Catching Up!

The countdown is officially on!! We get the new house in 17 days! We have 3 more days before we leave for vacation, then we get the new house the day after we get back! We couldn't be more excited, or more ready, to get out of the RV!!!

But, between the beach, park, and coding Grandma and Grandpa, we have been keeping ourselves busy and occupied! The girls have been sick with a summer cold for the past 10 days, but at least they are getting it out of the way before vacation. 

Charlie Dawn: 10 Months

We are currently sitting on an airplane, flying to Ontario for a 2 week vacation. YAY! Hopefully it goes smoothly for us, traveling with a 3.5 year old and a now 10 month old! Palmer did well on her previous flights, so I'm hoping Charlie's first time on a plane goes equally as well! If not, 4 hours could seem like 8! 

But, here we are, just two short months away from my baby being one! I can't believe I'm even saying that! Where did the past 10 months go? 

STATS:

I still don't know her exact weight, but she seems to have slimmed out now that she is crawling and cruising way more. I'm thinking maybe 23lbs? 

She is still in size 3 diapers and wearing clothes ranging from 9-18 months. 

SLEEP:

Sleep has been going much better. We seem to have gotten ourselves into a good routine. Bed time goes smoothly. Naps are usually good too; we are lucky and get one long nap and one shorter nap every day. Once we move into our new house on the 13th, I will finish our sleep training. She's gotten into the habit of waking at 5am. I try to rock her back, but I cave and feed her because it's easy. I'm just happy she sleeps from 7:30 or 8 until 5! 

EATING

Charlie is still a boob girl! I'm trying to cut back, but we are still at usually 6 feeds a day. She's eating most of the same things we do (chicken, pasta, eggs, fruit, etc) Some of her favorites are cheese, yogurt, and eggs. We need to start introducing a bottle soon though, for when I start back at work on August 29.

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT

Girl is nearly walking. I think being in the trailer in the limited amount of space has made it difficult for her to practice, but she's all over the place, cruising and standing on her own when she has the space. 

She has discovered the stairs and loves to climb them. Problem is, she gets up and can't get down! 

Sweet girl now has 6 teeth! She cut 3 teeth in 3 days, and now she's got a mouthful! Besides a snotty nose, it didn't phase her too much, which is perfect, cuz that could have made for some pretty miserable times! 

She's learned how to clap her hands and squeal when you say "YAY" and Palmer is so proud because she taught her that!

She's starting to make a lot more sounds, but no words yet. I'll have to look back and see how old Palmer was when she said her first words. 

BIG SISTER:

Palmer is happy that Charlie actually plays with her now. Problem is, big sister isn't so keen on sharing, or she's taking Charlie's toys to show her how to play! Ha! Such is the life of a big sister, I guess! But in all seriousness, watching them play together is so sweet! Palmer knows how to make Charlie laugh. 

Our Whitefish Mini Vacation

A couple weeks ago, we packed up the family and took off to one of my favourite places ever, Whitefish, MT.  I always love going there because, first of all, it is such a beautiful place. Being surrounded by mountains, the most beautiful scenery and fresh mountain air just refreshes a person instantly. Secondly, there are so many great family activities to do all year round. The only bad thing I can think about it is that it is a 5 hour drive away from us!

We spent 5 nights there in my inlaws RV. Although I wasn't excited about vacationing in an RV when we have been living in one, it wasn't that bad because we spent our entire day outside. Between beaches and playing on the water and bike riding around the quaint little town or going for ice cream, our days were jam packed, yet at the same time, we did a lot of relaxing. 

Our mornings were slow, sipping coffee with mountains and forest as the back drop. Afternoons were spent by the water; whether the beach, seadooing on the lake, or the waterpark. And in the evenings, we all enjoyed a few cocktails, lounging around the fire and taking in the amazing scenery, with the sounds of fireworks going off nearly every night. 

I didn't have my camera or phone out as much as I would have hoped, but I'm ok with that because I was able to take in every moment with the girls and Mitchell. Being disconnected is a great refresher and is totally needed once in awhile. Even though I didn't capture it in a photo, I will always remember Charlie stepping foot in the fresh mountain water fed lake for the first time, Palmer riding the sea-doo and the smile on her face, biking to Sweet Peaks for ice cream, and Palmer seeing fireworks for the first time.

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Docking Our Tot For Sleep!

