Eloise at one year old

It is really happening...Eloise Hope is turning ONE year old tomorrow!  In the past few days, I have been thinking about the days leading up to her birth. I wondered how I would care for two little ones & what it would be like to love another baby.  A year into this, I am so thankful that God has caused my heart to grow to absolutely adore and love Eloise along with that big sister of hers. I am thankful that he has caused me to persevere through the challenging days as I figure out how best to care for our growing family.  I am thankful that Eloise Hope has been given to us for as many years as the Lord sees fit. I am thankful to be her mommy & my heart is happy as I sit and think about celebrating the day she was welcomed into our family.  It has been easy to reminisce about her actual birth as I spent the majority of the weekend at work helping others become mommies. I had a patient in the same room where Eloise was born & then did a delivery with Dr. Lopez who delivered her.  Talk about flashbacks!

Here is little Miss Eloise at ONE YEAR OLD in her birthday dress

The theme of the celebration is bunnies (if you couldn't tell). After Char looked so darn cute with her Ladybug antennae when she turned one, I had to make something for Elo to wear on her head too!

 Stats: I will add these in after her appt on Thursday

 What our Honey Bunny is up to at one year old:

• says "ah" & points at everything- sometimes it means "I want that" & sometimes it is just to point out that she noticed something
• growls all the time- Robby's favorite word to describe her right now is "primal" & he is right on!
• says mama, dada, all done (ah do) & I think she tried to say "right there" as she instructed me where to put her snack
• walks along holding onto the couch, table or bathtub
• takes a few steps behind walker toy
• stands unassisted for about 10 seconds
• has 7 teeth- 4 on top & three on bottom
• wears 12-18 month clothes, size 3 diapers & size 3 shoes
• squirmy as all get out when we are attempting to change a diaper or put clothes on her
• shrieks loudly when she is excited or just trying to get attention
• points outside when you ask her where the birds are
• loves to be tickled & loves to tickle us even more- she makes a "ti ti ti ti" sound as she attacks us with her claws.  She has also been known to tickle her food before she eats it!
• LOVES books! She picks them up & throws them at us as hard as she can saying "ah ah ah" like "read it to me or else Mommy!"  It actually really hurts if the book hits you just right & she laughs when you say "ouch Elo, that hurt!"
• acts like a maniac in the girls' tent that has been set up for about a month straight now.  She rolls herself all over it & knocks it on its side. Not sure where she learned that ; ) 
• happy as can be in the car when she is seated by her sissy who sings "do, re, mi" to her saying "come on Elo, sing wif me!"
• finally mastered both regular sippy cups & ones with straws
• she has become quite dangerous this week with her stunts of choice being standing in her high chair, sliding down the mini school bus slide unassisted, face first on her belly & dangling over the side of the tub over the tile....heart attack for mommy!
• LOVES the school bus and spends the majority of her playtime on it. She has liked it for quite some time but was unable to climb onto it (which I loved).  Rob walked past the room the other day and glanced over to see Eloise perched on the top of the slide grinning ear to ear with Mommy no where in sight! We quickly spoke to Charlotte, thanking her for helping her sister get on the bus but reminded her that she can't be on there if Mommy & Daddy aren't around. Charlotte just nodded her head.  The next day, I got a text from Rob with a video of Elo on the bus & a message saying "I think we blamed the wrong person...oops!" Haha! So now we just surround it with pillows & let her climb all over it. She rarely falls & it entertains her for a LONG time. 

Oh the blessed hours when the house is quiet: Eloise is going to bed around 7:30 or 8 now. We pushed back her bedtime a bit because the girls go to sleep better when put to bed at the same time. They still cause a little trouble that we watch from the monitor for our evening entertainment but most nights they are sound asleep within 15 minutes. We have been laughing when we put Eloise in her bed & then are putting Charlotte in hers while Eloise jumps up & down holding the side rails just shrieking like a monkey.  We say "Eloise, lay down, it's time to go night night." She lets out another shriek and then does what Rob calls a "bail out dive" onto the mattress.  Thankfully the bumper pads have prevented some big bumps on the head : ) She does this EVERY time you tell her to lay down. We can't help but laugh which probably encourages her to do it more right? I don't care, it's hilarious. She is waking up super happy and ready for the day around 7.  She would probably play all morning but falls asleep easily around 9 & sleeps till 10:30. She & Char nap at the same time in the afternoon usually from 12:30-2:30 but they sleep in different rooms.  I like those two hours, in fact, I feel a bit frazzled on days where one or both girls decide not to nap. I will hold onto the morning nap as long as I can but will look forward to when she can make it through the morning & take just the one long nap in the afternoon.  I think it will really free up our schedule.

