17 Months

One more month and we’re closer to 2 than to 1 :-(

Henry
*Weighing in at 32lbs
*Wearing 3T bottoms {clothe diapers will do that to ya’}
*Wearing a size 7 shoe {needs it in the width}
*Has 11 teeth, although 11 isn’t all the way up. 12 and 13 are hot on it’s heels.
*In addition to Mama, Dada, Baba, Do {dog}, his new favorite word is bub-bo {bubble}, which he loves when I blow bubbles.
*Can do the stairs, but doesn’t like to…I think the few times he’s fallen has made him nervous.
*Will not sit in the tub. He’ll squat, but he won’t sit on his bottom. I’m not sure why, but I’m curious to see how swimming lessons go.
*Doing a bit better with eating, but he’s still having issues keeping food down sometimes. It goes away, but comes back when he has a cold or is coughing.

James
*Weighing in at 29.5lbs
*Still fitting into 2T bottoms, but they’re getting a bit tight.
*Wearing a size 8 shoe {although he still can fit comfortable in a 7, depending on what brand/style
*Has 7 3/4 teeth in the front…that front-right-bottom one just does NOT want to come up. He’s working molars…I think he has 1 up, maybe 2.
*No longer climbing out of his crib. Found the idea online to put him in a sleep sack, so that he can’t get his legs up. It’s been working for the past 3 weeks now.
*Does the stairs like a pro! He doesn’t even crawl up them, he most of the times walks up, holding the railing.
*Still climbing everywhere.
*He’s my cudddler…oh my. I love it! He’ll just come up to you, climb in your lap, putting his head on your shoulder and sit there.
*Not too many words, but he will answer questions with a “yesth”. Babbles like he’s having a full on conversation.
*Will eat almost anything, but does take to throwing his food on the floor for no reason.

Elanor
*Weighing in at a whopping 24 lbs!
*18-24 month clothes are starting to get a bit tight, if they’re one piece or a onesie. We might just hit 2T before she turns two! Although she’s going to fit into Avie’s 6-9month bathing suit this summer…go figure!
*Wearing a size 5 or 6, depending on the brand/style.
*Has 9 1/2 teeth. 8 in front, 1 molar and a partial molar. She’s working on 2 or 3 more teeth, so she hasn’t been too happy lately.
*Climbs up the stairs
*Running like a champ…she’ll still crawl if she doesn’t feel safe where she is.
*Loves, loves, LOVES! the water!
*Eating a bit more, but still very fussy and picky.
*Turned her car seat around, because she kept having screaming fits when you would put her in. She’s much happier now.

*All 3 of the kids had their first bottle-less bed time last night.
*They love being outside.
*James sleeps through the night and loves sleep. Ellie is doing a lot better and rarely wakes up. Henry has been good the past few nights, but still is up sometimes, usually only once.
*In the afternoon, if the dogs bark…all 3 of them immediately look at the back door and start saying “Dada”. It’s awesome!

And just because I couldn’t leave Avie out: Miss officially 3 1/2 now!

She’s certainly something. The things that she comes out with are dumbfounding. We’re driving with the windows down the other day and she informs me, “This is the life! A girl could get used to this!”
*She’s weighing in at 33lbs, wearing size 9 shoes, and 4T/5T clothes.

Hi, my name is Jessica…..Nice to meet you.

It’s been crazy around here….and I’m not even sure why. I know I had a few guest posts that went up last week, but they only happened, because they were written weeks ago. If you missed them, here they are: Meal Planning at the PurposefulWife.blogspot.com and Infertility Changed Me at NatashaMetzler.com .

This week isn’t shaping up to be much better. I feel like I go-go-go all day long, night comes and I look around and it seems like NOTHING was accomplished. Sunday, the kids stayed a few hours at my in-laws, which was great, for Matt. He managed to get a lot of outside work done: Apple trees trimmed, seeds planted in the garden, things done with the bees, and some other stuff. I’m not even sure what I accomplished, because there seemed to be just as much stuff before as after.

I have decided one thing though; the reason for my having to have projects, whether quilting or DIY, is because I need to have SOMETHING that has an absolute start and finish, otherwise I would go out of my mind. Laundry never gets “finished”, dishes never get “finished”, cleaning the house never gets “finished”: It’s entirely never ending. Sewing projects and other things at least give me a sense of accomplishment, once they’re done.

