Gino's Paradise

After being cooped up in the house for a few weekends in a row we decided to get out and explore Tbilisi a bit more.  We had heard a lot about the indoor water park, Gino's Paradise. 

We've taken Mara to indoor water parks when she was younger and she seemed to enjoy it.  We were excited now that she was older to see what she thought.  

Once changed we headed into the park.  It was set up in four distinct sections.  There was a children's play center with water pipes and slides, a large pool for the older crowd, a pirate ship and water slides. 

We of course thought she would love the children's area....NOT.  All the slides and water everywhere terrified her.  She wouldn't go on the jungle gym or even sit in the water with us.  In fact she spent the entire time we were in that area with her hands over her ears because it was too loud!

She seemed to calm down when we went to the older area.  It was quieter and she could sit on the steps with us.  My girl isn't that adventurous!  

We spent the next few hours jumping from that pool to the pirate ship.  At some point Madeline fell asleep and I sat down on a bench to just hold her.  We wrapped up our day with a little lunch in their snack area and a trip down the big slide for Josh!

Overall it's a fun place!  They have a whole outdoor area that wasn't open due to the weather that we have to explore! I think we'll definitily be back in the future hopefully when Mara has a little more confidence in the water and maybe a few swimming lessons under her belt!

Madeline-3 Months

Weight: You are a big girl!  I'm not sure your exact measurements but I'd say you're likely pushing 15 pounds.  No idea how long you are but I still think you have a longer torso like your mama!

Health: Nothing major to report here.  You received a second round of shots at the beginning of this month and handled it well.  You got the first in your pneumonia series.  We go back for your second DTaP next month.  You seem to be getting a small sty like the rest of the family had a month ago.  We've started putting ointment on it to make sure it doesn't blow up like your sisters but it's weird that you've had this delayed reaction.

You sometimes get a red and slightly bloody crease in your neck.  Gosh girl all those rolls collect Mama's milk and then it gets crusty.  I feel so bad when I discover it.  Maybe we don't bathe you enough?

Social: You are so social.  This month you have exhibited some of the first signs of stranger danger especially when it is in the evening.  You just want Mama in crowds.  Otherwise you are still my happy smiley little girl!

You're such a joy in the mornings when we come to get you up.  You flash the biggest smile when you hear one of our voices and then spend the next 30 minutes talking to us.

Diet: All breast milk.  All the time!

Clothes: You are entirely in 3 month clothing and actually almost need to transition to 3-6 month things.  We are thankfully not experiencing any issues with seasonal pieces.  I expect that as you grow some of your sister's things that are winter won't get used again as we head into the summer months.

Your cloth diapers are fitting well on the lowest snap setting now and with Mara out of diapers we have officially snapped all of them down!  At night we still do a size 2 diaper (diapers run one size bigger here)

Mama's Favorites: I love our morning snuggles and that you are practically sleeping through the night (say what?!)!

Crying: You've started to have a fussy session at night as I prepare dinner.  Lately you've been ready for bed a little after 7 as compared to your 8/8:30 hour a few weeks ago.  I think we just need to accept this and get you into bed then.

You also really love it when people talk to you so when we've set you down places and haven't you get a bit fussy.

Sleep: Ah my sleeping child.  Lately you go to bed around 7:30 and sleep till I wake you for your dream feed anywhere from 11-12.  You nurse for a bit on one side then drift easily back asleep.  This last week, more often than not, you sleep through the night waking for good around 7.  Sometimes if I'm up at 5 or 6 I can sneak in and give you another dream feed which will hold you over till 9.

Naps are great too.  You are still on the 1.5 awake schedule.  Those 45 minute naps have started to consolidate into three solid ones.  You go to sleep about 1.5 hours after you wake and sleep for about 1.5 hours.  Then it's eat and play for another 1.5 hour before nap two.  It's this constant schedule till bedtime.  Since Mara never was on a schedule, I really appreciate you putting yourself on one girl ;)

This Week: This week was pretty slow as we were potty training your bigger sister.  You were so patient with mommy as we spent a lot of time waiting for your sister to go.  We also spent time at an indoor fun place where you hung out and slept in mama's arms.

Baby Likes: You are really content in the jumper.  You also do great in the stroller and seem to really love the car.  I still can't convince you that baby wearing is great but we will change this in the future I'm sure.  I already can't wait to put you on my back in the ergo.

