Ellie, 2 years, 7 months:
Gosh, this girl amazes me everyday. First of all, she speaks so well and in full sentences. I love watching and listening to her communicate with her friends. I love asking her questions and hearing her funny answers. The mind of a 2 year old!
I also love watching her with pretend play. Something she is so good at. Playing in her kitchen- cooking dinner and having picnics. She flips an egg in her frying pan pretty darn well. And, she is the cutest pretend eater I've ever seen. I think there is a video on my Instagram of her pretending to eat her play doh creations last summer. She is such a great mommy to Snowy (her white teddy) and her babies. She always makes sure the sun shade is down on the stroller, her baby is warm enough, and has toys to play with. She always remembers her diaper bag.
She has become very attached to Snowy. We must have him with us at all times. The other morning when I went in her room to get her she was rocking him, wrapped in her blanket, and she was singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to him because he "bumped his head." Oh my goodness. So cute! She sang the ABCs for the first time about a month ago. We were in bed at night and she started singing it to me, Nick, and Summer. We told her how proud of her we were a million times. She was so proud of herself, too. She is always singing Twinkle, Twinkle these days. She is right on tune, too. Much more than I am. She still makes up her own songs and dances to them.
She still has shown no jealousy towards her sister and is very gentle with her. I've always trusted her with Summer. Maybe I shouldn't have (I mean Summer was just a few weeks old when I would be in the bathroom and ask Ellie to put the pacifier in her mouth). She has always been so good with her. So comforting when she is upset. So loving. I love how affectionate she is. Not just with Summer, but with me and her daddy. The other day we were taking a walk and out of nowhere Ellie grabbed my hand and said, "I love you, Mommy." Then, "I love your pretty ring" and kissed it. She is so excited to see her daddy when he gets home from work and always runs to give him a big hug and kiss. She will do the same to me even if I've just been out for an hour.
Ellie is also our little athlete. She loves to run and to play outside. She has had an arm since she was 9 months old when she threw a ball across the room. No joke- this girl can throw a ball. You better be ready to catch or duck. That's how hard and fast the ball will go. She definitely gives me a workout at the park. She loves to race. I'm definitely a kid when I'm with the girls. Last week at the park I was doing handstands and cartwheels! They are so.much.fun!
Summer, 6 months:
Summer is not only sitting up, but she is bouncing while sitting, which makes me so nervous that one day soon she will propel herself forward and be off crawling. Slow down baby girl! She watches her sister and just wants to keep up with her. She loves to be on her belly, too, but is also pushing up on her hands and scooches backwards. No more putting her down and running to the bathroom. I have to have her contained (excersaucer or jumperoo).
She loves when I clap. She will now grab my hands and motion me to clap my hands. She has started to imitate me. And, she loves my kisses. When I go in for a kiss she knows and will open her mouth to accept my kiss (and give me wet one). She is so happy and so smiley. She giggles when I smother her with kisses and she is very ticklish. The cutest little giggle! I love that sound.
She loves books and tries to eat them so I have to use the trick of giving her something to play with so she doesn't grab at the pages. Hard books are great for letting her hold and look. She loves sitting and playing with all of her toys and has mad love for Sophie the giraffe. She chews the heck out of that thing. Teething? Yes! But, no teeth yet.
She watches every move her sister makes. Luckily, Ellie will include her and show her things. She always makes sure Summer has a toy, too. We love music. Ellie and I use my lint roller in the morning (while getting dressed) to sing the ABCs or Twinkle Twinkle. In the evening we almost always have a dance party- the three of us. Sometimes Daddy, too. Usually I'm holding Summer, but Ellie loves when I pick her up and dance with her, too.
I just started Summer in her crib on Monday. She's been sleeping in her co-sleeper and my bed. It's been convenient that way so I can get enough rest to take care of two kids. The first night she slept awesome in her crib. 7pm to 2am. Up to nurse, then back to sleep, and up again at 5 and 8. Last night was difficult. She was definitely teething and after two hours of being up I brought her into my bed for the night. She has been napping well when we are home, which is great. It gives Ellie and I one on one time. Today when Nick got home he stayed home with Summer while she napped and Ellie and I met her cousins at the playground. It was nice to play with just Ellie and with Nick working less hours these next few months I'm looking forward to having dates with just Ellie and also just with Summer.
Ellie hasn't napped since Summer was born. It started to become a
struggle with getting her to take one. She did not want to nap. I tried
to tell her that Summer was napping too and she wasn't missing out on
anything. It didn't work. But, Ellie wakes around 8:30-9 and goes to sleep around 7:00 and will sleep all through the night. So I really can't complain. Yes, it would be nice to have some quiet time during the day, but I get that time at night.
I'm always thinking to myself how lucky I am. How lucky and thankful that I get to be the Mommy of these wonderful little girls. I'm not saying that everyday if perfect, but I can find happiness in every day. Some days are definitely more stressful and tough than other days, but usually one moment can make everything better.
Love this:
