A tasty side of teething

TEETHING IS AWFUL...for everyone involved.  And to make it worse, for me at least, I have two kids teething at once - a 1 year old getting all of his fronts and a 2.5 year old getting her 2 year molars.  We have meltdowns, we have tantrums.  I blink, one, or both cries.  We don't sleep. We don't eat.  It's no good, simply put.

And then today I had a rare occurrence...two babies napping at the same time.  I opened a thing of greek yogurt and almost sat down (which pretty much never happens), and then I had this great idea.  Teething kids love cold things in their mouths.  Teething kids don't eat.  Freeze the yogurt!  YUM!

So here's how it went down.  I put wax paper over a big plate and emptied one thing of black cherry (or whatever flavor you love) yogurt into a sandwich sized ziplock. 

Then I snipped just a tiny tip off the bag...



And piped the yogurt into small circles (about the size of a finger tip or so) starting in the middle and working out...

Popped them in the freezer for a couple of hours, peeled them off the wax paper, and they are ready to go.  As soon as the little ones woke they were fussing, so I gave them these and they loved them.  (I'm not going to lie, I had my fair share as well because they are delicious and nearly guilt free!!)

The only negative thing is that they melt pretty fast.  I gave them to these guys on the plate that had been in the freezer and that kept them from melting a bit.  On the plus side, they're cold and hopefully provided some relief from those darn teeth, they're healthy, taste awesome and are super easy to make.







That magic moment when you realize how bad you smell

When I became a mom, I never realized how many aspects of my life would change.  It has been literally years since I have slept straight through the night.  If I get to use the bathroom without one or both kids playing on/around me, I consider it a vacation.  I am ahead of the game if I wash my hair more than 3 times a week. Etc etc etc!  Nobody tells you about these things.  And if they did, I really don't think it's something you can understand or fully comprehend until it is your life. 

Anyhow, I remember when we just had Taylor and all of these changes were so hard to cope with.  How could I function without a shower? Where would I find the time to blow dry my hair? Do my makeup? Me...me...me! 

Fast forward a couple of years.  Two kids, many missed showers, and so many amazing memories later and I have a clouds parting, angels singing, sunbeams bursting, you get the picture, moment.

The day started off pretty normal, Taylor woke first and in a great mood.  I made her a bottle, got my coffee and she and I went to the front playroom to play so we wouldn't wake The Buke.  (Lucas)  We had the most amazing conversation about everything from the day she was born to how much she loves her poppy (Bruce) and so much more.  I ran to the bathroom and when  came back, Taylor was sprinting to the bedroom "Buke's awake! Buke's awake!!"  How awesome, I thought, that she is so excited to see her little brother.  We got the little guy and continued playing our merry little hearts away...no mommy centric agenda, just pure, uninterrupted playing!

I told Taylor it was her 2 1/2 birthday and I swear you could see the cogs in her little head turning and a wave of excitement sparkle in her eyes.  At the request of my little princess we scoured the house to create a blue birthday party!  By 9:30, the blue colored lemon cake was coming out of the oven.  (yes, I know "boo hiss you used artificial colors!"...it was a magic cake, blue-1 and all!!) We found some blue streamers and hung them.  Apparently tape doesn't like to stick to my walls and this was more of an endeavor than I had anticipated.  I was breaking a sweat and almost out of ideas to get those dang things to hang and Taylor says "don't give up Mommy"! Anyhow, our morning was an salute to Taylor. 

House work...pshhh, the mess isn't going anywhere, trust me.  What is going somewhere is the  small window of time we have with these little innocent creatures!  So we played, and we played, and we played some more.  We ate frosting, messed up the house, talked nonsense, chased each other, built blocks...magic!

