Journal: Sickies

TODAY

Out my window: Dark. And cold.  Oh winter...

Clothing myself in:  Black yoga pants, red tank, college alumni sweatshirt.  Ponytail, with my SHORTER hair.  Got a haircut and gosh I feel like a new woman.  However, I currently smell like curdled milk.  AHHH motherhood, so glamorous.  

Around the house: The storage room had been getting a bit sloppy, so I tidied things up in there a bit.  I have been organizing some of the children's things as well.  I have random keepsake items of theirs (Baptismal candles, baby books, birth announcements, Kolbe's doggie shoes, etc. etc.) stashed in several random places, and as we have more kids it is getting hard to keep track of which "special spot" each item is in.  I organized all the things and have them in three piles on the bed in the basement, next time I get out I am picking up some plastic tubs and each child can have their own keepsake tub.  This little bit of organization makes me absurdly happy.

 

The baby: Is sick.  :-(  Fever and very congested cough.  He has definitely lost his spunk.  Hopefully lots of nursing and snuggling will have him on the mend in no time.

 

The kiddos:  Sick too.  Gemma woke up on her birthday morning (Friday) with a fever and cough (now you know where Clem caught it) so that changed her birthday and the weekend plans pretty drastically.  She still has a fever today but seems on the mend now.  Maybe?  Kolbe can't decide whether he's going to get sick or not.

In the kitchen: Minute Steaks that Aaron's grandma sent us (from their beef cattle...trying to explain this to Gemma was highly amusing.  Apparently it had not dawned on her yet that we eat cows.); Baked Ziti; Honey Chicken; Fish Crisp.  Steamed veggies, fried zucchini, applesauce, 3 bean salad and probably some brown rice as sides.

Crafting: Nope.

Learning:  Got through several handwriting lessons last week and worked on numbers and counting and such.  Kolbe can count to 20!  Who knew?!  He is really starting to talk a lot more, he surprises me with something new he knows almost every day.  I think he's been holding out on us. ;-D

Bringing me joy:  

• Learning about NASCAR from my Dad and Uncle, the experts.  Bet you thought NASCAR was only for rednecks, not so!!  Now you know.
• Spending lots of family time together at home this weekend.  Bummed to have sick kids, but thrilled to have nothing to do and time with the fam.  Christmas was busy and Aaron hardly had any time off, so to be honest the past weekend was kind of a bright spot, sick kids and all.
• Seeing Gemma so excited about her birthday presents, a jump rope and a hula-hoop. 

Thinking about:  Gemma starting kindergarten and how that will change our lives and family dynamics.  A lot.  I'm excited but a bit trepidatious (apparently that's not a word) as well.  While we feel that traditional Catholic schools will be the best educational fit for our family, it will be a really big change, and I don't always do well with change.  Neither does my daughter.  But I'm sure we'll weather it and settle into a new normal eventually.  We always do.  ;-D  Also thinking about money and kids and allowance and all that.  Gemma got some birthday money and I think we are going to let her open a bank account with it (and spend a little on some sparkle nail polish)!  Regarding that topic, I would like to read this book.

Pictures to share:  

Gemma and her birthday balloon.

I asked Kolbe to smile for a picture to frame.  This is the best I got.  I will not be framing this but it makes me laugh.

The big SIX month old!!

The kids with their joint birthday gift, a new BIKE!!  Kolbe will still mainly ride the red trike that was Gemma's, but we gave them this as a joint gift since it will be his eventually.

Journal (7th edition)

TODAY

Out my window: It got coooooooold.  Well, it got cold AFTER it got warm again this past week and I had to actually break some short-sleeve shirts back out for the kids after declaring victory over summer wardrobes last week.  I could hear the rubermaid tubs laughing at me.

Clothing myself in: Pink sweats, college sweatshirt.  I will be changing into something nicer later as we are having a guest for dinner this evening.  Be amazed.

Around the house:  We have accumulated a bunch of nice, educational toys over the years (wooden puzzles, lacing cards, pattern blocks, counting bears, etc. etc. etc.), and I keep them in spots that are put away but easily accessed.  Even so, they don't get used/played with nearly as often as I would like....so this week I started setting a few out on the fireplace each day and switching them out each evening (thanks to the handy-dandy reminder on my phone, see Mary...) and that has worked really well.  The kids have enjoyed it and it has helped encourage me to sit down and spend some time working on things with them.  Win win.  I've also been doing better at rotating toys from the toybox (thanks other Mary!) and that always helps too.  When we play well, we fight less.  All of us.