On top of the household to-dos, this weekend is Matt’s sister’s wedding, which means I’ve been doing whatever wedding stuff I can to help her out. Throw in a bit of kids not sleeping at night or during the day, and mommy is not having much time to blog, which stinks, because I so miss being here!

A brief run down of other things that I haven’t blogged about:

*Ellie is officially walking
*I started a Moms’ Night Out group, and we had our first get-together
*Went to (in)RL
*Started a project for the back yard
*Been busy planting veggies
*Finished a couple of books
*Got a haircut and color {realized how easy it is to straighten my hair with a curling iron}
*Bought some new fabric
*Finished a few more of my quilt blocks
*Have 50 chicks that we’re raising for meat, with another 50 coming today, and  more in the future {we’re doing 300 total}

I’m hoping that things slow down, at least a little bit, because we haven’t even gotten to the summer yet and I’m ready for Fall.

  If you’re missing me here, I am pretty active on instagram if you want to follow me there :-) or on Facebook

Don’t forget about the Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle sale going on right now!

Toilet Time!

Potty training was one of those things that I absolutely dreaded. I’m not even sure why; I think it was this idea of a battle of the wills over using the toilet, and somehow my kids being in their teens and still wearing diapers. I’m not sure what, but it was something I dreaded.

We tried with Ave on occasion, before she was 2, but she was not interested. Every once in a while we’d see if she was interested, but she wasn’t. During the summer we decided to go sans-diaper for swimming lessons, and had no incidents of pool sharks. Then she started refusing to wear a diaper when I put her down for a nap….with no incidents. Then she started refusing to put a diaper on after the nap….with no incidents. By August, she was flat out refusing to ever put a diaper on, except at night time. And was having absolutely no accidents…even on a long car drive.

Within 2 weeks of all this we decided that we could officially claim she was potty trained, besides that one incident of her pooping in the backyard while she was outside playing (haha…it just didn’t look like the dogs’).

We had one poop incident in the fall, that I think was brought on by her cousin having an accident {I think she wanted to see how I would react}. She freaked after she did it, because the poop was all over her backside. I just reiterated that that’s why we use the potty and not our undies…and then laughed at how upset and disgusted she was by having pooped in her undies {not in her presence of course}.

At Christmas she decided that she didn’t want to wear a diaper at bed time. So I woke up every few hours to make sure that she got out of bed and went potty. Then she got sick and I insisted that she wear a diaper at night, because she needed to sleep and I was getting a bit tired of getting up several times a night, even when the babies didn’t need me.

I can now tell you that Avelyn has been entirely diaper free for almost 3 weeks…there was 1 incident, but it was my fault {I usually wake her at 10:30 or so and kept reading until I heard her crying at 11:15, that she’d wet the bed}. There hasn’t been an incident since. We’ve even decreased the number of times we get her out of bed. We were doing it twice {10:30 and 3:30 or so} and now it’s only at 10:30 and she’s doing great.

So what’s the secret to potty training?

They’ll do it when their ready: No pressure. There is absolutely no point in forcing the kid to do it. It’s just going to be traumatic for them and you. And it’s all the more better if you can make it easier for them to do on their own. Summer works for us, because Ave is usually wearing a dress, which makes it very easy for her to go in the bathroom on her own and go. I honestly never even need to ask her anymore if she needs to go potty, she just does it when she needs to.

As for how to potty train triplets….that’s going to be another story, but we’ll probably take the same approach. But, for now, we only have 3 in diapers.

Parenting {Out of Fear}

I am very close to being at my wits-end, particularly with dear Miss Avelyn. I feel as though I am failing her miserably as a parent, and she’s only 3. I feel as though I am constantly after her to be respectful and kind, to not be hurtful to her brothers and sister. {We have 3 simple rules: No Disrespect. No Disobedience. No Dishonesty.}

I don’t think there is a day that goes by that I have not had to somehow reprimand her at least a half-dozen times for pushing, kicking, or hitting one of her brothers or sister. {I will say, in her defense, that her actions are at least not full force and she does show some restraint}.

She has now taken to sticking out her tongue at me or blowing raspberries, when being disciplined, as well as completely ignoring anything being said to her, laughing and changing the subject. I will admit that I am not always diligent or consistent in my responses to her behavior.

