I'm supposed to be planning a Birthday Party?

How? How? How is it already time for this?? 

Poor second child syndrome for B. I don't have nearly as many ducks in a row for her Birthday, but I'm sticking to the same theme I used to J's first birthday, so I can't be THAT far behind, right? 

I have so much going on lately and feel so behind, but that doesn't stop our precious Chunk-A-Monk from growing and learning and approaching her First Birthday at the speed of light!
 

She is talking more and more and making some of the most fun noises that I can't help but laugh at and then laugh at myself when I completely fail at my attempt to replicate those noises!
Her vocabulary now consists of:
Hi
Bye Bye
Baby
DooDoo
Doggy
Peppa [I think I win Mommy of the Year with this one!]
Dada
Mama [VERY rare]
Ow
Day Do [Thank You]
 
B is wearing 9 and 12 month clothes, along with 18 month white onesies because that's all we have. Again, poor second child syndrome.
She is still in size 3 diapers and sporting her bottom two teeth only.
She loves to walk while holding your hands, but the second you let go, she either stops her feet and her upper body falls forward, or she squats down and crawls.
 
B loves dancing to music and playing with her big sis. The feeling I get when the two of them are laughing and playing together is indescribable. It is the best thing ever!
 
She's an incredibly happy baby, but is still very attached to her mama! I don't mind a bit!
Her sleep schedule has remained the same....waking up between 6 and 7, nap around 9 or 10 for about an hour and a half, nap again around 2 or 3 for about 40 minutes, and then bedtime around 7.
 
As the weeks go by, my supply is getting harder and harder to maintain. I still pump three times a day at work - 8am, 11am, and 2pm. I'm hoping to make it to next Friday [she'll be 11.5 months] and then I'll start introducing a little bit of goats milk to supplement. I don't have even the slightest concern that she won't take to it. She has already managed to steal several sips of her sissy's milk when it's left lying around. From there, I think my plan will be to drop my 2pm pumping session at work and then drop the 11am session next. When that next will be is still TBD. I am so anxious for the freedom, but at the same time, I don't want to rush it. B is still so baby to me that I'm not ready to stop as soon as I did with J. One thing is for sure though.....everything will fall into place. It always does. So I'm trying not to stress about it. 
This girl LOVES her some green smoothies, almost as much as she loves her milk!

Aside from her milk intake, which is at three bottles of 6 ounces while I'm at work, she still does great eating solid food. Her vegetable intake has slowed as she has found more of what she really likes to taste, but she is still a great eater overall and even know how to blow on her food when it is hot.

I love the mischievousness of a newly mobile toddler. I find her in some of the most random places and it makes me laugh and then contemplate how I'm going to keep her from ever doing it again!

B is such a gentle natured and sensitive one and I love every bit about that. When she lays her head on my shoulder or shys away from people and buries he face in my chest, I melt. I wish she would stay like that forever. 

Even though it's amazing to me that she's almost a year old, I can't wait to see the beautiful little girl that she becomes. Sass and all =o)

We love you Brynnlee Bear! Enjoy your last month before your First Birthday!

33 Months

There is never a dull moment with this spunky gal of ours! 

Between the sass and the cuddles, the laughter and the tears, she's a ball full of love and tenderness. 

The past month was a tough one for me. Bobby spent 11 days in China and my mom kept telling me that kids tend to act out when one parent is away for an extended period of time. I was SO looking forward to Bobby coming home and getting my sweet, obedient, love bug back. But of course, that didn't happen. The button pushing. The whining. The complaining. The refusal to do what I asked her to do. The tantrums. It was bad. It pushed me to my limit. A few times. So even though it did not subside when Bobby got home, I sure was glad to have backup!

On top of the behavioral issues, her use of the potty went down the drain! [At least something was going down there!] There was "accident" after accident. Number one and number two. Nighttime accidents. Daytime accidents. Accidents at the dinner table. Accidents behind the Fisher-Price playhouse. Loads and loads of laundry were being done to keep up. I even threatened to go back to diapers, it got so bad.
 

In hindsight, as J was sprawled across my lap in hysterical laughter the other night, I spotted something. Her last two molars had come through and now it all makes sense! Or maybe I'm just looking for something to blame it on. Either way, it made me feel better. 

In the midst of it all, I made her a Good Job Jar. Something that I'm hoping will drive home more positive reinforcement on behavior and use of the potty. When she fills the jar halfway, she gets to pick out a new toy and when she fills it completely, she gets to go to Build A Bear.

So far, it hasn't been too effective. I'm not sure if it's because she's gotten treats in the past for going potty, or because the nanny started bringing Disney Animal Cookies as potty incentives [ughhhhh - way to kill my strategy!], but more times than not, J wants nothing to do with putting a cork in her jar. [Yes, I'm using wine corks to fill the jar. I'm klassy like that!]

Her sass has dwindled to a minimum and her accidents have cut back a bit, but the jar isn't something she's stoked on just yet. 

Her sleep patterns are still the same, although her nap seems to be inching later and later and she now goes down around 2.

