Jane Christina Johansen

Jane Christina Johansen - Cute and Sweet

4.5 Years Old

4 Years Old

3.5 Years Old

3 Years Old  

2.5 Years Old

2 Years Old

1.5 Years Old

1 Year Old

11 Months

10 Months

9 Months

8 Months

7 Months

6 Months

5 Months

4 Months

3 Months

2 Months

1 Month

1 Day

Jane and her Twin Bed

Yes, you read correctly. Jane has her own twin bed and loves to sleep in it! We put the bed in our room, got her Tinker Bell sheets and put pictures on the wall. The first night she slept in it she woke up a couple of times and came over in our bed but after that she only cries a little around 4am when David gives her a bottle after which she goes back to sleep. We figure it's more for comfort that a need that she still asks for a bottle at night but we're ok with it. She'll stop when she's ready.

We are excited that she likes her bed and that she's growing up and becoming a child more every day. She's grown taller since she was 18 months and her legs have gotten slimmer. She has all her teeth and molars now, knows how to blow her nose and does everything she sees us do. She also talks a lot. Most of it is still hard to understand but there are words and phrases that we can make out. It's interesting that she understands both Romanian and English but many times she would use English unless she only knows the words in Romanian. I'm still determined to speak Romanian to the girls but will not yet enforce Romanian only in our conversations.

Other Jane updates: she practices jumping and going up and down the stairs without using handrails, sings the alphabet song, still dances when she likes a song, loves to play in the water and go to the pool and is very friendly especially to adults but to children as well. Whenever she sees one of our neighbors she smiles and says 'hi'. Everyone thinks she is really cute and pretty. And speaking of pretty, Jane won the 2012 Springville Baby Photo Contest and a $50 Walmart gift certificate. Way to go princess! We love you and love watching you grow and turn into the beautiful girl that you are.

People's Choice Award

Alyss - Months 4 and 5

Well, got pretty busy and didn't find the time to write in here but here's a little update on sweet Alyss. At her 4 months appointment she weighted 13 lb and was 24.5 in long. She was in the 50th percentile in all her measurements and the doc was pretty happy with how she looked. He suggested that I start feeding her cereal and fruits and veggie purées and even to let her drink from a sippy cup. I gave her cereal when she turned 5 months but haven't tried anything else yet. She still drinks breast milk and is happy with it. We'll continue with it as long as I can provide it. I think it's the best food an infant can have. At the doctors she also got her shots (two again, one in each leg) and a $80 check for being in the shots study. She's already earning her keep. Hahaha! After the shots she got a bit fussy and her right leg hurt a bit and even got a red hard bump that didn't go away for a month. In August will have the last round of shots in the study and after that just the regular shot schedule.
At 5 months Alyss is such a good and happy baby. She cries when is left alone (I think she might be getting separation anxiety) and when she is tired or hungry but otherwise she just plays, talks (she says "ba ba" and "ma ma", she gargles and blows and says the sounds 'p' and 'f') and smiles a lot all the time. She rolls over on both sides, holds her bottle and puts her binky in her mouth and is very curious and alert. I LOVE it when she looks at me straight in the eye and grabs either my face or my neck or even my arm if I'm feeding her. She likes to play with everything Jane plays with and loves to put everything in her mouth. She sleeps well but cries a few times every night to ask for a bottle. She drinks at least 10 oz per night and another 15 oz during the day. She's gotten pretty chubby and even cuter than she was before. Up until July 11th bunica took care of Alyss a lot and even had her sleep in the same bed with her a few times but since bunica left we've been sleeping her on the mattress that Jane used to sleep on and gave Jane the twin bed that bunica used to sleep on. Jane loves her new bed and Alyss loves hers. We all sleep in the master bedroom like a big happy family. :)
Jane's gotten more used to having Alyss around even though she still gets jealous and upset when I hold Alyss or tend to her. That's being a toddler for you. She's happy and tickles or plays with Alyss one minute and scratches her or pokes her in the eye the next. She does help me change Alyss' diaper or feed her and sometimes out of the blue she just comes and kisses Alyss on the head. I love watching them interact and play with each other. You can already tell that Alyss adores Jane. She looks at her a lot all the time, smiles and even laughs and squeals when Jane talks to her. She wants to play with everything that Jane touches. This annoys Jane sometimes, especially when she doesn't wanna be touched, but they manage to get along with some help from me. I hope they'll be good friends.
At the beginning of July we went to California and visited Disneyland and it was the first time for Alyss to go on a big trip, to meet great-grandma and great-grandpa Barlow and great-grandma Johansen, to go to the beach and in the ocean and to go to Disneyland. She enjoyed it all and was very good and only cried when she was really tired. She was also really good during the car ride there and back.
Great grandmas Barlow and Johansen and grandma and grandpa Jo when they came by to visit were very happy to meet Alyss this summer and loved to hold her and take care of her. They all marveled at how good of a baby she is.
Forgot to mention that Alyss won the Springville baby photo contest for "best eyes" in the 0 to 6 months category and a $10 Walmart gift card. She sure has beautiful, sparkly eyes.
We love you so much little Alyss and are so happy to have you in our family.

