2 Years Old!

My baby is a toddler.  So starts the week of celebrations.  Tonight we went to the Lifetouch family picnic.  She danced, played basketball, and ran all over.  Today she will go to Chucky Cheese with Grandma and Grandpa Benson because they can't make it to her birthday party on Saturday.  She has her 2 year check up on Friday.  Then after her birthday party on Saturday we are going to visit my dad again in Luck, WI.

Again, she amazes me every morning.  She is almost forming sentences.  She does somersaults.  She loves to jump.  She is a daredevil.  We've started swimming at Grandma and Grandpa Moritz's.  I'm pretty sure she's going to turn into a fish.

 I've become very bad at taking photos with an actual camera.  Most are taken on my phone and posted straight to Facebook.  These are the latest photos taken with an actual camera.

21 Months

Today Jolynn is 21 months.  I just happened to notice it was the 18th.  I just can't believe how time is just flying by.  3 more months and my baby will be 2.  I don't think you heard me...TWO!

Sentences are starting to form.  Bubbles Pop means: blow bubbles, I want to pop them.
Her manners have also formed this past week.  I have to give the credit to daycare.  We do use it a lot in our home, but I think it is emphasized more at daycare.  She now says Thank you for EVERYTHING.  We reply with you're welcome.

Potty training hasn't gone full force yet.  We toy with it here and there.  I let her run around for a while with out a diaper.  She can say diaper too.  However, everything is poopy.  If she goes potty, she says poopy.  If she farts, she says poopy.  When I do finally buckle down and do the training deal, I wish I could have a veteran with me.  Someone who knows the ropes and can anticipate the action (eliminating some accidents hopefully).

My mom recently posted a photo on Facebook of me when I was 2 years old.  I weighed 23 pounds and was 33 inches.  Not a far cry from Jolynn.  Gee, I wonder who she is taking after. :)

20 months

Wow, bad mommy. Time just flew by between 19 and 20. Somewhere around 20 months, maybe a week or two later, Jolynn just started repeating everything you say. I stopped counting how many words she knows. She doesn't repeat many on a regular basis, but if you say "say this..." she will repeat it. So cute the way it comes out sometimes. And now we REALLY have to watch what we say.

She is so adventurous. She loves to be outside. March has been a crazy month for weather. We had a week of 70+ and then a couple 80 degree days. All she wanted to do was be outside the whole time. One day we spent 3 hours outside, then went in for a nap and she slept for 4 hours!

Jolynn has also been going to Grandma and Grandpa's a lot lately. She spent a night with my parents, then a whole weekend with Jon's. She will be with them again for the whole weekend coming up. I feel a little guilty shipping her off for such long periods of time. I know how hard it is to get up every morning and constantly be moving until she goes to bed. Then wanting to go to bed yourself but you have things to do yourself. I'm sure they love having her, but at the same time what a relief that it is temporary.

This month we took Jolynn to a studio to try out for a modeling agency. Her pictures were gorgeous. It was so hard to choose so M&M ended up buying the CD. I'm so glad they did because the photos truly look like a model. Unfortunately she did not win the modeling gig. Since Jon's aunt is in modeling I thought of asking her how to get Jolynn in the biz. Not sure I want to take that on either.

We have hit the almost terrible twos. One of the reasons I don't exactly want to get in the modeling biz yet. One minute she is up and happy and the next she is crying and sprawled on the floor. Nothing a nap doesn't cure however. Her behavior is so like me. If I'm hungry or tired my mood is exaggerated.

19 months

Part of last month and into this month we experienced our first health scare. We both had been sick for weeks. I took Jolynn in the morning of our game night and they said she had a slight ear infection. She was put on amoxicillin. She was on it for 7 days when all the sudden she developed a rash around her midsection. We called the on-call doctor and she said to stop giving her the medicine. Not knowing if her ears had cleared up, we took her back to the doctor on Monday. This doctor said her ears were not quite cleared up yet and it sounded like she had bronchitis. The doctor also marked her down for being allergic to penicillin. She was put on two different medications, one for the ears and a steroid for the bronchitis. A week later I brought her back to check on the ears. Everything was cleared up. Her cough and runny nose were still causing her to not sleep, so the doctor gave us a sample of Nasonex. That did the trick! Her nose cleared up within 5 days.

