First Steps!!!

Brenna took two steps last night and FOUR steps tonight (note for baby book: she was 9 months and 5 days old). She realized she is not going to win the 800 meters at the Archdiocesan Championships in 2019 just sitting around all lazy. Training begins today.

Kidding, Brenna. I will never tell you that you are making God sad for not using your God given talents when you want to quit track in grade school. Only crazy parents do that.

We love you, Gram!

Supernanny

Due to Brenna's booger ears, she was put on and antibiotic and ear drops.

The medication caused thrush in her mouth (underneath her upper lip), which is a yeast problem that babies get. She's on another drug for that now, after visiting the doctor yesterday.

These three drugs (most likely the antibiotic) have also caused diarrhea, which is so bad that I had to give her a sink bath immediately upon walking into daycare today. Even though Brenna was in a great mood, I almost cried leaving her after she was all clean and in her extra clothes early this morning (and I was 45 minutes late for work).

Finally, the latest ailment has caused a diaper rash that is so painful for her, that we can't change her without feeling like we are torturing her.

Poor baby! She went 6 months of her life without getting sick, and then, thanks to a winter in daycare, she has been sick every couple weeks for the last 3 months... RSV at 6 months, a double ear infection/sinus infection/throwing up/puss in her eyes at 7 months, an unexplained fever at 8 months (easy month), and now another ear infection/thrush/diarrhea at 9 months.

Thank God spring is in less than a month. And after that, Brenna will get a daycare break from mid-May until mid-August!

That's right, Jo Frost herself, Aunt Kelly, is coming home this summer, and her job will be to care for her favorite one-year-old every day! We can't wait until our almost Ph.D. in Child Psychology, our very own Supernanny, comes to care for our baby.

I have a confession. When spelling the word, "psychology," I have to do a cheer from grade school cheerleading in the back of my head, "P-S-Y-C-H-E-D, psyched is what we want to be, get psyched, woo-woo, get psyched!" (clap, clap, clap). It's just one of those words.

32 years ago and 4 years ago today

My parents got married 32 years ago, and Jamie and I got engaged 4 years ago today.

We didn't remember either (well, technically that is because I had no idea what today's date was), until my mom reminded me about an hour ago.

Congratulations, Mom and Dad! Congratulations, me and Jamie.

By the way, when my mom told me this on the phone, I reminded Jamie, and we thought it was five years ago, but it was, in fact, only four.

Four long years... no, just kidding! They have been the four best years of my life, especially the last one.

Yep, this last year was even better than my Barbie playing/Disney World going/Jessica McClure cheering 8th-9th year of my life, and even better than my freshman year at Penn State (year 17-18), and that's saying a lot.

Hi, boogers are coming out of my ear

One of the girls waving hello below is currently on antibiotics and ear drops because a very gross booger-like substance is draining for from her left ear. I'm not going to embarrass anyone and say who it is, but she took one step today and fell down on her face. You can come to your own conclusions (and no, I didn't drink today, if that helps).

On another note, Brenna is in a fantastic mood, and she just can't stop saying hi to every person and every thing.

Our favorite 3-year-old

We were thrilled to attend Maura's Dora the Explorer themed party yesterday. It was the first kid-dominated party we have attended in years.

I would love to be able to again feel the excitement a 3-year-old feels when their birthday cake approaches them. Maura wrings her fingers together and shakes when it's someone else's birthday cake (we have a lot of family birthdays in the month leading up to hers to celebrate), so bringing her her own cake is epitomy of the purest joy there is.

Three 3-year-olds discuss the new birthday goods.


The men really enjoyed the Dora party. Ian was the biggest trooper of all, considering "Aunt Kelly" couldn't even be there, though she was missed!

Maura showed Riley the new bike and gear she will soon see cruising past her house... on training wheels.

Happy birthday, Maura. And, again, happy birthday to Ryan and Dannielle and everyone with the popular February 23 birthday!

Boots

Haha, yes, Michelle and Kelly and anyone else that noticed, Maura's boots were on the wrong feet in the snow pictures below :). I don't know how I forgot to mention that!

We didn't notice until we looked at the pictures.

Her snowpants were also on backwards, which we did know, but let it slide. With Brenna in my arms, and Bobby in Erin's, sometimes a three-year-old has to dress herself when she can't get outside to play in the snow fast enough!

Snow Day!

Today was our first official out-of-work snow day of the season! We didn't even get that much, but because the snow was to be followed by ice, we all stayed home. Jamie worked from home while I pretended to be a stay-at-home mom :).

I took Brenna over to play with Maura in the snow...

By the evening, Maura was bouncing off the walls. She turns 3 tomorrow, and is having a Dora party with all of her friends. Erin and Rob gave her a bike tonight.

Tomorrow is the most popular birthday I know of. One one of my best friend's, Dannielle, turns 30 (I'm going out in the city after Maura's party to celebrate), Jamie's brother Ryan turns 24, and a baby named Ben in our new playgroup turns 1. And, even though it's not a real birthday, our baby girl turns 9 months tomorrow.

At 9 months, Brenna now says, "Haaa," and waves hello to us constantly. She drank apple juice diluted with water for the first time today, and she loved it. She has been sleeping like a champ (11-12 hours every night - knock on wood). She climbs stairs and cruises along furniture; she now even lets go of one piece of furniture and steps towards a new piece. Her first steps will be right around the corner! And, cutest of all, after her hair got messed up today, I witnessed her first curl.

God, I love her.

Looking good for 53, ladies!

to my mom and my aunt mare :)

Happy One Month, Bobby!

Wake up - you are getting old!

You're never fully dressed without a smile!

Before we went over to Gram and Po's tonight to celebrate Gram's birthday (on the 20th), I gave Maura two of her five birthday presents while I babysat her this morning (her's is the 23rd):

1. A ballerina book (she wanted me to read it immediately... she started ballet and tap on Saturday, which she loved!), and

2. An Annie dress-up dress. She is obsessed with Annie, so I bought her this left-over Christmas dress that was a couple of dollars that I thought looked (close enough for a 3-year-old) like Annie's dress. Maura took one look at it and asked me if she could open something else!

I told her I'd just give it to Brenna, so she quickly changed her mind, and said she wanted to wear it (with her tap shoes):

Climbing the bridge, "with her arms," just like Annie...

When I saw Erin later, she told me that Maura told her that something cracked at our house. I had no idea what she was referring to at the time, but now I'm thinking she might have cracked the curtain holder that she was hanging from in this picture (even though I told her not to put any weight on it)! She continued to play with it while I was in the next room... I'm going to check it now!

Peanut Butter Cookies

It's Saturday, what do you want to do, Mom?

Hmmm....

I know just the thing!

Let's make Peanut Butter Cookies!

Fifteen minutes. That's it. What do you say?

I will handle the mixing!Only five more minutes!

I can hardly wait to taste them!
I love Saturdays!