Guess what?! Haley had a GREAT checkup at the doctor today. Her doctor said several times that she was very happy with her growth in the past three months. She’s grown 2.5 inches and gained 2 pounds. While she is still below third percentile in weight, she is up to the 25th percentile in height – which is closer to where she was between birth and one year old. Hooray! It’s all that yummy table food she can finally eat with her eight teeth. We don’t have to go back until her two year old checkup this summer. Wow!

Haley’s doctor was impressed with her word count (100 and growing now), her motor skills, and her obvious high energy (as she climbed on and off the kids’ chairs in the exam room, oh, four hundred times). We talked about transitioning off a binky and on to a potty and she said that it sounds like Haley is ready for both, but not to make a big deal of either until she is 2 1/2. Still, we might order some extra small training pants and see how it goes. As for the binky, it’s just a matter of putting up with some tears for a couple of nights, and some earlier mornings, and we’d be done with it. Hm. Something to think about. 😉

During today’s weather break, we hit the park and had a great time. This morning we had snow, rain, and ice coming down on us, so the high clouds and sun breaks were welcome! Haley decided to ride her bike to the park. She did a great job pushing her bike along, albiet slowly. She got some help from Mom so we would make it to the park in a timely manner.

Haley, on the other hand, went straight for the slide. The yellow slide, no less, which is the fast one. Here she is so excited to have made it to the top (lots of grunts on the way up).

Haley is still figuring out stepping up and down without losing her balance. It was so funny to watch her get over this border.

Ready for the blue slide now.

Haley managed to climb all the way up the blue slide by herself. This prompted JT to try it by himself, as he has always claimed to need assistance. Nothing like your sister showing you up to make a boy try it.

They were doing slide races but Haley kept going early. JT would say, “On your mark, get set – ” and Haley would squeal and push off, giggling like crazy. So she won every time, but JT wasn’t upset because she was so funny about it.

How handsome is he in his Ms hat?

Before we left, I asked for a picture of the two of them. JT followed the directions very nicely. Haley refused to smile (probably because she had to get off the slide). JT covered for her: “Mom, I don’t think she knows how to smile for pictures yet.”

I couldn’t help snapping a shot of Haley sitting at the table coloring the other day. So. Cute.

JT is on Bob Book #11. Reading is not his favorite subject (he picks math first when given the choice) but he perseveres and does well if I stay close and give lots of encouragement. I think it’s because he has to put in more effort than he does for other things.

JT has never been interested in drawing people. This is the first picture I’ve ever seen him draw of a person! He gave himself blue eyes and everything. 🙂

After school that day, JT asked to do some art. I got these stencils at Goodwill for $1, new in the Lakeshore Learning package with the $19.99 sticker still on. Score. He colored a background with a barn, fence, grass, and sunshine and then finger painted three dinosaurs. He titled it “Dinosaurs on the Farm.”

Our baby girl turned 18 months old today. Her checkup got rescheduled because her doctor is on vacation this week, so I’ll post some stats in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, we have some pics and some video clips of our big girl!

Haley has completely conquered walking and can almost run. She is trying so hard to two-foot jump, but she can kick and throw with the best of them. Haley eats whatever we’re eating, just cut up, with a spoon and fork and drinks from a real cup with no lid. Just this week, she no longer uses a binky in the car and we’ll soon think about losing it while sleeping, which is the only place she gets it now. She knows tons of body parts, some animals (her favorites are bird and dog), and uses 80+ words proficiently. We’ll start working on colors next because I think she’s ready. Haley is attracted to all things girl: jewelry, bright pink, things that sparkle, etc. She notices when I paint my nails and wants to put on makeup with me. My, oh, my. We love how she is animated and pray for her to be a little less sassy. I think JT has started praying for that too. 🙂

Someone commented last week that they hadn’t seen her really walking yet, so here’s a clip of that:

These two are my favorites… a lady at the store the other day stopped and told me she looked like a Pottery Barn doll. I think I might see the connection.

Drinking out of a cup now…

JT is registered for 4-year-old preschool in the fall! That’s right, three days a week. The preschool we decided on is just a little bit popular… we had to get in line at 7:00 AM for a 10:00 registration, and I got the last boys’ spot in a 4s class. Seriously. My friend Jen and I had a great time waiting in line in our chairs, snuggled in sleeping bags, and it passed the time quickly. JT and I took a tour of the school at the beginning of the month and he said he liked the playground best. 🙂 We are excited for a new adventure in September!

This weekend I spent 16 hours at the hospital as I watched my friend lose her baby at 18 weeks gestation. As a friend said, “There are no words.” It was the most heart-wrenching thing I’ve ever been through. Our birth photographer, Sarah Ellen, came and took pictures for the family of little Herja after she was delivered. She posted this on her wall today on Facebook and I cried when I saw it. I couldn’t help but repost it here.

