Our Week

Monday: Park with the mom's group

Tuesday: Disneyland! with Auntie Sam.  Marea like the Tiki room, Pooh ride, It's a Small World, but cried on the Jungle Cruise.  She enjoyed a giant mickey chocolate covered ice cream bar and most of the frozen lemonade I wanted all to myself!

Wednesday: Coastline class...without Evie for this one, so I could observe her play a bit more.  I'm trying to be more aware of the social issues that are coming up now as she's more interested in playing with other kids.

Thursday: We had to do a bit of shopping because we cooked dinner for Isabella and her family, as our contribution to the 'meal train' to welcome their new baby.

Friday: Dress up play date at Kayla's house, with two Bellas, Chloe, Maddie and the babies.  Marea donned her bikini, mexican bikini cover, sunglasses and lei.  A hawaiian look (ha ha, no princess for me!)

Saturday is the first annual Chili's reunion picnic and Sunday we are vacating the house so Gary can paint our new window seat.  We'll spend the day at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Long Beach where we're having a birthday dinner for Grandma.  And Marea will get to play with Jackie and Emily.

So is it any wonder that with all these activities, along with my usual upkeep of chores and the house, that when I get a few minutes, I forget to write in here?????

Current favorite thing that the kids are doing....Jumping together.  Evie just cracks up when Marea jumps on the couch or the bed. It's the best, and caught on video!

Finally, back to this

I know I said I was going to write more.  Ha!  Well i'm trying!

Evie loves her pretzel sticks.  The super hard ones from Trader Joes.  Perfect for teething.  She just seems to love food.  So far, it's sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, and squash.  Almost time to start something new.  I think i'll try avocado next.  Marea didn't like it till she was older, but it's always worth a shot.  Now Marea will often put down a whole avocado if I let her.  Although I usually only try to give her half.  It just seems so rich, to eat an entire avocado at 2.9 years old!

Miss Miss E

What I often find myself calling Evie these days is either 'miss miss' or 'miss e'.  I am considering changing the name of this blog to 'Little Miss E Pie' to reflect the nicknames of both my  girls, because doing a whole separate blog for Evie isn't possible, I just don't have the time for that.  So this blog will have to be for both the girls.  A lifetime of sharing is in store for them anyways!  

(And for the record, Marea often goes by 'Big M' these days.  Or baby cakes.  Or sweet face.   Or honey pie. )

I've thought a million times about writing in here but just haven't done it. Most of the time I just forget, it's hard.  Or my brain isn't working well enough to put my thoughts together.  But I am going to try harder.  Because I feel this baby-toddler phase slipping away from me, and I don't want to forget any of it!  I love it so much!  

So here's some random stuff going on with us.

Evie just turned six months old!  I really can't believe it.  She still has her serious case of 'I must stick everything into my mouth no matter what it is-itis'.  Mostly this includes toys, although she prefers anything thats not a toy that looks interesting.  Last night we took her to original pizza and she went nuts for some crust.  Everytime we had to take it away because it was getting too mushy or breaking off she would start to wimper and cry till we gave her a fresh piece.   She's sitting up so well.  She LOVES watching Marea and is kind of starting to interact with her.  And Marea has fun entertaining Evie these days.  Evie loves looking at herself in the mirror.  We have a little game where when I stand her up on her changing table, she looks in the mirror and gives herself and me a big old smile and a screech.  I think that's my favorite right now.  She also loves putting her feet in her mouth at changing time.  And she does the Evie bounce.  Any time she gets excited, or wants something, she does this whole body wiggle.  It's so darn adorable. 

Marea just got signed up for preschool and i'm so excited.  I know she's going to love it, and i'm looking forward to being able to share the experience with her since it's a co-op.  Some of her friends are going there too, and i'm glad she'll be able to have them there with her (Maddie, Mia and Sean, Kate).  Hopefully they'll all be lifelong friends.  Marea is still loving her music in the car, and that makes me so happy.  She thinks i'm the DJ though, and that can be hard when i'm driving.  She knows all her favorite songs and will demand them from the back seat.  (You are my sunshine, No strings, Froggy went a courtin, and Little bird which is her absolute fave right now).    I know there's more, but my brain is fried for now.  So i'll be back-sooner next time...to tell more stories about my all time favorite girls.  

She's gonna eat it!

Evie puts everything in her mouth.  Which is normal.  Marea thinks it's hilarious, and will often say, 'Evie's gonna eat it!" when Evie grabs for something and heads for the mouth.  The funny part to me is how WET Evie is all the time.  The kid seriously produces an enormous amount of drool while mouthing everything.  I've resorted to putting bibs on her whenever she's playing with toys.  Because the front of her shirt is soaking wet afterwards if I don't.  

