Woodburn Family Blog

Ashley's 2 year visit

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:43:23 -0700

Ashley is 24.4 months or 743 days old

Height 35.3 inches (75^th 90^th percentile)

Head circumference 18.8 inches (50^th percentile)

Weight 27.5 lbs according to the scale, but the sheet says 27 even (50^th 75^th percentile either way)

Ashley is healthy and everything is normal. The doctor said she talks more than the average 2 year old. He said most 2 year olds can only say a few small 2-3 word phrases and I think he said up to 150 words. I know she knows more than that and doesnt just say a few favorite phrases anymore. She can hold a small conversation. She is also more social and will talk with almost anyone, unlike Mr. Shy Tyler.

Ashley loves to go to Bashas grocery store because she is now old enough to go to the Cub House. (free babysitting while you shop) J Tyler no longer likes to go to the Cub House, but at least its just one kid to keep out of trouble while shopping. It makes shopping so much easier!!! J

Ashleys hair is well past the shoulders now when its wet. The curls bring it back up to the shoulders. She has had her bangs trimmed a few times, but not the back. She does not like barrettes or pony tail holders and pulls them out almost instantly. But she does still love her shoes, sun glasses, purses and other accessories. Moms purse has a huge Ashley magnet in it. First its phone and keys

Daddy calls Ashley a princess because she really likes to be waited on. She wants her milk brought to her, not left on the table for her to go get. She definitely knows how to throw tantrums when she doesnt get what she wants. She also prefers to be carried up stairs to go down a slide. This must be why we dont have to worry about her being underweight anymore.

15 month doctor's visit

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:19:50 -0700

Ashley is 15.0 months or 456 days

Height 31.3 inches (just above 75^th percentile)

Head circumference 17.8 inches (just above 25^th percentile)

Weight 20 13oz (about 20^th percentile)

Ashley finally made it to the 20 pound mark, so she can finally sit facing forward in the car seat. Shes walking everywhere now, but still likes to crawl a little bit. Shes saying several words and has been liking outside like big brother did since its been nice out here. It was close to 100F yesterday and today though not boiling yet, but not so nice anymore. Ashley has 12 teeth, including 4 molars, and I think shes starting to work on her canines. (the only ones missing besides the 2 year molars)

Ashley has used the potty 4 times, including one poopy! Yeah!!! She even got Tyler to pee on the potty once because he saw her do it and wanted to do it too. So girls ARE easier to potty train!!!! OK, but we still have a long way to go for both of them. Tyler gets mad when we ask if he wants to use the potty. Ashley is now afraid of sitting on the potty because one day Tyler tried to close the potty lid on her when she was sitting on the potty so, mom has not been pushing the potty on either kid lately. I think Tyler is finally starting to think about it even though he still doesnt want to use the potty. Last Friday at the library, he wanted to go home to poop. He actually held his poop until we got home and immediately ran behind the couch to poop. Weve tried to put the potty behind the couch for his favorite pooping place, but he really doesnt want to yet. But, at least he can hold his poop until he gets to his favorite pooping place. J

Next is trying to get Ashley off of the bottle. She at one time preferred the straw cup because thats what Tyler was using. Now, she sometimes refuses the straw cup and wants her bottle. She also likes mommy to give her the bottle, not daddy or anyone else. I think she is still mad about being weaned from mom. She wants mom to hold her and the bottle and she also has to have her Dronkey while she drinks. Ashley got her Dronkey for Christmas and has quickly become very attached to it. (Donkey and Dragons baby from Shrek) Thats good and bad. It has helped me take her to the gym since taking Dronkey significantly increases the time that I have before I get called. Its bad when Dronkey is REQUIRED though. Although, I did find a spare Dronkey on clearance for when Dronkey 1 is in the wash. The Dronkeys need to be rotated pretty frequently though since she likes to suck on their tails. Tyler also knows that there are 2 Dronkeys and wants one if both are out. For that reason, I have to keep one Dronkey hidden at all times. Ashley does not like to share her spare!

New talent

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:32:55 -0700

Yeah!!! Ashley has been taking a few steps here and there, but today she was really into practicing. Mom got out the camera and filmed 10 steps before running into the target (me). I think we officially have another toddler. :-) (although Tyler is more of a preschooler now)

12 month doctor's visit

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Ashley is 12.3 months or 374 days

Height 30 inches (just under 75^th percentile)

Head circumference 17.5 inches (just above 25^th percentile)

Weight 19 lbs (just above 10^th percentile)

Ashley is still skinny, but shes been grazing all through the day everyday, and shes drinking milk from a bottle now. (after 2 grueling weeks of weaning) She has 10 teeth, including 2 molars, so shes a pretty good chewer which is good since she never did like being spoon fed. Shes cruising around furniture, but doesnt really want to take steps on her own yet. She can stand by herself for a few seconds. She is definitely saying some words now. Her favorite is this as she points to what she wants. (which has been primarily her birthday balloon for the past 2 weeks) The doc said pointing is a good sign since kids with autism and other developmental problems do not point. She also says Tyler, Beans, Dennis, doggie, daddy, mama (rarely, but she does), she says eat this when she wants to eat something she sees, and she can say milk, but doesnt say it often. There are a few other words in there too. Oh, she also says, can I have that. (shes heard Tyler say that a few times)

potty!!!

