Yesterday Amanda slept in until almost 9 a.m. It was heaven. I got a few things done. Nobody screamed at me and wanted me to pick them up and got mad because I couldn't understand what their grunting meant. I loved it. Sarah did not.
Sarah was up around 7 a.m. She stayed in bed until I was up and then she moped around the house with nothing to do. She kept saying, "I don't have anybody to play with." I asked her why not and she said that Andy wasn't very fun, which is he isn't when it comes to her, and Amanda was sleeping.
It is very rare that Sarah is awake and Amanda is not. Amanda is usually the first one up in the morning, besides Andy but he doesn't count because he just doesn't need sleep. Amanda is always there when Sarah is ready to play. This time she wasn't. Even when we have quiet time in the afternoon so Amanda can take a nap Sarah usually chooses to take a nap herself. Part of it is because she's tired from trying to keep up with robo-Andy and part of it must be because she is bored when Amanda is sleeping.
When I was pregnant with Amanda we did not find out whether the baby was a boy or girl. I love the surprise of that and would do it that way again and again. Everyone in the family wanted a boy for different reasons, but I really wanted a girl. I wanted a sister for Sarah. I thought that would be something she would really like and really needed and I was right. They love each other to pieces and they are best friends.
The other day Amanda gave Sarah a hug and I asked her if she loved Sarah. She immediately said yes. Then I asked her if she loved me. She didn't really respond. I honestly believe she loves Sarah more than anybody else in the family. Yes, there are times when Sarah isn't nice or is a little too bossy or when Amanda prefers Mommy or Daddy, but in general they could play all day together. A fantastic match.
Up until now, Amanda hasn't really had any activities or anything that is different from the older kids and she's always around. Sarah knows that whenever she needs someone to play with Amanda will be there. Yesterday morning that wasn't the case, and she didn't like it. But I did. It allowed me to see that it isn't just Amanda that needs Sarah, but Sarah needs Amanda too.
I hope it stays this way forever, and I hope that years from now they are still the best of friends. No parent could ask for more than to have their kids love their siblings so much that they choose to be friends on top of everything else.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
We Don't Hit
Amanda likes to hit and poke and push. A lot. I think it's the only power her little body has against Sarah telling her what to do and Andy ALWAYS trying to play the "I'm going to get you" game. He says he doesn't, but he does. She hits me too, but that's because she doesn't like what I have to say half the time. It's time for a nap? I have to hold your hand in the parking lot? I can't have a snack? Mean Mommy, smack.
My friend, April from New Jersey, not to be confused with April from Orlando, has a little boy, Riza, who is two months younger than Amanda. She blogs all the time, she is much more consistent than I am, about his craziness and latest tricks. It's funny to me to read all the things that he is doing right at the same time or right after Amanda does them. No matter that they are miles and miles away, kids this age do the same stuff.
A few days ago she was posting about how Riza hits all the time. She wrote: "Then I growl something about how "we don't hit" like our family is in that category of families that don't believe in smacking. Who believes in smacking?!" Every time I think about this it just makes me laugh. We say the exact same thing to Amanda. All of us, even Andy and Sarah. "No hitting! We don't hit!" The reason why I find it so funny is what else would you say? "Bravo, nice smack, that's how we do it in our family!" It would be funny, but would definitely not stop the hitting and we're not big fans of that.
April's blog is very refreshing because Riza is her first baby. The majority of what she writes is sunshine and rainbows. Even when she was getting up with him at 4 a.m. she had nothing but positive things to write, about how different life was that early in the morning and how much you could get accomplished. I, the jaded mother, would just shake my head and say "you just wait". I wish I had kept a blog when Andy was little so I could go back and read about all of our adventures when everything was new and exciting. When we went to the park every morning to meet our friends and feed the ducks and didn't have a care in the world. When he took 2-3 hours naps EVERYDAY!
Back then we didn't have to worry about hitting. He didn't have anybody to hit and most of the time he got what he wanted. Poor Amanda has to fight for everything and is trying to keep up in the big kids' world. She's doing amazingly well and will be fiercely independent someday, but for now she just needs to hit us every once in awhile. Then when we tell her "We don't hit!", because we're not one of those families, she'll give us one more for good measure.
My friend, April from New Jersey, not to be confused with April from Orlando, has a little boy, Riza, who is two months younger than Amanda. She blogs all the time, she is much more consistent than I am, about his craziness and latest tricks. It's funny to me to read all the things that he is doing right at the same time or right after Amanda does them. No matter that they are miles and miles away, kids this age do the same stuff.
A few days ago she was posting about how Riza hits all the time. She wrote: "Then I growl something about how "we don't hit" like our family is in that category of families that don't believe in smacking. Who believes in smacking?!" Every time I think about this it just makes me laugh. We say the exact same thing to Amanda. All of us, even Andy and Sarah. "No hitting! We don't hit!" The reason why I find it so funny is what else would you say? "Bravo, nice smack, that's how we do it in our family!" It would be funny, but would definitely not stop the hitting and we're not big fans of that.
April's blog is very refreshing because Riza is her first baby. The majority of what she writes is sunshine and rainbows. Even when she was getting up with him at 4 a.m. she had nothing but positive things to write, about how different life was that early in the morning and how much you could get accomplished. I, the jaded mother, would just shake my head and say "you just wait". I wish I had kept a blog when Andy was little so I could go back and read about all of our adventures when everything was new and exciting. When we went to the park every morning to meet our friends and feed the ducks and didn't have a care in the world. When he took 2-3 hours naps EVERYDAY!
Back then we didn't have to worry about hitting. He didn't have anybody to hit and most of the time he got what he wanted. Poor Amanda has to fight for everything and is trying to keep up in the big kids' world. She's doing amazingly well and will be fiercely independent someday, but for now she just needs to hit us every once in awhile. Then when we tell her "We don't hit!", because we're not one of those families, she'll give us one more for good measure.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Picture of the Day
Amanda, playing with my phone while it's charging, pushing on the screen as hard has she can trying to make it do something.
