Dear Linnea
Happy New Year! I can hardly believe that next month is your birthday. You are such a big girl!
Your Twenty Third Month:
- Christmas was so fun this year! You loved to open presents and thought the whole thing was just fun. You got a baby doll from Grandpa and Grandma, play-doh from Uncle Alex, a tea seat from me and Daddy, and a kitchen from your Nana and Papa.
- You really enjoyed seeing Santa everywhere and would shout “Santa” whenever you spotted him. You have know asked several times — “Where Santa go?”
- Your Nana made you an advent calendar and you really enjoyed putting a new ornament on your tree everyday.
- This was the month for SINGING! You like to sing all the time — Wheels on the bus, Itsy-bitsy Spider, A-B-C-Ds, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Three Little Ducks, Baby Beluga, the Bumblebee song…. You even learned a few Christmas songs. Jingle Bells, Go Tell it on the Mountain, and we wish you a Merry Christmas. We are always singing at our house these days.
- You are also talking and talking. Lots of new words and even sentences! “i love you”, “daddy get it”, “I eat chex”, “no talking mama”, “be nice”, “no biting daddy”, “dey fall down”. You can repeat any new words we tell you and are very excited to see letters.
- You call yourself “Ne-Ne”
- Doing the hokey-pokey is a favorite evening activity. You really like to shake it all around and insist that Mommy and Daddy do it too!
- This month I painted your toenails for the first time. Pink!
- You are most likely around 30 pounds and are wearing mostly 24 months and some 2T clothes. We really need to measure you because you are getting tall. Your hair is still blond and getting longer. You even *request* to wear hair bows sometimes.
- Daddy is very happy because you love to watch football and soccer. You can readily identify the WSU, Sounders and Seahawks logos. You also really love Bucky — the University of Wisconsin mascot.
- You had your first non-grandparent babysitters — Christy and Carl! We went to a play with the rest of the family and you spent a few hours with your Godparents. You behaved yourself and seemed to have a good time. They love you very much and we are very glad that they are part of your life. You call them “Tisty and Carrl”
Everyday it is more apparent that you are a little girl rather than a baby. Our house is never quiet anymore and you are so curious about the world around you. I love watching you learn. You are usually in a good mood and are always up for some fun. And some “tandy” (candy).
Daddy and I love you so much. I hope you always know that.
Happy Twenty Three Month Birthday Linnea!
XOXO,
Mommy
Normally I try really hard to have concrete, measurable goals. This year I am being a little more open ended. Hope that is okay with you, ’cause that is just how it is going to be this year. (I think the being in bed with the flu all day has made me a little sassy…)
Goal #1 — Be Kind. To Kyle. To myself. I am definitely my own worst enemy and I need to cut myself some slack sometimes. I want to be more forgiving to myself. I also want to be more kind to my husband. I really am a lucky girl and I want to be more purposeful about showing Kyle my gratitude and appreciation for all he does and who he is.
Goal #2 — Unplug. I have gotten way to wrapped up in my phone and my blog list. I am going to try to limit my phone use in the evening to actual phone calls/texts rather than just games and other time wasters. Otherwise, phone goes on the charging station. And, I want to edit my blog list to the ones I actually read. Maybe if I am not just reading/pinning things I can actually do crafty things/cook yummy food/decorate my house. What a concept!
Goal #3 — Blog more. Since going back to work in June I have only posted 12 times — so sad! Even though I am hoping to unplug (see above!) I want to be sure I am documenting our lives and our memories. I am not going to worry about being fancy or sticking to any sort of schedule but just making sure to take the time to sit down and do it. I really enjoy looking back on what we have done so I want to get back in the routine of blogging.
Goal #4 — Make 12 new recipes. And in the spirit of open ended-ness, I won’t even commit to one a month. :) Hopefully in the Meatless Monday spirit of last year’s goal, I can find a few that are heavy on the veggies, a couple yummy desserts and a couple new meals to put in the regular rotation.
Well there you have it. My goals for 2012. Now it’s time for me to whip up some new food, blog about, put my phone away, and be nice to my husband.
