Seriously

Could I have a day where I don't have to wash pee off something?  Please!?!

Liam's sensitive side

We discovered this weekend that if you tell Liam no, or especially "no-no-no" when he is doing something naughty (i.e. pulling cords out of walls, throwing food off his tray to the dog, playing with the dog food bowl, hitting his sister), he will get really offended.  He will, as Laney says, "have wobbling lips" and then he screams and cries at the top of his lungs.  Liam also has started biting things, not people, but things like tables, high chairs, and slides at the park when he is frustrated.  He will bang his teeth against the intended victim and scream loudly.  Poor little guy, if only he could talk!  He also screams and gesticulates wildly at mealtimes if he sees something he thinks he needs (like our sodas, beers, or a cup of juice).  We have to get him his own cup and put tiny amounts of juice in it so he can gulp it down one swig at a time.  He is very sensitive right now to anything and everything we say, but has been a little nicer to live with the past week as he really is walking so well.  He LOVES playing upstairs because he can walk around all the bedrooms and the playrooms, and frequently does laps.  His laps include a once-around the mirrored wardrobe doors in his room and all the way into my bathroom and back.  He doesn't really even walk like Frankenstein anymore, but does do an odd little wrist roll as he walks and tries not to fall.  He is definitely getting fast and I even caught him trying to do a little waddling run tonight.  Lord help me, that kid is going to be running by next week!

Snuggle time fail

I woke up one morning recently to find myself and Laney cuddled together in bed.  Patrick (God bless him) had already gotten up with Liam, and I was delighted to feel Laney snuggle in closer to me as she began stirring.  She opened her eyes and looked up at my face and said in the sweetest voice she could manage:

"Mommy, your breath smells like diarrhea."


It's a good thing she's cute....

Science Experiment update

4 nights into the experiment and we are 4 for 4 on going to bed like a big girl!  3 of the 4 nights she has just fallen asleep while being red to, but Wednesday night was a milestone for Laney.  We tucked her in, read 3 books to her, said our prayers, and then kissed her goodnight.  P and I sat in the playroom where she could see us while she fell asleep (a little moral support never hurt anyone!)  A few minutes into the project she turned her bedside lamp on, but fell asleep 4 minutes later.  So glad that I switched the table and chair so that she could have the lamp right next to her.  (I am hearing applause in my head as I write this).  I promised Laney she could have any prize she wanted after 3 nights of big girl sleeping, so we headed off to Babies R Us (her choice) for new jammies.

Wouldn't you know it, we found a pair of pink footie jammies with an elephant on it.  Perfection on a hanger, at least it was for Laney.  My proud little baby wore them to bed last night and still hasn't taken them off yet (TGIF).

I love it when my mommy-brainstorms work out.  Makes me feel like I actually know what I am doing.

Parenting fail!

I am embarrassed to say that I have forgotten to strap my daughter into her car seat numerous times lately.  We will arrive somewhere and she will put her hand on the buckle release and announce that mommy forgot again.  I feel terrible about this and had to remedy the situation.  Here is my solution:

Yes, that is a Post-it on the dashboard of my car, right where I will see it every time I go to put the Beast in gear.  Pathetic:  yes.  Still, I haven't forgotten to buckle her seat belt since installing the note last week.  Guess I won't be winning any Mother-of-the-Year awards anytime soon.

PS--I haven't forgotten to strap Liam in yet.  Does that count for anything?

Science Experiment: Toddler sleep patterns

I used to love it when the time changed in the fall.  Getting that hour of sleep back each October/November was so amazing and it felt like a treat to sleep in for a few days until I adjusted to the time change.  Now I loathe the fall time change.  My kids didn't really seem to "get it" and woke up at 5:05am on Sunday since they normally wake up between 6 and 7.  Today wasn't much better, although Patrick did convince Laney to stay in bed until 6am.  Their bed time hasn't been as bad, but I was inspired today to test drive a new plan of action for bedtime with Laney.

I spent most of the spring fighting with Laney about going to bed in her bed.  I would put her to bed only to have her get out of bed and come back downstairs over and over.  Some nights I would put her to bed at 8 and she wouldn't actually go to bed until 10.  Eventually we got so tired of fighting about bedtime with her that we let her start falling asleep on the couch while we watch TV.  Not exactly good parenting, but at least she was going to bed earlier.  This has been working pretty well, but we have entered a new era of tantrum throwing that is really starting to wear me down.

