Merry Christmas!

Santa definitely loves him!

Sibling love

Well, we did it!! We survived Cole's first Christmas and the first Christmas where Quinn was very aware of what was going on.  Q understood that Santa brings presents, but wasn't overly keen on the thought of some stranger being in her house to do so - if you asked her if Santa was coming to her house, she'd cry and whine and say "nooooooooo!".  When we took the kids to see Santa, Quinn was very excited and chatted up a storm while waiting in line about how she was going to meet Santa and say hi...and then she rounded the corner and was silent.  He did tell her that he was going to bring her a dolly (which prompted a little bit of last minute shopping) and he pulled through!

Cole had just woken up and terrified Quinn.   At least no tears were shed!

Chipper the Elf was a great tradition for us this year.  It was only this morning that Quinn asked where he was and we explained that he's back at the North Pole with Santa and that he'd come back next year when it's Christmastime again.  That seemed to be an ok answer to her.

Quinn the chef

The kids were spoiled by everyone and their closets are bursting with clothes.  I can't wait to see a lot of the new outfits on them!  Seeing Cole dressed up like a little man is just so cute!  There are also lots of new toys, including a play kitchen and easel that Quinn asks to play with every morning.  To say that there is some organizing being done in the house would be an understatement!

Cole is 6 months old today!!! I really can't believe that this time has flown by so quickly.  We moved him into his crib last night for the first time (he was in a playpen in our room up until then, with only naps in his crib).  He had quite a good night and was only up twice to eat before getting up in the morning.  I wasn't sure if Quinn would have woken him up as she likes to make quite a bit of noise before falling asleep and their rooms share a wall.  We also started Cole on cereal today.  He wasn't a big fan of having someone trying to jam food into his mouth and mostly wanted the spoon, but tomorrow's a new day to try again!

So Much To Update!

Wow...I hadn't realized that it had been over a month since I had updated this blog.  Oops!  I'll do my best to cover all the high points and again try to do better with the updates!

Hallowe'en
Hallowe'en was great fun this year!  Cole and I attended a baby party, he got his photos done for "Pumpkin Day" at Superstore (he even smiled!), and then for the big event, Quinn dressed as Cinderella and had a blast going trick-or-treating with Steve.

All set to go pick out a pumpkin

Ewwww pumpkin guts!

Cole the Great White Shark

Ottawa Hallowe'en babies!

Pumpkin Day

Pretty Quinn as Cinderella

All set to go trick-or-treating

November

We made the big transition of putting Quinn into a "big girl" bed (aka a toddler bed).  We chose the toddler bed over a twin bed since Quinn still has to wear her boots for a while yet, and the toddler bed is close enough to the floor that she can easily crawl back into bed if she gets out.  The bed is super cute - it's a white sleigh bed.  Quinn LOVES her big girl room.  It's the only room in the house that we painted a different colour (light blue) and it definitely is girly!  I'll take some pictures later on when it's finished up - there are still some craft projects that I want to do to really "finish" it.

Since we moved Quinn to her room, we also raised up the crib mattress and put Cole's "Monkey Rockstar" bedding on and valance up.  The next task is to take down the sticker mirrored butterflies all over the wall, which will prove to be a challenge as they're quite stuck.  Cole is still sleeping in our room until after Christmas, but we've been trying to get him to have naps in the crib...that's definitely been a challenge as he likes to resist these naps.  More often than not, he ends up napping in one of our carriers.  Thank goodness for baby wearing!!!

Potty training...well, we thought that Quinn was showing signs of being ready and she actually did pee on the potty once (and pooped next to it once).  But she seemed to have lost interest for now and we're not pushing it.  After Christmas is over and the craziness has died down, then we might try to gently push the issue again.

Cole weighed in at 15.3 lbs at his 4 month appointment and is sticking to his curve for length as well.  He's between the 50th-75th percentile for both, which is awesome!

Present Time...

