Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope you all had a great Memorial Day yesterday! Ours was very low-key, but still lovely. I have several hilarious treats for you today in this post… Enjoy!
Hubby and I have a Asian meal we love to eat when the weather’s warm, and he just calls it cold noodles. Basically, it’s chilled noodles in several Asian sauces/oils, with egg, ham, cucumber and bean sprouts. We gave EK her first bowl of the summer (she had eaten it before), and she took one bite, then whined: Mommy, warm up my food! (Face palm.)26
While cutting fingernails and toenails…
EK: Look, Mom!
Me, looking at a crescent-shaped fingernail clipping: What about it?
EK: It’s like a little crown! For Elsa!
Me: Hmm…
EK, pointing at a hang nail: Can you get this out?
Me: Sure! (Clipping it.)
EK: (gasps) You saved me!! (throws her arms around my neck) Could you also take my toenails off?
(This is code for toenail polish. When she wants it off her fingernails or toenails, she asks me to take the nails off. Yikes.)
When preparing one night to watch a little TV, EK: I wanna watch Docka Duffus!
She was trying to say Doc McStuffins, and she pronounced it duh-fuss instead of doo-fuss but it still literally made me cackle out loud, so she kept saying it and giggling, even though I don’t think she knew why it was making me laugh.
What happens when your threenager hears that your car’s in the shop…
EK: Yor car’s broken, Mom? Me: Yeah. It’s broken right now. (Aka a currently unidentifiable reason.) EK: You gotta get a fresh one! Hilarious on so many levels.
After picking EK up from preschool, she taught me about a new cough remedy…
Me: You’ve got some snack left on your face! What did you have?
EK: Just yogurt. It made my cough go away!
(She didn’t have a cough, and I’m not sure why yogurt would’ve helped.)
What’s your toddler/preschooler/threenager been jabbering about this week?!
I came to the realization the other day that my relationship with my kids is similar to that of best friends. Our level of closeness rivals that of Bert and Ernie or Thelma and Louise. I’ll tell you why.
I talk to them more often than anyone else. When I’m constantly answering, “What’s that, mama?” and asking, “Are you ready for lunch?” I easily exceed one million words a day that’s we’ve exchanged. We literally talk about everything: foods we dislike, places we’ve left things, how bad our poops smell, and why we have to wear shoes to go to the playground. I hold their hands a lot. We just love physical contact. Every time we’re in a parking lot, on a sidewalk, in a store, or crossing a street, we hold hands. We just can’t keep our hands apart.
We’re inseparable. I literally have one of my two best friends by my side all day long. We don’t even go to the bathroom alone! The only time they can bear to be separated from me is when they’re sleeping, and that’s only sometimes.
We know everything about each other. We’ve been in some seriously close situations together. Potty breaks, showers, laughing, crying and sleeping: we’ve done it all together. There are very few things about each other we don’t know. For instance, we can read each others’ moods, get on each others’ nerves, and do the sweetest things for each other, all on purpose.
We love each other a lot, but bicker like an old married couple. We don’t agree on everything, and we’re completely honest about it. I don’t agree when they poop at inconvenient times or refuse to eat their vegetables. They don’t agree when I make them go to bed on time or share their toys. We aren’t afraid to speak our minds. Our family is a safe place, after all.
Having little stooges to share my life with is basically one of the best things I’ve ever decided to do. Now, if they’d just get old enough to swap off driving on our road trips, or pick up the groceries on their way home, we’d be all set.
Delivering a baby is the biggest, most important, most intimidating thing you might ever do. If you’re a newbie at it (and even if you’re not) there are a few things you can do to help the day (or night) go more smoothly. And since I’m gearing up to have a third go at it in July, it’s good for me to go back over it. Here are some tips based on my personal experience with my two kiddos.
After delivery family photo ❤
1. The Hospital Bag. This can be as important as you make it. Here’s my experience: I packed too much for EK. I packed too much for J. I’m considering not packing one this time. Ha! I’m kidding, but a little bit serious. I haven’t ever showered at the hospital (how much nicer is your shower at home, right?) so I haven’t used anything but the toothbrush, chapstick, and my glasses (I typically wear contacts) in the toiletries department. I wore a light robe, nursing tank, and stretchy shorts (think high school basketball shorts) when I got to my room. I used the hospital’s everything for the baby: diapers, wipes, nose sucker (what’s that thing even called, am I right?), blankets (with the exception of a muslin swaddle I brought), and hat. Everything is kinda covered in new baby fluids (read: pee, meconium, spit up, colostrum, etc.) so you don’t truly need an outfit until the “going home outfit” you picked out. Speaking of that outfit… if you’re like me and you have big babies, or if you don’t know what you’ll get because it’s your first, then pick one in newborn size and one in three month size. J couldn’t fit in most of his newborn clothes even though he was just hours old. Because hospital food is “eh” and nursing burns one million calories an hour, I packed a few non-perishable snacks (Luna bars/Larabars, crackers, etc) and bottles of water, my pillow, and my laptop. This is crucial because I want to stream Netflix while I’m not sleeping, am I right? And one last thing: pack an empty bag inside your bag so you can fill it up with hospital freebies like diapers, wipes, maxi pads, nose sucker, etc. They’ll give you more of all of those before you head out.
