15 Months

Happy 15 Months to Miss Adrienne! What a joy. She is turning into such a little person, and though she walked a bit on the late side (compared to extreme early walking in Jillian), she has transitioned to a solid walker much faster. No more arms held at high guard as she tries to balance--she just puts them down at her side and wanders around like a big person. We find it to be irresistibly cute and funny at the same time. I tried to take a picture of her mid-saunter this morning as we were headed out to church, but accidentally took a video. She looks so cute that I still can't help but post it.

It also illustrates a snippet of a skill she is quite proficient at--sticking up for herself. She knows how to holler and can really turn it on when Jillian gets a little too close (or too bossy) for her liking. Matt and I witnessed multiple instances this weekend where Adrienne squawked unnecessarily in attempt to manipulate us to get after Jillian when she truly was innocent. Survival of the fittest, I suppose.

Despite this emergence of true sibling banter, these girls really love each other. Adrienne thinks it is awesome to wrestle Jillian. You might think that Jillian is the instigator of this game, but she is not. It is almost always Adrienne who starts this type of fun.

Adrienne has added a few new words this month, but most notable is "poop". She frequently grabs her diaper and says "poop"--and she is right. The girl definitely associates the act with the word, and can tell me when she is dirty. She gets a lot of practice at this because she is extraordinarily "regular" if you catch my drift. In other language related development, she has started calling me "Mom" or "Mommy" instead of "Mama" and clearly calls Matt "Daddy". She is completely smitten with him, and seeks him out when he is home for some regular snuggles and attention. The word "baby" is more clear and she is excited by any baby or picture of a baby she sees. If you ask her a question, she often responds with "yah!" (i.e. "Do you want to go outside?"). I guess she is a true Minnesotan.

Adrienne is starting some climbing, though she is still relatively cautious. She gingerly climbed atop a diaper box last week and I've caught her trying to stand on box-like toys in her "baby jail". I generally only put her in there when I have to make dinner, and she rarely makes a fuss about it. On Thursday, I went to retrieve her and found this little surprise.

I guess we can add "removes clothes" to the list of new skills. I'm thankful this wasn't one of those "poop" instances because she also had the back of her diaper like a thong. Close call, for sure.

Last, but most certainly not least, is her giggle. The kid has such an infectious laugh that just overtakes her whole body. It is easy to elicit with just a bit of tickling.

I am doing my best to savor every second of this stage. Precious, precious, precious.

Snapshots

It's been over a week since I posted, which might be some kind of record for me. Some weeks are more "newsworthy" than others, but I think we are just officially settled in the Fall routine and are in a groove.  I was glancing back at my phone pics from the last week to see if I had missed anything worthy of posting, but found that the combined camera roll was a good summary of life in the last few days. Here's what we've been up to....

Matt has been home for more bedtimes, which we all love. The girls have started enjoying their bedtime books together.

Playtime...Adrienne tries her best to keep up with Jillian's antics. When she can't, she really knows how to work a scream to get our attention (and Jillian in trouble)

Jillian sporting one of her new school outfits that she selected. If it's bright, loud, and a fashion risk, you can bet she loves it (and totally rocks it).

I made four pans of baked penne with tomatoes and mozzarella one afternoon--gave 3 to friends who could use them (pregnant on bedrest/new baby/husband out of town), and kept the other for us.

Matt and I had a date on Thursday night. We finally tried the newest sushi restaurant in town (it is by far the beset) and we wandered around furniture stores as we begin our search for some basement furniture)

The basement remodel project is officially underway, and step 1 is done.  The bright red walls were replaced with "Techno Gray". Flooring and built-in wall unit for TV watching are also in the works.

Jenni and I had a fantastic moms-only day of shopping in Minneapolis on Saturday. This is the only picture I have to represent the day. Shoes make moms happy. I took it to text to our husbands, who were also spending the day together (with all 4 kids) at the Renaissance Festival. We totally got the better end of the deal this time!

Adrienne finally got in on a bit of Sunday morning art time with Jillian. I taped butcher paper to the table and they had a good time coloring together for about 5 minutes.

Jillian had a birthday party to attend on Sunday afternoon. She and I left home a couple hours early (Matt watching football, A napping) and ran some errands. We got the car washed/detailed, got her some new shoes (I let her choose the sparkly-sequinned tennis shoes over the more practical after she put on a dramatic performance exclaiming all the wonders of these shoes) , and went to pick up a basement flooring sample. She was so much fun and really seemed so grown up that day. We don't often have time alone together, but I think we are onto something with this Sunday afternoon deal.

Matt started drinking his breakfast. It's green and pretty gross.

And Jillian drew "a thing from outer space"

Dad and Me

Matt and Jillian attended their second annual "Dad and Me Sports Night" at her preschool last night. I didn't mention the event to Jillian until a couple of hours before because we weren't sure Matt would be home in time to go. All worked out, so she got a nice surprise when I told her to hurry and put her KU shirt on and get in the car. We met Matt in the parking lot at preschool, where he quickly ditched his suit jacket and tie for a KU hat, and the two were on their way for an hour of sports-themed fun.

Jillian would never have known if they missed this event. Matt easily could have skipped it, seeing as how it was his first crazy day back at work after the Rome trip--and I did give him that out. I love that he made it work anyway. My girls have one fantastic dad.

