Sulli-Baby Blog

Sulli-babies

2010-03-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

The Sulli-baby has a little sister - I suppose I ought to change the title of the blog now.

Lucy Florence Sullivan was born 8:00am Friday, February 19. She was 7 lbs 11 oz, and 19 inches long. We brought her home the following Monday, and are enjoying getting to know her.

Big sister Molly is enjoying her new role, though she definitely needs l0ts of one on one time. Thankfully, Lucy is already a champion sleeper, so I can spend time with Molly during Lucy's many naps.

As Lucy begins accomplishing things, I will be more motivated to post. So far, her biggest accomplishments are gaining 10 ounces between the 1 and 2 week appointments, and the acquisition of a brand new belly button Friday, Feb 27. (Molly was quite distressed the first time she saw Lucy's cord- "Oh no! Baby Lucy has poop on her tummy!")

Happy "Valentimes"

2010-02-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

Molly got her first Valintines day present from a boy today... sniff sniff! Her buddy Jai got her a box of chocolates. She was mostly excited about the box, and has been carrying it around since. She has excitedly talked about her "Valentime".

What happens when I take 5 minutes to blog...

2010-02-09T14:49:00.001-08:00

In the 10 minutes it took me to write the last post, Molly decided to explore her artistic side. I walked into the bathroom to discover this:

As you can see, she was quite contrite. I just wish she'd chosen a less expensive medium than my foundation- and a less expensive canvas than my makeup cases...

Molly trusts the doctor

2010-02-09T14:05:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Molly woke up at 6:30. This is a highly unusual occurrence. She usually goes to bed around 8:00 and wakes up between 8 and 9.

When I went to check on her the reason for the early hour became apparent- poor baby was burning up! After a quick change, she snuggled with me until 8:30. This is unheard of- the most snuggle time I can usually get out of her is 30 minutes, and that's if we're watching Dora. She kept asking to watch her favorite shows (Sesame Street and Dora). I told her they were still sleeping, which she accepted (whew!). The fact that we snuggled for an hour before any TV was on was quite telling.

During snuggle time, we read some books and I tried to get her to drink something. She cried when I gave her a cold drink because it "hurt her hands". I assume she meant it was too cold. So, in the interest of fluids, I filled a cup with 1/2 juice and half hot water. Sounded gross to me, but Molly dubbed it "warm juice" and drank it down. She also wouldn't let me pat or rub her back unless it was on top her of her shirt and a blanket because my hands were too cold.

Normally, I just let this type of thing run its course. No reason to pay a doctor to tell me "yes, she has a fever and a runny nose. Give her some tylonol". However, since Molly's little sister could be here any day, I took her in just to make sure.

I love how children miraculously recover the moment you enter the doctor's office. My limp, whiny two year old turned into an energetic, delightful little person again. She immediately attacked the playhouse and slide in the waiting room. I was just glad she let go of me long enough for me to sign in.

She did have a fever, and they did a blood count test just in case. This requires the dreaded finger prick. I carefully explained to her the process (or so I thought). "The nurse is going to poke your finger, and it is going to hurt. BUT, then you will get a sucker...". Molly took it like a man- she didn't even cry when they pricked her thumb. She just looked at me and said "Now get a sucker?". What I forgot to tell her was that they squeeze the thumb afterwards... Oops :-( Still, she calmed down pretty quickly after that fit...

When the doctor came in to examine her, he asked her what she was thinking. She paused for a moment and said "I trust the doctor". Hehe... During the exam she sat in the chair all by herself! This was a first. She even let him look in her ears without thrashing. My baby is growing up!

After a 3+ hour nap, she was more herself last night. However, she's been CLINGY and CRANKY all day today. So much fun when you're almost 20 months pregnant :-p I'm still trying to enjoy the last few days of having only one kiddo. Even when she's a sickie...

Baby Food

2010-02-01T10:48:00.001-08:00

One thing I am looking forward to with the new baby is making homemade baby food.

I didn't start doing it with Molly until she was close to a year old. I was amazed at the apparent difference in her appetite! Foods that she formerly refused she began eating with gusto. The only down side was that she'd eat the same thing for a day and a half. (One baked sweet potato = quite a few baby sized servings that don't keep for very long)

I also discovered that it is SO much cheaper to make homemade food. In my experience, two 1/4 cup servings of babyfood = $1 (sometimes more). One large sweet potato at $1 (or less) mashes into 2 cups- that's eight 1/4 cup servings. 50 cents a serving > 12.5 cents a serving.

