Cooler mornings and last day of camp!

Chilly morning

This week has been so wonderful, weather-wise!  It has gotten down to 48.  We wake up to a chilly house because our house is opened up all day and night.  We have been putting footie pajamas on the baby, and everyone wears fleeces in the morning. In the afternoons, it's been low 80s. Hooray! I of course love this weather.   I know it won't last, but I'm going to enjoy it while we have it.  

I have started Fall shopping! Hooray!  It is my favorite time of year, and back-to-school shopping is probably one of my most favorite activities, ever. But more on that later.

A warm and stripey outfit today

Bode and Gianna  have their last day of camp today.  They've had fun, but it's definitely been rough in the woods. They've gotten bitten by mosquitos all over, and Bode has blisters on his  heels.  I think Bode enjoys playing with new friends, but Gianna has a harder time friending others, because she is the youngest of the bunch. Yesterday when I dropped them off, Bode ran off with a friend and Gianna lagged behind. I stopped, midway to my car and looked at her. She stood there and looked at me.  And my heart  hurt a little bit, wondering if she wanted me to stay or if she wanted to go with me. I told her that I loved her and to have fun. She yelled back, "Okay, take care!" But she still stood there and watched me. Finally I took a deep breath, blew her a kiss, and walked to my car, hoping that she would have fun.  As I pulled out of the driveway, I looked back and saw that she had joined Bode and his friend.

I keep debating back & forth over whether Gianna should go to school with Bode.  (Bode is going to a Kindergarten that ranges in age from 3-6, so Gianna could go there, too.) My first response is No, because I think she needs an experience independent of Bode. On the other hand, I think it might be helpful for her to have Bode around to show her the ropes.  It's hard...we want to do what's best for her (and Bode) and all we can do is make our best decision based on what we know, right?  I get a little freaked out, knowing that I will have two babies in school this Fall. Luckily, I will have one baby at home with me!

Oh, how I love you.

I have no plans for the month before school starts. I imagine that we will fill up our days with swings, water fun and other summer activities. Hopefully some relaxed downtime/play is just what the monkeys need before the Fall school schedule begins!

Happy Friday.

xo

Rainy days are here again

Gianna sez, "Rain? Again?"

Last night was the second trial in room sharing. It went a little better (but not much). They were both up super late (and slept in this morning).  I know that this will take time.  But let's just say I'm not moving Nico's crib into Gianna's old room yet....

It is pouring down rain.  Today is day 2 for camp and I felt a little wicked dropping the monkeys off in the downpour.  But I know that they will have fun.

Bode and Gianna insist on carrying their backpacks (gifted to them by Aunt Mary Lou) to camp every day, even though they really don't need them.  They are supposed to bring certain things to camp, and leave the items in their designated spaces.  But Bode and Gianna insist on carrying their backpacks to and from camp every day.  And every afternoon when I pick them up from camp, they are packing up their backpacks, as if they are nomads, off on another journey, and not off to the comforts of their very suburban, very modern home. While they pack, I point out that all the other kids leave their items at the camp.  I try to talk to them about maybe leaving the spare pair of undies or sunscreen at camp for tomorrow, but am told that everything must go back in the backpack. And the backpack goes with them.  It is all very official with them, you know.

I finally captured a picture of Nico with his first tooth.

This baby has curls.  And I love the curls because they remind me of my dad.
Happy Tuesday.
xo

The weekend, a big change, and camp!

Shortly after joining his company and getting acquainted with his "team," RWF told me that he works with a lot of young people.  On Friday, we went to a picnic for RWF's department. At the picnic, I could see what he meant. He does have a lot of young people working with him, and I felt so old!  I actually thought, "So the tables have turned. I'm no longer the youngest at the office, bidding my old crow manager and his stodgy, Talbots-attired wife adieu when they depart from the company "forced fun event." Mais non.  This time, I am the old crow wife, clucking her tongue at her children, yet smiling brightly while greeting the young worker bees in RWF's department. Yikes! Reality sets in again.  RWF works with a lot of nice people!  I was happy to meet them and "enjoy" the hottest day of the year (!!!) with them. (Man, it was so hot. I threatened RWF several times that if we did.not.leave.this.minute....well, you know. In reality, we stayed until 7:30. It cooled down a bit after the sun started to set.)

