Just Keep Swimming

For the thirtymillionth time this week, “just keep swimming,” is in my head. It’s August and that means summer is officially over. Not that we have much summer here, in Crazyville.

Coach is off, but he gets pretty tired of being “off” after about a month and the Cheerleader is back at daily workouts and practices after the 4th of July. So, we stay pretty busy even when we’re not so busy. Our normal “not so busy” looks like a lot of other families’ super busy. #sportslife

Margaret Thatcher and The Boy have both asked to play soccer this fall, the Cheerleader’s booked us up every evening but Saturdays, and of course Coach practically lives at the school now.

So. Hi.

My last post was right before the election. And then THAT happened. I am still so speechless at the utter circus in the White House right now, I don’t even know where to start.

(amiright?)

I started Camp Gladiator and I’m already down a pant size. But, more importantly, I realized this morning I can’t remember the last time I took Advil in the evening because I was achy and creaky from sitting in my chair all day at work; carrying all that stress in the back of my neck or back. Work is still a barrel of monkeys every day, but I no longer dread feeling like I’ve been drop kicked in the face every night.

I’m also using my standing desk more often, drinking less coffee/more water, and making myself leave the office and go home for lunch.

Ah, work. Still a great job. Still love what I do, love the team, love what we’re accomplishing. This is the Empire Strikes Back part of the project so we’re all working really hard, feeling like we’re not exactly getting anywhere, but it’s just a plateau. We’ll push through and then we’ll be back off to the races. We’ll work it out.

I feel myself coming to a bit of a crossroads with work. There is so much still to do/build/accomplish. But the past few months have felt like a total grind and I’m really missing building, training, and COMMUNICATING. I have done this work thing in this brain, and with this heart long enough to know that communication and training other people how to communicate is where my passion is. In the words of Tigger, “it’s what Tiggers do best!” As important as pulling and analyzing metrics IS and as much as I’m 100% committed to what I’m doing RIGHTNOWDONTLOSESIGHTOFTHISPROJECT, I know I’m going to have to get back to training/communicating or I will begin to atrophy those muscles I’ve worked so hard to build over an almost 20 year career. God did not create me to be a Commander type for nothing.

Since my last post, I promoted to Director with Thirty-One Gifts. Something I don’t post much about here, but it’s become a really important part of my life. I truly feel part of something with Thirty-One that I don’t have anywhere else. Yes, it’s one more thing to do, but it’s as much part of my day as coffee.

 

I’m certain there’s more. But, this is a lot in one update. For my friends who follow me on facebook, none of this is news, but I miss writing (see my bit above about not creating content).

Later, gators.

put your shades on, turn       up the music, &        DEAL WITH IT. 

 

 

 

 

 

4

At any given time, you are bossing somebody around. Especially your big sister.

You have a steely determined look that says, “Do you feel lucky, Punk?”

Your laugh is the best music in the world. Thankfully, it’s a song that plays a lot.

You make me laugh and that’s probably saved your life a few times. (just kidding) (kinda)

You insist that Bunny is excluded from pictures because “he’s old.”

You have the facial expressions and gestures of an adult. It’s kind of weird, but oh so hilarious.

The fact that I have to be a tyrant to brush your hair is ridiculous.

I have no doubt you have big things in store for you, kiddo. Inside that brilliant little mind is the cure for cancer, the solution to Middle East strife, and maybe even the proper way to tie a knot.

You eat all. the. time.

Your spontaneous bursts of affection are absolutely the best part of any day with you.

I cannot believe it’s already been four years. You can’t really be princess crybaby any more. You aren’t a baby. So…henceforth, you will be known as Doc. Because they are bossy. In a good way. And so are you.

 

Happy birthday, Doc. Daddy and I love you to the moon and back.

More

I knew three was going to be more. More kisses. More snuggles. More laughter.

And, yes, I knew it would be more work. What I underestimated was how much more. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t wonder what on earth I got myself into and when I’m going to feel a little less overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed by the mess.

Overwhelmed by the noise.

Overwhelmed by how tired I feel. All. The Time.

Who knew adding one more little person to the mix would add all this work?

I’m pretty sure I’m messing it up. The Boy cries when he’s tired. Or hungry. Or wants to be picked up. (which is all the time). Princess Crybaby is a tyrant. Munchkin is growing up too fast. WAY too fast.

Oh, and have I mentioned the mess? And the noise?

….SIGH…

Just when I feel like maybe I can’t take any more, they do this:

And then I laugh. And I do. Laugh, that is. A LOT.