 

The baby: Oh my goodness, he is getting so big.  Yesterday I dressed him in a size 12 mos. romper.  He's not really thick but boy is he long!  He is very fascinated with his hands.  His legs are getting stronger, he can semi-support himself when I stand him on my lap.  He is so smiley.  OH I love him.

 

The kiddos: Gemma hit a wall with her reading lessons this week.  We're about 25 lessons in and they are getting more difficult.  There was frustration, tears, the works, but she didn't want to set it aside and come back to it.  She reminds me so much of me.  SO we suffered through the rest of that lesson, I had a good chat with a fellow mom friend (thanks Michelle!), we took a day off and then yesterday she successfully read a number of pages from Hop on Pop.  We were both very pleased!  I think I'll start splitting the lessons up over two days, and we will rotate between those and reading from "easy readers".  I'm excited, I think she's really going to start taking off with this reading thing.

Kolbe.  I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone who has dropped by our house this past week to find my half naked son running around in all his glory.  He is just doing so stinking well using the potty when he doesn't wear pants, that, well, he just doesn't wear pants anymore.  Oh when we leave the house (like once a week, HA) I do clothe him properly.  And he is doing a little better about not wetting in his underpants and telling us when he has to go (or more likely when he is going) but he by no means totally "gets it".  SO he just doesn't wear pants.

In the kitchen:  Chicken pizza with white sauce and tomatoes from our neighbor's garden; Italian sausage soup; chicken wraps; baked fish, veggies and either couscous or rice (had to nix that one last week); SUSHI!

Crafting:  

Learning: Our weekly theme was PUMPKINS!  Click here for some of our books and activities.  The kids also had fun with these (or similar, I couldn't find the exact ones) lacing cards.  Gemma colored and cut out a very huge amount of pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns throughout the course of the week.

Gemma also went to her first storytime by herself at the library.  She did so well, I was really proud of her.  No tears and a huge smile on her face as she skipped off with the line of 3-6 year olds, and an equally huge smile upon returning.  She is super excited to go again, YAY!  My little girl is sure growing up recently, and it makes me a bit sentimental.  Happy, but sentimental never-the-less.

Reading: See last week.  Not much new.  And oh my, I think I am enjoying Little House on the Prairie every bit as much as Gemma is (and that's quite a bit)!

Bringing me joy: My spiritual director gave me a first class relic of St. Gemma Galgani (with certificate of authenticity) to give to our Gemma when she gets older.  He had gotten it at some point when he was traveling in Italy and recently came across it.  Aaron and I were so touched that he thought of our Gemma, what a treasure. ::: Lots of good, quality time with the kids. :::  My phone...we got new phones a little over a month ago but we didn't get data (it was twofold, expense and the fact that we --- or I, Aaron would never use it -- don't need to be that connected, more great stuff on that HERE from my friend Sarah).  Well, I figured out how to download some Catholic podcasts, prayers, and the daily readings and put them on the mp3 player on my phone so I can listen to them in the kitchen while I'm cooking dinner, the kids' room while changing sheets, just anywhere around the house when I am working on mundane activities.  Since the laptop is so hard to haul around (lame, I know).  This really has brought me an insane amount of joy. ::: Our wonderful neighbors.  We seriously have the best neighbors ever...and not just next-door. Everyone around us is just, wow.  Good, good people.  Our next-door neighbors in particular love our kids so much though.  They are about our parents' age and she will often text me to send the kids over for a bit to do this or that.  The kids love it and I can tell "Miss Jo" does too.  It is really a blessing. ::: A nice friend who brought us a meal out of the blue. ::: It has been a good week.

Thinking about: I get out and about with the kids so much less now that we have three.  And it really is fine, I enjoy being home.  Now that winter is approaching, I am thinking about just hibernating here.  Seriously, the thought of getting everyone clothed (Kolbe), socks, shoes, jackets zipped, hoods, blankets, diaper bag packed, etc. sends me into a cold sweat just thinking about it.  I am soooooo not looking forward to winter.