Let it be known, that whenever I see Nico's little face, I think, "Oh, my love," and my heart folds itself up into a little origami something-or-other because I just can not get over this baby. He is so precious!

Bode is getting so big. He is definitely going on "5." Not that I really know what "5" is, but he is looking older, acting older, and talking older.  Now, I can no  longer placate him or stop undesirable behavior with a redirection. Now, when I try to placate or redirect behavior, he argues back or tells me "why" what I am saying or doing won't work. He is just too smart for me.  And it's not just personal things that he is smart about (smart alec, sometimes) but brain-smart, too.  The other day, RWF turned on a space program, and without any introduction at all, Bode announced, "Oh that is one of Jupiter's moons, Endura."  We sat in silence until the narrator of the show confirmed that yes, we were in fact looking at one of Jupiter's moons, Endura.  (Honestly, I can't remember if the moon was called "Endura" or what it is called. Look it up. Or ask smartypants Bode sometime. He'll tell you.)

"Hi, I'm 5 going on 42, and a future employee at NASA"

And as you know, Gianna is a big 3 year old. She does not like to be left alone so I have to accompany her to the restroom every time she goes, and she now insists that her closet light be turned on every night as a night light. But, she no longer sleeps with her baby dolls or animals. She sleeps alone in her crib, with just her Hello Kitty blanket. And every night, she tells me exactly what to do, as if I'm some amnesiac that is charged with putting her to bed every night:  "Put on my Hello Kitty blanket. Turn on my fan. Turn on my closet light. I want to see my pretty dresses. (channeling Vanna White, I dutifully open her closet door, with a flourish, and show her pretty dresses to her) Oh, so pretty! Give me my bah-bah and say Goodnight to me." She says all of this quickly, like an order, with barely a breath in between as I go through the paces. 

And now that I've written that, I wonder, does she miss our routine?  See, that has all changed, because on Sunday there was a big change to our routine.

On Sunday, RWF and I just bit the bullet and moved Gianna's crib into Bode's room.  A short 2 hours later, and the verdict was in: Gianna will be moving back into her own room! What happened was this:  to be expected, they were both soooo excited to be sharing a room that they couldn't sleep.  Bode let Gianna out of her crib TWICE, and accompanied her downstairs to check in with us over silly stuff, like, "Hey guys, Gianna needs to go potty." (oh really? )  I was occupied because I was nursing Nico to sleep. So RWF had to deal on his own. The second trip downstairs occurred around 8:30 PM, which is 1 1/2 hours past their bedtime.  And I was about to have a heart attack, thinking of them tripping and falling on the stairs as they made their way down in their giggly, wired, sleep-deprived state. I told RWF, "This will not do. I can not sleep knowing that they will be going up and down the stairs all night."  Luckily, RWF threatened them with immediate separation if they did not return to their beds and GO.TO.SLEEP!  It worked. 

And to be expected, they both got up at the crack of dawn (5 AM) and yes, walked downstairs and attempted to wake me up (and Nico!), but RWF intervened.

There are so many issues.  I am trying to put Nico down in the evenings after I put Bode and Gianna down for bed.  So if they continue these shenanigans during the week, I'm not going to be able to deal with the situation and put Nico to sleep.  Plus, there is still the whole frightening stair issue (Gianna does not go down the stairs without an adult holding her hand. The fact that she was walking down (and up) the stairs with Bode, who is not so stable himself, gives me heart palpitations!) And then there is of course the idea that Gianna has already lost a lot of sleep (over 1 night), and who knows how long she'll be able to go at this pace.

So. Miss Mia Gianna will most likely be back in her own room by the end of the week.  Hope that you enjoyed the mini sleep-over, kids!

9 AM and they are both already exhausted!

The two monkeys are back in camp this week. It will be the last week of camp before school starts.  Gianna was not so gung-ho this morning about returning to camp. It could be that she is tired from last night. Who knows.  She was fine when I left her.  