There is a lot more of that, too. Delight at the beautiful young lady Munchkin is becoming. Amazement at how fast Princess Crybaby is learning and how incredibly smart she is. And the sheer joy of falling in love with a boy. (they really are SO different)

I read something the other day that said to have young children is to accept that, for a time, you just have to hunker down. And I guess that’s what I’m doing. I just hope I make it out alive. *laugh*

Quiet

It’s a little before 5am. The house is quiet; everybody still sleeping. I’m sitting in the dark living room, finishing my first cup of coffee and thinking about a second. It’s a rare treat that I get to enjoy a cup of coffee in silence since the arrival of The Boy. Has it already been almost three months? Has it only been three months? He seems so much part of our lives that it’s hard to imagine him not here.

Princess Crybaby is good. The other night, Coach told her it was time to go to bed. She walks over, stands in front of his chair and says, “can we talk about this?” And that about sums up where she’s at. Everything has to be explained. She’s into the “I need reasons mother” phase. It’s obnoxious. And adorable.

Munchkin is in a play at the high school. Yesterday, I picked her up from the house to take her to rehearsal. I smiled inwardly as I noticed she’d taken great care to get ready. Her hair was arranged and there was a certain “big kid” air about her. A part of me sighs a little more each time I have the opportunity to witness this young girl transforming into a young lady. I am happy, of course, because that’s what she’s supposed to do, but still. Glimpses of the little girl are becoming a little more rare. This part is new for me, so I am trying to approach this with a certain air of conservative detachment. (yes, I made that up)

As we pulled into the high school parking lot, I asked her if she wanted me to drop her off or walk her in. (I kind of thought she’d just want to be dropped off – I mean, I’m MOM and she has started striking out on her own a little more…I didn’t want to cramp her style and I knew she was perfectly safe) Because it was right at 4 o’clock, there was still a lot of traffic – both people and cars. She asked if I’d walk her in. Playing it cool, I parked the car and she hopped out. This is our world – we spend a lot of time around Temple High School – so, as we walked through the parking lot, we chatted about rehearsal and what she would do when she was finished. I reminded her to turn her phone off during rehearsal (no, Munchkin, silent isn’t enough. If it accidentally goes off, you might get tossed off the stage… LOL – just kidding. kinda)…etc.

At this point, we’ve waded pretty far into the mass of humanity in the plaza outside the student center. It is all the sudden I feel a very close little shadow at my side. She leans into me a little and says, “there are so many people, Mommy,” and she takes my hand. It is then I am reminded that she is not so very grown up after all.

I smiled down at her and reminded her that they were just bigger versions of her and we navigated through the crowd and into the student center. I noticed the little bounce in her walk returned once she had ahold of my hand and it was all I could do not to kiss her head. (I know that would have been way over the “MOOOOOOOOM” line) Once we got inside the theatre, she slipped her hand out of mine and bounced off to her world in the theatre. The moment was over.

It was a sweet reminder that I still have a few years before I enter the uncool phase and she’ll struggle with her desire to be close to me and, at the same time, the need to be independent of me.

So much in which to delight. Mine is a cup that overflows. And that’s why the floors are sticky.

But, for now, it’s dark. And quiet. And you can’t see the piles of laundry still not finished (as if), and the dishwasher that’s full of clean and the sink almost full of dirty (I think they multiply like tribbles when we aren’t looking), and the …. well, you get my point.

And my coffee cup needs a refill.

The clock ticks

I don’t want to be a stay at home mom. I thought I did. I used to be. But I don’t anymore. This is not a post about the pros and/or cons of staying at home. This is about me. Because it’s my blog. LOL

I stayed home with Munchkin until she was two. It was, circumstances aside, Amazing and super rewarding. Being able to watch her develop and learn real-time was incredible. When I went back to work, we both had a very hard transition. Becoming a single parent necessitated going back to work. I will tell you, in our experience, two was too late to introduce daycare. Munchkin suffered terrible separation anxiety and every transition issue you can imagine. This compounded my own personal guilt at not being able to continue the plan of staying home with her until prek; illogical as it would prove to be. I felt like I failed her by not being able to sustain the plan.

Princess Crybaby was a daycare kid from six weeks. She did not experience separation anxiety the same way and she missed a lot of the transition issues her sister went through. She is not a hitter, or a biter, and potty training was a breeze. She gets along well with classmates and is, overall, very accepting of adult caregivers. All of this could be personality and have little to do with early socialization. Certainly well-socialized kids still hit and bite, struggle with potty training and have terrible separation anxiety. Shoot, who knows how The Boy will shake out. (So far so good, though)

As I was pregnant with The Boy, then, scenarios went through my mind of staying home; both with and without some kind of income. I felt some measure of sadness as I accepted the reality that finances and our chosen lifestyle just wouldn’t permit me to stay home without some kind of income, and legitimate work-at-home jobs seem scarce or hard to find.

