The Quest for Little Lambies

Eloise Jane: 3 Years Old!

2019-07-22T14:24:00.000-05:00

Sweet Eloise Jane, this week you turned THREE years old!

You continue to show us that you are here to live life to the fullest. You want to taste everything, feel everything, experience everything, know everything- your curiosity is insatiable! You are extremely intelligent + stubborn, which can be a hard combination at times. You are very strong in your feelings and opinions. You are also extremely sensitive, affectionate, and snugly- you always want to "snuggle just a LIL bit more" before nap and bedtime. You love being carried around by Mama!

Here are your 3 year old updates!

How big?

I'll update with your official doctor appointment this week, but you are still trending extremely tall for your age! You and Iyla can officially share clothes now, even though she is 3.75 years older than you.

You fit best into 4t tops and dresses, and 4t or 5t pants. You wear a size 8 shoe.

Here's a good comparison of your growth in the last year: the first photo is last 4th of July, the 2nd is this year. You've grown so much!

Sleep?

You are a good sleeper once you are down. Typically you go to bed around 7:30 at night and sleep until 7:15/7:30 the next morning. You take about a 2-3 hour nap in the middle of the day, from 1-3/3:30. You have started really delaying and stalling with GETTING to bed, wanting just ONE more book, MORE snuggles, ONE more trip to the bathroom, etc.

You love to have your "milkies" and read books together, then once in bed I sing you a song- usually one I've made up about Auntie Sheri or Mimi and Grampy.

Eyes?

We got great news at the eye doctor this week- both of your eyes are seeing equally at 20/40 with your glasses on! The doc said we can omit your daily 2 hour patching for the next 3-4 months, and at your next appointment we'll reassess if we need to go back to patching. Your left eye is getting stronger, and we couldn't be happier!

Potty Training?

You've been trained with telling us when you have to go #2 since you were around 8 months old, and JUST last week you made the final leap into full time undies- hooray! While I was out of town for 5 days Papa took advantage of mixing things up and having you go full on BIG GIRL. You've been doing great and I am so proud of you!

Favorite things?

*The color blue, which I LOVE! I honestly felt you as blue when you were in my belly, and sure enough you gravitate toward anything that color.

*Constructing and deconstructing things. You are a little engineer and scientist, and are extremely meticulous and patient with tasks you are interested in!

*Being outside. You LOVE your sandbox and all the creatures found outdoors.

*Animals and insects! You love any and all creatures big and small. Dogs, cats, frogs, beetles, caterpillars, etc.

*Water/swimming! You are rocking your weekly swim lessons, and if there is a cup or bowl of water nearby you love dunking toys in it.

*Your sister! You always want to know where Iyla is, and you two are starting to play more and more together. The best noise in the world is when you two are laughing together! However, that laughter typically merges into crying within minutes when one of you provokes the other with words or hitting.

For your party this year, we had Mimi + Grampy and a few friends over to celebrate, with a fun Safari theme for our animal lover! So much fun:

Here are more photos from your recent adventures!

Happy 3rd Birthday sweet Eloise Jane! We love you so much!

December Adventures

2019-04-08T14:14:00.003-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite photos from December, as I continue to catch up on this blog!

Our little thumb sucker in her car seat:

Iyla was in a performance of The Wiz with The Adderley School:

BC gets some of the cutest photos EVER on his mornings out with the girls:

Here's Eloise in action at her preschool (photo by her teacher):

And making mischief, always:

Cutie-pie Iyla, who continues to smile with her mouth wide open:

Eloise on a fun morning out to the zoo:

Iyla in her element:

A donut and pajama party for friend Myles' birthday:

Play date with Iyla's older Montessori besties, Eila and Fiona:

During Christmas break, we took a little 3 night getaway to San Antonio with the girls. Our friends Kathryn and Kaia joined for a couple of nights, and we all had fun exploring the river walk, local kids museum, and beautiful restaurants in the area:

Eloise was OBSESSED with this robot!

On New Year's Eve we hosted our annual party, and this year was the biggest turnout yet! Here's a shot from the evening which was pretty much how it all felt:

The girls decided to wear their Christmas dresses again for the celebration:

We started at 5pm with the "bring your kids" portion of the evening. This involved a mock NYE countdown with sparkling apple cider at 6:30pm, followed by fireworks in the alley. We had around 25 kids and their parents show up, so you can imagine the chaos, craziness, & fun that entailed!

Closer to 9pm the night shift started, where friends who had sitters or no kiddos came by. We celebrated well into the night, with our bellies full of cocktails and laughter. It was a wonderful way to ring in 2019, and a lovely end to all of our December adventures!

Christmas 2018

2019-04-08T11:13:00.005-05:00

Christmas season is a definite favorite in our house, and this year we did ALL THE THINGS!

There were gingerbread houses:

Matching pajamas:

Elf on the shelf (and an Elf costume):

Visits to see Santa in person (this was the first year Eloise didn't cry! She was obviously nervous and stiff as a board in his lap, but held it together):

Rewarded afterwords with her "candy-can" and a hug from big sister:

We decorated the house:

Took our annual photo in front of The Driskill Christmas tree:

Baked cookies:

And of course had multiple holiday celebrations, the first of which was at Mimi and Grampy's in Houston:

This is what a Texas Christmas looks like!

Laughing at the Mimi booty

We went over to my Aunt Sheri's for an afternoon Christmas celebration, where my cousin Heather took some gorgeous photos of everyone (last 3 below):

Then before you knew it, the night before Christmas was here! Iyla made sure to leave a note, cookies, carrots, & milk for Santa and his reindeer:

(and yes, yes she does smile with her mouth wide open these days!)

Presents were wrapped:

Santa came by:

And the girls had a fun morning opening presents and playing with all of their new things:

Then it was time to get ready for our own party! We host Christmas Day with my family each year, and the girls were excited to put on their fancy dresses and celebrate:

Watching for Mimi and Grampy to arrive:

My parents stayed an extra night (thanks Mom and Dad!) so Lance and I could take our annual Driskill Hotel overnight together:

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Thanksgiving 2018

2019-04-08T10:48:00.000-05:00

November is always a fun and busy month for our family. We have Iyla's and my birthdays quickly followed by the Thanksgiving holiday.

This year Iyla's sweet little elementary school had a Thanksgiving lunch that parents could attend. It was actually really yummy, and Iyla was thrilled I was there:

With her "neighbor-sister-friend" Juliette:

This past fall Eloise often came with me for Iyla's school pick up. She was prone to fits and tantrums and lost shoes while there, but also reveled in her time ~~pestering~~ hanging with the big kids:

This year was the first year in several that we've spent Thanksgiving with my side of the family! We had a great time celebrating the holiday at my Aunt Sheri's house in Leander:

So thankful this year for health, prosperity, good friendships, & our sweet little family.

Fall Favorite Photos

2019-04-08T10:44:00.001-05:00

Well hello there!

I'm going to attempt to do some serious catch up from the last several months, largely in photo fashion. Life has been good and full and busy, but I continue to take hundreds of photos of our girls that need somewhere to land. So here goes!

These are some of my favorite shots from the late fall of the girls. They both continue to be sassy, sweet, curious, keep-us-on-our-toes little ladies, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Happy 6th Birthday Iyla Grace!

2018-11-12T16:32:00.002-06:00

Sweet Iyla Grace, today you are SIX years old!!

At 6 years old, you have such an intrinsically deep JOY inside you that emanates wherever you go, be it the dentist, the hair salon, the doctor, school, out to eat, etc. You delight in new experiences and bring smiles to all around you. I never realized how smiley you truly were until your sister joined the family- and it is HARD to get that one to smile for photos! ; )

People often comment that you are a mini-me, and it's true- especially the way our eyes smile! You share the unique trait I have of having had blue eyes until almost 4 years old, when they slowly turned green. You are petite like me, though you have your Papa's LOOOOONG legs! Your eyelashes are also incredible- so long, dark, & thick.

