MommyBrain

pigtails and picture books

2012-01-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

After two years of infancy, Charlotte Jane is finally starting to look like a toddler. The pigtails help with that, but she has also gotten taller and much sturdier in the past six weeks. It must be a growth spurt or something! Despite the fact that she is still wearing size 9 - 12 month clothes, she is looking more her age.

She has recently developed a love of "reading," which consists mainly of pulling every book off the shelf, flipping through a few pages, tossing that book, digging through the stack for another, and repeating the process. She especially loves books that can be sung to her ... Hush Little Baby, Twinkle, Twinkle, and Hickory, Dickory Dock are her favorites.

Yep, there's no denying that she is most certainly behaving like a toddler.

And, folks, toddlerhood is exhausting. Why didn't someone remind me of that?

Having a toddler is also a lot of fun! Charlotte is so funny. She cracks herself up ... and I laugh along. She smiles with her whole face and has the best giggle!

Just today she found a pair of Natalie's sunglasses ... made faces in the mirror and played peek-a-boo ... just so pleased with herself! I managed to catch her in the glasses ... with her mouth wide open!

camouflage

2012-01-17T18:39:00.000-08:00

This morning NHV came into our room - as she does most every morning - and hung out while Chad and I were "transitioning" from blissful sleep to the realities of caring for two young children for 12 hours straight. Trust me, it requires a transition.

Anyway, our sweet four year old was sitting on the floor chatting away ... telling us about her dreams from the night before, asking about our plans for the day, ... the usual onslaught of NHV banter.

For about 30 seconds it got quiet.

And then we heard, "Mommy. I picked a booger from my nose because it was giving me a distracting feeling."

To which I replied, "Well, where did you put this booger?"

"On the carpet."

Yuck! "You need to get a tissue for that booger."

"But I can't see it. It's the same color as the carpet. It's a camouflage booger!"

Chad is laughing hysterically at this point.

And I would much rather be sleeping than having this conversation, so I reply, "The fact that there's a booger wiped on the carpet is giving me a distracting feeling!"

At least I can safely say that Natalie has a firm grasp on the concept of camouflage, which is a survival strategy ... so that's a good thing, right?

Now I need to go vacuum and hope to capture a cleverly disguised booger!

the fruit snack incident

2012-01-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

CJV has recently developed an appetite for fruit snacks.
You know those little pouches of chewy, gelatin-like "fruit" snacks.
She loves them ... like she once loved yogurt melts.
It's serious. The sight of a fruit snack pouch makes her so very happy!

Which is awesome. Except today, I made a mistake.

I opened the pouch and dumped the fruit snacks onto the high chair tray.

I thought I was doing her a favor.
I thought wrong.

She flipped out! And Charlotte doesn't ever really flip out.
But she was not happy with my actions and did a good job of expressing it.

And since it was {clearly} my fault, I quickly picked up each one and put them back into the pouch. Once she noticed what I was doing, she started to calm down and just watched.

{I should've known she as formulating a plan of her own.}

I handed her the {newly filled} fruit snack pouch.

She smiled that fabulous full-face smile of hers.

And then she turned that pouch upside down and proceeded to dump the fruit snacks onto her tray.

Note to self. Charlotte wants to be the one to dump her fruit snacks onto her tray. What was I thinking?!

She handed me the now empty pouch and said, "Yucky!"

Which was her way of saying, "Could you be a doll and throw this away for me?"

She also repeated my directions, "chew, chew," before she popped a fruit snack in her mouth.

I LOVE that sassy little peanut of mine!

sweet charlotte jane

2012-01-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

i found my sweet two year old at the top of the stairs

playing with big sister's dollies

and, boy, was she pleased with herself!

she was also plenty pleased

to see me ... and my camera ... "cheese!"

and then she sang a little

dolly song ... la, la, la ...

oops! the dollies fell down ... and

I could swear she said, "ashes, ashes"

and I know that was followed by

"uh-oh" and "sorry"

charlotte is going down, too

love this booty-scoot she does!

one last sweet (yet aloof) pose

A Mash-Up: Ham Casserole

2011-12-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

Has your friend ever offered you a big hunk of yummy baked ham?
Yeah, well, it was a first for me, too.

That ham made me think of another friend (the one, the only Chitown Momma) who shared a meal plan one time that involved a baked ham and a great leftover recipe.

Have you ever made up your own recipe?
That's not really my thing either, however ...

While I was digging up that recipe from Chitown Momma, I was listening to the Glee Soundtrack, which made me think of BJ Mama over at For What It's Worth (but I digress) ... but, more importantly, those ubber-talented, oh-so-cute high school kids reminded me of the power of the Mash-Up!

Creamy Ham Casserole meet Easy Ham Bake:

Filling:

2 cups chopped ham
2 cups of broccoli florets
1 cup of chopped carrots
8 ounces of onion and chive cream cheese
10 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of milk

Crust:

2 cups Bisquick
1.5 cups milk (whatever you have on hand)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 dish with non-stick stuff.
Prep the veggies and stick them in the microwave for about four minutes.
Mix together all of the "filling" ingredients. Pour it all into the baking dish.
Mix the two crust ingredients together and pour it over the top of the filling.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

gettin' her bounce on!

2011-11-26T23:55:00.000-08:00

Look what grammy and grampy sent for CJV's 2nd Birthday!

It was confusion at first sight ...

And love at first bounce!

The box arrived the day before Thanksgiving, more than a week before the "big" day. But we (the grown ups) couldn't wait! Mainly because the reviews indicated that it was really hard to put together; a few couples even mentioned divorce ... so we were very curious! Chad didn't have any trouble, and I just stayed out of his way!

Despite the fact that it is somewhat large and brightly colored and sitting in the middle of our living room, the girls LOVE it! And I love that they can burn some {it's-wet-and-cold-so-we-can't-be-at-the-park} energy!

The best part is ... the trampoline is a toy the girls can share! While they typically take turns, I've caught them bouncing {and giggling} together a few times, too ...

it's just a walk in the park

2011-11-06T00:23:00.000-07:00

it's officially fall in the NW

is it rainy? yep.

chilly? of course.

beautiful? that, too!

Those hours between end of nap and dinnertime are perfect for walks to our neighborhood park!

CJV is happiest when ~~walking~~ sprinting down the sidewalk with reckless abandon. She giggles non-stop ... except when she does stop to pick up a berry or a rock-y or just to examine a crack in the sidewalk. In that regard, my little peanut is such a typical toddler!

She also loves to chase after her big sister ... and crunch the leaves with her {fake} Ugg boots!

My sweet daredevil will attempt to CLIMB anything in her path. She is fearless and dangerous and just so cute!

On the rare occasion I catch her sitting still, her bright blue eyes and sweet smile just melt my heart!

And then there's my crazy, silly Natalie. It seems I take a lot less pictures of her these days. Mainly because she is so aware of the camera. I love this shot because it is so her ... wild tufts of hair, bright blue eyes, and mouth open because she is saying something ... probably telling me a story or asking me a question (or 12).

While the girls played, I occupied myself with a little project ... using leaves to form the first letters of their names ... and now my goal is to do something like this for each season!

There is nothing like watching my girls grow up together!

under the sea halloween

2011-10-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

the good, the bad, and the ugly

2011-10-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

I am two weeks and four days post-op. I will start by saying that lower jaw surgery is not fun. Recovery is tough. Recovery with two young children is really tough. But two weeks really does make a huge difference!

the good
My family and friends have been amazing. Beyond my expectations supportive. Humbling. Amazing. So very appreciated.

My mom flew out from IL and took care of us for an entire week. She was with the girls the day of my surgery. She cooked and cleaned and shopped and made sure that I didn't have to worry about anything. She also kept me company in the evenings and took me for my first outing - for a smoothie at Starbucks. The girls had a great week and loved all the attention they got from Grammy. I was able to focus on getting better and resting as much as possible. It was wonderful! I don't know what we would've done without her.

Chad has been incredible! No surprise here. He is amazing! He took time off work to be with me at the hospital and get me back to the surgeon for a post-op appointment. He dosed me with pain meds around the clock those first few days. He has done more dishes than I can count and made sure the house is not falling apart. He has played with the girls tirelessly and patiently. He has read every one of Natalie's bedtime stories. He has gently reminded me not to over do it and makes sure I rest.

We've had meals delivered every other day. When you can't eat, pretty much the last thing you want to do is cook a meal for other people. But I have two growing girls and a husband who deserve to eat three meals a day plus snacks. Finding the energy to shop and prep meals ... well, that simply wasn't going to happen. Having meals provided has been such a tremendous help; I cannot even tell you! While my main concern was feeding my family, I've also enjoyed some yummy meals, too. My friends have been so creative and gracious, they've even managed to find recipes for things I can eat! I've had smoothies and soups and pudding ... all of it wonderful and important for keeping me strong and healthy while my body heals.

Friends have taken the girls so I can rest. When my mom left, I was still very swollen, taking pain meds around the clock, and barely able to talk. Taking care of my girls all day really wasn't an option, and thankfully, I didn't have to because, once again, my friends offered to help. Leanne took Charlotte to music class. Deann had Natalie over to play all day, and entertained her with crafting and cooking. And then took her to run errands another day. Jenny took both girls for me between nap and when Chad got home - she even fed them dinner. I got the rest I desperately needed and the girls were able to have fun and be well taken care of ... by people who love them.

I also received very sweet care packages from my faraway friends. Those boxes brightened my days ... and gave me useful things like trashy magazines, more baby food, and a new laptop case!

the bad

For the first 24 hours I had to suction blood (lots and lots of blood) out of my mouth, which I could barely open. The taste of blood is just about my least favorite taste in the world.
For the first three days, I "ate" through a syringe.
My face was wrapped in ice for five days. And refilling that stupid ice pack around the clock was a pain in the a$$.
The inside of my mouth is a mine field of sutures. Hygiene is critical but darn near impossible.
I've been in quite a bit of pain. To the point that I told Chad I would rather deliver a baby - 12 times - than go through this again.
I had to sleep upright for the first 10 days. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to sleep in a sitting position? Needless to say, I am tired.
I am still hungry ... all the time ... no matter how much baby food, smoothies, and soup I eat, I am still hungry. I just want to chew something!
My face hurts. My mouth hurts. My chin hurts. My head hurts. My body aches.

the ugly
I cannot believe I am going to post this photo online. It's awful. It's ugly. This is me one week after surgery. Yes, that delightful shade of yellow is bruising. There is still some swelling but nothing compared to the first five days. At this point, I was still in constant pain. Not really functioning. Spending a lot of time in bed.

Let me reiterate that this {ugly} photo was taken ten days ago. Now I have very minimal swelling and no visible bruising. Stay tuned for a "more good" post with an updated photo :)

i'm busted ...

2011-10-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here's hoping that writing is therapeutic ... because I feel like crap. Please know that I should feel like crap. This isn't unexpected. I am currently recovering from lower jaw surgery, and well, as you can imagine, it sucks. Because of my severe underbite, both sides of my lower jaw were broken and moved forward about 6 mm. My underbite caused me pain and headaches for years. I am so thankful my current orthodontist told me the only way to truly fix this issue (which should've been fixed when I was a teenager) was to do it right. Of course, doing it right led to the jaw surgery and two other procedures. My already weak chin would've complete disappeared after the jaw surgery, so it was moved forward. And my tight frenulum (flap of tissue beneath my tongue) was clipped. I am busted.

I remember almost none of the surgery or night spent in the hospital.

Because of the swelling, my face has been wrapped in ice almost constantly since Monday. I also have to sleep upright, which means I can't sleep for longer than about an hour and a half at a time. And most of that sleep is drug induced and filled with crazy nightmares and sleep falling.

I can't eat anything but I am increasing my repertoire of liquid delights ... Carnation Instant Breakfast, chicken broth, mashed potato soup, smoothies, and baby food!

I am still taking pain killers, anti-inflammatory, and nausea medication around the clock. The inside of my mouth feels like "ground beef" to borrow phrasing from a friend - referring to her girl parts - after she gave birth to an almost 10 pound baby. The cheeks, chin, and neck are swollen and very bruised. I cannot open my mouth more than about the width of my index finger, which makes talking nearly impossible - yawning, coughing, or sneezing are excruciating! I am busted.

Having my mom here for the past week has been such a blessing. There is no way I can care for the girls right now ... not being able to talk, the risk of their love hitting me in the face, and having just enough energy to make myself a smoothie before I have to rest. I am busted.

The full recovery time is about six months - but swelling should reduce significantly in the first two weeks and I hope to be eating soft pasta in the same amount of time. I also have plans to fly with both girls (by myself) in less than a month. I am trying to stay positive and hope that I will feel better every day.

Thank you to all my mama friends who are taking such good care of me and my family!

i don't wanna go to school ...

2011-10-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

Typically Natalie jumps out of bed enthusiastically and greets us with smiles and hugs and questions of "What did you dream about, mommy?" or "Did you sleep well, daddy?"

This morning I heard her before I saw her. When I got to the doorway, I found her still in bed whimpering and saying, "I don't wanna go to school today."

My first thought was, "Crap, she's sick! I knew this would happen with all the new germs she is exposed to at preschool."

When I asked, "Why?" her reply just about broke my heart. She said, "Because I will miss you soooo much, mommy!"

I did my best to distract her and remind her of the fun things we had planned for the afternoon. She thought that was all fine and dandy but she still was NOT going to school.

I talked to her about the new friends she's made at school. Again, everything seemed fine on the friend-front. But she was still NOT going to school.

I told her a funny story from when I was a teacher {about a parent-teacher conference involving oatmeal}, which distracted her enough to get dressed and downstairs for breakfast - only about five minutes behind schedule.

Then I made the mistake of cutting her pancakes into bite-size pieces, as I do every time she eats pancakes, and she completely lost it ... all over the floor. This can't be happening. Her little world was ending. Lost it. And punctuated that tantrum by screaming, "And I am NOT going to school today."

Delightful. At this point I did what all good parents in the midst of a dilemma do ... I posted to Facebook, "NHV woke up saying she doesn't want to go to school. Any advice?" Within minutes {love social media}, I had insights and suggestions from several mommy friends!

Anyway, I don't remember how I solved the breakfast crisis but we got to the point where it was time to leave ... she was dressed, hair was combed, teeth were brushed, ... in my mind, we ARE going to school.

But she dug her heels in one.more.time.

What did I do? I wanted to lose it. But somehow I stayed calm. And I pulled out a photo of myself at preschool. {My teacher found me on Facebook and sent it to me a few months ago - how awesome is that?} It's this 8 x 10 black-and-white of me and a few classmates having a tea party with my teacher looking on. It's darling. Seriously.

Thankfully, it worked like a charm. Natalie thought it was funny that her mommy went to preschool, too! To seal the deal, I told her the story of how I would cry when my mommy dropped me off at preschool (complete with a theatrical reenactment) and then I would cry when she picked me up. She thought that was so silly.

The next thing I know, we're in the car on our way to SCHOOL ... and she had a great day!

meal planning ... again

2011-10-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

it appears meal planning is a weekly endeavor. however I hate it a little less today because last week was a success! no five o'clock scramble. no random trips to the market. less stress and good meals.

so I am at it again ... whether i like it or not.

Here are the four meals I will make at some point this week ...

Pecan Encrusted Salmon, wild rice, and veggies
Chicken Tortilla Soup - I always add black beans and use the already chopped celery/onion/carrot mix from Trader Joe's.
Fuss-Free Ravioli and Cheese Bake
Sloppy Joes & Sweet Potato Fries (Chitown Momma's recipe)

Brown 1 lb beef, season as you like (s&p, garlic powder)
1/2 c ketchup
onion - I buy it in the frozen food section!
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp vinegar
I add grated carrots and red peppers to sneak in some veggies!

