Friday, February 11, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Nomi, Nomster, Mimi...
Over the past week or so, my sweet little Naomi has been exhitbiting some completely unexpected, but delightfully wonderful behavior. I've always joked that being a mom is a "thankless" job. But I honestly cannot even say that anymore. At 20 months old, my precious daughter is thanking me for EVERY last thing I do for her! I have NO CLUE where she picked this up...but I am absolutely LOVING it!! Whether I hand her a sippy cup, put a bib on her, give her dinner, push her chair in, wipe off her hands, CHANGE HER DIAPER!...it's all the same response: a very sweet, "thank you, mommy!" I can hardly believe it. Don't get me wrong...we relentlessly teach manners in our home. I am just used to reminding my 3-year-old to say thank you with the simplest tasks! But this...this seems like a genuine heart of gratitude. It's quite impressive! I am eating it up! I can't wait to do things for her!! I really hope it is not just a phase, because it is just about the most precious thing I've seen in a long time!! :)
Here are some more pics from our session last month (there's A LOT):
Here are some more pics from our session last month (there's A LOT):
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Happy THIRD Birthday, Isaac!!
To our first-born son, on your THIRD birthday...
Gosh, buddy. I can hardly believe that you are already three years old! And yet at the same time, I can hardly remember what life was like without you. And even more strange, I can hardly remember what you were like when you were just a young baby. Oh how the time flies!! And now you are three...and have changed so much since last year.
Let's see if I can remember everything here. You have learned so much over the past year. You now can correctly identify all of your letters and we've started working on your numbers as well. You are MUCH better at counting now, but still get confused from time to time with identifying the numbers when you see them. You've mastered all shapes, colors, etc. And are still really into spelling. Actually...lately, you haven't been too interested in anything very educational. You LOVE hearing stories...especially ones with LOTS of adventure. You walk around the house saying that you're a "bad guy" to which we remind you that it's the good guys who always win!! :) You don't care. You just love pretending to fight...such a little warrior! :)
Over this past summer, you completely mastered riding your big boy bike (with training wheels). We are really looking forward to the spring so we can get outside a lot more!! You also LOVE to swim. We recently joined the YMCA (which you call the "MCY") and we try to swim at least once each week. You are VERY active and love to be doing something ALL THE TIME. :) However, that said, you also enjoy your down time. You typically go to bed around 8pm, though sometimes don't fall asleep until 9 or later! And you are up almost EVERY morning by 7 or 7:30am. We really miss your longer sleep stretches!! Hehe. You still take naps most days (usually 1-2 hours at most), though you do occasionally fight the nap.
Since it's wintertime, you have watched more TV than usual. As many as 2 or 3 shows each day!! Some days are worse than others (like if you or Naomi are sick). You just don't feel like playing or using your imagination and would rather just sit down and watch a show. Your favorite shows are Super Why, Word World, and Dinosaur Train. We have just recently (in the past month) started allowing you to watch full-length movies. Your favorite BY FAR is Toy Story 2. Had I known you were going to be SO into this movie, I would have made it the theme of your birthday party. But you are also VERY MUCH into your dinosaurs...so that's the theme we went with this year! I can't wait to surprise you!! :)
You went to preschool last semester, but we decided to not send you anymore. You did great with it and were learning a lot. But you never seemed interested in going. I like the idea of homeschooling and will work toward creating a good system to help you learn what you should be learning while at home. Though if I'm being completely honest, the idea of it scares me a little, because there are so many days that you just about drive mommy crazy! We are CONSTANTLY reminding you to be kind to Naomi and to make good choices. You've definitely hit quite an ornery streak and that combined with your smart little mind, make for some very frustrating circumstances. And you are very aware when mommy is upset. If I sigh or act exasperated, you ask, "Mommy, why are you so frustrated?"
