At 2

Levi is two for about 25 more hours.  Unless God has some other plans, this will be the last 25 hours of a two year old living in my home.  It makes me sad.  He's growing into a little boy more and more each day.

I love that he communicates so well, except when he won't stop talking for even 30 seconds!  I love that he is potty trained, except for when he sleeps and apparently wouldn't wake up (or care?) if he was floating in urine.  I love that he wants to do everything his sisters do, except when it's something too old for a two year old to be doing like asking to play games on my phone and telling me we should go to Sonic and "get a coke". 

Today I asked him a few questions to get a glimpse of the Two-Year-Old Levi.

me  Levi, how old are you?
ldp 2.  I'm 2, Mom.  I'm 2, MOM!

me  What's your favorite color?
ldp Puhple!  I told you...puhple!  *It's been green forever, but he told me last night he wanted to paint his room purple ;)

me  What's your favorite food, Levi?
ldp Orange!  Mmmhmmm.  No!  Crackers!

me  Who's your favorite person?
ldp Zoe because she sees me and says, {in a high-pitched squeak} "Oh there's Levi.  He's my favorite friend to play with.   Come play with me, Levi!"

me But Zoe is a dog.  Who is your favorite person?
ldp {silence, taps on chin}
me {whispering} Mommy?
ldp Yeah!  Mommy!

me  What's your favorite thing to do at gymnastics?
ldp Jump on the trampoline!

me  What are you going to be when you grow up?
ldp A cow!  But, who will be the farmer to feed all the farm animals?

me  When's your birthday, Levi?
ldp March 4th.  It's soon!  I'm excited!

on potty training

Potty training and I are not friends!  I used to say it was the worst thing I'd had to deal with in parenting up until now.  I'm not sure that's true anymore.  (I think sending my babies off to school and missing them so much for so much of the day is way worse than potty training.  But, of course, I used to make that oh-so-wise statement before I had any school-aged children.)

I don't know if it's because I've done it a couple times before or because of the gender difference, but Levi has been a piece of cake compared to his sisters.  Most likely, it's a little of both.  Or maybe it's because my worst-parenting-issue-to-deal-with-up-to-now has changed and potty training now seems like small potatoes.

We're a few weeks in and he's still going strong.  Pee-ing came pretty naturally to him.  Maybe I should clarify, standing up to pee in the potty and then pee-ing again all over the bed while sleeping came naturally to him.  Oh, and, of course stripping down and pee-ing all over the trampoline while his sisters squealed came naturally to him. 

I used diapers/pull-ups while Addison was sleeping when I trained her, but I went straight to panties 24/7 when I trained Libby.  It seemed like Addi's training dragged on and on and on.  So, after we got past Libby's extreme stubborness, the initial training was much easier with her.  Of course, she's Busy, so we went through years (still going through?) of her not wanting to stop whatever she was doing to go potty and then not being able to make it in time.  I opted to go the no diaper/pull-up route with Levi.  The problem was ("See, the problem is..."Makes no sense to anyone, but B :) he never woke when he went in the bed.  And, then when he woke from his nap or in the morning and he was soaked (and sometimes dirty), it didn't bother him!  Not one bit!  In fact, sometimes he would argue and whine while I stripped him down and cleaned him up. 

Finally, this week, I'd had enough.  Enough changing clothes and sheets 3 times a day and enough laundry!  I had two diapers left and I stuck one on him Monday night.  The other one was used during naptime on Tuesday.  We made a quick trip to Target to buy our last (fingers crossed) box of diapers and he's set for a while.  I was so afraid I'd get him "hooked" on diapers again.  It doesn't look that way, but we're only a few days in.  And, you know, it will still be years before he starts sleeping over with friends, so as long as he's out of diapers by then, I think it's fine. 

The moral of this story:  each child is truely unique and what you do for one, you really can't do for all!  Mothering sure would be easier if you could treat them all the same, but it wouldn't be nearly as interesting :)

He's all boy

No time for pictures or many words today.

