26 Weeks

Hi, there! I'm 26 weeks old today and I'll be six months old on Friday. Can you believe it?! I like getting big b/c big kids do fun things. So do little babies, don't get me wrong. Speaking of fun...a lot has changed since last time I posted.

• After some fussing, rosy cheeks, sleepless nights, and constant nose wiping, I cut my first tooth! I love feeling it with my tongue and am always looking for new things I can put in my mouth. Cutting teeth is definitely not one of the fun things babies do, but it seems everyone gets so excited when I tell them my big news. 

• Speaking of cutting teeth, my special necklace appears to be helping with my symptoms. If you're a skeptic, that's ok. So is my daddy. But let me just tell you that ever since I started wearing it last Saturday, I've been a much happier girl!

• Two of my new favorite chew toys are mommy's cell phone and the giant remote control.

• I reach for things and change things from hand to hand all of the time. It's hard to keep things from me b/c I really like to get my way.

• I can sit up for a few seconds at a time all by myself. Like, maybe 5 seconds. But ya gotta start somewhere.

• I wear size 3 diapers now - I finally caught up to my baby cousins Wyatt and Nathan!

• Mommy shed a few tears this past weekend when she folded and packed away my 3-6 month summer clothes and transferred in my warmer 6-9 stuff. Sometimes she tears up just when I smile at her, so trust me - it doesn't take much. Family and friends have been so generous to us - almost my entire fall/winter wardrobe has been donated!

Except for the black skinny pants that my daddy bought me. I am especially excited to wear those.

• I have slept through the night THREE nights in the last two weeks. Well, kind of. One night it was for real - 9:00 pm to 5:30 am and the other two nights I have awaken around 2:00 am, cried for a little while and fallen back asleep when I realized that crying is too much work and wasn't gettin' me anywhere. I even slept until 7:30 am, nursed, and then went back to sleep for another 2 hours on mom's day off just to be sweet.
Dad says, "Hallelujah!"
Mom says, "Now we can have another baby!"

JK

** UPDATE **
Make that FOUR nights!
• I am a rolling machine! You turn your back for only a few seconds and I'll be in a new direction - or under the ottoman - by the time you turn around. No more leaving me in the middle of my play mat.

Mommy and daddy love me like crazy. They're always talking about how adorable and silly I am. I bet I get kissed 1,000 time a day. I think they're really silly too, but I must admit that I do love their singing and dancing. I like my life and am a very happy 26 week old girl. Sleep tight!

Love,
Gwendolyn

Catching up on August...

It's September and there are pictures from August I have yet to post. What kind of blogger am I?! A working/nursing/photographing/traveling/soaking up my five month old who is getting big way too fast and still getting up two or three times a night kind of blogger, that's who. I sincerely appreciate you stickin' with me as I navigate a whole new world of juggling a lot and feeling like I'll never catch up. Thank goodness for a hubby who calms me, a daughter who brings me more joy than I could ever imagine, and a God who provides the strength we need at the perfect moment.
------------------
Tom and I took Gwendolyn to the Irish Fair Festival in St. Paul a couple weekends back. It was a free event and we bought food/drink tickets off Groupon at a decent rate so we were looking forward to it. I love (most) dogs of all shapes and sizes, but the bigger the better so of course we I made a bee-line for these Irish Wolfhounds. After getting through a crowd of small children, I was able to get my pic. They look small in this picture, but they easily came up to my waste.

Gwen did so well. I swear that little girl just loves being outside. She was most entertained by the Irish dancers, which both Tom and me are already dreaming about seeing her do on stage. If she so chooses, of course *smile.

We met Aunt Nikki and cousins Jake and Nate at Just Jump in town. There was lots of jumping!

And to celebrate Erin's birthday, the three of us girls went out for dinner and to a Twins game. I can't tell you who we played (Orioles?) or what the ending score was, but we had FUN and I miss me some girl time with those two.

 I love mascots.

Gwen's not the youngest at daycare anymore! Three month old, Serena, joined the ranks in August. Here they are hanging out at the daycare family BBQ.

Finally a picture of Miss Kathy with Gwen! (Sorry your eyes are closed Kathy! I usually always double check my images and I didn't this day. Grrrr. Bad me!) 

Helper Emma on the right. Love this photo b/c it shows so much of our life right now. (Those sweet kids just adore Gwendolyn!)

