Respect the Mommies

Being at home with two girls for even a few days over the past few weeks gives me an all new respect for stay-at-home Moms. I've always thought that being a stay-at-home Mom would be more difficult for me than being a working Mom. I've said repeatedly that working makes me a better Mom, and I truly believe that. I guess I never realized just how much harder staying at home was. I'm honestly getting the hang of it now. I've been able to take the girls on multiple outings all by myself. I've also learned to multitask with them so that I can feed Sophia and entertain Hailey at the same time. I've got a decent rhythm going. Still, it's exhausting. If stay-at-home Moms were fairies, they would be patience talent fairies (a rare talent, indeed). Yes, I've been watching a lot of the Tinkerbell movie, and you would get the reference if you live with a 2-year-old. Anyway, I wonder what my fairy talent would be? Disillusioned fairy? Impatience fairy? No...has to be Moo Cow Fairy.

Strep Throat

Sore Throats Require Ice Cream, Right?

Hailey has strep throat. Apparently, she's on the lower edge of the age at which you can get strep throat. This is no surprise since her mother had strep throat about 10 times a year when I was little. Ok...maybe it wasn't 10 times a year, but my Mother told me yesterday that when I was Hailey's age I pretty much had strep throat non-stop for an entire year. Great. Luke's comment was "Oh that would have been nice to know when I married you." Yeah, this marriage is a sham because I didn't disclose my minor illness history. Anyway, I hope that this isn't the beginning of a trend because she doesn't have any grandparents close enough to deal with this.

Worst Mother EVER!

Sometimes when I hear Hailey's call for "Mommy" in the middle of the night, I wonder to myself "who is this mythical Mommy character that she wants?" Surely, she is not referring to me. She could not possibly expect me to get out of my warm bed to attend to her lost glow worm, dropped blanket, unquenchable thirst, etc. I heard the call again this morning around 5:00am. Keep in mind that I've had a chest cold for a few days now so I'm not sleeping or feeling well. Regardless, I went in to find Hailey searching for her glow worm, which I quickly found and returned.

My general rule is that I will go into her room one time to be sure that there isn't an emergency, but after that she's on her own. For some reason, I broke the rule this time. We proceeded to play the call Mommy game for about an hour. She was complaining that her stomach hurt, which if fairly typical when she's hungry or has to poop. After eliminating those two causes, I finally made Daddy go in. At that point, Daddy brought Hailey into our room to "sleep." What ensued were 2 hours of screaming almost hysterically about her stomach, ears, and neck hurting. While I considered the possibility that she was really sick, I thought that the more likely scenario was that she could not sleep and wanted some attention. She got attention, Tylenol, milk, a bagel, and three episodes of her favorite show.

By the time real morning came (8:00am), she seemed fine again. She didn't feel particularly warm as if she had a fever. She was smiley and talkative. I thought the earlier 2 hours were a fluke so I let her go to school. About 3 hours later, I got a call from school. Hailey has a fever and needs to go home. Argh! So now Hailey and I are home sick, AND I feel like a horrible mother for ignoring my child's symptoms. I AM that mother who people curse for sending their child to school sick. What a horrible, crappy, cold, yucky day. Thank goodness Sophia is fine, so far.

Which Is Which?

Success...Kinda

We tried every shape available.

Of course, she likes the one that I like the least.

Well, she will take a binky, but only for a few minutes and only under very specific circumstances. Still, I'll take anything at this point. Her insatiable appetite is wearing me out.

I took lots more pictures this weekend. I'll try to get those posted up this week (in between feedings, of course).

I Survived

Hailey came home from school with pink eye on Tuesday. Of course, she couldn't go to school on Wednesday or Thursday, which meant that I had both girls at home with me for two days. I have to say that it was a fairly eventful two days even though we didn't actually do much. Here's everything that we survived together...