She has actually known her body parts for a month or so, but now she is starting to say the parts. She says eyes and arm. She even knows where her knees are. She sticks out her tongue when asked where that is. I think one of the first parts she knew was nose and belly.

New words: arm, big girl, Avery (friend at daycare), Mary (daycare lady), wawa (water), party, Jon. There have been many times that we think we hear her say something and can't get her to say it again. I also have not been as diligent in adding them to the draft during the month.

Potty Time!

I was cleaning dishes and Jolynn made her normal pooping sounds (grunting). I thought maybe I could catch her before she actually did the duty and get her on the potty chair. We missed the chair, I ended up showing her the poop goes in the toilet. Then I sat her on the chair to try and go potty. The training book said to have her go when you go. So (TMI) , as I was going I told her to sit and go potty too. She got up and started walking toward the door. Butt naked (literally) I worried she would go while I was still occupied. Without me saying a word she came back, sat down, and went PEE! Really truly! Not the caught her midstream kind, this was actual pee pee on the potty!

Okay, maybe I'm a bit more excited than I should be. This seemed like such a huge deal. I wanted to sing and dance. Jolynn just wanted to touch it. (don't worry mom, I didn't let her). Jon was outside shoveling so I didn't dump it out so he could enjoy the excitement too. He did a bit of cheering when he came in and we told him, but still not as excited as I was when it actually happened.

Now I have to get brave enough to just let her run naked around the house so we can get her constantly going on the potty. I'm thinking she may be ready. She still doesn't say "yes", but she says potty. The fact that she turned around and came back to the potty chair instead of just peeing next to the door has to be a sign of readiness.

18 months

ONE and a HALF! Our little girl is growing so much. She is walking like crazy, almost running. We rearranged the entryway because she is doing the steps now. She does them pretty well, but just in case this way she doesn't land on anything at the bottom.

We haven't used the monitor in a long time. I decided to see what she does when we put her down for a nap. I wish the monitor recorded. She was playing with the metal flowers on the wall, running circles in her crib, then at one point she had half her body over the railing. The crib is already at its lowest, next stage is toddler bed. We thought it better for her to fall out of the toddler bed than flipping over the top of the rail. We weren't able to get her to take a nap in it right away - she ended up taking it in our bed. She is great at getting in and out of it, and when she gets in she lays down and says "nigh nigh" but doesn't stay in the bed.

We tried the BabyCenter approach at nap time. We laid her down and said it was time for a nap. Shut the door. Jon stayed on the monitor while I stood next to the door. He would tell me "she's out of bed" and "she's at the door". Then I would walk her back to bed in silence and no eye contact. We did this about 8 times. She thought it was a game. So the last time I shut the door so it clicked (meaning she couldn't open it herself). She ended up falling asleep next to the door. I came in an hour later and had to gently keep opening the door little by little. Bedtime went a lot better. She gave us the cue when she laid down on the floor. We did our kisses for everyone (including Polly). Then I laid her down and left the room. She cried for a while next to the door. I sent Jon in this time. He put her in bed and she didn't get up. It has been this way for a week now. Once in bed and she pretty much gets it. She cries for a while, but she doesn't get out of bed.

Another milestone - potty training. We are taking it VERY slow. I have a potty chair. We started by having her investigate the whole thing. She took it all apart. Then we had her sit on it with her clothes on. I have her come in with me when I go and she sits on her chair (clothes on still). Before we get ready for bed and change her diaper one last time we sit on the chair naked. I let her run around the bathroom naked (easy cleanup if necessary). Every once in a while asking her if she has to go potty. When I ask she comes back to the chair and sits down. She took some toilet paper and I asked her what she does with it, she proceeded to wipe herself. I think she knows the concept, just not sure she knows about being wet vs. dry. When I have a weekend of no activities and not being sick, we will have to try the 3 day method.

(This is not the chair Jolynn has, but I thought it interesting when I Googled Potty Chair how many different styles there were and how they have evolved. I think this is the model I had when I was getting trained. Just a bucket under a chair with a hole. The bucket slid out and you dumped in the the toilet.)