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Tyler made a tiny poopy in the potty today. This was a breakthrough!!!! Before that he would ask to put his diaper back on and then poop. And sometimes Ashley would show more interest in the potty than him. He got a sticker and called dad to tell him all about it. When he got on the phone with dad he told dad how he splashed his hand in the water first, and then he made a tiny poopy. Yeah!!!

Smart Little Girl

wood@woodburnfamily.com (John) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:25:45 -0700

Ashley has finally started growing out of the "infant" stage. With her relatively newfound mobility, she can now entertain herself (especially if Roomba is within reach). She loves to "knee" it all the way down to Tyler's room for the GOOD stash of toys.

The biggest improvement, though, is laughter. Ashley has finally found her laugh. She's had the smile for a long time, but laughing wasn't a strong point (usually just a loud shreik that was often hard to tell from crying). Now, however, it is easy to get at least a chuckle if not a full blown "fall down" laugh. Still nothing better than making your kids laugh!

One other thing... Ashley can talk. Okay... maybe not talk talk, but we swear she is saying words. 'Course, it may be just that we are hearing what we want out of the stream of babble, but the words often sound so clear and in context. Here are the words we think she "knows": Beans, doggies, daddy, Tyler, and car. We've also heard her repeat several words... probably doesn't really know them though. The other words... it really does seem like she knows them. For instance... she'll frequently say "daddy" when I walk in the room. At other times she'll say "daddy" and look at me waiting for a response. Neat!

Oh... one other thing to blog so as not to forget the moment. As Ash has become more active over the past few weeks, we've been playing more "peekaboo." One day I was holding a small towel or piece of paper, and Ash grabbed it. She preceded to start "ducking" behind it and periodically peek out. Clearly she liked the game and wanted some more play time. I mention it here because it seemed to come out of the blue and really didn't expect it from her at this age. Our smart little girl!

Cars

wood@woodburnfamily.com (John) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:26:06 -0700

For most of his long life, Tyler has had a strong interest in cars. Just recently, GrandMa W gave Tyler a matchbox truck. Seeing how much he enjoyed it (and that he is beyond the stage of putting everything in his mouth), I decided to break out my old collection of matchbox cars. Since that time, Tyler cannot be found without at least one car nearby. A good portion of the day is devoted to playing with cars (and actively trying to keep them away from Ashley). It's cool watching him enjoy something that I myself spent so much time enjoying.

Halloween 2007

wood@woodburnfamily.com (John) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:14:29 -0700

Another Halloween has come and gone. This year the kids dressed as "retired" couple... Tyler as a golfer and Ashley as a Red Hat Lady. With Tyler at only 2 1/2, we decided we wouldn't actually do the candy thing this year. It just didn't seem right to go and gather all that candy and then not let him have it (or at least not all of it). So... we did the same as last year... sat at front together and handed the candy out to everyone else. Turns out... Tyler loved that! While mom was handing out "glow" bracelets, Tyler was actively handing out handfuls of candy to everybody. He was even kind enough to periodically pre-chew the candy while still in the wrapper. During the periods in between trick-or-treaters, Tyler would excitedly run to the sidewalk looking for the next group of kids. It was pretty darn cute. During all this, Ashley was actively crawling around trying to put everything from rocks to Tyler's unfinished sandwich to the feathers on her hat.

Somehow... I think next year will be an entirely different story.

Ashley's 9 month doctor's visit

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:19:13 -0700

Ashley continued her learning spree and learned how to get into the standing position. You can stuff some food in her mouth while she's standing too because her hands are busy holding on to something rather than trying to push the food away. Maybe we can get her to gain some weight that way... the doctor said he wants to see her again in 6 weeks and wants her to gain a full pound in that time frame. No more dieting for Ashley!

Of course, it doesn't help that she's working on more teeth and that she's burning more calories. She just cut a top front tooth today. She's working on cruising around furniture now too.

Other than that, she is healthy and learning how to mimic words too. We are pretty sure she has said "Tyler" 3 times and doggie a few times.

Ashley had a busy week!

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 22:11:57 -0700

Ashley really did have a very busy week. She was very close to being able to get into the sitting position for a while, but she did it Monday with mom and Grandma Keeler as witnesses. She does it all the time now that she knows she can.

She also had been close to crawling before, but preferred to scoot on her back. Well, this week she has decided to crawl. Her poor little knees are red! She still prefers to army crawl sometimes, but she can do it on all fours.

Now it's Friday and she was standing up in her crib when mom went to pick her up from an attempted nap. She was only able to get up on to her knees before, but she had been trying to get up to her feet for a little while.