Legs for days!

You tend to go through phases with hair and clothes that last about 2-3 months before a sudden change. For most of the last year you were really into wearing socks, then one day about a month ago they all just didn't seem to fit you right (it was a mixture of your feet growing + you getting more sensitive to the seams!) SO: socks were officially OUT!

Every night before bed you lay out your outfit for the next day, and it's the cutest thing:

Here's a parade of outfit choices from the past several months, all hand picked nightly by you:

For the photo below I asked you to smile for the camera, to which you gave me the following 'fake' smile:

I then asked you to smile for real and got this: ha!

You used to be good about letting me do different hair-dos on you, then one day decided you liked your hair just DOWN, thank you very much. For awhile we had a compromise where either I got to do your hair, you had to wear a hairband, OR you would have to get your hair cut (it was always in your face and getting long!)

And so it was that last week we did your 3rd official CHOP of about 6 inches, into a cute little chin length bob:

You have strong opinions and a definite mind of your own, yet are still an extremely good listener and rule-follower with teachers, authority, etc. You are at an age now where we talk about compromise a LOT when Papa and I don't agree with something you want.

For example, one tug of war we consistently have revolves around evening snacks. Pretty much every.single.night you are hungry right before bed, and get really mad if you can't have exactly what you want (like a HUGE bowl of crackers or a sugary treat).

Another battle ground is the state of your room, which is typically a flurry of stuffed animals and discarded outfits from morning fashion dilemmas. Mostly I let it go, but every once in awhile I have to do some deep cleaning/straightening in there!

You are loving kindergarten and are happy every morning to head out to school. Your teacher is Ms. Anne, and you have 18 new little friends in your classroom. You go to a really cool Fine Arts Academy, where you have weekly ballet & theater classes in addition to many other amazing programs unique to your school.

Here are a few shots of you in action at school when I volunteered for pumpkin carving day:

I also got to join you for a birthday lunch today!

You adore your weekly swim and theater classes, as well as the the ballet class you take at your school.

Theater class carpool crew

You are generally a really healthy kid; however, you did get a virus this fall that saw you missing 3 days of school. Whenever you get a fever, your little face breaks out in a rash- a clear sign that your body is fighting something!

At home you can be found drawing, reading books, or playing with stuffed or plastic animals. You've yet to ever really get into baby dolls; animals are always your preferred playmates! You love cats and pretty vocally don't like dogs. You'll say your favorite animal is a cat, cheetah, or jaguar, and indeed you LOVE all members of the cat family!

Your current favorite color is yellow, though you'll tell me you also love pink, red, and purple.

Your current favorite outfit is a short sleeve unicorn shirt usually paired with unicorn printed pants and occasionally a pink skirt.

You wear gray crocs almost every day, though are now rocking a cute new pair of gray boots we got for family photos.

You love having me make you "lunchie" plates to eat, which have a variety of your favorite snacks. These include carrots, apples, grapes, oranges, strawberries, olives, pretzels, gold bunnies, & crackers. You also still love veggies like green beans, asparagus, and broccoli! It's VERY hard to convince you to try new foods; you are definitely set in your ways as far as what you like to eat.

For 6 months around summertime you wanted to sleep in our room next to our bed due to feeling scared in your room. Papa started working with you on "Courageous Points" toward trying to sleep in your own room again. Then shortly after kindergarten began you bravely made the transition back to your own room!

Your bedtime routine is a bath (if it's a bath night) then a story in our bed before you head to your room. You like to draw and read in there until you get sleepy. Then you turn on your own sound machine, turn out the lights, and fall asleep in the 7:30-8:30 window. You have to wake up earrrrly for school, but on weekends tend to sleep until around 7-7:30.

The best part of when you were sleeping in our room was getting to watch your sweet sleeping face! The absolute cutest. : )

You are such a sweet big sister, and don't have a violent bone in your body. Eloise is a very strong, physical little one and often overpowers you by yelling, sitting on you, or hitting. You two have the sibling love/hate thing going on in a minute to minute basis, but your hearts are definitely connected and you have a strong bond and love for one another.

There is a tree in our front yard that you LOVE to climb. You'll climb up and pretend you are a wild animal of some kind, typically a big cat. Eloise is following suit and getting pretty good with her climbing too!

You love to draw and make up stories:

You also love helping me bake chocolate chip cookies!

You have some pretty awesome expressions:

We had your birthday party over the weekend, complete with stuffed kitty adoptions and a petting zoo with pony rides. You had so much fun with all your friends and family:

Here are a few more shots from the past several months:

We love you so much sweet Iyla Gracie! Happy 6 years to YOU!

To Eloise at 26 Months Old

2018-09-22T15:13:00.003-05:00

Sweet Eloise Jane, today you are 26 months old!

At 26 months, you are fiercely independent. Your most common phrases are "BY SELF!" and when you don't want to do something, you'll say "NO THANK YOU!" or "NO MA'AM!" or "NEVER!"

Getting your cooperation to do things like put on your clothes or get into a car seat are getting increasingly hard. You use your entire body to object, screaming and twisting and lately yelling "THAT HURTS!" even when no harm is being done. You know how to get attention- that's for sure!

This past month saw you beginning symbolic imaginative play. It's the cutest thing! You'll hand me a toy (like an animal or dolly), take another toy, and start making your toy talk and interact with mine. Usually you'll start by saying "HEY!" and then our toys will climb up your leg, slide down, go to the park, etc. I've also heard you playing by yourself with toys, and will overhear you making them say "Whatcha going, goof?" or "Go to time out!" or "Whatcha doing bug?" It's hilarious.

You also have a great sense of humor. You love to change words in books to get a laugh; for example, in The Very Hungry Caterpillar you like to read the page with all the food pictures BY SELF- saying things like "eat Iyla!" or "eat pee-pee!" instead of "eat ice-cream or pickles, etc." You also like to be silly and change words to songs, as seen in this video:

This month also brought big changes to your schedule. In August you began a full-time program at a Montessori school M-F, 9am-2:30pm. Before you began I was already having hesitation about you being in full time school, but wanted to give it time for both of us to adjust to. You never had tears at drop off, but as the days went on you did cling to me a bit more when it was time for me to go.

I noticed that every afternoon and evening you were FULL of emotions and not yourself, having more meltdowns than normal and seeming tired and off. You also never talked about going to school or about your teachers, and instead on occasion would ask "see Ben?" who was your teacher over the summer at the sweet little Garden School. Many mornings when I'd say we were going to school (at Montessori) you'd say "NO!"

Last Monday Garden School sent out an email to all families that we were copied on saying something along the lines of: "Get ready for a week of rain! We'll be out playing in it so please send clothes accordingly." Meanwhile at your Montessori School rainy day drop offs were inside, with the same 2-3 children crying loudly (a few kids really were struggling with separation anxiety), and no outdoor play was to be had.

My heart tugged.

My instinct was that you needed more time outdoors AND more Mama time.

And so I was conflicted. I was seeing signs that this wasn't the best fit, and I was also missing you quite a bit. In the 3rd week of Montessori school I reached out to the Garden School you used to attend to see if they by chance still had any openings. Lo and behold they did have a 3 morning/week spot open and I had to make a decision fast!

I decided to send you to Garden School one morning last week to see how it went, planning to then send you back to Montessori the following day before finalizing my decision. When we got to Garden School they had 2 new bunnies all the kids were feeding, and you could hardly be bothered to kiss me goodbye!

The following morning- unprompted- you asked: "see Ben?" I replied "soon! Would you like to go play with Ms Heather (Montessori teacher) today?" to which you quickly said "NO MA'AM!"

And so it was.

I was SO grateful you gave me that clarity yourself. I kept you home that day, officially withdrawing you from Montessori and enrolling you back at the Garden School. I also got a membership to the Children's Museum and signed you up for weekly music and gymnastics classes.

