The Princess Diaries: July 2014

So Dan and I decided he and Ashlan would go to Disney July 18-20, while Aila and I stayed behind. That was our 12th wedding anniversary weekend though (still can't believe it's been that long!) and we didn't really want to be apart so we asked Ashlan what she would rather do...go to Disney with only Daddy or go to the Florida aquarium and Children's Museum in Tampa with all of us. She initially said Disney with much enthusiasm but she knew that Aila and I would not be going with her and Dan (too hot and we were miserable in June). However, before I could even say 'okay' she said, "No, let's go to the aquarium so you and Aila can come with me." I was happy she was ok with that because I wanted us all to be together, and I'm glad she would rather be with us than without us. <3

We loved our weekend in Tampa. We went to the Children's Museum on Friday and the Florida Aquarium on Saturday. The Children's Museum was really awesome. We were there from 1-5pm and could have stayed longer but they closed. I had no idea there was so much for her to get into there! They also have a comfy and private nursing area, so that's a big plus for me. Aila did great, actually. Ashlan's the one that had the meltdown, haha. But I put her in time out and I think I surprised her bc we don't usually have to in public, (but she really needed it this time, lol) and she straightened right up thankfully. And both girls actually slept from about 9:30pm to 7am. That was awesome. Why can't they do that at home? Lol.

Our hotel was very nice too, and we stayed for free with our points, yay! We went back to the hotel every night and swam for an hour or so while we had dinner poolside, so that was fun too. We also had half off the aquarium because we have zoo passes for Jacksonville. That's a great plus, because tickets are kinda pricey.

On Sunday, we just hung out at the pool until early afternoon and got home early evening. I'd definitely recommend the museum! The aquarium was good, but didn't hold Ashlan's interest this time. She had the most fun playing at the "water park", I think, lol. She was just running from exhibit to exhibit and not looking at much for very long. She did like touching the ocean creatures, like starfish and sand dollars, etc. When Aila was sleeping on me, I went back around to look at everything while Dan and Ashlan were outside at the water park area. That way I actually had time to read the exhibit facts, lol.

Aila has her 4 month checkup on August 1st and already weighed 14 lbs and was 25 inches (she's wearing 9 month clothes already!!) at the last appt almost two weeks ago, so I'm interested to see what she is on the 1st. I just took her in because she was so irritable, like I could NOT make her happy with whatever I did. She didn't want to nurse as much, but always seemed hungry, cried a ton for her, wasn't sleeping great, etc. Then I found out one of the kids at the gym had strep (she doesn't even go that often- I have her stay home with Dan mostly and I take Ashlan so she can play with her friends)! So I booked it to the dr to see if she had it. Turns out babies her age don't have the glands (or something) formed yet that strep festers in, but they did take a test just in case and it was negative. They said her throat was red though. Then it dawned on me that she was acting very similar to when I had caffeine (but worse, lol). So I looked at my diet and I had been having more spicy foods. Sure enough, I cut those out and she went back to normal. Dang, she's sensitive! Lol. And I LOVE spicy food, so this is a sacrifice, haha. I can have some, I found out, but not a lot. Anyway, she is perfectly fine now, but she worried us for a bit there! Ashlan was never this sensitive to foods, so this is a new one. Glad it's not something like dairy or wheat! Could be worse for sure! I'm glad I'm tracking my calories (for losing baby weight) so I know exactly when there's something new in my diet that could affect her.

Onto the pics...

These two make my heart smile. :)

Aila at 3 months on 7/4/14.

Turning into a chunky monkey.

She couldn't hang, lol. First time she's taken a nap in months!

Laughing at her sister in the tub.

Ashlan laughed too loud and this was Aila's face, lol.

This is what happens when I leave Ashlan to play on the iPad and forget to put the child lock on, lol. She takes a million pics of herself. I deleted about 60, lol.

When she laughs, she rolls on her side.

Reading time.

At the Children's Museum- kids could perform on stage for us. Ashlan loves to perform!

We spent so much time in this exhibit. It also had a section for backdrops, props, background noises, lights, costumes, etc. Very cool.

Trying to fly a paper airplane.

Building the city of Tampa.

Jumping in the pool.

Me and my first girl. Check out her cheesy smile. :) I still have 20 lbs of baby weight to lose...don't judge me, lol.

At the Florida Aquarium.

Her favorite part of the aquarium, lol.

Dan was a party pooper, haha. I don't know how he passed out with Ashlan playing on top of him and shrieking, lol. We had the top floor; awesome view, huh?

Our anniversary day- beautiful! Just like the day we got married. :)

Little Miss Aila passed out. Don't worry, she can't roll from back to front yet, and I was right next to her anyway.

Cuddles before bedtime.

Checking out the exersaucer toys. Love her face here, lol.

I turned around for a second and Ashlan put the Minnie ears on Aila's head, lol.

Ashlan is always entertaining her. :) She's a great big sister!

Watching her big sister swim this morning.

Taking a morning dip, the only time the pool has shade is before 10am. The pool water was 93 degrees already this morning!

Happy, happy girl. :)

Everything is going really great here! Aila turned 3 months on July 4th and has changed so much in a few weeks. She is more alert now and we have much more awake time then before. She is about 14 lbs, whereas Ashlan was only approximately 13 lbs at this point. However, she doesn't look as chubby as Ashlan did then, so maybe she's longer? She's in 6 month clothing already and has been for a few weeks, just bc she is so long...following in Ashlan's footsteps there. She is rolling over somewhat consistently (a few times a week), but she has really been doing that since 11 days old, no joke. She's so strong! She loves to "stand", and since she has great head control, I've been putting her in the exersaucer for like 10 min at a time. I put a towel behind her so she can't throw herself back, but she is doing great with bearing weight on her feet, and I am right there if she gets tired.

When Aila does tummy time, Ashlan will come over and "read" to her or play with her and talk to her. I will put her in her bouncey chair, and Ashlan will come over and talk to her, and hold her hand. It's so cute. I love how she loves her sister and hope this always continues! I know they'll fight (what siblings don't?) but you can just tell how much she loves her, and Aila smiles so big for her as well.

I go to the gym approximately 4x a week, but with Dan's schedule, Aila only goes 1-2x a week and he stays home with her while Ashlan goes with me and plays with her friends. Sometimes she's awesome and falls asleep pretty soon after I get there, and sometimes I have to go in and calm her down. She is so good though, I can't complain at all! We are so very lucky we have her (and Ashlan)! She has started sleeping seven hours uninterrupted at night. I know as soon as you get used to how they are, they change, but we're enjoying the sleep for now. :)

So Dan no longer works for Publix. After five years there, he's decided to take a job with CVS. There are pros and cons to both jobs but we felt the pros outweighed the cons at CVS. The biggest difference is that the hours at Publix are 9am-9pm, while the hours at CVS are 8am-10pm. However, he works less days (only 14 days a month!) the pay is much higher, and the insurance and 401k match is much better. It's a little farther away but not much, like 5-10 min more than where he is now. He starts on July 8th.

My two angels <3