Mama Ninja

My kids are a like in so many ways. But in so many (more) ways they are opposites. Sleep is a big one. Pippa is and always has been what I refer to as a Super Sleeper. It's like her super power. She used to cut us off from the reading books/snuggle portion of our bedtime routine and point to bed. Yes, this was before she could talk, and since she was speaking in sentences by 18 months it must have been pretty early. She's also a heavy sleeper. A freight train could run through her room and she wouldn't wake up.

Lincoln on the other hand, does not like to go to sleep. Ever. He always voices his protest at bed or nap time. And by voices I mean screams. Loudly. He can be quite dramatic but it only lasts a minute or two (or occasionally 10) (or one time it lasted an hour but let's not relive that night). It's as if he just wants to say, 'I'm just reminding you that this bedtime thing was NOT my idea!' Then, Zzzzz. However, unlike his log-sawing sister, he is a very light sleeper. Any little thing will wake him up. I would love to leave a window open a crack at night but the birds are just too darn loud in the morning and he'd be up at 5:30am! No thank you.

Sometimes it's even hard to check on him at night. Now mind you, I grew up in a household where you were expected to know how to be quiet. Walk quietly. Open and close doors quietly. It's just normal to me. Sto had a different experience. Everything he (and his family I might add)(love you guys!) does is loud. He walks like an elephant. Cannot seem to master the simple act of turning a door knob quietly. And have you ever heard him sneeze?! Dear god! So as you might imagine, the thought of the two of us walking into Lincoln's room and gazing at our sleeping angel together is out of the question. We always try, mind you. But most nights I tip toe in, take a quick peak just to make sure he's not hanging out the crib or anything, and tip toe back out while Sto waits at the door. And I hold my breath the whole time. Really. I literally hold my breath. Last night, just as I was turning to leave the room he stirred. I froze. He stirred again and I dove to the ground at the foot of his crib in one graceful and silent move like master ninja. Because that's what I am. A mama ninja. I lied perfectly still and silent until I thought it safe to risk a look, half expecting him to be peering down at me. Luckily all was well so I slowly slowly rose and snuck out. Phew. That was a close one! Maybe tonight I'll just put my hand on the door, feel for his peaceful vibrations and leave it at that!

Bye Bye Diapers

Big news! We tackled potty training and won! I am so proud of Lincoln! Ha ha. Just kidding. Pippa is the one who is now diaper free, of course. I decided to use the '3 Day Method' which basically tells you to go cold turkey. (Or cold ravioli as Pippa says.) Throw out all the diapers and just start using the potty. Yes, there will be a million accidents the first day or two but soon the child will understand what their body is telling them and start going on the potty. Even during naps and at night! Well, I was not brave enough to go diaperless at night but we did it the rest of the time. 

It took about 5 days instead of the promised 3 and I was getting very discouraged by day 4. She started out great the first day making it to the potty about 50% of the time. Same for day 2. But then on day 3 she started having more and more accidents and on day 4 I don't think she made it to the potty on time at all! I almost gave up thinking she must not be ready but then another, more seasoned, mom said it actually takes more like 2 weeks regardless of what the books say. Then, on day 5, she suddenly started getting it and just kept doing better and better. Soon her potty chart filled up with stickers! (Thank you Sesame Street for making one and selling it in CVS!) She got a few other 'special surprises' for big accomplishments like making it a whole day with dry underwear, but after about 10 days it was so old hat that she didn't even care about the potty chart anymore! By the end of the second week she had been waking up dry in the morning for days and I was thinking that she might be ready to forgo the nighttime diaper as well. But we were going on vacation in a few days so I figured we'd try that when we got back. However, Pippa must have been reading my mind because that night she refused to wear a diaper! And there has been no looking back since. She's a rock star. 

