Salt Lake City - We'll be coming soon...

Can you hear the Beach Boys singing to you? Just thought I'd do a quick update before we leave. We are having a nice Memorial Day weekend with the Ruffs. Savannah is having so much fun playing with Morgan (4) and Mason (2). She normally doesn't really "play" with other kids, just kind of watches them. Not so with these two. She and Mason chase Morgan all around, play in the pop-up house together, share drinks and food, and laugh a lot. I'm happy to see her having so much fun and sad that she doesn't get to play with her cousins like this nearly often enough. We are very excited to be coming home tomorrow. When I tell Savannah we are going to go see Grandma and Nana, she walks to the back door expecting to go right now. She's getting good at saying "morrow".

I do have more proof that Annie is a genius. I bought her a DoodlePro this week and she loves to have me write on it. On Thursday I drew a triangle, square, circle, moon and star and asked her to show me each of them. She got them all right! And it wasn't just a one time thing, she does it over and over. Even if she doesn't see you draw them, she can pick out the shapes. So I bought her some flashcards and now I'm working on colors. So far she can identify purple on her own. I know - I sound just like Elise, but give me a break. Savannah is my first and I don't have any other kids around to compare her to. I can't wait to show off her new skills to you. See you tomorrow!!!

I know I said I was going to post more often, but I'm still wasting my time looking at other blogs. I do have a million cute pictures and funny stories about Savannah and it's hard to choose what to post. One of Annie's new interests is hats. She will put anything on her head and call it a hat - a dishtowel, shirt, or piece of paper - it doesn't matter. Jake didn't like it in the beginning, but he doesn't bark at her anymore. On Monday she was pointing out yet another flag at Michaels ("ssss"), so I bought her one. She was in her stroller at the time and kept pointing the flag at the ground. I told her it needed to stay up in the sky so she started waving it like she was in a parade. It was so cute! She still carries it all around the house.


This next story happened this morning and it may be TMI, but it's funny. When Jer gets home from work, he takes off his shirt and stays in a tank top. Savannah always reaches for his armpit and says "tickle-tickle". Apparently she thinks his hairy armpit is ticklish. This morning she and I were getting in the shower so I was naked and she thought she should tickle me - and she wasn't reaching for my armpit!! Of course I wouldn't let her, but I busted up! I wonder what goes on in her little head???



We are still working on the night time routine and some nights are better than others. Savannah does seem to be doing a little better each day. Last night she didn't wake up until 6 am and I just I moved her to my bed. She still has yet to actually go in the potty, but she does like to sit on it. She also likes to unroll the tp while she's sitting there.


Sorry to cut it short, but I have to go watch AI now! We can't wait to see you all!!!

Two nights and counting...

Woohoo!!! Savannah made it through another night without me! I put her in bed about 9:00 last night and didn't hear a peep from her until 3:30. I didn't even sit up in bed before she had stopped crying. She woke up all smiles at 7:45 and she took a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon! I could really get used to this and hope she does too.

We went to Target today and bought a Dora potty seat. (I don't think I could handle cleaning one of the free-standing potties!) Savannah follows Jer and me into the bathroom and knows we're going "pawee" so I thought I'd introduce her to it. She sat on it for maybe twenty seconds before she wanted off. Of course twenty seconds later she peed in the bathtub! Little turkey!! At least she is getting used to the idea of sitting on the potty - and washing her hands afterwards!! Laugh all you want, but I am determined to force the habit on her. Clean hands are happy hands :)

Wasting Away Again

No, Savannah hasn't started drinking, just hanging out on our boat. We went to Lake Mojave to celebrate Jer's birthday and Mother's Day. The weather was nice, the water was cool and Savannah had a blast. She didn't care that her whole body was shivering, she just wanted to be in the water. She was really good about wearing her lifejacket and it worked just like it should. She took a little spill and flipped right over onto her back. She cried for a second, but went right back to playing in the water. Jeremy let her help drive the boat and she was in seventh heaven. She definitely has her daddy's love for the water and he couldn't be happier. We are sorry we weren't home to spend Mother's Day with all of you, but this trip was the next best thing.