I just opened our front door and a little boy, probably about 4, was standing near his bike parked on the sidewalk across the street. His mom told him to get back on and start pedaling, but he yelled, "First I have to scare the rabbit! "

It made me laugh. I might have ignored it or even felt sorry for the poor rabbit before I had Levi. But, now, I'm that mom. I have seen my boy chase a rabbit down the street roaring loudly the whole way. It's just in him to act that way and it's just in me to love him all the more when he does.

day 98

I spent way too much time today prepping bribing begging coaxing Levi to perform for the video camera. After all that investment, I couldn't let the vidoes sit on my camera until later in the week, so I spent even more time uploading them to the computer and them embedding them into this post. I mean a really absurd amount of time. I should be embarrassed. Instead, I'll just spend a little more time explaining the videos. :)

I'd noticed Levi could count to 3. Not super-impressive since he's 2 and all, but last week I thought I'd teach him to count to 5. I said, "Let's count, Levi. One..." He followed my lead and said, "Two..." I got to 5 and he said, "Six..." We got all the way to 10! I was impressed with that since I'd worked on counting with him exactly one time, including that time. So, I did what anyone would. I called Bryan at work and had our son perform. I then had him do it again when Libby got home from preschool and then again when Addi got home from school. Partly because I was proud and partly because it was just so darn cute! Bryan mentioned getting it on video and that's what I set out to do today.

However, Levi was done performing. We tried about 20 times. I even promised him a pop-pop (lollipop) even though he'd already had one two earlier at the store. (I know! I never, ever would've have given one of the girls candy to keep them busy in a store. I'm so ashamed I just admitted it! Does it make it any better that they're organic??)

He never counted. While the tape was rolling, that is. Every time I stopped recording he begged to see and then he answered every question I asked. Every question he'd refused to answer while being recorded. But, what I got was good enough and then I thought I'd share one of the less frustrating other attempts. Enjoy!

Note: For some reason there are 3 videos here with the first 2 being the same. I have tried deleting one. I'm not spending anymore time on it. Sorry!

http://vimeo.com/10565721 from ginny parker on Vimeo.

leviouttakes from ginny parker on Vimeo.

We'll be leavin' on jet plane

bound for New York in just 2 days!

So, I'm blogging. It's not like I have anything else to do! I know it makes no sense, I don't blog for week(s) and then decide to write a catch-up post when I should be packing, cleaning, cooking, etc., etc., etc. I work well under the pressure of a deadline. At least, that's what I tell myself. :)

Since I last posted, we've been busy.

Levi has had lots of time to play with Zoe. It has either rained or been too cold (or both!) for her to stay outside. She's an old dog and used to thrive outdoors in ice, snow, wind, and rain, but now we bring her in on especially cold days/nights. On the few sunny days we've had, she's begged to go out. That causes Levi to either stand at the back door calling her or follow me around begging to go "'side ZoZo?"

How he loves that dog!

Bryan has been to Houston a few times for work and was able to stay last weekend so he could make the short drive to College Station for one of his best buddies promotion party. Congratulations, Major Glenn! I didn't even think of sending him with the camera so we have no pictures of the weekend. Maybe that's actually better since I've happened upon some of the pictures he has from college with all his buddies. Surely they've matured since then, right?! He had a great time and best of all (for him) he missed the stomach bug Addi brought home from school on Friday. I didn't get any pictures of that event either. You're welcome.




My parents came over just before bedtime one night with ice cream and all the fixings. The kids had a blast making sundaes and them gobbling them up! They didn't stay long, claiming they didn't want to keep the kids up too late, fleeing before the sugar had time to really affect the little darlings. The joys of grandparent-hood!



Thanks, Grammy and Grandpa for cementing in their minds that I will never be as fun as their grandparents. :) (I'm being completely genuine in my appreciation. Otherwise I wouldn't have as ready an excuse when I deny fun..."Sorry that's a Grammy/Nana thing!")



I've also decided to finish begin finishing work on a project I started before Addi's birthday. In November. I saw somewhere on a blog, and I wish I knew where, a project this lady did in her playroom. She took cute, colorful scrapbook paper and used glue dots to attach them to one wall. The result was an adorable patchwork looking wall! I thought it would be perfect for two spots in Addison's room. I waited until the scrapbook paper was 50% off at Hobby Lobby. After I had all my supplies I climbed a ladder one Sunday evening (thinking it would only take about a hour or so) to attach the squares. Then I realized what I'd gotten myself into. You see the wall I saw was a regular, perpendicular-to-the-floor wall. The walls I am working on are angled. It took about 3 minutes for the papers to begin fluttering to the floor. After a few more trips to Hobby Lobby, I was convinced I would have to hot glue those babies to the ceiling/walls and I wasn't sure how that would look in a few years when she wants a room redo. I consulted with a good, crafty friend and she mentioned ModPodge. I had started mulling over attaching the papers to poster boards and then tacking the poster boards to the ceiling/walls. So, a couple nights ago, my strong, handsome, awesome husband moved a couple 6-foot tables into our entryway from the garage. Yesterday I began "gluing" the papers down and then ModPodge-ing over them. It has gotten way complicated, but I'm determined to win this one! Because the size of the papers do not divide evenly into the size of the poster boards, I have to deal with overlap. I plan on lightly ModPodge-ing the overlaps into place once I have all the posters up. This is what it looks like so far. Keep in mind the papers hanging down are the overlap pieces, including about 4 inches of the tops from each on the top row.