Fast asleep in her spot on the couch, with Pillow on a pillow, Lovey tucked in next to her, thumb in her mouth, special blankey over her body with her feet tucked in.  

Laney is a world class whiner, combined with a unique ability to be stubborn about anything (okay it's not unique, but I am totally blaming that one on Patrick!)  She has an average of 3 or more tantrums a day and they last for 5 to 10 minutes at a time.  I am really at the limits of patience with her.  In fact, it took me FOREVER to get out of the house this morning because Laney and Liam started fighting and both had melt downs over it.  While driving the kids down to Sea World, Laney told me that she had had a bad morning because she was tired.  A tiny light bulb sprang to life in my head and I told her that I thought she wasn't getting very good sleep by falling asleep on the couch.  I asked her if she wanted to try going to bed in her bed, with a bribe attached of course, and she consented.  I couldn't believe my ears!  During our trip around Sea World we hammered out a plan/bribe to get her to start falling asleep in her bed again.

When we got home from Sea World I switched the chair and lamp table in her room so the lamp would be right next to her bed in case she got scared.  I woke her up twice this afternoon when she started to nap so that she would be good and tired at bedtime.  We decided she could have 3 books read to her before bed, and then she would close her eyes and go to sleep.  Part of the deal was that I would stay upstairs while she fell asleep, but I would stay in my own room.  The other part was that she had to stay in her bed until morning.  No doing laps up and down the stairs all night with invented needs (like needing one more hug, a drink of water, etc.)  She happily agreed to this when I told her we could go shopping after the third night to wherever she wanted to buy a prize.  Know what she picked?  A trip to Babies R Us to buy clothes.  Specifically, new jammies or play clothes.  I offered her a trip to Toys R Us to pick out any toy she wanted, but the girl wants what she wants.  Love that about her.  :)

So the first night went off without a hitch.  We did baths, jammies, then a round of Candy Land with Patrick after Liam went to bed.  Then we brushed teeth, had a drink of water, and headed up to the bed.  I tucked her in with pillow, new lovey, and old lovey, and only made it halfway through the second book before she was lights out.  Hopefully the experience was positive enough to get her through the next two nights because mommy is reclaiming the night.  I need my downtime too, and that means no kids in sight.  Keep your fingers crossed for nights 2 and 3!  Updates to follow.

My week in review

The kids have really been cracking me up lately, so I thought I better blog about it before I forgot!

Liam discovered ketchup a week ago.  We dipped a french fry into it and had him taste it.  He was tentative at first, and then couldn't gobble it up fast enough.  Now he gets extra excited when he sees ketchup, pointing and grunting at it until we feed it to him.  BTW, ketchup is best fed to Liam when he isn't wearing clothes...

Ketchup face at George Burgers

Just yesterday we noticed that he will stick his tongue out before eating a food now and lick it.  Apparently he has decided to become discriminating over what he will eat after 13 months.

Laney piped up from the back seat of the car the other day to ask me:  "Mommy, do you remember that one day?  That one big day when I had that drink?"  (insert sound effect of crickets chirping as I was racking my brain trying to figure that one out).  I prompted her for more information and she told me that "it was a drink like a crocodile."  (insert more cricket chirping).  I asked her to tell me more about why it was like a crocodile and she told me it was like an alligator too.  Aha!!!!  Gatorade!  She had some Gatorade at Shesh's house and really wanted me to buy her some.  As I drove on down the road, I gave myself a little pat on the back for figuring that one out.  Maybe I am a genius after all.


Laney really likes to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Liam has become OBSESSED with it, and primarily with Mickey Mouse.  When the theme song for the show begins to play, he starts pointing, flapping, and shrieking something that sounds like "Dickey!"  He has even spotted Mickey in books and in various locations (like Toys R Us) and gotten really excited.  Christmas shopping for Liam should be a piece of cake this year.  Hello Disney Store!




Laney continues to pronounce a few things wrong, and I find it so charming!

• motalk = mohawk (we give Liam one every night in the bath while we wash his hair)
• salon nail = nail salon
• fumigo = flamingo
• Old MacDonalds = McDonalds
• prized = surprised
• pack pack = backpack
• chwocolate = chocolate
• pewter = computer

This morning I told Liam "no no no" when he threw his breakfast over the side of his high chair to Toby (again).  Of course I used the mom-wagging-finger to emphasize my point.  Liam used that finger right back to demonstrate no-no-no to mommy.  Oh great.  2 kids that can talk back now.  I'm doomed.

