Good Mommy Monday

For today's Monday post, I wanted to write down a few more cute things my daughter has been saying recently.

* My daughter LOVES to make-up songs. And honestly, they are pretty good songs. They always have good rhythm and sometimes even rhyme (even if they don't make sense). A few days ago she was singing, "I love to toot, I love to toot, I love to toot all daaaayyy!"

* We went to a birthday party a few weeks ago, and the kids got to hit a pinata. That night in the bathtub, we were discussing her day and asked her if she enjoyed the pinata. She replied, "Yes, I had fun at the fiesta!" Neither my husband or myself had said anything about a fiesta. I guess Dora does teach her something.

* I had to measure my daughter last week for some new clothes. I got the measuring tape and told her to come so I could measure her. She ran into the bathroom and came back saying, "Here Mommy, I brought you a measuring cup!"

* Today during nap, I heard her saying, "Mommy, I have a bunny hanging out! Help!" I was so confused so I went to see what was wrong. She had a wedgie and was telling me that a "bunny" was hanging out.

I wish I could remember all of the incredibly bright and silly things she says. I know this time will pass us quickly and I want to savor every moment. I can't believe how she can soak up so much after only 2 short years of life. I don't how you can look at a 2 year old and not believe in God. He has blessed me greatly!

P.S. My son does lots of cute and amazing things too. I'll save him for another post.

One of those days

Yesterday was one of those days. I guess it all really started the night before. Thursday is Bible study night so we were out late at our friends' house. Our son had a little bit of a runny nose but seemed to be feeling alright. In fact, he was in a pretty good mood during our study, even as it approached 9:00. When we got home, he went to bed fairly easily and I felt satisfied that I had such an easy baby who could just go with the flow and not be too affected. My mistake.



It all started going downhill around 11:00. I heard him crying on the monitor but decided to let him cry a little bit; maybe he would go back to sleep on his own. After about 15 minutes his screaming got really intense so I went to get him. Of course, my first plan of action was to nurse him back him to sleep. That was NOT what he wanted. He was arching his back and screaming, refusing to nurse. This is when I start to semi-panic. Something must be really wrong if he isn't going to nurse. And how am I going to console him? Rocking didn't work. Walking didn't work. Changing his diaper didn't work. Watching TV didn't work. Going outside didn't work. My husband and I were desperate. As soon as we would get him to calm down a little, he would start back up again. Eventually I was able to nurse him, which did calm him down briefly. But soon, the whole thing started again. So, I had no other choice but to put him in the car and drive around. That's right. At 1:30 am I was driving around town. I think the last time I was driving around at that hour was in college. In fact, I drove by all the bars and was just amazed at all the young, dressed up folks out in the middle of the night! It seemed like such a different world that I barely remember being a part of.


Any ways, the drive worked and we finally got to sleep around 3:00. But then, wouldn't you know it, he was up at 7:45 ready to start his day. I was exhausted so I decided we would have a very low key day. We were going to stay home and make sure the kids (and myself) got good naps in their beds. In fact, I even decided to skip a birthday party at the local wading pool. You know it's serious if I decide to not take an opportunity to get out of the house and do something fun to make the day go by faster. The morning went pretty well - we played in our little plastic pool and my son took a decent nap.



The afternoon went downhill again. By this time, I was so tired that all I could think about was sleeping. I hadn't showered all day, and I honestly didn't care. My plan was to have the kids down for naps as early as possible and go straight to bed. I got my daughter in bed and then my son went to sleep after only a few minutes of crying. Once again, I was celebrating. I closed my eyes and as soon as I fell asleep, I hear crying. I tried to ignore it. I put my finger in my ear and turned over. I didn't care if he was crying; I just needed to sleep. But I couldn't. I just cried. And then decided I had to suck it up and go get him. But I was mad. So I decided another trip in the car was in order. My daughter was playing in her bed instead of sleeping (no surprise) so I grabbed her and we all got in the car. He was asleep immediately and I wanted Sonic for the drive. I got a Coke for myself and a slush to entertain my daughter. I honestly wanted the biggest cheeseburger and french fries I could find, but I was somehow able to not destroy my diet through emotional eating and we drove for about an hour. After a short trip to Hobby Lobby, my son woke again. He was briefly happy but soon started the wailing again.

This continued most of the evening and my husband and I were completely convinced he had an ear infection. For all you non-moms out there, if a child isn't teething, his pain is probably caused by an ear infection. So, we filled him full of Motrin and put him to bed, prepared for another long night. But amazingly, he slept well most of the night, only waking once to nurse and went easily back to sleep. In fact, he slept until 9 the next morning and woke as happy as could be. Guess he didn't have an ear infection.