New words: Uppee, Yummy, Potty, Baba (Grandpa Benson), mine, me

17 months

The time between 16 and 17 months just flew by! We haven't had any revelations in development. She is a little chatter box. Loves to dance and sing. We've been trying to color more, working with markers now. She can take the covers off and put them back on too! She's so smart. She amazes me everyday. I can't wait for Christmas. She has been helping me with gifts. Money was a little tight this year, so most of my gifts have been hand made with the help of Jolynn.

One thing we have started (and by started, I mean we took it out of the box) is the potty chair. I don't plan on making it a die hard thing right now. I think she can tell when she is wet because she pulls on her diaper. We are going to go slow. Right now I can't even get her to sit on it with her diaper on. My mom is prepared - with stickers at the ready. No hurry, but it would be nice if she was out of diapers say by 2 years old. My mom said I was potty trained by the time I was 18 months, but I was also in cloth diapers and could tell when I was wet (not a good feeling).

16 Months

When Jolynn was 5 months I believe she was taking her first trip to Florida. Well, here we are at 16 months and she is about to take her second trip to Florida.

We've moved up to a booster chair. She really could have stayed in her highchair, but it doesn't fit well up to the table. So we moved to a booster that fits better.

She loves to read. Just before bed it almost seems like she is stalling because she brings me a book and I sit on the floor. She sits in my lap and we read a book. Then we get done and she brings another book over. We have to go through all the books in the living room (thank goodness we are not doing this in her room). Sometimes I catch her sitting in her highchair (we are still using it as a "chair") with a book open.

Last month, while I was in Vegas, Mike and Margaret took Jolynn for the weekend. They bought her a new pair of tennis shoes and cowboy boots. I'm glad she wore them just about everyday. While we were in Florida, they noticed she was walking funny again (like when they had her). I had her in size 2 shoes. They moved her up to size 3. We went to Stride Rite in Florida and measured her again - SIZE 5! Plan for shoes from now on: get a versatile pair and get her remeasured once a month. Buy special occasion shoes and weather related shoes when needed, not in preparation for a month down the line.

A few weeks ago we had her wellness check up for 15 months. She was 20.7 lbs (30%), 32 inches (90%) and her head was in the 90 percentile too.

15 months

I was very diligent about writing about Jolynn the first year. I feel like I have been slacking since then. I'm going to try harder. I have been documenting many of her milestones on Facebook. There are videos of her taking her first steps, our fun times with friends and family, and hide and seek. The part I have been trying to remember is the words. She is saying more everyday and sometimes they are recognizable. Jon swears she has said a few things too, but she hasn't repeated them.

Words this month (some heard by me, some by Jon, some only heard once): hot, mouth, hiding, ouch, polly (sort of), Mike, Margaret, pretty, nigh nigh (night night-bedtime), ahyaboo (I love you), bath time,
Previous month and ever since: momma, daddy, ow, uh oh.

She loves giving Daddy kisses.

Biggest milestone this month has been WALKING!! A few steps here and there and every day she makes more and more progress. She does more when she is not paying attention and you are not either.

*I tried putting a video of her walking, but it keeps saying an error has occurred. To see video go to Facebook.

Where does the time go?

It has been another month since Jolynn's first birthday. The first year went by so fast, how could the next go just as quickly? With work in full swing again my days are very busy and our weekends have been spent gallivanting visiting grandparents and friends. It has been a busy summer. This past month we caught Jolynn standing. She also pushes her legs straight with butt in the air. One of these days she's going to stand straight up and just start walking! She LOVES to "walk" around the house. She has also been very interested in watching me cook. We put her in her high chair and scoot her really close, then I do a tutorial on whatever I am making.

We've started having bath time at 7:30 or so. She loves the water so much and this has helped getting her to bed earlier and staying asleep through the night. Her nose has been very stuffed up lately and the bath also helps get rid of all the crud. She has started putting her face in the water and trying to blow bubbles. Most of the time she just ends up taking a gulp of water. It has been a good thing seeing her put her face in the water and not getting scared. She had fun playing every night with Ethan (friend from South Dakota).

