14 Weeks!

Jax you weigh in at 13 lbs. now! I am so happy about your weight gain. Who would ever think you had trouble eating when you were first born? You are still just as smiley and happy as ever. You love it when mommy songs to you - you chuckle and laugh! Last weekend you met Aunt Becky for the first time. She thought you were super handsome and did not want to put you down. You were quite fond of her as well! You are chewing on your hands and fingers a lot so I think you might be teething.

Jackson: 4-Month Check-up!

10.17.12  Today we took Jackson to the doctor for his 4-month check-up.  He weighs 14 lbs. and 7 oz and is now 25 inches long!  He was so talkative during the visit and smiled and giggled the whole time!  Dr. Isenhower was very impressed with his social skills and how strong he is, like holding up his neck on his own and turning on his side.  The doctor was very happy with his growth oveall, but she does want to check on his weight again in a month.  He has been gaining weight quickly and growing a lot so she just wants to be sure he continues growing at a steady and good rate.  She also said we can start Jackson on rice cereal!  And that means he will be on baby food in just a few weeks!  We will feed him a tablespoon (or more) or rice cereal every night for a few a weeks until he gets used to eating it.  And then we can move on to Stage 1 baby food.  So exciting!  Jackson didn't seem too keen on the rice cereal tonight.  He just looked really confused!  But at the same time, I don' t think he felt that great.  He had two shots today and of course he was not happy about it.  Poor little guy... it broke my heart to see him hurt like that.  Brianna was also very concerned for him.  However, she loves going to the doctor!  Doctor = lollipops to her!  Bri was not shy at all during the visit.  The nurse walked in and she said, "Hi, Doctor!".  It was too cute.  After the check-up, we took Bri to pick out her Halloween costume.  She has stated for a few weeks now that she wanted to be a firefighter.  So that's what she got!  Now I just need to order Jackson's costume!

Sweet baby boy

Sweet baby girl

17 Weeks Old!

10/12/12

Jackson, you are the sweetest little boy to ever enter our world.  You are an amazing son and little brother.  Bri has so much fun hanging out with you and watching you play with your toys.  You are really into rattles and rings you can hold and chew on.  You are definitely starting to teeth and drool more often. 


You brought home a little pumpkin from daycare that you painted.  It is super cute!  And you have all sorts of artwork.  You have been very busy at school. 

Everyone always comments to me that you are so handsome and such a good baby.  And you truly are.  You are always so calm and rarely cry.  But you have been incredibly talkative lately and you instantly smile when someone catches your eye!  We recently noticed that you turn your head to us when we call your name.  You are already a smarty pants!

We love you so, little boy!  17 weeks and counting!

Celebrations

Today we had a lot to celebrate - the end of my busy season at work and my mom's birthday!  We started out the day with a nature walk.  Bri had an absolute blast exploring the trails 'looking for bears'.  We learned that I am a master lizard hunter - I found two baby lizards on the trail!  And Bri and Stephen didn't do so bad either.  Bri was a trooper and walked a really long way without any complaints.  She probably would have kept going had we not gone back because it got really hot.  Mid-October and it's in the eighties/nineties!  Go figure!  Jackson did really good, too.  It seems like he will love the outdoors as well. 

After the trails, we ran by Sonic and got some ice cold drinks.  Vanilla Coke float for mommy and blue ocean slush for daddy!  Just what we needed to cool off. 

For dinner, we headed to Peter Piper Pizza, at Grandma's request.  She wanted to have her birthday party there and let Brianna play.  It's kind of like a Chuck E. Cheese.  I hit the jackpot on one game and won Bri 200 tickets.  And we ate pepperoni pizza, cinnamon pizza dessert, and played games.  It really was a fun place and Brianna loved it.  Jackson ate, slept, and got lots of compliments lol. 

It was a great day, and just what I needed.  The hours have been very long at work and I have not gotten nearly enough time with the kiddos.  It was really nice to take a break. 

