tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-215531432024-03-13T12:47:06.865-04:00The Heart of GodThe Journey of an Ever-Growing FamilyKatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-87478053583064315392008-03-10T15:31:00.001-04:002008-03-10T15:31:49.920-04:00New BlogIt has become obvious me that it is simply silly for me to be constantly trying to update or keep up two separate blogs: this one and The Heart of God for my girls. <br /><br />So...<br /><br />I am combining them. Unfortunately Blogger will not let me do this easily keeping all the previous posts of both blogs.<br /><br />Hence....<br /><br />Here is the new blog:<br /><br /><a href="http://churchdomestic.wordpress.com/">The Domestic Church</a><br /><br />See you there...Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-80388396759495369642008-03-08T06:48:00.002-05:002008-03-08T07:16:58.608-05:00Advances and KindnessFelicity is doing well. At 14 weeks, 6 Days she rolled over for the first time and has continued to practice all week. This morning she was less than thrilled to find herself on her tummy - she had to work first thing in the morning just to look around. lol.<br /><br />Interestingly enough, Cecilia did her first roll over at 7 weeks, 1 day but was also not cooing until later than Felicity. Just goes to show everyone at their own pace. But I do find it evidence that Cecilia was more motor skill advanced and Felicity will be/is more verbal skill advanced.<br /><br />Cecilia was so cute yesterday: She found a napkin on her little table, unfolded it, and spread it out on top of her head. She got a real kick out of her new "hat." But she didn't stop there. She wanted to share and so tore the napkin in half down the middle and put one half on my head and one half on hers! It was too cute.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-49595229373405508252008-03-03T07:28:00.003-05:002008-03-03T07:41:22.059-05:00Felicity's New ChallengeFelicity is about 3 1/2 months old. But for about two weeks now she has been gumming like crazy on her fingers and fists. She has been increasingly drooling as well. And last night she had one of her big squeegies (as we call them) but this one was green. <br /><br />Conclusion: My baby is teething already!!! <br /><br />So in addition to getting her sleeping schedule down and mastering head control and learning how to push herself up off her tummy, she has gums full of frenzy that sometimes wake her up and night and sometimes give her so much pain as for her to just scream with tears pouring down her cheeks. Poor thing. Within her first 6 weeks outside the womb she had two colds. Now, three months out, she is teething. It is a difficult world.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-39118490837322047452008-03-01T09:20:00.002-05:002008-03-01T09:33:55.040-05:00UpdateCecilia: Well, Cecilia is doing well. She had gotten into a bit of a habit of screaming and throwing tantrums but that has been surprisingly easy to tame with assertive "No"s. She learns more words all the time and can say a nice chunk of the alphabet. She has down A B C D E G J M N O P Q R S T U and Z. F H I K L V W X and Y continue to be a bit challenging but she is getting very close on several of them. Potty training has come to a halt but she is very comfortable sitting on the potty, just not doing anything in it. lol. She has mastered drinking from a common cup - no sippies, straws or lids - and does so at meals. <br /><br />Felicity: Felicity was sleeping very well with her first nighttime stretch being 5 solid hours and then subsequent hours gradually decreasing in length. Then, about a week into February, her sleeping became terrible. For almost 3 weeks she would wake every hour at night and I became a bit of a zombie. Then, two nights ago, her sleep dramatically improved and has continued to. We aren't quite sure what happened: it could have been teething as she began drooling, gumming her hands, etc., it could have been her 3 month growth spurt, or it could have been a combination of things. She continues to be a very smiley baby - even when she would be up half the night (I wish I could be so smiley so easily!). She has almost mastered complete head control and exercises her legs quite a bit. Her arms are not yet strong enough for her do pushups so she is not happy to lay on her tummy long but she loves trying to stand and loves practicing sitting up so she can see more.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-30599691790791368552008-02-20T18:21:00.003-05:002008-02-20T19:02:52.381-05:00Bubbles, Bubbles, EverywhereThis evening, as Felicity slept, Cecilia asked to be put up on the counter where she usually sits to help me with Felicity's bath. I set her there next to the sink and she asked for bubbles. <br /><br />A little Dawn and a lot of water made for a fun evening. She scooped up bubbles, smashed them, blew them, draped them on the faucet, etc. We got bubbles all over my clean kitchen but it was more than worth it. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7y-zyYDbbI/AAAAAAAAALE/J5xqOYF51CM/s1600-h/IMG_1786.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7y-zyYDbbI/AAAAAAAAALE/J5xqOYF51CM/s400/IMG_1786.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169216269219753394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7y-0SYDbcI/AAAAAAAAALM/Wx-Vycwt9xE/s1600-h/IMG_1787.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7y-0SYDbcI/AAAAAAAAALM/Wx-Vycwt9xE/s400/IMG_1787.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169216277809688002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7y-0iYDbdI/AAAAAAAAALU/Lk9KcJ0a6T8/s1600-h/IMG_1788.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7y-0iYDbdI/AAAAAAAAALU/Lk9KcJ0a6T8/s400/IMG_1788.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169216282104655314" /></a>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-33524599249831658302008-02-20T14:37:00.004-05:002008-02-20T15:05:06.709-05:00Well, Felicity turned 3 months yesterday and she grows more every month. She is now 23.5 inches just missing that 2 feet mark and making her total length growth since birth about 5 inches. She weighs 11 pounds and three ounces so by the time she is 4 month she will have more than doubled her birth weight. It is impressive to think all that growth from simply breastmilk. No wonder I'm tired. lol.<br /><br />She continues to be a happy baby and smiles a great deal. She loves her baths, with which Cecilia helps.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDvSYDbYI/AAAAAAAAAKs/UFbA7yNuay8/s1600-h/IMG_1729.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDvSYDbYI/AAAAAAAAAKs/UFbA7yNuay8/s400/IMG_1729.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169151320724303234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDvyYDbZI/AAAAAAAAAK0/LJfwmGuR0dw/s1600-h/IMG_1730.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDvyYDbZI/AAAAAAAAAK0/LJfwmGuR0dw/s400/IMG_1730.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169151329314237842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDwCYDbaI/AAAAAAAAAK8/TfCpNv_9vYA/s1600-h/IMG_1732.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDwCYDbaI/AAAAAAAAAK8/TfCpNv_9vYA/s400/IMG_1732.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169151333609205154" /></a><br />Cecilia continues to be affectionate towards Felicity but she has been more needy lately demanding more attention, wanting to be held more, throwing more tantrums, and telling me to put Felicity in her bassinet or swing. I've been trying extra hard to get done all the cleaning and laundry early this week so I can spend more time with her this weekend.<br /><br />Cecilia is now very comfortable sitting on the potty but either doesn't understand what she is supposed to do on it (besides be read to) or doesn't care to do anything on it. Frankly, I'm not inclined to push it. While I'd like her trained sooner rather than later, I'm exhausted enough with things as they are that I think, at this point anyway, I'd rather wait and have her help than try to push her and do it all myself.<br /><br />Cecilia has also become very good at using the computer...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDtiYDbWI/AAAAAAAAAKc/0duGwoau904/s1600-h/IMG_1622.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDtiYDbWI/AAAAAAAAAKc/0duGwoau904/s400/IMG_1622.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169151290659532130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDuyYDbXI/AAAAAAAAAKk/HrsgYg6sYo4/s1600-h/IMG_1623.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7yDuyYDbXI/AAAAAAAAAKk/HrsgYg6sYo4/s400/IMG_1623.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169151312134368626" /></a><br /><br />She is proficient in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse websites, Disney websites, Veggietales Pirates Movie Site and is learning the Sesame Street Site.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-10714689599072592182008-02-16T07:15:00.003-05:002008-02-16T07:20:14.935-05:00Cecilia's Sleep MysteryWe have made a discovery but don't ask me what the hell it means. <br /><br />Cecilia had been sleeping great. She would go to sleep around 9 and sleep until 7:30. Then take a 1 1/2 hour nap starting at 2pm. <br /><br />I wanted to increase her nap to 2 hours so I started trying to give her a nap starting at 1:30 or even 1. She napped less time, was grouchier at bedtime and was even getting up by 6:30am. <br /><br />So, after a few days of this, figured to try to move the nap back to 2pm and see what happened. I let her sleep yesterday from 2:10pm until 3:55pm and was already surprised I had to wake her as she didn't wake up after only an hour and 15 minutes. <br /><br />She went to bed last night without crying or upsetment. <br /><br />She is still asleep this morning! <br /><br />I don't get it but I learned my lesson.