Claire: Three Months

Here is what has gone on during month 3 of Claire's life:

Eat, Wake, Sleep:
-At the beginning of this month, she would wake to eat once a night.

-By mid month, we dropped the eating but were still waking at about 5am and with re-swaddling or pacifier would go back to sleep until 7am.

-At month end, Claire is sleeping without waking (somewhat) from 10:30pm to 7am. We pretty much have 3 good nights of uninterrupted sleep, followed by 2 nights of waking at 5am or so. And repeat. Goal: to get that to stop, be consistently sleeping through the night, and move her to her room.

-This month, I finally started an official Wake Time = 7am. I have seen that Claire sleeps through the night better (without a cold of course) and is less fussy during the day. She eats basically every 3 hours and is flexible when needed for outings, so that means she eats at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10pm most days, give or take a few minutes. That schedule worked well with Cole at his age and with our life routine around our house. I kept trying to figure out a way to have them napping exactly at the same time but to make that happen the rest of the day would be awkward and her eating would fall at dinner time, etc. I am now okay with having two schedules and I still worked in an hour break or so for myself.

-Her wake time runs about 1.5 hours. So her nap times are roughly 8:30am, 11:30am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm and sometimes 8:30pm. The 8:30pm is hit or miss. Sometimes we keep her up if she is not fussy and wanting to sleep so Brent gets time with her but other days she needs her rest. Eventually we will drop the 10:30pm feeding and her bedtime will move to 7:30pm. But that will be another month and another goal to accomplish.

-The last two nights, Claire has been sleeping so well in her 5:30/6pm nap that we pushed her feeding time back to about 8:30 or 9pm and put her to bed for the night. I don't know if I like this yet. She hadn't quite mastered the previous bedtime (10:30pm to 7am) yet, but time just got away from us the last two nights so we tried it. She didn't wake up to eat ever, but she did cry out more often. Hmmm...what to do??

-Her naps are different then Cole's were. He wasn't or I don't remember him being effected by the 45 minute intruder. She is and it is like clock work. I don't get her up unless she is crying uncontrollably. She normally just requires a burp, re-swaddle, or pacifier. And sometimes a good rock. That is a last resort. And then she will sleep the remaining 45 minutes for a total of 1.5 hour nap.

-Requires sensitive or soy formula.

-Still fights bottle some. She will take it one day without fight and not the next. Right now, we are doing a trial to see if there is a particular bottle she prefers over another. Trying Nuk bottles right now.

-Still likes to be swaddled.

-Takes a pacifier better now.

Milestones:
-Responds to us cooing at her with smiles and cooing back.

-Recognizes us more and lights up more when we talk to her.

-Like to be held facing outwards to be able to look around. Such a big girl already.

-Tries tummy time in small intervals. 2 minutes max right now.

-Turns almost in circles on play mat. Not full ones but is definitely in a different spot then where I would leave her.

-Drooling began around 11 weeks.

-January 31st: Sat in Bumbo seat for the first time.

-Cole still calls her Claire Bear. Also says "Hey sweetie" or "Whatcha doing cutie?" to her.

Features:
-Still has very blue eyes.

-Hair is still dark. About the same amount she was born with as far as I can tell. Just a small bare spot on the back of her head.

-Wearing size 1-2 diapers. Could see us moving to a size 2 when we finish this box. I don't remember Cole moving through diaper sizes this quickly.

-Wearing 3 month clothing.

Goals for Next Month:
-To move Claire to her crib.

-To have more floor time with Claire giving her more opportunities to discover her feet and to think about rolling over.

A Boy and His Boots

"My Snowboard Boots"


The Rain Boots

I found Cole like this yesterday morning when I went to get him from his room. All his shoes are lined up in the bottom of his closet and as you see, he LOVES his boots and all shoes really. He wanted to show Daddy, but he was at work so we took a picture and emailed it to him.

Our Little Redneck

Yes, we let him go out of the house like this. It would not be my first choice of outfits but that's what Cole wanted to wear and let's be honest, it wasn't hurting or offending anyone, so out to eat we went. Haha. Makes me laugh. Outfit complete with camo hat, Texans jersey, Levi's and cowboy boots. Too funny.

Pajama Cowboy


Cowboy Boots


Boots...Just Because

Family Date Night

Our family is growing and our lives are busier then ever. Brent and I have also been married 5 years now and have been trying to figure out how to have family traditions of our own. What does that look like exactly? We are still trying to figure that one out, but I heard about Family Date Night from Larra and was very intrigued and wanted to try it. So we are trying to make it the first many Palermo Family traditions.

