Elliot kept losing his swimsuit-seems to be a common problem for my babies.
I have been very thankful that my mom has been here-I am so enjoying her company and help. And I certainly wouldn't be able to easily get out and hit the beach without her right now--I guess that is to be expected at 38 weeks of pregnancy!
Both Laney and Elliot love, love, love to be read to; good thing that Grandma B is such a willing reader--I've been feeling like I may very well go insane if I have to read one more Dora book to Laney or one more nursery rhyme to Elliot!
My mom flew to Reno on Wednesday. All Tuesday night, I kept worrying that I would go into labor before she arrived. But we made it! We went to playgroup on Wednesday morning and then to a sprinkler park in Reno before picking up Grandma B at the airport. A few hours after she arrived, Grandma B babysat Laney and Elliot while Dave and I went to preschool parent orientation--this was a little scary and I'm really not sure if I think that Delaney is ready for preschool. We'll see.....
We got a ton of stuff done yesterday---some fun, some not.
Today we headed to the beach and had a great time--played in the sand a lot and also had a picnic lunch and went on a little walk in the woods. Laney was super cooperative (we're wondering what she's up to!) although Elliot was somewhat of an imp. We had a wonderful day!
We had a very atypical Sunday morning---it doesn't rain here much-especially in the summer (thank goodness!), so the kids ran outside in their pajamas to play in the rain. They had a blast-getting super wet and muddy!
Along with some friends, the kids and I headed to the Great Basin Adventure in Reno this morning. It was hot, hot, hot out--100 degrees--but we had a great time. Today was as wonderful as yesterday was terrible! Delaney and Elliot were super cooperative and loved everything-especially the petting zoo. I love to watch my children enjoy life and they were just so happy all day today. 
We stayed at the Great Basin Adventure for four hours and the kids never once sat in the double stroller--they just walked and walked and walked. Of course, if I hadn't brought the double stroller along, they both would have wanted to be carried the whole time!
Laney rode a horse and absolutely loved the bunny at the petting zoo---I seriously considered the idea of getting her a bunny--before I came to my senses and remembered that we're having a baby in a couple of weeks and the last thing that I need is another little needy creature!
I thought that they would have been exhausted after running around for four hours in 100 degree temperatures---but nope-they took a 25 minute power nap on the ride home and then were ready to go when we got home. I, on the other hand, was pretty beat all night---I guess that being almost 37 weeks pregnant and chasing after two toddlers all day will do that!
Delaney had her three year well child visit today---and yes, she is moving on up the growth charts!
Weight: 24.75 lbs (2.41%tile)
Height: 35.5 inches (16.85%tile)
The kids were great during Laney's appointment. -Although Laney did put the nurse in her place when she repeatedly commented that Elliot was just as big as Laney--but I couldn't blame her. Laney repeatedly told the doctor how big she is now that she's three and listed all of the things that she can do that Elliot can not do. Elliot wanted to sit right next to Laney on the exam table but made it very clear that the doctor wasn't to look at or come near him!
The rest of the day is a bad blur-that I'm still trying to erase from my memory. Laney had one of her absolutely uncooperative, demanding and cranky days and it just wasn't pretty. We had a number of stand-offs when she demanded that I look for something for her that she had not even attempted to find for herself. And then she threw a fit for about 45 minutes because I wouldn't pick her cup up for her---even though it was laying at her feet. Mean, mean mommy, huh?! It's never a good sign when she wakes up at 6 AM and declares that she wants to 'fuss all day'.
Delaney goes through phases when she eats very little, and then she goes through phases when she just eats and eats and eats. I guess that she only eats when she's hungry---a novel idea, huh?
She's been eating a ton the last week or so---everything and anything. For dinner tonight, she had some steak, three helpings of rice and beans, a whole ear of corn and 6 slices of watermelon!! We ate outside and I had already started to clean up the kitchen-while Laney was just eating away outside. Maybe she's going through a growth spurt, or maybe she's trying to pack on the pounds before her 3-year well child visit tomorrow.
Very, very pregnant--36 weeks 3 days to be exact-but who's counting? I have the usual aches and pains associated with late pregnancy but really I'm doing pretty well. I can't wait to meet our little baby but I would be happy to make it to my due date. There's really no rush and I know how much work an infant requires! And this is most likely my last pregnancy, so I want to make sure that I don't wish the next couple of weeks away. So we'll wait patiently until this baby is good and ready to be born.
After returning home from the beach today, Laney and Elliot wanted to make some pictures for the 'new baby'. You would think that Laney and Elliot would be exhausted from playing on the beach for over three hours, but no, not at all. Elliot drew on the paper for a short while and then found it much more fun to color and put stickers all over himself. He was content, happy and in one place, so I thought---Oh, well.....
Laney hasn't napped for awhile now and Elliot just recently has followed his sister's lead---which is really, really unfortunate-especially for me! He's been napping a couple of times a week but nothing that I can count on. I swear everything that Laney does-Elliot is (too) quick to follow. And he's so, so busy right now and into all sorts of mischief. He totally reminds us of a little tornado--he runs around and around and we're often not quite sure what he's up to or where he's headed but leaves behind a path of destruction.