Our friends from South Dakota came for a visit before their kids had to head back to school. Daycare was closed Friday, so I took the day off and we all went to IKEA. Then the next day we went to Como Zoo. I think Jolynn was more interested in people watching than animal watching. Should make the State Fair interesting. We used her new wagon and we had many comments of "honey, we don't have a wagon yet. I want that one for Christmas!". It was hilarious. I swear I could have sold it easily...not gonna happen-we love it!

Words this month: Ow, Uh Oh, Wuff Wuff, HI! (which she says to everyone whether they are coming or going) and lots of DADDY DADDY DADDY!

She's our little dancing girl!

ELEVEN Months!

It's hard for me to even write the words. I can't believe she is eleven months already!

Swimming classes have ended. She missed class over Memorial weekend; but had her first camping experience and we visited Grandma and Grandpa Benson's cabin. The following weekend was BOW. She was going to miss her final class too, but my mom was able to take her. I mainly wanted her to take the class if she was afraid of the water as a way to get her not to be. She LOVES the water.

Late May I watched Jolynn crawl from one end of the room to the other, then pull herself up on the toy box and coffee table. I was cooking in the kitchen and the sliding door was open with the screen shut. Jolynn crawled across the kitchen, over to the screen, put her little hand on it - and OPENED IT! There isn't a lock on the screen door, not sure how we will keep her in on this one.

Still working on getting the railing up. So far we have been letting her wander around in the living room while we sit on the couch watching. She seems more adventurous and wanting to discover what things do when she doesn't think someone is watching. If we can't be watching her, she goes in her room and we put up a baby gate or we put her in her exersaucer.

This past month she also started: waving bye bye and hello, claps, and is "cruising" from couch to couch to coffee table and back to couch. I am quite positive she will be walking in a few months. She really thinks she is the stuff when you hold her hands and she practically runs (like a march) across the room. She is so proud, and so are we.

More sounds are emitting from her - can't wait for them to be words. We have been working on sign language during eating. Mostly "done", "more", and "milk". I don't know much else. "please" and "thank you" have been others that I try to do.

Ten Months

BIG CHANGES! May 6 - Jolynn crawled! Since then she has been scooting all over the house. I used to be able to leave her in the living room on her blanket while I got ready for work. Now when I check on her she is into some wires or stuck in a corner. She is also fascinated with Polly's toys. Like she doesn't have enough of her own, she has to go after Polly's. So far Polly hasn't minded. Polly just licks her...over and over and over. Saturday morning I watched her crawl across the living room and reach up to the coffee table. She wasn't able to get off her knees, but I suspect it won't be long.
I'm very disappointed. We have this great video camera that was intended to capture all this special moments. So far we have captured them, but not been able to share them.

Next project - Banister and railing so we can put a gate up for the steps. Also, time to baby proof.

We have been working on the two upper teeth for a few weeks. Looks like the top right has finally broken through. I can't imagine how that feels. Just the thought of it makes me feel bad for her.

Another thing she has found (and quite loudly) is her voice. What once was quiet babble, is now ear piercing screeching. Jon and I have taken to singing when she starts to do this. So far I think it is working.

Two more busy months until her 1 year birthday. I can't believe it. It went by so fast. We have something going on all but maybe two weekends for the next 2 months.

Swimming lessons are going great. I will be gone this weekend at a scrapbooking retreat so the Grandmas are going to take her. They are going to have so much fun. I'm sure they both wish they could be in the pool with her at the same time. There will be plenty of time for that this summer. She LOVES the water. I hope we can spend lots of time at G&G Moritzs.

Nine Months

A few days late, but I wanted to get her stats from the doctor's appointment in this time.

She is still in the 50% for height and 5% for weight. 15lb 12.5oz and 27 inches.

This month has brought a few changes. More teeth are on their way. I see two white dashes on her upper gums. Finger food is getting easier and keeps her entertained for a while. Polly likes it too because sometimes a few fall to the floor. I tried to tell her there would be treats galore once Jolynn arrived.

Movement: she is rolling front to back and back to front. I haven't actually witnessed the back to front, but when laid in bed all the sudden I will look at the monitor and she is on her stomach. She also pulled herself up in the pack and play. This brought us to moving the crib down. That was a big step. I packed up 3 more boxes of clothes. She is onto the 9-12 month clothes. She has also started scooting backwards and in circles. Crawling isn't there quite yet, but soo close. We really need to get that banister up :)

I love waking up in the morning hearing her talk to her "friends" in her crib. Then I go in and peer down at her. She gets as excited as when I pick her up from daycare. It's a great way to wake up.
We also had her 9 month photos taken at Flash over the weekend. See facebook for all 26.