Once The Boy arrived, it was quite different. I found the long days at home very lonely, blissful as they were, with only The Boy for company. I found myself craving a creative outlet, but felt too tired and attention-torn to focus on anything. I started to feel a little crazy without regular, adult conversation. I started rearranging the house, cleaning and organizing. That makes my husband VERY nervous.

I realized that my wanting to stay at home was less about the kids and more about me.

Now that I’ve gone back to work, albeit only a couple of days back, I find I am happier and more satisfied during the day. Of course I miss the children and can’t wait to see them at the end of the day, but I get that much-needed creative exercise. And, being home with the kids all evening isn’t exhausting, because I haven’t already been with them all day… I can still be a good mom and not be home all day.

I believe God uses our circumstances to gently teach us. I am pretty over the idea of a God who beats us over the head in order to bend us to His will, or employs the “because I said so,” style of leadership; blaring truth through loud speakers. He was gentle (and silent) in this circumstance; allowing me to discover for myself that His plan (going back to work) really is in my best interests.

So if you, Dear Reader, are sitting and watching the clock tick, sit tight. Search your heart for how you feel and where you see God leading. Try not to get too hung up on the why; I think it becomes apparent, but sometimes not until you’ve moved past.

disclaimer: I am a skeptic. I love The Lord with my whole heart, but confess to asking a LOT of questions. I have invested in fleeces, because it seems like I have frequent opportunities to use them. Thankfully, I worship the God of the universe: big enough to put up with all my obnoxious questions, and small enough to take the time to answer them.

I yelled at my kids today

It was NOT a good mommy morning.

I yelled at Princess Crybaby for dropping her cookies in the car.

I didn’t tell Munchkin “goodbye, I love you” when I dropped her off. I told her to be good and mind her own business.

I mumbled something huffy under my breath when I had to find the compact cards for Coach.

I feel like I failed as a human being today by being a complete bitch. I’m going to make something yummy for dinner tonight, to make up for my awful-ness this morning. And read bedtime stories.

And, yes, I’m trying not to cry about it, but I’m not doing a very good job.

I’m tired of being pregnant. I feel fat, my uterus feels like it’s starting to fall out and I DO NOT want to hear another person tell me how quickly September is going to go by because I might punch them in the throat.

I’m terrified about having three little people need me – at the same time- to help them get ready for the world when I, myself, feel like such a tangled mess.

I’d like to go back to bed, please. I’m being unkind and that’s the same crap I yelled at Munchkin for.

Hope

Today you are three. You are the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. You are water. You are sound and motion. Never. Ceasing. Motion. You are my sweetest Princess Josephine. You are unruly – like your hair.

You are the funniest three-year old I’ve ever met. You are the most exasperating person (besides your father) who I can’t wait to get up every morning to see. You are Hope.

Things you love to eat:

• Chips and “dip-dip”
• Mac & cheese
• Hot dogs
• Watermelon
• Sweet tea
• Ponatoes (Tomatoes)

Things that scare you:

• The lion that comes in your room
• Cornbread (the dog)
• Having your hair washed

Things you love:

• Bunny
• Your family
• Books
• Your new Hello Kitty shoes
• Harry Potter
• Lord of the Rings (awesome)
• Mickey Mouse
• Doc MacStuffins
• Sofia the First

I love you, Princess Josephine Crybaby. More today than I did yesterday. Happy birthday, little one.

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Routine

I will freely admit I am a type-A personality. (PR people like stating the obvious) I like routine. I dislike disorder. So, summer’s “what do you want to do?” “I dunno. What do you want to do?” schedule makes me CRAZY. (and it doesn’t take much to accomplish that these days.)

So, I’m super excited school starts Monday. My children? Eh, not so much. I’ve been pushing morning wake-up earlier and earlier and I’m noticing two little grizzly bears emerging from where my daughters had been.

Lump it, kids. Momma can’t think when we’re in a hurry. Then I can’t ever find my keys and you KNOW how that works out. I call Daddy and start yelling on the phone. #truestory

Who’s betting I’ll start getting up BEFORE 5am; just to get a quiet moment with my coffee before I have to start wrangling kids. And that’s BEFORE we add The Boy. OMGosh. Somebody shoot me now.

sleep

24 weeks. The magic point at which, it seems, comfortable is becoming a passing memory; something to think about in the past and look forward to in the future. It’s sometime around 4am and I’ve given up on sleeping any more. Princess Crybaby woke up a little bit ago, asking to go to the bathroom, but she was so sleepy I don’t think it actually occurred to her to go. Then she asked to sleep in our bed. Well, she’s so dadgum snuggly at 4am aaaaaaand I relented. (I have NO willpower at 4am) Well, by the time I settled her back in and got halfway situated myself, I was well and truly awake. Knowing better than to lay there and watch the clock, I got up. And here I am.