You enjoy making messes too! In fact, if we're ever cleaning up, you will say, "Wait, guys! What are you doing? I don't want to clean up...I like it better when it's messy in here!" Isn't that the truth?!? :) Although you spend a lot of your days being grumpy, you still love to laugh and make people laugh. I MUCH prefer your laughter over your grumpiness...that's for sure! You are still quite shy around strangers, but seem to do fine if Naomi leads the way. Actually...you enjoy following her lead quite often! And if you get in trouble for something, you are quick to say, "But Naomi was doing it first!" to which I will likely reply, "But you KNOW BETTER!" You will even sometimes egg her on to do something naughty (like throw her food on the floor, climb up onto the countertops, etc). I know that I am supposed to just enjoy each phase of your childhood, but my dear Isaac, I am SO ready for this phase to be over! I hope that when the weather changes for the better, being outdoors will help you blow off some of that energy and you'll be able to wear yourself out more! :)
Let's see what else...you are wearing size 2T clothes (mostly...but a few 3T shirts). You weigh 32.5 lbs and are 37.75 inches tall! :) Doctor said you are in the 50th percentile for both! You have big feet, though, wearing 4-5yr socks and size 9 shoes! :) You sleep in a big-boy bed (a twin mattress on the floor), and do a good job with it. As for potty-training, you are completely pooped-trained (using the toilet 100% of the time for that)...but are still quite sporadic with the peeing. We tried having you wear big-boy underwear several times, but you always forget and have accidents with them. You disregard the urge to pee all day long, but often like to use it as an excuse to get out of sleeping...like you'll be put to bed, and then 10 minutes later, start yelling, "I have to go pee!" And while you do go just fine, it's funny to us that you don't use the toilet for peeing all day long! One of these days!! :)
You have lots of little friends, but your best friends are Morgan and Claire. You love all of our cute little neighbors (Micah, Emma, Claire, and Gracie). You also have some friends at church (Nolen, Caleb, and Johnny). You still tend to enjoy the company of older kids (4-6-year-olds), rather than kids your own age. And when someone hears you talk, they are always surprised to find out that you haven't even had your third birthday yet! :) But now you're THREE! And we really look forward to watching you grow and develop over the next year! I am so excited to see what this year brings for you. We love you SO much and are so blessed to have you as our son! Happy Birthday, Buddy!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
Gosh, buddy. I can hardly believe that you are already three years old! And yet at the same time, I can hardly remember what life was like without you. And even more strange, I can hardly remember what you were like when you were just a young baby. Oh how the time flies!! And now you are three...and have changed so much since last year.
Let's see if I can remember everything here. You have learned so much over the past year. You now can correctly identify all of your letters and we've started working on your numbers as well. You are MUCH better at counting now, but still get confused from time to time with identifying the numbers when you see them. You've mastered all shapes, colors, etc. And are still really into spelling. Actually...lately, you haven't been too interested in anything very educational. You LOVE hearing stories...especially ones with LOTS of adventure. You walk around the house saying that you're a "bad guy" to which we remind you that it's the good guys who always win!! :) You don't care. You just love pretending to fight...such a little warrior! :)
Over this past summer, you completely mastered riding your big boy bike (with training wheels). We are really looking forward to the spring so we can get outside a lot more!! You also LOVE to swim. We recently joined the YMCA (which you call the "MCY") and we try to swim at least once each week. You are VERY active and love to be doing something ALL THE TIME. :) However, that said, you also enjoy your down time. You typically go to bed around 8pm, though sometimes don't fall asleep until 9 or later! And you are up almost EVERY morning by 7 or 7:30am. We really miss your longer sleep stretches!! Hehe. You still take naps most days (usually 1-2 hours at most), though you do occasionally fight the nap.
