What's the bestest sound in the whole wide world?
The sweet little tinkle of pee-pee in the potty!
We had smashing potty success yesterday. Jo agreed to wearing her Elmo undies, and wore them with only one accident all day long. She even napped without a diaper (and woke up dry!) and ran a couple of errands with Daddy (without any pee-pee incidents!) She is SO ready to be a big girl, and has begun the "I'm-not-a-baby-I'm-a-big-girl" argument. Crossing my fingers that we're rounding the corner to potty-training happiness.
Today she has on princess undies, and as I was getting her dressed, she says "we don't pee-pee on princess, do we Mommy?"
Another whirlwind weekend in the month of July has passed. Can't even believe that we're looking at August already. Seems like just yesterday I was saying "holy cow. I can't believe it's July already." Guess that's just the way it goes, huh? Evie was either battling a doosey of a cold bug, or having teething trauma over the weekend. She had a low-grade fever all weekend, runny nose and general grumpiness. We had a couple of rough nights as she was having trouble breathing through all the snot and woke herself up frequently. But yesterday the 4 1/2 nap she took seemed to do the trick and she woke up her chipper self again. And I'm sure you're dying to know that her nose goo is no longer yellow, but a shiny-happy clear color again. :)
Saturday I went to Stillwater for my friend Dana's bachelorette party. It was a very "grown-up" party; we met at Northern Vineyards Winery for tasting and a tour, followed by a buffet dinner and boat ride on the river courtesy of St. Croix Boat and Packet Co. It's been a few years since I've done a bachelorette party, and I daresay that in our "old" age, we've mellowed a bit as no one got kicked out of any bars, threw any phallic-shaped objects at anyone, or slept on any toilets :) (Not that anyone I know ever actually did any of those things, you know, I'm just sayin') But it was tons of fun, and so good to catch up with some friends that I don't get to see very often. While I was having bachelorette party fun, Pat took the girls to a birthday party for his godson and cousin, Ben (who is 14, by the way. Geez.) They had a great time and Josie even got extra servings of ice cream. I'm sure she wouldn't mind going back to Paul and Erin's house sometime soon!
So there's your weekend wrap-up. I'm fixin' to post some more pictures soon. Hang tight.
We had smashing potty success yesterday. Jo agreed to wearing her Elmo undies, and wore them with only one accident all day long. She even napped without a diaper (and woke up dry!) and ran a couple of errands with Daddy (without any pee-pee incidents!) She is SO ready to be a big girl, and has begun the "I'm-not-a-baby-I'm-a-big-girl" argument. Crossing my fingers that we're rounding the corner to potty-training happiness.
Today she has on princess undies, and as I was getting her dressed, she says "we don't pee-pee on princess, do we Mommy?"
Another whirlwind weekend in the month of July has passed. Can't even believe that we're looking at August already. Seems like just yesterday I was saying "holy cow. I can't believe it's July already." Guess that's just the way it goes, huh? Evie was either battling a doosey of a cold bug, or having teething trauma over the weekend. She had a low-grade fever all weekend, runny nose and general grumpiness. We had a couple of rough nights as she was having trouble breathing through all the snot and woke herself up frequently. But yesterday the 4 1/2 nap she took seemed to do the trick and she woke up her chipper self again. And I'm sure you're dying to know that her nose goo is no longer yellow, but a shiny-happy clear color again. :)
Saturday I went to Stillwater for my friend Dana's bachelorette party. It was a very "grown-up" party; we met at Northern Vineyards Winery for tasting and a tour, followed by a buffet dinner and boat ride on the river courtesy of St. Croix Boat and Packet Co. It's been a few years since I've done a bachelorette party, and I daresay that in our "old" age, we've mellowed a bit as no one got kicked out of any bars, threw any phallic-shaped objects at anyone, or slept on any toilets :) (Not that anyone I know ever actually did any of those things, you know, I'm just sayin') But it was tons of fun, and so good to catch up with some friends that I don't get to see very often. While I was having bachelorette party fun, Pat took the girls to a birthday party for his godson and cousin, Ben (who is 14, by the way. Geez.) They had a great time and Josie even got extra servings of ice cream. I'm sure she wouldn't mind going back to Paul and Erin's house sometime soon!
So there's your weekend wrap-up. I'm fixin' to post some more pictures soon. Hang tight.
Some Days
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Some days, I feel like Supermom. (And I'm not talking about the bakery at SuperAmerica.)
My spotless, luxurious cape flows gently in the breeze behind me.
I efficiently and effortlessly whisk my two girls off to a doctor appointment after feeding them nutritious breakfasts and dressing them adorably in trendy outfits. They are clean and content and well-behaved. I stop for a moment to soak up all the Happy in my life.
