Arwyn Week 62: Arwyn Likes to Dance - 8/25/2016

Arwyn has been really distracted with her breast feeding recently.  Rather than getting a good, long, uninterrupted feed, she's constantly looking me in the eyes, then smiling and laughing.  Plus, she likes to stop and sit up and give me a big kiss right in the middle, then gets back to business.  It's so cute and funny, but she gave me a clog and then wasn't doing a good job of getting it out, and it sort of tells me that our little breast feeding relationship is nearing the end.  I stopped with Leia at 15 months, so I'm determined to get there with Arwyn, but I can see she's going to make this last month a bit difficult.  And I don't think she'll be so angry and upset when we stop the way Leia was, but I guess we'll just see.  Despite not really wanting to breast feed much, Arwyn has been really clingy this week for some reason.  Always wanting to be held by either Josh or myself, and throwing a fit when you have to put her down.  She's also been really into her Daddy this week, sometimes choosing him over Mommy when she wants to be held.  It sure does make Josh feel good, and it may be another sign that she's over the breast feeding.  She's been much more interested in trying to play with Leia recently, and has been calling out "Yay-ya" more and more.  She also likes to emulate her big sister, so the other night when I wanted to breast feed her and put her to bed, instead she insisted on sitting at Leia's little table on her stool and eating dinner with her.  She was trying to steal Leia's dinner, so I had to give her some of her own, and when she finished it she still tried to steal more.  She was so fired up to be sitting at the "big kid's table" eating a meal with her sister instead of her high chair.  You could just see it in her face that she felt really important.  She was also tapping her toes and bopping her head to the beat of the 80's tune Josh was playing, so the whole scene was just hilarious!

Leia has had a bit of a bad week, in my humble opinion.  Her Grandma told her she was sending a package, and the girl threw multiple tantrums every single day until it arrived, which was probably over a week later.  We were so sick of her tantrums that I actually found some shoes that Grandma had sent awhile back that we were hiding until they fit, and I threw them in an old USPS box and told her the package actually arrived.  That worked like a charm, but then the all the real boxes showed up, so she got so many presents, and now she just keeps telling me more and more things that she wants.  I tell her to put it on her list for Christmas, but she just keeps throwing fits about it anyway.  The main thing she wants now are ballet slippers, which is silly since she doesn't even take ballet.  The fact that she wants any more shoes at all is ridiculous because the kid is like Imelda Marcos with all the shoes she has in her closet right now!  She changes outfits and shoes multiple times a day...how did I end up with such a fashion monster??  Anyway, she is really grateful for her packages.  She pulls out each item and says, "Oh, this is so cute! Sanks Grandma!"  Sometimes she acts so adult for how little the really is.  We had a fun time at Emmett's second birthday party, and Leia got to play on his new swing set.  The surprise of the day was when she actually jumped forward off the swing to make her grand exit!  I had no idea she was up for that bold move already.  She was so funny too because she's always liked our friend Jody because she gets jelly beans overtime we go to her house, but the other day Jody came to our house and Leia lost her shyness and was really into showing Jody all her special treasures.  So then at the party she kept yelling from the swing, "Jody, look at me, look at me!"  Pretty funny how she bonded with Jody all of a sudden.  Leia has also been picking a nose a bunch this week, giving herself many bloody noses.  When we ask her why she keeps doing it, she says, "Sorry, but I was hungry."  Guess we don't feed the kid enough, she has to get sustenance from her own buggers!

Ahhh, watch out, it's the Googie Monster!

Little sweetie in her summer dress and hair clips...at least for as long as she leaves them in!

Turns out Kiddie Pools are fun with or without water.

Relaxing in the shade with her new coloring/sticker book.

Two peas in a pod or two TURDles in a pool? Just kidding!

Bags are packed and she's ready to go, dragging her own bag to Nana and Poppy's for the night!  First overnight at their house for Arwyn!

Happy 6th Anniversary to me and Josh...delicious and relaxing dinner out at Graham's.

Feeling a little shy when we arrived at Emmett's raging party.

Arwyn was a little shy and clingy too, wouldn't leave Josh's side the entire party.

Wouldn't even smile all day.

A little slip 'n slide mania is always good to break the ice!

There she goes!

Splash!

Checking out Audra and the pool temp...Arwyn decided not to go in today.

So happy that these three do like to play together, at least most of the time.

Happy 2nd Birthday big guy!

The injured reserve, watching all the mayhem from a safe spot in the corner.

Double slip n' slides and over 30 people worked just fine on John and Stacia's newly landscaped lawn and garden.

It was quite the party, and definitely a fun new space to hang out.