2. The car seat. I know, this seems like a no-brainer, but go ahead and install it in your car. That way, you don’t have to think about it when your water breaks. It won’t even be on the radar. And you don’t want to be reading the manual to figure out what LATCH is sitting in the hospital parking lot. (Side note: neither does your partner.)
3. Ask for all the drinks and ice you want while you’re in labor. For me, I was excited beyond belief by the perfectly crunchy pellet ice at my hospital, and the fact that I could drink Coca-Cola up until I started pushing. Someone (I’m sorry, dear nurses) would come by to… ahem… empty my bladder whenever I was feeling like I needed to go. And as dry as the hospital is, I was drinking a ton.
4. It’s gonna be messy. For me, it wasn’t as bad as I’ve heard it could be, but either way you and whoever else attends the actual birth will probably get sweaty at the very least. The lights are bright, the tension can be high, and at least one of you is working! You’re probably wearing a hospital gown, but bring a change of clothes for Daddy, too, because it could get a little messy. Especially if you’re like I was with your first, and you’re a little nervous to be there by yourself and you’d like him to stay with you.
5. Rest. Don’t try to do too much during your hospital stay. Keep to the bed as best you can, especially the first few hours. I know that after having J, I popped up, my adrenaline kicked in, and I wanted to go, go, go. But if you have an epidural, or if you have some tearing (It’s okay! I tore and I lived through it!) you’ll not want to overestimate yourself. The first three or four times you need to go to the bathroom, use someone (Dad, nurse, anyone!) to help you to and from the toilet. You may be a little lightheaded.
6. Make sure you actually need to go to the hospital in the first place. Always call your doctor before you head to the hospital. I’ve had several friends with “false” labor and “pre” labor who show up at the hospital and get sent home, or sent to the mall to walk, or whatever. Your contractions have to be pretty long and pretty close together before they’ll want to keep you, and even then if you aren’t dilated at all, they might still send you away. That being said, if your water breaks, GO!
7. Get on the same page with Daddy before you start labor. It’s always nice to know what he’s up for and what he isn’t. Some dads don’t want to see it all happen, and in the heat of the moment isn’t a good time to find out. Ask him beforehand whether he’d like to sit by your head and hold your hand, or if he’d like to be a more in-depth part of what’s going on. If he’s gonna hit the floor at the sight of blood, maybe holding your hand (or the waiting room, ha!) is the best place. Hubby and I didn’t talk about it before, but he ended up being a big part of my having a successful labor/delivery with EK, and so he was very involved again the second time. Bless him for not knowing how much of a part until the actual day. Give your Dad the choice and a heads up – just because it’s a nice thing to do.
8. Do those Kegels! It’s never too late. Any amount of Kegels is better than zero. I think it also helps you learn how to push. A cousin of mine told me that during her first child’s delivery, she pushed the wrong way for over an hour. Talk about a lot of effort and pain for no gain. Kegels help you familiarize yourself with the muscles you’ll be using to have the baby, in addition to their normal benefits (getting back to normal more quickly, etc).
Well, there are eight of my most helpful tips for preparing for your delivery! If you’re expecting, good luck with your pregnancy, labor and delivery! If you aren’t, log this for when you are – it might help you out! If you’ve been through it once, or twice, or many times, do you have anything to add?
It’s Tuesday, and time for some more hilarious things you might hear at our house! We’ve just caught back up with life after being out of town last week, and then attending several parties and events right when we got home. It’s been a blur!
Upon seeing my parents’ yard worker…
EK: Necie, look! A man!
A few minutes later…
EK: I wanna go watch the man!
EK: Mama! I have something I want to give to my Caroline! (She refers to this friend as “her” Caroline. Sweeties.)
EK: I’m sharing with my brother!
Me: Nothing makes me happier than when y’all share!
EK: Watch me share, mama! (She takes some apple off his plate.)
Me: Oh look, he’s sharing with you, too. (Eye roll.)
New song EK learned at the Y:
Ring around the rosey, pocketful of posies. Achoo! Achoo! We all fall down!
