Edited: Dave says I wasn’t up until 10:30 pm, just until around 9:45 pm. And Dax was zonked after he finished his 9 pm feeding and went straight to bed!

Vital Stats:
JULIA
weight 24 lbs 8.5 oz (80%)
length 32 inches (90%)
head 47.6 cm (93%)

DAX
weight 11 lbs 6 oz (90%)
length 22 in (75%)
head 40 cm (90%)

We’ll be switching Dax to the Similac Sensitive liquid formula. He’s been having quite a bit of trouble with gas and spitting up. The doctor had told us to switch from powder to liquid for a few months, but that didn’t help as much as we thought it should. He still does some pretty monster spit ups (ones requiring both of us to change clothes) and an hour or so after feedings is squirming in pain from gas. Hopefully the sensitive stuff will help.

She also said Dax is slightly tongue tied, but not to worry about it unless it starts to affect his speech.

Julia got a good health report. We’re hoping she starts talking soon. The doctor said there’s nothing to worry about right now since she obviously understands us and knows some signs. We need to teach Julia her body parts Julia got her MMR shot. Crying and screams, but she soon calmed down and recovered quickly. I’m hoping Dax does as well with his shots next month!

As for the name in the header … Dave and I have a website at twostories.com … we just never really did much with it beyond designing a home page. The name “Two Stories” fits both his profession as an architect and mine as a librarian. I always liked that name. And the name “Cheese” on here was more as a joke … this was originally going to be primarily a blog of pictures, not words. Plus, Dave really likes cheese. But we spent so long coming up with the idea of Two Stories … I hate to waste it. (The twostories.blogspot.com was already taken by these two weird people writing fiction … They didn’t even use it for very long.)

1. I was born in Pasadena, Texas (just outside of Houston) in 1975.
2. I weighed 5 lbs 15 ounces.
   
3. For seventeen out of the first eighteen years of my life, my family lived in Texas.
4. My sophomore year in high school we lived in Casper, Wyoming.
5. I went to three different high schools: R.L. Turner High School (Freshman), Natrona County High School (Sophomore) and Amarillo High School (Junior and Senior).
6. I played trumpet in the band my freshman year.
7. I was on the track and field team my sophomore year.
8. I was in theater my junior and senior year.
9. I lettered in Computer Science and in Theater as a senior.
   
10. My junior and senior year of high school my friends and I threw parties celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.
11. I learned how to drive a standard in a 1965 Ford Mustang.
12. You’ve seen the NBC PSA’s “The More You Know”? Those first came out when I was in … ninth? tenth? grade. At the end the four chimes would play while the words “The More You Know” appeared on the screen and a star swept underneath them leaving a trail of sparkly star dust. In my head, I would sing “The More You Knoooow” along with the chimes. I thought everybody did this. Then the topic came up in conversation with Dave at some point during my junior year at LSU and he said he didn’t. I told him, “Well, you’re just WEIRD. Everybody does it.” That turned out to be not so true according to a poll we took that night of fifteen to twenty of our friends.
13. In junior high and high school my career goal was to become a Thoracic Surgeon.
    
14. If we stay in Knoxville beyond December 2008, I will have lived in this town for over six and a half years … the longest I’ve ever lived in one place.
15. My first car that I picked out was a Plymouth Sundance Turbo. My friends and I called it “The Leetle Turbo.” It had a moon roof.
16. My first brand new car was a red 1995 Dodge Neon called Murray. I still have the key even though we sold the car 7 years ago to buy our Oldsmobile Alero. I miss Murray.
17. I chose the Neon because I had seen the ads during the Super Bowl and thought it was cute.
    
18. When we went to sell Murray, the dealer was telling us the trade-in value of our car and I stopped him in mid-sentence by blurting out “He has a NAME!” The dealer just shook his head and said, “Oh, no.”
    
