Couple quick updates...and 5 months!

Had a minute so figured I'd throw in a couple quick updates while I could...

First, Ashley (kinda) went potty for the first time this past week. Yay! A few months ago she was showing signs of interest in the whole potty thing, then she shifted to not wanting anything to do with any of it--no going potty, no diaper changing, nothing. So I didn't push it or force it...I figured, why exhaust my efforts and have her frustrated when she's not ready yet? Plus we have enough going on with the move.  Well, her best buddies Eli and Katie Wagner came over for a couple of playdates. Katie is already ready and doing well with potty training, so Ashley decided that she wanted to try it since Katie was doing it. So she'd try on those occasions, nothing happened. Recently she'll occasionally ask to use the potty and I let her go. I'll occasionally ask her too. Most times she still doesn't do anything, but she gets an A for effort :)

She did go a very tiny bit a couple times, so it's a start!

On a negative note, Emily has been having major issues with sleep all of a sudden...For a while she'd sleep through the night which was amazing, especially for such a young age. Then about a month ago she started getting up 1x/night which was ok. Lately she's been getting up 2x/night and then up early. It's been a little rough, especially since I'm already pretty mentally and physically exhausted these days with taking care of a family, a house, packing, working and tying up loose ends for work, getting ready for a garage sale, taking care of silly things from our house inspection, having a lot of unknowns in our future, trying to see everyone before we leave, etc....Matt and I have been burning the candle at both ends, and then I'm not getting good sleep....not a good combo. I usually try to practice what I preach at work about balance, self care and down time. Matt and I haven't had much of it lately and there's not a lot of flexibility to allow it right now.

I am not sure if she's going through a growth spurt, if she's teething (although I haven't felt anything), or if it's just the change going on around her. Then to top it off, the last 4 days have been even rougher. Emily has been sleeping in her pink papasan chair (in her crib) every night. With her reflux, she needed to be upright. Well now that she is getting bigger, she's starting to outgrow it and it's not really safe now that she wiggles and squirms so much. So since she's already getting up a lot during the night, I figured why not try to ween off of that and have her start sleeping on her back since her reflux has resolved itself. NOT COOL. Emily has had such a difficult time...I started with letting her keep the chair at night, and laying flat on her back for naps in an attempt to gradually ween her off, but I think it backfired. Poor Emily is not a fan of laying on her back, and she fights and fights and fights sleep. She will be up for almost 2 hours screaming and crying at nap time...And she is mad/upset/exhausted. It's been incredibly stressful on her and on me. So I am cutting the seat out cold turkey so there's no more confusion or added difficulty. I'm hoping we just have a couple more days of difficulty and then she'll be used to it. (Praying!!!)

I think it's just been a rough few days in general. Again, just a combination of lack of sleep and all the current stressors going on. I'm also going through different stages...I recently posted about how I was feeling more ready and prepared for the next chapter....which most days I am...but then there are days when we are with friends and I am sad again....and Matt and I have been having waves of discouragement with the whole house thing. Having faith in God, most days I am confident and know that God has a house for us, and a plan for us. But some days I still feel discouraged. All of the good homes get snatched up sooo quickly, and for asking price or more up there. Most homes we've looked at we would need to ask for less to be able to afford it, or it's got one or more major drawbacks. I am not expecting a perfect home, and I know there's gotta be sacrifice somewhere, but it's been pretty big things. It's like no yard for the girls, or a long narrow 1 car driveway with walls around it and no place to expand it out, or not space to eat in the kitchen as a family, etc...Or we find one we like and it's gone. I am just hoping once we get up there we'll have more luck. I am not thrilled about being "homeless" and living in the Pocono house or bouncing all over the place for too long. Our lives have already been unsettled for a couple months as it is, I just want normalcy again. At the same time though, I don't want to rush into a house and settle either...sigh...

I am sorry, I know I sound like a downer today...it's just where I'm at at the moment. I will be fine again soon.

