I Was Right!

I predicted this past visit to Oklahoma would be the best yet and I was right! To say we had a great time is an understatement. Jade truely bonded with her extended family and it was a true joy to sit back and witness it all! It started when she saw G-ma, her eyes lit up and a big smile followed...from that moment on, she was G-ma's girl (even when mommy was near). This was the first time she really remembered everyone from the previous visits, no "warm-up" time necessary and that made me so happy and proud! She also really took to Sydney, following her around and wanting to hold her hand, it was too cute:)
We squeezed a lot into four days and of course, took plenty of pictures. One of my favorite things about our visits is that Jade always comes away saying new words and learning so much. G-ma and PaPaw have a fish pond in their backyard (which became a quick favorite for Jade) she can now say fish, make a fish face, and rub her fingers together to get the attention of the fish! She learned how to smell flowers, say Ben (kind of just sounds like "B" but we all took it to mean Ben) and from her big girl cousin Sydney, she now knows how to use her "high-pitch" voice to get our attention. In other words...she can SCREAM!! it's loud, but i have to admit that it's also kind of cute...for now! But my favorite of her new words is LOVE! G-ma taught her how to pat her heart and say love. We are working on the full I LOVE YOU, but she definitely has the most important part down! And of course, she got all kinds of gifts in her "treasure chest" Each grandchild has their own treasure chest at G-ma and PaPaws house, and the "fairy lady" always leaves a little something in it for each visit. This time she got her own little laptop to help her learn shapes, numbers and animal sounds, a little pink car, a touch and feel kitty cat book (we LOVE the touch and feel books right now) and her very own "baby stella". Sydney has had a baby stella doll for years and now Jade can follow in her footsteps. She's already a big fan, sleeping with her new baby! We were sad to say goodbye (really...Jade did NOT want to let go of G=ma!!) but it helps knowing we'll be visiting again in just seven short works...let the countdown begin!

 Jade and Sydney saying hello to the fishies

 The OKC Thunder lost the the Miami Heat in the NBA finals while we were there, but we love our Thunder anyway.

 Watching Ben's hockey practice (hence the pants and heavy coat in mid-june!)

 Showing Sydney the Buckle Bear

 G-ma and her girls! (and of course, their baby stella's!)

 Jade sharing her toast with PaPaw

 mmmmm...

 PaPaw giving Jade an up-close look at the garden

 Jade waving to her new friend in the garden

 PaPaw teaching Jade how to feed the fish

 G-ma helping Jade to ride the duck (she watched Sydney do this the day before and wanted to give it a try!)

G-ma and Jade waiting for a snowcone!

With Great Anticipation

There are few things I look forward to more than a trip to see my family, or a visit from them to Houston. I've been in Texas for almost ten years, and while I've ALWAYS looked forward to seeing them, it's even more exciting now with Jade. She's just shy of 18 months, so she is constantly growing and changing. I love for everyone to "catch-up" on all the new things she can do and say. It's one thing to skype, send pictures, and talk on the phone but there's nothing like the real thing! And of course, seeing the cousins play together is SUCH a treat. I'm thinking this visit will be the best yet. This will be the first time they've all been together since Jade started walking and I just can't wait to see them entertain each other. We're also having some pictures taken with all three of them together, and G-ma and Papaw, too! (those fun images will be posted as soon as I can get my hands on them!)
G-ma and I talk EVERY day (sometimes twice...especially when we're getting close to a visit) we love to count down the days, hours, minutes and talk about all the fun we're going to have. But, it always comes up, one of us will say..."okay, we want time to rush by, until we get there, then let's just slow things down." of course, no matter how hard we wish for time to slow down it always ends up flying by. (you know what they say about time and fun). Though the visits go by to quickly we make the most of every moment and are always left with the best of memories. Here are the few of the pics I've sent to Gma with messages like, "can't wait to see you guys!" and "only 5 more days!" As you can see by her smile, Jade is just as excited as her mommy...

Picking up the Pieces

I warned you this would be the subject of a future post. well, the future is here. Toddlers can be tricky! (understatment of the year??) Just when i think i've found a food that my picky eater loves, she changes her mind, and that change always comes after i've bought at least a weeks supply. i hate to type it or say it outloud (for fear of a jinx) but applesauce and chicken nuggets are about the only two foods that have stood the test of time. oddly enough, she likes to dip the chicken in the applesauce?! now, i really shouldn't be surprised, nor should i complain about her being a picky eater...Lord knows i have NO room to talk...but when i'm the one responsible for trying to feed her food that she likes, and that is good for her, it's tough. I feel like the girl barely eats, but Dr. Kagan (our ped) keeps telling me that as long as she's not losing weight and is growing like she should, that she is fine. What is not fine, is the fact that the girl LOVES throwing her food off the side of her high-chair. Not only is it a mess and a complete waste of food, but I know that SHE knows she's NOT supposed to be doing it. She even sometimes gives me this face like "do you see me doing this mommy??" i know this is pretty typical beacause i've read all about the right way to get her to stop doing it. my favorite suggestion was to have her pick up all of the food that she threw on the floor and put in the trash. i actually did this for a while, before i realized this was something she really enjoyed, maybe even looked forward to! i try now to stop her in the act, and to tell  her if she doesn't want to eat it, just leave it on her plate. i'm pretty sure she understands me and knows that it's a "no no" but it still seems that at the end of every meal i'm somehow left picking up the pieces...

Sweet Sounds

Jade is now 17 months, which means she truely is soaking in EVERYTHING around her. She'll try her best to repeat just about any word you say to her and she just loves making all kinds of sounds and noises..and mommy LOVES hearing that sweet voice! Now, Jade has never fallen into the category of good sleepers, so when she makes it through the night it is cause for celebration! This morning, not only did she sleep through the night, tucked away in her own crib...but when she woke up, she just started saying "mama, mama!" No crying, just calling for her mommy:) That was the BEST alarm clock EVER! I couldn't have asked for a better start to my day!
In other news...Aunt Andi gave us some animal flash cards a few months ago (one of the MANY things she has handed down to our family, we could never thank the Bledsoe's enough for all of the great furniture, clothes, toys, etc...a true blessing). Anyway, Jade has always loved playing with them and looking at all the pictures of the animals, and I love trying to teach her all of the sounds that the different animals make. She never has acted like she was paying much attention to my "lessons," that is until this past weekend. We sat down to play with the flashcards, and once again I started making all of the noises. Much to my surprise...she started repeating me! It was so fun! Now, she won't always do it on cue...but I've heard her snort like a pig (very funny!), tweet like a bird, moo, splash (this is what we do when we see the dolphin), Ff (this is our woof for a dog, but right now we're only getting the ff part out!)and ROAR (this one I actually caught on tape!!)

She has also expanded her vocabulary. Her favorite words of late are Uh-Oh (sometimes she uses this correctly, other times she says it, then intentionally throws her food on the floor - sidenote...this battle will most likely be the subject a future post!) Up (she points up as she says it) More (this is accompanied by the use sign language...thank you daycare!) Apple (she's a big fan of applesauce)
Pa-paw (during dinner I point out pics of our family on our fridge and say their names. she's uttered Nana a few times, but other than that, Pa-paw wins this race) Ki-Cat (this is for Raz, our cat...their unstable relationship will also be the subject of a future post). These are just some of the sweet sounds I'm starting to hear on a regular basis and it is truely music to this mommy's ears!