Of course, we still have an occasional accident but it's not often and usually half my fault for not paying attention. Once we had to pull off to the side of the road because she had to pee. And, of course, a cop pulls up behind us. I was so embarrassed as I was helping her squat in the grass, butt hanging out for all to see. I just grinned sheepishly and said, 'We're new at this! I didn't know what else to do!' He was really nice, though. He totally understood and didn't give me a hassle. Pippa did not pee, obviously. Who would? Talk about stage fright! But I've come to learn that that girl can seriously hold her pee. We took a day trip to NYC a couple weeks ago and she honestly didn't pee for 9 hours! I wasn't thrilled about that but she's getting better about going in public restrooms. As long and the toilets aren't flushing too loudly, she's OK, but if they are loud look out. You might get sucked in!

It's so great only having 1 kid in diapers. You'd think it would be that big of a deal to me since I'm already washing the diapers every other day, but it is. Not having to gather them up from two different rooms (inevitable one kids was always sleeping when I wanted to start a load). And not needing to pack 2 sets of diapers in the diaper bag! Hello! Those things take up a lot of space! So now I'm counting the days until I will have NO kids in diapers. Talk to me in about a year....

Water Table Trouble Makers

What do we do to keep cool on these hot summer days? Water play, of course! The kids love their water table. They cannot be trusted, however. I was making dinner and suddenly had the realization that I had just gotten way too much accomplished without one of them begging me to pick them up or go play. Hmmm. What could they be up to. So I popped my head out the door to take a peak and this is what I see....

Soon after this they both got naked. (Who wouldn't!) Lincoln spent most of the time going back and forth between the water table and the potted plant while Pippa climbed back on the table in all her bare glory. I have those pictures, too, but they are really only appropriate for a mother to love. (Wink).

Birthday Boy Bash

Lincoln turned 1 and I absolutely love this age. I think this is where kids finally become fun. Not that I don't like the infant stage...well, OK, actually I really don't like it all that much. I admit it. But I do love it around the time they start to walk, which for Lincoln was about 2 weeks before his birthday. And now that he's been walking for about 1 month, he is running and spinning in circles! I'm not surprised in the least by these achievements. When he puts his mind to something, he accomplishes it. With gusto. 

At his check up he weighed 21 pounds and was 29 inches long. That puts him at about the 20th percentile for both. And he is, of course, perfect in every way. Hitting all his milestones on time and ahead on a few, mainly the gross motor stuff. He says Mama and Dadda and has said Hi a few times but not many other words yet. Well, unless you count animal sounds. He will moo like a cow and has quacked like a duck (or at least made some sort of sound when asked what a duck says) and will even try to snort like a pig, which is particularly funny.

Sto and I have decided that he is the clown of the family. He is always ready with his huge smile (that looks just like his daddy's, by the way) and will do anything for a laugh. He is a riot and keeps us chuckling all day long. Except when he's not, that is. He's also a man of extremes. Super happy! Supper upset! One thing is for sure, you are never in doubt about how he feels about things. 

He also seems to have a renewed fascination with his family jewels. I let him play around in his birthday suit the other day and ever since then he's been looking for that oh so special appendage. You can tell by the look on his face as he grabs at his diaper that he's thinking, 'Hey, what's going on? I know that thing was here earlier. Where is it?' Hilarious. 

His birthday party was a huge success. We went with an airplane theme. Now, I thought that would be an easy theme when I chose it. I figured I'd be able to find party favors and decorations no problem. Turns out it's not on the most popular list right now. But we made due with paper airplanes hanging from balloons and cute tags for In-flight Snacks and Beverages. We even had a Baggage Claim for the goodie bags which were full of airplane shaped crayons and an airplane themed coloring book (in a bag hand stamped with an airplane, of course). The only downer was that it was, literally, the hottest day of the year! 99 degrees or something crazy like that! But we had a tub full of water balloons, another full of squirt guns, and an octopus sprinkler so the kids didn't seem to notice the heat. The blow up bouncy castle was even a hit! And for the grown ups we placed industrial style fans on the patio with spray bottles to mist yourself. No one passed out from heat stroke and there wasn't much food or sangria left over so I consider that a success! 