When I first brainstormed this project, I knew the corner would be difficult. I'm worried about it now since the "easy" part has been anything but!

The other two walls are normal angles. I'm so thankful now that I only have 2 ceiling/walls to do! That took 4 poster boards and 1 more will be more than enough for the rest of that wall. I'll have to do at least 4 on top of those and the same amount on the other side. I should be done before Christmas! Then I'll just have to get her curtains made, but maybe I won't do those since the last time we completed her room, we found out a couple months later we'd be moving. :)

If I ever finish When I finish, I'll be sure to post pictures.

Now I'm off to eat lunch, finish packing Libby and Levi (because they're going to Poppa and Nana's "in just 2 days!" I've heard all day), lightly ModPodge in Addi's room, shower (no, I haven't done that yet today!), and pick Addi up from school. Then we'll do homework, do chores, cook supper, eat, take baths, put the kids to bed, and I'll pack myself. And, then I fall into bed thinking up new projects to waste my time and make my life more complicated!

Oh, by the way, I'm totally counting these pics as photos for today (and yesterday and the day before...). :)

photo 71 and a little Levi business

This is a first! Never, before yesterday, had one of my babies fallen asleep at the table. I've heard tales of this phenomenon and even witnessed it from other children on occasion. Of course, it happened at the most inconvenient time. I gave Levi a snack and began fixing our lunch. (Mothering 101 taught me that when I wait too long to start a meal, I must quiet my screaming child with a snack!) The next thing I knew, he's slumped over with his chubby hand still grasping for dried pineapple. About 90 seconds later he was snoring.
He's made himself a little more comfortable here. Do you see the glistening drool? It was all down the side of his seat. :) We needed to leave right after we ate to pick Libby up from preschool, so I couldn't take him to bed and let him sleep out his nap. So, I woke him, stuffed him and threw him in the car, hoping he would take a decent nap once we got back home. Good news! It worked!

If you haven't noticed, Levi got a haircut. I just couldn't stand his 90210 sideburns any longer. I also cringe everytime I have to pay $15+ for his 5 minute haircuts. So, I took matters into my own hands. He and I got into the bathtub and away I went with the clippers. I used the longest guard, but it took A LOT off. Once I started I had to finish and we ended up with a much shorter look than I was going for. It's a bit uneven and patchy and Bryan thinks I need to take him somewhere to have it fixed, but I think it's fine. What do you think?

Last thing: You know that kids are born with the ability to know the minute their moms get on the phone or walk into the bathroom, right? Well, I snuck to the potty this morning and no sooner had I lifted the lid than Levi started twisting the doorknob. He hasn't quite mastered as much rotation as is needed to successfully open a door, yet. I remained as quiet as possible wondering if he would get bored and leave, but he began knocking after a few failed attempts at opening the door. I said, "Oh, someone's at the door! Who is it?" Levi's answer, "Idnnoo!" [translation: I don't know] He makes me laugh. :)