It can be ready to eat as soon as you feel the ingredients are pretty mixed up (if you are in a hurry), but it does taste a bit better if it sits and simmers on low heat for a while (30-60min on stove or hours in a crock pot)

Baking ...
I have bananas to use, so I am trying Banana Muffins with Butterscotch Chips
and because I adore Nutella, I want to try this recipe for Self-frosting Pumpkin Nutella Muffins!

meal plan - fancy title, huh?

2011-09-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've got nothing witty to say. No adorable pics of the girls.

Just me and my meal plan because I am determined to make my late afternoon/early evening less chaotic and more enjoyable. Wish me luck!

Anyone want to go grocery shopping for me?

Sunday: Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze
Monday: Sausage Potato Soup
Tuesday: Chicken, Bacon, Mushroom Pizza
Wednesday: Beef Stroganoff in a Skillet
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Chicken Avocado Wrap
Saturday: Havarti Pigs in a Blanket

Lunch Ideas:
S - Bacon, Egg Salad Flatout Wrap

M - Salmon Leftovers & Broccoli Slaw
T - Sausage Potato Soup Leftovers
W - Joe's Os and Grilled Cheese Halves
Th - Chicken Salad with apples and pecans
F - Peanut Butter and Bananas Sandwiches

Baking:
Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
Strawberry Banana Muffins
Super Easy Nutella Croissants (hint: just two ingredients)

making friends at preschool

2011-09-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today was NHV's first day of preschool. Despite the fact that we were running a few minutes late this morning, I did take photos ... as if that was even an option! Of course, I grabbed my camera!

As I was checking my settings, I could see that Natalie had something on her mind.

Once I was ready to shoot, I asked, "What are you thinking about, sweet girl?"

She responded, "Making new friends. How do you make new friends, mama?"

I said, "Hmmmm, let's think about this ...could you say Hi and tell them your name?"

"Yeah, ... OR I could wink at them!"

"That could work ... but sometimes it's better just to smile."

"Yeah, OR I could make really funny faces ... like this!"

Here's hoping my firstborn has a wonderful preschool experience ... and somehow manages to make some new friends along the way :)

chair confusion

2011-09-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

I am a moron.

At the very least ... not smart or easily confused or sleep deprived ...

No, this probably qualifies me as a moron!

After two months of semi-enjoying the girls' new chairs from Pottery Barn Kid ...
I say semi, because something about them just wasn't right ...
I was visiting a friend the other day (shouting out to Terri!) and noticed her kids' chairs looked different than mine, and then it occurred to me ...

I had put the chairs together incorrectly!

I put the back cushion as the seat, and the seat cushion as the back. While it fit into the slipcover, there were these extra flaps of securing strips that didn't fit ... and the chairs just looked strange ... too low to the ground and slanted forward.

It took me TWO MONTHS to figure this out!
In about two minutes I was able to undo the mistake ...
and now we really do LOVE our chairs ...
and taking new photos of the girls in their adorable, pink chairs is making its way up my {never ending} To Do List!

I share this not only to illustrate the fact that I am still very much afflicted with a terrible case of MommyBrain but also to save countless others from making the same mistake!

{For $100 a pop, I am thinking the directions could probably be made a little more clear! Of course, I don't still have the directions, so maybe it is clear ... and I am just a sleep-deprived mom-of-two.}

on our way ... to preschool open house

2011-09-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

All loaded in the car. Strapped in and ready to go. I could sense that NHV was processing the next hour - time we would spend together at her new preschool getting familiar with her teachers, classmates and surroundings. I didn't push or ask questions. I just turned on her favorite princess music and drove.

A few minutes into our trip, she opened up, and we had this conversation ...

"Mommy, we're going to school ... just you and me! It's going to be so fun!"

"I know! It is going to be so much fun!"

{silence}

"There's a toilet at my school. So if you need to go, there's a toilet."

"Good to know. And if you have to go, you can use the toilet at school, too."

{silence}

"Mommy, don't yell at me or be naughty to me at school. My teachers won't like that."

"Okay, I won't yell. Wait, do I yell a lot?"

"No, mommy, but I will be on good behavior ... like a smiley face!"

"I'm glad to hear that. I am sure your teacher will like that, too."

"Yeah, and I'm going to look at my teacher in her face!"

21 months old ... almost two

2011-09-05T00:32:00.000-07:00

There. I said it.

My baby is almost two.

I don't like it. Not one bit.

But it's the truth.

coming soon ... 21 things I love about my CJV

my little night owl

2011-08-21T01:08:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I posted about my sweet sleeping little angels.
And tonight CJV was awake until after midnight.
(Note to self: In the future, do not even mention the fact that your children sleep.)

She spent two hours in her crib ... chatting and singing and hanging out.

And then we played for an hour. I loved every minute of that hour. It is so rare that we get to spend time - just the two of us - on the floor with a bin of toys.

She chatting some more and tried to repeat words that I said. She chased after a tiny princess ball (big sister never lets her play with it!) and her best buddy, Louie. She stacked blocks and treated me to many belly laughs as I entertained her with an egg shaker!

I even managed to take a few photos :)

sleep, sleep so sweetly

2011-08-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Is there anything as peaceful as a sleeping child? Every night before I put myself to bed (and it's usually much later than I should be staying up), I go into each of my girl's rooms to check on them. What I am really doing is trying to soak up their angelic appearance. Trying to memorize their faces. Trying to imagine what their dreams are filled with. Trying to remember the babies they once were. Trying to etch into my mind the beautiful little people they are right now.

A friend of mine, who also happens to be a fabulous photographer, encouraged me to shoot in manual mode, bump up the ISO, and capture this nightly ritual of mine ... and I am so glad that I did!

Most nights the blankets are in a big pile and binky is on the floor.

If she's not on her side like this, she is on her tummy

with knees under her and bottom up in the air.

NHV is a wild and noisy sleeper.

I never know what position I will find her in.

Just look at this face! Those sweet lips and tiny eyelashes!

CJV fell asleep in the car on the way home from a birthday party.

There's a song by Danielle Sansone that I absolutely love

... and sing to my girls sometimes.

This is the chorus ...

Sleep, sleep so sweetly
You know I love you deeply
Know that when you wake
We’ll celebrate the day

the happy - sad game

2011-08-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

CJV is a toddler of few words.
I mean it, she says very little ... and even less that we can actually understand.

The same cannot be said for her repertoire of expressions! Which is, largely, why we don't have a problem communicating!

I especially love when we play a little game I like to call "the happy-sad game" ... I know, clever, right?

I did this with NHV, too. I say, "Happy!" And make this exaggerated happy face. Then I say, "Sad!" and drop my face into a pout. Everybody laughs (including Chad).

Charlotte is so good at this game! She cracks me up everytime!

And ... much to my delight, she has started to say "happy and sad" before she makes the different faces!

Crawling. Climbing. Walking.

2011-08-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. I know. All babies develop at their own pace. All in good time. When they're ready.

Believe me, I know. And I've done my best to be patient. I've tried not to worry. After a developmental evaluation in June, I felt somewhat reassured.

It's just really hard not to focus on milestones. Especially when every other baby - even much younger - around you is hitting them. And you have a firstborn who reached milestones like she wrote the darn textbook herself!

I have just found it kind of hard to deal with ... there are some complicated emotions (and head games) wrapped up in how your baby develops!

And so this is really just for me to look back on and think, "See, it did happen ... why were you so worried?"

Just after her first birthday, CJV started a very cute army crawl.

At 15 months, CJV graduated from inch-worming to knee crawling.

At just shy of 19 months, we finally experienced another breakthrough, and CJV starting cruising and taking a few steps. However those steps have been few and very wobbly ...

At the zoo trying to keep herself from falling backward.

Oh, how I love that look on her face!

And here she is later that same day at an outdoor concert.

The music and dancing with her big sister was a great motivator.

She took a lot of single steps and a fair share of spills.

But each time she got back up with a look of determination on her face!

In the past month, we've also seen her climb just about anything in her path ... she would spend all day going up and down the stairs, scaling the bookshelves, and getting onto the couch.

She also enjoys building her upper body strength with pull ups ...

I love the discarded kitchen towel on the floor!

Most recently, Daddy allowed her to climb onto the bench and then the top of a picnic table at the pool. And I just had to capture her holding onto that umbrella pole - not to worry daddy was right there to catch her!

Drum Roll, please ...

Almost six weeks later at the age of 20 months, I think today we can officially say that CJV is walking! Apparently, she read my email last night because I was commiserating with another mom whose 20-month old is using a walker. I was feeling very discouraged and wondering if Charlotte needs more support/therapy to get her walking. And so, what does my little peanut do? Of course, she starts walking. I swear, it's like she knew!

And tomorrow I am determined to capture that delightfulness on camera!

book nook

2011-08-08T00:16:00.000-07:00

The girls are enjoying their new sunny book nook!

The new chairs - pink and personalized - were birthday gifts from Mimi.

I love them and so do the girls.

The girls sit in them. Climb on them. Make forts out of them.

I love spending an hour in the late afternoon

with both girls in our new book nook ...

Natalie "reads" one book after another

While Charlotte practices taking steps

sisterly love

2011-08-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

hanging out in their new {super cute, pink pbk} chairs

playing in the sandbox and coloring pictures

visiting our local zoo and hanging out in the hammock

no matter what they are doing ...

they love each other ... at least for the most part

nhv can have a tough time sharing

and demands time to play by herself -

by hurrying to close her bedroom door

as cjv excitedly crawls toward it

but she also looks out for her and takes care of her

and makes her laugh like no one else can!

cjv absolutely lights up when she sees her big sister

she says naaaa-yeeee as soon as she wakes up

she is happiest when she's doing whatever

natalie is doing :)

check ups

2011-08-02T01:01:00.000-07:00

I took both girls to see our family doctor today.

It was Natalie's four year check up and Charlotte's 18-month check up (purposely two months late because she's seen plenty of white coats recently). Overall, both are healthy. Charlotte, my little peanut, is still an enigma but "continued monitoring" is the current prognosis ... and one I will gladly take over bad news. Natalie is going to participate in a sleep study to rule out sleep apnea, but otherwise passed her physical with flying colors!

Natalie is 42 inches tall and weighs 37 pounds.
Charlotte is 29 inches tall and weighs 17 pounds.

I've never done back-to-back check-ups, but it went surprisingly well. Each girl took a turn. I got all of my questions/concerns answered. And both girls handled their shots like true rock stars!

As is tradition, we walked across the street to see the fountain ... to ponder life, fade the memory of those shots, and celebrate!

popsicles at the park

2011-07-28T00:44:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to the park for a concert this evening. The weather is finally amazing - as it should be!

And treated them both to rainbow popsicles! I initially bought just one, and the lady even asked me if I wanted another. I said, "Oh no, my little one won't even notice." Ha! I opened Natalie's and handed it to her. We turned to walk away and got about 10 steps before Charlotte was practically diving out of my arms to get to that rainbow of goodness! So I returned to the booth with a big grin. Said, "I should really know better" and spent another $1.

Best $2 I've spent in a good, long while!

you want some of this?

Snapshot: Favorites of a Four Year Old

2011-07-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Natalie turned four years old ... insert disbelief and sniffles here! Today while we enjoyed a relaxing morning at home (no appointments or classes to rush off to) and played blocks on the family room floor, I asked her about her Favorite things and kept a piece of paper handy to record her answers. I did this last year, too, and must thank Chitown Momma for reminding me to do it again!

Color: "PINK" no hesitation. no pause to think about. most definitely ... PINK!
Cartoon Character: "Buddy! He's a very silly dinosaur."
Book: "Critter and Rapunzel" - that anthology of Little Critter stories has remained a favorite through the years. She also loves to read princess books, especially a Tangled chapter book.
Letters: "M and T ... because moon starts with M and tiger starts with T, and I really like the moon and tigers." Seems like a rational explanation to me :)
Number: "Four. Because I am four years old!"
Treasure: "Dress-up clothes and Balloons!" The first answer I was expecting, but I was surprised to hear mention of balloons.
Snack(s): "Veggie Booty, apples & cinnamon, and cheese crackers from Trader Joes."
Movie: "The Little Mermaid" Grammy introduced Natalie to Ariel just before her third birthday last year, and it has been her favorite since then. Interestingly, she doesn't ask to watch it very often anymore but still considers it her favorite.
Princess: "Ariel because her dress is pink and her hair is red."
Place to Go: KidsQuest (our indoor kids' museum), Cougar Mountain Zoo (fantastic local zoo), and Cee-Cee's House (her best friend)
Store: "Target and Ikea" - Target we frequent, Ikea we've been to maybe three times!
Restaurant: "Old McDonald's and Chipotle!" Natalie is such a sucker for those darn Happy Meals, and loves the cheese quesadillas at Chipotle.
Song to Sing: "A-B-C-D, Down by the Station, and All You Funky Monkeys"
Song to Listen to: "Caspar Babypants!" Once again! We also love the Glee versions of Baby! Baby!, Forget You, Ice Ice Baby, and I Want to be a Billionaire!
Thing to do at the park: "Make mulch cakes and meet new friends."
Thing about Charlotte: "Playing blocks with her and making her laugh."
Thing about Mommy: "Her pretty eyes." I did not bribe her in anyway!
Thing about Daddy: "His Grumpy shirt." Which just so happens to be the gift she picked out for him for his birthday! They both think it's hilarious!

happy birthday, nhv

2011-07-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

nhv at scenic beach

2011-06-30T01:26:00.000-07:00

It took NHV a few minutes to warm up to the idea of the beach. She even pouted a bit. However, she still looked adorable in her new polka dot bathing suit and floppy sun hat! And I thought the driftwood was so cool!

Eventually daddy convinced her to give the water a try ...

And then the good times began ...

cjv at scenic beach

2011-06-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

Between the amazing backdrop and the vivid red and blue of Charlotte's bathing suit, I could not take enough pictures! Of course, Charlotte wanted pretty much nothing to do with looking at the camera, and who can blame her considering the alternatives ... rocks, shells, and water!

Finally, she at least looked up - not at me, but up enough to see her cute face and blue eyes!

Camping Trip

2011-06-28T01:10:00.000-07:00

Camping. If I'm being honest is something I only really enjoy because Chad loves it so much. If the decision were all mine, I am not sure I would actually choose to go camping. I would probably choose a cozy bed-n-breakfast in a beautiful setting, but I can certainly do without roughing it and sleeping on the ground and worrying about possible bear attacks. Just being honest. But Chad loves it and envisions a lifetime of family memories created around the campfire, which I must admit is a lovely sentiment.

I also know that camping is a great option for family vacationing. If nothing else, it's fairly inexpensive - although if you consider the amount of "gear" Chad has purchased, I am fairly certain we could've gone to an all-inclusive resort in a tropical locale ... at least once if not twice :) But the gear is an investment and can be used over and over again. I totally get it.

As much as I love blogging and Facebook and all the rest, I really do like the idea of unplugging and spending time without technology ... making up games with sticks and singing ridiculous songs and focusing on the simple things in life.

And so, we went camping. For one night. It was a lot of preparation and then unpacking, but so worth it!

The trip started with our first ever ferry ride. I am almost embarrassed to admit, we have lived here for five years and haven't taken a ferry until now! It was a blast, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous - what are the chances!

Our destination was Scenic Beach, and it definitely lived up to it's name. I took a ton of photos during our hour on the beach and will try to post more soon! But this gives you some idea of just how beautiful it was ...

The rock-and-shell beach and chilly water did not seem to bother Charlotte one bit. She wanted down and modified her crawl to a hands-and-feet variation. She picked up rocks and clumps of seaweed and splashed in the water. Charlotte appears to be an outdoorsy kind of girl!

