They say things happen in threes... Let's hope that is true. Life has been crazy. Times three.
Last week, I needed an emergency appendectomy. Great. Just when Chris starts a new job, he has to take off to be with me at the hospital and to watch the kiddos since I am not allowed to lift anything. Strike one.
Next, Ginger develops an infection in her anal sac. Yum. It's as awesome as it sounds. A trip to the vet, medications, spray for her butt. Strike two.
Finally, we think things are returning to normal. We had amazing family helping us out for the week. I was beginning to feel more like myself. Cue strike three.
Sunday night: Colds all around. Raegan went to bed okay. Rory not so much. Up every half hour or so. Doesn't want to eat. Runny Nose. Yuck. Finally sleeping at 11 pm. Ahhh sleep.
2 am. Screams. "MY EAR! MY EAR!" Awesome. Just wonderful. Bring Raegan into our bed. She falls right asleep.
An hour later. Chris yelling "Ouch! What is on my back?!" He has no idea Raegan is in our bed. Oops. She is pretending to sleep and fake snoring. Good one. Won't go back to sleep. Bring her back to her own bed. Back to sleep for everyone.
5 am. More screams. Bring her back to our bed. Won't go to sleep. Hand her the iPad. Half watches CareBears. Pukes in our bed. Chris teaches her to puke in the toilet. Poor baby girl.
7 am. Trying to make doctor's walk-in sick hours. Thirty-something degrees out. Winter coats, hats, and mittens for all. Figure out how to pile both into the car alone with minimal lifting.
Pull into doctor's office parking lot. Hear puking sounds from the back. Run and get her out of the car. Pukes in parking lot. All over coat, shirt, and shoes.
Carry both kids into doctor's office. Check in. Strip Raegan of her clothes. She proceeds to run around the office in only pants and socks. Finds pumpkin full of lollipops. Wants one. Throws a fit. Snot everywhere. She is THAT kid. Receptionist holds Rory so I can help Raegan calm down. See the doctor, ear infection in one ear. Check Rory just to be sure. Just a cold. For now.
Send prescription to Wegman's. Two kids asleep in the car. Family nap in the Wegman's parking lot. It's not even 10 am.
Rory wakes up screaming. It smells like crap. Oh, it is crap. Change Rory's diaper. Poop all over his pajamas. Extra set of clothes is the wrong season. Wipe off with just a wipe for now. Wake up Raegan to go into the store. One with poopy pajamas. One with pukey pajamas.
Finally home. Change clothes, eat a small breakfast, play a little before Chris picks us up to go to Mommy's follow-up appointment. The surgeon makes sure I am not lifting things- like my 18 and 24 pound children.
Anddddd the rest of the day seems uneventful compared to the morning.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Fall Crafts
Pumpkins
For this activity, I cut out the orange pumpkin shapes, the stems, and the shapes for the face.
I first modeled how to draw the lines of the pumpkin creases with a black crayon. I assisted Rory with drawing these, but Raegan was able to draw hers independently.
I then modeled how I would put on my stem, eyes, mouth, and nose.
Raegan created her own masterpiece while I helped Rory glue his features on.
I think they came out great!!
For this activity, I cut out the orange pumpkin shapes, the stems, and the shapes for the face.
I first modeled how to draw the lines of the pumpkin creases with a black crayon. I assisted Rory with drawing these, but Raegan was able to draw hers independently.
I then modeled how I would put on my stem, eyes, mouth, and nose.
Raegan created her own masterpiece while I helped Rory glue his features on.
I think they came out great!!
Working on Colors: Yellow- Finger Painting
For this activity, I drew the outline of the sun. We were working on the color yellow. Raegan does not like getting her hands dirty at all, so working with fingerpaints was a huge accomplishment for her. Every time she got more paint she asked for a paper towel to wash it off.
I have not made baby-friendly finger paints yet so Rory did not really participate in this activity. I tried to get him to hold the yellow dot stamper for his sun, but he just wanted to eat the paper. Raegan decided to use the dot stamper instead. She even took a picture of her work using my phone!
For this activity, I drew the outline of the sun. We were working on the color yellow. Raegan does not like getting her hands dirty at all, so working with fingerpaints was a huge accomplishment for her. Every time she got more paint she asked for a paper towel to wash it off.
I have not made baby-friendly finger paints yet so Rory did not really participate in this activity. I tried to get him to hold the yellow dot stamper for his sun, but he just wanted to eat the paper. Raegan decided to use the dot stamper instead. She even took a picture of her work using my phone!
