Jillian Catherine

New Blog!

2010-09-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

Jillian and Bridget now have their own blog!

You can catch it here: http://jillandbridget.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy it!

A Birth Story, Part II

2010-09-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

We have a new addition to the family! Bridget Evelyn Woodruff was born on September 17, 2010 at 10:19 a.m., and was 8 lbs 7 oz in weight and 21-1/2 inches long. She has lots of thick, black hair and a little dimple in one of her cheeks. For the full report, read on:

Mommy, Daddy and Jillian woke up early on Friday morning and started getting ready for the big day. Grannie Woodruff stopped by at 6:30 am to pick up Jillian for the weekend, and of course, she was very excited about that. Mommy and Daddy then made the drive down to Southwest W

shington Medical Center for an 8:00 am check-in time. When we got there, Mommy remarked about how strange it was knowing that in just a couple hours, we would be holding a new baby. Mommy was put into Room 102, and got into her gown and made herself comfortable in the bed. Our nurse for the day would be Annette, and she was very nice and helpful. The paperwork started coming, along with IV hookups, drugs and monitors on the baby. Auntie Greta and Dany showed up during the prep time, ready to go. We had met with several OBGYN doctors leading up to birth-day, but it ended up that the one doing the procedure would be Dr. Chang, who leads the entire OBGYN program at SWMC. He came in to introduce himself, and made us laugh the entire time; he had a great sense of humor. It was obvious, though, that he knew what he was doing, so we felt good about that.

At about 9:30 am, it was time to head to the operating room. We walked with the nurse, and Mommy went in to the room to get her spinal anesthetic while Daddy waited outside. Once all of the doctors had shown up and were ready to go at just after 10:00 am, Daddy went in and sat next to Mommy. The music was blaring, and the doctors started moving fast with the C-section. The anesthesiologist kept us up-to-date on what was happening as he watched over the curtain. When it was time for the baby to come out, the first thing he said was “Whoa, that’s a big baby!” Shortly after that, everyone in the room said “Look at all that hair!” Little Bridget Evelyn had arrived!

Bridget then moved over to the respiratory therapists. They were amazed at how quickly she had “pinked up”, and immediately gave her an Apgar rating of 9 out of 10. They cleaned her up and suctioned her out, while Daddy took photos and showed them to Mommy. About 5 minutes later, they gave her a full rating of 10. They measured her at 21-1/2 inches long, and weighed her in at a big 8 lbs 7.3 oz. After a quick wrap job, they put Bridget on Mommy’s chest. Mommy was so happy!

The doctors finished up the procedure, and moved Mommy to a new bed. While holding onto Bridget, she was wheeled out of the operating room and placed in the recovery room with nurse Annette. We spent the next hour there while both Mommy and Bridget were monitored by the nurse. Both Mommy and Bridget checked out great! Eventually, we got to leave and head back to Room 102, where Auntie Greta and Dany were waiting. Mommy announced to them that the baby’s name was Bridget Evelyn. Mommy had always liked the name Bridget, and the name Evelyn was her Grandma Peterson’s middle name. Auntie Greta and Dany were thrilled to finally meet Bridget, and enjoyed holding her!

While Auntie Greta and Dany went to get lunch, Mommy and Bridget rested in the room. One thing we found out was that Bridget was a pretty mellow baby, and she liked to sleep. She did cry when she was hungry, but other than that, she stayed pretty quiet.

At about 2:00 pm, big sister Jillian showed up with Grannie and Papa Woodruff. Jillian came running into the room yelling “Mommy, did the baby come out?” When Mommy said yes, Jillian then yelled “The baby popped out!” Bridget was laying on Mommy on the bed, so Grannie held Jillian up so that she could see her. Jillian was all smiles, and was very excited to see her little sister, giving her a nice kiss. But when Bridget started crying loudly, Jillian tried climbing up Grannie’s head trying to get away. She was a little spooked by the crying. After Grannie had held Bridget, Jillian was asking “Can I hold the baby?”, so she sat with Daddy on the sofa and got to excitedly hold baby Bridget for the first time. She was a little wary though, saying “Baby’s crying” if Bridget even made a sound or wrinkled up her face.

Many more visitors began showing up. Cindy Stephenson arrived, and then Auntie Greta and Dany returned. They had brought a cake from Olive Garden, so everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Bridget. Later in the afternoon, Grandpa Ken, Auntie Sheryl and Cousins Meagan and Adam showed up. Cousin Adam got to hold Bridget, and was also a little scared when she started crying. After that, he was content to just watch. Grandpa Ken was celebrating his birthday right along with Bridget, so it was a very happy birthday for both of them!

That evening, Mommy worked on getting Bridget fed while trying to recover from the surgery at the same time. It actually went pretty well, as Bridget latched on pretty quickly and fed for 10 to 20 minutes at a time before getting tired and falling asleep. Her internal clock was a little off, though, as she was awake and demanding food throughout the night. Eventually, she settled down at 4:30 am and went to sleep for a few hours.

On Saturday, all the activity must have worn Bridget out, because she was very sleepy throughout the day. She continued to receive visitors, including Cousin Tierney, Uncle Clark, Beverly, and the Johnson family (Uncle Kevin, Auntie Julie, and Cousins Cale, Ty and Brock). Big sister Jillian also visited again, giving little sister Bridget a card that she had made herself. Mommy continued her recovery, getting up and moving around, and even getting a chance to shower. Nurse Maria worked the night-shift, and was someone that Mommy had gone to high school with. She was very nice and helpful.

On Sunday, Dr. Chang visited and said that everything looked good with Bridget and Mommy, and that if they wanted to leave that evening, he would discharge them. So, we agreed to leave later that day. Sunday was a pretty restful day, and Bridget continued to eat and sleep and snuggle with Mommy. It was becoming apparent that Bridget was going to be the sleeper and snuggle buddy of the family, as Jillian was already our active little go-go girl. There were many more doctor visits, including a lactation nurse who had some great advice. After Aunt Lee was our final visitor, we packed up our things and put Bridget into the carseat and got into the car. Bridget was a great little traveler, sleeping the entire way home.

When we arrived home with Bridget, we got things in order, and then big sister Jillian showed up an hour or so later when Grannie and Papa Woodruff and Cousin Tierney dropped her off. Once again, Jillian was very excited to see Bridget, wanting to hold her many times. It was a very happy reunion for all of us, and a special night as a family of four. We are so excited to have Bridget!

Bridget Evelyn

2010-09-18T17:09:00.001-07:00

When Rick, Heather, and Bridget get home from the hospital there will be a long blog and pictures from Rick, I'm sure, but I can share a little. Jillian is so proud of her new sister. She made a card for her today and was thrilled when Bridget looked at it wide awake. She likes to hold her but the moment Bridget cries, that's the end of the holding. Jillian is fascinated by all the long hair and so far is content to caress it, not pull it like she does with us when she's tired. Today she got to see Daddy change a dirty diaper which again was something very interesting, especially when Bridget turns bright red from wailing very loud. I'm sure Jillian will be a big help to Mommy and Daddy when Bridget comes home.

Scheduled Birthday

2010-09-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Mommy went to the OBGYN today, and Daddy and Jillian tagged along. Jillian had been wanting to go to the hospital, saying "I'm going to tell the doctor I have an owie." She's been hoping that they'll give her another band-aid. When the nurse showed up and Jillian told her about the owie on her knee, the nurse said she didn't have a band-aid and that her knee was looking much better. Oh well.

The nurse checked Heather's blood pressure, and it was high again. When Doctor Fox came in and did some other checks, she provided some options about what to do next, but she also said that she highly recommended that a C-section be performed sooner rather than later, to avoid any problems that come with going past the due date. And when she said "sooner", she actually meant in the next day or two. We weren't quite prepared for that, but Heather said that if Friday was open, then she'd like to do it then. So, the new baby will be born on September 17, and share a birthday with her Grandpa Ken and Auntie Karen.

Interesting Day

2010-09-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Papa had to get a colonoscopy so Jillian and I spent time shopping. At Michaels she saw a sand castle and I explained that she would have to paint it and she was excited about that. Then we went to Ross and we found some Dora clogs which had fleece in them that were for cold weather. Next stop was Starbucks when we got a call to pick up Papa. He was in a room in the surgical wing so when we went in the door to that wing, Jillian showed she knows what doctors and hospitals are for. As soon as we went in that wing there were several nurses and she pointed to her knee and said she had an "owee". The nurses were captivated and came over to look and one said they would get her a band aid. She continued to talk to them while I got Papa. Soon the nurse came back with the band aid and put it on her knee. She said, "Thank you" and then she said loudly, "Thank you ladies." She had them completely charmed.

Next we played outside for a couple hours after lunch and then Jillian went down for her nap. As soon as she woke up she remembered she had her sand castle to paint so she wanted to do it right away, bed head and all. She did a very careful job painting and she was proud that she didn't get any paint on her clothes. Maybe there is an artist there somewhere. Then it was on to Cale's football game where she got to see Aunt Julie, Brock and Ty.

New Stuff XXIX

2010-09-12T20:24:00.001-07:00

At 2-1/2 years old, Jillian keeps letting loose with all kinds of crazy and interesting things:

1. The Puma and the Polar Bear : If you want to see Jillian get all excited and run around like a wild-girl, just mention "the puma and the polar bear" to her, and then step back! We have no idea where it came from, but whenever she talks about the puma and / or the polar bear, she immediately starts screaming, and maybe even hiding or wrapping herself up in blankets. She also wants us to get involved, either running away with her, or saving her from them.

2. "Rojo" : So, red is not just red anymore; now it's rojo. When we come up to a stoplight, Jillian starts yelling "stop Daddy, it's rojo". Yet another Dora influence.

