Happy New Year 2016!

Dear little one,
Well, another year has come and passed. But this year was different for your Daddy and me because it wasn't all about us...it was all about you. You've grown so much over the past year - from learning to sit and to crawl, to eating solid foods, to walking and talking. It really is amazing how much you changed in just 365 days.

I love you so much, Pemberley. This year I resolve to continue trying to give you as much of my attention as you need as you grow into your own little personality. I know your needs will be different than that of Waverley's, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared shitless about having two kids. I never knew my heart could be so full when I had you, and I mean it when I say it's doubled in size since we found out baby sister is on her way. But I'm still nervous...how can I be a good mother to my toddler when I'm utterly exhausted from getting up five times a night nursing a newborn again? How can I possibly give both of you my undivided attention? But then I remember that my mom did it with four kids, and your Daddy's mom did it with three, and Aunt Darcy and Aunt Sally do it with two. And I know it'll work out...we just have to find our rhythm as a family of four.

So, in addition to giving you all of the attention you need as we continue embarking upon your Year Two, I also resolve to allow myself to relax a little more. I'm *very* uptight and need to learn that sometimes it's okay if we wear pajamas all day, and that it's not the end of the world if we have to eat pancakes for dinner because taking a toddler and newborn to WalMart to grocery shop is like asking for trouble.

As ridiculous as this post may sound, your Daddy and I are SO EXCITED to see what 2016 has in store for us. With you and little sister, we know we'll never be happier.

I love you, my biggest girl,

Christmas 2015

Hi little one,
Your second Christmas! I think you had way more fun than your first. You got to eat fish and coleslaw, salad, spaghetti, you got to break bread with the family (translate: shovel it all into your mouth as fast as you could), and you got to open a TON of presents! After seeing the change that a year makes, I'm so pumped to see what you can do by Christmas 2016!!

Here you are a few days before Christmas, getting into mischief. I think you look just like your Daddy here, but everyone says you are a mini ME :) I'm also 99% sure that you threw your first temper tantrum when we told you that opening presents early is not okay, and that you absolutely could NOT eat the ribbon that Gigi attached to the gift...

We celebrated Christmas Eve at our house for the first time. It was so special! We decorated our little hearts out with a new tree, filled out the fireplace mantle with twinkle lights and garland, and even did the buffet table too. I don't know what it is, but holiday decorations just set the mood for the season :) I'm also positive that next year we'll have to make some major changes since you'll be into everything and so will your little sister!

I do want to tell you a little about why we have this particular dinner since to an untrained eye, it might seem a little strange and nontraditional to eat fries and Joe's Crab Shack for Christmas Eve. But your Grannie grew up in an Italian house where this wasn't uncommon. The fish feast is referred to as the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" and dates back centuries. We obviously only feasted on one type of fish, but you get the idea! (And the fries are just an added bonus - or so says your Daddy.)

I'm sorry about how crappy the dinner picture turned out. In my pregnancy-fueled hunger I just snapped a picture and didn't think about straightening out the plates or making it look particularly nice. I was toooooo hungry!! Like you, I couldn't wait to eat. Here you are, chowing down on the bread that we are supposed to share with each other break to symbolize forgiveness and that we are looking forward to a new year with our family. It's a Polish tradition that your Poppie grew up with, and it's one of my favoritest things that we do every year. Also, those cheeks!

After we ate, you got a bath from your Daddy and Auntie Caroline (don't believe a word she says...she LOVES giving you baths!) while I did the dishes with Grannie and Grandma Joanne. Then when you were changed into your Christmas pajamas, you got to open all the presents!! Talk about fun :)

You did a fabulous job unwrapping a million gifts and were quite spoiled rotten as I suspected you would be. We all had so much fun watching you before you went off to bed. Your grandmas and aunt love you soooo much!

The next day, Christmas Day, your Gigi and Papa G came over and you attacked Christmas 2K15 Part Two. The present unwrapping took forever because again, you were spoiled :) You got tons of new things to play with including books, a Beatbo, and puzzles. I'm a terrible mommy and forgot to take pictures, but trust me, fun times were had by all!

