Baby You and Me (162/365)

I'm a Big Kid Now (161/365)

Lately Izzy has been all about showing me how big she's getting.
Currently she loves to:

• try to put her shoes on
• puts her arms and legs in pant and shirt holes
• tries desperately to drink out of a big cup and eat with utensils
• today she helped me with the laundry by handing me an item, then
waiting for me to fold it before getting me a new one (she nearly
plopped head first into the basket because she was trying to get all
of sister's undies)
• you already know she loves to cook
• now that she's walking everywhere she seems all the more grown up

Where'd my baby go?!

Dear Mommy (160/365)

I hope you feel better
because you were scared
and I hope you're not scared.
Love -
Alice

We went out driving tonight and let's just say I underestimated how
anxious it could make me. During one of (yes, ONE of) my breakdowns
Alice asked me why I was sad. I told her Mommy wasn't sad, just really
scared. She responded, "well maybe we should get something like a
present to make you not scared." Needless to say she made me feel
better just by wanting to cheer me up, but I felt even better after we
got home and she made this for me.

My Girls Are Getting Big - and Some Randomness (159/365)

Alice

- Since I let her do it one day last month, 9 times out of 10 Alice
makes herself lunch. Sometimes I help a bit, but for the most part
she's pretty self sufficient.

- She hasn't worn a pull-up to bed since Saturday after she had a
small accident. We bought some Hello Kitty panties to celebrate what a
big girl she is now!

- Not related to her being a big girl, but I thought it was worth
mentioning her current obsession, The Care Bears. It's made for some
good rainy day viewing, but I'm afraid I have one of the bloody songs
stuck in my head.

Izzy

- She's finally walking most of the time! After months of walking a
few steps before dropping to her knees to take the easy way out, it's
nice to see her toddling around like a big girl.

- She's getting the hang of the sippy cup finally. Next step, no more
formula or bottles! For some reason I'm finding it harder to get her
off these things than I did with Alice. Maybe being so careful with
het for 8+ months has something to do with it?

- Speaking of such things, you would be surprised at how non-existant
her scar is. She can thank her momma for the fair skin she inherited
for that one. It seriously looks like little more than a bad cat
scratch, it's unreal!

Aren't I Just the Luckiest Mommy Ever? (158/365)

Man I love my job.

Birthdays and Good-byes (157/365)

Tori was here this weekend and apparantly Izzy had lots of fun with
her because she didn't want her Auntie to go. She started saying bye-
bye to me and she cried when Tori passed her over to me. BTW, Tori,
that wrapping paper ended up in the trash. You would not believe the
amount of glitter that I have to clean up tomorrow!

Amanda turned seven today. Seven, I can't believe it! That kid is
growing up so fast. Her party was great, especially the cake, and
Alice and Izzy had such a blast! I have a feeling the girls are going
to sleep well tonight!

Something for Grandpa and Something for My Aunties (156/365)

Iz can finally fit into her outfit from Aunt Rosie and Aunt Ginny.
It's 6-9 month, but fits her perfectly and just screams summertime.
Thanks, Aunties!

This first pic was also Izzy being super cute, putting her purse on,
and going bye bye. Man I have cute kids. :)

And the second one is clearly for Grandpa Charlie who bought these
adorable jammies for Iz for her bday. I have to say, the first time
she wore them I told Alice what it said and she got all offended and
said, "But why does it say that? She's not Gwampa's gurl, I am!" It
was pretty damn cute.

Dress Up Fun (155/365)

Auntie Tori is coming for a visit, so the girls got all prettied up for her! Thanks Aunt Jessica for the jewelry!

She Still Won't Go On the Slide Though (154/365)

Well night two went well! Alice, and her bed, stayed dry all night.
Now if I could just get Izzy to stay asleep when Alice gets up at 6am
to pee. It's really been hard on her sleep wise as she has been in
need of a nap as soon as she wakes.

Today we went exploring and wound up at the new playground on the
other side of the pond. It's much nicer than the park we typically go
to, and both girls throughly enjoyed themselves. I think we're going
to make this our go-to park from now on.

Look at my leggy Izzy! She loved the swing, but she loved it even
more when Matt pushed the empty swing while holding her for some
reason. Crazy girl.

