Thankful November Part Three

21. Airborne. I don't know if it's all in my head or not, but as soon as I feel a sickness coming on, I take some Airborne and I almost always feel like it helps!!

22. Cuddles. Whether it's with my baby boy, who is the biggest cuddler I know, my baby girl when she's sick (best cuddler too, but only when she's not feeling well), or my wonderful husband who lets me be the little spoon all the time... it's so nice to have someone to wrap your arms around.

23. Great-grandparents. There is something so amazing about seeing my babies with my grandma and grandpa. I cherish each and every time they have gotten to spend with them, it's just incredible.

24. Pictures. Lord knows I have enough of them, but I am so thankful I took as many as I have throughout their newborn, infancy, and toddler years.

25. This blog. Once again, it's been great to look back on the memories we've blogged about, and the little things we may have forgotten had we not written it down. Someday, we'll have to make a book out of it.

26. The Christmas season. I love how giving everyone is, seeing the lights hung all around, the smell of our Christmas tree, I just love it all. I have a feeling it's only going to get better once Alli & Aiden get older, and seeing the joy and amazement about Santa and Christmas and oh boy! I'm getting excited just thinking about it all!

27. The feeling you get after you know you've made a difference in someones lives.

28. A sense of humor. Some days, I know Eric and I wouldn't get through the day without it.

29. Peeing and pooping on the potty. You really have no idea how thankful you'll be of that until you've gone through potty training. And I'm not talking about yourself, I'm talking about potty training a kiddo. :)

30. All of you! Everyone that reads our blog, comments on it, etc., we are thankful for all of your love and support in our lives.

Thankful November Part Two

Here's a few more things I am definitely thankful for...

11. Modern technology. A few days ago, in a span of a couple hours, I got to FaceTime with my mom, where she got to see both Alli and Aiden, and then Skype on the computer with Eric's parents, where they were able to see Alli, Aiden and Katie as she was down here visiting on her birthday. How great is it that even hundreds of miles apart, we're able to see them on the phone or computer with just the push of a button.

12. Chesterbrook Academy. I know we've talked about our wonderful daycare so many times, but I can't thank them enough for all they've taught Alli so far, and how much they care about Aiden and really work with him each day to make sure he's reaching his full potential too.

13. Friends. I've learned a lot about friendships over the past few years, and I know now what I need and deserve in friends. With these learning experiences came a lot of hard times, but I'm very thankful for the relationships I have.

14. Facebook. I know it's silly, but I'm so glad there are ways to stay in touch with family being hundreds of miles apart, still see my friends from high school and college all over the country as they become husbands and wives, parents, etc., and be able to share with others all of Alli and Aiden's pictures and funny stories, too.

15. A good, healthy appetite. Both of my babies have one... we've heard so many comments from their daycare teachers about "Whew! That girl/boy can eat!" They both have never turned down any type of food. I'm very thankful for that... it could be a lot worse.

16. An abundant milk supply. We still have about a 3 month supply of milk in the freezer, and we have not had to give Aiden any formula. This is months longer than I made it with Alli, and I'm hoping now I can make it an entire year of giving him exclusively BM.

17. The Ringling Brothers. If not for them, I wouldn't have my wonderful husband. :o)

18. On that same note, Ryan Druffel. If not for him as well, I wouldn't have my wonderful husband. :o)

19. Football season. I can't wait to go to football games with Alli and Aiden when they're old enough... either high school games, college, or NFL... I hope they love it as much as Eric and I do.

20. A good night's sleep. It's been awhile since I've fully had one, but I am thankful that I remember how great they are, and am hopeful that someday, I'll get to experience it again.

I admire SAHM's

On Monday, I was given the pleasure of hanging out with my two beautiful babies all day. All by myself. Eric was at a golf outing for work (on Kiawah Island no less, jealous!), and Chesterbrook was closed for a "Professional Development Day", so I was home alone. This goes to show that the days I'm off work, I always take them in to school. I usually take them in late and pick them up early so they aren't there as long, but I have so many errands to run, cleaning to do, etc. on my days off that I'd rather just keep them in a routine than boring them with running around with me. However, this day was my first attempt at both of them all by myself, all day.

I was totally exhausted. I still am, just thinking back to it. Aiden has really gotten attached to us, and is usually only happy when being held. What a mess that is when trying to tend to a 2 year old who still needs help once in awhile with the potty, still is pretty demanding, and knows what she wants. Alli ate her lunch and when she was done, she asked me to wash her hands. I, of course, had Aiden almost asleep while walking around the living room doing laps, so instead of putting him down, I just called Scarlett over and told Scarlett to lick her hands clean. Yes, mom of the year.

We took a car trip to Daniel Island to play at the park, and both ways to and from Aiden screamed bloody murder. I'm not sure if he hates his new car seat or what, but it was miserable. I'm not sure why I even tried. I wanted to cry, too.