Jackson: 4 Months Old!

Little man is 4 months old!  Look at that amazing smile.  Jax is such a good little brother and a wonderful son!  Sweet baby boy!

Jackson: 11 Weeks Old!

Jackson, you have just about outgrown your size three month clothing.  You eat between 4-6 oz. of milk at a time.  The other night, you slept from 10:30 to 8:00 the next morning.  Having a full belly puts you right off to sleep!  However, you still don't nap much during the day.  You are a light sleeper unless laying in someone's arms.  Your current weight is 12.8 lbs... almost 13 pounds!  It's so hard to believe.  You were so teeny tiny when you were born, but you are becoming a big boy.  You have a teeny tiny birthmark on your abdomen that just appeared and it is just like one your daddy has.  You are so mild-mannered and rarely cry.  You giving me the biggest smiles and you are just about giggling.   

Daddy reading a bedtime story to you and Bri.

Visiting the Dilli girls!

On the road!

Little Swimmers!

Jackson got in the pool for the first time tonight!  He was so amazing.  He immediately stretched out and floated on his daddy like it was no big deal.  HE LOVED IT!  He was so relaxed and he really seemed to enjoy it.  Brianna really thought it was funny that Jax was swimming, too.  She told us earlier in the day that he couldn't go swimming because he might float away LOL.  She's too funny.  They had a good time together in the pool.  Bri pretended to be a baby in our arms like Jax and wanted to float on her back, too.  She enjoyed showing off her swim skills in front of Grandma.  It was a great evening!

Brianna: 28 Months Old!

Brianna, you are 28 months old!  I'm not sure how to describe you at this age, Brianna.  Here are a few words that come to mind:  vivacious, loving, energetic, kind, dramatic, outgoing, expressive, beautiful, and most importantly, SMART.  On August 13th you were playing with your Aquadoodle mat and you said, 'Mommy, look an R'.  And sure enough, you had drawn an R on the page.  You simply amaze me.  You are beginning to recognize your letters and numbers and you are not even two and a half.  And you have started counting.  You had three clementine oranges in your hands.  I asked you how many you were holding and you answered three.  Brilliant I tell you!  Your vocabulary is out of this world!  I can have entire conversations with you without a problem.  It is surreal.

Your R:

You love art and here is your recent wall art:

Thankfully it is washable

You love for us to read to you and love to 'read' the books on your own as well.  You currently enjoy the Curious George books and the Dr. Seuss books like 'There's a Wocket in my Pocket'.

Lately you have really gotten into tv shows and movies.  You love watching Caillou and Curious George over and over again and you quote and act out scenes from the episodes.  You have a great memory and you really get into it.  You copy this fake cry from the Caillou show where he accidentally writes on a library book and pretend to be sad.  And you love Tangled, Piglet's BIG Movie, and Puss N Boots.  You start yelling at the TV when Humpty Dumpty gets arrested by the soldiers and you pretend to cry.  You seriously get upset and I calm you down lol!  Acting might be in your future haha.

You LOVE sweets.  You love going to the potty if you know you will get candy!  You helped me bake brownies yesterday:

Just a little messy...

You ate a licorice jelly bean and LIKED it.  You get that from Aunt Becky!

You like a variety of foods but I have trouble getting you to sit down and eat.  You have no time for that. :)

You love your little brother so much.  You love to help mommy take care of him.  I have caught you trying to give Jax a bottle while he was sleeping and also trying to soothe him with your sippy cup if he was crying.  So sweet! 

Loving on Jackson

You love going to parks and swimming.  You've always been my water baby and that has not changed.  You're swimming skills have really improved lately.  You can get all over the pool by yourself and fast with your life jacket on.  Daddy and I took you to Peach Creek a few weeks ago and you had a blast.  We will be going again soon.

Enjoying some pool time

You are such a sweet, sweet girl.  We enjoy watching you grow into such an amazing individual.  Keep it up, Bri Bri!

