9 Months

Kind of crazy to actually think about the fact that it was 17 months ago today that I found out I was pregnant with Miss Em.  Still seems like such a blur to me, but here we are with a little girl getting so big.  Well, the getting so BIG part is a bit untrue... Emily is probably under 17 pounds still (she was 16lbs 10oz at her doc's appointment 2/9), and it's still pretty hard to find a genuine fat roll on this baby, but she is growing :)  Emily hasn't changed drastically over the last month, but the gradual changes of a baby sometimes sneak up on you.  She's currently interested in Duplos, Elyse's plastic groceries, and anything Elyse is playing with.  Most of her play time is spent watching Elyse (if she's around) or "swimming" on her belly.  She loves to sit up, and I've caught her a couple of times in the sitting position when I left her on her belly.  Unfortunately, I have yet to witness this feat of hers.  I hope she's not a sneaky one!  Other than the very random scootching across the floor and spinning/rolling in all directions, she has no interest in crawling.

She is eating well, but she has started screeching between bites, and it makes Mommy insane.  I know it's possible to still love your kids to pieces and be annoyed with bad habits at the same time, right?  My index finger seems to be getting a workout as it's pressed against her lips most of mealtime.  I must admit, it is kind of cute to watch her try to lick my finger :)  She loves all of her veggies and fruits for now, but she will not eat plain avocado.  That is one veggie that I must be sneaky about.  I can slip it in with another veggie, but if she even tastes the slightest avocado taste, out it goes.  I'm just starting to think about finger foods with her (now that my baby food stash in the freezer is getting low), but since she's not much of a "put-things-in-the-mouth" kind of kid, she's got a LONG ways to go.  I hope we get there soon.  I'm ready to move on from mushy foods, as I'm sure she is!  Sleeping is going well.  I can tell she's not a child that naturally loves a tight structure, but she's keeping at 12-13 hours a night with only a random wake-up now and then... Could be due to two head-colds, one bout of random fever, and an ear infection in the last month.  COME ON, SPRING!  She's been inching towards a 6pm bedtime, but I'm just not quite ready for that :)  That makes wake up 6 - 6:30 every day.  Right now, she's going to bed at 6:30 (maybe 7) and waking up between 6:30 and 7:30.  I'm embarrassed to say she takes a lot of naps- sometimes still 4.  Thankfully, she's fine if we're out & just can't get her a nap, but she loves them if we're home :)  She is definitely girl who needs & likes her rest.

Em's still not much of a giggler, but she's very pleasant and goofy in a "quiet" sort of way.  She loves to be outside & LOVES having wind blow in her face.  She'll sit in the living room and stare at me as I work in the kitchen, just waiting for me to look over and grin.  She'll clap and coo as soon as I see her.  If I had to pick, I'd say she's more of a mommy's girl than a daddy's girl, but I love watching her with Daddy.  His voice, sneeze, cough... anything will make her eyes get big and her little mouth hang open.  She adores when he tickles her or just plays with her.  She's enough of a clown that when her audience is gone, the whining begins.  I love seeing more glimpses into her personality.  It makes me laugh and frightens me at the same time :) I really do have two little goofy girls on my hands.  I STILL have a feeling Emily's a going to be a little spit-fire.  Oh, dear.

fun's:
* She almost always smiles with her mouth OPEN.
* I love that she'll try to hold my face with both her hands.
* Fishy lips
* Bathtime
* Clapping & cooing at the same time
* Pigtails :)  Sometimes they're like palm trees, and other times they're like little buns :)
* Watching Em bop to music
* Em still loves to play with her toes.
* Her feet still twirl like windmills, & she loves to pull off her right sock all the time now!
* Seeing how funny she looks sitting in the high chair with the tray on... she looks so tiny!

not-so-fun's:
* She's definitely bonding with things that aren't toys.  Whether it be a wrapper, a piece of paper, or some other strange object, when I take it from her: WATCH OUT.
* As I mentioned before, the screeching is NOT cool.
* She's getting a very firm grasp on things- whether it's my hair or jewelry, she does not want to let go.  Ow.
* She's still into blowing raspberries when she's had enough to eat.  I think I need to post a sticky note on her forehead that will remind me to start teaching her some sign language!
* She is into exercising her bad temper if I put her down for a nap she doesn't think she needs.  Funny thing is, as soon as I shut the door behind me, I'll hear her start to play or talk quietly to herself.  Booger :)
* Since she's had her fair share of sickies this month, she will cough & inevitably sputter out veggies at me, but only if I'm wearing a nice outfit or if the veggies happen to be neon.
* I wish I could freeze time.  It's so cliche, but so true for me right now!

Emily Mae, you are one funny baby.  We love you to pieces & can't wait to see the toddler you will become!

