Abigail is two-and-a-half years old today. She has grown and developed in so many ways.
Girl Talk
Abigail starts talking as soon as she wakes up in the morning and does not stop until she falls asleep at night (well, she does take a break during nap time too). She likes to observe out loud, pointing out trucks, trees, motorcycles on the way to Grandma's and telling me that "red means stop" and "green means go". She likes to tell Sarah to "come here" and I hear her say, "no Sarah" quite a bit too. Abigail also likes to burst into song during the day, which is really cute.
Playtime
It is so cute to watch Abigail play on her own. She takes good care of her stuffed kitty and baby dolls. She also throws birthday parties for her tub-toy ducks. I love seeing her imagination at work. Sarah's her little shadow. She would rather play along with Abigail instead of watch. Abigail hasn't gotten used to the idea of playing together yet. Though, they do like to play, I'm Gonna Get You where they chase each other around the room.
Testing the Waters
Abigail is always pushing the envelope. She is feisty and very vocal when it comes to what she wants. I'll tell her "no" and she gives me a look before doing exactly what I told her not to do. She gives me the same look when we are out and about (with no doors/gates/fences) right before she runs off.
In six short months Abigail will be three-the thought of this blows me away. Ahhh! I was looking through old pictures the other day and came across this one (taken in May 2009). I can't believe she's grown so much! No more baby talk, baby rolls, baby steps.
On Sunday we went to my niece Bridget's baptism. It was a separate service at my sister's church where five babies were baptized. It was a lovely ceremony and Bridget was a perfect little angel. The thing I liked most about the service was that each child's entire family was invited up front where the actual baptism took place-so we got to be a part of it in a way.
This was both Abigail and Sarah's first experience in a more formal church service. Jonathan was in charge of Sarah, while I took care of Abigail. I armed myself with a bag full of quiet activities to be used in order to keep Abigail in her seat during the entire service (you're laughing now aren't you?). We got there a bit early, so she was finished with her stickers before the service even started. We then moved to the wallet full of VeggieTale cards, followed by the toy that came in her kid's meal. She passed on coloring (which I expected). I even had a small purse with play jewelry and an old digital camera she could play with. All activities were quickly exhausted before baptisms even started.
Jonathan was able to lull Sarah to sleep, so when our family was invited to join Bridget I sent Abigail to be with Jonathan so I could take a few pictures. I then walked around the back of the church with Abigail while the other four children were being baptized.
Things went smoothly at first. Abigail identified the different colors in the stained glass, she talked to a baby girl who was also walking in the back, and she walked around in circles with me. The front door was propped open, so Abigail wanted to go outside. I let her go and look at a few mum plants, which she seemed to enjoy. The next thing I knew, Abigail was making a mad dash for the lobby, then the sanctuary, down the long center aisle. I started to run after her until I hit the sanctuary. I didn't want to cause a bigger scene and hoped she would be intercepted by a family member. Abigail made it all the way up to the front of the sanctuary and joined a family as they watched the next baptism. I could hear people chuckle as I went after her. I was horrified! At least she didn't grab anything. She just stood there like she was part of the family - like she was meant to be there.
We had a great day with family. Thank you for having us Miss Bridget. It was an honor to be a part of your special day!
I don't know who those two little girls sleeping peacefully in the other room are. I feel like I'm in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Today has been a remarkably great day! It started with both girls sleeping through the night last night.
I got advice from a friend to take the girls out every morning in an effort to help with the nap struggles we've been having (particularly with Abigail and not going to sleep). Today was the second day we ventured out. We went to the mall. Yes, to the mall. Oh, and did I mention we took the double stroller? Better yet, Abigail actually sat in the double stroller! I explained to her a few times during Sarah's morning nap that we were going to the mall, that we had a few stores to go to, and that she would have to sit in the stroller. Abigail and Sarah did great and stayed put while I did some shopping. We finished our mall visit with a trip to the indoor play-place. And then it was time to leave. Abigail sat in the stroller again for our trip to the van. She did cry for a bit once we actually exited the mall, but went into the van without a fight.
It was lunchtime when we got home. Abigail ate all of her lunch. All of it!
Then came the dreaded nap time. Abigail got out of bed a few times, but she fell asleep. Sarah slept too.
