Wednesday, April 10, 2013

February and March

Ok, this is long over due. If there's anyone that still reads this thing, here you go!

Life. Is. Busy. OMG, I wish time could just slow down for a little bit (please!) Not only are my babies growing up but there are lots of things to do. Besides maintaining the house and trying to keep some sort of order we are undertaking several big home improvement projects at once. New fence, new shed, new built in bookcases and maybe, eventually, a new toilet in the guest bath are in order. Did I mention we are drowning in regular, everyday tasks? Who's great idea was this? I can't even point the finger at my wonderful spouse because everyone knows it was MINE! God love him for putting up with me!

Besides the busy factor, life is good. The girls are behaving a bit better these days and I think we owe it to time outs. Elana is also becoming easier to manage as she is able to sit up, look around and entertain herself for moments here and there. Two days a week the big girls get out of the house and get some brain stimulation. One day is their official preschool day from 9-12 and the other is our co-op preschool group. It's great to get out and be with other mommies once a week! Other than the usual routine there haven't been any exciting outings besides two trips to SeaWorld. Guess that's what we get for being a family with 3 under 2 (guess we can't say that anymore though!) We also had our FIRST sick visit to the doctor when Audrey had an ear infection!

 
 
Besides the ear infection, Audrey has been doing well. We've had a major language explosion in this house! She now speaks in full sentences and is constantly chattering throughout the day! It isn't always easy to understand her but SHE knows what she's saying! She is a strong willed little thing and tests limits often. She doesn't like to be dirty (yucky toes!) and if she ever gets a hold of a wash cloth, she likes to wipe down the table. At the very end of March, she started cutting her incisors (finally). We've been waiting on those to pop through for awhile now. We are still struggling to get her to eat veggies but will usually eat the rest of her meal. If she sleeps at nap time, it's a real treat. Most days she just has quiet time while Madison naps but it makes bedtime easy. She's come to insist on routine (rock you! night light and a kiss good night for sissy). I love that the kiss each other before bed and "sign" I love you. So precious. I hope I never forget it!!
 

 
Madison is a happy little thing. She is also starting to verbalize a lot more. Her language is not quite as clear as Audrey's but she's getting there! Some of her favorite things to say right now are 'lawnmower' and 'vacuum.' Her 'lawnmower' sounds a lot like 'mommy' so I always think she is greeting me when I come home from the grocery store but really she's just letting us know the lawnmower is still in the garage! She continues to be a great eater and napper and even has enough hair for a ponytail and pig tails!!! One of her favorite things is putting puzzles together...she is getting really good! You can tell her mind is always spinning and working through how things work. Not to mention she is a little mother to Elana. She is always wanting to wipe the baby's face or bring her toys or her sippy cup. It's really sweet to see her love her little sister so much! Madison is a great helper to mommy too. She is always the first to 'help' with chores like emptying the dryer or picking up.
 



Elana is such a sweet baby! She has really advanced tremendously since my last post. She now sits up by herself and crawls. Yes....she is only 5 months old and crawling. I guess I got spoiled with Audrey and Madison not crawling until 10 months old...wow. Elana seems to be growing up so much faster. Overall, she has a great temperament as long as she is clean, fed and has something to play with. She is content to watch the big girls run around the house and gives them the biggest smiles first thing in the morning. Especially Madison, they are buddies!!! She even gave us 2 nights where she slept all the way through the night. It was like a little piece of heaven (after my heart started beating again after waking up wondering why it was light outside already and if she was still breathing in there!) The nights following those have not quite been so blissful but one day I won't get my early morning snuggles so I try to remember that through the sleep deprivation.

Of course, the month of April holds the BIG 2 birthday!!! I can't believe it's been two years already.