A Merry Christmas

I'm going to follow suit with the previous, "You never get it until you have kids" post with - Man, Christmas with kids is the best. Not just kids, but one very inquisitive, bright-eyed toddler who totally gets the Santa thing this year.

The anticipation was great, too. "Missy" the Elf hung out at our house all month long, flying home at night to tell Santa if Riley had been naughty or nice nice that day. Some days, I thought Missy might be on overload, never to return again...other days, she seemed pretty happy.

Riley's wish list was pretty straight forward:
1. Daddy froggy
2. baby turtle
3. Big girl bed

And man, did Santa deliver (with help from Mimi, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa, and JCPenney.com...oh, and Daddy the worker elf).

So there we were, the night before Christmas, after a rocking Christmas Eve party at my parents house, quietly assembling furniture in Riley's room. The elves worked until 3am (actually, this breastfeeding elf went to bed at 2:00 because I knew R2 would be expecting a meal pretty soon) and every minute of preparation was totally worth it.

After Riley tore into every Christmas gift - her smile wide with excitement at each new gift (and I do mean it, she shredded that paper like no ones' business) we asked her, "Did you get everything you wanted from Santa that you asked for?"

"No."

"Why, what did he forget?"

A little sad, "My big girl bed."

"Well, maybe it couldn't fit under the tree...maybe it's in your room."

(Here is where our sneakiness really came into play--- Riley slept in our room the night before and we managed to keep her out of her room all morning)

Cue the wild lady running into the other room.

She couldn't even believe her eyes...and my parents, Kyle, me and Dan, who followed closely behind, were pretty excited too. You will also catch a glimpse of Dan's Amish ways with the window seat that he built and her new pet fish from my parents.

Things you do for your kids.

You know those stories about people standing in line for 72 hours to get their kid a toy or the latest gadget. There is no way you can get that concept until you have kids. I couldn't wrap my mind around the things that you do for your kids...until you actually have one...or two.

Like, assemble a gingerbread house with a husband who just so happens to have a Building Science degree. Takes it to a whole new level people -- precision and pain staking preparation like nothing you have ever seen. You would have thought we were building the Taj-Majal of all structures.

Oh yeah...the bag of icing exploded. That was fun too.

Who actually reads the directions? Who measures and preps the "walls" and shaves off excess to ensure a flat surface? Dan, that's who.

Then, there is the subject of our 5 year anniversary. We debated on what to do. We decided to make a quick family trip up to Busch Gardens and the Zoo afterwards to meet up with some friends. Oh the romance. (In our defense, we did have an anniversary dinner, take out of course, of steak and lobster).

Finally, we cannot leave out Chef/Uncle Kyle and the Sugar Cookie Bonanza of 2010. Highlights from the day: Kyle to Riley: "Quality, not quantity." and "Don't be afraid to use another color besides red."

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to supervise the children while Dan puts yet another coat of white paint on his Christmas creation for Riley. For three weekends, Dan, with the help of his Dad, has been working on a window seat for Riley's room -- to go along with her new, big girl bed.

Merry Christmas!

Blast from the Past

I don't know many people who can say that they are still friends with people they have known since kindergarten. And not just friends, best friends. Friends who would fly across continents to see you get married or to love on your new babies. Friends who you know that although you haven't seen each other in months or years, it's like nothing has changed.

Diana and I have that type of friendship. I am so blessed to have grown up with Diana and her sister, Marcie; her parents took care of me like I was their own and mine did the same. They introduced me to the Colombian culture and taught me how to roll my "R"s and my parents indulged Diana in her favorite bar-b-que restaurants and kept her stocked up on Claussen pickles.