This evening was hell.

The babies {I really need to think of something else to call them}, had not napped this afternoon and were very clingy and demanding, and Avelyn was feeding off of that and being very whingey and whiney herself. She kept standing on the couch, which she has been told not to do…since James then climbs up there and does the same thing, and I kept removing her {and James} and repeating that we don’t climb on the couch. For the second time today she proceeded to stick her tongue out at me, at which point I marched her in the bathroom and brushed her teeth with soap {bad mom I know*}, after she had been warned, timed-out, and otherwise disciplined {no more TV etc}. Fat-lot of good it did.

Twenty minutes later I was on the phone with my mom {exasperated}, watching the kids, Avelyn and James were again on the couch. She then proceeded to box him about his ears and then kick him in the face. At this point I about exploded. I immediately hung up, picked her up without a word and deposited her in her bedroom and shut the door. James was fine.

After 15 minutes I had calmed down enough to get her. I {once again} explained to her that we do not blah blah blah blah blah. She was as meek as a kitten, came down to dinner, ate all of her meat, and was very quiet and polite.

She got a quick bath, the babies were put to bed, and Matt and I sat down to talk with her about her behavior and how it is not acceptable. Explaining that she must be kind and obedient, that it is what God asks of her, and how sad it makes Him, as well as us, when she is mean and rude. We informed her that she would only be getting a bible story at bedtime, and that this behavior will not be tolerated. I said her prayers with her, asking God to help her. Then I asked her for forgiveness for my disciplining her out of anger rather than love and God’s grace. And we closed in prayer.

I came downstairs utterly exhausted.

Neither Matt nor I have any idea whatsoever about what to do.

My mom had said something about Avelyn needing to submit/report to a higher authority than us, but how:
How does one make God REAL for a 3?!

How does one take the abstraction of God and make it something tangible and physical? I really would like to know the answer, because I am at a loss. An absolute loss.

We discuss God and Jesus, what their desires are for us and our life. We read the bible. We memorize verses. We pray together. We go to church. But how does all this “doing” translate to something real for a child? To something more than just memorization and stories?

I’ve so often heard that we should not DO out of fear, but sometimes I feel that is exactly what I am doing…parenting out of fear. Fear of my children become those teens that no one can tolerate. Fear of their leading selfish, malicious lives. Fear of their complete dismissal of God. Fear of their being a life long heartbreak. Fear of them turning out to be exactly like those that I do not want them to be like.

Last week I had been praying “Lord, help me to be the parent that they need me to be”. Then I thought about something, how vain of myself to think that God needs me to be the parent that they need, to be the men and women that God wants them to be. {Just reread that and think on it for a moment}. God doesn’t need me to do or be anything, BUT then I feel I’ve tossed my hands in the air and can say I have no responsibility to my children, which is utterly untrue.

I do need God to help me. I absolutely do. But I also need to trust that he will take my pitiful parenting attempts, my flaws as not only a mom, but as a human, and somehow, if I trust Him and do my utmost for His highest, He will redeem my parenting, myself, my husband, my children to Him.

Back to Avelyn.

There is something I notice in her, that scares me. She does not fear, not that I want her to fear us, but she has no fear whatsoever. She has no remorse for when she has done wrong. The only thing she has any reaction to is her own pleasures and discomforts.

Timeouts, talks, all of it mean absolutely nothing to her. Yes, she screams and cries  through them and is unhappy, but only because she is not being allowed to continue with whatever it is that she wants to do {ie. watching a show}. She does what you ask of her; apologize, reiterate what you said, etc. But there is no genuine remorse for what she did.

I have no idea if any of this is typical for a 3 year old or not. What I do know is that it scares the living bejeezers out of me, because all I can think about is the 13 year old or 23 year old who is that exact same way. AND, I already see the same defiance in Ellie {I knew there was a reason I wanted all boys …I jest, a little}.

So.

Moms…especially moms of older kids. Please mentor me. Please tell me some pearl of wisdom. Please tell me that there is some way to get through to her. Please tell me what we should do {we are already reading lots of different parenting books}. Please tell me that God will be sufficient in our failures and she will not become the person that I fear she will. Please.

*Disclaimer: This was very hard for me to be this brutally honest with all of you, in my shortcomings and absolute failures as a parent.

