Blazers/Snow/First Food

Snow in Beaverton....for a few hours!

Leo charms the Blazer Dancers

Lakers vs. Blazers!!!

Somerset Eats Solid Food for the 1st Time!!!

Only a few bites, but sooo messy!

My Pretty Girl!

So many exciting things have happened in the last few days, so I felt I should make a quick update. For starters, Joe took Leo to a Blazer vs. Lakers game. I stayed home with Somerset, but they both came home full of stories and enthusiasm. Joe said Leo had more fun than he had ever had. I am so happy they had this special bonding experience. I have to admit that I am looking forward to having special girly bonding experiences like this with Somerset (if she likes girly things). Leo is all boy, so naturally, he is super interested in everything that Joe is: Basketball, Star Wars etc.

It snowed in Beaverton today and Leo had a blast! It is rare to have snow here, so we treked out this morning and had a blast making and throwing snowballs. We even got Somerset all geared up in her shiny snow suit and she looked adorable. She seemed to really like the snow and has always favored cold climate.

Today I went grocery shopping and bought Somerset some food. She has been showing such an interest in everything we eat, so we decided to give her her first taste of food, which was organic sweet potatoes. She seemed a little perplexed, but overall, she seemed to enjoy the experience. What a little mess she created. Looks like there will be even more laundry for mommy! Good times!

5 months old

5 month portrait with Joy the owl

These kids are so sweet together. I hope it stays this way!

Somerset sleeps with my dad

Happy 5 months to my sweet baby girl. She is such a delight and we are so happy to have her in our family. She still isn't rolling, but I think she just isn't as active as Leo was. She also doesn't really giggle yet. She makes a strange grunting noise when happy and smiles from ear to ear, but no real giggles. The doctor said it's no biggie, as long as she is smiling, making eye contact and cooing. She does all of this exceptionally well, so I think she just needs to unleash her inner giggle.

Joe won tickets to a Blazer vs. Lakers' game for this Wednesday night. It is in a luxury suite and will be fully catered. We are bringing Leo and my parents will watch Somerset, so we are really excited to share this adventure together. I am sure there will be many photos to follow.

Leo is as smart and crazy as ever. He has a difficult time listening and following directions, so we are really working on that with him. He really is such a sweet boy, but is to darn smart for his own good. Everyday, we choose a letter and number of the day and then talk about them throughout the day. I figure this is good pre-school prep and he loves it too.

We are already planning for Leo's birthday. We found a lady who can make Leo an awesome Millennium Falcon cake. Joe wants to get Leo some kid's headphones and Kid's Nike Jordans. I think Joe wants a mini him, but Leo adores his Daddy and thinks that whatever Daddy likes is the best.

The kids are both out of the bed and have been for a few weeks now. Getting Summy to sleep in her crib was the best thing ever!!! I miss cuddling her as much as I was, but I have so much more freedom now.

The kids both got sick. First Leo got a cough and runny nose and then passed it on to Somerset, who is currently fighting it off. It is so sad to so her in discomfort, but other than an earlier bed time due to extreme grumpiness, she has been remarkably good natured.

Sleep is my most valued commodity!

Ahhh, I love napping with the kids. It is difficult to coordinate everyone's sleep schedule to make this happen, but when it does, it's heaven to me. When we are not napping, we have been having mini dance parties. I play the kids a few songs on a regular basis: Justin Bieber's Baby, Katy Perry's Firework and B.O.B./Bruno Mars's, Beautiful Girl. These are so Top 40, but the kids respond to them. Leo likes for me to get on the floor with the baby and make her dance with him. I hold her at the waist and make her twist and jump. It is probably the cutest thing anyone has ever seen. Both kids have the hugest smiles on their faces and love our little dance parties.

We have been staying home a lot because the weather is so gross these days. I cannot wait to get everyone out in the sunshine and off to a park! I don't think I have ever missed the sun so much. Poor little Summy was born at the end of September, so she has spent most of her days indoor.

We have a cute little nick name for Somerset: Poppy! Every time we say poppy, she smiles with such delight. She is still mostly Summy or Somerset, but we will throw an occasional Poppy in the mix too.