We are now one week into the new schedule, and this has been the best thing for both of us! You are happy and balanced, and I am loving having more time with you. : )

Here are a couple sweet shots of you and a buddy at Garden School:

And some cute shots from your previous Montessori School:

In other updates, you have been loving books lately! Your new nap/bedtime routine involves snuggling in your chair while reading book after book. Your current favorites are "Mommy is a Warm Soft Kiss," "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," "Color Kittens," and "Fancy Nancy." When I get you up from sleeping you'll say "Snuggle Weezy BY SELF"- then give me a hug and kiss before I plant you onto your chair and sit beside you to read.

Your naps have been short the past week- it seems when you wake 1 hour into the nap between sleep cycles you are having trouble getting back to sleep, which often equates to a very overtired and fussy kiddo! I'm hoping it's a brief sleep regression and your longer naps will return soon!

Here are some more updates from the past month in video and photo form:

When you want to balance on something BY SELF, you will either hold your OWN hand, or better yet- hold your hair! Haha.

Papa took you and Iyla rock climbing and you both loved it:

Here you are exploring the water fountains downtown while Iyla was in theater class:

You continue to LOVE your weekly swim lessons with Mr. John! You can hold your breath for 10 seconds and swim quite far, and in the past two weeks you've also mastered your solo back float:

This is you exclaiming "oh my gosh!" when you saw a bus next to us. I'd never heard you say that before! I tried to get it on video, it was so cute.

A dinner date to Launderette with Mama:

Climbing the neighbor's fence to peek at their kitties and getting stuck on top:

We attended a morning at Free Forest School, where we hiked at Mayfield Park- climbing trees, rocks, and wading in the stream:

Weekend breakfast out with Papa, cousin Sammy, and Iyla:

Goofing around:

Amazing morning hair:

I've been loving your hair in a ponytail!

Playing the Endless Letters game on your IPad- which you LOVE! Here I caught you laying down, pants free. ; ) You still prefer to be naked if given the chance!

Trip to the Austin Zoo- you and Iyla both LOVE animals!

And a few more shots from the past month:

Happy 26 months to you, sweet girl. We love you!

Eloise's First Day of Montessori!

2018-09-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

Eloise has started at a new school too! She is now attending Iyla's old Montessori school full time.

The week prior to starting, her teachers came for a home visit and we got to spend two mornings playing in her new classroom. Eloise was happy and confident, and even went potty (both 1 and 2) on the classroom potty!

We tested out our new school supplies:

And then at last the day was upon us! Eloise cooperated for photos as well as might be expected for a 2 year old:

When we got to the school, she exclaimed "I 'cited!" and marched in like she owned the place.

She happily got to work playing on the playground with new friends:

Hoping for a great year for my sweet baby girl!

KINDERGARTEN!

2018-08-27T14:17:00.000-05:00

On Monday, August 20th- my baby girl had her first day of kindergarten!!

Iyla has been SO excited to attend her new school. The week prior to her official start, we got to visit the campus 2 times. The first was an informational meeting, where Iyla spent the time drawing pictures to hand out to all the staff members present. The 2nd visit was "Meet the Teacher" night, where we got to view her new classroom!

Here she is, not AT ALL excited about her new school.... ; )

One of many cool things about Iyla's elementary school is that it is a Fine Arts Academy. This means that there are many 'extras' for the kids, including a custom ballet studio where all kindergartners take weekly ballet lessons with Ballet Austin. Here's Iyla checking out the studio:

And here she is meeting her new teacher, Ms. Anne!

A look into the daily life of a kindergartner:

On the night before her first day of school, I asked her a few questions. She was so excited!

And then the morning was here! Iyla chose to wear her old school's class shirt, and told me before she left that I didn't have to worry, because she wasn't scared at all. ; ) We are fortunate that we have a lot of friends attending the same school, and of the 4 kindergarten classes Iyla has a very good friend and neighbor of ours- Juliette- in the same class!

Of course I had to take several photos before she departed with Papa for school. The kids have to be there by 7:35am daily! That's been the hardest adjustment for all of us.

Eloise and I were so excited to pick up our big girl at the end of her first day. Iyla came out all smiles, then quickly melted down into a fussy, exhausted little lady. It took a few days for that to wear off, and since then every morning she is up and excited for another day!

Here are some photos from our first day's pickup, where Iyla's friend Kaia was the first to emerge:

Pickup has actually become one of my favorite parts of the day, as we have a fantastic group of families who all hang out at the kindergarten entrance to welcome their kiddos. The parents chat while the kids play together.

Here's Eloise with Kaia and her little buddy Simone:

Eloise LOVES to perch in this awesome oak tree while we await Iyla:

Juliette often brings snacks to share with the girls:

"Girls, smile!" At least I got one out of the two cooperating. I think Iyla is already too cool for school photos!

Here the girls are with neighbor friend Henley, whom we've known since he and Iyla were 3 months old!

We have a new rule where Iyla has to choose and lay out her clothes for the next day each evening before bed. Here are a couple of adorable shots of Iyla's chosen outfits; she's been into wearing t-shirts, leggings, & socks- despite the 105 degree heat! One morning Iyla came down in a full on sweater dress, which I definitely had my opinions on. She won that battle and I'm sure was cooking during afternoon recess!

Today begins week 2 of school, and so far- so good! It's the first week we are carpooling in the morning with our neighbors, given BC is abroad for two weeks and Eloise is still asleep when Iyla departs! Iyla thought getting picked up by her friend was SO fun:

Here's hoping for a fun-filled year at her new school!

End of Summer

2018-08-26T14:20:00.001-05:00

It's been an extremely busy month here in Austin, as both girls have started at their new schools! Details on that to follow in another post.

For now, here's a round up of photos from our last couple of weeks enjoying summer. To include:

A birthday party for sweet friend Millie:

A trip to Austin's fabulous Thinkery kids' museum:

Ice cream:

A fun-filled two night getaway to Hyatt Lost Pines with our friends Andy and Lily:

A day date with my big girl to see Beauty and the Beast, followed by dinner:

A belated birthday party for Eloise and all of her summer 2016 baby group (we've known this group of mamas and babies since she was 8 weeks old!)

Eloise being mischievous as usual- here, she decided to take handfuls of candle wax to give a stuffed dog a facial and smear our kitchen counters (at least it smelled good!)

Swim lessons weekly, with plenty of clowning around:

And lots of fun Papa dates to breakfast and the park, often with our sweet cousin Sammy! It's hot as Haites here in Austin right now, and I cannot wait for our cooler weather to finally settle in (sometime in October, sniff sniff).

Happy Summer!

Eloise's 2nd Birthday Party

2018-07-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

On Eloise's 2nd birthday proper (July 22nd), we started the day by opening presents:

Then it was time for party prep! I had a puppy theme for our little animal/dog lover, and loved the way everything turned out:

We had a puppy adoption station set up, where kids could choose a stuffed puppy to adopt. They could then make a collar for their puppy, design a house, fill out a vet exam, and finally get their adoption certificate. It was a big hit!

We rearranged our living room to create a big open space for the kids' music show we had planned.

I recycled Eloise's 1st birthday high chair decor by peeling off the #1 and replacing it with a puppy! This will be the last birthday she's in a high chair, sniff sniff.

And of course a puppy balloon!

Our annual birthday photos together:

I weaseled my way into putting ponytails in my "MY HAIR! No touch!" girl by letting her play games on my phone while I put them in. Success! And instant adorableness:

Iyla looked adorable as well! She wanted to wear her fanciest dress for the party:

Puppy tattoos:

The call went out that Mimi and Grampy were pulling up!

Watching for Mimi and Grampy, I took advantage of a few photos:

Then the party got started!

The fabulous Mr. Walter put on a 30 minute kids' set of music. So fun!

New ride from Auntie Sheri:

Leading up to the party, whenever I'd mention to Eloise that it was almost her birthday she'd immediately say "cake! Have cake! Blow! See friends." And so, cake it was!