I actually don’t mind it. (right now; ask me again this afternoon when I’ve propped my head up with catalogs so I can pretend I have enough batteries to get me through the workday.) The house is still and quiet and it’s still dark enough I can’t see our “happy mess.” *laugh* I have surrendered to all but the basic “necessity” cleaning until the children are old enough that it’s not like watering your yard in a rainstorm. I mean, really – what’s the point? (don’t think that lets Coach off of dishes duty while school is out. I have my limits.)

I think of my sweet sisters and how lovely and clean their house is and I envy them. (and wonder where they get that extra energy and if it something that comes in a pill form.) While some people want to be Martha Stewart, I want to be Molly Weasley. She had a spell to do the dishes for goodness sakes and that beats making crepes and origami christmas ornaments any day of the week.

I console myself with the Joel Olsteen-esque “name it and claim it” platitude (i.e. completely useless, but so warm and fuzzy) that they won’t be little forever and time I “waste” scrubbing floors and sinks and doing laundry is time I could be spending with the kids. Or something like that.

 

You know the really funny thing about this picture (and many others just like it)? I don’t think there is a single child within five miles of this room. Low sharp coffee table? White upholstery? Skinny vases three inches from the edge of the table? Open, roaring fire? And, look at the shine on those floors. Are you kidding me?

One day I’ll have a lovely clean house again – probably right around the time I can reach the stuff on the floor (or sometime after Halloween). For now, excuse our mess.

Oh, and if you hear snoring coming from the corner office around 3 today, you’ll know why.

Oh child.

Have you met my two-year old? She’s a mess.

She is an artist. And, there is no telling what her next canvas will be. 

She can love her big sister and yell at her. At the same time.

You can never REALLY tell what she’s planning, but you can see the beginnings of a young mastermind at work.

She doesn’t cower at her dad. That look and tone of voice that is especially effective at withering even the toughest 17 year old soccer player fails to elicit a response from this little pixie. Except to eat another cheeto. Loudly.

I’m pretty sure she runs the house. And we are her hostages.

And just when you think you’ll never get a moment’s peace and when, oh, WHEN can you put her to bed so you can get five minutes of quiet and MAYBE go to the bathroom by yourself, you capture this moment. And you fall in love all over again.

And you have the undeniable urge to to wake her up so you can see her smile at you. Laugh. Yell. Pout. Do it all over again.

She’s a tyrant. But she’s mine.

I got nothin’

I’m tired. It’s been a crazy, hectic week; to be followed by a hectic Friday and Saturday before I can relax. I am SO thankful, though, for the holiday weekend. So, today’s post is a whole lot of nothin’. Nothin’ funny. Nothin’ sappy. Nothin’ inspiring.

I’m empty today. Well, that’s not true. I have a baby boy the size of a bell pepper hanging around that I’m trying to get to know, two little girls who light up my life with their fireworks every day, and a husband who delights, completes and overjoys me. I have friends who encourage me, family that holds me close and faith that keeps me afloat. I have Jesus.

You know what, maybe I’m not so empty after all.

mommy

Today is Wednesday. I woke up to the sound of Princess Crybaby whining in her bed. I let her whine. She woke up happy this morning and I didn’t wake up with feet in my ribs. I’d call that a success! Downside to whining at 2:30? Preggers Mommy can’t go right back to sleep. SO, I feel a little dazed this morning. I’m hoping coffee will solve it. *grin*

Overall, things are going well. I need to come up with a nickname for baby #3 for the blog – any suggestions? I feel great (besides still being uber-tired and HUNGRY a lot of the time). I don’t know why, but I feel like this is our boy. This pregnancy is so different from the girls. Virtually no morning sickness, food cravings not involving sweets, exceptional tiredness, but overall a piece of cake so far.  This baby is going really easy on me. Maybe this baby will be my sweet, compliant son. Why are you laughing? 

The girls are good. Munchkin finishes standardized state testing today. I’m confident she’s done well. She’s a smart kid and she has good teachers. The entire testing system is ridiculous, but I don’t have a good solution beyond abolishing it, so I’ll just be thankful to have a child who performs well and doesn’t seem to suffer very much at these things.