Didn't even know that John and Stacia had so many friends with kids!

View from above.

Cuddle bear Daddy hanging tough in the corner with little Arwyn all afternoon.

Ah, finally a little smile.

Now this kid was a pro, grabbed his cups and chugged while sliding right by!

Bubble time!

Everybody sing: "Happy Birthday to Emmett..."

Still not quite sure about candles and fire.

Did somebody say there was cake??  I think we have a few takers!

Emmett, you need to blow the bubbles not eat them!

Practicing for a future lawn mowing career...guess nobody told him the new lawn never needs mowing!

Arwyn is the only person who can wake Leia up at 5:00 from an overlong nap by sitting on her head and still have Leia be smiling and happy with her!

Password = Arwyn

Arwyn Plays Peek-A-Boo from Katharine Transue on Vimeo.

Arwyn takes control of the Peek-a-Boo game by putting the towel over her own head.

Leia loves having a partner in crime to play in her tent with her.

The living room is always trashed, but at least the girls are having fun, right?

Flower statue pose!

Daddy Day at the park!

Smiling, swinging kids are the best!

Piggy Tails!

Busy studying and taking notes about what all the big kids get to do on the other side...

Fired up to be at the big girl table with her own plate eating dinner with her big sister (rather than the highchair of course).

Password = Arwyn

Arwyn Bopping to the 80's from Katharine Transue on Vimeo.

Arwyn eating at the big kid's table while bopping her head and tapping her feet to the 80's music.

Getting goofy with little miss pillow head...yep, you guessed it, Daddy Day!

Josh's quote: "Thank you NPR for playing a piece yesterday on the way home from daycare about the science behind Freddy Mercury's rock god tenor voice... Leia heard a clip and said, daddy I want that!!! No problem at all... Today she was introduced to Bohemian rhapsody and head banging... Tomorrow we shall work on the irregular vibrato..."

A little Wayne's World head banging in action!

Arwyn Week 61: The 14 Month Kissing Giggle Monster! - 8/18/2016

Arwyn turned 14 months old this week, and she is the most kissing, hugging, loving little 14 month old ever!  She will be in the middle of breast feeding and decide that she needs to stop, climb up and kiss me on the lips, and then get back to business.  And she will do this multiple times.  She also likes to keep kissing and kissing (as well as tight hugs and squeezes) during the bedtime song.  Unfortunately it's more like a kissing game that fires her up rather than calming her down, so it really isn't too helpful at sleep time, but it is funny and cute!  She just loves to kiss!  She's also started pointing incessantly at the picture of the owls above her changing table, and she can say "owl" now, as well as making the "who!" noise that owls make.  She's starting to like baby dolls a little (but not necessarily more than any other kind of toy yet), and Leia graciously gave Arwyn one of hers to play with.  It's weird though, because she hasn't picked a bedtime "lovey," even though there are several good ones in her bed every night to choose from.  I do occasionally see that one of them is flopped over her head when she's sleeping, but it never seems to be the same one twice, and it's not done consistently.  She's had a couple sleepless nights this week, which were either teething or some little illness, and she always has such a hard time going back to sleep, which is why I'm bummed she doesn't have a lovey to help her.  Her hair is getting so long again, but she hates when I put clips in to keep the hair out of her eyes.  She always tries to pull them out!  And hair gel doesn't work either; she just loves to rub her hair, either on the floor or with her hands, so the best intended hairdo goes to crap so fast!  On school days, Arwyn is always so content with whatever she's doing when we arrive, but super happy so see us, and then pissed when we try to put her down or into her carseat.  (Contrast this with Leia, who by 5 or 5:30 was always so upset that everyone else around her was getting picked up but her parents hadn't shown up yet.  We always arrived to find her crying or being held and walked all around school by the director or some teacher...so funny how different they are!)  The other day though, Arwyn was so visibly happy to see me when I arrived, but she didn't stop playing with whatever it was she had in her hands, and she didn't ask to be picked up.  Instead, she marched over to her carseat and climbed right on in, indicating she was ready (and happy) to be going home.  This has NEVER happened before! It did happen to be the day of the hospital party, which we had been telling Leia about, so maybe Arwyn actually understood where we were going and was excited about it too?? Who knows?  She has also started trying to put on her own clothes.  She can successfully put on a helmet now, which is so cute because she puts it on backwards but is so proud of herself for having gotten it on at all.  And she also practices putting shirts and things on top of her head, although she's not actually getting those things on at all.  Still, it's so fun watching her try.

