My two-year-old has style. So don't say I didn't warn you if you see us around town sometime and she's wearing a puffy blue Cinderella princess dress with cowgirl boots. I'm just letting her express herself...and boy, is it hilarious to see her preferences unfold.
It all started a couple of weeks ago. See, I sing silly songs all day long because well, what else am I going to do with my time, and sometimes we have dance parties too (in which we may or may not dance to the ending song from High School Musical or the lively tunes of Flogging Molly, which Cbear calls "jumping music"...we have a wide range of tastes in this house). Somehow with all this dancing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" turned into the twirling song, and of course one must wear a skirt when twirling (according to my daughter, anyway). So for the next week she refused to wear anything but, as she called it, a "twinkle twinkle little skirt". Understand that this meant she wore the same two skirts all week, because apparently denim doesn't qualify: twinkle twinkle little skirts must be a floral print.
One day I had a brilliant idea. A friend had given us some dress-up clothes and I hadn't shown them to Cbear yet. And you should have seen her face when I showed her the Cinderella dress. Priceless. We put it on and she exclaimed, "I'm a little princess now! Let's show daddy!" So she wears her princess dress quite often now and even though I'm not totally into the whole princess thing, it is pretty adorable. There was almost a meltdown today when she had to go to the bathroom with it on and I wasn't in the room and she sat down and peed on it, but I reassured her the dress would survive and she could wear it again later.
Fast forward to the boots. We just got some hand-me-downs from my cousin and there were a couple pairs of cowgirl boots in the box. Cbear was so excited, because daddy and her papas wear cowboy boots and now she had her very own. Well, it was good-bye sandals and flip-flops in our house and now it's all boots all the time. Mostly without pants on. She went to church tonight in jean shorts and boots. Yep, I'm that mom. I love it. I love my little Cinderella in boots, because it totally captures the essence of her personality. On one hand, she's a little girl who wants to be a princess and dance and show daddy how pretty she is. But she's also my little tomboy in cowgirl boots who loves to run and jump and play in the dirt. It's just so her, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
In other news, my Jellybean is becoming quite a cute little monster. I should probably stop calling her that because Cbear has picked it up, but she bares her teeth and scrunches her nose and snorts and growls, so what would you call her? She also eats books and stickers. I don't know why. She's kind of like Animal from the Muppet Babies, only cuter and more lovable. I guess that makes me the legs with the striped tights?
Jelly's as full of life as ever, so expressive, happy almost all the time with a major temper streak if she doesn't get her way. And the most determined person I've ever met. If she could turn herself inside out to try and get something she's not supposed to have I think she would. She's a little ham and loves to be silly and make us laugh. I can't wait until she starts talking to see what she has to say.
For now, she has discovered her own way of communicating with us. A while back she started nodding or shaking her head, and I finally realized that she knew what she was doing when I asked her questions! We did a lot of baby sign with Cbear, but I've been more lazy with that this time around and she doesn't seem very interested anyway, so I'm just going with her chosen form of communication. Now I purposely ask her yes or no questions just to see her response. "Jellybean, do you want to go to bed now?" Vehemently shakes her head no. "Are you done eating, do you want to get down and play?" Excitedly nods. She also points to things she wants and then looks at the nearest person with eyebrows lifted so high they're about to jump off her head and mouth open expectantly, like why aren't you hopping to it now? Especially if someone's eating cheese and not sharing with her or if there's a phone or remote out of reach. I love watching all these new discoveries and can't wait to see what she'll tell me next!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Why Two are Easier than One
I've been thinking about this topic for quite some time...every time one of my friends mentions that they are so exhausted with one child and can't imagine adding another one, how do I do it with two, etc. So this post is for all the moms of one. Here is a well-kept secret: Sometimes two are actually easier than one!
Occasionally I have days where I wonder what life would be like if we only had one child. On the surface, it seems like it would be easier...my attention wouldn't be divided and there would be plenty of mommy to go around, perhaps discipline would be more effective (Right now it's like this: "I'd love to continue this chat, dear daughter, about why we ask nicely and don't throw a fit, but your sister has climbed into the fireplace and is eating a candle. Excuse me while I dig candle wax from her mouth, and feel free to totally forget everything I just said and continue to whine.") and maybe I wouldn't be so frazzled.
On the other hand, there are times when Cbear goes to spend the day with her grandparents or Jellybean takes a long nap and I only have one child. And while I cherish that one-on-one time (Cbear is loving "helping" me cook or asking me to read Fox in Socks for the millionth time, and Jellybean is totally delighted by me hiding behind something and jumping out) but by the time Cbear returns or Jellybean wakes up I'm actually relieved. Shocking, I know. But it does get very tiresome being the sole entertainment for someone. And while I do encourage them to play on their own, sometimes they flat-out refuse and it's really not effective to try and put away dishes while a ten month old has a death grip on your legs. Also, it wasn't so long ago that I only had Cbear and I remember how lonely the days could be with just one baby that couldn't talk. So here are five reasons why two kids are actually easier than one:
1. They entertain each other and always have a friend to play with. This one takes a few months, but once the younger one is out of the tiny baby stage they can actually interact a bit and the older one can be enlisted to help keep an eye on the younger one. Watch out if they're out of sight and quiet, though...I made this mistake a few months ago. They may be sliding through a pee puddle, playing in the toilet, or have escaped into the back yard (this all happened within a thirty minute time span...I was ready to be committed that day).