Pictures to share: 

Our three beautiful blessings.  Gemma: 4yrs 9 months; Kolbe: 2yrs 9 months; Clement: 3 months.

August 2012 mega-update

Well, it's been a while since I did a family update, so I figured it was time.  I will use headers and bullets in an attempt to avoid utter stream-of-consciousness. 

AARON

• His big project this summer has been refinishing the deck.  He's done a very good job, and been quite innovative. 
• His other big project this summer has been keeping the yard alive.  After going through fifty (yes, five-zero) pounds of grass seed last Fall after the brutal summer of 2011, he was convinced to keep on top of things a little better.  We have a sprinkler system, but it doesn't hit all the trees, and misses some of the grass and if we run it too much our water bills are hideous.  So he hand waters with the hose every night, and so far so good.  The trees are looking good (enough) and it looks like we will get away with less than ten pounds of grass seed come Fall.  
• This man.  I'd like to just take a minute to brag about him.  He is the most amazing husband to me and daddy to our children.  I really do marvel.  Daily.  God is so so good, and my wonderful husband is continual proof of that.  I am so blest, so very very blest.  He may not be perfect, but he is perfect for me.

MONICA

• I am glad to be myself again.  Those pregnancy hormones make. me. nuts.
• Enjoying the new minivan (Honda Odyssey) immensely.  I was so nervous about not driving a car anymore, but the transition to van has been great!
• I am also enjoying my new Rubbermaid Reveal mop.  Yes, I am a total nerd to even put this here, but honestly I'm just too lazy to write a review of it so I thought I'd say something here.  For those of you who are curious...I have always scrubbed either on my hands and knees or with a traditional mop.  While those two methods may be slightly more thorough, the Reveal has cut my mopping time by half, if not more (seriously), and to me this is worth it.  Soooo worth it. I  also use way less Mrs. Meyers solution than I did previously, and the pads can be washed with my towels, so it's very "green" and I don't have to keep buying extra accessories.  If you're looking for something convenient and affordable to keep your kitchen floor clean quickly and easily, this product really is worth it.  I picked mine up at Sams for around $25 and it came with three pads.
• I am adjusting to life with three littles.  They keep me on my toes and make me laugh and cry and challenge me in ways I never dreamed (or hoped) possible.  I'm learning and growing and stretching and changing in many ways.  But it's good.  It's life.  And life is good.

GEMMA

• She is really assuming the role of big sis/oldest in the family quite well.  She can be a huge helper and she is just a natural with Clem.  It's wonderful.
• Lest I lead you to believe that life with her is a dream, I will add the reality that she can be quite sassy and definitely has a strong will and mind of her own when it comes to the way she thinks things ought to be.  OH how I love her and OHHHHHH how she frustrates me.  She really challenges me to [try to] be a good parent, that's for sure, so I suppose I should be grateful for the opportunity to grow in grace, but boy it's hard.
• And along that same vein, oh my this girl is cut from the same cloth as her mama it really is scary.  One day she kept running to the kitchen getting ziploc bags.  I finally asked what she was doing...organizing the toys in the toy box.  Yep, that's my girl.
• She is getting really good at writing her letters.  We're getting ready to start Handwriting Without Tears, and I think this will be very good for her.  She is already trying to make lowercase letters, just copying them from things around the house, and hopefully this will help squelch any bad letter-formation habits before Kindergarten.
• I believe that Gemma will be our artist.  She doesn't seem incredibly athletically inclined, and she spends hours a day with crayons, scissors, markers, etc.  She is always coming up with new things (most recently homemade boats with paper, tape and straws).  I hope we are able to give her adequate opportunities and outlets for her creativity as she gets older.
• She has moved to a booster now that we have the van, and this is working well.  She can't buckle herself, but she can unbuckle herself and that is helpful.  She is also a big help sitting by the baby! 
• She weighs 37 pounds and is almost 45 inches. Yes, she's tall.

