Saturday, September 25, 2010

Health and Safety Faire

Stella and I went on her first field trip yesterday to the health and safety faire. Strange as it sounds, I was really excited about it. So far I am absolutely adoring the whole preschool experience. It is so fun to see Stella so excited about going to school each morning. Every time we go she ditches me at the door without even turning to say goodbye. She can't get in there fast enough to see what everyone is doing. She can be a little nuts-o when I pick her up. Last Thursday she started rolling around on the floor in the cubby room where all the parents pick up the kids. It was a little embarrassing to have to pry her silly little self off the floor but oh well, she is still a two year old.

The faire was unfortunately not the experience that I was hoping for but it was definitely not the first time I've been disappointed trying to do something fun with Stella. It was a lot bigger than I was expecting and we really didn't even hang out with people from her school except for lunch. Even in a good mood, making Stella wait in a line for 30 minutes is not a good idea. But this day she was a bit cranky and she didn't understand why we couldn't just walk up to the fire truck and get in. After we waited in line she got to sit in the truck for enough time to take a quick look and a picture. You can see below that didn't go over very well.

Overall she got to walk through an ambulance, hop in and out of a fire truck, make a bracelet, take a train ride and have a picnic lunch with her preschool teachers. Not the best field trip ever but it was mildly enjoyable. I'm hoping the pumpkin patch next month will be better. Have you ever seen anyone where a red plastic hat so well?


Tuesday, September 14, 2010

School Days

I can't believe my baby started preschool! She has only gone two days but I can tell she already loves it. The first day her teacher greeted her and tried to get her busy right away so she would feel comfortable. Then the teacher looked at me and whispered "now might be a good time for you to go". No! I'm not ready! I wasn't expecting it at all but after I snapped a couple more pictures I hurried out to my car with tears flowing. Stella is one smart cookie and I can't wait to see how she grows through this experience. Today I showed up a little early to see if I could observe her. They were still playing outside when I got there so Ben and I hung around the corner until the kids went inside. After I heard the teacher telling all the kids it was time to go inside I heard Stella's high pitch little voice "C'mon guys"! It was too cute, she is already a little leader and she loves her friends.

 

 

 

 
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Friday, September 3, 2010

Cool new program!

 


My brother just hooked me up with a new program from Google called Picasa. I was complaining about how unhappy I was with my pictures and he gave me a little tutorial on photo editing. This program has so many cool options and it's free! One of the options is making a collage. Here is a collage we made from our trip to the Zoo. Hopefully I will have time to do more because it's really fun!
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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's day honey!





I am sitting on the couch with my wonderful husband watching the U.S Open and it dawns on me... "hey, it might be a good time to check that blog I used to write". I can't believe there are actually people that still read it! Well, probably just my mom and maybe my mother in-law, hi moms!

It is no secret that life in the Wingfield household has been a little busy. That is due to the birth of our beautiful little Benjamin. He was born on May 28th at 12:57pm after a quick but insane, out of this world, crazy painful labor. I'll save the whole story for another post. But he is here, healthy and wonderful.

Stella is adjusting like any other two year old would. She is very sweet at times and very devious at times. She once decided to give him a little nibble on his foot. OK, let's just be real here, she chomped on his foot and he screamed his head off. A little traumatic but a quick introduction to life with two kids. Siblings. That, I'm sure was just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to brother and sister altercations.

Just like with Stella, Mike stepped up as an all star Dad. We were lucky enough to have him home for two weeks while we bonded with our newest family member. He mostly looked after Stella and gave her all the attention her little heart desired. He is back at work now and I am happy to say we are doing quite well. I have managed to get out with both of the kids on several occasions. I even went shopping, which went surprisingly well. Ben is nursing well and packing on the lbs.

I'll end this post by saying Happy Father's day to my husband. Our kids are so lucky to have you and you have exceeded my hopes and expectations as a father to our children. I love you!!

Monday, March 29, 2010

This roller coaster called parenthood...

It has become very apparent to me that parenthood is all about moments. Each day we wake up with endless possibilities of how the day will go. Most of the time Stella is sweet with intermittent toddler moments throughout the day.

