Thankfulness 2013: Day Twenty

All kids have it, mine just excel at driving me nuts with it.  Regardless, I am thankful for their curiosity and determination.  If they hold on to that natural instinct to understand things and figure them out down to the bare nuts and bolts, it can take a child so very far in life.  It is a combination that is crucial in any aspect of their lives and any path they choose to follow.  I hope that I do not stifle it even when I get irritated and end up at the end of my rope with the endless questions and messes.  From a toddler who opened the ziplock snack bags around the early side of 1 year old, to a 10 month old who topples garbage cans and climbs into cubbies much too small, this will always be a blessing in a very convincing disguise.

Thankfulness 2013: Day Thirteen and Fourteen

Alyssa is getting pretty sneaky.  She can make two phone calls without my phone being unlocked.  She has learned to navigate to the ICE list on the emergency dialer in the lock screen. So while I contemplate how to teach her to utilize things like that in an emergency for real, I am thankful that we have the technology we do.  Beyond the complications that it can create for child proofing and safety, it is such an amazing set of resources.  We can look up thousands of questions that our toddlers demand answers to.  We can have endless entertainment options available at our fingertips.  The most amazing thing to me though is along with the transfer of knowledge, we can transfer virtual lives.  Our family and friends who may otherwise not get more than the Christmas card in a year, can keep up with our family including photos, daily rants, chats, and whatever else they may want to know depending on the tech form used.  Phones provide a few ways to talk to people quickly.  The Internet allows for video calls or photo swapping, and of course blogs share our stories easily.  Such a wonderful tool!

Related to tech in the general sense, my e-reader!  I absolutely LOVE my e-reader!  I am so thankful for e-readers (physical and app forms)!  Reading relaxes me and gives me a mental break from daily stresses like trying to leave the house with a toddler and an an infant.  I would be so much closer to full blown crazy if it weren't for my e-readers.

Thankfulness 2013: Day Eleven and Twelve

Though the military irritates me more often than it doesn't, I am still very thankful for the opportunities and family it has provided us.  The military background helped my husband find his great civilian job.  I don't love the way it is run but I absolutely love the men and women in service.

On those days where the incessant whining, cries, demands, and questions all pile upon my near-to-bleeding ears, I remember my great appreciation for today's luxuries.  I won't lie, I am very thankful for 24/7 kid television programming!!  Disney Junior, Sprout, The Hub, etc.  There isn't a minute that I can't find something appropriate for my toddler to gain five minutes of distraction if needed.  Pair that with DVD's, educational tablet apps, crayons, chalk, books, toys, puzzles, and food, one would think that this would all add up to a full and busy day without draining a parent.  It is never the case, but it certainly maintains parental sanity until bedtime...most nights anyways!

Honestly, any distraction of little to no risk to the health of my kids is appreciated.  I'm always looking for suggestions too!  *hint hint*

Thankfulness 2013: Day Eight

Moms are amazing people.  Honestly, parents are as selfless as a human can be when it comes to their kids.

I am so thankful for having the parents that I do.  I called my mother to whine (yes, it was pathetic) and two days later I get an encouraging note in the mail from her.  The amount of help just listening on the phone to me is worth so much, but the effort that she goes to be there for us kids makes her truly an amazing woman, mother, and friend.  I hope I am at least half of what she is for us to my own kids.

**On a total side note....the US Postal Service is really odd but insanely efficient.  It sends a letter from my mother north an extra hour and then turns around to ship it south 4hrs to get to me and still takes only two days to get it from her mailbox to mine.

Thankfulness 2013: Day Six

Hobbies are great.  Mine (you may or may not have noticed) is card making.  I've had a lot of fun doing it this past year.  Tonight I'm headed in to my local Archiver's to use their craft room for an evening of working on our Christmas cards.  It was going to be a girls' crafting night but schedules aren't aligning.  It very likely will be just myself there this evening so I guess I'll be thankful for Me Time.  I'm looking forward to my crafting time no matter the company that joins me tonight.  I'm especially happy to have this adult night considering the week I'm expecting coming up.  Drill has been extended for this family from two days to six days.  No Papa in the house for that stretch plus a party on that Saturday (day 5)...EEP!  Did I only say I was thankful?  I meant exceptionally thankful for Me Time tonight!

Halloween 2013

Momma and Alyssa

This year was a bit too cool out for Mr. Wyatt to join us during Trick-or-Treating.  We skipped the costume for him since he was going to be home playing with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa who came down to visit us and man our own ToT bucket.