"What good parents you are!" "Look how cute those girls are!" "You make it look so easy!" These are the cries of astonishment from the masses as we effortlessly Parent our children. We joyfully journey home in our family vehicle, singing educational songs and oozing love for one another. "I love you, Mommy!" "NO, I love YOU, Josie!" Meanwhile, Eve plays and smiles in her carseat, the waves of bliss crashing over her, helping to form her into a generous, caring child.
Eat your heart out, Hallmark.
I valiantly toss my beautiful cape over my shoulder and usher my children into the house, prepare yet another delicious, healthy meal for my smiley, cooperative, little ones, while keeping my kitchen spotless, putting away dishes from the dishwasher and opening the mail, all at the same time. There is no task that I cannot handle - for I am Supermom!
Then. There are the Other Days. The days when my cape is a little dirty and frayed at the edges. It falls in my face, gets shut in the bathroom door and trips me as I drudgingly move from one Chore to another.
One girl whines for no reason while the other makes messes of everything she touches. All I want is a shower and clean underwear, but there is no time, and the laundry has not been touched in what feels like a month - even though it's probably more like a week. I step in cat vomit while trying to identify moldy leftovers in the fridge and assembling unpaid bills in "now" piles and "next paycheck" piles.
Time to prepare another meal. We cook, clean-up, cook, clean-up. "I want ketchup!" "I need a napkin!" "I'm wet!" It never ends. Annoyed, I push my cape aside and wipe runny noses and disassemble Megablock towers left in the living room.
My temper is a bit short. I speak a bit too sharply. Don't put my full effort into reading all of the books or stacking all of the blocks. A bout of crying pounces on my last nerve and then kicks it in the shins. And I feel guilty about everything all the while. What if my lack of skills on this day shape my children into vandals, scoundrels, brats or social misfits? How will I live with myself?!
Okay. So I'm being a bit dramatic. Most days are... good. Some days are great. And some... not so great. Through it all, I wear my "Mom" cape. It fits better on some days than others. It doesn't get in my way as much on some days as it does on others. And there are a lot of days when I wish that I could "do more," could "be better." But as long as I'm "doing," as long as I'm "being" a mom, then I think everything will be okay. And I put those words in "quotes" because they differ from day to day, from person to person. I don't think there is an all-inclusive definition for doing more, for being better. If there is, please tell me. What I have to remember is that the ferocious love I feel for those girls is the same on the good days, the great days and the not-so-great days.
I have lots of Mom-Friends, and some soon-to-be Mom-Friends. And each and every one of them never ceases to amaze me. Most I have known since long before we became moms. We vary in personalities, abilities, backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses... but the one thing that doesn't vary is the cape. As tattered and worn as it may be some days, we all wear it with pride.
My spotless, luxurious cape flows gently in the breeze behind me.
I efficiently and effortlessly whisk my two girls off to a doctor appointment after feeding them nutritious breakfasts and dressing them adorably in trendy outfits. They are clean and content and well-behaved. I stop for a moment to soak up all the Happy in my life.
"What good parents you are!" "Look how cute those girls are!" "You make it look so easy!" These are the cries of astonishment from the masses as we effortlessly Parent our children. We joyfully journey home in our family vehicle, singing educational songs and oozing love for one another. "I love you, Mommy!" "NO, I love YOU, Josie!" Meanwhile, Eve plays and smiles in her carseat, the waves of bliss crashing over her, helping to form her into a generous, caring child.
Eat your heart out, Hallmark.
I valiantly toss my beautiful cape over my shoulder and usher my children into the house, prepare yet another delicious, healthy meal for my smiley, cooperative, little ones, while keeping my kitchen spotless, putting away dishes from the dishwasher and opening the mail, all at the same time. There is no task that I cannot handle - for I am Supermom!
Then. There are the Other Days. The days when my cape is a little dirty and frayed at the edges. It falls in my face, gets shut in the bathroom door and trips me as I drudgingly move from one Chore to another.
One girl whines for no reason while the other makes messes of everything she touches. All I want is a shower and clean underwear, but there is no time, and the laundry has not been touched in what feels like a month - even though it's probably more like a week. I step in cat vomit while trying to identify moldy leftovers in the fridge and assembling unpaid bills in "now" piles and "next paycheck" piles.
Time to prepare another meal. We cook, clean-up, cook, clean-up. "I want ketchup!" "I need a napkin!" "I'm wet!" It never ends. Annoyed, I push my cape aside and wipe runny noses and disassemble Megablock towers left in the living room.