Cake time was followed by singing at the piano and play time:

We all had so much fun! It was a wonderful celebration of our sweet Eloise Jane.

TWO Years Old!!

2018-07-23T14:38:00.001-05:00

Sweet Eloise Jane, yesterday you turned TWO YEARS OLD! Where has the time gone??

Words I would use to describe you at 2 include persistent, determined, stubborn, smart, sensitive, silly, expressive, fun-loving, affectionate, curious, musical, strong, and animal/insect-loving.

Here are your official 2 year old updates!

How old? 2 years old today!

How big? SO BIG! You are wearing 3-4T pull ups, fit best in 4-5T shorts and 3T tops, and wear a size 7 shoe. Officially at your 2 year old well-check you weighed in at 30 pounds (90%) and were 36 3/4 inches tall (98%). Your head circumference was 19 5/8 ((90%). Giant baby indeed!

Words? You now speak in complete sentences, and pick up new words daily! You express yourself very well, and will tell me "that was scary," or "Mama, GET OUT" or "I'm hungry." You love to sing songs, and can also count consecutively to 14. Some of your favorite expressions are "BY SELF!" and "NO!"

One of my favorite things you've said twice this month while snuggling me was "I love you Mama." Heart melting!

Another cute thing you say is "I help you" when you want help with something, instead of "help me."

You have also started making jokes! When singing songs, you'll inject the words "poo poo" or "pee pee" instead of regular lyrics to get a laugh out of us. It's pretty funny!

When we drive places you'll often start asking "here? here? here?" over and over again- your version of "are we there yet?"

Sleep? You take a 1.5-3 hour nap daily, and usually go to bed at 7:30, sleeping through to 7/7:15am. We had one crazy morning last week where you were still asleep at 9:15am! I went in 2x to check on you (and make sure you were still breathing!) before gently nudging you awake at 9:15. Then you still took an almost 4 hour nap that afternoon! Can you say "growth spurt?!"

Potty? Nothing new there! Still do #2's on the potty consistently (and tell us when you have to go) but not so much for pee.

Vision? I can tell your weak eye is definitely seeing well with your glasses! We patch 2 hours/day, and read books while patched. You will pick out and name the tiniest objects on the page. We go to the optometrist again next month for another vision check up.

Other updates:

Dreams: You had your first memorable dream this month! One week ago when you slept in so insanely late, you awoke and kept talking about a bus coming- a bus on your floor while you were sleeping. You said that you were scared and that now there is no bus. And you kept talking about this ALL DAY LONG to anyone in your orbit! It was so funny.

Hitting/pinching: This month saw you beginning something none of us are too fond of- hitting and pinching! When you are mad or frustrated you raise your right arm up, and if we aren't careful it will come down hard on us. Poor Iyla gets the brunt of it all.

For a brief spell your Papa was encouraging Iyla to hit you back (I wasn't thrilled with this but was open). A day came when you hit Iyla, she hit you back, then you hit me- and I was NOT going to hit you back, so a new plan emerged: time-outs. This equates to me giving you a warning when you hit, and if you do it again, I'll sit you down near wherever we are and tell you firmly "No Eloise, you get a time out!" Just that sends you into hysterics, and after about 30-60 seconds I'll ask if you need a hug and we move on from there.

Your hair! You almost always scream bloody murder when I wash your hair or try to brush it, so you've been rocking some seriously tangled bed head lately!

Your current weekly schedule:

M/W/F you go to a little preschool from 9-12:30 (which you LOVE!). Then on M/W afternoons your nanny Emma comes to play while I get work done.

On Tuesdays you have music class in the morning, then your nanny Veronica comes to play.

Thursdays you have swim lessons + Veronica play time again.

Here are some photos from all of our adventures this past month!

Playing in the bath tub with soap:

Hanging out at the Weatherup:

Practicing archery:

Watching a kids' Sunday morning music show:

Having fun in your music class:

Going to weekly swim class (where you often will lovingly pat the back of the kids next to you, saying "friend!"):

Dolling it up on the 4th of July:

Breakfast out at Bouldin Creek Cafe:

First trip to the zoo!

Just after this photo was taken you shoved Iyla in the face

We love you so much sweet Eloise Jane! Happy 2nd Birthday to you!

23 Months Old!

2018-06-25T10:09:00.002-05:00

Sweet Eloise Jane, you are now 23 months old!

This past month you've started speaking in complete sentences, had your first trip to the ER, and have loved interacting with "friends" at your sweet little school.

You continue to have fire in your belly, and are extremely vocal when you do NOT want to do something. It usually takes me doing a lot of creative negotiating to get you on board with something you don't want to do, and when you do finally get on board, your whole demeanor changes and you'll say "ok, I'm ready!"

Here are your official 23 month old updates!

How old? 23 months.

How big? You were weighed at your ER visit, and came in just a smidge over 29 pounds! You are extremely tall and have a long torso, so I am now buying size 3T clothes for you- though you can fit into shorts that are 4T and 5T. You are moving into a size 7 shoe and 3t pull ups.

Words? You are now speaking in complete sentences! Some of your expressions this past month include "don't have to," "I'm hungry," and "I like it!" or "don't like it." You are always very concerned when other kids are crying, and will say things like "Emmitt sad!"

One of the cutest mispronunciations you have is "BOOPS," which is how you say "boots!"

Food? You continue to love and eat pretty much anything! You tried blistered shishito peppers for the first time yesterday and exclaimed "I like it!" The only thing you are not into is broccoli, and overall are a bit less exuberant for vegetables.

Potty? No changes here- you still do #2's almost exclusively on the potty, and will go #1 if you have to go when you sit- but are happy to go in your diaper if more convenient!

Sleep? I have a new sleep routine that's been working for us this month! When you have your milk, you like to sit BY SELF on your chair while I rub your feet. When the milk is done, I sit next to you and snuggle, singing two songs. Then we move you to your bed for a 'silly song'- which equates to me carrying you upside down to your bed, then laying next to your bed for a 3rd song. When that finishes, I stand outside your door- which is open a crack- and sing two more songs (you want Twinkle and Row Row Row most times).

You go to bed between 7-7:30 and wake up around 7:30. You nap from 12:30-2/3:30 depending on your day!

Favorite things?

*You LOVE animals! Dogs are your very favorite, closely followed by "meows" (cats).

*Swimming. You just started a new level of swim class where I no longer get into the pool with you! You were a bit skeptical during the first class, but by the 2nd class were happy to jump in with your teacher Mr. John. Here are some photos of your first classes:

Other favorite things include playing chase, rough housing, music/singing, and playing with tiny beads (which you love to string onto pipe cleaners!)

Here are a few more photos from your past month:

We love you so much sweet Eloise Jane! Happy 23 months to you.

2nd Kid, 2nd Set of Stitches

2018-06-07T13:49:00.000-05:00

You may recall the Infamous Easter of 2015 when Iyla- overtired from the day's events- fell while running into her bed, splitting open her chin and spending 5 hours in the ER to get 5 stitches.

Well, Eloise has now (unfortunately) followed suit- joining the infamous Toddler Stitches Club.

It happened this past Sunday, June 3rd. We had arrived home from a fun-filled weekend in Houston to celebrate our nephew's High School graduation. We were all pretty exhausted, and Eloise promptly went down for her nap.

After naps BC took over playing with both girls while I got some work done. While they were downstairs, at around 4:30pm, I heard noises no parent ever wants to hear: a huge THUD followed by wailing, followed by BC running up the stairs with Eloise. Apparently she had fallen off one of our kitchen bar stools (BC didn't witness it) and had a pretty deep gash on her chin.

So, instead of a family dinner out we quickly rang a family member to come stay with Iyla while BC and I hightailed it to the local ER.

