Update on the Sugar Baby

So Friday started out to be a really good day.  Shawn had the day off work and we were going to run around as a family.....and everything was fun and relaxing until naptime.   I put the twins to bed for nap, and about thirty minutes later, it was time for the baby to go down.  I didn't want to wake Sis up by opening the door to the girls' room and putting Livi in the crib, so I put her in the middle of our bed, surrounded with pillows, like I have done a thousand times.  About 15 minutes later, Shawn walks in the room holding her, telling me he found her on the floor.  ON. THE. FLOOR.  I immediately panicked.  She was hysterical, and I became hysterical....so much for controlling yourself in order to calm your child!  She could NOT be comforted, and I was convinced she looked like something was wrong with her.....after a frantic phone call to my mom, (who rushed over with Rhonda to sit with the twins) we were on our way to the hospital.  All I could think of was that it was my fault.....she's not really crawling yet in the typical sense, and can't manage to crawl over things.....I was ignorant thinking she couldn't get over those pillows! Driving to the hospital (and cursing at everyone who dared to get in my lane) I was sick.  By the time we got there, she had taken an 8 oz. bottle, and was laughing and playing peek a boo with daddy, so I felt a little better.....we were seen immediately and they said she looked fine.  She doesn't even have a bruise on her body today, which I think is a miracle.  Our bed is HIGH, and we have hardwood floors....it could have been so much worse....I know God had his hand on her!

Today she is one hundred percent back to normal....smiling and laughing at everyone, saying "Da-da" (her first word), and signing milk.  (And then grunting when you don't get it to her fast enough)  She laughed and laughed in the baby swing tonight in the yard....and my stomach hurt a little bit thinking of what could have happened.....we are so thankful in this house tonight!

The tiny one is almost nine months old!

I can't even wrap my head around the fact that this baby is almost nine months old.  NINE MONTHS.  Are you kidding me?  We were in the hospital having her yesterday it feels like!
Now, she is a big time "scootcher"....she can get anywhere and everywhere so supervising her is getting to be a little more work.  She manages to get her head into the TV cabinet and then bangs her face on the DVR box every day......which is making me think I should close the doors on that thing.
This baby is so sweet, and easy!  I am sure one of you readers is probably living with sleep deprivation and that sentence makes you hate me, but it's true.  Granted, everything around here isn't always sunshine and roses by ANY means, but somehow where this baby is concerned, things are so good.  She never cries unless she's hungry.....and then you better hurry and get that bottle or she is just heartbroken.  We laugh all the time when she is hungry because she makes a sound like she is rolling her r's....we call it "crying in spanish"..... She LOVES her big brother and sister, and wants to touch whatever they are looking at.  She just started liking baby food and puffs.  She is done with breast feeding, but I think I am way more sad about that than her.  She knows "her people" now and will kick and smile for us like crazy.  She lets pretty much anyone love on her, but she has some moments where stranger anxiety is kicking in.
It's too bad I don't use the Bjorn, because this baby would probably LOVE being toted around all day.  The twins hated those baby carriers, but she LOVES being held all the time, especially by her mommy.  I would bust that thing out and give it a try, but one look at her chunky little thighs makes me double think that idea.
I can't believe she wasn't in our family last year, because it feels like she's been here all along.  I think I believe in the theory that there are little souls in the universe that are destined to be born to certain people, because sometimes I look at her and think, "I know you.  I really KNOW you...." It's like we were just waiting for her to get here, which is funny because our lives were so full of babies and love before her!

I can't wait to see what the future holds for this tiny one.....I am hoping she is always as good natured and happy as she is now!

Bub-a-lub

This month...Bub is:

-still all about carbs.  He is proof that the statement "Man cannot live on bread alone" is all wrong.  Man can, and apparently, WILL.

-loving monster trucks.  We told him that  we would take him to the monster truck show next time it came to town and that is ALL he can talk about since then.  He had to tell the lady at the fabric store all about monster truck shows.

-When I tell him he is my sweet baby boy, he responds with "I am NOT a baby...I am a mean pirate!"

-He wants to "help" with everything.....spray painting, getting the mail, pulling out weeds, whatever there is to be done around the house that sounds dangerous or inappropriate for a two year old is particularly appealing.
When I tell him I love him, I always get back a "I love you, too mom."  Mom?  MOM???
The other day he told me, "Mommy, I will not ride a motorcycle because if I ride one, you will cry."  

-He has taken all the leftover screws from the playground project and spread them all over the yard.  Daddy is going to have a real fun time when he mows the yard in a week or so....

