November 29, 2016
Back in here first year, I kept track of just about all of the things Julie was up to. She's more and more interesting every day so I'm afraid I'm going to miss something if I don't remember to keep up. Lately she's been very busy busy (who am I kidding? She's been that way since she could move) but she's definitely a runner. She likes to make us chase her around the shelves and closet. Sometimes she brings her snake along for the run. I feel so bad I have so little energy, because she loves it and I just can't do it all the time.
My favorite thing she does a lot lately is "ummm...." before she says something. She thinks about it long and hard before answering ;) She'll say "ummm.... no" the most, that's for sure. But "ummmm.... yes" is common as well, thankfully. She also likes to argue. She'll say "no no no!" and I'll say "yes yes yes!" and that'll go on for awhile. You can change your stance and oftentimes, she will too, just to continue the argument.
Here current favorite toy is her colorful stacking 'donuts'. I'm not sure WHY but she's really into those things lately. She also loves to color but keeps putting the crayons in her mouth and thus getting in trouble.
She knows when she is doing something she shouldn't. A lot of the time, I'll catch her sneaking peaks out of the corner of her eye at one of us right before she does something she knows she's going to get yelled at for. She'll usually wait to catch our eye before she does that thing, whatever it is, and smile REAL big. The little goose.
Sometimes I'll tell her she's my "goose" or pretty little lady or something like that, and she'll say to me, "No, Julianna". I knew she'd do that eventually, didnt' think it would start quite so soon, though!
Last night I caught her singing a song from Elena of Avalor that I had no idea she remembered. Maybe they have a CD at daycare? I don't know. She has a lot of things she's learned there and though I stress out about germs a lot (and we have acquired a few less than fun sicknesses this past year), I'm so happy at how much she is learning. I know she likes it there too.
I asked her last night who she loves. Her answer was "pizza!" (which we were having for dinner). I asked her who else she loves (yes, WHO), and she same "ummm.... chicken!". I don't think she got what I was asking.
She has started saying "Oh. My. Gosh". Hilarious.
Though I'm sure she doesn't get all the change and excitement that there is to come when baby sister arrives, she does act interested (sometimes, she doesn't seem to care about when baby kicks much!). Today, I told her as she's getting ready to leave for school, to say "Wake up, Baby Sister!" and she came over and put her hands on my belly and yelled that to her. Very cute. She's probably going to be shellshocked for a bit but I bet she'll like her fairly quickly. I sure hope so!
She loves to dance. And she's trying her VERY hardest to jump. It's currently more of a skip but she's pretty determined.
She still loves dinosaurs. We are planning her birthday party and she always likes to tell you she's having a "dinosaur birthday". Hopefully it'll be lots of fun!
Julie sometimes loooooves Auntie Kara, and other times she's not interested. Usually when Auntie comes over to our house, she's pretty thrilled. Especially the last time she came to babysit. However, over Thanksgiving weekend, Auntie was chopped liver. Julie only wanted Grandma Patti and sometimes Poopah. A girl knows how to make you feel like crap. Mommy was on the okay list, and she's been mean to Daddy lately. Sigh...
Having Julie has been so much fun. She really wears me out, and I look forward to the day when I have the energy to play with her more like I used to be able to again (and I'm hoping that's something closer to this spring than a year or two from now!), and I'm even more excited to see her with her new Baby Sister! I hope she loves her. I hope they are best friends. I know there will be ups and downs but I have nothing but high hopes for this next step. Phew, I'm tired. Better go rest now ;)
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Dear New Baby Girl: Part Eleven
November 8, 2016
Dear New Baby Girl,
Today is election day. The fourth time I've been able to vote in a Presidential election. I voted and neither of the candidates are someone I want for you in the future. I at least knew how I wanted to vote in the past elections. But not so much this time around. One is a lose cannon that scares me. The other is a corrupt politician from whom we can only expect more of the same crap we've already been dealing with. But I can only hope that better things come than I expect. The message at church this week was about praying for God to use whoever is elected for the greater good. And that's what I'm doing. I voted the only way I could and now we wait.
