I love it when I randomly pick out a library book that Janen ends up enjoying. Here is a book we picked up the saturday before last. We read it at least 3 times a day (along with a couple other favorites). Janen is learning all about different ballet terms. So far she knows how to say and what it means to plie and releve. I don't know how to add the accents so sorry about that. She walks around the house on her tippy toes and says releve over and over. And then she'll randomly stop in her tracks, bend her knees and say, "plie". I just love it!
In the book, Talluah is waiting to earn her tutu. She thinks about it often and wonders what color she would pick. She even asks the girl next to her in ballet class what color she wants. Whenever I read that part, Janen tells me, she wants a blue one. So I decided I am going to make her a blue tutu. :)
I am working on putting together a dress up station for Janen to enjoy when her baby sister gets here so I am in the process of collecting and making various items for it. We found a bunch of feather boas on clearance at Hobby Lobby and we inherited some disney princess dresses from our dear niece Katelynn. I am so excited for it to be done and to watch Janen twirl around like a ballerina in all her fun costumes!
I just love being a mom to a girl! And I love even more that I get two of them. :)
I've decided that a big and welcoming living room is very important to me. Our living room right now is beyond tiny. Let me help you picture how small it is. Take a regular sofa that seats 3-4 people and stick it in the space. Then put your tv stand (big enough to put your 42 inch flat screen on) in there too. And that my folks is about all the space you have. Oh I guess we have our rug. It's 5 x 8 I believe. That's all the "leg room" we have. I thought I could deal with that for now because we actually have a separate dining area, but turns out it drives me nuts! And since Janen is really into twirling like a ballerina these days, the poor girl is always running into the tv. A couple of days she lost her balance and hit the corner of her eye on the tv stand and it left a nasty gash. Luckily she doesn't need stitches. Just hugs and kisses and a popsicle.
Here's a sample of a small living room from apartmenttherapy.com
Even this is more acceptable to me (but not preferred) because it opens up into the next room. Ours is blocked by the kitchen counter/bar. As if there was any room to sit at the bar?!
I think I might be slightly claustrophobic. Cause I feel anxious and trapped when I sit in my living room and even more if anyone else is in it other than Janen and myself. Sometimes I can handle James there if we are all sitting quietly watching a movie. So this makes me not want to invite people over. Crazy how life experiences really help me to decide what I want and what I don't. I need open space! At least where lots of people are gathering is concerned. Oh and lots and lots of windows and sunlight. And I also don't think I could ever buy a townhome. Because I need a yard. Not just want, I need it for my sanity. For those of you who have children, you know exactly what I'm talking about!
Here's some lovelies I found on pinterest that just tickle my fancy!
I don't care for the yellow-gold walls, but I love how many windows and doors there are. It just makes me happy looking at them!
I feel like I would need to wear my sunday best with stockings to sit here, but I really love it!
I just love how classically timeless this looks.
Love the windows and that I can see my family gathering here for FHE.
I really like the size of this one and the spacing. I can't stand when furniture is too close to each other. Probably from the anxiety.
I wanted to add these to my pinterest, but when I tried to add the link it just goes to the beginning of the list and I don't like everything on the list. (there were over a thousand pictures!) So here it is for future reference.
Whenever I sit down to write (type) there are so many things I want to say. So my posts sometimes end up being a whole random fiasco instead of focused on one point. I've noticed a few friends that have been posting intermittently and focusing on one subject. I think I am going to try and do the same. And maybe that will help me to not be so wordy...
So my first short subject: Sickness. Oh how I hate it. And I am not just talking about my morning sickness. I am now enjoying hating my upteenth cold in 5 months. What's worse is that because I stay at home and take care of Janen, she has to get my colds too. She's trying to nap on the floor right now, but keeps crying out in pain cause her throat hurts. I'm trying to help bring her relief but she's too tired to drink let alone suck on a popsicle. At least she's getting some sleep. This is her second nap today which DOESN'T USUALLY HAPPEN! So that's one perk I guess.