Me: Holy moly!
EK: Mama! Don’t say that word!
Me: Why not? I think “holy moly” is okay to say.
EK: No. It’s a bad one.
Last story… We had a babysitter spend the night with us this week, because she is in high school and we needed her kinda late on a school night. So I offered to take her to school in the morning. After we had dropped her off, EK asked every 30 minutes when we were picking her up from school, the last time being at 7:30pm. Apparently she thinks Lucy should live with us.
Linking up again today (after a little vacation lapse last week) with Becky at Choose Happy and the other fabulous bloggers in my circle for this week’s Currently. Join us to make some friends and spread the love!
Excited about || my first post published on Scary Mommy! That is a huge deal for me, as I haven’t been sure whether to pursue being published on other sites or not. I write this blog because I love doing it, and so being published elsewhere is really exciting, and opens up a new avenue for me. The fact that my first one is on Scary Mommy is an extra perk- I LOVE their stories. Here’s the link to my post: 10 Life Lessons You Probably Learned in Your 20s
Traveling || to and from my parents’ house in Georgia. It was great to see my family, my best friend from high school (thanks for driving up, Lauren!), and just relax and let my parents love on my kids. The only drawback was a wicked drive on Mother’s Day (between traffic and cranky kids, it wasn’t pretty) and the fact that EK wakes up early to see my dad when she’s at their house. But they have a pool, so my kids got to swim, found a neat park, and we also spent one morning at the local strawberry patch. So fun! (Sorry I’m not sorry about the picture explosion that’s coming.)
The only moment on the way to my parents’ house that was peaceful.Couldn’t get them smiling, but my cuties were enjoying some snuggles with Nana (my maternal grandmother)Kisses for Nana!EK is like a fish.My dad and J, relaxing like bosses.A sweet moment at the strawberry patch before they started fighting.They might have been small, but they were packed with flavor! Yum!EK helping my mom fill her bucket.My boys wandering among the strawberries. (I can’t get over J actually wearing that straw hat!)Hubs snapped this one while I wasn’t looking. It might be one of my favorites of the two of us ever.
(Okay, so I included those last ones because they’re hilarious.)
Working || in the yard! I weeded and watered a bit in our vegetable garden, and then worked in the front yard. After being out of town, the weeds were getting a little out of hand, and it hasn’t done nearly enough raining around here. I think our plants were much happier after an hour’s work.
Indulging || in a pedicure. Especially after working in the yard (barefoot, obviously) I realized my feet had been lacking attention. Partially because I haven’t had time or cared enough, and partially because I can’t reach them very well (#pregnantproblems). So I managed to sneak out for a bit and get them taken care of. Phew!
Pregnant feet, pasty white skin… what’s not to love?
Visiting || all the local events this weekend! On Saturday, Hubby and I took the kiddos to the Children’s Home for their Farm Fest to see some animals and get some produce (and we also got local honey!).
Just hilarious. Typical.
And then we had lunch with some friends at the annual Greek Festival in our town. Just another reason we love Winston-Salem – there are always places to go, and things to see!
Thankful for || an amazing group of friends. We’ve got several couples that we can hang out with all together or one on one (or two on two) or with the kids included, and we always have a great time. I’m thankful for the fact that they’re supportive, loving, funny, understanding, and totally chill. That’s a big one for us. We love spending our time with low-drama, low-maintenance people. Thanks, friends, for being you.
Well that’s all for what’s going on with me… You’re all caught up! What’s going on with you currently?
I’m not saying anything that tons of parents haven’t said before. The idea that potty training is hard is not new. But for some reason, it really hit home how hard it was when I had my first poop-in-big-girl-panties experience. And then the second.
Gross, am I right? Bleaching the underwear, making sure nothing ended up on the floor, trying to firmly scold without shaming said potty trainer… those things are all important. That last one most of all. I feel like I’m stuck in a lame cycle of “Mommy’s so proud you used the potty!” and “We’ll try harder next time.” when what I really want to do is shout, at the top of my lungs, “YOU JUST WENT – WHY DIDN’T YOU POOP THEN?!”
Okay fine. I’ve shouted it. This morning at 8:00am, I shouted it.
I don’t want to shame my daughter. I don’t want to scare her into using the potty. I’d like to her use it for a good reason, like it’s less messy, or it’s more fun (no, that isn’t a stretch). I want to help her do the right thing, whether it’s use that porcelain throne or not bite her brother (I mean, does he taste good or something!?), because she knows to make the right choice, not because she’s scared of what I’ll say or do.
