You are really growing up into such a helpful, sweet, VERY loving young lady, daughter, and sister. You love to vacuum, unwrap, and wrap the cord. You set the table and clear the table. You dress yourself every day. You told us you were ready to begin wiping yourself after you go the bathroom. (I'm sorry, I know that is an *embarrassing* detail when you are finally able to read this, but believe me, when you become a Mommy you'll understand that's a big deal.) You are such a social butterfly. You are growing up!
You practically begged to go to summer school and get sad when you aren't in school. But before starting summer school, we took a trip to Ohio for cousin Emily's wedding. It was your first time back to Ohio in almost two years and Gianna's very first time there. You loved dancing with cousins and meeting family. We made a pit stop in TN and saw your dear friend, Addalee and her sister, Abigail. She was truly your first friend that was a girl. We also stopped in Bellevue to see Great Grandpa, the Goodsites, and the Heals. You and Ava had a quick play session while we were there and you had fun. You also got to reconnect with your long-time friend, Noah at a really fun playground in Fairlawn. You and him will always share your NICU miracle stories. It was great to see you two playing together as well as for us to spend time with Noah's parents. You were the most excellent traveler during that trip. You never once asked how long it was going to be or complained. You literally just sat back and enjoyed the ride and sometimes took some naps along the way too. With how much your sister was fussing and how very sickly I got on the way to Ohio, it was wonderful to have you be so mature about it all. You had so.much.fun at Emily's wedding! You danced the night away with cousin True.
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| Pit stop in Tennessee to see Addalee on our way to Ohio. |
It makes my heart so happy seeing you happy with 'loved ones'.
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| Hand-in-hand with cousin True all night long at Emily's wedding. |
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| Taking a quick nap before Emily's wedding. |
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| Sleeping in at the hotel the morning after Emily's wedding. |
Road trip pit stop. Someday pay phones will be a thing of the past so I wanted to get a picture of you with one.
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| Briella: Class clown. |
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| We had a lizard in our house. Briella, you thought it was great. Me, not so much. |
Fourth of July fireworks fun right from home. All we had to do was sit on our back deck and watch the amazing "show" the neighbors were setting off in the common area. It was awesome.
Your first trip to see the dentist. You made the hygienist and the whole staff fall in love with you with your charm. The hygienist said you were the "Best first time child patient she's ever had." She must've told you and me a dozen times just how sweet, special, and adorable you were. I loved seeing you so proud of yourself. And you were so cute asking her if you could look in the mirror to see if your teeth were sparkly.
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| You were an impromptu flower girl at Aunt Abi's wedding when the flower girl didn't want to do it and you excitedly exclaimed, 'I want to do it!" |
Striking a pose for summer school. You love wearing sunglasses, like Mommy, as you say. You look so grown up here!
This is you being you. Just as sweet, smiley, and charming as ever. Oh, and so very beautiful too! I had you take a picture next to the sunflowers because they were a gift you gave me for Mother's Day and look how big they've grown. They are so beautiful. I love them.
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| Crafting, as always. |
Your food choices are expanding compared to where they were this time last year. Compared to a 'normal' kid, you still are no where near 'normal' like them, but compared to the 'normal' that we were a year ago, you have come a LONG way. I thank The Lord so much for this! We still have to be very careful as too much corn derivatives in food will affect your mood and behavior. You become very emotional, irrational, and temperamental. I found this out first hand when I let you have a Trader Joe's gluten free cupcake. I felt badly that I caused you to have a very emotional afternoon after that. Without problematic food, you are so eager to please, easy to redirect, and you are reasonable with talking to you. With a problematic food, you are exactly the opposite of your main qualities. I understand what you are going through because I know how awful I feel with a problematic food. The immediate wrenching stomach pains, the immediate headache, dizziness, fatigue, and moodiness that I experience are pretty much what you are going through except you're three and can't process it like I can process it.
You are so smart and becoming so grown up with your food choices, though, because your teachers tell me that you tell them, "I can't eat that." I was so proud of you when I gave you the choice to eat a piece of regular pizza at your friend's birthday party with the warning, "It might hurt your tummy." and you said, 'No thank you." instead of eating it. You didn't cry or play the unfair card while the other girls ate the pizza or the special birthday cake. You impressively ate the food I sent for you instead, but it's no different than you always do...as this picture that your teacher took of you at school proves. The kids were eating s'mores as a summer treat and there you are eating your homemade snack. And, you know what? You never complain about it. I just wish I would've known they were making s'mores at school because I could've sent you a gluten free s'more to enjoy with them. Just know that, had I known, I totally would've done that for you.I love you!
Summer Time Photo Album:
This is a 'real' family photo these days. Standing still at a fun, loud wedding reception was not going to happen, but hey, we tried.