I love you, Babe

Bri:  Are you going for a walk, mommy?

Me:  I don't know. Do you want to go for a walk?

Bri:  No, Babe.

Me:  Ha, I love you, Babe!

Bri:  I love you, too, Babe. What are you and Daddy doing tonight?  Where are you guys going?

Me:  Daddy and I are going to the store.

Bri:  Can I come?  (come pronounced as 'tome' with a pout and starting to cry when I say not this time).

Me:  No, honey, we need to go to the store and run a few errands.  

Bri:  PLEEEEEEAAAAASEEEEEEE!!!  I WANT TO COME!  (crying continues) 

Me: We need to go by ourselves, sweetie. You're going to stay with Grandma and watch movies and eat popcorn.

Bri:  BYYYYYYYYYE!!!  (guess she won't miss us afterall!)

Wow. She's not even two and a half. And then she asked us to bring her a prize. Cereal, candy or popcorn.  Asking for a prize every time we go somewhere - she definitely gets that from Stephen!  And she got one of course.  A Tigger Pez for her and a new Curious George Goes Fishing book for her and Jackson to share.  Love it! 

Jackson: 10 Weeks Old!

Jackson, you are a growing boy! You have been eating a lot lately, sometimes even over 4 oz. at a time. But you still like to take your time while you eat. You might even take a short nap and then wake and finish your bottle. You haven't done much napping during the day lately unless I am holding you. You really love to be held and cuddled. You have had a fun week with mommy and Bri. We have been watching Puss N Boots a lot since this is Bri's new favorite cartoon movie. You love to watch mommy and Bri dance around the living room. You seem very aware of everything going on around you and you watch us with interest. You have been really talkative and almost laughed at Daddy tonight. Your little coos are are so sweet. Last Saturday was your first photo shoot. You did amazing! April got so many shots of you smiling. Such a happy baby! You dipped your toes in the pool for the first time. We can plan on getting you in the pool very soon! It's hard to believe that summer is almost over. I need to start planning for Halloween! I have to think of some cute costumes for you and your sister.

Photo Shoot!

Yesterday a friend of mine took pictures of the kids. I felt really guilty because Jackson still had no newborn photos and my photographer options were suddenly slim. Since Jax spent extra time at the hospital, it definitely threw my plans off. April was nice enough to take on photographing my two little ones. She has plenty of practice since she has three beautiful girls of her own. Bri cooperated for the most part, although she was a little cranky since she had not had a nap yet. But April got some great brother/sister shots and individual photos. I am so happy to finally have great pictures of the two of them! I will post preview pics soon. And April brought the kiddos a jungle gym they no longer use. Bri was pretty excited to see that. It was fun to see all of the kids playing together and getting along so well. I so wish all of my friends lived closer so we could get together more often but it is certainly nice to see everyone when we can. And Bri always loves having 'priends' over. Hopefully there is a family BBQ in the future! And maybe a night out for mommy and daddy...

Current Love: BABY GAP

I think I might possibly want every item at Baby Gap right now.  Everything is so cute.  Brianna had to have this denim dress and swimsuit:

A few other items I might have to grab:

Gorgeous!

Stephen loved this tee:

Can't forget little man:

Seriously such cute stuff!

Brianna the Magician

It has come to light lately that little Miss Bri Bri might be a bit of an actress.  Currently she is obsessed with the kids' shows Caillou and Curious George.  Like seriously she can't get enough.  Well, Caillou pretends to be a magician in one episode.  Tonight, Brianna gave us a real show as she became a mighty magician right before our eyes.  It was just sort of random.  Stephen and I were eating dinner on the couch, having just got in from making a trip to JCP, and Grandma was feeding Jackson.  Suddenly, Bri jumped in front of the living room and yelled 'Abracadabra!'.  We just looked at her and laughed and smiled.  Then, she proceeded to pull a rabbit out of a basket and yelled 'Ta-da!'.  We started cracking up.  She came over to each one of us to show us the bunny before putting it back in its basket.  And then she said 'Abracadabra' again and said 'Start clapping!'.  It was hilarious.  This went on for a good 15 minutes as she replayed her actions for us.  Once she even 'dropped' the bunny and had to go back and grab it.  We each took turns petting the bunny and holding it in our hands.  I captured some of this on video and will post soon.  Brianna is quite entertaining to say the least! 

