Teaching Toddlers Bible Verses.

"You are the God who sees, you are the God who sees, you are the God who sees, 1 John 5:3"

"The Lord is good to all, the Lord is good to all, the Lord is good to all, Psalm 145:9"

That would be February and March's verses.  Imagine them in an annoyingly catchy can't get 'em outta your head song.  

We are teaching the girls Bible verses.  One a month.  We started it when Teagan was around 2 and a half but we let life get in the way and we were not as consistent as we needed to be.  We're back on track now and we've decided to do the same verses every year for the next year or two so that we know both girls really know them.  Because while Kyra claps to and giggles at the songs she, at 16 months, does not comprehend the words.  So, we'll do them again until she knows them.

I've also written them so they're in mine and Josh's face most of the time.  We have them hanging above the table and on door leading to our garage.      

What are some ways you're pressing the word into your kiddos?  We're all about creative ways to teach the girls the Gospel in our house, so please, share! 

Oh the things she says.

This morning Teagan wanted to call her Papaw and Mamaw.  She loves talking on the phone, especially to her grandparents. 
Teagan and Papaw chatted for a while and then it was time to hang up.  We have numerous "pet" names for each other in our family and this morning it just happened to be "Punkin"....

"Teagan, tell Papaw bye bye" - Mommy
"Bye, Bye Papaw.  Love you"- Teagan
"Bye, Punkin' have a great day at school!"- Papaw
"NOT PUNKIN', Papaw! Teagan Aiza Reid!!!" - Teagan

Well, at least I know she know her name.  She later said she WAS a pumpkin.  So, Punkin' Teagan Aiza Reid? Love it.

Oh the things she says.

Teagan is becoming so animated and coming into her own these days.  It is so hard not to giggle at her. Especially when she is serious. 
For example this morning...

Daddy- Can you go get the wipes out of Kyra's room? We left yours downstairs.
T-Otay Daddy.
T-I borrow Kyra's wipes Mommy.
Mommy- Okay sweet girl.
*Teagan toddles off*
Mommy-Bye Bye love you!
T- (turning around and giving me a sassy look) I not go bye bye love you mommy, I just gettin' dressed (drey-uhsed).


It took everything I had not to giggle at her because she was so serious.  Oh have we got our hands full...

The lengths girls go to get new shoes....

starts at the age of 2 in our family. 

Teagan is currently potty training.  We are grateful she goes to a school that is amazing when it comes to working with parents.  The other day she was trying to go potty and well, she pee'd in her shoes.  Honestly, I think it was just a ploy to get a new pair of shoes.  So, new shoes she got. Ruby. Red. Sparkly. Slippers....we're not in Kansas anymore Toto.

Something in the milk.

Some days I find myself wondering what in the world they put in Teagan's milk at school.

The days they give her straight milk she is a sweet, chat us up, sing "Wheels on the Bus" and "Jesus Loves Me" kinda girl.

The days when her legs flail, her head spins and she could break windows with the octaves her screams reach I wonder what in the world they laced her milk with.

Then I remember.  She's two. Full. Blown. Two. And I love her.

Night Night Stories.

We've read Teagan a "night night" story every night since we started her on an actual sleeping schedule.  So, about a year and a half ago.  As she has gotten older she has picked out the books she wants to read.  Lately, she's wanted to read "Mommy's Bible" and by read I mean read.  She will sit down in one of our laps and open the Bible and start reading.  We can't understand a word she says but she is serious and concentrating and reading her little heart out.  It is the sweetest thing ever.  I can't wait until she can slowly read my Bible for real.  I hope she always wants to read Mommy's Bible because I will always allow her to do so. 

What she wore. Teagan's version.

Teagan has a mind of her own.  There is no debating that.  Partly because she is almost two and partly because of her strong willed personality.  Sweet natured but strong willed.  I've said before that we pick our battles in this house and what Teagan wears to school and sometimes even to church is not a battle we participate in.  We let her pick her clothes.  Sometimes she rocks it out and other days we just have to laugh at what she chooses.  So, I've decided to try and do a weekly recap of her outfits for that week.  I'm a little late for last week but it's so worth showing you.

Wednesday

shirt: Target (hand me down)

pants: JcPenny

shoes: consignment (Stride Rites)

lion: Christmas present from school

Thursday

 shirt: Children's Place (it was too short, 18 mo, but she insisted)

pants: Gap

shoes: consignment

jacket: Osh Gosh, consignment

Sunday

S

shirt: Old Navy (can't see it but it's pink with a hedge hog, so cute!)

jumper: Baby Gap, consignment

leggings: Carter's

shoes: consignment

jacket: Osh Gosh, consignment

bib: Built NY

Long nights. Totally worth it.

