Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

...or makes a blog lose readers!! We have had a busy and crazy and fun May, and before we even got into it, I had neglected a little of the April happenings, too! So, I am working on preparing posts to get us up to speed...stay tuned!

one day, people...

I'll get to updating this blog! We hit the ground running in 2011! Just wanted to say that we're alive and well! :)

bad blogger

Well, the adjustment to the new school schedule has been grueling. 5:45 am comes fast for this night-owl mama! Add that early wake-up to the worries over allergy exposures at school, worries over school behavior, lunch packing, homework helping, fundraisers, soccer practice, dance class and five additional hours of work per week and you end up with a blog that has been ignored since the first week of school. Yes, I've had a bit of a rough adjustment. Fortunately, the kids have not. They're doing great and seem to be liking school more days than dreading it, so that's a good thing. Although, they do get a HUGE smile on their face on Friday nights when I tuck them in and tell them that they can sleep in the next morning because it's the weekend! I have to admit...I do too. :) More updates to come soon...hopefully!

another new addition

Kris found this teeny tiny praying mantis in the garden last week! I'm really hoping it stays put inside the netting to avoid gettting trampled or eaten!

fading green thumb

Yikes...so our thriving garden is suffering slightly. After thriving and providing us fresh veggies for several weeks, the green beans are now being eaten by bugs and the peas look to be dying. Also, I'm pretty sure we're incapable of growing bell peppers. We keep getting excited about tiny little peppers emerging from blossoms only to have them fall off the plant 2-3 days later. Then to top it all of, we found this nasty guy had eaten 1/3 of a tomato plant over night the other night...

Ugh. I'm not giving up, but I do have to say that my spirit is slightly broken. At least our zucchini and summer squash seem to be fruitful, but I did once hear that those veggies are idiot-proof...

Thankful Thursday

I'm taking a queue from Chrissi this week and mentioning a couple things I am VERY thankful for this week:

1. I'm so thankful that old friends, Jill and Mike (and little Lauren!) decided to stop and stay at our house this past Saturday as they were passing through the area on the way to MI. Having a chance to catch up was awesome. Seeing the footage of the tornadoes that touched down in lower MI and northern OH that night and realizing that they weren't driving right through the middle of that chaos because they decided to stop was even better.

2. I'm very thankful this week that DTE Energy and the threatening-to-strike union workers came to a tentative contract agreement. This released my dad from being stuck on DTE property for the next several weeks so that we can actually see him when we head to MI for a family visit in a few weeks.

Good week. :)

a victory

I've been thinking about writing this post for a long time but I never felt ready. Now, I'm ready.

My kid was kicked out of daycare. Twice. There...I finally said it.

When all of this shook down over a year ago, our world was turned upside down. First, one daycare sprung the news on us when we had never really been alerted to what they referred to as a growing issue. On a few occasions, a teacher would mention some normal incident that one would expect in a room full of three-year-olds, but nothing that led us to believe that there was an ongoing problem in the classroom. As they basically showed us the door that day, they were sure to label my loving child as "aggressive". In a way, we were thrilled to be leaving, because we had been less than satisfied with that center from the get-go and were on waiting lists at several other locations. On the other hand, it would have been nice to leave on our own terms.

At that point, we were able to get into one of the centers we had been eyeing. They didn't have room where they needed it for Sam, but said they could place him with the next class up and just not move him up when the others moved up. I hated the idea of that because here was this kid who had been moved to a new state, a new home, a new daycare, now another new daycare and, in another 6 weeks, would have a new set of kids in his world when he would just be getting used to the ones he was about to meet. But, we were kind of stuck...had to take the offer or continue to struggle with balancing work in the midst of daycare limbo.

At the second center, I shared my concerns. I let them know of the issues the other center had informed us of as they were escorting us out. I made them aware that I wanted daily updates and detailed reports and even phone calls at work if they thought it was necessary for me to talk to him. They seemed sensitive to our concerns.

