Cora's 3rd Birthday

As of 2 weeks ago, I am the proud momma of a 3-year-old!

Obligatory yearly chair-with-elephant photo

Semi-obligatory comparison photo collage
(I would also like to point out that the chair was never in the same place for each of these)

Of course we had a party. It was Minnie-Mouse themed.

Dollar Tree helium balloons for life

Not enough characters to do alliteration like last year, but I just made it work

Pensive birthday girl

A bow-shaped cake (and a mom/baker who needs to invest in a real cakeboard)

She managed to blow out exactly ZERO candles and Mom and Dad had to step in to help

We also did a 'pin the ring on Minnie' game that I found at Party City. We only had a few kids there (we use her birthday as an excuse to have wine and invite B's aunts and uncles over/one of her besties was sick), and I didn't get any pictures of the kids playing it. But she got a princess dress-up kit, and that was a hit.

See? Even her grandma was excited

I decided that 3 years old was a great time to start yearly interviews, and I ended up asking her these questions about once a day for a few days because she basically answered with whatever was in front of her face the first time around. 

Height: 38 ¾" (85th percentile)

Weight: 36 lbs. (90th percentile)

Nicknames: Honeybunch
What is your favorite color? Purple (based on what she wears, it's pink, but she said purple)
What is your favorite animal? butterfly
What is your favorite book? the Jasmine one
What is your favorite TV show/movie? Minnie
What is your favorite song? Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
What is your favorite food? cottage cheese
What is your favorite drink? milk
What is your favorite breakfast food? oatmeal
What is your favorite snack? graham crackers
What is your favorite outfit? heart dress (it's really just a tunic)
What is your favorite game? the Hello Kitty one (she just got it for her birthday)
Who is your best friend? changes between Londyn and Izzy (both daycare friends)
What is your favorite thing to do? "ummmm... I don't know"
What is your favorite thing to do outside? swing
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas (she's still not quite sure what a holiday is)
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? soft kitty
Where is your favorite place to go? daycare, Grandma's house
What do you want to be when you grow up? a doctor
What did you do on your birthday? had a party, blew the candles on the cake
What is your favorite prayer? Thankful Heart (from VeggieTales, but her daycare modified it into a grace before meals)

At her daycare a few weeks back, they had asked all the kids in her class what they want to be when they grow up. Then they taped it on their locker. Her answer has changed since then, thankfully . . .

Aaand one more picture of the birthday girl, for posterity's sake:

Saying "cheese" while eating 'toasty cheese'

12 in 2014

Already did my resolution/to-do list recap, so how about a yearly photo recap to top it off?

So much goodness at House Unseen.

Some older recaps:
13 pics in 2013
12 in 2012 (this and 2011 are more question-based)
11 in 2011

JANUARY

This little munchkin turned the big 0-2!

FEBRUARY

I could cry and whine reminiscing about the winter-to-end-all-winters, but instead here is a picture of me sledding for the first time ever. Cora and I both had a blast with this new experience.

MARCH

We went to Louisville and saw the HOT sign on at Krispy Kreme.

We also decided that jockey fashion is rather becoming on us.

APRIL

Easter, pinkeye, and somebody's first trip to the dentist.

MAY

So much goodness in May--husband's birthday, a 5K PR (and I won a gift card!), and the SOTG cocktail I made that I'm still drooling over.

JUNE

I turned 30!  B left for his 2-week AT in Italy. We hosted some visiting friends during his absence. I drove on my own [plus tot] to Georgia and celebrated the twin nieces' baptism. Cora got up-close-and-personal with Bill the Lion.

JULY

B and I climbed Stone Mountain, then celebrated my long-time friend's wedding in GA. We spent a lot of time at a lake in Michigan, I started weight-lifting, found out I was pregnant, then went to my first NASCAR race.

AUGUST

I got a job! We had lots of 'little moments,' including various types of flying discs. B played Ultimate on a summer league and we had a family disc golf outing.

SEPTEMBER

I officially started work, and Cora took to daycare/preschool like a fish to water. We got good news of a heartbeat at baby #2's first appointment.

