Category Archives: parenting

No fear of flying here.

Why do you suppose it is that most young children are thrill seekers? Or rather, why is it that so many adults go from being thrill seekers in their youth to being too nervous or scared about getting hurt? Much like Enzo and Phoebe, I know I liked climbing up on things, jumping off of things, and gave very little thought to whether or not I’d get hurt. But now? Not so much. Even looking at Josh tossing the kids up in the air makes my heart slightly stop, but also just makes me slightly nauseous.

I don’t have that many fears, but the ones I do have are fairly irrational. I have a fear of being up on ladders… and get nervous standing on kitchen chairs. Yes, even being a couple feet off the ground makes me incredibly nervous. I’ll still do it because there are times when one has no choice, but I get shaky and can’t think too much about what I’m doing. I haven’t the slightest idea when or why this fear began either. I’ve never fallen from an extreme height or broken anything, so you’d think there would be nothing to fear.

In the beginning neither kiddo enjoyed being tossed up into the air, but at some point for both it became fun. Phoebe is the same way with the swing set. Enzo hates swinging, but after a couple of times, Phoebe started to enjoy it and thought it was fun. Enzo is, however, getting better about bugs… as long as they don’t fly. I can’t argue with him when it comes to wasps or hornets – they are just nasty and I won’t pretend they aren’t. The kids and I stood in the rain looking at worms the other day, which Enzo was fascinated by. Phoebe was more concerned as to why water was falling from the sky, so she didn’t care about how “squishy” or “neat” the worms were. He’s also fascinated by ants, especially after I showed him one carrying something.

Now the next big fear to overcome is swimming. I’m really hoping we can get the kids into the water this summer and show them it’s not scary… just a little colder and bigger than the bathtub. Baby steps. It’s not like I’m a very good swimmer, so I suppose it’s good that they’re cautious. Hopefully they’ll always be mostly fearless and not develop silly little phobias that hold them back.

Rub a dub dub

Never underestimate the power of a spring cold. I’m headed toward a sinus infection (I can feel that pain beginning in my upper teeth and cheek), so until I can get home and do a steam treatment I’ll have to find some helpful herbal tea at the store. It’s picture day at day care today, so I gave the kids a good scrubbing last night and with the rain I doubt they’ll be playing much outside today. Now that it has warmed up, the kids pretty much need a bath daily as they come home with sand and dirt plastered on sunscreen covered arms and legs. Thankfully, though, bath time is usually a favorite part of the evening.

Neither of the kids are fans of water spraying and the few times we’ve done showers (usually after someone has decided to poop in the bath) there has been much crying – the kids weren’t happy either. I decided to buy a frog shower head in order to introduce the idea of showering to the kiddos and help get rid of some water fears. The first time they looked at me like I was insane and both tried to scramble out of the tub, the second time… went much better. Now I can actually rinse them both off with it as long as I don’t go near Enzo’s face, otherwise I may as well have slaughtered a thousand kittens from the wailing that happens.

Thankfully Phoebe is a good sport when her brother takes over and accidentally sprays her in the face. I think she’s more into it then he is and will point to the frog and ask for it anytime we’re in the tub. I guess I can’t blame Enzo for not wanting water in his face. I admit there have been a few times when I’ve failed at my motherly duties and not done a good job keeping water and shampoo out of eyes. I’m just helping them to overcome their fears by subjecting them to them? Right? Water in the eyes today, skydiving this weekend?

One day we’ll laugh over the trauma I may have unintentionally put them through and one day when they have kids they’ll realize just how hard it is to bathe a slippery, squirmy child… kind of like trying to bathe a cat. At least with cats you have something to hold onto, though. 😉

3 Years Old

It’s hard to believe that today our Enzo is 3 years old. How is it that so much time can pass in the blink of an eye? I know every mom says that, but it’s oh so very true. I will never forget the day I became a mom and the moment he was put in my arms. No one can prepare you for the moment you first hold your child and see the face you’ve been picturing in your mind for so long. They feel like old friends and you experience the kind of overwhelming love that only a parent can understand. It’s safe to say that our son’s arrival was one of the best days of my life (and one of the most difficult). I will forever remember his squishy cheeks and how we laughed when we realized he wouldn’t fit into his going home outfit because he was too big for it.

Enzo,

You are strong-willed and spirited, and because of this I know you will be successful in whatever you choose to do one day. You don’t take no for an answer, which is often exasperating at this stage in your life, but one day this persistence will pay off. You’re a risk taker, but also cautious and know your limits. You’re determined and fairly independent, which is quite nice when you decide to wake up early and turn on the lights and play by yourself while letting your parents sleep in.