Since it's wintertime, you have watched more TV than usual. As many as 2 or 3 shows each day!! Some days are worse than others (like if you or Naomi are sick). You just don't feel like playing or using your imagination and would rather just sit down and watch a show. Your favorite shows are Super Why, Word World, and Dinosaur Train. We have just recently (in the past month) started allowing you to watch full-length movies. Your favorite BY FAR is Toy Story 2. Had I known you were going to be SO into this movie, I would have made it the theme of your birthday party. But you are also VERY MUCH into your dinosaurs...so that's the theme we went with this year! I can't wait to surprise you!! :)
You went to preschool last semester, but we decided to not send you anymore. You did great with it and were learning a lot. But you never seemed interested in going. I like the idea of homeschooling and will work toward creating a good system to help you learn what you should be learning while at home. Though if I'm being completely honest, the idea of it scares me a little, because there are so many days that you just about drive mommy crazy! We are CONSTANTLY reminding you to be kind to Naomi and to make good choices. You've definitely hit quite an ornery streak and that combined with your smart little mind, make for some very frustrating circumstances. And you are very aware when mommy is upset. If I sigh or act exasperated, you ask, "Mommy, why are you so frustrated?"
You enjoy making messes too! In fact, if we're ever cleaning up, you will say, "Wait, guys! What are you doing? I don't want to clean up...I like it better when it's messy in here!" Isn't that the truth?!? :) Although you spend a lot of your days being grumpy, you still love to laugh and make people laugh. I MUCH prefer your laughter over your grumpiness...that's for sure! You are still quite shy around strangers, but seem to do fine if Naomi leads the way. Actually...you enjoy following her lead quite often! And if you get in trouble for something, you are quick to say, "But Naomi was doing it first!" to which I will likely reply, "But you KNOW BETTER!" You will even sometimes egg her on to do something naughty (like throw her food on the floor, climb up onto the countertops, etc). I know that I am supposed to just enjoy each phase of your childhood, but my dear Isaac, I am SO ready for this phase to be over! I hope that when the weather changes for the better, being outdoors will help you blow off some of that energy and you'll be able to wear yourself out more! :)
Let's see what else...you are wearing size 2T clothes (mostly...but a few 3T shirts). You weigh 32.5 lbs and are 37.75 inches tall! :) Doctor said you are in the 50th percentile for both! You have big feet, though, wearing 4-5yr socks and size 9 shoes! :) You sleep in a big-boy bed (a twin mattress on the floor), and do a good job with it. As for potty-training, you are completely pooped-trained (using the toilet 100% of the time for that)...but are still quite sporadic with the peeing. We tried having you wear big-boy underwear several times, but you always forget and have accidents with them. You disregard the urge to pee all day long, but often like to use it as an excuse to get out of sleeping...like you'll be put to bed, and then 10 minutes later, start yelling, "I have to go pee!" And while you do go just fine, it's funny to us that you don't use the toilet for peeing all day long! One of these days!! :)
You have lots of little friends, but your best friends are Morgan and Claire. You love all of our cute little neighbors (Micah, Emma, Claire, and Gracie). You also have some friends at church (Nolen, Caleb, and Johnny). You still tend to enjoy the company of older kids (4-6-year-olds), rather than kids your own age. And when someone hears you talk, they are always surprised to find out that you haven't even had your third birthday yet! :) But now you're THREE! And we really look forward to watching you grow and develop over the next year! I am so excited to see what this year brings for you. We love you SO much and are so blessed to have you as our son! Happy Birthday, Buddy!Love,
Mommy and Daddy
This is SO you! :)
And some photos for comparison (click for larger image):
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Mimi and Ike
Naomi is in that SUPER fun stage of learning SO much SO fast! She is adding to her vocabulary daily...putting together sentences (although still quite choppy). She makes us laugh with how she talks...sometimes it can be really quiet and sweet (what you'd expect from such a little peanut). But most of the time, she speaks with such gusto! She calls herself "mimi" and while she used to say Isaac's name with perfect clarity, she now calls him "ike." Here's a little example of her telling on Isaac: "MOMMY! IKE! Hit. Mimi. Mommy. IKE! Hit. MIMI! Mimi. Cry. (pronounced without the "r" sound, of course)" :) Her sentences are just so choppy and forceful. SO funny! :)
Some other cute Naomi sayings include: "C'mon, Mommy. Let's go!" Or if I ask her if she's ready to go to bed, she'll say, "No nigh-night...I play!" And if she wants something, this little lady has learned VERY quickly to use the word, "PEEEEZ!" (please) when she asks for ANYthing. "Wadoo. PEEZ. Mommy! PEEZ. Have. Wadoo!" (Wadoo=water). :) She's also been surprising me with her ability to count already. She can count very clearly to ten.
