My First Outing with Two

I know what you're thinking: how is it possible that Brittlynn is almost three months old and Emily has yet to go anywhere with them both on her own!?! I feel pretty slack for taking this long to do it! Zach runs the household errands on his way home from work in the evenings, I do my errands with just Britt on days that I have to pick up Kye from school, and when we go out we ALL go - not just me. I wasn't kidding when I said it took me three months to adjust. It REALLY did. But now that I'm adjusted I'm all about conquering the world :)

I had a hair appointment schedule for Thursday March 1st and was planning to take both kids along with me. I figured it was a good outing for the first one since everyone at Jordan's Salon is so sweet and understanding. Renika, who does my hair and is AMAZING, got sick so we had to reschedule. I was already pumped up for the big outing so I decided to take them out anyway. I pumped and make Britt a bottle for her 10:30 feeding and we headed to the mall playground!

Yes, I took the mega double stroller just to walk from the parking lot to the mall...it may seem silly but I knew after Britt ate that we'd have to go do a diaper change in Belk and I didn't want to risk Kye not obeying or something going down so I knew having a seat for them both would be my surest bet that things would go smoothly.

He was so excited to show Britt the play ground!

Right when we got there it was time for Britt to eat. I've mentioned before that she's not a fan of the bottle. So this was a good trip for multiple reasons...it gave me my gold star for taking both kids out somewhere solo, it gave Kye something fun to do for a change rather than just being stuck at the house, and it gave Britt more bottle practice. I actually worked it out that week where she had a bottle (or sometimes two!) almost every day. It really did help her to start drinking it better! She did well drinking the bottle and there were no issues at all! Kye enjoyed playing with one other little girl that was there and then a girl from his class came with her mom so he especially enjoyed that. How funny is it that there are only 12 kids in his class yet we run into them all the time? Twice at Chick-Fil-A, at the mall play ground, and I've even run into one of the kids moms in the bathroom at Hobby Lobby. Small world I guess!

Anyways...I am kinda obsessed with this mom. She has four kids (the girl in Kye's class being the youngest), she looks awesome, dresses super stylish but in a way that doesn't come across like she's trying, if her daughter had been a boy she was going to be named Kye (even spelled the same!), she stays at home, she did Babywise with all her kids (when I mentioned Britt's schedule she said "do you do babywise? I love it!"), she's basically my ideal mama. She drives a VW van and I told Zach I'd be willing to get a van now as long as it's that one b/c if she can rock it and still be so cool then maybe I can too haha. I really enjoyed talking with her and felt like a total nerd who was being picked to sit at the popular table at school when she suggested we trade numbers to meet up again sometime. On top of that she even texted me that next week (but, duh, I can't do anything last minute and she asked about going to hang out like an hour in advance). It was SO nice to be out of the house and to be making new friends in the process!!! It was great to see a mom who has "been there, done that" and who survived it all. Sometimes when you're stuck in a tougher phase in life it's hard to see beyond that and see that it does get easier. She inspired me and helped re-energize my goal of having a house filled with kids!

Britt downed her bottle pretty quickly so I tried to let her "play" some too...

He did a lot of pretend sleeping for some reason?

First time going down the slide!

I can't stand when parents let their kids climb all over the seats, but I'm down for Kye climbing on the mushrooms!

When I was talking to the mom from school I mentioned that Kye really doesn't have his colors down yet and asked how her daughter is doing with them. When Kye ran by I said "Kye, what color is the alligator?" And, of COURSE, the kid says without hesitation "Green!" Thanks for making me look like a dummy haha. Never underestimate your kids right??? Maybe he knows those colors better than I give him credit for ;)

Having so much fun together!

More "sleeping" on the alligator

We played from 10:30 until 11:30 then it was time to go. When we left the house I worried that it would be too quick of a trip and that Kye would be upset about having to leave. Nope! It really worked out well. The other kids had all left and Kye was asking me if we could go. Perfect timing! I loaded them up in the stroller and headed to Belk to hit up their bathroom for a diaper change. I knew Brittlynn would most likely fall asleep in the car on the way home and I didn't want to have to fully wake her up to change her diaper, thus messing up her nap even more.

Kye was a HUGE helper in the bathroom and we both laughed about how the big stroller took up all the space. He used the potty too, like the "big boy" he is, and then we left. On the way out of Belk he kept saying "Mommy let's SHOP!" Um...where did this come from?!?! He even said "We can buy you something!" I was totally tempted to take him up on that offer...too bad he doesn't have any money he can spend on his mama ;)

Family vacation: check! Taking both kids out on my own: check! I really feel like I'm BACK to EMILY!!! That following week I had to take them both to my rescheduled hair appointment...it also went pretty smoothly but I wasn't able to ENJOY the hair cut like I usually do so it won't be happening again haha. I am, however, DOWN for more fun at the playground or other places! Until Britt moves to the four hour schedule (which she is ready for now but I think I'm going to hold off until after Casey's wedding weekend) we are free on Tues and Thur from 10:30 to 11:45 if anyone wants to hang out with us!

