Thursday, October 1st
I went to see a friend who lives in a neighboring city that I haven't seen in a year. She has 3 kids of her own. Shaelyn was very apprehensive when we first got there, but surprised me by quickly warming up and going off without me to play with her new playmates. It was a fun visit, and I wish my friend lived closer so we could see each other more than once a year!
Friday, October 2nd
We went to story time at the library today and something amazing happened. SHAELYN SAT STILL FOR THE ENTIRE STORY!! And then she sat and did her craft from start to finish. It was a train. I think that helped, since she kept calling it a "dinosaur train" - but still, MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT!!! I was so proud.
And then tonight for dinner, we were eating green beans and beef strogonoff. I gave Shaelyn green beans (which she loves), carrots and ranch (which she loves), and a slice of bread (which she sometimes loves). I've tried to get her to eat strogonoff on a number of occasions with no success, so I didn't even attempt it tonight. But instead she said, "Mommy, I want noodles." So I put some on her plate. Then she put a noodle on her fork. And then put the fork in her mouth. And even chewed for a few seconds before she started gagging and spit it back out. Another MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT - trying something new on her plate! I was so proud - AGAIN!!
Saturday, October 3rd
Michael and I were really looking forward to General Conference today. We both are feeling a little drained and in need of some spiritual edification. Well...
At least conference was ON. And at least we were in the SAME ROOM with it on. And at least I can tell you a few of the people who spoke, and maybe even what they spoke about. But as far as spiritual edification...
Let's just say that we found it very ironic to be telling our kids to "stop screaming" and "stop touching each other" and "stop throwing your toys" because "we're trying to listen" to Elder Bednar's talk about happy families and loving one another!
My main take home today: TEMPERANCE
Let's see if I can ever get there.
Sunday, October 4th
Miraculously, the girls were actually well behaved for conference today. So Michael and I got to hear most of what was said. But the "great conference moment" actually happened before conference started today. We were watching the end of Music and the Spoken Word when Michael's favorite song came on. ("Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in case you wanted to know.) It was a very powerful rendition. Shaelyn got really still and quiet and listened to the whole song. Michael and I could feel the Spirit really strongly, so we knew she could too. When the song was over, we asked her how she felt. She said "really happy!" We told her that she was feeling the Spirit - the Holy Ghost. It was so amazing.
My main take home today: Do the little things CONSISTENTLY! I set some goals to make some big changes lately, but I'm going about it in the wrong way. I'm trying to move the mountain all at once and have felt frustrated when I don't see any progress. My inspiration today: If I do the little things (prayer, scripture study, FHE...) consistently, then the big things I'm trying to change will be A LOT easier to change.
Monday, October 5th
Rachelle took a late third nap today because she was FALLING APART, so tonight she was not tired. She usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00, and Shaelyn goes to bed around 9:00, but tonight found Shaelyn in bed by 8:00, and Rachelle downstairs playing until 9:30. And she was really living it up, too. Yelling and babbling to her toys, banging everything on the ground, and smiling, smiling, smiling. Michael said he'd never seen her so happy. I said it was because she didn't have Shaelyn hanging off of her every 5 seconds, taking her toys, and pushing her. Poor girl could play unimpedied!
Tuesday, October 6th
Shaelyn has hit a growth spurt recently - of her FEET. For her size, they are boats already. I have big feet (size 9), especially for a short girl (5' 3"). Michael has big feet (size 13), but he is a tall guy (6' 4"). So Shaelyn has grown out of all her summer shoes and is now wearing size 7 or 7 1/2, and she's still not even 36" tall. Tonight it was like she had found her feet for the very first time, and was very excited about it. While I was nursing Rachelle, she showed me all the things her feet can do:
"I walk on my feet. I walk backwards on my feet. I jump on my feet. Here's the side of my feet. Here's the bottom of my feet."
She had me laughing hysterically!
Wednesday, October 7th
Shaelyn is on a "choreography kick." She is always walking around with her mermaid singing "Part of Your World" with matching choreography. (If you missed it, see it here.) Tonight she asked me to sing it. Not an unusual request. But then she handed me her mermaid and wanted me to move her while singing. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of doing the choreography right, but Shaelyn kept correcting me.