Laney's first haircut

Laney's first haircut was this past summer, and she also went to Kids Kuts to have her locks tamed by Heather.  Laney's favorite part was getting to sit in a race car chair to have her trim.  Heather was amazing with her and Laney behaved so well for the entire thing.  She has since had a second haircut, but here are some pics from the first one.

Liam's first big boy haircut

Liam's hair has been growing really fast lately.  Last week he woke up one day and I could have sworn he had been sitting in his crib styling his hair just like the Donald.  P and I knew it was time to chop those fluffy locks off.    Liam has always had such sweet little curls in the back, but they were getting really long and we were tired of combing food out of them after every meal.

I took Liam to Kids Kuts in Encinitas, to see the family hair dresser, Heather.  I had Laney's hair trimmed first so he could watch, but it didn't help.  I tried putting Liam in the race car seat at the salon, but he attempted to dive back to my arms so I thought better of it.  I ended up holding him facing me so Heather could work quickly.

Liam cried after she spritzed his hair with water, and then was pretty good for the rest of the cut.     Heather worked quickly and pretty soon Liam had gone from shaggy to spiffy.  He wasn't particularly fond of the clippers she used to clean up his hairline, but at least he didn't cry when she did them.  (probably thanks to her quick thinking at the beginning of the haircut as she handed him a Dum Dum Pop).  Smart girl!

Kudos to Heather for such a quick and adorable haircut. 

Happy Halloween!

This past weekend we celebrated Halloween Tracy-style:  with a big ol' party.  Amanda and I co-hosted this event at my house, and we had a little over 110 adults and children make it to the bash.  The house was swagged with orange and black everywhere and looked very festive.  Guests arrived at 4 pm and were greeted by 11 game stations for the little ones.  We even had a small parade on our street for all the costumed kids to participate in.  The party was a smash hit, but I was happy to see everyone leave by 7:30pm.  I was exhausted from the festivities!  

Lollipop pull game

Parading on the street

Donut eating contest (supposed to be without hands, but oh well!)

As many of the kids as we could round up for photos

Besties!

The hostesses of this fantastic party (if I do say so myself)

On Monday night we took the kids trick-or-treating with their cousins.  We did some family photos and headed up to Michael and Shannon's place.  There we had Laney, Brodie, Kiersten, Liam and  Brooke line up for photos (some not very willingly...)

The menagerie:  Zookeeper Patrick, Tracy the Zebra, Liam the Lion, and  Laney the Elephant (of course!)

My little trick-or-treaters

Cousins!

 After pictures were snapped, Liam and Brooke went in their strollers and we set off down the street.  Laney was apprehensive of approaching doors at first, and requested that I go with her and hold her hand.  6 houses later and she wanted to try holding Kiersten's hand and going without me.  2 houses later she was running to the front door, squealing with glee.  No adults needed now!  She would yell out "trick-or-treat" and then race to the next house to snag some more loot.  She and her cousins had the best time speed-treating up and down their street.

 We headed back to our house at 7pm so that Liam could go to bed and Patrick could watch the Chargers on Monday Night Football.  Shesh and I took Laney up and down our street for another hour.  We even took Toby along.  Thankfully he was blissed out on Xanax, so he really enjoyed the slow-paced stroll around the darkened hood.  Laney needed me to hold her hand for about 20 minutes of trick-or-treating and then proclaimed that she "didn't want to need me anymore" and started going to the door all by herself.  I was all at once sad that she didn't need me, but so proud that she was confident enough to go by herself.  She also told me that her "legs had lots of energy and weren't done walking yet."  That girl trick-or-treated until 8:30pm!  By then most houses were darkened because they had run out of candy.  Seriously, I live on what I call a "15 pound" street.  We handed out nearly all of the 12 or so bags of candy that I bought too.  We returned home and then did the dump-and-sort, one of my favorite childhood memories of Halloween.  Laney raked in an unbelievable amount of candy and the entire family participated in the sugar fest post trick-or-treating.  Laney discovered that she LOVES 3 Musketeers and I was a little bit sad that she didn't get more Snickers bars.  However, I did find out that Milky Way Midnights are really, really good, and I might have a new favorite candy bar too!

Candy madness

Yep, I did pretty good for myself.

Halloween has come and gone, but that feeling you get watching your child revel in the excitement of the night will stay with me forever.  It's almost as good as being a kid in costume on Halloween night.  Almost.