She Did It!

As previously mentioned, Lyla decided she wanted to get her ears pierced as a stepping stone to turning four. If you care to read about how I terribly over-analyzed this decision when she was a baby, feel free to click here ---> [hi] I have to laugh at my silly self now, but at the time it seemed substantial enough to require some critical thinking. I actually feel completely neutral about babies with pierced ears, it's really not a big deal. Alas, I'm glad we ultimately left it as a choice to make for herself, even though it does make her look way more grown up.

We arrived to the salon on Monday morning right as another little girl was getting her ears pierced. Unfortunately, we entered the doors simultaneously as her screams echoed throughout the building and her arms were being held down in a locked position. It was a serious case of terrible timing. We tried to distract Lyla as best we could and luckily she was unaffected by the other little girls apparent traumatic experience. 

I fully expected Lyla's nerves to creep in and for her to chicken out. To my surprise, she remained confident as she picked out her earrings and sat in the chair. She waited patiently for the employee to finish with another customer, remaining cool, calm, & collected. 

When the time finally came, I laughed as Lyla refused to hold my hand or the stuffed animal they had to offer comfort. She basically had the attitude of "let's just get this over with" and that's exactly what they did. It was a simple process and I was shocked when Lyla didn't even let out a peep. Considering she sometimes wails when I brush her hair, I assumed a needle going through her ear might generate some real tears. Nope. She was so brave. In fact, I was the one with leaky eyeballs. Haha! I'm so proud of my girl.

They gave her an official certificate and we filled it out when we got back home. One of the questions asked who she was excited to show her ears to. I thought her answer was cute... "everyone, except for people I don't know." Then she said, "write it in just like that, Mom."

This reminds me a lot of the method in which she stopped using her bottle. I stressed for months about taking away her bottle, as all my attempts seemed to fail. I finally decided to just let it be when Lyla openly agreed to throw away all her bottles when she turned three. We encouraged this idea, but really didn't expect a three year old to have so much self-control. I assumed it was just a stall tactic, yet it was a justifiable excuse to ease my worries about having a bottle dependent daughter. We celebrated her third birthday and without any mention she announced that she would no longer use a bottle. No questions, no complaints, no crying --- she was just done, all on her own. Although there was little involvement from her parents, I still consider it an incredible victory saying goodbye to bottles. 

Anyway, I think this ear piercing decision was a lot like that one. She has been talking for months about how she would get her ears pierced when she turned four. Thanks to Kirk, she was fully aware the procedure required a needle going through her earlobe. But she insisted she would be ready at four years of age. And once again, she followed through just as she said she would.

Link to YouTube video: Phase One  & Phase Two

 

Odds & Ends

Lyla & Max are continuing to evolve as they learn & gain more independence. Lyla is nearly four years old and I'm already astonished at how much she has changed in such a short time. I wonder what another four years is going to do to me!? I think that's the incredible thing about parenthood, being the one common denominator as these tiny creatures transform from helpless infants into beautiful beings. It is truly a privilege to be a witness as they experience the world around them. They may not remember these early years, but I will forever. 

Anyway, being on the parenting end of this childhood experience, there are some habits that I can't wait to be kicked to the curb, while there are others I bury in the deepest pit of my heart. These are a few of their most recent quirks. I can only hope that I will continue to find humor in any odd behavior that occurs as we journey through their adolescence. If I think they are feisty now, I can only imagine what will happen when those hormones & emotions start brewing. Umm please stay little. 

1. Although Max's language may still sound foreign to some, I can comprehend what he is talking about most of the time. My very favorite phrase he says is "you're welcome!" The way his voice squishes the sounds together is so adorable. He also says "bo" instead of "no" which I find humorous. I will be sad when he eventually corrects himself, just like when Lyla started referring to herself in the proper context. I miss the days when she called herself "me" no matter what. 

2. There is no denying that Lyla has developed the blood of a true Texan. We left a house a few times recently when the temperature had only reached the mid 60's. The instant we walked out the front door Lyla started in on complaining about how it felt so cold. Her exact words were something like, "It feels like Idaho out here!" I think my tongue started bleeding as I refrained from calling her a wimp and instead went inside to get her a jacket. I haven't even broke 30 years old and already starting with the "back in my day..." stories!

3. One of Max's favorite go-to snacks are these chocolate chip protein bars. It's convenient and simple...or so one would think. If that bar happens to break in half or even if a corner falls off --- watch out. I often find myself repairing the snack just to avoid a meltdown and other times I just let him deal with it. I've explained to him countless times that if he wishes to keep the bar in one piece, he must ease up on the Hulk grip. I think to myself, "Oh my hell. It's broken....so what...just eat it!!!" The two year old brain doesn't seem to grasp that logic and it's a situation that can get ugly real quick! It's madness I tell you!