"No, up to the sky Mommy." (I hold her up high.) "No, she need to do wheels." (I have her spin around.) "No Mommy! Do like Shaelyn!" She then takes the mermaid from me and shows me how to do it right. She's very demanding, that Mini-Mia-Michaels.
Also today, I found a Post-It note by the computer with Michael's doodles on it and my name written out. When I questioned him about it, he said "See - it's proof that I'm always thinking about you." Smooth. Very smooth.
Friday, October 9th
Shaelyn sat through the whole story at story time again. I'm so impressed! We're in a "good stage" right now in our seemingly unending saga of Shaelyn's behavior roller coaster. But right now she's happy, I'm happy, and life is good. She's hit some major social development milestones of late, and I think it's really helping her feel well-adjusted and confident. That and we've had about 2 solid months of ROUTINE, ROUTINE, ROUTINE! That always helps. This girl just can't handle the spontaneous.
Saturday, October 10th
Michael went to the "priesthood training" session of stake conference this afternoon and then stayed home with the girls so I could go to the adult session tonight. It let us both get some quiet time with the Spirit to think and reflect. I really enjoyed the session tonight. I took copious notes and came home and shared everything with Michael. After 30 minutes of me sharing, he said, "Are you going to repeat all the talks verbatim?" Oops! If I did that, we would have another hour of me rehashing everything! So I went through the last 2 talks in a more efficient manner, and Michael and I had a great gospel-based, Spirit-rich discussion. We're trying to have more of those. They are WONDERFUL!
Sunday, October 11th
Stake Conference. Mine and Shaelyn's THIRD of the year (my parents had stake conference while we were visiting them). All those with young ones know how HARD stake conference is. It's just an additional 40-50 minutes longer than a regular sacrament meeting. But those 40-50 minutes are a KILLER! We have a tradition of getting to stake conference an hour early (the Aagards?! early to anything?!) so we can have a pew up at the FRONT. My dad is a big believer that "proximity to the pulpit and level of reverence" have a direct correlation. I am too - the closer you sit to the stand, the better behaved you and your children will be. Anyway, we let Shaelyn circle all the chairs in the gym for 40 minutes - to get the wiggles out and avoid being in our pew for 3 hours instead of just 2. The girls did good. Michael took Rachelle out for a 40 minute nap. He said he actually got to listen to conference - he found a room they were showing it on a t.v., and there was no one in there! Meanwhile, I kept an antsy Shaelyn occupied and hardly heard anything! But there was an ASL interpreter at the front, and I'm happy to report that I was able to follow most of what she was signing. I'm getting pretty good! And it was great to get to watch some LDS signs in context - something I don't get from my online ASL course or Signing Time.
Tuesday, October 13th
We all have a cold. Minor, no big deal cold. But it involves post nasal drip and night-time coughing, which means no one is getting any sleep. But no fevers and everyone's happy and playing during the day, so I'm grateful. And this is how we will all be at some point or another in my house until April. It's the only thing I DON'T love about the decent into colder weather.
Wednesday, October 14th
Today while we were in the car, Shaelyn said, "Mommy is big!" Before I could get a complex, she then said, "Daddy is big! Sister is little! Shaelyn is little!" She's been doing things like that a lot, lately. Something I've been reading to her about/teaching her/talking about (like opposites) finally clicks. And it's so fun to hear her figure it out!
Thursday, October 15th
We went on a "nature walk" today and picked up fall leaves. We made a fall mobile with the leaves and hung the mobile from Shaelyn's ceiling fan. She loves it, and points it out every time we walk in her room. Michael looked at it when he got home from work and said "wow - it looks like a professional leaf mobile!" What I want to know is, what does a professional leaf mobile look like? And why is Michael so familiar with them?
Friday, October 16th
I've decided to dub Fridays as "forehead Fridays," because for the last two, Rachelle has fallen, hit her head, and gotten a HUGE goose egg and bruise on her forehead. Last week it was at the library during story time. She screamed for 2 seconds, then was silent. The fact that she didn't scream for minutes on end concerned me. But she ended up being just fine. And her goose egg went down quickly - by the end of the day, you could hardly tell she had even hit her head. Today, she started crawling up the stairs before I realized, and of course fell back down them. One goose egg later, and she was fine. Poor girl!
