Singing Super Star

I love the kareokee machine so much! I love dancing to the music and I especially LOVE singing into the microphone. I love to sing "ah, ah. ah ah ah" while rocking to the music. Mommy says she has to buy another microphone for the kareokee machine because we only have one and when Anna sees me singing, she wants to too. And this usually results in one of us crying.

Love the future singing star,
Ashley

Tickle Belly and Peek-a-boo!

I love wearing shirts and pants so much! See for the last 3 months mommy pretty much had me in sleep and play one pieces when I slept and when I was awake. Now that I am wearing a shirt, I can play peek a boo with it! I just love them and do peek-a-boo a lot!

Another thing I have been doing for the last couple of weeks is tummy tickles. When I am shy or unsure of something I start tickling my upper belly with my fingers and pull my ear/chin down to my shoulder to show my "shy" look. All the adults seem to think it is super cute and love when I do it!

Love,
Ashley

It's official

The last of Christmas is down!

Much Love,
Jenny

the "Baby" Hoarder

To say Anna loves all her babies is an understatement. She ADORES them!

EVERY morning and EVERY evening all 12 of them are piled into her baby pack n play and carried either down/up the stairs. (And Ashley is usually on my other hip). Yes, she has a DOZEN lovies and every single one of the make the trip downstairs in the morning to play and upstairs at night for bedtime....

It is becoming so full and so heavy that there is a rip in the pack n play that Anna keeps saying "mom" (my mom) will fix. I tell her we have to put less babies in it and I get a huge, "Mommy, please no!"

At night they all have their special place they sleep and she goes through this ritual pretty religiously....

Their proximity to her at night time pretty shows their order of importance to her...... Lambie, Daddy's Lambie and Bunny sleep right next to her on her pillow in the crib. Barney, Baby Bop and Riff sleep at the foot of her crib. BJ, turtle and baby's turtle sleep in the bassinet rocker. Frosty the snowman sleeps on the top bunk of the bunk beds (no one sleeps on the bottom). And big and little Aerial both sleep in the pack n play. And it's like this EVERY night. Not Kidding.

And if it was up to her she would feed each one a bottle before bed while rocking them to sleep. But Rob and I speed up the process (I know bad mom and dad but it would literally take her an hour to put them all to bed) by getting as many of the in their spots before she notices. We usually leave her one or two to tend to.

Our little girl sure is a good mommy but I don't think she needs any more lovies! (too bad Valentine's Day is around the corner.... I bet another one will be added to the collection!)

Much Love,
Jenny

The box

I LOVE the box of pillows in my room. I love to take all three pillows out of the old wine box and throw them on the ground and then hop over the edge to sit in the box. And what do I do when I am I the box; I play pee-a-boo with the curtains or I just sit there and ham it up for mommy. I am a really goofy girl :)

Mommy only lets my play in the box when Anna is asleep because she knows that Anna will want to sit in their with me and there just isn't any room. One day I can't wait to show Anna about the box!

Love,
Ashley

Cousin Colleen's Visit

This past weekend was such a GREAT, and much needed, girls weekend!

My cousin Colleen came in town from Chicago and we lived it up! From the moment the "eagle" landed we ate, shopped til we dropped, had some great wine, played with the girls and hung out with the family. It was awesome having Colleen in town!

Since it had been a long time since just Anne, Colleen and I hung out, we decided to make it a girls day/night on the Plaza with a sleepover at the Marriot! and it was superb!

Here's what we did!

