Mini Molnars: Memories and Milestones: June 2014

Today is June 24th and it's absolutely crazy to think that tomorrow Gianna will be 7 weeks old. It's also amazing to have watched Briella change and mature so much in these 7 weeks as well. Both of our girls are growing and changing so much every single day and I hope to take time each month to highlight some memories as well as documenting some of their milestones while these moments are fresh in our minds.

Briella:

She is growing and maturing so much and so fast. She absolutely loves to help in any way that she possibly can, but especially anything that involves helping with cooking, baking, or Gianna. She loves to help wash her in the bathtub, put the pacifier in her mouth when she cries, 'hold' her (she puts her arms around her and thinks she is holding her), sings to her, dances for her to make her happy. It has made us so happy to watch how much she loves Gianna and to see her love for her grow deeply and become stronger each day. She's very protective over her as well. She always asks "Where is my sister?" "My sister is crying." "Mommy needs to feed my sister."

From a Mom's perspective, Briella has been such a great help to me over the past few weeks and I am ashamed to say that I did not think she was going to be helpful and I assumed she was going to take a terribly long time to adjust to Gianna. I knew *someday* she was going to be an amazing sister and helper, but I could've never imagined it was going to happen within days of Gianna coming home from the hospital. She is angelic with her adjustments with me spending more time with Gianna, but shows jealousy with Jim. It's strange how kids are like that.

She cleans up her toys, LOVED helping Jim mulch the yard (picture above), helps me unload the dishwasher (video below), gets a cloth and wipes the floor when something spills, pushes in her chair after she's done eating, takes her dishes to the counter or dishwasher, puts a new dishwasher tablet in the dishwasher (she can even un-peel the wrapper herself), puts a new trash bag in the can, folds laundry (I know, right?!), puts the laundry away in her bedroom, can undress and dress herself (another amazing thing), talks in complete sentences to express to us her feelings ("I went to time out because___"), is learning to share because of Gianna (something she had really struggled to do prior to her), and has been potty trained since she was 2 years and 3 months old. The past few times we've been out in public and people ask how old she is, they are amazed that she is only 2.8 years old. We were asked what grade in school she was because of her vocabulary recently. We are visiting preschools and highly considering sending her to preschool in the fall. It's hard to let her go, even just for a few hours a week, to go to preschool. I love keeping her in my bubble here at home, but I know she will benefit from the social interaction at school.

She is so polite, so very loving, learning to be obedient (she's still 2 and definitely has her moments when she shows her stubborn nature and strong will and believe me, she does), and she is learning to initiate apologizing when she's done wrong. She is beginning to understand emotions and reading my facial expressions and tells me what I'm feeling even though I don't ask, hahaha. She is also asking us or others, "How are you?" and genuinely interested in how we are doing. She loves to talk and REPEATS everything, as well as repeating herself, over and over again. She loves when people laugh and will laugh right along with them, but if she does something and it causes one of us to laugh at her, she will try to do it over and over. She loves to make people laugh. She has known the Lord's prayer since the New Year and is now learning Psalm 23. She is beginning to understand more about God and has been telling me quite often lately, "I love Jesus." My heart is so overjoyed hearing her tell me this recently and listening to her sweet words as she prays is nothing short of touching.

Gianna:

What an absolutely darling little baby our Gianna is and has been since she was born. She will quietly sit, gaze at people, and just watch what is going on around her. She loves watching her sister dance and enjoys when Briella gets on her level and talks to her or hugs her. She loves to be held or worn in her baby carrier, but has recently begun to show that she also wants to be 'set free' in her chair or on the floor to kick and stretch in her activity center as her awake moments are becoming longer stretches of time. She also enjoys being propped up on the boppy pillow to 'talk' to the ceiling fan. She has had a love for the ceiling fans in our house since days after coming home from the hospital. She will look up at the ceiling and kick her legs, coo, and get very excited seeing them. It's absolutely adorable.

