we're back

while i could be referring to the fact that i'm back posting on this blog, what i'm actually talking about is the fact that we're back to the tantrums.  b is now 10 months old, while k is ... let's see, i have to do some math now ;) ... she's 3 years and 5 months old. 

it's funny because when we had baby b and brought her home to join the family, k was really quite great.  she didn't do too many things to get attention.  she didn't do too much to upset her new sister.  she was pretty pleasant about the whole thing.  for some reason, over the last couple of months, that has all changed.  k pretty much does anything she can to make her sister cry.  she will take toys from her, take her thumb or bottle out of her mouth, push her down while she's holding onto things (the crib, the couch, the coffee table).  what is going on?  where did this all come from?  i would have thought we would have seen this behavior months and months ago.  it's also worth wondering if her behavior is coming from the change in our family schedule this summer.  husband has been doing a lot of traveling while this activity has been occurring - could that have anything to do with her acting out?  probably.  but, it is what it is and there's not much changing it :)

anyway.....

i'm planning on doing some posting to this blog - i'll have to start with some catch up since i have yet to keep baby books for my daughters and this will someday serve as theirs.  sad, huh :)

thanks for reading!

back to sleeping in the car

for awhile, k refused to sleep in the car.  refused.  she would stay awake during entire 8 hour trips to denver.  i've already talked about how she sleeps in the car now and how we go for drives at night to "put her to bed"  today i'm going to talk about how it actually goes down... because it's slightly interesting to me.

the funny thing is, k fights the sleep like crazy (just like her mom) but finally the sleepiness takes over (just like her dad).  she sings silly songs at the top of her lungs, she cries and whines like a new baby, she screams and makes noises that threaten throwing up, she all around carries on.  and on.

i've learned to embrace the carrying on.  in fact, i kind of look forward to the whining because i know that the sweet relief of sleep is coming my way.  not a minute after the crazy high volume displays from the backseat are going on - i turn around and she is slumped over, snoring, fast asleep. 

ahhhh.

hilarious

so k went to the bathroom and called for me to come help wipe her.  as with most children, she's very interested in looking at her work in the toilet.  when she turned around to look at her deposit, she said:

mom!  it's a little tiny stinky!!!  awwwww......

imagine dragons

k is smack dab in the middle of her imagination.  i love this time in her life.  she has a vivid imagination for anything these days.

great grandpa is a monster that growls and chases her around the house.  great grandma is a giant who says fee-fi-fo-fum and stomps around the castle.  daddy is a dragon who lets princess k fly around on his back.  even the broom is her trusty steed, bullseye.

it is so awesome watching your child create an imaginary world.  she's in the phase of assigning you a character or name, as well as herself, and playing through the scenarios in her head. 

when will her imaginary friend come knocking???

raising grandchildren

a couple of weeks ago, i was sitting in a church meeting and the women were carrying on a very interesting discussion.  at this point, i can't remember what the topic of the lesson was, but the discussion had taken off on a tangent as they are bound to do.  at this stage in the lesson, the women were talking about how selfish it is of some women to not help "raise" their grandchildren.  i use quotations because that word was thrown about consistently.

this idea bothered me a bit.  i don't think it's the responsibility of a grandparent to feel like they have to help raise a grandchild.  influence, encourage, teach, help, love?  sure.  but i think wanting to raise your grandchildren takes away a much needed responsibility from the parent.  i am aware of situations where grandparents are actually raising their grandchildren quite a bit.  i have watched the evolution of the occasional babysitting go to full blown child care, to some physical and emotional responsibilities shifting from parent to grandparent.  i don't think this is right.  especially when the parent is entirely capable of doing a good job.  but hey, when you don't have to do the job - what's the point of doing it at all if someone else will do it for you?

extreme?  yes.  i want it to be known here that i understand the difference between extremes and that i recognize that the ladies in the discussion were well-meaning.

i do have a problem, however, with a lady's comment in particular.  she went on about how it should be the responsibility of the grandparent to help raise the grandchild, etc. and that it is selfish to not sacrifice your time when you need to help in this capacity.  she went so far as to refer to someone she knew (who would not help raise grandchildren, as she put it) as a "selfish old sack"  really?  in a church lesson?  at that point, baby b was getting upset and i took her out to feed her.

the next week, i found it ironic and very interesting that the new lesson led to a discussion on teaching your children to be self-reliant.  comments were made about creating work and even some stress in your child's life so they can learn to cope and deal with situations.  many of the same ladies went on and on about the importance of not making your child's life too easy so they would be able to handle stresses and situations that arise. 

does anyone else see the irony here?  i'm sure there is flexibility on both sides of this fence - it was just irritating that there seemed to be no happy medium between the two separate discussions.  and that the same women who felt so strongly about the first opinion felt just as strongly about the second opposing opinion.

thoughts?

mouth watering

i'll say it again - my two girls are very different.  what two kids aren't?

k was never very interested in putting things in her mouth.  husband and i didn't have to be very diligent with what was within her reach - she just never instinctively stuck things in there.  b, on the other hand, puts everything in her mouth.  if she's got it in her hands, it's sure to be covered in saliva in seconds.  she is reaching for everything in sight.  it's quite adorable to see the wheels turning in her head, concocting her plans to grab an object - all so she can see how it tastes.

not only is she grabbing for everything in arms length, she is highly interested in what we are eating.  at the table, her gaze wanders from person to person, studying each bite we take.  i think she's ready for solids - soon enough.  this is something else k never really did.  she was ready to eat once we started on solid foods, but it wasn't something she paid much attention to beforehand.

b is a great eater so i'm not trying to push any foods just yet.  i know awhile back i talked about giving her rice cereal to secure another hour or two in the night for me, but once i figured out (a few nights into that routine) that she was more cold than hungry, i curbed the cereal for a later date.  b will be six months old in just over a week but i'm not even sure i'll start right up with the cereal right away (isn't it funny the difference in emphasizing reaching those milestones with a first baby...)

whenever we decide to make a go for dietary additions, she'll be ready to stick that in her mouth too, i suppose!

mothers intuition

it's interesting mothering for the second go-around.

with k i had a few of those dramatic and traumatic moments where you are tearing your hair out and sobbing because you feel utterly helpless trying to deduce what's wrong with your screaming baby.  thankfully, i didn't have as many as i would have thought before becoming a mom. 

this round of mothering a newborn has been even more delightful.  i know a lot of that has to do with baby b's personality and demeanor.  she is a very mellow, easy-going, self-entertaining baby girl.  i am one lucky mama. 

but all of that luck aside, some of this delight has to come from my mom skills, right?  i mean, it's not my first time - surely i would have learned a few things, right?  right!!!  it's so exhilarating for someone like me (read someone who never wanted to hold babies, rarely wanted to babysit, didn't look forward very much to having her own children) to feel like i actually have some of that wonderful mother's intuition.  me?  that's right :)

i'm being slightly sarcastic if it wasn't reading...

i love when b is crying and i can tell it's her mama, i'm tired!  put me to bed! cry.  i don't know what it sounds like, i'm not that trained.  but i have the intuition to know it's time for her to lay down and get some sleep.  she is calm the minute we enter her room - i turn on her sound machine, lay her on her back, and watch as she turns to the side and sticks that thumb in her mouth.  after wrapping her up in her blankets, i sneak out of the room and she doesn't make another sound. 

i love when i'm right!  it's such a rewarding feeling.  like i really do know what i'm doing!  maybe i'm the only one who ever feels this way, but it is so encouraging to feel like i know exactly how to meet her needs.  feels good!