Zoe Louise | 30 months (April 30)

Oh Zoe.  I will say that we've hit a challenging couple of months.  But with those challenges comes the most bubbly personality.  Just when my patience is completely gone, you say something that is absolutely hilarious or do the cutest thing, and I seem to forget whatever you were doing that was upsetting me.  I know that the drama will only continue as you get older… :)  But you've got spunk and one heck of a personality that I love seeing shine through.

You repeat everything we say and in context.  

I'll say "actually" when you try to argue with me and you now like to say it to me.  For instance, I'll say you can't have any more bread.  You'll then say, "I actually want bread."  Yes, yes, Zoe.  I know.  

Whatever.  Oh this word!  Thankfully, it's pretty much stopped since I'm actually posting this but it was like nails on a chalkboard for a while.  You'd say whatever, laugh and then say, "We don't say whatever."  That's right…now don't say it!! :)

There were a slew of birthdays in your room at school and everyone brought in cake or cupcakes.  When we were in FL, we had cake and you kept asking, "Can I have some birthday please?"  You clearly thought all cake was birthday cake :)

We've finally hit a stride with going #1 AND #2 on the potty.  You definitely need to take your time when going #2 and I came up with the idea of using the shower curtain as a "privacy curtain" so now most of the time you'll pull the curtain around you, tell me to "give you pridadcy" and do your business.  It's ADORABLE.  Whatever works!

You love, love, love your brother and he adores you right back.  He seems to give you the biggest smiles.  There have been a few times though where you get frustrated with us and take it out on him (throwing something at him or hitting him).  Thankfully, that has only happened two or three times.  Obviously, I know this is only the beginning, but it's not really a fair fight since he can't fight back ;)

You HATE to brush your teeth.  I have to come up with a new crazy song every day it seems to get you to do it.  It's so frustrating for us since it's really something that should only take two minutes but ends up taking at least 10 because have to fight with you.  

You are getting better at eating different things.  I've introduced "dip" which daddy seems to think was a bad idea, but I say you are 2.  And most kids dip everything in ketchup so who cares if you eat a little ranch or sweet and sour sauce?  It's a sure way to get you to eat cucumbers and chicken.  You'll also eat red peppers now.  You love it so much that you know which dip is for what.  "No mommy.  That dip (ranch) is for my cucumber and that dip (sweet and sour) is for my chicken."

You love, love, love to skip and hop everywhere.  If you are skipping, you sing "Lou, lou, skip to my lou…"  You also love to sing "Row Row Row Your Boat."  Although you improvise a little…"Row row row row row, gently down the stream.  Merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream…"

You also love to point things out now when we are driving.  You did this before here and there mostly point out big trucks, or buses, etc.  But now you'll tell me everything all at once.  "I see a house, a sidewalk, a sign, grass, people" and so on and so on.  You love the "honk for peace" hippies that camp out on 9 mile on Monday afternoons.  You get SO excited when you see them.  

Daniel Tiger has become your TV obsession.  You

'll also watch Curious George but Daniel Tiger is your favorite.  We've used it as bribery for going #2 :)  And it helped you to sit still while you got your stitches.  Thankfully, it's a show with great lessons so I can't complain in your choice of cartoons.

I love to give you kisses and you'll announce, "I just gave you a kiss!" if I try to sneak another.  Then I start kissing you like crazy :)

Swimming has become your thing and you are such a fish in the water.  You would have stayed in that pool 24/7 in FL if we would have let you!

One morning we were going potty and you finished your business and stood up and faced your potty and said, "Daddy stands like this!"  Omg.  Do NOT try to pee like that!  Thankfully, I explained that's how boys/daddies go potty but girls and mommies have to sit.  Now you'll stop at random places and stand there with your legs spread and tell us "Daddy stands like this to go potty!  But I sit down."  Thankfully you caught on quickly.  The last thing that I need is for you to try to pee standing.  

