jennarae1001

[jennarae1001]

18 months later & almost SIX.

LOTS of changes for my family. We moved to Virginia.  I started kindergarten AND I am going to have a baby sister in a couple of weeks!

Here’s a few highlights from the last 18 months...

2021

April- We visited family in Missouri. I also started dance and t-ball!

May-we found a church in Maryland we really liked, celebrated my sister’s second birthday, and did some local traveling (National Harbor, National Zoo, and camping on Solomon’s Island).

June-I started piano lessons and my parents think I am super good for only 4 years old!!

July-GranMare and my cousin Sam flew in for the Fourth of July holiday. We had so much fun together. I also went to my first symphony performance at St. Mary’s College.  My grandpa Ed visited me this month too! I also got another haircut! While this isn’t my first haircut, it was the most I have ever had cut at one time--5 inches! 

August--My family drove to Alabama.  We were able to visit family in Mobile (Rollo clan) as well as my Missouri cousins for a fun week at the beach!

September- Granni and Papa came and visited me and my parents went on a trip to Charleston, SC. I roller skated for the very first time. We also went to the St. Mary’s county fair and got to see a ton of farm animals. The weather started cooling down and we did a lot of biking on the Three Notch Trail. 

October--we celebrated my fifth birthday with special appearance by Elsa! My Granni, Papa and GranMare were able to be there for my special day, too! This was our first year doing a family theme Halloween costume-Little Mermaid.  Daddy was King Triton, Mommy was Ursula, I was Ariel and Madi was Sebastian. 

November-We flew back to Missouri for thanksgiving! It was great to see my grandparents and cousins again. I also got my first Brazilian jijtsu promotion.

December- We stayed home for Christmas and celebrated with neighbors. Santa brought me a brand new bike! We spent New Year’s Eve at the Richmond Zoo for the very first time.

2022!

January-SNOW, SNOW, SNOW! we got a big snow in Maryland that was fun to play in.  I also started t-ball for the second year and got to do my very first sports clinic.

February-DISNEY WORLD!!  We drove 12 hours down to FL and had the week of our lives! My grandpa Ed came and visited us too! I asked my momma this week if we can go back next year! We also found out I was going to be a big sister again!

March- This was a month that was spent mostly at home.  We did not have any trips planned but I stayed busy with preschool, tball, and jijitsu. My momma also started a new job where she gets to work entirely from home.

April-HOPPY easter! We had some fun Easter egg hunts between church, school, and our neighborhood.  GranMare and Auntie Roz came and visited us while mommy and daddy went to Bahamas to see Uncle Blake and Aunt Mandi get married. 

May- This was a BUSY month. We celebrated sister’s 3rd birthday with Paw Patrol theme and a water bounce house.  Granni and Papa were able to come visit us again in Maryland and we went strawberry picking and to Busch Gardens. We flew to Missouri at the end of the month to celebrate Grandma Rita’s birthday and to visit grandparents and cousins. We also go to be apart of Blake and Mandi’s wedding reception in Nebraska.

June- SWIM SEASON!! The community pool in our neighborhood officially opens and we visit almost daily. We also find out we are having a baby...SISTER!  Sadly, one of our dogs, Atlas got sick and we had to say goodbye to him. Daddy never let him have table scraps or human food but his last meal was Chick-Fil-A. <3

July- We celebrated our last holiday, Fourth of July, with our Maryland neighbors and moved to a new state, VIRGINIA! It was a hard transition initially for me. I was sad to leave my best friends in Maryland, my house, and my preschool.  We met several of our new neighbors who are now our friends. We went to the beach, Busch Gardens, and Water Country. 

August-I completed swimming lessons and can now swim confidently without a life jacket. Granni and Papa visited us and brought their camper. Mommy and Daddy went on a trip to Outer Banks, NC.   We spent A LOT of time at Busch Gardens and Water Country before I started kindergarten!!! I really like my new school, too!

September-Last days of Water Country! My daddy also went back to work fulltime outside of the home for the first time since February 2020!!  He will be working on an aircraft carrier in Newport News. I started soccer for the first time in Virginia. 

Later this week I turn SIX! Mommy told me that the last time my birthday was on a Saturday was the day I was born.  I did not want to have a big birthday party this year so my family and I are going to Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate! 

#Youtube

[jennarae1001]

A Year of Resiliency

Nearly a year ago we were flying home from Southern California after a trip to Disneyland while daddy was working in San Diego.  Though we knew life was about to change and change quickly, no one could imagine the year we would have ahead of us.

We stepped off the plane from California the first week of March. Nearly a week later, March 15, 2020 marked the last day of preschool for me until we moved to Maryland later that year.

March through May was filled with a lot of baking, a lot of home crafts, and thankfully a lot of outdoor time in our neighborhood in Rhode Island. We found as many activities outdoors as possible. It felt good to be outside after cooped up with 4 people, 2 dogs inside our small townhouse in military housing. 

Mommy and Daddy were both working remotely with sis and I home. Mommy was stressed out a lot, trying to do her work stuff for a health care org in New Jersey.  Mommy says I got to watch more T.V. than ever before. :) She eventually quit her consulting job at the end of May.

Rhode Island restrictions were amongst the most intense in the U.S. 

Mommy and daddy made their best efforts to make life seem not much different than it had before. With the exception of no preschool, my life did not seem much different during what mommy and daddy called “COVID.”

The explained to me that there was a virus, a sickness, that came from China and was making people sick. So we had to make sure we were washing our hands well (singing ABCs!) and keeping a distance from others outside of our home. School will be closed for awhile but we were safe with mommy, daddy, and sis at home with me.  I was most sad about playgrounds being closed. I could see the playground from my back patio door all taped up unable to play on it. Mommy and daddy even pulled the caution tape off a few times for me. 

In June, my granny and papa brought their RV out to Rhode Island and stayed for a week. I even got to sleep one night in their camper.  We mainly hung out at home but one day we did go to Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge

July 2020- we finally got out of the house and paid for admission to somewhere--a zoo and a weekend get away with Mommy to Cape Cod.

The zoo was the first place I had gone where I had to keep my mask on for an extended amount of time. I had so much fun and told Mommy it was worth wearing a mask to be able to go do things like that. 

