September 23, 2006

Well, today you past a milestone of toddlerhood. You had asked me for some scissors so you could "cut orange's hair." Orange, incidentally, is a blue and green rubber ball, but I digress. I figured there was no harm in it, because orange doesn't really have hair, so you'd just be pretending. A little while later you called out to me and asked, "Mama, can I cut my hair?" I said, "Yes..I mean NO!!" And went running in there. It was too late of course, you had already cut a medium sized chunk. I think you were scared because I ran in there so fast, and you started crying. I told you it was okay, and of course it is. You can only see where the hair is missing if your hair is brushed all nicely, and how often is that really? I figure this is something pretty much ever kid does at some point.

Last night there was a thunderstorm, so Daddy and I were laying in bed with you a while. You looked about as happy as you can be having the undivided attention of both your parents. Daddy was on one side and I was on the other all mushed into your double bed. We had to kick out your 50 stuffed animals and 2 dozen books in order to fit. You and Daddy were playing the silly things game where you take turns making up silly things. For example, "Did you ever see a goose walking on your arm?" "Did you ever see a flower growing out of your head?" Etc, etc. There was much giggly and whenever you two would seem to finally settle down Dada would tickle you or you would pinch my nose and we'd all start laughing again. Dada and I kept sneaking huge grin glances at each other, like we both were thinking, "isn't she the most wonderful thing you've ever seen?"

PS - I added this picture for two reason, a)it features "orange", and b) it's a nice picture of you playing with your Daddy.

September 11, 2006

Grandpa was over the other day. You were so excited to show him all your new skills. You demonstrated your ability to somersault, peddle a tricycle, write the letter E, and kick a ball. You also played a lovely little diddy on the piano which you have entitled the Polly Pocket song. How proud you make me! Grandpa was very impressed, especially by your ball kicking abilities. You may have a future in soccer. You can really kick the ball far and straight.

You never cease to amaze me. You come up with things out of no where. We stopped to look at the huge full moon and the many stars. You got up and went over to the window and whispered something, then came back to me. You told me, "I made a wish Mama." I asked you what you wished for and you told me very excitedly, "A garden!" A garden... that is a wonderful idea, and I'm so proud that you would wish for something like a garden instead of the Polly Pocket limosine. But my darling, it's fall. How do I explain to a 3 year old that you can't grow a garden in fall in Michigan?

September 5, 2006

I just love this picture of you. Daddy took it yesterday when we were playing outside. I just think it totally shows how you are at 3 years old. Excited, happy, inquistive. And look just how beautiful you are. I mean, has there ever been a kid this beautiful ever? Your huge blue eyes, perfect skin, blonde locks. Gorgeous! And that's not all. You are also polite, smart, kind, considerate. I've never met a three year old that says please and thank you on such a regular basis. I've never seen a 3 year old helping other kids at the playground and telling them "Good job!" I hope you never change, I fear for the teenage years. What if you turn into one of those scowling, rude kids I see with their heads permanently attached to their cell phones and their butt cracks showing. I will be so sad!

August 30, 2006

You are my independent girl now! Yesterday was a perfect example of that. You wanted to do everything yourself. You got dressed yourself choosing a lovely ensemble of hot pink and orange striped shirt with purple floral shorts. So your underwear and shirt were on backwards, you did it yourself! When we left for gymnastics class you had to get in your carseat and buckle yourself up. Then at gymnastics, you ended up in the 4 and 5's class because Mommy messed up the schedule, but you did your best to keep up. The teacher said you did great! Then in the evening we went for a walk and you took off on your tricycle! That is the first time you have ever peddled more that a few feet on your own. Daddy and I were amazed! You looked so cute as you peddled furiously down the driveway. That's kind of how you've always been though. Most things take a while to come, but once they click with you, you're off running. I can't wait to see what you do next!

August 26th, 2006

I wish I had a picture of you and your Daddy in bed right now. Nighttime has become your Dada's special time with you. It's one of the few times you want him over me, and it causes a smile like none I have ever seen on him. A constant ear to ear grin as he encircles you with his arms. Then you let out a giant toot, and you both laugh hysterically. You retell the story of how today Dada put a can of compressed air between his legs and pretended he was farting. You thought that was hilarious!!

You are getting to be such a big girl. You always want to help, and now you actually can. You help me cook, clean, landscape, etc. You really are a great 3 year old, and from what I hear, that's unusual. You speak just like a big girl too. Today you came downstairs and Dada was on the computer and you said, "What's the weather going to be like today Dada?"

I wanted to add this picture of you with a huge smile on your face. You don't even remotely look like a baby anymore. I find you want to play with other kids more and more too. Today we had Alexys over to play, and earlier in the week Maddie and Karrie came over. I think you are going to love school next year, so many kids to play with.

Hope to post soon,

Mama

August 20, 2006

Today was a big day for you. You got to meet a big celebirty. Thomas the Tank Engine!! He was at Huckleberry Railroad in Flint. As we approached the grounds, we saw Thomas coming around the corner. Oh you were so excited! We got there an hour before our ride, so the first thing we did was walk around the grounds which was set up like an old time town. You got a Thomas tatoo. Then we went to meet Thomas. You about jumped 3 feet in the air when he "peeped"pulling up to the station. The coaches we got to ride in were 100 years old! Our ride was 40 minutes, and we got to go past houses and streets where people were out waving. You loved waving from the train. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures with Thomas. It was just too hard with so many people around, but you got a little certificate for riding Thomas that says you're a junior engineer.

When we got back, we had some ice cream, then went to check out the rides. We went on a old fashioned Ferris Wheel. I was watching it spin and it seemed to go really fast to me. I don't do well on any rides that spin. We were waiting to get on, and the guy went to let the people out of the car we were to ride in, the lady turned her head and puked right in the car!! I'm starting to freak now, thinking I'm going to do the same. So we wait for a clean car, and I'm freaking cause we had just had ice cream!! You had a blast though!! I'm so glad you didn't get that gene from me. You were just laughing and screaming the whole time. I made it without puking, but it was about 5 revolutions too many for me. After we exited, you were skipping all around saying "I wanna do sumpin else!".


Next we rode the Pony carts. They were these little carts attached to ponies that rocked back and forth, while the whole thing went in a circle (again really fast!). They had reins the kids held onto and a bell you could ring. When the thing started you looked a little shooken up, but then a huge smile came on your face as you held onto the reins for dear life.

We also took you on a little train, but you looked totally bored after Thomas, the ferris wheel, and the pony carts!! They also had a carousel, but it spun really fast too! I skipped it, because I didn't think my stomach could handle it. Plus, there were still lots of things to do. We went in a hay maze and played in a tent with legos and battery operated minature Thomas set. We had lots of fun in the hay maze! We were just finding our way in the first run, but the second time around we were playing hide and seek and throwing hay and Dada. I think we got the best pictures in there.

On the way home, we stopped at McDonalds and you ate almost a whole cheeseburger and got your first Polly Pocket. Now I think we're going to have to find a fair to take you to, you had so much fun on the rides.

July 18, 2006

We're back in gymnastics!! You have been asking me lately when we can go to bounce class again. So I looked online to sign you up only to find that the Mommy and Me class is only for 1 and 2 year olds. So now you are in the Tumblebugs class, which means Mommy just gets to watch from the other side of the window. I was pretty nervous about signing you up, because we all know you are my little cling-on. I didn't know how you would act when it was time to go into the gym and I didn't come with you. But we talked about it ahead of time, and you said you really wanted to go, and I explained that I wouldn't be in the class with you, and you seemed okay with that. I was still unsure though. But I was wrong! We got there that first day, and when the teacher said it was time to go into class you went running in there and never looked back!

