six weeks and nineteen months

and now for a little polly and lucy update.

polly is six weeks old. she was sleepy, so sleepy, for the first month or so but now she's really woken up. she has big sparkly eyes and a little mouth that makes so many cute funny shapes. a very round head and face, round features. i always knew our babes would be round.


she is quiet and good, and seems to have an incredible gentle wisdom behind those eyes. 
she is starting to talk and coo to me quite a bit; i think she is excited to communicate.
she loves to be held in our arms, and is not fond of bouncy seat, swing, or boppy lounger like toot was. she loves to feel our skin: a cheek on her head, her hand to a chest.


she does sometimes just like to lie on her own and calmly look around, for a strangely long amount of time.

also, polly is an eye-gazer extraordinaire.


she wasn't an extremely early smiler like lucy or her cousin scout, and she doesn't smile all the time, but when she does it is so bright, it crinkles up her whole face. i have yet to capture her big huge open-mouth-wrinkled-nose-smile but it is coming more and more frequently so i'm sure i will soon!

she is not a vigorous nurser. she nurses gently and often only for a few minutes. she slips off frequently to stare, or grunt, or smile, or sleep. she burps and spits up more than lucy did too. but she is growing well so i'm not worried. i'm just learning more than ever that every baby has her own style and her own personality.




polly is wearing cloth diapers now. check out that nice big bottom!
also, she has rolled over seven times already. at first i thought it was a fluke at five weeks old, but she has done it several more times during tummy time, both fussy and not. she is a rock n'roller no doubt.


she's also getting realllly good at holding her head up.

i just adore my little bright star. waking up with her next to me in the morning is such a treat, with her beaming eyes and beautiful smile.  


speaking of smiling, lucy is 19 months old and as spunky, smiley, and gregarious as ever!
needless to say she loved valentine's day. after going nuts over the balloons at the grocery store for weeks, she was ecstatic to get her own from nana. she also loved seeing hearts everywhere and would point them out for all the world to hear: "AWT! AWT!"


She can slide down the slide all by herself now. (she used to be just a little bit nervous about it. all it took was seeing a three year old girl do it.)


she loves loves loves other kids. she is the most social person i've ever met. she likes adults too. she will reach out and touch old grannies in the grocery store and then reward them with a giant smile and wave. she just loves people. her favorite thing to do is list out the names of everyone we know. it relaxes her. 


she talks a lot these days, she probably has hundreds of words, but many of her words are indistinguishable and she can get pretty frustrated. 
she cries when i make her get out of the sandbox, when we have to leave the park, in general when it's time to go inside. she gets a little annoyed when i am nursing polly and can't immediately do what she wants. 


but usually things go pretty smoothly. while nursing polly, i try to color with toot or read to her with my free hand. she has so many favorite books that make her so happy. She squeals with delight while pointing out her favorite details. she's into Corduroy, the Berenstain Bears (especially The Bears' Vacation and the Spooky Old Tree), Bits and Pieces by Judy Schachner, 
Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow, and so many others. Recently she has taken a renewed interest in Goodnight Moon and the fun thing about that is how she points out every. tiny. detail. The kid is extremely observant; she notices things I've never noticed in all my 893 readings of it. Like the little babydoll on the shelf in the background, indeed no baby passes unnoticed.

it's nice she loves babies so much; she absolutely dotes on her own baby sister. her transitional period seems to be over and she almost never does anything too rough to the baby nowadays. she constantly gives polly the sweetest little nose kissies, bringing her face slowly and gently toward polly's and then rubbing her nose or cheek against that soft baby skin. i also notice her frequently trying to hold polly's hand in exciting moments, like while introducing new baby toys (lucy gets much more excited about this than polly).  tootie also asks to hold her, putting her hands out palms-up and saying "oh-wo, oh-wo?"
polly is generally a bit dazed by it all, but sometimes she even smiles about her sister's attentions.


other times, not so much.

lucy has become slightly more picky when it comes to food. she's always been a great eater, but i think it's normal for toddlers to begin asserting will in all areas of life. favorite foods right now are kiwi, pasta, raspberries, crackers, cheese (duh) and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. she feeds herself with both spoon and fork, but often resorts to hands. all of it messy.

lucy has become self-referential, if that makes sense. she refers to herself as "me" or "toot" which is kinda funny, i never would have dreamed that nickname would become so familiar to us all. she points at her chest with her little tapping finger and says "toot do," when she wants to do something herself or "me, me, me" when wanting to watch a video of herself (one of her favorite activities, and she watches with the hugest smile you've ever seen.)

she's very interested in the ABCs and is trying to learn to sing. she knows her colors and her favorite seems to be purple, which she says pretty perfectly. "dee" is green, "yo yo" for yellow, "beh" for red, "pee" is pink.