August 2020-Mommy, sister and I made a trip back to Missouri.  We got to meet my new cousin, Wesley and hang out with my other family members and friends. 

Summer 2020 was a bit sad as I had to say goodbye to some of my best friends in Rhode Island. Thankfully I got to see a few before I moved to Maryland despite not being in preschool anymore. I was just starting to meet other kids in my neighborhood and then I was moving. Mommy and Daddy say that is part of being a military kid, I will have to move a lot every 3ish years but I am happy with my new neighborhood and met friends quickly.

September 2020-our family moved to Maryland Labor Day weekend. Mommy and Daddy bought our family’s first home. I started a new preschool. Grandpa Ed came to visit us at our new home. We celebrated his birthday together.

October--I turned 4!  I sadly had to stop going to the first preschool I went to here because it was not offered full-time and I needed something with more hours for care and that sister could come to as well. I love my new school though, too! Like mommy always tells me, I am brave and capable of change! Mommy went back to work, this time as a full-time employee, no more consulting for 6-12 months.  I really enjoyed trick or treating with my friends in our new neighborhood this year. The neighborhood did a great job of making the trick or treating experience enjoyable, even during a pandemic. 

Winter 2020/2021- Sadly we did not get to travel for the holidays this year to see family and did not have any visitors either. We did enjoy the holidays with our local friends. It was nice to wake up Christmas morning at our own house though and I ran downstairs to see what Santa had left. It has snowed several times this winter so we have had our fair share of sledding and snow man making.  GranMare visited us for a week in February and I really enjoyed having her here. I hadn’t seen her for over a year!

Today is the first day of March. I am excited to spend my first spring in Maryland and have a great summer here, too! I am most looking forward to swimming in our community pool and visiting new beaches (less rockier than Rhode Island ones). 

Being four is fun. I am very smart, mommy and daddy say I’m already ahead academically from kids that will be starting kindergarten in the fall. I’m beginning to read and love puzzles, board and card games. My favorite being Go Fish, Uno, and a Disney board game. I love Disney movies and all the princesses. I hope to learn how to ride my bike without training wheels this year!

[jennarae1001]

THREE AND A HALF

I am officially THREE AND A HALF! And that’s no April Fool’s Joke. :)

Some new things I’ve learned in the last six months include how to play card games (Go Fish is my favorite), how to identify all my letters by sight and sound,  how to recognize differences in pictures, memorization of several books (some of which I haven't read for weeks), spelling and writing my name, and storytelling.  I am officially a big kid in a bunk bed and have freedom to leave my room now in the middle of the night if I need to use the potty (and of course I wash my hands!).

We were very BUSY during the fall and winter months.  The last month has been the slowest for our family in probably the last year, but not by choice either. Mommy and Daddy say it’s because a lot of people are getting sick so we have to stay home, or if we do leave we can only play outside our house. We usually have fun things planned on the weekends. Sister and I have haven’t left the house since Sunday, March 15th when we went to the grocery store with Mommy because Daddy was out of town.

Here is a recap of how we spent our fall and winter months since my last update.

October

Uncle Max came to visit and we went to Rocky Brook Apple Orchard. He helped me pick out some great apples. I was very particular about which one he picked!

My family and I went to Allie’s Donuts in North Kingstown. It’s a very popular donut shop in Rhode Island that always has a long line. We waited about 45 minutes, but the frosted donut with sprinkles was well worth it.

HALLOWEEN- I went Trick or Treating! This was the first year I handed out candy, too. I dressed as Minnie Mouse and my sister was a kitty cat.

November

We went to one of my favorite indoor waterparks, Cape Codder! Madi even got in the water and played with me.

My Papa Kevin had heart surgery mid-November. We are thankful he did well with surgery and caught it before it could have been fatal and is recovering well. 

Traveled to Tampa, Florida for Thanksgiving week with my GranMare, Grandpa Ed, cousin Sam, Uncle Max, and my Mommy, Daddy, and Sister. I even got to see my Great Uncle/Aunt and cousin, Everett. We spent most of our time at the beach and hanging out at the house. We did go to Busch Gardens for a few hours before we caught our flight back home.

December

Our first snow in Rhode Island! 

Santa visits!! Santa comes to each neighborhood on Aquidneck Island to pay a visit to all the good boys and girls. 

My first haircut! I got two inches cut off right before Christmas! 

traveled again!! We went to Alabama this year for Christmas. I got to see all my cousins, aunts/uncles on the Rollo side of the family. I enjoyed spending more time with my GranMare, cousin Sam, Aunt Carly, Granma, and Uncle Max, too!

First “Disney” experience..”Disney on Ice!” I dressed in my beautiful Belle dress and got to see all the Disney princesses!

First Bike Ride! I got a bike for Christmas from my Mommy and Daddy and took off fast! There’s even a seat for my baby doll.

January 2020

First time bowling!!! I had so much fun and cannot wait to go again once this silly virus is away!

I started ballet class for the first time at Newport Ballet.

First trip to L.L. Bean. We went to Portland, Maine for a weekend. It was really cold and snowy, but I enjoyed the trip with my family and we went to the Children’s Museum, too.

February

CHIEFS WIN THE SUPERBOWL!! Living in New England, we never stop hearing about the Patriots, but not this year!! 

All about braids! Mommy has been braiding my hair to look just like the Disney princesses!

Traveling again!!  This time we were off to Missouri to visit my mommy’s side of the family. It even snowed while we were there so I got to go sledding! 

March

March started out so great as we flew to Southern California to start a week long family trip before Daddy’s birthday. We stayed at the beautiful Navy Lodge in Coronado, California; ending the week with a trip to Disneyland. Daddy was on the fence about us going as the “virus” was becoming pretty serious. Little did we know the park would be shut down indefinitely the following week. Momma’s friend, Anna, was able to squeeze in a quick trip to Rhode Island to spend time with us while daddy was still away in California. My last day of preschool was March 13th (yes, Friday the 13th...). We did not know that it would be my last day until things got pretty serious that weekend. Daddy even flew home from his work trip two weeks early that Sunday night when the travel ban for his work began. 

We’ve been home with mommy and daddy for three weeks now.  Things are tough at times but we are grateful to be safe and healthy and that is what truly matters. <3 

[jennarae1001]

I’M THREE!!

