All's Well

In an instant, our kids have moved on to a new school and have thoroughly enjoyed the transition. Granted, they are having to start their day with breakfast a little bit earlier and daddy is handling the drop offs in the morning, but honestly, it's been OK. Our little boy still has his tearful moments, and I don't envy the hubs having to go through that each morning. I was constantly fighting that battle in the last weeks of the previous school and it just about ruined my day each time.

I really think that toward the end, the previous school wasn't offering much curriculum or instruction to keep them engaged. In fact, our little girl has come home quite pooped out each day and has not come over in the middle of the night for five days straight. (Keeping fingers crossed, but probably just jinxed it)...

I know that change is often hard, but probably more so on us as parents. We get stuck in our routines and hesitate to veer from it at all costs. We are creatures of habit and our habits are very hard to break.

The beauty of this change is that I know my kids can handle change, as they have adjusted nicely. I am thankful that they can roll with it much better than I ever would have done. Now it's time to get the baby potty-trained...

Transition

In another week, we'll be forced to move our children to another daycare. Not out of our wishes, mind you, but yet another facility closing its doors. Each time you move your kids to another place, you can't help but feel the anguish and anxiety that a new place brings. Not to mention how much we will miss the teachers and the overall school they had been going to. I am hopeful this go round will go as smoothly as before - with the kids quickly adjusting to their new surroundings and caregivers with no issue. I am pretty confident our little girl will adjust fine, but I am fearful our little boy will not adjust quite so well. He's so attached to a regular routine, that on most days when he doesn't see his regular teacher, he is a cling-on of wailing proportions. That makes the start of my day so very hard. To see his crying eyes and his tears for mama as he latches on for dear life. I know he has had to realize that his daily teacher has already left because his morning tears seem to get worse and worse without a fun distraction. This morning, I secretly left before he realized I was gone. But within seconds, I heard him crying for me as I was racing out the door. Does that make me a bad mom?

My Lil Mama

Our little girl is so like me it's not even funny. But maybe all little girls are like their moms in some way right? They watch you and mimic your every move. She likes to put on my high heels and wear pretty dresses...but the funniest thing is how she dotes on and disciplines her little brother. She will scold him just like I do and has such the attitude to go along with it. Her sassiness is so cute at times, but makes me really think about what I say to her and her brother. It is very true that they will do exactly as you do or repeat your every word. It really shouldn't surprise me when she wants to be just like her mama - attitude and all. I just hope she doesn't pick up my bad temper :)

Night of Bliss

Last night both kids slept through the entire night without a peep, and boy did I enjoy it. I can't remember the last time we had an uninterrupted night of purely great sleep. For those who enjoy their sleep - like I do - I woke up refreshed and ready to go. It took them both a little nudging to get going, but once they did, they were all smiles. It's funny how we can continue the same routine, day-in and day-out, but for whatever reason, some nights are better for sleeping than others. I often wonder if their minds are so busy processing the day's activities that they get a bit restless. I can only imagine the vivid dreams they are having as I did when I was a child. I honestly can't remember what they were, but I do remember having those dreams.

I pray for continued restful sleep each and every night. I'm lucky I get some zzzzz's before they start their little episodes of "milk," or "potty." I have no idea how my hubby manages to be their savior each night they are up. I'd be an uber-zombie if I had to handle it. Thank goodness for my saintly mate.

Chunky Monkey

So much as happened since I last blogged, that I have no idea where to begin.

Easter Sunday we had a great time with family during the day - until the night ended with a trip to the emergency room. Poor little Y was having loads of fun climbing up and down his uncle's chair and messing around with his cousin that evening. When his uncle returned to reclaim his chair, Y's cousin pulled at his arm the same time his uncle was trying to pick him up. A few seconds later, we had a screaming toddler and a very limp left arm. It didn't take us long before we decided to rush down to the E.R. to see a doctor. Thankfully my sister-in-law was finishing up her shift at the hospital and told us that the E.R. was quite empty! Within an hour, we had x-rays that showed no fractures or breaks, but a very kind physician who plainly told us how our little boy had suffered from "nursemaid elbow." After a quick tug and snap back into place, our little guy was as good as new.

Not even yet two years old and our little boy has made two trips to the E.R. I'm not sure if that means he has a rough road ahead of him. If he's anything like his daddy and daddy's brother - we are in for many nights in the hospital!

Our little baby boy has surely grown up faster than I even imagined. So much so that the hubs would love to have another baby. Unfortunately for him, this baby-factory decided after Y was born that her days of baby-carrying are officially over (unless by divine intervention something happens)....his chunky face now smiles back at us with such personality and attitude.