Natalie was drawn to the water but didn't really like walking on the rocks and shells. There was also a pirate birthday party going on down the beach, which distracted her and made her feel left out. She pouted for awhile and then finally decided to enjoy herself. She tossed rocks from the shore, walked in the water up to her knees, bent over to dunk her head in the water, and splashed with the reckless abandon of an almost four year old!

At the campsite ...

While Chad grilled dinner, I attempted to keep Charlotte entertained and somewhat confined. She even played in the back of the car for a little while.

But, ultimately, I had to give in a let Charlotte crawl around in the dirt. She was beyond happy and filthy!

Natalie entertained herself with stick collecting and looking for fairies in the surrounding woods. And, yes, she wore a skirt and accessories ... while camping. What can I say?!

After another walk to the beach and some time at the playground, we settled in for my favorite part of camping ... the campfire!

Natalie enjoyed roasting the marshmallows, but did not enjoy getting her hands sticky and messy in order to eat the s'more ... so guess who got to feed her?

Around 8:00, both girls were showing signs of bedtime, so we followed our usual routine ... and then put them both in the tent. C in her pack-n-play. Natalie in a sleeping bag. The next 30 minutes were filled with giggles and chatter as Natalie reassured Charlotte about sleeping in a tent. There were also many calls for mommy and daddy followed by unzips and zips to check on them. At one point, I found Natalie in the pack-n-play with Charlotte ... squealing and wrestling! At that point, it became clear that falling asleep together was not an option.

Poor Charlotte didn't get a nap, and both girls were so tired. I strapped on the carrier and walked her to sleep - I toured the entire campground, saw a family of five deer, and ended up at the beach, which was quiet and serene and just showing signs of sunset. All the while, Charlotte snoozed in the carrier. I could feel her warmth and hear her soft breathing and sense the relief of finally sleeping.

Back at camp, Chad read books and chatted with Natalie. She was ready to sleep by the time I got back. The rest of the night went even better than expected. Chad and I hung out by the campfire for another hour or so. And then we all got a decent night's sleep. We woke up around 7:30 and Charlotte slept another 20 minutes or so!

We enjoyed a leisurely morning at the playground, did a little more exploring, took a family photo, and then packed up and headed home. And I can honestly say that I am looking forward to our next camping adventure ... as long as things go just as smoothly as this time!

Stones, Angelina, and Walter

2011-06-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

After sleeping in (all of us) and having a big breakfast, we decided to celebrate Father's Day at one of our favorite local attractions, the zoo! We braved the clouds, loaded up the wagon, and had an interesting visit!

At the end of March, we purchased personalized paving stones as a fundraiser for the purchase of a new cougar. And today we were pleasantly surprised to find our bricks had been installed just the day before! I loved seeing the girls' names carved into the stone and nestled next to each other. Natalie pointed to and named each letter. Charlotte stuck her finger in the heart shape and proceeded to crawl around.

The stones were placed in an area that overlooks another part of the zoo. It's directly above an exhibit of rather large birds called Emus. If I knew what I was talking about or thought it would even help, I would compare emus to an ostrich. Large. Flightless. Small head. Large body.

As you can see from the photos above, Natalie is clutching a small animal in a dress. Well, that's a newly-acquired (during yard sales yesterday) Angelina Ballerina doll - sporting a delightful yellow tutu.

We aren't entirely sure of all the details, but that well-dressed mouse took a nice, long fall into the emu enclosure. Natalie screamed out and started crying immediately - fairly certain she was fearing for Angelina's life. The crowds down below all turned to look. A nearby zoo intern radioed for back-up and tried to distract the emus. Despite her efforts, several of the large birds trotted over for a closer look. And I grabbed the camera ...

Walter, in particular, was quite smitten with Angelina. Thankfully, the zoo keeper was able to retrieve the dancing mouse! She was returned ... dirty but all in one piece with yellow tutu still in tact!

another Saturday night

2011-06-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I barely remember what I used to do on a Saturday night before kids. Okay, that's a lie. I do remember ... sort of ... but I choose not to think about the details of that carefree time of my life ... lest I get all depressed and stuff! No, I am only kidding! I won't trade this time of my life for anything!

After a rainy, dreary day, CPV rallied the troops and took all three of his girls on a date. Or maybe we took him since it is Father's Eve. Either way, we were all presentable and left the house in a semi-not-chaotic state - always a good thing ... on both counts!

Daddy got to choose the restaurant, and no surprise ... he wanted to go to Stan's BBQ.

Charlotte loves food with a little "kick" ... she gobbled up smoked meatballs and baked beans!

Natalie tends to be drastically less adventuresome with her palate. She opted for mac-n-cheese and whatever bread she could get her hands on!

Dinner was followed by ... drum roll, please ... dessert! At our favorite local cupcakery, which just happens to be walking distance from the barbecue place. Trust me, Chad's choice was most definitely not a coincidence! We ordered two cupcakes: banana with whipped chocolate frosting and chocolate with cookies-n-cream frosting ... both were delicious!

I am super bummed that I didn't take a photo of the cupcake eating! That would've been so much cuter than a bowl of processed cheese-covered noodles! We did, however, have a delightful conversation with an older couple, who were there when we arrived. They have 9 grandchildren living in three different states, which explains why they were so entertained by Natalie's journalistic sense of question-asking and story-telling!

We finished off our date night with a walk down the railroad tracks. The rain had finally stopped, and despite a heavy layer of clouds, it was actually a very nice evening. I especially love that I was able to get four good photos ... with my point-n-shoot!

Perhaps the best part, we were home and in our jammies by 9:00! Now, that's my kind of Saturday night!

another fever

2011-06-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby has been running a fever since Friday. We made a trip to the doctor's office on Saturday, but didn't get any answers. We both got wet and a little cranky but no diagnosis.

Low grade fever with no other complaints. No runny nose or cough. No vomiting. Doctor mentioned that both of her ears are red, but not infected. We attempted to get a urine sample. Charlotte was cooperative and peed within 10 minutes of being "bagged." However, the nurse put it on wrong, and I ended up with a very wet lap. The chair didn't fair so well, either.

I am fairly certain this is another UTI. Charlotte's second. Her first was at the end of February. Interestingly, Natalie was just treated for a UTI last week. Not sure what is going on here.

Just know that fever is hanging on. 8 hours after ibuprofen, it rears it's ugliness once again. Which is why I am typing this at almost 3:00 am. Charlotte just woke up and cried out this pathetic, I-feel-lousy cry. I picked her up, felt her forehead, grabbed the thermometer, and confirmed ... the fever is back.

Poor little thing. I could barely see her - with nothing more than the dim light from the stairway lighting her room. She was frantically signing "binky." Once she had that, I asked her if she wanted some milk. She started signing "drink" and then "milk." I walked her down to the kitchen, grabbed the cup, and then headed back up to snuggle and rock while she drank.

I hate that she is sick. But I love that she is so much more confident in her ability to communicate. Something that brings us both relief.

sweet sliding

2011-06-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

CJV is officially hooked on sliding!

I love the anticipation at the top ... she holds onto both sides of the slide and carefully scoots forward, gives me her signature big grin, and let's go!

At the bottom, her face says, "Hey, look what I just did!" She is so proud of herself!

And ready to do it again and again and again!

Glad to see our garage sale find from two years ago is going to get some more good use!

signs and chatter

2011-06-07T02:05:00.000-07:00

Within a week of CJV's developmental evaluation, in which it was determined that she is delayed in both receptive and expressive language skills, she has gained a bunch of new signs and has been vocalizing like crazy!

Why is that always the case? Not that I am complaining. But, seriously, how do you explain that?

She is answering yes and no questions with nods and shakes. She signs swing as soon as we get to the park. I taught her the sign for cheese at lunch today. She also signs please and thank you, does a one-handed sign for play, and rubs her belly at bath time! Bird continues to be her favorite sign, and she uses it all the time ... even when there's no bird in sight. I love seeing her little index finger and thumb press together and her chin lifts up toward the tree or sky ... so precious!

Just sharing a little victory on the language front!

hair clippie

2011-06-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

neither of my girls were born with a lot of hair.

heck, i've never had a lot of hair.

and their hair grows slowly ... just like mine.

natalie rocked a mullet for a good long while.

charlotte has a similar style with a bit more length in the front.

which explains why i feel the need
to put adorable little clippies in her "bangs.

if you are in the market for super adorable,
custom-made hair accessories ...
and if you have a daughter (or two)
you really should be in that market ...
please check out Millie's Bows,
a local mama with the cutest bows around!

funny story, i actually ordered six new bows for natalie,
and this little flower clippie was included as a little thank you.
natalie loves her bows, and so do I ...
but she refuses to let me take a picture of her wearing them!

second visit with dr. fancy pants

2011-06-03T01:28:00.000-07:00

It had been six months since our introduction to Dr. Fancy Pants. We've had several blood draws and result reports since then, but this week was our second time seeing Dr. Fancy Pants for an in-office appointment.

After lots of weight-checks and needle sticks, Charlotte has developed a bit of a dislike for doctor's offices, nurses, scales, white coats, ... pretty much anything to do with the healthcare industry. Of course she also has a healthy case of stranger anxiety, which certainly does not help the situation.

Thankfully, the waiting room had some bright-colored toys and big windows for bird-watching, which created the perfect distraction scenario. As soon as the nurse called for us, Charlotte started clinging to me as if her life depended on it. She cried while being weighed and measured. I hated to see her upset but know that those procedures are not even remotely invasive in the big scheme of things. She weighed 15 pounds 12 ounces, which is a gain of over two pounds in six months. She measured just over 28 inches long.

Our time with Dr. Fancy Pants involved more clinging and crying, which made understanding his accent all that more challenging. I'd catch like every third word and about every sixth word I didn't recognize as English. I did a lot of nodding and pretending to understand, especially when he talked about extrapolating data and statistical analysis ... heck, I was lucky to stay awake through that! He did a thorough examination, asked about sleeping, eating, and pooping (not his word, I am sure), and measured her hands and feet. All of her measurements - although tiny and still no where near a chart - are proportional and maintaining their own (pathetic) growth trajectory. Her growth hormone levels are in the low-normal range, which means we won't have to make the dreaded hormone treatment decision.

Diagnosis is still failure to thrive, which I most definitely hate ... but there are much worse things you can hear from a doctor's mouth. Essentially (and no surprise here), Charlotte is tiny but growing at her own pace.

And, yes, that is a sigh of relief you just heard.

the latest with CJV

2011-06-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

My tiny peanut had a big week.

We had our developmental evaluation, and I am happy to report it was a really great experience. It was both fascinating and helpful to see my baby through someone else's eyes. Through the eyes of trained professionals. Eyes that see lots and lots of babies at all different developmental stages. Several times the occupational therapists mentioned things about her movements - like the fact that she supported herself on one hand while climbing out of the rice bin and used alternating hands/feet when climbing the stairs. The speech therapist also mentioned that Charlotte is very quiet. Twenty minutes into the evaluation, she had not made a sound. It was reassuring to know that it wasn't just me thinking she's not babbling enough.

I spent the hour talking, observing, answering questions, asking questions, and learning even more than I expected. Charlotte spent the hour playing, getting to know new faces, having a snack, showing off her cognitive prowess, being adorable and cooperative.

And, in the end, we discovered that Charlotte demonstrated age-appropriate cognitive, fine motor, and social-emotional skills. However, she has delays in gross motor and language skills. The OT left me with several suggestions for motivating CJV to walk and scheduled a re-evaluation in six weeks. We'll meet with a speech therapist to start some intervention in the next few weeks.

As predicted, I feel good about my ability to advocate for Charlotte and empowered by the knowledge of her delays and what we can do to support her development in those areas.

playing outside

2011-05-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

I am going to go out on a limb here and say ...

This is probably not everyone's idea of playing outside.

But after months and months of rain (with only occasion days of sunshine), we have resorted to playing - inside a tent set up in the backyard - while it is pouring rain.

Yep, that's Natalie and her Little People and Princesses and wooden blocks and babies ... and whatever else she's talking me into bringing out to her ... all playing under the cover of a tent (which is about 16 years old). All the while the rain beats against the tarp draped over the top. And it's cold, but she doesn't seem to notice or care.

Killing time until baby sister wakes up from her nap ... when we will all venture out in the pouring rain to get a week's worth of groceries! Good times, people, good times!

Developmental Evaluation

2011-05-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of May, I contacted a local agency in search of a developmental evaluation for CJV. She's a peanut - has been since birth - and, in my mind, she has experienced some delays. I attribute much of that to her size. At a year, her bone age was that of a 3 month old, and so it became apparent that expecting her to walk was just silly. How many 3 month olds do you know who walk?

At that same appointment, with Dr. Fancy Pants, Charlotte was diagnosed "failure to thrive," which again points to her size and lack of growth/weight gain, but also usually indicates delayed development as well. Underdeveloped bones attribute to lower muscle tone ...

Language has also seemed slow ... in comparison to her older sister, which is really all the experience I have to go on. NHV is and has always been a chatterbox. CJV is tough to figure out ... cute as all get-out, but a tiny little puzzle!

And so I made the call. I listened to information about IDEA (Individuals Disability Education Act), which I was familiar with from my days as a teacher. I rolled that word "disability" around in my head and decided not to dwell on it. I learned about therapy options that would be available to Charlotte - if she qualifies. Throughout this process, I've kept thoughts of doing what is best for my child and being her advocate in the forefront of my mind. The idea of early intervention, if needed, gives me a sense of empowerment.

Well, tomorrow is the big day. Two therapists will be at my house at 9:00 am to conduct an hour-long evaluation of Charlotte's development. She is just two days shy of the ripe old age of 18 months! I find myself up much too late cramming for the big test ... sifting through digital images and old blog posts to piece together a "baby book" of milestones and language.

And since I can't think of a better place to put all of this, I'll share it here ...

Physical Milestones

Finding Feet - 6.5 months
Rolling Front to Back - 6 months
Rolling Back to Front - almost 9 months
Sitting up - 11 months
Belly Crawling - 12.5 months
Crawling on knees - 14 months
Pulling Up - 15.5 months
Letting Go - 17 months
Cruising/Side-stepping - 17 months
Walking - tbd

Language

Hi (waves proficiently hello and good-bye)
Da (clearly means daddy)
Ma (very rarely and I don't think it means "mom")
aaaa-eee (I think Natalie)
key-key (binky)
kitty, -t (cat)
Uh-Oh at 14 months
ba-bee (hasn't said this for a long time)
Nods head for yes (doesn't shake head for no)
Signs "all done"
Signs "bird" (all the time)
Signs "milk" (also to mean "more" - but not always)
Signs "book" (I think, but it looked a lot like clapping)

give her a book and a toy

2011-05-27T00:35:00.000-07:00

Those were my exact words to Natalie.

Charlotte was a little grumpy just as it was time for me to start dinner. So in the crib she went ... for some binky sucking and relaxing ... and containment. I needed her to stop fussing and to stay put.

At the time, Natalie was happily and busily playing in her room. Blissfully unaware. I mentioned my plan to start dinner and told her she was not allowed to climb into Charlotte's crib.

As soon as I got to the kitchen and grabbed the ground beef from the fridge, I heard Natalie call down from upstairs ... which wasn't necessary because I had the monitor on and could hear everything.

"Mommy, baby sister wants to play."

'No, Natalie, leave baby sister alone. She's resting."

"But, I'm going to give her something to play with."

"Okay, honey, give her a book and a toy."

A lot of commotion in the monitor tipped me off that something was going on. I dumped the meat in the pan, turned on the burner, and headed upstairs to find ... this ...

Apparently, what she heard was, "Give her EVERY book and EVERY toy in her entire room!"

