Since the moment I put Reese in a Jolly Jumper, she has loved it. She has recently come up with this new move I like to call “the bob” where she bounces a couple times, and then lifts up her legs to simply bob up and down in the air. It’s so cute to watch because she thinks it’s funny… her giggle is so sweet!
Press the link to see “the bob” in action.
Something that Matt and I discovered about Stella this summer was her love for the water. For a kid who was so apprehensive of the water at the beginning of the summer, she sure ended up LOVING to swim.
From a very young age, Matt participated in swimming lessons with a wonderful organization called Janet Barber Aquatics. He took all his lessons there, and eventually taught swimming lessons to youngsters for one of his first jobs. Janet remembered Matt from all those years with her, and she was thrilled to finally meet his offspring for the first time on Sunday afternoon. We had told Stella all about Janet, so the moment Stella met her she said, “Janet, I’m going to go swimming with you in the pool!” Of course this wasn’t the case as Janet was too busy running the whole operation, but Stella got over that quickly when she met her instructor named Cassie.
There are many things I love about this program, but one of them is that Stella is one on one with her instructor. The only little person that Cassie is responsible for is Stella, and that gives me peace of mind. They got acquainted with one another by picking out some toys to play with in the pool together.
Stella was so thrilled that she got to play with toys, meet a new friend, and be in the pool all at the same time!
This whole first lesson was simply to get Stella used to the pool, and acquainted with her new friend Cassie (who she will pe paired with at every lesson). They walked from one end of the pool to the other, dipped in and out of the water, played a few simple games with some other wee kids, and Stella attempted to hold herself up with a pool noodle.
Stella had such a fantastic time at her first swimming lesson that when the 30 minutes was up she cried her little heart out and threw a little tantrum. It was hard for her to understand why the fun had to end so quickly, but I assured her that we would be back again and she would be able to play with Cassie in the pool another day. This took her from very sad to very happy in short order!
On our way out, Stella was one proud little peacock. She was quite elated with the whole experience, and was excited to get home to tell Daddy and Reese all about it.
For my birthday in August, my husband Matt gifted me with something special, a long-time desired new look to my blog. I’ve had this blog for over two years now, and since the beginning have wanted it to look the way it does now. After proving to both him and myself that I was able to be a committed blogger, he set me up with a friend of his (Tyler Steingard) that designed my custom blog. I’m SO pleased with it, so thanks Tyler!
And Matty…thank you for being one of the best gift-givers I know. You always seem to surprise me with something that I never thought of asking for, but is perfect every time. You truly are very thoughtful, and I love and appreciate you!
A few days ago my little girl Reese turned 6 months old. Time has flown by even faster with my second than my first, but I hear that is quite the norm. Today Matt returned from a 5 day trip in California to visit his brother, Drew. He had an amazing time away, and the girls and I had a fantastic time on a little holiday at my parents. Although we all had a great time on our little holidays, I know that Stella missed her Daddy, and maybe Reese did too!
This morning, Reese started saying, “da, da, da, da,” for the first time. I know it is just coincidence, but it’s fun for me to imagine that she really did miss her daddy and was expressing her excitement for his return. I took a video and sent it to Matt with the subject: somebody misses their Daddy. I’m sure it made him smile.
Other notable 6 month developments:
1) Reese babbles and squeals to herself every morning before I get her up at 7am
2) She somehow manouvers herself along the floor from her back to side in order to get where she wants to go
3) She is eating cereal and baby food full throttle, three times a day
4) She can sit up on her own with the safety of a nursing pillow providing cushion for occasional falls
As Reese’s personality is exposed more day by day, I am blessed to get to know who God has made her to be, and I LOVE it!
No matter what situation your going through in life, it’s always nice to know your not alone. My sweet Stella is now 2 years and 3 months old, and the “terrible twos” (or as I more gently like to call it the “tough twos”) stage is gearing up full throttle. As I find myself getting quite frustrated with her behavior I begin to think, “Am I doing something wrong, is her heart always going display such rebellion, and am I alone in this?” Obviously I know that the answer to all three of these questions is a resounding “NO,” which brings me comfort.
According to this article I found on the Family Education website, she is acting quite normal for the developmental stage of life. Reading this article sheds some light on the issue which is helpful and makes it a touch easier… but only a touch. My real comfort these days has not come from worldly information and facts, but from the LORD! I find myself- ALL day EVERY day whispering prayers of help and strength to my Heavenly Father as I deal with my sweet Stella. Oh how I love her so much, and oh how she drives me crazy. I often hear God reply back to me saying the same thing about me as his daughter.
The “tough twos” are teaching me a lot about God: his love for me is great, his patience toward me never runs out, his desire to see me rid my life of sin is unceasing, and the discipline he puts me through is always perfect. It’s also teaching me a lot about myself: to simply love Stella is not enough, my patience towards her runs out… daily, sometimes I let the sin slide because I’m too tired, and the discipline apply in her life is often too harsh, too soft, at the wrong time, or in the wrong way.
It’s easy to see how I could look at my life as a mom and feel defeated, but I don’t. My trust is not in myself, but in my God. He is the source of my strength: he completely understands what I’m experiencing, and his desire for me is not to simply get by, but too excel in my role as a Mommy! My foolish mistakes are covered by his wisdom. My weaknesses are covered by his STRENGTH.
