Ellie is 2!

Wow.  Our little Thanksgiving bundle of joy Ellie is 2 years old!  I can't believe that just 3 years ago we spent the holidays hoping and praying for a child and now we have been lucky enough to have 2 beautiful healthy girls.  I have no idea how we got this lucky but I am thankful every single day. 

Ellie is like a sponge - she picks up so many words every day it amazes me.  She speaks in full sentences now and can carry on full conversations.  She can count up to 12 and can say the alphabet and likes to sing songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  

She has started potty training herself thanks to watching her 2 older cousins go through potting training she now has a serious obsession with anything potty related so we got her one of those potties that sits on the big potty and she goes pee in it 1-3 times a day.  We haven't been pushing it at all but she will say "I want to use the potty" so we bring her over and many times she goes.  I think when we are back in our house we will get her a little potty of her own and see if she wants to take things to the next level.  She has even asked to go potty when we are away from home (at granny and grandpas house, cousins house, etc).  It would be great to have less diapers to change for sure.  

We start the going to bed process around 7pm and she is usually asleep by 7:30/7:45 and wakes around 6:30 am.  She takes 1 nap a day at around 12 pm and sleeps for 1.5-2 hours.  She usually does great at night and only has trouble when teething or if she has had too much stimulation during the day (usually over the holidays, etc).  

Eating is going pretty well.  She used to like to eat more chicken and fish than she does now. Her favorite foods are: smoked salmon (I kid you not), eggs, cheese, milk, crackers, and berries.  

It has been great being on maternity leave and getting to spend so much more time with Ellie.  I have loved being home to take them both on outings (even though it can be challenging taking an infant and a toddler out together).  

Ellie will start preschool this week - it is a preschool for 2 & 3 year olds only and it is about 10 houses down from ours.  It is run by a woman who used to work in a preschool and now runs this out of her house.  Ellie will go 2x a week from 8:30-11:30 and I think it will be really fun for her.  She seems to play really well with her cousins and other kids when we are out and I think she will love to get out of the house more over the winter.  This will also make it easier for my mom who will be taking care of Ellie and Juliet 3 days a week when I go back to work (yes she is a saint).  

We still aren't back in our house yet.  It was supposed to be done November 17th, but you always hear how construction projects run over and ours is no exception.  The new completion date is December 21st but I still don't think we will make that.  It has come a long way over the last month but there is still so much to do!  I really hope we are in by Christmas, but who knows.  Front doesn't look much different other than new siding and trim.  Ugh I hate how dark and gloomy it looks without and leaves on the trees.  

This is where we added on.  the back room is the family room and on top is our new bedroom and bathroom.  This project is going on 2 years now and I can't believe we are almost at the finish line but it still seems so far away. 

Juliet is 2 Months!

I am sitting here thinking to myself "is she really only 2 months old?  I feel like she has been around forever!"

General 
Juliet is doing great. I have no idea how we got so lucky with these two girls, but we hit the baby jackpot I am convinced.  She is a major cuddler and loves nothing more than to snuggle up on top of me and take a good long nap (when I am able to sit down with her in between chasing her sister)  She handles being toted around wherever I take her sister and she spends a lot of time in the carrier. Most of the hair on the top of her head feel out and is now filling in with brown hair.   Her eyes are still newborn grey/blue color.  She looks quite a bit different than her sister...but still very similar.  

Feeding/Sleeping
We usually put her down to sleep at around 9:30 pm and she wakes up at 4 am and occasionally 5 am!  So she gives me a solid 6.5 hour stretch at night most nights.  She has gotten a bit easier at getting back to sleep once she wakes up - I think that it is because her digestive system is maturing and she isn't as gassy.  Although she still has points during the day that she gets really fussy and I think it is still gas/tummy issues.  She isn't a huge fan of hanging out on her own and usually likes to be in the carrier, being carried around or sleeping on my during the day.  About once a day she will take a nap in her swing and that gives me some time to run around and get stuff done!

Juliet is awake a lot more during the day, but still takes some pretty decent sized naps.  She usually falls asleep when we go for car rides and I  hope she does well during the drive down to PA for Thanksgiving! (sweet 6 hour drive with a newborn and a toddler :) )

Breastfeeding is going well.  I haven't really written down when she feeds during the day (with Ellie I kept a detailed log) so I have no clue how often she feeds.  This makes things tricky sometimes because I feel like I offer her my breast constantly thinking she must not have eaten recently.  I find I am a lot less self conscious this time around with nursing in public.  I have nursed her at parks, playgrounds, a restaurant, etc and feel I am pretty good about keeping it casual.  I am not a huge fan of nursing in public, but I don't panic about it like I did with Ellie.  

I have quite a nice frozen milk stash going.  We moved the big freezer to my mom's house and I probably have about 40 pouches of 4 oz milk.  I am hoping this takes some of the pumping pressure off when I go back to work.  I really loved the point with Ellie when I stopped pumping at work but would still nurse her at home because I always hated pumping but loved the closeness of nursing.  


2 Under 2 
Ellie is getting a lot better and being gentle with Juliet.  She loves to bring her things like her pacifier, diapers and toys.  When Juliet does mat time Ellie will bring over a book and "read" to her - it is so cute.  Occasionally Ellie will get mad when I am holding Juliet and she wants to be picked up.  I feel bad when I have to rush Ellie because Juliet is crying.  

Body/Recovery
I think my weight is leveling out slightly under my pre-pregnancy weight.  I started going back to the gym which is nice because it gives me some "me time" and is helping me get back in shape.  I think my cardio is the thing I really need to improve because I think my muscles are in good shape from carrying around Ellie and Juliet and bending down to pick up toys like 200 times a day!