I was so busy being shocked, cracking up laughing, and grabbing the camera that I completely forgot about the meat, which burnt to a crisp! The whole house smelled awful and my dinner plans were effectively ruined.

Leaving us only one choice ... Chipotle!

friends and sunshine

2011-05-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

After a very long and wet winter, we are finally emerging from hibernation!

May has meant more playdates and catching up with friends we haven't seen for a while. It seems everyone took turns being sick this winter, which makes playing together less likely to happen. So glad to be healthy again!

And the sun has been making for frequent and longer appearances. We have been taking advantage of the change in weather to get out and get some fresh air and vitamin D.

yum!

2011-05-20T01:33:00.000-07:00

first farmer's market of the season

sad excuse for pig tails (i suck at doing hair!)

free sunglasses from some kids' event

natalie's favorite tanktop dress

mandated sweater because of temperature

newly acquired, garage sale Minnie Mouse

scoop of heaven on a cone

being almost four is pretty much fantastic!

a girl with a plan

2011-05-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

what a month!

2011-05-15T23:53:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't posted much about Charlotte lately.

And, well, that's probably because I am too busy entertaining her, keeping her out of trouble, building up a tolerance for her incessant fussing, and trying to figure out how to get this child to sleep.

While she certainly has her moments ...

adorable, happy, sweet moments ... like these ...

when she's crawling up the stairs, playing in the kitchen, throwing rice out of the bin, "riding" her new car, tearing up tissue paper, trying to eat cat food, emptying out the shoe bin, bouncing on the bed with daddy and Natalie, and just waking up from a nap, ...

this past month has been tough, a struggle, a challenge,

a test of my abilities and patience.

I'll blame it on teething. Since the beginning of April, Charlotte has gotten four front teeth on top and four molars. She has drooled and cried and fussed and whined. There has been a fair amount of infant ibuprofen and almost constant binky sucking. Her appetite was even curbed for a day or two. And most recently, she's added teeth grinding to the mix, which is a sound I can just barely tolerate.

I'll blame it on frustration. She is still only crawling and pulling up, but there is clearly a desire to get down and move around. This phase - not-yet-walking - is so hard! Add to the mix the fact that she definitely knows what she wants, when she wants it, but is still not saying or signing much, and you've got a recipe for exasperation on both of our parts. She "screams" at me all day long, and many times I am feeling just as frustrated as she is ... plus I cannot even hear myself think because of the constant fussing (aka screaming).

I'll blame it on lack of sleep. Charlotte takes between 2 and 3 hours to fall asleep at night. She gets her bath (which is her favorite time of day), reads a story, rubs her eyes, has a yawn or two, tolerates my singing, goes in her crib, and then the party begins. For a while, I assumed this was just her time to practice new skills like crawling and pulling up - but she's been doing those things forever and gets plenty of practice during the day. She is not unhappy in her crib in her dark room. Most of the time she's quiet and will sometimes chat and then cry out when she loses her binky or bunny. But it takes hours for her to fall asleep. And I feel frustrated and guilty ... because I cannot figure out how to help her put herself to sleep. Ultimately, her good night's sleep is getting grossly short-changed. She wakes up tired and grumpy instead of rested and delightful. As a result her nap schedule has been a complicated as a Rubic Cube, which makes planning the day nearly impossible.

Ah, my sweet Charlotte Jane, this has been a tough month, but I know we'll get through it, and you'll come out the other side a happy, walking, talking, sleeping toddler ... and perhaps I will have a few shreds of sanity left!

an afternoon at Clark Park

2011-05-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

Another sunny day! We are getting spoiled around here!

We got a last-minute invitation to play at Clark Park ... that's the backyard beach of some very good friends of ours ... and just couldn't pass up the offer. Not only did I desperately need to get out of the house, but also it's the best place to spend a sunny afternoon! Thanks, Ashley and Morgan, for having us over to play!

Charlotte loves the water!

But she isn't crazy about being cold.

Love CJV in her hooded cover-up!

This is the third season for NHV's ruffle-butt bikini!

And she has grown a ton in two years, which

makes me wonder how in the world it still fits!

Charlotte showing me a bit of "treasure"

she unearthed while digging in the sand.

Natalie and her best friend Cee-Cee

bravely jumping in the cold water ...

but only up to their ankles ;)

It did make for some good squeals!

Jordan & Charlotte looking a bit exhausted

(and hungry) after all that sun and fun!

Same Age, Same Window

2011-05-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

You know how I adore a comparison collage.

My girls are so very different ... in many ways beyond their size.

It finally happened ...

2011-05-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

There was a time when I thought Natalie would never be able to give up her binky. Parting ways with the beloved piece of plastic seemed like an impossibility. As most paci-suckers do, Natalie grew very attached to her binky. It was a source of comfort for her in times of need, boredom, and pain. At the first sign of a boo-boo, she calls out for her binky. When the toys, puzzles, and books just aren't enough, she goes searching for that binky. All is right in her world when that binky is in her mouth.

And for the past 1385 nights, she has relied on her binky to lull her to sleep each night. The same can be said for the countless naps Natalie took during her three and half years of napping.

I'll admit the thought of giving up her binky was stressful for me, and I didn't want it to be traumatic for her. I didn't want to take the binky or throw it away (as I did threaten on more than one occasion) or force her to give it to someone else or lie to her ... none of those things felt right. But I did think about "it" a lot. How would it finally happen? What could I do to make it the least painful for her? How many nights of sleep would we lose?

We've talked about getting older and not needing a binky anymore for a loooooong time. I was convinced we could get rid of it before Charlotte even arrived - that was almost a year and a half ago! Most recently, I helped her make the decision only to have her binky at nighttime - no more sucking during nap/rest.

Last night. It happened. At bedtime Natalie could not find her (one remaining) binky. Chad and I helped her look for it but had no luck locating it. At first, she panicked a little. She could not imagine sleeping without it, and she wasn't happy about the idea. Chad did an amazing job distracting her with stories and calming her down. After about 45 minutes of talking, I decided to go in and try to help.

I told Natalie the names of some of her friends who have recently given up their binkies. Figuring a) a little peer pressure never hurts and b) I always feel better when I know I am not alone - that others have gone before me. This seemed to boost her spirits some, and she even managed a few smiles. To seal the deal, I chanted/sang, "I don't need my binky.. I don't need my binky. I don't need my binky." and made up a little dance to go along with this new motto. Natalie had a good laugh at my silliness, and I convinced her to sing along with me ... she was very reluctant but did join in and smiled some more.

Chad and I made our exit, and I spent the next 45 minutes snuggling, patting, reassuring, calming, ... She never really cried, but she did whine and call me back to her room pretty much as soon as I left. She would say, "I can't fall asleep. I'm having a really hard time falling asleep without my binky." I told her that it wouldn't be easy this first night to fall asleep without it. She would have to be brave and try really hard, and that I knew she could do it.

My winning tactic was asking how many minutes - 3 or 4 - she wanted me to wait before coming back to check on her. I set my cell phone timer and came right back in three minutes. I didn't stay long; just popped in to give her kisses. The next time she said I could come back in 5 minutes. Guess what? She was sleeping before I even came back. Of course it was 10:45, and she was probably exhausted ... but she did it! I celebrated with a very quiet happy dance in the hallway and hoped it would last! Twice in the middle of the night, I heard her tossing and turning and probably searching for her binky. Both times she put herself back to sleep.

Chad and I felt so proud of her! To give her closure on the whole "lost" binky thing - after all, we did NOT want her looking for it all day - we left a little gift and a note from the Binky Fairy:

Natalie,
I just knew you didn't need your binky anymore.
I'm so proud of you! I hope you enjoy the Moon Sand.
Love, the Binky Fairy

She was thrilled that the Binky Fairy had visited our house last night. And she so was proud of herself, too. We called Mimi and Grammy to tell them the news. Natalie also told several random strangers and our neighbor ... with pure excitement in her voice, "I gave up my binky last night! I don't need my binky."

Chad and I gave lots of praise and hugs and kisses throughout the day. This is certainly a change worth celebrating!

Tonight's bedtime was similar to last night. Natalie needed some convincing that she could, indeed, fall asleep without her binky. But, again, she did it! It feels so good to be free of the binky burden!

Honestly, now that it finally happened, I can admit it was easier than I anticipated. Perfect example of the fact that children are so resilient. And testimony to waiting for children to be ready for change, empowering them to make the decision, and supporting them through it all!

Princess and the Pea

2011-05-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

As we were finishing dinner, Natalie got up her chair and discovered that she had been sitting on a pea. An observation that in itself got a good giggle.

However, CPV took it to the next level when he asked, "Is your butt bruised? You're a real princess who sat on a pea, so your butt must be bruised." {you know, like in the story}

Natalie squealed with delight, ran into the living room, and proceeded to take off her clothes with lightning speed ... including her panties. She then contorted herself in all kinds of ways in an attempt to get a good look at her bum, and finally shouted out, "Hey, my butt IS bruised. Check it out!"

We got treated to a few more naked booty shakes before she put her dress up clothes back on and proceeded to take her plate to the sink ... without missing a beat.

Love that girl!

May Day

2011-05-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

The sunshine has NOT been in abundance here in the NW. It has been a rainy, dreary spring with a very occasional ray ... I mean, day ... of sunshine! Today was beyond beautiful! Seeing the sun on the weekend is like winning the lottery! The mountains were calling, and so we drove east to one of our favorite hikes, Rattlesnake Lake. We did not attempt the scenic hike with the girls - this time, but we did have a picnic lunch by the lake.

Natalie was thrilled to finally be able to wear a tank top without a sweater on top. It's the simple pleasures, I tell ya! She even took off her shoes and felt the grass and muck between her toes!

Charlotte just wanted down ... to crawl amongst the muck and goose poop. Oh, what's the mama of a very active crawler to do? You guessed it, invest in some good stain treater and lots of hand sanitizer! She was in a little slice of heaven all her own!

A little father-daughter bonding in an amazing setting!

And, look, there's even proof that I was there ... with my two crazy girls!

first recital

2011-04-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

Ah, yet another milestone! Tonight NHV performed in her first dance recital! And by performed, I mean, stood on stage and looked adorable and only spaced out for about 30 seconds.

Back stage looking just a bit shy and nervous.

Her class danced to Beauty and the Beast.

There's something about seeing 10 girls all dressed in pink tutus that just makes my heart melt!

Game face on and ready to dance!

Really not sure what this look/stance is all about ... but I like it :)

This is Natalie running off stage toward me (and the camera).

She was so proud of herself!

And then ... the tears started.

Natalie noticed that the next class on stage had a different costume than hers. Every class had a different costume, so I am not sure why she just figured that out. Well, she wanted to wear the yellow tutus. Keep in mind that she has been wearing her own costume morning-noon-and-night for the past week. She loves her black leotard and pink tutu. But, for some reason, the other costume caused a meltdown. Which led to a tearful revelation that Natalie wanted to dance on stage again. Apparently her time in the spotlight was too short.

We weren't able to stay for any of the other performances. Natalie could not be calmed down or reasoned with ... but a cupcake bribe did the trick!

I saw her standin' there ...

2011-03-23T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well, she was just 15 (months),
You know what I mean,
And the way she looked was CUTE beyond compare.
So grabbed my camera and took these (ooh)
When I saw her standin' there.

that's what leprechauns do

2011-03-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

This past week we've been reading That's What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting. It's a cute story of three leprechauns on their way to place the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow ... and the mischief they get into along the way.

This morning Natalie woke up to find the leprechauns had paid a visit to our house, and they ...

built a tower out of green blocks, left the green hippo there to watch over it,

and set out a green plate and cup for breakfast

put the green bear on the banister with an open book,

"Twas the Night Before St. Patrick's Day"

lined up all the babies on the stairs - the audience for the book reading

placed a few green toys on the mantle

stacked the green cups and Disney characters on the table

left Puppy and Birthday Bear to read an Irish story ...

on a green blanket

and Big Bunny to read a rainbow story

the one that got the most giggles ...

those silly leprechauns turned the Princess floor puzzle upside down!

The toilet water was also colored green, to which Natalie exclaimed, "Oh look, mommy, the leprechauns went pee-pee at our house! {pause} How come they didn't flush the toilet? Do you think he washed his hands?"

BeezLegz

2011-03-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

BJ Mama is at it again.

She's being her generous, creative, talented self.

{Oh, how I love, BJ Mama!}

As a result, CJV is proudly wearing the cutest pair of BeezLegz

by LadyBeez Designs.

The photos speak for themselves ... total, ridiculous CUTENESS!

And I am not just talking about that tiny baby of mine!

These little baby leg warmers are practical, too!

Legs are, well, warm.

And NHV wears them on her arms as princess gloves!

Diaper changes are so easy - no pants to pull up and down.

Imagine the possibilities with potty training!

Tights are an absolute pain, but BeezLegz can be paired with any skirt

and look adorable even on a dreary winter day in the NW!

If you need a great gift idea, this is it ... because

one size fits all and BJ Mama offers tons of different styles ...

dare I say, for girls and for boys!

Go grab a pair - or two - and tell BJ Mama I sent you :)

baby step toward binky freedom

2011-03-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe NHV still has her blasted binky! Apparently I was all talk when I said she would be potty trained, rid of her binky, and sleeping in her big girl bed before Charlotte was born ... 15+ months ago! I am fairly certain I was 1 for 3 on that proclamation. The big girl bed transition was smooth; I barely remember it, to be honest. I remember decorating her room, but the details of her actually sleeping in her big girl bed ... well, that just seemed to go well. And, at the time, potty training seemed like such a big deal, but it wasn't. It happened, there were a few accidents, and a lot of reading books while she sat ... but it happened and we survived and it seems like a distant memory at this point.

So, why, oh, why can't I get rid of that damn binky? Why is that piece of plastic (rubber?) still around? Why am I dragging my feet and coming up with excuse after excuse? Charlotte wasn't sleeping through the night, and I was exhausted - that excuse got me through most of the past year. We're traveling in three weeks - that seems like a good enough reason to postpone. Of course, that's an excuse I've used before. She was sick last week, and I simply could not bear the thought of taking away that little piece of comfort when she felt so miserable.

But I want - desperately - to be done with it. We've talked about it ... forever. Binkies are for babies. You're a big girl. The binky isn't good for your teeth. Perhaps the Binky Fairy will come and take your binky and leave you a special present. I'd plant that damn thing in the ground if not for the fact that we've had so much rain, I fear erosion may uncover it, and she'd pick it up and start sucking it again ... regardless of the mud!

Since the age of two, Natalie has only been allowed to have her binky in her bed, which meant nap time and nighttime. My girl is a good sleeper, so that was a large fraction of her day. But at least she wasn't walking around all day with it in her mouth ... somehow that makes me feel better, but it really shouldn't. In January she gave up her afternoon nap and replaced it with "rest" time. However, she continued to suck that binky while in her room "resting" - usually reading books and listening to music. Lately, she's been asking for the binky all afternoon - long after rest time is over. Partly because she's tired. Partly out of boredom - this has been an awful winter, and we have been stuck in the house and not seeing much of our friends.

I don't want her to have it. She wants it. We are both frustrated, annoyed, and grumpy. Not a good scenario.

So this morning, we had a conversation about the binky only being for bedtime. Natalie agreed to try going without her binky during rest time. It was a tough decision for her, but she was so brave and said, "I will try, mommy." I gave her a big hug, put her binky up high in a cabinet, and mentally prepared for a terrible afternoon.

Surprise. Surprise. She did it! Just as I was putting CJV down for her nap, Natalie asked for her binky. I pulled her close and whispered, "Remember, you decided to try not having your binky until bedtime. I know you can do it."

