Moving Up

This week has been a big week for Nicole.  She has had some issues at daycare with biting.  She gets very anxious with the other kids get in her space and she is struggling with how to verbalize it.  Unfortunately, she chooses biting sometimes.  Wednesday was an especially bad day for her.  When I dropped her off, I was amazed to see that most of her friends have transitioned to the 2-yr old room, so now Nicole is one of 2 of the "big kids" in the twoddler room at daycare.  Every day this week she did not want to go to her room, instead she wanted to go see her friends in the bigger kid room.  Wednesday, around lunchtime I got a call that Nicole had bitten 2 kids in her room.  At daycare, they think it is because she misses Shaun, but I didn't believe that because she has been doing okay with that and she had talked to him that morning.  I told her I thought it was because she missed her friends that had already moved up.  She said she would look into moving Nicole up sooner.  Luckily, she was able to start transitioning her, so now she is in the 2yr old room.  We've known for a long time that Nicole has hit most of her developmental milestones ahead of schedule and she should be in the older kid room based on that rather than her actual age. I'm excited to see what new milestones she hits as she gets challenged a little more.

We also turned her car seat around this week.  I was set on keeping her rear-facing until she was two along with the new AAP recommendations, but Nicole hates riding in the car and wants constant entertainment.  Every day the longest part of my drive is the 2 miles to and from daycare.  Even when I play her music, she is just not happy most days.  She is only barely above the 20lb requirement (21.6 today), so I was not in a hurry.  At this point, I think for safety reasons (me less distracted=safer drive), I will turn her around now.  I took her for a ride and she did like it better, but I don't know if it had the intended effect.  We'll see how it goes as she gets more used to it.  It does make me nervous though because I know she is safer rear facing for as long as possible, but I believe that is only true if I can drive without serious distractions. 

Potty Training, already??

We have had a potty chair for Nicole for awhile now.  We got it awhile back because Nicole was consistantly going potty right before she got in the bath tub, so we thought we would introduce her to it.  She really did not want to have much to do with it, so it has been either collecting dust or used as a stool for me while I give her a bath. She has sat on it a few times, but I really believe her little bottom is just too small, so it isn't very comfortable for her.

A couple weeks ago, a friend let us borrow a potty book, so I brought it upstairs and asked if she wanted to potty in her chair and she said yes.  So we gave it a try and she did it!!! I was soo excited for her.  Then the next morning, she did it again.  I was super excited even though I know it is only the very beginning.  I've been looking for months for articles and books on when to start.  There are about 7-10 milestones to look for and Nicole only has done a few of them.  I think the ones she does not do are significant enough that we aren't 100% ready, but we will continue to socialize it and give her every opportunity to use the potty and praise her when she does. 

Physical signs

Is coordinated enough to walk, and even run, steadily. - Yes

Urinates a fair amount at one time. - Yes

Has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times. -Yes
Has "dry" periods of at least two hours or during naps, which shows that his bladder muscles are developed enough to hold urine.- Sometimes, but not consistently

Behavioral signs

Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes. - Not without a book

Can pull his pants up and down. -Sometimes, but she has a problem with them around her ankles

Dislikes the feeling of wearing a wet or dirty diaper.-Nope, she could care less

Shows interest in others' bathroom habits (wants to watch you go to the bathroom or wear underwear). -Yes

Gives a physical or verbal sign when he's having a bowel movement such as grunting, squatting, or telling you.-Yes

Demonstrates a desire for independence. -Yes

Takes pride in his accomplishments. -Yes

Isn't resistant to learning to use the toilet. -Yes

Is in a generally cooperative stage, not a negative or contrary one. -Man, I wish I could say yes to this one

Cognitive signs

Understands the physical signals that mean he has to go and can tell you before it happens or even hold it until he has time to get to the potty. -Yes

Can follow simple instructions, such as "go get the toy." -Yes

Understands the value of putting things where they belong. -Not Yet

Has words for urine and stool.-Yes
 

Initially I wasn't ready at all.  I was sort of hoping she wouldn't show interest until Shaun comes back in a few months, but it looks like we may be potty training before then.  I would love to be done with diapers, but I know the alternative will be challenging for the next year or so.  In the meantime, I'll look into the best ways to start the process and get her ready.  It is so exciting, and it amazes me how big my little girl is getting.

Goodbye 2011! Welcome 2012!

Wow! I just realized I have not updated this blog since Nicole's 1st birthday.  It was been quite a year and I hope to be better in 2012 with updating this for those that are interested in the goings on of the Rooney's.