It doesn't take much to mess with Teagan's sleep patterns.  New baby sister plus the infamous "terrible twos"?  Consider Teagan's world rocked.  Especially her sleep world.  We thought we'd gotten back to almost normal until two nights ago.  We had to stay out late because Teagan had her Christmas program at daycare and she was all hyped up after we got home.  She'd had just enough of a nap on the way home to tide her over for a little while.  Not. Good.  She didn't fall asleep until 9:30ish.  Her normal bedtime is 7:30.  She woke up the following morning around 5.  I'd just gotten back to bed after feeding Kyra.  But, Teagan had to get back up at 5:45 to get ready for school so it wasn't too bad. 
Last night was worse.  She'd had a normal day and went down like a champ.  Josh brushed her teeth while singing the "Sugar bug" song, put on her PJs, brought her downstairs to say goodnight to me and Kyra and tucked her in.  Kyra went to bed like normal around 8ish.  Kyra woke up at 1:00am.  Quite a shock to my system when she's been sleeping 6 and 7 hour stretches.  I was fine with it though as she usually goes back to sleep right away after a feeding.  Boy was I in for a treat.  She didn't go back down all the way until around 2:30am.  Really!?!
Ha, that isn't all.  Teagan woke up at 4am.  Yeah, you read that correctly, 4 flippin A.M.  She wanted to "rock a minute" so I rocked her a minute and then put her back down.   Secretly, as tired as I was I loved just holding and rocking her.  About 10 minutes later she was up again.  I rocked her one more time and put her back to bed.  It wasn't happening.  So, I let her cry for about 10 minutes while I sat in the middle of her room.  That didn't work.  I needed sleep. So, I told her she could either lay in her crib or she could lay in the floor with me but we weren't going in mommy & daddy's room.  She settled for laying on the floor with me.  Honestly, even though I was freezing in no socks and a nursing tank with no blanket, I was okay.  I don't get a lot of just Teagan time.  I rarely get cuddle time with her because she wants it less and less.  I laid there with her in my arms and just looked at her. I smelled her hair and kissed her head.  I'll admit I even cried some.  Thinking about how my first baby was growing up.  Eventually she fell all the way asleep and I was able to creep back to bed, for a whole 30 minutes. 
Should I have just let her cry it out?  The "experts" would probably say yes.  I really don't care what the experts say about it.  I think she and I both needed it. 

It lasted a month.

We made it a month before the jealousy started.  My poor sweet Teagan wants her mommy. me. all the time.  Occasionally Mamaw will do but for the most part Teagan wants my undivided attention.  It rips me apart.  It's been a little hard to adjust my mindset to the fact that there are two sweet girls that need my attention now not just one.  I find myself occasionally trying to take them both on at the same time.  One on one hip and the other in the crook of my other arm.  It's exhausting and frustrating all at the same time. 
My sweet husband tries to help but right now it's hard and I know frustrating for him.  I am Kyra's main caregiver right now basically because I provide her with nutrition and she's with me during the day and night so she favors me.  Teagan is realizing she doesn't always have my undivided attention and that is something she wants back so she only wants me right now.  My heart hurts when I see Teagan kicking and screaming for me when Josh is trying to comfort her.  I see hurt in his eyes and my heart breaks for him.  It will be better soon, it's just something Teagan is going to have to go through but it doesn't make it any easier on him right now.  I know how hard it's been for me the times she's been with just me and screams for her daddy.  It breaks my heart so I know his is breaking too.
Thankfully, this jealousy has not turned into resentment towards Kyra.  Teagan still loves on Kyra and wants to hold her hand and kiss and hug her.  We pray this is how it remains.  That Teagan will not hold resentment (in her toddler way) towards her sister. 
We have definitely come through the "honeymoon phase" of having 2 under 2 and now reality is kicking in.  We don't regret having Kyra in ANY WAY but we are now beginning the real learning process of how we are going to live with this new normal of ours.  Thankfully we have an amazing support system.  I know this will work itself out. It's just surviving the working itself out part.

And the Mother of the Year award goes to...