The Bug In My Bed
Last night just as I was about to go to bed Amanda was waking up in a fit of discomfort. Her allergies have been acting up, I don't really follow the allergen reports so I have no idea what's in the air right now, which makes it very difficult for her to sleep. I gave her some Benedryl equivalent before she went to sleep but it obviously wasn't working too well because she was all stuffy and her nose was running like crazy.
I had two options. Get up with her multiple times throughout the evening to console her back to sleep or just let her sleep with me. Since Charlie was in New York on business last night I decided I would much rather have her sleep with me so that I wasn't cranky in the morning from the interrupted sleep and because there would be plenty of room on the bed.
We have a king sized bed, so how could there not be enough room? Charlie and I used to have a queen, but when the mattress started hurting out backs we decided to buy a new one and Charlie wanted to upgrade to a king. It's nice, but I barely see him anymore. Hello, anybody over there? Basically, the bed is huge. Therefore, I did not think it would be a big deal to let a little baby girl sleep with me.
Of course, I was wrong. When Amanda sleeps with us, she likes to be cuddled up to one of us. Since I was the only other person in the bed, it was me. I like to sleep on or near the edge of the bed anyway, so now I was on the far side of the bed with a little 30 some inch hot box snuggled up next to me. She kept rolling all over me trying to get comfortable, kicking off the blankets that she didn't want but I did. I should have taken her pajamas off and then maybe she would have let me keep the covers on. At one point I looked next to her and there was about four feet of empty space left on Charlie's side and we were crammed into a one foot space on my side of the bed.
It still was better that getting up numerous times and walking across the house to her bedroom, but it would have been a little nicer if she could have spread out a little bit. Oh, and refrained from breathing sweet nothings in my ear. That I could have done without. Yep, some day I'm going to miss all this.
I had two options. Get up with her multiple times throughout the evening to console her back to sleep or just let her sleep with me. Since Charlie was in New York on business last night I decided I would much rather have her sleep with me so that I wasn't cranky in the morning from the interrupted sleep and because there would be plenty of room on the bed.
We have a king sized bed, so how could there not be enough room? Charlie and I used to have a queen, but when the mattress started hurting out backs we decided to buy a new one and Charlie wanted to upgrade to a king. It's nice, but I barely see him anymore. Hello, anybody over there? Basically, the bed is huge. Therefore, I did not think it would be a big deal to let a little baby girl sleep with me.
Of course, I was wrong. When Amanda sleeps with us, she likes to be cuddled up to one of us. Since I was the only other person in the bed, it was me. I like to sleep on or near the edge of the bed anyway, so now I was on the far side of the bed with a little 30 some inch hot box snuggled up next to me. She kept rolling all over me trying to get comfortable, kicking off the blankets that she didn't want but I did. I should have taken her pajamas off and then maybe she would have let me keep the covers on. At one point I looked next to her and there was about four feet of empty space left on Charlie's side and we were crammed into a one foot space on my side of the bed.
It still was better that getting up numerous times and walking across the house to her bedroom, but it would have been a little nicer if she could have spread out a little bit. Oh, and refrained from breathing sweet nothings in my ear. That I could have done without. Yep, some day I'm going to miss all this.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Picture of the Day
Sarah, with her Tiana tiara, Belle wand and Tinker Bell gloves (they have a matching purse that is not in the picture) that she got on our trip to Disney last month.
New Day
Thursday I was a bit of a downer, huh? Well, I'm over it, back on track.
On Friday evening I flew to Detroit to pick up my niece, Lauren. She is ten years old and gets along great with my kids. Well, except for Amanda, but Amanda doesn't like anybody at first. I'm sure by the end of the week she will love Lauren. It was nice to spend a few hours on the plane by myself to regroup, and even better to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law on Friday night. We stayed up way too late (what else is new?) but was so worth it to catch up with them. It's times like that that make me really wish we lived closer.
Saturday morning Lauren and I flew back to Dallas. She does not fly very often so it was weird for me to fly with someone who was so nervous about it. She was fine the minute we were up in the air, but the anticipation of it all was very difficult for her and surprising for me. Sometimes I forget that my kids are seasoned travelers and really do take everything in stride when we enter an airport.
So far our visit with Lauren has been great. The kids have had lots of fun swimming and yesterday we had some friends over for a bbq and Lauren was very helpful and got along with everyone. Makes it seem like four kids would be a piece of cake, except I'm smart enough to know that if she was actually my kid she'd be giving me a run for my money. Kids are (almost) always better for someone else than their parents, at least my kids are.
Today we are off to the zoo. It will be hot, but that's okay, at least we'll all be having fun and won't be stuck in any doctor's office.
On Friday evening I flew to Detroit to pick up my niece, Lauren. She is ten years old and gets along great with my kids. Well, except for Amanda, but Amanda doesn't like anybody at first. I'm sure by the end of the week she will love Lauren. It was nice to spend a few hours on the plane by myself to regroup, and even better to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law on Friday night. We stayed up way too late (what else is new?) but was so worth it to catch up with them. It's times like that that make me really wish we lived closer.
Saturday morning Lauren and I flew back to Dallas. She does not fly very often so it was weird for me to fly with someone who was so nervous about it. She was fine the minute we were up in the air, but the anticipation of it all was very difficult for her and surprising for me. Sometimes I forget that my kids are seasoned travelers and really do take everything in stride when we enter an airport.
So far our visit with Lauren has been great. The kids have had lots of fun swimming and yesterday we had some friends over for a bbq and Lauren was very helpful and got along with everyone. Makes it seem like four kids would be a piece of cake, except I'm smart enough to know that if she was actually my kid she'd be giving me a run for my money. Kids are (almost) always better for someone else than their parents, at least my kids are.