I'm looking into options for extended storage of homemade baby food that doesn't involve canning/cooking/preserving. One method that sounds great is to freeze it using ice-cube trays. That way it's already portioned and will keep for way longer than in the fridge. I'm not sure how it would work for things that you don't cook though...

OLD picture, but so sweet :-)

Every little thing she does is magic

2010-01-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

Two days ago, I was a pregnant mess.

I'd had a good OB appointment while Molly was at Mother's Day Out. However, being told that you are not showing any signs at all of being ready to have a baby is rather disheartening at 37+ weeks. Then, after being put down to "nap" Molly (though fully clothed) somehow managed to poop on the floor. And walk in it. After 30 minutes of cleaning 2 year old, clothes, and carpet, my afternoon was complete. My hysterical crying/yelling reaction ruled out any nap on Molly's part, so we sat in a chair and started to read some books.

It's crazy how the littlest things give you a good kick in the pants. After reading a couple of the usuals, Molly brought me a book about "lasts". (ie - the last time you rock your baby to sleep, the last time you tie their shoe...) After a couple pages, I was crying (again). That book should carry some kind of warning label on the cover.

It's so easy to forget to appreciate the little wonderful everyday things your toddler does. I sometimes forget how little she still is, even though she's able to do so many things now. The last couple days, I've been trying to take it easy and enjoy our last bit of Mommy and Molly time.

I love snuggling with her first thing in the morning. I love how she asks for "brestest". I love how she sings Jingle Bells, ABCs, and Signing Time songs constantly. I love how she can't get both feet of the floor when she tries to jump, and how she is so proud of herself every time she does a "flip" (somersault).

Things are going to change forever very very soon. She has no idea. I don't think I do either...

Jingle Bells

2010-01-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

Molly's favorite song is "Jingle Bells". She's been singing it non-stop since she saw a Christmas Sing Along video in late November. Today she was singing it at the top of her lungs as we walked through Wal-Mart, much to the amusement of many other shoppers.

This is a video from early December, but it's super cute.

Potty Time

2010-01-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

We began potty training in earnest a couple weeks after Molly turned 2. By the week before Christmas, she would go days without any kind of daytime accident (night/naptime doesn't count :-p). We could go in public in cloth big girls, potty while out, and arrive home dry and use the potty. I was thrilled, as I'd wanted to have her mostly trained before the new baby came.

Then came the week of Christmas... By the time everyone left, she was refusing to use the potty at all. Since then, we've been clawing our way back, flush by flush, to where we were before the Great Potty Backslide of 09. The latest positive development is Molly's newfound ability to get on and off the big potty by herself. For now, the novelty of this is helping her attitude and motivation a LOT.

When Molly potties, she may ask for a candy (I don't offer it). The candy of choice one mini m&m. She doesn't just want the candy though- she wants Minnie Mouse or Hopkins to give it to her. She got a Minnie Mouse pez dispenser for Christmas. We quickly ran out of pez (and man, is that stuff impossible to find at the store), but mini m&ms are small enough to fit. Molly will ask for "Candy from Minnie Mouse's neck". The first time she said that, I just about died. "Hopkins" is a frog picture frame that greatly resembles the beloved frog character from Signing Time. She asks for "Candy from Hopkin's tummy". This means that I must place the single m&m on the stomach part of the picture frame and hold it for her like a waiter with a platter.

I know she will hate me for this when she is 13, but I can't help myself. Here are some things Molly has said after observing the result of a successful poop in the potty:

4) "It's kinda like a finger"

3) "Is it a potato?"

2) (when two rested at a right angle) "Look! It's a letter T!"

and my favorite:

1) (seeing several stacked together...) "Aww... it's a family!"

11 months since the last post... but who's counting!

2010-01-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

I've been using Facebook as a twitter/blog for sharing amusing stories with friends and family. However, I thought I might start this up again, since Molly's little sister is due very soon!

Yesterday, Molly and I were preregistering at the hospital. While signing in, I heard Molly say "That's Captain Sword." (This is what she calls Captain Feathersword from the Wiggles). A couple seconds later, she said "He's kinda like a pirate.". Upon turning around and surveying the room, I saw that there was a gentleman with an eyepatch. Nothing like an observant, articulate 2 year old to make life interesting.

She is very into Dora now, and also enjoys the Wiggles, Sesame Street, Thomas, and our old standby, Signing Time. A few days ago, I listened to her quote about 2 minutes of a Dora episode along with the movie. Clearly, we need to watch less Dora :-p However, I love that she will randomly say things in Spanish! Maybe I need to get her Muzzy ;-)

Molly LOVES to color. Thankfully, we are no longer dealing with her love of eating crayons (as detailed in the 11 months ago post). I got her a new set of markers yesterday, and she literally played with them for an hour and a half after her nap. It was wonderful!

