32 months

Happy 32 months to our sweet big girl! This has definitely been the smoothest month in a long time. I feel like I might be jinxing myself by saying it, but I think we've put the bulk of the terrible twos/new sibling/moving issues behind us. We've settled into a good routine and we're all happy. I've finally reached a point where caring for two children by myself is not (very) overwhelming. I'll revisit that thought when Jack starts crawling.

Stats: We went to the doctor this month for a shot and blood draw for her school health form. She weighs 31 lbs, 7 oz and measures 37 inches tall, both of which are in the 75th percentile. She wears 3T/4T tops and 2T/3T pants and size 8.5-9 shoes. She also had to get blood drawn for a lead test and go to the dentist, and she was a champ at all of it! We got out her fall clothes recently and I'm proud to say that I have to buy very little for her because I got super deals on a lot of stuff at the end of last year (I love buying ahead when it's a great deal!). I'm still looking for a new pair of outdoor shoes, a pair of snow boots, and a heavy coat, but that's it.

Eating: She's still a really good eater. I've had to be careful about not letting her have too much for a snack so that she doesn't ruin her meals. If it is too close to lunch or dinner but she is hungry, she'll automatically ask if she can eat frozen peas. Well, folks, she can have as many frozen peas as she wants whenever she wants, which is sometimes twice a day :) She drinks a lot of water and milk. Occasionally (maybe a few times a month), she has a small cup of diluted juice or Powerade. She has started liking a few new foods this month.

Here are some foods she really likes, in order of time of day: dry cereal, bagel, waffle, yogurt, any kind of fruit, bell pepper, cucumber, turkey, cheese, grilled chicken, steak, roast, hamburger meat, black beans, pinto beans, corn, sweet potato, broccoli, peas, green beans, guacamole but not avocado, quesadilla, grilled cheese, tortelloni, any kind of nut (but not peanut butter). Her favorite "treats" are pickles, raisins, and dried fruit/nuts. She still prefers her food to be "a la carte", but thankfully she is very predictable. If you are looking for plates, I really like these.

Sleeping: Since this post, I started putting her down for a nap a little bit later and she has been napping very well. We only had one day in the last 3 weeks where she talked in her crib for 2 hours and never fell asleep. Normally she falls asleep very quickly for her naps but talks in her crib for awhile when she goes to sleep at night. Bedtime is 7:45-8 pm and she wakes up around 8 am and takes a nap from about 1:45-3:45 pm. Most of the time, I have to wake her after napping for 2 hours. We are so thankful that she's such a great sleeper.

Playtime: Her favorite toys right now are her dolls (thanks, Emily!), computer (thanks, Laura!), books, and whatever toy is randomly pulled from the cabinets. She's also pretty attached to carrying her purse around. She's got a good balance of playing independently, playing with Jack, and playing with Mike and me. She's gotten more interested in Jack and loves to talk to him, cuddle him, and help him roll over. We often catch her saying things like, "I love you SO much, Jack!" or "You're so cuuuuute, Jack!" or "Did you spit up again, Jack? Oh, you DID!".

She's started going to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11:30 and gymnastics on Wednesday from 10-10:45. She loves both of these activities, and I'm excited to have a routine and some good indoor things to do this winter. We play in the backyard a few times a day, usually while Jack is napping. I try to get to a park at least once a week, but it is hard when they aren't walkable! We were spoiled in Alabama.

Personality: This month, Elise has started asking "why?" about EVERYTHING, and one "why?" usually leads to several more as answers are given. She still has a tantrum every now and then, but is normally a very fun kid to have around. She loves to talk, play, pretend, be silly, run, jump, dance, sing, and help me with whatever I am doing. She likes to cuddle and read books or swing in the backyard. She also enjoys running errands with me and tries to give me directions on where to go. The other day, she said, "If you turn right and drive for a few minutes and then go up the hill, we'll be at preschool!". She's right about half the time on her directions :) She does know the names of the streets and turns that we take most often, and she'll say that "we need to turn left on Squires and then right on Scarlett to get home from here". She has shown a lot of interest in dressing herself and being independent in the bathroom... when she wants to :)

New Gear: She still loves riding in a stroller and we use the Bumbleride Indie Twin a lot! She got a new car seat this month, the Britax Frontier 85 in Cowmooflage in preparation for Jack taking over the Boulevard pretty soon. How many of you remember the big debate? (Here is part 1, part 2, and part 3). I love the new seat and will probably do a post about it in the future.