Last but not least, Ashley has officially learned how to use a straw cup. Yeah! Ashley was very adamant about refusing bottles in the past, so it is nice that she can now get some liquids from somewhere other than mom. Ashley still does not really like jarred food, but she does love finger foods. She just has the 2 teeth on the bottom, which she has had since she was about 5 1/2 months old, so she likes to use them.

I can do it myself!

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:45:24 -0700

Tyler has his tantrums, but we still love this stage much better than his infant days!! Hes always been an independent little guy who didnt like to be held, liked to crawl away from mom at story time as soon as he was able to, and now doesnt want mom to help with anything. Tyler likes to get himself dressed and undressed, feed himself, and push Ashley in her stroller. Sometimes that means putting a shirt on over another shirt, putting on a 2^nd diaper, or streaking. He also tells mom to get your hands off there when mom tries to help him steer Ashley away from an obstacle or up a ramp. Mr. Independent can also unbuckle himself, climb in or out of a high chair, open all of the child locks on our doors, and of course lock mom out of the house. He recently learned how to blow bubbles all by himself, so he no longer wants us to blow them for him.

He still surprises us with new phrases that hes learned. Last week he told mom you are to old to bath while he was splashing around in the tub. Tyler isnt too old to take a bath, but he does like to take showers now too. For a guy who hates his hair to be rinsed, its amazing that hell even step foot in the shower.

Scooting

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:25:45 -0700

Ashley is now somewhat mobile. She doesnt crawl, but she scoots around on her back to get across the room in seconds. She has also accidentally lifted herself on to her knees from the sitting position. She was sitting close to the big bean bag and leaped forward towards it and ended up on her knees. She didnt mind being on her knees, but wasnt sure how to get back down.

We are happy to say that she is now starting to eat some jarred food. No bottles still, but at least we can get some nutrition in her when mom wants to leave for more than a couple of hours. She also likes to chew on bananas and peeled grapes in a mesh bag. When we first started trying to feed her she would do raspberries before the spoon even entered her mouth splattering food everywhere. I think we needed a bib as much as she did.

Ashley does have 2 teeth on the bottom. Shes had them since she was about 5 ½ months old. She hasnt gotten any others since then, but she must be working on them periodically judging by her mood.

Long Time No Blog

wood@woodburnfamily.com (John) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:01:24 -0700

Very long time since I blogged anything. So, I thought it was about time. What better topic than my kids?!? When it comes to kids, things change in the blink of an eye.

Ashley has reached the "interesting" stage. She's sitting on her own (mostly), she chuckles periodically, and she's very interested in all things around her. Even though she gigles every so often, I still have a hard time getting it out of her. I can get her to smile from across the room... but laughing takes a lot of work and bit of luck (unless you're Tyler... he's apparently the bomb!). I'm truly looking forward to the next several months (as long as we can get her to eat!).

'Course... things have changed for Tyler as well. In fact, enough has changed that I don't know where to start. How 'bout I start at "chatterbox?" He's definately a talker. He's almost constantly talking. Most often it's to himself while he plays. He'll even scold himself as he does something he's not supposed to do (such as use crayons on something other than paper). Beyond that, it's nice now that we can now verbally interact with him. Ask him questions, and he generally responds. Everyday, the complexity of the response grows. For instance... until recently you couldn't really ask him what he wants to eat. You could ask, "Are you hungry?", and get a yes/no reply. Now, you can ask what he wants and get a reasonable answer. Of course, the first response is always banana cookie. Oh, the answer to, "Do you need a diaper?" is ALWAYS an emphatic "NO." So many more things have changed, but I think that's enough for now.

2 years old doctor visit

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:16:58 -0700

Tyler was 24.8 months or 756 days yesterday

Height 36.3 inches (just about 90^th percentile)

Head circumference 19 inches (between 25^th and 50^th percentile)

Weight 31 lbs (between 75^th and 90^th percentile)

Tyler gets shy around any one but mom and dad now, but he warms up and starts chattering away. He knows lots of phrases now and likes to tell himself that he shouldnt be doing something while hes doing it. Now we just have to work on him obeying himself. We survived for a while without getting crayon on walls, but three doors got colored all in one day this week and the tile had previously been colored twice. (the tile is easier to clean up, so he decided to move on up) Last night on the way home from Grandma and Grandpa Keelers house was the first time I heard him singing more than just row row row. He sang climbed up the water spout over and over. I dont think he even heard that song yesterday, but it must have been stuck in his head.

6 month doctor visit

carolyn@woodburnfamily.com (Carolyn) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:14:08 -0700

Ashley was 6.3 months or 191 days yesterday (they always tell me how many days on my report card)

Height 27.3 inches (about 90^th percentile)

Head circumference 16.8 inches (just below 50^th percentile)

Weight 16 lbs 12 oz (just above 50^th percentile)

Ashley is able to sit unsupported for a few seconds if we put her in tripod position. She is very interested in toys now. Tyler sometimes brings her toys and leaves her piled under a heap. (like last night during dinner) Tyler is starting to not like it when she touches certain toys though. I was on the floor with her sitting and he drove his tricycle up to us. She reached out to touch it and he said, dont touch Tylers tricycle, Ashley.