2. Communication. Jellybean can't talk much, but when she does I'm sure it will be entertaining. For now, Cbear jabbers to her and Jellybean responds with hand gestures, random sounds, clapping, and others. It's really funny to watch and listen.
3. Sweet sibling moments. There is nothing better than seeing your kids hugging or happily playing together. Of course it has the ability to morph into something like this: C patting J's head lovingly, saying, "good night, Jellybean...you're beautiful...I love you!" and J sweetly smiling and then reaching out to pinch C's face, resulting in screaming and C saying angrily, "I just want a hug!" I know, I shared this story in the last post, but it really was hilarious to watch C try to be so nice and J wouldn't have it.
4. You are never bored. There's no time for that, and there's always something that needs done or someone that needs attention. So when you actually get time to yourself, there's a list a mile long of things you'd like to do and it's much sweeter to get to do them. Simple things bring me so much joy now...reading a book, going out with the hubs, even exercising because it's something good just for me.
5. Twice the love! You'll get double the hugs, kisses, and "I wuv you"s. Jellybean can't say that yet but I'm assuming the endless mantra of "Mamamamamamamama" kind of means the same thing.
Occasionally I have days where I wonder what life would be like if we only had one child. On the surface, it seems like it would be easier...my attention wouldn't be divided and there would be plenty of mommy to go around, perhaps discipline would be more effective (Right now it's like this: "I'd love to continue this chat, dear daughter, about why we ask nicely and don't throw a fit, but your sister has climbed into the fireplace and is eating a candle. Excuse me while I dig candle wax from her mouth, and feel free to totally forget everything I just said and continue to whine.") and maybe I wouldn't be so frazzled.
On the other hand, there are times when Cbear goes to spend the day with her grandparents or Jellybean takes a long nap and I only have one child. And while I cherish that one-on-one time (Cbear is loving "helping" me cook or asking me to read Fox in Socks for the millionth time, and Jellybean is totally delighted by me hiding behind something and jumping out) but by the time Cbear returns or Jellybean wakes up I'm actually relieved. Shocking, I know. But it does get very tiresome being the sole entertainment for someone. And while I do encourage them to play on their own, sometimes they flat-out refuse and it's really not effective to try and put away dishes while a ten month old has a death grip on your legs. Also, it wasn't so long ago that I only had Cbear and I remember how lonely the days could be with just one baby that couldn't talk. So here are five reasons why two kids are actually easier than one:
1. They entertain each other and always have a friend to play with. This one takes a few months, but once the younger one is out of the tiny baby stage they can actually interact a bit and the older one can be enlisted to help keep an eye on the younger one. Watch out if they're out of sight and quiet, though...I made this mistake a few months ago. They may be sliding through a pee puddle, playing in the toilet, or have escaped into the back yard (this all happened within a thirty minute time span...I was ready to be committed that day).
2. Communication. Jellybean can't talk much, but when she does I'm sure it will be entertaining. For now, Cbear jabbers to her and Jellybean responds with hand gestures, random sounds, clapping, and others. It's really funny to watch and listen.
3. Sweet sibling moments. There is nothing better than seeing your kids hugging or happily playing together. Of course it has the ability to morph into something like this: C patting J's head lovingly, saying, "good night, Jellybean...you're beautiful...I love you!" and J sweetly smiling and then reaching out to pinch C's face, resulting in screaming and C saying angrily, "I just want a hug!" I know, I shared this story in the last post, but it really was hilarious to watch C try to be so nice and J wouldn't have it.
4. You are never bored. There's no time for that, and there's always something that needs done or someone that needs attention. So when you actually get time to yourself, there's a list a mile long of things you'd like to do and it's much sweeter to get to do them. Simple things bring me so much joy now...reading a book, going out with the hubs, even exercising because it's something good just for me.
5. Twice the love! You'll get double the hugs, kisses, and "I wuv you"s. Jellybean can't say that yet but I'm assuming the endless mantra of "Mamamamamamamama" kind of means the same thing.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Summarizing Summer (Heat, Olympics, and new stuff the kids are doing)
I'm not sure what I've been doing all summer, but it seems like I haven't had much time to do anything other than, you know, sustain life in our house. Sometimes I imagine it like treading water while juggling bowling balls...but anyway, I haven't updated the blog as much as I would like. I'll try to remember (what day is it, again?) some of the highlights and post them here.
So what's been going on in our lives, you ask? Well, record-high temps (isn't that every summer in OK?) have limited our activities. I was about to start channeling my dad and use phrases like hotter than the hubs of Hades, but thankfully a cold front that has the temps only in the high nineties saved us from that. The girls and I frequented the splash pad for a while, but lately haven't even ventured there. I'm thankful for two things: air conditioning and the fact that I am not pregnant this summer.
Confession: I've become a bit of an NBC Olympics coverage junkie, what with being cooped up inside so much and all. I've always loved the Olympics, though (in the summer...winter Olympics are kind of lame in my opinion). I love the camaraderie between the teammates and cheering for USA! USA! But my favorite events (swimming, and to a lesser extent, gymnastics) are over and I'm a little depressed about it and having withdrawals. Boo for having to wait another four years!
