So last night at about 11:30, Monkey started crying. This isn't highly unusual. It's not common, but it's happened on occasion. Usually when she's teething or something like that. (Which she is. Two more molars to go.) So I went in and she already had her pacifier, and an immediate cuddle with her teddy bear wasn't doing it. So I picked her up and tried to soothe.
Not working.
After a few minutes of trying to walk her around, wake her up a little bit to get her out of her funk, the hubs walked in. He reached his hands towards her as an offering and she went to him. She stopped crying immediately.
Fine then.
I learned before I had children not to take this sort of thing personally. My sister had a daughter well before the rest of us were married. So I learned from her experiences. I remember when my niece decided she liked my bro-in-law and only him. Then the next day or next week, she would only want my sister. At first, my sis had a hard time with this, then eventually she learned it's just what kids do.
Moose did a bit of this, but not tons. He's never been the attachment type. He never went through separation anxiety. Ever, seriously. But Monkey is obviously different. Last night all she wanted to soothe her was a little cuddle time with Papa.
I must say that I absolutely adore the fact that my kids adore their father. I LOVE this. So I don't mind one bit that she wouldn't be calmed down by me. I'm just glad he was there to take a turn and put the little lady back to sleep.
Saturday, July 31
Friday, July 30
Lazy Mom Syndrome...
I made up this term. But it's a feeling that I'm familiar with. I occasionally have a day when I am not motivated. Sometimes it's an entire day. Other times it's only part of a day. Like today, when naps were significantly shorter than usual for both kiddos. It just sucks the motivation from me and I desire to do nothing.
The thing about lazy mom syndrome is that I get away with it. Meaning, there's no way I would be that lazy if the hubs were home, or if other people were around. But when it's just me and the kids, I just don't care. Today, as I had this happen, I pondered why I don't care about it, but then feel slightly silly when thinking that if the hubs saw me being so lazy I'd feel guilty. (Does that even make sense?)
Anyhow, I came up with an answer to my poorly written question. My kids don't judge me. That's why. They don't care that I'm not cleaning, doing laundry, working on my to-do list, etc. If I so choose to watch a few episodes of something on Netflix Instant Watch, they don't really care, as long as I give them attention when they want it and don't completely ignore them. (It's not the most relaxing thing in the world, but I take what I can get.) But when it comes to other adults, I would feel judged and therefore not spend my afternoon doing mostly nothing.
So now I know. Kids don't judge. Yet. And that's what allows me to feel okay about being lazy when it's just me and the kids. I haven't come to any other startling revelations. Just that.
So now I know.
The thing about lazy mom syndrome is that I get away with it. Meaning, there's no way I would be that lazy if the hubs were home, or if other people were around. But when it's just me and the kids, I just don't care. Today, as I had this happen, I pondered why I don't care about it, but then feel slightly silly when thinking that if the hubs saw me being so lazy I'd feel guilty. (Does that even make sense?)
Anyhow, I came up with an answer to my poorly written question. My kids don't judge me. That's why. They don't care that I'm not cleaning, doing laundry, working on my to-do list, etc. If I so choose to watch a few episodes of something on Netflix Instant Watch, they don't really care, as long as I give them attention when they want it and don't completely ignore them. (It's not the most relaxing thing in the world, but I take what I can get.) But when it comes to other adults, I would feel judged and therefore not spend my afternoon doing mostly nothing.
So now I know. Kids don't judge. Yet. And that's what allows me to feel okay about being lazy when it's just me and the kids. I haven't come to any other startling revelations. Just that.
So now I know.
Thursday, July 29
Vacuuming...
So today I had an itch to do some cleaning. Since the entire carpet was in dire need, that got my attention. My children tend to have a fascination with the vacuum. It might very well be due to the fact that when they were infants, I was known to turn it on just to quell their incessant crying. (It really does work. No joking.) Poor Moose was known to nap by it. I'm sure my neighbors thought our place was immaculate with how often the vacuum was on. I recall occasionally pushing it around and cleaning the floors since it was on anyway, but most often it just sat there, turned on, keeping my baby from screaming.
