22 Months!

With my recent post about the terrible two's in mind, you might think Annie's twenty-second month has been a little challenging and chaotic.  But you know, in reality, all the lying down on the sidewalk protests and crying jags for no apparent reason have been pretty spread out over the course of the month, so I haven't really been overwhelmed by them since the day I wrote my last post.  That's not to say they haven't happened - just this weekend we had to scoop Annie out of the street, where she sat in protest for being forced to walk to the car instead of stand in our friends' driveway playing with balloons.  They are just spaced out enough to seem more manageable to me.  And there have been lots of smiley moments in between, like this one...

This month, I have found myself abandoning using her monthly age as a way of telling people how old she is.  Something about saying "21 months" just seemed overly complicated to me, so I just started saying "almost 2" or "she turns 2 in June" instead.  A distinction without a difference, I'm sure, but it somehow had the unintended effect of making her seem even older to me in my head.  Which, of course, leaves me at the end of another month wondering where in the world the time has gone.

In her 22nd month, here are some of Annie's favorite things...

She loves to sing these days.  Since she was just days old, I have sung to her.  David and I both have had a habit since she was a newborn of making up songs for her.  I think it started out as a way for us to communicate with her without feeling ridiculous for talking to a tiny baby who obviously couldn't talk back.  And now that she can talk, it is fun to listen to her join right in with us and make requests for certain songs.  I have made up a "PJ Song" for when we get her ready for bed at night, and it is so sweet to hear her sing "pjs, pjs" with us.  Just this morning, I made up a song on the way to school to distract her from trying to climb into the car seat by herself (because it is always so much easier and faster for me to deposit her in the seat myself), and she loved it - requesting that I sing the verse over and over with a different name of one of her friends at school.  She can actually carry a tune pretty well, especially for a toddler.  So I think she may have inherited some of her Gaga's vocal ability, along with some musical genes from both sides of the family.

Our baby girl is turning into quite the outdoorsy girl.  She has always loved being outside.  From the days when we rocked her to sleep at night on our porch swing, she has been somehow calmed by the great outdoors.  And now, she is developing a little explorer's mentality, looking for every opportunity to wander and search for new and exciting things in the grass and dirt.  When we take walks in the evening now, she demands that we pick flowers for her and hand them to her in her stroller.  The more flowers the better, as far as she is concerned.  And any time she can find a rock or a pinecone or a mound of dirt, she is all over it.  Her fingernails look like those of a car mechanic, they are constantly dirty.  But she has so much fun, I figure the necessity for a bath later on is worth it.

Annie is very active and loves to run and jump and play on the nearby playground at her daycare.  She tends to be more daring when I'm not around, it seems.  But even with Mommy there, she is always game for sliding down the slide or climbing over, around, and under almost anything.  Since she was tiny, people have told us she was busy, and that isn't slowing down any as she grows stronger and faster and more capable.  She also continues to talk more and more and it seems like there isn't much she can't eventually communicate to us if she and David and I are patient enough to figure it out.  This week she went into the kitchen, grabbed David's hand, and requested, "Daddy, come outside."  Then later, at bedtime, she wanted a family hug, at which time she told both Daddy and Mommy that she loved us (after hearing us say the same to her).  Yeah, there may have been a misty eye in that little bedroom at that moment.

In her 22nd month, Annie saw her first group of farm animals, when we went to have Breakfast with the Babies (Animals) at nearby Shaker Village.  She also rode her first carousel, which kept getting a resounding request for "More!" after each ride.

Telling us she was "all done" after getting a work out at Shaker Village.

 

Riding the carousel with Daddy.

I can't believe her second birthday is just two short months away.  I honestly have no idea how the months keep going by so fast.  And I know I say that every single post I do like this.  But seriously, where is the time going, people?  We look forward to much more fun in May with our ever growing, always changing, forever chatting little girl.

