Another Thanksgiving has been partied away!
We had a pretty manageable amount of family gathering planned for Thanksgiving this year, so I upped it and decided to spend the weekend before in Rockford. It was really good to be back - hadn't been there since summer and it felt really good to be home again. It was of course very cold and windy, so the girls didn't want to be outside at all, but I got Emily out for a little bit. She's still afraid of cows, which is good, except she goes a little overboard. I NEVER have her on the same side of a fence as a cow, but if she sees them 50 feet away but look at her, she's terrified. It's a bit over the top. I stayed up too late chatting, as usual, and the kids slept terribly but that's par for the course at any grandparents house. I'm doing better about not worrying about it, because it's just going to suck, no matter what.
Pretty much the same in Barnum - a very nice family visit with fantastic food, relaxing agenda, and tremendously overtired kids. It's so frustrating, even though they are able to push through a day being overtired and have a good time while they're there, they make us pay later. Audrey prefers to get a catnap and then be too rested to sleep at night, while Emily is a CRAB the following day, laying on the floor, kicking Audrey and whining. I guess I should be thankful they can keep it together for the visit, right?
We also spent a day in Ames with my family, on the way back from Barnum, essentially (after a stop in Farnhamville to meet a very sweet little 18-month-old!). Even though I stayed up much later than I should have, it was totally worth it - SO fun! My family is a pretty weird, and it was so refreshing for me! We were doing puzzles and found a way to do competitive puzzling. I don't know when I've laughed harder. I totally needed that, after dealing with my kids whining and fussing and screaming and crying so much.
It just seems like there's an awful lot of that lately. I've been trying to do some reading to see if there are things I should be doing differently with my kids. I have gotten the impression that they're pretty capable kids, smart, and I wondered if having gifted children changes how you need to parent and provide for them. This is the feedback I've gotten from my mom and my sister. As I'm reading about these other kids who learned to read at age 3, do multiplication by age 4, do 30-piece puzzles at age 2, it feels more and more like my kids are just good singers who are pains in the ass. Audrey is SO stubborn. She pitched a fit the other day because she wanted me to carry her upstairs on my back. It wasn't that I didn't let her, it's that I didn't stand up and walk 10 feet to where SHE was to let her onto my back. I had already crouched down and was at the foot of the stairs, and told her to run and hop onto my back, little monkey! Nope - 20 minutes of screaming her stupid head off. Emily spent 3 days in a row, crying for half an hour on the potty because I wouldn't go wipe her messy bottom - which I haven't done for at least 6 months but lately she's started up again trying to get me to do it for her again because she doesn't feel like washing her hands. What lazy, manipulative, stupid creatures!!! It's so irritating. Why did you learn all your letters but you still pee on the floor all the damn time? Why can you do addition and subtraction on your fingers but can't flush a toilet? Why did you decide to learn the names and sounds of all the different band instruments, but you can't possibly figure out that when you get in the car, the next step is ALWAYS to buckle your seat belt?!?
In the end, I am in no position to say where my kids rank with others. I have no idea if they're gifted or slow. I just know that they're incredibly annoying to me lately and I can't wait for Emily and Audrey to outgrow this miserable phase they're in. I can't ask for advice - everything is conflicting. Not sleeping? Make sure they're busy all day so they're good and tired at night. Or make sure they have rest time in their beds, even if they don't sleep, because they're overtired now and that's why they're not sleeping well. Not sleeping past 5AM? make sure they MUST stay in their beds until it's time to get up. or make sure they get up so they realize that getting up at 5AM sucks after all. Not eating anything? Just give them what they'll eat, so they grow; don't be a health junky. Or keep feeding them same plate of carrots for snack, dinner, breakfast, and nothing else until they eat it. Don't sweat the small stuff. Never give in to a tantrum - even a tantrum over something inanely stupid and small. Don't expect too much of your children. They can learn to put their own shoes away, so they start to learn some responsibility for themselves. Relax. You have to be vigilant, be their voice so they receive what they need from their school / other caretakers. Let them make their own mistakes (I'm just waiting for Audrey to faceplant with her hands in the pockets of her winter coat, because she absolutely insists on having her hands there. That's going to suck). But above all, protect them so they don't get hurt. In the end, I guess I should be doing everything I do differently. And then differently from that, too.
All this, and Clara is still getting up at least once each night... except when occasionally, she doesn't, and it's blissful except I wake up all engorged and the sheets are soaked so I get to do more laundry with all that extra energy. I'm so tired, hence the lack of blog entries, even though I'm just fighting each day, dreading all the screaming.
In the end, I know that it isn't this dire and dreary for me... for sure it isn't all the time. But sometimes it is, and I might as well whine. It's what the rest of the females in the house are doing. WAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!! My potato-turkey from preschool fell in the potty and I'm going to CRYYYYYYY!!!! That incident in particular actually was really, really funny, and it took a tremendous amount of convincing Emily to laugh with me. I finally got her, though. Light at the end of the tunnel, I hope.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Audrey is 3!
Another birthday is done and in the books. I think she had a great day, which is disappointing to me because I aim for the girls to view their birthdays as super special all the way through, and instead I think I threw too much at her in an attempt to make it comparable to Emily's. I didn't want her to feel shortchanged...
Anyway, Audrey woke up to the house decorated with purple balloons and purple streamers, much to her delight. I had in mind to give her a purple sparkley tiara to wear that said "Birthday Princess" on it, but it didn't arrive in the mail until after I got home. I also had to go to work on her birthday :( because of company-wide day-long meetings that occur once every 8 weeks. But I was home by 3:15 and we enjoyed the rest of the day. Audrey also got to go to her "library preschool" (storytime) with Amanda, who said that Audrey was really participating and enjoying it, all confident like she owns the place. Yeah!! Amanda also took the girls to McDonald's for lunch, and got them each a Happy Meal, "with a toy!!!"