WOW, where did this summer go?! I turned three years old last week and we had the best summer ever! It’s hard to believe the year is already 3/4 of the way over. 

For my birthday this year we celebrated at the community center behind my house. It was Troll’s theme because I LOVE Princess Poppy.

It’s beginning to get cold here in Rhode Island (It was in the mid 30s the other morning!) and we’ve started doing all things fall related! We most recently went to the Farmer’s Daughter Harvest Festival.  It is basically a garden center/nursery that offers all things fall related (hayrides, pumpkin painting, barrel train rides, face painting, straw bale made, and more!)  Then we went to Wakefield Oktoberfest and I got to see Moana, Minnie Mouse, Belle, and Catboy!

The next day we went to Quonset View Farm where I picked out pumpkins for my family.  I chose small ones to paint, and large ones to carve later. This was Madi’s first time to the pumpkin patch.

Here’s a recap of our summer:

We went to Portsmouth, NH and explored the beaches of NH/Maine, ate the best lobster rolls and went to the Portsmouth Children’s Museum.

Grandma Pam, Papa Kevin, and Granny Toni visited.

GranMare and Grandma Rollo visited.

Mommy, sister, and I visited family in Missouri. 

First movie in the park, Toy Story!

First Kite Festival- Newport, RI

First time at a Trampoline Park

First concert-VIP access to Ben Folds!

First day of PRESCHOOL!

First time at a theme park, Edaville

First time at Providence WaterFire

First TWO pony rides

It’s fun being three! I am a lot more independent than I was a year ago. I can play in my room by myself for longer periods of time. I also want to do everything MYSELF. Sometimes I will ask for help, but I want to give everything a try first. I am also saying a lot of silly phrases and am a great storyteller, especially at night before bed when I’m stalling. :) 

We are looking forward to a vacation to Florida for Thanksgiving and a trip to Alabama this year for Christmas! 

[jennarae1001]

Madi Moo is here!!

My sister, Madilynn (Madi) Reese was born on Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 12:35 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs 8 ounces! I am a proud big sister!

I met her the next morning, May 19th, when my granny and papa brought me to the hospital. Mommy and daddy were concerned that I wouldn’t be excited, but they were pleasantly surprised by my reaction. :) 

The first month was an adjustment for us all. Learning our new routine, realizing that baby sister was now a part of our lives forever, and learning to understand that mommy and daddy had to give attention to someone other than me. Now, two months out, we’ve found our groove and things are going well! Mommy says that a lot of that has to do with sister sleeping through the night since 6 weeks old!! I didn’t do that until well after 6 months!

Our first outing as a family was to Battleship Cove Museum in Fall River, MA Memorial Day weekend. Madi was just one week old when we went.

In June, we celebrated my friend, Sophia turning three years old. Her birthday party was at our favorite beach, Gooseberry here in Newport, RI. It was also a farewell (unbeknownst to me) to one of my best friends, Ryan.  That’s the part about military life that stinks. making friends and having to say goodbyes too often. However, I’m certain our mommas will stay connected and reunite one day in the future. 

I’ve played outside a lot this year. May and June were very wet months here in Rhode Island. It wasn’t until July that it finally started to feel like summer. We’ve been to the beach four times already with my little sister. She hangs out in the shade canopy while I swim in the ocean!

GranMare visted in June. We went to the strawberry farm to pick strawberries and the aquarium, beach, and swings at Easton Beach.

My grandma Pam, Granny Toni, and Papa Kevin visited in July while my daddy was out of town in Pax River, Maryland.  We are hoping Pax River may be where we move next year! We should know in a couple of months.  Here are some pictures from their visit. We picked strawberries (last of the season), went to the beach, swam at our community pool, and went to the Newport Kite Festival while they were here.

Mommy tells me that when I am older, I’ll never remember life before baby sister. Mommy cherishes those 2.5 years she got with just me, but we’re all very happy to have Madi apart of our family!

[jennarae1001]

I’ll be a BIG sister next month!

We are about a month away from welcoming baby sister into our family.

I have had so much fun the past couple of months as the weather is starting to warm up and we are getting outside more.

I’ve actually started doing some “big kid” stuff since my last update too! We moved the changing table out of my room and replaced it with a bookcase. I no longer wear diapers so I had no use for the changing table in my room. 

I am now potty trained except for when I am sleeping. Mommy and Daddy had this 50-page guide they had read, and were going to start implementing a rigorous potty training technique over a long weekend in April, but in February I started going on my own. I led the way, and they followed and we can now confidentially say I have not had an accident at home while awake for over 2 months! Mommy and daddy say, “remember to tell me when you have to use the toilet” instead of “do you have to go potty?” and it seems to work. I tell them when I need to go, even if it means leaving the bathtub for a minute then returning to finish my bath. Mommy and daddy are so proud of me!

I also have changed my bedtime routine a bit. Back in January, we tried transitioning me to a toddler bed but I was waking up all the time in the middle of the night and mommy and daddy were getting frustrated with the 2am nightly wake-up call. So back to the crib I went; after I had went back to the crib from the toddler bed, I was wanting mommy and daddy to lay in my room with me and pat my back until I fell asleep. I don’t know how many toddlers you’ve been around, but I LOVE to talk at night and I was talking for upwards of TWO hours before I would go to sleep. “I have to pee. I’m thirsty. Fix my blanket. Kiss my baby. Kiss monkey.” Singing my ABCs, twinkle twinkle little star, itsy bitsy spider, really anything I could say or do to prolong bedtime. Mommy and Daddy’s evenings were gone, stuck in my room from 7:30-9pm (at least) and sometimes they were even falling asleep in my room, too! their weekly date night was cancelled and they did not have any time to theirselves in the evening before bed until they could get me back on track.

