Dusting off this bloggity blog to just catch up on some random life happenings! There won't be photos with this post. GASP! Seriously getting the photos "blog ready" takes me a bit of time for this blog and honestly that's what keeps me from blogging. So...as boring as this post may be to my tiny audience, it'll serve to journal a few random thoughts. If you're dying to "see" us, just head over to my facebook page.
Summer is going great...but moving way too fast. Jacob is staying this week with his Nene and Pop. I miss him tons but they are having a wonderful time. It couldn't have come at a better time since Ava and I are just recovering from a nasty stomach virus. I didn't emerge from my bedroom until 5pm Monday evening. Feeling much much better now though. Now Robbie is on his knees praying that he doesn't catch it. We are so ready to be over this "sick every other week" stage that Ava is in. She catches everything! We went through this with Jacob too...thanks to daycare but his immune system is made of steal now. He only missed 2 days of school last year and both were not sick-related.
Work is stressful for me these days. Without boring you with the details, let's just say that I wish I could really focus on doing my job instead of the paperwork that goes along with it. More paperwork and explaination about everything we do is now being required, but I'm not alone. It's the result of some administration changes. Leaves me feeling defeated most days. Dusting off my resume to see what's out there. I'm ready for change, so we'll see where it goes. I'm actually excited about it! I needed things to get unpleasant to motivate me to move along.
On August 11th, Robbie and I will celebrate our 10 year anniversary! I love this milestone that we've reached! I'll blog about that later!
I think this is a good start to a photoless blog post! :-)
Ava is 18 months!
My girl is 18 months now and as cliche as it sounds, I seriously can't believe it. We're knee deep in toddlerhood these days but I still see her as my baby and probably always will. And although it's so much fun watching her discover new things and learning more about her personality, it can be selfishly saddening for me to see the baby years fade away, as she's planned to be our last baby.
Everything about her seems to be growing! She's weighing in at 25lbs. 8oz. and is 32 inches long. Her hair is getting crazy long and has lots of soft curls on the ends.
This girl can talk now. She's constantly saying new words and repeating everything we say. Jacob wasn't like this at all. In fact, I remember him only saying enough to not be medically concerned but it seemed vastly different than what I was hearing other kids saying at his age. We don't have that problem with Ava. I'm enjoying it so much. It really helps to know what she wants because she can say it. There is just no way to keep track of her current words but here are a few of my favorite things to hear her say:
ca ooooh (caught you)
peez (please)
Dat Dooo (thank you)
ok (whispers this with the cutest little nod and smile)
sooooo big (with arms in the air, when we ask "how big is Ava?")
Amen (will say this right after we pray)
Ah Sah (awesome)
Elmo
TT (TV)
bow (book)
pish (fish)
nak (snack)
bee bee (binky)
She's still having trouble saying Jacob's name and refers to him as Deh Deh (something like that). She says it all the time for him but it sounds nothing like his name.
She can point to and say her body parts: nose, eya (ear), mof (mouth), tee (teeth), dee (feet), elbow, hens (hands), heya (hair), bee (belly button).
She came and told me a few weeks ago that she had pooped. She was saying "pooh, pooh" and was patting her butt. Could that be a little glimmer of hope that she'll be an easy trainer? I can dream, right?
She is finally loving some books. It took her a while to come around. Earlier on she would just snatch it out of my hand and chuck it in the floor. Now she demands them as soon as we go in the room. The funniest book to read her is "Humpty Dumpty". She has realized that it's a pretty sad book and starts to pout as soon as you say "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall".
The girl loves bath time. She basically lays down the whole time, encouraging me to pour water on her. She sticks her face in the water and comes up laughing. Jacob was NOTHING like that so I've had to adjust to this fearless little thing. We decided to join a community pool this summer, so I think she's going to enjoy that.
