Mornings With Ellie

For some reason Noelle has not yet said "Noelle" when we ask her what her name is.  She can say "no" and she can say "el" but won't combine the two sounds.  I don't know if it's just a harder combination for her to make, but for some reason she just hasn't put the two together.  

I've always given her the nickname Ellie and call her both that and Noelle, and she does answer to both names. Recently she has been saying that her name is Ellie when I ask her what her name is, and she will say things in the third person when I ask possession questions.  (When I say, "whose book is that?", she responds with "Ellie's book".)

Jonah sleeping in his crib

One of the more consistent parts of Jonah's routine is that he will take a longer nap in the mid-morning.  About an hour-and-a-half to two hours after he wakes up in the morning, he will be ready to go down for a nap.  That nap usually lasts somewhere around two hours, and very rarely is shorter than an hour.  I often use this time to get something done- throw in laundry, prep for dinner, make phone calls. etc.  

"helping" me sweep, aka spread everything around

But I also try to make sure that I spend a good amount of the time doing one on one things with Ellie. She has really become great at playing independently, but she also loves being read to and playing with her kitchen.  I worry sometimes that I've jilted her of quality time with me because Jonah has been so high maintenance.

During our time together, we'll make breakfast and sing songs.  If I am putting in laundry, she'll come down to the basement with me and make a mess of pulling books off the bookshelf.  If I'm working on the computer, she'll sit next to me and color.  Which of course turns into "help please", meaning I should color in the Hello Kitty picture for her or trace her hand 10 times in a row.

eating some breakfast while I make mine

When the weather is nice, we'll sit out front and race back and forth across our super short yard, or play with bubbles.  I'll paint her nails and do "Ring Around the Rosie".  I'll push her in her little car back and forth in front of the house, or we'll follow the cat around until the cat gets tired of us (which is usually pretty quickly!)

Looking back at pictures from around the time Jonah was born, I can see how much she has changed physically.  She seems like so much more of a little girl than a toddler now!  It definitely makes me appreciate being home with my kids more so that I don't miss out on this short time of littleness.

from a few weeks before Jonah was born

The Wee Little Man

A few of Noelle's favorite books are the ones with lots of short Bible stories.  We have at least two books that get read on repeat, often one right after the other.  Both contain the story of Zacchaeus, and ever since we sang her the song about the "wee little man", she insists that we sing the song rather than read the story when we get to that page.

I've personally been reading through Beth Moore's book Jesus, the One and Only during my time with God.  The book is taking me through the book of Luke, focusing on the life of Jesus and His encounters with people during His ministry.  I love that even though I've read and heard these parables and stories many times throughout my life, I am always able to learn something new.  God's Word is certainly living and active!

[Sidenote: it is a constant struggle for me to find time to spend with the Lord- I definitely don't do it well.  Sometimes I just have to come to Him as I am throughout my days of crazy and say a quick prayer about what's on my heart, or ask Him to give me more patience.  But, I know that being in His Word is so important!]

Noelle reading one of her books

The most recent anecdote Beth Moore has taken me through is the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. He was a powerful man in Jerusalem, and being a tax collector, was able to extort the people.  There are so many great lessons in the story that have encouraged me and shown me ways that I can grow in my relationship with the Lord.

Luke 19:4 talks about how Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a tree so that he could better see Jesus through the crowd because he was too short to see above them.  Zacchaeus was a powerful public figure in the community, but was willing to humiliate himself in order to get a glimpse of Jesus. Do I seek Jesus like that?  Do I overcome whatever obstacles are in my way just so I can spend time with Him?  I love that someone who had never met Jesus before was so eager to see Him!

[Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."] 

Luke 19:5 uses the phrase "the spot".  When Jesus reached "the spot".  Beth Moore points to this as divine appointment- Jesus knew exactly who He was going to meet and talk with while He was in Jerusalem well before He even got there.  God knows our lives inside and out before we even begin our journeys.  And even better, Jesus calls Zacchaeus by name!  Christ knows and loves us so intimately, and desires for us to know Him just as well.

Bible with a side of coffee, apple, and almond butter

In verse 6, it says that Zacchaeus "came down at once."  God honors a quick response of obedience to Him and His Son.  He loves when we obey and experience life fully in Him and in His plan for us.  I know I'm not always quick to obey because I want things my way and I lose sight of the fact that God has the best plan for me.

There are so many other lessons to be learned from Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus, but these are just a few that stood out to me in Beth Moore's book and are things that I need to work on in my own life.  I'm so thankful for the Lord's mercy and love!

Rainy Day Fun

The original plan for today was to head up to a local farm with my local MOPS group to enjoy some fall-time fun with all the little Moppets.  But the weather forecast predicted lots and lots of rain, so the trip got postponed to later on in the month.

On Friday I'll be heading out for the women's retreat with my church, so I figured today was as good a day as any to do the oh so exciting chore of laundry.  I usually try to space out our laundry so that I don't have too many loads all at once, but decided to tackle it all today.  It's definitely not all going to get folded though- but at least it will be clean!

