Posts Tagged ‘seventeen months old’
The beginning of summer vacation…
Posted on: June 14, 2016
We’re officially on summer vacation.
YAY!
I have to say that these first few days without school have been a bit weird for me. I keep waking up early thinking I have somewhere to go.
M, on the other hand, doesn’t even miss it! She’s been fine not having to really adhere to any schedule right now.
We haven’t been doing much. My parents came to visit for a few days after the graduation and we’ve just been lazy.
We’ve been giving our brains a break from the structure of the school day and the school year. We’re waking up when we want and we are doing things (or not doing things) without a schedule.
She’s been thriving. She’s feeling refreshed.
She’ll grab a coloring book and color. She’ll grab a piece of paper, some water colors, and she’ll paint. We’ll go outside, play with sidewalk chalk, and she’ll end up writing letters and words. She’ll draw shapes and pictures.
She’s implementing all the wonderful things she’s learned from this past school year and adding it to her ‘play’ time.
I love it!
As the summer progresses, I do have some educational activity books that I would like to see her play around with.
I’ll slowly reintroduce a scheduled quiet and focus time so that she is prepared for the academic environment again. I will work with her on some of the thing she needed to improve on based on her preschool teacher’s “end of the year” evaluation.
We’ll get into all of that as the summer progresses…
But for now, we’re just going to let loose and enjoy the free time.
As for K, I know she’s enjoying the fact that she isn’t constantly being strapped into a car seat and driven around all the time. She’s also enjoying the fact that her sister is around all day!
How do you usually spend your summer vacation? How lazy do you all yourselves to get?
Sidewalk chalk
Posted on: June 12, 2016
The girls’ latest obsession is sidewalk chalk.
For $1, I purchased a pack of 12 pieces at Target. I feel like ‘Super Mom’ because this chalk can keep them occupied for at least an hour, and I didn’t pay an excessive amount of money for it!
Yup, Super Mom.
The girls love it. The back yard concrete is full of colorful drawings and lines. It’s really brought our backyard to life!
The Target chalk is great. It gets the job done. It’s chalk.
However, I found an old pack of Crayola side walk chalk that we received as a party favor years ago. I brought that out to them for them to try.
Crayola chalk is vastly different than Target chalk.
Target chalk feels like, well, chalk. Crayola chalk has a creamer and smoother feel. It’s not a dry to touch.
Target chalk makes fainter lines on the concrete. Target chalk makes chalky lines. Crayola chalk makes darker, more pigmented, lines. The colors are more vibrant and noticeable. The chalk glides on the concrete in a creamier way.
But honestly, the kids don’t care. Chalk is chalk, no matter what the brand. They are having fun with both sets and can spend a whole afternoon out there playing and drawing.
I love watching them enjoy some time outside!
Personalities
Posted on: June 11, 2016
M – first born
She’s intense. She’s ‘in your face’ but in the super friendly way. She sees wants to be everyone’s friend the second she meets you. She doesn’t understand personal space because she just wants to be your best friend. She’s super sweet. She’s affectionate. She’s funny. She’s opinionated. She’s understanding and can ‘go with the flow’ in most circumstances. She’s articulate. She’s innocent. She never means anyone any harm. She can lose control because she gets so excited and happy about the smallest and simplest situations. She is a fun, but strong, personality.
K – the baby
She’s a bit quieter. She’s a bit more reserved. She can run and laugh with her sister, but you can tell she holds back a little bit more than M does. While M openly laughs loudly, K can be seen giggling demurely with her hand over her mouth. She’s a bit more cautious when it comes to other kids. She’s learning to be more friendly, but hasn’t gotten too close to people she doesn’t know. She’s opinionated. She’s strong willed. She’s a fighter. She won’t give in. She will make known when she is unhappy. She’s a little more serious. She shows affection on her terms and doesn’t like to be bothered with random hugs and kisses (especially when she’s in the middle of something). She’s the baby and it definitely shows.