photo 53

A few days ago I was fiddlin' with my camera trying to position it to take a self-timer picture of all 5 of us. Levi saw me and naturally thought I wanted him to sit and say, "Cheese!" When I reviewed the pictures I almost deleted it and then I noticed he looked so old. He'll be two in 3 months. My Little Man is certainly not a baby anymore. At 21 months, he wears 18-24 month sized clothes and weighs about 27 pounds. He says Momma, DaDa, Addi, Bibby, ZoZo, Nooo-ah (no), 'mumm (yes mam), YEE Haw (everytime he sees a horse/donkey/mule), outside, moow (more), milll (milk), eat, amen, nigh-nigh (night-night), and bike. That's all I can think of right now, but there's more. He loves to sing, "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider", "Jesus Loves Me", and "If You're Happy and You Know It". Levi no longer likes being buckled into his carseat. I have to bribe him with getting to see ZoZo as soon as we get home. If we are leaving the house, I just have to force him in. It's not pretty, some days. :) Zoe is his best friend. I don't know that he's necessarily her best friend, but he talks more about ZoZo than anyone else in his life. He's an active, outdoors-y kind of boy loving the trampoline, sandbox, playground, riding in his bike seat, dancing, throwing anything, and running. I have to steal kisses now because begging no longer works. Cars and balls are his favorite toys with small animals (especially "scary" ones...ones he thinks and, therefore, makes growl) coming in after them. As of Saturday, Levi no longer takes a morning nap. He still wants to and he's usually down for his afternoon nap by noon, but he was taking a long morning nap and then refusing to take an afternoon nap and then he'd progress to full meltdown mode by 4 pm. We're still working out the kinks in his new schedule. He likes to eat oatmeal, Cheerios, peanut butter sandwiches, mac and cheese, any fruit, especially berries and "appies", grilled cheese sandwiches, most casseroles, a lot of soups, yogurt, string cheese, Kashi cereal bars, beans, "pop pops" (lollipops), and really anything sweet. Meat is still his least favorite food. I'm hoping it's because he doesn't have the teeth to chew it. Those should be here soon since it looks like he has small grapes hidden beneath his gums. Of course, we've learned soon when it comes to Levi's teething is a relative term. The poor kid might turn 2 and still only have 4 teeth on top and 4 teeth on bottom. Surely not! Right?! My life was forever changed by this precious boy and I thank God for the honor of being his mother each day.

Well, I'm nothing if not consistent about skipping a day every once in a while. (aka photo 51)

I'm lookin' for the positives here, People!

I took this picture knowing I would post it yesterday. I even uploaded to my computer. But, I fell asleep on the couch snuggling with my best snuggler (REP, if you're not sure...she's always warm, still has enough baby-fat left to be squishy, and is amazingly still when she wants to snuggle.) after our Family Night movie.

Yesterday afternoon, the 3 were especially wired. Like running through the house, jumping off the stairs, using their "outside" voices, making messes, and unintentionally hurting one another wired! I sat down on the floor with Levi and Libby (trying to make a presence of authority known!) to throw/roll a ball in between us. Addi decided to join in because, clearly, we needed some instructing. :) And, then, an amazing thing happened. I told them I needed to start supper, but they could keep playing and they did! They played nicely for about 20 minutes until Bryan came home and hyped them all back up. I know, I know, don't bet on that game ever working again!

photo 43

Don't let those crumbs all over the floor bother you. They were picked up in a matter of seconds. When we still lived in Raleigh, my friend Diane asked if I let Zoe come in after mealtimes to clean the floor. That was something I had never even thought of doing, but am I ever glad she mentioned it! Zoe is too! :)

yummy

So, have you discovered this food blog yet? I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Our Best Bites, but my family sure was glad I had when I made these cupcakes for Addi's birthday. Enjoy!

photo 14

When will I learn?! It never fails, I'll decide to try a new baking recipe when I'm making something for an event. In this case, I was lazy and didn't want to run to the store for ingredients, so I found a recipe that worked with what we already had. Thankfully, Bryan grabbed some never-fail cookies yesterday.

I don't think he was planning on me making them for other people though!

Problem, meet Solution.

I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been a tad irregular and inconsistent with the blog posts in the last few weeksmonths (years?). It just seems as though something always takes a higher priority. First, it was the nausea and exhaustion from my last pregnancy (but, hello!, that was 2 years ago). Then my excuse was our move. It was a big move, a 12oo+ mile move, but that also was 23 months ago. Lucky for me, (that is, if I believed in luck, it would have been lucky for me) we moved in early November, so then I had 4 family members' birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years taking up my time. And then, I was busy preparing for the arrival of Baby P. (Busy buying matching Christmas dresses for the next year when I was positive we'd have 3 girls!) Of course, Baby P/Our Bouncing Baby Boy/Levi was born and that really was an excuse. Many days he's still my excuse!

Clearly and rightly so, my family takes a higher priority than the blog. That is a problem when I wish I could document my childrens' growth and development and our family's adventures on here.

My solution is year-long posts of pictures. Only pictures. Well, if you've seen my Wordless Wednesdays, you know it won't always be only pictures, but, a picture a day for the next year. I think it will be fun to see how my children change over the next year!