Today we are off to the zoo. It will be hot, but that's okay, at least we'll all be having fun and won't be stuck in any doctor's office.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Why I'm Tired
Today I am tired. Yes I am physically tired because we don't go to sleep at a reasonable hour and then our kids wake us up too early, and because I haven't been going to yoga, but I'm talking about mentally tired.
I'm tired of taking Sarah to the cardiologist, neurologist, urologists and whatever other ologist. Of her not behaving and doing what I or the doctor ask, of not answering their questions whether straight out or in a coy way, of running around the waiting and exam rooms with Amanda and being loud and disrespectful. I'm tired of both of them trying to crawl all over me and fight for my lap and attention while I'm trying to talk to the doctor and her stooping to such a level that the baby is actually more well-behaved than she is. Of me losing my temper and saying things in front of the doctor that I shouldn't and I regret and that I look like a horrible mother that doesn't teach her kids any manners. Of having to apologize repeatedly to said doctor for all three of us. That Sarah's behavior is so distracting that the doctor has to remove her from the room to "go play" with the front office staff so we can finish our conversation. I'm tired of paying for braces and MRIs and yoga and co-pays and everything else that goes along with her condition. Mostly I'm just tired that we are dealing with all of this to begin with.
On top of that I'm tired of an almost two-year-old who cries and yells and me all the time and gets mad at me because I don't know what "ba" means, a five-year-old that cries and whines and complains and is all whoa-is-me most of the day, and an eight-year-old that thinks he knows everything and talks to me most of the time like I'm a pile of crap. Such is the life with young children.
I know that I am so so lucky that Sarah is alive. That her situation could be so much worse - believe me I have seen many kids at her therapy office that weren't so lucky. And that a lot of the reason that she acts the way she does when we go to the doctor is because she's worried and scared and doesn't know that they aren't going to hurt her. But just because she can walk and isn't paralyzed and doesn't have brain damage doesn't mean that the situation doesn't still sucks, because it's not going to go away any time soon. And today is one of those days when I can't help but let it get to me.
Maybe tomorrow will be different. Maybe in the near future this will all be a distant memory and maybe, just maybe, someday I will miss the simplicity of this life over the complexity of the current one. But today I'm just tired.
I'm tired of taking Sarah to the cardiologist, neurologist, urologists and whatever other ologist. Of her not behaving and doing what I or the doctor ask, of not answering their questions whether straight out or in a coy way, of running around the waiting and exam rooms with Amanda and being loud and disrespectful. I'm tired of both of them trying to crawl all over me and fight for my lap and attention while I'm trying to talk to the doctor and her stooping to such a level that the baby is actually more well-behaved than she is. Of me losing my temper and saying things in front of the doctor that I shouldn't and I regret and that I look like a horrible mother that doesn't teach her kids any manners. Of having to apologize repeatedly to said doctor for all three of us. That Sarah's behavior is so distracting that the doctor has to remove her from the room to "go play" with the front office staff so we can finish our conversation. I'm tired of paying for braces and MRIs and yoga and co-pays and everything else that goes along with her condition. Mostly I'm just tired that we are dealing with all of this to begin with.
On top of that I'm tired of an almost two-year-old who cries and yells and me all the time and gets mad at me because I don't know what "ba" means, a five-year-old that cries and whines and complains and is all whoa-is-me most of the day, and an eight-year-old that thinks he knows everything and talks to me most of the time like I'm a pile of crap. Such is the life with young children.
I know that I am so so lucky that Sarah is alive. That her situation could be so much worse - believe me I have seen many kids at her therapy office that weren't so lucky. And that a lot of the reason that she acts the way she does when we go to the doctor is because she's worried and scared and doesn't know that they aren't going to hurt her. But just because she can walk and isn't paralyzed and doesn't have brain damage doesn't mean that the situation doesn't still sucks, because it's not going to go away any time soon. And today is one of those days when I can't help but let it get to me.
Maybe tomorrow will be different. Maybe in the near future this will all be a distant memory and maybe, just maybe, someday I will miss the simplicity of this life over the complexity of the current one. But today I'm just tired.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
For the Love of Elmo
This morning Amanda woke up around her usual time of 6:30a. I went into her room to grab her and bring her back to bed with us so we could sleep for at least another 30 minutes, but realized her diaper was super wet and I needed to change it first. As I was putting the new diaper on she kept saying "Elmo, Elmo". I've mentioned before that when she wants something to drink it sounds like Elmo, so I told her I'd grab her cup in a second. But then she said "seat" and I figured out she needed to go to the bathroom.
So I brought her into the bathroom but the Elmo seat wasn't there. Charlie had taken it downstairs the night before and forgotten to bring it back up. I told her that the Elmo seat wasn't there but she could sit on her other seat. Of course she freaked out and started to cry. I grabbed her quickly and took her down to the Elmo potty but it was too late. She woke up the older kids.
The set off a whole host of events. First, we had rain last night and a quick power outage so all the clocks were blinking. Since Andy couldn't tell what time it was he got up to ask. Sarah started crying because Andy left the room and she is afraid of being in the room by herself. Yes, even when it's not dark. When Andy found me I told him it was only 6:30 and he should go back to sleep but I think he ignored me. I'm not sure exactly what he did because I had to dump Amanda in bed with Charlie to go get Sarah and see if I could get her to stop crying. She ended up joining us in bed as well, but kept asking me to move over because Charlie's pillow was too hard and mine was softer - I'm not really sure what the lame excuse was but I was teetering on the edge and she had about two feet of room for her tiny body. I finally gave up, all mad because I missed that last 30 minutes of sleep, and went to take a shower before our day of non-stop appointments and crazy driving from here to there began.
Oh, and Amanda never peed on that stupid Elmo seat.
