I'm not entirely sure how or when it happened but recently Madeleine has become a little girl. Maybe I was blind to it because I still see her as my little baby but the changes in her even since Christmas are just incredible.
Today at the doctors office while her sister was being examined she stood next to the chair and held Juliette's hand the whole time. She kept telling her, "It's okay baby. You doing so well baby. I know baby, it's okay." After the doctor was finished she asked if it was her turn and the doctor asked her if she was feeling sick. Madeleine said, "No Bitty Baby's (her doll) not feeling well." She the doctor examined her doll and Madeleine looked on with a very concerned expression. Later, as the doctor was leaving she told us that she would come back in soon with the medicine and Madeleine stared at her, raised her eyebrows, and said in a very serious tone, "Okay. Be right back." While the doctor was gone she held her sister's hand and my hand and sang the Barney "I love you." song to us.
Later at home she remained focused on her sister and making sure she was feeling okay. Of course, she isn't always an angel. She was throwing a toy around the room and I told her to stop. She looked at me and said, "No it's funny. I know!" It was not funny.
Overall she's a very sensitive little girl who seeks to please almost all the time. She is in tune with the needs and emotions of the people around her as much as a two and a half year old can be. She doesn't talk all the time, she has a more quiet personality, but loves singing and dancing. She loves animals, airplanes, helicopters, and princesses. She also seems to have a little toddler-sized devotion to Baby Jesus and his Mommy and Daddy. She's hard headed and bossy, she knows what she wants and can be extremely stubborn, but if she hurts her sister or gets in trouble with mommy and daddy she tends to be extremely repentant. She loves her family, idolizes her daddy, adores her sister, and can't get enough of her grandparents and aunties. She's imaginative, she tells me about the animals she sees in the trees and the airplanes she sees in the sky (which are usually not actually there) and tends to have "favorite things" (shows, toys, games, songs) that she always chooses over others.
Not everybody cares about every detail about my daughter quite the way I do but you see, that's not the point of this blog post. Madeleine is a person. She is a beautiful little girl with her own unique personality and look and her own beautiful soul. When I was pregnant with her I dreamed of getting to know her, watching her grow, seeing the person she would become. All those days and nights I spent puking or in pain, I knew they would be worth it but I never imagined how worth it. It's one thing to know that two pink lines on a pregnancy test become a person, in fact already are a person. It's a whole new thing when you are there to witness it day in and day out. That little soul that was growing inside me, I knew that if it was a girl I would name her Madeleine. Now that is no longer just a name to me. It's my daughter. My amazing, incredible little person that I get to love. My little gift from God.
I am so thankful for every day I get to know her better, to watch her grow. I am so thankful that God chose me to be her mother. I am so thankful that God has chosen to teach me about His Love in this way, as a mother to one of His little creations. I hope that it brings God as much joy to watch me grow as it brings me to watch Madeleine. I hope I please Him.
Showing posts with label Parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parenting. Show all posts
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Murphy's Laws of Sick Kids
So your kid is sick and you are calling your doctor. You can be assured that a few things are bound to happen. At least, I know this is how it tends to go for me.
1. Your kid will be sick at the most inconvenient time possible.
Maybe you will be traveling in the next few days, maybe there is a huge project at work, maybe your spouse will be completely unable to get any time off of work to help you, the driveway is covered with snow and impossible to leave, or maybe a major holiday is right around the corner... or heck, maybe they are sick on that holiday. Whatever it is, kids never get sick at a "good" time.
2. There will be a problem scheduling your appointment.
It may be a weekend so you have to go to a walk in, or your doctor is on vacation, or they are completely booked for the rest of the day, or the phone lines are down for the morning and only emergencies are being put through. I've had all of those things happen to me in the past two weeks. No matter when I call there is always an issue.
3. By the time you get there your child will be the picture of health.
When you called the doctor your child was screaming, not eating or drinking, puking, had a fever, a cough, and was basically a complete and total mess. The doctor told you to give them some Tylenol and come in for your appointment at the scheduled time. You give them the Tylenol, load them in the car, they pass out, and by the time you get there they have rested and their fever has come down. By the time they call you in for the appointment your child is trying to escape your lap and run over to play with the germ infested toys. "I swear I was not making it all up. She was really, really sick." And then by the time you get back home the Tylenol has worn off and you have picked up the prescription for their ear infection and pulled into your driveway the fever has come back and they are sobbing. Because that's just how it works.
4. The healthy sibling will catch something entirely new from being at the doctors.
You bring the healthy sibling(s) to the doctors with you since no one was available to watch them or was ignoring your phone calls in fear of catching your germs. Either way, healthy child is coming with you. While you are trying to wrangle sick child, healthy child is socializing with the green faced stranger kid and touching the germ infested toys. You wash their hands, cover their bodies in sanitizing lotion, but it's no use. Two or three days later healthy kid is now a sick kid and the whole process starts again.
Any way it goes, having a sick child is one of the toughest things in the world for a parent. Even if everything goes right it's still hard and know that somewhere I am raising a glass of caffeine just for you. It's gonna get better, I swear.
1. Your kid will be sick at the most inconvenient time possible.
Maybe you will be traveling in the next few days, maybe there is a huge project at work, maybe your spouse will be completely unable to get any time off of work to help you, the driveway is covered with snow and impossible to leave, or maybe a major holiday is right around the corner... or heck, maybe they are sick on that holiday. Whatever it is, kids never get sick at a "good" time.
2. There will be a problem scheduling your appointment.
It may be a weekend so you have to go to a walk in, or your doctor is on vacation, or they are completely booked for the rest of the day, or the phone lines are down for the morning and only emergencies are being put through. I've had all of those things happen to me in the past two weeks. No matter when I call there is always an issue.
3. By the time you get there your child will be the picture of health.
When you called the doctor your child was screaming, not eating or drinking, puking, had a fever, a cough, and was basically a complete and total mess. The doctor told you to give them some Tylenol and come in for your appointment at the scheduled time. You give them the Tylenol, load them in the car, they pass out, and by the time you get there they have rested and their fever has come down. By the time they call you in for the appointment your child is trying to escape your lap and run over to play with the germ infested toys. "I swear I was not making it all up. She was really, really sick." And then by the time you get back home the Tylenol has worn off and you have picked up the prescription for their ear infection and pulled into your driveway the fever has come back and they are sobbing. Because that's just how it works.
4. The healthy sibling will catch something entirely new from being at the doctors.
You bring the healthy sibling(s) to the doctors with you since no one was available to watch them or was ignoring your phone calls in fear of catching your germs. Either way, healthy child is coming with you. While you are trying to wrangle sick child, healthy child is socializing with the green faced stranger kid and touching the germ infested toys. You wash their hands, cover their bodies in sanitizing lotion, but it's no use. Two or three days later healthy kid is now a sick kid and the whole process starts again.
Any way it goes, having a sick child is one of the toughest things in the world for a parent. Even if everything goes right it's still hard and know that somewhere I am raising a glass of caffeine just for you. It's gonna get better, I swear.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The Prophesy of the Sticker
I have been blessed with two beautiful, healthy, wonderful, sweet, AND HARD HEADED little daughters.
God bless em...
...and me too...
...and Kyle...
So first of all, Juliette. Mommy's little boob addict. I realized that her nursing was cah-razy when even the "crunchy" mom blog talked about her kid being down to three feedings a day at the same age as my Pet. Three feedings a day! Freaking.... Juliette nurses about three times in the hour before bed! Not to mention her morning feeding, her nap time feeding, her dinner time feeding, and the two or three times she wakes up during the night. It's like I'm nursing a hobbit! We've got breakfast and second breakfast and so on and so forth. Okay... this is it... I really MUST start the weaning process for sanity's sake as well as for the sake of my poor, wretched body. You know it's time to wean when the kid can stand WHILE nursing. As in her mouth on me and her feet on my lap all 90 degree angle. And sometimes she kicks her little leg like a dog does when you scratch his belly. This may be part of why her nickname is "Pet."
Also she's been staying awake til almost midnight lately because she just wants to be in my arms. Last night, one of the many times she fell asleep nursing, I put her down in her crib and she started to wimper. It was one of those times where it could go either way, she could wake up or go back to sleep so I ran out of the room all "ninja mommy" like and she started to wail... so I came back in and noticed something stuck to her cheek. It was a sticker from a baby calender to mark a special occasion. It read, "Slept through the night." (Veeeeeeeery funny God. I assume that was You?) Up until that point I had been SO frustrated I felt like I was going to scream but when I saw that I peeled it off her chubby cheek, kissed it, and held her close.
We finally got her to sleep by not nursing her and pacing with her for a while. Not having nursed to sleep she actually ended up falling into a deeper sleep and slept through the night for the first time ever. So I may have to save the Prophesy Sticker From God.
Madeleine, oh sweet Madeleine, wants a "big girl bed" so badly but we told her she couldn't have one OR her princess underwear until she potty trained. This would be encouragement to MOST kids but for my little firecracker it caused evil eyes and an outright refusal to go anywhere near her training potty. We are currently at a stand still on the issue. She is still of the opinon that she runs the house... little does she know that mommy has also been training daddy in the art of "No." It tortures him to look into those green eyes and not give her anything she asks for in her sweet, "Daddy please!" voice but he knows that it will be better for her in the long run to have consistent discipline and to not just wear diapers right through until geriatric age.
If the girls ran the house we'd have a 16 year old in diapers and a 15 year old still nursing someday. They may end up being home schooled but I don't want to let them be THAT weird.
Also, I've realized that Madeleine is associating prayer time with bed time and now no longer enjoys saying her prayers... that or she repeats everything six or seven times to stall. Needless to say we are moving family prayer time to earlier in the day.
Speaking of which, Kyle and I am doing the Total Consecration (St. Louis de Montfort style) once again, so prayers are appreciated as we once again pledge our marriage and our children to Jesus through Mary.
Yay bedtime!
God bless em...
...and me too...
...and Kyle...
So first of all, Juliette. Mommy's little boob addict. I realized that her nursing was cah-razy when even the "crunchy" mom blog talked about her kid being down to three feedings a day at the same age as my Pet. Three feedings a day! Freaking.... Juliette nurses about three times in the hour before bed! Not to mention her morning feeding, her nap time feeding, her dinner time feeding, and the two or three times she wakes up during the night. It's like I'm nursing a hobbit! We've got breakfast and second breakfast and so on and so forth. Okay... this is it... I really MUST start the weaning process for sanity's sake as well as for the sake of my poor, wretched body. You know it's time to wean when the kid can stand WHILE nursing. As in her mouth on me and her feet on my lap all 90 degree angle. And sometimes she kicks her little leg like a dog does when you scratch his belly. This may be part of why her nickname is "Pet."
Also she's been staying awake til almost midnight lately because she just wants to be in my arms. Last night, one of the many times she fell asleep nursing, I put her down in her crib and she started to wimper. It was one of those times where it could go either way, she could wake up or go back to sleep so I ran out of the room all "ninja mommy" like and she started to wail... so I came back in and noticed something stuck to her cheek. It was a sticker from a baby calender to mark a special occasion. It read, "Slept through the night." (Veeeeeeeery funny God. I assume that was You?) Up until that point I had been SO frustrated I felt like I was going to scream but when I saw that I peeled it off her chubby cheek, kissed it, and held her close.