The rules are:

1. I post a picture each day of the week for the next year.
2. It will mostly just be of the kids...one kid, two kids, three kids, our whole family, or some variation.
3. I may or may not add a description.
4. I will not beat myself up if I flake out and don't get to it one day.
5. I will not beat myself up if I flake out and never get past the first month.
6. I may or may not, but probably will post other things from time to time.
7. You will not expect stellar photography. It ain't gonna happen.

That's it. Pretty simple solution, don't you think?! And, it starts today or tomorrow...I'll leave you in suspense! :)

private talk

Libby and I have had quite a few chats on the same topic lately. I think she gets it and then...

A few weeks ago, as we waited for the elevator at her preschool, she looked at a complete stranger and proceeded to tell her, "I pee-pee in my pants sometimes and then my Daddy spanks me." Then she started talking about when she poops in her pants! What could I do??! The other mom was very gracious and even gave me a little giggle the next time I saw her, but I could have crawled in a hole. Not to mention, she hasn't had an accident in I don't know how long. We went over the talk: some things are private and you don't share private things in public. For days after that, anytime we were in public Libby would whisper in my ear, "I'm not gonna talk about pee-pee and poo-poo 'cause we're not in our house or the car!" Great. We were on the right track.

Oh, but today. Today we went to the Athletic Center which is next to Sprouts. I was looking at the English muffins when Libby came up behind me and started rubbing my behind. (That's not really the "punch line" since I'm used to at least one child touching me inappropriately in public.) No, then she has to (loudly) say, "Mommy! Your bottom is all wet!" Me: [nervous giggle, eyeing the area to see who heard] "Well, sweetie, that's because I just exercised." [then on her level in a whisper] "Remember the things we aren't supposed to talk about in public? Mommy's sweaty bottom is another one!" I don't know if she's ever going to get it.

What a wonderful age!

Libby came down the stairs ready for the rain this morning. Doesn't she look ready to splash in raindrops? :) She said that big, cowgirl hat would protect her. (I think it provides added protection if worn backwards :) Addi, careful not to hurt Libby's feelings, whispered, "It is going to be sooooo embarrassing having her walk me to school in that thing!"

Of course, she got tons of smiles and compliments on her hat which made me think of all the moms we passed who saw her and were taken back to a time when their children put on clothes with no worries. Like Libby, they hadn't yet learned to care what others thought of their outfit choices. It is a precious stage that I adore. Well, I admit, I don't always adore it because, unfortunately, I worry about what people think of me. I even worry that people will judge my parenting if I let my child go to the library in a Cinderella dress or the grocery store covered in cheap, plastic jewelry or church in a way-fancy flower girl dress.

I don't worry as much now as I did when Addi was in The Stage and that makes me sad. Sad because I wasted energy worrying about stuff that doesn't really matter and mostly because I took a little of that innocence from her. I made her think there was a reason what she was choosing to wear was wrong. I should have saved my energy to fight her when she wants to wear too-short skirts! The good thing is I've learned to be a little more flexible and to consider priorities before I open my mouth. Sometimes. Like this morning. I let Libby wear the hat and fold her ankle socks over and even wear plastic jewelry and I reminded Addi that she won't be judged by her sister's fashion tastes.

Photobucket src="http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r306/awages/papers/Signatures/ginnysign.jpg" border=0>

the opposite of music to this momma's ears

"Mommy, I went poo-poo and I need help wiping, but first I fell in the potty and I need you to clean it up!"
-name withheld, age 3