The first night, I cried. I didn't want to go to bed and I was temporarily used to falling asleep before Mommy and Daddy would leave my room. I cried for about 15 minutes the first night, then 10 the second, and less than 5 minutes on the third night. Mommy says it was like sleep training all over again. We still do the same thing we’ve always done since I was about 7 months old; bath, read books, turn on sound machine, sing a song then kiss goodnight and tuck me in bed. But instead of them staying in my room until I fall asleep, one of them pats my back through the crib slab for about 10 minutes; then gives a 5 minute warning that “Mommy (daddy) is going to bed and will see you in the morning” then leaves the room after those 5 minutes are up. They remind me that I have all my stuffed animals and friends/babies in my bed with me which helps ease me to sleep. I sometimes sing or talk about my day in my bed, too. I have a little Puppy light I use too that helps me know when it is time to wake up. I set it to red when I go to bed (around 7:45pm) then it turns green in the morning (6:15 am). sometimes I sleep in past the time it turns green, but usually I wake up right before it turns green and for 15-30 minutes, I have to wait in my crib before it turns green and I yell out, “It’s green! It’s green! Time to wake up!” I do the same thing for nap time, setting it to red when I go to bed and it turns green when I can get up.

Some other new things that happened over the past two months:

I went to my second movie ever in theaters, Wonderpark. I did not like it as much as the Grinch, but I still had fun!

I got a new Barbie Jeep.

We got a waffle maker and I love to make little heart shaped waffles on the weekends now.

Daddy was in Japan for two weeks in March for work, and was gone during his birthday so I sent him a special birthday video.

I went to several different playgrounds!

I started going to Gymnastics again at the Y.

I went to the Providence Zoo this past weekend and am going to the New Bedford Zoo next week for an Easter egg hunt.

I got to see goats, pigs, chickens, and cows at Simmons Farm. 

I have been hanging out with some of my friends outside of school too. 

My highlight of this month was that my Grandpa Ed came and visited me. I hadn’t seen him since March of last year.  I had changed so much since I had last seen him. We had a great visit with him and I miss him already!

Some things I am looking forward to in the next two months:

Daddy’s promotion to LCDR. We are extremely proud of Daddy’s career in the Navy and excited for his promotion in May.

Baby Madilynn’s arrival mid-May!

Gee and Papa’s arrival mid-May. I am excited for them to come visit me at my new house.

Spending more time at home with mommy during the week. Mommy will stop working after baby sister is born. I’ll still go to daycare, but shorter days and more time at home.

[jennarae1001]

29 months old!

Tomorrow I will be 29 months old, and in less than 3 months my little sister, Madilynn will be here!!  I am growing up so fast and becoming a little kid right before my mommy and daddy’s eyes.

I’ve changed so much since I turned two in October. 

I now speak in full sentences and am able to fully communicate with others. Mommy and daddy estimate there are about 200 words in my vocabulary now.

I go poop and pee on the toilet and should be completely in big girl undies soon! We did not really do “potty training” and something I just started doing on my own.

I can count to 20!

I do not use sippy cups anymore. I drink out of an open cup and try to be extra careful when sitting on the couch.

Here’s some of the fun stuff I’ve done since I turned 2:

*Visited my family in Missouri for Christmas.

*Went to my first hockey game, the Providence Bruins!

*Got to hear my little sister’s heartbeat.

*Spent time with my Uncle Max!

*Visited the beach and Save the Bay aquarium.

*Walked the Newport cliff walk and enjoyed hot cocoa afterwards.

*Played in the snow!

*Visited Boston Children’s Museum and Providence Children’s Museum.

*Traveled to Missouri in February with mommy for Lilly’s wedding.

*Completed my 41st flight since birth!!

*Got my face painted for the first time!

Life is good and we are enjoying our last couple of months as a family of three before we welcome little sis!

[jennarae1001]

I’m TWO!

My last update was July and A LOT has happened since then! I started gymnastics over the summer on Saturday mornings. I loved it. The obstacle course was my favorite because I love to climb. I was a little reluctant to jump into the foam pit. Unfortunately they stopped offering my class on Saturday mornings, so we will have to wait until it is offered again.

https://youtu.be/LUlbpv4_dnc

We took advantage of the all the things rural Rhode Island has to offer! Over the summer, we went strawberry picking. In the fall, we went through a corn maze, picked apples at a local orchard, and picked pumpkins at a local patch. Instead of carving, I painting all my pumpkins!

Our favorite ice-cream shop, Frosty Freez closed for the season in September. Before it closed, we made sure to get our weekly dose of single scoop vanilla ice-cream! 

We visited Cape Cod twice. The first time was in August to visit the beach! The second time was in November and we went to Cape Codder indoor Water Resort.  Cape Cod is only an hour from our house so it’s a really easy day or overnight trip to make with my family. 

In August, I went back to Missouri with my mommy while daddy had to work in Arizona. I had fun playing with my cousins and spending time with some of my grandparents. That was also my last flight before I turned two! I haven’t been on a plane since I turned two, and unfortunately for mommy and daddy they have to buy me a ticket now. We definitely got our money’s worth though because I completed 33 flights before my 2nd birthday!!  :-O

In September, Granny and Poppa came to stay with me while Mommy and Daddy went on a trip to Antigua. They took me to the playground, the zoo, and to get ice-cream! We had lots of fun playing at my house, too!

https://youtu.be/42de85opLJc 

Later that month, I found out I am going to be a big sister next Spring!! Mommy and Daddy got me a special book that tells me all about being a big sister.

For my 2nd birthday, we went on a trip to SESAME PLACE in Pennsylvania. It was about a five hour drive. Along the way, I went through four more states I had never been: Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and PA! I loved seeing Cookie Monster, Elmo, Grover, Bert, and Ernie amongst many other characters!

Later that month, I was Cookie Monster for halloween! I went trick or treating with my friend, Cora. Cora taught me to be brave and go to the door to ask for candy.

Here are some of my “firsts” I experienced in the last 5 months!

My first trip to Claire’s!

My first ride in a shopping cart CAR!

My first day of daycare in my new classroom! 2-3 year old room!

My first backyard fire. Complete with my own s’mores!

My first big girl chair!

My first solo visit with GranMare and Grandma (Rollo). They came to stay with me in Rhode Island while mommy and daddy went to Arizona for a wedding.

My first movie in a theater! The GRINCH! Mommy and daddy were surprised that I lasted the entire movie. I even laughed at the funny parts and enjoyed some popcorn!

My first gingerbread house! I was really only interested in eating the candy.

My first THANKSGIVING with my daddy since I was born!