Kids Sales

The day I went into labor with Kye was actually also the first time I ever heard about the local kid sales. Crissy texted me that morning to see if I wanted to go with her to the sale, but I was too busy going into labor to meet up with her ;) The first time I went to one of the kids sales I was SHOCKED. People were lined up down the street. They had camped out all day waiting to get in. They had baskets and trash bags ready to fill with their goodies. It seemed a bit extreme. Maybe crazy even.

Well. Now I'm one of them.

I decided to blog about this because it's one of those things that I'll always have wonderful memories of! There are four kids sales a year and, seriously, I look so forward to them. Here's what I do...I get a seller number for the sale then mark all the clothing and other items I want to sell. I don't sell much. Just enough to be considered a seller so I can shop the pre-sale haha. I save pretty much ALL of my kids clothes since we're not done having them yet. But I do sell stuff that I know the next baby won't wear, things people have given me that I couldn't return (better than re-gifting right?!?), or stuff I just wasn't crazy about.

Since there are two different places that host a sale and they each have a sale each season, I price my stuff higher for the first sale. That way it won't all sell and I can re-enter it into the second one. Sneaky, I know ;) The people that hosts these things are SO smart. Each seller only makes 70% of what we sell and we have to pay an entry fee (one of the sales it's $5, the other one is $8.) Plus the people who work the sales don't even make any profit, they just get to come to a pre-pre sale just for the workers. The people who run these things make some serious BANK. I have considered volunteering to work some hours so I can get into the pre-pre sale but honestly I already spend TOO much dough at these things, I can't imagine how much more I'd spend if I got to go that early!!!

I have a large tub I keep in the attic and every time I come across something to sell at the sales I toss it in the tub. I also toss in hangers I don't want, safety pins, straight pins, and notecards. That way when it's time to price stuff I have it all ready to go! I price my items slightly higher than garage sale prices. Some people way over price stuff in my opinion. But then again, I'm not selling my best stuff since I'm saving it for future babies...so maybe once I'm done having kids I'll ask more for my items. 

My priced stuff ready to be sold!

They have a drop off day for each sale where you take all your items. One of the sales hangs it all for you and the other one you have to hang it yourself. I don't mind either way, although Zach will do the drop off for the one the workers hang and I wouldn't ask him to go hang everything for me!

Since I'm always a seller, I always get to go to the pre-sale. It's a night earlier than when the sale is open to the public and it's only people who put items into the sale who get to shop. This is where you see the people sitting in lawn chairs parked outside the doors waiting to get in. It's where the people in charge have to give a lecture each time about not running people over! Craziness I tell you! Robyn and I have gone to EVERY pre-sale together. We are so hardcore about it that when she found out one of them was the same day as Lorelai's birthday party, she moved the party time haha. I would so do the same thing!!!

We typically get in line around 45 min prior to the doors opening. NOTHING is worth getting there earlier than that...at least not to me. I've NEVER walked away empty handed or wished I'd gotten there sooner. Usually at drop off I'll kind of eye the things that are already there and have in mind where I want to run to first. Now that I have two kids it was a tough call to decide weather I should shop the boys side or the girls side first. I ended up asking on facebook for help because I was so torn ;) I hit up the boys section first because there are WAY less items for a boy and I don't want to miss out on the good stuff! 

This is how hardcore I am: I usually don't carry a purse because I don't want anything holding me down. This last time I got the good idea to use one of my new little crossover purses so I could be hands free but still have my essentials with me (especially with Zach watching Britt, it's good to have the phone in case he needs me!). I also bring a laundry basket with me to each sale with a dog leash attached. That way I can drag that thing around as it quickly gets too heavy to carry!

I drop a good chunk of change at these sales. Sometimes I feel like I spend too much, but honestly the MAJORITY of the clothes Kye wears (and now Britt too) come from these sales. Kids clothes are crazy expensive and over-priced. $20 for jeans?!?! Are you joking? I won't pay that for my own jeans! I'm all about some deals and I can find all of Kye's pants (khakis, cute shorts, jeans, etc) at the kids sales no problem. I also buy toys there and majority of what the kids got for Christmas this last year was used. Why not do it while I can pull it off? They don't notice the difference! It's great too because if they don't end up wearing something I bought or I change my mind and don't like it, I just re-sell it at the next sale. 

