Musical Munchkins

My children love music. Don't all toddlers love music? But since we usually only listen to music in the car, their love of music seems a bit extreme. (Although my husband and I actually do our damnedest to influence our their musical preferences. He wants them to like metal. I want them to like country. My daughter wants Mickey Mouse music. My son wants Elmo Sing Alongs. No one is winning this battle.)

My daughter loves to sing now - she sings everything that she is doing. "I'm getting up. I'm coming in. I'm eating breakfast." She sings nursery rhymes and jingles that she hears. She tries to sing along with the radio, but she is always a word behind. As for my son, he loves to dance. He bounces along to music and claps his hands. He tries to sing too, but since he doesn't really have the vocal skills for talking yet, singing seems to be a long way off. But what he is really good at is playing music - keyboard, xylophone, drum, guitar; if you put it into his hand, he'll figure out how it makes music.

And I'm happy that they like music. Studies say that it will help them with math, exercise, all sorts of stuff. I just wonder where it comes from.

I'm tone deaf. And I have no rhythm. It's rather embarrassing. Sure, I like music, but when I sing, my daughter winces and tells me "No, Momma, you no sing." And I like to dance, but I had to count the beat during my wedding dance. And when I dance with my son, he laughs and points. So where did their musical ability come from?

Oh, right.

My husband.

Does this mean they are going to like metal?

Some Days Are Harder Than Others...

Today was the first day in a week that I had to drop both my babies off at school. They had both been sick last week, and then my son developed a rash as a result of his antibiotics, so last week I took two coveted sick days (it makes me a little nauseous to realize that I only have two sick days left for the next two months of school) and kept my little ones home. My husband took one day, my sister watched them one day, and my sister in law watched them another day.

So today we tried to get back into our crazy, chaotic routine to get out the door on time (I am proud of myself -- I was only 10 minutes late out the door). I was surprised at how easy it was to get back into the flow of things - sure, I had to deal with my daughter's two temper tantrums, but on the whole, we did all right.

And then I dropped them off at school. Melt down city. My daughter huddled in the corner, sobbing "I don't wanna go to school. I want Momma! I don't wanna go to school!" while my son hung on my skirt and cried "Up! Up! Up!"

I finally got them situated and, while they weren't happy, they were at least calm. I gave them extra hugs and kisses, more cuddles and pats on the back, and then I had to walk out the door to go to a job where I am not appreciated.

And I sat in my car and cried.

Temper Temper

Well, it finally happened.

My son threw his first temper tantrum.

I was a bit surprised - my daughter didn't realize that she could have a tantrum until she was about 20 months old. But my boyo has seen his sister throw enough of them that he just had to try it out.

His tantrums are remarkably similar to his sister's - face down on the ground, butt in the air, alternating whining into his hands with high pitched screeching, with an occasional tear drenched glare shot my way.

Poor guy, he doesn't realize that after 13 months of his sister's tantrums, I'm immune. Since we were home, I just stepped over him and went about my business.

Correction - I thought I was immune.

Out of solidarity with her brother, my daughter threw a tantrum too... right next to him.

But, I don't think she was crying for the same reason he was - I wouldn't let him have a cookie. I think she was crying because she just wanted to give Momma a headache.

So I had two toddlers, face down on the ground, butts in the air, alternating whining into their hands with high pitched screeching, with occasional tear drenched glares shot my way.

My ear drums are still pounding.

To Tube or Not to Tube...

My son had a doctor's appointment yesterday -- to check on his last ear infection, to make sure it had cleared up.

He now has two ear infections and the beginning stages of pink eye.

Good news is that since we caught it early, after 24 hours of eye drops (2 in each eye, 3 times a day!) he will be okay and not contagious. Thank goodness... I'm supposed to host a gathering at my house on Sunday with a lot of other kiddos and I don't want to risk it if there was the slightest chance he would be contagious.