KOLBE

• Kolbe has seemed to change the most since Clem was born.  I think that always happens with your "baby".  He just seems so much bigger, and so much more grown up.  I wish I had prepared myself for this a little more.  I put him to bed one night as my baby, and when we got back home with Clem he wasn't my baby anymore.  I mourn that a bit.  But such is life. 
• He dropped his nap around the time Clem arrived.  I'm actually fairly OK with this, because getting him down for a nap had become a nightmarish battle of wills, and bedtime wasn't much better.  OK, maybe it was worse.  For the most part bedtimes have been going much better (and earlier!), although it seems like as soon as we settle into a good groove with something we seem to hit another bump in the road.  I had been laying with him while he went to sleep with great success, but lately he's starting being a bit of an ornery little stinker while I'm laying with him.  ;-D  He's doing better at staying in bed and going to sleep himself though, so I think that's the direction we're moving.  That's the eventual ideal anyways.  WHEW, maybe I should have done a separate post about sleep.
• He counts to ten and it is so hilarious.  Speaking of talking, he still continues to learn more words and communicate better with us (although I think he's pretty hard for others to understand). He is probably a bit behind the curve when it comes to the speech skills of a "typical" 2 1/2 + year old, but he continues to progress. 
• He wants to do ev.ery.thing. that Gemma does.  Which is cute, but makes it hard when it comes to things like, oh, GLUE.  He is also picking up some of her not-so-wonderful habits (like covering ears when I tell her/him something they don't want to hear) and this is frustrating.  Maddening really. 
• As much as Gemma is our artist, I think Kolbe will be our athlete.  He is still obsessed with anything "ball", and what he lacks in speech he makes up for in gross motor skills.  
• He weighs 30.5 pounds 

CLEMENT

I recently updated on Clement at a month HERE and honestly, there's not a whole lot more to say so I'll just post a cute picture.  He's a baby. He nurses, sleeps and poops.  He's having longer alert times and has a very mellow personality.  He gave me his first "meaningful" smiles at just a bit over 5 weeks. He weighs 10.5 pounds.  I just love him so much...we all do.  Seems like he's been part of the family forever, he fits right in.

Gemma 4yrs 7mos. - Kolbe 2yrs 7mos. - Clement 1 month

Life with three

Now that it's been [almost] two weeks (and I have ever so much experience, HA!), I thought I'd take a few minutes to blog some thoughts on this transition from two to three.  Not that anyone out there really cares, but I figured it would make for interesting reading material down the road when I'm yearning for "the simple days when we only had three and they were young."  Hmmmmm....

Anyways, things have been good overall.  The first few days after Clem was born were horrific.  I had just given birth and while hands-down the hardest thing I've ever done (three times) it is also so rewarding and amazing it just makes me want to capture the moment and savor that first meeting with my babe forever.  Basically I would like to be able to stop time for awhile.  Especially since the more times we do this, and the older we get, the less times we potentially (God be willing) have left to do this.  Does that makes sense?  Anyways, I haven't figured out the stopping time thing yet, so instead I was just overly hormonal and emotional.  THEN, I remembered what it was like bringing Gemma and even Kolbe home for the first time...cozy, snuggly, quiet, peaceful, serene.  Yeaaaahhhhhh, not so this go around.  We got home about 10pm the day Clem was born, and the kids were at respective grandparents' houses and I felt guilty they weren't home with us and sad I couldn't kiss them goodnight.  But then we picked them up the next morning and they were hung. over. from time with grandma and grandpa.  And this doesn't irritate me, they were loved and well taken care of and had a great time...I can't complain a bit about that.  If they were going to be away from us, I can't imagine anyone I'd rather them be with.  But they were quite hungover none-the-less...kind of like after they've been sick and gotten to watch TV all day and drink gatorade and eat toast on the couch.  While watching TV.  Only this was worse.  Instead of cuddling with my sweet, sleepy newborn and doing nothing but gaze at his wonderfulness, I got to keep Kolbe from pulling Gemma's ponytail clean off her head, and make sure Gemma didn't bite Kolbe's leg off among other things.  Oh, and endure some naaaaastsyhorribleawfulohmygoodnessgetmeoutofhere tantrums from a certain four-and-a-half-year-old whose name will not be mentioned.  Oh yeah, and get ready for a Baptism on Saturday.  I am a huge proponent of Baptizing as soon after birth as possible but wowza that made for a crazy weekend on top of an already crazy week (our other two were born on weekends, so we Baptized the following weekend thus having a little more time).  I wouldn't do it any differently (although I think I remember my husband saying something about, "can't we just get some holy water and do this ourselves?") and my family and inlaws were an immense help with the food and hosting the reception and everything (I don't even want to think about hosting that many people at our house, especially so soon after having a baby) but still...