I got to spend some time with Diana and Marcie at my parents house this past weekend. They laughed with my girls (Reese for the first time), we drank wine, and my parents made one killer dinner. After I laid Reese down to sleep for the night, we had more girl time, thanks to my parents for Riley duty. We talked and laughed and I kept thinking --- this is the girl that we would make up names of our fake boyfriends (Todd and Scott, thank you very much) as we daydreamed about our future lives...and here we are. Diana is married to a wonderful man, Holger and me to Dan...not exactly Todd and Scott, but it works. As we sat there that night, catching up and telling old stories, I thought to myself, how lucky I am to have Diana in my life and to have shared our life together. My hope is that one day, my girls will get to have the same experience.

Sums it up

This picture with Santa pretty much sums up our life these past months, hence the reason the blog has been so neglected.

Here is the breakdown (no pun intended):

Riley: Stubborn.

She is pretty adamant about not wanting to do anything I want her to do it when I want to do it. Follow me? Typical 2 year old fashion, she talked about Santa, was pumped about telling him the three things on her wish list, and then froze when we tried to pry hr off of us and onto the big guy in red. Would not, under no circumstance, sit on Santa's lap.

Reese: Frantic

Anytime she is not in a 3 inch radius of Momma's boob, she's pretty pissed.

Me: Delirious

With Reese still not sleeping through the night, and as we get closer to her 6 month birthday, I find myself uncharacteristically delirious. I have a hard time finishing sentences, thinking of words, and pretty rude to door-to-door salesmen. I'm not sure if I even remember taking this picture.

Dan: Goes with the flow

You see, he knows there is mass chaos happening, and he is in the thick of it, but refuses to freak out (see above) and just goes along to get along. Yin and yang, I tell ya, thank God!

Christmas Card O-Ten

Colorful Joy 2010 Christmas

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Finally!!! Why won't my children cooperate and allow for ONE GOOD PICTURE!?!?!

We love Daddy

Daddy had a hard day at work. We wanted to remind him how much we love him and appreciate all that he does for our family. So, what better way to show your admiration by making a big-ass sign for all to see?

I think so many Dads are un-sung heroes of a family; Quietly trudging off to work while Mommy and the little ones have pajama days, crafty afternoons, and playground adventures. Dealing with stress at work isn't fun. But, coming home to a squealing toddler does make it a bit better.

When I call Dan at work, one of the things he always says is, "I miss you guys."

We miss him too.

Dan has a way of speaking softly to Riley during a manic moment. He has a way of smiling at Reese and I watch in awe as both of their faces light up in unison.

I love that I married a man who is not just an awesome husband, but an equally awesome Dad. I knew that, too. I told him on or third date that he would be the father of my children.

Yet, amongst the stress of our day to day, we remember that we are lucky; Lucky to have a job, a home, food, and health. When so many people are in want of any of those things, we remember that beneath the bad days, are some really good ones.

Good and Evil: Halloween 2010

As my friend Josh said, "Sometimes, the costume chooses you."

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

This Halloween, our family of four truly signified the good and evil. Riley and I played the little devils, and of course, Baby Reese and Daddy, the angel and priest.

Looking forward to next Halloween, the Fantastic Four perhaps?

Is there a doctor in the house?

It was one of those days. A day like any other, where I was half-crazed with too much caffeine and too little sleep. Riley was literally bouncing off the walls with boredom and I was not about to bust out of the house with a screaming infant (Reesie Pie hates the car) and a wild toddler (Riley hates to nap).



So, off to the closet I go.



In the closet, I have cleverly hidden toys - some that she has forgotten about and some she has never seen before. Riley received a Doctor Kit this past Christmas from her Aunt and Uncle but I never gave it to her thinking that she was a bit to young to "get it." Complete with ooohhhs and ahhhhs, I revealed...the Doctor Kit (complete with a giant TA DA!).



I showed her how to use all of the tools and she was off running.



Sometimes Riley packs up her kit and tells me she is going to work. Then she returns with an imaginary ice-cream. This part is puzzling.



Or, she'll follow me around the house asking, "You sick Mommy?" After a few times of, "Well, no, Riley, Mommy is not sick, Mommy is just tired. You see, I stay up late to do school work, and then Baby Reese gets up..."



