how it goes.

5 Months!

Layla is 5 months already! My little lamb is getting so big. She weighed 15lbs 4 oz at the GI on Monday (lost 6 oz somewhere) and was 24.5 inches tall.

Our formula trial is going ok and we are considering it a success at this point. I have gotten a taste of real food and don't think I can go back to not eating :) Layla is still only taking 3 oz sometimes, but she is doing ok.

Halloween was a big hit at our house. Hannah had so much fun. Layla couldn't have cared less, but she still was so cute! Hannah got a pumpkin full of candy and was so sweet. She said thank you to everyone and actually told us when she was done. She was just ready to go home and relax. Too funny.

The girls are spending their first night together at Grandma and Papa's this weekend. I could not be more excited! Not only can I eat with my husband, I can have a few glasses of wine, and then to top it off - I get to sleep all night. I feel like it's Christmas!

Take Care

21 weeks.......

Where to start....The news of the day is that we are starting our second formula trial today. We are going to try for 5 days on the Neocate (the most expensive formula known to man). We tried this 2 months ago and it went badly so we are hoping for better results. I would nurse this baby until she was grown if I could eat some real food, but alas after 5 months of eating practically nothing, I have to try the formula again. I'd say it is nice to walk into a store and pick out any size 0 and know it would fit, and it is nice to eat a bag of chips and know I won't gain an ounce, but when the rest of my family is missing me at dinner, and my husband and I can't even go out and have fun, it ruins the joy of being thin. I am hoping and praying that Layla does well on the formula this time and I can return to a normal lifestyle. She is only drinking 3oz per bottle right now (because formula is gross) but she should get used to it in a day or so. I cried a little and will surely do so again over the next few days, but I'm kind of getting used to that. We also go back to the GI tomorrow to talk about doing the endoscopy to make sure we aren't missing anything.

So for some fun news. We took the girls to the pumpkin patch which was a blast! Hannah rode a pony and a train and had so much fun. Later that same day we went to our neighborhood block party where there were more ponies and bouncy houses! It was quite a day for an almost 3-year old. The girls dressed up in their costumes and were just so sweet all day.

Layla has not rolled since my last post.......hmmmmmm. Just not interested. She is however trying to get on her knees which is funny. She can't get on her hands and then try the knees, so she just face plants and sticks her butt in the air. She wiggles herself in a circle (not quite on purpose yet) which is a good start.

Layla also has her first ear infection this week. After 4 nights of up all night with no real fever, we finally took her in. The ear infection was early, but still - so sad. So between that and the formula - she is not a happy girl. Poor baby. Just can't catch a break.

Why do I feel like I never have good news?

Really I know it will all be ok and this is just another bump in our road. We are staying positive though and looking forward to the holidays with these girls!

Take care.

19 weeks and rollin!

Layla can roll. She doesn't do it regularly yet, but I set her on her back and walked out of the room - when I came back - she was on her belly. She just grinned at me like "Look Ma! I did it!". She also can roll belly to back when she feels like it. So that is fun. She is trying so hard to sit up when you put her in her bouncy seat now so we know she will master that soon too.

Layla is still getting up around 2:30 to eat so we have made no progress there. I think next week we will also have to bite the bullet and unswaddle her too, which will be tough. We have tried a couple of times and it is no fun - Layla just likes to be swaddled. We are hoping that if we unswaddle and let her try to get herself back to sleep, it will help her sleep better. I'm not tackling this one by myself, so I am waiting for Matt to get back from Vegas.

Layla is really working on her speech lately and has multiple new sounds. My favorite is the one that sounds like 'mama'. She also has found her squeal which is cute. She doesn't do raspberries yet, but she does have her paci in most of the time, so eventually.

Layla and I have had quite a stretch. First we went to her 4 month ped appt. She weighed in at 14lbs 10oz and is 24 inches tall. She screamed bloody murder at her shots, but that is to be expected. We also found out Layla had thrush - ick. Well turns out by Wednesday I too had thrush so we are both being treated. It wouldn't be too bad except the medecine makes Layla sick. Her reflux and vomiting were back to as bad as when she was little. It was no fun. Then last weekend I got the stomach flu. Layla also was very squirmy and irratable so she was sick too. We are recovered now, but geesh - as if we need any more puke in this house.

Hannah spent last weekend with her grandparents and went to the farm. She had a great time and was very good. (Pics soon) At almost 3, Hannah is quite fun. She is very inquisitive and very sweet. She loves her daddy! They are like peas on a pod as soon as he gets home. We have made no real potty training progress lately - Hannah still doesn't quite get the pee thing yet. We are just trying to ler her work it out in her own time. She did for the poop, so we know she can. She's a bit backwards on the potty training, but that's pretty normal for Hannah. She has always had her own time-table for things. I have no idea how tall she is (very tall!) but she weighs about 30 lbs (skinny!). Her next dr visit will be in December for her 3-year checkup. We are hoping those ear tubes we had put in last spring do the trick this year and we don't have ear infection after ear infection like last year.

Life is pretty good these days. Busy, but good. I am tired by evening time, but I am finally enjoying my time with my girls :) I am so madly in love with both of them - it's just amazing.

Take care.

Abbey Laughing

This is my niece. While we were visiting Chicago, she had her first real belly laugh.
Aunt Shelly is funny. Hannah used to just laugh at her too!
Since Abbey is so cute and this video was such a big hit, I'll try to include more Abbey too :)