Monday, July 20, 2015

What's up with Ava? june/july


Ava is getting to be such a big girl and she says and does things now that make it so hard to see my little  baby girl. 

The other day we were both drawing a flower.  She immediately realized that my flower and her flower did not look the same.  She said that she couldn't draw one and that it made her so sad.  It was at this moment I got vision of previous students who were relentless perfectionists and how hard it was to get them to try new things and to be proud of their work.  I am wondering if dealing with this with Ava is in my near future. 

We were also watching a documentary on Netflix about how other kids in other countries get to school and there was this one family who had 3 boys, one with Cerebral Palsy.  They push and pull their brother in this ramshackle wheelchair to school and back everyday.  It takes them an hour and a half to get to school.  She was watching it and said, "awww, that is so nice."

Ava is generally kind to other kids except her sister (when it comes to sharing toys with her) and there are so many things I see in her that are going to shine the light of Jesus. 

This pregnancy has been super yucky and I guess Ava can see on my face when I am not feeling good.  She is quick to give me a hug, check my forehead to see if I feel ok and cuddle with me. It is super sweet and comforting. 

She LOVES babies and I hope the sentiments will be the same for this next baby.  She was excited to hear the heartbeat.

She tries to whistle by placing 2 fingers in her mouth and making her imitation of a whistle. It's cute. 

She loves to search for flags, bridges and big buildings while in car.  She loves to sing Happy Birthday (Durthday) to people, especially if there is cake involved. 

She is OBSESSED with Disney World and asks multiple times per day to go.  Adorable and pitiful all at the same time! 

She obviously hears these words a lot because she will always say, "maybe later we can go to Disney World."  :)  Not surprisingly, we are trying to figure out a way we can take her again before baby comes. 

Ava brings so much joy to our hearts.  Her compassion for other people and animals tells me that God gave her a very tender heart and spirit.  I am excited to see what that will mean for her. 











Sunday, July 19, 2015

Sally Jean 16-17 months


Oh Sally,

You are a stinker.  Seriously.  So emotional.  You can be happy one second and then mad as a hornet the next second. And once you are mad, there is no calming you down or consoling you.   You are strong willed, determined and Miss Independent.  I love those qualities about you, but right now they are super hard to get through.  I have a hard time breaking through that strong will of yours, but this mama is going to have to toughen up and do it. 

You love to be treated like a big girl.  You like to walk and hold our hands, you like to go off on your own and explore, you like to do what Ava is doing, you like to tease her by taking her fuzzy and lamby and saying "mine", when you know good and well those are hers.

You are very good at getting things mommy asks you to grab.  You can get your diaper when you need one, get your milk cup off the table, hand Ava her cup, etc.  And, surprisingly, you are compliant much of the time, when I ask you to hand me something. 

You take good naps and go to bed very easily for us.  You typically sleep from 2-5 and 8:30-7:30 every night.  You still want your pacy, Boo puppy and fuzzy when you sleep.  When we get you in the morning, you will toss your pacy in the crib because we try to only use it for sleeping time. 
You are my side sleeper.  Whenever I check in on you at night before I go to bed, you are usually sleeping on your side with your arms around your boo and fuzzy.  I wish I could get a good picture of you, but I would need the flash, and you are also my light sleeper.  So I don't mess with you!

You are wearing 18-24 month clothing and size 2-3 shoes.  Shoes are a conundrum because you have fat feet.  You usually pull your shoes off in the car and we have to put them on again.  You don't like wearing your headbands for too long, either.

You are getting lots and lots of teeth right now.  You are handling it well.  I haven't noticed it affect your mood.  Let's be real-you are a moody individual as it is, so it's hard to tell the difference.  You get your moodiness from your mother.  One thing we have noticed about you is that if something doesn't go the way you think it should, you get very frustrated.  You get that from your father. 

You like to talk.  You say "its water", tinkerbell (binkerbell), pacy, hi mommy, hi daddy, mine, no, hold you (atchoo), phone, I did it, I see you, amen, big, and some others.  You love Brown Bear, Brown Bear. 

You aren't really into much food these days and I will attribute that to your teething.  But you do enjoy your breakfast bar or two in the morning and your milk.  There are  few other foods I can offer you that you will always accept and that is cheese, oranges, crackers, and pretzels.  You will also drink water more easily than your sister. 

Sally, there are so many things that God is going to use you for and I can't wait to see it!  I just hope I don't mess you up beforehand.  One thing I have learned from being your mommy is that parenting is a humbling experience.