Catch up (again)

Samuel is 7 weeks old today! It's unreal to say the least. I love that he's becoming more social and giving us smiles daily now. I know it's wrong to compare the kids, but I'm going to. Eleanor hardly made cooing sounds at this age. Of course Brian and I were terrified that there was something wrong with her. Obviously there isn't since I'm sitting here listening to her sing and talk to her animals as she's supposed to be napping. Sam has proven to be the opposite of his big sister. He's quite the talker for such a little guy. We'll see if he'll be able to get a word in before his big sister when he's older. Doubt it.

Eleanor continues to be a super big sister. She's never shown the slightest bit of jealousy - wait...one time she got mad and said I was her mommy and not Sam's, but other than that... - and she's always so concerned about what he's doing or that he's crying. Today when we were getting ready to go to play group, she touched his face and asked him if he wanted to come with us. So sweet! He gets plenty of kisses from her, too.

Eleanor has also mastered the words to many songs lately, including The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Ring Around the Rosy, Row Your Boat, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the ABCs. It's so fun to sing along with her!

Eleanor is a big sister!

Samuel Jude joined our family on the morning of January 6th! We are all so happy that he is a part of our family. So far he's a sweet, quiet baby. And Eleanor is truly a perfect big sister. She's been so patient and loving toward Sam and really welcomed him into our family. She loves holding him and giving him lots of kisses, and she just recently started reading books to him before her nap and bedtime.

Brian and I feel so lucky to have two amazing children! Our hearts are so full of love for each of them individually, as well as for our new family as a whole.

We ordered our announcements today from Shutterfly (LOVE Shutterfly!). I cannot wait to send them out and introduce our sweet Samuel to our friends and family who cannot meet him in person.

Potty Training...ugh

It's day 3 (or really 2.5) of potty training in the Schierding house. It's exhausting! Luckily Eleanor is very good about sitting on her potty until she goes. However, I feel like she's sitting there for too long most times. This morning it was over 2 hours before she peed after waking up. I feel so bad for her because I know the little potty chair is uncomfortable after a while. The good news is that she's recognizing that she's peeing as soon as it happens (this didn't happen at all the first day), but it doesn't seem like she's at all close to recognizing WHEN she needs to go. I know it will happen, but it really doesn't seem like it.

It's also been a lesson for me. I realized that I'm expecting her to go more often than she really needs to. Hopefully the end is nearer than it seems.

Christmas cards!

Here are the free Christmas cards we were able to get from Shutterfly. I'm so excited to see them when they arrive. Of course I'm going to have to address them all very quickly to get them out before Chrismas, but it's worth it. Come on quick processing and shipping!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5...soccer tots!

This fall we let Eleanor do Soccer Tots, or an expensive, 8 week, pain in the rear, headache where Eleanor listened half of the time and ran wild the other half. I could go on an on about why we didn't like it. However, I'll keep it positive.

At the end of every class the instructor and the kids would all put their hands in a circle, count to three, and yell, "soccer tots!" Of course she never once did it during class, though. We haven't been in over a month, but now all of sudden Eleanor wants to put her hands in with ours and do the soccer tots cheer. She counts to five, though, and sometimes she keeps counting and forgets about yelling, "soccer tots" altogether. It's so cute, though, and it makes her very happy. :)

Capturing her Christmas cuteness.

I have been debating sending Christmas cards this year. On the one hand, we'll be sending out birth announcements in a few weeks that will most likely include a picture of big sis Eleanor. On the other hand, Eleanor is so darn cute, and part of me thinks that it's unfair that she doesn't get one more Christmas card to herself. So I've decided to dress her up in either her fancy Christmas dress (which was actually labeled a Hanukkah dress on the receipt) or the casual, Christmasy outfit I bought her and try my hardest to capture her Christmas cuteness! Oh, and I'll be using Shutterfly for my Christmas cards. This year I'll need to find one that captures just who she is - a spirited, inquisitive, and oh-so adorable 2 year old.
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Over the past year we've ordered several photo books from Shutterfly. I can easily say that they are Eleanor's favorite books! She loves to look at pictures of herself, along with friends and family over the past year. Her play group friends like looking at her "Eleanor books," too. Everyone we show is always so impressed with the quality that Brian and I decided to order one for each of our moms this year for Christmas. I know they'll love them! And the grandkids will love looking at them, too! They have made me a big fan of Shutterfly, which is why there's no doubt in my mind that I'm getting Shutterfly holiday cards!