<br /><br />One down. Now if I could only solve Felicity's recent decline in nighttime sleep. One at a time I guess. :)Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-67860479612222401582008-02-12T13:12:00.000-05:002008-02-12T13:24:04.782-05:00New PhotosHere are some new photos...<br /><br />One of Felicity:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7Hj8iYDbNI/AAAAAAAAAJU/g6H7IxpcBkM/s1600-h/IMG_1736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7Hj8iYDbNI/AAAAAAAAAJU/g6H7IxpcBkM/s400/IMG_1736.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166160876730019026" /></a><br /><br />It took me 3 months but here is one finally of the two sisters together:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7Hj9CYDbOI/AAAAAAAAAJc/wx1jOccx180/s1600-h/IMG_1761.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7Hj9CYDbOI/AAAAAAAAAJc/wx1jOccx180/s400/IMG_1761.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166160885319953634" /></a><br /><br />And all three of the girls:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7Hj9SYDbPI/AAAAAAAAAJk/hGAOxaFwUxo/s1600-h/IMG_1767.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7Hj9SYDbPI/AAAAAAAAAJk/hGAOxaFwUxo/s400/IMG_1767.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166160889614920946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7Hj9iYDbQI/AAAAAAAAAJs/oT6rlLf7ogQ/s1600-h/IMG_1773.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R7Hj9iYDbQI/AAAAAAAAAJs/oT6rlLf7ogQ/s400/IMG_1773.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166160893909888258" /></a>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-66790079453637664752008-02-09T15:16:00.001-05:002008-02-09T15:16:32.529-05:00Two Years in PicturesCecilia at 2 weeks<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JBCYDbHI/AAAAAAAAAIk/q9xg4NQ9qog/s1600-h/IMG_0135.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JBCYDbHI/AAAAAAAAAIk/q9xg4NQ9qog/s400/IMG_0135.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165075736062815346" /></a><br />Cecilia at 3 Months<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JBSYDbII/AAAAAAAAAIs/-NnNwrPakE0/s1600-h/IMG_0378.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JBSYDbII/AAAAAAAAAIs/-NnNwrPakE0/s400/IMG_0378.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165075740357782658" /></a><br />Cecilia at 6 Months<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JByYDbJI/AAAAAAAAAI0/D0RMa3a_FRs/s1600-h/IMG_0649.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JByYDbJI/AAAAAAAAAI0/D0RMa3a_FRs/s400/IMG_0649.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165075748947717266" /></a><br />Cecilia at 1 Year<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JCiYDbKI/AAAAAAAAAI8/3HnQ2Fo2vg4/s1600-h/IMG_0995.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JCiYDbKI/AAAAAAAAAI8/3HnQ2Fo2vg4/s400/IMG_0995.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165075761832619170" /></a><br />Cecilia at 18 Months<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JCyYDbLI/AAAAAAAAAJE/SXP_MFDDq4Y/s1600-h/IMG_1288.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JCyYDbLI/AAAAAAAAAJE/SXP_MFDDq4Y/s400/IMG_1288.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165075766127586482" /></a><br />Cecilia at 2 Years<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JZCYDbMI/AAAAAAAAAJM/WdZSvgt_wtU/s1600-h/IMG_1672.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R64JZCYDbMI/AAAAAAAAAJM/WdZSvgt_wtU/s400/IMG_1672.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165076148379675842" /></a>Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-83437078004686408782008-02-06T14:54:00.000-05:002008-02-06T15:10:19.719-05:00A Warm Ash WednesdayLent began today with a rather warm surprise. It got into the low 70s today for a high and Cecilia wanted to enjoy it. So we went out on the deck for a little while with her tricycle, coloring book and crayons, and a couple of balls (and I brought my Quo Vadis) <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6oRWMTldjI/AAAAAAAAAH8/vKSEP2kj3CA/s1600-h/IMG_1717.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6oRWMTldjI/AAAAAAAAAH8/vKSEP2kj3CA/s400/IMG_1717.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163958995691861554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6oRWcTldkI/AAAAAAAAAIE/m9IBf_R1vNc/s1600-h/IMG_1718.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6oRWcTldkI/AAAAAAAAAIE/m9IBf_R1vNc/s400/IMG_1718.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163958999986828866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6oRW8TldlI/AAAAAAAAAIM/dDci3JGf37Q/s1600-h/IMG_1719.