 Waking up from a nap in our favorite position...

Daddy is silly.

"We need new Facebook profile pics. Let's go take them out on the patio."

"Ok!"

My turn!

Like mother, like daughter.

First meal - "megg"

So excited to try megg!

(Her bib says "Star of Mommy's blog" - is that not the CUTEST?!)

Not a huge fan. Yet.

Reading time with dad before night nights.

I wish I was that flexible.

It's always the right foot. Never the left.

Celebrating cousin Grant's 6th birthday!

Playing the Wii.

As you can see, it was one busy, busy month! We are blessed with one happy, healthy, almost 6 month old {eeeeek!} baby girl! 

5 Month Comparison

What do you think...does Gwendolyn look like me when I was 5 months old?

I see similarities in the nose, lips, and eyes. And beard. Although Tom needs to grow his in a bit more. I clearly had red hair and oddly enough, I do believe my head is larger.

It's unfortunate we couldn't find a plaid shirt and pink overalls *smile.

We still have quite a few people tell us they aren't sure who Gwendolyn looks like. It's so exciting to see her changing and growing each day. The verdict is still out about the color of hair and eyes she'll have; however, we're pretty sure she has Tom's build. Fine by me! Her 3-6 month warmer clothes are definitely getting too short in the sleeves and pants. Right as we're entering cooler temps - how convenient. 

So what do you think...is my daughter my twin?

24 Weeks

Sorry - two days late again. I wish I had a good excuse like I was traveling on a train across the country or I've been writing a new book, but really it's just because mommy and daddy have been quite busy. At least they get my picture taken on the right day! You gotta give 'em that.  Life just keeps getting better and better as I explore and see new things. 

• I went to my first wedding reception - one of mommy's best friends got married. She looked like a princess. The music was much louder than what I am used to. And I couldn't believe all the dancers! I can't wait until I'm big enough to dance. I had a lot of fun and even fell asleep on my grandpa's shoulder. He didn't mind. Guess the loud music didn't bother me that much. It was fun snuggling with mommy's friends too.

• I also spent the night in a hotel for the first time and did so great. My favorite part was the continental breakfast. All the milk I wanted! Mommy always says she loves staying in hotels and now I know why - big, comfy beds, extended cable channels, and someone picks up after you. I was so easy that mom and dad started dreaming about taking me on a fall vacation. Then they remembered that they cost money. I even slept pretty much the entire way from Des Moines back home - didn't stop once!

• My Great-Aunt Valerie came to visit allllllllllll the way from California. She's my Papa's sister. It was really fun to meet her and I hope she comes back very soon. So does mommy b/c Aunt Val is a massage therapist and gave mommy some pampering. She was so sweet and even bought me a pretty new dress and some boots. Every girl needs some brown suede boots.

• My 10 year old friend, Emma, was helping Miss Kathy this summer, but she had to go back to school this past week. I didn't have such a great report card that first day. Miss Kathy wrote: "Very unhappy without Emma here to hold her while I was tending to others. :( More content after her last bottle." 

What can I say? I like to be held. 

Thankfully the next day (Wednesday) went much better: "Much happier girl today - very content all day!!"

• It's hard to see in pictures - you'll just have to trust me on this one - but I'm getting quite a bit more hair! It even sticks up in the back now.

• I saw my first rainbow, and a DOUBLE rainbow at that!

• Avocado went over much better than egg yolk.

Thanks for stopping by everybody! I'm off to my Grandma and Grandpa Sinclair's this weekend to celebrate my Grandpa's retirement and meet mom's extended family at a family reunion. I can't wait!

p.s. Go Cyclones!

Rabbit Olympics & Up All Night

This absolutely cracks me up. If only Leo was in shape! I'm sure he'd knock them all out of the ball park...er...the bunny hop arena.

http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/bunnies-take-flight#image-rotator-2

Cotton Candy is my favorite. After Leo, of course.

Speaking of things that crack me up, can we talk about the new show "Up All Night"? My favorite is the discussion about who was up more the night before, the wipe dilemma, and the conversation about how adorable the baby socks are in a tiny pile around minute 4:00. There are several situations we can totally relate to (and some that are obviously "made for TV"), but I can't wait until it starts on September 14th.


