Leap Day

Miss Dyl - sticking out her tongue in protest of having her picture taken yet again! ;)

"Hey Poppers, I see you over there."

"Mommy, should I go get those Poppers and play with them? Yes? I think so too."

"Alright, here I go..."

"... I'm on my way..."

"Whee! I'm over! Rats. Well, they're a little bit above my head - but I bet you'll push them down here for me!" :)

Happy Leap Year to everyone! We had a fun day today, with an extra wonderful 3.5 hour nap this morning (Dyl & I both slept the whole time - LOVELY!) Let's hope it wasn't just a February 29th fluke and it works itself into being a part of our every day! :) (A Mommy can dream, right?)

There are no words...

... to describe how much my heart aches for her.

We love you so much Haley-Bug, and we miss you more than I can describe. I can envision you with your little sister Dylan, all the trouble you two could get into together, and I physically ache with the desire for that to be our reality. I want both my girls in my arms. I want to tuck two little girls in at night. I want you to be able to make your little sister laugh even when she's so serious with all us grown-ups. I want you to help pick out Dyl's clothes, tie-dye her onesies, make hand print paintings with both your hands. I want it all.

And none of this even comes close to describing the extent of how much I miss you, Haley, and how much I want you here, how much I love you. And since I can't say it right, since I don't have the words, I'll use your words instead. This is my absolute favorite video of you, and there are times that I cannot bear to watch it. Such an adorable personality, such a beautiful baby, such a sweetie, so much potential: lost. We love you and miss you, Haley-Bug, today and every day.

5 months old!

Happy 5 month birthday, Dylan! I can't believe you're 5 months old already - we love you SO much!

Poor Dyl-frill got a fever for her 5 month birthday present. :( She was a little hot potato when she woke up this morning. I gave her some tylenol and it helped, but then it managed to sneak up to 101.2 degrees before I decided to give her more. Needless to say she's been quite fussy and not feeling good all day - it makes my heart break to see her sick & unhappy. (I just went to nurse her before bedtime and her temperature was back up to 100.6 - boo! More tylenol for her.) I'm hoping she can sleep well tonight (or at least sleep some!) and wake up a healthy, happy girl tomorrow. I just want my little girl to get well - I hate not being able to make her better!

Smiley Saturday

"Who's that pretty baby in the mirror?? She's always looking at me..."

"Ooh hoo! I see a kitty tail!"

"That's enough standing up straight birdie, let's try something else..."

"Hanging upside down from your branch is much cooler!" (I'm so impressed she can reach this one on her own now!)

Dylan has been the happiest, most perfect baby in the whole entire world today. She was even good for the 2+ hours we spent in the car! Yay for a wonderful day!

She's a Pro!

Dylan's a pro at rolling from front to back now! (At least so long as she's not too sleepy for tummy time.) I can't believe how fast she's growing!

Too bad she's not a pro at sleeping too! I'm bushed, and my cold is unfortunately worse. Here's hoping I can get a good night's sleep tonight since Chad can pull night time baby duties, and that I feel world's better tomorrow. I miss being able to breathe!

Dyl's been a happy girl today - lots of 'standing up', exersaucering, rolling over, and peek-a-booing. Chadmo came home at 1:30 or so today because I was feeling so sick & sleep deprived that I just was feeling like I couldn't do it anymore. He played with Dyl while I had some quality time on the couch in front of the TV - I can't remember the last time I laid around so much! I don't know how single parents do it...

Alright, off to bed with this girl. Wish us luck in getting some sleep!

Front to Back

Unfortunatley today's photo shoot turned out a little blurry - but I still thought this one was awfully cute! :) My 9 year old girl and my 5 month old girl!

Dyl rolled from her stomach to her back 5-6 times today! Go Dyl! She got a little stage fright when Daddy got home though and couldn't perform under pressure. I think she's just too sleepy by evening time - hopefully he'll get to see her roll over at long last this weekend.

Miss Dyl hasn't been sleeping at all since she was vaccinated, and it has caught up with me. I have a sore throat, stuffy nose, and a bit of a headache this evening. I still think there should be some rule against mommies getting sick, since we don't get any time off to recover! It seems like a clever evolutionary trait, we should work on that. ;)

Alright, this sick mommy is headed to bed - good night all!