And then, silence came over the house...it was naptime.  After eating some lunch, I did what I usually do to recharge and get ready for the afternoon, nothing!  I was sitting on the couch watching tv and wondering what the heck smelled so bad.  After awhile I realized...that smell...yeah, it was me!!!  We were so busy playing that I hadn't showered.  I had earned that smell!  Ok, you are probably thinking "eww gross" but, hey, I don't care.  It has taken me 2 1/2 years to realize that sometimes being stinky is an awesome thing! To be so caught up in play that you ditch the necessities of the past in favor of spending time with your rapidly growing babies is an awesome thing!

Cheers to all of the stinky, messy haired mommies of the world!  I GET IT!!!

Comfortable patience

So it's a new year.  Resolutions...  We all want to lose a few lbs...uninteresting resolution.  There are so many many things that I wold love to "resolve" to do to become a better person but it would be nearly impossible to lump them all together at once and just for the sake of having a "new years resolution" if you ask me.  So, what do I constantly struggle with........

It's hard to describe it, but on most days, I feel the drive to get out of the house.  To go somewhere, not because I need to, but just for the sake of going somewhere.  And so I spend the first part of the morning trying to put my brain around whatever it is that I have made up as needing to get done in my mind.  I play with the babies, feed them, put Lucas down for his morning nap, all the while distracted by my ficticious "must do".  I HAVE to get my shower so that we can get out the door once he wakes up.  Yes Taylor, mommy will play with you, but her brain is somewhere else.  I don't like this!!!  It isn't comfortable and it isn't going to change unless I make it change. 

So this morning I began.  It is 3:00, I've been nowhere, not showered, and I'm not certain that I brushed my teeth, BUT I have been fully present with my little ones and we have been having a blast.  No I am not saying that I'm never leaving the house again, however, I need to get these senseless trips stopped.  Given the choice between a morning of relaxed, engaging playing at home and a rushed senseless trip to the mall, to grocery store, or somewhere of the sort, I'm pretty sure my little friends would choose staying in!  I have no idea if any of his makes sense, but in my mind, it does, so I suppose that's all that matters.  I hereby resolve to be a fully present mother and say ttfn to the useless excursions!!!!

Wowie Zowie it's been awhile!

Oh man, Its been over a year since I got on here.  I feel like life is finally getting stable enough to give this a go again!!

The last time I blogged Taylor wasn't yet 1...now she's 2 and then some.  Where does the time go?  And not only that, but now instead of posting about struggles trying to get some sleep because of Taylor is up all night, she has become a super sleeper and it's baby brother Lucas that keeps this mommy busy through the night.

That's the thing though, second time around, it's just not so bad.  Maybe our bodies adjust to not getting sleep, who knows.  What I do know is that I am easily the happiest I have ever been in my life.  As a stay at home mom, people get the impression that we have all of this time on our hands.  Yeah, that's a joke.  Try taking care of two babies all day long...I usually smell bad because I don't shower, my house is almost always a wreck, and I never am the beaming wife with dinner on the table for my perfectly kept family at six sharp.  But you know what, I love my life.  You can keep your showers and swiffered floors, I would rather play with my two little buddies all day long!!  (And lucky me, I have a husband who not only supports/encourages that, but helps me clean and cook!!!!  Be jealous...it's ok, I won't judge...)

Anyhow, short and sweet as this was, I plan on posting more often as a means of keeping my growing bunsies out of the pantry during Taylor's nap... 

Happy Tuesday!

Welcome Fall

So it's been a bit since I have been on here.  Seems like every moment of every day is spent and then when there are two free seconds, tv and the couch are where I find myself!

Sleep...Well, things are what they are.  "Normal" nights are 4 wakes for Taylor, but with us splitting duties that means only 2 times each which is really not bad. 

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how lucky I am to have Bruce and Taylor in my life.  Sometimes I wonder what the heck I did before I had them.  Must've been really lame whatever it was.  Bruce is such a great husband.  He puts up with me in all of my hormonal glory...lol...cooks dinner every night, is an amazing dad to my little lady, and is still my best friend!  Sometimes when we have someone so special in our lives every single day, I think it's easy to just take that person for granted.  Then things shift, seasons change, and something hits us in the head and all of a sudden we realize that there is an amazing person right there always with us. 