I also had a doctor's appointment today. It was more exciting than a regular appointment, just like today is more exciting than a regular day. I had to drink the glucose sugar drink to test me for gestational diabetes. So I did that, and had to have my blood drawn. They couldn't find my veins! The one nurse stabbed me THREE times before she gave up and had someone get the blood out of my hand. That was less painful at least... Sheesh. AND they gave me a shot in my butt, which I do NOT remember having before. I must have, according to Dr. Lown but I feel like I'd remember that. Oh well! It was a rough day but I got through it ;)
Anyway, we are getting more and more ready for you. I'm in my third trimester now (time sure flies) and I'm starting to get more and more uncomfortable. I'm trying not to gain as much weight as last time but it'll be hard being that the holiday season has arrived (yay for Christmas shopping, at least!). Also, I've been waking up so often to pee. I can usually fall back to sleep so that's good. I just hope that we'll get lucky like last time and I'll be able to sleep better once you come than I got to just before Julie was born. Prayers for that ;)
Love you little one. Your kicks are starting to hurt when you get a really big one in... you must be a tough little thing already!
Love,
Mommy
Dear New Baby Girl,
Today is election day. The fourth time I've been able to vote in a Presidential election. I voted and neither of the candidates are someone I want for you in the future. I at least knew how I wanted to vote in the past elections. But not so much this time around. One is a lose cannon that scares me. The other is a corrupt politician from whom we can only expect more of the same crap we've already been dealing with. But I can only hope that better things come than I expect. The message at church this week was about praying for God to use whoever is elected for the greater good. And that's what I'm doing. I voted the only way I could and now we wait.
I also had a doctor's appointment today. It was more exciting than a regular appointment, just like today is more exciting than a regular day. I had to drink the glucose sugar drink to test me for gestational diabetes. So I did that, and had to have my blood drawn. They couldn't find my veins! The one nurse stabbed me THREE times before she gave up and had someone get the blood out of my hand. That was less painful at least... Sheesh. AND they gave me a shot in my butt, which I do NOT remember having before. I must have, according to Dr. Lown but I feel like I'd remember that. Oh well! It was a rough day but I got through it ;)
Anyway, we are getting more and more ready for you. I'm in my third trimester now (time sure flies) and I'm starting to get more and more uncomfortable. I'm trying not to gain as much weight as last time but it'll be hard being that the holiday season has arrived (yay for Christmas shopping, at least!). Also, I've been waking up so often to pee. I can usually fall back to sleep so that's good. I just hope that we'll get lucky like last time and I'll be able to sleep better once you come than I got to just before Julie was born. Prayers for that ;)
Love you little one. Your kicks are starting to hurt when you get a really big one in... you must be a tough little thing already!
Love,
Mommy
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Maternity Photos
October 12, 2016
I almost forgot to post these from back when we did my maternity session. I decided since we made it pretty casual last time that I would go for something more glamorous for my second time around. First of all, we did it sooner, so I wouldn't feel as fat and icky. I definitely am glad I did it that way as looking at my tummy from then to now (December :), I was so nice and cute and little! Haha. Anyway, it was rainy and icky the day we did the session so we ended up having Summer do the photos in my studio. It was frustrating finding a place I wanted to use anyway but that worked out in the end. Daddy was in charge of fetching Jules and I got my nails, hair, and make-up done to prep. It was pretty fun despite the fact that Jules wasn't feel terribly cooperative ;) No surprise there!