My first 4th

Huntington Beach - First time at the beach

Holding my bottle

Bunica and Alyss

Two Months Old Alyssuca

Alyss at 2 Months

Our little Alyss is already two months old and as happy as she can be. She eats a lot (about 3.5oz at a shot) and loves to sleep. If you interrupt her sleep she will make sure to let you know how unhappy she is. :) She is also really smart. She smiles a lot and when she sees videos of herself moves her arms and starts to talk. She talks quite a bit, especially when anyone looks at her and talks to her. She's grown 3.5 inches and gained 3 pounds. She weighs 10.6 lbs and is 22.5in long (50th percentile) which is great and very proportionate. The doctor said that she looks very happy and healthy and he also said that he didn't notice any clicks in her hips. We'll have to do another ultrasound at 4 months to be sure but until then he said that we shouldn't worry because he thinks that she's fine and healthy. I'm glad that my instincts that told me not to worry and that everything will be ok proved to be right so far. Even though my brain told me to worry, I never felt that she needed to be put in a sling and I had a feeling that she is ok. I hope that the ultrasound will confirm that.

Alyss at 2.5 Months

Since her 2 months check-up she had a runny nose but didn't upset her too much. We've been breastfeeding full time and she loves mommy's milk. We also have a lady friend who shares her baby's milk with us to supplement when mommy doesn't make quite enough. I hope to be able to keep this up at least until she's 6 months old. Another thing that she does that amazes me is that she moves a lot in her sleep. I put her on her back and she turns on her side and snuggles next to me. She sometimes lifts herself up on her elbow in her sleep too. We co-sleep, which I love and so I can take notice of everything she does. She goes to sleep for the night around midnight, after an entire day of sleeping most of the time, feeds a little bit around 3am and then sleeps until 8am when she feeds again in her sleep and sleeps until 10am. I love how good of a sleeper she is and I hope she keeps it up at night. 

Outside, in grandma Lucy's arms

At her 2 months appointment Alyss had her first round of shots and we're participating in a study where they combined 3 vaccines into one so she only got 2 shots instead of 3. She reacted really well and didn't get sick. She was a bit fussy the day of and got a small lump at the injection site but it all went away within a day. It was a little sad to see the nurse draw blood from her little arm and to see her and another nurse stab Alyss with a shot in each leg at the same time but it all went away pretty quickly and she calmed down almost immediately after I picked her up in my arms. 

Cute smile

I love to feel her little body close to mine. I love to kiss her round, chubby cheeks and her perfectly round head. I love to see her serene smile and to hear her coos. I love to see Jane look at Alyss with a lot of love in her eyes even though sometimes Alyss' cries upset her or she gets an little jealous when David or I hold Alyss. I love to see David hold Alyss and Jane in his arms or on his legs. I just love my cute family and my adorable babies. I'm so blessed to have them and David and I wouldn't change my life for anything. 