We all know what toddler moments are right? I don't like to use the phrase "terrible two's", I prefer "toddler moment". Feel free to use that if you like, its kinda catchy.

Last Friday night was a perfect example of how life with a child is made up of moments and you need to enjoy the good ones while they last. I mean REALLY soak up those good ones.

So, last Friday we had just gotten home from the grocery store, not one of Stella's favorite things but she does okay. Mike doesn't get home till around 6-6:30 so it is usually up to me to keep Stella busy while I try to get dinner together. Not every night, but many nights this is quite a challenge because she usually ends up attached to my leg whining "mommy, want mommy", and pushing between me and the counter.

On this particular night though she was an absolute angel! She played by herself for at least 30 minutes, she was totally entertained. She didn't even come into the kitchen and whine one time. It was awesome. I even sent Mike a text message to let him know what good little girl he was coming home to. Unfortunately I think that text may have jinxed the good mood because all hell broke loose during dinner.

Stella, my sweet little angel that played so well so that mommy could fix dinner, had the tantrum of all tantrums. There was screaming, tears and timeouts. It was like Satan himself had come and possessed my child. I couldn't believe how we could go from the most pleasant evening to a complete disaster at lightening speed.

Stella is what you would call a strong willed child. A little birdie told me that my father in-law said she didn't stand a chance with who she has for parents. He couldn't be more right. Mike and I aren't exactly easy going people. In fact, before we had heard he said that we said the very same thing ourselves just the day before! I guess it's no secret there are some bold personalities in our family.

Now I just try to be prepared for a day filled with all kinds of moments. Those moments can be sad, funny, scary, irritating, peaceful, stressful or sweet. You just never know. When those good moments occur I will thoroughly enjoy them and then brace myself for the next loop in the roller coaster. Aahhh, so life goes.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Hello Again

Time flies when you are growing a human! I meant to post yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and...well you get the picture. I have been buried with overwhelming thoughts of "holy crap, I am going to have TWO kids in just a few short months". I have a to-do list a mile long and the little things I get done during the week aren't that comforting. I need to see some serious progress!

The biggest weight on my shoulders right now is the baby's room. We have been using our third bedroom as an office/guest bedroom/catch-all for anything and everything. There isn't to much to to clear out of there but the problem is finding a place to put it. We don't have a whole lot of storage at our house. I am finally going to nail Mike's butt to the wall and get him to spend an hour working in there with me. I think I will feel better after that.

I am loving the extra hour of daylight and the warmer weather we are having right now. We got out Stella's water table yesterday and she had a blast, she got totally soaked of course. It's not quite warm enough for a bathing suit so we had to strip her down when she was done. I am excited for her to wear this sundress I made her. Yes, that's right I actually sewed a dress! I had my Moms help of course but I did all the sewing myself. It turned out so cute and I'm very proud of myself. I bought more fabric to make another one because it turned out so cute, now if only I could find the time to make it! Hope it's warm and sunny where ever you are!



Thursday, February 25, 2010

Random Thought Thursday

Uh oh, today I had pita chips with spicy hummus and a Diet Pepsi for lunch. Could this be an ugly turning point in my pregnancy weight gain?

Where does the saying "green thumb" come from?

Stella's latest thing is to sing in a high pitch voice. There isn't much of a tune but it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. Cutest ever I tell ya!

How do you shave certain areas when you can't see them anymore?

Is my dog ever going to stop peeing on the carpet?


...Just a few thoughts floating around in my noggin. Not much else goin' on up there.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Veggies galore



This is the future site of our vegetable garden. Mike made these planter beds months ago but then winter set in and we didn't get to plant anything. Now we've had all this gorgeous weather and the garden is pretty much the only topic of conversation in our house, except for Stella of course. Mike is obsessed I tell ya, obsessed! He has the beds plotted out on the computer, every plant has a home.

I'm a little apprehensive about the amount of vegetables he is going to plant. I have images in my mind of counter tops filled with giant zucchinis and onions and Betty Crocker here is supposed to figure out what to do with them all! Mike assures me it will be fine because you don't plant them all at once.

