Monday, October 13, 2014
Mama
It is amazing how one syllable can mean so much. Aurora has been saying Dada for a long time now, but for some reason, has not wanted to say Mama for me. She has said it in the past, but never for me. Usually, she was just saying noises, or more recently, for milk. But, on Saturday, when I went into her room when she woke up in the middle of the night, I turned on the nightlight, she looked at me and said, Mama! She looked right at me, said it, and got this big grin on her face. I about melted right then and there! It was probably the best feeling ever, I didn't even mind that I was awake in the middle of the night (for the 357th night in a row...)! The fact that she recognized me and then actually called me by name (and happily!) was just amazing. It was funny, because when she said it, I actually jerked a bit because I was so shocked at what I heard. It was one of those times where I wish life had a tv remote (they made a movie about that once) and I could go back and rewind it, just to make sure I actually heard it! Even without rewind, I know it happened (or I guess it could have been a dream, I was half asleep) and am counting it, and so happy about it! :)
Monday, October 6, 2014
13 Months!
A,
I decided that I would keep doing these, even though we are now past your first year (so sad!)
I still can't believe that you are already one year's old! And you looks like such big girl now! You are very independent as well. You do not like it when we try and feed you or do things for you, you want to do everything for your self! It is exciting to watch you as you figure things out, and then the joy you have when you do figure something out, is so amazing! The facial expressions you have been making lately have been so adorable! You have this face you make, that I will not be able to accurately describe, and of course, you never keep it long enough for me to catch a photo, but its this look of shock and awe you get when you hear the keys in the door and know Daddy is coming home, or you see something like a bird, that is just the coolest thing ever to you. I just love to see that face, because I know it means you are happy and excited and learning.
We listen to Disney on the way to and from school each day (and I really need a new CD because I have now heard the same 10 songs over and over!), but you are starting to clap along and the other day you even tried to snap with the music! You have also started to dance and will purposefully go hit one of your toys that makes noise and then dance to it. So, super cute!
Dada, that is your favorite word at the moment. You will wander around saying it over and over again. Unless you want food, then you say Dad do, which for a long time we though was you saying dad do something, but then your daycare teacher told us she realized it was Thank you! Every time we hand you food, we say thank you, so you learn good manners, which you associated with, if I say it, I get food! So, now we are working on please!
You also are an outside, rough, and tumble kind of girl! We have been working on being gentle with you, as you have a tendency to hit when you get excited. You also have been hitting the babies at daycare, which we really need to stop. You have been having a lot of fun with your classmate, Paul though, as he is also a rough and tumble kind of guy! I watched you two play one day and you were like two little puppies rolling around and wrestling with one another!
Coloring has become a new activity for you. I am shocked at how well you sit and color! Granted, it is all scribbles, but still, impressive! You will switch up your colors, and just go to town on paper (or the ground when we give you chalk)! So, we may have an artist in the making!
We also started the slow weaning process and switching to milk. We started you on Coconut milk, which seemed to go ok, though you don't like to drink your milk from your sippy cups yet. Then, this past week we switched to regular whole milk to see if you would be ok. I was worried about it because you had issues when you were just born, and I went off milk and you seemed to get better. You seemed ok on it, but were getting rashes at the end of the day, and the Thursday you came home with a horrible rash! I felt so bad! So, I stopped the milk and finally it cleared up. So, back to just breastmilk for now, and then will go back to coconut milk for a while.
Your smile and your laugh are the best things in this world and you are starting to laugh and giggle a lot more, which just makes like so amazing! We love you more than words can say and you have made our life the best!
Love always and forever!
Mommy
I decided that I would keep doing these, even though we are now past your first year (so sad!)
I still can't believe that you are already one year's old! And you looks like such big girl now! You are very independent as well. You do not like it when we try and feed you or do things for you, you want to do everything for your self! It is exciting to watch you as you figure things out, and then the joy you have when you do figure something out, is so amazing! The facial expressions you have been making lately have been so adorable! You have this face you make, that I will not be able to accurately describe, and of course, you never keep it long enough for me to catch a photo, but its this look of shock and awe you get when you hear the keys in the door and know Daddy is coming home, or you see something like a bird, that is just the coolest thing ever to you. I just love to see that face, because I know it means you are happy and excited and learning.
We listen to Disney on the way to and from school each day (and I really need a new CD because I have now heard the same 10 songs over and over!), but you are starting to clap along and the other day you even tried to snap with the music! You have also started to dance and will purposefully go hit one of your toys that makes noise and then dance to it. So, super cute!
Dada, that is your favorite word at the moment. You will wander around saying it over and over again. Unless you want food, then you say Dad do, which for a long time we though was you saying dad do something, but then your daycare teacher told us she realized it was Thank you! Every time we hand you food, we say thank you, so you learn good manners, which you associated with, if I say it, I get food! So, now we are working on please!