She is all about her music. We are her DJs all day long. Even Robbie put a set of kids songs on his USB drive for his car rides with her. If she's fussing, you can just break out in an "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and she'll instantly settle down and then she'll start prompting you on what to sing when that's done. It's like having a weapon in your back pocket for those crazy moments. She hasn't been a very pleasant car rider this past month and the only thing that gets us through our daily trips are singing to her.
Her favorite songs and gestures to prompt you:
Itsy Bitsy Spider: fingers together while saying "Deeee"
Twinkle, Twinkle : says "uh ba ba"
Bringing home a baby bumble bee: cups hands while saying "bah bee"
Row, Row Your Boat: rowing arms while saying "row, row"
I'm a little tea pot: mumbles something tilts to side
ABCs: pats legs and says, "A, B, C, D"
Wheels on the bus: moves her hands like a steering wheel or she will say "beep beep"
Patty cake: Cah Cake: reaches for your hands.
Her temperament is shifting from easy going to be more like a hot-tempered 2-year-old's. Most of her discrepancies are around eating (when you don't have her food or drink ready fast enough), brushing her teeth (because she wants to do it and even after letting her, she just doesn't want me to), or when she's just tired of sitting in a stroller or her car seat. Once you let her loose, she's a happy little doll!
Ava and Jacob's relationship has evolved from little sweet peek-a-boos and tickles, to full on chasing, rolling around and constant high pitched squealing and laughing. Now that she's running, Jacob is having a ball chasing her everywhere and it's making me a nervous wreck. We've had our share of incidents that needed an ice pack. When those two get revved up, they get wild.
So, in only 6 more months, I'll have a 2 year old! Really? Crazy!
Everything about her seems to be growing! She's weighing in at 25lbs. 8oz. and is 32 inches long. Her hair is getting crazy long and has lots of soft curls on the ends.
This girl can talk now. She's constantly saying new words and repeating everything we say. Jacob wasn't like this at all. In fact, I remember him only saying enough to not be medically concerned but it seemed vastly different than what I was hearing other kids saying at his age. We don't have that problem with Ava. I'm enjoying it so much. It really helps to know what she wants because she can say it. There is just no way to keep track of her current words but here are a few of my favorite things to hear her say:
ca ooooh (caught you)
peez (please)
Dat Dooo (thank you)
ok (whispers this with the cutest little nod and smile)
sooooo big (with arms in the air, when we ask "how big is Ava?")
Amen (will say this right after we pray)
Ah Sah (awesome)
Elmo
TT (TV)
bow (book)
pish (fish)
nak (snack)
bee bee (binky)
She's still having trouble saying Jacob's name and refers to him as Deh Deh (something like that). She says it all the time for him but it sounds nothing like his name.
She can point to and say her body parts: nose, eya (ear), mof (mouth), tee (teeth), dee (feet), elbow, hens (hands), heya (hair), bee (belly button).
She came and told me a few weeks ago that she had pooped. She was saying "pooh, pooh" and was patting her butt. Could that be a little glimmer of hope that she'll be an easy trainer? I can dream, right?
She is finally loving some books. It took her a while to come around. Earlier on she would just snatch it out of my hand and chuck it in the floor. Now she demands them as soon as we go in the room. The funniest book to read her is "Humpty Dumpty". She has realized that it's a pretty sad book and starts to pout as soon as you say "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall".
The girl loves bath time. She basically lays down the whole time, encouraging me to pour water on her. She sticks her face in the water and comes up laughing. Jacob was NOTHING like that so I've had to adjust to this fearless little thing. We decided to join a community pool this summer, so I think she's going to enjoy that.
She is all about her music. We are her DJs all day long. Even Robbie put a set of kids songs on his USB drive for his car rides with her. If she's fussing, you can just break out in an "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and she'll instantly settle down and then she'll start prompting you on what to sing when that's done. It's like having a weapon in your back pocket for those crazy moments. She hasn't been a very pleasant car rider this past month and the only thing that gets us through our daily trips are singing to her.
