Sunday, August 30, 2009

She's Walking!!




Er, just not yet like a human. It seems that she is a little confused and has started this new milestone on all fours. I haven't figured out where she got the idea since we don't have a dog, or a cat, or even a turtle. (which is what she looks like). She is excited though and knows that she is really doing something special (Most likely from all of the stares that she's getting).

I guess I should ditch the legwarmers for a pair of gloves.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

She's a Maniac


"She's a Maniac, Maniac on the floor,
And she's dancing like she's never danced before."

From the looks of this photo, one might think that Princess just danced her heart out in an audition for the toddler remake of "Flashdance."

And if you can't possibly believe that she just finished sliding across the floor like Jennifer Beals, then you MUST be thinking, "It's August, It's HUMID, my goodness, why the legwarmers??" Well, you should know that like every real Princess, my baby girl has suuuuuuper sensitive skin - just like her bigger brother, Little Sticky.

If it weren't for the legwarmers, her knees would look like, um, well her feet. See the red marks on the tops of her feet? The red blobs are from crawling on the floor. The red lines are from where mommy tried to put some adorable little pink leather slippers on her piggies to keep them from getting even redder. Apparently, the elastic in the slippers dug into her pudgy little feet causing the red lines. What's a mommy to do? I guess I'll keep slathering her with lots and lots of creams and lotions and moisturizers. Afterall, a girl's got to start primping sometime.

As for the nap? Well, she just wore her cute little self out eating lunch. I think the world would be a much happier place if we were all lucky enough to make time for siesta everyday. You think that's why little ones are oh so happy? Something to think about...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Caution: Clippings Ahead

Not clippings like you would see along the roadside with a big tractor mowing the median. I am talking about fingernails. I need a sign to post outside my house warning neighbors what is going on inside the premises. One would think by the screaming coming from each of my children that I am not only cutting their nails, but the entire limb. I have never heard such a raucous. I am afraid that one of my neighbors will eventually call the local police, 911, or Child Protective Services.

I have finally made a game of it with Big Sticky. It started out with us sitting at the craft table and we would "snip" his nail and see how far it would fly. Even though it was totally grossing me out, it worked for a short while. Now we play Snip, Snip, Tear. I make two snips on each nail and then he tears it off(you can read that as "tares" or "teers" because he is doing both at the same time). Anyway, it (kind of) works for him.

Nothing seems to work for Little Sticky. I literally have to straddle him like you would a horse with the hand that I am not cutting between my legs. This is the only way I can keep him from hitting and kicking me. Yes, I said kicking. Then there is the screaming. The decibels measured may equal that of one stranded on a deserted island, bitten by a poisonous spider, facing inevitable amputation without anesthesia or whiskey. Perhaps I should try cutting his nails next time from an interior closet... to minimize the sound to the street.

Princess on the other hand doesn't kick and scream (yet anyway.) The only problem with her is that her hands are so wet and slippery from teething, that it is not only hard to get a grip, but it is hard to tell what is nail and what is not. A friend once tipped me to place baby powder in the palm of your hand and then rake your child's fingers thru the powder. The powder gets stuck under the nail making it easier to see for cutting. This works especially good for tiny little newborns who don't have much of a nail to see. Just remember to wipe the powder off their fingers once you are finished.

Happy Clippings to you!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Lashin' Out

You can see from below why Princess gets anything she wants. She just has to bat those little lashes.


Note: Her lashes have not been surgically enhanced, the child is not taking Latisse (the latest craze in Hollywood), I did not tape these on, I did not use a lash curler, I did not put mascara on her, nor did I paint, darken, sharpen, or otherwise enhance these lashes using Photoshop. These are the REAL DEAL!


Mama has total lash envy.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Offensive Parenting

Not Uh-ffensive as "meaning to offend," but Ah-ffensive as "opposite of defense." I normally pride myself in the latter when it comes to parenting. I try and have lunch ready before they ask for it, baths run before they anticipate it, and pajamas ready before they know what hit them. Anyway, just recently, I fell into defense mode. I'm not sure at what point the kids created their game plan but the end result was a shutout on their part.

