Monday, September 17, 2012
Aquarium & Museum
We have spent the last couple of weekends doing "stuff". The Saturday before last we went back to the Newport Aquarium. Last year we had purchased a membership, figuring if we go just one more time it would pay for itself. And we have gone a few times this year. It has been nice when we're looking for something to do we can pick that as an option. However, Newport is a good little drive and when we compare the amount of time we spend there versus how long it takes us, it's something that we just won't be renewing for next year. Good while it lasted and I absolutely love seeing the difference in the kids each time we go. I always say it's amazing what a difference a few month will make. Nate thoroughly enjoyed himself this trip. He loves fishes and sharks now and so had a good time looking in all the tanks. Someone was also nice enough to give him some extra nectar in the aviary and so he was able to feed a parrot. That made his day! Maddie, well she like running around and looking. I think going through the tunnels fascinated her.
And then this past Saturday we went up the Children's Museum. I'd like to take this moment to say how happy I am that we live so close to such wonderful things. We can take the kids places and it does not mean packing up for a big vacation, just a morning out. I love the museum. The kids have so much fun and Maddie is getting to the age where she really likes exploring. I don't know why we've never been up to the carousel room before (maybe because I thought that's all that was in there) but there's playhouses and mirror rooms and tons of fun things to see and do and so that was exciting seeing something new. The carousel was closed for maintenance, a little bit of a bummer, but now that we know what's there, we'll definitely be back in that room next time we go. We usually just hit a few rooms each time we go, and so this time we hit playscape, the Matchbox exhibit, and then the carousel room. Nate loves playing with all the Matchbox cars and I know I like playing with them too! I think Maddie's favorite this time was the little ice cream shop. I didn't get any pictures but that's what happens when you're too busy playing and forget about it!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Remembering These Moments
Remembering...
Nate still loves Curious George, but has a couple new favorite shows-Word World and Word Girl. Both PBS and so of course educational without him realizing it. Love it! He still loves playing with his trains but isn't as into watching Thomas as he used to be.
When he sees a shark (puzzle, book, etc.) he says shark and then sings the Nemo song (ah ooh wah e ah o-o). Cracks me up.
He will continue to say thank you until someone else says thank you or you're welcome.
He is getting much more helpful all the time, but this does mean he's becoming a bit bossy as he likes to "help" me parent. He will tell Maddie when she can't do things.
The paci is a problem. He just loves it. I don't blame him and understand that he wasn't ready to give it up when he did. He's a very oral person (still sticks toys in his mouth) so it is a hard habit to kick. So that's been a little bit of a struggle.
He's talking so much more. It's still single words and really hasn't stung them together to form sentences (except for a few key phrases ie. I don't want to). But the communication has really helped to understand what he wants and lessened quite a few meltdowns I think.
A few nights ago when I put him to bed I set up his stuffed animals with toys for them to play with (he rarely goes to sleep right away and plays for a bit before climbing into bed). We talked about sharing his toys with his friends. It seemed like it worked well and thought it was a great way for him to practice sharing. But when I looked back in his room as I was closing the door I saw him punching his animals and taking back the toys. I had to laugh it was so funny. Oh well, sharing is one we'll be working on for awhile.
Maddie has finally popped those first molars on the bottom so that has given her a bit of relief for awhile. She was working on those bad boys forever.
She developed a rash Friday night that bothered her so badly it kept her (and me) up almost the entire night. However, by morning she was fine (no fever ever developed). Over the weekend and into the beginning of the week the rash got worse, spreading from her torso to her entire body. I took her into the doctor and still not knowing the cause, it is some type of contact dermatitis. The doctor said it looked like she got into some poison ivy or something, but she has not been anywhere that she could have gotten it. She said that a lot of times the parents never know what caused it. So she's on some steroid cream for the next week.
She's still so happy. Everywhere she goes she lights up the room. Don't get me wrong, she definitely has her moments, especially when she's not getting her way. Example: Last night I got out the box of nilla wafers. She got so mad at me because I would not give her more than one at a time. She wanted to put one in her mouth and then one in each hand. If I haven't mentioned that the kids likes to eat, now would be a good time. :)
She likes to learn about things. She points at things and wants us to tell her what it is. We will sit and look at/talk about puzzles, books, etc.