Anyhow, so I pulled out the vacuum, and as usual Monkey gets quite excited. She insisted on helping me. Now, I should say, she insisted on "helping", since really, what does does is not helpful. But since I was in no rush of any sort, I did my best to be patient and allow her to "help". Half the time she was literally hugging the vacuum, but most of the time, just making the work go really, really slowly. It was still semi-sweet I suppose. I'm all about letting the kids help out with the chores so they understand they will need to do them too, and hopefully they won't think of them as drudgery. (Like I did. For years.)
I realized today that there were so many chores I got in the habit of doing when Monkey was sleeping. When she was younger, she just wouldn't allow much to be done. She would either lose her patience with not being paid attention, or in the case of the dishwasher, she would attempt to climb it like Mt. Everest, putting the door of our dishwasher in serious peril. So many chores had to be done when she was sleeping or very well occupied.
However, Monkey is finally to the age where I can now do chores with her around. The last few days I've done the dishes in the morning. Always being careful to take anything sharp from the silverware holder first, I'll be left to put things away leisurely and she'll usually find something plastic to pay attention to. It's pretty nice.
She's still not a fan of letting me shower, unless she's being entertained by another person. I'm sure that'll get better in time as well.
Moose is quite wonderful at chores. A year ago when we moved into our apartment, we set up chores for him which included going potty when he woke up (we were also in the newly potty trained stage), making his bed, getting dressed, saying his morning prayer, combing his hair and brushing his teeth. Now I know for most people these are not chores, but things you just do, but for him they were chores. He now does them with relatively little pestering and nagging. And he's more than willing to help with chores around the house. Let's just hope I can help him maintain this "chores are so fun" attitude. (I can just hear my mom chuckling.) :)
Anyhow, so I pulled out the vacuum, and as usual Monkey gets quite excited. She insisted on helping me. Now, I should say, she insisted on "helping", since really, what does does is not helpful. But since I was in no rush of any sort, I did my best to be patient and allow her to "help". Half the time she was literally hugging the vacuum, but most of the time, just making the work go really, really slowly. It was still semi-sweet I suppose. I'm all about letting the kids help out with the chores so they understand they will need to do them too, and hopefully they won't think of them as drudgery. (Like I did. For years.)
I realized today that there were so many chores I got in the habit of doing when Monkey was sleeping. When she was younger, she just wouldn't allow much to be done. She would either lose her patience with not being paid attention, or in the case of the dishwasher, she would attempt to climb it like Mt. Everest, putting the door of our dishwasher in serious peril. So many chores had to be done when she was sleeping or very well occupied.
However, Monkey is finally to the age where I can now do chores with her around. The last few days I've done the dishes in the morning. Always being careful to take anything sharp from the silverware holder first, I'll be left to put things away leisurely and she'll usually find something plastic to pay attention to. It's pretty nice.
She's still not a fan of letting me shower, unless she's being entertained by another person. I'm sure that'll get better in time as well.
Moose is quite wonderful at chores. A year ago when we moved into our apartment, we set up chores for him which included going potty when he woke up (we were also in the newly potty trained stage), making his bed, getting dressed, saying his morning prayer, combing his hair and brushing his teeth. Now I know for most people these are not chores, but things you just do, but for him they were chores. He now does them with relatively little pestering and nagging. And he's more than willing to help with chores around the house. Let's just hope I can help him maintain this "chores are so fun" attitude. (I can just hear my mom chuckling.) :)
Wednesday, July 28
Siblings...
This morning, Moose was eventually brought home from his sleepover at the grandparents. It was so adorable to see Monkey with him. She was so excited to see him. (The hubs told me later she was really needy this morning adn he assumed she missed him and didn't know what to do without him around.) At one point, she had her arms wrapped around him, clinging to the backs of his shirt. He returned the hug with gusto and she was all smiles. It was absolutely adorable.
Tonight they're back to sleeping under the same roof, in the same bedroom even. All must be right with the world.
