Five Minute Friday - Broken

I'm joining up with Lisa Jo Baker and some amazing women for Five Minute Friday. One word. Five minutes. No editing. Learn more HERE.

Today's word is:

BROKEN

GO

I drove my girls to day care this morning. Leia was in the back seat crying because she didn’t like the song that was playing on the radio. We passed a man walking a dog. She cried harder because she couldn’t see it. When I shut the car off and got the kids out of their car seats, I didn’t do it fast enough. Leia cried more. When she got out of the car, she couldn’t see her day care friend in the window any longer. She threw herself on the ground and declared that she wouldn’t stand. I carried her into the house, where she continued to cry because she couldn’t find her ball. The ball was discovered and handed to her. She threw herself on the floor in the entryway, belly down, and continued to cry. Minutes that seemed like hours later, the day care provider and I were able to redirect her to some music.

Katie came in the room, and wanted to sit on my lap. She scooted up. Leia wanted my lap too. Each child got a leg. Katie began to cry because she didn’t have enough room. I took her into the other room and we sat for a minute as she told me it wasn’t fair that she didn’t get time in my lap alone, and Leia had earlier. She cried for a little while longer as a friend came over and patted her back. I attempted to leave to go to work. Katie cried more, telling me that she doesn’t like to stay at day care. I reminded her it was Friday and the weekend was coming. She asked me to stay until she go snack. In the playroom she cried harder when she discovered a cob web on the ceiling, right above her head. It was taken care of. She cried again when she kissed my forehead, nose, lips, and finally my chin goodbye. She told me she didn’t want me to leave, that she needed me, and was going to follow me out. As I walked out the door, she ran away sobbing. As I was driving out of the driveway, she appeared in the bay window of the dining room and waved as she sobbed even harder. I kept looking back, seeing her tearful face watching me leave.

As I drove away, I felt broken.

 
STOP 

Five Minute Friday: View

I'm joining up with Lisa Jo Baker and some amazing women for Five Minute Friday. One word. Five minutes. No editing. Learn more HERE.

Today's prompt is:

VIEW



I view myself in so many different ways.

A wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend...

Keeper of the laundry, dishes, cleaning, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, bath-time duties, sippy-cup filling, diaper changing, hair brushing, toy picker-upper, nose-blower, teeth-brusher, boo-boo kisser, potty companion (because you know, there might be spiders or monsters in there), tucker-inner, night-time sleep checker, etc. etc.

I think I should rearrange the order up above. Mothering always comes first.

You've seen it typed here before, a thousand times I'm sure. Mothering. It  is the most rewarding, and the most challenging experience all wrapped up into one. 

I think it's so hard for us Moms to find that time to actively and equally give to all of our relationship titles. Those babies pop out, and our priorites sure do change in a jiffy, don't they?

Lately I've been reassessing my life, my roles, and myself, and trying to figure out how to have a better balance. For the above. And for me.

I feel that while I've gained so much from the two little girls who call me "Momma," I've lost a bit of me - "pre-Momma".

I want my daughters to always know that I am there for them, and to feel and know this incredible love I have for them. But I also want to start taking better care of me. Physically, mentally, spiritually.

Because I think it's important for them to see that, too.

Five Minute Friday: Song

I'm joining up with Lisa Jo Baker and some amazing women for Five Minute Friday. One word. Five minutes. No editing. Learn more HERE.

Today's prompt is:

Song….

GO

These girls of mine, they love to sing. All day long. 

And I love to listen to them.

I love the sound of their sweet little child voices singing the words to whatever nursery rhyme or pop radio song comes into their heads. 

Leia cracks me up when she sings, "Twinkle, Twinkle yittle stah, how I wonda what yee ah."  

And Katie as she sings to Angelina Ballerina's Butterfly song, and instead of singing, 'When I'm swooping' she sings, "When I'm pooking," and I can't help but envision the little mouse ballerina puking all over the place.  

