Paci-less Sleep

Charlotte hasn't had her beloved pacis for a full month now. After surviving 18 grueling months of terrible sleep, and then enjoying 6 months of mostly amazing sleep - even through changing beds, moving into a new house, and welcoming a baby sister - there were times in this last month when I seriously questioned my decision to pull the plug on the pacifier addiction.

Charlotte started taking much longer to go to sleep (over an hour some nights, used to be 10 minutes), she started waking up crying in the middle of the night again (and continuing to cry if one of us wasn't right there in her bed with her), and she is now up for the day a full hour earlier than she was when she had her pacis. Her naps are also shorter now, by 30-60 minutes. So, yes, I wondered several times if I was really making the right decision. Especially on nights Ben works late & isn't home to help with the girls' bedtime. 

Her sleep is still not as great as it once was, but it's starting to get better. It only took her about 15 mins to go down for her nap today, and she slept more than an hour, so I'm happy. She has also made it several days in a row without any night wake ups. Of course I'm jinxing myself discussing these improvements.

:-)

This has certainly been the toughest transition for her yet - tougher than stopping nursing, giving up the bottle, moving out of her crib, moving houses, or bringing home baby! 

She sure does look sweet while she's sleeping, doesn't she? :-) 

Charlotte's First Haircut

I took Charlotte to get her first haircut yesterday. I'd been talking about it for a couple of weeks & each time I brought it up, her opinion was different. Some days she was really excited and wanted to go then then then. Other days she whimpered & said she didn't want to get her hair cut. After pushing the hair out of her eyes for about the millionth time, I decided it was time.

I asked around, and ended up just taking her to the salon at Walmart. I figured the cute car chairs at the kiddie shop would make her wiggle & play more than a regular chair, and also the price & convenient Sunday hours were perfect for me. 

When we got there, Charlotte says to me as I open her car door, "why are we here? I want to get my hair cut!" And I had to explain that there is a place in Walmart where people get haircuts. Then her tune changed, "I don't wanna get a haircut!" But I managed to coax her into coming in with me just to check it out. I also let her walk in instead of riding in a cart. THAT was a big deal. 

As soon as we met the stylist who would do her hair, Charlotte lost any fear she had. She climbed right into the chair and did a really good job sitting still! She watched carefully and was very good! 

Before

During

After

When she was done, she gave the stylist a high 5 an said "thanks!" She got a sucker & was pretty much the happiest kid in town! She told me the lady cut her hair, just like I cut her toenails! Hahaha! 

Natalie Faith - 3 Months

Natalie turned 3 months old on Saturday! 

Every day I'm reminded just how lucky we are that she was born perfectly healthy even though she was premature. She has had zero issues nursing, no problems with allergies or reflux (which I was worried about), and she continues to grow & meet milestones on or ahead of schedule. 

She sleeps pretty well - I can't really complain! Lately she has been taking 2 or 3 short (30-60 min) naps and one long (2-3 hrs) nap each day. She goes to sleep around 8/8:30 at night & has even sleeping until 4/4:30 before waking up to eat. This would be awesome if I could manage to get to bed before 11...

Natalie can roll from her tummy to her back. She started at 10 weeks & does it fairly consistently now. She seems to enjoy tummy time most of the time, and I think most of that is due to being a tummy sleeper. Her neck & trunk muscles are getting strong! 

She's tracking objects, looking for & following us around the room, and she's starting to try to grasp objects with her hands. She smiles and coos at us, and sometimes even let's out a tiny chuckle! :-) 

She changes a little more every day, tiny pieces of her personality starting to wake up from the newborn fuzziness. We can see her starting to figure things out - like how to get her hands in her mouth, how to splash her sister in the bath by kicking her feet, or how to scoot around we crib in pursuit of the paci. 

3 Month Likes

* Bath time

* A clean diaper

* Sleeping on her tummy

* Tummy time

* Riding in the carrier

* Being pushed in the stroller 

* Playing with Charlotte

3 Month Dislikes

* Wet or dirty diapers

* Being tired

* Not being able to see anyone

* Riding in the car if she's not fed, clean, & well-rested

I hope that Charlotte & Natalie continue to get along as well as they do for a loooong time. Charlotte tells Natalie her stories & shares her treasures with her (this morning she showed Natalie her vitamin & asked her "do you think this looks like a T Rex, Natalie?") and Natalie just looooves Charlotte. She follows her around with her eyes, kicks & squirms & smiles when Charlotte's nearby, and just acts like she's happy to see her. Melts my heart! 

Charlotte the Comedienne

I love the age that Charlotte's at. The age where she's starting to understand jokes, things that are funny on her favorite cartoons, and making adorable little jokes of her own. 

"Knock knock"

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

"Banana who?"

"Banana apple! Hahahahaha!"

Some of the funniest stuff she says isn't meant to be a joke, though. Sometimes, the way she answers a question makes us laugh. She told Ben "just a second" last night, & I grin every time I hear her say "actually...". Except for when he uses it against me. 

"Charlotte, it's time for bed."

"Actually, it's not. I want to read another book!"

Both girls have sound machines in their rooms. They have projectors on them, too. There are slides of a rainforest scene, the night sky, and an ocean scene. Charlotte's projector broke this week, and the slides no longer spin. She still likes the glow of the projector, though, as it acts as a bright nightlight. When I turned it on for her at naptime just now, she said, "Great. I get to look at this giant fish butt all day." 

We love you, silly little girl!!