she's a climber, loves to ride on the edge of the couch and pretend she's on a pony, loves to climb ladders or chairs and then point to the ground and say "boo, boo." i'm not sure if she's saying she'll get a boo-boo if she falls, or she could go "boom" if she falls down.

basically my tootie is just a pure ray of light.
she's got a wild streak; she's happy; she's adaptable and loving and so smart.
she even plays practical jokes these days, like pretending to be asleep and then surprising us. she loves to shriek with laughter and loves suspense. 


two under two. i always heard that phrase but there is no way to conceptualize what it will really be like until you are doing it. for example, i didn't know and couldn't have imagined that there is no way you can leave your one year old alone with your newborn for even a second. that complicates matters like going to the bathroom or basically doing anything at all.

i've found that it's best to have no expectations from my days.
there are hard days, days when i decide that nothing is going to get accomplished besides keeping my babies and myself alive. but then there are good days; i feel like a superstar, i get laundry done and the bed made and ourselves dressed; we do some fun activities, and i might even get a little time to myself during naptime, and then i cook a nice dinner. those days are fewer and farther between, but guess what? yesterday was one, and today was too. that's a good sign. we're figuring this out and we are often having a lot of fun doing so. and to tell the truth, i'm loving life.


if you ever have questions, comments, or advice about baby-raising, i'd love to hear it all in the comments!

polly's adorable calico bonnet was made by my friend kim's mom.
lucy's vintage kercheif came in the sweetest package from tera.


Comments

Unknown said…
i think that listing all the people i know sounds like something that would calm me down too. I hope your good days to crazy days ratio just keeps improving. You mama so gracefully.
Sadie Rose said…
you ladies are THEEEE cutest! love watching this family grow and bloom.
Milla said…
I had a dream about you last night. I was giving birth and you and Emily were there and I was like "Man, I'm really glad you guys are here to be my doulas!" What a funny dream. I woke up before the baby was born. There was also something about fish and chips…

Man if the baby was gonna be as cute as these two, I'd probably get right on it ;)

I can't believe how big Lucy is. And that the last time I saw you she was still in the belly!!!
ashley said…
Gosh, between you and your sister, I am just absolutely torn on having children myself. Haha!
Amy Beatty said…
awwwww that little polly with her round little face and wide eyed looks!! she is sooo taking everything in! i love all the outfits and lucy going down the slide in her yellow dress. it seems all is as it should be the magic and craziness of having babies! i love it all. and lucys pic of her crying is the BEST! i'm such a mean auntie. I love a good sad face, always makes me smile anyways :) I totally forgot about not being able to leave the little ones alone together. I remember I would put bella in the crib and shut the door, or even just set her in the car seat and bring in the bathroom with me, to even putting on a movie for jare just to sit on the pot for one moment. the things you have to resort to. you guys look so adorable. and on another note I just notice my comment on your last blog is missing. i did do that one from my phone but still it makes me sad. thanks so much for writing out baby scouts coming and emmy and joey becoming sweet parents. i love it all xoxooxo
Kimberly said…
So cute Heath!!! I am so happy that you are doing so well with 2 under 2. It was hard for me....but I was by myself since Brian was at work and no family around.
Your girls are so beautiful and wonderful...no wonder...look who their mommy is. :)
Tina Dawn said…
Your little girls are wonderful! Love Tina
lena said…
Oh Heather, how amazingly beautiful! And hard some days, but a gift beyond gifts! I have so many questions. The common one: I can't imagine my heart bursting again as much as it did with my first babe--how could it? But it must right? How do you do the postpartum recovery with a toddler around? Everyone says you feel more relaxed and less anxious with your second--has this been true for you? And are you family bedding with Polly and if so is Lucy out of the bed now? How do you get anything done if naps are not at the same time? So many more, but I'll stop there. My first is just 5 months now so it's all so hard to imagine! But lordy, these photos are the most precious, and darling Polly and her glowing eyes...
red moon arrow said…
ah I really enjoyed this post. So many great photos and I got some fun giggles out of sweet Lucy! You sure are an amazing mom Heather to your beautiful girls. I'm always in such awe at how wonderful life truly is especially when you throw cute babies into the mix. I adore Lucy's cute outfit at the park. What a fun color combo and those cute little boots!!! baby boots are just the best. Polly's eyes are so majestic to me, like she's an ancient soul with so much to teach us all. such wisdom. such pure love and light. that first picture of her just captured my heart.WOW! Thank you for bringing these sweet little gems into the world! <3
Cel said…
Your girls are so sweet, and they so have their mamas beautiful eyes :) My cousin has her little girl in cloth diapers too, and they come in such adorable fabrics and prints now! I think that hardest part about young children for me, those learning to speak, is that I have absolutely no idea what they are saying. You can see them trying to communicate their thoughts and ideas, and the frustration when it's just not coming across. And then mom or dad pops in and translates and all is well and right with the world!
Tera said…
and she like purple!!!! YAY!!!!! The way you describe Polly reminds me sooooooooo much of August at her teeny infant age :) They both have amazing eyes, like you! Much joy in your home, these are your good ole days! Much love xo
Unknown said…
I have been reading your blog quietly for so long. You are an inspiration and every time I read a new post, I feel the love glowing through. Thank you so much.
Lauren Knight said…
They are so sweet, Heather! I just can't get over these pictures and what a gentle kind mama you are.

