Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sowing Our Seeds
I've always enjoyed gardening, but have never taken on planting food... until now. I'm starting out small--tomatoes, bell peppers, and cauliflower. I'm hoping it works out well because this will save some serious cash at the grocery store since we buy these items a lot. Not to mention they taste so much better!
A little big of Dylan...
Pretending to be a Jack-in-the-Box. He is really into pretending lately (to be a kitty, a puppy, a horse, a lobster...).
Last weekend, Borders Bookstore had a birthday party for Elmo. It mainly consisted of coloring, games (Simon/"Elmo" says, and Hot potato/"Elmo"), storytime, and a cookie. At the beginning, when it started with coloring, Dylan kept saying, "Where's the birthday party? Where's the cake?" Finally, at the end (when the cookies came out), he said "This is a fun birthday party!".
And yes, I was one of the dorky moms that took pictures!
Here he is passing Elmo during Hot potato/Elmo.
Dylan during Simon/"Elmo" says. He mainly just stood up or sat down. The only other motion was to suck his thumb and watch. (: He is definitely my slow-to-warm-up-to-things child.
This past Sunday was actually cold (especially for Atlanta), but we made it outside anyway. Dylan had a lot of fun mowing...
... and chasing bubbles.
A little bit of Addison...
Happy Little Girl! I love how the hair at the crown of her head sticks straight up!
In the past week or so, she's has really latched on to her toes... literally. And yes, she's still as chunky as ever!
LOVE her cute little toes!
She can almost sit up on her own. She still leans forward a lot and tips over to the side. But she does a good job of holding herself up with her hands in front of her.
Do you think she's teething???
Addison's BIG smile!
Four Generations and a Bird
At the end of last month, my grandparents came down for a visit. We took a four generation picture with my grandma, mom, me and Addison.
On a completely different subject... one afternoon, we were running around my parents' backyard. It's actually really big, and has a small creek at the back of it. I was following Dylan, who was in an all out sprint, when I looked up and saw this...
... a blue heron!! It just stood there completely still. We were able to get within 10-15 ft. of it! It's not everyday that you see one of these birds so close. It was really neat!
On a completely different subject... one afternoon, we were running around my parents' backyard. It's actually really big, and has a small creek at the back of it. I was following Dylan, who was in an all out sprint, when I looked up and saw this...
... a blue heron!! It just stood there completely still. We were able to get within 10-15 ft. of it! It's not everyday that you see one of these birds so close. It was really neat!
Valentines Day
We continued our tradition of the Valentines Day Hunt. Dylan liked it last year, but this year he was really into it. He loved finding one card, having us read it to him, and quickly running to find the next card. We all had a lot of fun... except for Addison, I guess. She was asleep. (:
My beautiful roses from Nathan... such a great husband--for lots of reasons. Certainly not just because of the roses!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Laughing 5-Month Old
Addison turned 5 months old today! I am AMAZED at what a different baby she is now compared to just 2 months ago. I honestly feel pretty sad about her colic stage. Not just the obvious reason of it being such a trying time. But more because I feel like we were robbed of that time with her. There was so much crying, etc., that there wasn't time to really cuddle and enjoy her. Time we'll never get back.
But we're so thankful that it's in the past, and happy times are here! In the past week, she's started belly laughing, which is SO FUN!!! (: Oh, and she looks more and more like Nathan. You can really see the resemblance when Nathan is holding her!
The 5 month Green Chair Picture... she's, of course, smiling at her brother.
Best Buddies... it looks like Dylan must be telling her a secret joke here.
Although she's dressed in a sweatsuit, the tummy hanging out indicates that very little exercising is going on. (:
She is sitting up better in her Bumpo chair. Hard to believe that it won't be long before she's sitting on her own.
But we're so thankful that it's in the past, and happy times are here! In the past week, she's started belly laughing, which is SO FUN!!! (: Oh, and she looks more and more like Nathan. You can really see the resemblance when Nathan is holding her!
The 5 month Green Chair Picture... she's, of course, smiling at her brother.
Best Buddies... it looks like Dylan must be telling her a secret joke here.
Although she's dressed in a sweatsuit, the tummy hanging out indicates that very little exercising is going on. (:
She is sitting up better in her Bumpo chair. Hard to believe that it won't be long before she's sitting on her own.