On Friday we had lunch at La Bodega with Mom, Dad, Anne and Kate followed by a visit to a nearby shop. Then we went home to play with Anna and Ashley for an hour. Packed up our bags and headed down to check in at the Marriot and headed to Halls at Crown Center for a super deal of 25% off their sale prices plus Anne's employee discount of another 20%. We scored AWESOME deals! I bought a pair of shoes and a dress that might become my pj's because they kind of look like pj's! Then we went shopping on the plaza where we continued our streak of AWESOME deals on sweaters, shirts, a dreidel set (even though we aren't Jewish I can't wait to play with the girls on Hanukkah next year!) and chocolate fondue! We ate and had drinks at McCormick and Schmidts, Plaza 3 and reverse happy hour at the Melting Pot (it smelled really stinky for some reason). We headed back to the Marriot only to find that I had forgot a part of my pump at home and since we were drinking we couldn't drive to get it..... so....... I pumped myself. It was the most awkward experience of my life and I guess I can now say I have fully experience breast feeding since I manual pumped by my hand probably 5 or 6 ounces in the shower. Sorry if it is too much information but it kind of put a damper on that night and the morning. But I survived and the night was still awesome! We woke up the next day, headed to Eggtc for breakfast, picked up the girls and headed to my parent's. We lounged a bit and then had a spa manicure/pedicure day with dad (I even finally got my eye brows waxed!) Then we all went out to eat at Jalapanos, rented a movie and at 10:30 very tiredly spent the night at my parents. That next morning we even squeezed in a Target run before heading to the airport at 11. WOW did we pack it in!

Can't wait until Colleenie visits us again! Our next reunion..... Chicago June 2012 :)

Much Love,
Jenny

Sticker Chart and some snakes

About a month ago we experienced potty regression. After almost 2 weeks of wetting herself to gain control over the potty situation (I am pretty sure she was rebelling to show control and it got pretty bad at times) Anna found herself back in pullups and there was no potty talk for almost a week. WAY TO GO MOMMY (believe me, it was hard to just let go but it is what she needed from me).

Then after a week of absolutely no mention of potty, we started back up with the sticker chart that we used during potty training. Pretty much Anna gets to pick and put on a sticker of her choice whenever she completes something on the chart below (notice there are really easy ones, like feed Peanut, brush teeth, clean up plate, that we included do she was guaranteed a sticker each day). One she reaches the other side of the page on ANY line she gets a reward of her choice.

And Anna has bought into it; it has worked pretty well for the last 2 weeks. She has filled up the chart twice (once a week) and has chosen her reward for doing so. The first week she wanted to go to the zoo with Daddy to see the snakes and this past week she got to go to the bookstore to pick out a book; she went wanting a snake one but came home with a My Little Pony puzzle book instead!

So Anna has made some progress and she is no longer trying to "control" the potty; or should I say mommy is trained to show zero interest and control of potty time :). I simply need to ask her if she wants to potty upstairs or downstairs and she decides from there on; or she simply goes on her own. She decides in the morning if she is wearing pull ups or panties. I don't let myself stress and this is a good thing.

While she's not 100% potty trained, I am 100% more enjoying this then a month ago. Deciding to hand over all the control to Anna and invest in pull ups has been the best thing for Anna and mommy's relationship when it comes to using the potty. My 100% no stress potty approach has started to show some really good signs. Anna knows what to do, how to do it, has no issues pooping in the potty (she has never regressed with that), but she just needed her mommy to give her total control. 

So 2 1/2 weeks later I am happy to say we are headed in a promising direction. Three times this morning (one poop and two pees) she simply walked to the potty without telling me, pulled down her pants and as she is going yells, "Mommy pee pee!!!!!" So proud! And to top it all off, 3 cases of dry panties (our hardest struggle! She never really fully pees her pants, she just has to change her wet panties)

I am sure we will encounter another hiccup along the potty training road but for now we will have a party with our stickers! :)

Much Love,

Jenny

So Sweet

I like to think that my girls are sweet and it's so nice to hear strangers say the same.

Tonight the girls had to go bridesmaid dress shopping with me (long story; Rob had to work late) and they did great. I knew they wouldn't cause any problems but I didn't know how much they'd let me try things on. Well they did AMAZING! Being that it was 6:00 (remember Ashley is usually getting ready for bed at 6:45 and is asleep by 7) I couldn't ask for two better girls....

