So much development lately

I had read that the 15th month is a big one in terms of cognitive development and man do I see it!

Jenna is starting to really "get" things...we tell her to sit on her chair, she goes and sits down. We ask her if she wants something she says "no" , not just shaking her head. She is saying SO many more words and will say things like "Ribbit" when she sees a frog. I know I can thank Primrose for a lot of that - they work with the kids alot with reading, flashcards, etc.

It is so much fun to see her learn and grow. I also CAN see the tantrums starting though and the frustration from not being able to tell us exactly what is going on in her little head. But, the signing does help and a lot of patience for mom and dad.

So, yeah, the terrible 2s do not wait for that 2nd Bday...

So glad we put the tree up

I had seriously considered not putting a Christmas tree up this year. I had heard horror stories from other moms about how their babies had torn them down, hurt themsleves, made things stressful etc.

Jenna LOVES the tree. She actually tried to plug it in herself when we get home so she can see the lights. We have told her to touch things "nicely." She puts her hands behind her back when she is trying so hard not to touch! See below...

Do not get me wrong, we have had a few broken ornaments after a moment of her yelling "BALL" and smacking one (I forgot how tall she is!). :)

The time has come

I knew it was on it's way - the time when we could no longer take Jenna out to nicer restaurants. McDs? Sure. Local pizza joint? OK. But a sit down seafood joint with friends? Not so much.

I was THAT Mom - chasing her around tables and following her around the place while the rest of my party ate (of course Jeff took a couple turns too.)

It was either that or listen to her scream while being confined to a highchair. So, I opted for walking around. Oh, and once she realized that people in the palce actually LIKED her coming over, it was on.

It's not that she is being bad - she is just being a normal toddler.

So, it is babysitter or qucik and easy dining for awhile :)

Working on Daddy's laptop

Jenna letting us know it is time to eat!

Jenna LOVES to eat. She now not only signs it to us but walks into the kitchen and attacks her high chair!

Jenna playing with Ramsey!

We are so proud of our 2 babies playing well together :)

Jenna LOVES the ocean

My travel tips with a Toddler

Toddler Travel Tips (by Plane)

I also posted this to Facebook :)

We have made 2 trips by plane with Jenna so far and many are asking me for tips. Here is what I’ve got so far! Jenna will NOT sleep on a plane no matter how tired she is, so we do not have that to count on.

· Make sure baby is rested / has had a nap before the flight (not all babies zonk out on a plane – mine included)
· I give Tylenol before the flight to help any ear / teeth pain
· Benadryl does not make Jenna sleepy but it does help calm some babies (test this at home before the flight though b/c it CAN have the opposite effect and make some kids hyper)
· Take lots of plastic baggies/ Ziploc baggies for trash and for keeping stuff together
· Let baby crawl / run around a lot before boarding. They are about to be made to sit still for a long time.
· Change diaper close to boarding time.
· Get on the plane last (this is the most crucial one on my opinion)
· Take your big / decent stroller to the airport. It helps hold drinks, bags, etc. Gate check is free so it is worth it to wheel it down there.
· Make sure to have extra pacifiers available in case she drops one
· Have a bottle made and ready if she still takes one

Things that kept Jenna occupied:
· Stickers – seriously 15 minutes of sticking them to herself, me, Jeff, the tray, etc.
· Lollipop (Ring Pop). Although she got mad when we would not let her hold it herself and she cried then
· Books (new and old)
· TV shows downloaded to my laptop (although I’m not sure if she watched it long enough to warrant me lugging that thing around)
· Napkins (ripping up)
· Cups (stacking)
· Sugar packs (taking in and out of the cup)
· Crayons and paper
· Playing cards! I bought cute cards at Target from the $1 bin with animals on them for “matching” but she loved it when I dealt them to her and she made a little pile. She also liked watching me shuffle the cards.
· A rubber stamper and some paper
· SNACKS – lots of them. I took Puffs, Cherrios, yogurt melts, cereal bars, graham crackers, you name it

3 new videos below!

1. Jenna playing in the pots and pans - a new fav
2. A video of Jenna in her crib after she has woken up in the a.m. She stands up and waits for us. It is super cute.
3. DVDs are a new favorite pass time as well...

no bottles today!

Jenna has been down to 1 bottle for quite some time now...just at night. I do not think she can take in enough milk with her sippies during the day so I made sure she drank a bottle of milk at night. I started to not give it to her right before bed ...maybe 15 - 30 minutes so she was at least not associating it with sleep. That worked well.

Tonight, she got tired really early...was rubbing her eyes and saying "ni ni ni ni" (aka night night) by 6:30. She had had quite a bit of milk with her dinner so I decided to try no bottle.

So far so good! She is snoozing away.

I am not planning to take the bottle totally away for awhile but this is a good test run.

Our little girl is growing up!

No News Is Good News

This is my Dad's mantra and I have to agree. The older we get, the more you appreciate "boring." No real news means no drama. I'll take it any day. A "boring" day means no one is sick, no one is having work issues, the house is in good shape, Ramsey is doing OK, etc.

I thoroughly now enjoy the days where we all wake up, feel good, have breakfast, get ready and off we go - Jeff and I to work and Jenna to school. A day where I do not get a phone call from Primrose that jenna is breaking out in a rash or has a fever.

Random post I know - but it is interesting the changes I see in myself now that I am "older" (31) and a Mom. :)

YUM

Penicillin Allergy is Official

Thanks Grandmom Sykes...for the penicillin allergy!!

My Health Update

Well the news isn't in yet but I am ready to know what and if anything is going on with me. After being sick for 2 weeks with 2 separate bouts of fever and aches like I have never known and a trip to Urgent Care, I got blood drawn yesterday and am having an ultrasound tomorrow. Possible gall stones or pancreatitis. Neither sounds good but we shall see.

This stronger antibiotic seems to be helping a lot and the pain now only appears if I walk far and fast.

I have a feeling everything will come back clean which will be good but annoying bc it means I am having mystery pains and it could just happen again. Sigh!

Having bad days really doe smake me appreciate the good ones though and like my Dad says "No news is good news" and "As you get older, you learn to like boring."

So so true.

Our eating machine

Jenna LOVES to eat. We all know this. The child demands Cheerios be in her stroller when we go for walks. She needs to eat every 2 hours and she lives for snack time and lunch time at school. I'm not sure of a day that I have looked at her Primrose Report card and not seen "I ate all" checked next to her feedings.

Below are 2 videos of her chomping. When there is cheese involved, do not get in the woman's way. After the first video, when she pauses to point and grunt at something, I hand her the Baby Mum Mum (a rice cake essentially) and continue taping her.

Now that she has 8 teeth - 4 on top and 4 on bottom - she can actually take bites and it cracks me up to hear her chewing.

Mundane video yes, but the grandparetns should love it :)