But, as the months rolled on, our stresses mounted. I was receiving calls at work several times a day...it started to feel like we were constantly focusing on the bad and no one was telling him when he was doing something good. At the same time, they were diverting to me too often and establishing no authority over him. We suggested reward systems, which he would talk about excitedly at home, but they weren't being stuck with at school. Comparisons were being made to other children...expectations were high...three-year-olds were expected to follow the routines and lesson plans of a kindergartener.

When the center suggested that we consult a behavioral specialist, we agreed, because we did not want to have to switch centers again...we wanted to maintain a constant in his life that had not had a constant for several months since we had moved. The behavoiral specialist suggested that it wasn't behavioral, but sensory, and then referred us to an occupational therapist for an evaluation. We agreed, again needing to stick with it, but with underlying doubt that that was the right move.

The occupational therapist diagnosed him in the gray area between "developmental immaturity" and "sensory processing disorder". She said he definitely had some sensory "quirks" going on which was not news to us. Multisensory processing was amongst the quirks. If there were several things going on in the same area, he had a hard time bringing his focus down to one thing. On the other hand, though, once he did bring his focus down, he was overfocusing which led to him missing social cues which led to outbursts.

These were all things we knew and had adapted to at home and his old sitter in Ohio had adapted to in her home. Now that were in a center setting, though, it was proving to be an issue. We let the center know that the OT had suggested having a quiet place that he could go to to calm himself. We were working with him at home at recognizing when he needed that quiet space. At school, though, the quiet place they found for him was not anywhere near what he needed. They wanted him to go to a spot in the same room with his 23 classmates where he could sit by himself, but the noise was still too much. Suggestions on lighting and visual cues from the OT were not taken. In the end, they just didn't have the manpower/resources/time/patience to deal with a kid who was not a cookie cutter/seen-but-not-heard kid and we were, yet again, asked to leave.

Am I bitter? Hell yes...even still. I hate that we had so much stress in our lives at that time. I hate that my son thought that he was a "bad" kid. I hate that no consideration was given to the fact that this child had gone through several major life changes in the months leading up to that mess. I hate that we felt like we were failing as parents...that I was constantly on the defensive and feeling like I had something to prove when I walked in there. I hate that our entire focus was on Sam and Grace was getting a limited amount of our energy during this time. I hate that they kept saying that they were trying to help us, yet didn't take any of the suggestions from the OT and try to implement them into their center. I hate that I cried in front of them.

Am I thankful for any of it? No. What I'm thankful for, though, is where we landed. The journey sucked, but, in the end, I begged and pleaded to go part-time at work and got it. We found a nanny that loves our kids and a Christian preschool with small classrooms and loving, caring teachers who took the time to listen to our concerns and implement routines in the classroom that helped our little man adapt to a normal school environment. And over the past year, we have seen Sam mature into a kid who can handle most situations on his own while keeping his emotions in check.

So, now was the time to write this post. Because two weeks ago, the kids finished up their year at Crossroads. We enjoyed an end-of-the-year program with several songs, diplomas, smores and a tear-jerking slideshow before we said our good-byes to the lovely women who invested their Tuesday and Thursday mornings into the development of our children for the past several months.

last day of school

Grace with her certificate

waiting to go on stage

Sam with his certificate

Now was the time to write this post because I had to remind myself where we were a year ago, how far we've come and what wonderful things the staff at Crossroads has done for my children. I had to boost my confidence in my parenting skills and build my confidence up for the big change in the fall when Sam starts kindergarten at a new school and Grace moves to the pre-K program there. (If only Crossroads had an elementary school!) The bad memories of the past are starting to fade. Which has me hopeful that the bitterness will be close behind.

Yes, where we landed definitely far exceeded my expectations...and for that, I'm thankful.

attempting to grow stuff...

We decided to put in a garden this year. I'm not sure what has happened to me over the past couple of years, but all of the sudden I need to grow stuff. Maybe I'm trying to direct my need to nurture elsewhere since my no-longer-toddlers seem to need me less and less these days *sigh* and Kris keeps avoiding the subject of a third kid. Last summer we got the dog and this summer we're growing vegetables. Next summer: horses! Okay, maybe not...