Shovel it in: This girl eats WAY more than her older sibling & is still not picky minus her extreme disgust for bananas.  Her current favs to eat like they are going out of style are clementine oranges, blueberries, grapes, cinnamon apples or pears, broccoli & pancakes.  Rob watched her eat a freshly peeled clementine in about 5 seconds flat. She puts one bite mark in the slice and then swallows it whole....never choking!  She is unhappy when her tray is suddenly empty after the eating frenzy.  She also eats anything she sees on the floor but if I catch her, she takes it out of her drooly mouth  & hands it right to me. Sweet girl : ) She has been drinking some milk from a sippy cup while I am away but still prefers a bottle. I think we will work on weaning from the bottle during the course of this month. She is nursing 4 times a day usually around 7, 11, 3 & 7. She is super fast, usually gentle & sometimes growls.

It's hard to see but there is a little bunny tail on the back of her bloomers.
Another fun fact, those were my bloomers when I was a baby : ) 

Well that about wraps up all the excitement Elo brings to our home as she turns one. Birthday week started off with a bang for her as we went to Menchie's Frozen Yogurt & shared some chocolate & vanilla swirled together with mini M & Ms on top.  To say she loved it would be an understatement. I figured we needed to break her in slowly in preparation for her yummy cupcake she will get to enjoy on her big day! My Mom gets in this afternoon & my brother Kyle will be here tomorrow. We have some fun things planned to celebrate with our one year old....sounds funny to say! Happy Birthday Elo!

Great thanks to Christi Johnson who took the photos for us, cooked us dinner AND let Charlotte borrow a pair of Jude's undies since we forgot hers : ) GREAT friends!

project 365: [days 140-146]

May 20th- Finished up a Birthday Burlap Bunny Banner......that's a lot of B's!

May 21st- Day 1 of Daddy/Daughter swim lessons: Bubble blowing!

May 22nd- Jude & Charlotte got to ride the boat at Sea World. 

May 23rd-  Pork Tacos....yummy!

May 24th- Karis came over to play & loved wearing Charlotte's apron. 

May 25th- Train ride with Uncle Chris & Auntie Amanda at the Brevard Zoo

May 26th-  Rob & Charlotte did some water color painting while I was at work. 

Roller Coastie Girl

Every trip to Sea World, we make the trek over to the Shamu Express sign to see if Charlotte is tall enough to ride.  Tonight, she hit the 38 inch mark & got to ride her VERY FIRST ROLLER COASTER! Although sweet Charlotte calls it a "roller coastie" which makes it all the more adorable.

She was SO excited waiting in line for the ride only to find it wasn't working.  We left, rode a couple other rides then came back when it was working again. She kept saying "It's not bohken now!"

This is ride #1 just as the ride started.  Rob quickly wrapped his arms around her as the ride got a bit rough but she loved it nonetheless! She loved it so much that she rode it 3 times in a row without exiting the ride. She kept shouting "MORE MORE MORE!" That's our girl....we are roller coaster fiends ; )

 I snuck on for ride #3.  The pic is blurry because to roller coaster was going super fast ; ) I love her little smile !

I can pretty much guarantee we will hear about how she wants to go back and ride the "roller coastie" every day for quite a while! She will easily convince to head back over to Sea World with her cuteness.

Cheap Entertainment

I just checked my Pinterest & I have 1071 pins over 22 different boards.  I decided to start working on checking somethings off my list at a more rapid rate...with ALL the free time I have with a 2 year old & an almost 1 year old.  I started with a simple watercolor paint party in the bathtub. Fun activity for the little ones & it gave me an opportunity to play around with my new flash.  

Charlotte was DELIGHTED to find out she would get to spend some time painting as it is a favorite activity of hers. Eloise, she was just happy to have something new to chew on ; ) I gave them a little bowl of water & let them go to town. 

They were having a blast until Charlotte turned on the faucet when I turned my back for a second. It made it SUPER slippery in there & baby sister started pretending like she was on a slip & slide.  Elo didn't mind that she fell about 8 times in a row & that I could hardly stop laughing long enough to scoop her up & dry the water! While I was laughing, Charlotte was getting a little irritated that Eoise was ruining her bathtub masterpiece.  Here she is covered in a lovely shade of magenta, at least she found one that matched her shirt!

Pinterest is full of great ideas for pretty much anyone & anything.  I was thankful to come across such an entertaining and nearly mess-free painting idea.  Give it a whirl if you haven't yet....just make sure they keep the water faucet in off position ; )

project 365: [days 133-139]

May 13th- Spent Mother's Day in Tampa Bay

May 14th- Walked in on these two posed like this.....Toy Story?

May 15th- Drank a million cups of hot tea to sooth my sore throat. 

May 16th- My helpers sitting on a pile of clothes waiting to be folded. 

May 17th- Enjoyed a plate full of Ziziki Bread for my 29th birthday.

