More Kids? What is Your Perfect Number?

 Feelings of sadness and wonder mixed with the urge to jump in the air and do an insane armpump. Do you recognize these feelings?  Perhaps you have considered not having any more children.

That being said...

How do you know when you are done?

What were some of your determining factors?

I hear moms and dads answer this with a very decisive answers...

In the Beehive, we have fluctuated on this HUGE decision.  When DaveBee and I first started dating (nine years ago) I shared that I wanted a herd of children...like 5, at least!  When he wasn't immediately scared off and joined the conversation around five years later we thought 3 kiddos would be perfect since we are both third children.

Well, as you know, we have two babes: The Bear (almost 4) and the Bird (almost 2). Honestly, I never thought I would say this, but, we have considered making our funky foursome final. 

But, how do you know... really know if you are done having children?

I play over scenarios of what having more kids would look like.  Logistical things come to mind like: bigger car, bigger house, busier schedule and then the sweet thoughts play out foretelling more kids to love, another new personality to get to know and nurture, the changing dynamic from two children to three-plus children.

I'm not going to lie, I miss having a small baby in our home and in my arms but I am most thoroughly enjoying seeing my two "big" kids grow closer every day and interacting with us on more and more mature levels. Also, the idea of moving out of the diaper phase is really enticing!

I want to be able to give my patience and attention to ALL my children the best that I can so... how many is that?  I grew up in a house with five kids and from what I can remember my parents adjusted and grew with every child.  In the way that my parenting adjusted and grew from one to two I would like to think that happens with every child.

Naturally, expenses also come to mind when anyone talks about having more children.  So, yea, there is that. Preschool, extra-curriculars, birthdays, health, grocery bill, and so on...

These are just a few of the pieces of the puzzle that is choosing the number of children that would perfectly fill out a family.

So, I'll let you know when we decide... one way or another!

What is your perfect number?

Pinecone Projek: The Bear's Glitter & Pinecone Project

The Bear has been collecting pinecones.... well, as long as I can remember.  My mom passed on her love for them to him. 

He collects them for her. 

He collects them for himself. 

He collects them for general piling-in-the-front-yard purposes.

Whenever we can, we include pinecones into art projects.  The latest is aptly named by The Bear: "My Pinecone Projek"

We got the glue. We bought the glitter, and lord knows we have the pinecones!

Here it is and yes, you should try this at home.  Kids and adults alike can make some pretty gorgeous pinecones for fun, for gifts, for centerpieces, for the mantle... you understand!

NOTE TO SELF: Never use glitter with a toddler again. Ever.

Elfs and Bird Wirds

Ever since watching the movie Polar Express The Bear's wheels have been turning about the North Pole, elves, and everything magical in general.

Today in the car he asked:
"How do elfs make toys?"

I replied that they had a HUGE workshop with any tools they could ever want.

After a long moment of silence:
"I wish I'ma elf."

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Latest Bird Wirds:

"doh" - no
"plo" - pillow
"thee" - smoothie
"sssssss" - nursie
"shhhhh" - fish
"blahktpthpt" - blanket
"moooo" - moon
deep, gutteral, hoarse growl - sound for every animal
"bee" - bee, fly, spider
{She also thinks spiders are everywhere.  She is not scared but she points to black dots everywhere and says "bee" and I have to go through the list of insects that mean bee.  It is usually spider and the black dot is usually just that, a black dot!)

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Bonus: {this is a text I sent my mom the other night when it took about 2 hours to get The Bear to sleep... he is in a scared of the dark and stretch out bedtime as long as possible phase}

Geez...It is always something! "Im scared, sooooooo sooo so so scared.. I'm hungry...just feel my empty body! My peepee hurts...I need some cream!!!"

{He knows all the things to say that I cannot just dismiss!}

If you are a parent, did your kids ever work you at bedtime?

Colorful Bandaids: The Shifting of Sibling Rivalry in the Beehive

For a while there, it seemed like the kids would never be friends. Ever.

The Bear could not walk by The Bird without giving her the shoulder. Consequently, when he would get near her she would start yelling and crying whether he engaged or not.  