I had a dermatologist appointment this afternoon and had to drop Abigail off at a friend's house so I would only have to take Sarah with me. We arrived on time and Abigail was more than happy to play with her friends. Sarah and I headed off to my appointment and I thought of ways I'd entertain her in the waiting area when BOOM! YOU FORGOT YOUR WALLET IN THE DIAPER BAG!!! YOUR DAY IS NOW A BAD ONE!! HA! I had to turn around to get it. We were only 10 minutes late. Sarah screamed during the second half of my appointment, but she got over it.
This is turning into a long post. I must share the icing on the cake though. Tonight I put Sarah in her crib while she was still awake (gasp)! She fell asleep 10 minutes later. And Abigail is sleeping too. Thank you God for such a great day!
Here is Abigail modeling a new dress we got today:
Saturday was Jonathan's big day-the day he turned 30. Jonathan started his birthday the same way I did mine-he slept in. We then had a special breakfast of buttons and bowknots. Abigail serenaded Jonathan with the Happy Birthday song. If you listen carefully she includes herself in the birthday greeting.
The main event for Jonathan's birthday was our annual trip to Smolak Farms for apple picking. Auntie Laura, Uncle Nick, and Bridget joined us. This was Sarah, Bridget, and Uncle Nick's first apple picking experience.
We were able to make great use of our new wagon. During apple picking each of the girls gave Jonathan a special "apple"-a brand new iTunes gift card. Abigail did enough apple picking to fill our bag and the Hanks' bag. Sarah spent most of the time inspecting our apples.
After we picked a few pecks of perfect apples we ventured off to the pumpkin patch. We then went to the playground briefly. I didn't want to spend too much time there because it was so crowded. However, every time I suggested to Abigail that we check something else out she would say, "No thanks" or "I wanna play". I am constantly amazed at the new phrases that have come out of her mouth lately!
We did end up leaving the playground and headed back to the pumpkins for pictures. After that we went back to Nonna and Papa's house.
I planned on making pizza for dinner at my parent's house. Let's just say, though, that the execution of my plan was anything but flawless. I ended up burning the pizza. My excuse is using an unfamiliar oven. Jonathan made his own birthday dinner by ordering pizza.
We had Jonathan's favorite-German Chocolate Cake for dessert. I modified the frosting recipe by omitting nuts (in case Abigail got a hold of it). It was actually pretty good! For his birthday a group of us chipped in to get him AppleTV. Because I could only pre-order it I ended up wrapping a deck of cards and made it look like a TV with an apple logo on it. I think Jonathan was pleasantly surprised.
We ended our day with pictures of the girls in their jammies before heading home for the night.
All-in-all we had a great day celebrating Jonathan's birthday! Happy birthday to such a wonderful husband, father, and friend. We love you!
I love sleep. Not to the point of excess, of course. I mean, I have not had the opportunity to indulge in excessive amounts of sleep in a good three years or so. I just love a good nights' sleep-cozy and under the covers.
What I hate about sleep is how long it has been taking lately to get the girls to sleep.
Abigail is a big girl now, so she is more than capable of falling asleep on her own. Abigail is a big girl now, so she has now become aware of lots of ways she can prolong the inevitable. We put her down with a sippy of milk. She'll down the milk and ask for water. Then she'll down the water and as for more milk. The past few nights she's mentioned she needs to go potty. Sometimes she'll ask for Mommy when Daddy comes in. She even tries to break out of her room (we have a baby gate up with the door open). If we're desperate, we cave and pat her back as she falls asleep. Otherwise she'll eventually go to sleep, but it is exhausting just getting her to that point.
We went through sleep training with Sarah a while back and it went surprisingly well. I longingly remember an evening a few months ago when I talked with Jonathan about how nice it was that the girls would chat and giggle and both fall asleep on their own. Sarah hasn't done this in quite a while, probably not since she started climbing the side of her crib. We end up helping her get to sleep 9 times out of 10.
What makes this even trickier is the fact that they share a room.
I love sleep. I hate how long it takes to get the girls to sleep. It isn't just how long it takes, but all the crying/screaming/whining that goes along with it.
Someday I'll be struggling with getting them up in the morning-in another 10 years or so!
