18 Months - Ilyana

My baby girl is a year and a half. I can't believe it! Ilyana is a walking, talking, hilarious toddler. Seriously, she's a hoot! She can walk, run, climb, and jump, and she loves to explore. She has about 8 words that she consistently and correctly uses as well as a multitude of animal noises and words that she will copy. She also has 11 or 12 signs that she often uses to communicate. Her newest obsessions lately have been light switches and the microwave. Every time we pass either she asks to "see that" (zeee dat! zeeee dat!). She has also recently has figured out how to nod her head yes or no. Usually no. I'm so excited about her developing communication skills, I'd love to know what that little mind of hers is thinking! Over this past month Ilyana has started becoming a bit of a social butterfly. She no longer cries when someone looks at her and even will walk up to strangers and give them a hug. Ilyana's favorite TV show lately has been "Bubble Guppies". She loves dancing and clapping to the theme song and Jake and I love laughing at the ridiculous puns. For the most part, Ilyana is still a great eater. She loves meat and fruit and especially loves anything she can dip in ketchup. Her favorite snack right now is probably yogurt covered raisins or the m&m's that she gets for dessert when she eats well. Ilyana has definitely discovered that she has her own will, however she is still a very obedient, easy child. In fact, a few weeks ago I told her "Ilyana, you need to stop throwing a tantrum or you're going to be spanked.". She then proceeded to spank herself and quit crying. Like I said, she's hilarious. We're very excited for Ilyana to start gymnastics lessons this week! I think this will be a great opportunity for her to try new things and learn new skills while also having an opportunity to be around other kids her age! Ilyana still absolutely adores her little brother. She loves to play peekaboo with him, share her water and (age appropriate) food, and give him toys. She is such a sweet and caring big sister! A big change in Ilyana's life this month has been giving up her pacifiers. We wanted to do it before she turned two and she has started building a connection with a couple of stuffed animals so we decided that it was a good time to go for it. We just did it cold turkey and had her throw them away before a nap. She gave them all one last suck and threw them away. The first couple of days had quite a bit of crying before nap and bedtime but after 3 or 4 days she seems to have forgotten about them. We're so proud of our big girl!

Ilyana likes: Bubble Guppies, baby dolls, animals, her family, any sort of technology, her Pichu and Pikachu stuffed animals, music,

and coloring.

Ilyana dislikes: bubble baths, broccoli, and the church nursery.

Feedback

Hi all! I'd like to start posting here more often and I even have a couple of new posts ready to roll out this month. Would you mind doing me a quick favor and answering this very short anonymous survey about this blog? I'd love to hear your feedback about what you would like to see or not see here! Thanks so much!
Click here for the survey :)

5 Months - Ryker

Rykes is now 5 months old! If you thought that Ilyana's first year went fast hold onto your britches because Ryker's is going by about ten times as fast! Ryker is determined to keep up with his sister so he is now rolling everywhere, starting to scoot (mostly backwards), learning to sit by himself, and has even gotten on his hands and knees a few times. May I remind you that Ilyana didn't get up on her hands and knees until almost 10 months old! To be honest though, I find life a lot easier once babies are mobile, they can get to toys by themselves and they seem much more content with their life down on the floor once they can move. Ryker loves pretty much any toy that he can put in his mouth, especially ones that crinkle or feel good to chew on. He's very fascinated by his hands and feet and also LOVES to be tickled. We started some solid foods this month which Ryker has slowly warmed up to. So far he has tried oatmeal, squash, carrots, banana, avocado, and turkey (which he did not like). We are also finally sleeping better. Ryker goes to bed around 7, wakes to eat around 1 or 2 AM, and then sleeps until 7 or 7:30. We are also working on getting into a good nap routine, usually 3-4 naps a day depending on how long he sleeps. We have been enjoying watching Ryker become more and more outgoing and are excited to watch him continue to grow!

Ryker likes: being tickled, watching Nala or Ilyana, crinkly toys, nursing, standing, being talked to.

Ryker dislikes: waiting to eat, waiting to sleep, pretty much anything that takes patience ;)

Weight: 17 pounds

Postpartum Depression - My Story

Over the past four and a half months I have struggled with postpartum depression. I have debated heavily whether or not to share this information in such a public forum, however I feel that this has been a big part of my life and not something to be ashamed of. I would like to explain some of the things PPD has taught me and also answer a few questions you may have about my PPD. So here goes nothing, this is my PPD journey:

The first time I started experiencing noticeable symptoms of PPD was about three weeks after Ryker was born. For me, it looked like moments of uncontrollable crying, lack of energy, higher levels of anxiety, and extreme sadness. By the time my six week postpartum doctor visit rolled around I was on an upswing and feeling better so we chalked it up as just the 'baby blues'. However, not long after I experienced another couple day long bout of depression. Sometimes I would go a week without feeling depressed, other times I would only go a few hours before it set back in. The depression would sometimes only last for a few hours and other times it seemed to go on for days. At this point I am usually doing well. I have small episodes of depression maybe once a week and they are usually fairly mild. I imagine that this will continue to get better with time.

