A milestone for Scott!!!!

Scott stood up from the floor ALL BY HIMSELF today!!!! Usually, he has to pull up on a piece of furniture, and he'll take off walking from there. We've been working so hard to get him to use those core muscles to stand up on his own, but it's really hard for him.

Anyway, Scott was in the playroom, and I popped in a Baby Signing Time DVD for Juliet to watch while I put him down for his nap. He heard the music, and immediately tried to get up so he could go into the living room to watch the show. I watched him from down the hall, and he was trying so hard, the little guy. He'd get up on his hands and feet, and he'd try to use his core muscles to pull himself up to stand, but then it would be too hard, and he'd give out. He tried about three times with no luck, and then he finally did it! I was so excited, I started shrieking and crying, and I grabbed him up in a hug, and I think I scared him.

So it was an exciting day for us.

I am way overdue for a post, and I have tons of pictures I need to share. As usual, life has gotten away from me. Suffice it to say, the kids are good, Juliet is a full-time walker (have I mentioned that already? I think I have), Scott is doing wonderfully well at school, and we're preparing for his transition out of Early Steps with his third birthday.

Hopefully, I can get on and post some pictures tomorrow.

Halloween hangover

Yesterday was Halloween, and it was a busy day around here! We started our morning at our playgroup Halloween party, where we snapped our annual picture of the kids in all their get-up. It's getting progressively harder as the years go by to get a decent picture of our kids together.

This was the best we could do this year:

Here we have (clockwise) Scott the monkey, Brinley the kitty-cat, Tinkerbell Emma, Abby as Snow White, Paige as the uncooperative Abby Cadabby, and Cinderella Bethany.


Um, yeah. They weren't the most cooperative subjects. Notice Paige has exited the premises.



Here they are during our first Halloween party, two years ago. This was back when playgroup was quiet, and the kids stayed in one place, and all us mommies would hang out and enjoy our coffee and chat with one another. It's not so much like that anymore.

You're looking at Lindsey the ladybug, Paige the witch, Scott the Chinese Dude, Emma the pumpkin, and Brinley, the ladybug.

Can you see the long, black braid hanging from the hat Scott is wearing? Hee!



Juliet did not get to be in this year's playgroup picture because she had a bad cold and had to remain quarantined in the pack 'n play in the corner of the room. Here she is, gazing longingly at the Halloween fun.

She felt so crummy, I didn't even put her in her Halloween costume. We'll have a re-do later today.

We did sing Happy Birthday to her, though, so it's not like she was totally left out. I think she looks a lot like my baby pictures in this photo.


Later yesterday evening, I took Scott over to my friend Leslie's house for trick or treating while Travis kept sniffly Juliet at home. Our neighborhood doesn't have much trick or treating at all, but there were a ton of kids out in Leslie's neighborhood. Scott had a great time, riding from house to house in the wagon. I let him get out and walk up to several doors for candy, but Scott is a wiley thing and kept trying to run away from me, so back into the wagon he'd go. Plus, his monkey costume throws off his balance, and I was worried he would fall.

Check out our crew.

You're looking at Scott the monkey, Luke the cowboy, Theo as Robin, Jack (Theo's brother) as Batman, and Tank (Luke's brother) as a knight.

The weather was cool, which was a good thing, since Scott was dressed in 83 pounds of monkey fleece.


Check out the loot!

Travis and I have already eaten most of it. Ah, the joys of having children at Halloween.

Travis's parents drove their RV over to a local park for the weekend, so we're heading over there this afternoon for a family birthday festivus for Juliet. More pictures to come.

Juliet turned a year old yesterday!

My darling Juliet,

I can't believe you are 1 year old today! A year ago tonight, you were born, and it was absolutely thrilling. Your birth was one of the most surreal, amazing moments of my life - not to mention a most welcome reprieve from the DAYS of labor I endured beforehand. That's right, young lady. Days. I will be reminding you of that fact in the future, I'm sure.

You are starting to take your first steps, and it is delightful to watch! You will take four or five steps before you lose confidence in yourself and sit down on the floor, but I know you'll be running all over the house in no time.

You've recently started the most adorable, little baby jabber, and you are often carrying on conversations with yourself that sound like, "Bleh-bwee-bweh-bleh." It makes your daddy and me laugh to hear you "talk." You do have a nice repertoire of legitimate words, though, with your favorites being "ball" (pronounced with the most adorable Southern accent) and "kitty" (sounds like "tee"). You are always pointing out round objects and excitedly proclaiming them balls, including the dome light on the ceiling fan and the little crystals that hang from the chandelier in the foyer. And anything with fur is a kitty - from your stuffed animals to your Mimi's Puppy. You are also entertaining us with words like "uh oh," "book" and "baby." You love to sign "kitty," and you will often sign for your drink, milk, and - the most important sign of all - crackers. You are a demanding, little thing when it comes to your crackers.

You're a pretty good eater, with hot dogs and cheese topping your list of favorites (and cat food!), but you still depend on mama very much for your milk. You tend to be a busy, little baby and not the most snuggly, so I cherish those quiet nursing times you and I have together. You tug at my heart when you open and close your little fist while nursing - the sign for milk.

I am so grateful for your sleeping habits, Juliet! You go to bed at night with little fuss at all. We nurse, rock for a few minutes, and then into the crib you go, wide awake, where you snuggle up with your little, furry blanket, your stuffed kitty, and your pacifier. You gave up your middle-of-the-night snacks at about 7 months, and now you sleep all not long until about 7 a.m. (sometimes 6 a.m., which Mama does not care for in the least - I do not like to get up before the sun). You are still taking two naps a day, but you can sometimes be tough to get to sleep at naptime. You'd much rather be up and playing with your toys or torturing Tad Smith.

And speaking of Tad Smith (or "Tee!" as you call him), he is your favorite toy of all. You love to pat him, pull his tail, yank on his ears and grab hunks of his fur. Thankfully, he is a pretty tolerant cat, but he will nip at you to let you know when he's had enough. You take great delight in his reactions to you, and you giggle whenever he bites you. Which makes me nervous because HELLO, Tad Smith sent your daddy to the ER about two years ago. Still trying to figure out how to distract you from the cat.

You are such a monkey, always getting into things and climbing on everything. You adore crawling up stairs, and you especially love little chairs that are just your size. You will make a game out of climbing in and out of a little, child-sized chair, often diving head-first onto the floor in the process. I'm afraid you are going to be quite the daredevil.

Juliet, you bring a little bit of magic into my life. You are a blessing to your daddy and me, and to Scott. I love you more than words can say, my sweet daughter.

Love,
Mommy



This picture makes me laugh.


*I wrote this yesterday, but what with Halloween and all the busyness around here, I only got around to posting it this morning.