Just Gorgeous

Elyse learned the word gorgeous today as she was helping me prepare lunch.  I had made the comment that the day was absolutely gorgeous, and she picked up on it.  She also picked up on the word "stupid" that Daddy used in relation to something trivial, so we're now using "silly" as a substitute.  So it begins...  But, it was a gorgeous 66 degree day, so the girls and I spent a good hour outside.

We walked and played in the yard, and Emily couldn't take her eyes off the grass.  That's why I have zero pictures of Emily with her eyes up.

She was mesmerized by the grass Elyse was generously piling in her lap, and again, I am thankful that my second born does not love putting things in her mouth.  I love watching my girls in the great outdoors as they take in all of the sights and sounds.  

Elyse especially loved walking by the school bus that was parked on our street.  What is it that makes buses so fascinating to toddlers???  How many studies were done as "they" determined what color would magnetize these little kiddos?  

Moving on, in addition to the beauty, I also love how the great outdoors seems to place an incredible desire for my girls to nap extraordinarily long.  

We've had some interesting happenings around the house lately.  The first of which was a thoughtful gift from my neighbor.  She gave Elyse a very fun Crayola easel!  Elyse loves the chalkboard (I'm kind of thankful that she didn't inherit my hate for chalk and chalkboards) and the magnetic white board.  In fact, it was that special magnetic side that led to our next interesting happening of the week.  Okay, MY interesting happening.

My neighbor also gave Elyse a fun LeapFrog magnetic letter toy.  Elyse can insert the letters into the little toy and it will sing and talk, etc...  It's a great educational toy, and Elyse was very sad that the batteries Daddy found in some drawer did not last long.  They lasted a day before they died.  Well, I picked up some new batteries when I was out yesterday, and I decided that I was qualified to replace the batteries in this special toy.  Let's just say that a fairly simple task of replacing batteries ended in an unplanned movie evening for the girls, a lacerated finger for me, and lots of questions of disbelief from my hubby :)  A few butterfly bandages later, and my finger is healing.  I spent a great deal of time laughing through the details of how this mishap occurred, and we pretty much decided that the toy was now ruined (yes, I skillfully marred it.  Still not sure how.).  IRONY:  Elyse still wanted to play with it, and 1 hour later, the thing starts working.  *sigh*  I think it was possessed.

On a lighter note, Elyse sat down to her lunch today and stated that her baked potato was Mister Potato Head.  I hope we never have to resort to eating him.  Seriously.

Emily had another sick week.  She started with a little cold on Tuesday, and the little cold turned into a fever which turned into a very sad little girl.  She woke up from her lengthy nap today fever-free, so we are rejoicing in health.  

Rejoicing, though we're never sure how long it will last.  :)  

Elyse has survived another week of potty training, and we are hoping that Mommy - er, I mean Elyse learned a lot.  I guess we won't know until she actually starts making the decisions.  Will Mommy always be the whistle-blower, or will Elyse someday learn that an empty bladder is a much more pleasant way to exist?  That is the question.  Stay tuned.

It was a nice day, altogether.  I'd even say it was gorgeous.

LOVE.

Love is surprising your wife with an overnight to a sweet hotel on the beautiful coast.  Love is sneaking around so she doesn't find out until the week before.  Love is splitting an amazing dinner with someone you adore.  Love is cherishing every moment you get before reality hits :)  Love is also being okay with life going back to normal 24 hours later... 

I love you, Jordan!

Never a Dull Moment

THIS would have been much more fun today if I been able to bribe a little helper...  Somehow, a fever has, yet again, infiltrated our house.  We've tried to bar the doors & the windows, but it was all for naught.  I will say this, though.  A random fever is much better than many of the symptoms that typically follow fevers (aka FLUIDS).  Elyse is buried underneath blankets and pillows on our couch, and I can just almost feel what she's feeling.  Her glassy eyes, flushed cheeks, sweaty head, trembling voice... it's all pretty heart-breaking.  She's always been one to cuddle, but she outdoes herself when she's sick.  She lets me play with her silky ringlets 'til my heart's content.  Her ailment has only slightly impaired her jabbering.  She's spent the last hour lecturing me on grapes, the blankets she's using, the fact that Em will be up from her "tiny nap" in "just a minute."  She's asked for movies and has actually been sitting through them (I must say, I can see why parents get hooked) for the most part.  Mommy can't go far, though, or we have some major tears.  Thankfully, I have a few good reads going on, and I can't say I hate sitting down at the computer to relax.  We have a few noteworthy (that term is totally relative, right?) events going on, so I figured I should share them.  Don't get excited, they're actually quite boring.  I decided this post would be far too depressing if it only included details of sickies.

