Wow! I feek so special. This is definitely the first time I've ever heard this! And what brought about this comment? I've been working with Aubrey on how to respond to Anna when Anna is ugly to her or if she's sees Anna doing something that she shouldn't be doing.
For instance, my new question to Aubrey is, "How do we teach Anna to be nice?" And Aubrey responds, "By being nice to Anna." My next question is then, "And what do you do if Anna hits you or pulls your hair?" And her response is, "Don't hit Anna back and come tell Mommy."
Now even though we go over this several times a day, situations typically don't play out this way. Aubrey will do something that Anna doesn't like and Anna's immediate reaction is to hit, pull hair or sometimes even bite. Aubrey will then immediately hit Anna back and then it's chaos from there.
It also helps that Aubrey woke up in a good mood this morning. So when Anna got me cell phone, instead of Aubrey trying to take it away from her, she came and told me that Anna had my cell phone. I gave Aubrey a big hug and told her I was so happy that she came to tell me instead of taking matters into her own hands.
That's when I got the response, "Your the best Mommy, ever!"
Now, let's see if we can continue along this path today.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Peek-a-boo
Alexandra has been pulling up for a few weeks now, but I walked into her room yesterday to get her from her nap and she was standing up in her crib. This is a first! She could barely see over the top becasue we never raised the crib mattress from when Anna was sleeping in the crib, so she does have quite a ways to pull up!
Go Fish!
So I tried to teach Aubrey today how to play Go Fish. Oh my. It's so funny how frustrating it can be to try and teach a 3 year old something you feel is very simple. We did complete our first game and I promised her we would play agian this afternoon.
She couldn't understand the concept that I wasn't supposed to see her cards or that she could only ask me for cards she had in her hands so that she could match them. If she saw a particular card I had, she would ask me for that card regardless if she had the match in her hand or not!
It's also not easy to play cards when you have an 8 month old crawling everywhere putting every card she can get her hands on in her mouth and a 21 month old who wants to join in the fun and ends up taking cards and walking away with them!
She couldn't understand the concept that I wasn't supposed to see her cards or that she could only ask me for cards she had in her hands so that she could match them. If she saw a particular card I had, she would ask me for that card regardless if she had the match in her hand or not!
It's also not easy to play cards when you have an 8 month old crawling everywhere putting every card she can get her hands on in her mouth and a 21 month old who wants to join in the fun and ends up taking cards and walking away with them!
Aubrey was very polite in playing, though. She loved asking, "May I have your octopus?" She was also very excited what she got to give me a card and always said with great delight, "Yes, mommy! I do have an octopus!"
Notice the bruise on her forehard! She got this a couple of nights ago when she was chasing Anna around the kitchen and somehow missed her turn and ran into the corner of the dishwasher.
She screamed for a good 5 minutes about this one!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Asparagus, Avocados and Blueberries...Oh My!
Another change in the Britt household since I've become a stay at home mom is that I'm making all of Alexandra's baby food. I can't believe that I didn't make my own baby food for Aubrey and Anna. I feel incredibly guilty about it now, but I had no idea how easy it was to make baby food...and how much cheaper it is!
For our anniversary a couple of nights ago, I cooked some asparagus for us to eat. Needless to say, Aubrey nor Anna would even consider eating it and Danny and I couldn't eat the whole bundle that I cooked, so I dropped the left over asparagus is the blender, added a little water, and viola...Alexandra has two meals of asparagus. I gave it to her the next day for lunch...and she ate it! Amazing! It wasn't her favorite, but when I alternated between the asparagus and the blueberries, she at a good bit!
I've also made pureed blueberries for her, which is interesting. I put them in the blender, skin and all, which means that she eats the skin...and poops the skin! Danny can always tell when I have fed her blueberries by her poopy diapers!
She wasn't too fond of the avocado, but we will try it again. Her favorite so far is CARROTS! Aubrey and Anna did not like carrots, but Alexandra can't get enough of them! Other items on her menu are sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apple sauce and bananas.
She's also had green beans once, and she refused to eat them, but that was also while she was teething, so I need to try them again. Other foods I'm planning on giving her are peas, spinach and I need to introduce her to meats.
A friend told me about a great website that gives you instructions on how to prepare all kinds of baby foods. Embarrassingly, I had no idea what a butternut squash looked like, much less how to even cut it open!
For once, the third child got the best!