Princess Crybaby is growing like a freaking weed. I think, in the last month, her arms and legs have sprouted – all the spring dresses we bought her before Easter already require leggings underneath; and not just because this weather is schizophrenic. It was 80 Monday; 45 today. She hasn’t even been able to hardly wear them because it’s been so up and down and the ups turn down in the middle of the day so I’m never confident she won’t be cold. URGH. Ready for summer.

It’s cold in my office, but it’s always cold in here so it’s hardly worth remarking. I have decided to bring lamps in here. These florescent lights are driving me crazy. Other than that, work is good. I’ve created some projects that are keeping me busy enough not to mind being stationary. Boy, that’s probably the single biggest change. Being in one place all day long. I don’t know that I’ve had a job where I didn’t get out and travel since my very first job out of college.

There are so many things I could blog about, but haven’t found a way to articulate them so, for now, I’ll just wait (or put them behind a password).

Living in Crazyville

I’m not sure, but I’m beginning to think Crazyville isn’t just some silly name I came up with when I was designing this blog. I’m pretty sure it’s one of the more accurate labels I could put on our life.

Working in the school district, I get spring break off. During spring break, it became abundantly clear how desperately I’d been craving some downtime. We didn’t go anywhere and just being home, with no games, meetings, appointments, dance classes, work functions, WHATEVER was amazing. It was probably more time together, as a whole family – maybe ever. Crazyville.

Then, school started again and immediately we were right back up to our eardrums in all of the above. I woke up Tuesday morning after spring break and that knot at the base of my neck was back. In less than 48 hours. Crazyville.

Then, you come to something like our crazy day today. (incidentally, from the time I posted the diagram of my afternoon to now, the picture has changed three times) Crazyville.

How do we simplify? Coach can’t stop being a coach. Well, he could but that’s like telling me to stop singing. I tried that for a season and all the color went out of my life. Not an option.

I can’t stop doing my job. Well, I could but what would I be gaining other than some free time? And, who’s to say it would work? I am a high-octane personality who tends to grow my job into a high-octane job; no matter where I am. My job today is significantly bigger than when I inherited it – I did that.

We could stop taking Munchkin to extra activities but I don’t think anybody would accuse us of overscheduling our kids with extra-curriculars.

And Princess Crybaby is just a toddler along for the ride.

This may just be a season that we’ll grow out of (or just have to live through). All in all, we have a great life – just a busy life. Crazyville.

Where is John Madden when you need him?

Normally, most afternoons are not THIS nutty. Today is a special case, though, so I thought it appropriate to post it; for safe-keeping. That way, when people say to me, “boy, you look tired,” I can point to this and say, “well YEAH.”

Short weeks are fun, aren’t they?

When it rains….

In meetings all. day. long. 
I can smell the smoke coming from the piles of “OMG get it done RIGHT, NOW” smouldering on my desk. 
I can feel that knot forming right at the base of my skull. 
2:30 comes and my meeting is over.
I sigh a small sigh of relief because I have 30 minutes to do a couple of very small tasks before I have to leave.
The phone rings.
A reporter comes over to get confirmation on rumors.
The daycare calls and says Princess Crybaby is running a 101.7 degree fever.
I was hoping to go to the bank and store.
Coach is in College Station tonight with soccer. 
Munchkin and I have to be at the theatre at 6:30.
*sigh*

I heard a young pastor a few years ago say, “if you aren’t in the storm, keep your umbrella handy because it’s coming.”

preach on brother.

Excuse me, do you have gruel on the kids’ menu?

I have beautiful children.  Would you like one (or both) of them?  *giggle*

Just kidding.  Yes, really.    Although Princess Crybaby has started screeching at us.  Now, I know you’re saying to yourself, “but Mom, you’ve been talking about your pterodactyl for almost two years.  How is this any different?”  And to that I tell you “meat, madam.  Meat.” (that’s from Oliver)

Meat, madam, meat. You’ve overfed him, madam. You’ve raised an artificial spirit in the boy unbecoming of his station in life. If you’d kept him on gruel, madam, this would never have happened.

Really.  I think the key to docile children must be how much meat they eat.  There might be something to that gruel diet after all.

Y’all know I’m kidding, right? 
*arching eyebrow* 

Christmas is over – thank goodness!

*whew* Thank goodness that’s over! 