Other than all the craziness, and the sleep issue, the girls are great. Emily just turned 5 months old yesterday. I can't believe how fast the time is flying. She is such an incredible little girl. I am so blessed with two amazing daughters.

Just today we were over at the Wagner's house, and I had Emily on her belly to show her how she's rolling over. When I did that, Emily repeatedly tried pushing forward with her legs....Oh boy! She may be showing the first signs of wanting to crawl!

Ashley has been enjoying playing outside a lot, and playing with friends. She has been asking for her best buds, Eli and Katie...seeing them play makes me sad to leave too when I watch her having so much fun and they are squealing with joy and delight...but then I remind myself that she'll be able to do that with her cousins instead which will be nice. But she will miss her friends as much as we do I think. Luckily she's at a young age where it'll be an easier transition for her.

Well that's all for now. Here are a few recent pics, along with a few pics I forgot to post a few weeks back when our friends were here visiting.

Ashley with our neighbors Leann and Scott Barnes (and dog Colby)

Ashley and Emily with their great babysitter, Katelyn Ammons...she's been babysitting since Ashley was 5 months old!

Emily's 5 month shots

Pics from playdate with friends

Fun times...

Chuck-e-cheese fun

My sweet girl

Bedtime stories

Fun with Blake and Chase Heatley

Laura and Emily

I hope to follow these to the best of my abilities...

25 RULES FOR MOTHERS OF DAUGHTERS

1. Paint her nails. Then let her scratch it off and dirty them up. Teach her to care about her appearance, and then quickly remind her that living and having fun is most important.

2. Let her put on your makeup, even if it means bright-red-smudged lips and streaked-blue eyes. Let her experiment in her attempts to be like you…then let her be herself.

3. Let her be wild. She may want to stay home and read books on the couch, or she may want to hop on the back of a motorcycle-gasp. She may be a homebody or a traveler. She may fall in love with the wrong boy, or meet mr. right at age 5. Try to remember that you were her age once. Everyone makes mistakes, let her make her own.

4. Be present. Be there for her at her Kindergarten performances, her dance recitals, her soccer games…her everyday-little-moments. When she looks through the crowds of people, she will be looking for your smile and pride. Show it to her as often as possible.

5. Encourage her to try on your shoes and play dress-up. If she would rather wear her brother’s superman cape with high heals, allow it. If she wants to wear a tutu or dinosaur costume to the grocery store, why stop her? She needs to decide who she is and be confident in her decision.

6. Teach her to be independent. Show her by example that woman can be strong. Find and follow your own passions. Search for outlets of expression and enjoyment for yourself- not just your husband or children. Define yourself by your own attributes, not by what others expect you to be. Know who you are as a person, and help your daughter find out who she is.

7. Pick flowers with her. Put them in her hair. There is nothing more beautiful than a girl and a flower.

8. Let her get messy. Get messy with her, no matter how much it makes you cringe inside. Splash in the puddles, throw snowballs, make mud pies, finger paint the walls: just let it happen. The most wonderful of memories are often the messy ones.

9. Give her good role models- you being one of them. Introduce her to successful woman- friends, co-workers, doctors, astronauts, or authors. Read to her about influential woman- Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie. Read her the words of inspirational woman- Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson. She should know that anything is possible.

10. Show her affection. Daughters will mimic the compassion of their mother. “I love yous” and Eskimo kisses go a long way.

11. Hold her hand. Whether she is 3 years-old in the parking lot or sixteen years old in the mall, hold on to her always- this will teach her to be confident in herself and proud of her family.

12. Believe in her. It is the moments that she does not believe in herself that she will need you to believe enough for both of you. Whether it is a spelling test in the first grade, a big game or recital, a first date, or the first day of college…remind her of the independent and capable woman you have taught her to be.