Uh oh

We’ve entered them.  A couple of months early, but we’ve definitely entered them.  The terrible two’s.  And you know what, they are not for the faint of heart, these days of temper tantrums and misplaced exertions of independence.  I don’t know if admitting this makes me look weak or sad or just normal, but this morning, before we drove to school, Annie and I both sat in my car and cried a little.  Both of us pushed a tad beyond our limits by frustration.  Hers because she can’t make all of her own decisions, can’t spend 25 minutes walking from the front door to the car in the morning and play with dirt and sticks and leaves along the way, can’t close herself into the tiny space between the front door and the screen door (that one actually happened yesterday), basically can’t run the show all by herself.  My frustration comes from not being able to reason with her yet, not being able to convince her that I really do know a little more than she does about most things. But mostly my frustration comes from that recurring problem of not being given a manual when she was born that would tell me how to do this right and not screw up.

 

In between "moments," one day this week.

I recognize that I don’t do myself any favors.  I overanalyze and think too much.  I worry needlessly (at least, I hope it’s needless) about being a good mom.  I fear that if I give in just this once to her little 21- month old whim it will start us down a road we don’t want to go down of her thinking she can talk me into something by crying or screaming or throwing herself dramatically on the floor.  But I also fear that being inflexible and rigid is making the proverbial mountain out of a molehill and setting a bad example that stifles her independence.  See, I told you I think too much.

Mostly, our moments of frustration make me sad.  Sad that I don’t handle everything the way I think I should.  Sad that our days aren’t filled with a constant flow of hearts and rainbows and warm fuzzies. Sad that our short time together during weekdays is taken up with moments of tension or frustration or tears (yeah, working mom guilt...fun). Sad, I guess, that parenting is hard sometimes.    And that in my figuring out how to parent her, Annie sees my ineptitude, hears my voice get a little sharper, sees my eyes roll and hears that sharp release of breath in a sigh that reveals I’m having a hard time.

 

"Pee-cees!" (that's horses) at Keeneland last Saturday.

I know it’s all normal.  And I know this too shall pass.  And I know that I better just grow up, put my big girl pants on, and get ready because parenting will always present challenges.  I know these things, really I do.  But sometimes it just helps to admit struggle…sort of embrace my own imperfection.  So I guess that’s what this blog post is doing.

And besides, when she isn’t going all stiff-bodied or limp (both are equally effective) making it impossible for me to move her or isn’t dramatically lying down on a sidewalk somewhere, our little girl gives me lots of smiles like this…

So I can’t complain too much, now can I?

Note: Of course, shortly after I wrote this post Annie proved how sweet and funny and loving she is...how happy she is...how delighted she can be just to hang out with her Mommy and Daddy.  But I still wanted to document this moment of discomfort - as a reminder when another one comes that it is short-lived, it is temporary, and much bigger and more important things are what really matters in motherhood.

Easter Recap (or my Better Late Than Never post)

I used to be a woman of my word.  Apparently, though, in blog writing land, I am no longer that.  I promised an Easter recap blog post almost a week ago – even saying something silly like, “I’ll be back later this weekend…” when I should have known better.  But here I am, several days after Easter, finally following through on my promise.  I’m employing the better late than never rule here. 

Annie’s second Easter was a huge hit.  We really had a wonderful weekend, full of friends and family and plastic eggs.  And we didn’t see a single scary Easter Bunny, so that was a huge plus.  I mean, seriously people, what is it about giant, brightly dressed rabbits that makes them always always always look evil and crazy-eyed?  Way worse than any mall Santa ever thought about being.  Anyway, there was none of that mess in our Easter celebration.

Annie hunted Easter eggs with her friends…

And had a visit from the Easter Bunny (no scary bunny included)...

And got all dressed up to attend Easter service at Gaga’s church in Mt. Sterling, with a tasty Gaga-prepared meal to follow…

She lounged on a cat at a birthday party…

And spent a lot of time saying, “Cheese!” (sometimes looking at the camera, sometimes not).

It was a wonderful weekend for our little family.  I hope everyone else’s Easter was just as enjoyable.  And I make no promises about when I will be back with another post.  I’ve learned my lesson, yes I have.