swirling thoughts

• I'm enjoying one of my favorite breakfasts, oatmeal made with milk and a smashed banana. Of course, it's better if I can eat it in one 15-minute setting, but I guess I should figure on 30 minutes per meal per child. :) That's why I usually wait until 2 pm (naptime) to eat lunch.
• Apparently my girls are dreaming of snow because they keep coming downstairs in long-sleeves and sweaters. We are going to a picnic today and expecting humid 97 degree weather. Clearly, I made the executive decision to nix the sleeves and wool.
• All 5 of us spent a good 20 minutes in the coat closet Tuesday night. Tornado sirens went off as we were finishing supper. (I'm afraid of tornadoes. I shouldn't be, having spent 28 of my 32 Springs in Texas or Oklahoma, but it's only gotten worse since having children. Or maybe it's gotten worse since living in OK where you also have to worry about gustnadoes. Frisco's so far north, we may as well live in OK, so, to my mind, I have to worry about gustnadoes here also.) My point is we all crammed into the coat closet that was already crammed with gift wrapping paraphernalia, candles, baskets, future gifts, vacuums, dusters, and, naturally, coats to discover it gets no AC. Closet + 5 people + humidity - air conditioning = miserable. The upside is I was able to rethink the organization (or lack) of that closet, especially if it is to be our "safe room". Candles in glass jars on a shelf directly above our heads? Spending 10 minutes emptying enough of the closet to make room for the 5 of us? Of course, it is a coat closet. And a big one with plenty of room for gift wrapping paraphernalia, candles, baskets, future gifts, vacuums, dusters, and, naturally, coats. Here's where I admit all that stuff we pulled out is still in the dining room. I'm hoping it will inspire me to put it back in a more organized manner and maybe find another home for some of it. Maybe literally another home. Anyone need a Dora gift bag?
• If I ever mention to any of you ever again an idea to refinish a piece of furniture, shoot me. I started stripping the paint (apparently about 15 coats of paint) off a dresser that was originally painted for Addison's nursery and then put in Libby's nursery and then (shhh!) put in Levi's closet in his nursery (yes, I left the flower and butterfly pulls on the drawers!) almost 3 weeks ago. It is driving me crazy, but when am I gonna find extra time to work on it? It's not like what I'm doing now isn't priority. :) If I ever finish, I'll post a picture. I don't have a before picture, so if you've never seen it in person, you'll just have to imagine.
• I AM SO HAPPY IT IS SUMMER BREAK! I may never let my children return to school again!
• I made an ill-fated decision to go Krogering yesterday. We have the stickers to prove it. (Does anyone else's children beg for those stickers, never even remove them from the backing and then forget about them and leave them in the car by the time you get home? Mine, too.) Long story, sort-of short...Libby got down for a late-nap, but I woke her up way before she was rested because I'd promised a trip to the library. We made it through our library trip unscathed and headed to Double Dave's for Peproni Rolls. Then while those were being made, we shot over to Kroger, which happens to be in the same shopping center, for 8 things. 8 things means, by myself, I could be in and out in 7 minutes. 8 things with 3 kids means a lot longer. Both girls had to get "little carts" so between us we had 3 carts. For 8 things. I warned them before we got into the store about paying attention so they didn't drive their carts up my legs. I also warned them about racing each other and watching out for others. By the time we'd gotten 30 feet inside the store, Libby had cried twice. She doesn't cry quietly, especially when she's tired and feels she needs to battle her siblings for attention. The second time I grabbed her and tried to put her in my cart. She's a little too tall for me to do that in one swift motion as I'd planned. By the time I got her long legs in the cart with the rest of her body, I was slightly more frustrated. That's when I noticed all the white-coller workers fresh from their days spent without the annoying screeches of young children staring at us. Bryan said it was all in my head and maybe they weren't thinking, They should not allow a stay-at-home mom and her misbehaing brood in Kroger after 5 pm, but it would have made me feel better if they had gone on about their shopping without so much as a glance in our direction. We survived and we made it out of the store without any more tears from me or my children and with all 8 things. We were rewarded with hot Peproni Rolls ready when we returned to Double Dave's, which is a miracle since that place might be more unorganized than my coat closet.
• I made this a few days ago and it is scrumptious. It takes all of my will-power not to finish it off while Bryan's at work during the day. There are only 2 pieces left today. Would he really notice them being gone?
• I'm listening to my 6 year old explain to her 3 year old sister why you would want to break up with your boyfriend. What?! She actually has some good reasons. If you just aren't comfortable with them or they annoy you, you might want to call it off with your boyfriend. She is wise beyond her years.
• I'm ready for the weekend, so I can finish that darn dresser enjoy my family and have a date night with my husband! Have a good one!
  
  

No, because this is what happens!

At Levi's 12 month visit, the doctor asked if he was feeding himself with a spoon. I almost laughed out loud and asked him if he rememberd I had 3 kids. I've been through giving a baby a spoon and it ain't pretty. Instead, I just mumbled something about letting him feed himself finger foods. But, because I am plagued with NRBS (Not a Rule Breaker Syndrome), I have felt guitly each and every time I've spoon fed the kid since that appointment. The other day I let him go to town, so to speak. Here is photographic evidence that I don't have time to let him fine tune his spoon skills at this age. He went straight to the tub after this meal of sweet potato. And, you should have seen the floor...Zoe's idea of heaven. Maybe when he gets more than 2 teeth, enabling him to eat more than mush, we'll try again. Mush falls off a spoon too easily. It also mushes up even more in a baby's hands and then smears much too easily in that baby's hair. Especially when that baby decides to play peek-a-boo.

