Birthdays and Haters

My Darby turned five last month.  That wonderful morning, after we had gotten up and moving, she sauntered across the living room, hand on hip, and asked, "Mama, do I look, uh, bigger to you, now that I'm five?"  I tucked in my laughing tears and said, "Yes, Darby, actually, you do look bigger to me now."

Last week, Gabe, in his camo boots and Wall-E underpants, sat on the kitchen floor in tears.  It had been a long afternoon and he was just exhausted.  Daddy wasn't cooperating as completely as Gabe deemed necessary, i.e. not giving him some treat from the pantry before dinner or something of the sort, when Gabe sobs, "Dada, you're a hater!"  I could not believe my ears, nor could I recall him recently watching Jersey Shore, so I'm not sure where that came from.

It is never dull with two little humans in the house!

Fabulous Five

My darling diva just turned five years old on Sunday.  She was a real champ, with only a few tiny meltdowns. (It's a lot of work being on all day!)   The sweetest thing she did was early in the day, before the rest of the fest started..."Mama," she said walking closer to me, "do I look, uh, bigger to you now that I'm five?"  I told her that, in fact, she did look bigger to me.  It's rather bittersweet that she gets bigger, almost by the day.  Or by the hour, sometimes.  Gabe will be four in February, I feel myself clinging more and more.  Yikes, they made this mama a little on the emotional side, right?!

Cheers to you, moms!
L

Summer's over...

Well, obviously I took the summer off!  The babies and I had a fabulous summer exploring all sorts of fun activities...OK, play dates, playground trips, backyard fun...The best thing was this year, at 3 and 4, they were physically more capable of so many more things that last summer.  Even the difference from their skill level from the beginning of summer to the end was amazing...they grew up a lot this summer.

So just as the leaves change and we put our new school-clothes on, it feels like I'm ready for a fresh start.  Let's see what we can figure out, shall we?

Ruining a life...teehee!

Just a quick note to all you mamas out there!  My beautiful daughter, all four years of her, just said, "Mom, you're ruining my life!"  I said, "Really?"  Darling daughter replied, "Yes."  And she stalked back into the living room to finish the task previously assigned to her--picking up her toys.

I have to admit I wasn't expecting that phrase for a few more years, but I guess she's a sooner than later sorta gal.  Until it comes to cleaning.

Have a great day, ruining your poor children's lives with manual labor!
L

Pre pre school?

We started Darby and Gabe in daycare/preschool one day a week last October.  They are 4 1/2 and 3 1/4, respectively.  Their "school" is 20 miles away, in the opposite direction from work and I don't love it there.  We just found out one of our best friends will be running an accredited Pre-K/preschool program this Fall-two blocks from my house!!!  Darby needs to prepare for Kindergarten, Gabe is a wild tornado of a boy and we need care at least two days a week.  I know we need to transition to a more structured schedule, since I am quite laissez-faire, and my stress would diminish greatly if I didn't have to rely so heavily on our moms, but really, I think I just feel like the rug is being pulled out from under my idyllic, relaxed life with my babies.  I know it would be good and healthy for all of us, (I'm not the most patient of people,) but I thought I would have a couple more years. I feel like I have the perfect setup for right now, working only three days a week and being a stay-at-home mommy the rest of the week.  How much "pre" do our kids really need for school?  Am I finding excuses to assuage my mommy guilt?  Am I holding them back for my own selfish reasons?  How do we know when we're justifying and when we're actually doing them justice?

A MiraLax Moment

So at Gabe's 3 year Well Baby Checkup, Dr. C and I discussed constipation.  Poor Gabe has always had trouble with it and it has gotten more difficult to manage since he's become a big boy on the potty.  Dr. C told me to give him MiraLax and to experiment with the dosage so Gabe could go once a day, softly.  Now, as a mom with IBS, I am familiar with the product, and I think it is a miracle!  We started with half an adult dose (Dr. C said we may need a whole adult dose daily.).  Late in the afternoon of the third day, Gabe was playing in the kitchen.  He was nude, but I don't remember why...he doesn't often need a reason to be that way!...Gabe was trying to fart, he's such a boy!, then startled, cried, "I pooped!"  I ran over and asked, "What do you mean, you pooped?"  We both looked down and saw a huge plop of toddler poo right on the floor.  It was quite an alarming moment for both of us, one I'm sure neither of us will forget any time soon!  The lesson I took from this was to start with a much smaller dose of MiraLax for my little guy.  Because I want him to poop when he needs to, not when he's standing in the middle of the kitchen!!!

The Kids are Alright, Really!

I know it's been a really long time, but I haven't forgotten about you!  As a super-mom, it seems any moment I'm not corralling the children, I'm sleeping, cleaning or fretting about something I have zero control over right now!  I have been studying for a professional certification for work, which has taken up an enormous amount of brain space, but I do intend to be a better blogger.  I have also been reading book after book on my Nook Color...so fantastic, I can even read in the dark, since it's back lit!  Needless to say, I have been staying up way too late fitting in fun reading on top of everything else.  But my biggest goal right now is to be the best mommy I can be.  I always try, but sometimes life gets frustrating and I am not as patient as I'd like to be.  Children get difficult, to say the least, hahaha!  And my job is to help them figure out this life.  So I remind myself to take a few breaths and refocus my intentions, and I am better able to stay peaceful with life.  I hate getting upset and frustrated..I want my babes to feel secure and open all the time, which I know they do, but I want to make sure that I do my very best for them every moment, even when my mind has other enormous things going through it.  I know I am an awesome mom, and I recognize my sheer luck at the grace which I have been granted in life by being able to create and nurture these two beautiful spirits, and my beautiful husband who makes my life so wonderful and loving.  I am so grateful that no matter what I have faced in my life, my children will most certainly benefit from our family life, and they are alright.  Really!

Breathing Freely,
L

Incubation Period

So how have things been for you?  Confusing? Overwhelming?  I just read the most fantastic book...Outliers The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell.  Life changing. I have to look at my past, my culture, my supports throughout my lifetime to really understand where I come from. And I need to be honest about my weaknesses, as well as my strengths. And then I need to figure out which strengths I am going to use as opportunities to make myself the most successful person I can become. The next 2 1/2 years I am going to use as my incubation period, the time I am going to use to really explore my options and my fears. I have a great job for giving me the time; I have the luxury of meeting and getting to know an incredible number of very talented and successful people.  I have been given the opportunity to figure out where my successes will come from. This is awesome!