So that brings us up to now.  Quinn's vocabulary continues to grow at an exponential rate.  She now can sing a few lines to many songs and can recognize what Disney princess sings a certain song within the first 15 seconds...super impressive!  She also LOVES to make Cole laugh and he continues to be absolutely mesmerized by her.  Doesn't matter where she is in the room, he'll find her and watch her.

We started the tradition of "Elf on the Shelf" this year.  Our elf's name is Chipper and Q loves to come find him in the mornings.  Chipper even brought a present yesterday of a new Christmas book!  The Christmas tree is up and twinkling...and currently has the coffee table in front of it to ward off curious toddlers. ;)

Making Christmas crafts with handprints and paint

The first appearance of Chipper on November 25th

Quinn giving Cole just a few toys to play with

Having fun with Daddy

Christmas party

Christmas party

It's Been a Busy Month!

Phew!  This past month has been such a blur!  We took our first mini family vacation to Annapolis, MD to visit some friends at the beginning of the month.  Unfortunately it was during the partial US government shutdown, but we definitely made the most of it!  We checked out the National Aquarium in Baltimore, walked around Washington, DC, and also toured around the US Naval Academy in Annapolis.  We had GORGEOUS weather the entire time (think 30+ degrees with humidity) and had a great time seeing our friends and their 8 month old son.  Our kids were actually very good on the long drive to and from Annapolis.  Minus some heavy rain and a thoroughly "poopsploded" PJ incident with Cole, we made quite good time considering that we had to stop every so often to feed Cole.  The trick to keeping Quinn occupied included colouring books, the iPad, and a kids Android tablet that a friend loaned us.

After the US trip, we were only home for 3 days until the kids and I jetted off to NS for a baby shower for my sister.  There was definitely a lot of spoiling done by the grandparents on both sides...and it was nice to be able to have someone else take Q outside to run around.  It wasn't a really relaxing trip since there was a lot going on, but it was really fun!  It was also Cole's first time on a plane!  On the way to Halifax, I flew alone with both kids, but Steve was able to accompany us to the gate.  That made such a HUGE difference!  The Porter flight attendants were amazing help as well - for example, when we got to the bottom of the jetway, one of the flight attendants took Q onto the plane for me while I folded up the stroller (I was wearing Cole) and she took Q to meet the pilot and see the cockpit.  Now you can't get Q to stop talking about planes and pilots!  Both kids were good as gold on the way to Halifax...on the way back, Quinn wasn't so keen on sitting in her seat, but luckily my sister was with us on that flight to help me out with holding Cole.

Milestone-wise there are some new things to report!  Cole rolled from tummy to back on Oct. 1, and then from back to tummy on Oct. 9.  He has seemed to have forgotten how to do the tummy to back roll now though...but the second the you put him down on his back, he rolls onto his belly.  Quinn has become pretty adept at using the iPad as well.  There are a couple of child-friendly games that we downloaded and she has them figured out quite well.  One requires baking and decorating cupcakes (she loves to put "BEANS!!!" aka Jelly Belly beans on them) and the other is doling out birthday cake and juice.  Watching her figure out how to drag items around on the screen and what areas to press is just mind-boggling.

We seem to be struggling through Cole's 4 month sleep regression right now though, which is extremely tiring.  It has seemed to have reached a peak the past couple of nights...so hopefully that means that we're getting through the worst of it!

Next up for the Oakey kids...Cole's 4 month vaccinations and Hallowe'en! Stay tuned for pictures! :)

Growing Like Weeds!!!

I can't believe how quickly the time goes by.  I just looked at the date of my last post (Sept. 2!!!) and find it crazy how I never seem to even have 5 minutes to update a blog!  I'm determined now to take 5 minutes (at least) far more often to update this!

Quinn is starting to say hilarious things.  For example, every time that we get her dressed into a dress, she exclaims "Oh beautiful dress!".  That even goes for seeing me in a bath towel - "Oh Mommy! Beautiful dress!"  The other day we asked her to say the 'magic word' (aka 'please') and we were instead responded to with "Meeska! Mooseka! Mickey Mouse!" (aka the 'magic words' from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse).