DaveBee and I felt like we were walking a tight rope teaching them compassion, empathy and right from "she's too little swing around by her arm!" We were so careful in choosing our words and sometimes we chose to say nothing and let them work it out and other times we had to intervene! 

"No, go pick her up and give her some love!"

"You need a break because that is the 27th time you have done that today!"

"Now, don't cry if he simply walks by you without touching you."

"Wait, get back here and help her up, first!"

"Wait, he's just trying to give you a hug!"

"She does love you she is just used to you knocking her over...that's why she doesn't want a hug."

UGH!

But, today something momentous happened. A series of things, really.  Some of these things definitely have occurred in the past but were usually fleeting.  I feel like an axis is tilting somewhere and balance is becoming restored in the Beehive!

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The Bear and The Bird came in the big bed early for a snuggle.  Instead of The Bear sliding out of bed the moment The Bird arrives he actually stayed.  He reached over the sleepy lump that was me and caressed her sweet cheek and said "good morning, sugar plum."

I immediately put on my glasses to double check that it was truly The Bear in the bed!

The other awesome part of this is that The Bird received the caress with a sweet, sleepy smile instead of grunting in response. 

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After shopping today The Bear held out his hand to The Bird when we started walking outside.  She gladly accepted.

These are the rare moments I just keep my mouth closed.

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The Bird was upset about her mean 'ol mom not letting her roll down her window on the freeway. While she was crying The Bear said, "It's ok sissy, we can roll them down soon!"  The Bear then proceeded do something to make The Bird laugh out loud. 

 The gravity of this relationship formation starting hitting me fully when he jovially said to me: "Sissy is so silly.  She is so sweet and so silly."  

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When The Bird got up from her nap she had this unrelenting scowl because she had discovered this microscopic, ancient scab on her foot. 

I tried to no avail to distract her while The Bear simply went and got the colorful bandaids.  He gently put it on the scab and contentment was restored.

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This is not to say that between these gentle moments there wasn't discord 

but 

for a brief moment I could feel this new balance happening.  It may not be our parenting, it may be that their age difference is becoming less noticeable, or, who knows, it may even be because the actually like each other. I even had flash-forward of a beautiful friendship in their future.  Stranger things have happened.

Stealthy Finger Painting

It truly amazes me the activities that The Bear can get into when he is supposed to be taking a nap.

He is stealthy.

He is silent.

He is creative.

He is fingerpainting his wooden hammer without getting a drop on the carpet.

Notice his hands, pants and face.

Notice the paint neatly poured into the paint tray wells.

Notice the beautiful hammer.

Lastly, notice his accomplished face and his victorious stance as if to say, "Mom, watch out for me."

I say: World, watch out for him.

Hiccups, Arting and More Shoes

The Bear:

"I don't liiiiike jicama. It gives me hiccups!"

"I am a good artist, sissy.  I am doing good arting."

The Bird:

"aye aye" and pointing to the DVD player translates to: The Bird would like to watch Baby Einstein* and have a blanket on her lap and her "Baby Tiny" doll in her arms uninterrupted, please.

She basically says like 17 new words a day... it's really becoming a problem keeping up!  Also, she can sort of say shoes now so we can start to understand the addiction!

Found these sweet gems at the bottom of my laundry basket.  Surprise, mom!

*Disclaimer: We have been massively sick for about two weeks.  These hand-me-down Baby Einstein DVD's saved my life!

Second Hand: Make it Fit

I was hesitant to divulge my secret...

For fear of initial judgement and because after you read this you will beat me to my favorite store and get the goods before I get there!

I will start at the beginning.

When I was in junior high grunge was in so hand-me-down torn Levi's and Mossimo shirts from my older brothers were totally legit (I thought so anyways).  High school was a different ball game filled with keeping up with the Jones' (most of whom got new cars on their 16th birthday).  I got a job and shopped at 5-7-9 and Susie's Deals and drove a '78 VW Bus.  I probably should have shopped second hand as the clothing might have lasted longer!

College was in a great hippie town in Nor Cal where second hand was not a problem...  The problem was not enough of them for the demand!

When I started a new career I was back to the new yet inexpensive favorites: Ross, Marshalls, and TJMaxx.

