Party Time!

Jillian's big day was full of celebration. She woke to discover a room full of balloons, and I could hear her say, "Oh my goodness!" When she flipped on her light. We all headed downstairs, where she found her presents waiting.

 Adrienne did a lovely job of picking out a Snow White doll and her very own horse. Jillian was quite pleased.

 Mom and Dad's gift was up next. Did we come through with her only consistent birthday wish????

 We did! Jillian is now the proud owner of her very own Care Bear, thanks to some vigilant internet searches for the surprisingly rare stuffed friends.

 Matt thought it would be fun to take her somewhere for lunch that makes a big deal out of birthday songs, so we ended up at Applebee's. She turned around to check out all the commotion and discovered they were coming to sing just for her, and leave a tasty birthday treat.

 After a VERY short "rest time" that did unfortunately not include any napping, we headed over to the RAC for Jillian's princess-themed party. I loved this party. The RAC did everything. All I had to do was show up with a cake and candles. Since no homemade cakes are allowed, my hands were tied, and I was off the hook.

Princess table decor, complete with crowns and boas

Our princess admiring the Disney Princesses

Jillian's friend, Ellie came all the way from Minneapolis to attend

The kids started out playing in the Play Smart, a sort of hamster-cage like structure. Parents love this because we can see them and there is only one way out!

Princess Adrienne wears her crown

The Queen Mum

Soon it was time for some structured games. The kids did their best to listen while the staff gave instructions

Time for the parachute!

Doting dads...Matt and Felix. Soon, Adrienne and Emmy will be attending each others' parties, just as their big sisters do.

Fatigue starts to set in...

...but she'll never admit it!

It's time for cake and ice cream

The Princess Cake. Thank you Hy-Vee, I had one excited little girl!

Sizing up her task

She got the job done, with a little help from Dad

I thought "big" 3 year olds were supposed to use utensils? Jillian seemed to only want to eat the cake (that was massively covered in frosting) with her hands.

 After the party we rushed home, where Jillian donned her Halloween costume to attend the neighbor's party. Have you ever seen a more lovely Snow White?

 Following the Halloween party, Matt brought her home and she quickly opened her presents from her friends. She got lots of wonderful, fun gifts!

 The birthday girl was soon hungry for a late dinner, and insisted on wearing her crown as she ate her requested meal: macaroni and cheese.

What a full, fun day of celebrating Princess Jillian!

Three

Today I became the mother of a 3 year old. On some level it is hard to imagine that Jillian is already three, and on another, it feels as though we've always had her. Her growth in all areas over this last year truly astounds me, and she really is a sort of "grown-up" little person with her inquiries, conversational abilities, and awareness of others' feelings. This kid is seriously smart. She remembers absolutely everything, never missing a beat. It is often difficult for me to remember she is as young as she is because she is so verbally mature. Lately she has started to listen in on our conversations, asking "What are you guys talking about?" whenever Matt and I are engaged in a discussion we thought she would ignore or not hear. It is obviously time to truly censor the subject matter in her presence, unless we want it repeated! Jillian is a true extrovert (like her momma), and is so energized by being with others. You can just see her bust at the seams with excitement when she enters any social situation, whether at school, music class, the RAC, church, etc. She sincerely loves people, and they seem to be drawn to her energy and vivacious spirit. Jillian is incredibly independent. She insists on doing everything herself, from getting the milk out of the fridge, to turning on the lights, climbing up on the potty (thankfully, she still asks me to wipe), dressing herself, shutting the car door, brushing her teeth, etc. She is just that big. My big girl. I reminded her of this last week as we tumbled out of the car upon return from school. I asked her to carry her backpack and lunch box in the house so that I could carry Adrienne inside. I said, "You're my big girl, so you can be responsible for carrying your own bag". She replied with a confident grin, "That's right mom. I'm your big girl. I'm your daughter, Mom. I'm yours!" Yes, Jilly Bean, you are mine....and I am so glad. Happy Birthday to you, Jillian Michelle Howe. You are one of a kind!