• 2 Severe thunderstorms
• 1 Trip to the doctor
• 1 Sophia poop explosion in the middle of CVS
• 1 Sophia melt down in the middle of CVS
• 3 sets of eye drops every day
• 1 Bout of pink eye for Hailey
• 1 Bout of pink eye for Mama
• 1 Josie bite to Hailey's forehead (not severe)
• 2 Baths - one for Hailey/one for Sophia
• 1 Timeout

It doesn't sound like much, but this stay at home Mommy stuff is really hard. By the end of today, I was pretty desperate for Luke to come home. I think that it would have been better if the weather had been nicer today so that I could have taken the girls out somewhere. However, the rain was pretty bad, and I don't quite have the 2-kid-confidence yet to venture out under those conditions. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually.

10 Things You Forget

Napping in bed...shhh...don't tell anyone that I let her sleep on her side!

Here's my hand for some size perspective.

Satisfied customer after the Mommy buffet

With the second one, you think that you should know what you're doing. Here are 10 things that we definitely forgot about between #1 and #2... 10. How quickly you become exhausted 9. The consistency of baby poop 8. The unpredictability of baby poop 7. How often they have to eat 6. How precious they are when they're asleep 5. How demanding they are when they're awake 4. How much laundry is required to keep them in clean, dry clothes 3. How quickly you become exhausted (wait, did I say that already? Too tired to read back to see) 2. How difficult breastfeeding really is 1. How sweet and cuddly they are

Binky Battles

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that I was trying to take a binky away from Hailey? Now, I'm desperately trying to get Sophia to accept a binky as a legitimate substitute for me. This kid wants to eat non-stop. Well, not necessarily eat, but at least suck on something. Oh and that something HAS to be me. Anything else is out of the question. I believe they call her a "grazer." It makes for a very tired Mommy Moo Cow. Here's the face that I get when I don't give it up quickly enough. I swear, this child is going to suck the life out of me. Just take the binky instead, just this once. Mooooo!

It Doesn't Come Back to You

Note: If you have a weak stomach or are easily grossed out, stop reading now.

Luke, Sophia and I curled up on the couch this afternoon to watch movies. Luke was holding her when we heard massive rumblings in her nether regions. I explained to him that whoever was holding her when she did it had to be in charge of changing the diaper. When we thought she was done, he put her on the floor to change her. Apparently, we forgot the consistency of infant poop, which resembles chocolate pudding before it's congealed. Needless to say, we ended up with poop flowing out the back of the diaper, up her back, onto her clothes, onto the carpet, and everywhere else. In the midst of my laughter, Luke was running to the kitchen to get towels because we were totally unprepared for any of this and everything is now covered in uncongealed pudding. It was bad news, but everyone and everything has been cleaned up. So much for this parenting thing coming back to us!

New Pictures Available on Flickr

Just took some new close-up pictures of Sophia. I feel like she looks totally different than she did just a few days ago. She's still eating like a piggy though! Click here to see the new photos.

Why Natural???

When I tell people that we do natural childbirth with no epidural or drugs of any kind, I get some strange looks and lots of questions. To be honest, I never really have been able to articulate why in any concise or convincing way, but having just been through the experience one more time, I figured that I'd give it one more try.

The main and most important reason that we do natural (and I do mean "we" because it's a 3 person job) is that it's actually safer for Mommy and baby. There are countless studies out there that suggest that medical interventions, including epidurals, tend to lead to more complications, higher c-section rates, and longer recovery times. I'm pretty big on letting science and research guide my big decisions, and the science is pretty convincing on this one.

But science alone is not enough. I guess that the main reason why we do natural childbirth is because we can. Many women fear the pain of natural childbirth and are happy to relinquish control of what will be one of the most defining moments of their lives so that they can eliminate the pain. I don't want to make a decision out of fear, especially since there's no medical reason why I need to (and I realize that's not the case for everyone).

In order to really commit to natural childbirth, you have to believe a few important truths about yourself and the process:

1) Women have been giving birth naturally for millions of years. If they can do it, you can too.