OCTOBER

I designed an ad that ran in the local paper, Cora refused to wear her hand-me-down Halloween costume to the point where we ended up at Wal-Mart on the day before to pick a new one (Minnie Mouse). We celebrated 5 years of marriage with a date to a local dinner theatre production.

NOVEMBER

We found out the sex of the baby and had a Thanksgiving gender reveal. My parents came to town, and we got one of the few halfway-decent family pics of the year.

DECEMBER

I passed my licensing exam to become a bona fide real estate broker, Christmas happened, and I got a fancy camera that I'm still learning how to use.

And that was 2014 in a nutshell of a blog post.

7QT: Big-Girl Beds, Toddler Hugs, Wine Cake

Actually hosted at Team Whitaker today.

--- 1 ---

My husband B is on his annual 2-weeker with the Navy Reserves. It came up suddenly at his drill weekend, and within a week he was on a plane to Naples, Italy.

Airport hugs: Cora has never been away from her Daddy for this long.
She also has now hit the age where she understands he's gone. So that's new.

--- 2 ---

That means Cora and I will be driving to Georgia by ourselves next week, and B will be meeting us a few days into the trip. (He'll miss one baptism but make it in time for a wedding.) I've done a 2-day drive by myself with her before, so hopefully it will go as well as it did last time. She's a good car traveler, no fancy gadgetry required.

--- 3 ---

Cora got to spend a couple days without us last week. She and her Grandma were basically joined at the hip for 4 days, and then 2 days after she returned, her daddy left. All that means is I have a child on my hands that has regressed with potty-training, is pushing all my buttons and throwing fits about everything and nothing. Typical toddler? Probably.

She also had 2 nosebleeds Monday morning that I got the joy of cleaning up.

--- 4 ---

Speaking of nosebleeds, I took a picture of her aftermath on my phone. I had forgotten that we had put Dropbox on B's phone in addition to mine, and he set it so that any picture taken automatically backs up into the cloud. When we got to talk to each other Monday night, B mentioned that he'd already seen a picture on his phone of our kid covered in blood. At least she was smiling!

I refuse to put that picture up anywhere online, so here is a picture of a cake I made for B's grandma this past weekend:

Still working on my icing penmanship, but I was going for the French Script typeface

--- 5 ---

We had some Navy friends come stay with us on Wednesday! They're moving across the country (CT to WA, we knew each other way back in our VA days), and Cora and I provided a free place to stay and a hot meal. We hadn't seen each other since I was pregnant with Cora (during another one of their moves), and they have added a #3 since then. All of our girls had a blast together! It was crazy noisy in here. And two minutes after they left, it was strangely quiet.

They were towing their van stuffed to the brim with belongings. So smart!

--- 6 ---

We took the front rail off Cora's crib when she returned from Grandma & Grandpa's house. She did well with it until B left. We had a few rough nights, but now I think she gets the idea. I had started writing this earlier today and was going to comment how she has slept in the bed every time. I knew it was too soon.

After crying, screaming, getting Mommy to re-tuck her in for over an hour, and finally throwing her blankets over the gate, this was her nap today:

I have zero mommy guilt about gating her in there, since you were wondering.

--- 7 ---

B's Mt. Vesuvius selfie:

(Don't be too jealous, he's working 12-14 hour shifts every day, and this was taken while still on the base. The last time we Skyped, he was yawning after every sentence.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Then Vs. Now

So many things that we're doing again this year with what seems like a completely different kid. And with living in a house vs. an apartment, we feel like a different family a bit, too.

Here I present some fun differences.

Context:
May 2013: Cora was 15 months old, I was 28, and B turned 30.

May 2014: Cora is 27 months old, I am 29, and today is B's 31st birthday.

Swim lessons then: I did a parent & child swim class at the Y that went from January to late February. Cora couldn't walk, used a swim diaper, and it was COLD! Even with the indoor heated pool, it was freezing the second we stepped out of it. And we had to suit up in all the winter accouterments just to go and come back.  She liked swimming, though.