I've felt sick for several months, both from morning sickness and from exposure to mold that has weakened my immune system and won't go away (Allergies, ear aches, bladder infections, sinus infections, stomach flus, the common cold) and all have been attacking me more than once. Because of this, it's super hard for me to stay positive, but boy am I ever so grateful when I have a few days of feeling semi-normal in-between. It puts "being healthy" in a whole new perspective for me. No one likes to be sick. No One. And the longer it goes on, the more depressed I feel. How do those with life-threatening illnesses or pro-longed illnesses deal with it? I feel like this is a difficult trial for me to go through, I don't want to know what it's like to experience worse. I think for every good day I have, I need to do something special (in addition to saying a prayer of thanks) to help me remember the good days. Any suggestions??
Can I just say how fast another year went!! People weren't lying when they said time flies once you have kids and it flies by even faster with more! We had a fun day with Janen yesterday. Unfortunately we didn't go to the indoor splash pad like we wanted to because Janen was starting to sound sick and by bedtime she had a fever and a hoarse voice with a cough. But we still had fun at home and was happy to have her cousins Katelyn and Logan and her Aunt Emily and Uncle Shawn over for dinner and cake and icecream. She adores them and I think their presence made her day!
I was going to post pictures of all the special things we did for Janen but for some reason a few pictures got deleted (not happy about that!) so sorry there isn't a picture for everything.
So without further ado a picture/video medley.
While Janen was sleeping in her room we used pink streamers to tape up the entrance to her room. When she woke up. We had her break through it. It was so cute!
After she broke through the "pink" tape and officially began the celebrations of her birthday, we had birthday waffles. Only we decided not to put icecream and stuff on it like we normally would because of her hoarse voice. Didn't want to pump her up with too much sugar.
We decorated her highchair with streamers and ballons and she got a few small gifts. A princess wand, a package of gummy bears and a little gift set with Minnie and Mickey pez dispensers. But once the waffles were ready to eat, she decided she wanted to be a big girl and sit at the table with out her highchair. She scarfed them all down!
Next we got ready to head out for baby #2's ultra-sound. When we got there we were told janen couldn't come in. I threw a little fit because when I made the appointment I mention that my daughter would be coming and no one said anything to me. So the ultrasound tech got consent for Janen to come in the last 5 minutes. So unfortunately, James had to sit out for the first 20 minutes. But Janen was very interested in what was going on, first looking at my belly, the tech, the tv and back and forth, until she finally decided I wasn't being hurt and watched the screen intently. No pictures of the experience (well other than ultrasound pics which I've yet to scan).
We got home, napped and then got ready for her little dinner birthday party. I asked Janen if she wanted to help me frost and decorate her birthday cake. She was excited too! I made a few little mini cupcakes for her to decorate while I did her cake and what did she do? She stuffed them into her mouth!
She helped by letting me know it tasted good. HAHA!
Next we enjoyed yummy tacos for dinner with family and then opened presents. Janen got adorable stuff from Grandma & Grandpa Havican. Lots of new stuff for her kitchen, including a little tea set, and a little dora doll with a book. She also got the cute dress you see her wearing and a sweater. From her Aunt, Uncle and cousins, she got a cute outfit for spring and the cutest bathing suit with a daisy on it and some more bows to add to her hair bow collection.
James and I got Janen a pink buggy car for her birthday. We strolled it out last and she was soooo excited! I loved her reaction. She's been asking for a "red wagon" type of thing for a few months now. We thought she would love this even more cause she could "drive" it. So when you hear her in the video say, "red wagon" that's why.
And last her birthday cake with a little song. With a little persuasion, we got her to keep trying until she blew the candle out all on her own.
And lastly, a little list of all the amazing things my little two year old can do.
Can use pronouns in her speech (I, me, you) not always correctly, but she's learning fast.
We are able to hold little conversations with her which has been such a delight for me!
Can hop with both feet off the ground
Can open doors (oh boy!)
Can chasse (it's so cute!)
Has an impeccable memory! After she hears a story only a couple of times, she can repeat words & phrases the next time we read it. Same applies to a song. She already knows a ton of songs by heart.
Loves to sing and dance.
Recently has been into wearing dresses or being just in her diaper. One or the other. When she is in a dress she can twirl around all day!
She can recognize most of the letters in the alphabet and even a word that goes with it. Like J for Janen or D for doggy.
She can recognize numbers 1-10. Although she sometimes confuses 6 with 9 and vice-versa.
She loves to eat cereal, chocolate, pasta noodles, grapes and can't get enough of juice. Which we now give her half diluted with water because of how much she asks for it.
