23 month newsletter

Dear Trixie.
Today you turn 23 months and I think I will call the month that passed the month of the singing. Lately you have been singing a lot, and you're not always singing songs that everyone knows. I love how you just sing along to the soundtrack in your head! It lets me know that you're my daughter, since I'm known to do that at well, I just tend to be a little better at making up my own lyrics, but I know you'll learn that skill too. Your two songs that you love to alternate between if you're signing a song we know is Old MacDonald and Happy Birthday. Old MacDonald is mostly "moo moo der, moo moo der, yiyiyo" and Happy Birthday is "happy happy to you, happy happy to you" over and over. It's adorable! Your nonsensical songs are pretty cute too, you'll sing about noises you hear, random words you've heard, or you'll just make up a sting of tones and have fun with that. And you have the most adorable voice. So sweet.
With your play you've really been working on jumping with 2 feet and for the most part you have it. Your Daddy will stack some books or some foam tiles for you to jump off to practice and it's become a favourite game. Each jump is always followed with a Happy Dance, which has quickly become your little signature to punctuate whenever you're really happy. You've also mastered walking down stairs holding on a hand and walking up stairs pretty much unassisted. I'm sure you could do both unassisted, but I like your head whole, so I'll hold your hand for a little longer to ensure it stays that way.
You so want to be able to ride a bike and get frustrated when I tell you that you're too small. We did buy you a baby seat for Daddy's bike though, so you can go for "bi-hi-cle" rides. Of course we have a helmet for you, we've had it for a while because you love to just wear them. I think in a couple months we'll be able to get you a bike, your Daddy and I are debating on which kind to get you.
Christmas came and went this past month, and you got a kitchen which you love to play in. You'll make me soup or tea or all sorts of other concoctions, I always tell you they are delicious, but I don't think I'll make bread, fish and lemon soup any time soon! You were given more duplo which you play with, and a cute little farm toy that you adore and play with nearly daily. I think your favourite toy though is a Caillou doll that I gave you. He does a lot with you, and your favourite game with him is hide and seek, Caillou always hides in your kitchen's fridge! You treat your Caillou doll like a big brother to your baby dolls, he never rides in your toy stroller and he never gets bottles or the babying that your dolls do. I think it's interesting that you have these divisions for them. You still love playing with your baby dolls, it'll go in waves, some weeks you're all about them and others you're interested in other things more. I think you'll make a great big sister though. You do seem to be a natural nurturer, but please remember, no blankets on baby's head!
In terms of getting ready for your baby brother, you seem to be excited. You know where he is and Daddy and I have shown you lots of videos of Mamas roaring to get the baby out of their bellies and you're always excited to see the new baby, then you ask for more baby. I wonder if you'll ask for more brothers after you see this one? We've started working on you saying the baby's name so you'll be ready when he's born. So far you've had no trouble and you know his name and that he's your brother. Looks like everything will go smoothly when he comes, although Daddy and I understand you might have some little hiccups, and that's okay too.
In an effort to get ready for baby brother I decided to make an honest effort to potty train you, but it went really poorly. We've learned that you don't handle being badgered well about some issues and you get stressed, which is a natural response. I think we'll hold off until you show more readiness. For a few weeks you were traumatized by the potty and would get really upset if anyone suggested it to you, but you're getting over that and you'll ask to sit on the potty again, which makes me happy! We'll take it slow and I'll let you let me know when you're ready. I don't think you're far off and we all know it's not a race, so take your time.
Your eating is the same. I've noticed that you eat best in social settings. Your Berkan Grandparents were here and commented a lot that you were a good eater, and you did eat great around them, and lead me to notice that you eat well around other people. When it's just you and me, you're less interested. I can have the most amazing spread of food stuffs for you and you'll just sample a couple things and proclaim yourself done really soon. I do have the most success if you are given things to dip and if you can eat off of my plate. Your growth is good and you're healthy so I'm not going to worry about this either.
With your speech you're amazing. You pick up words and phrases so quickly and use them in context really well. I love to see how your language develops. You're also counting a lot more, you know a lot of the countries on a world map and you love to colour and use stickers. Our days are busy with these activities, counting books, looking at a map, colouring, stickers and other such toddler activities. Oh and we play with your friends a lot. You adore your little friends and they love you too! I'm glad that I've found us such a great mother's group, so that you and I both have lots to do during the days and we've both made such amazing friends.
So my little love all in all this has been a busy month for us. Our last together, just the two of us! I am sure the next few months will be crazy, but we'll still have fun!
I love you!
Mama.