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| Dancing with Nonna right before we left. I'm glad I had you change into your pajamas because we knew... |
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| You both were going to fall asleep on the drive to the hotel. |
Visiting Great Grandpa, Mags, and Katie in Bellevue, Ohio. It was great to see them.
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| We wish we could've spent more time with Nick, Jill, and Noah. It was so nice to see them, even if it was for a short amount of time. |
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| Both of you napping on the drive back home to SC from Ohio. This was the 'calm before the storm' with Gianna's traveling fussiness. |
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| You both are beautiful, like your Nonna. |
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| Distance may keep us apart, but you'll always be friends in heart. |
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| Visiting Papa and Nonna's house being built in Westfield, Ohio |
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| A visit with Grandma and Grandpa Molnar at the hotel in Ohio. Mommy was sad to miss out on this visit. I was upstairs in our hotel room still very ill with a fever and pain. |
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| So neat to see how you both have grown up over a year's time. |
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| Our first humble family garden. Cucumbers, watermelon, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, sweet potatoes. |
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| July 4th morning |
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| It's pretty much impossible to get everyone to look at the camera. This was right before we left Ohio to head back home. All I see in this picture is that I still don't feel well. |
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| Fourth of July family picture. |
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| You both are looking at the camera! I remember seeing this picture and being completely amazed. This hardly happens with you two. |
My silly shoppers. We're always grocery shopping, so it seems, but you both are great sports about it.
Fun at Aunt Abi's wedding in North Carolina.
And more time with cousins at Cracker Barrel for breakfast was a special treat too.
After a bad night of sleep, I was laying on couch before making dinner hoping to rest my head and eyes, and well, that didn't happen. I wonder why? ;-)
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| Bedtime shenanigans while Daddy travels. |
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| All dressed up to go visit Daddy at his work office to meet his boss and sales staff. I love this picture, not only because you both are smiling but because you both are in your current element. Briella with always having an animal in her hands and Gianna with a snack in her hands. Just about sums you both up these days, hahaha. |
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| Gianna began climbing up the ladder at 14 months old. Oh my! |
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| Saturday morning family fun at the zoo. |
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| Molnar girls |
Princess Pool party at Khloe's house. Both of you girls had a wonderful time swimming.
Spending quality time together reading and a trip to the zoo with Mommy while Briella was having vacation from summer school.
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| Such a H-O-T summer! When it says 97, it feels like 100+ degrees here. |
Gianna:
You are such a little love bug, Gianna. You love to cuddle, kiss, and be held. You have more independent nature at this age than Briella ever did; however, when you want to be held, you want to be held--NOW! But a lot of that impatience and crying is from your teeth coming in because I can tell when you are feeling teething pain from the days that you aren't. Your molars started to come in when you were a little shy of 13 months and today you turned 15 months and your fourth molar is finally starting to cut through. For your sake, I look forward to when it comes in because it is really uncomfortable for you. Your two bottom canines are always coming in as well. You are a very busy girl with getting so many teeth.
You are jibber jabbering constantly. Very few words are actually audible, but you seem to think they are with the way you have so much to say. You are really taking an interest in reading books. The "Little Lion" is your favorite book and I will read the first page and you will grab it back only to hand it to me to say, "Again". You love the first page. "Again" is a word you say and it's so cute. You've loved that book so much that the book cover is bent. You say, "Mama", "Dada", "Baaaa" (for Briella) 'Lella" (for Briella), "Duck", "Dog" (you know their bark and what they look like), "Again" (and you use it in the correct context), "Eat" (not surprising, hahaha), "Bye", "Za" (pizza), "Thank you" (sounds more like, ka eww).
You absolutely love helping us out. You've been watching Briella and all of us clear the dishwasher and you've begun helping us out. You hand us a dish. We say thank you and then you repeat thank you back to us while getting another dish. It's so special.
You got your first experience with traveling to Ohio and you got to meet everyone, including your Great Grandpa Antalek and Grandpa and Grandma Molnar, for the first time for cousin Emily's wedding. Oh, Gianna, you did not travel well at all. In fact, it was quite stressful. You were so tired and couldn't seem to get comfortable to sleep in the car. Mommy began getting very sick with some type of virus and a kidney infection as we were visiting the Ramsey's; which was only 3.5 hours into our 9.5 hour drive. I couldn't sleep all night, I had a high fever, and the pain was excruciating. Then, you were howling in distress the whole drive and I was trying to tend to you in pain. I just wanted to break down and sob myself. The drive back home wasn't much better except you slept a little while longer, but that was it. One nap and you wouldn't sleep anymore. But, get this. I told Daddy that I noticed you would fall asleep in the carseat in his car, but you struggled in my car and I didn't understand why. He reclined it back and voila. Now you fall asleep constantly in the car. Why in the world didn't we do that for the drive to Ohio? Live and learn. Live and learn.