13. Tell her how beautiful she is. Whether it is her first day of Kindergarten, immediately after a soccer game where she is grass-stained and sweaty, or her wedding day. She needs your reminders. She needs your pride. She needs your reassurance. She is only human.

14. Love her father. Teach her to love a good man, like him. One who lets her be herself…she is after all wonderful.

15. Make forts with boxes and blankets. Help her to find magic in the ordinary, to imagine, to create and to believe in fairy tales. Someday she will make her 5 by 5 dorm-room her home with magic touches and inspiration. And she will fall in love with a boy and believe him to be Prince Charming.

16. Read to her. Read her Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. But also remember the power of Sylvia Plath and Robert Frost. Show her the beauty of words on a page and let her see you enjoy them. Words can be simply written and simply spoken, yet can harvest so much meaning. Help her to find their meaning.

17. Teach her how to love- with passion and kisses. Love her passionately. Love her father passionately and her siblings passionately. Express your love. Show her how to love with no restraint. Let her get her heart broken and try again. Let her cry, and gush, giggle and scream. She will love like you love or hate like you hate. So, choose love for both you and her.

18. Encourage her to dance and sing. Dance and sing with her- even if it sounds or looks horrible. Let her wiggle to nursery rhymes. Let her dance on her daddy's feet and spin in your arms. Then later, let her blast noise and headbang in her bedroom with her door shut if she wants. Or karaoke to Tom Petty in the living room if she would rather. Introduce her to the classics- like The Beatles- and listen to her latest favorite- like Taylor Swift. Share the magic of music together, it will bring you closer- or at least create a soundtrack to your life together.

19. Share secrets together. Communicate. Talk. Talk about anything. Let her tell you about boys, friends, school. Listen. Ask questions. Share dreams, hopes, concerns. She is not only your daughter, you are not only her mother. Be her friend too.

20. Teach her manners. Because sometimes you have to be her mother, not just her friend. The world is a happier place when made up of polite words and smiles.

21. Teach her when to stand-up and when to walk away. Whether she has classmates who tease her because of her glasses, or a boyfriend who tells her she is too fat - let her know she does not have to listen. Make sure she knows how to demand respect - she is worthy of it. It does not mean she has to fight back with fists or words, because sometimes you say more with silence. Also make sure she knows which battles are worth fighting. Remind her that some people can be mean and nasty because of jealousy, or other personal reasons. Help her to understand when to shut her mouth and walk-away. Teach her to be the better person.

22. Let her choose who she loves. Even when you see through the charming boy she thinks he is, let her love him without your disapproving words; she will anyway. When he breaks her heart, be there for her with words of support rather than I told-you-so. Let her mess up again and again until she finds the one. And when she finds the one, tell her.

23. Mother her. Being a mother - to her - is undoubtedly one of your greatest accomplishments. Share with her the joys of motherhood, so one day she will want to be a mother too. Remind her over and over again with words and kisses that no one will ever love her like you love her. No one can replace or replicate a mother's love for their children.

24. Comfort her. Because sometimes you just need your mommy. When she is sick, rub her back, make her soup and cover her in blankets - no matter how old she is. Someday, if she is giving birth to her own child, push her hair out of her face, encourage her, and tell her how beautiful she is. These are the moments she will remember you for. And someday when her husband rubs her back in attempt to comfort her...she may just whisper, "I need my mommy."

25. Be home. When she is sick with a cold or broken heart, she will come to you; welcome her. When she is engaged or pregnant, she will run to you to share her news; embrace her. When she is lost or confused, she will search for you; find her. When she needs advice on boys, schools, friends or an outfit; tell her. She is your daughter and will always need a safe harbor - where she can turn a key to see comforting eyes and a familiar smile; be home.

Remember to stop and smell the dandelions....

I chose the title of this blog from recent events in life. Ashley is at that age where everything in the world is so fascinating and exciting. Yesterday we all took a walk around the neighborhood. It became a fun adventure. Ashley was picking up rocks, pinecones, looking in drainage holes, and picking up all the dandelions she came across. It was just a reminder of all the things adults tend to overlook or not pay attention to. She was sooo cute with the dandelions, she'd blow and blow (and spit). Haha.

