She's Two

Helen turned two on Friday! 

Here are a few facts about Helen at two years of age:

Favorite Foods: Bacon (additive free), blueberries and cream, olives, most fruits, peas, cod liver oil (yes, she actually likes it!), yogurt, butter, just about any meat, dried figs...and more! She loves food.
Favorite Books: The Knight and the Dragon, her Brambley Hedge books, I Am A Bunny, and anything to do with animals.
Favorite Television Shows: Peppa Pig and Winnie the Pooh are her all-time favorites. She also likes any YouTube videos about babies or monkeys, or (better yet) baby monkeys. Or babies swimming.
Favorite Toys: She LOVES teddy bears. If she finds one in someone else's house, she wants it. I bought a little plastic tea set for her recently, and she has gotten a lot of use out of it. She also likes her wooden blocks (for building towers to knock over) and her duplos. We bought her a baby doll with a little stroller for her birthday and she adores it.
Chores: She's pretty good about picking up her toys when I ask her. She likes to unload the plastic dishes from the dishwasher. I also have her help me put the clean clothes in the dryer and push the button (her favorite part).
Learning: She can sing most of her ABCs and counts to 11. She's pretty good at picking up the words to songs. She's starting to try to sing on tune. For some reason, she can't get her colors. I guess I just need to work with her more. She has started to get into imaginary play, which is really fun.
Social: If Helen is eating and another kid is around, she wants them to share her food. But when it comes to toys, it's a different story. She is very territorial. We need to work on that. If another little kid is (in her estimation) getting too much attention, she'll make random loud noised to divert the attention to herself. She also does this if Reuben and I hug too long.
Potty Training: I'm pretty sure Helen is capable of being potty trained, it's just a matter of buckling down and doing it. We tried it for half a day and she did very well.
Sleep: Helen still takes one nap in the middle of the day. I have her take a nap 4 hours after she wakes in the morning, and she goes to bed 5 hours after her nap. Her nap is usually 1.5 - 2 hours long, and she usually sleeps about 12 hours at night.
Nursing: Helen is all done nursing now! It was a very gradual process without drama. I might have to do a separate post about it.

[Dress and Cardigan: Carter's]

Funny/Cute Moments:

• My pet name for Helen is Helen-Bear. When I ask her what her name is she says, "Helen-Bear Adelaide."
• One morning I had my hair in a very ugly ponytail that I had slept on. Helen ran her fingers through the ends of it and said, "Pretty hair, Mommy!" Melted my heart.
• After I finished frosting Helen's birthday cake she said, "Where'd the cake go?!"
• When I asked her what her (homemade) birthday ice cream tasted like she replied, "Birthday Party."
• The other day she was talking about Reuben's beard. Then she said, "Mommy's beard!" Reuben asked, "Does Mommy have a beard?" Helen replied, "Mommy has chin!"

It's been grand watching this little stinker growing up. I can't wait to see what new thing she learns and what funny thing she says next.


NOTE: Some links are affiliate. All words and opinions are my own.

Helen's New Hat

A few weeks ago Reuben's sister asked if there was any yarn that I wanted to buy from KnitPicks since they were making an order. Since she twisted my arm, I guess I had to. ;)

I bought a lovely skein of alpaca-wool yarn (I haven't decided what I'll make with it yet), two balls of light brown wool for a teddy bear for Helen, and a ball of pink worsted weight wool for a hat for Helen.

It was a very quick and easy knit. I opted to make it a bit slouchier, and I think it looks very charming on her. I like the section of garter stitch - it gives the hat a bit of added interest.

Project Details:

Pattern: Barley by Tin Can Knits

Yarn: Wool of the Andes in Blossom Heather

Needles: US 7 and 8, 16-inch circular and US 8 double pointed needles

My Ravelry Project Page: HERE

What have you been crafting lately?

Little Frog in the Snow

Helen's Coat: Gymboree via thredUP | Same on ebay HERE, HERE, HERE
Helen's Boots: Janie and Jack via thredUP | Similar
Helen's Cowl: Made by me | Free Pattern

A couple weeks ago we had a lovely snowfall. I bundled Helen up and sent her outside to experience it.

It was funny how perplexed she seemed. She held out her little hand to feel the flakes.

That first batch of snow melted, but we had another this week. When Helen saw it out the window, she said, "Fall." I think she knows that snow falls from the sky because of a little bunny book that we've been reading since her first birthday.

And now I wonder if the snow is here to stay. The forecast shows no sign of temperatures above freezing any time soon. I'm happy that we have the snow - better that it's cold and pretty than cold and ugly brown. But the extra wetness makes it harder to keep our floor clean. I think I need a bigger rug.

Note: some links are affiliate. All opinions are my own.

18 Months

Our little girlie is 18 months old today! 

Here are a few facts about her:

Favorite Foods: Homemade pumpkin cake (she calls it "appa"), peas, bacon, blueberries, grapes, yogurt with maple syrup...she loves food!

