Elizabeth: The Big Two Year Old!

12/28/2013

BEAN'S 2ND BIRTHDAY

Yesterday, my baby turned 2! I really feel like I just had her. It feels so odd to say I have a 2 year old. 

We celebrated at our new home here on Camano. My sister-in-law, Joana and Mother-in-law, Diane picked up some Bubble Guppies party supplies before Christmas so we were able to have a bit of a theme! 

I really wanted to do more for her but after Christmas, Frank and I are pretty broke.
We had some streamers from last year we hung up and had some balloons. After hanging the balloons Elizabeth decided she hated them. She refused to go into any room that had any and was pretty terrified of them! I was surprised as she points them out everywhere we go! I thought she'd enjoy them; apparently not. So we took them all down. 

I was scared of balloons as a child too...

I also made some Bubble Guppies invites on the computer and printed them off to send out. 

I'm a little irritated and may not do invites next year as NO ONE EVER RSVP'S! I ended up having to call/text anyone who I thought may come. Some family members ( who shall remain anonymous) didn't even bother to give me an answer and never showed.  I get it. It's a 2 year old birthday, probably not the most exciting thing in the world but a simple "No, I won't be coming" really helps. HINT HINT. 

Regardless of certain people not showing, Elizabeth really had a great time. Her BFF showed up, most of her family, she had ice cream cake and pizza. She enjoyed herself and that's what it was all about! 

Not to mention she got a ridiculous amount of presents.

Also, 90% of every thing she got this year had Hello Kitty on it. My home now looks like a shrine to the pink bowed kitty.

Bean's BFF, Ollie! 15 Months old. 

What do I do all day?

This is going to be a rant post, blogger friends. If you don't feel like hearing me whine then I suggest you stop reading. 

When did it become okay to criticize someone else's way of life? 

Especially if that person is PERFECTLY content and doing fine! More than fine! Great! 

I admit. I've done it. I've never had it happen to me until Elizabeth came into the picture. 

I feel awful for judging those particular people. 

In my eyes they weren't doing so great. 

Is that how we view stay-at-home mothers? Women who aren't doing so great?

Since I decided to stay home about a year and half ago, I have been constantly attacked ( okay, attacked not be the right word) about staying at home with my baby girl. Sigh, I guess she's more of a toddler now than a baby.  

I'm asked at least once a week,
"What do you do all day?"

Seriously? Are you serious? What DO I DO ALL DAY? 

I find that a lot of these people who ask this ignorant question, aren't parents. ( Although some of them are!)

I never know what do say to these people.
I'm a shy person.

 I usually keep my opinions to myself. 

I avoid confrontation.

I end up replying with,
"Well, I watch Elizabeth all day..." 

I urge anyone who feels differently to read this blog post I'm going to link. This man put it in better words than I could ever. I'm so happy he wrote it.

http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/10/09/youre-a-stay-at-home-mom-what-do-you-do-all-day/

For the record:
I did try going back to work after I had Elizabeth. 

It just didn't work out. She NEEDED me home! 

My husband makes enough money to where I could make a choice on whether to stay working or not.

She needed me home. End of story.

She now will be TWO in a couple weeks. 

She CAN count to 10! Yes! 

Sing the ABC's to 'D'.
She says her 'Pleases' and ' Thank-yous'. 

AND she is one of the most loving little girls I have ever met. 

Quite honestly, this is a lot better than some 3 years old's I've seen and known.

23 Months Old -- New Home Photoz!

Elizabeth on Thanksgiving 2013!

As of today, Elizabeth is 23 months old. In exactly a month she will be 2 whole years old. 

I know I previously stated I'd be blogging about her 22nd month, but I don't think it's going to happen. Fall just always seems to be a busy time of the year for me. I noticed I didn't blog much around this time last year either.
Anyways.
Bean can currently....
- Count to 10! Although a 7 and an 8 come after 10 for some reason, lol.
- Sing the ABC's to D. If I sing it then ask her what letter comes next, she usually know it.
- Draw circles!
- Knows the colors, Red, Blue and Yellow. 

- Her speech seems to grow every day too. It kind of creeps me out how well she can talk sometimes. She's really been into calling things "cute" lately but it comes out " tewt!" which I think is adorable.

Bean on Thanksgiving 2013. 

We still haven't improved much on the potty yet. I did purchase some training undies and let her wear them one day but she was literally peeing every 20 minutes - a sign she isn't ready so I think we will pick it back up once she turns 2. I do put her on the potty if she asks ( normally its so she can have a marshmallow) and so far she's peed twice on it. Both times I think were accidents but she still got TWO marshmallows for going like a big girl, lol. 