It was agony for me to watch you though, because I wanted to be in there helping you. I know this is a good thing though. It's just hard because this is your first time and you won't do anything on your own. So I sit and watch you stand next to the balance beam waiting for the teacher to come over and hold your hand as you go across. Most of the other kids, just do their own thing.
On the upside, it is obvious how hard you concentrate on following the teachers instuctions. The other kids will be goofing around and in their own world and you are right on task. At one point, everyone was over getting a drink of water and the teacher had told you to stand up against the blue wall after you were done getting your drink. You had yourself pressed so hard against that wall, you looked like you were being arrested. My favorite part was when the class was running laps around the gym, and all the girls were waving at their Mommies when they ran past the window, and you came around waving your little hand madly and smiling this huge smile! It made me so happy to see you having such a good time!

At the first class, you just wore shorts and a T-shirt, because that was what we wore to the Mommy and Me class. But I noticed all the other girls were wearing leotards. So for your birthday I got you a lavendar leotard with a little skirt on it. You love it and looks so cute wearing it! Here's a picture of my little gymnast/ballerina!

June 4, 2006

Today was your perfect kind of day. Mainly because we had Maddie, Karrie, and Jeremy over. We made our own little waterpark in the backyard. We had the whale pool filled up, sprinklers going, and the water guns out. We even made our own water slide by putting the whale pool under your slide and spraying it with the hose. Mama had to take you and Maddie down it multiple times. Even the Daddies got into to splashing and squirting. What a fun day! After we played in the water for a long time, we had lunch out on the deck. All nutritious things like hot dogs and chips.


Maddie is such an important friend to you. You tell me you miss her and Karrie, before we've even left their driveway everyday I pick you up. The other day we had them over for a playdate. I told you we needed to pick up before they could come over. Now anytime I start cleaning you ask, "Do we need to pick up so Maddie and Karrie can come over?" Anytime we do something fun like go to the park or Chuck. E. Cheese, you say, "That was fun. Next time can Maddie come too!" I'm getting excited for you to go to school, so you can make lots of friends and get invited over to their houses. You are going to have so many friends!

February 18th, 2006

Well, we have been busy beavers lately! Today we went and saw your first movie. It was Curious George with Will Ferrell as the Man in the Yellow Hat. You seemed to like it although you were concerned about the volume to begin with. You pretty much watched the whole movie from your Daddy's lap, and had to hold both of our hands during most of the movie. And since both hands were in use, Dad and I had to feed you popcorn and juice, what a life! You only left the movie once for a potty break. At which time you said in a loud voice, "I have to go poopoo, that must be why my booty hurts." You continued to repeat this phrase until we were out of the theatre. I was surprised, I didn't even think you'd make it through the whole movie, but you watched the whole thing. It was the perfect movie for you with virtually no scary parts. You did get very concerned when George almost fell, and the men came and took him away. Very cute!

I've been so desperate to get out of the house during these cold winter months. We've been trying out all sorts of activities. A couple of weeks ago we went to Easely Art and you made some beautiful paintings and a frame. Here's a pic of you hard at work. Being your typical meticulous self, you had to clean your fingers between each color of finger paint. We also went on a playdate with Taylor and her mama Lindsay. We met at the treehouse at Rivertown Mall. Taylor was running around, going up and down the slide, and in and out of the tunnel. You, on the other hand, had your head burried in between my legs. I really hope you get over this fear of other kids. After a while, you relented and played a little with Taylor. You seemed to get along. Here's a pic of the two of you together. On Monday, we are signed up for Mommy and Me Gymnastics class. I'm really excited about that. You seem excited too, when I explained what it was. Hopefully, that will help you get used to being around other kids.

Lately, you've been showing a little bit more of the terrible two's type behavior, mostly with me. It seems like we've been battling over every little thing. Putting a diaper on, taking one off, going to the store, dinner time, bath time, bed time, you name it. Granted, I know it is not as bad as I've seen some kids get, but it makes me sad because you are usually so aggreeable. You have also become the queen of stall. Our bedtime routine now takes about an hour and a half to 2 hours depending on how long I let you drag it on. Daddy can do it in an hour with bath, but I prefer not to rush to avoid tantrums. First we do bath, and it's pretty much impossible to wash your hair with out tears. Aside from that, you would stay in there all night if you could. Then we watch Little Einsteins and drink warm milk with a little vanilla in it. Then we brush our teeth and our hair. Then we read stories and rock some. You like it the best when Daddy and I tell stories about a little girl named Elise.

Here's a great story. At the end of January, Daddy and I took a weekend to ourselves, and you went to visit Nana. While at the grocery store you lost your precious Abby dog. Nana went back to the store to get her, but she was long gone. When you came back home you were having a terrible time sleeping, crying in your sleep and having nightmares. While I was at work, you were up one night with Dada from 12-4am. Yikes! We had to find an Abby replacement. We had bought you another little dog, but it didn't look anything like Abby and you weren't buying it. So I contacted the Baby's First Book Club, which is where we had originally got Abby from. They didn't have it anymore, so I contacted the company that made Abby. The lady there said she used to have some, but had received over 50 emails from parents like me and she had sent them all away. I never knew how popular this dog was. Finally, I was able to locate one on Ebay. When I bid on it, it was going for $4.25, which was pretty pricey for a small, used stuffed dog. I put in a bid of $10.51. Anyway, the day the auction was due to end, I was at work. I went to check it only to find my maximum bid had been raised to 22 dollars!! I called Dada, he had had trouble getting you to bed and told me we were getting that dog at any cost! Later he raised the bid to $28. We ended up getting it for $14. The day it showed up, Dada told me I couldn't give it to you until he got home. He set it outside on the stoop and rang the doorbell. You came to see who was here. Dada opened the door and said, "Someone left something for you Elise!" You said, "Maybe it's a Thomas!" You and Dada opened it, " It's Abby!!!" You reached in and pulled her out and squeezed her very tight. "Oh Abby I missed you soooo much. I thought you were lost!" Dada told you that someone had found her at the store and knew you missed her very much, so they mailed her to us. You were so excited to have her home and slept completely fine after that. Your Dada leaned over to me and said, "I would have totally paid 30 dollars for that." ;)

December 19th, 2005

I'm so excited for Christmas this year. You are actually getting into the whole Santa thing. We saw Santa at the mall and although you were a little shy, you did tell him you wanted a dollhouse for Christmas. We sing Christmas carols every night. Your favorite is "Santa Clause is Coming to Town". We went out and cut down our own tree, although you weren't really into decorating it too much. You love to turn the lights on and off. I loved your christmas pictures this year. they turned out so nice. What a little Christmas angel you are!

It is so fun to watch you figure out how adults talk. The other day you came up to me and asked "Mama, can I ask you a question?" I said, Sure honey, what's your question. "I don't like beans. I like corn." Hmmm... not really a question. You ask permission to do pretty much everything. "Can I play little people? Can I touch this? Can I give you a kiss?" Goodbyes and night time are long complicated rituals now. It's like every week or so a new step gets added to the mix. Right now, in order for you to go to bed we have to read 4 books, rock, sing songs, then you need to be put down with Patsy, Mini, Abby, usually one other stuffed animal, a glass of water, a book, and then I have to turn on your duck music, your mobile, and your CD player with Bear in the Big Blue House, simultaneously. It's pretty noisy. When I leave for work you have to help me put my make-up on, then you have to help me pack my bag. Then you have to get a kiss and a hug and another kiss. Then I have to kiss and hug Dada. They I have to kiss and hug Shai. Then you need another kiss, then Dada again. Then providing no other animals or stuffed animals are around I can maybe get out of the door.

You have some odd little habits too. You like to line things up in straight rows. Game pieces, crayons, the magnetic letters on the refridgerator. Your Dad stepped out of the shower to find your Little people and their vehicles all lined up like a small army waiting to attack. You've started drawing like you are trying to imitate cursive writing. You make many "lists" on my notepads. Unfortunately, you like to do this right over top of my already made up lists.

