Lately Axel has been a total vocabulary sponge and surprising us when he'll randomly repeat something we say, or out of no where we'll hear him say something while he is playing. He isn't speaking in sentences or anything yet, but he is definitely learning words and communicating.
His definite words so far are:
Dada
Mama (although he only says it when he reaaally wants me or when he's annoyed and then he'll say "oh, maaaa" like "come on Mom, really?" It's funny)
Dog
Dawn (our apartment manager who Axel is in love with)
Night Night ("nigh-nigh")
Apple
Sock ("sssssah")
Whats this? ("whassiss")
Bye-bye
I love you (Iiiii-rah-ooo)
Axel (Aaaa-cks-ah)
And his newest word? Pray. Oh my goodness, it is so cute to hear him say this. Maybe more so because we're quite religious, but just hearing his little voice say it is too cute!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Little Less Mom, Little More Bang..
After weeks and months of trying to figure out how to change my hair, I finally decided I wanted to cut bangs. I had toyed with the idea of maybe doing a bob with long bangs, or cutting in a bunch of layers, but after typing in "bangs" in a search on pinterest I was easily convinced that bangs were the way to go. Finding the time to go get them cut is another thing. Last time I cut them myself I ended up at the salon in a frenzy to fix them. This time I tried to be more patient but today I had had enough of my lifeless mane. I took it too the streets (actually just google) and typed in "how to cut your own bangs". I think I did okay! We'll see what the gals at work have to say about it though.. they are the true experts! I'm loving my bangs so far. Since I'm usually sloughing around in leggings and a big shirt with no make-up, or bra, and days since my last shower, I think bangs are a good way to add a bit of a polished look to my usual mommy-mess.
My before picture is also my 22-week preggo picture. Enjoy!
My before picture is also my 22-week preggo picture. Enjoy!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Christmas Traditions
Thank you to everyone who answered my facebook query last night and checked out my blog. It's not that I want attention, but I didn't think many people were reading, and if that was the case I wasn't going to keep up with the blog. That's what journals are for.
Anyways, you may have seen my lovely friend, Molly Klatt comment on my last post (she is my most faithful reader/commenter) and suggest I write about Christmas Traditions. What a great idea! Especially as this year we hope to create our own and incorporate some from our different childhoods.
Growing up we had a really fun tradition on Christmas Eve where my mom would sit us all in a circle and hand us a gift. She would then start to read the story "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Anytime she reads the word "and", we all pass our gift to the left. The story starts out with very few "ands" and knowing the story quite well, you come to anticipate when the next one will be said. The best part is when she reads, "AND he whistled AND shouted AND called them by name". It was so funny when my sister Lucy was small and had a hard time keeping up. To keep the tradition going with our own family, I had an idea. I would like to keep my mother involved, so the plan is that on Christmas eve, my little family and I will all sit down with a gift, and call Grandma. We will put her on speaker phone and listen to her read us the story. I can only imagine the excitement our children will have in the coming years when we all sit down on Christmas eve and I say, "time to call Grandma for the story!"
Another tradition I love is one from my late Grandma June (my dad's mother). She had a Christmas ornament that looks like a pickle and would hide somewhere in the tree. On Christmas day, when all the grand kids were at her house we would get say, 3 minutes to try to find the pickle (and we'd all be looking at the same time). I remember all of our eyes darting to find the green pickle in the green tree. I can't remember what we got if we did find it, but I never found it. I saw a pickle ornament at Shopko the other day and I really want to buy it and carry on this tradition.
Growing up we lived near a fantastic sledding hill (Olbrich Hill in Madison, Wisconsin) and I remember going sledding some years on Christmas. This would be fun to keep up!
I still have to get all the traditions from Jordan's side, but one that I know of that I definitely want to carry on is the food. Oh the food. Jordan's mother prepares ahead of time and makes heaps and heaps of yummy Christmas goodies and displays them on Christmas day for everyone to enjoy. The times we've been at their home for Christmas I feel so silly because I am the only one salivating and considering sneaking a treat before they come out of their containers. She makes some really delicious goodies. I would like to do the same for my family.
