monthly picture

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series \\ 12

March 3, 2016 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

21 pounds 4 ounces (72nd percentile), 30.3 inches long (86th percentile), 18.6 inches head circumference (96th percentile) mastered the stairs, says “bye-bye”, says “Da-da” for everything else, stands her ground with her big brother, has taken off with walking, loves passing things back and forth with her mouth, 8 teeth, eyes are light hazel/grey, super affectionate, very opinionated

This little girl is ONE YEAR OLD!! One whole trip around the sun! I am feeling all the feelings. So much joy and yet so many achy aches. My baby is now a toddler. I can not do this child justice in writing. She is quite simply light upon light.

Bennett has become a champion eater. This girl puts food DOWN. She had so much fun eating her birthday cake. She took her time and savored every bite, whereas the next time we gave her a slice she shoveled it in like there was no tomorrow.

Ben Bucket has also developed quite the strong will. She no longer puts up with her brother pushing her around and will make her opinion heard. She has even started fake crying just to get him in trouble so I have to keep an eye on her to make sure I’m not blaming poor Asher for something he didn’t do.

Bennett is exceedingly affectionate and she gives me copious amounts of kisses which I absolutely adore. She has become quite steady on her feet. She has mastered the stairs and still loves to climb and is finding new ways to give me heart attacks every day. She constantly wants to be doing what her brother and the big kids are doing and will. not. be. left. behind.

This year has been one of the sweetest of my life, which is not to say that it wasn’t challenging or downright hard because it was, but the gift of having a second born child is that you learn to savor all the moments because you know all too well how fleeting they are.

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series \\ 11

January 29, 2016 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

started walking (!!!), can stand herself up unassisted, first time touching snow, nearly mastered the stairs, fell down the stairs, loves removing all the books from the bookshelves, naps 30 minutes max, started giving kisses, climbs everything, first trip to Texas, strong separation anxiety, very attached to mommy

This little ray of sunshine started walking! This past month she has hit quite a few big milestones and I’m enjoying every second with her. Although she can walk she still mostly chooses to crawl and will only walk when we’re encouraging it or if it’s a very short distance. I think she still needs to gain some confidence. Where she lacks confidence in walking she makes up for in climbing. If you aren’t watching her closely, the next think you know she’s on top of the coffee table, or standing on the backrest of the couch looking out the window. If there is ever an option to go vertical she will take it. She also learned to stand up all on her own and it is the cutest thing to see because she absolutely beams with pride whenever she does it.

Bennett LOVES climbing up and down the stairs and I must say she has gotten pretty good at it, but she fall down half a flight this month. It was a mix up of communication. I assumed Raf had his eye on her and he thought I had it covered and the next thing we knew…boom,boom,boom,boom,boom,WAIL. My heart nearly stopped in my chest. But thankfully she wasn’t hurt at all, just pretty scared. I wish I got off so lucky whenever I fall down the stairs (a frequent occurrence).

We went and visited Raf’s side of the family in Texas this month and not surprisingly, Bennett was a huge hit. It became clear while in Texas that Miss B has some very strong separation anxiety when it comes to me, which I both love and find inconvenient.

Bennett is extremely attached to me. She likes to know where I am at all times and wants to be able to see me. Even when she’s playing, she’ll come up to me periodically to check in and get a quick snuggle before going about her business. I am savoring every tiny moment of this time because I know that my days of being her favorite person on the planet are numbered.

Her rolls are melting away as she becomes increasingly more mobile and I hate it. She did get RSV this month so I’m sure that didn’t help. Both kids had to use a nebulizer every 4 hours and Bennett HATED it and pretty much screamed the entire time. Speaking of screaming, she also got to experience snow for the first time this month and let me tell you, she was not pleased. She must take after her Mama after all. Asher on the other hand must be half abominable snow man. That kid can and does spend hours out in the snow and still has to be dragged inside. He is so lucky to have such an accommodating father.

Bennett’s naps have fallen to pieces this month. She takes two naps a day and really only sleeps 20-30 minutes both times. For the morning nap I don’t really mind because we’re usually have a lot of things going on in the morning. The afternoon nap on the other hand is when both kids are down at the same time and that’s my recharge time. She will nap longer if she’s napping next to me in a dark room only because I’m able to get her to fall back asleep after she wakes up 20 minutes in. But I’ve found that I then fall asleep and it really messes with my sleep pattern (we’ve been making huge efforts to get to bed early). I know what I need to do to get her to sleep longer but I’m not super motivated to do them. Her mood isn’t suffering and she’s content for the time being to play quietly in the same room as me. I may hold off and see if things change on their own once she drops her morning nap before making any concerted effort to extend her afternoon nap.

I can’t believe I only have one more of these monthly updates for Bennett! She’ll be 1 year old next month, a whole trip around the sun! Just thinking about it makes every fiber of my being ache. My sweet baby is just growing up before my very eyes.

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 7

September 29, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Rolls to get around, itching to crawl, started solids and loves food, sleeps 12 hours through the night, moved into her crib and shares a room with her big brother now, loves watching everything Asher does, super smiley

This month has whizzed by, I know I’m constantly saying that but it’s true! I feel like I blink and she’s another month older. I can’t handle it!

Bennett started solids this month, and has been loving them thus far. Her first food was avocado and it pretty much snow balled from there. Most of the time she eats what we’re eating, just a pureed version of course. If we’re having lentil curry, so is she. When we eat koresht badamjan (persian split pea and eggplant stew) so does Bennett. Spiced cauliflower soup and salad? You bet! If I didn’t love my vitamix before (which I absolutely did) I am over the moon now. The baby bullet is archaic by comparison. The only thing I haven’t given her is nuts, but I may start giving her some soon. Towards the end of this month I started giving her rougher textures rather than smooth purees and I also started letting her practice picking up and eating those little rice puffs.