My temper is a bit short. I speak a bit too sharply. Don't put my full effort into reading all of the books or stacking all of the blocks. A bout of crying pounces on my last nerve and then kicks it in the shins. And I feel guilty about everything all the while. What if my lack of skills on this day shape my children into vandals, scoundrels, brats or social misfits? How will I live with myself?!
Okay. So I'm being a bit dramatic. Most days are... good. Some days are great. And some... not so great. Through it all, I wear my "Mom" cape. It fits better on some days than others. It doesn't get in my way as much on some days as it does on others. And there are a lot of days when I wish that I could "do more," could "be better." But as long as I'm "doing," as long as I'm "being" a mom, then I think everything will be okay. And I put those words in "quotes" because they differ from day to day, from person to person. I don't think there is an all-inclusive definition for doing more, for being better. If there is, please tell me. What I have to remember is that the ferocious love I feel for those girls is the same on the good days, the great days and the not-so-great days.
I have lots of Mom-Friends, and some soon-to-be Mom-Friends. And each and every one of them never ceases to amaze me. Most I have known since long before we became moms. We vary in personalities, abilities, backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses... but the one thing that doesn't vary is the cape. As tattered and worn as it may be some days, we all wear it with pride.
In a nutshell...
Evie had her 1 year well-baby check last Friday.
Weight: 18 lbs., 14 oz. - 10th percentile.
Length: 28 3/4 in. - 50th percentile.
I don't remember what her head measurement was - but it was a big one. Like, 90th percentile. My kids have big noggins!
So we can't face her forward in her carseat quite yet - she needs to be at least 20 lbs. And, we had tried to switch her over to a "next step" milk-based formula a few weeks ago, and she started to throw up, arch her back while crying and have bad gas. So we put her back on soy formula until her doctor appointment. She most likely is lactose intolerant, so we're giving her soy milk, just like daddy. Hopefully, she grows out of it. We're supposed to try whole milk again in a couple of months. She seems to handle a bit of yogurt and cottage cheese and cheese just fine, so if we only have to watch the milk, that will be do-able.
More soon. Just wanted to get that down in writing before I forgot.
Weight: 18 lbs., 14 oz. - 10th percentile.
Length: 28 3/4 in. - 50th percentile.
I don't remember what her head measurement was - but it was a big one. Like, 90th percentile. My kids have big noggins!
So we can't face her forward in her carseat quite yet - she needs to be at least 20 lbs. And, we had tried to switch her over to a "next step" milk-based formula a few weeks ago, and she started to throw up, arch her back while crying and have bad gas. So we put her back on soy formula until her doctor appointment. She most likely is lactose intolerant, so we're giving her soy milk, just like daddy. Hopefully, she grows out of it. We're supposed to try whole milk again in a couple of months. She seems to handle a bit of yogurt and cottage cheese and cheese just fine, so if we only have to watch the milk, that will be do-able.
More soon. Just wanted to get that down in writing before I forgot.
A Letter to the Most Beautiful Girl
Evie,
Happy 1st Birthday! Please forgive me as I am struggling to find the words for you today. I want to be eloquent and insightful and give you a letter that will awe you with pearls of wisdom in the coming years. But try as I might, I could never adequately describe the pure joy that I experience when I open the door to your room in the morning and see your bright smile and even brighter eyes. To know that those gifts are meant for me makes me feel completely and totally blessed. It's a moment that strikes me every single time and never dulls with routine - a rush of emotion that can only be plain old unadulterated happiness. Whatever worries might lie on my mind outside of that door are instantly gone when I greet you. You have wrapped me around your little finger. You fill me with wonder at your abilities - already taking first steps, saying first words, mimicking sounds you hear. You amaze me. Thank you for... just being you.
To say that your daddy and I love you just doesn't seem like enough today. To the moon and back, Genevieve. Happy Birthday.
love, mommy
Happy 1st Birthday! Please forgive me as I am struggling to find the words for you today. I want to be eloquent and insightful and give you a letter that will awe you with pearls of wisdom in the coming years. But try as I might, I could never adequately describe the pure joy that I experience when I open the door to your room in the morning and see your bright smile and even brighter eyes. To know that those gifts are meant for me makes me feel completely and totally blessed. It's a moment that strikes me every single time and never dulls with routine - a rush of emotion that can only be plain old unadulterated happiness. Whatever worries might lie on my mind outside of that door are instantly gone when I greet you. You have wrapped me around your little finger. You fill me with wonder at your abilities - already taking first steps, saying first words, mimicking sounds you hear. You amaze me. Thank you for... just being you.
To say that your daddy and I love you just doesn't seem like enough today. To the moon and back, Genevieve. Happy Birthday.
love, mommy
My ice cubes are melting, and I'd like a cocktail...
