I'm Sorry Avery!

where has all of our time gone? We are crazy busy. Too busy to keep up on the blog but not too busy to enjoy every moment with these precious little girls. I often look back at Taylor's posts so that I can remember what she was doing at different times throughout her first few months and to get ideas of how I dealt with certain things (SLEEP). I am so happy that I blogged so much because my memory has failed me on many occassions (and Mike's is worse than mine.) I am pretty disappointed that I haven't been able to keep the same details documented for Avery that I did with Taylor. I hope that I can get better at it for her sake. I have figured out how to do mobile blogging so maybe this will help. Fingers crossed!

Trip to Florida

3 Months

Three Months!! We are chugging along. Avery is becoming more beautiful and more pleasant everyday! From the moment Avery wakes up in the morning, cooing and babbling in her crib, until she goes to bed at night she is full of smiles. She loves watching Taylor and still enjoys the thousands of kisses she gets everyday. Taylor likes to immitate the sounds Avery makes, so it is not usual to hear screams and scretches as loud as can be throughout the house. I often wonder what my neighbors must think is happening in here!

Avery is rolling from her belly to her back and she is very close to rolling the other way as well. When she is on her belly she concentrates so hard on the toys in front of her. She really looks like she is trying to scoot towards them. Maybe an early crawler? Is it mean to say, I hope not??

Avery is still a good little sleeper. She usually goes to sleep at night around 7:30 and wakes up in the morning around 7:30, with one nighttime feeding. Unlike her sister, Avery can sleep without motion and takes most of her naps in her crib and usually falls asleep on her own. One thing I learned from Taylor is that all the rocking, singing, back rubbing, bouncing, jumping jacks, and head stands DO NOT create a good sleeper. So, while I cherish every moment that I get to hold Avery in peace and quiet, I try to lay her down before she drifts off to sleep!

We are so lucky to have these two little girls!

Nursery School

She looks so grown up, doesn't she? I can't believe my little baby is in Nursery School. It has been a difficult transition- just as much for me as for her. Here is the story...


The first day the parents stayed with the kids so while it was an exciting "first day" it wasn't a REAL first day and I knew that the REAL day wouldn't be quite so happy and tearfree!


Day 2. Taylor walked in cheery, sat at the table, and began playing with the playdoh. I kissed her goodbye and left. The aide walked out with me and said that it seemed like she would be fine but if any of the kids get upset they would take them to the playground to distract them. Day 2 was only a half hour to help ease the kids in. I waited in the parking lot, holding back my own tears, thinking about how fast she is growing (dramatic, I know). I happened to glance in my rearview mirror only to see Taylor, on the playground, in the teachers arms and she was clearly upset. Even though I wanted to go and grab her, I knew it was best for me to stay put for the remainder of the 15 minutes of school. When I went to get her she was still sitting with the teacher but she wasn't crying. Her poor little eyes were red and swollen though. Before falling asleep in the car she told me school was "fun". Interesting reaction but one that provided a bit of relief. Pheww.

Day 3. Taylor had to be pulled from my arms by the teacher. It was awful. It was that dramatic scene that I was hoping to avoid. I waited in the car thinking that I scared her for life and sure that she was not ready for preschool. After about 30 minutes the teacher came out and said that she hadn't calmed down and she thought it was best if I took her home. Taylor fell asleep as soon as she got in the car. For the rest of the day and night whenever I brought up school she said, "i don't want to talk about it."

Day 4. I was sick all morning worrying about how this day would go and convincing myself that we were making the wrong decision sending her to school. Although Taylor said a few times that she didn't want to go, she willingly got in the car and was pleasant the whole ride there. We saw Ashlynne and Nolan in the parking lot and Nolan told Taylor how fun school was. We also brought an empty papertowel roll for the school's gerbil and dropped it off on the way to the classroom. These were good distractions because there were no tears until we actually got to the classroom... at which point Taylor turned and ran down the hallway in the direction of the frontdoor. The teacher went and picked her up and they said good-bye to me. Taylor was hysterical.

I waited in the parking lot for 20 minutes before I decided to call and check on her. To my surprise (I actually wasn't sure I believed them) they told me Taylor was playing and having fun. I knew that I should venture out of the parking lot but I couldn't bring myself to leave. I waited another 30 minutes and called again. I realize that this was crazy but like I said, I wasn't sure I believed them the first time. Again, they reported she was having fun and playing. I ventured to Dunkin Donuts and got a coffee.

