Thursday, November 27, 2008

Out of the mouth of babes...

Bella says the funniest stuff these days, for example...

We've been explaining to her that Arianna doesn't have control of her arms and legs yet.  So, when Bella gets close to her, Arianna often hits or kicks her.  Yesterday, I was holding Arianna and Bella was sitting close to us.  After Arianna hit her, Bella says, "She doesn't remote control her arms yet."

Bella was talking to Uncle Jon on the phone and in her rambling she tells him, "Uncle Jim is Sasha's daddy."  Shasha is Jim's dog.




Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Facination With Birth

Isabella is really fascinated with how babies are born...not the technical stuff, but going to the hospital, how messy the baby is when it comes out, etc. It's, of course, because of her recent experience with my pregnancy and Arianna's birth. She loves to watch the birth-related shows on TV (in fact, we watched one this week and had to explain to her why that lady was making so much noise when the baby came out).

One of our friends, Amy, was pregnant. We had told Bella that Ms. Amy had a baby in her belly and that the baby's name was Lexi. So, at Jason's basketball game last weekend we were told that Amy had gone into the hospital in labor. When we got home I told Bella I was going to check my e-mail to see if Lexi had come out of Ms. Amy's belly yet (knowing I would get an e-mail when Lexi arrived). When I was finished, Bella climbed up in our desk chair and says, "I want to see." I asked her what it was that she wanted to see. She replied, "I want to see Lexi come out of Ms. Amy's belly." I guess she thought we'd have a video feed and she'd be able to watch like she does on TV. She was a bit disappointed when I explained, and read her the e-mail update.

Life Update

Life seems to finally be settling a little bit. We are all adjusting to our new "normal" and feel like we are achieving a routine that is manageable. Here's bit of what's happening...

Isabella is doing much better with our life changes. She really loves her little sister and proclaims often, "That MY baby sister." She still would prefer that 100% of the attention from Mom and Dad be directed at her, but is not acting out as much when it's not. She likes to put her face close to Arianna then cracks up laughing when Arianna touches her. Bella will say, "She's getting me."

Bella is learning something new everyday, it seems. She asked Jason recently, "Daddy, you teach me read?" She has a very curious mind. She knows all of her letters and can recognize them on sight. She also has mastered her colors, shapes, and numbers (to 15...sometime to 20). She likes to talk about all the people we know and how they are related to each other ("Ms. Amy is Jack's mommy and Lexi's mommy"). She also very excited about Christmas, not for the gifts or the tree, but because Aunt MaryAnn is coming to visit.

Arianna is getting big...in fact she's in the 95th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference. She's a really happy baby, which is a pleasant surprise after her rough nights in the beginning. She's just started to laugh (so adorable) and LOVES when people talk to her. She's trying to reach for objects, like toys, but doesn't quite have the muscle control just yet. She shows a significant preference for Mom and Dad over any one else. She's still sleeping pretty well for her age, and she eats LOTS.

I am settling in back at work and enjoying my job. With the state of our economy, I'm thankful every day to be employed.

We are hosting a new small group in our home on Thursday evenings and I'm very excited about it. It's a great group of friends that I'm looking forward to getting to know better. I believe God has really great things in store for the group.

Jason has some new news, but I haven't gotten his permission to share it. So, next time you talk to him ask him what he's up to. In addition to being the worlds GREATEST Dad, he's an amazing husband. The girls and I are really lucky to have him. When I count my blessing he's always at the top of the list.

That's about it for us for this moment. I'll try to post a little more often, and share some kid stories. Bella seems to supply us with at least one every day!

Funny Bella Stories

Over the weekend Bella and I were in our family room. I had my 32 oz. Sigg water bottle sitting on the end table next to the chair I was in. Bella loves to play with the bottle, take the lid off, put it back on, take drinks, stick objects in the bottle, etc. Fearing that she was going to tip the bottle and make a mess, I had one hand on it as she played (and was watching for foreign object being put in my drink). She really doesn't like me interfering with her play/experiments. So, she looks at me and says, "You let go. You'll make a mess. You need to listen to me!" I wonder where she got that from???

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Disney World

Isabella really wants to go to Disney World again.  We were just there in April, but she tells us constantly that she wants to go back.  She also thinks everything with lights or crowd is part of Disney.  Last night we went to see "The Lights Before Christmas" at the Toledo Zoo.  On our way there we caught a glimpse of the Maumee Bridge (I think that's the name of it) and she tells us that it's the Disney castle.  Then when we were at the zoo, there was a HUGE pine tree fully covered with light and she says, "That Disney World."  On Thanksgiving Day we watched part of the Macy's parade, and when she saw the crowd, she declared that it was Disney World.  One of her favorite things to say lately is "Mommy and Daddy love you so much...they take you to Disney World."