Milestones: You have moved into your jumper and are super content in it for long stretches of time.  Unfortunately Mommy broke the trim trying to move it one handed so need to get that fixed.  While it's broken the jumper is out of commission.

Best of Times: Sleep, sleep, sleep


Worst of Times: The fussy times before bed.  It's stressful with daddy just getting home and trying to get dinner on the table.

Sister Diaries: Mara is still doing great with you.  She loves to come say hello to you in the mornings and gets really concern when you fuss.  She's also been great about "entertaining" you when we ask her too.  I can't wait till you guys can really play together.  We went to a play place and I put you on the other side of the see saw.  You giggled and laughed and Mara really loved it.

For comparison Mara at 3 months!  oh my gosh my girls are twins...

Potty Training

We briefly attempted potty training with Mara in January.  Madeline was barely two weeks old and Josh was gone for the weekend.  Needless to say it was udder failure.  She didn't want to.  I didn't want to.  After 1.5 days of pee on the floor and a newborn, Mara ended up back in diapers.

We've been thinking about doing it again but just hadn't jumped in with both feet until last Wednesday.  Mara caught sight of some Minnie Pull-ups that I had and in toddler fashion just had to wear them.  Skeptical I told her those were only for when she went on the potty and asked if she'd like to try.  She said yes!  (huge news in this house)  So still not believing anything would come of this, I sat her on the potty.  Low and behold after a few minutes she went.  I was true to my word and put her in the pull-ups.

The rest of our day consisted of lots of talk about keeping Minnie dry and trying to go on the potty.  Although Wednesday was the day that got the ball rolling I'd label Friday as our all in day.  I started talking it up on Thursday and then announced as of Friday morning no more diapers.  We rolled up the carpets in our house and got the potty chair within reach.

Friday was spend on the potty.  We set up a timer.  20 minutes off and 5 minutes on.  At first this didn't seem to resonate with Mara.  I know most parents will recommend loading up on fluids but Mara doesn't like juice and will seriously only drink so much water in a day.  We just kept offering it to her whenever we could and played drinking games (you drink when I drink lol).

Nap time came and I pulled out the pull-ups again.  Up until now she had not successfully gone potty in the potty.  I talked about how it's important to keep Minnie dry and she nodded.  Bless her she did and went for the first time that day right after her nap.  The rest of the evening went better and our end of the day tally was 5 accidents to 4 successes!

Day 2 was for the most part a breeze.  We kept the 20 minutes off and 5 on schedule (with the help of our kitchen timer) and she managed to only have 2 accidents all day.  I was extremely proud of her because that night we loaded up, potty and all, and went to a friends house for dinner.

Sunday was the easiest even with church in the morning.  We again lugged that potty, which was good because we did have to use it.  By this time we were letting her wear panties at home.  My mom bought her some Minnie panties and she was so excited to have them.  Our old sediment of keep minnie dry was working.

So here we are on Wednesday, 6 days later and were doing it!  Except for last night she has even been dry through all nights and naps!  Today I am finally seeing her control as I have extended the timer time.  She basically pees immeaditily after sitting now.  We have also done a few of the exclusive number 2's so I think we're rocking and rolling.

Potty training was super stressful for me in concept.  With a young baby, I was baffled as to how I was going to monitor a toddler at the same time.  Once I just did it I was surprised at how manageable it was especially with my timer system.  Mara also really got into our sticker reward system and now gets to pick out a special prize since she filled her chart.  We're now working on a new number 2 chart!

I am thankful that we waited as long as we did.  They say when they are ready, it's easy.  And it has been.  Mara still fights a little about sitting when we have to pull her away from playing but her control and ability to use the toilet is great now.

Next steps...master the public toilet and telling mommy and daddy when she has to go!

Easter

Easter was a low key holiday for us.  Josh was away in the states so it was just the girls and I here in Georgia.  The night before I gave the girls their Easter baskets mainly because we were about to have a bath and they contained bath toys.  The other reason was I didn't want to do it before church because I knew we would be rushed to get out of the door.

Mara was really into her basket this year and loved pulling all the little things out of it.  She seem to really appreciate the gifts and loved her Little ponies and new bath toys.  Madeline was just happy to watch her big sister and be part of the action.

On Easter Sunday we got dressed in our Sunday best and headed to church.  The girls had matching outfits which I made and just adored.  Hopefully I can do this more often in the future.  I love my girls to match!!

