Friday, March 29, 2013

Taggies!! Product Review

So with the 6 month clothes came something that I snatched up when I was out shopping just before Wyatt came along.  Notice anything very different about these jammies?



How about now?




Yup, those are some little silky tags sewn right to the jammie fronts.  You know, all those toys and lovies that have that silky texture that fascinates many babies in the world...they added it to the sleepers now!  No more worries about a lovie in the crib.  No more worries that they can't find their lovie in the middle of the night at slightly older ages either.  Well, okay, they will still probably cry out in the night for their favorite lovie toy if it goes into hiding.  For Wyatt's age though, you can't get much better than having this safe alternative in bed with him to soothe himself.




Awesome job, Taggies!  Thanks for bringing the toys safely to bedtime.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Eggs and Candy

Loves her bucket!
Saturday was a heroic attempt at Momma taking two kids to a local city-wide Easter Egg Hunt at the community center.  If you'll recall we just moved here so we haven't been to any city events, or even to the center before the Egg Hunt.  We had no clue how things could be expected to go.


The set up was a little odd and didn't seem to have enough coordination/signage for newbies like myself to get to the events at the times that they were scheduled (elevators for strollers being on the wrong side of emergency doors that were disabled to allow access but no signage or propping or volunteers letting us know that it was okay to go through being the biggest issue).  Once we got to the egg hunt on the other side of the doors, we found out that we were too late for the under 5 age group but we were able to stay for the older group's hunt.  I was admittedly a little nervous because the 'big kids' on either side of us were literally being held back by their parents at some points.  To make sure my three year old wasn't trampled by the older kids who were in a feeding frenzy after seeing the candy all over the gym floor, much like a shark on the trail of blood scent, I held her hand and helped her run out to a section of the floor where there was a lot of candy and eggs but that many of the kids had passed over or hadn't gone for.  Strategy is a learned thing....those elementary school kids all leapt right on the piles at their feet and ignored the center of the gym.  So Alyssa got a safe and easy spot in the middle of everything and had a nice slow time of picking up what she wanted and putting it in her bucket.  I was amazed at how simple it was.  Alyssa loved it once she got out there but she was nervous at the start because of the microphone and speakers being used and the large crowd of kids all getting more and more excited.

Part way through the candy/egg set up.

Watching the beginning of the setup (pre-line up)
The sweet and patient three year old at my side waited very nicely until the whistle blew signaling 'go'. (As soon as the bigger kids started lining up at the cones, we did also.)  This group was the older kids and the parents around us kept seeing their kids being upstaged by a toddler.  I saw the shock on a couple parents' faces and must say, I'm damn proud of my girl.  I'll admit I didn't think it was going to work out that way at all but YEAH!  Way to go, Alyssa!!  The year that I have to physically hold my child back is the year that we end the public egg hunts though.  That was hilarious to watch and horrifying to think of having to do.  I was super impressed with the mom who had all three of her kids in her hands at once though.  Talk about juggling!  (She did get them calmed down to the point that they didn't require restraining any longer which was great.  Those eggs being laid out are like laying a slice of cake in front of the no-sugar-for-lent-ers!)

Overall, we had a blast with the mini games, the hunt, and the coloring and stickers after that were very happily participated in.  The Easter Bunny didn't get any hugs or handshakes or even a high five this year but hey, it took a very very long time to get to know Santa too.


Saturday, March 23, 2013

One of Those Moments...

We love to snuggle them.  We love their tiny noises, fingers, toes, lips, nose.  We love the big smiles on the small faces.  We love the tiny clothes...well, until we have to launder them.  Our babies are our tiny obsessions.

We adore our little men and ladies...and then the day comes.  That day sneaks up on all of us eventually.  That day hit me smack in the face two days ago.  My little man....my TWO MONTH little man....he just upgraded to the 6 month clothing.  Seriously!  Just break my Momma heart.  I was so excited to put him in the onesie that I had, but about 3 minutes of playtime on the diaper changer after getting dressed and I was not so thrilled by the idea anymore.  I realized that my big headed baby had just hit a new milestone and had no clue how exciting and saddening it makes his Momma.



Isn't he cute though??  I'm totally loving the onesie.  As a Disney freak, I couldn't pass this one up in the Disney Movie Rewards site.  Their rewards aren't always the same so this may or may not be there when you go looking for it (because I know everyone will want one!).  So enjoy the cuteness while I go snuggle my little, but always growing, "MisterMister".