Isaac has been going through a stage in which is enjoys playing the "bad guy." I was a little freaked out about it at first, but then I realized that it is SO inborn of most little boys to want to fight. God created them to be WARRIORS! And that he is! Now I just need to harness that nature and let him use it for good! Hehe. He has also started asking "WHY?" constantly...and we've also been noticing quite a bit of lying starting to creep in.
These two can be bet friends at times, and the worst enemies at others. Such is the nature of siblings, I suppose! :) I love it when they are sweet with one another, and pretty much lose my mind when they are not. I cannot count the number of times we talk about being kind and choosing love and making good choices. Ha! But alas...they are toddlers! And oh so selfish. One of these days, I hope to look back at this time and laugh at the silliness of it all. (Heck, I already do some days!!)
We are SO over winter right about now. C'mon spring! Anytime you're ready...we're waiting for you!! :) These kids just NEED to get outside to play! Thankfully, we've recently signed up for a YMCA membership (or as Isaac puts it: "the MCY"). :) We've REALLY enjoyed the opportunities to get out and let them run and play (or even swim).
I have LOTS of new photos to post, but I'll leave with just a few for now...(I forgot to make them bigger...sorry!)
OH...and totally forgot to update: Naomi's MRI came back completely normal!! WOOHOO! SO there's nothing going on within her brain, which is good. She's been doing a lot better, too. Although she now has another nasty cold (with fever) and just threw up again this morning. UGH! Hopefully we'll be through this all very soon!! :)
Some other cute Naomi sayings include: "C'mon, Mommy. Let's go!" Or if I ask her if she's ready to go to bed, she'll say, "No nigh-night...I play!" And if she wants something, this little lady has learned VERY quickly to use the word, "PEEEEZ!" (please) when she asks for ANYthing. "Wadoo. PEEZ. Mommy! PEEZ. Have. Wadoo!" (Wadoo=water). :) She's also been surprising me with her ability to count already. She can count very clearly to ten.
Isaac has been going through a stage in which is enjoys playing the "bad guy." I was a little freaked out about it at first, but then I realized that it is SO inborn of most little boys to want to fight. God created them to be WARRIORS! And that he is! Now I just need to harness that nature and let him use it for good! Hehe. He has also started asking "WHY?" constantly...and we've also been noticing quite a bit of lying starting to creep in.
These two can be bet friends at times, and the worst enemies at others. Such is the nature of siblings, I suppose! :) I love it when they are sweet with one another, and pretty much lose my mind when they are not. I cannot count the number of times we talk about being kind and choosing love and making good choices. Ha! But alas...they are toddlers! And oh so selfish. One of these days, I hope to look back at this time and laugh at the silliness of it all. (Heck, I already do some days!!)
We are SO over winter right about now. C'mon spring! Anytime you're ready...we're waiting for you!! :) These kids just NEED to get outside to play! Thankfully, we've recently signed up for a YMCA membership (or as Isaac puts it: "the MCY"). :) We've REALLY enjoyed the opportunities to get out and let them run and play (or even swim).
I have LOTS of new photos to post, but I'll leave with just a few for now...(I forgot to make them bigger...sorry!)
OH...and totally forgot to update: Naomi's MRI came back completely normal!! WOOHOO! SO there's nothing going on within her brain, which is good. She's been doing a lot better, too. Although she now has another nasty cold (with fever) and just threw up again this morning. UGH! Hopefully we'll be through this all very soon!! :)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Not so fun start to this new year...
