5 Was Big

Last September, my biggest girl Charley turned 5 and just next week she will turn 6. Five was SO BIG for us, guys. I sat down earlier today and just started thinking of how much she's learned and changed this past year. I remember writing a monthly blog post at the end of Charley's baby years and saying there was no need to keep up the monthly updates because they just no longer change as quickly as they do when they are babies. Well. That may be true for most years, but I seriously think age 5 was just as exciting and had just as many changes as the baby years. Here are some highlights.

She gave up the habit of sucking on her Owlie blankies.

She learned to ride a bike with no training wheels.

While I don't encourage it, she has climbed up, gotten a cup out, gotten the milk or OJ out, and poured herself a drink with no messes.

She can order for herself in restaurants.

Charley has mastered the iPad and my phone as well. She knows the codes to unlock them. She knows how to turn the wifi back on if it's off.

Along the same lines, she can turn the TV and surround sound on, she can get to Netflix, choose her account and choose her show.

Or, she can go to the computer and click on the favorites link to PBS Kids and play those games using a mouse.

She can put together an outfit that isn't totally crazy and mismatched.

She often either drives herself (in her power wheels) or walks herself over to my parent's house.

My mom and dad even let her drive their golf cart - although they handle the pedals. She just does the steering.

She's lost 3 teeth! (All involving tears and drama!) (One just tonight!)

She has 2 permanent teeth in.

She graduated Pre-K.

She started Kindergarten. Today.

She loves math and can do a good bit of addition.

She recognizes some sight words.

She can swim....and swim well!

She rode Space Mountain...and liked it!

She enjoys a couple shows that aren't kids shows. We've watched the last two seasons of Survivor together, for example.

She can bathe or shower herself.

She can put a Lego set together herself.

She caught her first fish.

She found her first shark's tooth.

She can just about do a cartwheel.

She can melt me into a puddle with just a few sweet words. Although, that one didn't just start at age 5. ;)

All that to say...it was a big year for my Charley bear. And I imagine Kindergarten will bring so many more things. Reading. Writing words with cute kid misspellings. Buying her own lunch in the cafeteria. Going on field trips. And a million other things.

As sad as it can be to send my baby off to Kindergarten, I'm happy to focus on all the new fun things I can write about next year at this time. I always thought I was more of a baby mom, but these big kid stages are turning out to be so much more fun. For example, I was actually the one who taught Charley to ride a bike. I always thought that would be John's thing, but when it came down to it, it was a matter of patience and I have more of that than John. When she got it I was of course THRILLED for her, but also I was thrilled for myself! It's SUPER EXCITING when a baby learns to walk of course. But, they more or less learn to do that themselves. When your child learns to ride a bike it is directly related to the instruction you just gave them. YOU HAD A HUGE PART IN THAT, you know?? SO much more rewarding.

Anyway. Five was big. Charley is big.



I love her.

Getting Ready for School with KidsShoes.com

*Check out these Back-To-School must have shoes At KidsShoes.com! Boys and girls shoes that are fashionable, cute and just the right price! I received shoes to review, opinions are my own.

August is a big month for our family. Charley will start Kindergarten in just a few short weeks. And if that wasn't scary and sad enough, Laney will also begin Pre-K. I know they will both love it so I try not to be sad about it, but I feel like with Charley we are crossing the bridge from little kid to big kid in one fell swoop. Sigh.

BUT! There's some excitement that comes along with that too. I LOVE school supplies and getting new backpacks and just getting ready for school in general, so we were anxious to shop!

Laney is easy - she doesn't need a backpack or lunch box or school supplies or uniforms. She can wear her regular clothing so I'm not even too concerned with buying new clothes for her until the seasons begin to change. I'll buy her a cute outfit for her first day of school and will get her a new pair of shoes. That's where KidsShoes.com made our lives a little easier! From the options given, Laney chose a denim slide with embroidered tigers. I mean - what doesn't go with embroidered tigers, right?! So I allowed it.

She's pretty happy with her choice and I'm happy that they are versatile enough for running around the playground, digging in the sandbox and still comfortable enough for sitting criss cross applesauce at circle time. I hope to get a lot of use out of them this school year. 