Oh, Zoe.  We love you girl!  Keep making us laugh :)

I can't believe you are already 2.5 little girl.  You are so much fun, and we love you so much.  

Zoe Louise | 27 Months

I wasn't sure how long I'd keep these up for Zoe, but she really just does the funniest things that I need to capture…

I've mentioned before her love for reading.  She is getting better and better at "reading" to us (memorizing), but recently she's started growling "On the Night You Were Born" (aka Polar Bear Dancing).  She literally growls every word.  I can barely read it without laughing through the whole thing.  I ask her what she's doing and she says, "Growling!" while growling :)

Every night before bed, she has to look at both of my earrings when I read to her.  She requests the same when Aaron reads to her, but of course he has no earrings.  He also has a mole on his face that she claims is a sticker that she wants.

She's recently started to "swim" during bath time.  This entails her lying on her back and kicking her feet.

We've also entered a bit of a defiant stage.  Time outs have started to get sprinkled into our routine here and there.  She's been doing pretty well at not repeating the offense that got her into time out after she has to sit for two minutes and we tell her a few times why she's in time out.  It also works to withhold stickers.  She has a few things she does routinely that she gets a sticker for and if she's being naughty and doesn't listen, she doesn't get the sticker.  A meltdown generally ensues, but the next day she always remembers why she didn't get a sticker, tells us what she's not supposed to do, and then listens.  Very recently, she thinks that it's a game and as soon as I tell her not to do something (not even threatening time out) she automatically says, "I go to time out" and walks over there and smiles.  Ugh.  This girl is too smart.

She LOVES to yell instead of talk in a normal voice.  We have to constantly remind her to use her indoor voice.

She is OBSESSED with Beckett.  I've tried really hard to include her in on what I can and give her certain tasks.  She seems to really love them and reminds me of what she's supposed to do.  We do tummy time usually after I pick her up from school and she loves to help and watch and show Beckett how she can do tummy time to try and "help" him.  The other day she even put down the changing pad (I always put a burp cloth under him) and announced she was doing tummy time then proudly laid down and lifted her head nice and high.

It seems she's starting to play more with her friends at school and tells us about what she did.  There is one little girl in particular that she always talks about and always plays with.  It's so cute to see them together and hear her stories.  For now, they always ride the horsies - the green and the blue and they each have a specific color.  The other day they gave each other a hug when I picked Zoe up from school…so cute.

We've started potty training as well.  It's going pretty well.  Now that she is moving up to the OT room at school, I think it'll click a little faster.  Beeba and Papa were here one weekend and Beeba was helping her to the potty one morning ("Hold it hold it hold it!" as Zoe says).  I could clearly see while they were running that Zoe had a log in her diaper.  Well, my mom missed it and flung her diaper off launching the poop onto the floor which she still didn't see and proceeded to step in it with her bare foot :)  We all got a great laugh out of this one.  Zoe thought it was hilarious and couldn't stop telling us how "Beeba stepped in my poop!"

We definitely need to watch what we say…We sometimes tell her she's crazy jokingly.  Well, she started telling her teachers they are crazy.  Oops!  One night while I was making dinner, she said, "Mommy, you have a HUGE butt!"  Ummm…thanks?  I have no idea where this one came from.  I'm assuming at school but I have no idea where she would have heard it.  We're trying to teach her that it's not nice to say (although it's pretty funny when she says it).

For Christmas, Aunt Jodi and Uncle Mark got her an ABC Colorado book and she loves the John Denver page (a girl after my mom's heart) and when we get to the white water rafting page, she tells us that "I went in a boat in Colorado and Aunt Jodi hold me and water splashed my face."  This girl doesn't forget ANYTHING.  Because that's exactly what happened when we were out there this summer for their wedding.

I really could go on and on.  She is such a character and has a giant personality.  Watching her love for life is just the highlight of my day.  

