Annie's 2!

My baby girl is 2. Does that make her not a baby anymore? Not sure. I still call John my baby...and he corrects me with, "I'm not a baby! I'm a big brother!" I told him when he's 83 he'll still be my baby.

Birth Day

Annie's Turns 1!

Baby Girl is 2!!

She's amazing. Any only 2. I can't believe how grown up she is...she makes her own decisions (and is sure to let us know when we're not cooperating with them), picks her own clothes, and likes to lounge around in her bed. And how sweet she is...a laugh you want to take with you everywhere, facial expressions that you can't help but melt to, and so many kisses and hugs to give. And how tough she is...John better watch out. And so better anyone that crosses him.

First Time's the Charm

Bath night in our house has morphed into an amazing display of ginormous bubbles, swimming kids complete with goggles, and maybe a bit of washing.

And last night we got to do it twice.

First Time

Happy kiddos!

Bubbles!

Swimming! Goggles! Splashing!

Out of the bath...

Bedtime lotion. Favorite monkey jammies for both.

Ready for books.

But then...

I drained the overly-bubbled bath.

And there was a POOP.

A POOP. IN THE BATH. Which means basically the kids had been playing in the toilet.

Second Time

Confused kiddos.

No bubbles.

No swimming. No goggles. No splashing.

Out of the bath...

Crying, overtired (but squeaky clean) kids. No more favorite (now poop-infested) monkey jammies.

Oh, you poop.

Heard Last Night

John (from the bathroom): Mom! I'm done! I pooped! One got stuck so I pulled it out with my fingers.

Sleepy Time

When you're a new mom, you quickly learn that everyone has advice on how to get a baby to sleep.

Rock them. Don't rock them. Hold them. Let them cry it out. Let them fall asleep in your arms and then move them to their bed. Make sure they fall asleep on their own or they'll never learn.

The one thing that I found to be true is that all babies are different. They have their own needs/wants, and as a mom, your approach is right. Whatever it is. You do what you need to do to be sure your baby is safe and healthy, and that you retain whatever bit of sanity you have left.

I have 2 beautiful kids, both of whom I feel I treated pretty much the same way at bedtime. And each has evolved into a very different sleeper.

John's bedtime routine consists of jammies, teeth brushing, face washing, 3 bedtime stories, potty time, 1 in original Goblin story created and told by mom in bed with the lights off, cuddling in bed, waiting for him to fall asleep, and then every night he wakes up and joins us in the "big bed." (I know several moms cringe at this.)

Annie's routine starts similarly with jammies, teeth brushing and face washing. Then we read books for about 10 minutes, turn on her music, get her blanket (which she sucks on), and put her in her bed. And she's down for the night. Don't bother her. And in the morning, she's roll around in bed until she's ready to admit it's time to get up.

There's something to be said about nature vs. nurture.

This past Saturday night, John's routine some how got interrupted. All of a sudden, he was downstairs, crying out for me. Tom was in the basement watching TV and I was upstairs sleeping, and there was John, half asleep and screaming. I brought him back to bed, and he calmed down. The next day he told me he had come into our bedroom but didn't see me, so he walked to the basement and the door was closed. So there he was, alone, scared, not sure where his parents had gone. We found him very quickly, but it still breaks my heart that he had a moment of feeling abandoned.

Of course, his sister slept happily through the whole episode. I'm sure if she had been the one who had woken up, she'd decide to deal with it in the morning, after a good night's rest.

This one's for the girls

You may think Annie fits in well with the ladies in my family...but little do you know that she's taken control of our group and has quickly become our leader. Not sure how she managed this in just under 2 years...didn't see it coming. It's all part of her master plan.

Fashionistas

One of the things that I love and hate about the holidays is getting the kids all ready and dressed up for everyone. I love it because they do look so cute (when they cooperate)...but I hate when there's a struggle about the clothes and they just want to be comfy (which I completely relate to!!)

So this holiday season I decided the kids would go in what they wanted to wear...with a bit of guidance from me. And it seems to have worked. John's new thing he's into wearing is ties. Really. And he is so damn cute in those ties, and even started wearing them to preschool (sans the collared shirt, which is a look I am really digging myself).

And Santa must have thought he looked fantastic as well because John got 3 new ties in his stocking!

As for Annie...the girl is into purses, shoes, and jewelry. Not sure how that happened...but she'll put on a shoe fashion show most afternoons (complete with your shoes, if you're visiting). And she'll take your necklace right off your neck (sorry, Auntie).

When it was time to go to our annual ladies' tea, she was all about her purse (which used to be a gift bag until she commandeered it).

Our most recent fashion move was by John who insisted princesses walk in a slow, creepy way.
I agree...a little creepy...but I think he pulls it off well :)

Oh Brother!

Annie's taken to calling John, "Brother." It is so cute, and understandable since so many people in Annie's life go by a non-name names...Mama, Dada, Auntie... This weekend we were sitting around the breakfast table, and Annie called out to each of us:

MAMA!

My reply: Annie!

DADA!

Tom's reply: Annie!

BROTHER!

John's reply: To express his complete love for her by becoming overly concerned that she had enough strawberries, and that I knew she wanted her waffles cut precisely so. (Like her mama, to truly endear yourself to Annie, ensure her tummy is happily filled.)