The last one that I can think of so far, is one I found recently on pinterest. Here is the link..
http://secretsofasupermommy.blogspot.com/2010/03/birthdayfun-things-to-do-on-real.html
It's listed as a birthday activity but I think it would be really fun on Christmas when the kiddos are dying to jump out of bed and check out the goods under the tree.
I'm sure more will come as the holiday gets closer but those are the big ones I can think of for now, and of course as the years go by we will establish more of our own traditions.
Thanks for the suggestion Molly! Looking forward to reading your traditions and everyone else's!
Anyways, you may have seen my lovely friend, Molly Klatt comment on my last post (she is my most faithful reader/commenter) and suggest I write about Christmas Traditions. What a great idea! Especially as this year we hope to create our own and incorporate some from our different childhoods.
Growing up we had a really fun tradition on Christmas Eve where my mom would sit us all in a circle and hand us a gift. She would then start to read the story "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Anytime she reads the word "and", we all pass our gift to the left. The story starts out with very few "ands" and knowing the story quite well, you come to anticipate when the next one will be said. The best part is when she reads, "AND he whistled AND shouted AND called them by name". It was so funny when my sister Lucy was small and had a hard time keeping up. To keep the tradition going with our own family, I had an idea. I would like to keep my mother involved, so the plan is that on Christmas eve, my little family and I will all sit down with a gift, and call Grandma. We will put her on speaker phone and listen to her read us the story. I can only imagine the excitement our children will have in the coming years when we all sit down on Christmas eve and I say, "time to call Grandma for the story!"
Another tradition I love is one from my late Grandma June (my dad's mother). She had a Christmas ornament that looks like a pickle and would hide somewhere in the tree. On Christmas day, when all the grand kids were at her house we would get say, 3 minutes to try to find the pickle (and we'd all be looking at the same time). I remember all of our eyes darting to find the green pickle in the green tree. I can't remember what we got if we did find it, but I never found it. I saw a pickle ornament at Shopko the other day and I really want to buy it and carry on this tradition.
Growing up we lived near a fantastic sledding hill (Olbrich Hill in Madison, Wisconsin) and I remember going sledding some years on Christmas. This would be fun to keep up!
I still have to get all the traditions from Jordan's side, but one that I know of that I definitely want to carry on is the food. Oh the food. Jordan's mother prepares ahead of time and makes heaps and heaps of yummy Christmas goodies and displays them on Christmas day for everyone to enjoy. The times we've been at their home for Christmas I feel so silly because I am the only one salivating and considering sneaking a treat before they come out of their containers. She makes some really delicious goodies. I would like to do the same for my family.
The last one that I can think of so far, is one I found recently on pinterest. Here is the link..
http://secretsofasupermommy.blogspot.com/2010/03/birthdayfun-things-to-do-on-real.html
It's listed as a birthday activity but I think it would be really fun on Christmas when the kiddos are dying to jump out of bed and check out the goods under the tree.
I'm sure more will come as the holiday gets closer but those are the big ones I can think of for now, and of course as the years go by we will establish more of our own traditions.
Thanks for the suggestion Molly! Looking forward to reading your traditions and everyone else's!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Time For... *Updated*
Christmas Crafts! Awwwwww-yeah! That's right, now that halloween has come and gone I say it's fair game to get ready for Christmas! We're even supposed to get snow today! Actually, I'm not sure how excited I am about the snow but it will help me convince Jordan that it is definitely time to dig out the box of Christmas decorations we have acquired so far in our lives together. Up until a day or two ago we've had the most glorious fall weather anyone could ask for! Gorgeous tree's, sun, comfortable mild weather (with chilly nights), oh.. it's just been perfect, so I suppose I can't complain too much now that Mr. Winter is headed our way. (Just wait until January.. I'm sure I'll be complaining by then... this is Wisconsin after all).