3. The Wrestler : Another way to get Jillian all worked up is to lay on the floor where she can attack you. Then, it becomes a big wrestling-fest. Jillian will begin by throwing herself at you just like in WWF, so it's best to keep a close eye on her. Her next move is to grab you by the head and squeeze. Meanwhile, she screams and laughs. Lastly, she loves to jump up and do the "knees to the stomach".

4. The Good Mommy : When she's not destroying things, Jillian is nurturing her little baby doll that she calls "Apple Dumplin'" (from Strawberry Shortcake). She wraps the doll up in blankets for night-night, and takes the doll for walks in her little shopping cart. And of course, the doll gets to go to bed with Jillian.

5. "Save Me!" : Not only does Jillian like to get tickled, she also likes to yell at whoever's nearby, saying "save me". Once she gets saved, she goes back and says "tickle me", which is immediately followed by another "save me", again and again.

6. "Do you see my little tear?" : Jillian asks us this after she has been crying.

7. The Prayer Book : One of the baby shower gifts for little Jillian was a book called "Baby's First Prayers", which contains over a dozen small prayers for kids. We've read this off and on for quite a while, and apparently Jillian was listening, because now when we read it to her before bedtime, she'll recite every prayer. Not only that, she recites them loudly, so that everyone in the house can hear her!

Four Days to Go

2010-09-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of Mommy and Jillian in front of Grace Lutheran Church. The new baby is due to be born this Thursday (September 16), though she hasn't shown much sign of wanting to come out. Mommy is definitely ready, and Jillian talks about wanting to "feed the baby".

Potty Independence

2010-09-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

Now that Jillian is potty-trained, she likes to do it all by herself. We'll hear her say "I have to go potty" and then she'll take off running for the bathroom, without asking us to help her. She'll put on her little ducky seat and drop her drawers, and then get herself up on the toilet (with or without the step stool). If Daddy comes in to ask if she needs help, Jillian will say "you need to go in the living room". Apparently, she likes to have her privacy. After she's done, she takes care of clean-up with the toilet paper and pulls up her pants (though sometimes she comes shuffling out of the bathroom with her pants around her ankles, asking for our help). And her favorite part, of course, is washing her hands (or playing in the water) in the sink.

Mommy and Daddy are very happy with their little Sweetie-Pie, and the timing couldn't be better with another little hunny bunny on the way.

Play-doh Time

2010-09-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

You never know. At a recent garage sale I bought this bag of play-doh stuff for $.50 and since it wasn't very nice today I got it out. It was a big hit. It had a doll that when you pressed the lever, it grew long hair. Since it had some plastic scissors, Jillian was fascinated by cutting the doll's hair. It had a blow dryer, curling iron, and comb which also got a lot of use. Plus you could make flowers and bows for the doll's hair. She played with this for a really long time. Now I'm afraid that she's at that age where they always try to cut their own hair.

Beach Trip, Part II

2010-09-08T17:10:00.001-07:00

This is just a follow-up to Grannie's post about Kids' Day at the Beach, since Daddy had some pictures to share as well.

Whenever we talked to Jillian about going to the beach, there were always 3 things that came to her mind: the beach, the pool, and ice cream. And Jillian got to enjoy all 3 of those during the latest kid trip. Some of the memories include:

The cool pool : It didn't seem to bother Sweetie-Pie that all of the pools were kind of cold, since she wanted to stay in the water for more than the 1-1/2 hours we were there. One thing that changed was that Jillian had better "sea legs"; she rarely fell down when wading around in the water.

Wake-up time : As tradition goes, this is one that the older cousins would rather not see anymore. Bright and early in the morning, Jillian woke up and immediately said that it was "time to wake up the kids". First was Tierney, then Brock and finally Ty, who she proceeded to jump all over.

The big moat : Normally, Jillian doesn't want much to do with the big sand castle that the kids stand on, but this time she thought it was pretty cool to stand on it way up high and watch the waves come in.

Jill the Destroyer : Jillian borrowed this from the original destroyer, Ty. We all played a game of who could build the biggest stack of poker chips before Jillian destroyed it.

It was another great kids beach trip. It's too bad it only comes twice a year.

Kids Days at the Beach

2010-09-08T08:25:00.001-07:00

After Tierney's volleyball Jamboree on Saturday we headed for the beach. The first stop was the Astoria pool where the kids learned that all the pumps were down but they went in anyway. The water wasn't that warm so they all were ready to leave in about an hour, all except for Jillian who would have stayed all day in the kiddy pool. As tradition goes the next stop is Custard King for ice cream. Of course, Jillian got her pink ice cream. In this picture Ty looks like he's afraid Jillian is going to get ice cream all over him. Then it was on to the cabin and down to the beach. The big kids played football and Jillian got to play in the wonderful sand.

The next day turned out to be great weather, sunny and nice in the morning without wind on the beach so everyone headed out early to build the traditional moat. Jillian finally got to play in the waves. After a picture on the moat (Jillian smiling for a change), the kids went up to the dry sand to get warm from getting wet in the water. They played baseball while Jillian again got to play in so much sand. After another trip to the beach and a wiener roast and smores, the tired troops headed for bed. On Monday we finally got the bad weather so we made our trip to Funland where Jillian got to try some games before heading home.

Training to work at Starbucks

2010-09-06T21:50:00.000-07:00

This cracked everyone up at Kid's Days at the Beach over Labor Day. Jillian got a tablet and a pen and proceeded to write down her order, hot chocolate-no whip. Then she went around to everyone and asked what they wanted. She would very seriously write down their order and then ask the next person until all ten of us had ordered. Since there isn't a Starbucks in Ocean Park or even Long Beach, we didn't get our orders that day.

Two Breakfasts

2010-09-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Even though Jillian had had her cereal and fruit not too long before, she wanted to join the other kids when they came for their morning waffles and sausage. Ty and Brock were finishing, Tierney was waiting for hers, and Jillian was working on hers. She did finish it all too.

For quite awhile when it was nap time I would spell n-a-p so she wouldn't get upset right away when I was talking to someone. The last couple of times when I spelled n-a-p, she shouted out, "I don't want to take a nap!". It's hard to keep ahead of her sometimes.

New Stuff XXVIII

2010-09-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is just about over, so here's some new things to check out:

1. "Probably" : Jillian will throw this into her sentences now and then.

2. "I'm not tired" : When we're getting Jillian ready for bed, such as during story-time, she tells us this since she's never wanting to go to bed just yet. She also says this right after having her night-time milk, and then sits up, knowing that if she stays laying down, she might fall asleep.

3. "I'm too busy" : If we ask Jillian to come somewhere or do something, she'll sometimes throw this one at us.

4. "... eat it up all" : Sweetie-Pie gets the "all" switched around, and uses it at the end. We know what she's saying, but it's funny to hear.

5. Boys & Girls : Jillian knows pretty well who is a boy and who is a girl. If we ask her about someone, she'll tell us if they're a boy or girl.

6. "How was your day?" : This is a nice little greeting from Sweetie-Pie.

7. Sad, Mad and Happy : Jillian likes to talk about these emotions, and who is sad, mad or happy. Typically, she'll say "I make Mommy sad", "Mommy makes me mad", "Adam makes me so happy", and "Grannie / Mocha be so happy to see me!"

8. The Deep Voice : If you want to hear Jillian's deep voice, just talk to her in your own deep voice, and she'll respond the same way. It's pretty funny.

J C Hammer

2010-09-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Just like Grannie had mentioned in the previous post, Jillian is really good at hammering. She can pound each of those pegs down in a hurry, with quick, short swings. Here's a video of her hammering away!

Busy Day Inside

2010-09-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

When Jillian arrived, Brock and Ty were busy having snacks so Jillian got right in the middle of them and wanted a snack too. They were having Princess Fruit Snacks so she was excited about that. It was a rainy, dreary day outside so Jillian got acquainted with all the inside toys again. Brock and Ty played sleeping on the couch which she enjoyed with her baby doll but there was more wrestling than sleeping.

I brought out the pounding toy that Jillian hadn't seen for awhile and she wasn't very good at using the hammer at first, but she has super determination so after awhile she was furiously hammering. She could pound down all 6 posts in no time. We told her that she was ready to help Daddy build on the new house.

Big Girl Potty

2010-08-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

We guess it's a process, this whole potty-training thing. This morning, Jillian pretty much did it all herself. While Mommy was busy getting ready in the bathroom, Jillian walked in and said that she had to go potty. Then, she took off her jammie bottoms, took off her diaper, got up on the potty seat (with Mommy's help) and took care of business. We're hoping that was the next big step.

Fun with Rielee, Auna and Brock

2010-08-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Jillian was so happy to get to play with Rielee two days straight this week. They got along so well the whole time but as far as getting a picture together, believe me, I tried. Rielee is always ready to go along but I have to sneak up on Jillian and her together and when I do see a cute shot I don't have my camera in hand. Yesterday they got to play at Grannie's for a couple of hours and then they went up to Rielee's pool. Rielee is a fish but Jillian only got in for a couple of times with Auna's help. Aunt Dianne got her the twin's pool to play in right by the big pool.

Brock watched Jillian a lot the last couple of days when they were playing outside. Of course, one thing Brock did was try to get Jillian interested in basketball. And as you can see from the picture, Jillian is quite pumped to have Brock driving her around in the jeep.

Later she missed her nap to be able to go with us to take Mocha to the vet as Mocha is not putting any weight on her right leg. She is quite concerned over Mocha's injury and she was very interested in what the vet did during the examination. Before we went to the vet she got out her stethoscope and put it on Mocha's leg. On the way to the vet she surprised us by asking if the vet would use a stethoscope on Mocha too. She pronounced it very clearly.

Sighting No. 55

2010-08-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken from the one that Grannie just took of Sweetie-Pie, but just zoomed in a bit and edited, since it was such a good picture.

