Saylor Says

I am feeling an urgency to remember so many things about this stage of life for both my kiddos. I just can't believe how fast time is going by! Our sweet Saylor can sure give us a run for our money but she is also so incredibly sweet sometimes it melts my heart. Here are a few things about her recently:

While we were skyping with Will and Nicole, Saylor was showing them her new Angelina ballet board game. They asked who gave it to her and she said "My Mare, my sweet, sweet, Mare."

When Harper had been over to play and it was time for her to leave, Saylor said "but Mommy, I want Harper to LIVE with me!"

She has become very concerned with giving multiple kisses and hugs at times of saying good bye. To me, Matt, kids in her class, babysitters, etc. It is very sweet!

She has become very opinionated about my hairstyle. She much prefers it down (or as she calls it "flat") than up in a ponytail.

After the mailwoman flashed us a big smile on our walk, Saylor said: "Mommy, that lady put her teeth up at me." I asked her to show me what that meant and she grinned.

After I told her that grandpa Dave's birthday was coming up next:
"Mommy I can't WAIT for grandpa Dave's birthday party!!!"

She learned about Zacchaeus at church last week. Yesterday, out of nowhere, she said "mommy, Zacchaeus takes the mommys and the daddys away from the kids!" She somehow misunderstood when they taught her he take MONEY I guess? I tried to reassure her that no mommies or daddies will be taken away.

Thunderstorms remain her biggest fear! Thankfully the nightly discussion about them at bedtime has subsided, but we have an entire list of things to do to keep her "safe" in case one does occur.

She continues to insist on us singing only Christmas carols for her bedtime song (here we are in March). And she knows the "short" ones and avoids those like the plague!

She loves performing songs from The Sound of Music, and really all things Sound of Music. She asks lots of questions about all the kids, especially Gretel, the baby, and their "mommy" (Maria).

She has two pair of panties with polka dots on them that she refers to as her "circle panties" and she is obsessed with these. She squeals in delight when they are cycled through the laundry, clean and ready to be worn.

Saylor has pretty much officially dropped her nap. I still make her spend quiet time in her room but she doesn't really want to do it. She just lays by her door and yells "mommy!" and other random comments for 45 minutes. Such comments include:
Mommy! I really need to go poo poo after my nap!
Mommy, let's play with bubbles after my nap!
Mommy, please be quiet because my baby is very sleepy!
Mommy, the popcorn I had yesterday was delicious!
I guess I have not done a very good job encouraging independent play! It's strange because she does read or play independently very well but usually it is in the same room I am in and she talks to me the entire time. Sometimes I am flabbergasted at how talkative and extroverted our girl is - Matt and I both need a lot of quiet, alone time to recharge but she does not seem work that way (at least not now, I know that can change).

Here she had just run inside to get her stool to help her climb this tree in our yard.

Today I am thankful for the special friendship between these two!

First trip to the dentist

I was a bit nervous about our first trip to the dentist because we are about a year late in taking her. But everything went better than I could have hoped! Saylor didn't fuss one time and we got a great report! Dr. Lin even said there is a chance she won't need braces because the spacing of her permanent teeth on the X-rays looks so good...which would of course be awesome! :)

Way to go on your first trip to the dentist, Say!

During the teeth cleaning

Watching TV on the ceiling is pretty cool!

Afterwards with Dr. Lin and Sandy, her assistant. So excited about all her prizes...a turtle balloon bracelet, a toothbrush that lights up, and some fake teeth! (P.S. We went straight to ballet afterwards, in case you were wondering)!

Wearing sunglasses to protect her from the the lamp

Getting xrays taken

Nine Months Old!

It's really hard for me to believe that sweet Gray is 3/4 of the way to ONE. Where has the time gone???
Here he is with Say doing some Walmart shopping

 

He has become quite attached to this lovie and often keeps it safely in his clutches. I love watching him on the monitor; he will study it intently for long stretches of time!

 

Who doesn't love eating leaves, bark, and fistfuls of dirt?

 

Found a new play area!