Charley, however, is not quite as easy. Going into Kindergarten requires a lot more. She needs a new backpack and lunchbox, tons of school supplies, school uniforms and of course new shoes.

If you know Charley at all, you know that she has always had a very strong opinion on what she wears. She went one whole winter without ever wearing a coat once, and went a couple years wearing only skirts and dresses. I'm happy to report she's not quite as difficult with her clothing selections each morning any more, which is great because her elementary school is a uniform school. Polos and khakis from here on out. She's not thrilled about it. BUT! While reading the uniform policy we did catch a couple of opportunities for Charley to add a little flair to her every day uniform. First, "Belts, if worn, must be a solid color."  And also, "Athletic shoes, leather shoes, and boots are all acceptable". Which, again, is where KidsShoes.com comes in and helps us out!

Charley loves sparkle, so she chose a floral applique sneaker. Not my first choice, but I allowed her to choose whatever she wanted since she will have so little say-so over her outfits anymore. While the regular price of these shoes is more than I typically spend on kid's shoes, I am going to hope they last longer and prove their price tag.

Combine those fancy, sparkly shoes with this solid colored but fun belt, and her boring ol' school uniforms looks a whole lot more Charley.

Thanks KidsShoes.com for scratching one item off of our back to school checklist!

This is Two

 

I love all of the baby stages as I'm an equal opportunity baby stages lover, but age two is one of my favorites for sure. They are learning so much every day and it's exciting to see them turn into little humans with opinions of their own. The exciting parts are nestled right in between the tantrums, but, it is exciting nonetheless.

Laney turned two a couple of weeks months ago and the vastness of her personality is astounding to me! So much packed into those 25 pounds. For those that know us personally - Charley is me through and through. Laney, rightfully so, is John. And John also has a ton of personality. It's fun (and admittedly sometimes frustrating) to parent a child that is so much like my husband. And of course, she's TWO, so some of the frustrating parts may just be because she's two and not that she's inherently difficult. We'll reassess the difficult factor once we move out of the toddler years.

Laney likes things done her way, on her terms, and things need to be her idea. Even if her way is exactly the same way you just did yourself. She will undo what you did and redo it on her own. Whether that is moving her drink back from the edge of the table, putting a bite of food on her fork, picking up a toy off of the ground - all things she has undone just so she could redo them herself.

I have spent a lot of time in the glider in her room over the last 6 years between Charley and now Laney. I think back fondly to falling asleep in that chair with a tiny Charley on my chest or rocking Laney back to sleep in it during the middle of the night, not to mention the hours and hours I spent nursing them in it. I've read books to both girls in it for 6 years, too. Nothing beats having one of their sweet, sleepy bodies in my lap and reading them their favorite books. They are at just the right height to get a million kisses on their heads and I just love every single thing about it.

Well. Laney has her own ideas about how this time should work. She now sits in the chair BY HERSELF, usually lounged across the chair and both arm rests. I've been evicted to the ottoman and I now sit there to read books to Laney. I need to pick up a palm frond so I can also fan her each night as she winds down.

One of Laney's newest and favorite phrases is "No way!" and sometimes even "No way Jose!"

I posted a video on Instagram about the way Laney pronounces "Bunny" on April 15th. Bunny is the name of her lovey blankets and as long as she's been able to babble, she's called them "Duh Duh". Sounded very similar to Dada sometimes, so you had to use your context clues to figure out what she needed. In the video I am basically laughing at the fact that even though she can enunciate the two syllables of bunny very well, she refuses to put them together correctly and instead prefers duh duh.

Well. That backfired. She dropped that incorrect pronunciation only a few days after that and has never looked back. Bunny is now buh-nee and "duh duh" is down there resting in the Memory Dump with Bing Bong.

Rice is her favorite food. Fried rice, Mexican rice, white rice - she won't discriminate!

My goodness this child loves to sing. Favorites are Happy Birthday, Twinkle Twinkle, the ABCs, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. She likes for you to sing along - until she doesn't - and will promptly give you a SHH!

We are 0 for 3 on her enjoying carousels. One time I gave up and sat in the bench thingy - which was my first time ever riding the bench on a carousel. Another time I ran out of negotiation tactics too late so I ended up holding her on my hip while we stood beside a horse that she refused to sit on.