Dancing Girl

2010-08-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

Jillian was outside picking flowers and then getting in her car telling Tierney that she was going to a party and dance. Then she brought the flowers inside and I put one in her hair. She proceeded to get out her musical instruments (plastic guitar, shaker, tambourine, harmonica, etc.) and a pom-pom. She gave an instrument to everyone to play and then danced away while everyone made music and Daddy sang Wiggles songs. Jillian was so proud of her pretty hair. The music was something else but she didn't seem to care.

Undies Only

2010-08-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

At least, during the daytime. Mommy decided it was time to forget the diapers, and just have Jillian wear her panties all day. We had been kind of on-again / off-again when it came to panties, switching between them and diapers. But, Mommy wanted Jillian to know that it was time to be a "big girl" and sit on the potty when it was time to go. And she did! Both no. 2 jobs today were on the potty (though the second time was close; Jillian said "I have to go to my room" and then took off, and Mommy chased her down, knowing exactly what that meant). So, it was a successful first day. We hope it continues.

Lots of Playmates

2010-08-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

It's sad that school is about to start as Jillian has so many cousins to play with right now. First today, Tierney came up and we took her to run her mile then picked up Auna and Rielee to come play. It seems that Auna had to be the mediator between Jillian and Rielee half the time as they are both such strong-willed girls. What one has the other invariably wants. Auna does great with that. They played with the doll houses until it got nicer outside. Then they went to the tree house play area, then up to the "bouncer" with Brock. They played "The monkey bounced on the bed and hit his head", made up I guess from the book.

After Auna and Rielee went home, then Ty and Tierney did bubbles for Jillian to ride her jeep through and then Jillian copied Ty who was hitting the bubbles that Tierney did with the bat. That was fun for quite awhile. Sadly it wasn't quite nice enough for the pool.

After all the outdoor play, Tierney and Jillian did the Dora Play-Doh set. That was the wind down to a lot of outdoor play and then it was time for a much needed nap.

The New Baby Plan

2010-08-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Heather visited her OBGYN, Dr. O'Neil, on Monday, and they discussed this pregnancy and what needed to happen in the last month. After talking about how the one with Jillian went, they came up with the plan, namely: If Heather goes into spontaneous labor by September 16 (the due date), then the doctor will let it happen and watch closely how far it progresses. As long as there is steady progress, they will attempt a natural birth. But, there will be no inducing this time around. Which means that if labor doesn't begin by September 16, then a C-section will be scheduled for the following week. So, now we know that the new baby will be born at least by September 24. Just a month to go!

Spunky Girl

2010-08-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

At 2 and one-half years old, you can now see Jillian's sparkling personality come out. She enjoys life to the fullest with an active imagination and an enthusiasm for life. She loves to run free like the wind. She gets excited about every new thing and is not the least bit shy in meeting people and letting everyone know what she needs-one spunky little gal. Jillian will say and do things that absolutely crack you up. It's apparent that she will never be afraid to tackle anything in life with a wonderful enthusiasm. She loves to tease and have a good time with everyone, but then be able to snuggle up with you and enjoy her books.
In this picture she had decided to ride her car and scooter in the pool and then decided it needed washing. She is always trying something new, especially if it has to do with water in some form.

Mommy's New Cabinets

2010-08-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Sweetie-Pie is sitting on some of Mommy's new kitchen cabinets. They were just installed this past week, and Mommy is very happy with them. We got them from DeWils in Vancouver, and though it was a struggle sometimes, it looks like it was worth it. We also got the same style for the master bathroom (that Granpda Peterson installed) and the utility room. Now, we just have to wait for the countertops, and after that, Mommy will have a brand-new kitchen.

New Stuff XXVII

2010-08-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Actually, this stuff isn't all that new, since it's been a while between posts. But, here they are:

1. "Why? Why? Why, oh why?" : The "why" questions have been almost non-stop. And our answers to Jillian are never good enough, because she just keeps asking "why?".

2. "Ooooohhh-kaayyy" : It's one of those long, drawn out OKs, where Jillian almost sounds resigned to answering us.

3. "You stay right there!" : This is one of Jillian's commands, if she has to go get something and doesn't want us to leave; it's usually accompanied by the universal "stop" hand-sign.

4. "But I have to" -or- "But I need to" : If we ever say to Jillian "don't do that", she'll respond this way, using either one. Not that she ever tells us why.

5. "Baby is getting BIGGER and BIGGER!" : Jillian likes to ask Mommy how the new baby is doing. Then, she'll yell this out excitedly (while shaking and with clenched fists).

6. "Hi, my Mommy / Daddy" : No idea where this came from, but this is how Jillian likes to greet us.

7. " ... again?" : Put anything in front of "again", and this is a question that we get asked once in a while.

8. Christmas Wish List : When Jillian spent a lot of time with Cousin Adam in North Dakota, there was a lot of talk about Santa, and what they want for Christmas. If you ask Jillian what she wants, she'll respond "a baby and a bottle." She gets Christmas and her birthday a little mixed up, because she'll also say "... and a Dora cake".

9. "It'll dry" : If Jillian or anything else gets wet, this is what she likes to say to reassure us.

10. Substitute Baby : Mommy and Daddy forgot to pack a baby for Jillian on the trip to North Dakota. So, Jillian made do by instead adopting her swimsuit, which she carried around with her everywhere.

Sighting No. 54

2010-08-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Jillian being a very good little girl in her carseat on the long drive to North Dakota. She managed to stay in good humor throughout the trip.

Driving Thrills

2010-08-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

Maybe it was because when Rielee was here yesterday and Rielee rode everything and Jillian would ride with her sometimes, or maybe this morning she put on her "tiger" sweatshirt (really leopard) and she felt very brave, but today was her big day to ride all five of her riding vehicles and try some new things. The biggest hit was the scooter that she rode all over around the images that Rick had drawn on the driveway of Mommy and Daddy, Dora and Boots, etc., and she seemed to catch on to the steering after I showed her how the handle on top controlled the wheels on the front. Looking at this picture you would have though she may have had lots of spills but she didn't have one spill today. Also her feet must be getting tough because the shoes come off as soon as she's out the door. She will only put her shoes back on when the sun comes out and the blacktop gets very hot.

Jillian rode the quad a lot and could steer that better, just running into things a few times, possible because the handlebars are the same as the scooter. Then came the jeep which is still an adventure as she wants to shift into high gear and I want it to stay in low. Steering isn't so hot either. Also she likes to smile at you when she's driving without watching where she's going.

Back to NoDak

2010-08-11T22:54:00.001-07:00

We all made the big trip east to North Dakota in the last couple weeks to visit the Peterson family there. Everyone got together for both a family reunion and a wedding. Jillian had a great time seeing all of her relatives again.

We found out on the way over (and back) that Jillian is a great little traveller. She did very well sitting in her carseat for the two 12-hour driving days. She only had a couple meltdowns, but for the most part, she kept herself busy or found ways to entertain us. She had plenty of stickerbooks, and her usual story books, plus she had lots of Dora the Explorer videos to watch on Daddy's iPod. And she managed to get lots of naps in.

Our first destination was Cavalier in the northeastern part of North Dakota, where Uncle Alan and Aunt Karen Crowston live (with Cousins Jay and Julie Peterson and family down the road). We stayed in Jay and Julie's big house for the weekend, and Jillian loved the fact that Cousin Adam and the Verd family were also staying there. For pretty much the entire trip, Jillian and Adam were inseparable, playing and fighting like brother and sister.

That first weekend was the family reunion, and there was lots of family. For Jillian, this was the first time that she had met some of these relatives. She got a lot of good play time in, since there were quite a few kids. We did discover that mosquitoes find her tasty, as she ended up with about 9 bites (one of them probably being a spider bite) after just the first night. After that, we made sure to put lots of repellant on her.

After the reunion, we left to head for Rugby. We stopped at the Peace Garden on the Canadian border on the way, and almost didn't get back into the US when the border guard wanted to know where our passports were. This was Jillian's first international incident. In Rugby, we stayed at the home of Cousins Greg and Deb Mack. Again, Jillian got to hang out with Adam the whole time.

While in Rugby, us and Grandpa Peterson and the Verd family visited and travelled around, going Knox, Leeds and Devil's Lake. And we spent a couple days in Fillmore with Uncle Davey and Auntie Charolette. Jillian and Adam spent nearly all of their time climbing on and riding the John Deere riding lawnmower.

At the end of the week, it was time for Cousin Ben's wedding to Bethany. Mommy and Jillian had come down with head colds, so they were laid low for a day or two, but by wedding time they were ready to go. Jillian watched the girls in dresses very carefully, liking the blue dress (worn by Cousin Nadia) the best. She managed to stay pretty quiet throughout. Then it was time for the big reception party at the Mack Farm in Orrin. This was the hottest day of the trip, and we tried to stay cool. Jillian found a big fan that she liked to stand in front of to "dry my hair". There was a live band, and as soon as the music came on, Jillian was bouncing all over the place. Throughout the night, she was on the move, dancing and running. By the time the party was over, she was exhausted.

Bright and early the next morning, we took off for home. Once again, Jillian did very well in the car. She was so excited to get back home where she could run around and play. It was another fun and relaxing trip to North Dakota; we look forward to going back soon.

Sun and Fun

2010-07-28T08:52:00.001-07:00

This is the wonderful time of the year for Jillian as there is fun and water everywhere. She is ready to go outside right away and will only want to come in to eat. Lately the only clothes she needs is a swimsuit. Yesterday was especially fun since Auna came and played with Jillian until her nap. Auna was a good sport about getting wet too. Auna is so patient and fun with kids. Then Tierney joined them and Jillian wanted to show Tierney how high she could swing, "All by myself". She really wants to try the zip line but I told her she had to be able to reach it all by herself which luckily is a about a foot away from her reach. At Disneyland we got her the neon bubble gun and this is the latest craze. Everybody and everything gets bubbles. It has been refilled about 10 times. These are the best of days for a 2 year old.