Night Two (153/365)

Of operation Alice wears panties (Sorry, underwear. Happy, Ann?) to bed is underway . Night one didn't go so well as she came out of her room right as Matt and I were heading to bed saying that she had peed a little (thank goodness for The Ultimate Crib Sheet that we used for Izzy as it makes a great sheet saver for Alice). Tonight she's made three trips to the bathroom since she went to bed (the last one woke her sister up, poor thing was inconsolable for a while) so hopefully tonight will be a better night. She's still waking up dry when she wears a pull-up and she's been staying dry while wearing panties for naps, so I'm hopeful that she'll be night trained very soon! I still can't believe that she's at this stage already. Three and a half years has really flown by in an instant.

Fun in the Sun (152/365)

Thank Goodness For My Carrier (151/365)

Izzy was not happy unless she was in my arms, and that doesn't make
cooking dinner very easy. After I did all of my cutting, I popped her
in my carrier and she was a happy camper. So happy that she nearly
fell asleep! Also, notice the spoon. She really wanted to help.

Insert Awesome Pool Pic Here (150/365)

It was a beautiful day today, and Alice and I were feeling better, so
she and I went down to the pool and left Matt and Izzy at home (Matt
is still sick). To say this kid had a blast would be an
understatement! We swam, played motorboat (the spinning in the pool
kind, perverts), channeled Scorpion from Mortal Combat and played "Come
here!" with a noodle (she'd grab one end and I'd quickly pull her
towards me), the list goes on. We were down there for two hours and
I'm sure she would have stayed to swim for two more if I had let her.

Needless to say I think it's going to be a great summer (so long as
the weather cooperates, unlike last year).

Izzy is Growing Up Too Fast (149/365)

Something she's been obsessed with for a while now is drawing with crayons. Maybe she's got a bit of Rice in her after all. Right after I took this pic she laid down all the way, put her feet up in the air, and started kicking them wile drawing. Too bad I missed it!

Turning the Corner? (148/365)

Man, I sure hope so. Here's the low down on how all if us are doing
today.

ALICE: She's definitely over it, THANK GOD! Her attitude is much
improved since the other day when she made me cry out of frustration.
I can tell she's finally thinking about what we talk to her about when
she does someting or is going to do something bad. She's no angel,
but damned if she isn't 50% more plesant to be around.

IZZY: I'm hopeful she'll be completely/almost completely over it
tomorrow. She drank a lot of fluids today, which she has been
refusing, and she's finally eating a bit too (though the big thing is
drinking. Doc didn't even care if she ate anything other than formula
and pedialite). The big plus - ONE poopy diaper today! Still tooting,
but just one poop. Woo hoo! Her rash is already 50% better since
she's not pooping all the time. Fingers crossed that tomorrow she's
golden!

MATT: Well, unfortunately he didn't escape it. But thankfully he
didn't have any pain while at work. Hopefully it won't stick with him
long, though if the girls are any indication, I'm betting that won't
be the case.

ME: Yep, still sick, though I am feeling better this evening. I had a
fever this morning and I still have an upset stomach, but somewhere
around 4PM I gained a burst of energy for some reason, and it really
felt good.

So once this has all past and we're feeling better, who wants to take
the girls off my hands for a day so I can get this wreck of a house in
order without having little munchkins at my feet? Anyone?

OH, I almost forgot. Izzy is finally starting to walk more! She's
been very stable on her feet for ages now, just not confident enough
(or just lazy) to walk more than 4-10 steps at a time. Well as of this
week she's walking acrosss the room! And when she can't figure out
how to stand when there is nothing to hold on to, she'll walk on her
knees. It's super cute.

Also, some of you may remember that when Alice was tiny (heck she
still does it about 50% of the time) she, for whatever reason, placed
her hand to her chest when she said please (which is actually very odd
because it's pretty close to how you actually say please in sign
language). We have no idea where she got it from, but I've decided to
try and teach it to Izzy, and she's picking it up! I can see why some
parents teach basic ASL to their not yet speaking children when she
clearly makes the gesture. It's so nice to actually know what she
means, AND it's cut down on the amount of pointing and whining (er,
screeching) for things, which is FABULOUS! I'm actually seriously
thinking about teaching a few signs to Izzy just for the heck of it.
Might be fun, you never know!

Now if ASL could stop my big girl from whining I'd be all over
teaching her too.

PICTURES:
Alice got to make her own lunch today. From picking out what she
wanted, to getting her plate, to pulling things out of (and putting
them back too) the fridge, to serving herself, she did it all. And man
did it make her day!

Izzy feeling better in her Cubs shirt from Mary and Andy. She peed
right through it at dinner time. I'm guessing that means she's a Sox
fan, though I can't be sure (and yay for full diapers. I never
thought I'd be so relieved that my kiddo is having full pee diapers.
Such a change from the rest of the week).