Grammy and Aunt Shannon come to visit the DIVA!!

For four days, we were able to spend some time with Grammy (whom she lovingly calls Gee, Gee) and Aunt Shannon and they had a ton of fun while I got to get some much needed rest. They took her for walks around the loop, played in the park, splashed around during bathtime, and read tons of books! It was great having them here and seeing Macyn interact with them and get to know them. It only took about 10 minutes for her to warm up to them which was great. She must have remembered them from Christmas. We're sad to see them go today but this weekend was filled with so many great memories. They can't believe how much Macyn has matured and how different she is from just a few months. Here is a picture of our little diva with Aunt Shannon's sunglasses on. She actually put the glasses on and tapped Shannon on her shoulder just to get a reaction. That's her little kissy face that she loves making because it makes everyone crack up. She is such an entertainer!!

Here are a couple pictures of Macyn with her Gee Gee at the park. Macyn loves jumping up and down on this bouncy part of the play area. Gee Gee and Shannon said that she had a blast playing and didn't want to leave, even when they told her that mama and dada were waiting for her at home. She was having too much fun!

Macyn and Gee Gee watching Little Einsteins before bedtime. As soon as Macyn hears the opening song, she immediately wants her milk. Sometimes she doesn't even drink it, she just likes to hold it. Although we sometimes do let Macyn watch television during the day, she usually watches it for a few minutes and then hops off the couch and is off doing something else but it's a whole other story when we put on Little Einsteins. She is mesmorized by everything which is nice because they play classical music and teach her about art and music. That's her little bedtime treat.

Recently, we were starting sleep training all over again after Macyn's transition to a big girl bed. I thought it was a little soon but she kept climbing out of the crib no matter what we tried and I didn't feel a crib tent would be safe. She is such a crafty little girl and I've read some pretty scary stories about crib tent strangulation. It was a tough road but we finally have a pretty good bedtime routine. Her night time sleep has also effected her nap time sleep in a positive way. I'm glad that we did this before the baby came, annd hopefully, knock on wood, it will stay this way for a while!!

Macyn playing in mama's rainboots. they come up just below my knee and they cover her whole leg. I don't know why, maybe it's the material, but Macyn loves playing with these boots. She always hands them to me when I'm putting on my shoes or tries to put them on herself. I should get her a pair of galoshes but I'm afraid she'll never want to take them off. Could you imagine a little girl in her swimsuit and a pair of galoshes frollicking on the beach??Here is Macyn a few weeks ago when we were at a picnic with one of my playgroups. We were trying to get a group shot and Macyn kept gravitating toward one of the babies. She would just sit there and watch him and try and play with him. I hope she takes to the new baby as quickly and she is that loving and gentle. I think she is going to make such a great big sister, she is so kind and empathetic toward younger children. We were given tips from our pediatrician on how to reduce sibling rivalry when the new baby gets here and she had some pretty useful advice that I'll share:

-Think about getting the older sibling a little gift from the baby. This could be a new toy or something more sentimental like jewelry. I was thinking of buying Macyn a necklace from Ren. She LOVES playing with my necklace, I'm just afraid of keeping it on her when she goes to bed. I would have to take it off before night time and nap time.

-Buy little toys and wrap them and keep them somewhere hidden. Bring one out and give it to the older sibling every time a visitor comes with a gift for the new baby so the older sibling doesn't feel left out.

-When you talk baby talk to the newborn, you can gush about them but also include things about their older sibling. The baby won't understand that you aren't talking about them but the older sibling will. Say things like, "Your big sister Macyn is such a great helper to mommy!" or "Macyn is being so nice and sweet to you, don't you love your big sister!"

-This one I found really interesting and something I don't think I would have thought of. Don't blame things on the baby. For instance saying, "We have to leave the park early because the baby is crying." or "Mama is so tired and can't play because of the baby." She said if you constantly do that, the older sibling will start resenting the baby.

Hopefully, I can remember all of that while being sleep deprived, hungry and going through all the other great emotions that come with the postpartum experience!!