You also are an outside, rough, and tumble kind of girl! We have been working on being gentle with you, as you have a tendency to hit when you get excited. You also have been hitting the babies at daycare, which we really need to stop. You have been having a lot of fun with your classmate, Paul though, as he is also a rough and tumble kind of guy! I watched you two play one day and you were like two little puppies rolling around and wrestling with one another!
Coloring has become a new activity for you. I am shocked at how well you sit and color! Granted, it is all scribbles, but still, impressive! You will switch up your colors, and just go to town on paper (or the ground when we give you chalk)! So, we may have an artist in the making!
We also started the slow weaning process and switching to milk. We started you on Coconut milk, which seemed to go ok, though you don't like to drink your milk from your sippy cups yet. Then, this past week we switched to regular whole milk to see if you would be ok. I was worried about it because you had issues when you were just born, and I went off milk and you seemed to get better. You seemed ok on it, but were getting rashes at the end of the day, and the Thursday you came home with a horrible rash! I felt so bad! So, I stopped the milk and finally it cleared up. So, back to just breastmilk for now, and then will go back to coconut milk for a while.
Your smile and your laugh are the best things in this world and you are starting to laugh and giggle a lot more, which just makes like so amazing! We love you more than words can say and you have made our life the best!
Love always and forever!
Mommy
Friday, September 12, 2014
12 Months!
So, this was delayed this month. More so because I think I am in denial about the whole thing...
A,
Wow, here we are, you are now one years old! I truly cannot believe it. I mean, everyone tells you how quickly the time flies by, but it is one thing to hear that and then another to see it actually happen. It feels like it was just yesterday when I held you so tiny in my arms and all you could do was sleep, eat, and cry. And now suddenly here you are, this big girl, with a mind of her own, taking on the world!
You have certainly gotten my stubborn streak that is for sure! Your personality cracks me up so much and oh, boy do you have a personality! You let us know exactly what you want and if you do not get it, well you let us know what you think about that too! You now like to run everywhere. Crawling is a thing of the past and everything is done at a walk or run now. You are very independent and want to do everything yourself. If we try and feed you, you shake your head no (so cute) and wait until we put it down, and then you will go and pick it up and feed it to yourself! You have even tried to put on your socks and shoes now as well! You haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet but it is so awesome that you are trying!
You still love your food but are becoming a bit more picky now. You LOVE blueberries and if you see one, you will take out the food in your mouth so you can put the blueberry in! It is hilarious, though we are trying to teach you that you can swallow your food and then have the blueberry. You drink great from any sippy cup now as well. You, much like me, do not seem to love your vegetables. We are working on that!
You still are not a sleeper, either. You take 1-2 naps a day and then wake 1-2 times a night. While I do look forward to the day you actually sleep all night, I know I will miss those cuddle times! You did give us 5 days in a row where you slept until 5am and I thought you finally had started to sleep through the night, but alas, it was just a phase as you have gone back to your nightly wake ups :)
You have become much more talkative as well lately! It is so cute trying to see you repeat what we say. Usually, you can get out the first part of a word such as shh for shoes and fssh for fish. And then sometimes you surprise us by saying the whole word very clearly! I pretty much understand what you want most of the time and have figured out your language. You still do your signs as well which really helps and you are a master pointer! You will point at what you want until we get it for you (or don't and which point you throw a fit). And yes, even though they say babies do not throw tantrums until they are usually 18 months you have already started those! I try hard not to laugh because I don't want you to think that it is good what you are doing. But it is really funny sometimes! You kick your little legs and get this epic cry face that is just hilarious. Even in a tantrum you are adorable!
I mentioned earlier about your running, but boy, do you run! You love, LOVE, love to be outside and walking around. You will walk to the front door and just pound on it asking to go outside. When we go on walks, you now like to push the stroller around rather than sit in it! You are also quite the gatherer, and like to stop and pick up everything on the ground. Your favorites are leaves and rocks. If you see a leaf or a rock, you will walk straight towards it and pick it up. If there are more than one you will not move forward until you have one in both hands. You are really sweet and try and then give them to me or Daddy and then go get more to hand to us.
You have also become a better listener which is great! If I tell you to wait, or to pick something up, most times you will do it. And the times you don't, is because you don't want to and are purposefully ignoring us, because I know you get it!
We had such a great time celebrating you turning one! We had a party on August 31st at our house. It was ducky themed as you love your ducks right now! So many people came to celebrate with you. You seemed to enjoy your day and coloring with chalk and playing in the "duck pond" (ball pit) at least when the boys were not going crazy in it! You were very funny with your cake! You did not know what to do with it and were very dainty at first. You just played with the icing and kept trying that. You then wanted to share and put a whole handful of icing on my face to share with me! After, Daddy and I helped you with your cake, you got more into it and then got it all over your face!