I am a very routine orientated girl! I wake up around 6:30 every morning, go to bed at 7:30pm and go to school (daycare) M-F 8am-4pm. I am not the greatest napper (never have been) but that’s ok because I am sleeping 11 hours at night! I am happiest with routine and like to know what to expect. (hmm, sounds like someone I know). I hope you enjoyed reading about all my summer/fall adventures.  I look forward to visiting more of my family in Missouri for Christmas. It is starting to get cold here in Rhode Island and I know winter is fast approaching.  It won’t be long before the snow is here!

[jennarae1001]

3 months until 2 YEARS OLD!

Wow--we’ve been living in Rhode Island for 4.5 months now.  We love it here. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, the scenery is beautiful, there is little to no traffic, and the island (Aquidneck Island) we live on has panoramic views of the water. We have the perfect backyard for playing outside with my doggies, Atlas and Apollo. The weather has been awesome so far this summer.  It usually ranges from 65-85 degrees every day.  On the hotter days (80+), we hang out in the shaded front yard or patio.  Most of the homes in New England do not have central A/C, ours included.  Momma and Dadda bought a window A/C unit for my room to help cool my room down before bedtime, but otherwise we are surviving off of fans in all the rooms and keeping windows shut and curtains drawn from sunrise to sunset. Jenna loves playing in her playroom and likes to read in her bedroom before bedtime.

I have been going to daycare for 3 months now ever since momma started a full-time consulting job. I have adjusted really well, although it took me awhile.  At first, I would cry every day on drop off and cling to my momma or daddy and not want to let go. I still prefer one of my teachers over the others but I am doing much better. I participate in circle time with the other kids, but also like to do my own thing on the playground and playing inside my classroom. The thing momma and dadda don’t like about daycare, is that I am getting sick way more frequently.  I am sick with a new virus pretty much once a month since I started. I hate being sick and I don’t sleep as well, either. Otherwise, I really like my classroom a lot, and am now one of the oldest in the room. 

Momma had to go to North Carolina for a work trip mid-April and dada watched me by himself for 4 full days. He got me ready for daycare each day, picked me up, made me dinner and gave me bath and put me to bed each night. It was Momma’s first time since I was born being away from me for more than 24 hours.  I missed my momma so much during her work trip and she missed me too, but it was good to see we could spend some time away from each other and dada and I had a lot of fun, too. We even got ice-cream!!

I am really good at drawing circles.

I bring home several pieces of art for my Momma and Dada.  I now know all my colors and about half of the alphabet. I say about 50 words and I am starting to say 2-3 word phrases like “baby, come here.” “Dadda, sit please” and “Atlas, GO!” :) I can also drink out of a cup without a lid and I am occasionally going potty on the toilet.  I still sleep about 11 hours at night (7:30pm-6:30am), and take about an hour nap during the day.  I dont really like to eat meat, I prefer fruit, vegetables, lugumes, some dairy (string cheese and yogurt), and grains. 

I also went to see the Blue Angels during a private viewing for the Navy. It was fun watching the airplanes go really fast. Momma and Dadda made me wear these cute pink headphones to protect my ears from the loud noises.

The biggest thing that has changed since my last update is that I am talking a lot more and I have lost some of my baby look. Momma thinks I am starting to look less like a baby and more like a little girl.  I am also much more coordinated. I go up and down the stairs by myself, can jump, climb, run and balance myself on top of things more easily.

In the past 3 months, my Granny and Poppa visited in April for a long weekend. Momma and dada went to Boston for the night, their first night away together since I was born!! It was also their 2nd anniversary and national beer day. They tried to do a tour at the Harpoon brewery but the line was over an hour wait, so instead they had drinks and dinner on the water. 

We also visited GranMare, Aunt Carly, cousin Sam, Uncle Chris, Auntie Rachel, and the rest of the Rollo crew in Mobile, AL over Memorial Day weekend. This past weekend we flew to D.C. to spend time with the Peterson family before they move back to Missouri next month. I had a lot of fun with my cousins!

Next month we are going back to Missouri to visit family and then Granny and Poppa are coming to Rhode Island in September to visit me while Momma and Dadda go on a trip.  I love spending time with my family! Its difficult to see all my family frequently since they are in many different states, but the time we do spend together is special to us. 

The next time I give an update I’ll probably be 2 years old!! I cannot believe that time is going by so quickly. I am so glad to have my daddy here with me for at least 2.5 years before another deployment!

[jennarae1001]

1.5 YEARS OLD!

I am officially 18 months old as of Easter Sunday (April 1st) and April Fool’s Day 2018! 

A lot has happened in the past 3 months since my last update.

1.) I celebrated my cousin, Maeve’s 1st birthday!

2.) I moved to Rhode Island with Momma, Dadda and my woo-woos (Atlas and Apollo) with the help of Granny Toni the first week and Grandpa Ed the second week, thank you!!

3.) I started daycare.

4.) Momma started a new full-time consulting job.

5.) I went to the Providence zoo and loved seeing all the animals.

6.) I had my first babysitter that wasn’t family! Date nights for momma and dadda have commenced! 

7.) I went to my first St. Patrick’s Day parade in downtown Newport.

Our little family is finally settling into our new routine in Rhode Island! We are anxiously awaiting warmer weather! It has snowed 5x in the last 5 weeks so summer cannot come soon enough! :) Looking forward to Granny Toni and Papa Kevin’s visit this weekend. 

[jennarae1001]

Big girl!

I am 15.5 months old and learning so much every single day.  I learn a new word almost every week! 

I’ve officially made Big Girl status in my 15th month--I am now sleeping through the night consistently for 12 hours every night.  Momma put me bed 30 minutes earlier than usual the past few nights to see if it would make any difference.  It has helped! I’ve slept through the night from 7pm-7:30 a.m! 

I am also done breastfeeding.  My last nursing session was last week, Tuesday, January 21st.  It’s been a bittersweet week and lots of work on momma’s part to keep me distracted.  Momma did not know that it would be my last time, but the decision was made the following day.

Momma made a video that shows my bedtime routine.  Momma thinks that I am such a happy, smiley baby because of the consistency of our bedtime routine.  We literally do the same thing every. single. night.  Unless we are on vacation or I am sick, we keep the same schedule of dinner, play, bath time, books, turn-off lights, turn on white noise maker, Ants Go Marching song to 10, and then to bed I go! I always cry for about 1 minute exactly, but then I twirl my hair in my hands, and settle myself to sleep for the rest of the night.

Feel free to watch it here!

