Bounce House

Our neighbors had their annual big summer bash complete with a bounce house (and dunk tank). Sassy was intrigued by the bounce house, but a little afraid at first. She asked to go "check it out" a few times, only to turn back around 1/2 way to their yard. Finally, she mustered the courage to get close to it, but didn't want to get it. After a few false starts, she went it. She loved it. Of course. This girl loves to jump. She even kicked Daddy out of the bounce house after a little bit. The next day, Sassy had fun at the party. She played very nicely with the other kids. She was a little afraid of the slide at first, but after an hour or so, she was rolling down the slide all by herself. She had fun at the party, and was sad to see the bounce house be taken away the next day.  

2 Month Well Visit

 Juliet had her 2 month well visit. She was 11 pounds, 11 ounces and 22.5 inches long. By contrast, Sassy was 11 pounds, 6 ounces, and 23 inches long. Juliet did not enjoy her shots and spend most of the evening crying. I broke down and sent Daddy out for Tylenol. She was much happier after that! 

Potty Trained!

Sassy had her first diaper-free night last night! When she woke up in the middle of the night, she used the potty! She is now out of diapers 100% of the time. We haven't had an accident in over a week. Sassy is loving her Hanna Andersson unders (I wish they made them in adult sizes, they are super soft and comfortable--all the elastic is covered in fabric, so no lines on the skin!)

We are so, so proud of our Sassy! 

Post-Nap Snuggles

 Sassy likes to cuddle with Juliet after her nap. She'll usually ask, "I rub her?" Then rubs her arm. Juliet doesn't always appreciate this. 

Reading the Phone Book

Sassy spent well over an hour reading the phone book yesterday. She just kept turning the pages one at a time and "reading". 

Little Sister Special

Jelly Boo doesn't mind having her picture taken. The second she sees the camera she starts smiling (as opposed to Sassy who starts negotiating, "You take-a my picture and I get a twizzler and a Sesame Street!")

Jelly Boo has discovered her hands. I went to the bathroom and told Sassy to watch Jelly Boo in her chair. Then I hear Leah saying, "What you doing with them hands in that mouth? What you doing Jelly Boo? We don't put hands in our mouth. We don't put hands in our mouth in this family!" Jelly Belly was just staring at Leah and smiling (and chewing on her hands). 

Big Sister/Little Sister Shirts

I realized I never got pics of the girls in their Big Sister/Little Sister shirts. Jelly Boo is getting close to outgrowing hers. She is growing so fast! Her 2 month appointment is today. I am dreading the shot portion of the appointment. 

Leah Bean is tiring of all the pictures I make her take. Sometimes she'll turn to me and say, "I DON'T want my picture taken right now, Mommy. I said, I DON'T want my picture taken now!" 

Mommy/Sassy Date 2.0

 Aunt Renee was nice enough to stay with Juliet while Sassy and I went back to the pool. Sassy really appreciates the one-on-one time. It is so nice to be able to give her all my attention for an hour or so. 

 After swimming, we went to McDonald's. As we drove by Wendy's, Sassy said, "You're driving right by the chicken and fries place." I told her we were going to McDonald's today and she said, "Old MacDonald had a farm with chicken and fries?" Adorable. Sassy loved her happy meal. Thanks again, Auntie Renee! 

Bathing Beauty!

Someone is so happy to get clean. Juliet loves to talk in the tub and splash. Leah gets a little envious that Jelly Boo is allowed to splash in the tub, and she is not. Leah is Juliet's bath helper and loves to put the soap on Jelly Boo's feet. She also loves to help put lotion on her after she is finished. Juliet is always bitter when she has to get out of the tub, and despises getting dressed again. Bumble Bee would be naked all the time if we let her. 

Play Date

The girls had another play date with Lukey and Anna. Juliet and Anna had another photo shoot. This one went much better than the last. Both girls allowed for several pictures before they got fussy. Juliet no longer looks like an Indian baby compared to Anna. They liked wearing their matching outfits and posing on the couch. 

Leah and Lukey played together. There were a couple of games of tug of war over the Sesame Street bus, but they played nicely other than that. Leah kept taking her favorite toys and nonchalantly hiding them in the laundry room.  It was kinda funny. 

 What they really enjoyed doing was standing in buckets of water. 

Thanks for playing, friends! See you soon! 

Sistas

Leah is really into Baby Sissy now. She will ask for me to take their picture. She can't wait until Juliet grows up. She keeps saying things like, "When Juliet grows up, and has teeth, I can teach her to walk and she will play with me!" Sassy is really into Juliet getting teeth. It is fun to watch their bond deepen. I love these little girls SO much! 

Jelly Boo Photo Dump

Sassy Mae

 Sassy Mae,

You are almost 3 years old. I'm sorry I didn't do monthly updates for you when you were a baby. If it's any consolation, Jelly Belly doesn't even have a baby book yet. I had begun yours when you were still in the belly. I promise to do a Sassy update each time I do a Jelly Boo update though. 

This was quite the month for you. For the first time since you were 6 months old, you let Daddy put you to bed all by himself. Now Daddy and I alternate nights. It is bittersweet to watch you go to sleep with Daddy. With all the changes of the past month, you are having some trouble settling down at night. Unfortunately, it takes you (on average) 30 minutes to fall asleep each night. You were sleeping through the night almost half the time, but you have regressed to waking up 2-3 times each night. I know it's a phase, and it's because of all your life changes, and will (hopefully) be short lived, but it is still exhausting! 

You are now potty trained! Something clicked for you last week. You were sitting on the potty before bed and whining. I told you, if you go pee pee on the potty, you can come cuddle in the white bed. If not, we will sit in the chair and read books, then go to bed. You looked at me and asked, "and watch a Barney in bed?" I said sure, and you peed. You haven't looked back since. Sometimes you need to be reminded to go potty, but for the most part you do it on your own. You haven't had any accidents since the breakthrough. You are so proud to pee, wipe yourself, and wash your hands. 

This was also the month that you stopped calling yourself  "baby". Daddy and I were trying to break the habit for a long time, but you refused to stop. This month you finally did. You know call yourself: me, I, Leah, or Sassy. I like when you call yourself Sassy. 

You have learned some new tricks, too. You can spell "Leah" and "stop" by yourself. You know the letter sounds: B, S, L, J, M, and D consistently. You love to count, and can usually count to 30 correctly. 

You are still a cuddle bug. You love to cuddle in the morning, before and after nap, and before bed. You always ask, "sit by me?" throughout the day. Then you ask, "I rub you?" You love to rub skin.  You love to cuddle the animals, too. We frequently see you attack them into a big bear hug and say things like, "Brain, you're my boy!" and "Ruggie is a good boy dog!" Speaking of boys, you are really into classifying things as a boy or as a girl. I will hear you talking to yourself saying, "Mommy is a girl, Juliet is a girl, Sassy is a girl, Daddy is a boy, Brain is a boy...." 

We looked at a school for you this month. You will begin going to school 2 days a week in the Fall. You get a little anxious when we talk about it, but I know that you will love it. You have gotten much more social and truly enjoy the company of others now. You like to be on the go. It is difficult with Juliet, but we are making it work. 

Daddy and I love you so much!