Tonight they're back to sleeping under the same roof, in the same bedroom even. All must be right with the world.
Tuesday, July 27
Good habits...
Last night I was chatting with the hubs and gave ourselves a little pat on the back. (I find this is a healthy practice as a parent, because not many other people see the work and even results of that work, so if no one else is patting your back, why shouldn't you? Makes you feel better every now and then. Totally healthy, I think.) Here's Monkey's nightly experience tonight to demonstrate my little back-patting behavior.
Monkey, do you want to go get your jammies on? *Uh-huh (Go and put jammies on.)
Monkey, let's go brush your teeth. (back patting occuring about here.) *Monkey runs to the bathroom door and we promptly brush her teeth. She loves this.
The rest of the bedtime routine is pretty standard. Book reading, song singing, baby laid down, etc. But I'm so pleased with myself that my 15 month old loves to have her teeth brushed. We do it every night. We're not yet in the habit of brushing hers every morning yet. Moose just started this habit about a year ago. But I'm just so glad to think that I'm doing something good for my kids, establishing a super-beneficial habit that will stick with them for years to come. (And possibly save us tons on dentists bills.)
Tonight Moose is sleeping over at the grandparents house. Monkey's already asleep. Me and the hubs are going to go splurge on some episodes of Alias. Here's to sleeping in tomorrow! Moose can wake up the grandparents tomorrow morning. :)
Monkey, do you want to go get your jammies on? *Uh-huh (Go and put jammies on.)
Monkey, let's go brush your teeth. (back patting occuring about here.) *Monkey runs to the bathroom door and we promptly brush her teeth. She loves this.
The rest of the bedtime routine is pretty standard. Book reading, song singing, baby laid down, etc. But I'm so pleased with myself that my 15 month old loves to have her teeth brushed. We do it every night. We're not yet in the habit of brushing hers every morning yet. Moose just started this habit about a year ago. But I'm just so glad to think that I'm doing something good for my kids, establishing a super-beneficial habit that will stick with them for years to come. (And possibly save us tons on dentists bills.)
Tonight Moose is sleeping over at the grandparents house. Monkey's already asleep. Me and the hubs are going to go splurge on some episodes of Alias. Here's to sleeping in tomorrow! Moose can wake up the grandparents tomorrow morning. :)
Monday, July 26
Uh-huh...
So Monkey has added a new "word" to her repertoire. It is "uh-huh". I remember when Moose went through this phase. I remember him being a bit older. I just love it though. Everytime she says it it sounds very sad. But she'll answer it for any question, if her response is in the affirmative. It seems like she's going to start slowly adding new words to her list now. I can only imagine what her vocab will be like in 6 months. I'm excited for the change. She's the slowest talker, by far, out of our two kids. But she understands so completely, I know she's just biding her time.
Today we had the finale to Moose's birthday celebration. A family party, with his grandparents, great grandma, and cousins who are all local. We finished the remnants of his cake (thanks for all the wonderful compliments!), ate ice cream and he opened even more presents. (To his wonder and amazement!) It was a great time spent with family, which we always enjoy. I think the birthday festivities are finally done.
The next big day is our wedding anniversary! (Yay!!) August 7th is our 6th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been that long, but at the same time it feels like it's been only a fraction of that. By far some of the best six years of my life! (Thanks to my kiddos, but most certainly the hubs!) I can only imagine how wonderful (and equally challenging, but mostly wonderful) the next 6 years will be.
Let the next countdown begin... :)
Today we had the finale to Moose's birthday celebration. A family party, with his grandparents, great grandma, and cousins who are all local. We finished the remnants of his cake (thanks for all the wonderful compliments!), ate ice cream and he opened even more presents. (To his wonder and amazement!) It was a great time spent with family, which we always enjoy. I think the birthday festivities are finally done.
The next big day is our wedding anniversary! (Yay!!) August 7th is our 6th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been that long, but at the same time it feels like it's been only a fraction of that. By far some of the best six years of my life! (Thanks to my kiddos, but most certainly the hubs!) I can only imagine how wonderful (and equally challenging, but mostly wonderful) the next 6 years will be.
