Oh. yeah.

The problem with infrequent blogging is that one leaves one's readers in such a state of suspense. I'm sure you must all be wondering if my Balls of Responsibility are properly orbiting or if I've fallen off the unicycle. I am, gladly, still upright and still juggling those balls. The important ones are in orbit. Some of them have fallen and there's just nothing I can do about that right now.

Irony: I blog here much less than when I was working. And yet I'm book-blogging much more than when I was working.

Last Saturday I ran my 3rd race. It was another 5K--I've decided I'm sticking to those--3 miles is enough for me, thank you. I had wanted to beat 30 minutes. I came close in my 2nd race with 30:52. But I really really wanted to do it this time. It was wicked cold (although not as cold as it's been today!) and there were unexpected hills and wind in my face, but I did it. I came in at 29:40. Which is not terribly fast, but it's the best that I have done, and when you consider that I started out last March taking roughly 45 minutes to do 3 miles, I'm pretty happy with 29:40.

The Princess and SkyWalker ran in the kids' race before mine. For most of the race they looked like this:

They ran hand in hand until SkyWalker pulled ahead. But the little Princess didn't stop, she kept on running too. It was 3/10 of a mile long, which is pretty long for little legs, but they finished it. The rest of the day she ran around the house telling me that she runs "weally fast" because "I'm a mom." She insisted on showering with me because she ran a race too. It was totally worth the cold.

I'm sure Chewie would have loved to run as well, but she probably would have run right into the pond. So she was strapped in her stroller and could only watch.

We have an appointment tomorrow next week with Early Intervention. She hasn't qualified yet, we're just "exchanging information." She doesn't seem to be all that interested in talking. She'd much rather run and climb on the table or jump on the trampoline or do ANYTHING that doesn't involve sitting and learning. She is starting to babble a lot more and occasionally she'll try to repeat something. I don't think she has a hearing problem (but she'll be tested anyway), I think she has an effort problem. She doesn't give a crap about talking. Why ask for water when she can run and get it or her sister will just give it to her? I have a feeling she probably won't qualify for services, but we'll see.

She is sleeping pacifier-free and has done so for a month. It takes her longer to fall asleep, but once she does she stays there. It really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. We're all sleeping well... too well. The girls will sometimes sleep past 8 and without them waking me up, well, I don't get up. It's been HORRIBLE. I remember waking up at 5:30 and starting my day alone and being totally energized and now I am just tired all the time and full of SLOTH. I have little motivation to do anything, which is quite problematic. I stay up late and then get up late and then stay up late. I need a newborn to give me energy!

I remember last winter being the first winter that was tolerable in a long time. I was taking Vitamin D to make up for the lack of sun, I was having the preschool playdates every 2 weeks, gymnastics, we were out and about. We're still busy now, but it's less fun. Lots of grocery shopping and doctor visits. I'm not sure if it's the lack of regular fun playdates or my Vitamin D levels aren't where they should be, but I am feeling the HIBERNATE urge big time. I keep thinking I need to call my friends and set things up and then... another day goes by, another week goes by. Time just zips by and I've done nothing productive. I've gotten the milk and I've done laundry and dishes, but I just have to do those things again. It never feels productive to me. I never feel DONE. We are not even out of December and this winter feels very very long already.

Two steps forward, one step back

Since his sister's surgery SkyWalker has pooped in his underwear 4-5 times. Today, however, he outdid himself. He pooped outside. In front of the swing. I was inside and he was entertaining himself and when I got out there he said "Don't step in any [SkyWalker] poopie!" and I said "Huh?" And then I saw. I asked if it came from his underwear and he said no, he peed and then decided to poop there too. 

What the dilly-o people?

On the one hand I'm glad that he's pooping again and not holding it in anymore, but what the hell?? 

Of course his sister's surgery coincided with the start of preschool. I don't think that it is preschool... 

His sister has officially become a big girl. It's not the walking, or drinking out of a big girl cup and sitting at the table with us, it's not the way she laughs when she does something naughty, it's not that she's not sleeping with the pacifier anymore*, it's not that she likes to bring me her shoes, it's going up the ladder on our playset and then down the slide. By herself. While poor Mama tries to quiet the voices in her head and not have a panic attack. How do I know this makes her a big girl? SkyWalker. He's been asking for a few weeks now why the little jobber is a big boy but the princess is still a baby. Apparently going down the slide without Mommy is the only criteria needed. 

Last week, the day after the Princess's surgery I took the pacifiers away. I put her down for a nap and told her no more pacifiers. She pointed to the top of her dresser. They were not there. She pointed to the floor but none had fallen under the crib. She pointed to the dresser drawer. They were in there, but I wasn't getting them. She cried and cried and I left. Less than 10 minutes later she was asleep. She has not had one since and has slept just fine. What was I waiting for??

