Chinese New Year and Craziness (Sleep Regression, Mental Leap, Growth Spurt...whatever you call it) of Week 21

Dear Hailey, 

Things have been a bit crazy this week. When I thought last week was crazy with the feedings every 2 hours, you upped your game and started to fight sleep too. You seem like you are insatiable, irritable, and at times just inconsolable. 

I gave you another try at yogurt, and you absolutely love it. You will grab the spoon and immediately shove it in your mouth. If I take it away, you fuss. I've also tried letting you suck/bite on pieces of cooked asparagus and cauliflower. You seem to like the flavor of those things as well. You are definitely a foodie baby, because whenever you smell food, you want to eat. So I guess I'll just have to have something ready for you at meal times. 

 Putting you down to sleep is getting quite difficult. Sometimes I'm spending just as much time putting you down as you are staying asleep. When I walk into our bedroom with you and turn on the white noise, you immediately know it's bedtime and you start to cry. Sometimes I will nurse you until you calm down, sometimes you will suck on a pacifier for a few minutes and then calm down, but I've started to just carry you around and bounce you in the baby carrier until you get drowsy. I then put you down and you will slowly fall asleep. If I put you down too early, you will cry and protest. It took me 1.5 hours to get you to nap this morning...exhausting.

There is a silver lining, however. Starting yesterday, you have generally just been more happy. Your naps are at least 1.5 hours each and I think you've grown in length. Suddenly your 3 month onsies absolutely don't fit you anymore, so I've pulled out the 6 month clothing. 

Hopefully things start to settle down and we can start establishing a good schedule. Maybe I'll be able to leave the house and plan on being able to get things done. 

It's been frustrating for me because much of what I did with Nathan and Hannah does not work with you. Luckily I have a great arsenal of what has worked for other moms to try on you. A part of me feels like I need to parent all three of you the same way, but I'm learning, very quickly, that this is not going to happen. I pray that God will continue to remind me of this. You are each unique and have different needs. 

Dear Nathan and Hannah, 

The weather these past few days (up until today) has been amazing. 70 degree weather, cloudy days, and no more cedar pollen! So, we've been spending lots of time outside. I just had to take pictures of these colorful drawings that you guys drew on the drive way. 

Family Movie Night Backwards

Cat and the Hat along with Nick and Sally

 On Sunday, Chinese school had a Chinese New Year celebration. There was food traditionally eaten on new years,

 a photo booth where you can dress up in traditional chinese clothing,

I really wanted to get a picture of both of you looking all cute and dressed up, but Hannah was not in the mood for pictures. 

 Eventually you warmed up, but boy, getting both of you to smile at the same time sure is tough.

 There was also a station where you could try to write traditional Chinese characters for decoration. The Chinese hang pieces of red paper with auspicious words and phrases written on it in calligraphy. I remember my grandfather putting up new ones each new year.

 You guys also raced paper jumping frogs, which was super fun.

 And even participated in some traditional night market games.

 And the teachers also had prepared a Chinese version of head banz.

 And there were plenty of crafts to be made. Overall, Nathan thought it was the best day of Chinese school ever, and Hannah was happy to be able to join in on the fun.

 Recently both of you have gotten really interested in playing with your babies.

 One windy afternoon, I took all three of you out to the school fields to fly kites. It was pretty hectic for me because helping a 3 and 5 year old fly 2 kites on a small field is a lot to manage.
1) "Mom, it crashed, again! Help me!"
2) I needed to make sure you guys didn't get too close to each other.
3) There were trees to contend with.
4) I kept yelling, "Make sure the wind is on your back!"
5) Hailey

 We survived for about an hour. When kite strings started to break, kites got stuck in trees, and babies started to cry, I decided it was time to go home.

The next day, it drizzled a bit in the afternoon so you guys decided to go outside to wait for puddles to form. While you were waiting, you two were too cute and just talked.

I'm slowly starting to get the hang of coordinating the chaos of life with 3 kids, along with all the other responsibilities that I'm committed to.

Well, that's it for this week.
Until next time,
Love,
Mommy