“…The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21B

This is my 500th blog posting. WOW. I felt like it should be something special. You know, something memorable and wonderful and perfect. It turns out, in the past two weeks we have only had completely normal-type things happening, interspersed with some not-so-great things as well. For example, Jim and I got sick. Really sick. My amazing parents whisked the children away for two days so we could recover. I didn’t want to blog about that little episode in which we suffered in pain on the new couch, so I skipped last week’s post. Then there’s the fact that Jim is on light duty for his knee injury, or that we went to a funeral for a baby this week, or that Haley leaked out of five diapers in three days. Not such good stuff.

BUT. Life goes on, and we have some good things to write about too. We are all healthy again, Jim is cleared to go back to work, and this week I sign JT up for preschool (!). So I’ve decided to let #500 go by with nothing but 100% ordinary. Because really, that’s the good stuff of life anyway.

More enjoying the new couch…

My friend Jen has this great business called Rustic Pine Designs (or visit her Etsy shop). She does amazing work with wood and paint and it is very high quality. Some businesses that make these signs just use stick-on plastic lettering but hers are all hand painted. I have several signs now and this is my most recent and favorite to date. I’ve seen these all over Pinterest lately but it is nice to have it completely customized!



I hung it right next to the front door as a reminder that these are who we are, no matter where we are.

Jim and JT got in some more shooting on Sunday. Jim’s mom accidentally got two of the same hat for Jim for Christmas, and it turns out the second one fits JT. Don’t they look cute? 🙂

I do this workout once or twice a week and it is really hard. It’s a combination of P90X and Insanity and Biggest Loser and anything else that Shira Jones comes up with. I have been going since JT was four months old, and I can honestly say that I am stronger than I’ve been since high school. I feel good and I can’t believe what we do every week. When I count the total number of lunges, pushups, mountain climbers, whatever, I about die.

Recently, Shira came up with this little saying. It’s pretty much a major motivation to keep working out, doing my best, and staying healthy so I can do fun things for a long time to come. I’d love to take a picture of the group at workout (Jim comes too, when he’s not at work) but I don’t think they’d appreciate a sweaty picture posted for the world to see. We all show up a little scrubby, let the kids run wild, and get ready to work. This group of women have also become some of my dearest friends, and my children’s best friends.

So thank you, Shira, for your commitment to your own fitness and for including the rest of us. Here’s to many more workouts to come!

The Bouncy House place near our house closed its doors today, so we went on Friday for one last bounce. We haven’t been in at least six months (maybe that’s why they’re closing…) so Haley had a totally different experience. That is code for “crazy woman.” She went through the obstacle course and down the slide maybe six or seven times and went in and out of the other structures a bunch. She loved it! We managed to climb to the top of the big monster slide together and she went down that too… all. by. herself. I told her to wait for me and she shook her head no. So I said, “Do you want to go down all by yourself?” and she nodded so seriously I almost laughed. I said, “Okay, go for it.” And off she went, smiling and squealing. One time she went over the edge of the small slide while I was still climbing up. I said, “Haley, wait, let’s go together for once!” and she waved, yelled “Bye!” and slid down without me. Our friends shook their heads and said, “Oh,  my. Have fun with that one!” 🙂

JT was confident and energetic and had a great time too. It was fun to see him take the lead and run all over and tackle his friends.



 

Why do all men do this with their children?

This is an assortment of little things that have been going on lately. Starting with JT’s new obsession, Trio blocks. This set came as a hand-me-down from our friends Eli and Sadie, and it has gotten a lot of use lately. There are directions to build all sorts of vehicles (you can imagine why JT loves it) and free building is encouraged as well. These little pieces end up all over the place.

JT and Haley had their winter checkups at the dentist. Both got good reports. Haley has four front teeth, two molars, and another two top teeth coming in quickly. She wouldn’t let the dentist come anywhere close to touching her mouth. JT opened wide and got several compliments on his great job for the whole appointment. Here they are with their treat bags afterwards.

Haley has started sleeping with her pillow and blanket. Here she is getting snuggled in before nap.

Haley’s favorite way to spend a meal is in her daddy’s lap. She mooches all sorts of food off him while he tries to eat… even if she’s just finished her entire meal in her high chair. She comes begging, “Up, please!” and eats off his plate too. Speaking of food, Haley is now 100% table food. She will not even entertain the thought of having something that we all don’t have. Good thing she got some molars, because she’s now able to eat anything too. Look out!

We got an awesome deal on a new sectional at The Old Cannery. We looooovvvvve it. I am so excited to have comfortable seating for more than three people for the first time in our marriage. Seriously. Here Jim and JT are enjoying an afternoon game of Go Fish on our new couch.

We have already sold the old set, end tables, and old TV on CraigsList. I’ve had a few emails about the coffee table too. The armoir is still available… here I am getting ready to scrub the couches in the cold, dimly lit garage before someone came to pick them up. 🙂

JT and I took our first mother-son bike ride the other day. While excruciatingly slow, we managed to make it two whole blocks. He asked me where my helmet was. Hm. Better go get one of those.