Birth Day

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

The big girl today--her 3rd Birthday

Sensory Play

It recently occurred to me that I am lazy when it comes to applying my knowledge of child development to activities with my own children. I have quite an arsenal of fun experiences I could provide, yet often just get caught up in basic daily cares and activities, not making time for enriching tasks that I know are so crucial to helping them learn about themselves and their world. It's time to start, and what better way than with a little daily dose of sensory play? Jillian is a sensory seeker to be sure, so I knew she would love the chance to dive into some messy play. I started offering this immediately after rest time. As soon as her timer goes off, she can run downstairs and will find our designated "sensory bin" full of some fun media to explore. Here is a peek at the first three days of tactile fun.

First, I poured a couple of bags of dried pinto beans in the bin and offered various cups, spoons, containers for scooping and pouring. It was a hit. She giggled as she enjoyed making the beans "rain" as she dropped them through her fingers. At some point she decided she needed to try putting her feet in them, and eventually, her face. She worked up to attempting a full body immersion, and managed to do pretty well with that.

It is important to note that she dressed herself in the above photo. She obviously isn't afraid to take a fashion risk.

Yesterday, she descended into the kitchen to find Matt's shaving cream inside the bin. It took her a few minutes to get comfortable, but then there was no holding back. I brought out a cookie sheet covered in foil that I thought she might like to "draw" on, but she quickly decided it was best to use it for her feet.

Soon ,the arms were involved as well. She kept shouting, "Come on, Mom, put it all over your arms! These are my witch hands!" (As a side note, I had no clue what she meant and didn't even know she knew what a witch was!).

 Today, she found a bin of soapy, warm water. I showed her how to use a straw to blow into the water to make lots of bubbles. She swallowed a few gulps before she got the hang of it, but then there was no stopping her. Once she was satisfied with her mound of bubbles, she loved to stomp them down with her feet.

 Her face didn't escape the water, either. She is definitely not afraid to submerge herself for the sake of some good clean fun.

 

Trying out a bubble beard

I am sure by now you probably are wondering where Adrienne is during all of this hoopla. So far, she's been right there with us, hanging out on my lap as she watches her sister. It appears she either finds her:

a) Crazy

or b) Funny

I have no documented pictures to prove it, but Mom is having lots of fun with this, too!

Nap No More

About 2 weeks ago Jillian decided that she will nap no more. She quit that favorite habit of mine cold turkey, without warning. I was aware this would eventually happen, though I fervently prayed she would keep it up since she is such a routinized person. So here we are with an extra 2 hours of required entertainment at a time of day where I feel like I might drop. When you are sleep-deprived, that can feel like an eternity. I am coping with this sudden change of routine (the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree in that respect) by having an afternoon cup of coffee (unheard of), and working to institute mandatory rest time. The "rules" of rest time have changed since the initial trial of "you don't have to sleep, but you have to stay in your bed and read books" due to lots of thrill-seeking shenanigans that include dangerous climbing and jumping. My personal favorite was walking in to find her atop her tall dresser playing a harmonica. Pausing to take this picture helped me to keep my cool and remember to find the humor...even amidst the danger.

Today, I think I discovered a system that will work (at least for awhile). I bought an egg timer at Target and set it for an hour. We have used timers on cell phones for a long time, but she can't see how much time is left. This way, she can see how close the arrow is to the zero, and at least have a basic visual understanding that rest time is finite. I told her she doesn't have to sleep or stay in her bed, but she has to play quietly in her room without coming out. She stayed in her room the entire time (even with the door open), and was so excited when she heard the timer expire. I should have taken a picture of her room post rest time, however. Holy moly, it looked like the aftermath of an F5 tornado. Oh well, one thing at a time, right?

