Kiddo Update

These are always fun posts for me because it gives me the opportunity to brag about my children! :) Since I'm not a daily blogger, I often find myself thinking, "I need to remember this event or conversation and blog about it." However, my mind can't seem to retain all my stories and then I become sad that memories I thought I would always hold onto I can't even remember a week later.  To help with this, I started a new system where I would type a quick summary into my phone and that way as I type the updates, I can quickly glance over it and see any important details. :) Hopefully this will help me as I seek to journal some of my favorite memories with my children.

HAVANA: 

Havana is now a little over 28 months. She is at such a fun age right now and it is great to watch her learn how to entertain herself and use her imagination. We are actually playing games with her stuffed animals and having tea parties. Things mommies do with their "big girls."  While she does test the limits, she's also very good at accepting mommy's answer with things. A few weeks ago she was asking for a snack close to her nap time. I told her, "no snack right now, it is almost time for night-nights." Jason then interjected and said that he thought she could have a snack because she hadn't eaten much lunch. In our house Jason's opinion trumps mine and so I called out to Havana that she could have a snack. I expected to see her come running out of the playroom, but she didn't. So I walk towards it and realize that Havana is going up the stairs. As she is climbing the stairs she is saying in a sad tone, "No snack, night-night." It was a pretty endearing moment for me to see her so easily accept my answer even though she would have preferred a snack. I joined her on the stairs and told her that she could have a snack before she needed to take a nap and she looked and me and said, "No Snack. Night night." Poor girl. Don't worry, it all worked out in the end, I took her back downstairs and gave her a quick snack and then she was much happier on her way to the nap. :)

Several weeks ago I was talking to her about the baby in mommy's belly and I asked her what she wanted to name it. She looked at me and then just laughed. Apparently she thought that was a pretty funny question. Well, her answer has not changed at all over the past few weeks. I ask her daily what she would want to name the baby and she always looks at me and then begins to laugh. So apparently, she wants to name the baby, "ha ha ha."

I don't know if I wrote about it last time, but Havana is really into music and signing. In fact, we've found that when she begins to get frustrated during her speech therapy, we can take a break and sing a song and then she can refocus! She loves to dance and do signs along with the songs and it is neat to hear her actually sing. She knows all the words to the songs and even if she can't pronounce them, she does the syllables and inflections perfectly. She really loves "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." We spend at least an hour a day singing and it helps travel time in the car too!

Her speech hasn't made any huge improvements over the past month, but she always used to say "where you" for "where are you?" It was actually one of my favorite expressions because if she didn't know where I was she would say, "mama, where you?" or when looking for a toy she would say, "Bear, where you?" I thought it was cute. Well, all on her own she began to add in the word "are." She now says, fairly clearly, "Mama, Where are you?" -- any small step is something I am willing to celebrate. She is becoming very inquisitive and asking "What's that?" about everything. Of course, Jason and I are really the only ones who know what she is asking as it really sounds like "uh at" however, we've been trying to push her into saying: What. Is. That. in three distinct words. It is fun to watch her exploring the world around her.

I have been trying to be better about reading a little more throughout the day. I always seem to be in the middle of 4 books and so I've been getting better about making the children play by themselves while I sit in the same room and read my book. I can usually get in 4-5 pages without being interrupted. Anyway, I try and put the book I'm reading up on a shelf in order to keep it away from little hands. The other day, Havana ran into the living room, grabbed my book off the shelf, took it to the couch, and then patted the couch and said, "mama, read." I laughed and asked her if she wanted me to read... apparently she did because she kept patting the couch (indicating he wanted me to sit) and saying, "Mama, read."  I certainly took her up on the offer, but also thought it was pretty cute.

In our living room we have a picture of President George W. Bush and I always tell Havana about how great he is. All on her own she began to give his photo a hug. I reacted with such praise that now every time she sees the photos she gives it the biggest hug. It is sweet and I am often filled with pride when I see it. :) 

As a whole, she is doing much better in social situations. Dealing with Havana's stranger anxiety has certainly been a challenge for most of her life, but lately she has been showing a little more flexibility. I can tell she still becomes uncomfortable, but I'm happy that she is learning how to trust us and knowing that it will be okay in the end. I'm proud of her steady improvements in both her communication and her stranger anxiety. We took her to Easter Pageant rehearsal with us the other night and while she gave us the "all done" sign a lot, she began to trust us and those people who were trying to talk with her. Finally, by the end, she was playing on her own in the hallways and yelling down the hallway to me that she had made a boat (out of a box) and was driving it. Someone came up to Jason and said, "Well, if that isn't a little Darby." I smiled... so thankful for those comments when people get a chance to see the true Havana. :)

The other day Havana shocked us... for no reason at all she began calling me "mom" and Jason "dad" -- no more mama and daddy. What! She's too young for that. I laughed it off, but even now, she is having her room time and I hear her calling out into the hallway, "mom" -- guess that's her new name for me. I hope mama makes a comeback soon. :)

Havana is doing well learning the concept of taking turns. We had a friend over the other day and her friend was playing in our Cozy Coupe. Havana wanted to play in it at the same time and so I had to tell her she needed to wait until it was her turn. She responds by going into another room and playing with something else all together. When Hannah was finished playing with the car she went and told Havana that she was done. I thought, "I bet Havana's totally forgotten about it" but just as I said that she runs around the corner full speed saying, "Vana's Turn, Vana's Turn, Vana's Turn." -- it was the funniest thing I've ever seen. However, along those same lines it broke my heart to have her learn that lesson out in public. We often go to Meijers to play in the toy aisle and pass the time. There is a horse at the front of the store that Havana likes to ride (it costs a penny) and then she always like to play in the TV carts. These are carts you can rent that are in the shape of a car and have a TV inside of them. We've never actually rented the cart, but she always plays in them (pretending she's driving) before we leave. Anyway, following our normal routine, we finish riding the horse and move towards the TV carts. There is only one on the rack and there is a sign saying "Out of Order" -- as we approach a mother on her cell phone allows her two children to get into the cart. I tell Havana she has to wait her turn... assuming they were just "playing" in the cart like we do. However, this mom disregards the "Out of Order" sign and proceeds to take the cart around the store. Poor Havana, she kept trying to follow it saying, "Vana's Turn." Broke. My. Heart. 
 
