I had a couple work events this month, two days on a local chapter community service project and then a trip to Chicago on the 22-25th. We got my suitcase and the kids all loaded into the car to take me to the airport. Samara was so excited all the way there, asking questions galore about the airport. When we got there, I got out gave kisses and hugs goodbye to Jeff and both kids (in their car seats). Samara started sobbing and I could still hear her as they pulled away! Talk about Mommy-remorse on going out of town. I thought I might start to cry, too. :( But, after face-time on my phone with her that night, she seemed calmed down a bit and fun with Daddy had helped her sadness, and I felt much better. It was a great trip, I learned a lot about NARI and enjoyed some time with adults.
Samara's milestones/moments for July:
- Really wants her independence! She is so proud when she does things all be herself. I have to hold myself back from helping many times, so that she can finish the task without help. If you help and she doesn't like it, she will undo what you did and do it again herself! Better to just stay out of it from the beginning really. It has really tested my patience, as it can make getting ready or doing a task take WAY longer, which there is not always time for. She can also completely turn her ears off to the fact you are talking to her, and keep going in her own lala land and pace. When I snap and try to get her going, she'll say, "Mom are you mean or nice?" Please pray that I can keep my cool with her, I don't want to constantly be the "yelling mom", even after the repeated attempts to move her along. Working on finding that balance...
- We had a luncheon at church, she introduces herself to the people at our table, "My name is Samara and this is my baby Kalum and this is my Mommy and Daddy and they spank me sometimes." All in one breath - no, not they love me, play with me, feed me... They spank me. (Ugh - Can I hide behind my napkin please?!) Oh well, it's the truth, it was in good company and the other moms knew that these were spankings on an as-needed basis (the same kind their kids get).
- Tells everyone she is 3! (And that there are two kinds of three, which she demonstrates with her fingers).
- Mid-July - completely potty-trained at night now! She hasn't wet the bed for weeks and will even get up and go on her own, or come ask me to help. I'll take that any day over diapers and changing sheets.
- Swimming lessons update (I guess I missed that in June when she started them): Will put her face in the water, jump in from the side to daddy with no fear, working on floating. She is in the class that parents swim with the kids so she and Daddy have been bonding in the water. Aw, so cute!
- Got her face painted for the first time. The lady asked what she would like painted (referring to a sheet of examples). Samara said, "I want pink" Lady, "A pink what?" Samara "just pink". In the end it was a flower on her hand and later a pink butterfly on her cheek.
- We went to Little Lamb Preschool to drop off the payment for her to start this fall. She was so excited to go! When we dropped off the payment and we were leaving she wanted to stay and play on the playground so badly! Thankfully it was fenced in, or we may never have been able to leave.
- Playing Dr. with Mommy - she is the Dr. and I am the patient. She said she has to leave and I am to call her on the phone and ask her to come back (some healthcare she offers!). She stood on the other side of the room, arms bent at the elbow, wiggling her fingers. She said she couldn't come back because she was typing. I asked what she was typing and she said "I'm typing for NARI." :)
- She has a huge vocabulary and knows how to use it! She loves to learn new words and uses them once taught. She also pretends she's reading by moving her fingers along lines of words in books.Sounds out words slowly that she knows are in the book. It won't be long, Samara girl! Just get that alphabet down in Preschool and you'll be off and reading in no time. I'm excited for her eagerness to learn and hope it continues as she moves on in school.
- Has a good laugh now (something that is do fun to hear!)
- Cruising really well around furniture now, especially if he spots something he wants
- Can hold onto table and bend down to reach something off the floor
- July 5th - can stand unassisted for about 1 minute, but even stood for 5 minutes in grass, so as to not touch it!
- He babbles a lot when in quiet surroundings (in other words when Samara is not home)
- July 15th - He figured out how to get from coffee table to couch to end table to wall!
- Weening him, and he seems to take the bottle just fine, unless I'm there and he's really hungry or tired
- First time swimming! Went to family swim night where Samara takes swim lessons. He was content the whole time and just took it all in.
- July 18th - 3rd bottom tooth and 1st top tooth came through last night. That makes four teeth now!
- July 23rd - took first steps (at Papa and Gemma's house)
- Another top tooth is coming in, which is good because he can and will eat anything we do, just in smaller pieces.
- July 28th - can walk by himself a few feet at a time.
- End of July, Daddy and Kalum both get a yucky cold - boo to summer colds! So far, Samara and Mommy have "dodge the bullet" and aren't sick like the boys.
