UH OH!

Elyse is really good at tummy time. Not because we've done anything but because she has been one of those kids who holds her head up all the time when we're carrying her. The other day during tummy time this happened.

We're in so much trouble. There's no leaving this one alone.

PS - Did you see her face when she realized that she was about to roll? Pure joy. 

MY CHILD TALKS TO INANIMATE OBJECTS LIKE FRIENDS

The title pretty much sums it up. At first I thought it was a one-off but then I started seeing the trend. Lauren talks to stuff and all the conversations are the same.

Lauren: "Hi (insert name of inanimate object here)! It's me, Rauren (*She can't say her Ls). I coming! I (insert current activity) right now! I coming. It's me, Rauren. I coming!" And then she gets there.

The other night on our walk/bike ride I witnessed this...

Lauren: "Hi Baby Digger! It's me, Rauren. I coming! I driving da bike right now! I coming. It's me, Rauren. I coming!" Then she arrives and says with such warmth in her voice, "Hi Baby Digger."

In all fairness, she has been visiting "Baby Digger" for over a week now, so I understand why she might feel a strong connection to her (it's a girl digger apparently). But then we were at the waterslides and she did the same thing with a huge statue of a frog that she had never seen before. They might as well have been best friends.

I guess with Lauren's constant (CONSTANT) chatter, it was only a matter of time before she tired of us as her audience and moved onto more exciting items to try out her new speaking skills on. It boggles my mind to think that only six months ago she was barely talking! Now she never stops.

BLOG VS BABY

For the last two months, the last thing I have wanted to do is open up my computer. I can barely have coherent conversations in real life, forget about typing! Babies seem to suck the words out of me (literally). At first everything seems great but around now I start to struggle to remember, not just what I'm talking about, but the individual words that will complete my sentence. And it's not just, "Oh, what was that word again... that's right, viscosity." No. It is, "What was that word? Hold on, what am I trying to say? Do they make a word for that? Who am I? Where am I? Hmmm. I should probably go have some ice cream." So trying to write a blog post involves quite a few half written sentences that have to get deleted because I have no idea where I am going with them.

A few weeks ago, Matt and I went to the North Shore Night Market with the girls. We wandered around the market, looked at the boats with Lauren and then grabbed some ice cream for her and Matt. Elyse had just fed so I was walking with her on my shoulder when a young lady came up to me and said, "I just have to tell you, I read your blog and I pray for you every day and I'm so excited for you." I was so surprised that I stammered out, "Thank you!" and that was it. It was so encouraging to know that someone other than my Oma reads the blog (she's hands down my most regular blog reader. Thanks Oma!).

I know that this blog started off in quite a dramatic fashion. We had people all over the world checking in to see how Lauren was doing. But now she is just another kid. So thank you to those people, many of whom I don't even know, who still check in to see what my crazy normal kid is up to and still keep our family in their prayers.

Lauren's doctor's appointments used to be dramatic. Tomorrow I'm taking the girls for a check up at their pediatrician and I'm expecting everything to be completely normal. What a nice change of events!

SO MY KID PRETTY MUCH POOPS DAISIES

I finally got those photobooks done (with only hours to spare) and they are on their way. I put old blog posts into the books along with the pictures from the time. One of the posts from when Lauren was still less than a year old had me thinking about what it would be like if I had another child in the future. In that post I stated that "I'm convinced that the law of averages will mean that our next baby will come out sleeping through the night, eating solid food, and pooping daisies. It would only be fair." I pretty much got exactly what I wished for!

Elyse is the easiest baby! I guess comparing her to Lauren might be a little unfair as she was struggling by two months with heart pain, but even compared to babies who are "normal", she is a gem. Elyse barely cries (she just grunts if she wants something), she typically wakes only once through the night for a feed (and then she falls right back to sleep), she smiles all the time and naps pretty well (as long as she is in motion which encourages me to get out of the house and go for walks or run my errands). I'm so blessed to have a baby like her.

