Growing 2 month old, active 2 year old, losing weight, gaining business!

We blessed Malcom at church a couple weeks ago!

Today is Malcom's  2 month birthday! He is such a great little baby. Doug was gone all last week in Salt Lake City for some training for work and it was really hard for me. But, every time things got really crazy with Vivi (which they did often) or I missed Doug, I could just look at my little guy and everything felt better. He's like my own personal Prozac...he just makes me feel better! Now that he is smiling and cooing more, including every time I change his diaper (I think he smiles out of appreciation of a clean bum), my heart just grows. I work so hard to get him to smile (because he's so darn cute when he does) that my cheeks hurt!

Mac still eats about every 2 hours except for a couple longer stretches throughout the day. He does pretty good some nights, lasting as long as 4-6 hours, but that's only as long as he's in bed with me. I think we will start putting him in his crib and sleep training around 3 months. Although, I do love my snuggle buddy.

they are buddies!

Vivi is still great with him. She always wants to bounce him in his chair, which gets a little too rough sometimes, but she's pretty good most of the time. She always wants to hold him. She makes  a big deal out of it when he poops because she likes to help 'change' his diaper. And Malcom returns the favor by smiling when he sees her (and can focus on her); they love each other. But, if you ask Vivi if she loves her brother, she just rolls her eyes, sticks out her hands and says 'I dunno.' But she does :)

Vivi is just blossoming. We signed her up for gymnastics once per week as a way for her to get out some of her physical energy and she loves it! They get to play on lots of equipment and just have fun. And she's a natural, if I do say so myself. That girls is just fearless. She keeps trying to do the balance beam without my help (she says 'Mommy, self. I do it self'), falls off, sometimes gets hurt, but then jumps right back on. Today was her first day back at 'school' which is actually the Shoreline School District's free 'Play and Learn' program that we started going to in January last year. It's amazing the difference a couple months can make. Without clinging to my leg once, she just went to the downstairs play area with her friend Wyatt (an older boy who she quite likes...or at least tolerates), she played by herself, and did circle time without me coaching her. I only had to pull her away from the stupid water fountain a few times (my nemesis last year since she always wanted to play in the sink. She still yelled at a couple kids (mostly one little boy named Lucas...poor kid), but she's improving.

We've started a family Biggest Loser and I'm pretty excited. I lost 20 lbs before the competition started, but I still have 20 lbs to go. I want to get back to my pre-baby weight before the end of the year and I think I can...I just have to be careful so I don't lose my milk because I want to nurse Malcom quite a bit longer. That could be tricky.

In addition to watching Malcom grow into happy boy, helping Vivi direct her energy into positive outlets, losing weight, and...just keep everyone alive, I've started a new business venture! I want to use my education (Journalism degree) and experience (PR, marketing) to help smaller businesses with their marketing, specifically written content. I loved writing all the content for the Skagit Valley Family YMCA web site and worked on the Port of Everett redesign, too. A lot of web developers don't offer that kind of help and it renders small businesses to content that is full of mistakes or poorly written content. I can also help with business email content, newsletters, blogs, etc. I'll write it or just edit what businesses have. If you know of anyone who'd be interested in my services, just point them to writeonsolutions@gmail.com! That's my business name "Write On Solutions!"

Something to always remember

My step mom has this poem up in her house and I just discovered it. I LOVE it and I think it's something all adults, not just parents, should keep in mind.

"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord. And great shall be the peace of thy children." 3 Nephi 22:13

If a child lives with criticism,
He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame,
He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
He learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
He learns faith.
If a child lives with approval,
He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find love in the world.

Two Weeks with Malcom

We've had a great first two weeks with baby Malcom! Today he had his two-week check up and everything looks great; in fact, he put on 13 ounces in 10 days (since the check up four days after he was born)! He's put on almost 1 pound since we left the hospital! The doctor was very impressed.

Malcom has slowly started to figure out that pooping in the middle of the night is not ideal; I really hope that is a trend that keeps up because I don't like getting up to change 3 poopie diapers when I should be snuggled in my bed. And that's in addition to all the feedings. He sleeps in bed with me most of the night because he wants to eat a lot and it's the fastest and best way to put/keep him a asleep. I love my sleep, especially when I'm waking up frequently. In addition to Malcom's wake-ups, Vivi has recently decided she wants to wake up a lot in the middle of the night, too. What the heck? She hasn't done that since she got settled into her new room! Sigh.