You are a wonderfully polite, snuggly little individual. I can't wait to see what next year has in store.

November 7th, 2005

I think it's official, your mother's a goofball. Today we ran out of diapers (you still wear them at night and naps), so your Dad ran out to get some more. While he was gone we got dressed up like tigers. You had a tiger costume I bought you for Halloween, but you ended up going as Clifford the Big Red Dog. I had a Tigger costume from Halloween last year. We went outside in the dark and chased around the yard, until he came home then we hid and jumped out yelling "Roar!" You got a big kick out of it and we were plenty warm outside in our get-ups.


Back track to Halloween, you were Clifford the Big Red Dog. We went out trick or treating with the Coxes in a medium sized subdivision called Pine Edge. Maddie was a duck. The first house we went to the guy answered the door in a wheelchair and a scary mask. It took about another 7-8 houses for you to get over that, but after a while you started to really get into it. At one house you screamed "Trick or Treat!" soooo loud it startled your Dada. It was a perfect night, and we had a great time.

You are such a polite girl too. You say please and thank you on a regular basis without any prompting from me. You ask for things you want politely, although if you don't get the answer you want you'll ask the other parent. Right in front of the one that said No too. I think you will be a great singer when you get older. You sing all the time. You know songs I don't even know. Your favorite CD right now is Here Come the ABC's by They Might Be Giants. Your favorite book is Thomas the Tank Engine: The Monster Under the Shed. When we read it you tell me, "Don't be scared Mama, it's just a hedgehog." You even have Thomas the Tank Engine undies. They are boy underwear, but I don't think you noticed.

You seem to have soooo much energy. You get up earlier in the morning, usually before 7am. I used to be able to get you to lay in bed with me and watch TV, but now you want me to go downstairs and play in your playroom. Ugh, I am soooo not a morning person. Your naps are getting shorter and your bedtime later. I've been looking for a playgroup for us to join, so that we can get out of the house this winter. I'm not looking forward to being cooped up inside with this ball of energy. It's so much nicer when we can go outside and play. I think I'll go enjoy the little free time I have left.

October 6th, 2005

Well there I go again, forgetting to write. I guess I've been caught up in designing your playroom. We converted the old guest bedroom into a playroom for you. This way we can reclaim some of our adult spaces, your toys were beginning to rule the roost. You are doing the usual, amazing me daily. You are an absolutely wonderful toddler.

Don't get me wrong, you have your moments just like any two year old. Our main battle usually revolves around your clinginess and lack of desire to do anything on your own. Not only that, but it has to be me that does everything for you. Dada is not allowed to change you, feed you, bathe you, and sometimes talk to you in my presence. If he tries he's greated with sobbing and "Mama do it!!!" Not that I'm not flattered and everything, but I've got stuff I have to do too. I miss being able to go the bathroom by myself. You want me to carry you frequently and you pretty much refuse to play independantly if I'm around. I probably indulge you to often when it comes to that.

The way I try to make us both happy is to give you jobs, which you are always eager to do, at least at first. Yesterday we swept the floor, I with the large broom, and you with the feather duster. Unfortunately you frequently swept my neat piles and then walked through the dirt and tracked it all over again. You love to throw things away in the trash can and to take care of the pets. You feed Shai her dinner, and brush her (quite well actually). You like to take showers now too.

Although it is your speech that usually blows me away. I feel bad because you sometimes get embarassed when I laugh at the things you say, but is is so cute. The other morning we were snuggling in bed and you said, "I love your boobies, Mama." Dada and I started giggling and you buried you head in the covers and said, "No, don't laugh at me." You are a very sensitive kid. I guess because we never really have to yell at you or anything. When we do tell you to stop something, your little lip puffs out and you cry. We try to explain that we're not mad at you, but that we'd like you to stop playing with Dada's glasses or whatever, but you just say, "You yelling at me."

The phrase of today is "Why because?" You use it anytime I respond to a question with because yadda yadda. For example, "What you doing Mama?" Cleaning the kitchen. "Why" Because it's dirty. "Why because?" I don't really know how to respond to that. And the other day in the car, you were eating cashews and you said, "This one broken Mama." Oh. "Who broke it?" I don't know sweetie, sometimes they just come that way. "Probably Dada."

My favorite thing right now is that you've discovered back rubs. You will lay on your belly and ask me to rub you back. It just so cute.

July 30, 2005

Happy to have you home after a few days at Nana's house. Karrie & Jeremy were on vacation, so we had to send you off while Mama and Dada worked. I'm sure Nana spoiled you rotten, she always does. I'm just reveling today in your amazing vocabulary, and how you make connections. We were in Meijer tonight and as always we stopped by the pet section. You asked what the hamsters were doing and I told you they were taking a nap. You said, "Where's hamster's Patsy?" You never take a nap with out yours, so it stands to reason that everyone needs a Patsy to sleep. Later, you told me the hamster could have you Mini, but I said he'd probably just eat it. On the way home you were singing along with your favorite CD - Little People. Your Dad and I couldn't help laughing hearing you sing B-I-N-G-O.

One of our new favorite activities is butterfly hunting. I catch them in a net and then pick them up and put them on your hand. Pretty much you walk around looking at flowers while I get all sweaty trying to track down these quick moving insects. I think its fun though.

I was going through pictures today and I found this picture from when Grandpa visited. I was shocked by the picture, because you look like you're about 5 or 6. I can't believe it. It's like I got a snapshot from the future. It actually freaked me out a little bit. I added it to this post, so we can compare later on.

I hope you don't grow up too fast. My little bug.

Love,
Mama

July 20, 2005

I just realized tonight that you are potty trained. Day trained at least. It just kind of happened, no real planning. It started when you were 15 months. We bought a potty just to have around to see if you were interested and started getting into the habit of having you sit on it before bathtime, low and behold, you went. Then when you were around 18 months old you started having potty hatred issues. You would refuse to sit on it, let alone go on it. I think it was because you were just starting to walk (you didn't walk until you were 19 months). Then a couple of months ago, the cloud lifted and you started getting interested in the potty again. Using it 1-4 times a day, including number 2. But this last month, you've been really interested in it. Even asking on your own to use it. Dada was at Barnes and Nobles and you asked to go potty, so he took you to the bathroom and you went!! What really floored me was that you're not used to using a big potty. So I started putting you in regular underwear for part of the day this week and regularly asking you if you had to go, with good success. Today you wore big girl panties all day except when we went to Lowes and when you took a nap, and those were the only times you went not on the potty. When I was bathing you tonight it finally dawned on me. She's potty trained!! Two not even really accidents. I can't believe it. All this time I've been thinking how nervous I am to start potty training and it's already done practically. Whew! What a relief. I'm not going to worry about night training you anytime soon. You are afterall, only just 2. After we have the day and naptime stuff down pat, then I'll worry about that. I added a picture of you sitting on the potty when you were quite a bit younger. I didn't want to take a more recent one because you are getting shy about having your picture taken now.

July 19, 2005

Tonight was one of those moments I will never forget. You had been having trouble getting to sleep. I heard you up there rustling, singing, reading. Then it was quiet for a bit and I thought you had gone to sleep. Then someone set a firework off very close outside, and you woke up crying "I'm scared". I went upstairs to rock you for a little bit. We were snuggly in the chair and I was trying to point out fireflies through the window, but you didn't know what I was trying to show you. So I took you outside, and managed to catch one on my hand. It lit up once just before it flew away. From then on you were oohing and ahhing and reaching out your little hand to touch them. Pointing all over the sky to show me, "There's one Mama!." Then the frogs in the pond starting making all kinds of noises. At first, you were a little unsure, but I told you it was just frogs talking and since you are quite familiar with frogs (we send them flying into the water when we walk around the pond) you relaxed. Then I started imitating the sounds they were making and you thought that was funny, so you tried it too. "dumpf" you'd say over and over laughing hysterically. Your Dada and I couldn't stop smiling and laughing too. You were so pleased with yourself. Then we looked at the moon for a while, but the skeeters found us and we went inside. I read you Goodnight Moon, and Dada rocked you for a while and now I think you are asleep. I know I will never forget the look in your eyes the first time you saw a firefly.

