Transition... Can adding one to one be that hard?

Yes... It really can. I was talking with a friend of mine who is another mom in transition - from one child to two - and the trend seems to be going from zero to one is hard, going from one to two can be like trying to move mountains and after that it's a breeze. I cannot speak of the breeze part yet but the mountains around our house can be quite large at times.

I think that bath nights ate the most difficult right now. Once the girls can be tossed in the tubbies together I imagine it will be a lot easier.

I know that I am part of the mountain though. I can get frustrated with E quickly because I expect more from her - even though I should not. When I look at her especially when she is asleep I see this big girl who I struggle to pick up compared to little peanut R. But I have to keep reminding myself that E is still a baby well a toddler and deserves to be treated like one - expectations just not super high expectations.

Fortunately my mother in law and my mom have given us a break but at the end of most days parenting for 2 is a game changer. I have no idea how twin parents survive but they do so I know even our most difficult days are really not as challenging as we think

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

E has given a whole new meaning to this rhyme. This is her post nap sitting with all the contents of her crib. The past couple nights at bedtime she has emptied the crib and started bouncing or jumping in the crib but then is horribly upset when she does not have her Nini!

Tonight I took pity on her and put her pajamas back on - she took them off- and reloaded the crib. Let's just say the monkeys are all still in bed with the Queen Monkey for now.

We survived!

Today was a big day in our house. I went back to the office officially - I had been a few times in the past two weeks to check in on some things but today was official.

I did not get up as early as I should have but no biggie. E had breakfast I got the bags organized with diapers, cups, snacks, nursing cover etc... Got everyone dressed, shoes on, bags plus bouncy seat, nursing pillow loaded in the car, babies loaded all only 9 minutes behind my target schedule! I was frustrated leaving the house but looking back that us pretty darn good for the first day!

E went to MMO no problems. R survived the first day at the office. I lugged more junk around than I thought possible - it does not help I work on the second floor but whatever. R was strapped in the sock otherwise known as the Beco - can we say lifesaver???

I know I will be investing in another bouncy seat or two - one for each place of work. Also in the coming weeks I will see if another pack and play is necessary. I hate to have lots of baby stuff in the one office I share with my boss because it's his office too. I'll have to see how that plays out.

Notes: I need to be dressed before the girls get out if bed.

Traveling as a fam of 4

What is it like traveling as a family of 4? Hmmm... Can we say thank goodness for Lands End tote bags? I looked around my parents house when we stayed with them and all I can see is piles of our stuff! E's diaper bag, clothes bag, new bows from Grammy, and toys. R's diaper bag, clothes bag, new clothes in the laundry room from Grammy that she washed, bouncy seat, car seat, nursing pillow, blankets, presents from my 2nd mom (it's a long story : ). My junk. Lee's stuff. Our little piles are everywhere!

It is insane how much stuff we drag around - much to my brother/sister-in laws delight! I'll have to post a pic of Lee loaded down with bags just for their amusement.

On a lighter note since both I and my bro were home you can bet there were Famous Amos cookies in the pantry for us to raid. I LOVE coming home to that - among other things. I think he had been in the box first because the bag was definitely not rolled up tightly.

Nursing and a toddler...

A. I know this post will not be of interest to everyone so sorry... I just had to make it because I've been thinking about it. Please skip if you don't want to read about the thrills of nursing

I was flipping through the recent Parents magazine when I saw a disappointing stat about breast feeding and hospitals. The vast majority of hospitals do not have good breast feeding support for mothers between a lactation consultant and support groups. Maybe I was taking that for granted because the Wil-town hospital has both. Anyways point of the article was to make sure your hospital has good support if you choose to breast feed your child - which I can tell you from experience is sooooo imporante!

R and I were supposed to go to our nursing mothers meeting at the hospital yesterday. R had other plans as that she screams her eyeballs out the first 5 min of the trip and the 5 min it took to get home. Did I mention I think we should have moved closer to Wilson? I decided I could not listen to the howling for 35 min so we missed out! I was super bummed because it is so important for moms to talk about babies and all the drama-rama that is motherhood.

I had a couple concerns about breast feeding número 2 and I wanted to get other mamas takes on it before E came along but I did not make it to a meeting. Fortunately when R and I went in to follow up with the lactation consultant she was able to help me out with how to talk to or teach an inquisitive toddler about breast feeding.

1. Should I wear a nursing cover just around the house when E us around?

Answer, which made perfect sense - you are teaching/showing E something perfectly normal. Now that I think about it I would not cover up R if she was getting a bottle so why cover up if nursing? Granted, I definitely cover in public and if there are guys around or if there are women who are not comfortable or if I think it will be a distraction.

2. What do you call nursing?

Who the heck wants to get into an anatomy lesson with a less than two yr old???? No thanks. Yeah so definitely stole the solution from the lactation consultants daughter - E is now totally on board with Mimi when she sees R nursing. We have left it at that for now since she is okay with that terminology.