You love to 'cook' in your kitchen. You stir things and put things in the microwave. You are obviously watching us and trying to mimic what we are doing. I love it. You are climbing onto everything. It wasn't but a week or so after your first birthday that you started climbing up the ottoman to get onto the couch. And then, at 14 months old, you began climbing the ladder of your play-set. And it doesn't just stop there. You climb the ladder and then you turn around, on your stomach, and slide down the slide. Mind you, we didn't teach you this. You figured it all out yourself. We used to call your sister a "monkey", but noooo, you are the monkey. You are doing things much sooner than she ever did with your agility. You pretty much run, not walk, everywhere. You have the cutest run. You like to do your version of dancing; which is usually swaying and some sort of big jump that results in your plopping (crashing is more like it) to the floor onto your bottom.
You are a bit of a comedian in training. It's what I call you. Briella is the same way and I think you are taking notes on her because you love to get laughed at. You will fake cough and fake sneeze in hopes that we'll laugh or say, "Bless you."
You are smart too. You started bringing your diapers to the trashcan, as a fluke, about 2 weeks after your first birthday. Now you do it daily and it brings you such joy. It cracks me up watching you run to the trash can. Then, you clap for yourself afterward. You love getting applause. Your receptive language is excellent. You know what we are saying to you.
Your appetite is amazing. You can actually out-eat me at meals. I'm not even exaggerating. You are 23.4 pounds at 15 months old. You are trying to eat with utensils, only having success with a fork, but you love eating with a fork. Sometimes I think you leave food on your tray just so I will get you a fork because, as soon as I do, you eat all the rest of the food on your tray. I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to eat with my hands either.
Your sleeping, for you, has improved tremendously since my last blog post. You've transitioned into a once a day nap routine and you take excellent naps. You typically are exhausted for bed around 7pm. You are very regimented for both. So much so, that I usually have to load you into the car around noon so you can fall asleep to go pick up Briella from summer school. You just can't stay awake any longer to wait. You have shown us that you can sleep until 7am, but your weakness is that you still wake up very early. You have a tendency to wake up around 5am a lot of times, but you don't want to be awake. Your diaper is wet and you want changed. Sometimes you will fall back to sleep after that, but other times, you just can't. Today, for example, you were up at 5:30am. I changed your diaper in your crib. You rolled over and were very quiet until 6:30 so I don't know if you actually fell asleep or you just laid there trying. But, hey, I'll take you trying!
You are such a little love bug, Gianna. You love to cuddle, kiss, and be held. You have more independent nature at this age than Briella ever did; however, when you want to be held, you want to be held--NOW! But a lot of that impatience and crying is from your teeth coming in because I can tell when you are feeling teething pain from the days that you aren't. Your molars started to come in when you were a little shy of 13 months and today you turned 15 months and your fourth molar is finally starting to cut through. For your sake, I look forward to when it comes in because it is really uncomfortable for you. Your two bottom canines are always coming in as well. You are a very busy girl with getting so many teeth.
You are jibber jabbering constantly. Very few words are actually audible, but you seem to think they are with the way you have so much to say. You are really taking an interest in reading books. The "Little Lion" is your favorite book and I will read the first page and you will grab it back only to hand it to me to say, "Again". You love the first page. "Again" is a word you say and it's so cute. You've loved that book so much that the book cover is bent. You say, "Mama", "Dada", "Baaaa" (for Briella) 'Lella" (for Briella), "Duck", "Dog" (you know their bark and what they look like), "Again" (and you use it in the correct context), "Eat" (not surprising, hahaha), "Bye", "Za" (pizza), "Thank you" (sounds more like, ka eww).
You absolutely love helping us out. You've been watching Briella and all of us clear the dishwasher and you've begun helping us out. You hand us a dish. We say thank you and then you repeat thank you back to us while getting another dish. It's so special.
You got your first experience with traveling to Ohio and you got to meet everyone, including your Great Grandpa Antalek and Grandpa and Grandma Molnar, for the first time for cousin Emily's wedding. Oh, Gianna, you did not travel well at all. In fact, it was quite stressful. You were so tired and couldn't seem to get comfortable to sleep in the car. Mommy began getting very sick with some type of virus and a kidney infection as we were visiting the Ramsey's; which was only 3.5 hours into our 9.5 hour drive. I couldn't sleep all night, I had a high fever, and the pain was excruciating. Then, you were howling in distress the whole drive and I was trying to tend to you in pain. I just wanted to break down and sob myself. The drive back home wasn't much better except you slept a little while longer, but that was it. One nap and you wouldn't sleep anymore. But, get this. I told Daddy that I noticed you would fall asleep in the carseat in his car, but you struggled in my car and I didn't understand why. He reclined it back and voila. Now you fall asleep constantly in the car. Why in the world didn't we do that for the drive to Ohio? Live and learn. Live and learn.
