The Mommy Stories - My Mom Blog

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-Two chubby baby hands clapping in delight

-My little boy’s pirate voice - “Arrgh matey!”

-Watching my two kids giggle and play with each other

-A big chocolate mustache after Little E eats ice cream

-Hearing the words - “I really, really love you Mommy.”

-Knowing that I am the center of my baby’s world

-Staring into Baby M’s eyes as she puts her little hands on my face

-Little E saying “Teach me, Mommy” when he wants to learn something new

-Watching my kid’s faces light up when Daddy comes home

-Remembering the joy of the little things in life - a paintbrush and a bucket of water provide hours of fun!

-Cooler weather because it means footie pajamas

-The joy on Little E’s face as he chases the ocean waves

-Checking on my kid’s as they sleep peacefully at night

-Starting each day with cuddles and kisses

-I could go on and on…

Megan is now 7 months old. Where did the time go?!  I look at her sometimes and feel like she was just born days ago.  Time is flying and sometimes I really wish I could slow it down.  I want to keep her a little baby forever.  But, on the other hand, it is so fun watching her grow.  Two weeks ago she was just sitting and playing.  Now, she is rolling, scooting around on her tummy and my favorite - clapping.  There is nothing cuter than watching her clap those chubby little hands together and bounce up and down.  Awww, so I do enjoy watching her grow and change.  It is so fun to watch each new stage.  But, I know from experience with my son, that now time shifts into warp speed.  The next thing I know she will be crawling, then walking, then running, then… 

We are on vacation at the beach.  So tonight, my Dad read Little E his bedtime story in the living room.  We then asked him who he wanted to tuck him in bed and sign him his bedtime song.  He said, “I do it all by myself.  Good night!”  What?!  Good night, just like that?  No tucking him in with Teddy Bear?  No Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?  It was then that I realized that the bedtime routine is much more for my sake than his.  I tried not to feel too sad because tomorrow he will probably be back to wanting me to tuck him in.  But, oh man, when did he get so big? 

I keep thinking my little family is complete with two.  I feel so grateful and thankful for my two happy, healthy children.  But, on nights like this, I wonder if the baby bug might bite again…

I never had an imaginary friend as a kid.  But, I did have a great imagination.  My brother and I would play for hours and hours together pretending I was the teacher and he was the student or I was the cook and he was the customer. Yes, I thought it was sooo much fun to take orders from my little brother and make him whatever he wanted for lunch.  Then I would serve it to him on a special plate and clean up after him!  He must have been laughing inside!  We also spent countless hours building things with legos and of course acting out stories with my cabbage patch dolls.

Now, I have such fun watching Little E.  He has an amazing imagination!  I love watching him play with his pirate ship and see the concentration on his face and hear the different voices he uses for the pirate and the captain.  And of course, the train table provides endless hours of fun and imaginary stories.  He also has great conversations on his cell phone.  But, the latest, is his imaginary friend.  Well, he’s not completely imaginary, I guess I should say he is Little E’s invisible friend.  Little E has a cousin that he adores.  Actually, I think he half way worships him.  His cousin is 5 years old and Little E wants to do everything his cousin does.  About a week ago, his cousing started “appearing” around the house.

“Little E, let’s sit down and have breakfast.”  “Mommy, cousin wants to eat too.  See, he’s sitting right beside me.”  O-k.  “Mommy, ask cousin if he wants to read a story too.”  Or “Mommy, cousin is all done with dinner, can I be ’scused, too?” 

The appearance of his “cousin” is becoming very common and my Mom said Little E has started doing it at her house, too.  I guess this is normal and it’s kind of cute.  But, I don’t know how much my husband and I should play along.   So far, he hasn’t used his “cousin” to blame things on.  I wonder if any of your kids have imaginary friends and how you handle it.  Do you “talk” to the friend when your child asks you too?  Move over when you’re sitting in the seat that is already taken by the “friend”?  I assume this is all very normal and part of growing up.  The only thing has me the tiniest bit concerned is that Little E’s cousin is moving this weekend half away across the country.  We will go from seeing him twice a week to twice a year.  I wonder if his cousin will start “appearing” more when Little E misses seeing him.  If so, is this a healthy way of dealing with his sadness and should I just go with it?

