FYI: A very random post today.
Like all normal people, I've always only ever sneezed once at a time. Mark, however, sneezes two to three times a go and Taylor seems to have picked up his strange genes.
Now a strange thing has occurred. Over the last few days I've been sneezing twice at a time. I think either Mark is contagious and it took about 5 years to catch his sneezing disease, or I my sneezing gene has mutated.
In a related note, when I sneezed this morning Taylor said, "Bless you, Mommy." Soooo cute.
That is all. :)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Chugging along
Lately, Taylor's verbal skills have been shooting through the roof. She can repeat short sentences now and uses more phrases on her own: I lof oo Daddy, I don't like that, Dada (Taylor) do it, No barking Beebee (Phoebe), Where'd it go?
Other new words:
Mailman
Bobo = blanket (an old one I forgot)...now transitioning to Bankit
Yellow, Green, Pink, White
Pie
Pineapple
Pants
Shopping
Taylor's bedtime routine is still going strong...though we've had some unavoidable late nights recently (church mtg, Bible study). She really prefers to sleep in her room and her bed instead of ours. I think the new setup of the room works well. I have all her books on a shelf in the corner and her toys in the bin organizer against the wall. In the evenings we have a designated reading spot and then we hop in her bed and I nurse her a little. I took the twin mattress out of the room after only a few days because it didn't seem to help the separation transition. Mark also hung a bed sheet over the window so the room is much darker.
Now Taylor sleeps an average of 5hrs before calling me in to nurse, sleeps another 3-5 hrs before calling me in again, and then finishes out her last couple of hours. She's been getting really good about accepting when I tell her that "milk is all done" and can fall asleep without it. I think the regular routine has definitely helped improve her nap schedule as well.
It's been hard to tap into motivation to keep house the last week or so, but today that must come to an end. The piles of clean clothes and stacks of dirty dishes are wagging their fingers at me. It is time to make amends.
Other new words:
Mailman
Bobo = blanket (an old one I forgot)...now transitioning to Bankit
Yellow, Green, Pink, White
Pie
Pineapple
Pants
Shopping
Taylor's bedtime routine is still going strong...though we've had some unavoidable late nights recently (church mtg, Bible study). She really prefers to sleep in her room and her bed instead of ours. I think the new setup of the room works well. I have all her books on a shelf in the corner and her toys in the bin organizer against the wall. In the evenings we have a designated reading spot and then we hop in her bed and I nurse her a little. I took the twin mattress out of the room after only a few days because it didn't seem to help the separation transition. Mark also hung a bed sheet over the window so the room is much darker.
Now Taylor sleeps an average of 5hrs before calling me in to nurse, sleeps another 3-5 hrs before calling me in again, and then finishes out her last couple of hours. She's been getting really good about accepting when I tell her that "milk is all done" and can fall asleep without it. I think the regular routine has definitely helped improve her nap schedule as well.
It's been hard to tap into motivation to keep house the last week or so, but today that must come to an end. The piles of clean clothes and stacks of dirty dishes are wagging their fingers at me. It is time to make amends.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
One giant leap
After a couple of weeks of attempting this new bedtime/nighttime routine with Taylor, we've had a breakthrough. She fell asleep around 9:45pm and didn't ask for me until 3:15am (6 hours of solid sleep!), THEN went back to sleep right away and is still asleep now (almost 7am)! She'll probably be out for another hour.
That is one small win for Mommy, one giant leap for Taylor's sleep.
Throughout the night I kept checking the baby monitor to make sure she was still alive - yes, still breathing. When Mark's alarm went off at 5am, I didn't want to get out of bed because I was savoring the moment: sleeping in my own bed with as much room as I wanted, not having nursed Taylor all night. Don't get me wrong, I love co-sleeping and I love nursing my baby. But my baby isn't so much of a baby anymore and she takes up too much room in the bed for me to sleep comfortably.
Now, I just need to make sure I don't get so excited about this that I expect it every night going forward. As anyone with children can tell you, nothing ever stays the same.
In other news, Taylor acquired a new advanced skill in gymnastics on Monday. On the trampoline she can now jump, bounce on her bottom, and return to a standing position. I was so proud! No one else in the class can do that, and she's one of the younger ones. Miss Kim, the instructor, then tried to get her to jump, bounce on her bottom, and go directly into a forward roll, but I think that skill will take a few more weeks yet. Taylor's forward rolls are at about 50-70% consistency now and doing that after bouncing takes a lot more coordination.
It is now officially less than three weeks before Taylor is 2 years old. I'm so excited for her. She has developed into such a talkative, bubbly, little girl. I can't wait to see how she continues to grow and change.
That is one small win for Mommy, one giant leap for Taylor's sleep.