CBear is now in a toddler bed. I know. But potty-training has actually been going well, now that I'm paying her to pee (It's not as bad as it sounds. There's a chart and stickers involved, and for every three stickers she gets coins for her piggy bank. Whatever works, right?!) and she did not like having a wet pull-up on in bed. So she would take it off and end up peeing all over the sheets every. stinking. nap/bed time. Now she can get up to go to the bathroom/wander around/pull off her wall decals/take all her clothes out of the drawers/flush some wash cloths down the toilet/go into Jellybean's room and wake her/etc. It was a little rough at first, but it's much better now. Today she didn't get up at all after she got in bed for a nap. Miracle!
Jellybean took a few steps the other day! It's so funny to watch her wobble on her chubby little legs and she gets so excited about it. She can also climb up onto the fireplace now, so that's awesome. She has a bit of a little temper when she doesn't get her way...I'm scared for the future! She's happy most of the time and just slightly ornery. And she has six teeth now! Jellybean doesn't look like a baby anymore, which makes me kind of sad. But she's still a mama's girl and says my name over and over (she also finally said "Dada!" We heard her in bed over the monitor one night, laying in her crib saying it.) and climbs into my lap whenever I'm near.
I love some of the sweet sister moments I get to witness now. A few nights ago, I told CBear it was time to say good night to Jellybean, and she got right up in her face. Lovingly stroking her cheek, she said softly, "I love you Jellybean...oh, you're so beautiful...good night, sister!" In response, Jellybean smiled sweetly, reached out and tried to pinch the skin off CBear's cheek...hard. It turned violent quickly with CBear trying to free herself and yelling angrily, "I want to give you a hug!" Like she really wanted to be nice but Jellybean was interfering. Ah, sisters.
Summertime has been fun, but we sure are ready for fall around here. Cooler weather, new routines with fall activities picking back up, and everything that makes autumn AWESOME and my favorite season: pumpkins, hayrides, bonfires, apple cinnamon fragrance and flavors, beautiful colors, and all the holidays coming up involving family and food. The leaves have started to fall off our neighbor's maple trees into our yard...which could be because they're dying in this drought and heat, but I choose to believe fall is coming early. CBear was standing under them as the breeze blew the leaves down, armed with a plastic shovel from her sand box yelling, "I catch the leaves! I got one!" My feelings exactly, sister. Fall: Bring. It. On.
So what's been going on in our lives, you ask? Well, record-high temps (isn't that every summer in OK?) have limited our activities. I was about to start channeling my dad and use phrases like hotter than the hubs of Hades, but thankfully a cold front that has the temps only in the high nineties saved us from that. The girls and I frequented the splash pad for a while, but lately haven't even ventured there. I'm thankful for two things: air conditioning and the fact that I am not pregnant this summer.
Confession: I've become a bit of an NBC Olympics coverage junkie, what with being cooped up inside so much and all. I've always loved the Olympics, though (in the summer...winter Olympics are kind of lame in my opinion). I love the camaraderie between the teammates and cheering for USA! USA! But my favorite events (swimming, and to a lesser extent, gymnastics) are over and I'm a little depressed about it and having withdrawals. Boo for having to wait another four years!
CBear is now in a toddler bed. I know. But potty-training has actually been going well, now that I'm paying her to pee (It's not as bad as it sounds. There's a chart and stickers involved, and for every three stickers she gets coins for her piggy bank. Whatever works, right?!) and she did not like having a wet pull-up on in bed. So she would take it off and end up peeing all over the sheets every. stinking. nap/bed time. Now she can get up to go to the bathroom/wander around/pull off her wall decals/take all her clothes out of the drawers/flush some wash cloths down the toilet/go into Jellybean's room and wake her/etc. It was a little rough at first, but it's much better now. Today she didn't get up at all after she got in bed for a nap. Miracle!
Jellybean took a few steps the other day! It's so funny to watch her wobble on her chubby little legs and she gets so excited about it. She can also climb up onto the fireplace now, so that's awesome. She has a bit of a little temper when she doesn't get her way...I'm scared for the future! She's happy most of the time and just slightly ornery. And she has six teeth now! Jellybean doesn't look like a baby anymore, which makes me kind of sad. But she's still a mama's girl and says my name over and over (she also finally said "Dada!" We heard her in bed over the monitor one night, laying in her crib saying it.) and climbs into my lap whenever I'm near.
I love some of the sweet sister moments I get to witness now. A few nights ago, I told CBear it was time to say good night to Jellybean, and she got right up in her face. Lovingly stroking her cheek, she said softly, "I love you Jellybean...oh, you're so beautiful...good night, sister!" In response, Jellybean smiled sweetly, reached out and tried to pinch the skin off CBear's cheek...hard. It turned violent quickly with CBear trying to free herself and yelling angrily, "I want to give you a hug!" Like she really wanted to be nice but Jellybean was interfering. Ah, sisters.
