Bella's 2 year Update!

I think I have started every one of these posts the same way, but each time I do one of these-- I really can't believe my baby is 2 years old!

I love that I have kept up with these update posts and reading back over them starting with my pregnancy with her, brings tears to my eyes.

If I thought year one flew by....

Then that was nothing compared to year 2..... (Warning- picture overload!)

Okay, I could seriously sit here and upload pictures all day but I am going to make myself stop now and share the pics from her actual birthday. The one on the left is Bella eating her birthday breakfast. What else? Pancakes with candles. And then homemade strawberry cake with a #2 candle. Of course.

And now to the update part....

Weight~ 25 pounds

Height~ Umm... I'll have to get back on this. Somebody threw away the papertowel I had this written on from the MD's office. Not naming any names or anything:)

Feedings~ Can I even call it this anymore? Bella eats 3 meals a day and a morning and afternoon snack.

Favorite Breakfast- Eggs, turkey bacon, and toast

Favorite Lunch- Macoroni and Cheese

Favorite Dinner- She really eats anything we eat but she really likes spaghetti, chicken, corn on the cob and green beans.

Snacks- She Love, love, LOVES pumpkin and banana organic baby food packets and gerber disney princess baby food packets as long as there's a princess on front.

Sleep~ Year 2 has been great on this front. Bella takes one 2-3 hour nap about midday and goes down easily at night between 7:30-8pm and wakes around 7:30am. No complaints here!

Play~ This child is the epitomy of Girlie. She loves to play dress up, barbies, dolls, coloring, dancing, singing, "reading" books and of course anything her sisters are doing is top on her list. But her absolute favorite thing is to play building blocks.

Development~

Copies others, especially adults and older children

Gets excited when with other children

Shows independence

Shows defiant behavior (check! And looks you in the eye the whole time!)

Plays with other children

oints to things or pictures when they are named

Knows names of familiar people and body parts

Says sentences with 2 to 4 words

Follows simple instructions

Repeats words overheard in conversation

Points to things in a book

Finds things even when hidden under two or three covers

Begins to sort shapes and colors

Completes sentences and rhymes in familiar books

Plays simple make-believe games

Builds towers of 4 or more blocks

Might use one hand more than the other

Follows two-step instructions such as “Pick up your shoes and put them in the closet.”

Names items in a picture book such as a cat, bird, or dog

Stands on tiptoe

Kicks a ball

Begins to run

Climbs onto and down from furniture without help

Walks up and down stairs holding on

Throws ball overhand

Makes or copies straight lines and circles

And we have just switched over to pullups. So far I have done absolutely no training. I'm a firm believer that taking it slow is much more progressive than rushing the process. Trust me. I've done this a time or two. But already she has used the potty in our bathroom a couple of times all on her own. She just went in there with Mary Kathryn and copied her. Plan- Let her set her own pace with guidance when needed.

Favorite things to do~ Play building blocks!, singing, dancing, hiding (especially in cabinets), playing with her sisters, coloring, watching Mickey Mouse and The Grinch movie (she is obsessed with this movie but hides during the scary parts). Personally, after watching this movie, I think she favors cindy lou who:) And one of her favorite things to do is play in her sisters' bedrooms. She loves going in their rooms and pulling out their toys. She has a ball but makes a mess. Neither of her sisters like this very much....But of course they get taken in by her cuteness and let her play in there anyway:) We are working on learning to pick our toys up but it's a work in progress.

Personality~ Anyone who knows Bella knows she is very outgoing. She will sing and dance for anyone who will take the time to watch. In fact, sometimes we turn the tv off and watch Bella instead. It's way more entertaining I promise!

We love watching our Bella grow and can't wait to see what the next year has in store for her!

Summer is over at our house- Back to school time!

I can not even believe that I have a 10 and 7 seven year old. It's probably a good thing I started having babies right away because at 31 years old it is hard enough to keep up with our grueling schedule. I can't even imagine if I had waited!

If you can't tell from the picture above-- these two were super excited this morning. It was like Christmas Eve all over again last night. They were in bed by 8:45pm, but I have no idea what time they finally fell asleep. Luckily, the first day of school went off without a hitch. They came home so happy and with lots of stories about how much they love their teachers and new friends.

I think we were all happy for school to be back in! If ever there was a family that thrived on routine, it is this family. And the school year keeps us on a tight schedule. When you add school, allstar cheer practice, tumbling practice, dance, and gymnastics, dedication time, homework,--Oh yeah, and work-- there is not much room for sitting around being bored! And when you do get a day of relaxation-- it is appreciated that much more!

But then again, when I see the girl's gymnastics team's dedication and hardwork pay off, it renews my determination to do whatever it takes to allow my kids to follow their dreams. They may never go to an olympics or be the best there is, but they will have been given every opportunity to be the best that they can be. As parents we encourage, support and sacrifice so that they can live up to their potential.