His constant "no's" and demands show just how much testosterone he already has. I suppose his terrible "twos" have officially kicked in....but then he'll come right up to you and give a great big hug or a sloppy kiss and all is forgiven.

My little chunky monkey loves to run around the house in his birthday suit after a bath and giggles when you tickle his funky smelling feet. He watches intently as you pronounce every single syllable because he so wants to mimic you at every breath. I love that little tater-head and I hate that he has grown up so quickly.

Curveballs

I should have known today would be a hectic day from the moment I backed up out of the driveway to a street filled with debris, branches and everything in-between from the storm that dumped a gob of rain just about everywhere. It looked like God went around and shook every single tree, limb and bush and dumped it all on the streets for car tires to bumpily drive on in the wee morning hours. About three minutes into my morning commute, sprinkles started to come down on the windshield, and I thought to myself, "If I have to get the kids out of the car, and then haul the stuff to the Capitol, I should have grabbed my darn rain jacket." So I turned the car around, and the kids didn't even blink an eye. Five minutes from when I left the house originally at 6:47 a.m., I was in the garage again, rushing out of the car to get in the house to grab the jacket. By the time I was back on the road, I thought to myself, "I can do this, and the kids won't even be late." As I pulled into the daycare's parking lot, I noticed the usual early birds there, ready to drop off their kids and start their day...I thought it was a bit odd that only one of the classrooms was lit, and the rest of the building looked quite dim. By the time the clock read 7:15 a.m., I started to get out of the car to haul the kids in. At the corner of my eye, and within ear range, I hear the daycare's director peek out and say that the school had no power and she wasn't sure if she could keep the kids at all today. POOP! My head starts to panic and I hurriedly put Roo back in her carseat. Of course, she's asking "what's going on mommy?" I picked up the phone to call the hubby and explained the situation. He quickly got off the phone and got ready to come get the kids. I dropped them off, and rushed on to work. This of all days was not a day to miss work. The weather for the Capitol event was frigid and hauling the stuff to our tables seemed like it took forever. And by the time I got back to the car to head into the office, my hubby had called to tell me that he was on his way to pick up our kids. He would miss a day of work to take care of them, and I would be working all day. Today was certainly a curveball. I certainly appreciated the fact that at any moment, my hubby was ready to step in and do what was necessary. Having the kids all day, unplanned, can be quite challenging. I am a planner and I am awful at curveballs. I can readily admit that as a vice. It's not very often that I have the bat in hand ready to swing at whatever life has waiting for me. That's why I'm absolutely grateful for all of my team members who are out there looking for my best interests and lifting me up when I need an extra hand. I guess it's true what they say, "There's no 'I' in team."

Just to be close

The other week, I dropped off the kids at school, like I normally do, and realized that my daughter was starting to get embarassed when I would fuss over her. Hugs, kisses and the like, and she didn't seem to want any of it. At some point, my daughter decided it wasn't cool to have those public displays of affection, and for that fleeting moment, I was utterly sad. The moments that I had with hugging her and giving her all the love and attention had passed on by. Nowadays, I'm lucky to just be able to sit with her and be close enough without her going on to do something else. As you can imagine, the attention span of a very young child is about as long as a mili-second! When I do get a chance, I hug her that much longer and tell her that I love her. She will always surprise me with her matter-of-fact quips, "Well actually mommy, I love you!" That's all it takes for me, and I'll be looking for those moments - whenever they come.

Questioning Why

I used to watch television shows or movies and wondered if it was really true that toddlers liked to question just about everything you do. It was certainly funny on the big screen, but the reality loses its humility. Our daughter is quite the inquisitive mind lately, and cannot seem to get enough information to fill her brain to stop. Sometimes I feel badly that I ignore her, but she just keeps on askin'. I'm really glad that lots of things make her ponder, and she's just curious to learn more. But I can honestly say, I just don't have all the answers. Do you think she asks to annoy, or does this child really want to know? Is it the inquiring mind that will help her to continue to develop emotionally, spiritually and intellectually? Will this questioning ever end?? I love the child-like expressions of wonderment and surprise. They really do show their emotions at the drop of a hat, and rarely play these adult mind-games that many of us get caught up in. For now, the best answer I have is "because I said so," and I'll leave it at that.