45 minutes of mommy trying on dresses they did great! Playing peek-a-boo with the dressing room curtain was a favorite of both girls, Anna loved walking around the store in the dressing room high heels, and Anna LOVED seeing me dress as a princess. LOVED it! When I put on a purple dress, she gasped! Literally, she put her hands over her mouth, eyes got HUGE and she gasped! "Mommy!!!! Mommy!!!! Purple like Barney!!!!! Hand! Hand!!!!" She wanted me to hold her hand, so I did. And what did she do when I grabbed her hand; we spun in circles in the dressing room like we were at a ball. It was too cute!

Around 6:40 Ashley lost control of herself and I squeezed (not kidding) into the last dress. As we were leaving the girl who was helping us told me that both my girls are SO good. She says she has a 2 1/2 year old who is a terror and she was amazed at how good these two were. And then as if on key, Anna went over and gave my girlfriend Kelly a hug good bye. Perfect. I couldn't help but smile and feel super proud! I just hope they never lose the sweetness!

Much Love,
Jenny

Anna Conversations

Some of the recent conversations that I am LOVING overhearing or having with Anna:

While reading Bearenstein Bears Scared of the Dark
Anna: "Why scaaaared?
Daddy: Not wanting to say because it's dark; not wanting her to become scared of the dark says, "They checked out a scary book"
Anna: "Why scaaaared?"
Daddy: "They saw a spooky part in the book."
Anna: "pooky. scaaared. Why?"
Daddy: "They heard a noise that sounded like wind."
Anna: "Wat? Why?"
Daddy: "The wind was making noises."
Anna: "Huh?"
Daddy: "The wind was hitting things and making weird noises that scared the bears."
Anna: "Oh, why?"

And it goes on and on an on :)

And this one shows just how much she knows her Peanut!

Mommy: "Say goodbye to Ollie and let's go inside; it's cold."
Anna: "Ollie. Home. Wid Me?"
Mommy: "Oh no. Ollie can't come home."
Anna: "Oh. P?"
Mommy: "Yes. Because of Peanut."
Anna: "Oh. P woof woof?"
Mommy: "Yes, Anna. Peanut would bark. You sure do know your Peanut!"
Anna: "Yeaaaaahhhhh." With a  HUGE smile!

And I love when she is playing with her dolls and I tell her that she is such a good mommy. I then tell her it's such hard work being a mommy and that I'm impressed with her. She then ALWAYS gives me a huge exhale "Yeahhhhhhhh!" It's cracks me up every time because it seems like she's thinking, "yeah mommy, if you only knew how hard being a mommy was you'd understand........"

Much Love,
Jenny

Hiding

Anna is getting REALLY good at hide and go seek. REALLY good. She will ask us to count (Says,. "you Count, I hide.") and then she will go hide; and she can find some pretty decent spots. Then after you find her she says "I count, you hide." And then closes her eyes and counts (1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10) and then comes and finds us. She gets so excited and wants to play it all the time. And she never wants the game to end!

My favorite thing she does is when she hides like this.... (this is her most common hiding position)

I guess when she can't see us she thinks we can't see her, huh? HOLY MOLY cuteness :)

Much Love,
Jenny

28 months old

 Happy 28 months to me!

