The Day of My Birth

Friday was my birthday!  I won't tell you how old I am... but I will tell you that I'm still younger than 30!  Cory was able to take the day off and we spent a little time at home where Eloise helped me open cards and gifts (7 books!  Jackpot!)... then we took a drive out to a little tourist place that has a petting zoo.  It was Eloise's first time at a "zoo"!  She seemed to enjoy herself and even stuck her finger up a deer's nostril (oops!)... and luckily, it wasn't too crowded when we went!  After that we stopped by my dad's garage to have lunch with my family (and my grammie, who is in for a visit!)... and open a few more presents.  Over all it was nice... not too stressful and full of love! 

I will leave you with some pictures of our day!

And the best part... Eloise singing, "Happy Birthday to Mum Mum!" :)

18 Months!

I'm a couple of days late on this... just call it laziness.  

I always procrastinate when it comes time to upload pictures from the camera to the computer. 

Eloise turned 18 months on the 23rd.  

I can hardly believe it!

Each day seems to go faster than the last... 

and it seems even more so now that I am counting the weeks of my pregnancy. 

Even though I am anxious to have another little one in my arms, 

I don't like to think about it because I know that by that time, 

Eloise will be almost 2!

It almost doesn't seem possible.

But, what a joy it has been so far.

Ups, downs and everything in between!

She is learning to ride her tricycle.

She can pedal forward and backward... but only enough to make herself

roll a little.  She has yet to master pedaling in circles and steering!

We're working on it though!

She says SO many words, I couldn't even begin to list them all.

She amazes me at some of the words she says... and

I have to start watching my mouth!

I have a tendency to say "crap" a lot... and

guess who's picked it up!  (oops!)

El's favorite food, by far, is blueberries.

She would eat them all day, every day if she could!

 

She loves playing with her "baby" and if you ask her where Mama's baby is...

she points to my stomach and says, "belly."

I believe she would LIVE outside if we let her.

She is like a tornado when we take her out in the yard to play.

It's rather exhausting! 

But such a joy to watch her run freely with a giant smile across her face!

When taking a nap or going to bed, we always have to take her 2 favorite Minnie Mouses, 

as well as a blanket (luckily there is no ONE fav blanket at this point, so we rotate!).

If we are getting ready to go up for a nap and can't find a Minnie, 

she goes around the downstairs saying, 

"WhereAre Minnie?  WhereAre Minnie?"

(Where are you Minnie?)

She loves to sing and we sing often. 

Though most of her words are random, she does know certain words and will sing them.

She makes us laugh when we sing "On top of Spaghetti"... when the sneeze part

comes up... she goes "AH-TOO!"

Also, if she falls or something happens... 

she will say, "Oh No!" or "Okay"

(to let us know she is OK).

She also has learned to say "Happy Birthday"... just in time for my birthday!

 

She makes us laugh and brings us more happiness than we ever could've imagined!

I thank God every day for her beautiful soul!

"Farther Along"

This song has been playing constantly around here... 

the house... the car... I just can't seem to get enough!  

Wanted to share!

Josh Garrels is amazing!  

I hope to see him again live one day... if he ever comes to PA!

PS--Eloise turned 18 months yesterday!  Where does the time go!?

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...

Today was one of "those days".  

 

Eloise was wound up from the get-go... and trying my patience around every turn!

If she wasn't bolting up the steps (she's fast going up - but not so good coming down yet)... she was attempting to go up and not heeding my wishes that she come down from the landing.

She threw a royal fit at breakfast time and didn't want to eat because I told her we had to wait to read a couple of books she was toting around. 

After pretty much spoon feeding her just to get her to eat, I cleaned her up and got her out of her seat.  Not realizing that the tray to her high chair wasn't latched all of the way, I leaned on it a little too hard and sent a ton of grapes plummeting to the floor.  As I was cleaning that up before two little feet ran through and squished them all... all of a sudden the vacuum turned on!!  It about scared the pants off of me... until I realized that I had not unplugged the vacuum because the phone rang and I hadn't had a chance to run it yet.  Little fingers had found the ON switch.