Vivi loves to hold baby Malcom. She's really good at giving him kisses and her idea of giving Malcom a 'little hug' is putting her head on his tummy. Vivi is so cute because she also likes holding his hand and sometimes she'll grab his hand and then put her thumb in her mouth and try to snuggle with him. She doesn't call him Malcom, it's always 'baby brother' or 'baby Malcom.' I think I've got her trained to say "Shhhhh, shhhhh, it's ok baby Malcom" whenever he screams/cries, instead of what she used to yell, 'Stop it baby! Stop crying!' In fact, she did that all throughout the grocery store while we were shopping and he was crying. It was really sweet because I didn't even have to remind her not to yell at him :)

Vivi's also very protective of him, including getting up in a girl's face at the park who was trying to lift the blanket on his car seat to see him. She ran over and put her finger in the girls face and said "Don't touch it!! Don't touch it!! He's sleeping!" The girl looked scared...and she should've been; I thought Vivi was going to push or hit her for sure. There have been lots of other times where people will touch his face and she yells "No touch his face!" because that's what we tell her. Or they ask to see him or hold him and she tells them no. Ok, that last one could be out of jealousy sometimes, but sometimes it's her being protective. :)

We love having Malcom in our home. He is such  sweet little baby and really only gets upset when he's hungry or poopie. We love the spirit he brings into our home. He's an amazing boy.

He's Here!!!!

To celebrate Malcom's one week birthday, here's a little birth story.

Off to her 3rd wedding, the Love wedding :)

The night of my last post about Vivienne's amazing flower girl abilities (she completed her third and last wedding this past weekend), I went into labor and just a few hours later, Malcom Douglas Harrington was born! Actually, I'm pretty sure I was contracting as I finished up the post :)

I had my 39 week appointment on Wednesday where my doctor said I was pretty ready (almost 4 cm and 80% effaced, compared to 2 cm the week before, which is a big jump), so she offered to strip my membranes. Wanting to speed up the process because of my great discomfort, I took her up on her offer. While I'd read that some women found the procedure really painful, I found it only as uncomfortable as a regular exam. If it's going to stimulate labor, it will work in about 24-48 hours.

It took me six hours.

I had some cramping that afternoon as we went to the beach and I frantically completed things on my 'to-do' list realizing the baby could be here in the next day (sweeping, mopping, sorting the mail, etc). Around 9pm (while I was blogging), I heard/felt a 'pop' in my pelvis and realized my water had probably broke just a little. By 9:30pm I was contracting every 5 minutes and Doug went upstairs to tell Marie (his grandma whose basement apartment we live in) that we were going to the hospital; by 10pm we were in the hospital.

As the contractions got more painful, I was physically reminded of my birth plan: EPIDURAL. The anesthesiologist came and I had to sit up while I poked and prodded my back. He also made conversation, including asking me if my hair had red in it. I thought he was just quirky, but he explained the chemistry behind the fact that red-heads usually require a higher dosage of drugs (I don't remember exactly why). I thought that was interesting.

Until it turned out that my hair must have more red in it than we thought.

The first epidural just wasn't working. The pain was lessened, but definitely still there. The doctor stuck around to make sure it was working, so when it was obvious I was still in pain, he said, "You know, your just feeling more than I would like, so let's do this again."

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. So, we did it all again and this time it worked! I love me a good epidural. I was still able to feel and slightly move my legs, but no pain. Yay! The nurses encouraged me to take a nap, which I did for about a 45 minutes until they came to check on me. They asked me to roll over and, as I did, my water totally broke (I felt a bigger pop in my belly, but nothing more because of the epidural) and the nurses had a little mess to clean up. Right after that they checked me and said, "Oh, it's time to push!"

Very quickly my bed and room was reorganized and new equipment brought in for the baby. It was weird going from sleeping to pushing in about 5 minutes. I only had to push for about 10-15 minutes and, apparently, the baby kept coming even when I wasn't pushing or contracting. He was so eager he 'oozed' out (that was the doctor's word); ok, that's a little gross, but I guess that's how eager Malcom was to come out! Doug moved down there in time to 'catch' Malcom and also cut the cord before putting him on my chest.

It was love at first sight. Malcom has an amazing head of hair, not unlike his sisters, except his is thicker, darker and lays flat (hers was all over the place). He also has the family cheeks (big). He looks just like Doug. He was 8 lb, 7 oz and 19 inches long (Vivi was 7 lb,8 oz and 19.5 inches).