So I brought her into the bathroom but the Elmo seat wasn't there. Charlie had taken it downstairs the night before and forgotten to bring it back up. I told her that the Elmo seat wasn't there but she could sit on her other seat. Of course she freaked out and started to cry. I grabbed her quickly and took her down to the Elmo potty but it was too late. She woke up the older kids.
The set off a whole host of events. First, we had rain last night and a quick power outage so all the clocks were blinking. Since Andy couldn't tell what time it was he got up to ask. Sarah started crying because Andy left the room and she is afraid of being in the room by herself. Yes, even when it's not dark. When Andy found me I told him it was only 6:30 and he should go back to sleep but I think he ignored me. I'm not sure exactly what he did because I had to dump Amanda in bed with Charlie to go get Sarah and see if I could get her to stop crying. She ended up joining us in bed as well, but kept asking me to move over because Charlie's pillow was too hard and mine was softer - I'm not really sure what the lame excuse was but I was teetering on the edge and she had about two feet of room for her tiny body. I finally gave up, all mad because I missed that last 30 minutes of sleep, and went to take a shower before our day of non-stop appointments and crazy driving from here to there began.
Oh, and Amanda never peed on that stupid Elmo seat.
Picture of the Day
This is what happens when Amanda tries to get her own breakfast in the morning and everybody is too busy doing something else to pay attention.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Dude, Where's My Car?
Over the weekend we went to Miami for Charlie's high school reunion. None of the friends that he actually keeps in touch with were there, but that's not such a bad thing because he was able to talk to some old classmates that he hadn't seen since he graduated or since the last reunion. Overall I think he had a good time.
On Saturday we helped a friend celebrate her birthday and went to Monty's, a fun restaurant with outdoor seating in Coconut Grove. We sat outside and despite the rain (don't worry, out seats were covered), had fun dancing to the music and chasing the kids around. Afterwards we went back to their house and had cake. What more could you ask for?
Our good luck did not continue on Sunday and mirrored a b-rate stoner film (to be honest I never actually saw the movie but the title says enough). First our flight was delayed. In the beginning it was just 30 minutes, then an hour, and in the end it was about four hours. Luckily for us the kids were amazing and even though Amanda once again chose to stay awake the entire flight and didn't fall hard asleep until the plane was about to hit the ground they all behaved very well in the airport and on the plane. It could be because we bribed them with lots of candy, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Of course it only got worse from there. When we parked at the Parking Spot off-airport parking on Friday, they didn't have any spots so we opted for their valet service. When you do valet, they have you park all in a line down one of the rows, and as people leave and their spots fill up they repark the cars until your car gets to the front and gets a space. When you come back from your trip they give you your keys and take you to that space. At least that's how it's supposed to work.
Unfortunately for us, they lost our keys and therefore, our car. They looked for quite awhile and Charlie even went it to see if he could find them but no luck. At this point it was about 11p, they had no idea where our car was and we were all exhausted. So we told them they needed to drive us home so we could get the spare set and get our kids in bed. I think we may be the only people in the history of the Parking Spot that actually got delivered right to their door.
Charlie went back with the driver and luckily they did find our car but still have no idea where our keys are. Although I am more than thankful to have the car back, of course who would really want to steal our beater of a minivan (or any minivan for that matter) in the first place, it is a major bummer to not have the key fob that unlocks and opens the doors.
It's not that I can't unlock the doors, it just takes away the whole point of having a minivan. The kids can't get the doors open themselves. Also, we've had that car for almost eight years and I just realized today that you cannot unlock the doors from the passenger side because there is no hole to put the key in. What?
So, we're safe, the car is safe, the Parking Spot was extremely apologetic and compensated us nicely and told us they would refund us for a new key and key fob. However, we have a lot of traveling still to do this summer and if our travel luck continues we may need to rethink our schedule.
On Saturday we helped a friend celebrate her birthday and went to Monty's, a fun restaurant with outdoor seating in Coconut Grove. We sat outside and despite the rain (don't worry, out seats were covered), had fun dancing to the music and chasing the kids around. Afterwards we went back to their house and had cake. What more could you ask for?
Our good luck did not continue on Sunday and mirrored a b-rate stoner film (to be honest I never actually saw the movie but the title says enough). First our flight was delayed. In the beginning it was just 30 minutes, then an hour, and in the end it was about four hours. Luckily for us the kids were amazing and even though Amanda once again chose to stay awake the entire flight and didn't fall hard asleep until the plane was about to hit the ground they all behaved very well in the airport and on the plane. It could be because we bribed them with lots of candy, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Of course it only got worse from there. When we parked at the Parking Spot off-airport parking on Friday, they didn't have any spots so we opted for their valet service. When you do valet, they have you park all in a line down one of the rows, and as people leave and their spots fill up they repark the cars until your car gets to the front and gets a space. When you come back from your trip they give you your keys and take you to that space. At least that's how it's supposed to work.
Unfortunately for us, they lost our keys and therefore, our car. They looked for quite awhile and Charlie even went it to see if he could find them but no luck. At this point it was about 11p, they had no idea where our car was and we were all exhausted. So we told them they needed to drive us home so we could get the spare set and get our kids in bed. I think we may be the only people in the history of the Parking Spot that actually got delivered right to their door.
Charlie went back with the driver and luckily they did find our car but still have no idea where our keys are. Although I am more than thankful to have the car back, of course who would really want to steal our beater of a minivan (or any minivan for that matter) in the first place, it is a major bummer to not have the key fob that unlocks and opens the doors.
It's not that I can't unlock the doors, it just takes away the whole point of having a minivan. The kids can't get the doors open themselves. Also, we've had that car for almost eight years and I just realized today that you cannot unlock the doors from the passenger side because there is no hole to put the key in. What?