This garden is definitely Mike's baby but I am really excited about it too. I think he wishes I was just as into it as he is but the reality is I've got a toddler and another on the way. I don't see to much time spent frolicking in the garden in my future. Hopefully the baby will like his swing and Stella loves to be outside, then Mike and I can work in the yard.

It should be great though, our own little farmers market! If you have any experience with a vegetable garden and how to make the best use of all these veggies please share!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Dreaded chores

Like many of you I am not a big fan of laundry. I am also not that keen on washing dishes. But the chore I am really learning to despise is grocery shopping. It has become a huge pain in my... you know what.

I try to find the store with the best prices but then they don't have all the items that I need. Am I ever going to be able to shop at just one store? Unfortunately, I am finding the answer to that question is no. I fought it for so long because it is really inconvenient to try and go to multiple stores with a 2 year old. She can only take so much time sitting in a grocery cart. Plus I have to feed her almost the whole time just to keep her happy, not so great for her diet but sometimes you do what works.

I think one of my biggest issues is probably organization. I bought this really cool little organizer for coupons to try and save money. I filled it and have every intention of using it, I really do! I should probably make a better effort to go online for coupons too. I've done it before but it's not a regular "to do" of mine.

I also struggle with planning ahead. I make a list right before I leave for the store and it usually gets me by but I'm sure I can do better. It's more challenging than you'd think though because I have a couple of picky eaters. Mike doesn't think he's picky, but he kinda is. For example, I have to go to Safeway just for the kind of cottage cheese he likes. No other brand in any other store has the right kind, they are ALL disgusting except this one particular brand. I'm not a huge connoisseur of the stuff but that seems a little picky to me.

Sorry to throw you under the bus honey and, yes, I looked up how to spell connoisseur.

Plus, it's really hard to come up with meals for the week that are some what quick, delicious and nutritious. I just can't seem to manage all three all the time. I have to be tricky about the nutritious part because some people have issues with low fat substitutions. Say, ground turkey for example. I won't name any names though.

I must end this continuing saga of me and the grocery shopping. It's time to suck it up and figure something out! I am going to try and balance the pain of having to shop at multiple stores with shopping less. I have never tried to shop for two weeks before but I think it might be time to give it a go. This is going to take some serious preparation and planning on my part. But maybe, just maybe, the trade of not having to shop as often will be worth the extra effort.

I know this might seem a little trivial to gripe about but, hey, this is my life as a SAHM and these are my problems. Potty training, keeping a toddler happy and now grocery shopping. They are right up there with world peace.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Love tank on full


If you've read my blog before you know that I am pretty honest about my little Stella. I know I share a lot of craziness about her because, well, life with her can be a little nuts. She is my little Crunch'n'Munch, the perfect blend of salty and sweet. Although lately it seems as if we have been sitting in the bottom of the box where all the salt has settled. Her behavior has been that of an insane person with her mood all over the place. Many times she has left me speechless, not knowing how to react.

She was sick for a few days and the amount of drool pouring out of her mouth tells me she is probably getting some new teeth. She also wasn't sleeping well and we have been trying to get her rested and back on schedule for about a week.

Basically what I've been dealing with is a child that I am unable to please. I'm sure I could have offered her an ice cream sundae and she would have screamed at me. She likes to answer any question with a scream, it's lovely. Needless to say she has been grumpy and exhausted so therefore Mommy has been grumpy and exhausted. I try to be understanding of her pain and frustration but I have been desperate for the light at the end of this tantrum tunnel.

Today, however, was like opening a fresh box of Crunch'n'Munch. In other words we had a fabulous day. Today she was pleasant, funny and absolutely sweet. She even sang! Stella does not sing. She also went on the swing at the park and Stella hates the swing. What kid hates the swing? Uhh, mine does. But apparently not today!

Even if the cranky and unruly Stella came back tomorrow it wouldn't matter. Today she filled my love tank so full. I feel like I could handle whatever she throws at me. As long as it isn't anything from her diaper, I've had my fill of that. Another thing I realized today is that just because she is acting like an obnoxious, out of control, lunatic, doesn't mean I have to too. Is it bad that I'm just now figuring that out? Don't answer that.

Thank God for today, we needed it. I'm sure it felt just as good to her as it did to me.