She is still sleeping fine at night but has always woken up at least once, crying out for a couple seconds. I think she loses her paci and then has to find it. Still waiting until the time when I don't hear from at all through the night. I will probably wake up panicked.
Nate still loves Curious George, but has a couple new favorite shows-Word World and Word Girl. Both PBS and so of course educational without him realizing it. Love it! He still loves playing with his trains but isn't as into watching Thomas as he used to be.
When he sees a shark (puzzle, book, etc.) he says shark and then sings the Nemo song (ah ooh wah e ah o-o). Cracks me up.
He will continue to say thank you until someone else says thank you or you're welcome.
He is getting much more helpful all the time, but this does mean he's becoming a bit bossy as he likes to "help" me parent. He will tell Maddie when she can't do things.
The paci is a problem. He just loves it. I don't blame him and understand that he wasn't ready to give it up when he did. He's a very oral person (still sticks toys in his mouth) so it is a hard habit to kick. So that's been a little bit of a struggle.
He's talking so much more. It's still single words and really hasn't stung them together to form sentences (except for a few key phrases ie. I don't want to). But the communication has really helped to understand what he wants and lessened quite a few meltdowns I think.
A few nights ago when I put him to bed I set up his stuffed animals with toys for them to play with (he rarely goes to sleep right away and plays for a bit before climbing into bed). We talked about sharing his toys with his friends. It seemed like it worked well and thought it was a great way for him to practice sharing. But when I looked back in his room as I was closing the door I saw him punching his animals and taking back the toys. I had to laugh it was so funny. Oh well, sharing is one we'll be working on for awhile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maddie has finally popped those first molars on the bottom so that has given her a bit of relief for awhile. She was working on those bad boys forever.
She developed a rash Friday night that bothered her so badly it kept her (and me) up almost the entire night. However, by morning she was fine (no fever ever developed). Over the weekend and into the beginning of the week the rash got worse, spreading from her torso to her entire body. I took her into the doctor and still not knowing the cause, it is some type of contact dermatitis. The doctor said it looked like she got into some poison ivy or something, but she has not been anywhere that she could have gotten it. She said that a lot of times the parents never know what caused it. So she's on some steroid cream for the next week.
She's still so happy. Everywhere she goes she lights up the room. Don't get me wrong, she definitely has her moments, especially when she's not getting her way. Example: Last night I got out the box of nilla wafers. She got so mad at me because I would not give her more than one at a time. She wanted to put one in her mouth and then one in each hand. If I haven't mentioned that the kids likes to eat, now would be a good time. :)
She likes to learn about things. She points at things and wants us to tell her what it is. We will sit and look at/talk about puzzles, books, etc.
She is still sleeping fine at night but has always woken up at least once, crying out for a couple seconds. I think she loses her paci and then has to find it. Still waiting until the time when I don't hear from at all through the night. I will probably wake up panicked.
Friday, August 31, 2012
New Hobby: Cake Decorating
I started thinking about Maddie's birthday months before she turned one. Either because my little baby girl was turning one and it's a big deal OR this modern marvel known as Pinterest. I began browsing for ideas and came up with pink ladybugs and then started looking at cakes. I never want to pay what the bakery charges for a cake but I wanted her to have a cute cake. So why don't I just do it? And that's how the idea for cake decorating as a new hobby began.
For Mother's Day Michael bought be a starter case of tips and some other decorating supplies. My friend Sara has always wanted to get into cake decorating so we thought it would be fun to take a class at Hobby Lobby. So every Tuesday evening in August we had a class. It was fun to get away and do something "adult" and learn the proper decorating techniques. Although I'll probably just be doing this for birthdays for family, I am really having fun with it! It is a good creative outlet for me and I am excited to be dabbing my hands in something new.
For Mother's Day Michael bought be a starter case of tips and some other decorating supplies. My friend Sara has always wanted to get into cake decorating so we thought it would be fun to take a class at Hobby Lobby. So every Tuesday evening in August we had a class. It was fun to get away and do something "adult" and learn the proper decorating techniques. Although I'll probably just be doing this for birthdays for family, I am really having fun with it! It is a good creative outlet for me and I am excited to be dabbing my hands in something new.
