A Birthday excursion

"Daddy, Let's go for a hike,"

With water bottles in hand, Eliza led the way through Evansville State Park.  I wanted to go on a family hike to celebrate my (cough!) 29th birthday.  The kids were such troopers - especially Eliza who has a hard enough time walking on level ground - she didn't let the tree limbs and rocks stand in her way.  The weather was perfect, the mood was peaceful, the scenery amazing, and the company the best of all.

We didn't hike very far.  Eliza tired out easily (it's hard work for a 2 year old to walk up and down hills), and Zaby got heavy fast in the baby carrier.  What we did hike took us quite a while to accomplish.  Eliza kept picking up rocks, acorns, leaves, etc. to carry them and put them in her pocket.

 

We took frequent water breaks.  It was a miracle that we walked out of there without a poison ivy rash considering Eliza touched every plant/shrub we walked by.  In July, I found out (twice) that I have an allergy to poison ivy.  The painful, itchy rash all over my body was not something I was excited to repeat a third time, considering I had to take an oral steroid to get rid of the outbreak before. 

 When the trail ended at this bridge, we weren't sure which direction to take. 

It's a good thing we had our little map reader to orient us in the right direction.   

All kinds of trails, and we weren't sure what direction we were actually headed.  We took a wrong turn somewhere because the trail we took back to the car was not the one we intended to take, but we got there eventually.  

We made it back to the playground, where we had water, apples, and no bake oatmeal cookies.  Zaby didn't want to be left out and managed to shove a piece of cookie in his mouth before either of us could stop him.   

Happy Birthday to me!

In which Eliza turns 2

I seriously can't believe that my little girl turned 2 on the 14th of July.  It seems like she has always been part of our family, yet it also seems like we just brought her home from the hospital the other day.  It's amazing how much she has grown and changed from the time she first graced our home.  I really can't say enough about my little girl.  She is sweet, kind, obedient, mature, smart, and beautiful both inside and out.  She can also be a bit mischievous and extremely independent.  She wants to do everything for herself, and I am amazed at some of the things she can do.  She wants to dress herself (including change her own diaper), feed herself, and open everything for herself.  Not only does she want to do everything for herself, she has to go back and re-do something I've started because "Iza do it." 

Her language skills have taken off practically overnight.  She is extremely advanced for her age in her ability to communicate - she speaks in full sentences.  Things like:  Daddy go to work Friday morning.  The garbage fell down.  What is it?  I have two kids - they are heavy!  (She likes to pick up 2 baby dolls at the same time and say that).  Go to store and buy juice and yogurt, ok?  Zaby drinking mama's milk, I drink juice.  We go to swings today, sound good, Ok!  She says this as she nods her head up and down to let me know that she thinks it sounds good.  I have/am ________, Zaby have/is _______too.  (The _______ can be any number of things.) 

She can count to 10; although she prefers to say 1, 2, 3, 4, 6.  6 is her favorite number.  She wants to wear purple everyday, she likes a pink sippy, a yellow bowl, and everything else red.  She knows all the basic colors, shapes, and she can sing the alphabet song. 

Her favorite toy is any kind of baby doll.  She carries them around the house all day, feeding them, holding them, putting them down for naps, taking them for walks, and changing their diapers and clothes.   She likes to help out as much as possible.  Her two favorite chores are setting the table and vacuuming.  She likes to hold the cord and follow me around the room.  After we have finished vacuuming a room, she's the first to say, "all done!" and promptly dump toys out on the floor or pull books off the shelf. 

 

Every morning when she wakes up, we go through a series of events or things she wants to do.  She will ask:  Temple-day?  Church-day?  Park-day?  Library-day?  Friends-day?  Shopping-day?  Beach-day?  I love how she always wants to go to the temple.  Eliza is full of hugs and kisses.  She will randomly come up to me and say, "hug mama?  Now kiss."  She gives the best hugs.  I love her giggle - it's so contagious.  She is extremely ticklish, and even though she sometimes hits/takes things away from her brother, she adores him and is intrigued by the things he does.  My favorite thing is watching them play and giggle together. 

Eliza is still an avid reader.  I will often find her sitting on the couch or floor with a pile of books around her.  She brings me book after book after book to read to her.  Books are stashed away in every room in the house.  She can even recite the words to entire books.  It cracks me up. 

 

Whenever the wind blows, she says she is cold and needs a blanket.  She likes to dance while running in circles, and say, "Iza (Eliza) crazy!"  At random times, she will say, "I love you Mommy, kiss?"  This, of course, is my favorite.  Eliza has a major sweet-tooth, she can be bribed to do nearly anything if a treat is involved.  She loves going to the library and can swing at the park all day long. 