Doug went home in the morning to bring Vivienne to the hospital and the first meeting between these two siblings was so sweet. She was timid as she first walked into the room wearing her 'Big Sister' t-shirt that I bought just for this occasion. She looked at my belly looking for baby brother and so I pointed to the bassinet where he was sleeping (a conscious decision so I could give her a hug if she wanted it, which she didn't because she was so preoccupied with the baby). Doug took Malcom out of the bassinet and asked Vivi if she wanted to kiss the baby. She said 'No, papa kiss it,' just so she would know it was ok. After Doug kissed him, then Vivi felt comfortable enough giving him a kiss.

Soon after, Vivi wanted to hold him. At first she was very good at listening to our instructions on how to be soft, but as she got more comfortable and excited about it (and closer to nap time), we found ourselves playing a lot of defense as she tried to point to his eyes and pat the top of his head. She heard a lot of 'No!!' which I think just frustrated her (and us) by the end of the visit. Luckily, we had more visitors to keep her distracted and help out.

This labor was shorter and easier than with Vivi and the recovery has been, too. Well, with one exception. I fought a fever for most of the weekend. Running hot and cold was pretty miserable, but other than I'm feeling really good (besides the usual tired stuff). My back was sore because of the epidural, but I had no tearing down there and everything went really smoothly. Plus, it produced an absolute angel of a baby, which makes it all worth it.

I love our growing family. Here's our first family picture just before we left the hospital.

Flower Power

We've had a busy summer and no one has been more in-demand that my little Vivi! Her unknown flower girls skills have been tested twice so far this summer and we've got one more wedding to go! She keeps getting better and better, but no one knows that except me. The only thing people can say is, "She's soooo cute!" And it's true.

Here she is posing for Nana Anne before Stefanie and Joe's wedding.

 Almost a smile! She's wearing my mom's clip on earrings. No, she didn't wear them during the wedding.

 She made it down the aisle, didn't cry or refuse or anything! She did trip up the step to the stage and then fall down it on the way out (it was a big step and her dress is pretty long). But, she just continued on like a champ! It was a beautiful outdoor wedding in a vineyard.

The ceremony was short, but the day was long. The bridesmaids bribed her with Skittles I gave them to keep her happy and up on the stage...

The Hard Part

Today I realized (one of) the hardest parts about being a mom: you can't quit. You don't get to just walk out and take a break. The 'boss' that won't get off your back is a two year old and you can't just walk away from them. You can do everything in your power to try to make them happy, but at the end of the day, that temperamental little creature will probably still try to smack you in the face and you can't hit them back.

If this were a 'regular' job, today I would've demanded a raise, taken a mental health day, and/or quit. Instead, I had to clean up several messes, make several messes to be cleaned up tomorrow (because I'm not doing it tonight), make dinner, give her a shower that she refused to take, and put her in 4 'bummers' (timeouts) in 20 minutes for things like dumping her milk on the floor, hitting me, putting the hot pads in the garbage after I told her not to, etc.

At one point I sat in the bathroom with my swollen hands and feet, silently cursed the fact that I hate moving because of my huge 8 month pregnancy belly, can't deal with being a mom anymore, and gave up. I jealously thought of how my husband gets to leave every day to a job where he helps people...and gets paid to do it. I emotionally quit. I started yelling at her, threatening her with spankings and bed time, and cried. Mercifully, bedtime went relatively smoothly, but I am exhausted.

I know all moms think this stuff and have their days. I think today was so hard because I've had a lot of searing back pain, a SUPER long weekend (weddings, Seattle to Portland bike ride, driving about 400 miles, etc), and a very tired/opinionated two year old who broke eggs in the grocery store, then started hitting me, won't listen to me worth crap, and won't go play by herself and give me a frickin break. I just want to nest for the new baby in peace and all I managed to do today was go grocery shopping, clean the kitchen up in time to get it dirty for dinner, and start on organizing Doug's shoes (totally different story).

Finally, after she went to bed, I sat down and read my scriptures and this verse stuck out to me: "And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him." (Luke 22:43). I know the Lord loves me and will strengthen me. And I really hope he sends me an angel...I could use it.

Have Two Year Old, Will Travel...?!

We've been on vacation for the last few days. Of course a road trip is full of stops and go's. We had our share of standard meltdowns because she wanted to get out of the car, needed a nap, etc. We've also had a lot of fun pit stops, including a couple family reunions, trips to the LDS temples down here in Utah, lots of swimming, trip to the zoo, a horse-drawn carriage ride, and more.