Slip-n-slide

2010-07-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

Jillian was so excited about setting up the slip-n-slide that she ran up to the Johnsons to get Cale, Ty, and Brock to do it with her. She was hesitant at first but the boys went right at it. They got creative with all sorts of things so Jillian decided the sled made a good boat and went down laughing all the way. She thought it was funny to push Brock to get him started. Down at the bottom there was a small pool where she wanted to wade but then the boys would come down the slide with a big splash and she would get all wet. The sprinkles down the side of the slide made a good drinking fountain. Brock and Ty were still going at it when she was wet and had enough.

A Day at Aunt Dianne's

2010-07-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

Aunt Dianne helped out us out in a big way by watching Jillian last Friday, when all of the regular babysitters were away on vacation. Aunt Dianne has a blog, too, and she posted the story of her day with Jillian. You can see it by clicking here: My Life As Grandma

And just as a teaser, here's a photo of her pool time. When Jillian came home that day, she told us that the "whale" had bit her on the lips.

Jeep Washing

2010-07-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

Jillian likes to decorate her jeep and scooter with chalk. Since the hose was out, filling up her pool, she decided it would be a good idea to wash her jeep since it was dirty with all the chalk on it. Since the hose wouldn't reach the jeep she had to get in the jeep and drive it closer, which surprised me that she figured that out instead of asking me.

First she wet it down. Then she wanted some bubbles and a wash mitt so she could scrub it down. She did a very thorough job and made sure everything had bubbles. Then she would rinse it and then start all over again. Finally, after a really long time, I told her it was time to turn off the hose and dry her jeep which she did with a rag.

Horsey Girl

2010-07-19T23:42:00.000-07:00

Jillian loves horses! Thanks to the Paul family, she has gotten to do quite a bit of riding on horses. Here's a photo of Jillian and Lindsey riding on "Jazz". Whenever we talk to Jillian about going to Cindy's or to see McKenna & Lindsey, the first thing that pops into her head is horses.

About a month ago, our neighbor Jack gave Jillian a little horsey-on-a-stick. It was something that he kept for his granddaughter Maddy, but now that she was grown up, he fixed it up and gave it to us. Jillian likes to ride the little horsey, like this photo shows. She calls the horsey either "Jazz" or "Cowboy". Note that she also likes to wear her "cow boots".

The New Bedroom

2010-07-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Aunties Greta and Sheryl and Uncle Richard came over to our house to help us move furniture, now that the carpet was installed in the bedrooms. We moved Mommy and Daddy's bed into their master bedroom, along with a couple of other things. But, we didn't yet have a new bed for Jillian. Uncle Richard suggested we use an inflatable mattress in the meantime, so we blew up the big queen air mattress that we have (usually for Kids' sleepovers). Then we threw a sheet and blanket on it.

That night, we told Jillian that she would get to sleep in her new bedroom. She was kind of excited about it, and had no problems laying down in it while we read a story to her. After turning out the lights and laying with her for a while, she eventually fell asleep. She would end up waking up a couple times throughout the night, but she went right back to sleep.

On Saturday morning, she woke up before Mommy and Daddy were out of bed. She wandered up and down the halls yelling "Mommy!" and "Daddy!". She was a little disoriented, not knowing where we were. After a minute or so, she found us in the new master bedroom, where she climbed onto the bed and started jumping around.

A Day Out with Thomas

2010-07-11T23:04:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday, Jillian went with Cousins Adam and Andy to ride on the life-size Thomas the Tank Engine. We got up early in the morning and carpooled with the Uncle Clark, Auntie Greta and Adam to Snoqualmie. We met up with Auntie Sheryl and Andy there, and got in line for the train. We were far enough up that we got into the car directly behind Thomas. The kids were very excited to see Thomas, and to take a trip on a train.

Afterwards, Auntie Sheryl got all the kids their own engineer hats (like this photo shows) and Thomas t-shirts. Jillian also went around to lots of exhibits and got a bunch of stamps and tattoos, and ended up with a free prize : a mini-Thomas camera. She thought it was great because she could look into it and say "cheese". We ended the day with a trip to Red Robin.

The next day, Jillian was still excited about her ride on Thomas. At church, she was yelling "I rode Thomas" to everyone she saw.

New Stuff XXVII

2010-07-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

More stuff! Mostly memorable quotes from Jillian:

1. "What's this mean?" : Actually, she's asking us "what is this?", but it's close enough, so we go ahead and tell her what it is.

2. "I sure do" : This is something that Jillian says instead of "yes".

3. "Mmm-hmm" : Another thing that she says instead of "yes". Maybe she's just tired of answering "yes" all the time?

4. "Can I have baby in my tummy?" : Mommy just about flipped when she heard Jillian ask her this question. Jillian likes her babies, so we guess it was only natural for her to want to be like Mommy.

5. New Baby Names : Whenever we ask Jillian what the new baby should be named, she responds one of two ways. It's either "Apple Dumpling" (from her Strawberry Shortcake video) or it's "Richard".

6. "How's baby doing?" : This is a daily question, and Mommy answers "baby's doing fine". Jillian also likes to pat Mommy's tummy.

7. "I want to cheese" : Daddy's new Flip video camera sits on the dining room table, and Jillian likes to point at it and say this; meaning, she wants Daddy to take a video of her saying "cheese".

8. "Welcome to the wup-wup" : Yet another phrase that we have no idea where it came from, though the best guess is that it came from a video.

9. "Venti iced vanill lat" : If it's the weekend, it means that morning is coffee time. Jillian knows the routine, and when she wakes up, she immediately says "I want hot chocolate". Today, we were talking about Mommy's coffee, and Jillian said "venti iced vanill lat", probably because she's heard it so much.

Hot Day-Waterfall

2010-07-08T15:03:00.001-07:00

It was such a nice day and started out warm, so after Jillian's bath she was ready to head outside early. First she took a walk to the meadow below Aunt Robin's house and saw a rabbit in the grass which she called a puppy. I explained that it was a wild rabbit and then she wanted to pet it. She walked up the hill to Aunt Julie's house and spent a few minutes on the trampoline and proceeded to pick Julie's flowers to give to her. Next she discovered the waterfall and of course wanted to play in that. Soon she was soaking wet, and proceeded to go "au natural" until Rielee arrived to play. I persuaded her to get dressed again and then her and Rielee just got

wet all over again. It was so hot in the sun that we got out the

little wading pool and set it up in the shade so they

could play. Jillian again decided that it felt better

without the restriction of clothes and would strip off

everything. After many hours of water fun it was time

for a nap for which there wasn't any objection. So far 3

changes of clothes.

Sighting No. 53

2010-07-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

Somehow got this photo of Jillian this afternoon, despite the fact that she didn't want to have anything to do with the camera.

The Forbidden Trampoline

2010-07-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

The Johnson family brought home a trampoline a couple weeks ago. As soon as Mommy and Daddy found out, they said "no trampoline for Sweetie-Pie". Mommy had seen far too many broken bones come through the hospital that resulted from trampoline accidents. So, Jillian didn't get to jump on the trampoline ... at least for a while. Pretty soon, it seemed that she was finding her way onto the bouncer. And one day, while Daddy was picking up Jillian at Grannie's house, she was asking Tierney "can I go bounce?". She and Tierney went up to the Johnson's and did some bouncing, like this video below shows. At least the trampoline has a pretty strong net around it, and the kids know to be careful when Jillian is in there.

By the way, the top photo has Jillian showing off her flowers that she picked at the Johnson's. She has become obsessed recently with picking every flower she can find, and then carrying them around with her wherever she goes.

The Big Beach Trip

2010-07-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

This was one of the biggest Kids' Day at the Beach trips ever, with 15 kids and 4 adults and 1 dog, for a total of 20 bodies. It included Ainsley, Emmy, Will, Tierney, Cale, Macee, Ty, Brock, James, Auna, Parker, Rielee, Jillian, Norma (the Gourde's foreign exhange student), Marta (Norma's sister), Papa, Grannie, Daddy, Mommy and Mocha. It was a challenge fitting everyone into the beach house, and especially interesting having to share only one bathroom. Jillian loved having all the company, though. Her favorite part, of course, was the fact the her Cousin Rielee made the trip for the first time with her, so they played together almost the entire time.

The first day was a cold, windy and rainy one, but we made the trip to the beach anyways. Jillian and Rielee went right for the water, and played in the waves. It didn't last long though, as Sweetie-Pie got cold pretty quickly. We put a big sweatshirt on her to keep her warm, but she wasn't too happy, so we headed back to the house. Even though it was cold, we still stopped for ice cream, which made Jillian a little more happy. We finished the day with a quick stop at the Ocean Park Elementary playground. In the beach house, Jillian's favorite things to play with were the little wood kid puzzle, and the big box of poker chips.

One other thing to note was that Jillian went no. 2 on the potty, for the second time ever. When she got done, she ran into the middle of all the kids and said "I went poop in the potty!" The kids cheered, and Jillian had a big smile on her face.

The second day, we went to the beach again and had better luck with the weather, as it was warmer, less windy and not raining. The older kids played wiffle ball and football while Jillian and Rielee played in the sand. Then, when the sun came out, we headed to the water to do some wave jumping. After a couple days of seeing the waves, Jillian got more comfortable, and didn't need to hold hands anymore when the waves came in. We went back to the beach house, stopping for (cotton candy-flavored) ice cream on the way. After lunch, we next went to Astoria to go swimming in the aquatic center. Jillian wore her Dora swimsuit, and enjoyed playing in the water for several hours. Thanks to all the activity, she and Rielee fell asleep in the car on the way home.

The third and final day was the nicest one, so we spent a lot of time at the beach. Jillian just ran and ran from sand to water. She liked to lay around in the "dry water" (the warm water on the upper part of the beach). Eventually, she got a little chilled and headed back for ice-cream early. The rest of kids followed later, and after another stop at the "park", we headed home.

