February 18/6

How in the world did my baby become a toddler?? Anna is 18 months old and totally, 100% toddler. She's into EVERYTHING and keeps me on my toes, but she keeps us laughing, too. I have learned how true it is that when a toddler is quiet, it's time to worry. Just the other day I found her in the kitchen happily spreading coffee all over the floor. Thankfully she only tried one bite and wasn't wound up and caffeinated.


Some things she's doing now:

• Talking a whole lot! She has a large vocabulary, but it's only understandable if you're around her a lot. For instance, I pointed out to Jamie the other night that when she says "dis" it could be this, kiss, cheese or Jesus. "Duck" is both duck and drink. Just recently she's started saying "I love" (or "I uff" really) but if you ask her to say, "I love Mama" she says, "I uff hahaha" She won't say what she loves. She also says, "Ann Mimi hahaha" when you ask her to say, "Anna Marie Hotalen." I agree. It's a funny last name.
• She LOVES to be tossed, swung, spun, etc. We always say, "One, two, three!" when we spin her so now she runs up to us and says, "Un two un two" until we swing her.
• She jumps. Which is hilarious. She squats down, says "Un two" and straightens her legs without ever leaving the floor.
• She dances like crazy! The girl can't get enough dancing and asks every day to play Disney Dance Party on the Xbox. She absolutely loves music and dancing.
• She is the BEST big sister. If I had any worries about jealousy, they were needless. She can't get enough Brooke! When she sees her she says, "Hi Booke!" every single time. She loves to give her toys, get her paci for her, pat her when she's crying (sometimes not so gently), and climb up on the side of Brooke's crib to talk to her when Brooke's supposed to be napping!

Our Anna Marie is sweet, hilarious and so much fun! 

It seems crazy that Brooke's first year is halfway over! She still seems so little to me. I think it's because she has a big sister and is always the baby no matter how big she gets! Brooke is turning into a smiley little thing, although she still refuses to giggle for me! 

Here's what our 6-month-old is up to:

• Sleeping! Ha. Just kidding. Kiddo is still up 2 or 3 times a night. But she wakes up SO HAPPY in the morning. Today, she soaked through her diaper so when she first woke up I took her jammies off, changed her and brought her into my bed in just a diaper. She babbled away so happy and excited for a good 30 minutes. Something about a happy, naked baby...It was so sweet!
• Getting her first tastes of real food. Because she's such a good nurser, I'm not going to do cereal if I can avoid it and just gradually move her into solids. So right now I put little pieces of soft food on her tray and let her try it. She mostly can't get it into her mouth yet, but she tries! She's much funnier than Anna was! Every food brings a new reaction and funny face, whereas Anna just gobbled everything up.
• Almost sitting up. She can just about do it and I think by 7 months she will be happily sitting up and playing with Anna.
• Returning the sister love! She thinks her big sister is the best thing ever and if you want to see her smile, just let her watch Anna play. 
• Playing with her feet - handy built-in toys! She loves her feet! She also has started taking an interest in toys. She's starting to enjoy laying on her playmat or on the playroom floor with toys within reach. 

I love watching her little personality emerge! She's starting to notice everything and I love watching her explore her world. She can roll over both directions now and sometimes ends up in a completely different spot than where I put her. It won't be long before she's off and exploring!

February

It's February!! Yayy!! That means only one (short) month until March. And in March I can start anticipating warmer weather, taking the girls OUTSIDE and the end of cold and flu season! And now that Jamie's no longer a slave to tax season, we can enjoy the warm weather as soon as it comes instead of waiting until after April 15th!

February, I'm so glad you're here. Please go away quickly.

What? Flu season is awesome! 

5 Months!

Brooke is 5 months old today!

She's turning into a little person and starting to show some personality. She's mostly super laidback and happy and very quick with a smile. Although she will NOT giggle for me! I keep trying though. We haven't started any cereal yet and I don't plan on it for a couple more months as long as she's growing. Food is so much more work than just nursing!

She loves her big sister, but not as much as her big sister loves her! She puts up with lots of not-so-gentle hugs and kisses and very rarely gets cranky about it. They also like to dance together which is too cute! I hold Brooke up and Anna grabs her hands and starts dancing. I don't think she gets why Brooke doesn't join in.

This time last year I didn't even know I was pregnant yet, and now I can't imagine our lives without our Brookie beans!

P.S. Blogger seems to be letting me add pictures again so I will try to go back and catch up on Brooke's monthly updates!

D.I.D

Dissociative Identity Disorder:  a psychiatric condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities, known as alter egos.

Also Known As: Multiple Personality Disorder

Alternate Definition: toddlerhood.

Good Job

Things that have earned one of my girls a "good job" from me over recent days:

• Burping
• Pooping
• Not getting aforementioned poop on their clothes
• Napping
• Tooting
• Eating green beans
• Not eating dirt
• Not eating potpurri
• Closing a closet door
• Turning the page in a book
• Putting laundry in the hamper
• Remembering to say "Help, please" instead of screaming like a wild banshee when they needed something.
• Responding with"Woof!" when asked when a doggie says
• Locating her belly button

Things on the above list I'm also capable of:

• All of them

Number of "Good job"s I've gotten: 0

There is a serious lack of equality in this household.

Overheard

Yesterday after church Jamie went to the grocery store for me. Because I loathe the grocery store. So I made him a list and he did the shopping. After he got home, I realized I'd forgotten to plan anything for dinner. So he went back to the store to pick up something for us to eat and then came home and cooked it. As he cooked, I sat at the kitchen island and talked with him. "Sorry I stink at wifehood," I said. He replied, "It's alright. I'm pretty awesome at being a husband so we average out ok."

The man has never suffered from a lack of self-confidence!

Twenty-Nine

Jamie and I were talking last night and I asked him how he feels about being married to a 29-year-old. Twenty-nine. It sounds so old. He reminded me that 29 is not yet 30 (he's so wise). I told him I feel like 29 is a bigger deal than 30. This is the end of my 20s. The end of an era. Well, a decade really. Next year will be the beginning of a whole new era. I feel like in your 20s you become a grown-up. Finish college, get a real job, leave your first real job, get another real job, get laid off from that job, get yet another real job, get laid off again (maybe that's just me), get married, start a family, buy your first home. I mean, a decade ago I was a kid. And now I have kids.

Next year, when I turn 30, I feel like I'll be celebrating the beginning of a new phase of life. I can't wait to see what my 30s have in store! Thirty feels like the start of a new adventure. I won't be a new graduate, a newlywed or a new mom. I won't be "new" anymore. I'll have some experience under my belt. It's like graduating from Adult 101 and enrolling in Adult 201. Sophomore grown-up. I'll still have a lot to learn before I'm considered an upperclassmen, but I'll at least know my way around campus.

Thirty feels like the start of something new, but twenty-nine? For some reason, that feels like an ending. And as excited as I am to find out what this year holds for me, I feel a little sad about saying good-bye to my 20s. I guess I better live it up and make sure I finish up my 20s in style!