Monday, January 12, 2015

Teagan Leigh, B.S. (big sister)

This post has been in the works for at least 3 months now. And today you turn 2 1/2, so I thought I would finally commit to sitting and finishing up this post. I originally intended it to tell you how you are as a big sister, but now I'm including all the other fun things you've been doing the past 6 months too. Teagan Leigh, let's be clear though...there would never be enough room in one post to fit our love for you and your giant personality.

....

Teagan Leigh, you have certainly embraced your new role as a big sister. You are simply the best. I figured I'd do a post all about you since I'm no longer doing your monthly posts and you have started to enter one of the cutest stages yet. Okay, and if we're being totally transparent...one of the most frustrating stages too. There are days where I think that I might lose it as a parent {and maybe some days where I actually do}. But then you do something so stinkin' sweet or cute and I'm able to laugh. We have good days, we have bad days, we have okay days...and no matter what kind of day it was, at the end of it we still look at you and are totally filled with love.

You LOVE your brother and your new role as a big sister. {In fact, since I started this post months ago, it hardly seems like a new role anymore. You have embraced it so well.} Most of the time you do a really good job looking out for him. You get his diaper ready when it's time for a change and his burp cloth when he spits up. You have shared your blankie with him and told me "see...niiice and waaaarm." And sharing your blankie is a BIG.DEAL. You've even been spotted holding his hand in the car when he's crying. Sometimes you even give him his pacie when he isn't crying, which ends up looking like this after you don't keep it up:
One day I ran into my room to throw on a shirt and you were in your room doing the same. Reynolds was on his bed and started crying when I left the room. He got quiet again and when I went in to check on him, I noticed you had already crawled up on the bed with him and had given him his pacie. It was such a sweet moment-like you were coming to his rescue because I couldn't get there soon enough. Then the other day, he was crying while I was in the middle of prepping dinner and couldn't get to him right away. I looked over and you were trying the pacie, which he was NOT having, and when that wasn't working you got close to his ear and whispered/shooshed him. You were so patient with him and were willing to try whatever it took to get him settled. By that point, I could have gotten to him myself, but I decided to let you because I loved getting to watch that. You'll also tell him, "It's okay Reynolds, I got you." or "It's okay Reynolds, Teagan is here." And then my heart melts into a puddle on the floor.
and you're always there to entertain him during tummy time too...

You also get very concerned about it being quiet when he's sleeping {sometimes that is}. There have been several times that we've been cleaning up the Legos and as I'm chunking them in the bin, you'll say "No Mommy...like 'dis (and you slowly and quietly place the Legos in as to not make any noise)...Wawolds sweep (Reynolds sleep)." Haha, oh excuse me for making too much noise Miss Big Sister.

And maybe even cuter than that was when we were eating lunch while Reynolds was sleeping in the den. You asked for one of my chips and when you started to eat it, you realized the crunch was really loud in your ear. So you started verrrrry slowly and quietly chewing your chip because "Wawolds sweep". Oh my goodness!!!

But being a big sister isn't all that you are. Here is a look at some of our other favorite things about you right now...

You are talking so much more, and you often get so excited about something you're trying to say. So excited in fact that you go into this fit of really fast stuttering/mumbling jibberish as you try to find the right words and then once you do, it normally is followed by "taaaaaaay?!?" {okay?} I have yet to really capture this on video because of course as soon as I turn it on, you'll stop and tell me "no pictures Mommy." I have to though because those are certainly some moments that I never want to forget. All your C's are T's (cow-tow, cool--tool, cupcake--tuptake, etc) and your F's are S's (phone--sone, fish--sish, fun--sun). Sometimes it gets a bit confusing and then I have to remember to switch my letters to decode your messages.

{And now since it has taken me several weeks months to post this, I was able to capture some of your rambling.}
You have recenlty gotten to the stage where you repeat everything we say. You bring to our attention little phrases we must say a lot. The other day your dad did something silly, and this was your response...
You are now potty trained! We hit that milestone soon after Reynolds was born. You seemed very interested and after I started changing his tiny little hiney, yours looked so much bigger and made me think it was time! You still wear pull-ups for naps and at night. Most often your pull-up is dry after naps but not for nights. We were doing great with it, but you've had a few accidents somewhat recently. I don't know if it is because you are regressing a little or if it is because we're trusting you and not pushing it as much anymore when you say no. Either way, you treat it with as much excitement as you do most things. We've recently learned what 'privacy' means and sometimes you'll ask for it, but most times you'd invite just about anyone in to see what a big girl you are. 