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yeah...the garden...

We started green beans and peppers from seeds in the house a few weeks ago. Sam's green beans sprouted REALLY fast. This shot is from four days after planting:

By the sixth day, they were screaming to be put in the ground:

Thankfully, my landscaper was quick to get the first garden box installed so we could plant these outside:

The first round of outdoor planting included the few beans we started inside, another row and a half of seeds for additional green beans, a summer squash plant, three zucchini mounds, two pre-bought pepper plants and two pre-bought tomato plants.

Grace's starter peppers in the house weren't doing too hot at that point. Since Kris seemed to think that the sun coming through Sam's window could bring dead things to life, we moved the starter peppers from Grace's sill to Sam's. They perked up and seemed to be ready to go in the ground outside after another week or so. Sadly, now a week later, they aren't looking too hot. We may need to replace them with two or three more pre-bought pepper plants in the near future.

After getting the first box set, Kris got to work installing the second box...and cutting the cable wire...but that's off the subject again...

The second box went in and I planted a pre-bought dill plant along with two rows of carrot seeds and two rows of pea seeds. Molly promptly dug up my peas two days later, and Sam and I tried our best to pick them all out of the grass and get them back in the garden. The poor things were already starting to sprout. I wasn't very optimistic that they'd make it, but, after what has felt like an eternity of rain the last few days, I looked out the window today and saw that they are starting to come up! I've never been so excited to see the beginnings of a food that I absolutely hate! The second box still has some room, so I will be planting two cherry tomato plants that our neighbor brought over and maybe a blueberry plant for the boy who LOVES berries. Thinking we definitely need to do that since our potted strawberry plant seems to be turning out to be a giant fail.

We also purchased a cilantro plant that we potted, which has prompted Kris to start making the yummiest salsa ever...seriously, I think we might need to start selling the stuff...so good!

Out front, we've been working on growing flowers from seeds. The kids each had a starter set for some wildflowers that have been busy growing on Sam's windowsill. I think they are just about ready to go in the ground. I also planted a bunch of seeds in the front beds this year. Although, I'm quickly discovering that I'm really more of an instant gratification girl when it comes to flowers...I'm starting to get annoyed that all I still see is bits of green rising out of the mulch. If I start flowers from seeds next year, it will be in the house in February so they are blooming and beautiful by the time they go in the ground in April.

Once this rain stops, I'll get some pictures of our progress around the yard to post. Is anyone else growing anything this year?

karma?

So, I'm a little worried about the cute, young couple that is moving into the neighborhood. Mainly because they are sparrows and they just tried to build their new home in my porch. Kris noticed the substantial beginnings of their little love nest earlier today and decided he better nip that in the bud before they officially set up shop and started attacking our heads every time we tried to walk past their precious next-generation-to-be to get to our front door. He knocked the meager pile of twigs and grass to the porch floor and swept it off the edge, while strategically ducking so he didn't get his head pecked by a rather angry feathered duo.

Immediately after Kris finished the job, we left to run some errands. Upon our return, we were surprised to see that they hadn't tried to rebuild in the same spot. But, we did notice an ever so slight amount of stray debris sticking out of our dryer vent halfway up the side of the house. We really couldn't definitively say whether it was there before or not. So, now I'm freaking out that this sparrow couple might be making their home right inside of our home.

I had never realized that birds could really get into dryer vents until I noticed one go into our neighbor's vent a couple of weeks ago. Now, I'm wondering if this is karma for not informing the neighbor of the new family that has moved into her home. It's not like I haven't tried, though. The day I saw it, I walked over there to try and tell her. For some reason, the crazy old bat will never answer her door for me. Okay, maybe she thinks the same thing about me. Maybe she's really freaking annoyed that I have to walk over to her house once every other week because one of my kids has decided it would be funny to throw a toy over the fence and into her backyard. Maybe she's actually a little terrified of us after my husband peeked over her fence with a set of binoculars in search of the sitter's house key which Sam decided he needed to chuck over the back fence. But still...I'm a little annoyed that she has never answered the door for us and we've always had to ask her next door neighbor to retrieve our lost items for us...which he always willingly does as he yells in her open window to let her know he's running into her yard to get a toy...to which she alway responds, "okay." It drives me absolutely up a wall that she has been home on almost every occasion but has still not answered the door for us!