After Emily got home, I discovered that Audrey had taken one of the basketball tickets that Travis ordered for a family outing this winter, and used Emily's scissors to shred it to tiny bits. I think that actually occurred several days if not weeks ago, and i just discovered it behind the piano that day. So, I had a fun puzzle to do, since of course she most finely chopped up the end with the barcode on it. When Travis got home, I wrapped presents, and she opened them, and Emily cried about them. "But I wanted a globe and a beanbag AND a hippity-hop!!" *sigh*. I had cleaned up the entire basement so she could have some space to use the hippity-hop, so we took her down there to try it out. I also got her a bike helmet since her current one is so old that it's probably not protective anymore. I turned out to be a good combination. Travis took lots of pictures of the girls, all wound up, and then we went out for supper at Panchero's, followed by ice cream at ColdStone.
Unfortunately, it was also bath night, and by the time it was Audrey's turn to brush her teeth, she was completely out of gas. She melted down into a little pile and howled. It was heartbreaking. I felt so terrible, because she won't let me help until she has completely burned herself out. I feel like she has to be completely broken, hit rock bottom, before she will let me do anything as simple as squeeze the toothpaste to the end of the tube for her. And then she'll let me do everything, so I washed her hair and helped her through the bath, dry off, get dressed, and snuggle into bed with her beautiful lips.
** Side note ** AUDREY IS DONE WITH BLANKETS!!! WOO HOOOOO!!!! We put chapstick on her one night, because her bottom lip was all chapped from having a wet blanket on it all night. Then I talked her up, telling her how beautiful her lips were, and I wanted a beautiful kiss before bed. Then she wanted her blanket, but I told her that her beautiful chapstick would rub off, and she wanted to sleep beautifully, like Sleeping Beauty. And she smiled, and went to sleep. No tears, no changing her mind, just beautiful lips and very smack-y bedtime kisses! She has asked for her blanekt a couple of times after that, but just during the day when she gets run-down (because she gets up at 6 AM for no reason and has given up naps!! I digress...). I just told her that her lips were healing, almost healed, so she should wait a few days. And she's stopped asking. She even saw them in the laundry, and I told her I was going to put them in Clara's room since they're baby blankets, and she agreed! I am SO RELIEVED. I don't even care that Clara either nurses to sleep or uses a pacifier to get to sleep. Whatever - I now know I am capable of getting a kid detached! I caught Emily sucking her thumb while watching Thomas on TV today, so she's got an orthodontic solution in her future. When she gets one loose tooth, I am not messing around. I'm scheduling her appointment with the orthodontist as soon as humanly possible at that point.
Sooo, back to the birthday! I actually had a more celebratory day with Audrey today, since I was home from work and Emily was at preschool. Clara took a 90-minute afternoon nap - twice her usual length! - so we had a lot of time to snuggle and do our nails and fold laundry, and sing songs. She was singing with her baby swing, which has Old MacDonald and Mary Had A Little Lamb on it, in two different keys. After one song is over, you have to go back and hit a button for it to play the other, and it just alternates. So she would start singing the other song before she'd go back to hit the button - and she'd have the right notes, for the new song in the new key. Now, that is the kind of thing that I can relate to, and just thrills me to see! What a great kid. If only I had a better way to help her when she starts spiraling downward, instead of just letting her go and waiting through her tantrum, then I would feel like an adequate parent for her. She is so amazing, and I love her so much! I hope I can be the mom that she deserves... I know that sometimes I am not. I'm afraid that I'm expecting her to be too much like Emily, and not realizing that just because some of the things she does are beyond her years, that she is only 3. How can she be so big and so little at the same time??
Anyway, Audrey woke up to the house decorated with purple balloons and purple streamers, much to her delight. I had in mind to give her a purple sparkley tiara to wear that said "Birthday Princess" on it, but it didn't arrive in the mail until after I got home. I also had to go to work on her birthday :( because of company-wide day-long meetings that occur once every 8 weeks. But I was home by 3:15 and we enjoyed the rest of the day. Audrey also got to go to her "library preschool" (storytime) with Amanda, who said that Audrey was really participating and enjoying it, all confident like she owns the place. Yeah!! Amanda also took the girls to McDonald's for lunch, and got them each a Happy Meal, "with a toy!!!"
After Emily got home, I discovered that Audrey had taken one of the basketball tickets that Travis ordered for a family outing this winter, and used Emily's scissors to shred it to tiny bits. I think that actually occurred several days if not weeks ago, and i just discovered it behind the piano that day. So, I had a fun puzzle to do, since of course she most finely chopped up the end with the barcode on it. When Travis got home, I wrapped presents, and she opened them, and Emily cried about them. "But I wanted a globe and a beanbag AND a hippity-hop!!" *sigh*. I had cleaned up the entire basement so she could have some space to use the hippity-hop, so we took her down there to try it out. I also got her a bike helmet since her current one is so old that it's probably not protective anymore. I turned out to be a good combination. Travis took lots of pictures of the girls, all wound up, and then we went out for supper at Panchero's, followed by ice cream at ColdStone.
Unfortunately, it was also bath night, and by the time it was Audrey's turn to brush her teeth, she was completely out of gas. She melted down into a little pile and howled. It was heartbreaking. I felt so terrible, because she won't let me help until she has completely burned herself out. I feel like she has to be completely broken, hit rock bottom, before she will let me do anything as simple as squeeze the toothpaste to the end of the tube for her. And then she'll let me do everything, so I washed her hair and helped her through the bath, dry off, get dressed, and snuggle into bed with her beautiful lips.
** Side note ** AUDREY IS DONE WITH BLANKETS!!! WOO HOOOOO!!!! We put chapstick on her one night, because her bottom lip was all chapped from having a wet blanket on it all night. Then I talked her up, telling her how beautiful her lips were, and I wanted a beautiful kiss before bed. Then she wanted her blanket, but I told her that her beautiful chapstick would rub off, and she wanted to sleep beautifully, like Sleeping Beauty. And she smiled, and went to sleep. No tears, no changing her mind, just beautiful lips and very smack-y bedtime kisses! She has asked for her blanekt a couple of times after that, but just during the day when she gets run-down (because she gets up at 6 AM for no reason and has given up naps!! I digress...). I just told her that her lips were healing, almost healed, so she should wait a few days. And she's stopped asking. She even saw them in the laundry, and I told her I was going to put them in Clara's room since they're baby blankets, and she agreed! I am SO RELIEVED. I don't even care that Clara either nurses to sleep or uses a pacifier to get to sleep. Whatever - I now know I am capable of getting a kid detached! I caught Emily sucking her thumb while watching Thomas on TV today, so she's got an orthodontic solution in her future. When she gets one loose tooth, I am not messing around. I'm scheduling her appointment with the orthodontist as soon as humanly possible at that point.
