Kids are so cool

I love my girls. This weekend we ran up to Iowa for a quick grampa and gramma visit. We were unable to make it to Humboldt for Xmas due to the super crappy weather and a sick Mouse.

Boo was super excited all day Friday she could not wait for Dad to get home so we could leave. She was a total rock star in the car trying to help Mouse with toys and snacks and staying dry the whole trip. Mouse did ok. Not great but show me an 11 month old who is great on an 8 hour car trip, seriously. We had tons of fun seeing family and the girls had a blast playing with their cousins. The trip home was more, um, eventful. We had to stop three times for various things, which doesn’t sound bad but added like an hour to our already long car trip. But we made it home and got everyone to bed.

This week Boo has been focused on birthdays. She knows my birthday is soon, and then Mouse’s, and then hers. For the first time she seems to know that she can ask for things. It’s pretty cool but I hope it doesn’t get out of hand. So far she has requested balloons, a cake (what kind changes daily, current request is wonder pets) and presents. Yesterday she actually picked something specific that she wanted, and demanded that I call gramma and tell her. It was so funny.

I’m so excited for the crazy busy month we have ahead of us. In addition to Boo’s swim lessons and story times, we have two preschool tours to attend. We are having friends over for game night this weekend to celebrate my birthday, and we have Mouse’s first birthday to do. I’m not gonna go nuts with a party for Mouse, especially since Boo wants a party, but we’re gonna have a Blue’s Clues cake and gramma and grampa Speer willl be here.

Mouse is walking more or less steadily, and has a small but rapidly expanding vocabulary. Her favorite words are cracker and dadada. She also thinks Lady’s name is Bad Dog. She loves her Blue bear, but thinks anything that goes wrong is his fault, and yells at him for it. She loves her big sister and they are starting to enjoy playing together. I love it when they giggle at each other. Mouse’s laugh is the coolest thing – more of a cackle really but it cracks me up every time I hear it.

Patience – let me haz more plz

I need to remain calm, you know those posters that would say keep calm and carry on? Yeah, I needed one of those today. Sigh. This has also made me realize how much my girls are watching tv. You see, two days ago the xbox breathed its last, and our regular DVD player has been broken for awhile. So since we do not have cable, and do not get a strong enought signal, for even public television, we were cartoonless. And Boo was actually ok with it. She did t like it, but she kept cool and we did lots of other stuff. Nono, I was the one scrambling for things to do things to fill the time. And that was saddening. As much as I love reading to the girls, we hardly do that anymore. We rarely go outside, thank you winter. Boo has been begging for the park for weeks. Despite swim lessons and storytime, she misses playing with other kids.

Today I nearly lost it. Both girls were demanding and needy. Neither one took a decent nap all day, and I couldn’t sleep through the ruckus, and the dog has refused to crap on a leash all day. Needless to say I needed some serenity in my life. And at 630 it walked through the door. B, complete with replacement DVD player, flowers, chocolate and hugs. My god it’s times like this that I realize why I married this man.

I’m not proud of all of the choices I made today, I lost my temper when I shouldn’t have and scrambled around doing things that probably could have waited. I need to find better ways of dealing with my frustration, and I need to remember that my girls will only be babies once, and I need to enjoy this time with them. All too soon they won’t want to play with me or have me read to them. I’m so glad they’re in my life, even if they test my patience daily.

11 Months and Boy am I bad about updating this thing.

Wow.  I kinda suck at this whole updating the blog thing dont I?

Well Mouse, you’re 11 months old now.  Its crazy how fast this year has gone by.  You walk (sorta), talk (favorite word is cracker), and drink from a straw cup.  You watch Naynin (Caitlin) like a hawk and want to do everything she does.  You amaze, amuse and frustrate me daily.  We battle hourly over the sanctity of the dog water and dog food, and you love trolling for floor candy nearly as much as Lady does.  You eat everything we put in front of you at least once, including goat cheese, salmon and sun dried tomatoes.  You love you some flavor, and I can’t blame you there, we all do.  You have a new friend.  “Blue bear”  to distinguish him from “Friend Bear”  and your Naynin will always get him for you if you drop him and need him.  You love feely books, and books of all sorts, which is good in this house.  Let me tell ya.  You love outside nearly as much as Naynin, and I’m sorry the weather has prevented more outings this winter.  But spring will come and you can help Naynin and me dig in the dirt and garden.  I’m so happy you’re here Mouse.  WE love you.