Then, on your actually birthday, we took your to Disneyland! It was such a fun day! Luckily, it was very empty and so you were able to walk Main Street and ToonTown without fear of being knocked down by crowds. You started the day seeing Pluto as soon as we walked in and you were so excited, so we got in line to meet him. You were so funny with the character (we saw Daisy and Mickey as well!) because far away you really wanted to see them but once we got close, you got a bit scared! One of your favorite things though was not actually part of Disneyland, but was the ducks that because it was not crowded were just hanging out all over the park. You got SO excited everytime you saw one and wanted to follow them! You loved the Tiki Room and the Parade as well. You liked waving to all the characters in the parade! It was such a wonderful day and I hope we can make this a new family tradition! :)
I still don't know how a whole year has gone by. But, to watch how you have grown and flourished this year just amazes me. I often times call you perfect and while you are testing us every day to see your boundaries, you truly are perfect in our eyes. When you smile, it warms my heart, and then when you laugh and giggle, well there is no better feeling then to hear that wonderful sound! I love you more than I thought it was possible to love and feel so incredibly blessed to be your mommy! I look forward to our future adventures and can't wait to see what this next year brings us!
Love you always and forever my precious girl,
Mommy
A,
Wow, here we are, you are now one years old! I truly cannot believe it. I mean, everyone tells you how quickly the time flies by, but it is one thing to hear that and then another to see it actually happen. It feels like it was just yesterday when I held you so tiny in my arms and all you could do was sleep, eat, and cry. And now suddenly here you are, this big girl, with a mind of her own, taking on the world!
You have certainly gotten my stubborn streak that is for sure! Your personality cracks me up so much and oh, boy do you have a personality! You let us know exactly what you want and if you do not get it, well you let us know what you think about that too! You now like to run everywhere. Crawling is a thing of the past and everything is done at a walk or run now. You are very independent and want to do everything yourself. If we try and feed you, you shake your head no (so cute) and wait until we put it down, and then you will go and pick it up and feed it to yourself! You have even tried to put on your socks and shoes now as well! You haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet but it is so awesome that you are trying!
You still love your food but are becoming a bit more picky now. You LOVE blueberries and if you see one, you will take out the food in your mouth so you can put the blueberry in! It is hilarious, though we are trying to teach you that you can swallow your food and then have the blueberry. You drink great from any sippy cup now as well. You, much like me, do not seem to love your vegetables. We are working on that!
You still are not a sleeper, either. You take 1-2 naps a day and then wake 1-2 times a night. While I do look forward to the day you actually sleep all night, I know I will miss those cuddle times! You did give us 5 days in a row where you slept until 5am and I thought you finally had started to sleep through the night, but alas, it was just a phase as you have gone back to your nightly wake ups :)
You have become much more talkative as well lately! It is so cute trying to see you repeat what we say. Usually, you can get out the first part of a word such as shh for shoes and fssh for fish. And then sometimes you surprise us by saying the whole word very clearly! I pretty much understand what you want most of the time and have figured out your language. You still do your signs as well which really helps and you are a master pointer! You will point at what you want until we get it for you (or don't and which point you throw a fit). And yes, even though they say babies do not throw tantrums until they are usually 18 months you have already started those! I try hard not to laugh because I don't want you to think that it is good what you are doing. But it is really funny sometimes! You kick your little legs and get this epic cry face that is just hilarious. Even in a tantrum you are adorable!
I mentioned earlier about your running, but boy, do you run! You love, LOVE, love to be outside and walking around. You will walk to the front door and just pound on it asking to go outside. When we go on walks, you now like to push the stroller around rather than sit in it! You are also quite the gatherer, and like to stop and pick up everything on the ground. Your favorites are leaves and rocks. If you see a leaf or a rock, you will walk straight towards it and pick it up. If there are more than one you will not move forward until you have one in both hands. You are really sweet and try and then give them to me or Daddy and then go get more to hand to us.
You have also become a better listener which is great! If I tell you to wait, or to pick something up, most times you will do it. And the times you don't, is because you don't want to and are purposefully ignoring us, because I know you get it!
We had such a great time celebrating you turning one! We had a party on August 31st at our house. It was ducky themed as you love your ducks right now! So many people came to celebrate with you. You seemed to enjoy your day and coloring with chalk and playing in the "duck pond" (ball pit) at least when the boys were not going crazy in it! You were very funny with your cake! You did not know what to do with it and were very dainty at first. You just played with the icing and kept trying that. You then wanted to share and put a whole handful of icing on my face to share with me! After, Daddy and I helped you with your cake, you got more into it and then got it all over your face!
Then, on your actually birthday, we took your to Disneyland! It was such a fun day! Luckily, it was very empty and so you were able to walk Main Street and ToonTown without fear of being knocked down by crowds. You started the day seeing Pluto as soon as we walked in and you were so excited, so we got in line to meet him. You were so funny with the character (we saw Daisy and Mickey as well!) because far away you really wanted to see them but once we got close, you got a bit scared! One of your favorite things though was not actually part of Disneyland, but was the ducks that because it was not crowded were just hanging out all over the park. You got SO excited everytime you saw one and wanted to follow them! You loved the Tiki Room and the Parade as well. You liked waving to all the characters in the parade! It was such a wonderful day and I hope we can make this a new family tradition! :)
I still don't know how a whole year has gone by. But, to watch how you have grown and flourished this year just amazes me. I often times call you perfect and while you are testing us every day to see your boundaries, you truly are perfect in our eyes. When you smile, it warms my heart, and then when you laugh and giggle, well there is no better feeling then to hear that wonderful sound! I love you more than I thought it was possible to love and feel so incredibly blessed to be your mommy! I look forward to our future adventures and can't wait to see what this next year brings us!