After the initial fall & crying, Eloise was totally fine- having a great time in the hospital waiting room eating her pouch and watching the fish:

And an added bonus: we got an update on her weight! Holy cow this 22 month old is already 29 pounds. For reference, 5.5 year old Iyla is only around 35.5 pounds herself! Crazy.

We spent a lot of time in our treatment room waiting. Waiting for the nurse to take Eloise's vitals. Waiting for another nurse to put on the numbing cream bandage. Waiting for the 1st doctor to examine her wound. Waiting for the 2nd supervising doctor to examine her wound. Then waiting for the actual stitches to take place. All told, we were there around 3 hours- which to us, wasn't so bad compared to Iyla's 5 hour visit!

We spent our time walking the halls, playing with hospital toys, and watching videos on an iPad. Eloise's very favorite thing was wearing a pair of hospital surgical gloves!

For sedation, Eloise had a numbing patch on her chin and was also given a shot there (which she didn't even feel!). They also administered a nasal narcotic to help relax her, which was pretty hilarious. She was a trooper for the 3 stitches, and held still really well (which I was shocked by!)

Showing her gloves to the doctor

All done!

She went to bed pretty well, and was all smiles the next day- where we were right back at it with school, dress up, & plenty of jewels.

Eloise always wants to follow in Iyla's footsteps, and chin stitches would NOT have been my first choice for this following! Alas, now both girls can compare chin scars and stories as they grow up.

So hoping this was our LAST ever trip to the ER!

Preschool Graduate!

2018-06-06T13:17:00.002-05:00

Our sweet Iyla Grace graduated from preschool last week!

Here she is on the first day of school last August:

And here on her last day of school:

And just for fun, here she is 3 years ago on her VERY first day ever at school!

Her school did a lovely "Gates of Life" ceremony, where graduates got a certificate from their teachers before walking through gates to symbolize their journey into a new chapter.

Then there were popsicles at school, and ice-cream with BC and I after!

Kindergarten, here we come!

22 Months!

2018-05-27T09:56:00.001-05:00

Sweet Eloise Jane, you are now 22 months old!

The past month has seen you exerting more and more of your fiery independence, and you seem to save your most epic tantrums for me. You continue to be wicked smart, with a strong determination to do things your way. You are also sensitive, snugly, funny, and sweet as they come- depending on your mood in a given moment.

Here are your 22 month updates!

How old? 22 months

How big?

We were at a dinner party yesterday with friends who have an almost 3 year old. This little girl has always been tall for her age, and lo and behold- you two were the SAME HEIGHT. Giant baby indeed!

The kid crew at the dinner party

You can wear 4t and 5t shorts, and 2t-3t tops fit you best. You feel as heavy as your 5.5 year old sister, and I think you are catching up to her at warp speed!

Potty?

Not much new here- you're still great at #2's on the potty and will pee in the potty if you have to go, but if your diaper is on, you'll happily pee in it for convenience's sake. Having said that, at the dinner party yesterday you were running around naked most of the night and twice told me you had to go potty-then peed on their big toilet! I was happy to see you had some good party manners.

Food?

This past month you've been more vocal about wanting to eat at the big table. You also greatly prefer to eat naked (really, to do ANYTHING naked!). I'm definitely choosing my battles with you these days!

Words?

So, so many! You are now talking in little sentences most of the time: "Go Lily's house." "See Mr. Ben!" "Doggie no have diaper." Etc, etc.

You also love to sing! Here are a couple videos of songs from this past month:

Sleep?

Once you're settled into bed you do great and sleep soundly. It's that settling in part that is my challenge! With anyone else you seem to go down easily; however, with me, you like to drag things out and fuss and cry and delay. I've been enlisting Iyla to help with nap times, having her get in your bed with you to sing and read books. Sometimes it works, sometimes not- depending on your mood.

Here's a cute series of you stalling bedtime by snuggling in Iyla's floor bed:

Vision?

We continue to patch you 2 hours/day, and you are doing as well as can be expected with that! You still love to rip off your glasses and patch when upset or when riding in the car, but other than that are rolling with it. I also just ordered you the next size up in glasses, as you are definitely growing daily and appear to need a bigger pair!

New this Month:

*You have been VERY resistant about getting into your car seat. One day this past month you climbed into Iyla's forward facing seat, and due to the fact that i didn't want to force a battle with you, I strapped you in and let you stay there. Iyla thought it was super fun and funny to sit rear-facing in YOUR seat, and- well- that's how you both sit in the car every day now.

It's so funny to me how things like this showcase your different personalities: You are a dog person, strong, determined, stubborn, out in the world- and ready to forward face! Iyla is a cat person- more introverted, rule follower, needs quiet time- happy to go back to a cozy rear-facing car seat.

*We got a new swing! You and Iyla LOVE this thing, and take turns independently and together, your favorite thing being fast "twisties."

*You now attend school 3x/week! Shortly after you started at your sweet little preschool, we got the call that an additional 2 days were opening up. I hadn't planned on sending you 3 days/week until summer- but we couldn't pass up the spot! And you are loving it. It's been a seamless transition for you, and you are always excited to "Go see Ben!"

In your first full week at school you were sent home with an "incident" report. It appears another very young little boy was attempting to get your attention through biting. You had a nice little bite mark on your upper arm for several days, but happily there have been no more incidents!

Here are a few photos of a party your school had this week, complete with aerial yoga & watermelon! In just two weeks, Iyla will be joining you at this school for 3 days/week for the summer.

Speaking of Iyla, you adore her. You've taken to following her around like a shadow, and you two are starting to play more and more together. It's mostly super sweet, but Iyla also frequently gets annoyed with you, which usually escalates to her yelling at you, you crying, and me having to referee.

Here's a series of photos of you in Iyla-adoration mode:

Wearing her sweaters

Dressing up in ballet clothes together

Messing with her

Having to be physically pried away from her theater class

You love Iyla's friend Sabine as much as Iyla does!

Always wanting to play next to her

And much to your chagrin Iyla often puts up toy barriers between you

Here's a few more photos from your past month:

We love you Weezy Jane! Happy 22 months to you sweet girl.

Baby Reunion

2018-04-23T14:45:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, the Mama group I was a part of just after Eloise was born had an informal reunion at a local park. The last time I'd seen everyone was when the babes were 7 months old!

Here is our original group baby photo, taken when Eloise was 8 weeks old (she's 2nd to right):

And here's part of the group at the 7 month get together (Eloise again 2nd to right):

Here's the first shot from our gathering this weekend, where we quickly realized trying to corral seven 1.5 year olds was going to be IMPOSSIBLE:

So we promptly scooped up the kids, handed the camera to one of the dads, and got our photo (Eloise is on the end):

This shot truly shows how fast Eloise is catching up to me in height!

It is so much fun to watch these sweet kiddos grow up!

21 Months Old!

2018-04-22T14:34:00.001-05:00

Sweet Eloise Jane, today you are 21 months old!

Lately you are a force to be reckoned with. You're having very BIG feelings about just about everything, and if you don't immediately get what you want you will crumple to the ground in a tantrum. You continue to want to do things BY SELF, including things you aren't yet capable of doing by yourself, like putting on your clothes (though you CAN get shirts over your head!) or buckling your own car seat. That is very frustrating for you (and for me!).

Here's some recent examples of trying things BY SELF:

Squeezing a pouch BY SELF

Carrying your balloon BY SELF
(which as of photo time was floating up into the sky)

You love to make others laugh with your faces and silliness. You'll recall people you love and say things like "Kathryn- funny!" and giggle. You love to sing and dance, preferably while completely naked. You enjoy people and adventures, though still aren't a huge fan of the car.

Here are your official 21 month updates!

How old? 21 months today.

How big? I put you on the scale with me this week, and it appears you are now 28 pounds- just 8 pounds shy of your big sister Iyla!

Potty? You are still doing great telling us when you have to go #2 and doing it on the potty, and still are happy to do #1 on the floor when having naked time.