You love to 'cook' in your kitchen. You stir things and put things in the microwave. You are obviously watching us and trying to mimic what we are doing. I love it. You are climbing onto everything. It wasn't but a week or so after your first birthday that you started climbing up the ottoman to get onto the couch. And then, at 14 months old, you began climbing the ladder of your play-set. And it doesn't just stop there. You climb the ladder and then you turn around, on your stomach, and slide down the slide. Mind you, we didn't teach you this. You figured it all out yourself. We used to call your sister a "monkey", but noooo, you are the monkey. You are doing things much sooner than she ever did with your agility. You pretty much run, not walk, everywhere. You have the cutest run. You like to do your version of dancing; which is usually swaying and some sort of big jump that results in your plopping (crashing is more like it) to the floor onto your bottom.
You are a bit of a comedian in training. It's what I call you. Briella is the same way and I think you are taking notes on her because you love to get laughed at. You will fake cough and fake sneeze in hopes that we'll laugh or say, "Bless you."
You are smart too. You started bringing your diapers to the trashcan, as a fluke, about 2 weeks after your first birthday. Now you do it daily and it brings you such joy. It cracks me up watching you run to the trash can. Then, you clap for yourself afterward. You love getting applause. Your receptive language is excellent. You know what we are saying to you.
Your appetite is amazing. You can actually out-eat me at meals. I'm not even exaggerating. You are 23.4 pounds at 15 months old. You are trying to eat with utensils, only having success with a fork, but you love eating with a fork. Sometimes I think you leave food on your tray just so I will get you a fork because, as soon as I do, you eat all the rest of the food on your tray. I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to eat with my hands either.
Your sleeping, for you, has improved tremendously since my last blog post. You've transitioned into a once a day nap routine and you take excellent naps. You typically are exhausted for bed around 7pm. You are very regimented for both. So much so, that I usually have to load you into the car around noon so you can fall asleep to go pick up Briella from summer school. You just can't stay awake any longer to wait. You have shown us that you can sleep until 7am, but your weakness is that you still wake up very early. You have a tendency to wake up around 5am a lot of times, but you don't want to be awake. Your diaper is wet and you want changed. Sometimes you will fall back to sleep after that, but other times, you just can't. Today, for example, you were up at 5:30am. I changed your diaper in your crib. You rolled over and were very quiet until 6:30 so I don't know if you actually fell asleep or you just laid there trying. But, hey, I'll take you trying!
Oh, and a funny thing about you is you're a pick-pocket. If you see something in my pocket, you take it out. If my purse is around my shoulder and I'm holding you, you pick-pocket it so smoothly and quickly. You've already lost one of my lipsticks with a purse pick-pocket...and girly, they aren't cheap because I have to buy 'safe' make up from Canada. You are also obsessed with my phone. I am trying to be cognizant of my phone usage around you girls so I try to put it in a designated spot every day; just like if it were a landline. Well, those moments that I get a phone call or a text message and I'm near you with it, you are as fast as a bolt of lightning with swiping it out of my hands. Daddy and I do not allow you or sister to play with our phones. We never have. They are 'off limits' so you are never happy with me when I immediately take it right back, but hey, you have to learn. Your sister was the same way, but now she doesn't even try to touch it. She knows better. You'll get there. ;-)
All in all, you are such a happy, loving, sensitive little girl who gets her feelings hurt when she is told, "No". I love you!
All in all, you are such a happy, loving, sensitive little girl who gets her feelings hurt when she is told, "No". I love you!
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| Napping on the drive to Ohio |
Gianna, you are such a good little eater.
You fell asleep during a very loud wedding and stayed asleep during the loud music while we changed your clothes and your diaper. You were so tired!
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| Hugging Ava. Such sweet moments. |
Practicing her Pilate's with good form, no less.
Aunt Abi's wedding. We were outside sweating (melting is more like it). Look at your super red cheeks from it.
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| You love the flowers growing in our garden. |
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| Our beautiful little gift. |
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| I joke that you are a comedian in training with some of the silly stuff you do. |
I loved watching how much you loved playing in Khloe's birthday pool. You instinctively knew exactly what to do.
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| Bathing beauty |
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| You are really taking an interest in books and reading. Your favorite book is called, "The Little Lion." I love watching you flip through it and you love when I read it to you. You give it back to me and say, "Again." |
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| You got to eat your very first sucker and to say you loved it would be an understatement. |