[jennarae1001]

Month 14-BIG MILESTONES!

Month 14 was full of excitement.  I took my first steps and as of December 21st I began walking! I am getting better at it each and every day.  I recently learned how to stand up on my own too, whereas before I would crawl to someone or something to pull myself up.  In addition to walking, 14 months marked the beginning of blowing kisses, transition to one nap a day, and using my spoon and fork well! 

I am saying more and more words, too! I started saying, “thank you” regularly.  I now say about 30 words total. 

I got to see my da da in December! It had been almost 8 months since we had seen him last (when we left Japan). We spent 11 days with daddy (5 days in Missouri and a week in Texas).  We had a lot of fun with him.  Momma and daddy signed a lease on a house in Portsmouth, RI, and we are moving at the end of February! We will have a large yard for the dogs to run around and for me to maybe get a swing set in the spring! :) I am sure going to miss seeing my Granny and Papa every day and my Great grandparents here in Missouri. 

picture of me waiting at the airport with momma to pick up daddy! 

watching cartoons with dada!

watching youtube with dada!

carousel fun at the mall. 

driving dada’s truck in Waco, TX! Pitstop at Rudy’s BBQ. 

picture with my momma and dada in front of the Christmas Tree at Papa and Granny’s House. 

breakfast date with dada in Dallas, TX. 

playing on the playground in The Hills, TX. 

Christmas was somewhat uneventful this year.  I had a terrible stomach bug so I was sick Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We didn’t go to all of our family Christmases for that reason; instead I stayed at home with momma and got lots of snuggles and rest until I felt better. 

During the month of December, I also got to see my Uncle Max and Grandpa Ed in Texas!  Cousins Vivian and Maeve, and Aunt Story celebrated Christmas with us early so they could go back to D.C. since Uncle Blake was on call for work. 

I have figured out how to use the iPhone and iPad. So momma’s resolution is to be on her phone less, meaning less posts to social media and less scrolling during the day! Not to say momma won't be on entirely, but she is making a more conscious effort to stay off her phone during the day, I only get to watch t.v. for an hour total all day long, too. :X 

Momma is slowly weaning me off of breastmilk too so I’ve been drinking more whole milk (well kind of, not really) and eating more table foods.  I go to bed around 7:30 every night and wake up in the morning around 8am.  I was sleeping through the night but since our travels to Texas in December, I consistently wake up at 2am and stand up in my crib, crying. Momma thinks I may need a little bit of sleep retraining, but for now she brings me to bed with her then and I fall back to sleep almost immediately. We will work on the retraining after our big move to Rhode Island! 

I am becoming less of a baby and more of a toddler each day.  Momma and I are excited to have daddy back with us full-time beginning in March for the next 3 years+.  We are very proud of him and his duties in Japan, but ready to have him home!! 

[jennarae1001]

Month 12 and 13

I’m officially a toddler!! I had a great birthday with my friends & family. I’m learning more and more each day and saying about 20 words (mama, dada, papa, nan-ne (granny), dog, hotdog (Mickey), cookie, coffee, bath bath (bath), night night, bye bye, hiiii, cracker, kisses, cheese, tickle tickle, twinkle/twinkle, (“bawk bawk (chicken), AH AH AH (Count) boom boom (ants go marching) ). I also shakes my pointer finger for “No MORE monkeys jumping on the bed!!”  I also sign “milk” when I want to nurse and “all done” when I am finished eating my food & want out of my highchair.  

I understand most all commands. If momma tells me to go do something I know what she is talking about and (sometimes) do it. 

I have a strong personality.  I get very determined and see it through when I have my mind set on something (I wonder who I get that from. :) hehe). For example, if I accidentally shut the bedroom door and I try to pull it open from underneath, I get really mad when I cannot get it back open.  Momma usually helps me out though.

I am beginning to stack things and my new thing is taking the lids off and on of containers/boxes.  I know that small lids go on small boxes and big lids go on bigger boxes. I can also put the small box inside of the large box, and know that the large box will not fit inside the small box.  Momma thinks I’m pretty smart, and I have to agree... :P 

I eat all table foods now and like to feed myself with a spoon. If you try to spoon feed me, I will yank it from your hand and get mad if you don’t let go.  My favorite things to eat are yogurt, cheese cubes, crackers, apples, bananas, oranges, and LARA bars.

For whatever reason, I dislike getting diaper changes and dressed for the day.  Momma has to give me something to entertain me (usually some random object I’ve never seen before) that I only get to hold during that particular diaper change. Otherwise, I throw a fit and start rolling over during the change. 

Yes...I’ve started throwing fits.  If I have something and momma takes it away from me I sometimes get mad about it.  I’m learning cause and effect. I like to throw my food when I am “all done” before mom takes away my tray.  The dogs usually are right there at my high chair during meals, just waiting for me to drop something.  

I am definitely a momma’s girl. Being home with her 24/7 has made me reallyyyy attached. I tried to go to twice a week daycare, but that just wasn’t for me.  After 3 weeks of torture, momma decided to withdraw my enrollment.  We may try again in another 6 months or so after we move.

DA DA comes back in 2.5 weeks!! we can hardly contain our excitement.  I was a week shy of 7 months old when we left Japan.  I will be 14 months old when he gets here in December! We only have a week with him which is kind of a bummer, but better than nothing! Plus, we get him for good (well 3 years at least) beginning in March! :) :) We will be moving to Rhode Island early next year as a family of 3 with 2 dogs! WE CAN’T WAIT!

[jennarae1001]

11 months!

Nearly 2 weeks until I turn one year old and momma can hardly believe it! I love Sesame Street, especially The Count (AH! AH! AH!). I say about 10 words (hi, bye-bye, dada, mama, papa, dog, uh-oh, night night, and baby to name a few. Not standing alone or walking, yet. I’m pulling myself up and climbing on everything, though. I also started to crawl on my knees rather than army crawl as of Labor Day weekend. Momma thinks being on carpet for once, finally helped me learn to use my knees to crawl. 

Here are a few photos from the past two months. 

Momma and I had pictures taken since the last blog post (@9 months old). Bellflower photography did an amazing job, as usual.  