So, we're safe, the car is safe, the Parking Spot was extremely apologetic and compensated us nicely and told us they would refund us for a new key and key fob. However, we have a lot of traveling still to do this summer and if our travel luck continues we may need to rethink our schedule.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Fearless
My friend, Melanie, and her kids came over to swim this afternoon. She has a boy Andy's age and a girl Sarah's age and they are the nicest kids in the world so everybody gets along famously. The kids swam for almost two hours and had a fabulous time.
Amanda especially loves the pool. I bought her a little boat that has leg holes so she can float around the pool and we don't have to hold her all the time, but she hates that boat. It confines her. She likes to kick and swim and jump. She spent almost the entire time we were in the pool jumping off the side. I had to explain to her several times that you can't jump where the stairs were, but I'm still not sure she truly got that.
When it was time to get out, I gave the big kids a five minute warning and got out with Amanda. She was not happy that she had to be out while the others were still in the pool. I told her very specifically that she was not to get in the pool without Mommy or Daddy already in the pool. She is normally very good when I tell her to stay close and never runs away from me so I thought we were good.
So she stood next to the side and threw dive sticks in for Sarah and Finley and I started to dry off while talking to Melanie. All of a sudden, she just jumped in the pool. I was less than five feet away and was in the pool within seconds, but I was just floored that she had no qualms about stepping in. Who did she think was going to catch her? Did she even care? She wasn't under water any longer than when she was jumping to me, and when I pulled her up she had a huge smile on her face. That is until I scolded her and put her in time out.
The older two would never have done that, but it seems that this one is a little more daring when it comes to the pool. Or more comfortable. Either way, it will make for an interesting, and a little scary, summer.
Amanda especially loves the pool. I bought her a little boat that has leg holes so she can float around the pool and we don't have to hold her all the time, but she hates that boat. It confines her. She likes to kick and swim and jump. She spent almost the entire time we were in the pool jumping off the side. I had to explain to her several times that you can't jump where the stairs were, but I'm still not sure she truly got that.
When it was time to get out, I gave the big kids a five minute warning and got out with Amanda. She was not happy that she had to be out while the others were still in the pool. I told her very specifically that she was not to get in the pool without Mommy or Daddy already in the pool. She is normally very good when I tell her to stay close and never runs away from me so I thought we were good.
So she stood next to the side and threw dive sticks in for Sarah and Finley and I started to dry off while talking to Melanie. All of a sudden, she just jumped in the pool. I was less than five feet away and was in the pool within seconds, but I was just floored that she had no qualms about stepping in. Who did she think was going to catch her? Did she even care? She wasn't under water any longer than when she was jumping to me, and when I pulled her up she had a huge smile on her face. That is until I scolded her and put her in time out.
The older two would never have done that, but it seems that this one is a little more daring when it comes to the pool. Or more comfortable. Either way, it will make for an interesting, and a little scary, summer.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Picture of the Day
One of my BFFs from college, Renee, is in town this week. She's here visiting her family who is hogging her and only let me visit with her for three hours. I digress. She's like a little baby whisperer. She saw Amanda, said a few things to her and held out her arms. Amanda went straight to her and gave her a hug and then let Renee pick her up. Unheard of, that baby hates everybody. The only reason Amanda isn't smiling in this picture is because she also hates the camera. But not Renee. I didn't post the one where they kissed. Unbelievable.
And So It Begins
Last Thursday began our crazy summer travel schedule. Andy finished football camp at noon and I was on a plane with the three kids by 4p. I took them to Chicago to visit their aunts and uncles and cousins. Charlie met us there on Friday, so it was just me and the littles on the plane. The flight didn't go too badly. Andy was awesome and kept himself occupied with a book and then his/Charlie's PSP. Sarah was pretty low maintenance for once, but Amanda was a handful. She really should have taken a nap but was fighting it so instead to keep herself busy she jumped up and down on her seat despite the flight crew's incessant requests to stay in our seat belts. At one point one of the flight attendants personally told me she had to sit in her seat with it buckled. I just kind of said, "yeah, uh huh, sure." Have you ever tried to keep a rambunctious almost two-yr-old buckled into a seat belt? Not happening. So I just kept a hand on her foot or arm or dress in case the plane hit turbulence and suddenly dropped. It would have been scary but she wouldn't have been severely injured.
The flight was manageable, it was the forty minutes, yes FORTY, that we waited for a gate that seemed like an eternity. Andy was about to wet his pants, Sarah was dying to "see her cousins" and Amanda just kept jumping up and down. I'm surprised there aren't little holes in my forehead from the flight attendant giving me glaring looks. Oh well, it was good practice for all the trips we having coming up, a few more with me traveling with just the kids and no Charlie.
Once we got to Chicago we had a fabulous time with the family, but the weather was oh so cold. It was overcast most of the weekend and the high was in the low sixties. I couldn't stand it. I actually missed Texas. In fact I think that was the first time I have ever missed Texas, especially Texas in the summer. I am just not cut out for cold weather anymore, I'm a wimp. My brother so much as told me so, but he doesn't scare me:)
We got home on Sunday and then more camps began on Monday. Scout camp for Andy and zoo camp for Sarah. Amanda? She doesn't get to go to camp until she's potty trained, and maybe she has to be three too. My goal is to send her somewhere next summer, but we'll see. As for this year she's just tagging along with me, which is not so bad. She doesn't run away and stays by my side, she just cries and yells at me more than I'd like, but that really hasn't changed since the day she was born.
This is how it goes for the rest of the summer. Trip, camp. Camp, trip. Visiting lots of family and friends. An occasional week off with lots of playdates. The goal is to keep busy so we don't drive each other crazy and are still happy in August when school starts.
Mmm, school. It gives me warm and fuzzies just to think about it. Maybe that's what I should have been using for warmth while I was in Chicago, visions of the kids back in school and me getting some well-deserved quiet time.