We finally got her to sleep by not nursing her and pacing with her for a while. Not having nursed to sleep she actually ended up falling into a deeper sleep and slept through the night for the first time ever. So I may have to save the Prophesy Sticker From God.
Madeleine, oh sweet Madeleine, wants a "big girl bed" so badly but we told her she couldn't have one OR her princess underwear until she potty trained. This would be encouragement to MOST kids but for my little firecracker it caused evil eyes and an outright refusal to go anywhere near her training potty. We are currently at a stand still on the issue. She is still of the opinon that she runs the house... little does she know that mommy has also been training daddy in the art of "No." It tortures him to look into those green eyes and not give her anything she asks for in her sweet, "Daddy please!" voice but he knows that it will be better for her in the long run to have consistent discipline and to not just wear diapers right through until geriatric age.
If the girls ran the house we'd have a 16 year old in diapers and a 15 year old still nursing someday. They may end up being home schooled but I don't want to let them be THAT weird.
Also, I've realized that Madeleine is associating prayer time with bed time and now no longer enjoys saying her prayers... that or she repeats everything six or seven times to stall. Needless to say we are moving family prayer time to earlier in the day.
Speaking of which, Kyle and I am doing the Total Consecration (St. Louis de Montfort style) once again, so prayers are appreciated as we once again pledge our marriage and our children to Jesus through Mary.
Yay bedtime!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Prayer time fail
Prayer time tonight... Kyle was off to bed and we were doing our family prayers. Except Madeleine was DONE. She wanted to play. So the Our Father went a bit like this
Sarah and Kyle- Our Father, Who art in heaven.
Madeleine- AMEN
S&K- hallowed be Thy Name
M- AMEN AMEN
S&K- Thy kingdom
M- AAAAAMEN! AAAAAAAMMMMMMEEEEENNN!!!!
S&K- Come. Thy will
M- NO! AMEN!
S&K- be done...
and so on and so forth.
By the time we got the Hail Mary she was even more DONE. She grabbed her pacifier off the shelf and tried shoving it in Kyle's mouth.
M- DADDY HAVE MADELEINE'S GUCKY! MADELEINE SAID AMEN!!!!!!!
By the Glory Be she was resigned. She plopped down on Kyle's lap and scowled at us.
When we finished she stood up and said, "YAY!"
As I said, prayer time fail.
On the other hand they were both awesome at mass so I'll hold off on the Holy Water bath... at least for tonight.
Sarah and Kyle- Our Father, Who art in heaven.
Madeleine- AMEN
S&K- hallowed be Thy Name
M- AMEN AMEN
S&K- Thy kingdom
M- AAAAAMEN! AAAAAAAMMMMMMEEEEENNN!!!!
S&K- Come. Thy will
M- NO! AMEN!
S&K- be done...
and so on and so forth.
By the time we got the Hail Mary she was even more DONE. She grabbed her pacifier off the shelf and tried shoving it in Kyle's mouth.
M- DADDY HAVE MADELEINE'S GUCKY! MADELEINE SAID AMEN!!!!!!!
By the Glory Be she was resigned. She plopped down on Kyle's lap and scowled at us.
When we finished she stood up and said, "YAY!"
As I said, prayer time fail.
On the other hand they were both awesome at mass so I'll hold off on the Holy Water bath... at least for tonight.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Lazy days with the babes
Well you know that it's probably been one of those days when you are up blogging at one in the morning. Can't get the ol' brain to go to sleep...
I also can't seem to find the motivation to sweep the floor. I'm trying to visualize the one year old waking up in the morning and immediately shoving the puffs from the floor to her mouth... and somehow at this time of night that doesn't bother me. Meh, I'll do it in a few minutes. For health and such.
I've been having such a fabulous time with my kids lately. Madeleine has entered this whole new stage of being my buddy. She tells me when she thinks I have done a particularly good job on lunch, commends my dance moves, corrects my song lyrics, asks to put makeup on me and brush my hair, and will NEVER let me go anywhere without her and her doll. We snuggle a lot and laugh and tell each other how pretty we think the other is. As I said, she is my little buddy.
And Juliette... well right now it's kind of like having a puppy around. We can't keep the food where she can reach it and if something drops on the floor she is there to lick it up and she is always trying to get into the trash can. I mean, she is the cutest "puppy" ever and she has a SOUL so that makes her way better than any dog but oh my gosh is she trouble. However after a long day of destruction and general raucousness she becomes my little snuggle bug and all she wants is to nurse and sleep in my arms. And I nurse her and kiss her head and rub her cheek with my finger and think about what an absolute, beautiful angel she is.
Today we took the kids out for ice cream which made us the BEST. PARENTS. EVER. and resulted in the WORST. NAPTIME. EVER. Oh well. I happen to find little faces covered in chocolate particularly delicious... especially when I get to nibble those cheeks.
Craft time has been going decently and we hung Madeleine's art on the wall over her art table which has filled her with PRIDE and JOY. She loves showing off her work.
Anyway, luckily life has been pretty low key as of late. God is good and we are blessed.
Final thought... I'm not the world's best cook, the most creative at crafts, the neatest housekeeper, the fastest kid popper outer, the holiest, the natural-est birther... but my kids are ridiculously happy and loved and well adjusted. They are sweet, have fantastic manners, share, play well with others, love their parents, love each other, have all the right skills for their age, are learning to love God... I'm really proud of the job I am doing with them.
I really, really love those kids and I really, really love being their mommy.
I also can't seem to find the motivation to sweep the floor. I'm trying to visualize the one year old waking up in the morning and immediately shoving the puffs from the floor to her mouth... and somehow at this time of night that doesn't bother me. Meh, I'll do it in a few minutes. For health and such.
I've been having such a fabulous time with my kids lately. Madeleine has entered this whole new stage of being my buddy. She tells me when she thinks I have done a particularly good job on lunch, commends my dance moves, corrects my song lyrics, asks to put makeup on me and brush my hair, and will NEVER let me go anywhere without her and her doll. We snuggle a lot and laugh and tell each other how pretty we think the other is. As I said, she is my little buddy.
And Juliette... well right now it's kind of like having a puppy around. We can't keep the food where she can reach it and if something drops on the floor she is there to lick it up and she is always trying to get into the trash can. I mean, she is the cutest "puppy" ever and she has a SOUL so that makes her way better than any dog but oh my gosh is she trouble. However after a long day of destruction and general raucousness she becomes my little snuggle bug and all she wants is to nurse and sleep in my arms. And I nurse her and kiss her head and rub her cheek with my finger and think about what an absolute, beautiful angel she is.
Today we took the kids out for ice cream which made us the BEST. PARENTS. EVER. and resulted in the WORST. NAPTIME. EVER. Oh well. I happen to find little faces covered in chocolate particularly delicious... especially when I get to nibble those cheeks.
Craft time has been going decently and we hung Madeleine's art on the wall over her art table which has filled her with PRIDE and JOY. She loves showing off her work.
Anyway, luckily life has been pretty low key as of late. God is good and we are blessed.
Final thought... I'm not the world's best cook, the most creative at crafts, the neatest housekeeper, the fastest kid popper outer, the holiest, the natural-est birther... but my kids are ridiculously happy and loved and well adjusted. They are sweet, have fantastic manners, share, play well with others, love their parents, love each other, have all the right skills for their age, are learning to love God... I'm really proud of the job I am doing with them.
I really, really love those kids and I really, really love being their mommy.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Nothing terrible about two
Since in all likelihood I will dedicate tomorrow's post to my mini-me, the almost ONE YEAR OLD Juliette my Pet, tonight I will celebrate Madeleine. But this isn't the cutsie celebration of last night. This is why my toddler is AWESOME.
I mean, for one thing, toddler are awesome. So what if she thinks the answer to "what do you want to eat" and "what color is this" is an emphatic NO? And sure, her favorite music to dance to are Beyonce club hits. But that isn't even the half of it. Two year olds are also creative and hilarious.
For instance the other day Madeleine was pretending to talk on the phone... which was actually the credit card she had taken from my wallet... BUT ANYWAY. I am listening to her and the conversation went something like this.
M- OH HI BOYS! COLLEGE! FRIENDS! BOYS!
After a lot of worrying and soul searching I realized that she was imitating the phone conversations I have with my sister Hannah which involve asking her about college and friends and boys. And she also told me she was on the phone with Hannah too. Of course, she could have told me this at the beginning of the conversation... you know, before I had time to worry about her.
And, earlier today Madeleine had her friend "Roz" over for a play date. Side note- I've learned that a play date between two year olds involves lots of pleas for cookies, full out wrestling, and standing on tables (don't worry Roz mommy, it was all totally supervised! lol) Anyway, since Roz left Madeleine has not stopped talking about her. We were sitting around tonight at about nine when Madeleine grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the door. This is made doubly entertaining since I was at the time sitting in the rolling desk chair and was therefore, rolling after her.
S- Madeleine... where are you taking mommy?
M- Come on mom! Madeleine and Roz go to park and play slide and swing. Moooooom! Leave NOW! CAR! SLIDE! (her sentences get shorter and more pointed when her emotions get going)
S- Madeleine, it is almost bed time we are not going to the park now. Is there anything else you want to do?
... she pauses...
M- Watch the Yankees please.
A girl after my own heart. This is the part at which Kyle and I applauded for her, gave her kisses, and gave each other a few self satisfied pats on the back.
I always thought two year olds were given a bad rap. Two year olds are awesome people and deserve respect. But if you ask them they will probably just say, "NO!!!!"
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Jesus Mommy Hail Mary
Tonight at mass I just had an overwhelming knowledge of how blessed I am. Sitting next to my husband, both girls curled up on our laps... I have more than I could have ever dreamed of. I have been blessed by God so abundantly to have His love and then on top of that the love of such a holy man and such precious little daughters.
Then when we were leaving mass I got another blessing. We stopped by the statue of Mary like we always do to say hi and thank you to Jesus' mommy. Madeleine went running up with the biggest smile and started talking to her. When I thought she was done I told her we were heading home and she told me that she wanted to stay here. With Jesus Mommy Hail Mary.
With all the toys and cookies and movie in our home she preferred to be with the Blessed Mother thanking her for Baby Jesus. Sometimes I really wonder what God was giving me such gifts as these two little souls to care for me, but He has it under control. I forget that they already have a perfect mother in heaven and that whatever my weaknesses are that she will be taking care of my girls as well so I have nothing to worry about.
So thank you to Jesus' mommy Mary for loving my babies, show me how to be a mother like you!
Then when we were leaving mass I got another blessing. We stopped by the statue of Mary like we always do to say hi and thank you to Jesus' mommy. Madeleine went running up with the biggest smile and started talking to her. When I thought she was done I told her we were heading home and she told me that she wanted to stay here. With Jesus Mommy Hail Mary.
With all the toys and cookies and movie in our home she preferred to be with the Blessed Mother thanking her for Baby Jesus. Sometimes I really wonder what God was giving me such gifts as these two little souls to care for me, but He has it under control. I forget that they already have a perfect mother in heaven and that whatever my weaknesses are that she will be taking care of my girls as well so I have nothing to worry about.