Impossible to get a pic during swim lessons, so here is a boat pic from last year

Swim lessons now: Learned from my mistake and waited until the April session to do swim. Still a bit cold, but no boots or swim diaper required. She still loves it! And I love it more because it's just easier this time around. Also, the instructor says she's ready for puddle jumpers, so we tried them on her in the water and it went pretty well!

The zoo then:
Going to the zoo last year was more for me than it was for her. She enjoyed it, but she only spoke a handful of words and didn't seem to care about half of it.

The zoo now:
A wagon instead of a stroller. A kid who sees a zebra and hollers, "Zebra!" Still chows down on some cereal while we stroll along. So fun.

That's a bat-eared fox.

Screen-free week then: Oh, gah. Last year's attempt at screen-free week goes down in the books as one of the worst weeks of my life. Not because of the screen thing, but because of the burnt hands thing. Not my finest hour. Haven't baked bread since, by the way.

Screen-free week now: It's this week, and we're truckin' along. Doing the same thing as last year where I'm screen-free when Cora is awake, and then I picked one day to be totally screen-free. (Except for 'work,' and I do make money online so I gave myself 45 minutes for that one night.) One big difference this year is that Cora asks for "Bob" (the tomato) or "Signing Time," and I'm not letting her have it. Lots of redirection, lots of coloring.

Cora's hair then:

Not much of it, but quite chic

Cora's hair now:

Yay for hair! I refuse to have it cut just yet, so we pull it back most of the time.

So cute, even when stuffing her face full of black jelly beans (ew).

B's birthday then:
I spent the morning at the burn center downtown for Cora to get her final check-up and get the wraps off her hands.

We had a family gathering to celebrate over at his grandmother's house. I made one of his favorite meals and triple-layer chocolate cake from scratch.

B's birthday now:
I spent the afternoon at the dentist getting a cavity filled.

B didn't want to do anything special today, so I made whatever dinner was already on the menu plan, and Cora and I made brownies from a box mix earlier in the day. (Oven safety being first priority, of course.) B and I have a date night to a baseball game planned for Monday, so we're counting that as celebration as well.

My 2 Year Old

Obligatory mom-blogger post. Sorrynotsorry!

Cora turned the big 0-2 on Sunday. We had a party for her in which she was the youngest attendee by over 20 years. (Yeah, still working on making friends over here.)

But let's see what she's up to in the milestone/development world.

Her stats from her doctor visit: 28lbs, 10oz (75th percentile), and 35¾" in height (90th percentile)

So she's tall and has some stock to her. But she actually looks pretty lean, but with that cute belly. Her eyes are still blue, and her hair is a light brown (I guess some people might say it's blonde).

Vocab: Cora has at least 100 words and adds one or two more daily (including "Zumba" and "blah blah blah"--love that copycat phase!). She didn't say her first word until 15 or 16 months, so we're happy. (I was never actually concerned about her talking.) She has a few phrases, and she knows all of her body parts--including nipple and bum since she pointed at those, too. She can count to 3 and knows a handful of letters and numbers by sight. She wasn't interested in animal noises until wayyyy after most kids do that, but again, I was never concerned. Thanks to her play-a-sound animal book, if you ask her what a rabbit says she will say "boing boing." She has also started having some good manners. Out of the blue, she said "bless you" after I sneezed many months ago and still does it most of the time. She uses "please" and "thank you" pretty well, but we still have to prompt her a lot. She likes to say "bye bye" to things, which I definitely use to my advantage during transition times.

Cora loves to cook with Mama

Gross Motor Skills: Cora didn't start walking until almost 15 months, but took off from there. She can walk down the steps in our house while holding the handrail. She really really wants to jump, but she can't yet. But she likes to stomp and spin and circles. One of Cora's favorite things to do is 'run' around our living room and let her voice wobble with her steps at the same time. (It's seriously adorable.) We did a gymnastics class last summer, and since then she has been able to do a forward roll without help. She also loves rough play and being tickled on her belly.