The morning of her birthday, she woke up to the living room full of "bawoons."  She enjoyed playing with them all day.

We had pancakes for breakfast, mac-a-noodles (macaroni and cheese) for lunch, and rice for dinner - all of Eliza's favorite foods.  After dinner, we let her open her presents.  I loved watching her open presents this year.  As she was pulling off newspapers (didn't have real wrapping paper), she kept saying, "What is it?, what is it?"  When the paper finally came all the way off, she would exclaim, "it's _______."  So fun to watch. 

 

Her first two presents were some new clothes and shoes, and a photo book of her first year.  Then, she opened the big present. She wouldn't stop until every shred of newspaper was off all sides of the box. 

 

If you ask her what she got for her birthday, Eliza will say, "shirts, pajamas, shoes, a book about Iza, and a big, big, box."  She didn't realize that the box was a play kitchen.  We purchased it at Aldi and it said some assembly required.  As you can see from the pink plastic pieces Eliza is holding up, it wasn't just some assembly - we had to put together every single little piece.  It took us a couple of days, but she loves her play kitchen. 

On the 15th, Monday, I put together a play date party for Eliza.  I invited some of her friends.  We played outside in a pool and slip-n-slide, ate lunch, and then had cake.  I am very proud of the job I did with this cake.  It's not perfect, but I think it is an improvement from my previous cakes. 

 

Eliza must have remembered that she had a personal cake on her birthday last year, because after we sang Happy Birthday and I turned around to find a knife to cut the cake, she dug right into the middle. 

Luckily, no one seemed to mind.  The cake tasted just the same to them.

It must have been a hit, because I had to set the last piece aside for Bruce to eat when he got home from work.  Even though I requested that no gifts be given, Eliza got three presents, all of which she loves.  A new baby doll, a shopping cart with fake food, and a sand bucket.  The baby doll goes everywhere with us; she takes care of it like a little mother. 

 

Zaby enjoyed the birthday decorations as well.  They both played with them for days after. 

 Since her birthday, I've heard her singing the birthday song to herself, and she goes around telling everyone that she is two years old.  What a cutie!!  Happy Birthday little girl.  I hope you know how special you are!!



P is for Potty and Peanuts

I've been trying to "catch-up" my blog; I have half finished posts saved as drafts in my post list.  If I keep waiting until I have previous posts finished, I will never catch up - and I want to.  So... I will post recent happenings first, and publish my drafts when I get them finished, even if they are not in chronological order.  I can always go back and rearrange the order of my posts. 

So... and update on Eliza:

 

She knows the letters of the alphabet.  Her favorite song these days is none other than the alphabet song.  She randomly started singing it in the car about a month ago (at this point, I didn't even know she knew the alphabet song; she never attempted saying any letters before, and then the entire song came spewing out, never missing a letter).  She walks around the house, the store, even church singing the alphabet song.  She requests it as her bedtime song every night, she "plays" it on the piano and sings along every night for her "piano (lesson) time" before scriptures every night, she even teaches it to her baby dolls and stuffed animals.  Everything is all about the alphabet song around our house.  It is absolutely adorable.  She doesn't like to "perform" on camera, and after much practice, her annunciation of each letter has significantly improved. 

Other songs she enjoys singing every day include: Snowman, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, I am a child of God, Book of Mormon stories, and Follow the Prophet. 

She loves Sesame Street (mostly the characters, not necessarily the show).  Everything is about Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird - that's why I titled this post the way I did.  Moving on to what this post is actually about.

1)  Potty - Eliza turned 2 in July.  She has shown mild interest in potty training for quite sometime.  She started going #2 in the potty consistently shortly after her 1st birthday - she never told me; I could just tell from her facial expressions that she needed to go.  I would sit her on the potty and she would go without complaint.  Really I was going to wait until the winter time to try to full out potty train her because we go too many places in the summer (the park, swimming pool, etc) and it seemed like a hassle.  However, Eliza decided differently. 

 

The first Friday in September Eliza turned to me while she was getting dressed and said, "No Diapers!"  When I asked her what she was going to wear on her bum, she responded with enthusiasm, "Underwear!"  I wasn't going to say no to her even though I didn't feel quite ready.  However, she only had 1 accident that entire day.  At this point, she wasn't telling me; I just took her to the bathroom every hour and she went.  Day 2 was similar to Day 1; only 1 accident.  The next day was Sunday.  I debated about what to do.  I was brave!  I took her to church in underwear on Day 3.  Hooray for Eliza, she didn't have a single accident.  Monday and Tuesday were about the same as Thursday and Friday.  On Wednesday (Day 6), she had 5 accidents before 9:00 am.  What??  She didn't have any more the rest of the day.  On Thursday (Day 7), she started telling me when she needs to go.  After that, she has now gone weeks accident free during the day.  She sleeps in underwear for naps and has wet the bed twice, but only twice in nearly 4 weeks.  She wears a diaper at night, but wakes up dry most mornings.  I really am sooo proud of her!  She is doing amazing!  Honestly, potty training Eliza was a breeze - let's hope that Zaby will follow suit, but I'm definitely not counting on it. 