So thank you to Jesus' mommy Mary for loving my babies, show me how to be a mother like you!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Things I have learned about Motherhood
Motherhood has a learning curve. With each child you have you learn more about yourself than you ever imagined. You also learn about your child (I hope). Annnnnd, you learn a lot about others and the world in which we live
1. Not everyone wants to hear about your kids.
BUT WHO CARES! Post about them anyway. The people that aren't your real friends can defriend you or block your feed, whatever! You only have a limited amount of time to brag about your babies firsts and their bowel movements and how cute they are before they get a facebook account of their own and yell at you. Your children are a part of you, my children are my heart. Why wouldn't I want to brag to the world about their cuteness? So if someone gives you grief about how your facebook or twitter has been entirely devoted to your little ones tell Tin Man to get a heart and just keep doing what you are doing.
2. Each kid is different.
I only have two kids and even I know this! Your parenting style should adapt to each special personality. Don't be so set in your ways that you don't recognize the individuality of each child.
3. Calm the heck down.
There is no reason your baby needs to know their ABCs by the time they are two. Do some art projects and play outside. If your kid is advanced, great. If not, don't sweat it. Kids tend to do things at their own pace so don't compare them to other kids and don't push them too hard because YOU think they should be somewhere they are not. If you have concerns, talk to your pediatrician. If he or she assures you that they are on track, listen to them. If they are concerned about anything, don't freak out. Many kids struggle through different developmental stages and they turn out just fine. It's pushing too hard or ignoring problems all together that compounds issues in the future. Love your child where they are and trust your instincts, just not the crazy ones.
4. Laugh at the crazy
There will be nights where both kids are up until one in the morning screaming and running in circles. You are exhausted and ready to put them on the front lawn with a sign that says "Free". Laugh about it. All moms have been there and they can share in your pain. If you let yourself get too stressed you will end up being cranky with the kids and that is no good for anyone.
5. Ask for help
Whether it is your hubby or a baby sitter, your parents or your in laws, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. It doesn't mean you are a failure, it just means you are tapped out. Take a nap or a date night and forget about the laundry at home. We all need a break at times. Motherhood is the only job you work 24/7, no matter if you stay home all day or go to work as well. Take some time for you and you will be a better mother to your kids.
6. People will think you are wrong.
About EVERYTHING. The nice people make suggestions. Others stick their noses in the air and tell you that if you do/don't get your kid vaccinated, etc that you are a disgrace to motherhood. Honestly, just ignore them. Do your research, talk to your spouse, and make a prayerful decision together. Then stop worrying about what others think. Nobody wants the best for your children more than you so when people try to tell you what to do, it's usually to make themselves feel important. Not to actually help. If they have good advice, don't be so prideful you won't take it but ignore all the negative. And then laugh about it later with your spouse.
7. Pray every day.
It's really the only way to stay sane and it's the only way you will be able to do motherhood right. Our babies are a gift from God and no one knows how to love them better than Him, so just talk to God all the time and let Him lead you.
8. Less is more.
You want your kid to have everything, that is normal. But it's also a pain in the butt to clean up. Limit toys and books, store things you aren't using. For differnt developmental stages I rotate out toys. That way they have new things to explore and learn with and everything they own isn't all over the floor at once. Same with clothes. My kids have a lot more clothing in the smaller sizes than they do in their larger sizes. That's because I finally go just how much money I spent and how little they wore each item. It's cute, but not necessary.
9. Give them siblings
My sisters are so incredibly important to me and the person I have become. Juliette is already Madeleine's best friend. I know some people may not be able to have large families because of health, infertility, or severe money issues, but those things aside nothing is a better gift than a sibling. If I had to make a choice between a fancy vacation, an upgrade to my house or car, jewelry, new electronics, new toys, new clothes for myself or a new baby... I would choose a new baby every time. With that said, spend quality alone time with each child you have and celebrate the gift that THEY are. Don't beat yourself up if you aren't keeping up with the Duggars. I know I won't be! Use NFP and you will be trusting in God's plan for your family. No plan is better than His.
10. Make time for your spouse
You wouldn't even have your babies without him. The happiest children comes from families with happy marriages. You can't have a happy marriage if you don't take time out to spend with each other. Always put your spouse before yourself and look to exemplify a marriage centered on God for the world by loving each other like He loves His Church, so much that He died for it.
That's ten things and I am super tired so I am done for the night. I'm a beginner mommy so I know these things may seem "duh" but the were amazing things for me to learn over these past two and a half years. I am thankful for Kyle and my super awesome and adorable babies to teach me every day. Motherhood has changed me to my very core and made me a better person than I ever dreamed I could be. I still have a looong way to go but I'll have God and my family by my side for the journey so I think I'll get there.
1. Not everyone wants to hear about your kids.
BUT WHO CARES! Post about them anyway. The people that aren't your real friends can defriend you or block your feed, whatever! You only have a limited amount of time to brag about your babies firsts and their bowel movements and how cute they are before they get a facebook account of their own and yell at you. Your children are a part of you, my children are my heart. Why wouldn't I want to brag to the world about their cuteness? So if someone gives you grief about how your facebook or twitter has been entirely devoted to your little ones tell Tin Man to get a heart and just keep doing what you are doing.
2. Each kid is different.
I only have two kids and even I know this! Your parenting style should adapt to each special personality. Don't be so set in your ways that you don't recognize the individuality of each child.
3. Calm the heck down.
There is no reason your baby needs to know their ABCs by the time they are two. Do some art projects and play outside. If your kid is advanced, great. If not, don't sweat it. Kids tend to do things at their own pace so don't compare them to other kids and don't push them too hard because YOU think they should be somewhere they are not. If you have concerns, talk to your pediatrician. If he or she assures you that they are on track, listen to them. If they are concerned about anything, don't freak out. Many kids struggle through different developmental stages and they turn out just fine. It's pushing too hard or ignoring problems all together that compounds issues in the future. Love your child where they are and trust your instincts, just not the crazy ones.
4. Laugh at the crazy
There will be nights where both kids are up until one in the morning screaming and running in circles. You are exhausted and ready to put them on the front lawn with a sign that says "Free". Laugh about it. All moms have been there and they can share in your pain. If you let yourself get too stressed you will end up being cranky with the kids and that is no good for anyone.
5. Ask for help
Whether it is your hubby or a baby sitter, your parents or your in laws, don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. It doesn't mean you are a failure, it just means you are tapped out. Take a nap or a date night and forget about the laundry at home. We all need a break at times. Motherhood is the only job you work 24/7, no matter if you stay home all day or go to work as well. Take some time for you and you will be a better mother to your kids.
6. People will think you are wrong.
About EVERYTHING. The nice people make suggestions. Others stick their noses in the air and tell you that if you do/don't get your kid vaccinated, etc that you are a disgrace to motherhood. Honestly, just ignore them. Do your research, talk to your spouse, and make a prayerful decision together. Then stop worrying about what others think. Nobody wants the best for your children more than you so when people try to tell you what to do, it's usually to make themselves feel important. Not to actually help. If they have good advice, don't be so prideful you won't take it but ignore all the negative. And then laugh about it later with your spouse.
7. Pray every day.
It's really the only way to stay sane and it's the only way you will be able to do motherhood right. Our babies are a gift from God and no one knows how to love them better than Him, so just talk to God all the time and let Him lead you.
8. Less is more.
You want your kid to have everything, that is normal. But it's also a pain in the butt to clean up. Limit toys and books, store things you aren't using. For differnt developmental stages I rotate out toys. That way they have new things to explore and learn with and everything they own isn't all over the floor at once. Same with clothes. My kids have a lot more clothing in the smaller sizes than they do in their larger sizes. That's because I finally go just how much money I spent and how little they wore each item. It's cute, but not necessary.
9. Give them siblings
My sisters are so incredibly important to me and the person I have become. Juliette is already Madeleine's best friend. I know some people may not be able to have large families because of health, infertility, or severe money issues, but those things aside nothing is a better gift than a sibling. If I had to make a choice between a fancy vacation, an upgrade to my house or car, jewelry, new electronics, new toys, new clothes for myself or a new baby... I would choose a new baby every time. With that said, spend quality alone time with each child you have and celebrate the gift that THEY are. Don't beat yourself up if you aren't keeping up with the Duggars. I know I won't be! Use NFP and you will be trusting in God's plan for your family. No plan is better than His.
10. Make time for your spouse
You wouldn't even have your babies without him. The happiest children comes from families with happy marriages. You can't have a happy marriage if you don't take time out to spend with each other. Always put your spouse before yourself and look to exemplify a marriage centered on God for the world by loving each other like He loves His Church, so much that He died for it.
That's ten things and I am super tired so I am done for the night. I'm a beginner mommy so I know these things may seem "duh" but the were amazing things for me to learn over these past two and a half years. I am thankful for Kyle and my super awesome and adorable babies to teach me every day. Motherhood has changed me to my very core and made me a better person than I ever dreamed I could be. I still have a looong way to go but I'll have God and my family by my side for the journey so I think I'll get there.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Seven Quick Takes- Maybe if I had more coffee I would be coherent.
1. Juliette Marie will be the death of me. She started walking this week (hooray) and today while we waiting for Kyle to show up she carried a chair around Carters looking for something to climb. I spend most of my day trying to prevent her from diving headfirst off of chairs and couches... or from choking the one small magnet that slip down the fridge to where she could reach it. I'm gonna go grey sooner than I thought.
2. Right now Madeleine is playing with her ABC puzzle, Juliette has climbed up the couch and is leaning over the box with their cardboard blocks in it, removing them one by one and laughing/grunting happily. (Not that I just put them all back in there five minutes ago or anything. Really, that was just a stupid move on my part.) Madeleine looks over periodically, shakes her head, and says, "No Ju-etch. No baby."
3. Madeleine is now interested in TOYS. This means while we shop she reaches over and puts something she wants in the cart. If I take it out, she tells me, "No. Madeleine like (insert toy/movie/sock here)." This makes check out interesting. She places the item on the belt and I stealthily signal to the check out person that said item will not be going home with us. I distract Madeleine with my awesome dance skills or something equally embarrassing to us all and we get out of the store without incident. I know I could explain it to her and just tell her no from the beginning but I'm tired and just want to shop without the screaming. My system works for now.
4. With her new found interest in TOYS, Madeleine requests on a daily basis to go to Toys R Us to play with the trains. She hasn't figured out yet that we can actually buy stuff there so I'm usually good with it. She also has no idea that SANTA is getting her a wooden train set for Christmas! Until then we are making our weekly pilgrimage to visit Tomas and his friends.
5. My kiddos are tough. While we play with the train sets little boys twice their age and size usually show up to do the same and they always try to push my girls around. They hold their ground without pushing back. I am a very proud momma. We need more strong women in this world.
6.I've recently realized the power of phrasing things the right way. For instance, "Madeleine you need to eat your fruit." gets an emphatic, "NOOOOO". However, "Madeleine if you eat your chicken I'll let you have some fruit." gets an "OH YAY MOMMY." I'm hoping I can use this power on Kyle, "Babe if you do the dishes I'll let you sweep the floor!" Brilliant.