Sooo, back to the birthday! I actually had a more celebratory day with Audrey today, since I was home from work and Emily was at preschool. Clara took a 90-minute afternoon nap - twice her usual length! - so we had a lot of time to snuggle and do our nails and fold laundry, and sing songs. She was singing with her baby swing, which has Old MacDonald and Mary Had A Little Lamb on it, in two different keys. After one song is over, you have to go back and hit a button for it to play the other, and it just alternates. So she would start singing the other song before she'd go back to hit the button - and she'd have the right notes, for the new song in the new key. Now, that is the kind of thing that I can relate to, and just thrills me to see! What a great kid. If only I had a better way to help her when she starts spiraling downward, instead of just letting her go and waiting through her tantrum, then I would feel like an adequate parent for her. She is so amazing, and I love her so much! I hope I can be the mom that she deserves... I know that sometimes I am not. I'm afraid that I'm expecting her to be too much like Emily, and not realizing that just because some of the things she does are beyond her years, that she is only 3. How can she be so big and so little at the same time??
Monday, October 29, 2012
October update
Clara is the funniest little baby these days!! If you smile at her, she'll look at you, then light up with a big smile and hang her little mouth wiiiiiide open! She flaps her arms and buries her head into whoever is holding her - so cute. She's a little stinker at bedtime, but hopefully that's a temporary thing. Most nights, I spend from 8 to 9PM, sometimes after 10:00, trying to get her to sleep, which is challenging when preparing for Halloween and Audrey's birthday! But we'll get there. She seems to be cool with sleeping with a pacifier, although that's about a 50/50 deal. With me around, she seems to want the real deal, still, although she's doing her hunger strikes with Amanda during the days, still. I can't believe a growing baby can go 7 hours on 7 ounces!! She sure makes up for it when I get home!
Clara also rolled over a few nights ago, although she hasn't repeated it since. She was reaching for a toy, on her tummy, and her giant head leaned over to the side, and the weight of it pulled the rest of her over onto her back. She was so surprised to look up at me! and then, of course, she smiled her big fabulous grin.
The Halloween costumes are made, all ready to go for tomorrow night, except for digging up a onesie for Clara to wear. All three of them will be cupcakes!! I'm so excited - the costumes turned out so great and were so fun to make! Emily gets to wear her costume three times - trick-or-treating tomorrow night, Hope's birthday party the next day, and to school on Thursday. I'm glad, because she'll be good and tired of it by then, and we can just put it away and move on to the next thing - Audrey's birthday!!
I'm just about through with a nasty cold that I had for almost 2 weeks. It was the full-on deal: sneezy/tickley nose for 4 days, cold sores and swollen gums, fever, congestion and sinus headache, nasty lingering cough and snorty nose, and worst of all, stupidity!! I don't know when I've ever been knocked so completely stupid before! I couldn't hold a thought, or follow another person's train of thought. I couldn't figure out problems at work, I couldn't handle making dinner at home, I was just absolutely lacking mental capacity. I'm so thankful I don't live that way all the time, because it was SO frustrating!!
The last few weeks have been really testing for me, ever since Travis spent that week in Singapore, and the birthday, and me getting sick. I'm still getting up every night with Clara, and nursing takes a lot of brain energy for some dumb reason. So I guess it's not like there's really that much going on, but it's relentless. So Travis and I took a weekend "off," leaving the kids with Sullivan grandparents and going up to Minneapolis to see some friends who we were close with when we lived up there. It was so stress-free and fun, even though we brought Clara with us! She apparently thinks it's 20 minutes too far, because she screamed the last 20 minutes of the trip in both directions. I suppose it wouldn't be 20 min too far if we hadn't made the trek over to Barnum each time, but it was worth it. Emily had such a great time that she bawled her eyes out as soon as she saw me and Travis walk into the house. (She had made plans, and was afraid she wasn't going to get to do everything on her agenda! but she did, of course.) I felt SO much better after that trip, just relaxed and in much better spirits. I was not sad at all to drive away from my kids, and delighted to return to them, so it was perfect.
I think Audrey is just about done with naptime, and tonight is a momentous occasion because she actually went to sleep without her blanket! I pointed out to her that her blanket was leaving her skin around her lips very pink and chapped, and it was hurting her, so I put chapstick on her and told her that if she had a blanket it would rub it off, and that her lips were so pretty with her chapstick on. So, vanity won out in that one!! Emily was still smacking away at her thumb when I left the room, but Audrey apparently went right to sleep. I think ditching the nap and the blanket at the same time might be a good way to go - she doesn't seek out her blanket during the day to nap, and she's exhausted enough at night to just pass out without it. Of course, now that I've written this, it'll all fall apart. :) but it's a good try, right?
Emily is continuing to love preschool. I get to sign up for conferences this week, to be held the week after. I only get 15 minutes, during which I figure the teacher will say how much she loves Emily's smile and enthusiasm, that she's a wonderful little kid, and how much she likes having her in class. If it's anything else, I'll really be surprised. She sure takes her academics seriously at home! She is drawing letters like crazy, always asking me how to spell things so she can write the words down, one letter at a time. She is writing her own thank-you notes for her birthday presents... maybe at this point I'll have her hand them out at Audrey's party! I've been so busy I haven't had time to sit with her and get things organized and mailed out. But her sentiment is there!
So, for Audrey's party, we're doing the same old family gathering after her birthday, but opening presents on her birthday (Tuesday) and trying to make that day as special as possible, even though I need to be at work that day. I really figured I would take a day off to do birthdays for my kids, and if it had been a normal workday like today, I would have, but it's a planning session for the next 8 weeks and I need to be there. ugh. I also need to get her some birthday presents... Details, right? :) I can't believe it was 3 years ago that I met her. What a charming little thing she is. All chatter and song, just enjoying life and growing as fast as she can.
