24 Months = 2 Years!

Dear Autumn,

You're 2! Okay, when I'm writing this in May you are more than 2, but since I want it to be in January when I need to look back at this information I am dating it the correct day.

It seems like January was a long way away, so there isn't a whole lot of specifics that I remember other than what I wrote down in my notes as you did them.


Dec 31, New Year's Eve fireworks
"Fireworks, bam, bam, in the sky, sparkly, Autumn cry"

Jan 6
I told Autumn that the Christmas tree is going away tonight. She's spent a lot of time processing that. "Take away Momma Dadda tree, outside, it's gone! Dadda home, outside, take away, uh-huh!"

Jan 4
Garbage trash (instead of can)

Jan 5
You'll say, "Watcha Goerge?" and if I say "no", you'll say, "Watcha Tigger and Pooh?", and if I say "no", you'll say, "Watcha Mickey Mouse?"

Jan 8
If you do something and I tell you that if you do it again I will take it away from you, you hand it to me and say, "Take away?" So you get the concept, but just don't think of it as punishment. Or you will move on to something else, do something that you think I won't like, you'll look at me and say, "Take away?" It is usually something that isn't wrong so there is no reason to take it away.

Jan 10
TeeBee (TV)
MooBee (movie)
Leabe it on! (if I try to take off your clothes and you don't want me to for some reason)

Jan 11
Backcake! (excited to see your backpack just before we left for MDO)

Jan 17
No fall again!

Jan 20
You've discovered the meaning of 'need'. As in you "Neeeeeed the beggie stick" You "neeeeeeeed the lowgurt". Need!

Jan 2010 - Feeding Ducks from Deb on Vimeo.

Jan 2010 - Raking Leaves from Deb on Vimeo.

Retrospective Perspective:
One Year Ago

Love,

Momma and Daddy

Firemen!

We took Autumn to Cy Fest Fire Fest and she had a blast! I think her favorite part was trying to get this giant flag!

October - Cy Fair Fire Fest from Deb on Vimeo.

A few days later and she was still loving her fireman hat!

October - Fireman Hat from Deb on Vimeo.

20 Months

Dear Autumn,

Twenty months means 4 months away from turning 2! It really does seem far off because it is next year, but 4 months goes quick in AutumnLand. Things seem to be going pretty well overall. Happy, happy girl!

You have 16 teeth! That is a lot of teeth! The latest on top have poked through rather nicely and the bottom two have both just started poking out. You have your fingers in your mouth a lot more lately so I can tell they are bothering you.

Over the past 2-3 months or so there has been a change in your morning routine. For the longest time you were happy to be brought into our bed after you woke up to play. We'd play and laugh and just have a ton of fun until you started getting hungry. Daddy would get you up, change you and then we'd just have fun. Now when Daddy brings you into the bedroom and tries to put you on the bed you throw a fit! Clinging to him and telling him to "Walka walka" out of the room. I don't think it is that you are really hungry, I think you just don't want Daddy to put you down and leave. So if Daddy has to run back upstairs for a conference call I have to do some heavy coercing to get you to stay in the room.

You are still enjoying Mother's Day Out but drop offs have still been a bit hard. I know you stop crying within seconds of me leaving, but you still cling to me as soon as we enter the classroom. The last time I dropped you off one of the teachers was out so there was a substitute and the other teacher, but they were both busy so no one could take you. You did cling to me for a bit, but I was able to set you down in a chair, hand you an Ernie doll, give you a kiss and leave. Since no one was paying attention to you I didn't want to leave. I figured out that there is another window that I could peak in. Fortunately you were sitting in exactly the right spot so I could see you. You looked around for a little bit, but then I saw you handing the doll to someone. That meant that someone had acknowledged you and so I left! When I came to pick you up the teacher told me that you were "happy all day and well adjusted". I think that is great! I'm happy with "well adjusted".

Eating is still bad, but we're going to a feeding evaluation on the 23rd and we should find out more on that.

Naps are still the same. Usually about 3 hours. They still interfere with your lunch because you're tired and all you talk about is a nap. "Autumn sleep?" You make snoring noises and rub your eyes and there is very little eating. It doesn't matter when we start lunch because you have equated lunch with "almost nap time".

Here are my monthly notes:

August 24
Rubber Duck!
I cook?
I fall
I jump

August 31
You went to your very first Meet the Teacher this morning. You walked holding my hand across the parking lot, down the hall, around the corner, down another hall and then you put the breaks on at the door to the room. Miss Diana came out to meet you, but you wouldn't go in, even when you saw the butterfly curtains. I had to pick you up and bring you into the classroom. You sat on my lap while I filled out paperwork. Eventually you did get down and start playing. We met the music teacher, Miss Kitty and the bible teacher, Miss Vogt. You even went to the director willingly when she mentioned she would take you outside! You did very well today, and so did Momma!