Can pray with assistance
Plays run to Daddy every time he comes home
Loves to give big hugs and kisses
Is good at making excuses for why she can't be in bed. "janen gotta go eat."
Get's scared a little easier now of being alone or in the dark. She'll say, "you're scary" but that's just her getting her pronouns wrong. She doesn't mean we're scary.
Is getting more and more into playing pretend with her kitchen, stuffed animals and baby dolls. She looks forward to quiet time by herself everday, but she also loves when we come and pretend to cook with her.
Not a day goes by that she doesn't request crayons or markers to draw.
She is still a horrible sleeper. Both at nap time and at night. I hate it! But we are starting a new sleep training thing that seems to be working. She gets distracted easily and will not stay in her bed. She will just go and go and go until she crashes. Even when I take all of the toys out of her room, she still finds some other way to use her imagination and entertain herself. We have a routine and have always stuck with it. Dinner, bath, stories, songs, prayer, then lights out. Consistency doesn't mean a thing to Janen. What we've had to do was be very firm and put her back into her bed every time she gets up off of it and tell her, "it's time for bed." Over and over again until she gets the idea. She's is starting to understand, but one of us has to stay in the room until she gives up and stays put for several minutes. Eventually, we will be able to put her down and not have to come back. At least that's what we are hoping for. And for her to fall asleep by 830 every night and not 11 or midnight!! blah!
I love how thoughtful she is of other people. Sometimes she'll draw a picture and tell us it's for somebody. "I draw for gramma!"
She has already decided on a name for her baby sister. She's been calling her Ashlyn for about a month now. We haven't decided if that will be the name yet, but it's in the running since Janen is so attached to it.
Ever since she was young, she has always shown a concern for people who are hurting or sad. Her emotional connection with others is so sweet to behold. And I love to see when she tries to comfort someone.
She absolutely adores her older cousins Katelyn and Logan. Especially Logan! She attacks him with hugs all the time and they will just giggle incessantly at each other. And Katelyn is always so sweet and tender with her. Showing her how to do something or helping her get down from somewhere. It's so nice to be closer and see them more often.
Well that's about all for now! Lovely Janen Tuesday will be full of new things that Janen is learning every week. We are so happy to have Janen in our lives and I am thrilled to add another sweet little girl to our family. I know Janen is going to be a wonderful big sister.
This week is Janen's birthday!!! Soon my little girl will be 2 years old! I am amazed at how much she has grown since she was 18 months old. The words and phrases she uses, her humor, her talent for imitating things she sees in movies and on TV. It makes me chuckle whenever I hear her repeat something that she's heard me or James say. Like, "oh, my gosh! Are you serious?" It's hilarious!! I love it when she sees me in the kitchen cooking and then says, "Janen gotta go cook in her kitchen," and runs to her room to move around her fake food and pots and pans on her little kitchen. Yes, my child refers to herself in third person. And she can't seem to even grasp that she is not a he. If she's not saying, "Janen" at the beginning of every phrase/sentence, it's "he want". It's funny. We are trying to get her to say her pronouns correctly and occasionally she'll remember to say, "I" but for now it's hilarious and innocent.
I really wish I could capture all of her cute little phrases and mannerisms right now on video, but we are hoping to rectify that very soon with our tax return. YAY for that!
Since her birthday is coming up. Janen will get a special "2 Year" post later this week. It's hard to believe how much she has learned in just 6 months, that I am super anxious to see how much she will have learned 6 more months from now when the new baby is here. If being completely potty trained and changing her siblings diaper is among some of the new things she learns, I'm gonna take that girl to Disneyland or something! LOL! Ok, so I don't really think the second one will come to fruition, but a girl can dream right?
Yesterday Janen joined me in the bathroom as I brushed my hair. She looked at me with great interest (just like she always does) only this time it translated into something. We went back to the living room and she asked me if she could have the brush. I gave it to her and sat on the floor in front of the couch getting ready to do some more couponing research. She came over to the side of me and said, "Janen gotta brush mommy's hair." I obliged and thought it would only last 10 seconds if that and she would loose interest, but she brushed my hair tenderly for a good 5 minutes. She would run the brush through my hair and occasionally smooth her hand over my head or grab as much of my hair as she could and stroked it on her cheek. But my favorite part was the little bursts of love she just couldn't keep to herself. I get bursts of love for Janen frequently throughout the day. You know, the ones where you just have to squeeze and kiss your child or you'll explode? Well Janen had those for me yesterday and I was so filled with love from her sweet hugs and kisses and her, "I love you's".