Saturday, October 17th
Another Rachelle milestone: clapping her hands! She woke up this morning doing it and was so proud of herself. And after Michael and I cheered and clapped along, she decided it was the most fun game ever! I love watching little chubby hands come together!
The girls amazingly slept in this morning. Rachelle woke up at 8:45, and then Shaelyn slept til 9:20. So Michael and I had a GREAT Saturday morning!!
Sunday, October 18th
I sang in sacrament meeting with a friend today. As you all know, I'm an emotional basket case that cries at the drop of a hat. My friend is the exact opposite. I'm always teasing her that she's a robot because she NEVER cries! So today we sang "O My Father" - a song that ALWAYS gets me to tear up, no matter when I sing it. I told Andrea that I was scared I was going to just become a blubbering mess singing in front of the whole congregation. I think she was worried about that too. So today, we start singing the 3rd verse (aka the "tear jerker" verse) and ANDREA starts choking up. WHAT?!? I had to really steel myself, and for two measures, I was afraid I was going to lose it. Instead, I grabbed her hand and plunged ahead in the song. And she quickly got over the tears and was right there with me. We finished the song holding hands, and in that moment I felt all kinds of emotions - happy, somber, peaceful - as the Spirit washed over me. But I also felt really close to my friend. Thanks for singing with me, Andrea!
Monday, October 19th
Shaelyn is REALLY into cleaning up right now. It's a new phase that will die out quickly, I'm sure, but for now, Michael and I are milking it for all it's worth! We cleaned the blue room on Saturday, and it has stayed spotless for two days. Shaelyn enjoys putting her toys away more than she does actually playing with them, I think. How fabulous!
Tuesday, October 20th
Lately, Shaelyn has just been blowing me away with how much she is changing and thriving. I have a good feeling (knock on wood) that 3 is going to be a good year for us. Tonight she was mimicking everything I did. She had to "cook dinner" with her play food while I was cooking dinner. She had to "call people" on the phone and then hold it out for me so I could say "hi" to them, too. She had to "clean up," "do the dishes," and most importantly - feed her baby and put her to sleep.
She also said the sweetest prayer tonight. It was long, detailed, and very heart-felt. She used to just say "thank you" prayers, but lately she has been learning that we can pray for people too. So tonight she prayed for her Grammy and Paw Paw, her Grandma and Grandpa, and Miss Andrea. She also kept her arms folded, her head bowed, and her eyes closed the whole time. Can I freeze time right now and just keep her where she is? Because I've been walking on cloud 9 with her these last few weeks.
Wednesday, October 21st
When we were out at my mom's house this summer, she wanted to make sure the girls had toys for every occasion. So she got some pool/bath toys. One was an octopus made out of that "water bomb" material. Rachelle has taken a strong liking to the octopus, pointing at it and screeching for it every time the girls get in the bath. Tonight she would not let go of it when it was time to get her out, dry her off, and get her dressed for bed. So I let her hold it while I dressed and nursed her. I laid her down in bed with it. When I went in to check on her a few hours later, she was clinging to it like it was a teddy bear. I sure do love that little girl!
Thursday, October 22nd
Today Shaelyn's friend Caroline was over playing, and was telling Shaelyn that her daddy was going to come pick her up from our house. Michael's been working late a lot lately, and Shaelyn doesn't see him as much as she used to. Today I could tell the long hours have been taking a toll on her. Shaelyn said to Caroline, "Where's my daddy?" Caroline replied, "Is your daddy at work?" Shaelyn started tearing up. She was trying really hard to keep it together, but her little face pinched up and her eyes got red and she said, "Yeah, my daddy at work." I was about to step in at this point and comfort Shaelyn, but Caroline said very reassuringly, "It's ok. He at work. He helping people!" Shaelyn said, with enthusiasm this time, "Yeah, he at work!"