We went about the rest of our day. We played wooden blocks and baby dolls. She watched a show while I made a few business calls. We baked cupcakes. She played while I prepped dinner. We played with Charlotte and waited for daddy to get home. She didn't ask for it again until 7:00. Natalie said, "Mommy, I'm ready for bed now. I'm ready for my binky now." There was such relief in that statement.

Natalie got lots of praise and hugs. Here's hoping tomorrow will be another baby step toward binky freedom ...

CJV - 15 months

2011-03-06T23:03:00.000-08:00

Weight: 14 pounds 12 ounces

Length: 27 inches
Head Circumference: 17.3 inches (on the charts!)
Teeth: 2 on bottom, 2 (big ones!) on top

Clothing Size: mainly 9 month, 6-12 month

Diaper Size: 2 (which is crazy!)

Shoe Size: 0-6 month Robeez

What I love about you, Charlotte Jane ...

Your crawl is the cutest! You're so quick and determined. And that little butt in the air just makes me smile :) In the past few days, you've started pulling up to your knees and then getting one foot down ... like you're 'taking a knee." You've even gotten to your feet once or twice. Seems to me that taking steps is in your near future!
You are officially sleeping through the night now - and have been for a while. However, you have the hardest time falling asleep at night. It can take you two hours of chatting, playing, pulling up and getting stuck, ... crying out so mommy will come give you pats.
You love putting your index finger into tiny openings ... like the spout on the GoGoSqueez or Penne pasta or the tiny hole in the plastic on the shopping cart or up your nose.
You adore your big sister and give her the best giggles!
You have a love affair with Louie. As soon as we come down the stairs in the morning, your eyes are searching for the cat, and you say the "T" sound for "caT" ...
Of course, you also really like Louie's food and water bowls. When mommy says, "No. No. That's yucky," you give me this sweet innocent look and then crawl right back to me for a hug.
You say, "Uh-oh" at least twenty times a day ... every time something drops you chime in with "Uh-Oh!" It's so cute, I drop things just to hear you say it!
I am fairly certain (and worried) that you love your binky almost as much as your big sister loves hers. Just tonight, you crawled into your room, found three binkies, put one in your mouth and carried one in each hand ... and continued crawling around and playing. Big sister thinks it is so funny when you put your binkies into the Little People school bus!
When you find a cuddly baby doll, you pull her to your chest, pat her back, and say, "Ba-bee!"
You love music, and I give a lot of credit to our KinderMusik class for that. Whenever you hear music, you start to bounce and rock - with the biggest grin on your face. If it's a song you really like - or mommy starts dancing like a goof - you clap your hands and tap your feet against the floor.

However, I am not all that crazy about ...

You really want nothing to do with books. I try and try to get you to sit on my lap and read, but you simply won't have it. I am lucky to get through one small board book before bedtime.
We are experiencing some major separation anxiety. You only want your mama, and there have been a lot of tears lately. When Grammy was here she barely got to hold you, and our two recent doctor's appointments have not been pleasant. But I am proud of you for stay at Adventure Kids for an hour today without me!
You poop all day ... every other day. I cannot understand why it takes 5 or 6 dirty diapers to get the job done. Why can't you just get it all out at once? While we're on the subject, you are one stinky little girl!
Just before you turned 15 months old, you were sick with a high fever for about five days. It was heartbreaking to see you so miserable. Turns out you had an infection and had to take antibiotics for the first time.
You throw food off your high chair tray with reckless abandon. You pick through a pile of food and select pieces for your mouth while others get tossed to the floor as if they just didn't pass inspection. Again, mommy and daddy get the sweet innocent look when we correct you ... or you blink your eyes and scrunch up your face, which makes us laugh and forget about your mischief!

MommyBrain, glad I'm not alone!

2011-02-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

Since having kids, I tend to be rather forgetful. I do things that aren't logical Occasionally, I can't remember the day of the week. I search for keys that are in my pocket, sunglasses that are on my head, and ... and more often than I care to admit, I cannot finish my thoughts ...

But this time, I am not confessing to my own moment of MommyBrain. This time I am calling out my dear friend Missy. We've known each other since high school, and I love her like a sister. Which totally gives me the right to share this{hilarious} blunder with you. This story is just so funny, I cannot resist.

Missy is in the second trimester of her second pregnancy. I've been there,. but I've never dealt with as much as she is currently dealing with in her life ... believe me when I say she has every reason to make this kind of mistake.

This past weekend, Missy planned to have her mother-in-law visit. In the hopes of having some childcare for her son, so she and her husband could get things done around the house. Being the wonderful daughter-in-law that she is, Missy even made the travel arrangements and booked an airline ticket online.

Her mother-in-law arrived at that airport yesterday - prepared to travel - and discovered that her airline ticket (the one Missy took care of for her) had been purchased not for February 25th but for MARCH 25th.

She was only off by thirty days! And, of course, it had to happen to her mother-in-law!

Now that, folks, is MommyBrain at its finest!

*The airline was able to accommodate Missy's MIL on the flight, but I can still picture her reaction upon hearing that her ticket was for a month later ... and Missy's reaction to getting that news in a frantic phone call from her MIL at the airport! It's not just me, right? That's funny stuff!

same bib, same age

2011-02-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

My recent post claiming that my girls look nothing alike prompted Chitown Momma to point out that a side-by-side comparison should really involve the girls at the same age.

So here you go ...

both girls sitting in the same high chair,
wearing the same bib,
at the same age, 14 months.

nothing alike

2011-02-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've done a side-by-side of the girls ...

who are sisters by the way ...

born to the same mother and father ...

just reminding you of these facts because ...

aside from the pajamas and the chair,

I don't see any similarities between these two!

Natalie is 8 months younger and 3 pounds heavier

than Charlotte in this side-by-side.

Natalie weighed 17.5 pounds at 6 months.

Charlotte weighs about 14.5 pounds at 14 months.

Okay, so my girls are alike in some ways ...

like the fact that they both L-O-V-E that binky!

And Itty Bit (white bunny) is a hand-me-down lovey from Natalie.

Both of my girls love that Bunny by the Bay.

Other ways they are "nothing alike" ...

First and foremost, Natalie is a great sleeper, and she is a heavy sleeper. Charlotte is a very light sleeper and wakes easily and often.
Natalie has always loved reading books. She would sit on our laps for hours and read one story after another. From a young age, she "read" stacks of books by herself. Charlotte will sometimes tolerate having a book read to her.
Charlotte will eat fruit all day long ... berries, citrus, as long as it's not pureed, she'll eat it. Natalie refuses to eat any fruit; she will occasionally eat applesauce or a banana or one slice of a clementine (but only if I insist).

Past. Present. Future.

2011-02-24T22:43:00.000-08:00

My mom {Grammy} arrived just a little while ago.

Thanks to a persistent fever, Charlotte is not sleeping well (or on schedule) today.

I just sat and rocked my daughter as my mom readied herself for bed in the room across the hall.

In the moment, I was looking at Charlotte's sweet, flushed face. Feeling the warm and weight of her little body. Noticing her hand resting on my neck. And I thought, "This is my present. My now."

Many years before this moment, my mom held me and looked at my face and felt my weight in her arms. I wondered, if she stood in the doorway right now and watched this scene, what emotions would be conjured up? What memories of me as a baby does she have tucked away?

Just like that, I could suddenly imagine myself as the mother of a mother. Someday my daughters may play out this same scene in front of me. I will be standing at the doorway recalling those quiet moments and warm cuddles. Watching my daughter calm and cuddle and rock her own baby.

It's like a repeated image to infinity. One that can be viewed in both directions ... to the past and to the future ... while being in the moment.

hey there, blue eyes!

2011-02-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

My dear sweet Natalie,
I am not entirely convince we look all that much alike. In fact, I think you're a beautiful blend of both your daddy and me. But I am taking credit for those baby blues! So much of your personality is like looking in a mirror of my {much} younger self.

You are sassy and talkative and sensitive and dramatic and curious and so smart!

I, too, took some fashion risks of my own, but your sense of style is really a sight to behold!

You love singing and dancing ... and having full attention on you. I am so glad you inherited my hip hop moves and taste in music!

You tackle new experiences with gusto but sometimes lack persistence to see it through; that is definitely a trait from me. Hopefully your daddy's example will impact you that way it has me.

When you're hungry, your world begins to fall apart and you get an awful case of the grumpies. You'll learn to keep snacks on hand - at all times!

You would rather stay inside and play dress up than go outside and play. I think it's safe to say, we are both city girls.

I love you, NHV. I love the smart, silly, inquisitive little girl that you are ... right now ... and always!

gotta love some snow

2011-02-23T00:08:00.000-08:00

After not seeing much of the white stuff this winter, last weekend we headed for the mountains for a little sledding and snow frolicking. A bright sunny day. 45 minutes of driving. A great family outing ... disrupted only by Natalie's distaste for the wetness of snow on her hands paired with a refusal to wear mittens. Being three is so tough sometimes! However, we persevered and managed to enjoy our little snow-cation.

Apparently, we also inspired some lowland snow showers.

Just yesterday the snow fell at our house!

and it caused quite a bit of excitement, wonder, and awe ...

no sleeves, please

2011-02-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

I recently revealed to you my addiction. Well, it only seems fair that I share with you the fact that my daughter is also an addict.

Natalie is addicted to dress-up clothes and tank tops.

When we leave the house for a playdate or errand, I don't allow her to wear dress-up clothes ... because once you start there is no turning back, she has a very cute wardrobe that already gets limited wearing, and clearly I am the meanest mom in the whole wide world. Honestly, she is totally fine with it - being in plain clothes only ever bothers her if she spots another little girl - where ever we are - who happens to be wearing dress-up clothes. That situation can send her into a tailspin with a quickness. Thankfully there are far more "mean" mothers in this world. For the past few months, I have also been refusing to let Natalie wear a tank top outside of the house ... because it's WINTER in the NW, for goodness sake! Tank tops are for the summer. Several times each week, Natalie asks me if it is summer yet. Poor thing - we only get about six weeks of summer around here!

Since dress-up clothes and tank tops are off limits outside the house, Natalie takes off her clothes and changes into her princess outfit AS SOON AS we walk in the door. I'm talking trail of clothes up the stairs - like some scene from a racy movie or something! Once she is transformed, she is glowing with happiness.

Santa brought her four new princess dresses - but none of them are "tank tops." Those four dresses have gotten minimal wear; instead she chooses the same tank top options time and time again.

Here's a look at her favorites:

A hand-me-down from cousins Caroline and Emily, this - according to Natalie - is Ariel's briding dress. It reminds me of old school Madonna. I must admit to hiding it on occasion. The tulle skirt is shredded to almost nothing. She uses a wadded up scarf as her bouquet. The socks and Crocs are so bad!

This is Natalie in the Rapunzel dress she wanted for Christmas. When she first put it on, pure joy - look at that face. Then she realized it has sleeves, and it hasn't been worn again since.

The pink, sequin leotard is another hand-me-down from cousins. She would wear this every single day. The skirt was made by my super talented friend Carrie ... it's the only "dress-up" clothes that Natalie is allowed to wear out of the house - as long as she wears leggings underneath.

This is Natalie's BJ_Mama dress - that's exactly what she calls it. "Hey, mommy, look. I'm wearing my BJ_Mama dress!" It was made from a tank top and could not be more perfect in Natalie's eyes (or mine for that matter).

Oh, this darn Ariel nightgown. It was a birthday gift from Mimi for Natalie's 3rd birthday. It was the ONLY thing she would wear to bed for six solid months. Grammy sent her a trio of princesses replacement - but it had sleeves, so I had to cut them off. And Mimi just sent a new Tinker Bell "nightie" which met Natalie's approval.

Just this week I made another effort to get some of those beautiful princess dresses - the ones with sleeves - off the rack and onto her body. I tied ribbons around the sleeve material to make it seem more like a tank top. Can't you just see the skepticism on her face? Yeah, that didn't last long. The Cinderella dress went right back on the hook, and Natalie put on some random outfit consisting of a sleeveless leotard and a blue jean skirt!

Should I be concerned about what she'll want to wear as a teenager?! Heaven help me!

happy valentine's day from cjv

2011-02-16T00:19:00.000-08:00

My little sweetie was looking oh-so-cute yesterday! I just couldn't help but snap a dozen (or two) pics of Charlotte ... we started on the carpet in the living room, but she quickly took off crawling to the hardwood near the kitchen, and I ended up loving those shots the most!

P.S. I totally "heart" that she is officially crawling now - I may not say that in a day or two when I can no longer keep up with her ;)

Oh, I almost failed to mention her true motivation for heading to the hardwoods ...

to pull Louie's ear ...

... and offer him a {big, juicy} kiss.

Louie - very politely - declined :)

A Photo Challenge ... updated but still in progress

2011-02-15T00:26:00.000-08:00

Somewhere out in blogland - I honestly cannot remember where because it was during January's self-imposed blog restriction and I was breaking rules just being there - I came across a Photo Challenge that piqued my interest. I apologize to the creative blogger who came up with this list. Anyway, I copied-and-pasted the "requirements" into an email, which happened to catch my eye at midnight ... when I should really be sleeping.

While I was not deliberate about this challenge, I did find photos to meet 2 out of the 5 requirement and now I am motivated to complete the other 3, which means I should probably shower and "make an effort" tomorrow! Better add "find" and "figure out how to set up" the tripod to my To Do List.

Shot 1+ will be a photo of you and each one of your children individually, not a group shot.

Out for an afternoon walk.

I love my Pikkolo carrier, and Charlotte loves riding on my back!

The exposure came out weird on this one ... it was taken with the timer and the camera was propped up on a bookcase - I have no idea what happened with my settings. But I love our expressions, so I played with the color and went with it!

Shot 2: you with all your children very close together, think close hugs.

Shot 3: a family shot with a non-distracting background so this can be framed.

Shot 4: you alone, yes, just you.

Shot 5: a photo of you and your spouse alone.

{I have my younger brother "Uncle Tyler" to thank for these two photos.}

High Chair Games

2011-02-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

To say that Charlotte loves her big sister would be an understatement of epic proportions. And the feeling is most certainly mutual. Grand gestures or official announcements are not necessary, sisters show their love through pure silliness!

One of their favorite games is played after just about every meal ...

Natalie hops up from her seat and takes off jogging around the table.
Charlotte follows her every move, kicks her feet and waves her hands.
Natalie gets close and smiles and laughs and says something hilarious.
Charlotte is so excited she nearly jumps out of her high chair.
Natalie starts off on another lap and the game continues.

I love the squeals of delight.
I love the expressions of pure joy.
I love the pride Natalie feels from making Charlotte so happy.
I love my girls and their silly games!

blush

2011-02-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

I cannot get enough.

Believe me when I say I've tried ...

to get enough.

I wake up thinking about it.

I fall asleep thinking about it.

I'm driving my husband crazy.

He shakes his head.

Gives me a knowing grin.

He doesn't like it as much as I do.

My first time was just a few weeks ago.

I have Chad to thank for introducing me.

Now I have it once, twice, ...

maybe three times a day.

It can't be good for me.

But, oh, it is so (ridiculously) good!

I wonder if I am the only one

who feels this way.

I wonder why it's taken me so long

to discover ...

Did you blush reading this post? I totally blushed while writing it. I know it seemed like I was talking about something naughty ... but, no, it's not naughty ... it's Nutella! Hard to believe I've gone my entire life without tasting its nutty, chocolatey goodness!

The fact that it's in the house now - two large jars of it - is a result of Chad's recurrent problem with random Costco purchases. There was a coupon, Chad was shopping solo at Costco, and - just like that - we became the proud owners of two large jars of Nutella. Well, actually, there is only one jar left ... because I have been eating it morning-noon-and-night! And, yes, I did give him a hard time about the "impulse/gotta get the deal" purchase, but that was BEFORE I tasted Nutella for the first time. Now, I am wishing he had maxed out the coupon limit and gotten four jars!