21 Months!

As we find ourselves once again on that time on the calendar when Annie becomes another month older, I realize how amazed I sometimes still am that she is ours.  Now that she is getting older and reaching that crazy age of 2 and discipline and rule setting are concepts we are all becoming more familiar with, I just can’t believe we have been entrusted with her.  Not because we don’t know what we are doing – I don’t think any of us ever really know what we are doing in parenting, and I am certain I didn’t have a clue what I was doing when she was a newborn and we somehow managed to keep her alive and happy.  But because it is still, on this very day, 21 months post-birth day, surreal to me that I am a mother.  I am someone’s mom.  I am the person who is responsible, with her daddy, for helping her grow to become a fully functional, hopefully fully wonderful, member of society.  I know I should be used to that idea by now, and most of the time I am, but some days, some moments, it still gives me pause to realize that we are here, in this parenting spot.

As I mentioned, as Annie gets older, new challenges are starting to develop.  She has days sometimes where nothing pleases her.  Days when she cries because I don’t let her feed the cats only seconds after she has told me decisively that she doesn’t want to.  Days when she doesn’t want me to touch her one second and then won’t let me put her down the next.  Days when she is fully prepared for battle in this battle of wills we have entered.  Days when she tests my patience and I’m certain I test hers.

Morning tea requires great seriousness.

But on those days, we also have those moments when she lays her head on my shoulder, pats my back with her little dimpled hand, and says, “I sorry, Mommy.”  Moments when she giggles herself to the state of hiccups because her daddy is giving her tickle kisses on her neck or belly.  Moments when she takes my hand and laces her chubby fingers through mine just because she wants me close to her.  Moments when she puts her little, but deceptively strong, arms around my neck, squeezes me tight, and says, “I love you, Mommy.”  (She has actually said this...more than once this month.  I never knew something could actually make my heart swell until I heard that.) Oh, aren’t these moments when speech development brings tears to your eyes! 

Great love for "Puppy!"

And even greater love for Daddy.

In her 21^st month, Annie has developed an affinity for 3-word sentences, jumping up and down (on all surfaces), singing the “ABC Song” (or at least the first 5 letters of it), and counting, well, to 2 – you can keep going higher than that, but she will continue to repeat “two-oo” right along with you.  She loves peanut butter (thank God we don’t have a nut allergy) and applesauce more than anything else, and could survive just fine on a steady diet of waffles if we let her.  She is getting funnier, more spirited, more stubborn, and sweeter every single day.  And those big eyes and that dimple-showing smile keep getting cuter too.   (If I do say so myself)

I will be back later in the weekend with an Easter post.  We have lots going on this weekend, which will mean many great photo opportunities, I'm sure.  Happy Easter everyone!

Our Week: A Recap

This post is going to be really picture-heavy, because it feels like we have had a lot going on lately and we have had a lot of photo-worthy moments this last week. The fact that it feels like we have had a lot going on also means I don't feel really excited about writing anything - and it is unlikely that anything I would write just now would be particular meaningful.  So, I give you a March week with the Nobles...in pictures!

We visited Gaga...

Eating bluebees (aka blueberries) out of an Elmo container while Gaga reads to me?  This is the life!

Okay, who came in when I wasn't looking and switched my little baby with this big girl?!

Annie had fun spending the night at my mom's Saturday night while David and I went out to celebrate our birthdays (which are within a week of each other).  This girl loves her some grandparents, let me tell you.

We had a tea party...

And went to a friend's birthday party...

Throwing balloons at Mommy.

Chatting up her good buddy, Audrey.

So jumping is a new, fun activity.  No matter how high the platform.

We harassed the dog a little...

Seriously, he is SUCH a good sport!

And got a little silly...

And then, to top off the week, Annie had a write-in-the-baby-book moment and got her first haircut!  She's been looking a little shaggy for a while now, with some baby hair still hanging out longer than her new hair.  Her hair sort of can't decide how curly it wants to be either, with sweet little curls popping up in the back from time to time.  So we figured a little trim might make her look a little less ragamuffin and a little more sweet little girl.  Did you like how I pulled out the word 'ragamuffin' there? 