Also there was a day when we had a house showing around dinner time, so we had to go out to eat. It was rainy and dreary, days I typically dislike. But as we were walking into the restaurant, Ashley was sticking her tongue out trying to catch the raindrops. She turned miserable rain into such a fun activity together. That is what I love about children, they make you see the world through new eyes again.

I also chose this title to remind myself to just take in life. It has been SOOOO busy and hectic over the last couple of weeks, you need to remind yourself not to miss out on the special moments.

First, our house has sold (well, it's under contract. The closing date is May 31). We got a call with the news on our trip up to NY/NJ. With the projects we did to the place, we were able to get the exact amount we had hoped for/predicted. The realtor wasn't too far off--she had predicted it'd sell within 30 days, and I think it was 32 days total. Not bad. We had showings almost every day, so I'm glad it didn't take much longer since it's challenging to have them with 2 little ones and a dog. But I'd use the time to go do fun things with the girls so it didn't seem like too much of a hassle.

We also had a very hectic (but fun) trip to NY and NJ. We first went up to NY for our niece Alyssa's baptism. Cheryl and Billy asked us to be the Godparents which was such an honor. It was a long treck up there, but we stopped overnight which helped and the girls were great during the ride. We really are blessed with two amazing, happy, easy going kids who just go with the flow.

Ny was a lot of fun. We spent a lot of it with family. Cheryl had come over with Alyssa the day we got there. Mom actually invited dad over too, which was quite a shock since they had had a pretty ugly divorce and didn't have much to do with each other over the years (understandably). It's amazing how grandchildren can bring people together. We actually had a nice visit...everyone was civil (and even nice), and it was so fun seeing mom, dad, and Cheryl with the girls. Lots of fun!

It was also so nice having the cousins meet. Ashley kept calling Alyssa "baby cousin" the whole time. She was so sweet to her, wanting to talk to her, hug her, kiss and play. She even shared her stickers with her and decorated her whole face with them. Haha. When Cheryl went home with Alyssa, Ashley kept saying "baby cousin? baby cousin?"

The baptism was nice but very hectic. Alyssa cried during most of it, poor thing. Lol. Just lots of people, stimulation and having to be awake during her regular nap time. Cheryl had her wear the same baptism dress that mom wore and that all 3 of us wore as babies, so that was really cool. It made me want to do it too, but our church believes that the person needs to be old enough to make the decision for themselves.

Afterward Ashley stayed with grandma to nap and relax a little, and Matt, Emily and I met up with some family for lunch out. It was nice visiting and catching up. It made me excited to think about seeing them more often.

The next day Cheryl came over with Alyssa, and we were able to spend most of the day with just them, which I haven't been able to do in ages. That is the thing I am most looking forward to about moving--when we come up now for visits, it's such a hectic whirlwind, cramming everyone in with my family, Matt's two sides, and friends. It's so busy and rushed and exhausting that it's hard to even enjoy. I'm looking forward to more frequent, less rushed visits and even some one on one time rather than always having to be together for get togethers, since it can be totally different dynamics one on one.

After NY we headed to grandmom and grandpop's house. We had a VERY hectic time while there since we were house shopping every day, but we had a real nice visit with the time we did have. Ashley came along with us one day, but then grandmom was so helpful and watched her the others. Lisa and Bruce took Ashley to a Curious George exhibit at a museum one day which is soooo cool since Ashley LOVES Curious George (in fact, she is watching it right now as I'm writing. Haha). She also went to the library, and did some fun crafts.