I also believe that God doesn't give us more than we can handle and He knows what my abilities are. I know that my mental health is precarious as I have had glimpses of moments when I can spot precursors for depression but with a fair amount of sleep, an ability to still have a life outside of the house and the ability to relax throughout the day when she naps, has all really helped. Elyse being easy has also helped me have the energy to be consistent in my expectations with Lauren (who is pushing each and every boundary again). When I'm tired or stressed, I find that Lauren's antics make me react emotionally and that doesn't help anything. If I remain calm, it helps Lauren to calm down and listen as well. So I guess Elyse being easy is even helping Lauren. Maybe that's why Lauren loves her so much!

PLAYING CATCH UP

Matt was looking through his computer the other day and realized that we have three Groupon coupons for photobooks that expire in T minus 4 days. There haven't been blog posts because when I'm not holding babies who are sweetly asleep and then suddenly giving me the death stare, or cleaning poop and puke up from every place imaginable (today in one fell swoop Elyse managed to hit me, my hair, herself, my bed, my comforter, the side of the bed and the carpet), I'm frantically trying to finish these photobooks. 

So far I have finished two of the three which means that I'm finally done documenting Lauren's first year. I'm pretty behind. Last time I checked, she is two and a half now.

It is a nice process to go back through the memories of the early days because I go back through the photos and I add the text from the blog posts that I've done. I'm thankful for this blog because there are details that I've forgotten and I get to rediscover them as I read through the old posts. It has inspired me for some posts that I want to write in the next few weeks (once these pesky photobooks are finally behind me). Now I just need to convince Elyse that she wants to nap for more than 5 minutes at a time so that I can use two hands to work the computer.

The swing seems to be working its magic and she is finally giving into a nap. I think the photobooks can happen later. Time for my nap as well. (Between Lauren waking up at 3am wondering where Austin was, Matt's impressive snoring and Elyse's fussing and waking up for a feed, I missed out on that important 3am - 5am window of sleep, but I guess I can't complain too much since the night before that Elyse slept right through. Fingers crossed that tonight Lauren doesn't much care where the dog has gone.)

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MOM WHEN...

When Matt and I only had Lauren, we felt like people who had a kid. We were parents, but we were still our own people. Now, with two kids, we are parents. We aren't cool people who happen to have a kid, nope, we are parents whose sole job is trying to juggle our kids, stop them from grabbing everything on the store shelves and change their diapers anywhere we can find a flat surface.

Lately, I've been noticing "momisms" in my life. So here are a few of them.

You know you're a mom when...

...your baby pukes in your hair and you rinse it in the sink, think you're good to go and then realize once you're in an enclosed space like the car that, nope, you definitely missed some puke somewhere.

...you pump gas while singing the ABCs with your toddler and rocking your baby in her carseat so she doesn't start crying her brains out.

...days when you don't wear runners are considered fancy days.

...you justify those runners most days because they are so comfortable even if they look terrible.

...you can carry a baby on the front and balance your toddler on your hip.

...you give yourself a mental pat on the back if you make it out of the house within a half an hour of your intended exit time.

...you aim a puking baby at yourself because it is easier to do a load of laundry and take a shower than try to scrub puke out of the couch (again).

...your toddler has become a pro at your iphone because she grabs it every time you are immobilized by a nursing newborn.

...Baby Beluga is a permanent fixture in your car stereo.

...you have juice boxes packed into every bag, stroller and empty space in the car.

...you don't feel bad about putting a baby gate across your toddlers bedroom door and hiding out of view when she wakes up from her nap too early and starts yelling, "I'm stucky," because she can't get out. Yeah, I know, kid, that's the point.

...you know the schedule of cartoons on the Knowledge Network by heart.

...the route on any trip to the mall is planned to avoid any and all ride-on machines that will make your child cry because you refuse to put a toonie into them for 30 seconds of junky entertainment. You want a car ride, kid? Climb in your car seat and we will drive home. 

...you come back to your computer to find it locked and the screen view has been flipped upside down (you didn't even know that was possible before!)

...you are willing to make a complete fool of yourself in public if it means your kid has a good time. 

...any day where you put on mascara is a big day.

And last but not least...

You know you're a mom when your life before is a fuzzy memory and your reality right now is full of new memories and beautiful moments woven into the crazy, messy, cuddle-filled reality of being a mom.