He's on the Move

Oh, how delighted Aiden is with himself!  He is crawling anywhere he wants to go.  Now, I often hear cries of No, Baby Brother, no!  And the girls will tell you that "if Daddy finds my little things on the floor he is going to throw them in the garbage". 

At first he would just stay in one spot and get up on his hands and tippy toes (can you say "tippy toes" in reference to a boy?) and then he started doing an inch worm imitation to get where he needed to be.  From the start, he knew being on his knees had something to do with it and in the past couple days he's put it all together and is crawling with his hands and knees in coordination.  Even the third time around, or maybe especially the third time around, it is so amazing and awe-inspiring to watch.

And I wonder...when did I lose that self-delight?  What happened to my awareness that everyday I can do somethings I have never been able to do before?  What made me content to stop trying out yesterday's impossibilities and failures to see if they could be done today?

God, give me tenacity and confidence like Aiden has.  Help me to trust you, knowing that you are right here with me, helping me become the person you created me to be.  Give me the pure, unquestioning faith of a child.

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and

become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3

Completely Random

Amanda has started to call her sister "Avery May" or "Honey". Avery is sure to remind her that her name is not Honey, but I don't think Amanda understands.

She is totally in love with The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, or "Pie-ates Don't Do Ev-fing". I've watched enough of it to be able to wonder what could possibly attract her to it so strongly?

Oh, and good news for all you Amanda fans out there...Whirly Twirly Wednesday will be resuming next week.

Last night Shaun and I listened in the monitor as Avery woke her sister up (she'd been sleeping for 5 minutes) and sang Trading My Sorrows to her, then told her a story that she made up. I recognized where most of the pieces for the story came from, but it was interesting how she weaved it all together.

This week I took her with me to my pre-natal appointment. She got to hear the heartbeat and had her brow furrowed during our entire time there. I was struck by the irony that Avery was accompanying me. Just four years ago, Shaun went with me to nearly every appointment when I was pregnant with Avery, and now my daughter is old enough to be going with me.

Time goes by!

Fun in Church

This is just a typical attempt to get a decent picture of both girls together...rarely works. I took the picture after church because Amanda was wearing a sweet Christmas dress that Avery wore last year and Avery was wearing a dress my mom made.

It was a big day because it was Amanda's first time in the 2 & 3 year-old class. Avery was so excited because she was going to be in Amanda's class. :) From all reports, both girls did well, but as any parent knows those events and passages into big-kidness are always bittersweet for us.

During service, the part that is quiet right after the singing has ended and the pastor gets up to speak, Amanda darted from our pew and went running down the back aisle saying, "Mom, I gotta go potty! Mom, I gotta go potty!" Oh, my.

Later another mother was laughing about it with me and it reminded me of a couple months ago (yes, a couple months ago) when we were just starting potty training. I carried her into the bathroom and she immediately started crying. I quickly realized that up to that point the only time she'd been in the church bathroom was to get a spanking. Oops! :)

Conversations

Couple cute conversations today with Avery:

Riding in the car on the way to dance class:

Avery: Mom, is it hard to drive?

Me: Not really, you just have to be careful and pay attention. (Thinking 'oh, boy...I hope she does not get as anxious to drive as both her parents did')
.
Avery: But I can't drive 'cause I'm not a person yet, right Mom?

Me: (choke and explain)

Later...Avery answered the phone as she often does now. From the kitchen I could tell the person had just asked for me and I went in to grab the phone just as Avery was hanging it up. We don't have caller id, so if it was you she hung up on...sorry!

Me: Avery, when someone asks for Mommy or Daddy you ask the caller to wait just a moment please and then you come get Mommy, but you don't hang up the phone

Avery: Well...(arguing)

Me: Avery, when someone asks for Mommy, blah, blah, blah...

Avery: Well...(arguing. This in and of itself can be quite funny. When she is arguing she can't quite think fast enough yet so she just spouts off nonsense like 'Well, I couldn't because the leaves on the trees are green because they are and then she had to go to the store because she did and the lady called and they are green because they are.')