Love you always and forever my precious girl,
Mommy
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
11 Months!
A,
Ugh, how did we get here, 11 months, already! That means we are one month away from you being ONE! How did my little baby girl get to be almost one! I am so not ready! But, at the same time, each day is so exciting!
You have really grown so much this month! It is really amazing to watch you and how you just take on the world! You are now running, walking is too slow for you, that you now run everywhere! You hardly fall anymore either, you basically, see what you want and run to it. My favorite thing you do, is at the end of the day, when I pick you up, I crouch down, and you will run to my arms and give me a hug! It is the BEST feeling in the world. I love that you now hug! Such an amazing feeling! You also say Mama and seem to use it for me! I didn't think it really meant me when you said it, but the other day I asked where was Mama, and you looked at me and pointed. Oh, and your personality is showing to, the look you gave me, I could just hear you say, duh mom, you are right there! You have also gotten so giggly and smiling and you just love to play! Your favorite game is peek a boo! You will now go and "hide" somewhere and then poke your head out. This makes you laugh and laugh! You also love to say, uh oh, bubble, mama, dada, and it sounds like mama but have realized it is actually your version of more. It also appears that you have your own language as you are constantly babbling but I just have been able to translate yet!
You still LOVE your food! You still love your fruit and not so much your veggies (really do take after me!) but also enjoy the bread and other foods we have given you! You also really like to feed your self and have even fed yourself with a spoon a few times! You are doing better with the sippy cup as well. We have tried a few different ones and you are slowly getting the hang of it.
Sleep, oh what can I say about sleep. You do not sleep through the night. I have become ok with this though. I know one day you will sleep through the night. And at first, I will be happy to be getting sleep, but then, I know I will be sad that I don't get the precious cuddle time with you. Because, you see, right now, you are so active, and adventurous, and curious, that you don't want to stop for cuddles. But, at night, all you want is cuddles to help you go back to sleep. So, I will enjoy my cuddles and the sleepy pats and gazes that I get at night.
We love you so much! It is true all those cliche things that I read about how your heart grows more each day. It is so true because each day I love you more and more. I just look at you sometimes in amazement that you are here and how blessed we are to have you in our life. You make both mine and your daddy's lives so much better, we are better because of you, and the joy you bring to us, oh so much joy, I cannot completely describe it to you. Thank you for being such an amazing and wonderful daughter and make us the happiest parents! We love you always and forever!
Mommy
Ugh, how did we get here, 11 months, already! That means we are one month away from you being ONE! How did my little baby girl get to be almost one! I am so not ready! But, at the same time, each day is so exciting!
You have really grown so much this month! It is really amazing to watch you and how you just take on the world! You are now running, walking is too slow for you, that you now run everywhere! You hardly fall anymore either, you basically, see what you want and run to it. My favorite thing you do, is at the end of the day, when I pick you up, I crouch down, and you will run to my arms and give me a hug! It is the BEST feeling in the world. I love that you now hug! Such an amazing feeling! You also say Mama and seem to use it for me! I didn't think it really meant me when you said it, but the other day I asked where was Mama, and you looked at me and pointed. Oh, and your personality is showing to, the look you gave me, I could just hear you say, duh mom, you are right there! You have also gotten so giggly and smiling and you just love to play! Your favorite game is peek a boo! You will now go and "hide" somewhere and then poke your head out. This makes you laugh and laugh! You also love to say, uh oh, bubble, mama, dada, and it sounds like mama but have realized it is actually your version of more. It also appears that you have your own language as you are constantly babbling but I just have been able to translate yet!
You still LOVE your food! You still love your fruit and not so much your veggies (really do take after me!) but also enjoy the bread and other foods we have given you! You also really like to feed your self and have even fed yourself with a spoon a few times! You are doing better with the sippy cup as well. We have tried a few different ones and you are slowly getting the hang of it.
Sleep, oh what can I say about sleep. You do not sleep through the night. I have become ok with this though. I know one day you will sleep through the night. And at first, I will be happy to be getting sleep, but then, I know I will be sad that I don't get the precious cuddle time with you. Because, you see, right now, you are so active, and adventurous, and curious, that you don't want to stop for cuddles. But, at night, all you want is cuddles to help you go back to sleep. So, I will enjoy my cuddles and the sleepy pats and gazes that I get at night.
