Reagan is ready for baby!

While I was tidying up the loft, Reagan announced she was going to the doctor with her baby. She went downstairs to the bedrooms and I continued to listen for her. When she is making noise while playing, she usually isn't getting into trouble. Silence tends to be a bad sign. Of course, she was silent. I went down immediately to check on her. She was in the baby room, rocking her baby (Dolly) on the rocking chair. She said, "Shhhhh, Mommy. Baby is sleeping." From the rocking chair, she got up and swayed with the baby in her arms. Just like a little mommy. She then placed (dropped actually) Dolly into the crib, shut the door behind her and said, "Baby is sleeping. Reagan and Mommy take naps too." Any bets that nap time won't be this smooth once baby actually arrives? She actually kept her hands on my belly for an extended period of time today. She didn't get to feel the baby kick - one of these days it will happen. 9 weeks to go!

Gram Pam was here! She came to see us while Ben and Gary went to Cozumel for a scuba trip. Reagan keeps saying, "I NEED Gram!" It is cute, but unfortunately, I can't do anything about this particular need. The good news is that we get to see ALL of Reagan's grandparents over Thanksgiving! We spent our time running errands, doing things around the house and playing. I tend to hit ultra-low gear when the grandparents come to town. I didn't cook for a week and I didn't change many diapers either! It was a lovely break for me and Reagan thoroughly enjoyed all her one-on-one playtime with Gram. One day, Reagan and Pam were playing with Reagan's learning house. Pam asked Reagan if she wanted to put a letter in the mailbox. Reagan walked over to her alphabet puzzle, picked up a couple of letters and put them in the mailbox! Just too cute. I also had an opportunity to go out dinner with Rachel, without a child attached to my hip. What fun we had! Reagan also had her 2-year wellness visit AND her first dentist appointment. Both were challenging experiences. She had 3 shots and for the first time ever, screamed throughout each one. Pammie could hear her in the waiting room. So what do her loving parents do to reward her for her bravery and courage? Throw her in the car and cart her off to another brand new experience involving scary tools and even crazier doctor folk! She did okay at the dentist but she certianly didn't love it. Who does? Doctor Daddy was off having a great time swimming with the fish while she was being tortured! :-)

We heard from "the boys" twice a day (they must have really missed us?). Reagan had her first successful phone conversation with her Daddy! She has been on the phone a bunch but she actually talked and responded to his questions. She tends to shy away from talking on my cell but now she goes all out when she gets a chance to talk on our land line phone. She paces around the house, just like her Daddy does when he talks on the phone. Pam has probably slept for 4 days straight because we worked her so hard. Thank you Pam! I am sure Gary is glad to have his gal home. We are very happy to have Benny home. After a week of scuba-diving (2 dives per day) he seems to be well-rested again. They had a great time and he deserved a wonderful break from his hectic schedule.

On Monday, Reagan and I went to the Please Touch Museum with our newly formed playgroup. It is AWESOME. The entire museum is devoted to toddler play - there is an entire mini-city that the children can run around and be independent. Reagan's personal favorite was the child size grocery store. There they were with their shopping carts, going up and down the aisles, grabbing any groceries they wanted. Then off to the checkout. It was just so sweet. There is a carousel, an Alice in Wonderland maze/garden, water play yards, slides, trains - the fun just continued from room to room. Needless to say, we became members at the snap of a finger. Reagan can count on going many MANY times this winter (especially when her grandparents are all here to meet the new baby!)

Our Jitterbuggin' Girl! Today we went to Jitterbug with Kam and Luke, at the local library. Reagan had great fun. It was such a joy to see an entire room full of 2 year olds - happy 2 year olds - playing nicely together. Our time was filled with stories, dancing, music making, parachute play and crafts. Reagan had a blast and we can't wait for next week! She ended the day playing in the leaves with Sam and the older neighbor kids (Keely, Austin and Sydney). Great fun had by all.

