Our Izzy Mae

Izzy is all fairy tale. First thing when she wakes up in the morning -she has to put on her dress-up clothes for breakfast & when we get home in the evenings, the first thing she does is strip down to put on dress-up...sometimes adding some 'flair' -bracelets / necklaces / headbands / a purse / various kiddo bling. She prances about - all priss - calls her daddy 'Prince', proclaims that she isn't 'Izzy' - she's 'Cinderella' or 'Princess Dora Izzy' or any number of other fancy names. She wants to dance all the time :) ~ & she particularly likes to dance w/Mike - usually starting with a proper bow to 'Prince Daddy.' If you've ever read the 'Fancy Nancy' books - that's our girl. She simply MUST wear tights & a dress each day. If God-forbid, Mommy hasn't had a chance to finish the laundry & she has to wear pants, such a face of disappointment - and a sure bet for a fit follows the news. When she wants her adorably curly-Q hair up, she asks for at least 3 different hair bands - all with a different color & girly thing on them - a flower / a butterfly / a heart / whathaveyou. I'm continually amused & a little shocked at how much of a girly girl our sweet first born is. I remember liking pink & purple as a kiddo, but they were usually paired with red or some other bright color - I was almost always a mis-matched kid in my choice of clothes - and almost never wanted to wear a skirt because I hated the feel of tights. Not our Isabelle. - Sorry, 'PRINCESS Isabelle'.
I get quite a kick out of her little sister too - while she is usually up for doing just about anything Iz asks of her, she has had her fill of dress-up. & there is heck-fire to pay if Izzy tries to say Maddy's a princess too. -'I'm NOT a princess - I'm Maddy!' - She'll be a cat or the prince all day long, but don't ask her to put on that Tinkerbell outfit again! -fake make-up / necklaces / purses / babies - all good stuff, but she wants her pants & hoody fleece sweatshirt...that girl is all comfort. :)
Last night was fabulous. We had the whole fam dancing in the living room - Izzy decked out like Cinderella, dancing w/'Daddy Prince' - singing at the top of her lungs like a girly rock star, Maddy spinning all over - singing with the happiest, brightest smile - spilling life & energy all over the room. Recently, Izzy has decided her favorite song is no longer a Veggie Tales number - or Little People - or a song from the CD that came w/her baby Bible...her fave is currently Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me'. She calls it 'the I do song' & it'll bring her out of almost any fit. She was crying dramatically for a good 15 minutes on the way to Penny's yesterday because she had fallen & hurt her knee before we left. Smarty pants Mommy had the delayed 'duh' thought to turn on the song...within the first few bars, Izzy excitedly says 'Mommy, this song makes my knee feel better!! - Will you turn it up please??' -Mike didn't understand why I bought the CD until he saw them singing last night...best ten bucks I've spent all year! - They certainly keep us smiling/laughing - so proud of our princess & our firecracker - in such awe at how wonderful two little ones can be...how much joy a few minutes of a day can bring. :) :) :) Love, love, LOVE those girls!!!!

Sweena-na the trouble maker

Mike & I got quite a chuckle last night - well, a few chuckles to be exact. We've been thinking lately that Maddy is probably on track to stop taking naps...so for the last few weeks, sometimes we'll let her take one, sometimes we'll stretch her. ~Not really pushing the issue...but last night was one of those nights that made us think it's time to cut them out. She was up - wide awake up - until just about 11pm! She was happy to stay in her crib, which was a good thing. She was a busy bee...reading several books to all of her babies & stuffed friends. Singing them songs, changing their diapers, carrying on conversations, laughing...overall livin' it up. Hilarious to listen over the baby monitor to her fabulous imagination - giving each baby a character in the books they were reading, asking sweet questions, then saying 'OH! uh huh' & a number of other adorable things I wish I had written down as we were laughing. Of course, every time we went to her room to say it was time for her to go to sleep, she would cheese it up - those beautiful smiles she flashes (I swear that girl lights up the room every time she smiles...so bright & warm...even when she has that big ol' hint of mischief at the same time...I melt -that's all there is to it). She blamed her baby 'Sweena-na' (her Cabbage Patch Kid, 'Selina') for keeping her up at one point - 'Sweena-na won't go to sleep - she needs to sit in time out and calm down...uh huh.' Each time we tucked her back in, we thought she would finally settle down, but after about 3 minutes, she'd be talking again...laughing, etc. Finally around 10:50, we heard a sweet yawn, 'I'm reawwy tired' and out she went. What I would give for a camera in there to have watched those couple of hours.