Clara also rolled over a few nights ago, although she hasn't repeated it since. She was reaching for a toy, on her tummy, and her giant head leaned over to the side, and the weight of it pulled the rest of her over onto her back. She was so surprised to look up at me! and then, of course, she smiled her big fabulous grin.
The Halloween costumes are made, all ready to go for tomorrow night, except for digging up a onesie for Clara to wear. All three of them will be cupcakes!! I'm so excited - the costumes turned out so great and were so fun to make! Emily gets to wear her costume three times - trick-or-treating tomorrow night, Hope's birthday party the next day, and to school on Thursday. I'm glad, because she'll be good and tired of it by then, and we can just put it away and move on to the next thing - Audrey's birthday!!
I'm just about through with a nasty cold that I had for almost 2 weeks. It was the full-on deal: sneezy/tickley nose for 4 days, cold sores and swollen gums, fever, congestion and sinus headache, nasty lingering cough and snorty nose, and worst of all, stupidity!! I don't know when I've ever been knocked so completely stupid before! I couldn't hold a thought, or follow another person's train of thought. I couldn't figure out problems at work, I couldn't handle making dinner at home, I was just absolutely lacking mental capacity. I'm so thankful I don't live that way all the time, because it was SO frustrating!!
The last few weeks have been really testing for me, ever since Travis spent that week in Singapore, and the birthday, and me getting sick. I'm still getting up every night with Clara, and nursing takes a lot of brain energy for some dumb reason. So I guess it's not like there's really that much going on, but it's relentless. So Travis and I took a weekend "off," leaving the kids with Sullivan grandparents and going up to Minneapolis to see some friends who we were close with when we lived up there. It was so stress-free and fun, even though we brought Clara with us! She apparently thinks it's 20 minutes too far, because she screamed the last 20 minutes of the trip in both directions. I suppose it wouldn't be 20 min too far if we hadn't made the trek over to Barnum each time, but it was worth it. Emily had such a great time that she bawled her eyes out as soon as she saw me and Travis walk into the house. (She had made plans, and was afraid she wasn't going to get to do everything on her agenda! but she did, of course.) I felt SO much better after that trip, just relaxed and in much better spirits. I was not sad at all to drive away from my kids, and delighted to return to them, so it was perfect.
I think Audrey is just about done with naptime, and tonight is a momentous occasion because she actually went to sleep without her blanket! I pointed out to her that her blanket was leaving her skin around her lips very pink and chapped, and it was hurting her, so I put chapstick on her and told her that if she had a blanket it would rub it off, and that her lips were so pretty with her chapstick on. So, vanity won out in that one!! Emily was still smacking away at her thumb when I left the room, but Audrey apparently went right to sleep. I think ditching the nap and the blanket at the same time might be a good way to go - she doesn't seek out her blanket during the day to nap, and she's exhausted enough at night to just pass out without it. Of course, now that I've written this, it'll all fall apart. :) but it's a good try, right?
Emily is continuing to love preschool. I get to sign up for conferences this week, to be held the week after. I only get 15 minutes, during which I figure the teacher will say how much she loves Emily's smile and enthusiasm, that she's a wonderful little kid, and how much she likes having her in class. If it's anything else, I'll really be surprised. She sure takes her academics seriously at home! She is drawing letters like crazy, always asking me how to spell things so she can write the words down, one letter at a time. She is writing her own thank-you notes for her birthday presents... maybe at this point I'll have her hand them out at Audrey's party! I've been so busy I haven't had time to sit with her and get things organized and mailed out. But her sentiment is there!
So, for Audrey's party, we're doing the same old family gathering after her birthday, but opening presents on her birthday (Tuesday) and trying to make that day as special as possible, even though I need to be at work that day. I really figured I would take a day off to do birthdays for my kids, and if it had been a normal workday like today, I would have, but it's a planning session for the next 8 weeks and I need to be there. ugh. I also need to get her some birthday presents... Details, right? :) I can't believe it was 3 years ago that I met her. What a charming little thing she is. All chatter and song, just enjoying life and growing as fast as she can.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Happy Birthday, Sweet Emily
Wow, she's FIVE!!!
Emily had a great day today. She was a bit apprehensive about turning 5, since we told her that five-year-olds don't suck their thumbs anymore. But she sure had a good time today!
The day started with the girls coming downstairs, discovering that Trav and I had hung up pink adn white streamers and pink balloons all over the house. We had scrambled eggs and donuts for breakfast, with Dad! He had an evening meeting today, so he felt justified in going in to work a few minutes late. Emily chose to wear a sparkley blue dress, with stripey tights! I even curled her hair, and put in her favorite barrette. Then they played for a little while this morning, and then took Clara to her 4-month checkup. Poor girl got another round of shots :( We picked up McDonald's on the way home, and then had a picnic in the car in the parking lot of Emily's preschool, just to be sure she'd get there in time. It was a beautiful, clear sunny day, a little on the chilly side but still warm enough to be gorgeous and pleasant. When I walked her up to the door, she went bouncing on ahead of me, and her teacher greeted her, "Hey there, birthday girl!!" It's funny how that reassured me that Emily was going to have a great day!
Audrey and Clara and I went home and rested for a bit, though nobody slept except Clara who finished her little car-snooze after I brought her in. Then we went to Target and picked up a few more things I needed in order to finish the day, and to the library, where Audrey showed me where her "Library Preschool" is held. It's just their storytime, but Audrey LOVES it. Not only is it just the right kind of activity for her, but she gets to go there while Emily is at her preschool. It's only half an hour, but she feels so special. Sure enough, when we walked into the children's area at the library, the librarian greeted her, "Hi, Audrey!! How are you today?" and then gave me the funniest look. :) I explained to her that she normally comes with her sitter but today she was showing me where she comes for storytime. I got a good laugh out of that!