* Emily has figured out how to do fishy lips.  Seriously, it might be the most hilarious part of the last two days.  Well, it's a toss-up between that and this video that I stumbled across.  I love that Emily will pull out those fishy lips at random times, too.  It makes us all smile.  I'm still trying to capture the illusive fish on camera.

* Elyse has been working on her pronouns.  She's very interested in using pronouns, but she's a bit confused on her masculine and feminine.  I must say, it's funny to watch her correct herself two or three times before she gets something right.  This morning, she said that her cousin Eli was at her own house.  No, Eli was at his own house.  No, Eli was at a BIG house.  There's a solution!  So creative.  That's what I do, Elyse... I just rephrase it so I won't sound grammatically incompetent.

* I've always been repetitive when I've communicated with Elyse.  Mostly, I've been that way because I learned early on that she responded very well when I would talk a lot to her.  I might spend lots of time telling her what might happen if she... blah, blah...  Anyway, I always remind her when I put on her big girl undies how she is supposed to behave in them: DO NOT GO IN YOUR PANTIES!  Sure enough, every time we get dressed now, she'll put on this Mommy-sing-songy-voice and say, "REMEMBER: Do not go in your pannnntttiiieeeeeeeeesss!!!"

* Elyse loves to chat with Emily about nothing, but the other day I had to laugh as she told Emily that at night, she would get to see the big, big moon, and lots of stars, and the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.  Really, dear?  "Away In A Manger" gone awry.

* I've always done "this little piggy" when I've cut the girls fingernails or toenails.  Hey, it keeps me amused.  Elyse fills in the gaps with "this little piggy has toast & beef."  Yum!

* Emily always seems up to something.  Her newest trick of random screams is probably only a small indication of the spunk she has.  Em's current "this should drive me mad, but I keep laughing" issue involves blowing raspberries & food.  I often wonder why we don't produce docile children, but then I am reminded of what we are like :)

* Elyse was just chattering on about her potential treats for going on the potty.  The list sounded like this: "Umm.... some candy, um.... some cookies, um... or a sucker, um.... how 'bout some jelly beans, um... and green beans!!!"

* I gave Elyse her bath this morning, so Emily got her bath tonight.  Elyse was very sad that they didn't take a bath together.  When Elyse was Em's age, I bathed her in the kitchen sink most nights because it was just easier  :)   Emily got her first bath in the sink tonight, and she loved it.  Elyse came around, and she ended up loving it too, as long as she could pull a chair over to watch.

* I'm feeling especially thankful for my two little darlings tonight.  I gave them lots of extra kisses & hugs and they were OUT by 6:45.  Times like this, I'm especially aware of God's amazing gifts.  What a thought it is that these amazing little gifts given to me are just a teeny tiny reflection of who God is.  Crazy.

How do you explain it?

Communication is extraordinary.  In my opinion, trying to communicate certain things to a toddler must require a degree in toddler-ese.  I'm not very good at that.  I'm amazed that each new little person has to start from scratch with all of life.  Hey, I encounter at least one thing a day that makes me wonder!  Like, why do some people think that legging can pass as pants?  Or, why is it that Murphy's Law gets harder to overcome the older my children get?  OR, even better, why can't my favorite evening snack be vegetable sticks?

* I think I mentioned before that my witty hubby taught Elyse the phrase "make out" when it comes to Mommy and Daddy kissin'.  She now thinks that hugs and kisses are "makin' out."  Oh, yes, I totally defer that issue back to DADDY.

* Elyse pulled up a chair as I prepared dinner the other night.  She proceeded to jabber away while I chopped onions.  A minute later, she looked up at me, completely dumbfounded as tears streamed down her cheeks.  It only took a second or two before she started rubbing her eyes and shedding tears of sadness.  Ahh, good ol' onions.  Poor baby!!

* Emily has been getting more and more vocal.  She's discovered a very "fun" new noise that she loves to make when she is just being a goof.  It comes out much like a scream.  Of course, Elyse looks right at me with a challenging expression and says, "Mommy?  Emmie screamed."  I know it's only the beginning of tattling, and I have a feeling that it's going to get old really quickly :)

* Elyse has always "bawked" like a chicken when I tell her she's eating chicken for dinner.  She started doing it as soon as she figured out what sound the chicken makes.  Now, however, that sound she makes seems to have deterred her from wanting to eat chicken in general.  Food coming from animals just might break this girl's heart.

* After Elyse went on the potty the other day, I gave her a scoop of ice cream.  She was ecstatic!  She got SO excited, though, that she ate it way too fast.  She looked up at me with a look of horror on her face as she grabbed her head and screamed.  I felt awful, but have you ever tried explaining a brain freeze to a 2-year old?

I'm glad she'll probably forget every lame explanation I'm giving her...  

Habits.