 

But, give her a spinny dippy theme park ride and she LOVES it. This particular ride makes many adults feel sick and it is the one Laney loves the most. But don't dare put her on a carousel horse. Makes sense.

She still naps twice a day about 50% of the time I'd guess. We are moving away from the two-naps-a-day thing, but she's not all the way there yet. Bedtime is at 8.

She's wearing a 2T and is just about in a size 6 shoe. We are finishing up size 4 diapers and I'll buy size 5 next. It is time to start thinking about potty training, but she is adamantly against it. I still have the potty chair out and we talk about it a little each day, but she is very much against it right now. I'll give it some more time.

She HATES getting her teeth brushed. (I remember Charley being the exact same way at this age though.) STRONGLY DISLIKES having her hair brushed and a bow added. I can at least somewhat get away with doing that most days though. Currently HATES baths, so we have been showering with her instead. (Another Charley similarity because Charley also went through the exact same bath-hating phase.)

She plays pretend pretty well, and mimics everything Charley does. 

Mornings during the week consist of me going in to wake her up and get her out of her crib. I always come equipped with a cup of milk and she always starts smacking her lips soon after she opens her eyes. After she's had a couple of swigs she always asks for the exact same thing - "See Daddy?" So I carry her to find her Daddy so she can get some snuggles from him each morning, too.

She's started saying "luff you" and I just melt into a puddle every time I hear it.

She tries to police what you say to her. For example, "Laney I like your dress!" can be met with "NO! Laney dress. You no like." Or if you walk up and say "Hi Laney!" you may be met with "NO! No hi Laney."

Time outs are not very effective with her. When she hits Charley and I send her to time out, that is usually met with a sweet "OTAY!" and she runs off to put herself in time out. She will sit there the entire two minutes and gives out "SOWWEE"s and hugs when it is over. She totally gets the concept, but I don't think it's doing much to prevent bad behavior.

But that tough exterior houses the sweetest little girl inside. She's SO cuddly and very lovey and despite most pictures, is a happy and smiley tiny girl. I can't wait (or maybe I can) to see how she does in preschool this fall. It will always be an adventure with Laney, but one that I am enjoying and can't wait to see where it goes.

Laney Lately

Laney's 24 pounds and 33 inches contain a ton of personality at almost 21 months old. Here's a snapshot of how she is right now.

(Also, before I write these I like to go back and see what Charley was doing at the same age and wow - so many similarities that I hadn't even realized at this age!)

In Laney language...

• ruff (as in the sound a dog makes) and fish sound the same
• Dada and bunny almost sound the same too. (Bunny is pronounced "duhduh" while Dada is, obviously, "dahdah")
• "Thank you" is simply the sounds you would make if you were saying thank you with a mouth full of water. Phonetically, I'd say 'unkh uhnn' with the same intonation we use to say thank you.
• Saying please is my very favorite word of hers right now. She leaves out the "L", and adds a little -sh action to the end. There's a video of this cuteness on Instagram (@laceyloo22).
• She's got some other words, but most of our "conversations" these days are derived from catching those few words and using context clues for the rest. 
• Her animal sounds, though, are pretty amazing. She's got a super realistic horse and cow and cat.

Favorite things...

• animals: ducks, cats, chicken and fish
• foods: rice, tomatoes, french fries, green beans and even brussel sprouts. (leaving out treats, because, duh.)
• toys: Little People, dollhouses or anything of the sort, baby dolls, & bags of any sort...loves to pack a bag of stuff and throw it over her shoulder and say bye! Also, whatever Charley is playing with.
• books: Just like Charley loved at this age, the Matthew Van Fleet books are her favorites. She got this set for Christmas and we read at least one of those books a day. Also loves this one (Toes, Ears and Nose) and any of the First Words type of books.
• clothing: jackets and boots, and really, any shoes at all.

Laney being Laney....

Laney is definitely more challenging than Charley ever was. She's got a lot of spunk and opinions in that tiny body which can make things rather difficult at times.

