Tuesday, February 24, 2009

I think she's got it!

I think my daughter may have turned the corner onto bigger and brighter things! At least in my world. No wet diapers at all today. Each time on the potty. Even better yet, she called me from her crib a few minutes ago to ask to use the potty. She hoped out of the crib, stripped down and planted herself down onto the little potty and out came a poop!!!! I know it is strange but it is what I've been dreaming about...the day she could poop on the potty. Much less of a mess until I stared at the perfectly swirled brown pile on the bottom of the tiny potty. That was a little icky...thank goodness for Clorox wipes!!! Could this mean the end of the tape...dare I dream?

Monday, February 23, 2009

Pack your bags and be ready to go...

Yikes! At 3o weeks pregnant with twins, I was a little surprised when my doctor said the boys may be making their appearance sooner rather then later. But of course at this point I shouldn't be surprised, nothing has really gone the way the books have said they would. I was told that I would have fatigue and need to take afternoon naps or even the dreaded possibility of bed rest. Not so in my case, if you watch me you'd think I had taken speed. As my husband glances at me from the couch, he begs me to stop because I am making him tired by just watching me. As I frantically try to accomplish everything that a normal person would do in a week into a 2-hour time frame, I just can't stop. I have spent evenings up late labeling things that have no business being labeled. For example my husband's workbench in the garage has been organized and dusted with each section perfectly marked. I know it will become a joke once his buddies see it and the labeling of his stuff will haunt him forever, but do I care. Not at all! I enjoyed every second of the cleaning process. My daughter's playroom, now proudly displays large white labels on everything, giant white Rubbermaid bins, all clearly marked, Puzzles, Crayons, Stickers, and Crafts. As if a two and a half year old could actually read or better yet, put the items back in the correct containers. But what do I care, I feel as if I am accomplishing something useful and for some reason I CAN'T control the strong urge to label. The boys clothing has been washed, folded and of course placed in little baskets, marked oneies's, burp cloths, bibs, swaddle blankets and booties. So am I ready for the boys to be born? The answer quite simply is NO! I don't have any names picked out and there are still more items that need to be labeled. Off to the pantry I go...

Excuse you...

I love my daughter, that's for sure. Everyday she simple amazes me and I have learned to see the world through her eyes. To be two and a half, have no worries about what is politically correct or to say the simplest things that have the most profound meaning, is an incredible place to be. I have been working on manners with my daughter, just the simple things like basic greetings, to say "please" and "thank you". I am so impressed each time she has repeated something I've taught her and am even more in awe when she actually uses each phrase in the correct context. I personally want to jump up and down and do the happy dance. Lately, I have been teaching her how and when to say, "excuse me". Sometimes I have to wonder if she is actually getting it, or if I am just an over obsessed first time mom trying to do everything perfectly. But the other day I realized that all my efforts have really worked. She now knows to say, "excuse me" if I am talking and she wants to interrupt. She knows how to say, "excuse me" if she burps. She may have mastered it a little too well...because the other morning we were waiting in line at Starbucks and a man bumped into the two of us. She looked up so innocently and said "Excuse You"!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Elmo told me to do it!

I've always thought that my daughter was an easy child, but the more & more I am with other children I realize that she's not as easy as what I had believed. She is an active & adventurous girl. I mean really, how many little girls scale the exterior of a spiral staircase, get to the top and yell "mommy, catch me, I am going to jump"? Yes, she did jump and fortunately, I was there to catch her. Not a simple feat considering I am pregnant with twins. When I reprimanded her for her actions, she looked at me quite plainly and simply explained that Elmo told her to do it. Well, needless to say she & Elmo both received the longest time out ever. My next clue was when I was cooking dinner and I heard "Mommy, look I'm swinging". I couldn't quite figure out what she could be swinging from, until I entered the dining room and there she was hanging from the chandelier. Needless to say another time out was given and the chandelier was replaced with a different fixture the next day. So I came to the conclusion that she's not easy, she just has good sleep habits. Naps everyday at 1pm, bedtime at 7pm and awake at 8:30am. People I tell think this is a crazy amount of sleep, but if you met my daughter you'd realize she really wears herself out. So now that I am 8 months pregnant with twins, I can't physically keep up the pace. Everyday I try to figure out ways to entertain her in a sedentary way. As I rack my brain on a daily basis to find a solution on what could preoccupy my active daughter in a passive way, I think I've finally found my dream solution... crayons, watercolor & finger paints!

When my two and a half year old daughter got her hands into the bright and colorful finger paints for the first time, her face lit up with a delightful smile! She was hooked on art and color, from the moment that her hands started spreading the magical colors around. Finger painting, watercolor paints and crayons have really made a difference! She loves to work with the textures and colors of the finger paints, and the painting process has seemed to open a whole new part of her brain. I think all children should definitely be introduced to crayons and finger paints. It is now a battle for me to pull her away from her "art" instead of having to worry about which light fixture she is swinging from. And that's a "battle" I'll happily deal with!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

My daughter is a climber!