2012 is starting off much different than 2011.  Shaun is in Afghanistan and will be gone through May.  He left right after Thanksgiving, so I am glad he was here for that.  We had a great Thanksgiving.  My Mom and her husband, Danny came to visit and our great friends Clint and Krystal came over with their little boy Jake.  The weather was nice enough that we were even able to play outside.  You may notice Nicole is wearing the same outfit she wore last Thanksgiving.  She is still a tiny little on weighing in just about 23lbs.  I do not worry about her weight anymore.  I use to stress that she was not eating enough, but after reading a ton of books, blogs and articles, I have realized I just have a little one that will always nibble and she will probably always be small for her age.

I am no longer in the Air Force as active duty.  Ever since Nicole was born, I worried about having to leave her for an extended deployment.  I wondered if I would be able to do it.  I was very blessed with a boss that did not require me to travel until I was "ready".  I asked if it would be possible to not travel until after Nicole was a year old, so I could continue to nurse her that long.  We made it 13 months, which brought me right up to my first trip in April.  I really missed her, but thanks to Skype and Shaun, I was able to talk to her at least once every day I was gone.  My decision to actually separate starting to come about after I found out Shaun was going to Afghanistan.  I wondered what I would do if I got tagged at the same time.  The Air Force requires us to have a Family Care Plan that outlines care for Nicole if we are both sent away at the same time.  We had one, but I hated the thought of actually having to implement it.  It is not that we felt she would not have been taken care of, but rather what that would do to her that both of her parents are gone.  It made me sick to my stomach.  As the timeline approached for me to decide, Shaun had a conversation with somebody that has insight into deployments and found out that I was already scheduled to go in December to Afghanistan.  I would have been sent to Kabul and Shaun was going to Bagram, so we would not have even been near each other.  That made my mind up.  It was definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I submitted my separation paperwork.  As upset as I was, it was a great opportunity to take stock of my blessings.  I was very lucky to have a couple friends that had gone through the same thing over the past couple of years and with their support and mentorship, I was able to find a job and complete the transition.  I found a job doing my favorite part of my military job and that is training junior airmen how to do it.  The pay is good, it is relatively flexible, and there is not much travel required.  So it had all of the things I needed right now.  Unfortunately, I had to start a couple days after Shaun left, so that made things challenging.  We survived it though.

Overall, the year was great.  We were able to use the pool in the back yard.  I cannot wait until this summer when we can get Nicole some swimming lessons and we can spend more time out there.  It will also be nice because our friend Clint was deployed last summer and this year, he will be back, so we can hang out all together with the little ones.  We had lots of old friends come and visit throughout the year.  Lucky for us, a lot of people that deployed this year flew through a nearby airport, so we saw our friends Moth (Jefferina's (aka Nicole) namesake) and Melissa.  While Melissa was here, her husband Peta came to visit too.  It was awesome to see them.  We missed them a lot.  Vero came to visit for Nicole's birthday.  We were able to see Teresea and our friend Dorothy already lived in the area.  My dad was able to visit in August for his birthday.  Auntie Kari made it up a few times, my mom is able to come and visit every month or so.  Jessica and Rome came to visit from Germany because they have family close by.  Julie came to stay with Krystal for a few weeks over the summer and it was great to spend time with her and her little one.  One of the best things about being in the military, it is large amount of friends that become family you have and the fact that everyone's travels can bring them together again.  I'm glad we have a guest room to make sure anyone can stop by.  Nicole has so many Auntie's and Uncle's!

Nicole is really amazing.  She is almost 2.  She regularly speaks in complete sentences.  "Mommy come here!"  "Daddy, where are you?"  "Come find me"  "I'm hungry" One of her daycare providers told me months ago that she stopped charting Nicole's language development because it was literally "off the charts".  She will have conversations on the phone.  She "reads" her books.  She still loves books just as much, but now she will sit and read them to herself.  She loves to sing.  She sings the "ABC" song.  She mostly just knows the rhythm, but she fills in the gaps as I sing it to her and she can go through the whole thing on her own.  Of course, she doesn't know what it means yet.  Her favorite songs are The Barney Song...thanks to my little brother David and his childhood infatuation with Barney, I still know that one and when I can't think of a song to sing, this is the one that always comes to me.  She always loves the Monkeys on the Bed and the Wheels on the Bus song.  She loves, loves, loves to color.  She will sit for a long time and color.  At daycare she sits longer than any other kids to color.  We got her an eisle for Christmas and she loves it.  She has also started imagination play.  She loves to "cook" in her play kitchen and play tea party.  She is very particular about it.  It is super cute.  She loves Elmo and Abby and Curious George.  For New Year's, we went to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens and she saw Elmo's Christmas Show.  She loved it!!  I loved seeing her so excited.  She sat so still but kept tapping her hands and feet along with the music.  She loves music and loves to dance.  The ladies at daycare are amazed that she follows instructions so well and does all the dance moves to different songs.  We also started going to a kids gym with her.  Originally, we joined so I would have an activity to do through the winter while Shaun was gone.  She has developed some amazing abilities though.  She climbs the wall later, does pull ups on the bars, walks across the balance beam all by herself.  It is just amazing.  In 2 weeks, we are switching to a Mommy and Me tumbling class that should give her even more opportunity to grow.  It is right down the street, too.  I am super excited about that.

