Samantha: 19 Months, Week 2

Well, this week started with our Toll Family Christmas celebration.  We had to do it a little differently than normal because of the two little ones.  Instead of picking numbers and having each person pick a present for the next person, opening up one at at time, the girls helped pass out the presents so that everyone had one, and we all opened them up at the same time.  It was a little chaotic, and I couldn't tell what anyone else really got, but the girls had a great time tearing off the wrapping paper.  The hardest part for Samantha was the fact that everything was in a box and wrapped up.  She wanted to play with everything right away, and you know how hard it is to remove kid's toys from the packaging.  There was also one time where Samantha was about to open a big present that had the play pots and pans in it.  She leaned onto the paper where there was just empty space underneath and her arm fell through the paper.  She really surprised herself and started crying so hard.  I eventually had to pick her up and take her in the other room to quiet her down.  Then, the rest of our present opening time she was a lot more reserved and hesitant.  It was sad, but also kind of funny.

Samantha got some wonderful presents, an ABC puzzle, large wooden table with primary colored benches on each end and a storage basket underneath, a four foot long stuffed dog, a couple of wooden puzzles, play fruit and vegetables, play pots and pans, a little doll with pretend bottles and pacifier, some socks, some little divided plates, and a Dora hopscotch play mat.  There are probably other things that I missed, but we certainly felt blessed by the generosity of our family members.

Here is a video of the girls opening their goody bags from grandma with hair clips, crayons, and a coloring book.  They sat at the little table (the present from Tim) for quite awhile coloring and playing.

Later, after all the presents were opened and we were getting ready for our Christmas lunch, the girls wanted to climb inside the big box that the large stuffed dogs came in.  You know, they got lots of nice presents and wanted to play with the box.  :)  Isn't that how it always works with kids?

Here are a couple of pictures of Samantha and Alaina out for a walk with Grandma on Christmas Eve.

Later on that day, after nap time, we went outside and went sledding down the big hill in their backyard.  There was not too much snow, but enough to slide down.  Saying that Samantha loved it wouldn't be a strong enough expression of the delight on her face and in her voice as we rode down the hill.  She loved it so much that she cried when it was time to get off a the bottom, and the walk up the hill was agonizing, followed by relief when we finally sat back on the sled with her.  She probably would have spent the rest of the afternoon out there sledding, well past when every once else went inside.

On Christmas Day we ended up not doing anything too exciting since we already celebrated and opened presents yesterday.  We just played and enjoyed all the new presents.

One thing Samantha did enjoy at Grandma and Grandpa's house was riding around in the jogging stroller in the house.  She would climb in and say "Ready!"  I guess when you can't go outside due to cold weather, this is a good option!  You can also see in this picture below Samantha's two dollies.  The one on the left she received for her first birthday from Melanie, the one on the right she got for Christmas.  The rubix cube in the middle met its end when Samantha chucked it on the hardwood floor in the entryway.  It's amazing how many little pieces it broke into!  I love this picture of Samantha below.  She has such a beautiful smile! 

Originally, we were planning on leaving the day after Christmas (Wednesday) to drive up to Chicago to see my family.  However, there was a huge snowstorm coming and we decided to wait a day before traveling up.  We were supposed to get over a foot of snow, with high winds.  So, we spent the day after Christmas hanging out in the house.  It was very relaxing, staying in our pajamas most of the day, cuddling on the couch, and snuggling up under blankets.  We even turned Sesame Street on TV at one point in the morning, and Samantha laid with her head on my lap watching the show for quite awhile.  It's so nice to be comfortable and relax as a family.  Later on that day, after Samantha's nap, we went over to the Taylor gym to run around and get some energy out.  Samantha never does very well being cooped up inside all day.  She had a great time playing around in the gym.  She found a big, soft cushion used for track and field that she really enjoyed walking around on and jumping on.  She also got to watch a boy play basketball, and ever since then she will move her hand up and down and say, "bounce, bounce," just like the boy in the gym.

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On Thursday we left for Chicago in the morning so that we could get to Chicago in time for Samantha to take a good nap at my grandma's house.  Ben drove the first half of the drive in case the roads were a bit icier.  We decided to go up 69 and take the Indiana Toll-road across the Illinois rather than taking smaller country roads, to maximize well-plowed roads.  We then stopped for lunch and got some chicken nuggets for Samantha, and I drove the rest of the way.  Ben did a good job keeping her awake in the car, even though it was very difficult at times.  We wanted her to have a good, long nap at my Grandma's, rather than a short one in the car.  You can see our VERY full back of the car.  This is what happens at Christmas time with presents and all the stuff you have to bring to be gone with a toddler for a week and a half.

Well, that night, my family came over to my grandma's house for dinner.  We got deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's pizza, but it was very difficult for Samantha.  She is kind of an early eater anyways, starting to get hungry for dinner around five o'clock and with the hour time change, that means Samantha was a hungry little girl when all of my family finally arrived after they were done with work for the day.  Samantha hardly ate much at all because she was so tired and ready for bed, but she still had a good time seeing more family.  She loves being around people.

The next day we went with my grandma and Don to one of my favorite restaurants as a kid.  It is a pancake house with really good, large portions, and a train that circles around a Christmas tree in the middle of the restaurant.  I figured Samantha would really enjoy watching the train.  We had to wait for a few minutes, but Samantha did a great job.  She got to have some of Mommy and Daddy's ham and cheese omelette and chocolate chip pancakes.  Towards the end of the meal, when Samantha started to get a little antsy, I took her over to the train, stood her on a chair, and she watched the little train go around and around for a good ten to fifteen minutes.  After that, we made a quick trip to Target and the mall to allow Samantha to burn off some energy before returning to my grandma's apartment.  Samantha loves walking around malls.  This particular mall had a Christmas setup in the center with mice statues and Samantha kept calling them "Minnie Mouse."  She was very sad that she couldn't go in and touch "Minnie Mouse" that was behind the fence and talked about her all the way back in the car.

