Archive for June, 2009

Cleaning

Here’s a couple fun stories about cleaning:

Angel and Maddie are getting better at helping to clean up. Today, after helping me stack the cardboard bricks, they didn’t merely knock them back down again. They actually helped to stack the bricks a second time.

After lunch I put Maddie on the Baby Bjorn toilet. I had a feeling she went pee, which in it of itself is amazing. I was busy trying to get Angel out of the highchair so I couldn’t go and look at the potty. Well, I didn’t need to. First, Maddie started to lift the potty out of the Bjorn to show me. (I was able to convince her to put it back before anything spilled.) Second, she walked over to where I stack the baby cloths (for wiping hands, etc.), grabbed one, and began wiping herself with it!

5th Percentile?

Angelina had a weight check today. 21 pounds 7.8 ounces! She is approaching the 5th percentile in weight! When you adjust her for being born 6 weeks early, she’s above the 5th percentile! Yay! I never thought I’d see the day when she was higher than the 1st percentile. Thank You, God!

Losing My Mind Vs. Losing My Kid

I am not sure which is worse, but I definitely know that when I lose my child, my mind goes with her.

It was bad enough when we couldn’t find Angelina the other day. Today at the park was a lot more stressful.

We went to the beautiful Jack Fischer Park today. It had a long time since this particular group of friends had met together for a playdate. The last time we had met at a park, Angel and Maddie were still in the snap-n-go! In our email discussion scheduling the playdtae, I had written, “Hopefully I can talk; it’s hard taking 3 kids to the park.”

The day went very well and yes, I did get to talk with my friends. As we were wrapping up to leave, I couldn’t find Madeleine anywhere. My friends and I looked and looked and looked. I was screaming her name so loudly that other parents started helping me out. It was at least five minutes, if not more, before we found her. (It felt like an eternity.) We don’t even know how she got onto the play structure. She had been on the other side of the park in the toddler sand area and we can’t figure out how she passed by us without us seeing her.

I’ve decided to change my job position. I no longer want to be a stay-at-home mom because the title is an oxymoron. I now want to be a stay-at-home monk. That way, we will have no choice but to remain in the confines of our home at all times and never get lost again.

Loss of Preschool Innocence

Wednesdays are my me-day. My wonderful nanny comes that day and gives me a break. (Until she quits next week, *sniff sniff*!) On this day, I hide in my room to do my own thing.

When I had to leave for an appointment, I told the nanny that Jubilee could watch tv. Jubilee said, “I want to watch Blue’s Clues!” I told the nanny that Jubilee could explain the DVR to her.

When I returned an hour later, the very first thing Jubilee said to me was, “Mommy, I watched Hannah Montana!” Needless to say, I was horrified, mortified, and shocked beyond belief. (When it comes to tv, I’m very strict about the shows she’s allowed to watch. Although there are some shows that she can watch that are older, it’s always monitored.)

It turns out that after watching Blue’s Clues, the nanny was scrolling through the recorded show list to find children’s shows. Apparently, Jubilee did not specify a show, as I expected her to do. So she asked Jubilee, “Do you want to watch Sid the Science Kid or Hannah Montana?”

I’m pretty sure Jubilee chose Hannah Montana simply because she had never heard of it and wanted something new and exciting.

So when I told Jubilee she wasn’t old enough to watch Hannah Montana, she protested, “But I like it!”

“What about it did you like?” I countered.

“The funny parts,” she answered. (Thankfully, I learned later on the episode was about going to the dentist and not some boy-girl relationship story.)

Do you want to know the worst part about this? She wouldn’t have watched Hannah Montana if yours truly didn’t record it for her own personal enjoyment! I’m so embarrassed.

Bee Sting

Jubilee got her first bee sting today. Ouch!

We were at David’s company picnic. She was cutely walking barefoot on the grass. I watched her face, like it was in slow motion, change from a happy face to…what just happened?…this doesn’t feel good…hey this hurts…owwwwww!!!

David looked at the bottom of her foot and could tell immediately she’d been stung. He was able to get the stinger, including the sac, out. Poppa was deathly allergic to bee stings so we’d been dreading this day.

We were able to ice her foot and she willingly complied to sitting for a long time with the ice to her foot. She said it felt good. After some time she was fine and back to her happy self.

Messy Versus Meticulous

Angelina and Madeleine are opposites in many ways. One noticeable difference is their eating styles. Angelina is very good at using a spoon and feeding herself. Madeleine, on the other hand, has still not mastered the spoon. They both still use their hands and turn their bowls upside down, dumping all of the contents onto their tray. Yet at the end of the meal, there is a drastic difference. You find very little food in Angelina’s seat, whereas Madeleine’s seat has food in every single nook and cranny.

Hide and Seek

Angelina gave us a very big scare today. David had been in the front yard with all three girls while I was cooking. He had to bring in a cabinet through the front door and asked me to help.

“I can’t work on this long because Angel and Maddie are still outside,” he commented.

So I went out to keep an eye on them. Madeleine showed up immediately. Angelina was nowhere in sight! I was screaming her name, frantically trying to find her. Jubilee joined me,, for she too was now scared.

David said, “I know she’s close by because I hear her.” It turned out she had climbed into the mini-van and was hiding in the back row. The trunk was open and she had popped her head up and was smiling at us - the biggest smile ever. I think she was very proud of herself for hiding so well.

I then remembered one of Angelina’s favorite games is playing “Where’s Angelina?” She loves to hide (even if it’s only her face) and after you ask, “Where’s Angelina?” she will make herself “appear.” The next time I can’t find her, I will have to try this. Then again, I don’t think I want this to happen again.

Another “I Did It!” Moment

Jubilee was able to click the lower half of her seatbelt all by herself today! She’s been able to do the top half for awhile but would easily give up on the bottom. Today she tried without even being asked and even though I didn’t watch her, I had a feeling she had a determination to get it done. She was so proud of herself I’m proud of her too!

And tonight when David was getting her ready for bed, she wanted to thank God for now being able to fasten the seatbelt herself. David asked her about it and she said, “I was really smiling big… like this.” And she was certainly beaming.

Grammy Surprise

Grammy was driving through town on her way to SLO. In order for Jubilee to see her before school, I took her to have lunch with David. I didn’t tell Jubilee that Grammy would be there.

When we were walking to the entrance of David’s building, I saw Grammy’s car and pointed it to Jubilee. “That car looks just like Grammy’s.”

“Is Grammy here?” Jubilee wondered.

“I don’t know, maybe.”

When we walked into the lobby and Jubilee saw Grammy, she yelled, “Grammy!” at the top of her voice and ran to her. Grammy picked her up and held her. Jubilee had the brightest, most genuine smile I have ever seen on her. Even the receptionist took note of it. Just thinking about Jubilee’s countenance makes me smile too.

Prayer

Dear God,

Please heal Josiah’s finger so he can do things and so he doesn’t have to use one hand. In Jesus’ name, amen.