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| ^Man, can she be precious ;) |
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| ^My dress wasn't cooperating all that well but it was still pretty good looking. |
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| ^My lovey. |
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| ^Goose! |
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| ^Probably my very favorite. I can't believe it turned out. |
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| ^Looking pretty good here! |
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| ^I'm wearing one of the tiebacks I want to use for her newborn photos :D |
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| ^Awwww, so presh! |
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| ^Another fave. |
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| ^Good ones. |
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Just a Few Julie Details
November 1, 2016
I've been thinking how during Julie's first year, I have all these details written down of all the things she was doing and had done. It's a great record of her progress, but it's just not manageable forever and so I didn't do these updates since she turned "1". I feel like I'm going to forget some of the things that she's been up to, and when all of these things happened now. So I figured I should do a quick "Julie update" on what she's doing these days!
At School
Julie does pretty great at school. They tell me she does well just about every day. Though sometimes nap time isn't the best, she eats well and usually sleeps pretty well and plays great too. She likes doing the art projects, I'm sure. They are messy, why wouldn't she? ;) She had a few incidents throughout the year where she was getting bit. She would stick her fingers in someone's mouth and they would chomp. Can't blame them there. Every once and awhile, more recently, she was getting bit for no apparent reason, and lately she's started biting herself when she gets really mad and frustrated. I hope we can curb that, not a good habit! She's not the best at sharing, but hopefully we can work on that. Her FAVORITE time at daycare, at least that I can see, is mealtime! She sometimes gets mad when we drop her off, but if they are starting breakfast, don't even worry about it. Wish she was that excited about it at home! Though she's gotten sick more than I would like, I know it's good for her immune system. And she's done so well with school, I'm definitely glad she's going there.
Sing-Song
Julie loves to sing songs. She's really good at a few specifically. She can do her WHOLE "ABCs" and can sing all of "Twinkle Twinkle". There are others she does okay, such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and she's getting the hang of "Rock-a-bye Baby" and "You are My Sunshine" (which we sing a lot when I rock her before bedtime). There are a ton more that she likes... she always gets excited to hear "Hot Diggity Dog" after Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and "Ponytail" from Badanamu on YouTube. She loves me to sing the "Teddy Bear" song from Badanamu also, and often requests the "Titten Song" (Three Little Kittens, also the Badanamu version) but I think that's mostly because I have to 'meow' in every verse.
Favorite Things
Julie likes to color, although she gets distracted easily (and sometimes gets them taken away when she won't stop chewing on her crayons!). She watches a few shows. I pretty much only put on Disney Junior, and her faves are "Doc McStuffins", "Sophia the First", and definitely "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". She also likes "PJ Masks" but thankfully not as much. That show irritates me. We watch "My Little Pony" sometimes too. One thing I love about Jules is she's not TOO attached to any one toy or blanket, though she loves snuggling with the one Auntie made her for when she was born at bedtime. It's kind of nice because there aren't any freak outs when something isn't available. She'll get mad but she deals with it pretty quickly when we say 'no' for whatever reason. She really likes Bartleby, the big pink unicorn, to play with in her bed sometimes. Lately she's been sleeping with her seal, Martin. He's good for cuddles at bedtime. Ping Pong the sloth is enjoyable but not as popular as he once was. Minnie Mouse had an uptick time playtime but is back to normal. She probably just has too many to focus on!
Photos
Since I've started feeling better toward my second trimester, I finally got back to taking photos. Jules is not super cooperative like she used to be. It's just like she's used to me pointing my camera (or my phone) at her all the time and she's over it. She'll smile sometimes, but you have to work for it! I'm sure she'll come around again eventually... probably when I'm taking photos of Baby Sister every week ;)
Our Routine
Julie has lots of things that we do every day. I love our waking up and bedtime routines a lot. Usually I get to wake her up in the morning. I actually get kind of crabby if Mike does it instead. I go in and talk to her. Sometimes she'll keep rolling over and not want to get up but she's usually pretty pleasant about it. She DOES get mad when I go to change her diaper though. However, we've been working on potty training and lately, instead of me asking her if she wants to go on the potty, she'll ask to go on the potty when she first wakes up. Good sign! After that, we get dressed and brush our teeth. She does NOT like that like she used to, but after some cajoling, I can usually pull it off. Sometimes a song helps, but not always! Daddy usually takes her to school, although lately I've been doing it more often. At night, she crabs when I suggest putting on jammies. But eventually I can con her into it. Sometimes we go on the potty (she's really pretty good at that, just not at letting us know when she has to go, yet), and we do LOTS of cheers when she does it. If she does, we get to wipe and flush, but ONLY if she goes! No rewards for trying, although I always thank her for trying. After that, brush the teeth (more crabbing), and kisses for Daddy (sometimes crabbing), and then we go rock in the rocking chair. We sing requested songs and cuddle. Sometimes I tickle her face or scratch her back but she doesn't need it. She tells me when she wants me to put her in the crib. Then she always wants me to pat her butt for awhile. Sometimes I have to come back a few times for hug requests. Once and awhile it's a kiss. She's getting into stalling techniques but she always goes to bed like a good girl soon enough.