2) There will be pain, but that pain is logical, manageable, and purposeful.

3) You must take control of the decisions about your labor and simultaneously relinquish some control to your support partners.

4) You can do it.

Having just had Sophia naturally, the one truth that was so abundantly clear to me this time was #2. I was very nervous about trying to do Sophia naturally because I honestly knew what was coming and had to more consciously choose the path of more pain. However, the whole process of birth is so logical. The contractions are painful, but they are rhythmic and predictable. I knew that each one was moving me closer to Sophia. Especially at the end when we were waiting for just that last centimeter so that we could push; every contraction was an exercise is letting go, relaxing, and inviting her to come into the world. Those are the most difficult and painful contractions, but you're so close at that point that it's easy to focus on the goal. Even the pushing is rhythmic, and if you listen, your body tells you when to push and when to rest. That makes it a lot easier to be efficient and keep yourself whole.

I guess all in all I have even greater respect and appreciation for the process after Sophia. I also have great appreciation for my Mom and Luke who traveled down the road with me. It's just a beautiful thing, and I'm so glad that we did it again.

3 Other Details

Not that anyone cares, but I wanted to get these down for posterity's sake...

1) After insisting on midwives and seeing midwives for 9 months, I was not delivered by a midwife but by the on-call doctor for the practice. Lucky for me, she was fabulous. She was patient and supportive of everything we were trying to do. She didn't rush me when we pushed and let me make every decision on my own. All in all a fabulous experience.

2) Sophia had a huge knot in her cord when she came out. It was pretty amazing to see.

3) My veins suck for IVs. After the first nurse missed twice and my arm swelled up with a lemon size knot, I tried to refuse the IV. When the doctor insisted, I tried to dodge the IV Team lady that came. Eventually though I didn't have enough energy to fight off the IV lady so I had to be poked.

The Details

I think that I mentioned previously that I decided to start my maternity leave on Friday even though I hadn't had Sophia yet. I was very excited to just relax and run errands on Friday, and Mom and I headed out pretty early to run around. We stopped at a few stores and then went to Home Depot to pick up some flowers to plant later in the day. While at Home Depot, I started having mild contractions. I thought it was more fake contractions so I didn't worry, but headed home just in case. By noon, our contractions were about 9 minutes apart and still fairly mild. We progressed pretty well at home until we were about 4-5 minutes apart, which was of course, around 5pm. I couldn't believe that we went into labor during the day, that we had to drive to the hospital during rush hour on a Friday, or that this was finally happening after all of the waiting!

We got to the hospital and into a room by 6:30. I was 6-7 cm dilated when we got there, which was exactly the same as I was when I got to the hospital with Hailey. We progressed pretty quickly although it felt like an eternity. The doctors and nurses were very patient and supportive. Everyone kept telling us how great we were doing, which was extremely comforting. By the time I was 9cm, I was ready to push and getting a bit impatient. I let the doctor break my water and within minutes, I was pushing. 12 minutes of pushing later, Sophia was born.

She had a big head full of brown hair and a lot of fluid (because she came out so quick). I got to hold her right away until the respiratory therapist came and cleared out her lungs for a while. She wanted to eat almost immediately. She nursed twice in the first few hours. She was starving!! The good news is that she's a good eater and a good sleeper (so far at least). I've already started giving her a pacifier because I just can't keep up with her. However, she's been known to sleep for 3-4 hours at a time.

Unfortunately, the next morning Luke woke up with a horrible case of food poisoning. It was very sad for him to miss any of Sophia's first day, but he was violently ill and mostly just rested. Hailey and the grandparents came in the morning to spend some time with Sophia and take Luke home. Hailey just giggled and giggled when she met Sophia for the first time. Then, she wanted to sit with Sophia in the Boppy. The Boppy was the most popular "toy," not sure why.