Then again, maybe this is just because Kris evicted a young bird family out of his grill last year and has nothing to do with the annoying neighbor. We're watching the vent for further signs of inhabitance. I'll post if there are any developments (since I know you're all on the edge of your seats over this!).

on the horizon...

So, I'm staring 30 in the face. Okay, that's a little dramatic because it is still 8 weeks away.

Let me start over...30 is on the horizon. I'm trying not to get all personal with the number until it is maybe 1 week away. Trying. Desperately. And yet, it keeps reminding me that it's coming.

It reminded me today as I was gardening. I was lovingly planting the second round of annuals that I bought this season and stood back and thought "I may need to go get some more." Yes, me, who never planted one thing at the old house in the 6 years that I lived there until I was trying to spruce it up to sell it. And seriously, annuals? These are the types of flowers I used to say were too much trouble for only having them around for 3 short months. I mean, who wants to replant every year?

And don't even get me started on the fact that I decided to whip up some banana bread the other day because I had 30 minutes to spare. It used to take me at least 30 hours to talk myself into a baking project, because, while I love to eat the end result, I used to hate the process to get me there.

What's next? Elastic pants and dying my hair blue? 30 is seriously starting to scare me.

Happy New Year!

Well, as part of my New Year's...ahem...goals, I joined Facebook in an attempt to keep in touch better with some of those I've been bad about contacting as of late. This coming from the one who said she'd never join another social networking site. We'll see how that goes...I'm already stressed out and overwhelmed by the number of messages to answer.

Holidays in MI were great...pics to come once I finish weeding through them! The big news, though, is that nephew #3 arrived early in the morning on December 31! Welcome Graham! We can't wait to meet you!!

sorry, Squanto...it's all over

In case you haven’t heard, we’re apparently skipping Thanksgiving this year.

I had a feeling this was coming. I felt the beginnings of it several years ago when I worked retail and was forced to start displaying the Christmas ornaments in late August. For me, it became most evident this past Friday evening, though.

Since we had a Christmas party to attend on Saturday (I know, don’t get me started), I decided to run out and purchase Christmas-y outfits for the kids on Friday night. Much to my dismay, the store I frequent most often for children’s clothing had nothing even remotely Christmas season stocked. When I inquired as to when they would be putting those items out, I was told by the clerk that I had missed them. It seems they had them out sometime in October and that past week had packed everything up to be shipped to their outlet store. That made a little more sense to me, since I used to live near one of the outlets, so I was always able to purchase the Christmas outfits there after Thanksgiving.

But, really? What happened to the harvest season? What happened to the holiday between Halloween and Christmas? Little twinkling lights are going up all over my neighborhood, but I am holding out. I am determined to keep my pumpkins, scarecrow and turkey out until this coming weekend. And I will continue to fight the urge to set up the artificial cashmere pine tree I bought the other day...oh, don’t ridicule me...the sale was crying out to me louder than crushed spirit of Squanto.

in case you've been living under a rock...

Tomorrow is November 4. Election day. Go vote. Please.

public service announcement...

When we moved into this house, we had to pick appliances as we were moving into a new build. The builder had already installed the dishwasher that he had chosen. So, naturally, we decided to go with the family of Frigidaire appliances that matched the already existing dishwasher.

We soon figured out that the dishwasher was really not that wonderful. It had less space than our old, less expensive dishwasher and nothing ever comes out looking really clean.