September 2
You had your first day of Mother's Day Out. And you did very well!

Hand
Dirt
Nah (nothing - as in, what's in your hand? Nah)

September 3
I fall down

Autumn has discovered what her voice sounds like when she plugs her ears with her little fingers. She'll be walking around saying, "Hi hi hi hi hi hi" over and over and then she'll walk into view and that is when I finally realize she's not talking to me...

Sept 10
Big truck. big truck, come? come?
Yellow ghool buh (yellow school bus)
Watcha George?

Sept 18
Polka
Dot (She doesn't say Polka and dot together)
Ping-gone (penguin)

Retrospective Perspective:

September 21, 2008
Eating watermelon

September 22, 2007
#5

September 23, 2006
Moving out of the apartment!

September 22, 2005
Leaving for Hurricane Rita. Lucas is in the back there...

Love,

Momma and Daddy

17 Months

Dear Autumn,

Here we go again. Another month. Every time I think about sitting down to write one of these I wonder how it all of a sudden got to be another month. I realize that I was late doing this last month, but it seems like time has flown even more this time. I have almost all of the photos from the past month in this post, because it has just been that hectic around here. Our house is on the market. It has been since Wednesday afternoon. Your house is on the market. The house we brought you home to, the house where you were inspected by the cats in the kitchen and spent the second night of your life. Your house. Our house.

We always start out with teeth, so here we go. You still have 12 teeth, but they are all very well broken through. The size of your molars seem pretty large, especially since they are just out there in the open with no other teeth next to them. The past few days I've started wondering if one of your eye teeth is starting to come in. Lots of chewing on a finger off to one side of your mouth. And there are moments in the afternoon where you have to climb on, grab my face and press your face all over mine. It is as odd as it sounds. But it makes me think that you are trying to relieve some of the pressure on your jaw.

You've tried new foods like spaghetti, but your eating habits are still about the same. You do surprise me sometimes, but for the most part you eat the same things, day in and day out. Cheese, yogurt, corndog wrapping, fruit (lots of fruit), crackers, cereal, and corn are some of your favorites.

We're still holding strong on one nap a day. It has made the last few weeks easier and harder at the same time. Sometimes at 10:30 I'll think, "Oh my, what am I going to do with this child for another 2 1/2 hours?" Other times when I want to go out and run errands it is nice to have you awake for hours and hours at a time. Of course, that means I have to get up and take a shower before you wake up in the morning, and I would much rather sleep in!

Your behavior has stayed about the same. Mild tantrums, and meltdowns for which I have no idea why they started continue to happen daily. Today you asked for "ray ray" while standing at the pantry door. So I opened the door, got the raisins out, handed some to you and you lost it! No clue what happened!

Today at the grocery store we were in line and there was a little boy in a cart behind us. He turned around and you waved. I went back to unloading the groceries and when I turned back around you were pointing to yourself and saying, "Autumn, Autumn!" You introduced yourself for the first time! Unprompted! It was very cute.

I've kept track of the words you are saying lately:
Kitchen, Phoebe, Autumn, Cold, Hot, Helicopter, Artichoke, Avocado, Cheese, Breakable, Close, Shoes, Please, Hi, Hello, GG, Gra (Gram), Right?, Right there, Goe (George), Feet first, CooCoo (Luke), Apple, Elbow, Hippo, Toot, Poop poop, High Five (ei fi), Light. Elmo, Diaper, Ray ray (raisins), cook cook (Cookie Monster), Gro (Grover), Big Bird

Here are a few stories from the past month:
I asked if you wanted milk and you said "no" but went into the kitchen and stood next to the refrigerator.

You were saying, "Feebee, Feebee" and pointing. I asked if Phoebe was right there and you said, "No".

When the phone rings you say, "Phone!!!"

You found the second tray that we have for your high chair in a cupboard while I was getting your lunch together. I asked you to go over to your high chair because lunch was ready. You took a few steps over towards the chair, stopped, said, "Uh oh" and then went back to get the tray. I tried to explain that we already had one on the high chair but you were insistent on bringing it over and putting it on yourself.

You and Momma went to a pool for the first time this season and you LOVED it! We were there for 2 hours and you still wanted more. You went under a few times but never seemed to mind. You also started climbing the stairs to get out of the pool, walk around to the edge and step off into my arms. You were fearless!

Retrospective Perspective:

June 22, 2006
Speaking of your house, here is the foundation being laid!

June 22, 2007 - The butterflies Gram brought back from Florida

June 22, 2008

Here's hoping we find ourselves a new home soon!

Love,

Momma and Daddy