Kindergarten Update & Milestones!

Kyle had a GREAT first week at Kindergarten! He tells us that his teacher, Mrs. Andrade, is very nice & he genuinly seems to enjoy going to school! When we arrived at the school this morning some boys (much bigger than Kyle) came running over to us & asked Kyle to play "tag". They then proceeded to tell me that Kyle is "the fastest runner in the whole school". Why does this not surprise me?? I enjoyed watching Kyle chase after, and catch!, these boys! Needless to say, in 3 days time, he has made quite a few friends!! I also enjoyed a heartwarming moment: I saw a little boy standing next to his mom who looked as though he wanted to join in the game of "tag" but was too shy to leave his mothers side. When Kyle came zooming towards me I pulled him to the side & asked him what the boys name was. He said he couldn't remember, but the boy cries a lot in class. I said "How sad. He must be feeling nervous & afraid to be in a new school with no friends yet.." Before I could continue on Kyle said "I know what might make him feel better, Mama. I'll go ask him if he wants to play tag" He then took me by the hand & together we walked over to the boy. Kyle said "Do you want to play tag" & the boy quietly replied "no". Then Kyle said "It's okay if you're afraid, but playing tag sure is a lot of fun! I'll even let you catch me!"

When did my 5 yr old grow up?

Speaking of growing up, Isabella is 6 weeks old today! She is losing the "newborn look" rapidly & is hitting all sorts of milestones.

When we speak to her she focuses her eyes on us, seemingly paying attention to what we are saying. The minute she hears our voice her face lights up & she smiles so sweetly

She loves to lay on her playmat & look up at the toys!

And she's also taken a liking to the swing!

In addition, she can now roll over from her back to her belly & she "usually" enjoys taking a bath now, depending on her mood. She tends to stick one of her legs into the water & kick it. I'm not sure if she realizes what she is doing, but it sure seems like she does as water goes flying everywhere!!

In other news, her feeding schedule varies daily but typically she will drink approx 4 oz every 3-4 hrs, sometimes going as long as 5 hrs inbetween feedings during the night. But again, this varies. Just today she was eating every 2 to 2 1/2 hrs! She loves her formula & sucks down her bottles in record time, normally taking less than 15 minutes to drain the bottle.

She doesn't really have a set "sleeping" schedule yet, although she sleeps fairly well! Noises still do not bother her, which is a relief seeing as how Kyle is anything but quiet..! She pulls her hair when she's real tired & if given the choice she would for sure be a thumb-sucker but I prefer for her to use the binky (pacifier) instead so she takes that. She spits it out the minute she's asleep though & never takes it when she's awake.

Our biggest challenge with Bella comes during mid-morning & sometimes in the afternoon - she has yet to put herself to sleep. In the evening she will usually fall asleep during her final burp after a feeding. Once she is asleep she stays asleep but if she doesn't fall asleep during a feeding & is tired things can get a bit stressful. She will easily fall asleep in our arms, if we're walking around with her or rocking her but if we put her in the crib awake she freaks out, flaring her arms & kicking her feet like a mad woman! Generally we let her fuss & cry for 10 minutes at a time - then we go in, give her the binky, try to calm her with our voices & leave the room. So far this has yet to work in regards to getting her to sleep. In the end she gets herself SO worked up that we end up picking her up. But hopefully she's on the path to learning that we won't jump up every time she makes a noise! If she's been fed, changed & has already slept but still fussing we let her fuss for short periods of time. I don't like for her to cry for very long though - afterall, she's still only 6 weeks old. She can be difficult - during what I call "the witching hours" when she cries for no apparent reason but I know that this too shall pass! I wouldn't call her an "easy" baby, but I've seen much, much worse! I feel blessed in that somehow she understands the difference between day & night. I know this to be a fact because when she gets up in the night to eat she always goes right back to sleep! Sometimes she will only wake once, other times she wakes every 3 hrs 'round the clock. I will not lie..I'm exhausted all the time. My sleep is broken & I'm never able to get more than 2 hrs sleep at a time. But this comes with having a baby and boy do I LOVE having a baby around again! I love the way she snuggles against my shoulder when she's tired. I love her adorable smile & her crazy hair (which, by the way, she has not lost even one strand of hair since she was born! the color seems to be changing though - I think it's getting lighter). I love her blue eyes, even though I know they're destined to turn brown soon! I love watching her follow Kyle with her eyes, trying to keep up with him as he zips past her!

I feel blessed to have these children & if Jim wanted to I'd be trying for another one already! Insane, huh? But when I look at my kids & see how perfect they are in each & every way -- I don't understand why anyone would NOT want to have kids! They are such little miracles - really quite amazing when you think about it! No matter how much I try to cherish each moment they grow way too fast!