Updates

Alyss is such a tiny, sweet baby. She eats a lot and sleeps almost all night long and during the day quite a bit, and occasionally has some colics which make her cry but go away when I give her Cocyntal herbal drops. She is very alert and happy. She likes to be held and cuddles next to me in her sleep. We breastfeed but because I don't make too much (about 3.5oz every 4 hours) we also use milk from a friend who has a 4 months old baby and is kind enough to share her milk with us.

I feel better too. The episiotomy's healed more and doesn't hurt as much. At the 6 weeks check-up I received an IUC (IUD without hormones) which I can keep in as long as 10 years but can take out any time we want to try for another baby. I love not having to worry about birth control. I was pretty scared before I went in but even though the doctor said that I might be feeling pinches or pressure I didn't feel a thing and I sure was happy about it.

Having my mom here is wonderful and a lot of help. She takes care of Alyss a lot so that I could spend time with Jane and take naps during the day. We have a great time going on walks, eating at Burger King and watching Romanian television on her laptop. :)

Jane's gotten a lot better about accepting Alyss. She gives her the binky and the bottle even when ALyss doesn't want them :) and calls Alyss by name. On occasion she still gets upset but doesn't cry uncontrollably or throws huge fits any more. I really hope that they'll be best friends when they grow up.

Too many chocolate eggs :)

Alyss' First Easter

Cutie pie

Alyss's First Doctor's Visit at 2.5 Weeks

For Alyss's' first doctor's appointment we went to Dr. Tayler. The visit was pretty short and he said that Alyss is healthy but he had a couple of concerns. First, she only weighed 7.11lb, only 2 oz over her birth weight so Dr. Tayler suggested that I should try pumping more to make more milk or supplement with some formula. I've done more of the pumping and a bit of supplementing and hopefully she's gaining more weight. We'll recheck her weight at 3.5 weeks. Another concern he had was that he felt a click in her left hip so he sent us to the Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake to have an ultrasound. The ultrasound did show that her hip bones are shallow and underdeveloped (this is called hip dysplasia and apparently is pretty common) and the doctor said that we might need another ultrasound in a couple of weeks to see how things progresses and we might also need to see a Pediatric Orthopedist who might put Alyss in a sling for a couple of months. Dr. Tayler said that it doesn't look like she needs surgery but he does want her to be seen by an Orthopedist as soon as possible to take care of this problem. The rest of the visit went well but I was pretty shaken up by Alyss's loud cries when the nurse drew blood from her heel for the mandatory test that checks for some genetic diseases.
I've been feeling some weird feelings after this visit. With Jane everything went so well and smooth and she had no health problems. This time, even in the hospital the ear doctor was concerned after the first exam and wanted to recheck her hearing. Fortunately it all turned out ok and she has no problems but it already scared me a little. Now, it seems that Alyss needs to be put in a special sling to keep her hips in the right position so that they develop correctly. It really scares and saddens me and I've been thinking how hard it must be for parents of really sick children to see them suffer. I felt really sad and anxious when the nurse drew her blood or when the ultrasound tech pushed on her hips to get the pictures. Doctors and nurses seem so heartless. They all do their job and had to act as if they don't care that the baby is in pain and scared but I just have such a hard time watching them and not being able to help Alyss in any way, just try my best to comfort her. I really hope that Alyss will turn out healthy and okay and that both her and Jane will grow healthy and happy.

So tiny 

In her bear suit

I'm the big sister

Little sister

My baby and I

My other baby and I

New Baby in our House

Well, when we decided to have our babies close to each other in age we thought that even though it would be hard having little ones at the same time, it wouldn't be impossible to deal with. The first couple of days after Alyss and I came home from the hospital seemed to try to prove the exact opposite. The first day, Monday I asked David to stay home and help me even though my mom was here and very willing to help. I needed him to be with me and to help me go through the baby blues, the pain from giving birth and having an episiotomy and really swollen hemorrhoids and the huge adjustment that having a toddler and a new baby might've required. So, even though that day wasn't the best day of my life, it wasn't too bad either.