In a word…

Very often I've seen people choose a word to inspire them in the new year, something they want to develop in themselves or become more aware of. I've never put much thought into it. Then I found myself continually describing the events of last year as incredible, all..the...time! I may be doing this in reverse.

Incredible: too extraordinary and improbable to be believed {as defined by Merriam-Webster}.
Kind of a lackluster definition.

Over and over again, it is the word I find myself using to describe this past year.

Incredible that we managed to survive a year with a 2 year old and triplets.
Incredible that we managed to afford formula for a year with 3 babies eating it.
Incredible that I didn’t go stark raving mad this past year, being home with so many {demanding} littles.
Incredible that I was able to get away for a few days and attend Allume.
Incredible that I actually managed to get a couple of baby quilts done, as well as other sewing projects.
….and a thousand more.

Extraordinary? Improbable? But isn’t that how our God works? Taking that which man says is impossible and making it possible. The ordinary, becoming extraordinary through His hand: A virgin becoming pregnant, a woman years passed child-bearing having a son, the mouths of lions clamped shut, a boy thrown in a well to die becoming the most powerful man.

His power is glorified best in our weakness. Only when we are weak, incapable and without our own abilities can God’s grace be seen, His power be magnified.

This past year has given me the incredible {there I go again} honor, of not only being mommy to these fantasmagorically awesome children, but more so, having felt His indescribable, and undeserved, GRACE.

Why I think I have it easier than you….

At the beginning of the summer I met with some blogging friends for dinner, and one of them said they loved following my blog because of all the ways in which I do/can help her with her own 3 children, from my experiences. I responded, that no advice I give can help anyone who doesn’t have multiples; which came out sounding rather demeaning and not really very kind {which is not at all how I meant it to sound. Sorry Trina.}

What I meant is this….

Having multiples is entirely different from having singletons {obviously}. There is, of course, the advice that can help any mom, whether with 1 kid or 10, twins, triplets etc, but the rest of it, is so different.

Here’s my opinion…Raising and caring for singletons, no matter how many or few there are, is INFINITELY HARDER than multiples. All of you non-multiples Mamas, you seriously impress me. I honestly don’t know how YOU do what you do.

Yes, I have 4 kids, but 3 of them are at the same stage in life. What other moms deal with for 2-3 years for each child, I deal with for 2-3 years for all 3.

I don’t have to figure out how to entertain a 6 year old, while dealing with a 4 year olds tantrum, while trying to get the 2 year old to sit still on the potty, and simultaneously change the poop-splosion of a infant. That my, friends, takes major talent.


All I have to do is give the 3 year old something to do, then go about changing a succession of diapers.

I don’t have to try and get the 6 year old and 4 year old to walk along with the stroller, without running away, while trying to get the 2 year to stop flipping themselves over the edge, and pray that the infant doesn’t wake up from the much needed nap.

All I have to do is strap 3 babies in a stroller and pay attention to the 3 year old.

I don’t have to try and do math with a 13 year old, while figuring out science for an 11 year old, spelling for a 9 year old and geography with a 7 year old.

All I have to do is have one curriculum for an older kid, while getting a few extra workbooks for the younger ones. And more than likely we’ll probably do them all together.

So, I say it again….SINGLETON PARENTS I COMMEND YOU! YOU ARE MY SUPER-HEROES! YOU ARE THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF MULTI-TASKING!

Someday this may change, my thoughts on having multiples being easier, but for my foreseeable future it looks pretty cushy. {Of course, now that I’ve posted this I’ve probably jinxed myself.}

Life is relative…everything we have or experience seems easier or harder, better or worse, in comparison to those around us, but it is our life that we have been given to live. Comparison will only rob of us, what we have.

Avelyn Turns 3!