Leia's interest in artwork has really exploded over the last few weeks.  This week she's been drawing maps and putting "words" on the maps.  The words are still just squiggly lines, but definitely in the right direction.  Then she likes to "read" the maps, or has us "read" her maps to her, which basically consists of making up a good exploration story related to the pictures on her map.  It's all so creative, I love it!  She's been interested in trying to draw many new things too, but she always wants us to show her how to draw it first.  We had a good morning of pulling weeds out of Daddy's garden, and it was cute because when we finished she says, "We worked really hard!"  These are exactly the kind of statements we are supposed to be saying to her to encourage self sufficiency, so it's funny to hear her say it herself.  She seems to always want so many things, which of course I'm not about to just buy, so I always tell her to "put it on her list" for her birthday or christmas.  That was sort of an unfamiliar concept for her, but she went along with it anyway, and now she's constantly telling me "I'm putting this and this and that on my list."  And she finally discovered that you might want to write down a list, so besides the words on her maps, she's also "writing" many lists.  Too cute.  She's having another little jealous regression period I think, because she's started to constantly mime things to us instead of talking.  It's kind of like her little version of charades.  It's actually quite brilliant because we really have to look at her and pay attention to figure out what she's saying, so she has definitely figured out a good way to get more attention!  She's also figured out the other people's lives sometimes look better than your own from the outside.  She's decided that she wants McKenzie's mom to be her mom, and I can go be with McKenzie's dad (I guess Josh is still ok).  I know it's pretty normal and all kids probably think that someone else's mom is cooler than theirs, but the weird thing was that she told me this pretty matter-of-factly at the end of what I thought was a pretty good day for all of us; she wasn't really mad at me about anything!  Oh well, she's stuck with me!

Ready for school and cute as a button in her little summer jumper!

I missed the moment when she had just climbed into her chair by herself, all happy and ready to go.  I captured the moment right after when the seat tipped over and she fell back out!

Pony rides for Leia at the hospital family picnic.

A little in shock to meet a duck with an afro tuppé!

These animals were cool to see, but a little too close for comfort!  Get back you!

Kenzie and Leia having fun in the costume box!

A Charlie Chaplin Princess...nice combo!

Leia got a princess wand balloon and Arwyn got a pirate sword balloon.

"On guard!"

Oh yeah, so psyched to be running around swinging that sword everywhere!

There's nothing she can't climb!

Two tired and wired troops headed home after a fun party!

Checking out the new lawn (and cool toys) up at Emmett's house.

My little cleaning helper.

Really getting into it and working that swiffer!

Another braid photo request!

Model shot of the new do!

And here we have a happy customer modeling the sparkly new  "glass slippers" that she bought with her own money...they finally arrived in the mail!

Unfortunately they gave her blisters within 20 minutes of putting them on her feet!  She wouldn't let me return them, but I noticed that she hasn't worn them too much since those first few days.  So sad!

Chef Leia helping Daddy with our yummy pancake breakfast.

With the bloody eyes it kinda looks like the mask after Darth Vader dies...spooky!

Deep in thought about her next artistic masterpiece.

It's Daddy time!

Pointing at something she considers very cool.

Love love love this little cutie with her new barrettes and jumper!

"Mom, check it out!  So many cool things here at Nana's."

She is always so psyched to practice walking face forward down these stairs!

Fun reading time with Daddy...well, Arwyn's not too into it I guess.

Everyone gets a ride on the Daddy train!

Leia is so psyched that Arwyn is starting to play with her a little more...climbing into her fort with her was huge!

Ha ha, look out Leia, Arwyn's gonna get you!

"Oh yeah, I can put on my own helmet now! I rock!"

Don't you just love that proud little grin?

On and off, on and off, that's the best game.

Ninja Daddy on the grill!

Such a cool job coloring this elephant...stayed in the lines and used neat colors...I think it's an elephant in the sunset.  Her teacher was so impressed too!

"Daddy, turn this into a purse please!" Well, turns out that Leia and Daddy's art plus Leia's junk treasure hunting supplies plus Josh's creativity do make the perfect purse!

Look who just found the perfect spot to enjoy a never ending supply of rocks to try to eat!

Leia wants to play, but Arwyn says "outta my way sister!"

Oh dear, poor Leia, so many owies up and down her legs.  The whole box of bandaids just wasn't an option, so we had to wrap her all up in one giant bandaid!

And here is what 14 months old looks like!

Long hair, only likes to stand, so big, but that great happy smile hasn't changed!

Little goof!

Still only 4 teeth, but they are getting big!

There go the hair clips...they don't last long with this girl!

"Ha ha Mom, I got it out!"

Likes to climb into the swing by herself and chill out.

Ok, finally kneeling down for at least one minute to investigate a new toy.

Ahh, scary ball child, I think she's possessed!