We picked up Emily at her preschool, and she came out wearing a crown that said Happy Birthday, Emily, all pink and purple and covered in stickers. Her carseat was already covered in stickers she got from the doctor's office... our whole house is covered in stickers... anyway. We went straight to Riley Park, with the girls eating their Fruit by the Foot and singing. They played for about half an hour, then came home and made rainbow cupcakes. Then we opened presents, and Emily was really, really excited. She got a beautiful new globe, a beanbag chair, a journal, and a stuffed Hello Kitty kleenex box cover (so she can keep her kleenex box in her bed, since she gets bloody noses at night. it's SO cute!!) Audrey was have a good time until the beanbag chair became an issue, because she really, really wanted to jump on it, but it's Emily's birthday and she wanted it to herself. Not sure how I'm going to handle that one, ongoing. But it's a super cute chair - pink polka-dots!!
Travis went to pick up Pizza Hut, and got enough to feed Jenny and her girls, who came by on their way home from an appointment in Des Moines. Then, Emily's friend Hope came across the street to give her a bottle of bubble bath and a shower loofa / stuffed zebra - so cute! So of course we had to have a bath, and then Emily got to chat with both her Grandmas on the phone before crawling into bed.
So, to summarize: Donuts for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch, Fruit by the Foot for snack, and pizza and cupcakes for supper. Pink decorations, preschool, the park, cousins, friends, bath, and Grandmas on the phone. I think we managed to check off nearly everything on her list of favorites. She smiled all day. It was so fun to do that for her! I love her so much.
... however, I am exhausted, the house is trashed, Clara is feeling crummy from her immunizations today, and Audrey is having a hard time feeling second-fiddlish. So, tomorrow is another day! off we go!
Emily had a great day today. She was a bit apprehensive about turning 5, since we told her that five-year-olds don't suck their thumbs anymore. But she sure had a good time today!
The day started with the girls coming downstairs, discovering that Trav and I had hung up pink adn white streamers and pink balloons all over the house. We had scrambled eggs and donuts for breakfast, with Dad! He had an evening meeting today, so he felt justified in going in to work a few minutes late. Emily chose to wear a sparkley blue dress, with stripey tights! I even curled her hair, and put in her favorite barrette. Then they played for a little while this morning, and then took Clara to her 4-month checkup. Poor girl got another round of shots :( We picked up McDonald's on the way home, and then had a picnic in the car in the parking lot of Emily's preschool, just to be sure she'd get there in time. It was a beautiful, clear sunny day, a little on the chilly side but still warm enough to be gorgeous and pleasant. When I walked her up to the door, she went bouncing on ahead of me, and her teacher greeted her, "Hey there, birthday girl!!" It's funny how that reassured me that Emily was going to have a great day!
Audrey and Clara and I went home and rested for a bit, though nobody slept except Clara who finished her little car-snooze after I brought her in. Then we went to Target and picked up a few more things I needed in order to finish the day, and to the library, where Audrey showed me where her "Library Preschool" is held. It's just their storytime, but Audrey LOVES it. Not only is it just the right kind of activity for her, but she gets to go there while Emily is at her preschool. It's only half an hour, but she feels so special. Sure enough, when we walked into the children's area at the library, the librarian greeted her, "Hi, Audrey!! How are you today?" and then gave me the funniest look. :) I explained to her that she normally comes with her sitter but today she was showing me where she comes for storytime. I got a good laugh out of that!
We picked up Emily at her preschool, and she came out wearing a crown that said Happy Birthday, Emily, all pink and purple and covered in stickers. Her carseat was already covered in stickers she got from the doctor's office... our whole house is covered in stickers... anyway. We went straight to Riley Park, with the girls eating their Fruit by the Foot and singing. They played for about half an hour, then came home and made rainbow cupcakes. Then we opened presents, and Emily was really, really excited. She got a beautiful new globe, a beanbag chair, a journal, and a stuffed Hello Kitty kleenex box cover (so she can keep her kleenex box in her bed, since she gets bloody noses at night. it's SO cute!!) Audrey was have a good time until the beanbag chair became an issue, because she really, really wanted to jump on it, but it's Emily's birthday and she wanted it to herself. Not sure how I'm going to handle that one, ongoing. But it's a super cute chair - pink polka-dots!!
Travis went to pick up Pizza Hut, and got enough to feed Jenny and her girls, who came by on their way home from an appointment in Des Moines. Then, Emily's friend Hope came across the street to give her a bottle of bubble bath and a shower loofa / stuffed zebra - so cute! So of course we had to have a bath, and then Emily got to chat with both her Grandmas on the phone before crawling into bed.
So, to summarize: Donuts for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch, Fruit by the Foot for snack, and pizza and cupcakes for supper. Pink decorations, preschool, the park, cousins, friends, bath, and Grandmas on the phone. I think we managed to check off nearly everything on her list of favorites. She smiled all day. It was so fun to do that for her! I love her so much.
... however, I am exhausted, the house is trashed, Clara is feeling crummy from her immunizations today, and Audrey is having a hard time feeling second-fiddlish. So, tomorrow is another day! off we go!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
I was not expecting that!
(One of my favorite quotes from Emily, upon slipping off of a stepstool.)
Travis was in Singapore last week, and more than 10 days after he returned, I think we might finally, finally be getting back to normal. I really didn't think it would knock me out the way it did. I thought for sure I could meet the needs of my own three children for a couple of days, but I really struggled. I had some help, both planned and unexpected, but next time, I will definitely ask for more! Wow. Not only was it stressful, it was hard on my little ego to feel like such a failure. They were all alive and fed when Travis got home, and I managed to avoid any ER visits or major appliance failures. Other than that, we were a sorry crew when he walked in the door Friday night!
More than anyone else, Audrey really put me through it. For example, she ate half a jar of raspberry jam one night, after dinner. I sat down to nurse Clara, and thought the other two were just playing like usual, but when I saw the empty jar in the refrigerator the next morning I realized why there was also jam on the carpet. One day, while I showered, she drew on the wall with colored pencils IN the crack of the corner - how do I clean that, really?! She managed to also eat a tube of her (fluoride-free) toothpaste while she was home with the nanny, so it's not just me that she's testing. I think she's ready to give up her naps, because she's only had one nap in the last 3 days, and it meant that she was up past 9 PM tonight. On the flip side, she is able to pick out the letters of her name, like out of an alphabet puzzle, and put them together in order to make her name. She can also sing Baby Beluga like it's nobody's business! She is a lot to keep up with.
