Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The squid's budding vocabulary

Sorry I've been so negligent in updating this blog. It seems like everyday I have something I want to post about, but either have to compile a cognizant blog entry over on RaceTrackHollow for class or am chasing Savena around the house while trying to read Marx! Ugh. Ok, so that was just Sunday evening.

Savena's vocabulary is, not surprisingly, growing every day. She has yet to say her own name, preferring to call herself "me" rather than Savena. I'm just "mommy," but Mark is either "daddy" or "Mark Shear." Not sure where she picked that up, but it's pretty cute. Devin is "sissy" and Ms. Jeane, her sitter, is Nini.. or is it Neenee. Not sure, but the J never comes out.

Her other fave words/phrases include:
BABAR* (her favorite show. Of course, it's also one of the few she has seen)
More peas (more please.)
Apple
Boots
Dutty (Dusty, one of our dogs)
Hey!
Go person, go! (usually when we're stuck in traffic)
Huh. (This one drives me crazy, but at least she hasn't started saying "Do what?" yet. She may be put up for adoption if that starts. :-) J/K )
Acorn, leef (leaf)
Duck, dog, skirl (squirrel), cowww (cow)
Juice
Dora (has seen the show once, but she has a Dora doll)
My baby.
Belly, elbow, leg, knee, feet, eye, noz (nose), ear, mouth
sky, rain
plane (she adores planes - takes after her mamma!)
No, peas. (When you ask her to do something, she says this instead of 'no, thank you' if she doesn't want to have anything to do with it.)

In other news, the monkey's growing every day. We're definitely going to have a very active little one on our hands when she makes her arrival in 8-9 weeks. Part of me can't believe it's almost time, but then my brain kicks in and reminds me that there's a reason I haven't had a margarita since March. Due date is still 12/21, but Mark's taking bets that the baby comes in early December. We'll see.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

New Squidisms

Savena and Mark were merging onto Central the other day when the car in front of them slowed WAY down. Without missing a beat, she yelled out "Go, people, go!" Gotta love that kid!

Friday, August 28, 2009

It's a boy, it's a girl..it's a MONKEY!!!!

Just kidding. No monkeys here! We're calling the baby "the monkey" a la "the squid", but we did actually find out what we're having this time. Drumroll please...it's a GIRL! I think Mark put it best when he saw the sonogram - "Yup. Nothing (hanging) there. Must be a girl." Mark was hoping for a little boy, but it deliriuosly excited about adding a third girl to the world. Just think - by the end of the year we'll have the Big Princess (Devin), the Little Princess/Squid (Savena) and a Duchess (Name still in progress). You must have been born before 12/25/78 to be a Queen, so I'm still the only Queen in the house. Woo hoo!!

The due date is the same: Dec. 21. Dr. D is happy with the baby's growth, heart rate, etc. I'm exhausted much of the time, but am eating well and re-learning how to sleep with my growing belly. It's at times like this that I wish sleeping on my stomach wasn't my preferred position. Oh, well. It's only for another 17 weeks - maybe less, if "the monkey" comes early. Her big sister did, so we're hoping that she'll decide to make her entrance at least a few days early to avoid some of the pre-holiday madness.

Life is pretty hectic right now. Ginger moved to Houston, so Mark's in the midst of training a new employee. She's very nice, but change is hard, particularly when you've been working with someone for close to 10 years. I just started grad school again. I'm only taking one class this semester, but between work, raising a two-year-old, "growing" another child and everything else - I feel that I'm in for a really long semester. The best part is that my (work) office was recently moved to new digs across campus and there's black stuff falling from the air vents!! Fun times. It's not that surprising given the building's age, but it's still enough to make a pregnant girl worry. Facilities is supposedly on it, so hopefully it'll be cleared up soon.

Then there's the swine flu pandemic swirling around. I know that pregnant women are supposed to be first in line for the vaccine, but I'm very conflicted about getting it. Nobody has any clue how it'll impact the fetus, yet they're encouraging us to get one. I need to keep gathering info/recs from the infectious disease specialists I work with and my own personal physicians. I'm leaning toward not getting one, but will probably change my mind a dozen times in the next few days alone. The good thing is that I still have some time. It's not like they're going to have a vaccine until mid-October.