The next day though David went to work and possibly the hardest day of my life was just about to begin. Jane woke up crying and never stopped throughout the day. Alyss was being as good as a newborn can be, just fussing whenever she needed to eat, but because of the extra tension and Jane's crying she decided that she should be crying as well. On top of this craziness I was in really bad pain. The episiotomy hurt, my bottom hurt, I had cramps, my breasts started making milk and were heavy and painful, my nipples were sore from breastfeeding and I was pretty constipated and really needed to get some relief. Well, It took me almost all day to find the relief I needed while having Jane with me in the bathroom crying and throwing tantrums, holding unto me wherever I went and screaming uncontrollably every time I held Alyss to feed her or to change her diaper. Never thought that Jane was going to have such a hard time accepting Alyss  but she seemed to feel really lonely and abandoned. I kept crying and feeling so sad for her. I wanted to reassure her that I still loved her. I kept telling her that but she didn't seem to hear me. I thought that she really hated me for bringing Alyss home.

At the end of the day when David came home I was such a mess that I burst into tears and couldn't stop for a long while. I felt that things were never going to get better, that I was going crazy and that I just wanted to go to sleep and wake up realizing that all of it was just a nightmare.

Since then, things have changed quite a bit. Jane is now more accepting of Alyss. She pats her head sometimes and gives her the binky. In the beginning she wouldn't let Alyss close to her, she wanted to sleep on top of her when we put Alyss in bed with us, and she even tried hitting her a few times.
Things are still crazy and I still feel sometimes that I reached my limits but I love these two so much and I really want them to be happy. I sometimes feel sad that I don't get to spend as much time with Jane as I used to and that I can't give Alyss as much attention as I gave Jane when she was a newborn. I believe now that I can deal with this new situation, even though it isn't going to be easy and I really hope that I will be able to manage my time well and also be able to enjoy life and the excitement of having two beautiful and sweet baby girls.

Exciting News

These last few weeks we had a lot of news and stuff happening. I'll post it in chronological order, going backwards from today on.
Feb 11 - We signed the contract and will be moving into our apartment tomorrow! I also lost the mucous plug once again :)
Feb 9 - Jane had her 15 months shots. FOUR of them!!! She cried when she got them but calmed down quickly and walked out of the clinic holding my hand and smiling. Next round of shots is at 24 months. Phew. No more shots for her for a while. We'll start with Alyss soon. I had another chiropractor's appointment and it felt great to have my back cracked and massaged. I also had a dentist appointment and everything looks good. All I need is a good cleaning, which I'm already scheduled for in a couple of weeks.
Feb 8 - My Mom arrived here safely. Had another dr. appointment and I'm measuring 38 cm at 38 weeks. Baby still hasn't descended. I'm dilated to almost 2 cm.
Feb 6 - Jane walked by herself for the first time!!!!!!
Feb 5 - I lost the mucous plug. Maybe Alyss is going to be here earlier than we think :) Also, had fun watching the Super Bowl and eating ribs, chips and dips, crackers and cheese.
Feb 1 - We turned in our tax return and we also decided to move back into Springville. Same building, different apartment. We're so excited to have our own place again.
Jan 31 - We found out that my Mom's loan got approved and helped her get her ticket. She'll get here on the 8th!
Jan 28 - Eni organized a baby shower for me at Lia's house. Cloey, Gabi and Serena came too. It was fun.

Jane walking - Feb 6 

My Baby Shower

What is sleep?