My sister has recommended a book to me to read about raising gifted children. She said she just kept thinking of Audrey over and over as she read it. I am glad that I have a built-in fallback in having Emily around to challenge Audrey in ways that I can't, but I'm sure that doesn't satisfy everything she needs. I've been careful not to push Emily too much academically at home, because as the oldest child, she's probably experiencing a tremendous amount of expectations from me than I don't intend to place on her. :( I want her to enjoy school (she LOVES preschool!) and realize that it's not just a fun place to be, but that she is supposed to be learning there; teachers are supposed to pay attention to her and meet her needs. If that isn't happening, I want to be a part of things right away and make sure she's getting a good experience. I think that Johnston has a very good parents of ELP program that I would like to get involved in, if it doesn't seem to presumptuous. At this rate, I think it's probably okay to attend a meeting now and then!
Clara is on the verge of discovering her hands, and she is delighted to be able to grab a toy and bring it to her mouth. I'm not sure she knows that she's in control when that happens, but she's enjoying it nonetheless! She learned to buzz her lips today, like a little burbley trumpet player (yeah, yeah!). I got a video, which I'll try to share but we'll see how it goes, uploading it. We discovered that she absolutely knows that the sound of the garage door opening means that Mom is home, and that she will not take a bottle after 3:30 PM because Mom is supposed to be home by then!
We had a lot of fun as a family this weekend, going to a pumpkin patch / orchard on Friday and then watching the Cyclones win on Saturday, over at a friend's house with at least 10 other kids there. Now we get ready for birthdays and Halloween and a trip to Minneapolis! It's going to be a crazy month, and when I get a chance to stop and look around again, I'll have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old! How is that possible?!
Travis was in Singapore last week, and more than 10 days after he returned, I think we might finally, finally be getting back to normal. I really didn't think it would knock me out the way it did. I thought for sure I could meet the needs of my own three children for a couple of days, but I really struggled. I had some help, both planned and unexpected, but next time, I will definitely ask for more! Wow. Not only was it stressful, it was hard on my little ego to feel like such a failure. They were all alive and fed when Travis got home, and I managed to avoid any ER visits or major appliance failures. Other than that, we were a sorry crew when he walked in the door Friday night!
More than anyone else, Audrey really put me through it. For example, she ate half a jar of raspberry jam one night, after dinner. I sat down to nurse Clara, and thought the other two were just playing like usual, but when I saw the empty jar in the refrigerator the next morning I realized why there was also jam on the carpet. One day, while I showered, she drew on the wall with colored pencils IN the crack of the corner - how do I clean that, really?! She managed to also eat a tube of her (fluoride-free) toothpaste while she was home with the nanny, so it's not just me that she's testing. I think she's ready to give up her naps, because she's only had one nap in the last 3 days, and it meant that she was up past 9 PM tonight. On the flip side, she is able to pick out the letters of her name, like out of an alphabet puzzle, and put them together in order to make her name. She can also sing Baby Beluga like it's nobody's business! She is a lot to keep up with.
My sister has recommended a book to me to read about raising gifted children. She said she just kept thinking of Audrey over and over as she read it. I am glad that I have a built-in fallback in having Emily around to challenge Audrey in ways that I can't, but I'm sure that doesn't satisfy everything she needs. I've been careful not to push Emily too much academically at home, because as the oldest child, she's probably experiencing a tremendous amount of expectations from me than I don't intend to place on her. :( I want her to enjoy school (she LOVES preschool!) and realize that it's not just a fun place to be, but that she is supposed to be learning there; teachers are supposed to pay attention to her and meet her needs. If that isn't happening, I want to be a part of things right away and make sure she's getting a good experience. I think that Johnston has a very good parents of ELP program that I would like to get involved in, if it doesn't seem to presumptuous. At this rate, I think it's probably okay to attend a meeting now and then!
Clara is on the verge of discovering her hands, and she is delighted to be able to grab a toy and bring it to her mouth. I'm not sure she knows that she's in control when that happens, but she's enjoying it nonetheless! She learned to buzz her lips today, like a little burbley trumpet player (yeah, yeah!). I got a video, which I'll try to share but we'll see how it goes, uploading it. We discovered that she absolutely knows that the sound of the garage door opening means that Mom is home, and that she will not take a bottle after 3:30 PM because Mom is supposed to be home by then!
We had a lot of fun as a family this weekend, going to a pumpkin patch / orchard on Friday and then watching the Cyclones win on Saturday, over at a friend's house with at least 10 other kids there. Now we get ready for birthdays and Halloween and a trip to Minneapolis! It's going to be a crazy month, and when I get a chance to stop and look around again, I'll have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old! How is that possible?!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Clara Wows
There's so much going on in my family that whenever I blog, I don't feel I ever get into as much detail about each girl as I'd like. So, this post is about Clara! Emily's preschool class gets a marble in their Wow Jar whenever they get a big Wow, and I think our little one has definitely been earning it lately!
It's amazing, the amount of things she can do now that she couldn't do a month ago. She now holds up her head well enough that I can carry her around on my hip, which is great because she was getting too big for the on-her-back hold, especially when I tried to do it with only one arm. She'd get all smooshed and complain about it. She really enjoys her toys, her fish gym and her bouncy seat, and it won't be long before she's got more control with her little zombie arms. We borrowed a bumbo for her to sit in, which she likes because she can sit with her sisters and watch them play, although she's only good for about 5 min at a time there. It's hard work, controlling that noggin!! She smiles so easily, like she's always having a good time! She sucks on her hands when she's hungry, which is a hilarious, slurping sound. She's also a very noisy nurser, with lots of slurps and commentary. And just the happiest kid there is. Even if she's got wicked diaper rash, she still just squeaks her displeasure - I wouldn't really call it a cry. She can wiggle herself around on the floor now, to the point where I have to be sure she's exactly in the center of my bed if I leave her there. And she loves to stand up on my lap and stretch out her long legs. Bathtime is SO fun! Emily has decided she's big enough for a shower now, so Audrey and Clara get to have baths together, and really enjoy their time together.