Elliot is very much a little boy--Delaney jumps in puddles, Elliot sticks his entire head in puddles and then tries to lap up the water. I'm always worried that he's going to get some weird type of bacteria or parasite from all of the crazy stuff that he puts in his mouth.
And he makes us laugh--all of the time-especially his crazy, hyper, 'bug in a jar' moments. He can figure out how to do anything and everything by himself. He has the biggest smile and wears it often. And he's a total mommy's boy---every morning, he yells--'Mommy, mommy, where are you?? Want out, want out!'.
I worry about how Elliot is going to adjust to having a little sibling. Delaney most definitely thinks of herself as the 'big girl' and the oldest, but I'm not sure about Elliot. He tries so desperately to keep up with Laney and really does a great job but I worry that he constantly feels pressure to keep up with the big kids. 
Delaney was very excited for her birthday this year; we've probably spent the last 6 weeks talking about it! She had a Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party on Monday morning at our house, and she absolutely loved it. Dave stayed home for the party and helped out, and Delaney did great-no meltdowns, no problems sharing and certainly no problems with overstimulation (not this girl!). Elliot was a little shy at first but then relaxed and scavenged for cupcake crumbs in the grass and somehow ate almost a whole carton of blackberries! After everyone left, Laney asked me if we could have another birthday party after lunchtime. Um---no.
Today, for her actual birthday, we had playgroup over at our house (totally unrelated to her birthday---but Laney thought that it was another party for her and wanted her daddy to blow up balloons and put up decorations for her!), and then we met Dave for an ice cream treat at Baskin Robbins. Tonite I tried explaining to Delaney that her birthday was over and that now it was time for the baby's birthday!
I'm so excited that Laney is three---I feel such a sense of success when each of my kids have their birthdays---I've kept them alive and thriving for another year (as well as myself!). And---as Laney said when she woke up---'I'm three. I'm really, really big'.
These two cuties spent a good part of the morning trying to 'fix' the sunflower that had dropped to the ground. They tried holding it up and then letting it go.
They tried sitting down and then letting it go. 
And then finally Laney got a 'blankie' to wrap around the stem to make it 'all better'. 
It was time to say goodbye to Laney's crib and get her a big girl bed. We've been putting this transition off but decided to bite the bullet a few weeks before the baby arrives, hopefully giving her enough time to adjust to her new bed. If we could have, we probably would have left Laney in her crib until she was about sixteen!
Laney was thrilled about her big girl bed and new bedding--which she picked out herself and has owls and flowers on it. That is-she was thrilled until it was bedtime. She definitely got a little nervous and uncomfortable about sleeping in her new bed. She went to bed fairly well---and then she was up-from about 1 - 4 AM. It was a long, long night. She kept telling us that she just didn't want to sleep---which was really too bad because Dave and I really, really wanted to sleep!Laney basically isn't napping anymore--which makes for a very long day (especially for me!) and a very tired Delaney by about 5 PM. She's so demanding and 'on' all of the time-that I sometimes wonder if she might drive me crazy---like clinically insane. But I've become really good at making her play by herself during 'naptime' for at least an hour. If she acts up, then I just ignore her or put her in her room. Both Dave and I have become so much better about discipline--I guess that having a demanding child will help that! We have so much more confidence with disciplining both of our kids and less tolerance for bad behavior--which I think is healthy for everyone. It is nice that we can put her to bed earlier when she doesn't nap-and it is really nice to have both kids in bed by 8:30 PM or so.
Laney is super excited for her birthday and especially for her Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Party! She's been asking me about 20 times a day--'Is my birthday party now? Is my birthday party now? Is my birthday party now?'.
Elliot's been full of mischief---I swear we pulled him off of the kitchen chairs / table 20 times today-before 8 AM. I think that we put him in time-out about 5 times this morning. But he's super sweet too---he says 'please', 'thank you', or 'thank you please' after everything; he'll say 'thirsty please', 'hungry please', 'clothes please' and then when I get him a drink / snack / clothes, he always says 'thank you'. If I don't do what he's asking, then he usually tries 'thank you please', meaning---wait a second, I just said thank you and please-will you do it now????
Elliot loves kisses (especially from me!). He'll point to his head and say 'boo boo kiss please' and then point to his nose / mouth / eyes / cheeks.........and do the same thing. It's so cute.
Sleeping issues aside, we had a great weekend! This was our first weekend since June that we haven't had any plans---and it was really, really nice. We got some stuff done around the house, went to a farmers market and did lots of playing in the backyard.
Elliot has become our fiercely independent little boy. He doesn't want help with anything. He climbs into our cars by himself and then climbs up into his car seat by himself, and if I so much as touch him, he starts all over again, shouting---'By self, by self (by myself)'! I can't help him get into his booster seat at the table or the stroller either. He never backs down to Delaney-which is great-because she needs a sibling who can hold his own.
