IB these days..

Little missy#1 is growing like a weed!  

She loves to play doll house, and of course, play mini-mama with all of her babies!  .. Complete with diapers and wipes at changing time!

She is now into YouTube videos - although no where near as advanced as some if her friends in using the iPhone!

Still loves her milk (2%; about 16 oz/day)
She kind of/sort of knows what different time frames mean, "in a little while", or "later". When we tell her she can't have something she will be agreeable - but respond with, "I'll have it later."

She says, "remember" quite a bit to let us know she's done something before (ex. "I had M&Ms last time.  Remember?"). She does not forget any.thing. 
Loves to go to the store. Loves errands in general. I think it is bc we don't go many places since CL came along and when we do she generally gets a treat while we are out. 
Loves nursery rhymes. Loooooooves them. In fact, she knows just about every single one known to mankind!  I've had to google to figure out which she is singing. I know them from when I was little - but it's been so long I can't remember the verses (her fave: wheels on the bus and Mary had a little lamb).
Knows certain location words "it is 'hind the box". Yes, she says "hind" for behind. I hate to correct her bc it is so stink'n cute!  

She knows what her dad does, and that he helps "sick kids".  She says he works at a "hosible". 
She knows Mr Jones by the Counting Crows - she can actually sing a smidgen of the chorus on her own without the music. I think that she has requested that song to be on in the car a few (read: many) times. 
She can draw and identify a circle; she can identify a star and heart. 
Calls small things "a little baby one" (think: a small dog relative to a bigger dog). It is in the cutest voice too!!
Likes "pin-cess" and Mickey mouse (Loves to say "moo-ska"!!) anything. Although has no idea what the names of the characters/princesses are.
Says she misses uncle garner all the time! Loves her friends at school, her friend Abby and neighbor, Rhye

Mostly she looooves her pool, little sis & painting!!

perfect love story.

Have you ever wondered what the most perfect love story looks like?

Dyer's grandma, Lurah, was born and raised in Brenham Texas (a little town outside of Houston).  Growing up her brothers were friends with Willie.  Willie came from a very poor family and was 6 foot 7 inches tall!!  He LOVED football, especially Texas A&M.

Willie loved to tell stories.  All kinds of stories.  Stories about kids, stories about the Army and all the places he had been.  Every story included all the details, including people, places and years.  He kept a accurate timeline of events in his head.  Willie was married to Delly and they had 2 children.

After Delly passed away and Willie moved back to Texas.  He reconnected with Lurah and they became close friends.  For the last 20 years Willie would call Lurah everyday to say good morning and wish her a good night.  He would take her to all of her hair appointments and bring her Pepsi (her favorite drink EVER).  They were best friends.

I have so many great memories of Willie.  He had the biggest heart and was so caring.  He was incredibly thoughtful and I will always be gracious of the most beautiful gift he gave me.  Dyer proposed with a wedding ring set that Willie had given Lura.  Willie also gave Dyer and I the wedding cake knife that was used at his own wedding many years ago.

(this is from just after willie passed away, last spring, i came across it in my drafts.)

{our last visit with Willie at Thanksgiving 2010.}

{I have plenty more pics, will upload very soon.}

Babies!

IB spends her time playing babies (with anyone that wants to join!).

Generally this means that she will wipe, diaper, rediaper (& rewipe & rediaper..),  clothe and cover with blankets.  Putting them "night-night" ALL over the house.  She is a diaper/ wipe/ blanket/ burp cloth thief!  She will barter for these items if I tell her no, or she will say, "remember I played with wipes yesterday" - as if it is now always ok.  I would def say she is a mini-mama!  She says all the same things I say to her!  She is a sweetheart!

10 weeks.

 

Wow! The last 10 weeks have flown by! Caroline you've been the most precious addition to our family, you fit right in and since your arrival our hearts have grown more than we thought was possible! Big sister Isabelle has shown us how incredibly sweet, caring and kind {&& challenging!!} she can be! She is truly the very best big sister you could ever ask for ..now I just hope that continues as you both grow older! You are so calm and go with the flow of a bustling house. I could sit and hold you all.day.long., and often times do when IB is at school. Rowdy doesn't seem too affected by your presence (munch different than the depression he had when IB came home). You wake happy and lovelovelove to be talked to. Ellie the elephant is your favorite (it was IB fave too!). You've been sleeping in your bed since 6 weeks and seem to do well .. most nights! We are learning that sleep is a hot commodity these days! Especially when IB wakes up too! You look just like your mom, whereas Isabelle was all daddy! You have my ears (sorry!), my skin color, my face shape, my long fingers and a legit pinkie toe nail!! You are stink'n cute (even when you cry!). We love you and can't wait to see what is next for you!

ISABaLLErina.