Eight Months

Again, not much has changed since last month. The grandparents would beg to differ - since they see her every few weeks or only on the weekends. I see her every day. I still love picking her up from daycare and seeing how excited she is when she sees that it's me picking her up. She starts talking/screeching and waving her hands and kicking her feet. Pure excitement - all to see me! I love it! Physical progress: still not rolling over. Sitting much better, even without using the tripod method. If you put her on her stomach, her arms are stretched out and her stomach is off the floor. Knees are pulled up almost like she wants to crawl. When she is in her exersaucer she goes crazy. Sometimes I think that thing is going to flip over she makes it rock so much.

She is still a big eater.
Breakfast: 6oz formula, 4 T oatmeal, 3.5oz fruit (stage 2)
Snack: 6oz formula
Lunch: 6oz formula, 4 T oatmeal
Snack: 6oz formula
Dinner: 6oz formula, 4 T oatmeal, 3.5oz veggie (stage 2)

You would think eating all that she would be this chubby little thing. She's still tiny. Another month and she will have her next doctors appointment. At the 6 month appointment he said she was doing just fine and would be on the small side because of being premature. So far she does what she is supposed to do so I guess we are doing something right.

Communication has kicked up a bit. Besides her normal babble and squawks, we think we may be hearing mama and dada. Or just wishful thinking. When you put music on sometimes she sounds like she is singing along. She also loves to dance (with you of course).

At the end of this month we will be taking a trip to Brookings, SD. Besides going to Florida, this will be Jolynn's first long car ride. Since we are leaving after work, I'm sure she will sleep the whole way there. This will also be our first family trip, as Jon usually works the weekends. It is my birthday weekend and I am so excited to be able to be with him and her and on vacation.

Seven Months

This month has brought more milestones. Jolynn moved up in servings for cereal and to stage 2 food. She still really likes her food. Nothing different has developed as far as what she doesn't like from last month. She can also sit up (tri-pod) much better than last month. Still not rolling over. At this point I'm thinking she may skip that part and go right from sitting up to crawling.
She is just fascinated with Polly. Loves to pet her and get licked by her. We have to reign Polly in a little on that because she gets carried away with the kisses. I can't wait for Jolynn to be able to through the ball for Polly. Hours of entertainment for both :)

At the end of this month we (me and the moms) will be taking our annual trip to BOW. As excited as I am to go, I am really going to miss Jolynn for 4 days. I can't imagine how much she will grow while I'm gone. Hopefully if she gets that rolling over thing down while I'm gone, Jon will tape it.

Late last month we had a tooth that was just starting to break through. It is fully through now and the second one has started to cut through. I thought she would be a lot crankier than she has been. She has her days of major drool and wanting to chew on everything. That's when we know that it is coming through a little more or a new one is coming.

Six Months

We're at the half way point. Six months have gone by in a blink of an eye. Jolynn will have her 6 month appointment in a few days and hopefully this weekend we can get her photos taken at Flash. This past month has brought on a new milestone - FOOD! She was drinking so much formula in one sitting we had to switch her early. At the 4 month appointment the doctor did say she could have solids, but I didn't want to start her too early. When she started drinking 8 oz at a sitting I said okay. So we started by reading the directions on the container for first time feeding. It looked like soup. Jolynn didn't like it either. We made it more like mashed potatoes and she gobbled it right down. A couple weeks ago we started on the Gerber veggies. SHE LOVES THEM. She's like a little bird with her mouth open waiting for the next spoonful of green beans. Her favorites so far have been green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash. She does not care for peas - image that. She also didn't like the bananas that we tried for breakfast. I'm okay with that. At least she likes her veggies. Next I'm going to try making my own food - since she likes stuff that is easily cooked and pureed.

She is making progress on rolling over. She gets about half her body over, but hasn't figured out that if she just flips the one arm over she would go all the way over. I still think she is learning more from the other kids at daycare than she does with us.