This brings us to the arrival of The Bear and The Bird.

When The Bear was born he was the first grandbaby on my side and first in a while on DaveBee's side. There weren't hand-me-downs at first and quite honestly, I don't think I would have had him wear them.  I wanted everything clean and pure just like him!

Well, about a year in a friend offered their boy's hand-me-downs and after 4 storage bins of FREE and ADORABLE clothes, I was hooked.

By the time The Bird came around I was lovingly accepting clothes from her two girl cousins and friends!

From birth through age three they grow out of things so rapidly that often these items are gently used (and other times not!) and I couldn't justify all new clothes for every growth spurt.

Also, I am freakishly anal about saving all the kid's clothes for their younger cousins.  I think sometimes they appease me and just take the bins! DaveBee has a hard time understanding the stacks of bins in the garage.  I keep assuring him that they will be gone when said cousin reaches this size or by this season!  He's a good sport!

As the kid's growth spurts slow down so do the frequency of the clothes sharing.  Recently, I discovered the weather getting cooler and the light jackets and pants I was putting on the kids looking like high waters and fat man in a little coat!

I am talking both of these kids have grown by leaps and bounds since last winter and we had nothing that fit (I should have taken a picture!).

I decided to hit up my favorite children's second-hand clothing store sooner than later while there were still options.

So here's what we got:

The Bear:
2 cotton hoodies
1 fleece pullover
1 awesome tractor sweater
3 pairs of pants
2 button down shirts

The Bird:
2 lightweight cotton hoodie jackets
1 fleece pullover
1 adorable flower-stitched hoodie jacket (might be my favorite item!)
4 pairs of leggings
2 pairs of skirt/leggings combo
1 Halloween shirt
3 long-sleeved cotton blouses
1 BEE COSTUME!

All of these items for a LOW, low total.  Prices ranged from $1.50 - $3.50 except for the Bee Costume at a whopping $4.50. Three of these garments still had tags on them.  I will still have to supplement here and there and I'm cool with that because I do love to shop.  Overall, I got some fall and winter basics and I didn't break the bank.  Oh, and I guarantee my kids will not look like they homeschool (Just kidding... my siblings and I homeschooled for a bit... I'll save that for another post.)

What do I look for when I shop second-hand:

• Shop around and find the best shop in your town.  Not all will have the same high standards.
• See if it looks old.  You can tell.
• Look for stains and holes. One got by me in this last batch!
• Smell test (warning: don't do while your pregnant): Smell it to make sure it doesn't have some funky stink that will haunt you, your car, and your kids drawer.
• That's it.

Now, go shopping... just not at my store.

Have you ever shopped second hand for yourself or your kids?  Thrift stores for furniture?  Vintage for a high pricetag? 

Smells and Pirates

"Why do some people smell and some people don't smell, mommy?"

The Bear inquisitively asked on a walk today.

The Bird has been unexpectedly intrigued by pirates lately...

Rounding out the Family: Adding a Second Child

I did not believe the ultrasound tech when she told DaveBee, The Bear and I that we were having a girl. While I did not a have a feeling either way on my second baby's gender... my brain told me it was going to be a boy...

"It's a girl!"

We could not have been happier. What a wonderful way to round out the little family.  From that moment on I wondered about TheBird and how she would fit in to our world.

Life has been so different since her arrival. It has been a total confidence-builder and also a foundation-shaker.  Read on to hear more about what has worked to help keep the peace and what has not after adding baby number two.

Prepare your First Child
Regardless of your first child's age, talk it out.  Over. And over.  Never assume they will get it the first time or remember.  When the baby is born there may be a honeymoon period where your first babe basks in all the attention from family and friends. Eventually, life starts to become somewhat back to normal for them with the exception of this new attention hog!  Keep talking to them.  They are experiencing changes as strongly as you are but they just may not be able to communicate their feelings as well.  If you and/or your significant other have to return to work... talk about that change as well. It cannot hurt to keep them updated on their little lives.