So, back to the Christmas crafts.. there are so many things I would like to do, but our budget is quite limited at the moment so I need to keep my head above water and not go too crazy. I found a really great tutorial for a no sew ruffled tree skirt (thanks pinterest). Here is the link, http://mycrazylife-lauren.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-pinned-it-i-did-it-ruffled-tree-skirt.html. To make it more affordable I made some little changes. For example, instead of buying the painters canvas (which was $20 - I could have bought a pretty tree skirt for $20) I bought a painters...something else for only $5 and it is working just fine. Then, instead of buying fabric I went to goodwill and found a sheet. I would have preferred a different color or pattern, but oh well. This works and I can always add some sort of embellishment. Plus, no one will really be looking at the skirt too closely anyways. If anyone is under the tree I'm sure they'll be digging for gifts, not examining my craftsmanship, ha. The project is a pain in the hiney to say the very least. It took me about 2 hours just to get as far as I did and I'm not even finished. That's a lot of time for a preggo lady to be hunched over on the floor! Here is my progress. I am hoping to finish it today or tomorrow, but this week is a crazy week for homework so we'll see what I get to.. priorities you know..
Oh, and if you haven't been able to enjoy this little treat.. here you go. Poor little guy.. being 1 is tough stuff! All because I wouldn't let him play with Daddy's sharp tools! He was pretty worn out after this, and we had a lovely little snuggle.
Just had to update... I finished the skirt! I am so happy with the way it turned out and can't wait to put it under the tree! And, I have already begun my next project. It's not such a big deal so I'll show you those later.. but here is the finished skirt!
So, back to the Christmas crafts.. there are so many things I would like to do, but our budget is quite limited at the moment so I need to keep my head above water and not go too crazy. I found a really great tutorial for a no sew ruffled tree skirt (thanks pinterest). Here is the link, http://mycrazylife-lauren.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-pinned-it-i-did-it-ruffled-tree-skirt.html. To make it more affordable I made some little changes. For example, instead of buying the painters canvas (which was $20 - I could have bought a pretty tree skirt for $20) I bought a painters...something else for only $5 and it is working just fine. Then, instead of buying fabric I went to goodwill and found a sheet. I would have preferred a different color or pattern, but oh well. This works and I can always add some sort of embellishment. Plus, no one will really be looking at the skirt too closely anyways. If anyone is under the tree I'm sure they'll be digging for gifts, not examining my craftsmanship, ha. The project is a pain in the hiney to say the very least. It took me about 2 hours just to get as far as I did and I'm not even finished. That's a lot of time for a preggo lady to be hunched over on the floor! Here is my progress. I am hoping to finish it today or tomorrow, but this week is a crazy week for homework so we'll see what I get to.. priorities you know..
Oh, and if you haven't been able to enjoy this little treat.. here you go. Poor little guy.. being 1 is tough stuff! All because I wouldn't let him play with Daddy's sharp tools! He was pretty worn out after this, and we had a lovely little snuggle.
Just had to update... I finished the skirt! I am so happy with the way it turned out and can't wait to put it under the tree! And, I have already begun my next project. It's not such a big deal so I'll show you those later.. but here is the finished skirt!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Waldvogels Farm
Yesterday we FINALLY went to the pumpkin patch! We've been planning on going for weeks, but our plans all got squashed by some sort of scheduling conflict or another. We knew that if we didn't go on Saturday we'd miss our chance. Now, as I've said before Fall is my favorite season and I love Halloween and Thanksgiving festivities because of their colors, flavors, and the mild weather. Before I had Axel I always had this ideal of how it would be when we would get our pumpkins with our cute little child. I have to say, yesterday was pretty close to what I had always pictured!
We went to a place near our home called Waldvogels. They have a little play-time-farm with a huge pumpkin patch, a small petting zoo, and tons of other activities! Axel had a great time (for the most part), and so did we!
First we looked at the goats, who were very friendly. I had forgotten my purse in the car with all my quarters so we didn't by any animal food, but they were still very friendly and licked Axel's little hand. At one point he marched along the fence saying "hi" to all the different goats. It was too cute!
After the goats we went on the little train ride that took us around the corn maze and the edge of the pumpkin patch. Axel wasn't a very big fan of the train and wanted to get off of it the entire time, but he managed to pull through and we finished the ride.
The farm had a huge slide that Jordan and I took turns taking Axel down and it was so fun! Axel loved it so much and was giggling and squealing each time we went down with him. That was my favorite part of the day, seeing him enjoy the slide so much.