*I am talking more clearly day to day. I definitely still have my Anna talk but mommy and daddy know what I am saying almost all the time :) Mommy's favorite thing that I am saying is, "What's the matter with this?" (Watts matta wid dis?" I am also really into telling mommy to be quiet. Don't worry, I ask her with a nice "shhhhhhh mommy. shhhhhhhh." It's usually when someone is sleeping.
*For a LONG time I have been starting to count with the number 3 and if there are two things I count them 3,4. Well TODAY on my 28 month birthday I started to count with 1!!!!! I am doing it right and can count all the way to eleven (even though I skip 7 most of the time!!!)
*I love going outside on nice days. I love it when we take walks. Mommy laughs because a walk that should take 10 minutes takes us 45 because I like to stop and look at EVERYTHING. And you have to obey the traffic signals!! We stop at stop signs (I see them and say, "Mommy STOP!!!!") And if we see traffic lights and if it's red we stop and wait for the light to turn green and then we go. When it's yellow I tell mommy SLOW DOWN!!!! I love traffic lights! Ask me what they mean; I can tell you!
*I love to act like a baby and a dog
*My new obsession is snakes. I like to make snakes out of lotion/soap/playdough/toothpaste (can really draw out the going to bed process if it isn't just right)/tofu (got in trouble for playing with food). I also love to stick my tongue out and lick like a snake!
*Mommy and Daddy say that I am officially in the 2's! NOW. NO. MINE. These words have become quite common. Whines, Tantrums; We have them ALL! And refusal to go potty before nap/bedtime is hardcore.... but since I still wear a diaper to sleep mommy and daddy are trying reverse psychology with their attitudes and how they handle it (because I would have screaming and crying fits for a good 5-10 minutes when they would force me to use the potty before bed). So we will see if their "magic" works.
*I love to say "MY Mommy and MY Daddy."
*I have a certain bedtime routine with babies. Daddy told me once that it was hard being a mommy and when he said that I let out the biggest sigh and said, "Yea!" This routine also happens at naps. Mommy likes to call me the "baby" hoarder (don't worry a separate post is coming!) My favorite baby is probably my pink bunny lovey that I have had since birth.
*My favorite color is purple; aka "burble yike Babee." (purple like Barney)
*The last month or so I have turned into such a cuddler.  When I was little I loved to give good kisses but didn't really care to cuddle unless it was nap or bed time. Now I LOVE to cuddle and want to hug mommy/daddy so much, sit on their laps and lounge, cuddle with them on the couch/floor, lay on top of them, climb on their back and just hang on them and just squeeze them. And I want to do it ALL THE TIME! Mommy thinks I have picked this up from Ashley because she is such a big hugger.
*I put toothpaste on own toothbrush and always tell mommy and daddy that I am going to put a "HUGE" amount on the brush. They always sucks some of the toothpaste back into the tube... BOO!
*I still talk about our Elf on the Shelf (Otter) and Santa Claus. We still listen to Christmas music in my kareokee machine. I LOVE Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. I pretty much know most of the words to both and it is super cute to hear me sing them with mommy :)
*I know some of my books by heart. I love finishing the sentences when mommy and daddy read to me. And I LOVE to read! My favorites are my Baby Bop book, my princess books, magazines and any with paper pages (even though I still read a lot of board books). I can read the words Anna, Zoo and Stop.
*Still not letting mommy put things in my hair (every once in a while a clip). I wonder if she really is going to cut my "Baby-O' hair? It does get in my eyes A LOT!

I am growing up so much and pretty soon I'll be 2 1/2!!!

Love
Anna

Playground

Since it was actually above freezing this morning, we decided to take a little walk to the park and play. It was great being outside and you won't believe what Anna can do!

She can.....

....climb up.....

......by herself with NO spotter!!!! (OR maybe I should have written that mommy and daddy now trust her to climb up with no spotter!!!)

And she can....

.....climb on the the bridge all by herself!

WOW what a difference a couple months away from the playground makes :) What a little monkey!!!

 As for this little monkey....

....we put her down to walk on the sidewalk and she just stood there looking at us very pathetic asking for us to pick her back up. This might be how she is on the playground now, but come end of spring I am sure she will become a little monkey too :)

Much Love,
Jenny

Best Smiles

Are still RIGHT when she wakes up in the morning or after one of her naps! I just LOVE this smile!

Much Love,
Jenny

Punky Brewster!

Yes Anna likes to dress herself...... With no help AT ALL.

The end product when I don't give her options of what to wear (or when Daddy dresses her!!!) usually looks something like Punky Brewster from my childhood.....

Yes- those are Baby Legs on her legs AND arms!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

She such a goof! Just LOVE it!