19. Dave and I met at LSU at Highland Dining Hall in 1994.
    
20. Dave and I’s first official date was to Phantom of the Opera at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans on February 15, 1995.
21. We sent two nuns to the back of the bathroom line that night. (They were trying to cut and the lines were just TOO long to let that happen!)
22. We also sat behind a horrible family that said mean things to each other.
23. No one sat behind us because our seats were on the back row.
    
24. We officially became boyfriend/girlfriend on September 28, 1995.
25. He proposed at my apartment in Arlington, Texas on September 8, 2000.
26. David designed my engagement ring.
    
27. We were married at First United Methodist Church of Allen, Texas at 2 pm on March 17, 2001.
28. I don’t really remember my wedding ceremony.
29. We went to Santa Fe, New Mexico for our honeymoon.
30. If you stand at the foot of our (king) bed, I sleep on the left side.
31. I prefer to shower in the morning.
    
32. The first time I ever left the country was to visit my parents in Jakarta, Indonesia after my final graduation in December 2000.
33. I have visited five countries: Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Spain and Italy.
34. My favorite place in Indonesia was Prambanan Temple and Borobodur Temple; in Australia was the visit to the island at the Great Barrier Reef; in Singapore was the Haw Par Villa which had an exhibit of sets depicting the Ten Courts of Hell; in Spain was the tour of La Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas del Espíritu Santo (the bull ring); and in Italy was the Trevi Fountain!
    
35. I have three college degrees–a BS in Elementary Education, a MS in Education and a MLIS (Master of Library and Information Sciences).
36. All three degrees came from LSU.
37. I changed majors four times my first two years at LSU.
38. My freshman year at college my best friend, Stacy, introduced me to Greek food. Now I spend way too much time searching for a good Greek restaurant here in Knoxville.
39. In the summer of 1996, Dave and I and our good friends, Brant and Liz Pitre, all worked at Wal-Mart together. Dave and Brant worked in electronics and Liz and I were cashiers.
    
40. I have one brother.
41. His name is Dave, too.
42. He is 22 months younger than me.
43. We used to trick the neighborhood kids into doing things we would get in trouble for like breaking open their Etch A Sketch to see what was inside.
44. Sometimes I would trick him like when I told him Robitussin tasted like cherry Life Savers and gave him a spoonful which he then spit out all over the beige carpet so we both got in trouble.
45. When we were at gatherings where food was served and beans were on the menu, my brother and I used to go through the line separately and say we were allergic to beans. Somehow, if we both said it and weren’t standing next to each other, people believed us.
46. The worst trouble I ever remember my brother and I getting into was one Christmas afternoon when our dad caught us piling dead leaves up against the side of the house and lighting them on fire. The next door neighbor had ratted us out.
47. I don’t think we ever got caught squirting the Swimmer’s Ear into the bathroom sinks and lighting it on fire. (It was probably nearly pure rubbing alcohol.)
48. I have Hashimoto’s Disease which means taking a small pill with a big glass of water every morning an hour before I eat anything.
49. This was only a problem during the first trimester of pregnancy. Ever tried drinking a big glass of water first thing in the morning with a nauseous, empty stomach?
    
50. I have two kids, a daughter and a son.
    
51. Two kids are enough for me.
52. Although I will confess to a bit of sadness that I won’t be experiencing pregnancy again.
53. Our dog, Echo, knew I was pregnant with Dax before I did.
54. When pregnant with Julia I craved sweet tea and drank over two quarts a day.
    
55. I was in labor for a combined total of ten hours with my kids.
56. One of my biggest fears while pregnant was going into labor in the middle of Wal-Mart (and I don’t even shop there that often, I prefer Target).
    
57. I liked Julia’s name because it was similar to mine and we would have the same initials.
58. Julia has the same middle name as I do.
    
59. There are so many Davids in our family (my brother, my grandfather, my husband, my father-in-law) that we went ahead and picked a nickname for our son to help avoid confusion.
60. I have tried cigarettes once.
61. I have never been drunk.
62. I do love the smell of beer, though.
    
