Tori's New Big Girl Bedroom

Another milestone met this week for Tori. We have been diligently working the last couple weeks to get her nursery transformed into a big girl room, and finally have it completed. We went to IKEA last night and purchased her new bed; an extendable bed frame that will grow with her from a toddler size bed into a regular twin size bed. Ej excitedly assembled the bed last night, and Tori was eager to climb right up. So, down went the crib and Tori spent her first night in her new bed. She pretty much went right to sleep and slept for an hour. Then she woke up a couple more times in the night and needed lots of snuggles but for the most part spent the whole night cozy in her big girl bed. I snapped these pictures before she woke up this morning. This morning after she was up, I finished getting her room put together with her new bedding, and new table.

She has been having fun playing in her new room. Was fascinated with her table and stools, and has enjoyed sitting down and coloring as well as carrying the stools through out the house.

So far so good with the transition into the new bedroom. Here's hoping that it lasts as successfully as it has started. Next on the agenda - celebrating her 2nd birthday on Saturday!

Mini-Milestone

Just a brief post to tell of our exciting morning today. Tori sat on the big toilet, and actually went potty today! She's been terrified of the big toilet, clinging for dear life (with arms and legs) if we try and sit her on it. Yesterday I purchased a cushiony seat that sits on the regular toilet seat, making it the perfect size for little bums. Tori was very interested in it and sat down with her clothes on yesterday. This morning I thought I'd see if her interest was still there. Down she sat with her jammies still on. Then, without any qualms, I stripped her down to see what she would do. By golly, she sat down like a pro and all of a sudden she piddled. While we (meaning me) weren't completely ready to start training, I think this new cushy seat may just bump us to that point pretty soon. All in all a very exciting morning!

Far Too Long

Once again, it has been far too long since I've posted anything. We've been home one week over the last 3 and those days have been plum full. We spent a week with Grammy and Pa learning to work in the garden. Grammy bought Tori her first wheelbarrow and we got to break it in. She had fun pushing it around the property, however, I think she had more fun helping Pa fill and push the real thing.

Tori's fascination with smelling the flowers continued throughout the week. Each time we went outside she would make the rounds to the different flower beds, enjoying each and every flower.

Probably my favorite event of the last few weeks was our first trip to the Oregon Zoo. We went with a group from our church and had a blast. I was really curious to see what Tori would think and how interested she would be. She loved everything and was very alert and attentive. We got to see polar bears, cougars, bats, birds, elephants, and she'll tell you very animatedly what we saw when you ask her. Her response is excited when talking about the cougars and the polar bears; a bit hesitant with the "Big Elephant" -- Packy was inside the elephant building and she was a little unsure as he walked toward the glass -- ; and animated when telling of the birds (Lorikeets) drinking.

And of course, what is a trip to the zoo on a warm day without an ice cream cone?

And lastly, a big first for our little girl this past weekend. She had her first sleep-over with our best friends, the Mattos Family. We had a busy weekend, with a couple adult only meetings; one Saturday evening and another Sunday afternoon. Mandy graciously allowed us to leave Tori in her care from mid-afternoon Saturday until late Sunday afternoon. And Tori did great (as did mom and dad). This freed us up to paint Tori's bedroom, which we've wanted to do in time for her birthday. We were able to get the painting finished Sunday night, and we are well on our way to converting Tori's bedroom from 'nursery' to 'big-girl' room. Here's a preview of her new big girl room...

Professional Pictures

Mandy and I decided to get the girls pictures taken together professionally. It was quite an interesting experience as both girls were in rare form, and did not want to cooperate. Tori was quite clingy at the beginning, and then both decided it was more fun to run out of the room being chased by mom. Surprsingly we did get some good pictures. Enjoy...

Random Pictures

Here are some cute pictures from the last few weeks...

Finally...

Wow, it's been a long time. Lots of things happening over the last few weeks, and the next several to come. Tori is fast approaching her second birthday (hard to believe it's only a month away) and continues to capture our hearts every day. She is talking more and has started using 'sentences' as her vocabulary increases. "No" has entered the picture now as well, though I'm noticing that she uses in most when she's tired. It's hard not to chuckle as she says it because of the cute inflection she uses but we're trying to limit her use of it.

A couple weekends ago, Mandy and I took the girls out for a play date at a kid-friendly cafe in Sherwood. They had such a good time playing with all the toys, and Mandy and I were able to enjoy a break from chasing after them.

We spent last week traveling around the greater Seattle are with Ej's job. We finally headed out of town around 11am on Tuesday, a couple hours later than scheduled due to a late night ER visit and early morning doctor visit for Tori. Don't be alarmed; she's perfectly fine. We were just dealing with our first case of hives, for which we have no idea the cause. After being assured it was alright for her to travel, we headed out of town, armed with benadryl. Aside from looking horrible, she had a great week.

Tuesday night we had dinner with my good friend from high school, Kim. We got reconnected a couple months ago and thought it would be great to meet for dinner since we were in her neck of the woods. We had great time. Tori was a little hesitant and stand-off-ish throughout dinner but her true colors shined afterwards. We were in a mall, so we decided to just walk around a bit and chat. Tori, of course, loved the freedom of being able to walk (and run). She developed a game in which she would run ahead of Kim and I and then stop and call out "Kimmie, Kimmie". It was the most adorable thing! She was really quite taken with Kim, and of course I was thrilled. It was a great evening, and I'm looking forward to the next time we are able to get together.

Wednesday evening we decided to drive into Seattle and do the touristy thing. We drove forever along the waterfront, but didn't want to pay to park, and had a hard time finding a spot under the viaduct so we decided to head back to the Space Needle area. Ended up paying to park there, but we were able to get out and walk around a bit, admire the space needle, and again let Tori run free for a while. She was especially interested in all the beautiful flowers and had to take the time to smell the rhodies. That has been our adventure the last couple weeks. We have a couple more days at home before traveling once again. We will be at Mom's next week while Ej's working in Eugene, and the following week we head back up north to Whidbey Island for our last big travel trip, at least for the time being.

New Obsessions

Three new obsessions have appeared... Hats, Sunglasses, and a stuffed cat