Anyway, Sophia is a little eatin', sleepin' angel. Mommy is feeling really great (much better than with Hailey). Pushing for 12 minutes really did make a huge difference in terms of my overall health. We're home now and each of the grandparents has had a chance to hold her. I'm going to try to rest for the next few days. I have doctor's orders not to lift anything over 10lbs (including Hailey) and not to climb the stairs more than 3-4 times a day for several weeks...several weeks!!!

Here are some pictures of Sophia.

Sophia's Sense of Humor

We've waited for 9 days past her due date for Sophia to come. She decides that we need to drive to the hospital at 5:00pm on a Friday in Atlanta. Really?!?!?! This one's gonna be trouble. I can tell already. Contractions are 4-6 minutes apart now. Probably going to the hospital soon.

We're in labor!!!

Contractions have been regular for about an hour and are 8 minutes apart. We'll try to keep this updated.

Now You Have All Lost...Officially!!!!

Yesterday was the last day that was selected on the calendar. Just to keep you busy and because I'm bored out of my mind, let's play a new game. Guess Sophia's weight. I'll give you a clue...Hailey was 7lbs 6oz.

Now, in other news, I started maternity leave today. I'm 9 days past my due date and scheduled for an induction on Wednesday. So, the most that I lose out of my 11 weeks will be 3 days. Seemed like a small price to pay to sit on my couch and watch March Madness. The only bad part about this plan is that I have to keep myself occupied.

Still Nothing...

Just thought I'd mention it.

Bring on the Beer

Just returned from the doctor where they checked my amniotic fluid levels to make sure that Sophia has a safe environment. It's a lovely environment; so I can continue the pregnancy until I'm rechecked again on Friday...yippee (I guess).

I was so disillusioned by the doctor's visit that I decided to stop to get beer on the way home (for myself not my parents, although they may need it too). Of course, the woman at the gas station just had to ask "when are you due?" It's hard to be polite at this point, but I put on my happiest Mommy face and said "I was due six days ago, that's why I'm buying beer. I may just have to drink her out." I think that she wasn't sure if I was kidding. On second thought, I'm not sure I was kidding. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

You All Lose!!!

Except Auntie Ann who said the 19th. Everyone else who guessed a birth date was wrong. That's really all I have to say today about the fact that I'm still pregnant and still at work.

Well, one other thing...maybe Sophia is waiting until St. Patrick's Day to grace us with her red-headed presence???? That would be great!

File This Under Grandma Spoils Me

Hmmm...Grandma took Hailey to the Jumping Bean today, and there was a birthday party that they weren't invited to. Obviously, that means that they had to come home and immediately make cupcakes. But not just any cupcakes...strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting (all pink) and sprinkles and princess wrappers...seriously! Grandma blames Papa Harry for the idea and noticed that there were not whiny attitudes today. Nope, just smiles, giggles, and sugar highs.

Still No Movement

Just thought I'd post to say that we successfully went to my friend's traditional Indian wedding. It was beautiful and so worth holding on for another few days, but now it's over and it's time to have this baby. I tried to eat all of the spicy Indian food, but it hasn't worked so far. Keep your fingers crossed that we get some movement in the next day or so because I do not want to go to work on Monday and face all those disappointed faces.

I Think I Expressed It Best...

Click Here

The good news is that if I can just hold off one more night, I'll probably make it to my friend's traditional Indian wedding tomorrow. I've been wanting to go so badly because I have heard so much about all of the tradition and outfits etc. Just one more night.

Whiney McWhinestein

Someone in our house (besides me) needs an attitude adjustment. Ever since last week when she was sick, Hailey has been a bit of a nightmare. She’s constantly whiney, sometimes bratty, and rarely her normal happy self. I really don’t know if it’s a result of being pampered when she was sick or of having Grandma and Papa Harry in town or of the thought of having a new baby soon. It’s probably some combination of all of the above. I guess it doesn’t matter the cause; it just matters that she’s making me a bit batty (couldn’t be that I have little patience already since Sophia is exercising her own stubborn streak).