Nutella on a lightly toasted english muffin (multi-grain to up the nutritional value). Oh. My. God.

So, please tell me if you LOVE Nutella as much as I do. And please, please, please share your Nutella "recipes" - how do you eat your Nutella?

Knee Crawling

2011-02-09T00:48:00.000-08:00

Woot! Woot! My little inchworm has graduated to a much more sophisticated and efficient ... full-on KNEE CRAWL! And it just happened like - BAM - overnight! The baby gate was re-installed at the top of the stairs on Sunday, and Monday morning Charlotte took off crawling ... on her knees! We're guessing that our baby girl has high standards when it comes to safety.

Here's a quick glimpse - the lighting is awful and Chad is rambling about something in the background (I think he thought I was listening but clearly I wasn't). Regardless, the cuteness and pride still come through :)

Binky Inception

2011-02-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

After three days of hard-fought afternoon binky battles involving an overtired three year old,

After seven separate wake up calls for binky rescues the night before last,

After watching a certain Leonardo DiCaprio film,

Chad and I were chatting about our current binky situation. Both girls LOVE their binkies. A perpetual habit which I must accept blame for ... at least I've been very firm about only allowing the binky in bed/crib. My girls don't walk around with a binky in their mouth. But they do depend (heavily) on that piece of rubber to put themselves to sleep.

Natalie has been a good sleeper since the age of about 10-months - and was putting herself to sleep starting at about 3 or 4 months. She typically sleeps 12+ hours a night. Until about three weeks ago, she took a three hour nap, too. In my mind, getting tough about that binky means losing my good sleeper.

And I said I wouldn't make this same mistake with our second, but here I am again. Charlotte was born 4 weeks early and needed practice with sucking. There is also some research that supports the use of a pacifier at bedtime reduces your baby's risk of SIDS. All of which seemed to justify giving Charlotte a binky when she was an infant. Now that she's 14-months old (today!) and very attached to that darn thing and (finally) teething, I just don't know what to do!

When it occurred to us ... perhaps the answer is to make it their idea to give up the binky. We need to plant the seed and wait for it to grow within their own subconscious. Yes, folks, we need ourselves a Binky Inception! Brilliant, right?!

It's Like Riding a Bike

2011-01-31T19:57:00.000-08:00

The frame was red. The seat was white. Streamers dangled from each side of the handlebars. I can still remember the sound of the plastic training wheels scraping along the pavement.

The driveway and street had a dusting of snow; typical of January in the Midwest. I took hold of both handles and swung my leg over the middle bar. I didn't even think about touching the pedals. Just stood there astride my very first bike with pride and anticipation coursing through my body.

My eyes lifted to find my dad's reassuring face. He was smiling down on me, but he was using his "this-is-important" voice. I did my best to listen to what he was telling me. At long last, I perched on the seat and lifted on foot to meet a the pedal. Dad steadied me and helped me gain a little momentum. I wobbled along struggling to push those pedals and move those wheels. We made our way across the cul-de-sac and halfway up the hill like this - a little girl working like the little engine that could and a gentle giant hunched over while pushing, steadying, and encouraging.

We made a wide turn back toward the house. The slight downhill slope would provide the momentum I needed, my dad would be able to let go and give me the freedom of riding all by myself. The first few second were a thrill. No pedaling was required, and I was moving fast ... faster than I really wanted to go. Panic set in. My dad yelled, "Slow down. Use the brakes." I steered my little red bike toward a neighbor's yard, and I bailed - I threw myself off that bike and landing with a soft thud on a blanket of snow and soggy grass.

What I did next surprised even me. I hopped back on that bike and started down the hill again! I was so focused on the task at hand - learning how to ride my first big girl bike - that I don't remember what my dad was doing at this point. I know he was running after me. I know he was yelling something. But I took no notice, built up too much speed again, and not knowing a better method for stopping, threw myself off that bike again ... landing in another neighbor's snow-covered yard.

My dad finally caught up with me when I ran out of hill and helped me back to the driveway. What ensued was an explanation of the brakes - something my dad had failed to teach the first time around. I was amazed that something as simple as pushing back on the pedal produced such an immediate result. Clearly a much safer and more effective method of stopping.

I tried it my way and then learned a better way. I made a mistake and gained a valuable lesson. Now as a parent, the impact of my first bike riding experience is not lost on me. I just wish I could be better about hanging back and allowing the mistakes ... for the sake of the learning that happens this way.

Here's hoping that blogging is like riding a bike ... something that you never forget how to do! After an entire month of self-imposed blog restriction, MommyBrain is back, baby!

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-25T00:21:00.000-08:00

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree

is the presence of a happy family

all wrapped up in each other."

where was i?

2010-12-18T00:36:00.000-08:00

After typing this title, I have to kind of chuckle ... because, really, it's a valid question in regards to my much-neglected blog ... but I will save all of that for another time.

Right now, I need to hear from you ... so I am dusting off ...

Two times in the past week, Natalie has asked me, "Where was I?" And both times, I struggled to answer this question. Both conversations went something like this ...

"Mommy, when did you and daddy get married?"

"Oh, that was a long time ago, honey. Twelve years ago."

"How old was I when you got married? Was I a little baby?"

"You weren't even born yet, Natalie."

Big - long- pause - thoughtful expression ...

"Well, where was I, mommy?"

Big - long-pause-totally, fa-reakin' stumped expression ...

"Ummm, well, ... "

"Was I in your belly when you got married?"

"No, honey, you weren't growing in my belly yet. I guess you were growing in my heart."

This sparked a string of giggles, and then this response, "Mommy, you silly! Babies no grow in hearts. Babies grow in bellies!"

HOW do I answer that question?

Where was I (before I was born, before I was growing in your belly)?

Please help!

Meal Plan ...

2010-12-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

I really suck at this ... but I am trying!

Here's what the Vs x 4 will be dining on this week ... if all goes well ...

Sunday - Marvelous Mini Meatloaves, Mashed Tators, and Corn

Monday - Pizza (possibly frozen or take-and-bake)
Going with a no-fuss dinner on a Monday night because ... I have plans to attend an MNI/Cookie Exchange!

Tuesday - Updated Chicken Pot Pie
Making two: one for my family and one for my bed-resting with a preschooler friend Kelly. This has long been my go-to recipe for taking to new mamas or bed-resting mamas. It's easy and delicious and the younger crowd (aka the big brother/sister) usually gobbles it up, too! Side note: I modify this recipe to exclude the Velveeta (I am not a fan) and substitute cream cheese instead.

Wednesday - Pecan-encrusted Salmon, Rice, and Veggies

Thursday - Sloppy Joes & Sweet Potato Fries
Going to give Chitown Momma's recipe a try ...

Brown 1 lb beef, season as you like (s&p, garlic powder)
1/2 c ketchup
onion - as much or as little as you like or omit if you don't have one
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp vinegar

It can be ready to eat as soon as you feel the ingredients are pretty mixed up (if you are in a hurry), but it does taste a bit better if it sits and simmers on low heat for a while (30-60min on stove or hours in a crock pot)

Friday - Grilled Cheese & Soup
It's date night (finally) and I want to save room for whatever yumminess our hostess is serving!

Saturday - White Chili - a recipe from my Aunt Sheila

1 T. oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast havles, cubed
3/4 C. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz) chichken broth, divided
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4.5 oz) green chiles
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 pkg. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1 sm. container sour cream (optional)
1 bag of tortilla chips (optional)

Heat oil in a heavy 4 qt sauce pan over med high heat.
Add chicken; cook for 2 or 3 minutes. add onion and garlic;
Cook for 2 minutes. in sm. bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the broth with corn starch. add to chicken mixture along with remaining broth, beans, chilies,and seasonings. cover and bring to boil.
Uncover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Ladle into serving bowls. Top with cheese and sour cream.
Serve with tortillias chips.

hard at play, hard at work

2010-12-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

While I was putting CJV down for her afternoon nap, I encouraged Natalie to find something to play by herself until I was able to read her story and put her down for a nap. Assuming she would entertain herself for all of about 5 minutes ...

Boy, was I surprised {and very entertained} when my three year old spent the next 45 minutes ...

Loading every piece of play food into her {super cute REI} backpack.
Announcing she was hiking into the Highlands.
Emptying our "cuddling" bin to find two baby dolls.
Introducing me to her new babies - one is a boy and the other is a girl.
Telling me the baby's names: Tim & Buddah.
Finding another baby doll and naming her Charlotte.
Lining up a bunch of small pillows and blankets with great determination and focus - chatting to herself and her babies all the while :)
Putting each baby down for a nap - with a story and a song.
Finding a fourth and fifth baby doll - named Sign-eey and Part-dee.
Solving a pillow shortage dilemma by having the babies share.
Scurrying around the downstairs picking up toys (without being asked!)
Deciding - in her words, "Being a mommy is really hard work!"

So true, my little love. But it is also very rewarding!

lunch & fruit

2010-12-08T13:39:00.000-08:00

I included a smattering of raisins on Natalie's plate for lunch today. (God forbid.) She noticed right away and said, "No, mommy, I didn't ask for RAY-sins for yuunch! Yuk!" I calmly explained that we eat some fruit with lunch because fruit is good for you and helps your body grow. (Now whether or not raisins are the best option for a "fruit" is debatable, but really, I am struggling to get any fruit into her body!) She nodded her agreement (imagine that) and then told me, "I will eat three raisins because I am three years old. I will not eat all of these raisins. Yuk!" (Okay, fine!)

Our lunch conversation continued, and we chatted about our favorite parts of the movie Tangled and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Then, out of nowhere, Natalie stops talking, looks right at my plate, and says, "Mommy, where is YOUR fruit?" Busted! And she was right! Darn, observant three year old!

I grabbed a handful of raspberries from the fridge and offered one to Natalie. She reacted with much disgust and even agreed to eat all of her raisins as long as she didn't have to eat a berry!

Santa and his Reindeer

2010-12-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

The day after Charlotte's 1st Birthday we made the trip to the local zoo for their Reindeer Festival. All the animal sculptures are "decked" with garland. Each animal exhibit includes a creative explanation of how the animal helps Santa - the lemurs are his sentinels, the wallaby are mail carriers, ... Best of all, a team of reindeer are on display just outside the cutest little house where Santa greets little boys and girls.

I am hopeful this will become our tradition.

Mainly because this is where we were the day before Charlotte was born last year. I found out about the induction and insisted Natalie see Santa because I wasn't sure when we'd be able to venture out of the house again ... it was a good call because December included recovery and a NICU stay and very cold temperatures and round the clock pumping/feeding ... it was such a blur!

I contracted the entire time, but I am so glad we went!

My tiny baby bump {aka Charlotte} is tucked beneath my red peacoat.

This year, that baby bump is a little elf in my arms!

We've had Natalie's Santa photo taken at the zoo for the past three years. There's never a crowd or a wait. Santa is in his own little house, just a short walk up a hill and past his team of reindeer. It's magical, if you ask me :) I cannot believe how much she has changed, and I cannot wait to add to this collage next year!

the birthday girl

2010-12-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

you are my sweet, sweet girl

you are my tiny little peanut

your first year has been amazing

happy birthday, charlotte jane

meeting dr. fancy pants

2010-11-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

After much anticipation Charlotte and I met with Dr. Fancy Pants, a pediatric endocrinologist. I did not share my affectionate nickname with him - at least not just yet - but I was impressed by him and his nurse. Dr. FP was personable, knowledgeable, and thorough. Pretty much everything I'm looking for in a man who is now tasked with diagnosing the cause (if there is one) of my baby's "failure to thrive."

First of all, that is a tough description to swallow, "failure to thrive." I mean, the "f word" seems like a big, long finger pointing blame ... you failed ... and then there's the whole idea of not succeeding. Whatever happened to failure is not an option?! I was not surprised by this terminology, but as a mom, it was a blow to the gut to hear those words used to describe my beautiful, happy baby girl.

So little pity party aside, we spent about an hour and 45 minutes with Dr. Fancy Pants - like I said, the guy is thorough. First Charlotte was weighed and measured. Just as my scale here at home indicates, Charlotte weighs a whopping 13 pounds 8 ounces - that long-awaited milestone of 13 and a half pounds. She is 26 inches long. Both of which are far below the "charts" for her age. However, it is worth noting that she has tripled her birth weight and gained 10 inches in length, and those are standards for the first year of life. I cannot remember her head circumference, but I do know that it actually makes the charts; a great sign for brain development!

A majority of the appointment was spent discussing my pregnancy, Charlotte's birth (and the decision to induce), and her development. Dr. Fancy Pants also asked a lot of questions to establish a family history - heights of parents, siblings, grandparents, onset of puberty in mother and grandmothers (as if I know when my mom - or Chad's mom - started her period!), ... that sort of thing. Essentially, he is looking for indicators of Constitutional Growth Delay, which is a common diagnosis and could indicate that Charlotte is simply a "late bloomer."

To support that possible diagnosis, we had an x-ray taken of Charlotte's left hand to determine her bone age. It was no surprise and actually good news that her bone age is between 3 and 6 months - probably closer to 3 months. There is a pattern of typical bone growth, and Charlotte's appears like that of a 3 month old. That is good news because there is potential for growth; once the bones fuse together, growth is ending. If her bone age was closer to her actual age, it would indicate that her body has less growing to do. But the deviation actually indicates that her body is not done growing ... it's more likely delayed - for some reason. (A young bone age could also attribute to her developmental delays - like the fact that she isn't crawling yet or pulling into a seated position - young bones mean lower muscle tone.)

So, we know she has more growing to do ... hooray! But we also need to determine why her growth is so delayed. Dr. Fancy Pants did a thorough physical exam and ruled out most syndromes based on lack of indicators and symptoms. I took that to mean there are no obvious signs of a major issue ... and breathed a sign of relief.

We left the office with a stack of orders for blood work and urine analysis, the next step in this process. I have to collect a urine sample using a plastic bag that adheres to Charlotte's nether regions, which I am really looking forward to ... not! And then we'll survive the dreaded blood draw. And then we'll wait to hear from Dr. Fancy Pants. Based on how long it took to get an appointment, I am guessing results will probably take a while. Not expecting to know anything until after the new year.

In the meantime, we just keep doing what we're doing ... and, yes, that includes feeding through the night because Dr. FP agrees that Charlotte needs those calories. {Super great!} I was also reminded that Charlotte should be treated her age not her size, and perhaps that shift in mentality and how I interact with her will help with hitting some developmental milestones like crawling. But there's still time for that ...

I will leave you with one final thought ... Dr. Fancy Pants really did not live up to his nickname. His pants were actually quite plain. Light gray. Pleated. I believe Dockers.

Thank you for all the good thoughts ... and stalking ... sorry this post was delayed ... I chose sleep over blogging last night :)

A New Thanksgiving Tradition

2010-11-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving we decided to head for the mountains! We loaded the car with everything needed to keep two young girls entertained, fed, and happy. The two hour trek from our home to Mt. Rainier National Park was so peaceful; CJV took her morning nap while NHV enjoyed the novelty of watching a DVD in the car. Chad and I chatted and took in the scenery ... until I got carsick, which is standard-operating-procedure anytime I am in a moving vehicle for more than an hour. We stopped and had lunch at the cutest little family-owned restaurant. I couldn't believe it was open on Thanksgiving, and the owner was beyond gracious!

After arriving at the lodge, all four of us - CJV in my awesome Pikkolo carrier - donned our best winter gear and headed out for a snowy adventure. Chad pulled the girls in a sled. Natalie marched through the deepest snow she could find and plopped down to make snow angels ... and just be silly ... a girl after her own mama's heart! Amongst trees heavy with snow - and branches dropping mini-avalanches all around us - Chad built a snowman out of very powdery snow. The girls supervised from the sidelines and made design suggestions.