Quinn also peed on the potty for the first time on Thursday!  We're starting to train her and letting her take the lead as to when she wants to sit on the potty.  So far we've only had the one success story, but it's a start!  She loves her princess potty though and every time that she "flushes" it and hears the music, she says "Sleeping Beauty!".  I guess the sound reminds her of the movie.

Cole has been doing well also!  Eats like a champ...but definitely isn't sleeping like one!  I guess that I jinxed it when I was bragging about how he only would wake once a night to eat.  The last little while it's been at least twice a night.  Even though he only takes about 10 minutes to eat and put back down, it is very frustrating since he's obviously not STARVING if he can eat and go back down so quickly.  Naps during the day are still a struggle to have them do them on his own.  The last couple of days he will sleep in his bouncy chair...but only if you're constantly bouncing it with your foot.  The second that you stop, he wakes up!  He's actually in his chair right now while I bounce it, smiling away!

I'm hoping that he'll go to sleep soon and I can pop him into my Boba wrap to give my quads a break...and that he'll hopefully sleep for a longer stretch!  I LOVE my Boba!! I've pre-wrapped myself and am just waiting for a sleepy baby!

Steve's parental leave has been AWESOME so far!! He has only been off for about a month and we have a great system going!  Having him on leave makes it possible for us to go to Washington, DC to visit friends this week and also for going to Arizona in the spring for 2 weeks.  Yay for not having to clear vacation time!!!

Q is 2!!

Wow!  Where does the time go?  On August 30th our little princess turned 2 years old!!! It's so hard to believe!  We had a big Elmo-themed party on the 31st including grandparents, aunts & uncles, and lots of friends.  Thank goodness that the weather cooperated since there were around 30 people here, including 10 kids running around!  Q definitely had a great time and is one spoiled little girl with all of her amazing gifts!  I had fun organizing the theme, all thanks to Pinterest ideas!  With Susan's help (my BIL's fiancee), we "Elmo-fied" plates, cups, and goodie bags and also made Dorothy plates (Dorothy is Elmo's pet goldfish).  There was also an Elmo cake that I decorated (those classes at Michael's are paying off), an Elmo face made out of strawberries, a Cookie Monster face made out of blueberries and blackberries, and an Oscar face made out of broccoli and baby carrots.  The BBQ was in full swing with delicious hot dogs and hamburgers and we had yummy "sangria" punch!  It was so great to have Steve's parents, his brother, and his brother's fiancee here to celebrate, along with my mom and step-dad.  There were lots of snuggles and cuddles to go around, plus it allowed Steve and I to relax a bit.

We also took Q & CJ to the doctor for Q's check-up and CJ's 2 month vaccines.  Our doctor is very impressed with what Q is able to do - recognize most letters of the alphabet, count to 13, and her general vocabulary.  To say that our heads got a little bit bigger would be an understatement!  Q weighed in at 26 lbs (50th percentile) and is 82 cm tall (10th percentile).  CJ, of course, is growing like a weed - he weighed in at 13.3 lbs (90th percentile) and is 60 cm long (75th percentile).  Worrying about CJ gaining weight during the first two weeks of his little life is now just a distant memory!

I've also started my journey to get back to pre-pregnancy size.  We've decided that our family is definitely complete with our sweet girl and boy, so I would like to get back to the size that I was when we got married.  It will definitely be a battle, but I'm sure that I can get there!!!

The cake!! I rented the pan from Bulk Barn and did the rest myself! So fun!

The decor

Dorothy Plate

Elmo Plate

Elmo Cup

The cup that Quinn made...we called him "Special Elmo"

Oscar veggies (with ranch dressing to dip)

Cookie Monster fruit tray (with cheesecake dip)

Elmo fruit tray

The whole spread

Having fun with her new water table and slide

Friends kicking back in the new Adirondack set

When Did We Grow Up?

I know how old I am and what I have accomplished, but really, when did I grow up?  It seems like all of a sudden I became a Mommy...but yet it feels like I have been someone's Mommy my whole life.  I love it when I go into Q's room in the morning and see her face light up when she says "Mommy!!!".  I love watching her learn new things.  I love seeing how Cole seems more alert every day and how I'm able to calm him down by holding him close.  These are just a few of my favourite "Mommy" moments.

