i frewed up

My join the YMCA and start working out campaign.

Week #1.

• Day 1: 7 minutes on the elliptical cause Beetle was crying in the childcare area.
• Day 2: Got a 30 minute workout in. They said Beetle cried off and on, but she did MUCH better! 
• Day 3: Went in to get Beetle in the morning and found her covered in throw up. Yuck. No workout. Did go on an evening family walk.
• Day 4: Beetle still not acting great so no work out planned. I started feeling yucky around 11. I laid on the couch. Juliet said I should go lay in my bed to rest. I told her that I would love to, but needed to stay up to watch Beetle. She said she would :) Dominic came home early just in time. He walked out of our bedroom with both girls in tow and I ran into the bathroom. Then Juliet got sick later in the day ... she got the worst of it I think ...
• Day 5: After a long night with Juliet, I am tired but feeling a little better. Needless to say, not working out. Juliet's still sick and Beetle's not totally recovered either. Dominic's home ... hoping he doesn't get a turn :)

I'd just like to say that the first week didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped ... honestly I'm debating calling off the entire campaign!

Last night, Juliet kept saying "Mommy, I frewed up. The girls frewed up. Beetles frewed up. Mommy frewed up. Juliet frewed up ... It's ok." I realize that she has frewed all wrong. Even if she managed to get the "th" sound on the front, threwed still isn't right. It's cute though ... and we don't have much cute going on here right now :)

bouncy barn

We went to a birthday party for our sweet cousin Laura Kate a few weeks ago at a local bounce house. The girls had a TON of fun.

Juliet wouldn't slow down even for a second so this pic accurately depicts her the ENTIRE 2 hours we were there :)

Juliet slides.

And so does Corinne. The little stinker managed to climb up the ladder on her own. She was WAY more fearless than I expected her to be!

Juliet repeatedly asks for a "bouncy thing" for her birthday. And I had planned on a small party this year ... hmmmmmm ...

more snow

The girls are napping and I am just sitting here waiting for the snow to start up again. I need to go to the store, but after a failed attempt this morning, I am waiting for Daddy to get home so I can go alone. This will likely put me at the store with a bunch of crazies out trying to stock up on essentials. Oh well, I would rather leave a store with nothing than loose my patience with my kids over food. So we left. Easy as that.

Some thing I am currently loving. The conversations the girls have with each other. Usually, Juliet does most (if not all) of the actual talking, but it is cute no less.

J: Beetles, do you want to play zoo with me?
B: (blank stare)
J: You do! Ok. Lets go.
B: bunch of jibber jabber ...
J: We will see elephants and lions and ...
B: No. (Often accompanied by an arm swat in Juliet's direction)
J: No Beetles? You don't want to? (clearly appalled)
Mommy, Beetles don't want to go to zoo with me.

They are too darn cute for words sometimes!

We played in the snow on Sunday.

The snow was not really that fun to play in. Kind of like walking on a bunch of big rocks. Juliet spent a lot of time just sitting down cause she couldn't walk around without help. Good ol' snow pants kept her bum dry :)

I used the HDR-ish effect in Picnik on the photo above and it shows how uneven the snow was.

We played on the swings.

Ate snow.

And I made Dominic hold the girls up so I could take photos of them with a beautiful snowy background.

I have lots of funny ones like this. Dominic trying to tickle Juliet to make her smile and silly neighbor's dog in the background ...



Not exactly something you'd hang up in your house, but I like them :)

Beetles didn't have many smiles either.

Unless she was being tickled.

Watching her sister.

Touching snow for the first time since her traumatic face plant.

Not so sure about it.

This was one of those Juliet conversations that just makes you laugh. "Beetles, you want to eat some snow?" ... "I think she don't" ...

Charlie on the other hand, was all about eating the snow.

Silly dog. He had to pee a million times that evening cause he'd eaten so much snow!

More from our winter wonderland later! My babies are waking up :)

someday

Juliet has had some anxiety around noises and going to bed lately. She wants me to cover up her face with her blankie so she can't hear the noises. She doesn't cry or anything; just makes sure we have a discussion about the noises she might hear and the fact that they are "ok" before I leave her room for the night.