And a picture of the little girl whose pile of small clothes I also find adorable...

Happy Friday!

Let's meet in Okoboji. Again!

You may remember my last trip to Okoboji to hang out with my bf from college, Liz. Things were just a tad different "back then" and that was only a little over a year ago. Ha. Now she has THREE kids and I have one. Seeing them all together last weekend was so wonderful. And there's just something I absolutely love about sharing parenting stories with your closest friends. 

Things I love:

Liz's parents and aunt and uncle.

Anna's bedhead.

Mornings on the deck with coffee in hand.

Happy babies. And two year olds. And three year olds.

Bath time for three kids. Woah.

Dinners on a sandy beach with fabulous food.

Mirrors that make you look skinny.

Laying out on the dock and catching up on the latest.

Reading silly books about tickle monsters.

Swapping middle of the night stories.

Casey's pizza.

Max's knowledge about a broad range of topics. Like the solar system and town whistles.

Big lake house breakfasts.

Successful road trips. 

Coming home to daddy!

We love the Ogren/Koenig family! Thanks for another great Okoboji adventure.

22 Weeks

I'm a day and a half late, but guess what?! I turned 22 weeks on Wednesday, and FIVE months old on Tuesday. I'm a growin' girl!

• I went on a road trip to Okoboji, IA with JUST my mommy, and we had so much fun with her best friend from college and her three kids. I did so well on the 4 hour car ride that we only had to stop once each way! We sang songs, made funny faces at each other, stopped for some fresh air, diaper change and a snack, and took great naps. Me, not mommy. She was driving. I can't wait to go back to Okoboji someday. Maybe I'll even be able to go on a boat ride.

• My favorite new thing to suck on is my right foot.

• Rolling only to one side is sooooo 20 weeks. I can go both ways now AND from my tummy to my back. Whether I choose to is another story. Sometimes it's easier to cry and have someone come to my rescue and do it for me. I'm sure you can understand.

• I have shown a lot of interest in what people eat and drink recently, so mom and dad decided to try and feed me my first solid food Wednesday night. I can't say I'm a huge fan of what I like to call "megg" - breast milk mixed with an egg yolk. I know it's super good for me though, so I'm willing to give it another try another day. 

• I'm consistently waking up three times - 10:00, 2:00/3:00 and 4:00/5:00 and then sometimes I'll go back to sleep until 7:00, give or take 30 minutes. Unless I go to Miss Kathy's and then sometimes mommy has to wake me up b/c I'm still so sleepy. I'm usually down for the night around 7:00, but there's discussion about possibly pushing that back an hour or so. I'm not sure how I feel about that - this girl needs her beauty sleep. So much that my naps at daycare have gotten to be around 2 hours long or longer! And I often go down without a peep, or at least not too many peeps. Mom wishes Miss Kathy would come help during the nights b/c it seems she has the touch. 

• Speaking of Miss Kathy - I am not the youngest anymore! I have a new girlfriend who is three months old. She is very sweet and laid back. And bald, just like me. 

• I'll give you instant smiles if you sing or whistle at me.

• My 3-6 month clothes are very quickly getting to be too small. Well, let me rephrase that...too short would be more accurate. Thankfully high waters are still cute when you're 5 months old.

I think it's safe to say that I'm really fun right now. I've heard mom tell people that "she'd have 10 of me if she could." That's a lot of kids. All for now. Thanks for checking in to see what I'm up to!

Love,

Gwendolyn

2011 Sinclair Family Vacation

We had a wonderful week up north with my family the first week in August. Obviously with a 4 month old, we didn't know how things would go, but Gwendolyn was awesome and we had so much fun with her. I'm convinced that sometimes it takes seeing things through a child's eyes to make you appreciate them all over again. I loved how content she was outside. One morning she and I went down to the beach around 6:30 am and just enjoyed the calm lake and beautiful outdoors. She would take three naps a day, and thankfully our monitor reached down to the beach so we'd take it with us and off we'd go.

This was our second year at Hidden Haven Resort and I think it's definitely our new "home". The grand kids have a blast building sandcastles, romping around in the water, stomping stomp rockets, wrestling, doing puzzles, making s'mores and playing games. The adults enjoyed reading, fishing, skiing, laying out, kicking back with a beer or glass of wine, and trying to dominate Apples to Apples. Everyone loves the peacefulness, fresh air and, of course, quality family time.