The other big development this month was that she now sleeps through the night! I night weaned her and that was that. It really only took one night and she was a pro. I’m going to write a separate post on my “no sleep training, sleep training method” because it was the easiest thing ever! Bennett and Asher now share a room (although most nights Asher somehow ends up in our bed) and it’s so nice having our room back! I’ve been really enjoying reading in bed.

Bennett is Asher’s biggest fan! She loves watching him and if he’s around it’s nearly impossible to get her to focus on anything else. Asher in turn is just as fond of her. Watching their relationship blossom and unfold is really one of the sweetest things on this earth. The following pictures illustrate just how enamored Bennett is with Asher.

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 3

May 27, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 1 Comment

rolled over (tummy to back), has started to chuckle but still no full belly laugh, eyes are a bluish grey, sleeps un-swaddled, has cheeks for days, hair is still peach fuzz, has started drooling a bit, has found her fingers and loves sucking on her index and middle fingers at the same time, normally wakes up 1-2 times at night, still looks exactly like mommy

The past three months have whizzed by! If having one child was great, having two is that much sweeter. I LOVE having another baby. It’s so wonderful watching Asher and Bennett interact, nothing is more endearing. Asher is still absolutely enamored by Bennett. He showers her in the gentlest, hugs and kisses. He caresses her head and asks her sweet little questions, like if she had a good nap. It’s to die for. There is not a single hint of jealousy from Asher. Bennett is a delightful and incredibly easy going baby, but she still occupies a lot of my time and Asher takes it in stride. I’m just in awe of how seamlessly he has transitioned from being an only child to being a big brother.

Bennett lights up the room with her smiles. She has the teeniest mouth, and yet she has this way of smiling that rivals the sun. She opens her mouth super wide and turns her head to the side like she’s being a little bit shy, but the main event is her eyes. You can just feel the warmth and adoration pouring out of them. It really does make you feel like the most important person on the planet for a moment. I have yet to capture one of these show stoppers in a photograph, but hopefully soon.

She started rolling over from her tummy to her back this month, and while she hasn’t rolled the other way yet, I decided now was as good a time as ever to stop swaddling, especially with the temperature getting warmer and warmer. It took a bit of adjusting on her part. I think she woke up nearly every hour or two the first night and naps were really difficult, but she’s since gotten the hang of it. One night this month she went down at 7:30pm and didn’t wake up until 6am. It was glorious, except I didn’t go to bed until after midnight, so I completely missed out on my opportunity to get a full night’s rest and I woke up super engorged. The poor girl was practically drowning in milk. That night was an anomaly, she normally wakes up once and sometimes twice. I’ve been implementing what I like to call the “no sleep training, sleep training method’ and it’s awesome, but more on that later.

Bennett has discovered the joys of sucking on her fingers and is obsessed. She favors sucking on her index and middle finger right now, which elicits adorably loud slurping sounds. She has an on again, off again relationship with the pacifier. One week, she’s totally uninterested the next she loves it and back and forth she goes. Thankfully we’re in a ‘loving it’ week. She isn’t nearly as floppy as she once was and can actually feel quite stiff and compact as times. Her rolls continue to expand and I love munching on them.

I’m savoring her babyhood, but it’s just flying by!

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 1

March 27, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

super cuddly – only wants to sleep touching mommy – hates bath time – got thrush – had a tongue tie clipped – went from 25th to 43rd percentile in weight – loves to eat – started to smile – looks most like mommy but has daddy’s feet

I can hardly believe it’s been one month already! Time has flown by! It is truly a delight to be this little girl’s mother, not that she does much more than sleep, eat and poop at the moment, but still. I love this tiny person so much! It’s amazing how your heart and your capacity to love just expand when you have another child.

Asher loves his little sister. His voice takes on a tender, sweet tone whenever he speaks about her and he showers her in hugs and kisses, which considering that everyone and anyone else has to beg for his affection, is pretty amazing. Seeing him interact with her makes my heart want to explode. I’m still not sure how I’m going to navigate being a mother of two once the last of the grandparents leave next week, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.This past month, we’ve had first my parents and then Raf’s parents here the whole time and I’m so thankful to them for all the help, because it’s allowed me to be on a Babymoon with my daughter. We’ve had the time to snuggle and nurse and sleep and bond uninterrupted and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to do so.

This girl is SO cuddly! I hoped I would get a cuddly child and that is exactly what I’ve gotten. It is nearly impossible to get her to sleep anywhere other than on me or right next to me and touching me in some way, which means that we have been bed sharing fairly often. I have been loving all the snuggles that this allows but I’m also terrified that she’ll be smothered or that Asher will come bounding into our bed and crush her. I’ve been working on getting to to sleep in her bassinet, but as often as it works, it also fails and she wakes up shortly after being separated from me. I’ve found that putting a rolled blanket next to her, swaddling, and having a space heater near by helps trick her into thinking she’s still next to me. Baby wearing works for when I need to get stuff done, but after nearly 10 months of being practically sedentary (I know, I know) I’m so weak that I find it kills my back after a while, but then again, even just standing up feels like a chore…I really need to get back to being active again. I’m hoping that she gets a bit better at sleeping apart from me before Raf’s mom leaves next week, because I certainly won’t be able to sit on the couch all day and hold her while she sleeps once I’m Asher’s sole source of entertainment again.

I’m just so excited to get to know her and to watch her personality unfold, but I’m also acutely aware that these sweet moments are fleeting so I’m cherishing and reviling in every second of it. With Asher I kept looking forward to when he’d do the next thing or reach the next milestone, but this time I know how quickly each stage passes and that some things may not last. I’m relishing every cuddle and snuggle.