Trip planning with a 2 year old in tow...

So we have 2 trips coming up.  One in June and one in July.  J's family is June and we'll be driving the new car for this adventure.  We did this last September and made an overnight stop going and coming back.  Made the trip a bit easier with a little one.  I also took a trip from hell to NY to visit my family.  Had lots of storms and long story short, took me 36 hours to get from Chicago to NY.  Not fun at all.  G had a blast even though I was an exhausted wreck.  Hoping these 2 trips go smoothly.  I'm excited about both of them.  Travelling with G is an adventure in itself.  She's so different every day.  I'm in planning mode for the trip.  Especially the one to NY.  I need a lightweight car seat.  Hoping to be able to attach it to the stroller and travel that way.  If not, I found a luggage carrier to turn a car seat into a stroller securely and easily....I hope.  Also need entertainment for G and snacks, milk, etc to carry along.  So much to think about and I love planning it all.

An update on G being TWO...

I wish I can blog more than I have been doing.  J is home for half the month and the other half, I'm on my own.  We've had a hard winter.  J's been sick a lot and it's been really cold and snowy.  I feel like we are on the flip side of the weather. G is now over 2 and going through the typical two's with full blown temper tantrums.  I'm trying to figure out how to handle all of them.  She wants what she wants and when she can't get it, look out here she comes.  She's fiercely independent.  "I do it mommy, I do it."  She wants so badly to do it herself that she's say "I need help, I need help, then No...I do it"  She can put on her own socks, pants, shoes.  She can eat with utensils for the most part. She loves bouncy house and always wants to play.  She loves her baby dolls too.  Puts them in the cradle, covers them with blankies and points to them saying "NAP".  She loves her routines and we love them too.  Every night, before bed, we read books.  She's so smart and learning her ABC's.  She can recognize some of the letters.  E, D, R I know she knows them.  She's starting to know her colors and can also count.  She's say's "Thank you and You're welcome"  She's growing up so fast and I just don't want to miss any of it. 

21 Months Old....

G is now 21 months old.  So much has changed.  She gave up the bottle when she was ready and is now into sippy cups.  She loves water.  We took her to a splash park and it was "wawa wawa wawa".  It was awesome.  J and I spent many weekend mornings taking her to the splash park.  It so wears her out and so fun to watch her having so much fun.  She's talking up a storm and starting to put sentences together.  She amazes me with how smart she is.  She is trying to learn her A, B, C's at her daycare.  She can watch the A, B, C song all day long.  She also says random works.  Her newest is SPIDER.  She saw one on the baseboard and now she won't stop saying it.  After dinner, she get's ready for her shower.  Yes, I said shower.  She loves her shower.  Get's so excited when I'm splashing her with the water.  We have our routine and heaven help me if I try to change anything unless she wants to.  She was watching lullabies before bed but she's now starting to want me to read to her.  I love this little girl so much.  Her little personality is coming through.  She's outgoing, friendly, fearless and so very loving.  I'm trying to find a gymnastics class for her age.  Of course it's full so next session we'll be first on line to sign up.

Ready for school

G reading a book

Easter Sunday and April Fools Day...

Well, for us, it's just another Sunday with some closed stores.  A bit inconvenient since we needed to go to the pet food store and it was one of the stores closed today.  Luckily, I still have some hard food for the cats and hopefully J will be coming home tomorrow.  G has been having good days and bad days.  She's now walking up a storm.  Exerting her independence.  She's always pulling away and wanting to walk alone.  She can stack her stacking toys.  She can put covers on her bottles and toddler fruits and veggie containers.  She loves chicken Florentine with pasta.  She loves all pastas.  She's loves her day care and all the kids there.  We're struggling to get her to drink out of a sippy cup.  But I've changed her bottle nipples so it's really flowing fast.  I keep trying different sippy's but at some point during the day (on weekends) she'll have a meltdown if she can't have her bottle.  Unfortunately, I give in.  I hate seeing her so hysterical.  Maybe she's not ready.  I'll keep on trying at meals and for bed time milk, I'll still let her have a bottle. 

Tonight is his check ride and he's stressed out.  He's actually taking it now.  I'm praying it all goes well.  J was home for 3 days in March.  G is missing her Daddy.  I'm missing him too.  Praying all goes well tonight for him and he comes home on schedule.

The beginning of 2018....

Well, it's been well over a year since my little one came into our lives.  I can't believe how different things are.  I'm so in love with my little girl.  She's will say a random word and take us all by surprise but then refuses to say the word again.  She's on the brink of walking any day now.  She loves her mum mum's, bananas and oatmeal.  And pasta.  She really loves her pasta.  Definitely and Italian little girl.  And such a Daddy's girl.  She has J wrapped around her little finger.  She's an awesome sleeper for the most part.  Bed is at 8 but lately, it's been sooner.  I put her in her crib and she lays down on her pillow and let's me tuck her in under the covers.  I say, I love you and goodnight.  See you in the morning.  She's left with her lullaby playing for 15 minutes and off to dreamland for the night. I get her up at 6 to start her day unless she decides to get up earlier.  Don't be fooled.  Getting her to go to sleep at a specific time took lots of training and effort.  Months and months of being consistent.  And it's not perfect because sometimes she can still have a bad night.  J takes her to day care when he's home otherwise it's all on me.  We had 3 weeks without J and I think it wen't well.   I just made sure to stay consistent with everything I did.  We did okay.  It was hard and we missed J.  She missed J.  It was so adorable seeing the look on her face when Daddy came to pick her up.  Pure love. 

Bittersweet as this year is coming to a close...

2016 was a crazy year for me with lots of new.  I'm still experiencing the new.  I don't know when it will become old.  Maybe never.  Last year I was enjoying my pregnancy and around this time I was getting her nursery set up.  I was nesting and it's hard to nest when you need help to complete your tasks.  A year ago I couldn't imagine where I am today.  A mom.   I'M A MOM!  I love her so much and can't imagine my life without her in it.  She's everything to me and more.  She's my hopes, my dreams.  Last year I was growing my belly and now my days are so crazy busy.  I start a 4:30 am and pump milk for my girl.  Then I take my shower and get ready.  About 5:45 AM, I eat breakfast.  6 AM I get the little one up.  Feed her and dress her.  6:30 AM I pump again.  7 AM finish getting little one ready and myself.  Pack milk, cereal, fruit.  I get whatever I can figure out, snacks, water.  Pack pump and supplies.  J takes little one to day care and I go to work.  Where I pump 3 more times during the day.  The day flies by and before I know it, it's time to go home.  Pack up my milk from the work day and drive home where I pump again at 6 PM.  Prepare little one's dinner, my dinner, and we play for a bit before I change her for bed (bath a few times a week).  Milk at 8 PM and out by 8:30 PM.  In the meantime, I again pump.  If it's after 9 PM, I'm done.  If it's 8 PM, I might pump again.  But it exhausts me.  The pumping and breastmilk is less than a month from being over.  I'll have time on my hands for sure which will be spent with my little one.  I'm trying to figure out what to do for her 1st birthday.  We'll visit family but it'll probably be next year. Right now, I'm trying to figure out a holiday card (Feeling guilty because I didn't send out all my Thank You's like I should have) so I can thank everyone for the gifts they sent us.  In the next week, I should have everything set for that.