Making an Apple Tree!
For this activity, I cut out the outlines of the tree trunk with white paper. Raegan painted the tree trunk brown using a regular paint brush.
I also cut out multiple green circles for her to glue together to make the leaves. Lastly, she used the red dot stamper to make apples in the tree. She also wanted to add some red pom poms.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Weekly Recap: The Last Two Weeks
It has been a very busy last couple of weeks...
We turned two years old!!
We got a new bike!
And balloons!!!
And cupcakes!!!
We got an awesome train set!
We loved opening our presents!
We went to the corn maze!
We became a veterinarian.
We learned to climb the stairs.......
We loved opening birthday cards!
We got to play with Mommy's old stuffed animals!
We rode in our wagon.
We went to the playground.
We threw a tantrum.
We watched Beauty and the Beast.
We hung on for dear life.
We went in our new tunnel.
We got really good at standing.
We had tea parties.
We were the cutest ever.
We had more awkward sleeping positions.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Two Under Two
Raegan turned two last week, so I no longer have two babies under two! Having two under two has been quite the experience. From most people I talk to, they have said the first year is extremely challenging. Once you get past that, it is amazing. They play together. They are best friends. They have the same toys, play the same sports. We are halfway to that year mark! It is definitely getting easier. Rory is no longer nursing every 2 hours. He sleeps all night most of the time. During the day he requires less of my immediate attention and would rather spend his time trying to stand by himself, chasing the cats, or attempting to play with Raegan. They are already beginning to play with each other and it is the sweetest thing ever. Their lack of social skills makes their interactions adorable and amusing.
So, since we no longer fit into this category after this week, I have decided to do a two under two post.
Why so close in age?
When we first got pregnant with Rory, many people asked if we had planned to have them so close in age. The answer is yes. We always wanted them a year and a half to two years apart in age. They are 17 and a half months apart. Having two so close in age means both siblings have a playmate for life. They will never know life without the other. The two will be in diapers together. Once the first year or so is over, they will always be at or close to the same stage in their lives. We will only have one stage of toys (although we may need to get two of everything). They will be close to each other and have many of the same friends. We will only have to plan for one age group during family trips and activities. They will play together, learn from each other, challenge each other.
Another huge and somewhat selfish reason we chose to have two siblings so close in age was really, for lack of better words, to get it over with. Our plan all along was to have two kids. When we decided we were ready to have number two, the realities of having an infant were still fresh in our mind. We knew (or thought we knew) what we were getting into. Raegan was only nine months when we found out we were pregnant. At the time we still remembered the sleepless nights, the teething, the diapers, the constant feeding. But it is truly amazing how quickly you forget these things. It has to be the only reason people continue having so many kids. It is why in three or four years, someone MUST remind me if I ever start thinking three could be an option. In three years, I will have forgotten the what having a newborn is really like.
Physically, my body and having kids did not mesh well. Mostly, of course, due to my personal choices. I did not exercise enough or eat well. After having Raegan, I was not happy with decisions I had made and knew I had to put in a ton of work in order to get my body to a place I felt comfortable and happy. Knowing I wanted another child, I was terrified I would put in all this work only to have to do it all again. I also did not want to wait around for a couple years unhappy with myself. Luckily, I made better decisions during round two and do not have double the work to do. I can concentrate on my goals without worrying about everything coming undone with another pregnancy.
What is it really like?
We really had few expectations going into this having two kids thing. We knew it was going to be tough. Two kids would be in diapers. We would have two kids in extremely needy stages in their life. Raegan was still too young to really process the change. We had no idea how she would react. She was going from a life of daycare everyday with kids to play with to being home with mommy and this new baby that requires all of mommy's attention.
Let's start with the good things about having two kids under two. Raegan LOVES her brother. I am confident that she has zero recollection of a life before Rory. Rory is her world. If she goes anywhere without him, the first thing she says is "Where's Rory?" Her face lights up when she hears him wake up. "Gotta go check on Rory!" She loves helping feed him and change his diaper. She loves it now that he can attempt to play with her. She loves that he crawls all over the place, following her wherever she goes. And Rory LOVES his sister. Raegan can always make him smile. She makes him laugh more than anyone else. He wants to do whatever it is she is doing and is often frustrated with his own lack of skills to keep up with her.