Both girls love to sing and dance. Yes, we often have impromptu dance parties, plastic spoon microphones and all. They will often ask for the radio to be on at home, or to watch music videos of their favorite songs on YouTube. Recently Leia has told me "turn up" the radio in the car, and then this morning that we couldn't get out of the car at day care yet because, "I'm dancin." Current song obsessions include, This Girl is on Fire,  I Want You Back, Gangnam Style, and anything by Taylor Swift, but most particularly, Trouble. 

And if you live around here, you may have even heard Miss Leia singing at the top of her lungs at our local Target, "OHHHHH, Twubble, Twubble!" Or as Katie says, "Fwubble."

It amazes me how many songs they know.

I will never tire of hearing their little voices as they sing.

Around here

Recently heard from the littles:


After seeing me pouting during a conversation with the hubs, Leia looks at me and asks, "What wrong?" She then says, "I kiss it," and proceeds to pucker up.

Upon greeting Leia 'good morning,' she smirks and replies, "I faw-ted." 

Katie: "Mom, can you start my movie?"
Me: "Yes, honey."
Katie: "Aww, that's so sweet of you!"

Upon receiving the last squirt of whipped cream from the canister, Katie points to herself and exclaims, "Winner!" then points into the other room where her father is and shouts, "Loser!"

Katie was telling me that she and her dad are awesome. She then gives me a concerned look and says, "well, you are a little bit awesome, Momma" and holds up her pointer finger and thumb together to demonstrate.

And then this...
While in day care, the provider overheard Katie and her friend talking. Katie gave a deep sigh, then stated, "I really wish I had a boyfriend." Said comment was followed up by lots of smiles and giggles between the two girls.

Did I mention that she's 3?

Talk Time

My husband and I take turns putting each of our daughters to bed. Over the weekend, when it was my turn to put Katie to bed, I initiated a new part to her bedtime routine. 

Talk Time

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I stumbled upon this wonderful idea that Rachel over at Hands Free Mama put into place with her own daughters.

When I first mentioned the words talk time to Katie, her eyes got wide and she looked a bit nervous. I had to reassure her that she wasn't in trouble for anything, and then I explained that it would be a time for her to be able to talk to me about anything she wanted, or ask me any questions she had.

She became very excited.

I used Rachel's idea of initiating the conversation with me asking a question.

"Do you have any questions about when I was a kid?"

She thought for a moment, and then asked, "Did you use a paci (pacifier) when you were a baby?"  Which was interesting, because I had to think for a minute. I don't recall ever seeing any pictures of me with a pacifier, so I couldn't say for sure, and I told her so.

Her next question was about going to get donuts in the morning, just her and I.

Then she looked at me and said, "I have a lot of questions, Momma." I assured her that she could ask more, and we could have talk time each night when I put her to bed.

She looked around her bedroom, and spotted her stuffed animals. "Mom, I don't really use Plankton any more. Maybe I could give him away to another girl." 

Her last question that night inquired about having a drink of water.

Last night was round two of Talk Time. Again, she was very excited. And again, she told me she had a lot of questions.

She started with, "I was wondering if maybe we could have a tag sale and I could give all the toys I don't play with to other kids who don't have a lot of toys." My sweet, thoughtful child. We talked about giving to others, and perhaps donating some toys to the local hospital.

She then told me that she doesn't like her (bunk) bed anymore, and she would rather have a bed like Mom and Dad's. She also informed me that she needs to switch bedrooms. When I asked her why, she said, "Because my bedroom is next to Leia's, and she snores really loud." Which made me chuckle. And no, Leia does not snore. Their father on the other hand...

Katie was quite tired last night, and didn't want to ask many more questions. I think however, that this is the start of a great tradition, and a wonderful way to connect with her. I look forward to when Leia is old enough to also have talk time. I lam eager to learn about the thoughts spiraling in their little minds, and deepening our mother/daughter relationships.

Girls, Sisters, Friends.

