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| Yesterday started out quiet enough - everyone slept in! Which I guess is eventful in and of itself, but there's more... Abby wanted to go outside and play during Bethany's morning nap, so she and I went out in front to draw on the driveway with chalk. Dan came out a few minutes later to trim some of the bushes. As he was putting the trimmer away, Dan says, uh oh, we have a problem - we have mice. I said, are you sure? To which he replied, they're staring right at me. A mom had made a nest in a tiny gap between one of the hanging cabinets in our garage and the 2x4 underneath. With the aid of a couple of sticks, a small garbage can, a galvanized tub, a piece of cardboard, a brown paper bag and a screwdriver Dan removed the mousy mom and her 4 baby mice from the gap into the afore mentioned garbage can. That's my McGyver! It was actually really sweet because instead of leaving them there, Dan told Abby that she could get them something to eat (carrot pieces and a cracker) and then they put the can in the wagon and took a walk to the park to release the mouse family. Abby said they found a nice cozy spot under some twigs and leaves. Here's a pic of the mice in said garbage can. Two of the babies were like extra appendages of the mom. They stuck to her tail like glue. 
Then in the evening, also with the help of some coaching from Dan (no sticks were used), Bethany took her first steps! Just shy of 11 months. First Dan held one hand. Then he replaced his finger with a thick crayon. Finally without any psychological crutch. She was so happy to be walking on her own! Her face was beaming with pride at what she could do. | | |
| We've been working with Abby on learning the names of the people in our family. Especially her name and my name. This started a while back when she called me "Jo" one afternoon. At the time I told her that she should call me Mommy because that was our special relationship but that "Jo" was the name that other adults use. I had recently read an article about what to teach your kids in case they get lost (ie. a store). The article said that kids need to know their parents' names because they need to be able to tell that to the adult they approach. *sidebar* - I thought it was interesting and very wise that theauthor said to teach kids to approach another mommy or daddy, instead of a random person or even store employee. Back to names... we've also been teaching her that her full name is "Abigail Voelker" and that her nickname is "Abby". So this afternoon she and I were playing telephone, when I asked her what her name was and she answered with her full name. Then I asked her to spell her name and she spelled, "A-B-B-Y", so I said, oh, is your nickname Abby? She said yes. Then I asked what's your sister's name. She said "Bethigail Voelker but we call her Bethany." | | |
| We often drop by Trader Joe's these days for two reasons. First: their yogurt. Not only do they have the lowest prices on Yo Baby yogurt (though not as many varieties) but their whole milk yogurt quarts are at least a dollar cheaper and organic! So I usually buy a couple, then puree the fruit myself for Bethany's lunch. The second reason we go there is the free balloon. Here's the dilemna these days - Abby asks politely for a balloon, so she gets one. Bethany, who can't speak yet, definitely wants a balloon, but has a mom who's a little embarrassed to ask for a balloon for a baby who will just try to chew it. So the other day I was loading the car after a run and Bethany was belly-aching because she had seen Abby's balloon. Abby asked why Bethany was crying, so I explained that Bethany wanted her own balloon but she couldn't ask for one yet because she is still a baby. She thought about it then responded, "Maybe next time I can ask for a balloon for Bethany too." Here's Bethany's attempt to feed herself: 
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| A few months have passed so I thought I would post another entry in our comparison series of pictures. This was a little more difficult than previous ones because of two reasons. #1 - our camera went on the fritz when Abby was 6-9 months so many of the pictures that I took are now lost (or more accurately trapped on a corrupted disc). #2 - Bethany has been hitting developmental milestones at a younger age (you'll see!). As I was finding these pictures it really became apparent that while they have some similar features, some similar gestures, and make some similar faces, they seem to be diverging and becoming true individuals (not that we had any doubt). If you showed me a random picture at this age, I think I could tell you which girl it is! Oh, just a reminder: Abby's on the left, Bethany's on the right. Clapping: Abby - 12 mo. (did it really take her that long to put her hands together??); Bethany 9 mo.  
Standing under the kitchen table:  
So Big!: Abby - 9 mo.; Bethany - 7 mo.  
Cruising:  
Crawling: Abby - 11 mo. (though she walked the next day); 8 mo.  
Self feeding: Both are using their left hand but Abby seems to be favoring her right hand these days.  
In the kiddie pool: Abby - 12 mo.; Bethany - 7 mo. (The difference is really based on when summer fell during their first year. Yes, it's the same swim suit!)  
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Last year, I noted some of Abby's favorite things, just so I would have them for posterity. I think I'll try and do it every year to see what stays the same and what changes. Here are some of Abby's favorite things now that she's 3. Color: blue (also green & orange, sometimes pink) Toy: dinosaurs (she keeps them in her lunch bag so we can bring them to the park with us) Craft activity: playdoh Food: mac & cheese (Dan and I always need an after dinner snack because she eats more than we do!) Park activity: swings (though she's getting better about climbing and slides) DVD: Monsters Inc.? Nemo? Jungle book? Happy Feet? Every week it's different! (Currently she's into Scooby Doo because we can get them on our instant queue from Netflix.) TV show: Backyardigans (Abby dabbles with other shows like Kai-Lan, Clifford, Curious George, etc. but these are the default) Song: Wonderful (from our church's kid's ministry worship CD) Snack: fruit snacks Treat: lollipop (These are her reward for keeping her undies dry overnight! One month and only one accident!) Ride: carousels (she thought the roller coaster was too fast.) Animal: rhinoceros (so she says, but I don't think she really likes rhinos - it's just that lots of illustrators make rhinos blue)
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