"Watt Mitty Moww? O tay."
(Watch Mickey Mouse? Okay.--she doesn't even wait for us to say yes.)
Friday, May 8, 2015
She Amazes Me, Vol. 2
Avonlea was pointing to the empty spaces and identifying which animals used to be in those spaces. It wasn't just "whale", either. She knew where the squid went--not sure I could have even identifies that! I couldn't believe she could do that!
She is also good at doing big floor puzzles. We have a Frozen one she got for her birthday and she can put all the characters' pieces in the right places.
She Amazes Me, Vol. 1
I want to keep track of some of the things Avonlea says and does that surprise me. She is always making me laugh or think or just blowing me away with what she knows. I can do more of this now that I have set up to be able to post things from my phone.
Here is an example: I love how she is putting the stickers in appropriate places. She uses pincer grasp to pick the stickers off and reposition them where she wants them to go. She is identifying all the different animals and knows that these animals go in the rainforest.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
What I Want for Mother's Day
Avonlea and I go to Mommy and Me class every week at the local adult education center. We have talked about all sorts of things--family traditions, potty training, teaching your kids about sex and death, tooth care, burn care--everything that parents could want to know. The teachers are great, and they are very caring towards the kids and the parents.
But today's topic really hit hard for me. It was about Mother's Day. About what you remember about your mom, and what you hope your kids remember about you as a mother. Needless to say, it was a hard class for me. I cried pretty much the entire "share" time.
This will be my 4th Mother's Day without Mom, and they don't really get easier, especially now that I have my own girls. I wish that they had their Nana to celebrate. After all, she was a major part of how I turned out the way that I did. I will just do my best to convey to Avonlea and Aria about what an amazing lady she was, and how cancer really sucks for taking her away from us so early.
We went around the circle and people shared one of their favorite memories of their Moms. It was *really* hard listening to several of the moms talk about their moms being there for the births of their kids. I ended up being last--and as everyone was sharing, I was really struggling to narrow it down to *one* thing to share.
A few that came to mind:
And what I really wanted to say to the Mommy and Me class is that what I want my girls to remember about me as a Mom is what I remember most about my Mom. I want Avonlea and Aria to remember me being there. Being a part of their lives. Caring about what they are doing, supporting their efforts, encouraging them and challenging them to set goals. I want them to be able to look out into the stands, or across the auditorium, or even in the car pool line and see me there. Have them know, with confidence, that I will be there for them.
But today's topic really hit hard for me. It was about Mother's Day. About what you remember about your mom, and what you hope your kids remember about you as a mother. Needless to say, it was a hard class for me. I cried pretty much the entire "share" time.
This will be my 4th Mother's Day without Mom, and they don't really get easier, especially now that I have my own girls. I wish that they had their Nana to celebrate. After all, she was a major part of how I turned out the way that I did. I will just do my best to convey to Avonlea and Aria about what an amazing lady she was, and how cancer really sucks for taking her away from us so early.
We went around the circle and people shared one of their favorite memories of their Moms. It was *really* hard listening to several of the moms talk about their moms being there for the births of their kids. I ended up being last--and as everyone was sharing, I was really struggling to narrow it down to *one* thing to share.
A few that came to mind:
- My sister got a karaoke machine (for a birthday? I'm not sure) and true to Hume fashion, we had an "oldies karaoke" CD with a bunch of Diana Ross/Supremes. We sat around the dining room table, and sang "Baby Love". My mom wasn't a singer (she could carry a tune, but she would NEVER have gotten up in front of anyone to sing), so this was a fun memory because it was such an unusual thing to happen.
- When I was in middle school, Mom and I would sit down for an hour or so after school (or sometimes in the evenings) and have Dr. Mario battles on the original Nintendo. She was SO GOOD at it! We used to do "battle mode", and we would start on the 2nd hardest level. I swear she was practicing at night after I went to bed.
- We loved watching sports together--especially football, college and pro. We went to an Ohio State game together, and also several Bengals games. She would always squeal and jump up and down on the couch. She had the OSU vs Miami Nat'l Championship game on DVD and would often re-watch it while working on mailings.
(Yes, we went to a Bengals game at the Colts stadium. Thankfully, Indy fans are polite)
- She was an incredible Realtor, and one summer, I was her "assistant". I use quotations, because I really wasn't that much help. But I remember getting to spend every day with her, and going out to lunch at the Jewish deli across the street from her office. In fact, there are many memories of going to appointments with her, or going to spend the afternoon in her office when she had "phone duty" back when she worked at The Realty Group.