This is my cake from our last class. :)
MOPS
We are officially part of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers-although it's for mothers of any under school age kid). For more info on it click on this link: MOPS I feel very fortunate to be a part of this group. There is a waiting list and I didn't think we'd even be able to get in. This year there are a lot of babies and the nursery was full, but since Maddie can walk so well we were able to move her up to the next room (18-24 mo.)! I decided I wanted to get the kids involved in something that will allow them time to interact with other kiddos, especially since we aren't doing CMO this year. The bonus is that it is Christian based! Our MOPS is especially nice because we have the MOPPETS program which has people caring for our children while we have the meetings. Not all MOPS have this so we are very blessed! And the way it works is we will have meetings every other Wednesday but the kids still go every week. So the weeks we don't have meetings will be FREE TIME! Which for me will mean grocery shopping without kids! Yahoo!
Our first day was this week. It was a lot of introductory stuff and paperwork, but I can tell it's going to be a wonderful experience for us. The group of ladies will be a good source of support and fellowship. When I picked up the kids from their rooms Nate was playing with play-doh and there were bubbles being blown in Maddie's room. Both of them did very well with me leaving them in a new place so that was a little extra bonus that I didn't have to deal with a crying kid at drop off.
We are very excited about this new adventure and look forward to the experiences MOPS will bring us this year!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Laundry Room
I found this idea on Pinterest and just had to do it! I thought it would be perfect for a laundry room. Not that I have one now, but maybe I'll hang it up in the laundry closet-it will make doing laundry a little sweeter.
Maddie at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months
Now, my laundry "closet" would not be complete without my other baby! So Nate and I had a little photo session as well. Since he's older he got to have a little fun. ;)
Big Helper & 1st Time Out
I always say 'I need to blog that!' whenever the kids do or say something I want to remember, the problem is that I can never remember when it comes time to blog. I think I need to write them down right away or there's no chance of it getting on here. So, just a couple things to mention this week.
Nate: He is becoming such a big boy! He helps out a lot more-example, today when I was changing Maddie's diaper and didn't realize she pooped and was not set up at all for a poopy diaper, I asked Nate to get me the wipes and he ran over and got them. He also loves to help unload the grocery cart onto the counter at the store. He's talking a lot more too. You probably have to be around him as much as I am to understand most of it, but he's really trying to communicate a lot more. I love whenever he sees a shark in a puzzle or book, he says 'shark' and then 'ah ooh wah eh ah o o' (like in Finding Nemo. Cracks me up. I thought for sure when asked what sound a shark makes he would respond with this chant, but the other day when I asked he just bared his teeth. I guess he knows sharks don't really make sounds!
Maddie is doing great, of course! She loves to eat and is still generally a happy kid. Although the second she turned one we noticed her attitude changing. She now gets pretty upset if she doesn't get her way. She is starting to throw these little fits, kinda funny. She is still pretty easy to manage though because she is easily redirected. She understands so much! I don't know if I just didn't give Nate enough credit at this age, thinking there's no way he understands what I'm saying, or if he was just more stubborn and didn't want to comply. At the end of the night I tell Maddie to grab her blanket and her Cat in the Hat (or now it's her new stuffed dog, Violet) and she will go over and grab them and go to the stairs. The other day I smelled poop. I asked them both who pooped because someone stinks! Maddie went over to the diaper bin and pulled out a diaper and gave it to me. I checked, and sure enough, she was the guilty party! I couldn't believe she knew exactly what I was saying! So now that I know she's understanding us, there is also the downside of it as well, at least for her. She was hitting Nate on the head a few days ago. I told her to stop. She looked at me and then started hitting him again as a smile spread across her face. So she got her first time out. She was not happy about it for about 3 seconds and then thought it was fun and stood behind the gate laughing. Great. Not the response I usually look for when I'm discipling but it was pretty funny.