The flight was manageable, it was the forty minutes, yes FORTY, that we waited for a gate that seemed like an eternity. Andy was about to wet his pants, Sarah was dying to "see her cousins" and Amanda just kept jumping up and down. I'm surprised there aren't little holes in my forehead from the flight attendant giving me glaring looks. Oh well, it was good practice for all the trips we having coming up, a few more with me traveling with just the kids and no Charlie.
Once we got to Chicago we had a fabulous time with the family, but the weather was oh so cold. It was overcast most of the weekend and the high was in the low sixties. I couldn't stand it. I actually missed Texas. In fact I think that was the first time I have ever missed Texas, especially Texas in the summer. I am just not cut out for cold weather anymore, I'm a wimp. My brother so much as told me so, but he doesn't scare me:)
We got home on Sunday and then more camps began on Monday. Scout camp for Andy and zoo camp for Sarah. Amanda? She doesn't get to go to camp until she's potty trained, and maybe she has to be three too. My goal is to send her somewhere next summer, but we'll see. As for this year she's just tagging along with me, which is not so bad. She doesn't run away and stays by my side, she just cries and yells at me more than I'd like, but that really hasn't changed since the day she was born.
This is how it goes for the rest of the summer. Trip, camp. Camp, trip. Visiting lots of family and friends. An occasional week off with lots of playdates. The goal is to keep busy so we don't drive each other crazy and are still happy in August when school starts.
Mmm, school. It gives me warm and fuzzies just to think about it. Maybe that's what I should have been using for warmth while I was in Chicago, visions of the kids back in school and me getting some well-deserved quiet time.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Picture of the Day
Last night he was walking around like this and singing "I'm a Mariachi, a London Mariachi." Ah, that kid never fails to crack me up!
Toddler Speak
One of the biggest challenges of having a toddler is communication. It's not that she doesn't understand what I'm saying. On the contrary she knows exactly what I'm saying all the time. It's trying to figure out what she's saying that is the hard part. Amanda is constantly trying to tell me things, and if and when I don't understand she gets very frustrated with me. She repeats herself until I acknowledge what she has said no matter how many times she has to say it. Someone asked me the other day if she could talk, and she can, you just may have no clue what she is saying. The problem is, she does.
Here's a conversation we had just this morning as I was getting her into her car seat:
Amanda: nnn ot (pause, no answer) nnn ot (pause, no answer) nnn ot.
Me: It's hot? (Did you guess that one? She was referring to her seat being hot because, you know, we live in Texas and this time of year everything is hot)
Amanda: Nah. (Sounds like she's saying no, but really it's "yeah")
This is what we go through all day long. It is utterly exhausting. Everything she wants sounds like something else. When she wants a drink, any drink, she asks for milk. Except it really sounds like Elmo and if you ask her if she wants Elmo she definitely does not. I'm sure she thinks I'm a major idiot. Maybe if she says it louder I'll understand?
I know this won't go on much longer, she'll get it soon enough. I also know that I will definitely regret any wish that she could talk, because that always comes back to bite you. Three kids talking non-stop is going to be very interesting. At that point I really will have to get more sleep.
Here's a conversation we had just this morning as I was getting her into her car seat:
Amanda: nnn ot (pause, no answer) nnn ot (pause, no answer) nnn ot.
Me: It's hot? (Did you guess that one? She was referring to her seat being hot because, you know, we live in Texas and this time of year everything is hot)
Amanda: Nah. (Sounds like she's saying no, but really it's "yeah")
This is what we go through all day long. It is utterly exhausting. Everything she wants sounds like something else. When she wants a drink, any drink, she asks for milk. Except it really sounds like Elmo and if you ask her if she wants Elmo she definitely does not. I'm sure she thinks I'm a major idiot. Maybe if she says it louder I'll understand?
I know this won't go on much longer, she'll get it soon enough. I also know that I will definitely regret any wish that she could talk, because that always comes back to bite you. Three kids talking non-stop is going to be very interesting. At that point I really will have to get more sleep.
Kid Quote of the Day
Andy: Sarah, who's your favorite brother?
Sarah: I don't have one, because you're my only brother and I don't like you.
Sarah: I don't have one, because you're my only brother and I don't like you.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Shoes
Amanda loves shoes. Not just a little bit, but a lot. The first thing she asks for in the morning when she wakes up is shoes. Every time we read a book she points out who is and isn't wearing shoes. She changes her shoes at least 3-4 times a day (and yes, she does have enough pairs to do that). Tonight she cried because I told her she had to take her shoes off to go to bed. "We don't wear shoes to bed" was not what she wanted to hear.
I'm pretty sure it's genetic for two reasons. First, I love shoes and have many more pairs than the average person should have. When I was in high school my dad called me Imelda. Second, this is not something I could teach her at this age, she is way too young and has been obsessed with them for too long.
I couldn't really go shoe crazy with Sarah because most of the time she wears braces. It's hard to find cute shoes to wear over them, so she really just has one pair. She has several other pairs that she wears to yoga or swimming or gymnastics or other places that she doesn't need her shoes, but really, how many pairs does she need when most of the time she can't wear them.
When Amanda was born I knew I would be in trouble. All those years of pent up little girl shoe buying were finally released. She doesn't have ridiculous amounts of shoes, but way more than a baby girl her age needs. The good thing is she likes them and wears them all.
I'm loving this now, but it may get a little more challenging as she grows up.
I'm pretty sure it's genetic for two reasons. First, I love shoes and have many more pairs than the average person should have. When I was in high school my dad called me Imelda. Second, this is not something I could teach her at this age, she is way too young and has been obsessed with them for too long.
I couldn't really go shoe crazy with Sarah because most of the time she wears braces. It's hard to find cute shoes to wear over them, so she really just has one pair. She has several other pairs that she wears to yoga or swimming or gymnastics or other places that she doesn't need her shoes, but really, how many pairs does she need when most of the time she can't wear them.