Summertime has been fun, but we sure are ready for fall around here. Cooler weather, new routines with fall activities picking back up, and everything that makes autumn AWESOME and my favorite season: pumpkins, hayrides, bonfires, apple cinnamon fragrance and flavors, beautiful colors, and all the holidays coming up involving family and food. The leaves have started to fall off our neighbor's maple trees into our yard...which could be because they're dying in this drought and heat, but I choose to believe fall is coming early. CBear was standing under them as the breeze blew the leaves down, armed with a plastic shovel from her sand box yelling, "I catch the leaves! I got one!" My feelings exactly, sister. Fall: Bring. It. On.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Recent happenings and making healthy food choices...impossible?!
I've been a little MIA from the blog lately, but let's just say that the last few weeks have been...ehrm...challenging. C and E (who has the energy to type out full nicknames anymore?) are in cahoots and on a mission to drive me to the nuthouse. Okay, so it's not that bad, but C is exerting her little *extremely strong* will and decided a few weeks ago she doesn't want to take a nap or go to bed at night. She cries and cries, "Mommymommymommymommy!" (or Daddy) until one of us goes into her room and then wants to play. It's like that preview for Family Guy on TBS where Stewie says, "Mom! Mommy! Mama! Mama!" over and over until the mom finally says, "What?!" and he replies, "Hi," and evil giggles. No bueno. Thank goodness she's still in a crib. It's getting better, and although she doesn't happily lay down anymore she only fusses for a minute or two now and then crashes. And this is just one example...I was hoping the terrible twos were a myth because I have no patience for fit-throwing, but I'm having to learn it as my child tests it daily.
On top of this, E is currently cutting four upper teeth. Seriously, four AT ONCE? Yep. She's been much crankier and clingy than normal. I really hate that she doesn't feel good and wish I could make it better, but we're just riding it out (along with some Tylenol and cold cloths to chew on). We've had a breakthrough, though...the past four nights E has slept all night (with no prompting from me, one night she just slept through her normal night feed and it's continued all week)! This is huge. Mommy like. I'm trying not to be too excited in case we have a regression, but so far so good.
I think we've finally turned a corner, because this week's been much better and I feel like I can breathe again and enjoy the girls. So here's what we've been up to the past month or so...the mundane, dramatic, silly, etc.:
*I earned my "mom of the year" award by letting C and E play on the trampoline together while I sat in a chair to read for a few minutes. I looked up and C had unzipped the net and E was crawling out. I couldn't get there in time and she fell right on her head. Awesome. A quick trip to the doctor confirmed that she was just fine and there was no damage other than a scrape above her eye...but I think I earned a few gray hairs and maybe developed a heart condition from it.
*C has become really interested in silly songs. Out of the blue one day when I was singing to her before naptime she requested "Itsy bitsy Ellie". Once I sang that she followed with "Ellie bitsy spider", "Twinkle, twinkle little mouse" and "Twinkle, twinkle little mommy" for all of which I made up verses on the spot. I was super proud of my skills. Her favorite the last few days has been "Twinkle, twinkle little sheep". I have no idea where she comes up with this stuff, but I love hearing her giggle while I sing.
*We've made trips to the splash pad, water park, and Kiddie Park, which the kids loved! E thinks she can swim by herself and C always asks for "the blue one" when choosing the car/plane/boat/swing at the park. She'll settle for purple, but the world will implode if she has to sit in a pink, yellow, orange or green one. We also go swim at the grandparents' house, and C really likes their "little pool" aka hot tub.
*I hate potty training. Enough said.
*Took C to her first Drillers baseball game. She called it faceball and wondered why she didn't get to play. They have some awesome things for kids to do, though, so we hope to go back again!
*E is a big girl now and eats three meals a day...if you changed her diapers you would understand this significance and why I'm not super stoked about it.
*We have reached the point where C and E can play together, but if they're playing nicely and it gets quiet, you better see what they've gotten into. My bathroom cabinet is a popular choice.
*Lots of visiting with family, friends, cook-outs, etc. We don't have hot dogs often, but when we were at the store yesterday C saw the display of them and pointed saying, "I want all dat!"
Not a whole lot else going on except Team Brown (the hubs and myself) working together and tag-teaming trying to not screw up at being parents/spouses. It's trial and error. :)
Speaking of hot dogs and on a completely different note, my friend Lindsey introduced me to this great blog about eating "real" food (cutting out the processed stuff, etc.) which led me to do some more research and try to make some changes with our eating habits. We weren't exactly junk food junkies before, but there's definitely room for improvement. I mean, I saw Food, Inc. a while back but I guess I lacked the motivation to change anything. At first I was like, "is this even possible for a family with two little kids and seemingly NO TIME?!" And for my family, I'm trying to set some realistic goals and do what I can (which is a little different than what I really want to do, but I have a lot on my plate and can only do so much).