Back on Canada Day we went to our friends' for a party (we normally host, but since Cole was born only 3 days prior, it wasn't feasible for us to host this year).  When we got there, we realized that every couple there, save 2, either had kids or were expecting.  There were kids EVERYWHERE!!! And what's crazy is that none of these little ones were around 5 years ago when all of the couples were either just getting together, just getting engaged, or just getting married.  How our parties have changed too - we've gone from pre-drinks at 10pm to going to calling it a night at 10pm.  Actually just last night I suggested to Steve that we watch a movie.  He said, "Naw, it's getting late".  It was 9 pm.

I wouldn't trade my life for anything.  My kids are my world...but I wish that time would just slow down a little bit.

Why I Chose to Breastfeed

As I mentioned in my most recent post, I have decided to branch out with this blog.  I'm going to definitely keep posting updates of how the kids are for our families, but I also wanted to add in some of my own thoughts and ramblings, as well as home projects.  Please keep in mind that these are my opinions and to take them with a grain of salt.

In light of this week being World Breastfeeding Week, I thought that it would be appropriate to say to the world why I made the choice to breastfeed my children.  I know how hot button this topic is, especially with a lot of cafluffle surrounding breastfeeding in public.  So again, I urge anyone reading this to realize that what I'm posting are my own personal thoughts and feelings surrounding this issue.

When I was pregnant with Quinn, I always said that I wanted to breastfeed "unless there was some reason that I couldn't".  I don't know how many times I said those quoted words.  Every time I said them, whomever I was addressing would usually say "I'm sure that you'll be able to".  Well, no one really prepares you for what breastfeeding is really like...and by that, I mean how hard it is to start and the learning curve associated not only for you, but for your baby!  The feeling of your baby suckling, the engorgement, the frustration surrounding your baby's latch, potential breast infections/blocked ducts/cracked nipples...all of these things can make any new mom (or a seasoned veteran) lose even more sleep.

I had my share of issues when I was breastfeeding Quinn.  Things started out well until my milk "came in" - cue the chest watermelons (aka engorgement).  When this happened, Q didn't have a clue what to do anymore and this resulted in us syringe-finger feeding her pumped breast milk, seeing a lactation consultant, and attending a breastfeeding drop-in.  I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn't give up until I had tried absolutely everything to get breastfeeding to work.  Luckily things clicked and I successfully nursed Q for 53 weeks.  (My goal was to make it a year and I was so happy to have achieved that)

Now with Cole, I have made myself the same two promises: 1) To not give up until I had tried everything to make it work, and 2) To nurse Cole for a year.  I've already touched on my challenges with nursing Cole and am happy to say that things are definitely going well now!

OK, so now to my initial reason for this post - my reasons for breastfeeding.  Most people will automatically say that they chose to breastfeed because of the health benefits provided to the baby (improved immune function, easily digested, etc).

Well, here are my top 3 reasons why I have made the choice to exclusively breastfeed my children:

1. It's convenient
1. I love the fact that when we're at home or out in public, that I can provide food for my baby in a split second.  No heating up of bottles or planning ahead to have enough formula in my diaper bag.  I can't forget my boobs at home, so that's easy.
2. It's free
1. When we had to supplement Cole's feedings with formula for those couple of days, we actually saw how expensive formula is!  Wow!  And babies go through cans of that stuff so quickly that it doesn't take a math genius to conclude that it's expensive in the end.
3. It provides health benefits to my children
1. Who doesn't love health benefits?!

I won't completely get into my opinions on the whole "Breastfeeding in Public" debate.  You can guess what side I'm on.  It's the only time that I really get up on a soapbox about breastfeeding.  I dare someone to say something to me when I choose to nurse in public.

Finally, I came across the following link yesterday...check it out for some powerful messages.  It talks about how all mothers should support each other in whatever choice they make surrounding how they feed their children. --> I Support You

 Nursing in the car...see? Convenient!