Wait for me!!!

In the ultimate example of second-child syndrome, I realize that I've written quite a bit about Morgan and very little about Sophie. Sorry sweetie! This one is for you...

Sophie thinks she is a big kid. Never was this more evident than at a playdate with some friends last week. They have a son, Rowan, who is a few months older than Morgan and another son, Gavin, who is a few months younger than Sophie. You'd think that it would work out that the big kids (joined by the five year old neighbor boy) would play together and the little kids would play together giving the Mommies a much deserved break. Not so fast. Sophie, tossing less than a glance Gavin's way, chased after the big kids the whole time calling "Wait! Wait!" Her little legs padding through the grass as fast as they could and her right arm pumping back and forth, faster and faster, as if it were willing her body along.

The main distraction on that hot day was a plastic slide set up to end in the inflatable pool. The older children were big enough that they could land and keep their heads above water but Sophie could not. Did this deter her? Nope. As soon as she stopped sputtering and choking on a mouthful of water, she would smile a proud smile, climb out of the pool and take her place in line with the big kids to do it all over again.

Winds of Time

The calendar may read mid-July and the temperature may be upwards of 85 degrees but, in my household, fall is in the air.

Why, you may ask...

Because Morgan is registered for Pre-K and we just received her supply list and school calendar. Alongside such usual things as 3-ring binders and boxes of Kleenex are a few reminders that, while she may be 3 going on 13, Morgan is still quite young...

A complete change of clothes (shirt, pants, underwear, socks, shoes) – Accidents happen

A pillow, blanket and stuffed animal for naptime – Morgan and I are planning a trip to JoAnn Fabrics to pick out some fleece to make a no-sew fleece blanket. (Instructions can be found here.)

A picture of her family – I'm assuming that the main reason is to help stem some of the homesickness that might come along with the first week of school but I'll bet it is also so that the teachers can remember which parent goes with which child!

A picture of her as a baby – When I read that, my immediate thought was that she still IS a baby! But, as I pulled photo after photo from the Spring of 2005 up on my screen, I realized that she's come quite a long way from the bald little butterball that squeaked like a mouse while sleeping in her bassinette. The change in just three and a half short years is astounding. She's learned to crawl, then walk, then run and climb; to speak using a vocabulary that is a constant source of surprise to me; to pretend and create with her seemingly limitless imagination; to button buttons and zip zippers; to sing lyrics from Sondheim or of her own making. She's become an independent person with a personality and opinions all her own.

So, perhaps, the picture of her as a baby is less for her sake and more for the parents getting ready to send their little ones out into the world. Because, as I kiss her goodbye on her first day of school, I'll know that she'll always be my baby but she's also become quite a big girl and is ready to continue her learning in with a brand new exciting experience.



Image by Weeks Photography

Wall-E

This past weekend, we took Morgan to her very first movie in the theatre.

Morgan had a great time. Aside from chowing down on popcorn and peanut MnMs, she really enjoyed the movie and her parents did too. Wall-E was another excellent film from the Disney-Pixar collaborative team.

I had read a lot about how "dark" the story was, how "disturbing" the imagery was of what humanity had become and how there was little to no dialogue in the first half hour. Well, I found that Wall-E was anything BUT dark and disturbing and, if I hadn't read about the lack of dialogue, I don't think I'd even have noticed it.

I believe the message inherent in Wall-E is that you should never give up whether it be on love or on our Earth. THAT is quite uplifting.

Holding Hands

What is it about little girls and holding hands?

It has become a minor obsession with Morgan and Sophie. Often, I look back at them in their carseats and they are reaching across the divide and clasping fingers. Or, in the den, Sophie is desperately trying to catch Morgan's hands to entice her into a playful round of "Rosies". I can also spy Morgan leading Sophie by the hand out of the room or, in the case of the above picture, towards the sprinkler (which, of course, means trouble)!
Thankfully, Sophie actually ENJOYED being shoved into the path of the water and it lead to the two of them frolicking the in the sprinkler all afternoon... hand in hand, of course!

Cheeeeeeese!

Thought I'd post some recent cuteness...






And my favorite....


Morgan is hugging Sophie and calling her "my best friend". So sweet! I hope they remember that when they are teenagers!

The Five Greatest Inventions for Moms

Here are a couple of things that I've found that were (or would have been) invaluable to me as a Mom...

5. Itzbeen
(http://www.itzbeen.com/)
I didn't have one of these things but I REALLY wish I had! Every new Mom I know carries around a pad and paper to keep track of feedings and full diapers and sleeping patterns, etc. This handy-dandy invention means that you simply press a button whenever you feed the baby or change the baby and it starts to count the amount of time that passes until you press the button again. It even has a reminder as to which side you last nursed on.

4. Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Fleece Pouch
(http://www.kangarookorner.com/)
I tried a whole heck of a lot of slings from the Snugli-type carriers (which my husband preferred) to the kind you wrap around yourself again and again and in some sort of origami way create a pocket to carry the baby. Then, I discovered the Kangaroo Korner Pouch and I was in love. It was comfortable for me to wear, easy to put on (which, when you have a crying baby on your hands, is a necessity) and the baby felt secure. It was such a relief to be able to wear Sophie while doing dishes, making dinner (not near the stove, of course) and, most of all, chasing Morgan around!

3. Bib clips
(http://www.diaperbagwrangler.com)
This is a recent discovery of mine and I love it! Just pop one into the diaper bag and you can make any napkin or paper towel into a bib. It also converts a receiving blanket into a no-slip nursing cover-up.
I got mine at Diaper Bag Wrangler. She's also got some cute burp cloths, diapee and wipee covers and more handmade products!


2. Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncy Seat
(http://www.fisher-price.com)
I have no idea how parents got anything done before the invention of the bouncy seat. Seriously. I know some kids are not fans of the seat and prefer the swing but both Morgan and Sophie LOVED theirs. It was light and easy to move from room to room. The girls would sit in it while I showered, made dinner, folded laundry.

1. Boppy Pillow
http://www.boppy.com/
I did a non-scientific poll of the Moms on my messageboards and the Moms I know IRL. Hands down, the Boppy Pillow was the single most mentioned must-have for new Moms. Whether you are breastfeeding or bottlefeeding, the Boppy provides a comfortable place for the baby to feed. It also can be used to prop the baby up when s/he begins sitting.

On turning another year older...

I am now officially closer to forty than I am to thirty. It shouldn't be so hard to deal with since, as my dear husband told me when I lamented this fact this morning, I was technically closer to forty than thirty the day after my birthday last year. (Thanks honey.)

Now, a date on the calendar really doesn't bother me. I'm really very lucky. I've got two beautiful daughters, a wonderful husband, a rewarding job, a roof over my head... What does bug me?

I can't lose weight like I used to. In fact, I can't lose it at all and now I have a videogame that reminds me of that whenever I turn it on!

Vito and I decided to give each other a Wii Fit as a combination Father's Day/my Birthday present. I went at it religiously for it is pretty fun. You can do yoga, balance exercises, aerobic exercises, and strength building exercises. And, the whole time, you are watching your Mii (a cartoon version of yourself) and Miis of your friends do these exercises on the television. It makes running in place a lot more fun when you see a cartoon of your grandmother breeze past you!

Now, the downside... the daily weigh-in. The first thing the program instructs you to do is to stand on the balance board and be "scanned". Then, you are shown your weight and centeredness. Over the weeks, I became much more centered but, even with all the exercise, I GAINED weight. How in the heck did that happen? People tried to tell me it was because I was building muscle which weighs more but I'm not buying it.

Anyways, I took a couple of weeks off and I'm ready to start fresh and this time alter my eating habits as well. I may not have reached my goal of losing 10 pounds by my 36th birthday but maybe I'll do it by the end of summer. I'll keep you posted.