PS: The only people still alive in the birth date guessing are

Melanie

Grandma

Grandpa Pete

Kinjal

Katie

Auntie Ann

What's a Due Date Anyway???

It's just an estimate, and apparently not a very accurate one either. I mean what are the chances that I'd be 2 for 2 with going later than my due date. Inaccurate due dates or stubborn children? You decide.

PS: Of the 20 of you who gave me a birth date guess, 14 of you have already lost. Only 6 still left in the running!

Nothing Happening Still

Just got back from the midwives. Still nothing really happening.

Atlanta Spring

These pictures were taken just 3 days apart. Gotta love Spring in Atlanta. It's 80 degrees today by the way!

Excuses, Excuses

Every day now, I try to evaluate just how ready I am to have this baby on that particular day. Most days so far I’ve been able to come up with excuses for why Sophia should hold off a little longer. I’ve used all of the following:

• Mom isn’t in town yet,
  
• Hailey’s sick,
  
• I didn’t sleep well the night before,
  
• My bag isn’t packed,
  
• Luke has an important meeting at work,
• The weather is too nice to be inside a hospital,
  
• I have half a carton of ice cream in the fridge that I need to eat first,
  
• My friend is getting married next Saturday, etc.

Here’s the problem…I’m running out of excuses. In fact, all of the above have been remedied except the last two. I’m going to the doctor today. My due date is tomorrow. This baby is coming at some point in the very near future, and I’m getting a little nervous. Now that I’ve been through natural childbirth once, it’s a lot harder to be excited about it. So, I better start psyching myself up because it won’t be long now.

If I Had a Dollar...

for every person who says something to the effect of "you're still here" at work today (sympathetic faces included), I would be a rich woman. Ok maybe not rich, but it probably would cover the trip to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream that I ate last night!

Not Again...

Hailey has what I think is another mystery fever. I'm not sure that's what it is yet because it hasn't been long enough to be sure, but she was sent home from school on Friday. Then, Friday night her fever spiked up really high over night. Now, we're able to control it with Tylenol, but it's ever present. The worst part about this situation is that she will not be allowed into the hospital to visit Sophia and I. They take every child's temperature before they're allowed in the rooms. That would just totally suck, and I might need to request an early discharge.

Pregnant 'til St. Patty's Day?!?!?!

I went to the midwife yesterday, and I think I’m going to be pregnant for a long long time to come. Ok. She didn’t say that exactly, but I’m not progressing as I had hoped. In fact, I had hoped that I would have had Sophia by now. I know that it’s still a week until my due date, but a girl who can’t sleep, has chronic heartburn, and endures hourly rib kicks can dream, can’t she???

Thank You APS

Sunday we had snow in beautiful Georgia. There was mass panic. Well, not panic really since most people who live in Atlanta are actually displaced Northerners anyway. Hailey was certainly entertained by it, although her evil parents would not take her to play in it. Still, it was lovely to watch out the window.

On Monday, although there was no snow and a weather forecast of 40 degrees and sunny, the Atlanta Public Schools decided to close all schools for the entire day, not just a few hours in the morning which would have been sufficient for melting any black ice. Hailey’s school closes with APS so she had no school either. Mommy decided that she would have to take the day off too. I really wasn’t too upset about it because Sunday night was particularly sleepless for me. In the morning, I was a little bit nervous about how I was going to entertain Hailey for a whole day when I was exhausted and hurting and cranky myself.

However, it turned out to be a fabulous day. We ran a few errands, bought Hailey new big girl cups to replace her sippy cups, went to a place with lots of moonwalks for jumping, took a two hour nap together, and had friends over for dinner. Hailey was a very good girl and Mommy ended up more rested than when she started the day, which is always a pleasant surprise. So, thank you APS for being so incompetent as to needlessly close schools for the day. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Button Debacle

[iPhone] Button debacle on 12seconds.tv

Hailey's Debut

Hailey stars in her first Microsoft video... You have to watch until the end (or fast forward) to see her.

