3.5 Months and Kicking

No really, kicking! To the point that she will scoot herself out of any chair, couch, or bed we lay her down on. We have a play mat that I put Amelia on while I play with Keira nearby. I turned around today and she had scooted herself completely off the mat, onto the hardwood floor! I may have found a new Swiffer! She can do a full 180 roll on her back from side to side. It's fun to watch her try to keep Keira in her sights as she's running around the room! Amelia is still growing like a weed. We went to the doctor for an unexpected visit and she is already 15 lbs. 2 oz. That is 7 pounds in 3 and a half months! She has almost doubled, which explains why my back pain is coming back. I need to get back into conditioning so I can build some back muscles just to keep up with her.

Keira is going through an unfortunate phase where she thinks it is funny to tell me no and run away. This is unfortunate for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that Amelia is usually crying throughout these episodes as I have had to put her down to try and accomplish something with Keira. The flip side of this new found independence is an increase in successful potty usage and quite a developing sense of humor. Today I walked up behind her and she turns and says, "Oh, hello Mommy! Pleased to meet you! Enchante!" I have a feeling that I'm raising "that kid". We went to check out a preschool for next year, and all of the children were sitting around the circle rug singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". The teacher had given them a rope to use to row with, and she asked them how they would make the boat go slower, faster, etc. When she asked how to row the boat backward, most of the kids reversed the motion of their arms. My kid turned around, held the rope behind her, and kept on rowin'! I about died laughing!

We have had some great visits in the last few months. Mom & Dad came out for Mia's birth, Gavin came out in early April to meet her & celebrate his birthday, Denny came up for Sabrine's christening, Jennifer came out to spend some time with the girls, we spent a day with Christie at Happy Hollows, and Mom made a return trip for snuggles! Dad arrives for his turn tomorrow, and it's only a matter of time before the rest of the family gets to meet Amelia! We plan to be back in Chicago for a week or so at the end of August/beginning of September.

Here's a few shots of our fun!

2 week check-up

Amelia had a great two week check-up! No shots yet, and she is growing fast! She was 20.5 inches, head circumference 14.5 in, and weighed...8lbs 13 oz!!! By two weeks they usually expect you to gain back to your birth weight. Mia overshot that by 11 oz! Dr. Min was quite impressed.

Amelia Laurelle Has Arrived!

Our littlest girl is now officially part of the Moore family! She arrived on her due date, 2/15/11, at 8:59 am, weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces, and measured 19.5 inches tall. We thought she might be a Valentine's Day baby, but I didn't start contractions until 1 am on Tuesday. I waited two hours to make sure the contractions were getting closer before we called the hospital. Got checked into the room by 4, got my epidural, and took a little nap. They checked me and said I was at 6 cm at around 7:30. By 8 I felt like I needed to push and I had gone up to 9 already!. They called Dr. Reimnitz and she barely made it in time. In fact they told me I could push if I needed to but not to "really" push because they could already see her head. I think I pushed maybe 4 times and then there she was in my arms. Daddy & Nana were both there helping me push and they make a fantastic team! She got a 10 on her first test. The nurse was shocked because no one gets a 10 on their apgar but she was so red that she nearly glowed! It took us a lot of time to come up with her name. My grandma Emily was a very special woman in my life. She taught me about nature & birds, gardening & fun. She was an awesome grandma. She passed away from pancreatic cancer early last year, after having survived breast cancer many years before. Her mother, my great-grandma Suzy, was from Slovakia and when Emily was born, she tried to tell the lady that her name should be Amelia. Unfortunately her accent was so thick that they didn't hear her right, and Emily was the name that went on the birth certificate. So we gave Amelia the name she should have had. I like how it flows and sounds so pretty. We are calling her Mia for short because Keira has trouble saying Amelia, and it ends up sounding like Ah-Mia. Her middle name comes from J.R.'s side of the family. Marmee's full name is Laurell, and we wanted you to share her name, too. We also have Loretta's and Laurie's and Laura's on both sides of the family who are wonderful women too. Amelia will carry the names of some pretty wonderful women. So far she has been such a good baby. She is fitting into the routine of our life so smoothly! Her current nicknames are Turtle (because of how her mouth looks when she yawns, and how she stretches her little neck up and raise her head. So cute!) and Peanut (because of how little she looks compared to her big sister.) At the hospital, Keira walked around the room and said "My family! Mommy, Daddy, Mia, Keira! My family go home now?" She loves to hold Amelia on her lap and she climbs up next to her bassinet and kisses her head. We'll be playing in another room while she is sleeping, but if she hears Amelia squeak, she jumps up and runs in to check on her. Dad-dad was able to come out to help for two weeks and that has been wonderful. Amelia loves curling up on top of his big belly to fall asleep! Less than two weeks old and already so loved! Welcome home little one! We love you!

Name That Tune, Extended Version

So, in the last few weeks Keira has started singing to us, or to herself when she is bored in the car or to put herself to sleep. It has been fascinating to hear her sing back lullabies that we've been singing to her for two years. She also sings the alphabet song, but I have yet to capture that one on film. That's usually a favorite while I'm driving. But here for your listening enjoyment is a sampling of the musical stylings of Keira Moore! If you'd like to play along at home, turn the volume up on your computer and pause at the end of each song to guess.