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6oRW8TldlI/AAAAAAAAAIM/dDci3JGf37Q/s400/IMG_1719.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163959008576763474" /></a><br /><br />On another note - sad but so sweet - I was putting away laundry in Cecilia's room and lay Felicity on Cecilia's bed. Cecilia climbed on the bed, picked up her yellow and white blanket that she sleeps with every nap and night, and tried to spread it across Felicity. It was so cute and so sweet. Unfortunately while trying to spread it over her, Cecilia's knee fell on Felicity's foot so sweet little Cecilia was repaid for her sweetness with Felicity's wailing. Such a sweet moment ruined by a little accident but happily Cecilia didn't take it personally.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-43122888052712063012008-02-05T15:26:00.000-05:002008-02-05T15:40:56.717-05:00Cecilia's 2 year Check UpCecilia had her two year check up today and her doctor said she is doing great. She weighed in at 24 lbs., 8 oz. and measured 33.25 inches tall. She was upset to be probed and looked at but was relieved to escape any needles. Even Felicity behaved very well during the appointment. <br /><br />The doctor asked her how old she was and while she was too nervous to answer, when he asked, "Are you two?" she said quite clearly, "twooooooo." She was very good and patient during her check up. She was even better than I expected her to be considering her two previous appointments were to treat a UTI and the one before that for an ear infection. <br /><br />Here's celebrating a healthy 2 year old and hoping for a very healthy year!Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-27672541488409236692008-02-04T14:22:00.000-05:002008-02-04T15:06:54.713-05:00Congratulations Felicity!On Saturday, February 2nd, Felicity Catherine was Baptized and joyfully received into the Roman Catholic Church. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6dvz8TldfI/AAAAAAAAAHc/H7X0YP0CT0o/s1600-h/IMG_1679.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6dvz8TldfI/AAAAAAAAAHc/H7X0YP0CT0o/s400/IMG_1679.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163218435955848690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6dv0cTldgI/AAAAAAAAAHk/IVUGFpFvstc/s1600-h/IMG_1680.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6dv0cTldgI/AAAAAAAAAHk/IVUGFpFvstc/s400/IMG_1680.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163218444545783298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6dv08TldhI/AAAAAAAAAHs/yDBh4iVsq9M/s1600-h/IMG_1681.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6dv08TldhI/AAAAAAAAAHs/yDBh4iVsq9M/s400/IMG_1681.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163218453135717906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6dv1MTldiI/AAAAAAAAAH0/uLFzcbDN198/s1600-h/IMG_1687.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IHgAEY045aw/R6dv1MTldiI/AAAAAAAAAH0/uLFzcbDN198/s400/IMG_1687.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163218457430685218" /></a><br />Left to right: Godmother Kristen, James, Felicity, Cecilia, Me, Fr. Nick, and Godfather AndyKatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-13706064380391683082008-01-29T13:45:00.000-05:002008-01-29T14:34:04.072-05:00HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY CECILIA!!!Cecilia turned 2 years old today! It is amazing how quickly children grow. She had a fun day today. We began with letting her pick a movie to watch. She chose The Jungle Book and ate waffle while she opened her birthday card and presents. We got her a new night stand that matches her bed, 5 Dr. Seuss board books, 3 Veggietales books, 4 Wallace and Grommit books, a coloring book and a Disney Princess Tea Set. Then we took her to the Party City store where she picked out two mylar balloons - one about two feet tall that is a big Mickey Mouse head and the other a Winnie the Pooh with Happy Birthday on it. Then we went to her favorite restaurant for lunch - Red Robin. She had mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese, cantaloupe, fries, and a vanilla ice cream sundae with chocolate fudge and whipped cream. Of course she didn't eat everything of all those, but she had fun eating some of all of it. She has been playing with her tea set and balloons ever since we got back. She is napping now but even wanted to take her balloons with her to bed - so cute! I said no, they would be there when she woke up and she already takes a few stuffed animals to bed anyway.