Fun at Hermann Park

After having a bit of a lazy Saturday at home, we decided to take to Brianna to Hermann Park to hit up the splash pad and lake.  Jax stayed home with Grandma since it was so hot.  Bri was super excited about going.  She loves parks and especially Hermann Park because the amount of animals we get to feed lol.  Today did not disappoint.  We stopped off at a waterway to feed a few ducks nearby.  Before long, turtles, fish, goose, and even more ducks were competing for the bread and tortilla chips we were tossing out.  We saw a large purplish/black fish hanging out as well.  We could not figure out what kind of fish it was but it was huge.  And would you believe a nutria rat came up so close to us we could have touched it?!  Not that we would want to... I thought it was an otter at first.  Leave it to Stephen to know all about water rodents and correct me.  And Bri thought it was a puppy lol.  She kept calling it and telling it to 'tome here'.  A/w, nutria rats prefer bread to tortilla chips, just FYI.  It was really fun to get so close to all the animals.  It is one of Brianna's favorite things to do.  She also had fun running through the water sprayers and playing in the playground.  Hermann Park is absolutely one of the best and most beautiful parks I have ever seen.  If you are in Houston, take advantage and go check it out!  It is right next to the zoo and close to all of the museums.  Don't miss out!!!

And as an added benefit, there is an amazing cafe right on sight.  Seriously, Pinewood Cafe has the absolute best grilled cheese sandwiches EVER.  And the dessert is not too shabby either.  Bri wanted ice cream so bad so we stopped off and grabbed a banana split and a 'Suzanne', which I had been wanting to try.  Both were delicious!   

I'm glad we decided to get out of the house for a bit and enjoy the outdoors, despite the 100+ degree heat.  It was too bad we couldn't take Jackson.  But next year we will all get to enjoy things together.  Can't wait. :)

My Babies

I can't get enough of these two cuties.  Like for real. 

Love them so!

Jackson: 9 weeks Old/2-Month Check-up!

 8/3/12

9 Weeks and Counting!  Today you had your two month check-up.  Dr. Isenhower had not seen you since you were about two weeks old in the NICU.  She could not believe how much you had changed!  You now weigh 11 lbs. 8 oz. and you are 22.5 inches long.  She was really happy with your progress.  In comparison to full-term babies, your height is in the 30th percentile and your weight is in the 40th percentile.  That's a great jump considering you were in the 10th percentile for height and 25th percentile in weight when you were born .  You are still taking Prevacid for reflux but we're hoping it will be better in about a month or so and you won't need it.  No real issues though - you are a perfectly healthy baby boy!  Bri Bri told me that the doctor could not touch you and had to put you down.  She said that you were her baby Jackson and you wanted her arms.  She is very protective of you!  You had a few shots today (2nd Hep B, Pentacel, Pneumo) but you handled them well and only cried for about 15 seconds.  I could tell you didn't feel great this evening but a little Tylenol is keeping you comfortable.  You are becoming quite interested in your hands and fingers and often suck on your thumb and fist.  It's pretty cute to watch.  Sometimes at night I'll hear you sucking your thumb as you soothe yourself to sleep.  Adorable!

Today we went to lunch with April at Mission Burrito.  You slept while we ate and your sister played.  Last night, Bri 'fed' you with her baby doll bottle and put you to sleep in your bouncer.  It was too cute.  I did let her give you an actual bottle as well... she couldn't just tease you with an empty bottle lol!  You're such a good baby and mommy, daddy, and Bri love you!