We were also annoyed by the refrigerator whose doors are hung crooked and whose kick plate won't stay on. Even the logo is mounted askew. About 6 weeks ago, we replaced the filter in the fridge only to have it decide to freak out and spit water and ice all over the kitchen for several minutes while every light on the thing flashed incessantly at us. We furiously searched the manual and learned how to force quit everything. After we cleaned up the kitchen and let it rest for a few hours, we tried the water and ice feature again and it worked fine. It has not happened again, but at least once a week at work since, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach wondering if the refrigerator is busy flooding our house while I am busy at work.

The last straw came this past Monday, though. I turned on the microwave to heat up a portion of our dinner and it sounded like a jet was landing in our kitchen. Needless to say, it did not heat the food. We called the appliance distributor who came out the next day (Tuesday) to confirm the busted part and said they'd get back to us. Haven't heard from them since, so I'll be bugging them a couple of times a day every day next week because if I don't get some damn PopSecret Homestyle popcorn in me soon, I'm going to have a nervous breakdown.

So, I'm focusing on meals for the past few days and the next several days that do not require the assistance of a microwave. This is pretty tough in a house with two small children and two working-full-time parents. And since my mother-in-law requested some of these recipes recently, I've decided to share them here, so all readers can have the chance to enjoy them. First up, a fall favorite, because who doesn't love chili in the fall?

White Chili

2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 24 oz jar of Northern beans
1 15 oz. can of chicken broth
1/2 cup of water
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 can of diced tomatoes or 2 small fresh tomatoes

Brown chicken; saute onions, celery and garlic in butter for about 1 minute.
Add chicken broth, water and remaining ingredients.
Simmer for about one hour.

In the last 15 minutes, add diced tomatoes.
Thicken with 2 Tablespoons of flour mixed with cold water.
Garnish bowls with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheddar.

Enjoy!

no butts about it...

To the woman with the three children you were ignoring at the park today:

I don't care if you smoke. Hell, I used to do it myself. But, maybe you could think twice before you light up at a children's playground, ten feet away from where my child just started playing with the manual excavator. What you did today was inappropriate, inconsiderate, rude and unacceptable. Because, even if I did enjoy it in the past, I'd rather my children not be exposed to secondhand smoke and I'd really prefer they do not pick up this habit in the future. So the only one I will be apologizing to for loudly stating to Sam that it was disgusting and that we needed to go play on the slide for awhile is Sam. He doesn't particularly care for being hustled away from his absolute favorite feature at the park.

the overwhelming guilt...

Why is it that I can never escape the guilt? Sam and I are off to Chicago this weekend for my nephew's 2nd birthday. Grace will be staying home and spending the weekend with Kris. Since it's pretty much impossible for a 3-year-old to keep quiet about something he is excited about, Grace pretty much knows the whole agenda for our day and a half in the Windy City. And she's heartbroken.

I keep telling myself that I should not feel guilty because she is just getting going with the whole potty training thing. Taking her on the road this weekend could screw up all progress we've made to this point, and if she did remember to tell me that she had to stop and go, it would pretty much be impossible to get her to a potty in time when I would be alone with two toddlers to get unbuckled, loaded into a stroller and into some disgusting public restroom where they run the risk of picking up hepatitis while using the facilities.

But the guilt of her not seeing family members who live states away is weighing on me. Also the fact that she will be missing out on going to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier with her cousin and brother is upsetting to me. But, at the same time, why shouldn't Sam get to have something that is just his? I think sometimes he gets so frustrated because his sister usually gets to do everything that he is doing and butts in on his exciting events.

Sam and I are packed and ready to hightail it out of here tomorrow afternoon after work. There is no chance of adding her to the equation at this stage in the game...I've fought the guilt. Sam brought it up with his sister again last night, and she became upset again saying that she wanted to see Caleb (my sister's son), too. I told her that she would see him at Thanksgiving at our house. Then she insisted that she had to see him at his house. At that point, I made a deal with her. I said this time would be Sam's turn and when Aunt Sarah has the baby, then she and I will go see the baby (and Caleb)...it will be her turn. Later that night, I was talking to my sister on the phone. Grace came in and I asked her if she wanted to talk to Aunt Sarah. She said, "She had the baby? It's my turn to go?" Poor baby. It'll be a few months, yet.