We love you so much! It is true all those cliche things that I read about how your heart grows more each day. It is so true because each day I love you more and more. I just look at you sometimes in amazement that you are here and how blessed we are to have you in our life. You make both mine and your daddy's lives so much better, we are better because of you, and the joy you bring to us, oh so much joy, I cannot completely describe it to you. Thank you for being such an amazing and wonderful daughter and make us the happiest parents! We love you always and forever!
Mommy
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
10 Months!
A bit late on this one - I am going to blame the holiday! :)
A,
As I posted over the holiday weekend, what I think is one of the most adorable pictures of you, you are our little firecracker! Your personality is really shining through and I love watching you grow! You are also now officially a WALKER! You took you first steps on June 22, 2014. And the good little eater that you are, what got you to walk for your first time, was a plum! Which you really enjoyed :) You LOVE food, you could eat all day long if we let you! You eat almost everything we give you, the only thing I think you have thrown away was some chicken. But if it is a fruit, veggie, or carb, watch out, because you will eat it in a second!
You also have been using sign language a lot more this month! We have done the signs for you but this month you really started to use them. You now will do milk, more, and food. You also made up your own sign for come here which you use often! You also love to point. This is your main means of communication. You point, and make some noise to let us know what you want! It is pretty adorable :)
You are also talking a lot more. Most of it is still babble, that I know in your mind, you are telling us something! But, you also will say real words, your favorite at the moment is, uh oh! You make the cutest face when you say it as well. Though Daddy's favorite, is when he says, maniacal laugh, you will do a bahahaha laugh! Again, so adorable, but not sure we should have taught you a maniacal laugh!
This month we also got your photos done with Grandma (my mom). I have a picture of me when I was a baby with my Mom and Grandma, so I wanted to make sure you would have a similar picture. Grandma also came up and spent almost a whole week with you! You had a great time playing with her and Grandpa (my dad)! And got very spoiled every day :) You light up whenever you see your Grandma, and I am loving watching this relationship grow and see how much you guys love each other.
Sleep... we don't know what that is in our house! You still wake up 1-2 times a night. Daddy will get you the first wake up and rock you back to sleep, and I will get you on the second one to feed and rock you. You wake up anywhere from 5:30am-7am for the day. I know at some point you will sleep through the night, but you don't seem to inclined to do so at the moment. And that is ok, I will take my extra cuddles, because I know when they are gone, I will really miss them!
You also started to go poo on the potty this month! This makes Mommy VERY happy as it is one less diaper to clean! It is more elimination communication than potty training as you just make your "poo" face and I put you on the potty. But still, makes me happy and you seem to like sitting on the potty. I have a great picture I will use to embarrass you later in life of you sitting on the potty reading a book!
Your teachers at daycare are constantly telling me how smart you are! And you really are! I can just see your mind working and trying to figure out the world. When you see a problem, you just set your mind to it, and come up with a solution. Your latest, has been to use Daddy's chair to be your walker to help get where you want to go. You also have learned how to climb up on things, which means that Mommy and Daddy are in trouble as now you can walk and climb on anything!
You got 4 teeth this month as well! The middle four of your top teeth came in. Your smile just keeps getting cuter and cuter each day! They did not follow the normal patter coming in either. Normally, they come in middle two and then side two, but you got your far right tooth in first (right eye tooth), then middle right, then middle left, and the middle eye tooth just popped through last weekend!
We love you so much, and you continue to make us happier than we even thought possible. When you laugh, it is the most amazing sound I have ever heard, and I just want to do anything to make you laugh again. When you crawl up to me and hold on to my pant legs, I just love it! If I could, I would cuddle, hug, and kiss you all day long! Though now you are starting to want to cuddle less and explore more, which makes me sad and excited at the same time. We will love you always and forever!
Mommy
A,
As I posted over the holiday weekend, what I think is one of the most adorable pictures of you, you are our little firecracker! Your personality is really shining through and I love watching you grow! You are also now officially a WALKER! You took you first steps on June 22, 2014. And the good little eater that you are, what got you to walk for your first time, was a plum! Which you really enjoyed :) You LOVE food, you could eat all day long if we let you! You eat almost everything we give you, the only thing I think you have thrown away was some chicken. But if it is a fruit, veggie, or carb, watch out, because you will eat it in a second!
You also have been using sign language a lot more this month! We have done the signs for you but this month you really started to use them. You now will do milk, more, and food. You also made up your own sign for come here which you use often! You also love to point. This is your main means of communication. You point, and make some noise to let us know what you want! It is pretty adorable :)
You are also talking a lot more. Most of it is still babble, that I know in your mind, you are telling us something! But, you also will say real words, your favorite at the moment is, uh oh! You make the cutest face when you say it as well. Though Daddy's favorite, is when he says, maniacal laugh, you will do a bahahaha laugh! Again, so adorable, but not sure we should have taught you a maniacal laugh!
This month we also got your photos done with Grandma (my mom). I have a picture of me when I was a baby with my Mom and Grandma, so I wanted to make sure you would have a similar picture. Grandma also came up and spent almost a whole week with you! You had a great time playing with her and Grandpa (my dad)! And got very spoiled every day :) You light up whenever you see your Grandma, and I am loving watching this relationship grow and see how much you guys love each other.
Sleep... we don't know what that is in our house! You still wake up 1-2 times a night. Daddy will get you the first wake up and rock you back to sleep, and I will get you on the second one to feed and rock you. You wake up anywhere from 5:30am-7am for the day. I know at some point you will sleep through the night, but you don't seem to inclined to do so at the moment. And that is ok, I will take my extra cuddles, because I know when they are gone, I will really miss them!
You also started to go poo on the potty this month! This makes Mommy VERY happy as it is one less diaper to clean! It is more elimination communication than potty training as you just make your "poo" face and I put you on the potty. But still, makes me happy and you seem to like sitting on the potty. I have a great picture I will use to embarrass you later in life of you sitting on the potty reading a book!
Your teachers at daycare are constantly telling me how smart you are! And you really are! I can just see your mind working and trying to figure out the world. When you see a problem, you just set your mind to it, and come up with a solution. Your latest, has been to use Daddy's chair to be your walker to help get where you want to go. You also have learned how to climb up on things, which means that Mommy and Daddy are in trouble as now you can walk and climb on anything!
You got 4 teeth this month as well! The middle four of your top teeth came in. Your smile just keeps getting cuter and cuter each day! They did not follow the normal patter coming in either. Normally, they come in middle two and then side two, but you got your far right tooth in first (right eye tooth), then middle right, then middle left, and the middle eye tooth just popped through last weekend!
We love you so much, and you continue to make us happier than we even thought possible. When you laugh, it is the most amazing sound I have ever heard, and I just want to do anything to make you laugh again. When you crawl up to me and hold on to my pant legs, I just love it! If I could, I would cuddle, hug, and kiss you all day long! Though now you are starting to want to cuddle less and explore more, which makes me sad and excited at the same time. We will love you always and forever!
Mommy
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Disney World Trip!
This past May, I went to DISNEYWORLD!! If you couldn't tell from the caps, I was pretty excited about. As a long time, Disney and Disneyland fan, I have always wanted to go to Disney World. So, when my friend and I saw that a conference was happening in Orlando, we made sure to put in a proposal to present so we could attend. Well, they accepted our proposal (because we are awesome) and suddenly my dreams of going were a reality!
I convinced my husband that this was a great opportunity and that we should turn it in to a family vacation. At first, he was hesitant, as he did not want to take our 9 month old daughter on a long plane ride. I got where he was coming from, but I could tell she would be a good traveler and thought we would be ok. So, he finally agreed and the planning began! Aurora did awesome the whole trip, I was so proud of what a good traveler she really is!! :)
We decided to stay on resort (helps that the conference hotel was sold out) and ended up going with the Fort Wilderness Cabins. We originally were going to stay at another hotel, but my Mom was also going to join us and felt a standard hotel room would be a bit cramped! So, she upgraded us to the Cabins!
The Fort Wilderness Resort was AWESOME! It did make more sense to be there with so many people as we had a full kitchen, a full bathroom, and my Mom had a cool murphy bed in the living room! That way, we each had our own space, and a night, we could put Aurora down in the bedroom, and we could still be up chatting and getting ready for the next day without bothering her. The resort also had an awesome restaurant, Trail's End, which had a wonderful dinner buffet. We liked it so much we went twice! We didn't leave ourselves any free days, so we did not get to utilize the resort as much as we would have liked. So, we will definitely be returning here someday!!
Our first day, we went to Epcot. I was like a child that morning as I was SO excited! When the bus pulled up that said Epcot, I literally squealed in excitement! We were on our way to our first park!! The bus was a pretty quick ride (the whole bus system is awesome and really makes staying on a resort worth it)! As soon as we pulled up, I saw the huge iconic ball, and was thrilled beyond belief! We got in pretty quickly and high tailed it to the World Showcase. I kept thinking, wow, it is so calm today, no one is here, this is amazing! Well, come to find out the World Showcase doesn't open until 11! No wonder no one was there yet! So, we made our way back to the front, and did the space ride (well Aurora and my Mom sat that one out!) and it was really fun. Then we walked over to the Nemo Ride with our fastpass. It was a fun ride which Aurora loved but what she really loved was the huge aquarium that you end at! I had no idea they had an aquarium! We saw rays, turtles, manatees, dolphins, and so many other fish. Aurora, was in love with the aquarium! I think she would have been happy there all day! But, it was now past 11, and I knew Princess Aurora was going to be in France and I needed my Aurora to meet the princess, so we hiked it over to the World Showcase! We spent the rest of the day here and LOVED it. All the countries, all the food, all the excitement! We also got to meet Mulan, who was so good with Aurora and spent a lot of time with her! We also did the ride in Norway which was similar to Pirates. We ended the night with their firework show which was really cool. Aurora again surprised me as she wasn't phased at all! It was SO loud, and if I didn't already know she could hear, I would worry she was deaf as she did not react at all to the noise! After the show, we made our way back to our cabin to get ready for the next day!
