We all traveled down to Nashville two weeks ago while Rob attended the Country Radio Seminar. He definitely enjoyed his time at the conference, and he learned a lot about how to incorporate social networking into WIXY. We stayed at Kathy's house (Rob's sister), and we are so thankful for the time we got to spend with them. As it turns out, I had strep during this week, and was so fatigued it was very hard to care for Rosalie and Eloise. Kathy was a huge help and basically played with Rosalie every day so I could focus on nursing Eloise and trying to take it easy. SO THANKFUL for her support!! Rosalie loved playing with her cousins, and is especially fond of baby Henry. She would always suck her thumb when she got close to him! So random/sweet! Here is the one picture I took while we were away (taken on my iPhone, with bad lighting):
Right now during a normal week, I wake up around 5:30am when Rosalie wakes up. (I then hope everyday for a nap, but it really never happens!) The early morning is usually full of attempts at various parenting techniques to counter Rosalie's defiance. She is absolutely the sweetest girl, but she is certainly caught up in the excitment of being a big sister and being a two-year-old! I've found that reverse psychology works the best :) Rosalie spends her mornings at school, where she is in a classroom full of 2-3 year olds. She can count to the teens (and some in Spanish!), she knows her ABCs, all of her colors, and knows some shapes. More importantly, though, she is a creative spirit, and she loves music, singing, and dancing. She frequently plays pretend and amazes us everyday with something else she has figured out or discovered a new fun way to use a toy. Her teachers at school have noted how nurturing she is. She has "reached out" to a quiet boy in the class and makes sure to give him special attention. It warms my heart so thoroughly to know that she wants everyone to be included. She also lifts up her shirt to feed the baby dolls!
Eloise and I spend the mornings together and each day is different. Some days she stays asleep in her car seat for awhile, which allows me to get work done. I've been trying to devote this time as much as possible to getting B. Lime, our new business, to launch next weekend. I also am keeping up with University-related emails and continue to serve as Volunteer Coordinator for the Illinois Marathon.
We have been so blessed with Eloise- she is a fabulous baby. She has always recognized when night is, that is, she sleeps longer chunks at night. For the most part, she has only one night-waking to nurse. Knock on wood! I have enjoyed not trying to find a schedule for her though. It is refreshing to simply nurse her on demand and not worry about how long she has gone between feedings (which is very much the opposite of how I was with Rosalie- that is a different post). She is growing rapidly, too! She had her two-month check-up this morning, and she weighed in at 9 lb 13 oz (26%) and is 22.5 in long (53%). Just this past week she started coo-ing and giving us smiles. She can also hold her head steady for longer periods of time.
*Rosalie is obsessed with Eloise.* She wants Eloise to be awake, "eyes open!", and she wants to hold her, hold her hand, poke at her, lean on her, and squeeze her. She always has to know where is Eloise and what she is doing. We have to keep a close eye on Rosalie when Eloise is within Rosalie's reach, but it is reassuring to know they have the foundation to be very close sisters in the future!
With everything that is going on, we have started a househunt. We are primarily looking for a bigger kitchen and more square footage, but we are being very picky! We'll let you all know if we find that perfect place that is worth moving into.