Language? You are talking SO much and have such a big vocabulary. I love when you recount events by the key words: "park! slide! weeeee! boo-boo. ouchie."

You can recite numbers in order up to 10, and love having me count things in your books.

You are also now starting to have your toys "talk" to one another and interact! So cute.

Sleep? The putting you down routine has gotten more complicated this month! You want to have your milk BY SELF on your chair, though now if I sing "Thumbelina" you'll allow me to sit next to you. You prolong getting into your bed by demanding that you want to "snuggle 'lil bit" in your chair- and I have to be very creative to get you to settle in. Lately what sometimes works is singing to you through your monitor after I leave the room (Thumbelina, of course!)

You also on occasion want Iyla to put you to bed, which is the sweetest thing in the world! This looks like her sitting and rocking in your chair with you, then getting into your crib with you to play and sing.

Vision? We had our first follow up appointment since we started patching, and all indications are that it appears to be helping! They are unable to actually measure the acuity in your left eye by numbers (like 20/20)- but the doc said due to the fact that you didn't fuss when they covered your stronger eye, that you are tolerating the 2 hours/day of patching well, and that your eyes are both tracking leads her to believe sight in the weaker eye IS improving. Hooray! We are to continue your 2 hours/day patching and go back for another appointment in August.

Favorite things:

*Naked time! You love love LOVE to be naked! You will start pulling at your shirt and say "naked naked!" and when stripped down do the CUTEST most hilarious happy naked dance. You get really mad when you request to be naked in public and I don't accommodate. Once you figure out how to get your own clothes off I have a feeling we're going to have a constantly naked toddler on our hands!

Here you are naked with your beloved "boops" on

And this series of photos is from a naked morning where you draped my underwear over your head and accessorized with a Santa hat

*Swimming! Lately in swim class you just want to JUMP into the water over and over and over again, sinking down and holding your breath until I scoop you up. Not sure it's teaching much water safety at this point, but at least you definitely have a love for the water just like your sister does!

*Dogs! This one continues to amuse BC and I, since we've never owned dogs and are self declared "cat people." Iyla too is slightly terrified of dogs and much prefers felines. You, however? You have yet to meet a dog you didn't LOVE! We attended a dinner party this weekend with friends who have a dog, and you spent the majority of the time sitting and talking to the pup through it's dog door, then following it around once he was let out. You also found a stuffed dog in the house you wouldn't let go of!

Communing with your new friend Drogo

*Music! You adore your weekly music class, and love listening to music in the car. You also love to sit at our piano and plunk out tunes.

During music class, you and your bestie Simone (who is also our neighbor!) will often hold hands

Here you are in an original rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle"

*Being outside! You could stay outdoors all day every day, no matter what the weather.

The biggest milestone this month was that you had your first day at Iyla's old preschool (1 day/week for now)! There wasn't a single tear shed upon drop off, and all updates and photos from teachers show a happy first day was had. When I picked you up you were all having popsicles and graham crackers, and a couple little friends started calling out "bye Weezie, bye Weezie!" as we left. So sweet!

Here are a few more photos from your past month:

Happy 21 months to you sweet girl! We love you!

Easter 2018

2018-04-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

We hosted Easter again this year, and I'm happy to report there was nothing notorious about it (per our historical norm!).

Here's a peek at this year's loot:

The Saturday before Easter we hosted my family for dinner & cocktails. The girls were adorable in their matching pink dresses:

The ladies:

We were celebrating several birthdays, to include my Dad (Grampy), my cousin Shanny, and my Uncle Doug, who Iyla was SO sweet with!

The girls both absolutely adore their Mimi and Grampy, and I think the feeling is mutual:

A few more photos from our festivities:

On Easter Proper, the girls set out for an egg hunt in our back yard. Eloise found two eggs and was satisfied at that, so Iyla was able to make quite a haul on her end!

And in closing, a cute throw back to last year. We love our Easter Celebrations!

Wimberley 2018

2018-04-19T13:14:00.002-05:00

Catching up a bit here on all the fun we've had this spring!

This year marked our 8th annual getaway to the darling little Hill Country town of Wimberley. We spent 10 nights at our favorite cabin on a creek, while we rented out our Austin home to a group for the SXSW festival.

Here's a look at our adventures!

Upon arrival to our cabin, the girls were gifted with brand new Easter bunny pajamas. They were SO cute as they admired themselves in the bedroom mirror:

As per our Wimberley norm, Iyla slept in our bedroom with us while Eloise claimed the spare room. Typically Eloise is a rockstar sleeper, but it had been a LONG time since she'd been put in a BRAND new-to-her room and in her pack-n-play. She wasn't so sure about it, and each night needed lots of extra cuddles and reassurance before going to sleep. She also is already almost too big for that pack-n-play!

New Wimberley stuffed buddy

Eloise had a good time finding all the new things she could ~~be naughty with~~ explore, like pulling blind strings and climbing around the fireplace.

The girls were thrilled to rediscover the hot tub, and playing in it (with the temp turned down to a warm pool like temperature) became a nightly tradition!

We dined at our favorite local Leaning Pear restaurant:

And had friends come up to stay over for a night to play with us!

We all took nicely to the vacation lifestyle, including daily car naps for Iyla while en route to wherever our dinner destination was for the evening:

Here we are at another favorite spot: Palmers in San Marcos:

We also road tripped to Gruene, where we listened to live music, had dinner on the river, and finished off with ice cream!

We explored the magical EmilyAnn Theater Gardens:

And took several several trips to our all time favorite restaurant, Trattoria Lisina:

The girls both figured out how to take selfies:

And Iyla and I did a series entitled "My Mini-Me and I:"

We did a lot of relaxing around our cozy cabin:

And discovered that baths in the sink weren't really meant for two!

Poor Eloise face planted off of a bench on our trip to Gruene and got quite a bruise!

Our last day in town happened to be St. Patty's Day, so we made the most of it with breakfast out, a kids' theater show of The Princess and the Pea, & an afternoon trip to San Marcos to play at an Irish Pub:

Till next year, Wimberley!

Bluebonnet Babes, 2018

2018-04-13T13:27:00.001-05:00

We came... we saw... they fussed, I persevered! ; )

Here are our 2018 Bluebonnet photos:

20 Months!

2018-03-22T13:38:00.001-05:00

Sweet Eloise Jane, today you are 20 months old!

Words I would currently use to describe you include: independent, determined, affectionate, loud, mischievous, smart, insistent, sensitive, funny, stubborn, sweet, observant, & communicative. You want to do most things BY SELF, and definitely have a very clear mind of your own.

In just the past couple of days you've started adjusting your own glasses when needed, and have also started sticking out your tongue to the left when focused and concentrating on a task.

With your determination and willful nature, I have to be super creative when needing your cooperation (to go to bed, get into your car seat, get out the door, etc). If you don't want to do something, you use the whole of your voice and body to express it, yelling & crying while thrashing your head back and making your body go slack. You are such a big kid and SO strong that I have to be careful physically for both you AND me when you get to that state!

One trick toward getting you to cooperate that I've stumbled upon this month is counting to 3. I'll tell you what it is we're going to do: "when I count to 3 it's time for peek a boo in your bed!" or "when I count to 3 we're getting into your car seat!" and sure enough, once I hit THREE you are willing to transition and let me pick you up. It's kind of hilarious how simple it is, and I have no idea why it works- but for now I'm running with it!

Here are your official 20 month updates!

How old? 20 months today!

How big? I've found that 3T pants fit you best in the waist and thighs. They are a little long on you, but nothing a roll or two can't fix! People continue to think you are older than you are, due to your height. You are as tall as most 2- 2.5 year olds we meet!

Food? You love tart things like lemons and limes. You also LOVE eating ice and snail shells.

Yes, still with the snail shells.

You like to put EVERYTHING in your mouth- food or otherwise- and are good about not swallowing the non-food items (except for those snail shells, which you actually crunch down and swallow!)

