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!

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!

Father's Day

Aside from hitting up our new favorite breakfast spot, Mama Kat's, for breakfast, we didn't really have any plans for Father's Day. Bobby and I had talked about maybe going on a bike ride, but he decided he'd rather just play things by ear.
When Bobby got home from work that Friday, J couldn't wait to give him the card that Maria had helped her make. How cute is this??

 
When Sunday came alone, J and I started the day off by giving Dada his prizes...a new coffee mug that was long over due (I've been getting him mugs with J's pictures since she was born - this was the first one with pics of B)

and a mousepad to go with his new job! [I don't have a picture of the final product, but this is the picture that I used on it]

Once B woke up, it was GO time to hopefully miss the crowd at the restaurant. We didn't avoid it like we did on Mother's Day, but it wasn't too bad.
We had a wonderful breakfast full of silly faces

and spoon tricks

and then we were headed home

Just before we pulled up to the house, Bobby decided that he wanted to spend the day outside, washing the cars. I got J in her "baby suit" and lathered up in sunscreen and the two of them headed outside while I took B upstairs to put her down for a nap. 

I joined them a short while later and we all enjoyed the beautiful weather and time together. 

J even got to go swimming!

**please excuse the condition of our neighbor's front yard**

We finished off the day with a dinner with our neighbors at a restaurant that we had never been to, Sublime Ale House. It was wonderful and it was a lot of fun getting to spend time with the Bensusens! Thanks for the invite!

While Bobby was putting J to bed and B was already down, I crept upstairs and found the little box with my dad's picture on it. Inside, I keep all of the postcards that he sent me during my college years while he was on international business trips. I can't remember the last time I had read through them and it was heart warming to read his words like he was still here with us, but just away on business. 

Near the box are some old pictures, mostly from trips to Cabo. Looking through them brings back so many good memories. 

I wish it were true that he was just away on business, but regardless, I know he knows that he is still celebrated on Father's Day. 

To the first man to win my heart and to the man that will hold it close forever, Happy Father's Day! 

I love you both!

XOXOXO

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!

Memorial Weekend

Our Memorial weekend was the perfect mix of family time, friend time, productive time, and down time. 

Friday night was just me and the girls because Bobby was still on his way back from Florida (his last trip as a Cobra PUMA employee!!). We had a great time and rocked out to Wagon Wheel after dinner.

Saturday took us up to Orange County to help celebrate Gianna's 2nd Birthday. Gianna is Bobby's cousin's granddaughter. We got to see lots of family from Bobby's side and were even surprised with some Christmas gifts! J made out like a bandit and got a drum set AND a keyboard. I'm not in the market for some noise cancelling headphones ;o)

On Sunday, after enjoying our coffee and morning cartoons with the girls, I was able to spend some time outside getting some sun and letting J play her heart out. I got a little more crispy than I had intended, but I'll chalk it up to my first (and only) burn of the summer! I've got my base color now, right? 

B joined us when she woke up from her nap and Dada was busy working away on finishing up our bathroom. These girls bring so much joy to my laugh and seeing how happy B gets and how much she laughs when J laughs is just amazing. I pray every day that their relationship grows strong and they stay close sisters as they get older. 

Sunday ended with a yummy dinner of BBQ chicken skewers, a veggie salad, and quinoa/brown rice mixture.And of course, a glass of Chardonnay =o)

 

Monday brought about some light shopping for new towels for our bathroom and after the girls' naps we headed over to their nanny's house for some amazing homemade Mexican food. Good lawd that woman can cook! We started off with tacos de adobado (YUM!) and were then given a plate of cheese, chicken, and potato enchiladas with rice and beans. The meal was perfectly ended with Bobby's Chocolate Eclair and I'm pretty sure I should have walked home after all of that!

It's always such a bummer to have fun plans on Monday holidays knowing that you have to go back to work the next day, but we enjoyed ourselves regardless. 

Now, I'm just looking forward to another 4 day work week next week (taking June 7th off to kick off my 30th Birthday a little early!)

WW

Kentucky - Four Year Anniversary

Last year, while Bobby and I were on our Anniversary trip to Monterey [that I never blogged about - FAIL], I was giving Bobby a hard time about not planning any of our trips. Right then and there he decided we would try to go to the Kentucky Derby the following year [this year] for our Anniversary. I agreed it was a great idea and he was instantly on the phone with his dad letting him know that we needed him to hunt us down some tickets!

