I love you!

This week her pronunciation has taken a huge leap. She adds a word 'sunna' that she made up to a lot of her sentences and she asked, "Mommy sunna open the door." So I said, "What are you saying?" And we did that three times, and she finally said, "Mommy open the door please!"

Then, I gave her a little container and she studied it and then said, "What's inside?

Finally, I asked her whether she wanted grapes or an apple for breakfast and she said, "Neither."

She also does great making choices between two things. I asked her, do you want to stay home or go to Gymboree? She said, " Gymboree!!"

Here we are at Gymboree!

This week, big girl has been acting more and more like a big girl! One night, when I was making dniner, Xinyi was watching baby TV and pulled a blanket onto her own lap and set herself up with her milk and water! Such a big girl!

Nai Nai taught her how to do some Tai Chi while saying "exercise!" This is Xinyi smile after saying "excercise!"

 Another thing she loves to shout is "Mommy pick me up!" The other night, she said to Daddy, "I love you!!!" perfectly clear. She's only ever said a muffled "I uv youuu"

Xinyi got a new basketball hoop for her birthday and one day daddy shot a basket and missed and baby shouted, "Daddy missed!!" Daddy was a little unhappy that was her reaction, but mommy thought it was funny!

Here is our big girl playing with blocks on her fingers!

Xinyi's pretend play is getting more real! The other night, she arranged her Little People in chairs around the table and said, "Eating dinner!" Then she takes the time to put them to bed and say, "good night!" and she makes the little people go around the house. So cute!

Because of the rain, we started taking more selfies again!

Yay sweet girl!

She kicked me today on accident and I said, "owie, that hurt's mommy." And she immediately looked at me, pet me gently and said, "Be gentle." She understands the correlation between not hurting and being gentle! I'm so proud!

I gave Xinyi a sweet treat, a blue M&M and it turned her tongue blue! You can't really see it, but it's so cute! She's trying to show me here :).

She looves wearing her jammies. She got a bunch of cute ones for Christmas and we transitioned her out of the sleep sack, so now she sleeps in jammies and lovesss it. The last few days, she has woken up and asked to stay in her jammies. I let her wear jammies one too many rainy days in a row and yesterday she woke up crying because I said we have to put clothes on today, we're going out. She got over it, but let's just say, this little girl loves her footie jammies!

Sweet, silly girl! She loves putting on Mrs. Potato head's glasses! Tonight, she was eating her yogurt and she said, "Mmm, tastes good!" without any prompting! She also can mimc saying "so delicious!" I've been working on that since she started saying her first words!! Sweet, silly girl! We love you and all your little random quirks!

"Be careful, it's hot!"

Xinyi is still copying everything I say, but it actually sounds like what it's supposed to be! Today, I was eating a muffin I had heated up and she looked at me and said, "Be careful, it's hot!" She had just remembered the phrase from days and weeks and months before! She's also asking to read books by their titles and play with toys like "tato head" and "puzzles" and "doll house!"

This week was full of fun, but not a lot of pictures! We had dinner with Yeh Yeh and Nai Nai. Xinyi still loves the fist bump! 

And then we went to the Birch Aquarium with Nate Nate!

They were so happy! Xinyi couldn't wait to go see the fishies!

Oooh look at the ocean!

Awww, holding hands!

The two of them screamed "dory fish! nemo fish!" at this exhibit for a while.... :P

And then she took a goooood nap!

And for whatever reason, Xinyi started running like Phoebe from friends. Arms flailing about!

or prancing....

Maybe she was just excited this weekend was Daddy's birthday and she got three whole days with him! Happy birthday daddy!! We love you! All three of us!!!

"Yeah? Okay!"

Something that sweet Xinyi has started saying this week is "yeah? okay!" at the end of her own sentences to herself. For example, she'll say, "more milk? yeah? okay!" Daddy says it's because I say that to her a lot. It's probably true!

Xinyi loves doing jumping jacks and the monkey dance and somersaults with daddy. She also loves singing songs to herself and asking other people to sing to her. She now asks for the ABC song, Old Macdonald, twinkle twinkle little star, the clean up time song, and head shoulders knees and toes by name! She cleans up toys on her own before moving on to new activities about half the time without my prompting. With prompting she cleans up almost always, but sometimes she needs mommy to do it with her. She's a sweet girl!

Here's a picture from our trip to the zoo last week from daddy's phone!


Daddy has also been teaching our big girl that orcas are called "panda whales" :). It's pretty funny! Xinyi soaked up all the time with daddy - and even tried on his shoes!

Sweet girl is getting pretty good at praying too. She even said a prayer the other day on her own, she said, "Dear Jesus, thank you mommy daddy." :D She also says please and thank you when she's prompted, and one day at Trader Joe's, she said thank you to the check out person for giving her stickers, without prompting!


Here she is about to eat the lime she demanded to have even after mommy told her she wouldn't like it.

I don't know how to post videos, but she did the cutest little shoulder jerk after she tasted it!

On Thursday, we had a playdate with Nate and Auntie Christina and Nai Nai!

Here is our big girl playing with her new turtle toy from the Moana movie! She's making the turtle "swim, swim, swim!"

On a particularly cold morning, daddy wrapped our big girl up in a big blanket and read books to her!

On Friday morning, we went to go hang out with a bunch of mommies and kiddos. She had so much fun and was so wiped out she nappedso well!

