4 and a half boys

This morning IA's teacher told me that they call her the class's "tom girl" and the joke is that they have 4 and a half boys (the half being IA). There is no doubt, to anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes with her, that IA is an extremely active child. She gets in to everything. Sometimes this makes for a challenging child, sometimes it makes her charming. Sometimes both. The funny thing is that she is also entering the 'all pink all the time' phase. She refuses to wear anything that is not pink or purple. Today we had a little bit of drama over the fact that I preferred her not to wear pink leggings with an orange and black bat shirt. Ultimately I got her in purple pants and a plaid shirt...that didn't quite match, but at that point we just needed her clothed and she liked it. My half boy has definite opinions and a stubborn streak born from both her parents. I dream of one day where she is easy going and wears all the colors in the rainbow.

Black eye. A milestone?

IA got her first black eye a week and a half ago. It wasn't the result of a toddler scuffle, though that would have been a great story, but rather an injury attained by colliding with her daycare buddy. She took it like a champ and for the first few days she would make sure that I "looked at her black eye". As if it were a badge of honor. Let's hope she doesn't like the look of that sucker too much. She's already known as "Swiper" on our block due to her affinity for "borrowing" whatever meets her fancy. See pic below.

My babies

Not so little anymore...

The Villaahge (a.k.a " It takes a village...")

My sister-in-law always jokes that when we are together, with the kids, it's a villaahge (vill-ah-juh). Meaning that it really does require teamwork to raise kids sometimes. Today was a great example. While J took WA to lunch followed by ice skating, I offloaded IA on to my neighbor Lisa and took her daughter, AP, in return. AP and her sister, MP, were at each other a bit today. So in order to maintain some sanity, Lisa took MP and IA to an indoor play area while AP and I made back-to-school cupcakes, painted our nails and got WA's school supplies all straightened out (how's that for giving the kid a lesson in last minute perparation?). AP and I actually had a really nice day and I had fun hangning out with her. It was a nice break from the shenanigans my own kids like to pull when they are together. Poor Lisa got the short end of the stick though. IA was in one of her wild moods, where she is in to EVERYTHING and throwing a very adamant 'tude. I think Lisa now has more sympathy for my frazzeled moments! I'm certain neither of us would like a permanant trade, but it was a great break from the routine and a prime example of the villaahge in action.

Am I the only one?

IA's latest extreme sport is competitive early morning wake up. I swear, it's like she's practicing for the Olympics. Today? 4:15am. Last week? Both 5:00 and 5:30. It's all fine and dandy for her because she gets to take a 3 hour nap at daycare; while I am left dragging through the day (without caffiene. Did I mention I've been caffiene free for 4 months?). Is it wrong to slip your kid some Benedryl before the sun comes up? Mercy!

Well played WA, well played

Recently I've been offering IA a Hershey's kiss everytime she produces on the potty. It's an incentive program any toddler would be happy to sign up for. She is doing quite well with her potty training and my bribes are more an indication of my desire for this to end than anything else. All fine and dandy, right? The best part, by far, is that she has her own personal agent. Yes, her older brother has started negotiating with me as to how many kisses she gets for numbers 1 and 2, when said kisses are acceptable to eat(especially close to dinner time), and if an attempt is worthy of the goods. By far the best part about this is that he always negotiates a kiss for himself, as if he gets a finders fee or something. So she does all the work and he reaps the benefit. I know my brother is going to smirk while reading this. Sound familiar Uncle Bill?!?

Potty training

Potty training IA has begun in earnest. She is 2.5 and making good progress. Last night, for the first time, she actually told me she needed to go (versus just peeing in her pants). Granted today we had 3 pee pee pants and 2 poopie pants, but I guess the kid is allowed her off days. One thing is for sure, potty training her has already been ten times easier than her older brother. Here's hoping she quickly continues own the road to pee-free undies!

Jackpot!