Yea. Not sure about this :-P

A little bit about Avie, at the ripe old age of 3:
*Can this girl ever articulate a sentence!
*Been potty trained for a little over 2 months now
*Loves being outside and running around like a crazy kid
*Loves her brothers and sister
*Incredible imagination
*Has no fear of anyone or anything
*Does fantastic accents
*Loves to sit and be read to or read to her brothers and sister
*Pushes and pushes and pushes boundaries, sometimes it’s exhausting
*Can count to 10, to 20 goes more like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 16 19 20
*Can say her Alphabet, but L M N O P comes out kind of funny sounding; able to pick out some letters
*Figuring out some of her colors and shapes
*Is able to pick out her own clothes and get dressed, even her socks and some shoes
*Loves painting and coloring
*Knows how to use the iPad better than I do
*Wearing a size 3T in clothes and size 9 in shoes
*Still napping once a day, between 1.5-3 hours {She does sometimes not take a nap, but most days she does}
*Loves playing make believe

I found a list of questions to ask at each birthday. Here they are:
1. What is your favorite color? Pink
2. What is your favorite toy? The TV
3. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries
4. What is your favorite TV show? Theo
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Grilled Cheese Sandwich
6. What is your favorite outfit? Princess Ballerina Dress
7. What is your favorite game? Tag
8. What is your favorite snack? Cheese
9. What is your favorite animal? Mrs. Jones’ horses
10. What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me
11. What is your favorite book? Golden Book Collection and Eloise Wilkin Collection
12. Who is your best friend? Clare
13. What is your favorite cereal? Rice Crispies
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swing
15. What is your favorite drink? Farm Fresh
16. What is your favorite holiday? Easter
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  Georgie (her pacifier)
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal or Yogurt with Honey
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Cupcakes
20 What do you want to be when you grow up? A valentiner, you, I don’t know, a mommy… yea, totally random answers

I’m curious to see how she answers these next year, because most of these questions meant absolutely nothing to her :-)

Routines in the White House {Part 1} Bed Time

You can find this post on my new site, JessicaMWhite.com: Click HERE.

Battling Against Youth Entitlement {Review: Cleaning House}

There is an epidemic in America, that could very well shred the last thread that we’re hanging by. You’ve probably noticed it: Youth Entitlement! It started about 30 years ago, parents and society catering to the every whim of its children. What we now have is a group of young adults {and younger} that are heading in to the world unable to not only care for themselves in the most basic ways, but do not have any sort of drive or determination to accomplish anything.*

We live in a youth-centric time. Everything is geared toward kids/teens whether it’s movies or music, academics or worship. And you know what, it isn’t working. We are creating a generation of self-righteous individuals, who exist and do only for what they can get. Churches are focusing more and more on programs for the youth, but more and more youths are leaving the church. Parents are focusing more and more on giving their kids everything, but their kids don’t know how to do anything.

Parents want to give their children every {child-like} desire of their hearts: But is that what is best for them?

In my own experience with the under 25 group, no, it’s not what’s best for them. So far we have a generation of individuals who view no ones needs, but their own, as important. Too many young adults today do not see the point of pushing forward when things get tough, to, as the saying goes, “Grab the bull by the horns”.

Many act as though they’re doing their bosses, parents, teachers and others around them a favor by simply existing. They feel that they’re entitled to not only working when {and only when} they feel like it, but to having high-paying jobs, money, luxuries, good grades etc, without putting forth any effort into them: They’re wrong. The world around you doesn’t care whether you had a bad day or not. The world doesn’t exist for your glory, you exist for God’s glory.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Colossians 3:23

I grew up working on my parents small farm. My days consisted of helping care for our huge garden, as well as helping in any and all family business ventures; whether it was raising calves, pigs, chickens, rabbits, or goats or slaughtering the animals that we raised. I was expected to do household chores, whether it was cooking, cleaning, laundry or anything else. I was expected to maintain good grades in school. I started mowing lawns for spending money when I was 13. I didn’t have an allowance: If I wanted something I had to work and save up my money for it.

Did I {always} like doing the work? No, sometimes I really hated it. It’s not much fun mucking out a barn when it’s 90*s and the rabbits in the cage above you are still peeing and pooping while you’re underneath (fortunately, very rarely did I get peed or pooped on, but it did happen); it’s not much fun when it’s 20* in the morning and you have to go lug 5 gallon buckets of water for chickens and turkeys, then move their pens and be slip-sliding {and sometimes falling} in their manure, before getting dressed for school.

BUT! I will say I know how to work. I know that work is necessary and good for the soul: We were not designed to lounge around, without a purpose. We were created for work. It builds character. It builds a sense of accomplishment, a sense of true self-worth.