As you can probably imagine, every day is a new adventure with Savena. Her vocabulary is expanding and she loves everything - particularly if it involves being outdoors. Here's a sampling of her new words:

More peas. (More please)
Apple
Mark (she occasionally calls her daddy this, much to his disdain.)
Tummy
Baby
Elbow
Knee
Sissy

That's all for now. :-)

Thursday, July 09, 2009


How do you update a blog that you've been meaning to update for close to 6 weeks but haven't had time? You just start. So, here goes.

Much has been happening to our growing family since the last post, chiefly that both Savena and the baby have gotten bigger and we've all gotten older. Just kidding.

Savena did have her first dentist appointment. That was fun! Just kidding again. Mark will be taking her to the next appt. The dentist was nice and courteous, but wasn't who we wanted to see - evidently the staff didn't understand that we were going there to see one particular dentist - and only her. The whole reason we went to this place was to see a new pediatric dentist who Mark has been seeing as a patient since she was a teenager. We wanted to support her, but then didn't even get to see her. Savena got a pink balloon and a toothbrush, but I'm going to try to avoid dental offices with McDonald's style play yards on Saturday mornings. It was a bit much.

Savena also celebrated her second birthday on June 26! We had her party at Heights Park just down the street from our house and as luck would have it - it was one of the hottest days of the year. I think it actually topped out around 103 degrees right in the middle of the party. A friend said it sounded like the perfect Jeff Foxworthy joke - you know you live in Texas if the birthday cake icing melts! Yes, the icing melted - but Savena didn't mind. She wolfed down more cake than anyone else - and still had room for dinner about 2 hours later. (I have to credit Tom Thumb here. The one at Coit and Campbell makes the absolute best cakes! Be sure to check them out if you live in Texas.) I swear that she must have a tapeworm: our girl can eat...and eat...and eat some more. So, it was hot - but fun. A bunch of her friends came, as did Mudge, Grandma Beth, Aunt Amy and Uncle Will.

What else is there to say?
I've decided that being pregnant in July is no fun. Should have planned this better, but too late now. Please don't remind me about August. I plan to spend the entire month in the pool. If only, right!?! I had my first sonogram about 3 weeks ago now and our great Dr. D said that everything looks great. It's too early to tell the sex (yes, we're going to find out this time) but the baby is very, very, very active. Dr. D actually had a hard time getting all the measurements because he/she was practically doing backflips. Mark thought it was awesome, but we're both a little worried about what's to come. You know the saying "If we'd had the second one first, we never would have had more?" Well, that may hold true....we'll just have to see. We're still more excited than anything. Savena doesn't really understand, yet, but we're trying to get the message across. She already points to my belly and says "baby." She points to Mark's and her own belly and says the same thing, but it's a start.

Back to the baby: The due date is still Dec. 21, but evidently we have neighbors taking bets that I won't last that long. I'm definitely getting bigger faster this time around, but I haven't gained much weight. And we're not having twins - we made Dr. D double-check that fact.

Ooops, I've rambled on too long and must get back to work. Lunch break's over. More to come...sooner this time.

Friday, June 05, 2009

News about the Three Bears

Mark and I are expecting another baby! Yes, I'm pregnant. I'm 12 weeks along, so we're wrapping up the first trimester. Besides feeling physicaly exhausted, things are going really well. We had our first doctor visit a few weeks ago and Dr. Dinh said the baby is due on Dec. 21, 2009 (my grandpa's birthday!!). The due date could change, but that's the current expected arrival. We don't yet know the sex, but many of you will be glad to know that we are leaning toward finding out this time. I have my first sonogram on June 16, so we may actually be able to find out then. We'll just have to see. Savena was turned in such a way that they really couldn't tell at that first sonogram, but maybe this one will be different. Who knows, right? It's a completely new adventure but one that we're thrilled about.
Love to all.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Another reason I love being a mom