The whole thing just came out of no where. The girl hasn't even watched a Disney movie yet because I don't feel she's ready for Scar, Ursula, or Cruella de Vil! A little crazy perhaps? I don't know ... but my thoughts around what we allow our children to watch on tv are a whole different story. Not what I sat down to write about tonight ...

For whatever reason, she's having this anxiety and I realized after a few nights that there's only one place to point her if she wants to find peace about it - God. So I've reiterated over the last 4 or so nights that any noises she might hear are completely normal, that God is protecting us, and that she has nothing to worry about.

She started our conversation tonight.

J: God is protecting us?
Me: Yes. Always. You have nothing to worry about.
J: (long pause) He is protecting us. Where did God go? Where is He?
Me: He's in heaven.
J: Can we go see him?
Me: (pause) Someday.

I didn't feel it was appropriate to elaborate any more than that.

It was bedtime after all :)

It is a true privilege to point these precious little girls toward the Lord!! I am so very humbled that He would consider me worthy to play a part in such an important task.

snow

We got a little snow last week (Jan 9-10) and since it's doesn't happen all that often I figured I should write about it. Juliet has been waiting anxiously for snow for a while now. In her 2 year old mind winter = snow.



She waited all day for Daddy to come home so they could play in the snow. Dominic called me when he was 10 minutes out so I could start bundling up the girls as the sun was setting quickly.



I put mittens on Beetles feet and socks on her hands. The mittens seemed warmer than her shoes, but once I had put those on I didn't have anything for her hands! She seemed warm enough ...



They tromped around the yard, kicked snow for Charlie to jump at (he's a crazy snow loving dog), played on the swings (This was Beetle's favorite part. She's got her new swing now and she's a big girl!), and tasted the snow. Juliet told me that "It taste a little like ice cream. It's icy."

countdown - five

On Friday, I was pretty beat down emotionally. I felt like I was only half way through this last 2 week stretch and still had a long way to go. But after a good weekend I'm feeling better. Only 5 more days!



Juliet worked her first 50 piece puzzle with me on Friday. She definitely needed a lot of help, but she wanted to work it and I was impressed that she had the attention span and concentration to work it twice! She loves puzzles. Random, but the puzzle we worked had the picture under the pieces and I found it to be kind of confusing. You couldn't see where you had put the pieces and where you hadn't and in my mind it kind of turns puzzle working into more of a matching activity. You look for the match to the particular piece you're holding rather than trying to make the pieces fit together. I don't know if that makes sense or not, but I was really bothered by it and may be covering up the picture underneath somehow in the near future!

On Saturday morning, we went to Target just to get out and pick up some produce. We eat a lot of fruit around our house and it's not easy to find right now (not to mention pricey). We let Juliet pick out something in their $1 area. She chose a wand. She was super excited to open it, and when I got it out of its plastic wrapping, she gave it a swish and said "Mommy, the magic is not working?". She was genuinely concerned that we had purchased a magic wand that didn't work!!

oversights

Sometimes I nuke my coffee and forget about it long enough that I have to nuke again before I drink it.

Sometimes I write blog posts about my children and leave stuff out. Sometimes it's the very things that I sat down to blog about that I forget to mention!!!

So, here's that stuff I forgot last night.

Beetles favorite word - NO. Juliet said yes (pronounced sssssss) long before she said no, but little Beetle caught on to the nonononono real quick :) She also says yes sometimes, but not nearly as often as I'd like! Here's a "no" with a hair grab on the way.



Beetles favorite animal/animal sound - monkey.

Beetle loves to dance. She'll bounce if she's standing near something or just sit and bounce her legs around. It's nice because Juliet sings all day long to herself so Beetle has constant music for dancing. She definitely likes some songs better than others and it's cute to see what songs make her face light up and her little arms start clapping :)



Despite the fact that I've been totally convinced Beetle's teeth will be here any day at least 5 times, the girl still has 6 teeth - 4 on top and 2 on bottom.