22 month newsletter

Dear Trixie,
Today you turned 22 months old! So in two months you'll be 2 years old. That is so scary to Mama! I find it hard to believe that you're nearly two, which I know is a giant cliche, but I still see you as my little baby. Although by the time you turn two you'll have a little brother and everything will be different for you, however I am sure you will love it.
This month has been a busy one for you developmentally. You've cut 3 of your 4 canines, currently you are working on 2 of them, so sometimes you wake up at night a little grumpy, but you're always happy in the morning, and you also finally cut your 4th bottom tooth. It confirms that you have some funny crooked teeth on the bottom, but I have some hope that your big ones will come in a little straighter! Physically you are about the same size, but you are developing so much more with your motor skills. You love to run and will given any chance. You're trying your hardest to do two foot jumps, and sometimes you manage to get both feet off of the floor. You've learned to walk down stairs holding a rail or Mama's or Daddy's hand. I am sure that this is a late development, but it is all my fault. I am a little paranoid of you falling so I would always carry you, but now that I am so pregnant, I've had to let go a little and of course you were able to do it just fine!
Cognitively you're amazing. The other day we had the power go out briefly and then later in the day you were sitting in the kitchen as I made dinner and you kept telling me "4, 9, 4, 9, 4, 9", so I looked at the clock on the stove and it was flashing 4:19! So the next morning I showed you your number book and on a whim I asked you where the 4 was and you identified it, then the 9 and all of the other numbers! So it's become a game for you and I to point out numbers. Yesterday at a restaurant you showed us our number and told us it was 5, 1, and it was. Daddy and I are quite shocked that you've just decided to demonstrate your understanding of numbers. We've known for a while that you could count, but we didn't know that you could identify them by sight.
A few weeks ago Daddy hung up a giant wall map in your play area and you've been learning the countries of the world, so far you can identify: Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, China and Brazil. It's a fun game for you, and you like to tease us, pretending to point to one country, only to change and point to the correct one.
In getting ready for Christmas this year I took you to see Santa and you were completely uninterested in him, then on our vacation to Southern California we tried with another Santa and again you were uninterested. The Santas assure me that it's a phase, and you'll soon be happy enough to see him. You will be happy to know that I didn't push him on you and there are no crying Trixie photos on Santa's knee.
Your vocabulary continues to grow as always. I've noticed that you've started to understand more abstract concepts. For example we were talking about some of your friends at a playdate and you were able to tell me who wasn't there, you used "not". "Not Tyler, not George...." It's interesting for me to see how your mind works. One day I gave you some dried kiwis and I watched you look at it, taste it and say to me: " Mama, not apple?" and I told you that it was kiwi, and you responded telling me that you had kiwi with Nana. I was shocked because you did, a year ago, and you haven't had kiwi since then. I wonder how far back you can remember, and for how long will you remember that trip to New Zealand a year ago. I guess we'll see when we go back there in a few months!
Tomorrow is Christmas and I hope that you have a lovely day. Daddy and I thought long and hard about what presents that you would love the best and narrowed the list down to a few. I hope that you're not too overwhelmed by everything!
Okay my sweet girl. I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow and I promise that the next month you and I will continue to have some amazing Mama and Trixie time, it will be the last we have before Baby Brother comes, then the three of us will have amazing time together!
love,
Mama.