After breakfast, as I was attempting to do the dishes, I was on the phone with my mom... and Eloise proceeded to raid the cupboards.  Though she didn't successfully pull out any pots and pans or glass casserole dishes, she went from one cupboard to the other (over and over) as I asked her to close each door.  And when I refused to let her into the cupboards anymore, she pulled out the drawers and reached in, blindly I might add - since she obviously isn't tall enough to see into the drawers - and tried to grab out whatever silverware touched her finger tips.  As I told her NO to THAT and held the drawer closed (with wet/soapy water dripping from my hands)... she proceeded to squeal in protest.  I tried to ignore her so that she would get the picture that I wasn't amused... however, instead... she decided to squeal every time I tried to get a word into the phone as I continued my (distracted) phone conversation with my mom.  I am not kidding when I say that the girl stopped and started on a dime with her squeals as she waited for me to open my mouth and speak into the phone!

(Throw in some more step climbing attempts... more attempts at getting into the cupboards... among other things!)

At one point I had to take her with me into the bathroom.  We have one bathroom and it's upstairs... so the convenience of running to the bathroom - is more of a hassle.  I end up taking El with me pretty much 98% of the time.  Since our house is small - we have to keep the cat box and food in the bathroom.  Luckily, there's enough room there for that, at least!  You can imagine what happened while I was trying to use the facilities.  NO, she didn't get into the litter box - PHEW!  But she did get into the cat food and start throwing pieces around the bathroom.  

Why!?  Why!?  

You'd think I didn't punish the girl for all of the trouble she was continuously getting into. 

But I did... believe me!

She just kept testing me!

Every time her diaper needed changed, I got a "NO!"

Lunch was fairly productive, thank goodness.  However, afterward it was nap time.  I am not ashamed to say that I was looking forward to it!  I put El up in her crib... and she gave me no hassle.  Then I got some motivation together to throw some laundry into the washer.  I did an express load with the intentions of waiting until it was done before I tried to nap myself.  I had the news on to see what was going on with the horrific shooting in Aurora, CO (prayers go out to those victims and their families!  So sad.)... and I also read a bit in my current fiction book.

50 minutes into El's nap.. she wakes up screaming!

Of course, I was alarmed, so I bolted up the steps and into her room where she was crying and shaking.  I did the mommy thing - trying to calm her down and be a comfort.  She was in an odd mix of wanting me... but fighting me at the same time.  I am assuming she had a "night terror" - which she has suffered from before (?).  I don't know for sure.  But we grabbed Minnie #1 and Minnie #2 (she always sleeps with both)... and went down to the rocking chair in the living room.  We rocked for about 5 minutes... and then her tummy gurgled (maybe that's why she was crying?  Upset tummy?)... and then I distinctly felt her diaper filling.  I wrestled with the idea of changing it.  It was a bit stinky... but her eyelids were heavy and I was afraid of breaking the "spell" and her getting upset again.  I gambled and decided not to change it right away.  I was just hoping it wasn't going to be too messy later. 

We rocked and rocked... for about half an hour.  She kept her eyes open the whole time, though her eyes were so tired and she yawned often.  I looked over at her face at one point and she smiled at me and gave me a little wink.  I know it wasn't an intentional wink - but it melted my heart none-the-less.  And I sat there trying not to cry (since crying makes me gag and puke these days)... and just thanked God that even though we were having one of "those days"... we could rest a bit and I was able to hold my busy girl in my arms.  That doesn't happen too often these days.  I admit that it was bittersweet.  

All of a sudden... *gag* *gag* *gag*... you may remember me telling you about my cat that has been puking for months (?).  It has not been pleasant.  And of course, there she was on the steps (at least it wasn't on the carpet!)... she heaved a few times and then... well... up it came.  And wouldn't you know, Eloise bolted upright, raised her eyebrows, looked at me and said, "PUKE"

**sweet snuggling moment - ruined**

Apparently "puke" has become a commonplace word in our house (thank you weezy cat)... considering our 17 month old says it loud and clear.  Not only does she say it... she says it correctly.  It's not "Pook"... it is "Puke."

So, there you have it.  

Of course there were other "trying" moments the rest of the day...

(and her "messy" diaper wasn't even messy after all!)

and funny moments too as Eloise told Cory about the cat puking.  

No kidding... she said "Puke. Weez puke. Puke. Puke." 

At the dinner table no less.

But - through it all... I am thankful to have the good days and the "bad" to share with each other... 

just me and Eloise!