Meal times are a struggle more often than not, lately, but I'm starting to find that she loves eating off of B's tray. Maybe I'll just start making one BIG plate for B and letting them both have at it! ;o)

J is wearing more and more 3T and 4T clothes, but I still come home to see her squeezed into a 24 month or 2T shirt. Poor thing. 

I haven't tried any of her new shoes on her since she's spent the summer in her flip flops and sandals, but I think we might be in luck with them come fall.

J's obsessions as of late include:

the song Beat It by Michael Jackson

watching Max and Ruby

watching Peppa Pig

her little stuffed zebra [aka ZZ]

her stuffed dinosaur [aka Rex]

watching toy product reviews on You Tube [who's child is this??]

eating popscicles made of fruit and spinach

playing outside

playing with Play-Doh

 I keep hearing that age three is even tougher than age two and as J approaches that three year mark, I keep praying that I'm taking the right steps now to lead her down the right path. I know parenthood isn't easy, but hopefully we can set her and us up for success from the get go!

Totally Late and Worth the Wait!

Our little Brynnlee Bear hit the 10 month mark a week and a half** over two weeks ago. Double Digits!!!

The past month has been a huge one for this sweet girl of ours. 

She is completely on the move and into everything these days.



She pulls up to surf the furniture and more recently has come to the realization that she can squat down and pick things up while she's standing as well! Her balance without assistance gets better by the day and she loves to practice with a huge smile on her face!

Her first word was "Hi" just a couple weeks ago, but she only says it when she wants to! She has also started saying "Bye Bye" and waving, but refuses to do once I pull the camera out. I think she has also started saying "DooDoo" for Snickers, but I have yet to get confirmation that she actually knows what she's saying and not just mimicking us.Along with her first few words, she loves making all kinds of new OOOOOOOOooooOOOoOo sounds and I briefly got a mamamama out of her, but only ended up with this on video...

Her sign language has blossomed a bit and she uses the milk sign quite frequently. You'd think we had our very own cow in the backyard or something. Oh wait, that's me! I also saw her practicing the "more" sign and she definitely understands "all done", but does not use it until after I use it.  She has also taken to pointing and can shake her finger "no" in the cutest way ever. PLUS....she now knows how to give those awesome, open-mouthed, slobbery baby kisses too!

I've decreased the amount of milk that I leave when I go to work and she now gets three 6 ounce bottles instead of 7. While this made me feel a little less stressed about the fact that my pumping levels have decreased a ton, I don't think I'm doing myself any favors. She's been waking up earlier and earlier over the past few weeks and I'm starting to think that it's because she's not getting enough milk. Doh! As a result, I turned to power pumping last night after I put her down and I pumped for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off for an hour. Allegedly, this pattern mimics a growth spurt and triggers the body to release more prolactin, resulting in more milk. We shall see! Hopefully she will start getting more milk before she goes to sleep and I can at least be able to sleep past 6am on the weekends. Pretty Please?
Along with the decrease in bottle size, we hit a huge milestone and put away the bottles last weekend. B is officially a sippy cup girl only now! GAH! Slow down, please!

 
She's still hanging out in 9 month clothing, but can totally pull off some of the bigger stuff as well.

We had a little stomach issue with both girls (pretty sure it was old watermelon) and they both woke up one morning covered in throw-up.

Neither one of them seemed bothered by the events at all, and after early morning baths and stripping bed sheets, the incident was over. As a result of needing to strip B's bed and her bumper, I took the opportunity to lower her mattress as well. I know that before long, I'm going to be converting it into a toddler bed just like J's and it makes me so sad! I also left the bumpers off and it allows us to see her on the monitor easier when she curls up at the foot of her crib.

B's personality grows and grows as the days go on and I EAT.IT.UP! Regardless of the fact that I can't put her down or leave the room without her throwing a fit, she's the sweetest, cutest, smartest, funniest 10 month old I know. 

We love you to pieces Brynnlee Bear!

32 Months

Thirty Two Months.

I'm a little late on this one, but not too bad. 

In the past month I have noticed a huge influx of questions. 

What does that mean? 

Why?

Why?

But Why?

But what does that mean?

Why does it mean that?

Huh?

Huh?

But why?

It really is quite comical!

The other night, I was putting J to bed and she was getting a little sassy because I would not let her listen to "song" ONE.MORE.TIME. and our conversation went something like this...

Me: Listen, you're not running the roost here!

J: What's roost, mommy? What's roost mean?

Me: Ummmm, it's kind of like...

J: Chicken roost?

Me (completely shocked): YES! You're exactly right! How did you know that?

J (laughing): Chicken roost! Chicken roost!

Helping Dada and Uncle Seann

Another night, as I was putting her to bed [are you seeing the same trend I am here?], I asked her to cooperate with me, to which she replied, "Mommy, what does ku-op-er-ate mean?"

 I love all the inquisitiveness and even more so, the fact that she isn't just asking. She really wants to learn and understand and will even apply her learnings in future situations. 

Swimming with cousin Bella

 She's still going strong in a size 6 shoe...and yes, I still have a shload of size 6s waiting patiently for her!

