Capiche

2nd of many

facetime phone calls

finally asleep

in her room

feeling better

playroom

napping while being discharged

the new routine

When your little one can't breath...

it is one of the scariest moments of your life.

There is nothing you can do.

Having to stay behind while daddy takes her to the ER...
that was one of the hardest. 

Eva has asthma.
And she decided to go all out when letting us know.

Dear Eva Monster...
You may never, ever do this again.
Capiche?


joining: B&W

Choices

Getting ready to head out the door...

and it is always a struggle to get Eva dressed.

She hides and runs.

Streaking through the house.

I want to be nakie mommy!

Standing in the window, waving at our neighbors in her birthday suit.

But once we get clothes on, shoes are easy.

She loves shoes.

We have been working on choices lately and letting her make them.

Choosing clothes, toys, to obey or choose a time-out.

Choosing her fruit and choosing to be a good listener.

Then one day last week I handed her two pairs of her favorite shoes...

and asked her to choose a pair.

She came to me a few minutes later, grinning from ear to ear...

Mommy I didn't have to choose, look! Look!!

She cracks me up.

And I let her wear them that way.

Little smartie pants.

Bonus: she had socks on when I handed her the shoes... 

and that is why I am not teaching her to take her shirt off on her own yet.

Keeping her clothed is a full time job as it is.

insane

Some background:

Eva goes to preschool at a dance and gymnastics center.

Part of the day is spent in a gym rolling, tumbling bouncing...

When rolling down ramped mats, the teachers tell them to roll like a pencil.

Arms up an legs down.

So yesterday I was in the upstairs bathroom and Eva was in the doorway.

A few seconds later I hear...

Tha-Thump

Tha-THUMP

THA-THUMP

THA-THUMP

THUMP-BANG

THUMP-BANG-THUMP

THUMP-BANG

Running to the top of the stairs...

I hear Michael scream.

All I see is blonde hair flying.

Eva fell down the stairs.

Oh God, Oh God, Dear God.

I couldn't breath.

As I practically threw myself down the stairs to get to her...

all I could think of was how fastest to get to the hospital.

Michael made it to her first and started checking her out.

She was actually fine, thank God.

Today there wasn't even a mark on her.

After she calmed down and was her old self...

she started talking.

I rolled like a pencil down the stairs and bumped my head...

then I fell all the way to the floor.

Yep.

You got that right.

She - on purpose - rolled like a pencil down an entire flight of stairs.

Well, she actually rolled like a pencil partway...

because by the end she was rolling head over feet.

Reminds me a little of when she rode the laundry basket down the basement steps...

She is insane folks.

I N S A N E

For later

I am having a great big preview of my future lately.

They call it: the terrible twos - almost horrible threes.

I think it should be called...

the crazy, tiny, psychotic, angry, pre-pre-pre-teen.

There has been a lot of limit testing.

Screaming, running, hiding under the dining room table.

Stomping, door slamming, dirty looks.

On a really bad day...

hitting, kicking

and having "accidents" at nap time on purpose.

The funny thing...

when I am not super angry and I can laugh about it...

She doesn't lie.

She doesn't know what a lie is yet.

She is incredibly crazy and honest at the same time.

Why did you potty in your bed Eva?

Because I don't want to nap.

Eva, are you doing what I asked you to do?

Nope mommy, I am not listening to you right now.

Why are your feet wet?

Because I put them in the toilet.

Did you listen in school today?

Almost, sometimes I did.

So I will keep them here...

I think we will appreciate them more later.

Screaming

Eva is screaming in her bed right now.

Not crying - just amazingly loud, high pitched screeching.

I don't want to nappy!!

Nap time has been really hard lately.

A battle of wills, and it is wearing me out.

I have even thought about just skipping it.

Over the weekend we did on accident.

Visiting family - out and about during nap time.

The hysterical fit throwing that occurred was a huge reality check.

She needs her nap.

Not only is she fighting sleep...

she can now get in and out of her crib with the ease of a seasoned fence jumper.

It is really time for the big girl bed.

We have been holding on to the crib for dear life.

A big girl bed will be here soon.

Good news:

She has slept the last 3 nights training pants free!

We have been rocking big girl undies at nap time the last week or so

But not at night.

Going to bed without them wasn't our idea.

Eva decided she didn't like them anymore. 

She fought us putting them on.

We persisted and so...

she just took it off.

The reality:

Our monster is growing up really fast...

and dragging us along with her kicking and screaming.

Monster Version 2.75

Two years and nine months.