JONAH:

Mister Jonah is now 10 months old. Something about his 10 month day made me reflect on how big he is getting. I'm so proud of him. He began crawling this week. It wasn't a smooth, up on all 4s crawl, but he lurched, rolled, and army crawled in order to get where he is going. He can quickly get from one side of the room to the other so I consider him completely mobile. He can push himself up into a sitting position from a laying one and he is starting to try to pull himself up on furniture, but hasn't quite made that hurdle yet. He loves when does have the chance to stand. If you help him stand, he's a happy camper. Once he learns how to pull himself up, I'm sure that is all he will be doing.

He's a great eater. He still gets a few veggies that are pureed, but other than that, he is on all table food. His favorite foods are pizza and waffles... but he does well with anything. We often laugh that you can't put it on his tray fast enough. He shovels everything into his mouth as quickly as he can. It makes me laugh, really.

He loves reading books, playing with puzzles, and opening and closing things. He loves to watch his sister and thinks she is the funniest person in the world. He is still taking 2 naps a day, although his morning one is slipping from 2 hours to an hour and a half. I'm considering dropping the morning nap soon simply because it keeps us home which during the winter wasn't a big deal, but now that the weather is getting nice, I'd like to be out and about. He continues to do well in the nursery at church and is a very flexible and carefree little boy.

He is good with his signs. He has been able to sign "Milk" for a while, but just this week he began signing "all done" and "more" without even being prompted. The other day I was feeding him his snack and once he was finished he looked at me and did the sign for more. I felt so bad because I had not packed any more for him... but I was proud of him for using his signs.

He is also getting his two top teeth coming in which will make his count up to 4. I am often shocked with how fast he is becoming a big boy. He's such a content little boy and I'm quite crazy about him. I love praying about all that the Lord has planned for him and I often ask that the Lord will help him remain sweet in a world that is very mean.

SIBLINGS:

We are entering a phase where Havana and Jonah are actually playing together. It is truly a blessing to watch them interact. Sure, sometimes it is Jonah crawling over to Havana and taking the toy out of her hand (don't worry, we correct him), but sometimes they really do "play" together. They are also talking together... they have their own little language and it is fun to watch them look at each other in the eyes and talk to each other. And the copy cat game has already begun. If Jonah sneezes, coughs, or talks... Havana is there doing the same thing. If Havana bangs her hands on the table... Jonah bangs his hands on the tray. It is fun to say, "Excuse you, Jonah" for his real sneeze and then say "Excuse you, Havana" for her fake one. It is equally fun to say, "Havana, no banging on the table" and then immediately have to say, "Jonah, no banging on the table." I am so grateful to watch them become friends.

Jonah is wanting to do everything that Havana is doing. Havana really loves the game memory and if we're playing it... he demands to play as well. I also have a memory game on my phone (which she is actually quite good at) and now Jonah is always wanting to play that game too. It is somewhat shocking how well he can navigate my iphone. It is funny to think about having to plan games we can all do together... Jonah insists he is not "too young" for anything. :) 

BABY THREE:

Well, I'm 22 weeks now. I can still manage to "stuff" myself into normal jeans, but I have pulled out the maternity ones. We had an ultrasound last week and things looked good (I guess, they didn't tell me otherwise :). We stayed strong and did not find out the gender! I'm excited for this time to experience pregnancy without knowing if it is going to be a boy or a girl. In my head I think it is a girl because this pregnancy is more like the one I had with Havana, but sometimes I get excited thinking it could, in fact, be a boy. Who knows?! :)

The name debate is going strong at our house. I think we might have settled on a boy's name. Jason has not signed off on it, but I suggested a name and he did not flat out reject it like he normally does. He paused and said, "maybe". That is the same thing he said when I first suggested Havana. So, to me, that shows potential. :) That was only a first name, but in my head I've come up with a perfect middle name to go along with it, but have yet to mention it to Jason as I don't want bring it up too much and have him decide he doesn't like it. But, I'm fairly certain, we have at least the first name picked out for a boy.

If this baby is a girl... no clue. :)

I'm still feeling good... occasionally I'll bend the wrong way and think, "Yikes, that is uncomfortable" but for the most part this is still the easiest pregnancy I've had. For the longest time all I could think about was a blooming onion from Outback, Indian food, and chocolate milk shakes.  While those still sound good, this baby now really likes Greek food. I've had Greek food twice this week and for about 24 hours after eating it the baby is super active and doing flips in the belly. I love feeling it so much because other than on a Greek food high it doesn't seem to move much. :)

The other day I was helping Havana walk down the stairs (no more going down on her bottom, she's a big girl now) and so I was holding her hand. In my other arm was Jonah. I look down at my belly and my eyes well up with tears. I am so blessed to have these children and be their mommy. There is no greater job or ministry and I am grateful for each and every day of my life as a stay at home mom.