Running in the Waves

2010-07-04T14:41:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of Jillian and Rielee playing in the waves before they got cold. Then there's a picture of Jillian all covered with sand and with wet hair, looking miserable.

Kids Days at the Beach

2010-07-04T14:26:00.001-07:00

It was a new record-15 kids-13 cousins and Norma( the foreign exchange student from Italy) and her sister Marta. Jillian really gets into the beach stuff, loves the sand, digging and pouring sand with Rielee. She got brave enough to run into the waves after a few times of shying away from them. She would play and play in the water until she was a shivering cold little girl but would eat her Cotton Candy ice cream cone on the way back from the beach. All this wore her out and she would conk out immediately for a nap or asleep for the night, and surprisingly sleep in until at least 8:30 AM. Also at the beach with Jillian were Cale, Ty, Brock, Ainsley, Tierney, Emmy, Will, Auna, Macee, Parker, and James.

New Stuff XXVI

2010-06-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

It's here! The latest and most interesting new stuff about Sweetie Pie:

1. "What you say to me?" : Either Jillian just likes to hear us repeat what we've told her, or she really didn't hear it the first time. Whatever the case, we get this response from her occasionally, whenever we've asked her to do something.

2. "Thank you so much!" : She can be a very polite little girl. Daddy has gotten to hear this whenever Jillian walks into a newly painted room in the house.

3. "Mine!" : Jillian has gotten a little more possessive about the things that she is holding onto. It's not so much that the thing is hers (it's usually not), but that she just doesn't want to give it up.

4. "I'm very sad." : Actually, Jillian isn't sad when she says this, but she likes to play it up by saying it with a sad voice and hanging her head.

5. "Hey, hey" : It's something she starts a sentence with nowadays, and she says it loudly and with emphasis.

6. The Park : Mommy is taking Jillian to the park a lot these days, now that the weather has turned for the better. It's one of Sweetie Pie's favorite places, since she's a "great climber", as she likes to say. Plus, it's got the "twisty slide".

7. Hide-and-Seek : Jillian is getting better about playing the hide-and-seek game. She'll ask us, "can you hide, Mommy / Daddy?", and then she'll tell us to count "1-2-3". If it's her hiding, she still can't wait, and usually jumps out when we get close, saying "you found me."

8. Scary Fast : Just when we thought she was already fast, Jillian has found another gear and can zoom out of reach, and out of sight, in just a blink. It's actually difficult to catch up to her. She has this high step when she runs, so her straight-away is impressive.

9. "Can you turn up the window?" : Jillian doesn't much care for the wind blowing her hair into her face, so when she's riding in the car and the window is down, she'll ask this.

10. Red Light, Green Light : If Jillian is riding in the backseat of our car, she will remind us about the color of the traffic lights. She'll say "the light is red" or "the light is green", and she knows that red means stop and green means go.

11. Mommy & Daddy Names : At random times when Jillian is talking to someone, she'll say "Mommy's name is Heather" or "Daddy's name is Rick". Mommy taught her that one.

12. "My name is ..." : So, if you ask Jillian her name, she'll say "Feetie-Fie" as usual. Then, if you ask her what her real name is, she'll start off by saying "Jillian", and if you ask for her whole name, she might say "Jillian Catherine Woodruff". What we haven't quite figured out is that sometimes she'll say her name is "Feetie-Fie Richard".

Rielee's Birthday Party

2010-06-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Rielee turned 5 years old and Jillian was so excited to go to her party. She enthusiastically watched Rielee open her presents and Jillian was thrilled to see what was in each package. But the rest of the time she spent in Rielee's room since Rielee has a lot of baby dolls to play with.

Jillian and twins

2010-06-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Jillian had a fun day up at Aunt's(Dianne) place. It was a nice day so Jillian and Rielee went outside to the sandbox and were having a great time. Then Aunt brought out the twins who were soon crawling all over the grass. When it was bottle time Jillian wanted to feed Ava, or maybe it was Harper, which lasted less than a minute as there were so many other things to play on. She had a fun time and didn't want to leave.

Nesting Dolls

2010-06-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of things: Today was question day. Everything was a question? Can I go outside? Will you read me a book? Can I watch a video-please? Can you sit with me? On and on.

The other thing lately is her fascination with the nesting doll. There are 6 dolls before you get to the kitty and she can now put it together, which was hard at first as she had to judge the relative sizes which is a harder skill. She worked hard to get it each time and then would say, like Dora, "I did it."

Fingerpainting Fun

2010-06-11T08:45:00.001-07:00

A lot of work for about 5 minutes of
play but they did have a great time. I haven't been brave enough for two at a time before. They were pretty serious artists for awhile before they turned to their wild sides. My orders were to not touch anything until I carried them to the sink, but that was after Jillian decided to climb down from the stool by herself so the stool was green. Maybe someday they can play outside...

Mommy's Clone, Part II

2010-06-09T14:16:00.001-07:00

If there was any doubt about who Jillian looks like, these photos of Heather when she was about 2 years old should put that to rest. The resemblance between Mommy and Jillian at the same age is uncanny. When Daddy first saw these photos, he couldn't believe his eyes. Everyone else that sees them says the same thing.

As a test, we showed the photos to Jillian and asked her who it was in the photo. She replied "Sweetie-Pie!". So, even Jillian agrees that she looks just like Mommy.

Not only that, but some of the mannerisms are the same, too. Notice that Mommy often holds her hands in the photos, in the same way that Jillian does. There's another photo where Mommy is doing the "intense" smile, with her eyes squinting ... just like Jillian tends to do. And then there's the fact that both have a similar physical build.

In case it's difficult to tell who the other people in the photos are, here's a guide (top down):

1. Heather sitting on Sheryl's lap.

2. Michelle blowing out candles with Heather watching (apparently Heather & Jillian share the same fascination for birthdays).

3. Heather sitting on Uncle Davey's lap (and it looks like she's twirling her hair, just like Jillian does these days).

4. Grandma Myrtle, Sheryl and Greta, with Heather in the middle.

5. Aunt Charolette, Uncle Davey and Michelle, with Heather on Dave's lap.

New Stuff XXV

2010-06-09T00:34:00.001-07:00

Been awhile since the last update, so here's a few new things:

1. "Now you'll never find it!" : This is something that Jillian has been saying lately when she throws something. We're not sure where this came from.

2. Wrapped Up : One of Jillian's favorite games is to get up on the bed and wrap herself up in the covers. She usually invites us to join her, saying "come sleep with me".

3. "No thanks" : If we ask Jillian if she has to go potty, she typically replies with a quick "no thanks". At least she's polite about it. Unfortunately, that's often followed by a little accident.

4. Ah-boo-hen : That's the phonetic spelling of something that Jillian has been saying over and over, but that we have no idea what it is.

5. Light Reading : Jillian loves carseats so much, that when she got a hold of the little manual that came with her carseat, it became one of her favorite books. Now, she reads it whenever she's in Daddy's car.

6. "I don't like that" : When Jillian tastes something and doesn't care for it, she'll usually respond by saying this, while narrowing her eyes and puckering up her mouth. This is a lot better than before when she'd just spit it out.

7. "Just one more book" : When we're done reading stories on the couch at night before bedtime, Jillian will jump down, turn around while holding up one finger, and say "just one more book". So, we always read one more book in bed.

Sighting No. 52

2010-06-05T19:55:00.001-07:00

It's a little tweak of the photo of Jillian, just for a little something different.

Treehouse Fun

2010-06-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Rick built this treehouse when Tierney and the boys were little. Behind it is a tree swing. From this main part there are two zip lines that go across to the second part that has a climbing wall and big net.

There is a huge truck tire and another swing between two trees. Jillian has been playing in the treehouse now and today when Rielee was here they were in it a lot. In one picture Jillian is looking out one of the eyes (called the spy holes). In another she is standing in the second part where the zip lines end. Another picture shows her in the inside of the treehouse that the kids painted a few years back. The other picture shows Rielee trying the climbing wall.

Right now Jillian likes the tree swing and going down the ramp. I really tried to get a picture of the two of them together but it was a wrestling match because Jillian wouldn't go for it.

Learning the Language

2010-05-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

Today Jillian would come up to me jabbering away and end the conversation with "Dang it!" or it might be "Darn it!". I thought that was probably better than the alternative that she may have heard from the workers on her new house addition.

She also showed her smarts today in a new way. We had just delivered Jillian home when she was wandering around her front yard and she broke off an iris that hadn't quite opened up yet so Daddy said "Jillian", frowning and Papa said "Aw, you broke it.". She stopped, looked at me and handed me the flower saying, "Here, Grannie, I picked you a flower", so what could I do but say, "Thank you for being so nice"? It was hard to keep from laughing at her ingenuity.

Another Softball Game

2010-05-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Tierney's Rocket team played Rainier for the chance to go to state and they won 15-0. It was a 1 o'clock game and Jillian slept on the way to Chehalis (30 min.). They didn't play again until 5 o'clock so it was a long wait in between. Jillian ate and played in the car with Papa the first hour and then we decided to take a drive so she would fall asleep again but she wasn't having any of that. So by the end of the 5 o'clock game she was exhausted but still played with Rielee very well. She tried to sleep on the way home but Tierney and her acted silly all the way-as Rick says, "Delirious." It was a good day as the Rockets won their second game easily and Tierney hit a home run in the Rainier game.

The New Closet

2010-05-22T23:45:00.001-07:00

One of the struggles we've been having with Jillian's potty training is that she refuses to sit on the toilet for No. 2. We had a one-time success weeks ago, but that was it; she throws a fit when we put her on the potty for No. 2 anymore. Grannie Woodruff has been trying and trying for weeks to make it happen, but Jillian has resisted. It's pretty obvious when she needs to go at Grannie's house ... she hides, typically in the closet in the computer room.