Much Love,
Jenny

"Jan-ny"

The last couple of days Anna has been quite the chatter box when she gets in her crib for her nap. Such a chatterbox that 3 days in a row she decided to stay in her crib, awake, chatting away for over 2 1/2 hours each day instead of sleeping. I prefer that she sleep during that time but if she doesn't it's not the end of the world, she just goes to bed early. BUT she still stays in her crib for at least 2 hours; sometimes more if mommy needs a longer break!

And during this "quiet time" she usually calls out my name. A LOT.

Well the funniest thing happened yesterday about an hour into her nap....

Anna: "Mommy!?"
Me: Quiet... no way am I getting her yet.
Anna: "Mommy!?"
Me: Quiet... still not getting her

Anna: "Daddy!?"
Daddy: zzzzzzzzzz... he was napping!

Anna: "Daddy!?"
Daddy: still napping.

After about 5 minutes, her calling changed....


Anna: "Mommy!?"
Anna: "Mommy!?"
Anna: "Jan-ny!?"
Anna: "Jan-ny!?"

Yep; she decided that since Mommy wasn't working that she would try Jenny. What a HOOT!

So for a minute or so I sat on the couch CRACKING up. It was too cute.

Cute enough for me to go in her room; of course not! Sure enough, 45 minutes later she was out for an even later afternoon nap! Which = a longer break for Mommy!

Much Love,
Jenny

PS. She started calling me Jan-ny a couple weeks ago and I just ignore her while laughing to myself. She also calls Rob by his name and both of us "babe," and "honey." It's pretty darn cute!

New Shoes

Last Monday I got new shoes and after almost a week I can finally say that they are "ok."

When we got them on Monday I screamed and screamed when the lady first put them on me. The lady said I am a toe curler and have wide feet (two perfect reasons to let me live my life without shoes!) Even when mommy was holding me (with the on) I was still crying. And if you wanted me to walk, good luck. When anyone put me on the ground in them I would crawl instead of walk. As much as I love walking, I was not going to walk in these shoes.

But from the looks of it, I am not going to win this fight. I will have to wear shoes. So I am not excited about this but I guess I will give in.

Each day I am walking even better then the day before in them and I think they actually make me walk better and slip less. I definitely have a lot less bruises then before from falling!

Love,
Ashley

PS. Anna picked out the shoe color and I think she did great! And they are so tiny....a  size 3 1/2!

Bunny no Feet. Why, momma?!

45 minutes into her nap, ok into her nap time, Anna is still talking to herself and she is not happy about something! I go in to make sure she is okay and when I do she sure is in a tizzy about something.

I ask, "What's the matter."
Anna: "Momma. Bunny no feet."
I say, "Honey it's ok. Bunny doesn't need feet."
Anna: "Momma why?"
I say, "Because he has you to walk him around."
Anna: "Why?"
I say, "Because you love him."
She hugs and smiles at him.

Apparently that fixed the issue of bunny with no feet but didn't take care of the nap. She was apparently too flustered to sleep but stayed confined in her room with non stop chatter (if she isn't going to sleep for 2 hours, well by golly she is going to have to get used to having quiet time for 2 hours!) for another hour and a half; probably contemplating why Barney is purple :)

Looks like we are entering into the era of THE WHY. Buckle your seat belts; I can't wait to hear Rob and I explain all the why's in the world :)

Much Love,
Jenny

Naps All by self

A big milestone was accomplished this past weekend (well maybe it was a big deal for mommy to finally give in and make it happen) but Ashley can put herself to sleep at nap time! She had been successful for so long at putting herself to sleep at night and even at putting herself back to sleep when waking throughout the night. But we were never able (and really never tried too hard) to get her to put her self to sleep at nap time. Well not even 10 minutes of babbling/crying during one nap episode and our issue is fixed :) She nurses and then babbles herself to sleep with the company of her bear blanket and Lambie stuffed animal. She has really formed a love with her lovies lately!