Funny sayings:

Me: (trying to motivate Elise to get moving faster): "Hurry, Elise, let's go get ready for your nap!"

E: "Before what? Before I don't cooperate?"

Me: "Elise, do you like your cow car seat?"

E: "Mom, the car seat doesn't have cows on it. It has cow SPOTS on it."

E: (after using the potty right before bed) "I pee peed and pooped! I have some more in me for tomorrow. I will poop again tomorrow, but I will pee pee tonight. In my pull up. I pretend there is a potty in my pull up when I go pee pee in there. When I pee pee when I'm sleeping I pretend there is a potty in my pull up."

E: (wanting attention while J was eating) "I need to go to the potty! I need to go NOW."

Me: "Okay, you can go by yourself or I can help you in a few minutes."

E: "I need some help. I can't get on the potty by myself!" (not true!)

Me: "Look, your stool is right by the potty, you can climb on by yourself."

E: (picks up the stool and moves it away from the potty)

E: "I can't get on the potty! The stool is too far away. I need HELLLLLLP. I need help NOWWWW."

(I got lost in downtown Baltimore during the road closures for the Baltimore Grand Prix a few weeks ago. I was supposed to go pick up E at Johns Hopkins where she was hanging out with Daddy, but never made it there and had to meet them at home.)

E: "Where's mommy?"

Mike: "Mommy got lost."

E: "Does this mean I'm not going to have a mommy anymore?"

(talking while we were driving)

E: "Mommy, when you were a little girl I used to buckle you into this car seat and give you this water when you were thirsty."

E: (while "reading" her bible) "And one day God went to His place and He liked it and He said it was good."

(staring at the lamp in her room and then thinking about the lamp that used to be in her room in TX and AL and was since moved to Jack's room and then the living room)

E: "The tall lamp was in this room in Alabama. Now it is in the living room. It is not in Jack's room anymore. Because why?"

E: "Hey Mom and Dad, I love y'all sooooo much." (spoken like a true Texan!)

E: "I would like some sugar and some cinnamon. And a little bit of sweet potatoes."

E: "I gotta clean this table off."

(throws everything on the floor and then walks in the other room)

E: "I got these new turquoise placemats for my little round table. Mama spent $7 on them."

These last two really blew us away because she wasn't looking at any words and hadn't in quite a while. If she wants to, she can definitely tell you all about the letters in a word when she sees it, and she knows the beginning letter of Mommy, Daddy, Elise, Jack, and Boss without looking, but these really surprised us!

(we had just been working on saying 'crib' instead of 'keeyub')

E: "What does that say?" (pointing to Mike's shirt)

Me: "Callaway. Did you know that Callaway and crib start with a 'c'?"

E: "And chicken and cat! They start with ALL the c's!"

The next day...

Me: "Did you know that 'dog' and 'daddy' both start with a 'd'?"

E: "Did you know that "Daddy" starts with a D AND a Y?" (I can't remember the last time she had seen the word written before she said this... crazy. I guess it does start with both letters!)

House Tour

Elise has lived in 3 houses in the last 10 months and we've liked different things about each one, but I think Mike would agree that this is our favorite. Somehow, we found a house to rent in our price range that is also in a great neighborhood with a great location. We're definitely looking forward to spending the next 21 months here. This house was built in the 1950s and almost all of the houses in the neighborhood have a similar exterior and split-level design. I didn't take pictures of the bathrooms (old), basement (work in progress), and storage areas (just take my word, there's a lot of them!), but here goes:

Front

View from front door looking toward the right

Dining chairs are used in other parts of the house

Lots of space to play (and built in cabinets under the window)!

Kitchen

View of kitchen from playroom (huge pantry/built in desk to the left)

Split level design (bedrooms and one bathroom upstairs, living room, office, and 2nd bathroom downstairs)

Jack's room

Elise's room

Our room

View from top of the stairs... now go down both flights

Office/guest room

Living room (sliding door leads to the Florida room, stairs on right side lead down to the basement and up to the kitchen)

"Florida" room - where we eat dinner most nights

Backyard

Come visit us!! :)

Kids these days...

Just a little something for the grandparents... and Michelle. (I can't remember what the dots are called in the second picture but I thought you'd like it!)

Jack is 4 months old!

Mr. Jack likes living in Maryland. He is eating well, sleeping well, playing well, drooling well, and even spitting up well. He is SUCH a happy baby and a joy to have around. He's constantly smiling, laughing, and cooing at us.