July 14, 2005

Sometimes I can't believe what a good kid you are. Today, we were in Babies R Us and there was this kid screaming his head off about some toy. His mother had to drag him out kicking and screaming. I've only had to do that with you once, and it was more my fault than yours. You were just pooped out and didn't want to be Christmas shopping. Sure you pull stuff off the shelves when we're shopping, but all I have to say is "Wow, that's a nice toy, can you put it back on the shelf for Mama." And you do it! Just like that, no questions asked. Of course, that could always change.

We also visited the library, and I found this great book. It's called Clap Your Hands. You can do most of the actions in it, but what amazed me when we came to the line And your name is...? How old are you? You said Eese and 2! I knew you knew your name, but I didn't know you knew how old you are. Very impressive. You just pick stuff out of no where.

Tonight Daddy and I are having date night and Brooke is coming over to watch you. She is just the sweetest girl. She lives a few houses down and is 15. When most kids would be watching MTV or something like that, when we come home Brooke is watching Nickelodeon. You usually do well with her, although we haven't had her babysit as often lately, so you are a little shy when she first gets here.

Well I have to clean up this house. I am going to try to keep writing this. I hope you will be interested in reading it one day.

Love,

Mama

July 13, 2005

Today, we went swimming at the neighbors pool. You love jumping off the steps and having me swirl you around in the water. Their granddaughter Alexis who is four was there, you think she is very interesting. Afterward, you were walking around in the driveway with the towel wrapped around you and your wet hair. You looked so grown up, like a real kid, not a baby. You went to sleep reading one of your Arthur books in your crib. You absolutely love reading and I hope you continue that into adulthood. I thought I would add a note about your current daily schedule. Toddlers are creatures of habit after all.

7:15 - Wake up (usually calling for Dada, Mama, milk, or some combination of those)
8:15 - Breakfast (current favorites are Cocoa Krispies and french toast)
10:00 - We run errands or go on outings to the park, library, playland, etc.
12:00 - Lunch (current favorites hot dogs, grilled cheese, turkey)
1:00-3:00 - Naptime
3:30 - Snack (this is your opportunity for treats, current favorites pudding and kudos)
5:00 - Dinner (current favorites noodles with alfredo sauce, chicken nuggets, carrots)
7:15 - Bathtime
7:45 - Bedtime (after bath we get in your PJ's, read books, and kiss everyone goodnight before drifting off to sleep with a book, your stuffed animals, and music)

2-3 days a week you go to "daycare" at Maddie's house. Karrie doesn't watch any other kids, and she takes you guys all over the place; garage sales, the mall, library, McDonalds. I couldn't imagine a more ideal situation. You love playing with Maddie, even though you get in fights sometimes. Yesterday, you came home with a big bite mark on your arm. I think Maddie does most of the physical stuff, but you're not completely innocent either. You have no desire to share, frequently telling you father and I "Maddie no play with Patsy, Maddie no look at Patsy." Patsy of course is your blanket, one of your essential of living. You also have a hand towel size version of Patsy, named Mini, a stuffed dog named Abby. I would also include milk & juice in this category. When you get stressed you say "I want Patsy, and mini, and abby, and juice." Boy you're demanding ;)

July 11, 2005

Dear Elise,

I decided to make this Weblog because your journal has not been going well. I wanted to keep a journal for you, but my handwriting is atrocious and I write too slowly. Since I'm a much better typist I thought this might work better.

Yesterday was your second birthday party. I think it went pretty well. You were having a great time playing with Maddie, Joey, and Alexis. So good in fact you weren't really interested in presents, cake, or the other guests. But I was just happy you were having such a good time. Daddy built you a great swingset and you are loving it. I can't believe what a difference six months makes. You can actually run now. You love Bear in the Big Blue House which was the theme of your party. As I'm writing this you are laying in your crib listening to "The Bear" on CD, and playing with your new dolly that giggles. I can hear you singing and baby giggling. You also love books, playing outside, Shai the dog, and your large array of stuffed animals. I think you have 8 or 9 in the crib with you right now.

We went to the post office today and you got your usual tootsie roll. We talked about all the animals we saw on the way; a great big snapper turtle, horses, cows, birds. You still like me to carry you most places, which is loads of fun when I'm also trying to carry my purse and 2 or 3 packages.

As far as two year olds go, I think you are an excellent kid. You throw maybe one tantrum a day, but get over them easily and you are always eager to help. When I clean you follow me around with the feather duster and you already have a chore. You feed the dog dinner. Occasionally we end up with dog food all over the floor, but that's okay by us. Your Daddy thinks the sun, moon, and stars all revolve around you. He is convinced you are the most beautiful girl that ever lived and the smartest too. He's deemed you "baby genius". Many nights we've been laying in bed and he's asked if he can get you up and play with you. I know he's only joking, but I do think he would love to play with you then.

Well, I'm going to try to get some lunch. I just had to go up to your room because you were calling me. I think you are trying to get out of having to take a nap. I told you I'd read you one more book and then you had to take a nap, you didn't protest. You are almost always good about taking you naps and going to bed.

I love you shuggie bear!

Love,

Mama

March 7, 2005

Okay, Mom's getting a little cabin fever here. I am desperate for things that we can do. I can only play Little People so many times!! Anyway, I got this book called The Toddler Busy Book and it talked about an indoor sandbox, which made me think of the sand and water table you had gotten for Christmas. So I hauled out the sand table part, and per the instructions in the book, bought a jumbo bag of dry navy beans. You find this thing fascinating. So the beans don't always stay in the box, but hey it keeps you occupied. You love scooping them up, throwing them, and burying my hands in them. Sometimes you look at me, like "You're sure this is okay?" Here's a pic of you the first time we played in it.

February 22, 2005

Well, we're finally back from the vacation from hell. We went to Florida to visit Great Grandma, Grandma Gigi, Angie, Joey, and Aunt Allison. I was so worried about how you would do on the plane, but that was the easiest part. We brought along the laptop, so you could watch TV on the plane. That was so easy, because you just vegged in our laps with a sucker watching TV the whole time and didn't make a fuss at all. The rest of the time you were miserable. You refused to walk at all and insisted on being carried or held constantly. Everything that I thought you would love, you hated. You hated the beach because you didn't want to touch the sand, you
hated the pool, you even hated the Florida aquarium. You love to look at the fish at Meijer, so I thought the aquarium would be a great idea, but some birds scared you at the beginning and everything was scary from there on out. They had this whole outdoor waterpark for little kids in the back and you wouldn't touch a thing. We bought you a jello parfait in the cafeteria and you hated that too. You refused to let anyone else hold you or even touch you, so our visits to the relatives didn't go that well either. And you got sick. And so did Mom. Ugh. The only thing you liked was our hotel room. It was a suite with a living room, kitchen, and bedroom, plus a little built in bunk. You loved to climb over everything and go out on the balcony. I don't think you ate really anything to whole time, and I had to eat with you in my lap because you wouldn't let me put you down. The picture above is on the last morning there when you were finally feeling better and ate something. I don't think we'll be going on another vacation for a long time.