Coming Soon
Since Baby Sister is coming in the next three months, we talk to her about it a little bit. I don't think she knows much about it though. She will ask to see and pat my belly sometimes. I think she even felt her kick once, although I'm sure she didn't notice. Because of this new addition, we're talking about getting her a "big girl" bed. I don't love the idea but it's going to have to happen. I want to let her decide to sleep in it herself, and I'm not sure how long that will take so we'll probably need to get it soon and start working on that. I bet she'll do fine. She's all about trying things like that. Keeping her IN bed is more of a concern! Anyway, we'll be changing her bedroom up too, so hopefully that goes well. I'm not sure what she'll think of the baby when she comes. I hope she loves her, but I know it will be a little hard because she's used to all of the attention. And she definitely isn't going to like sharing all her old things (or at least the ones she remembers). I think Santa will be bringing her a few baby caring-for items this Christmas to help with the process. God, give me patience. I'll need it!
Hopefully I caught lots of Julie's nuances here! I will need to do it more often. I'm sure she'll sneak into a lot of the weekly updates when the new little miss arrives too. I just don't want to forget any of these little things. It's so sad watching her grow up, even though it is exciting!
I've been thinking how during Julie's first year, I have all these details written down of all the things she was doing and had done. It's a great record of her progress, but it's just not manageable forever and so I didn't do these updates since she turned "1". I feel like I'm going to forget some of the things that she's been up to, and when all of these things happened now. So I figured I should do a quick "Julie update" on what she's doing these days!
At School
Julie does pretty great at school. They tell me she does well just about every day. Though sometimes nap time isn't the best, she eats well and usually sleeps pretty well and plays great too. She likes doing the art projects, I'm sure. They are messy, why wouldn't she? ;) She had a few incidents throughout the year where she was getting bit. She would stick her fingers in someone's mouth and they would chomp. Can't blame them there. Every once and awhile, more recently, she was getting bit for no apparent reason, and lately she's started biting herself when she gets really mad and frustrated. I hope we can curb that, not a good habit! She's not the best at sharing, but hopefully we can work on that. Her FAVORITE time at daycare, at least that I can see, is mealtime! She sometimes gets mad when we drop her off, but if they are starting breakfast, don't even worry about it. Wish she was that excited about it at home! Though she's gotten sick more than I would like, I know it's good for her immune system. And she's done so well with school, I'm definitely glad she's going there.
Sing-Song
Julie loves to sing songs. She's really good at a few specifically. She can do her WHOLE "ABCs" and can sing all of "Twinkle Twinkle". There are others she does okay, such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and she's getting the hang of "Rock-a-bye Baby" and "You are My Sunshine" (which we sing a lot when I rock her before bedtime). There are a ton more that she likes... she always gets excited to hear "Hot Diggity Dog" after Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and "Ponytail" from Badanamu on YouTube. She loves me to sing the "Teddy Bear" song from Badanamu also, and often requests the "Titten Song" (Three Little Kittens, also the Badanamu version) but I think that's mostly because I have to 'meow' in every verse.