Monday, February 15, 2010

A family Valentine's day

I am a simple woman. Mike may not agree but It's the simple things in life that make me happy. Yesterday, for example, was not in any way, shape or form a romantic Valentine's day. We went to church in the morning, it was a very nice service. We had brunch with some family, also very nice. Then we came home and I cleaned the house and Mike worked in the yard. We had pesto tortellini for dinner. After dinner I took a bath with Stella, then Mike put her to bed. We watched some of the Olympics while Mike planned what vegetables we are going to plant in our new garden this year. Then I went to bed. No candles, fancy dinner, flowers, chocolate, nothing. You know what? I could care less! The weather was nice and we had a very productive and pleasant day. I was happy with our simple day. Although, I probably would have been just a little happier with some chocolate too.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Car trouble

I spent about two hours this morning trying to get my car fixed. I will spare you the boring details about the car and no, it's not completely fixed. We called the dealership and someone said they can fix it quickly, like fifteen minutes. So I brush my teeth and hair, throw on some tennis shoes and load Stella into the car. I am in exercise pants and a sweatshirt and Stella is still in her jammies. We weren't looking super cute but it was supposed to be quick.

Of course, it was not quick. Luckily they had this play room so I didn't have to entertain Stella the whole time but yuckidy, yuck. I tried to wipe off most of what she was playing with because it was covered in a layer of grime. I'm not exaggerating. Everything looked like it had been in the garage sitting in an oil puddle. I'm really not a germa-phobe mom but this was just gross. On the bright side, I was really impressed with how well Stella did. You never know with that kid! She was a doll up until the very end when she started saying "home, home, home". So cute.

I was really prepared though. I bought myself a new diaper bag recently and I didn't skimp on it. Mike thinks I'm ridiculous for how much I spent on it but it was my birthday money and it's something I use everyday. I wanted something a little more functional than what I'd used with Stella and it had to be roomy enough for two kids. I am very happy with my purchase. The print is very cute and colorful and I just love all the pockets. Get this...I even get my own pocket. Yes ladies, you heard my right, my very own pocket! Isn't that the life of a mom? The kids get the entire bag for their stuff and I get a pocket. Oh well, I like my pocket.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Eggs vs. Eggo's

Stella has recently started sleeping in lately and let me tell you how wonderful it is not to get up at the butt crack of dawn. For a long time we would stumble out of bed half asleep and lay on the couch and watch cartoons. It's really hard to feel awake and ready to start the day when it's pitch black outside. So our routine was cartoons on the couch, with a small bowl of Cheerios and a cup of milk for Stella. I'm not really into cooking breakfast at 5:30 or 6am.

7am is a much more functional hour. Since we are both awake at this time, we haven't been following our noraml routine. This is good because it cuts out a little T.V. time. Another bonus with this change in wake-up call is that Stella is hungry! We have been skipping the Cheerios and by the time we get breakfast going she is starving.

Hungry is helpful when all I hear every morning is "waffle, waffle, waffle". The girl is addicted to Eggo's. It is rare I get her to eat something that's not on her 5item menu . What I would like her to eat though is eggs. She has a bizarre love/hate relationship with them. One day she will eat them and I think great, something we can add to the menu. Then when I try again it's like I just gave her poison. She yells "don't want it, don't want it"! And she cries. Really? Do we really need to cry over scrambled eggs?

Yesterday I decided to give it another try. It had been a couple weeks since I'd cooked eggs for her and I could tell she was really hungry. I put the eggs on her tray and walked away. She stared at them for a second and then just started inhaling them! She even said "yummy". I wanted to do the "I told you so" song and dance but I figured her eating the eggs was victory enough. So moms, if you want your kids to eat, just starve them! Next on the menu for breakfast: spinach. Or is that pushing it?

Monday, February 8, 2010

She has gone pro

It is no secret that kids are messy. Toddlers in particular are very messy. The messes had been pretty mild until the last couple of months. Now she entertains herself by emptying bathroom drawers, dumping out baskets of toys, taking apart all of her puzzles with no intention of actually putting them back together etc. It’s quite frustrating when I'm cleaning and she is alongside me making a mess with something else. I could go on and on with the stuff she likes to get into.