January 27, 2005

Currently, you are sitting in your high chair drawing with crayons and listening to Sesame Street songs. Last week you started walking more than a few steps, just days before the Pediatrician said he would start physical therapy. You seem to do that with all of your gross motor milestones. Today has been an eventful day. This morning I left you on the bed while I got up to pee, and in the meantime you fell out of the bed. You were shaken up but unharmed. Then while I took a shower you started crying and calling my name, so I hopped out (I was a little on edge still from the bed incident) and came out in the living room. You looked at me, put on your sunglasses, and said "Movie star!" with a big grin on your face. Very funny and cute!

Unlike your gross motor skills, you have a huge vocabulary. I can't even count how many words you know. You have some flash cards you like to take in and out of the box. For kicks the other day, I went through them to see how many you know. You got 21 out of 30!

December 27th, 2004

Well I think you had a very good Christmas!! You were spoiled rotten by your grandparents of course! Santa brought you a fish tank with five fish in it. He thought you would like that since you love the fish at Meijer's He also left an Elmo and Big Bird in your stocking. Mommy and Daddy got you a sled and some other smaller things. Grandpa and Grandma Denise got you a Sand and Water table, which should be especially cool in the summer when we can go back outside.

If you had to pick your favorite present, I think you would say your baby doll. At night you give your baby a bottle (botayo), kiss it, and cover it with a blanket when it goes "ny-night". Dada was amazed that you instinctively knew what to do with it. You also like your Little People bus and a little ride on car that has a "Seaside" theme that Nana and Papa gave you. I'm not sure how a car and songs about sea creatures go together, but Nana claims you picked it out yourself. You've taken may spins around the living room in your new sled, but we've yet to christen it out of doors yet.

My favorite gift from you? You starting taking more that two steps!! Finally at over 17 months of age, it looks like you might walk after all.

December 14, 2004

I love listening to you talk. You are acquiring new words everyday. It's so nice that you can tell me what you'd like now, rather than just pointing and say "Uh! Uh!" Although many of your words are kind of in your own Elise language that Mommy has to translate for other people. Some of my favorite Elise words.

Obe-its - Open it
Tapsticks - Chapstick
Christy - Christmas tree
Obie - Rolie Polie Olie (current favorite book)
Merr, Merr - Row, Row, Row Your Boat

October 27, 2004

Today we went to Grandpa's house. It is such a special thing for me to see you with my Dad. He is such an important person to me. I know he is going to be such a cool Grandpa for you growing up. Your favorite part of Grandpa's house was the piano. I'm not going to get my hopes up or anything, but it would be great if you could play piano like him. You played that piano like it was going out of style, perched on your Grandpa's lap. Sometimes he would play and you would clap. We also took you outside and walked by all the pheasant's next door. You seemed confused by them more than anything. We had lunch and you chowed on your mac cheese and sweet potato fries. Denise was impressed by how you could pack it away. You pooped out in the back seat on the ride home.

October 11, 2004

The other day at Gymboree I was having you go up these foam stairs they have. By the end of class, you were able to get up them without difficulty. Then today, I was working on the computer and I thought it was too quiet. So I turned the corner to see you ascending the last of our flight of 12 stairs!! I about had a heart attack! You just turned around and looked at me with this very proud smile. I clapped and oohed. Then Dada came in and you did it again. Now that's all you want to do. We went out yesterday and bought a gate for the top. Then last night we were trying to eat dinner, and you kept going over to the stairs, so we threw a couch cushion over the bottom two steps so you couldn't climb them. It's very cool to see you trying out your new skills, but its wearing me out. See! There you go again, I can hear you're half way up them.

I added a couple pics, one of you climbing the stairs looking very proud of your self, and the other I would like to entitle "Caged Bear" in which you are demonstrating the proper use of the stair gate.

September 16, 2004

Watch out! Crawling monster baby!! I love that you are actually able to get about on your own, but C'mon now! You are 14 months old! You are supposed to be walking! In an effort to encourage you to join the rest of us homo sapiens in the upright two legged posture, I signed you up for Gymboree class. It's geared toward babies your age. It has gross motor activities on a minuture indoor playground type of set-up and ten we sing songs, etc. I was hoping that if you saw other kids walking, you might be inspired to do it yourself. So far, nothing. The teacher thinks your crawl is hilarious though. Whenever they open the gate to let us in, you madly scoot your little butt in there. That's how you crawl most of the time. You just crabwalk or scoot your butt around. It is pretty hilarious. There is another girl in class who is your same age and doesn't walk either, but she was also almost 3 months premature!! I guess I just have to be patient. You're getting to be a little chunkamonk though. I'm not sure how much longer I can carry you around.

August 9, 2004

On Friday, you developed a weird rash. It started out looking like little pimples all over your legs and arms. So I took you to the Doctor's office, but Dr. VanZee wasn't there so we had to see this older Doctor. He proclaimed they were mite bites. So of course, I freak out thinking there are mites in your crib!! I washed and vacuumed everything in your room. Fast forward to Saturday. Now the "bites" are large circular red raised areas over your arms and legs. I'm thinking these are NOT! mite bites. The weird thing though, you don't seem to be bothered by it at all. Not a bit. You don't itch or anything. You don't seem sick in anyway. So today I took you back to the Doctor's office, and we got in to see Dr. VanZee. He took one look at that and said, "Oh, that's Erythema Multiforme." Dang, I wish
we would have seen him Friday, so I didn't have to panic about mites. He said Erythema Multiforme is a rash that some people develop after being exposed to a virus. He said you will probably have a reoccurrence other times in your life, but that it rarely extends past childhood. At least now I know what I'm looking for and what it is, and that it's not mites. Here's the pics I took of you, for future reference. From start to finish, the rash only lasted 3-4 days, but I felt pretty strange taking you out in public. I got some stares from people in Meijer, like you were going to infect them or something. It's not contagiouse by the way.

Happy Birthday! Your first birthday is here already. The theme for your first birthday party was Doggies, after your current favorite book by Sandra Boyton. We had Clifford balloons and a cake with three big frosting dogs on it. Aunt Allison and her friend sent this amazing dress and hat that makes you look like Audrey Hepburn in baby form. I was calling you Gucci baby. It is red with white stripes and bows horizontal across the front. Unfortunately, you wouldn't keep the hat on.

Grandpa, Aunt Allison, Nana, Papa,Gigi, and Great Grandma Worman were there. You had a huge pile of presents that you weren't quite sure what to do with. Mama and Dada got you a Cozy Coupe and everyone took turns taking you for rides around the driveway. I think that was your favorite part.
When the time for cake came, I was hoping for some really good cake smashing pictures, but you seemed wary of the whole thing. You sat in your high chair and pinched the cake until Mom took your hands and smashed them into the cake for you. Then you screamed bloody murder until we washed your hands off.

After most of the people cleared out, we stripped you down to your diaper and let you go crazy with the presents. Well, I should say boxes and wrapping paper. Aunt Allison is staying with us, and you had a ball playing with her. Great Grandma Worman is also here, and I'm so glad she got to see you and vice versa. She is almost 90 years old and she was on the ground trying to show you how to crawl! I wanted to say, "Look Elise! If she can do, so can you." Still you are content to be immobile and let everyone else cart you around.

I can't wait to watch you grow up Shuggie Bear. There are so many things yet to come. I hope you know how much Mama and Daddy love you. As excited as I am for you to grow, I am going to missing the sweet baby things, like rocking you and coming and getting you out of your crib as you stand there with your arms outstretched. The sweet baby roundness of your face. I love you.

May 2, 2004

Let's start with what you're up to. Just the other day you pulled up to standing on one of your toys. You seemed to be quite proud of yourself. Your schedule looks something like this.

• 7:30 - Wake-up, nurse
• 8:45 - Breakfast
• 10:00-12:00 - Naptime, nurse
• 12:15 - Lunch
• 2:00 - Bottle
• 3:00-4:30 - Naptime, nurse
• 5:00 - Dinner
• 7:00 - Bottle
• 7:30 - Bedtime routine
• 8:00 - Bedtime (most nights you get up once)

You eat baby cereal, veggies, fruit, meat dinners (like Vegetable Turkey dinner), and yogurt. You eat some big people food like cheerios, and mac & cheese too.