Miss Zoe, I hope you keep your spunky attitude and confidence.  You bring so much laughter to our day!  Love you baby girl!

Adjustment from One to Two

I was really worried how Zoe would adjust to having a little brother.  She has been the center of our world for 2 years and her world was about to be turned upside down.  She's a super helpful toddler.  She loves to help clean up and get things for us, so I was hopeful that as long as I gave her "tasks", she'd be ok.

The afternoon that Beckett was born, my mother in law brought Zoe to the hospital.  She was a little unsure of what was going on and the look on her face definitely made me nervous.  But looking back, I think she was just overwhelmed and really wasn't sure what to think with everyone all in the same room, talking to her, and coming at her.  Because five minutes later, she was climbing on my bed and begging to hold Baby Brother.

Not so sure...

"I wanna hold him!"

The first few days, she went back and forth calling him Baby Ben and Beckett, but I think she's got it down now :)

She LOVES giving him kisses.  I think she'd kiss him all night when she got home from day care if we let her :)  She loves tickling his feet and announcing to us when he's awake or crying.  So far, she doesn't really seem phased at all or jealous of this new little addition.  Life has pretty much gone on as normal.  I'm kind of holding my breath and just waiting for the other shoe to drop.  But maybe this will go better than I ever thought…

"I wanna have a sleep over!"

Aaron has been amazing at taking over all duties with her when I have to feed Beckett (which feels like all the time even though it's only every 3 hours).  Zoe has tested our patience here and there…playing with the bouncy seat when we repeatedly told her no, etc.  But they are very minor incidences and nothing to worry about.  Typical toddler stuff that would have happened even if Beckett wasn't here.  

Riding in Beckett's "boat."

I think the adjustment has just been hardest on me and the mommy guilt I feel.  I love them both so much and it's crazy how your heart can explode like this a second time.  But I don't want Zoe to feel replaced in any way.  I want to make sure she knows how much mommy still loves her.  I just feel so consumed with Beckett right now, but I know that it's just the newborn stage and eventually it won't seem like I'm constantly feeding him.  And I try my best to read to her while I'm nursing, or play tea parties with her in between feedings.  Thankfully, her bedtime also falls in between feedings so I can help with that some nights too.  Zoe honestly doesn't seem to have any resentment.  It's all in my head.  But it hasn't stopped me from sobbing to Aaron.  

I just want them both to know how much I love them.

It's only been a few weeks though, so we'll see how my outlook on this changes as we get into more of a routine and we are all together more.  Zoe is still in day care full time (I don't feel coordinated enough just yet to take care of both of them all day).  But we'll get there.  I'm just so happy that Zoe loves her baby brother so far.  It's made me feel so much better.

Zoe Louise | 24 months

I don't know how I have a 2 year old already, but here we are.  This stage really has been my favorite so far.  To see her language and understanding of things just explode, has been so much fun.

Some of the funny things she says lately...

We are working on manners.  She always been very good with please.  She's getting so much better with thank you and now will say "Tank you mommy, daddy."  For whatever reason, she always has to throw my name in their when she's thanking Aaron.  She only does it though when thanking him.  If she's thanking my mom, she gets it right ("Tank you Beeba.") 

She's starting to recite her books from memory now.  I've noticed it the most with Wheels on the Bus and Polar Bear Polar Bear.  Her cry for the babies on the bus is VERY dramatic and so cute to see her fake it.  She can only get through the polar bear and the lion pages in Polar Bear Polar Bear, but I still thought it was pretty good that she is starting to "read" to herself.  She can now read almost all of Knuffle Bunny too.  It's absolutely adorable.

She is starting to throw 4 into her counting lineup.  Most days it's still 1, 2, 3, 6, 9!!!!!  But some days 4 makes an appearance.  And she can somewhat sing her A, B, Cs.  Sometimes instead of saying P she says "pieces" which I have no idea where that came in but for only being two, she's doing pretty well :)  I've caught her twice counting to 10 and getting EVERY number, but that's definitely not the norm.

