Molly at Four

 Two years in between blog entries, what?! 

Our Molly Moo is now four. FOUR! Four isn't a toddler, it's a child. And she's been growing rapidly. In the past few months she's grown so much. Speaking clearly, understanding concepts more, finding her own little personality. 

She still loves snuggling with me, TV shows, figurines, putting her hand down my shirt and pinching, and Minnie Mouse. She doesn't love staying in her bed all night. For a few months, she will roam rather freely in the house at night looking for me saying she's 'scared' and 'no one will sleep with me.' She takes afternoon naps at daycare, but naps at home are usually on the couch out of pure exhaustion or car naps. 

Her favorite entertainment is Superkitties, Paw Patrol, Cinderella 1, 2, and 3, Frozen, Moana, and Trolls. 

Time is measured in "this years ago" or "tomorrow." 

She adores her big sister, but also fights with her increasingly more and more. 

Molly at 2

 Two years!! How can this be? Just yesterday you came busting into our lives, all pudgy 9 lbs 4 oz of you. I wish I could re-live that day all over again just to feel that feeling of meeting you. Every day you amaze me and make me laugh. Your personality keeps zooming through. I see shades of Lucy half the time, and the other half you're something new. 

Just in the last month your words have emerged -- you're probably up to nearly 75 words by now and can put together two word phrases (and a few three word phrases!). Your words include the usual plus doggie (but every dog is named Mo), nice, muk (milk), bee-bee (baby), sit down, faffles (waffles), shoes, heh (hair), sissy bus, poop, mote (remote), Mee Moo (Mickey/Minnie Mouse), bucks (buckles), guk (stuck). yash (yes), da-du mama (thank you, mama). 

She is 100% obsessed with buckles! She sometimes won't even eat dinner if the restaurant high chair has a buckle. So for her birthday we found his plush toy with 8 buckles surrounding it. She also still loves her pink car rides with Daddy. She's constantly wanting to go "ousside." Started playing with baby dolls, putting them in the high chair and putting a blanky on them for "bee-bee na-night." She's really starting to test boundaries, giggling when we say no, running from us thinking it's a game, tantrums. I know this all part of age two, but I think I have a lot less energy for it this many years later. 

Size-wise she's in 2T clothes. We find out out her height and weight next week, but she feels heavy to me and looks so tall anymore. She's entering a phase where she's not eating a lot -- she could live on yogurt, pouches, and snacks I think. 

 Sissy is her #1 person most times. Lucy can make her laugh in a way no one can't. I hope they love each other this much forever. 

Molly at 21 Months

 My sweet Moo, I still can't believe you're here. I wonder when that novelty will wear off. Your whole existence has been a dream -- I mean, still hard work especially as we have started your toddlerhood -- but yet still a dream. 

Sometimes when I watch you and Lucy play, it's like Lucy is playing with a past version of herself. There are definitely similarities, but yet differences too. 

You are becoming more frustrated with things. I'm sure this is a result of you developing and learning so quickly. While I can mostly understand you, you don't have many words that are distinguishable. You can say: mama, dadda, Sissy *"Sishy", bah (ball), Ba Ba (a Little Baby Bum character), eat, bye." 

Your temper tantrums are actually pretty cute -- and thankfully silent. You tend to swipe at me and Lucy but mainly out of play and not anger. When upset, you narrow your eyes, look away, and throw head and hands onto the couch ... then fall backward on the floor and roll. 

Food-wise, you eat most things. In fact, you like to eat a lot. In the past 6 months you've gone from the 28th percentile to the 48th and I'm sure it's increased even more since our last doctor visit. You feel so chunky to me now! You are wearing 18-24 month clothing, and I assume you'll be in 2T by late spring/early summer. 

While we did stop nursing at 19 months, you are still obsessed with my boobs. Your hand must always be down my shirt -- it's like your security blanket. While it does get annoying - especially when I get punched or scratched - I'm sure I'll miss it when it stops. :( 

Molly at 18 Months

Weight: 21 pounds! She went from the 29th percentile to the 39th in the last three months! Still a head in the 93rd percentile. 