May 18th- Charlotte got a new summer do...haircut #3 in her lifetime.

May 19th- Welcomed "Diego" the newest addition to the family. 

Celebrating 29 years

BIRTHDAY! I shout "BIRTHDAY" as I write it just like they do at Pappasitos....for any of you who have ever celebrated a birthday there : ) I do love birthdays, and have had a run of amazing birthday celebrations in the recent years. I thought it would be funny to compare my birthday in 2011 to this year...

I spent the day at the Ritz Carlton Spa with Jenny as a gift from my Auntie Deb & Uncle Joe. It was beyond relaxing & a great time to take a breather before welcoming baby Eloise into our lives. She was born 13 days later.  I think I forget how large my belly gets....wow! It makes me look forward to being pregnant again : ) 

Here is sweet Eloise, the one who made my belly so gigantic for my birthday last year.  She was happy to celebrate Mommy's special day outside the womb : )

So, the day started with a back massage by Charlotte's feet as she laid unconscious perpendicular to me in my bed. It actually felt pretty nice. I woke up to hearing Robby telling Eloise to not be so noisy, haha! She was babbling up a storm while playing in the living room. He fed her a bottle so I could sleep in.  I felt so rested & just laid in the bed for as long as I could stand it. I came out around 7:30. For some reason it is easy to get up on the early side to celebrate your birthday. Char slept till 8 which is completely unheard of these days in the Valentine Nest.  She was so cute when she came out. She looked at the table & saw a few gifts & said excitedly "Mommy, it's your birthday!"  Just a fair warning, this post could also be titled as "All I ate for my 29th Birthday" or "If I didn't have a negative pregnancy test last week, you might think I was eating for two again."

Rob made some amazing banana nut muffins with a sugary sweet topping that I wanted to lick off each one.  They put a candle in one muffin and sang "Happy Birthday" to me then Char helped me blow it out.

We ate our breakfast & I got to open a few cards & gifts.  My parents sent me a new dress, a swimsuit cover & a few yards of a fabric my mom & I saw when I was visiting Kingwood.  So fun to have something new & even more fun to make something new : ) Charlotte had said the day before my birthday that she & Daddy were going shopping for my "birthday pheasant." Oh my, that was so funny! She was really excited for me to open my gift from them. She & Eloise each picked out a large package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...my ultimate favorite candy!  Robby surprised me with a flash for my camera which is REALLY exciting. Our main area in our house is pretty void of enough natural light for a good part of the day so a flash will be such a helpful addition to my photography equipment! It also provides for another learning opportunity as I know next to nothing about how to use it : ) After gifts, Robby read some scripture to me & affirmed me as a woman, wife & mom.  I love for Charlotte & Eloise to hear him speak to me in that way & pray that our girls will someday have husbands as wonderful as their own father. 

After we got ready for the day, Rob headed off to get some work done in that office of his while I got to talk to my parents.  May 17th is a special day for them as well.  They celebrated 32 years of marriage this year as I celebrated my 29th birthday!  They surprised me with the news that my mom could come and spend the week of Elo's birthday with us!  I was bouncing off the walls with excitement : ) Soon after that conversation, we welcomed Jenny, Karis & Isaac for a playdate.  We hadn't seen each other in a couple weeks so it was great to catch up.  Jenny brought over homemade mini quiches & cranberry orange scones for a brunch birthday celebration. They were delicious!  

During nap time, I did not move from the comfy chair in my bedroom, something that rarely happens : ) Once the girls woke up, I dropped them off with Juanita & Mati while I went and got a pedicure.  The last one I had was on May 17th last year at the spa.  I brought in my favorite OPI color- Do You Think I'm Tex-y that is from a Texas themed set of polish that the Lent's gave me last year.  I brought a book that I am enjoying the second time around called "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jankovic. It was refreshing physically to have my feet pampered and refreshing spiritually to be reminded of the value in my God given role as mommy to Char & Elo. Result of $23 well spent: happy toes, happy heart!

I got to visit via phone with one of my best friends, Jocelyn from my years at Texas Tech.  It is always a blessing to have more than a 5 minute conversation with her as she stays as busy as I do with her two boys.  We talked for nearly 30 minutes! What a great birthday gift!  I found the girls to be having a wonderful time playing with Matilda so I sat down and enjoyed a yummy mini bowl of ice cream before heading home for dinner. 

Robby had given me the option last weekend of going out to dinner for my birthday or staying in & having him cook a "Greek Feast" as we call it.  That took about a nanosecond to vote for option number two! I would take his cooking any day over eating out! Plus, growing up we always had a family dinner at home for our birthday so I hope to continue that tradition. I bathed the girls, put Eloise to bed & got Charlotte set up with a little Angelina Ballerina.  Robby prepared the table for us complete with some fabulous music. 