After service we went to lunch with the pastor and his family.  They have become dear friends and it was so kind of them to treat me and the girls to lunch.  Mara loves their girls and had a blast with them at the restaurant

 

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Our holiday concluded with a small egg hunt I set up after nap time that day.  I hid about 30 eggs around the living room/dining room and let Mara go to town.  She loved it.  She especially loved the M & M's I put in the eggs.  She stopped to shake, open and eat with each egg so the whole finding egg process took a bit!

The Easter festivities didn't end there as the embassy put on a hunt and special day for the kids the Saturday afterwards.  I had a book party with Usborne but Josh and the girls were able to attend.  I think they all had a good time!  Mara got to hunt more eggs, get her face painted and stick too many stickers!

Mara-2.5 years

Well our first born is now officially closer to 3 than she is to 2!  She is all toddler testing us at every stage and still trying to find her boundries.  At first we were trying to count with her and if we got to 1 (from 5) then she received a spanking (on her hand) when she disobeyed.  This didn't seem to get us very far.  She usually obeyed when the counting started but thought it was funny or even laughed when she got spanked.  We've recently tried taking away her beloved stuffed animals.  This seems to have more effect.  She gets one warning and then the next time it's taken away.  The animal stays away for one whole day.

I know this is a trying time in her little head.  So many emotions and thoughts.  They grow so much developmentally at this age.  Between the fits and screams I try to fit in a lot of cuddles and praise.

She still is very physical with her affection.  In the mornings and before bed she needs to hold hands and pinch elbows.  I don't know where she got this elbow thing but it frankly drives me nuts.  The only time I let her do it is right before her nap in the afternoon.  Then it's hands off for me!  I know it's a comfort thing for her but it makes me want to crawl out of my skin.  Josh doesn't mind it as much and when my mom and aunt visited they enjoyed it. lol

On that note we had my mom and aunt Mary visit about a month ago.  They stayed with us for two weeks and it was amazing.  Mara had a constant play mate in one or the other and was seriously upset when she woke the morning they left to find them gone.  We filled their visits with lots of fun trips to play around the city visiting the malls and indoor play areas.  We did a few sight seeing things but mainly focused on spending quality time with the girls.

Mara's vocabulary is expanding although she is still hesitant to say some letters and sounds.  This is so like her as she never did any skill (walking, crawling, etc.) until she could perfect it.  I'm waiting for run on sentences to just come out of her mouth.  Some new words she's added: kitty, cow, cat, help, play, sheep, buddy, blue, red, yellow, owl.  When she can't say something you better know her sign for it because it's a language all of it's own!

She's really into music lately.  She still has us sing to her at night and some of her favorites include: Clap your hands, the Ariel song, Row your boat, Old McDonald, Cinderella, the daddy song, bingo was his namo, Down by the station, etc.  She is really picky about which songs you sing or listen to in the car sometimes screaming until you put on the requested one.

These past few months we've discovered some princesses.  Before this it was all Minnie all the time but now Cinderella, Ariel and Mulan have come into the picture with Cinderella being the favorite currently.  She also really loves the movies: The Elf, Cheaper by the Dozen and Shrek.

Mara is obsessed with her stuff animals.  Her favorites are Moo, Baby Neigh, Puppy, Minnie, Kitty and Ballerina Bear.  Her doctor kit is pretty popular in terms of toys and also her easel and trampoline.  We've started to rotate her toys weekly and it seems to keep them more fresh and her engaged with them longer.

Mara got her first haircut in February.  She was getting a rat's tail and I had high hopes that the hair dresser could do something with it.  Nope.  Basically my girl just got a bowl cut.  It's already grown out at least an inch since then and getting longer by the day.  Poor girl has the thinnest hair.  Virtually impossible to do anything with.

Lastly, I want to mention how much she loves her sister.  She has been nothing but loving and sweet to Maddy.  She always says, "Hi Sissy!"  Insists that her name is Baby Sissy and won't hear you calling her Maddy or Madeline.  She thinks all baby pictures in the house are Madeline and will not believe that they were her or that she was once that small.  She shares her toys and things willingly and loves to run into Maddy's room in the morning to greet her!

Overall Mara is a joy.  Yes the two's have been a struggle but we're loving her through it and rejoicing in the good days.  Mara girl I can't wait to see what the next three months bring.  I'm sure as we get closer to 3 you are going to become more and more a little girl and less my baby.  I love this stage and can't wait to see what it brings!

