Splashing In The Tub!

This picture was taken during a peaceful moment (and it was just a moment!) in the tub.

Bath time can be pretty hectic at our house; by this time of the evening, both of the babies are tired (as is mommy), Elliot is a little unsteady in the tub and in constant motion, chances are they want to sit in exactly the same place (next to the faucet) and they always want the same toy-Curious George. But, they also are just too cute in the tub; they love to be in their birthday suits and splash, splash away.

Treasure Chest

Delaney is very much into keeping her stuff out of her little brother's hands. It's a constant battle. For all of us. And I can't even count how many times a day I say, 'Laney, if you don't want Elliot to have that, then put it up on the table / in your room / on the couch'. As the places that Elliot can not get to are fewer and fewer, Delaney has become increasingly frustrated.

Today Delaney tried a new strategy. She emptied a basket and then ran around the house, gathering all of her favorite posessions, and put them into the basket and then pushed the basket towards the back of the couch. So, what are her most prized possessions these days?--Her 'pop' (lollipop), 'little, little doll', 'Shorge' (Curious George-who happens to be about 2 inches tall, leaving me to spend hours a day searching for him), 'ka' (milk), 'little, little dog' and her favorite ball of the day. Quite a treasure chest!

Man On The Move

Elliot is very much into getting around and keeping up with his big sister. If Delaney is still sleeping when we wakes up from his nap, he'll immediately crawl over to her door and stand up-trying to push the door open. The other morning, he woke up insanely early (as in 3:30 AM-and was up until his noon time nap) and while I was making my coffee at about 6:00 AM, he had managed to push her door open and wake her up. Delaney tends to wake up about as well as her father-very slowly and crankily, so while Delaney's presence always makes life interesting, I seriously question his judgement.

Delaney can be pretty tough on Elliot, taking all of his toys and trying to limit where he goes; the other day Delaney decided that all of the furniture in the family room was 'hers' and that Elliot couldn't touch any of it---her declaration made for a very, very long day. But then today, they were eating lunch and making funny noises and just laughing hysterically at each other. Delaney will pick up a little crumb off of the floor give it to Elliot--gross, yes, but she actually is trying to be sweet because she knows that Elliot only eats little pices of food. They do always want to know what the other is doing-it's pretty cute.

Duck Pond

It has become a weekly tradition to head out to the duck pond. Delaney loves to feed the 'biiiig', and 'little, little' ducks and Elliot loves it when Daddy carries him, chasing all of the ducks. The duck pond has quickly become one of Delaney's favorite places and she'll run to get her shoes on the second that we say 'let's go feed the ducks'.


While feeding the ducks, Delaney tends to take a nibble of whatever stale bread we've been saving, and then tosses a piece to the ducks-or about 5 feet in front of her little feet--whichever is closer! Some of the geese are seriously almost Delaney-sized and I have this constant fear of them attacking her and of her falling into the rather nasty water. Good thing that she has a more relaxed Daddy! I typically spend a lot of my time at the pond gasping.


We usually try to keep Elliot in his stroller for as long as possible, because he really only wants to be on the ground, crawling around and putting anything and everything into his mouth, and God knows we can NOT let him crawl around anywhere even close to the duck pond. He's a good sport about it, but I can tell that he can't wait to be able to run around with Delaney! Here he is wearing a Halloween skeleton shirt-he looks like such a tough guy wearing all black.

Binky Withdrawal

Well, it's been tough, but we've made it through 1 1/2 days with no binkies. Yesterday morning was pretty brutal; after realizing that she couldn't have her binkies outside of her crib, she went ballistic-for well over three hours. It was really, really difficult-for everyone. But then, she got over it for awhile, and played happily for the rest of the morning. Later in the afternoon, she had another tantrum when we wouldn't hand over her binkies, but only for about half an hour.

She did great this morning, and this afternoon, there have been a few tears, but nothing too bad-yet.

We're far from home free but making progress and sticking to our plan.

We've been keeping her on a lollipop-drip to ease her pain.

It's Time

This day has been creeping up on me. And it's finally here. And I'm more than a little afraid. But I've had it.

It's time for us to wean Delaney from her binkies (yes, she has not one, not two, but three of them). I can't understand a word that she says when she has a binky in her mouth and I am so, so sick of searching for the darn things all over the house and up and down the streets (yes, I have actually done that-many times).