The "go away" has left her vocabulary for the most part.  She's now onto "need" though.  Ugh.  "Mommy, I need my yogurt."  "Mommy, I need peaches."  I love seeing her form sentences more and more, but I could do without the "need."  We are working on adding please to the end.

She doesn't watch much TV, but we do let her watch Elmo clips on You Tube every once in a while, and there is a Cookie Monster skit that is all about wanting something but having to wait.  This girl can pound her milk, so we've always given her water during lunch/dinner and then milk when she's done eating so that she'll actually eat solid food.  Well she would FREAK out when she was done and wanted her milk instantly.  Aaron would always sing the Cookie Monster song to her and then remind her that Cookie Monster says "Me want it but me wait!"  And sure enough, after WEEKS of going through this, she now says "Milk" and as we're getting it, "Cookie Monster want it but wait!"  And no screaming.  It's so fun to see things like this sink in.

She was obsessed with all things camping when we were up north.  "Beeba, I go back in the camper!"  Or "Fire pit hot!"  She very emphatically would tell the ducks that were on the shore to "Stop right there!  Go back in the wawa (water)!"  I love that she threw in the quote from her ballerina book :)

She loves to tell us when Wally is sitting next to her in the car.  Except she says "Wally sit next to you!"  She still mixes up her pronouns :) 

She'll also put on her sunglasses and walk around saying "Cool duuuude!"  I die with cuteness overload.

And probably my mom's favorite, she can FINALLY say Beeba.  And she is definitely making up for lost time and saying it a lot :)

The world still ended when most days when she had to leave the park or any source of water.  Although this has gotten a lot better too in the past few weeks.  I finally would sit with her and talk to her before we left about how we were going to leave, but we could come back again, and it's ok to be sad but we can't get really upset or we couldn't come back.  It's slowly gotten a lot better.  The first few times she was a little teary and whiny.  I repeated the talk every time.  Then the last few times she's left no problem.  Now, she does try to stall a little, but NOTHING like it used to be :)

She's starting to pretend play more.  She'll give her babies drinks of water, or have pretend picnics.

And she's starting to use a fake, high pitched voice for certain things.  Sometimes when she's talking to Wally.  It's almost like the voice people will use when talking to babies.  I remember my friend's daughter doing this when her little sister was born and it was seriously the cutest thing ever.

She moved to her big girl bed this month and is doing amazing.  She plays a little during naps but usually conks right out.  No problems getting out though.  She always asks to get down, so she hasn't gotten out on her own (yet).

This girl loves, loves, loves to help.  It may be because she's obsessed with stickers, but whatever the reason, she's still an awesome helper.  I can ask her to clean up any of her toys and she'll usually oblige.  Last night, I was trying to help Aaron clean up dinner and she wanted our attention so I'd give her small tasks with her toys.  And when she was all done I told her how great of a job she did, etc., etc. Then she looked right at me and said, "Sticker?"  I suppose it's a cheap reward system :)

I really could go on and on and on.  I just don't want to forget anything!  I do miss my baby but love seeing her learn and explore new things and have things we are trying to teach her actually click.  Maybe we are doing some things right :)

Zoe Louise | 21 months

This girl is growing like crazy.  And her vocabulary is exploding.  We had to go back 2 weeks after her 18 month checkup so Dr. Butry could check her ears, and she asked what new words she could say.  I was caught off guard and said well we were here just 2 weeks ago so I guess I don't know.  Dr. Butry said to watch out because she'll have a new word every few days soon enough.  And was she right…

Piggies!  Finally!