We better get a tooth out of this....

A little fit

Today was a wonderful day. One of those days that makes you realize life is SO good. But, of course, it didn't go off without a hitch. Getting all four of us out of the house to run errands always takes longer than it should. Why is it so hard to get two children and all their stuff to the car? It seems like we have to take everything we own. To be prepared for any situation that might arise. So, I was trying to get all of the diapers, extra clothes, baby food, pull-ups, wipes and strollers into the car.

I realized the double stroller was in the garage, in front of my husband's car. He and the kids were already strapped in the car and I wanted his opinion about whether it was worth getting it out. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Do you think we need the double stroller? Because it is in front of your car.

Him: I don't care it's up to you.

Me: (As I am trying to stuff things in the diaper bag) Damn it! (This comment had nothing to do with the stroller)

I went into the garage and got the stroller by taking it in the house and around through the front door because that was easier than moving my husband's car. As I come out of the front door our conversation continues.

Him: What are you doing? I could have moved the car. I didn't know you were getting it.

Me: You said I could decide, and you saw me walking to the garage.

Him: Why are you throwing a fit?

Me: I'm not throwing a fit. It was just easier to take the stroller through the house.

Him: You said, "Damn it!"

Me: I know. That had nothing to do with the stroller.

Conversation over. I put the stroller in the car and got in.

Daughter: You throwing a fit, Mommy?

Wow. Called out by my daughter. But truthfully I wasn't throwing a fit. "No, honey. It was just a misunderstanding between Mommy and Daddy"

Daughter: Oh, Daddy wanted to do it himself.

What a very observant child. Just proves that we really have to be careful what we say and do around her. And that maybe I was throwing just a little bit of a fit.

Letters to Moms

To the Mom with her baby asleep in the grocery cart:
How do you do that? I have never, ever been successful at getting my children to sleep anywhere except in their cribs or in the car. Once they pass a few months old, all of my errands must revolve around nap. As soon as they wake up, it is a mad dash to get out of the house and back before the next nap time. Not to say I don't usually push the limits.



To the Mom who brought your snotty nose child to my classroom:
I am sorry. I was really mad at you because I didn't have children yet and I didn't really realize that sometimes you just have to take a child with a runny nose somewhere. Or else you would never go anywhere.



To the Mom who brought your child that recently vomited to my classroom:
I am still mad at you. I don't do throw up and it is not okay to expose me to the stomach virus. It's 24 hours with no symptoms (or more if you can help it)



To the Mom whose newborn sleeps through the night:
I am jealous of you. But I realize that it has nothing to do with how great of a parent you are. You are lucky. Maybe I will be lucky next time.



To the Mom who gained the recommended 25-35 pounds during pregnancy:
You must not like cheeseburgers as much as I do. I will try harder next time.



To the Mom who works out on a regular basis:
I guess you will just have to be skinnier than me because I really can't seem to find time to workout. It is not an excuse. I have no idea how you fit that into your schedule except on a random, once every couple of weeks, basis.



To the Mom who gets up and showers before her children are awake:
I could do this too. I choose sleep instead.


To the Mom who doesn't put their faith in Jesus:
You are really missing out on the ultimate support. Being a mother revolves around prayer. Prayer for your children and for your family. Today I even prayed for a nap.



To the Mom who feeds her children only Organic, non-processed foods:
Although I am embarrassed to admit it to your face, I feed my kids lots of non-organic, processed foods. They are easier and usually cheaper. I do believe in feeding good things to my family and I will try to do better in this area. But I'm still going to McDonalds


To the Mom of only one child:
Enjoy your time with one child. I know it is really difficult. Having your first child turns your world upside down. Just wait until the next one. It gets even harder.


To the Mom of 3 or more children:
You are probably laughing at me right now. You are probably thinking, "Just wait until you have 3 kids. Then it really gets hard." I am sure you are right, and I will plan to eat my words as soon as my next child is born.


To the Mom of twins or triplets:
You are my hero. I am not sure how you do it. You, by far, have the hardest job in the world. I used to think it would be fun to have twins. Now, I am pretty sure I would cry if I found out I was pregnant with multiples.


To all my Mommy friends:
Thanks for being my friends and being imperfect along with me. It feels good to know I am not alone. I love you all so much and each of you makes my life richer. It is so much better to leave the house a mess and go do something fun with you and your kids. We will never get these years back and I plan on making the best of them.


