Two Months!

Today was/is not a great day.  It's not over yet, but it's pretty close.  And it doesn't look like it's getting any better.  I'm exhausted, I'm really frustrated with the construction, and Dakota has slept terribly all day, with the exception of one decent nap in the middle of the day.

BUT.  Yesterday Dakota was two months old.  I cannot believe how fast the time has gone.  Today we had her two month appointment.  She is definitely petite compared to her brother.  At two months, Jayden was 25 inches long and weighed 13 pounds, 3 ounces.  Today Dakota was 23 inches long and weighed 9 pounds 14-1/2 ounces.  So she's about two inches shorter and three pounds lighter (doesn't sound like much, but when 3 pounds is 1/3 of your weight, that's huge!).  Funny enough, her head is only 2 cm smaller than Jayden's head was at two months.  She smiles and coos a lot more (or at least it feels that way), but it's weird that she's so small!  We had a babysitter on Sunday and when we came back, she commented that she never expected her to be so small considering how giant the rest of the family is!  Our babysitter is the best.

Giggles after lunch with friends.

Smiling about being two months old!

A quick glimpse into how excited Dakota gets when I talk about her big brother:

To be fair, she said a whole lot more before and after this video - she just doesn't like to perform when the phone is on, even if I put it off to the side.  But you can see her staring at my face, waiting for me to do something so that she can respond.  

I've had a busy week, which means Dakota has had a busy week.  It was pretty much all fun, luckily.

Lunch with friends and lots and lots o' babies.  The three of us were definitely a spectacle, and that was before Stella and Dakota decided to get fussy.  People kept commenting about "babies everywhere!"

Luckily I have nothing scheduled for next week.  I'm sure I'll see Joyce and come up with a few other things to do, but nothing officially on the calendar.  We are traveling to Seattle soon, and then to Delaware a month later, so I have some preparation to do for those two trips, especially since this whole flying as a family of four thing is freaking me out.  Two carseats, baby carrier(s?), toddler bed, diapers galore, clothes, pump, toys, blankets, stuffed animals, DVDs, books - and that's just for the kids.  Apologies in advance, but due to lack of space I will likely be wearing the same two outfits over and over again on any trip I take for the next two years.  AND I need to get Dakota's birth certificate in order to fly with her on my lap.  Although I don't think anyone will question that she's under two years old!  But yes, we are flying with her as a lap infant.  So it will be my giant husband, me with a baby and our three-almost-four-year-old in a row of three seats.  Ack!

Jayden is still loving preschool, and they are still doing awesome things.

Watering the stream.  If you look closely you can see how sandy his legs and shoes are.  This is how I pick him up every. single. day.  It's awesome.  Although not awesome for the amount of sand in my car or our house.  A small price to pay.

Here's a sample day from this week (which was camping week - s'mores all week, lucky kids!):

Art- We colored and glued items on visors, which were given to us by a friend’s parent. Some friend’s visors will take longer to dry due to the amount of glue and paint placed on them. Some friends used chalk to draw on the mounted classroom chalkboard.

Science- We roasted marshmallows over a grill with Teacher Dane. We watched as the coals created our fire and noticed how the marshmallows turned from white to brown when they got toasty.

Math- We used pretend money to charge for items that friends pretended to purchase. Some friends used and recognized the numbers on a calculator. Some friends counted how many cheerios they served themselves in one scoop.

Language- We friends asked to have a play day in the classroom. We talked about our choices and having areas available as long as we help take care of our classroom. Some friends used phones to make calls to grandma. Others talked about playing video games at home.

Flannel- We did “Five Little Ladybugs”.

Dramatic play – We pretended to have a picnic. We laid out a sheet and placed food, plates, and drinks like at a picnic.

Music – We sang “Bubble Bubble Pop” and also learned new movements for that song.

Outside – Some friends looked for treasures in the sandbox. We also blew bubbles while others popped them. Some friends explored the hill and tried to ride a “snow sled”(cardboard box). We also filled up containers with water and used it to water the plants. We made mud pies in the sandbox and walked along the river. We also played pretend house and dress up.

Jayden still thinks Grayson is his best friend.  Grayson only goes three days a week, though, so today he told me he made a new friend.  But he doesn't know the friend's name yet.  Baby steps with this one.

This morning on the way to preschool Jayden was talking about playing sports (we saw the high school football team practicing - they practice really early to avoid the ridiculous heat (95-100 degrees) that we've been having).  He talked about when he was on a team, and asked me if Dakota and I would come to the locker room with him.  I tried to explain that he (and his coach and teammates) might not really want us in there.  But I finally figured out that he was mostly worried about if he got hurt, and he had to be taken to the locker room, if we would come to the locker room because he wouldn't want to be alone.  I reassured him that I would be at the locker room before he even got there if he got hurt.  I can't even imagine watching my child get that badly hurt that he has to be taken to the locker room.  That's my child - planning for my nightmare!!!

But then he's so cute:

Showing me his muscles.  Check 'em out, he's so strong!

I went solo to soccer class last Sunday because Carmen had to stay home with the TimeWarner people.  It wasn't as challenging as I was expecting, because (1) only one other kid (Ryan) was there besides Jayden and (2) Dakota's timing worked out that I didn't have to nurse her there thank goodness.

Jayden and Ryan in their "ready" poses.

Jayden trying to score on Ryan.  Ryan did a great job.  But look at how Jayden approaches it - it's too cute.  

This is kind of hilarious.  Ryan sees Jayden as this kid to emulate - mostly because his dad pushes him in that direction.  Both kids are young, but are big for their age.  Ryan is about four months younger than Jayden.  He has a hard time participating in the class when it's a big group, but having a two person class was awesome for Ryan.  He not only participated the entire time, but he actually performed so much better too!  Jayden is faster and a lot more aggressive, but Ryan held his own in drills where he usually does not.  It was good for both of them, and since it was just the two of them, it also wore them out!

I am struggling with creativity tonight, so all I can do is report the facts.  Maybe that's a good thing!