Just a few months and you will be a three-year-old monster.
Wowza.

You are quite hilarious.
Speaking your mind...
always having an opinion.

Your personality is big.
Big imagination.
Big heart.
Big thoughts.

You are magnetic.
Laughing and making others laugh everywhere you go.

You can hold a conversation.
Long ones.

Yesterday we talked the whole way home from grandma and grandpa's.
Even though it was 10 p.m...
You had a lot to say.

Being at grandma and grandpa's always gives you a lot to say.
I think it might be your favorite place to be.
Especially since grandma had happy birthday cake...
and grandpa bought lollipops.

A quick temper and being stubborn,
stubborn to the point of crazy is the flip side of your awesomeness.
It is a rare side, thank goodness.

But we will take it...
every last awesome little bit of it.

Love you monster.

Caught

My little graffiti artist.

She was being so quiet and coloring while I nursed Theodore.

I should have known.

Her sad face is not because she was caught.

That is not the face of a remorseful chid.

Nope.

That is the face of a child proud of her art work...

and upset that I said we had to clean the wall.

She didn't want her pictures to be gone.

Big Slide

Eva calls them Big Slides.

If the twirl, twist or have a tunnel...

the are a Big Slide.

Sometime in May, a trip down a really big Big Slide

ended in tears and a busted bloody lip.

All summer, she would sit at the top but would not come down.

Over and over we would try.
That's okay mommy, it is too big.

Finally this weekend, she did it.
She sat at the top like normal...
Closed her eyes and let go.

Fear gone.

All smiles and squeals.

By Herself

Eva is now wanting to do everything herself.

I don't need help, I do it.

I hear that a lot...

This is her putting the headband on herself.

She wore it like that for over an hour...

She would not accept help or take it off.

It made her talk funny.

The other night she refused to let her daddy put her in the stroller.

She had to climb in herself.

At one point she even got out just to get in on her own.

Tonight I put her pj pants on.

She took the off and put them on again.

But she only could get them half up her thighs...

dang those blasted tight fitting pajamas.

I do it, I do it!

She waddled around in a forced pegiun walk for 10 minutes.

With me asking her every 2 if she wanted me to fix them.

Finally she just ripped the pants off and threw them on the floor...

I don't want pants.

It is cracking me up...

I love you monster.

Monster Version 2.5

Two and a half.

Such a big girl.

You are so curious.

What, who, and a few why's.

The questions have started to roll in.

So far the answers are pretty easy  - so far.

You amaze us.

Just when we think we know what you are going to say...

you come up with something else.

Come on guys... dance with me.

You say as you dance across the floor.

Play high heels, a fancy hat, and a golf club.

You always keep us guessing.

Happy Half Birthday.

Love us.

My Monster

It is 3 am Monster and your upstairs, off in dream land.

I am sitting on the sofa.

I am doing my best to keep Theodore awake and eating.  

He has a lot of trouble eating in the night...

and I have trouble staying awake too.

Looking around the living room...

things are in piles here and there.

Some of them new to today, and some have been there for a few.

I was thinking how much I need to get better at this...

cleaning, putting away - getting back into my cleaning routine.

I know the kitchen floor needs mopped and the bathroom needs cleaned from the ceiling down.

But then I saw the dragon costume.

On top of a pile of things to go to the basement.

You found it the other day and put it on.

I am a dragon fly!

You repeated it over and over as you flew around the room.

Sleeves way too short and belly hanging out...

It wasn't that long ago when it was too big.

Yep, the piles and floors can wait...

because you just won't.

Recent Moments

I went to the grocery for the first time... with both kids.

It took me longer to load and unload the car than to shop.

I survived my first double meltdown this evening.

Both kids loosing it and wanting/needing my full attention at the exact same moment.

I am so very spoiled with my Bible Study-Mom's Group bringing me dinners.

These last two weeks of yummy meals are so amazing.

Great friends treated us to a Mexican dinner...

homemade tortillas are the most ridiculously delicious things ever.

Theodore is in 0-3 month clothes and over 9 pounds.

He is a chunky little guy.

Eva is over 3 feet tall.

She is getting way too big.

And bonus, the Eva-monster finally loving on her mommy...

a little bit here and a little hug there. 

Any little bit, I will take.

On the Cob

First corn on the cob...

and she loved it.

Maybe she would eat green beans if they came this way.


   

Little Hand

Checking on daddy.

       

Weekend Moments

• picnics made for mommy •

• sheet forts •

• traveling potties •

• car naps •

• helping recuperate a sick daddy •

• two hats are better than one •