(But to all my Momma friends out there, don't worry. I'm going to wait until my son is on antibiotics for 24 hours and my daughter is symptom free for 48 hours - then I will reevaluate as to whether or not I need to reschedule the party. So I'll post an update on Wednesday night.)

So first the good news: I get to spend the day with my boyo. Bad news: I have to spend the day disinfecting my entire house.

And the really bad news: the doctor mentioned that horrible word - myringotomy. For those of you who aren't doctors, that means ear tube surgery. The argument is since he has two ear infections now, right after having 1 three weeks ago, one in December, one in July, and one in June, the doctor wants us to think about putting tubes in his ears like we did with our daughter.

I really hope we don't have to, but if it will make him feel better... I don't know. Poor little guy. For those of you who don't know, he stopped breathing when he was 5 weeks old and spent a week on a ventilator in PICU. Since then he has had chest xrays, bracheotymies, a heart echo, and an acid reflux test. He's been on steroids since he was 3 months old and takes an albuterol inhaler 4 times a day. He's been poked and prodded so much in his young life; I hate to add to it.

But I know that it will make him better. It made a world of difference with our daughter. But, quite honestly, I don't know if I have the strength to go through another procedure again.

A Night of Firsts

1. My son got middle named -- by his 2 year old sister.

2. I painted my daughter's toe nails for the first time. She chose a classic pure red. And after I painted her toes and she blew on them, she turned to me and said: "Take them off."

3. I tried the pepper that came with the kung po chicken. I will never do that again.

4. My daughter learned how to jump rope -- and by jumping rope, I mean she dragged the rope around behind her while she hopped in a circle.

5. My son said "please" for the first time... maybe it came out "peas," but I know that he meant please. And I know that because I had been saying "Say please," for about 15 minutes.

Irish Brownies

I normally don't do this, but I wanted to pass on my recipe for Irish brownies - they are so good!

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Buy a box of brownie mix, the oil and eggs necessary to make the brownies, and a bottle of Jameson.
3. Go home, pour yourself a glass of Jameson, and make the brownies.
4. Add some Jameson to the brownie mix.
5. Pour yourself another glass of Jameson.
6. Cook the brownies according to package instructions.
7. Pour yourself another glass of Jameson.
8. Cool brownies.
9. Pour yourself another glass of Jameson.
10. Eat brownies. They will taste great!*

*Let it be noted, that at this point, everything will taste great because your tongue is numb from all of the whiskey.

Motherhood

~
Someone told me once that motherhood is a force of nature.

I didn't know how forceful I could be until I had my kids.

I like being a force of nature.

Oh, now I'm mad...

The other day, as I was grading tests (aka, cruising the Internet), I stumbled upon this article about a study Kansas State University did on motherhood.

I nearly spit my coffee all over my computer monitor.

"Some findings:

• Moms employed full-time outside the home are devalued and their kids are seen as "troubled," experiencing bad parent/child relationships.

• Participants didn't view at-home moms much differently that those "middle moms" who find a work/home balance.

Jennifer Livengood, a K-State grad student in psychology says, "People like mothers who fulfill traditional stereotypes, like staying at home. That's just not a reality and not a preference for women as much as it used to be." "

Not a preference?!?!?! I want to be a SAHM. Actually, I want to be a "middle mom" where I can work at home. But I can't. It's not feasible for my husband and I right now - if I quit working without having another source of income lined up, we don't make our mortgage. So be careful, Kansas State University, with how you report your findings. That is the problem with studies - you chose the facts, and can skew them.

And to tell me that my kids will be perceived as "trouble makers" because I work? Yeah, you just p%&*ed me off. Maybe my anger is playing into your findings, but I don't care. No one calls my kids names. And don't tell me that we have a "troubled" relationship... it's about quality, not quantity. And the quality of my relationship with my kids is fine.

But it gets better. Who, you might be asking, did Kansas State chose to interview?

"Upon further inspection, I read that the participants in the study were unmarried undergrad students, 99 percent of whom have no kids."

Why would you conduct a study where the participants are unmarried undergrad students with no kids?