Nate: He is becoming such a big boy! He helps out a lot more-example, today when I was changing Maddie's diaper and didn't realize she pooped and was not set up at all for a poopy diaper, I asked Nate to get me the wipes and he ran over and got them. He also loves to help unload the grocery cart onto the counter at the store. He's talking a lot more too. You probably have to be around him as much as I am to understand most of it, but he's really trying to communicate a lot more. I love whenever he sees a shark in a puzzle or book, he says 'shark' and then 'ah ooh wah eh ah o o' (like in Finding Nemo. Cracks me up. I thought for sure when asked what sound a shark makes he would respond with this chant, but the other day when I asked he just bared his teeth. I guess he knows sharks don't really make sounds!
Maddie is doing great, of course! She loves to eat and is still generally a happy kid. Although the second she turned one we noticed her attitude changing. She now gets pretty upset if she doesn't get her way. She is starting to throw these little fits, kinda funny. She is still pretty easy to manage though because she is easily redirected. She understands so much! I don't know if I just didn't give Nate enough credit at this age, thinking there's no way he understands what I'm saying, or if he was just more stubborn and didn't want to comply. At the end of the night I tell Maddie to grab her blanket and her Cat in the Hat (or now it's her new stuffed dog, Violet) and she will go over and grab them and go to the stairs. The other day I smelled poop. I asked them both who pooped because someone stinks! Maddie went over to the diaper bin and pulled out a diaper and gave it to me. I checked, and sure enough, she was the guilty party! I couldn't believe she knew exactly what I was saying! So now that I know she's understanding us, there is also the downside of it as well, at least for her. She was hitting Nate on the head a few days ago. I told her to stop. She looked at me and then started hitting him again as a smile spread across her face. So she got her first time out. She was not happy about it for about 3 seconds and then thought it was fun and stood behind the gate laughing. Great. Not the response I usually look for when I'm discipling but it was pretty funny.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Trip to St. Louis
Everyone taking their summer vacations did not help with our desire to take a trip of our own. Michael has been wanting to go on vacation for awhile now, but I said there is no way I am going anywhere with a baby that is not sleeping through the night. Well, now that miss Maddie is sleeping at night, we decided to give this vacation thing a try. We have taken a couple of road trips up to Wisconsin with Nate, but we have always left at night. This being our first trip with the both of them, on the road and in a hotel room, we decided to go somewhere moderately close to home so that if disaster strikes, we can get home within a few hours. What better place than St. Louis? It's a five hour drive and has a ton of activities for kids. Perfect.
So we set out last Wednesday on our first family vacation (first with Mads). The drive there went really well. I loaded the car with toys and books. Jaime lent us the boys' computers. We had the DVD player (which I thought would be on the whole time and didn't end up using until close to the end of the drive). We were set. I also wrapped up some cheap toys I had gotten so every now and then I could pull out a gift for Nate to open up. He enjoyed that, although once he realized there were gifts in the car he wanted to open them all at once.
The first day was designated just for travel. No other plans or schedules so we could take our time. Not knowing how the car ride was going to go or how many stops we were going to have to make, this flexibility was essential. Although we only ended up making one stop for lunch and then went to the Walmart there so the kids could run around the toy section and play and stretch their legs. We got into St. Louis (we actually stayed on the IL side) that afternoon, checked into the hotel, got a pizza, and chilled the rest of the night.
For our first day we went to the St. Louis Zoo. Awesome place and it's free! We had taken the kids to the zoo last fall and what a difference 9 months can make. Nate was much more interested in the animals this time. He really enjoyed himself. I don't know that he really liked one animal more than another, but didn't want to get too close to them, even if they were on the other side of the glass. Maddie didn't care where we were, just enjoyed running in the opposite direction of where we were going. She thought that was hilarious. Us, not so much. It was really hot and the kids were tuckered out by lunch time so we headed out without seeing the whole zoo. Of course they both instantly pass out the minute we get in the car (this is how naps happen during the trip) so we just grab some lunch and head back to the room. After lunch and since the naps were done, we had some time to kill. We decided to take them to the park. We went to Tilles Park in one of the suburbs that was really neat. The playground equipment was awesome and there was a fountain/sprinkler system to play in. Nate really enjoyed running through that. One of the fountains caught Maddie by surprise. She did not like that at all!
