spencer's new tricks

signs! spencer is signing a bit. her favorite one is book. when i ask her how to sleep she'll tilt her head and put her arm to the side of her head. she'll also sign "all done," "bath," and "milk." for as much as she likes to eat i thought that would be a popular sign for her but when she sees food she's overcome with excitement and forgets about everything else. she just started shaking her head when someone says "no no no."

she dances! this girl's got moves! one day she was standing at the front door and our neighbors across the street were playing music and she started swaying her hips back and forth. we'll say "dance" and she'll start moving and waving her arms and shaking her head. in a store last week, i could barely hear the music and she was sitting in her stroller moving her shoulders, kicking her feet all in rhythm. i love it love it love it! spencer points her finger a lot at things she wants to get a closer look at or just notices from a distance, especially balloons. i think she could spot a bunch from 20 yards away. she also does this thing where she tenses up, clenches her jaw, opens her eyes wide and points very precisely at whatever it is that grabbed her attention (she uses that pointer like a laser). it's sign of pure excitement and she often does it when she sees sweet potatoes or any type of cake.

she likes to play peek-a-boo, where she does the peeking. when she has a book open she'll put it on her head or over her face and then move it down real fast. i'll say "peek-a-boo" and she'll do it again and again and again. in her big baby words book i'll tell her to point out certain things and for the most part she does--like butterfly, banana (of course!), boat, frog. i love to watch her catch-on to things like this for the first time. in her room, she has little bo peep and two sheep on the wall, and i'll say "say hi to the sheep" or "tell the sheep night night" and she looks over there and opens and closes her hand in a wave. she mutters a little "nigh nigh"--at least i think so.

spencer is 1!

my little pencie turned 1 on june 7. i was so excited for this birthday and i don't know why. maybe because i know of all that is still to come . . . first words (of which there really aren't any yet), first steps (eh, kinda of in the same boat with this one), etc. i remember every moment of her birth and those days in the hospital like they were yesterday. i remember the position in which she was laid on my chest when she was born. i remember her being so quiet and calm in those first minutes, and how she felt so heavy to me at the time though just 7.14 and 21 inches long. but now, she's 19.6 lbs, and 30 inches of sweetness! really, i think she has sugar running through her veins.

we had a nice party with neighborhood kids and family. we were all outside and the weather was beautiful. the kids made the party--they were so excited over the water balloons, water pistols, bubbles, sprinkler. i made sloppy joes, mae mae made mac n cheese for the kids, we had brownies, cole slaw, pasta salad. an over-abundance of food as always. mike and i were talking about the party long after it was over. everyone had a great time and i wasn't stressed or worried about anything. it was perfect. the cake was amazing. it was beautiful and delicious--buttercream frosting, marble cake, 3 little cupcakes on top and a "smash cake" that i didn't know i was getting. pink icing, purple and yellow polka dots. spencer had no qualms about diving into this thing. the tray on her high chair wasn't even locked in and she was grabbing fistfuls.

spencer had a blast crawling around, eating, playing, and sitting on top of her birthday presents. that water table box was a hit. i think all the kids were on it at one point. some of her gifts include books, hair clips, a signature onesie with her name on it (thank you cousin corey and amanda), a bubble machine, play purse, savings bonds, tights and babylegs, and so much more! pencie was wiped out by bed time and just as i was putting her down aunt debbie came in--she drove all the way from ohio in horrendous weather to make it to the party. we were so so so happy to see her. we played for a bit and spencer got to visit with aunt deb, which she doesn't get to do as much since debbie moved, but each moment with her is so special. the little shabby chic doll chair is perfect size for pencie and she loves to "hug" the little baby that came with it.

we had a crazy fast year and they're only going to go by faster so i'm trying to soak it all in and not wish her any older. thought i'm dying for her to take some steps--it's going to be so cute to see that short little body walk.

happiness is . .

i had to post this picture of riley swinging at our friend wendie's. she looks like older, and like she's got nothing else on her mind--genuinely happy. there are times when i look at her and think "god, i don't know the last time i was that excited or happy about something." and she gets this way over running through the sprinkler, chasing a friend at the park, blowing bubbles, eating ice cream, or just seeing a friend. she's just so innocent. like any parent i'm sure, i don't want her to see anything bad (i don't even like her to see people smoking) or get her feelings hurt. i want her to be strong and see the silver lining in any crappy situation. if only she could be this happy for the rest of her life . . .

"you don't say anything!"

riley says this when she's mad and mike and i repeat whatever it was she just said. this really frosts her cookie. another popular one is "you don't say that. i can only say that." we can't help but laugh. she's become quite a little sasser. about the silliest, smallest things too, like going to the bathroom or getting her pjs on. riley's also become a hitter, accompanied by a real snotty "no!" this is a one-way ticket to her room where she will SCREAM and cry and hyperventilate forever. i don't know if she has ever totally calmed down on her own--i usually go in there, tell her to take a deep breath and count to ten. sometimes it works, sometimes she just wants to be a grumper. when they're sweet, they're super sweet and my heart melts in my chest, but other times i want to give her a good flick to the mouth.

i have to give the girl some credit, she can really make me smile. she'll tell me out of the blue that she loves me and will give me a big hug. as soon as she wakes she wants to sit in her "nest," which is my legs when they're crossed indian-style, and read nursery rhymes. in the mornings she'll crawl in bed with me and i doze on and off and she'll lay next to me sucking her thumb and rubbing my arm. then she'll say "roll up" so that means i have to get juice and all that business.