Our schedule has stayed pretty consistent since the last update at 9 months old. However, for the past three days, I have not wanted to take my second nap! I usually nap around 10a & 2p everyday, but lately I haven’t wanted to nap at 2.  Momma tries again at 3, then 4, then finally gives up. Momma is not sure if I am about to transition from 2 naps to 1, but it sure seems like it! By my bedtime at 7:30p, I am exhausted! I am still sleeping from about 730p-7a, and waking up once (between 1-2am) to eat.  Momma would like to eliminate the night feeding soon, but we just haven't. 

In August, we visited GranNan and Grandpa Ed in Texas! I got to meet my great grandma Novess for the first time, all my great aunts on that side, and see Auntie Carly, Cousin Sam, Uncle Max, and Auntie Allie. We had a great time visiting with family and of course sailing aboard the Sunshine Hippie!!

A couple weeks later, we visited GranMare in Alabama! I got to see great Grandma, great Auntie Roz, great uncle Craig, auntie Carly, Uncle Chris, & cousin Sam! We had a great time with family. 

Labor Day weekend we went to Iowa and attended Reagan’s 1st birthday party! She had a Hawaiian theme party and it was very fun to see all of the other babies and momma’s friends. We stayed at Anna banana’s then Anna came to KC the following weekend to hang out with momma. Granny Toni and Papa Kevin graciously watched me so momma could have an evening out with friends. We also celebrated Grandma Pam’s birthday! We went out to dinner with her and her friends. 

We have another 1st birthday to attend this coming weekend--Karter Jo! 

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING JENNA RAE! 

Over the past month, we were able to talk to DaDa a lot while he was in port. Now we are looking forward to seeing him in December! (It’ll have been almost 8 months since we last saw him!) Then our little family is moving to Rhode Island in March! 

No more trips planned for September, which we are ok with! we traveled a lot for the month of August.  October we are visiting Uncle Blake in D.C.!

I love my PaPa Kevin.  He works from home mostly when he isn’t traveling for work so I get to be around him all day. Granny Toni is silly and makes me have deep belly laughs when she plays with me. They also let me watch Sesame Street way more than Momma would let me.  Momma limits me to one episode a day. We see Grandma Rita and Grandpa Roland almost every day too. They live next door so it’s an easy walk over to our house or theirs.

I love to read my books. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “What a Wonderful World” are two of my favorites.  I would read all day if Momma let me. Momma and I are excited college football season has started back up! GO HAWKS! 

[jennarae1001]

Month 9!

Wow--this may be the best month, and the most challenging-all wrapped into ONE!

The GOOD: learning so much--standing up by self, clapping, pointing, waving, saying a few words (dada, dog, mama), understanding cause and effect.

The BAD: Teething AKA clingy, whiny baby!!

_________________________

Momma cannot believe I will be ONE YEAR OLD in just a couple of months! Momma and I have some fun trips planned.  We haven’t traveled by plane since we got back from Japan in April, but going to Texas and Alabama to visit family in August! :)

I test momma’s patience every day lately with my teething troubles.  Even with Tylenol, I bite my arm for relief and just want to be held.  I whine and cry when momma puts me down for a second, even to go the bathroom, because I just want the comfort of being held since my teeth hurt so bad.  I have 4 teeth right now (bottom middle 2, and top 2 fangs), and possibly 4 more on the way (bottom fangs, top middle 2)!! 

I love dogs!! I like to pet Sophie and Otis and sometimes I will crawl over to them and pet their paws.  They are very patient with me and know when it is me who is petting them. I can’t wait till my daddy gets his dogs back and we are all reunited as a family (hopefully early next year).

I’ve changed so much since we left Japan.  My hair is really growing out & I’ve learned so much! I say several words, point, clap, and wave buh-bye. I know how to drink out of my sippy cups--the one with the straw is my favorite.

 I love to swim, and standing on the ladder by myself is my favorite. I also sit in a shopping cart now & wore my very first pony tail. I love Sesame Street, especially Count’s ‘Number of the Day’ and Elmo’s ‘Letter of the Day!’ I also enjoy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I have the orneriest grin! I am very persistent and when there is something that I want (even when momma says “no”) I find a way to make it happen.  I’ve learned cause and effect. I like to switch the lights on and off, and pull the blinds open and close. 

I have also tried so many new foods.  Before we left Japan I tried my first food, squash at 6.5 months old. I wasn’t really a fan.  Since then, I have tried avocado, banana, egg yolk, black beans, watermelon, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, chicken, tomato, broccoli, and more!! My favorite is definitely sweet potatoes.  Momma makes them in bulk for me. She cooks 4-5 sweet potatoes at a time then freezes them in an ice cube tray so that she only needs to reheat what I will eat!! I also love bananas but they sometimes give me tummy issues so momma has cut back on those for now.  Momma makes all of my baby food at home, however, I do love Gerber Baby puffs and they keep me entertained after all my food is gone when we go out to eat!

I’ve been sleeping in my crib for about 3 months now.  I go to sleep every night between 7-7:30 p.m. and wake up between 6:30-7:30 a.m.  I usually only wake up once to eat during the 12 hours at night, with the longest stretch at the beginning, 7pm-2 a.m. I’ve been waking up a little bit more on nights that my teeth hurt, but momma has been giving me Tylenol right before I go to sleep so that helps for awhile. I also sometimes wake up more frequently when we stay in an unfamiliar area and I have to sleep in my pack-n-play.  Sometimes momma brings me to bed then, because she is tired, too. If we are at home though, I sleep in my crib for 2 naps a day and at night.  Momma puts me in my bed awake but sleepy, and I now go to sleep on my own (thanks to sleep training! See previous blog post). 

Papa had to lower my crib this past week.  I woke up from my nap and was standing up! Momma saw me on the monitor and about had a heart attack.  I still think I am too little to roll over and out of the crib, but for safety sake, Papa went ahead and lowered the crib so I can’t jump out!

Da Da is going to be in port soon so that means we will be able to video chat him! I can’t wait to see his face.  Momma shows me pictures and videos of him and I just smile and smile. Even though I’ve only see Da Da for 3 months of my life, I still remember him & love him very much.  I am glad he is gone while I am little because momma says when I get older I won’t remember any of this. 

[jennarae1001]

Sleep Training at 7 months

We’ve officially started sleep training! Many of you may wonder what is “sleep training?”  Well sleep training is teaching a baby (usually between 4-8 months) how to self-soothe to be able to fall asleep without assistance (AKA rocking, nursing, bottle, etc.) 