TPE and TPA Defined

Tactical Parenting Error (TPE) - Everyone makes them, and you usually know as soon as you do because your child reminds you of your error constantly. For example, mentioning the park if you have no intention of going there, giving your hyper child chocolate milk before bedtime, making a promise that you can’t keep, introducing your child to a sugary food (like M&Ms…thank you Grandma). I call these tactical parenting errors because not only do they affect the parent/child dynamic at the time, but they also might have long term effects if, for example, your child asks for M&Ms every time you go to the store.

Tactical Parenting Adjustment (TPA) – This is a moment when you have to draw a line in the sand and dare your child to cross it so that they can experience the consequences. We’ve had two of these in the past two days. Two nights ago I had to tell Hailey that she would not get a story before bed if I had to come downstairs and carry her up for bed. I gave her every chance to make the right choice, and she did not. There was no story. There was 20 minutes of screaming and crying for Mommy to read her a story before she fell asleep. Next night no arguments before bed. Perfect TPA. This morning I had to take her Cheerios away because she kept getting up from the table and running around. Gave her two warnings and the Cheerios were taken away each time. On the third, she was told that this would be her last chance and the Cheerios would not come back if she got up again. She sat in her chair and ate them all with no questions asked. Classic TPA. No one likes having to make TPAs, but idol threats only work for so long. Sometimes you have to make the hard choices, and luckily for Hailey, I’m just stubborn enough to out stubborn her (at least for now!).

2 Weeks and Counting

Today we are officially two weeks away from our due date. I know that two weeks out is full term and the due date is just the midpoint between 38 and 42 weeks, blah, blah blah. However, I have to say that I don’t think this baby is coming for at least another week. Could be that I’ve just planned enough events that I don’t want to miss (pre-birth mani/pedi tonight, haircut tomorrow, 1 hr massage Saturday, dinner with friends next week, etc). Ok, I realize that a lot of things on my list are Mommy-pampering things, but you have to have something nice to focus on when you’re in labor and pretty nails and toes are a good place to start.

Bottom line is I don’t think that this baby is coming this week, but apparently, some of you think she’s coming next week. Here’s the official calendar and hair/eye color charts. Good luck to all, particularly those who choose early dates! No luck to Auntie Ann who should be publically shamed for guessing that Sophia will be as late as Hailey was.

This Baby May Fall Out

I just returned from an unplanned trip to see the midwives. I was having some shooting pains that felt like a knife being stabbed in a very unpleasant place. I figured that it was just pressure from the baby, but the stabbing feeling was beyond what I expected. It's ironic because friends of mine who have two kids kept asking me if I felt like the baby was going to fall out on the floor. "No, not really," I would reply quite proud of my body's ability to handle this pregnancy. Well, turns out that the stabbing pain and pressure is what they meant. The midwife said that there's nothing to worry about and felt that the baby's head was very very low. I guess I will just suffer the next few weeks feeling like the baby may fall out on the floor every time I stand up. Good times for all!

Best Hailey Quote from the Weekend...

“I’m sad because you’re making me crazy.”

Oh, child, it's only just the beginning. I will be making you crazy for many many years to come. HAHAHAHAHA (evil laugh).

Craig's List Wins and Losses

I’m trying to cope with the emotional blow of having my first Craig’s List failure. For someone who has lived by the CL for months, it’s sad to have to admit that I made a mistake. Last weekend I purchased an older model Ragazzi crib for $125. That’s a good price for that brand of crib, but the crib itself was not “white” as had been described in the ad. Instead, it was a very very blond wood. Having driven 20 miles to go get the stupid thing, I figured that we could just paint it. My poor mother (who has been in town for a week helping me) was charged with doing just that. Well, today she threw in the towel. The organic paint that we bought was just not covering on the finish. So, we’ve given up, and I’m searching for a new crib. All in all, I will probably end up spending more on the crib than I would have if I had simply purchased a cheaper new one. That makes me sad. But, here’s what makes me happy…

Changing table + baskets – Craig’s List = $40; New price = $150; Savings =$110

Bunk beds – Online price = $426; New price = $2,148; Savings = $1,722

Britax Car Seat – Craig’s List = $85; New price = $160; Savings = $75

Doll House + Furniture – Craig’s List = $50; New price = $125; Savings=$75

Crib Bedding – Craig’s List = $40; New price = $80; Savings = $40

Total Savings = $2,022

So, if I spend a little extra on a new crib, I think that I'll still come out ahead. I've already found two others that I like and will probably pick one up tonight. I'll just make sure that I like everything about it before I fork over the cash this time!!!