Another part of the tradition is after we shop till we drop. We always hit up Steak and Shake when we're done with our shopping and it's great girl time! Steak and Shake is the best place to go because it's cheap, bad for you (what could be more fun than eating a bunch of junk food with friends?!?), and it's open allll night so we don't have to rush. Sometimes we've been there past 11! I LOVE when a big group of us all go together, it's always a great time! But even if it's just Robyn and I, we still love it :)

The last day of each sale is the 1/2 off day...I've gone back a few times to check that out but usually I spend enough at the pre-sale and don't want to tempt myself any further ;) When the sale is over we go back and pick up our left over stuff and our money. I think I've made more than I spent maybe once, but it's still nice to get some cash in your pocket!

I've heard of other kids sales in Albany and Nashville and someday I'd like to hit those up too...I could totally see myself being a kids sale junkie ;) I bet my Atlanta friends have some AWESOME ones up there! We have very limited store choices for clothing around here so most of the stuff at the sales is stuff from the same stores (Carter's, The Children's Place, Gap Outlet...). I'm sure a bigger city has way more store choices and therefore way more used clothing options as well ;)

You can all laugh at me and how hardcore I am about it...but I love it and am proud of my kids sale craziness!

Week 12 Summary

Brittlynn's 12th week of life was from Feb 21st - Feb 27th which means she turned 12 weeks old on Tuesday Feb 28th. Yes, you read that right. My little BABY turned 12 weeks old!!! It's flllllying. 

Diapers: Britt is back to pooping like all the time! I had to start changing her diaper both right when she gets up then again right when she gets done eating. She poops during every nap and even during the night so she's constantly sitting in a poop diaper. Not good for her sweet skin! She had her first legit diaper rash this week. It made me realize that Kye never had legit diaper rash because I was WORRIED about how bad Britt's was but when I texted Robyn a pic of it (I'm so cool...I know...) she said it was just normal diaper rash haha. I started letting Britt "air out" at each diaper change. I did a combo - after she ate I'd take off her diaper then put her on a towel and let her do her tummy time while also airing out the private area. Then I loaded her up hardcore with Aquaphor. It's what Robyn recommended and it worked WONDERFULLY! So well that we switched to it and use it at each diaper change now (the pediatrician told us it's fine to use diaper rash cream at each changing to prevent). We have always used Desitin (the purple tube) and had great results with Kye, but each baby is different and (so far) Britt seems to be an Aquaphor girl!

She has no butt...looks like she takes after her mama in the booty department, poor girl.

She also enjoys having her diaper changed and LOVES to talk to her mermaid picture above her changing table. Kye was the same way, he'd always talk to this big monkey wall decal we had. It's cute how they do that! She laughs and laughs with her mermaid friend at each diaper change.

Here's a video of her :)

Wonder Week: This week Zach was gone skiing in Canada and of course it was another wonder week. The third wonder week falls around 11-12 weeks old. Her little world is getting more organized and she is able to move with purpose. She had some ROUGH naps during this week. One of the nights Kye and I ended up eating in the complete darkness. We had every light turned off (and he closed every door to help...so funny) and we put her in the swing because she just simply wouldn't stop crying. She didn't sleep in the swing either but was quiet enough for us to be able to eat. 

Cry it Out: I ended up just completely letting her cry it out during naps this week for the first time. If I went in to comfort her she would stop crying but she wouldn't go back to sleep no matter what I did. I figured if she wasn't going to sleep either way (thanks to the wonder week!) that she might as well be in her crib rather than me being in there with her (with Kye in tow...who can't be very quiet for long...). She doesn't cry it out often and will always stop (even if she's BAWLING) after about 20 min. I will go in there if her head or body is up against the crib and just move her and leave again. I rarely go in and pick her up at all...and I rarely even have to! Typically she talks/laughs/coos at the start of nap for 10-20 min before falling asleep then will cry mid-nap for 10 min or less then will wake up right at feeding time and fuss a little or just be talking away. I feel like she's a WAY better napper than Kye ever was because we don't use a the paci, we started with Babywise much younger, we were hardcore with her, and we do cry it out!

