Continued…

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Well, of course…I didn’t escape the nasty sickness. This one was a nasty bug, too. I ran a high fever for twenty-four hours, and am still having a hard time with my sinuses…Thank goodness – Audrey hasn’t gotten it…yet.

So…where did I leave off…after I came back from Texas, things were a bit crazy around our house. 10 days is the longest that I had ever been away from Bella, throw that into the mix of a new little sister who requires lot of my attention, a little cold she was fighting, and a bunch of sleep deprivation on my part as well leaving me pretty impatient…Bellaroo understandably had a very hard time adjusting. I think for a few weeks she really just questioned whether I loved her (which breaks my heart) – and felt super abandoned…hard emotions for a 3 year old to deal with.  She spent a lot of time throwing tantrums and testing our (especially my) limits for a few weeks. Throughout that time, she never showed any negative behavior towards Audrey – she has always been really gentle and loving towards her. (She is a really sweet big sister.) Once we got back into our regular routine, and me and her had some time to catch up, things started to turn around and we have gotten back in to our new “normal”.

Bella is getting so big. So big is such a crappy description – but I really can’t think of another way to say it. She is smart enough to know how to test us, can do SO much for herself, comes up with really creative thoughts – she amazes me daily. I look at her and I can’t even believe that she was my little bitty baby just three short years ago. She knows how to dress herself (and picks out some really awesome outfits – she loves a frilly skirt so she can twirl – but continues to be covered in dirt  by the end of most days and ruin every piece of clothing she owns). She can help around the house with chores (and she really is helpful!) – she can clear plates, sort laundry, unload parts of the dishwasher, load a few things, pick up her own toys, and just help me in general. She enjoys helping – and  I love that she will! She LOVES it when we tell her stories. Today, we asked her to tell us a story (because we had ran out of stories ourselves). She told a story about a goldfish family that found some magic seaweed and were able to make a wish, so they wished for a honey tree – and right then, their wish came true. I love hearing her come up with something like that. I could go on and on about Bella and goofy things she does. She is at a really fun age.

Now on to Audrey. My little peanut. She loves to be talked to…she gives you this huge smile when she finds your eyes. She is getting pretty strong, and can hold her head up no problem. She likes to hang out on the playmat and kick and grab at toys right now. She is SO close to laughing – and currently squeals and makes funny loud sounds while “playing” with her toys. She is a really easy going, happy baby. She falls asleep fairly easily – only she still is not sleeping through the night and is on zero schedule and is pretty unpredictable in that way. (I will be SOOOOOOO happy when she starts to sleep at night!) She nurses ok, and takes a bottle very easily. I worry, because she is really small, that she is not getting enough milk…I can’t wait for her next appointment to see where she is on the growth charts – it is a bit ridiculous of me. I can’t believe three months have already gone by. She is growing so fast, that I realize before I know it she will be sitting, walking, talking. I try to take a moment each day to just look at her and enjoy her because I don’t want to feel like I missed any of it when I look back on this a year from now. Having a second child has changed alot of my perspective on parenting (especially setting limits and letting go when things aren’t exactly as I’d like…), but one thing that has only been reinforced for me is that my family is the most important thing and these children are so precious and a gift I feel so blessed to have. I’m so darn lucky.

Jeremy was out of town most of last week, and it is really nice to have him back. (He is a HUGE help.) We decided to do something out of the ordinary for the day today. We hiked the botanical trail at The Elfin Forest. Was so fun to have a family day out and about. Bella hiked the whole mile (lots of ups and downs too!) – and Audrey slept in the Ergo the whole time. At the end of the hike, Audrey woke and I nursed her while Bella waded in the little creek and played with the mud (of course…the child LOVES to be dirty!) It was an absolutley lovely day…