I am trying to keep my sanity by attempting to have some acceptance for this stage in her life. I can't possibly spend all day cleaning up after her so I just have to deal with having a messy house most of the day. I do make her pick some things up but as quickly as she can make a mess it takes her about ten times longer to clean it up. I just try to maintain age appropriate expectations.

Up until this morning I would say Stella was a semi-pro mess maker. She was doing well but still needed to color on a few walls or smash a little more play dough into the carpet before she could really go pro. Well today she made the leap to a total professional. In fact, we are probably going to get her a uniform where we can post her sponsors: Clorox, Resolve and Huggies baby wipes. Today she made the mess of all messes. If you are wondering what it could be let me just tell you, today we attempted to begin potty training.

We have been preparing her for weeks for this day. She is very excited about the potty. She loves her Dora potty seat and enjoys sitting on the toilet and flushing. She has been showing some signs of readiness and has even peed on the potty twice. I was all set to start this morning. We had her big girl panties, Dora of course, and planned to be home the majority of the week to do the training. I fully expected to have a few accidents but what I got was beyond my worst nightmare.

Thinking back I should have known with the very first accident that she wasn't ready.

Accident #1: We were in the bathroom helping her dolly practice going potty when I noticed she was wet. She was probably wet less than five minutes but it didn't even phase her. She had underwear on and could totally feel the wetness and it didn't bother her one bit.

Accident #2: I was giving her lots of juice to increase her opportunities to go to the bathroom. We had just tried to go to the potty about five minutes before and it was a no go. We had gone back to the living room and as I was looking at her she looked down and there she went on the carpet. Sweet.

Accident #3: It happened in seconds. I heard a grunt and oh no, but oh yes she did. I tried to rush her to the bathroom so she could finish but apparently things are flowing just fine for her. Glad to know we won't be needing any reading material for the bathroom. Luckily she was still into wearing the underwear at this point.

Accident #4: She tires of pulling her panties up and down and ditches them. I figure what the heck, if she pees I'm going to have to clean it up anyway, so what's the difference? We are having issues with her snacks at this point. Lately she thinks it's fun to dump out her bowl of goldfish on the table then fling them onto the floor. Today she had Cheeze-its and after she dumped them on the floor she thought she should also smash them into the carpet. My patience was a little lower at this point and I decided this behavior needed a time-out. So what does she do? Yep, she pees all over her time-out chair. Her chair is not plastic.

This whole process had become increasingly frustrating and thoughts of self doubt and failure began to creep into my mind. There might have been a tear or two by this time. I am pregnant after all so let’s keep that in mind. Though I am losing confidence by the minute and my patience is wearing thin, I press on! This was supposed to be hard right? And that brings me to our last and most catastrophic accident.

Accident #5: She had her morning poop already, were good to go. I can focus on at least getting her trained to pee on the potty. We can do this! Wrong, soooooooooo wrong. We are playing in our play room and I leave her side for maybe a minute. I stop in my tracks, it's quiet. As I walk back into the front room I hear her say "messy, messy". OH GOD, PLEASE NO!

A little side note about me, I am not good with emergencies. I freeze, panic and freak out before I figure out how to handle the situation. A few months ago when Stella was sick she threw up all over me and my bed. Luckily, Mike was home so I just yelled "Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiike!" He looked at me like I was crazy for just standing there but I was dumbfounded.

So I am standing there looking at Stella, who is naked from the waist down, witnessing what is quite possibly the most horrific site I’ve ever seen, and I am temporarily frozen. There is no Mike to yell for. It was horrible. Let me remind you she was not wearing underwear. It was everywhere. On her toy horse, her hands, in between her toes, smashed into the carpet. Holy crap, literally, how did she do this in one minute! I finally jump into action and run her into the bathroom but she is touching me! She is touching me!!! I put her in the tub and she touches the wall. I am looking at the evidence on my arms but can do nothing because she is going to get it everywhere. I grab some baby wipes and do my best to wipe her hands and feet. I leave her in the tub for a second so I can go grab what hasn't been smashed into the carpet before the dog can eat it. Are you gagging yet? I don't know how I managed this without throwing up. I must have been in shock.

