Sunday, May 26, 2013

Michaela is Two!

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Michaela turned two on the 18th, but we postponed her party until yesterday. It was worth the wait! She is Thomas' biggest fan (no, really!), and so we had to have a Thomas theme for her party. She was delighted by all of the themed decorations, balloons, gifts, and her dress.

So far two is not terrible. Michaela is pretty easy-going most of the time, but I have noticed her asserting her independence more. However, she responds to verbal corrections well, and I don't think we've experienced the typical tantrums just yet. Not saying we won't, just that we haven't.

Michaela has so much to say. She has realized that the adults in her life have names other than Mommy, Grammy, Papa, and Auntie. She tries out our "real names" frequently. It's so funny to hear her call me by my first name. Cracks me up! She also says "three o'clock" all the time. Not sure why. I think initially she might have been saying, "I see a clock", but we thought she was saying "three o'clock". So now, that's what she says - a lot. Today she said, "Uh, Joannah? It's three o'clock." It was actually about eight o'clock in the morning. Too funny!

During our visit with the pediatrician, we learned that Michaela is 34 inches tall, 25 pounds, and the circumference of her head is 19 inches. This puts her in the 62nd percentile for height, and the 34th percentile for weight. The pediatrician predicted she would eventually be 5' 8" tall - just like her mom! At two years old, Michaela wears a size 5 diaper, 24 months or 2T clothing (most of the time...), and 6.5 shoes. She is tall and thin, so sometimes I have to buy 18 months pants, shorts, or skirts for her. Her feet are also very narrow, so finding inexpensive sandals to fit this time of year is challenging. 

We are still co-sleeping, and I think we'll do that for another year. She's a good sleeper. I put her down at the same time almost every night, and after we read a book and say prayers (she says her own sometimes), she goes to sleep without fussing. Sharing a bed with her isn't too bad. I usually sleep well - well enough anyway.

Michaela's favorite things to eat are fruit and crackers. She also loves apple juice, but I limit her to small servings and lots of water to dilute it. She decided that drinking milk was not her thing last month. I try to make up for the calcium she's not drinking by offering cheeses and yogurt, but she is fickle about them.

Her favorite toys are anything Thomas, puzzles, books, and some large lego-like blocks. She also likes some of the apps I have on my iPhone, and she loves the iPad. However, I've put it away for now. We'll pull it out again when we travel this summer. Her favorite shows are Thomas (what else?), Dora, and Caillou. I'm sorry, but we are NOT having a Caillou party next year...

I can't believe it's been two years since I first saw her face and held her in my arms. Even though I still call her "Baby Punkin" and an amazing baby, she really isn't a baby anymore. She's a busy toddler, and she is my delight!


Crystal Cove with Wren & Teresa

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We took a quick trip to Crystal Cove one Saturday last month when Teresa and Wren were in town. Michaela sat right down with a couple of little girls who had come prepared with their buckets and shovels. She happily played with them for quite a while. Mommy is going to have to get over her issues with sand and dirt, and get Michaela down to the beach once a week this summer!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Rethinking Summer Vacation

Well, now that I'm not marrying someone who's really wrong for me making huge life changes this summer, it's time to shift gears and rethink our summer plans.

School gets out on June 18th, and then we'll have more than ten luxurious weeks off from the daily grind. Right now it's an almost blank canvas, and I'm kind of overwhelmed. The first summer after Michaela was born was just a wonderful period of adjustment - the babymoon. Oh, how I loved that little baby punkin. Aside from sleep deprivation, it was all good. And last summer, she was just walking and so it was exciting to do new things together.

This summer I am anticipating the need to keep Michaela very busy. She is a very active little girl!

We already have plans to spend a week in Kauai with my parents in August. So that will be great! We also hope to visit our friends in San Francisco and the Central Coast, and spend a weekend with my aunt and uncle in San Diego. But that still leaves a lot of time to fill.

I think we'll:

Go back to Gymboree.

Take a weekly trip to Centennial Farms.

Go to storytime at the library.

And...

And...

And...

And that's about as far as I can get for weekly activities. I draw a blank after that.

Help! What do you moms of toddlers do with your kiddos?! Working mom needs help! I kind of feel like an idiot for not knowing what more to do. Sigh...