Playdates and snow

The past week has been full of playdates and playing "side" in the snow. I realized this last week too how many more words AJ can say that I didn't add to his last last week (for example, he will sometimes ask to go to "chch" (church) and will command us to "pray" if we forget before we eat (AJ also calls out people if they don't pray with us at dinner - so make sure if you join us for dinner that you are ready to pray, or AJ will point to you and say "pray"). Last Friday we went to see my friend and co-worker Ellie and her new little baby "Mikey". Here is a picture of AJ "holding" Mikey (her husband Kevin was holding him). Poor little AJ was not too happy when I held Mikey - in fact, it resulted in him laying face-down on the floor and having a full-blown tantrum. Guess we need to practice mommy holding a baby a little bit more!

Yesterday we went to play at the Kelly's household. We got the royal treatment! Jill had a big blow-up toy that all the kids could run and play in, AJ, Abby, and Sophie decorated (and ate) cookies, and they all had fun dancing to music and playing with toys. Here are some pictures from our playdate:

In the afternoon we were lucky enough to have our friends Tyler and Haley over. They play so well together - it was so fun to watch the three interact and have fun. I think all of their highlight of the day - I know it was mine - was when Adam pulled out his guitar and all four of them jammed to the ABC's. Everyone took turns with the different instruments. Here are some pictures from the afternoon:

AJ has been totally obsessed with going outside to play in the snow. Most of the winter it has been too cold to enjoy the great outdoors, so we are all happy that is warm enough to play outside! Here are a few pictures of him playing in the recent snow. I wish I could figure out how to play videos on here - we have some super cute ones of AJ laughing and playing in the snow :)

Fun with cupcakes!

Yesterday was Valentine's Day, and with that came the joy of making cupcakes! This was the first official time that AJ was allowed to participate in helping me cook, and he had so much fun! Most of the time he was very serious and focused, but every once and again his joy would come out in a smile. I think he had more fun making the cupcakes than actually eating them :) The best part of the day for me was when he ran up to me, hugged my leg, and said "I Uh OOhh" (I love you). What better gift of love could one get than that?

By the way - if you are reading this and know how to upload videos - please email me with a suggestion... I have tried many times, and every time it says it cannot connect to the blogger website :( It says: "Could not contact Blogger.com. Saving and publishing may fail. Retrying..."

Here is AJ cracking open the egg - just like mommy (except he was only supposed to hand me the egg)

Yes, this is AJ sneezing into the batter. I made sure we cooked the cupcakes extra long :)

What fun it is to mix! Most of the batter stayed inside the bowl.

Yummmy!!!!

AJ's language has completely exploded over the past few weeks. I am going to cut and paste a list I created a few months ago of all the words he could say at the time, but in the meantime, here is a list of all the words that AJ independently says (in alphabetical order)...

Back in August, this was what I posted on our other site:

AJ can now repeat back most two-syllable words, but the words below are all ones he can identify without hearing anything first. It is interesting to me that most of the words he can sign he will not try to vocalize. I don't mind though because he continues to expand his vocabulary and is able to communicate so well to us!

Speak: apple, nana (for banana), bath, bubu (for bubbles), cudu (for color), cracker, nown (for down), Elmo, flies (butterflies), seese (for cheese), dada, daddy, doggie, fish, go, hi, hat, help, horse, hot, light, mama, ni-ni (for nih night), no, oh (for uh-oh), see?, side (for outside), target), this (for what's this?), truck, up, vroom (for cars or when he rides on his toy motorcycle), wawa (for water), and yeah (33 words)

Sign: all done, bath, book, eat, fish, friend, light, milk, more, movie, music, play, up, He also nods his head yes or no if he does or does not want something. (13 signs)

Intraverbals: What does a cow say? R: Moo;
What does a kitty cat say? R: meow
horsey: mmmhmmmm
sheep: baaa
Ready, set,: Go!


Receptive: just about everything! We were playing out back this afternoon and his hat fell off by the garden. He came back over to me and I said, "uh oh, where is your hat? go get your hat" and he walked back to the garden and got it!

This is what I can think of for the present day: (receptive is pretty much everything that he understands, and he still signs with talking most of the words he knew back then in addition to a few new ones)...