We've been in our new home for little over a month now and are still enjoying it SO much. They're some improvements we'd like to make eventually but that's for another day.

HERE ARE SOME PHOTOZ FOR YOU ALL WHO WANT TO SEE IT :)

I know I've already posted this one but it shows the outside well :) Behind the home are a cherry and apple tree.

Our property line isn't very well shown so our "lovely" neighbor ( an older man) has been making it very clear where it's at. He dug a small hole where the line is and is sure to mow every week stopping at the line. It actually made me laugh when I saw him digging the hole... we haven't been in the backyard once since we moved here as the weather just isn't great and there's so reason to go back there. I hope there won't be problems, I really hate confrontation.

THE MUD ROOM.
 This room was turquoise before we painted it. There's a closet on the left. We plan on removing the door to it, adding a bench etc on the inside so people can remove their shoes easy. Also would like to replace the tiling! We're thinking hardwood. Just thinking right now though. Soooooon! 

There's a carpeted spot on top there - I'm not sure what it's actually for, I'm assuming plants but eventually I'd like to put a little pathway leading to it for the kitties! I can put their scratching post up there, a bed, I'm so excited, lol. Our awesome Realtor, Machelle thought of the idea. My kinda lady!

THE LIVING ROOM

View from the living room

At the end of the corner is the beach :) 

THE DINING ROOM
FYI I know spider plants aren't supposed to be in direct light. Give me a break. 

We bought this fridge last year. The home came with a fridge as well so we put the one that came with the home downstairs for my brother to use!

THE KITCHEN
Yes, that's a dishwasher! The cabinets are a little too 80's for us. We're going to repaint them. Haven't decided on what color yet.I want to go white, Frank wants to go dark. Suggestions?

BEAN'S ROOM
Her room was originally blue so of course we had to paint it!

The apple tree is right outside her window which she points out EVERY day, lol. OH and did you notice? The windows? Double pane! No MOLD!!!

OUR BATHROOM
It was originally yellow. We're going to paint the cabinets with a dark wash. 

Framed photos of Bean in the bathtub!

THE MASTER BEDROOM
It came with 2 closets so we converted one into an "office/gaming" station. We plant to paint & add inset shelves to it!

Cherry tree is right outside the window :)

DOWNSTAIRS 

Most of the downstairs I have left to my  brother as he is renting our 3rd bedroom. Most of the stuff shown is his but I did have to put my craft table downstairs as I didn't have room upstairs for it. We also share the laundry room. :)

I didn't take a photo of the 3rd bedroom as it's Tyler's and thought it would be rude. XD 

Laundry room! Yes, NEW washer and dryer! Holla! 

The garage! It's a single car but works for us since we only have 1 car! We plan on redoing the floors, walls, shelving. Everything. :) 

FINALLY MOVED!

The title says it all! The Steele's finally moved! 

After over a year of looking at homes, putting in offers, being declined a million times and getting our hopes up, we finally found a home we, my grandparents and the bank could all agree on.

Here it is! I'm not entirely fond of the turquoise, we plan to repaint next summer! Have I mentioned how EXPENSIVE paint is?! 

Alright. So, where do I begin with all of you who are thinking " Wow! Her Grandparent's bought them a home?!"
Although we're are internally in their debt for helping us out, they did not buy us this home. We're renting from them. Was it our idea? No, it was not. We DO plan to buy it from them in the very near future which is why it was so important to find a home we could all agree on.

I want to say this whole thing started in late spring of 2012 but I could be off a little. I guess my Grandparent's were in the need to bless someone and were in the market to buy another rental home regardless. We seemed to be a perfect fit. We're financially stable and the living conditions we last lived in were lets just say, not acceptable.

This was our last rental from fall 2012.  Our theory is that it was supposed to be the basement of a home that was never finished.  It was perfect when we decided to move in. We hadn't had Bean yet, we both worked 40+ hours and were rarely home. It's a block away from my parents and the rent was cheap. Plus, the view is SPECTACULAR ! We moved in February 2011. 

After seeing my last rental, you can see why I was so, so excited to move! I'm sad I won't be a walk away from my parents anymore but ultimately the place wasn't healthy or big enough for us. There was a serious mold issue, the roof leaked, heating the place cost us hundreds of dollars...I could go on and on.

Now you're thinking " If living conditions were THAT bad, why not move earlier?"