My sisters and I always get my mom a wall calendar, too. Usually it is a last minute thing (even though we know we're doing it) that my sister takes to Walgreens to get printed days before Christmas. This year I suggested using Shutterfly for our calendar since I love the way the one I ordered last year turned out. I truly love that you can add a picture and name for birthdays, anniversaries, and any other special occasions. It's also super easy to make if you have great pictures and a little time.
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars

In a few weeks we'll be placing another big order from Shutterfly for birth announcements! I've been looking at them for months just trying to narrow down the cutest ones. It's tough! I know that I definitely want a card that will showcase our new little boy as well as his amazing big sister. We still have Eleanor's birth announcement on the fridge, so a great looking announcement is important to me. I know the quality of a Shutterfly birth announcement will exceed my expectations, just as the many photo books, the canvas, and the calendar that we've ordered over the past year have done.
ttp://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/baby-cards-stationery

Preparing to be a big sister

Tonight Brian and I were highly entertained by Eleanor reading a book to Marley. It was so sweet. Eleanor kept getting frustrated, though, because Marley wouldn't hold still and look at the pictures. It made me realize how sweet she's going to be as a big sister. Just a few more weeks and she'll be able to read to her baby brother. :)

Warm fall day

As soon as I type this, we'll be waking up Eleanor from her nap...scary, I know. We're going to head to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather, play in the leaves, and hopefully get some cute pics!

Quick update

I'm so embarrassed that I haven't posted in months. My new goal is to do at least a post a week, if not more.

The biggest news is that Eleanor is going to be a big sister! Her baby brother will be arriving sometime by mid-January, and we all could not be more excited! She talks about baby brother, and even "hits baby brother" in her words when she lightly hits my belly. Yikes! Hopefully it isn't really foreshadowing of what is to come. Although she talks about baby brother and knows where he is, I can't imagine she has any idea what's coming.

Eleanor has become quite the talker lately. There isn't anything she can't and won't say. Luckily there isn't much that Brian and I say that shouldn't be repeated, but we still have to watch what we say sometimes.

Some of her favorite things right now are baby dolls (the littler the better), dinosaurs, Dora, Diego, Little Einsteins, the Toy Story movies, chalk, soccer, and playing with her friends.

More to come soon...I promise.

Where have I been?

Every single day I think about the fact that I haven't updated this blog in months. MONTHS! And everyday I hope that Brian doesn't ask about it, since it seems to make him really sad when I don't update.

I promise to do a major update soon, but for tonight I'll just run through a few things that are new in Eleanor's world.

She's a lot more willing to repeat words when asked. I say willing because I'm positive she can say anything she wants.

Eleanor really likes talking about and playing with her friends. What would we do without Jacob, Addison, and Ben?!? And Melanie and Cathy of course :). She loves to talk about Ben and Addi and the slides and tunnels. She won't even try to say Jacob, but he cracks her up all the time, and I know she thinks about him when we're reminiscing about our play dates.

She's still a great sleeper. Bedtime is 8pm. That does not mean that she's asleep by 8:15, 8:30, or even 9 most nights. I would love to see what she does in her dark room at night, other than sleep. We can usually catch a glimpse of her marching around her bed or playing with her pacifiers when we go to check on her. However, when she sees us coming she immediately drops to the mattress no matter what she's doing and fakes sleep. Where did she learn to be so sneaky?? It always makes us giggle, which makes her happy, and it seems as if sleep is even further away. When she really and truly is asleep, she's so peaceful. Brian and I often stand there to watch her as she makes her way through dreams of cookies and baby dolls, playgrounds and a land filled with easels, crayons, and papers in need of some color.

Now that I've started writing I feel like I could keep going for hours. But it's late, and our days are more fun when we're both well rested.

I have to add, though, that my heart melts when she says, "pees" and "tay-do", and most of all "happy." Beyond adorable. I do lover her so.

