Randomness

The park nearby has a LOT of ducks. Sevyn really liked the ducks, they would walk to her and she would run away, then she would run after them, back and forth for about 30 minutes!

Cheeeeeese! Sevyn is always on cue when a camera is pointed at her!

We went to the park recently and Sevyn got to swing for a long while. She just loves to swing!

Potty time. We spend lots of time walking into the bathroom and trying to potty. Not always successful. This trip Sevyn just wanted to go check on the potty, open the lid a couple times. She was also very proud of her pink Chuck Taylor shoes that finally fit. We have had them for months but they were too big for Sevyn.

Sevyn had fever for 4 days, so to celebrate that finally going away we went and got snow cones! Sevyn just loves them, and they have become our favorite summer treat.

Saturday morning we had waffles! Sevyn really enjoyed eating her dad's with syrup on them. Sticky but fun and yum!

We bought Sevyn a new rocking horse and she loves it! It took her a little bit to get comfortable on the "horsey" as she calls it. If you squeeze his ear the horse neighs, winnies, and moves its head and tail.

Sevyn loves talking on the phone, especially when her daddy calls her. Sometimes she walks around the house with my iphone to her ear just having her own conversation, with no one on the line. Her conversation sounds like "Hello . . " "Hi, Daddy" "Yes" "I Don't Want To" etc. Its pretty funny to hear sometimes, especially when you know she is mimicking a conversation she has probably heard.

Potty Training Day #1 and Day #2

Potty training got off to a good start. Sevyn likes to sit on her potty, and read her books. I am really not expecting her to be a quick potty training candidate, but things have actually got off to a good start.

Sevyn was in the pool with me and Jim when she told Jim "I poopy" I check her diaper and she was just about to start pooping. I stripped her swimsuit and swim diaper, and she sat her on the potty. She never actually pooped, but she did pee. She was VERY excited when her little potty sang her a "rewards" song.

Sunday morning, I pulled her PJ's off and diaper and told her to go sit on the potty. I sat with her for a few minutes, but then got up to go pick out her clothes. (This is done so much easier without her assistance, she loves to empty her drawers in the morning.)

Anyways, I heard her shut the bathroom door. A moment or two later, I heard her start to cry. I figured it was because she can't turn door knobs yet (she isn't tall enough) so I walked over and opened the door. To my surprise, Sevyn had pooped! Only problem is she missed, and pooped on the floor. Our bathroom is really small so when I opened the door it smeared the poop on the floor. NO FUN! Oh well, we still rewarded her, and she actually finished pooping while sitting on the potty.

So that is day #1 and #2. We will just see how things continue to develop. I am glad she is liking the "potty training" so far. I didn't expect her to actually use the potty for a few days or weeks, so I am behind on the sticker chart. I don't have any stickers here at the house, so I will have to pick some up VERY soon.

I owe her 2 right now. : )

Sevyn Update & Doc Appoint.

Wow can't believe Sevyn is already 18 months old . . . where has the time gone?

She is growing up to be a really fun little girl, and Jim and I both think this has been the BEST age yet! Sevyn is so talkative, communicative, and active . . . she really keeps us on our toes.

We went to the doctor for our 18 month appointment, and she immediately started to cry when we headed back. That's not normal for her, so apparently she remembers what the doctors office is all about . . . shots!

The nurse took her measurements. She is 20.7 pounds which places her squarely in the 3rd percentile. That means 97% of kids her age are heavier than her. I swear we feed her! Jim and I both thought she had gone through a growth spurt, and was much heavier, but we were wrong. She has only gained 1 pound in 6 months.

She is an inch taller than she was 6 months ago, and sits in the 46th percentile. Looks like she is going to maintain my height and weight . . . she has her mommy's body type, and looks like her dad!

She has recently started school/child care 5 days a week. In a few weeks, I will start working as a full-time high school teacher, so we have started her a bit early in child care to get her adjusted. So far so good! She loves her teachers. We love the school. And she finally started napping. They have also managed to get her to drop the paci, so we have followed suit and she is now not sleeping with one at night time. Whew! I thought it was going to be traumatic, but it was pretty easy. (Three nights in a row with no paci.)

While at the doctor he mentioned to us that we need to start potty training. About that time Sevyn said the words "I poopy." For her that means she is about to poop, not that she has pooped. The good ol' doc said to go ahead and take advantage of that and start working on potty training. I am eager to get her out of diapers, and drop that expense so I am all for it. We are slowly going to introduce her to the potty, let her sit on it in the morning, before bath, whenever she wants. Once we have a "success" then the sticker chart goes up and we start the reward system. (All recommended by our pedi.)