Favorite Books: Nice for Mice, Wiggle!, My Big Animal Book, 

Words: It seems like she's learning new words all the time. She can easily say 2-word sentences, and she's said 3 word sentences a few times. She'll say "love you" and "back Daddy" (come back Daddy). She also says complete words instead of just the beginning consonant sound and the vowels. Sometimes she'll repeat the last consonant sound a few times. 

Social: She LOVES being with other kids. She'll rattle off Justin and Audra's kids' names. But she doesn't necessarily know how to share yet...

Potty Training: Helen has gone on her little potty several times. I'm pretty sure she could master toilet training if I was willing to take the time to teach her, but there's been so much going on lately. I'm thinking of trying this fall. She loves "undies," so that's a good sign. 

Sleep: Helen usually goes to bed between 6:00 and 7:00 and sleeps until 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning. She takes one nap at around 11:00 or 12:00 and sleeps for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. 

Other Things of Interest: She had her first haircut (see last photo)! I just had to trim the mullet she had going on. I think it's a big improvement; Reuben isn't so sure.

She's still nursing, but it's down quite a bit. I'm thinking about starting the weaning process...not sure how she would handle it! I've tried to limit her feedings, but she gets pretty agitated if I refuse. Any tips from veteran moms?

I think she's getting some molars! Which might explain her wanting to nurse constantly and her cranky moods. 

Much to Reuben's chagrin, I've been singing "Let It Go" to Helen. She says "Go, go!" It's pretty cute.

Here's a video of Helen talking:



[If you can't see the video, click HERE]


You can view all of Helen's updates HERE


And that's all for now!



Note: some links are affiliate.

Recent Helen Cuteness

Helen's first time on the beach this year. She was terrified of the waves at first, but she eventually became bold enough to sit right down in the water. I hope she enjoys swimming!

Gus Gus. She even tripped on the beads.

I can finally put Helen's hair in pigtails - when she'll hold still long enough.

Mud + Baby = Happy Baby.




Helen had (additive free) bacon and (sprouted) pancakes for the first time! She loved them.

I really wish she wouldn't pick her little barrettes out of her hair - they're so fetching.


xoxo
Erica

Chickenpox!

Well, we got the chickenpox! 

Helen has been pretty miserable the last few days from the itchiness. 

The yellow stuff on her head in the first two photos is a mixture of Swedish Bitters and goldenseal. The white stuff on her head in the last photo is homemade calamine lotion. The calamine really helped to sooth.

Here's hoping we get over this soon! We had a night where I got about three hours of sleep. Ugh.

How old were you/your kids when you got the chickenpox?

Messy Eater

Helen has really started to enjoy her food over that past few weeks. She loves to feed herself, and that makes for a very messy little girl. Especially when she eats blueberries, like in this photo.

This is my entry for the I Hear Faces Black and White photo contest.

You can see all of the entries HERE.

My Project 52: Completed

I forgot to tell you guys that I completed my project 52!

Last year I committed to taking a picture of Helen every week until her first birthday. It's wonderful to look back at the photos and see her change.

Here is a short video compiling all 52 of the photos. Enjoy!

)

She's One

Helen turned one year old on Thursday.

It has been a crazy journey. Very hard and very rewarding. 

Here are a few updates since last month:

• She claps her hands when I start singing patty-cake and puts her fingers together when I sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
• She started being able to follow directions. When I tell her to get a book she'll walk over to the bookshelf and pick one out. For a while she would only choose the Pride and Prejudice counting book. She held it up for me to read it to her again and again and again. Then I hid it from her. I'm such a good mom.
• I also taught her to get my nursing cover for me when she's hungry. Very handy.
• Her words have just exploded. She can say dog, cat, cheese, mama, dad, Teddy, up, all done, ball, please, pretty, brrr, and probably more that I can't remember.
• She's learning where her body parts are. Sometimes she'll point to her nose, eye or belly when I ask her.

I put together a short film with highlights of Helen's firsts:

Here's a look back on her first year of life:

Born on February 13, 2013 at 12:03 PM |  6 pounds 14 ounces | 20.5 inches long

You can read her birth story HERE

Rolled over on a hard surface for the first time at 15 weeks old

She was able to sit up on her own at 5 1/2 months

She tried her first food (egg yolks) at about 5 1/2 months

Crawled for the first time a few days after she turned 6 months old

Pulled herself up to standing at a couple weeks shy of 7 months

Started walking at 9 (almost 10) months

She began doing sign language and saying a few words at 10 months

You can read all of Helen's monthly updates HERE

DISCLOSURE: Some links are affiliate. 

December Photo-a-Day 2013: Days 21, 22 + 23

Day 21: I forgot to take a photo until dark, so Reuben offered to shine a flashlight on the trees outside our door. I really liked the eerie effect.

Day 22: My sister had her baby! Audra went into labor last Sunday, but it stalled. One week later, little Bella arrived safe and sound.

Day 23: Helen climbed into the corner cupboard, but couldn't get herself out again. It was hilarious. I'm such a bad mom. ;)