7. I'm trying to figure out ways to involve my two year old in Advent this year. I'm praying I come up with something soon... my theology and catechetics degrees should be able to help out with this. I mean, hopefully that knowledge isn't stored in the part of my brain that was wiped out when I gave birth and replaced with Goodnight Moon and every book by Sandra Boynton. Actually, I think that was the "math" and "reasonable hormonal responses" sections so I think we should be good. Advent here we come!
See more at http://www.conversiondiary.com/
2. Right now Madeleine is playing with her ABC puzzle, Juliette has climbed up the couch and is leaning over the box with their cardboard blocks in it, removing them one by one and laughing/grunting happily. (Not that I just put them all back in there five minutes ago or anything. Really, that was just a stupid move on my part.) Madeleine looks over periodically, shakes her head, and says, "No Ju-etch. No baby."
3. Madeleine is now interested in TOYS. This means while we shop she reaches over and puts something she wants in the cart. If I take it out, she tells me, "No. Madeleine like (insert toy/movie/sock here)." This makes check out interesting. She places the item on the belt and I stealthily signal to the check out person that said item will not be going home with us. I distract Madeleine with my awesome dance skills or something equally embarrassing to us all and we get out of the store without incident. I know I could explain it to her and just tell her no from the beginning but I'm tired and just want to shop without the screaming. My system works for now.
4. With her new found interest in TOYS, Madeleine requests on a daily basis to go to Toys R Us to play with the trains. She hasn't figured out yet that we can actually buy stuff there so I'm usually good with it. She also has no idea that SANTA is getting her a wooden train set for Christmas! Until then we are making our weekly pilgrimage to visit Tomas and his friends.
5. My kiddos are tough. While we play with the train sets little boys twice their age and size usually show up to do the same and they always try to push my girls around. They hold their ground without pushing back. I am a very proud momma. We need more strong women in this world.
6.I've recently realized the power of phrasing things the right way. For instance, "Madeleine you need to eat your fruit." gets an emphatic, "NOOOOO". However, "Madeleine if you eat your chicken I'll let you have some fruit." gets an "OH YAY MOMMY." I'm hoping I can use this power on Kyle, "Babe if you do the dishes I'll let you sweep the floor!" Brilliant.
7. I'm trying to figure out ways to involve my two year old in Advent this year. I'm praying I come up with something soon... my theology and catechetics degrees should be able to help out with this. I mean, hopefully that knowledge isn't stored in the part of my brain that was wiped out when I gave birth and replaced with Goodnight Moon and every book by Sandra Boynton. Actually, I think that was the "math" and "reasonable hormonal responses" sections so I think we should be good. Advent here we come!
See more at http://www.conversiondiary.com/
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Places Madeleine has redesigned with her crayons...
Madeleine loves drawing pictures. It can keep her occupied for quite a while. Sometimes I sit with her and other times I head to the kitchen to cook or do dishes. When that happens she runs into the room every minute or so to show me the improvements she has made on her picture and after I "oooohhhh" and "awwwwww" to her satisfaction she runs back into the playroom to color some more. Now, this sounds like a nice set up, right? Madeleine does something intellectually stimulating while I get much needed housework under my belt so I can be ready for more "hands on" activities.
I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to realize that leaving my darling daughter in a room alone with art supplies is a no good very bad idea... but I blame extreme lack of caffeine with a side of "haven't slept through the night in two and a half years".
These are places Madeleine has "visually improved".... yup... I'm going with that.
1. The art paper. What a beautiful picture from my talented little artist. It is going on the fridge immediately.
2. The art table. Not too unusual. I'm not upset. Maybe she just missed the paper?
3. The chairs on the art table. Okay... I'm having a hard time believe this one was an accident.
4. The toy chest. Alright Madeleine... that is all the way across the room from the art table.
5. The puzzles. How do you clean wood?
6. The wall. ALL OVER THE WALL. In orange. And when I asked her about it she completely denied it. Flat out.
7. The futon. COME ON KID THAT'S NOT EVEN EASY TO CLEAN
8. Bitty Baby. Specifically the left side of her head.
9. Bitty Baby's high chair. Sigh
10. Her thigh. I believe she did that in purple.
11. Her own face. I'm not even mad! That's impressive!
12. Her sister. Specifially her sister's back. I came into the room to find green crayon all over her sisters back. And, of course, both of them were laughing hysterically.
And, of course, if I forget to pick up even one crayon Juliette will find it and try to eat it.
I write this post after hosing down the wall and giving the toddler a time out. It's very hard to discipline when you are trying not to laugh.
Madeleine... did you color on the wall?
Nooooooooooooooooo
Madeleine? Who colored on the wall?
Mommy color. (as I carry her to time out) NOOO MOM!!!
It's probably not a good idea to try to pin your crimes on the accuser. Made me laugh though.
Anyway.... Moral of the Story... art time is now a FAMILY activity.
I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to realize that leaving my darling daughter in a room alone with art supplies is a no good very bad idea... but I blame extreme lack of caffeine with a side of "haven't slept through the night in two and a half years".
These are places Madeleine has "visually improved".... yup... I'm going with that.
1. The art paper. What a beautiful picture from my talented little artist. It is going on the fridge immediately.
2. The art table. Not too unusual. I'm not upset. Maybe she just missed the paper?
3. The chairs on the art table. Okay... I'm having a hard time believe this one was an accident.
4. The toy chest. Alright Madeleine... that is all the way across the room from the art table.
5. The puzzles. How do you clean wood?
6. The wall. ALL OVER THE WALL. In orange. And when I asked her about it she completely denied it. Flat out.
7. The futon. COME ON KID THAT'S NOT EVEN EASY TO CLEAN
8. Bitty Baby. Specifically the left side of her head.
9. Bitty Baby's high chair. Sigh
10. Her thigh. I believe she did that in purple.
11. Her own face. I'm not even mad! That's impressive!
12. Her sister. Specifially her sister's back. I came into the room to find green crayon all over her sisters back. And, of course, both of them were laughing hysterically.
And, of course, if I forget to pick up even one crayon Juliette will find it and try to eat it.
I write this post after hosing down the wall and giving the toddler a time out. It's very hard to discipline when you are trying not to laugh.
Madeleine... did you color on the wall?
Nooooooooooooooooo
Madeleine? Who colored on the wall?
Mommy color. (as I carry her to time out) NOOO MOM!!!
It's probably not a good idea to try to pin your crimes on the accuser. Made me laugh though.
Anyway.... Moral of the Story... art time is now a FAMILY activity.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
What mass is like with kids
Back before I had kids I would see the two year old climbing all over the pew and think to myself, "Horrors! Surely my children will never do such a thing!" or something like that. That makes it sound like I think in "British"... normally my mind is not that proper.
Nowadays when I see a toddler standing on a pew who isn't pelting other parishioners with hymnals I wonder what they have done to get their kid to behave so nicely.
Our real problem is that because of Kyle's schedule we have to go to either the 4:30 Saturday or the 5:00 Sunday mass and that means that we don't even TRY to get the kids down for their naps. The only thing worse than a baby who has not napped is a baby who was from her crib untimely ripped. (five points to anyone who gets the reference.)
So we usually roll into mass about 2 minutes late. We like less that a mile from our parish but even if we left our house at about a half hour before we had to be there we would probably still end up late. I'm convinced our neighborhood has a Bermuda Triangle thing going on.
And of course, because this is Massachusetts and everyone talks "wicked fast" the priest is just about to begin the Gospel.
Madeleine genuflects before entering the pew and I am proud. Super proud. I'm beaming. We sit down, she sits and folds her hands and goes, "Jesus. Hi. Amen." I'm not smiling like the Cheshire Cat. SO CUTE!
Kyle usually starts off holding Juliette and I am trying to explain what is happening in the mass to Madeleine. Everything is quiet for a minute or two. Soon enough however Juliette is squealing so loud I'm convinced no one can hear the lector and Madeleine is crawling under the pew back and forth transporting the hymnals.
Kyle hands Juliette to me. The squealing gets louder. He tried to pick up Madeleine who now is making a fort out of said hymnals. He picks her up and tells her it is time to pray.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Kyle heads to the back of the church with her where there is no cry room. She is told she has lost her cookie. I hear her NOOOOOOOOs tapering off as he distracts her. Usually she is trying to wash her hands in the holy water font. I'm down with that.
Meanwhile Juliette realizes that I am holding her but she is not nursing. That won't do. She is pulling at my shirts and head butting me in the chest. Kyle comes back just in time. Madeleine says, "HI MOM! HI BABY!" I hand Juliette over to him who starts teething on his shoulder. Madeleine sits in the pew for about a minute. Then she puts down the foot rest, stands on it, and starts leaning forward into the pew in front of us. Her butt is in the air and she cannot get down.
As I am getting her down Kyle is distracting Juliette with the hymnals. He hands her one and she immediately throws it on the floor and reaches for the next because that is just the stage she is in. Madeleine picks up the hymnal, examines it, and starts pointing and loudly saying, "Jesus mommy! Jesus mommy!"
Luckily for us they are normal very good during, as Madeleine calls it, the "HI JESUS" part. The point where I point up at the Eucharist being held in the hands of the priest and tell Madeleine, "There is Jesus." To which she usually says, in a whisper, "Hi Jesus."
On the way back from communion there are people pointing and smiling at them. Those people have clearly not heard what has been going on in the back of the church.
We get back to our seats and without fail one of us has to take one of them to the back of the church again. This is made particularly tricky if we have arrived late and the person at the end of the row has refused to move in so we were stuck in the middle. Usually by the end of mass they have let us out and back in again so many times that my guess is no "isle seat" is worth that amount of trouble. Or they have peaced out right after communion. Once again, this is Massachusetts.
We stay until the priest has processed back up the isle and head out. We stop at the statue of Mary in front of the church because Madeleine loves Jesus Mommy Hail Mary. It hasn't been a peaceful experience and I didn't have much time for contemplation. However I have the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity inside of me so I know that I am the closest I can possibly be to God.
Being a mom doesn't give a lot of time from prayer but it provides a lot of opportunities to grow in holiness.... even though by the end of mass I am usually more tired then when I hit the gym.
Even through their craziness I see the fruits of taking my children to mass in my day to day life, especially in how Madeleine has grown in her prayer life. And she is only two! It's hard but I certainly wouldn't do it any other way. While my children are young I'll have to remember that even though I don't get long peaceful stretches for prayer that God is still working within me through my husband and children. Putting the needs of my children before my own is part of my vocation and it's by living my vocation in even the smallest details that I will grow closer to God. Outside of receiving the Eucharist nothing revitalizes my faith like loving my family because they are my gift from God and my path to Him as well.
I guess what I am saying is that I will take my time alone with God whenever I can get it, those are essential to restore me for day to day life. However since those moments can be hard to come by I am slowly learning how to make the little moments of life a prayer as well. Dishes, laundry, even peeling Madeleine off of the pew during mass. I'm just thankful for the richness of our faith, the goodness of God, and the vocation of being a wife and mother. Especially to such a holy man and such sweet little girls.
Nowadays when I see a toddler standing on a pew who isn't pelting other parishioners with hymnals I wonder what they have done to get their kid to behave so nicely.