• Lately at meal times, Laney will NOT use her high chair or booster seat. She wants to sit on the bench at the table just like Charley. Only, she's too short, so she sits on her knees which can be slippery and she has fallen off once. She likes to get up and down a million times, and the only thing that seems to help is if we are all sitting at the table while she eats. Obviously, this cannot always be the case for all 3 of us to sit with her anytime she eats, so mealtimes have been a battle I have not figured out how to win yet. She also dictates which seat I need to sit in to accompany her meals. My goodness this child, y'all.

• She whines most days all the way home, UNLESS she has a snack. When my dad picks them up he stops and gets them chicken nuggets before he gets there. And then! THEN! Once the snack has made her thirsty she whines for "WAWA PEASE!" the rest of the way home. She does not care that you do not have any water for her in the vehicle. This actually wouldn't be that hard to curb if I'd just remember to bring snacks and water every time she's in the car...
• On the flip side, Laney loves loves loves sleep. Which, as many parents would agree, basically cancels out anything and everything negative I could say about her temperament. But is usually very happy to take a nap or go to sleep, and often giggles when I lay her in the crib and cover her up. She often sleeps in until almost NINE on the weekends. Love this child!
• We got some wintry stuff a couple weekends ago - a typical NC mix of maybe a tiny bit of snow on top of freezing rain and then sleet. But, since that could be it as far as white stuff on the ground goes for the rest of our winter, we have to go outside and try to play in it anyway. Laney was not a fan. Cried if I put her down. But wanted to stay outside to see what Charley was doing. So I had to hold her the whole time which my back paid for the next day. She doesn't weigh that much, but add a bunch of layers on both of us and she didn't quite fit on my hip as nicely. 

• Tantrums. Aren't these supposed to wait until she's at least 2?

• When I'm not home, John says Laney doesn't do most of these things, though. She will use her high chair, no tantrums, no constant whining for Mama or for this or that. What does that mean?! Is it just the old saying that children are the worst for their mothers, or does she think she gets away with more from me? 

Other Laney tidbits...

• Laney can drink from an open cup and use a fork and spoon pretty well without too much of a mess.
• We've gotten the toddler puzzles out a few times, but she wasn't quite getting them yet. Then, over the weekend I got them back out and she did them all in minutes! So weird how things just click all of a sudden.
• She's FINALLY getting her last two teeth. The two teeth on either side of her front bottom teeth (lateral incisors) are finally coming in. She has all of her other teeth minus her 2 year molars already, so at her last pediatrician appointment we talked about how she may never get those two teeth since they are pretty late. I'm glad to see them come in, finally!
• She's shown some interest in using the potty, so I did drag out the ol' potty chair. I'm not quite ready to tackle that, but I'll try somewhat soon. The method we used with Charley that worked so amazingly well suggests 22 months as the ideal age which is just a little over a month away, but we waited until 26ish months with Charley so I may wait a bit longer.
• Like most other younger siblings, Laney observes and copies everything Charley does. Charley sometimes has to go to her room and shut her door to get some space from her pestering baby sister.

Here, Laney went to the bathroom and carried this step stool all the way into the kitchen to mimic exactly what Charley was doing.

• Laney loves a show on Netflix called Hi-5. It is a British singing/dancing show for children. There's another show on Netflix called Mother Goose Club that she is starting to really like too (thank goodness because I'm about Hi-5ed out) and even more recently Sesame Street has been a winner.
• As I mentioned on the DITL post, Laney got her first real haircut a couple weeks ago. I didn't really give enough direction before the stylist got started (I'm bad about that - glad my regular stylist knows my normal) and I only really said I wanted to even it up. We'd been fighting  mullet status for a while so I just decided I was ready. 

So, she cut off more than I was thinking. I did insist she not touch the bangs because I hate keeping up with those, but in between trying to just keep Laney from crying and from sticking her hands in between the scissor's blades, I just sort of didn't pay much attention to the length. When she was done - although super cute - it took a while for me (and everyone!) to get used to it. But now. Oh my goodness. Looking back at those pictures above - I'm wondering what took me so long! It's ADORABLE and so perfect for her. 