Because they are both so close in age, they think they are equal in age and skills. Raegan has no idea Rory is younger than her and cannot do many of the activities she can do. She only sees him as her brother who wants to play with her. Often she will grab his arm and tell him, "Let's go buddy!" and expect him to get up and walk to wherever she is going. When Rory practices standing or crawling or walking, Raegan chimes in, "I wanna practice walking too!" She is often seen crawling around the floor mimicking his moves. Rory also sees himself as the same as Raegan. You can see the frustration on his face while he watches everything Raegan does that he cannot. He practices standing by himself over and over and over. He is extremely determined to be at the same level as her. They both want to eat what the other is eating and do what the other is doing.
While they grow and learn, they will learn from each other. Both of my children are independent and determined. They will constantly challenge each other as they get older. I am sure they will be fiercely competitive with each other. I hope this brings out the best rather than the worst in them.
Some negatives. Under two is a very needy time in a child's life. We are lucky Raegan is very independent. For the most part, she is able to play by herself while I tend to Rory. She is able to help with things like grabbing a diaper, a spit up rag, or some wipes. However, there are many, many times when both my children need me at the same time. There are times that Raegan decides she is not happy that I have to spend 15 minutes feeding Rory and she is stuck in the same room. She will decide she NEEDS your help with something and cannot wait another second without your assistance. One of the worst times is breakfast. I am not a morning person. I do not like being needed in the morning. Both of my children are extremely needy in the morning. Our usual routine consists of Raegan whining because she "is SOOO hungry... need bwekfast now" and Rory crying like he did not just have a bottle one or two hours prior. So between making Raegan her eggs or whatever else she demands in the morning, Rory needs to be spoon-fed his fruit. If you stop for one second to attend to Raegan, the whining starts again. If you are feeding Rory, Raegan wonders loudly where her breakfast is. It has gotten SO much better now that Rory is able to feed himself finger foods. So, instead of going back and forth, Rory is able to eat his mum mums or pinwheels. I can hold off feeding him his actual breakfast until I finish making Raegan's food without either of them driving me crazy.
Bedtime is another time where two kids means you need two parents. We have tried over and over to do a joint bedtime. This does not work in our household. Both kids go to bed at the same time. They take a bath together. After that, trying to do anything with both of them is almost impossible. Basically, they both need the same thing at the same time. If you are the only parent in the house, you have to decide which kid needs to go to bed first on that night, whichever one is barely hanging on. The other kid just hangs out until it is their turn.
Transitions are the worst. Getting into the car. Going from upstairs to the basement. Getting into the stroller. It gets better with time. It is awesome now that Raegan is able to walk next to me or the stroller.... unless she doesn't. Then it just becomes triple the hassle because you have to discipline one while holding the other. Not fun.
One of the hardest things about having two very young children is that neither have any real understanding of social skills. Rory does not understand that he is not supposed to grab toys out of Raegan's hand. He doesn't realize it hurts her when he grabs her hair. Likewise, Raegan doesn't understand that Rory can't walk or talk like she can. They both try their hardest to play together. It is quite amusing watching them learn how to play. Often we end up having to talk to Rory about keeping his hands to himself because that is what we are working on with Raegan and she doesn't understand that he doesn't know better.
So, since we no longer fit into this category after this week, I have decided to do a two under two post.
When we first got pregnant with Rory, many people asked if we had planned to have them so close in age. The answer is yes. We always wanted them a year and a half to two years apart in age. They are 17 and a half months apart. Having two so close in age means both siblings have a playmate for life. They will never know life without the other. The two will be in diapers together. Once the first year or so is over, they will always be at or close to the same stage in their lives. We will only have one stage of toys (although we may need to get two of everything). They will be close to each other and have many of the same friends. We will only have to plan for one age group during family trips and activities. They will play together, learn from each other, challenge each other.
Another huge and somewhat selfish reason we chose to have two siblings so close in age was really, for lack of better words, to get it over with. Our plan all along was to have two kids. When we decided we were ready to have number two, the realities of having an infant were still fresh in our mind. We knew (or thought we knew) what we were getting into. Raegan was only nine months when we found out we were pregnant. At the time we still remembered the sleepless nights, the teething, the diapers, the constant feeding. But it is truly amazing how quickly you forget these things. It has to be the only reason people continue having so many kids. It is why in three or four years, someone MUST remind me if I ever start thinking three could be an option. In three years, I will have forgotten the what having a newborn is really like.
Physically, my body and having kids did not mesh well. Mostly, of course, due to my personal choices. I did not exercise enough or eat well. After having Raegan, I was not happy with decisions I had made and knew I had to put in a ton of work in order to get my body to a place I felt comfortable and happy. Knowing I wanted another child, I was terrified I would put in all this work only to have to do it all again. I also did not want to wait around for a couple years unhappy with myself. Luckily, I made better decisions during round two and do not have double the work to do. I can concentrate on my goals without worrying about everything coming undone with another pregnancy.