Abby (from Sesame Street)
airplane
AJ's turn
ambulance
apple
baby
back
ball
balloon
banana
basketball
bath
bed
Big Bird
bike
black
blanket
blocks
blue
boat
book
boots
bubble
Buddy
bus
butter
butterflies (flies)
bye
car
cat
chase
cheese
chicken
clock
cloud
coat
color
computer (uter)
cookie
cow
cracker
crash
daddy
diaper
doggie
done (all done)
down
duck
eat
eggs
eight
elmo
eyes
fan
firetruck
fish
five
flag
foot
football
fork
four
go
grandma
grandpa
green
hair
hat
hay (like on a farm)
helicopter (copter)
help
hi
home
hop
horse
hot
hot
I love you
ice
juice
jump
kaboom
ladder
lamp
lawnmower
light
lotion
Maggie
mama
milk
mine
mittens
moon
more
mouth
movie
muffin
mush (from good night moon)
music
nigh-night
nine
no
nose
numbers
off
on
one
outside (side)
paci (pacifier)
pants
papa
pig
pillow
pink
plate
please
police car
police man
poop (when he has gone #2 he will let me know :))
potty
pretzel
red
remote
see?
seven
shake
sheep
sheet
shirt
shoe
sit
six
slide
snow
sock
spagetti (ettie)
spoon
stairs
stamp (he likes it when I put a stamp on his hand)
stars
stop
sweep
table
teddy
ten
thank you
thomas
three
tickle
toast
tractor
train
truck
tummy
tv
two
up
vacuum
vroom
water
yellow
yes

(162 words total at almost 22 months)

It's a ...

GIRL!

Let me back up a minute. AJ has been home sick with me since yesterday afternoon, and we were home hanging out again today. He seemed happy and in good spirits, but because of his tummy ache, he isn't allowed to go to daycare until he is over his stomach bug, so I decided a short little outing wouldn't be a bad thing. I made an appointment for an ultrasound and we got the confirmation we needed to start painting the walls pink :) I savor every moment I have with him, and I hate to say this, but I almost like the moments when he is a "little" sick because he snuggles up so close and is extra affectionate.

<---- Here is AJ snuggling with Buddy today.

This past Saturday we went to the zoo. AJ loves his daddy, and was lucky enough to get a free ride on Adam's shoulders most of the morning.

Welcome to our new page!

I am so glad that you were able to find our family's new page! Over the past two years I have been posting pictures and information on our little family of three, but some people had difficulties accessing it. I hope you found this site okay.





AJ is now 22 months old - I can't believe I get to start planning his second birthday party already! He is such a joy in our lives. AJ is ALL boy -playing with trucks, trains, tractors, and airplanes constantly (although this past weekend he did play with a baby doll on a playdate). AJ is talking more words than I can count. He counted to ten by himself for the first time yesterday. I got so excited, I think I startled him slightly by jumping up and down with excitement and all my clapping. He is so smart and is a great helper. Usually AJ's helping requires me to clean up more than I would have initially cleaned up, but he just beams with joy and pride when he does things like the dishes, laundry, vacuum, and dust. He still signs a lot, but now is pairing words with the signs. He can sign just over thirty words, and uses about twenty on a daily basis. Last week we bought AJ his toddler bed - I guess I ended up being way more excited about it than he was. On craigslist I found a firetruck bed (and he LOVES firetrucks). It is in perfect condition, and even comes with a "heroes" comforter, sheets, and pillowcase. He likes to jump on it and off it, but so far isn't into sitting or sleeping on it.

AJ knows there is a "baby in mommy's belly" and gives sweet little kisses to the baby every night. (He also thinks it is fun to poke his finger at my belly button while doing this). Usually about two seconds after he lifts my shirt to look at my belly he says "bye" and pulls my shirt back down. I don't think it will be that easy for him come this June!

Our baby on the way has already started to show some behaviors that we have to work on. We went Monday to get our gender determining ultrasound, and low and behold, the little bugger had it's legs crossed the entire time! We have to wait one more month before our next appointment. I am 21 weeks now, so I will be 25 weeks along when we get to find out if the room gets to be pink or blue (hopefully we will get a clear shot then). I was so thankful to hear and se that it is healthy, and there were no health concerns or risks to worry about at this point. I am feeling the baby move on a daily basis and he/she is kicking hard enough to make my skin move. I am always so amazed and thankful that God has granted us this opportunity to get pregnant a second time. We have been blessed beyond anything I would have known to wish for with such a wonderful son as AJ, and I constantly think about how amazed I am to think that we will one day soon have that much more love to give. We are all so excited for AJ's little baby brother/sister to be here.





Please feel free to contact me at Missy7t@yahoo.com!