4. Lyla starts a good portion of our conversations these days with, "Mom, can I ask you something?" She will ask that question regardless if she has something to ask me or not. Sometimes after asking this question she will simply respond with "I love you." She is pretty cute. She knows I think it's cute, so she cleverly added this to her bag of tricks for postponing bedtime. 

5. I tend to sing randomly throughout the day, usually just a handful of lyrics that apply to whatever I am doing at the time. It's like I have singing turrets or something. Well. Max disapproves of this habit and has no problem expressing so. If he catches me singing he will grab my entire face and whisper the words "shh. shh. shh." into my ear. All this does is make me want to sing more because I really really love when his little hands grab my face. I hope he doesn't catch on anytime soon!

Sleep Routines

It's that time of year again when we change our clocks, allowing daylight to stick around just a little while longer. Although the adjustment can feel like we are getting an hour of our day robbed from us, I actually prefer this time change because it means it's still light when Kirk gets home from work. However, any time change means a potential disruption in our sleep schedule. Bedtime has definitely been sneaking up on me the past couple days. 

Our babies are not natural born lovers of sleep, especially Lyla. That girl has some wild sleeping patterns. I've always tried to be really consistent with our bedtime rituals and stick to a schedule. I feel like it's the least I can do to help them out. But as our kids grow, their needs and wants change and so does our bedtime routine. We've been in the same groove for a few months now and I've really enjoyed it. 

Lyla's bedtime has always been a little later than I would typically like, but Kirk doesn't arrive home from work until 7:00 --- give or take thirty minutes. So ever since our move to Texas we set her bedtime at 9:00 so she could spend some time with her dad without feeling rushed to get through dinner and get ready for bed. Max isn't a night owl like Lyla and he could never make it until 9:00. He's always been on the 8:00 bedtime schedule, until recently. 

I used to incorporate bath time into our nightly routine, especially when they were little babies. Obviously it makes more sense to bathe them after the inevitable mess created during dinner, but for the same reason of not feeling rushed when dad gets home, we now like to get baths taken care of late afternoon. or whenever --- since baths are a source of a fun time for them!

Because the needs of these kiddos are constantly changing, we've been able to merge their bedtime routines over the past several months. It's turned into our nightly family activity and I will be very upset if anything [like the time change!] screws us up. I just wanted to dedicate this blog post to giving a detailed description of our evening on a typical basis. It might be boring to read, but it's mostly for my own reference. I know the day will come when Max refuses to be rocked to sleep. The day will come when my arm no longer goes numb from rubbing Lyla's back. Those dreadful days are ahead and when they do come, at least I can look back to this blog and remember all these treasured memories. 

Here we go!

Around 8:00 the whole family climbs into Lyla's bed for story time. Lyla and Max pick out an assortment of books. The book about a freight train and the superhero books are regulars. Kirk likes to spice up the repetitiveness with some really impressive voices. His sound effects are pretty awesome too. Then after our twenty-ish minute snuggle sesh, Kirk always asks Max if he wants dad to put him to bed. That's when Max clings to me while saying "Mom!" Actually, it really sounds like "Meeeehm" when he says it. Max gives hugs and kisses to Kirk and Lyla, then we venture off to his room. Max still thinking he is the boss for choosing who puts him to bed, when really that is all part of our sneaky plan to build some enthusiasm about going to his bedroom. 

I sit with Max in his chair for approximately ten minutes. I rub his back and talk to him about his day. His body is getting so long that, I must admit, it's getting a little awkward to hold him like a baby, but I will make it work as long as possible. Then I lay him in his crib with his binky, he wraps his arm around hulk, rolls over and closes his eyes. Sometimes he gets a little feisty about the order in which his blankets get put on top of him. It's a bit of a communication issue, as I can't exactly figure out what his deal is with the blankets. But after a few tries of putting them on in a different order, he usually seems satisfied. It's a weird thing. He settles in and sleeps until morning. We snuggle in bed in the morning until Kirk gets in the shower, then Max is usually eager to join him in getting ready for work.

While I'm saying goodnight to Max, Kirk remains in Lyla's room. They started this new habit of drawing funny faces on pictures and then posting them to Snapchat. I eventually come back to Lyla's room and she promptly orders Kirk to leave. It's like she is excusing him from his shift. It's pretty funny. This is when the serious rituals start. Lyla will not close her eyes until we complete all of the following steps. And if I try to rush through or skip anything, she knows. There are some nights when I wonder what I got myself into with all these elaborate steps I've created. 