Allow them to help with the care of the REAL new baby is so key in bonding the siblings! Get your first child a play baby to care for while you care for your newbie. Get them a sling, a swaddle, a paci, etc.  The Bear was ravenous to touch, hold, kiss, and hug The Bird.  He loved helping so much and it would add on many minutes to the process but I think it helped him cope.

Scrape out some one-on-one time with your first babe.   Even if it is as little as a being his designated bedtime story-teller every night.  Also, time with other family and friends or play dates to help keep them happy and occupied for little bits of time keep them less laser-focused on parents cooing/rocking/feeding the new baby all day.

A great idea I learned from my cousin, Jana, was to have a series of gifts that are for your first babe from the new baby after the baby is born.  I think this is a great reminder to your first child that the baby loves them too.

Talk it Out
Did I mention the importance of talking with your first born about all the changes... oh, right, I did!  The same goes for the rest of the fam!  There will suddenly be this new being to care for as well as your # 1 babe, and the pets, the house, and the yard, and the meals.  It can and will be overwhelming.  Delegate duties.  Decide what is imperative and what can be neglected temporarily.  Communicate this with any adults in earshot.

After The Bear, DaveBee and I learned some awesome lessons about negotiating so that everyone is content and less stressed.  For DaveBee, his non-negotiables were a tidy house and doggies that got attention and mine were family bonding and nutritious food. So we found a way to make those things happen and some other things went by the wayside.

Other great sources of communicating or venting are moms, doulas, doctors, midwives, and people who have been there!  Reach out.  You may be surprised at your captive audience.

Ditch the Guilt
Accepting that you will be spending less time with your first love and pretty much inseparable from your new addition will help you to be more forgiving towards yourself.  I think there is a natural mourning or a sense of guilt that occurs. By no means ignore this but knowing that it is normal and that you are in the precipice of change should help you along.

What I have heard from most moms with more than one child is that there is no "magic" time to have a second baby.  There are the obvious pros and cons like having two in diapers at the same time but that they will be out of said diapers sooner than later!  Any guilt associated with having another "too soon" will be replaced with hope when they start playing and interacting.

Give it Time
Looking back over the last 16 months I remember chunks of time.  I remember The Bird's infancy and my leave at home with her FLYING by.  I remember The Bear loving the newness and attention in the beginning but then struggling when I went back to work.  I remember The Bird being an easy baby but has grown into this amazing human that has needs and wants just like her older brother.  She is learning to express those far earlier than her older brother because she has him to show her the way.

I can tell you after these chunks of time that IT GETS EASIER. You find your groove.  You get into a rhythm.  Give it time.

The last crucial bit of information I can give you is give yourself a break.  We hold ourselves to unreal and insane standards that leave us exhausted mentally, physically and spiritually.  Give yourself a break and accept that, especially now, with two kids, you may not be parent of the year but you were easy on yourself. Our kids can learn a lot from that.

Chips and Lemons

I try and be careful how I help The Bear and The Bird to understand that MamaBee doesn't eat gluten.

Sometimes I get technical with The Bear and explain it is not good for my body because of x, y, and z... while still letting him know that he can eat it without consequence.  

Also, I pretend to eat a gluten-ous cookie offered by The Bird in hopes of not hurting her feelings and share in the sweet gesture of sharing.

Today, The Bear and I were enjoying some peace and quiet after The Bird went down for her nap.  We made lemon tea and ate cookies.  He offered me some of his cookie and I said I would stick with my gluten-free version.

"Oh, yea, mama, you can only eat chips and lemons."

Yikes.  Time to revamp the diet.

Potty Training Continued: Incentives

Turns out TheBear needed some more guidance and clarification as to some good times to sit on the potty...
So we created this.

Each day he gets something cool regardless of the completion of the chart. Note the asterisk on the top right. ;)

Also, he likes to fill in the squares with "fireworks" ...  obsessed.

By the way, I think TheBear liked making a chart as much as this gal.

Un-Potty Training and 5 Tips in Hindsight

I'm going to be honest.
Potty training scared me.  Parts of it still do.

Teaching a determined preschooler how and when to use the toilet when he showed zero interest was super daunting!

Interest in superhero underpants came and went. Testing out his kid potty and kid toilet seat became lackluster.