2012 is off to a rough start both Little Missy and I have the flu. No fun! Well, things can only get better from here, right? Anyways, as I was laying in bed today I had time to think about my goals for the year. First though, let’s check on how I did in 2011. 2 out of 4…not so good. This was a hard year for me, especially the second half so I am just going to live with 50% and be thankful that it is time to turn a new leaf.
Goal #1 — Meatless Mondays — Fail! I was just never organized to make this happen. I would still like to make this concept a part of our lives but right now it just isn’t going to happen. I’m okay with that. In general though I am trying to eat more sensible portions of meat and try new veggies.
Goal #2 — Date Nights with the Hubster once a month — Fail! We had a few good dates this year — our trip to NY, double date weekend in Portland with our besties, a weekday lunch date but we didn’t really get into a good routine. Bummer! Ellen and Kyle time was at a premium after I went back to work and I am sad I didn’t make time for this goal.
Goal #3 — Get a new job. Get a new job I did. I am working for a small non-profit and I really like it. It hasn’t been an easy transition though and things at home have been somewhat of a struggle since I went back to work. On the upside, Linnea is doing great at school and it is nice to have a second income.
Goal #4 — See a Broadway show in NYC. Make that TWO Broadway shows! We went and saw Rock of Ages our second night and I was so enchanted that Kyle let me buy tickets to a second show. Isn’t he great! We saw Anything Goes and it was great — old style broadway, tap dancing and all! Going to the theater is one of my favorite things and going to Broadway was definitely the highlight of our trip!
2011 was a hard year. Nothing particularly bad happened and I certainly have many blessings but I have definitely been in a funk. Going back to work was much harder than I imagined, albeit in different ways than I anticipated, and those struggles defined the second half of the year. I am ready to move on and start 2012 with a new attitude. 2012 here I come…
Dear Linnea-
Thanksgiving is a good reminder to count our blessings. You are most certainly one of ours! We feel so blessed to be your parents — we love watching your learn and grow!
Your Twenty Second Month:
- This month we actually had a real conversation. It was a couple sentences back and forth and we were talking about the same thing. It was so neat! You are starting to make little sentences — “read book”, “more peas (please)”, “to-to (thank you) mama.” You also know lots of colors — red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, white, brown and black. What a smartie!
- Singing is your new favorite activity. You often wake up early and sing in your crib for awhile. You are getting quite good and can sing several songs with prompting — Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Wheels on the Bus, Baa Baa Black Sheep, the Alphabet (almost the whole thing!)
- This month you told me “I love you.” It made my heart melt and was the perfect ending to a long day.
- You got sick for the first time. It was no fun for any of us and we were glad it was just a 24 hour bug. You also had your first sick day from school
- You are still a good eater. You can eat cereal and soup out of a bowl with a spoon. You will eat just about anything although you didn’t really like turkey on Thanksgiving. Your favorite things are hummus, refried beans, peaches, tuna, and cookies. You don’t seem to like ice cream — silly girl!
- It was Daddy’s birthday and we practiced singing Happy Birthday for a couple of weeks. You were getting pretty good but refused to perform. Oh well, you did start singing Happy Birthday Daddy a few days later.
- You really like to play outside and go the park. You love to go down the slide and swing.
- You really hate baths — they are always a battle. We even tried bubbles and that was a disaster. You made us get rid of all of them before you would get in.
- I am not sure of your exact measurements but you are probably just under 30 pounds. You are wearing mostly 24 month clothes and really love your shoes. Sometimes you will agree to wear a hair bow but usually only for a couple of minutes.
- We went and saw Santa. You were a little nervous but you warmed right up when Santa read you a book. We even got a picture of you smiling. You keep asking “See Santa?” every time we go somewhere.
I love this time of year but it is even more fun with you around. The next few months are going to fly by and it will be your birthday before we know it. Goodness!
We love you so much Linnea and thankful you are a part of our family.
Happy Twenty Two Month Birthday Linnea!
XOXO,
Mommy
Linnea is really interested in “airpains” right now and is always pointing to the sky so that Kyle and I can see them too. It was surprisingly nice this evening so we got some blankets out and did some plane spotting in the yard.
