Toddler Tales

I recently read a post on a blog that I follow called "Toddler Tales."  She dedicated a post to share some of the crazy, off the wall things that her toddlers say and do and I absolutely loved the idea.  Addie is hilarious these days and although she is still developing her vocabulary, she really does say and do the funniest things and as we are approaching her 2nd birthday I am constantly reminded why I love this age.  Addie makes me laugh, she makes me smile, she makes me proud, and at times she may even make me a little crazy - but she continues to amaze me on a daily basis and being her and Bella's momma is by far the most rewarding job in the entire world.  With that being said, here is my version of Toddler Tales, Addie Edition, volume 1:

Anyone who knows Addie knows that she has become quite the picky eater.  Usually if it doesn't come in a pouch, she isn't a fan.  Enter Ketchup - who would have known that ketchup could be a universal condiment.  She eats it with the obvious things chicken, grilled cheese, eggs, but then she sneaks it in with some interesting things as well, bananas and gold fish, and sometimes just uses her finger to eat it solo.  Not to mention the times she's asked for it and we've turned her down - I think that girl would eat ketchup with just about anything!

Addie plays with her nursery from Grandma and Pap constantly.  Since we had Bella, that girl always has a baby doll in her hand and it seems like recently they have multiplied.  She loves to put her babies and stuffed animals "night night" and sometimes I turn around and poor Bella is surrounded by 3 baby dolls, her froggy, and her puppy - all tucked in, given kisses, and ready to go "night night."  Luckily, Bella is a trooper and plays right along with a huge smile on her face!

Her british accent - I'm not really sure where it came from, but when Addie says certain words I swear she sounds like she's from England.  The word "sock" is my favorite, but "Pap" has become a close second.  I guess if we ever venture overseas she will fit right in.

In the last couple of weeks, Addie has become the most polite toddler I've ever met.  Every time I give her something she follows with the sweetest little "Thank you Mommy" and any time I thank her for doing something she says "Welcome Mommy."  I'm not going to lie though, her politeness makes me pretty proud :)

Sometimes I think Addie has turned into a frog because she is constantly jumping around the house saying "wicky wicky" which translates to ribbit ribbit.  It's hilarious.

The most famous celebrity in our house right now is Frosty the snowman.  Addie is obsessed!  She got her Frosty movie on Christmas eve and I think we've watched it at least 1000 times since then.   That girl has the movie memorized!  She knows when to march around the room when the kids do on the movie, she says "hot" before the fire even appears on the screen, and she's get's very upset when the girl on the movie is about to cry.  Luckily, Frosty goes "night night" in our house for most of the day because for real, mommy can only handle the "jolly happy soul" one time per day!

Her dance moves - not sure where she got them, but they are awesome!  She wiggles, spins around, and loves to move.  We often have dance parties after dinner and she is always the star!

Addie is one smart cookie.  If we ask her to do something she doesn't want to do, like change her diaper, she runs away and lays down to pretend she is sleeping.  Smart girl!

I can't right a post all about Addie and not include her best friend Hudson.  She asks about her buddy Huds as she calls him, about 100 times a day.  Everything we do and everywhere we go she asks about Huds.  She is crazy about him, luckily his parents are pretty cool too!

That's all for this edition of Toddler Tales.  Our toddler is pretty awesome, what can I say :)

Bella - 5 months

Weight, Length, Head next well check at 6 months

Clothes:  3-6 months

Diapers: Size 2

Health:

It seems like you have had a constant runny/stuffy nose this month now that we are finally getting some colder weather.  Luckily, it doesn't seem to bother you that much and you are still you happy, smiley self.

Diet:

You are still exclusively breastfed about 5 times a day and probably a little spoiled in this department.   Since I stay at home now we were slacking a little bit on giving you a bottle, therefore you started to boycott the whole idea.  You knew what you wanted and kicked and screamed if we tried anything else.  We've been working with you though and giving you a bottle about every other day.  Practice (and a lot of patience) pays off and you are finally taking the bottle again..wooohooo!  I'm hoping to start introducing solids in the next week or two, so stay tuned to see how that goes!

Sleep:

We have transitioned you to your crib and you did amazing!  There was a night or 2 of a few more wake-ups than normal, but that's it.  I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was.  You love your crib and spin around constantly when you are in there, it's adorable.  Even though where you sleep has changed, your sleeping habits haven't and I'm thankful for that.  You still wake up between 7-8.  On a typical day you take 2-3 naps, your afternoon nap is still the longest.  The other 2 are usually cat naps on the go or in your swing.  You go to bed every night around 7:30 and sometimes will wake up for a 5am feeding, sometimes you sleep until it's time to get up.

Likes:

You are obsessed with your hands and your toes right now.  If you don't have them in your mouth, chances are you are blowing bubbles or making baby babbles and squeals.  You love to sit in your excersaucer that we got out this month or in your new anywhere chair you got for Christmas.  The Halo Sleepsack has been a lifesaver now that you are sleeping in your crib and no longer swaddled.  It keeps you warm and cozy while you are sleeping.  As long as you are wrapped up in your sleepsack and have your pacifier, you are one happy camper!  Although I'm convinced that taking your pacifier out of your mouth is one of your favorite pastimes because you know that I will come in to help you put it back in, you are one smart cookie!  The swing is another one of your favorite spots, especially when we go to the YMCA because they have the same one we have at home.  Addie continues to be your favorite person in the whole world and you grin from ear to ear the second you see her or hear her nearby and she is equally infatuated with you.