Me.
I had that first really awful Mommy moment this morning. I fell. With Teagan. On the asphalt. And she hit her head. I'm not sure what I tripped on or if I just fell over my own two feet.  What I do know is that my Mommy reflexes were not quick enough to cushion her head from the concrete.  So, it bounced and THEN I caught it.  We were in the middle of the car line at school and all I could do was sit there (yes, in the road) and rock her while she cried because her mommy had just fallen and she'd gotten hurt. After about 45 seconds I regained my composure and realized we needed ice or a "boo-boo pack" (and to get out of the road) so I rushed into her school, got one out of the freezer and immediately applied it praying the knot would come up so we were in the clear of a concussion.  I went into an empty classroom with a rocking chair and just sat there rocking her, holding the "boo-boo pack" and apologizing over and over again.  She snuggled up to me and just sat there while I rocked her trying not to cry.  After a few minutes she wanted to hold the "boo-boo pack" and I felt the knot and saw the bruise and I knew she was okay.  That didn't stop me from snuggling with her for a few more minutes before I took her into her classroom. 
After I got her settled I went to the car and cried. Then I cried some more.  I have never felt so bad. I keep replaying the fall in my head along with the sound effects.
Thankfully, we are both okay, just bumped & bruised. I do know it will take a few days for it to get outta my head though.  Big fat Mommy Fail.      

Pumpkin patch

We are trying to get in as much as we can before Baby Bear gets here and we are slightly confined to the inside of our house for a while. 
Saturday we met up with the Heavner's and went to the pumpkin patch! We had a blast!

It's the little things.

The more time I get to have as a mommy the more important the little things become to me.  In the next few weeks it will no longer be just Teagan, Josh and I. It will no longer be just Teagan and I.  There will be a new addition.  A new blessing. A new piece to my heart.
These last few weeks I have tried and am trying to make it a point to snuggle Teagan more and savor the just me and her time because that time grows short and I will soon have to make it a point to find that time. 
The other night we had a string of Fall storms that had the personality of a good NC summer storm.  When I got home with Teagan the storm had cleared and there was a warm steady rain coming down.  The kind you dance in with your high school sweet heart and steal a kiss.  The kind that helps you feel that sense of release when you run in it.  The kind where you dance and twirl and puddle jump with your sweet toddler babe. No shoes required. 
Dancing and twirling and puddle jumping barefoot was exactly what Teagan and I did while Josh watched and smiled.  I think he watched and then went inside to start dinner because he knew Teagan and I needed that.  I thought for a second to have him get the camera and capture the moment but then I decided against it.  This was one of those moments in time that didn't need a camera to catch how special it was.  My sweet girl had a smile plastered on her face.  Her pants and shirt and hair were soaked and mine were equally wet.  It was amazing.  It was just the two of us.  The rest of the world had disappeared into the background.  It's a moment that I won't soon forget.

Night Terrors.

Imagine this: It's 12:34am and you've been asleep for a good hour and a half.  Suddenly the monitor next to your bed is screaming the toddler version of bloody murder.  The kind of scream where they are looking for you while something scary is happening and can't find you.  You run into your toddlers room, pick them up from their crib and they continue to scream. They have no idea it's you that has just picked them up, is softly talking to them and rocking them and trying to make it better.  They continue to scream and squirm and kick.  All with a look of sheer terror on their face.  They continue to call for you.  They are screaming "Mommy, Mommy".  You feel helpless.  Your sweet husband comes in trying to help.  Your toddler scrambles for your husband but continues to cry.  They are confused and disoriented like they are worlds away.  Finally they wake up and you take your child back.  They nuzzle into your neck and you rock them and just hold them, stroking their head and their back and they you lay them in their bed and they fall right back to sleep. Now, you try and go back to sleep which takes about an hour because of the amount of adrenaline that was running through you the last 15 minutes.  
Imagine that scenario around 3 times a week for the last month.  We've finally accepted it is the inevitable Night Terrors.  We've thought it for a while and now we are treating them as such. 

I've researched the hound out of night terrors and this is the basic information I've come up with.

Symptoms: (Teagan has had all of these symptoms)
*increased heart rate, increased breathing rate and sweating
*happens 90-120 minutes after the child falls asleep
*child is frightened but can't be awakened
*child is disoriented, confused and unresponsive
*child does not respond to comforting
*episodes last anywhere from 3-30 minutes

Treatment:
*do not try to wake the child (this isn't something we've done yet.  we get her out of the crib and at least hold and try to comfort her).
*make sure the child isn't hurting themselves (thankfully, Teagan doesn't thrash she just sits or stands up).
*wake the child 10-15 minutes before the expected episode or at least "disrupt" their sleep pattern.


We have started her 7:30 beditme back to ensure she is getting enough sleep (over-tiredness is a cause) and we disrupted her sleep pattern last night (we moved her in her crib so she was kind of awake but went right back to sleep) and she didn't have an episode.  I called her doc just in case and hopefully will have an answer or an opinion by this afternoon.  Hopefully we can continue this routine and the night terrors will go away.  Have you dealt with night terrors? If so, we worked for you?

Here are some websites I looked at:
http://night-terrors-children.com/
http://children.webmd.com/guide/night-terrors?page=2
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/night-terrors
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/sleep/a/night_terrors.htm