Dec
20
2011
Sedryn boy, you turned on the fussies at about 5 weeks and you haven’t hardly let up since then! You also rocked about 3 different growth spurts that had mommy waking up every 3 hours instead of once a night. It has been a hard hard month for mommy.
But Saturday you finally turned on the grins and you haven’t stopped yet. And the best part: you like to spoil me with smiles more than anyone else! I think I might actually like you now. Keep up the flirting… it does wonders for mommy’s morale.
What I’ve most noticed about you this month is that I’m about 100% sure that your love languages are touch and quality time. You love undivided attention (which is hard to come by in this house) and you love being held and touched (gently… sister touches are almost always unwelcome). I’m actually starting to enjoy quiet moments with you, too.
Last night, I tucked you in bed alone. You’re not a fan of going to bed around 7 like your body needs. You want to stay up and join in the chaos and catch up on quality time. But last night, I fed you, gave you a tummy massage, talked to you, and then wrapped you up for bed. Two pacifier insertions after that and you were asleep. We might be on to something. And I might secretly adore that quiet happy time with you.
Dec
12
2011(I figured after 2 it seems a little silly to count in months… so 2 and a quarter it is!)
These last 3 months have flown by in a flurry for mommy with little sleep, a newborn (or hugely pregnant), and you two crazy monkeys. You’re so fun right now, but I’m having a hard time finding time to enjoy you properly. So Daddy is sitting right next to me and we’re going to do a little bullet list of the things we want to remember about you during this time.
First: The crazy things you two have gotten into in the last month while mommy was otherwise occupied.
- Toothpaste. A friend delivered a meal that day and loved how “minty fresh” you two were. Head… to toe
- Make-up. You painted yourself pretty. But I think you looked like football players.
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| Aeralind |
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| Bronwyn |
- Baby oil. I’m not sure that’s ever coming out of brother’s carpet (but it smells nice) and it came out of your hair… after a bath… or two…
- Iron. I’m pretty sure Bronwyn held this over Aeralind’s finger. Of course, I’m also pretty sure Aeralind was the one who plugged it in. You now call it “hot!!!!”.
- Gas-X. Mommy’s first (maybe only? doubtful…) call to poison control. Apparently eight 128mg tablets won’t do you any harm.
- Eggs. Cracked them on my kitchen floor. Perfectly cooked… according to you.
- Q-Tips. You like cleaning your own ears out.
- Condiments. Art for the kitchen floor.
- Keyboard+Water after locking daddy out of the house while mommy slept.
- Chocolate Meringue Cookies. Pulled a whole baking sheet off the counter. Devoured half a dozen.
- And the crowning achievement: smearing Vaseline on a “pun’kin” (and the carpet/changing table) after you broke the stem. It was “med’cine” to fix it. You tell me stories about this incident still.
This might be the terrible twos… but from the list above… it’s terribly funny (when I’m not cleaning up the messes).
Here’s a little something about each girl and your unique personalities during this time.
Aeralind
- Your word is “control”. You will do anything to remain in control. You don’t cry (normally) when disciplined. If you think it’s in your best interest to act the angel while Bronwyn climbs the wall, you will. If you want something yourself, you’ll go get it. You hate loosing control to the point that you don’t even throw tantrums, you just sulk.
- You trying to find your Toes’ies when having pants put on.
- You have finally stopped cursing when referring to your shirt and shoes.
- You love to swing.
- Tunnel! You scream this when you want to go outside and play on your playground
- Playing with Rocks.
- ‘Wocking’ in your chair or on your horse.
- You snuck into the kitchen to snitch some brown sugar while everyone else was melting down. You had so much on your face it looked like you’d grown a beard!
- You can swim really well with your Puddle Jumpers on.
- Tags: You’re obsessed with them. And every time you find one your little thumb sneaks right into your mouth.
- You’re the Hair puller
- You like talking on the phone and will demand to call someone.
- Scared of bugs
Bronwyn
- Your word is “order”. You believe everything has an inherent order. Mommy must put the vitamins on the right shelf. You must sit in the chairs in Nana’s nursery and eat snack there. You must keep your owl or cupcake jammies on at all costs. It’s no surprise that your favorite sentences all start with “I want…” If something disrupts your order, you will melt down on the floor in an epic temper tantrum.
- You think your socks are “cocks”.
- You won’t do airplanes without your daddy taking his glasses off.
- You mastered the words “I Want”. They maybe your only verb besides push and rock.
- You think you are Sedryn’s mother and have tried to practice nursing on your doll and a 14 month old friend.
- Tunnel!!! One of your favorite places too!
- When we go outside you’d demand that we sit you up in trees.
- You like to eat raw flour.
- Will put your face underwater and swim a couple feet to someone.
- You’re the biter.
- Being chased
- You will roll over brother as if he is a rotisserie chicken.
- Will either pet or kill a bug, depending on its type
- You were terrified of elevators.