Rainy Days

When we were much younger and still dating, the thoughts of saving for a rainy day never really crossed our minds. We spent money frivolously and just enjoyed being young. If there was a stereo or a new pair of shoes we (I) wanted, by golly, we got it. Thankfully, we have learned many lessons from our youthful days and last year really got serious about what would we do if we weren't around for the rainy days that our children would undoubtedly endure.

So we listened to Dave Ramsey and contacted one of his endorsed local providers. Met with him and started talking about the future we wanted to have, and what kind of future we wanted to ensure that our kids would have. Our financial guy gave us great advice and right away, we refinanced the house and ended up shaving off years from our mortgage and lowered our monthly payment! A win-win to say the least, but the best part of all was devising the plan to give us a little peace of mind when we will no longer be here.

The saying goes that the next generation should do better than the previous, and we are working every day to be certain that our kids will have what we did not. As a parent, it's one of my priorities to give our children the best opportunities in life. Certainly, we will expect them to also hard work and commit to their studies, but I do not for one second want to think of having them not being able to pursue their college goals or just having that possibility available to them.

Today, the skies may be clear, blue and beautiful, but not thinking of the rain that may come at any moment would be foolish. I have at least two reasons to get up and go to work every day. And if I don't get up on my own, those two little reasons will be sure to wake me up. If it's sunny outside, I'll keep the umbrella at home. But even a hint of rain gets me thinking of grabbing the umbrella. Big or small, it will be with me to keep the rain from dampening my drive to be and do better for my family.

Streakers

Who knew that little toddlers like to run around the house naked? Both kids tonight got a wild hair and wanted to run around in their birthday suits before their bath, and particularly afterwards. I wondered if it was the soothing lavendar bath soap I used to get them that way? (Which would have been the complete opposite effect). Either way, the bare-ness of both of them were just outrageously funny. Their dimpled tooshies and mongolian spots were jiggling from room to room, all the while screaming of course. We both had to chase them down to get them dried up and clothed, but they were fussin' when the fun had to end.

Maybe there are days when running around screaming and naked is just the boost you need to settle down for the night. I'm sure it would have been nice to join in on the mischieve-ity, but I was laughing too hard at their innocent gestures of silliness that all I could do was enjoy the moment for what it was. Pure. Fun.

On Days Like These

The roughest work days are always great reminders of the best part of being a mom - and that is your family awaits you and loves you regardless of whatever challenges are presented to you. They are so eager to hug and kiss you, and are just all smiles when you walk through that door. My kids and hubby are what makes the un-eaten lunches, or back-to-back meetings or conference calls, or endless decisions of non-decisions all better with just a simple "hi mommy." The joy they put in my heart are immeasurable. I'm thankful for the paycheck, but eternally grateful for the priceless value of their love.

The infamous "No"

Our little boy has figured out the most important word in his very young vocabulary, and he's quite proud of it. His use of "no" - even though so cute and endearing - has really cropped up overnight. It's amazing of his understanding of time-outs and consequences for his actions, but I'm thoroughly impressed with his use of the "no" so defiantly when he thoroughly does not enjoy something you ask of him. In fact, his vocabulary seems to broaden daily. I think to myself - where'd he learn that? I wish I could say everything he learned, he's learned from me, his daddy or his sister...but he's exposed to so many other children and great adults daily. His observation of anyone seems so adult for a little toddler, like he knows how to people-watch and be friendly all at the same time. Granted, he still walks one way and looks the other, but he's starting to put all the pieces together.

The Guilt

I often read my friends' Facebook statuses that describe their angst of balancing work and home life with children, and I confess that those same discussions run through my mind all the time. I've read articles on other moms who had to choose for their sanity - stay at home full time, or split their selves between work and kids. Believe me, I truly love my children and family and wouldn't change it for a second. But I do wonder if it would be a bit simpler if I decided to be a full-time S.A.H.M. (stay @ home mama). There's something fulfilling about coming in each day to the office to tackle projects, work within tight timelines and produce something - whether written or otherwise - that you can be proud of. I get joy out of sharing camaraderie with a group of extremely talented professionals, and lending a hand or ear for other colleagues. However, I'll readily admit that when the day is done, I am also absolutely thrilled to pick up my two grimy, yet extremely happy children. I think I get solace in knowing that they absolutely love their school and they are well cared for by a group of individuals who share love and friendship like none I have ever seen. But despite all of the great things of work and home life, I cannot help but feel that I'm missing out on my kids growing up without me there, every single moment of each day. Could I survive if I made that switch? I know some of my friends have done it and are doing great. I just don't know if I'm built quite that way. I guess the Catholic in me has the guilt already built in - but maybe that's just what I need to cherish the moments that I do have with my little ones.