Name That Tune Part 1

Recent Pics

My New "Corduroy" dress from Aunt Suzy

Sea Lion Smooches!

This potty training is going to be a breeze...I already can put my underwear on all by myself!

Help MOMMY! I can't get it off!

Hotel Hallway Picnic (arranged by Keira all by herself)

At the pumpkin farm in Half Moon Bay

Our New House!

Our Little Cinderella

Bert & Ernie Jack-O'Lanterns (on a Bear's Sunday)

My Daddy Thinks this t-shirt is funny.

(JR works on iPad...)

I'm Sorry, SO Sorry....

It has been far too long since I posted to this blog. For that, I am truly sorry! Life got hectic, and I got behind and haven't really felt up to posting too much. I am realizing though how great it is to have a record of Keira's life and so I am forcing myself back in the game! As many of you know, much has happened in the last 7 months since my last post. The school year ended, J.R. got a new job, I packed up hearth and home (and classroom) and moved out here to California, and I now get to stay home with my #1 bundle of joy! I am also 27 weeks pregnant with bundle of joy #2! We are expecting a girl on February 15, 2011. All of this happened in quick succession. JR started his job with Apple on Memorial Day. I moved out on the 4th of July, in the throes of my first trimester, fully nauseous and exhausted. I finally feel (4 months later) like I'm getting my feet on solid ground. Unpacking took forever. We were lucky to find a great OB/GYN out here pretty quickly. So far this pregnancy has gone pretty well. The nausea was worse during the first trimester than it was with Keira, but it also passed by the 3 month mark (praise the lord!) All of the ultrasounds have come out fine and we are going to have another little girl joining our household. Poor JR is now officially out-numbered. My body feels a lot looser this time around. My doc said that's because my muscle memory is kicking in. Now that my body knows what these hormones pinging around my system are for, it is getting ready sooner. I feel like a boat, and everyone is asking me if I'm due soon. I just smile and say nope! 3 more months! Good news: I haven't gained as much with this pregnancy so far as I did with Keira. Bad news: I am ravenous all the time and quickly catching up! (c: I have had some problems with my legs. Being this large, combined with chasing a 2 year old around, and having all my joints turn to jello, has put a major strain on my adductor & abductor muscles in my thighs. Luckily, my doc recommended a great Physical Therapist nearby and the ice, stim, and massage combo seem to be helping. Now if only she could help Keira understand why it's hard for Mommy to pick her up and carry her when she's tired...About to enter the third trimester, and Tums have again become my candy of choice. The acid reflux is back, but given my history this was to be expected. In some ways I feel like I haven't really been able to reflect as much on this pregnancy or really even begin to gear up for it because of all the upheaval in my life combined with the daily challenge of keeping up with a toddler. I feel less connected somehow. Need to work on this before the big day comes!

Keira is now officially 2. Uncle Denny & Aunt Julianne came for a visit to see the new house, and Nana, Dad-dad, Uncle Gavin & Aunt Laura all came out to help celebrate her birthday. She and I have had a lot of fun exploring our new home. We've gotten kisses from sea lions at a county fair, played with the fishes & rays at the Monterey Aquarium, watched the butterflies as the flock to the coast for the winter, and scoped out every park in a 10 mile radius! The one right around the corner from us is a favorite and she often asks for "Swings! Slides!" We have met a few very nice families there and have made some new friends. Mostly, the last few months have just been amazing to see how much she is learning and growing every day. She retains so much more than I would have expected, and it comes out at the cutest times. Today in the bath, she decided to sing and what came out? Swing Low, Sweet Chariot...My father sings this to her in his deep bass voice, but she hasn't heard it since he was out here a month ago! She also sings her favorite lullabies to us to let us know which one she wants. Super cute as she babbles her way through the words she can't say or doesn't remember! On the current list: Blackbird, Summertime, Twinkle Twinkle, Oh God Guide Me, Blessed is the spot, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Hush Little Baby, and You Are My Sunshine. She is also currently in love with the Alphabet Song, and will break it out whenever she is bored! Our favorite places to go explore are the local libraries. One nearby has a full wall fish tank full of tropical species in blues & yellows & oranges. The other one has a great story time, on the way home from my PT appointments. We come home with tons of books that then work their way into a regular night time rotation. I love that she loves books! It does my bibliophile heart proud! She can read several books on her own now from memory and our nighttime routine ends with her picking a book to read by herself until she falls asleep. We are looking forward to our plane ride to see Nana and Dad-dad this weekend. We have just decorated our Christmas tree here at the house, since we will be gone for three weeks back to Chicago, and Marmee & Paw-paw, Denny & Julianne are all coming up for Christmas. Keira's eyes lit up when we turned on the lights and she very carefully put on all of the non-glass ornaments around the bottom 2 feet of the tree. Every time we see a "Miss-mas Tree" she shouts Marmee! Paw-paw! This is going to be a good Christmas. I can feel it!

As we approach Thanksgiving I've been thinking about all the things in my life that I am thankful for and the list is too long to type out this late in the evening. Suffice it to say that despite all the troubles and stresses of the last few months, life is wonderful and amazing and loving and content, and for that I am truly grateful! Much love to you all, and I promise I will be better about keeping this updated, at least until Baby shows up! (c;