Florida bound!

I need a vacation. Good thing we're heading to FL in two days! It's 11:30 and Brian and I are just finishing all the packing. It may seem like procrastination, but in our eyes we're right on schedule. We'll be dropping Eleanor off at my mom's tomorrow morning so we can head out and do some STL errands (I'll be getting my new locket!) and have a date-lunch. We will spend the night at my mom's, and then Wednesday morning we'll be heading to the airport. Of course it's not going to be hot while we're down there. But I suppose it will be better than the 3˚ that they're predicting for Columbia in a few days ;).
We will be gone for one week. It seems like it's going to be a short trip, but I'm sure it will be the right amount of time for a toddler. Even though we always said we would wait until Eleanor was 4 or 5 to make it special, we've decided to drive up to Orlando and go to Disney World!! We got a great deal to stay at one of the Disney hotels, and we'll be going to parks for two days. On the first day when we drive up (in our rented minivan) we are planning on going to Downtown Disney to walk around, shop, and eat dinner. We're so excited! Of course if you ask Eleanor if she wants to go to Disney World she shouts, "NO!" Little stinker. She has no idea what she's saying. If she only knew...

Our Little Spelling Bee

Eleanor does not like to have her diapers changed or get dressed. It's a struggle just to get her to hold still on the changing table. We're constantly having to think up ways to entertain her or keep her occupied so she'll hold still long enough for a new diaper. One thing that keeps her happy is spelling her name and pointing to the letters (which of course spell Eleanor) on the wall just above her changing table. Eleanor loves hearing the letters spelled out so much that she's started doing it herself. No, I'm not trying to pass my child off as a genius who can spell her own name at 18 months old. She likes to point to the letters and make her own vowel sounds. It's so funny! She's also started "spelling" other words and letters she sees around the house. One example is the big, magnetic letters E and S that are one the fridge. Eleanor will walk up to them and start "spelling" using her vowel sounds. Of course she knows we love it, so she always looks at us when she's done and waits for our excited praises. Maybe this is a sign that she'll be better at spelling than her mom :-/.

Snow day = no way

Just like the sand, Eleanor hates snow :(. Actually, she likes looking at it through the window, but she wants no part of standing, walking, or sledding in it. She immediately started screaming as soon as we set her down outside. Of course, being the great parents that we are, we made her sit in the sled and pulled her around the backyard while she cried. It's a good thing I didn't spend very much on snow gear.

Super-dooper pooper

I think potty training might be just around the corner. Eleanor just came up to me, holding her bottom and saying, "shew, shew." Sure enough, she pooped. Good thing Santa brought us a potty chair ;).

Twas the night before Christmas...

Merry Christmas! Ok, I know it's a day late, but we all know I'm not good at keeping up with the blog :(. Eleanor's second Christmas was great! And exhausting. Christmas started on the 20th at Grandma and Grandpa Schierding's house. Diane made a wonderful meal of Chicken and Dumplings (I vote that this becomes the yearly tradition over there) and Kate brought a yummy Greek salad. After dinner with tore into the mountain of presents. Eleanor was perfectly content watching Caroline open her gifts. We had to coax her into opening her own. The biggest hit for both girls was from Aunt Mary. She gave them crayons and coloring books. Simple and fun. Caroline is an intense colorer. They both "shared" Eleanor's crayons and had a blast. Eleanor also really loved the baby that she got from Grandma. After presents I headed to the kitchen to whip up some Nutella filled Ebelskivers. Yum! We had so many gifts to bring home. Soon Brian is going to set up her table and chairs in the basement. She's going to love it!

Christmas at the Meiser house was on the 22nd. Eleanor was still exhausted from the first round (and because she sleeps horribly in her pack and play). Dinner was the usual Christmas appetizer feast. So fun and so good :). We actually had to wake Eleanor from a 3+ hour nap to come and join the party, not to mention that the kids were getting tired of waiting on her to open presents. The look on Eleanor's face when she came down the stairs was priceless. She was so excited and happy to see all of her cousins and family in the house. She could not stop smiling. Of course she didn't want to eat anything, so we jumped right into the gift giving. Eleanor enjoyed searching through her stocking and loved carrying around her $5 bill. I think this would have been enough for her. Once again, she enjoyed wandering around and watching all the other kids open their gifts. After everyone was finished, we helped her open hers. She loved the shopping cart from the Fanks. Grandma's rocking horse wasn't such a hit. Eleanor was, of course, scared of it :(. Since we've been home, she's really enjoyed pushing her baby in the stroller that the Stecker family gave her. She's a luck girl :).