Time...Wow - Really?

My niece, Alana, turned 9 years old last week. NINE.
I still remember getting SO excited every time I got to see her - hold her - my sweet baby niece. How our previous identities of 'Mike & Kate' were replaced by 'Uncle Mike & Aunt Katy' - and my brother & sister-in-law changed from 'JB & Brie' to 'Mommy & Daddy'...How excited Mike & I got to learn the new Alana saying - 'OKay suura' (while emphatically nodding her head) / 'Make goofy faces w/Unca Mike' (whenever she saw me w/my camera...she & Mike would pose over & over together) / 'Hey - whattayou doin' ova dare?' / 'Ya wanna go jellyfishin' with me?' - Oh, the list could go on...such warm little memories I have tucked away in my noggin. And now she's almost a decade old.
And we have our own babies.
And our siblings are learning our kiddos' sayings. :)
Uncle Paul (Mike's younger brother) got married over the weekend - to a God-send of a sister-in-law. Thoughtful, kind, funny, and so in love w/our Paul. We're all thrilled they found each other. The girls are crazy about their new Aunt Marsha. & due to this happy weekend nuptual, we've been fortunate enough to have the Ross folks & Nana Maytum (from Canada) in town w/us for the last week. -Extra reasons for Paul & Marsha to make the trek from Shelbyville for dinner the last couple nights. :) ~ While sitting around the table last night, I got the warmest of fuzzies listening to them talk about all the times they quote our girls sayings & facial expressions...brought back all the happy /funny times Mike & I quoted Alana...how special all these times are. How fast time is flying.
Alana is NINE. Izzy & Tucker will be FOUR in January & Maddy is TWO. Still looking for the pause button. :)

Our first - and hopefully LAST trip to the ER

Our wee Moogaloo got a boo-boo last night (9/23). While visiting Great-Gramma Kasey, Maddy was playing in the hose on the patio when we decided to go in to play. Moo had other ideas (man that kid likes the water). Anyway, I held her hand & started trying to lead her inside. A decent fit began. Izzy on my hip & Maddy's hand in mine, I started walking - pulling up on Maddy's hand at the same time she decided to throw herself to the ground. I felt...a snap. :( Screams - oh the sad little screams. Sweet Gramma just thought Maddy didn't want to come inside. My baby held her arm quite motionless - bent in front of her - determined not to let me see it. She covered it with her blanket, calmed down a bit & tried to play. She wasn't using it, didn't want us to look at it & to hear her tell her sister, 'Mommy broke my elbow'. Now, in the moment of ultimate freaking out when I thought I had indeed 'broken' my baby, I rushed the poor thing to the ER...leaving a terribly frightened Izzy & concerned papa at home to wait.
Of course, upon arriving at Kosair, my sweet thing started waving her arm about proudly saying 'I'm going to show the doctor my arm - to make it all better'. Should have known there - all was well. But no - better to check her out. We signed in, got through triage pretty quickly. Super-smart & uber-funny nurse chick did a quick diagnosis - 'sounds like nurse-maid's elbow, but we'll let the doctor check her out to be sure.' She assured me we could be seen in the 'express' area which had been moving fairly quickly so far. Not so much. Maddy had a blast running around - back & forth to see the two fish tanks. She enjoyed using the big potty & thought the foamy soap in the bathroom was too cool (which made me oh-so-happy to have her use it over & over again during our visit). After 3+ hours of running around an ER lobby packed w/pitiful little kiddos - obviously carrying the flu and various other yucky illnesses & owies (one poor little guy had a knot on his forehead bigger than a golf ball - reminded me of a picture of my brother after he leap-frogged into our bathtub as a kid), it was 10pm & the doc could finally see us. It took her all of 3 seconds to look at the slight swelling on Maddy's elbow & hear my description of how it happened to determine just what super-smart & uber-funny nurse chick had told us to start - nurse-maid's elbow.
So, Maddy & I were tired & hungry (having survived the ER on only a granola bar & some water) when we finally headed home to find a concerned big sister waiting up w/Daddy. Maddy showed Iz her 'bracelet' (the hospital band), we got a little 'chocolate yogurt' (Juice Plus Complete mixed in yogurt) in her, scrubbed her down (the girl had been rolling around on a hospital floor for Pete's sake - EW! & to bed they went. No worse for ware - just not the way any of us would have preferred to spend the evening. Now we need to be sure to be extra gentle with that arm...well, I'm sure we'll be gentle w/both - and Izzy's too. Hoping that'll be our only hospital experience!