Christmas IS my favorite time of year.  It is an amazing opportunity to rest, recharge and reconnect with family and friends.  It is a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior.  It is a time to enjoy good food, the cutest decorations of the year and PRESENTS!  *giggle*  (sorry, channeling my inner 9-year old)

Monday we go back to work; the kids are back Wednesday.  On one hand, I’m ready to go back.  The kids are getting stir crazy with only boring mommy & daddy for entertainment.  And mommy needs something to do all day but pick up KIX cereal and bananas off the floor. 

On the other hand, I love being home.  This is the only time of year I see so much of everybody.  During our regularly scheduled craziness, there just isn’t time to sit on the couch and watch a movie together, or play a playstation game together unless we schedule it. 

Munchkin is sitting on the couch, practicing her cursive in a notebook.  She’s ready to go back too.  She’s excited and curious to meet her new math/homeroom teacher.  She’s been reading like a true crazy-viller. 

Princess Crybaby is currently wearing her coat.  Not that we’re leaving; she just wants to wear it.  She’s got her cup in her hand and she’s dragging her ride-on whateveritscalled around.  We should have gotten her a wagon. 

Coach is playing his online game.  He’s like a level 75 super-hunter.  I am a wimpy little level 22 (almost 23). 

And yours truly is sitting on the couch, touching her blog for the first time since…well, before Christmas.

So, while I’m glad the cooking, endless cleaning (because you never know who’s coming over) and wrapping and cleaning up presents is over, it’s been simply heavenly to rest and recharge. 

Tonight is New Year’s Eve.  As a family, we are setting goals tonight.  Wellness, family time, and whatever else we think of.  More on that later. 

For now, toodles!

Cereal Diaries – Another Christmas Story Reference

I know I’ve blogged before about this movie and how it was never funny until I became a mother; then it was the funniest thing I’d ever seen.  Ok.  So, here’s a new one for you (because I didn’t truly appreciate this scene until Princess Crybaby came along). 

I NEVER thought this was funny…until NOW.  Princess Crybaby used to eat everything you put in front of her.  EVERYTHING.  Now, it is a chore to find ANYTHING she will consistently eat.  Even *gulp* mac and cheese is a toss-up.  Cooked veggies – forget it.  We have to hide them in something else.  But before I get all frustrated because she won’t eat anything resembling healthy, she won’t really eat much that falls into the other category either.  *sigh*

So, we’ve resorted to making noises and funny faces and whatever else we can think of to get her to give us her best little bird impression and gobble up her breakfast, lunch, dinner – SOMETHING. 

Too bad she isn’t old enough to teach the little piggy move. 

Yes, mommyhood also has two purposes: to inform and entertain.  And now, if you’ll excuse me, that’s my cue.

The Urge to Cut

I’m growing my hair out. Yes, I know it looks nicer, more professional, etc at a chin-length, stacked bob. BUT. I’m planning to audition for Oliver at the Temole Civic Theatre in (I guess) December and I don’t think chin length was “in” back in Dickens-era England. The growing process is EXCRUCIATING. I have a lot of hair and this fluffy mess is very tedious to get together in the mornings. I know this is the worst part. I will survive. Speaking of musicals, Munchkin made the Honor Choir at her school! YEAH, Munchkin! Now there will be even more singing in the house. And dancing, too since she’s taking dance. Now before you go all over-scheduled on me, dance is thirty minutes, twice a week. In this awful, unending heat, it gives her a way to get active in a way she loves and it furthers HER goal to be a Kitten at Temple High School. She still has plenty of time to do homework, play and relax after school. Coach was invited to work with goalkeepers in the local clubs and thats a huge win for him. He’s been working on that a while now. So to be invited to a regular gig is a huge success. He talked about, maybe in the future, taking on a team but he’s got a lot of after school responsibilities with Yearbook that sometimes just pop up so having a regular gig outside of school isn’t really possible right now. So Munchkin is watching Jem and the Holograms. It makes me laugh to see her watch a show I enjoyed so much as a girl myself. *laugh*Ok, it’s time to get everybody corralled for the morning. Have a great day!

Spotty

Princess Crybaby had a spotty week. It started out well enough. Sunday, we went to Summer Fun with about half our church. By Wednesday, she was running a fever. Thinking it was teething, we started advil to keep her comfortable. Going into Thursday, she started refusing food, preferring an occasional bottle. Still going with the teething theory, I figured her gums were sore. I knew she wasn’t getting dehydrated and I wasn’t all that worried about the not eating.

Friday, the fever was gone but we noticed a small number of bumps on her legs and a runny nose. Now I knew we had something other than teething. Saturday morning, (Matt’s birthday) the rash had spread all over her legs, onto her arms and her palms and soles of her feet. She was amazingly grumpy and had a really gross diaper, despite ating very little in the past few days. Have I mentioned how much I love google? I put in all her symptoms and came up with roseola; a virus. The symptoms matched. I wasn’t alarmed, it’s pretty minor and passes quickly, but I knew we needed to go to the doctor. The daycare would take one look at those bumps and freak out.

