I thought like, "Ohhh I should write about our trip! Nah I'll wait." And then I got slammed with work and I trained for a 10-mile race, and I waited, and I waited, and I waited some more ... and now it's been so long and I feel like I need to catch you up on all the cuteness!
There is an insane amount of cuteness. Evidence below.
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| Like dis |
Last time I blogged, we were getting ready to go up north with our extended family (my mom's side, for the record). I had about 50 fears tied to this trip -- like, not stuff I was *actively* up late worrying about, but more like, things in the back of my mind that I knew could go wrong. For example, what if Robby wasn't sleeping well in his Pack n Play? We were planning on being up there an entire week. And sharing this lodge with ... 20 people? So, that could kind of make or break my sanity, if Robs wouldn't sleep ... or like, maybe Ana would kind of rebel, being around so many people? I wondered, would she get super overstimulated by the end of each day and crank up the fit factor? Eesh.
You guys. The trip was amazing, for real. And I hate when people overuse the word amazing. But both kids slept all through the night (every night). They both NAPPED, which is really saying something for Ana. I think she napped every day. And long ones, too! They were synced up on the afternoon nap, and they'd both go down for like, 3 hours. James had to come back to Flint on the Monday-Tuesday for work, and I swear, one afternoon, I just like, took the standup paddleboard out on the lake and then dozed while someone else listened for A&R up at the lodge.
WHAT.
Anyway, that was legitimately in July. I don't even know where the summer went! Which is a cliche thing to say, but just like, true.
We didn't really do any other big trips or anything ... a lot of days, we just spent grilling up dinner and playing in the sprinkler till bedtime! My job has really been kicked into overdrive lately, so we've been busy-busy-busy just trying to survive. I can't believe it's October already! Robby just turned 9 months as of Monday.
He isn't walking yet, and I know a lot of you predicted this month for that benchmark, but admittedly, he's getting pretty close! All he wants to do is stand, and he's working on his balance a bunch lately. If he lets go of the furniture, he can hold himself steady for maybe like, 3 seconds? 5 seconds, tops? He's getting better! And he's not like, cautious, like Ana was. Ana would only steady herself or even ATTEMPT to take a step once she was truly ready. Robby is just not that dude. He's very physical, and excited about moving, and probably a little bit too risky. He crawls at rapid speed around the house (no more inchworm!), beelines it to the stairs at least 27 times a day, and cruises the furniture nonstop. This makes him pretty tired by the time 8:00 rolls around. He's a great sleeper! He's been at consistent 12-hour night-sleeps for awhile now, which is really nice, to be able to have something to rely on in that department. Plus, he's still napping twice a day, for anywhere from an hour to three hours each time. BALLINNNN. (Watch, I just jinxed it).
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| Sleepy Bob! |
For the record, we still put Ana down for quiet time every day during Robs' afternoon nap. Sometimes she sleeps, sometimes she plays, but she'll stay up there quietly forever, some days! It's a gift, really. And we're so thankful.
These babes are just everything.
James and I love calling Robby variations of the name BOB.
Like, we were eating Italian food for dinner recently, and he was loving it, so I called out, "Spaghetti Bob!" and James came right back with, "Bobby Noodles!"
Some days he's being an extra Stand-Up Bob, or a Bobby Troubles, or a Bobby Sads, or perhaps Crawl-Around Bob or Bobby Wiggles or Psycho Bob.
It's been 9 months, and we've decided that this will never NOT be funny.
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| Look at this tall guy |
Robby loves ...
- MAMA (and Daddy, of course!) But I'd say he's a mama's boy first and foremost. Still, he and James really have bonded SO MUCH over these past few months.
- His big sister. They laugh and laugh together. Did I already say this last time? I feel like I always say this: People always told me that there'd be a payoff in having them pretty close in age, because they'd be able to play together. Um, I thought we were talking like, ages 4 and 6. They play together already! And it's the sweetest thing ever. My heart has never melted like it melts to see the two of them loving on each other. I swear they even have their own language. They are the sweetest boops.
- FOOD. Bobby-Eats-A-Lot, how are you only in the 35th percentile when it comes to weight? Some of his favorites include yogurt, scrambled eggs, meatballs, sweet potatoes, blueberries and Kodiak cakes. I would say, "he eats more than Ana!" But that's not so hard these days. He eats more than James, is more like it.
- Squealing, babbling, canonicals.
- Pulling up on everything, standing at the sliding glass door and talking to squirrels.
- Being a Dare-Devil Bob.
- Smiling at people.
Robby does not love ...
- Getting his diaper or outfit changed. Holy hell, this takes me about four times longer than it should, and by the end, we're both sweating and winded. He twists and contorts his little body and fights every step of the way. Sweet Jesus.
Ummm, also, I keep racking my brain, trying to come up with a second bulletpoint for this side of the list, and I seriously cannot. He is the HAPPIEST little guy and we just love him to pieces. He does this hypey noise, as we call it, when he knows one of his favorite foods is coming, or when he's on the stairs, and he gets like, breathless. James and I were just talking about it on the phone during his dinner break; we were like, "I hope we never forget how cute that is!"
And you guyyyyys. He finally stopped spitting up! I don't think I wrote about that last time, did I? He'll spit up like, maybe once a week, but ... this is life-changing. I can't even tell you in how many ways I'm grateful.
Andddd for our Ana bear. Good lord, she is the cutest creature I've ever encountered.
She went through a big phase where she'd call Robby her baby. "No, mama, he is MINE." And she likes to problem-solve when something's wrong. "I think he needs a bottle! How about a nap, Robby?"
She is still fiercely protective of him, but in an older sibling way, where she's allowed to push him over when I'm not looking ... but no one else can, you feel?