Let the next countdown begin... :)
Sunday, July 25
Birthday Recovery...
Today (oh, how I love Sundays!) was a great Sunday full of naps and recooperating. Yesterday was such a busy day. The birthday party was a blast. It was a pretty intimate affair, with only a few friends, and a few cousins. The adults had a blast visiting, we were right on the edge of the park so the kids could easily play and be within eye sight. I couldn't have asked for more. Moose had a great time, and that's ultimately what I wanted.
Afterwards we had the joy of going to a wedding reception. It was great. I helped with some of the decorations (a ton of origami cranes) so it was nice to see how beautiful they looked on the white table cloths. The kids enjoyed more cake and running around. By the end, Monkey was so giddy just about anything sent her into a fit of giggles.
They finally napped from 3:30 til 5:30 when I woke them. It was great.
These past four years of being a Mama to Moose (and also Monkey) has gone by so quickly. Okay, not true. The first two years went by pretty slow. After that things sped up a bit. And since Monkey joined the fam, things have felt like lightning speed.
I know that this coming year will go by even faster. I'm glad for places like this to stop and remember, and enjoy the little moments. They're so easy to forget.
Afterwards we had the joy of going to a wedding reception. It was great. I helped with some of the decorations (a ton of origami cranes) so it was nice to see how beautiful they looked on the white table cloths. The kids enjoyed more cake and running around. By the end, Monkey was so giddy just about anything sent her into a fit of giggles.
They finally napped from 3:30 til 5:30 when I woke them. It was great.
These past four years of being a Mama to Moose (and also Monkey) has gone by so quickly. Okay, not true. The first two years went by pretty slow. After that things sped up a bit. And since Monkey joined the fam, things have felt like lightning speed.
I know that this coming year will go by even faster. I'm glad for places like this to stop and remember, and enjoy the little moments. They're so easy to forget.
Saturday, July 24
Happy 4th Birthday Moose!
As is the tradition, I wrote Moose his birthday letter yesterday. Here it is.
Dear Moose,
This last year has gone by so fast. We moved into our new apartment. I'm pretty sure you like it. It has a lot more room to play. As your little sister grew, you continued to be a great big brother, and because of that your sister adores you. I remember when you two started to sleep in the same room. You were so excited and you two have done so well together. I'm sure one of the reasons she sleeps so well is because of you. We started doing "school" this past year. You are so smart. We've been learning spanish, your letters, how to read and write. You can even do addition. I'm always amazed at how quickly you learn and how much you love learning. We've even started reading a book about Christopher Columbus. You're so smart. I want so much to help you learn, and to help you love learning. You still have a year before you will be officially starting school. I can't believe it's so soon. You have grown up so fast. But I know you are ready. You've always been so independent, so ready for every new challenge. You've started to make new friends here which makes me happy. I'm very excited for your first big birthday party tomorrow. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you feel loved. I can't express how much I love you. I know that sometimes I can be hard on you and that I expect too much of you. I'm going to work on that. But I hope you always know how much I love you. I couldn't have asked for a better son. I'm so glad that all of your younger siblings (however many that may be) will have you for an older brother. Happy Birthday Moose! I love you! I'm so proud of you!
Love, Your Mama
Dear Moose,
This last year has gone by so fast. We moved into our new apartment. I'm pretty sure you like it. It has a lot more room to play. As your little sister grew, you continued to be a great big brother, and because of that your sister adores you. I remember when you two started to sleep in the same room. You were so excited and you two have done so well together. I'm sure one of the reasons she sleeps so well is because of you. We started doing "school" this past year. You are so smart. We've been learning spanish, your letters, how to read and write. You can even do addition. I'm always amazed at how quickly you learn and how much you love learning. We've even started reading a book about Christopher Columbus. You're so smart. I want so much to help you learn, and to help you love learning. You still have a year before you will be officially starting school. I can't believe it's so soon. You have grown up so fast. But I know you are ready. You've always been so independent, so ready for every new challenge. You've started to make new friends here which makes me happy. I'm very excited for your first big birthday party tomorrow. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you feel loved. I can't express how much I love you. I know that sometimes I can be hard on you and that I expect too much of you. I'm going to work on that. But I hope you always know how much I love you. I couldn't have asked for a better son. I'm so glad that all of your younger siblings (however many that may be) will have you for an older brother. Happy Birthday Moose! I love you! I'm so proud of you!