Joe taught Leo the phrase hubba hubba to describe pretty girls. In my opinion, he is way too young for this, but it is pretty darn cute. He will see a pretty girl on tv and say, "look at the hubba hubba." He loves girls of all shapes and sizes and ethnicities, which I think is cool. He has also declared that mommy is a hubba hubba...yeah me!

My Baby's Playing!

As you can see, Somerset is now enjoying using an exersaucer, which she is borrowing from the playroom at the gym. I love the borrowing things like this, because it makes no sense to pay upwards of $80 oro something she will use for such a short time. I can tell that she is so proud of herself when she stands in it and plays on her own.

Speaking of Somerset, it is quite clear how different her temperament is from Leo's. She is so much more calm and easy going, but she sure has a fistiness about her. When she is not happy, she will let you know, but I love that about her. She appears to be more serious and less quick to react than Leo is. It is a great balance between the two. They adore each other and it seems like their personalities mesh well together.

We have been sleep training for almost a week, and although we have had our challenges, Somerset has been out of the bed and falling asleep on her own every night. We are still on pins and needles thinking that she will wake with every noise and some nights she has cried enough to make my heart hurt, but all in all, things are going well. Last night, I was able to set her in the crib and she didn't cry at all! I was amazed!

We are having issues with Leo though. He tries to sneak into our bed at night. We let him for a while after the baby was born due to pure exhaustion, but now that we are laying down the law, we are encountering great resistance. 3-4 times a night he tries to come into our bed and each time we carry him back, usually followed by sobs. He also has never been able to nap on his own. I always have to be in the bed until he falls asleep (luckily he falls to sleep on his won at night). I clearly made mistakes when he was an infant by holding him often as he napped and not letting him self soothe and to this day we are dealing with the consequences.

On a happier note, we must have done a lot right with Leo. He is fully potty trained! As a reward, Joe would give him packs of basketball cards and he can name the most obscure players. Do you know who Ersan Ilyasova is? Leo does!

Leo has also been making the most incredible Lego figures. He has a natural talent for building things and an amazing imagination to go alongside. Unfortunately, he will not allow us to take photos of him, which in why the blog is pictorially slanted toward Summy. It is by no means due to favoritism. She is just a more compliant participant.

Potty Training and Sleep Training

Napping Angels

Leo requested Spiky hair...Joe says this is too much!!!

Somerset in her cool Converse!

Now that Somerset is four and a half months old, we decided that it was time to do some sleep training. Our little girl is almost a perfect angel, but she likes to be held all the time. At bedtime, it has been impossible to get her into her crib. I have been spending about an hour every night feeding, rocking and then placing Somerset in her crib, only to have her open her eyes immediately and start crying. After doing this multiple times, I would finally give up and then hold her until Joe and I went to bed, where she would sleep with us. Although I love cuddling my baby, this was getting ridiculous. Now that she is older, we got the a-ok from her doctor to let her cry it out a bit. This gives her the chance to learn to self soothe and get herself to sleep and should also promote a lifetime of good sleep habits. I still will come to her if she cries in the middle of the night, but I will no longer have her sleep in my arms or with us. Last night was our first night, and although it was painful, we all made it through the night. Tonight is night our second go at it and she is currently crying. Oh, this breaks my heart, but the pediatrician has assured me that crying is natural and as long as I go into soothe her every once in a while, this is the best way to get her to sleep unassisted.

Unfortunately, we weren't as strict with Leo. I never had the courage to really let him cry it out and we are still dealing with sleep issues to this day. As a mom, I think I will feel guilty whatever action I take, so I will just have to go with my gut and realize Summy will be ok.

On a lighter note, Leo requested spiky hair, so I bought a little thing of hair gel for him. He looks so grown up with his crazy hair, but I think we will save this look for special occasions.

I would also like to announce that Leo is officially potty trained!!! We have been working on this for a while, but he now wears underwear all the time. The only exception is night time, when he still wears training pants. I am so proud of him!!!

Joe is still very excited about his new hobby, brewing! I look forward to tasting the fruits of his labor.