Noelle and Jonah's laundry

We tried on Noelle's Halloween costume, which is a little small, but will definitely work for this year. She'll be the cutest little dalmatian out there (for all of the 3 or 4 houses we'll go to)! Now to teach her how to say "trick or treat."

so silly

Between downpours, we hit up the grocery store for a few things that I want to bring with me this weekend, including another jar of almond butter, which I seem to go through on a weekly basis. So yum!

my favorite kind of shopping cart

After Jonah went down for his second nap (hallelujah!), I set up a fort for Noelle to play in.  It kept her entertained for about 10 minutes, and she had too-easy access to the paper plates.  And the marker.  Which she used on the comforter from my college days.

lots of blue colored paper plates // and blue colored comforter

And then she bonked her head on the table and wouldn't go under the fort anymore.  But at least Jonah took two really good naps today and was in a much better mood than he has been!  He also got to practice some more sitting up, and is getting quite good at the tripod sitting.

We ended with a delicious salad for dinner and bathtime for the littles.  It was definitely a simple day at home, but I am so thankful I get to spend the day with Noelle and Jonah!

Weekend Fun/The Return of the Fussy

The typical progression of how pictures go when I try to get a good picture of both of them.  But I had to capture them wearing their matching pumpkin shirts!

 just one is looking- always!

so much movement

We had planned to go to a local farm on Saturday, but because of the overcast weather and rain the day before, we decided to hold off and try another weekend.  It worked out well because Luke's brother and his wife, Caleb and Debbie, are in town visiting Luke's parents and came down to see us for a little bit. I took Debbie and Luke's sister, Lydia, to a crepe place right in our little downtown, which we love!  Noelle tagged along with us girls, while Luke and Caleb stayed home with a sleeping Jonah.  

It was also our town's Fall Festival.  Once Jonah woke up from his nap, Luke and I took the kids down to Main Street to walk around and check out the vendors.  There weren't as many as usual, but it was fun to see what was there, and we got some yummy hot apple cider and some sugar covered almonds.

Care Bear of course tagged along // Jonah chomping on our new teething necklace

Jonah is back to his super fussy self, which we think may be because of me eating my normal diet again.  It was a rough weekend- I had him at a baby shower with me on Saturday afternoon and he lost it, so we did not last long.  And then we had dinner at my parent's, and thankfully, my mom was willing to hold him and give us a little bit of a break!

Sunday I had a meeting with some girls from my church who are planning on getting a MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) program going, which I am so excited about! Thankfully I was able to put Jonah down for a nap right before I left and he slept most of the time I was gone.  The rest of the day was spent dealing with a fussy, nap-refusing Jonah.  Oh the joys of parenthood and returning to at least a dairy-free diet.

Pathologists and Dentists, Oh My

Last Friday, Noelle had her speech assessment at Mount Washington in Baltimore.  This was something that her pediatrician had recommended when we talked about her delay during her two year check-up back in July.

The appointment was at 8:00 a.m. and in Baltimore, so the wimp in me who hates driving into a city asked my mom to come along.  It was really helpful in many ways since Jonah was his typical mess and my mom was able to take him out of the assessment room while we finished up.

not related to the pathologist, but she does love her backpack

The pathologist and I sat down together so I could give her a history of Noelle's speech development, while Noelle sat down with another girl so they could "play" and the girl could make notes of what Noelle was doing and saying.  The pathologist was immediately happy that Noelle was super willing to sit down with a stranger and focus on the toys that they had out for her.  I was a little surprised that she was so willing, but maybe since we've been seeing a therapist in our home for the past six months, she wasn't afraid.

After giving the pathologist the history, she said that it sounded like things were going pretty well and that we could start with some parenting sessions and go from there.  Honestly, in the last 3 weeks Noelle's speech has improved so much, that I was really hoping the pathologist would tell me to just keep doing what we're doing.  I told her as much, and she said we could absolutely do that.  She said that since we'd done the assessment and were in the Mount Washington system, if we changed our minds later on down the road, it would be easier to get her in.

I've been praying that Noelle's speech would improve and I am so thankful that we don't have to drive down to Baltimore multiple times a month!  We also had her six month assessment with the therapist we've been seeing through the Infants and Toddlers Program and she has met all the goals we set for her!  We made new goals for the next six months, and will continue with the in-home therapy for now.

And just an example of how her speech has improved: last Sunday she went with Luke to hang out at his parents while his sister Hannah was visiting.  When she came home I asked her if she had fun with Aunt Hannah, and she answered with "Yes, I did!"  I about fell over in shock that she had said a complete sentence.  So happy for my girl!

We also had Noelle's first appointment with the dentist.  To keep things simple, we took her to the dentist Luke and I have been using instead of finding one who specifically works with children.  The hygienist and dentist were both great with her, but she was not having it and would not let anyone look in her mouth.