I'm so happy that you enjoyed yourself this holiday, Pemberley. I really can't tell you how much it means to your Daddy and me that you're a part of our family and that we get to celebrate with you. It's only going to get better every year!
Merry Christmas, Pem! With so much love,

In Toddler News | Part 1

Hi little one,
Toddler News. It's weird to write and even weirder to say out loud. You're getting so big, and learning new things every day. I know I kind of suck at updating your blog, but I promise I'll get better. I mean, I have to--you're doing so much new stuff and I don't want to miss a thing!

First. You just look older. You're losing all of your adorable chubbs baby fat now that you're walking everywhere (and sometimes trying to run...especially when it's away from the dogs). And did I even mention the fact that you're walking yet?! It's the weirdest thing, to see you randomly stand up and just take off. Like...when did my big girl get so BIG? Here you are at Oak Park Mall looking way older than you actually are, and you're getting ready to dig into some Original's Pizza. Which brings me to my second point...

Second. Food. You are definitely your father's child when it comes to food. You love to eat! And you're not picky. Watching you scarf down Brussels sprouts, chicken, broccoli, Cheerios, bell peppers (as evidenced in the picture below) makes your father smile every time. And man, can you eat! Daddy sometimes worries that we overfeed you, but I just remind him that you're constantly on the move so you need all of the fuel you can get. As of a few weeks ago, you were almost 22 pounds!

Third. Dress. You still wear a majority of your 12 month clothes, even though you're 14 months old now. The 18 month clothes (and pajamas in particular) are too long in the arms and too big in the waist in most brands. Since turning one, you've rocked a fur vest AND a leather coat, so you're quite the little mini-fashionista-in-the-making. Until I let Daddy dress you. Then you look like this:

Never again will your Daddy be allowed to pick out your clothes. I promise.

You love to rock your gold glitter moccs, as well as your leopard print kicks. Grannie is already planning to buy you your first pairs of Uggs and Wellies, and I must admit--I'm SO EXCITED to see you wear them someday! Baby shoes melt my heart.

Of course, doing every day things wearing absolutely nothing but a diaper is also totally normal for you. For example this time, when we found you eating Daddy's protein powder. I swear I thought I locked the pantry up before I walked into the laundry room. People weren't kidding when they said to never leave a toddler alone for any amount of time...

Fourth. The car. You are still rear-facing in your car seat, and you don't mind it at all. You usually fall asleep within minutes, but when you don't, it's not totally rare for you and I to have full conversations while I drive. You're a babble machine (just like your mama)! You're also all smiles when I go to get you out. See what I mean? Face.of.an.angel.

 

But Daddy and I also take you out of your seat and let you test drive the car from time to time. You can't *quite* reach the pedals just yet, but you know. #lifegoals

Fifth. Last. Sleeping. You're making up for all of the sleepless nights you had between birth and your first birthday. You are the BEST sleeper! And as much as I wish I could tell you the magic secret, I think it just boils down to us having to wait until you were ready to sleep through the night. Now that you do, though...what a difference! 12-14 hour stretches are commonplace, and on weekend mornings, I LOVE IT. I'll admit it. I feel like less of a "mombie" (mom/zombie) and more like myself. And you're happier too:: when you wake up, you have the best smile on your face!

But you have started doing a kind of weird(?) thing while you sleep, however. Someimes I'll wake up to pee and I'll check in on you via the Dropcam monitor. Many times, you're sitting upright in your crib, like Paranormal Baby or something. You never make a sound or give any other indication that you're awake, and it's seriously the freakiest thing to see you just sitting there, hanging out in your crib at midnight.

So, that's it. You're a big girl, and getting bigger every day. You love bringing me your baby when I ask for it, and you recently learned the word "up". You yell "UP!" after you walk to your highchair and indicate that you're hungry. You repeat "UP! UP! UP!" until we pick you up and set you on the couch with us. And you love to throw the ball to Rusty in the living room and then try to take it out of his mouth when he gets it. It really does make my heart swell when I see you doing such big girl things.

We're going to get ready for your second Christmas in about a week. I will of course keep this updated with all of our Christmas break shenanigans, and I'm too excited to post pictures of your adorbs Christmas dress!!!

