Update!

So I have finally made a few minutes to update this blog(honestly its more like a whole day of coming back to this until its finished). I really want to do it more often but I honestly just havent made it a priority. So as much as I want to say I am going to try to update this more, its more than likely going to remain an every few months kind of thing. Life for Julia and I has been great and things have settled down and I finally am at a point where I feel the people that really matter and make a positive effect on our lives are all here with me and have been such an encouragement for us during this time of adjustment and the ones who havent been there for us and cause nothing but drama, disappoint, and hurt are not. I am learning you cant make people, whether family or friends, care about you or be there for you, they either are or they arent, its a tough lesson to learn but one that is neccessary for growth sometimes and also necessary to show that God is the only one who will never disappoint or hurt and will always be a present help during times of trials. I am also learning how to balance being a full-time mom and a full-time employee as well, I count myself as a full-time mom as well because even though I am at work a good amount of the day, I am still a full-time mom all at the same time. I am giving a 100% here with her in mind and all for her. Being her main provider can be a tough task but the fact that Im doing it and God is giving me the strength, there are days when I do feel sad that Im not with her a lot of the weekday, but there are also days where Ifeel like a pretty darn good hard-working mother. I work my tail off for her all day and then I go home and am giving her that same 100% with the time we spend together. All by the grace and strength of God am I able to it:) By the end of the day after I bed my little JuNo to bed, I am one tired mama! But, it doesnt end there either.....once she's asleep its preparing for the next day. I dont rely on my babysitter to provide her food and because of the fact that Im not there for her breakfast and lunch, feeding her healthy and good foods is just another way to make me feel better about her time without me. So I cook her up eggs and toast or pancakes, sometimes the occasional bowl of cereal, but I really try to be creative. Lunch is the same, cold cuts sandwiches or soups or veggie hot dogs, homemade applesauce, lots of fruits and veggies and some healthy snacks, like rice cakes and raisins. My cousin Alyssa was chuckling at me yesterday for giving Julia flavored water instead of juice. I do give her apple juice as well, but I really try to give her as much water as I can get her to drink.

Lots of new adjustments for Julia over the last few months. She has been 100% potty-trained(day and night) since about November, so in December mommy pulled out the big girl bed. She did amazing, she doesnt get out and wander around, she sleeps with about 5 or 6 different stuffed animals and baby dolls, and just continues to be a great sleeper. After a couple months in her big girl bed I decided it was time to get rid of her pacifier. I wanted to do it earlier, but she ended up being potty-trained and made the big girl bed transition first and I didnt want to do too much at one time. She never was allowed to walk around with it in her mouth in public or just whenever she wanted, it was always just a bedtime or naptime thing, but it just was time for it to go. Once again she absolutely surprised me and did amazing. She was pretty upset the first night and cried for about an hour, which absolutely broke my heart, but I knew it was for her own good and just stuck it out. After that initial night, she was fine. She would ask for it a few times but the "your a big girl now" speech totally sufficed her:) I felt so sad as these baby traits one by one started to disappear and to watch her officially become this little girl and not a baby. I cant believe how smart she is. It continues to amaze me how quickly she picks up on things. She now knows all of her alphabet and is learning how to write them now. She's got her colors down, as well as a few of her shapes and she knows her numbers too. I can comfortably say she's got 1-10 down. She can keep verbally counting to about 15 or so but still struggles with recognizing them out of order past 10. She loves to do crafts, painting, drawing and cutting. She like when I cut out shapes and let her trace them on paper, her favorite part is trying to trace her hand, I cant tell you how many traces of Julia's hand that I have...lol! She knows a whole bunch of fun kid songs and loves to sing them with me in the car on our way home. She absolutely loves to dance and tries to pretend she is doing "ballet". I cant wait to put her in dance classes hopefully when she's 3 and see if she has the passion for dance like I did. I really feel like 3 will be a better age for her to actually start to retain the intruction better and be able to take direction a little better as well. Right now she has her own agenda and her own way of wanting to do things, sounds a lot like me:/ So thats pretty much a sum of Julia these days, minus the random terrible two meltdowns that occur! This girl is an emotional extremist, when its good ,its really good and when its bad, it really bad.......lol!

Hope to update again soon......but dont count on it.....lol;)


-JuNo's Mama