We introduced her to the jumper at Grandma/Grandpa Moritz's house. She was so funny - she would spin herself around and then pick up her feet and spin back the other way.

Jolynn is still very talkative - especially in the morning.
She has been sleeping through the night for a while now - goes to bed anywhere from 6-8pm and doesn't get up until 5-7am.

Christmas 2010

Jolynn's first Christmas was fun even if she was only 5 months. She loved crinkling the paper and all the toys she got from family have entertained her for hours so far. I didn't think she would be able to work some of them, but she has. She is so smart!

I made a lovely turkey again - 18 lbs! There was lots of left overs. We've been having turkey sandwiches, turkey with penne, you name it. Even Polly has been having left over scrapings in her food.

After dinner we laid a spread of desserts and everyone nibbled while playing Wii Bowling. It was Bumby's first time playing. He smoked us all.

Five Months

Can you believe it! I can't. Another month has flown by. Jolynn is such a happy girl. Jon can really get her going. She is such a Daddy's girl. She likes to snuggle. Sleeping has gotten longer. She still goes to bed around 7pm and doesn't get up until 4 or 5. She is on full formula now because pumping is no longer producing anything of significance. The only reason I am still pumping is to relieve some of the pressure. She still does well at daycare and the kids really like "little Jolynn".

Today is Jolynn's 5 month birthday - she is taking a very big step today. Boarding a plane for her first vacation to Florida. This is not the Florida/Disney trip that we have planned for her 5 year birthday. This is just a get away with both grandparents. Unfortunately, Jon and Bumby are unable to make it because they can't get off work. I really wish they would have been able to make it. I think I am most nervous about keeping her occupied during the flight. That's a long time for a little one to sit in one spot with nothing to do but coo in your face.

Some other happenings with Jolynn: she likes to pull her pacifier out, and is getting close to being able to put it back in her mouth. She is very verbal. She really only cries for two reasons - hunger and tired. If you satisfy the hunger she usually passes out after.

Her 4 month appointment went very well. Her stats were: 10lbs 14 oz, 24 1/2 in, Head Circumference=16 in. She had the same shots as her 2 month appt. She did very well with those again. Cried a little more than last time, but was okay once it was over. She fell into the 50 percentile for height and head, but was in the 5 percentile for weight. The doctor said she will probably measure in the lower percentile for a while because of her prematurity. He said other than that she is right on track developmentally. He expects her to probably be rolling over in the next month. Most of her development will be a month behind full term babies because she was a month early. There are many things that I think she is ahead of if you keep up with Babycenter or Planning Family.

Four Months

This month has gone by so fast. With Jolynn being in daycare now, it's a few days there, a few days with Jon, and then we have our weekend together. We have stayed home the last few weekends because of nasty weather, but otherwise have gone to visit Grandma and Grandpa Moritz. My parent's have been up at their cabin trying to get it ready for winter. This past weekend was their first weekend back - but I think mostly because Georgia (their dog) was hit by a car and needs constant supervision because she won't wear her cone.

Jolynn has been trying so hard at the rolling deal. She is really good at holding her head up and she does the push up when we initially put her on her stomach. She is still her most talkative in the morning. I love it. It is so hard to get ready for work once she is awake. I guess that is why I get up 2 hours before I have to leave. That way I get everything I have to do out of the way before she even wakes up and then I have more time to coo with her.

She just found her feet the other day. It was very funny. She stared at them for a long time and flexed her feet, then wiggled her toes. Then she would stop and do it again. The look on her face was hilarious.

We have found that she is using her burp cloth like a blankie. Also very cute.
Best so far...she found her thumb! She still uses the paci, but the thumb finds it's way if the paci falls out.

I haven't been pumping enough to keep up with her feedings. She is anywhere from 5-7 oz. So we started her on formula about 3 weeks ago. We mix 2 parts BM to 1 part formula. Since starting the formula she has been more productive in the pooping department. Sometimes going 3 times a day - but the smell is so much worse than when she was only on BM. She is also sleeping longer since being on formula. Anywhere from 5-7 hours. Her first sleep session is usually from 6 or 7pm until midnight. Then she used to get up at 4am, but has been sleeping until 5 sometimes.