Emily came along with us for the four days. She was sooooo good. I don't think she cried once the whole time, and we had LONG busy days. We saw 40+ homes over 4 days. Phew! We didn't see a whole lot--the good ones get snatched up FAST in matter of a few days. On our last day we did find one house that we LOVED. After seeing so many, we walked in and was like "we're putting an offer in right now". It was soooo nice, all updated and meticulously detailed. We loved it. We looked at it a couple times, and Matt even took Lisa and Bruce to look at it. We had written up an offer, but didn't send it in--we didn't want to be impulsive, we wanted to think about it. We ultimately opted not to, because it was really pushing our budget too much. It would have been really really tight and we would have been house poor big time. We don't want that. Turns out they got a few offers, and ended up getting $45,000 over asking price, so we wouldn't have gotten it anyway.

The good news is that with the house we liked, the son who did all the work is a contractor, so we at least got his card and may hire him to do work to our place if he's affordable. Chances are we are going to be getting a place that needs some work done to it. I think it'll be easier to shop once we're up there so we can act fast and be more aggressive.

So we shall see....I am much more ready and excited about the move now. I know myself pretty well, and I knew that I needed time to be sad, and mourn everything here and everything we were leaving behind. But once I had that time, I'd be more ready to take on the next chapter (although I know I will still sob like a baby when we pull away for the last time)...but I feel I've been getting closure with friends, with work, and with the house. The new owner actually came by yesterday during inspection. She is a young girl, and very sweet. I feel good about her moving in here, and that helps me get closure here too knowing it's a nice person who is so excited and eager. She said she walked in and instantly fell in love with the place. I'm glad, and know she will love it as much as I have. Now I just hope we find a place that will do the same for us.

So more updates with the girls.

First, Emily rolled over!! On Friday, April 12, Emily rolled from her belly to her back. She's been doing it ever since. And today, April 17, she rolled from her back to her belly! Yay! What a big girl!!!
That same day (Fri), she also discovered her tongue and kept sticking it out. It was so cute.

She also started playing in her exersaucer. She's still a little young for it, but she seems to like it and is fascinated with all the objects on it.

Emily is also quite the hair puller. Lol. I remember that I had cut my hair short when Ashley was about this age, and people would say "I guess the baby was pulling your hair a lot". Ashley never did, I just cut it because I wanted to. This time around I have long hair and Emily is always pulling on hair and trying to eat it. :)

Emily is also very interactive. I love it. I wish I could bottle this time and pause it for like 3 years. It's such a fun age....she's still little, but yet big enough to be a real "person" and interact with you. I wasn't sure what Ashley would think as Emily got older and more interactive. I know some kids like/don't mind the baby when they're newborns since they don't do much, but then have issues as they get older. Ashley is the complete opposite. She LOVES Emily, and Emily LOVES her. My heart melts every time I see them together. They are truly best friends. I look back and remember when I was so worried about having the girls so close in age, and not wanting either to be robbed of their own developmental growth. Now I almost giggle about it when I see them together, and how much they love being with each other and playing. Ashley is always giving her kisses and hugs, she asks for "Emmy" first thing in the morning, she always wants her to play with her and do whatever she is doing. And Emily loves her just as much. She is so fascinated with whatever Ashley is doing, and you can tell she is eager to take part in it. Ashley even doesn't mind when they're laying together and Emily pulls her hair (I explained to her that babies use their hands to learn and discover, and she's not trying to give her a boo boo).
When we were up in NJ, Bruce pointed out that he was trying to get Emily to laugh but she wasn't. As soon as she saw Ashley, and Ashley started laughing and smiling, Emily did too. It's going to be so much fun watching them over the years.

Ashley is doing so much too. She is using an extensive vocabulary, and now uses like 5 words in a sentence.

She also started saying "now" at the end of her sentences about 2 weeks ago. She'll ask for something and say "Ashley wants this now" (although she doesn't say it in a demanding way). It's kind of cute.

She can also count to 10 all by herself, and is also good at singing the ABCs.

Here are some pics...they are all mixed up, and takes too much time to put in order. But you can figure out what's what :)