Right now, I've decided to cut out white flour (replaced with whole-wheat) completely except for special occasions/treats and try to buy as little processed/boxed snacky-type foods (not everything, though...I think I would have a mutiny on my hands if I banned Cheerios from the house), which are my weakness, and concentrate more on real fruits and veggies. I'm having a lot of fun trying new recipes and sharing them with my family, and I feel good that I'm being aware of what goes into my/husband's/kids' bodies. Obviously I can't control everything and I'm not trying to (I have a huge sweet tooth and plan to indulge it!). But it's all about moderation and doing the best I can with my time, budget, abilities, etc. I can't do everything, but even small changes can make a big impact. If you're interested, check out the blog and even if you're not, I encourage you to find out what you're eating...and don't trust the FDA to decide for you. What can I say...I have a bit of my dad's conspiracy theory-ish brain! :)
On top of this, E is currently cutting four upper teeth. Seriously, four AT ONCE? Yep. She's been much crankier and clingy than normal. I really hate that she doesn't feel good and wish I could make it better, but we're just riding it out (along with some Tylenol and cold cloths to chew on). We've had a breakthrough, though...the past four nights E has slept all night (with no prompting from me, one night she just slept through her normal night feed and it's continued all week)! This is huge. Mommy like. I'm trying not to be too excited in case we have a regression, but so far so good.
I think we've finally turned a corner, because this week's been much better and I feel like I can breathe again and enjoy the girls. So here's what we've been up to the past month or so...the mundane, dramatic, silly, etc.:
*I earned my "mom of the year" award by letting C and E play on the trampoline together while I sat in a chair to read for a few minutes. I looked up and C had unzipped the net and E was crawling out. I couldn't get there in time and she fell right on her head. Awesome. A quick trip to the doctor confirmed that she was just fine and there was no damage other than a scrape above her eye...but I think I earned a few gray hairs and maybe developed a heart condition from it.
*C has become really interested in silly songs. Out of the blue one day when I was singing to her before naptime she requested "Itsy bitsy Ellie". Once I sang that she followed with "Ellie bitsy spider", "Twinkle, twinkle little mouse" and "Twinkle, twinkle little mommy" for all of which I made up verses on the spot. I was super proud of my skills. Her favorite the last few days has been "Twinkle, twinkle little sheep". I have no idea where she comes up with this stuff, but I love hearing her giggle while I sing.
*We've made trips to the splash pad, water park, and Kiddie Park, which the kids loved! E thinks she can swim by herself and C always asks for "the blue one" when choosing the car/plane/boat/swing at the park. She'll settle for purple, but the world will implode if she has to sit in a pink, yellow, orange or green one. We also go swim at the grandparents' house, and C really likes their "little pool" aka hot tub.
*I hate potty training. Enough said.
*Took C to her first Drillers baseball game. She called it faceball and wondered why she didn't get to play. They have some awesome things for kids to do, though, so we hope to go back again!
*E is a big girl now and eats three meals a day...if you changed her diapers you would understand this significance and why I'm not super stoked about it.
*We have reached the point where C and E can play together, but if they're playing nicely and it gets quiet, you better see what they've gotten into. My bathroom cabinet is a popular choice.
*Lots of visiting with family, friends, cook-outs, etc. We don't have hot dogs often, but when we were at the store yesterday C saw the display of them and pointed saying, "I want all dat!"
Not a whole lot else going on except Team Brown (the hubs and myself) working together and tag-teaming trying to not screw up at being parents/spouses. It's trial and error. :)
Speaking of hot dogs and on a completely different note, my friend Lindsey introduced me to this great blog about eating "real" food (cutting out the processed stuff, etc.) which led me to do some more research and try to make some changes with our eating habits. We weren't exactly junk food junkies before, but there's definitely room for improvement. I mean, I saw Food, Inc. a while back but I guess I lacked the motivation to change anything. At first I was like, "is this even possible for a family with two little kids and seemingly NO TIME?!" And for my family, I'm trying to set some realistic goals and do what I can (which is a little different than what I really want to do, but I have a lot on my plate and can only do so much).
Right now, I've decided to cut out white flour (replaced with whole-wheat) completely except for special occasions/treats and try to buy as little processed/boxed snacky-type foods (not everything, though...I think I would have a mutiny on my hands if I banned Cheerios from the house), which are my weakness, and concentrate more on real fruits and veggies. I'm having a lot of fun trying new recipes and sharing them with my family, and I feel good that I'm being aware of what goes into my/husband's/kids' bodies. Obviously I can't control everything and I'm not trying to (I have a huge sweet tooth and plan to indulge it!). But it's all about moderation and doing the best I can with my time, budget, abilities, etc. I can't do everything, but even small changes can make a big impact. If you're interested, check out the blog and even if you're not, I encourage you to find out what you're eating...and don't trust the FDA to decide for you. What can I say...I have a bit of my dad's conspiracy theory-ish brain! :)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
I'm not Supermom
I freely admit it: I don't enjoy every second of motherhood. Anyone who says they do, I hate to say it, is a liar. Because there's nothing super enjoyable about wiping someone else's poop multiple times a day and having perpetual spit up or snot stains on your shoulder, or dealing with toddler tantrums and wondering what in the world to do to stop them. I don't like being clawed and bitten because my baby's sick and tired and taking it out on me, or showering as fast as humanly possible while my two year old whines in the doorway the entire time saying, "I want mommy I want mommy I want mommy!" None of that is especially pleasant. And lately I find myself daydreaming of freedom...what it might be like to be able to do what I want whenever I want...to be spontaneous without having to pack a diaper bag, bring extra clothes in case of accidents, and work around naps and feeding times. A world in which I'm not driving down the highway frantically searching the glove box for a napkin while yelling toward the back seat, "don't eat that booger! Wipe it on this napkin, please!". I want to travel the world and not just via House Hunters International. And summertime really makes me want to go ride roller coasters! I used to have goals and interests that didn't involve anything to do with a "potty". But I've forgotten what it feels like to not have two additional lives depending on me for the majority of the day. And...gasp...sometimes I get frustrated by this. Sometimes I just want to hide from them and the incredible responsibility.