However, we've also had some SERIOUS button pushing going on. For example, why would my daughter decide to put her chewed up food in my ear at dinner one evening?! I bent her over and spanked her butt right in front of the waitress (that was after not listening, running around, and other 'bad' behavior). Oh, and the time she threw my shoes and my towel (on two different occasions) in the pool even though I saw her walking toward the pool with them and told her the whole way to stop and not to throw them in. That earned her a 'bummer' (timeout) right there at the pool. Then there's the issue of getting her to hold our hand in the parking lot/crossing the street. Oh, and all the pinching and hitting that mostly seems to come my way...even though I 'bummer' her on it all the time.

I know it's part of her job description to throw fits and for the most part I just let her throw herself on the ground and don't give her a big reaction. But why do it when all we're trying to do is get on the elevator? She's making everyone wait and then when I try to get her, she runs away and we miss our ride to the lobby. I'm not exactly in the best shape to be chasing.

Did I mention she doesn't listen at all? I understand that's part of the two year old deal, but it really bothers me when she won't even listen when it comes to dangerous stuff like running into the parking lot or playing with outlets. How am I supposed to teach this girl without letting her get hit by a car (going very slowly) or electrocuted (haven't figured out how to make that one 'less' dangerous)? I know there's a way because many two year olds have graduated on to become three year olds and even happy four year olds. Ideas?

To me, the key is her putting the chewed-up food in my ear: it's about pushing boundaries, discovering what's acceptable and what's not. BUT. Come one. In my ear? Is it because we're traveling? Is it the sunshine and heat that she's never experienced before? Oy vey.

Dearest Baby Boy

A letter from mummy to baby boy Harrington due to be born Aug. 9.

Dearest Baby Boy Harrington,
You should be here in about two months and I am so excited to meet you. I hate to admit it, but sometimes I have to remind myself that I am excited to meet you and that you will bless my life with even more love than I already have. You will only be in my tummy for two more months (actually waaay longer than it sounds) and I just took my first 'belly' picture of you today. I think by this time with your sister, I'd had at least 2-3 pictures taken. It's not that I love you any less than your sister, it's just that...well, I'm fatter. Apparently, you only weigh four pounds and are the size of a large jicama (whatever that is); I've put on more than 30 pounds and my previously stretched abdominal muscles are letting you have your space. Not exactly something I want to remember forever. Besides, it's when you get here that all the important pictures will be taken.

About 32 weeks; don't look at my head.

Honestly, my precious baby boy, being pregnant the second time is not as fun as it was the first time. It's not your fault at all, and, so, I'm trying to be positive about it. But: my pelvis hurts a lot more and earlier than it did last time, which means mummy has been walking with a waddle the last several weeks; getting out of bed is physical test and, many times, very painful. I actually had to buy some Tums for heartburn a couple weeks ago (which I have only taken once, so you must have gotten the hint). My back pain has gotten better, but it's still more sore than it was with Vivienne. Not to mention I will have to spend most of the summer larger (and larger and larger) and not in charge seeing as you have a very bossy sister. Oh, and yesterday I got the worst charlie horse I ever had! I had to scream for your dad to come in from the bathroom so he could do SOMETHING (the little massage he gave worked). Again, totally not your fault, but I don't get charlie horses unless I'm pregnant.

That's the other major difference. I love feeling you move around knowing that you are sparking with life. But, I don't really get much of chance to just sit and enjoy it much because I'm also chasing your sister or just trying to fall asleep (you tend to get very active whenever I roll over). However, every time I feel you move, I am reassured knowing that you are in there and growing strong. Thank for those frequent reminders (seeing as it seems like you are ALWAYS moving).

I try not to complain and today I was reminded that in a tiny way, my sacrifice is similar to that of the sacrifice the Savior made for all of us. Through his physical pain we are all given life. On a much smaller scale, through my physical pain and discomfort I get to give you life. This realization was humbling and made me love you that much more. I don't know what we'll name you yet, but I know that you are mine and I love you more than you can understand. Your father and sister are also very excited to meet you. Your father wants me to tell you to enjoy the time you have left in heaven; learn as much as you can from your loving Father in Heaven and Christ. Bring that spirit here with you like your sister did. You have a loving family waiting here for you when you decide to make your appearance.