Sleeping: He first slept 12 straight hours on August 21. After several nights of sleeping 12ish hours, one night he woke up for his pacifier 4 or 5 times. The next night we decided to stop swaddling his arms so that he would be able to self-soothe with his fingers or thumb. It took a little bit of crying that first night but since then, he's done great. We also stopped using the pacifier in his room, and he is very good at putting himself to sleep. He usually rolls partway on his right side and sucks his right thumb. He typically goes to bed around 7:15 and wakes up around 7:45 and is SO happy. Love it! He takes 3 naps a day. Elise was definitely a better napper at this age, but I'm cutting him a little bit of slack for being on the go so much. I was always very careful to be home to get her to nap on time, but when you have 2 kids and you have to/want to do things outside of the house, something's gotta go (and it certainly isn't the toddler's nap time! E, by the way, has slept very well for naps since the flukes I mentioned in my last post.) I've experimented a lot with times for putting him down, and I've learned that he will only take a long morning nap if I put him down within an hour of his wake up time. If I wait later than that, he'll wake up crying at the 45 minute mark and won't go back to sleep, even with more crying. If he gets down early, he sleeps for 1.5-2 hours and wakes up cooing. He rarely ever takes a long 2nd nap (only 45 minutes or so), but will always take a very long 3rd nap if I put him down right after his third feeding. Coincidentally, this is also while Elise is sleeping. He wakes up very happy from this nap. He does not sleep well away from his crib (probably because our outings are close to the hosue so he doesn't have a lot of drive time to fall asleep in the car), so occasionally he'll take a 45-minute evening nap if we've been on the go and he only had 2 short morning naps.

Eating: He's still a good nurser, but has been favoring the left side for the last 6 or so weeks. I've learned that I have to start him on the right every time or else he will refuse the right. Strange, huh? At least we've figured out something that works for us. We also had to do a little "bottle boot camp" this month after he only drank 1.5 ounces for "dinner" when Mike and I went to a Hillsong concert in August. For 2 weeks after that, we gave him a small bottle (2-3 ounces) every night before bed just to get him used to taking it. I stopped that last week because it was annoying, but it did work and I am hopeful that we won't have any issues next time we leave him with a babysitter. He's still eating about every 3 hours, though he can go a little longer between the first two feedings.

Sample Schedule:

7:45 - wake up, nurse

8:45 - 10:30ish - nap #1

11:00 - nurse

12:00 - 12:45ish - nap #2 (while Elise and I eat lunch)

2:00 - nurse

2:15-4:30ish - nap #3

5:00 - nurse

7:00 - nurse

7:15 - bed

"Playing": Early this month, he discovered his hands and continues to love holding them up and staring at them. Elise did the same thing around this age. He's been rolling tummy to back since August 1 and is very close to rolling from back to tummy. He rolls on his right side all the time. He enjoys being on his tummy, especially if his big sister is playing with him or putting toys in front of him. He is a master thumb-sucker and finger-chewer. Since we stopped using the pacifier as a sleep aid, he is not as interested in it, but I do take one with me when we leave the house during one of his normal nap times. He definitely prefers his hands, though, and will usually spit it out. On September 1, he discovered his feet, though it seems he only remembers them when he is diaper-less (those cloth diapers must be just a little too bulky). He loves his Bumbo, activity mats, stroller, Beco, and the Baby Bjorn bouncer. He has not been much of a fan of the swing. We put the jumperoo together today and he enjoyed it, though he's slightly too short. He also starting splashing and kicking in the bath tub and gets very excited about it.

Stats: We go to the doctor tomorrow, and I'm guessing he's around 14.5 lbs and 25.5 inches long. I just looked at Elise's 4 month post and she was the same length but definitely weighed more, ha. I think he is going to be long and lean like his daddy :) He wears 6-12 month onesies (thanks to the cloth diapers) and his 3-6 month pajamas are getting small. He wears a size 3 disposable diaper at night.

Jack, we love you and are so thankful that God has entrusted us with raising you. Happy 4 months, little buddy!

Sooner or later...

Well folks, it was bound to happen at some time, but it sure caught me by surprise! So, there have only been 5 days in Elise's entire life that she has not taken a nap. The first one was in January when we drove from Texas to Alabama. We left around 7 am and she didn't fall asleep until 8 pm (not fussy, just not a car sleeper). The second and third days were the travel days from Alabama to Texas and then Texas to Baltimore. Again, she was not fussy, but she just doesn't sleep in a car or on a plane. Last Wednesday was Day #4, the first day ever that she has not fallen asleep when put in her crib for a nap. I watched in amazement on the video monitor as she did somersaults, played with her blankets and pillow, and just talked to herself happily for TWO AND A HALF HOURS. I was in complete shock. You see, Elise had ALWAYS fallen asleep very quickly for her naps. Sometimes she will talk for a while when falling asleep at night, but never during nap time. Anyway, what surprised me more is that she was super happy the whole rest of the day. Thankfully, she did take a 2 hour nap on Thursday, but played/talked in her crib for Friday's nap. We made sure to be very active on this weekend and she took 2 hour naps again. Thus begins the (hopefully very) long process of weaning from 1 nap to 0 naps. Sigh.