When Amanda was born I knew I would be in trouble. All those years of pent up little girl shoe buying were finally released. She doesn't have ridiculous amounts of shoes, but way more than a baby girl her age needs. The good thing is she likes them and wears them all.
I'm loving this now, but it may get a little more challenging as she grows up.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Doctors and Insurance and Denial, Oh My!
For the past several months I've been trying to take care of some medical issues for Sarah. The first was finding a new neurologist. Her original neurologist, the one who told us she would never walk, discontinued his practice and went into teaching, to which we said good riddance. We were referred recently to a second neurologist who didn't really listen to anything we said and then gave us a diagnosis that we don't believe or agree with. So the search continued. A friend of mine took her daughter to a neurosurgeon (yes, there is a difference, and apparently neurosurgeons do NOT like to be called neurologists) in Fort Worth and loved him. In fact, she said he was very attentive, kept eye contact and asked a lot of questions. I don't know if you've ever been to a neurologist, but nobody ever gives a neurologist a glowing review. They are too smart for their own good, are extremely arrogant and have the worst bedside manner. So when this friend told me she found a wonderful neurologist, and she's seen a lot of doctors over the years, I had to go see him.
I called to make an appointment and the first question they asked is, "Who referred you?" Believe it or not, they do not really like to hear that you were referred by a friend instead of someone from the medical community. So I explained my story and how I had seen another guy that I didn't like and my friend really liked this guy so I wanted a second opinion. I'm not sure how I even got past that point, but then she tried three different ways to tell me this was not the guy for me, until I finally said that Sarah's therapist thought that surgery would some day be an option. Again, that surgery thing is key. So she finally was willing to let me make an appointment, but first Sarah needed an MRI. She gave me all the information for the MRI facility and I called them. No problem, but in order to get an MRI you have to had a script from the doctor. Hmmm, how do I get a script from the doctor for the MRI when I can't see the doctor without the MRI? Believe me, it takes talent. This is why being a mom is a full time job, at least in my house.
I finally got it all worked out going back and forth between this office and that office and Sarah had her MRI on Friday. Everything just came together that week and they had an opening. Otherwise it would have taken us at least a month to find a time when we could do it. It was a little scary to her but we went to this amazing children's facility to have it done and it went very smoothly. We'll see the neurosurgeon in July and hopefully he will be able to do something for us or at least refer us to someone who can.
My other issue was the insurance for Sarah's therapy. We switched insurance companies in January, which is probably the third insurance carrier we've had in three years. I know why they do it, to cut costs, but it's just such a pain if you have ongoing medical care. Every time we switch insurance companies the first bill of the year they get for therapy gets denied. So I have to make a million phone calls and try to figure out why it was denied and get everybody to work together to get it all resubmitted. It's never permanently denied, it's just a major hassle. Well, on Thursday, that's JUNE 2, I found out that Sarah's insurance for her therapy has been getting denied since January. People, the year is half over and I'm just finding this out now. Ugh.
There are two things that tip me off that there is something wrong with the claims getting sent to insurance. First, I get outrageous bills from the therapy office. I thought the three phone calls I had already made should have fixed this problem, but no, the fourth one was the icing on the cake this year. The second clue is our flex spending account sends me really large checks (to cover what they think I paid out of pocket). This was the case this time. The huge bills said we had no insurance on file, the big flex spending checks say, "we have your insurance information but we are going to charge you ridiculous amounts of money anyway." My question, how come nobody figured this out until JUNE 2?
Everything is all fixed now. We will see the neurosurgeon next month and our insurance will be covering Sarah's therapy. I just wish it wasn't so difficult, and I really hope we don't get yet another new insurance company next year.
I called to make an appointment and the first question they asked is, "Who referred you?" Believe it or not, they do not really like to hear that you were referred by a friend instead of someone from the medical community. So I explained my story and how I had seen another guy that I didn't like and my friend really liked this guy so I wanted a second opinion. I'm not sure how I even got past that point, but then she tried three different ways to tell me this was not the guy for me, until I finally said that Sarah's therapist thought that surgery would some day be an option. Again, that surgery thing is key. So she finally was willing to let me make an appointment, but first Sarah needed an MRI. She gave me all the information for the MRI facility and I called them. No problem, but in order to get an MRI you have to had a script from the doctor. Hmmm, how do I get a script from the doctor for the MRI when I can't see the doctor without the MRI? Believe me, it takes talent. This is why being a mom is a full time job, at least in my house.
I finally got it all worked out going back and forth between this office and that office and Sarah had her MRI on Friday. Everything just came together that week and they had an opening. Otherwise it would have taken us at least a month to find a time when we could do it. It was a little scary to her but we went to this amazing children's facility to have it done and it went very smoothly. We'll see the neurosurgeon in July and hopefully he will be able to do something for us or at least refer us to someone who can.
My other issue was the insurance for Sarah's therapy. We switched insurance companies in January, which is probably the third insurance carrier we've had in three years. I know why they do it, to cut costs, but it's just such a pain if you have ongoing medical care. Every time we switch insurance companies the first bill of the year they get for therapy gets denied. So I have to make a million phone calls and try to figure out why it was denied and get everybody to work together to get it all resubmitted. It's never permanently denied, it's just a major hassle. Well, on Thursday, that's JUNE 2, I found out that Sarah's insurance for her therapy has been getting denied since January. People, the year is half over and I'm just finding this out now. Ugh.
There are two things that tip me off that there is something wrong with the claims getting sent to insurance. First, I get outrageous bills from the therapy office. I thought the three phone calls I had already made should have fixed this problem, but no, the fourth one was the icing on the cake this year. The second clue is our flex spending account sends me really large checks (to cover what they think I paid out of pocket). This was the case this time. The huge bills said we had no insurance on file, the big flex spending checks say, "we have your insurance information but we are going to charge you ridiculous amounts of money anyway." My question, how come nobody figured this out until JUNE 2?