Elliot tries so hard to keep up with Delaney--after she has mastered a new part of the playground, he is quick to follow. It breaks my heart a little, and I always want to tell him that it's okay to slow down.
He's 20 months but reminds me so much of a two year old. He shouts, 'Mine', 'Nooooooo', and 'My turn' and 'not yours' about 100 times a day. He's super physical and needs to run around outside like a puppy. He just goes and goes and goes until he collapses in bed. This morning he was tearing around the house by 5:15 AM, and really didn't slow down until naptime (12:30). But he also can have a tough time with new people and new things. He's really pretty shy around other people and gets somewhat out of sorts if Delaney isn't with him.
He's growing a ton right now. Our kids have always been small but he's definitely had a little growth spurt over the past month or so. He's busting out of his 18 month clothing and I barely can squeeze his feet into size 6 shoes-which I just bought in June. He's even ready to move into Size 4 Pampers Cruisers---Delaney never came close to making it out of a Size 3 before she was potty trained.
And he's a definite mommy's boy-not that there's anything wrong with that!
Laney and Elliot's pediatrician recommends that her patients first go to the dentist around two years; however, when Delaney was 24 months, the thought of taking her to the dentist was super unappealing--I envisioned no cooperation followed by a total meltdown followed by hours of screaming. So I waited. And waited.
I finally took her to the dentist---she has her three year well child visit in a couple of weeks and I sure didn't want to get a lecture from the pediatrician about how I should've taken her to the dentist a year ago.
In truly Delaney fashion, Delaney rose to the occasion and was a perfect angel--totally cooperative, compliant and curious. She wasn't at all nervous or anxious. In the morning, I told her to pick out a special outfit for her appointment-she decided on her Mets shirt! She was adorable. And the dentist said that her teeth are great-no cavities, no stains and no spots to watch. Now that is amazing, considering that we basically had to wrestle her every time that we brushed her teeth until she was 2 1/2 years. 
Lynde, Delaney, Elliot and I headed to Cave Rock after naptime (well-I guess only Elliot had a naptime today). Lynde had packed up dinner for us, so we could have a picnic on the beach. Lynde and Laney had a great time playing in the water (note: See Laney's bottoms falling down?-A constant problem!), and Lynde certainly got a work out. 
Elliot was super determined at the beach-especially when doing everything that he shouldn't be doing; he certainly has a mind of his own.
I've been loving every minute of Lynde's visit---great company and great help.
Yeah for Aunt Lynde visiting us! This morning we took Penny and Clancey hiking and had a great time. The hike was a little longer than I had anticipated (isn't it always that way?), so I was pretty beat afterwards. 
Dave and Lynde put together the patio table and then we all sat outside for awhile-before Lynde and I left for Shakespeare on the Lake-a play on the beach of Sand Harbor. It was great---spectacular venue, good play and great company. The sun was setting over the water while we watched the play.
Delaney & Elliot love to jump off of the couch onto their teddy bear chairs--it's one of their favorite games. Elliot can't quite actually jump off of the couch, but he's just as happy falling onto his chair. I love how he bends down so low before he 'jumps'!
....And voila-Laney has her first big girl haircut. She had her hair trimmed for the first time in January but this is the first time that she has really had her haircut. And it was so time for it. Her blonde locks had grown too long and it was a constant battle to keep her hair at least somewhat presentable and not totally and completely in knots. To me, she looks a little like an elf---a very, very cute elf! She's been blonde since birth-but it still surprises me.
After Laney's haircut, we picked out bedding for her 'big girl' bed and then went out to lunch. It was a pretty good morning----which was really nice because she has been so tough the last couple of days. I have felt a huge sense of accomplishment each night when she's sleeping in her bed---we got through another day and we're both alive and well!
Delaney has a bunch of milestones coming up in the next couple of weeks---first dental appointment, turning three, her first big birthday party with friends, her 3 year well child visit and starting preschool---and I must say that I am looking forward to each and every one of them. When we took away her binky after she turned two--and she (and we) lived through the transition, I felt like we could do absolutely anything. When she suddenly became potty trained in May--pretty much all by herself--, I was so stunned and also so relieved-finally something came super easily and wasn't a battle. Seriously-weeks passed by after she was potty trained and I was still walking around with my head in the clouds thinking--Wow-we don't have to get her to do anything or teach her to do anything else for a long, long time----or maybe just a couple of months!
And now, I can't believe that she's turning three on August 12---I have actually kept her (and myself!) alive for three whole years, and she's a smart, beautiful and amazingly strong willed little girl---that's not so bad. She's not easy-never has been-but maybe, just maybe, I can truly get over that and totally accept that maybe this isn't a phase but just who she is and savor all of the wonderful things that come with her being difficult to parent. She's an itty-bitty-cuter-than-anything little girl who people always assume is super compliant and sweet. But Laney totally and completely has her own mind and her own opinions and she is not to be persuaded or reasoned with. It's not a matter of picking battles with her----she picks them everyday and very rarely walks away from one. And we have some long, long days together---but that makes me appreciate all of the little milestones that much more.
