The year of Savannah.

It's hard to believe that Savi has been with us for an entire year! I know all parents say this but it seriously went by so fast. I don't blog often because my computer is painfully slow because it's old and creaky but I had to celebrate my sweet Savannah's first year. So here we go

June 10, 2011

Like most women who have been pregnant the full 40 months (weeks...whatever) I was ready to NOT be pregnant anymore. After what felt like 20 hours of labor but was actually only 17 this little red screaming thing was born! At 8 pounds 6 ounces she was dubbed "chunkers" by the nurses. She was perfectly happy to sleep all day and didn't enjoy her routine being disrupted but she took it all in stride.

Bows have never lasted long on this child's head. In fact if you see a picture of her with a bow, it was taken quickly and usually with a helper holding her hands down long enough for me to capture the moment before she ripped the offending head piece off and went on her merry way.

At four months she was pretty much done with the whole baby thing. Her greatest annoyance was the limited motion of her tiny body that just would not do the things she wanted it to do. She wanted to run and pick up toys and tackle that big sister that kept running out of her reach...oh the stresses of a toddler brain in an infant's body!

Therefore, it was no surprise that by 6 months she was a master roller and was often found under the Christmas tree trying to understand the purpose and meaning off all the brightly colored lights.

A few days (not weeks) later she was finally on the move...and so was I! She discovered the toy room and spent many a happy hour exploring all she could get her hands on.

Fast forward three months... and she was done with crawling. Had it been up to her she would have just skipped to running but alas that usually ended with a face plant into something pokey so she settled for walking. Sadie didn't walk until she was a year old so I was not fully prepared to have two kids running around when the  youngest was just 9 months old but we worked it out.

Sadly it wasn't all soaring through milestones and toys...we spent many a long afternoon at the doctors office trying to figure out what was causing Savi's skin to swell up, turn red and itch. Nothing worked on this poor girls skin. It seemed to repel moisture. After a trip to the allergist we were thankful to learn that she wasn't having a allergic reaction to anything but she had (insert long medical name here) eczema. The doctor is fairly sure it will clear up as she ages and now we have steroids to control it (she still has alligator legs but not redness and hives) and luckily when we are in Waco it clears up on it's own so after this week I'm hoping it will be a thing of the past.

A little eczema was going to hold this girl back though. She still participated in all the usual little girl things like dressing up...

...and just generally hanging out.

 

Now here we are! June 10, 2012 and she is a busy, goofy, sweet little rambunctious 1 year old who keeps up busy and laughing!

I was trying to think of a way to describe Savi so that I could really paint a picture of this little girl whose personality threatens to bubble over each minute of the day. I then remembered that I actually wrote a song about her a few weeks ago. Now, I'm not a song writer per se but this all came about one night at about 1:00 in the morning. Savi was having trouble sleeping so she was playing in the living room while I sat on the couch watching TV like a zombie. She kept going for the TV remote and taking out all the DVD's so i kept having to get up and "redirect" her attention which did not make her happy. I found myself humming about all the things that Savi loved to play with that were off limits and it turned into a song that I had to write down because I wanted a reminder of how busy she was at this age since it's so easy to forget all the little things. So here is Savi's song. Please sing along. It is to the tune of "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music.

Buttons that light up and
Jewelry that rattles
Screaming game
Fighting in the "hold me" battles

Wires and hair bands, just any old string
These are a few of Sav's favorite things!

An unlocked cell phone and
Someone to say "hi" to
Gnawing and drooling on
just any old shoe

Mom's make-up and dancing when Sadiebug sings
These are a few of Sav's favorite things.

Stealing the remote when
Daddy's not looking
Hugging on Mom's leg
while she's busy cooking

Yelling in public and causing a scene
These are a few of Sav's favorite things...
Saying bye bye
when bottles run dry
this makes Savi mad!
But if you distract her with one of these things...
then she won't feel so bad!!!

So there you have it!
I jokingly call her my Sour Patch kid because she can be a little booger by stealing toys and doing what she's not supposed to do with a smile (like unplugging the ancient computer which means i will have to spend 30 minutes trying to turn it back on) but she can also be so sweet and cuddle with you and talk in this sing song voice and giggle.
All in all...it's been an unforgettable year and I don't know what we would do without our Sour Patch Savi! She has taught us that the heart will expand to let you love as many children as God gives you unconditionally, she has taught us patience, perseverance, and most importantly...that you can have your cake and if your sneaky enough...eat Sadie's too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET SAVI!!!