Wow, so many things to update everyone on.  A few more highlights of the year...on Shaun's birthday, he completed the Nation's Triathlon in DC.  Nicole and I cheered him on and he did great!  He finished top 10% overall, which is amazing because pro triathletes compete in this race.  Then we went and stayed at the beach.  It isn't far away, but we got a room down on the military site in VA Beach and stayed for a couple days.  It was Nicole's first beach experience and she loved it!  We were able to go a few more times since.  She loves the sand and the water.

2012 should be even more fun.  Nicole should be potty training soon and then transitioning to a big girl bed.  I cannot believe my little one is so grown up.  I have started sewing.  My first project was this pillow.  Now I have a long list of things to do for her and around the house.  Hopefully, I will be better with updating this blog, too!

1st Birthday

I just realized I didn't post a birthday blog.  Nicole's birthday was a huge success.  It was a lot of fun to have some many people come and visit to help us celebrate.  Nicole did great, too! She wasn't a big fan of her cake.  Maybe she thought it was too pretty to eat.  Her Auntie Kari made it for her.  It was delicious!!!

Here are some pictures of the party and of the birthday photos we had taken.  I loved her little outfit we found on Etsy.com.  I got a lot of the decorations for the party from there, too.  I love that site.

  

We Have a Toddler on our Hands!!

Nicole is walking now...she has been taking a few steps here and there for awhile, but last week she decided she was ready.  Now she wants to walk everywhere.  She hardly crawls at all anymore.

She is such a great age right now.  Everything we do is new and it is fun to see how she reacts.  We went to the zoo a few weekends ago.  It is really close, so we figured it would be fun to check out.  She really loved it. She really liked to watch the other kids watch the animals, especially the elephants and giraffes.  She loved watching the other kids, too.

Pointing at the elephants

Watch out for the homosapian

Nicole tried to share with this old guy

Nicole and Jake

Last week, I took her to botanical gardens with our friend Krystal and her little boy, Jake.  The weather was beautiful!  It was nice to get out and enjoy the sun.  We saw a bald eagle nest with babies.  That was neat.  Nicole also discovered that turtles like cheerios almost as much as she does.  We got some great pictures of her in her Easter dress.  She looked so cute.  She practiced her walking on the grass.  She did okay, but when she fell down, she didn't like it touching her leg.  What a silly girl!

I love this girl!!

Everyday it seems like something new with her.  We discovered she likes ice cream.  We were playing one day and Shaun brought me a fudge pop.  She started opening her mouth at me as wide as she could. This is her new way of telling me she wants to eat something I have.  It is hilarious to me to see.  It is especially funny in the grocery store...  Here is a picture of her enjoying the ice cream.

This week, Nicole is getting extra time with Daddy.  I have to go away for work for the first time since she was born.  I have been really lucky up until now that I haven't had to go anywhere.  I'm heading to Florida for two weeks.  I know they will be fine and it will be good for both of them, but I am going to miss her terribly.  I already do and I've only been gone a few hours.  This is also the end of our nursing time.  I'm so glad that we have been able to do it for 13 months.  It wasn't easy in the beginning, but I have really started to love that time with her.  I guess this is just another milestone on her way to independence.

 Luckily, Nicole is doing a great job sleeping now.  Most nights, she sleeps through the night and she is doing better with her naps, too.  Our lives have gotten a lot more relaxed since we have all started sleeping better.  It is long overdue, but we are so glad things are starting to normalize a little.

Growing Up

Nicole is growing up soo much! She does the cutest stuff these days.  She is so smart and I just love her to pieces.

She has started saying "bye bye" when she knows it is time to leave.  She does this when Shaun is getting ready to leave in the morning, when we are getting her into her carseat, when I drop her off at daycare (even though I'm not ready to leave), and when we leave daycare.  She does it best when nobody says it to her first.  It is so cute.  She also blows butterfly kisses.  I had been doing this since I started dropping her off at daycare and she must have just learned it one day.  She even makes the smacking sound when her hand is at her mouth before she blows the kiss.  It really melts my heart. 

