Mama Dani's Musings

Friday, November 30, 2012

Thankful November: Part 2

November is thankful month. Part 1 of my thankful list can be found here: Thankful November: Part 1.

Nov. 16th - I'm thankful for a husband that puts up with my urban homesteading ideas.

Nov. 17th - I'm thankful busy Saturdays that get us out of the house and out to see friends.

Nov. 18th - I thankful for lazy Sundays.

Nov. 19th - Today I'm thankful for the extra bed in our room that the big kids climb into most nights. Without it I would have missed Sean's middle of the night belly laugh.

Nov. 20th - Today I am thankful for a city council that voted to approve keeping up to 6 hens!!!

Nov. 21th - I am thankful that sometimes when 1 door closes, another opens.

Nov. 22nd - Today I'm thankful for family. Especially that we have so much that lives close by.

Nov. 23rd - I am thankful for my parents. I don't know what I'd do without them.

Nov. 24th - I am thankful for our home and that we're not renting.

Nov. 25th - Today I'm thankful to have a second job at a church nursery and the unexpected side benefit of having the kids attend Sunday school.

Nov. 26th - Today I am thankful for Maddy; our awesome little social butterfly.

Nov. 27th - Today I am thankful for my polite children. Sean and Maddy made me proud using their manners at dinner.

Nov. 28th - Today I'm thankful that honey helps my throat since my voice went into hiding on Saturday and has yet to completely come back.

Nov. 29th - I'm thankful for Emily. She is truly a blessing to our family.

Nov. 30th - Today I am thankful for health.

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© Mama Dani's Musings

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Emily: 11 Months

11 months; yikes! We'll be celebrating Emily's first birthday here soon! Em has done a lot of growing again this month. She has mastered pulling up and is cruising now. My favorite is when she's standing and hears some music. She starts bouncing. Maybe she'll be a dancer too. We're still working on baby signing and she has learned another sign. She can now sign "more". It's not perfect because she tends to do it fast but she gets the message across. She has picked up a new word too. Her word for nursing is "na-na".

A couple extra pictures from this month:

And a little comparison I put together a couple weeks ago; Sean and Emily:

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© Mama Dani's Musings

Friday, November 16, 2012

Thankful November: Part 1

I'm sure you've seen it on Facebook. Friends are posting daily what they are thankful for for the month of November. Here is part 1 of mine:

Nov. 1st - I'm also thankful to be celebrating another of Sean's birthdays. What an awesome little boy he is.

Nov. 2nd - I am thankful for my job: for being able to do what I love, for being able to do it at home not having to leave my children, and for all the extra hugs, smiles, and giggles from my daycare children.

Nov. 3rd - I am thankful that our insurance pays for us to see a chiropractor. My adjustment and muscle work massage was much needed today.

Nov. 4th- I'm thankful the kids didn't wake up early with the time change...even if no naps and a party were the cause.

Nov. 5th- I'm thankful for referrals. B/c of November birthdays I had 1 spot in my daycare open up this week. I ended having to turn people away without advertising thanks to referrals. Now I get to snuggle with a new baby. ♥

Nov. 6th - I'm thankful Romney didn't get elected in. Sorry for all that voted for him; he scares the crap out of me.

Nov. 7th - I'm thankful for an easy naptime. All kids that still take a nap were sound asleep at the same time. And the one that doesn't did his school work and then played quietly. :)

Nov. 8th - I'm thankful for breastfeeding. It's about the only thing that is making Em happy tonight.

Nov. 9th - I'm thankful to be able to get out of the house sans big kids every once and awhile.

Nov. 10th - I'm thankful for Saturday morning snuggles from my 3 little ones.

Nov. 11th (and everyday)- I'm thankful for our military men and women and their families. They sacrifice so much for us.

Nov. 12th - Today I'm thankful for coffee.

Nov. 13th - I'm thankful for little boy humor. Not a typical thankful post but who knew that something as simple as the word "butt" would result in such an awesome belly laugh.

Nov. 14th - I am thankful for baby sign language. Em is signing more and more lately and her face lights up when she realizes I understand what she wants. I'm thankful to be able to communicate with Em before she can speak.

Nov. 15th - I'm thankful for my little brother. Happy birthday Justin.

Stay tuned for part 2!

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© Mama Dani's Musings

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Sean: 5 Years

My little peanut is 5 today. What an awesome little guy he is! He's smart. He has amazed me with how much he has learned. He's kind. This is most evident when he's with his baby sister. He's so gentle with her and is always looking out for her. He's goofy. He loves to make faces and tell jokes. He's helpful. He's our doorman; always rushing to open the door for everyone.

What is he into now? He loves building so Legos are still a hit and so are tools. He loves dinosaurs. He loves superheros. He loves riding his bike and digging in the dirt. He loves Jeeps.

This year Sean is having a dinosaur party...but more about that after Saturday.

Sean's birth story can be found here.

Other places to find me:
Facebook: Mama Dani's Musings, Twitter @MamaDaniBlog, Instagram: MamaDani, Pinterest: MamaDani
© Mama Dani's Musings

Monday, October 29, 2012

Emily: 10 Months (Bonus Video!)

Another month has come and gone. Emily is 10 months old today. She had her "9 month" check up about a week and a half ago and weighed in at 16lbs 8oz (10th percentile) and 28in (50th percentile). Size isn't the only way I can tell my little baby's growing up; I can't help but notice the everyday changes. She's oh so close to pulling up. She actually had both knees off the ground yesterday but failed to straighten her feet. So close! But I'm ok with her taking her time!! She still does her funny crawl but it's changed a little. She now does it with only one hand, leaving the other free to carry things. I jokingly say it looks like a monkey crawl.

If it's easier, you can view the above video here.

Socially, she's grown up a lot! She has learned her first sign. I knew she knew what she was doing when she handed me the boppy and signed "milk" when I asked her if she wanted to nurse. She also truly believes that everyone understands her baby babble. She loves to have conversations. And my favorite thing that has grown is her empathy. No one can cry without her getting concerned and without her trying to hug them. It doesn't matter if they are hurt, sad or in timeout. She crawls to them, leans in with a concerned look and then wraps her arms around them. It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen!

Left: The proper way to eat cheerios; dump them on the floor and throw the bowl behind you.

Right: Em making a phone call "ra-row" = "hello"

Her sleep is also changing. She still sleeps wonderfully at night. Naps are what are changing. They were getting really bad until I realized she wanted to sleep in the bedroom alone instead of in the living room like she had been. I always have little babies sleep in the living room because not only do they seem to sleep better with noise but it also allows me to constantly watch them (call me paranoid!). She's still in transition so there are still some bad nap days but then there are some really really good naps. Lastly, solids. She really enjoys her solids now that she has more of a variety She's been introduced to sauces and spices and loves it; especially spaghetti and chili (just the meat, sauces and rice. no beans yet).