Does that make me a terrible mom? At times I feel like it does. When the kids are finally in bed for the night and I realize I spent the entire day stressed out, short-tempered with them, and dreaming of being alone for five seconds instead of enjoying our time together, I get this overwhelming guilt that I'm not doing a good job. I'm not listening to the little old ladies who tell me to enjoy every moment because it goes by too fast. Not only that, but I didn't get much of anything accomplished besides, on a good day, maybe one load of laundry, which is still sitting on the couch waiting to be folded, and keeping the pile of dishes from spilling out of the sink and onto the counter (if I'm lucky). Forget cleaning the bathroom or mopping the tile. And I didn't remember to sweep up the parmesan cheese I spilled on the kitchen floor until the girls found it and were rolling in it.
So I'm going to be honest here: My name is Kate (Hi, Kate) and I'm not Supermom. Oh, I would like to be. I would love to have clean and well-groomed children who always obey, who eat nothing but homemade organic food in our impeccably clean home which is decorated like it came straight out of a magazine. But that's not reality, and in my home it's more like barely controlled chaos. I start the day with good intentions but by 10 a.m. everyone's clothing (including mine) is stained by breakfast or bodily fluids, someone is crying, and I can barely see the family room floor due to scattered toys and laundry (yep, it was still sitting on the couch and Cbear thought she'd "help" fold it). I was putting dinner together today and someone brought me a diaper full of poop she thought she'd try to change herself...gee, thanks hon. You really shouldn't have. I look at other moms who seem to have it all together and wonder how they do it, because I certainly can't. However, I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I'm not Supermom and THAT'S OKAY. I can't do it all because I'm only human. I'm doing the best I can, and sometimes that's great and sometimes it's barely keeping my head above water. It's a process. Oh, and if you are one of those moms who can do it all, please don't gloat about it because it kind of makes other people (not me!) want to punch you in the throat. And that's just not what Jesus would want. (J/K...I promise I'm not really a violent person).
I read an article recently about a mom who was learning about the great cathedrals of Europe. She learned that the people who worked on them never got to see them to completion in their lifetime. In other words, they worked hard day in and day out, dedicating their lives to a project they would never see finished. She compared it to motherhood: we, as moms, are building a legacy that we may never see the results of. But it is important work, and someday these little people we raise will become adults and maybe, just maybe, do something beautiful with their lives. So, while I don't think it's realistic to enjoy every moment of being in the trenches of parenting, I resolve to remind myself of the two tiny cathedrals I'm currently working on. There are some lovely, take your breath away and bring joyful tears to your eyes moments of mothering, don't get me wrong. There is also a lot of hard work and tears of sadness. But again, I remind myself that my life as a mom is important and these two little people are ah-freaking-mazing and I love them to pieces. And here are some practical things I do to maintain my sanity when they are slowly driving my mommy train to Crazytown:
1. Lower my standards (with regards to house cleaning/laundry/dishes etc.). I do the best I can, but the world is not going to end if I choose to play on the floor instead of dusting the furniture. It's just going to get dirty again anyway.
2. Stop comparing myself to other moms. They may have gifts and abilities that I don't possess, but I have my own mommy skills too. God chose me to be Cbear and Jellybean's mom so I must be the right person for the job.
3. Accept help from anyone who is kind and/or dumb enough to offer it. It takes a village.
4. Pursue an interest that is purely for me. I have several hobbies that I enjoy but one I'm focusing on right now is writing...there's really only time for one right now anyway.
5. Go on appropriate child-free outings. Right now in my life this is grabbing dinner with some girls while hubs watches the kids or catching a movie with him and leaving the girls with a sitter for a couple hours. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's nice to have a chance to miss them. And someday they'll be all grown up before I'm ready and I'll be free to tackle my bucket list. And then I'll probably miss my babies and wish they were little and clinging to my legs again.
Does that make me a terrible mom? At times I feel like it does. When the kids are finally in bed for the night and I realize I spent the entire day stressed out, short-tempered with them, and dreaming of being alone for five seconds instead of enjoying our time together, I get this overwhelming guilt that I'm not doing a good job. I'm not listening to the little old ladies who tell me to enjoy every moment because it goes by too fast. Not only that, but I didn't get much of anything accomplished besides, on a good day, maybe one load of laundry, which is still sitting on the couch waiting to be folded, and keeping the pile of dishes from spilling out of the sink and onto the counter (if I'm lucky). Forget cleaning the bathroom or mopping the tile. And I didn't remember to sweep up the parmesan cheese I spilled on the kitchen floor until the girls found it and were rolling in it.