Auntie and Alyssa wearing witches hats!

Alyssa however, was ready to get out that door with her Auntie and Momma and Papa.  She used her light-up wand (a Harry Potter wand from Barnes and Noble because I was sick of the umpteen breakable cheapies turning me into a frog or rabbit daily and splurged as the only required costume piece for her).

Unicorn Rider and Witch (who happens to be wearing a unicorn!)

We were just ready to get out the door and the big surprise showed up...FRIENDS!!!!  Now we had a Unicorn-riding costumed buddy to go trick-or-treating with so the night got infinitely better!  The adventures ranged from potty training requirement #1: Momma sacrificing pride and asking to use a stranger's bathroom (I did remove my mask before requesting entry to her house), all the way to a three-year-old totally 'burning' her father when he runs into something and she offers up her lighted wand "so you can see where you going"!

It was a great night and we were so happy to have our trick-or-treating buddies with us to make our night great

Thankfulness 2013: Day One

This is a year full of firsts in our house because we moved in less than two weeks into this year.  So for the day after Halloween:

I'm so thankful for the family-friendly neighborhoods we live in the center of!

We went from a college neighborhood (two blocks from the university and surrounded by apartments), that partied all year long and didn't participate in holidays in a way that the children could participate, to our new suburb filled with families of all ages who celebrate holidays with lights, decorations, and trick-or-treating even.  We were able to walk rather than drive last night to enjoy the holiday that is so fun for kids who want to show off their costumes and of course get treats.

It is just such a nice change to have such a calm area!

...and then there were three.

It's that time of year again for this guard family.  Annual Training!  I am going two and a half weeks with a teething baby and a toddler milking the last half of age three for all it is worth in tantrums and stubbornness!  No backup.  My "battle buddy" is off keeping his skills honed for any future deployments.  So....

Day One:  Last coin lost at 5pm. I "ruined her birthday!" I was pretty sure I had a few months to plan that event but apparently I simply forgot what day of the year she was born AND forgot to plan a party.  Crap.  I look forward to the teen years when the storming to the room is accompanied by at least a half hour of sulking.  For now I get a 2 minute shouting from the door and then returning to sulking in my presence paired with the random fit over the same thing.

Baby Battles!

August 14th--  Happily nom-ing away on toys, he switches ever so subtly to Momma's finger, which produces a small shriek of pain from the victim.  Such a noise is vastly amusing and requires a couple gurgles of glee before attempting a repeat performance!  Momma bravely allows a finger into his mouth again in a discovery attempt.  The boy has a sharp object poking from the center of some swollen gums.  FINALLY!  The wave of relief rolling off of Momma was immediate.  We had confirmed our hopeful explanation of the near constant IBS (Irritable Baby Syndrome) and the few really nasty butts in the past couple days.

We had been treating him to numerous cold chewies and some well placed fever meds here and there previously but hadn't felt the tooth before that.  Sadly, the battle was not over.

Wyatt, already not to be outdone by a sister who has a full set of teeth to tauntingly utilize at every meal, decided to go for a twofer with his 'toofers'.  He has two sharp little front (bottom) teeth partially revealed.  The little tyrant gums won't let them go easily though.  They are still a frequent cause of turmoil for the little man who chews on EVERYTHING.  He is also convinced that after all this work, he is ready for any and every type of food that we consume.  I'd be willing to expand his menu....if he didn't still choke on the Gerber puffs.  Silly boy.

I still can't get a picture that displays any of the white lines that are eventually going to be two cute little daggers...er, teeth.  Mr. Wyatt believes that if no item is going to make its way into his mouth, then his tongue needs to act as bait for any other moment of his waking hours.

The Epic of Monday...

Some days are just too fantastic to be believed...those of us with toddlers can believe just about anything though.  Which is probably why this epic will resonate with your own experiences.

We haven't been able to take the gate down at night for our toddler.  She is too independent and headstrong to come into my room and get me in the morning.  It used to be that she would just go get into anything that she normally is not supposed to so we had to put the gate back up.  In our new house there is a flight of stairs that leads to a basement family room.  She isn't used to stairs from the old house.  I was a nervous Momma, glad to keep the gate up a little longer.  Now that she tries to potty train some mornings, I can't have the gate up if she is going to be independent like she wants to be with her potty training experience.  So......

8:15AM

*calling from a distance*  "Momma!!  Me went out in the RAIN!!"

