Let’s just go ahead and start with the 2016 Resolutions update. In summary: Fail. Major fail. On all counts. I think the closest I came to keeping a resolution was painting my nails three out of the four weeks. Hell, even this family update is going up a day later than I committed to having it ready.
I could lay out a lovely gamut of excuses, most recently of which is the sinus infection plaguing both Luke and me for nearly two weeks, but let’s be honest – I 100% could have done better, if I had tried harder.
Now, I said my intention for these resolutions was to recommit myself to them in these monthly update posts, so – I’m going to spend what remains of February focusing on only two: #7 – Reducing my sugar intake, and #1 – Keeping a regular study schedule. #1 was at the top of my original list for a reason – It will continue to be a priority until I finish my degree. As for #7, most all of the Christmas sweets are out of our house now, so it seems like a good time to commit to cutting back on that type of food. Sweets and study. I got this. In the meantime,
This month…
Thea is walking! She was taking 2-4 wobbly steps before falling for about a month and then one weekend in mid-January, she suddenly took off and walked all the way across our living room (20+ steps) from me to Luke! Yay, she can walk! That said, she still “prefers” to either crawl or hold someone’s hand while she walks around. It was the same thing when she learned to crawl – She continued to use rolling as her primary mode of transportation for a while just because it was easier/faster. But I’m sure she will do more and more walking over the course of February.
We’ve settled into a good pattern with Daycare this year. In general, I take every other Monday off as Vacation/Flex day, and Grandma babysits one or two Mondays during the month to fill in the gaps. If we are able to keep this up, I will still have a few Vacation days to spare at the end of the year for non-Mondays. Between this routine and Uncle babysitting one evening each month so Luke and I can have a Date Night, we sure are grateful to have so much family nearby. 🙂
I finally had the hail damage on my car repaired. I can’t remember if I mentioned this before – when the basement flooded, we moved my car into the driveway and put all the stuff from the basement into the garage. Two days later, another hail storm came through and my car was hit. The dents weren’t terribly noticeable, but I fixed it up for insurance purposes. Looks good as new.
The above photo is from Thea’s very first haircut. She was an absolute dream, we were shocked by how calmly she sat there while the hairdresser worked. Her new ‘do looks great!
The post-flood basement renovations are 85% complete. All that remains is finishing up the bathroom. The glass for the shower will likely arrive in the next week or two, and then we should be able to finish it all. Like I’ve said before, I’ll save pictures for a big reveal in another post when it’s all done. (It looks amazing.)
One new feature of the basement is a giant desk we picked up this month. It’s actually three IKEA tables to make an L-shape. Incredibly cheap and absolutely perfect for what I needed. That is my new study space so that I don’t have to worry about waking up Thea trying to do work in the office right next to her bedroom.
Thea hasn’t got a whole lot of new words per say, but her listening comprehension amazes me everyday. There are so many things you can ask her or tell her that she understands. My personal favourite is, “Do you want to read a book with me?” She responds by grabbing a book and crawling into my lap. The best.
I mentioned the sinus infections Luke and I have been dealing with already. Thankfully, Thea only seems to have a runny nose during this round. She was pretty miserable for a couple days in the middle of the month though, until her third molar popped. And she had an extremely mild case of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (a couple small blisters on her hands and face). In more severe cases, kids can get blisters on the bottoms of their feet, and even in their throats, and they can be painful. Thea was lucky, hers were tiny, didn’t seem to bother her at all, and were completely gone in less than a week.
Thea is definitively “a toddler”, right down to the picky eating and the epic tantrums. Her appetite swings widely in any given day, but I plan to write a separate post with more about that one of these days.
I know I’m forgetting some things. Another fail on my part this month is that I didn’t update this file every week when things were still fresh in my mind. Oh well, anyone who comes here (grandparents) are probably just looking for pictures anyway, so let’s cut to the chase…
Until next time!