I'm tired of wondering what life will be like when you get here, how Vivienne will react to you actually being here (and taking her spot in our bed), what it will be like to have boy, and more! Get here as soon as you can, while still being as healthy and strong as possible. We are taking very seriously the responsibility we have to raise you up the right way, to prepare you for a mission, to be a good man, put your sister in her place, and more. We know we will have so much fun, too! I love you. See you sooner than I'm probably prepared for, but not soon enough as far as my body is concerned.

Always,
Mum

P.S. if there's anyway you can make the labor to come into this world easy on me (at least relatively painless and as short or shorter than your sister's), you'll get brownie points with me.

"...With My Face Towards Zion."

Today at church we had a wonderful lesson on hope based on a talk entitled "Hope" given by one of the LDS General Authorities (click the title of the talk to see the whole thing, which I recommend).

The teacher of the class opened by asking "What is the difference between 'faith' and 'hope'?" This question really made me think. This afternoon I went back and read the entire talk and found this statement to be the most helpful explanation: "faith is rooted in Jesus Christ. Hope centers in the Atonement. Charity is manifest in the 'pure love of Christ.'" To me it boils down to this: we have faith in what is, we hope in what can be.

The talk also mentions the story of a 73 year old Scottish woman who made the trek across the country to try to gather with the Saints in the Salt Lake Valley in 1856. This woman was a part of the ill-fated Martin Handcart company and died in North Dakota, not reaching her destination or family there in Zion.  Her last words illustrate the faith and hope that we can all have if we take the steps necessary and head in the right direction...even if we do not reach our goal. She said, "Tell John [her son in SLV] I died with my face toward Zion."

That story struck me. Despite all her suffering and sacrifice, she did not get the result she had worked so hard for or desired, but she did not curse God or ask why. She still had hope, rooted in her faith, and she gave it her all. She died with her looking toward Zion. As I reflected, I realized I can apply that in my daily life. I hope I can achieve all the righteous desires of my heart, but if I take the necessary steps and still don't quite make it, like this pioneer woman, I know that my 'face is towards Zion.' I would like to think that at the end of each day, I can lay my head down with my face toward Zion, even if things don't go perfectly and I don't get everything I want. One of the women in the class added, "This life is not the reward, this life is the test. We can do everything right and wonder where all our blessings are, but we need to remember that they may not come in this life because we are here to be tested. The rewards may not come until later."

This whole idea finished a thought that had occurred to me as I reflected on an unfortunate situation I find myself in. I worked very hard and got great results for many years on some stuff, but at the end of it things did not end quite as well or positively as I would have liked. It may in fact, negatively impact my future. But when I realized that I didn't do anything wrong or anything to regret, I knew the Lord would take care of me. I may not get the results that I originally desired, but knowing that I truly did the best I could and hoping for good things in the future, my face is towards Zion and I can be happy about it.

Elder Snow had a great quote about hope and hopes, "Hope can inspire dreams and spur us to realize those dreams. Hope alone, however, does not cause us to succeed. Many honorable hopes have gone unfulfilled, shipwrecked on the reefs of good intentions and laziness." LOVE that. How many unfinished projects or aspirations do we have that we have not achieved just because we didn't do it?! That really motivated me to stick with some projects that I have been tempted to abandon on the 'reefs of good intentions and laziness.'

Anyway, I'm not normally so preachy, but I was really inspired by this, so I thought I'd share.

I Love/Hate This Age...

And by this age I mean her two-year old state of being. This thought occurred to me while we were on our trip to Leavenworth. It was the end of a long day/night and she was starting to get cranky as we walked to the fish ladder/nature trail. She lagged behind and started to get fussy (you all know what that sounds like), so I asked her, "Don't you want to see the fish ladder?!" with lots of over-the-top enthusiasm.

Her face lit up and she started running immediately while yelling "Yeaaaaaaaah!!" Mission accomplished.

She has no idea what a fish ladder is and, in fact, there are no fish running at this time of year, but she got so excited about seeing something new and different (encouraged by my over-the-top enthusiasm). She actually did love the fish ladder (despite no fish) because she loves water and she had a great time walking around on the nature trail. The walk back to the car got a little rough, but, again, we were able to make it exciting by turning it into a game (Doug encouraged her to chase him around while he ran in circles towards the car, crawling over chained fences, etc).

Of course there are plenty of things to complain about for this age group, but the fact that Vivienne is so good at communicating, enthusiasm is so infectious, and they are willing to do almost anything if you turn it into a game, can really change a person's mind about it!