I Need a Nap; You Need a Nap

By the age of 4, 50% of children will give up their afternoon naps. By the age of 5, about 70% stop napping. Well, Hailey’s a bit ahead of the curve. She’s only 2 (and a half), and she’s given up her nap. I didn’t really realize it until the teachers at school started telling me that she will just lay on her mat for 2 hours every day with her eyes open. She plays with her hair, sings songs to herself, talks, etc, but does not sleep. I protested for a while that she was a fabulous nap taker at home, sometimes sleeping for 3 hours in the afternoon. Well, turns out I’m a big fat liar. She doesn’t necessarily sleep at home. She plays in her bed (now her bunk bed) until I come to get her. She used to sleep really well, and from time to time if she’s been up late, she might sleep a little. However, for the most part, she does not take naps.

Here’s where Mommy panic sets in. I’m not ready for her to give up her nap. That’s the only time on the weekends when I can really attack my “to do” list with reckless abandon. That’s my quiet time, my football time during the season, my Mommy time!!! Ugh. Ok. Stop panicking. The best approach in this situation is denial. She still takes naps. Yup. I’m going to continue to put her down for naps just like normal, if she sleeps fine, if she doesn’t sleep fine. Everyone needs some quiet time in the afternoon, even Mommy.

Chores and the Evil Parents Who Create Them

Ever since we found out that we were pregnant, we’ve tried to instill in Hailey a sense of chores and housework. We bought her a tall stool for the kitchen so that she can help cook, put away dishes, wash things, etc. Whenever I talk about her helping, I can’t stop myself from putting the word “help” in annoying little air quotes. Sometimes helping looks a lot like making a bigger mess. Sometimes it looks like only doing half of the job before being distracted, and sometimes it looks like Mama doing most of the actual work. So, you could say that we have a “helper” (if you include big air quotes and roll your eyes a little).

Still, she is getting much more independent, and she actually does help at times. For example, she often picks things up for me so that I don’t have to squish my belly trying to bend down. Picking things up for Mommy is an important chore at this stage in the game.

Anyway, I wanted to document some of the chores that she does around the house at the ripe old age of 2.5. And, no, we have not introduced the idea of an allowance so this is slave labor at this point….shhhhh don’t tell! Here's the list of things that she does when asked:

• Put away the clean silverware in the drawer;
• Feed the dog;
• Make tacos or pizza;
• Snap green beans or broccoli;
• Dispense water for dinner (we keep towels handy);
• Put dirty clothes in the hamper;
• Help fill the washing machine (excuse the black sock in with the whites, please);
• Put away her clean clothes (ok not yet, but this is coming shortly);
• Wipe up spills that she makes;
• Throws things in the garbage can (hopefully only when instructed);
• Put things in the recycle bins;
• Put (more like throw) her dishes in the sink after a meal; and
• Wipe any surface with a baby wipe when given the opportunity.

For the most part, she loves doing these things. If you have any other chores that she could do, please let me know. I’m sure that she’ll be in charge of many other things when Sophia comes.

Binky Capers...The Finale

I’m sure that you were on the edge of your seat all weekend wondering how the Binky Capers story would end. Well, let me tell you that our child is a champ! The night that we gave her the card from the Binky Fairy was the first night in her new bunk beds (pictures coming soon). She helped us round up all of the binkies in the house and put them in a Ziploc bag for Mommy to put on the porch (as per the Fairy’s detailed instructions). Then, we read a chapter of her Cindarella story, turned off the light, and she said “night night” as usual. Not another peep the rest of the night.