I'm so in love with this little girl. I love her snuffy little baby noises, and her soft, round, fuzzy head that's just perfect for me to nuzzle and kiss. She's got the best little toothless grin, and she's really involved with what's going on around her. There's no "plopping" her to the side - she wants to be up with the rest of us, sitting on my lap during dinner, seeing what's going on! she's been a stinker about taking a bottle, but she's getting better and seems to be able to get by pretty well when I'm at work. But I love coming home to her! Tonight, she nursed probably 6 or 7 times between 3:30 and 8:30. I don't mind, I love snuggling with her and feeding her, and she loves it, too. She often stops nursing to just smile up at me, then keeps grinning and dives back in for more, with the attitude that what she's doing is special, as though no baby has ever nursed like her before. I'll probably be up with her in the night tonight to feed her, too, but I really, really don't mind, because she's really fast and she generally lets me sleep pretty well. And I'm happy to see her no matter what time of day. :p
My life is to happy and dull to be a reality TV show. Nobody would watch it - too saccharine. When I'm old and senile and don't know where I am, I sure hope that I think I'm here, now, with my amazing family and happy little life. These really are the good times. It's not just that absolutely everything goes my way, although plenty of it does. I actually get satisfaction from knowing that the things that have been or could be stressors to my life are things that I've learned from and have made me a better person, and I'm happy anyway. I'm just thankful I've had pretty light doses of Real Life so far. I promise to be a quick learner of life lessons, if it means I can keep this going!
It's amazing, the amount of things she can do now that she couldn't do a month ago. She now holds up her head well enough that I can carry her around on my hip, which is great because she was getting too big for the on-her-back hold, especially when I tried to do it with only one arm. She'd get all smooshed and complain about it. She really enjoys her toys, her fish gym and her bouncy seat, and it won't be long before she's got more control with her little zombie arms. We borrowed a bumbo for her to sit in, which she likes because she can sit with her sisters and watch them play, although she's only good for about 5 min at a time there. It's hard work, controlling that noggin!! She smiles so easily, like she's always having a good time! She sucks on her hands when she's hungry, which is a hilarious, slurping sound. She's also a very noisy nurser, with lots of slurps and commentary. And just the happiest kid there is. Even if she's got wicked diaper rash, she still just squeaks her displeasure - I wouldn't really call it a cry. She can wiggle herself around on the floor now, to the point where I have to be sure she's exactly in the center of my bed if I leave her there. And she loves to stand up on my lap and stretch out her long legs. Bathtime is SO fun! Emily has decided she's big enough for a shower now, so Audrey and Clara get to have baths together, and really enjoy their time together.
I'm so in love with this little girl. I love her snuffy little baby noises, and her soft, round, fuzzy head that's just perfect for me to nuzzle and kiss. She's got the best little toothless grin, and she's really involved with what's going on around her. There's no "plopping" her to the side - she wants to be up with the rest of us, sitting on my lap during dinner, seeing what's going on! she's been a stinker about taking a bottle, but she's getting better and seems to be able to get by pretty well when I'm at work. But I love coming home to her! Tonight, she nursed probably 6 or 7 times between 3:30 and 8:30. I don't mind, I love snuggling with her and feeding her, and she loves it, too. She often stops nursing to just smile up at me, then keeps grinning and dives back in for more, with the attitude that what she's doing is special, as though no baby has ever nursed like her before. I'll probably be up with her in the night tonight to feed her, too, but I really, really don't mind, because she's really fast and she generally lets me sleep pretty well. And I'm happy to see her no matter what time of day. :p
My life is to happy and dull to be a reality TV show. Nobody would watch it - too saccharine. When I'm old and senile and don't know where I am, I sure hope that I think I'm here, now, with my amazing family and happy little life. These really are the good times. It's not just that absolutely everything goes my way, although plenty of it does. I actually get satisfaction from knowing that the things that have been or could be stressors to my life are things that I've learned from and have made me a better person, and I'm happy anyway. I'm just thankful I've had pretty light doses of Real Life so far. I promise to be a quick learner of life lessons, if it means I can keep this going!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Normalcy
I think we're starting to figure out what's normal. This coming week will be our first full week of work and preschool. So far, I think we're set up well. Clara is taking a bottle no problem now, and Amanda seems like she's into a routine with the girls. Emily LOVES preschool, just like I thought she would; her teacher comments that she loves to see Emily's smile every day. Imagine that - my girl is smiley! Audrey is handling the adjustment well, and I've gotta say that I do love my Wednesday afternoons with her. Travis has planned another trip, to Singapore this time, for the end of September, so he seems to be rolling along nicely in his job. The only hiccup in our family seems to be the project I'm currently on at work, and I'm afraid I'm going to just totally screw it up. It's either much simpler than I think it is, and I'm overthinking it, or I have no freaking clue and it's going to blow up in my face. I just don't want to make a fool of myself, whereas usually I try to actually do a good job at things. But, in the larger scheme of our family life, it's a pretty small problem to have, and I'm glad we're limited to that.
Clara is a real chatty baby now! She's discovered putting her hands in her mouth, and I fear that it's only a matter of time before she moves from sucking on her fists to sucking her thumb, but we might luck out. She seems to be capable of going to sleep on her own much more easily than my first two babies. Emily is firmly a thumbsucker and I think it will absolutely crush Audrey when we take away her baby blankets someday... I was wondering if I could soak them in something nasty-tasting, but I don't want her ingesting chemicals or other nasty stuff... maybe I could soak them in spinach juice or something. :) Anyway, my girls are having a great time together. Emily is learning that Audrey likes to keep things from her (the last puzzle piece, the other half of whatever she has) just because she enjoys what happens - Emily screams and begs and gets mad and then gets in trouble for pushing/stealing/etc. I am hoping Emily learns to outsmart that one, because it'll be a much easier lesson to teach than to try to get Audrey to stop doing that. I remember doing those same things to my older siblings because I so desperately wanted them to play with me or acknowledge me (or get their noses out of a book!), and then being forced to figure out a new way to play with them. It's hard! I won't make her do it yet, not when she's not even 3!!
