Together and other random points

It warms my heart to see the two of you together.

Yesterday you entertained Lucy for about 8 minutes while I inhaled my breakfast and read 1/2 an article in the local paper. Go Nora! I relished those 8 minutes.

You are iffy about sharing with Lucy. Sometimes you have a "whatever" attitude, but most of the time it's a "MINE!" kind of attitude: even if the item is hers.

Your potty skills are slowly but surely returning. Very slowly.

The weather last week and over the weekend was BEASTLY hot. So very very hot. We survived without melting. Today the hot weather finally broke and it was 77 degrees this morning. When going to daycare to you kept telling me how "chilly" it was over and over.

We went to our annual tradition of the Reese Fire Carnival last week in 100 degree heat. We had a splendid time together and ate cotton candy and Italian ice until we almost popped! See the pictures below.

At the carnival you were not interested in the "baby rides" anymore. Daddy took you on these rides where I wouldn't go near until I was in high school. Your favorite was the Tilt-O-Whirl.

Last night Lazer the cat decided to sleep with you in your room. Never again. We found you at 10:30pm awake on the floor with your blankets, pillow pet, a Barbie doll and the cat playing some make-believe game.

Because of your late night adventures with the cat you were a crazed maniac this morning. You had an epic breakdown because you wanted a lollipop for breakfast and one was not being provided to you. I was really close to pulling out the video camera to record the fit. You were being that ridiculous.

Teddy and Owen came over for a play date on Sunday. Owen and Stan were instant best friends. I think all hounds have some type of brotherly code.

You had a pillow pet party with Becca and her friend last night. I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures.

I am still undecided about this blog. Maybe I'll have an epiphany soon.

Nap time is almost over, so I'll have to end here for today.

All of Us

Today all of us spent our morning doing chores, eating munchkins from Dunkin Donuts, watching our ritual weekend morning travel channel and generally spending time together. Nothing special, nothing grand, nothing out-of-the-ordinary. Somewhere along the morning, I paused to revel in my happiness. My overwhelming happiness of calm, relaxing, things-will-get-done-when-we-get-to-them attitude. Somehow this joy catches me off guard. How is it that a mundane Saturday morning can awaken these feelings in me? Why am I so surprised "just being" with my family is enough to spark such feelings?

I don't deserve the love and joy that the three of you bring to my life... but I will happily lap up every morsel offered. In times of great stress and great annoyance (which there have been many moments over the last couple of weeks) I need to remember how blessed I am.

How blessed all of us are.



A special thank you to aunt Katie who took our first family pictures at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum last weekend!

Why I won't be surprised if Child Protective Services shows up at our door.

I kid. I kid. Your father and I are both second born children... the parents are always more relaxed with the second. And more tired too.

For the Love of Dance

There have been some major changes in our house lately but your love of dancing has not weaned. You provide so much joy to our lives and video opportunities to blackmail you with when you're a teenager! Ha HA!

Big Sister

On July 4, 2011 you became a big sister. I went into labor in the early morning and by 11:06am your little sister entered the world. Lucille Clare was healthy and was born screaming, just like you. In fact, Lucy is alot like you as a newborn, except she has a ton more hair. A ridiculous amount of thick black hair.

I don't what what will happen to this blog. I don't want to start another one for Lucy, but I don't want to change this one either. For now, I am keeping this entry all about you. I will dedicate an entire entry to the "spectacular" entrance of your little sister. She was born on the 4th of July afterall and we celebrated with fireworks that night :)

On the night of July 4 you came to the hospital to meet Lucille. You were excited and very in the moment for about 5 minutes. Then you became bored with the whole baby thing and you wanted to go eat dinner with Daddy in the hospital cafeteria. You ate an entire salad so it wasn't a wasted trip. You spent the week with Nonni and Nonna at "Nonni Camp" which you keep asking to return to. You came home on Friday and all was smooth... for about 5 minutes. Last weekend was dicey at best. Last Saturday night I found you on the floor of your room at 9:30pm just crying your eyes out. When I asked you what was wrong, you just kept telling me you were sad over and over again. I laid down with you for awhile until Lucy insisted on being fed. Daddy took over and we got you back to sleep, only to have you wake up at 1:30am crying again. By 2:30am you and Lucy were both in bed with Daddy and I. No one had much sleep that night. It broke my heart to see you so sad.






You don't appear to be sad or upset at Lucy, in fact you love to play with her, help change her diaper, take her on walks, and generally interact with her. I think you are sad that things in our house have changed dramatically. You have completely stopped using the potty and you look to control anything we allow. At meals you now need no less than 4 pieces of cutlery for yourself, mostly a variety of spoons. You have frequent meltdowns about little things like eating your Slurpee outside. The tiniest correction or negative comment such as the word "no" will throw you into a tizzy sometimes an all-out-heap-on-the-floor-crying-hysterically fit. By Tuesday night, I had had it. Daddy came home from work and found you in the yard with no pants (because you refused to put any on) eating a day-old Slurpee with sticky green syrup everywhere. I have stopped arguing with you and I allow you to control situations and things that aren't that important like cutlery and wearing pants. The fits and meltdowns have lessened as the week wore on. They aren't gone but they are better. You are so eager to help and be a part of the action. I taught you how to use the microwave when cooking. This was a bad parenting move since tonight you put a bowl of vegetables with a metal spoon in the microwave. Thank goodness it was only for 30 seconds.