Let me explain "Greek Feast." We ate at a restaurant called Ziziki's in Dallas for many special occasions or when we were just craving it.  They served Ziziki bread & sauce which is basically a pita breaded with herbs topped with melted cheese. It is pretty much to die for & Rob can replicate it perfectly.  We had ground lamb stuffed with feta wrapped in pita bread with roasted red potatoes. WOWSERS....perfect ending to a perfect day! I was so relaxed, so full & teary eyed once again.  Thank you to all who made me feel so very special on my birthday!

Mommy's Day 2012

This Mother's Day was another special one although it was a bit different.  We (the Valentine Nest) have been overtaken by cold/cough/ear infection/allergy attack in the past two weeks so Sunday morning started off with a LOT of coughing.  It was enough coughing for Rob & me to call in sick for teaching the 4 & 5 year old class at CCC.  That was a bummer to miss but the extra rest & relaxation was needed. We laid in bed for as long as our rambunctious 2 year old would let us then she & Rob headed to the kitchen to whip up a batch of buttermilk pancakes for me. During breakfast, Robby said to Charlotte "Do you know that you made Mommy a Mommy?" She smiled like "what are you guys talking about & why are you crying again mommy?" I told her the story once again about how I asked God to bless me with a baby & how I had to be patient and wait. I told her about how hard it was but then when she came out of my belly & was given to me, I was so thankful. We looked at some pictures of the previous Mother's Day's going back to 2009 when I was about 30 weeks pregnant with Charlotte. Ah, what a sweet time that was. So, as I said in the "May Flowers" post, it has been and apparently will continue to be an emotional month, for all the right reasons. 

We enjoyed a long leisurely tea & coffee date on the back porch watching the cardinals eat their breakfast from our bird feeder. We called our Mommy's and thanked them for the way they love us. As each year passes (and we are deeper into this parenting journey) we experience more gratitude for the way our parents loved & cared for us as children & for the relationships we have with them now. As we sat, Eloise took her morning nap & Charlotte worked on gluing some shapes onto a piece of paper. I was feeling better by the minute ; ) 

Our original plan included worship at CCC before heading to Tampa with Hugo, Juanita & Matilda.  Due to our infectious state, we nixed the first part & picked up our friends around 11. We shared with them about how sick we had been & they made the decision to expose themselves by riding in the car with us. What great friends they are ; ) It was SO fun to make use of the Expedition & all its seats.  Char & Mati were in the back row, Elo rode between Juanita & me then the guys took the driver & shotgun spots.

We arrived at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park which is next to the Children's Museum. We ate our lunch and enjoyed a little breeze before heading over to the water fountains. 

Elo was thinking, "how can I get up there like the big girls?!"

Hugo was Eloise's second father on Mother's Day. He just can't get enough snuggles & grins out of her! He let her wear his Iron Man hat. Robby joked saying "she crawled, rode her tricycle" to complete the race. Funny thought.

Juanita & I attempted to get a picture that included all three kids but it didn't work out as planned. So here we are with our big girls : ) When I look at this picture, all I can see is the picture of us at Matilda's first birthday party....my how they have changed! At that point, we were wondering if Char would ever have hair or not to mention....teeth!

After lunch, the girls got into their swimmers & made a bee line for the fountains or as Char called "mountains" for some reason. 

Char and Mati know just what to do & were happy to run all over, through & around the "mountains." Elo was a little unsure of the spraying water. She figured it couldn't be too bad considering bath time is kind of similar when your bath buddy is a two year old that likes to turn the water on & cup her hand under the spout so it sprays you in the face OR do Shamu-like jumps into the tub causing large splashes. It took Eloise about 10 minutes before she decided it was safe to approach. She was SO cute when she would crawl a bit then turn around & look at me to smile as if to make sure it was okay. I kept cheering her on & she kept crawling until she made it! She really did have a good time & I am guessing the fun will only increase when she is on two feet : )

Mati & her umbrella.  We did drive through some drizzling rain but she mainly used it to shield her from the spraying fountain.....and to pose for an adorable picture : ) 

After we wore everyone out, we dried off & got the girls dressed.  We drove a couple miles over to Ybor City where we strolled around a bit. Char and Mati were in great moods despite missing a nap.  I love how much these two enjoy each other! Charlotte has called her "Mati" for a long time now but in the recent weeks she has been correcting us & saying "Her name is not Mati! It's Ma-ti-da!"

We ate an early dinner at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company before making the trek back to Orlando.  We did this same trip for Mother's Day last year and were really excited to include friends this time around.  I guess it's a tradition now : )

So, here is a picture of the two that made me a Mommy, my most challenging & most rewarding occupation yet! I love you Charlee & Elo, being your Mommy is the best!