For our anniversary a couple of nights ago, I cooked some asparagus for us to eat. Needless to say, Aubrey nor Anna would even consider eating it and Danny and I couldn't eat the whole bundle that I cooked, so I dropped the left over asparagus is the blender, added a little water, and viola...Alexandra has two meals of asparagus. I gave it to her the next day for lunch...and she ate it! Amazing! It wasn't her favorite, but when I alternated between the asparagus and the blueberries, she at a good bit!
I've also made pureed blueberries for her, which is interesting. I put them in the blender, skin and all, which means that she eats the skin...and poops the skin! Danny can always tell when I have fed her blueberries by her poopy diapers!
She wasn't too fond of the avocado, but we will try it again. Her favorite so far is CARROTS! Aubrey and Anna did not like carrots, but Alexandra can't get enough of them! Other items on her menu are sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apple sauce and bananas.
She's also had green beans once, and she refused to eat them, but that was also while she was teething, so I need to try them again. Other foods I'm planning on giving her are peas, spinach and I need to introduce her to meats.
A friend told me about a great website that gives you instructions on how to prepare all kinds of baby foods. Embarrassingly, I had no idea what a butternut squash looked like, much less how to even cut it open!
For once, the third child got the best!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Aubrey's Dentist Appointment
Aubrey had her second dental appointment this past January. To say that Aubrey's first dental appointment was exhausting is an understatement. She did not do well at all. The hygienist was able to clean her teeth, but it took her sitting in Danny's lap with his arms around her body and me holding her arms to her side in order to get her teeth cleaned. I had never seen Aubrey act like this before. Once the hygienist was through cleaning her teeth, we wiped all the drool off her face from where she had been screaming while keeping her mouth as closed as possible and she calmed down. The very second the doctor walked in, she flipped out. It was difficult to even talk to her about how we've been cleaning her teeth, what we need to practice from here out, etc. We laid her back for the dentist to look at her teeth and he couldn't pry her jaws open. He told us that she was the strongest kid he had seen in a while. Great! That's my girl! The dentist didn't even charge us for his services since he couldn't even look at her teeth.
I was extremely nervous about taking her to her second visit, especially since I was by myself. To prepare Aubrey for the dentist, she got a Dora electric toothbrush (just like mommy and daddy's) in her stocking. She loves this toothbrush and the fact that it makes noise and she was able to get comfortable with something like this in her mouth helped tremendously. We also started flossing her teeth regularly and let her help us in flossing her teeth. I have to say that Danny has done most of this work with her. He is the bathtub and teeth brushing king!
I started telling Aubrey a couple of days before her appointment that she was going to go back to see the dentist. She looked at me hesitantly the first time I told her, but as we talked about it more, she seemed to be ok with this idea. She was actually acting excited about going on the morning of her appointment. I let her "pack her purse" and take it with us. Here's a picture of she and Daddy before going into the dentist office. (Danny met me so he could ride around - and continue to work - with Anna and Alexandra while they napped and snacked in the car during Aubrey's appt. The new DVD that YaYa gave us for Christmas has come in handy in more ways than I thought it would!)
Once we were there she did great! We went back and she got to pick out a toothbrush. Most of the tooth brushes were Spongebob and she promptly told the nurse that she wasn't allowed to watch Spongebob! I love it! She waited patiently and finally we were called back. Now, last time they took her into a room with a door, but because she was over 3, this time she was in the main area where there are only half walls between each cleaning station. I even got a little antsy when I saw they were going to clean her teeth out in the main area. We walked to the opening of her cleaning station and Aubrey firmly planted her feet and would not walk in. I really started getting antsy at this point. I picked her up and carried her in and left her on my lap as I sat on the cleaning chair. The hygenist was the best. She made Aubrey feel comfortable and before I knew it, Aubrey was voluntarily opening her mouth and letting the hygienist floss her teeth, clean her teeth and even pick/scrape her teeth. The only part that Aubrey really didn't like was the water pick and the suction tube. Aubrey preferred the ole drink from a cup and spit method for rinsing!
The dentist came in and was also pleasantly surprised as how well she was doing. Aubrey let the dentist look at her teeth, he picked and scraped on her teeth as well and she didn't even make a whimper! I was SO SO proud of Aubrey! She was such a big girl!
I was extremely nervous about taking her to her second visit, especially since I was by myself. To prepare Aubrey for the dentist, she got a Dora electric toothbrush (just like mommy and daddy's) in her stocking. She loves this toothbrush and the fact that it makes noise and she was able to get comfortable with something like this in her mouth helped tremendously. We also started flossing her teeth regularly and let her help us in flossing her teeth. I have to say that Danny has done most of this work with her. He is the bathtub and teeth brushing king!