This has been a hard week but moments like this make me realize how many blessings I have. I wouldn’t trade these two for anything. There are lots of other things I have been meaning to post about but this will have to do for now.
We have been busy-busy and I am glad this quiet weekend at home has started…
Dear Linnea-
This month was so busy! We were coming and going and you just went with the flow. Everyday we ask ourselves how we got so lucky. Doesn’t matter what we are doing, you just adapt and keep on going. You always have a smile and we love seeing it every chance we get!
Your Nineteenth Month:
- Mommy and Daddy went on vacation for 6 whole days. You stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and had a great time. I don’t even think you missed us. (We sure missed you!)
- The talking “switch” has finally flipped and you are adding new words every day! Ball, door, up, more, Mama, Dada, dog, cat, no-no, yeah, Nana, Papa, pod-dee (potty), sit, cup, Carl, book, nack (snack), go, wa-wa (water), cup, bye-bye, nose, toes, shoes…and probably a few more I can’t remember.
- You talk to yourself all the time. This morning you just laid in your crib for close to an hour just talking away. Daddy and I wish we knew what you were saying!
- You are also doing great with your large motor skills. You run, climb, twirl, kick and even jump! You aren’t getting off the ground yet, but you sure look cute trying. You can also clap, point, and stack blocks.
- At the doctor this month you were almost 27 pounds and about 33 inches tall. Your head circumfrence was a little over 19 inches. That puts you in the 75th percentile for weight and height, and the 95th for head size. You must have a lot of brains!
- You are wearing a mix of 18 month, 24 month and a few 2T clothes. You really love shoes and often want to switch pairs several times a day. You wear a size 5.5 or 6.
- I am so excited that you already seem to love reading. Daddy and I read to you for at least 30 minutes a day. Your current faves are: Hello Butch!, babybug magazine, Curious George, and Good Morning! Good Night! When you were at Grandma’s she read you Mommy Mine about a million times and you even did the summer reading program at the Tumwater Library. I am so proud!
- You get very excited whenever you see a dog. You call out “DOG!” It doesn’t matter if it is in a book or a real dog walking down the street. You like to see Nana’s dog Sophie when we Skype with them. However, you are still a little shy about getting up close.
- Lady Gaga is your favorite and you request “Ga-Ga” whenever we turn on the music. Your dance moves are so cute and getting more elaborate. You have now added some extra kicks and wiggles into the mix.
- You are still a good eater and like most everything except ice cream. Silly girl! One of your new favorite things to eat is hummus on a tortilla.
- We are also SO lucky that you are a good sleeper. You usually go to be between 7:30 and 8pm but can stay up later if there is something fun going on. Lately you have been sleeping in until about 7 or so. You take a nap from 12:30 to 2:30ish everyday. You sometimes fuss just a little, but most times we just lay you down and you go right to sleep. Daddy and I can’t thank you enough!
I have to confess I was a little worried that you weren’t talking yet but I should have known better. You just waited until you were ready and then let loose. I love that I can ask you questions and get a response! Daddy and I both agree that you are at such a fun age right now. We love you so much and are so grateful for our little family of three.
Happy Nineteen Month Birthday Linnea!
XOXO,
Mommy
Dear Linnea-
I must admit that this is the first month that I completely forgot to take your picture until you were already in bed for the day. So, technically this is your eighteen-month-and-one-day-post.
We haven’t done anything particularly exciting this month, but I feel like we have been so busy. I guess that is because of you! Your are a busy girl and we just do our best to keep up with you. We are busy just living life and that makes me happy.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the goose egg on your forehead in your picture this month. Linnea – 0, Bookshelf at daycare – 1. It sure looks bad but your teacher said you were ready to play again before they were done taking care of you. :)
Your Eighteenth Month:
- You are a busy girl. It is very hard to get you to sit still. The only things that work are to read books or eat snacks. Ha!
- I think you are pretty much the same size. You are going in for a checkup soon so we will know for sure. Daddy has to carry you most of the time because you are getting pretty heavy for me!
- You are wearing mostly 18 month clothes with a few 12 and 24 month ones mixed in. You really HATE hair bows or pigtails. You LOVE shoes — yours, mine, and even Daddy’s.