Momma jumps from her bed and runs to the living room to see Alyssa taking off rain boots and coat in the dining room looking extremely proud of her adventure and being able to let herself back in without help.

"Me no get any wet, Momma."  Grinning and pleased at how well behaved she was to get all her gear on and play out in the wet morning with her chalk on the backyard steps.

She doesn't even remember that she is NOT allowed to go outside without someone.  She probably has forgotten that just last night she was asked to not color on the steps and to keep it to the sidewalk at the bottom of the steps instead.  She hasn't even realized that it isn't raining but just wet from the rain overnight.  She is so proud of herself and I'm horrified at what could have happened.  Wyatt slept in, she didn't wake me....she went out back instead of the front, thankfully!  She was able to get back in without help, thankfully!  She put on rain gear so that her sockless feet wouldn't get too chilled....

I tell her sternly in the split second that I've had to register all of what could have happened that she DOES NOT GO OUTSIDE WITHOUT ME!  I watched her proud stance melt a little.  She looked a little confused about why I wasn't so excited about her doing such a great job with remembering her rain gear and coming in dry and 'all myself'.  The next moment is where I realize that stern time is over. She knows.  She forgets.  She is three and did some really smart things while she was being forgetful.

"I'm glad you didn't get wet, Alyssa.  Can you pick up your boots and coat?  Next time you want to go outside you have to remember to come get me first.  I'm glad you were able to open the door all by yourself to come back in!"

I don't have any idea how long she was out there.  It scares me...there will be some new toddler-proofing today though I'm not sure what yet.

----A few minutes later, I'm mixing a bottle for the little guy who is just waking up to the voices.----


**WARNING: Potty Stories are rarely pleasant...and not for the weak stomachs.**



"Me have to go POTTY!"
"Okay, go in there."
*sounds of diaper being taken off and climbing onto the toilet*
*sounds of running out of the bathroom*
"Me already pooped!"

......ALYSSA!  Ughhhh, ew.

Has it sunk in yet?  Diaper came off but she already pooped?  Yup.  My bathroom has already met with toddler grossness and thankfully survived the event.  So, after cleaning up the tub side, the floor where it landed, and the toilet where she dragged her little gross butt across...

8:28AM

Monday has officially begun.

Six Months Ago

At this time back in January I had just turned 26 and had my first major surgery.  Honestly, being scared of the idea of surgery and the prospect of having it on my birthday was unnerving but my little guy was willing to go along with the plan and wait until the day after.  So today, because Wyatt is laid back and ready to go with the flow, he is 6 months old rather than 6 months and a day.

Weekend zoo fun.

He sits pretty well if he isn't tired.  He holds his own bottle when he doesn't want to be lazy (which if given the option he'll happily hand over the job).  He loves to eat his foods but gets impatient with the process still.  He doesn't mind baths or swimming overall unlike his sister.  Other than being late for a bottle, he is very calm and happy.  He keeps us on schedule even when we don't want to be...but rarely lets us use the car to knock him out long enough to get home.

He is a sweet baby boy who snuggles and wants nothing more than to hold my hair and marvel at the textures of everything he can grab.  If it can get in his mouth it seems even more magical!  He can scoot along but hasn't figured out the crawling pattern enough to get really cruising.  Toy pick-up is more crucial now because of that scoot being faster than you remember.  Playpens are NOT as fun as chasing down his sister's toys that are always just within scoot distance and the "frogger" is only acceptable for short bursts of time until he realizes that his sister is free to leave the room at a moment's notice.

Mister Wyatt has been nothing if not a relaxed baby.  He sleeps, eats, and well, yeah.  Just like every other baby out there except that he babbles rather than cries.  Smiles are abundant.  Snuggles are always welcome.  Giggles are contagious.  Chewing is mandatory.  And playing with his feet is one of his greatest joys.

There is nothing more satisfying than watching my two babies growing up together.  Seeing Alyssa get excited when he scoots across a blanket or babbles 'mama' (which is not a word yet even if the toddler is certain of it).

I'm having so much fun seeing him grow and learn!  I can hardly wait to see how far he goes over just the next six months.  I love my babies!

Raising a Reader

Anyone know the secret?  People keep telling me that readers make readers.  If you read to your kid x minutes a day, they will love to read later on in life still...

Well, I call BS!  I am thrilled that my daughter seemingly loves books right now.  I have no idea if it will stick though.  I am a reader, but my parents certainly are NOT.  I don't know if I saw any books in our house besides the children's book collection that was available to me while growing up.  My mom has started to enjoy reading some books now that her kids are 16-26 years old.  It pains me to see how slowly she gets through a novel.  I used to rip through novels in what would be more accurate to count by hours rather than days.  I miss that.