(...and that little baby in my tummy that's been kicking up a storm!)

Good Reads!

As I mentioned in my last post, Eloise has been taking some long naps this summer.  It has been quite lovely for me!  And since I am trying to get rid of my overloaded book supply (just gave 30-some books to a friend the other week!!), I promised Cory that I won't buy any more books - at least for awhile.  But in the meantime, a coworker of his has been generously loaning books to me... and since I've had some extra down time... I've been doing quite a bit of reading!  (I'm taking advantage of the time while I can - I know having 2 little ones is going to change things for awhile!). 

 SO... I wanted to share these books with you - so if you're so inclined, perhaps you would like to read them also.  They were very good.  A mix of history and fiction.  I am usually not one for factual books (*yawn*)... but the way the author tied facts with fiction was exceptional!  I couldn't wait to turn each page!  I look forward to reading more books by author Lynn Austin in the near future!!!

And, of course, I have to leave you with a picture of our little ham!

This is the face she gave me the other day when I told her to SMILE!

What a goofball!  :)

I have to admit, I've been pretty lucky so far this summer... especially considering my "condition" which has left me pretty exhausted - at least for the first 3 months or so!  Eloise has taken it upon herself to nap for 2-3 hours each day in the afternoon.  Not only do I have the option of housework... I also have to option of being lazy and taking a much needed nap myself.... and I'm guilty of reading, reading, reading too.  I remember this time last year when she would only sleep in half hour increments during the day.  I wondered if it would ever change!  I could never seem to get anything done!  But here we are... in a good routine... that I'm sure will change again as quick as it came... but I am enjoying the bit of free time while I can.  Though I do miss her when she is up in her room, snoring away!

 Last week was my niece's birthday.  I can't even believe she has turned 11.  I remember her being Eloise's age, though she had quite a bit more hair then El!  I was only 17 when she was born... and I regret not enjoying her more - as I was still stuck in the teenage "ME" phase - but it has been a joy to watch her grow and she has turned into quite a lovely young lady!  Eloise and I were able to go out to spend the day.  We took Eloise for her first swim in a "big" pool and then celebrated with ice cream cake and presents a little later on.

Before heading to the pool... we stopped by Grammie's to see the "Chi-Chi's"

Eloise loves all animals!  

But these chickens were fun to watch scurry around the yard!

First taste of a raspberry - didn't last long... got thrown to the chickens!  Oh well!

Feeding Grammie's fish!

 Pool Time!!

Eloise loved the water!  After awhile she got tired and decided to go play in some stones with Aunt Katy though!  But she sure did work up an appetite splashing those legs!  She ate almost the WHOLE container of blueberries (below)!!

After lunch and some ice cream cake (which El couldn't eat)... 

Eloise helped Madelyn open a few presents!

 It was a fun-filled day!  That's for sure!

 Happy Be-lated Birthday Madelyn - via the internet!  

We love you!

Parade Day!

We took Eloise out to a small parade for the 4th of July.

It was her first parade ever!  She wasn't quite sure what to think at first...

But she sure enjoyed seeing her Great Aunt Christy's Racing Push-Jeep... 

 And Pop Pop's Tow Truck (with cousin's Maddy & X throwing candy from the back of the truck... and grammie throwing candy from the passenger seat!).  Eloise wanted SO BADLY to get out of her stroller to run to the truck!

The miniature horses were a BIG hit, as you can tell by the picture of El's outstretched arms.  I am bummed I didn't get a picture of the sweet little buggers - I WANT ONE!  But I love that I got El's expressions!

Overall, though I didn't really catch many smiles, I think Eloise really enjoyed it.  She was just so mesmerized by everything!  I look forward to the big parade later on this summer in our home town. 

Pool Time!!

 

We don't have access to a pool nearby.... unless we wanted to pay to go to the community pool.  But let's just face it... I know kids pee in those pools and... well... I just can't bring myself to take Eloise there.  Not to mention - I'm not sure my suit really fits me these days.  However, we DO have a kiddie pool for Eloise.  We only got it out once or twice last year... so yesterday we decided to get it out and see how she liked it at this stage in her life. 

Splashing was the highlight!

It took her a little bit to realize she should sit down!

I'd say it was a success!! 

 Looks like we'll be pulling out the pool again another hot day!!