- Daddy is turning you into a computer nerd. He downloaded special baby apps on our iPad. You love to “play” the piano and the farm app with the animal sounds.
- School is going well (expect for the bookcase altercations!). You go right in for breakfast and usually blow me kisses when I leave. You always run to Daddy when he comes to pick you up.
- You really love your little seahorse that plays music. You listen to it at naptime and bedtime and have even started just carrying it around. We are trying to think of a good name for him (or her?).
- “Mama” and “Dada” are your words of choice. You can also say “ball” and do some animal sounds — “baaa”, “moo”, “cak, cak” (quack), “naay”. You are trying more and more to imitate what we say but you still haven’t quite got it yet. Soon.
- You are so silly. You like to blow raspberries on our stomachs. You love to lay on the floor and kick your legs high in the air. You like to lift up your shirt and show us your belly button.
- You are dancing machine. Favorite songs are “Home” by Edward Sharpe, and “Born this Way” by Lady Gaga. We are STILL trying to get your sweet moves on video.
- Eating is definitely one of your strong suites. You eat just about anything we eat — we just cut it up. You are always up for a snack and get grumpy if we aren’t fast enough.
Thanks for being so entertaining. I am still adjusting to being away from you so much but I know that you love playing with all the other kids. It just makes the evenings together as a family even more special. I hope you know that Daddy and I love you very much.
Happy Eighteen Month Birthday Linnea!
XOXO,
Mommy
Tonight we went to Cheney Stadium, home of the Tacoma Rainiers, for some batting practice. It was a customer appreciation event that Kyle’s company got invited to. I am pretty much the opposite of athletic, but I figured I shouldn’t pass up the chance to “play” on a real field. I even got my name on the readerboard!
My form was really horrible wasn’t the best, and I missed the first few pitches but I managed to hit the ball a few times. I even got one that qualified as a real hit! Hooray for me! Maybe I could have been a Rockford Peach. :)
It was a fun way to spend the evening and free dinner is always appreciated! The sun has finally appeared here in western WA and we are enjoying summer!
On Sunday night, we went over to Kellen’s house for dinner. Kellen is Linnea’s “boyfriend”. They met at church and enjoy making faces at each other during the sermon. They have also started kissing. Ha! It is so cute.
His parents, Jenn and Kevin, are very nice too and we are so glad to have some new friends. Linnea loved playing with all of Kellen’s toys. He loves to play in a bucket of water out on the patio and showed Linnea how fun it is. She had a good time and was sad to leave.
It was nice to spend the evening with them. Kellen and Linnea are only a few months apart and they played together well. Their house was already baby proofed and they didn’t mind when Linnea was messy at dinner. It is good to have friends who understand little kids. :) Jenn and I talked about doing a meal swap so maybe I will have lots of yummy freezer meals to make (and eat!) this fall.
I happened upon this blog post today while going through my google reader. This post puts into words one of my biggest parenting “issues” so far.
I worry about passing my own issues on to her. I worry about protecting her from the food/body issues of the other people in her life. I worry about protecting her from the societal pressures to look a certain way.
I certainly have my own food/body issues and I have spent a lot of time thinking about them since Linnea was born. Life is hard enough without having to deal with someone else’s hangups and Linnea doesn’t need to deal with mine. I want to be a good role model for how to take care of your body in a healthy way. I am trying really hard not to say negative things about the way I (or other people for that matter) look. I don’t want to teach Linnea that it is okay to think those things about herself.
I know I have rose-colored-mama-glasses, but I think she is beautiful inside and out! From her wispy blond hair and sparkly blue eyes down to her ten tiny toes. She is already showing that she can be silly, kind, and loving. She is gentle and headstrong. I want to protect her sweet innocence for as long as I can.
I want her to know that what is on the inside is so much more important than the outside. I want her to be kind. I want her to have an infectious laugh. I want her to be a critical thinker. I want her to be a good friend.
I don’t know how I am going to accomplish this but it is comforting to know that there are other parents out there who think about the same things. It is one of the reasons I like blogging so much.
Thanks to the Domestic Wannabe for sharing!