For now, I’m not necessarily encouraging it, but I am playing along.  Little E knows he’s just pretending and until his invisible cousin starts getting blamed for things around the house, I’m going to consider it harmless and part of the fun of being three!

So, I’m on round two.  Little E is three and Baby M just turned 4 months old.  I have a little experience with the baby stage.  If I had to complete a resume prior to having Baby M, I would have put “Well Qualified in all aspects of babyhood - sleep training expert, breastfeeding pro and wonderful playmate!”  Have you ever been hired for a job and realized after a few weeks, that it was a little harder than you expected?   Maybe you aren’t as qualified as you thought you were?

So, that’s how I’m feeling now.  Not in a negative, what did I get myself into way.  I love being a mommy to two completely different individuals. I love watching them grow and explore and start to become more interested in each other.  But, I did think it would be a little easier the second time around.  And, I shouldn’t complain because both my kids have been pretty easy considering.  I just am amazed at how many times I am still consulting my “What To Expect” book in the middle of the night.   If any of my neighbors happen to be awake and looking out their window at 2am (this would be wierd), they will see a strange beam of light through the curtains of my bedroom window.  This is me, reading ”What To Expect“ with my flashlight so as not to wake up my husband or Baby M.  Or, this is me, shining the flashlight towards Baby M to make sure she is still breathing - for the 4′th time!

I have to laugh at myself sometimes.  I really think I’m a little more paranoid and hovering the second time around.  Maybe this is because I know how precious this time is and I am sad it’s going by so quickly.  Maybe it’s because I’m secretly afraid that this may be my last baby and I don’t want it to end.  So, this is why Baby M has stayed in our room until 4 months old.  Little E was in his room when he was 3 months old.  And I remember being happy when it came time to move him to his room.  Ahhh, the freedom.  My husband and I didn’t have to tiptoe around downstairs after 8pm anymore.  It was nice to have adult time and adult space again.

But, the second time around has been so much harder for me.  We moved Baby M to her room this past weekend.  My stomach was in knots the whole evening anticipating it.  And I knew I was over-reacting.  I mean she was just going to be upstairs and I have a baby monitor and a night-vision camera monitor (see, I told you I was paranoid!  But, in my defense, upstairs is really far away.)  So, of course, she did great.  She is sleeping better and so are we.  And my neighbors are no longer freaked out by wierd light beams shining from my window.

I think in a way it’s a blessing that I am finding the second time around different and more challenging than I expected.  It really makes me stop and think and enjoy the time with my two children instead of sailing through on cruise control.  So, here’s to all you Mother’s out there experiencing your second, third or fourth time around.  Is it harder, easier, more challenging or more rewarding than you expected?  Or, do I just really have a problem and need to lock up my flashlights and night vision cameras?

I am typing this post while sitting in a rocking chair on the deck of a beautiful house in the mountains.  We are on a family vacation with my parents, my brother and his wife.  Four years ago my definition of a vacation would have been going to someplace sunny and warm, sleeping in late and spending the day relaxing on the beach reading a good book.  Boy, how that has changed!

We arrived in the mountains last night around 10:00 which is 2 hours past Little E’s bedtime.  All the way here, he was so excited.  When he started to see the mountains in the distance he kept repeating, “Look Mom, we’ll be there in no time!”  or “I’m going to roast marshmallows on a fire stick!”  As you can imagine, when we finally pulled in the driveway, he was in no mood to sleep.  So we talked with everyone for a while and let him stay up another hour.  Well, he didn’t fall asleep until 1:00 am.  Five hours past his bedtime!  He really was trying to be obedient and go to sleep - well mostly.  He was laying in his inflatable Thomas the Train Engine bed and kept saying, “Dad, it’s not working, I can’t sleep.”  or “My tummy hurts, I need medicine.”  So, eventually he fell asleep at 1 am and of course woke up at his usual 7 am.  Luckily, Baby M slept pretty well, considering.  So our day begin with a sleepy start.