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-36732339236091292422008-01-24T16:08:00.000-05:002008-01-24T16:31:11.136-05:002 Months, 2 years, 2 Beautiful girlsWell, Felicity rang in the end of her second month at 9 lbs., 10 oz., and 22 1/2 in. long. She is getting so big! She is doing very well though. She has pretty good head control and is very observant. Her nights got worse the last week as she became dependent on nursing in order to fall asleep - translation: she was waking about every hour to nurse in order to get back to sleep. I've started working with her to undo this dependency and she is making progress. Last night her first stretch went about 4 hours. I can certainly work with that. Unfortunately the rest of her night wasn't that good and I lost about 1 1/2 hours of sleep. But we'll keep up the work. The trick is my staying awake to get her back to sleep without nursing even at 3am and I am usually barely conscious. <br /><br />Cecilia is doing very well with Felicity. She loves to give her kisses before bed and if Felicity is in her swing and her blanket falls off Cecilia will pick it up and put it back on her. She is concerned every single time Felicity cries, sneezes or even hiccups. She helps me change her diaper by bringing me the diaper and even helps wipe Felicity. <br /><br />Cecilia seems to get bigger every day. She has taken quite a liking to praying. We have always prayed with her before bed. But now she insists we pray with her before her naps and will make us say grace as many as four times during a single meal. I think she especially likes doing the Sign of the Cross but she also likes pointing at the pictures of Jesus and St. Peter's Basilica on the wall. She has become a very big Goofy fan but also a fan of Mickey and Goofy's nemesis Peg-Leg Pete. Maybe it is just because she can say his name, but she likes Pete quite a bit. She has also mastered using a computer mouse. I have the playhouse Disney website bookmarked and all I have to do is get her too it and she uses my mouse to play games and navigate the various Disney websites. It is pretty impressive. Maybe I should look into getting her some educational video games. ... Do they make those for 2 year olds? lol. Probably.<br /><br />On Tuesday Cecilia will turn 2 years old! Can anyone believe time has flown so fast? We are going to take her to her favorite restaurant for lunch - Red Robin: she gets cheese sticks, mac and cheese, cantaloupe AND a balloon - doesn't get much better, huh? - and then to the Party store where she can pick out a mylar balloon. Need I mention she loves balloons? While we will be celebrating her birthday the Saturday after with family, we will probably let her open the presents from us on her birthday. She has to have something to open on her birthday right?Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-64173692298286856582008-01-15T06:59:00.000-05:002008-01-15T07:24:27.092-05:00Cecilia's Favorites and NewbiesFavorite Movies: Meet the Robinsons and A Goofy Movie (she is a big Goofy fan)<br />New Words: Stuck, Owl, Ampa (Grampa), Night, Duck, Blue, Pete (of Disney's Peg-leg Pete)<br />Favorite New Word: Stuck<br />Luvie: A stuffed sheep she found in my night stand that she simply refers to as Baaa <br />Favorite Books: Peek-a-Who?, The Wheels on the Bus, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?, any Biscuit book, Where's Spot?, The Big Red Barn<br />Favorite Songs: Jingle Bells, Mousekadoer (From Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)(she dances to both those songs)<br />New Things Learned: How to use a computer mouse, how to move a folding chair and stand on it to reach much higher and try to get things Mommy tried to put out of reachKatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-46856870047938433522008-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:002008-01-09T08:29:01.493-05:007 Weeks on the 7thFelicity turned 7 weeks on the 7th of January, 2008. She measured 21 1/2 inches long and weighed in at 9 pounds 2 ounces. She is growing so fast. She got 4 vaccinations yesterday - DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis aka Whooping Cough), HIB (Meningitis), PCV (Pneumonia and Meningitis) and IPV (Polio) - two needles in each thigh. We refused the Hepititas B - because no one we know has the disease and it is transmitted primarily through sexual acts and sharing needles so we did not feel it necessary and hence not worth the risks - and Rotavirus - because it is too new for me to feel comfortable with it, it is not a life-threatening disease and Felicity's digestive system is still developing so we didn't think it wise or necessary and hence not worth the risk. Needless to say she wasn't feeling quite as well as usual. She either slept or wailed her head off. She was back to her usual smiling self today though. <br /><br />Speaking of which, I must say she is most aptly named. She showers smiles all the time. <br /><br />She sleeps well. She generally falls asleep between 9:30 and 10 and sleeps for 4-4 1/2 hours, nurses, sleeps for another 3-3 1/2 hours, nurses, sleeps until we get up around 6:30. So, at night, generally, she gets around 8 hours of sleep and I get about 7 hours. Her periods of sleep have been gradually expanding.