1.) I hate moving. I know most people are not entirely fond of it either but I absolutely loathe it. My Mom mentioned to me a couple weeks ago, through out my childhood we had moved 17, yes, SEVENTEEN times. All before I was the age of 13. I honestly don't remember moving that much. I remember 7 different homes we lived in. I'm assuming most of it was when I was a baby.

2.) Elizabeth. I really, really, didn't want to change her environment if I didn't haaaaave too. We were hoping to bump our credit up very soon and buy our own home. I knew we'd have to put her through at least 1 move. I didn't want to do more than needed.

3.) The kitties. I had already moved with Sven and Mishka from our apartment into this home. They did not take it well.

We made the move on October 13th! It's now November 4th... and we still aren't completely settled.
Even though I don't have everything exactly the way I'd prefer, this home is 1000 times better than what we were living in.
I'm happy we lived in our last rental though. It really taught me to appreciate what I NOW have. It's amazing. Just little things like having a larger sink really make a huge difference.
We have a GARAGE now! I've never lived in a home with a garage ( that I remember). I've never had so much storage room in my life.
Elizabeth has her OWN room, that we painted purple! I got to paint and decorate a room for my baby girl!


I'm still just in absolute awe that we're finally moved and happy! 

I will try to post some more photos as we get more settled and I have more time.
I'll also be blogging about Elizabeth's October. She's now 22 months old, guys! 2 more months and I will have a 2 year old! Eek! 

21 Months Old

September has just flown by for Bean & I! Bean was 21 months old on the 29th. That means 3 months till her 2nd birthday, friends! I'm not sure if I want to do a theme this year or take the entire party to an Alfy's or something similar. Last year we had at least 20 people show up to my parent's tiny little double wide and it was just to small. Bean was comfortable there though and enjoyed herself completely...and that's all that matters to me really. This year she is more outgoing and wants to run around, etc. I think maybe an restaurant is a good idea. Oye. I don't know. Mama problems...

Bean on her 1st birthday! 

FAMILY NEWS
We have some serious life changes that will be going on in the near future and the excitement of it has led myself to just go with the motions of life until it actually happens. We have been waiting for almost 2 years for this and it's literally come down to DAYS. I refuse to let the social world know what is it exactly until everything is concrete -- SOON! I will for SURE blog about it. Trust me on that one.


CURRENTLY
Elizabeth is currently watching her morning cartoons, in her footy jammies, eating a banana.

Eating french toast! She usually eats an entire piece after having her nana! 

I can't tell you how almost every morning is EXACTLY the same. I've read routine is good for toddlers so I suppose that is good. I absolutely loathe change and have set routines for myself since I was 10 or so. My day is ruined if my plans don't go as planned.  I know that's kind of sad but it's just how I like things. Obviously I've learned I can't control everything and I can't plan out my entire day but I still try. That is one thing about having a child that I enjoy which I've heard a lot of parent's complain about. Routines. Most parent's have to plan their days around feedings, naps, etc. I love it. Bean has a set time she eats her lunch, takes her nap and goes to bed. I can then plan around it and feel like at least something went according to my "plan" for the day.


ELIZABETH NEWS

In her Bean bag: Easter 2012

She's finally getting a little bit more daring and starting to climb in/on/around things. Her favorite physical activity right now ( since we're pretty much stuck inside due to the weather) is belly flopping her pink bean bag. She gets a running head start and screams " WHOOAAA!" and flops onto it.
She's now talking SO much. It makes me laugh. Yesterday, she got "stuck" in a laundry hamper I was letting her play with and she was yelling " Mom! Mom! Help meh Mama! HELP ME!" I know it's kind of mean but is was hilarious and I couldn't help but laugh a little at her. She was also singing " HAPPPPY BIRRRDAY!!" I'm not sure why. We haven't had a birthday since the Sept.14th -- it surprised me she remembered! She loves to sing so I guess I wasn't that surprised.

POTTY TRAINING
So she still hasn't actually used the potty. I'm really not worried about it as she isn't even 2 yet, but I'm not going to lie when I say I'm not a little bit disappointed. I was hoping she would just get on, use it and it would be that fast. I bought a bunch of little marshmallows to give her when she uses it so every time she asks to use the potty, it's been so she can have a "mallow! MALLOW PLEASE!" Ha ha. I know what I must do. I'm going to have to let her run around naked so she can pee all over herself and my house and realize what's actually happening. I was so hoping it wouldn't come to that. I bought her those training undies which are GREAT; but she's already almost grown out of them, and they were pretty expensive! Maybe I will ask for some for her birthday or Jesus' birthday?