Okay, so the purpose of your study is to see what people think motherhood should be like, what the fantasy is. I get it. One small problem:

No offense to those of you out there who are undergrad students with no kids, but most of you don't know anything yet. Your biggest concern is probably the upcoming final and what beer to buy on Friday. And good for you. Enjoy that time of your life where you don't have to worry about things like paying a mortgage, whether or not your daughter's cough at 4 in the morning means you are going to have to take a coveted sick day, or agonizing every night if the choices you made that day are the right choices for your children and your family. Sorry, undergrad student with no kids -- until you have kids, keep your mouth shut about what it takes to be a mother.

And that goes to everyone out there who doesn't have kids but thinks they can give me "advice" on how to raise my children - I have a pediatrician, a mother, and girlfriends on call. I prefer those with experience to help me out. Thanks so much though.

The Devil In His Eye...

I have mentioned in previous posts that my son likes to climb things.

He now knows he is NOT supposed to climb things. So he does it furtively, looking around to see if anyone is going to stop him. I always do. My daughter gives him a boost. And my husband... well, case in point:

Tonight, after putting the laundry away, I rounded the corner to find my son on top of the coffee table. He had pushed the toddler chair over to give himself a boost... See?

When I found him, he looked up guiltily before he clapped and stomped his feet.

And my husband, who was on kid watching duty? Yeah, look at the picture again. That would be my husband in the background, playing computer games.

Things my daughter says...

1. "Hickory Dickory Dock, Mickey Mouse ran up the clock...."

2. Me: "What happens on Easter?"
Sweet Girl: "The Easter Bunny comes and brings chocolate."

3. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 19, 3"

4. "ABC...NMNOP...XYZ... Now you know your ABCs, next time won't you sing for marshmellows..."

5. "It's raining, it's pouring, the nice man is snoring..."

6. "Happy Birthday Daddy!"
Daddy: "My birthday is September."
Baby Girl: "Okay, we have cake now."

7. Me: "Why did you take that from your brother? He was playing with it!"
Baby Girl: "Because I want it."

8. Me: "Sweetie, you and your brother are making Momma crazy."
Baby Girl: "Okay."

9. Me: "Are we going to have a happy day or a sad day?"
Baby Girl: "A noodle day!"

10. "My tummy hurts. I need a popsicle."

11. "I don't feel good."
Me: "Oh no! What hurts?"
Baby Girl: "My earrings."
Me: "You don't have earrings."
Baby Girl: "I want some."

12. "I tired. I want a nap on brother's couch."
Me: "How about your bed."
Baby Girl: "Okay. We put brother's couch on my bed."

13. "There is a blue dinosaur in my green window. It needs marshmallows."

14. "Look at my face. You are on TIME OUT! Look at my face! No talking! You very naughty!"

15. Me: "How is my sweet girl? Are you happy?"
Sweet Girl: "I sure am!"

Beautiful Blogger

My friend Katie at http://whybother-kekibird.blogspot.com/ (check her out, she has a great voice and is absolutely hilarious with an adorable lil man) posted this and I decided to take up the challenge!

First, the rules!

1.Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the award & place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Share 7 interesting things about yourself

Now it's time to share 7 interesting things about myself. Well, I'm not sure I can think of 7 interesting things, but I'll give it a shot...

1. I am an organized soul. Not just a-sort-the-mail-when-I-come-home-organized soul, but an alphabatize the spice rack, my clothes are hanging by color in my closet, food is placed in my pantry by expiration date organized soul. The fact that my children think that it's hilarious to dump their toys in a pile causes my organized soul to gasp in pain....

2. I wanted 5 kids. Now that I have two.... I think I'm done after 3.

3. I was determined to be President when I grew up. Yes, of the United States. Teaching American Government is better (or I'm still trying to convince myself of that, I'm not sure).

4. I have a tattoo - a Celtic Cross with the claddagh as the circle of life. The tattoo is on my back, to the left of the small of my back. I designed it myself when I was 15 and then carried the drawing around in my wallet for 4 years, until I could scrounge up the courage to get it. It was totally worth it. And I got it before tattoos became popular.