We spent the next few hours playing with a new pirate ship toy, exploring the mountain house and enjoying Papa’s special blueberry pancakes.  We then went to the local General Store and a little deli for lunch.  After driving around for a few minutes, Little E fell asleep and has now been napping for 2 hours.  So, my husband and I are sitting on the porch with Baby M in between us in her bouncy seat.  We’re enjoying looking at the beautiful view and relaxing together.

So, this wasn’t exactly a sleeping in, lay on the beach, read a good book day.  But, it is a spend time with my favorite people in the world, watch my son’s excitement and enjoy seeing Baby M laugh with her family day.  Whew, that was a mouthful!  Tonight we are going to have ribs and watermelon for dinner, roast marshmallows and light fireworks.  And the best part is, I wouldn’t trade this time for any pina colada, sunny beach or good book!

Nothing is permanent, nothing is permanent.  This is a motto I made for myself when Little E was a baby.  This applies to the good and the bad.  Little E has been whining since he opened his eyes at 6:15 this morning?  No problem, nothing is permanent.  Baby M has been sleeping through the night for 2 weeks straight?  Don’t get used to it - nothing is permanent.

So, this is what I have been reminding myself this week - nothing is permanent.  When Baby M turned 2 months old, I finally felt like I had a grip on this two kid thing.  It may have been a sometimes slippery, barely hanging on grip, but it was a grip.  The past two weeks have certainly thrown me for a loop. Baby M was diagnosed with acid reflux and started Zantac.  Just as she was beginning to feel better and sleep through the night again, she caught a cold.

Oh my goodness, Little E never had a cold this young so I had no idea how pitiful it was.  She was so mad because she couldn’t take her pacifier to help her sleep because then she couldn’t breathe because she was so stuffy.  She would fall asleep only to wake up screaming a few seconds later because she was so stuffy.  She would wake up 3-4 times at night wanting to eat because her throat was sore.  Nothing is permanent, nothing is permanent.  I ended up calling the nurse advice line one night and I know I sounded like a freaking out, new mother.  But, the nurse calmed me down and assured me that yes, she can breathe just fine, it sounds like she has a very healthy scream.  Haha.

But, do you know what I have realized?  I am a sometimes freaking out new mom.  I’m new to the balancing two children act.  Yes, I’ve had a baby already, but I’m new to this little baby.  And I’m new to having a three year old.  So, I  have decided to give myself a break and realize that nothing is permanent.  Has Baby M been taking all her naps this week in her swing?  Yes.  Has Little E watched one too many episodes of Pinky Dinky Doo?  Definitely.  But, it’s been a rough week and I’m not going to worry about it.  Because after all, nothing is permanent and next week will be better.  Right?

The bottom line is we are happy and healthy and I have two amazing children!  And the crazy thing is sometimes when I look at their sweet little faces, I wish it was permanent.  I wish I could freeze time and always remember the exact looks on their faces when I kiss them good night and their sweet little voices.  Ahhh, I’m off to go comfort a stuffy baby and wish her troubles will always be this easily fixed.

As a kid, I thought it would be fun to keep a diary.  Write my big and exciting thoughts down in a cool diary and lock it with a key.  So secretive and exciting. Well, my diary phase lasted about a week.  I never have been one for journaling or writing down my thoughts.  But, now, as a mother of two kids, I find myself learning small lessons that I wish I would write down so I could read them later when I might need the words of wisdom. Or, my toddler says something funny or poops on the potty for the first time (he did that today!) and I need somewhere to record the big event!
I also think it would be great for my kids to be able to read about their childhood one day.  Maybe my random thoughts and experiences will encourage Baby M when she is having a bad Mommy day and maybe it will give Little E a little more understanding as to what his wife’s day is like.  Most of all, these blogs will be my permanent record of the love and joy I experience daily as the mother of two adorable, happy, wonderful children.  And, I’m sure the frustrating and exasperating moments of raising two kids will be peppered in also!