Sleeping update - we are in the home stretch! Reagan has weathered the storm. I can now say goodnight to her, tell her I will check in on her and that is good enough. She gives me a "good night Mommy. I love you." That is that! We also do hand kisses. She kisses my palms and I kiss hers. When we miss one another, we simply put our palms to our cheeks and then all is well. Whew! My friends told me to hang in there and sure enough, we got through it. I sure complained a ton about it though. Sorry to those who had to listen to my rants. I suspect that this same sort of thing will happen again when the baby comes home. We will be better equiped to handle it next time (but more sleep deprived!). Uh-oh! Naptime has also become easier.

She remembers everything!

We had a lovely day today. Reagan played with Abby in the morning and Sam in the afternoon. We also took a trip over to the library. Our library has a great children's section and I anticipate that we will be spending tons of time there in the upcoming weeks.

I have been working on encouraging Reagan to walk down the stairs on her own lately. She has been able to do so for months but lately has taken to "needing" me to take her. I don't want to carry her anymore mainly because it isn't exactly safe for all individuals involved. She fights me, of course. On Tuesday, she boldly stated "Hold Me!" My reply was, "Hold you?! No, I will not hold you! I am tired!" She followed me down the stairs and we continued on with our day. Move forward one day and we were walking down the stairs together again. Reagan stopped halfway down, smiled and said, "Hold you?! No, I will not hold you! I am tired!" How in the world does a 2 year old quote me directly, an entire day later? She also had us in hysterics over the weekend. I was complaining to Ben that my back was hurting. Reagan bends over, grabs her lower back, starts shuffling across the floor saying, "my back hurts!" What will she say tomorrow?

The Terrible Two's...

With every developmental milestone, changes present challenges! Since Sunday, Reagan has hit us over the head with the "terrible twos". This statement is almost literal. She has just been CRAZY! Temper tantrums, sleeping troubles, hitting, kicking, whining, licking and biting. Ugh. She does still manage to throw in a cute comment here or there. But, on the most part, she is truly testing our patience. Yesterday she was almost put in "timeout" by the ladies at the YMCA. Reagan is one of their favorite kids and typically can do no wrong in their eyes. Unfortunately, she completely throttled some poor unsuspecting little boy. When I picked her up, she merely walked by the little guy and he started crying. Regarding Baby Herdrich #2 they said, "that poor little baby!" Yikes. As Reagan's mother, I believe she will be a great big sister. It'll take some serious adjustments but I don't think it will be THAT bad. Wishful thinking?
For the first night in 3 weeks, she finally slept through the night without crying for me to come and lay with her. She has been throwing fits because Ben and I will not sleep in bed with her. We just don't do that. What I have had to do, in order to keep the peace in the wee hours of the night, is sit on a chair in her room until she falls asleep. This move is ridiculous to me BUT we have to get some sleep, somehow. Thankfully, today she woke with a full nights rest and I was fully anticipating a change in her daytime behaviors and attitudes. Not so much! She has been so naughty - mean even! By 9:30, she has already sat in timeout 3 times! She is currently having quiet playtime (and is actually being quiet and playing nicely). She will be taking an early nap today. It takes me an hour to get her down for her nap these days and then she sleeps for about an hour. Quite the time investment for an equal return but those 60 min. of shuteye are a complete necessity!
On a positive note, she has said some really cute things lately. We drove past a cemetery yesterday and she said, "Look Mommy, castles!" Headstones being referred to as castles is quite refreshing! She loves to dance and sing - and is doing so right now. When she was scarfing down a bowl of ice cream the other night, Ben told her she was a mess (it was all over her face!). She replied, "PIG!" Too cute! Her two most popular phrases this week are "I NEED it!" and "I LOVE it!". She convinces herself that she NEEDS everything! I guess she gets that from me. I am off for a fun few hours of play before nap time!

Reagan's favorite birthday present!