They also had a big hay pile with little tunnels for the kiddos to run around in. I guess this was the test to see if Axel had a hay allergy. Thankfully no reaction! Jordan climbed into one of the dusty (and in my opinion, very gross) tunnels and Axel was pretty aprehensive to follow him, but eventually made his way a few feet inside. He didn't stay long and quickly backed himself out.
They had a bunch of other activities that Axel will have to take part in when he is a little older. We also enjoyed some delicious apples, but skipped out on the cider and caramel apples because Jordan felt they were over-priced. (My husband, always the money saver).. I would have bought a whole gallon of cider and a dozen caramel apples if it were up to me :)
We also found a great backdrop to have someone take a family picture of us that I hope to use for our Christmas card!
We went to a place near our home called Waldvogels. They have a little play-time-farm with a huge pumpkin patch, a small petting zoo, and tons of other activities! Axel had a great time (for the most part), and so did we!
First we looked at the goats, who were very friendly. I had forgotten my purse in the car with all my quarters so we didn't by any animal food, but they were still very friendly and licked Axel's little hand. At one point he marched along the fence saying "hi" to all the different goats. It was too cute!
After the goats we went on the little train ride that took us around the corn maze and the edge of the pumpkin patch. Axel wasn't a very big fan of the train and wanted to get off of it the entire time, but he managed to pull through and we finished the ride.
The farm had a huge slide that Jordan and I took turns taking Axel down and it was so fun! Axel loved it so much and was giggling and squealing each time we went down with him. That was my favorite part of the day, seeing him enjoy the slide so much.
They also had a big hay pile with little tunnels for the kiddos to run around in. I guess this was the test to see if Axel had a hay allergy. Thankfully no reaction! Jordan climbed into one of the dusty (and in my opinion, very gross) tunnels and Axel was pretty aprehensive to follow him, but eventually made his way a few feet inside. He didn't stay long and quickly backed himself out.
They had a bunch of other activities that Axel will have to take part in when he is a little older. We also enjoyed some delicious apples, but skipped out on the cider and caramel apples because Jordan felt they were over-priced. (My husband, always the money saver).. I would have bought a whole gallon of cider and a dozen caramel apples if it were up to me :)
We also found a great backdrop to have someone take a family picture of us that I hope to use for our Christmas card!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Boy oh Boy!
I'm so excited to announce that we are having another BOY! Today I had my 20-week ultrasound and it was wonderful! However, my mothers intuition is completely off. From day one I was convinced this baby was a girl, but the ultrasound proved to be very different from my prediction. Jordan wanted to stay home so he could be surprised so I asked my friend Chelsie to come along. She is also expecting a baby (her first, a boy!) and was great company. It is always such a joy to see the healthy development of a growing baby inside. He has all his fingers and toes and a great heartbeat and brain. I love him so much already and am so excited to have two boys so close in age. I know they will be little partner's in crime together and create a lot of mischief! Jordan and his brother Ryan are 21 months apart and are so incredibly close. They bicker like mad, but can read each others minds and are really funny to watch together. There are so many cute pictures of them together when they were little boys and I am so excited to give Axel a little buddy to grow up with as well. Eeee! I'm so excited! Axel is going to be such a great big brother. I'm sure it will be an adjustment for him and I do wonder how he will react and if he'll know that he is still my baby, but if I know him as well as I think I do, I think he'll do well overall and take good care of his little bro. Here's our little guy...
Now here is a picture of Jordan and Ryan (Ryan is older) when they were little ones.. how cute are they?!?
So excited for our new addition. We are still toying with names... I think we have it down to two! (Which is good for me and Jordan.. we can't agree on many names). Oh, I also had a great talk with the nurse midwife at my clinic today regarding whether or not I will try a VBAC. I REALLY want to at least TRY. I know that at the end of the day the most important thing is that me and my baby are healthy, and once he is in my arms I wont care if he came out of my you-know-what or if the stork dropped him in my lap. But, I love that my doctors are giving me options. They are very supportive to my fears and are really wise as to the risks and what to prepare for. They also said that it is all up to me and they will do everything they can do accommodate my desires. As things progress we'll see what happens.