Mommy's Big Helper

"I'm such a big girl these days - I like helping Mommy do the buckles on my car seat when she's strapping me in or taking me out!"

"We were singing 'Boot Scootin' Boogie' on the way home from Grandma & Grandpoppy's house today - it was fun!"

We had some adorable giggles and laughing tonight after bath time! Chad was holding Dylan and I would waddle towards her like a robot while making a funny noise, and then smooch her cheek and Chad would smooch her other cheek at the same time. She thought this was pretty great, and we did too since it made her laugh! We love our little Pickle to bits!

Dear Ferber,

Your method sucks. Sincerely, Dylan (& Mommy)

Well, we tried Ferberizing poor Dyl last night, and I will never, ever, ever do that again. (See an explanation of the Ferber method here.) After 50 minutes of crying, Dylan was hysterical. She was drenched in sweat, shaking, and the final straw was when she was so upset she messed her pants. After that I got her up, changed her diaper, dried her off, snuggled her, calmed her down, and nursed her to sleep. Then I promised her I would never ever give in to peer pressure (particularly from people over 45, and some people my age) and try "Crying-It-Out" methods again. I guess I'd rather have her scream for 15 minutes in our arms to fall asleep, than put her through that stress. Though I really wish I could figure out some way to make her fall asleep without any screaming at all! But so far neither rocking, bouncing, walking, nursing, shushing, patting, or putting her in her swing have solved that problem. :/ Any non-CIO advice?

"Who, me? Put up a fuss about going to bed? Never!"

"I am far too sweet, adorable, and smoochable for that!"

***WARNING: Do not scroll down if you're afraid of seeing naked women in a bath tub***

Our first Mommy-Dylly bath - it was lots of fun! She loved the deeper water and the bigger tub which allowed for fancier bath tub toys. We had a fun time splashing together and practicing 'swimming' together for the beach this summer!

10:44 pm - Dylan says she took a really great nap from 9:45-10:30 and now she's ready to party! (Troublemaker.) But who can resist that smile?? Unfortunately that adorable smile quickly disappears when we try to enforce bedtime. :/

More self-family-photography. :)

Sorry for the short posts lately - I keep trying to get to bed early in an attempt to get some sleep! Unfortunately Dyl has been very hysterical at bedtime & nap times lately, so sleep has been hard to come by. Tonight isn't shaping up to be much better, but I'll hold out hope that she'll surprise us. I really hate having to get my kids vaccinated - it always seems to result in at least a week of never sleeping. Too bad I'm not one of those parents who doesn't believe in shots. You know you're tired when Chad said "I'm behind you and have a knife, don't step backwards." and my response was "But if you stab me, I might get to be hospitalized and sleep through the night!" Chad tried to claim that the doctors and nurses would be in to check on me every two hours, but I argued that that would still be better than we did last night. All the same, I guess I'll pass on elective stabbing. ;)

Alright, I'll stop whining! I will confess that I just really wish Dyl would sleep so she could be happy during the daytime too - I feel so bad for her being cranky & fussy, and feeling like there's nothing I can do to make her feel better. Poor critter. :(

95th Percentile

Does this look like a head that deserves to be in the 95th percentile to you?? It sure does to me. (And I gave birth to it, maybe that makes it look even larger?) Anyways, we decided Mark Pi's was the perfect place for a family photo shoot, and I have to say I consider it a success. This picture cracks me up! I love our little family.

Another attempt - perhaps a bit more conventional. :)

Dylly & Daddy in Mark Pi's - it was quite tasty and nice to be in a restaurant where pretty much everything on the menu is dairy free. I do love veggie lo mein.

Hot Tamale

"See my Violet that my friend Lauren Coakley gave me?? She sings songs, plays games, and talks to me."

"I think she's really cool!!"

"Whoa, did she just say my name?? That's one smart dog..."

"I have a fever tonight, post-vaccinations. I do not approve."

"But I can smile anyway, I'm such a good girl!"