Dec
09
2011Let’s just say that breastfeeding a singleton after twins is a so easy. A full term almost 9lb baby with a mom who knows what to do have a learning curve that while still steep, isn’t nearly as hard as it was the first time.
In the beginning, the only issue we had was a bad latch on the right side. It turns out that, because of the twins on their nursing pillow, I’m pretty much incapable of latching a young baby on the right side except in football hold. So that was an easy fix 😉
And then my milk came in. Holy Milk Cow Momma! Um… hello, body, we’re not needing milk for two again! So I had to block feed Sedryn (one side for every 3 hours). That solved issue number two. Score!
But issue number 3 isn’t going to be so easy. Momma overloaded on dairy the last two days. And momma’s ears have been paying for it. The little guy has screamed from 1pm-10pm (praise God he’s allowing it to be during the day time!) both days. So I’ll be dairy light through the holidays to see if he improves… and after the holidays if it’s still rough, I guess I’m heading back to dairy-free land.
Hello Almond Milk Smoothies: I’ve missed you the past 13 months! (no really, I have!)
Dec
08
2011A sweet email came this morning from my husband’s coworker. (One of the ones with enough sweet sass to keep him in line). A compliment about how this space always points UP. Oh, sweet Leah, I’m too weak not to point up. Too disappointing. Too broken.
Like last night when all I had was angry rushing words and tears.
For you, Leah, just this today. Hope for me (mostly me!) and you when we fail.
Dec
05
2011Just when things reach the peak of squeezing me (oh, so prideful me) into the image of Christ, I’m blessed with a little respite.
Sedryn sleeps a sudden 6.5 hours and holds steady at one night feeding.
Sedryn starts leaving the fussy super needy infant stage as we figure his needs/schedule out and moves into the cute but still needy stage.
Derek’s car gets fixed and mine returned to me so two stir crazy toddlers (and their momma) are no longer climbing the walls all day.
I make phone calls to Karen and get good advice/solidarity with my issues.
Tamara wordless cleans my kitchen and its floor while I fall helplessly into bed.
I invite a blog/church acquaintance over to the house on a “momma date” and find out we have a ton in common and laugh grace as our children throw tantrums or scream or eat fistfuls of brown sugar while everyone else is melting down.
I come up gasping for the air of grace and thankful that, despite my own sinful heart, there’s so much grace to breath in.
Counting 2682-2724 of these graces that I can soak in right now.
- Sedryn having a good non-fussy morning
- Getting to cvoer a box in wrapping paper with the girls
- watching them excited over stickers and crayons coloring the box
- Looking forward to them getting excited about their Leopar house (the bos) when they see it tommorow with the cage door glued on
- Visit and a meal from Amber
- All four older kids building towers together
- Syler and Bronwyn staring at each other and giving kissing
- Watching YouTube elephant, snake, and tiger videos with two excited girls
- Sedryn boy wiggling happily on the exam table at my six week check up.
- Quiet moments for us to stare at each other without fear of sisters lying on him
- Nursing laughing when I told him to ‘just spit up already’ as he got fussy, burped, and gagged down spit-up. “You’re not a first time mom are you?” followed by laughter.
- Ruthie hanging out with the girls to make it all possible.
- FREE parent-tot swim lessons at the YMCA
- Derek able to make the Wednesday Lessons
- Childcare at the Y
- Two excited and shivery girls enjoying time with mom and dad
- Warm milk for chilly girls
- My man sandwhich cuddles with Derek and boy watching a movie
- Laughing as I looked at myself in the mirror for the first time since the Y- I looked like a crazy lady with mascara all over my face. I can only imagine what the Y childcare ladies must have thought.
- Phyllis, the lady holding my son, not even batting an eye over my crazy appearance
- Christmas ornaments worn as earrings by little girls
- Sedryn going 6.5 hours between feedings
- Surviving a trip to the children’s museum when I’m outnumbered 3 to 1
- the girls obeying
- B conquering her fear of the elevator
- Browsing the art museum with the girls
- Them enjoying pointing out objects they know in the pictures
- Parsnip- I love them
- Soft boy mohawk brushing my cheek
- Screaming and fussing lessening as we learn his needs/routine
- Morning shopping with Sedryn
- 2 weeks of groceries for $85 simply by taking stock of the freezers
- Daddy and girls bird watching
- Derek showing me a cute video on his phone of the girls holding hands and jumping/running through thigh high leaves while shrieking in glee
- a glass of wine
- A comatose nap
- cookies and hot chocolate with Derek
- Yummy cheese crackers
- making and crossing off lists again
- catching up with Julia a little via email
- naptime
- brainstorming with Derek about putting the girls’ big girl room downstairs and moving office/crafting into their room
- waiting long and patient for my new camera body to go on sale,my old camera to sell on Craigslist, or my stroller to sell so I can buy it
- 1 (maybe 3) session in December that might cover the remaining costs.