It wasn't that he didn't know how it was just that he didn't want to do it.

I poured over articles and other parenting posts about the VARIOUS ways to potty train.  And there are MANY!  Which angle would we take?  How much pressure would we assert?

I knew that the mounting cost of having two in diapers for over a year was disconcerting to my bank account.  I also knew that there was no outside pressure to potty train him by a certain age.  His preschool was OK with it, his family was OK with it, his friends certainly didn't mind (or even to notice!), and most of all he really didn't mind.  From what I gathered, if given the time, children will do it pretty easily when they are ready.

Don't get me wrong, visions of The Bear entering Kindergarten with a diaper on entered my thoughts.  I quickly dismissed these with him just one day deciding he was ready and never looking back.

This is, essentially, what has happened.

We are not out of the woods yet but we are officially in the midst of un-potty training.  Here are 5 tips I wish I knew a year ago:

1. Don't get him all worked up about potty training.  Talk about it.  Talk about how mommy and daddy do it and how his big cousins don't wear diapers.  The less foreign to him, the more interest it generates.
2. Do it in small, comfortable increments.  If he is not ready to poop on the potty, let him do it in a diaper for a while.  Put him in a diaper during naps and bedtime and then slowly wean him off those one at a time. No rush.
3. Celebrate small victories!  A trip to the grocery store with dry pants gets mom and dad crazy-dance time.  All weekend with underwear on during waking hours = excavator tractor! Give him some super fun incentives that don't have to be food related!
4. Have back-ups: diapers, underwear, shorts/pants!
5. If an accident happens, he might be embarrassed and want to revert back to diapers for a minute.  Let him.  Your confidence in him will build his own confidence.

As long as I let him go at his own speed I find that there are far fewer blow-ups and tears.  I also realize that taking your sweet-ass time is not always realistic but the stress level is almost non-existent and therefore, totally worth it for The Beehive.

Swiffing in underpants.

P.S.  We went on a day car trip and brought the potty seat.  He told us when he needed to go and we would pull off and he would sit in the back of the car on his potty and pee and we would dump it in a discreet place.  It was something I was worried about since we take many road trips.  He didn't have one accident!

I am not so scared of potty training anymore.

The Children's Librarian

On our way home from the read aloud and art class at our library I could hear The Bear behind me in his carseat singing the words to one of the songs from class.  The Bear is not one to sing through an entire song so I sat silently driving in hopes of capturing every word.

He sang all the way through until the end.  Then he asked, "What that girl's name singing that song?"  I replied that I forgot her name but that she was the children's librarian.

Silence.

He started singing the song again and doing the hand movements along with it (it is the hand-washing song). Then, he clapped and said, "Very good, everyone. Me is the children's librarian."

I whipped around to see the cheekiest smile I have ever seen.

Something like this.

Bears and Butter Fingers

The only thing that I can equate The Bear's sneaky bedtime antics to is.... well, a bear.  Particularly those pesky bears that have gotten all too comfortable with people and campers and raise havoc after the sun goes down.

Light up toothbrushes:  Part of the bedtime routine.

DaveBee and I have tried all sorts of parenting "techniques" from silent, no affect faces returning him to his bed to straight up bribery!  AND we give them time to work... yet, something has changed in this little man and he no longer wants to go to bed.

Sometimes his behavior has us smirking as we leave his bedroom and other times we are almost in tears as we return him to bed for the 73rd time.

Last night, the adults in The Beehive got a little comic relief during the shenanigans.

At some point after tucking The Bear in we realized that it was FAR too quiet for him. DaveBee was the first to investigate.  He peered through the crack in The Bear's door only to see that the room was empty!  He opened the door and scanned it just to be sure.  He then crossed the hallway to our bedroom where he saw The Bear perched on my dresser fiddling about.  DaveBee asked him what in the world he was doing and in doing so, startled The Bear who tumbled off he dresser!  He was fine... and that was not the comical part!

As I returned him to his bedroom I saw that he had smothered his face, hands and arms in Burt's Bees baby bum jelly.  All exposed body parts were glistening... still not the comic relief I speak of.

