Milestones...

I don't post much about my girls' growth and development, but I am afraid if I don't, I'll easily forget it.
I just had to pull out Madison's baby book to find out when her first tooth came in because I honestly had no recollection!  (It was at 8 months, btw).

So, I figured I'd update you all on where they are at and what they're into lately.

Madison just turned 5.  I can not believe I have a 5 year old.  She just lights up my days and she is so smart. She picks up on everything and has an amazing memory.  I literally do not have to have a shopping list when we go grocery shopping, because as long as I recite what we need before we go, she will remember it!

She is in a scared/anxious phase though.  Everything makes her nervous.  We nicknamed her "Nelly" and she thinks it is hysterical!! I called her Nervous Nelly once and Nosey Nelly another time and so the tern Nelly stuck and she loves it!! She wants to know everything you're talking about - she's super nosey - but its just because she is curious... so curious about everything.  And she learns so much by being so curious, so its actually really good!
The nervous part... oh my... she's nervous that I'm going to hit a car (that is yards away) when backing out of a parking spot, nervous that Isabella will fall over (she always does and it's no big deal)!  Nervous if Ryan leaves the room (when I'm not home) she'll call out "Daddy... DADDY!!!" thinking he left her alone (ummm... he would never do that!! I've been tempted before, but never him!!! -i kid!)   I used to be the exact same way, which is so weird to me that it's not something I've

But aside from that, she's super into reading right now.  And she's getting it!! For a while, she would say "How do you spell dog" and I would say, "Sound it out, what letter makes the 'duh' sound?"... and she would  respond with something like "S"... so I knew she wasn't understanding it yet.
But lately, she'll ask if she can read the first page of her nightly stories - and she gets the sounds and most of the words correct!!  It's amazing to see her learning practically right before my eyes!!


She so sweet too.  She constantly tells me I'm pretty and she loves being with me, she loves hugging me and brushing my hair or laying on the couch with me.  I tell her all the time, "Promise you'll always like me... because when you're a teenager, I might have to tell you that you can't do a lot of things you want to and you may not like my answers, but promise me that you'll know I am only doing whats best for you"... she laughs and promises!! It's really cute!
She is an incredible big sister... Sometimes I'll have Izzy sitting in her saucer while I'm doing something in the other room and immediately Maddie comes and sits with Izzy, and if she has to go to the bathroom or leave the room, she'll say, "Mom can you watch Izzy, I just have to run and..." she doesn't like leaving her by herself for even a minute!

Then there's my 7 month old that is seriously growing before my eyes!! The reason I had to look up when Maddie got her first tooth, is because Izzy's is just starting to poke through.  I couldn't remember nursing when Maddie had teeth, but I did apparently (only for a month or so)...
Izzy has been sitting up on her own for a little over a month.  She took her first ride in a shopping cart the other day (she could  have done so earlier, but we didn't have one of those covers for it so I just kept her in the front carrier... My mom is incredible though, and whipped one up for us one weekend, so now we are avoiding germs while still riding in style!)

She waves when we wave to her, she claps on command, she laughs at so much!  She eats cereal and squash and sweet potatoes.  We're trying other foods but this muchkin has the best pukey face and gag going on for new foods!!
She is still solely on breastmilk though - I pump as much as I can at work (because we mix the cereal with breastmilk too.)  It's been challenging to find the time in the day to pump, but I just keep telling myself, one day at a time.  Don't look ahead and think "Oh man, 5 more months" look ahead and say, "I can do this again tomorrow"... that has gotten me through 7.5 months, so I guess its a good mentality!!
She is still not sleeping through the night completely.  I get one night here and there, but for the most part, she wakes up at least once (around 3:00am) and then for the day around 6:30am.
I can't complain though - she sleeps from about 7:30pm - 3am-ish and then goes back down after that middle of the night feeding.
I go to bed around 10 or 11pm once the house is picked up a bit so I am averaging 4-5 hours a night (it's tough to get back to sleep once you're up from 3-4am feeding... Many times I just stay up and go for my run.

Overall, I could not ask for better daughters.  I am so blessed and I love waking up to their smiling faces (they both inherited their father's morning-person personality) - Thank God!!

Resolutions...

I don't really make resolutions.  I don't ever stick to them, so they're really just like suggestions and they don't happen at the beginning of every year, they kind of happen when I think about them.

I thought this was funny, this is why I don't do resolutions!!
Image: http://lolzombie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/updated-new-years-resolutions.jpg

Like, a few months back, I realized that when Maddie was a baby, I just couldn't wait for her to grow.  I loved watching her development that I was so focused on the next thing she was doing that I didn't mind how quickly the baby stages went.

Maddie about 5 days old!

Now that Maddie (will be) 5 (tomorrow!!) I find myself sad that she's growing so fast and especially sad that Isabella is too.  I don't love all things baby - I never have.  But I do love how Isabella snuggles up to me and I am the one person who can soothe her when all others can not.
I love that Madison thinks I am pretty much the coolest thing there is.  I said to her the other day, "Promise you'll always love my hugs and smothering kisses"  of course she said "I will, I love snuggling and hugging you!"  But I couldn't help but think - one day she'll be like 15 and think that I'm not cool anymore.  That made me so sad.

I don't think I ever went through an "I hate my parents stage" but I certainly remember thinking, "They don't get it - they don't know what's 'in' and what's 'cool' or not"... I had enough stacked up against me with my peers, I just wanted to wear the trendy clothes and do the cool things...
I hope I can find the right balance of that for my girls.  There's conforming and fitting in, and there's individuality and expression.  I'd like them to know the difference and feel comfortable with themselves despite what their peers are doing.  I hope I can instill that in them and still be "cool" while doing so.  I think I had decent examples so I hope I can pull it off!!

Anyways, back to my resolutions suggestions for myself.  I'm always trying to be a better wife and mom.  I'm not boasting or exaggerating when I tell you that Ryan is an amazing husband.  I'd tell you he's perfect but you wouldn't believe me so I wont use that term.  He is not only an amazing husband, he's an incredible father too.  I know Madison is enamored with him and once Izzy knows more, she will be too!  He has great instincts, is such a hands on dad and doesn't care if other guys think he's cheezy or whatnot.  I strive to be a compatible mom for my girls... They've already got an amazing dad, I am trying to make sure they have "amazing parents"  (and I used amazing a lot in this paragraph!)

While thanking God for him in my life, I often pray that I can be the wife that Ryan deserves in return.  It's not a natural thing for me.  I don't always remember to kiss him when I walk through the door - I often talk about my day before I remember to ask him about his, I don't think to do nice things for him randomly... so I work hard at it.  I'm trying to make it more natural.

Another suggestion for myself is to not obsess over my weight or my eating as much.  Madison notices these things now and I do NOT want to pass on my weight issues to her.  Right now, she loves her body, loves her hair and the way she looks and she knows she is smart and beautiful.  I want to keep it that way.  I want her to value her brains AND her looks (lets be honest, I'd love to say that her brains are all that matters, but society will show her otherwise, so as long as I teach her the correct order, I think I'm doing ok!)
I am pretty happy with my body right now.  My stomach needs toning but to be fair, I had a child 7 months ago and haven't really worked at losing the weight.  I'll get there.  And I need to have patience with the process.

So that's my goal for this year.  Sure I have other things I'd like to do: read more, spend more time with extended family and friends, blog way more often, pay off my credit card debt, remodel the bathroom and replace the kitchen floor... but those may or may not happen - I don't want to feel like crap for not fulfilling some resolution.

I also have made it my life goal to appreciate my blessings.  And I really think I do that well.  I know how blessed I am and I am so thankful to God for that!