You’re clever and curious and also very observant. You often catch things that others around you don’t, and I know I can count on your keen eye to spot bald eagles or other fun things when we’re in the car together. Maybe one day we’ll finally see that elephant you’re always looking for. In the meantime, your imagination is big and we love listening to the games you come up with as well as the stories you tell.

One of your most endearing qualities is how much you care about your little sister. You don’t like to see her sad and (usually) like to lend your assistance in taking care of her, especially during day care drop off when you make sure she sits down to eat her food. You like to read to her and include her in your games (even when she isn’t always as cooperative as you’d like). You are nurturing and sweet and take such good care of her and your animal friends.

You are mischievous with a naughty laugh and a grin with the cutest dimple and you’ve already discovered that your parents will often cave if you’re being ridiculously cute. This will sometimes earn you extra snuggle time in front of the TV when you should be sleeping and extra treats that we share in secret. I hope we’ll always have these special stolen moments, even when you’re much too cool to hang out with your mom and watch things like Downton Abbey with her. Love you, Stinker!

Much like the weather

Just as the weather can suddenly go from warm and sunny to overcast, windy, and downright chilly, so too can a toddler go from being happy and healthy to being sick from out of nowhere. Phoebe randomly started coughing last night and today it sounds pretty awful, but she has no fever so I’m not taking her to the doctor yet. I did, however, have to get her early and bring her home because day care called and said she was pretty much inconsolable most of the morning, wouldn’t eat, and only wanted to sleep. Poor Squish. Oh well, at least we were able to enjoy the weekend… these pictures are not even from this weekend, but another fun weekend. :p

Such is life as a parent, I’ve discovered. You rarely have time to accomplish all the things you want to, or at least I do. Perhaps that’s just a reflection of my constantly changing priorities and motivation that is always on a roller coaster.

Most of our weekends often have a lot of the same going on, though. They often start way too early because the kids are very much against sleeping in. I’m usually the first to stumble out of bed with them and coffee is typically my first priority if I can manage it. This is why most of my morning photos have the flash… because our living room has very few lamps and they like to wake with the sun. Sigh.

This particular weekend was fairly windy and Enzo was feeling “off” on Saturday so I took Phoebe on a quick run to Costco. It’s grilling season and their organic beef is a great price, plus I bought enough aluminum foil to last us at least a couple of years. Then yesterday was one of Enzo’s friend’s birthday party so we went to that. I have a feeling most of our weekends are going to be fairly busy this summer.

We also found out that our city-wide garage sale weekend is mid-May, so yesterday I started doing some prep work for that. I think I have about 9 bins of baby clothes and so many toys and other kid items that it’s going to take quite a while to sort through everything and prep for it. Plus, we have books, movies, games and you name it, so it’s going to end up being a fairly large sale. I can’t wait to clear up some room in our garage and under our stairs. It’s going to feel very, very good.

Mommy brain is real and it never goes away…

At least I don’t think it does… or maybe mommy brain goes away when you finally get to sleep through the night? Can someone confirm or at least give hope? So far I’ve been told it never goes away by friends, family, and coworkers, though, and while I was never a genius by any means, I used to be slightly more well spoken and now it’s highly likely that I’ll forget words randomly in conversation… words that are not difficult by any means, but are elusive for some bizarre reason. Lack of sleep? Quite possibly. Being constantly distracted? Very likely.

Phoebe often enjoys joining me in the bathroom while I get ready, and while I don’t mind the company it always takes me longer than usual since it can be rather distracting while I pull things out of her reach and try to keep her from soaking her pajamas in the sink. This morning I was thoroughly distracted while watching her and instead of grabbing my blush, mistakenly grabbed some very dark eye shadow (similar packaging), but didn’t realize it until it was on my face and looked like I had a massive bruise. Good thing we weren’t running late today. 😉

I’m more forgetful than usual and rely even more heavily on notes now than ever. Thank you smart phones and handy apps to help me keep lists and notes always within reach. Now if only they could make my thoughts always make sense. I can’t even tell you how often I just word vomit nonsense trying to spit something out after a long day. On the plus side, our children both seem very smart, so there’s that? Phoebe is officially in the Toddler room now and her teachers have been telling us every day how focused she is and intent on learning. She has no trouble sitting for long periods of time, and loves to soak it all in. Enzo has a little more trouble sitting quietly during “rug time” but is also really smart and has been a lot more interested in numbers lately and telling us how many of something there are. He even counted to 30 the other day! Well, he may have mixed a few numbers up, but he’s close. :p I call that pretty good for a boy who is constantly go-go-go. I guess I’ll deal with mommy brain and just count on them to consistently put me in my place as they grow older.

Dino and Bunnies

Every day adventures