The first thing we talk about is our day. I always ask her to tell me something that made her happy. Then I ask her to tell me something that made her mad or sad. It's actually a great time to reflect on any disagreements we may have had. She is generally pretty logical, but there are times throughout our week when she gets so overwhelmed with emotion that it's difficult for her to comprehend logic. It's easier to talk about those times when we are laying in her bed. It's also a good time for me to acknowledge my own imperfections. I tend to apologize to her for being impatient or a lazy listener. Then she wants to know our plans for the following day. This is fun, except on the days that I don't have anything planned activity wise. Then I just have to make playing with barbies sound like the best day ever, which is actually what Lyla would prefer to do most days anyhow!  

You would think she would be good with a hug & kiss after all that, but no. The next thing I do is list out "all the people who love lyla..." I say all the names in this slow, methodical voice. There have been times when I try to say the names at a faster pace, especially if I'm tired or there is a TV show I am itching to watch. Lyla does not allow it. "Mom, you aren't doing it right..." Now I've learned my lesson that it's best to just do it right the first time. The list goes like this:

"Your mommy loves you. Your daddy loves you. Max loves you. Krew loves you. Kurt & Bya love you. Charli, Jeremy, & Hali love you. Grandma Julie loves you. Grandpa Monte loves you. Cameron loves you. Ashton & Jarem love you. Taylor & Jordan love you. Sydney, Rob, & Scarlett love you. Grandma Anna loves you. And Carl. Grandpa Dave loves you. Grandma Carter loves you. Grandpa Paul & Grandma Shelby love you. Uncle Jake loves you. Grandma Paula loves you. Grandpa Steve loves you. Grandpa Rick loves you. Grandma Becky. Aunt Kari and Chad love you. And Madison, Chloe, & Libby. And those are all the people who love Lyla."

*Please note* Although the names on this list are clearly of elite status, it does not include all members who undoubtedly have love for Lyla. If you feel your name should be included on this list and it isn't, please do not take it as a personal attack. It is not our intention to offend anyone or hurt feelings. There are additional names I've considered adding, but I simply do not wish to create more dialogue in our already very tedious night time routine. Oh. And the list is in no particular order either. I know my gram might start over thinking that one!  *Carry on*

The name game concludes and that's when I begin scratching Lyla's back. In a perfect world she is starting to feel sleepy. Her eyes are getting heavy and I watch her transition into her first phase of sleep. It's nice when that happens. It makes me feel pretty victorious. In reality, she usually starts pulling out the stall tactics after a few minutes of getting her back scratched. She will ask for a family picture, for the hall light to be turned on, or some water. Every once in awhile she will start her sentence with "umm...um...um..." and that's when I know she is getting desperate for an excuse. 

If this happens, I will stay in her bed until she does fall asleep. It's not unusual for me to doze off as well. If I have work to do or blogging, Lyla is agreeable to me being on my laptop outside of her bedroom. The tapping noise from my typing must be continuous though or she starts calling my name. 

In a perfect world she sleeps in her bed until morning. It's nice when that happens. In reality, she usually sneaks into our room in the middle of the night. At least now she does so silently, instead of her old ways of screaming bloody murder her entire walk to our bedroom. It really doesn't bother us when she comes to our bedroom though. The only time we question why we allow it is when she starts doing cartwheels and someone gets a kick to the face.

It's funny how typing all this out suddenly made this process seem so ridiculous. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. What matters is that it works for us. The days can be full of so much chaos, having a predictable evening is sometimes what I look forward to the most. It's the most peaceful part of my day. 

2014 Review

2014: a fantastic year for me & my family! 

We persevered through the emotional roller coaster of Lyla turning two. I have a feeling three is going to have a brand new bag of surprises! 

My baby boy turned one & decided to start acting like a toddler. *crying noises*

March came with the arrival of our baby niece, Scarlett. I need to squeeze her. 

I married my best friend in August. It was the perfect wedding for us & never would have been possible without my amazing support system. 

Our best friends lived with us almost the entire year. It was awesome. Then they went and broke our hearts in October. *more crying noises*

I finally wasn't pregnant. *

*I loved both of my pregnancies, creating life is a beautiful thing. However, it's been since 2010 since I went a whole year without carrying a little person inside me. My body finally feels rejuvenated. 

I think I forgot to tell my blog that Lyla got to meet Queen Elsa.
What a TREAT! 

I sorta think resolutions are a ridiculous trend, yet I tend to make them anyway. 

The new year symbolizes a fresh start. It's a time to reflect on all of one's accomplishments and acknowledge any douche-like behaviors. Soooo. Besides all the normal stuff like be kind, be present, be on time, be active, be me...here it goes:

I'm going to work on being more patient. I constantly find myself asking Lyla to take a deep breath, when sometimes I need to slow down and do the same. This simple act really helps. 

I'm going to drink less caffeine. I'm pretty much a coffee/energy drink junkie. And I ask myself, for what reason? It does nothing to energize me. It's simply a bad habit that I'm going to [try to] replace with H20.