Pardon my rambling

My posts can be a little all over the place. Random and not always put together so well. Truthfully, if I get to blog, it is a major deal. I can't always spend time on a post like I would like. I just try to get my thoughts out as quickly as possible before I am needed by someone or somewhere else. So have a little forgiveness for me when you read my random ramblings... I am just lucky I can get on-line sometimes! I did download an app that allows me to blog from my phone but it is very basic. Type and post - no edits, no images, nothing fancy. But it does the job, like right now actually, and saves my posts as I type them. And by the way... this entry took me a week to complete and post. Pretty awesome, huh? LOL

Jackson: 2 Months Old!

There's my little muscle man... and two months old!  So very hard to believe.  You grace us with more smiles and coos each day.  It is so awesome to see and hear.  You seem a little more interested in your toys lately.  We hold them up to you and you grasp at them and watch them move.  You love to lay in your sitster's arms while she sings to you.  We have a great video of Brianna singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to you.  She really loves you - she brings toys to you so you're not bored and makes sure I am quick to get you when you are crying.  You sleep pretty well at night and have a varying schedule during the day.  You usually drink about 3-4 oz. of milk each time you eat.  Like your sister did, you take your time and usually take about half the bottle, take a break, and then drink the rest.  This always drove your NICU nurses crazy!  Your doctor check-up is later this week.  Can't wait for the doc to see you!  Hopefully we will be taking you to the beach soon.  And you will definitely be getting a little pool time soon!  We are already planning all of the things we will do with you and Bri next year when you are a little older.  No rush though - we are enjoying every little moment while you are still so little.  You have stolen all of our hearts.  We are blessed to have you in our little family of four. 

Lovin' the weekend

I love Friday night. Some people love Saturdays because you might get to sleep in or you don't have to work. Sunday is the Lord's day so it is a day that reminds you to count your blessings, pray, go to church and to take a break. But Friday nights are so much fun to me. It means (usually) that the work week is over and relaxation is finally about to begin. It means I have my family surrounding me for the next two days without interruption and we can plan for anything!  I love thinking about all the fun we could have and planning something special for the kiddos.  I love coming home to have movie night or pizza night or both lol.  I love to let Bri stay up a little longer to eat popcorn and snuggle with us.  I love staying up late with Stephen laughing at the latest dumb comedy and drinking soda at odd hours. I love that it's our time to just talk and forget about our worries for a few days.  I would rather save that for the weekdays. :)  Here I am... already looking forward to the next Friday... I just can't wait!

Jackson: 7 Weeks Old!

So, Jackson, you now weigh in at a whopping 11 pounds!  Woohoo!  You have no trouble eating anymore.  You are my little piggy.  You love nothing more than to snuggle up with mommy and eat and eat and eat lol.  Your doctor should be proud of your weight gain next time she sees you.  You have been so alert lately and giving us all sorts of looks.  Your face is always so full of expression.  Normally you look quite serious, but this time I caught you smiling... and not just a little smile, a HUGE GRIN for mommy!  Talk about melting your heart... this was the first time you really smiled like this.  Can't believe I got it on camera.  

Your shirt says Beach Hunk... Maybe it should say Beach Chunk Hunk?  You are definitely getting a belly little man!  :) 

You met Aunt Jenny for the first time this week.  She couldn't believe you are so tiny and sweet.  She fell in love with you instantly of course.  Aunt Jen got you a bouncer and you have enjoyed spending some time in it while watching the Baby Einstein Baby Noah DVD.  You and your sister love seeing all the different animals! 

You are starting to sleep a litte longer at night.. sometimes even 5 hours, but it's still quite inconsistent.  You like to keep me guessing for sure.  It's okay... this mommy knows how to function on next to no sleep so we will manage.  :)  

You love to lay in the floor on a blanket and cuddle with Miss Brianna.  You like to flail your little arms and legs about and get a little exercise.  Bri holds you at least once everyday - she would have nothing less!