So we survived the weekend and emerged into Monday with our sanity mostly intact (although that is probably debatable).  And then we really began the process of settling in to life with three.  And honestly since then things have been fairly mellow.  Good even.  Oh I am ever-so-glad to be my not-pregnant self again.  I really do enjoy being pregnant (especially the second and early-third trimesters), but I do not particularly like the person I am when I'm pregnant if that makes sense.  My hormones make me totally nuts.  With my husband, and kids, and random strangers.  It's bad, I wish I could get a better handle on it but I just honestly don't know how.  ACK!  But anyways, back to settling in with three... I have tried to readjust my expectations a bit and that has helped immensely.  Things just aren't like they were with the first two, and they never will be no matter how hard I yearn for it.  Life moves on and changes and I can either embrace that or run screaming.  And I'm finding that embracing things and trying to make the best of them really does wonders when it comes to the happiness and general well-being of the rest of my dear precious family.  And that's where we are now.  Be sure to check back for more riveting glimpses into my nutty brain.  But not too many, I promise.  ;-D  And for enduring all that, here is a sweet pic of our three little crazies!  Oh, how I love them.

Ready for Spring...and baseball

Even though we had a mild winter, we are still sooo ready for Spring around here, and quite pleased that the weather seems to be warming up (albeit a bit rainy currently).  One nice day in late February the kids had their first picnic lunch of the season on the deck.

Gemma's great-grandma picked up this sweatshirt for her at the thrift-shop at which she volunteers, and Kolbe is running around excitedly talking about "beesball"!  

Everyone was excited about new spring jammies (have I mentioned I have a thing for cute jammies?)!!

YAY Spring!!!

Monthly update - January 2012

For whatever reason I have really been dragging my feet on doing an update, and then I did this one and it sat in my drafts forever.  But I really do like looking back at these and seeing what the kids were up to at certain ages, so on I trudge, maybe quarterly updates would be a more achievable goal though in the future...

Gemma - 4yrs

• The day of her fourth birthday she informed me should could wipe herself, wash her own hands and no longer needed my help in the bathroom because she was "a big girl".  This has been really nice.
• She's getting really good at writing her (capital) letters, and will often ask me how to spell certain words.  She loves writing "letters" to people.  Santa brought her a whole box of envelopes for Christmas for this specific purpose.  
• Her latest favorite thing to play with is pillows.  She will get all the pillows from the whole house and build some formation and then play with/in it for long amounts of time, typically Kolbe is included in this as well.  Sometimes I wonder why we have toys...
• Biting.  I am embarrassed to say we are still having issues intermittently with her biting Kolbe.  (This has spiked terribly recently.)  She does it reactiveIy when she is angry or frustrated with him and really gives no thought to any consequences (of which there have been plenty that vary greatly) so I am really at a loss as to how we should handle this.  Advice?  Please??
• She is very good at drawing people and animals.  Well, as good as a four-year-old can be anyways.  But she gets the whole placement of facial features, arms, legs, etc. and I always love seeing what she comes up with. 
• She's getting pretty handy with scissors.
• She got a new fish (first part of Feb.).  We decided to go with a Betta as we were having many issues with dead guppies.  She named him "Flowercup".

Kolbe - 2yrs

• This kid has grown an opinion and a personality in the past few months.  Wow.
• Still loves ball-balls, is learning to say the names of different balls and correctly identify them.
• His speech is really starting to improve.  Still not really speaking in sentences (at all) but he's saying a lot of new words in context each day and will combine two words if you work with him on it.  He repeats a lot, though not always correctly.  He's so cute and fun.
• He likes trudging around in Aaron's or my shoes.
• He is infatuated with the stepstool.  Heaven help us all.  (Said stepstool has been stored on a closet shelf since the writing of this post.)
• He and Aaron have developed a very intricate morning routine that involves bananas and Sportscenter and a sip of coffee.  I'm always a little sad when Kolbe sleeps later than normal and misses out on this.
• It's hard to believe Kolbe is 2.  It's even harder to believe that when Gemma was his age we were bringing home a new baby (him)!  July will be fun.