Everything worked out with finding tickets, so we planned a week long trip to Kentucky with the girls. We'd celebrate our Anniversary, get to enjoy the Derby, and get to spend some time with Grandpa and Memaw.

We took off bright and early [Hello, 2:30 am alarm clock!]. J was so excited to go on the ah-be-own [avion - airplane] and B was her usual go with the flow self.

On a whole, both girls did wonderfully with our flights out there and our flights back. It was tough trying to get J to stay in her seat belt at certain times, but nothing a little bribery and distraction couldn't handle for the time spans that she needed to have it on.

Ready for Blast Off, Mama!

Looking at our itinerary, we thought for certain that we would be able to grab a bite to eat during our layover, but both times we basically had no layover and had to rush to our next gate. Nothing like being THOSE people that the plane is waiting on, toting two rugrats, a double stroller that needs to be disassembled and collapsed, a stuffed monkey, and three bags. I could feel the fear in people's eyes as we walked down the aisle. The fear of us being their neighbors for the next several hours on our flight. But, like I said, we fared pretty well. When we landed back in San Diego, after J had just had her one and only melt down during flight, we received four or five compliments on how well behaved they were. Well behaved or not, it's hard work! Bobby and I were so exhausted we swore we would never do it again.....till the next time ;o)

Listen up, Monk Monk...

Lay off the Cheerios...

They're all MINE!

Our arrival to KY included our baggage not making it because our flights were so tight, loaner carseats [ewwwww] because our carseats were part of the checked baggage that didn't make it, a lost garment bag that contained both of our Derby outfits, and a pair of broken flip flops. Never the less, we kept smiling. We were on vacation after all.

After we were completely situated in KY, we spent most days relaxing and hanging out around Grandpa's house with a day of shopping to put the finishing touches on our Derby outfits.

Saturday was the Derby and despite everyone saying that the weather forecast would change, the only change it made was calling for a greater chance of rain. Rain, rain, and more rain. Bobby even threatened not to dress up which threw me into a funk because I really wasn't prepared to not wear my dress and hat. I didn't have any other rain appropriate options. [Cause my dress and hat were totally rain appropriate, right?] In the end, we both got dressed up [and looked great if I may say so myself] and we brought plastic ponchos with us to keep us somewhat dry.

 

 

 My hat was our only casualty of the day. I had been stopped by another lady that asked me if my hat was from Target. I quickly shooshed her and told her that it was. {You don't need to blab that to the world, I paid BIG BUCKS for that thing!] She proceeded to tell me that the dye in the hat would start running from getting wet and I looked up and saw red streaks in her golden blonde hair. She was right. Bobby looked in the hood of my poncho and it was filled with red rain water. So....I ditched my expensive hat and never looked back.
RIP Target Floppy Sun Hat!

The day was an experience of a lifetime. We had a blast and while neither one of us won a dime, it will definitely be a day we never forget!
Congrats, Orb!

On Sunday, we had a BBQ [how's that for a Cinco de Mayo celebration??] and got to visit with Uncle Tommy again, along with Bobby's Aunt Anita, Uncle Harold, Cousin Jennifer, her Husband, Curtis, and their son, Noah.
Noah is known to be very shy around people he doesn't know well, so we weren't sure how he was going to react, but once he and J got some food in their bellys, they were off and running [literally], laughing, and playing. It was so fun to hear and see! I was glad we were able to see everyone and spend some time together because I hadn't seen any of them [aside from Uncle Tommy, of course] since the first time Bobby took me out to Kentucky before we were even engaged!

 

On Monday we got out of the house for a bit, ran some errands, grabbed lunch, and then stopped at Grandpa's work to say HI. By this point, we were all running low on sleep [sleep is never great when you're away from home], so the afternoon and evening were very mellow.
Tuesday morning was spent packing up and trying to get out the door to head to the airport. By the last hour of our flight from Atlanta to San Diego, J hit her wall and finally fell asleep in my lap. I think we all wished we could have passed out hard at this point!

It was a wonderful trip and a time we will never forget. Hopefully it wont be too long till we get to see Grandpa and Memaw again!
Bobby and I have accomplished so much in the last four years of marriage and we have come such a long way in that short amount of time. A new house [shortly before we were married], two kids, selling our house and then not getting the house we were moving for, and multiple renovations. Bobby is about to take his career down a new path and will be starting a new job on June 10th as well. We've had our rough patches, but in the end, those rough patches are what keep us growing closer and closer. There is no other person that I would rather have by my side as I travel through life. I love you, Bobby and am blessed to be able to call you my husband and experience what this world has to offer with you!
XOXOX