Throughout the night I kept checking the baby monitor to make sure she was still alive - yes, still breathing. When Mark's alarm went off at 5am, I didn't want to get out of bed because I was savoring the moment: sleeping in my own bed with as much room as I wanted, not having nursed Taylor all night. Don't get me wrong, I love co-sleeping and I love nursing my baby. But my baby isn't so much of a baby anymore and she takes up too much room in the bed for me to sleep comfortably.
Now, I just need to make sure I don't get so excited about this that I expect it every night going forward. As anyone with children can tell you, nothing ever stays the same.
In other news, Taylor acquired a new advanced skill in gymnastics on Monday. On the trampoline she can now jump, bounce on her bottom, and return to a standing position. I was so proud! No one else in the class can do that, and she's one of the younger ones. Miss Kim, the instructor, then tried to get her to jump, bounce on her bottom, and go directly into a forward roll, but I think that skill will take a few more weeks yet. Taylor's forward rolls are at about 50-70% consistency now and doing that after bouncing takes a lot more coordination.
It is now officially less than three weeks before Taylor is 2 years old. I'm so excited for her. She has developed into such a talkative, bubbly, little girl. I can't wait to see how she continues to grow and change.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Snow day!
Trying out her new snow boots
She loves the snow
Needs a little help to stay stable
Doesn't want to go inside - even for hot chocolate!
As soon as we came in Taylor wanted to know when we were going out again. We've got a snow bunny on our hands.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Year
We're back home and have been settling into the new year nicely. Well, just about as nicely as after any other long vacation. I still don't have the suitcases completely unpacked and I have a ton of laundry piled up, but we're feeling pretty good.
I was inspired over break by my in-laws very good dishwashing habits. This is something I never really developed and is a source of tension and anxiety at home. Dirty kitchen = unhappy tenants and less home cooking. So, the last few days we've been home I've made an effort to have all the dishes clean or in a running dishwasher by bedtime. Of course, this is a habit my Fly Lady emails have told me about for a couple years now and I've attempted it before. But I'm going to try to carry the good feeling of a clean sink around with me this whole month so the habit is ingrained. A month is all you need to form a habit, right?
Speaking of that, we've started a new bedtime routine with Taylor. We're putting her to sleep early and in her own room. I moved her toddler bed to her room from ours and placed our twin mattress on the floor next to it for me to sleep on. My hope is to get her used to sleeping in her own bed, in her own room, and eventually without me nearby. She still nurses to sleep and throughout the night, so it'll be a multi-step process.
We've had mild success, though I don't suppose we could expect much more at the very beginning. She is going to sleep earlier, but the last couple of nights she's been waking up a lot and screaming quite a bit. I still let her nurse, but I've been cutting her off after a few minutes each time and she's adjusted okay so far. It's been nice even having this little bit of extra child-free time at the end of the night and in the mornings. I can get a few big chores out of the way and read in peace.
I'm still loving the One Year Chronological Bible I got in Malaysia (a gift from Cathe). All the passages are separated by date (Jan-Dec) and sort the Bible in what is understood to be the order in which the events occurred, so since October I've read through most of the gospels, all the epistles and Revelation, and am now working my way through Genesis, 1 Chronicles, and Job. This will be the first time I've ever read the Bible through in a year. I've always read the books here and there and maybe have read through the whole Bible before, but this will make a huge difference. There's no flipping around between books and passages like with other Bible reading plans (a major detraction) and you can really compare similar passages to see how they line up (as with the gospel accounts). I'm so excited!
Also, here are other new words or phrases of Taylor's that I forgot include last time:
Bocky = Monkey, boogie
I gotchoo (as said at the end of a great chasing game)
Bips/beeps = lips, lip gloss
Munny = funny (as in, "Daddy is munny"), or bunny
Onch = Orange
Dop eet = Stop it! (she has a bit of a temper)
Yu-ee-ah/Ju-ee-ah = Julia (the daughter of one of our Bible study members)
*Favorite word right now = Apple
Ooo, just in - a water main broke at Mark's work so Boeing is closing the building and he is coming home! Yay, for a free vacation day!
I was inspired over break by my in-laws very good dishwashing habits. This is something I never really developed and is a source of tension and anxiety at home. Dirty kitchen = unhappy tenants and less home cooking. So, the last few days we've been home I've made an effort to have all the dishes clean or in a running dishwasher by bedtime. Of course, this is a habit my Fly Lady emails have told me about for a couple years now and I've attempted it before. But I'm going to try to carry the good feeling of a clean sink around with me this whole month so the habit is ingrained. A month is all you need to form a habit, right?
Speaking of that, we've started a new bedtime routine with Taylor. We're putting her to sleep early and in her own room. I moved her toddler bed to her room from ours and placed our twin mattress on the floor next to it for me to sleep on. My hope is to get her used to sleeping in her own bed, in her own room, and eventually without me nearby. She still nurses to sleep and throughout the night, so it'll be a multi-step process.