“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
Proverbs 10:4

I recently received the book Cleaning House: A Mom’s 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma via Blogging for Books to review. Wyma takes on entitlement-issues in her own children over the course of 12 months, during which she focuses on different areas in her childrens’ life where she is seeing their inflated self-worth and entitlement. Beginning with the childrens’ responsibility to keep their rooms clean and moving on to other areas such as the bathrooms, cooking and cleaning the kitchen, cleaning bathroom, home repairs, and employment outside the home.


While her kids often put up a fight with the addition of each new responsibility, they did rise to the occasion {however grudgingly}. She started to see a marked improvement in her childrens’ attitudes, how they treated each other, and how they viewed themselves.


Wyma’s sense of humor through it all and addressing her own issues as an enabler of her childrens’ entitlement-issues kept the book light, and real. As moms we often think “it’s easier if I just do it myself” or “they’re kids…they should be having fun, not worrying about laundry”; but neither of those mindsets help our children to become responsible adults, who know they are capable of doing what they are required to do.


This plague of Youth Entitlement must end, but first it must begin in our homes. I’m pretty sure our fore-fathers said “PURSUIT of happiness”, not a guarantee of happiness, or that it would be handed to you {as much as our government would like America’s youth to think that}. Having a job, a nice car, clothes, a house, insurances and the latest technological gadgetries are not a right for anyone. They are things that must be worked for, doing our best, always. Why not start young in our children, helping them to truly be the best they can be.

Please be sure to go and rate my review of this book here. Thanks!

*This does not apply to ALL young adults, teens and children, but definitely a growing majority of them.

I have a 2 1/2 year old...

Today Avelyn is 2 1/2 years old....next up, turning 3! I'm not ready for a 3 year old, then it's going to be 4, then 5, then moving out :'(

I decided to put together a little post today to keep track of all her 2 1/2 year old achievements.


*Wearing 2T or 3T clothes, depending on the brand.
*Weighing in at 31lbs and measuring 36.5" tall
*For the most part she sleeps through the night, unless she has a bad dream or a cold or something...even if she is up at 6.30 or so...yuck!
*Yea, we do, on occasion, have to deal with bad dreams
*Still have the George (pacifier), but only in bed.
*She peed on the potty once...that was it. She's sat on the potty a few times and tried, but really has absolutely no interest in using the toilet.
*She absolutely loves being outside....if she could live there, she would, especially on the slide.
*She's wearing size 9 shoes.
*Our bum genius 3.0 one size diapers still fit
*Ave now says Grace for us at meal time
*Forget about complete sentences, this kid could probably narrate a full-length novel now
*She seems to have discovered "imaginary friends" in the past week or so
*Can count to 10, and sometimes higher; can recite the alphabet
*Sometimes can pick out letters
*Knows her basic shapes, but draws a blank on colors
*Her hair is half-way down her back, and is the color of spun gold...it actually glistens in spots..amazing
*She can get some of her shoes on herself, socks are another story, but she can certainly strip down naked faster than anyone I know
*Puts her clothes in the hamper

I'm going to keep adding to this list as I think of things :-)

The Turn-Around

This post can be found on my new site, JessicaMWhite.com: Click HERE.

Avelyn's TWO!

She's two, TWO! I'm really rather sad about this, but then she had a two-year old moment and I thought "oh brother!" I can't believe she's two...there's no more baby at all, there is just this little girl who is very independent and knows exactly what she wants.

There are two big things she's been doing the past few weeks: She can count from 1 - 10 (but she doesn't like 3 and 4, just skips right from 2 to 5), and has started saying some of her A B Cs. It's crazy! Part of me thinks, "Wow, isn't that something that they start around 4 or so". I guess she's around letters and numbers so often that she is just picking them up, the same way she picks up the bad habits of other little kids (and adults). Oh, and she sings....oh my goodness is that priceless!

Well before I start sobbing all over the keyboard, I'll just post some pictures from her birthday. Matt was able to come home for a few minutes in the afternoon so that we could give her her presents and let her have a cupcake.

Click HERE if you want to see all of the pictures from Avelyn's Second Birthday!

23 Months - The last MONTHLY post :-(

Oh my, less than 1 month and our little girl will be two. TWO, that sounds so OLD. We've started working on a few ideas for her birthday party, which isn't going to be anything huge like her first was. We're definitely in the midst of the Twos and all that they encompass...from meltdowns to demands to random hugs.