-When we ask him what he wants to be when he grows up, his answers are all over the place.  I've heard "A pilot", "A race car driver", "a football player like Lewlis" (Ray Lewis, Daddy's favorite!) and most recently, "A chocolate ice cream maker"

-He has to take an armful of junk with him every time we leave the house.  Zoolie (the teddy bear) usually makes the list, accompanied by a bunch of other random stuff.  Today it was a plastic F-16, a monster truck (of course), an empty plastic easter egg, and a Disney pirate hat with Mickey ears.
He is IN LOVE with dinosaurs right now.  He loves to drive past the museum where the giant dinosaur statue is out front.  We have to talk about dinosaurs all day, every day, especially the t-rex.  He loves t-rex so much I had to make him a t-rex shirt to wear, which he deemed "cool".
He is so sweet to the baby.  For this, I am grateful.
He is on day two of total potty domination.  I am so excited I can hardly stand it.  He is so good about telling me he needs to go, but he hasn't quite mastered the "aim" yet.  Let's just say I am glad I am quick on my feet, or I might have been using the hand dryer in Luby's on my hair today.
Even though he is a "mean pirate" or "mean t-rex" by day, at night he is all love.  He has been crying at bedtime, so what do we do?  Let him sleep in our bed, that's what!  Yep, go ahead and mail my parent of the year award right away.  I know this is probably a bad habit to start.....but in a few years, he won't let me hug him in public, much less snuggle his little self at night, so I am giving myself dispensation.
He continues to be the more tender of the two.  Most times, just the threat of discipline is enough for him.  He wants to make us happy, and doesn't want to be "in trouble".  Can we tell which parent he is already taking after in this field?  Here's a hint: it's not me.  Hopefully he will be like his daddy....so full of character that it oozes out of every pore.
Just like his sissy, he has to talk about his birthday all the time.  He knows it's May 8th, and tells anyone who will listen.  They both now understand that they are "twins" and what that means.  He loves to tell about the day he was born...."Sissy came out first.  I came out next.  I was stuck.  They had to pull and pull me."
I am blown away by the way he thinks, and what he remembers.  I love that he is kind, and gentle.  He is not yet three, but I could learn a few things from him I think.  

My little "schmarshmallow"

Sis has been the cause of one of two scenarios lately....she either has us doubled over laughing, or hanging onto our sanity with a tiny shred of dignity.  This baby is giving me a run for my money in the parenting department.  I swear, she is always four steps ahead of me.....which I guess is a good thing in a lot of ways.  I'm just hoping she uses her powers for good and not evil in the years to come. :)
Just so that I'll always remember these crazy things she says.....
-she keeps asking when we are going to roast "schmarshmallows".  So, all our kids are now called "schmarshmallow" and "schmarshkin" which is even less of a real word than "schmarshmallow".
-She loves pink, and likes categorizing all the shades of pink.  She pointed to a really light pink once and asked me what color it was....I answered, "Um, that's probably "baby pink".   Now, anything that isn't super light pink is "big girl pink" in her book.
-She has found a way around the "don't say mean things" gag order.  Now, when she is irritated with one of us,  she tells us "Go away!".  When she is corrected, she starts singing "Rain, rain, go away..." and claims she was only singing a song.
-She has taken to using "Whatever" in conversation.  For example, "Mommy, where are my shoes?"  Me: "In the shoe basket, I think." Sissy:  "Whatever."  She even throws in a shoulder shrug for good measure.
-Kelly complimented her pink princess bracelet the other day as Sis was walking past her....without even a backward glance, she holds up her little bird arm and hollers, "Love it!"
Today in the car, her and the Bub were laughing hysterically as they made their toys dance to the music.  From the backseat I hear, "Mommy!  Spiderman is rockin' the beat!"
It is now all about the birthday....every day, we have to talk about it.  "Mommy, my birthday is May 8.  I will have a carnival party with a cake with a clown on it."
She is all about imagination.....(and clearly she is listening to all the crazy stories Daddy tells her) because today she tells me, "Mommy, I always brush my teeth.  Because when I don't they turn black and fall out like Fluppy."  (Shawn has invented an imaginary octopus named Fluppy that doesn't brush his teeth and they all turn black and fall out....nothing inspires good hygiene like a whopping dollop of good old fashioned fear!)
and another story from today..."Mommy, I have a little rat in my stomach.  He is so tiny, with a pink nose and he sleeps in my backpack."  Hmmm, I am really, REALLY hoping this means she is a good creative thinker and not a childhood schitzophrenic.
We were waiting for Shawn to come out of HEB one night and from the back seat I heard the following:
"There's my daddy!  There he is!  Oh, wait.  No, that's not daddy.  That guy is really hairy."  

I am relieved to finally announce that this one is now 100% potty trained!  One day, I decided I had had enough and just put her in underwear.  Granted, we had two days of accidents and mopping up puddles on the floor, but after that she was in the clear.  Now it's all undies, all the time for my big girl.  She even gets out of bed and takes herself to the pot.  For her, the hand washing is the best part, and she sometimes wants to do that part first. Yippee!  A potty trained kid who loves bath products as much as me!   
This little girl is not even three, and manages to make me laugh more than most adults.  Her comic timing is razor sharp.  She remembers everything, especially things that made us laugh in the past....she is starting to have a little repetoire of "material" that she knows is funny....and I'm pretty sure she is already smarter than me.  She is all about her Mommy right now, which is a blessing AND a curse since I get all the love, but also have to do all the discipline, helping, etc.  My favorite part of the day with this one is tucking her in at night.  Her two constant requests each night are "You lay with me??" and "Tell me a baby story."  She adores getting all the one on one attention....and I love that at bedtime she finally slows down enough to talk to me. :)  Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I will get an "I love you Mommy."  and that is the best of all.  