She tenderly brushed my hair two other times yesterday and once so far today. I am absolutely smitten by her! Her intelligence, kindness and natural love for people and the things around her is such a blessing in our home. I am glad she is my first child. I needed her sweet and loving spirit in my life and will forever cherish our relationship as mother and daughter.
I've been thinking a lot about ways that we as a family can live more frugally. Let's face it, what we make is enough to pay the bills (and we are so grateful for that) but it leaves very little money left over for anything else. Sure if we didn't incur credit card debt during our lovely unemployment, have a car payment, and student loans we would have extra money. You know to get your hair cut, buy a new pair of nylon's when your only pair rips, and buy a new pair of running shoes when yours is falling apart at the seams. Oh and to save money to someday have a house with a yard. And be able to go on vacation somewhere nice with your honey. That would be nice. So I asked myself, if we could only make (x amount of money) for the rest of our lives, how could I make this work? Most of all, we want to be able to build up a savings and be able to start a 401k plan. All in all, plan for the future.
There are a few things we are already doing to curb spending. We set up a budget of course and although we've been good at sticking with it (for the most part) some unforeseen things have come up that have bled us dry.
Janen and I hardly (or sometimes) never go anywhere during the week with the car. We've been able to save money on gas, but when an invitation to go more than 10 minutes from our home comes, we've accepted and have suffered from gas expenses as a result. So we've decided that it was best for us to decline some invitations and only drive out of town (other than neighboring towns) only once a month. This was a hard decision because I have friends that I love, still in Provo, but you do what you gotta do. So if you ask me to come down and see you and I say that I can't, please know that I love you and wish that I could come down all the time.
Another way, we have decided to cut costs is by cutting our cellphone bill in half. Our verizon plan expired in October and we got on a month to month plan with some other company. I guess I never realized how much I talked to my friends on the phone until my minutes were limited and running out very fast. We decided that my phone would only be used for emergencies and to communicate with James when needed so it has very little minutes and texts per month. So if you call me and I don't answer, it's cause I don't have the minutes to talk to you. I most likely won't call you back right now because like I said, we are trying to cut costs and I refuse to buy more minutes. That would just defeat the whole purpose. BUT, we are looking into getting a magic jack soon, which will allow me to talk on a home phone whenever I want and however long I want, for super cheap. Cause I really have been missing being able to talk to family and friends and this has been a hard sacrifice for me. I am very grateful for Facebook and email though because it allows me to stay in contact with you. So please know, that I love you and I'm not trying to snub you or appear to be a bad friend. It is what it is.
These are just a couple of the things we are doing to cut costs and put more money into our savings. I feel the need to post this because I am afraid that some people have already been offended by our choices. So I wanted to let everyone know, that I don't mean to blow you off or make you feel like I don't care about our friendship because I do. Please understand that I have to do what is best for my family and our finances. And living paycheck to paycheck is not ideal living for us and until we get a raise or pay off our debt, there are going to have to be some sacrifices of pleasures that we've been used to enjoying in the past. I hope that you understand.
P.S. Some of you know that I have been learning a lot about cloth diapers in order to helps us save money. I have read so many positive things about it, both from friends and online reviews that I am convinced this is something we are going to go forward with. (unless we win a year's supply of diapers, which I doubt will happen).I am excited to get our tax return so I can purchase a bunch in bulk and get started!!
P.P.S I've always wanted to get into couponing for house-hold items, but feel so overwhelmed by the whole process. The cutting coupons is fine and I don't even mind organizing them, but the ad searching and going to 5 different stores and some of the lingo just overwhelms me. For example, how the heck do you know that if you buy 2 toilet paper packages that you'll get a coupon for next time? Does that come from experience or is that found out in your research? I don't want a website link or anything like that. What I want is to be able to shadow someone, visit someone and ask a ton of questions or be able to have an email war back and forth with someone that can be thorough in their explanations to me and patient with me as I ask stupid questions. So who wants to help me out? Any takers? I'm serious.
