This blog is way overdue. Since I started my blog in September 2012, this entry will be the longest lapse in time since the prior entry. We have just had so much going on. I know we are always going to be busy and while the things that occupy our time will change, the fact is that life with three kids will probably never change the fact that we are a busy family. We closed on our house on St. Paddy’s Day March 17! While we aren’t making significant changes to the house we are making some, and the truth is even the littlest things such as cleaning windows and replacing electrical outlets take time. The biggest changes (cost wise) that Justin and I may be doing to the house are related to giving the kitchen a facelift, painting much of the house, and redoing some of the upstairs carpeting. We think it makes most sense to make some of these changes before we move in so most my spare moments during the day and my evenings after the girls have gone to bed have been spent browsing the internet for ideas instead of blogging or doing squats or sit-ups or anything else for that matter. We want to get a lot done before we move in; yet at the same time, I am realistic that there is going to be a lot to do with regards to getting furniture and decorating even after we move in so at some point I need to stop spending every spare minute focused on the house.
SO….the girls are still as crazy and awesome as ever and we have had a lot going on this past month:
– Potty Training – is going quite well. Occasionally the girls have an accident at home in their panties but we have yet to have an accident outside the home. At the same time we do still wear pull ups outside the house some so I don’t know that it is fair to say that they haven’t had an accident outside the home…but I can say that in general their pull ups are fairly dry. In terms of “number two” the girls are infatuated with pooping. Avery’s time to poop is at night. She HAS to go poo poo EVERY night after we are in pajamas and the bedtime routine is complete. We sometimes think it is a tactic to delay bedtime but 9 times out of 10 she goes. At first Emerson was content to wait in her chair with her special shoes for Avery to return, but more recently, Emerson now claims she has to go poo poo as well. Occasionally she does; however, most the time I think she just wants to go to the bathroom because Avery is. Avery usually uses the big potty while Emerson sits beside her on the little potty. One evening they both had sour stomachs (poor things) and it was like a marching band was playing in the bathroom…lol! They are also now into looking at their poop. One evening they made “corn poop” and the next night it was their goal to make not only “corn poop” but also “pasta poop”. Sometimes the girls ask for their privacy on the potty while other times they like to use the time to talk. One evening I was in the bathroom while Avery was using the potty and she pointed to the middle of my forehead and told me I had a hole there. I told her my hole was from scratching when I had the chicken pox and from that night on Avery thinks it is funny to tell others of the hole I have in my head from chicken fingers and then she waits for others to laugh. If others don’t laugh, she’ll tell them to laugh. She also knows that she won’t get chicken pox because she had a shot from the doctor (a.k.a. a vaccination). They don’t quite realize that pooping isn’t something that one should freely talk about outside the home…guess we will need to work on that but for now, it is a great accomplishment that makes for a lot of conversation in our household.
– We have also spent a lot of time this past month telling stories about “Snusan”. Snusan (a.k.a. Susan) is little girl the very same age as Avery and Emerson. In fact, Snusan is Avery and Emerson and it started one day when I was telling them about Susan going to the park with her friend Jackson and slowly but surely Mommy became a writer for the Snusan series and the girls regularly request that Mommy and Daddy tell them about Snusan.
– In other events the girls attended their first wedding! My little cousin Ryan(not so little anymore….just turned 27) married Christine March 15. My Grandma Adele and sister came for the wedding so my parent’s house was definitely a full house for about 5 days! The wedding was fun and the girls especially Emerson had a great time dancing on the dance floor. Avery had fun dancing too but she wanted to dance by being held so she was my dance partner for much of the night. The girls had a great time with Great Grandma Adele and Auntie Lauren. Emerson especially LOVED hanging out with Auntie Lauren. Seriously she would get up in the morning and the second she was picked up out of her crib she would dart downstairs on a mission to find Auntie Lauren! It was really special to see how much the girls adore her and hopefully they will continue to always be so close to her even with the physical distance.
– The girls have had a few birthday parties this past month as well. One weekend we went out to Round Hill, VA for Garrett McMillan’s first birthday party. That same weekend we also went to Adrien Nowak’s third birthday party that was at a fun indoor play place. Another weekend we attended Dylan Roger’s third birthday party. Each time we attend a party, I find myself grinning at how the girls are really starting to interact socially with other children.
– Harper!! Our baby isn’t a baby anymore! She is already almost 7 ½ months old and she started sitting up about a month ago. Honestly it was like one day she could sit up and she did it well. I remember with the girls we would surround them by pillows incase they fell backwards and I don’t think I put a pillow our for Harper more than once. So either she really did learn how to sit almost immediately or she is truly has third child syndrome and I don’t want to admit it. Just over a week ago she started army crawling and boy is she getting around. She now plays with toys sitting up and crawls from one side of the room to the other to get a toy. It seriously seems like Avery and Emerson were just doing this….CRAZY! Harper’s night time sleeping has improved some this past month but she still isn’t sleeping through the night. On average she is still getting up once; however, she is going to bed much earlier now (around 9:00…I know still considered late for many but for us right after the girls go to bed) but I won’t nurse her now if she wakes up before 5:00 a.m. (although I usually make an exception if she wakes up at 4:45). Harper is now sitting in a high chair too during meal time! Harper has become clingy some lately so we may need to address that if it continues. I know I am biased but she is seriously still the sweetest most loveable baby!
And yes while our life is busy right now, here are a few things I never want to forget:
– Avery likes to randomly tell family members that she loves them
– Avery likes to tell jokes and loves to make people laugh
– Emerson is a great helper around the house and she is one of Harper’s biggest cheerleader
– Emerson feelings get hurt when she does something wrong or gets embarrassed and she freely tells mommy and daddy that her feelings are hurt
– Both girls LOVE to snuggle and cuddle with mommy and daddy
– Both girls are very excited about the upcoming move and love to talk about the new house every night before bed