20 minute Play by Play:
* Get all the kids out of the van from running errands
* I place Princess in her high chair and give her some (store brand) rice chex to snack on until I can fix her lunch.
* Big Sticky climbs into the pantry, he also wants cereal for lunch.
* I throw a Hot Dog into the microwave for Little Sticky.
* On the way to get Big Sticky a bowl, I realize Little Sticky has gone back out to the garage.
* While in the garage convincing Little Sticky that it is too hot to ride his Gator and that he needs to come in for lunch, I hear china clammering and the microwave beeping in the kitchen.
* After running back in the house I find Big Sticky on a step stool that he has taken from the hall bath and is climbing onto the counter to get his own bowl, "No, No, No" I say.
* Little Sticky has followed me back into the house, I remind him for the 1000th time that we close the door when we go in and out.
* I pull the hotdog out and start cutting it into pieces.
* Big Sticky states that he needs his milk for his cereal.
* Crunch! Upon approach to the table, I step on a piece of cereal that Princess has thrown onto the floor.
* "Mommy I want some OJ" exclaims Little Sticky.
* He opens the "plastic" drawer, pulls out, and then drops the entire stack of sippy cups. OUCH! as they land on the bone on the top of my foot.
* I start to pour Little Sticky some OJ. "NO, I want to do it!" he exclaims as he tries to pull the carton from my hands.
* I reach for the wipes to clean up the spilled OJ.
* By this time Big Sticky wants another bowl of cereal. He tries to pour it himself and surprisingly misses the bowl.
* I go into the pantry to retrieve the dust pan and small broom to clean up *all* the cereal off the floor.
* "Down, down, down" I yell at Little Sticky who has now climbed onto the coffee table with his sippy cup.
* Big Sticky reminds me he needs more milk in his bowl.
* Back to the fridge for more milk.
* Princess starts crying. She is ready for her lunch, pl-ease!!
* I mix up her oatmeal and grab her jar of peas.
* I ask Little Sticky to sit down and eat his lunch. "I don't want to eat." he claims then jumps on a push car that I had "hidden" for a consignment sale.
* Big Sticky is finished eating and jumps up to push his brother.
* Round and round they go while I feed sister.
* The joy ride ends when Little Sticky spills onto the floor and starts crying.
* I quickly put down Princess' bowl to take Little upstairs and place him in sisters jail cell to lock him up crib for a nap.

* When I come back downstairs, Princess has completely excavated her bowl, the contents now in her hair, eyelashes, and nose.
* I clean Princess, change her diaper and lie her down in the pack-n-play in the former office switched to playroom.
* I realize I haven't seen Big Sticky since I took Little Sticky upstairs. I find him in the bathroom. "Mommy, I need some privacy please." Know what that means, I'll be back to check on him shortly.
* Sister is now up and crying. Really? It hasn't been 5 minutes. I can smell why she is crying. I pull her out and change her business. Lie her back down.
* Head back to the bathroom to check on Big Sticky and make sure he is "clean."
* Walk him upstairs for "quiet time." Turn on his TV to Noggin, and get him under the covers.
* Back downstairs, I finally sit down at the island to edit some photos for a friend. Realize I forgot to put the milk back in the fridge. Crunch! I obviously missed a piece of cereal when I swept earlier.
* At least all is quiet... for the next 20-30 minutes or so... Uh-oh. Only seconds later I hear Big Sticky coming down the stairs, his easily identifiable cadence on the hardwood risers, already?
* "Mom-my, can I have some straaw-berries, pl-ease?"

Game Over, Final Score
Kids: 36, Mommy: 0

Monday, August 17, 2009

Lightning McGreen $$

I would buy stock in Dole Foods if they could figure out how to make the likeness of Lightning McQueen in a broccoli floret. You see, Little Sticky will act on nearly anything if it can involve Lightning, Thomas the Train, Mickey Mouse, Wow Wow Wubzy (the list goes on...). We have numerous products in our home covered in the Licensed image of McQueen. Coloring books, pajamas, bubble bath, crackers, hundreds of different vehicles, Legos, yogurt, a boo-boo freezer friend, and most recently, the bicycle he received for his third birthday (along with a helmet covered in Thomas). He got so excited, he immediately put on his gear, jumped on his new bike (with a little help from Daddy), and made several hundred gashes in the hardwood floors laps around the downstairs of our house.

But the best products of late involve potty products. Yes. Potty products. Lightning has helped get Little Sticky to use the big boy potty by donning the #95 and his signature Lightning Bolt on Pull-ups and big boy underpants. We have made it several days now with little or no accidents. This is very important, because he has to be trained before starting pre-school in the next three weeks. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Ca-chow!

Now, if we could just work on the broccoli thing...

Little Sticky spitting blowing out his candle on his "Madagascar 2" cake. (or Madagascartoon as he calls it.)

Enjoying the icing from his Mickey Mouse cake (party #2).

Friday, August 14, 2009

Happy Birthday Little Buddy


Little Sticky turns three today. I awakened this morning just before sunrise to find him lying next to me. (Both boys journey down to our room between 1 and 3am, but that issue deserves its own post.) Little was talking to himself. I have no idea what he was saying, but he was obviously dreaming about something in playland.

While listening to him mumble, I thought about the very first time I saw his sweet little face. Remembering it so vividly, three years ago - my baby boy. I smiled to myself and placed my arm around his - not as pudgey as it used to be - belly. They grow and change so fast it is becoming harder to remember each stage and milestone. I breathed in the smell of his freshly washed hair, and wondered "Would I remember this sweet moment as well as I did the day he was born?" Probably not, but journaling about it will likely help.

Happy Birthday Little Buddy!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Icing on the Cake

Like the saying goes, "it's the icing on the cake." In the case of Princess' 1st birthday, she was only interested in the icing. She scooped and scooped fingerful after fingerful of strawberry flavored pink icing. I think she would have done this all day had she not rubbed her fingers in her hair which caused her crown to fall down. Even with all that sugar on her face, she just couldn't get any sweeter. :-)



I'm ready now for a bath and a (sigh) nap...

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

One Year Later...

