Friday, November 30, 2012

Blogging Break

It has been a while since I've posted and it will probably be a little while longer before I get back to blogging. I've got plenty to share, but not enough room for it. You see, I've maxed out on my free 1 gig of space for photos and I'm really not into blogging without photos. Jonathan and I are currently looking for a solution, which will likely be in the form of a new blog (a new look and a new location).

I hope to see you all soon!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Lily's First Birthday - Part 2

One year ago today we welcomed Lily Grace into the world. Life has not been the same since. I still find it hard to believe I am the mother to three girls. So much can happen in the course of a few years.

Lily is a cutie for sure. She is far from soft-spoken. She knows what she needs to do to get our attention. She's been recently spotted "fighting back" when competing for a coveted toy but also has moments where she is welcomed by her sisters in whatever game they are playing. Here are a few other developments in the life of Lily:

Sleep
We decided a few weeks ago to stick to our guns and push through the whole sleep training thing. It was tough-going in the beginning. I mean, what else should we expect when Lily had been used to being rocked or nursed to sleep for her whole life? A few days ago things just clicked-for me and Lily. When she's done feeding I pleasantly bring her to her room and go through our own little routine before I sneak out and leave a smiling and awake Lily behind in her crib. It seems like lately rocking her to sleep has been the exception rather than the rule. Thank you God!

Mobility
Lily is still not walking, but she is cruising like crazy. Occasionally she'll practice standing herself up either using the floor to push up or a small toy or box (rather than pulling up on furniture). She'll then stand for a good while before plopping down and trying it again. She's also taken a few steps between pieces of furniture and me and Jonathan. Lily really doesn't let much get in the way of her getting to where she wants. She isn't really all that into climbing onto things, and I am in no hurry for that to happen anyway.

Teeth
Lily still only has two teeth. I think maybe two more on the bottom may be on the way, but I'm not too sure. I think Sarah had five teeth at this age and Abigail had her two top teeth. She's still able to chew on a few table foods though.

Communication
Lily can shake her head "no" and nod "yes", but not always when it makes sense. She's better at letting us know "no" than "yes". She's got the "da-da" sound down. Almost every time I ask her to say, "ma-ma" she will either shake her head or say "da-da" instead. And, like I said before, she is good at making her voice heard. She can squeal like the best of them.

Our baby is one! I cannot believe it. We look forward to continuing to see her little personality develop. Happy real birthday Lily!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Lily's First Birthday - Part 1

Lily will officially be one on Tuesday. We celebrated a bit early though because Papa Kapaldo was in town for the weekend.

I really wanted to do a pumpkin cake again, like Sarah's first birthday, but figured it might be a cop out. Instead, I made pumpkin cake (a different recipe), but made a small one for Lily and cupcakes for everyone else. It ended up being a cross between Sarah's first cake and Abigail's first "cakes".


Lily didn't know what to make of everyone looking at her and singing to her. She also didn't know what to make of the cake. She dragged her hand through the frosting a number of times and then proceeded to wipe the frosting on her leg and high chair tray. She finally ended up tasting it, but didn't get all that into it.



After making a mess of herself we gave Lily a quick bath before she opened her presents.


It's funny to see Lily do more big girl things as she approaches the one year mark. Before our guests arrived Lily would push herself into a standing position using the floor (versus pulling up on a piece of furniture).


It's hard to see the baby of the family turn one. Before we know it she'll be a walking, talking, giggly little girl. Happy early birthday Lily!


Friday, November 9, 2012

First Snow of the Season

We went out with Auntie Laura, Bridget, and Nonna on Wednesday. On the way home the girls noticed a dusting of snow on the ground and cars the closer to home we got. It wasn't much, though throughout the night more snow fell to the point where there was a good inch of accumulation by Thursday morning.

On Wednesday night Jonathan mentioned the possibility of the girls going outside to play the next day to which I wanted to say, "Thanks a lot, Jonathan." Actually, I think I did say that out loud. Lily hadn't been feeling the best so I just didn't want to deal with going outside in the cold wet snow.

On Thursday morning I could hear Abigail as she looked out all of our windows. She was so excited to see the snow in "her" backyard. Then I heard her sneak into her bedroom to get Sarah so she could see the snow too. Then I heard them discuss their plan. They needed to get dressed, get their coats, hats, and gloves on and then they'd be ready to play in the snow. "Oh boy." I thought. Abigail came into our room to discuss the plan. Long story short, we agreed we would go outside during Lily's morning nap. So that is what we did.



Thankfully I didn't have to do a lot of convincing to get the girls to go inside. Mittens were getting wet and noses were getting chilly. Plus, I assured them they would see more snow in the future (I'm just hoping it isn't too much).

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Fun with Hair

I was bored one night the other week so I thought I'd play around with Abigail's hair. A number of months ago I attempted bantu knots but they didn't really turn out because Abigail messed around with them, they got wet in the bath, and some fell out during the night. I thought since Abigail was older she would be able to resist the temptation to mess with them. Plus, I waited until after her bath and right before bed to put them in.

I followed the directions, though I think I twisted her hair a bit too tightly. My poor girl was a bit uncomfortable, but she didn't make a big fuss about it.



At one point after I put the girls to bed I had to go help one of them with something. I found Abigail on her belly with her hands holding her head, elbows on the pillow. She didn't want to lay on her head. So, I showed her how she could lay on her side with little discomfort.

The next morning all of her knots were still intact. We took them out and then split them up. I think it was worth the trouble, I'll just make them a bit looser the next time. Or, I might try another idea I saw, which ended up being maybe 5 or so knots resulting in a more wavy hair look.


Monday, October 29, 2012

Pumpkin Picking

We finally got around to pumpkin picking this year. I think in the future we'll try and go early October rather than mid or late-October because the pickings were slim this year. The weather was cloudy and brisk with a few sprinkles here and there, but it wasn't nearly as nasty as last year.

We met up with Bridget, Auntie Laura, and Nonna. We searched far and wide for the perfect pumpkins. We also let Lily get up close and personal with the muddy pumpkins.


I attempted a picture of my three girls, but Abigail didn't keep her hands on Lily, who ended up face first in the dirt. Oh well, maybe next year.


After pumpkin picking we warmed up with hot chocolate for the girls and coffee for the moms.


We waited until after dinner to carve. Jonathan worked with Abigail and Sarah worked with me. I already had an idea in mind and Sarah was on board, that is until she saw what Abigail and Daddy were doing. After that she pretty much lost interest in our pumpkin.



Friday, October 26, 2012

Photo Fridays 10.26.12

We are big fans of college football and root for our Alma Mater, Virginia Tech. We also root for Notre Dame because (1) Uncle James is studying Physics there and (2) they are doing really well this year (7-0) and the Hokies are not (4-4). Well, thanks to Grandma Kapaldo and Uncle James the girls can cheer on the Fighting Irish in style. The girls got a package from them yesterday and tried on their new clothes right away.