IB looooves ballet {most days}.  Teacher Susan is so patient with her!  IB is the youngest girl in the class and her teacher is always so kind to help her.  She has been going since she turned 2.  IB has developed coordination and made some friends along the way! After ballet Dyer gets her a treat - usually a stop at Whole Foods for a "pupcake"!  

I hope she continues to enjoy ballet!



luck.

{lucky: the one word i'd use to describe myself.}

hello??!... i mean, seriously , i'm so lucky to have that husband.

those babies.

that family.

those in-laws.

those friends.

those friends that are basically family.

that job.

that house.

that husband. :)

believe it or not, the original dh and i have been a couple since 2003. 9 years!

want to know more? go here, here and my fav here.

Sunday funday!

Weekends are for playing..
And that is just what we did!

For starters, Dyer's dad came for a visit. &&& boy does IB love her papa! He is so incredibly good with her! I honestly couldn't imagine a better relationship between them!! He plays with her babies, colors with her, chats with her, he dresses her (including diaper changes!) and gets her breakfast .. All while this mama gets some snuggle time with the littlest one. He listens and engages with her; he asks questions during the silly stories she tells! He truly is the best and I'm so glad he came! I think he misses her as much as she does him ..even if he has to sleep on the couch.

Dyer took IB to ballet on Saturday and papa was able to join! She was thrilled to have an audience! As far as ballet - She is working on coordination, dyer and I laugh that her teacher is going to be so happy when she has that mastered! (she takes a lot of one-on-one time during the class.)

Then, my friend Mikie hosted a Sip and See for Caroline! I was great to see my wonderful friends from work. I'm so incredibly blessed to have these girls! For the most part we've all worked together for 4+ years, we've all seen all of our families grow!

IB continues to work on potty training. She hasn't had an accident in just about a week. At home we are still putting her in pullups at nap/night time and sometiiiimes she will wake dry - but not usually. She remains a stinker and it takes some doing to get her to agree to underwear during the day (vs a pullup). She did pee last week at school on her mat during nap time and was upset about it. I guess that is a move in the right direction.

Finally, the weather was perfect (aside from a little rain!) and we enjoyed some time outside!

I spent a lot of time reading through the recent archives of this blog: http://krystal-schlegel.blogspot.com/

(yes, I adore all things fashion and home improvement, but I am not good at executing either! Dyer, doesn't get it given I HGTV all.the.time.)

Baby pics.

caroline

desiree

isabelle

dyer

{what do you think???  who looks like who as a baby???}

Sisters noses.

{I told IB to touch noses with CL. She pinched her own nose then touched her pinkie to CL's nose; as if she was bridging them together!  So cute!!!}

{& yes sweet sweet Caroline is crying. Prec.}

{♡ them.}

 

My view.

Play time.

We have a special visitor this

weekend. Cl is watching IB + papa

playing.

CL was lovvvvvving it!! All the excitement made her

coo and move all around!!!

Boo shots.

2 mos.

{again, most of this is from my email.}
This is where Ibelle + Cline are at these days:

CL: sleep at 10, waking 2 times/ night - generally 2 & 4, up at 630/7.  Started to engage with IB at week 6/7.  She loves it.  If CL is upset she'll IB will bring her paci or toys she knows that she likes!  Generally happy :-)  Size 0-3 mos clothes, size 1 diapers. Have been using gdispers since week 6/7.  CL loves her paci, works like a charm! ..maybe this is why she is smaller than IB was, something to do with me feeding IB when she cried, vs CL accepting the paci in place of feeding at times??  Who knows??
Month 2 stats: 11 lbs 2 oz, 23 in. (IB comparison: 12 lbs 8 oz, 23 1/2 in).  I could def tell that CL is smaller than IB at this age.

IB: Doing great!!! Loves CL. Even when IB is in a bad mood she will be sweet to CL. (again, we've tried really hard to give IB attention and not blame her or take our frustration with a NB out on her).  IB knows most childrens songs, will ask questions during the song, "what is the 'rule'," in the second verse of mary had a little lamb.  She sings a few songs that I am not familiar with!  IB can also answer most questions, "who are some of your friends in your class?", she is asking more questions about abstract things - which is hard to explain.  She sometimes calls CL her full name, Caroline Lurah! It is vey cute!!  On 3/31 (19 mos) we started potty training with IB - I think that she is now getting the hang (we've gone 5 days without an accident, pull ups at nap and night time).  In fact, most times we don't even know that she pottied until she either, asks for her treat or we hear the toilet flush (yes, she pours out her potty from her potty chair herself!).  IB is napping daily from 1-3 pm - although over the last week it has been more like 1-2:15 or so.

& mom and dad:  I go back to work in 3 wks ..part-time (Thank you god)!!!  I still have 8 lbs to loose!  Dyer is staying busy with work and keeping IB busy when he is here.  She def knows that he is the playful one, and after IB doing nothing overly active during the day he gets a work out when he gets home - she LOVES to play chase and RUNrunrun.  I guess she has realized that I am just the one that feeds CL these days!  {funny: IB says she wants to eat mommy!  gross, i know!}

home with two.