Eating ice

This past month on several occasions you've refused to sit in a high chair and been very insistent on sitting like a big girl on a chair, bench, or stool.

You helped Iyla and I "make" cookies for the first time this week, which equated to my giving you an empty bowl to practice stirring with:

Potty? You're still doing great at telling whomever is caring for you when you have to go #2 and doing those on the potty. For pee you'll just as likely go in your diaper as on the potty depending on timing- and I have no immediate plans to "train" you, other than sitting you on the potty at your regular times!

You love you pull-ups and when we got a pack with new designs, you insisted on putting on EVERY SINGLE PAIR until I couldn't fit any more on you!

Words? You are increasingly talking in 3-4 word mini sentences, like "Iyla go bye-bye," "Mama come back," "snuggle 'lil bit," etc.

You also love to recount experiences, which is super cute. For example, you saw a helicopter in the sky the other day and recounted it like this to Papa:

"Copter! Up. Loud. Bye-bye. Back" Which equated to: "I saw a helicopter up in the sky! It was loud and then went away. I want it to come back."

You are also very clear on your YES and NO responses. If we ask you if you want to do something, you'll give us a clear answer- and your YESes are the cutest things in the world.

Vision? Overall you are doing really well with your daily eye patching. We do it first thing in the morning, and usually it's only with the promise of a video that you'll allow me to put it on. After it's on, I have to keep you in sight and occupied at all times or you'll covertly go somewhere to peel off both the patch and the glasses. You almost ALWAYS use the car as an opportunity to peel everything off!

Once you pull your patch off, you like to put it over your OTHER eye and see how that feels and looks:

You also like to perch your glasses on top of your head:

Sleep? We just got back from 10 days in Wimberley, and it was definitely an adjustment for you to suddenly be in a new room sleeping in your Pack-n-Play (which is getting quite small for you!). There were many naps/nights where you insisted on "snuggle 'lil bit!" over and over and over again, crying when eventually put in your bed. I finally found a trick that calmed you: I'd ask you if you wanted various stuffed animals to come play "peek a boo" with you- and you'd tell me clearly which one was acceptable ("do you want panda to play peek a boo?" NO. "Kangaroo?" NO. "Penguin?" pause.... YES!") When I'd hit the right one, you'd calm and willingly go into your bed while I'd fetch the chosen stuffy, who would then PEEK at you from the doorway and join you in bed as I hightailed it outta there.

Once we got back home another interesting development occurred: you wanted to sit in your bedroom chair BY SELF to have your milk (vs the usual snuggling on my lap). This equates to my helping you up on the chair and asking if I can come sit next to you. Usually you say YES, but on a few occasions you'll deny my even sitting next to you by batting me away and exclaiming BY SELF!

You also assert your independence by insisting on holding your OWN hand. This occurs when out walking, or when you are wanting to try something a bit daring- like jumping off a rock.

Holding your own hand while out for a walk

Another funny thing you like to do is to "hide" from me when you're doing something naughty or when wanting to try something BY SELF. This looks like you grabbing an illicit item and immediately turning your back to me while putting it in your mouth (all the while right there in front of me!). When outside, you will go run behind the wheel barrow- usually while crunching on snail shells.Very sneaky.

Yes, my Eloise- I SEE YOU!

This month also marks your willingness to let me put pony tails in your hair! I've found hairbands you can't pull out, and if I get a YES when I ask if you want ponytails, you'll willingly and patiently sit while I put them in. So cute!

You are LOVING your music and swimming classes, and I am thinking about adding gymnastics to the mix as well- given your love for jumping and exploration!

We got to see our beloved (now retired) Mr. Walter music teacher at a special performance this past month, and both you and Iyla were in heaven:

Iyla cracks me up in this one!

Speaking of Iyla, I just love how much you two genuinely adore one another. You are playing more and more interactively, and it just melts my heart. Some of your favorite games together are peek-a-boo in our closet- where one of you hides behind the racks of clothes and jumps out at the other, and playing "flip the chair" in the playroom, where you crawl under your little chair and make forts together. You both also love bath time, where Iyla will decorate you in bubbles.

We love you so much sweet Eloise Jane! Happy 20 months to you.

19 Months!

2018-02-22T13:28:00.001-06:00

Sweet Eloise Jane, today you are 19 months old!

This past month has brought a LOT more assertion of your independence, and with it, many more full on head-thrashing-throwing-your-body-to the-ground tantrums. You definitely have a fire in that belly of yours coupled with a strong will, and are realizing more and more that you can affect your environment. It's all hands on deck lately!

Here are your official 19 month updates!

How old?

19 months today!

How big?

You are still in size 6 diapers and pull ups, are a 5.5 shoe, and can fit into 3T pants and 2T tops.

Glasses/Vision?

This past month you had your first follow-up eye exam since you got glasses. It was determined that your weaker eye's acuity was still not quite where we want it to be, so we were told we had to start patching your strong eye 2 hours/day. The science behind this is that by patching the stronger eye the brain has no choice but to strengthen its connection to the weaker eye, ideally improving it's vision. The goal is to get the weaker eye to see as close to 20/20 with glasses on as possible.

I was nervous about how you'd do with the patch, and decided to make it a part of the morning routine. I named it your "peek-a-boo," and every morning when you sit on your potty we put it on. Overall you are doing SO well with it! Some days you sneak away and rip everything off, and others you just go with the flow. I'm curious to see at our follow up in April if this is proving helpful.

Here are some photos from your first morning of patching:

And a couple more cute patch photos:

Food?

You're not usually hungry for breakfast until close to 8:30, and lately it's been hard to get things made as you are constantly wanting "up! up!" It's also hard to get you to sit down and eat! I've resorted to using your oh so beloved videos as leverage, since you pretty much ALWAYS submit when you know a video is coming. It also helps you keep your patch on during breakfast.

You love to use your fork and eat your food out of bowls. You've also been asserting that you'd prefer to eat at the big table with everyone else, so occasionally I'll let you give that a try.

Sleep?

There is a thing called the "18 month sleep regression," and boy oh boy are we there. Here's what one online developmental site said:

"Basically, you’ll know you’re facing the 18 month sleep regression when your toddler, who was sleeping just fine, thankyouverymuch, is suddenly NOT sleeping so fine. You will probably see shorter and more erratic naps, more bedtime drama, increased night waking, and/or really early-morning wake-ups."

For you, this looks like some serious crying and tantrums when you know it is time to go down for a nap or bed, then even bigger cries when put in your bed. Many times I'll take you back out to snuggle and sing more songs, but inevitably you'll freak out again when it's time to get into your bed. I have to be loving, firm, sneaky, creative, and QUICK, and you'll usually calm within a couple of minutes of my leaving. It's so heartbreaking! Luckily once asleep you STAY asleep, so we aren't having any night wakings.

Your naps have also greatly shortened in length this past week, more often than not lasting only an hour (vs your usual 1.5- 2 hours- please oh please let's return to those SOON!)

Potty?

You now almost always tell whomever is caring for you when you have poop! Pee, not so much- you've proven to me that you're still perfectly happy to pee on the floor if allowed to play diaper-free. However, if you do have to pee at all and are on your potty, you'll definitely go!

We've started using training pull-ups this past month, but they are still a bit too hard for you to pull on and off by yourself. Truth be told this is actually a blessing in disguise, as I suspect once you figure that out you'll be ripping those pull-ups off constantly!

Teeth?

Your bottom two incisors have cut through, so now you have a full set of teeth (save for the final 2 year molars).

Hair?

Lately you've had some amazing bed head! The back of your hair is tangled and crazy, and there isn't much I can do about or with it. You also still won't let me "do" your hair, but honestly you really don't have enough up front to do anything with yet. ; )

Rainy day curls:

And this was a hilarious hair morning:

Words/Language?