• She's currently wearing either 18 month or 24 month or 2T clothing. (That's a 24 month Carter's jacket with the sleeves rolled up above. But, the best fitting jeans she owns are 2T from Old Navy.) The sizes are so wonky brand to brand. She's in a size 5 shoe and has been for some time. 
• Laney loves to be outside just like the rest of her family. Due to some extra warm weather this weekend, she was even allowed to play with water in the outdoor kitchen my mom has set up for them. She was filthy dirty and loving it. Those aren't shadows on her face - that's just dirt.

There's so much I could say about my sweet Bug. She's so little and so big. I signed her up for Fall 2017 preschool this week which is SUCH a big girl thing. But when I wrap her up in the infant bath towels, she's still such a little thing. 

Love you & all your spunk, Laney Bug!

Owlie

4 years, 6 months, 15 days. 1,659 days. That's how long Charley used her lovey blanket, we dubbed Owlie, as her comfort item.

 

The good ol' Easter Bunny delivered one Owlie blanket to Charley on April 8, 2012. Charley was 6 months old and immediately fell in love. I'm thankful she declared her love for Owlie so soon because we were able to buy two backups immediately from Target. I guess that's where the Easter Bunny shopped too.

This was the day she received Owlie. It was so clean!

Owlie has gone everywhere with us. 

On hikes,

to 3-D shows,

camping with Grandaddy,

in Grandaddy's chair,



of course to every nap,



lots of time on the couch,



to family birthday parties,

to the beach, 

to Christmas celebrations, 

on road trips, 

to the zoo, 

and a million other places. It took me about 10 minutes to collect all of these pictures. There were TONS of them. Owlie is probably photographed more often than our cat. Sorry, Reese!

Charley essentially used Owlie as a pacifier. She did the same sucking motion as you would on a pacifier, but on the corners of Owlie. Every single corner became discolored and they STANK real bad real fast. They got regular washes on the weekends but Charley rarely minded their smell and love love loved them so.

I wasn't that worried about them either since the dentist had mentioned that they didn't pose the same problem as a pacifier since they were flat. So, I tried some gentle approaches to get her to break the habit. Essentially I didn't want to just take them from her, I just did not want her to put them in her mouth any longer. 

For a while, we talked up her 5th birthday like she was OFFICIALLY going to be a big girl. And you know what big girls didn't do? They didn't chew on owlies. We told her on her 5th birthday she would give them over to us, and then she'd get her birthday presents and she was pretty agreeable about it. So, that morning, in our camper, she begrudgingly handed them over.

Yeah, so, that didn't work. Her and Laney share a room in the camper and I wasn't trying to have two non-sleeping babies that night, so she convinced me to let her just have them at night but that she wouldn't touch them at all during the day. That continued on for another couple days where she even brought them to me and handed them over first thing every morning, but before we knew it she just kept them and then "used" them whenever she pleased. She didn't take them to school or anything, but if she was resting on the couch and watching a cartoon, she liked to have them. I gave up the fight for a while.

We randomly tried to let her test out her own willpower for the promise of a coveted toy. (Monster High girl dolls...thanks a lot Charley's older cousins! haha) We told her she could continue to hold them, but as soon as she put them back in her mouth she had to start all over. I think we put a 3 day limit on it or something like that. But, this was HABIT, and even though she tried to lay there so sweetly only holding them and not chewing them, habit took over and they were back in her mouth before we knew it.

We gave up for a while. She truly didn't use them as often as she used to, and we just hadn't come up with a nice way of taking them away.

A couple weekends ago John went out of town. While Charley misses her daddy when he leaves of course, she also gets really excited because I will let her have ONE sleepover in Mama's bed whenever he isn't home. She chose Saturday night over the long weekend he was gone to sleep in the bed with me. That night I didn't sleep very well and one of the reasons why was because I could hear her sucking on those blankies ALL NIGHT LONG. I sort of thought she used them to go to sleep and that was really it, but that night I realized that she would grab them in her sleep and suck on them periodically throughout the night. I decided I needed to help her break the habit soon. In the middle of the night sometime, I finally came up with an idea that I thought may work.

Safety pins.



I think most people questioned my sanity when I said I was going to put small metal POINTY objects on something that my daughter regularly put IN HER MOUTH and kept IN HER BED. Relaxxxxx, everything's going to be justtttt fine.