Madeline-10 Weeks

Weight: I got on the scale with you and you weigh a hefty 13 pounds!

Health: Nothing negative to report here!  You've been healthy as a clam with only a few fussy periods to report.  I changed my diet a bit (cut out sugar) and you seemed to be going through with drawl too.  I felt bad that you had to feel that too!

Social: So social! You found your voice and will talk to anyone who will listen.  It's so cute because you just go on and on.  You love to smile and are happy 95% of the time! Today our house keeper really got you laughing and you had the cutest belly laughs!

Diet: All breast milk.  All the time!

Clothes: You are almost completely in 3 month clothing.  Within 2 weeks you were done with your 0-3 and we were packing them away.  In disposables here you are in size 2 (I think disposables here run one size bigger than the US) but we have switched you to cloth so this doesn't matter much now.

Mama's Favorites: Love your little voice and all the "stories" you have to tell!

Crying: You've had a few fussy moments which I think are because of my diet change but other than that you've been great.  You still only cry when you are hungry and overtired.

Sleep: You are still on the same schedule for night.  You go to bed around 9.  I "wake" you for a dream feed anywhere from 11-12 then you wake anywhere from 5-6 for another feeding.  At 9 you're up for the day.

You naps have been hit and miss.  You've started the 45 minute naps which I think has something to do with the sleep cycles and you not being able to put yourself to sleep.  Now instead of three naps a day we have about 5. Going to try to see what this is about and how to get you sleeping through that cycle.

This Week: This was our first week completely on our own.  Grandma and Aunt Mary left and daddy was away in the states.  We kept it low key though and were mainly at home.  The days we were out and about you were a trooper!

Baby Likes: When you have someone to talk to.  You also like the ergo and being outside.  There's tons to look at and you like your perch from the carrier.  You also like sleeping in your own bed.  You're not to keen on falling asleep much anywhere else.

Milestones: We heard your first belly laugh this week.  We also moved you into cloth diapers.

Best of Times: The laughs and nights (love my sleep!)


Worst of Times: The few fussy days we had with the diet shift.

Sister Diaries: Mara has been a tad jealous when you need immediate attention.  I usually try to put her needs first as she doesn't quite understand.  BUT when you have to eat you come first!  Otherwise she is still as in love with you as ever before.  Her new thing is to do an impression of you when you cry.  It's kind of cute!

Tot School-Grocery Store

This week our theme was grocery store!  This was the first week after my mom and aunt left.  Josh was also back in the states so I gave myself a lot of grace and we did as much as we could.

On Monday we focused on fruit.  I gave Mara a do a dot to work on while I made breakfast this morning.  This time I put letters in the circles instead of giving her a marker.  I then peeled matching letter stickers and asked her to match the letters.  She did awesome!  I wasn't able to actually make breakfast while she was doing this as she needed help but it was a win!

During Madeline's morning nap we focused on fine motor skills and more matching.  I had fruit cards set out for her and asked her to clip a clothespin on the cooresponding card.  We then found that piece of fruit in her play fruit pile and put it on it's picture in one of our Usborne books.  Seemed like a long activity but she really enjoyed it.  Later in the evening she pulled out all the pieces of this activity and repeated it on her own :)

I recently got Mara this game called Avalanche.  It's a very simple game yet still a little advanced for her.  We had fun "playing" it and practicing using tweezers to remove the fruit carefully from the stand.

This day we also did some fingerprint art in one of our favorite Usborne books, Fingerprint activities.  I love this book as there is usually one page for every theme we do!

Tuesday we bascially repeated ourselves but with vegetables!!  I gave her another do a dot letter match in the morning and at naptime we tackled the veggies.  She did this one much faster than the fruit and really seemed to get the hang of it.

The rest of our day was spent with pretend play and lots of cooking in her kitchen.

Wednesday we headed to a play group with friends and didn't get to do any totschool.

Thursday we decided to hit up the real thing and make a trip to the grocery store.  I have had so many offers to keep the girls while I shop since Josh is away but I braved it with both so we could turn this into a learning experience.  As we shopped we talked about each section and what kinds of food you would find here.  It was really fun to listen to Mara as we strolled the aisles.

Next week we will be talking all about Occupations!  We'll be mainly looking at community workers such as policemen, firefighters, and mailmen but we'll also throw in doctors and farmers!  I'm excited to put some of her toys into play here!