Is that snowman laughing at me?!

She did insist on wearing a snowman hair bow this morning. And I had to wonder, is that a statement, that, like her mother, she is so over this stupid, hot, humid Northeast summer, or is it a harbinger of things to come (snowy freeze-your-ass-off winter)? 

Happy Monday.

xo

Living in the (captured) moment

These photos were the outtakes of Gianna's 3rd birthday party invitation

"To overlook the little things in life is to miss the biggest part of life itself."

-unknown*

Sometimes I feel bad for always stopping, mid-activity, mid-conversation, mid-whatever, to raise my phone up to eye level and snap a photo of whatever is before me.  I am always trying to snap photos of my babies, my husband, my dog, a moment in our life.  A lot of people  wonder why I don't just live in the moment and try to keep it in my memory. The truth is, I have very little memory. My brain just can not keep everything in memory that I would like to remember.  So I take photos of everything. I am the annoying person, at a family gathering, interrupting someone's conversation or special moment by stepping up and into the situation, and clicking my camera button.  I am the mother who sits in the background quietly snapping photos, so that I can capture this happy moment in their lives, a moment that they won't remember and that probably will mean nothing to them in 10 years.  But I want to remember.  So I take the photo, even at the risk of interrupting the moment. 

Today, when I dropped Bode and Gianna off at camp, a little girl ran up to Gianna and spoke to her.  And then, taking Gianna's hand, they walked off, together, hand in hand.  My heart swelled and tears popped into my eyes. It was such a simple and sweet gesture. Two little girls, one of them mine, holding hands. It was something that I want desperately for my daughter: a friend's hand through life.   

I didn't have my phone with me.  I debated running out to my car and grabbing my phone, and running out after them to snap the photo. I knew that I wanted to capture it as I saw it, their backs to me, the hands clasped like perfect paper doll cut-outs. But I didn't.  I will remember this scene. I will write it out instead:  Gianna, in her blue daisy sunhat, pink t-shirt,  and striped leggings.  Emily, in a pink flowered sunhat, pink t-shirt and grey leggings.  Both girls wore Hello Kitty rain boots on their feet (and this is why they bonded).  Emily is 3 1/2. Gianna is 2-turning-3-on-Sunday. They are the same height.  And they walked hand in hand into the woods, ready for a day of adventure and friendship at camp.

This week, I've been so busy getting ready for Gianna's 3rd birthday party. I have had no time to myself during this downtime while Bode and Gianna are at camp! It is funny how I can spend so much time cleaning, shopping and planning when I want to!  I want Gianna to have a happy birthday, a birthday that will surely be captured in several photos from a very well-meaning mommy. But a happy birthday all the same, no matter who remembers what.

Happy Thursday.

xo

* I don't know who to credit, but I love this quote.  I Googled the quote, but only came up with a bunch of random pins and sources. If you happen to know, please tell me. Thanks!

First day of camp!

Yesterday was Gianna's first day of camp...ever!  Bode was also at camp with her (he went last year).

Last night, I tried to prep her, by talking to her about what to expect, what to do in xyz situation(s), who would be there, etc.  We also packed her camp bag, and I explained every item and what it was for so that she would know.  (Note: this is only day camp).  Finally, RWF whispered, "Knock it off."  He thought that I was talking it up too much, and possibly getting her a little too excited (nervous).  So I stopped, and put her to bed.  Well of course, she couldn't go to sleep.  I heard her later on, and went into her room to check on her. She was crying. She said that she wanted to be with me downstairs (stalling!).  So I brought her downstairs and talked to her, about everything but camp.  Finally, I told her that it was time to go to bed. She went without any resistance. But then, I couldn't sleep last night because I kept worrying about her and how she would do at camp.

Well! I wasted a LOT of time not sleeping last night, let me tell you.  

Yesterday morning, as soon as I went to her to get her out of bed, she asked, "Where's my bag?"  She was ready to go.  We went through breakfast, getting sunscreen applied, getting dressed, etc.  And on the drive over, she kept saying, "Bye, mommy, bye!"  I would murmur, "Mmm hmmm...but I haven't dropped you off yet."   