Quirks: She loves ice in her water bottle and will whine for it. (This is how I taught her "please," actually.) She has started getting attached to certain stuffed animals, namely a bunny that she just got at her party 5 days ago. She loves wearing her aprons (she pronounces it "ah-men") and will bring me mine as well and want me to wear it. Cora has finally started letting me do stuff with her hair--which I refuse to cut--but she often still takes it all out after a bit. Cora loves books and still brings me a ton to read to her every day. Her favorite cartoon is "Bob," which means VeggieTales and often when I turn on the TV she gets mad if it isn't Bob. She also seems to like Elmo and knows Minnie Mouse only because she has pajamas with her on it.

Wins: Cora thrives on a schedule. The only thing that really changes daily is when she wakes up in the morning. I still don't let her start the day before 6:30, and now when she wakes up between 6:30 and 7, I bring her into my bed and let her do whatever while I lay down for a bit more. Thanks to her schedule, she is kinda potty-trained, but so am I, in a way. She goes on the potty at certain times of day and I just have to get her to sit there a bit. She still doesn't initiate when she needs to go and will hold it until naptime or bedtime (when she goes in a diaper), so we'll be working on that soon. I'm down to washing diapers about once a week (or whenever it stinks!).

Also, as long as she gets a nap or a good night's sleep, she is easy to take to church! She is a busy-bee during it, but she uses her "whisper voice" when we ask her to. I don't dread that hour any more and can even hear the homily most of the time. Cora also does the sign of the cross in her own fun way, often without prompting. She loves sticking her hand in the holy water on our way in and out of mass, too.

Losses: She has become an even pickier eater than she was before. She won't try new things unless it's a cookie or something mostly processed. She does drink smoothies though, and I'm able to throw some no-taste veggies in there usually. However, she has handed smoothies back to me if it doesn't meet her standards! It's sad to think that a year ago her favorite food was peas(!) but now she hasn't even touched them in months. Sigh.

Overall, Cora is a happy, healthy, well-adjusted kid. Sure there are tantrums, and we still haven't quite figured out time-outs, but overall, she is fun to be around. She isn't really shy, but sometimes out in public she's a bit slow to warm up to others. She still has a deep, infectious laugh which will totally make your day if you hear it!

5 Favorites

1.

Ninja Blender

Specifically, the Ninja Mega Kitchen System 1500 that I had on my Christmas list. I make smoothies all the time now, especially because you can do it in a single-serve cup. The big part of the blender is super awesome and powerful, too. And I can't even vouch for the food processor attachment or dough hook it came with since I haven't even used them, but as far as just a blender goes, it's my favorite! I unloaded my old not-so-great blender on B's brother, who is very hand-me-down-friendly.

2. 

Electric blanket

I burned up some Kohl's cash on its expiration date and got this. I think I've used it every day since (and that was over a month ago)! So warm and toasty. And high-tech. Well, for a blanket anyway.

3.

Aldi

Back when we lived in the apartment on the other side of town, we were right across the street from one of these stores. I love it. I still go to it if I'm near one (there's one near the mall). They have added a lot of organic options, too. But I love the consistently low prices. I can't do all of my grocery shopping there, but I know the basics I can stock up on. Oh, and hormone-free milk and 44¢/lb. bananas? Yessireee, indeed.

If you've never shopped at Aldi before, but want to try, you should probably read this guide (and don't forget your quarter!):

4. 

My kid learning to talk

She's turning 2 this weekend and having that lovely language explosion. Everything she says is simply adorable. Well, until she says it 1000 times. But even then, still kinda cute. And she calls anything she doesn't know the name of a "twackle." Yeah, even after we tell her the correct word. It makes us laugh. The way she says "thank you" is freakin' adorable (something like "dat doo").

5.

A Night On the Town

Gourmet grilled cheese, hard cider on tap, and a community theater production of Driving Miss Daisy. Then we hit up Kroger, where I got 3 free items and walked out without even opening my wallet. I guess you could have called it a girls' night. I went with B's cousin who is back living with her folks here after finishing up grad school in December. All that said, I think I need to get out more!

I didn't take any pics of my Friday night out,
so here is the previous time we went out downtown.
With my parents when they were in town last July.
(We had tried to go to the gourmet grilled cheese and cider restaurant,
but they wouldn't let Cora in. Hot dogs instead!)