Now here is a picture of Jordan and Ryan (Ryan is older) when they were little ones.. how cute are they?!?
So excited for our new addition. We are still toying with names... I think we have it down to two! (Which is good for me and Jordan.. we can't agree on many names). Oh, I also had a great talk with the nurse midwife at my clinic today regarding whether or not I will try a VBAC. I REALLY want to at least TRY. I know that at the end of the day the most important thing is that me and my baby are healthy, and once he is in my arms I wont care if he came out of my you-know-what or if the stork dropped him in my lap. But, I love that my doctors are giving me options. They are very supportive to my fears and are really wise as to the risks and what to prepare for. They also said that it is all up to me and they will do everything they can do accommodate my desires. As things progress we'll see what happens.
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Cutest Boy Ever
Is it bad to vocalize that I think I have the cutest child ever created? Because I do. This little boy makes me giggle and smile and coo more than anything or anyone else ever has! How can one little 14-month-old have so much cute in him? I just don't get it!
On the not-so-cute side, Ax was going through some pretty crazy sleep issues last week and over the last month in general. About 2 months ago he naturally went from two naps to one nap a day, which is okay, but the timing has been questionable. He used to nap at 9am and again around 3pm. So now the question is.. when do I put him down? If I put him to sleep at 9 he'll just make noise in his crib forever. If I put him down after 11am, he has no interest in sleeping anymore. It's almost like he's so over-tired by that point that he's talked himself out of being sleepy. So I've been trying to get him to sleep around 10-ish, or at least into his crib by then. Last week though, he started waking in the night! He's been sleeping solid through the night for the past several months so when he started waking up at 12:30am on the dot three nights in a row I started to wonder. Not only was he waking up.. oh no.. there's more.. it wasn't a simple.. okay, let's-snuggle-and-put you-back-to-bed-routine. Once he was up at midnight, he was up until about 4-5am. I'm talking WIRED and ready to play! If I put him back in his crib he would scream, which isn't normal for him so I didn't know how to react. It was the first time since his nightmare infancy (colic, reflux, refusing to nurse...oy) that I didn't know what to do next.
I typically try to avoid medicating him unless I KNOW something is up. I took him to get his ears checked and his overall health, and he came back completely healthy. Finally someone suggested it might be some back teeth bothering him. Sure enough 2 rounds of baby ibuprofen and he was sleeping like a... well.. a baby! I can feel those sharp big back teeth poking at his gums from all sides, poor little guy. Now that we have the situation under control, I've also been trying to wear him out more during the day. We've been really taking advantage of the amazing fall weather here in Wisconsin and have had some great fun at the park near our place.
He braves the slide all by himself now, and loves every thrilling second of it. We like to find sticks, make noise on the bells (some weird part of the play structure that makes a bell sound if you hit it hard enough.. totally Axel's thing!), and chase the geese so they all honk and fly away :) He is so much fun to run and play with. Notice the picture of him walking. I always crack up when he starts to strut his stuff. I think he walks like the Berlin Ampelmann, hah.
As far as baby #2 goes, things are going great! Axel keeps me so busy that I really don't have the same time to obsess over this pregnancy as I did with Ax. With him I was on babycenter 24/7 and everything was new and surprising. This time around I already know what to expect. A few weeks ago baby #2 started kicking pretty hard! It's unbelievable how much earlier on I can feel him/her this time. With Axel I didn't feel any definitive jabs until about 22 weeks. I felt this baby around 15. What's also funny is how much stronger Axel has made me. When I was pregnant with him I really had no muscle definition in my abs or arms. Thanks to him being a solid 30lbs for the past few months, I've grown some really sweet lean muscle. I thought I would be much bigger much faster this time around, but comparing two photos from this pregnancy and my last, around the exact same time, you can totally see the difference in my shape and belly.