This morning IA took a big 'ol dump on the potty. Exciting, no? I could have written it off as a fluke (as I should have when her brother did the same at 18mos), but there was one reason that gave me hope we are on the right path. She told me she had to go. Hallelujah! Potty training is going a lot easier with this little girl (that is if you don't count the two poops she did in her crib over the past two weeks. Yes. Not in her diaper, in her crib. And let me tell ya, poopie finger painting is just not fun to clean up.). She seems to really relish her successes...she jumps up and down with glee when we cheer for her and will NOT let me rub off the tattoos she gets for going at daycare. Her arm is getting chockfull, leading me to have to explain to her teachers that I do in fact bathe my child. I <i>think</i> we may be at the beginning of the end, but I've been wrong before. So, we'll see.

Big bro/Little sis

I love watching my kids play together. The collaborative fun kind of play, not the kind where they are at each other and driving their parents insane. This morning I watched my son lead his sister in creating a massive blanket fort. She followed him around like a petty officer executing his every command. He took his rank very seriously and expected nothing but excellence from her:). They ended up making a pretty cool fort, with a little assist from mom, and had a great time playing inside. It really does melt my heart watching them play like that. Like they are actually friends.

In an odd way, watching them makes me love my brother even more. I am sure that we had a similar dynamic...with him leading the charge and me faithfully following his every move. He is great big brother and I can only hope that my kids share the warmth that we do.

Sometimes two kids seem like a lot, but there are many moments, like this morning, where it's soooooo worth it.

Ayudame!

A couple weekends ago we had a series of loooong snowed in days. As with many parents, in parts of the country getting hammered, I let my kids watch a little more TV than they might normally. Hey, sometimes sanity gets top billing. Life returned to normal after the storm(s) and we got back in to our groove. About two days later, IA was in my room attempting to put on one of her dress up costumes. She was fussing and getting frustrated when all of a sudden, in nothing short of a shriek, she let out a loud "Help, help, AYUDAME!". Oh man, I could not help but chuckle at that one....all the while cringing because I knew that Dora had taught my little girl, in just a matter of a few short days, her first Spanish word. What does one feel in a situation like that? Embarrassment? Yup. Hilarity? Yup. Pride? A little. Mommy guilt? Most definitely.

Arghhhhhh

Today is WA's last day at our current daycare. As you all know, this is the daycare that unceremoniously kicked IA out at the end of Dec. Both kids are scheduled to start on Monday at a new daycare that comes highly recommended by our neighbors. My (AWESOME) mother-in-law has taken the brunt of this situation by watching IA for the past month. She's exhausted (IA tends to do that to ya), and there really are not enough thanks that can come out of my mouth. She's a sanity saver. We're all ready to move on.

The irony of the whole situation is that WA has been out sick for the past two days and when I brought him in, with last day party treats in hand, I learned that both the crappy director and the stupid teacher from IA's room left this week. WTF. They both sucked, so it's good for the facility, but that's just insane to learn after all that they put us through. The timing of it all, hurumph.

Daycare update

Well, they did it. They kicked her out. The Friday before Christmas I got a call...

SD= stupid daycare
NA= me

SD: Uh, hello Mrs. A. IA bit another child today and we're going to have to send her home. And also, we've decided that today is her last day.

NA: (inside voice) WHAT THE FUCK!

I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. First of all, what an incredible fail on their part. In a room with 5 children, they couldn't handle a biter. Weak. But also, ONE WEEK before the holidays?!? Not only did I have gifts to buy, and wrap, but a family to pack and neighborhood pals coming over on Monday. For about 30 mins my head felt like it might explode. After that I calmed down and realized it would all be for the best. So now I am frantically trying to find a nanny. We've decided to go the nanny route to give IA some more individual attention and lessen the adjustment from hoping from one daycare to another. We have a couple of solid candidates, so I'm hopeful. Onward and upward, right?

My baby

Tonight at dinner we were talking about my Mom. It's been a rough holiday without her here, but while sad, it was really nice to talk about her...especially to hear my Dad speak so lovingly (which through his own brand of coping hasn't always been so readily available). The kids were playing in the other room and IA came in to check out what was happening with the old folks. I was teary eyed and she immediately came over to me and said in her soft little voice "Mommy, are your eyes ok?". Oh my sweet, sweet girl. She proceeded to climb in my lap and rest her head on my shoulder. Little did she know, but that was exactly what I needed.

IA's 24 mo stats

My baby girl at 24 months...

97% height

95% weight

50% head

Those Bastasini genes are holding steady!