The end of the story

When we got to the last page of Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," e, now almost two, said "A-men!" instead of "the end."

Poop Time

At a restaurant, R told us she had to go poo. We started to prepare to get ready for the bathroom when she repeated louder, "I have to go poo poo! I have to go poo poo really bad!!"

After all that, it was a small poo. 

Cookie time

At Disney -

Me: Want to go on a ride to outer space?

R: No. I just want to finish eating my cookie. 

A typical dinner

Me: What are you chewing?

(E opens mouth to show me a piece of steak. It falls to the table)

Both: (laughs)

Me: Don't put that...

(E picks up the chunk of chewed meat and starts eating it again. She finishes). 

E: More, please. 

Angel Kisses

It was a mama sandwich last night, that is, the girls slept on either side of me in bed last night.

I gave them angel kisses when we woke up, and R wanted to try to give me some too. Apparently I wasn't positioning myself correctly because R says, in her most mature voice, using her hands, "Can you...not?"  I cracked up. 

This moment of joy is much welcome as Andy is in the hospital. Reserves (my parents) are coming later today. 

Hilarious

We saw Jim Gaffigan tonight and our faces hurt from laughing so hard. 

Meanwhile, back at the house and almost as hilarious, Mimi turned on Reba for the girls. Eloise just decided to get on her stomach and fall asleep at one point. This is amazing to me, because even though we've been night weaning/ sleep training for about 2 weeks now, it is still shocking that she knows how to fall asleep on her own. She just admits defeat and decides sleep is the only thing  she wants to do. As much as we've struggled with her sleep, I do appreciate her willingness to call it a day. 

Hot mess

The reality is, this girl was a hot mess today, and needed this nap more than ever. We took a drive to Tuscola to ensure it would happen. 

Cute, cute, cute!

E's cuteness is overwhelming sometimes. She's just so...cute!! R has heard it so many times that she often chimes in, "E is cute, cute, cute!"

Here she is, doing the cute thing again. During or walk around the block, she insisted on having her hands in her coat pockets. Probably just because it was so darn cute!

Selfie

Andy and I look dweeby, the girls look scared...doesn't my mom look beautiful?

Neigh Neigh

E is really excited to see a horse in the book. She has a very sweet affinity for horses. When we were at our Amish farm 2 weeks ago for a Farm Day (no pictures), we had a hard time keeping her out of the stables. The horse-drawn hay ride that day inspired me to look into a carriage ride for our next trip to Disney World. Because we are going during the holiday season, we will be going on a horse-drawn sleigh!! I am so excited to see the look on their faces :)

4th happiest day of my life

But who's counting?

For the Illinois tailgate on Saturday, I French braided Rosalie's hair for the first time. This made me soooo happy!!!! She stayed still quite well, and we'll definitely be doing it again soon!

Blueberry schedule

My husband often feeds the girls blueberries for an afternoon snack. They are super convenient because we always have several pounds in our freezer, thanks to our monthly Azure Standard order. They love them frozen, too, so there is no need to plan ahead, and Rosalie loves them in plain, whole fat yogurt. When our girls willingly eat nutritious food, I feel like we've done something right.

Though, after a pm blueberry session, I always dread the diaper the next morning. I will not take a picture of that, unless you insist.

I think I will start feeding the girls blueberries for breakfast, so he can witness the blueberry remains in the afternoon diaper. And so I can say, "the girls had blueberries for breakfast, please give them something else for snack!"

Raw and exhausted

E, 21 months, nursed a lot last night. Way more than the a average newborn. I wasn't tracking, but it was something like 8pm, 10p, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, and then she wanted more when she woke up. I told her there was no more. Which, was more of a figurative statement than literal.

It has been the easiest for us to co sleep and nurse her at night up until this point. But we've decided that is no longer the case. 

My life, outside of these beautiful mom moments, is a constant state of exhaustion. I don't have the energy to do the things I want to do. Or even some things I need to do. I have been blessed with the hardest working husband both in and outside of the home, which is why I've lasted this long. 

It is not going to be easy, or quick, but it is time. And I will nurse her as much as she wants when the sun is up. 

A girl can never have too many accessories

After I dropped R off at preschool, 1.5 hours later than usual, I watched her through the observation window to ensure she was going to settle in. Instead of taking her sweatshirt and backpack to her hook, she immediately unzipped her backpack and accessorized. Unbeknownst to me, she was stowing a bracelet...sunglasses...and a headband!

I'd say she was acclimating just fine :)

It is fun to see her make decisions all on her own and learn how to express herself. 

Sleeping Beauty

For the first time in her nearly 4 years, R fell back asleep this morning after a short jaunt watching Mr. Rogers. It was extra amazing that she fell back asleep not just once, but TWICE. 

Afterall, she did choose Sleeping Beauty for her Halloween costume, so she's just playing the part. 

Mall spending deficit

R can smell a carousel from a mile away. When we had an Old Navy return today, $23 was put back on our card, and we spent $90. Followed by $2 for the girls to ride the carousel. 

R rode a cat with a fish in its mouth. Fun!

Before.

After. 

She cried all the way to the car screaming for "more." (She still uses the sign too, absolutely priceless.)

E doesn't quite understand the carousel concept. R said it best, "It spins around and around for a few minutes and then it slows down."

Dress up

R must miss wearing cloth diapers. She put this one on all by herself, and is so proud!

E chose a winter hat as an accessory, even though our A/C is out and it is 78 degrees in here!

Cinderella saves the day

It's Friday afternoon, and I'm a single mom for a few hours. Thank you to my sister for gifting us the Cinderella DVD. Peace after an exhausting week.

I nursed E, and she slept on her tummy/my chest. Sweet. I got a nap in too.

Meanwhile Rosalie is all but asleep. She just wiped drool from her mouth. 

Potty Talk

For the first time, E (20 months) told me that she had a poo poo in her diaper! She walked right up to me and said "poo poo." This is a big improvement from her previous method of communicating a dirty diaper- taking it off on her own, resulting in poo smeared in many places. 

Fun at the supermarket

Happy as a clam...

Daddy moment: nap time

GOOD: Our 3 1/2 year old has been napping for 2+ hours. Hallelujah!

BAD: She's not going sleep at her regular bedtime. It's going to be a late night!

Best parenting moment

Have you ever had a moment like this? E is 21 months and not yet potty-trained. 

Want to wear makeup?

I had this conversation with my 3 1/2 year old daughter.

ME: I'm buying some makeup that you'll be able to wear (non-toxic, safe-for-kids)
HER: I don't need makeup. I'm already beautiful
....

Of course, later in the car she said: "...you can wear makeup, sister can wear makeup, Daddy can wear makeup..."