I love watching her little personality grow and develop. Some things I've learned about baby girl - she doesn't like to get her hands dirty. While at Gymboree art class, she refused to let the teacher or me or herself paint her hands with paint to make a handprint firework. She also asks to have her hands cleaned if she gets some food on her fingers. And she loves to wash her hands. She's a dainty girl who would rather be carried over sand in the playground than run through it. I'm trying to break her of that, and making some progress, but inherently she doesn't like it! It's so interesting because I don't like sand (unless I'm barefoot) either, and I wonder if she got that from me! Two weeks ago, she graduated to the 2 and 3 year old class at church. Before, when we would pick her up after church, she would be in the middle of the room, playing or talking to herself. Now, she usually at the edge of the class. The teacher says that she likes to watch before getting involved with the bigger kids. If they get too rowdy, she stays on the sides. While at home, she is very silly and loves to dance and make funny noises with her mouth. And most especially, she loves to be picked up and held and cuddled even though she's a big 2 year old now.

Xinyi also got a new book for Christmas called "Pajama Time" by SAndra Boyton. She looves it. She quotes it all the time! One of the phrases says, "Pajammy to the left, Pajammy to the right!" and I swing her to the left and to the right while we read it and she giggles with glee! Then during the daytime she loves saying it too! Another phrase she loves from the book is "Good night. Sleep tight!" She says this to her Little People and Sesame Street figurines while laying them down gently to sleep during her pretend play!

And finally, just for fun, a series of pictures of newborn, one year old, and two year old Clara!

Making Room

We've cleaned out the extra bedroom and Shane and his dad have graciously built the crib, dresser, bouncer, and moved the glider into baby A's room. I spent two naps worth of time going through Clara's old clothes and getting them organized into usefulness and sizes. This time around, I know what we will use and what we won't, and what clothes are so cute but only for special occasions, and which are workhorse outfits that I'll tend towards day after day. I remember that Clara spent the first month in a long sleeve mitted shirt and a swaddle. And when I actually dressed her in something else, I fawned over her, took a picture, then immediately regretted it next time I had to change a diaper... which was usually not very long from when I put the outfit on her.

I've been trying to have Clara walk more when we are out and about, getting her used to walking like a big girl. I need her to, not just because of baby A, but because she's getting big! She still stops often and turns to me, arms up, and says "Mommy pick me up." I've also been simplifying her nap routine and trying to streamline her bedtime knowing that in four month's time, it will need to be simpler. Our attention will be divided. My attention will be divided.

Along with the act of making room for baby A physically in our home, I've been making room for baby A in my body, literally, and in my heart. Even as I type, baby A kicks and squirms and rolls inside of me, reminding me that she's there, growing, breathing, heart beating, living... inside me. I remember this with Clara too, that insane feeling of loving someone that you haven't met, that's inside of you. But there is also the little girl that I have met, that was inside of me, and now is her own little me, who I also love with all my momma heart.

I know they say that your heart grows, and I believe it will. But for now, I'm still making room, slowly but surely. And I know when she's here, I'll be ready, for a new adventure with two little girls.

2 years old!

What a week! Clara Xinyi turned 2 years old on Saturday!!! But first, we have some leftover pictures from Christmas :).

Doesn't she look like she's 16 going on 17? :O

Cheese!

More cheese! She looks so grown up!

During the week, Nai Nai and Yeh Yeh came to visit!

We started getting ready for the party by putting up al Elmo and Cookie Monster growth chart! We think she likes it :).

Hi Yeh Yeh!

Little Plaid Riding Hood is modeling for me!

Oh so busy!

 On Friday night, we went to Gymboree for a free play hour! What fun she had!

Crawling through tunnels and saying cheese!

On Saturday, Xinyi's birthday, we let her run around in jammies for the morning, and then took her to McDonald's to try out the play place! We also somehow accidentally ordered all three sizes of fries.... :P. Xinyi was excited to go up the play structure and danced around and giggled for the first 5-10 steps. Then she got to the very top where the big kids were playing and got scared... After trying to coax her down for 5 seconds, she decided she was supremely unhappy and started bawling. So up I went into the play structure to rescue my crying 2 year old! What an adventure :).

Here is the birthday girl before the party! Messy hair and all!

Before the party, Grammy helped mommy finish the Elmo cupcakes that daddy baked the night before!

 We rearranged the house and put up some final decorations!

And took some selfies!

Our first guests arrived! Athena!!!

Thanks for sharing!

 Hi Great Aunt Flora!

 And Great Grampy Chuck!

And of course, Grammy!!

 Time to blow out the candle and eat some cake! She was unsure of the red stuff (frosting) and refused to try it at all. Then she tried the frosting and refused to the eat cake itself and only wanted the frosting!

 Playtime with Leo!

 And reading books with Auntie...

And Uncle Dru...

Gemmy being adorable!

And Xinyi wandering around with a cupcake wand...

Let's open some presents! Ooh paper!

And some books...

 

And a tiny Elmo! This is one of her new favs... :)

On daddy's last day of vacation, we went on an impromptu zoo trip!

We can't believe our baby is 2 years old already! It's been the most amazing, wonderful 2 years and we can't remember life without her! She lights up our lives with her smile and her laugh and challenges our patience with her tantrums too! But she is a sweet, obedient child who loves to learn! We can't wait to keep celebrating life with you!