toddler

Happy Birthday Autumn @ 4 years old

November 18, 2017

I simply snapped this picture while you were waiting for Poppy to come over for your birthday to give you your presents, but it’s a new favorite.

It shows off your personality perfectly.

You are eagerly waiting for presents, because you have zero chill. Yet, you still look cool and fun. I think it captures your free spirit. You won’t let us do your hair but you need to have sunnies around at all times for style and for the sun that bothers your eyes. The TV sometimes bothers them too, so it’s cute seeing you wear them in the house when you first get up.

I think you barely go a day without wearing something related to Disney, but it’s just so cute how you love the princesses just as much as you love Mickey and the Roadster Racers. But we don’t tell Disney Jr how you are also in love with Paw Patrol and Shimmer and Shine. shhhh, your secret is safe with me!

You are insanely smart. You easily identity colors, shapes, letters, colors, animals, and so much more. You are quick to point things out, and eager to continue to learn more and more.

However, you do not enjoy playing by yourself. You would be happy to watch youtube or TV allllll day if we let you (we do not!) but the moment the TV is off you are like “but who is gonna play with me?!?!” Dare we suggest that you color by yourself or create some play-doh masterpiece by yourself. HOW DARE WE?!?!? You think its much better that we draw something super complicated like Sophia the First with her horse and rabbit with the sun shinning that you immediately color in vs using the very coloring book that you want us to replicate.

I love how caring you are with Hunter. You are a wonderful big sister. It’s so fun to watch you with him. I know that you will continue to do a great job of holding him, helping him get toys, and helping me out with him. We just need to work on you not being so loud around him, or me.

There are moments when my frustration with you is ripping my head up when you are not patient or really, really loud, but those moments pass quickly as you have me quickly cracking up with some exaggerated expression or response to me. I know I should take you seriously when you roll my eyes at me, but it’s the cutest thing ever. Omg, when you nail being sarcastic… perfect!

I keep catching myself seeing you in the future, like in the picture above. There are these moments when you are looking so mature and I see you 10 years in the future and it breaks my heart and excites me at the same time. I don’t love how fast.

I am looking forward to everything this next year brings.

I love you so much!

Love,

Mom

__________________

Currently…

you love “teacher beans”, carrots in chicken soup, but not the chicken, Doritos, making smoothies with me, rice, pasta, hot dogs, waffles, peas, corn, coconut water, and any excuse for “sessert” even when I tell you we don’t have dessert every day, it’s a special thing. You don’t like sharing food. We can play around pretending to steal your food until you don’t think it’s funny anymore and are like “cool it guys, it’s MINE!!!!!!”

symnastics (gymnastics) is your favorite thing. classes on Tuesday night make your week. You can do headstands against the wall with little effort. Your cartwheel needs a lot of work, but we can’t tell you that. At least your enthusiasm is 110%

You battle us at bedtime. You really shouldn’t be napping so long during the day, but it is what it is since you are at daycare, since it makes bedtime a struggle when you aren’t too tired, but need to bed to have enough sleep. And you sneak into our bed most nights, esp. since Hunter was born.

You weigh about 29 pounds. You generally wear 3T with some 2T and 4T in the mix as well.

Owl is still your favorite stuffed animal, but not the original owl since his eyes got beat up in the washer/dryer and you do NOT like them. You won’t let us wash this owl so I keep spraying it with monster spray (night time essential oils) to keep it smelling fresh. Also, I hope the oils will mellow you out at night too

“What did you say?” you say that in the cuuuuutest way when you missed what we said. It’s kinda excited and confused and all just one word at the same time.

You are not a cuddlier. Well, only when you know we will kick you out of our bed and then you want to cuddle. sneaky! And you still don’t like covers either.

Our Little Picaso

June 2, 2015

She may eat more paint than she gets on a page, but everything she paints is a master piece.

It rained most of Sunday so we were forced in for the afternoon. Autumn likes to paint so I pulled out the stuff to give us an afternoon activity.

I’m looking forward to doing more activities like this in the future. Maybe when she can just take a dip in the kiddie pool next time. Might help wash off the messy face of hers!

Dear Autumn @ 16 months

March 20, 2015

Dear Autumn,

It’s Thursday night and I am currently on a flight to Seattle to visit Aunt Emily. You are staying with Daddy and visiting G-ma, Uncle Chase, Aunt Heather, and your cousins. I am missing you already. This will be the longest that we have been apart. I know you are in excellent hands as your Dad is downright amazing, but it was hard for me to say good bye. I already can’t wait to see you Tuesday morning when you wake up with your wild bed head. Oh, that hair is out of control!