And I know it probably doesn't look like it, but the girl is thinning out! Her inner thigh rolls are nearly gone (tear) and shirts are fitting her more loosely than they were even a month ago. It's those fun but kind of sad baby to toddler changes that just make you want to kiss her cheeks and pinch her rolls even more cause you know they may be gone soon :)



And now for big sis.



She has always been very independent. Here are two of many examples. She likes to dress herself - pick it out and put it on WITHOUT me helping her. If I even touch her to try to help her get her arm through the sleeve, the ENTIRE shirt must be removed and she picks out a new shirt! In the morning, sometimes she has trouble getting the door knob to turn, but if Dominic or I open the door, she slams it shut! The door must be opened by HER :)

Juliet is still potty training. Kind of. It's been an up and down sort of thing for a while now, but she just doesn't seem motivated to REALLY do it and I'm not pushing her. She'll get there. When she's ready I am confident that it will be a no turning back sort of thing.

It's below freezing outside, but Juliet doesn't seem to mind. I sent her back to grab a shirt or pants to put on and this is how she returned to the playroom.



I asked why she put on boots and not a shirt. "I don't know Mommy" was her response.



ok then.

She still loves to read and has even started reading us stories. She'll grab a book, take it across the room, make sure we're listening, and then start. "Once upon a time ... there was a penguin ... they went to the park ... eee gend (aka "the end"). " Stories have nothing to do with the actual book she's holding and can be told over and over again. As long as you'll listen :)

A little bit on Beetle. She still isn't walking and really isn't trying very often either. She can crawl really fast. Really really fast. Good eater. Good napper (though she cries every single time I lay her down STILL) and her nighttime sleep is good too. She seems to be a restless sleeper and often cries out for a few minutes in the middle of the night. And then it's just hard for me to go back to sleep. After I've heard her crying it's like I can just hear her in my head for the rest of the night :)

She is saying a handful of words - mama, dada, ball, bye, hi - and making some animal sounds as well - elephant, cat, dog, frog, etc. I am somewhat anxious for her to start talking a little more because I feel like I am constantly running interference between her and Juliet. Sweet Juliet. She is patient and mature well beyond her years in dealing with Corinne. She shares with her 99% of the time and if she doesn't she always gets Beetle something else to play with. She's a problem solver that one! You play with this toy Beetle so I can play with this toy. I wish I could say Corinne was as sweet when it comes to daily playroom interactions! A picture (or 8) is worth a thousand words, so here's what I'm talking about:




Kind of hilarious. I was laughing the whole time I was taking the pictures :) And I know it's totally normal for this age. I can remember being a worried first time mom when Juliet was this age. She take a toy from a friend and I was convinced she was NEVER going to share. This time around I have a different outlook - Corinne should learn to share faster as she has a lot more practice!!

In the meantime, I use the phrases "Use your words," "We share with our friends," and "We have to take turns" about a million times a day. That will probably be the case for a while!

Juliet is getting so big. She's observant and thoughtful. More than I ever imagined a 2.5 year old could be. She has an amazing imagination and can entertain herself for a long time - taking dolls to the store, playing in the snow in our living room, having a tea party, pretending to go to the aquarium or zoo, and probably a hundred other things.

Some quotes from her recently:

"Charlie come here and get some lovins. You're a good buddy."
Dominic often tells Charlie to "come get some lovin" when he gets home
"Mommy we can go to the Ark with Noah when you get your boot off."
To me after reading the story of Noah in her Bible
"There's some toots in there!"
To me (or Dominic) when we change her diaper

ramblings ... 2 weeks later

So as it turns out, trying to live my life as normally as possibly minus my foot is hard work. Most days I haven't even had a chance to turn the computer on, much less blog. I've had help. Tons of help. But we are still just keeping up if you know what I mean.

The great thing about kids is that - at least for me most of the time - I don't have a chance to feel sorry for myself. Like last night, the weather was perfect and I wanted Dominic to take Juliet to go see the Christmas lights at a local church/college that goes all out. Well, as I was bundling her up, I just really wanted to go to. I wanted to see her face light up when they drove up and her running around in excitement through the lights. But, it would have been too much so B and I stayed home.