On Sunday morning when she woke up, she found a present and a big stuffed animal on the edge of her bed. She didn’t touch the present, but was giddy as a clam when I went in to wake her up. She was thrilled with the tea set that the binky fairy brought for her and played with it for a long time in the morning.

I would say that the whole thing was a huge success. She hasn’t asked for a binky since and even was brave enough to sleep on the top bunk last night. Of course, she didn’t take a nap on Sunday, but that’s a story for another blog.

Binky Capers

The bunk beds arrived tonight and are in great condition. I was really concerned about what the"damage" would be. I mean, what damage could possibly be worth the $1,500 that I saved by purchasing them as returned merchandise? Well, the inside bottom of one of the drawers is smashed to the point that we'll need to replace it. Nothing cosmetic at all. They look perfect from the outside. It's no problem. Now we just need mattresses.

So, we've been telling Hailey that when the bunk beds come, she would have to give up her binky because she would be a big girl sleeping in a big girl bed. The binky is like toddler crack. You give it to her, her eyes roll back in her head, and she gets all mellow. It's great for us as parents. She really only gets it when she's going to bed, but in an emergency, we can give it to her in the car or on the plane. Here's the problem...it's not good for her teeth and I'd rather sacrifice a few nights of sleep now rather than pay thousands of dollars in orthodontia bills later. Thus, the decision has been made - the binky must go.

How do you get rid of the binky with minimal pain and suffering? Well, according to my expert friends, you create binky fairy who writes the toddler a letter asking her to mail all of her binkies to the poor babies who don't have any. In exchange, the binky fairy brings the toddler a present and voila, no more binkies. Yeah, I don't really believe that it's going to work either, but I don't have any better ideas. So, off I go to decieve my child yet again.

Parent/Teacher Conference Day

I had Hailey’s first ever parent/teacher conference today. The assessment was very thorough and included 5 broad areas under which there were about a million minor little skills. The whole assessment is 10 pages single-spaced. Who knew that you were supposed to be able to do 10 pages worth of stuff by the time you're 2?!?!? The broad areas are large motor development, small motor development, cognitive development, language and literacy development, and social and emotional development. Here are some interesting tidbits about Hailey that come really as no surprise, but I’m putting them here for documentation purposes:

1. Hailey doesn’t like conflict and will walk away when children are rough-housing or fighting over toys;
2. If a child comes to take Hailey’s toy, she will give it up and go get another one of the same thing whenever possible;
3. She loves books and gets a check under everything related to speaking and communicating;
4. She is comfortable playing by herself;
5. Some days she will lie on her mat for 2 hours during naptime and never go to sleep (then where does she get the energy when she gets home???);
   
6. She knows her colors and shapes;
   
7. Despite the fact that she comes home and tells us that she was a bad listener and that her "ears don't work," the teacher has never actually had to say that to Hailey; and
8. She picks up on songs very quickly.

Things that Hailey will be working on in the next few weeks:

1. Learning the first and last name of everyone in her family;
2. Learning the letters that correspond to her name;
3. Working with scissors; and
4. Identifying numbers by sight.

PS: Check out the old school-style belly picture I posted on the last entry. I had to improvise last night, but I'll have Luke take something more official soon.

Time To Slow Down

I’m going to admit something that I hate to even consider…I think that I might need to slow down a bit. I guess that I thought that I was slowing down, but based on the burning, throbbing, shooting pain I have in my back today, perhaps I need to drop it down another notch. Slowing down and (gasp) relinquishing control is difficult for us Type A personalities, but I can’t keep making emergency trips to the chiropractor and I certainly don’t want to go in to pre-term labor. Perhaps I will make a sign for my bathroom mirror that reads “I am not Super Mom. I must take care of myself. I must let others help. I must sit down when I need to.”