Moo goes Poo!

9/2/09
We are so flippin' impressed w/our little Moogaloo. She has been going poo poo (and pee pee) in the potty for a good 2 weeks now! YAY! I have to say that Smarty-Pants-Aunt Penny should be credited with distracting Maddy's extreme dislike of the whole 'poo' experience to a positive one of which to be proud.

7/8/09

I cooked dinner last night - speghetti & meat sauce - doesn't sound like much, but I - Katherine Kasey Ross - made dinner. I had it near ready by the time my hubby got home from work. Alert the presses! Seriously - that doesn't happen. Home-made dinner complete with fresh basil/parsley from our garden, mushrooms - and the local grass-fed beef from our favorite farmer (I'll be glad to pass on his name to anyone looking for yummy local meats / veggies).

As an added bonus, the girls both started out chowing down - saying 'Mmm...I like it!' (ah, my heart melted! such pride!) ~ until they saw the bread. Then - standstill - the world stopped for bread & suddenly they no longer liked the meal I had managed to prepare. Not another bite by either of them. Mike - God love him - was a member of the clean plate club - even though the onions weren't cooked well enough.

Poor Moo has been going through some - hmm...issues. The doc says some kiddos around her age start realizing that there is a feeling when they (just gonna say it) - go poo. She's associating pain with it :(. Much like her cousin, Alana when she was 2 (sorry if this embarasses you, sweet one) - each bm is a terrifying event. Such screams (I swear it's deja vu - I can still hear Alana 'MY POOOOPIN' - and now it's Maddy 'POOOOOP'). Poor thing - it really breaks your heart. Hoping this phase passes quickly.

Miss Iz is soooo close to being out of pull-ups. SOOOOO close. ~We're so proud - and excited at the idea of only having to budget for one kiddo's diapers.

7/28

Our Izzy Mae is out of diapers!! YAY!! It's been a little over two weeks now that she's been a panty-wearer during the day. She's so proud - and so are we! :)

8/5

Well, I think we've found a house we like...we'll be having my Dad walk through it with us to see if he has any major concerned input, but things are looking possible. It's going to be so tough leaving the home we're in...my Gramma lived there for 60+ yrs - I grew up going to all our family birthdays & Christmas here...and now it won't be in the fam anymore. ~That'll be a sad moving day...but the more we think/talk about it, it just makes more sense for our family to be in a home with a little more space (1000 sq ft feels a little cramped w/the four of us - or a lot cramped if you ask my love), at least one more bathroom - and in a neighborhood where the girls can actually ride their big wheels.

I admit I'm excited about the prospect of a house that suits us a little better, but I'll SO miss our cute little house - especially the sweet porch - and the porch swing where I snuggled our babies for hours on end. - Oh, and the area...and the family history - MAN this house has been good to us.

Some misc. notes of '09 thus far

4/12/09

Easter – Izzy went all day – w/out peeing in her diaper – she went in the potty @ church, @ Juju’s & at home.


2/19/09
Uncle Paul came over last night. The girls love their Uncle Paul – Maddy always races to him for a big hug. Izzy chimes in with a hundred ‘Unca Paw’s trying to get his attention as she makes up some little dance move or shows him a book or whatever strikes her fancy at the moment.

2/18/09
My babies. They fill my mind with smiles every day while I'm at work. Belly laughs – and occasionally one or two internal growls thrown in there when I’m with them. They are utterly and completely wonderful. I never knew…never could have imagined how much I would adore anyone…much less two tiny – goofy little monkeys.
I want to be with them. They cuddle like they were made for it. Izzy tells us we make her heart happy. She says ‘Uv ooo sooo much’. Her eyes light up when she notices her heart racing after running around/playing/dancing/laughing – she comes up to us – huge smile on her face & says ‘Mommy/Daddy feel my heart!’ It’s beautiful.
She’s in dance classes now – Mondays at 4. Mike is actually able to leave early (shock!!) – he picks up the girls from Penny’s & takes them to the Louisville Ballet School. I go peek in when I’m able. Her teacher is Miss Ally. Izzy loves her. :) Miss Ally has her hold the little skirt out at her sides & tiptoe from the lobby to the classroom.

Maddy says ‘that’s funny’ and ‘I hold it’ among many other things…those are the two that just sound so grown up. She’s just a baby, but she has this amazing vocabulary.