So I'm going to be honest here: My name is Kate (Hi, Kate) and I'm not Supermom. Oh, I would like to be. I would love to have clean and well-groomed children who always obey, who eat nothing but homemade organic food in our impeccably clean home which is decorated like it came straight out of a magazine. But that's not reality, and in my home it's more like barely controlled chaos. I start the day with good intentions but by 10 a.m. everyone's clothing (including mine) is stained by breakfast or bodily fluids, someone is crying, and I can barely see the family room floor due to scattered toys and laundry (yep, it was still sitting on the couch and Cbear thought she'd "help" fold it). I was putting dinner together today and someone brought me a diaper full of poop she thought she'd try to change herself...gee, thanks hon. You really shouldn't have. I look at other moms who seem to have it all together and wonder how they do it, because I certainly can't. However, I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I'm not Supermom and THAT'S OKAY. I can't do it all because I'm only human. I'm doing the best I can, and sometimes that's great and sometimes it's barely keeping my head above water. It's a process. Oh, and if you are one of those moms who can do it all, please don't gloat about it because it kind of makes other people (not me!) want to punch you in the throat. And that's just not what Jesus would want. (J/K...I promise I'm not really a violent person).
I read an article recently about a mom who was learning about the great cathedrals of Europe. She learned that the people who worked on them never got to see them to completion in their lifetime. In other words, they worked hard day in and day out, dedicating their lives to a project they would never see finished. She compared it to motherhood: we, as moms, are building a legacy that we may never see the results of. But it is important work, and someday these little people we raise will become adults and maybe, just maybe, do something beautiful with their lives. So, while I don't think it's realistic to enjoy every moment of being in the trenches of parenting, I resolve to remind myself of the two tiny cathedrals I'm currently working on. There are some lovely, take your breath away and bring joyful tears to your eyes moments of mothering, don't get me wrong. There is also a lot of hard work and tears of sadness. But again, I remind myself that my life as a mom is important and these two little people are ah-freaking-mazing and I love them to pieces. And here are some practical things I do to maintain my sanity when they are slowly driving my mommy train to Crazytown:
1. Lower my standards (with regards to house cleaning/laundry/dishes etc.). I do the best I can, but the world is not going to end if I choose to play on the floor instead of dusting the furniture. It's just going to get dirty again anyway.
2. Stop comparing myself to other moms. They may have gifts and abilities that I don't possess, but I have my own mommy skills too. God chose me to be Cbear and Jellybean's mom so I must be the right person for the job.
3. Accept help from anyone who is kind and/or dumb enough to offer it. It takes a village.
4. Pursue an interest that is purely for me. I have several hobbies that I enjoy but one I'm focusing on right now is writing...there's really only time for one right now anyway.
5. Go on appropriate child-free outings. Right now in my life this is grabbing dinner with some girls while hubs watches the kids or catching a movie with him and leaving the girls with a sitter for a couple hours. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's nice to have a chance to miss them. And someday they'll be all grown up before I'm ready and I'll be free to tackle my bucket list. And then I'll probably miss my babies and wish they were little and clinging to my legs again.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Baby-Led Weaning...not so crazy after all
It's official...Jellybean is eating solids! We started almost a month ago. When Cbear was a baby, I made a lot of her baby food--steamed or baked, then pureed and froze to be used whenever we needed it. So, I came to terms with the fact that Jellybean was growing up and it was time to make baby food again. And she's such a little chunker and interested in our food that I figured we'd have no problem. Wrong! She's very independent and stubborn (I have no idea where that came from ;)) and she was not happy about me trying to feed her. She spit everything out, looking at me like I was a crazy person, then tried to grab the spoon and do it herself. This continued for a few weeks, until I looked into baby-led weaning.
I'd heard of this back when Cbear started solids, and I'll admit I thought the idea was a little out there. The basic idea is that you let your child feed themselves from the very beginning...skipping purees and going straight to finger foods. You simply offer the food and let your baby do the rest. Everything goes into their mouths at this age anyway, so it's pretty easy. This allows them to control how much they eat...if they're hungry, they'll eat and they stop on their own when they're full, so they learn to self-regulate. It also teaches them to chew first and then swallow, as opposed to starting with purees where they learn to swallow first and chew later.
I was slightly skeptical, but figured I'd give it a try. Success! Jellybean loves feeding herself. It's a little messy, but I guess by now I'm used to messes because it hardly bothers me anymore. Of course, the foods I give her are naturally soft or soft-cooked to prevent choking, but I've been amazed at how well she does. And I'm pretty happy that I don't have to spend all that time making purees (or money, if I were buying jarred food). So far we've had success with banana and avocado strips, smashed sweet potatoes, green beans, brown rice and slices of pear. She absolutely loves getting to gnaw on apples (I share if I'm eating one). Tonight I'm steaming baby carrots to go with our dinner and planning on offering those to her. My favorite part is that we all get to eat dinner as a family, as opposed to everyone else eating and me feeding the baby while my own food gets cold. And Jellybean feels like a big girl eating like the rest of us. Win-win!
So if you have an independent child like me, or if you're just wanting something more in line with your parenting style than traditional solid food feeding, give baby-led weaning a try. And take lots of pictures!