When we had Charlie, we dreamt she would be as good of a sleeper as Palmer was, and for a few months, that dream was a reality. Then, 4.5 months hit and we were in for a rude awakening. The dreaded four month sleep regression hit us hard. Charlie went from sleeping 12 hours through the night to waking every 2-3 hours. Hoping it was just a phase, and it wouldn’t last long, I went ahead and fed her every time she woke. It was easy. It worked. She ate, and we all went back to sleep (for a couple hours anyways.)

Fast forward a few months, and we were still waking multiple times in the night to feed. I knew I had to put an end to this habit I had formed with Charlie. If we had been living in a house, I would’ve put a stop to it much sooner, but with our current living arrangements (living in our RV) I kept putting it off. Making excuses, like I don’t want to wake everyone else up. Eventually, I had to try, so we came up with a modified sleep training method (not letting her cry it out, but soothing her and not feeding her through the night) in combination with testing out the DockATot. 

When we received the DoctATot in the mail, I couldn’t wait to bust it open. After all our sleeping issues, I couldn’t wait for the first nap and sleep with the DockATot Grand. We got ours in Pristine White, but there are many colours and patterns to choose from. 

To my surprise, it worked. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. I thought, how can this make my baby sleep better? DockATot is designed to essentially imitate the womb offering a safe, snug, soothing environment. Well, I don't know if it was solely that, or that combined with the timing of our sleep training, but Charlie didn't wake up for her usual one am feeding. Nor did she the next night, or the next one or the next. WINNING!

What I love about the DockATot is that it is portable, so when we are out of town, we take it, and I like that it gives Charlie a bit of consistency when we are away. The room she’s sleeping in may be different. The time we put her down may be different, but the constant of the DockATot is there, and I like to think it helps her to sleep the same as she would if we were at home. 

While we are waiting on possession of our new house, Charlie has been sleeping and napping in the play pen, and with the DockATot, the comfort level seems so much better for her. Living in our RV for 2.5 months while waiting on our new acreage isn’t easy, and poor Charlie hasn’t been able to sleep in her own crib, so the DockATot makes her sleeping arrangement much better, in my opinion. And, hopefully, using the DockATot in the crib too, when we finally do get to move in, will make for a much easier transition.

Plus, how cute is she lounging on the built-in air bumpers (or pillows).

***Product was given to me in exchange for this post, but as always, all opinions are my own***

Charlie Dawn: 9 months

Nine months. Where is this time going? Now, I am less than 3 months away from going back to work. This year is flying by faster than the blink of an eye, and I know these next 3 months are going to just zip by too. I need to savour every last sweet drop of this maternity leave, and my time off with the girls. The good news is, summer has just started, sos there will be plenty of memories made and fun activities planned. In the next few months we have our Whitefish vacation (which we are currently on), Charlie's first airplane ride, and moving into our new house.

STATS:

Weight - 23lbs?

Charlie is still wearing size 3 diapers, with no sign of out growing them soon. I found Palmer wore size 3 for the longest amount of time too. Clothes - we are mostly in the 9-12 month sizes, but with the heat, she's often just in a diaper, or a swim suit, so there's that.

SLEEP: We did sleep training a couple of week ago and I'm so glad I did. It was 3 nights of a modified sleep training, and we are done feedings in the night and she's sleeping (with the exception of 2 nights ago - damn teeth) from 8pm-6am. Then she eats and sleeps again until around 8. It's glorious. She's still doing 2 naps -  a morning and an afternoon We cut out the evening nap (or have tried to anyways). It makes for a much easier bedtime. 

SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT:

- Standing on her own
- cruising
-  self feeding
- babbling a lot more (mostly a lot of MMMMM's)

FAVORITES:

baths are still a favourite around here

eating real food and feeding herself

standing

getting into things she's not suppose to

BIG SISTER: Palmer. Oh Palmer. We find ourselves repeating multiple times a day, "Palmer, don't do that." or "Palmer, stop picking up your sister." She loves her hard. Thats what we can call it. Real, hard love. She has a lot of really sweet, gentle, moments.

MY THOUGHTS: I think I don't know just how busy things are going to get. I feel like she is going to be walking really soon, and I'm sure life gets infinitely busier once that happens. But, right now, I am just enjoying these moments. This is such a fun age. She's getting so interactive and turning into her own little person. I love it.