Soon to come: a potty training post...

2009-02-20T12:26:00.001-08:00

It's been far too long since the last post. Little miss has been up to so much!

Molly loves to color. She also likes to chew on crayons. This is a constant struggle :-p She will sit and color for half an hour, but I pretty much have to sit and watch her like a hawk. I have a half eaten box of crayons to attest to her love of coloring! She will ask for it by saying/signing "color" or by saying "purple". Not sure why she decided on that particular color.

Molly loves to swing. She will go to the back door and say/sign swing several times a day. She doesn't understand that we don't swing when it's cold, rainy or dark. It is a source of great frustration for her. She has also started saying bye to the swing every time we go inside. I love hearing "bye bye swing". So cute!

Molly loves her bath. Earlier today when we were cleaning up after an unauthoried toilet exploration incident, she took a nice warm bath. She asks for baths often, and has started saying "all done" when she is tired of the water. Today, she said "dry" when I picked her up to try her off. I still had a towel wrapped around my head. She looked at it and said "hat". I got a little hand towel and put it on her head. She was pleased.

Molly is talking so much. It's pretty funny what she decides to pick up. "Come here" and "There you go" are hilarious to me. She says them as one word.

I'll try to write more this weekend. I leave you with a picture of Molly's Blue Steel face.

A few cute stories

2009-01-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at church, a little girl fell down in the nursury. To disctract her so she wouldn't cry, the workers clapped and cheered. Molly watched this carefully. She then threw her self down to the floor, got back up, and clapped and cheered.

She has also decided that my undergarments make great accesories. I will often emerge from the shower to find her with 3 or 4 pairs of panties being worn as necklaces. As you can see, she thinks that bras make great backpacks...

Also, I think we're going to start potty training pretty soon. Molly's begun informing us when she needs to poop. ("Poopoo Poopoo" or "Toot!") The problem is, her potty is too big. We need one that is short baby accessable! She tries though...

In case you can't tell, that is her foot in the toilet.

Tantrum level - 20%

2009-01-19T15:47:00.000-08:00

Molly has developed a new... skill. She's decided it's time to throw the occasional fit.

When she is told "no" or removed from the location where she desires to be, she will stiffen, carefully sit/lie down, and proceed to wail.

As this has only happened at home, I just walk away. When she realizes I'm not paying attention, she stops, follows me, and will usually ask for what she wants.

What a faker!

Busy Girl

2009-01-17T17:39:00.001-08:00

The following videos were taken over the course of about 5 minutes. This is pretty much what we do at night.

Molly loves phones. When she started crawling, the pinnacle of motivation was a cell phone in the middle of the floor. Yesterday, we were reading Big Dog Little Dog. When she saw the dogs calling each other on the phone, she grabbed the book, held it up to her ear and said "Hello". As you will see, she has decided that many things are phones...

Molly has enjoyed Peek-a-Boo for a long time, but she didn't start initiating it until she saw a baby at the Portland airport doing it. Sometimes, you don't even have to cover your eyes.

Molly loves to read. She will sit next to one of her bookshelves and pull out each and every book. This can take up to 20 minutes because she actually looks at them. Of course she prefers that mommy or daddy read. Lately though, she's started chiming in...

I love my busy baby. :-)

Christmas - Part 2

2009-01-14T20:21:00.001-08:00

I want to blog about other things, so I'll compress the rest of the trip into one post :-p

On Monday the 22:

Walked to the store in many feet of snow to get clean clothes and other sundries that were not packed in our carryons. Molly of course had a weeks worth of clothes. She's such a good packer.

Were rescued by my Uncle Scott who braved great peril to drive up from Portland. 8 people, 10+bags, a medium sized SUV, 6 hours in the car on icy roads. Super Fun.

Arrived safely in Portland.

Had a snowball fight.

Welcomed Uncle Bob and fam into the fold. This meant 16 people in a house that was not meant to sleep 16.

Molly enjoyed spending time with Great Uncle Bob (pronounced Goob). However, he had a bad habit of calling everything in every book "Bob". (After a couple days, she did begin calling him "Uncle Bob", so I guess his strategy worked)

On Tuesday the 23:

Walked to the store in even more feet of snow to get groceries and more clothes. 16 people eat a lot.

Stored food in the snow.
Took cute pictures of Molly in the snow.

Shelled crab.

Planned to leave the next morning and drive to Boise.

Molly was not sure what to think of the snow. She said/signed "Cold" and I eventually explaned to her that it was snow. By the end of the trip, she was running around yelling and signing "Snow". :-)

On Wednesday the 24:

Did not drive to Boise. Highway 84 was just not safe.