I couldn't be a more happier mom when it comes to her current napping habit. Yes, I somewhat miss nursing her to sleep and rocking my baby until she was asleep in my arms, but as Ashley grew older she grew bigger and heavier and my back grew achier and achier. It just makes it so much easier with two kids; being able to nurse Ashley and then put her right into her crib to have her fall asleep on her own accord and then go join Anna for Mommy and Anna time.And I'm less stressed.

Ashley has always been a decent napper (much better then Anna ever was at Ashley's age and really don't have much room to complain) but the last couple of weeks prior were pretty tough (mostly because she was teething) and on some days had me close to pulling my hair out in frustration. I would get her to sleep just to have her pop back up WIDE awake in any pack n play and sometimes even in her crib. But this has all changed; since Saturday she is napping incredibly awesome all by herself in her crib and in pack n plays as well!

I am proud of my baby girl; so proud!

Much Love,
Jenny

First Bubble Bath

Someone loves bubble baths!

I had my first bubble bath the other night and had so much fun playing in it! I kept splashing around the bubbles and picking them up in my hand. Anna also had so much fun putting bubbles on top of my head, hair, hands and body.

 I can not wait for the next one!

Love,
Ashley

BALL!

Ashley said her first official word last week...... BALL!

Yea Ashley! And it's so cute when she has one in her hand and looks at it. Her cute little voice says, "Bawl, bawl."

Much Love,
Jenny

My LITTLE garbage disposal

Ashley is a food fanatic! This tiny thing can eat! Looks like she has her daddy's metabolism because she is a tiny little food monkey! 

Breakfast is easily her favorite and I think she could eat her way to lunch if I let her. Her normal breakfast is a cereal bar (strawberry, blueberry or apple), half a banana (sometimes a whole one if no grapefruit or yogurt), half of my grapefruit and sometimes even yogurt. And what happens when we cut her off? (We have to, she never stops eating). Usually we get a protest but that subsides once we put her on the ground because she quickly walks to the food cabinet to pull out more food!

 And if we don't give her more, which we usually don't, she throws a fit!

 

 Good thing we have Anna and an awesome playroom full of toys to lure her away for a while.... and I mean a short while because she's usually back begging for more.

I sure hope this appetite continues through toddlerhood because right now Anna eats like a snail :) And a an extra bonus to Ashley eating so much for breakfast = Anna has started to eat a bigger breakfast at 8 am as well (she normally wouldn't eat until 9:30 or so)!

Much Love,
Jenny

2nd Cousin Anna

Yesterday and today we got to hang out with our second cousin Anna and Hudson. They came in town with their mommy Kate (mommy's cousin) to visit GiGi. Anna is 3 years old and Hudson is 6 weeks old and they live in Minneapolis. We had so much fun together!

looks at my children- PRICELESS!!!!

We played with toys, colored on the aquadoodle, ate mac and cheese and lots of other yummy food, played hide and go seek, played with babies, prete3nded to be babies (we still can't believe mommy put diapers on ALL of us!) played london bridge (Anna's idea), played pretend pirate ship and laughed so much! We got together for a large family dinner Friday night and ate yummy pork tenderloin. It was really neat for Ashley this time because now that she is walking she can more easily play with the big kids; she even played london bridge!!

At first, Anna thought it was confusing that there were 2 Anna's but after a little while she thought it was funny. When you would say Anna, both heads would whip around and say, "huh?" So we all got used to using middle names and calling them Anna Colleen and Anna Kathryn. Anna would call them "Bowf Ahna's (Both Anna's)" and "Two Ahna's (and would count 3,4 (rememebr Anna doesn't count starting at 1; she starts at her favorite number 3!)"

We had so much fun and can't wait for them to visit GiGi again! And maybe Mommy's cousin Kate will give me more root beer. It was Anna's first time having pop and it was Ah-mazing!

Love,
Anna and Ashley

Snow

Our conversation earlier this morning..

Me: "Anna do you know what's outside on the ground?"

Anna: "Otter." (Otter was our Elf on The Shelf. Anna has been looking for him ever since he left Christmas Morning)

Me: "No."

Anna: "No, Otter with Santa home."