Fortunately, our pediatrician was working the walk-in clinic. He took one look at her and said it was Hand, Foot and Mouth. Same type of illness as roseola, so I was close. He said she was already on the back-end of it and would be fine for school Monday.

Apparently, if roseola is the harmless cousin of measles, hand-foot-mouth is the harmless cousin of chicken pox. It is called a “summer disease” and is easily spread in swimming pools. It is harmless and passes quickly.

Thank goodness.

So much fun – a letter to Princess Crybaby

You just turned 11months old and every day you astound us with some new discovery. You are walking like a pro, you love your sippy cup, you and the dog are regular buddies now, you love to “talk,” point and, in general, charm everybody you meet.

Yesterday, you tried out your first real temper tantrum; complete with tears! Your little face was so red! You didn’t know it but I wasn’t really ignoring you. I watched you the whole time, out of the corner of my eye.

I can’t wait for your sister to come home and see how much you’ve grown. You and she will be like peas and carrots, I bet.

Some people say that the toddler years are the hardest. Some people say it’s those rocky preschool years, or elementary, or middle or *gulp* high school… You get my drift.

You know what I think? I think every stage will have hard parts. I think there will times in every age that will scare us, hurt us and make us mad. There wil be phases where it will seem we are forever at odds and, I’m sure you’ll inform us, we must hate you (that will NEVER be the case, my baby).

But. Do you know what else I think? Most of the time will be a lot of fun. Watching you make new discoveries, learn new things, meet new people, learn new skills and, in general, set the world on its ear.

I am so glad I’m your mommy and I have a front row seat at the greatest show on earth. Barnum & Bailey doesn’t have anything on our Family Circus. I love you.

I spoke too soon

We are still trying to figure out the magic combination of rocking, singing, stories and other bedtime routines that will help her get to sleep at a decent hour.

CONCLUSION #1: She is some kind of night-owl/morning person mutant.

She won’t go to sleep before about 10 but she wants to get up with me at 6. Um, that would be ok if she was five or six but she still needs more sleep than that. So, by 10, she’s ready to nap.

I know the right answer is the one that works so I’m trying diligently not to stress about this (as Coach likes to say).

Everything else is going super well. She screams like a velociraptor from jurassic park, eats anything you put in her mouth and is starting to walk!!! She’s hilarious and affectionate and funny and exasperating. (does this remind anyone of descriptions of Munchkin?)

CONCLUSION #2: I see a trend in the personalities of my children: brilliant little whirlwinds that can make you want to laugh, cry, pull your hair out – all at the same time…

Yesterday, I started putting the spoon in her hand and letting her feed herself. Yes, it went right in her hair. It was great fun. Getting the spoon away from her to actually get some food into her mouth wasn’t so fun [insert velociraptor screams here].

CONCLUSION #3: Bananas might not be the next big thing in hair gel but maybe they should be. They are quite…effective at freezing hair.

I intend to fill up her little pool this morning so we can put her in it later today. She loves the water.

Life is good.

Update on sleeping

Ahhh…the sweet sight of a peacefully sleeping baby. There is nothing quite like it. Especially when it wasn’t achieved the hard way; with 30 minutes of wailing and gnashing of teeth. And that’s not counting what princess crybaby was doing. Haha

Tonight, i tried something different…

I gave pc her bottle, read her a bedtime story and said prayers with her (like always), and then sat there, rocking, until she was calm enough to put in her crib. Then, instead if leaving the room, I sat back down in the rocking chair while she played quietly another 20 minutes, or so. When she was ready for sleep, she began to fuss in that whiny, “mommy I’m so sleepy but I need a little more cuddling” cry. I picked her up and rocked her in the rocking chair about 10 minutes. She was out.

I’m about to go to bed – it’ll be the first night in a week without a headache.

For the birds

I have officially given up on letting Princess Crybaby cry it out. It feels wrong and cruel and , frankly, Scarlett, I don’t give a damn what the “experts” say. We’re done subjecting ourselves and her to nightly torture rounds.

I sat on the floor, in front of her crib, and let her look at me until she fell asleep. she was hiccuping from crying son hard, but she was peaceful. When I picked her up to soothe her, her little body was clammy from the exertion. This is not the right way. At least, not for us.

I never let Munchkin cry it out and she is a great sleeper. There are some lessons about sleep we might have to wait to teach until she has more language. For now, we will work to find a more peaceful solution.