I am quite possibly the meanest mom alive.

I feel horrible.

I walked Addi to school just now and forced her to go in while she was crying. Not sobbing, but crying. We stood outside the doors until the last second with me trying to give her a pep talk and she continuing to cry. Perhaps, even harder with every word I uttered. (I think I've figured out my calling is not a coach, of any sort.)

I didn't think it was a big deal, but that's what happens with her. Things snowball and the next thing you know she's crying and can't seem to stop. (I don't know anyone else like this.)

This morning her nose was alternating between stuffy and runny. She wanted to stay home and play. Actually she said she was sick and needed to stay home so she wouldn't have to keep getting up during reading time to get a Kleenex. I won't lie. I was going to let her, but then I remembered she has swim lessons today and I couldn't let her take a "sick" day from school, but go to swim lessons. I reminded her of swim lessons and that she'd be spending the day in bed getting well instead of playing. That seemed to persuade her school was the way to go pretty easily.

Then I told her she needed to hurry and be down to eat by the time "the long hand is on the 6". I walked upstairs to get Levi when the long hand was on the 5 and she was still in her pajamas lazily brushing her hair. She informed me she wasn't going to be ready by the time the long hand reached the 6, so she "changed it to the 8". (How I would love to just change times of things when I was running behind!) Reminding her she wouldn't have time to eat if she waited until the 8 was enough to get her moving, but not without whining.

I opened her lunch box to throw a sandwich in and realized I hadn't looked in it yesterday and a warm yogurt and string cheese were waiting on me. That was the second day in a row she didn't eat those two things and I had to throw them out. Wasting food is one of my biggest pet peeves. More than a pet peeve. I almost get angry when we waste food. She saw my frustration and I tried to explain to her wasting food = wasting money and if we have extra money we could use it to buy food for little boys and girls who are hungry. She, apparently, doesn't fit into that category. Hearing she doesn't like that kind of yogurt was not exactly balm for my soul. I threw a sandwich and half an apple in her lunch and told her when she could manage to finish those and wanted more I'd put cheese in again. She told me she'd rather have chips. (Well, yeah, I'd rather eat Shipley's chocolate filled donuts and Outback's cheesefries with a side of Long John Silver's fried batter crispies all day long!)

We managed to leave for school about 5 minutes early, which was good because we had to stop twice along the 2/10 of a mile journey since she was limping. The more steps I took without verbally recongnizing her injury, the more pronounced her limp became. The cause of the limp? A scratch. I'm not even exaggerating. She even called it a scratch. The first time we stopped, I tried to by sympathetic and reason with her. I saw that scratch and can imagine it's hurting you, but walking funny isn't going to make it feel any better, sweet baby. The next time we stopped, I was a little less patient. Addi, just suck it up. It is a scratch. You don't hobble because of a scratch. You CAN be tough when you want to be. By the time you get to your classroom and see your friends, you'll forget all about the scratch. The tears really started flowing after that. So, we walked the rest of the way with people wondering why I was making my clearly injured daughter hobble to school. She had tears streaming down her face and was limping as if she'd broken a toe.

I'm about to email her teacher and make sure she's fine. Surely she's forgotten all about this morning. Certainly she's not writing about the events in her morning journal, right? (I mean that would really be unlike anyone in our family.) I'm telling myself that part of growing up is learning to comfort yourself. And, really. Really. What was she so upset about?? I could understand tears if I had raised my voice and berated her. The "just suck it up" speech was as mean as it got. Is that really mean? Now I wish I'd let her stay home today.

Tomorrow will be better.

UPDATE: She was fine by the time she got to class. Her teacher said she didn't even know anything was wrong and Addi told me she took a deep breath and made herself stop crying when she walked into the building. Why she couldn't have done that on the way to school, I have no idea! But, she did manage to make me feel guilty all day long. Motherhood is filled with guilt, it seems.

as Wordless as I can make it this Wednesday

When Addi turned 2, Bryan and I bought her an ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins. It had 3 Disney Princesses as toppers, Sleeping Beauty being one of them. She began to ask Bryan the name of each Princess. He knew the first two, but was stumped by Sleeping Beauty, so he told Addi her name was "Mommy". For several years she called Sleeping Beauty "Mommy". Now she refers to her as Aurora. I suppose that's Sleeping Beauty's more sophisticated name. :)

Aurora may be called Sleeping Beauty, but I don't think she holds a candle to my own sleeping beauty. I could watch Addi sleep for hours. She's the most entertaining sleeper of our 3, talking and smiling, sitting up and sometimes even laughing, all while she slumbers. What I like best, though, is how I can still see Baby Addi in Big-Girl Addi's face while she sleeps.