A sweet, easy morning....

Some mornings are just easier than others.  You know what I'm talking about, right moms?  This morning was a pretty good one.....No fist fights to break up, no crying.....and no one asking me every four seconds to refill their milk, get another breakfast bar, put on their backpack.  Not that I mind doing those little things....but it's nice sometimes to have some quiet and to be "left alone" some.  For some reason, the puff snacks that the twins hated as tiny babies are now a big hit.  Cale found a package of them in the pantry, and this is how I found the three of them this morning.  I almost burst into tears at the sight of them not only including, but HELPING the tiny one.  Cale was actually putting puffs in her mouth (hopefully one at a time) and saying, "Here baby Livi.  Here's another puff."  Sigh....love it!  She looks so big sitting up and eating snacks with the other two.  Before long, they will feel so much closer in age...but for now they seem so much older than her, and I love to see them being so sweet to her.

Screaming in childcare, and other Easter fun....

This past weekend was a series of ups and downs.....for starters, we took the babies to see "Pinkalicious" at the Magik Children's Theatre on Saturday.  Apparently, every other person with a kid under five ALSO had the same idea, because there were a TON of people there.  By the time we got all five of ourselves in the door, the only seats together we could find were in the balcony.  Up high.  Where all the heat rises.  Let me tell you, it was steamy!  As soon as the show started, Sis started asking me all sorts of questions in a super loud stage whisper.  At almost three, we're not really skilled in true whispering yet, so everyone around us got treated to comments like "WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?" and "MOMMY, WHERE DID PINKALICOUS  GO???"  They were really enjoying themselves, until Livi started fussing in her carseat.  (It WAS 98 degrees up there after all)  As soon as I got her out to hold her, all heck broke loose.  Sissy wasn't paying attention as well without me trapping holding her on my lap.  Some roaming around began.  Then some more loud whispering, with a little whining thrown in for good measure.  With about five minutes left to go, we grabbed our tiny people and decided they'd had enough.  This worked out fabulously in the end, because we missed the giant stampede of people trying to squish themselves out the doors at the same time.  Outside, we waited for our friends and Cale spotted the giant playground in Hemisfair Park.  We started to head over there until I realized it is HUGE.  So huge that there was no way we could watch two babies play AND stand by the stroller with Liv.  I offer a belated apology to the parents of all the students I brought to this park on field trips.  There is no WAY I should have been taking them there.  After a little parental meeting, we decided it wasn't too safe with four hundred kids running around and no way to see our people.  As we made our way to the car, Bub was having none of it.  He screamed.  He kicked.  He ran away from us, back to the playground in an apparent effort to ditch us and live at the park with the other weird bearded guys who hang there.  We finally smooshed his angry self into the car seat were treated to TWO screaming kiddos on the way to the cupcake place.  (My cute idea:  We were going to eat pink cupcakes to cap off our "Pinkalicious" Day!  How adorable are we???)  At the cupcake place, both kids picked chocolate, and my camera battery died so my idea of photographing adorable icing covered children went out the window.  Sunday we went to church and the Sis screamed so loud in her class that she had to be liberated by mommy.  We took her in the sanctuary with us, and were treated to some more super stage whispering.  "Mommy, where's God?" and "Mommy, when is the bride coming out?"  We headed to my parent's for Easter lunch and egg hunting, which the babies LOVED.  The Easter bunny is clearly a horrible mathematician because he grossly over estimated the number of candy filled plastic eggs necessary to make two kids happy.  Let's just say they ONLY ate chocolate Sunday afternoon.  Nothing else.  I did take pictures of the egg hunting.....but I may or may not have ruined my camera and can't get the pictures onto the computer.  Whoops!  My "sometime in the future" equipment upgrade might be upon us.
     This weekend wasn't relaxing.  Not a little bit.  But it was fun.....when I am bone tired and wishing for a little peace and quiet, there is still a tiny (sometimes microscopic) piece of me that knows these are the very best days.  I can't imagine that I will MISS toting a sweaty screaming kid to the car, but I am pretty sure it's going to happen one day.

Spring is here!

The awesome weather, combined with all the cute little girl's dresses out in stores, motivated me to try my hand at designing some clothes on my own....While out shopping at one of my favorite stores, I saw some CUTE dresses that I was immediately drawn to...I love little girl clothes in prints that don't look like little girl clothes.  Anyway, some of the little dresses were 30 bucks, and I could tell they didn't even take a yard of fabric!  A-ha!  A use for all the fabric I have sitting at home!  After shopping, I got home and made a few little sketches in my fancy pants design book (an old spiral) and tried out a few of them on the Sis.  You might recognize some of the fabric...it comes from one of my faves, and is NOT real original....but I wanted to use some inexpensive stuff for my first try.
Here is the Ruffled Shift Dress:

I had to include view number two of the dress.  Pantsless brother had to get in the picture, and sissy is directing me.

Here is the Swirly Spring Dress:

I think they are both super cute....and they don't take long to make, so I think I might make a few more.....especially since I found a stash of vintage linens my grandma gave me!