I wiped him down but it inevitably left slight sheen that he would have to deal with until the morning.  After plopping him in bed I closed his door (this was the rule: get out of bed and the door closes).  I heard him jump out of bed and run to come harass us some more! He arrive at the inside of his door and grabbed the handle only to have his hands slip off!!! Again and again he tried to open the door to no avail!!  I could not help but stand on the other side of the door and chuckle!

This, my friends, was the funny part.

Breastfeeding: Slowing Down to Catch Up

In honor of the last night of Worldwide Breastfeeding Week I thought I would share a recent, personal story.  A story in which I slowed my life down in order to gain perspective but ultimately gained so much more.

The Bear's first time holding The Bird! 

 For me, I found the path to breastfeeding both The Bird and The Bear to be relatively easy.  The beginning, for both, was wrought with all the trials you endure and eventually become familiar with the second time around: Latching, soreness, sitting for long stretches, pumping if needed, cosleeping if that's your thing, etc...
The Bird gave me some scares with trouble latching properly and slow weight gain  for about 2 weeks after birth... but, after about a month, we got it down.

The difference with my breastfeeding relationship with The Bird compared to that which I had with The Bear was that I had a 2 year old and a newborn AND would eventually be returning to a high-stress job.  I felt like our relationship was different from the beginning but chocked it up to starting a new relationship with a whole new being.  Only now can I see how not only was she a different baby but I was different too.

The Bear would nurse for what felt like hours and be content to just sleep in my arms blissfully.  He would often nurse on demand every hour even if it was just to have that bonding closeness with me.  I was a new mom and less expectations of me from my job.  He had my undivided attention and I loved every minute of it.

My relationship with The Bird was on the move from the beginning.  Often breastfeeding while standing, walking, making dinner, checking emails, answering phone calls and literally chasing The Bear!  She was/is a trooper. I believe, as a result of her life moving at a break-neck speed, she learned to quickly and efficiently eat and get on with her day.  There were only occasional times of falling asleep after nursing in my lap. Our snuggles were usually crashed by a wonderfully rowdy 2 year old!

A year went by...

Career developments drastically changed the course of my life.  I found myself home with The Bear and The Bird more often.  Summer meant I could be a stay-at-home mom for a while.

After these workplace changes I made some personal changes regarding my parenting style: less cell phone while nursing or eating a meal at the table, slow down and REALLY listen to what The Bear is saying and what The Bird is trying to say, say "no, not now" less often, and spend quality, unrushed time with both babes... separately.

Something unexpected happened.

One evening during our nightly, usually-hurried get the kids to bed routine, DaveBee and I realized that we WEREN'T hurrying.  At some point we both had started taking one child and doing this awesome, slow, calm routine with them.   DaveBee took The Bear and I took The Bird (mostly as a result of The Bird still learning the difference between thin paper-page books and cardboard-page books :/ and DaveBee lacking the milk-producing goods!) to proceed with reading books, singing songs and just a general daily check-in.

The Bird would calmly nurse for extended periods of time.  She would lay on my lap and read and snuggle and nurse while I sang or just talked to her.  She and I both had found our happy place.  I was not rushing, I was not preoccupied and I had nothing else to focus on except my baby girl... who had grown to be my beautiful little toddler.

The Bird and I at her 1st and The Bear's 3rd Princess and Pirate Birthday Party 

While I am not extremely proud to admit that my busy life (even during maternity leave...) was a hindrance to  my breastfeeding relationship with my darling cherub, I am extremely happy to report that we are now more connected than ever.  I foresee a lovely nursing and bonding relationship extending into her second year.

Smoothies: Beating the Heat

The Bear, The Bird and I have been experimenting with smoothies to get us through these HOT NorCal summers.  We just had 5 days over 100 degrees!

Here are a few recipes that are winners.  OK, they have all been winners because of the crazy amounts of fruit in them. Also, the kids dig anything that makes a loud noise!

Avo-Fruit
Ice
Banana
Strawberry
Blueberry
Peach
Avocado
Orange Juice

Carrot-Orange
Ice
Carrots
Banana
Blueberry
Orange Juice

I bought kale today... I can't wait to get the kids into it!