She is also grasping. I saw her the other day swat at the mobile on her vibrating chair. Both Grandmas have a rattle that has two thin bands for a handle. It is the perfect size for her to grasp on to. She already whacked herself in the head causing a little crying, but she was okay after Mommy kissed it of course. She is also following objects from side to side.

She has moved on to 0-3 month clothing. Most of the clothes that say 3 month still don't fit her. All those cute onesies with feet still don't fit her. She has two that zip up and they are the only ones that fit her feet.

She absolutely amazes me every morning. I go to get her and I swear she has grown another inch and gained another pound.

We hear about other kids that were born around the same time as Jolynn or later and they have been reaching milestones quicker than her. I know not to judge her progress on others - she is an individual. She has a little friend (lots of friends actually at daycare); her little friend at daycare is Avery. They are about 6 months apart. They lay together on the floor and interact. I hope by this interaction that Jolynn will learn quicker; like having a big sister.

She has her 4 month check up next week, more shots. I weighed her this past Sunday and she was 10lb 7oz! She's more of a pumpkin than a peanut now :)

Three Months

I don't know what is scarier - being back to work or Jolynn being 3 months. Time is going by so fast. Jolynn has made great progress on her development. She can hold her head up pretty well, her arms don't flail as much, and the smiles and coos just keep coming. She likes to be pulled up by her arms and plop back down on the pillow. She also likes to "stand" or "sit". Neither of which she can actually do on her own yet, but she can see so much and loves that. Thankfully she has finally started to find her hands, and in turn, something to suck on. I don't think she has decided yet if it will be her thumb, a finger, or a couple fingers. Her mood is the best in the morning. I think she is like her momma - she is a morning person. We haven't quite got the sleeping thing down yet as far as timing. She sleeps very well and for long periods, but not the right periods. She still wakes up at 4am; eats, then falls asleep for a hour or so, then we have our awake time. This is where all the cooing and smiles happen. She loves having a conversation around 7am. I hope to have even 15 minutes to spend with her before we have to pack up. Through out the day she takes little cat naps and then between 5 and 6 she goes down for the count. Doesn't wake up until midnight. But then sleeps from midnight to 4am. Somehow we need to move that 6 hour slot up so it is when WE are sleeping too.

We have a new toy from Grandma Margaret. It is a tummy time playmat. She lays on the "scoop" and there is a flower petal mat underneath. She is able to hold her head up and touch the ground with her hands and feet. She scoots around in a circle using her limbs. There are activities on each petal. This has also helped with getting rid of her gas because she is on her tummy forcing the pressure out.

I don't think I posted about her 2 month check up last time. She did very well. 50% in all areas. Doctor was very pleased with her weight gain. She was 7lb 10oz. We have been weighing her on our home scale and last Saturday she was 8lb 1.5oz. She doesn't go back until 4 months now.

It is funny how so many of our friends had babies around the same time. Erin has a boy, Richard Jr, that is about 4 months older than Jo. We joke that we have arranged them to be married. Talking about them dating and going to prom. There is competition though. Jared and Naomi have Brody, also about 4 months older than Jo. Richard Jr already has one up on Brody though, Jo and Richard have already been on a "date", chaperoned by us mommies. Then there is Jodi's daughter, Brianna. She had her 1st birthday party this past weekend. B and Jo are going to be best friends like their mommas.

I am so happy to have such a supportive network of friends and family. Grandparents have stepped up to help with watching Jolynn or Polly, or both. Jon has started to realize that I will need him a bit more now that I am back at work. He pitches in when he can, but still needs a little push now and then. I love watching him with Jolynn - she loves her daddy so much.

We had her 3 month photos at Flash. It was an evening session. Jolynn was not as cooperative as her first photo shoot. There was a lot of crying. I don't know if it was her gas, the fact that we woke her up, or she didn't like the photographer. I felt a little uncomfortable with this photographer; I really liked our first girl, Maggie. She happened to be the manager - must be why she was so good. Wish we could get her again. Anyway, Jolynn didn't like getting her photo taken so we had to reschedule for a morning session. Jon will have to take her because I'm not taking off work to get her picture taken.

That's been our month in a nut shell.

(Jolynn - now that momma is back to work, please don't grow-up too fast. Love you.)