She is such a little mama. When she's not babying her brother, she's doing it to her stuffed animals. I love listening to her play. She assigns everyone roles and identities. "Now this is Ana and this is Robby and this is Mommy!"
And just like, around the house, some days she'll decide to be me. Example: "Ana, can you put your shoes on, please? We're leaving in a minute." ... "NO, I'M MAMA." ... "Mama, could you put your shoes on, please? We're leaving in a minute."
We were in Royal Oak semi-recently and I asked, "Mama, have you seen Blue?" And my mom was like, "Nope." I was all, NOT YOU. lololol.
It's so funny.
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| Real conversation we had earlier today: "Mama, I just talked to my car. But my car doesn't talk back. Because THAT WOULD BE SILLY!" |
Ana really tries to love on Robby, but she doesn't know her own strength sometimes. She's definitely known to choke him, fall on him or otherwise injure. You really gotta keep a close eye!
She mashed dirt into his hair a few weeks ago at RO Tuesday, and didn't even really get why we were annoyed. She really wants to feed him, sit with him, "play" with him, "share" (meaning, steal his toys), but he's often confused and doesn't know how to interpret the actions of this big, emotionally fragile toddler-sister of his. Again, they really do play so nice together at times ... but yeah, she's still 2 1/2. So there's all this!
We're on a big kick this week of doing everyone's hair. She loves to brush Robby's, or mine, and she says things (that we tell her), like, "just sit still one more minute!" ... "You're so beautiful!" ... "This will get it out of your face!"
OMG.
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| My whole heart. |
It's just now dawning on me that she's not calling him Baby Wobert anymore. Gah that makes me a little sad! But she will still say things that make us laugh (again, copying), like, "What are you doing now, GUYYYY?"
Last week, she asked me, "Can you put him away now?"
And she shows such empathy! I think I wrote on the Analisa-Robby FB group about this, but one day, she was very bothered by the fact that his tears weren't resolving as quickly as usual. "Can you help him, Mumma? Robby so sad!"
Everyone told us to make sure we take her on special outings, just like, one on one (to which I was like, obviously). But it's really funny -- she doesn't wanna go on special outings. Zero interest. I took her out to breakfast recently, just the two of us, and the whole time, she was like, "Why Baby Robert not here? Is Daddy watching him? Can they come, too?" Haha, the confusion was real. Or I'll take her to gymnastics, and it's typically just the two of us while Robs is napping, and the whole car ride back, she was like, "Robby come next time. He want to see me jump on the trampoline!"
She loves her "Mama-Dada-Robby-Ana-HAPPY FAMILY!" as she'd say.
And I know I know, I say it every time and I'll probably keep saying it, but her language is just incredibly impressive. She remembers like, every little thing I've ever told her, and I'm not even sure I'm exaggerating. We went to grab Robs from a nap the other day, she asked if he were crying, and I said yes. We could hear him; we were like, one wall over. She paused and thought about it long and hard, then responded, "Well, it more of a whimper!"
Um, yes, actually. It really was more of a whimper.
We passed Great Lakes Crossing the other day en route to Royal Oak, and she yelled out, "Look, mama. I see the aquarium! We go there tomorrow maybe?"
Umm, you recognize the aquarium from outside your car window?
She often starts sentences with, "How aboutttttt ..." which is hysterical. "How aboutttt NO!" she'll say if she's pissed.
She's honed in on people's feelings, and not just Robby's when he cries. If I look worried, she'll ask, "Are you happy, mama?"
And she's even linking concepts. We had this moment where we were talking about her wearing a new dress, with her new haircut, and she was all, "Just like Dandelion?" (The lion -- like the book, if anyone's familiar!)
Gosh. Every day, I'm blown away.
She doesn't call things like, "go see fishies." It's the aquarium. It's not "Daddy went bye-bye." He went to the grocery store. And she wants to know which grocery store, for that matter. "We go to Trader Joe's, Mumma?" No more "Watch Bunny Movie?" She requests Zootopia by name. She memorized her latest favorite book in probably two weeks.
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| Crazy. |
We were playing store the other day, just on our front porch -- we'd like, never even done that before. But we were pretending to have a transaction at the end with money, and she yelled at me, "KEEP THE CHANGE!" I was rolling!
And she still lovvvves to make people laugh. Sometimes I have to wind her down a bit before bedtime, and she'll get all, "But I want to be funny, Mumma." She tries out her jokes on new people, and she's a little perplexed when they don't immediately understand her sense of humor. But she really is funny ... we laugh with her all day.
These 2s have been incredible. Cannot recommend enough that Harvey Karp toddler book, and just ... treating your toddler like she's a real person. I do feel like we're getting into the 3s a bit more lately, just like, walking on eggshells a bit when it comes to the emotions, but I would weather any storm with this sweet little lady. She is so full of love.
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| Look who's not even chubby anymore?! |
"I watch your Snapchat, Mommy? Is 'Leap' on Netflix, Mommy?" <--- these are the questions your 2-year-old could ask in 2018, btw. Like, is this real life?
Oh, and she's finally a little more social (not that she's ever NOT social, just that we don't go to day care), and anyway, we've been doing gymnastics lessons. She's shy at first, but really great overall. She also talks about school, sees it on Peppa Pig, asks for ice skating lessons (lol) ... needless to say, if we can move back in the right direction with potty training (we've stalled), we'll likely do preschool this year! That's so hard to believe.
Anyway, that's life with us right now. I'm glad I could bring this rambling back to your Friday feeds. As my mom would say, "These are the good 'ol days!" And well, they really are! Even if we're a lil sleep deprived, as well. I love this sweet family of mine. The hearts over here are oh-so full.
xoxo!
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| Ghost-ridin |
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