Gemma 4yrs and Kolbe 2yrs

Christmas cuties

I thought this was a particularly cute picture of our cuties.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Monthly update - September 2011

Gemma - 3 years, 8 months

• She often yells "Watch out the log!" when she is playing.  Due to the context in which she uses it, we believe she means "watch out below!"  I'm not sure where she got this, or why she says "the log", but we all find it very amusing and will randomly yell this for no reason now. 
• she has started making her bed by herself and is capable of dressing herself as well.  typically though she likes assistance with both of these chores.
• she loves to help me fold rags and towels (and formerly diapers). this is actually very helpful!
• oh the nail-biting.  it is awful.  she bites them until the bleed.  toes too.  urrrggghhhhh!
• she is really enjoying our preschool at home and gets very excited for our Circle Time each morning. 
• she says the funniest things.  one day on the way into the library she picked up a leaf and said, "don't worry mom, it's not poop it's just a leaf."  really Gemma, thanks for the PSA.
• she can be sooooooooo mean to Kolbe it makes me insane.  and then she can turn around and be sooooooooo sweet to him.  GAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• still working working working on being a good listener.
• Gemma weighs 35lbs, wears size 10/10.5 shoes and is in 4T pants and and size 4-5 tops

Kolbe - 20 months

This has been a HUGE month for Kolbe

• He has learned to use the potty full-time during the day (and even stays dry for naps on a semi-regular basis)!!!  Completely his idea.  The first part of September he started going consistently every morning and when he woke up from his nap...he's done this on and off for the past 6-8 months.  Then all of a sudden he was wanting to go other times and keeping his diapers dry almost all the time and it got to the point that it just seemed ridiculous to put him in a diaper so I got him some underwear and he's been doing great.  He tells us when he needs to go by signing "potty" and is always very proud of his accomplishments (which include #1 and #2!!).  He usually has a few accidents a day, but they have all stayed contained and he often is successful about a dozen times a day (he really likes going a little bit very frequently).  He wears Gerber training pants (from Target baby section) with Dappi nylon pants over them.  I also ordered two Bummis trainers and two Kissa's waterproof pocket training pants that work well on their own or stuffed with a Hemp Babies insert.  I use these instead of a diaper for naps and when we're out and about.  He does pretty good at holding it and is not a fan of going on a big (adult size) toilet.  At any rate, we are SO VERY proud of our big little boy!!!
• We have converted his crib into a toddler bed and this seems to be going well.  He's been acting like such a big boy lately, it just seems as if we should treat him as one too.  He seemed very ready for a "big boy" bed.
• HE HAS ALL HIS EYE TEETH!!!!!!!!!!!!  No more teething until 2yr molars!!!!  His sleep seems to be reflecting this, YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• He has cut way back on his nursing in the past month.  I decided to attempt to kind of day wean him and it was way easier than I thought it would be.  It took about 1-2 days of distracting him when he asked to nurse and he has for the most part quit asking.  I am certainly not against him nursing during the day, and of course would nurse him if he were hurt or sick and needed to, but it just seemed like it was time.  It felt right.  And it's been good for both of us.  He still nurses before bed and during the night but he seems to be cutting back on that considerably as well and usually only nurses once (closer to morning than bedtime).
• He has finally started saying some words.  Not many, but he says more, bear, banana (nana), cheese, book, mama, poop (in reference to needing to perform a bodily function) and Gemma on a fairly regular basis.  And of course "ball-ball"!
• he can now climb up the play-fixture at the park and go down the "big slide" all by himself!  He has so much fun trying to keep up with big sis at the park, and she enjoys having a more active playmate.
• he loves throwing rocks in the pond soooooo much
• Aaron put him to bed one night!  That was the first time he'd gone to bed ever without nursing/for someone other than me.  And it was apparently a fluke because it hasn't happened since.
• his favorite food is sushi.
• still snuggly as ever.  snuggling on my lap as I type this in fact (he just woke up from a nap).
• he does well at following simple instructions ("Go put this in the recycling." "Bring me the pillow." etc.) 
• Kolbe weighs 27 lbs, wears size 6.5/7 shoes and is in 24months and 2T clothing

Gemma, 3yrs 8mos. -- Kolbe, 20 months

We've all been enjoying the autumn weather SO much...just soaking it up with trips to the zoo, park outings, nature walks and time on the deck.  What a great time of year!