Sharing a Piece of My Childhood

This weekend was a long Memorial Day weekend and we decided to take advantage of it by going up to Mount Vernon for a picnic with my side of the family on Monday. We also added something that was extra special for me...a visit to Rosario Beach on Whidbey Island on Sunday evening.

My dad (Jerry) used to take my sister and I to Rosario Beach all the time and we loved it! There are great skipping rocks, tide pools, hiking, and it's just beautiful. It holds a special place in my childhood heart. I have so many pictures of me as child here and it's wonderful to start my own collection of pictures with my own daughter. Rosario was also the beach where I took Doug when we were dating and freaked him out because he thought I was putting a crab on his back...really it was just a little tickle, but he screamed anyway. Because Sunday was supposed to be nice, I thought it would be fun to take Vivi to Rosario to see if we could find some crabs of our own...and we did.

The evening was beautiful!

We found lots of little hermit crabs in the tide pools (even though the tide was quite high)! She agreed to hold the crabs after we told them it tickled...and she really thought it tickled.

Doug did a good job of keeping the crabs on her hand, but they also climbed her sleeve, which she said was 'Funny!' As you can see, they weren't very big, but they were fun.

Doug took her further out than I trusted my pregnant body to go, but that's ok because I think I got some treasured shots of this loving father-daughter adventurous duo.

Can you tell she loves her papa? They are really special together and I love to watch their bond and relationship grow.

Hiking up a little trail from the tide pools. My heart stopped a couple times because of that drop-off and knowing how Vivi is prone to just taking off. But, Eagle Scout/Papa Doug did is job in always holding her hand and keeping her on the inside of the trail. Gorgeous view, right?

After an hour-plus at the beach it was time to go to grandma and grandpas for the evening and to stay the night. They got out on the trampoline with her and she loves to 'jump' so she loved every minute!

Vivienne loves to swing almost as much as she does to jump, so she was excited to Nana Anne as a 'swing buddy!' We had such a great time and I love documenting these special moments. I know everyone thinks their child is special, but Vivienne has a spark, love, light, intelligence, and humor that I think truly makes her a special Child of God.

For What it's Leavenworth

Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to Leavenworth for an overnight/day trip and we had a blast! Greatest Aunt Mary, Olivia, Grandma Cathy, Nana Marie, and us stayed in a cabin Saturday night (the others got there Friday) and had a yummy dinner at the 59er Diner and Cabins.

 Dinner at the 59er was great. Their shakes were pretty good, although I won't say they were the best I ever had. However, apparently I said 'chocolate' twice when placing my order so they made it extra chocolatey, which Vivi and I both appreciated.

She also quite liked the heap of whip cream and sprinkles. Doug got an Oreo shake and that was pretty good, too.

Dinner consisted of a yummy BBQ burger for me, nachos for Doug and 'Wet' fries for Vivi. It's like 'poutine' for those of you on the East Coast, and for those of you who are not, it's fries with gravy on top...although it could've used the cheese, too. I'm not exaggerating when I say she pretty much ate the whole plate of fries by herself (she let people try one and I had a couple, but that was Vivi's dinner...aren't we great parents?).

Here's Olivia and Vivi...I think Vivi's getting close to fry drunk.

When we got back to the cabin, Vivi was more than happy to be the center of attention. She put on a show for everyone...even if it just meant standing on bucket in the middle of the kitchen while we tried to play Apples to Apples. We thought it was hilarious, so she got her audience.

After a very unsuccessful night's sleep (the cabin had no doors to separate the sleeping areas), we headed into Leavenworth. We were lucky enough to find out about 'Smallwoods' just outside of Leavenworth. This place was great! It had petting farm, little tractor rides, an area for kids to ride little bikes, a maze, etc.

We had so much fun petting all the animals! Doug was very diligent about making sure Vivi's hand was flat as she fed the goats, mini cows, llamas, donkeys, sheep and more!

They had little food dispensers where you could get feed for 25 cents...this one ate our quarter, but we just went inside and got another bag of food for $1. The petting farm also only cost $1 per person to get into. What a great deal!

I think Doug had just as much fun as Vivi.

This bunny was sleeping, so Vivi sat down next to it and told it to wake up. There were ducks and geese and all sorts of other things...

After going into Leavenworth for German lunch, the hat shop and hearing some Bavarian music, we headed out of town but stopped at the fish ladder on our way. There was a good little nature walk. Here, Doug is explaining what a certain bird looks like...