2)  Peanuts - Eliza went in to the allergist for her year review in regards to her peanut allergy.  I was really hoping that she would be clean since she hasn't had any episodes (since the time we found out she was allergic), and we've avoided peanuts.  However, I have to report that she is not clear.  Last year her skin test was 5.2 mm.  This year, she increased to 10.3.  That means that she is definitely allergic to peanuts and her allergic reaction will be worse than mere skin hives if exposed.  I need to get a refill on my Epi-pen and make a more conscientious effort to tell others (every house she goes to) that she is allergic.  It also means that I will probably have to read labels more carefully.  She does fine with almond and hazelnut (Nutella sandwiches are some of her favorites), but we still don't know about other tree nuts - we still need to be careful with those.  I guess I will continue to hide peanut butter treats and only eat them when she is in bed!  Poor girl - she's really missing out. 

In the cool of the pool

We bought a summer pass to our community pool this summer.  We went as often as occasion would permit, so it ended up being a good deal for us.  With so many different pools, there is something for everyone.  Slides for the kids, slides for the adults, diving boards, rock walls, lap swim lanes, lazy river, whirlpool, a leisure pool, 2 baby pools (1 with a water playground), splash pads.  The first day we went, we may have been a bit over zealous.  We wanted our children to enjoy the pool so we stuck them in the baby pool, forced them to play with the splashers, and helped them down the water slide.  Both of them merely cried, cried, and cried.  The water may have been a bit cold, and it was probably a bit overwhelming to both of them since the pool was so big.  Over time, they enjoyed the pool more and more.  Even though Eliza never really got too far in the water, and definitely never truly went swimming, she did ask to go to the pool quite often.  Her favorite thing to do was fill buckets and cups with water and dump them out again.  Zaby, on the other hand, loved to splash and kick in the water.  He was a little picky about the temperature, but for the most part, he thoroughly enjoyed himself.  I may have to put them both in swimming lessons next year.  Zaby, because he will probably enjoy swimming, and Eliza so she isn't so afraid of the water.  We will buy the pass again next summer, and hopefully I will be able to take advantage of the early morning water aerobics classes. 

The two bottom pictures were taken in the blow-up pool in our backyard.  I love the relaxed look on Zaby's face.

 

Enjoying the lazy river:

 

The splash pad:

The Frog slide:



 

The Leisure pool:

These snap shots are from our backyard pool.  

A final Hooray! to the end of summer

8 Months Old

 Baby Zaby (who acts older than a baby) is now 8 months old as of today. (Surprise, I actually posted something on time:).  He is such a funny boy, and still has the best smile. 
In the past month he has learned how to:

• clap his hands - oh it's so cute.  He smiles so big every time he claps.  A couple of days ago, he "played" a song on the piano, then clapped for himself.  All you have to do is say, "yea Zaby," and he will start clapping
• wave bye-bye.  He waves by bending and wiggling his fingers rather than moving his whole hand back and forth
• say, "Mama"

• Move - he doesn't officially crawl yet; however, he is sooo close.  He rocks on his hands and knees, moves his hands forward, and lunges his body forward.  I don't know how he manages to keep his legs crossed while doing this.  Once he has inched forward, he turns, puts his head down, then pushes his body back up to a sitting position.  By doing this, he has managed to move about a foot in either direction.  If he would just move his knees he would crawl and mobility would be a lot easier.  He rolls really well, and stretches and reaches for things.  He has an amazing ability to grab things (very quickly) and knock over everything.  He is a crazy little man - always moving in some form or another, always grabbing things, and trying to climb on things.  It is impossible for him to sit still.  He stands up against the bath tub and knocks all the shampoo and body wash bottles into the tub.  He empties bookshelves, drawers, everything.  Eliza sat perfectly still and didn't get into anything at this age, so this is all new to me.  If possible, he does prefer standing to sitting.  He managed to stand alone for 1 second today, but he can stand for quite a while if holding onto something.  When he starts crawling, or worse walking - he will literally be into everything. 

