Following up

For anyone who read my post last night who was/is concerned about Jayden, he is fine.  He said his ear still hurts a little, but he woke up this morning his normal cheerful self.  Carmen did spend the night on his floor, so the night wasn't exactly restful, but it could have been a whole lot worse.  And for once, I actually got the better end of the deal - Dakota slept until 3 am again, and then fell back asleep until 6:45.  Wooo!  I of course got up at 1:45 to pump, was back asleep a little after 2 and then up again at 2:45ish, but that's okay.  It still is better than midnight and 3 to 6.  I love being able to sleep from 3:30 or 4 until 6 or 7.  I was such a better person today.  It was amazing.

For her sleeping success, Dakota won "favorite child of the day" today.  Plus, check out her smile and her attitude.  Just too cute.

I also realized I haven't been doing any developmental updates.  Dakota is pretty much right on track.  She listens to everyone and clearly recognizes my voice, Jayden's voice and Carmen's voice.  And she visibly reacts when she hears us talk, particularly when we're talking to her.  She gets all smiley and makes adorable little noises.  She also focuses really hard on objects.  If there is a fan in the room, she stares at it like nobody's business.  Today I was measuring our heads (for a reason - not just for fun), and I waved the tape measure in front of her face and she was mesmerized.  The simplest things keep babies occupied.  Her movements are supposed to be less jerky now - I suppose her movements are a little more smooth than before, but the progress is slow so it's hard to tell on a day-to-day basis.  She is more intentional with her movements - in that if she sees an object she wants, she can reach for it and often grab it.  In Seattle, she was laying on the floor with one of my sandals next to her and she grabbed it and picked it up.

She's supposed to be able to hold her head steady when she sits up and supposedly she may be able to do a mini push up when on her tummy.  She definitely can hold her head up when she's sitting, and we're working on tummy time.  She doesn't love it, but that doesn't surprise me much.  :)  She does make an adorable face when she's doing her push-ups, though.

Jayden's updates are a little less exciting and a lot less monumental at this point.  Continuing with his "imaginary" stories, a lot of things happen in the house he lived in when he was "older."  Sometimes that house is in Seattle, sometimes it's somewhere else.  And sometimes his stories are ridiculous, but usually they are relevant, and I think in some way the stories help him deal with disappointment or conflict or some other emotion.  He also is gaining confidence in leaps and bounds.  When we went to lunch on the boat, he actually ordered his own drink!  I accidentally ordered his lunch for him (out of habit) and he got mad at me.  Luckily the waitress was adorable, took everyone else's order and then came back to Jayden so he could place his order.  And he did a great job.  I wouldn't have ever imagined him ordering his own food a month ago.  Maybe not even two weeks ago!  So amazing.

And here are some of the "missing" photos from the Seattle trip!

Carmen and Jayden in the pool at the first graders' party - they were being attacked by pretty much all the kids!

Finding rocks to throw in the water on the beach.  The water was cold, but actually felt pretty awesome.

Rocking baby girl to sleep in the water.  It took a minute, but she was tired enough that soon the water didn't bother her and she fell fast asleep.  

Maya's post after her visit.  Such a fun time getting to hang out with her.  I'm so terrible at keeping in touch with people, which means when I finally get to see my friends I get a little desperate.  Glad my friends are understanding!

 I still have a ton of pictures to go through from my mom, but I was too productive today and now I'm tired!