April 18, 2004

Today we visited Nana for a little family get together. She wanted to have Gary take a family picture. It's funny because I always seem to like the candid shots of family so much better than the posed. This first picture you see is the one she ended up liking the best. This will be the one you see framed on the wall. At the bottom is my favorite, however, you're difficult to see. I don't think that matters much because you're really not into having your picture taken anyway. To be honest, I think you look a bit like a baby troll with your one elfin ear pointing out and your wispy hair going everywhere, not to mention your grumpy expression. In the one at the bottom, Shai has decided that this seems to be the perfect time to play frisbee, since we're all just standing around in the yard anyway.
She came over and dropped her frisbee right in front of me, and you can see how everyone's expression changed. They went from their "smile and get it over with" expressions to genuine smiles. That I love! It is especially hard to coax those smiles out of Nana and Papa who seem to prefer not to show their teeth most of the time. This is your real family! Not those stiff people in the other picture!

April 10, 2004

Well my fuzzy headed friend. You got your first haircut today. I just couldn't stand it being in your eyes all the time. We went to Contempo Salon in Caledonia because they have a little kids room, including a little chair that looks like a car. You were too little for the car, so you sat on my lap. You behaved very well, and the only problem the hair stylist had in cutting your hair was that you kept hearing things going on behind you and whipping your head around to see what was going on. After you were all done, you got a sucker and got to sit in the car chair. You looked so funny, like you really thought you were driving. The salon put a lock of hair in a little plastic bag and gave you a first haircut certificate. I tucked it in your baby book. We took pictures before and after the haircut for comparison purposes.

Reading has become part of our bedtime routine and you genuinely seem to enjoy it. Some of our favorites are Goodnight Moon, Doggies, Goodnight Baby Blue, and The Going to Bed Book. Some of the time you try to eat the book, so I'm glad we have mostly board books. This is such a sweet time, snuggling with you on my lap. You smell all clean from the bath and have on some warm terry cloth PJ's. I hope when you get older, that you will enjoy reading as much as I do.

Today, I brought you over to my Grandparents house for a Christmas party. Have you ever seen two prouder people. I just makes me so happy to see them with you. I just wish you were a little more understanding of other people holding you. This cute picture didn't last long, and soon you were wailing for your Mommy. Grandpa wanted to know all about your health and how well you are growing. He was a general practioner back in Caro before he retired. That was about 15 years ago, and I know he struggles to recall all his infant growth and development knowledge, so he can apply it to you. I hope they will have many more years to watch you grow. They were very important people to me growing up.

I can't believe it! Two teeth already! I haven't even noticed that you were unusually cranky or anything. Maybe a little drooly, but that's not unusual. I was just sitting in the computer room with you and thought I saw something, so I felt in your mouth with my finger and there they were. I just hope you don't decide to use me as a chew toy, that thought makes me cringe. Well, there's another milestone, and something to write in your baby book.

November 30, 2003

It was love at first sight! With you and your feet that is. Daddy likes to call this your overhead storage pose. You love to lay on the floor now and just play with your feet. You are quite flexible I might add. You get frustrated sometimes when I cover them with socks or footy sleepers because then you can't taste them.

November 29, 2003

You have finally really discovered the joy of toys. Your favorite? It is an odd yellow ball that looks more like a cat toy than a baby toy. It is a little larger than a grapefruit and has a bunch of 1/2 inch slits in it, so that you can see 3 golf ball sized balls that are inside of it. The 3 golf balls have bells inside of them. One of your favorite activities is sitting in your feeding seat in the kitchen and playing with this ball. You grab it and hit it against the tray. You yell at it, sing to it, and talk to it. You also love to taste it, sticking your tongue through the slits. It's really very funny to watch. It's like you have a love-hate relationship with it. Sometimes you seem very angry at it, yelling at it, whipping it back and forth, and bashing it against the tray. Other times you sing and coo to it lovingly while you stare at it and lick it with your tongue.

November 24, 2003

Another big milestone tonight. Your first solid food. On the menu, rice cereal mixed with formula. Yum! Yum! Mommy and Daddy even went out and purchased a video camera just so we could film this event. What an event it was too. You seemed quite interested in the spoon, but whenever a bite of cereal actually made it back to your throat you gagged and gagged. I guess you are not ready after all. They talk about the tongue thrust reflex, and you definitely still have that. Most of the cereal was instantaneously pushed out of your mouth along with the spoon. What a mess! I guess we'll just have to try again later.

November 21, 2003

Yesterday was your 4 month check up. You weighed in at 13 pounds 3 ounces and 25 inches long. You big girl you. Unfortunately, it was time for more shots. Luckily, you didn't seem to remember from last time. You were all smiles for Dr. Vanzee.

I don't know if it's the shots or something you picked up from daycare, but today you seem sick. You have a cough and a stuffy nose. It doesn't seem to have affected your mood, although it did shorten your nap, which is never good. Mommy needs that alone time. ;)

Here's a picture of the sicky in the swing.

October 29, 2003

Big Milestone!! You rolled over! You rolled from your tummy to your back...twice! Once for me, and once for Daddy to see. I guess I'm going to have to watch where I set you down now. I think it was your big ole noggin that gave you the momentum. Your head measures in the 90th percentile and your body weight and height, 50th.

You have also started drooling like a blood hound. Maybe you have teeth coming in, but I haven't noticed any change in behavior, and I don't really feel anything in your mouth.

October 19, 2003

Everyday you get stronger and stronger. Now when you are lying on your belly you can lift your head 90 degrees. I got some great pictures of you doing it. The outfit you are wearing is pretty much your uniform. I love putting you in onesies and sweat pants. It's so snuggly and easy too. I love the facial expressions you make. When you lift your head up it's like you are concentrating so hard!! I'm really glad too, that you are gaining more head control. It is so hard to carry you sometimes because your head wants to flop, so I have to use two hands, and can't get much done that way. Especially since you want to be held so much. I think you are the happiest when I have you in the front carrier, facing out, while I vacuum. You could stay like that all day. The other day you even fell asleep like that. Daddy and I made a CD of the vacuum cleaner, hoping that would help you sleep longer, but it just doesn't have the same effect. We are going to burn out the motor on this thing I think. Psss... colic is supposed to go away by 3 months, maybe you didn't get the memo.

October 15, 2003

Lights! Camera! Action! Today was your first professional pictures. You wore a lovely soft pink pant suit with a cross over front embroidered with bunnies. I was really happy with the photographer. He let us have all the time we needed, and tried lots of different things. We took some pics of you peeking over a pillow, but you just kind of drooled a lot and stuck out your tongue. So then we sat you in a little chair with white satin draped over it, and got some good pictures that way. We also took your picture naked laying on a big sheepskin. Very risque!

I added the pic Nana and I finally decided on. I love your chubby pink cheeks, bright eyes, and kissable toes!

October 3, 2003

You got to visit Mama's work today! I had to go in and write down my schedule. Of course, all the ladies were so excited to see you. The feeling was not mutual, however. You did not want anyone to hold you or even look at you. Andrea was there and held you while I wrote down my schedule. She was the only one who got to hold you for any length of time. She has a young baby too, so she's familiar with the bouncy walk you love so well. I weighed you on the baby scale and you were 12 pounds. I hope during your next visit you are willing to be more social.

September 29, 2003

This past weekend, Daddy and I had our first time away from you. We wanted to get away once before I have to go back to work. Nana came up to the house to stay with you. At first, I was very hesistant to leave you, because you are still so fussy. It seems you cry about 80% of your waking hours. But then I realized, it probably doesn't make much difference if you cry for me or for someone else. I don't think there's anything special that I do that makes you content. Nana promised it would be fine. I had been saving up lots of pumped breastmilk for the occasion.