We picked Thursday nights because our weeks looks like this: Mondays=church monthly meetings, Tuesdays=small group, Wednesdays=beginning in the fall, children's choir, Thursday=nothing, Friday through Sunday=always busy traveling, church activities, etc. So as you see, Thursday was the only choice for our family. My hope is that if we carve out intentional time to hang out as a family that this will continue for many years to come, maybe even through high school. I know, that might be ambitious, but a mom has to dream, right?

Two weeks ago, we had our first Family Date Night. We stayed in, had a yummy taco dinner together, let the dishes sit until morning (not a normal occurrence), delicious brownie/cookie dessert (also a special treat), and we watched Toy Story 3 as a family. It was so relaxing and wonderful to spend intentional time as a family. No household chores, regular bedtime was pushed back a bit, cuddling on the couch, laughter. Beautiful moments were created.

We missed week two do to some traveling and Brent going out of town, but the kids and I had some extended family time with Mimi/Dena (Brent's mom), Larra, Brody and Carson.

Tonight is our second go around. With snow/sleet in the weather prediction, we might be staying in again. Maybe game night or crafts? The plan has not been made quite yet, but all I know is that we will be spending the evening together even if it is just piling in the bed reading books together or building towers with Legos. We will be together. Creating memories.

I love this new tradition! And hoping and praying in sticks around for MANY years to come!

Cole: 2.5 years

Dear my sweet Cole,

On Friday, January 21, 2011, you turned two and a half years old. You have changed so much in the last six months that I felt you needed a half year birthday post.

You are growing so fast. You are getting taller every day. Your hair is growing longer every day. Six months ago you hardly had any at all and now it seems to not stop growing and it's curly! You are wearing 2T clothes and some 3T t-shirts. You love shoes. Mine. Daddy's. Yours. Even your sister's shoes.

You are still in pull-ups while you sleep. You take 1 nap a day from around 1-3pm. You go to bed at 8pm and are typically up about 8am. A solid 12 hours of sleep. You wake up so happy 90% of the time. Ready to go. Talking away. There is definitely a difference in your mood when we have to wake you versus you waking up naturally.

You have such a sweet, gentle spirit. You love your little sister. You want to know where she is, what is she doing, and love to talk to her. You still love the outdoors. You love all sports. You love playing with your friends and cousins.

Your like a little man. Yes, you have your two year old moments. But you keep up so well, adjust quickly to change and instruction. You seem to understand consequences for your actions most of the time. Your speech is beyond incredible, understandable by many, not just us, and always commented on by others. People are usually shocked to find out your real age when asked in public.

You are a joy. You have a sweet smile and a contagious laugh. You are a blessing to our family. You are loved.

We love you Cole! You are precious to us. We love that you are growing up beautifully, but slow down a little. :)

Love,
Mommy

Some of Your Favorites...

Favorite Books:
One Fish Two Fish = "Cat and Hat...the new one"
If You Give a Moose a Muffin
Giraffe and a Half
Mr. Bird from Big Blue Book of Stories by Dr. Seuss
This Curious George book with 8 stories included:

Favorites include: Curious George and the Pancakes, which led to making pancakes 3 times in one week with chocolate chips, of course. And Curious George and the Animals.

Favorite Shows and Movies:
Super Why
Word Word
**Both of these shows have really helped you learn and recognize your letters.**
Mickey Mouse Club House
Go Diego Go
Dora the Explorer
Toy Story 3 = "Stoy Torie"

Social Interaction:
You love to go "talk to neighbors."
You can almost say anything. Repeat everything.
Uses "May I..." sentences.
Not at all shy.
Easy going.
Learning to pray. Current prayer: "Dear God, thank you for food. Amen." Now, to teach you to thank our Lord for all the other ways He blesses us.
Starting to memorize Scripture. Current and first verse we are learning is Genesis 1:1.
Makes family connections (names all members of family-ours, friends, extended family, even pets).
Learning your full name. "Cole Al-N Pear-Mo"

Favorite Quotes:
"I show you something."
"I need (fill in blank) to feel me better."
"My names Mater, like TaMater, without the "Ta."" -You quote that with the movie Cars.

Favorite Songs:
Old MacDonald
Jingle Bells
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Favorite Activities:
Pretend play: cooking with food, dress up
Building with Legos and block train
Reading tons of books

Christmas: the Jersey

Back during football season, we found an Aggie jersey for Cole at one of the tent sales. He loved it and would wear it every day if we would let him. And he does not want a shirt underneath it. One day, he was in Brent's closet and saw Brent's "blue jersey" and declared, "I want a blue jersey!" So for Christmas, Cole's Bebe and Papaw gave him a "blue jersey."

We did not have the video camera rolling during the opening process, but boy do we wish we would have. His reaction was priceless and classic and could not be reenacted, even though we tried. He was jumping and spinning, and dancing all around. He couldn't believe it. He kept screaming, "a jersey, a jersey!" Precious. Here are a couple pictures that show his enthusiasm. And yes, he put it on immediately.