Her favorite songs and gestures to prompt you:
Itsy Bitsy Spider: fingers together while saying "Deeee"
Twinkle, Twinkle : says "uh ba ba"
Bringing home a baby bumble bee: cups hands while saying "bah bee"
Row, Row Your Boat: rowing arms while saying "row, row"
I'm a little tea pot: mumbles something tilts to side
ABCs: pats legs and says, "A, B, C, D"
Wheels on the bus: moves her hands like a steering wheel or she will say "beep beep"
Patty cake: Cah Cake: reaches for your hands.
Her temperament is shifting from easy going to be more like a hot-tempered 2-year-old's. Most of her discrepancies are around eating (when you don't have her food or drink ready fast enough), brushing her teeth (because she wants to do it and even after letting her, she just doesn't want me to), or when she's just tired of sitting in a stroller or her car seat. Once you let her loose, she's a happy little doll!
Ava and Jacob's relationship has evolved from little sweet peek-a-boos and tickles, to full on chasing, rolling around and constant high pitched squealing and laughing. Now that she's running, Jacob is having a ball chasing her everywhere and it's making me a nervous wreck. We've had our share of incidents that needed an ice pack. When those two get revved up, they get wild.
So, in only 6 more months, I'll have a 2 year old! Really? Crazy!
Jacob is SIX!
I'm breaking the silence to send a shout out to my baby boy who turned 6 a few weeks ago. I held off on posting until I could get an updated photo of him and I finally got a few this weekend.
This kid is such a super cool kiddo. This has been the most remarkable year of growth for him. He's starting to calm down from his normally high energy self. I'm sure school deserves all of the credit for this but he's growing leaps and bounds in knowledge. He enjoys writing me notes. This is the note that he worked on at school for me today.
Translation: "Mommy, I love you in the whole wide world in my heart. I know you like to take pictures."
He is enjoying tball so much this year. Just a few days before his birthday, he got the game ball for playing so well. He "pitched" which meant that he fielded a lot of ground balls and did so well stopping them and throwing them where they needed to be. He makes us so proud.
Loves to play: tag, hide-and-seek, chase with Ava (makes me nervous), t-ball, with bugs, trains (still), any new toy
Loves to eat: peanut butter sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, plain cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizza, chocolate milk, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cookie crisp, fruities, saffron rice
Loves to go: outside, birthday parties, Target, Sams Club, anywhere with Daddy
Not liking: me cutting his nails, bees, new foods, brushing his own teeth
Jacob, You are one amazing little boy! We are extremely grateful to have you. "I love you in the whole wide world in my heart!"
This kid is such a super cool kiddo. This has been the most remarkable year of growth for him. He's starting to calm down from his normally high energy self. I'm sure school deserves all of the credit for this but he's growing leaps and bounds in knowledge. He enjoys writing me notes. This is the note that he worked on at school for me today.
Translation: "Mommy, I love you in the whole wide world in my heart. I know you like to take pictures."
He is enjoying tball so much this year. Just a few days before his birthday, he got the game ball for playing so well. He "pitched" which meant that he fielded a lot of ground balls and did so well stopping them and throwing them where they needed to be. He makes us so proud.
Loves to play: tag, hide-and-seek, chase with Ava (makes me nervous), t-ball, with bugs, trains (still), any new toy
Loves to eat: peanut butter sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, plain cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizza, chocolate milk, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cookie crisp, fruities, saffron rice
Loves to go: outside, birthday parties, Target, Sams Club, anywhere with Daddy
Not liking: me cutting his nails, bees, new foods, brushing his own teeth
Jacob, You are one amazing little boy! We are extremely grateful to have you. "I love you in the whole wide world in my heart!"
Pigtails
Looks like early Spring (I'm calling it Spring now) has sprouted some pigtails on my little lady. She was quite funny when we went outside on Sunday. Being outside on her feet is still sort of new to her so she just stands in one spot when you put her down. And Jacob is the opposite. Your shutter speed can't be fast enough to catch him on camera!