Gianna loves her baths and she never cries during them. I think swim lessons may be in her future. She really loves being rocked in the rocking chair or gliding in her swing when I take my morning showers. She is extremely easily contented whenever she cries. It's usually one of three things: she's tired, she needs a diaper change, or she is hungry. That is the only reason she cries. She is such a happy baby. She is a great eater and is gaining weight so well. She is still waking up quite a bit to eat through the night, but I know the more weight she gains, the less that will happen. Right now, a "great" night involves her sleeping for 4 straight hours, but a 'good' night, which is more average and realistic these days, is about 3 hours at a time.

Sadly, Gianna is showing major allergies and intolerances through my milk. She can not digest or tolerate dairy, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, or any trace of corn whatsoever. She will vomit profusely so much so that it comes out of her nose along with gagging and coughing. She will have explosive diarrhea diapers (when I say explosive, it shoots straight up to her shoulders!) as well and because of those two things, she then struggles to sleep because she doesn't feel well. I'm doing my best to make sure that I eat other foods to supplement both mine and her diet, but it isn't always easy without eating those food groups.

She smiles quite a bit and is really showing a lot more excitement for day-to-day things. She is also responding to my smiles quite a bit lately and Briella really has a way of calming her down without even knowing or trying. I was giving her a lot of smiles and talking to her the other day and she gave me three different smiles within a 2 minute period of time. It was so sweet. I loved it. She has been wearing a size "Newborn" diaper and we will be transitioning to a size 1 within a few days when we run out of our current "Newborn" stock.

Briella's first morning waking up to Gianna at home with us.

Briella helping me do laundry and Gianna talking to the ceiling fan.

A tender Sunday morning of sisterly love.

Taking a video for Daddy while he was traveling for work on June 24, 2014. Gianna gets the sweetest smile on her face when Briella comes over to kiss her. So sweet!

Play time in the mirror.

Less than 24 hours after coming home from the hospital and Briella was completely adjusted to Gianna being home with us.

And she was all ready to hold her

and cuddle her too.

Along with sharing her with her Nonni's.

There's nothing as cozy as Daddy and Mommy's bed...

except, of course, for Briella's bed.

Briella's face, in the left picture, reminds me of the Butterfinger candy bar commercials of my youth. It's as though her face is saying "No body better lay a finger on my Gianna sister."

Gianna's first outing: Target

Briella loves to snuggle close to Gianna if she's sleeping somewhere that she can do that...

...Especially in our bed

Reading a story together at bedtime.

I love that Briella wants to share cuddle time with me when I'm holding Gianna too.

Mommy's first trip alone to the store, with both girls, to get diapers for Gianna. It was a fast trip, but successful all the same.

Smile, Briella. Oh wait, she had just taken a bite of her homemade cookie.

Wearing matching outfits from Nonna.

Gianna's first 'real' bath at home while Briella took a bath too.

Playing together already: "Doctor Briella" listening to Gianna's heart.

I was holding Gianna and Briella kept coming over to me giving me kisses and saying, "I love you, Mommy." She is really growing in her own love for us while watching us love her sister, Gianna.

Wow, what a humbling comparison of the girls. Such different birth stories, but both miracles in and of themselves.

Briella often says, "I want to carry my sister," so when she gets to hold Gianna, she is so happy.

Our first family outside outing to the Greenville downtown farmer's market. Gianna really stole the show, even with being held in this baby carrier.

Enjoying some hugs from his little girls.

Playing outside together

is Briella's favorite thing to do.

Morning smiles in Briella's bedroom. Gianna LOVES the bright pinks on her bed and on her curtains. She will stare at it, smile, kick her feet, and coo. Briella will cuddle up next to her, kiss her, bring her stuffed animals to her, and pretend to hold her.

The very first picture of her upcoming monthly pictures. Aunt Rita Rohlf made her the 'pillowcase' dress and I plan to have her wear it for every picture for a year. It's a dress that she can grow with and I think it will really show her growth over a year's time.