"No Mommy, you sick?" As she holds up her pink medical kit.



After quite a few of Riley's "exams" I decided it was time to practice on a new patient - her baby sister. I say, whats better than a fragile baby to practice new medical skills on?



In the video, Riley is being quite patient with Reese. She even tells her, "You be a good girl, you get a milkshake." That's all me, I'm a briber. You will also notice Riley's "princess" dress. A friend of mine got Riley this dress for her birthday last year and she has been hell-bent on wearing it as of late; to bed, to the grocery store, to school, destination really doesn't matter as long as she can pair with it her leopard-print shoes. It's a classic style option for every two year old.

Hands

Reese has been loving on her hands lately. Most of the time, you can catch her sucking on them, eating them, or folding them. It's pretty cute, even when she is completing some pretty outrageous maneuvers like this one....

Here is Riley after an art project. She doesn't really care for messy hands, insisting that I clean them throughout the creation process.

Riley has also been using her hands lately for another activity - praying. Evidently, when you sign your child up for a religious preschool, this will happen. I pulled out the prayer sheet out of her backpack the other day after school. I started singing it and instantly she bowed her head and closed her eyes. Upon discovering that I wasn't doing the same, she stopped praying and instructed me to "close eyes." While watching Ellen the other day, I caught her praying again on the couch. I'm not sure what Ellen said to get her a-prayin' but she evidently felt called into action!

The devil

I have been busy making tutus for the girls' Halloween costumes. Reese is going to be an angel and Riley, a devil. How appropriate.
We went away this weekend so I could present with a group of professors at the Florida Communication Association conference. Riley, again, was out of her mind. She didn't want to be in the room, she want to see the fish in the lobby aquarium, she didn't want to step on the rug in the room, she didn't want to be strapped into her car seat. Dan says that it feels like we went through war, but at least we made it through and got to come home.
Yesterday, after 14 hours of sleep, she was a little angel. Today, it has been another story.
Why does it bother me so much that she throws a fit over clothes and shoe choices? Or, when I ask her to pick something up she replies, "No, you do it."
It's because she is a mini-me. I was exactly the same way. I used to throw a royal fit if my scrunched socks (remember those?) did not have the same, exact number of "scrunches." I would lay on my bed in the morning as my Mom pulled one outfit after another out of my closet. One day, my Dad had enough and took everything out of my closet except for one dress and told me I would have to wear that for the rest of the school year. Bawling, I asked him what would happen when it go ruined. He replied, "I'll buy you another one just like it."
God is totally punishing me.

Forgiveness

I'm in this class called: Restorative Justice, Servant Leadership & Forgiveness. It's an elective and requires 10 books. It sort of feels like a therapy session rather than a master's level class but in any case, I'm getting three credits for it. A large portion of the class is working through past situations, realizing our role in the problem, and seeking forgiveness. If you think about it, there's a lot of forgiveness out there in the world to be had, and also, it's necessary to forgive yourself. Just for fun, here's my working list.



Please forgive me for...

1. Wearing my pajamas all day when I don't leave the house

2. Eating a bag of cookies because they are OATMEAL chocolate chip. That makes them healthy, right?

3. Driving like a bat out of hell as I squeal out of the garage for a "night out" to complete my homework at my "office" aka Panera.

4. Not shaving my legs. Enough said.

5. Trying to be super mom. I'm really not and anyone who tries is in for a big disappointment.

6. Feeding my child bread and butter for lunch today. I was too tired to fight.

7. Laughing hysterically when Riley explains she is afraid of the trash can and night light in her room - these were the reasons she wanted to sleep with us around 3am last night.

8. Telling my husband that a perfect gift would be a night in a hotel...alone. Just me, a big comfy bed and some room service. Preferably at the Ritz.

9. Inviting my brother over for dinner. Then promptly telling him to bring the necessary ingredients to actually make the meal. The grocery store is over-rated.