I’m loving how their personalities are shaping and changing. I love the similarities. I love the differences. I love watching them interact and how their personalities affect how they play and deal with each other.
Blueberry picking… take one.
Posted on: June 5, 2016
- In: Parenthood
- 3 Comments
On Memorial Day weekend, we attempted to go blueberry picking.
We had visited this berry farm two years ago and had a blast. We knew that we wanted to take the girls berry picking again once K was old enough.
The weather had been cloudy for the past week or so. Hubby said that one of the ladies at the entrance said that the clouds had possibly affected the rate at which the berries were ripening and that we might not be able to pick as much berries as we were be expecting.
She was right. We walked through rows and rows of berries that were not yet ready for picking.
I didn’t stop us from having a good time though. The mere fact that we were there was enough to make M and K very happy.
This was K’s first time at the berry farm. She loved carrying around the bucket. However, searching for ripe berries wasn’t quite as fun as filling up her bucket full of sticks!
Asides from berries, the girls loved looking at the chicken coop. There were quite a few chickens inside and they were so cute!
In the end, we didn’t find enough berries to justify a purchase. Good thing this blueberry farm doesn’t have an entrance fee. You only pay for what you pick. In our case, we hardly picked any! We ended up leaving the bucket of berries on a bale of hay, hoping someone will find it and add it to their stash of berries.
Can you tell which one was K’s bucket and which one was M’s?
We’re hoping to make our way up to the berry farm again in the next week or so. I’m hoping we can come back soon enough to collect a bucket full!
Cough, cough!
Posted on: March 2, 2013
- In: Parenthood
- 2 Comments
Because of all the phlegmy goodness, M has developed a cough.
The cough is mostly her need to get rid of all the icky stuff accumulating in her throat, but I hate coughs..
Coughs can sometimes lead up to no good!
I’m just terrified that M is going to end up with bronchitis or pneumonia! Paranoid, yes. But as a parent, the worst thing to have is a sick child. If I could, I’d take all of this away from her, and if someone had to be sick, then just let it be me!
I’m doing what I can, giving lots of fluids, running the vaporizer, sitting in the bathroom while daddy takes a steamy shower..
So far, all the ickiness is loose in M and easily comes up and out as she coughs and blows her nose..
I just wish she’d get over this bug already so we can resume our normal healthy lives.
And so I can go back to writing normal, healthy blog entries about things that aren’t as gross as phlegm.
Those cuddles.. they kill me!
Posted on: February 28, 2013
There’s no better feeling than the feeling of a toddler snuggled up in your arms, fast asleep.
Your feelings of love combined with their feelings of security make for a perfect combination.
It’s all loving and good until….
You have to get up and get ready for work!
Ugh. It just kills me to have to move her from the security of my arms so I can get up into the cold bathroom..
Plus, who wants to leave their nice warm bed?
Definitely not me!
The bug has a bug.. take two!
Posted on: February 27, 2013
Well, it was bound to happen again.
M has another cold.
She was just getting over the one she had about two weeks ago.. but we came home to a super stuffed up little girl that can’t say her “m’s” and “n’s.”
She was so stuffed up that when she called me, it came out as “bibi” not “mimi.”
And when she tried to count, it came out as “wahd” instead of “one.”
The poor girl.
I was totally expecting another sleepless night… but thank God, it wasn’t.
I gave M fever reducer before bed. She had a slightly low grade fever, but I knew if I didn’t give her anything, that it could escalate into a full blown fever.
I also slathered her chest with Vicks to help the vapors get to her nose and help open them up.
And as any loving Filipino mother would do, I also put Vicks on her feet. Don’t ask. We just do.
Lastly, we turned on our humidifier.. we found that the warm air ones work better for M than the cool air. I know that the cool air ones are much safer, especially with a hurricane of a toddler. We tried the cool air one when she was younger, and it just never seemed to help her out much. The warm air seemed to help clear her out every night we use it and it really helps give her a good nights sleep.