*You'll do something for someone (draw a picture, pick a flower) then bring it to them and give them a hug.
*Your sentences and words are just increasing so much! You come out with a word every few days that I know we didn't "teach" you: Light bulb
*You definitely have a sense of humor, which you aren't even aware of: "I break you TV Daddy" (she broke the door off the TV cabinet the other day and this is what she told Matt).
*You LOVE, LOVE, LOVE helping with things, whether it's construction, cleaning, cooking....of course, it also makes the job ten times harder, which is sometimes ok.
*You adore animals! You're knew thing is to look at pictures of hippos, giraffes, elephants and other African animals....with a few penguins thrown in.
*You think it's funny as anything when the dogs lick you, but only our dogs.
*Doing great with sleeping....although it would be nice if it would last past 6:30/7:00 am (especially since mommy usually is up late at night trying to do things, because there is no sneaking past your door in the morning).
*You are officially a no-bottle girl (it's been 1 month since we stopped them)
*You love being outside, particularly if it involves a muddy puddle or picking apples off the ground and eating them

My sweet little girl, how is that you're already two? Where has the time gone?

22 months

Oy! 2 more months and I have a TWO YEAR OLD! GOOD LORD! Where did that time go?! And I know it's only going to start going faster!

Avelyn at 22 months
*You are currently 34" tall and weight 27lbs (mommy's days of picking you up are quickly ending)
*You're wearing 2T or 24months in everything, 3T in some things
*More and more words are coming out of your mouth, and your starting to string them together: "Come on Oma, I show you"...is the longest one yet
*Still not showing any interest in potty training
*Miss A has a burgeoning British accent...the shows we watch (pooh, kipper) all have British accents....it's totally adorable!
*Ave loves helping out, when she wants to
*Very interested in helping cook or bake anything...of course it makes it 10 times harder and a thousand times messier
*She's managed to get her socks, shoes, pants and shirts almost on (and on the right body parts) by herself a few times...never all at once though
*Cute Story: Last week, while at my mom's, Ave was playing with a stuffed Eeyore and my sister said "Is Eeyore sad?" Ave immediately picked up Eeyore, wrapped him in a blanket, sat him down on her lap and started to "read" her Sesame St. farm animals book to him.
*Ave get's very concerned when she hears babies crying, she wants to help make it "a'better" for them
*Last night was our first night with no bottles....and it seemed to go all right, hopefully it continues as such. Now to deal with her "George" (aka pacifier)

Yes, this child is a ham....just like her mama.

21 months

*You are now identifying some shapes and letters, as well as colors, correctly
*You finished your PACA level of swimming lessons for the summer (with flying colors)
*You had your first visit to the ocean and loved it
*You are talking up a storm and are so absolutely funny with some of the things you say
*If you burp or toot you are sure to say " 'guse me" and "I sorry"
*Of course you also announce and claim any toots that happen in your vicinity with a heart "I toot!"
*You walk up to us now and say "Sugar mommy/daddy" and want a hug (all started with my telling her one day "Gimme some sugar sweetie!"
*You LOVE, LOVE hugs
*You are so interested in books and coloring, and coloring in books, particularly those which shouldn't be colored in

I'm sure this is loads more that I am forgetting :-)

20 Months

Sheesh...not even a teen-monther anymore :-(

*You now weight in at 28lbs and are getting so tall (most people figure you're 2 or 3)
*You've been sleeping and napping really well....which mommy is really appreciating
*You love your swimming lessons and being in the pool
*And if there isn't a pool any body of water will do
*You love playing in the mud....oh my goodness do you love it!
*It's so much fun to actually carry on a conversation with you now
*Your new obsession is Winnie the Pooh...which I can definitely handle
*Still not too interested in going on the big potty
*You have such big feet....you're now in a 6.5 or 7 depending on what kind of shoe
*You occasionally spout out a color correctly
*You love seeing all the cows and horses in the fields
*Running around outside is something you would be content to do ALL DAY LONG
*You've had your first ice cream this summer and you loved it....didn't know what to do with the cone though
*You seem to have forgotten how much you loved corn on the cob last year

Avelyn you are just such a joy to be around....you always manage to make everyone smile. I love when you curl up in my lap and contentedly sit there...the cuddles are too few and far between. Your daddy and I love you so very, very much!