So today, Daddy was painting the new hallway closet with Jillian watching him and saying “good job, Daddy” like she always does. Daddy said, “This is the new closet”, to which Jillian replied, “I can poop in closet”. Mommy followed that up with a stern “No”.

Sighting No. 51

2010-05-21T17:05:00.001-07:00

Here's another photo of Jillian, showing how quickly she's growing up. She doesn't like to smile much for the camera, but it's a treat when she does.

And just in case you didn't know, you can click on the photo to see a much larger version.

The Sporty Look

2010-05-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

It's nice enough outside that Jillian put on a little sport jacket and shorts for the day, then proceeded to get some exercise outside. When she goes out in the front of the house, she likes to pull up clumps of grass and throw them around. She also likes to pull on Mommy's flowers.

Pretty hair

2010-05-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

This picture shows Jillian's pretty hair and how long it's getting. It is so fine, thick, and very straight. She loves to get it pulled up with a bow or "pretty".

She went to Ty's final track meet today and saw Ty win the high jump and a relay race. She was pretty tired so spent a lot of time on my lap, quiet, but not sleeping. She took "baby" along and spent time tending to her and the rest of the time she was getting snacks from Julie's stash - healthy ones of course, because that's all the boys will eat.

Mom's Day

2010-05-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, due to the all-around busy-ness the last couple weeks, and Daddy being sick. But, here's a photo of Sweetie-Pie at Tsugawa's Nursery, picking out a hanging flower basket for Mommy.

We celebrated Mommy's Day with a little breakfast in bed that Jillian enjoyed a little bit of. Then, Jillian got dressed up in her Spring outfit for church. After going to the nursery, we headed up to Castle Rock to wish Grannie and the aunts a happy day, as well.

Softball game

2010-05-13T21:33:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful sunny day. Tierney had a softball game so Jillian got to go and, of course, Rielee was there too. As these pictures show there wasn't much watching of softball. Jillian and Rielee were snacking and Jillian was admiring Rielee's sunglasses. Jillian did stop for a moment to pose for a picture and then it was off running or climbing bleachers until Daddy got there to ruin her fun of sitting in the rocks and piling them on her legs. Tierney's team won the game.

A Little Under the Weather

2010-05-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

Jillian has not been herself the past couple of days. With a slight cold she is just a little crabby without much appetite. She still loves to go outside and pick flowers with Grannie. This normally happy all- the-time little imp surprised Brock and Cale at dinner by saying a grouchy "No!" to everything. She will be a little crabby and then play happily with her "baby" for awhile or want to play with Mocha.

Oreo

2010-05-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ty came down for breakfast and since Jillian had already had breakfast she got an Oreo to eat at the same time. It's funny how kids find out that the middle of the Oreo is the best. She will take her Oreo apart and just lick the middle and not eat much of the rest of it. As you can see, most of the Oreo gets all over her face.

Funny girl

2010-05-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

Jillian can come up with the most appropriate phrases that always make me laugh. Tonight Rick and Tierney were in the living room and Jillian was playing nearby. Rick and Tierney decided it was time for ice cream and discussed what kind to have, peanut butter and chocolate or Moose tracks. They left and were in the kitchen when Jillian stood up and pointed at herself while shouting, "What about me?", "What about me?". She marched into the kitchen and made sure she got a bowl of ice cream too.

Water Obsession

2010-05-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

If there's water around, Jillian will find it. She is drawn to the water, but not to look at ... she wants to get in it and play with it. We find ourselves having to change her clothes often, since she manages to get herself "soaking wet", as she likes to say.

This first photo shows her playing outside with the water hose. It's a big, muddy mess in the backyard, because of all the construction, but Jillian likes to play back there anyways. This time, when we said it was OK to go play in the backyard, she immediately ran and got her cow boots on, so it looks like she's got that figured out. She spent all her time filling up the watering can and then pouring it out.

This second photo shows her playing at the YMCA pool. It was Mckenna's birthday party, and Jillian got to swim with her and Lindsey and all their friends. She also got to play with Wyatt. They went swimming, and spent a lot time on the side of the pool where they could splash around. Jillian got a hold of a watering can here, too, and proceeded to "water Dora".

Birds

2010-04-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

It took awhile before it was nice enough to go outside today. When Rielee came to play they kept pointing outside when the sun was shining but it was such a short time between showers they never made it outside. Both of them love to go outside to play.

There is a birdbath out front with two stone birds that Jillian is fascinated with. This photo shows her giving the birds a drink from the water she put in the birdbath. There is a wooden bird on a stick a short distance away that is bigger, which Jillian calls the Mommy bird, so she will take the two smaller birds to visit their mommy for awhile before bringing the babies back for a bath or drink. Of course, anything with water keeps her going for a long time.

Hand-me Downs

2010-04-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

Jillian has really enjoyed this new dollhouse as it has twin babies, a Mom and Dad, Grannie and Papa, a dog and many others plus all the furniture including a potty for the babies. It was Rielee's and they got it from Tierney so it's been around, as is the case for the neighborhood toys. Tierney was excited to see it again and played house with Jillian.

Roaming the New House

2010-04-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

Jillian loves to run around inside the remodeled part of the house. Her favorite part is jumping in between the wall studs. We have to watch her closely, because it's not entirely safe in there, but she does a pretty good job of staying out of trouble. A lot of times, she just tries to help out with the work. Her favorite job is to run the big Shop-Vac and suck up all the wood shavings.

Here's a photo of Jillian in the new hallway, with the walk-in closet behind her.

Sleepy Sweetie

2010-04-26T16:32:00.001-07:00

Here's just a quick little photo of Jillian taking an afternoon nap on the couch. She still doesn't care much for her naps, but she still really needs them ... otherwise we'll see Crabby Sweetie the rest of the evening.

House Remodel Photos

2010-04-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

We're going to use Jillian's blog to post a few before-and-after photos of the house remodel. Basically, it looks nothing like what it used to, after the new exterior walls and roof were put on.

This first photo is what the old house used to look like from the street, before we had even bought it:

Then, this photo shows the most recent view of the front of the house. There won't be many changes to this part, other than installing new windows and finishing the siding. And yes, we had to cut down the "Dr. Seuss" tree that so many people used to find our house. We don't miss it that much.

Nearly all of the work these days is on the inside of the house. Most of the interior walls have been framed up, and a lot of the plumbing is finished. We're going room to room and trying to finish those up as we can. The amazing part of this whole process is that we've been able to live in our little "house inside a house" since we began the remodel.

It's a Girl!

2010-04-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, we found out this morning that the new baby is a girl!!! Jillian will have a little sister to play with soon. It's seems that she has known it all along, because whenever we asked her, she always said that she wanted a little sister.

Mommy, Daddy and Jillian went to Southwest Washington Medical Center this morning for an ultrasound. Jillian got to go into the examination room, too, though after a few minutes, she got pretty restless since the video screen wasn't showing a Dora cartoon. The technician checked Mommy's tummy for quite a while, measuring this and that. When it was time to check the sex of the baby, Mommy agreed that we wanted to know. After a quick check, the technician said the baby was a girl! We were all very happy, and Mommy said that she had a feeling that the baby was a girl. The ultrasound went on for a bit longer, and we got a few pictures. The baby was pretty scrunched up in the womb, so it looks like she'll be long, too, like Jillian.

After the exam, Jillian celebrated by running down the hall, tripping and bonking her head on the ground; she ended up with yet another goose-egg on her forehead.

Yum!

2010-04-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Jillian is enjoying licking the pudding pan with a lot smearing all over her face. She got to spend a lot of time with Tierney since the high school softball game was cancelled. She likes to go potty and have Tierney read her a book. Then they hang out acting silly together.

Jillian is really doing well now on the potty training. I just ask her every couple hours if she needs to go potty and she'll say "yes", and run to the potty.

Number 2 Success!

2010-04-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

Daddy had just walked into the living room and noticed that Jillian was standing behind her rocking horse. When he asked "What are you doing, Sweetie-Pie?", she said "Bye, Daddy". That meant that she wanted her privacy to take care of Number 2. So, Daddy said "Let's go sit on the potty". For once, Jillian actually agreed and took Daddy's hand and ran into the bathroom quick. She sat up on her potty seat, gave me her {ooooomphhh} look that we had practiced, and then she said "I did it". And sure enough, she did! Then Daddy read the usual story to her, and when it was all done, she got to look at her Number 2 success ... and then flush it down the drain. Right away, she ran into the living room to tell Mommy the good news!

Thank you, Grannie, for getting Jillian to this point! She was very proud of herself.

Volleyball Tourney

2010-04-18T20:56:00.001-07:00

The volleyball tournament was in Corvallis and Albany for two days. Jillian and Rielee were wonderful playing with each other. They spent a lot of time huddled in the chair reading books. Then during one match they watched a Dora video on the Ipod. During the last match of the day Jillian fell asleep watching a video with Rielee.
The other exciting part of the two days was that Jillian got to wear her pretty underwear and shorts instead of a diaper and she went the two days without an accident. At the very end of the day

when we were leaving, Jillian had just awoke from her nap and needed to go to the bathroom but she was cranky. We convinced her to go with Grannie and since at home she gets a book read to her, she asked for a book and since I didn't have one I started to recite nursery rhymes and she would say no to the first 3 or 4 and then she started listening,all the while I was frantically trying to remember some. After we left the restroom, Jaws, who was in there at the same time said that it was amusing for everyone in the restroom listening to the nursery rhymes. Oh, well.

More Water Fun

2010-04-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

We decided that this combination water play area and sandbox would be great for Jillian since she loves to play in water. When Rielee came to play they played in the water and sand for a really long time. Rielee manages to stay dry but Jillian is soaked from head to toe in a short time so now I have a change of clothes ready. You may notice that not much water stays in the water area and the sand area looks like a water area in a short time.