Reagan received a brand new friend for her birthday (sort of)! How cool is that? Our friends and next door neighbors welcomed their 2nd son on the 20th - one short day after Reagan's b-day. He arrived 2 weeks early but was very healthy. Reagan loves babies and was overjoyed to be able to hold little Will. Will's big brother Sam came over to play with Reagan yesterday. They both got new cash registers so they were operating the Sycamore Supermarket. It was so cute...they were both very serious about their business. These two are finally starting to play nicely together. Just in time for baby. They only had a few altercations throughout the day and that was WITHOUT a nap on Reagan's part. Sleeping issues with Reagan? Yep. Don't get me started. Baby Will comes home tomorrow!

Reagan is 2! We cannot believe that she is 2 already. While the terrible twos have already brought challenges, we are certainly having fun with her. She is such a little chatterbox and really a blast to be with. We laugh and laugh at the things she says. Her party was today. The weather was cool and beautiful. Sam, Sam & Lucy, Connor, Christopher and Luke made it over to celebrate. Reagan's pal Abby was sick. :-( It was great fun to have everyone together, playing, eating, laughing and eating some more! Reagan really enjoys being the center of attention. She enjoys opening gifts but really doesn't like to share. Old toys, new toys, or even toys that are not hers...she just doesn't seem to want to share. She is a normal 2 year old little girl then! We shall keep working on it. Sharing or not, she really loves her friends. She is now good at apologizing and "hugging it out". She loves to show affection towards her friends. We love that about our girl! Reagan fell asleep during story time tonight. This is a true rarity lately. She was zonked out after a wonderful day of being the Princess Ladybug.

My parents were here last week, hence the lack of blogging. We enjoyed our time with them. We went to the orchard, zoo and ran many errands. We also did tons of organizing and preparing for the baby. It made me feel so good to get the house cleared out a bit. I suppose you could call it "nesting". 3 months to go! It feels wonderful to have a room for Reagan and one now ready to be prepared for the baby. We are making room for the new little one!

Back to the normal swing of things tomorrow. Halloween is soon. Our friends are having their 2nd baby in just over a week. Gram Pam is coming shortly after. Many things to look forward to in the coming weeks! Enjoy the week ahead.

We are back from Wisconsin. The trip was GREAT! Ben and Quinn's surprise party ended up being an actual surprise party - even though there were ample opportunities for them to catch on. We arrived a bit late but the party lasted into the wee hours of the morning. Our late arrival was probably a blessing! The big travelers for the event would have been Damien and Cooper from DC and Jana, Todd and Brayden from MN. Ben was so excited to have them around for the weekend. Saturday continued to be a fantastic day. The WI/Ohio State game was really great. Well, the tailgate was great anyway. The "mommies" aka Jana and Leah went back to the hotel room with the kids while the others went to the game. That was PERFECT for us because we got to have some quality sister time. Pam and Gary took Reagan for the evening and that was a great help. We attempted to spend some time with Nic & Molly but Reagan had a meltdown and we were forced to leave. Molly and I agreed that Reagan's crazy actions in the Union served as great birth control for any students who were contemplating inappropriate relations! :-) Reagan wouldn't even eat Babcock Blue Moon ice cream! That is simply sick and wrong! We spent a bit of time back in West Bend but then hopped a plane to head back home. Reagan is certainly becoming a frequent flyer. She even takes on her own carry-on these days. She rolls her Abby Cadabby backpack around the airport. It really is too cute.

We are back in the swing of things here in PA. We have had 2 play dates the past 2 days, both with Sam and Lucy. We are going to the orchards with Reagan's other "boyfriend" Sam tomorrow or Friday.

I am off to the doctor for another visit tomorrow. The baby is moving around a ton more. He/she is now starting to wake me up with kicks. Perhaps the baby is hinting that it may be time to start talking about names...he/she is getting stronger each day and getting ready to get out!

Mom and Dad will be here Sunday as Ben is off to San Fran for the week.

Have a great week! LBR