I downloaded The No Cry Sleep Solution by elizabeth pantley to my kindle app. I’m looking forward to reading it.

Here’s hopin’!

This is nuts

I’m just sayin’. 

Waiting is fine.  A lesson in God’s timing?  Maybe?  I’m totally ok with that.  But this is bananas. 

In other news: Princess Crybaby has her first tooth!  A little white tooth is poking through her tender little gums and giving her no end of fodder for whiny-ness. 

In other, other news: The day after I soak the grass (which hasn’t been watered since, oh, NOVEMBER) the sprinklers are working and the grass gets watered.  It wasn’t long so I don’t know how much good it did.  I imagine I will still run the little sprinkler a few days to help the ground soften up. 

I’ve had an idea about putting paving stones around the “patio” in order to create little more usable space for the grill and maybe a couple of chairs.  It would delay the need to replace dead grass that was killed by 1. sitting water last fall, 2. a total lack of water through the winter and spring and 3. the high traffic area by the back door (i.e. “patio). 

I think we’ve decided to stay in our house, rather than taking over Mom’s house.  I know it would be a little more affordable and would have an extra bedroom (HELLO OFFICE!) but the drawbacks, while they are minor, would add hassle to our lives and that is counter-productive. 

So, we’re looking to improve on our great little house.  YEAH!  I love a project.  (a major reason I love summer)

Cereal Diaries – well kinda

She’s crawling!!! About two weeks ago, she decided she’d had enough of this sitting around business, by golly, and started scooting around. Fast forward two weeks and she’s crawling and pulling up to standing on anything sturdy enough to hold her weight.

She really is remarkable. It’s so fun to watch her. it takes me back to the wonder of watching munchkin discover things.

I love being a mommy. It’s the very best job in the entire world.

Munchkin is in the Easter Pageant at UMHB today. She’s missing school which is against my personal policy, but this is a really great opportunity and she’s only missed three days all year and we are down to the last six weeks of school and it’s the last non-testing year and I’m rationalizing. Haha. Can you tell I work in school administration?

Ok, it’s time to get ready to take the kiddo to Belton. Y’all have a great day!

Cereal Diaries – meat!

Ok, so I chickened out on the squash and green beans.  THEY ARE AWFUL.  I can’t stand the smell of pureed squash.  haha

But, we DID try meat.  And she loves it! 

Only one store in town carries this brand *sigh* so we are pretty limited.  The word from other moms in the aisle is the gerber stuff is pretty icky.  This stuff is a combination of chicken, sweet potato and brown rice..  Pureed it tastes like….sweet potato grit.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure this is primo for baby food meat (let’s be honest, chicken by itself tastes awful).  Most importantly, Princess Crybaby thinks it’s fantastic so I love it and we stick to this brand exclusively for our meat consumption.. 

Otherwise, eating is going well.  She’s not as roly-poly as she was because she is starting to scoot around.  Not quite to crawling but she’s getting really close.

Speaking of, I’d better jump off and check on her.  Tata!

Cereal diaries – you tell me!

Ok blog lurker peeps: I need you to weigh in on the baby food meats.

I think we’ve done a great job with fruit and veggie picks but I can’t remember what I did for meat. Not to mention baby food tastes better than it did when Munchkin was a baby.

Help! 

Cereal Diaries – no, we’re not counting anymore

We’ve now introduced:
Rice Cereal

Fruit:
Bananas
Peaches
Pears
Apples

Vegetables:
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots
Peas

Table food – we’ve tried a saltine cracker (or two) and little bites of plain mashed potatoes. She wasn’t crazy about the potatoes at roadhouse but she liked my mashed potatoes just fine (probably because mine are finer and have butter).

She can sip (with great mess) formula out of a cup but she doesn’t really understand what (or why) she’s doing it.

She’s truly a Corley – there isn’t a food (so far) she hasn’t liked. Now, we haven’t tried green beans, squash or any of the other “hard core” vegetables. Or meat. I’ve been trying to stage into those, as her palette matures. I’ll probably pick up a squash and a meat this week to try over Spring Break. (next week)

Wish us luck.

Bunny

The choice has been made. Princess Crybaby has a Beloved.  Before she was born, we found a bear made of the same nubby fabric as Munchkin’s Bears. She likes him but her Beloved is Bunny.

Bunny is a girl, I guess.  She used to have a pink bow but I cut it off because it didn’t look safe.  It goes everywhere we go; except for school. 

I look forward to having conversations with and giving night-night kisses to Bunny.

Ah, sweet joys.