5. I dreamed about my children before I knew I was pregnant. That is actually how my daughter got her name - it means vision. Both of my children were two in my dreams and their personalities were as clear as day - what they looked like, what their names were, how they behaved. Last week I had a dream that I had two year old twin girls... when I told my husband, he swore he was never going to touch me again.

6. I have been working on a children's book for 10 years. It's tentatively titled the Fairy Tree and its about a little girl who is half fairy and half human and how she has to avert a war of power in the sidhe (fairyland). I started writing it after the fairies whispered the story in my ear one night when I was dreaming. Still, I have the worst case of writer's block.

7. I am 30 years old and I am just now learning how to cook. I enjoy the challenge and now that I have a family, I don't mind cooking. I used to hate it, because it made my kitchen messy and I dislike eating leftovers. But now, its not so bad... I enjoy trying out new recipes and seeing how I can change them so that my husband or children will like them better. And I don't think I'm half bad as a chef either... still, it takes about 2 tries before I'm happy with a recipe...

Okay, that's me! Learn anything new?

And now, the challenge: I want you to take this award and write about yourself. Go on, you know you wanna! Take it, go on! I think you're a beautiful reader, so why not take this and become a beatiful blogger too!

Why do I bother?

One of the things I try to do for my family is to take a picture of my kids every month and mail it to the various family members. For Valentine's Day, I decided I would create a Valentine's Day sign that my daughter could hold... The problem is that I neglected to take into consideration that my children are 1 and 2, and getting them to do anything I want at the same time is impossible...




First Shot: Boyo... Come on, sweetie, look at Momma...

Second Shot: No, both of you look at the camera and smile.

Third Shot: Honey girl, what kind of look is that? Give me a REAL smile.

Fourth Shot: (with a bit of impatience creeping into my voice): For the love of pete, it's not a hat!

Fifth Shot: It's funny when Momma loses her mind, huh?





Sixth shot: FINE! THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH!

Thank You

Thank you to my husband, who, last night when he saw blood in our son's ear after the baby's nap, calmly said, "Have you seen the baby's ear?" instead of screaming like a little girl (which is what I wanted to do).

Thank you to our pediatrician, who recently decided to have evening hours. Your decision to stay open until 8 pm Monday through Thursday probably saved me 3 hours in the Urgent Care Clinic, and kept me from having to make an extra trip to follow up with you later, when you were open.

Thank you to the pharmacist at Target, who only sighed when my husband ran up to the counter at 7:59, instead of pretending not to see him. We know you close at 8. We are sorry we were that annoying customer who shows up right when you think you are done with your shift. Thank you for filling my son's prescription. And thank you for biting your tongue when I asked if we could have a discount. I deserved the glare you sent my way.

Thank you to the person who invented Amoxicillin, whoever you are. Your wonderous invention allowed my son to sleep last night, instead of crying every 30 minutes. And because of your brilliance, I was able to sleep too.

And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, thank you to Ponte Winery. Your smooth, flowery Merlot calmed my frazzled nerves and helped me relax after a stressful and scary evening that started when my son woke up from his nap with blood coming from his ear.

Teaching the Faith

My husband and I try hard to teach our religion to our children. We are Roman Catholic - cradle Catholics, the both of us. We both teach at private, catholic schools - me because I chose to and my husband because he's a Latin teacher and the only place to get a Latin job is apparently at a catholic school.

So it's important to us that our children understand and appreciate our faith. We talk about the Holy Family and we pray with the kids before they go to bed. We try to pray before meals, but normally we are dodging whatever food they are throwing so that doesn't always happen.

Still, we don't get to church as often as would hope to go. Taking two toddlers to church is not a holy experience. And since I refuse to sit in the "cry room," (my kids are part of the church too, I am not going to segregate them) we normally sit in the back where we can take whichever munchkin is misbehaving out to the courtyard.

Last Sunday, though, is an excellent example of why we don't always take our children to Mass.