Me: "Yes he is. What do you think is on the ground?

Anna looks out the window..... "Snow!!"

Me: "Yea-" completely cut off but Anna....

Anna: WAY TOO EXCITED, "Anna make fawsty (frosty)?"

Minutes later she has the snowman kit the Hortons got her for Christmas and is at the front door.

Anna: "Peas mommy. Peas make fawsty now? Peas?"

So then I have to explain that there is not enough snow and confusion hits her face.

Anna: "Make fawsty snow now?"

So we had breakfast instead.

Just love the excitement! Hopefully one day soon we get enough to play in!

Jenny

It was bound to happen

It was bound to happen... This momma got the stomach flu. And boy did I have it good.

If I could choose, I would probably rather be going through my 3rd labor and delivery (not postpartum though) then experience what I have been going through since last night. It is that bad. BAD.

I really think that there is nothing much worse then being sick; unless of course you add in being sick with small children. There is no way I could have cared for them in my condition. Luckily, Rob was able to take a personal vacation day to tend to his sick wife and two kids. I don't know what I would have done without him here.

As I look back on the last 24 hours, I realize that my girls are amazing; they continue to amaze me everyday. I still can't believe they also had the same stomach flu but were able to remain in such great spirits. How did they do it? I mean they were nice, happy and mostly pleasant throughout the whole sickness and to be quite honest, I was not.

I wish I had their strength in times like this.

I envy my girls.

Much Love,
Jenny

11 months old

 Happy 11 months old to ME!

Here is what I have been up to this month

*I am sleeping really well; napping twice a day. No changes since last month.
*I am still breastfeeding. Mommy is getting ready to cut down 4 feedings a day to 3. I don't eat much during my 2nd and 3rd feeding these days. I am becoming more of a picky eater with vegetables and meat then I have been in previous weeks/months. My favorite foods are nutrigrain bars, yogurt, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, cheese, ham, bread and hummus. I probably eat the best at breakfast time. I can use a big girl sippy cup just like Anna.
*I am walking really well. I started off the month being able to take 5 or so steps on my own (and pretty wobbly) and now I can consistently get from one spot to another without falling. I started the month only walking when I felt like it and now you can stand me on the ground and I will normally take off. This month I also started stand up and sit down (with ease)without holding on to anything.
*I love going up the stairs and believe it or not I have gone down 2 stairs by myself!
*I love to laugh. Mommy says it's one of her favorite things about me. I giggle at people all the time; especially when dancing or singing to music. Speaking of singing, I LOVE the kareoke machine and will even sing into it. I love hearing myself!
*I point to EVERYTHING and am starting to point my finger up in the air when someone asks me how old I am going to be!
*The word "ouch" makes me crack up; especially when Grama says it- we bonk heads!
*I am making all sorts of sounds but haven't really put together an official word yet. I say mama, dada, ho ho ho, uh oh and a couple others.
I have started to brush my teeth this month even though I only have 3 teeth. I really like brushing with Anna.
*I love our kitchen cabinets and lately I have been opening them and finding my favorite foods and then walking them to mommy or daddy so that they can open them for me. most of the time they just put the food back. BOO!
*I do the funniest thing with my tongue- almost a clucking with me lips that sounds like "blah-blu blah-blu blah-blu." Maybe mommy will upload the video someday. I am also doing funny face/hog nose ALL.THE.TIME (And so is Anna :))
*Anna likes to copy me and act like a baby. We have so much fun now; I can't imagine all the fun we will have when I am one!
*My favorite toys are anything that Anna has or just got down playing with. And I LOVE books!!!! I also love anything that can fit in my mouth, anything that lights up and makes noises. I am starting to grow an attachment to my bear lovey blanket.
*I still use my pacifier but mostly just for when I sleep or when it is getting close to bedtime. It has helped with teething a little.

It was a great month centered mostly around walking and Christmas!

Mommy says that in a month we are going to have a huge party to celebrate the day I was born with my family and friends. I can't wait!

Love,
Ashley