And little miss Taylor.  18 days til she turns 1!!!!  I don't know where this year went cause in my eyes, she's still my newborn baby.  She's really starting to walk which is just plain crazy!  I swear it's like there's a 29 inch frankenstine walking around.  (though she's quite a bit cuter!)  The older she gets, the quicker time flies!  We have so much fun together....me and my moo.  How lucky I am to get to spend every day with her.

Well...intended on writing more but my baby bear is awake! 

A return to being human.

So...drumroll...last night I slept for 8 hours straight!  Taylor went down like a champion, about 10 minutes in her crib with no crying or standing and she was out.  She didn't wake up until 12:30, but I slept through that waking since Bruce takes the first half of the night.  Then she didn't wake again until 5:00 this morning.  Oh my goodness...I have been dreaming about 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep since long before little T was born.  (Anyone who's had a kid knows about the 500 trips per night to pee during the 3rd trimester...) 

It's funny, we started this whole "sleep training" deal as an act of desperation, and it has now kind of become a way of life, so to speak.  It's actually working.  I can't believe it.  And honestly, there is a part of me that really questions if it really is working or if we are just having a good week and then next week we'll be right back where we started, cranky zombies.  I feel like we are sinking into a normal routine of how things should be and it feels good!

Taylor is happier, so when she's awake, she is much more interactive and just plain fun to play with.  She's babbling, cruising, laughing, and moving all over the place!  It's amazing...she's amazing.  And then, instead of her staying up until whenever we go to bed, as was the case just a few short months ago, she's drifts off to dream land, and it gives Bruce and I a chance to be together again.  Granted, by that time we're both drained and all we want to do is sit in front of the tv, but still, we do it together.  It's sort of like regaining your best friend or something.  Might sound silly...

Fingers crossed that the trend continues...

Sleep begets sleep

Things last night were good...really good.  Yessssss. 

The night before that however, yeah it was awful! lol.  And then yesterday, I suppose I had some sort of mixture of sleep deprived grouchiness and hormones and that combined to make a major breakdown...poor Bruce.  I don't understand why that happens sometimes.  I mean I had this patch where I felt horrid and angry and just plain mad at the world who I felt was screwing me.  Cried for about 45 minutes and then I came out of it and I swear it was like that person who was wailing 45 minutes before was someone other than myself.  I mean, I didn't even mean anything that I was saying and the feelings that I was having were so not the way I actually feel about life.  Am I crazy?  Do other people have these sorts of episodes, where someone else takes over your brain for a bit, makes you feel terrible, and then just like that, its gone and you're yourself again?  hmmm, maybe I shouldn't admit to this....maybe I AM crazy?  ;)

Today I took Taylor to the mall which was a total blast.  I hadn't taken her there in awhile and she is so much more aware of things around her these days so it was just plain awesome!  She was literally squealing in delight over seeing so many other kids.  I took her into the Disney store and I think she went into a state of rapture.  Of course we had to buy a Disney princess soccer ball which she insisted on carrying around the whole time we were there.  (which wouldn't have been any sort of problem, however I was carrying her in a sling so it was kind of annoying lol)

When I was there I was watching the other moms a bit.  It's so wierd to me, a lot of moms totally treat their kids like accessories, not like amazing little people.  I may have look like a complete idiot, but everywhere we go, I talk to Taylor, gabbering about nonsense, spinning, laughing, playing...you know, just having fun.  She is my buddy, and just as much as I do this stuff so that she has fun, I have fun too.  It seems like people do lots to entertain their kids that doesn't really involve interacting.  I find so much joy in playing with my little T.  Sure it means busting my bunsies (haha) doing it, but I love her.

Maybe I am just a little kid in a big body, but hey, I will continue to speak jibberish...don't judge.  ;)