4-month Appointment

2010-04-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

Heather went to the doctor Wednesday for her 4-month appointment to check up on the new baby. She saw Dr. O'Neal again, and she was examined thoroughly. Heather's blood pressure was normal. Then the doctor examined the new baby. The baby's heartbeat was 140 bpm.

At the end of the exam, they scheduled the ultrasound for next Wednesday (April 21). After having thought about it for some time, Heather has decided to find out the sex of the baby at that time!

Stay tuned for the news.

Jillian and Mocha

2010-04-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Jillian is turning into an animal lover. She is always giving Mocha a treat or bringing her a toy or stuffed animal. Jillian follows Mocha around or Mocha is continually following her. Mocha will not sleep if Jillian is awake and will constantly keep an eye on her. Sometimes if Jillian pesters Mocha too much, Mocha will lick Jillian until she leaves her alone. Mocha is so tolerant of whatever Jillian wants to do to her like put a "pretty in her hair", cover her with a blanket, or lead her around on the leash. This last picture show Jillian having Mocha kiss the "owie" on her toe.

Grannie's Birthday

2010-04-07T22:01:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Grannie Woodruff's 70th birthday on Easter Sunday with the whole family, though the actual birthday date is today. Grannie, Jillian and Rielee got to wear crowns for the party. As always, Jillian loved to hear the happy birthday song and help blow out the candles.

ABCs

2010-04-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Every time Jillian comes she bugs Papa to play ABCs (that's what she calls it) on Starfall on the computer. It's a great site that my sister Dianne recommended. It has helped Jillian learn the alphabet and the sounds for the letters in a fun way, as it's always children doing the talking. After each letter there's a game to play with that letter and that's what Jillian is doing in the picture, pointing out the correct answer. It's great as she always asks for Papa to do it for her and I can get something else done.

Easter II

2010-04-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

With Ava and Harper (Charbo's twins), Jillian is not the youngest cousin now. With this bunch it can get pretty wild during the Easter egg hunt but we did put a special spot for Jillian and Rielee to hunt eggs so they didn't get run over. Next year the twins will be right there joining Jillian.

Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T20:47:00.001-07:00

Now that Jillian is 2, she's a lot more into Easter. We've been reading lots of Easter books to her, and talking about looking for eggs and such, so she's been ready.

Easter Sunday started out early, with all of us going to church in the morning. Jillian wore her pretty new pink dress with white stockings, white shoes and white sweater. We were joined at Grace Lutheran by Grandpa Peterson, Auntie Greta, Cousins Meagan & Adam, Aunties Sheryl and De, and Cousin Andy. All of the kids did good throughout the service, playing and visiting quietly. After church, we all headed to the Monticello Hotel for Easter brunch for a huge buffet, where we met up with Dad T. Jillian ate lots and lots of breakfast food.

Our next stop was Castle Rock, where the Piercy family was having Easter at Grannie and Papa Woodruff's house. As soon as we got there, it was time for the egg roll, since it wasn't raining yet. Jillian tossed the egg overhand about half-way to the line, so unfortunately, she was out in the first round. After the raw egg toss (in which Mommy and Daddy took 2nd place to Cale and Will), it was time for the egg hunt. When it was time to go hunting, Jillian immediately ran to the fountain to splash in the water. Mommy had to re-direct her, and finally got her to start looking for and picking up eggs. After several eggs, Jillian was much more into it. She ended up finding about a half dozen. She also received several Easter baskets filled with fun things, including a new pair of Dora Crocs.

We headed home with a very tired (and cranky) Sweetie-Pie, after a very full day with no nap. But, Jillian had a lot of fun running around with family the whole day!

Zoo Trip

2010-04-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

Jillian went to the zoo with the Johnson clan yesterday as part of her birthday present. We caught a break and it didn't rain the whole time, though it was pretty cold. The trip started off with a walk on a long trail where we saw birds, wolves, and cows (at the zoo?). Jillian had a lot of energy and alternated between the stroller and walking, or should I say running! Ty and Brock were designated "chasers" when she would take off to see something.

After the trail, we started seeing some of the bigger animals such as the polar bears, elephants, cheetahs, and lions. Jillian was more in awe of these animals and would just stare at them for several moments before getting back in the stroller. We also saw monkeys that were sleeping and snakes that Jiliian said "SSSS" (and Aunt Julie stayed away from). We also stopped at the big field for a few minutes and she ran back and forth several times. Next we made a quick bee line through the hippos, zebras, and giraffes because everybody was hungry and we wanted to get to the crocodile "rainforest" ( a building that is very warm!).

Eating our packed lunch in the crocodile rainforest is a tradition of the Johnson boys who used to visit the zoo often when they were little. Jillian did not seem fazed by the big teeth of the crocs and just ate her peanut butter sandwich right by them (with glass in between, of course). After lunch, we could tell that she was getting tired, so we put her in the stroller and hurriedly saw the bats, tigers, and sea otters. Jillian yelled for the tiger to "wake up!" but it didn't work. Lastly, Jillian went to the gift shop and picked out a stuffed baby lion that she called her "puppy." All in all, we had a great time and Jillian fell right to sleep as we left for home.

New Stuff XXIV

2010-04-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

Here it is ... the latest of compilation of Jill-stuff. It continues to be funny:

1. Packing : When we get ready to go somewhere, Jillian immediately starts looking for something to take with her. It could be a baby, or a toy, or as many things as she can carry in her arms. We've managed to get rid of a lot of stuff, because Jillian often returns home empty-handed.

2. More Singing : Jillian continues to enjoy singing. She let loose with a couple new ones recently, including "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Ring Around the Rosy".

3. The Barney Song : When we went to the beach last weekend, it was non-stop Barney theme song. If you haven't heard it, she sings it like this: "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family, with a great big hug, and a kiss from me to you (muh), hope you say you love me too".

4. "Muh" : This is what Jillian says when she gives a kiss, either to people or her babies or when singing the Barney theme song (see above).

5. Bear, Bottle & Little Chicken : For a couple days, Jillian couldn't part with these 3 little things, carrying them around with her everywhere, and even taking them to bed. Just so you know, they were a little stuffed bear, a little toy baby bottle, and a Pez dispenser with a chicken on top.

6. Counting 2 Things : Jillian can actually count things, up to 2. She'll point at 2 things and say "1, 2".

7. "Don't Worry (Mommy / Daddy)" : This is similar to the "What's wrong?" that she had been saying earlier. There's no particular reason why she says it, though.

8. "Waaaahhhhh" : Jillian likes to pretend cry by saying "waaaahhhh", and has gotten pretty convincing in how she does it. But, she gives it away after she says "I cry like a baby."

9. "Hola" : It's evidence of the Dora influence on her; when we went to Wal-Mart the other day, Jillian was saying "hola" to people she'd meet.

10. "I don't like that" : This has become a common phrase lately. It's often followed by Jillian throwing that thing down.

More Princess Dress-up

2010-04-01T23:06:00.001-07:00

Here's another video of Jillian in her princess dress, princess top and princess shoes. She was definitely in a princess mood tonight.

Windy, Rainy Beach Trip

2010-03-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Not only was it windy and rainy at the beach, but it was also kind of cold, too. So, Jillian didn't get much beach time. We made one attempt at it on Sunday, and as soon as Jillian saw the ocean, she took off running and didn't stop until she got to the water. Once we were there, it was so windy, that her hair kept blowing into her face. It bothered her enough that she didn't want to stay, so we headed back to the beach house.

The highlight of Jillian's trip to the beach was definitely the Astoria pool. She finally got to wear her new Dora the Explorer swimsuit. We had been talking about it in the week previous, so that's all she talked about. When we first got into the kid's wading pool, she walked around and said "I'm in the pool" over and over. She slowly took it all in, playing a little bit and watching other kids. Eventually, she really got into the whole swimming thing, and ran back and forth between the wading pool and activity pool, splashing and yelling. After more than an hour of playing, we said it was time to go, and Jillian started crying. She continued wailing in the locker room while getting changed. She felt better after sharing a milkshake with Daddy.

It had been a while since Jillian had been to the beach house, so she spent a lot of time exploring, playing with the wooden puzzle and poker chips, and reading all the books. The weather was not very nice, so she spent a lot of time doing these things in the beach house. It was still a nice, relaxing time, and it's a good warm-up for the upcoming Kid's Day at the Beach.

When will the nice weather come?

2010-03-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

The only way to get a good photo of Jillian is when she doesn't know you're taking one, so I've been using the telephoto so she doesn't realize what I'm doing or I tell her that I'm taking a picture of Mocha. Today I got this pensive shot of her looking outside longingly, wondering when it will be nice again. Sometimes she will spot a squirrel and watch outside for awhile or see a pretty bird.

Another thing she does almost every day is to call Rielee on the frog phone downstairs and talk for a long time, with phrases like, "When are you coming Rielee?" or "That's fun!" and it goes on and on.

Yesterday when Rielee came Jillian had to show her right away how she could go on the potty, wipe, flush, and get 2 M&Ms. They both laughed excitedly and then Rielee said she would like to go potty too, and of course get 2 M&Ms. Later when Rielee went again she asked for her M&Ms.

Advance Notice

2010-03-24T00:29:00.000-07:00

Jillian is starting to figure out this whole potty thing. This past evening at Grannie's house, she was telling Grannie all on her own that it was time to go ... so they'd go into the bathroom and she'd immediately go wee-wee in the big potty seat. A little bit later, Jillian's big-girl panties got just a little damp, so she told Grannie right away, and she went potty on the seat again.

When Daddy took Jillian home for the night, she had a little accident. It was time for diapers and pajamas by then, but not much later after, she was telling Daddy that she had to go potty again. So, they went to the bathroom and Jillian sat on her little seat, and she went potty there, too. She was very excited! The little potty seat doesn't flush, so she goes ahead and flushes the big toilet. Finally, after drinking her milk and laying down for nigh-nigh, she got up and announced that she had to go potty again. Back to the bathroom we went, and she took care of business again.