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Our Little Man (1 and 2 months)

So I know I've been totally slacking on the pictures of the (not so) little Mister-Mister.  To make up for it, here are both one and two month snapshots of him so you can see how awesome he is doing!


Wyatt @ 1 Month



Wyatt @ 2 months old


Wyatt @ 2 Months 4 Days


We had his 2 month checkup and he is growing like a weed, per the norm that his sister set.  He is 90% for both height (24") and weight (14lbs 4.5oz).  He is (again the norm) at 99.99% for head circumference (43.4cm).  There is a reason they cut him out rather than risking the damage that his sister caused with her big head last time....but dang those big headed kids are CUTE!  Okay, I might be a teeny bit biased but strangers seem to agree with me anyways.  So enjoy the pics and go hug your babies even if they are driving you nuts as toddlers now too!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Smile! It is a beautiful day.

No matter how gloomy a day may be, a child's pure, heartfelt smile always makes my day a little brighter.  We would like to share a little sunshine with you today.


Monday, March 11, 2013

Showers--long gone...

...and then bathroom breaks were outlawed.

We all know it.  Something, anything really, can happen in the split second that you turn your head.  Even more can happen in that one bathroom break you allow yourself during the day when kids are home with you.

My husband was downstairs doing some organizing projects (mounting cabinets in the laundry room) so we can unpack more boxes.  I was upstairs with the two children.  Go figure that Momma would need a bathroom break at some point during the day.  Alyssa was watching her show and Wyatt was sleeping in his seat.  We do this every day.  We take 1 minute to go to the bathroom, or to put away a stack of clean clothes, or load the dishwasher, make a box of mac and cheese...whatever.  Except usually nothing dangerous happens.

We had a pet bathroom accident that morning.  Chris cleaned it up and the day went on.  I went to the bathroom.  I came bolting out mid-hand-drying at a scream from Wyatt, the quietest kid out there.  Alyssa had gotten her hands on the 'soap' (also known as Resolve Pet Cleaner) and was cleaning up by spraying.  She sprayed her sleeping brother right in the face.  I screamed.  I ran.  I snatched my baby up and went straight back into the bathroom and threw on the faucet in the tub.  The cup for rinsing toddler hair was filled and poured repeatedly to rinse as much chemical cleaner off his face and away from his eyes.  Chris grabbed up rags and brought them to me and was promptly dispatched to call poison control to make certain the steps needed to be taken.  Momma was bawling, Wyatt was bawling, Alyssa was very concerned about Momma, and Papa was on the phone.

Rest easy, everything is fine.  No hospital trips required, no staying up all night to observe, and no lasting damage.  Getting the peroxide away from his eyes immediately was exactly what needed to be done and if any got in his mouth when he cried out all he needed was something cold to relieve any small discomfort from the small amount that it could have been.  (Thankfully Wyatt likes a cool/cold bottle so that was a simple task.)  His scalp is dried out of course from the peroxide but he follows all movement as well as before and is a happy little boy still.  He was grinning less than a half hour later (while Momma was still bawling and apologizing for taking that last bathroom break).

-------------------------------------

Of course I cannot simply skip bathroom breaks all day, every day.  Neither can I skip making meals for the toddler or letting the dog outside.  Obviously the cleaner is not waiting for the next trip back down to the laundry room to be put all the way away any longer, but I still don't think I'll be doing anything short of putting Wyatt in his room and closing the door (with a knob protector on the outside) until he can run away from his sister on his own power during any half minute chore from now on.  Only how many years until they are off to school??

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Family Moments

Yesterday just before nap time, I loaded up Wyatt and myself for a trip up to my family's place.  Alyssa and Papa were staying behind because we have 2 more of these 3-4hr trips this month and that is A LOT of driving for a toddler.

I was super excited to be getting a mini vacation from two child parenting...until the goodbye.  Alyssa gave me a hug and said "Me miss you lot and lot!" and then started crying.  The Momma heart breaks a lot and lot at that moment even if you were just telling her she can't throw toys across the room for the hundredth time that hour.  You just want to bundle that toddler into the car with you and be damned the consequences of long car rides.  If only her missing me for a little over 24hrs would equate to a perfectly behaved child for the equivalent amount of time!

