Things kids say..

Harper is at the funniest and most frustrating age right now. She is one month away from being 2 and a half and most of the time I wish I could freeze her at this age forever. Other than being the biggest sweetheart ever, she is also one of the funniest kids I know. One of my favourite things about this age is some of the things she says. For instance, when she tells us she loves us, she always says "I love you too mommy". She adds the "too" even though she is saying it to you first. If she says it to me, she will immediately tell Fraser she loves him, Ella and even the dog.  

When Harper's about to get a treat or we're going to do something she loves, she will say with the biggest cheesiest smile ever "I'm exseeded (excited)". Makes me heart melt every time!

Another favourite of mine is when I ask her what she wants for lunch or dinner and she replies with things like "cupcakes" or "jellybeans" or "farties" (smarties) or her new one "faghetti". The fact that she pronounces anything that begins with the letter S with a F is completely hilarious. She will also randomly mispronounce words like the dogs leash as "douch" or racoon as "fuckoon" - which has Fraser and I covering our faces because we are trying to contain the laughter.

I love the cute ways she says certain things or how quickly she will pick up new words and will use them in the right context. She is so darn smart and I want her to stay this age forever and ever. Except of course when shes having a full on meltdown because you've asked her not to do something for the bazillion time.

Ella's 9 Month Update

 Our sweet Ella turned 9 months a few days ago. I just want time to slow down. I want to keep her a baby a little while longer. The idea of both my girls being "big girls" is enough to make me sob.

Ella had her doctors appointment last week, she weighs exactly 19 lbs and is 27" long. She is still our tiny toad. Like I've said since she was born, she makes up for size with her personality. I have however, noticed she has mellowed out a bit lately. I'm thinking that's because she has a tooth up and another that's poked through the gums. She is a lot happier and a lot less sassy!

Ella is a complete ham. She makes Fraser and I laugh daily with her funny little quirks. For instance she is obsessed with Fraser's facial hair, constantly pulling at his beard the second he picks her up. She is also fascinated with ears - especially if I'm wearing earrings. She dances already, which is completely hilarious. The second music comes on, even if its in another room, she starts to bob up and down. Even if music isn't on, and you start to sing, she will start dancing. Melts my heart, having two tiny little dancers.

Ella is also on the move. She has been crawling for the past month (although she doesn't do it entirely correctly, it's more of a scoot). She is also pulling herself up using anything that can hold her weight, which terrifies me because it seems so wrong since she's so tiny! I think she just wants to keep up with her big sister.

Napping still isn't the greatest. She was an AMAZING napper up until 4 months old. Then the 4 month sleep regression and teething hit and it's been a yo-yo since. I see a slight improvement the past two weeks but still not great. Her sleeping at night has gotten a lot better though (thank goodness). She goes to bed at around 6:30/7pm and wakes 1-2 times to nurse and sleeps until 6:30/7am. I can't complain and it's only getting better so I anticipate more improvements in the next few months.

Ella still breastfeeds in between having solids three times a day. Her favourite foods are yogurt, applesauce, rice and potato.

Her first word was ma-ma which she usually says when she's tired and cranky. It is still the sweetest thing to hear!

Harper and Ella have a total blast together. They love to play in the patio curtains, staring outside giggling while playing peek-a-boo with one another. They also love having baths together before bed. These moments are what make me so fortunate to have two little girls so close in age, they are going to be the best of friends when their older. 

Smarty Pants

Although I've taken a bazillion pictures of Harper, I haven't done an update in a long time. Harper is 27 months old now. It feels like just last month she was just starting to crawl and then walk. Now she's this big girl with a super big personality. First of all, she is one of the sweetest kids I know. I'm not just saying that because she is my child, which makes her totally awesome ;), but because she truly is. She is always so concerned with everyone around her. For instance, she cannot handle when her baby sister Ella is upset. The second Ella starts to cry, Harper will run over hands overflowing with toys to try and cheer her up. If the toys don't do the trick, then she's full of kisses and head patting. It's so amazing to watch her try and comfort her sister. My favourite is when she says to Ella "c'omm here" (trying to mimic me), with her hands out. 

When Harper gets upset she always wants a hug. She will come running to Fraser or I asking for a hug. It's the sweetest thing ever.

Since Harper started to talk, it was very apparent to us that she was very intelligent. She picked up new words so quickly and also new the proper context in which to use them - which was the most impressive to Fraser and I. Now Harper uses multiple words to form sentences and also knows her entire alphabet, numbers 1-10, colours and animals (including the noises they all make). Her memory is amazing. You can tell her something once and she will remember it. If you read a book to her for the first time, she will remember the title and what it was about. She's a total book worm. If she is in a room full of toys and books, she will first go to the books. She brings books to Fraser and I constantly, sitting on our lap, wanting us to read to her. For bed, she wants us to read 5+ books to her.

Harper's been an amazing sleeper since she was 13 months old. At night she sleeps between 12-14 hours and still has a 2 hour nap after lunch everyday. I'm hoping Ella eventually sleeps that well.

This little girl brings so much light, love and happiness into our lives - and we're so proud of the little lady she is becoming.