I started telling Aubrey a couple of days before her appointment that she was going to go back to see the dentist. She looked at me hesitantly the first time I told her, but as we talked about it more, she seemed to be ok with this idea. She was actually acting excited about going on the morning of her appointment. I let her "pack her purse" and take it with us. Here's a picture of she and Daddy before going into the dentist office. (Danny met me so he could ride around - and continue to work - with Anna and Alexandra while they napped and snacked in the car during Aubrey's appt. The new DVD that YaYa gave us for Christmas has come in handy in more ways than I thought it would!)
The dentist came in and was also pleasantly surprised as how well she was doing. Aubrey let the dentist look at her teeth, he picked and scraped on her teeth as well and she didn't even make a whimper! I was SO SO proud of Aubrey! She was such a big girl!
Notable Quotes
I'm constantly laughing and amazed at some of the things that come out of Aubrey's mouth. I wish I could remember half of the things that she has said, so I thought I would just start posting them so I would be able to remind her of these quotes in the years to come!
Mom to Aubrey: You're a cutie pa-tootie (as we finished dressing)
Aubrey: No, I'm not. I'm not anything. I'm a girl...just a human.
Trying to get Aubrey to rest:
Mom to Aubrey: Let's lay down and rest
Aubrey: Ok, but Jesus says that when we rest we keep our eyes open. Did you hear him say that?
Mom: No, I didn't hear him say that.
Aubrey: Oh, that's because Jesus is really in my heart. You couldn't hear hear him, but we are supposed to keep our eyes open when we rest.
Aubrey to Mom (as she's holding her doll): You can't discipline my baby because she doesn't like to be disciplined.
Mom to Aubrey: You're a cutie pa-tootie (as we finished dressing)
Aubrey: No, I'm not. I'm not anything. I'm a girl...just a human.
Trying to get Aubrey to rest:
Mom to Aubrey: Let's lay down and rest
Aubrey: Ok, but Jesus says that when we rest we keep our eyes open. Did you hear him say that?
Mom: No, I didn't hear him say that.
Aubrey: Oh, that's because Jesus is really in my heart. You couldn't hear hear him, but we are supposed to keep our eyes open when we rest.
Aubrey to Mom (as she's holding her doll): You can't discipline my baby because she doesn't like to be disciplined.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Notable Words!
Anna has started saying Aubrey's name and it is so precious! Of course, she can't get that "r" in there, so she says, "Aubee!" I first noticed it one day when I was calling for Aubrey and all of a sudden, Anna was mimicking me and calling for her too! Aubrey thinks it's so funny that Anna can now say her name. I've tried to get her to say Alexandra...or at least Alex, but she must not be ready to attempt that yet.
Other notable things she is saying:
Love You or "uv oo"
Mama
Daddy or "Da-ee"
Anna can count to three on her own, but will make all the number and alphabet sounds when Aubrey and I are counting or singing our ABC's. It doesn't matter what the song, Anna is going to sing along with her own version!
Other notable things she is saying:
Love You or "uv oo"
Mama
Daddy or "Da-ee"
Anna can count to three on her own, but will make all the number and alphabet sounds when Aubrey and I are counting or singing our ABC's. It doesn't matter what the song, Anna is going to sing along with her own version!
Walking...with a little assistance!
Miss Alexandra thinks that she should be able to keep up with her sisters, so she has decided to learn to walk! Yes, walking at 8 months old...with the help of a walking toy. She was playing with her toy today and as she stood up to play with it, the toy started moving forward to she just stepped along with it. She took at least 5 steps or so before the toy was stopped by a book on the floor!
Anna started walking behind this same toy when she was 8 months old as well! These girls are all keeping up with the same milestones. Except Alexandra was crawling the earliest!
Anna started walking behind this same toy when she was 8 months old as well! These girls are all keeping up with the same milestones. Except Alexandra was crawling the earliest!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Alexandra's Dedication
Alexandra was dedicated on January 17, 2010. We had a great weekend with family including my parents, Bubba, Danny's dad and Phyllis.
These dedications are always so sweet and special when as parents we promise to teach our girls and help them grow in the ways of the Lord. It's our prayer that God will guide us as parents to always provide a Christian home where our girls will learn to love and trust in Christ Jesus.
Pastor Brunson presented Alexandra with her life verse, Psalm 54:4 - "Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul." Alexandra is Greek and means "helper of mankind" and Lee is German and means "one of peace."
What a great scripture for Alexandra! I'm so excited to watch her grow up and I pray that she will come to know the Lord at an early age and that she won't have to go through struggles of a life without Jesus.
These dedications are always so sweet and special when as parents we promise to teach our girls and help them grow in the ways of the Lord. It's our prayer that God will guide us as parents to always provide a Christian home where our girls will learn to love and trust in Christ Jesus.
Pastor Brunson presented Alexandra with her life verse, Psalm 54:4 - "Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul." Alexandra is Greek and means "helper of mankind" and Lee is German and means "one of peace."
What a great scripture for Alexandra! I'm so excited to watch her grow up and I pray that she will come to know the Lord at an early age and that she won't have to go through struggles of a life without Jesus.
Anna's a Big Girl...or at Least She's in a Big Girl Bed!
We decided it was time to try and move Anna to the big girl bed with Aubrey. She was doing perfectly fine in her crib, but poor Alexandra was sleeping in the pack and play in the guest bedroom and I was really ready for her to be in the crib.
I decided to see how Anna would do taking a nap in Aubrey's bed and so I put her down...and she stayed there! In fact, she immediately went to sleep with no problems. Could this really be this easy?
Since she did so well for her nap, I thought she was ready to try sleeping in there at night. I explained to Aubrey that it was time for Anna to start sleeping with her and she was SO excited. It was all she could talk about all day. For the first time ever, Aubrey was asking if it were bedtime yet! We got Aubrey and Anna in the bed, said prayers, turned the lights out...and out comes Anna...and Aubrey. Oh, no. Let's try this again. We put them back in the bed, explained to Aubrey again that she couldn't talk to Anna and tried to explain to Anna that she needed to stay in the bed.
Well, next, Aubrey was calling us into the room, because Anna was playing and wouldn't leave her alone. After several more attempts to get both of them asleep, they finally crashed.
The next night, we decided to try and put Anna down first, let her get to sleep by herself and then put Aubrey to bed. This was the trick. Anna went down with no problems and Aubrey went to sleep without waking Anna up.
Overall, Anna's transition into the big girl bed has been relatively smooth. She will get up every now and then or cry out, but most of the time it doesn't wake Aubrey. I think having Anna in the bed has also helped Aubrey to sleep better. We no longer have to fight with Aubrey about staying in her bed at night and she no longer gets up in the middle of the night wanting to sleep with us.
Alexandra has done great with her crib. She loves sleeping in there and I'm looking forward to keeping her there until she's at least 4!
I decided to see how Anna would do taking a nap in Aubrey's bed and so I put her down...and she stayed there! In fact, she immediately went to sleep with no problems. Could this really be this easy?
Since she did so well for her nap, I thought she was ready to try sleeping in there at night. I explained to Aubrey that it was time for Anna to start sleeping with her and she was SO excited. It was all she could talk about all day. For the first time ever, Aubrey was asking if it were bedtime yet! We got Aubrey and Anna in the bed, said prayers, turned the lights out...and out comes Anna...and Aubrey. Oh, no. Let's try this again. We put them back in the bed, explained to Aubrey again that she couldn't talk to Anna and tried to explain to Anna that she needed to stay in the bed.
Well, next, Aubrey was calling us into the room, because Anna was playing and wouldn't leave her alone. After several more attempts to get both of them asleep, they finally crashed.
The next night, we decided to try and put Anna down first, let her get to sleep by herself and then put Aubrey to bed. This was the trick. Anna went down with no problems and Aubrey went to sleep without waking Anna up.
Overall, Anna's transition into the big girl bed has been relatively smooth. She will get up every now and then or cry out, but most of the time it doesn't wake Aubrey. I think having Anna in the bed has also helped Aubrey to sleep better. We no longer have to fight with Aubrey about staying in her bed at night and she no longer gets up in the middle of the night wanting to sleep with us.
Alexandra has done great with her crib. She loves sleeping in there and I'm looking forward to keeping her there until she's at least 4!
Aubrey is so excited that Anna is finally in the bed with her!
Daddy and Aubrey saying their prayers. I think it will be a while before Anna can recite the Lord's prayer!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Aubrey Praying
I'm not really sure what to name this posts. Aubrey just amazes me at times with the things she remembers and comprehends. The first of the year met us with some not so great news. Not only were some good friends being laid off with Danny's company, but Danny was going to have to take a salary decrease. As a new stay-at-home mom, we are truly still adjusting to living off of one income. It's been a lot more difficult than I thought to change our spending habits.