Made homemade pizza for Chrismas Eve. Fancy!

Decided that Molly and I would fly to Bosie Christmas Day. This was decided after about half of the residents went to bed, so they were rather surprised when we weren't there the next morning.

On Christmas Day:

Flew to Boise. (Molly and I) Great Grandpa and Grandma felt it was a fabulous Christmas gift.

On Friday the 26:

Everyone else made it to Boise.

We celebrated Christmas late, but it was still wonderful. All agreed it was the best visit we'd had in years.

Christmas = Crazy Day 1

2009-01-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

It was not at all what we planned, but our Christmas trip was wonderful. And by wonderful I mean exactly like a cheesy Holiday movie.

The three of us left for Dallas late Friday night so we could visit with Brian's mom before we went to Idaho. We had a short, but lovely visit and made it to the Airport precisely 2 1/2 hours before our flight Sunday.

Brian, Molly and I were all very very sick with sinus and ear infections. That made every thing that happened... extra fun.

As we unloaded, we realized that we'd forgotten our stoller. Although this means one less thing to wrestle on the plane, it also means much more wrestling of the baby.

The Alaska desk was (of course) closed. Apparently they don't open until noon. And since Brian and I decided to check a bag we had to wait for over an hour. (We could have easily just done carry-ons, but we didn't want to haul 2 carryons, two personal items, a stroller, and a 14 month old.) Next time, there will be no checked bag.

We finally made it to the gate and proceeded to wait for 5 hours. For those that don't remember, Washington and Oregon were hit by a bugger of a winter storm a couple days before Christmas. Where was our flight going? Seattle.

After a couple hours, my mom got a text that our connecting flight (Seattle->Boise) had been cancelled. Still we sat, hoping that we could get to Seattle and go standby. Finally, after nearly six hours we boarded the plane. Then they said there was a possible fuel leak. Luckily (loose use of that word) there was an off duty mechanic on board who got off and helped get the plane ready to go.

The only reason we even made it to Seattle that day was because the pilot and crew were based there and really wanted to make it home. They knew that if the flight was canceled they wouldn't be able to get home until after Christmas.

When we landed in Seattle, I understood why. I've traveled a lot, but that was by far the worst landing condition I've ever seen. It took us forever to taxi beucase the plane was having trouble getting over the ice and snow drifts. Picture that.

Once we were in the airport, we realized that all normal methods of leaving the airport (plane, car, bus, taxi) were not going to happen. The airport was closed, all rental cars were rented, buses were not running, taxi's were booked. My dad (I am not kidding) calls a limo.

We ride to a hotel about 30 minutes away (closest hotel that was not booked) in a stretch Hummer limo. We get to bed at about 2:00 AM.

I leave you with this...

and this.

More to come soon. I need to get pictures off Ryan and my mom's cameras.

Sicky Sulli-Baby

2008-12-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

We are normally blessed with a very healthy baby. Molly has had a total of two colds in her life, and we are very grateful.

The current cold (#2) has arrived at a rather bad time. We will be flying to my grandparents soon, and I shudder to think about what the pressure is going to do to her ears. I'm not looking forward to the 4 hour flight from Dallas to Seattle. Hopefully she will take a nap!

Three days ago, Molly woke up with a cough. She is now sicker than she's ever been. Two nights ago, she woke up after being asleep for 2 hours and I held her for about 30 minutes. She actually relaxed against me and snuggled. She's not done that since she started crawling. It's not that she doesn't like affection: she is just a busy girl. That she decided to cuddle just showed me how bad she felt.

Molly woke up extra early this morning (she has a bad cough and is not sleeping well). She is not a fussy baby, and if she's crying she'll almost always tell me what's wrong. However, after she got up today she proceeded to cry for about an hour. She wouldn't drink her milk, didn't want books, and didn't want to be held. I wish she had gone back to sleep, but she stayed up until her normal nap time. I got her to eat some breakfast and gave her a bath because she is very snotty and slimy right now. I don't know where all the fluid is coming from, but I'm trying to keep her hydrated...

Say a little prayer for Molly today. And add Brian and me in there if you don't mind... we're both feeling a bit iffy, and although grownups don't cry when their ears hurt on planes, that doesn't mean it feels good!

Cook

2008-12-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

This morning, Molly did something new. She said a word that neither I nor signing time had deliberately taught her.

I was making eggs for her breakfast, and she was watching intently. I asked her something like "What is mommy making for you" (She usually says "ecks!" excitedly ) and she said "Cook".