 

The past month or so has brought a lot of firsts for our little guy:

- First trip on an airplane (not a bad way to start - the Caymen Islands)
- First tooth (he actually got four!)
- First time to be really sick
- First word (he is saying Mama (a little bit)! (I promise it's purposeful too!) :)
- First time to wave hi and bye (he's done this a few times if we really coax him)
- First time to stand by himself (for a few seconds before losing his balance)
- First time to start really using a sippy cup

Matt describes him as our "little explorer." He either crawls or cruises everywhere and is always discovering new places, toys, and things to check out. He remains pretty quiet and usually just lets big sister take center stage. He loves her so much and lights up when she comes in the room! She really can make him laugh like no one else (even we) can. It is so sweet to see! He is a bit of a sensitive soul and will burst into tears if something startles him. However, I did recently watch him practically knock Saylor over and climb on top of her going after a sippy cup he wanted! She better watch out because it won't be long before he can totally give her a run for her money! Saylor loves to climb into his crib after he wakes up from a nap and one day recently I walked in to find her practically body slamming him in the crib. I was expecting him to cry but when he looked up he was grinning ear to ear!

It continues to baffle me how incredibly different boys and girls are. Of course you always hear this, but it's crazy to see in your own kids. Gray is much quieter than Saylor was at this point but he is definitely more active. I recently watched him climb from the floor to Saylor's trampoline and then try to climb on top of her little kid table...climbing wasn't something Saylor started until she was 14 months! It seems he bumps his head at least three times every day no matter how hard I try to avoid it...I'm told this is just what boys do!

We've had a lot of sleeping regression this last month thanks to cutting four teeth, a legit growth spurt, and then more recently just plain old being sick. Poor Gray got RSV and a double ear infection at the same time. His RSV is now gone, but his ears didn't respond to his first round of antibiotics so we are now on #2. (I'm sensing another tubes candidate in our future....)! Additionally, our doctor thinks he has a milk allergy since he had to switch to soy formula and had a bad reaction to the first time he had cheese. We're definitely hoping he out-grows this as we are a dairy loving family...ha!

We love our sweet guy more every day...he is such a wonderful blessing to our family. It's been so fun to watch his personality emerge more and more!

 

 

 

 

 

Get well soon....

We've been sick around here these days. First Saylor had pre-pneumonia (whatever that is) and now Gray has an ear infection and RSV. Let's just say we are very ready for cold and flu season to be over!

On a bright note, Saylor got this card in the mail today from my dad...so cute.

Helping with the furniture shopping

More Grand Caymen Pics Part 3

Beach bums!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Caymen Pics Part 2

We stayed several days after the wedding festivities were over to enjoy the Caymen Islands! Here are some highlights and cute pictures from the rest of our trip...

The day before the wedding we went snorkeling and to Sting Ray City! Here's Saylor (not a fan of the wind) and Ellen

 

Sting rays! I was creeped out to touch them but they really do feel like wet velvet or something...so soft!

 

Eating fruit snacks with Nona

 

My silly dad!

 

Just chillin on the beach!

 

 

This was the view from the back of our villa...awesome!

 

Building sand castles!

 

 

Riding the ginormous tricycle

 

 

The night before my parents left they graciously kept the kids so Matt and I could get out a bit on our own. We did a kayak trip to see something called Bioluminescence; basically a trip on the ocean in the pitch black of night (except for the bazillion stars in the sky). We kayaked (with a guide) to a bay that has these living organism in the water that sparkle when you put your hand or foot, or paddle in it. (Kind of like fireflies but smaller and more concentrated). It was beautiful - it looked like pixie dust! Apparently there are only 11 places in the world that have this. We were struck by the contrast of the huge sky and ocean around us and the tiny microorganisms inside the water both so beautiful...This is my only pictures...right before we left at sunset

 

Just relaxing after a great lunch

 

At the turtle farm which had turtles in every stage of their life! These guys were huge...they weighed 600 pounds! Turtles remind me of elephants...they both have that wrinkled, weathered, skin. I think they are beautiful!

 

 

So fun!

 

Tickle, tickle, tickle! (poor guy was probably so beat down by all the tourists)

 

Gray checking out the turtle

 

Our girl was OBSESSED with the baby turtles! She stood at this bucket for 25 minutes and after we pried her away she begged to go back and stood their for another 30 minutes while we fed Gray lunch. She just stood there, holding the baby turtles, giving other kids a turn but then coming right back for another go. It was so sweet! Honestly, it was one of the few times I have seen her so quiet...she seemed to be soaking them in and was completely engrossed. If our house wasn't brimming with living beings for Matt and I to take care of already, I might think about getting her one! ;)