My friend Sara, who also happens to cut my hair, was nice enough to work Annie in to her busy schedule and a first haircut ensued.  Annie handled it great.  You never know with her (or with any toddler, I suppose!) whether she's going to go with it or freak out, so her willingness to sit in my lap and just look around the shop all wide-eyed was quite a pleasant result.  I got strangely sad - and a little anxious - about the whole process.  And probably chickened out a little in how short I asked Sara to go with it (as in, I didn't really want her to cut much off at all).  But it was a fun experience, and I think all of us - including Annie! - are pleased with the result.

Mommy wore a cape too so Annie would feel comfortable.

She looks a little concerned - but she was really pretty comfortable with the whole thing.

Playing with hair clips makes everything more fun.

Voila!  Look at this little lady!

 

So as you can see, it's been a busy week around the Noble homestead.  Here's hoping for a calm, relaxing weekend, and another great week to come.  Happy weekending!

20 Months!

I sort of got too big for my blogging britches with my last post, I guess.  Being so proud of myself for posting not once, but twice in one week!  And now it's been weeks since then and I haven't found the time to write anything.  Or haven't felt inspired to write anything worth sharing, really.  But now the time has come to document another month of our sweet girl's life...and that, my friends, is certainly worth writing about.

Annie has continued to grow and amaze us with how much her little mind retains and stretches.  It seems she learns a new word or phrase or game or song every day.  And she is quite a challenge to keep up with as she gets faster and stronger and even more energetic than she has been before.  Going out with Annie almost always involves laps around the restaurant or stints of her crawling under the highchair or fastening the buckle on the chair repeatedly.  She isn't content to sit for long and is always looking for something to get into or explore.

Her speech has continued to take off this month, with the additions of three syllable words like "animal" and "butterfly."  She speaks in two to three word sentences pretty much most of the time now.  And is a little bossy about it, giving me and David instructions or telling the dog what he can and can't do.  "No, puppy!"  is one of her favorites, as is "Mommy/Daddy, sit."  Fortunately, she realizes she isn't completely self-sufficient and uses the request, "Mommy help" quite often.  And who am I to deny that one?

Annie also continues her love affair with music, insisting that we have family dance parties regularly and requesting that we sing her favorite songs repeatedly.  I think if Annie were to make a request and dedication on the radio it would be for the Happy Birthday song.  We sing it at least three times each day, at her request ("Happy!" she instructs) - once at breakfast, once on the drive to school, and at least once in the evening.  She likes for us to sing the line "Happy birthday to..." over and over, with her telling us what family member, friend, or pet to dedicate the song to each time. It can go on and on, but she is so delighted with every new name, it's a lot of fun to watch.

In another attempt to prove to us just how fast she is growing, Annie has shown us that she is quite capable of dressing herself - or at least partially dressing herself.  She can put on her own dresses, hats, coats and for the most part, shoes.  And what she doesn't do all on her own, she helps us with - putting her foot out for her socks, lifting her leg up for pants or tights.  It won't be long before she's doing those things on her own too.  (sniff, sniff...sniff)

Happy happy girl.

So cool.  I mean, seriously?

In addition to her love for books and blocks and stuffed animals, Annie has added baby dolls to her list of favorite toys.  She spends long periods of time laying blankets on the floor and wrapping up her babies in the them.  She also wants her stuffed animals to sit at the dining room table while we eat.  "Bebra" (the zebra) and "Hop" (the bunny) have joined us for breakfast and dinner in recent days.  And "Emmie mouse" (Minnie to you and me) frequently finds herself perched on Annie's highchair tray at meal time.  The girl comes by this honestly, I must admit.  I used to sleep with about 20 stuffed animals at night because I didn't want any one of them to get its feelings hurt if I left it out.

Catching up on some reading at a local book store.

 Finally, the more she grows, the more we see Annie's personality take shape.  She is shy at first when she enters a new place or meets a new person or finds herself the recipient of a lot of attention - but give her a few minutes and the flirting begins.  And once she warms up, watch out!  She's all over the place...and eating up the attention.

Ever the little helper - feeding our cats.

