So, um, I guess I *kind of* fell off the blogging bandwagon for a while there... my bad.
We've been down with the sickness in our house for a while. Both ladies had head colds that turned into ear infections, and over the weekend Sadie had a reaction to her antibiotic so we had to stop giving it to her. I'm hoping a quick check by the pediatrician will tell us the ears look better and we won't have to try another medicine. Poor babe. Big brother has had a bit of a head cold as well, but he is resting easy this week during winter break from school (read: tv and video games and three new library books).
Maya Grace is walking around with a GINORMOUS lump smack dab in the middle of her forehead from being all independent and trying to get on the stool at the library and wash her hands herself. Notsomuch, my little friend. She wound up bashing herself in the forehead not once, but TWICE in the same spot and has a shiner the size of a ping pong ball right in the center of her forehead.
Right now, my ladies are sitting together on the floor with a pile of board books. May is "reading" Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? to Sadie. She's really pretty great at it, and can recite pretty much the whole story by turning the pages and looking ast the pictures. Sadie keeps pulling the book out of big sister's hands, so Maya winds up back at the end of the book repeating "children children what do you see?" over. and over. and over. It's actually very sweet watching them sit together and play without the big one shouting "NO!" incessantly at the little one. That little one is fiesty.
Speaking of the "Little One".... That's her. My "baby", who is three weeks away from turning one year old. How did this happen?! Where have the past 11 months gone?? I know for sure I haven't slept them away... this girl is still waking every 2-3 hours all night to hang out with mama and get her milk on. We aren't a Cry It Out kind of family, so I'm grasping at straws as to how to help this lady learn to sleep longer stretches without mama having to be awake all night, helping soothe her back into dream land. I'm hoping someone will tell me there is a Baby Whisperer I can hire who will utter some voodoo phrase in her ear and all our sleep issues will be solved. Anyone?? Anyone??!!
This girl started walking right around 10 months old, my earliest walker by far. Now at 11 months, she is cruising around the house on her fairly steady feet, usually toting with her a small board book or a plastic toy spoon... or more likely running away with something she snatched from her big sister who is falling to pieces crying "nooooooooooo saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". She is babbling away in Sadie speak, but does say a few inteligible words: papa, brother (baa baa), mama, hi, bye, uh oh, and "ow". She's a pretty good eater and is great with a sippy cup. She's got a temper and when she is angry, everyone knows it. She is aslo VERY sweet and lovey... she freely gives snuggles and kisses and does "nice" by patting or rubbing your arm or shoulder when she is snuggled up on you. She is also getting brave and trying to climb on things. THAT is something mama is NOT a fan of.
... and this girl. My big girl. She warms my heart with her sweetness (when she's not being a rotten grump). She is learning and discovering new skills and words and making connections every day. I love watching her grow. She is spunky and independent and stubborn and makes her mama and papa crazy. She is my Gracie, Graceland, Maya Grace, Big Sister. I love her to bits.
She is enjoying new things like playing with playdough and painting with watercolor paints. She loves being outside, and prefers to pull the wagon rather than ride in it. She loves going to Mother Goose On The Loose with "Miss Amy" on Tuesdays at the Library. We practice our songs in the bathtub most every night and mimic all the different parts of our nursery rhyme time, but she gets major stage fright when it is actually her turn to tap out the syllables of her name on Miss Amy's drum, or take Humpty Dumpty off the felt board in front of the entire group. As full of personality as she is with her family and close friends in her home environment, my big girl can be quite shy when it comes to being in public.
At 2 1/2, Gracie is sleeping in her Big Girl Bed (we took one side off her crib and replaced it with a guard rail), likes to put ice in her drink cup, finds her own matching shoes out of the shoe bin, helps clear her place at the table after dinner, and brushes her teeth at bath time. We like to do important things together like check the mail, bring in the grabage can from the curb, do the grocery shopping. She facillitates the recycling collecting from inside the house as the nice man picks up our bin... "hey!! y-y-y-you takin' my trash?! yeah! take that one, too! put it in your truck! thank you takin' my stinky trash!"
She can be whiny and demanding; she can be bubbly and giggly and sassy and fun. She LOVES reading books with her papa (current favorites are any of Rosemary Wells' "Max and Ruby" type books, "Llama Llama" books, and lots of mama's old preschool story books. She says her prayers at night and tucks her sister in Mama's arms before heading to her own room with papa for a snuggle before bed.
And, although I desperately tried to avoid it, Maya is a HUGE Dora fan. *sigh*
These girls make life busy every day. They make life tiring and exhausting and beautiful and complete. They make me appreciate bed time tremendously. They are the reason our house is littered with crayons and board books and dirty pink socks and cheerios and baby dolls. They are my loves and I wouldn't trade them for a full night of fitful sleep for a year (but don't go proposing that scenario to me at 2 AM when I've been up with a crabby baby for an hour).
I'm going to try and get back to regular blog updates, because I love blogging and it is something I am finding I miss from my weekly routine. Right now I'm off to get a bowl of grapes for the big girl, and snuggle the little one for a quick morning snooze. Thanks for spending a few minutes with us today :)
This "bug" is not nice, I know of another household struck with it and two other unhappy little people not to mention the 3 adults. Love
hearing about your little girlies and your growing lad. :)
Posted by: EJ | February 21, 2012 at 11:12 PM
holy crap. these kids are getting too old. that means we're getting old, too. damn. btw, about time you updated ;) theres only like 2 blogs i check on the regular and you were ruining it ;)
Posted by: breanne | February 26, 2012 at 01:49 PM