Love, Your Mama
Friday, July 23
If I wanted a cat...
I would get one. But we can't have cats in our place without a deposit, and I'm sure we can't afford cat food, so we don't. However, sometimes I feel like we have a cat because I've now cleaned out bathtubs 3 times as if I was sifting a kitty litter. I really think Monkey is starting to enjoy pooping in the tub.
I made the cake today. Well, I made it yesterday. I frosted it today. It really looks great. I'm quite pleased. Moose accidentally saw it. He knew he wasn't allowed to look in the fridge because it was in there, but the hubs opened the fridge for pizza supplies and Moose just happened to be in the kitchen and caught a glimpse. He seemed excited enough. I think I have everything ready. Cake, treats, supplies. I even remembered candles and a lighter. Can't forget trash bags. (As I run in the kitchen to put them in my pile.)
In the beginning I was resisting the birthday hype. Mainly because we haven't done it in such a long time. When kids are little I don't see much fun in putting a ton of work and effort into a party they don't care about, nor will they remember. (Meaning spending lots of time and energy on games, decorations, etc.) But Moose knows, he's excited. There's anticipation in the air. It took me a while, but I eventually gave in. I don't think any holiday or birthday will be the same after this. But I'm okay with that. I can't wait to see his face tomorrow and see how much he enjoys all of it.
First on the agenda: Birthday Boy Breakfast. Per his request: A bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats and Banana Juice (one banana, milk, sugar and vanilla in the blender)
Happy 4th Birthday Sweety!
Thursday, July 22
I'm Thankful For...
This evening Moose wanted me to play with him. We had a few balls out and I remembered (as me and Monkey and him were playing catch) an old game we used to play. It's called the Thankful Game. He got so excited, which made me happy, and we played.
We made it up last Thanksgiving time. We all sit in a circle and pass a ball between us, saying something we are thankful for. Back then he didn't really understand it, though he did well. Now he gets it and thinks of his very own ideas and things he's thankful for. It's so sweet. We played it for about 5 minutes before it was time to get ready for bed. That's easily one game I have no problem (or complaints) playing with him.
On the not so sweet side, but still cute - Monkey has this habit she's developed lately. When we ask her to leave a room, or do something that involves walking somewhere, she will do it, but the entire time she'll be half-stomping-half-running and making these disgrunted noises. I've coined it her "I'm doing it but I don't like it" walk. It's so hilarious. It really happens as if she's much older and does something because she knows she has to but she still doesn't want to. It cracks me up everytime. She did it to the hubs this evening and I couldn't help but laugh as I listened from the kitchen.
Girls. :)
We made it up last Thanksgiving time. We all sit in a circle and pass a ball between us, saying something we are thankful for. Back then he didn't really understand it, though he did well. Now he gets it and thinks of his very own ideas and things he's thankful for. It's so sweet. We played it for about 5 minutes before it was time to get ready for bed. That's easily one game I have no problem (or complaints) playing with him.
On the not so sweet side, but still cute - Monkey has this habit she's developed lately. When we ask her to leave a room, or do something that involves walking somewhere, she will do it, but the entire time she'll be half-stomping-half-running and making these disgrunted noises. I've coined it her "I'm doing it but I don't like it" walk. It's so hilarious. It really happens as if she's much older and does something because she knows she has to but she still doesn't want to. It cracks me up everytime. She did it to the hubs this evening and I couldn't help but laugh as I listened from the kitchen.
Girls. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)