It took me until the 18th to get pictures of A and the incredible shrinking bunny...and even these aren't great.

19 Months

Oy vey! How is it already 19 months since you were born little girl?!

What a personality Ave has, it is just absolutely huge and such a joy to be around. A couple of weeks ago she figured out that if she has a boo-boo we'll kiss it. Now she pretends she has boo-boos, we kiss them, and she goes "All better!" She's one tough cookie though: The kid runs and face plants, gets up and keeps going....getting hurt does not phase her in the least.

*You now weigh 25lbs and are 34" tall
*You're wearing 2t or 3t clothes (depending on the brand)
*Your top canine teeth are all the way through (and boy are they sharp!).
*You love being "side" (outside) or playing in the water
*We had your first big-girl trip to the park and you had a blast going down the slide and climbing all over everything
*We just turned around your car seat this morning....boy do you have long legs girl! (not quite sure if I'm ok with having turned the seat around....it may be going back to rear facing)
*You don't even look like a baby anymore, just a little kid
*You have the most adorable chubby knees
*Every morning you get up looking for Daddy
*Sometimes you sleep through the night, but then you inevitable want to be up at 6am since it's light out
*You're starting to pick up on colors
*The list of animals you can name and make the sounds of is getting longer
*You're getting more regular with saying sentences that are a few words long

18 months

We have an 18 month old: As of tomorrow, she will officially be closer to 2 than 1 :-(

Avelyn has had an explosion of words the past few weeks! I couldn't even begin to recall everything that she says now, she'll point at things suddenly and say the word. The other day we were all in our bedroom before bedtime, Ave looked at the ceiling and said "light". The best though is the "I love you"...boy is that wonderful to hear!

Ave's canines are still trying to poke through...they're coming a little bit at a time. Doesn't seem to be any others that are working their way in.

She can climb up on any chair or low table now, so watch out!

She's completely in 2T clothes now and is around 25lbs and 33" tall: We'll get the official height and weight on Wednesday at her 18 month well-baby visit.

The bunny is getting smaller and smaller....

17 months

This little girl gets more and more amazing with each passing day. Boy is she a spit-fire though! I think we're moving rapidly toward the "terrible twos", because each day seems to bring some other issue with it.

17 Months
* Back to not sleeping through the night....some nights are great, others not so good
* Some nights she takes a bottle, sometimes she doesn't
* Becoming a picky eater (joy!)
* I think Avelyn signs about 8 different things
* She says "please" and "thank you" (sometimes it's signed)
* She says at least 35 different words and sounds
* She says "I sorry" if something happens that shouldn't have (whether it's her fault or not)
* Loves splashing in puddles
* Still way too friendly at the store
* Weighing in around 24.5 lbs
* Helps stock shelves at the store
* Absolutely adores animals....squats right down and says "peas come"
* LOVES to get into things she shouldn't

(She got stuck between the wall and the piano: Playing with snow inside: Looking outside at the snow: Sitting in the dishwasher....I kid you not I turned around to grab something from the counter and she had the door open and sitting there)

16 Months!

16 months...next thing we know it will be 16 YEARS! Lord I am NOT ready for that!

*Miss A is out of 18 month clothes....they still fit, but are getting too short.
*We're working on a being a bit less friendly (A will got to ANYONE in the store).
*A will now leave hair-ties in, although she still doesn't like having someone do anything to or brush her hair.
*She LOVES sliding down the stairs
*A thinks it's a blast slipping around on the ice
*She can now sign for cookie and does.....constantly! (In my defense, a cookie is anything from a graham cracker to a pretzel to an animal cracker)
*She loves pizza: Particularly white garlic
*Any time she sees a flower (either in a book or real life) she says "hotsie" and starts sniffing it
*We're now sleeping through the night....thanks to Daddy taking a stand (THANK YOU Matthew!)
*We've also gotten rid of our nap time bottle and are down to just 1 bottle before bedtime (which I am loathe to give up....it's the only time she cuddles)

We love you so very much little girl!


I took this picture just after she woke up from her nap...thus the sleepy face and hair

Please ignore my annoying voice....I had every intention of editing this video down to just her saying the word, but that didn't happen.