It was great to get home on the 23rd to get some rest before Santa came. Brian and I exchanged gifts that night. He loved his Muppets shirt and Thomas Keller cookbook, and I got a beautiful locket and a sewing machine! Both things I really, really wanted! I hope everyone likes homemade gifts...

On Chrismas Eve we all opened one gift - pajamas to wear that night/the following day. It's the beginning of a fun, new tradition for us.

Christmas morning! Santa came in full force! Eleanor must have been extra good this year ;). The first thing Eleanor ran to, after some giggling and looks of surprise, was her wooden train set. She immediately started driving her choo-choos around and making "train" noises. So cute! She was interested in her new, green potty chair, and even said, "pot" and "potty" when we told her what they were. Then she spotted her Little People doll house. And that was it. Nothing else mattered. Just as before, we had to kind of make her open the wrapped gifts, which included lots of books, a Haba color game, animal flashcards, a huge Pooh and Tigger blanket, wooden blocks, a hooded bath towel, a wooden frog with a string to pull him along, and some dinosaurs, which she calls "cuggies" for some reason. It makes me laugh every time :). Some of her other unwrapped gifts were a Rody, which she refuses to sit on, Little People legos, a yellow Bilibo, a Sit and Spin that plays music (baby techno music), some wooden puzzles, a Tickle Me Elmo, and a My Pal Scout dog that she loves. He says, sings, and spells her name and knows all about her and her favorite things. It's adorable and always makes her smile. She also got a ladybug that displays stars and the moon on her ceiling. She likes it a lot, too. I thought she would like it on in her room when she when to bed that night, but she didn't. Eleanor is very much a creature of habit. Santa also left some great things in her stocking, like chalk for her easel, ballons, play-doh, and some slippers that she actually likes to wear around the house. They're great for the cold basement, too.

Brian and I stayed in our jammies all day. Eleanor would have, but she smeared Nutella all over her face, hands, and hair and needed a bath after breakfast. So she wore her cute Chrismas outfit instead. It was a great day of doing nothing other than enjoying our wonderful little family :).

Eleanor meets the Christmas tree :)

Brian and I put up the tree and lights last night while Eleanor was sleeping. We were so excited for her to see it this morning. She looked pleased, but not as excited as I thought she might be. Maybe next year. We're going to let her help with the ornaments tonight. That should be interesting.

Eleanor had yet another weight check today. She has gained 4 ounces since October. Not great, but at least it's something. I think the doctor and nurses are starting to realize that she's just a petite little girl. Although, I wish she was a better eater. That would make life so much easier for everyone. She will not eat any veggies at all. Sometimes she likes meat, and sometimes she doesn't. Eleanor will not touch mac & cheese or cereal of any kind - crazy kid! I just can't wait until she can tell me what she wants to eat and what she does and doesn't like.

We'll be able to keep Jimmy John's in business

Eleanor is an extremely picky eater. The child will not touch macaroni and cheese or cereal of any kind. Unless she automatically recognizes the food she's about to eat, she will stick out her tongue and barely touch the food to it just to see if she likes it. Usually she doesn't :( However, the girl will devour a slim 4 with cheese from Jimmy John's. We shared one tonight for dinner, along with an apple and some of Jimmy John's yummy chips. It was a fun and yummy meal, and one we might have to start having more often...

I stink at this :(

It's a good thing writing this blog isn't my livelihood. Every night I think that I'll definitely update the blog tomorrow night, which of course never happens. Poor Eleanor. I hope she's not too disappointed when she looks back at this someday.

It's two days after Eleanor's second Thanksgiving, and we are all sharing a nasty cold. It breaks my heart to hear her coughing through the night. Brian did teach her to blow her nose, though, so something good has come from this I guess. She HATES having her nose wiped, so I have to sneak in and catch her off-guard.

