An acrobat...and a bratty brat

We are down to the last week of summer before Big A starts preschool! She will be going five mornings per week from 9-11:30 and I think it will be a nice change for all of us. Its been a great summer, but we're ready to change up the routine. While Big A is in school, Little A and I will keep busy with storytimes, the gym and a play group. Big A also starts back in a ballet/tap class next week. I am a person that loves to be busy, so I'm looking forward to all of this.

In the meantime, Little A has only been 2 for a few days and she's already fast-tracked her life...by climbing out of her crib yesterday during naptime. I heard a "thud" and then cries and ran upstairs to find her on her floor dazed and confused by her own prowess. I turned her crib around so the higher side is now on the outside and took off the bumper that she used for leverage. But that's just a quick fix until we can get our acts together and transform her crib into a bed. I'm not quite ready for this, but I guess I have no choice.

She also didn't nap again today and I'm really scared this means the end of her nap for good. This one I am *really* not ready for, so I'm praying that once we get the bed situation settled, she'll nap again. Big A napped until she was 3 and a few months, so this would be super early to give up the nap.

I was telling J's mom about Little A's antics and she laughed and told me that J used to climb out of his crib too. That's when it dawned on me...I'm raising J. Well, actually 2 J's. That's a scary thought.

Then another scary thought dawned on me...I'm also raising myself in the form of Big A. Oh my lord, there has never been a moodier 4 year old on earth. Today she literally told me off when she discovered I had thrown away some stickers. You would have thought I had killed Elmo or something by her reaction. After getting told off by my 4 year old and trying not to laugh, she took the brattiness to a new level by telling me she didn't like me and I was mean. I sent her to her room and then Little A came up to me and said "Abby doesn't like you?"

I am so doomed.

Birthday baby

On my baby girl's last night as a 1 year old, I rocked her in the glider in her nursery. We did her favorite flash cards and she recited the name of each item and then stuffed it back in the box methodically. "Cat. Me-ow. Mommy's keys. Baby - that me." I read her a book and then finally turned out the light. I wanted to rock her for a while, but she pointed to her crib insistently and I placed her in. She assumed her position - butt in the air, no blanket and I crept out.

By next year at this time, she'll be in a bed. The lamb nursery will make way for a more grown-up purple and yellow quilt. The changing table might be used for something other than diapers. Instead of peacefully laying down, she might be begging me to stay for one more story. The same way I want to beg time to stop for just a little while. To let my baby stay a baby for just a little longer.

Of course, Little A hasn't really been a baby since she was perhaps 6 months old. She laughed in the face of babydom and quickly skipped on to toddlerhood. She's been keeping me on my toes ever since. Yesterday in the car I actually heard her say "Oh my G-d" on her own volition. I did a double-take than just laughed. Typical.

She has quickly mastered the art of taunting her older sister. I can't count the number of times I've had to say "Little A, leave your sister alone." I can count that its been MANY more times than I've said the same thing to Big A. Despite being a bit of a bully, she is not a drama queen. She is laid-back like J, taking things in stride. Sure, she'll cry if something bothers her, but she quickly gets over it and doesn't hold a grudge. Just tonight, she fell off the bed in the guest room while playing "dance party" with her sister. Unfortunately, she caught her eye area on a plastic bin and got pretty scraped up. After some initial crying, she simply stopped and went on with her night unscathed. I hope she can keep this resiliency as she goes through life. She will probably need it to deal with her very dramatic sister...and mother.

I can honestly say that Little A has brought us nothing but joy since she was born 2 years ago. When I think back to that day, I think of how tiny she was and how content. She curled up like a cat for a month or two, then slowly unfurled and got to the business of living. She laughs many times a day and can play independently for hours. She is fond of telling me that she loves me this much with arms open as wide as she can stretch. Its hard to put into words how much I love my daughter. This much doesn't cover it for me, but its a start.

Happy birthday to the sweetest 2 year old I know. You make our family complete.

Waxing nostalgic

Birthday time always makes me nostalgic and as Little A's 2nd birthday quickly approaches, I can't help but think back to her babyhood and how quickly it all goes. At her second birthday party this past weekend, I snapped a photo of the girls on the couch in the same position as I did at her 1st birthday party a year ago. Then I remembered a picture I'd taken when she was just born...without further adieu, here is how quickly two years can go by:

It's amazing to me how Little A has grown in size by nearly 5 times in 24 months. And how she has gone from a tiny little sleeping baby to a spunky, smart 2 year old who has lots to say. One thing that hasn't changed? How sweet she was then and still is now. And Big A - well, she has done her fair share of change herself. At 2, she was shy and clingy, a true mama's girl. Now? Although she still loves her mama, she is loud, crafty, girly and creative. I can't wait to see the changes to come this next year.

Girly girls

We had a decidedly girly week last week, and it was a blast. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have boys, but I can never really picture it. I think I was meant to have little girls.

Big A finished her dance camp with the cutest recital I've ever seen in my life. Here's a little snippet:

In one week of just 2 hour sessions per day, they choreographed four numbers complete with outfit changes. Here's another photo from the performance...my camera crapped out after these pictures so the quality is not great.