Did you notice it said 20 weeks? Well I'm actually just under that right now, and the first picture was taken just AFTER 20 weeks, so I'm about a week or so apart in the different photos. But did you also know.. that me being close to 20 weeks means we find out the gender soon! On WEDNESDAY! I am so so so excited! I haven't had a lot of time to think about it up until recently, and now that I know it's close I am sooooo anxious to know if we are going to have a boy or a girl. My intuition from day one has said this baby is a girl. I feel it in my bones every single day. Plus, this pregnancy has been totally different from Axel's. I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything but who knows. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a little girl! I'm getting outnumbered around here! One of each would be so much fun! However, two boys so close in age would be an absolute blast and I know that Axel and he would be the best of friends (and at times, the worst of enemies).
On the not-so-cute side, Ax was going through some pretty crazy sleep issues last week and over the last month in general. About 2 months ago he naturally went from two naps to one nap a day, which is okay, but the timing has been questionable. He used to nap at 9am and again around 3pm. So now the question is.. when do I put him down? If I put him to sleep at 9 he'll just make noise in his crib forever. If I put him down after 11am, he has no interest in sleeping anymore. It's almost like he's so over-tired by that point that he's talked himself out of being sleepy. So I've been trying to get him to sleep around 10-ish, or at least into his crib by then. Last week though, he started waking in the night! He's been sleeping solid through the night for the past several months so when he started waking up at 12:30am on the dot three nights in a row I started to wonder. Not only was he waking up.. oh no.. there's more.. it wasn't a simple.. okay, let's-snuggle-and-put you-back-to-bed-routine. Once he was up at midnight, he was up until about 4-5am. I'm talking WIRED and ready to play! If I put him back in his crib he would scream, which isn't normal for him so I didn't know how to react. It was the first time since his nightmare infancy (colic, reflux, refusing to nurse...oy) that I didn't know what to do next.
I typically try to avoid medicating him unless I KNOW something is up. I took him to get his ears checked and his overall health, and he came back completely healthy. Finally someone suggested it might be some back teeth bothering him. Sure enough 2 rounds of baby ibuprofen and he was sleeping like a... well.. a baby! I can feel those sharp big back teeth poking at his gums from all sides, poor little guy. Now that we have the situation under control, I've also been trying to wear him out more during the day. We've been really taking advantage of the amazing fall weather here in Wisconsin and have had some great fun at the park near our place.
He braves the slide all by himself now, and loves every thrilling second of it. We like to find sticks, make noise on the bells (some weird part of the play structure that makes a bell sound if you hit it hard enough.. totally Axel's thing!), and chase the geese so they all honk and fly away :) He is so much fun to run and play with. Notice the picture of him walking. I always crack up when he starts to strut his stuff. I think he walks like the Berlin Ampelmann, hah.
As far as baby #2 goes, things are going great! Axel keeps me so busy that I really don't have the same time to obsess over this pregnancy as I did with Ax. With him I was on babycenter 24/7 and everything was new and surprising. This time around I already know what to expect. A few weeks ago baby #2 started kicking pretty hard! It's unbelievable how much earlier on I can feel him/her this time. With Axel I didn't feel any definitive jabs until about 22 weeks. I felt this baby around 15. What's also funny is how much stronger Axel has made me. When I was pregnant with him I really had no muscle definition in my abs or arms. Thanks to him being a solid 30lbs for the past few months, I've grown some really sweet lean muscle. I thought I would be much bigger much faster this time around, but comparing two photos from this pregnancy and my last, around the exact same time, you can totally see the difference in my shape and belly.
Did you notice it said 20 weeks? Well I'm actually just under that right now, and the first picture was taken just AFTER 20 weeks, so I'm about a week or so apart in the different photos. But did you also know.. that me being close to 20 weeks means we find out the gender soon! On WEDNESDAY! I am so so so excited! I haven't had a lot of time to think about it up until recently, and now that I know it's close I am sooooo anxious to know if we are going to have a boy or a girl. My intuition from day one has said this baby is a girl. I feel it in my bones every single day. Plus, this pregnancy has been totally different from Axel's. I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything but who knows. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a little girl! I'm getting outnumbered around here! One of each would be so much fun! However, two boys so close in age would be an absolute blast and I know that Axel and he would be the best of friends (and at times, the worst of enemies).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)