I can't get enough of the pictures of Vivi and Doug holding hands. She was so tired by the time we left for home, but we had such a great little trip...we'll have to do it again!

To Wait and Work

Yes, this is a mid-day post, but not the bad kind. Our local YMCA has a great child watch that parents can utilize while they work out. Or don't. My back and abdomen have really been bothering lately, so I've decided to lay off the work outs, but I still want Vivi to get that kids interaction...and for me to get a break from her for 1.5 hours. So here I sit, with my book and netbook and I was reminded of a thought that occurred to me last week.

It seems, as a mom, I spend a lot of time either just waiting around not doing much at all (fretting about how much I'm not getting done) or I'm going at 60 miles-per-hour (still not getting enough done). For example, here at the Y, she's having a great time...ok a time (because she's being held)...for at least an hour, but I'm not at home to get done most of what I need to get done. I'm enjoying this time by myself, but really I'm just waiting around.

However, I know as soon as I get her back, I'll need to put her shoes on, get her coat on her while she's walking down the stairs eating the cracker I just gave her, and trying to reach the sippy cup in the diaper bag because she wants a drink. Then we'll go home where I'll try to keep her busy while simultaneously trying to make dinner. Etc, etc. You know what I'm talking about.

Sound familiar?

Maybe I haven't learned to properly utilize my time as a stay at home mom yet, but I often wonder what I could do that would be productive during those waiting times and usually come up with nothing. I mean, what can I do while I watch her in the play area at the mall that would make my 'list' any shorter? Or while she's bouncing on her new bouncy horse upstairs (for 5 minutes); usually just toss a load of laundry in and that's it. Yes, I (sometimes) wash the dishes while she's eating, but I actually prefer not to because she likes to climb up and get involved which just makes it harder. So I usually sit there and eat, too, or just putz around.

Waiting or crazy busy. There just doesn't seem to be a way to get ahead (ie do some of the tasks on my list while I'm waiting around) or try even out the workload. This kind of bothers me, but in a way it doesn't. I actually got used to this because my work at the Y was so seasonal that my workload really fluctuated. Sometimes I'd have to work a couple weeks of 10-12 hour days...and then there would be days where I just didn't have much to do at all. Should I be bothered by this or is this normal?

Be Wary the Mid-Day Post

Note: I started this post around 3pm because I was sooooo frustrated and irritated. Normally, I do not write until the evening after she goes to bed, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Thus, the title: Be Wary of the Mid-Day Post.

Does anyone know what to do with a high-maintenance, hard to entertain toddler? I try all sorts of things so she can HOPEFULLY entertain herself so I can do some stuff....even if it's just sit and read or fold laundry without her hanging on my leg. I have yet to find THAT thing that will keep her entertained for more than 5 minutes...and I'm not exaggerating. She gets bored with most things after about 3 minutes (again, not hyperbole). Even TV has about a 30-45 minute time limit, most of which I use to take a shower and get ready in the morning.

True, she has the attention span of a toddler, but I've known for a long time that my daughter would much rather play with people than toys. And she prefers adults to other kids. Where does that leave me on normal days?! I try to get out of the house at least once a day even if it's just a trip to the Y so we get a break from each other, but this morning was BAD (she ATE MY DEODERANT!!!), so I decided we were not going out in public.

What she looked like after playing in the rain

We played with her new princess tent (where she ate some snack), I tried to get her to ride her new suspended, bouncy horse (to no avail, I mean, come on!), etc. After she wouldn't leave me alone while I was trying to clean dishes because she wanted to play in the water (for those of you who don't know, Vivi LOVES water, any kind of water: puddles, rain, dish water, water fountains, pools, lakes, etc), I decided to partially fill up the shower (we don't have a bathtub) so she could splash around. I figured I was so smart and that would give me a enough time to do some reading or Facebooking or something, but nooooooo. THAT didn't even work longer than 10-15 minutes. She wanted to go out in the rain, so I finally put her in a coat and let her play on our front step with the door open so I could see her while sitting in my chair. She had a great time (until she got too wet and cold) for about 20 minutes and I was able to do some reading, but she still required some correction (ok, yelling) and, again, it didn't last as long as I hoped.


