A diarrhea in the bathtub kinda week

Time goes so quickly when you have two sick kiddos.  Every day last week I thought, damn, I really need to go write that down....but I was too busy changing diapers and cleaning the bathtub. Harper, you took more baths last week than you take in  a regular month. You had so much diarrhea, I had the washer and dryer running all day every day.  And for the first time in my history of working with children, I dealt with diarrhea in the bathtub. I posted a question on Facebook that asked parents what their first move, and words out of their mouth would be if this happened to them. I got some pretty hilarious answers.  It's so hard not to cuss profanely when you see a bright green cloud emerge from under your toddler's legs while she's sitting in the bath water. Not cussing out of anger of course, just cussing out of sheer shock and unknowingness. "What do I do first?" you think.  SO "fantastic" as one of my commentors wrote.  Regardless though, we made it through the week just as we always do. Zoie you did catch the same bug as Harper, but thank goodness didn't get it as badly. You also have aquired another cold, which is making you all snorty and sniffly.  Poor babies!

Harper, this week you are trying SO many new words out. My favorite was "ta tee ah" (tortilla), and still is "apt el sa" (applesauce).  I caught you singing the ABC's while you were playing with the letters on the fridge door.  Hearing you start to sing is absolutely heart warming, it makes me smile every time. You especially like the end of the alphabet...."dubba you, ets, y, see. Now no ma AC's, net won sin meeeeeeeeeee" (W,X,Y and Z. Now I know my ABC's next time won't you sing with me).  We finally have you singing to Zoie, and the other morning I tried so hard to catch you on film while you were pretending to feed Zoie with your cup and spoon.  She was laying on the floor playing with toys, and you came and sat right next to her and offered her some of your imaginary food.  It was the most exciting, heart warming, fulfilling moment to see you initiate play with your baby sister, and offer to share something with her.  You are the best big sister, and we know that as you two age, you will be inseparable. It will be awesome to have a sister, and it's something I never had. I have a brother, your Uncle Ben. And I have my best friend Nora (Auntie Nora to you), because we have always called each other sisters, even though by blood we are not related, just best friends since preschool. Your daddy has a sister, your Auntie Dawn. I'm looking forward to the years when I can learn new things about sisterhood from you two, Harper and Zoie.

 I can't even describe the emotions that I feel when I see you two doing wonderful things, it's a love that I have never felt before, not for anyone else. I'm sure that your daddy feels the same way about you. When you meet your baby for the first time, you have this sensation of love, protection, well being, laughter, so many feelings all at once. Ultimately though, all of those feelings boil down to one of love and pride for your little being. Love and pride that I have never experienced on this level before. It makes your chest warm and your belly muscles ache, it makes my lips curve upward in a smile every single time.  Mothers around the world know what I'm talking about, and I'm SURE fathers do too.  It is a feeling, a "knowing" that is unlike anything else. Someday I hope that you will be able to enjoy this happiness with your own children as well.

Zoie, you are starting to roll over! It's very exciting to see you push yourself from your tummy on to your back, but at the same time this little voice in the back of my head says "oh no, she's mobile...." I can't wait to see you grow over the next year, I remember very clearly Harper's first year (it was just last year), and I know we have lots of really exciting milestones coming up. At the same time though, I want you to stop growing and stay my tiny little precious newborn. Skin so soft you can't help but kiss it. A little giggle so cute, I can't help but tickle you (Harper was nowhere near that ticklish as an infant).  You are truly a happy baby, despite the fact that I can't devote as much time as I'd like to for one-on-one interactions with you. We are just so busy with both of you!

17 months apart......you are keeping us on our toes, but growing into little people SO FAST.

Your mama loves you.

Time flies

My First Blog About You Two/Three

Wow. I can't believe that I've never blogged before. Being someone who likes to talk, and write (more so in my high school/college days), I should have picked up on this sooner. 
I decided that I really want to keep a journal of some sorts, now that I'm a mommy, and am supposed to be more settled in my life. But life doesn't feel settled at all right now. We have so much to be thankful for this day, but also so much turmoil in our lives.  I want to be able to keep track of all of my wonderful memories of this time in our lives/ my life really, and I want to be able to share it with you when you're older. I want to be able to share it with our family and friends, maybe sometimes, if not all the time. You, Harper and Zoie, are my two beautiful daughters, and I would regret not writing down these incredible memories of your infancy, and childhoods.  Let's see, today is 1/20/2011, so Harper, you are 20 months, and Zoie you are 3 months.  Harper, I wish that I would have started this the day you were born, but now that Zoie is here too, it's easy to recall the things that you did as a baby.

I've titled my blog "Five Things About You", becuase I think that is an awesome way to look back on our crazy days.  I recently saw a post from a friend about something about 5 Things that make you happy each day, but I lost track of it, and couldn't get in to the link to read about the original author. So I'm using that idea as my foundation.  Five is first of all my favorite number, and I think that looking back on each day, no matter how wonderful, crazy, miserable, incredible, or lazy, I want to think of five things about each of you that day that really stuck out in my head. Sometimes your daddy, Dave, gets to be included too.  And as much as I want to remain positive, I also want to be able to include "things" of everyday life, whether they be happy, or sad, becuase life is important enough to remember "as is".....

In the past month or so, there have been so many "things", so I'm going to of course back track at times, and also include memories....My time at the computer, will of course be limited to nap times, and after bed times, so I may get quickly interrupted or distracted and have to bolt. But that is the truth of this journal, and I hope that we all get to enjoy it whether that be today in this moment, or twenty years from now.  Speaking of waking children, Harper, I can hear you chanting to me through the monitor right now....."Mommy, mommy, paci, paci, mommy, hee hee, paci, paci".  I may have a few more minutes before I need to go in and rescue you from the depths of your afternoon nap. 

Yes, and the tense.  I'm going to try to keep this in the tense that I'm speaking to you, my daughters, and maybe you too Dave.  So remind me if I leave this form.

Well...I'm going to post, and see what it looks like. I'll add more pics and maybe more journal tonight. Yay! I'm excited :) Smile girls, your mama loves you.