I am thrilled to report that Savannah made it through the night without me!!! I heard her wake up once, but she only cried for a few seconds and then she was quiet again. I went in her room at 8:00 this morning to make sure she was still breathing and she was sound asleep! I would love to believe this is her new sleep pattern, but I'm sure she was just exhausted from all the fun in the sun. Oh well, I will take what I can get!

Since we are coming home at the end of the month, I thought I'd brief you on Savannah's language so you can understand her better. As you know, she is the smartest baby ever, but you have to be the smartest mommy ever to notice it! "Me-me" means Little Mermaid which she says anytime she sees Ariel. "Ma-ma" doesn't mean mom, it means chocolate milk which she loves. Cookie, sky, ball, Mom, Dada, Grandpa, and Nana are easily recognizable and self explanatory. The majority of Annie's language consists of the "s" sound. It can mean any of the following: cartoons if you turn on the tv (followed shortly by "Diego"); shoes if she's looking at her feet; moon if she's looking at the sky; flag or balloon if she happens to see one; and raisins, grapes or cheese if you open the fridge or pantry. I have tried repeatedly to get her to say flag, but no such luck. I guess "ssss" is much easier. When she says "k", she or something she wants is stuck. If you don't correct the problem fast enough to suit her, she will get mad. And last but not least, when she clicks her tongue, she wants her binky. Hope this little tutorial will help you get ready for our visit. We can't wait to see you!

We're still here

I know, I'm a terrible mother. I have spent too much time looking at other peoples blogs and ignoring poor Annie's. But now I'm back to brag and whine some more.

We had so much fun at Disneyland! My favorite part was just being with family again. Savannah still walks around looking for "grandpa" which is what she now calls grandma. She plays like she's talking on the phone to her and points at her picture all the time. See - she loves and misses you Mom!

I think my expectations of how Savannah would react at Disneyland were a little too high. I thought she would show more emotion towards the characters. She is always so excited to them on TV. I guess I should just be happy she didn't cry when she saw them. I also expected her to love the rides, but she seemed more afraid than amused. Perhaps it was just too much to take in and she didn't know what to think. Her favorite part was playing in the water in Bug's Land. I still can't believe I let her walk around like that! I'm looking forward to our next trip already.

Here on the home front Savannah is still ruling the roost. Nighttime seems to be getting worse. She wakes up and wants me to hold her. If I lay her down and try to pat her back, she stands back up and wraps her arms around my neck. I even tried sleeping on her floor with her the other night, but we ended up in my bed anyway. Last night Jer decided he'd had enough. He's been talking to a new dad at work thought he'd try some new tactics. Annie woke up just as we got in bed around 11:30. I went in and turned her music back on, but she cried shortly after I left the room. I returned and laid her back down and she cried again before I even got the door shut. When I went back to her crib, she grabbed onto my neck. Just then I heard Jer's footsteps in the hall. He had gotten dressed again so he could put a stop to her manipulating me. Sure enough, she quieted down and he came back to our room. He went back in there at least three more times before we thought she was finally asleep. Wrong! He wanted me to wait ten minutes before I went in there, but I couldn't go from zero to ten minutes in one motion. I made it 2 1/2 before I went back in. I held her for a few and laid her back down. I left the room and Jer went in and she finally fell asleep.

We have to put an end to this, but I don't know how. Help me!!! I know she is totally playing me, but I still feel bad when she cries so hard. She used to sleep so nicely, but not anymore. How many times did you all have to let your kids cry before they got it out of their system? Please tell me it isn't more than a week so I think there is a glimmer of hope!

Other than her sleeping habits, Savannah is stinkin' cute. Everyday she learns a new word or at least understands one. Jeremy has introduced her to Cheetos and now she wants them all the time. We were busting up the other night because she wouldn't eat her dinner, she just kept asking for Cheetos! She knows exactly what she wants to eat and shakes her head no if you offer her something else. We walked into a gas station yesterday and she said Coke! Of course I wouldn't share mine with her, but she knows what it is. Speaking of the angel, sounds like naptime is over. I promise I won't wait so long for my next post. See ya' later.