I got the situation somewhat under control and cleaned out the tub so I could get her cleaned up. I must have soaked her in that tub for a half hour. I scrubbed her down twice and double checked her finger nails. After she was cleaned and dressed I had the joy of cleaning off her toy and doing my best to clean up the carpet. My conclusion after day one of potty training, SHE IS NOT READY. I think we both may need months to get this nightmare of a day out of our minds before we will try again.

I have some feelings of guilt, failure and disappointment but now I mostly feel relieved. If we had to continue training tomorrow I might just go crazy. Seeing that I'm pregnant I'm already half way there so it would be a quick trip. Like most mistakes I make as a mother I feel bad for a while but I am forced to move on for the sake my family and my own sanity. If you dwell on these things I think it takes away from your ability to be a good mom and wife. Live and learn right? The memory of this day, and the smell for that matter, might stick with me for awhile.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Make up your mind baby

We have had two ultrasounds in the last two weeks. The first one, done by the doctor, was supposedly a girl. Now we've had the official ultrasound and it's looking more like a boy. The uncertainty is driving me nuts, I really want to know! Now I'm getting excited about a boy but with a huge cloud of doubt over it. Why couldn't the kid just spread its legs and show us the goods? It was being a total prude and even crossing its ankles for a while. Sure, a surprise would be fun, if I was good at waiting. But I AM NOT good at waiting!

This baby is causing me a whole lot of craziness and it's not even born yet. I have done some embarrassingly stupid things in the last few weeks and I totally blame the pregnancy. Some people think there is truth in this pregnancy "side effect" and others think it is a myth but I am here to tell you pregnancy is like being mentally challenged. I don't really feel like sharing the specifics of my idiocy but lets just say it hasn't been pretty. It has brought me to tears multiple times and I just keep praying for my brain to return to my head very soon.

On a positive note Stella has conquered her fear of the big bathtub. She had the kind of fear that caused full on crying, screaming fits. It has been quite a while since I've tried to put her in there because the last time was so sad and traumatizing. Who knew all it would take was a little time and a really fun looking Little Mermaid bath toy. She got the toy from my sister in-law for her birthday and I have been telling her she can have it only in the big girl bathtub. Stella has been taking it out of the closet and bringing it to me to open for weeks. So I finally put it in the tub and it worked! She saw the sparkly teal castle in the bathtub full of bubbles and couldn't wait to get in.

Little things end up being big accomplishments in my household. Next thing to tackle...potty training! Wish me luck.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Baby bump



If you haven't seen the bump lately, here it is in all its glory (I'm taking a little video of Stella's birthday). So far still feeling pretty good. My hips are a little sore, kinda weird. Sleeping isn't all that comfortable and unfortunately it's only going to get worse. Not much to complain about but I still like to, I am growing a human after all!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Toddler strikes again

Anyone remember my little vampire? Well she is back. Only this time she has almost a full mouth of tiny and very sharp little teeth. I really wish this whole teething process would end soon. She still has about 7 teeth to go, I think. She doesn't get that fussy which is a plus but she is definitely biting again. She has bit me twice in the last week so hard that she broke the skin. Tonight she thought she'd take a little chomp and I couldn't help but yell out a little profanity. I try to watch my language around her because she is a total parrot these days. But after this unexpected shock of pain to my shoulder I yelled out "s**t"! Followed by "that freakin hurt"! Both she repeated multiple times. Mike was sitting with us during the whole fiasco and we both had to contain our laughter. Of course I don't want my sweet little daughter cursing but why is it so funny to hear a little person say such naughty words? I would feel a little bad if she hadn't bit the heck out of me but I think I get a free pass on this one.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Every day is new

I have to say one of the most rewarding and fun things about being a parent is watching your child learn and grow. From day one they are little sponges who absorb the world around them, just waiting to put their observations into action. Even though we know the day will come that a normal healthy child will say "mama" or "dada" it is still the most amazing thing when they do. I am such typical mom who gushes with pride and joy when my daughter says something new. Stella learning to speak really seemed like one day she didn't and the next day she did. Every day after that was a new word, then two, three and now to many to count.