And don't even get me started on the Cleveland friends I miss dearly who are now residing in Chicago and whom I didn't even inform I was coming into town this time...so sorry, guys. The guilt...ow...it makes my head hurt.

the thrill of the classified

I sold my first items through Craig's List today and couldn't be happier. Last night, I listed Grace's changing table and crib. Today, a cute couple who recently moved to KY from UT came to buy it for their own little bundle of joy expected to arrive in January.

Grace was really funny about the whole thing. She hasn't used the changing table in several months and recently started retiring to her big girl bed instead of her crib. But both items have been sitting in her room, still. When they started loading everything up, she asked, "Why are they taking my baby bed?"

I told her that they were going to take it home for their baby to use since she didn't need them anymore because she was such a big girl. To this she replied, "Oh...they'll bring it back later." Poor kid...I wonder how long she'll be waiting for them to bring them back before giving up hope.

Mothers, please don't marvel at my amazing strength which enabled me to part with baby items, since that usually means a couple has decided their last little tax deduction has been added to the family. My kids are only 16 months apart, which means Sam wasn't ready to move to a big kid bed or be potty trained before Grace was born...meaning I have (had!) double of everything. Therefore, getting rid of one set has not left me weeping over my empty uterus. I store my underlying hope for a surprise third child in the basement storage room in the form of the most adorable antique blue Pottery Barn Kids holiday bonus splurge of late 2004.

I will say, however, that I am desperately trying to come down from my first-sale high...if I can't fight it, I may find myself in an empty house after selling everything off! At least then I'll have extra cash to refurnish, though, right?

the week, colds, fevers & Obama

Got the dreaded daycare call on Tuesday saying Grace was running a fever...yes, our little Tugboat of the Week missed a day and a half of her 5-day reign...what was that I was saying about a Tugboat of the Week runner up?

It hit me on Wednesday evening, although I powered through it long enough to catch Bill Clinton's speech that night. After putting in almost a half-day at work on Thursday morning, I decided I really needed to go home to sleep...and I did...for 3-1/2 glorious hours...and I still felt like crap when I got up. Sam also was not feeling well that evening and Grace still seemed a little rundown. We got everyone to bed pretty early that night, and considering I had slept the afternoon away, I decided I wasn't going let the fact that I wasn't feeling well make me miss history in the making.

And after listening to Mr. Obama speak for 50 minutes, I went to bed hopeful for the next four (hopefully eight) years and what they might mean for my children who endured a 7-month stint with unqualified early childhood educators who never had the time or support to address each child's needs and personalities on an individual basis. I was left hopeful that maybe, in the near future, my sister and her family, if they decided they wanted to, would be able to sell their house for a decent price, move and not be left with a leftover mortgage because the value of their home has plummeted in the last year. I was left hopeful that, in weeks like this one, Kris and I won't have to choose between our jobs and our sick kids...that we won't feel like we are being pulled in two different directions, since our kids should always come first. And hopeful that some of my close friends will be allotted the same rights with the loves of their lives that I am with mine. And those are just the really personal points for me. Beyond that, the list is too numerous to mention.

And I know there are some opposed to this man leading this country. And I know there are some that say that the last eight years are just part of the natural economical cycle. In the end, I hope that what's important is realized, because I need to give my kids the best future possible. And I think sending Barack Obama to the White House will play a role in that.

I'm admitting I have a problem...someone please help me

My darling little girl has been awarded the highly-esteemed, daycare-center-wide-recognized honor of "Tugboat of the Week" this week. (Her class is the Tugboats...instead of grade levels, since they are not old enough to be in grades, yet, they have named their classes after items in the sea...tugboats, starfish, sailboats, dolphins, jellyfish, etc...one day I'm sure I'll hear her reminisce..."oh, how I remember fondly my days as a Tugboat".) We received official word of the exciting development a little over a week ago. Thus began the downward spiral of her psycho designer mother's sanity.