We went to Aunt Katy's birthday party at her parents' house tonight, and we had a wonderful time hanging out with the Klingelhafer clan! It was baby city, and Dylan was eating it up. She loved the dance party and the other little kiddos. (And she always loves Katy.) But as the evening went on she started to feel a little hot, so I gave her a dose of triaminic and we headed home. She was good for her bath and managed to smile a few times afterwards for the photo shoot above, but she's definitely dragging a little. Her temperature is still 100.6 degrees, even with the tylenol, poor critter. :( I'm hoping she'll wake up all better tomorrow - I hate feeling helpless to make her better. I wish I could go through it for her. Darn vaccinations!

4 (&1/2) month check-up

"Oh no, I see those ick fairy hooligans (yucky, mint-flavored reflux medicine) in Daddy's hand - I better stuff my washcloth in my mouth so he can't give them to me!" (Actually this is Dylan's favorite past time these days: chewing on her washcloth or burp cloth. Well, or her fingers of course.)

"I was such a brave girl for my 2nd round of shots today! I had to drink something yucky and get 3 shots, and I only cried for 2 minutes after the last shot! Then I nursed, calmed down, and napped in the van on the way home. Mommy said if I was older we would've gone shopping for a Bravery Award for that one!"

"But you listen here, Mommy, I'm pretty sure 2 rounds of shots is enough. No more shots, thank you very much." (Mommy wishes!)

"And no more armpit washing either. :( Hmpf."

This is what Dylan & I look like at least 10 times a day, and that's why she had such excellent growth at her wellness check today. :) Dylan now weighs 15 pounds 6 ounces (50th percentile), is 26.5 inches long (90th percentile), and her head is 20 inches in circumference (95th percentile). Good growing Dyl! Go team!

Baby fingers are delicious

"I'm pretty sleepy - but I'm so happy to see Daddy when he gets home from work that I'll cheer up and play with him!"

"See my super cool exersaucer, Daddy? Those little monkeys like to slide across the bar - can you please slide them for me?"

"Oooh, the world toy is my favorite. I'm starting to understand that I could push the buttons myself, but I'm not quite able to make my hands do it yet, even though I try really hard. I'm getting close though!"

"Daddy - watch! I can actually stand up for one second all by myself in this thing!" (She started standing on her own in the exersaucer - for one second at a time - tonight for Chad! She's not really doing it in this picture, but that's what she's smiling about. She was soooo proud of herself and was all smiles. I was in the bath tub and am very sad I missed out on this cuteness, hopefully she'll do it again soon.)

"Mmm, mmm, mmm! My fingers are very tasty, and an excellent reward to myself for my new skill!"

Happy Birthday, Ruby! Happy Valentine's Day, all!

Happy 9th Birthday to my sweet, sweet Ruby, who's always been there when I needed a snuggle...

...who's been there for all the biggest adventures of my life...

...who's helped me figure out which way to go, and always led me in the right direction...

...and who helped me marry the love of my life and then proudly walked us down the aisle to show us off. You're the best dog anyone could ever ask for Ruby - we love you!

The Valentine's Day Apple Pie that Dyl, Grandpoppy, & I made today. It was most delicious, if I do say so myself!

My Valentines!

Aren't they the cutest? I'm a lucky girl. :)

Valentine's Day dinner - the first time we've had something other than North Market raviolis in years. It was very tasty, but I think next year (when we're back to dairy, hopefully) we'll have to go back to our old tradition. :)

Dylly being a good girl in her bouncy seat while we were eating our dinner.

"Mmm, Mmm Mommy - that dinner was finger-licking good!" (It will be fun when she can eat with us!)

Cards & flowers - I bet you can guess who got the most cards! :)

Stripping Miss Dyl down for her bath - goodness, gracious I love this little ornery girl! She's the best Valentine's Day present anyone could ask for! (Please excuse the fact that I am never wearing anything except pajamas when I'm at home - there's too much pet hair here for regular clothes. Plus, who wouldn't rather wear pajama pants all the time if nobody is going to be seeing you anyway? It just makes for poor photo-ops!)

"Who, me? Ornery??"

"Absolutely!"