(I must preface this part of the post with some background information. Whenever Aubrey is hurt or scared, we tell her that Jesus is with her and "has His arm wrapped around you." One particular instance of this was once last summer when we went to the beach. Aubrey obviously got some sand in her tooty and after we got home that night, it would burn her when she had to pee pee. She was crying so hard because she had to pee pee, but she was afraid to because she knew it would hurt her. Being the drama queen that she is, she was inconsolable and wouldn't calm down. I started talking to her about Jesus being with her and that he would make the hurt go away, but she would have to pee pee. After talking for a while, I got her back into the bathroom and she pee peed. And guess what, it didn't hurt nearly as bad as she thought it would!!!!) Now back to present day...
I was on the phone talking to Danny about the details of his salary decrease and what this would mean for us and being the emotional person that I am, I began to cry. I try not to cry too often in front of the girls because I don't want them to worry, but sometimes it happens. I guess Aubrey could tell that this time was particularly difficult. After I hung up the phone with Danny and was sitting on the edge of our bed, she walked up to me and asked me what was wrong. I, of course, told her that everything was alright, but she wasn't buying it. She then asked me if we needed to pray to Jesus. I just stared at her but nodded my head. She walked around to the other side of the bed, I'm assuming she got down on her knees because I couldn't see her and out loud she prayed for "Jesus to put your arms around my mommy and make her happy." At this point I was balling! This was the sweetest that I had EVER heard.
She walked back to me and then proceeded to ask me if I felt Jesus' arms around me. Once again, I just nodded, grabbed her and hugged her so tight I think I was suffocating her. I pray that I'm leading her in the right direction towards her salvation and that she will continue to turn to the Lord for her every need.
Another little moment that I want to mention is a little bragging story, but every parent wants to brag on their child every once in a while right? Aubrey's Sunday school teacher told me that they were having story time at church and when she asked the group of kids, who the first man God created was, Aubrey was the only one that answered, "Adam!" That's my girl! I actually can't take credit for this knowledge on her part. We do have a book about Adam and Eve and God's creation, but I don't recall reading it to her in a while. I have now pulled it down from the shelf and read it to her, stopping to explain parts (specifically about obeying) as we are reading.
One other tidbit about church and the fabulous things that come out of Aubrey's mouth. In Sunday school, her teachers were talking about "big" church and Aubrey looked at them as said as seriously as she could, "Big church is beautiful!"
(I must preface this part of the post with some background information. Whenever Aubrey is hurt or scared, we tell her that Jesus is with her and "has His arm wrapped around you." One particular instance of this was once last summer when we went to the beach. Aubrey obviously got some sand in her tooty and after we got home that night, it would burn her when she had to pee pee. She was crying so hard because she had to pee pee, but she was afraid to because she knew it would hurt her. Being the drama queen that she is, she was inconsolable and wouldn't calm down. I started talking to her about Jesus being with her and that he would make the hurt go away, but she would have to pee pee. After talking for a while, I got her back into the bathroom and she pee peed. And guess what, it didn't hurt nearly as bad as she thought it would!!!!) Now back to present day...
I was on the phone talking to Danny about the details of his salary decrease and what this would mean for us and being the emotional person that I am, I began to cry. I try not to cry too often in front of the girls because I don't want them to worry, but sometimes it happens. I guess Aubrey could tell that this time was particularly difficult. After I hung up the phone with Danny and was sitting on the edge of our bed, she walked up to me and asked me what was wrong. I, of course, told her that everything was alright, but she wasn't buying it. She then asked me if we needed to pray to Jesus. I just stared at her but nodded my head. She walked around to the other side of the bed, I'm assuming she got down on her knees because I couldn't see her and out loud she prayed for "Jesus to put your arms around my mommy and make her happy." At this point I was balling! This was the sweetest that I had EVER heard.
She walked back to me and then proceeded to ask me if I felt Jesus' arms around me. Once again, I just nodded, grabbed her and hugged her so tight I think I was suffocating her. I pray that I'm leading her in the right direction towards her salvation and that she will continue to turn to the Lord for her every need.
Another little moment that I want to mention is a little bragging story, but every parent wants to brag on their child every once in a while right? Aubrey's Sunday school teacher told me that they were having story time at church and when she asked the group of kids, who the first man God created was, Aubrey was the only one that answered, "Adam!" That's my girl! I actually can't take credit for this knowledge on her part. We do have a book about Adam and Eve and God's creation, but I don't recall reading it to her in a while. I have now pulled it down from the shelf and read it to her, stopping to explain parts (specifically about obeying) as we are reading.
One other tidbit about church and the fabulous things that come out of Aubrey's mouth. In Sunday school, her teachers were talking about "big" church and Aubrey looked at them as said as seriously as she could, "Big church is beautiful!"
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