She repeats almost everything.  She can form short sentences.  "Go ou-side" is of course her favorite.  She loves to say "ride" to ride in her wagon or cozy coup.  She loves her "strower" (stroller).  Every morning now we wake up to "Momma, dadda, Wawyyy....Momma dadda, Wawyyy!!  MOMMA, DADDA, WAWYY!!!"  While I wish sometimes she'd sleep in just a little later than 7:30 am, her jabbering is the cutest wake up ever.  And I love how Wally's name is now thrown into the mix.  She can say birdy which sounds slightly like boobie...and loves to point out every birdy she sees on our walks.  And currently "Beeba" sounds like boobie too :)  We get a good kick out of that one.  "Kitty" is another favorite.

One of her new favorites during this time period is "What's tiss? What's at?"  (What's this, what's that?).  And she asks this to EVERYTHING. Even with things I know she knows.  It's super cute though :)

She's really good with Sesame Street characters too.  She knows that Abby is on her shoes.  And she will open the book at school right to Zoe and yell "Oeee"!  She can't get the "z" out quite yet.

She knows who "Papa" is and loves to repeat it and question where he is.  She doesn't get that they don't live close to us.

Then there are the things that are funny but not the best habits...She recently started saying "No, go away!"  Not sure where she picked that up...we are trying to teach her to say "No thank you" which usually comes out "No, go away! No kank you. Go away." Or some similar combination.  Or the fact that one of her books has a phrase "Stop right there!"  And she'll point to people now and say "Stop right there."  Again, it's funny and SOUNDS cute coming out of her little mouth, but not the best thing to be saying to people.

She is doing great at trying new food now.  She'll eat more fruit including blackberries, blueberries, nectarines.  We're getting there on the meat department.  She ate ribs earlier.  I'm really just happy if she tries something even if she doesn't like it.

Her moods have been all over the place these past few months.  She's super happy, then she's throwing the biggest tantrum.  School thinks she can sense that I'm pregnant.  I'm not sure about that...she is getting more of her teeth.  Her eye teeth are almost all the way in.  And I can't quite see the molars.  But I think this is a lot of it.  She's just been very "sensative" as they put it at school where she has a fit over what seems to be nothing.  But then she's super sweet and helpful.  Maybe she's getting out her terrible twos early :)

She's starting to take more to other kids/people.  She was in Aunt "Joey's" wedding and walked down the aisle like a pro holding hands with the ring bearer.  He was very good with her and played with her the day before which helped warm her up I think.  She was also best buds with Aunt "Caky" by the end of the week too.

She can also count (somewhat).  I start by saying one, then she can say "two, see (three)", I say four and five really fast because she moves right into "six and nine!"  We'll get there :)

She's starting to HATE her car seat which has not been the case for her entire life up until this point.  Ugh…maybe when we move her forward it will get better.  Because she can last about an hour tops now and then it's over.  She cried for 45 minutes on the way to my parents until I finally stopped, gave her baby and a kiss and she fell asleep.  Then the way home from the reunion for 4+ hours by myself?  I don't even want to talk about it.  And the 4+ hours to Denver when I thought for sure she'd fall asleep since it was past her bedtime…nope.  Just screams.  

But really, she's a great little girl and makes us laugh constantly.  She can say "pease!" so well and in context.  She's getting better and better with "kank you!" and will run around saying "kank you…you're we-come" all to herself :)  So precious and nice to see that she's learning her manners.  She also says "bess you!" when we sneeze, cough, yawn, etc.  I've given up trying to correct her when we do something other than sneeze and just tell her thank you because it's so darn cute.

Her new favorite songs are "pa-ey cake" and "issy beecy".  Skinninamarink by Sharon Louis and Bram was an old favorite, but she's SO over that one now.  She much prefers Patty Cake and Itsy Bitsy Spider.  And you MUST help her with the hand motions.  And life is pretty much over after we sing the last rendition and tell her it's time for bed.  Oh the drama! :)

Little girl, you really are my heart and make everyday the most fun.  The hugs and kisses you give make every tantrum beyond worth it.  Mommy and daddy love you so much and we can't wait to see what the next 3 months have in store.