I've heard many parents speak of their daredevil children. How they climb, jump and swing from anything available. I can totally relate. At 7 months old, my daughter who could not even walk, figured out a way to jump up & down in her crib and swing a leg over the side rail. I remember panicking and calling her pediatrician. When I told him what my daughter was up to, he replied, “Well, that’s just not normal”. Gee thanks bud, that’s exactly what a first time mom wants to hear! After researching every blog and every mom site on the Internet, I found the solution. A crib tent. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. A giant white mesh tent that comes to a dome like top, with a zipper that secures it shut. I couldn't believe I was actually contemplating purchasing what looked like a jail for by beautiful darling baby. But as I looked over at her, one leg hanging out of the crib, it was either order the crib tent or risk having her fall out and suffer a broken limb. I can’t say enough about the crib tent, it has worked wonderfully and I even ordered a travel crib tent for our pack in play. Now at 2 1/2 years old, many ask when am I going to put her in a toddler bed? I don’t know the answer to that. All I just know, is that as long as she’s happy in the crib I have no need to rock the boat!

Hello there Horse Face:)

Why is there such a double standard as to what is acceptable to say to a pregnant woman? If I said half of things that I have heard, I would have been accused of being a crazed, hormonal pregnant lady. So why do people feel that it is okay to say how huge I am, how large my butt has become or even better yet, that I look as if I am going burst, is the doctor sure it’s just twins? Is it me or does this all seem a little rude? I would like to think that it’s a small population of people in this world who feel that it is their right to vocalize whatever they feel. But lately in my outings, it seems as if everyone’s manners have just gone down the drain and they all have a bad case of verbal diarrhea. So here it is right back at you all, everything that I’d like to say but am too polite to follow up with. To the man who addressed me with “Hello Big Mama”. I’d like to say, “Why hello there horse face”. To the woman who followed me around at a cocktail party saying, “You look like you are going to burst”. I’d like to say, “Your face looks like it’s going to fall off, you should have gotten a second opinion”. To the woman who said to me during circle time “Can you actually get up, you look gigantic and your butt is so big, are you carrying a baby back there?” I’d like to say, “The anorexic support group meets every Wednesday evening”. Of course I can’t say what I am truly thinking, nor will I ever. It just brings me pure bliss to fantasize about what would happen if I actually followed through with my thoughts. One thing I know for sure, if I ever did address anyone so rudely, I would be accused of being a hormonal maniac and a crazed pregnant lady. But, at least I’d have an excuse. I wonder what theirs is?????

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

I use packaging tape on my daughter!

I love being a mom but at I times, I wonder what my life has become. This thought entered my mind the other evening when I heard my daughter laughing & playing in her crib at 9pm. Once I opened the door, I new instantly something was totally amiss. There she was naked and covered in her own poo, announcing proudly that she had “painted” a picture of our family on the wall. As she happily showed me her work, I started assessing the situation. It was bad, very BAD. Both arms and legs were completely covered in poop. Almost as if she had gone to a spa and had a lovely clay masked applied top to bottom, but whom am I kidding. It was ugly. Not to mentioned that every square inch of her crib was no longer white or pink, but was replaced by the color brown. How could my sweet, beautiful blue-eyed daughter who always says please & thank you do something so unsanitary & gross? I immediately called my husband for back up, interrupting his quality down time with the TV. All I remember is him repeating, “Who does this?” “What is wrong with her?” as he dry heaved and gagged in the background. His job was to bathe her and mine was to well, scrub every inch of her crib and room. 2 1/2 hours later I was done. So the footed pajamas, with the feet cut off, placed on backwards and her diaper snugly secured with packaging tape, is now our nightly routine. Do I feel bad that I tape my daughter up every night? Well yes. Do I wonder if I will scar her for life? Absolutely! Or that she will grow up with a strange bondage fetish. Of course I do! But do I now sleep soundly without having to dread another 2 hr clean up? You beat I do! And if she grows up with issues from this taping experience, well I guess that is, what therapy is for. Right?!?!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

How much help is really needed?!?

So now that I am expecting twins, I am inundated with questions about how much help I will need. I have found that there are two camps; those that think it will be impossible without a full-time staff, and those who think it will be difficult, but doable. Call me naive... but I am leaning towards the doable. Am I crazy? Well yes, just slightly! I have read and studied most of the twin books available on the market and have come up with a plan. My plan is to get both boy's on the same schedule. Is this possible? Well I don't know, but I am hopeful.

When my daughter was born, I read a great book called Babywise. It became my bible. I read this book over and over, highlighted pages, and made notes in the margins. I truly tribute my daughter's great sleep habits to the information I gained from the book. At 6 months old, she consistently slept from 5:45pm until 7:30am. Yes, I was the envy of many and probably the target on someone's dartboard. As hectic as my days were, I knew it would be over by 5:45pm. That brought me much sanity, well needed down time, and plenty of time to spend with my husband.

I am hopeful that the Babywise program will work for the boys. So, I have ordered a new copy (Don't ever loan it out because you'll never get it back). Now that I have my copy in hand, I am studying up a storm.

In my opinion it should be on every new parent's nightstand. It is a must read!

If you can touch mine, then I can touch yours...

Why is it that once you become pregnant that the whole world decides it’s acceptable to grab, grope & rub your belly. I would never think to go up to a man with hot abs and just start feeling him up. So why does all etiquette go down the drain when someone sees a pregnant lady? The other day I was out and someone I had only met on one occasion before decided to not only rub my belly but also keep her hand placed on it for about 2-3 minutes. Yikes! Very awkward. I had thought I had mastered the block or a quick side twist but the larger I get the harder it is to protect my belly. Why, oh, why…I ask?!? So I have to wonder, what would happen to me if I saw a really nice firm butt and decided to place my hands all over it….hmmm!