I love you so much my big girl,

Thanksgiving 2016

Hi little one,
Happy Thanksgiving!!! We celebrated at home, and you basically played all day while Daddy and I slaved away in the kitchen.

(Kidding. We popped the turkey in the oven, forgot about it for hours, and played with you!) Here are the delicious highlights::

And here is your tiny little Thanksgiving plate. We usually put your food directly on your tray because you have a tendency to chuck a plate on the floor for the dogs, but we decided what the hell...let's be fancy in honor of the holiday. Surprisingly, you did pretty great!!

 

Yes, those are your pajamas. Yes, it's about 6 o'clock at night. Yes, none of us changed into "real clothes", and no. I don't feel bad about it :)

We were a little sad that we didn't get to see any family on Thanksgiving, but that didn't make it any less special for us. Daddy and I are thinking about making every Thanksgiving "our" holiday, where we get to celebrate with just you and baby sis, and start our own family traditions (which I promise will include more than watching football and overeating in the future - although we did plenty of both of those this year!).

Daddy and I are SO thankful that we have such an amazing, smart, beautiful, and healthy baby toddler girl. It's hard to believe how much our lives have changed in the past two years, and I hope you know that we're never going to stop being thankful for every moment we have with you.

I love you, my little turkey!!

Fall snaps and autumn leaves

Hi little one,
JoSnaps was awesome enough to take our fall pictures at Loose Park in Kansas City (she's the very talented lady who also took your smash cake pictures!). Here are some of my favorites...there were over 120 to choose from, so know that even though there are a lot here, I did show some restraint!!

The last one is my favorite, if I had to pick. I love your eyes, and that sweet smile. I can't wait to see what our Christmas family pictures look like! 

Love, love, love,

Happy Halloween!

Hi little one,
Happy second Halloween! You were the.most.adorable little lamb. I had so much fun getting you dressed up, and I know Daddy had fun taking you out. We even collected a nice little bag of candy (otherwise known as chocolate "birth tax" for your mommy to eat). I'm so excited for next year, when we can take you and your little sister in matchy-matchy costumes! I might have already started thinking about what you two will be... (no surprise there!).

We did a test run of your costume here at home, and then when I looked at the weather (a chilly 50 degrees), I decided to add a onesie and some tights for the trick-or-treating part. Here are some of my favorite pictures::

  Kaiser, the big bad wolf, and Pemberley, the innocent little lamb!

I love you, my little baby toddler ! So so so much. Now to start planning for Thanksgiving! Fall is in the air!

Pemberley | Twelve months

Hi little one,
One year. 365 days. 12 months. My little girl is now a toddler, and I want to cry.

At 12 months, you...

-weigh 19.6 pounds

-are 30 1/2 inches long

-have a head circumference of 18 inches

-wear size 4 diapers

-are in size 12 month clothes

-have 8 teeth!!!!

-are sleeping 12-13 hour stretches in your crib through the night

-are so close to walking on your own, and love it when Daddy and I hold your fingers while you practice

-say words like mama, dada, and up

-shake your head "no" when you don't want to do something

-crawl over to the high chair to let us know you're hungry

-know how to pet the dogs and cats gently (when they let you come near them)

-are quite the little eating machine...if it's in front of you, it's eaten (yep, even Brussels sprouts!)

-have the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen!

Daddy and I were looking through some of your old baby pictures tonight. I legitimately almost cried because you're just so...big! Not in size, but like, you're growing up! You're even losing your baby fat and little leg rolls, which I was hoping you'd keep forever :( I know I'm going to blink and you'll be driving off to the mall with your little sister, or on your way to prom, or college. (Okay, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. But when I think about how much you've changed in just the past year, it's enough to make me reach for the Kleenex box.)

Your Daddy and I love you SO much, Pemberley. We never dreamed we would be this lucky. You really are the most perfect little girl. I am so thrilled to watch you grow into your own, and to watch you take on your new role as a big sister early next year. You're so sweet; Daddy and I know you're going to do a great job teaching little sister all of the ways of the world (or maybe just how to sit up, or roll over. Or shovel 20 Cheerios into her mouth at the same time.)

I love you, sweet baby toddler girl. (And cue the mommy tears. Now where did that Kleenex box go?!)