The Animal Kingdom was next. This became my Mom and Jon's favorite of the parks. I sadly was only there for a couple hours as I had to leave early to go present (you know, the whole reason we got to come here in the first place...!). I couldn't get a fastpass for the safari so we ran to that first as it was the one thing I really wanted to do! Luckily, it wasn't crowded again, and we got on in 15 minutes! It was a very cool ride! They actually drive you around their open park area where the animals are just chillin. The animals were actually really close to us and we saw a ton, the coolest being the elephants! After, we walked through one of the trails that they have to see more animals. We also then rushed to the Dinosaur area so we could ride the Dinosaur ride, which was really fun!
The next day, we actually went off Disney property and went to Universal Studios, Island of Adventure! Basically, we were going for one part of the park, Harry Potter!! And it was better than I imagined! They really have made the books and movie come to life there! The castle ride they have is probably one of the best rides I have ever taken (sorry, Disney!)! We loved it so much we rode it twice (and I really was trying for a third time!). Just walking down the street and seeing Honeydukes, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Express, eating lunch and drinking ButterBeer at the three broomsticks, was absolutely amazing. The only bummer was the that we missed the opening of Diagon Alley by 2 weeks! But that just means we will have to come back :)
Our last full day of our trip, we saved for the Magic Kingdom! I am glad we saved it for last because it was a FULL day! We met a ton of characters (Ariel, Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Belle, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and more I am forgetting!). I really liked the new Fantasyland that they have. Having all the castles there just makes it look so magical. I think my favorite ride though was the People Mover, because I loved that ride at Disneyland, and because Aurora LOVED it! She laughed and smiled the whole time! It was so cute! We also did Jungle Cruise, Pirates (totally not the same as Disneyland!), Ariel's ride, and I think others but now I am forgetting! We also did the Tiki Room, which was another big hit with Aurora! And my favorite, getting Dole Whip after! Then we watched their Castle and Firework show. The castle show, if very, very cool! They put all these images on the castle and it was amazing what they could do and they even made it appear as if it were moving at times! We kept meaning to leave, but, then would get caught up by something, like the shows, or buying presents, or seeing a sign for Snow White and "Princess" which I had to go see! So, we were there for a good 12 hours and I loved every minute! Oh, totally forgot to mention we also got to eat at Be Our Guest! This is the Beast's castle and they have three rooms decorated just like from the movie. It was again, amazing! Best part though was having dessert, I had - "try the gray stuff, its delicious!" and it really was! :)
Overall, this trip was better than I even imagined. I knew I would love it, but I loved it so much! I can't wait until we can plan our next trip out there as there is still so much to see!! :)
I convinced my husband that this was a great opportunity and that we should turn it in to a family vacation. At first, he was hesitant, as he did not want to take our 9 month old daughter on a long plane ride. I got where he was coming from, but I could tell she would be a good traveler and thought we would be ok. So, he finally agreed and the planning began! Aurora did awesome the whole trip, I was so proud of what a good traveler she really is!! :)
We decided to stay on resort (helps that the conference hotel was sold out) and ended up going with the Fort Wilderness Cabins. We originally were going to stay at another hotel, but my Mom was also going to join us and felt a standard hotel room would be a bit cramped! So, she upgraded us to the Cabins!
The Fort Wilderness Resort was AWESOME! It did make more sense to be there with so many people as we had a full kitchen, a full bathroom, and my Mom had a cool murphy bed in the living room! That way, we each had our own space, and a night, we could put Aurora down in the bedroom, and we could still be up chatting and getting ready for the next day without bothering her. The resort also had an awesome restaurant, Trail's End, which had a wonderful dinner buffet. We liked it so much we went twice! We didn't leave ourselves any free days, so we did not get to utilize the resort as much as we would have liked. So, we will definitely be returning here someday!!
Our first day, we went to Epcot. I was like a child that morning as I was SO excited! When the bus pulled up that said Epcot, I literally squealed in excitement! We were on our way to our first park!! The bus was a pretty quick ride (the whole bus system is awesome and really makes staying on a resort worth it)! As soon as we pulled up, I saw the huge iconic ball, and was thrilled beyond belief! We got in pretty quickly and high tailed it to the World Showcase. I kept thinking, wow, it is so calm today, no one is here, this is amazing! Well, come to find out the World Showcase doesn't open until 11! No wonder no one was there yet! So, we made our way back to the front, and did the space ride (well Aurora and my Mom sat that one out!) and it was really fun. Then we walked over to the Nemo Ride with our fastpass. It was a fun ride which Aurora loved but what she really loved was the huge aquarium that you end at! I had no idea they had an aquarium! We saw rays, turtles, manatees, dolphins, and so many other fish. Aurora, was in love with the aquarium! I think she would have been happy there all day! But, it was now past 11, and I knew Princess Aurora was going to be in France and I needed my Aurora to meet the princess, so we hiked it over to the World Showcase! We spent the rest of the day here and LOVED it. All the countries, all the food, all the excitement! We also got to meet Mulan, who was so good with Aurora and spent a lot of time with her! We also did the ride in Norway which was similar to Pirates. We ended the night with their firework show which was really cool. Aurora again surprised me as she wasn't phased at all! It was SO loud, and if I didn't already know she could hear, I would worry she was deaf as she did not react at all to the noise! After the show, we made our way back to our cabin to get ready for the next day!