"a JERSEY!!!"

Turning a Door into a Bed

A couple years ago (almost), I went to antique fair with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. We have gone several times but on this trip, I found an old door. I have seen people turn old doors into headboards online and in magazines, etc. and since my guest bed currently did not have a headboard, I thought this would be a fun project. And the door was only $20!

Well, originally, the door was for a queen sized bed, but it ended up sitting in my garage for over 1 year! It actually worked out perfectly and I am so glad I never got around to that project, because in July 2010, we transitioned Cole to a "big boy" room and this door made a perfect headboard for him. I love how it turned out and it was inexpensive and unique!

Cost:
Door $20
Fence Posts from Lowes (2) $8 each

videos

I just heard that my videos weren't working due to being marked private on You Tube. I changed the settings now, so try them again if they weren't working for you too. Let me know if they still do not work. I want to fix it because we have a ton more videos to come! :)

Christmas: Lights!

One of my favorite things to do, during Christmas time, in Tulsa, is go see the lights at Rhema Bible college, right down the road from my parent's house. Two years ago, we drove through to show Brent, but Cole was so little and it was super cold that we decided not to walk around. Let me tell you, it was cold this time too, but so worth the walk around! Cole was very in to lights this year, so we knew this would be a big hit.

Yes, that's Claire under there in the baby carrier. I think she was by far the warmest out of everyone.

(forgot my cute gloves at home, so borrowing some ski ones of mom's...don't they look huge next to Claire...)

Brent and Cole in the "tunnel of lights!"


I am not sure when they begin setting up for this, but it must be early, maybe the summer. There are so many light and they are set to music. Check it out...

Christmas: a RAT!!!

Thursday, December 30th, we woke up to a beautiful, cold, Tulsa morning. Cole and Papaw were playing and exploring the garage and house. Mom was making breakfast. And the rest of us were there somewhere getting ready for the day.

At breakfast, all Cole is talking about is this rat and how it was in Papaw's shoe but no longer there and how he was going to play golf with it. It's make believe, right?? Surely. Like I said in another post, Cole loves to talk and there is usually some truth in his stories and of course some make believe. He's two. So he goes on and on, 30 minutes or more. The entire time we are eating. Finally, it is so funny and we realize, why aren't we recording this?? So Brent gets the camera. And this is how the story goes (with a little coaching, since he had already told the entire story off the record)...



Watch the end of the first video very closely...my dad is about to come around the corner. We turned the camera off just 5 seconds too early. We started recording again, because this was just too good...




Papaw's Reenactment: The Full Story


The moral of the story is if your two year says he saw a rat, then you should probably look around a little and not just think it is just a story. He wouldn't let it go and still is talking about it. It may have not been an actual rat, but definitely in that family group and is something I know my mom does not want in her house!

"i LIKE trains!!!!!"

Disclaimer **This post has been waiting since July 27, 2010 to be posted. This is not a new event that took place, but finally posting it.**

On Cole's second birthday weekend, we decided it was time to give Cole a twin bed and move the crib into Claire's room. We wanted to do this in plenty of time before her arrival so that he didn't feel "kicked out" of his bed and could get used to the idea of it being his sister's new bed. The first night we decided we would have both beds set up in his room and let him choose which bed he wanted to sleep in just in case the BIG bed was intimidating to him. Was it? Not at all! He climbed right up on it and love it! And we moved the crib out the next day and never looked back.

The theme of his room is trains. I just picked it. It wasn't something he was necessarily into at the time or anything like that. I just personally liked it and thought it was something that he could use for several years. Brent asked why I picked it, etc. I just really liked it. I guess I never thought to get Cole's opinion at that age. So, as Brent and I are setting up the bed, and unwrapping the bedding, we hear this loud exclamation, "I LIKE TRAINS!!!!!!" He was jumping and dancing all around that we wish we had the camera on at that moment. It was priceless. So we decided we picked well. :)

We moved the dresser, which was mine as a baby, in the closet and the big rocking chair to Clair's room to maximize the his play space. The small kid's table was bought at an antique fair and painted red, the headboard was homemade out of an old door purchased at that same fair, and the reading chair came from Land of Nod. A new lamp shade on the same touch lamp and we are done, expect for the walls. If you have never seen the touch lamps, then you should check them out! They are fantastic for kids, so that they are able to turn their lamps on all by themselves!

So in two years, his room went from this...

The Nursery:






The Toddler Bed:


to this...Big Boy Room:


The Sheets


First Night in Big Boy Bed


Reading Nook


Craft/Game Corner


Wall Decor coming soon...couldn't wait any longer to post this...it has been almost 6 months.