So, the “terrible twos” aren’t ALL terrible depending on how I look at it. They are for sure tough, but also serve toward my sanctification and spiritual growth as I desperately lean upon God’s strength, day to day, and moment by moment.
Just to clarify, it was not my intention to give my daughter a bad rep. in this blog, but rather to shed a positive light on a very tough year as a mom. Speaking honestly, since turning 2, Miss Stella has made me laugh and smile more than ever before. I love you so much my sweet girl. You are a true joy and a blessing!
It’s been a while since I last posted a blog, but my reasoning is good. We’ve been at our cottage a lot, spending some amazing time as a family, and minimizing the chaos of daily life. It’s been relaxing, refreshing, and a major blessing!
Matt has continued to work part time while we are at the cottage, but this has largely gone unnoticed by the girls and I because he does it during times when we are busy having fun or taking a nap. The time that he has had at the cottage has been so beneficial to him and us as a family. One day while we were up there I just noticed that he had finally unwound from the business of work. He had seemed to taken a breath of fresh air, so to speak. Matt is the type of man that works very hard in everything he does. In the race of day-to-day life, he runs faster than anyone else I know… so times away like these are very important to our family.
One morning at the cottage Matt told me that the time we were having together was really blessing him as a dad. When Reese was born, tax season was gearing up, and he was working a ton and tired the rest of the time. Even when tax season had finally slowed down, Reese was still so young that she was sleeping most of the time, or we were just entering the bedtime routine when Matt would get home. Our time at the cottage allowed Matt to REALLY get to know Reese in a new and special way. He would spend time with just the two of them swinging on the porch swing, or simply carrying her around. I also noticed that Reese got to know her Daddy a little better as well. Now it’s not just Mommy that will comfort her from strangers, but Daddy too.
When we first got up to the cottage, Stella was not keen on going into the water. Matt was determined to change this, and did so by strapping a life-jacket on her, and plopping her in the water with him. She quickly began to trust him, and discovered that the water was a fun place to play. Before I knew it, he had her jumping off the dock. Her whole body would submerge under water, pop back up, and then she would say, “AGAIN!” I would have taken the ‘don’t push her,’ approach, but Matt seemed to know what she could handle, and it paid off. She spent almost every afternoon in the water.
When I think of the family God has blessed us with, I get overwhelmed with His goodness. This was not just another trip to the cottage, but a time where we could enjoy each others company without the interruptions/demands of the world around us. We were free to do whatever we wanted, and what we wanted to do was just be together. I am so thankful for my family, for love, for laughter, for relaxation, and stress free days. I am blessed beyond belief. Thank you, Jesus!
Today, Stella got a peak of her flower girl dress that she wore in a wedding this summer and simply HAD to put it on and “play wedding.” She insisted that she walk down the isle, and basically reenact her experience as a flower girl. The shoes were put on, and we practiced a few times before I got her on video. She was so determined to do it so perfectly.
In this video, her sweet little face just melts my heart. After I told her what a good job she did, she got this shy little smile on her face and said, “I’m a princess Mommy!” My reply to her was, “that’s right Stella, you’re God’s little princess.” She liked that answer a lot.
I feel so blessed to be the Mommy of God’s little princess!
Reese is my little squealer. She loves to make her presence known, and does so by squealing in happiness! Here is a video of her playing away and ‘talking’ my ear off.
As annoying as this sound is, I really could listen to it all day! Looking at her isn’t a burden either as her chubbiness makes me want to eat her up. Love this girl!
Tonight, Matt and I are going out on a date! First, we’ll tuck out little girls into bed by 7pm, and then leave them sleeping soundly with the babysitter as we have a night out together: traditional dinner and a movie. I have seriously been anticipating this ‘event’ with intense excitement all day long. Matt and I have had a few nights out together since Reese was born, but we always had to be back by 10 or 11 for her late night feeding. Tonight is different. Reese now sleeps from 7pm to 7am straight, so we are FREE into the wee hours of the night.
In all honesty, I know I won’t be able to make it much past 11:30 or so (very unlike my college days), but I’m excited to have the freedom to stay up that late out on the town anyway.
As a stay at home mom, I spend A LOT of time with my kids… practically every waking moment. I love being at home, and I LOVE being a mom, but a little time away from them and alone with my husband is treasured! Matt is often quite amused by my giddy excitement surrounding a simple date night… it’s hard for a working dad to understand as he leaves the house ever day for a time away from us. Today, I was remembering what date night was like pre-children. It wasn’t necessarily better or worse than it is now, but it was definitely less appreciated and less special than it is now.
Basically, I’m just really thankful for my wonderfully amazing husband. I’m thankful for my kids that have made date night more special and exciting for me. I’m also thankful for my girls because they go to sleep like little angels and won’t put up a fuss that were gone. I’m thankful for a babysitter that I can trust and never worry when were out. I’m thankful for good conversation and laughter together with my love. I’m thankful for date night!
It’s true, even my 2 year old is concerned about the plants and lack of water they’ve been getting lately. Stella says that the plants are very thirsty and need big drinks. Every afternoon we play in the back yard and she devotes at large portion of her time to “giving the plants a drink.” My little tree-hugger seems to think that the plants are human in nature… the leaves are it’s tongue and the roots are it’s toes. All they are missing are eyes and ears!
I adore her determination and devotion of taking care of the plants in our yard, but as you can see, her technique is not really that effective. God, please bring on the rain. Amen.