Just for speculation sake I imagine it might be different if E was a boy I think I might be more inclined to cover up ...

New stocking project

R and I ventured out to get the supplies her Christmas stocking. I am really excited about it. It's from the same book as E's but it's got about half the colors. Looking at the colors they are much bolder and brighter than E's. I'm not sure when I will start yet hopefully by the end of thus month and depending on how fast it goes maybe be done by Christmas? I am not guaranteeing anything...

Dirty Toes

E has started cleaning the lint from our between her toes. I have no idea why I find it so comical... But trust it is

Cousins!

Who does not love cousins? E and R got to see all their cousins yesterday. I have great memories of family get togethers with my cousins and I know E and R will too!

E and her dressing habits...

E has taken up an interest in getting herself dressed. This is what it looks like

Yankee Candle Giveaway...

Okay so I am finally ready to make things interesting... I am going to do a giveaway.

What's at stake?

- A small Yankee Candle tumbler

How it will work?

- I want to get your option about what the next scent of the month should be so I'll do a poll. The question is what does April smell like to you? Voting for the April scent will start March 1 and end March 31. Winner will be selected at random based on the number of the comment on the voting post. The winner will receive a tumbler of the most popular scent - not necessarily the scent that they chose.

Why?

- Yankee Candle is not supplying me with the candle. I am simply doing this for fun and I am purchasing the candle with money from ads on the blog.

DYI - The Kitchen

Probably more like DY - Lee but whatever!

So I have not done a post on a house tour but trust me - there is some work to be done - eventually. Lee and I enjoy talking about what we'd like to do but honestly major renos are likely not the in the cards for a while or will happen in small bits over time. Since this is our forever house when we see something we like we are flagging it in magazines or taking a screen grab so we can remember.

Also our DVR is set for pretty much every HGTV home so we have seen some amazing ideas. To kick this process off I figured I start with the kitchen.

Basically we have dark wood cabinets and molding. Floor is not an issue but the kitchen as laminate and dining area is carpet (horrible horrible idea) so we'll be doing hardwoods for sure. When Lee and I were brainstorming - which we do often - we thought that stainless steel would look strange or would not go. However we were watching an HGTV show and saw dark wood with blackish granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances - it looked AMAZING!!! We are not totally sold on in but here is what we think our options are:

1. Lighter sandstone granite countertops with copper undertones (similar to the kitchen in our rental) with black appliances.
2. Darker black granite countertops with silver or white undertones with stainless steel appliances

Other kitchen notes:

1. There is a massive set of cabinets that separates the kitchen from the dining area that MUST go - or at least moved into the laundry room
2. I would LOVE to have the microwave mounted over the stove
3. The fridge should have the third door easy access option
4. The stove needs to be flat electric surface because I think Lee is learning that cleaning burners is a bummer
5. If the oven was a small stacked double that would be excellent - especially for Lee and his baking
6. The dishwasher needs to not be from the 90s. I really miss the dishwasher that is at the rental because I seriously think that I could fit twice as many dishes - ask Lee I am an excellent space finder in the dishwasher because I don't like washing dishes : )

Papa and his girls

So cute! Watch out boys you are going to have to get past this Papa bear...

Wilson... The town we did not move to...

When Lee and I discussed moving location was clearly at the top of the list. We both love Wilson because it's got a nice small town feel with good restaurants and schools. However when it came down to it Wilson is a 20 min commute to RMT where we both work and not that closer to Raleigh where we go to church. So it was out.

Today R and I ventured to Wil- town to go to meet with the hospital lactation consultant - who is Amazing - and then I remembered how much I missed Wilson. We also went to the consignment store there because I need some semi-winterish dress cloths for R for when we go to church. No luck though but not surprising as they just changed to the summer season last week and all the fall winter clothes were super picked through. Though I did find E a new pair of black shoes after she destroyed her old pair while riding her 'cycle'

Two sleeping girls

No lie they are resting simultaneously and it's not even E's night night time. Remedies for under two conjestion? E has a cough and clear runny nose

Happy valentide Day

That's how E was saying it earlier : ) Feeling overwhelmed by all the love in our house as a fam of 4. I won't lie teared up as I was signing everyone's cards... Thank you preggo hormones!

I need to post pics from the camera. here is our valentines day traditional cupcakes - yellow cake chocolate frosting of course. Tried out some Wilton heart shaped cupcake tins and they overall worked well

R has a Nini too

Yesterday we were spoiled by family and friends!