Our real problem is that because of Kyle's schedule we have to go to either the 4:30 Saturday or the 5:00 Sunday mass and that means that we don't even TRY to get the kids down for their naps. The only thing worse than a baby who has not napped is a baby who was from her crib untimely ripped. (five points to anyone who gets the reference.)
So we usually roll into mass about 2 minutes late. We like less that a mile from our parish but even if we left our house at about a half hour before we had to be there we would probably still end up late. I'm convinced our neighborhood has a Bermuda Triangle thing going on.
And of course, because this is Massachusetts and everyone talks "wicked fast" the priest is just about to begin the Gospel.
Madeleine genuflects before entering the pew and I am proud. Super proud. I'm beaming. We sit down, she sits and folds her hands and goes, "Jesus. Hi. Amen." I'm not smiling like the Cheshire Cat. SO CUTE!
Kyle usually starts off holding Juliette and I am trying to explain what is happening in the mass to Madeleine. Everything is quiet for a minute or two. Soon enough however Juliette is squealing so loud I'm convinced no one can hear the lector and Madeleine is crawling under the pew back and forth transporting the hymnals.
Kyle hands Juliette to me. The squealing gets louder. He tried to pick up Madeleine who now is making a fort out of said hymnals. He picks her up and tells her it is time to pray.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Kyle heads to the back of the church with her where there is no cry room. She is told she has lost her cookie. I hear her NOOOOOOOOs tapering off as he distracts her. Usually she is trying to wash her hands in the holy water font. I'm down with that.
Meanwhile Juliette realizes that I am holding her but she is not nursing. That won't do. She is pulling at my shirts and head butting me in the chest. Kyle comes back just in time. Madeleine says, "HI MOM! HI BABY!" I hand Juliette over to him who starts teething on his shoulder. Madeleine sits in the pew for about a minute. Then she puts down the foot rest, stands on it, and starts leaning forward into the pew in front of us. Her butt is in the air and she cannot get down.
As I am getting her down Kyle is distracting Juliette with the hymnals. He hands her one and she immediately throws it on the floor and reaches for the next because that is just the stage she is in. Madeleine picks up the hymnal, examines it, and starts pointing and loudly saying, "Jesus mommy! Jesus mommy!"
Luckily for us they are normal very good during, as Madeleine calls it, the "HI JESUS" part. The point where I point up at the Eucharist being held in the hands of the priest and tell Madeleine, "There is Jesus." To which she usually says, in a whisper, "Hi Jesus."
On the way back from communion there are people pointing and smiling at them. Those people have clearly not heard what has been going on in the back of the church.
We get back to our seats and without fail one of us has to take one of them to the back of the church again. This is made particularly tricky if we have arrived late and the person at the end of the row has refused to move in so we were stuck in the middle. Usually by the end of mass they have let us out and back in again so many times that my guess is no "isle seat" is worth that amount of trouble. Or they have peaced out right after communion. Once again, this is Massachusetts.
We stay until the priest has processed back up the isle and head out. We stop at the statue of Mary in front of the church because Madeleine loves Jesus Mommy Hail Mary. It hasn't been a peaceful experience and I didn't have much time for contemplation. However I have the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity inside of me so I know that I am the closest I can possibly be to God.
Being a mom doesn't give a lot of time from prayer but it provides a lot of opportunities to grow in holiness.... even though by the end of mass I am usually more tired then when I hit the gym.
Even through their craziness I see the fruits of taking my children to mass in my day to day life, especially in how Madeleine has grown in her prayer life. And she is only two! It's hard but I certainly wouldn't do it any other way. While my children are young I'll have to remember that even though I don't get long peaceful stretches for prayer that God is still working within me through my husband and children. Putting the needs of my children before my own is part of my vocation and it's by living my vocation in even the smallest details that I will grow closer to God. Outside of receiving the Eucharist nothing revitalizes my faith like loving my family because they are my gift from God and my path to Him as well.
I guess what I am saying is that I will take my time alone with God whenever I can get it, those are essential to restore me for day to day life. However since those moments can be hard to come by I am slowly learning how to make the little moments of life a prayer as well. Dishes, laundry, even peeling Madeleine off of the pew during mass. I'm just thankful for the richness of our faith, the goodness of God, and the vocation of being a wife and mother. Especially to such a holy man and such sweet little girls.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Walking, counting to six, and other very useful tricks
I've been sick for the past week. Nothing serious, just one of the colds that makes you feel like you could probably crawl up and sleep for a week. And I probably would have too but little miss Juliette had the same cold so I was in super mom mode.
There is nothing worse than watching your baby suffer. Praise God my kids have only had light illnesses but I still hate it. She was all stuffed up and giving me the sad eyes. And her sad eyes are particularly powerful because they are huge and brown with her long eyelashes clumped together with tears. And then if you can tear your eyes away from her's you'll notice the runny nose and the quivering lip and you are about ready to sell your spleen to get the money to fund some scientists effort to cure the common cold.
But there were good times too. When we were all happily drugged up Juliette discovered that she could walk using her walker. And boy was she ever proud of herself! The first time she did it I was in the kitchen cooking and I saw Juliette laughing and cruising across the room. At first I thought nothing of it because she has been mobile (of the four legged, crawling variety) for a few months now. But I did a double take and noticed her expectant face and her upward position. She was So. Freaking. Proud. of herself and wanted to make sure that I had seen her big moment. So I ditched the stupid cooking and ran to her clapping and scooped her up.
Now she is hooked, can't get enough of the walking with the walker. I'd imagine within weeks she won't even need it anymore. She spends her time going back and forth across and around the living room, laughing and beaming. And when she finished walking she lets go of the walker and claps for herself. It's adorable. It makes me want to cover her cheeks with chocolate syrup and just nibble on them. But I will restrain myself.
And Madeleine keeps making advances in the prayer department. She now prays grace before she eats anything (calls me on! I usually forget!) and if you ask her who's Mary she will tell you, "Jesus mommy." She can also count to six which she demonstrates usually when she is about to get into trouble. A typical scene goes something like this;
Me- "Madeleine. Give that back to your sister."
Madeleine- "Nooooo mom!"
Me- "Madeleine, mommy is going to count to three."
Madeleine- "One, two, three, four, five, six"
Me- "Madeleine, I am proud of your counting but you need to give that to your sister before I count to three."
Then, depending on her mood, we happily do as I ask and get on with our lives or she is counting the two minutes she spends in time out. But for the most part, she always does as her mommy and daddy ask. She loves to please, that one.
There is never a dull moment around here.
This week was my birthday and I came to the realization that I am ridiculously happy. So I really don't need anything. But Starbucks cards are always welcome if you are asking ;) Just kidding... but seriously... but I'm totally joking.
I am also thankful for the time this week I got to talk to some dear friends. Life gets busy and I often forget how much holy friendships build me up and enrich my life. Especially friendships with holy women. Amy and Sara, if you are reading this talking to you this week was such a blessing. You are both visiting me very soon.
Juliette and I are both doing better today but please keep praying our little bug goes away and that Kyle and Madeleine do not catch it. If we all stay healthy there will be apple picking and petting zoo fun in our near future. And lots of adorable pictures to go with it!
There is nothing worse than watching your baby suffer. Praise God my kids have only had light illnesses but I still hate it. She was all stuffed up and giving me the sad eyes. And her sad eyes are particularly powerful because they are huge and brown with her long eyelashes clumped together with tears. And then if you can tear your eyes away from her's you'll notice the runny nose and the quivering lip and you are about ready to sell your spleen to get the money to fund some scientists effort to cure the common cold.
But there were good times too. When we were all happily drugged up Juliette discovered that she could walk using her walker. And boy was she ever proud of herself! The first time she did it I was in the kitchen cooking and I saw Juliette laughing and cruising across the room. At first I thought nothing of it because she has been mobile (of the four legged, crawling variety) for a few months now. But I did a double take and noticed her expectant face and her upward position. She was So. Freaking. Proud. of herself and wanted to make sure that I had seen her big moment. So I ditched the stupid cooking and ran to her clapping and scooped her up.
Now she is hooked, can't get enough of the walking with the walker. I'd imagine within weeks she won't even need it anymore. She spends her time going back and forth across and around the living room, laughing and beaming. And when she finished walking she lets go of the walker and claps for herself. It's adorable. It makes me want to cover her cheeks with chocolate syrup and just nibble on them. But I will restrain myself.
And Madeleine keeps making advances in the prayer department. She now prays grace before she eats anything (calls me on! I usually forget!) and if you ask her who's Mary she will tell you, "Jesus mommy." She can also count to six which she demonstrates usually when she is about to get into trouble. A typical scene goes something like this;
Me- "Madeleine. Give that back to your sister."
Madeleine- "Nooooo mom!"
Me- "Madeleine, mommy is going to count to three."
Madeleine- "One, two, three, four, five, six"
Me- "Madeleine, I am proud of your counting but you need to give that to your sister before I count to three."
Then, depending on her mood, we happily do as I ask and get on with our lives or she is counting the two minutes she spends in time out. But for the most part, she always does as her mommy and daddy ask. She loves to please, that one.
There is never a dull moment around here.
This week was my birthday and I came to the realization that I am ridiculously happy. So I really don't need anything. But Starbucks cards are always welcome if you are asking ;) Just kidding... but seriously... but I'm totally joking.
I am also thankful for the time this week I got to talk to some dear friends. Life gets busy and I often forget how much holy friendships build me up and enrich my life. Especially friendships with holy women. Amy and Sara, if you are reading this talking to you this week was such a blessing. You are both visiting me very soon.
Juliette and I are both doing better today but please keep praying our little bug goes away and that Kyle and Madeleine do not catch it. If we all stay healthy there will be apple picking and petting zoo fun in our near future. And lots of adorable pictures to go with it!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Typical Prayer Time with Madeleine
"Madeleine, do you want to pray?"
"Yes." *points to chest* "Father, Son" *folds hands* "Amen"
"Madeleine, what do you want to pray for?"
"Thank you Jesus.... ummm... baby, daddy, mom, grandmom, gra, launnick, hannah, carly, daddy, mom, hannah, lainey, grammy, barney, baby bop, bj bop, elmo, mom, daddy, baby, madeleine, nick, cars, grandmom, carly, daddy, baby, barney, cookies, Jesus, mass... ummm... daddy. Amen"
What about Jesus' mommy?
"Yes. Hail Mary. Amen."
"Yes." *points to chest* "Father, Son" *folds hands* "Amen"
"Madeleine, what do you want to pray for?"
"Thank you Jesus.... ummm... baby, daddy, mom, grandmom, gra, launnick, hannah, carly, daddy, mom, hannah, lainey, grammy, barney, baby bop, bj bop, elmo, mom, daddy, baby, madeleine, nick, cars, grandmom, carly, daddy, baby, barney, cookies, Jesus, mass... ummm... daddy. Amen"
What about Jesus' mommy?
"Yes. Hail Mary. Amen."
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Things I wish I could say when
I'm really cranky today so this is the beginning to a long list of things I wish I could respond to people when they ask me really obnoxious questions.
Marriage
Why I got married so young?