20 Months Old

Good morning blogging friends! Although I know quite a few of you're my Facebook friends... That's right. Blogspot shows where most my viewers come from. Go figure it's Facebook. I really wish more of you had Google +. If you had it, you could then actually comment on here and I wouldn't feel like so much of a weirdo.

Anyways.

20 months old...
I realize I blog right when Elizabeth TURNS a particular month. So, we're really only a couple weeks into her 20th month as she ages on the 29th of every month. So, I'll be telling you about August ( her 19th month) as well as the couple weeks into her 20th of September. :)

When I wrote about Bean turning 19 months old, she has just started putting sentences together. Since, she's really improved! A lot of what she says is still gibberish but she really is trying. She's also a GREAT little copy cat which is bad for the adults in the family since our vocabulary is all of what a toddler shouldn't be saying. I honestly really try to make sure I don't blurt anything horrible out but sometimes things just come out and I catch myself. Then they're other family members who seem to just not care. They're REALLY pushing my buttons. Frank....Tyler.

Passed out after a long day in Stanwood.

On top of her excellent toddler language, we've also been learning letters, shapes and numbers! I don't go out of my way to push any of it on her if she isn't interested but I throw some learning time in whenever I can. She knows 'A', ' B', and 'C'. 'B' and 'C' we're still working on but she recognizes them. 'A' is old news to her. She tries to count but doesn't have it down quite yet. Every time she sees any number it's always "TWOOOOO!" It makes me laugh. She also counts whenever we're on stairs and it goes something like this, " One.....sven....TWOOOO....NNNNNIIIIINE!" She's so great. She also has the circle down. She recognizes it and can make one! That is the only shape though. I admit we haven't worked much with colors, a goal I've set for the the two of us to work on. Each time I ask her what color something is she just goes " COLOR!" Oye.







In August, we also purchased her a "big girl potty"! One that sets on top of the regular toilet. She has yet to actually use it but our first goal of getting her to realize when she's going number 1 has worked. We also got her some training undies that are basically a lot like a swimming diaper and they worked so well. She peed and immediately told me afterwards. So exciting! Ha ha.

Big girl "Undies" 

Her imagination has also really blossomed. I absolutely love it. Bean's always been really good at entertaining herself but this still just amazes me. The girl pretends ALL the time. It's SO adorable. Sometimes she pretends she's a kitty and will crawl around, meow and carry stuff in her mouth. Sometimes she pretends she's cooking and insists that you try whatever she's whippin' up. Sometimes she pretends she's doing hair and you HAVE to tell her how pretty it is or she will yell and get upset. She actually has also really got quite sassy over the past month as well. Everyone calls this stage the "terrible two's" but what no parent ever tells you is it actually starts 6 months BEFORE they're two and lasts till they're 4. Ha ha ha.

Co-Sleeping

When Elizabeth was 7 months old, I made the decision to bring her into the bed with my husband and I. Up until then, she had been sleeping in a cradle, bassinet thing, next to my side of the bed.  

This was a lot like Beans!

Most of the stuff I've read in books and on the internet say NOT to bring your child into the bed with you.

I do understand, it's not the safest spot for a small baby. Part of the reason I hadn't brought her into the bed with us to begin with. At 7 months old though, she was getting quite wiggly and growing out of her sleeping spot fast. I now had to decide between putting her into her crib, in an entirely different room. This would be hard because that meant for night times feedings, since I exclusively breastfed, I would of had to get up at 3AM and feed her, then put her back to sleep, etc. Rinse and repeat all night long. OR have her sleep next me, where all I would have to do is pop my girls out, feed her and go back to sleep. I knew if I wanted ANY sleep, she was going to be next to me sleeping too.

I honestly haven't had anyone really express how they feel about co-sleeping. In my opinion, if you're a responsible parent, sleeping with your babe should be fine! Humans have been doing it for years-- as long as you're not drugged up or drunk, you should be okay. Again, this is just my opinion. If you're not comfortable with doing it, then don't! But my girl is now 19 months and I still fully enjoy having someone to snuggle with during the wee morning hours! Specially since my husband isn't a "snuggler". If you're thinking " Wow, her baby isn't going to learn to sleep on her own, blah blah blah!" Please, don't! My Elizabeth goes to sleep in her crib, by herself, every night at 7:30PM. She wakes up early in the morning and I go grab her. I enjoy sleeping with her. It will most likely be different once we have another baby but I'm not worried about that right now and I will deal with it when the time comes.

Lots of love to all the baby mama's out there!

Tiffeny