8 Months and counting

Well Mouse, you are 8 months old today. You have attacked infancy like the plague and waged war on all these silly notions of being a baby. You have plans. Big ones. And we are just holding you back. You go at life with a drive that I find almost scary in one so young. It is in you that I sort of see how little kids can be composers and virtuoso’s and celebrated artists. Not that I have any delusions of grandeur where you are concerned, just that I think that sort of drive is present in you. It awes me. And quite frankly scares the crap out of me. If you are this driven at 8 months, how long until you take over the world? My bet is 18 months. We’ll see.

I love how you never give up, even though it means that life is kind of a school of hard knocks for you right now. I love how you relish your DADADADA’s attention in a way big sister never did at your age. I love how you love the big crocheted blankie I made you, and how much you love the sound of my bassoon playing. I love watching you grow and change almost hourly, and I love watching you with your big sister. You guys play so well together, and you have such a great big sister. She loves you and watches over you, even if she hasn’t quite mastered sharing with you yet. Happy 8 month birthday Mackenzie. We love you.

Wish Lists and wonderings

So I’ve been having a case of the gimme’s recently.  I don’t particularly like that about myself, but at least a good number of the things I’m wanting aren’t too materialistic.   Not that there aren’t THINGS on the list too, it’s just that there are as many not things as things that I’m wanting recently.

Firstly I want more patience with my girls.  I love my girls.  Would do anything for them.  But I have a temper, and I have things that set me off.  Deliberate disobedience always _always_ makes me see red.  And I hate it when my temper flares.   Why is it so hard for me to see that they are babies.  Boo is three.  THREE.  And Mouse is still a baby baby.  eight months is not a big girl (shhh don’t tell her that).   So why do I find it so hard to keep my cool sometimes?  Sigh.  I know I’m not the only one to struggle with this.  But somehow that doesn’t help.

Second.   I want my life back to normal.  I want things to be the way they used to be.  I want emotional stability and trust returned to my life.  I want life to stop handing me things and expecting me to deal.   I don’t want to have to suck it up and deal anymore.  I could use more lemonade and less lemons I guess is what I’m saying.  And hey a cupcake would go great with that lemonade!

I would like more hours in the day.  Enough time to devote to practicing and reading and crocheting and parenting and not feel like any of these have to suffer for time spent on the others.  Especially the parenting.   I am coming to realize that I require significant portions of solitude to recharge and function happily as a person and a parent.  If you have kids, you are now laughing your butt off at me.  Because if you have kids you don’t even get to go to the bathroom by yourself.   Why, if I am the type of person who needs time alone to recharge, did I ever have kids?   Because I love kids.  I love my kids.  And I am stubborn to the point of masochism.  Thats why.

Speaking of Stubborn?  Yeah you know I was going there.  I would like to be less stubborn.  Less, I AM STUBBORN HEAR ME ROAR, stubborn.  Less stubborn to the point of stupidity stubborn.  So.  Um.  Yeah.  I’m stubborn.  And I don’t like it. 

Just for kicks and giggles, here’s a list of purely materialistic things  I want!  Because, um, yeah, Stubborn.  Lest  said there the better. 

An iphone.   Oh how I want an iphone.   Ipod, pictures, internetty type things, FB updates and all.

New windows for our house.

A heating bill that doesn’t equal a mortgage payment

Healthcare fixed – ok not so materialistic here I guess.

The bathroom remodeled (both of them)

The kitchen updated

new clothes

20 pounds of baby weight off my body

to be a better writer, like my mil

to be better about keeping in touch with family

That is the short list.  Oh there’s more.  Lots more.  But since this blog is supposed to be about my babies, let us return to them.  Mouse has sprouted two more teeth, and is convinced she is due big people food now.  Mouse is still trying to top her grossest things of all time shoved in her mouth.   I’ve stopped counting.  It’s gotten to the point that I actually rejoice when she finds floor food, because it’s less gross than anything else she’s put in her mouth recently.  Also, gravity is not Mouse’s friend.  She keeps trying to make friends with gravity.  She keeps failing.  hard.   I don’t even count the head bonks in a day now, because it’s just too depressing.  She just won’t give up.  Falls down, cries, gets up, tries again, repeat.  Ad. Nauseum.

Boo has decided that darkness is scary, but the purchase of “blue guy” a glowy blue nightlight, has helped tremendously.  Both girls have taken to reading recently, Mouse has discovered books with feely spots and loves them, in addition to our beloved favorite book Brown Bear.  We’ve worn through THREE copies in this house between the two girls.   Boo is starting to understand the joy of reading.  She does pretty well with the books that have the pictures and words together.  Boo has taken to puzzles quite a bit recently too.   Loves puzzles.  LOVES.  PUZZLES.   I can’t tell how many times I’ve done the puzzles GG has gotten her, but um, I think that math is quite beyond me.   Lots.   Boo is actually excited for Halloween this year.  Pretty much she gets that she gets to dress up and get candy.  I think thats the main bullet points there dear, yes.