Valentine's Day (A little early this year)

I know, I know. I don't blog enough. I have a good excuse though...my computer is really old and it takes a year to do anything annnnnd...I have two kids who enjoy my company and demand my presence at all times.  However, today is a snowy day (don't get me started, I HATE snow) and we are having a lazy day (even though we wanted to go to church this morning) so I decided I could take a couple of hours to blog. 

Yesterday we took our two little valentines to celebrate! Growing up it took me a few years to realize that Valentines Day was a romantic holiday for most people because we were always our Dad's valentines and we would get a box of chocolates every year. In fact, we still get a box of chocolates even though we have extended our family of valentines to include husbands, boyfriends (Jen, not me) and kiddos! I am not eager for that tradition to end any time soon! 

Anywhoo, to start off our Valentine celebration we went to Fuddruckers to eat lunch. It was a little nippy out so Sadie got a chance to wear her super cool hat. She didn't want to take it off. Now, as most of you parents know it is nearly impossible to get a picture of a toddler's full face so I was super psyched to get this shot! 

 Savi wanted in on the fun too! Aren't my girlies pretty in pink (and purple). Here we are waiting for Daddy to get our drinks and cheeseburgers!

 This is my ill fated attempt to get a shot of me with the girls. I think Savi's little eyes over the table is HILARIOUS!

This was the fifth picture I took of Robby and Savi and it's the closest thing to a smile I could get from him. I think he does that just to annoy me.

After a delicious lunch of cheeseburgers, fries and cookies we packed up our precious cargo to head to the Science Spectrum! Savi is pretty generous with her smiles but that doesn't mean I don't want as many pictures of them as I can get. SHE'S SO CUTE!!!!

Before we left the restaurant I had to get a picture with my Sadie Bug. She was more interested in eating her cookie and people watching but it works nonetheless.

 Now, I am going to turn the blog over to the girls. The Science Spectrum has a new Children's Musuem with lots of cool stuff for small kids to do. They wanted to narrate their own adventures of this day. First up is Savi!

Thank you Mother. I shall begin with how various toys tasted. I didn't get the chance to taste everything because my parent's kept saying "NO!" and taking the things away but I did manage a few licks here and there. This was a fish that tasted nothing like what I imagine fish should taste like. I tried to send it back to the kitchen but Mom just wiped it off and tossed it back in the fish bin.

 Here I am with a miniature replica of a World War II machine gun. I don't know how we won that war with such shoddy weapons. All this did was blow some pinwheel things around. I guess Germans are a light bunch.

 After experimenting with heavy artillary I rode my first Hog! It didn't have a lot a horsepower but I guess that is a good thing because I didn't want to scare the other kids with my dare devil speed!

This was my least favorite exhibit. The stones were supposed to light up but I guess they were ageist because they wouldn't light up for babies. The only reason this one is illuminated is because my mom stepped on it. I plan on writing a strongly worded letter.

 Oh ok...this is hilarious. I can hardly type I'm laughing so hard. Tee Hee Hee! This was the pet shop room where we can play with various stuffed dogs only Mom put ME in one of the kennels! It was so funny!!!! I'm not a dog but I'm in the dog pen. Bwha ha ha ha!!! My mom is such a card sometimes!

 The dogs are fake? Right Mom? Right?????

Oh yeah, I can walk now. I'm pretty much grown up like Sadie. 

Ah, here I am in a boat. I won't ask why there is a boat in the middle of what is clearly a forest. I also don't know why my mom thought this was a moment to capture but she kept giggling something about a tiny baby, big boat. Whatever.

 Now is the time for me to introduce you to my stalker. Apparently she thought I was "the bee's knees" because she proceeded to follow me around for about 15 minutes. Here I was just trying to enjoy the ding ding tree (those colored things ding...in case you were confused) and she kept trying to take my bow off and bascially get all up in my grill.

 Is she still there? I am trying to ignore her.

 Here we are at my favorite part of the museum!!! It was a tunnel with fish tanks on either side and above me. It didn't take me long to figure out that they weren't really fish tanks but TV screens. I don't think other children will be as astute as I am but it was still enjoyable. Yes, I realize my stalker is still there. Creepy right?

 Ok, I was trying to be tolerant of the crazy baby but trying to hone in on my precious Daddy time is the last straw! Where is this child's parents? He is MY Daddy and I am about to open a can of whoop diaper on this chick!

Finally "someone's" parent's came an got here and Daddy and I were able to resume our memory making together. Isn't he just the cutest?!



Now I know I was going to let Sadie tell her adventures next but my mom started this blog at 4:00 in the afternoon and it is now almost 8. I think it's safe to say that due to all the interruptions and YouTube not working properly she has lost her enthusiasium for this particular post. I'm sure she will allow Sadie to have a turn tomorrow. Goodnight!