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The Princess and the Pee

The Princess peed on the potty.

I've been putting her on it at bath time to get her used to it, when there's a delay between the diaper coming off (big poop) and getting in the tub (waiting for big brother), and because I think she looks so funny and cute sitting on the toilet. Yesterday after breakfast I was getting her dressed, Vader and SkyWalker were in the bathroom brushing teeth and I decided to put her on the potty for the fun of it. I said "Pee" and she peed. Since we were all in the bathroom she got a wild round of applause and squealing from everyone. I knew it was a fluke and just really good timing. I'm not potty training her. She's 1, she can't tell me when she has to go, this is all for fun.

I put her on the potty after breakfast today and said "Pee" and she peed again. 

I still think it's way too early but I'm going to keep doing it mostly because I think it's so damn funny hearing her pee on the potty and her big brother clap and squee.

I've re-evaluated the pacifier thing. I was reading in my Baby Whisperer book about the best approach to do it and I realized something. It's not the right time. It's not because of any crying or because it's too hard. It's not and it won't be. But when I looked at *why* I wanted to do it... I took SkyWalker's away at a year, so I should take hers away too is not a good reason. I don't want her walking around with it. Well, she doesn't. She doesn't use it for playtime. She doesn't get it any other time than in the crib. I don't stick it in her mouth, she picks it up and is in control. At night time I don't have to run in there to put it back in her mouth. She either does it herself or just doesn't need it since I frequently find it thrown on the floor when I get her in the morning. So why am I making a big deal now? Particularly since she's got a cold and we're going to LI soon. Now is not the time. I'm going to continue to not use it in the car unless it's necessary. I had been just automatically giving it her (in her lap) before I even drove away. Now I keep it within my reach and if she starts really fussing I can hand it to her (haven't needed to yet). I also use to give it her in the stroller right away. It was clipped to her blankie so she could get it if she wanted to. Now I keep it up top so if she starts screaming in a store I have it. I think I'll probably wait until the end of the summer when all our traveling is over and then do it for real then. She should be on one nap by then anyway which will make it a little easier. 

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We need to teach her

The Princess has been testing my limits and my patience. It's not the fact that she throws food and her dishes on the floor (she broke her Dora bowl!), it's that she looks at me as she does it and she KNOWS she shouldn't. She's moved past the baby-dropping no coordination thing. This is intentional. I don't care so much about food, the dogs will get that, but it's annoying when she flings her dishes, especially her milk. I was asking SkyWalker what we should do... if we should put her in timeout (no, I wouldn't really, but I wanted to see what he would say). He said "No, [Princess] can't go in timeout. Not like me. I go in timeout when I'm in trouble. [Princess] can't go in timeout." So what should we do? "We need to TEACH her." So funny.

We had our playdate yesterday. It went really really well. There was a lot of conflict and kids fighting over SkyWalker's toys (it's pretty funny hearing 2 boys grabbing SkyWalker's toys and yelling "Mine!". Um, no.) There were some tantrums. Not from my kids, but from the other boys. SkyWalker was very quiet as he always is when other kids are having tantrums. He didn't really talk to anybody, but he did play on the playset with them and play downstairs and he didn't hide in the bathroom so it's progress. The Princess tried hard to be a 3 year old and crawled all over the deck. But then she got tired and needed a nap. It was actually kind of nice to put her down and have just the big kids playing. And the BiG news is that the dogs were outside with the kids the entire time and were absolutely fine! Isaac had his crazy ball and Haze had a stick that the moms threw and they were so good! I was so proud and happy and relieved! We had lunch and one mom who lived on Long Island for a little while (the one starting over since her friends have moved away) was just saying the "right" things. Hard to explain but for the first time in a long time I have some hope. 

I've started weaning the Princess off the pacifier. It's much harder than when SkyWalker was a year. When he was a year I took it away and he didn't even notice. But I've been finding her still sucking on it after she's been asleep for an hour. She only gets it in the crib and in the car. I've stopped giving it to her in the car and she's been okay. I'm starting to take it away for her naps now. Once I break that then I'll take it away at night. I'm sure we'll have a few rough nights. I'm not really sure how she got so addicted to it... I don't even give it to her anymore. It's in the crib and she just puts it in her mouth herself. 

We have a birthday party to go today and another floor guy coming tomorrow. Another busy weekend. I need to make cupcakes today and do some laundry and figure out my June schedule. Oh and dishes and a million other things.

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