We've had mild success, though I don't suppose we could expect much more at the very beginning. She is going to sleep earlier, but the last couple of nights she's been waking up a lot and screaming quite a bit. I still let her nurse, but I've been cutting her off after a few minutes each time and she's adjusted okay so far. It's been nice even having this little bit of extra child-free time at the end of the night and in the mornings. I can get a few big chores out of the way and read in peace.
I'm still loving the One Year Chronological Bible I got in Malaysia (a gift from Cathe). All the passages are separated by date (Jan-Dec) and sort the Bible in what is understood to be the order in which the events occurred, so since October I've read through most of the gospels, all the epistles and Revelation, and am now working my way through Genesis, 1 Chronicles, and Job. This will be the first time I've ever read the Bible through in a year. I've always read the books here and there and maybe have read through the whole Bible before, but this will make a huge difference. There's no flipping around between books and passages like with other Bible reading plans (a major detraction) and you can really compare similar passages to see how they line up (as with the gospel accounts). I'm so excited!
Also, here are other new words or phrases of Taylor's that I forgot include last time:
Bocky = Monkey, boogie
I gotchoo (as said at the end of a great chasing game)
Bips/beeps = lips, lip gloss
Munny = funny (as in, "Daddy is munny"), or bunny
Onch = Orange
Dop eet = Stop it! (she has a bit of a temper)
Yu-ee-ah/Ju-ee-ah = Julia (the daughter of one of our Bible study members)
*Favorite word right now = Apple
Ooo, just in - a water main broke at Mark's work so Boeing is closing the building and he is coming home! Yay, for a free vacation day!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Homey Holidays in Evansville
We're in Evansville now, spending lots of good quality time with Mark's family. Christmas was fun. We've been eating tons of food, playing Boom Blox on Wii nearly non-stop (sore arms!), and chasing Taylor around the house.
We forgot the memory card for our digital camera, so we are just taking videos and snapshots with the camcorder. I haven't figured out how to get any of the videos online yet...I have to change the format and such. I'll try to post pictures soon.
Tonight is Jon's birthday party at Ann and Jon's house. Jon will be 26 tomorrow. Mark was commissioned to make deep dish and regular pizzas, so he's been busy all day prepping the dough and sauce. Luckily, his mom has three ovens at her house, so cooking will go quickly!
I haven't written much about the little things going on, like Taylor's new words and phrases, so here a quick rundown:
DA-da = Taylor
MAM-uel = Samuel
MA-ma = Grandma
Lola = Lola & Lolo
Mawk = Milk
Cool dude (with thumbs up!)
Oh no! (for really bad situations)
Ummmm... (when trying to remember something)
UP-in = Open
I want that.
I was also told that when Mark's mom and his brother, Chris, asked Taylor where her fingers were she said, "Phalanges." Ah, a baby with a very good scientific understanding of her body parts. I didn't teach her this.
Taylor is much more communicative about her needs now, letting us know exactly what she needs to do in the bathroom and showing us when she has extracted a booger from her nose.
Speaking of that, I just looked on the baby monitor and saw her taking a break from her nap to pick her nose and, er, improperly dispose of her find. This is sadly reminiscent of the home video of my 2nd birthday party. One of those embarrassing moments when you shake your head and realize, "Like mother, like daughter."
On that note, I think I will go help Mark with the pizzas. Hope you all are having a great break! The new year is only a few days away!
We forgot the memory card for our digital camera, so we are just taking videos and snapshots with the camcorder. I haven't figured out how to get any of the videos online yet...I have to change the format and such. I'll try to post pictures soon.
Tonight is Jon's birthday party at Ann and Jon's house. Jon will be 26 tomorrow. Mark was commissioned to make deep dish and regular pizzas, so he's been busy all day prepping the dough and sauce. Luckily, his mom has three ovens at her house, so cooking will go quickly!
I haven't written much about the little things going on, like Taylor's new words and phrases, so here a quick rundown:
DA-da = Taylor
MAM-uel = Samuel
MA-ma = Grandma
Lola = Lola & Lolo
Mawk = Milk
Cool dude (with thumbs up!)
Oh no! (for really bad situations)
Ummmm... (when trying to remember something)
UP-in = Open
I want that.
I was also told that when Mark's mom and his brother, Chris, asked Taylor where her fingers were she said, "Phalanges." Ah, a baby with a very good scientific understanding of her body parts. I didn't teach her this.
Taylor is much more communicative about her needs now, letting us know exactly what she needs to do in the bathroom and showing us when she has extracted a booger from her nose.
Speaking of that, I just looked on the baby monitor and saw her taking a break from her nap to pick her nose and, er, improperly dispose of her find. This is sadly reminiscent of the home video of my 2nd birthday party. One of those embarrassing moments when you shake your head and realize, "Like mother, like daughter."
On that note, I think I will go help Mark with the pizzas. Hope you all are having a great break! The new year is only a few days away!
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