Man...I've gotten behind on posting things on here! It's been a whirlwind start to this new year. Unfortunately, our year has begun pretty much the same way it ended...filled with sickness. UGH! And it literally started around 12:30am on New Years Day. We were celebrating the New Year with the friends in our Life Group, and Naomi woke up vomiting. We left the party early and she proceeded to throw up in the car on the way home and another time or two once we got home. She continues to have vomiting episodes off and on, 11 days later. :( The doctors are confused, as they are convinced that she does not have a virus, but can't quite figure out what is going on. The strange part is that she seems fairly okay throughout the days, but then just gets sick at night. She's throwing up her lunch (almost entirely still intact) from 12+ hours earlier, so her stomach is obviously not digesting any of her food.
They have her scheduled for an MRI of her brain for next Wednesday. And I guess we just wait and see what that shows. Otherwise, they are thinking she could have some sort of delayed gastric emptying...which can be helped with the right medicine. We are just tired of the middle of the night vomiting episodes. The lack of sleep for all of us just isn't healthy. So we're hoping to get some answers SOON. She has lost exactly 1 pound in the past month. To some, that may not sound like a lot. But for a little girl who is already toward the bottom of her charts, it's not good. She is now 19lbs, 8oz...putting her under the 1st percentile. We just hate seeing her lose weight like this, because she just doesn't have much to lose. :(
One other thing that has concerned me over the past few months is that she appears to have poor circulation. Her hands and feet are frequently turning shades of purple/blue...and are FREEZING cold. I'm not quite sure what to make of it...but something about it just doesn't sit right with me. If the MRI comes back showing that everything is okay there, I may request that she be seen by a cardiologist...to make sure there is nothing going on with her heart (blood flow).
Whatever happens, I am just looking forward to having some answers and getting my baby girl to feeling better. Aside from the vomiting episodes and being a bit cranky from the lack of sleep, she is otherwise doing very well. She is talking more and more these days...and we've been having LOTS of fun with her. :)
Isaac is doing well too. Unfortunately, he had to witness her being catheterized yesterday. It was SO sad. I had to pin her down on the table while two nurses took a urine sample. She was screaming and crying...it was awful. But Isaac was a champ. He was standing back, but watching with great concern on his face. Though he was concerned, he kept saying, "It's okay, Naomi. It's almost over. You're doing a good job!" :) SO sweet. Then after the nurses left with the urine sample, Isaac put his hands over his diaper area and said, "I don't want them to touch my penis, mommy!" ;) Poor thing! :)
They have her scheduled for an MRI of her brain for next Wednesday. And I guess we just wait and see what that shows. Otherwise, they are thinking she could have some sort of delayed gastric emptying...which can be helped with the right medicine. We are just tired of the middle of the night vomiting episodes. The lack of sleep for all of us just isn't healthy. So we're hoping to get some answers SOON. She has lost exactly 1 pound in the past month. To some, that may not sound like a lot. But for a little girl who is already toward the bottom of her charts, it's not good. She is now 19lbs, 8oz...putting her under the 1st percentile. We just hate seeing her lose weight like this, because she just doesn't have much to lose. :(
One other thing that has concerned me over the past few months is that she appears to have poor circulation. Her hands and feet are frequently turning shades of purple/blue...and are FREEZING cold. I'm not quite sure what to make of it...but something about it just doesn't sit right with me. If the MRI comes back showing that everything is okay there, I may request that she be seen by a cardiologist...to make sure there is nothing going on with her heart (blood flow).
Whatever happens, I am just looking forward to having some answers and getting my baby girl to feeling better. Aside from the vomiting episodes and being a bit cranky from the lack of sleep, she is otherwise doing very well. She is talking more and more these days...and we've been having LOTS of fun with her. :)
Isaac is doing well too. Unfortunately, he had to witness her being catheterized yesterday. It was SO sad. I had to pin her down on the table while two nurses took a urine sample. She was screaming and crying...it was awful. But Isaac was a champ. He was standing back, but watching with great concern on his face. Though he was concerned, he kept saying, "It's okay, Naomi. It's almost over. You're doing a good job!" :) SO sweet. Then after the nurses left with the urine sample, Isaac put his hands over his diaper area and said, "I don't want them to touch my penis, mommy!" ;) Poor thing! :)
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