Honestly, sometimes the running around can wear on me, but then after a few weeks of break from it, we are all ready for the daily grind again. ( the girls, of course, are always ready to go,go, go!)

And before I forget,  this summer I began teaching them basic french. After much research, I found an easy curriculum and followed it through the first session. I was really pleased with the results. In fact, they are now able to read and understand the below conversation.

Marie: Je m’appelle Marie.

Chérie: And my name is Chérie.

Marie: I am a little girl and Chérie is mon petit chaton.

Chérie: Marie, what is un petit chaton?

Marie: Chérie, you are un petit chaton. Un petit chaton is a little kitten.

Chérie: Merci Marie.

Marie: De rien. It was nothing.

The program had an audio that went along with it so they were able to hear correct pronunciation. I hope to continue this some when school starts--if we can fit it in. With that being said....Do you know what I look forward to most about school starting???

It means we are much closer to Fall and I am SO ready for cooler weather, pumpkins, leaves changing and.....you guessed it. STARBUCKS PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES!!

Our new friend epipen jr

Well, this past weekend I made a lovely meal of lemon butter shrimp and scallops. Absolutely delicious! I cut up 2 shrimp into small pieces and placed them on Bella's plate with her other food.

A couple of minutes later I heard a funny little coughing noise coming from Bella and checked on her to find big, puffy, red lips and a red rash making its way all around her mouth. I think her throat must have been itchy or swelling which caused her to make the coughing noise. Of course, I knew immediately she was having a bad allergic reaction to the shrimp. I quickly gave her benadryl and watched her carefully for any signs that her breathing was impaired. Luckily, she had only taken a very small bite of the shrimp and the benadryl eventually helped to resolve the swelling and rash.

Of course my mind wanders to what in the world would have happened if she had eaten more of the shrimp before I noticed. She reacted so quickly and severly to such a small amt of shrimp that her pediatrician called in some epipens in case she is exposed again. And also we don't know what else she may be allergic to and how she will react. So from now on I will be keeping one of these in her diaper bag and one at home.

The below picture was taken well after the benadryl was given and I could tell she was getting better. I wanted to take a picture to show her pediatrician so I snapped the one below.

I feel bad for her that she will never be able to enjoy shrimp. It's one of my favorite foods. And I know I will hardly ever eat it anymore because I won't want to risk her getting any. But I am thankful that we now know that she has the allergy and that I was there and caught it before it became life threatening. Anyone else have a child with severe food allergies??

And we are entering the....Double Digits!

I can not even believe my precious baby girl is 10, yes you read that right, 10 years old! This little girl has taught me more than I ever imagined possible over the last 10 years of our lives. Having her opened the flood gates of new feelings, knowledge,a new sense of purpose and has led me on a continual journey of self evaluation. Through both incredible luck and lots of hard work on our part, Hailey has grown into an empathetic, patient, well mannered, loving little girl who is leading a great example for her little sisters.

So here is how we celebrated her entry into the double digits...

Every year since she turned 7 years old we have had a large sleepover birthday party for her with her friends and cousins. It's so fun to look at how much they grow up over 4 years! Below I have included a picture of the party girls from each year.

Hailey's 7th Birthday Sleepover



Hailey's 8th Birthday Sleepover



Hailey's 9th Birthday Sleepover



Hailey's 10th Birthday Sleepover



What a trip down memory lane! It really brings home how fast these little ones grow and the importance of using these years wisely to prepare them for adulthood. I have to admit that entering the teenage years in just 3 short years has me slightly terrified, but my hope and prayer is that He will guide me through and that everything that we have worked so hard to instill in her will help to make it as smooth as possible.

~Bella's 18 month Update~

This is so true! I started blogging about my pregnancy with Bella and have literally documented her entire life so far. This is such a great way to remember all of the little things that are often forgotten over the years and also for our friends and family that may not get to see the girls often. I only wish there was such a thing as blogging when my first was born! But no worries, they have all certaintly been blogged about since I started this!:)
So on to the 18 month update!.....

It is finally time for another Bella update. She turned 1 year old last July, which makes her 18 months this month!! After Bella turned one, I decided to update every 6 months because there are not as many monthly changes as there are in the first year. So her next update will be this summer when she turns 2 years old!! Wow, time is flying and with every day that passes we see more and more of that sweet little personality shine through. I think it is safe to say that Bella has established herself as a sweet natured yet very determined child. She knows what she wants and there are no moments of indecision for her! Once she decides what she wants she goes for it wholeheartedly. This reminds me very much of Hailey as a baby. But Bella differs in that she is much more outgoing and LOVES to be the center of attention. If the attention in the room is elsewhere she goes about dancing, singing, trying to "show" you something (which is pretty much anything she can find at that moment). She is a lot like Mary Kathryn in that she is very empathetic. If she sees someone upset she is going to go love on them, give them her toy, or entertain them until they smile. Bella is definitely the baby of the family and her sisters dote on her all of the time. And Bella loves that of course!:)