When we got back Nana said you were "an angel", although I find that kind of hard to believe. Not to mention, I would be devastated if I thought you only cried like that for me. I think she just wanted to butter me up, so I'll leave you with her more often.

Dada and I had a good time, although it was hard to think of what to do when we didn't have to worry about you. We spent the weekend at our favorite bed and breakfast. I felt kind of attached to my breastpump for the weekend, but if I didn't do it, I would be very uncomfortable! I didn't get to sleep through the night, because I had to pump too, but I only had to get up once, which was nice.

Anyway, I'm just happy to be back, and see that you could manage without me for a little while. It makes me feel a little better about going back to work, although I'm still not looking forward to it exactly. It will be nice to get out of the house and be around adults for a while though.

September 22, 2003

Today was your 2 month check up. You weighed in at 11 lbs 3 oz and were 23.5 inches long. Holy mackeral! You looked nice and healthy, but had to have 4 shots today. At first you looked up at the nurse and me like we were playing some game. Then the first shot came and your little face melted into a scream. I was surprised at how quickly you recovered though. I nursed you right after and by the time we left the office, you were over it. You have little bright colorful circular bandaids all over your chubby little thighs. Poor thing!

September 20, 2003

You are smiling so much! Your new favorite pasttime is sucking on your hands, which makes them smell like sour milk a lot of the time. Pew! The Zantac seems to be helping during the day, but you are still a screaming mess come 5:00, which makes dinner unpleasant for Mommy and Daddy. We usually have to take turns with you, so that the other can get something to eat. Other times, I eat with you in the bouncie seat under the table. I'll be vigorously bouncing you with my feet, while I'm simultaneously tryting to shove food in my mouth.

I wish Daddy got to see more of your smiley times. I think he thinks I make it up, because he's only home in the evenings when you are so fussy. Our only respite in the evenings is our evening walk. I have to walk with your back against my stomach, so you can look out at everything. You love to watch the trees. I live for those walks, it's so nice to get outside. I feel so trapped inside the house lately.

September 4, 2003

Oh my sweet baby. Mommy doesn't know what to do with you. You cry all the time it seems. The only thing that stops the crying is nursing, swinging, and the vacuum cleaner. Sometimes, those things don't even work. I feel so bad for you. I'm guessing it's just colic, but today I started worrying that all this time I thought you had colic, but maybe there's something wrong. I called the pediatrician's office and it was all I could do to not cry on the phone. The secretary could tell I was upset. She asked if that was you crying in the background and I said, "Yes" **sniff, sniff**. They she said, "Do you want to bring her in today?" And I said, "Yes...." and almost broke down.

Dr. VanZee said you might have "silent reflux" since you never spit up. So we're going to try you on Zantac and see if that helps. Oh, I hope it does. I feel like such a terrible Mom. I've tried everything, but still you seem miserable.

September 1, 2003

Elly Belly you are getting so big! I'm honestly worried that you might end up being 6 feet. Madelyn who is 5 months old was over yesterday and you two are the same height. It's been a rough few weeks. You want to nurse all the time and sleep very little. You have also been very fussy. Daddy and I have different levels of crying named for you; Defcon 1, 2, 3, and 4. Defcon 4 involves clenched fists, red face, and a scream you can hear anywhere. Shai is very concerned when you are upset and gives me a look like "Why are you hurting my baby?". Despite all that, I can't believe how much I love you. I love to kiss your chubby face all over!! When you are upset, I just tell you that you are safe and everything is all right. You are sleeping swaddled in your crib right now, but as with most nights lately, you'll probably end up in bed with Mommy and Daddy. You are a very noisey sleeper, but oh so cuddly!

Kisses,

Mommy

August 29, 2003

I swear you have a sixth sense. It's either that or a really good nose. I will not so much as sit down and pick up a fork, and you're crying. I have yet to get through dinner with out being interupted. If this doesn't make those pregnancy pounds melt away, I don't know what will. Wait! Yes I do. I'm sure the rocking, bouncing, swaying jig I have to do about 4 times a night is aerobic exercise. It's not that I mind that you wake so often at night, it's just that it takes at least 45 minutes to get you back to sleep!! You will be sound asleep in my arms, swaddled tightly, and I'll lay you ever so gently into the crib and tip toe out of the room. The floor creaks and BAM! you're screaming again. The other night, I was so tired of bouncing, that I decided to try take a drive with you. My Dad had told me I loved that as an infant. It was 4 am and I drove you around the country for about 20 minutes. You were quiet in the back for so long, I was sure you were asleep. I pulled in the garage, snuck around the side of the car, opened the door, and there you were, eyes wide open, looking at me. I wanted to cry. Mommy still loves you dearly, but please baby, go to sleep.

August 25, 2003

Aunt Allison is here from Miami to see you for the first time. She was so excited! I just wish you weren't so fussy. Whenever someone else tries to hold you, you scream. I think Allison is a little intimidated by this, and hands you back to me quickly, because she doesn't want to make you cry.

Grandma Worman came over today too, to see you and Allison. I'm glad she gets to see you, but she makes me cringe. Then Grandpa came over in the evening. How proud he is! You have so many people that love you little bug!

August 23, 2003

Today we took your first nudie shots! It was Dada's idea, I just want you to know. He couldn't help himself, he had to pinch your little butt. You're starting to get fat rolls too. I think your hair resembles Elvis in these pictures.

We drove down to Grandma & Grandpa Smith's house. It was nice to be able to see them, but it was a rough trip. 2 hours is a long time to have you in the car. I can't see you because your seat is rear-facing. I thought you might sleep, but you only did for a very short time. The rest of the time you mostly cried. We had to take a break and stop on the side of the road so I could change your diaper and nurse you. It's frustrating, because I can't really do anything for you when you are strapped in your carseat. I think it's going to be a while before we try to make that trip again.

August 13, 2003

Today was your 1 month doctor's appointment. You are 8 pounds 14 ounces and 22.5 inches long. Wow! You are so big. Your newborn-3month sleepers are too short! I can't believe how fast you've grown. Dr. VanZee said you look very healthy.

July 30, 2003

My wonderful little bug. I am so torn. I can't wait to watch you grow up, walk, talk, and smile, but I love you being so small and cuddly. I hope I will be a good Mommy to you. Daddy thinks you will be the first female motocross champion. I hope you will pick something safer. I so dread going back to work. I don't want to miss anything. I love you so much.

Today was your due date, but I guess you had a different agenda, and that was fine with me! You umbilical cord fell off. I'm glad it's gone...Yuck! A couple days ago when I was bathing you, I noticed it was starting to come off and it was a little bloody and gooey looking. I freaked out a little and called your Dad in there to look at it. I asked him if he thought it was all right and he said, "Why don't you know, you're the nurse?" I told him, they never fall off for me. He thinks that because I'm a nurse, I'm supposed to know everything medical related. I'm happy to report that now that it's fallen off, everything looks a-okay, and you have an inny.

July 24, 2003

Today was your first doctor's appointment. I really liked the doctor's office, they had a special room for us to wait in, so you didn't have to be out in the waiting room with all the sick kids. You got weighed and measured. 7lbs 6 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. Dr. VanZee was very impressed that you are already back up to your birth weight. Yay for Mama's milk! You are looking a little jaundiced, but Dr. VanZee wasn't too worried.

I am very happy to report that I think my spinal headache is finally gone. What a relief that is. Sally, Joe, Meghan, and Nick are coming over tonight to meet you for the first time.