Dance Machine

Our little bubba-louie is a lean, mean, dancin' machine. Who would have thought a toddler not yet 18 months old can get down on it like he does? During my brother's wedding last month, he cut rug like nobody's business. The band was just captivating to him, and he just let loose. Granted, he was extremely tired and sugared up on boatloads of candy as his lunch and dinner - but that didn't stop him. He was fearless!

I thought it was surely a fluke that he just liked to wiggle and jiggle that little bottom of his...but my sister gives him her cell phone when she has the music pumpin' and he is just in dance heaven. Just tonight we were watching the end of Mulan and he jumped off the couch to do his dance routine to 98 Degrees.

I love my little dancin' don. His smile is infectious and his hip-shakin' will just make you giggle until you decide to join in his happiness. I think he has the right idea. Who cares if anyone is lookin'. Just do it and share the laughter.

A Day With Mommy

Saturday I got to spend the whole day with the kids - plus one. Our niece stayed over Friday night for her usual sleep-over...and surprisingly I did pretty well with all of them with no extra support. Granted, I wouldn't want to do it everyday, but I was particularly proud of how well the kids behaved and how sane I was at the end of the day. I even took a short venture out to Target with all three of them, and they got along quite well. The kids got to enjoy strolling down the toy aisles (well, at least the girls), and I got to get them out of the house for a short period of time. Sometimes when I doubt myself, I realize that I'm' really a lot stronger than I give myself credit for. Maybe I'm just so stubborn to believe I could fail at something, so I give it my all. But, for this one day of being mommy to three, I'll just give credit to the kids for keeping each other company and for allowing me to just be present to answer their demanding food requests. I guess if you feed them enough, they will remain happy - even if you set rules on just about everthing :)

Baby No More

Our son has decided that he's all grown up - in a matter of just a week. I've always loved the process of putting our kids to sleep...actually rocking them and letting them drink their milk before bed. But now, our son is good to go after some milk and his teddy bear in tow. We can lay him down in his bed and he's lights out, or shortly after a little jostling around in his crib, he's fast asleep. It truly seemed like yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital. He was getting used to us, and we were re-learning the sleep deprivation routine. Our daughter grew up in a hurry too...but I wanted to believe our baby boy would always stay our baby. I love that each of them has their own little personalities - so bubbly and giggly - and very opinionated on what they like and dislike. They get so outrageously vocal with their needs and have no hesitations of telling you what they think in their own little ways. Certainly, I am glad for their independence, but I can't help but think fondly of the days and months that rushed by us when they were teetering and tottering with every little thing. New challenges are ahead for all of us, but it's exciting to know that we will continue to grow and bond as a family. My kids will always be my babies, no matter how big they get or how much they want to be grown up.

Tears and Pain

You never realize how painful something is until you are staring in your kids' eyes and telling them it's ok, when you honestly have no idea. Both of the kids - well one for sure - got infected with the pink eye and I surely hate giving them those drops. If I recall from my childhood, the drops stung a bit when they went in. Not to mention, your eyes are already irritated, and you are going to aggravate them just a bit more with this medicine? You would think with modern medicine and all the latest gadgets and gizmos out there, that there's got to be a better way to do this. The entire process of strapping them down and consoling them when there's not much you can say or do to ease up the pain and the fear of having something in your eyes is unbearable. When they wake up in the middle of the night crying for fear of something, or in agony, is probably the worst feeling a parent can go through. How do you make things all better when they have to take medicine to really be cured? Or, what if the things you do aren't making things better anyway? I know that life comes with the good and the bad, but sometimes the bad really blows. Makes you want to sanitize anything and everything and have them live in a bubble for a while. I know for me, it's just painful to watch them cry and suffer. There's no doubt that they have those some emotions when they are having to fight off some yuck infection too.

Preferences

Both of my kids have taken turns on who they prefer from activity to activity. Whether it's me putting our son to bed, or the hubs doing his duty with our daughter to get her situated with whatever she needs tending to, it's a bit crazy to realize how much our kids have created their own little personalities and have likes and dislikes so early in life. I've always thought that as you get older, you tend to get more set in your own ways...but maybe these things are learned very early on. I do get a giggle when my kids like to stay a bit clean when it comes to eating (all my fault and I take full responsbility for that), but I'm just floored daily at how much they resemble each of us in their own little ways. I guess it's true that your parents always wish that you have kids that are like you, so you get a bit of payback from the years you gave them grief. I only hope for our sake that our kids are a bit smarter than we were when we were younger, and that we will have the know-how to set them on a straighter path. But until then, we'll look into putting up some good, secure window bars and remove doors from their rooms when they become teenagers. That sounds reasonable doesn't it?!