10. Rolling down the windows and cranking up the tunes as two girls cry in the back seat.



No one is perfect and I'm not shy about asking for forgiveness for my Mommy imperfections!

The Reesie Pie is spoiled.

Reesie Pie, as Riley and I call her, is what you would call spoiled, like a pie left out on the Perkins bakery counter far too long. (Work with me here people, I am going on 5 hours of sleep.)



Reese wants to be held all the time. While this is sweet and I do love cuddling with her and looking down at her as she gazes into my eyes, all the while cracking a crooked little smile, this girl has got us under her spell. I don't remember holding Riley nearly as much as I hold pie lady. Not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing, but man, I was hoping for a second kid who liked to just sleep and eat!


But who can say no to this little face?


Something must have surprised her on The View during this tummy time session...Mommy was watching a little TV while big sister was at school.

Sleep is for the weak.

I'm not going to lie. I am tired. So tired that I get really angry when people complain how tired they are to me. So tired that during a recent napping attempt for Riley, I fell asleep on her tiny toddler bed while she caught up on some Curious George action. Dan captured this picture on the baby video monitor.

Someone told me that Riley would be worn out after a morning at preschool. This person lied. It seems that our little energizer bunny is only fueled by this activity and becomes what I like to describe as a crazy lady. So it may not came as a surprise that on the weekends, her body gives in and she crashes. Big time. She puts up a good fight, but between an afternoon swim, the lull of the car and the warmth of the car seat, she was knocked out by the time we reached our house today.

We then debated, at 6:00pm, do we wake her or let her sleep? I voted for waking her because I don't want to have two kids up at 3:00am wondering what's for breakfast. This is our attempt to wake her.

The first day.

The first day of anything can be exciting -- mixed in with some anxiety and worry.

And that is just me and Dan, let alone the two year old about to embark on her newest adventure - preschool.

I thought I was going to be one of those Moms who kept their kids home until the state drug them away to kindergarten, that we would learn our letters while having activity centers complete with daily science lessons. Uh no, not happening. Then there is the added bonus of a two year old who is painfully shy at times while other times, insists she is a dog as she chases squirrels up the tree, all the while barking and panting like her big, hairy brother, Murphy.

We did not take the decision to put Riley into preschool lightly. I actually agonized over it for months questioning everyone but the mailman about what we should do. Dan and I finally came to the conclusion, It will be good for her, not to mention, a little break for me. Two days a week, for three hours seemed like the perfect compromise.

So bright and early this morning, after a belly full of french toast and hair done up in pig-tails, I drove my mom-van down the familiar road to Riley's first day of school. After getting Reese situated in the Baby Bjorn, we walked hand in hand through the doors. Actually, that's how I imagined it but Riley insisted on holding on to the straps of her backpack for some reason.

We entered the bustling room to find quite a few anxious Mommies and Daddies. Riley quietly held onto my pinkie and refused to hang up her backpack like the other kids. After I finally talked her into letting the backpack go and got her interested in the puzzles at the kiddie-size table, I decided to make a break for it. Like a band-aid, I reminded myself, just do it quickly.

After her teacher gave me a quick nod, I stooped down and quietly said, "Riley - Mommy and Reese and going to go now. You are going to have so much fun. I love you and we will see you soon."

"Don't go Mommy!"

Her tears began flowing. Her teacher quickly scooped her up. She has done this before.

I exited and found some friends waiting to console me. I held back tears but did not give the celebratory high-five that I had envisioned. Just a little sadness mixed with some panic. She's so little, I thought.

After a friend checked on her a few more times, I decided it was time to head home in case I got a "she's still crying come get your kid" call.

The call never came. Instead, I called. They assured me that Riley had cried for about ten minutes and then after they went outside to the playground, she had been fine since.

I watched the clock until it was time to pick my big girl up from school. I was armed with her favorite snack, mini muffins and her "Riley" cup.