She is standing up on her own now for longer periods of time.  She has been sort of standing for awhile, but she only does it when you are right there.  Now she gets up on her own and looks around for a bit. 

She took some steps on her own the other night.  She loves to walk with our fingers everywhere.  It is so cute, but she just doesn't want to stop.  One night Shaun and I were passing her back and forth from my fingers to his.  Then we separated a little more and she had to fill the gap walking without our hands and she did it.  She repeated a few times.  I think it is a confidence issue.  She holds onto our fingers so tight and won't let go.  This night she let go because she knew the other person would catch her.  I don't think she gets a lot of practice like this at daycare, so it may still be awhile before she does more, but I'm okay with it taking a little longer.  Once she starts walking, we are in big trouble :)

Roxy has become protective of her.  We have been dog sitting this week and she does not like the other dog too close to Nicole.  The first night, it was a little crazy with all of them on the floor, but it has settled down over the week.  Nicole tells the dogs "no" when they get in her face and she doesn't want to play.  It is kind of funny because she looks like she is really annoyed with them when she says it.  They seem to understand it, too. 

We went and got her 1st Birthday pics done last weekend.  She was so good for them.  Luckily, she had a great nap beforehand, so she was well rested and she was her cheerful self.  I can't wait to share the results.  I can't believe her birthday is less than 10 days away.  This time last year, I was telling people she would probably be late because there was no sign of her coming.  Of course, she surprised me as she always does!

Sleep

Many of you know that Nicole has never really been a good sleeper.  When we first got her home from the hospital, she would only sleep for any substantial amount of time if we were holding her.  Shaun and I took turns sleeping on the couch with her on our chest for a few weeks.  Then we were able to transition her to sleeping in her pack n' play next to the bed and eventually we got her to her crib.  Then we moved...sigh...that was the end of that.

When we first moved into the hotel in Germany, she would only sleep 30 minutes in the pack n' play and I ended up bringing her into bed with me, so we could both get some sleep.  We have been co-sleeping ever since.  Co-sleeping isn't a bad thing (although many people will tell you it is and that it is a terrible habit to start).  Well it worked for us for awhile.  We spent so much time in transition between houses, that we were able to both get some much needed sleep.  I've always known that I would need to transition her back to the crib, but I was really worried about it.  Everyone kept telling me how hard it was going to be to do since we had started co-sleeping.  I read all the sleep books...No-Cry Sleep Solution, Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, The Sleep Easy Solution, and I've started another one by Dr. Ferber on sleep problems.  Well a month ago, I heard about the Sleep Easy Solution and decided I would read yet another book.  That one had a DVD as well.  (Note: The DVD is super appealing because that helps me get Shaun on board.  As with the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD, it got him up to speed on the methods we were going with without him having to read the book.)  We watched it a few weeks ago and I was ready to start.  The Cliff Notes version of the method is: Step 1: Follow nighttime routine doing the same things in the same order each night to signal that it is bedtime.  Step 2: Lay baby in crib awake (essential, so that baby learns to fall asleep in the crib rather than in your arms.  Step 3: Say goodnight and leave (despite crying).  Step 4: If crying persists, go and check in 5 minutes.  Reassure her with kind words and without touching, then leave within 30 seconds.  Step 4: If crying persists, do the same thing at 10 minutes, then repeat every 15 minutes after that until sleeping.  When I was pregnant and for the first 6 months or so, I had said I would not do the CIO (cry it out) method because I had read the negatives about it.  This is a modified CIO. 

Well Nicole was apparently really ready for this transition because 3 nights in and she is already sleeping like a champ.  Night 1: The total time took 43 minutes.  Night 2, the total time was 16 (without any checks because she had calmed herself down and didn't need me going in and upsetting her).  Night 3, the total time was 13 minutes.  She is out like a light.  She still wakes once to eat, but then falls back asleep.  I hate to be so optimistic that all our sleep issues are solved, but this is significant progress and I'm super excited about it.  Once the doc says we can night wean her, we will cut out that feeding (he said to keep it up until her weight increases a little more, if she wants to).   

Reflecting on the process, I'm disappointed that I didn't start it sooner.  It bothers me that I let other people's judgment and "advice" scare me into avoiding this process.  I'm a little sad that my little cuddle bug doesn't need me to get to sleep anymore, but I know we are both better off this way.  My advice to others, "do what works best for you in your situation."  Co-sleeping worked for us and it didn't do "permanent damage" to her as some people told me it would if I let it go on too long.  To my friends that have been so supportive through this process, thank you.  Hopefully in a few weeks, I will no longer be the walking zombie that I have become due to lack of sleep :oP