Thanks for checking in with us.

Monthly update - August 2011

Gemma Grace - 3 yrs, 7 months.

• she has discovered dress up clothes
• she can write most of her uppercase letters and her name with a little help
• her legs are full of summertime bruises
• I have caught her saying "mommy, I love your dinner" several evenings when we're eating.  I thought I'd never live to see the day...
• speaking of thinking I'd never live to see the day...she requested pigtails one day...and actually followed through!!!!  but it was short-lived.  she took them out after a few hours and hasn't wanted them since.  I do have pictorial proof however.
• she's very good at riding her tricycle
• not only is she biting her fingernails, but her toenails as well. ugh.

 

Kolbe James - 19 months

• he is starting to understand the concept of puzzles and likes to do our farm animal chunky puzzle, complete with making all the animal noises himself!
• still not talking, except for "ball-ball", but as mentioned above, he does well with animal sounds.  his latest two are the lion and the snake
• he understands a lot and still uses a handful of signs, so this helps a lot with communication
• he likes to copy whatever big sis is doing, and often gets quite upset if it's something he can't do (IE play with markers)
• he is still pottying consistently at least once a day in his potty chair.  his awareness amazes me.  Gemma never had that with potty until she learned to use the potty full-time.
• he got his first full haircut...top and everything
• he has started enjoying books more, and will sit and look at them on his own for awhile if they interest him, and even sit for longer spans when I'm reading to Gemma
• he still doesn't have any of his eye teeth. grrrrrrrrrr, come on teeth!!!
• he looooooves "helping" me unload the dishwasher

Really a pretty slow month all in all, not much new I guess!  We're enjoying the cool(er) weather.  Still spend some time in the kiddie-pool on the deck after naps, but not as much now that it's not as hot (we were hitting it every day there for awhile).  We've taken several trips to the zoo, the jungle is always a fave!  We enjoy evening walks and time at the park.  We have two new cousins...little baby boys, one on each side of the family.  Gemma and Kolbe have started playing (fairly) well together for longer periods of time which is super great.  Sometimes Gemma even invites (errr, demands) that Kolbe come play in her room.  At any rate, it is good to see them entertaining eachother more and more.  As always, life is good at our house. 

Gemma - 3yrs 7 months and Kolbe - 19 months in their jammies

Monthly update - June 2011

GEMMA - 3yrs 5 months

• Gemma's favorite phrase of late is, "I have an idea!"  And oh, does she have some doozy's!
• she weighs 32 lbs
• we have been reading lots of new books and really enjoying the summer reading program at our local library
• when she draws people they have bodies now, instead of just legs and arms on a head!!
• strong-willed.  have I mentioned before her strong will?
• she is getting very creative and imaginative when she plays.  LOVE it! 
• she finally seems to be over her 3-4 month long bout with separation anxiety!

KOLBE - 17 months

• he is walking!!!!
• weighs 24 lbs
• the only word he really says is "ball-ball".  and he says it a lot.  all the world is a ball for this one.
• he is starting to say a few animal sounds which is cute
• he still moans and groans when he is falling asleep.  he has done this since the night he was born.  and he gets louder the older he gets.  i wonder if he will grow out of this?
• his favorite game of late is to throw anything he can get his hands on down our stairs.  this may very well be the death of my sanity.
• he is (finally) napping better.  sometimes he'll take a whole nap in his bed, sometimes he'll need resettled on the floor (which he does great with).  either way, he ends up napping 2 or so hours a day (give or take) which has been nice.   nights are still not great, but that will come.  i've been trying to work on resettling him on the floor either in his room or ours at night now as well (rather than just having him sleep with us).  it will take some discipline (on my part...it's so much easier just to bring him to bed, but he likes to kick aaron out) but i think it will be a good transition tool.  with teething and everything i'm just not up for night-weaning.  gemma night-weaned on her own around the age he is now, so we'll just see what the next few months bring.  WHEW!  now you know.

That's about it I guess.  Not too much exciting going on the past month I guess.  We've all been enjoying trips to the zoo (finally renewed our membership!) and time in the kiddie-pool on the deck.  We get some nice afternoon shade so that's been a really great setup.  And that's all for now! 

Gemma - 3yrs 5 months and Kolbe - 17 months