After waiting in the car line, (I was the fifth car in line because I didn't want to seem over zealous) Riley was led to the car.

"I missed you Mommy," were the first words out of her mouth, complete with a huge smile.

"I missed you too baby. Did you have fun?"

"Yep, I had a fun day."

"Did you cry?"

"Nope."

Singing in the Rain

The perfect ingredients for an evening summer shower:

Puddles

Rain Boots

and an Umbrella.

8 weeks

It seems like the past 8 weeks have flown by in a blur. Between breastfeeding, diapering, burping, wiping, and rocking the bambino and trying to maintain order in a sometimes chaotic household, it has been a bit of a whirlwind.

Some things have remain unchanged despite the events of the past 8 weeks. Riley loves her some Baby Reese, as she calls her. Like, obsession type of love. Which is fine by me. Riley still fights me on nap time so getting the two of them to nap simultaneously is my daily struggle. I also try to use the Babywise method of Eat-Play-Sleep routine for Reese, like I did with Riley. Sometimes it works beautifully while other times I end up holding her through a nap just so I can catch some shut eye as well. I know that with practice, Reese will become a better napper. Speaking of sleep, Reese does remarkably well at night sleeping, only waking once around 3 or 4 am for a middle of the night drink. She has also mastered the fine art of smiling.

I have a hard time remembering what the early days with Riley were like. What I do remember is a lot of me looking at her. Watching her do tummy time, watching her sleep, looking at all of her features memorizing every eyelash and strand of hair. Obsession - this may be where Riley gets it from... With the second baby, things are so much different. There isn't much time to linger in the morning and watch the little one do her tummy time. Instead, Reese is sort of shuttled from room to room as Riley gets ready and I work to feed and supervise the never-ending toddler bonanza.
Maybe this will make Reese an easy-going child? One can only hope.

Just for fun, I've included a side-by-side comparison of Riley and Reese both at 8 weeks









Riley (Left)

Reese (Right)

My Girl: Take Two

We have long been a fan of The Temptations in this house. The song, My Girl, has especially been a favorite. Remember this post? Well, instead of Dan and I busting out the tunes by ourself, Riley has now joined in on the jam session. Ironically, it is one of the few songs that soothes Reese when she is fussy. Riley really gets into it too; she really belts out certain verses. We also have choreographed a few dance steps into the routine!

Conversations with a Two Year Old

I think it's amazng what comes out of Riley's mouth. She talks so much and when I say talk, I mean the type where she can't eat a meal or fall asleep at bedime type of talking. It's in the genes, I know, because I come from a long line of talkers. My Dad often jokes that he tries to break into conversations with me, my mom, aunts, and grandma, often without much success, just a few stutterd words. So it's no surprise to me that Riley is a talker. She also has such a vivid imagination and memory. She engages in pretend play with no prompting with her babies and animals and it's so funny what she rememebers from our conversations days ago that will come up during playtime.

Here is a long video (about 4 minutes) of Riley playing. (I'm not sure how many people will be interested in it besides my Mom but I posted it anyways!) The set-up for the video is that she had me, while I was holding a snoozing Reese, play tea-party while she arranged her babies. You will notice that she calls every baby, "Baby Calla." This is a friend's baby who Riley had the chance to meet shortly before Reese arrived. Since then, she has been slightly obsessed with Baby Calla, even calling her sister Calla and all of her babies have now adopted the name.

Enjoy (Mom!)

Things that make me happy

It's days like these, Monday afternoons at nap time, where I have to remember to be thankful. Thankful and happy for the little things in life as I try not to pull every last brunette (which, by the way, seems to have more and more gray ones as of late) hair out of my head as I try to get two children to sleep simultaneously.

So, if you too are having a crummy Monday, I encourage you to be thankful for the little things in life. Without further ado, here is my list for today.

Playing a little "Where's Waldo?" with baby Reese.

