Pulse Family Journal: December 2012

I can't believe it's already December! We made it through Thanksgiving and are starting to think about Christmas and Santa and cookies, oh my.

November was a busy month but I really can't even remember it. Between Lillian still figuring out her sleep schedule, Ethan always being on the move, and the house remodel I have been all over the place and can't seem to keep my thoughts straight?

Lets see, Lillian is doing great she rolls all over the place, she can entertain herself with toys, she LOVES her big brother, and she has FINALLY figured out how to go to sleep on her own without being swaddled. Lillian is totally high maintenance and so far has pretty much done things on her own time and in her own way. Until recently, the girl would only sleep if you swaddled her so tight she looked like she was in a straight jacket, and then if she wiggled an arm out she thought it was party time and couldn't seem to fall back to sleep unless you went in and helped her. As you can imagine this got old, we actually let it go on much longer than we did with Ethan...I think it's because we are so tired. Anyway, we made some adjusments with sleeping conditions and now I think the girl has got it down. No more swaddling, she gets laid down awake; she takes two long naps and then is in bed around 7 (as I type this she is whining in her bed). Most nights she still takes one bottle in the middle of the night, but we are okay with that for now. She is still only taking bottles, no solids yet. We have tried a number of times but she is not quite ready for it, we will have her 6 month checkup on December 12 and see what the doctor thinks, but she is growing just fine so we aren't too concerned.

Ethan is also amazing! That boy loves his sister and she really can't get enough of him, all he has to do is look at her and she smiles ear to ear. It is probably the sweetest thing I have ever seen. He talks with her and tells her it's okay if she is crying or plays peek a boo to make her laugh....it's amazing how well he has done and we are so proud of him. Almost everyday he says something new out of no where, and most of the time it makes us all laugh. His new thing is to sign quietly and say "okay, if you say so" whenever I tell him to do something. This month he has been to Sky High (a big warehouse with trampolines) with Carly and Auntie Michelle, had lots of playdates with Carly and her cousins, and had as many trips to the park as the weather allowed. He still LOVES to be outside and active, I think its going to be a long winter and I will have to be very creative so he doesn't get stir crazy!

Photoshoot in our new Christmas PJ's