Big Stuff

Ok, big stuff.  You’re not big enough stuff to skip naps after waking up at 4am to flirt with Dad (though I’m sure he appreciated the flirties).  You’re not big enough stuff to get the noms in your mouth as fast as you want them, at least not without severe mess.   You’re not big enough stuff to stand without support, and no my hoodie string does not actually provide said support.  You’re not big enough stuff to give up nursing.  You’re not big enough stuff to keep up with your sister, though I know how badly you want to.  Relax little one, you have plenty of time to do all these things.  Seriously we’re not going to keep you a baby forever, so chill out and slow down.

You ARE big enough stuff to crawl like lighting across the floor after the kitties.  You ARE big enough stuff to nom some table foods with your one extremely sharp tooth.  You ARE big enough to stand and take a couple steps if you let us help you.  You ARE big enough to read a book with Momma, and even turn the pages!  You ARE big enough stuff to put absolutely everything you find in your mouth, and you ARE big enough stuff to cry out for Mumma when you want me.   You ARE BIG STUFF mouse.  I know you’re not as big or as capable as you want yet.  I KNOW how hard to try to do everything rightnow dangit! and I know how frustrated you get when you cant.  But you are so determined (ahem, stubborn?!)  and you WILL get there eventually.  Just chill out and give yourself some time.  We’re not going anywhere, and neither are you.  You’re going to grow up way too fast anyways, please don’t rush so fast.

How time flies

So, Mouse is seven months old now.   Seriously I swear that I gave birth to her yesterday.  No really, where have the last seven months gone?  She’s gone from a cute little squeaky mouse to a hurry scurry big Mouse.   She’s discovered gravity, and tests it at every turn, often with her head unfortunately.  She’s discovered her voice, and the power it has over us.  She’s discovered so many things, the cats, big sister, paper, hair, mumma’s necklaces.  And everything goes in the mouth.  After very intense scrutiny of course.  She still loves music.  When all else fails and she’s fighting sleep with all her might,  music will inevitably work.   She is pulling herself up to stand, and we expect that her next moves involve taking over the world and fixing health care.  Such big stuff she is.   She loves to eat, and feeds herself with amazing dexterity for seven month old.

Boo is enjoying her role as big sister.  Getting Mouse toys, and nukkies, and making sure that she’s ok when she falls.  She especially enjoys telling us to  “get her”  when she’s crying or sad, or really just in Boo’s way.    They’re actually starting to play together and its wonderful to see the interaction between them.

Sorry for the long absence, hopefully I’ll be able to update more frequently.

Squeaky Mouse

Mouse is doing great.  She’s gained some weight and we have a checkup again this week.  Mom and Dad are here helping out, and Boo is being a great big sister, helping to pick out clothes and blankies for the baby.  I’ll post some pictures when I get a chance (and figure out how to do that in wordpress)  but for now we’re doing good.  Mouse had a fussy night last night, but she’s pretty chill for the most part.  She does however absolutely refuse to burp.  Too unladylike?  Who knows, but it makes her extremely uncomfortable after eating.  Silly Mouse. 

New Baby

Hi there, sorry to take so long to update you all.  New Baby arrived on Feb 20, 2009.  Weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces.   We’re home now and recovering nicely.  She’s a champion sleeper and makes so many cute noises we’ve nicknamed her Mouse. 

4 days to Baby!

Dr’s apt went ok, my blood pressure was high again, but everything else looked fine, so we’re set for a scheduled c-section on Friday in the morning.  We’ll be at Evanston Hospital, and I’ll definately be there for the whole weekend.  We’d love visitors on Saturday if anyone is so inclined, Friday we’re planning on keeping it to family only.  Especially since I’ll be drugged to the teeth following surgery. 

There’s not really much more to say.  I’m tired and cranky. Boo’s tired and cranky.  She’s been sort of protesting naptime and it’s led to some seriously melty boo in the evenings.  I hope she gets it out of her system (ha!) and settles into napping a little more reliably.  One good nap every four days just isn’t enough, especially since she’s not making up for it by sleeping later or going to bed earlier.  Oh well.  We do what we can with what we’ve got.    Check the blog for lots more updates this weekend, and hopefully pictures too!