Because we were "waiting" for marriage and didn't want to "wait" too long
Why didn't we just live together first?
Because statistically speaking, living together increases your chance of divorce by 50 percent and we didn't like those odds.
Do I feel like I am missing out on anything by being a young wife and mother?
What? Getting drunk and having no memories of doing it? Trotting along trying to find "the one" when along I had found him in college and had lost him because I decided it was too young to get married. No, if I had not gotten married I would have missed out on the love of my life and my two sweet girls. That would be way worse than any vacation, pay increase, or party.
Pregnancy
Were you trying?
Well, after watching a lot of CSI I have decided to categorize pregnancy in degrees, like how they categorize murders. After all, deciding to have another baby is kind of like stabbing mother earth in the chest.
Pregnancy is the first degree is one you've tried for. Pregnancy in the second degree is a result of an act of passion that was not previously planned upon. Pregnancy in the third degree is what happens when I'm just super duper fertile and I end up pregnant from just ironing Kyle's pants. I'll let you guess which degree the baby is.
You know what causes that, right?
Crap! I knew Kyle and I were hugging wrong.
Why don't you just use birth control?
Because not only is it against my faith but it's also against my ideas of self preservation. I really don't want to take anything that will increase my likelihood of cancer or whatever bad side effect would come from my using it. NFP is the green way of avoiding pregnancy.
How are you feeling?
Like crap. But I'm not going to complain because I know how many women would do anything to be pregnant. It would be an insult to them to do anything else except say "praise God" for anything pregnancy brings me.
You must be having a ..... because ........
Wrong. You are so wrong. It's a girl.
Can I touch your belly?
No. Now go bring me a sandwich.
You look huge! You must be due soon!
No. I have three months to go. Now run fast or I will use my gigantic belly as a weapon against you.
Are you sure there is just one baby in there?
You know what? I'm not even going to respond to that question. I'm just going to slap you.
Are you going naturally?
No. Because I feel no need to put myself through that for bragging rights. That may not be why you do it, but it is the only reason I could think of for me to do it. You do your own thing and more power to you if you do it without drugs. But I love my epidurals. And until my babies don't have perfect APGAR scores you have no right to judge how I give birth. I'll be well rested and glowing in my afterbirth pictures. I offered up sufferings for nine months. This day is going to be about pure joy instead.
After Birth
Are you done now?
It's up to God. But if you can get it in writing from him that I should only have two kids then I'll have a conversation with you about this. Until then, it's only a discussion between myself, my husband, and the Big Guy upstairs.... and sometimes my mother.
Are you going to go on birth control now?
No. Please stop asking. It's super uncomfortable to discuss this with people.
So... you are just staying at home.
Yup. I'm hoping that being home with my kids all day will make me reaaal dumb and out of touch with society so I eventually resent them. It can't possibly be that I enjoy being with my babies all day every day.
You don't want to end up with like SIX KIDS right?
Actually, that's exactly what I want. In fact, I'd be completely overjoyed with six. Or more. But I must be a crazy lady who thinks Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs or something to want that many kids.
You must get bored at home all day
I just laughed so hard I think I peed a little.
Marriage
Why I got married so young?
Because we were "waiting" for marriage and didn't want to "wait" too long
Why didn't we just live together first?
Because statistically speaking, living together increases your chance of divorce by 50 percent and we didn't like those odds.
Do I feel like I am missing out on anything by being a young wife and mother?
What? Getting drunk and having no memories of doing it? Trotting along trying to find "the one" when along I had found him in college and had lost him because I decided it was too young to get married. No, if I had not gotten married I would have missed out on the love of my life and my two sweet girls. That would be way worse than any vacation, pay increase, or party.
Pregnancy
Were you trying?
Well, after watching a lot of CSI I have decided to categorize pregnancy in degrees, like how they categorize murders. After all, deciding to have another baby is kind of like stabbing mother earth in the chest.
Pregnancy is the first degree is one you've tried for. Pregnancy in the second degree is a result of an act of passion that was not previously planned upon. Pregnancy in the third degree is what happens when I'm just super duper fertile and I end up pregnant from just ironing Kyle's pants. I'll let you guess which degree the baby is.
You know what causes that, right?
Crap! I knew Kyle and I were hugging wrong.
Why don't you just use birth control?
Because not only is it against my faith but it's also against my ideas of self preservation. I really don't want to take anything that will increase my likelihood of cancer or whatever bad side effect would come from my using it. NFP is the green way of avoiding pregnancy.
How are you feeling?
Like crap. But I'm not going to complain because I know how many women would do anything to be pregnant. It would be an insult to them to do anything else except say "praise God" for anything pregnancy brings me.
You must be having a ..... because ........
Wrong. You are so wrong. It's a girl.
Can I touch your belly?
No. Now go bring me a sandwich.
You look huge! You must be due soon!
No. I have three months to go. Now run fast or I will use my gigantic belly as a weapon against you.
Are you sure there is just one baby in there?
You know what? I'm not even going to respond to that question. I'm just going to slap you.
Are you going naturally?
No. Because I feel no need to put myself through that for bragging rights. That may not be why you do it, but it is the only reason I could think of for me to do it. You do your own thing and more power to you if you do it without drugs. But I love my epidurals. And until my babies don't have perfect APGAR scores you have no right to judge how I give birth. I'll be well rested and glowing in my afterbirth pictures. I offered up sufferings for nine months. This day is going to be about pure joy instead.
After Birth
Are you done now?
It's up to God. But if you can get it in writing from him that I should only have two kids then I'll have a conversation with you about this. Until then, it's only a discussion between myself, my husband, and the Big Guy upstairs.... and sometimes my mother.
Are you going to go on birth control now?
No. Please stop asking. It's super uncomfortable to discuss this with people.
So... you are just staying at home.
Yup. I'm hoping that being home with my kids all day will make me reaaal dumb and out of touch with society so I eventually resent them. It can't possibly be that I enjoy being with my babies all day every day.
You don't want to end up with like SIX KIDS right?
Actually, that's exactly what I want. In fact, I'd be completely overjoyed with six. Or more. But I must be a crazy lady who thinks Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs or something to want that many kids.
You must get bored at home all day
I just laughed so hard I think I peed a little.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Power outages and other fun adventures
Tropical Storm Irene hit New England. I'll be honest, I wanted to smack every idiot with a status saying something along the lines of "Come on Irene" or "Bring it on Irene". Tropical storms are nothing to be messed with.
Driving around my parent's neighborhood proved that. There was a tree blocking the street going one direction, a tree on a power line blocking another way, and only one way out. And then once you got out of the neighborhood there were more and more trees sitting on power lines. Tropical storms are dangerous. There are tons of people with damaged homes, house fires, no power for at least a week, and then there are the idiots talking about how awesome it is. Those people are lacking a compassion gene.
I was in Connecticut during the storm to get help with the kiddos because Kyle was stuck at the airport all weekend. We lost power early Sunday and it will be out for days. I came back to Massachusetts this afternoon because Kyle was home and our power was back on, but I feel terrible for my parents. They are losing hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of food, their lawn is trashed, they can't flush their toilets, and they have to other people's houses to shower. Luckily, they are far better off than some people.
We spent the day playing card games in the glow of the flashlights (I dominated) and ate whatever was not in the fridge. Madeleine was horribly confused by the power outage and kept asking for the lights.
And Madeleine has started biting. She bit my arm while sitting on my lap and so I put her in time out. She finally said, "I sorry!" so I scooped her up, told her not to bite again, and hugged her. But we may have to play this daily from now on.
The next two days are Kyle's weekend and so we will be restocking our fridge... the one I just stocked last week. But in all honesty I am just so glad that our home is okay, we are okay, and all the people we love are as well. It could have been a lot worse.
And I am also thankful for the little things like potties that flush and showers that run. And the internet. And that the DVR didn't miss any episodes of CSI Miami. Amen.
Driving around my parent's neighborhood proved that. There was a tree blocking the street going one direction, a tree on a power line blocking another way, and only one way out. And then once you got out of the neighborhood there were more and more trees sitting on power lines. Tropical storms are dangerous. There are tons of people with damaged homes, house fires, no power for at least a week, and then there are the idiots talking about how awesome it is. Those people are lacking a compassion gene.
I was in Connecticut during the storm to get help with the kiddos because Kyle was stuck at the airport all weekend. We lost power early Sunday and it will be out for days. I came back to Massachusetts this afternoon because Kyle was home and our power was back on, but I feel terrible for my parents. They are losing hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of food, their lawn is trashed, they can't flush their toilets, and they have to other people's houses to shower. Luckily, they are far better off than some people.
We spent the day playing card games in the glow of the flashlights (I dominated) and ate whatever was not in the fridge. Madeleine was horribly confused by the power outage and kept asking for the lights.
And Madeleine has started biting. She bit my arm while sitting on my lap and so I put her in time out. She finally said, "I sorry!" so I scooped her up, told her not to bite again, and hugged her. But we may have to play this daily from now on.
The next two days are Kyle's weekend and so we will be restocking our fridge... the one I just stocked last week. But in all honesty I am just so glad that our home is okay, we are okay, and all the people we love are as well. It could have been a lot worse.
And I am also thankful for the little things like potties that flush and showers that run. And the internet. And that the DVR didn't miss any episodes of CSI Miami. Amen.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The Playroom
Can I just say how much I love having a playroom? Our old apartment was also a three bedroom and we put a kid in each room. Fools. They still both ended up in our room most nights and the living room looked like we had looted a Babies R Us and still hadn't found a place to pawn our stolen goods. And when we had guests over there was no place to them to stay except for said living room so they would have to push the things to the side of the room, put down the air mattress, and we would pray that no stray puzzle pieces would poke their wooden sides into the mattress causing it to slowly deflate and the guests to wake up on the floor.
That was when we even allowed guests in the house.
Now... we have a PLAYROOM! And it is messy! I try to get Madeleine to help me clean, and she does because she is a perfect angel and loves to please, but we usually find a book to read and end up snuggled on the couch. I have serious cleaning ADD (I'm pretty sure I stopped mid dishes to write this post) so it might take a bit before we get back to the task at hand. If at all. Because there is always something better to do. And to be honest, as long as the rest of the house is orderly I kind of like the playroom a bit messed up. It shows how much fun I have with my kids all day and saves them the trouble of leveling the room again the next morning so we can get down to playing right away.
But the really great things is that when people come over I can just shut the door and they don't have to know. Now, if said guest is staying overnight we have a futon that folds down because not having a crib in there means we have room for that. And there is usually almost nothing on the futon so we just go and swipe the toys onto the floor, lay out some blankets and pillows, and by golly, move over Hilton family. We make your hotels look like a hostel. And from someone who has travel Europe... that is NOT a compliment.
Tonight I snuggled up with Madeleine in the playroom reading the "I love" book while Juliette crawled, scooted, and growled her way from toy to toy looking for something dangerous to put in her mouth. Until she decided snuggling was way more fun than choking and decided to join us as well. It was a perfect evening.
The playroom is a complete and utter disaster but tonight I am just going to shut the door, finish the dishes, and maybe watch a little CSI NY. My kids are happy and so am I.
That was when we even allowed guests in the house.