I was bummed. For about 30 seconds. I mean how often do I get an hour with my little Beetle all to myself?!? We sang the same song over and over again, tickling and giggling each time. She got to take a bath all by herself. We read books. I held her. And treasured not having any distractions. Such a sweet sweet life. If we can just open our eyes to see it.

Juliet's report of the lights was as follows:
Me: Juliet how was it???
J: It was GREAT!!!!

That pretty much sums it up. She has been saying that she's going back tomorrow. She's apparently made plans I don't know about :)

B took her first real good steps (only a few) when Dominic and Juliet got home. She walked from the chair in the playroom to Dominic a couple of times. I blog about this realizing that it could still be another month before she walks, but still a notable milestone I guess.

A few photos. Dominic and the girls before he and J left:


Looking at lights:

best job ever

Staying home with our girls is, for me, the best job ever.
I love being a stay at home mom.
I feel passionately about being home with them.
I believe strongly that the sacrifices we are making as a family are worth it.
They show me that every day.
I can see it in their eyes.
Feel it in their hugs.
Hear it in their giggles.
It is good.
So very good.


Just a few stories from our rainy day here today.
This is the good stuff our days are made of :)


STORY #1
This morning while I was getting B dressed, Juliet came in with a movie sleeve on her hand.

"Mommy, I can fly. I a superhero."

I had no idea she even knew what a superhero was.

She ran around the room, the sleeve fell off, and she fell to the floor.

"I can't fly anymore.  I can't reach it. You get it for me?"

Retrieved the movie sleeve and she was up and flying about again.


STORY #2
Changing B's fourth poopy diaper of the day (ugh) and hear J have the following conversation with herself.

Scream.

"Don't scream. If you scream, you have to go to your room."

Scream.

Walks herself to her room.

fake cries. "I don't want to go to my room!"

... I couldn't hear the mumbled conversation she had with herself in her room, but have a feeling it sounded a lot like what I tell her multiple times every day. We have this conversation a lot.

STORY #3
I was cooking dinner and Juliet came in and told me it was my birthday. I was instructed to sit on the Abby Cadabby bath towel she had spread on the living room floor, eat my cupcake (a baby toy), and open my present (a toy block inside a box). She also sang me Happy Birthday :)

real men wear pink

Meet Blankie.



He's a special member of our family.
Pink.
A little over 2 years old.
Satin on one side and amazing soft fluffiness on the other.
White trim and white heart that has "XOXO" embroidered on it.
He is truly amazing.

Yes, I said 'he'. You see, Blankie is a boy. I don't know how it happened. But really I do. It all started with daily conversations like the following:

J: Where's Blankie?
Mom: I don't know. Blankie, where are you?
Walk from room to room around the house looking for Blankie
...
Upon sighting Blankie
J: (pointing) Blankie!
Mom: There he is! Blankie, what are you doing in here?



J: I need my Blankie.
Mom: Ok. Go get him.



J: I love my Blankie.
Mom: I know. I love him too. He is so soft.

When I started affixing the masculine pronoun to J's pink Blankie, it felt ridiculous every time I'd say it, but every time it just slipped out. And then, there was just no going back ...

Blankie was a baby gift we received after J was born. We had a few similar blankets, but this was has been the clear favorite for over a year now. For a while, he (see I am doing it here too!) stayed in the crib, but at some point - likely when J was old enough to walk back to her room and pull Blankie through the crib slats - Blankie started participating in the rest of our day outside of nap/bed time. I've never been a big fan of kids dragging dirty blankets around with them, but whatever. I'm over it. We don't take Blankie everywhere and she's 2 not 6.

My mom found a second identical Blankie around last Christmas. This was the best find ever as I can now make sure Blankie is washed on a regular basis. The funny thing is that if she spots Blankie #2 in the clean laundry, she'll drag them both around. She really just likes blankets.

Blankie was just "blanket," but thanks to Baby Bop and her stupid baby talk, Blankie became Blankie. I could go on a random tangent here about how I don't understand why they would have Baby Bop talk baby talk on an educational show, but I won't. Dominic hates Baby Bop. I'll just leave it at that.