Schedule: Britt's schedule is the same as Week 11 but since it's been awhile since I wrote the whole thing out..here it is:

7:00: start the day, change diaper, eat
8:00-8:30: change diaper, get dressed, awake time
8:30-10:30: nap
10:30-11:30: eat
11:30-12:00: change diaper, awake time
12:00-2:00: nap
2:00-3:00: eat
3:00-3:30: change diaper, awake time, alone time with Mommy
3:30-5:00: nap
5:00-6:00: eat
6:00-6:30: change diaper, awake time, family dinner
6:30-8:20: nap
8:20: awake, bath, put pjs on
8:30-9:30: eat, last feeding of day
9:30: put directly to bed after eating

Just in case you're interested here is Kye's schedule at almost 3 years old:

7:00: start the day, eat breakfast

8:15: leave for school OR 9:30: roomtime upstairs

10:15: clean up from roomtime

10:30-11:30: movie time while I nurse OR 12:00: pick up from school

12:00: lunch (later if school)

1:00-3:30: nap

6:00 dinner

6:45: bath

7:15: bed

Here is what else Brittlynn was up to during this week:

• I tried to stop giving her the mylicon gas drops at each feeding, but then she was gassy so I had to keep doing them
• She's starting to drool a lot and even makes some little bubbles, I wouldn't call them raspberries yet though
• I stopped leaking much milk during feedings so I quit using the Milkies and only use them for the morning feeding since my breasts are SO full then and still leak a good bit. I still think they are a worthwhile purchase as I saved SO much extra milk thanks to them and I'm still getting close to two oz a day just from that first feeding!
• Britt had green colored poop again this week...I thought maybe it was from her shots? Now though I think she's just got sensitive poop haha. It's totally normal now so I guess nothing was seriously wrong?
• She's no longer super eager to eat at each feeding. She's very happy and content when she wakes up and I don't have to rush her to the breast. 
• When Zach got home she would NOT sleep at ALL and it really was because she had missed him and just wanted to see him. It was adorable and so sweet! He ended up holding her during her nap and she just smiled and smiled at him. 
• She sleeps totally solid through the night, never waking early or anything!
• Britt started reaching out to touch me, love it
• I quit using the humidifier after her dr appointment but hardcore use saline spray. I spray each nostril then clean them out with the sucker thingy and it really helps her. She's SO congested ALL the time!

She had her first boo-boo this week :( I accidentally cut her when I trimmed her nails

The baldness is happening...

This is how I regularly find her in the mornings. Almost completely unswaddled and up against the side of her crib

She splashed for the first time on 2/26. She also cried when it was time to get out of the tub and she peed all over me in the two second walk from her room to the bathroom!

Kye and I spent the majority of Britt's awake time in her room playing, we've started reading stories too which I enjoy!

she is a PRO at tummy time, but still doesn't roll over anymore

She looks like she's flexing her muscles in this one!
Here's a video of how well she can reach her toys now!

Kye still totally adores her...we have YET to see any jealousy issues (I think that may start up once she's mobile???)

Kye was worried she was cold ;)

The dogs are much more interested in her now too!

I enjoy this sweet view when doing diaper changes

Kye even helps clean up her puke...he's always on puke patrol

She is great at holding things and has a strong grip

A lady at Hobby Lobby told me this week that she could see the love in Britt's eyes when she looks at me. It was such a sweet compliment and I do feel like it's true. She LOVES to stare at ME and it makes me so happy!

Zach was in Canada skiing this week so I wanted to send him a picture of her to let her know she missed him!

Postpartum Update: I am DONE with postpartum!!! I mentioned last week that the vaca to Jax was EXACTLY what I needed and it so was! After that trip I just feel better about my place in life and like I'm back to myself :) Even though Zach was gone and Britt hit a wonder week, it wasn't a bad week. I was able to stay positive and not let the bumps in the road get me down. I got back serious on the diet. I drink a TON of water to help stay full and was proud of myself for really sticking to it when usually when Zach's gone I cheat like crazy (not on him, on my diet haha). I have always loved my children but this week I just really could FEEL that love more than I had since Britt was born. Maybe the hormones were screwing with me? I seriously ADORE my children and when Britt's awake all I want to do is hold her and cuddle with her and never put her down. Thank goodness for the schedule because otherwise I'd probably spoil this child like crazy!

You can go back and read about Kye's 12th week here! It's hilarious to me that at this age Kye drank his first 6 oz bottle while Britt has been drinking 6 oz since she was like 4 weeks old! And how ironic that during this same week I posted a video of Kye talking to his monkey sticker during his diaper change? Reading that post also makes me smile because I talked about how Kye always had multiple sneezes at once. He still does this. If he sneezes he will typically sneeze three times in a row. I remember the first time Brittlynn sneezed. She only sneezed once and it totally caught me off guard and I think of Kye every time she sneezes. It's a special Kye thing I guess and I appreciate it even more now that it's something Brittlynn doesn't do. I do, however, also appreciate that she has WAY more hair than he did at this age!!! Thank goodness!!!!!