To all my future Mommy friends:
Although it may appear this way from the outside, being a mommy does not ruin your life. In fact, nothing could make it more worthwhile. I wish the joys of mommyhood for all of you.


To my Mom:
Thank you so much for everything you ever did for me. I especially think of all the times I kept you up at night with my tummy issues. You never let me know how much you probably wanted to be asleep. Thanks for letting me think I was the most important thing in the world. I hope I can make my children feel the same way - even in the middle of the night. I love you.

ME

6 Month Check-up

Last week, my son turned 6 months old and we went to the doctor for his well baby visit. I am not really sure why, but I always look forward to routine doctor visits with my kids. I love to see how much they weigh and how tall they are. There is just something so exciting about finding out their current percentile! Of course, this is totally ridiculous. The percentiles don't really mean anything. Being at the top is no better than being at the bottom. There have to be kids in all areas of the bell curve or the curve wouldn't exist at all. Yet, I still find some pride in knowing where my kids fall. It doesn't matter where they fall; I am proud of the top or the bottom. And as soon as I leave my appointment, I call my mom to let her know how the grandkids are growing.

So, here are the current stats. At 6 months, my son weighs 20lbs 6ozs! That is the 91st percentile folks! That means only 9% of babies his age are fatter than he is. And those babies are probably taller. He measured 27.7 inches long, which falls in the 71st percentile. Looks like he's going to be a linebacker - or just a chubby, little taller than average kid. Normally, fatness isn't something to be proud of; but, I find myself loving my chunky baby.



I also love my petite two-year-old. At 6 months, she weighed 14lbs 10 ozs! That is only the 3rd percentile. In fact, for a while we were concerned she was going to fall off of the bell curve completely. At 6 months, my son weighs more than my daughter did at her 18month check-up. In fact, she only outweighs him now by about 2 or 3 pounds. I have a feeling he will be passing her by pretty soon.



Now, I totally realize that the size of my children is genetically predetermined for the most part. I have little influence on how big or small they will be. In fact, I have been feeding them the exact same thing. But I just can't help loving that my two kids are on complete opposites of the growth chart. And I just can't help bragging either.

In addition to growing well, the doctor said the baby looked healthy. He also received his vaccinations. Don't ask me which ones he got because honestly I don't know. I usually just blindly let the nurse administer whatever she brings in the room. I am 100% in favor of vaccines and I tend to believe the doctors are on top of our medical care. And I'm not even going to lie - I don't totally hate the day after vaccines because I usually get a little extra nap time from the baby. In fact, my son slept until almost 10:00 the next morning!! Not a bad side effect, huh?

Oh, and by the way, no teeth yet.

Open doors

I locked my daughter in the bathroom yesterday. No, she didn't lock herself in the bathroom. I locked her in the bathroom. But not on purpose. She was using the potty and decided that she wanted some privacy. I thought that was a reasonable request so I shut the door and went about my business in the kitchen. After a few minutes, I decided to check on her. I walked over to the door and turned the handle. The handle didn't turn. My first reaction was panic. "Oh my gosh! My daughter is locked in the bathroom and I don't have a key!" Immediately I thought of what would be even worse than locking her in there in the first place - calling my husband. I am sure he would be thrilled to get the phone call that I had not only locked our little girl in the bathroom, but that he might have to come home to rescue her. Oh no. I had to come up with a plan. So, I casually call in to my daughter, "Hey Sweetie. I can't open the door. Are you done? Can you get down from the potty?" This was the first problem. My daughter inherited my short legs and I was pretty sure she couldn't get off by herself. But of course, being a very independent 2 year-old, she replied, "Yes, Mommy. You can't open the door?" "No, Honey. Can you open the door?" Yeah, right. Not only does she also have short arms that barely reach above her head, but we have also purposely omitted any lessons in opening doors. I seriously dread the day she can get out of her bedroom on her own. Any way, I knew she wouldn't be able to get herself out so I had to have another plan. Well, thank goodness for chopsticks. I went to the kitchen, dug a chopstick out of the bottom of the drawer, stuck it in the doorknob, and it popped open! "I not done Mommy! Close the door!" So, I left again but, this time I didn't latch the door - just closed it most of the way. When she was done, I helped her off the potty and left the room again, pretending to close the door behind me. My daughter happily swings the door open, so proud of herself. "I did it Mommy!" "Yes, you did! Good job!" And I let her believe she had learned how to open the door all by herself. We'll save that lesson for another day.