Finally it was 2:00. I walked quickly to her classroom SO excited to see her. When she came out to the hallway she had the BIGGEST smile on her face. Not because she hated it and wanted to go home but because she couldn't wait to show me the painting she made and the lollipop she earned for no tears. What a relief. I realized at this point that we were making the right decision and I told myself that I WOULD leave the parking lot next time!!

Family picture

Taylor is starting pre-school (more on this later) and one of the things she needs to bring on the first day are pictures. One of her as a baby, one of her now, and one of the family. I realized that aside from a not so great picture of us in this hospital we don't have a family picture.

So here were are. Our first family portrait- taken with the camera's self timer!

While taking pictures I also got my new favorite one of Avery

Soccer

Taylor and Mike continued to play soccer this summer. I thought it was important for her to have some "Daddy time," especially with her new role as big sis. She really loves going and is so excited when she wakes up on Saturday morning and knows she has soccer. When I was pregnant I would crave a slurpee and a pretzel so they would always stop on their way home and surprise me with this as a treat. Now it is an every weekend thing. I think it is cute to have a little routine like this and it might be one of Taylor's favorite parts of the morning!

2 Months!

Well we survived two months. This was just about the time with Taylor I started to come to life however this time around I have had to be "with it" from the beginning... quite a challenge.

Avery is wonderful. She is super pleasant and pretty easy going, minus the dinner time hour. She continues to get lots of love and kisses from her proud big sister. She really likes watching Taylor and listening to her talk. She is turning out to be a good sleeper which is a relief after almost a month of less than one hour increments. She is sleeping from about 8pm- 1 or 2am. I love the extra sleep but have to say I do miss my middle of the night trashy shows that I had been DVRing.

Having two children has proven to be a challege. Our laundry piles are bigger, house is messier, days are longer, and alone time has all but vanished. I do get overwhelmed at times but when I see the two girls together- how happy Taylor gets when Averys holds her hand or how happy Avery gets when Taylor kisses her... it makes all the craziness and dirty toilets worth it!

Photo Shoot

We love when Danielle comes to take our pictures!!

Sisters

I wish I could say that I am not surprised at how well Taylor has taken to Avery but honestly... I am. She is typically very possessive of her mommy and daddy and will have quite the two year old temper tantrum if anyone tries to get between her and parents affection. I guess because she knows that Avery is HER little sister she is willing to share us! Taylor loves her roll as BIG SISTER - which required me doing a lot of wash initially because for the first two weeks Avery was home Taylor would only wear clothing that pointed out that she was in fact a Big Sister.

Taylor's motherly instinct is remarkable. If Avery is napping in another room Taylor will stop playing every few minutes to check on her. She immediately tells me to feed her when she cries and loves helping with the care of her sis. She calls her "AE" and when asked what her middle name is, Taylor responds, "little sister." The hugs and kisses are endless...

Avery Mae Krepps

Avery surprised us with an early arrival. The pre eclampsia stuck again and I had to be induced on 6/20. After a few short hours Avery was born on 6/21 at 5:11am. She weighed 7lbs 5oz and was 21 1/4 inches long. Not bad for two and half weeks early!

a little on pregnancy

So Avery has arrived but I will get to that in my next post - first I should mention something about being pregnant since I have neglected to do that over the last 9 months!! Being pregnant and having a 2 year old is tough! There were a few months in the middle there that weren't that bad but between being exhausted in the beginning and being huge and swollen at the end- it was a challenge to say the least although one that was beyond worth it of course!

Throughout the pregnancy we talked with Taylor a lot about having a sister and what it would be like. She gets very jealous when Mike or I show anyone or thing attention so we thought for sure having a baby would be tough on her. We told her how much time Mommy would need to spend holding Avery and most times she responded with an emphatic "NO". I worried constantly about when Avery would arrive and what we would do with Taylor and how she would handle it. Mike just kept telling me to stop worrying because everything would work out but still it kept me up at night. Taylor is my baby and I didn't want anything to upset her life.

Needless to say I was praying for a healthy and early arrive... thankfully Avery agreed.

Soccer

Taylor got her first pair of soccer shoes and pink soccer ball for her second birthday from her Aunt Jen. The following weekend she got to put her new kicks to use! We signed her up for soccer which we thought would be the perfect thing for her to do with her Daddy. Of course we were all hoping that she would love it but I didn't expet her to be such a natural :) She seriously got right out there and starting "dribbling" (not a word I knew/would use but apparently that is what it is called) up and down the field with Mike. She had a blast and I loved watching her... actually I loved watching them together!!

Two Already!?

Woa, woa, woa. Hold on a minute. Wait just there. Back the truck up. This can't be. She's two??? How is that possible. How is it possible that two years - 104 wks - 730 days - have gone by so fast? Just yesterday we were in the delivery room. I blinked and Taylor went from her first birthday to her second.