We finally got some footage of her laughing... again at Dylan. I think Dylan is catching on to us always "using" him to get a laugh out of Addison. Sometimes he plays it up and other times he refuses. (: If only we were as funny as he apparently is!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Napping and Pottytraining
Over the past 2-3 weeks, Dylan has been napping for shorter and shorter periods, but waking up tired, crying and cranky. When I'd try to get him to lay back down for longer, it would just send him over the edge. So, I started something that's worked really well. I bought a digital timer from Lowes and plugged his nightlight into it. Now, the rule is that he's not allowed to get up until the timer goes off. If he wakes up before that happens, there are books next to his bed that he can read. If he follows the rules, he gets a fruit snack; if not, no treat. It only took a day or two, but it's working like a charm! His naps still aren't as long as they used to be (normal as he's getting older), but he still gets some real quiet time... and as an added bonus, I get mommy time too! As luck would have it, Addison takes her nap at the same time! Miracle! I've also implemented this for the mornings. This ensures no super early visitor for Nathan & I.
As for pottytraining, we're laying the groundwork. He started off being scared to even sit on the little potty, even with clothes on. So, knowing that Dylan's personality is slow to warm up to anything, we're taking baby steps. Last Saturday was "Sit on the Potty With Your Clothes on Day." If he sat on it 5 times, he earned a Hot Wheel. The first time he cried. The last 3 times, he was so excited that he did them right in a row so he could get his prize. After Sat, he's been sitting on it various times throughout the day. Then, Wednesday was "Sit on the Potty With Your Diaper on Day." That was easy--he's just super proud to show how he pulls his pants down all by himself. One time, he wanted to just sit there... and sit there... and he said "Mommy, can we just talk for a little bit?" ... about his cars, of course. We're also talking about what he's pretending to do while he's sitting there. Hopefully, that will help him realize that eventually the goal is to do your business, not just sit there. (: So, next on the agenda is "Sit on the Potty With No Diaper on Day!" Like I said, baby steps. (:
As for pottytraining, we're laying the groundwork. He started off being scared to even sit on the little potty, even with clothes on. So, knowing that Dylan's personality is slow to warm up to anything, we're taking baby steps. Last Saturday was "Sit on the Potty With Your Clothes on Day." If he sat on it 5 times, he earned a Hot Wheel. The first time he cried. The last 3 times, he was so excited that he did them right in a row so he could get his prize. After Sat, he's been sitting on it various times throughout the day. Then, Wednesday was "Sit on the Potty With Your Diaper on Day." That was easy--he's just super proud to show how he pulls his pants down all by himself. One time, he wanted to just sit there... and sit there... and he said "Mommy, can we just talk for a little bit?" ... about his cars, of course. We're also talking about what he's pretending to do while he's sitting there. Hopefully, that will help him realize that eventually the goal is to do your business, not just sit there. (: So, next on the agenda is "Sit on the Potty With No Diaper on Day!" Like I said, baby steps. (:
Funny Stuff
**Last week, I ordered Dylan an orange juice when we went out for breakfast. After taking a sip, he told me, "Mommy, there's fur in my straw" with a really disgusted look on his face. It was pulp, and he did not like it! (:
**Whenever Addison starts babbling a lot, Dylan likes to say, "Addison is really talkin' up the torm!!" (aka, talking up a storm). His inflection is so cute when he says it too.
**Addison has been kind of laughing for a month now, but not yet a belly laugh... until this morning. Of course, it was her brother that made her laugh. He was literally running around in circles and playfully banging into things. She couldn't take her eyes off of him and couldn't stop LAUGHING! It was so fun! I called Nathan so that he was able to hear her laugh for the first time too. She's such a fun little girl!
**Whenever Addison starts babbling a lot, Dylan likes to say, "Addison is really talkin' up the torm!!" (aka, talking up a storm). His inflection is so cute when he says it too.
**Addison has been kind of laughing for a month now, but not yet a belly laugh... until this morning. Of course, it was her brother that made her laugh. He was literally running around in circles and playfully banging into things. She couldn't take her eyes off of him and couldn't stop LAUGHING! It was so fun! I called Nathan so that he was able to hear her laugh for the first time too. She's such a fun little girl!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Bridging
Nathan really wanted me to upload this video of Dylan. He (Dylan) has figured out how to do a bridge. In my experience, this was a gymnastics thing. But I learned tonight that it is also a wrestling thing. Since Nathan was a (very good) wrestler in high school, he was excited to see Dylan do this "move." Of course, this whole time I was thinking he was ready for gymnastics class. (:
By the way, as you can tell from the bazillion of posts I did tonight, I've been a little behind in my blogging. (: Enjoy the over-abundance of posts--it's a rare thing!!