Everything is all fixed now. We will see the neurosurgeon next month and our insurance will be covering Sarah's therapy. I just wish it wasn't so difficult, and I really hope we don't get yet another new insurance company next year.
May in Summary
Yes, I know, I have been a major slacker over the last month. So much so that my friend, Melanie, who sees me at least once a week and knows what is going on in my life informed me that I haven't been very active in the blogging department. If she noticed then I'm sure you have too. My excuses are weak. We've been busy, but we're always busy. Truly, I've just been lazy and with lazy comes the inability to think of something creative to write. On a plus, they kids haven't done anything out-of-the-ordinary crazy that makes me feel the need to write. So, here's just a summary of the last few weeks.
As a late birthday present, Charlie took Andy to Washington, D.C. Both kids decided they would rather take a one-on-one trip with either Mom or Dad for their birthday instead of a party, which was fine with us. Since Charlie works for an airline it's not that difficult or expensive to do. They went and saw a ton of stuff and had a blast and now Andy knows more than I do - we all knew that was going to happen anyway. I stayed home with the girls, and that was the weekend we got Sarah's hair cut and went to the Mother's Day tea. I can't remember what we did on Mother's Day, so it was either so horrible that I've blocked it from my mind or it was just an ordinary Sunday (probably the latter).
Two weeks later I took Sarah to Disney World for her birthday. We actually left on my birthday, but once you have kids your birthday doesn't really count anymore, especially if it is within two week so of your kid's birthday. They don't tell you that when you get pregnant, but it's the truth. The weekend was all about her so we did a character breakfast and went on all her favorite rides and got all princessed up at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. They put so much gel and shampoo on her hair she slept on it two nights and it still looked exactly the same. No joke. We had a great time and the only downer was that we got stuck in the Orlando airport on Monday due to a hail storm in Dallas. Makes sense, right? It does if you know how the airline works and fortunately after working there 10 years I do. Being stuck for an extra day wasn't too bad except Charlie was supposed to fly to London the night we got home so had to change it to a conference call from the house and have one of our babysitters come over at 6 a.m. to watch Amanda and make sure Andy got to school. Good times.
In the middle somewhere were lots of celebrations and ceremonies at school. We missed Sarah's preschool graduation while we were stuck in Orlando but I'm okay with that. She'll have a Kindergarten graduation next year and even that is a little over the top. I just don't see the need for it. Sarah's end of the year show was really great except for when her class was on stage. Of course. All the classes did these cute dances where they were shaking their hips and dancing around and her class sat on the opposite side of the stage from where we were sitting with Sarah in the back so we couldn't see her. Just to make it a little worse there were about four kids that did get to stand but they stood with their backs to us, blocking the rest of the class that was on the floor. So again I say at least we have next year.
For Memorial Day we went to Miami to see Charlie's mom and high school friends and make up for the trip we had to cancel in April. We went to the beach and a delicious and famous ice cream parlour called Jaxson's and only had three near accidents with the kids. One each. We're getting sloppy.
In between all the trips several activities ended and our lives became less crazy and rigidly scheduled. It sounds like a good thing but today was the first official day of summer vacation and I'm not so sure how I am going to last the next three months...hopefully I will emerge from my laziness and you will get to hear all about it.
As a late birthday present, Charlie took Andy to Washington, D.C. Both kids decided they would rather take a one-on-one trip with either Mom or Dad for their birthday instead of a party, which was fine with us. Since Charlie works for an airline it's not that difficult or expensive to do. They went and saw a ton of stuff and had a blast and now Andy knows more than I do - we all knew that was going to happen anyway. I stayed home with the girls, and that was the weekend we got Sarah's hair cut and went to the Mother's Day tea. I can't remember what we did on Mother's Day, so it was either so horrible that I've blocked it from my mind or it was just an ordinary Sunday (probably the latter).
Two weeks later I took Sarah to Disney World for her birthday. We actually left on my birthday, but once you have kids your birthday doesn't really count anymore, especially if it is within two week so of your kid's birthday. They don't tell you that when you get pregnant, but it's the truth. The weekend was all about her so we did a character breakfast and went on all her favorite rides and got all princessed up at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. They put so much gel and shampoo on her hair she slept on it two nights and it still looked exactly the same. No joke. We had a great time and the only downer was that we got stuck in the Orlando airport on Monday due to a hail storm in Dallas. Makes sense, right? It does if you know how the airline works and fortunately after working there 10 years I do. Being stuck for an extra day wasn't too bad except Charlie was supposed to fly to London the night we got home so had to change it to a conference call from the house and have one of our babysitters come over at 6 a.m. to watch Amanda and make sure Andy got to school. Good times.
In the middle somewhere were lots of celebrations and ceremonies at school. We missed Sarah's preschool graduation while we were stuck in Orlando but I'm okay with that. She'll have a Kindergarten graduation next year and even that is a little over the top. I just don't see the need for it. Sarah's end of the year show was really great except for when her class was on stage. Of course. All the classes did these cute dances where they were shaking their hips and dancing around and her class sat on the opposite side of the stage from where we were sitting with Sarah in the back so we couldn't see her. Just to make it a little worse there were about four kids that did get to stand but they stood with their backs to us, blocking the rest of the class that was on the floor. So again I say at least we have next year.
For Memorial Day we went to Miami to see Charlie's mom and high school friends and make up for the trip we had to cancel in April. We went to the beach and a delicious and famous ice cream parlour called Jaxson's and only had three near accidents with the kids. One each. We're getting sloppy.
In between all the trips several activities ended and our lives became less crazy and rigidly scheduled. It sounds like a good thing but today was the first official day of summer vacation and I'm not so sure how I am going to last the next three months...hopefully I will emerge from my laziness and you will get to hear all about it.
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