What a year though. What a great year. The last time I blogged (this is daddy by the way), which of course was exactly a year ago (guess that makes this a tradition now), Taylor had just taken her first steps and just said dadda. Now she's jumping off furniture and talking her face off. At least she gives you warning before she jumps - "two, twee, two, twee." And you better be ready, because as she starts that count, she's committed to taking off.

How did we develop such a crazy monkey? Earlier today Jen noticed that Taylor had walked down to her room and was very quiet. Which anyone who has a two year-old knows is never a good thing. Jen peeked around the corner, and Taylor was standing with one leg on the armrest of the rocking chair (a rocking chair mind you) and the other leg on the railing of her crib as she was finding a way to climb into her crib. Where did she get that sense of daring need to climb and explore? I don't know, but I absolutely love that about her. And that example sums up Taylor to a T.

Forgive me for being cliche, but Taylor really is the light of my life. I love every second I get to spend with her and every single thing that she does. From five o'clock in the morning when she wakes up calling "daddy, daddy" through bedtime when she's saying "'un back, 'un back" so she can fall asleep with me rubbing her back. From the time I leave for work in the morning when she gives me a kiss, a hug, says "I wuv you," makes me give mommy a kiss, a hug, say "I wuv you," and then give the baby in mommy's belly a kiss, a hug, and say "I wuv you;" to the time that I come home and she gets so excited, screams her head off, and then runs in the complete opposite direction thinking she's hysterical. I love reading books with her, getting a ball to play "tetch" with her, and chasing her saying "I'm going to get you, and then I'm going to eat you" while she giggles uncontrollably. I love even when she's being a pain in the butt and we have to explain why you can't hit, why we need to go somewhere, why she needs to put clothes on, etc. No matter what she's doing, I am just overwhelmed by the emotion that she stirs in me.

And the emotion that her mother stirs in me too. I can't wait for the day when Taylor realizes just how lucky she is to have the mom that she does. Jen is awesome with her, and I love to watch her in action. Singing with Taylor, teaching her how to count, explaining how to behave, talking through their day and who she played with, etc., etc. Okay, maybe Taylor doesn't get to enjoy as much "straight juice" as any normal kid, but that's because her mother is always looking out for what's best for her.

There are so many cute things that Taylor does, and every day there is something new and different. From new words, to new facial expressions, to new preferences, she always has something that makes Jen and I look at each other and say "oh my god, she's so adorable." And then there are her routines too. How every morning she needs to brush her teeth ten times while mommy and daddy are getting ready. How she needs to go out with daddy to take Emma out in the morning and pick up the paper. Every Monday and Tuesday, when she realizes that she is going to Grammy's, she goes through in rapid succession, over and over again: "Nolly, Nolly? Ty, Ty? Geegee, Geegee? Pop-pop, Pop-pop?" Her need to walk out the door with her "gaggee" and as many other blankets or clothes as she can carry. Her need to take her shoes off as soon as she get buckled into her car seat. How she needs to watch Hi-5 when she wakes up from her nap.

It has been so much fun watching Taylor grow this past year. I am excited to see how she continues to learn and develop this year. I wish it wouldn't go so fast, though. But I do look forward to each new phase she is going to go through, however quick each one may come and go. I am so anxious to see how Taylor is with her little sister. I think she is going to be mesmerized with her, and Avery is going to have a great big sis to take of her and look up to.

Spring has sprung

We had such a great day yesterday because the weather was beautiful! It is so nice to finally get out of the house and play... plus it is less cleaning up of toys I need to do inside!! When Mike got home from work we went to a park to enjoy the spring!!

It is easy to see Taylor's growth on a daily basis because she just changes to quickly these days but yesterday we were amazed at how different she is now versus the last time we got out to play!

This little move gives me a heartattack each time!

Who needs steps when we have ladders?

No more baby swings for this big girl!

We're Back- Promise

I am back to blogging... and there is a new look too! The hiatus had nothing to do with motivation but rather just a lack of time. I have decided that this has to be a priority as it is the primary place that I document Taylor's daily life, milestones, celebrations, and growth. Mike and I don't want to forget a thing and with her rapid growth and daily changes combined with our lives being super busy it will be easy to forget the little things. I think we are both suffering from shock knowing that she will be two in two weeks and the time has flown by. So here's to a new beginning. Oh- and I am hoping to get a new camera for my birthday so there are sure to be lots of wonderful pictures!! Here are a few pictures from our trip to Islamorada in February.