Take Two

I love having two kids of the same sex for multiple reasons, but lately I've been enjoying dressing Adrienne in clothes Jillian wore around this same age. It's fun for me to relive memories of a little Adrienne-sized Jillian, and I admit it is so nice to get more use out of clothes that they don't wear for long. When I dressed Adrienne for bed in some warmer Halloween pajamas tonight, I was transported back to sweet pre-bedtime moments with little Jillian--hard to believe it was already three years ago. Love these silly, beautiful girls!

Jillian--12 months, October 2009

Adrienne--14 months, September 2012

Rome-ing and Roaming

Matt spent last week in Rome ("radiation vacation", er, I mean work conference), which meant the girls and I were roaming around here without him. It was my longest stretch as a full-time single parent of two, and I am proud to say that the worst thing that happened around here while he was gone was the destruction of our beloved book, "Kitty Up" (thanks to Adrienne who managed to get her hands on the only book in her room with paper pages). It was not easy to send my husband to Italy (or Europe, for that matter) alone without me for the first time, but timing and circumstances didn't allow for me to join him. So--we helped our best guy pack up and sent him on his way.

Passport renewed, inflatable neck pillow for overnight flight, and ridiculous-looking fanny pack to prevent pickpockets. Cards to open every day he was gone tucked safely in his suitcase.

It was Jillian's first week of school, so we were busy in our new routine. She was exhausted after each full day, which made bedtime a breeze around here. We passed the time outside of school with play dates, dinner with friends, a bit of shopping, and swimming lessons. You can see Jillian continues to make some nice progress in the pool.

Matt didn't have use of his cell phone, but we got to talk to him briefly each day via FaceTime on the iPad--usually just before he went to bed (which was post nap/school around here when you figured in the 7 hour time change). We also regularly sent video clips via e mail. This one that Jillian sent on Friday was my favorite...

Before we knew it we were preparing for his return. Jillian decided that we needed to make a "Welcome Home, Daddy" sign. She worked very hard to color inside each letter. I was happy to have found a task that occupied her for more than 2 minutes.

Matt arrived safely home late last night, bearing lots of "treasures" for the girls, and all was suddenly right in our world once again.

The Studio

I have mentioned Jillian's current love of coloring many times in recent weeks. What I haven't mentioned is that she has her own studio--her bedroom closet. I frequently find her in there, especially during rest time, creating away. This morning I discovered her quietly working when I went upstairs to get Adrienne up.

I'm not sure whether she decided this was her necessary "uniform", or if she just got distracted by the crayons/coloring book as she was trying to dress for school. Either way, I had a good laugh.

Pop Star

Jillian picked up Matt's guitar for the first time and just started playing today. She actually sounds pretty good, especially considering she's singing, too. If you can hear her over the guitar, you might recognize the song--her current favorite, "Call Me, Maybe". Need any back-up singers, Carly Rae Jepsen?

Preschool Begins!

Jillian officially started her second year of preschool today. She was beyond excited, waking up extra early to choose her clothes carefully. Getting her outside to take a few pictures before we left was like pulling teeth. I told her I wanted to take a picture outside of school when we got there, like I did last year, and she sighed and said, "Mom, no more pictures". Geez. Teenage levels of exasperation toward me already.

 Adrienne wanted to be a big girl, too. I was proud of Jillian for offering to let Adrienne hold her lunch box while we took pictures and in the car on the ride to school.

Your turn will come soon enough, Adrienne!

Matt told me I had to do my "I'm so glad summer is over" Mommy pose. Hip-hip hooray for more structure to our days!

When we got to school, Jillian pranced right in like she owned the place. The best picture I could get of her was a quick one in the hallway as she ran into Mrs. Leif's class. Blurry, but it is oh-so-Jillian so I had to include it.

Jillian spent her morning in Mrs. Leif's 3 year old class, went to lunch buddies, then had Spanish this afternoon. She had a great day, and told me all the important stuff: "We had recess and a snack". On Monday she will return for Art in the morning, lunch buddies, and then Jr Gym in the afternoon. Tuesday brings her back to Mrs Leif's 3's in the morning, lunch buddies, and Discovering God's World (science) in the afternoon. I hope the variety will keep her challenged and engaged. We will adjust if needed.
You are probably not surprised to learn that she was pretty tired tonight, and had a big meltdown at dinner. Thankfully, she was quite pleasant at bedtime, and I got lots of warm fuzzies watching the girls snuggle and read together in their jammies. I love to watch their bond grow.

 I found it so sweet (and a little sad, maybe?) to hear Adrienne periodically (often) call out "Jee-yee-uh!" throughout the day. She obviously missed her sister....until she came home and tried to take her toy away. Gotta love the female drama in our house. Happy first day, Jiji!

Larry

We have a new "friend" in our house, in the form of a gnome. Larry (as I have named him--aptly so as the nickname for Lawrence) was a birthday gift from a friend, and will soon take his rightful place in the garden. Matt and I were so excited about this little KU guy that we took him out of the box and set him on the mantle. Jillian was already in bed, so we thought it would be fun to see if she noticed him. I was not surprised to find her grilling me early the next morning.
J: "Hey Mom, come here! What is this little guy doing?"
Me: "Oh, that's Larry. He came from Kansas to live with us."
J: "Why is he up there?"
Me: "He heard you've been having a hard time listening lately, so he decided he'd come watch you for awhile."
J: (without even a second of hesitation) "Mom, his eyes are closed."
Oops, so they are. Score yet another point for Jillian. In a weak attempt at a comeback I fumbled around and said, "Ummm, well, that's so he can concentrate on listening to your behavior."
 Wake up, Larry! There's much to be seen around here....