So, what is a Blankie good for?

Sleeping (duh!)


Road trips


Clinging to on your birthday


And just playing around


A few things you might hear J tell you about her blanket companion.

• "My Blankie is soooo soft."
• "My Blankie keep me warm. It cold." This said during the middle of August when it's 100+ degrees out and she's wearing only a diaper.
• "I love my Blankie."
• "Blankie want to come ______ ." You fill in the blank. Anywhere. To church. To the bathroom. Outside. To eat lunch. To watch Sesame Street. What can I say, he likes to tag along :)
• (Reading the heart on blankie) "XOXO ... BLANKIE! Mom, it says blankie! See?!?!?"
• "I NEED my Blankie." This is said when she's hurt or sad about something.
• J will also fetch her Blankie for people who she believes to be in distress or tired and let them know that Blankie will make them feel better. Usually her words are "There. You feel better?".

He's an all around great guy, that Blankie!

"B have her checkup"

Today was 9 month checkup day!!  J repeated "B have her checkup. We go to doctor" about a million times this morning (ok ... maybe a thousand). While we were getting ready, in the car on the way, in the waiting room, during the checkup, etc. She has been really into playing with her doctor kit lately so it was neat to see her getting into the whole process, watching as the nurse took B's measurements and the doc examined B. B did awesome. She just sat and stared at the doctor the whole time. He may have gotten a smirk or two as well :)


Here's 9 month stats for both girls.


Corinne
Weight - 20lbs 7oz (78 %ile)
Length - 29in (81%ile)
Pic is of B at the doctor today. Eating her puffs off of my planner because that was way more sanitary than the floor :)





Juliet
Weight - 19lbs 11oz (65 %ile)
Length - 28.5in (80%ile)
J's 9 month photo ... look at all that hair!





Pretty darn close in size! Looks on the other hand, not so much!

Supposed to just have a finger prick at the 9 month checkup, but they had their flu shots in so we did those as well for both girls. J got to have the intranasal one so at least it wasn't a shot, but I think having something squirted up her nose was just as upsetting. Not like you can really explain that one ... we'll know for next time I suppose.

sweet sunday

Just a couple sweet things that have been happening around here lately.

I tried to call off the potty training efforts, but as I can't keep a diaper on her, I guess they are still ongoing. Found her without her panties on Friday afternoon and asked her where they were.

J: I took them off, Mommy. They in the playroom. They wet.
M: Oh, did you potty?
J: On the floor in playroom.

I went in the playroom and found this.



Panties.

Pee puddle.

... and Washcloth she has retrieved from the clean laundry on the couch and used to try to clean up her accident. How thoughtful :)

Sweet B. Have I mentioned her name has morphed into Bee-Duh-Lee? ... and then Daddy added another syllable so that's it's now Bee-Duh-Lee-Dee. She's a sweetie that little Bee-Duh-Lee! She started clapping yesterday. We now have applause. Well, silent applause anyways :)



She and Charlie work together. They are partners in crime when it comes to food giving and receiving :)

So much more to share, but have to get to bed. Late night with little teething baby last night and J was up early this morning! Happy week everyone!

in J's words

(J lets a smelly toot)
J: (wiping her nose) Ick. I have poop on my nose.
Mom: No, you don't have poop on your nose. You tooted and it smells. It will go away in a second.
J: (wiping her nose) Ick. No Mommy. I have poop on my nose!
Mom: Ok, lets wipe it off.
(move location and wipe J's nose off with Kleenex).

Problem solved!

She had told me she had poop on her nose the other day and I didn't know what she was talking about (didn't smell the toot apparently), but it was obvious what she was talking about when it happened today!!

in J's words

"Good Job Mommy! (clapping) I love you. Want some candy?"

- J to me, whenever I go to the bathroom :)

in J's words

"Would that be good for you?"

J, just confirming that you are on board with what she wants to do.

in J's words

"What is Juliet saying?"

J, when she can tell you are not understanding what she is saying.