Now... we have a PLAYROOM! And it is messy! I try to get Madeleine to help me clean, and she does because she is a perfect angel and loves to please, but we usually find a book to read and end up snuggled on the couch. I have serious cleaning ADD (I'm pretty sure I stopped mid dishes to write this post) so it might take a bit before we get back to the task at hand. If at all. Because there is always something better to do. And to be honest, as long as the rest of the house is orderly I kind of like the playroom a bit messed up. It shows how much fun I have with my kids all day and saves them the trouble of leveling the room again the next morning so we can get down to playing right away.
But the really great things is that when people come over I can just shut the door and they don't have to know. Now, if said guest is staying overnight we have a futon that folds down because not having a crib in there means we have room for that. And there is usually almost nothing on the futon so we just go and swipe the toys onto the floor, lay out some blankets and pillows, and by golly, move over Hilton family. We make your hotels look like a hostel. And from someone who has travel Europe... that is NOT a compliment.
Tonight I snuggled up with Madeleine in the playroom reading the "I love" book while Juliette crawled, scooted, and growled her way from toy to toy looking for something dangerous to put in her mouth. Until she decided snuggling was way more fun than choking and decided to join us as well. It was a perfect evening.
The playroom is a complete and utter disaster but tonight I am just going to shut the door, finish the dishes, and maybe watch a little CSI NY. My kids are happy and so am I.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
My excuse
I went grocery shopping yesterday with both babies. I'm used to it by now. Juliette sits in her infant car seat which goes inside the main part of the shopping cart. Madeleine is sitting in the seat. The food goes anywhere there is room. Occasionally one of my kids gets something in their hands which I don't notice and we end up shoplifting.
My favorite part of the shopping with kids experience is if one of them starts crying in the middle of the trip. Madeleine might throw a completely righteous temper tantrum if she sees something she wants and MEAN MOMMY tells her no. Juliette could decide that she wants to be held even though it is impossible to push a shopping cart full of things (and her sister) and carry her without dropping her. MEAN MOMMY. When those things happen I experience the, "Who are these kids and why are they calling me mommy" moment. It's like the old ladies and women with quiet children come to find you and they just follow you as you hurredly grab the last couple of items, shushing and comforting and pleading and bribing, before heading to check out.
Undoubtedly someone will tell me that I should just pick her up. Or that she is hungry. And I give them angry dagger laser eyes and try to explain calmly to them that I cannot pick up the baby and push the cart or I will drop her. And I cannot leave the cart because it has the toddler in it and all the food she has grown accustomed to eating. And I can't shop without them because my husband is at work and when he gets home I want to spend time with him. And she just ate before we came so that isn't the problem either but thanks for playing. But what I want to scream is, "OMG SHE WILL FREAKING LIVE I JUST NEED TO GRAB THE MILK AND GET OUT OF HERE WITHOUT YOUR JUDGEMENT". Because I haven't slept through the night in two and a half years and I am hormonal and cranky.
Well, yesterday wasn't much different. The toddler was happy because I was buying her cookies and a box of crackers with the characters from "Glee" on the cover. (I know, it's embarrassing that my kid knows and is sold by things with Glee on it but we have dance parties to the music so it's actually not as bad as it seems.) The baby was sleeping most of the time we were inside but woke up when I had only four items on my list left. And she woke up teething.
So I pushed the cart with one hand on the front, guiding it in a sort of zig zag pattern trying to not hit the displays and people and one hand inside her mouth. And when I took my finger out of her mouth and she was unable to chew on it, mommy makes the only exceptable teether, all hell would break loose. The last four items were on the same isle. Milk, creamer, bagels, butter. And there is this guy, probably 50, grocery shopping on his phone with his laptop open in the front. Making a business call. And I take my hand out of baby's mouth to grab the milk and SCREAMING and the guy shoots me a dirty look and says to the person he is on the phone with, "Sorry I can't hear you. There is someone here with an annoying, screaming baby." And let me tell you, I'm not proud, but after I got over my urge to scream profanities at him and pelt him with eggs... I lingered.
I lingered the crap out of that isle. I got all vindictive all up in Price Chopper and I lingered so that dirty look shooting lap topping man couldn't hear his precious phone call. (Five hours of sleep people. Please don't judge.) It was only when my maternal instincts got control of my hormones that I put my finger back in the baby's mouth and lopsidedly pushed the cart to checkout. But not before picking up one last item.
And that, Kyle, is why there are three things of Ben and Jerry's in our freezer. I'm really sorry. The hormones made me do it.
My favorite part of the shopping with kids experience is if one of them starts crying in the middle of the trip. Madeleine might throw a completely righteous temper tantrum if she sees something she wants and MEAN MOMMY tells her no. Juliette could decide that she wants to be held even though it is impossible to push a shopping cart full of things (and her sister) and carry her without dropping her. MEAN MOMMY. When those things happen I experience the, "Who are these kids and why are they calling me mommy" moment. It's like the old ladies and women with quiet children come to find you and they just follow you as you hurredly grab the last couple of items, shushing and comforting and pleading and bribing, before heading to check out.
Undoubtedly someone will tell me that I should just pick her up. Or that she is hungry. And I give them angry dagger laser eyes and try to explain calmly to them that I cannot pick up the baby and push the cart or I will drop her. And I cannot leave the cart because it has the toddler in it and all the food she has grown accustomed to eating. And I can't shop without them because my husband is at work and when he gets home I want to spend time with him. And she just ate before we came so that isn't the problem either but thanks for playing. But what I want to scream is, "OMG SHE WILL FREAKING LIVE I JUST NEED TO GRAB THE MILK AND GET OUT OF HERE WITHOUT YOUR JUDGEMENT". Because I haven't slept through the night in two and a half years and I am hormonal and cranky.
Well, yesterday wasn't much different. The toddler was happy because I was buying her cookies and a box of crackers with the characters from "Glee" on the cover. (I know, it's embarrassing that my kid knows and is sold by things with Glee on it but we have dance parties to the music so it's actually not as bad as it seems.) The baby was sleeping most of the time we were inside but woke up when I had only four items on my list left. And she woke up teething.
So I pushed the cart with one hand on the front, guiding it in a sort of zig zag pattern trying to not hit the displays and people and one hand inside her mouth. And when I took my finger out of her mouth and she was unable to chew on it, mommy makes the only exceptable teether, all hell would break loose. The last four items were on the same isle. Milk, creamer, bagels, butter. And there is this guy, probably 50, grocery shopping on his phone with his laptop open in the front. Making a business call. And I take my hand out of baby's mouth to grab the milk and SCREAMING and the guy shoots me a dirty look and says to the person he is on the phone with, "Sorry I can't hear you. There is someone here with an annoying, screaming baby." And let me tell you, I'm not proud, but after I got over my urge to scream profanities at him and pelt him with eggs... I lingered.
I lingered the crap out of that isle. I got all vindictive all up in Price Chopper and I lingered so that dirty look shooting lap topping man couldn't hear his precious phone call. (Five hours of sleep people. Please don't judge.) It was only when my maternal instincts got control of my hormones that I put my finger back in the baby's mouth and lopsidedly pushed the cart to checkout. But not before picking up one last item.
And that, Kyle, is why there are three things of Ben and Jerry's in our freezer. I'm really sorry. The hormones made me do it.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
NFP in real life
I struggle a lot with Natural Family Planning. Mostly because if situations were perfect I would live in a perpetual state of getting pregnant and popping out babies. I'm not really big on the pregnant part but I am HUGE on the baby part. I get the baby itch soon after they are born (well so far) and then Kyle and I take time to discern and pray before having another.
Right now we are trying to avoid but we spend a lot of time fearing pregnancy. Not because of how we would handle it (I don't want to toot my own horn but I am totally a natural at this whole "being a mom" thing and could easily handle another) but because of what people might think. Sure, we have some friends that wonder why we aren't pregnant again already, God bless them, but we know that there would be many others, family, friends, random people in the grocery store, that would completely disapprove.
We are not avoiding because of them. We are avoiding because of finances and because of my health. As far as the first goes, soon enough Kyle will be an employee of Southwest Airlines, his pay will go up, and we will be able to afford another. I mean, we cloth diaper so that wouldn't cost anything. We nurse, so no money for food. If it's a girl we'd have all the clothes we need and with a boy he would get more spoiled that an heir to the throne in Britain so that's a non issue as well. We have car seats, strollers, and cribs as well. We would need very little. The big issues for us are hospital bills, time off of work, etc. I'd also really like to wait until we wouldn't have three in college at one time.
My health is the real issue. I've had major issues with both of my last two pregnancies (and the ectopic before that as well) and so I need to be stronger so I can be a good mommy to both my babies on the outside and the one on the inside. Last time I barely had the strength to get off the couch many days and I when I get pregnant again I would like to be able to be the mommy they have now, just rounder.
I don't buy into waiting because it's better for my first two girls. They are each other's best friends and another baby would only add to their joy. If I want alone time with any of my kids, Kyle gladly babysits so I can have that special mommy and me time. I don't care about fancy vacations and having all sorts of "me time". That could never bring my husband and I more joy than another baby. Even Kyle, who was terrified of kids at first cannot wait until we feel ready to add to our family. Right now we avoid and take each month to pray and discern. We believe that by using Natural Family Planning we are allowing God to be the true head of our family and know what is best for us. If we get pregnant we pray that the people we know will be excited and supportive because as I said before, pregnancy is hard enough for me.
When I think of having a third child I don't really worry about many of the things I think most people do. What I do worry about is what it would be like to wait too long, to have another ectopic pregnancy, to increase my chance of miscarriage, and to live with the regret of not having been open to all God could have given to my family through another child. I think of the names we have picked out for our future babies, of the moment when I first see the face that goes with that name and hold my child for the first time. I think of all God could do through that child and how that child could be a light in a world that could use a lot more light. Nothing else seems important after that
Right now we are trying to avoid but we spend a lot of time fearing pregnancy. Not because of how we would handle it (I don't want to toot my own horn but I am totally a natural at this whole "being a mom" thing and could easily handle another) but because of what people might think. Sure, we have some friends that wonder why we aren't pregnant again already, God bless them, but we know that there would be many others, family, friends, random people in the grocery store, that would completely disapprove.
We are not avoiding because of them. We are avoiding because of finances and because of my health. As far as the first goes, soon enough Kyle will be an employee of Southwest Airlines, his pay will go up, and we will be able to afford another. I mean, we cloth diaper so that wouldn't cost anything. We nurse, so no money for food. If it's a girl we'd have all the clothes we need and with a boy he would get more spoiled that an heir to the throne in Britain so that's a non issue as well. We have car seats, strollers, and cribs as well. We would need very little. The big issues for us are hospital bills, time off of work, etc. I'd also really like to wait until we wouldn't have three in college at one time.
My health is the real issue. I've had major issues with both of my last two pregnancies (and the ectopic before that as well) and so I need to be stronger so I can be a good mommy to both my babies on the outside and the one on the inside. Last time I barely had the strength to get off the couch many days and I when I get pregnant again I would like to be able to be the mommy they have now, just rounder.