And finally - after years and years of trying and failing - I got up water skiing! All three of my siblings and their spouses ski and love it, so I finally got up the courage to try it and low and behold....success. Robert pulled me at a very safe 15 mph - barely fast enough to stay above the water, but that is fiiiiiiine. I think those in the boat cheering me on were just as shocked as I was when I came up out of that water on my first try. I didn't even get my hair wet. Pro, I tell ya.

Here...see the fun for yourself *smile.

Fun with Ceci

I started watching Ceci on random Tuesdays and Fridays recently, and the girls have had a lot of fun together. She's 9 months old and has started crawling, so I'm guessing the next time she's at our house I'll be even busier than I was before *smile. It's an interesting challenge keeping up with two babies (I have a whole new appreciation for Miss Kathy and her clan of 8-ish kids depending on the day - one word: woah.) 

The hardest part is probably when they both need to eat and then the process of getting both down for naps. There have been moments I've been nursing (one plus to having a lightweight is being able to hold her with one arm) while giving Ceci a bottle with the other arm. It's quite humorous, but they're both pretty patient with me. And thankfully sweet Ceci girl is a great sleeper - I put her in the pack-n-play with her paci and she'll talk for a bit and then fall asleep. I hope that's something she teaches my daughter.

What do you do all day with two babies under 9 months, you ask?

Well, you....
Sing songs and dance as though no one is watching (the girls love my dance skillz).
Rotate them between jumperoo, play mat and Bumbo chair.
Provide them with a variety of different krinkle toys and things to chew on.
Warm bottles and prepare "meals."
(For the 9 month old, not yourself. You're lucky to get coffee on these days.)
Read books.
Play "I'm gonna getchyou!"
Take pictures.
Put them down for naps.
Change dirty diapers (record is 7 poopy ones in one day!)
Wash faces.
Gives lots of kisses and hugs.
Maybe start a load of laundry and maybe get something to eat yourself.

Maybe.

--------------

Gwendolyn is entertained just watching Ceci sometimes.

Changing rooms in the house helps a lot. They seem to like the change of scenery.

"Funny joke, Gwen!"

"I'll get that itch for you."

"Hold my hand for this next one."

Ceci is a bit of a diva with her bottle temperature, but I think I've figured out the perfect warming time and temp. She's adorable though and super sweet and the three of us have a lot of fun. I'm exhausted by the end of the day, but I love a good challenge and of course the extra cash is a huge blessing as we're trying to save money and get my car paid off. It's amazing how you pray for certain things, and God opens doors.

He's good like that.

20 Weeks

Happy Wednesday! Can you believe that I'm 20 weeks old already?! Speaking of 20 weeks, mom says she remembers just like it was yesterday going to my 20 week ultrasound where they were very tempted to find out if I was a boy or girl. They waited though and say it was the best surprise ever. Although I think the time I rocket pooped on mom - twice -  during a diaper change in the back seat of her car would come in a cloooooose second.

• I was at a really cool resort with all six of my boy cousins and grandma and grandpa and aunts and uncles for a whole week! We built sand castles, went skiing and tubing, played games, caught some BIG fish, watched movies, read books, made smores over the fire, took naps and watched the sun rise. It was my favorite vacation so far!

• Mom and dad bought a water flotation for me to use in the lake, but I am still a little bit small for it and was.not.a.fan. Maybe it was because they put me in it too fast and the water was chilly. We'll never know. I did look pretty darn cute in my new swimmin' suit though.

• My four month check-up went well. Mom didn't cry during my shots this time, so I'd say that was a success. I, on the other hand, was very sad. Those shots make my legs hurt! 

My stats were:

Height: 26 1/4 - 97% 

Weight: 13.09 oz - 50%

Head - 16.5 - 75%

• I'm laughing now! My daddy is very silly and funny. My mommy tries really hard too.

• Daddy took me to the doctor today because I had been running a low temp and red dots had appeared on my head. Verdict: Roseola. The doctor said we just have to let it runs its course. Thankfully it's not serious, and I'm mostly back to my happy-go-lucky self. I did a lot of snuggling with mom when we were home together on Tuesday.

Being 20 weeks old is fun!

Love,
Gwendolyn Rebecca