Right now, I am lucky to finish one of my romance novels (300-400 pages) in a week!  If you're an addicted reader, you can feel the pain that accompanies the adjustment of pre-kids 2 days tops to a WEEK OR MORE for one book.

So, as a reader, I sincerely hope the amount of children's books that I am consuming in place of my novels will benefit my kids into a long and happy relationship with books in general life.  If not....well, I guess I'll be happy enough if they just realize the importance of proper English spelling and grammar. (Yes, I am 26 and already harping on that note.  I hate the texting language that I see being used in school papers or worse--job applications!!)

And just to show you a partial reason why I'll say I am a reader...here is part of my collection of books (most of which were collected prior to having children for my own personal enjoyment of a good fairytale):

Sadly, this really isn't all my books.  My collection ranges from (tons of) children's books and collection tomes, to a lot of romance novels, to informative Religious texts and commentary on said topic.  A bunch of interesting history books and a handful of old collector (looking) books found in thrift or antique stores make their way into my collection also.  Somewhere in the pile of unsorted totes are a few full of even more books.

Alyssa has her own shelves in her room.  Wyatt's collection has just started.

What it comes down to, is that I hope my kids will love books as much as I do.  If not, I hope they find a hobby that they LOVE.

Family Rooms

When we lived in our old house (starter house for us), there wasn't any extra rooms.  We had our room, Alyssa's room, the bathroom, kitchen, laundry/furnace room, and the living/dining combo.

Now we have all that PLUS a basement!  Oh, and a whole third bedroom (where the laundry/furnace was in the old house is a bedroom in this house and that was relocated to the basement here...seriously, it is funny how very similar layout this house is with a mere addition of a second level)!

What can we do with all this extra space?  Well, we definitely can fill it....They usually call it a Family Room nowadays.  The upstairs living room is considered the 'formal living room' and the basement is a Rec or Family room.  Here is the kids' half:

Yes, that is just under half of the family room filled with kid things.

The couch that you can barely see is the invisible barrier signal that toys SHALL NOT PASS (says Momma every night just after picking up the half of the room not shown).  There is a tv for movies across from the couch and the other half of the room is currently emptied of boxes but not furnished.  I have such grand plans...Momma plans....

In the meantime, I love our kids' side.

Did you see our Ikea storage for crafting/coloring supplies?  The chalk/colors are in lockboxes in those pop-out drawers so there will be less chance of wall coloring rather than table or color books.  I love these things and they just look so fun!

Regardless of what a parent thinks of the kids' play areas...they always enjoy moving out of there whenever possible.  Toys are like invasive species that way...they hitchhike rides from unsuspecting toddlers.  Notice the lacing boards beginning the trek from one end of the room, along the couch, and eventually they'll make it across there to the unfurnished area.  Sneaky things, those toys.

I'm still thrilled to have this extra space to spread out to on rainy days like this week has been and is continuing to be.

First Foods! (Pictures and Video)

TaDa! Mmmm?

Waiting for the first bite...

The first food...I love it!  It is always fun to see how they react to new experiences and as expected, the impatience to be fed wins out for the very first bowl.  When he masters the whole gumming part we will up the consistency and pick out the first fun food!  YAY!  (Wow the doctor recommendations sure have changed in only 3 years...go ahead and talk to your pediatrician if you're close to this stage because we apparently could have skipped rice altogether now!)  Anyways...a small glimpse at meal time around here now:

I know....he was pretty boring in the video but c'mon, that rice stuff has NO flavor.  We can't expect anything exciting when he doesn't get to eat something exciting!

Loving the spoon thing

Four Months

My dear little Mister,

You are beginning to laugh.  You beg for your sister's attention whenever you can see her (or hear her).  You smile and flirt like it's your job and wow are you good at it.  You have everyone wrapped around your finger simply using the charm that is inherent to you.

Keep that happiness that causes you to smile nearly every waking moment.  It will bless your life more than anything else can.

You have been playing with your toes for a couple weeks.  Don't think this isn't a big detail.  You're learning!  You're discovering that you are so much more than you realize even if it is just that you have toes.  Soon you'll learn that you can roll over past your side.  You'll learn that your smile can make others happy rather than just get you attention.  You'll discover talents big and small.  You'll amaze yourself with some things and amaze your Momma with everything.