When you hear the garage opening because your dad is coming home, you sprint to the door and open it to wave at him and give him the sweetest "heeeeey daaadddy!" He often comes home from work to eat lunch with us, and you like to stand at the door and blow kisses and wave goodbye to him...and you will do it until the garage is completely closed, even if he can't see you for that last half.
Although you absolutely love it when your daddy is home, he seems to have done a good job helping you to understand why he has to go to work. You'll say "daddy...work...money...buy tings." (Daddy goes to work to make money so we can buy things.) And when he comes home from work, he'll give you a few coins to go into your piggy bank. A couple of weeks ago as he was leaving the house after lunch, you were telling him "all done work" because you wanted him to stay, he reminded you that he had to go to work to get money. You then started saying "No, daddy, no...(as you run over to your toy chest and pull out a coin purse that he's put money in for you before)....here!" Anything to keep your daddy at home!
This was just the other day when he came home for lunch and had to leave to go back to work. 
 ...and then this when he got home and headed upstairs to change clothes and didn't take you with him. How dare he forget that you go with him every.single.time?!?

When you run, your right arm goes in circles. It can send us into a fit of laughter.

You love saying your prayers at night. It normally goes something like, "Dear Jesus, thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Reynolds, Teagan...some of you jibberish/filler words...and it always. always. always. ends with Stacey, ZZ, EllTate (EllaKate), Lucy, Livi. Aaaaaaaaamen." Some of our favorites are when you pray for Dee (our server at Flying Biscuit. Yes, we go that much.), biscuits & ice cream {I mean are you my child or what?! I'm thankful for those things too!}, and your blankie. You've recently starting thanking Him for different things that you've done that day like, "thank you Gigi and riding horses." One day you were going to the bathroom and I heard you praying so I ran in with the camera. Just a random little prayer before you went.
"Dear Jesus, thank you for Mommy, Daddy, Reynolds...Aaaaaaamen!"
You love "Jesus songs." As soon as we get into the car...and I mean as soon as that car is cranked, you'll say, "Jesus song please!" I think at this point you pretty much have the Passion White Flag CD memorized. Your favorites are: 10,000 Reasons, No Turning Back, and Not Ashamed. Sometimes we just listen to 10,000 Reasons 10,000 times. But honestly, we've gotta be gettin close. Here you are singing it...

You are so complimentary. Oh my goodness. It just never gets old. You daddy has trained you well to tell me "Thank you dinner Mommy. Delicious!" And when I get dressed, you'll tell me "Sooo pretty Mommy!" I'm thinking early on that words of affirmation must be one of your love languages.

You love, love, love to dance. So much so that we already have plans to get you dance lessons for your next birthday. You insist that we have a dance party every night. My heart could burst when I see you get your ballerina hands ready and do twirls across the floor.

You can spell your name. Well, kind of. You insist that it is spelled with an -en instead of -an. Any time you see a T, you think it says Teagan. We were trying to get you to tell us the letters in Target since you know most of them, but once you saw the T, you followed with "T...E...A...G...E..N....Taarrrget!"
The other word you can come close to spelling is Clemson. {That's my girl!} In these two videos you aren't really spelling it. You're just getting excited over the cadence count and getting your cheers confused. Either way, it'll be fun to look back on these if you decide to attend Clemson one day. 

You love learning! I love how at this age counting or saying your ABCs are so much fun! I hope you never lose your love for learning. You love, love to read books. We knew that pretty early on and I'm glad to see that it hasn't changed. You have several books almost memorized so you can "read" them yourself.
You love to be a big girl and do anything that we do. You love to do the laundry, dishes, etc. If I'm washing my face, you want to too. If we put on deodorant, you want to too. If I'm cooking, you want to help. Sometimes it means things take a lot longer, but it normally means they are more fun too. 
and sometimes laundry duties call before you even get dressed...
learning how to fold washcloths and burpcloths 

And just because this post isn't long enough already...some pictures. 
 We love to bake together! And you love to ask every 5 seconds if you can taste it. 
 "exa-cising"
 Bubble baths with mommy! 
 Movie Day! 
 Washing your face like mommy.
rainy day fun


Teagan Leigh, I sit back and watch you sometimes and am just filled with awe at how big of a personality such a little person can have...and I hope and pray that you'll never be scared to show exactly who you are. You are a beauty, inside and out. Your excitement for life and your crinkle nose smiles are contagious. You are thoughtful, loving, and kind. We love you so much our little T Leigh!

1 comment:

  1. Oh. my. word. I've come back to this post a million times so I could watch the videos without distracting Ryan while he was eating, but that pic of T holding Reynolds in his chair with her high ponytail and cheesy grin. That needs to be in a frame asap.

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