Dislikes:

You are not a happy camper when I get anywhere close to your nose!  Bottles are tolerable now, but still not your favorite thing.

Milestones:
-You are starting to laugh a little bit.  It's not an all out giggle yet, but you are so close!
-I know that you are going to roll over any day now because you are constantly on your side.
-You sat up in your excersaucer for the first time this month and have started interacting with your toys on it.  You also kick and grab the toys on your play mat.
-We celebrated your first Christmas!  Addie helped you open up your presents and you were obsessed with watching your big sis run around and play with all of her new toys.  She really is quite the entertainer!

Personality:
Bella you are such a sweet little girl.  Your smile lights up any room you are in and you give the best baby snuggles.  You are absolutely infatuated with your sister and I can only imagine what you are thinking as you watch her every move.  You smile when she gives you hugs and kisses, you smile when she tries to dance with you, you even smile when she "shares" her toys with you/lays them on top of you!  I'm still convinced that you are the most laid back, easiest baby ever and we are pretty much the luckiest parents ever to not have one, but two amazing little girls that we get to call our own.  We love you to the moon and back Bella bean!

Visitors:   

The holidays meant for lots of time with friends and family.  We spent an extra long weekend in Pittsburgh where you got to see lots of Castello's, met Aunt Leah for the first time, and spend time with the Hendry's.  

NYE & Our Year in Review

Happy New Year!  2015 was such an amazing year for us for so many reasons.  We watched Addie grow into an active, happy toddler, welcomed Bella into our family, both started new adventures on the work front - Eric got his real estate license on top of kicking butt in the Jostens world and I took a break from teaching to be a stay at home mom, took many amazing trips from St. Lucia to the Outer Banks, spent time with friends and family, and all around just had an awesome year. Here are my favorite photos throughout the year:

January - Spending New Year's in St. Lucia

February - Addie turns ONE

March - We have a walker!

April - It's a GIRL!

May - Mini-vacation to the Outer Banks

June - Addie's last day of daycare and my last day of work!

July -OBX Family Vacation

August - Welcome Bella Sherry!

September - Stay at home mom life

October - God Bless Bella

November - 1st Friendsgiving

December - Our 1st Christmas as a family FOUR

We have a lot to be thankful for this year and I can't wait to see what 2016 has in store for the Harvells.  We spent NYE ringing in the new year with some close friends.  Our night included some yummy pizza and treats, a toddler friendly dance party, a few glasses (or bottles) of champagne, and a lot of laughs.  Goodbye 2015 and Cheers to 2016 :)

Christmas 2015

Christmas 2015 was simply the best.  We started the celebration on Christmas Eve by going to a service that our friends invited us to.  Afterwards, we continued our tradition of picking up some Chinese food on the way home.  We quickly ate and then it was time to get ready for Santa.  Bella was exhausted so she went to bed while Addie worked on "writing" her letter.  She is quite the artist these days and loves to color!  We watched Frosty and enjoyed a special snack before it was time to check the Santa tracker and get to bed before he got to our house.  If she only knew what was in store for her in the morning...

After the girls were in bed Eric and I decided to celebrate Christmas, just the 2 of us.  Eric loved his new workout gear, Carolina Panthers shirt, and monthly sock subscription.  I was so excited about my new Pandora bead, personalized canvas of our love story, workout stuff, and my new Hunter boots.  Eric did good this year :) 

Christmas day was by far one of my favorite days ever.  This is the first year that I spent it away from my parent's house but there's something magical about creating memories with your own children in your own house on Christmas.  It was so awesome to see the joy on Addie's face when we came down the stairs.  She was so excited and couldn't decide what to do first.  She tested out her trampoline from Aunt Kristen and checked out her new nursery from Grandma and Pap.  When she turned the corner and saw more presents in the family room she almost couldn't contain her excitement.  The new cozy coupe that was waiting for her was by far one of her favorites!  Bella was equally excited to take it all in and watch her big sister.  Bella even decided to snack on her new Sofie while she watched Addie play.  Eric cooked up some yummy Santa pancakes for breakfast while Addie was busy playing.  She played and played and played all day long.  She played her little heart out from sun up to sun down and it was so much fun to watch.  This year, it was about 70 degrees on Christmas day, which was a little crazy.  We decided to take advantage of the warm weather and go outside so Addie could take her new ride for a spin and Bella could get some fresh air.  Nap time was spent lounging and recharging on the couch while watching Christmas movies.  We had a quiet dinner just the 4 of us, followed by some more playing.  After it was dark, we decided to have Addie color a picture for her Mom-mom and Pap-pap in Heaven on a Chinese wish lantern.  She wished them a Merry Christmas and told them that she loved and missed them.  We went outside and lit the lanterns and sent our messages up to Heaven.  This is the second Christmas we have had without Sherry, but I know she was here in spirit.  She loved her grandkids more than anything and I know she had a huge smile on her face all day as she watched them celebrate the joy of Christmas.  I think the pictures that we sent up to her were icing on the cake!  We ended our night with Christmas sundaes in honor of Jesus' birthday, which was a huge hit for Addie!  All in all it was an amazing day.  The house was full of toys, smiles, laughter, and exhausted children at the end of the day and I wouldn't have had it any other way.  Until next year...