Charlotte and I headed back to our two-room suite (and that's a term used loosely because the inn was very rustic ... but charming) and took an awesome afternoon nap together. Chad and Natalie played some more and checked out the game room inside.

We met back up to get dressed for dinner and headed downstairs to the dining room. The lodge served a Thanksgiving dinner ... buffet-style. It was most definitely mediocre but served its purpose (and kept me from having to cook). There was another family there with a little one in a high chair, so naturally we chatted. Come to find out the grandparents were born and raised near my own hometown - small world! She also shared with me that this was their 25th Thanksgiving spent at Mt. Rainier. I just love the thought of a tradition that lasts a quarter of a century! Thus begins our own "new" tradition of taking a little Thanksgiving trip with the girls!

No Ice{skating}, Just lots of SNOW

2010-11-22T23:26:00.000-08:00

Today was suppose to be the day I took Natalie ice skating for the first time. We were both very excited! Natalie couldn't wait to touch and smell the ice, and she kept saying, "Dat ice will be veeeerrry sippery!" I was curious to see how my ice skating skills would fare after a three year hiatus. I took lessons in my twenties and learned to jump, spin, and arabesque (my favorite!). It was the most graceful (and best shape) I've ever felt; how I wish I could get those buns back again ... but that's another story all together ...

A gently snow was falling when all four of us headed for the rink. CPV doesn't work on Mondays, and I convinced him to come along, mostly so he could take picture. Within 15 minutes of leaving our house, the conditions were getting treacherous and other drivers just can't be trusted. We made the decision to turn back. Natalie was so devastated by our change of plans that we had to come up with, well, another option.

Here's Natalie in front of our Plan B ...

We followed up lunch with a walk through the Home Depot Christmas department. It doesn't get much better than that ... especially if you're three years old. ~~Thankfully~~ Unfortunately some of the singing dogs, cats, reindeer, ... on display have run out of batteries already.

When we got home, the snow had slowed again, but I grabbed the camera, handed it to Chad, and ...he captured Charlotte's first experience with snow!

I know I am totally biased, but I think my husband is just about the cutest thing going ... and Natalie, well, her tolerance for picture-taking is about a maximum of three shots ...

It continued to snow (and snow hard) right on through the afternoon - while the girls napped. I woke Natalie around 4:00 and suggested she look out the window. Her face lit up, and she said, "Oh my goodness, Mommy, all the grass is gone!"

And now I have officially become a mama-who-turns-her-child-into-the-Stay-Puff-Marshmallow-Man-in-the-hopes-of-keeping-her-warm-while-she-plays-in-the-snow. First layer of pajamas. Second layer footsie pajamas minus the feet. Socks. Bib overall snow pants. Jacket with hood. Hat. Gloves. Boots, which were nearly impossible to get on because she was so puffy and clumsy.

Natalie and Chad had a great time trying out the new sled I bought on super (ridiculous) clearance at the end of last winter. Charlotte and I stayed inside to play and prep a delicious dinner.

Snow Day ... Hooray!

Shutterfly for Holiday Cards

2010-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today I am revealing a secret. I have a hard time sending holiday cards on time. I know I am not the only one who procrastinates and feels the pressure of that December 25th deadline pressing down. But I do think my approach is a bit unique. Rather than simply not sending a card at all. Or sending it late. I try to play it off like I meant to send it after everyone else's card has already arrived, been on display, and been packed or thrown away. This works out really well for me because A) I can send my cards late without feeling guilty about it being late. B) My card doesn't get lost in the shuffle of all those "other" holidays cards. I feel certain my card gets a place of honor on most refrigerators because it shows up after you've taken down your seasonal display.

There's one other thing you should know ... I don't see the point to sending a holiday card (on time or not) that doesn't include at least one photo of you and/or your kids. I mean, really ... store-bought cards are so last decade!

Two years ago, I sent this adorable and clever (if I do say so myself) NEW YEAR's card ... including four photos of NHV during different seasons of the previous year:

Inside:

Winter, spring, summer, and fall …
We have honestly loved it all!

During a whirlwind 2008 …

(and then a quick description of what we did during the past year)

Wishing you the very best
at this special time of year and
through all the seasons of 2009!

Last year's I sent BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS instead of holiday cards. And I sent them when I was good and ready ... with the excuse of sleep deprivation and caring for a newborn and toddler.

Here's what I am getting at ...

No matter what kind of "holiday" card I send.

Regardless if I send them "on time" or purposely late.

I use Shutterfly! (They have the best photo books, too!)

This year I am even more excited to make and send holiday cards (perhaps even on time) using Shutterfly because bloggers (like me) have been offered 50 free cards in exchange for spreading the word about their awesome holiday collection. Which means I shopped the Shutterfly card selection with reckless abandon - choosing all of my favorites! First I sorted by number of photos - there's no way I can create a holiday card with less than three photos. I mean, if you know me at all, you know I adore a good collage! And since I take a ba-zillion pictures, I always have plenty to choose from!

Oh, this square card has room for 8 photos! And it really is a wonderful life! Love it!

Classic Red Square Christmas Card

I have a thing for this shade of blue and snowflakes ...

Many Memories Snowflake Christmas Card

The combination of brown, red, and blue makes this a top contender!

Seasonal Chic 2010

Again, lots of room for photos and I think a big "V" would look so cute in the middle!

Family Wall Red

Did you notice these are all very "holiday-ish"? Well, as a personal challenge, I am going to try to send an actual holiday card this year ... since I get 50 free cards, I felt like it was good motivation to make it happen! Not to worry ... I am certain my card won't get "lost in the shuffle" of all the other cards you receive ... because I am ordering from Shutterfly and you just can't find a better looking, higher-quality card!

Oh, wait, you're ordering from Shutterfly, too? There's goes that plan ...

Oh well ... Happy Holiday-card Making!

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

cjv & the orange chair

2010-11-17T01:10:00.000-08:00

nhv & the orange chair

2010-11-17T01:08:00.000-08:00

This is the {new} orange chair on the deck behind my parents' house. The house where I grew up. The house my girls and I recently visited. The orange chair wasn't around when I lived there. But the deck and the gorgeous trees beyond hold plenty of memories for me. On this particular morning, Natalie was doing what she does everyday. She climbs out of bed and out of her {Ariel} nightgown and into her princess dress of choice. This one is her new Tiana dress - a purchase made by Grammy during our one trip to Target. Her "accessories" are two Care Bears and a plastic hammer. It was warm enough {in November} for bare feet and no sleeves. And her hair is all-natural aside from the bow I managed to wrangle into her bangs.

moving on up ...

2010-11-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

... to the big{ger} tub!

Up until just an hour ago,

my 11-month old was being bathed in her infant tub.

This is Charlotte in August - the last time I took bathtub photos.

And this is Charlotte earlier tonight. In the inflatable bathtub.

She was so excited with her new splash pool! I am just glad to have all that splashing contained in the tub rather than all over the vanity and mirror. Isn't she just about the tiniest, cutest little naked baby ... ever?!

11 months, 11 days

2010-11-13T23:26:00.000-08:00

It is just a matter of days {about 19 of them, to be exact} until my baby turns one. Charlotte Jane is just shy for 365 days old. This time last year I was still pregnant ... and dealing with lots of contractions, weekly ultrasounds, and twice weekly non-stress tests ... and all the emotions that went along with such an "interesting" gestation. The past 11 months have been filled with much joy, very little sleep, some worry, and plenty of fun! This is Charlotte Jane - just in the past month!

One thing is for certain, my little baby {born at just 4 pounds 9 ounces} is destined to be a little one year old. Less than three weeks before her birthday, Charlotte weighs 13 pounds 5.5 ounces. She is tiny. Everything about her is tiny ... her hands and feet, her waist, her ears, ... except her smile! That grin takes up her whole face!
Charlotte is wearing mainly size 6-month clothing and size 1-2 diapers.
She's a good eater. Haven't come across a flavor of "mush" that she won't eat. However, in the past few weeks I have definitely noticed a preference for feeding herself. With every bite, she grabs the spoon - almost as if to say, "I can do it myself." And she eats finger foods with great enthusiasm and determination. While she still eats puffs and mum-mums, she especially loves Veggie Sticks and Garden Tomato Crunchies.
I am still nursing about 6 times in 24 hours. Two or three of those feedings are at night - when I would rather be sleeping. I am not willing to end those nighttime feedings because she needs all the calories she can get. However, I am looking forward to weaning in the next few months ... and sleeping through the night soon!
Bedtime is around 7:30 pm. She usually sleeps until midnight, eats, and goes right back down. Then I hear from her again around 3:00 am and sometimes again before 6:00 am. Then she sleeps until about 7:00 am.
Naps are from 9:00 am - 10:30 am and again from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Sometimes Charlotte has a tough time settling down for naps - tough to spend a lot of time transitioning her with a routine because Natalie needs my attention/supervision. A light swaddle usually does the trick, though.
Aside from "tiny," I would describe Charlotte as happy and easy-going. She smiles all the time and waits patiently - for the most part. However, she is very sensitive to changes in her environment - like sleeping in a new place.
To communicate Charlotte does her fair share of vocalizing, signs milk and responds to the signs for more and all done, and is clearly opinionated when appropriate - like when her big sister takes away her toy or I try to get the spoon back for another bite. Also, her giggle is just about the most adorable sound ever!
Charlotte loves playing with balls, cups, and straps. As soon as I put her in the carseat, stroller, high chair ... she is reaching for the strap and trying to pull it to her mouth. She is also still very interested in her feet ... and pulls off her shoes {little leather Robeez} to chew on them, too!
This little girl can ROLL just about anywhere she wants to go. However, she is not crawling and is still very wobbly when sitting up - she topples over very easily. I have noticed her trying to push into a seated position in the past week but no success just yet. I don't anticipate her walking anytime soon.
People often comment about Charlotte's size, her beautiful blue eyes, her cute cheeks, and the constant motion of her feet. I also hear a Cindy Lou Who comparison quite often.

We have an appointment with Dr. Fancy-Pants at the end of this month - just three days before her birthday. I am very anxious to hear what an expert has to saw about Charlotte's small size. There are times when I worry and imagine the worst. I really hope my seemingly happy, healthy baby is "just small" and that's okay.

sleepless in ... chicago

2010-11-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently I have to leave Seattle and fly four hours in order to have a truly sleepless night.

Who would've thought?!

For the next 10 days I am traveling with my two girls - by myself - with a stop first in Chicago to see my girl Chitown Momma and her two adorable nuggets and then onto Alton to spend time with my family.

So the trip through the airport and security (where the new rule is babies must be out of carriers, btw) and onboard the flight for 4+ hours ... all of that was uneventful. Natalie was so cooperative. Charlotte took a good snooze. The DVD player battery lasted through all of Curious George and about 30 minutes into Tinkerbell. Even the pick-up - despite a temporarily lost vehicle (those parking garages can be so confusing!) and a very hungry 11-month old - went well. The trip was off to a great start.

To make the experience even more enjoyable (and deceptively easy), both girls went right to sleep - NHV in the same room with her buddy Benjamin and CJV in "my" room. AND Chitown Momma and I got to enjoy two uninterrupted hours of red-wine-sipping and catching up. Good stuff, right?

I climbed into bed at 11:30 and listened to the plethora of city sounds outside the windows. Cars zooming past, buses screeching to a stop, conversations of the people walking by, the wind off the lake rattling the windows, ... all of this on the third floor, mind you. Eventually it lulled me to sleep until Charlotte woke me up at 2:30 ready for some milk. I snuggled her and nursed her in bed. Out of nowhere I got this weird mommy-tuition that Natalie needed me. To confirm this feeling, I heard her voice call out.

I carried a now sleeping (and full-bellied) Charlotte down the hall with me, opened the door where Natalie was sleeping and saw her sitting up in bed with this very confused look on her face. A look like, "Where in the world am I?" Waking up in a strange place is disorienting enough for an adult, and I could tell she was feeling upset. I quietly calmed her and climbed in next to her on the futon. The three of us - me and my girls - laid there for a while; I rubbed Natalie's back and waked a peaceful Charlotte sleeping. And then Natalie starting chatting - loudly, which woke up her baby sister and I feared would do the same to Benjamin. The three of us made the trek back down the hallway and got into my bed.

There was NO sleep after that point. From 2:30 am - when Charlotte woke to nurse and Natalie woke to be soothed - until almost 7:00 am, the three of us did not sleep. Bless Chitown Momma who helped out from about 4:00 on ... putting Natalie in bed with her, and then singing and rocking Charlotte - when Natalie refused to cooperate. None of our efforts payed off. I tried everything I could think of.

At 6:00 am - as the sun began peeking over the horizon - we climbed into Chitown Momma's bed. Natalie tried for an hour to fall asleep but finally gave up and went to play with Laurie and her two kiddos - who were awake for the day after a restful night's sleep. Charlotte and I slept until 9:00 and then joined the party.

Both girls are napping now - thankfully. Here's hoping that our second night in Chicago is not sleepless!

buckle up - every time

2010-11-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

I keep replaying the scene in my mind ... over and over again. I wish I had that split second back.

Charlotte fell off the changing table this evening. Yes, I am a terrible mom. Or at least I feel like a terrible mom. I feel awful knowing that something I did - without even thinking - caused my baby pain. Caused her to cry out, to be scared, to fall ... but not in that order.

I normally strap her in, but this time - for some reason - I didn't. I had only managed to take off her pants when Natalie began swinging the baby monitor over her head like a lasso. It whacked against the crib and the wall and nearly knocked her in the head. I issued a warning. It was not heeded. I turned my back and took three steps toward my misbehaving three year old and heard a thug :( Within a split second it registered. The next minute is a blur. I turned around to see Charlotte on the floor on her belly, and she was crying, which apparently is a good sign.

I very carefully turned her over and checked to see that she wasn't broken. And then I scooped her up and began calming her - while simultaneously instructing Natalie to go to her room and stay there. I called Chad and spoke through sobs. I pulled myself together and called our pediatrician's office and talked to a nurse. She ran me through a triage checklist and felt confident that Charlotte was probably okay just shaken up. While she was still on the phone, I put Charlotte in her crib and tried to finish what I started - changing her diaper. She cried out in pain several times when I moved her right leg.

My gut said, "Better safe than sorry." The nurse agreed, especially since I am leaving with the girls tomorrow for a 10-day trip to Illinois. So we visited the ER just to make sure ... thankfully Chad met us there and entertained Natalie with a book. My compliments - once again - to our ER; fast, friendly, thorough, ...

Charlotte checked out fine. No signs of head trauma, no bruises, normal responsiveness, generally happy, ... but, boy was I freaked out! I've been whispering, "I'm sorry," against her little head all evening. As penance, I rocked her to sleep - something I don't usually do. Of course, she's awake now chatting with her bunny ...

What I know now - that I already knew but temporarily had a lapse ...

Do not leave children unattended on raised surfaces!

Buckle up - every time!

trick-or-treat 2010

2010-11-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

As if it were a complete surprise, Natalie walked away from each door,

gave her bucket a quick glance, and proclaimed,

"I got a treat!"

before hurrying off to the next house.

I honestly think she was expecting some tricks!

Natalie's costume was a gift from Grammy. It has been worn just about every day since September. She calls it her "Frog Princess dress" and answers to "Tiana" when wearing it. There's even a stuffed animal frog tucked under her arm. To up the princess-ness, I painted her nails {for the first time} and put on some blue eye shadow and roll-on sparkles. She insisted on a pony tail "in the back of my head" just like Tiana, which was no simple feat because of the length of her hair. I talked her into two ponies - one on top, one in the back - with a couple barrettes to hold back the sides and a tiara, of course!