63. I can put my whole fist in my mouth.
64. I can also do a fairly decent imitation of a monkey mating call.
65. I enjoy scrapbooking.
66. I’m allergic to cats.
67. I hate the phrase “It must be nice … “
68. My least favorite part of washing sheets is taking off and putting on the pillowcases.
69. I don’t mind vacuuming, but I dislike sweeping.
    
70. I enjoy washing dishes, but it always makes me have to go to the bathroom.
    
71. I have never broken a bone.
72. I have had stitches (due to accidents) three times.
    
73. I love Spring.
74. Tulips are my favorite flower.
75. I would really like to be able to move things with my mind. Especially things like the burp cloth that I realize is across the room right after I’ve sat down to feed the baby. Or to be able to prepare dinner while sitting in the living room. Or to be able to change poopy diapers from far, far away.
76. I have horrible eyes. So very nearsighted. My contact prescription for my left eye is -9.50 and for my right eye it is -10.50 … that’s really bad.
77. BUT I never had to wear braces or a retainer.
    
78. I love to read, especially fantasy, mysteries, historical fiction and biographies.
79. My current goal is to read one non-fiction book a month. I’m not counting cookbooks. April’s book is Crunchy Cons by Ron Dreher.
    
80. When I read a novel, I tend to read the first few chapters and then skip to the end and read the last few chapters. Then I read the middle part backwards.
81. I’ve had highlights put in my hair once and I got a perm in fifth grade. Other than that, I’ve had no chemical alterations to my hair. Just hair cuts.
82. I have never had pierced ears.
83. The only jewelry I wear on a daily basis are my wedding band and a cross necklace my parents gave me for my fifteenth birthday.
    
84. I love to cook and would like to take classes to become more familiar with various techniques.
85. I tend to follow recipes fairly closely and never make up my own.
86. I rarely make dessert.
87. I would like to learn how to make bread. I get bogged down in the kneading part and never do it right.
88. I’d also like to make my own soap.
89. And I’ve been researching how to make some safer cleaners for our house. Using tea tree oil and lavender to disinfect our doorknobs and Julia’s toys rather than chemicals.
90. This and the fact that I’m just waiting until Dax quits going through 10 diapers a day and grows into Julia’s old diaper covers to switch the kids back to cloth diapers makes me sound very granola.
    
91. I don’t eat raisins.
92. I don’t eat things with dried coconut because it feels like eating fingernail clippings.
93. I prefer the mountains over the beach.
94. I’d rather swim in a lake than in the ocean. Unless I have sinus trouble, then I’ll take the ocean. It clears my sinuses fast.
95. I’d pick driving over flying.
96. I love wearing jeans.
97. I’m a Mac person.
98. I have never been able to think of a name I would rather have.
99. When buying paper towels, trash bags and toilet paper, I always buy name brand.
100. I would rather sleep than do anything else … unless I’m reading a good book.
     

She’s become so accomplished at walking forwards, sometimes she decides to work on walking backwards. She’ll slowly make her way from Point A to Point B by backing up. Occasionally she’ll take a few steps backwards, then turn sideways and side step a few paces, then return to walking backwards, then sideways, etc.

When you ask Julia to dance, she goes to the refrigerator and pushes the button on her Fridge Farm Set and sways back and forth or taps one foot up and down. If we’re listening to the radio or a CD, sometimes she will start turning in circles as she listens.

Still no discernible vocabulary as of yet, but she will jabber your ear off in Julia Speak. She narrates nearly everything that she does … sometimes talking to you, but often just discussing things with herself.