Can't wait to see what the next year has in store for my little man. He is so treasured and we love our silly, smiley, smarty pants of a boy! 

The Great Pippasaurus

I need to record, for posterity's sake, Pippa's love of dinosaurs. It all started with a Cat In The Hat book that Sto picked up and I rolled my eyes thinking it was way too old for her. Boy was I wrong. Soon she could recite (and properly pronounce) the names of more dino's than I could. We now have 3 dinosaur books, one of which is an actual 'Dino-pedia' and her favorite. We have to bargain with her ahead of time to read about '___ number of dinosaurs and then it's time for bed!' She could go on forever. She knows which ones are herbivores and which are carnivores. And did you know that there really is no such thing as a brontosaurus? It's true. What we grew up knowing about these huge beasts was wrong, apparently. What we think of as a brontosaurus was actually a combination of an apatosaurus and a brachiosaurus. (And Pluto isn't actually a planet either, FYI).

So when Pippa got a dinosaur bath towel from Lola, it was awesome! Now, after baths, she puts on her towel and we all tremble in fear of the great Pippasaurus! A fearsome creature with big sharp teeth (that need to be brushed!) and long sharp claws that she likes to attack us with. Luckily I have thick armor on my skin and I can knock her with my big clubbed tail like an ankylosaurus! The smile on her face while we play this game is priceless. I never want to forget it.

Pinterest LOVE

I've posted about Pinterest before but I decided it past due to dedicate a post to all the ways it has inspired me. So, the following are straight from my boards. Perhaps you will get inspired too...

Source: frenchbydesign.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

This is probably the thing I am most excited about. I LOVE these stairs. I've been working towards doing something similar to mine. I wish I could post the pic of my wonderfully artistic work, but I've only done 4 out of 14 of them. It's very slow going but someday it will be finished and beautiful! Stay tuned.

Source: naptimedecorator.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

This is a totally cute reading nook and my playroom now looks very similar.  I never would have thought to do it myself but it was so simple. This is why I love Pinterest.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Heather on Pinterest

Why didn't I ever think of that?! We are never lacking for bag clips now!

Source: themotherhuddle.com via Heather on Pinterest

This turned out to be a great way to grill salmon. I used sockeye salmon which worked great because it's less fragile than regular salmon. But you don't have to flip it when you cook it this way, so regular salmon would work out just as well. I just seasoned with salt and pepper. Threw on a little fresh dill and laid it on slices of lemon. Easy-peasy.

Source: amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Black bean and quinoa salad. Very yummy and super healthy. I've made this several times recently with slight variations each time. So much you can do with it!

Source: marthastewart.com via Heather on Pinterest

Steamed ginger cod. The original recipe says to microwave it but I'm not really into that so I just covered it and baked it until done. It was to die for. 

Source: bravetart.com via Heather on Pinterest

I made a batch of this roasted tomato sauce and was able to freeze half of it. It was super easy and really delicious. I roasted a red pepper along with the tomatoes which added some really nice flavor. Fresh and nutritious. You should try it.

Source: confident-beautiful-motivated.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

Chocolate Banana 'Ice Cream'. Amazingly good! Just freeze a banana (cut it up into chunks first!) and throw it into the blender with some coco and a little bit of sweetener of your choice. Smooth and creaming and something crazy like 110 calories! But, you definitely need a good blender to make it work.

Source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com via Heather on Pinterest

Frozen yogurt dots. Just put some yogurt in a baggie, cut the corner off, place dots on a cookie sheet, and pop it in the freezer. So fun to eat. Pippa loved these!