Quilts & Blankets
These are some special quilts and blankets that were hand made for Addison...
A warm and cuddly blanket made by Grams... perfect for tummy time.
A beautiful, modern quilt made by Aunt Carrie. Something that will definitely grow with her as she gets older.
A beautiful, modern quilt made by Aunt Carrie. Something that will definitely grow with her as she gets older.
A special quilt made by Great Aunt Becky. Each flower has something significant from when she was born (date, time, weight, length). You can see the center flower has her name. It's very cushy for Addison to lay on!
Bath Time
Having your first child is a lot of fun... all of the newness of having another person in your life.
Having a second child is also a lot of fun... all the newness of having another person in your first child's life.
It's really special to see a bond immediately formed between the two.
As I was filling up the bath water, Dylan wanted to lay beside Addison. Here they are just checking each other out.
Dylan helping Addison play in the bathtub. He usually takes his bath at night, but he decided he wanted to get in too.
(By the way, look how skinny this boy has become over the past year!!)
Having a second child is also a lot of fun... all the newness of having another person in your first child's life.
It's really special to see a bond immediately formed between the two.
As I was filling up the bath water, Dylan wanted to lay beside Addison. Here they are just checking each other out.
Dylan helping Addison play in the bathtub. He usually takes his bath at night, but he decided he wanted to get in too.
(By the way, look how skinny this boy has become over the past year!!)
Addison Rolled Over!
Last week, Addison rolled over for the 1st time. It was from tummy to back. She's is VERY close this week to rolling over from back to tummy now. Hard to believe she's already getting mobile!
This week, I started her on a stricter sleep schedule. She's taken to it very well. She must be like her brother; Dylan always did really well on a good schedule. Every day this week, she's taken one 3-hour nap, in addition to a second 1-2 hour nap!!! Two months ago, if you would have told me that would ever happen, I wouldn't have believed you. I'm so thankful--for me and for her!!!
Sorry if this is too pornographic for some of you, but look at those rolls and those buns!! (: I was trying to take her picture before her bath this morning, and she wouldn't stop rolling over. This is mid roll.
Happy girl! Getting a little better at eating solids, but still room for lots of improvement.
She had her 1st vegetable Sunday night: peas. She likes them about as much as rice cereal--not much. She had sweet potatoes tonight, and surprisingly, didn't like them at all. She'll come around I'm sure.
This week, I started her on a stricter sleep schedule. She's taken to it very well. She must be like her brother; Dylan always did really well on a good schedule. Every day this week, she's taken one 3-hour nap, in addition to a second 1-2 hour nap!!! Two months ago, if you would have told me that would ever happen, I wouldn't have believed you. I'm so thankful--for me and for her!!!
Sorry if this is too pornographic for some of you, but look at those rolls and those buns!! (: I was trying to take her picture before her bath this morning, and she wouldn't stop rolling over. This is mid roll.
Happy girl! Getting a little better at eating solids, but still room for lots of improvement.
She had her 1st vegetable Sunday night: peas. She likes them about as much as rice cereal--not much. She had sweet potatoes tonight, and surprisingly, didn't like them at all. She'll come around I'm sure.
Need I say more??
Playtime with Dylan
One of Dylan's FAVORITE things to do: line up all (and I do mean all) of his cars. Everyday, Dylan says, "Mommy, wanna come play cars with me?" I'm a girl... I'm just not very good at playing cars, but I do my best. (: At least I can line things up!
Something we learned from "Parents as Teachers" in Missouri is playing with beans. Seems silly, I know, but it's inexpensive and kids love it!
Beans are great for putting your dump truck to work.
He was so proud to have arranged his banana slices as polka dots. He also did a square and a triangle. He's really into shapes and letters these days. Must be a serious learning phase he's in right now.
The "Magical" Jumping Bean, a la Dylan
Picasso
Some of Dylan's recent artwork
Here is the artist at work, using homemade finger paints.
The finished Handprint Masterpiece.
Here is the artist at work, using homemade finger paints.
The finished Handprint Masterpiece.
On his own, Dylan showed me this smiley face he drew. Hopefully you can make out the circle, two eyes, crooked mouth, and small patch of hair at the top. (:
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