- Every year at the start of the school year, Mom and I would sit down together and set goals for the school year together. She would set her business goals, I would set my school/athletic goals for the year. I found it a little annoying, I'll admit. But now I love looking back on that time that we spent together, looking forward together.
- I loved when I found my wedding dress, and getting to walk out of the fitting room and see Mom's face. When she was first diagnosed with cancer, she hoped to see me graduate, so to have her still around so many years later, and getting to watch both her girls get married was amazing. She and I both looked at the dress in the mirror, and said, "This is the one!"
- My final memory of Mom is holding her hand when she passed away. Being with her in her last few days on Earth was immensely difficult, but also precious.
And what I really wanted to say to the Mommy and Me class is that what I want my girls to remember about me as a Mom is what I remember most about my Mom. I want Avonlea and Aria to remember me being there. Being a part of their lives. Caring about what they are doing, supporting their efforts, encouraging them and challenging them to set goals. I want them to be able to look out into the stands, or across the auditorium, or even in the car pool line and see me there. Have them know, with confidence, that I will be there for them.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
You Are Two
Dear Avonlea,
It's official: you are TWO years old. We celebrated on your actual birthday, which was on a Saturday this year, with a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party and your best friends.
I am amazed that you are two. It seemed like your first year was so long, and this year, time just flew by. I think it was faster because I was pregnant through a lot of it, but also because you are so much busier now!
You have grown by leaps and bounds this year. I look at pictures of you from April of last year, and look at you today, and it's just amazing to think of how much has changed. At this time last year, you were just barely walking. In fact, you took your first steps about 6 days after your first birthday, so you weren't really even walking at this time. In the picture on the left, we were at a farm a few days after your birthday, and I had to hold your hands to help you walk anywhere.
And NOW...well, now you are a champion walker and runner and climber! You frequently amaze me with all you are able to accomplish, and all the places you are able to get to.
You are so smart. You can count objects, you know your colors, you know all the Disney characters and all the superheroes. You are able to do puzzles of a higher difficulty--ones without "helps". You got this one for your birthday (http://www.amazon.com/Frozen-28871-Floor-Puzzles-46-Piece/dp/B00J9S2SH2), and you were able to put the characters' pieces together, which just amazed Mommy (and Aunt Sunni!).
You're definitely starting to test limits. We are working on teaching you what obedience is--how it pleases God, and how it helps Mommy and Daddy keep you safe. It's going to be a long battle to learn! You are independent and bold and STUBBORN, so this is a hard lesson to learn.
You are super independent--you can play on your own for long periods of time. You're starting to do imaginative play more and more--you like your Little People sets, and you'll often have them act things out together. You have a Little People Little Mermaid set, and you have them recreate scenes from the movie. You LOVE water. You could stay in the bath all night. I bought a hard-sided baby pool for you to play in when it is warm out--you could stay in it for HOURS. The first day we had the pool, you stayed in it so long that the water got cold and your lips turned purple! We had to come inside and change your clothes and wrap you up in a bunch of blankets to try to get you warmed up!
Because you are so independent, we do have some trouble with you not being concerned about where Mommy and Daddy are--you'll often wander off in the park, or in a store (where they don't have kid-containers, I mean CARTS), and not have any care about where we are. You also have trouble with obedience, so when you wander off, or climb to the top of a play structure and Mommy asks you to come back or get down, you choose not to listen. We're having to implement more and more consequences! Mommy is doing research on how to manage negative consequences with positive consequences...being a Mommy is hard work sometimes!
You have some great friends--Wyatt is the one we play with the most. You love to boss him around, poor kid! We are working on being kind. Bossy is okay, as long as you are being kind!
You have some trouble when friends your age come over to our house--you haven't figured out how to share your toys with your friends with grace. You love older kids--you are constantly watching them when we are in the park, and you're always trying to do what they do. You love hanging out with Lily Neal (who is 12).
A lot of people have asked how you are doing with a new sister in the house. The truth is, you are doing a lot better than I thought you were going to do. When I was pregnant and I would hold a baby, you did NOT like it. You whined and cried and pulled on my pants leg. Another mom friend said I was in for some trouble because of how you behaved. But since Aria's arrival, you have done really well. We have had some moments here and there (including once in the hospital and our first day home), but for the most part, you have done really well having a little one invade our home and take half of Mommy and Daddy's attention. We are working hard to make sure you still feel loved and secure, and you have done a good job being a helper for Mommy. You like to get the baby's diapers, and you like to give her hugs. You have wanted to hold her once or twice, but for the most part, you leave her alone--Miss Independent at it again.
It's official: you are TWO years old. We celebrated on your actual birthday, which was on a Saturday this year, with a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party and your best friends.
