This too shall pass...right?

I'm so tired of spit up. When does it end? For the life of me, I can't remember when Donovan stopped, and I'm pretty sure he was never as bad as Chamae. She spits up every time she eats. Sometimes I wonder how she's still growing so well, it seems like she spits everything up! On a more positive note, we are well on our way to better sleeping habits and hopefully Chamae sleeping through the night (crossing my fingers, knocking on wood). Thanks to the Baby Whisperer (and Heidi for suggesting it), we're getting into a better routine and Chamae is getting better at going to sleep on her own without our help. It's a lot of work, but I know it'll be worth it! I have already seen a difference in just 2 days. Things that worked for Donovan, just don't work for Chamae! She isn't her brother, that's for sure! It was much easier to get him to nap and sleep through the night...or maybe I was just more patient! Either way, we're getting through it! I am pretty anxious for Brad to get home though, I need some support! It's hard doing bedtime and waking up to calm Chamae down every night by myself. I had a better attitude going into his trip this time. I knew what I was in for, so I've been positive and now I see the light at the end of the tunnel! Over a week on my own is a little much though, especially when Chamae still doesn't sleep well! Anyway, enough of my whining, here are some pictures from our week without Brad:

Donovan was playing with PlayDoh and told me he was making decorations for Addi's birthday party. Then he would put them on the wall and tell me he was decorating for the party. I still have PlayDoh to wipe off the walls, but he had fun and was being creative.
"Take a picture of it mom."

"I want her to lay by me." He loves when he gets to "hold" his sister. When I ask him to keep her happy while I do the dishes or another task, he'll say, "I'll hold her, you can leave her." I wish I could leave the room while he's holding her! I don't quite trust those little hands yet, but he's very sweet to offer.

Apparently she didn't feel like being cute, or having her picture taken. I love putting her in skirts. And this is proof to the people that think she's the sweetest little baby ever. She does cry...a lot, but she's pretty easygoing in public...probably because she's being held. Spoiled baby! Adorable, but spoiled.

I should probably start cleaning now since Brad will be home this evening and I dont know when Chamae will wake up from her nap.

A lot of pictures...for no particular reason

Donovan likes to cover his sister with blankets. It's how they play. Chamae just tolerates it all.

Donovan earned a special treat last week so he had to get dressed so we could go to the store and get it. This is what he chose to wear. Brad thought it was great, so he got to leave it on, slippers and all. What an awesome outfit.

We watched Corbin and Addi one morning when their babysitter couldn't. She doesn't look quite as large next to him anymore! You can't tell, but her legs are still a little longer...proof coming up.

Happy chill babies. Chamae can be quite pleasant a lot of the time! But when it's time to sleep, she drives us crazy!!

Donovan was excited to have Addi over. He always tells me, "when Chamae gets bigger, we should name her Addi." He loves his sister, but he's known his cousin longer and thinks she's great.

Not sure if you can tell, his feet are not touching the ground. There doesn't seem to be a huge difference in their weight, but her legs are definitely longer!

He loves holding her. He'll tell me, "just leave her. I'll hold her."

He even shares his blankets.

We have started introducing veggies. She loves everything she has tried (carrots, yams, and green beans). I have been pureeing on my own and freezing them in ice cube trays, an idea I learned from my cousin, Annie. I thought it would be a long, annoying process, but it's really not and it's cheaper and more convenient...in my opinion. She likes to play with the spoon when she's done.

He's a cute little stinker.

So is she.

I painted her nails the other day. It was not easy.

They love each other. She laughs at him all day. We have to work harder for our laughs.

Brad gave Donovan a summer haircut the other day.

There's a new bakery downtown that we went to yesterday. They have all kinds of fun treats. Donovan likes their cupcakes.

That's it. I am trying to survive while Brad is gone for a week. I'm already pretty tired. Why can't my baby just sleep through the night? It was so much easier with Donovan!

Love

I love being in a different room and listening to Donovan talk to his sister. He uses the sweet high pitched voice that most people use to talk to babies. It's adorable, and she loves it. If she's in a good mood, her favorite thing to do is watch Donovan play or hear him talk. I love that Chamae is finally starting to take a fairly decent nap in the mornings. She has slept for at least an hour the last 3 mornings and has been waking up happy...hallelujah! It has made her more pleasant in the afternoon too, even if she still doesn't take a very good nap later in the day. I love these two adorable kids. Donovan is so much fun and even Chamae is starting to join in on play time! She has more happy time during the day and is enjoying being silly with her brother.

Stuff

I don't feel like I've been taking that many pictures, but I guess I just take a lot every few days. Here are some from last week.

Donovan likes to build "pillow houses" on my bed and when the pack and play was up in our room, he would build some for Chamae as well.

He's cute.

We were making silly faces so I decided to take some pictures of the ones he came up with.

This has recently become a signature Donovan silly face.

We were playing and I was taking pictures of Chamae and didn't want him to feel left out. He didn't feel left out, he didn't want pictures.

I was afraid Chamae was going to grow out of this adorable outfit before it was warm enough to wear it. It might fit her for a few more weeks.

Still always on her belly. Her arms are getting so strong!

Donovan thought we needed some props in our photo shoot.

This is her new move. Tucking her legs underneath herself and trying to push off. For some reason she usually ends up moving backwards. She'll be crawling before we know it! Time to do some babyproofing!!

I had fun getting her dressed one day. I bought some leggings at Target and had to put them on. We were going for 80's fitness instructor. I think we nailed it.

They are all so cute, how did I get so lucky? Donovan wouldn't make a normal face for me.

"I want to feed my sister." She's getting better at eating cereal and Donovan wanted to help, so I let him. Other than trying to shove the spoon in her mouth, he did alright!

I had a great Mother's Day. I got a nap, Brad cleaned up dinner, painted with the kids, we all played outside, and Donovan helped me make some delicious cookies.

Unfortunately, the boys got the helicopter that Papa Sam bought Donovan stuck on the roof. They spent some time throwing balls at it after we played for a while.

Donovan loves playing with Bradley. Brad is really good at being silly and teasing so he's always fun to play with:)

Chamae spent some time in the grass for the first time. She actually liked it. She even started trying to eat it after a while.

Throwing balls at the helicopter.

I think Donovan hit a few windows...whoops.

We've started a new discipline system with Donovan. So far it's working really well. He has been a better listener and we have been much happier! Hopefully it sticks! Chamae on the other hand, is still giving me trouble. She's such a happy baby when she's fed and rested, but when she's tired, she's a little monster. She does not like to nap. She fights me on it every time. I have tried just about everything. If I nurse her to sleep, she's awake 30-45 minutes later screaming (not crying, screaming!). If I calm her down until she's almost asleep and gently put her in her crib, she immediately starts screaming (she has a very high pitched scream, it's a little upsetting for everyone). If I try to let her cry it out, it lasts for about 20 minutes and then she'll sleep for maybe 45 minutes. Some days I get really lucky and she'll take one 2 hour nap along with her annoying catnaps, but it doesn't happen very often. I can't complain about her nighttime sleep, no, she doesn't sleep through the night, but she usually falls back to sleep with a little consoling. I don't feed her at night anymore until about 4 am and she usually only wakes up once before that. Other than nap issues, she's great!