They both loooove books. TV too, but books are a big excitement – Izzy is completely fascinated with spelling – in English and Spanish. She wants to know the word for everything & how to spell it. –Of course, she’ll rattle off a random string of letters & proudly say ‘Izzy – it’s my name!’ So she’s not quite soaking in how to spell everything yet, but at least the interest is there. Reading time at night extends well over an hour many evenings – there have been nights they don’t actually get to bed until 9:30. I don’t feel like a bad mom for that.

Maddy likes to say ‘-gen’ (again) after we finish a book – she wants to hear it over & over. Usually after the fourth or fifth time, she wants to hold the book to flip through by herself…she points out objects/people/actions & repeats the words we just read over & over…like she’s memorized each page.

Izzy tests…and tests…and tests. Particularly with bedtime. Since she’s in the big girl bed, she gets up, plays – pulls clothes out of the drawers, toys out of their place, books off the shelf – one time she emptied her sock drawer into Maddy’s crib…whatever she can rearrange to see if it’ll get a reaction. She’ll open their door – squinting at the bright light in the family room – sweet little voice ‘Mommy / Daddy – I need to go potty’ or ‘I need a Band Aid’ or ‘my baby needs her princess dress’ or what-have-you…any excuse to come out. My particular favorite – well, maybe favorite is the wrong word – I wish I could take a picture without encouraging it – let’s just say that…is when we’ll hear all sorts of giggles & bumps followed by Izzy asking us to come to their room – to find Izzy in Maddy’s crib – two innocent-looking faces smiling up at us. Precious, but dangerous…Poor Maddy has incurred many an injury in the process of her sister jumping in.
One night – around 10:30, Izzy had still not settled down, and we heard an exhausted Maddy plead ‘sleep…sleep’ -Izzy asked ‘what Manny – you want your baby go to sleep?’ – a little wimpery Maddy voice stressing ‘sleep’ still didn’t seem to get through to her big sister. Poor thing usually conks out – Iz continuing to play…I’m wondering if she’s going to be a night owl or if the novelty of being ‘free’ in bed is just taking a really long time to wear off.

2/18/09 (Facebook post from Penny)
Iron Man proposed marriage to Cinderella and she gave him several kisses. I take that as a YES! And it's all on video!! :)
(Lucas has a new Iron Man doll – Izzy has a Cinderella doll – awww!)

2/9/09 (Email from Penny)
Maddy has struck again!!! I found her naked from the waist down with a clean diaper on one side and a puddle on the other side!! She unsnapped her onesie and everything. I think we need a waterproof play yard mattress cover.

Our Maddy Moo is TWO

So I'm giving this blog thing a try. Why not...everyone else is doing it. And what better time? ~ Our sweet Maddy Moo (I hope she doesn't hate me someday because I call her that) turned two years old this month. I know every parent says it / thinks it - but Holy MOLY - where the frick did that time go?!?!



She's such a big girl! ~ Surprising us every day with her brilliance. She busted out a couple of long sentences this weekend. You have to admit this is impressive for a 'just turned 2'-er:
"What are you doing now, Mommy?"
&
"Oh no, it's not working now."
~eh? eh? - I'm telling you - this girl is a smarty pants McGee! (Much like her big sister!)

Izzy's favorite word of the week is 'yesterday'. She uses it every chance she gets - whether whatever she's talking about actually happened yesterday or earlier today or 'one time' months ago. (She also likes to say 'one time' quite a bit - thankfully she doesn't say it like the guy on Johnny Dangerously. (~Any '80's Michael Keaton movie fans out there?) :)

We are thrilled to be in our 3rd week of smooth-sailing bedtimes. We cut out Izzy's naps a few weeks ago & the struggle we had been - oh, let's just be dramatic - agonizing over for the last 6 months or so, officially passed! YAY! ~There were nights that little chick was up until almost 11pm! ~ Keeping poor Maddy awake too - throwing books & toys in her crib, repeated attempts to be 'awake' with Mommy & Daddy, etc. So now, while we feel a little regretful when she looks like she's ready to crash out early, we're loving that she actually quiets down with story time & both girls are snoozing happily by 8:30. Izzy falls asleep right away it seems - Maddy stays awake 'reading' her books. No less than three in the stack next to her - her 'gagak' blanket over her legs, & several 'friends' sitting next to her (Peter Rabbit, Cabbage Patch Kid (Selina), Puppy, and various other stuffed animals). We hear her flipping & 'reading' the stories aloud to her friends for a good 10-15 minutes before she snuggles down to sleep. -Yep - too cute. :)