Big Girl Bed

Right now, Lucy is sleeping in our room in a bassinet but as soon as she is sleeping through the night, the girls will be sharing a room. My parents graciously offered my bedroom set from when I was little to us when Maggie was born. The plan is that once Lucy is ready for the crib, she will move in there and Maggie will sleep in my old twin bed. (It's a canopy bed, who wouldn't want to sleep there!)
To start getting Maggie ready, we took the front rail off of her crib on Sunday afternoon. This makes her crib into more of a day bed. (We have a standard, not a convertible crib. I didn't really think my kids would end up sleeping in that same bed for the rest of their lives anyway!)
At night she is usually tired enough to go to bed and stay there, but naps are a bit different. Today it has taken her about 45 minutes to go to sleep. She spent a lot of time knocking on the door, calling me and announcing "shoes" every few minutes. I went in once and read her a few stories and tucked her back in, but then I just left her alone. She wasn't crying, she just wasn't tired yet.
Hopefully, this gets easier. I can't believe my baby is almost ready to be out of her crib!!

Mommy cliques

Last fall when Maggie was about eight or nine months old we started signing her up for a few activities. Our budget doesn't have room for lots of mommy and me classes, but we go to the story hour at the local library and to a playgroup at one of the local schools.
She enjoyed both activities so much that we decided to do them again this year and bring Lucy with us.
I enjoy the playgroup at the school, especially since it is a school where we are considering sending the girls in a few years. There are lots of toys for the kids to play with so you can never get bored (especially in the 90 minutes you're there).
The part that I don't like is that all the moms seem like they are already friends with each other and not willing to talk to other people. I think I am sensitive to it too because it seems obvious they all have so much more money than I do. I have a good job that pays well, but my husband was out of work for two years and just recently got a job. The problem is that his job is part-time and pays not much more than minimum wage. While we have enough money to survive, we don't have a lot of extra money for things like new clothes (especially for us!). The moms all have cute new clothes and their kids are all dressed in baby gap. Everyone has $700 strollers and they make plans to go out to lunch afterwards at the local restaurants.
My kids have cute clothes too, but they are usually from target. We still haven't gotten a double stroller because buying a house and maternity leave ate up our savings. I would love to go out to lunch, but we just can't afford it right now.
I wish there were more moms around us who were looking to make new friends. I'd love to hang out and just have playdates with other moms where we don't have to spend money and can just hang out.
Where are all the other broke moms looking for friends?!

Firsts and Lasts

Yesterday my husband and I were both off from work (which is a rare occurrence). We decided to take the girls to the beach for a little picnic and to enjoy the last of the warm weather. It was Lucy's first trip to the beach and she slept through most of it. I did let her dip her feet in Lake Michigan which she was not a fan of. It was Maggie's second trip to the beach since we took her once last summer when she was about seven months old. Obviously, she didn't remember it. Once she got used to the sand, she loved it. Next summer we'll have to go when it is warm enough to splash around in the lake.
I realized yesterday also that Lucy is really getting big. She has definately outgrown all of her newborn sized clothes (which makes sense since she is eleven weeks old today)I think it will only be a few more weeks before she outgrows her 0-3 month clothes too. Last night we had left the diaper bag in the car and the rest of Lucy's extra-small diaper covers were dirty. I decided to try a size small diaper cover on her and it actually fit pretty well. I think by the end of the month she will have moved on to her size small diaper covers.
It's funny because it seems like I just pulled out all of Maggie's newborn clothes and diapers for Lucy to wear. Now, Lucy is growing out of everything! It's a little bittersweet because some of the outfits are so cute and I don't know if I will have another baby who will wear them. We are hoping to have two more kids (in a couple of years) but who knows if we'll have another girl!

Back to Work

I crammed as much into the last few days of maternity leave as possible. Thursday we went to the Children's Museum. Maggie had a great time. I think that even my husband had more fun than he expected.
Friday we spent the afternoon visiting with my grandmother and great aunt. They have a great time visiting the girls, and I think it is good for the girls to spend time with them as well.
Saturday, my husband was at work but the girls and I went to the zoo. It was a beautiful day. We only got about halfway through the animals before Maggie started to crash. Lucy slept through the whole zoo, but I know she will love it too eventually.
Sunday was my first day back at work. Apparently my unit has been short-staffed recently and Sunday was no exception. I was hoping it would be a little easier since the weekends are usually slower, but I was wrong.
The first day was hard, but I do like my job and it was kind of nice to get back to normal. I am picking up an overtime shift next week so we can start making up for the time I wasn't paid on maternity leave.
The huge benefit of working twelve hour shifts is that I only have to work three days a week, so I can easily pick up overtime shifts or just wnjoy my four days off every week!

The beginning of the end

So, it looks like this is going to be my last week of maternity leave. I can't think too much about it or I will start crying. I'm really going to miss my girls! But, the advantage of working 12 hour shifts like I do is that I still have four days off every week. Plus, it makes it easier to work overtime.
My husband is finishing up his degree and should be done next August. Hopefully he will be able to get a better job at that time and things will be a little easier for all of us.
In other news, Lucy's christening was a success. She did great, didn't even cry! The food and company were wonderful and everyone had a great time!
The weather is beautiful here today so I think the girls and I will go to the park later on to enjoy it while we can.

Family

This weekend is Lucy's Christening. So, my brother, his wife and new baby and my parents are staying with us this weekend while we celebrate. My mother-in-law will not be coming because she decided to schedule some last minute laser eye surgery for this past Friday despite the fact that she knew the date of the Christening about two months ago. And despite the fact that my husband is an only child and has no living aunts or uncles that we can invite to celebrate with us.
Nevertheless, we will have lots of good times, good cake, and good food.
Oh, and her dress is ADORABLE!! It's the dress that Maggie wore for her Christening and I plan to have all my children baptized in it (even if they're boys!) My mom made it from the train of my wedding dress and it is the sweetest thing I've ever seen.