You are really exploding here and expressing yourself more and more with 2-3 word phrases. Things like "Mama, back" for 'Mama is coming/will come back,' "Papa go?" for 'where did Papa go?' and on and on. One of my favorite recent expressions of yours is "Peeky-boo!" for peek-a boo!

Here's a hilarious video of how you currently pronounce "FORK":

Favorite things?

Jewelry and accessories! You LOVE to put on ALL THE NECKLACES. The only bad thing about this is that you'll rip off your glasses to put the necklaces on, lest the necklaces catch on them. You also love to put headbands on your head:

Your sister! You want to be JUST like your big sister. This looks like you insisting on ALSO sitting up at the counter to play (which used to be Iyla's very last "SAFE" zone from you!) and wanting to eat at the big table. You also want to hold hands with her when we pick her up from school, which melts me every.single.time.

The park/playing outside! You LOVE going to the park and being outside at every opportunity. Often when we are driving you'll call out "PARK!" and will shriek with delight when we arrive to one. You are super brave and have proven that no slide is too big for you to go down!

Vidoes! You LOVE your little music videos, and this is often the ONLY way I can convince you to put on your patch or glasses. You'll have ripped things off in full tantrum mode, and I'll ask if you want to watch a video. There will be the slightest pause before you wipe away your tears and happily shriek "YAY!" Then you're all sunshine, rainbows, & cooperation again. You are training us very well!

Music and Swim class! You are loving your music class lately- though you still spend most of the time just staring stone-faced at the teacher, soaking it all in. I know it is getting through though because you are constantly singing the songs at home, and request to listen to the class CD in the car.

You also love swimming, and are getting really brave at jumping in to me and going under water!

Behavior?

You continue to be what we lovingly call "naughty," but not in a mean spirited way. Rather, you are SO curious and SO smart that you just have to explore every inch of your world. You're that kid who should NEVER EVER see how scissors are used- as God forbid what you'll do with that knowledge.

Here are some of your recent "naughty" activities:

*Climbing up on the kitchen table
*Trying to climb up on the bar stools at the kitchen counter
*Pressing all the buttons on the washing machine and dishwasher, causing them to stop or start
*Eating snail shells/crayons/small objects/stickers, etc
*Climbing up on the toilet to press all of the fan buttons
*Putting stickers on windows
*Running away from us when we try to put on your glasses or diaper
*TASTING everything you play with (like jewelry)

New skills?

*Lots of leaping- you can almost get both feet off of the ground
*Running faster
*Speaking in 2- 3 word phrases
*Singing more and more words from your favorite songs
*Recounting past activities (for example, saying "truck, bye" a little while after the garbage truck drives away)

Here are some more photos from your past month!

We love you so much sweet Eloise Jane! Happy 19 months to you.

Christmas 2017

2018-01-28T09:11:00.000-06:00

Here's a recap of our Christmas this year (better late than never, right?).

I have to say: Christmas with a 5 year old is a LOT of fun. Iyla was over-the-top excited about every.single.thing this year, and it was so awesome to experience the magic of the season through her eyes.

Gingerbread house!

We kicked everything off December 1st with the arrival of our Elf on the Shelf. We'd never done this American "tradition" before, but I have to say it was a big hit!

Basically the Elf arrives as a scout from the North Pole and watches it's family's children throughout December to make sure they are on their best behavior.

Hello golden BLACKMAIL tool! Ha.

We used that to our full advantage, often telling Iyla at bedtime that Elfie (her name for him) was watching to see if she went to bed quietly. Each night Elfie would 'fly' to the North Pole to report to Santa, then be back in a new position and location the next morning for Iyla to discover. It was a lot of fun (and a good challenge to BC's and my aging minds to REMEMBER to move that dang thing every night)!

I also got Iyla a chocolate Advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas, and that was a big hit as well! This kid LOVES her chocolate.

There was a lot of talk in the house about IF Santa was REAL. We'd ask Iyla what SHE thought, and usually she'd say she believed. I'd typically say I thought it was a magical story, and would love to think it was real. ; )

We were gifted on December 7th with SNOW in Austin, which is a rarity- and hasn't been seen here in 4 years! Iyla was on Cloud 9, and the following morning the girls and I ventured out to explore. Their favorite part hands down was EATING the snow (luckily it was mostly fresh!). Iyla lamented that there wasn't enough snow for a snowman or snow angels, so we promised that some day we'd take her to a REAL winter.

We took our annual trip to the Driskill Hotel to meet Santa, and Iyla was SO EXCITED! It took about an hour to get our turn with the big guy, and Eloise was losing steam quickly. When it was finally time, there was NO WAY she was going to sit on his lap without me there- so I ended up getting in the official photos with the girls. Iyla requested a stuffed tiger family, and Eloise just stared at him.

Photos before we left for the event:

And of course we had to take some shots with the gorgeous Driskill tree!

A couple of days before we were to head to Houston for Christmas #1 with my family, Iyla fell sick with a fever, sore throat, and cough. She was down for the count for 36 hours, but happily on the day we were to depart was fever-free: so we were off! (and Eloise still would NOT nap in the car!!)

Sweet sick buddy watching videos. Even sick this kid has style with her sparkly star pants and jewels!

Iyla LOVES going to her Mimi and Grampy's house, where there are always new toys to play with and 4 cats to ~~torture~~ love on.

Here are our traditional photos in front of Mimi and Grampy's mantle:

Eloise awoke from a very late nap, and I quickly threw her into the mix when she was still partly sleep paralyzed:

Three generations:

The next morning Eloise awoke with a fever, which would continue for 3 days and end up with a case of Croup. Merry Christmas?

Lots of extra snuggles for this one

On the night before Christmas, Iyla dictated a note to Santa and we put out our cookies, carrots, and milk:

The next morning, this is what the girls awoke to:

Then it was then time for presents!

Later that day we hosted our family for an extended Christmas celebration. And I COOKED! It was a Christmas miracle. ; )

Happy (belated) Holidays, dear readers!

Thanksgiving 2017

2018-01-25T09:18:00.000-06:00

I have some catching up to do post Holidays!

For Thanksgiving this year we again journeyed to Houston, to celebrate at BC's sister's house. We were fortunate to have his mom and dad there, along with another sister (Anna) and family.

Going into the trip, I was nervous about the 3+ hour car ride. Iyla has always been a great car traveler... but Eloise? HOLY HELL NO. I debated on trying to leave at nap time or just after, knowing historically she doesn't really nap in the car. We ended up leaving just AFTER her nap, which we quickly learned was a HUGE mistake. We basically had a well rested kid who was wide awake and ready to MOVE, who instead was strapped into a car seat.

It was rough.

We had to stop 1.5 hours in just to let Eloise run around, as she had gone into full on hysterical crying.

Stretching out those little legs

We did make it to our hotel, which I realized was located 30 minutes FARTHER than my sister-in-law's house.

MAMA FAIL.

Thankfully our hotel itself was great- a 2 bedroom suite where we could give Eloise her own room/space for naps. Iyla always prefers to sleep in our room when we travel, whereas Eloise always sleeps better shut far away from any action. Could these two girls be any different?

On Wednesday we spent time relaxing with family while prep was done toward Thursday's feast. Iyla- per her usual when we travel- was in an extra fiesty, sassy, clingy mood. Nothing some snuggles and a trip to the park with her cousin Maggie couldn't cure!

Then on Thanksgiving proper, Iyla was in a GREAT mood, while Eloise was in this state:

Soooo.... I tried getting the smiling, happy holiday photo with just big sister:

Then used a Mama trick and handed Eloise a beloved toy. YES! No smiles, but no crying either. I'll take it.

Here are a few more shots from Thanksgiving day:

On the ride home, we switched it up and left AT Eloise's nap time. That little bugger NEVER SLEPT, but at least she was mostly content and complacent in her fatigue!

Thank you to BC's sister Anna for taking (and sharing!) the majority of these gorgeous photos. So grateful to be surrounded on both sides by such loving families!