Baby swings

Spencer's most favorite thing to do now is swing, whether it's a baby swing at the park or a porch swing or anything. As soon as we get close to the park she gets all excited and points. While in the swing she doesn't seem too thrilled but once I get her out she has a fit and is lunging to get back in the swing. She also loves to stand in the pirate ship, holding the rails and looking around. The smaller, older play structure suits her just fine as well. On this one she stands and holds onto the chimey metal things. I think we were in that for about 30 minutes, and she could have stayed longer. In a way I wish she could walk so she could explore things for herself at the park. Soon enough . . ..

Pee Wee

We got a fish . . .or had a fish. Our first fish was bought, along with a plastic bowl and some food, while I was grocery shopping at Meijer. It was a cute little calico goldfish. Riley named "her" Pee Wee. The next day grandpa came over to go to the fish store to get Pee Wee a friend, a pump, new tank, the works. He said the fish would last longer if we had a little filter/pump because it would put oxygen in the water and not make it so nasty. We went to Pet Food & More, got a new little bubble-eyed orange goldfish. Oh, I have to say I was tempted to get a bunny--a real pet. Spencer FLIPPED. she loves watching animals move around and eat and stuff. She nearly jumped out of her stroller, legs kicking, squealing. I love it. Riley was fascinated hovering over the tanks and watching the "bubbles." I think I was more excited about the fish than she was. I figure we needed a good starter pet, but now I'm thinking a goldfish isn't a good starter pet because they always die. I kill fish--it's just my nature. None of mine ever lived.

Anyway, Pee Wee #1 was looking a little funky so grandpa took care of him while Riley napped. She woke and didn't say a thing about it. She focused on her new fish, same name. This little guy was hungry. All he wanted to do was eat eat eat. It was fun to watch. Spencer got a total kick out of that little guy swimming all around. She was kicking her feet, hootin' and hollerin'. All the neighborhood kids (Olivia, Jackson, Hadley, Lilly) came over and were amazed by Pee Wee. They could have watched him all day. That was Tuesday. Today is Friday and I woke to find Pee Wee laying on his side, barely moving. What the heck happened? I told Riley he was sick and needed to see the fish doctor at the pet store so we'll be taking him in this afternoon. I'm determined to make this work. The fish was cute and fun to watch. Plus, I spent $40 on all the fish fixin's so I'm not going to let it go to waste.

back to the thumb (and loving it)

Riley's thumb started looking much better. We wrapped it, we let it breathe, did hydrocortisone, neosporin, lotion, etc. It's not totally back to normal but is looking good. However, I decided to let Riley suck it at nap time and bed time and our lives are sooooo much better now :) Not having her thumb to soothe and relax made Riley very testy though she never asked to suck her thumb. I don't think she put the two together, but I did. She was cranky and fussy, whining and crying. Bed time and nap time was tough too. I finally gave in and said she could suck it for nap. She was nervous at first and held her thumb to her mouth and looked at me as if to ask again if it was okay. I said "it's okay." She laid down and I could see her whole body relax. She was in her happy place for sure.

I know she's got to stop sucking it eventually but she's just too little to stop now. Lately, she's been wanting to go to bed so she can suck. It'll be 10am and she'll say "I'm tired. I want to go to bed . .. . .and I can suck my thumb" She laid in there for about 10 minutes one morning and came back totally refreshed--like she needed a quick fix.

Oh, and she started telling Spencer "no sucking your thumb" even though spencer doesn't do it that often. I had to say "it's okay, she's just a baby."

11 months

pencie is 11 months. totally unbelievable how fast this year has gone by. it didn't feel this fast before riley turned 1. she is still a petite little thing. maybe weighing 19 or 20 lbs with a cute little head, chubba legs, and the daintiest yet nimble fingers. i love watching her pick up cheerios with her left pincers. she's so precise.

she's a pro at "so big!" and claps all the time. spencer loves climbing the cushions to the chair and standing on the springs playing with the cordless phone. i think she was there for almost an hour tonite totally content and happy. she's even starting to let go of things while she stands and holds a toy or phone, etc. her sense of balance is incredible.

my happy little angel. you are just plain sweet. my favorite moment with you is when you've just woke up but are still tired and i hold you on my chest, you rest your head on my left shoulder and suck your thumb. and you're not antsy to play or get moving, you just want to snuggle.

no thumb

i can't believe how sad it makes me that riley is no longer sucking her thumb. it didn't happen willingly, however. last week her thumb was swollen, blotchy, pink, purple, and scaley. i thought she got bit by something outside or picked a nasty weed or something so mike took her to the doctor's. immediately upon seeing her thumb he said it was an allergic reaction to sucking it. what?! seriously. the first day went okay until it was time to nap and go to bed at night. it is a HUGE comfort for her to suck. it calms her down and soothes her to sleep. i have always loved the fact that she sucked her thumb and never had a pacifier. it's so sweet. the next day or two she started sleeping without sucking and doing fine. i was so happy. she did seem much crankier and whiney and super restless when it came time to go to sleep, though that is getting better.

so great she's not sucking her thumb anymore, right? not really. i'm sitting here crying about it. all those relaxing moments we had together where she would suck her thumb and rub my arm and little scab or patch of dry skin or mole are gone. she hasn't once said "Arm!" or "Mole" when i'm putting her to sleep. it was such a sweet moment we would share that was quiet and i felt so loved and so maternal just being by her side and letting her rub my skin. but now she has no desire. it sounds really selfish but i almost want her to suck it again just to be able to lay next her like that. unfortunately, it's another phase that is over and a sign that she's getting older.

i'm sure there will be something else, a new thing, but for now while i wait to see what that new thing is i'm devastated.

crawling

so, at 9 months and 1 day spencer crawled. it was just a few little crawls toward the camera that i had put on the floor. she was totally off her belly on all fours. no "wounded soldier" for her! i'm sure it's only a week or so before she's zipping around the house.