We (momma) decided to start sleep training when rocking became a 20-30 minute ordeal to only have baby wake up 30-60 minutes later and have to repeat the process.  This made baby reliant on momma for falling asleep.  J would wake up within the first hour of falling asleep and wonder where did momma go?  Why isn’t she singing and rocking me still??  Momma knew this had to stop because she was spending too much time in baby’s room at night simply trying to get her to stay asleep and if anyone other than momma tried to put baby asleep it just wouldn’t work.  

Now a week later, we have made definite progress.  J goes to sleep between 7 and 7:15p every night. She consistently naps at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for an hour each.  She dropped the third nap around 6 months old.  Since starting sleep training she does not awake or fuss until about midnight.  We are still trying to get over the midnight wake-up, but the fact that she is sleeping 5 hours unassisted from 7-midnight is progress!!! I simply put her in bed at 7pm and do not have to go back in till she starts fussing around midnight.  I’m torn between whether she truly needs to eat around midnight or does it from comfort.  Plus, since she was waking up every 2 hours, I start to miss her so her midnight wake-up is comforting for me too.  We were co-sleepnig before for a couple months, or waking every 2 hours for a couple minutes to nurse back to sleep in pack-n play. People often think that once solids are introduced it will help babies sleep longer, but that is not always the case.  Some babies start sleeping through the night as early as two to three months old and are exclusively breastfeed.  Jenna started solids around 6 months old and sleeps better because of sleep training. We started with night time training and have now focused on both naps and night time. 

So what exactly did we do to sleep train?

After much research and mommy blog searching, Momma decided that we would try a gentle approach.  The idea is that you can soothe however you choose and continue to pick up baby and put asleep and set back down.  We did this from about 4-7 months old, waking every 2 hours because baby wanted to comfort nurse.  She would also awake within the first hour of being rocked to sleep because she would wake out of sleep cycle and wonder where rocking/momma’s singing was.  This was not going to last.

After we adjusted to the time change after traveling back from Japan,  momma decided it was time to get a routine down and start teaching baby how she can independently fall asleep. I can say that before having a baby or even considering Cry it out (CIO) method, I thought mother’s were awful and did a lot of mom shaming to those who tried this method.  I did not understand how mother’s could bare to hear their children cry and let it continue...until I tried it.

I’ll admit the first two nights were awful.  The first night she cried for almost 40 minutes, the second night 20, the third night 10, and every since the third night less than 10 minutes.  The first night we did Ferber method of check-ins every 10 minutes, but I soon realized that the check-ins made it worse.  Each time I came in, the cries got harder and her and I both more stressed.  The second night I decided no check-ins, and after 20 minutes she was asleep.  

Now a week later, with a weekend set back because we were house-sitting, she falls asleep independently within 8 minutes. 

The first couple of nights I was still questioning whether I was on board, but now I know it is beneficial for us both.  Her naps are much longer and better and she is getting restful sleep. Meanwhile, I (momma) get to enjoy my evenings  for few hours before bed without worrying about baby waking up.  Oh what it is like to take a shower or bath without the fear (yes, fear) of baby waking up the moment I get in the bath.  I can also leave her with a babysitter (grandparents) for a couple hours if I want to get out of the house and know that she will stay asleep while I am gone.  (hasn’t happened yet since sleep training, but it’ll be awesome!!)  I am glad I stuck it out to see the results. 

Here is a sample of her sleeping at 7pm and still asleep (in same spot at 9pm!)

Here is what a typical day looks like for baby:

wake up between 7-8am

Eat, Play

Nap 10:30-11:30

Eat, Play

Nap 2:30-3:30

Eat, Play

Bath, Lotion/PJs, Play, Eat, Read Books, Lights Out/White Noise

Kiss Goodnight, Put in bed between 7-7:15 p.m. 

Momma leaves room. 

Asleep within 5-8 minutes.

Eating mostly avocado and sweet potatoes.

Starting to pull self up.

Crawling everywhere, two bottom teeth.

Loves jumping in jumper.

[jennarae1001]

4 months old-lots of changes

Well I am actually just over a week shy of 5 months old. I have my 4 month wellness check and immunizations on Wednesday at the naval hospital. 

I have changed a lot since my 3 month update.  I now roll constantly to my belly.  In fact, I rarely stay on my back.  At night, I sleep on my tummy with my head to the side and my bum up in the air.

I grasp and lunge for all my toys.  I love to play on my mat, especially first thing in the morning after I wake up.

I am consistently going to bed at the same time every evening.  I go to bed around 5:30 pm and am asleep by 6 p.m.  Sometimes I wake up within an hour of being put to bed, but after that first wake up-i stay asleep for 4-6 hours.  I then wake up about every 2 hours after that first long stretch of time.  I stay in bed for about 12 hours, getting up for the day around 6 a.m.  Momma says once we get back to Missouri I am going to start sleeping in my crib in my own room.  We will see...

I am also chunking up.  I weigh about 13 lbs.  I will have an official weight when we go to the doctor on Wednesday.  Last week I scared momma and daddy with a low grade fever.  I also had the dots that looked like the same dots I had when I had RSV at the beginning of January.  That was scary.  However, after momma gave me some tylenol my fever went away and I have been fine since.  

I am starting to giggle more too.  I love it when momma holds me at my armpits and up in the air then pulls me closer to her then back up in the air.  I like it when she lays me down and moves back and forth in front of my face saying BOO or RAWR over and over again.  

I am going to have a new cousin this week! Aunt Story and Uncle Blake are having a baby soon. :) 

We also had our first trip to Tokyo.  I went with daddy and mommy so daddy could get some swords for his coworkers in Asakusa. I was a good girl and drank two bottles momma had prepared for me during the trip.

I will probably be sitting up soon.  I try to sit in my chair by leaning forward, but momma and daddy put the kick stand up so that I will lay back.  Also, I’ll probably start teething in the next month or so.  The past month has been full of changes, and there are plenty more to come.  I love growing and hanging out with momma all day. I am asleep by the time daddy get’s home from work which is a bummer, but I do enjoy my time with him on the weekends & sometimes get to see him in the mornings. 

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks: