Have you missed me?

I know it's been over two months since I last posted on my blog and I deeply apologize for my lack of attention to my devoted and loyal followers, all six of you. LOL.

Over the past two months we've had a lot going on. I started my new job, and even though I'm only working three days a week, it's still been a big adjustment. I love working. I love the interaction with adults and using skills I am trained for. I knew I missed working but I didn't realize how much until I started working again. Two of the days S & E are home with daddy. The third day they go to an in-home preschool/daycare. They both love learning and playing with other kids and are really thriving.

S is almost 23 months old now and we have started planning his 2nd birthday party. We are having a monkey theme party this year. It's only appropriate considering he carries his "bebe" (that's what he calls his monkey) with him constantly. He is speaking two to three word sentences now and his vocabulary is getting larger and larger everyday. He can identify 7 body parts, including his favorite, his toes. 6 pictures by name, including dog, kitty, bunny, etc. He has also just started counting to five. This is still very new so he gets caught up on four sometimes but he's doing very well. He is strong and solid weighing 28 pounds and is 33 inches tall. He's built just like his daddy, long torso and short legs. D is hoping he'll use that to his advantage when he plays football.

S, 22 months old.

E is 9 months old now and seems to have changed from an infant to a toddler overnight. She is army crawling...everywhere. That girl can slither with some serious speed. She's started pulling herself to standing and cruising the furniture. Not a full on cruise, just mostly up and down the couch. It's adorable to see her eyes peaking over the side rail of her crib waiting for us to get her in the morning or after naps. It won't surprise me one bit if she's walking before her first birthday, or sooner. She's talking some, Mama and Dada are her favorites. She's starting to transition from baby food to table food and sister is loving it. She will turn her head away when trying to feed her baby food and show her dislike but bring on that table food and she'll gobble it up. She even tries to steal food from S's plate. She's still large for her age, 21 pounds and 28 inches tall and wearing 12 month clothes. She has a gorgeous smile and a contagious laugh that will melt your heart when you hear it.

E, 9 months old.

Last weekend we had family pictures taken (some shown above). We had pictures taken when S was 19 months and E was 3 months but we didn't do a family portrait then, we only got individual pictures and a group shot of both kids. The pictures turned out awesome and I'm thrilled to finally have a picture of the four of us together.

I know I am biased, but I think my kids are adorable...so here are few more pictures of them.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

As I've mentioned in the past I am a Graphic Designer by trade. I was laid off in December 2010 while on maternity leave with S (yeah pretty crappy company right?) Then I unexpectedly got pregnant with E, so even though I was actively looking for a job, I knew I wasn't going to get one.

Well folks, now that E is 7 months old (and S is 20 months - where is the time going?) I have finally found a job. It seems to be a perfect opportunity for me to learn and grow into a leadership role and for my family. I will only be working part-time so between the hubs, my parents, and I we will rotate childcare and the kids will not have to go to daycare. Cha-Ching!!!! This really is a win-win for everyone. I get to enter back into the work force, into a field I love, and have some adult interaction and a purpose other than as a mommy, we will have some extra income (that won't have to go directly to a daycare provider), and I still get a few days off a week to be with my babies :)

The other big change happening in our lives is in an entirely different area. After several months of consideration I have decided our family is going to start cloth diapering. I discussed it with the hubs and he didn't care either way so we're going to do it. I am tired of the money we are spending on disposables, and the costs just keep rising and rising. It's really ridiculous what we spend on a monthly basis for something that just gets thrown in the trash. Now cloth diapering can be expensive also, at least for the initial start up. I was fortunate to find a more cost effective way by purchasing a brand manufactured in China off eBay. In addition, a friend of mine is sewing some cloth diapers for me. So for roughly $5 a diaper I have generated a nice beginner stash. It feels good to be helping the environment, saving some cash (it should be about $2500 in the next 1.5 years), and let's be honest, those diapers are absolutely adorable!!!!

And since I haven't posted in a while, I'll include a quick update about the kids and a few pictures. As I mentioned above S is 20 months old. He talking more and more everyday. He says some advanced words like "applesauce", "monkey", "shoes",  "scrambled eggs" and some less advanced words like "cheese", "juice", etc. He's recently gotten very interested in brushing his teeth. He wants to do it several times a day, so we let him (most of the time there isn't any toothpaste on the brush but he doesn't know that). He's almost grown out of the "chew on everything phase" thank goodness. That phase seemed to last way.too.long. He has started to identify pictures with words/names. If you ask him to show you the kitty, he will flip through his little plastic ring toy and show you the kitty. He can do this with the dog and pig also (those are the only three things on the rings). He still loves to read and often sits in a chair or on the floor paging through a book over and over.

 He is ALL boy and LOVED climbing that tree.
Don't worry, Daddy was right next to him so he couldn't fall.

E is 7 months old now and is changing fast. She's rolling all over the place and starting to challenge herself by stretching and grabbing things just out of her reach. She is sitting unsupported, some times. She will get excited and get straight and fall over. I think it's only a matter of time before she's doing it consistently. We upgraded her from an infant carrier to a convertible car seat. She weighs 19 pounds and is almost 29" long, she was outgrowing the infant carrier and fast. She's much more comfortable in the convertible and it makes being in the car with her much more enjoyable. She's also found her voice and likes to tell stories. I'm sure if I could understand what she was saying those stories would be very interesting. Boy does she sure love to swim. We have a plastic baby pool and we put just a small amount of water in it and lay her down flat and she kicks her arms and legs like she's swimming laps. She smiles and giggles and just keeps kicking!

Look at her sitting like a big girl! 

Summer has been good so far, aside for some roof damage we had from a storm last week. We're taking a big family camping trip in a few weeks. I'm really excited for all of us to get to spend some time with family we don't see often and also, my immediate family, spending time together having fun and creating memories.

I might be bat shit crazy!

As S & E continue to grow, specifically E, I find myself reminiscing about babies. S is 19 months old and a total toddler. He wants to do everything on his own and makes sure you know it if you try to help him. At 6 months old, E is still technically considered a baby, but she's quickly moving from phase to phase. She has just entered the roll all over the floor and get into everything phase. I look at my kids and deeply miss the newborn, cuddle on your chest, sleep all day phase. I miss it so much I have actually thought about having a third child.

That's where the bat shit crazy enters. Not only would we have three kids under three (yeah, that's not happening) but when E was born I had my tubes tied, so it's medically impossible (OK nothings impossible, let's say unlikely). I don't know if this is a simple case of "you want what you can't have" or what? I hated being pregnant. Not because I was uncomfortable, even though I was, but because I had Gestational Diabetes with both pregnancies. I was considered high-risk, was on a very restricted diet (no surrendering to cravings for me), I went to the doctor every 2 weeks my entire pregnancies, and had ultrasounds (those I didn't mind because I loved seeing the baby) and non-stress tests all.the.time. Don't get me wrong, I loved the fact that I had a life growing inside of me, but those other issues trumped that most of the time.

The other thing I have been thinking a lot about lately is giving birth. Due to the Gestational Diabetes I had a c-section with both babies. I feel like I missed out on the experience of delivering a child. I will never understand that euphoric feeling other women describe. No I'm not envious of the pain of labor, I had pain with a c-section, it's just different. Other women describe the birth process with such joy and love. They tear up when they describe the baby exiting their body and hearing it's first cries of life. With S, I didn't hear his first cries of life because I had a general anesthesia and was asleep. I met him briefly a few hours later but I was so doped up I don't remember. I didn't get to start bonding with him until the following morning. I did get to hear E's first cries of life, but had to wait to start bonding with her until the next day also. She had to stay in the nursery on an IV because of a blood-sugar issue.

Neither of my birth stories are beautiful and I am envious of the birth stories that are. Beautiful or not though, my birth stories are just that, mine, and I am blessed to have two of them. So even though I reminisce about the past and will never have a third child, I wouldn't change the present for anything. I truly enjoy every phase my babies enter and exit, even if it's no longer the newborn, cuddle on your chest, sleep all day phase.

Sandboxes, sticks, eggs & cheeks!

It's been a while since I last posted, I should be ashamed of myself for my horrible blogging etiquette. Honestly though not much has really been going on.

The weather is starting to warm up, finally, so we have been spending more time outside. We have been gifted several toddler toys for the backyard and S is really enjoying playing in his sandbox and climbing on his slide. As much as he enjoys that though, he really enjoys dragging around a gigantic stick that we have for the dog to play with. I'm not sure what the fascination is but it makes him happy, so...

S playing in his sandbox. He loves to fill his bucket with hand fulls of
sand and then dumps the entire bucket in his lap. 

Do you see the size of this stick? It's twice the size of him, but he loves it.
The dog doesn't love the idea of sharing it.

Both kids are growing quickly. S is going to be 19 months in a few days. It's amazing to me that my lil man is now closer to a 2 year old then a 1 year old. Even though the changes are not as dramatic as when he was a baby, they are still very noticeable. He is talking more and more, and you can even understand a good amount of what he says. He is starting to follow direction, most of the time, and reminds me every day that he's not an infant anymore. 

 S finding Easter eggs at his first Easter egg hunt. He LOVED it.
It probably did help that the eggs looked like spots balls. :)
 

E is 5 months old now and is almost as big as her older brother. She's only 6.5 inches shorter and 9 pounds smaller then him. Little sister might pass big brother up soon. She has an incredible personality. She is rarely unhappy, unless she is hungry. She smiles and laughs, and actually has a tremendous amount of patience (she must get that from her daddy). And she sure does love her big brother. She watches his every move wishing she could copy it. She squeals with delight when he takes time out of his busy, mess-making day to pay attention to her. She just lights up and you can tell he feels very proud to have her admiration. 5 months ago I was having a very hard time bonding with this little creature, and now, my heart swells with love and I can't imagine one second, of one day without her in my life. (I actually got a little choked up and teary eyed writing that).

 E in her Easter bonnet. Look at those cheeks. How can you not want to just eat them up?

She's such an angel!

At the end of the month we will be having E baptized. My hubby and I are not very religious people, and don't belong to a church, but we do believe every child should be baptized into the faith and love of Christ. The Reverend that married us, and also baptized S, will be performing the ceremony. She will be wearing a very special baptismal gown that has been passed down by her great grandmother. It is going to be a very special day spent with lots of family and friends that love her to pieces. Who wouldn't? Did you see those cheeks? :)

So I Let It Shine...

It's been 4.5 months now since E was born and I have been feeling really comfortable with how well everything is going. I feel like we finally hit our stride...until last week.

My husband works a lot of hours and long shifts. So when he leaves for work, it's not uncommon for him to be gone 48+ hours. This was a normal week, he left for work Thursday morning and I didn't expect him home until Saturday morning. No big deal, I do it every week. Except he came home Saturday morning with the flu. This meant that my 48 hours of single parenthood was about to became 96+ hours of single parenthood. I knew he couldn't help being sick but I was also looking forward to my "me" time. And even more important, S & E were VERY much looking forward to "daddy" time.

So Saturday and Sunday came and went. We all missed Daddy but we carried on as normal without him. D was feeling betting on Monday so he crawled out of bed and spent time with us before he had to head back off to work that evening.

S apparently didn't feel like Daddy spent enough time with him. He started screaming and crying at the top of his lungs. Every time he does this it gets E going and she starts screaming and crying too. In addition to missing Daddy, both of them were getting colds (as was I). They were completely inconsolable, and I didn't know which one to try to console first. I was like a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth between the two. Hugging them and rocking them both didn't do it. I didn't know what else to try...so I started singing.