What is the weirdest thing you have put in a smoothie?

There's Nothing to Look at, Folks. No Potty Training Going on Here.

Dave Bee and I have decided to put as little pressure on The Bear while potty training as possible.  He is starting to show signs of being interested and we are keeping it pretty casual.  Luckily, he has taken to stripping down wherever he might be when he feels the urge.  This results in the picture below and a half naked little man streaking across the house or yard to make it to the desired destination.

Meanwhile, The Bird just takes it all in.  I would not be surprised if she potty-trains herself.

Cornered!

As of late, I have been struggling to get anything done in the kitchen with The Bear (3 yo) and The Bird (14 mos) hot on my heels.  The Bear is in his "Mom, watch me! Watch me! Watch me!" phase as he sails through our long kitchen running SO fast and The Bird enjoys emptying out the contents of the cereal boxes from the pantry onto the floor.

Check this out.  I pulled an unused kids table into the kitchen and added a few simple, self-starting art supplies (crayons, coloring books, paint brushes, water colors, paper) The Bird digs it so far. Any suggestions for keeping the babes occupied at your house?

We are still working on the coloring part but she sure likes looking like a big girl.  Dang, they grow fast!

Musical Beds

As of 1 month ago Dave Bee and I had it all figured out...

A rare moment caught on film!

The Bear was sleeping 12 hours in his own bed in his new room.  We had just gently sleep-trained The Bird in her crib in her room after 13 months of co-sleeping with us. Nights were good...in fact, they were too good!

Over the last couple of weeks I can only describe what is happening as "musical beds" and no one is sleeping through the night!

Excerpt from last night's musical bed number:

7:30 - 9:00:     The Bear gets out of bed 1000 times after our regular bedtime routine.

11:00:             Dave Bee and I go to bed.

11:01:             The Bird wakes up momentarily screeching like a baby owl (that has been the noise as of late; quite shocking when it is out of the blue!).  We wait and listen, and that is all.

1:03-1:23:       The Bear sneaks his way up on our bed, in between us, and under the covers undetected until he clocks me in the forehead with his bee flashlight.  I contemplate letting him stay since he is so cozy and I am so tired until The Bird starts squawking again.  Most likely because The Bear passed by the two sleeping pups in the hallway and they inevitably both shook their ears loudly.  I carry The Bear and his bee flashlight back to bed and The Bird is silent again.

3:30-3:45:      The Bird wakes up crying and it escalates.  Dave Bee and I mumble to each other about whether he should try and put her back to sleep but this thought always pops into my head: "Well, she ate dinner at 6:30pm and now its 3:30am and it has been 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 100 hours since she last ate and must be starving!" I go in and nurse her on the guest bed where I usually fall back to sleep momentarily.  Only to wake up moments later wondering where the hell I am!  The Bird is asleep and I slip her back in the crib and crawl back to bed.

3:46:              The Bear is back!  We are too tired to have the exchange of words that would persuade a persevering three year old to go back to bed... again. His warm, squishy little body wins the sweet spot in the big bed.

6:00:             Dave Bee's alarm wakes he and The Bear up.  As they amble out to make coffee, the dogs shake their ears and The Bird awakens.  I roll out of bed and open the door to the sweetest sight.  The Bird standing in the morning light with a ginger-blonde, disheveled top pony tail which is now sticking out to the side and her steel blue eyes meet mine and the corners of her lips curl up as she says, "HI!" in her raspy morning voice... and the musical from the night before is all but forgotten.

What does musical beds look like at your house?

Love You Song and High Fives

One of the Beehive's favorite artists, Alela Diane, just came out with a new album that we put on for the first time this morning.  Upon hearing the song, "Hazel Street," The Bear clamped on to my leg, started swaying, and told me it was a "love you song."  At that moment it would not had mattered what song was playing... it was, indeed, a love you song.

Aside from shoes, The Bird has been totally obsessed with trashcans, recycle bins, and the like.  After breakfast, Birdie and I were sweeping a few items into the trash and as I turned to walk away she held her hand up her hand with a giant open-mouthed smile.  High-five, mom!

The Bird's latest fetish