So-our plan: Starting today, no more binkies outside of crib. At all. Whining-No binkies. Temper tantrum?-No binkies. Mommy desperately is trying to get something done?-No binkies. Delaney goes absolutely crazy for days on end-No binkies.

It certainly won't be pretty because God knows that Delaney has a much stronger will than Dave and I (and most of the world). She can wear anyone down. We should have known when we gave her the middle name 'Nevin' (after her great-grandmother) that she would be stubborn. But, she'll deal; I know that she can do it-but can we? YES.

Ten Months!

Elliot is ten months old today. In a number of ways, I can't believe that he's already nearing his first birthday, but I also feel like he's been a part of our family forever, and I certainly can't imagine life without this little boy. He is absolutely delicious. He warms my heart and makes me smile every hour of every day. He's curious and so patiently persistent. He is smiles and smiles, hugs and slobbery kisses.


This was a particularly chaotic week. Daddy went on a short trip and was super busy at work, so the babies and I were on our own for much of the week. And it was hectic-we had fun play dates, outings at the park, LOTS of walks in the stroller and a whole lot of temper tantrums.

Yesterday, we hosted our first play date here in Carson City. It was crazy and Delaney had a tough time sharing some of her toys and had a complete and absolute meltdown-worthy of a time-out. So-it was stressful. But the other mommies were wonderful-no one asked if I needed 'help' (my ultimate pet-peeve--it's like, what exactly do you think that you can do to make this situation better??) and no one said 'oh, should we leave?' (which just would have been embarrassing); everyone just looked the other way and kept playing.

While it was difficult, Delaney ultimately needs to 'practice' sharing and calming herself down, so we'll definitely host another play date soon (but not too soon!). And Elliot had a wonderful time, trying to keep up with the 'big kids', eating snacks and buddying up to other 'babies' (everything is relative when all of your guests are under the age of 2 1/2!).

Force of Nature

The other night Dave described Delaney as a 'force of nature', and that is a perfect description of her. She's totally unpredictable and uncontrollable. She is her own little spirit-that's for sure.

She makes us laugh. Lately anytime that I need to change her diaper, wipe her nose, brush her hair....she tells me 'no, no, doll, doll' and then hands me her little doll-meaning, 'mommy, if you really feel the need to change a diaper, wipe a nose, brush hair, just do it to doll!'

When I tell her that it's naptime, or time to come inside, she'll say 'all done mom, all done mom', meaning-'mom, we won't do it and just say we did, okay?'.

Sniff, Sniff

Elliot loves to sniff. It's pretty adorable-he scrunches up his whole little face and is VERY dramatic. Yes, I know, I still haven't figured out how to flip the videos.

He's such a good little boy-crawls all over the house and yard, happily playing. If he could only stay this content for the rest of his life....!

Housebound

Since Delaney came down with a fever Wednesday afternoon and Elliot came down with a fever this afternoon, we've been stuck at home a lot of this week. We've had some long days and longer nights but we're hanging in there. There's nothing like a bout of sickness to make you appreciate your children's usual good health. We are so lucky to have two healthy babies.



Delaney and Elliot certainly have their ups and downs, but I'm so happy that they have each other. I really think that having a sibling (or two, or three!) is one of the best gifts that parents can give their children.

Survival

I've never been much of a joiner and big groups are not really my thing. All I need are a couple of close friends-easier said than done. I certainly can not replace my Las Vegas friends (that's you, Jodi!), but I also certainly can not stay at home all day with no companionship. For a stay-at-home-mom with no family in town, meeting other moms is an absolute essential.

So, we've been getting out-meeting a lot of really nice moms and kids. I'll pretty much try any play group or baby activity under the sun. Even if I don't like the group (or God forbid, they don't like us!), it's worth a try.

I recently joined a mommy group that meets every other Monday at a church. I was told that the group is not religious or political; however, I was skeptical. I guess I worry that because of the location, the group excludes anyone who wouldn't feel comfortable going to that church. But then my friend told me that volunteers watch the babies for two hours while the moms eat breakfast, drink coffee, and have discussions about motherhood. Well, once I heard that a non-blood-relative would actually volunteer to watch my two babies for TWO WHOLE HOURS, I was like-SIGN ME UP NOW!!! The whole purpose of the group is to give moms support-a break from the daily grind and the chance to connect with other moms. Who would have thought???

I'm with my babies just about 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so let's say that I know them pretty well. And I was fairly certain (99%) that they both would scream the entire time that I was gone. And maybe I'm a 'bad' mom for doing this, but I kind of said to myself-'oh, well, they'll live' and decided to give it a try.