Monday, July 09, 2007
Do you ever have so much going on and so much to look forward to and so much to talk about and are so busy at work that your head is spinning and you don't know what to think about or what to do first or what to do next and don't know how you're going to get it all done but it's all so fun and tiring and exciting and so... worth it!
Yeah.
Good times.
Gotta get back to work now.
Yeah.
Good times.
Gotta get back to work now.
Ta Da!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Eve will stop whatever she's doing to smile and clap whenever you say "ta da!" AND... she took her first unassisted steps yesterday! She's been toodling around furniture and standing unassisted for a few weeks, and days, respectively, and yesterday I was folding laundry (speaking of which, mine eyes have seen the glory, and it's the bottom of a laundry basket! Hallelujah, I think I'm caught up!) while sitting on the loveseat in the living room, and she was playing between the laundry basket and the coffee table. Somewhere in there she decided to turn from the table to me - and instead of dropping to her bottom like usual, she took 2 definite, wobbly, hurried steps to my leg! Frickin' amazing.
I swear she's trying to say "Baxter." And "Brewster." And Pat thinks she told him "thank you." She is mimicking anything and everything, including matching and out-screaming me and her sister. I've never heard a kid with such a set of pipes.
Watch your toilet paper if Eve comes to visit. She's very adept at spinning oodles off the roll into a lovely pile on the floor. Picture it:
Saturday afternoon. I'm in the kitchen. Josie is in the living room. I haven't heard Eve for a few moments, and ask Josie what Evie's doing. Josie looks around. Spots Eve in the bathroom, unrolling toilet paper. "OH NO, Mommy - look what Eve did. NO NO, Evie!" Eve hightails it from the bathroom, hoping that if she's not caught at the scene of the crime that it can't be pinned on her. She's quite sneaky that way. BUT she forgot that she has WADS of toilet paper in her mouth. Slightly incriminating. Pat intervenes. Attempts to dislodge wet, gooey paper from Eve's chompers. Josie decides to become a rhino and begins to ram her head into Pat and Eve. Why? Who knows. Pat removes toilet paper from Eve's mouth, but there's still more. "How much toilet paper is in your mouth??!!" he exclaims, all the while getting rammed by Josie's head. Meanwhile, I'm just leaning against the sink in the kitchen, taking it all in. :) Ahh. Good times.
Josie and Pat went outside to play for a while after dinner Friday night. The nice neighbors were outside, so they went to say "hi." Apparently, Josie was sitting on the steps at the side of their house when she says to Darlene, "Look! My lion... ROAR!" while lifting up her dress and pointing to the lion on her diaper.
Anyone have any advice for getting toddler back on board for potty-training? She was doing so well, and now, not so much. No interest anymore. Do we up the anty in the bribe department? It's just very frustrating when you know that she CAN do it, but just doesn't want to.
I swear she's trying to say "Baxter." And "Brewster." And Pat thinks she told him "thank you." She is mimicking anything and everything, including matching and out-screaming me and her sister. I've never heard a kid with such a set of pipes.
Watch your toilet paper if Eve comes to visit. She's very adept at spinning oodles off the roll into a lovely pile on the floor. Picture it:
Saturday afternoon. I'm in the kitchen. Josie is in the living room. I haven't heard Eve for a few moments, and ask Josie what Evie's doing. Josie looks around. Spots Eve in the bathroom, unrolling toilet paper. "OH NO, Mommy - look what Eve did. NO NO, Evie!" Eve hightails it from the bathroom, hoping that if she's not caught at the scene of the crime that it can't be pinned on her. She's quite sneaky that way. BUT she forgot that she has WADS of toilet paper in her mouth. Slightly incriminating. Pat intervenes. Attempts to dislodge wet, gooey paper from Eve's chompers. Josie decides to become a rhino and begins to ram her head into Pat and Eve. Why? Who knows. Pat removes toilet paper from Eve's mouth, but there's still more. "How much toilet paper is in your mouth??!!" he exclaims, all the while getting rammed by Josie's head. Meanwhile, I'm just leaning against the sink in the kitchen, taking it all in. :) Ahh. Good times.
Josie and Pat went outside to play for a while after dinner Friday night. The nice neighbors were outside, so they went to say "hi." Apparently, Josie was sitting on the steps at the side of their house when she says to Darlene, "Look! My lion... ROAR!" while lifting up her dress and pointing to the lion on her diaper.
Anyone have any advice for getting toddler back on board for potty-training? She was doing so well, and now, not so much. No interest anymore. Do we up the anty in the bribe department? It's just very frustrating when you know that she CAN do it, but just doesn't want to.
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