Me: Avery, (now with a stern look because she's arguing) blah, blah, blah

Avery: (with a resigned look) Well, I should have but I'm a little girl now.

Memory

Avery got a Memory game for her birthday and she loves to play. We've played several times in the past two months and she knows all the rules now. And she's been getting better and better.

This morning she beat me straight-up...16 matches to 8 matches. What?! I demanded a recount but it came out the same.

Later, I was telling Shaun about it. I could tell he was not convinced because a) he beats me at every game and b) I'm her mother, for goodness sake!

So, he challenged her to a game and they tied. He was dumb-founded. How is this possible, we both wondered? When we are playing with her she is chatty, wiggly and giggly and gives the appearance that she is paying attention only half the time.

Chalk it up to our first time with a three-year old, but we are both amazed at her capacity for information.

Side notes: the blue on her hand and face is from a face painting of Cinderella that she got at the dance studio's open house and her lower lip is still healing from when her tooth went through a couple weeks ago. The bruise on her head? Also healing nicely. Isn't it grand to be three??

Toddler Days

Love this age, love this girl!

Father of the Year

Yesterday was Shaun's sister's wedding rehearsal and it was a great day. Perfect weather, good company, everything.


Avery's been excited about being a flower girl since her Auntie asked her back in November. The day before I started to talk about how we were going to the "practice" for Auntie Sarah's wedding, which she was also excited about. However, what both Shaun and I failed to remember to do is talk her through exactly what would be taking place. We know she almost always needs that in new situations, we just never thought of it.


So...the first time she practiced walking down the aisle, she was crying hysterically.

We just hadn't prepared her. So, while I was taking pictures and being a bridesmaid, Shaun took her back down the aisle, got her to calm down and talked her through the whole thing. Then, quietly by themselves, they practiced...maybe 8-10 times, maybe more...and each time she gained a little more confidence until she was walking to Shaun grinning. He definitely deserves some type of an award for pulling that off and salvaging her flower girl status.

It was precious to watch. Despite my best efforts, my mind fast-forwarded twenty years or so to when I will once again watch them in the aisle together. It made me tear up and say a silent prayer for God to give us wisdom to raise her to that point and to keep and protect the husband He has already chosen for her.


As is typical, her sister, who is not in the wedding, found a flower and marched right down, no problem.

Afterwards, we all enjoyed a brunch at the local country club. The girls were thrilled to be hanging out with Cousin Jared.And here's a not-too-bad picture of the two of us.

New Beds

Ideas I Had Before I Became a Parent #42:

Years ago, when I was registering for my baby shower, I distinctly remember seeing the TV baby monitors and thinking 'any parent that thinks they need that is over the top and a bit obsessive...either the baby is sleeping or it isn't and you can tell that just by listening'.

Well, many times since I've wished I could secretly see what in the world they are doing in there! Once such incident was this Tuesday.

I put Amanda down for a nap in her crib and went downstairs to work on the computer. I could clearly hear the baby monitor in the next room. Eventually I heard her singing and talking. She was content so I left her there. When I finally went in, I was shocked and amazed to find her sitting on the floor reading books to her bear...OUT OF HER CRIB!

I realize kids have done this down through the ages and its not a huge deal, I just thought I'd have heard at least a little scuffling or grunting. I wish I'd seen it.

Yesterday morning, when I came upstairs from working out, this is what I found on my side of the bed sleeping next to Shaun.

Yes, she'd crawled out of bed and found her way into our room. Again at nap time and again this morning. Time to get her a big girl bed.

Shaun and Avery went to pick up one we'd found on craigslist.com and by the time they'd gotten home Avery was pretty convinced she wanted the new bed.

So, we went to the store and she got to pick out new sheets (can't share one set of sheets between two beds. They are the only purple in the room, but she's pleased)

They are both tucked into beds now and I don't hear anything so it must be fine, right?