Cora Lynn had her two month apt today. We’re so proud of her! She was the happiest girl (until her vaccines) and totally let her Dr do the exam. Her dr said she’s basically a four month old with how strong she is, how well she holds her head up, and how much drooling she did. She knawed on my fingers the entire time- almost like she was/is teething.
Grow. Cora, grow.
Yesterday (Friday) I had it in my mind to attempt a solo outing to a local playground with the two kids and myself. I’ve been hesitant to do this for a few reasons. However, yesterday I had been thinking about it all morning that it was the. It was beautiful weather, a Friday, and why not?!
I picked Kolten up from school and got news of an incident where he climbed up on a table and fell down. He has a quarter size red goose egg on his forehead so I kind of decided nevermind to the park because I didn’t want to chance another head injury. I loaded up the kids and headed on our way home. Well, I talked my self back into it. Kolten was totally fine, no reason not to enjoy the moment and see how it goes. So I went to Greenview Park, one of our local favorites in Arcata. There wasn’t anyone there so I was able to park as close as possible. When I parked I noticed there were a few pre-teens hanging out. No big deal. I got Cora out first and loaded her into her carrier. Then I went around and got Kolten out. Then, we headed over to the play area. Although the bigger kids were not using the most appropriate language, they were being respectful to Kolten (I asked them to be aware of him so that way they didn’t accidentally run into him, etc). He started floor level and played for a while and then he ventured up to the slide. It’s pretty safe but there is one tall spot for him to fall off and that made me nervous. Now, while he was playing and I was carrying Cora, she got hungry. I was able to breast feed her in the carrier! Ahh, it felt amazing. I just did it. And it worked 🤣 I wasn’t sure what to expect. Breastfeeding is all new to me and honestly it’s quite intimidating. Being able to feed her while still keeping up with Kolten made the whole trip. It started getting chilly and dark fast (thanks daylight savings). We had a great play and after exhausting the Kolten friendly toys, we headed out. Excited for our next adventure of three.
Jim went back to work today. Coincidentally, Kolten has a small cough so I kept him home. Oh man, having both kids home together by my self was HARD. Cora needs so much of me as she is breastfed and an infant. Kolten is a toddler and not feeling 100% and also wanted mama. We watched a lot of Blippi and snuggled on the couch. We survived. We even walked around the block. Kolten woke up this morning really early (5:00 am) and with me having both kids, his nap was on the couch between my legs on the recliner part from like 9-11:00 ish. Needless to say it’s 6:30 pm right now and he’s exhausted. Sick kids is awful. He seems better so he’s going to school if he has a good night. I don’t know if I can physically and mentally do another day of two under two. But, for my babies, I’d do anything.
One of the things I looked forward to having children was taking them to classes and events and enjoying through them. Covid happened when Kolten was just two months old so that was all thrown out the window. Well here we are more than a year and a half later and we finally got to attend our first class. We signed up for Dream Athletics tot class with our friend Patton. It started today and goes until more December.
The class started with some stretching which Kolten was hesitant about but then transitioned to an obstacle course that he was able to warm up to and thoroughly enjoyed. Him, Patton and many other kids, who were all wearing masks, made their way around the course. I think Kolten and Patton were the youngest.
The slide was Kolten’s favorite. He kept cutting back to go to it again. At the end, the instructor let him pick out a sticker. We had a snack and headed home.
We get to return each Sunday at 10:00! Yay
Kolten is feeling confident in the slide. I think that’s part due to the toddler room!
We’ve been catching little smiles from Cora. They’re so precious and a sign she’s getting bigger and growing so quickly.
I have been trying to make a habit of spending some dedicated time with Kolten each day when he gets home from his toddler room. Some days that may be an art project or a special toy that’s been tucked away. This day he and I made some crock pot apple sauce spur off the moment. We had a few extra apples and he had just made at school that he really enjoyed so I wanted to give him another opportunity. He loved participating and using the materials himself. Most of all I think he liked to sneak bites of the apples. We recently got a “kitchen helper” which is basically a wooden stool that goes up to counter height. This allowed him to really be involved safely. It is going to come in so handy over the next few months with the holidays.
This past weekend we attended our real first outing as a family of four. This is one of mine and Jim's favorite events here in Humboldt, Pastels on the Plaza. This is a yearly event (with the exception of last year due to Covid) that is a fundraiser for Northcoast Children's Services. This event is special to us because Jim has been volunteering/attending with his mom since he was a toddler. Typically, Jim, his mom, and siblings would show up before sunrise and assist with things such as marking off the squares and helping with sign in for the artist, etc. This year due to Kolten and Cora's unpredictable sleeping pattern, Jim didn't attend early to help with lines, but everyone was understandable and hopefully he'll make it out next year to help set up and maybe even complete a square! Since Jim's mom has passed away, we've been continuing to attend in her honor. This year, pastels was on two days (Saturday & Sunday) instead of all the artists arriving on Saturday. We only made it out Saturday, but I found some photos that friends took and want to share those below. Even Little Learners had a square done by Teacher Amber!
This year was special because my dad was able to come down from his home in Oregon, and he went with us. Now, I will say, getting out of the house with two kids under two years old was not not stressful, ha! It was a lot- and there was a lot of stuff because I tend to be over prepared & overpack. Also, a double stroller definitely takes up a lot of car space. But, we did it! Kolten had fun finding some pastels and drawing lines on the ground in the kid area. Jim got to chat with the director of NCCS, who is now retired, but knew Jim's mom Janet very well. My dad got to see some of the artist action, and we also scoped out the farmer's market. I got to see some familiar faces that I haven't seen in a while and so that felt good to be out. Overall, it felt amazing to see the event happening and for me to be off the couch.