 I adore this picture, fake tattoos and all.

Those two sweet girls in the last post - well, they certainly keep my heart full, as well as keep me on my toes!

Katie is a sweet, snuggly young girl, and while she may have her moments of anger and frustration, deep down she has a big heart. She is constantly telling me she loves me throughout the day. It is the sweetest thing having her big blue eyes look into mine, as her little arms are wrapped around my neck. Just yesterday she told me "you're my love" and she's constantly saying, "that's what loves do" when she does something nice for someone. Katie will be in preschool this fall, which seems so hard to believe. I still remember that day in the hospital when she was born. People always talk about how fast they grow, and it is so, so true. Just when I think about the next thing she should be learning or the next skill she should be acquiring, and how far away that accomplishment seems, she's doing it. Currently she is learning to write her name. She concentrates on writing her letters, and soaks everything up like a little sponge. And talk about proud; she is so proud of herself. As she should be. She created her first "person" the other day. I have been waiting for this moment; I just think little kids' drawings of people are so adorable. I was probably way more excited than I should have been!

Leia is our little jokester. She finds humor in everything, and is always trying to make people laugh. Just the other day she put her lunch bowl on her head and started laughing at our dog, Optimus, exclaiming, "Hat! Hat!" She is constantly testing the limits and pushing buttons. And every time, she laughs about it. Time outs? They don't phase her; she takes them with a smirk. She is our sweet and silly girl. She is picking up more and more words, and really starting to put them together. She loves the "Pad" (iPad), books, babies, her dog, snuggles with Daddy, and music. Turn on some music, and that girl can't resist dancing. Especially if it's Gangnam Style. She is fiercely independent, but lately she won't let Mommy out of her sight. She is usually grabbing my hand, saying, "c'mon." If I'm walking into a different room of the house, she runs after me screaming, "Wait!"

And these two as sisters? They have their moments, but they sure do love each other. They're always looking out for one another, and are playing more and more together. They love to chase each other around the house, and the sound of their combined giggles warms this Momma's heart.

Sisters. They are the best.

Katie-isms

Just a few Katie-isms I want to jot down before I forget.

• When Katie is taking a bubble bath, she likes to take a handful of bubbles and slather them on her chin. She then says, "Ho, ho, ho, Merry Ho-Ho."
• Speaking of bath time, beforehand Katie likes to weigh herself on the bathroom scale. I frequently tell her how much she weighs, which ranges between 27-29 lbs. Now Katie will weigh herself, and proclaim, "9 pounds!"
• When we leave the house each morning, Katie will say, "Bye house, see you ta-mellow"  When I repeat or try to correct her, saying "tomorrow," she will adamantly say, "No. Mellow!" Apparently our house reminds her of marshmallows? 
• I've recently introduced an umbrella to Katie (you know what they say, "April Showers bring May Flowers). Katie however, refers to it as "Cinderella." 

And on another note, a conversation between me and my husband:

Me: "I'm only one person."
(After a moment of silence) Husband: "Well, technically you're two right now."

:)

Not for long!

 

Techie Girl

Here's a conversation I had recently with Katie:

Katie: Momma's iPad? (as she glances at my night stand)
Me: Yes, that is Momma's iPad.
Katie: Katie use it?
Me: Would you like to use it?
Katie: Yes. 
Me: What would you like to do on it?
Katie: Play game.
Me: Play game? (usually she watches movies/nursery rhyme clips on You Tube).
Katie: Yes. Angry Birds.

 featured on www.ohdeedoh.com

And you should see this kid on the iPad  - she knows exactly how to use it - how to get to You Tube and play her saved favorite movies, how to get to her apps, and now, how to play Angry Birds. Though she is always flinging the little buggers backward. She's a little techie girl - she takes after her father that way.