Favorite Things
Julie likes to color, although she gets distracted easily (and sometimes gets them taken away when she won't stop chewing on her crayons!). She watches a few shows. I pretty much only put on Disney Junior, and her faves are "Doc McStuffins", "Sophia the First", and definitely "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". She also likes "PJ Masks" but thankfully not as much. That show irritates me. We watch "My Little Pony" sometimes too. One thing I love about Jules is she's not TOO attached to any one toy or blanket, though she loves snuggling with the one Auntie made her for when she was born at bedtime. It's kind of nice because there aren't any freak outs when something isn't available. She'll get mad but she deals with it pretty quickly when we say 'no' for whatever reason. She really likes Bartleby, the big pink unicorn, to play with in her bed sometimes. Lately she's been sleeping with her seal, Martin. He's good for cuddles at bedtime. Ping Pong the sloth is enjoyable but not as popular as he once was. Minnie Mouse had an uptick time playtime but is back to normal. She probably just has too many to focus on!
Photos
Since I've started feeling better toward my second trimester, I finally got back to taking photos. Jules is not super cooperative like she used to be. It's just like she's used to me pointing my camera (or my phone) at her all the time and she's over it. She'll smile sometimes, but you have to work for it! I'm sure she'll come around again eventually... probably when I'm taking photos of Baby Sister every week ;)
Our Routine
Julie has lots of things that we do every day. I love our waking up and bedtime routines a lot. Usually I get to wake her up in the morning. I actually get kind of crabby if Mike does it instead. I go in and talk to her. Sometimes she'll keep rolling over and not want to get up but she's usually pretty pleasant about it. She DOES get mad when I go to change her diaper though. However, we've been working on potty training and lately, instead of me asking her if she wants to go on the potty, she'll ask to go on the potty when she first wakes up. Good sign! After that, we get dressed and brush our teeth. She does NOT like that like she used to, but after some cajoling, I can usually pull it off. Sometimes a song helps, but not always! Daddy usually takes her to school, although lately I've been doing it more often. At night, she crabs when I suggest putting on jammies. But eventually I can con her into it. Sometimes we go on the potty (she's really pretty good at that, just not at letting us know when she has to go, yet), and we do LOTS of cheers when she does it. If she does, we get to wipe and flush, but ONLY if she goes! No rewards for trying, although I always thank her for trying. After that, brush the teeth (more crabbing), and kisses for Daddy (sometimes crabbing), and then we go rock in the rocking chair. We sing requested songs and cuddle. Sometimes I tickle her face or scratch her back but she doesn't need it. She tells me when she wants me to put her in the crib. Then she always wants me to pat her butt for awhile. Sometimes I have to come back a few times for hug requests. Once and awhile it's a kiss. She's getting into stalling techniques but she always goes to bed like a good girl soon enough.
Coming Soon
Since Baby Sister is coming in the next three months, we talk to her about it a little bit. I don't think she knows much about it though. She will ask to see and pat my belly sometimes. I think she even felt her kick once, although I'm sure she didn't notice. Because of this new addition, we're talking about getting her a "big girl" bed. I don't love the idea but it's going to have to happen. I want to let her decide to sleep in it herself, and I'm not sure how long that will take so we'll probably need to get it soon and start working on that. I bet she'll do fine. She's all about trying things like that. Keeping her IN bed is more of a concern! Anyway, we'll be changing her bedroom up too, so hopefully that goes well. I'm not sure what she'll think of the baby when she comes. I hope she loves her, but I know it will be a little hard because she's used to all of the attention. And she definitely isn't going to like sharing all her old things (or at least the ones she remembers). I think Santa will be bringing her a few baby caring-for items this Christmas to help with the process. God, give me patience. I'll need it!
Hopefully I caught lots of Julie's nuances here! I will need to do it more often. I'm sure she'll sneak into a lot of the weekly updates when the new little miss arrives too. I just don't want to forget any of these little things. It's so sad watching her grow up, even though it is exciting!
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