From very early on Stella has loved books. Reading has always been part of our daily routine, before nap and bedtime. Now that she is a little older she brings you a book and pretty much demands that you read it to her that very moment. Although it's not always convenient can you really complain that your toddler wants to read? So I try to oblige her as often as I can. Another thing that amazes me is that she knows the entire alphabet already. I don't mean to brag, oh wait, I do, but she is barely two. I'm sure there are many children that have learned them sooner and I've seen those babies on T.V. that can read but this is MY kid. So it's pretty cool.

All this active learning happening on a daily basis has got me feeling like I'm not keeping up and I want to make the most of her learning abilities. I have no desire to push her further than she is ready to go but I feel like you can't be passive in this process. Its up to me as her mother to educate myself on her development and how I can help her learn. I find it fascinating. I think the most important thing I can do for her right now is provide her with the opportunities to learn and let her go at her own pace.

I don't think it's ever possible for me to stay a step ahead of her. Toddlers are just too darn smart and they learn at a quick an unpredictable pace. I hope her knowledge of the alphabet will translate into becoming an early reader but if it doesn't she is still my little genius. I look forward to seeing what this next year has in store for her.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

My little cupcake



Staying true to the fact that this little girl has a mind of her own, we didn't sing happy birthday or blow out candles and she really didn't eat her cupcake. This kid definitely has an opinion or two. But hey, she makes life more interesting. More than that she makes life wonderful. I can't believe my baby is 2.

Happy birthday Stella.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Rain, rain, go away

I read months ago that this was supposed to be an El Nino year and from the weather the last couple of weeks I'm guessing they were correct. I think we've had one day where the sun broke through for a couple of hours. It feels like it's been gloomy for eternity. I know that Northern California could use the rain but I am totally over it already.

Even with all her new toys from Christmas and her birthday Stella would much rather be outside. I took her on one short errand today and I desperately wanted to find another reason to stay out so we went to the park. Shocker, it was all wet. Stella climbed around for awhile and seemed to enjoy that but she really wanted to go down the slide, it's her favorite. Luckily she understood that the slides were wet and we didn't have any problems but after awhile I realized the park just isn't the best idea in this wet weather. Boo.

As for me I think I may have Seasonal Affective Disorder because I've been kinda bummy the last couple of days. I don't think I need to be put on suicide watch but I'll keep you posted. Kidding, kidding. I think I'm just bored and I don't want to clean and I'm so not creative. What's a pregnant mama to do? At least I have yoga tonight. That's something to look forward to. Maybe I can get my aura cleansed with some sun salutations.

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sweet relief

Dare I say my evil pregnant twin has left the building? Lately I have been feeling the absence of the edge that has been hanging out with me since early in this pregnancy. My evil twin would be irritated with everyone and everything around her and nobody, especially her husband, could do anything right! Believe me this drove me nuts as much as my family, although Mike probably wouldn't agree with that. I think I hate the hormones almost as much as I hate morning sickness. At least with morning sickness there is a visible reason for any crankiness, just look in my toilet. I also think, and this is a little unfortunate, that it could be because the holidays are past. Isn't that sad? Why do we stress so much over things that are supposed to be joyous?

Anyway, I feel the Lord has exorcised my demons! Or at least I'm having a nice vacation from them. Recently I decided I needed to be a little more proactive in my mental and physical health. I have taken almost a year hiatus from the practice of yoga but this week I went twice. I swear I can't even remember the last time I was that relaxed or calm. I kept making excuses about money, time etc. but no more excuses, my sanity is on the line! I hope I can continue even when I'm waddling to and from class.

Why is exercise so hard anyway? It is so good for you but most of us just don't make the time or effort, me included. I am all or nothing when it comes to exercise. I would rather be a here and there than an all or nothing because when it's nothing I mean nothing. This makes it so much harder to get started because you are out of a routine and out of shape, a very unmotivating combination. I guess pregnancy really forces you to take care of yourself it's just too bad I don't do it as well on my own. Even if my hormones do bring back the evil one from time to time I hope that the exercise will tame her to a tolerable level. Lets hope.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Family rocks!