I’m hoping this cold won’t lead to an ear infection. We dodged that bullet two weeks ago.. I’m hoping that we can avoid it again.
Watch what you say…
Posted on: February 26, 2013
I’ll admit, my language can be colorful at times..
However, since M was born, I’ve been pretty good at controlling what I say around her, or how I say it..
I’ve replaced certain explicatives with, “Oh nuts!” or “Oh geez!” or “Oh no!”
And she’s picked those up already. She loves to say, “Oh nuts!” or “Oh no!” and put her hands over her eyes like she’s exasperated.. it’s quite cute!
One thing I was saying for awhile was, “Oh shoot!” which replaced “Oh sh!t” a while back. However, it can revert to “Oh sh!t” when I catch myself off guard..
M hasn’t been saying “oh sh!t,” thank God! But she has picked up “Oh shoot!”
I know it’s innocent, but I’d rather not hear a seventeen month old blurt out “Oh shoot!” Something about that doesn’t scream “Parent of the year award!” to me…
Any way, last night, I think she heard me say it when I accidentally spilled milk in the kitchen. That’s a whole new story for another blog entry.. hahah!
She was saying it all night while we were in bed.
Before she went to sleep she wanted milk, so I was setting up to give her some. Before the bottle got to her mouth, I fumbled it and it fell out of my hands..
“Oh shoot!” the toddler says!
I really have to make sure that I watch what I say…
I gotta admit, it was really cute…
Still my baby…
Posted on: February 24, 2013
- In: Parenthood
- 1 Comment
With M running around, talking up a storm, coloring books (and walls), eating by herself, taking off her own socks (she does this with pride!)… it’s easy to forget that she’s only seventeen months old..
She’s actually still a baby.. of sorts..
Ok.. so technically she’s a toddler.. but she’s ONE! That’s still a baby in my book.
The only time she reminds me that she’s still a baby is during bedtime..
It’s only then that she slows down for the day.. and she cuddles me so tightly.. Then she falls asleep and she’s so peaceful..
I look at her and marvel at how much she’s grown.. and at the same time realize that she’s still so small.. I realize that she’s small in the grand scheme of things.. she’s got tiny hands, feet, legs, arms, face.. she’s got so much more growing to do..
Yes.. she’s still a baby..
She’ll always be my baby.
2011 babies
Posted on: February 22, 2013
In 2011, three babies were born in the family.
My cousin had a daughter, lets call her A, in February, I had my daughter in September, and my other cousin had her son, J, in October..
It’s not often that we find ourselves in the same place at the same time, so when we do, we definitely take advantage of the situation.
The other night, after work, I took M to my aunts house so we could all get together and have the kids play..
It started at dinner in a local Pho restaurant. M and J sat next to each other on their high chairs.. it was so funny.
M must have thought that J was so much younger than her because she just kept saying, “hi, baby” to him. Mind you, he is only 6 weeks younger than her. A is a good 7-8 months older than M & J. Oh geez, too many letters!
It’s so funny seeing the three of them “play” together. They aren’t really at the age where they will play together. The occasionally exchange baby babble, but they don’t play togther like older kids do. I think what they do is called “parallel play.” It’s where they are in the same area, playing with different things, but are together.. something like that. Here’s the definition according to Wikipedia (click the link to view the full page):
Parallel play is a form of play where children play adjacent to each other, but do not try to influence one another’s behaviour. Children usually play alone during parallel play but are interested in what other children are doing. This usually occurs after the first birthday. [1] It usually involves two or more children in the same room that are interested in the same toy, each seeing the toy as their own. The children do not play together, but alongside each other simply because they are in the same room.
It’s fun watching these three little babies grow..
But don’t try to get all three of them to sit still to take a picture! I don’t think we’ve ever succeeded..
Living life in the carpool lane.. 