Today the Smith family came to see you. Nana, Papa, Gigi, Aunt Angie and Uncle Joe, and Joey were there to meet you. You were so good and let everyone hold you. I was miserable. The spinal headache is terrible. I am hot and my breasts feel like two red hot bricks on my chest. You nurse every 1-2 hours and since the breastfeeding thing makes Papa uncomfortable, I take you to another room. Gigi made the comment, "She wants to eat alot, maybe you don't have enough milk." I so wish I could have lifted up my shirt and shown her I have enough milk to feed an army of newborns. I love them, but I really wished everyone would just go away so I could lay down. I'm not tired, I just don't feel well. Earlier I was begging you to please eat some more. I feel like my boobs want to burst!

July 19th, 2003

We brought you home today!! Actually I couldn't wait to get out of the hospital. I just wanted to get you home and show you your house and your room, and just chill out with Daddy in our usual surroundings. We dressed you in a hot pink dress that had the butterfly from "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" on it. It said "a beautiful butterfly". It was a hot sunny day. I was on edge the whole ride home, because I was afraid we'd get in a car accident. I sat in the back with you, so I could watch you. You slept the whole way home.

Unfortunately, I think I have that darn spinal headache that they thought I might get from the epidural. So I don't feel very well. My head is pounding, and Daddy tries to make me eat, but I really don't feel like it. My boobs are HUGE!! Shai seems pleasantly curious about you, and the cats could care less. I like nursing you in your room in the recliner we got. It is very comfortable. I thought I would be more tired, but I'm too excited. Aunt Katie stopped over to see you too. She's not real keen on babies and looked so uncomfortable holding you, it was hilarious!

July 17, 2003

You are here!! And you are beautiful!! Much different than I expected you to look. I guess I don't really know what I was expecting. You have tons of long brown hair, with hair on the tips of your ears, and a sort of dark complection. You have big eyes, which were wide open and staring at us right after birth. You have cute little bird lips that are always pursed, and your nose has a wide bridge like your Dad's. Of course we had to check out the toes to see if you got Mom's long toe, or Dad's big toe. It's the big toe! No doubt. Here's how everything got started.

At 4:20 in the morning I woke up because I had to pee. I was lying there and all of a sudden there was this big snap/pop sort of like kicking followed by a tidal wave of fluid. I told Daddy that my water had just broke and I needed a towel. He said “a lot” and I said “a lot, a lot”. I got up to go in to the bathroom with the towel and it was soaked through before I got there. I soaked three more towels and then tried to pack while wearing a pad. 4 pads later we were ready to go to the hospital. I had wanted to wait a little longer until the contractions really kicked in, I had started having mild ones right after the water broke, but then I would have missed my fellow night shifters and I really wanted them to be the ones who checked me in. We got to the hospital and everyone was so excited to see me even though they were really busy. 6:30 They checked me and I was 1-2/80%/0, bummer. So I walked the halls. Feeling a little bit like a celebrity because all the doctors and other nurses were so excited to see me there as a patient. My friends in L&D said that I shouldn’t be walking so fast, “we’ll have to send you home” jokingly. My contractions were only every 5-6 minutes or so and not very strong. So I walked and walked and walked. It must have done something though, because 4 hours later I was 3-4 cm. So I walked some more. Still no good contraction pattern. 2.5 hours later I was 4-5cm. I had some good contractions, some wimpy ones, still no pattern. I could only get them to come close together if I walked and that was getting a little tiring and boring. Daddy kept pushing me, “walk faster!”. And the fluid just kept coming. My patients always said that was a gross feeling, but Man is that a gross feeling.

Anyway so I decided to get my epidural. The anesthesiologist and I are just shooting the breeze while he’s placing the epidural, and I’m telling him how another nurse I took care of had problems with hers and how we all said it was because she worked here when he goes “crap.” And I go “what?” He says “I just gave you a wet tap”. Which means that he has gone past the epidural space and gotten spinal fluid. So we redo the epidural, and he tells me that he gives me a 50/50 chance of getting the spinal headache. He was so embarrassed, and I told him it was bound to happen to me of anyone. Oh well, what can you do. The epidural was much more pleasant than I was expecting. I had no problems moving my legs and moving around in bed, but no contraction pain. However it did space my contractions out to every 10min. I was like “start up the Pit!!” Or this will take forever. So they started the pitocin. At 4, my nurse comes in and I get my bladder emptied. And immediately my contractions go from 10 minutes apart to 2-3min apart. 20 minutes later my doctor comes in to say hi, which was perfect timing because in the meantime a bowling ball has all of a sudden started pressing on me. I have never felt a more intense pressure in my life. He checks me and I’m ready to push!! Halleuia!! Outside it is storming and there is thunder and lightning. What a dramatic entrance for you!

I pushed for 30 minutes before you were born, and it was some of the most intense pain I have ever experienced. Someone asked my Daddy if I screamed, and he said “No but there was a lot of whimpering.” Yes wimpering with tears streaming down my face and begging for another contraction so I could get you out. I used a mirror, which was great, but afterward my doctor was so kind as to point out where I tore, where he was going to put stitches etc. TMI!! I said just do whatever you gotta do. The best part, after Dr. Gorsuch delivered your head and shoulders, I was able to reach down and grab you under the arms and pull you the rest of the way out myself! My Grandma thinks that is just the most amazing thing. Then once you were out and I was holding you, the clouds lifted, the rain and thunder stopped, and the sun came out. It was just like a movie!

Your Dad and I were pretty stupid when it came to getting pictures. We didn't even get any pictures in the delivery room. We were just too preoccupied I guess. But here is a picture of us, both looking pretty worn out. You can see how crazy your hair looked before it got washed.

July 13, 2003

I had Daddy take me to the park today so we could get some last pictures of my huge ole belly. I wanted so nice pictures of me pregnant, so I wore my favorite maternity dress. I feel the need to have everything ready and wrapped up because it could be "any day now!" I still think I will go overdue though. Daddy and I plan to go on one more date this Friday. We're going to go out to dinner and to see Pirates of the Caribbean.

At work, Christine did an ultrasound for me to see if we could measure how big you are. The calculations say that right now you are about 7 pounds. Which means if I go all the way to my due date (or more), you'll probably be 8 or 8 1/2 pounds. Yikes!! I feel like you are right between my legs most of the time, and my co-workers think it's hilarious to watch me waddle all around. I get so frustrated with pants!! My work pants won't fit over my belly, but don't stay up when I time them under either, so I feel like I am constantly hiking them up. I have a clot in my leg, so I also have to wear support hose which SUCKS!! I can't even put on regular socks, let alone, those things. Most of the time I sucker one of my co-workers in to helping me put them on. I can't wait to wear regular pants!!

Well there it is. Does it look scary to you? Uncomfortable? It's really not to bad. Actually my legs hurt the most probably. I wake up from a dead sleep with these incredible leg cramps, and have to hop around the bedroom until they go away. About 3 weeks ago, I noticed what I thought was a stretch mark and the next morning I woke up to find that my entire belly had exploded in stretch marks. Literally, it was overnight. They wrap all the way around to my back. My belly button has popped out like a turkey timer. The funny thing is that only this week one of my patients dared ask me if I'm pregnant. I guess the scrubs hide it really well. She was very surprised to find out I'm due in one month. So far you seem like a pretty calm baby. Maybe it's because I'm always moving around, but I don't feel you move that much. Sometimes it makes me nervous. I listen to your heartbeat at work all the time, just to check in.

Today was the baby shower that your Grandma Smith through for us. We had Gigi, Aunt Allison, Great Grandma Miles, Sally and Megan Miles, Karrie, Kate, and Mrs. DeVries. We got so much stuff! We played a fun game where you try to guess the baby food with the labels torn off. I didn't do too bad. I wish someone would have told me that my pink striped underwear was showing the WHOLE TIME. Seriously! I'm including a picture on here, and let me tell you, they were all this bad.