Cheerios necklaces

Sassy sisters in animal print

...and...

Sleeping babies

(Photo Disclaimer: Objects in pictures are smaller than they appear!)

Things that wouldn't happen if I wasn't sleep deprived...

True stories from a sleep deprived Momma

1. I simply missed the noises coming from the monitor this morning signaling to me that Riley was up. Instead, awoke to her tearing apart the bathroom, clearing off the counter after she used the gigantic horse barn as a make-shift step stool, and notifying me that she pooped in her pants.

2. Went to a friend's house to take care of her fish. This friend shall remain anonymous should the occasion arise that I have to replace her fish after the following: Riley watched me feed the sea monkeys. I settled into their recliner to breastfeed Reese and enjoyed the quiet. After growing suspicious, I found Riley "feeding" the sea monkeys. She had managed to work the top off and dump an entire package of food into their plastic container. I'm pretty sure she killed them.

3. While getting Riley to wash her hands, Reese projectile vomited all over me. I left my diaper bag in the car. I had to rummage through friend's closet for a replacement shirt for myself and stripped Reese of her clothing, all the while scolding Riley for Sea Monkey Incident 2010. I didn't have anything to use for Reese at the moment (outfit or spit cloth) so I used some paper towels on a bath mat as her resting spot. I ran to the car taking Riley with me for fear of Sea Monkey Incident times two. I left my baby on the paper towel, this time on the kitchen floor mat. Upon my return, I then had to clean up the explosive poop that had occurred in Reese's diaper all the while Riley complaining that she couldn't get her shoes on.

4. Had a panic attack.

5. We met Dan for lunch at Chik-Fil-A. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep for a couple minutes while eating my sandwhish with one hand and rocking the stroller with the other.

6. Bribed my two year old (who quite possibly is attaining speed on the black market) with a brownie if she took a nap.

7. I am up, instead of sleeping, blogging and watching So You Think You Can Dance.

The Moby

Stemming from the encouragement of a friend, I decided to buy the Moby wrap. It is a very long piece of fabric that you can use to tie/wrap in a variety of ways in order to hold your baby close to you. However, it seems very complicated. Like 16-steps type of complicated. I decided to enlist Dan's mechanical brain to teach me how to do the different style of wraps.

We found the whole experience quite comical actually. One step instructs you to locate the "fabric pocket." Dan was perplexed because there are obviously no pockets on this contraption.

After he mastered the newborn cradle hold with Reese....

We (actually it as all me) thought it would be funny to give it a whirl with Riley...after all, it says you can hold up to 35 pounds in it...

Here is a quick video of the process...pardon the shaking camera work, I was a bit giggly. I blame lack of sleep!

2 years and 2 weeks

I didn't believe people when they told me to enjoy the newborn stage. "Don't rush it," they'd say, "It goes by too quickly." This time, I get it. Too soon, they are two and walking around in underwear with boxes on their heads doing some serious alphabet work on the fridge.Now, we are rememebring to savor the newborn smell and her little cries. We are remembering to snuggle in bed past bedtime (and pretend to sleep...ahem, Riley).This morning, before heading out to Reese's two week appointment, I remembered to take a quick snapshot of my girls. Riley is absolutely in love with her little sister. At the doctor's office, Riley insisted that the good Doc do to her whatever he was doing to Reese. "Check Riley's ears," she would say.

Reese is growing well, exceeding her birth weight now by 12 ounces.
So for now, we are enjoying our spunky 2 year old and our sweet 2 week old, loving them each and every day.

Fourth of July: Babies, Balloons & Bottle Rockets

Oh yes, add one more to the mix. Reese, only 4 days old, enjoyed her first Fourth of July festivities. Even the rain couldn't stop us.

Daddy and Uncle Kyle filled up water balloons and Riley went to town, in the rain, throwing and catching them. We enjoyed some good food and the fireworks were handled by again, Dan and Kyle. It was a great time.