We really had few expectations going into this having two kids thing. We knew it was going to be tough. Two kids would be in diapers. We would have two kids in extremely needy stages in their life. Raegan was still too young to really process the change. We had no idea how she would react. She was going from a life of daycare everyday with kids to play with to being home with mommy and this new baby that requires all of mommy's attention.
Let's start with the good things about having two kids under two. Raegan LOVES her brother. I am confident that she has zero recollection of a life before Rory. Rory is her world. If she goes anywhere without him, the first thing she says is "Where's Rory?" Her face lights up when she hears him wake up. "Gotta go check on Rory!" She loves helping feed him and change his diaper. She loves it now that he can attempt to play with her. She loves that he crawls all over the place, following her wherever she goes. And Rory LOVES his sister. Raegan can always make him smile. She makes him laugh more than anyone else. He wants to do whatever it is she is doing and is often frustrated with his own lack of skills to keep up with her.
Because they are both so close in age, they think they are equal in age and skills. Raegan has no idea Rory is younger than her and cannot do many of the activities she can do. She only sees him as her brother who wants to play with her. Often she will grab his arm and tell him, "Let's go buddy!" and expect him to get up and walk to wherever she is going. When Rory practices standing or crawling or walking, Raegan chimes in, "I wanna practice walking too!" She is often seen crawling around the floor mimicking his moves. Rory also sees himself as the same as Raegan. You can see the frustration on his face while he watches everything Raegan does that he cannot. He practices standing by himself over and over and over. He is extremely determined to be at the same level as her. They both want to eat what the other is eating and do what the other is doing.
While they grow and learn, they will learn from each other. Both of my children are independent and determined. They will constantly challenge each other as they get older. I am sure they will be fiercely competitive with each other. I hope this brings out the best rather than the worst in them.
Some negatives. Under two is a very needy time in a child's life. We are lucky Raegan is very independent. For the most part, she is able to play by herself while I tend to Rory. She is able to help with things like grabbing a diaper, a spit up rag, or some wipes. However, there are many, many times when both my children need me at the same time. There are times that Raegan decides she is not happy that I have to spend 15 minutes feeding Rory and she is stuck in the same room. She will decide she NEEDS your help with something and cannot wait another second without your assistance. One of the worst times is breakfast. I am not a morning person. I do not like being needed in the morning. Both of my children are extremely needy in the morning. Our usual routine consists of Raegan whining because she "is SOOO hungry... need bwekfast now" and Rory crying like he did not just have a bottle one or two hours prior. So between making Raegan her eggs or whatever else she demands in the morning, Rory needs to be spoon-fed his fruit. If you stop for one second to attend to Raegan, the whining starts again. If you are feeding Rory, Raegan wonders loudly where her breakfast is. It has gotten SO much better now that Rory is able to feed himself finger foods. So, instead of going back and forth, Rory is able to eat his mum mums or pinwheels. I can hold off feeding him his actual breakfast until I finish making Raegan's food without either of them driving me crazy.
Bedtime is another time where two kids means you need two parents. We have tried over and over to do a joint bedtime. This does not work in our household. Both kids go to bed at the same time. They take a bath together. After that, trying to do anything with both of them is almost impossible. Basically, they both need the same thing at the same time. If you are the only parent in the house, you have to decide which kid needs to go to bed first on that night, whichever one is barely hanging on. The other kid just hangs out until it is their turn.
Transitions are the worst. Getting into the car. Going from upstairs to the basement. Getting into the stroller. It gets better with time. It is awesome now that Raegan is able to walk next to me or the stroller.... unless she doesn't. Then it just becomes triple the hassle because you have to discipline one while holding the other. Not fun.
One of the hardest things about having two very young children is that neither have any real understanding of social skills. Rory does not understand that he is not supposed to grab toys out of Raegan's hand. He doesn't realize it hurts her when he grabs her hair. Likewise, Raegan doesn't understand that Rory can't walk or talk like she can. They both try their hardest to play together. It is quite amusing watching them learn how to play. Often we end up having to talk to Rory about keeping his hands to himself because that is what we are working on with Raegan and she doesn't understand that he doesn't know better.
I am happy with our decision to have two kids so close together. Everyday has been a challenge. But it is truly amazing being able to watch both of them grow and learn together.
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