Regardless of the toddler's preferences, Wyatt and I hit the road and made it with time to spare to see my brother's play at the college.  He had a role in The Odd Couple and did spectacular!  The whole cast was great and the evening was filled with laughs.  Uncle Ben got to meet his nephew for the first time after the show.  My brother is 16 and absolutely dotes on Alyssa and I am certain will once again shock me with his love and caring for children with his nephew.  (None of us thought Ben would be so adoring of children even if they have claims on him as uncle!  He just didn't seem the type...I love my baby brother!)

Overall the trip has been a blast and super relaxing to give Momma the recharge she needed.  Now I'm going to attempt a quick trip over to my grandma's as a birthday surprise to her so she can meet her newest great-grandson for the first time.  Happy 76th Birthday to her!  Times like these are to be treasured.  Have a great family-filled day folks!

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Bathroom Exploration

Some days you just have to go play with all the stuff in the bathroom...well, at least my toddler convinced me of that recently.

Our make-up day

Our lovely selves all made up in as natural of colors as I have that the three year old would accept.  She knew full well that chapstick was NOT pretty colors.  There went that trick.  <3

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

When Showers Are In Danger...

Kids should come with the Jaws music...

Survival mode sets in quickly for new parents.  Food and bathroom breaks are really all you need most days....who knew?!  I mean all we need on hand are the jars of peanut butter, loaves of bread and the toaster if you have a spare extra minute or two for toasting (go cold sandwich version for lunch and supper if you still are doing three meals a day).

You can get away with looking like a hobo if your toddler looks half way put together and they catch a quick glimpse of a happy tiny infant trying to catch any spare scrap of attention away from his more vocal sibling.  Your biggest problem is if you have someone come to the door during nap time.  Your hobo look is much more awkward when you don't appear to have multiple kids distracting you from your own hygiene.  Speaking of people coming to the door...how do they always *know* when nap time is?!?!?

Okay, so the occasional shower, cat nap, or even getting out of pajamas sound nice but really, who needs that minty flavor of brushed teeth?

So to those of you still in survival mode, I promise, you will get past it.  I can't promise when, but I can promise you get there.  I'm grateful to be approaching the end of this perpetual state of 'ugh' but I have a fear that nighttime showers will continue as the norm for the remainder of my kids-at-home life.  *sigh*

Monday, March 4, 2013

Candy Crafting

We had a 30th Surprise party for a very good friend of ours towards the end of February.  We wanted to get her something special but as her passion is for her horses and we know nothing about them, I went the more crafty route and decided to satisfy her sweet tooth instead.  Get yourself some cake pop sticks or sucker sticks from your local craft or party store, hot glue the favored Fun Size chocolates onto the ends and start filling up whatever vase you love.  Accessorize in any fashion!  I used some glittery spiral sticks, spiral holographic confetti, and holographic tissue paper plus some curling ribbon as a topper.  It was a big hit as I kept overhearing people talk about it in such a positive light.  Talk about an ego boost that night!  So I present to you, my first ever, Candy Bouquet!



Saturday, March 2, 2013

Big Sister

Awww...Sometimes those kids can just be the sweetest and most thoughtful humans on the planet.  Well, when they aren't screaming or hitting.  Anyways,  Alyssa colored this picture for her "Baby Wyatt" so he could look at something pretty while he has his diapers changed.  Go ahead and say it with me:  "Awww"


Friday, March 1, 2013

How to tell if they are related...

Sometimes there are families that have the same eye color.  Others share the same mouth shape or there might be something about their ears or hairline.  My kids gave me a different clue the other night.


Wyatt, February 2013
Alyssa, February 2013


Well, are they related?

About to jinx it...

Can you believe it?  Well, actually I can.  Alyssa was doing it at 2 months.  My little brother started on day two of his life (don't you wanna slap my mother in a fit of jealousy?).  My sister and I both were under or near the 2 month mark also.  Wyatt is just over 6 weeks old.

Wyatt has slept through the night (STTN) the last THREE NIGHTS!  Yes, I am completely and totally bragging right now and I'm certain to get my butt handed right back to me tonight for it....but for now...

I'm doing a happy dance with my shorter day-time-napping son.  Next step, moving morning from 5am to 7am.

Before you ask, there is no trick; this kid likes to sleep and eat and we let him do both when he wants.  I don't believe you can train sleeping (other than times painfully, slowly shifted but not condensed) at 6 weeks old.  JMHO.  Hopefully this will continue and I'll regain a modicum of my energy (and mental acuity) in order to bring this blog back up to date.