The afternoon went much better, we went for a stroll around the neighborhood and they both were as content as can be. Alli even helped me make dinner while Aiden was taking a nap, and the oven literally beeped right when Eric walked through the door. I felt just like Suzie Homemaker then, minus the apron, cute outfit, pretty hair, etc. I had spit up all over my shirt and shorts, hair slicked back, no make up on. I'm pretty sure I did get to brush my teeth.

I'm sure it will get easier as he gets older, and I will cherish getting to spend days at home with them when they are both 'easier' babies... but to say I'm in awe and honored to have two best friends as stay at home mom's is an understatement. I love you both Gena and Jamie, and I couldn't be more proud of all you do!

Alli - 2, Mommy - 0

As many Followers recall from various posts, Alli is quite the blabbermouth… especially these days now that her vocabulary has exploded. She understands almost everything we say to her, and can basically repeat just about any word or phrase she hears. Great, we’re at that stage already?

As Mommy B has mentioned before, they’re already learning numbers 1-10 and colors in Spanish at school. She has gotten pretty good at reciting her numbers and does a decent job at telling us what certain numbers are in Spanish when we ask her in English. She also does the same thing with colors – when we ask her what a certain color is in Spanish, she’ll say it clear as day.

Last night while devouring her spaghetti dinner that Mommy B prepared for her, she started telling us the color of certain things (in English) as she pointed to them. Many parents are familiar with this practice. “Yellow,” she said pointing to her cup. “Yes Alli, the top of your cup is yellow,” I said. With her favorite bed time Pooh Bear nearby on the table, she said “Pooh yellow.” I chuckled and said, “That’s right, Pooh is yellow. Good job Alli!”

Mommy B decided to turn things up a notch and asked, “Alli, what color is Pooh’s shirt?”

Without even hesitating to think about it, Alli replied “Rojo.”

In your face, mom. Let’s examine this rather short chain of events: first, she correctly identified what article of clothing we were referring to (granted, Pooh only has on a shirt and nothing else); next, she correctly identified the color of said article of clothing; and finally, she responded with said color in Spanish – just for the hell of it. And without us even asking her for the answer in Spanish. Just a reminder to all Followers, she just turned two last weekend!

Holy cow. With Mommy B and I’s brains on the decline (thanks to having kids), and hers on the obvious incline, I can tell the balance of power will be shifting in the favor of the kids very soon. I give them both until the age of 12 or so before they’re smarter than us. That’ll make for some fun teenage years, won’t it? I’m secretly hoping that this is just a sign of the intelligence potential to come for both of them… college is expensive these days, and last time I checked they don’t give scholarships based on looks. Which is a damn shame.

Holding His Own

These kids are growing up so fast, I swear. For the past couple of weeks, Aiden has slowly started to hold his own bottle more and more during feedings. Well, he’s basically holding it on his own all the time now. In fact, there are some times that he prefers to take it out of my grasp and hold it himself. Sounds kind of familiar…

Also, he decided that a couple nights ago that he no longer needs assistance sitting up. That’s right Followers, the big guy is sitting up all on his own now! People with kids know how big of a milestone this is – it’s the first completed step on the road to independence. I remember how big it was when Alli starting sitting up on her own… it was all downhill after that. He can now sit on his own and entertain himself, which is a huge relief for parents.

He already loves reaching for toys (what child doesn’t?), grabbing them, examining them, feeling them, and usually ends up tasting them. It means that we don’t have to constantly hold him during every single activity he wants to do. He now has the freedom to sit and play with whatever toy he wants instead of whatever Mommy B or I put in front of him. This increased independence and mobility just heightens their curiosity even more which leads to crawling and eventually walking. You can see the curiosity in their eyes as they reach for different toys and check them out. The more they play with them, the more they want to go after others, which is what typically leads to crawling. Dog toys usually did the trick with Alli, but we have way too many kid toys at this point to have Aiden chasing after dog toys.

I couldn’t be more proud of my little man – he’s growing up so fast. I know within the next few weeks or so he’s going to be basically feeding himself and crawling all over the place. I can’t wait for him to meet his great-grandparents for the first time during Thanksgiving this year. They’ve seen pictures and videos of him thanks to the Internet, but nothing beats seeing him in person. Hopefully it’s just the first meeting of many more to come.

Thankful November Part One

All across Facebook, people have been posting what they are thankful for each day thus far in November. I thought I'd spare everyone on Facebook and post 30 things I'm thankful for for each day of the month in one efficient blog post. So, here we go:

1. My family. I think it goes without saying that I'm thankful for my amazing husband, adorable children, mom, dad, grandparents, etc.... I can't even begin to thank them all for all they've done for me, all they've supported me through, and for making me the person I am today.

2. My and my family's health and well-being. Sure, we have a few health issues here and there with some family members, but seeing what I see at the hospital each day, I'd say we are extremely fortunate to be as healthy as we are. Having such healthy children is a blessing as well. I'll take my puker reflux baby Aiden any day over some of the larger health problems out there.