<br /><br />It has become common for Cecilia to give Felicity a sweet kiss on the lips before going to bed. So Sweet. She has been giving more kisses lately. She gives Grandpa one before bed and gives us ones when we read to her.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-63966780261549478912007-12-31T12:24:00.001-05:002007-12-31T14:04:11.527-05:00Cecilia's Sleeping PatternsIt was no surprise that over the last few weeks Cecilia's sleeping habits have been all over the place. Right before Thanksgiving, while Katherine and I were at the hospital delivering Felicity, Cecilia had to fall asleep at night without the help of mommy or daddy. She pretty much stayed up til 11 PM or so with Grandpa and finally was tired enough to go to bed. Two days later, Cecilia had two grandparents and two uncles staying in our home with mommy back with a newborn. Needless to say, the whole townhouse was kind of upside for a few days. Then soon after Thanksgiving, Cecilia came down with a cold which turned into an ear infection. That had her waking up crying several times a night. Then she got another bacterial infection a couple weeks later. <div><br /></div><div>Finally, right around Christmas, she got into an interesting pattern, which we did not notice immediately; we would try and get her to bed around 8 PM or so, but she would cry and fuss and we had to go in and calm her and then try to get her to sleep again, which she would finally do around 9 PM. She would not wake up til between 7 AM and 7:30 AM. So we moved her bedtime routine and start her bath around 7:50 PM now and lately, she's been ready for sleep between 8:45 and 9 PM every night now. And of course she still cries some when we leave her in her bedroom, but she adjusts her sheets and such and soon falls asleep. She even wakes up occasionally to adjust things in her bed and returns to sleep without making much of a fuss at all. For the past 5 or so nights, she has slept the whole time from 9 PM or so until 7 or 7:15 AM. <div><br /></div><div>She still takes a nap during the day, for about 1 1/2 hours, usually between the hours of 1 and 3 PM. She of course does not think she needs a nap, but once we get her into her room and tuck her in and leave, she cries for a little bit, but soon adjusts her surroundings and falls asleep. </div><div><br /></div><div>So she regularly gets between 12 to 13 hours of sleep a day. I think her sleeping habits have become normal finally, and hopefully, with good health, these patterns won't be disrupted again too soon. </div></div>Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15156682672462508371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-19313097753717033672007-12-30T07:51:00.000-05:002007-12-30T08:00:33.211-05:00Toilet Teaching One Day At A TimeYesterday we began potty teaching Cecilia and indeed it was a successful day. In one day, she mastered step 1, namely, she became comfortable enough to sit on potty - which is an Elmo decorated kiddy toilet seat positioned on an adult toilet - for about 10 minutes (or about 3 stories) at a time. Considering yesterday morning when we first put her on it, she cried and only got through half a story and this morning she was content to sit through 3 stories, I'd call yesterday a success. <br /><br />It is only 8am and today has already been another success. During her first visit to the potty this morning she peed in the potty! The first little bit ceased quickly because she got excited over a balloon in the story I was reading her and the second little bit lasted only a little longer because she became curious what the sound was of the pee hitting the toilet water. But she did it nonetheless. <br /><br />Day 1: Remove Fear of sitting on toilet. CHECK!<br />Day 2: Be Relaxed enough to pee in the toilet. CHECK!<br /><br />Of course the whole thing will take a while, but I have no complaints about our start.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-47323557671639283002007-12-24T15:50:00.000-05:002007-12-24T15:57:08.535-05:00Cecilia, the Big SisterThis morning I got Felicity out of her swing and told Cecilia that Felicity needed a tushie change. I set Felicity on the changing table and got the wipes. While I was doing that, Cecilia tried to get one of Felicity's diapers out for her but I had not restocked her pile. So instead Cecilia went to the pile of her own diapers and set one next to the changing pad for Felicity. <br /><br />Such a good big sister!Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-24379675979098037852007-12-20T17:00:00.001-05:002007-12-20T17:03:35.192-05:00NOOOOOOO!LOL. Well, I guess it was bound to happen. In addition to many words including Flower, Ball, Balloon, Sure, Book, Bird, Meow, Baa, Arf, Fish, and others, she has finally learned to say the word NO and boy does she like saying that one!Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-90175816906622724042007-12-20T10:13:00.000-05:002007-12-20T10:22:43.816-05:00Yet another cold. ::sigh::It is unbelievable. It is like we can't win. Or maybe I should say Cecilia can't win. Just today when she got the all clear from her urinary tract infection, she has another cold! Her nose has been running like a faucet since yesterday. I vainly hoped it was just teething but it is clearly another cold. My guess as to where she got it was a woman sitting behind us in Church last week. She sat directly behind Cecilia, was sniffling the whole mass, but still shook hands with everyone during the Sign of Peace. Another man at Church kept coughing but never covered his mouth. I commented to James I am tempted to just skip going to any Church until the flu and cold season is over since some people seem completely inconsiderate of the health of others. With rare exception, the only places Cecilia, Felicity or I have been in the last month have been Church and doctor's offices and yet the illnesses seem to attach to us like mosquitos to sugar.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-55986117377374913772007-12-19T18:04:00.000-05:002007-12-19T18:18:03.375-05:00Felicity - 1 Month OldFelicity turned 1 Month today. I can't believe it - time seems to have flown so fast. But she is certainly using it well. According to our baby scale she weighed in this evening at 7 pounds and 12 ounces. Considering she had dropped to about 5 pounds and 10 ounces in her first few days, she has gained about 2 pounds in the last 3 weeks! And that is with a cold for about 2 weeks! She also measured in at 20 1/2 inches which, using the measurement the nurses took at the hospital, gives her a growth in height of 1 3/4 inches! Talk about sprouting like a weed! She nurses very well though, so it is easy to account for her growth. Some days she nurses on and off all day. Other days she sleeps much more. She fluctuates but between eating and sleeping she is doing very very well. (I think Cecilia likes those days best when Felicity sleeps more - lol.)Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-35078831163091984632007-12-14T14:10:00.001-05:002007-12-14T14:12:41.614-05:00First Smile!Well, today I was giving Felicity a little tummy time on her playmat while Cecilia napped. She does pretty well. She can rotate her head from side to side and picks it up here and there. She also enjoyed swinging her arms and hitting the dangling monkey. After a while she began to be discontented with her activity (who wouldn't?). So I picked her up and told her how well she did and she lit up with a big toothless smile. Of course she didn't understand what I said but I'm sure she understood it was positive and not negative or threatening. She wasn't asleep (we've had many sleep grins) and she wasn't simply passing gas. She just lit up with a great big smile and I count it as her first.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-65799478446472111422007-12-11T17:43:00.001-05:002007-12-11T17:46:48.925-05:00Three Weeks!Well, we used our baby scale to weigh Felicity on her 3 Week Birthday. On our scale she weighed in at 7 lbs., 1 oz. I think she has passed the worst of her cold though it continues to give her a bit of difficulty breathing. Cecilia continues to grow fond of Felicity. Cecilia will ask Felicity to lay down with her and will alert us immediately if Felicity is crying or the music on her swing has stopped.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21553143.post-75498452692752076752007-12-07T08:09:00.000-05:002007-12-07T08:13:57.191-05:00Ah, Sleep!Well, I'm not sure which daughter impressed me more last night. Cecilia, while she woke up twice, put herself back to sleep both times and so slept the night from about 8pm until 7am without needing James or me. Felicity, apparently trying to compete with Cecilia, slept not in 2 or even 3 hour segments but in 2 segments of 4 hours each! We went to bed around 10 and she didn't wake until around 2am to nurse and then slept again until past 6. <br /><br />Of course it was only one night, but it was a good one regardless!<br /><br />Unfortunately Felicity is struggling with a cold this week. Being not even 3 weeks old she is not very good about clearing her throat and if the cough gets bad enough she will spit up and has done so three times now. Fortunately though she has not had a fever and has continued to nurse and sleep well even through Cecilia squeals.Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219590484821612713noreply@blogger.com0