15 Months of Ava Noelle
Ava reached her 15 month milestone last week. I can't believe she's a full blown toddler now! Seriously? I know it sounds cliche but really...why does it go by so fast? We are having a ball with her. She is a mix of pure sugar and feistiness. Boy does this girl have some charm and personality.
We took her out on a little ride in her buggy a few weeks ago. She loves being outside. What kid doesn't?
I seem to get a lot of inquiries from people wondering how Jacob is "putting up" with her. He doesn't "put up" with her. He is absolutely in love with her! Tells her and shows her daily. He even writes her name alongside his on some of his school papers. He prays for her in his bedtime prayers without us prompting. She is just as crazy about him. I pray they continue adoring each other as much as they do now.
Ava is such a busy body. She's always moving, walking, dancing, talking, laughing. Watching her dance is the funniest and cutest things I've ever seen. I can just say "dance" and she'll start to boogie with a smile. I'll have to work on a video clip.
This girl can eat. I have two of the most opposite kids when it comes to eating. She will eat ANYTHING I lay before her...except for yogurt. She has the curves to prove it too. She weighs in at 22.5lbs. and is 31 inches tall. She makes me a bit stressed after I put her in her highchair. She starts demanding her food or milk and will not let up until you give her SOMETHING. Patience isn't her thing. She gets that from me, I guess.
She's exploding in her speech. She will babble off a string of sounds with huge expressions on her face and with such conviction.
Her current words:
Uh Oh
mo (More) - figures this will be her fav word since she's a piggy
pish (fish)
zus (shoes)
dow (dog) she barks too
na (no) and shakes her head
ca (cup)
eat
baaaaby (baby)
da (duck) and quacks right after
eyes (while pointing to her nose...gotta work on that one;-)
ni ni (night night)
ha wa (hello) while pretending to talk on the phone
dada and daddy
mama and mommy
Ok. So she's not absolutely perfect. She goes from one extreme to the other really fast. She's such a girl already. For example, she loves to play with the changing table buckles. I give her both ends and she proceeds to put them together. She's quite good at it and when she succeeds she lets out a huge smile and a takes a deep breath like she's surprised. I think she's immitating my expression that I gave her one time for doing it correctly. Now if she has trouble getting them in there perfect she will throw them in the air, start kicking, crying and arches her back UNTIL I give it back to her. Once I do, she'll start smiling and trying again. That's just one example. I have others! Her pediatrician says that tantrums are a sign of healthy development so there.
I LOVE this girl to pieces! So glad she's mine!
We took her out on a little ride in her buggy a few weeks ago. She loves being outside. What kid doesn't?
I seem to get a lot of inquiries from people wondering how Jacob is "putting up" with her. He doesn't "put up" with her. He is absolutely in love with her! Tells her and shows her daily. He even writes her name alongside his on some of his school papers. He prays for her in his bedtime prayers without us prompting. She is just as crazy about him. I pray they continue adoring each other as much as they do now.
Ava is such a busy body. She's always moving, walking, dancing, talking, laughing. Watching her dance is the funniest and cutest things I've ever seen. I can just say "dance" and she'll start to boogie with a smile. I'll have to work on a video clip.
This girl can eat. I have two of the most opposite kids when it comes to eating. She will eat ANYTHING I lay before her...except for yogurt. She has the curves to prove it too. She weighs in at 22.5lbs. and is 31 inches tall. She makes me a bit stressed after I put her in her highchair. She starts demanding her food or milk and will not let up until you give her SOMETHING. Patience isn't her thing. She gets that from me, I guess.
She's exploding in her speech. She will babble off a string of sounds with huge expressions on her face and with such conviction.