Saturday, my whole family came over again to celebrate our family Christmas.  Ben and I volunteered to make our traditional Christmas dinner of turkey and all the trimmings.  We had a good dinner together and then opened presents.  My family already opened their presents on Christmas Day, so the presents exchanged were just for our family and our presents to my family.  Samantha was pretty excited about getting to open up presents again.  And again, Samantha got some great gifts.  She got a Minnie Mouse potty, a suction cup holder for her bathtub toys, a lacing toy, an Elmo chair, and many other wonderful gifts, including a little Christmas dog that jingles and sings, which Samantha thought was very great (as you can see in the video below).

Sunday we went to church, and we had a really tired girl on out hand.  Over the last several days, Samantha had developed quite the bad cold and cough.  The poor girl woke up many times a night and cough.  She's so cute because after she coughs she says, "drink," because we have trained her to take a drink when she coughs or begins to choke on something while she eats, and now she has carried it over to other things.  I think with all the traveling and commotion of the holidays, she was just exhausted.  On the way to church in the morning she was already talking about wanting to take a nap.  She did well in the nursery during church even though she really wasn't feeling well, but on the way to the restaurant for lunch, she fell peacefully asleep in her car seat.  We didn't have the heart to wake the poor girl up, just to take her into a restaurant, so Ben lovingly offered to sit out in the car with her while she napped and came in later after she awoke.  Here's a cute picture of her sleeping in the car.

Unfortunately, she did not nap anymore that day, which she could have used.  However, we had decided to stay in Chicago one more night and head out on Monday morning, that way Samantha would not have to be in the car for a long time in one day, my family could see her a little more, and I got the chance to see my siblings longer and play games with them.  We had a good night together, and Samantha enjoyed her time with her aunt, uncles, grandma, grandpa, great-grandma, and great-grandpa.

Samantha: 19 Months, Week 1

This week was my last week of school before Christmas Break, and we had several exciting things going on in the Toll family amid all the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas.

On Wednesday I took my 3rd grade class on a field trip to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis.  We left first thing in the morning and stayed as late as we could so that we got back just in time for pick up at the end of the day.  Since Ben was hanging out with Samantha for the week, he decided to come along as a "chaperone" and bring Samantha, too.  (Samantha LOVES the Children's Museum.)  Ben's mom also met us at the museum for the day since she was also done teaching for Christmas and couldn't pass up an opportunity to hang out with her granddaughter for the day.  I didn't spend too much time with them during the day, as I had a group of girls that I was chaperoning, but I did get a chance to go on the Yule Slide and the carousel with my little girl.  Here are some cute pictures from our time at the museum and videos of the slide.

I was surprised with a snow day on Friday which allowed for us to get packed up in the morning and head out for our Christmas traveling early.  We left for Upland, got lunch on the road, and arrived in time for Samantha to take a nap there.   We had a good time hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma that night.  Samantha was excited to see them, especially Grandma, since we saw her three days in a row this week.

On Saturday morning we had our Christmas for Samantha so she could open her presents separately before the Toll Family Christmas on Monday once Ben's brother and sister and her family arrived.  She wasn't quite sure what to do with the presents, but once I started ripping the paper for her, showed her what to do, and reassured her that it was okay to rip the paper, she got the swing of things.

We gave her a doll stroller, play plastic dinosaurs and horses, a play purse, a Playschool bus, and I made a jewelry box for her with a picture of her on the front and lots of necklaces and bracelets on the inside from the dollar store.  The jewelry box seemed to be her favorite present.  She would spend many, many minutes taking the necklaces on and off, as you can see in the video below.

Later that day, after a wonderful dinner of vegetable soup, the Riley crew arrived and Samantha was so excited to see Alaina.  She loves her cousin.

The next day was church in the morning.  We were up and ready fairly early, so the girls had some play time before we had to leave.  Here is Grandma, also known as Ema, reading her two granddaughters a story.

After church, we went back to the house to let the dogs out, grab our sandwich lunches, and hit the road.  We drove out to see Ben's Grandma and extended family in Ohio.  We hadn't seen any of them since Christmas last year.  Luckily, after we ate a quick lunch in the car, Samantha fell asleep in the car.  We were a little worried because this past week we switched her around in her car seat to forward facing.  She LOVED the new perspective on the world, interacting with us more, and looking out the front window at the world passing us by.  However, we were afraid that this would make it difficult for her to fall asleep in the car since she is such a social baby.  Samantha slept for almost the whole rest of the way to Ohio, letting Ben get some work done as well.  

Once we got to the house, Samantha was so excited to see all the people, especially Ben's cousin Sheri and her two little dogs.  Samantha spent the first twenty minutes following the dogs around, trying the pet them and hug them.  She is definitely an animal lover.  We had a good lunch, even though Samantha wasn't too interested in eating.  Samantha got to play down in their basement with many new toys, and I got a chance to talk to Ben's cousin Crystal about education, children, and homeschooling.  It was a great afternoon.  We left around dinnertime, picked up some nuggets on the way, and it was my job to entertain a tired Samantha on the way home.  Samantha and Alaina had some more time to play once we returned home, then it was off to bed.  After all, our Christmas was tomorrow morning!