3. Our home. I am grateful every day to have a house I love that we've truly turned into a home. Now, if the home improvement projects could ever start (bathroom updates, screened in porch updates, backyard makeover to accomodate a swingset, etc...) I'd be really thrilled :o)

4. Our dog, Scarlett. As much as I can't stand her some days, as much as Alli has turned her into an awful begger dog, as much as she drools on the couch, and as much dog hair as she leaves all over the house, I still love her companionship and her faithfulness.

OK so those are the major things in my life, and obviously, I am thankful for things like food, water, a job, etc... but the rest of these are just tidbits that I'm thankful for, and they may be silly, but, it's all in fun. =)

5. My tempur-pedic cloud king-sized bed. Even though I don't get to spend as much time as I'd like in this bed, I am thankful that the little amount of rest I do get is in true relaxation and comfort.

6. A credit score of 816... with never yet having a credit card at age 28 (almost 29!). I think that's a pretty amazing feat in itself.

7. The DVD player in my Honda Pilot. Alli loves it and it's been our lifesaver time and time again.

8. ESPN talk radio. I am a huge talk radio fan... and especially about sports. I would listen to it any day over music on the radio, especially when I'm driving to work at 4:30 AM. It keeps me awake and keeps my attention better than music. Weird, I know.

9. Elmo. Some days, I hate the furry little monster but I am grateful that he's who Alli is obsessed with, not Barney or Spongebob or some other more annoying character. He has taught her a lot about sharing, potty time, etc. He's not so bad... although I really can't wait until she's more of a fan of princesses and Disney movies... hopefully someday...

10. Sitting up. No, not spitting up. Sitting up. I never knew what a huge milestone this was until Aiden met it a few days ago. He's so happy and content sitting up by himself playing, and it's so much easier than having him sit in a bumbo or a supportive seat of some kind. I just think this a bigger milestone than most people realize.

So, this turned out to be longer than I expected. So I'll just do 10 for now. Ten more will come next week, then ten more the following week.

Cheers to everyone, have a great hump day!

Alli's 2 Year Stats

Well here we are, two years old.

This little girl amazes us more and more every day. There are so many things she's doing these days, it's hard to even think about it and blog about it anymore. But, I'll try. When she knows she's doing something she shouldn't, she watches us and almost dares us to tell her no. When we do, she says, "time out!", and runs and sits in time out. A lot of times, she doesn't have to sit in time out, and puts herself there. It's almost funny but sad too, because when she gets up from time out, she comes up to us and says "sowwwie" in the saddest voice and gives us a hug. It's just too much for me to take sometimes. She loves reading books and has her favorites, of course, all her Elmo books, and In the Zoo is her favorite potty book. And speaking of potty, she's been doing just fabulous. No #2 accidents since literally the potty training weekend I believe, and a few pee accidents here and there, but truly, she's doing awesome. She loves her doggy and tries to play with her all the time, telling her to "sit down doggy!" (oh and she tells me to sit down too, I tell her that I'm not a doggy to boss around! ha!)

Her favorite thing to do with Aiden is sing to him. When they are taking a bath together, in the car together, or just hanging out beside one another, she looks over at him and says "la la la!!!!!!!" and he just laughs and laughs. I don't know why this is the only song she sings to him, but maybe it's their lil "thing" together. :)

Speaking of singing, she has a lot of favorites. Old Mac Donald, Row Row Row Your Boat, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Happy Birthday Song, ABC's, and one she started singing recently that Eric & I didn't even know. She was using her finger and going "Here I am! Here I am!", we remembered the tune but couldn't remember what the song was. I'm still not sure what version they are singing at day care, but regardless, it's cute. 

I know there is a ton I'm leaving out, so, maybe I'll leave it to Dad-E to add his two cents and remember things I can't. That's the only way we survive these days is by both of us using our half brains together to function as a working team. I swear having kids must burn brain cells or something. I am losing it more and more every day.

The Stats:
Weight: 27.6 lbs (60th percentile)
Length: 34.25 inches (71st percentile)
Diaper Size: No more diapers! All big girl underwear now! Still wear pull-ups at night "just in case" but wake up dry almost every morning
Clothing Size: mostly 24 months/2T depending on the brand
Shoe Size: 6.5-7
Food: Everything. She raids the pantry like a teenager, Dad-E's already starting to really worry what it's going to be like around here when her and Aiden are teenagers...
Naps: One 2 hour nap during the day (12:30-2:30ish), bed by 7:15ish, up around 6:30ish
Teeth: Just waiting on those two year molars to come in any time... probably will happen when we make the trip home to Ohio...
Words: She basically says anything and everything. We're amazed at her vocabulary, her understanding, identification, etc. She loves to sing and read... and she makes up songs and words to the books she flips through all the time. It's adorable.