My 1 year old

Levi had his 12 month well-check this morning and is sleeping off his 4 shots as I write.

He's 18 1/2 pounds which actually moved him up to the 3rd percentile. :) Strangely, all of my kids were 13 and some ounces at 6 months and 18 and some ounces at 12 months. I told the pediatrician he'll be very chubby this time next year if he continues in, what the doctor coined, "The Parker Growth Curve".

So, that means we aren't supposed to turn his car seat around yet. Putting him in his car seat has become about as bad as changing his diaper. My word, the kid can wiggle! In fact, unless we're going to be in a store for an hour or more, I choose to lug all 18 1/2 pounds of him in that bulky infant seat rather than take him out and then struggle with strapping him back in it.

He's still crawling, but this morning he decided to let go of me and stand on his own for about 5 seconds. He did it again this evening, so I know walking isn't too far off. I'm not ready for that.

Levi loves to eat and still wants to nurse as much as he ever did. I'm not giving in to that! He's nursing about 2 times a day, except when we go to the doctor and he gets four shots. He gets a little more comforting on days like that. :)

His eyes are still blue. Could they remain blue? Addi would be envious! He hasn't gotten any more teeth and the doctor said there's nothing going on with his gums, so it'll probably be a while before he gets any more. His hair is getting so long. I never thought I could be a mother who let her son's locks get long and lux, but I don't know that I can bring myself to having it cut. Seriously, I might emotionally go over the edge when Bryan finally makes me have his hair cut. It's going to have to wait until I get over this "1st birthday funk" I'm in. :)

His birthday came and went yesterday without much fanfare. The girls and I discovered he loved having Happy Birthday sung to him. He just grinned and clapped.

We have a little routine of me telling him to take his pacifier out of his mouth when I pick him up after a nap. He pops it out and sets in on top of some drawers. Then I cheer for him and ask for a high-five, which he gives me repeatedly. All that stopped today. I don't know, he just refused to high-five. In fact, a couple times he psyched me. You know, I said, "Oh, good boy! High-five, Levi?!" He put his hand up, but just before he connected with my hand he pulled away and turned his head in the other direction. What is that?!

We decided to let him open his birthday presents from us tonight. He needs practice for his party on Saturday anyway. Levi's interest in opening presents was zero. His interest in playing with his new presents was zero. Lucky for him, his sisters were interested in opening his presents. They took care of playing with them for him as well.

There is something exhausting and oh so challenging about watching your last baby turn 1. By now, you know you can't stop it or even slow it down. You resign yourself to letting it happen, hoping not to forget his sweet baby ways, but knowing you will. And knowing this time there won't be another one in a couple years to remind you.

But, I have a 6 year old who is super fun. She can carry on a conversation that amazes me with thoughtful insight and wise conclusions. And, I have a 3 year old who just wants to talk (and talk and talk) and make me laugh. She is silly and emotional and loving. I am so blessed with my 3.

Over the next year, we will see much more of Levi's personality. I still think he's pretty easy-going, but I see some of both his sisters in him. I guess that makes sense since he and his sisters all come from the same parents. Duh!

I wish there was a way to rewind time to experience something again. Just to hold that tiny newborn one more time, to see those precious first smiles, to hear that quiet brand new baby cry, to smell those non-offensive purely-breastmilk poop diapers. Okay that last one wasn't so great at the time, but now that I'm experiencing the adult-like poop in his diapers, I'd go back to those anyday!

It's funny when I'm out with just Levi people assume he's my only child and proceed to give me advice. Many times I don't mention that I have 2 others and pretend they've assumed he's my first because I look much to young to have a child older than him. Today we had a new nurse at the pediatrician's office. She came in saying, "Levi's just had his first birthday. Mom, if you blink he'll be in kindergarten, blink again and he'll be in college." Oh, don't I know it? Don't I know it?

(I'm not really depressed. Didn't all my :) convince you?! No? I'll be back soon with happy pictures and a recap of his birthday party.)