As difficult as this season has been with PPD, I am thankful to have experienced it. Jake has experienced depression for several years now and while I did my best to help him when he was struggling I can now empathize and support him even better. PPD has also forced me to open up to Jake emotionally more than I ever have. Our relationship is so much stronger now than it ever has been! He has been such an amazing support system throughout this journey!

Some questions you may have:

-Are you on medication? I am not. For various reasons we decided to avoid medication if possible. After trying a few different suggestions the thing we have found the most success with has been a B complex vitamin. We are also careful to make time for me to recharge (thanks for babysitting, Raylene!) and to exercise (Thanks Pokemon Go!).

-Did you experience PPD with both pregnancies? No. With Ilyana I had some heightened anxiety for the first couple of weeks, but I would contribute that more to just being a first time parent along with the rise and fall of hormones.

-Are you ok? Yes! Like I said, although this has been hard, it really has been a good thing! The aim of this post is not to make anyone feel that they need to walk on eggshells or to gain pity (in fact, those are some of the biggest reasons I have avoided sharing this!). The aim is to be transparent with this part of my life because it has shaped who I am and I think it is an important season to remember!


Thanks for reading and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments!

Nicknames and sibling love

I thought it would be fun to share a few of the nicknames that we use for our kiddos and share a little bit about their relationship!

Ryker-

1. Rykes (I think we use this one more than his actual name!)

2. Buddy/Buddies/Bud/Buds (I tend to use this one quite a bit when he's upset. Maybe it's a subtle reminder to myself that he's my buddy!)

3. Sir-Rykes-Alot 

Ilyana-

1. Sweet Girl (I've been calling her this since she was itty bitty!)

2. Honey

3. Ily (Jake and I don't really use this one but a lot of family do. Side note, it's a huge pet peeve when people add an extra 'L' to make it 'Illy')

Ilyana and Ryker have such a sweet relationship with each other! Seeing Ilyana makes Rykers face light up with joy! Ilyana loves to help with diaper changes, giving Ryker toys, putting his pacifier in his mouth, holding his hand, kissing him, and making him wave 'hi'. Sometimes Ilyana gets upset when Ryker touches her, but generally they are great with each other and love each other a lot! I love watching their relationship grow!

4 months - Ryker

Ryker is four months old today! He is no longer a snuggly newborn! Ryker is now rolling over (both directions), trying hard to scoot, and almost always has something to say (or rather, shout). He's at the stage of putting everything in his mouth, including his snuggly blue bunny that he's obsessed with. He loves to play with crinkly books, his exersaucer, and looking in mirrors. Thanks to the four month sleep regression his sleep has been rough lately, usually waking up every 2-3 hours, often wanting to nurse. However we've been working hard on getting him to fall asleep on his own and are hoping that it will help a ton as he gets over this regression. Sometimes it's easy to wish away these sleepless nights, 45 minute naps, and constant need for attention but I really do try to savor every moment with my beautiful, smiley, son.

Ryker loves: standing up, having conversations, his bunny, crinkly books, his family, nursing, and listening to mama sing.

Ryker dislikes: baths, being held like a baby, being ignored.

Weight: 16 lbs. 3 oz.

3 months-Ryker

Our big boy turned 3 months yesterday! Time sure is flying fast. I've been really enjoying seeing Ryker's personality develop more over the last month. He is the type of baby that makes sure you know how he's feeling 100% of the time. If he isn't pleased, he shows how strong his lungs are, but when he's happy he's all smiles, coos, and giggles. Rarely is he anything in between. Ryker has been figuring out how to coo and make other fun noises, and he has quite a bit to say. He's also become more coordinated and started grabbing toys and playing under his activity gym. Earlier this month he learned how to roll over (stomach to back) so tummy time has become a very short activity. Ryker has continued to be a great sleeper, usually going to bed around 7:30 or 8 and sleeping until about 8:30 AM, only waking once or twice to nurse. We've recently started having him nap in his crib after becoming too wiggly for his swing and he has done a great job with the transition. He usually naps for about 45 minutes every 2 hours. I'm so glad we have mister Ryker to complete our family!

Ryker likes: being talked to, his activity gym, bath time, sitting in his chair, standing, nursing.

Ryker dislikes: getting out of the bath, his car seat, being too hot, waiting to eat, being ignored.

Ryker weighs: 15 lbs. 3 oz.