21 month newsletter

Dearest Trixie;
Yesterday you turned 21 months old and I swear I didn't forget it. I did have some issues remember how many months you are though. I blame being 31 weeks pregnant growing you a little brother.
In the past month you have grown. I tortured myself yesterday by looking at photos of you from a year ago. It nearly made me cry. You've grown so much. I know that it's a cliche that children grow so fast, but you do. When you were 14 months old you had chubby cheeks and were just nearly toddling and we so baby. Now your face has leaned out, you run and you're so much more of a little girl. I still call you a baby though, and you don't argue, so I won't stop. Perhaps that will help me think of you as my baby a little longer.
This month you've continued to not be much of an eater, although we learned tonight that mashed purple cauliflower and carrots coins are good. You ask for berries, apples and bananas every day, and still love to lick jam off of your toast. Your Daddy and I still give you a bottle of formula or goat's milk at night and you seem to be growing fine, so I'm not worried. Oh and whenever we go to a restaurant you always ask the waitress or waiter for rice or noodles, which is "wice, newnos". Pretty dang cute!
With your play you have shown your love for all things with wheels, cars, trucks, trains, planes, buses, etc. You'll drive them all over the furniture making a noise like "weeeoooohhhhh", everything sounds the same. On Mondays you get excited when the garbage truck is outside of the window and you ask me over and over if the noise is the truck, and when he's there we'll look out the window, then you'll play truck for a while, with lots of weeeeooooohhhhs to accompany it. You still play with your babies, mostly pottying them and pushing them around in your toy stroller. And you love to play with your mini pots and pans. So I think Mama and Daddy are going to get you a kitchen for Christmas. I think you will love it! I've really been enjoying watching your imagination grow. It was important for me to see that you did have some creativity in you and you do! Hurray!
Your language continues to grow. This month we've talked a lot about the noises that animals make and you'll meow, woof, moo, oink and roar with joy. We've learned that many animals roar, even sharks, and sometimes rouge ladybugs. Today you told Daddy that "rinosaurs" roar when you were reading us the "Moo Baa La La La" book. Everyday you have a couple new words and you are very adept at getting your point across, and as a result you use your sign language less and less. We have been working on getting you to talk with your hands more, but it's a work in progress.
You've discovered the alphabet this month and you love to hear me sing it over and over, and just randomly you'll throw out letter combos in song, "H-I-J", "C-D-E" etc. It's cute. You've also started counting more and you can count to 6 on your own, but you do like to just count to 2 a lot. 1-2-1-2 over and over. It's funny. We've started to learn to spell your name, so far you can identify T and R, which is plenty for me. It's not something I'm going to push you on, but it's a fun game you like. You've become an expert at your shape sorter which mean I don't step on triangles any more since you used to favour the circles and squares then rectangles, leaving the triangles out 'cause they were harder. When you play with a nesting toy you'll work at it, almost systematically until you solve it, which has amazed some people, and makes me so proud. Your puzzles are a breeze for you and clearly it's time that I get you some more challenging toys.
You're still wearing 18-24 month clothes, and I find that you are built like your Mama. You've got short legs! I'm sorry sweet girl. Your Daddy and I have started to give you choices in the morning as to which shirt you'll wear and you will most often grab for both shirts at once, or simply refuse all shirts, wishing instead to go without.
Potty learning is still a fun game. You'll sit on a potty for an hour, happily reading a book or playing, but you won't pee. Instead you'll demand a "di-der" and then tell me a while later that you need the potty again. We're working on you letting me know before you pee that you need the potty, not right after. Still I won't pressure you, we work on it, but I'll let you decide when you need to make the transition to panties all of the time. I suspect it's soon because you loathe diapers and it can be quite the challenge to put a diaper on you some days.
With your little friends you've gotten really close to your buddy Leland, and your other buddy Leilani. Leland is all boy and you are quite the tomboy around him, digging in the dirt, looking for bugs, playing with trucks, and just being rambunctious. With Leilani you are much more a little lady, playing more quietly, holding hands with her and being more girly. With them both you divide your time, perhaps you'll be a little politician some day, equality for all!
At night you often start sleeping in your own bed, but between 2 and 4 am you'll make your way over to the big bed and crawl in with Daddy and I and ask for a bottle. I am happy to have you there, you're so cuddly and sweet. I'm still shocked that you took to your toddler bed so easily, you've never fought it, although we've never forced it on you either. I wonder what will happen once your little brother will be in the mix. You'll still have your place in the big bed, Baby Brother will just sleep on the other side of me, so that he's safe from your crazy sleep positions.
So it's been a busy month, but it went by too fast.
You're so sweet and cute. I love you so much!
love Mama.

Grandparents

Lately Trixie's vocabulary has really been expanding and she's been adding names to her list of "words". She's known the names of her friends for a while, but it's nice to hear that she can actually talk to them using something sounding like their names. However even cuter are the names for her grandparents.
Adam has Trixie talk to his parents frequently on the computer via a video chat, so she's become familiar with them and who they are. I'm pretty sure she realizes that they are two people, but she calls them both "Bubba", which is so cute, and kinda funny. I'll point to Adam's mom as ask who it is and she'll answer "Bubba" and the same with Adam's dad, "Bubba". With her toddler talk, she might have a slightly different name that sounds awfully the same for each, but for now it's Bubba and Bubba.
Then yesterday we talked to my Dad and my Step mom online and she recognized them from a year ago and labelled them correctly as Nana and Papa. That was impressive and she addressed them as such. Even drawing a picture of Nana and showing it to her.
For my mom she calls her "Graingma", I'm sure it'll evolve into Gramma at some time.
I'm kinda interested in what Bubba and Bubba will turn into.

30 weeks!

I forgot to remind the world on Monday that I'm 30 weeks pregnant. Which is a nice milestone, 3/4s there, nice round number. But alas, I have toddler, I am much more occupied with other things.
So we've named this baby Turducken for his project name. The unveiling of his name will be after he's born for a whole myriad of reasons. I chose Turducken 'cause it made me laugh, at the time I needed to laugh. It stuck. People often question the name. They want to know if I'm the turkey and he's the duck or chicken. I say no, he's Turducken, like Cher. I think it suits him, and it still makes me laugh.
Anyhow, he's an active boy, more than Trixie was, and I thought she was busy. She never woke me up at night with her hijinks and he does, nearly every night. He tolerates me semi lying on my stomach as much as she did, which is not at all, but he gets to suck it up, because that's what's comfortable.
Fortunately with all of his wiggling he's not hitting my bladder often, unlike Trixie who danced on it all of the time. I'm grateful about this because it hurt! He does kick or punch the top of my cervix, which is pretty unpleasant. He's also learned to pluck or strum my c-section scar, which is odd. It doesn't hurt, but it feels like he's pulling my uterus in then releasing it.
When he moves he tends to move his whole body, not just an arm and a leg. I can often see his movements, which is also odd for me 'cause Trixie didn't do that so much.
So only 7-12 weeks to see who has been doing all of this.
Should be interesting.