I just started belting out "This Little Light Of Mine". I sang and sang and sang. You know what? It worked. Both kids stopped crying and just stared at me like I was totally wacko. I'm sure they both thought Mommy totally lost it. And you know what, had I not started singing, I just might have.

Milestone Monday

S is 17 months old today, wow time sure has flown by. He is really starting to show his temper and display "terrible two" behavior. He has started drinking from a straw, so he now refuses to drink from a regular sippy cup. He is now sitting and riding his Playskool Fire Truck instead of just pushing it from behind. It is unbelievable to me how logical he is. The other day he wanted something off the top of his bookshelf, so he pulled E's laundry basket from her room to his, placed the laundry basket on it's side in front of the bookshelf, climbed on top of it, and got what he wanted down. He is such a smart boy. He loves to read his books and play with trucks. He loves to climbs stairs and knows to get on his tummy when he goes down them. He has a very adult food palette. He will easily eat jambalaya, chicken enchiladas, chicken tortilla soup, BBQ pork, etc., but refuses to eat hot dogs or cheese sandwiches. He is talking more and more, and is starting to put words together to create sentences. He is learning his manners and, most of the time, will say "please". The hubby and I are constantly amazed by his eagerness and determination. I really hope his drive to learn and excel continue into his school years, and we are really looking forward to when we can put him into sports and channel all his energy.

E is 2 weeks shy of 4 months. She is just under 16 pounds and almost 25 inches long. She is very strong, holds her head up really well and has a lot of muscle control. She has started smiling, laughing and cooing. She is no longer sleeping the entire day, she's down to 3-4 naps, but she's sleeping 10-11 hours at night. She's eating great and we're looking forward to starting her on cereal in a few weeks. She's not yet rolling but she's close. She kicks her feet and scoots on her back. She's such a happy baby and we love watching her grow.

When I look at S, and then look at E, it's amazing to me the difference 13 months makes.

Mommy or Magician

First off, let me apologize for not posting in a while. My life has been incredibly mundane lately and I didn't want to make you suffer through some ridiculous post about it.

Anyway, I was driving to Bath & Body Works earlier today and was thinking about my blog and how it's been so long since I posted something. I was trying to think of something clever or creative to write and nothing was coming to me. Then, in typical E fashion, she started screaming. This girl seriously HATES the car. I don't know what it is, but every time we go anywhere she has a meltdown. I start praying to the lord above for a red light and bam, we hit one. I throw the car in park, tear my seat belt off, whip around in my seat, search for the pacifier, stick it in her mouth and, she's quiet. All in what seemed like 3.2 seconds.

This got me thinking about motherhood. Having babies has changed me greatly in many ways. I love more deeply, have more patience, see things from a different perspective and just feel like an overall better person. But, I never realized the other way it has changed me. I have also become a magician.

It's unbelievable to me how many things I can make appear or disappear. Almost like Houdini or Copperfield. I can make a pacifier appear from my jeans pocket or a bottle, sippy cup or snacks appear from my diaper bag in just seconds. What I enjoy more though, is what I can make disappear so quickly. The tears. All I need to do when either of my babies are crying, is pick them up and cuddle them close and the tears just disappear.

Now I realize they are both very little, and their woes are not yet serious, but to have the magic to cure them is truly the best feeling ever. And I hope, when they are both older, and the woes do become more serious, my mommy magic will still exist. Not in that creepy "Love You Forever" crawl in the bedroom window way, (OK, I know tons of people LOVE that book but it creeps me out that the mother would crawl in the window of her grown sons house, pick him up and rock him back and forth), but in a way where I can provide true healing and solid advice. I know E will shed some tears when a dumb boy pulls her hair on the playground, or worse, breaks her heart. Or maybe S will even shed some tears when he has his heart broken by a girl who didn't deserve him anyway. Regardless of the situation, I want my babies to know, no matter what, mommy will be there for them when they need her, with as much mommy magic as they need.