I'm going to take better care of my skin. umm aka use anti-wrinkle cream. Is that a totally vein resolution? Yeah. Well. I already made my first purchase, so too bad. I noticed some eye wrinkles and my 25 year old self is not ready to embrace any of that nonsense. Get out of here wrinkles! Young & vibrant skin is making a come back! 

The 2014 Guest list Includes: 

Priscilla spent an entire month in Texas. I can't believe that was already almost a full year ago.

Grandma Paula & Steve visited. Grandma is the world's best pretender. We had so much fun & even convinced them to stay a couple extra days! 

My mom & grandpa Dave road tripped all the way here. Taking care of toddlers and old people is pretty great material for a reality TV show. 

Monte, Julie, Cameron, Sydney, Rob & Baby Scarlett traveled via airplane to spend some time with us, including a weekend in Galveston. Beach house = yes. Beach with Babies = pass. 

Taylor and Jordan partied it up in Texas all summer long. We miss them! 

I kidnapped Libby for ten days, for the second year in a row. I'm looking forward to continuing that tradition again this summer. 

I just love having guests & there are many more I plan on bribing/luring/tempting in 2015.

Cheers to making 2015 another great year! 

New Month

January was a challenging month---parenting wise.

We made a lot of changes & the babies made some big strides.

Time felt like it was going by incredibly sloooow, but what do you know, it's already February!

Lyla turned two! That's a big deal.
Her new outbursts aren't as shocking when they occur.

I know she isn't being malicious or trying to be defiant. 

She is just being two & figuring out what this big world is all about.

Plus, generally she really is a good listener. 

She has a gentle, sweet spirit & is such a wonderful sister.

She ditched the nighttime bottle. That's got to be tough.

And dare I even say it, she is potty trained. Undies all day long.

No diaper at night & she has even used the potty in public. 

Public restrooms generally give me the creeps & I try to avoid them all together.

But I've learned there are two types of people who can't exactly 'wait' like the rest of us...

1. pregnant people. 2. toddler people. 

I find myself saying "ew don't touch that" at least 20 times each visit.

My other favorite is, "for the love of god, do not crawl under the stall." 

That was fun. I was basically defenseless, as I was mid-pee myself.

We are still struggling with pooping process. Different sensation I suppose.

I'm not worried about it. I'm impressed by her progress already. She's a smartie.

Anyways...different topic.

As you know, Max started crawling. 

He is definitely cruising from room to room now.

He advanced from the unsteady turtle-like pace in a matter of days.

And with that, he has started pulling himself up on furniture and/or human legs.

This has resulted in a lot more injury to that noggin of his.

Which reminds me of another 'mother of the year award' moment.

The other morning he crawled right off the bed. 

I don't know if I should tell the truth or lie: which sounds worse?

[did I fall asleep or was I awake & not paying attention..]

The truth is I dozed off after Kirk got into the shower and suddenly I heard a thud. 

He was perfectly fine. However, in my half-asleep haze I initially

 thought his nose was pressed flat against his face. 

Oh Max. I have a feeling that won't be the last time you make my heart sink.

I remember Lyla being such a cautious baby compared to Max.

Whether it be stairs or the edge of my bed, she would always  stare off the edge from

 a distance, as if she knew it wouldn't be wise to inch any closer.

Oh well. Max is a boy. Boys get bruises.

I suppose I'm not really the over-protective type parent.

For the most part, I let him explore and figure out that 

balance & coordination stuff without restriction.

The one exception to that statement is bath time. 

Suddenly, Max has transformed to Evil Knievel in the water.

This includes trying to pull himself up on slippery items and 

submerging his face underwater mid-crawl.

He thinks this behavior is hilarious until he starts coughing

 up the gallon of water he swallowed.

It's a delightful experience.

 He is limited to one inch of water until further notice.

Further, Kirk & I have surrendered to the persistent sleeping issues. 

We don't want everyone in the house to suffer from sleep deprivation and 

after many battles, we've accepted that we are the house of never ending newborn syndrome.

It is what it is & it won't last forever. 

Max seemed to be sleeping better after a weekend of sleep training boot camp.

Then his two top teeth emerged and with that, he went back to his old ways.

Lyla seems to be falling asleep easier, but continues to wake up

 in a state of panic at least once per night.

By morning, both babies end up in our bed.  

It's hilarious cause I always said I would never allow that. 

I do admit, I love the cuddles & watching their peaceful faces as they sleep is a beautiful thing.

Although, one thing that would make this family bonding time more enjoyable is a bigger bed.

I'm considering starting a charity. Obviously it's for a good cause. 

Life continues to move at lightning speed & I'm excited for what's in store this month!