The early years are so hard, too. I was just thinking back to when I had a newborn, a two-year-old, and a four-year old, and man was I in over my head. It gets easier, and watching them interact is like magic.

Those little babes are as sweet as can be. :)

And by the way, to answer your question about Haley, yes, I am friends with her, and she is coming out with her newest album in May. I have heard a bit of it and it is going to be a good one!!!
polly compost said…
such a well-rounded blog on both of your babies!

i can't believe polly is already rolling over! she looks so studious and serene. her little face is so fairy like.

i can only imagine how busy and hurried yet still life is with two littles. just know that i took both of my boys to the river the other day and it was no big thang..(granted teddy is quite a bit older but you catch my drift...time, baby, time..)

i love your update on lucy too. i remember jotting down every little achievement of teddy's...not so much with linky... :/ but we do alright. i'm inspired to do better updates on my boys, for my own sake.

hope to see you soon!
xo
Andrea said…
The picture of Lucy (aka "Toot") next to her sister is the most precious thing ever. They are both so sweet and precious, and even more so side by side. As for Mama, I have no advice, but only admiration for you miss Heather :) You are such a rockstar Mom. I hope that one day I can have as much grace and poise as you, and positive attitude to boot about rearing to wee babes under the age of two! Can't imagine how you do it all :) Thanks for sharing this most adorable post- made my day.
Hi Lena, I've been wanting to respond to this for ages and well...how do you get anything done indeed! I don't get much done, especially online these days, so I apologize for taking g so long to respond. I've thought about your questions. Yes your heart does burst with the second, the moment you see her and the love just swells and blossoms vastly just like it did for your first. BUT it is always bittersweet. Because you never have pure uninterrupted time...with either babe! So even if Lucy's napping and I get time to stare into Polly's eyes, to read to her or coo at her, I'm aware that Lucy might wake up, that there's two or three loads of laundry to be done, that I should probably fix myself lunch while I have the chance, etc etc etc. but those moments are so incredibly sweet nonetheless. Polly is a really mellow non demanding baby, I can't imagine having a difficult of more needy child as the second because your first needs SO MUCH of your time. So when I do get to bestow my attention on Polly it is such a treat. So bonding time (I guess you could call it) is reduced but so rich and viral in its stolen moments. Everything just seems so heart breakingly sweet. With your first too! You were so used to spending all your time with just her! It's all so emotional and complicated and beautiful and bittersweet. That is definitely the trickiest part of the transition.

We do have a family bed but Lucy sleeps on a twin mattress next to our bed now. She usually still needs to be comforted once or twice a night now, and luckily Darin can do that in case I'm nursing Polly or just sleeping with her in the crook of my arm (it's harder to get up). At first Lucy wanted mama mama only! This was hard for awhile. Nights aren't too bad now and I have a little cosleeper bed for Polly but it's looking like I'll just continue to sleep with her curled up to me like I did with lucy. I honestly feel safest and most comfortable that way! Which reminds me, you asked about snxiety. Yes I am more relaxed this time around, thank goodness, but maybe still a little more paranoid than some. Polly is a very different baby than Lucy was, so for example her "lazy" nursing style had me tripping at first and I took her in for weight checks and so forth to make sure she was healthy. Once they're two, three months and chunky and sturdy oh the relief! Both times the newborn stage just felt a bit precarious and fragile to me!

As for getting stuff done, well luckily Lucy is a bit more independent these days so I can do SOME things especially with her "help." She loves to follow mommy around and help with laundry or cooking. I wear Polly in the sling or sometimes now the bouncy seat works, or she'll lay on her play mat. But believe me, I wait for that moment that daddy gets home with baited breath! It realllly helps to have a partner entertaining them for awhile and basically I just don't get much done, heehee! Except loving my babes, of course!

It's hard but I am blessed with good babies and I just generally feel like a lucky lucky and very happy mama!

Popular posts from this blog

pretty baby

"I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin..."

handmade homes take to the open road