You babble, you grin, you roll to your side.  You chew on toys, you stare at EVERYTHING.  You want to know what each thing is and what it does--then you want to nom on it.  You may not be coordinated enough to do many things, but your mind is working it out and soon you'll accomplish exactly what you wish to do.

You are my baby.  You're a great sleeper, a good eater, and a snuggler.  You make our family happy.

You tire my arms (I guessed 23lbs when you were just shy of 17lbs--c'mon, Momma's been carting you around for four months now!) but I love to hug you too much to put you down.

Your timing is impeccable because you always know just when to be hungry (right as I start cooking for your sister or eat something myself), but you're so eager to grab your own bottle right now that I am clinging to your feedings because soon you won't want me to hold you or need me to help you with those bottles.

You are a thumb-sucker.  Try as I might (and I am STUBBORNLY TRYING), you prefer your thumb to a nuk.  My stance is still that I will be able to take a nuk away much more legally and painlessly than a thumb.  I'll get you to nom on your pacifier somehow....

You're growing and I love and regret it.  I get to watch you learn and discover and enjoy life.  I also get to watch you leave stages behind where I wish to prolong them just a bit more.

I have dreams for you.  They change daily.  I want for you to follow YOUR dreams though.  I want you to discover YOUR talents and passions.  I want you to find YOUR happiness.  I'll always have dreams for your sister and you but I'll always desire your happiness first.

So grow up as you will, Wyatt.  Be happy.  Indulge in life as a child.  Keep charming those you meet.  Keep flirting.  Keep on learning, never stop.

Your Momma will always be rooting for you.

Happy Mother's Day

Wyatt wanted to give me a present today.

This was the face doing baby laughs/talking at me as I cleaned up the side of my jeans in the Best Buy bathroom today.  The lovable brat decided burping wasn't as productive as spit-up.

Such a freaking cute boy regardless, he had me laughing most of the clean up process.

To all you Moms, Happy Mother's Day.
To all you trying to become Moms, I am thinking of you today.
To all of you missing your Mom, I am wishing you happy memories today.
To all you women, you shape others' lives and we love you.
Happy Mother's Day!

Clownin' Around the Playground

We made our first trip to the local playground at our new house finally (in between our multiple winters--melt, snow, melt, snow...SIGH).  It was a lot of fun even if our little man looks put out for only getting to swing.

Alyssa had fun being a monkey on some new things to climb...

Then there are the classics...

Driver.

Foreman and her worker.

...and of course, the swing?

Ummmmmmm....yeah.

Kinda creepy but I think it is the older part of the park that they kept.  The seats are neat though as they are baby swings with one side open to form an actual seat for that toddler who can't quite balance when swinging by themselves.

LOVE IT!

No really, I love this....

Ready?

Set...

OMG ARE YOU CRAZY!?!?!?

Click here to visit the page I saw this on.

I love Jason Good's stuff.  I find him hilarious most of the time and at least amusing pretty much all the other times.  I have no idea if this picture originated with him but it is vastly amusing and no less than honest truth.

Fingers...they do tricks.

As you can see, we have hit a new milestone.  He is now grabbing and manipulating items that are given to him!  He is almost 3 months now so it was only a matter of time but I was thrilled to catch it on camera.  BTW--have you seen these stuffed animals?  They are "Breathables" that I spotted at Target.  I thought it looked strange with that meshy fabric (almsot looks like those sports shorts/jersey material) so I picked one up and read about it.  Then I tested it.  You can BREATHE through the fabric as easily as, well, breathing.  It is easier by far than breathing through a painters/dust mask and those give you a little room still.  It is meant to be safe for infants to play with ("crib safe").  They keep disappearing through clearances so have your eyes open and check them out...pretty neat things I thought.

In other finger related news....in an attempt at keeping this Nuk-less girl from destroying her fingers by chewing them off, we coated them in vinegar.  (I thought this might be a little more child-safe than the bleach that my mother tried with me and my nail chewing habit.)

Hands drying.

First taste...

This was the initial reaction.

In case you're wondering, it didn't work one iota.  In under a half hour she was sucking on her fingers again.  I don't know if it wore off--I wasn't about to try them to find out--or if she just thought they tasted like pickles.  In retrospect, as pickles are a favorite food group (did you know that cheese and pickles are part of the food group called Indispensable?), it probably was doomed to fail.  My husband thinks hot sauce is next on the list to try...Do you have any other suggestions that won't fry her tastebuds?

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.