And I was right. Scream, they did. Delaney screamed so loud that I could hear her (ever so slightly) down the hallway through two sets of double doors. For 1 1/2 hours. Per his caretaker, Elliot cried or fussed for all but 20 minutes. When I picked up Delaney, the grandmotherly volunteer said--'wow-you have your hands full, don't you?'-And then actually told me to come back to the next meeting because I 'must really need a break'. So true.

I hate knowing that my babies are upset, especially when I know that my presence would soothe them. So, did I feel badly?--Of course, of course. But I feel guilty about something every day-guilty that I may not be making the right decisions for my family, guilty that one baby is more demanding of my time and energy, guilty that I don't want to make dinner, guilty that what I really want is a nap..... The guilt list goes on forever. But I do need time to myself and a chance to talk to other adults, and Delaney and Elliot certainly need to know that mommy always comes back and that they'll be okay while I'm gone.

I, on the other hand, was child-free for 1 1/2 hours, drank coffee and chatted with really nice mothers, so, all in all, I consider the meeting a success!

Love Bug

This is a picture of Elliot after reading the newspaper. In the mornings, he loves to crinkle up the newspaper-the print usually gets all over his face.

I never knew that a little boy could be so sweet. I call him my love bug-I write this with hesitation because Dave always reminds me that the internet is forever, and Elliot probably won't want his friends to know that his mom called him 'love bug'. Just a hunch. But he really is just too sweet.

Dave always says the girls in our family are the troublemakers and that the boys are the good ones. Delaney, Penny and I respectfully disagree; we're just 'spirited'-in the words of Grandma D.

The Chef

Delaney loves to help cook. During the day, she'll periodically drag a chair over to the kitchen counter and order me to 'cook, cook'!! She really is a good helper and follows directions well (when she wants to of course!).

When helping to wash veggies, she uses the following technique: wash carrot, take bite of carrot, throw carrot in bowl, wash carrot, take bite of carrot, throw carrot in bowl.... I'm just thankful that she'll eat veggies.

And He's Off!

Pretty much from the second that Elliot wakes up in the morning, he's on the go. We change his diaper and then put him down and he's off exploring. He's not so much into snuggling with Mommy anymore, but is busy, busy, busy. He always wants whatever is 'Delaney's', her binkies, sippie cups and coveted toys. He's just starting to fight back when Delaney takes something from him, AND he's starting to take things from Delaney. I do think that Delaney is finding Elliot a little more interesting these days; he's no longer a squirmy little baby but is a big boy who loves to play. I am a very busy woman these days, trying to keep Elliot from putting EVERYTHING in his mouth and breaking up fights.



I must say that I have mixed feelings about Delaney and Elliot growing up. I love watching them learn and enjoy the new stages of their lives. But I'm also a little heartbroken and miss my snuggly little babies.

Scribbles

Delaney has just started to love scribbling. She can actually sit for a half hour or so and work on her pictures. It's amazing-these few pockets of time each day when Delaney plays happily and contently are totally enough to get me through all of the difficult hours that I have with her.

Laney's favorite phrases right now are 'aaaaall gone' and 'aaaaall done'. She walks around the house determining what is 'biiiiiiig' and what is 'ittle, ittle, ittle'. She's decided that Mommy, Daddy and Laney are 'biiiiiig' and Elliot is 'ittle, ittle, ittle' (I guess those 3 lbs and 3 inches that she has on him make the difference between 'biiiiiig' and 'ittle, ittle, 'ittle')!

She's crazy bossy and demanding. She'll scream 'more apple (juice), more apple, more apple' for 45 minutes even though her cup is completely full. She's been trying to confine where Elliot crawls, keeping him away from 'her stuff' and I think also just trying to control where he goes and what he does. And she has a wicked, wicked temper and literally can scream and yell for hours (and I mean HOURS); as Dave says, her emotions and thinking just totally outpace her self control.

And then she's also so wonderful and sweet. Right now, she has a little bit of a lisp and says 'yesh, yesh, yesh' and calls her brother 'Ellie'. She likes to snuggle with me early in the morning and before bedtime. After a real bad day, we'll talk to her about why she was so upset and had so many tantrums and she'll look at us so sweetly and innocently with her big, round blue eyes and shrug her shoulders that I can barely remember what we're talking to her about!