You are already getting accustomed to our summer routine - grilling outside!  Mommy will sit with you on the patio while Daddy cooks something yummy and Bri plays in her pool and sandbox.  We can't wait until next summer so you can play outside with Big Sister Brianna.  She can hardly wait for those days! 

Jackson: 1 Month Old!

One Month Old! 

Stephen Jackson Strawder - born June 1, 2012, weighing in at 7 lbs., 3oz. and 18.5 inches long at 8:31 a.m.  I can't believe it has been a month since you were born.  Your life started out a little rough.  You were three weeks early and spent the first 2.5 weeks of your life in the NICU.  Words cannot describe how difficult those few weeks were for me and your father.  All we wanted was for our baby boy to be healthy and at home.  They day we finally took you home brought us so much joy and relief.  Your big sister Brianna was thrilled.  Our first ride home was so fun just knowing that our family of four was finally all together.  This past week was the first week that I was home with both you and Brianna on my own.  It has been a really fun experience so far!  I have loved finally getting to know you - all your facial expressions, the things you like and don't like, the noises and sounds you make - which, by the way, are a lot!  Frankly, I've never heard a noisier baby lol.  You love to grunt, squeal, stretch, and wiggle in your sleep.  So I have recently called you 'Grunt' as a nickname.  Your other nicknames? Baby Bear, Little Man, Bubby, and Little Buddy are just a few.  And Brianna calls you Baby Jackson.  She also called you 'her brother or sister' in the beginning... blame your parents for that one!  Since we didn't find out you were a boy until you were born, we told Bri she would have a brother or sister.  Obviously this caused a little confusion :)  However, I think she understands now.  

So what have you been up to your first month?  Mostly you like to just eat and sleep and lay in someone's arms.  You have become a snuggler nearly overnight.  You just love to be held!  I can't say that we really mind all the cuddling that we get with you :). 

Even though you protested your first bath at home, you now seem to really enjoy your bath.  You are so peaceful and calm during the bath.  It seems like you will love bathtime just as much as your sister! 

So far you have taken trips to several stores, including Starbucks and Cici's.  You have been to several parks and watched Brianna play outside.  You enjoy lounging and watching movies and cartoons with Miss Bri.  I hope you love Caillou and Curious George because you will be watching those a lot... your sister is a big fan! 

How do you act?  Your demeanor has been so calm.  You're not a very fussy baby and even let Brianna hold you without a fight.  I think you two will be great friends one day.  Bri is totally obsessed with you right now and always makes sure you are included in anything that we do.  She is going to be a great big sister and you will be a great little brother. 

Your daddy and I couldn't be happier right now.  We are just overwhelmed with joy at having two wonderful kiddos in our lives.  We are so looking forward to watching you grow up... just don't do it too fast. 

Mother's Day 2012 =)

I certainly do not deserve to have such a beautiful and amazing little girl in my life.  And to think we will have another one to celebrate with in just a few short weeks... it just doesn't seem real.  Mother's Day was very nice and I got the perfect gift.  I have wanted to take Brianna to church for quite some time, but every time I planned it, something always got in the way.  It almost happened again this morning, but I was determined not to let it deter us.  And Bri was super fussy this morning... she wouldn't even wear the dress I chose.  Miss Independent had to pick it out!  But we did make it to church and that made me happy.  Brianna made it about 15 minuters in the big church before I had to take her to the nursery.  During the Lord's Supper, she kept asking me and Stephen to read her a book.  So since I couldn't keep her quiet, she and I got up to leave.  She got to the end of the pew, and said, 'All done!'  Then, 'Get up, Daddy!'.  Thankfully, everyone took it well but I was glad to take her to the back.  Toddlers are a little hard to control in those kinds of situations!  The sermon was an interesting topic that Stephen and I have always had opposing views - dancing.  I'm not sure the pastor totally convinced him (he's stubborn) but I think it definitely gives him more to think about now since he does have a daughter. 