The other day, I was dashing out the front door at 7 a.m. when I heard these little feet patter up behind me. Savena's normally still in bed at this time, but it was Friday, so she was up and getting ready for Mark to give her a bath. Anyway, I turned around to see the squid smiling up at me like she wanted to say goodbye. I kneeled down and was about to give her a hug when she planted a kiss right on my lips, turned and sped off across the living room. Awwww. (Cue the angels). Talk about making your day start on the right foot! It certainly made mine. :-)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Deciphering Savena


Kids say the darndest things, right! That's certainly true of Savena. Trying to figure out exactly what she's saying is another matter entirely. While she very clearly understands just about everything we say to her, she hasn't exactly busted out in song ... yet. For those of you unfamiliar with toddler vernacular, I offer this introduction to our world.

Mama mama mama mama - That's obviously me.

Dada dada dada - another easy one.

Daug or dawg - that's dog, with a sharp 'g'

Peas - Please, not peas, though she does enjoy them.

pupl - On the rare occasion that she says purple, it sounds more like puple. Maybe we should try violet.

Pi pi pi pi - If she tells us she has to go to the bathroom, this is her preferred verbage. She rarely does this until afterwards, but we're trying.

Bu or blu - Blue

Dor - Door

No - That's also with a sharp o. It usually goes something like "No, dawg."

More to tome.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The little exhibitionist

I always knew this day would come. The day when we'd open the bedroom door to find the squid traipsing around in her birthday suit. I'm not sure why I thought this would happen later in life, but I did.
Unfortunately, I missed the first event. It happened at our sitter's house. Evidently, Jeane heard Savena talking to herself in the nursery/crib room, so she went to get her up from her nap. When she opened the door, she came face to face - or should I say face to "cheek" -- with the squid standing straight up in bed wearing nothing but her socks. Somehow or other, she'd managed to get her shirt, undershirt, pants and diaper off and was just having a grand ol' time leaning up against the railing. She didn't have as much luck getting her diaper off the next day, but she has decided to practice her new skill as often as possible.

Now to the conundrum: I have absolutely no problem with her showing some skin (she's only 21 months old, after all) but I do wonder when and how to address the topic of when it's ok and when it's not ok to run around naked. Is this even something parents address with kids nowadays? The last thing I want to do is pass my own shortcomings on to her, so I'm tempted to just let things go for the time being, maybe bring it up in a year if she starts to make a habit of it. It is pretty cute, after all! My only goal is for her to love herself as she is and not feel ashamed or that she has to cover herself up.

Until next time, be sure to enjoy the sunshine, dance naked in your room, and take a toddler for a walk. :-)
P.S. The pic is of Savena applying her lipstick (lip gloss). She's such a girly girl!

Friday, January 30, 2009

Our daughter the headbanger

I've always figured that young children develop their musical tastes by osmosis. They pick pick up their tastes in music by listening to what their parents played on the radio, etc. I'm not entirely sure why I thought this, but it seems to be wrong as Savena is a fan of "headbanger" music! Yes, my sweet, angelic little child likes to rock out to hard-core rock! How I learned this is a story in itself.

It started one afternoon when she and I were at home doing chores. I was in the back bedroom folding clothes and she was playing in the living room. I'd turned a country music station on and was listening to some sappy song about love gone wrong when all of a sudden the station changed...and then changed again...and then again. I hurried down the hall to find Savena standing on the ottoman in front of the stereo punching the scan forward button. At each station, she would stop, listen, then hit the button again. I'm not sure whether she just enjoyed pushing the button and it got old or if she actually liked the music, but she finally stopped on the headbanger station. Being a new mom, I laughed, sat her back in front of her pile of toys and books, changed the station back to what I was listening to, and went back to folding clothes. I probably don't need to tell you what happened next.

Yup, she did it again. (does that make anyone else think of Britney Spears?!?) A few minutes later, the dogs and I were once again listening to headbanger music. This time, instead of changing the station, I ditched the laundry pile and rocked out with Savena.

P.S. One of the funniest moments of the day was when Mark came through the door to find me sweeping to headbanger music - He said, and I quote, "Is everything ok, sweetie."