We’re in a season of pushing limits, repeating what I say (THAT is scary, if you’re not a parenting of a talking child yet.) and coming into her own. I’ve learned I have to clean up my mouth, watch my actions, and not project bad feelings onto my kids. She asks if I’m sad or mad when she can tell I’m not happy. And sometimes, I don’t want her to have that feeling put onto her. Sometimes, I don’t really need her to know I’m totally fed up at cleaning her messes when I know good and well she’s able to tell me when she needs to go (she told me once on a farm and used a Port-A-John, for goodness sake). I don’t want her to think I’m disappointed in her.
As for right now, stuck in potty training hell and knowing I’ve got two more rounds to go, I’m trying to set a good example. Not just for the practical side, but also the emotional side. I want to respond to unfavorable situations positively. I want to be an example of grace as I help her correct her mistakes. I want to (figuratively and literally) clean up the mess, and try harder next time. We both need a little grace to be the best we can be.
I’ve had a lot of people ask me about our bedtime routines, and how we transitioned our kids from their upstairs rooms to their downstairs ones after the renovation. Since my kids are (newly) three and (almost) one and a half, it’s a little tricky to get bedtime done “right”.
So it made total sense to post about this when I heard about the #mysleepstyle campaign for Wayfair.com for Better Sleep Month this month! Kids can hate bedtime, and so I’m posting today about how we make bedtime go a little more smoothly at our house!
First, I try not to rush a bedtime. In a perfect world, our routine is pretty long. We give the kids a bath, brush their teeth, have some snuggle time (usually reading a book, telling a story, or sometimes a bit of wind-down tv or movie time, and singing a song or two) and then kisses and goodnight. We try not to drag it out forever, because requests for “sing one more song” or “lay with me a while” can lead to another 30 minutes that they should be sleeping but they aren’t. I like for them to fall asleep on their own if possible, so that they can do it later.
Second, my kids always sleep with a swaddle. It was never stuffed animals or pacifiers or anything with them… they just love their swaddles. So I have to make sure they’re in their beds with them, or there wouldn’t be any sleep in my house.
These Aden and Anais swaddles are some of our favorites!
Third, we have “white noise” in their rooms for naps and bedtimes. Depending on the season, it could be a humidifier, a fan, an air purifier, or just a sound machine, but there’s always some white noise. Honestly, I don’t know if they would sleep without it, but I know that in case we’re watching tv too loudly or one of them wakes in the night, it keeps them from hearing every single sound in the house and waking them up.
This is our sound machine. It also hooks up to an MP3 player, but we’ve never used that feature. Ha!
When we moved them into their “big kid rooms” downstairs, we just made sure they had all the comforts of their old rooms, and they transitioned just fine. EK requests for us to leave her door open (which we typically close after she’s asleep) but that’s her only thing that’s different. J also has his “big boy bed” already in his room (he’s still sleeping in the crib) so that when he’s ready for the transition to a real bed, his room won’t change much. When we moved EK to a real bed, it was pretty tough, because she was also changing rooms entirely. Looking back, it might’ve been too much of a transition at once. There was a lot of getting up and down and just never going to sleep and moving her back into her old room just so she’d go to sleep. We weren’t very firm about it, come to think of it!
EK’s bed, fit for a princess!
J’s sleeping situation.
Well, there you have it! As a mom, that’s #mysleepstyle! Our kids have a routine and a room they love, and often, bedtime goes smoothly for us. What do you do with your kids? Do they have a routine like ours, or a lovey they can’t be without?
This week, we’ve been visiting my parents in Georgia. They have a pool in the backyard, so my kids have been in and out of it since the moment we pulled in the driveway – literally. We got out of the car, and my parents were chilling on the porch, so of course my kids walked over, saw the pool, and flipped out. It was about 8:00pm, but still light out (summer!) so we just stripped them down, put on their Puddle Jumpers (If y’all don’t know about those, they are lifesavers. No pun intended.) and let them jump in. It was a nice stress release after a looooooong drive. Anyway…
So my kids have been spending lots of time out on the porch, or in the driveway, or walking laps around the house, checking out the nature scene. They’ve also been doing a lot of not really wearing clothes (once again, summer!). I mean, J in a diaper and a shirt, or EK in just her undies, it’s been hot, who cares?
So yesterday afternoon, we were all out on the porch, and EK had gotten out of the pool and gotten back into just her undies. She was playing with some magnetic letters, and all the sudden I look over and this is happening:
She’s squatting, watching herself pee, right through the undies, right onto the deck. I just started laughing so hard I couldn’t even tell her to stop! My friend Lauren looked over, and started laughing too, and when Hubby came back outside, I was still laughing so hard I could barely speak. I had literally asked her if she needed to go potty less than five minutes before that. I was a little disappointed, but it was too hilarious for me to care much. Especially because she was proud she’d watched herself go…
This whole potty training thing has been one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever done with EK. And she’s communicating more and more, so her bathroom commentary is hilarious.