I jumped up to some 4T stuff, but it's mainly Old Navy and their clothes shrink up pretty good, so I bought the stuff on the bigger side. At the same time, she is still rocking some of her 2T stuff and of course her 3T stuff as well. 

J's nap and sleep schedule has not changed at all. She might go to bed a tad later than she used to, but that's mainly because it's Bobby's responsibility to put her down when he's home and I think he enjoys the one on one time with her before he puts her to bed. When he isn't home, I get B down and then put J down, so she's up playing on the iPad or watching a cartoon for an extra 20 to 30 minutes. Healthy, I know!

She loves talking about her Birthday party and says that she's going to have cuhcakes and ice creams and presents and a jumpy and balloons.....she's going to have it ALL! I better get to work!

Dress up at Grandma's

She gets just as excited as we do to see B doing new things. The other day, B was pulling up on something and eventually got to a standing position and J started yelling, "Great job, Bwinnlee Bear! You did it!"

While that's about as cute as it comes, she also likes to scold her. Maria taught her how to set up her own little picnic on the playroom floor and she was doing that one day. B saw what was going on and made a beeline for it. She was seconds away from ruining the whole thing. J stuck out her arm and said, "Bwinnlee Ewayne, I told you NO!"

I DIED! D.I.E.D. Died. 

Never a dull moment. Never!

A couple weekends ago, I got a wild hair up my butt and decided that J's room needed a face lift. Ever since we converted her crib to a toddler bed, her room has been empty and bare. On top of that, I've had a room darkening curtain behind her blinds in her window since she started sleeping in her crib.

It needed to come down. That room needed some light.

So I took it down. Her bed also used to be angled in the corner, so I straightened that out, moved a couple other things around, put her canvas boxes back in her little cubby shelf and put out some books.

The first time she saw it, she was blown away.

She started giggling and asking, "How'd you do dat, mommy?"

And for about a week after the "remodel", she would walk into her room, spin around in circles with her hands out to the sides and say, "It's bootiful, mommy! My room is bootiful!"

Her best reaction though, was when I put her down for a nap that day and went to walk out of the room. She stopped me and said, "Turn off the lights, mommy!"

Haha! "The lights ARE off, sweetpea!"

I'm glad she loves her "new" room and can get some new enjoyment out of it's rejuvenation that didn't cost us a penny!

Another Month In the Books

It makes my head spin to think that our first born will be turning THREE in less than five months. Three going on thirteen. 

This past month was full of even more laughs than normal with J. I don't even know how that's possible. I feel like I repeat the same thing in every update post, but the whit that this girl has is unreal. It is so fun to see as she grows and learns and takes in every bit of life that she can on a daily basis. 

She is starting to use her Spanish more and more without prompting and it makes me smile every time I hear it. Her accent is better than mine...but that's not saying much!

She loves playing with her water table in the backyard, with her Little People (especially Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - and she can name them all), and her bed is starting to get a little cramped with her stuffed animal collection that she "must" sleep with. She started with just Monk Monk, her monkey. Then she got a lady bug Dream Lite for Christmas and that hangs out at the foot of her bed and must have the pink light on. Next to join the crew were Tom and Jerry that Grandpa and Memaw gave her when we went to Kentucky. And lastly, Dada brought her a Donald Duck from Orlando on his last business trip. When I got her up from her nap today, she was sitting on her bed, tucking them all in under her blanket and making sure they were nice and comfy. So sweet. 

She's still going strong with her hour nap a day, if not a little longer and she's in bed around 7, sometimes not falling asleep till after 7:30, and wakes up between 6 and 7. 

Potty Training is going great!! About 80% of the times that she uses the potty are prompted by us, but the other 20% is her saying, "I think I have to go poooootty!" with a little smirk on her face. It's hard to tell if she's just playing or not, but we take her anyway and she goes, so we're not complaining. About two weeks ago, we stopped waking her up to take her before we went to bed and she hasn't wet the bed since! I'm so proud of her :)

She's wearing 3T and 4T clothes depending on the brand and I still cannot believe that she's been in a size 6 shoe since I can remember. I have about four or five pair of the cutest shoes in size 7 just waaaaaaiting for her to wear and every time I try them out, they're still HUGE. I'm afraid she's going to blow right past size 7 and jump to 8s when her feet do decide to grow. 

We're still waiting on her last two molars to come through on the top and I don't even want to think about the hellion she'll be when those puppies starting making their way out. I keep hoping that I'm going to look in her mouth one day and they'll just be there.....

Just in the past couple weeks I'm really able to hold conversations with her. My favorite is talking about bad behavior. I feel like she's understanding a bit more and can answer me when I ask why she was put in time out. I don't know if this really helps her to not act out again or not, but it helps me feel like she knows what she did wrong. 

I have heard quite a few parents say that three is even harder than two, so I cringe to see what three brings us, but for now, I'll soak up every bit of this little love that gets smarter and smarter by the second, is full of laughter, smiles, hugs, and kisses, is persistent, and is the best big sister a little sister could ask for. 

We love you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much Jordo! Thank you for being you!