She eats everything … as long as it comes off of your plate! Almost every morning that my mom was here, Julia would beg for Gran to share her (plain) yogurt. Gran would give her a taste, Julia would make a horrible face and then come back for more! But if we had put it on her tray, Julia wouldn’t have touched it! Some food favorites right now are cheddar cheese, Horizon Yogurt Tubes, Annie’s White Cheddar Bunnies, Nanna’s beef tips in gravy, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, grapes, strawberries, applesauce, scrambled eggs, Bush’s Baked Beans, BOCA Chik’n Patties, BOCA Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, bananas, muffins, Pillsbury Golden Layers Flaky Biscuits, and milk.

She’s very good at using her sporks. The utensil usually ends up upside down before it makes it to her mouth, but she gets some food to eat! She loves feeding herself. We haven’t really “showed” her how to use the spoon/fork because we’re having too much fun watching her experiment to figure it out herself It will be interesting to see what happens once we start working on soups and cereal with milk!

She’s been working on getting in two of her top molars. This has led to crankiness and sleepless nights, but she’s been a real trooper.

She loves to watch people talk and try to join in on their conversation, especially if they are laughing. She’ll watch for a little and then when everyone starts laughing, she gives a great fake laugh. You can tell she doesn’t really get the joke, but she wants to be a part of the fun. I find it most humorous in restaurants where she’ll keep an eye on the loudest table in view and try to follow (and participate in) their conversation.

She’s already started telling tales on Mama. One of her favorite things to do is to sit with a book and flip pages. (She hasn’t heard an entire story (except for bedtime reading) in about 6 months because SHE wants to hold the book and turn the pages!) Her other favorite thing is to take our old cell phone (I charge the battery each night so the numbers will light up, but since we changed providers and got new phones I don’t have to worry about her dialing out) and walk around “talking” into it. She jabbers for a bit, then gives her fake laugh and jabbers again. Dave says he wonders who she sees reading and talking on the phone all day!

She does most things with her left hand first and then figures out how to do them with her right hand. When “writing,” she holds the pen or crayon or marker in her left hand.

She loves clomping around in her shoes. She will try to put them on herself and then bring them to you for help. She also loves putting on Mommy’s or Daddy’s shoes and trying to walk.

She weighs around 24.5 pounds and is wearing 24 month or 2T clothes.

Her temper is really starting to show. She gets VERY angry when told “No” or stopped from doing something she wants to do. Fortunately these outbursts are short-lived and she’s easily distracted.

Her favorite toys include large, old boxes (she likes to push them around and climb in them), Tupperware, wooden spoons, her Little People toys, our old cell phone, large stuffed animals and anything on the end tables in the living room (where she’s not supposed to touch).

Echo is still her best bud. They wrestle together every day. Julia likes to pick up Echo’s food piece by piece and feed it to Echo. Sometimes she eats it herself. Often she’ll walk up to me and purse her lips and I know she has a piece of Echo’s food in her mouth and is trying to spit it out. (She’s not supposed to touch Echo’s food. She’s especially not supposed to EAT Echo’s food! *sigh*)

She still has to have Lamb with her in order to sleep. She also still sucks her thumb and loves to rub tags.

Julia’s adjusted well to having a little brother. She really wants to help, but doesn’t know how. She grabs bottles and pacifiers and tries to shove them in his mouth, usually wrong side first. She loves to give kisses to Dax, but doesn’t quite understand how to do so gently. She worries when he cries and would love to be able to get her hands on him just for a minute so she could poke all his fun moving parts (eyes, mouth, etc). She peeks over the edge of the Pack N Play to watch him and then tries to grab his stuffed animals.

She’s become quite a daredevil. She loves to climb onto and inside of things. We often hear her whining and will find her stuck somewhere. She doesn’t like to hear our “You got yourself into the mess, get yourself out!” response, but she can usually get herself out of the fix with just a little extra effort.

The things she hears most often …
“No, Julia!”
“Julia Lynn!”
“You can do it”
“Chew, baby!”
“Put it back”
“Night Night”
“Be gentle”
“Kisses!”
“I love you!”