I am excited about this as our baby girl is growing up so fast!

Ok, a few other things about Sevyn. Her speech is AWESOME! She communicates very well, and even the pedi said that she is communicating on a 2 year old level. Its always nice to hear that your child is doing well on the developmental scale. I am so pleased with what Sevyn can say and do.

Some of my favorites are phrases like, "here you go, mama," "I don't want that," "night night, baby," etc. She probably has 10-12 phrases like that she can say. She does well with commands too. I can tell her to "throw it in the trash," and she will do it, or "shut the door," etc. She also has GREAT manners, "please" is said on command, "thank you" she voluntarily says (especially at drive-thru windows) and "excuse me" when she is plowing her way past me. (That one can be a bit annoying, but its cute regardless.)

Overall our little girl is doing fabulously! We are so excited about the 2nd half of her 2nd year of life! (Guess I better start planning her birthday party . . . . just kidding!)

Most Recent Photo Shoot

Vacation 2010

We had a wonderful surprise vacation.

Jim planned it, and Sevyn and I didn't know where we were going until we got to the gate. Nope, didn't even know where we were going at the ticket counter, he was cryptic. We ended up in San Diego, which was awesome.

We flew out on Wednesday morning. By the time we got to San Diego, Sevyn was in desperate need of a nap. We checked in to our hotel, which was AWESOME, a bit early and laid Sevyn down for a nap.

That afternoon, we went walking on the beach, saw a bunch of seals laid up on rocks, and played in the grass. Sevyn had a great time stretching her legs and running around.

That evening we went to a great Mexican food restaurant, that we stumbled upon. Probably some of the best mexican food I have ever had, and most people know how much I LOVE Mexican food.

While we were having dinner, (and Sevyn was on the verge of a meltdown) we saw Phil Mickleson walk in. Jim did a walk around just to be sure. I googled his hometown and apparently he was born in San Diego, so maybe he was visiting family on the holiday weekend.

On Thursday morning, we went to Legoland! It was awesome!! I really enjoyed our time there. Sevyn had a lot of fun running around the park.

They had an area called Minitown USA, and it was all these famous buildings built completely out of legos. It was awesome!

Sevyn enjoyed playing in "Duplotown" but she was so tired by this point that we had to leave pretty quickly. She couldn't even walk straight, and fell several times! Everything in Legoland is truly made of legos, for example . . . this lion! Amazing huh?

Thursday evening, after Sevyn's LONG nap, we went to the Padre's game at Petco Park. It was a beautiful park, and we had a special visit by Friar! Sevyn apparently doesn't enjoy other mascots as much as she does her daddy. I think if Jim would have been in season, and she was accustom to seeing costume characters still, she would have reacted differently. But since she hasn't seen him in costume in a while, or any character, I think she was a little freaked out. That and Friar looks a LOT like a person . . .

Friday morning we went to the Birch Aquarium. This was a good opportunity to see some of the pacific marine life without having to get into the 60 degree water. Sevyn got to touch a starfish . . . she wasn't that impressed, but that was mostly because she wanted to go get her fruit loops in her stroller.

This is what the Kelp Forest looks like. It brought back lots of memories for me, when I got the opportunity to dive the Monterrey Bay Aquarium (Kelp Forest exhibit) back when I was hosting the scuba diving show. The water is unbelievably cold in these exhibits, so I was glad to be on the opposite side of the glass this time! Its beautiful though, no matter what side you are on!

Friday afternoon/evening, we spent the day sightseeing. We visitied Hotel de Coronado (its famous), the town of Cornoado, which was decorated for the 4th of July. We played in a large park with a great playgound, and gazebo. Sevyn enjoyed just running around.

Hey Boys! HA, she is such a poser!!

We also went to Point Loma which is a beautiful lookout point, that overseas San Diego, near the military base. As we drove there we passed thousands of military grave stones lined in straight rows. It was beautiful, but sad at the same time, especially, when you consider that this is 4th of July weekend.

Before we went back to the hotel we played on the beach some more. Sevyn really fell in love with playing in the sand. Up until now she hasn't cared for it much, but she really loved pouring it on her toes and mine!

Overall it was a WONDERFUL trip. We really enjoyed our trip, and had a great time. Sevyn was a challenge on the flight home. But I think mostly she was eager to get home.

I guess there was one other thing that we learned . . . Sevyn is allergic to Strawberries. She completely broke out in a full body rash, it took most of the trip to go away. At least we know now!

Jim did a GREAT job planning our vacation. Surprises can be stressful for me because I like to be the "planner" but sometimes it is just GREAT not to have to plan! I am so thankful for a husband that will take the initiative and plan a vacation for us!