{this is copied from the emails i mentioned that i wrote to CL throughout my pregnancy until now.  i did try and fix it so it said CL/sister in place of "you".  apologies, if there is weird nouns placement.}

I truly think that this ride has been easier than the first go-around.
{although, we are only 2 months in & I should note that IB was somewhat whinny and challenging the first 2 weeks coupled along with having the most painfully engorged boobs.  Phew, IB would cry for no reason ..the days were very long!  I'm blessed that my hormones were fairly stable - b/c Wow, IB's behavior could have made me a mess otherwise!  Thank goodness for grammie and my very sweet hubby too!}

IB, ohhh she LOVES her sister more than anything in the world.  Honestly.  Even when she is mad at us she is sweetsweetsweet to CL. IB references herself as the big sister and can def make a stab at calming CL when she is crying! It is precious!  She is genuinely a mini-mama.  She says the same things that I say to CL to calm her, "it is ok sweet girl."  When she wakes up she is asking where CL is and wants to give her kisses at night before bed.  Very rarely does IB seem resentful of CL or seem upset at her.  I feel that this is due to Dyer and I working really hard to make IB feel involved in CL's care and continuing to give her lots of attn.  For me, I feel that my patience has exponentially increased (believe me, this has taken a lot of work too!  It is easy to take frustrations out on IB in times of chaos.) 

Oh Caroline, you are such a joy.  Sometimes you get fussy - but much calmer than IB as an infant (at least as far as I remember!!). You are waking every 2-4 hours at night and nursing well.  I don't think that you look much like IB did as a newborn (or not at all!!), you def favor the Kuras family.

2 week stats: 8 lbs 6 oz.  (IB comparison: 8 lbs 6 oz, the same!)
{i must add, this was the first outing, just me and the kiddos.  much less eventful than the 2nd outing which resulted in IB getting her finger caught in the automatic window!  Phew, that was scary!}

CL: the birthday

Only 2 mos late!
.. & gosh what a wonderful 2 months it has been!

Phew.  Figured I would provide a teeny recap on the last 2 months of the Family Heintz:
{luckily I've been writing myself emails to keep up with some of the details.}

2/11 went a little like this..

Totally NORMAL Saturday, took IB to ballet (even talked to one of the moms about how I would be seeing them the next week at ballet still preggers).  Dyer, IB and I went to JDeli and Target - came home and they took naps while I was catching up on reality TV.

2:15 contractions were coming every 5-7 minutes (my thought, ..maybe they are braxton hicks.  dyer and IB were napping; since dyer NEVER gets enough sleep I did not want to wake him!  so I just wrote down the contractions and timing of them.)

3:30 contractions were every 3-4 minutes, lasting between 40-60 seconds (by this time everyone was waking up from naps).  I was trying to distract myself by writing Valentine's Day cards.

& no, I don't know what was wrong with me, I continued to think that I was just having non-productive type contractions - even though they were consistent at 3-5 minutes. 

5:30 I called the MD, still certain that I wasn't actually in labor (figured out of courtesy I would give them a heads-up since it was a Saturday).  I was convinced that I was just over worked and tired.  I should have known when I was talking to the MD and I started crying that there was actually something going on.  She told me that if I was in actual labor that I would know, but I was still in denial.  I mean it was 9 days before my listed due date (although I should recall that per my last cycle I was due 2/12 vs per sono 2/20).  Dyer called his mom to start heading our way.

6:00 left for hospital - at this point I was contracting every 2-3 minutes and I was SURE that this baby was coming today.  Even in the car (on Gaston St) I was saying that I was glad we were on the way to the hospital.  IB was with us.

6:30 We were in the L&D room, I had just changes into a gown and sat on the bed whennnnn my water broke.  It was just like a 'pop' of a balloon - no kidding!  The RN checked me - I was 4-5 cm, thin, station +2.  IB and Dyer were in the room and I remember trying everything to keep my cool during contractions (I didn't want IB to freak out - nor did I want Dyer to have to leave out of the room with her for the remainder of the time).  They left to get food when I got my epidural.

7:30 Got the epidural (which at that point I think that I squeezed the RN almost to death during my contractions); I was 9 cm.  I labored a little more, pushed a few more times - baby came at 8:11 pm.  I was very blessed with a wonderful, quick delivery.  Dyer had IB, they were hanging out in the hall; he did get to see CL right as they laid her on me (there was no way that his mom could have made it here that fast).  B-e-a-utiful at 7 lbs 9 oz, 19.75 in. &&& perfect.  (For comparison: IB was 7 lbs 14 oz, 19 in
We were discharged on Monday at 11 pm (I am strep B + and since I didn't get enough antibiotics prior to delivery they had to watch CL for 48 hrs.)

(maybeee ill try to keep up with this blog a little better now.)