Quite Possibly the Sweetest Sound to My Ears

It seems to be never ending these days.

All of the nursery rhymes. All of the songs I now remember singing as a child myself. I can't get enough of the singing. It really is music to my ears.

I have yet to capture a lot of them on video, as Bea gets camera shy. So, tonight I got her in the tub singing her ABCs, until she knew what I was doing. and then she got distracted by yelling for her sister for a few moments. Then, she picks up at the end...I don't want this happy singing child to grow up. I need to hear this, and I am glad I at least got something.

Do Ya Think She's a Future Wheeler?

I haven't a doubt in my mind that that kid won't love the Hollister Hills or the Rubicon with her dad (and sometimes, me)!

What's the health story with Bea? Well, the results of her x-ray came back, and yes, she has either another sinus infection, or the one that caused us so much heartache and made us ask so many questions never went away. Her bloodwork, fortunately, was fine. So, now it's off to the allergist who will hopefully be able to determine the cause of all this. The thought keeps crossing my mind that she might be allergic to the cats, which in that case, I am not sure what we will do. We adopted those cats from the humane society before we were even married and they are like family. Anyway, I've heard horror stories about taking children to the allergist, and the types of things they do. If anyone has any good stories, I'd love to hear them.

Olivia had her one year check up at the docs (yep, we were about a month late on that one) and found out that we have a tall but skinny child on our hands. She's a string bean, for sure, so we've been given instructions on how to fatten her up. Sheesh, what a problem any adult would love to have! Oh, and I must mention that we are DONE with formula. That's an extra 40 - 80 bucks a month we will now save. WOO HOO!

I'll be doing more of a happy dance when we at least have one child out of diapers.

Olivia at 13 Months

Dear Olivia,

Today you are 13 months old.

This last month has been quite amazing, and you've really started to show us more of your personality. Along with that, you still are challenging in quite a few ways, too.

You are crawling now like a true champion. You're using both arms and legs (finally!) and are speed crawling. You get places quickly with ease, and you are more determined than ever to get to somewhere. You seem to notice everyone walking around you, and it appears that you wish you could be on two legs at times. However, you are challenged in that area because you are refusing to take steps just yet. You are standing on your own at times, without holding on to anything. Daycare told us you stood in one place for nearly 10 minutes! Additionally, you are cruising around the furniture, pulling yourself up and then walking a part of the perimeter of the couch. When I place you on your feet, you instantly take this really odd stance - you have one foot flat on the floor and the other is on its heel. Sometimes you stand on both heels. I have no idea what you are doing, but it is quite cute.


You're all about the drama lately and letting us know what you want. But, the problem is that you really aren't talking and are not sure how to communicate what you really want. Instead, you just start screeching at us or whining, and then we know that it is something, and we try to figure out exactly what it is. You are doing this cute little whine sometimes when there is something close to you that you want - it is sort of an "eh eh eh eh eh" over and over again until we hand you whatever is that you want.


There's also been time when we know EXACTLY what you want. For example, your father still uses the Baby Bjorn sometimes. You know that black and red carrier like the back of your hand. If it is just sitting on the floor, you will go over to it and start screaming and we know that you want to get in it. If your father puts it on, you get more upset until you are picked up and put in it. We are instantly informed that you must go in that carrier, or there will be hell to pay.


You are saying a few words, but not many, and the only ones that are clear are "mama" and "dada" and "baba". Otherwise, we know "boo" is for "balloon". You also got one of your top teeth, and the other one is now coming through. You're sleeping well at night these days. You fall asleep hard and you don't require any sort of rocking. You go in your crib, you and your sister have a laugh-a-thon, and then you are out. Most of the time you are an early riser like your father, but lately you have been sleeping in because you are only taking one nap.


The other night I saw something that made me melt. You and your father were having some bonding time before bed. He was talking sweetly to you and he was asking you for kisses. I didn't think you knew what that meant. But, while you lay there on your tummy on top of him, I saw you lean in a couple of times, and then I asked him if you were kissing him. You were, in a way. One of the times you sticked out your tongue at him. But, oh my gosh, it was quite a sight to see. The love of a father and a daughter is something so very sweet and unique. I always thought you were my baby, and I had this bond with you that I wanted only for me. I've learned to share, even though you are incredibly special to me. I've seen in this last month how much of a bond you and your father have, and to me, that means more than anything.

I love you,
Mama

And So I Wait...

I'm waiting for Bea to do what she has done the last two nights - approximately 45 minutes after she falls asleep. That's right, the once-a-night puking is back. It's happened the last two nights, so I am expecting it to happen again. I'd rather just wait and then go to bed after, instead of waking up, cleaning it up, starting a load of laundry, and then trying to go back to bed. After it happened last night, I was extremely upset. I started thinking "here we go...AGAIN!" And then I got angry. And then I got upset and started crying. Cursing the world at why my child is NOT well. I started thinking maybe there is really something wrong with her. It doesn't make sense. She got well, just in time for the last round of medication to wear off, and here we are at step one once again. Thank goodness we had bloodwork done last week.

So, Josh called the doctor today to see if we could get the results. She's clear. Nothing to worry about. And the relief that filled us was unbelievable. I mean, really unbelievable. No words. There could really only be one reason for this - the sinus infection is coming back, and if it is, our doctor wants us to see an allergist. In any case, she is going in on Thursday, most likely for an x-ray. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm exhausted. Here I will wait for about 20 more minutes and I am just praying that I don't hear that horrible sound and have to run in there as fast as I can...

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Vacation: Over.

One week: Went by too fast.

The List I made: Nothing, and I mean nothing, got done.

What I did do: Relax.

So today was my first day back at work, at the new workplace. It felt odd going to a new place, a little farther than what I am used to. However, so far so good. I almost wish I would have opted for two weeks off, but I am glad to be back into a routine again.

I've not much to report other than we had a nice weekend with the girls. St. Paddy's Day was spent at Josh's parents with the corn beef works. We took lots of walks and went on many park trips, and it was relaxing for the most part. And, hey look! They're both facing forward in the car now...it's been pretty entertaining with them bantering back and forth to each other.

Maybe this is Better?

In additional news, we took Bea in for the remainder of her bloodwork yesterday. She was a trooper, and I had a lollipop on hand for after. She also got a sticker. It wasn't too bad, but she did cry pretty much the whole time despite all the distractions I tried.

And Just Like That...

I am blonde again.


Something about the weather, and maybe not working. I also got bored. I wonder if the girls will recognize me because they always look at me funny after I do something like this.

Didn't I warn you that this week's posts would be boring?

Longer Days

I love the longer days because that means we can go out and do things after everyone is home in the evening. So, yesterday when Josh got home we ventured to the park. There was another girl there that was elementary school age, and Bea followed her around everywhere. We didn't know her name, nor did we ask her, so Bea just ended up calling her "girl". Near the end of the visit it became "friend". She wouldn't leave girl alone and kept on screaming at her, and it made me bust up laughing. She was running around yelling "HEY, GIRL! COME HERE!" and "C'MON GIRL" and "HI GIRL". It was so incredibly funny. That is, until we had to leave and she didn't want to leave girl. She was pretty upset until we got home and I gave her some grapes (her newest choice food).

Olivia had a good time as well. Josh kept close watch on her as she attempted climbing up the slide and sliding down it and crawling around on all the equipment. The front of her was black after all was said and done, and I made sure to use about 5 wipes to clean her hands.

Here's some pics of our park adventure:





Also, see Josh's shirt in that picture? Well, I got it for him on my outlet trip at the Vans store. On Monday, before he got home from work, I showed Bea all the purchases and when I showed her daddy's new shirt, she said it was "pretty". So, all evening long yesterday she kept telling Josh he had a "pretty shirt". I thought maybe I should tell her that it was a "handsome shirt" or a "stylish shirt" instead, but ah well...

Too Much Time on My Hands This Week...

So, a lot of boring blogs probably from me this week due to being home. It's ok...I need the down time before starting the new job.

Today I went to the outlets in Gilroy, but I got burnt out buying items for our family. You know, I have a hard time just buying for myself these days. I looked for everyone, but my intent was to get some new work clothes. It didn't happen. Instead of telling you about my outlet experience in detail, let me just tell you about my favorite purchase - I bought Livey VANS! And aren't they just the cutest little shoes you have seen in your life????




And look at the size of them compared to her father's shoe:


I have numerous pairs of Vans, and I have to say they are so comfortable. Let's hope that Olivia feels the same when she finally is able to fit into these. At the rate she's growing and developing, it shouldn't be too long!

Happy Monday!

Beatrice at 2 Years, 2 Months

Dear Beatrice,

Today you are two months and two years old. Time is really flying by so quickly, and you've changed a lot over the last month.

You've had highs and lows over the last month. First off (with the lows), you haven't been well the last month, but now you are finally on the mend. After being sick for nearly three months straight, we changed your doctor, and asked him why our child was so sick all the time. No child is immune to anything, he told us, and because you are in daycare, you are more prone to being sick. But, alas, you just didn't get better. We were concerned. He did an x-ray of your sinus passage and discovered a HUGE blockage. There was no telling how long it had been there, but it definitely could be the cause for you being more prone to getting sick, and not getting better. After you denied us giving you a couple of different medications to clear it up, we had to take you in for some shots to get rid of it. Of course that wasn't fun for anyone involved, but you became a happy girl shortly after that. So happy, in fact, that I forgot exactly how sunny you are when you are well. I thought many times that my poor little girl was still happy even though she was miserable, and that made me so sad. I'm glad you're back on the well train once again.


You've taken to hitting and kicking a little bit more than I would like. You hit your sister at times, which angers me. When I tell you no, you try to distract me and say "hi, mama", over and over again. Then, when I tell you I am serious you say you're sorry. Only the sorry doesn't end there. You often watch yourself for about an hour after that, afraid to step on any toes. So, every time you do something that I think you don't like, you tell me you're sorry.


I've seen the hitting and kicking at daycare in the mornings at least twice a week. You haven't wanted to go lately (but I know you settle in after I leave), and for that, you get angry at anyone (but me) who invades your personal space. It's a small push, a "no", and maybe a slap on someone's arm. I tell you not to do it, as I always do, and you continue to act as if you have done nothing wrong. Additionally, one morning you were hiding behind me. Your sister was on the floor and two girls went to hug her. You immediately got defensive and did a vertical karate kick at the two of them (might I add that you knocked both of them over) because you didn't want them touching Olivia. Yes, I got very mad at you for that one, but I have to say that I did like how you were protective of your sister. You just need to express it in a different way.


On a happier note, you have become quite the snuggler. There have been many mornings when you wake up and you just want to lay with me or snuggle up against me. I love that part of you. You've also been giving out a lot of kisses. The new thing around our house is that we have an "owie" on our cheek, and you kiss it immediately. Then you go around to everyone. Daddy has an owie, Livey has an owie. We all do. And you make us feel so much better.


Your vocabulary continues to increase, as do your sentences and structure of them. It's so much easier to understand you these days and to communicate with you, too. You pick up on so much, too, that we really have to be careful what we say and do around you. The last couple of days we have had an interesting experience. Your bow-wow lost its tail. You came running to me with the tail in your hand yelling that bow-wow was hurt. I wasn't sure what to do, but your father was quick to pull out a band-aid and remedy the situation. Tonight you and I babied your bow-wow. We put a new bandaid on her and filled up her baby bottle (pretended to) with milk so you could feed her. Once she was all fixed up and fed, you were so happy. It was such a cute sight to see.

This afternoon while you were napping, I was watching the movie "As Good As It Gets". There was this line in the movie that struck me - "You overwhelm me." Beatrice, you overwhelm me in so many ways - with love, with emotion, with determination. You continue to overwhelm me day-by-day, and in the best possible way.

I love you,
Mama

You Say You Want Updates?

Today is my last day at my current workplace, and I’ll be taking all of next week off for a much needed break. And since it is my last day, that pretty much means I’m not doing much work which is unexpected because I have been slammed all week. So, I guess I’m doing a blog entry instead…and only because I am a little perturbed that my exit interview is scheduled for 4:30, which means I have to stay the WHOLE DAY!

Is it updates you want? Probably not. But you’re going to get them anyway.

Dare I say it, but Bea has been doing much better these days. I can’t remember if I had mentioned it, but we found out that she had a major sinus blockage, and they weren’t sure how long it had been there. She wouldn’t take the medicine, and believe me, we tried everything in the book…so, 2 different name brand prescriptions and $175 later, the doctor gave her 2 rounds of shots to get rid of it. Let’s just say that my toddler is the happiest I have ever seen her these days. It kills me to think that she was still a happy child when she certainly didn’t feel her best for a very long time. Unfortunately, we need to do some blood work just to make sure everything is really ok. It was an unsuccessful attempt yesterday as they didn’t get enough from a very screaming Bea, so she has to go back in next week. Since I will be home, I will be taking her. I’m thinking about taking some candy to help distract her. If anyone has any tips on lengthy blood drawings and how to make it easy with a toddler (these ain’t no quicky zippity shots!), then I would love to hear them.

And what is going on with Miss Olivia? Well, all I can say is that girl is really on the move these days. She speed crawls around the house, grunting the whole entire time. There’s also something new she’s doing, which is standing on her own without assistance. She kind of just stands there, stunned, and spends the whole time concentrating on staying upright. Josh and I both think she will just be standing there one day and just start walking, right out of the blue. I guess we’ll have to see. I’m not ready for that yet, oh no. Additionally, she is saying words, which I know I mentioned before. It almost feels like suddenly she is not my little bitty baby anymore.

So, what else is new? Not much. Just doing the family thing for the most part. Oh, and Josh and I, well we are taking our first REAL LIVE VACATION IN JUNE. We have not had a “real” vacation since our honeymoon, which was – let me count – almost 6 years ago!

Have a good weekend, no matter what you do. Since the weather is supposed to be a lovely 75 degrees or more here, we will be heading to the zoo and attempting some other fun outdoor activities. I can’t say how much we are looking forward to spring. And the time change? Can you even believe it is this weekend…I love longer days (I’m just not looking forward to the actual time change and dealing with bedtime issues with you know whos).

Recent Conversations with my Toddler

“Mama, I want vitamin.”

“Ok, what color?”

“Orange.” (Or it could be Red…it varies weekly)

“Ok, here you go.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

(Eats the vitamin.)

“Mama, I want vitamin.”

“Only one a day, sweetheart.”

*******************************************************

“Mama, Tiger!”

“What about Tiger? What’s wrong?”

“Tiger medicine.”

“Tiger is all done with his medicine. It’s all gone.”

“Tiger all better?”

“Yes, Tiger is all better.”

“All better. Yeah!”

(Repeats every single day.)

*******************************************************

“Ok, Bea, it’s time to go to daycare.”

“Ok.” (Turns off TV.)

“Are you going to say bye to Barney?”

“Bye Barney. Bye Mator. Bye Sally. Bye Lightning. Bye Blankie. Bye Bow-Wow. Bye Balloon.”

“Ok, you ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Let’s do it.”

*******************************************************

“Mama, what happened?”

“Olivia was crawling and she saw the cat food. She took the bowl and spilled cat food all over. That is why daddy was loud.”

(Blank look.)

“Did you understand?”

“Mama, what happened?”

“Ok, let me try to explain this better. Tiger and MooMoo’s food. Olivia. Cat food all over floor. Needs to go in the garbage now. Daddy funny being loud.”

“Mama, what happened?”

“I don’t know, baby.”

What a Weekend

So many happenings this weekend, and I apologize for no new updates and lack of postings. Life has been busy and crazy, and my time has been so limited. A couple of highlights:

I got a new job.
We got rid of some of our baby items.

Shocked? Well, that job that I interviewed for and wrote about did offer me a tremendous opportunity that I couldn't pass up. So, I'm taking it. That’s all I can say.

Additionally, we had some new friends over Saturday evening who are having a baby soon. New friends? Yes, I hope…they are such nice people. Hopefully, we did not scare them too much with our highly spirited children. But, I don’t think so. We had dinner with them and gave them some of the baby items that you quickly outgrow after the first year and are no longer needed. If you're wondering if Josh and I have decided not to have a third child, we still don't have an answer for that one. The conclusion of that particular discussion is yet to be determined, but it is something that we still do talk about. Let's just say that we aren't ready to make a final decision on that yet. Additionally, I parted with some of the girls clothes. Yes, it was hard, and I kept only the items that had meaning (well, to me anyway). A lot of those clothes didn't get much use, so I am happy to give them to someone else who can use them. And the ones that got stained and looked ratty after making their way through not one, but two little girls? A separate pile altogether. I’m not even sure if goodwill should get those.

Other than that, I saw the biggest tantrum I have ever seen yet coming from Miss Bea. We went over to our neighbor's house in the afternoon. Bea played her heart out with those kids and ran around forever. When it was time to come home, she wasn't having it. So we heard screaming for a VERY long time. It wasn't pretty.

Olivia is starting to say words and knowing what they mean. It is all the usual suspects: mama, dada, ba (balloon), baba (bottle).

Being a Mom + Outside World = Success (I Hope!)

While on a job interview the other day, I realized how calm I am under pressure. The mom background which really helped me:

How easy is to change a baby’s poop diaper, while putting a shirt on a toddler, while both are screaming, and one is asking for water and the other wants a bottle? Then, one is handing you a book they want to read while the other is crawling over you for attention and then the toddler is asking to go bye-bye but asking you to hold a blanket all while you are getting the baby into her car seat? Sound confusing? It’s called multi-tasking 24/7. I have learned to be an expert. And if I cannot take care of what seems to be an immediate need immediately, it is taken care of as quickly as possible. All of this doesn’t even phase me anymore…I can do it in my sleep. Wait, sometimes I do that!

So, what happened at my interview, you ask?

I was meeting with a very high level executive who only had about 15 minutes to spend with me. Upon going into his office, I set down my cup, my briefcase and my jacket all while making small talk. I got out my folder to take notes when I realized I opened it up the wrong way and a zillion fly away papers fell out. This person didn’t seem to notice. So, this person was talking and I was continuing to respond, all the while trying to look gracious while picking up my mess. He still didn’t seem to notice. And then, he said he did not have a copy of my resume, and there, sitting in the pile that I was picking up was a vision of my resume. Out of my mouth came the words, “well, I happen to have one right here for you.” I swooped it up, and placed it right in front of him. He looked at me, smiled, and said “you seem to be on top of things.” And then without a hitch, I jumped in and gave him an overview of my background. He seemed impressed, and I was just thinking, “Oh, if you only knew what kind of life I lead….”

Seriously, I am not too sure I would have handled that situation the same if I didn’t have the mom background. I think I just would have been overly embarrassed, quite possibly have turned red, and want to high tail it out of there with my tail between my legs. Those days are long gone.