I'm not sure if it started because she is sleeping a little longer at night (12-12.5 hours usually), but I figure since she wakes up happy in the morning and wakes up happy from her nap, there isn't much I can do except to continue "nap" time as scheduled and leave her in her crib for the 2 hours whether she sleeps or not. I don't think she's realized that she didn't fall asleep on Wednesday or Friday, because when I went to get her she proudly exclaimed "I woke up from my nap!", to which I replied, "Yes, you did!". At least we have some nice weather so that we can comfortably play outside and stay as active as possible.

She's really excited because gymnastics starts on Wednesday and she gets to meet her preschool teacher on Thursday. I'm excited because these are two activities that she will really enjoy regardless of the weather. Here's hoping that 1-3 pm will continue to be productive hours for me instead of hours spent glued to the video monitor!

Here's a picture of my "dancing queen"... I think it's funny that the middle of the picture is focused but you can tell how much she's moving with the rest of her body. The girl LOVES to dance.

Picture comparison

Here are my babies in a similar pose at 3 months and a few days old... I think they have the same nose and eyes but they look SO different because of the hair! Jack's is definitely falling out and he has light brown/blonde coming in underneath. In the last two weeks, he has discovered his hands and enjoys staring at them. He has also started bringing his hands together and enjoying tummy time for longer and longer periods of time. He can get his chest off the ground a little bit. He has only rolled over a few times in the last few weeks. About a week ago, he finally slept 12 straight hours at night. Since then, he's done it probably 50% of the time, with the other nights requiring a pacifier insertion or feeding around 5:30 or 6 am (and then going back to sleep until 7:45 or 8). I'm very hesitant to let him make much noise at night because our house is old and their rooms share a wall (and the wood floors seem to make everything echo), so I don't know if he'd be able to settle himself or not. I usually give him about a minute before I go in there.

On another note, Hurricane Irene passed through last night but didn't cause too much damage. We have several broken tree limbs and a few leaks in the roof of our indoor patio room, but that's it. Have a great week!

31 months, funny sayings, and an update

This month has been crazy but good. We are settled in Maryland now and enjoying life here. The weather is super! We can actually play outside before dinner and not drip in sweat. I know I'll be singing a different tune in January/February, but right now it is great. Mike will be starting his classes at Johns Hopkins next week. He is taking some pretty intense classes and we've had quite the collection of textbooks arriving in the mail. We are very excited for him!

Elise has adjusted wonderfully to Baltimore. I prayed for this quite a bit and am thrilled that she's been so excited about this transition. She is really looking forward to "spreschool" and always asks to drive by it when we're out. She loves running errands with me, going up and down the stairs, and playing in her new playhouse. If you're interested in getting one, watch the prices on walmart.com... we just got it a few weeks ago for about $50 cheaper than the current price. She's been eating and sleeping very well. She still has a "jealousy switch" that can be turned on and off instantaneously (without any warning), and that causes a lot of frustration for everyone, but thankfully, it isn't constant. We did make the decision to enroll her in a 2-mornings-a-week preschool program instead of one morning, and I think it will be beneficial for all of us. I took her to visit a new school yesterday to sign up and she loved it and didn't want to leave. I'm excited for her to have the opportunity to be in a regular setting with other kids her age. She'll be doing preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11:30 and then gymnastics on Wednesdays from 10-10:45.

Eating: She's a great eater and I'm hoping her little brother will be the same. Favorite foods at this age are fruit (any kind), bagels, dry cereal, grilled chicken, broccoli, peas, bell peppers, cucumbers, walnuts, pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, yogurt, corn, sweet potatoes, roast beef, sliced turkey, cheese, tortelloni, etc.

Sleeping: She's been sleeping very well this month. I was worried that the transition to a new house and city would mess up her sleeping habits (like the rough time we had in July), but she's done great and is certainly back to normal. She sleeps for 11.5-12 hours at night and takes a 2-2.5 hour nap. The process for going to bed takes a long time because she drags her feet with everything... from putting on pajamas, to going to the potty, etc. That has been frustrating but we're working on it. She still sleeps in her crib and loves to cuddle up next to the edge. I'm not planning to convert it to the toddler bed until she asks for it.