Frazzled, we walked into church 20 minutes late. We thought that we would only have missed the first reading. However, the priest didn't process in, which means we showed up just after the homily. We had to step over an elderly couple to find room in the middle of a pew. During the collection, my daughter promptly threw a fit because she wanted to put the "pennies" into the basket. My son decided banging his Colors book against the pew was hilarious. But once we got settled, we were okay... so I thought.

When we stood up for Communion, my son started clapping. When he realized we weren't leaving, he started to cry.

And my daughter -- oh, it was so embarrassing.

I have been teaching her to cross her arms over her chest and to say, "Father, may I please have a blessing?" She walked slowly up to the altar, arms crossed over her chest, pony tails crooked, eyes darting everywhere as took in the stained glass windows and different carvings. I was bursting with pride as I walked behind her... and then, when she got up to the priest, she said, "Father, may I please have a donut now?"

I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

Cool Little People, Part II

As promised....

My son is the coolest little dude that I know. He is so happy, it makes me worry sometimes that he has some sort of disorder. (Except between the hours of 12 to 5 am - then he's a screamer).

He always has a smile on his face, and he loves to toddle over to me and put his head on my lap if I'm sitting or hug my leg if I'm standing. He claps his hands when he sees something exciting (and everything is exciting when you are 1!), and he loves to shout out his random babblings to remind me that he is there... as if I could forget!

Now that he is an official toddler, his personality is starting to shine through. He has one of the best personalities ever - I categorize it as constant, cheerful wonderment. He loves to look up, always with an expression of amazement on his face. He points to the sky, or trees, or lights, and shouts out "ICBLAT!" which I have translated into "I see that!" We call him our little monkey, because he is constantly "ooo" ing and "aaaa"ing and shrieking with delight.

He is also a blur of motion. The only time he is still is when he is strapped into his car seat, and even then he is kicking his feet or waving his hands around, babbling constantly. (The boy is determined to be heard!) At home, he climbs onto whatever he can, and if there is a door left open, he is out before you can blink. He gets frustrated because he can't go as fast as he wants -- often times, he knocks himself down because his upper body is going faster than his little legs are.

I'm surprised at how musical he is - he gets that from his daddy, though, so I shouldn't be. He loves to babble out songs (well, they are songs to him), and he loves to play with his musical toys - the xylophone, the keyboard, and the baby guitar. He dances whenever he hears music, but keep in mind that dancing to him is bending your knees, bouncing up and down, and waving your hands in the air. Even his laughter is musical - I love to tickle him after his bath so I can hear it.

He is so loving too - he gives hugs and blows kisses all the time, often shouting "MWAH!" whenever he sees his daddy or I. And he adores his big sister. He is constantly toddling over to her, wanting to play with her (even when she doesn't want him to), or he is following her around and watching and mimicking her movements. He wants to do everything she does, so the 18 months development she has on him is not going to stop him; he's determined.

He is at that stage now where he understands the word "no," but doesn't understand if you are serious when you say it. The "I'm gonna do it anyway," smile that slowly creeps over his face when you tell him no is one of the best things I've ever seen - it actually lights him up from within. And he relishes our reactions to things - every time he throws his dinner on the ground and his daddy groans, my boy claps his hands in delight; and every time he tries to kill himself with some new dare devil trick, and I sigh his name, he shrieks happily and stomps his feet.

I adore my two cool little people!

Death to the 5K

I got up at 6 am Saturday to run my very first 5K. Actually, using the phrase "got up," implies that I went to sleep. I didn't. I was up with my son and daughter all night long. One had teething issues. One had coughing issues. It's a blur which one had which. But I digress...

I woke up at 6 am Saturday to run my very first 5K. It was pouring. I called my friend who was picking me up at 6:45. She told me that according to the weather report she saw, there was a tsunami warning. I told her that according to the weather report I saw, it was supposed to rain nonstop until 12.

We both hung up and went back to bed.

I'm going to run my first 5K in April.