Have you ever had a hilarious potty training fail? Tell me about it!
Happy Tuesday! A little life update for ya… on Sunday, we took the road trip from hell to get to Georgia to see my family for a few days. A six hour trip turned into a nine hour trip… needless to say, Monday was a day of recuperation. Or should’ve been. Or whatever. Anyway, we’re here and having a great time! We’ll post some pictures soon.
We went last week for EK’s 3-year check up at the doctor, and came away with a couple of gems, and they’ve been repeated several times since then:
EK: Dr. Rainey says big girls poop in the potty! Like mommy!
EK (with her doctor’s kit in hand): Can I give you a check up? You’re going to be just fine.
One day, getting in the car, Hubby was strapping EK in, and must have pinched her leg a bit: Daddy! You pinched my leg! This is your last chance!
EK, to our babysitter: mommy and daddy are going on a gate.
Babysitter: what do they do on their date?
EK: eat dessert!
EK: My eyes are blue!
Me: actually, your eyes are hazel, just like daddy’s.
(A little while later) EK: my eyes are basil, just like daddy!
J, putting on a tiara: Hat! (He knows boys don’t typically wear tiaras!)
EK, mid road trip to GA: mom! I’m NOT gonna pee in my pull-up!
Me: Great choice, sweetie! I’m so proud!
EK: I have to potty NOW!
Me: Ryan, find a Starbucks! NOW!! (They typically have clean bathrooms.)
Me: Can you tell Necie (my mom) Happy Mother’s Day?
EK: Necie! It’s happy Mother’s Day!
Picking strawberries with my aunt Jan and my mom…
EK: Can I have some ice cream? (They were selling fresh strawberry ice cream)
Me: It’s almost time for lunch. Maybe after lunch!
(A little later, Jan is eating her ice cream.)
EK: Can I have some ice cream?
Jan: Sure, you can have a bite of mine!
EK: No! I want my own!
Jan: I think yours is inside and you can have it later.
EK, coming inside with Jan: Can I have a bite of your ice cream?
Jan: I just finished it….
I AM SO EXCITED about this third child we’re going to welcome into our family. We prayed for him (a lot… that story is here.) and have been waiting and waiting for him to arrive. We knew we wanted him from the get-go. We’ve always said we wanted three or four kids, so we knew he was in our plan. We were not (all that) surprised when I found out I was pregnant, and we have not been a bit disappointed since finding out. Now. That being said…
I’m going to miss just having two kiddos.
Today, the three of us were on a walk. We were, as always, in my double jogger (Love it. Gotta have it. Couldn’t have lived my life this far without it.) just cruising the neighborhood with snacks and water bottles, talking about the color of the car that just drove by, the kinds of foliage we passed, and enjoying the not-too-hot-yet sunshine. I had a thought as we rounded the corner towards home: Our days doing this are numbered. Not necessarily because we won’t be able to stroll around the neighborhood any more. But because I’ll either be carrying one on my back/front, or letting EK walk beside the stroller (ie: freaking out that she’ll be running into the street at any moment) or having someone else to come with us to push another single stroller or push mine while I wear the baby. Hubby goes on walks with us fairly often, but usually it’s special time for the three of us. Soon, for a little while at least, our walks will be cut short because baby D will need to nurse, or he’ll have a blowout, or I will just plain be too tired for an hour-long walk like today’s.
I know – this seems like a first world problem, along with things like “Do I need to buy a different car to fit all those child seats?” and “It’s going to be tough getting out the door with three jackets and sets of shoes to put on.” I know that these phases are short. The time with these kids being so young and needy will fly, and I may even look back and wish it was still here.
But my walk this afternoon with my two amazing, curious, adorable sweeties shed some light on my feelings and changed how I’ll look at these last 12 weeks before my due date. I won’t try to rush through them. I won’t spend all my time preparing for the next baby – like I would have been able to anyway, right? I’ll be thankful for the time that I can lavish on my eldest two. I’ll cherish the one-on-one time I have with J while EK is at preschool. I’ll enjoy the long walks with just the two of them. I’ll love the girls’ lunch dates I like to have with just EK, or sometimes a girlfriend or two. I’ll love playing on the floor, amidst the giggles and tickles, right before bedtime. I’ll do everything I can with my two before I’ll be splitting my attention with another little sweetie who needs me.
We're Only Hsuman... 