Such Sweetness

Our little boy is getting so vocal these days. He's repeating just about everything we are saying, and mimicking his big sister like you wouldn't believe. If she's got a particular toy in her hand, he has to have it too. If she's eating something special or just taking a drink of milk or juice, by golly, he's going to do the same thing. The sweetness that he has is so special to me, and he really tries to just make you smile.

Tonight he was clearly worn out and fell asleep in my arms in less than 10 minutes. We do our usual milk and rocking chair routine, but I do believe he was quite asleep even before he took in a few sips of his nighty-night milk. When he gets done, he quickly turns over, burrows his head into my chest and holds his little teddy bear as tight as he can possible wrangle his little arms around its neck.

I love these tender moments when he has the sweetness of the first few days he was born. I just have to remind myself of these cherished moments when he's pitching a holy fit when we have taken aways something he wasn't quite ready to give up!

Special Holiday

Today, our daughter decided to wake up before the alarm even went off because she was so excited it was Valentine's Day. The night before, we had prepared her Valentine's Day cards and told her that her school would have a great party for her. That just about made her day. Even going to bed late, she got up bright and early to start her day. Thankfully the school teachers did not disappoint whatsoever and she was a happy camper. Even our son got to join in on the festivities at school and came home just worn out. I gotta love these holidays that are made up, but bring so much fun and joy to our kids. As a wife, I know how hard it is for hubbies to do creative things or are expected to just buy so much. I'm so grateful for a sweetheart of a husband who is quite romantic and did the little things that just make you smile (folded load of laundry when I got home!) I try to be as sweet as possible when it comes to "holidays" like this, but I don't want to get too carried away with the commercial side of it. I was very much surprised at how simple I preferred to share this day - with my kids in tow and hubby lovingly close for a wonderful luncheon date. What a great day!

Dinnertime Discussion

You know, it's funny when your kids think you are arguing when you are just having a normal discussion. Often times, our dinner table is filled with conversation that is not adult in any way. From "mommy, I want more" to food being flung at you out of sheer disdain - it's no wonder that our daughter told us to "settle down" the other night when we were chatting about the Governor's budget. I know, a terrible conversation piece altogether...but she had gotten so used to hearing herself talk and not much else at the dinner table, that she really thought we were arguing.

Ok, so recently we have had our heated moments in the car driving someplace. Typically these debates are after a long day or a very hectic morning trying to get out the door to do all of the errands that can never get done during the workweek (another blog on that one). I can honestly say I don't even remember what the topics were, but Roo had equated our conversations of raised voices to arguments. That was a bit unsettling to me.

My goal is to continue to push the conversation during dinner time - beyond the need and wants of our toddlers. Each day we are just so busy working and then working when we get home that I really want dinner to be a time for us to wind down and have adult conversations. Hopefully that will help our kids understand that dinner time is also a time for them to share their day with us. We try to stay as uninterrupted as possible - with no television or music - but it's definitely a challenge. Maybe this will be part of my 2011 resolution?

Stubborn or Independent?

Each day I find myself asking whether my kids are really just very stubborn (like their daddy and myself), or if they are exerting their independence at every possible opportunity. I want to say it's the former and not the latter, but I really do think that they have to be a bit pig-headed in order to show just how independent they really are. I love that they can learn things and show me how quickly they are triumphant at feeding themselves or picking up a new skill, but they often do try my patience!

So long as they smile and give me that big ole "it's ok mommy" look, I guess I just have to get used to waging my wars with them. Today, a small victory for mommy, tomorrow, is an entirely different battle to fight.

Live for the Weekends

All week long we are just so busy going through the motions of work, school, eating, bathing and cleaning, that by week's end, I'm just exhausted thinking of all of the things that have yet to be done. It's just a vicious cycle that consumes so much of energy and time that I wonder - at what point do you decide that something has to give. Each day, many men and women put on their supercapes and do-all and be-all, but are we really able to do it all when we're often stretched so thin?

My kids are so patient with me when I'm scurrying around the kitchen making dinner, or bustling around the house gathering laundry to be washed. They even chip in sometimes, which makes me feel even more guilty having to do life's dirty deeds so we can have clean clothes and food on the table.

The weekdays are definitely routine-filled, which I appreciate and the kids understand. The weekends are days for us to just "be." And for that, I'm happy to live and work for my weekends.