The next week, we met one of my best friends and her daughter for a big girl tea and shopping. Here's the two of us at the tea. This is one of the first photos where I actually see a resemblance between us:

And finally, we used a discount certificate I had purchased a few months back to get the girls "mini makeovers." Frankly, it was ridiculous and I was a little embarrassed to be getting my 2 year old's make-up done, but it was also a bunch of girly fun.

Hmm, no wonder J wants to get a stinky male dog. There is a lot of girl going on in our house!

What if your parents blogged about you?

Every once in a while, I think about how much things have changed in our world with technology. Most of it I love - hello, Facebook addict right here - but some of it gives me pause. For example, its hard to imagine my parents blogging about me and my sister and brother as babies/toddlers although I sure would love to look back on that! Our kids are going to have such incredible journals of their childhoods, maybe even more than they want to know. And to a point its great...but when does that point end?

Am I still going to be blogging when my girls are teenagers? "Big A got her period today. I'm so happy for her!" That would have been cause for mortal embarrassment when I was a teenager, and I can't imagine that it would be any different today. And somehow, someway, I'm sure my kids' friends would find the blog, and I couldn't bear to be responsible for my children's social downfall. It will be bad enough that I even exist when they're teenagers, if I remember correctly.

I'm guessing I'll know when its time to shut down the old blog. Maybe when they are old enough for their own e-mail addresses, I'll go back to having my own life and not just recording theirs. Until then, I'll continue to share all the cute, embarrassing and small details that I can.

Like how the girls said "I love you" to each other tonight and held hands to go brush their teeth. And then pretended to be cats and crawled around on the floor. That almost overshadowed the complete meltdown of a "walk" we took earlier which ended with me carrying a screaming Little A under my arm while several of my neighbors no doubt called CPS on me. On second thought, do I really want that little ditty to be something my girls can read in 30 years? Hmm....

Looking back

Last night I was taking a walk with Little A while J took Big A for a spin on her bike. Little A was pushing her little pink stroller and as usual, taking FORever to make her way down the sidewalk. She kept stopping to fix her baby, look at dirt and pick up sticks. A few houses down from ours, a neighbor pulled into her driveway and an older lady got out of the car. She came to talk to us for a minute and as she was leaving made a comment about how long it was taking us. "It takes us an hour to get around the block," I said. And then she said something that gave me pause. "I remember those days. Can't say I miss them."

What? Usually older people seem to look at me with a mixture of longing and nostalgia, so it was kind of odd to hear her say she'd been there, done that, and didn't really miss it. I could kind of see her point, as she got to go into her house and do whatever she wanted while I was travelling down the sidewalk at .1 miles per hour. It kind of shook the thought that often gets me through a day - that I should cherish this time because some day I would miss it. How strange to think that one day I might actually be glad to pass the reigns over and enjoy my own free time. Kind of nice actually, as it's a heavy load to carry to try to make sure you're not squandering precious moments whenever you turn your back.

I guess what I took away from this encounter is that yes, you should enjoy all the moments, but its also okay to look toward the future sometimes and dream about what you might do with all that free time. I'm sure there will be times when I look back and wish I could relive these days, but I also hope there are more times when I'm getting to do cool things (not sure what) that I wouldn't have the time for now.

I might start looking at older people a little differently now. That's probably not longing in their eyes - it might just be them laughing to themselves and being glad that its me, not them.

Things I never thought I'd say...

As a mother, I often find words coming out of my mouth that are bizarre at best and sometimes I even stop and think, "wow, didn't think I'd ever say that...". Here are a few examples I've uttered recently:

"Little A, don't lick your sister."

"Is that poop or chocolate?"

"Don't say hoo-ha in public."

"Please don't talk to me. Or touch me. Or look at me." (never thought I'd say that to my own kid)

"Good doggie" (to Little A who likes to pretend she's a dog)

"I'll give you something to cry about." (thanks, Mom for teaching me that one)

"Gummy bears are not a breakfast food."

"I am not a trash can." (Repeat x 1 million. WHY do my kids think I am a trash can? Why?)

"Calgon, take me away" (yes, I actually said this in a non-joking manner. It didn't work.)

Anyone else want to share the things they never thought they'd say?

Blog break

I know I've been slacking on the blog a bit. I'm on vacation! Well, vacation in the sense that I'm at the beach. I am here for a week and a half with Big A and Little A and various visitors. Its been a lot of fun, and also tiring being the only parent full-time. However, as I remind myself, there is really nothing to complain about when you are staying - for free - in a wonderful beach house with friends, plenty of yummy food and lots of beach time.

I go home this Sunday, and next week Big A has her final camp of the summer - dance camp! I think she will love it. I also have a couple of interviews lined up for next week. So, changes may be on the horizon...or they may not if things go as they have been! Either way, this feels like a nice little break from the normal routine and I think we'll all go back refreshed and ready to be home.

Till then...life's a beach!