Today was my first solo day with you and your sister. We went (walked) to the park. I was so exhausted and on edge by the time we returned an hour and half later I thought I was going to need one of my Percocets. I refrained from the narcotics and somehow got your fussy sister fed and put down and you fed and put down (I might have bribed you with a lollipop though). By 2pm it was all quiet and I was shaking with exhaustion. I have no idea how I am going to handle the two of you on a regular basis. Just getting out the door is a nerve-racking experience; a lesson in patience, negotiations and resilience. I'm praying it gets easier each time we venture out. Of course you have an uncanny ability to know when I'm at my tipping point because just as I was about to loose it, you climb onto my lap wrap your arms around me and say, "I love you Mommy!"

Lucy has been here for only 11 days and home for 7... but it feels like so much longer. It hasn't been a smooth road this past week but we have survived. We are a family and for that simple fact, I am so humbled and grateful. No amount of sleepless nights or screaming fits or meltdowns by you or Lucy can change our bliss.



We love you and Lucy so much it can't be put into words.

Actually, Yes.

I typed this beautiful post and then lost it. So here is a short and not so great recap because I am tired and pissed:

The baby will be here in less than a week. You seem excited. We put together the swing we bought for a really good deal months ago. We had to rationalize with you why 1. you can't swing in it and 2. why the swing can't reside in your room. You are now clear that the swing is only for babies and it will reside in the living room.

We talk alot about the doctor taking the baby out of my stomach and then I will have to be in the hospital for a few days. You always respond with "Me too hospital." If everything goes status quo next Tuesday morning, you will be visiting and meeting your sister by the late afternoon. You talk constantly about "take my baby on walks, change her, feed her, hold her, rock her." You have quite a list of what you want to do with her. Hopefully, not all at once.

You have become obsessed with swinging: at the park, the neighbor's yard, Ms. Patti's. I have to limit your time because you will literally swing for hours. I have become obsessed with teaching you to pump. The sooner you learn "in and out feet" the happier I will be.

You started to use the word actually and in the correct context too. The first time you did it last week I was dumbfounded. I asked you a question and you squinted looking up in the air and then said "Ummmm actually, yes!" Your father did not believe me but now you use the word 'actually' all the time. We have no clue where you picked up the word or why you started using it. It's so funny to hear you say it and people in public look at you like you have three heads. The other day you corrected a lady at the pool who asked you "what shapes are on my bathing suit?" You didn't answer so she said, "are these circles on my suit?" You then decided to speak up, "Actually, ovals." Her eyes grew wide and she looked up at me and I shrugged. "How old is she?"

I always hate this question. I struggle with it myself" "She's two." Most of the time people respond with: "But almost three, right?"
"No, she just turned two in March. She won't even be two and half until the end of September."
Most of the time after that people just stare and you smile back.

I have to remember you are only 2 and some of things you do make you seem more mature. Last night you made the salad for dinner. We make our salads in individual bowls. I took out three bowls and all the ingredients to make the salad: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cheese, croutons, bacon bits. You systematically put the lettuce in each bowl then the cut up tomato, then the cucumbers and so on. Somehow your salad ended up with the most toppings. After you made all the salads you went and grabbed three forks and delivered the salads to the table one at a time. I couldn't believe you did this. You just love to help. The more independence and responsibility I give you to help and create, the more you do.

This doesn't mean that you aren't still a toddler. We still have our heaping fits and breakdowns. It's just hard to remember that the typical toddler behavior is ok. You spoil us with these moments profound wisdom. We easily forget you are only 2 and I think the rest of the people in your life do too. We have such high expectations because you amaze us but as your mom, I need to be patient and remind others that you develop on your own schedule. Yes you can identify octagons and count all eight sides, count backwards from 10, identify letters and the sounds they can make, pick out colors and shapes but you also have a right to be overwhelmed and irrational too.

During nap time you love to get out of bed and play in your room, the bathroom and in the baby's room. The other night after bedtime, we found you asleep in the guest bed in the baby's room. It warmed my heart to think about the two of you sneaking into each other's rooms to be able to sleep together.



Daddy has been taking you splashing after work since mommy's maternity bathing suit isn't fitting real well this last week.




We bought you an easel so you can play school, draw, color, paint, create! You love to play teacher, instruct us and ask us questions. I intentionally give you the wrong answers so will correct me. I am surprised to find out you know your colors much better than you have let on. Each time you ask me a color and I give the wrong one, you immediately correct me. The entire time you have this smirk on your face knowing that I am wrong and you are right. I think this is important because at Ms. Patti's you are on the lowest level and all the other kids know more than you and can answer Ms. Patti's questions much faster and correctly. You are the youngest in her preschool program, the next girl is an entire year older than you. I think it's good for you to feel smart and that you know something that you can share. We have spent many evenings with you as our teacher. But neither your father nor I can compete with your favorite pupil: Stan.





Strawberries from our barrels are still trickling in. You picked this gem the other night and then proceeded to eat it all juicy and ripe.



We planning on spending our final weekend as a family of three resting and generally laying low. I am both sad and excited to see our family changing. We have been our quirky threesome for awhile now and I am not sure how your sister will fit in. But deep down in my heart, I know it will all work out and the two of you will create a bond that only sisters can have. Besides, we already love her like crazy.

Fast / Slow Ballet

After going to see Becca's ballet, you became inspired to do your own after dinner dance. How we treasure your energy and find it exhausting all at the same time. Maybe that's the definition of parenting...