The Difference of a Year

I have a crazy good memory. Since becoming a mom, however, some of it has been obliterated--the part that remembers to make phone calls on time, find words mid-sentence, and recall whether or not medicine has been taken. I do still have much of it intact, but the part of it that isn't very useful--like what we had for dinner 2 weeks ago, or what Jillian wore to school last Friday, or middle names of most everyone I know. This brings me to the point of this post--it was exactly 1 year ago today that I discovered I was pregnant. It seems like such an odd thing to remember (yep, I could tell you the exact date I learned of baby Jillian, too).
It blows me away to think that I went from feeling surprised (and admittedly a bit worried) while staring at this....

To feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and joy as I gaze at this lovely sight......

...in just one trip around the sun. And that, my friends, is the difference a year can make.

More Fall Fun

We enjoyed another fun-filled Fall weekend that began with a return trip to the "apple core". This time our mission was to get pumpkins. After Matt and Jillian dominated the corn maze once again, we piled onto the wagon for a tractor-led tour of the farm.

 

Upon our return, we hit the snack bar for a fresh, hot, homemade doughnut. What could be better on a cool Fall morning??

Jillian enjoyed climbing and jumping across the tall hay bales. She insisted she didn't need any help, but Matt stayed close.

Hmm.....where'd Jillian go?

Checking out the beautiful mums

Finally, it was time for the pumpkin hunt. We grabbed a wagon and headed toward the "patch"

Jillian carefully selected 4 pumpkins that represented each member of our family.

Today, we embarked on a spontaneous family day trip adventure. Matt proposed we pile in the car and head to the Twin Cities to see what kind of trouble we could find--30 minutes later, we were on our way! We made our first stop in Dinkytown near the U of M for a yummy lunch at Kafe 421. I have no pictures of this because I spent the entire lunch either nursing Adrienne, or in the bathroom changing one of two poopy diapers she managed to make during the 45 minutes we were there. We then intended to shop a bit and let Jillian run wild on the campus, but rain pushed us away. We grabbed some coffee and made our way to Richfield to check out some winter gear at REI. No pictures of this, either. It took all our energy to carry A in the Bjorn and chase J through the store. Finally, we jetted across town to St Paul for a look at the Como Zoo. After both children were settled appropriately in the double stroller, we headed toward the entrance gate to discover a sign telling us that the zoo would be closing at 3 p.m. for a special event (unadvertised on the website according to Matt). It was exactly 2:42 p.m. Trying to make the most of the day and stay positive, we ran toward the back of the zoo and attempted to work our way forward in the mere 18 minutes we had to enjoy. It was an odd little zoo--kind of run-down and eerie feeling like something out of a movie (think the amusement park in the movie Big), and some of the animals were in some depressing environments, but they were so close that it was fantastic for small children to get an up close and personal view. I am amazed at the number of animals we saw in such a short period of time....orangutans, gorillas, monkeys, giraffes, zebra, lions, tigers, and Jillian's favorite, the "pink amigos" (pink flamingos!)...more than we saw in an entire day at the Minnesota Zoo last summer!

Greeting an orangutan

A look of astonishment as an enormous gorilla came up close to say hello

Up close and personal with giraffes and zebra

After the zoo closed, we enjoyed some time in the park that included Jillian's first carousel ride. Matt got a little touch of motion sickness....

A quick pose on a horse before hopping in the car to return home.

 

It was a great family day, and both girls were so great in the car and at each and every stop. We came home to whip up some homemade pizza and hit the hay!

Accident vs. Consequence

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an accident and a consequence? I doubt it, but in case those are muddy terms for you, look no further than Miss Jillian Howe for clarification. Yesterday, Matt put her in a time out for apparent misuse of playdoh and fit-throwing. When it was over, she came back to the table and the following conversation ensued:
J: "I want my playdoh!"
Matt: "You lost your playdoh as a consequence for throwing a fit"
J: "Ohhhhh.....that's not a consequence. That's an accident, and accidents happen!"
There you have it.