The pea costume worked out great! {Thanks to my neighbor Laura for handing it down to us!} While this costume does fit my PEAnut, the bunting-style is meant for a much younger baby so I cut it all along the back seam. I found a green sleeper to keep her covered and warm. Charlotte is forward-facing in my new {awesome} Pikkolo carrier with her arms through the sleeves. And the Cindy Lou Who hat, just makes the outfit!

Of course, the little sister, my little PEAnut,

already has her sights set on ...

being the princess!

who's that girl?

2010-10-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

I believe my three year old - princess - is going through a bit of an identity crisis.

Either that or I am losing my mind.

Or a combination of both. Or perhaps one is a result of the other ... yeah, that's probably it!

I never know what to call my daughter.
I never know which name she will answer to.

I make a simple request like, "Natalie, please put on your shoes."

And in reply I hear, "No, mommy, I'm not Natalie. I'm Tiana." It takes great restraint on my part not to say, "What does that have to do with your shoes?!"

Or I make a suggestion like, "Natalie, let's play a game," and she says, "I'm not Natalie. I'm Ariel. Ariel likes to play CandyLand, mommy." Okay, great!

At least for now ...

she is sticking to princesses, which narrows my pool of name choices to some degree!
she is answering me ... it's better to be corrected than to be ignored, right?!

When you're this cute, you can be whoever

you want to be, my little princess!

These photos are from a playdate we went to way back in August.

Love the sunshine and the combination of trampoline jumping and dressing up!

pets and wet sleeves

2010-10-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Breakfast conversation is always interesting with a three year old. Between shoveling spoonfuls of mush in CJV's mouth, pouring a sippy cup of milk, adding cream cheese and sprinkles to NHV's "princess" waffle, and doing my best not to trip over my (annoyingly) needy cat ... Natalie entertains me with some pretty interesting thoughts.

This morning she said to me, "We have a cat, right, mommy." "Yes, that's right." In my head: He's kind of hard to forget when he's rubbing all 16 pounds of feline neediness against my shins and calves!

"Do you know anyone else who has a cat?"

"Uh-huh, aunt Missy has a cat. Grammy and Grampy have a cat - he's not very nice. Sebastian Paul has a cat." Pause.

"And, mommy, some people - they have a dog at their house." "Yep." Trying to figure out where this is going ... not having any luck.

"Cee-Cee. She doesn't have a cat or a dog. Why Cee-Cee not have a cat or a dog at her house?"

"Well, Cee-Cee has a fish tank. She has fish as her pets." Natalie nods in agreement but seems still to have something on her mind.

"Mommy, people cannot PET fish." Why's that?

"Because you would get your sleeves all wet!"

good news, bad news ... it's been too long!

2010-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Good News: NHV is still sleeping at 8:20 am.

Not-so-great News: CJV has been awake since 6:30 am, which in turns means I have been awake since 6:30 am.

Bad News: I didn't go to bed until 1:00 am. It's my own fault, but still ... this mama is tired!

Back to the Good News: I've already showered, made scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, played with and fed CJV, caught up on Facebook, cleaned two (out of three) toilets, took out all the trash, and folded a load of laundry.

More Good News: The SUN is actually shining today! It's been too many days since I've seen those pretty rays!

Really Good News: Only 2 more days until Halloween weekend! And that deserves a sneak peak of the girls in their costumes ...

mornings with my girls

2010-10-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

I took these photos at 7:30 in the morning on Wednesday.

Charlotte still in her adorable pink footsie pajamas and wearing a baby mohawk, a result of a bath the night before and me rubbing her head while she nursed before bed.

Natalie already out of her {Ariel} nightgown - the only pair of pajamas she will even think about wearing - and into her {Tiana aka the Frog Princess} dress-up outfit: hot pink leotard, fabulous skirt made by my friend CrazyCraftyCarrie, and ... socks as gloves - that's her new thing this week :) Look closely and you'll even see a stuffed frog in her lap.

Charlotte can't take her eyes off me. She wants her big sister's attention. She wants to play and sing songs and be smothered with kisses.

Natalie is quick to give me a smile when she first wakes up, and she usually chats a bit about her dreams. Some mornings I can talk her into a quick snuggle. After transforming herself into the princess-of-the-day, she usually plops down (in the W sitting position) and reads a stack of books. Looking at the camera before she's had her breakfast, well, that's not going to happen :)

I love the time I spend with my girls in the morning.

MuffinBrain

2010-10-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

BJ_Mama recently made a comment about my new-found obsession with muffins. To which I replied, "Didn't I tell you I am starting a third blog ... MuffinBrain?" The funny thing, I think she actually believed me ... and even more hilarious, I seriously considered it for a minute or two :)

Anyhoo ... I am at it again; baking muffins - from scratch, and this time PUMPKIN is the main ingredient. *Note from CPV - He is not a big fan of pumpkin-based baked goods. Sorry to hear that ... more for me :)

Ingredients:

2 medium eggs (Not sure how that translates to large eggs ... but that's what I used)
3 cups flour (1 cup wheat, 2 cups white)
1 cup brown sugar (I used light but would suggest dark.)
1 cup milk (Almost forgot this and the batter was nearly impossible to mix!)
1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin (For me, it was canned ... )
½ cup unsweetened applesauce (Just enough left in the jar - phew!)
2 tablespoons white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon cloves (*Didn't have any - skipped it.)
¼ teaspoon allspice (*Didn't have any - skipped it.)
¼ teaspoon ginger (*Didn't have any - skipped it.)
* Note to self: Must update my spice collection; it's currently quite pathetic!

I also threw in about 3/4 cup of chopped pecans and tossed a few milk chocolate chips on top - because, really, anything is better with chocolate ... right?

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; mix until smooth. (I adore directions like this!)

3. Fill sprayed muffin tins with mixture until ¾ full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. *Note to those thinking of trying this muffin recipe: It makes A LOT of muffins! I made 12 regular-sized muffins and 24 mini-muffins. The minis took about 14 minutes.

Original recipe found at http://www.pumpkinrecipes.org/pumpkin-muffins.html

Will try to add a photo if I find a spare minute ... HA!

10 Things I Love About You, CJV ...

2010-10-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

Charlotte Jane is 10 months old today!

Hard to believe? For me, too!

10 Things I Love About You, CJV ...

Your adorable (and almost constant) full-face grin - the two bottom teeth just add to the appeal.
The way you giggle when I pretend to sneeze ... and you never tire of the "Where's Charlotte?" game!
Your infinite patience and go-with-the-flow attitude.
How you roll from one side of the room to the other.
When you clap your hands and then "throw your hands in the air ... "
The way you absolutely light up when your big sister pays attention to you :)
How you curl up against me and knead with your tiny hands when you're nursing.
That you've started sleeping (better and) on your tummy - just like your daddy
Your feet are in constant motion ... kicking, pedaling, ... and often in your mouth.
The sound of your sweet voice; you are a baby of few words, but when you do talk, I can't get enough!

Mission Peanut

2010-09-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

I just looked through the photos I've taken in the past month ... and I was on a mission ... to find pictures that show Charlotte's relative tininess. At nine months old, she weighs just 13 pounds.

Inflatable bathtub, baby Big Bird, and Fisher Price Puppy.

Playground swing

In the Bjorn

Mommy, Natalie and a Gator

Uncle Tyler

Louie (our cat)

Please believe me when I tell you,

Charlotte Jane is quite the little peanut!

On a related side note: Dr. Fancy Pants - the pediatric endocrinologist - has reviewed Charlotte's case and decided to see her ... however we have to wait another two months before that appointment. Literally, the receptionist from his office called and said, "Dr. Fancy Pants will see you on November 29th at 3:30 in the afternoon." There was no, "which day or time of day works best for you?" All I can say is this guy has already lived up to his nickname ... now he better live up to his reputation as an amazing specialist!

NHV - September 2010

2010-09-26T22:39:00.000-07:00

Getting so tall and as cute as ever (in my biased opinion)

Your hair is finally one length and has this great wave

I love the way the left side is always a bit unruly

You have the cutest habit of pushing your bangs to the side

and out of your face.

It strikes me as a very grown up thing to do.

You are still the best sleeper I know;

your three hour nap is truly a delight!

You only want to wear your Ariel nightgown ...

I have to bargain with you just to get it washed!

You get out of bed asking, "What are we doing today?"

and with princess dress-up on your mind.

You race to put on your "briding" dress and

whatever accessories you deem appropriate for the day.

You can spend an entire hour building with blocks,

lining up Little People, or reading a stack of books.

Sharing is not your favorite thing to do, and

sometimes I see you really dig in your heels ...

and you still refuse to eat almost all fruit!

But I think that's just part of being three.

It seems you need a lovey right now ....

You've started carrying around baby Big Bird

and sleeping with him, too.

Ah, yes, you are still my little girl ...

I love you, my sweet Natalie.

Great Question - Fog

2010-09-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

The mind of a three year old is such a wonder!

This morning - on our way out the door - doing my best to load both girls plus all of our necessary crap into the car without losing my mind - Natalie made an awesome observation and asked,

"Hey, mommy, why is da 'ky touch-ing d-ose t'ees?"

Such a question gave me pause and caused me to follow her gaze to the tall trees across the street ... the tops of which were covered with a morning fog. It did, indeed, look the clouds (aka the sky) was touching the trees.

Of course, I then did my very best impersonation of an elementary science teacher and tried to explain the phenomenon of fog ... how it is kind of like a cloud ... and why it happens closer to the ground/trees.

Based on the complete look of confusion on her face, I think she drew a much better (and simpler) conclusion,

"Mommy, it's v-ery cloudy today, huh?"

The Bite Fight

2010-09-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it wasn't much of a fight - per say - but there was most certainly a bizarre bite involved. Reminiscent of the Tyson vs. Holyfield rematch of long ago. As if I know a damn thing about boxing ... I had a vague memory of the event and had to ask Chad, "Hey wasn't there some boxer that bit off another boxer's ear." He gave me the names and then I Googled to fill-in-the-blanks. But I still think it's a viable comparison to what has now happened TWICE in our house ...

My darling, sweet three year old has bitten her baby sister's index finger ... on two separate occasions. The biting was completely unprovoked and came out of nowhere. Both incident happened on daddy's watch - but I am not pointing fingers here.

The first time Charlotte was playing in her Jumperoo. About a week later, the second time all three of them - NHV, CJV, and Daddy - were playing on the floor. Both times Charlotte let out a howl of pain that had my heart racing and her mama hurrying to scoop her up and make it better.

Biting is not okay. I guess it's not completely unheard of for a preschool-aged child to give their chompers a try on some flesh. But it's still definitely not okay. And is it just me or does the index finger seem like a strange place to bite?

Well, Charlotte is still such a lightweight (oh, the wrestling metaphor continues) and her fingers are TINY ... I mean, tiny enough that people comment about how small size of her hands and feet ... all the time. You know how some baby's fingers look like little sausages? Well, not Charlotte's; her hands look like a doll's.

If this biting continues, I fear that Natalie may just bite her sister's finger .... off ... or break it.

Last night's bite caused Charlotte's finger - from the base to the first knuckle - to swell up badly enough that I called our family doctor. The course of treatment was a cold compress and then wait-and-see.

Thankfully, that adorable little index finger was fully functional this morning! And I am hopeful - after a good chat with the defending champion - that there will not be a rematch!

Butt Load of Baby Wipes

2010-09-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

I believe I have written about my husband's historic difficulties when shopping at Costco. There was one incident involving a case of canned green beans which resulted in his Costco privileges being revoked ... by me ... because we don't even eat canned green beans and my pantry at the time was the size of a shoe box!

Anyhoo ... my husband if frugal beyond belief. But he also cannot refuse any deal of any kind. You wave a coupon in front of that man, and he's buying! You offer him 15% off at REI, and he's maxing out his purchase potential.

Case in point ... on this weekend's trip to Costco, Chad noticed a coupon for wipes. I think you saved $4 and there was a limit of two, which is all fine and good - it's also $8 worth of savings as my husband pointed out. And perhaps even a reason to get a bit excited ... IF you need wipes. I suggested that we probably don't need THAT many wipes but Chad balked and then explained - in his most practical tone of voice - that Costco hardly ever has coupons for wipes. And so, we brought home - the limit of TWO boxes of wipes.

Upon returning home, I inventoried our existing baby wipe supply and found THREE boxes. Granted one of those boxes only had three packages, but still ...

I had to do the math ...

Inside each box is 900 wipes! 900. We have 4 full boxes - two boxes in each of the girls' closets - plus additional random packages scattered throughout the house - but I am just going to forget those for the sake of calculation - and not having to break out the calculator.

Each box holds 900 wipes.

We have 4 boxes.

That's 3600 wipes.

About 10 wipes per day for an entire year!

Now, tomorrow, I will be counting wipes ...

because, honestly, I don't have any idea

whether or not I use 10 wipes per day.

What do you think? How many wipes do you use in one day?

Does your husband have a similar shopping mentality?

First and Final Day of Preschool

2010-09-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

Ah, my gut. Why is it always right? Especially when it comes to my little girl?

Today was the big day. Natalie wore her new owl dress from Grammy. She picked out the barrette she wanted to wear. She carried her new school bag packed with all the paperwork I filled out.

We took pictures on the porch with Grammy and baby sister.

I was excited and nervous ... I bet she was feeling the same way.

During the ten minute drive, Natalie talked about her first school experience. She mentioned hitting other kids and how that wasn't nice. She yawned. She talked about her two teachers, Ms. S and Ms. A. She yawned. She talked about going potty at school. She complained of being "so tired." I was not feeling very optimistic, but I continued to show excitement.

We pulled into the circular drive, and I reviewed the procedure with Natalie. I wanted to make sure she understood that I would not be getting out of the car with her. She seemed fine with that idea. As the teacher opened the door to help her from the carseat, I told her to have fun at school.

She took the teacher's hand and started walking away ... and then ... I snapped this photo ...

... wiped the tears from my eyes and drove myself back home.

An hour and a half later - only half way through the "school day" - I got a call from the director.

Yeah, that's NOT a good sign, by the way.

It seems Natalie has three incidents involving other students. And she was complaining of being "so tired."

Big fa-reakin' surprise. Right?

The director was so nice about the whole thing, but she also asked that I come pick up Natalie now - rather than risk anymore incidents, which could cause Natalie "to start feeling badly about herself."

Her first school experience - at least from my point-of-view - was not a good one. And that made me so sad ... in all honesty, I was feeling sad for both of us.

So, I drove back to the school. Spoke to the director and told her the afternoon class just wasn't going to work out for Natalie. She suggested some things we could try to ease the transition, but I was only half-listening. I know what is best for my child, and afternoon preschool just isn't good for her.

I want her to be able to listen to her body when it's telling her to lie down and rest.
I want her to be able to control her emotions and have positive interactions with her classmates.
I want her to be mentally and physically able to deal with the challenges of a new learning environment.

I do not want to set her up for a negative school experience.
I do not want bullying behavior to become habit - for her sake and her classmates.

On the drive home, Natalie was very quiet. I didn't push her to talk about it because I wasn't really sure what to say. I wasn't angry - at all - except maybe at myself because it was my fault she was in an afternoon class to begin with. My fault she had been pushed beyond her limits.

As soon as we got home, she asked for a nap and fell right to sleep. I had to wake her at 5:00, and she didn't climb out of bed until 5:45. She was exhausted. Poor thing!

---------------------------------
I made the call. After just two days, I am pulling Natalie out of preschool. It just wasn't the right fit for her because of the timing. The director and her teacher were fantastic and supportive of my decision. It was hard for me to let go of the expectations associated with sending my first off to preschool ... but I know it is the right decision for her right now.