Speaking of, we will soon be entering Birthday Season. I've been making a list of things that I think my girls would really like, for both birthday and Christmas, so hopefully we won't just be adding another layer of crap to our toy-filled house. I am trying to find the bright side of birthdays, in that it means I can get rid of the toys they don't play with (or with some, hide them until Clara is ready for them), and maybe it'll feel a little less congested in my house. We bunked the girls' beds - awesome!! - so there's a little bit more room in their room now. I am hoping someday to move those bunkbeds into Clara's room, when she's ready for a bed too, and turn the yellow room into a playroom. Then I can tell them to go play and they can actually have a place to themselves to do that. As it is now, if i tell them to go upstairs, Audrey gets into my eye makeup (i'm sorry, but that eyeshadow was absolutely stunning on her. what a beauty!) or my lotion or my toothpaste... She seems to really enjoy being left to her own devices. She "painted" her nails the other day with magic marker. I think I've got a real girly girl on my hands! She's in a princess outfit or a leotard probably 60% of the time, asking me, "Don't I look beautiful?" Oh yes, she does.
Emily's first preschool project was a construction-paper cookie. The kids had to cut out the circle, and then glue black circle chocolate chips to it, using the same number of chocolate chips as they counted on the roll of a pair of dice. Then they wrote their name on it. Emily's circle was absolutely perfect, and she spaced each of the letters of her name to match the location of her five chocolate chips. The next day, she and Audrey sat down at their craft table and made their own cookies, howling at me to make more chocolate chips! make more! make more, Mom!!! They each made at least 2, including using a large can of tomatoes for tracing the cookie circle. Audrey's cutting was adequate, but then Emily would clean up the edges until they were perfect and round. I'm not sure I've got the right kid in preschool... :)
In my own head, lately I've realized that I seem to be at a weird point in my life. As I was growing up, I knew that I wanted to get married someday, and have kids. In college, I realized that I didn't want to do music for a career but that I did want to have a career of some kind, and heck, why not engineering? So, now I've got it all: amazing husband, 3 great kids, a career with a fantastic company in a great location with great flexibility for my family, a nice house, wonderful neighbors, lots of great friends, happy family... so, now what? It's not that I'm unhappy without something to chase, because this truly is awesome where I am. It's just the first time in my life that it's happened!! I mean really, now what do I push myself towards next?
Clara is a real chatty baby now! She's discovered putting her hands in her mouth, and I fear that it's only a matter of time before she moves from sucking on her fists to sucking her thumb, but we might luck out. She seems to be capable of going to sleep on her own much more easily than my first two babies. Emily is firmly a thumbsucker and I think it will absolutely crush Audrey when we take away her baby blankets someday... I was wondering if I could soak them in something nasty-tasting, but I don't want her ingesting chemicals or other nasty stuff... maybe I could soak them in spinach juice or something. :) Anyway, my girls are having a great time together. Emily is learning that Audrey likes to keep things from her (the last puzzle piece, the other half of whatever she has) just because she enjoys what happens - Emily screams and begs and gets mad and then gets in trouble for pushing/stealing/etc. I am hoping Emily learns to outsmart that one, because it'll be a much easier lesson to teach than to try to get Audrey to stop doing that. I remember doing those same things to my older siblings because I so desperately wanted them to play with me or acknowledge me (or get their noses out of a book!), and then being forced to figure out a new way to play with them. It's hard! I won't make her do it yet, not when she's not even 3!!
Speaking of, we will soon be entering Birthday Season. I've been making a list of things that I think my girls would really like, for both birthday and Christmas, so hopefully we won't just be adding another layer of crap to our toy-filled house. I am trying to find the bright side of birthdays, in that it means I can get rid of the toys they don't play with (or with some, hide them until Clara is ready for them), and maybe it'll feel a little less congested in my house. We bunked the girls' beds - awesome!! - so there's a little bit more room in their room now. I am hoping someday to move those bunkbeds into Clara's room, when she's ready for a bed too, and turn the yellow room into a playroom. Then I can tell them to go play and they can actually have a place to themselves to do that. As it is now, if i tell them to go upstairs, Audrey gets into my eye makeup (i'm sorry, but that eyeshadow was absolutely stunning on her. what a beauty!) or my lotion or my toothpaste... She seems to really enjoy being left to her own devices. She "painted" her nails the other day with magic marker. I think I've got a real girly girl on my hands! She's in a princess outfit or a leotard probably 60% of the time, asking me, "Don't I look beautiful?" Oh yes, she does.
Emily's first preschool project was a construction-paper cookie. The kids had to cut out the circle, and then glue black circle chocolate chips to it, using the same number of chocolate chips as they counted on the roll of a pair of dice. Then they wrote their name on it. Emily's circle was absolutely perfect, and she spaced each of the letters of her name to match the location of her five chocolate chips. The next day, she and Audrey sat down at their craft table and made their own cookies, howling at me to make more chocolate chips! make more! make more, Mom!!! They each made at least 2, including using a large can of tomatoes for tracing the cookie circle. Audrey's cutting was adequate, but then Emily would clean up the edges until they were perfect and round. I'm not sure I've got the right kid in preschool... :)
In my own head, lately I've realized that I seem to be at a weird point in my life. As I was growing up, I knew that I wanted to get married someday, and have kids. In college, I realized that I didn't want to do music for a career but that I did want to have a career of some kind, and heck, why not engineering? So, now I've got it all: amazing husband, 3 great kids, a career with a fantastic company in a great location with great flexibility for my family, a nice house, wonderful neighbors, lots of great friends, happy family... so, now what? It's not that I'm unhappy without something to chase, because this truly is awesome where I am. It's just the first time in my life that it's happened!! I mean really, now what do I push myself towards next?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)