I am amazed that you are two. It seemed like your first year was so long, and this year, time just flew by. I think it was faster because I was pregnant through a lot of it, but also because you are so much busier now!
You have grown by leaps and bounds this year. I look at pictures of you from April of last year, and look at you today, and it's just amazing to think of how much has changed. At this time last year, you were just barely walking. In fact, you took your first steps about 6 days after your first birthday, so you weren't really even walking at this time. In the picture on the left, we were at a farm a few days after your birthday, and I had to hold your hands to help you walk anywhere.
And NOW...well, now you are a champion walker and runner and climber! You frequently amaze me with all you are able to accomplish, and all the places you are able to get to.
You are so smart. You can count objects, you know your colors, you know all the Disney characters and all the superheroes. You are able to do puzzles of a higher difficulty--ones without "helps". You got this one for your birthday (http://www.amazon.com/Frozen-28871-Floor-Puzzles-46-Piece/dp/B00J9S2SH2), and you were able to put the characters' pieces together, which just amazed Mommy (and Aunt Sunni!).
You're definitely starting to test limits. We are working on teaching you what obedience is--how it pleases God, and how it helps Mommy and Daddy keep you safe. It's going to be a long battle to learn! You are independent and bold and STUBBORN, so this is a hard lesson to learn.
You are super independent--you can play on your own for long periods of time. You're starting to do imaginative play more and more--you like your Little People sets, and you'll often have them act things out together. You have a Little People Little Mermaid set, and you have them recreate scenes from the movie. You LOVE water. You could stay in the bath all night. I bought a hard-sided baby pool for you to play in when it is warm out--you could stay in it for HOURS. The first day we had the pool, you stayed in it so long that the water got cold and your lips turned purple! We had to come inside and change your clothes and wrap you up in a bunch of blankets to try to get you warmed up!
Because you are so independent, we do have some trouble with you not being concerned about where Mommy and Daddy are--you'll often wander off in the park, or in a store (where they don't have kid-containers, I mean CARTS), and not have any care about where we are. You also have trouble with obedience, so when you wander off, or climb to the top of a play structure and Mommy asks you to come back or get down, you choose not to listen. We're having to implement more and more consequences! Mommy is doing research on how to manage negative consequences with positive consequences...being a Mommy is hard work sometimes!
You have some great friends--Wyatt is the one we play with the most. You love to boss him around, poor kid! We are working on being kind. Bossy is okay, as long as you are being kind!
A lot of people have asked how you are doing with a new sister in the house. The truth is, you are doing a lot better than I thought you were going to do. When I was pregnant and I would hold a baby, you did NOT like it. You whined and cried and pulled on my pants leg. Another mom friend said I was in for some trouble because of how you behaved. But since Aria's arrival, you have done really well. We have had some moments here and there (including once in the hospital and our first day home), but for the most part, you have done really well having a little one invade our home and take half of Mommy and Daddy's attention. We are working hard to make sure you still feel loved and secure, and you have done a good job being a helper for Mommy. You like to get the baby's diapers, and you like to give her hugs. You have wanted to hold her once or twice, but for the most part, you leave her alone--Miss Independent at it again.
LOVES:
* music
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
* watching movies
* bubbles
* balloons
* going to the zoo
* playing on the playground
* puzzles
* painting with a brush
* Nemo
* climbing up on things
* pointing out things in the car, or when we're out and about
* water
* stickers
* opening packages and presents
* running
* playing with whatever someone else is playing with
* grapes, hot dogs, guacamole, rice, pasta, corn on the cob, "cake" (aka muffins), milk, food pouches, M&Ms
* mimicking words and phrases (which means we have to be careful now!)
* doing whatever you like whenever you like
* swallowing your toothpaste instead of brushing your teeth with it
* Aunt Sunni's house
* Aunt Attey and Uncle Bubby (ESPECIALLY Uncle Bubby)
* hiking
* cracking eggs
* wearing bows
DISLIKES:
* having your hands dirty/sticky/sandy, etc.
* fingerpainting (see above)
* going to bed
* loud noises
* bubble wrap
* brushing your teeth
* going down the slide and getting static-y
* eating things with weird texture, or a texture you aren't expecting
* wearing any shoes other than your Elsa shoes (thankfully they are gym shoes)
* being told what to do
* wearing headbands *sniff*
* riding in the seat in a shopping cart
* getting out of the bath
We have been singing this song a lot lately--I love looking at you in the rear-view mirror when we sing it together in the car. You get this grin on your face, and it makes me grin, too. You are the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world to me.
Love you bunches,
Mommy
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