This also really got my goat, although it's not particularly related to this issue: she stuck her head in the toilet after she pooped (before she flushed)! I'm not kidding. She pooped in the potty (yay) and she wanted to see what she produced (as she often does), but then leaned her head so far in the toilet that her hair got in it before I could stop her. Booooo! So I had to throw her in the shower when we should've been walking out the door. AND then she knocked the water cup out of my hand so I got all wet, too. I lost it. We'll leave the description of my reaction at that.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. The thing is, she got all sorts of new toys for her birthday and I was sooo hoping that she'd be able to entertain herself long enough for me to be able to concentrate on something, anything. I even bought her a cute Fisher Price doctor's kit, which she really enjoys (she likes giving shots the most), but I have to be right there with her for her to play with it even after I showed her how to use it on her stuffed animals. Even when I do play with her, no one activity lasts longer than 15 minutes. It's not that I don't want to play with her, I just want to have times where I don't HAVE to play with her or if I'm not playing with her she's not hanging on my leg. She always has to be RIGHT there doing what I'm doing or trying to get me to do what she wants to do. Or I'm trying to convince (or show her) how to play, which she only really wants to do when I'm RIGHT there. Doug even asked yesterday, "When do you think she will not need to be RIGHT there?" It makes for a really long day.

Am I being selfish? Am I lazy? Am I enabling her too much? What can I do?  These are the questions of pregnant, frustrated mother who cried twice today and is all out of ideas. I like to do fun things like go swimming, go to the park, go for walks, the petting zoo, mini-road trips, but we can't do those all the time and, frankly, I don't want to nor do I feel like I should have to.  Help!

Welcome to Two-Year Old Land

On Friday, Vivienne officially turned two (although we suspect she's got an old soul and has been two for awhile)! We celebrated with pizza, cupcakes, and a righteous two-year old tantrum in JoAnne's Fabric before we headed to lunch with Doug. Oh yeah, she's never thrown a fit like this in public and it was comical (later) that it was occurring on her 2nd birthday. I took her to Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park where they have a huge chess set; she had a lot of fun moving those big guys around (she kept saying 'Heavy!'); you will be happy to know that she always lifted with her legs :)

Thank goodness she got over the 2-year old fits (mostly) to have a nice quiet dinner at home with mummy and papa:

She LOVED the chicken, bacon stuffed pizza we got her. Can you tell?

And a birthday cupcake...and by cupcake I mean frosting. She only ate the frosting.

On Saturday we went up to Mount Vernon for a May birthday/Mother's Day celebration with cousins Hailey (who's birthday is May 16) and Wyatt, Aunts Celeste and Derge, and Nana Anne and Grandpa Roger (May 20 birthday). I got an ice cream cake because Vivi LOVES ice cream and prefers it to regular cake, so the girls got to blow out candles to an ice cream cake together!

A big ol' piece of ice cream, fudge and cookie makes for a happy birthday girl.

On Sunday we had another May birthday/Mother's Day celebration with Doug's side of the family. It was an interesting day because Marie had been in the hospital the night before (and had been busted out earlier that day unbeknown to us) and Aunt Mary broke her foot the night before. We all went to Mary's while she laid on the couch all drugged up and while Marie couldn't consume anything other than clear liquids. We had a lovely time just being together and Vivi got some wonderful birthday gifts, including this suspended bouncy horse from cousin Lala and Aunt Mary! She named it 'Awesome!'

Sunday was Mother's Day and I insisted on getting a picture with my girl before we got out of our church clothes because I don't have many pics with her (I'm usually behind the camera). I think I see a resemblance, do you?

Tulip Fun...With the Tulips!

This is how I want to forever remember my little Vivi.

We went to Roozengaarde Garden to get some pictures of my (almost) two year old and some of them turned out really great. Images like this one I hope are burned into my mind so it's one of the last images to flash through my mind before I die. I love her joy, her pureness, her beauty and her love.

 I'm so glad that I get to have these experiences with her now that I'm not working. Today (a Wednesday) is supposed to be the only nice day of the week and there's no way I'm coming to the tulip fields on the weekend. Not to mention they will be topping the tulips soon.

Ignore my finger in the frame. She was trying to find something in flower.

 "I'm gonna get you!"

 Trying to take her shirt off.

 Woodland fairy :)

 Tulip fairy.

 Kissies!

 Finally running around by herself!

 The closest I could get to a pose.

 Rubbing the soft petal on her cheek. Quickly after this, Vivi popped the head off the tulip. Oops.

 Tackling mommy.

 Sniff.

"Are you sure I can't go in there?"