Going to bed last night I realized my family really came through for me yesterday. Nobody did anything miraculous but all the little things really helped me out a lot. Starting in the morning with my mom. Stella decided 5 am was a good time to wake up so our morning was kinda crappy. She was tired and really whiny. Yesterday was one of those days where you have a child attached to your leg all day crying "Mommy, mommy". Even when I was holding her it was "mommy, mommy"! Ahhhh! I'm right here, geez! Anyway, I was talking on the phone to my mom, or trying to talk to her but Stella was just not having it. I told my mom that I had to go. We went to play with Stella's toys in the front room and two minutes later I see my mom pull up. I opened the door with "Grandma to the rescue"! We see each other often but for her to just come right over like that was awesome. She stayed for a good hour or more and played with Stella the whole time. Thanks mom!

My brother also came over in the morning to pick up and get rid of our Christmas tree. I texted him the day before to ask him if he could and he said no problem. So he came over before work just to get my tree, so cool of him. Also my Grandma, who is 83 totally came through. I needed to go into work for a couple hours to help clean the restaurant and last minute she agreed to watch Stella for me. Needless to say I went to bed last night thinking my family was pretty awesome.

We are all pretty close but that doesn't mean we always get along. Infact we bicker and get on each other's nerves alot. Days like yesterday just make so thankful to have family I can count on. We aren't always perfect but I sure do love them.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

What pregnancy?

It is interesting to see how different one pregnancy can be from another. Especially from your first to your second. I don't know if this makes me a bad mother but the romance of this pregnancy is totally not the same. With the first I spent so much time day dreaming about what it would be like to be pregnant and I relished in every change of my body. Even the bad changes weren't so bad. Let me tell you that is not how its happening this time around. I'm not super excited about everything that is growing and I'm to darn busy chasing a toddler around to day dream about having another baby. Its a little sad that I don't have the same amount of time to obsess over this baby. I used to watch three different baby shows on TLC EVERY DAY. Now I have no idea when they would be on and I haven't given two thoughts to how I will decorate the nursery. This poor kid.

I'm sure as my belly and butt get bigger I will start to feel differently, and think more about this baby. But it sure is different when you already have a child that takes up the majority of your focus. I actually have a lot to be thankful for though because if this pregnancy weren't as easy as it is I'm sure I'd be thinking about it a lot more. I'm probably cursing myself as I type this. Watch, tomorrow morning I will wake up with hemorrhoids, sweet. Although I must say carrying around an almost 30 Lb kid all day doesn't feel so great on my back. So its not all roses. We should be finding out in a few weeks what the sex is which is exciting. I think after that I will be able to really imagine another little person in this house. How I'm going to do it, who knows.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Its a big one

At the end of this month I will be turning 30. Surprisingly enough I'm not freaking out. I know many people that have stressed over this milestone but for me, ehh, no biggie. If I think back ten years to where I thought I was going to be at this age I'm pretty darn close. Geez, maybe I didn't set big enough goals for myself. I always knew I wanted to be married, check. And I definitely wanted kids, check, soon to be double check. I guess what I'm trying to say is I feel my age. Is that weird? I'm not sure. I guess with every birthday I've always felt younger than my actual age but after having kids I don't feel so young anymore. I'm not saying I'm old, just not 23.

So what do I see in my thirties? I guess now is as good a time as any to think about that. Obviously my first priority and what consumes most of my time is my family. Stella will be two, the day after me. Wow. And we will be having baby number 2 in early June. So its safe to say that my thirties will most likely be spent catering to every desire of their sweet little hearts. I have a feeling those years are going to fly by. I'm about to have a two year old for goodness sake, where did my baby go! I am good with that role too, wife, mother, homemaker. It works for me. However, I feel like I need to explore me. Sounds a little strange but I want to figure out what really makes me tick. Will I have a passion in life? Or find great interest in something new? These are things that aren't so clear when you spend most of your time thinking about and caring for others.

Life is a journey though isn't it? We spend our whole lives getting to know our true selves. I 'm not sure I ever want to feel like I have it all figured out but a better idea would be nice. I guess you could say I am content with being in the process. And this is new to me.