1. My mother in law spent the day cooking and helping with the girls. She cooked my all time fab chicken pastry - yes you should be jealous.
2. Super great family friend gave R her very own Nini and hat and bunting bag. E is obsessed with her Nini. She will only suck her thumb when she has her finger in her Nini. She gave R's a try but then promptly ran and got hers.
3. R's godmother came by and brought her a little cross for her room.
4. My parents came up and brought some tasty Martin Grad party food.
5. Uncle Kevin came by on his way back to the coast.
6. Other great fan friends visited us in the hospital and gave R some temp appropriate clothes - it is 2.5 degrees here!

I think E is enjoying the benefits of R getting showered with new things because she has added at least 5 new animals to her collection.

Things with R have been going well she loves to sleep and occasionally eat.

The sisters

E was not too interested in R this morning, but happily gave her a pink bear and even shared her bow with R

Introducing RRK

Well she, yes another Kibbe girl, - it's absolutely unheard - of made her entrance at 6:05 pm today. RRKweighed in at 7 lbs 12 oz. E and R are 21 months to the day apart. The sisters should meet tomorrow sometime. E will soon find out new baby does not live in her carseat.

More pics and details to come!

E and her Papa

Accessorizing to the max... Hair band, scarf, and Peruvian pullover : )

Happy Friday!

And no there is no new baby yet but I thought last night we'd be making a dash to the hospital... Clearly that did not happen

Scent of the Month

Hit up the local Hallmark to get our February Yankee Candle situated. I really have not burned any candles since before Christmas. I did not really get into the Balsam scented candle because we did not have tree to complement it - bitter, yes most definitely!

I was slightly skeptical about any Valentine's Day scents because I imagined them to be pungent and overpowering but True Rose was a major surprise. It is very subtle in fact. Now the YCs sit on the mantle but the smell makes it back to our bedroom which is the furthest room away from the candle on the downstairs - so I am impressed.

I don't know why I like having a smell around the house. Maybe its a pregnancy thing but I always remember smells from places - like the smell of a friends house that I promise you smelled like syrup for years or the Guatemalan countryside - try putting that in a jar YC!

Open House?!?!!!

Today I attended my first Open House - yes for my child's school. WHAT??? Can we say identity crisis - yes please. Open Houses are for older people, right? I mean I'm 25 and I have a child who requires an Open House? Its very strange and I really don't know what to think... Maybe I'm being dramatic but seriously I am 2 hours away from my due date so let me have my drama-rama time!

I am really excited for E starting preschool next fall because she is just a sponge! She takes in everything around her. She has pretty good social skills already. She loves to color so I bet she will love to do crafts - there were some super cute art projects on the walls. The kids go to music and art - E is going to LOVE IT.

Kitchen Reno to Landlords

It was about a year ago this week I chronicled the ups and downs of our kitchen reno on the blog-o-licous blog. Its hard to believe that is what we were doing a year ago. It is hard to believe that we finally got the kitchen just the way we wanted it and we moved out 10 months later!

Speaking of the old house - well I guess I can say the Rental House - we got it rented. Excellent! Our Realtor who helped us with the new house handles rentals too so we'll be officially landlords on 2/15. I am excited and nervous. Hopefully nothing will go majorally wrong with appliances and the house. Lee is getting the last minute things wrapped up - painting, moving the spa and the Bobcat - so everything is almost a go.

I'll keep you posted on the awesome-ness of Landlord-ship...

Making the FFA proud

Went to check in on E because our avid reader can have some dangerous books in the way of a long night sleep. Apparently she is reading up on her tractors and I think the Future Farmers of America would be quite proud.

Confession - secretly when we buy our family farm I want Lee to have his John Deere green tractor and I want a pink one!

Goodnight. : )

T-Minus 2 days...

Well baby day should only be 2 days from now. We survived not going into labor during the SuperBowl - I even resisted holding a brand new baby on Superbowl Sunday just so that would not land us in the hospital! E was 5 days late and after my doctor appt yesterday it does not sounds like this baby is coming anytime soon. Now if we can just make it through my parents Marti Gras party on Saturday - there is a guest from Japan coming that is how big this party is! - then we'll be good to go!

This is how my conversations of recent have gone...

"How are you doing"
 Me - "Still pregnant"

"How are you feeling"
Me - "Round"

Can you tell I am slightly over this whole being 39.5 weeks preggo thing? My doctor said he would induce me today if I wanted but I told him I needed a medical reason not that I just did not want to be pregnant anymore. So we wait...

Tractors!

Played hooky with everyone from work and went to the Southern Farm Show in Raleigh-world to support the equipment division. E had a grat time checking out the tractors

Entirely too much fun and a nap would not be complete with the NiNi

Belco Resources - How may I help you?

E and Nani racing in the stroller.

Fast Fact - Y - Y - Y, Why do I, do I LOVE Y!

Confession - Last night Lee and I watched one of E's favorite YouTube videos without her. Some of the Sesame Street videos she likes to watch are honestly pretty annoying but this one is definitely worth a watch but watch out the song will get stuck in your head and the Y guy is really cute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qGHh0_6Xbc&feature=related