***

In other news, I think I have a bit of a stomach bug. My tummy hasn't been feeling quite right for a couple of days. Thus, I'm sticking to a bland diet of toast, bananas, applesauce, and water. Let me tell you, I'm starving! I have a doctor's appointment for the baby today, so I'll ask about it just to be sure. I'm also making them hoping they will give me a scheduled date for my c-section. It's hard to plan when you don't know what you're planning around. And the time is just flying by! I'm 32 weeks - eek!

The Paci Fairy

The Paci Fairy visited our house last night. We've been talking about the Paci Fairy with Katie for a couple of weeks now to make the transition of giving up her pacifiers a little easier. We'd already minimized her use of pacifiers to sleep time - nap and bed time. However we wanted this transition to occur before the new baby arrives.

I did a lot of research on how best to handle this milestone. I've seen a lot of great ideas and advice out there in blog land. One cute idea was to take the child to Build-A-Bear and have the child pick out a special new stuffed animal. Before the new friend is sewn shut, the pacifiers are placed inside the stuffed animal. Sounds like a lovely idea, but I could just envision my daughter trying to rip that thing apart trying to get her paci's out of it. Ultimately, I went with the "Paci Fairy." The Paci Fairy comes to take the child's pacifiers to give to babies who need them, and in return leaves a special gift for the child for giving up his or her pacifiers, with the message that the child is a big kid now and doesn't need the pacifiers anymore. 


In addition to doing a lot of talking about the Paci Fairy over the last few weeks, I also took some books out from the library to read to Katie that talked about giving up the pacifier. She enjoyed these two:

Yesterday we made a card/letter for the Paci Fairy, and lastnight Katie put the card and her paci's in a little gift bag. I was surprised at how willing she was to do so. We walked out the front door, and she took forever carefully found the perfect spot on the front steps to leave the bag for the Paci Fairy. We went right up to bed and did our normal bedtime routine. She asked once for her paci's but didn't get upset when I reminded her that the Paci Fairy was coming for them. She quickly and quietly went to sleep!

Katie did wake up around 10:30 and couldn't settle herself back down. I think she didn't quite know what to do without her pacifier to soothe her. I tucked her back in, and she was quiet for about 45 minutes. She cried out once more, but then was quiet the rest of the night. When she finally woke up this morning (must have been a rough night because she slept an hour later than usual), we found her peering out of her crib and pointing at the toy left by the Paci Fairy. "What's that?" she repeated, followed by "Cat!" I don't think I've ever seen her so eager to get out of bed! She held tight to that cat all morning, at one point hugging it and saying, "My baby." So sweet.

Round 1 Complete. Now let's see what the next few days have in store!!

Wordless Wednesday

Smitten

I'm just falling more and more in love with this little girl.

From her sweet kisses, to her tight leg or neck squeezes, I just can't get enough.

I love her increasing vocabulary that astounds me every day and how her sentences are getting longer, such as, "Uh oh. I dropped it."

I love that she is starting to name her stuffed animals - currently there is Pootsie the Dr. Seuss character, and Lulu the giraffe. And I love her attachment to certain ones.

I adore her sweetness with her stuffed animals and baby dolls; how she swaddles them in blankets, pushes them around in her stroller, feeds them bottles, attempts to change their diapers, and snuggles them close against her, giving them a gentle pat on the back. I keep telling her she will be a great big sister. 

I love when she will randomly point at my belly and refer by name to the little one growing inside me.

I absolutely adore her sense of humor, her silliness, her joking, and that smirk she always gives.

I love how she asks for the following when we get home from day care each day: "Elmo? Moo-ee? Watch it? Lay down? Daddy sit you?" Which translates into, 'Can I lay down on the couch and unwind with my favorite Elmo movie with my Daddy?'

I love how she hates to see me cry, and she herself will in turn start to cry, saying, "No, Momma." Such an empathetic little heart, she has.

I love how she always wants to help, from emptying the dishwasher to dusting to folding laundry.  It's both entertaining and sweet.

I love that she always wants to be sure that Mom and Dad have a piece of candy from her Claw Machine before she gets one for herself. 