Saturday, October 24th
Ward Halloween Party today. Scrambling to get the costumes finished last minute (as usual). Michael said the party started at 6:30. So we got there 15 minutes late, at 6:45. Only it wasn't 15 minutes late. It was 45. Because the party started at 6:00. So they had already eaten all the chili, had the costume parade, and done most of the games with the kiddos. But Shaelyn still got to trunk-or-treat and she didn't know the difference. So I tried to stay calm about it. And impressed myself by not bursting into tears. Or yelling at Michael. Yay! Small victory for me!
Sunday, October 25th
Good lesson at church today. I don't know if anyone else learned anything, but I walked out with lots of things to ponder and work on - and they weren't even the things I went into the class pondering or prepared to teach!
Monday, October 26th
Michael stayed home with us this morning because his flight didn't leave until 11:45 this morning. But today he's flying to California, then flying to Raleigh on the red eye (3 AM to his body), working all day in Raleigh, and driving home from Raleigh tomorrow night at midnight. So he's going a full 48 hours before his body's going to see a bed again. Ridiculous! Then his flight leaves again Wednesday morning at 8:00 AM. So the girls won't even see him. And it's not like he's going to get a lot of sleep. He's going to get sick this week. I'm sure of it. Grrr!
Tuesday, October 27th
Shaelyn has really been missing Michael. Except for being home this weekend, he's been gone for a week and a half. Tonight she prayed (totally unaided by me): "Please bless Daddy come home and play with me in the blue room and we have fun." It brought tears to my eyes.
Wednesday, October 28th
Went to baby storytime with Rachelle while Shaelyn played at Clara's house. She got to wear her costume and play unencombered by her big sis. While there, she took an "almost first step" to Erika - grabbing on to her at the last second as she lifted her foot up. And she's not 9-months-old until Friday!
We played with the Hunter girls tonight, and Shaelyn even got to ride her bike for a while in their driveway. She was in heaven. Although she can only pedal by herself on a completely flat surface. Even the slightest bit of incline is too much for her. April says "you need a little meat to have some muscles." That may be true!
Thursday, October 29th
We had our Halloween Party at preschool today. Shaelyn loved every minute of it - especially the Halloween songs. I now have to sing her "dance little skeleton" and "float little ghost" multiple times a day. I made a beanbag toss that she loves to keep playing with. And loved "teaching" Daddy how to play with it when he got home. The funniest part - having to tell Shaelyn (and the rest of the girls) that the "Halloween food" was really just apples, cheese, pretzels, and pizza. Because as monsters, fingers, brooms, and pumpkins, she wanted nothing to do with it!
Friday, October 30th
Rachelle took her first steps today!!! Well, really STEP (singular). But she did it multiple times. Usually it was to the side, instead of in front of her, but she lifted her foot, shifted her weight, and placed it back down. That's a first step to me!
Michael also got home today from being out of town for two weeks. Shaelyn was beside herself with happiness and demanded that he play with her in the blue room for hours!
Saturday, October 31st
Happy Halloween! It was a great day. I went to the temple this morning and performed sealings - right in time to teach a lesson tomorrow on D&C 138, so I felt very inspired. Then came home and took a long and much-needed nap (had to wake up at 6:30 to get to the temple this morning). Then off to "Cwara's house" for a party. The kids (about 10 of them) trick-or-treated together (adorable and chaotic) and Michael won a prize for "best costume." Rachelle had fun crawling around and picking up everyone's candy wrappers. I had a job keeping her from trying to eat them.
Sunday, November 1st
Boo to time change! The girls got up at 6:30 this morning, thinking it was 7:30 to their bodies (so much for gaining an hour - not possible with kids)! And it gets dark at like 5:30. BOO!
And I got a call from my parents today that my PawPaw passed away this morning. Although it was expected, even welcomed (he was suffering and his quality of life was really poor), it shook me up. And my poor mom's not doing so great. He's only my second grandparent to pass away in my lifetime. And right after being at the temple yesterday and teaching D&C 138 today (my grandfather was not a member of the church) - I was even more emotional. But touched by the sweet message of the gospel about those who pass on. And I'm just grateful I got to see him recently in August when I went to visit my parents.
New Year's Day Polar Plunge!
1 year ago