Source: notimeforflashcards.com via Heather on Pinterest

Letter of the week! We love this! So far we're 3 weeks in to it: A (alligator), B (bumble bee), and C (cat). Pippa loves doing crafts about the letter of the week and it's really helping her to understand the sounds they make. I try to talk about it with whatever we do. I'm not generally clever enough to think of these things on my own so having someone else lay it all out for me works great. This site even give book ideas around the letters! I'm keeping a craft for each letter we do and when we are done with the whole alphabet, I'm going to make them into a book. (That cute idea is all mine!)

Source: treyandlucy.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

What a fun party decorating idea. I did it for Pippa's B-day party and I'll do it again for Lincoln's.

Source: openingceremony.us via Heather on Pinterest

Top knots and sock buns. I'm in love. I wear my hair in some variation of a bun smack dab on the top of my head at least 3 times a week. It sounds silly but I feel more connected to current fashion and don't feel like such a dowdy suburbanite because of things like this.

Source: glamour.com via Heather on Pinterest

Sometimes I even wrap my bun in a scarf!

Source: davidharrickblog.com via Heather on Pinterest

Ok, so this is actually us. But I did 'pin it'. In preparation for our family photo shoot I scowered Pinterest, gathering great ideas for fun shots. They turned out great too. But that is a post for another day.

Up next, some of my Pinterest FAILS! ....

Vegas Baby!

One of my best friends, Laura, got married recently in Vegas. Believe it or not, I had never been to Vegas and wished I could have stayed for a few days, but alas, since Lincoln is still attached to the boob I only felt like I could manage a whirl wind 24 hour Vegas extravaganza. (More like, Sto could only manage without me for that long.) So I packed up and headed to the airport at the god-awful hour of 4am. I planned on carrying on my luggage, but apparently it's been a long time since I've traveled with only a carry on because I totally misunderstood the whole liquids rule. Did you know they only allow 3 oz total?! Who can possibly survive on 3 oz total? No woman I know! So I ended up needing to check my bag at the last minute. No big deal until I realize half way to there that I neglected to take my breast pump out first! Pain. Serious pain. And rock hard. That's all I can say. So I ended up going to the bathroom and attempting to manually express enough milk to make myself at least somewhat comfortable. It was very awkward, as you can probably imagine, and only fairly successful. As soon as I was off the plane and had my bag I high tailed it to the airport bathroom to do it properly. Now, let me pause here and say that my only anxiety about this trip is that I would forget my breast pump. I must have reminded myself a dozen times and I swear to god that I packed it. But as I rummaged through my bag I felt a growing sense of dread. I DID forget it! I cannot believe this. I am practically in tears by this time so I called Sto for a little support. Then I got in a cab as asked the driver to make a quick detour to the nearest Target before heading to the hotel. He must have thought I was nuts.

By the time I get there I'm frantic to pump and the line to check in is ridiculously long so I decide just to head up to Laura's room and check in later. We were having an 'administrative' meeting about the wedding anyway. All those pour women had to endure me pumping through out it (and of course the cheapy pump that I bought sucked and I was spilling all over myself and cursing the whole time). But all was well in the end, and once I got the girls back to their regular size I was able to focus on the festivities at hand. The rest of the afternoon was spent having a little lunch with Laura, trying to nap (which I thought was going to be easy since I had the luxury of a hotel room all to myself, but didn't end up catching many z's.) and then meeting everyone in the hair salon for some fabulous up-do's. It was about that time that my throat started getting raspy and I started to sound like I'd smoked a whole pack of cigarettes. Darn that dry desert air! I drank a ton of the salon's fancy cucumber water (hydrate or die!) hoping to get my voice back into shape but it did no good. It just kept getting worse and by the end of the night I was completely horse, and remained that way for the next 3 days! But I still had a great time celebrating Laura and Josh's marriage and even managed to not kill myself in my sky scraper-like heels. Laura looked amazing and I have never seen her happier. I even got a 'Thank You Very Much' from Elvis, because no Vegas wedding would be complete without Elvis! Love you Laura!