Medical Issues: None, other than a little snotty nose sometimes. 

Sleep: Awake around 6:30 am, and asleep by 7 pm. About an hour nap. 

Clothes: 12-18 month

Social: Generally likes being around people, but still some anxiety with people she's not used to.

Food: Pretty much mostly what we'e eating. She loves eating with a spoon by herself, so I sometimes give her a thick puree or Greek yogurt. Nurses in the morning right after she wakes up. 

Crying: Hungry, tired.

Play: Her push car for outside and her stationery care for inside. Loves having stacking blocks in her hand. Also loves playing games with her sister. 

Her latest developmental trick is getting new words. She seems to be on the edge of a little verbal explosion. Her words: uh-oh, sis-sis, bus, mmm-hmmm (with an exaggerated nod), among others. Can signal for more, and definitely makes the intonation and timing of manner words like please and thank you. I forgot how fun this part is. 

Her other little quirks -- hand constantly down my shirt. I guess it's her way of comforting herself, but I'm hoping she phases it out -- the pinching/scratching hurts! 

Molly at 14 Months

Today she started walking! Our little peanut is turning into a real toddler the last two months, and I can't deal!

Weight: Between 19 and 20 I'm guessing?

Medical Issues: None! Just a sore bummy once in a while.

Sleep: Ugh, worse than it was three months ago. She know likes getting up at 5:30 am. Asleep by 7 pm and one midday nap.

Clothes: 12 month, some 12-18 though she definitely needs to gain a bit to fill those out.

Social: Generally likes being around people, but still some anxiety with people she's not used to.

Food: Pretty much mostly what we'e eating, but we will give purees and pouches to make sure she's getting enough. Often she'll throw food on the floor, which is either her signal she's done or she's just playing around.

Crying: Hungry, tired.

Play: Blocks, plastic things. She likes sorting, putting objects in other objects.

Breastfeeding Journey with Molly

Outside of growing two beautiful babies, what I'm most proud in life is achieving an entire year of nursing Molly. I carried a lot of mental baggage after I couldn't meet my short-term goal with Lucy, which most likely kept me overly motivated to succeed with Molly.

The challenges, especially at the beginning, were immense. Jaundice that lasted 10 weeks, sore nipples, slow weight gain, going back to work, low supply, supplementing -- we pushed through! Not only meeting our short-term of six months, but making it to a year! We haven't been EBF for quite some time, but she still nurses on demand. I don't want it to end. Even if she's not getting much milk, I know she likes the familiar comfort of our time together.

Molly at 12 Months

And just like that, a whole year has gone by since you joined us. There are still times I look at you and wonder how you got there, incredulous that you exist in the world and that you belong to us. Lift a beautiful gift from above, you exemplify the phrase "angel baby." Your sweet toothy smile, your sparkly eyes, your darling little forming mullet -- you have stolen my heart in ways I didn't know could exist. I hung very tightly to this baby phase knowing how fleeting it is. But with each day I decide I love you slightly more than the day before and look forward to seeing the kind of person you grow into it. You sure were worth the wait, Molly Moo.

At your 12 month appointment on April 27, you are 18 lbs 3 oz and 28.37"  tall, which puts you in the 24th percentile for weight and 30th for height! Your head circumference is 86th percentile. You're in 12 month clothes but still fit into 9 months.

You love stealing all the remotes and clapping them against the hard floor. You love pulling up on things, and you love your little plastic colorful cups. You are able to do "so big", wave, and clap. We have this thing we do when anyone sneezes. You smile real big and wait for all of us to say "Ewww" which makes you smile even harder. You love to eat, especially carbs. You love people. You're generally very compliant and happy to go with the flow. Just last week we switched her car seat from the infant seat to the convertible -- jury's out on how you like it.

Since we've been quarainted thanks to COVID-19, you have dropped to one big girl nap! You sleep about 12/13 hours a night and take a two hour nap. Never thought I'd see the day. You're pretty good at putting yourself to sleep without a lot of crying.

Overall, you're just the nicest little baby we could have ever asked for, and I can't imagine life without you. You bring us more joy than you'll ever know, my little rainbow girl.