When we were informed of Grace's new, temporary title, we were also informed that we would need to create a poster for her week-long reign that would be displayed outside the door to her classroom. (Hmmm...I wonder if there is a Tugboat of the Week first runner up...someone who would take over as Tugboat of the Week should the actual Tugboat of the Week be unable to fulfill his or her duties.) I had seen previous recipient's posters hanging from week to week. They were always fine...a few pictures, the name of the kid. But now that it was Grace's turn, all I could think when I recalled the classmates' posters was...amateurs. Awful, I know...but you have to understand that apparently I'm ill. I mean, where was the depth, the visual interest, the inspiring photography?

And so, I started sketching possibilities for a layout...I even considered a flat print, largescale for a split second, then remembered that, oh yeah, Kris might have a heart attack if I shelled out $100 for this thing. I spent the last several days combing through photo files to narrow down to the most riveting photos to highlight the amazing moments of Grace's 27-month life. After that grueling process, I spent a couple of hours retouching these photos so that the light and shadows were consistent and perfect from photo to photo. Then execution of the piece began. Hours of cutting and framing and taping and typing and printing. And the final result:

Kris thinks maybe we should frame it afterwards...I'm worried that it may be too heavy to tape to the wall at school...and Grace would have been happy with one big, old, horrible picture of Cinderella. Thankfully, she's too young to be overly opinionated (she's just happy I let her color a small picture to be included on the finished piece)...I'm dreading the day Sam comes home with a note saying he has been named "Dolphin of the Week"...I'm having an anxiety attack just thinking of the dozens of awful little creepy talking train stickers I'm going to have to include on his display.

eating my words...

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I said all was going great with the big girl bed? Yeah, I think I jinxed myself. Grace is driving me insane with the getting out of bed every 3.62 minutes and wandering around the house. For the past week, I've gotten nothing done in the evenings because I'm constantly putting her back into bed. Tonight, I put a baby gate in her doorway, but really just as a slight deterrent since I know she can climb them. At least now she can't waltz out of her room without making a noise...at this point tonight, I have caught her three times mid-climb (and mid-grunt) going over the gate...

...make that four. Ugh. I had to have known it was coming...Sam went through the exact same stage. I remember sitting upstairs at the old house a year ago talking with my sister on the phone, when Sam tiptoes down the hallway with myself in plain view. As he reached the end of the hallway before stepping out to be exposed to the stairwell, he whisper-shouts across the living room to me, "Hey Mommy! Where'd Daddy go?" since Kris had just put him back into bed. Seriously! Like I was the one sitting in the getaway car waiting for him to sneak run out of the bank he just held up...like I was the one waiting to whisper-shout back "the coast is clear!" I remember looking at him with my are-you-freakin-kidding-me-with-this-after-I-put-you-into-bed-
for-the-fifteeth-time-and-Daddy-only-came-up-for-the-last-
trip-to-your-room? look on my face, then throwing in the towel that night and laying in his bed because I had no other solutions.

I guess I just thought Grace would never get to this point. Don't ask me why...I have no idea. Maybe because she's always been so self-sufficient while we've been catering to Sam. Since he was only 16 months when she was born, we were always making sure he didn't get upset since we didn't want him to disturb the baby. When Sam hit the getting-out-of-bed stage (amongst other 2-year-old quirks), I started to realize I had created an attention-demanding older kid while creating an infant who really didn't demand much attention at all.

It seems now, the roles have reversed. Now Grace is demanding the attention...she has become that typical two-year-old. The one you see screaming in the store or laying on the floor in a restaurant with snot and tears all over her face, or smacking her mother or father. The one who gets out of bed every 3.62 minutes.

God help us. We just got beyond this with Sam a few months ago. But it does make me wonder if I can stop blaming myself for Sam's "terrible twos". Maybe I didn't create that afterall...maybe your typical two-year-old just goes through this. I'm going to keep telling myself this...makes me feel like maybe I actually am doing things right and my kids were just predestined to hit the terrible twos. Maybe.