Day two started out at Grant's Farm (free-only had to pay for parking!). It's a really neat place. We got a trolley ride through the whole park to see all the animals and then they dropped us off at the zoo area to view the animals. Nate enjoyed feeding the geese but the highlight was feeding a goat a baby bottle of milk! He thought it was just the best thing ever! We tried to feed the llamas but they wouldn't leave the shade to get their treats. We finished the day at the St. Louis Science Center (again, free!). This place is awesome! There were so many stations and exhibits and everything was made in such a fun and engaging way, it didn't feel like learning at all! Nate had fun exploring and liked all the hands-on activities. His favorite was the dinosaur room-he kept roaring at the big dinosaur while digging for his fossils. He also liked the bird room, probably because of all the magnifying glasses.
The drive home was just as smooth. The kids, so wore out, slept almost the entire first half of the drive; Maddie was out almost as soon as the trip started and was out until almost lunch time. So we only stopped for lunch and then headed straight home. I think the trip was a success! I don't think they would have lasted much longer than just a couple of days though and so it was probably timed out right. It's good to know the option is there to get away for a couple of days and that they can handle the car ride and hotel room just fine.
So we set out last Wednesday on our first family vacation (first with Mads). The drive there went really well. I loaded the car with toys and books. Jaime lent us the boys' computers. We had the DVD player (which I thought would be on the whole time and didn't end up using until close to the end of the drive). We were set. I also wrapped up some cheap toys I had gotten so every now and then I could pull out a gift for Nate to open up. He enjoyed that, although once he realized there were gifts in the car he wanted to open them all at once.
The first day was designated just for travel. No other plans or schedules so we could take our time. Not knowing how the car ride was going to go or how many stops we were going to have to make, this flexibility was essential. Although we only ended up making one stop for lunch and then went to the Walmart there so the kids could run around the toy section and play and stretch their legs. We got into St. Louis (we actually stayed on the IL side) that afternoon, checked into the hotel, got a pizza, and chilled the rest of the night.
For our first day we went to the St. Louis Zoo. Awesome place and it's free! We had taken the kids to the zoo last fall and what a difference 9 months can make. Nate was much more interested in the animals this time. He really enjoyed himself. I don't know that he really liked one animal more than another, but didn't want to get too close to them, even if they were on the other side of the glass. Maddie didn't care where we were, just enjoyed running in the opposite direction of where we were going. She thought that was hilarious. Us, not so much. It was really hot and the kids were tuckered out by lunch time so we headed out without seeing the whole zoo. Of course they both instantly pass out the minute we get in the car (this is how naps happen during the trip) so we just grab some lunch and head back to the room. After lunch and since the naps were done, we had some time to kill. We decided to take them to the park. We went to Tilles Park in one of the suburbs that was really neat. The playground equipment was awesome and there was a fountain/sprinkler system to play in. Nate really enjoyed running through that. One of the fountains caught Maddie by surprise. She did not like that at all!
Day two started out at Grant's Farm (free-only had to pay for parking!). It's a really neat place. We got a trolley ride through the whole park to see all the animals and then they dropped us off at the zoo area to view the animals. Nate enjoyed feeding the geese but the highlight was feeding a goat a baby bottle of milk! He thought it was just the best thing ever! We tried to feed the llamas but they wouldn't leave the shade to get their treats. We finished the day at the St. Louis Science Center (again, free!). This place is awesome! There were so many stations and exhibits and everything was made in such a fun and engaging way, it didn't feel like learning at all! Nate had fun exploring and liked all the hands-on activities. His favorite was the dinosaur room-he kept roaring at the big dinosaur while digging for his fossils. He also liked the bird room, probably because of all the magnifying glasses.
The drive home was just as smooth. The kids, so wore out, slept almost the entire first half of the drive; Maddie was out almost as soon as the trip started and was out until almost lunch time. So we only stopped for lunch and then headed straight home. I think the trip was a success! I don't think they would have lasted much longer than just a couple of days though and so it was probably timed out right. It's good to know the option is there to get away for a couple of days and that they can handle the car ride and hotel room just fine.
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