Her current words:
Uh Oh
mo (More) - figures this will be her fav word since she's a piggy
pish (fish)
zus (shoes)
dow (dog) she barks too
na (no) and shakes her head
ca (cup)
eat
baaaaby (baby)
da (duck) and quacks right after
eyes (while pointing to her nose...gotta work on that one;-)
ni ni (night night)
ha wa (hello) while pretending to talk on the phone
dada and daddy
mama and mommy
Ok. So she's not absolutely perfect. She goes from one extreme to the other really fast. She's such a girl already. For example, she loves to play with the changing table buckles. I give her both ends and she proceeds to put them together. She's quite good at it and when she succeeds she lets out a huge smile and a takes a deep breath like she's surprised. I think she's immitating my expression that I gave her one time for doing it correctly. Now if she has trouble getting them in there perfect she will throw them in the air, start kicking, crying and arches her back UNTIL I give it back to her. Once I do, she'll start smiling and trying again. That's just one example. I have others! Her pediatrician says that tantrums are a sign of healthy development so there.
I LOVE this girl to pieces! So glad she's mine!
Fast Forward
I feel like our life is in fast foward mode. I can't believe we zoomed through Christmas so fast and now we're about to close out January. I'm all for rushing towards warmer weather but I do wish the pace would slow down enough for me to do the things that I enjoy...like blogging!
There is just no way that I'm going to back track and write every detail that has happened in the last month or so but I'll give a short summary and I'll consider myself caught up. How does that sound?
Ava started walking full on. She had been taking steps but 2 weeks ago she just up and walked to the kitchen. Here's a video to prove it.
This also means that she's rcckin a few head bruises. She also had to get tubes put in her ears last week. She had had 5 ear infections in 6 months and wasn't responding to any of the antibiotics. She was in so much pain. It's so true about tubes changing a child's life. She would be a super happy girl by day and little terror at night. Well, the nights weren't THAT bad but when she had an EI, she'd wake up 3 or 4 times during the night and I refused to take her to our bed so there was a lot of crying. Now she's as much of an angel at night as she is during the day! Love her!
Jacob is doing well. He's exploding with knowledge and amazing us with his newfound reading skills. We're working on curbing his toy high from Christmas. He's counting down the days until his bday.
Toodles
There is just no way that I'm going to back track and write every detail that has happened in the last month or so but I'll give a short summary and I'll consider myself caught up. How does that sound?
Ava started walking full on. She had been taking steps but 2 weeks ago she just up and walked to the kitchen. Here's a video to prove it.
Untitled from Shannon Wright on Vimeo.
This also means that she's rcckin a few head bruises. She also had to get tubes put in her ears last week. She had had 5 ear infections in 6 months and wasn't responding to any of the antibiotics. She was in so much pain. It's so true about tubes changing a child's life. She would be a super happy girl by day and little terror at night. Well, the nights weren't THAT bad but when she had an EI, she'd wake up 3 or 4 times during the night and I refused to take her to our bed so there was a lot of crying. Now she's as much of an angel at night as she is during the day! Love her!
Jacob is doing well. He's exploding with knowledge and amazing us with his newfound reading skills. We're working on curbing his toy high from Christmas. He's counting down the days until his bday.
Toodles
Santa Baby
We took Jacob and Ava for a visit to the big man but Ava wasn't a fan so much. I totally pictured this scene going down way before we got there. Let's just say she doesn't like it when we hand her to someone else, much less a big red man. Jacob did put in his wish for a dragon (from How to Train Your Dragon) and Zhu Zhu pets. He deserves to get his wish for those things. He has been sooooooo good and has gotten green smileys on his behavior chart every day this month. That is BIG people! BIG!
He did ask us before we went what we wanted for Santa to bring us so he could put in a good word. Robbie asked for a bass boat and I asked for a new upgraded camera. We asked him later if he told Santa our wishes and he looked shocked and said "I forgot....maybe next year!" HA!
Isn't this a sight?
He did ask us before we went what we wanted for Santa to bring us so he could put in a good word. Robbie asked for a bass boat and I asked for a new upgraded camera. We asked him later if he told Santa our wishes and he looked shocked and said "I forgot....maybe next year!" HA!
Isn't this a sight?