You are such a happy, smiley sweetheart. You have your moments when you get really frustrated at us but for the most part you are a happy girl who likes to be involved with things. While it can often be hard to juggle, you like to be in the kitchen with me. Your favorite activity is to crack eggs, so you really like it when I make quiche. You quickly whack your way through a dozen eggs. At the end you give me a big smile as you are proud of your completed task.

We are making slow progress on you walking, but I’ll take it. I basically bribe you to stand and take a few steps with stickers. You love your stickers! I have been finding them on my clothes and around the house recently. Seeing them on the sink when I brush my teeth at night just makes for a happy reminder of the great day you had.

You are working hard on communicating with us. You are taking to say names of classmates at daycare and you are a parrot trying to repeat after me when I say something. Your teacher gives us updates on how you can say ‘dos’ and ‘tres’. But you really let everyone know you can (loudly) say ‘Hola’. The newest thing is that you say ‘Ow!’ to just about everything from Kemper knocking into you to us giving you a hug. Everything is ‘Ow!!!’ Thankfully, you just as enthusiastically say ‘Yay!’ and ‘Wow!’

We struggled to find a milk that wouldn’t upset your stomach or your bum for a bit. Cow’s milk upset your stomach so we moved on to Almond milk. Things were going well for about a week until you developed such a horrible, horrible diaper rash. I felt so bad for you. It broke my heart all over again at every diaper change. We moved on to a combination of goats milk and coconut milk. Thankfully things have been going well with that. Even if you make us broke with that $18 a gallon goats milk! But we’ll get anything for you!

Your personality is shining so brightly now. You test your limits by playing around with us, even biting us to get a rise out of us. Thankfully, you don’t do that often! You are adventurous, but cautious as you are timid to walk yet. I love to hear your ramblings in the mornings when you wake up. I know that in the coming months your ramblings will be more and more developed. So much fun.

I love each and every day with you my Autumn.

Love,

Mommy

Dear Autumn @ 15 months

February 27, 2015

February 2015

Dear Autumn-

Oh, what a month!!!

In the time from when you turned 14 months old to 15 months old you went on a cruise that brought us to Grand Cayman, Mexico, and Belize, took a flight, and had plenty of days home with us for the record snow fall that pounded Boston.

The cruise was amazing and tough at the same time. You did a good job of adjusting to the day to day stuff but the nights were rough for you. Well, for us too! You would wake repeatedly throughout the night so we would snuggle with you then and rush around to warm up a bottle or take early morning walks around the boat. But no worries, you made friends with just about everyone as you smiled and waved at everyone. The days at the beach were the best with you. It was so wonderful to see you enjoy the sun and sand so much. There was a photo Dad took of us in Grand Cayman that melts my heart. It was nap time so you snuggled on me in the beach chair and we took a nap together while a towel was drapped over us protecting you from the sun. It’s one of my favorite photos of us.

And then we came back to the harsh realities of a New England winter. Starting just after we got back, there was a storm every few days that just dumped snow on us. We even had a blizzard, maybe 2, I’m not sure about one of them. But it was great and hard on all of us. Poor Daddy was outside so much of the time shoveling and snow blowing the driveway, walkway, and sidewalk in front of the house. You have figured out how to climb up on the arm of the sofa to peer out the window to wave at Daddy. Love it! I missed so much work between office closures, daycare closures, getting in late so it was a constant game of catch up. But I really did enjoy our snow days together. It really made me enjoy our time together as we watched cartoons, baked banana bread, dancing around, and snuggled.

You went with dad to see the nutritionist and they think you are happy and healthy, but would like to see you gain more weight. We have had to up your calories so they suggested more cheese, peanut butter, and cream for you. What a delicious prescription! We are all quite jealous of your Dr’s orders to eat more Mac and Cheese.

You have not yet started to walk but are getting so much more comfortable walking around holding on to just one hand. I can see your balance improving bit by bit. You are just starting to stand for a few seconds on your own before plopping down on your butt. It’s quite exciting if you make it to when I count to 5!

One day we walked around the grocery store ‘roaring’ at each other. I’d ask what the Lion says you would roar right along with me. It was hilarious and quite sweet.

Talking is starting to come along too with you just starting to say ‘red’ and ‘blue’, although it sounds like ‘rah’ and ‘blah’ you definitely know the difference when I hold it up.

Now more than ever I have been giving you the chance to pick out your own clothes. I give you 3 options for tops and 3 options for bottoms and we put on what you pick. Some days the combination is questionable and other days it’s quite fashionable. I’m pretty sure that there are days that I should let you pick out my outfits.

The biggest thing I want to remember about you at this age is how you are starting to become much more affectionate.

You are an amazing little thing. A strong little girl who is happy, clever, and just down right beautiful. We love every bit of you.

Love,

Mom