One fun game with like to play is the 'Evie Monster'.  Marea loves it when I have Evie go after her and say,' AHHHH, it's the Evie Monster!'  Evie likes to leave a big gob of wetness on Marea's head.  Payback!

We're back in the Coastline Parent Education class and Marea is loving it.(And so am I!) On the first day, she hid under the slide and cried when it was time to leave.  Marea never does stuff like that!  I think her favorite part of the class is the end, when we do the outside circle and do ring around rosie and the hokie pokie.  She's always smiling, laughing, and singing.  She also enjoys the art and crafts project and is always very excited to take her things home and show them to Gary.  She absolutely loved a pair of binoculars made from two toilet paper roll tubes.  She carried those around forever.   Her and Madison play together a lot in that class, mostly in the play house.  I think they are playing babies and families a lot.  I like the class because I am able to focus on thinking about what Marea is going through developmentally.  Which has been difficult for me lately because I still have a new baby at home.   So I really like that time where I get to think about where Marea is at.  The toddler years are such a fascinating time, and the discussions always get me thinking.   It's true that when you understand what they are going through, that the more difficult aspects are easier to handle.  

Don't Cook It!

The toddler power struggle can be SO frustrating.  And so entertaining and funny.  One of Marea's favorite control issues is asking for something to eat but not wanting me to cook it.  Like oatmeal (aka eatmeal).  She will ask for oatmeal, then tell me not to cook it, and cry when I do.  She cries when I heat anything up.   Always after asking for something to eat, the next phrase is, 'don't cook it!'

Another adorable thing she's been saying lately is 'Why not?'  What she really means is just 'why'.  It sounds so funny sometimes.  "Marea, please pick up your blocks....why not?", or "Marea, lets put your shoes on....why not?" and on and on about everything. 

The newest favorite game is her pretend family game.  Every imaginable thing becomes a family...every stuffed animal, figurine, doll, etc. becomes a mom, dad, big sister, and baby sister.  Even the forks from her play kitchen became family people yesterday. I couldn't help but laugh (secretly, of course!).  Mostly they go to bed or go to the potty.  Those are her favorite things to do with them.  Gary and I help her elaborate on this play and it can turn out very funny sometimes.  I just hope we don't give her some strange ideas.  Especially Gary.  His sense of humor can be so strange sometimes.  Why did I have to explain to him that The Simpsons is not appropriate for a 2 year old?

Now on to Miss Evie....She's just getting cuter by the second!  Her favorite thing to do right now is stand on our laps and interact with us.  She loves to grab my face and scream and laugh.  She's also miss grabby hands...I sit her up on the floor and she will grab for everything all at once.  (She can sit up now!).  It's like she can't make up her mind so she goes for everything.  And of course, it's straight into the mouth.  The baby decathalon is in effect around here.  It's the command center, doorway jumper, high chair, standing on our laps, floor time....eat and nap.  Her favorite book is Little Bee and her favorite toy is Sophie the Giraffe.  She is so darn wet all the time...she is the drool queen, and I have to keep a bib on her all the time so her clothes arn't soaked.   And now I must go, because she's up from her nap!

My fave words-Second Edition

macamole-guacamole

green bag chair-our green bean bag chair

hair crip-hair clip

eatmeal-oatmeal

 

keep em coming marea!  don't start talking like a big girl just yet!

Things I want to remember

Marea's fave babyhood books:  Bean (BEEEEEEEEEAN); Polar Bear Polar Bear, and that bizarre Twinkle Twinkle book.

Marea's fave songs:  right now it's from the Elizabeth Mitchell CD, "Little Bird', and her remake of Bob Marley's "three little birds" (which is why we got a new doormat with three little birds!)

And she's also enjoying 'No Strings' (from the Folk Playground CD) 

Marea's new fave thing to say to me when I ask her to do something: 'i busy'.  Oh really?  

Evie's humming after one of our night time sessions...the cutest darn noise ever!  Even at 2 am I hold her for that extra minute just so I can hear it.

Evie and her thumb:  Yeah!  She can suck her thumb, and she loves it.  I lay her down and she goes for her thumb and goes to sleep.  Hooray for the thumb!  (i bet i'll be taking this back when she's 5).

I also want to remember how during her fussy days, Gary whistled her Beatles songs while looking in the bathroom mirror with her, and it calmed her down.  Too funny!  And too bad I can't whistle!