 It seems daily I am reminded of how fortunate and blessed we are to have been chosen as Annie's parents.  I don't take it for granted.  And I try to remind myself of our blessings even on the days when she is pulling on my leg and whining for no reason or having one of those toddler moments when nothing suits her. Or when she suddenly throws herself in the floor in a display of diva drama.  Even in those moments, I know we couldn't have hand picked a better match for our family.  A more perfect piece of our family puzzle. She's our girl, and we love watching her grow.

Wants and Needs

I’ve been finding myself thinking a lot lately about the differences between wants and needs.  It's sort of been the recurring theme in various places I have been and conversations I have had or listened to.  Confession time for a second – I sometimes confuse the two in my head.  I think many of us do in one way or the other.  And it seems the confusion, at least for me, is isolated to one specific facet of my life.  For instance, I understand the difference between needing food - needing to be nourished, needing it for energy, needing it to sustain me physically – and wanting a certain meal from a certain place.  I get that, and I never have a problem seeing the difference between my need to eat something to satisfy my hunger and my desire for that something to be a nice meal in a cozy restaurant enjoyed with my husband or my friends.  The same is true of many other pieces of my life – I know the difference between what David, Annie, and I truly need as a family and what I just want us to have.  What’s the hang up, you ask?  What’s that facet of life that leaves me not so good at discerning the difference?   Take a guess…

Yep, my house.  That’s my Achilles heel when it comes to being a pro at knowing the difference between my needs and my wants.  While on an intellectual level I understand that all I really need is a warm place to sleep at night, a roof over my head, and the size, quality, and cabinet space (ha!) of that place are of no real importance, I have been having a really hard time convincing myself of that lately.  You see, I’m sort of a Negative Nelly when it comes to our house, and I have been for some time now.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a wonderful house…I mean that, I’m not just saying that in case someone reading this may want to buy it one day.  It’s just a small, one-bathroom, strangely arranged kitchen kind of house.  And I sometimes have a hard time identifying my wants in that house instead of my needs.

In my head, I convince myself that I need a second bathroom.  I need a third bedroom.  I need a kitchen with enough counter space for David and I to both be able to fix our breakfast in the morning without running into each other and enough cabinet space for us to store all of our dishes and serving bowls in one place instead of in three or four mismatched cabinet pieces.  Then I get really out of whack and start thinking that we need a playroom for Annie.  And it needs to be within eyesight of the kitchen so I can watch her play while I make four-course meals that I serve at the table of the eat in kitchen that we, quite undeniably, need.  And I think we need an area in our kitchen where Annie can sit in a year or so and help me bake cookies and fix dinner using the stainless steel appliances that we obviously need, all within sight of the beautiful tiled backsplash I need for my husband to put in our shiny, spotless kitchen, like the ones his clients have thanks to his talent and handiwork.  Oh, and let’s not forget how we need a driveway that is big enough for my car and David’s truck to sit side-by-side. And we need a front walk that isn’t cracked and bumpy.  And we need a front porch floor that doesn’t resist paint like nobody’s business.  And we need…well, you get my point.

But I’m turning over a new leaf here, and I’m starting to see how trivial that list of needs is.  What I have thus far honestly thought of as deficiencies in our home – things that are lacking, and things that we need – are really just my wants.  And as you can see, I want a lot.  And I’m trying to get better.  Every time I roll my eyes at the size of our bathroom, I am trying to replace that thought with one of the many many positive aspects of our home.  Aspects like our sweeping front porch that is was the perfect place for our daughter to be rocked to sleep in the first weeks of her life.  Or the warm and cozy bedroom where Annie has slept almost every night of her life, safe and secure.  Or the closets my husband built with his own two hands when it became clear that the tiny doorways of 1920s closets were not enough for our twenty-first century assortment of clothes.  Or the deck where we have entertained friends and celebrated many of special occasion, including our daughter’s first birthday.  Or the neighborhood where we have spent time with some of our dearest friends and where Annie has played with children we hope will be her friends for life.

While I’m not saying I want to stay in this house forever, and I am still very much hoping we find the perfect buyer for it in the next few months, I am saying that I have everything I really need in our little bungalow…and then some.

A new favorite past time: buckling buckles.

"Hiding" from Daddy.