We got there, and after introductions and hanging her stuff up, she looked at me and said, "Bye, Mommy!"  And she didn't look at me again.  I walked downstairs with her and then she and Bode took off running.  They didn't look back.

They had a blast, and when I picked them up, they didn't want to leave.  Gianna kept screaming this high pitched shrieky scream whenever I asked her to do something in order to leave (put your sunscreen in your camp bag, put on your shoes, etc.).  It was hurting my (and everyone else's) ears.  I knew that she was over-tired. I asked Shawn, the camp instructor, "How did Gianna do?"  Shawn blinked, and then looked apologetic, "Do you mean Mia?  Am I supposed to be calling her Gianna?"  I laughed. She continued, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know. I was wondering why she was ignoring me and wouldn't even look at me!" Of course, my first thought was, as a nervous mother, thank goodness she wasn't yelling, "Mia, look out for that wild animal!" because Gianna would surely have perished at the hands of a....I don't know what...a gopher? a wild turkey? So I'm glad that we got her name sorted out!

But overall, success. Gianna loves camp. Bode loves camp.  I have a few hours in the morning to myself (and Nico).
Kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya....
xo

A Day in the Life (Bode today)

I go to his room in the morning. It starts out with him accusing me.  "Mommy, why did you take me to that place? Those piggies were biting each other. I didn't rike it."  After a few questions, I realize it is a dream.  He is starting to remember his dreams.  Sometimes they are bad dreams, and those are hard to explain away.  He talks about dreams like they are real, actual events.

After breakfast, I drop him at camp. It is real camp and he spends a ton of time outdoors, in the woods, walking and exploring with his friends.

My favorite part of today?  Picking him up and seeing his bare feet and legs covered in dirt.  "Mommy, we walked Baby Bear (a trail).  We saw a lot of frogs! And a samander (salamander)! I didn't rike the samander though."

After a nap, he requests a smoothie.  I ask him what fruit goes into the smoothie.  But, there are too many choices, and he starts getting confused. So I have to play Mean Mommy and just pick the fruit for him, dumping it into the blender.

We go outside and he rides his bike.  He pulls a wagon behind him.  "Look, Mommy!  This is my bike trailer!"

And then, a cool breeze ushers in a surprise shower.  Bode grins, and runs like a maniac, around and around and around.  "C'mon, Gianna! Race with me!"

Dinner, and then a bath.  When I wasn't paying attention, he kept sneaking more and more cars into the bathtub.  Later, after he went to bed, this is what the bathtub looked like:

He is growing up so fast. He absorbs everything, and then spits it back out at me when I least expect it. I'm constantly surprised by what he thinks and says.  If I complain about the heat, he says, "Don't worry, it will cool off soon."  When he makes these type of statements, I think, "I really, really have to watch what I say."  He is super sensitive, very smart, and oh so lovable.  

xo

Camp 2

Bode started another week of camp today. I think he likes it.  It is hard to tell because he doesn't really tell me anything.  I ask him if he had fun, and he answers, "Yes."  I ask  him to tell me something that he did at camp, and he answers, "I don't want to talk about it right now." That's about the extent of it. I guess this is preparing me for the teenage years.

He was pink-cheeked and thirsty when I picked him up.  So he stood in the parking area and drank an entire  bottle of juice.  We stood in the shade of a tree while he drank it.  It is supposed to get up to 97 today.

Ai-yi-yi.  I'm from Texas, but I don't do heat.  No, thank you. 

I did take Gianna to the park this morning after dropping Bode at camp.  I promised her that we would do something "fun" after she saw the "fun" that Bode was about to have at camp (she has wised up since last week).    So I pushed her on the swing for about half an hour (no joke) until she finally consented to get off.  Then she played on the slides and tunnel.  

Ringlets courtesy of Grandpa. Thank you, Grandpa!

I think we will stay in this afternoon and have some crafty fun.  I'm in the mood to paint, and I found a fun project online. The project is a little beyond the babies' abilities, but maybe we can have fun with it anyway.

Hope that your Tuesday is cool!

xo