I'd heard of this back when Cbear started solids, and I'll admit I thought the idea was a little out there. The basic idea is that you let your child feed themselves from the very beginning...skipping purees and going straight to finger foods. You simply offer the food and let your baby do the rest. Everything goes into their mouths at this age anyway, so it's pretty easy. This allows them to control how much they eat...if they're hungry, they'll eat and they stop on their own when they're full, so they learn to self-regulate. It also teaches them to chew first and then swallow, as opposed to starting with purees where they learn to swallow first and chew later.
I was slightly skeptical, but figured I'd give it a try. Success! Jellybean loves feeding herself. It's a little messy, but I guess by now I'm used to messes because it hardly bothers me anymore. Of course, the foods I give her are naturally soft or soft-cooked to prevent choking, but I've been amazed at how well she does. And I'm pretty happy that I don't have to spend all that time making purees (or money, if I were buying jarred food). So far we've had success with banana and avocado strips, smashed sweet potatoes, green beans, brown rice and slices of pear. She absolutely loves getting to gnaw on apples (I share if I'm eating one). Tonight I'm steaming baby carrots to go with our dinner and planning on offering those to her. My favorite part is that we all get to eat dinner as a family, as opposed to everyone else eating and me feeding the baby while my own food gets cold. And Jellybean feels like a big girl eating like the rest of us. Win-win!
So if you have an independent child like me, or if you're just wanting something more in line with your parenting style than traditional solid food feeding, give baby-led weaning a try. And take lots of pictures!
We don't play with poop!
Warning: Don't read this post if you have a weak stomach! Also, please do not read if you'll go all judgy-McJudgerson on me about this. :) If you don't have children or aren't into the lovely toddler years yet, someday you'll understand.
We had a busy day yesterday, which led to a very late afternoon nap for Cbear. Sometimes this spells disaster, because she's super wound up from being overly tired. Still, it's better than skipping the nap altogether so when we got home at about 3:00 I put her to bed. I heard her playing back there for a LONG time, but finally it was quiet and I sighed with relief that the nap would happen. Around 4:30 I was in the hallway near her room and I smelled something foul...then had a moment of dread when I peeked into Cbear's room. Sure enough, the odor was coming from there. The kind that knocks you over and makes you want to gag. Slowly I walked over to her crib, afraid of what I might find. Here was the situation: I found an empty pull-up, but with the contents smeared all over the bed, pillow, blanket, and Cbear herself. And there, sleeping peacefully like an angel, was the culprit, with a nugget of poo in her hand.
Ewewewewewewwwww! I never thought my child would be "that kid" and here she was, in all her stinky glory. Where did I go wrong? Who in their right mind would do such a thing? I don't know, but I cleaned everything up as best I could...not a task I enjoyed, by the way. When I was done, she was still sleeping so I let her, but promptly put her in the bath tub as soon as she woke up. I'm sure that was a rude awakening for her..."WE DO NOT PLAY WITH POOP...EVER!!! Now get in the tub, we have to wash off all this nasty stuff." Neither one of us enjoyed the tearful (on her part, although I kind of wanted to cry about it, too) bath but it was obviously necessary. I really hope I got the message across because that is not an episode I want to repeat.
Later in the evening, my sister was here and Cbear was telling the story, something about playing in poop and it was yucky, so hopefully she understood. And after I had washed all the bedding and her stuffed Curious George (who was a little smelly himself), I gave him back to her and she exclaimed, "I'm so happy!". So it appears that neither of us are scarred for life, thank goodness.
We had a busy day yesterday, which led to a very late afternoon nap for Cbear. Sometimes this spells disaster, because she's super wound up from being overly tired. Still, it's better than skipping the nap altogether so when we got home at about 3:00 I put her to bed. I heard her playing back there for a LONG time, but finally it was quiet and I sighed with relief that the nap would happen. Around 4:30 I was in the hallway near her room and I smelled something foul...then had a moment of dread when I peeked into Cbear's room. Sure enough, the odor was coming from there. The kind that knocks you over and makes you want to gag. Slowly I walked over to her crib, afraid of what I might find. Here was the situation: I found an empty pull-up, but with the contents smeared all over the bed, pillow, blanket, and Cbear herself. And there, sleeping peacefully like an angel, was the culprit, with a nugget of poo in her hand.
Ewewewewewewwwww! I never thought my child would be "that kid" and here she was, in all her stinky glory. Where did I go wrong? Who in their right mind would do such a thing? I don't know, but I cleaned everything up as best I could...not a task I enjoyed, by the way. When I was done, she was still sleeping so I let her, but promptly put her in the bath tub as soon as she woke up. I'm sure that was a rude awakening for her..."WE DO NOT PLAY WITH POOP...EVER!!! Now get in the tub, we have to wash off all this nasty stuff." Neither one of us enjoyed the tearful (on her part, although I kind of wanted to cry about it, too) bath but it was obviously necessary. I really hope I got the message across because that is not an episode I want to repeat.
Later in the evening, my sister was here and Cbear was telling the story, something about playing in poop and it was yucky, so hopefully she understood. And after I had washed all the bedding and her stuffed Curious George (who was a little smelly himself), I gave him back to her and she exclaimed, "I'm so happy!". So it appears that neither of us are scarred for life, thank goodness.
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