I did use larger, sturdier safety pins and put them on every single corner at some point that next afternoon. I decided I should tackle this that very next night because John was still out of town and I could let her sleep in my bed again so I could comfort her and also so her crying wouldn't wake up Laney on their side of the house. Charley was less than thrilled with me when she saw what I had done that afternoon. :(

And that night wasn't very fun at all. Charley cried pretty hard for a good 30-45 minutes. It was tough and I felt really bad for her. She had used that thing to put herself to sleep for YEARS and I felt bad that I hadn't helped her to break the habit sooner. But, before too long, she was asleep and there wasn't a blankie in her mouth at all. My big girl. <3 p="">

But then....it was over. She may have asked for them that next morning and got a little teary eyed a couple times talking about what Mama had done, but that was IT. A few days later I ordered the dreaded Monster High Girl dolls and she was SO PROUD OF HERSELF. Which now, makes me a little teary eyed thinking about.

She still takes them to bed with her (and they are still safety pinned JUST IN CASE) but there weren't any other tears shed and haven't been any pokey accidents, either. She was just ready, I guess. 

It's such an accomplishment to get through parenting feats like this, right? It makes you feel encouraged and strong and ready to tackle the next feat!

Meet Bunny, Laney's blankie that she does the EXACT SAME THING with. I have a feeling - knowing Laney's spunky personality - things won't go as swimmingly with her. I'm gonna........wait a couple more years on that. So much for feeling encouraged.

Laney - 13/14 Months

Well, I said I was going to quit doing these updates, and here I am doing another one anyway. I guess I forgot how much changes and how quickly it changes during the second year.

Laney....

...does NOT give kisses. She gets about a million a day but she refuses to give kisses back.

...loves to eat. She's usually the first to begin eating and the last to finish. She'll eat every little crumb on her tray.

...loves her bunny blankets. EXACTLY like her big sister, she sucks/chews on the corners to soothe herself to sleep, or just when sleepy in general. I thought it was so weird that I have TWO children that did this strange behavior, until John brought out his bunny blanket from when he was a kid and showed us the corners that were in the same condition as theirs. So it's a genetic thing, apparently!

...is completely done with bottles. And we sort of skipped sippy cups too and went straight to the Take N Toss straw cups. So much easier.

...is a chatterbox. Lots of new sounds and words these days. Some recent favorites - 'nana (banana), sshhshshshs (shoes), and while pointing to herself she says something that doesn't really sound like 'Laney' at all but I know that's what she's trying to say. I love this stage.

...is still a slow(er than her sister) teether. Charley had all 16 teeth at this same age and she got her teeth in the correct order too. Ha. Laney is all over the place. She's all uneven and stuff in there with her 7 teeth. 2 molars on one side, 3 up top, 2 on the bottom. She may have a 4th up top too, and then a new molar is coming in on the upper right side. But no canines at all!

...walks. She began right at 13 months like Charley. Once she walked, she walked. Rarely crawls any more.

...is a snuggler.

...is Mama's girl. Can't get close enough to me if I'm home so she spends a lot of time on my hip.

...is a climber. Nothing scary yet though, just more climb-y than her sister was.

...is a very serious baby. I love when strangers try and get her to smile and her brow just furrows further. She's got no time for your antics.

...sleeps great. Goes to sleep at 8:00, sleeps until we get her up at 6:30. Gives us an 8:00 or even 9:00 wake up pretty regularly on the weekends. Still 2 naps a day for a couple hours each.

...is a light sleeper. So, she sleeps great, AS LONG AS nothing disturbs her. It's actually kind of perplexing. She's a light sleeper if she hears one of us outside of her room, or a slight floor creak if we are tiptoeing into her room, or if we are tending to her sister with a stomach bug in the middle of the night. But, last night the fire alarm went off in our house (smoke from a machine John was using in the basement) and she has an alarm IN HER ROOM and not a peep was heard from her. Okayyyyyyyyyyyyy.

...is getting a mullet. I know this is a normal hair growth stage for babies, but I'm pretty close to evening it out. Or, rather, having someone even it out. It's just hair, and it's not like she's got any curls that we'd be losing by cutting some of it. I am not a fan of this messy hair stage at all.

...is such a love. We love this little sugar muffin so much.