After church, we had planned for a picnic, but instead we went to Chuy's for lunch then home for a nap.  Later we took Bri to the park and then grabbed Domino's pizza for dinner.  Next weekend we will defnitely have that picnic at Hermann Park and feed the ducks.  Mommy was just a little tired today.  Hey, I'm only 34 weeks pregnant... not sure why I would be so tired!  One night Stephen and I will go see 'The Avengers'... again, if I can find the energy!  Belly pic below...

Stephen and Brianna bought me a cute new picture frame that says FAMILY and holds three photos and a new book by Rick Riordan.  And we had slices of a delicious raspberry-filled cake for dessert.  Yum!  My mom gave me a read-along storybook featuring 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'.  Can't wait to read it with Bri!  She loooooves that song! 

For my mother, we created a home-made card that Brianna signed with her hands and feet lol.  She had a lot of fun making that and getting messy! 

Big night for Bri!

Not long ago I posted about Brianna using the potty for the first time.  She would sometimes sit on her potty without going, but mostly, she liked to use it as its alternate function - a stepstool.  We've let her depict the potty training pace and, lately, she has really taken an interest in potty training.  She uses her little duck potty and the big potty.  So far she hasn't seemed scared at all.  She even went to the potty in her daycare class!  Needless to say, we are super proud of her efforts and have encouraged but not pushed her to potty train.  Well, tonight Brianna floored us.  She went #2 in her potty and she is not even 2 yet!  Stephen and I were beyond shocked and so excited for her.  I just can't believe how fast she is growing up!  Obviously I know this is just a starting point, but it is such a huge milestone.  We are so proud of our little girl.  She is fearless and I hope she will always be confident in all that she does. 

Overall, it was a pretty good day.  Even though I had to have a miserable MRI this afternoon, Stephen grilled hamburgers and hot dogs so we enjoyed a nice dinner.  And best of all, we were all able to spend a little family time together.  I am looking forward to this weekend for even more family fun. :)

Milestone Alert!

Brianna tinkled in her potty for the first time tonight!  She is becoming such a big girl!  It's funny what you get excited about when you're a parent.  She celebrated by having a few Skittles.  I'm truly excited for Brianna... it just means she's on the right track.  Love her so much! 

22-Months Old!

2/15/2012

22 Months Old! 

It's hard to imagine that your second birthday is only two months away... I can't wait to plan your party! 

This month you celebrated your second Valentine's Day!  You had a wonderful party with your friends at daycare.  You took little goody bags for everyone and a fruit tray.  At home you got a special Winnie the Pooh Pez from Grandma with a box of chocolates.  Mommy and Daddy gave you chocolates with several goodies and toys.  Daddy made spaghetti and strawberry cake - you loved both!  Spaghetti has recently become one of your favorite foods, along with pizza.  Also you have recently had decaf sweet tea and love it!  Now I know you're a true Southern Belle!

On February 4th, you celebrated Mya Madkins' second birthday party at JumpaPalooza.  You had a great time with all your friends from daycare.  Daddy took you on some of the really big slides and you even went on one by yourself!  You did a face plant when you went down one slide, but you thought that was hilarious!  You are my little dare devil!

You love to climb all over you daddy - he is your playground for sure.  You love to run and jump into his lap  and you pretty much do this every night.  You love to chase Lobo (or Bobo, as you call him) and let Lobo chase you.  And of course, you still love Benson and Slinky!

You like to watch Caillou, the Mickey Mouse Club and most recenlty have enjoyed watching the Curious George movie on my phone.  You will ask for it by name. 

There are a multitude of words that you can say now... I can't even count them all!  You can sing your ABCs, count to 10, recognize colors and you are learning to recognize your numbers and letters.  Your daycare teachers say you are the 'leader' in the class - you often demonstrate to the other children how to do or say something or sign a word in sign language.  You recently had an ear infection and could tell us your ear hurt - the doctor was very impressed.  I can already tell you will be successful - you have a smart head on your shoulders!