• Eat food - no not baby food; he wants the real stuff.  He has had bread, scones, pizza crust, crackers, macaroni noodles, peas, peaches, pears, graham crackers, pancakes, oranges, yogurt, and bananas (although he didn't care for those much).  The problem is he shoves everything into his mouth that he will gag himself at times. 
• Gives hugs, kisses, and pats on the back - he is a very affectionate little guy
• Pull hair and take things from his sister. 
• He has 2 slivers of bottom teeth

• Throw his weight around - it's not a good thing because he can pack it in.  When he gets mad, he goes stiff as a board and throws himself backwards.  It's hard to hold onto him, and I seriously don't know how he can maintain such a stiff body, it's hard to bend his limbs when he goes like that. 
• Get what he wants which most of the time is for mom to pick him up.  This little man has some lungs on him - he can really scream and then acts like he hasn't a care in the world when mama picks him up.  He grins and smiles, smiles and grins. 
• He hates getting put in his car seat.  Once I wrestle him in there, and give him something to hold he is fine, but the initial putting him in is hard.  I don't use the infant car seat anymore - it got too heavy to lug around with my 20 pound baby in it.  We just use a rear facing car seat.   
• He is a paper detective.  If the tiniest piece of paper is remotely within reach, he will get it.  Some of the things he puts in his mouth, I have no idea where he even got it.  He's remarkable with manipulating his hands. 

Everywhere I go, he gets lots of attention.  Everyone says he's so cute, and everyone comments on his smile.  I have people come up to me from across the room just to mention that he grabbed their attention.  Something about Zaby attracts a lot of people.  But I would definitely agree... He's just so cute!  Thanks for being my baby boy buddy.  I sure love you!!

7 Months Old

Where has the time gone?  Can he really be 7 months old?  Yes, he is 7 months old.  Yes I am about 5 months behind on all my posts.  Yes, he keeps me busier than a beaver everyday.  Yes, he is absolutely adorable, and has the best smile around.

He was sleeping through the night (at about 9 weeks old).  However, since we came back from Utah on June 3, he has only slept through the night 1.  Yes, ONCE!!  I no longer consider him a good sleeper, and I am completely exhausted.  I get up with him two or three times a night.  Why?  What happened?  Here's my theory...

1)  The boy WILL NOT eat baby food of any kind - no cereal, no applesauce, no baby food.  He won't open his mouth, turns his head to the side, spits out anything we manage to force inside, and even falls asleep in his high chair to avoid it - more on that later. 

He won't take a bottle, only chews on the nozzle of a sippy cup, and pretty much lives on nursing.  So...he wakes up in the night because my 20 pound 7 month old boy is hungry.  He's not just suckling for comfort in the night; he is guzzling and gulping and eating.  He will "chew" on crackers but rarely do they make it to his stomach.  If we try to offer him something, he refuses to open his adorable little mouth.  Grr!!

2)  He is in the process of cutting his first four teeth.  Yes, the front four teeth are coming through - poor boy

3)  He doesn't take to sickness well.  We've been to the doctor three times in the past two weeks.  He has Roseiola and we are still combating his yeast infection (seriously didn't know boys could get one of those).

4)  He must have gotten so used to room sharing the two weeks we were away, that he simply misses me during the night. 



Oh, this boy is adorable, funny too!!  He is the epitome of a Mama's boy.  I've never seen anything like it.  Happy, cheerful, content, talkative, and giggly as long as I am not only in sight, but within an arms length.  If I put him down, or take two steps away from him, watch out - it's like the world has come to an end.  He throws himself to the ground, and screams like the sky is falling.   Pick him up, and it's like nothing happened. 

 

He loves to give me hugs and kisses - he is much more lovey dovey than Eliza.  When he is playing on the ground, I of course, have to sit next to him.  He will play for a few minutes, turn to give me a hug and kiss, go back to playing, then do it all over again.  I can't complain about it except that it is nearly impossible to get anything done unless I want to hear the screams. 

 

He is a wild boy - always grabbing things, always flailing his arms, throwing himself backwards, lunging for thing out of his reach.  He is so close to crawling, any day he will take off.  He rolls this way and that way, pulls himself up to a standing position against the bathtub, and somehow manages to grab everything, even when it doesn't seem possible.  He can't and won't sit still for a second, and we already spend the majority of Sacrament meeting outside of the chapel with him.

 

He loves attention (especially mine), and loves his sister.  He watches her all day and giggles.

He babbles, blows raspberries, moves his mouth like a fish, and says, "Ma-ma and Mom."  I love it when he looks at me and says, "Mom!"  Eliza said "da-da" first so this is a special treat for me. 

In these two pictures, he is falling asleep in his high chair!

 

He loves the bathtub, giggles when you change his diaper (unless he has a yeast infection, then he screams), and loves to eat paper.  Although frustrating at times, he is the cutest, most affectionate little boy around.  I love him to pieces.  Who couldn't fall in love with that face.

Yep, that's the one!