I don't buy into waiting because it's better for my first two girls. They are each other's best friends and another baby would only add to their joy. If I want alone time with any of my kids, Kyle gladly babysits so I can have that special mommy and me time. I don't care about fancy vacations and having all sorts of "me time". That could never bring my husband and I more joy than another baby. Even Kyle, who was terrified of kids at first cannot wait until we feel ready to add to our family. Right now we avoid and take each month to pray and discern. We believe that by using Natural Family Planning we are allowing God to be the true head of our family and know what is best for us. If we get pregnant we pray that the people we know will be excited and supportive because as I said before, pregnancy is hard enough for me.
When I think of having a third child I don't really worry about many of the things I think most people do. What I do worry about is what it would be like to wait too long, to have another ectopic pregnancy, to increase my chance of miscarriage, and to live with the regret of not having been open to all God could have given to my family through another child. I think of the names we have picked out for our future babies, of the moment when I first see the face that goes with that name and hold my child for the first time. I think of all God could do through that child and how that child could be a light in a world that could use a lot more light. Nothing else seems important after that
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
In the Behr cave... or wherever it is that Behrs live
So it's been a while since I've done a post about daily life with the baby Behrs and since I am apparently an insomniac all of a sudden now seems as good of a time as ever.
My day usually begins around 10 am. Go ahead, be jealous of me. Just know that this means that my kids are up until at least 10 pm every night. With Kyle's schedule it just works best for me so you'll just have to trust that it's awesome and that it won't permanently damage them or cause them to be criminals by kindergarten. I wake up to Juliette pouncing on top of me excitedly. I generally have only a vague recollection as to how she ended up in our bed instead of the crib but I nurse her and after a while she's done and ready to dive head first off the side of the bed looking for adventure.
I catch her and carry her to Madeleine's crib and place her next to her sister. Madeleine wakes up, wraps her arms around Juliette, and says "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABY!" sometimes tenderly and sometimes with a terrifying amount of enthusiasm. I let them play for a few minutes, start the coffee, and check my email. It's about at this point that the girls realize they are trapped inside the crib, grow restless, and Madeleine tries to remedy the situation but yelling, "MOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM" and throwing things out of her crib in protest. I take them out, put them on the floor, and Madeleine and Juliette take off as startling speeds. Madeleine, to see if breakfast is ready and Juliette, to see if there are any small objects she can shove in her mouth before I catch her.
A typical scene is myself, seated, trying to inspire the girls to sit still and join me for story time. Madeleine is in kitten heels, underwear for a necklace, and a purse, pushing Bitty Baby in the doll stroller while Juliette crawls across the room with much determination making sounds that sometimes scare people that don't spend much time with us and don't realize that they come from her. It's this deep growling noise. It's why we call her dinosaur.
Obviously when I start cooking or cleaning that's when they want my attention. Demand my attention. Their very survival depends on my attention. Juliette wants to eat again and Madeleine wants to read or go out. The morning goes on, Kyle gets home around 2:30. The girls are winding down for naps and Kyle wonders why I look so frazzled when they are so relatively calm. All I want to do is sit on the couch while they sleep and spend some time with my good friend Horatio Caine and the CSI team from Miami. Kyle has grand visions of driving the minivan up a mountain. A mountain. With two kids in the back for hours. Awesome plan dude.
I can usually talk Kyle down and get him to relax with me and before we know it the peace we had just begun to enjoy is over and the kids are SO HAPPY TO SEE US. But wait, all of the chores we promised we'd do today are still left undone. No matter! We'll totally clean the car out tomorrow! (It's been months)
Kyle goes to bed around 7:00 and after they finish crying because daddy DARED to leave them to go to sleep, the girls look at me expectantly. GIRL TIME! That's usually when we jet off to Walmart to grab the groceries. Everyone is happy until about the time we reach check out and Juliette starts screaming and Madeleine is trying to shoplift a candy bar and I look exhausted and disheveled as a teenage boy "Mam"s me and I leave the store hurriedly while disapproving older couples look on like their kids NEVER cried in stores. We get home and put away the groceries, play, read, and then (horrors!) I let Madeleine cuddle up to me and watch a show for a few minutes. She starts to conk out, we say our prayers (she loves praying and going to church), get tucked into the crib with our favorite Monkey, and fall quickly to sleep. It's about 10:15 and Juliette realizes that she has me ALL. TO. HERSELF. She can't decide what she wants to do first! Nurse on the left side? Nurse on the right side?
It's ten minutes later and Juliette has passed out drinking yet again. I tuck her into the other crib. I put away the dishes, maybe hang the cloth diapers to dry overnight, perhaps even shower, and finally settle down in front of the TV to make my mind stop. I climb into bed around one thanking God for another wonderful day. My husband and my girls are healthy and thriving and adore me to pieces as I them. I haven't discovered a cure for cancer or fought crime like Horatio but I feel fulfilled.
This is just a general overview of a typical day of the week. We learn, we explore, we eat, we do all the normal things that normal moms do with their kids. As they grow older I will add more and more structure to our days so as to build a foundation for homeschooling. For now though I am trying to enjoy the crud out of them because I hear they don't stay this little forever.
My day usually begins around 10 am. Go ahead, be jealous of me. Just know that this means that my kids are up until at least 10 pm every night. With Kyle's schedule it just works best for me so you'll just have to trust that it's awesome and that it won't permanently damage them or cause them to be criminals by kindergarten. I wake up to Juliette pouncing on top of me excitedly. I generally have only a vague recollection as to how she ended up in our bed instead of the crib but I nurse her and after a while she's done and ready to dive head first off the side of the bed looking for adventure.
I catch her and carry her to Madeleine's crib and place her next to her sister. Madeleine wakes up, wraps her arms around Juliette, and says "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABY!" sometimes tenderly and sometimes with a terrifying amount of enthusiasm. I let them play for a few minutes, start the coffee, and check my email. It's about at this point that the girls realize they are trapped inside the crib, grow restless, and Madeleine tries to remedy the situation but yelling, "MOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM" and throwing things out of her crib in protest. I take them out, put them on the floor, and Madeleine and Juliette take off as startling speeds. Madeleine, to see if breakfast is ready and Juliette, to see if there are any small objects she can shove in her mouth before I catch her.
A typical scene is myself, seated, trying to inspire the girls to sit still and join me for story time. Madeleine is in kitten heels, underwear for a necklace, and a purse, pushing Bitty Baby in the doll stroller while Juliette crawls across the room with much determination making sounds that sometimes scare people that don't spend much time with us and don't realize that they come from her. It's this deep growling noise. It's why we call her dinosaur.
Obviously when I start cooking or cleaning that's when they want my attention. Demand my attention. Their very survival depends on my attention. Juliette wants to eat again and Madeleine wants to read or go out. The morning goes on, Kyle gets home around 2:30. The girls are winding down for naps and Kyle wonders why I look so frazzled when they are so relatively calm. All I want to do is sit on the couch while they sleep and spend some time with my good friend Horatio Caine and the CSI team from Miami. Kyle has grand visions of driving the minivan up a mountain. A mountain. With two kids in the back for hours. Awesome plan dude.
I can usually talk Kyle down and get him to relax with me and before we know it the peace we had just begun to enjoy is over and the kids are SO HAPPY TO SEE US. But wait, all of the chores we promised we'd do today are still left undone. No matter! We'll totally clean the car out tomorrow! (It's been months)
Kyle goes to bed around 7:00 and after they finish crying because daddy DARED to leave them to go to sleep, the girls look at me expectantly. GIRL TIME! That's usually when we jet off to Walmart to grab the groceries. Everyone is happy until about the time we reach check out and Juliette starts screaming and Madeleine is trying to shoplift a candy bar and I look exhausted and disheveled as a teenage boy "Mam"s me and I leave the store hurriedly while disapproving older couples look on like their kids NEVER cried in stores. We get home and put away the groceries, play, read, and then (horrors!) I let Madeleine cuddle up to me and watch a show for a few minutes. She starts to conk out, we say our prayers (she loves praying and going to church), get tucked into the crib with our favorite Monkey, and fall quickly to sleep. It's about 10:15 and Juliette realizes that she has me ALL. TO. HERSELF. She can't decide what she wants to do first! Nurse on the left side? Nurse on the right side?
It's ten minutes later and Juliette has passed out drinking yet again. I tuck her into the other crib. I put away the dishes, maybe hang the cloth diapers to dry overnight, perhaps even shower, and finally settle down in front of the TV to make my mind stop. I climb into bed around one thanking God for another wonderful day. My husband and my girls are healthy and thriving and adore me to pieces as I them. I haven't discovered a cure for cancer or fought crime like Horatio but I feel fulfilled.
This is just a general overview of a typical day of the week. We learn, we explore, we eat, we do all the normal things that normal moms do with their kids. As they grow older I will add more and more structure to our days so as to build a foundation for homeschooling. For now though I am trying to enjoy the crud out of them because I hear they don't stay this little forever.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Oh how they grow
Juliette has been getting ready to crawl for a while now. She'd go forward a little, stop, and look around for the applause. Then today, out of no where, she crawled across the room. She took off after a toy and there is no stopping her and no turning back. My baby is MOBILE. (dum dum dum... scary music!!!)
It brings me back to when Madeleine was this age, maybe a few weeks older. We were visiting Auntie Theresa in California and Madeleine decided that in the hotels of Los Angeles is where she would learn to crawl... and stand. I think she must have sensed that she was needing to become a big girl because that is where I learned I was pregnant with Juliette. Now my sweet two year old chases her little sister around the house. They play together like the best of friends. To be honest, I'm not sure if they really look much alike but I do think that anyone can tell they are sisters. Why? Because they absolutely glow when they are together.
I can't wait to see how their relationship grows. They play together, share their toys and laugh. I know that wherever their little feet take them, their sister will be right there with them.
We aren't ready for another baby right yet but I can't wait until I get to give them the gift of another lifelong friend and partner in crime. Juliette brought me back in time today. When I took that pregnancy test I knew how much I wanted and loved her already. I just couldn't imagine how mine and Kyle's yes to life and another pregnancy so soon after Madeleine would be so important to Madeleine. Her little sister brings her so much joy. It's really no wonder that with all the love she showers upon her that when Juliette decides to crawl, it's usually to her.
It brings me back to when Madeleine was this age, maybe a few weeks older. We were visiting Auntie Theresa in California and Madeleine decided that in the hotels of Los Angeles is where she would learn to crawl... and stand. I think she must have sensed that she was needing to become a big girl because that is where I learned I was pregnant with Juliette. Now my sweet two year old chases her little sister around the house. They play together like the best of friends. To be honest, I'm not sure if they really look much alike but I do think that anyone can tell they are sisters. Why? Because they absolutely glow when they are together.
I can't wait to see how their relationship grows. They play together, share their toys and laugh. I know that wherever their little feet take them, their sister will be right there with them.
We aren't ready for another baby right yet but I can't wait until I get to give them the gift of another lifelong friend and partner in crime. Juliette brought me back in time today. When I took that pregnancy test I knew how much I wanted and loved her already. I just couldn't imagine how mine and Kyle's yes to life and another pregnancy so soon after Madeleine would be so important to Madeleine. Her little sister brings her so much joy. It's really no wonder that with all the love she showers upon her that when Juliette decides to crawl, it's usually to her.
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