Sleeping

Sleeping is a big issue for the C's.  Big C has had issues with sleeping for a very long time.  Naps seem to have become easier for her now and I thank God for that every time that they go over smoothly.  She needs her flashlights, her Santa pillow, some books and sometimes her Dora doll to be able to fall asleep without tears or a fight.  Sometimes even with all of those things she still has some tears, bless her heart.  I found her asleep like this earlier this week:

Who needs a stuffed animal when you have flash lights to snuggle with?

I am thankful though that my 2 1/2 year old still takes an afternoon nap rather we have to fight for it or it goes smoothly.

Now Baby C on the other hand has been a very good sleeper from about 2 months on.  However, recently she has started rolling over.....
You have to know that when Big C was a baby she started rolling over at three weeks from belly to back.  So with Baby C I have made an effort to not let that happen.  A baby that can not move yet is much easier to handle in my opinion.  My plan was to not do "belly time" with Baby C so that she could not start rolling over from belly to back until I was ready.  She has mainly been held in a sling, sat in a bouncy chair or car seat, or laying in her bed sleeping.  I am not sure where I went wrong but about a week ago she rolled over for the first time from back to belly.  She doesn't like it when she does this because she has never been on her belly and this is strange to her.  So now my good sleeper has started rolling over in her sleep as well and wakes herself up.  Baby C has gone from taking 2-3 hour naps to waking herself after 1 hour to 1.5 hours.  I know that is still a good nap but people, I miss her 2 hour naps!!!!

Baby C rolled over in sleep, long pillow there placed after she rolled so she wouldn't roll herself back and wake up again

A side note, don't get all judgmental about the pillow she is sleeping on.  I confirmed with a doctor that a firm, baby pillow was ok to use.  This addition to her bed is what helped her to start sleeping for longer periods because it raised her some so her acid reflux would not bother her while sleeping.  Seriously, Americans are too caught up in safety issues....

First Drawings

Yesterday I was making a calendar for my parent's trip here next January while Big C and Baby C were napping.  Big C woke up, came out of her room and into my lap.  She saw that I was using the back of a paper in her paint book that Aunty B had sent her.  So she informed me that I was using her paper and she wanted to use it.  I gave her my pen and her book back and she proceeded to draw her first people ever!  I was so impressed that I had to share her work with the blog family.  I am her mom so remember that I am impressed with Big C over everything even how she can throw a fit!  Anyway here is her art work.  My Big C is growing up and I am cherishing every moment that she crawls into my lap these days.

This is Mama K, we started writing Mama together but never got the last "a" written.

The colors coming through are from her painted picture on the other side.  These are "balloon people".

Photo Contest

Our Sunday School had their kick off this morning.  During the month of September each class has had some type of competition going on and the winners were announced this morning during the kick off.  The baby class had "who can drink a bottle of milk the fastest".  Baby C refuses a bottle so she chose not to enter the contest.  Big C's two-three year old class had a family photo competition.  We put in the family photo from the first blog post for Big's C's entry.  As they were announcing the winners, Big C, was in the back playing/talking to herself.  She was quite surprised when she heard her named called but surprised me by being willing to go to the front with me.  She had no idea that we had given a picture to her teacher, that there was a competition and much less that she had won that competition.  So she was very pleased when she was given a wrapped gift.  

When she made it back to her seat and was unwrapping her gift with Papa D we asked her "Why did you get this gift".  Big C very quickly answered with her proud smile "Because I sleep by myself".  hahahahaha  We left it at that.  No need to tell her she won a photo contest.

I'm sorry but I did not think to bring our camera.  Several friends were taking pictures so maybe someone will put it on FB for me and I can send it over here to the Blog.

This is kind of blurry.  Our friend took this picture with her cell phone.

Mama K and Her Girls

Honestly, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be a mother of two girls.  Perhaps that is why it took us eight hours to settle on the name for our second girl after her birth.  I could have given you 100 boys' names but when it came to girls I was undecided.  After three months of mothering two girls I need to say that I could not be happier.  My new dreams for our family of two daughters are even more exciting than any dream I had for a family of boys.  I love that Big C is so sweet and caring and that she loves to shop and paint her nails!  I have no idea what is in store for Baby C or what type of young lady she will become but I do know that she is my perfect gift from God.

I am so excited to watch my two girls grow over the years.  I am excited to cultivate their differences and similarities.  I'm excited to help mold a beautiful sisterhood between them.  While I am not naive enough to believe that there will not be arguments between them, especially as teenagers, I do believe they will have a deep love for one another and respect.  I pray that they will lean on each other and not push against each other as they grow and as they walk through the joys and trails of life.  They are my joy.

Not the Next Mia Hamm

Perhaps I am too quick in making this judgment call but Big C is showing no signs of being a soccer star.  Papa D and myself both enjoy a good game of soccer or futsal.  It seems to me that we would therefore produce sport loving children.  I don't think that we have when it comes to Big C.  Today Big C's preschool rented out an indoor soccer field for a sports day.  I was there with my camera in hand to catch the first shots of Indonesia's future star soccer player.  While I may have gotten a picture of the next big star, it was not Big C.  Oh well, I guess we will let her become a star in her on field of choosing.  That's what good parents do, right?

However, she sure was the prettiest player out there and that counts for something!

Shopping With Big C

Big C has been on a roll for getting rewards.  Her favorite reward is buying a new movie usually a Dora movie.  There is one place that has tons of kid movie/shows collections and that of course is her favorite place to go.  The following were taken yesterday.  Big C is very proud of the big girl she is becoming.  Cheers to Big C growing up (even if it makes Mama K a bit sad).

More on Ants (Grandpa don't look at this blog post)

One tree outside of our house was home to thousands of big red ants.  They would go from that tree to our neighbor's mango tree.  Well, yesterday Papa D had enough of the red ants coming into our house.  He took our little saw and went out and sawed many of the branches off of the tree.  In a frantic search of where to make a home the ants clamored onto part of our gate's wall.  There Papa D sent them to their eternal home.  The war is not over but yesterday's battle was a victory for family Kaemba.  Here are some pictures from the battle field.

Ants' homes within the tree

The eggs of the future generation

The gathering on the wall

The end of the battle