Time certainly flies. It is hard to believe that a year ago today I was preparing to leave the hospital with our baby girl. Other than the actual arrival of Princess, I distinctly remember three occurences during my stay in the hospital. 1) The start of the Beijing Olympics as our Princess arrived on 08-08-08, 2) The nurses trying to convince me that I was able to leave the hospital a day early if desired (since I was recovering nicely and apparently they needed the room.), and 3) I clearly remember why I wanted to relish another night of peace and quiet.

You see, during the few trips my boys made to see me and their new little sister in the hospital, they managed to set my bed alarm off (the nurse actually had to call engineering to fix it), locked my bed so that I could not raise or lower the bed, pulled the telephone out of the wall, spilled grape juice all over my bed, used the pull out sleeping chair as a trampoline, and used Princess' nursery carrier as a race car. Needless to say, while I was so happy to see the boys and anxious to get home to daddy, I relished in the nearly spa like atmosphere of my 4 evenings in the hospital! Below are some snapshots of their visits and a photo of Princess taken day 1.



Saturday, August 8, 2009

Princess is One!




Little Princess is now one (going on six...)!! Cake pictures to follow later...

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Goin' Bananas

The way my family goes thru a bunch of bananas, you would think we were, well, a bunch of monkeys. Bananas for breakfast, banana sandwiches, bananas for snack, you name it. So why then, when I buy two bunches of bananas (to keep from going to the grocery store every 12 hours), does my family suddenly decide they don't want any more bananas? So they sit, get brown spots, and smell, and turn to mush? It happens EVERY time I buy more than one bunch?

How do I keep from going to the store every other day and at the same time keep from tossing out a bunch of super stinky fruit? Before you go there with the "just make banana bread" thing, I am NOT a bread baker. And even if I were, my family is particular about their bananas and does not eat them in baked goods or even pudding for that matter. In fact, I would call them banana snobs. They like them not too green, but certainly with no spots.

I did, however, recently convince Big Sticky that the banana with the brown spots was a giraffe banana. He thought that was SO cool and actually fell for ate it!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Six Minutes of Freedom

This event actually occurred a little over a year ago. But since we are less than a week away from Princess' first birthday, I thought it was appropriate to post.

In an effort to get ready for Princess, we decided to mistakenly? move the two boys into a room together. They now occupy the former bonus room so they have a large bed/play room. We were naive to think hoping this would minimize clutter throughout the house. (it didn't work, but that's another future post).

So at 7+ months pregnant, I spent two weeks decorating the boy's new room - painting (using non-toxic paint), hanging bulletin boards, putting together beds and cubbies. Below is an after of **my** decorating but before the boys attempt at **re**decorating.





Cute huh? Well apparently the boys thought the room needed a little something extra, an added "edge" to the space, and decided to redo some things. The below photos are completely unretouched. What took me 2 weeks to complete, took them the time to take a load of laundry from the room next door, down the hallwall, sort into a pile of mine, his, theirs, and take a quick potty break only 6 minutes to change.




I didn't know two little people could be so capable of destruction. When I asked Big Sticky what happened he blamed his brother said he was looking for his dolphin?

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Car seat - Get it back together Girl!

So, Little Sticky lost his cookies (actually it was French Toast and a banana) in daddy's brand new luxury SUV yesterday morning. While daddy used an entire box of baby wipes to clean out the car, I took Little upstairs for a bath and a nap. In the process of cleaning out the car, Daddy took the car seat out (chunks and all) and left it in the garage with the garage door still open. Daddy mentioned when he came back in the house that the seat cover needed to be washed, but I was in the middle of feeding Princess and had no idea it was sitting in the "elements" of a hot August day. Two hours later, it occurred to me that I probably needed to take the cover off and wash it before we needed to pile everyone into the van for an excursion.

Upon entering the garage, I see flies. Lots of flies. About 40 as a guess? And then there were the ants. About 2000? Seriously. About 40 flies, 2000 ants, and about 300 mosquitos. The flies were all about the bananas. The ants were all about the pop tart, cracker, and gold fish crumbs that were in the tray beneath the car seat. And of course the mosquitos were all about me (to a mosquito, I am the equivalent of the buffet at Golden Corral.)

So, if you have ever taken a car seat cover off, you know you need a flat head screw driver(to pop out the clips), patience, and a camera. A camera? What's that for? I take pictures of how things are assembled so that when it's all clean again, I can try and put it back together to the satisfaction of highway safety laws. I would post the photos as an example, but they were gross. Anyway, in this case I also needed mosquito repellent. I used this new product for the first time and it worked like a champ. Mosquitos literally feast on me, always have. Two weeks into summer and it looks like I have track marks on my legs even with Deet spray. Mosquitos laugh when I put on Deet spray (by biting me in the face).

Anyway, so two what seemed like years hours later, I finally got the cover off and in the wash. I then got out a bucket of soapy water and the tire brush to scrub down the rest of it. After it was all clean, it took me another two what seemed like years hours to get all of the straps and clips and hooks and belts going the right way. Now I've just got to get those darn hooks in between the folds of the seat and the seat in snuggly enough to allow no jiggling... Wish me luck.