April 26, 2012

• Baby Girl Turns One and Sundries

  Layla turned one on April 25.  This first year has FLOWN!! 

  

   

   I’m so glad that she is around.  We all love her to pieces.

  We celebrated her birthday at supper time; I made some baked macaroni and cheese because I figured she would like to eat it, and she did.  The two youngest boys and I had gone shopping in the afternoon, and Israel picked out her Tinkerbell balloon.  

  

  

  Israel had also been insisting that Layla needed a “princess doll” for her birthday, so I let him pick a doll out for her.  He wrapped both it and another ball I gave her.  :)

  

  He did a very good job and was very very very pleased with the process.

  Zion picked out a Tinkerbell watering can with sand toys in it.  I gave her a big baby doll -

  

  she stared at the feet for a good while initially – a big stuffed cat thing, a spongy yellow ball, and a big soft aqua pillow.  She loves to sprawl out happily over pillows.  But her favorite thing was this pink ball that Gabe had chosen to give her from the choices I gave him.  

  

  She couldn’t hardly be parted with it.  

  Here was the whole crew.  :)

  

  She really liked her cupcake.

  

  Big brother Gabe happily helped blow out the candle,

  

  and tolerated her birthday hat surprisingly well.  

  

  Right now she is cutting two teeth, each beside her top two teeth…girlfrien’ ain’t sleeping so hot.  At all.  She stands very sturdily, and raise to standing from sitting on her own without something to hold on to.  She seems to say “daddee”…not quite sure if she knows what it means or not.  She “talks” a lot.  Four teeth, with two more just starting to poke through her gums.  Naps in the afternoon from anywhere from 45 min (when sick) to about 2-3 hours (normally).  Falls asleep between 8:30-9:30 PM and wakes 1-3 times to eat during the night.  Enjoys feeding herself by picking up her food usually better than being fed.  Still breastfed, but also drinks water from a bottle.  She LOVES water, and fusses jealously for drinks out of a cup, and my phone.  Plays very well and happily for long periods of time.  Usually goes to sleep by nursing, although Tim can sometimes hold her to sleep.

   

   Crawls busily and speedily.  She has a good sense of humor, and giggles merrily at me over many things.  Loves to cuddle and leans in for kisses and hugs.  

  

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  I’m hopefully on a home-run potty-training stretch for Zion.  Sigh.  I decided it was a good time to good ahead and jump in.  With Gabe, I tried too early, got frustrated, put him back in diapers – and then it just clicked.  Israel basically potty-trained himself; he initiated learning.  I have kept waiting for one of these two things to happen with Zion, but while he will often poop in the potty, the pee thing is just too much work for him to remember, he thinks.  He typically has peed in underwear whenever he has had them on, regardless of reminders.  I had talked to two people who said – put them in underwear for a week, and at the end of the week they will be trained.  This week, I just felt emotionally/mentally up to the project, and it’s been a go, what with stickers on the potty chart, two gummy candies for successful potty ventures, and the promise of a prize when he is fully potty trained.  I have also been setting the timer for about every 45 minutes.  Yesterday was our second day and he initiated peeing on his own several times before that 45 minutes was up. 

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  For some reason this morning, Israel was very interested in my decaf coffee, and sincerely and earnestly felt that he needed some.  So I agreed to give him a little, and he wanted to mix his coffee and milk and sugar in our little red teapot and pour it into his cup.  

  

  He happily exclaimed over the party feel of this venture, as it also included cookies.  

  Look at this adorable little Holly Hobbie thingie that I had his milk in.  

   

  I just bought it off of Etsy this week.  I love Holly Hobbie.  And Etsy, for that matter.

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  The “monkeys” in the “monkey tree” this week:

   

   

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  Gabe had a track and field day at school the other day. 

  

   Each child in the first grade could choose three events to compete in.  Gabe chose to do the 50 meter dash, the standing broad jump, and the long jump.  

  The race made me grin a bit.  Here he was as they are getting their instructions at the starting line:

   

  On your mark, get set - 

  

  Go!!!

  

  Here were the brotherly spectators:

  

  The standing broad jump:

   

  The long jump:

  

  

  

  

  

   

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  Last Saturday, Tim took the boys bowling, and Layla and I went shopping in Salisbury.  She tolerated Target pretty well, but conked out in the mall.  :)

   

  Love me my Ergo.

  • 2:07 pm
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