Water Fascination

2010-03-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

Jillian loves to play with water-in the bath, throwing rocks in the water, or playing with the hose and her watering can. I turn the hose to low with a mist spray and she will play for the longest time filling and refilling her watering can and watering anything and everything. She even sprays the patio doors and scrubs them with a leaf. Then she calls Mocha and tries to cool her off with the sprinkling can, so Mocha keeps her distance. It's great because it keeps her occupied for a long time. Surprisingly, she hardly gets any water on herself now, but I stay out of range. (I only give her about 5 feet of hose.)

Happy Potty Girl

2010-03-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

Surprise! Jillian decided she would sit on the potty and smile for the camera since she was such a "big girl" now. I was putting her down for a nap and she said she had to go potty which I thought was an excuse, but as soon as I sat her on the potty she went. So much for that nap after getting excited. So she played and then went on the potty again but obviously not enough since she was playing with Brock and wet her panties immediately after. Maybe she got too excited but she did very well after that. I put her on the potty before her next nap attempt and then she went right to sleep.

Potty time

2010-03-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

We continued the potty training today and Jillian did great. As soon as we took off her night diaper she put on her "big girl panties". After breakfast, she was playing and had her only accident on the counter stool where she soaked it pretty good. (Since it was a nice day I took it outside and washed it down.) After that she would sit on the potty and I would read her two books for one M&M, but no successes. Shortly after one of these sessions she came running into the bathroom saying "potty" and she had success! She and I celebrated and she got to flush and get 4 M&Ms. The rest of the day I would time it so she had two more successes and no more accidents. It was a good day!

Bathtime fun

2010-03-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's great that now bath time is easy as long as I promise to wash Jillian's hair later in the sink. She had fun with Tierney today (Tierney had an appointment so could watch her in the tub) and Jillian never wants to get out. They were crashing boats and then Jillian got into splashing all over, even though that gets in her eyes. When bath and hair time is over, she gets thrown on the daveno to continue a cousin tradition.

After her bath, she was sitting on her new potty and went, so I asked her if she wanted to wear "big girl undies" and of course she did. And it was nice outside. She was pretty proud, so I took the little potty outside but no more successes and a couple of panty changes. But she isn't fighting it so that's progress.

2-year Check-up

2010-03-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

Jillian made a trip to the doctor's office today, for her 2-year check-up. Mommy drove her down, and Grannie came along, since Mommy had to go to the doctor herself to check on the new baby.

As soon as they were called back, Jillian started whimpering. Apparently, she was beginning to remember her past visits. Then, when the nurse measured her length, she began crying. And when it came time for the weighing, she was full-out wailing. Mommy and Grannie worked on trying to get Jillian to calm down. When Dr. Carrasco came, he tried hard to make Jillian relax. He checked both Mommy and Grannie before doing the same with Jillian. He did all the usual checks, and everyhing was normal. Jillian now weighs 27 lbs 6 oz, and her height is 35 inches.

The nurse came back in, and Jillian started crying again. Some fluoride was applied to her teeth, then came the bad part of the visit ... the shot. Mommy held Jillian in her lap, and the nurse gave her a quick shot (Hep A) in the leg. Jillian cried again. The nurse put a band-aid on her leg, but Jillian quickly tore it off in anger. Mommy and Grannie got Sweetie-Pie dressed and went home to end the doctor visit.

At home, when Jillian is asked where she went, she quietly says "doctor". When she's asked why she went, she talks about the owie on her leg (even though she points to the wrong leg).

No Pictures!

2010-03-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

This video is what usually ends up happening when Daddy tries to capture Jillian on film. It starts out with Jillian singing the ABC song, and after about half-way, she starts saying "no, no, no, Daddy ... I don't want take picture!" while waving her finger.

New Stuff XXIII

2010-03-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Whole bunches of new things to talk about. Mostly because Jillian has lots to say these days:

1. "Talk to Me" : When Mommy and Daddy are talking to each other, Jillian starts yelling this at us.

2. "Look at Me" : See the one above ...

3. Wonder Pets : This is a weird little kids show on television, that Jillian has watched a couple times. She loves it, because we find her singing the theme song a lot: "Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets, On the Waaaaayyyyy!"

4. Pats on the Back : If Jillian is coughing (usually after drinking too much water), she'll walk over to one of us and put her back to us, meaning she wants us to pat her on the back.

5. Pants on the Ground : Jillian has become more interested in the potty again. Now, when she wants to go potty, she takes her pants and diaper completely off, all by herself, and sits on the potty.

6. "What's Wrong, Mommy?" : She has asked this many times, sometimes when Mommy had the back pains, and sometimes just because.

7. "I'm So ... " : We hear this a lot. Jillian uses it for emphasis, and the ones we typically hear are "I'm so thirsty", "I'm so hungry", and at night-time, it's always "I'm so ready [for milk]".

8. "That's kinda silly" : She says this whenever she sees something funny.

9. Time-Out? : Jillian was being crabby and yelling, so Mommy said "Do you want a time-out?". Jillian said "yes", so Mommy replied "Then go to time-out". Jillian started crying and then ran down the hall to stand in her time-out spot (on the rug at the back-door). She continued crying for awhile, standing the whole time on the rug. Eventually, she decided to come back when she was ready.

10. "Cute" : We hear Jillian saying this a lot whenever she sees something cute. This mostly happens with her clothes, or with babies. She even said this about Cousin Adam when she saw him sleeping.

11. "Yahoooo!" : When it's time to be happy and celebrate, Jillian yells this out.

12. "Where Are You (Mommy/Daddy)?" : This is asked whenever she can't see us, and sometimes even when we're right in front of her.

13. Lotsa Talk : More and more often these days, Jillian likes to talk and talk ... to herself, to us, or to anyone.

Twinkle, Twinkle Song

2010-03-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday, Jillian busted out in song, singing all of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". We were surprised, because we hadn't really been singing it to her. So, she must have picked it up along the way. Here's a little video of one of her renditions:

Play-doh Player

2010-03-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

Jillian loves to play with her play-doh set where she can make animals by putting the play-doh inside and pushing to make shapes comes out. There is a snake and turtle (her favorites) and an elephant and a lion (which she calls a kitty because it looks like one). Before I had to do the pushing because it was hard to line it up right and push hard enough. Now she is determined, as you can see in this picture, to make them herself. She will do all of them and then she tells me "Again", so I dig out the play-doh and she starts over, filling each one and pushing again. This goes on for quite awhile. Today she added a new twist by using the snake head to cut the play-doh into tiny pieces which I see was ground into the knees on her pants and on her shirt sleeves. I'm glad she has an understanding Mom when it comes to laundry.

Rielee came today and they played hard and then we went up to see the babies, Ava and Harper, which Jillian ignored completely. Instead, her and Rielee climbed in the baby stroller and walker and pretended to be babies. All this wore her out and she took the longest nap!

The New Sibling

2010-03-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Mommy is now about 3 months along in the pregnancy, so she had an ultrasound, and here are the pictures of Jillian's new sibling! In the first picture, you can see the frontal view of the head, torso and left arm. In the second picture, you can see the profile of the head and body, including the feet. Mommy said the baby was very active, kicking and squirming all over the place ... just like Jillian. Like before, we don't plan on finding out the sex of the baby until the birth-day.

In case anyone is wondering, Jillian's blog will continue as it is(but with updates on the new baby) until the baby is born, then a new blog will be started that will be for both kids together.

Sighting No. 50

2010-03-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

A little more Photoshop editing of this picture of Jillian, as well. Mommy and Daddy have been saying to each other that our Sweetie-Pie is growing up and not a baby any longer. She's turning into a big girl.

New Stuff XXII

2010-03-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

Just a quick little update on what's new with the Sweetie-Pie:

1. "No Way" : It's not enough anymore for Jillian to just say "No!". These days, she'll say "No way" over and over, and she means it.

2. Habla Espanol : Jillian must have seen enough Dora videos that she picked up a little Spanish. We found her saying "cuatro, cinco, seis".

3. "Daddy AAAAALLLL Done!" : If Daddy is working, or has just got done with work, Jillian likes to say this.

4. Dora All Day Long : As soon as Jillian gets home, the first thing she does is turn on the CD player and start playing her Dora CD. We get to listen to it all the way through at least once, and then a second and third time if Jillian remembers to repeat it. Mommy and Daddy have found themselves singing Dora songs while at work.

5. "Not Too Bad" & "Just a Little Bit" : These are a couple phrases that Jillian likes to say often.

6. "Sit My Knees" : When we were at Coldstone for some ice cream, Jillian tried to stand in the chair. Daddy said "sit down", but Jillian went to her knees and said "sit my knees".

7. "I Lost Mommy" : Mommy went to Denver this past weekend to coach her team in a volleyball tournament. This was the longest that Mommy and Jillian have been apart. Jillian has been saying "I lost Mommy" all day.

My New House

2010-03-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

In the past month, Jillian's home has undergone a big change. With a new baby on the way, it was time to either move to a bigger house, or increase the size of the current house. Since we liked our location, we decided on a big remodel that would double the size of our house.

Uncle Davey and Grandpa Ken began just a few weeks ago, starting with removing the old attached garage. After that was out of the way, in came the excavator to dig out the dirt for the new foundation. It only took a couple days before footings and a stemwall were in place. Shortly after that, the floor joists went in. Now, we're waiting for an inspection before the floor goes down and the walls go up. In the meantime, parts of the roof have been removed (since the entire roof needs to be removed soon). Uncle Clark has been over helping, too. Mostly, he and Daddy just try to not slow down Uncle Davey and Grandpa Ken too much.

Whenever Jillian sees the new parts of the house, she stops and looks around, kind of wondering what's happening. Then, she calls it "my new house".

Sighting No. 49

2010-03-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

Daddy wanted to do something a little different, so he took a little photo of Sweetie-Pie and did some editing in Photoshop.