Weight~ Bella is 21 pounds and 7 ounces! Though she is only in the 6th percentile for weight, her growth chart shows that she is growing "just perfectly". Both Hailey and Mary Kathryn were in the 6-9th percentile range at this age. I just have petite little girls I guess!:)

Feedings~ Bella is a good eater and can eat just about anything we eat. Some of her favorites are scrambled or poached eggs, chicken and rice, pancakes, and chicken. She is still not able to drink cow's milk or many other dairy products but she loves her vanilla soy milk!! She will also drink apple juice or water but LOVES soy milk. Whenever I have tried any cow's milk she breaks into a rash and gets severe diarrhea, so no milk right now. I am actually considering taking her to an allergist to check it out. Below is a picture of the rash she first got when I weaned her from breastmilk to organic whole milk at 1 year.

Sleep~ Bella goes to sleep for the night between 7 and 7:30pm. I give her a sippy cup of soymilk and then lie her down awake and she goes right to sleep. I am so thankful for this because the sleepless nights from last year are still vivid in my mind! On Tuesday nights we are late getting home from cheer practice in greenville, so I put her pjs and nighttime diaper on right before we leave to come home from cheer around 8:00pm. She sleeps the hour drive home and then I just transfer her right from the car to her crib when we get home. Bella also takes 1-2 naps for a couple of hours each day. It depends on what our schedule for the day is like whether she gets one or two naps. With two older sisters in school and with extracurricular activites, Bella has to go with the flow:)

Play~ Bella loves to play with her friends Audrey and Ellie when she is at the babysitters. She has become quite proficient at calling out their names when we drive up to Ms.Ann's house. She knows it is time to play with her bestie:) She also loves to play anything that Hailey and Mary Kathryn are playing whether its barbies, dolls or coloring pictures, she is right there with them. Her play kitchen is also a favorite as well as her babydoll and carriage.

Development~ Bella can run, jump, climb stairs while standing and holding the rail, hold a pencil or crayon correctly, talk in short sentences, identify familiar people and objects by name, sing songs in their entirety and all kinds of big girl things. She is also aware when she goes potty in her diaper because she will come up to us while holding her diaper to let us know. We may start introducing the potty chair sometime around her 2nd birthday:) No hurries though!:)

Favorite things right now~ Her wubbanub pacifiers (I have decided to start that weaning process around 2 years), her sissies, her pink blanket and she loves going to watch cheerleading competitions! It's a good thing because she goes to lots of them! In fact, she makes multiple attempts during the competitions to run out onto the mat/stage. It is only my quick mommy reflexes that have stopped this from happening! I also can't wait to take her to Mary Kathryn's recital in June. I know she will just love it!!

Just look at how much Bella has grown since this picture was taken at a few weeks old!!

And now look how big she is!!

18 months already!! It never ceases to amaze me at how fast children grow. Motherhood is such a blessing and a tremendous responsibilty. It is so easy to love them and make them happy, but we mothers also carry the responsibility of nuturing their realationship with God, directing the growth of their charachter, helping them to develop their individual gifts and talents, setting clear expectations of right and wrong, and the list goes on....
What an important and hard job we have! My prayer is that God will lead me in this and guide their little hearts in their journey.

Happy 18 months Bella!!!:)

Bella's sweet singing:)

I took the sweetest video of Bella singing the other day and we have finally figured out what she has been trying to sing. It's row, row, row your boat!
Bella LOVES to sing. And she sings ALL the time. It is the absolute sweetest thing and I really don't remember my other two singing quite so much at her age. It has just taken us a while to figure out which songs she is trying to sing. Her very favorites here lately are "I love you, you love me" (which sounds like "eee wat eee", Good morning Bella ( I must get this one on camera. It is the cutest!!), and Row, row, row your boat, which is posted below. See if you can understand her:)

Happy October!!

Around our house we are super excited to see October usher in cooler weather and all kinds of fun carnivals, fairs, and fall outings. This is one of our favorite times of year!

The girls and I were really excited to decorate our pumpkins. It's just not October at our house without pumpkins sitting out;) I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin carving since it really doesn't last, so we used gold vinyl to monogram the large pumpkin and sprayed the small pumpkins with adhesive and sprinkled with gold/orange glitter. We were quite pleased with the end result pictured above:) The only downside...glittery hands to contend with whenever Bella picks them up:)

Another perk to fall... Caramel apples! Here's a picture of the girls helping Bella eat her first caramel apple.

Someone's loving this perfect fall weather...

And this October, a common occurance around here has been lots of dancing in the living room. Hailey is wearing an aircast in this picture. She is supposed to be staying off of her feet due to a torn ligament in her ankle from cheerleading, but it is like trying to hold back time to get the child to rest!

Speaking of which, even with an injured ankle, Hailey has finally learned this...!!




Hailey is beyond excited!!



And lastly, a video of Bella doing something she shares in common with her sisters...playing Barbie:)




Happy October until next time~~:)