Sleep's been a rarity for me since the third trimester of pregnancy on. When Jane was born she woke up to eat twice at night and slept quite a bit during the day but once she was about 2 months old she started sleeping less and less and now, at 8 months she takes a one hour nap during the day if I'm lucky and wakes up every couple of hours at night crying and wanting to take a few sips of formula. I don't know if she's hungry or just wants the comfort of that bottle but she wakes up and interrupts our sleep. We expected sleepless nights while having babies but not like this. I read about letting your baby cry-it-out - ask my neighbors if they'd like that - giving her the pacifier (that doesn't help, she still cries until she tastes the formula) or trying to ignore the cry for a few minutes, soothe her and then let her cry again for a bit. I'm willing to try this last one but having David work so much is pretty much not an option right now. He needs all the sleep he can get so I always try to give her the bottle as quickly as possible. This routine has really taken a toll on me and now that I'm pregnant again I find myself tired, irritated and even depressed at times. I need a good night's sleep. Jane sleeps with us right now because we didn't have a crib. We got a crib now but we're waiting to move before unpacking it. I hope that having the crib will help but I'm worried that I won't get to sleep at night even more then, not having her with me and knowing that she's ok. Plus, whenever she'll be crying I'd have to go all the way to another room to see what's wrong. I don't know what to do and how to treat this situation... I really need some rest.

Independence Day 2011

I love Independence Day and the activities related to this holiday. This year we celebrated pretty well. First,  Jane and I went to Eni's house in Payson on the 2nd and had tons of fun with her family and Lia and her kids. On the 4th, David came home from work early and we had mici and hotdogs and fireworks. We also had smores with a few of our neighbors and lit our fireworks and watched others light theirs. It was pretty cool to celebrate together and to remember that the United States is our home and the place where we are free and have many opportunities to be happy and succeed. Happy Independene Day!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Something wrong?

Well, for the past couple of weeks I haven't been feeling very well. I've been tired and nauseous and from time to time, lightheaded. Since we haven't been using protection for the last month, I thought that I might be pregnant; so I tried a test a couple of days before my period. The test looked positive for a few seconds but after the two minutes that you're supposed to wait, it was more than clear that I wasn't pregnant. Why did I still feel sick then? In the next couple of days I started getting some back aches and definite symptoms that my period was just around the corner but then it was late for a day, and another, and another. So, I thought: why don't I try another test? Even though I never got nauseous with Jane I still thought that something might be happening. All the sensitivity around Jane's poopy diapers and spit-up, heart burn, headaches, tiredness, back aches and tummy problems had to have a reason. Well, I was right! I AM PREGNANT! I haven't been to a doctor yet to confirm it but the second test was a definite YES. Don't know the due date since I'm not 100% sure when the first day of my last period was but I'm more than sure that sometimes next year a little Johansen Junior will join our family and make us happier than we already are; if that's even possible. So, here you have it. We're expecting and I'm thrilled  and terrified about it. Since my birthday was on May 25, this is the best birthday present David could have ever given me :)

POSITIVE

Closer view :)
Hello baby # 2!

7 months, baby!

At the Highland Games Scottish Festival - Thanksgiving Point

Fun in the sun
Domnisoara Fifi - LOL

Jane is 7 months old. For her anniversary we took the traditional pictures and it was so great that David was actually home and is in some of the pictures. Since a month ago Jane has grown two teeth in the bottom front, sits up by herself for extended periods of time, cries less, has a bedtime, eats almost everything that is easy to chew (mashed potatoes, boiled carrots and rice, fruit in small pieces and Gerber puffs) and is as happy as can be. People always comment on how cute and happy she looks. She loves to dance, go on walks, smile for pictures and play with Sophie the giraffe and with Veronica, her first baby doll. Here are a couple more pictures of our beautiful baby girl.

Stylish Jane

Oh, yeah! Dancing is FUN!

Jane and photo contests

* I entered Jane's pictures in some photo contests and we also participated in a couple 'cutest baby' live contests. So far we didn't win anything. I'm not upset that she didn't win. It was fun participating.  What made me a bit upset was that they didn't think she's cute enough. Well, she is to us and many, many others so, who cares about those judges.... LOL

- On the Parents magazine website

At Red Lobster

Kid of the Year: http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/857012/40
Parents Cover Contest 2011:
http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/photo/862560/46

- Cute baby contest in Salt Lake City

Jane's outfit

- Springville baby photo contest

Category: 6 months
By the Springville Civic Center