Potty: This month, she has initiated doing the entire bathroom process by herself (and even closes the door). Sometimes she needs help with her clothes if she has a button on her shorts, so I'm definitely not buying any new pants with buttons! Snaps or elastic or a hook is the way to go. She hasn't had any nap time accidents but still wears a diaper to bed at night.

Playing: She loves to play outside and we are so thankful for "cool" evenings and mornings in Maryland. She and Boss like to help Mike grill in the backyard while I fix the rest of dinner inside. Inside, she especially likes playing with her dolls and jigsaw puzzles. She is a very attentive mother.

I tried to be good about writing down her funny sayings this month, and I've got a lot of them! She is quite animated and hilarious, especially when she is in a good mood. Here you go...

(while reading a Dr. Seuss book with my mom)

E: "Who is that?"
Mimi: "I don't know who that is."
E: "What is his name?"
Mimi: "I don't know his name."
E: "We will look it up on the computer."

E: "Mommy, where are you going?"
Me: Michelle and I are going to get some caffeine.
E: "Do you like caffeine, Michelle?"
Michelle: "Yes."
E: "I don't like caffeine. I will have some caffeine when I get older."

(while trying to find a parking spot on one-way streets near the Towson post office... we had to circle the blocks a few times)

E: "Mom, I think it would be easier to go to the post office in the stroller and not the car."

(parking in the driveway)

E: "I dropped my shoes. Now you will have to carry me. Did you hear that?"

Me: (laughing)

E: "Did you hear that Steph? Did you hear that StephMama?"

(the first Sunday we were in MD it was raining, so the next Sunday we are on the way to church and Elise says...)

E: "I want a different church instead of the other church."

Me: "Why?"

E: "Because it was raining at the other church."

E: "Where's Daddy?"

Me: "He went to play golf."

E: "He will be back in a few minutes. No, he will be back in a few hours."

Me: "Come on, Elise, let's go get some panties on."

E: "Well, I'm right here right now."

(to Mike while he was giving her a bath... no idea where she got this from!)

E: "You are a super dad. And Mom is a super mom. You are super cool. You are super man!"

(poking head outside)

E: "Oh, I hear an owl! Did you know there are OWLS in BALTIMORE?!"

(she was telling my mom about her first trip to the Baltimore zoo, which is about 20 minutes away)

Mimi: "How far is the zoo from your house?"

E: "The zoo is 20 minutes from our house."

(during lunch)

Mike: "Can I have one of your bell peppers?"

E: "No, you have not finished your sandwich. I will save it for you. You can have it when you finish your sandwich, okay?"

(she was running around the coffee table with her microphone playing music, and wearing pink sunglasses, of course)

Me: "What song is this?"

E: "This is the going around song, with our pink sunglasses!"

E: "I am silly. Daddy is really silly because he is tall."

(upon arriving home to a box on the doorstep)

E: "Look, we got a package! We can't open it yet, because it is from eBay!"

(upon arriving at the second Chipotle location that we have eaten at... there is one near the church and one near the house)

E: "This is a different Chipotle. There are TWO Chipotles in Baltimore."

(we walk inside)

E: "The chairs are the same though."

Mike: "What kind of airplane did you fly on?

E: "It was kind of gold and kind of yellow. With a little bit of blue."

(eating breakfast with Mike)

E: "I ate alllll the blueberries. You can't have any. We will get some more tomorrow and I will eat them all. Isn't that amaaaazing?"

(holding her snack cup of dry cereal and requesting to "fly" like an airplane)

E: "I want to be an airplane. I want to be an airplane that has cereal!"

(after a few Bible stories)

E: "Where is Jesus?"

Me: "We can't see Jesus, but He is always with us."

E: "Jesus is all over the place!"

E: (pause) "Just like the ceiling is all over the place?"

Me: "Yes. Who else is all over the place?"

E: "God is all over the place too!"

I've been experimenting with manual mode on my camera (thanks to a lesson from Michelle!) and I haven't edited any of these yet, but here are some pictures from the last few weeks. I need to do a post on our Texas trip.

playing with Lucy in her new playhouse

"floating" on her back

refusing to smile, but the camera settings were good! ha

looking at a bird nest

would have been cute had the aperture been adjusted correctly. fixed it on the next pic but she had already fallen off :)

We love you, Elise!