Noelle is not too sure about what's going on.

She sat in the chair by herself for all of one minute before I got in there with her in hopes of making her feel more comfortable.  But in the end, she was screaming "no!" while the dentist held Noelle's head in her lap so she could at least get a quick look at her teeth.   Apparently she is teething which might explain why she has woken up in the middle of the night recently and wandered into our room. The dentist was nice and also felt Jonah's mouth and told me his teeth are coming, just not about to pop through at any moment.

We finished with her picking prizes from the treasure chest for "doing so well."  The dentist told me she did about as well as most 2 year olds, and that we don't have to come back for another year. Thank goodness!

 Jonah's happy moment at the dentist until he lost it 

while I sat with Noelle

Noellisms

Despite her lack of speech, Noelle certainly has her own personality!  And I want to remember these things since they change so quickly!

Whenever Jonah spits up, Noelle exclaims "oh no" and holds her hands up in despair.  Sometimes she even runs to get me a burp cloth.

 Noelle from last October

Seeing cat puke leads to her slapping her legs and says "puke!".

When I tell her it's time to go shopping, she runs to get her shoes and says "SHOPPING!"

While driving, if I slam on the brakes a little harder than usual, "WHOA!"

from one of the crazy snows we got last winter

I was explaining to her that Jonah is her brother, and asked if she knew what a brother was.  She promptly answered with "Food!"

Sometimes she calls me "Goose", which is Luke's nickname for me.

When she wants to sing"Iitsy Bitsy Spider" or "I'm a Little Teapot", she starts doing the motions.

 loves her sunglasses

When we sing "This Little Light of Mine" and get to the verse about putting it under a bushel, her "NO" is very emphatic and loud.

She will request to color, and once everything is out for her, she will open a marker and hand it to one of us and say "help".

If I do something klutzy or stupid, I'll often exclaim "crap!", which is quickly followed by her saying "cwap!"  (note to self: need to stop saying that!)

love her piggies!

Speaking of mimicking me, she will copy almost my complete bedtime routine down to "plucking" her eyebrows and "flossing" her teeth.

It is so much fun watching her grow and develop into her own little person.  I know it will only get funnier (and more challenging) as her speech continues to come along.  But I am loving it!

My Whole 30

Whole 30 is a dietary lifestyle change meant to last over a 30 day period (and beyond) where things like dairy, gluten, sugar, and soy are eliminated from your diet.  This is meant to help your body reset, possibly eliminate physical problems that your body may be having due to foods, to curb unhealthy cravings and habits, and more.

When I first went dairy free for Jonah a few months ago, I spent a lot of time googling dairy free recipes and a lot of them happened to be Whole 30 recipes.  I used a lot of those recipes for my meals, and even after no longer going dairy free, I continued to use the recipes because I knew that they were a lot healthier than how we had been eating.

the sugar crash happened while Luke was out of town and these two were especially crazy.

it was a struggle.

I didn't think I could ever go completely Whole 30 because I wasn't ready to give up my chocolate, ice cream, and coffee creamer.  I followed Whole 30 on Instagram, and some time in August, another friend I follow began doing Whole 30.  When she decided to do the challenge again in September, I decided I would do it as well, but take it week by week.

Whole 30 has affected some people who are nursing their babies, so I wanted to be careful and make sure my milk supply was still efficient.  My friend who was doing it for the second month in a row, is also nursing and hadn't had any problems.  There are certain "rules" you're supposed to follow, such as no snacking, but my friend said she did (on compliant foods) to make sure that she was getting enough calories.

Protein and veggies are supposed to be a part of every meal, which meant I ended up eating a lot of eggs and chicken, and my favorite go to vegetables were probably onions and peppers.  For lunches, I always made a crockpot full of salsa verde chicken to eat with my lunches throughout the week filled with spinach and other things like peppers, spaghetti squash, nuts, pitted dates, and more.  Dinners were a variety of recipes I found on Pinterest or by following Whole 30 participants on Instagram. My favorite dinners were a pesto chicken dish and some kabobs we put on the grill.

jonah's baby food would technically be compliant

It's definitely challenging as it takes a lot of prep to chop and prep things, and I often rushed to do that when Jonah was napping or on the weekends when Luke could help.  It also involved going to three different grocery stores and ordering ingredients on amazon to make sure I had compliant foods.  I'm definitely more aware of what is on the ingredient list of products!

My goal in doing Whole 30 was to eliminate some bloating, and at least some of my post baby gut. In the end, the bloating has been helped, and maybe the gut a tiny bit.  Overall, it's definitely taught me to be more aware of what I'm putting into my body, and that I can have better self control when it comes to food.

I'm sure I didn't follow things perfectly, but I'm glad I did it and would definitely be willing to try again.  For now, I plan on sticking with mostly eating Whole 30 approved meals, but enjoying ice cream and yummy fall drinks from Starbucks on occasion.