The Animal Kingdom was next. This became my Mom and Jon's favorite of the parks. I sadly was only there for a couple hours as I had to leave early to go present (you know, the whole reason we got to come here in the first place...!). I couldn't get a fastpass for the safari so we ran to that first as it was the one thing I really wanted to do! Luckily, it wasn't crowded again, and we got on in 15 minutes! It was a very cool ride! They actually drive you around their open park area where the animals are just chillin. The animals were actually really close to us and we saw a ton, the coolest being the elephants! After, we walked through one of the trails that they have to see more animals. We also then rushed to the Dinosaur area so we could ride the Dinosaur ride, which was really fun!
The next day, we actually went off Disney property and went to Universal Studios, Island of Adventure! Basically, we were going for one part of the park, Harry Potter!! And it was better than I imagined! They really have made the books and movie come to life there! The castle ride they have is probably one of the best rides I have ever taken (sorry, Disney!)! We loved it so much we rode it twice (and I really was trying for a third time!). Just walking down the street and seeing Honeydukes, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Express, eating lunch and drinking ButterBeer at the three broomsticks, was absolutely amazing. The only bummer was the that we missed the opening of Diagon Alley by 2 weeks! But that just means we will have to come back :)
Our last full day of our trip, we saved for the Magic Kingdom! I am glad we saved it for last because it was a FULL day! We met a ton of characters (Ariel, Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Belle, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and more I am forgetting!). I really liked the new Fantasyland that they have. Having all the castles there just makes it look so magical. I think my favorite ride though was the People Mover, because I loved that ride at Disneyland, and because Aurora LOVED it! She laughed and smiled the whole time! It was so cute! We also did Jungle Cruise, Pirates (totally not the same as Disneyland!), Ariel's ride, and I think others but now I am forgetting! We also did the Tiki Room, which was another big hit with Aurora! And my favorite, getting Dole Whip after! Then we watched their Castle and Firework show. The castle show, if very, very cool! They put all these images on the castle and it was amazing what they could do and they even made it appear as if it were moving at times! We kept meaning to leave, but, then would get caught up by something, like the shows, or buying presents, or seeing a sign for Snow White and "Princess" which I had to go see! So, we were there for a good 12 hours and I loved every minute! Oh, totally forgot to mention we also got to eat at Be Our Guest! This is the Beast's castle and they have three rooms decorated just like from the movie. It was again, amazing! Best part though was having dessert, I had - "try the gray stuff, its delicious!" and it really was! :)
Overall, this trip was better than I even imagined. I knew I would love it, but I loved it so much! I can't wait until we can plan our next trip out there as there is still so much to see!! :)
Monday, June 23, 2014
Walking!!
This deserves its own post! At 9 months old, on June 22, 2014, my little one took her first steps on her own!
She has been walking assisted for almost two months now, but she just wouldn't take those steps by herself. She would stand there and hold her hand up and wait until J or I gave her our hand, and then she would start walking. Or, she would find things she could walk along, or move along, to get her where she needed to go. But, yesterday, we found the motivating piece to get her to take steps on her own - PLUMS!
We went for a walk to the park to check out a potential birthday site (that is coming up WAY to quickly!), and J had brought a plum for a snack. He was eating and she seemed really interested in it so we have her a bite. Well, she LOVED it. So, I said, let's put her down, maybe she will walk to it. I was totally joking as I did not think she would do it at all. But, I put her down and J held the plum out, AND SHE WALKED TO IT! I was in shock! Granted, it was only three steps, but still three steps, by herself! I was SO proud! She did it!! Of course, once the plum was gone, she didn't do it again. Clearly, we need to go buy more plums!
I am one very proud mama today! :)
She has been walking assisted for almost two months now, but she just wouldn't take those steps by herself. She would stand there and hold her hand up and wait until J or I gave her our hand, and then she would start walking. Or, she would find things she could walk along, or move along, to get her where she needed to go. But, yesterday, we found the motivating piece to get her to take steps on her own - PLUMS!
We went for a walk to the park to check out a potential birthday site (that is coming up WAY to quickly!), and J had brought a plum for a snack. He was eating and she seemed really interested in it so we have her a bite. Well, she LOVED it. So, I said, let's put her down, maybe she will walk to it. I was totally joking as I did not think she would do it at all. But, I put her down and J held the plum out, AND SHE WALKED TO IT! I was in shock! Granted, it was only three steps, but still three steps, by herself! I was SO proud! She did it!! Of course, once the plum was gone, she didn't do it again. Clearly, we need to go buy more plums!
I am one very proud mama today! :)
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