At first I thought she said "Book". However, she didn't sign book (which she would normally do), and was not holding or pointing at a book.

I asked her again, and she began saying "Cook, Cook, Cook!". My baby never ceases to surprise me. I wonder what the sign for cook is.

Some new Molly words in the past week or so:
Airplane
Fish
Monkey
Down
Pretty

We just got 9 new signing time DVDs. Mommy and Daddy are more excited about them than she is... As great as they are, if you only have 4, 30 minute shows even the most easygoing parent would get tired of them.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2008-12-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

I put up our Christmas decorations last weekend. As you can see, Molly was pretty much beside herself about the pretty "balls" on the tree.

I tried to fasten the decorations on tightly, but my determined baby managed to take several off. Unfortunately, she did not take correction well.

So, I came up with a solution.

Yay for baby gates!

Finally, appreciation!

2008-12-01T09:37:00.001-08:00

This morning, when I gave Molly her "Mick", she took the bottle out of her mouth, looked me in the eye, and said "Tae-Coo". :-D

On a related note, Molly is now signing please. Half the time I'm reluctant to ask her to do it because she just smears whatever is on her hand all over her shirt. That's the price of manners I suppose. :-p

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T17:57:00.000-08:00

Unlike last year when I nursed in the living room while everyone else ate the turkey I cooked, Molly obliged us this Thanksgiving by napping all through dinner. She was adorable and festive in her thanksgiving dress.

We then played outside in the 70 degree weather (yay for Louisana).

Molly also showed off her mad skills.

All in all, a great thanksgiving. :-)

Un-Coh= Picture

2008-11-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

In my parent's entryway hang my brothers' and my high school portraits. Whenever Molly is leaving, my mom points out Uncle Ryan and Uncle Robert. About a week ago, Molly looked at the pictures and said "Un-Coh". So cute!

However, it has become apparent that Molly doesn't quite understand what an un-coh is. She will point at any picture in the house and say "un-coh". (This includes pictures of mommy, animals, and landscapes)

I'm reluctant to correct her, but I suppose I will have to.

The land of "No"

2008-11-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

In the last week, Molly has finally started saying "No". I was not eagerly awaiting it or anything... I just thought she would have started saying it a long time ago.

For the most part, she just repeats when told "no". However, she will walk around the living room and touch or point at things she has learned are off limits and yell "NO!". I wonder if she thinks that's what they're called. This doesn't really stop her from getting into things, but hopefully it's a start. :-)

I expect that it will not be long before she starts to sing "no". I can't wait. ;-)

Snap facination gone too far...

2008-11-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

Molly loves to snap things together. She will play with her high chair or car seat snaps for 30 minutes straight (or until she succeeds in snapping). She loves seat belts, suit cases, purses, and anything else that can be attached.

She is not good at detaching things... or so I thought.

This morning I went into her room to find her sitting bare-bottomed next to a steaming bear pile. Apparently, the diaper was just too easy to figure out. (She'd taken off her diaper once before, but I thought it was accidental... silly me) The mess wasn't too horrible (considerably better than several recent bath incidents). Thank goodness for pre-wash!

New Rule: Molly always goes to bed with a onsie with snaps and/or pants.

If you can't say anything nice...

2008-11-14T09:32:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago, it became apparent that Brian and I are need to watch what we say around Molly. She is a verbal sponge, and at 13 months old does her darned best to repeat anything she hears.

For example, I once dropped something and exclaimed "CRAP!". Molly looked at me intently, deliberately dropped her bottle, and yelled "AP"... o_O

She is saying and/or signing over 30 words now. (words she repeats don't count - she'd try to say nahyvspsdh if I said it...) She will say two word sentences now "More _____" (Usually more strawberry). I am amazed every day by what she understands and is able to articulate...

Tuesday night, she was squalling in her high chair after dinner. As I was washing her off, I realized that she was repeating "Ba Ba Ba". I looked more carefully, and realized she was signing "Bath" as well. I took her out of her chair and she toddled into the bathroom while saying "ba ba ba". The fact that the baby knew she was dirty and wanted to be clean is funny. :-p The fact that she decided that on her own and was able to tell me is wonderful.

Why Blog?

2008-11-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

This blog will chronicle the many hilarious happenings at the Sullivan household.

I've come to the realization that I can barely keep up with Molly and all the crazy, funny, and amazing things she does. As a friend recently pointed out, one day I'm going to wake up and she will be 14. I'll want to embarrass her then, so I need to write it down now.

This blog will update whenever Molly (or future Sulli-Babies) does anything worth writing about. This may be once a week, or several times a day. We'll see :-)