I think it's so sweet the way she talks to our dog, Optimus, how she calls him, "Op Buddy" and that she insists on giving him a hug goodnight before bed each evening.

I think it's adorable how she wants to copy me so much lately - from the way I hold my applesauce container, to blowing on my food to cool it down.

I love her sweet little voice, especially when she sings along to a song. 

I am completely in love with this little girl of mine.

Katie-isms

Katie's vocabulary is just increasing every day. And she's currently putting two words together, and sometimes even three when she's really mad (see below). I saw this idea by Erin over at Together for Good, and knew I wanted to document Katie's vocabulary and sayings, so I'd always remember them. Because goodness knows how fast time flies with your little ones.

The Unauthorized Unofficial Uncomprehensive Katie Dictionary

ah-done: all done. refers to anything she's finished with.

ah-yew: love you.

ap: apple

ba-ba: sheep

bay-ew: bear

ba-ya: bath

Bra: Uncle Brian

bub-bew: bubble

but: belly button

bu-bye: literally: goodbye. means: bye-bye or goodnight.

can-ee: candy. This word has shown an increasing frequency since Halloween.

clee-up: literally: clean up means: either I'm going to help you clean or I've just made a mess that needs to be cleaned.

Da-da: Daddy. Funny thing is she actually used to call him Daddy, then for some reason switched to Da-Da.

Dap: Daphne

did-it: literally: did it. means: I did it!

dip: literally: dip. means: ketchup, mustard, sour cream, syrup, or anything else used for dipping food into.

don-wan-it!: don't want it. Usually screamed in anger when the dog is too close to her, or when she doesn't want to do something we're asking of her, such as getting dressed or changing her diaper.

em-a-nem-a: M&M's

flee-ride: fluoride. Refers to her fluoride drops.

go way: go away. Usually directed at the dog when he's too close to her food.

gum-ma: Gummies. literally: fruit snacks.

hay-ew: hair

heh-yo: hello

hot-dohg: literally: hot dog. means: hot dog, or anything else I'm cooking on the stove.

Jo-dee: Jodi. Yes, she calls me by name 50% of the time. Usually quite emphatically, too. Or when she doesn't know where I am in the house.

Ma-Ma: Momma

ma-yah-yew: literally: marshmallow means: marshmallow, raisins, or some cereals.

moo-ee: movie. Refers to you tube nursery rhyme videos or one of her DVD's. We literally can not use our laptops without her running over, excitedly yelling out, "Moo-ee!!"

mmm-uck: milk. And it's usually a yell, as she very adamantly wants some right.now.

me muck: my milk

nan-nah: banana. Usually said with much enthusiasm. She loves her bananas.

nap: literally: nap means: I need to sleep now.

nay: horse or pony

oh bod-er: "oh bother"

oh-no!: oh no. refers to something dropped or gone wrong.

Op: this is what Katie lovingly calls our dog, Optimus. When she's yelling for him, sometimes she will call out, "Op Op!"

pat-cee: pacifier, which we call "paci"

pee-boo: literally: peek-a-boo means: I'd like to play the after-dinner game where mom and I peek at each other above and below the dining room table, and then chase each other.

pee!: peas. Usually said with much excitement. Peas are her favorite vegetable.

pee-pee: literally: pee means: I'm about to pee right.now.

pee-gees: pj's

poon: literally: spoon. means: spoon or fork.

pot-tee: potty. Can refer to her potty or the real toilet.

ree-book: read book. Usually said while she's walking toward you with a book ready in hand.

row-row!: literally: row, row, row your boat means: I'd like to listen to my nursery rhyme CD!

choo: literally: shoe means: shoe, sneaker, or slipper.

snac-K: snack, with an emphasis on the "k" - I'm beginning to wonder if she's part Russian.

tee: literally: teeth means: I'd like to brush my teeth, please.

uh-oh: uh-oh. refers to something gone wrong.