Habits in general die hard.  I've had a few of my own over the years that have died slow deaths (apparently, grinding my teeth was a classic when I was a child).  My two little girls have habits, though, that are so cute, I'm going to have a hard time helping them STOP.  My Elyse has always loved to put her thumb in her mouth.  I can't say that she sucks her thumb, because it's typically just resting in her mouth, but she definitely has a thumb habit.  In addition to the thumb habit, she also loves to hold something in her hand.  That something is usually her blanket or her favorite blanket/animal, "Hippet."  We've managed to keep Hippet for bedtime alone, but how, oh how, to break that habit?

Emily Mae has her own special habit.  She started sucking on her index finger knuckle months ago, and it is a wonderful way to put her to sleep, let me tell ya'!  NOW, though, she's added a new touch: she now holds her ear with her other hand (I still haven't captured the ear-holding on camera).  What am I going to do with these girls???

Pacifiers can go in the trash, but my girls' fingers will not be coming off to cure this habit :)  So, for now, I'll enjoy how cute it is.  I'll try not to think about the pending dental work that will inevitably be on its way.  *sigh*

Where, oh where have we been?

Well, it was a very NOT NORMAL January for us.  We were busier than normal, sicker than normal, and I'm really hoping February is different!  I'm looking forward to finding my footing in 2011, and if it the rest of the year is anything like January, we're in trouble :)  Here's a little of what's been up around our household...

* We're still dealing with leftover cold symptoms: coughs, drips, LONG NAPS... Oh, that's one I'm actually thankful for!  I am ready for flu season to be GONE, but I am so thankful for health most of the year.  So many would love to have health most of the year.

* Gramm Heijermans came to visit last week, and we had a blast.  The girls loved their time with her, and I probably used her visit too much as an excuse to do nothing around here.  :)  BUT, it was a wonderful visit, and I sure wish we lived closer.

* Elyse has been asking to sing "Bobbalo."  I've figured out that she just wants to sing the "B-I-B-L-E" song :)   Another favorite song is "Jesus, Thank You."  We sang it in church together on Sunday, and her face was priceless!  Elyse has been sitting on my lap for the first portion of the service before she is dismissed to her big kid class, and she is very perturbed by how long she is required to be quiet.  She was especially annoyed when Daddy sat by us for Scripture reading and then had to get back up to lead worship.  "Where'd Daddy go?!" I also coughed one Sunday, and she responded with, "Mommy burped!"

* Emily probably hasn't had a day without a drippy nose in weeks.  Poor baby.  She is surprisingly in a great mood, and she is seriously turning into a little goober.  This child is just cracking up at everything!

* I took a cake decorating class with a friend in January.  We had such a great time!  I had to miss a class due to sickies, but the other three were very fun.  Here's a picture of my graduation cake :)  (NO MOCKING)

* Elyse is talking even more than she used to.  Is that possible?  Yes, it is.  It is, and she does.  She loves to say, "Say thank you, Mommy, for the milk.  Thank you, Mommy!"  I think she's a little parrot :)  I also love hearing her tell me she's doing a good job at something.  The problem is, she's now reminding me when to thank her for something... Oh, boy.

* Em is into clapping things together & grabbing everything she can get her hands on.  She's ALSO incredibly scared of hair dryers, elevators, vacuum cleaners, and anything else that might startle her.  Poor girl!

* I ordered a book from amazon.com last night at 8:30pm.  I got it this morning at 11am.  WOW.

* My girls love to play, and I've chosen to enjoy that lately instead of fighting it.  Often, I'll be doing dishes while they giggle in the living room, or I'll be picking up toys around them while they're having a blast in the middle of their room.  Seriously, I have a feeling I'm going to regret that.  Sure, I know my house needs to be clean & that my girls need to be able to play alone every so often, but sometimes I just need to enjoy them.  SO, I am.  My house can still get clean, but I'm finding more ways to enjoy these two little girls while they like my attention :)

* I have a secret.  I normally don't get stir crazy.  I have to say normally, because there are times (especially after sickness!) that I feel the walls closing in around me.  BUT, on a regular basis, I'm a homebody.  I really have to make myself get out, and when I do, I always have a great time.  All that to say: these wintery days aren't getting on my nerves.... YET.

* Jordan and I have been laughing a lot at the dinner table.  Let's just say, our conversations have become kid-infested :)  So, THIS is what it's like to eat with kids!!?!?!  Not only will she repeat every other other word we say, but Elyse will also pepper our conversation with other goofiness.... like informing us of every time she burps, or getting our attention just to make a funny face.  Needless to say, we now see how important it is to move her bedtime up to 5pm so we can eat in peace.  Okay, just kidding on that one...

* Well, that's enough boring for one night.  Now you know where we've been :)