Last Week of Second Trimester/Big Girl Transition!

First, I’m happy to report, I haven’t had any heartburn since last week! I’ve been a good girl and have taken my meds each day and stayed away from anything remotely spicy.

Our little man is kicking like crazy! One moment he is doing a jig on my bladder, the next moment he is up near my stomach. It’s like he swimming from the deep to the shallow end of a pool! Here is an update from What to Expect:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. He's almost a foot long.

Last Friday was Kaydriana’s last day of daycare so she is spending some QT with daddy. We decided that Saturday night would be her first night to sleep in her big girl room and bed, a huge change! She went to sleep the first two nights with no problem, but both times she woke up at 3am.

The first night I thought she had slept well, only to find daddy and Kaydriana laying on the couch downstairs, watching TV. When she apparently got up and started crying, Tim opted to taking her downstairs to watch cartoons. That certainly wasn’t going to be the solution on going. So night #2, I tell him, we just need to let her cry and she may just fall back to sleep on the floor. So Tim listened a little too well to my directions and had his headphones on, and promptly turned them up when she started to cry at 3am. After a ½ hour of Kaydiana crying, knocking on her door and asking for, “mommy”, “daddy”, I decided I probably needed to go down there. I lay down with her in her bed and rub her back and she is unable to calm herself down, still huffing and sniffling. After about 10-15 minutes, I give in and put her in her crib and she goes right to sleep.

So for night #3 I tell Tim that I think we shouldn’t let her cry more than 10-15 minutes so she doesn’t get sooo worked up that we can’t calm her down, but to reassuringly put her back in her bed, pat her on the back for a few minutes and then leave. Well, night #3 was a success! She slept in until 6am!! This morning she slept only until 5:15, but better than 3am!

While taking my lunches at my desk I started reading up on some toddler behavior. I’ve mentioned in a previous post before where I’ve been told to use my instincts when it comes to parenting. And while I do do that when I need to, I figure there are experts out there who I can gleam some insight from. So going forward, I might share some developmental stages as they pertain to Kaydriana.

Kaydriana has been saying, “I love you” for a few weeks now and at times is very cuddly and loving. Here is what WTE says about her age and expressing love:

When your toddler cuddles with you, she is showing that she knows you are always there to provide her comfort. This is her active way of saying "I love you." This confident display of love can be the best part of your day!

I found this interesting as well:

Some toddlers have a stuffed animal or blanket that goes where they go. Others take different objects each time they leave the house. These transitional objects (or loveys) represent you and your love, especially in your absence. Your child loves you so much that she wants to keep you close. Dr. Shimm also explains that these objects help your toddler feel safe, "A piece of you is with her. That gives her security." These transitional objects help her be away from you while still keeping you close by.

When taking Kaydriana to daycare she often wanted to leave the house with something she was playing with. Often times it’s one of my bracelets. Thankfully I never had to fight them out of her hand once she got to daycare, but I think it’s sweet that its probably another way of her expressing her love for me.

Here is a 24 week shot of my belly. Yes, my eyes have purple bags and are puffy. I’ve had a non-stop cold for a month that I think has now lead to a second sinus infection within a month. I can’t taste or smell anything and my face, eyes and gums hurt :(