Thanksgiving was a success, even with our illnesses. We chose to have it at our house again this year because it could possibly be our last year in this house (fingers crossed). Brian's parents came over, along with my entire family minus Katy and Livy. I think the food was good, but it's hard to tell since my taste buds are dull (again because of the cold). Eleanor was pretty crabby at first, but after some rest time in her crib and little Tylenol, she was so excited to play with her cousins.

This coming week is Brian's last week of classes, and then two weeks of finals. We can't wait to have daddy's undivided attention :).

Getting smarter everyday...

Although Eleanor still isn't a big talker, it is amazing how much she knows and remembers. A few nights ago Brian was reading one of her favorite books to Eleanor - Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin. It's such a cute book. Anyway, without being prompted by Brian, she started saying, "no" right when she should in the story. It was so cute! I also managed to teach her where her knees were after just a few times of saying, "knees" and pointing to her cute little knees. Toddlers are so fun!

The other skill we're working on right now is getting Eleanor to feed herself with a spoon. She did pretty well on her first night, and even better tonight with her applesauce. Her first go at mastering the spoon included a big bowl of yogurt. So messy but so fun. I'm sure the she ended up wearing at least 50% of it, but she didn't neglect the yogurt on her bib. She promptly sucked it off of her bib after the yogurt in her bowl was "gaw gone."

Birthday catch up

I'm so sad that I didn't find the time to write about Eleanor's birthday right after it happened :(. Better late than never...(I guess)

What's the best way to start a birthday? Presents, of course! When Eleanor woke up on that beautifully mild July morning, I put her birthday shirt on right over her jammies. It is an adorable shirt that I purchased from Etsy. In pink and green, it had a big number 1 and her name on the front. So cute! We brought her into the living room our little apartment and let her open most of her presents from us while she sat in her new polka dot chair (our big gift to her). She also got books, a pink elephant, some puzzles, a shape sorter, a Little People dvd and cd, and a Little People mini van. Of course nothing beat playing with wrapping paper while sitting in her chair.

We were lucky that Brian was able to take off work so we could spend the day as a family. We had lunch, and I baked cupcakes and a small cake for Eleanor. Her party was at Zachary's Playground in Lake St. Louis, and as I said, it was a beautiful day. I expected everyone to be sweating at the party, but mother nature proved me wrong.

We kept the invites to family only. Brian and I didn't think we needed to blow things out of proportion, especially since she won't remember that day at all. Attendees included both sets of Grandparents, the Fank family, the Stecker/Hartwein family, the Schierdings, the Scheffers, and the Dankners. As the guests arrived everyone was told to help themselves to pulled pork and turkey, pasta salad, chips, and fruit salad. All very yummy! From there, the kids set off to play on the super cool playground and run through the splash area.

After all the kids were a little worn out (and soaked!), we did presents. From her Grandma and Grandpa Meiser she got a cool pink car (she loved this so much that she cried whenever we took her out of it), and Grandma and Grandpa Schierding got her a slide, jewelry box, and a bracelet. Uncle Bruce, Aunt Katy, and Caroline gave her a Dora car to ride on, the Fank family gave Eleanor a bag full of goodies for the beach and a towel with her name embroidered on it, the Steckers gave her a Little People tractor, Elmo doll, and a cell phone. The Scheffers brought Eleanor a book and some shorts, and the Dankners gave Eleanor a pony to ride on. Brian and I also saved one gift for her - a straw purse shaped like an elephant with a Hello Kitty wallet inside. Eleanor loves playing with purses and bags. She was so lucky to receive so many wonderful gifts!

After presents we had cake and cupcakes. I decorated her cake and the cupcakes with green icing to look like grass, and I put little jellybean ladybugs and bees on them. They turned out very cute, and I hope I can outdo myself next year. Eleanor had no problem digging into her cake. She had green icing everywhere! The icing was surprisingly easy to clean up, and after we managed to get all the icing out of every little Eleanor crevice, it was off to the playground for more playtime. She also got another chance to play in the splash area with her daddy and her cousins.

It was a perfect day with our perfect little girl. Brian and I will never forget it.