The Bagina Monologues

Mark and I made the decision to use the correct terms for teaching the kids anatomy. An arm is an arm, and a vagina is a vagina.

Lately it seems that we are getting constant information about Lainey's "bagina." But, she does tend to keep her vagina status updates around bathroom visits or bathtime. It's not like we're in the middle of lunch and she just busts out with "the other day, my bagina...," so at least she keeps it topical. The day is coming though, when she decides to wax poetic about her nether region at the most inopportune time. Well, I guess that will just make for another blog post!

Dr. Lainey says, "there's nothing funny about the word 'bagina.' Grow up people."

These Two...

Lainey and Nick are melting me to a puddle these with their love for each other. They are full of hugs, kisses, and giggles these days. Tonight, when  I got to daycare, I could see them through the window hugging each other and laughing with their foreheads mashed together. So sweet!

Lainey calls Nick her "Lil Puppy," and he follows her around like one. If Nick wakes up before Lainey, he asks for her constantly and it's all I can do to keep him from climbing the stairs and charging into her room. The first hugs of the morning go to each other and there is usually the exchange of "I love you, Buddy;" "Love you, Lay-NEE," which just sends me to the moon. Sometimes Lainey is the only one who can comfort Nick. He was pouting about something the other night and wouldn't let me touch him, but Lainey came over, put her arm around him, and said, "It's okay. I'm here now." He leaned right against her and let her stroke his cheek for awhile. Then, just like that, everything was fine again. 

I'm not saying there isn't discord, they squabble and push as much as they giggle and hug. They're still siblings, after all. But, even that stuff makes me smile. It's funny how Lainey is truly turning into a big sister and is very directive and authoritative with Nick. She is constantly telling him what to do, and he'll follow pretty blindly. But, if she messes with his fun, he'll tell her "no" and hold his ground. The below is a common interaction these days:

Lainey snatches a toy from Nick

N: "NO! Big trouble, Lay-NEE. Time out." Points to chair.

E: "You're not the boss of me, Nick!"  

Even though they're fighting, this kind of stuff still slays me, it's so freaking adorable! (Well, really just Nick, scolding Lainey. Too cute.)

Who knows how their relationship will evolve over the years. I know plenty of adult siblings who can't stand each other. But, I hope--I really, really hope--that these two keep growing together and not apart.

The Inseparable Duo

Frozen on Ice

After buying the tickets six months ago, Saturday was finally the day for Frozen on Ice. It. Was. Awesome. Not the show exactly--yes it was fun and cute, yada yada yada--but the experience with Lainey. Loved, loved, loved it!

We waited until last Wednesday to tell Lainey about the show, and I'm glad we did, because it was all she could talk about. That morning she kept telling Nick over and over how he was going to stay home with Grace (the babysitter) and she was going to go with Mommy and Daddy to see Elsa and Anna ice skate.

When we got there, just as promised, we bought her pepperoni pizza for lunch and then a bag of cotton candy to take to our seats. Truly, I don't know if she was more excited for the show or the cotton candy, which she somehow already knew existed--evidently a daycare friend recently had the sweet stuff and it was the talk of the lunch table at school. No surprise, she loved it (and I did too, I don't know when I had cotton candy last).

So, we were already having a blast, but then the show started. It kicked off with some regular joe-schmos to get the crowd excited and moving. We stood up and did the "snowman dance" and Lainey thought that was pretty fun. But, then Mickey and Minnie Mouse came out and Lainey's face froze in pure joy and she started waving to them. Then all the Disney princesses started coming out  with their princes. By the time Cinderella appeared, I though she was going to wet herself from the excitement. Then the real show started and Lainey stayed rapt from beginning to end, singing the songs and waving to the characters. I probably only saw about 20 minutes of the show, because I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I even got a little misty-eyed at one point, because I started thinking about how fast time is going by and how she is a little girl and not a baby anymore. Sniff.

So, it was a pretty great outing. The icing on the cake was Grace couldn't get Nick to take a nap, so he was still up when we got home. That meant we put both kids down at the same time and still got a little time for ourselves that afternoon. I spent most of that time looking back at the pictures and smiling...check them out for yourself!

Lounging with her Pizza

Sitting with Daddy and anxious for the show to start

Cotton candy time!

I think Rapunzel had just hit the ice!

When I Grow Up

This past week's theme in Lainey's daycare class was careers. Today she dropped her aspirations on us. She wants to:

Drive a train

Be an artist

Paint doors

Own a store

We have no idea where "paint doors" comes from, but it's definitely on the list. Looking forward to seeing how these evolve over the years. I won't lie, I wouldn't hate hearing doctor, lawyer, or investment banker in the mix. But, the important thing is she's happy, right? Dream big, Lianey!

Peace Out Sippy Cup

Nick is done with the sippy cup (at least when dining at the table) and on to a plastic tumbler just like big sis! It seems like just yesterday we were doing this with Lainey. *Sigh* It really does go so fast...

Check out my happy boy and his mad cup skillz!

5 Minutes

So far, I've been doing a solid job of keeping my cool and focusing on keeping it fun in 2015. I've been pausing and breathing before reacting to misbehaviors instead of lashing out and yelling at the first sign of trouble. I'm pretty proud of my progress, except for one, very bad, very UNPROUD night of conflict with the kiddos--but, I've made my peace with that night and Lainey still says I'm the "best Mommy ever," so she's made hers, too. Hopefully, Nick just doesn't remember. 

I had a pretty miserable cold last week and was very short on sleep from a stressful work week and two kids who didn't want to sleep (evidently Lainey no longer requires the permission of the green light for it to be OK to Wake). Although I had a chore list a make long, I indulged in afternoon naps both days to catch up on sleep and kick the sniffles. And miracle of miracles, we all seem to be surviving without folded laundry or scrubbed floors and are still peacefully co-habitating with the dust bunnies. And the extra sleep made me a much more agreeable person, which I think makes everyone happier than a pristine house. 

I've recommitted to my "no phone rule" between 6-8pm weekday nights, something I had become pretty lax on in recent months. As of this weekend, I've added to the mix a five-minute rule--for me, not the kids. I have a terrible habit of telling the kids "just five minutes" when they want me to play, but I'm doing some terribly pressing thing like washing dishes. Well, five minutes can easily turn into 25 when you keep sneaking in "just one more quick thing." So, now I'm setting timer for five minutes to do some sort of chore--clean-up after a meal, change the bedding, etc. When the timer is up, I drop what I'm doing and re-engage with the kids. Sometimes I finish, sometimes I don't. But, the timer keeps me honest. By Sunday night, Lainey was starting to get feel for how long five minutes is and left me alone to do my thing--or maybe she just started trusting I really would come to her as promised, so she didn't need to follow-up every 30 seconds. Regardless, it stopped her whining and my frustrated sighs of "I'm coming!" And it also makes me hustle a little more to get stuff done, so I don't have to leave a lone glass in the dishwasher or a pile of crumbs on the edge of the counter. Even if I didn't get as far as I wanted in my five minutes, I got something done, making me feel less twitchy about all the things that needed tending to and able to enjoy our game of Uno or Legos or whatever the kids wanted to play. It was nice. I feel like I'm finally making strides in finding the balance I've been craving. It might not happen every day, but this weekend was a good starting place!

Friends

"And I'll act like I have faith and like that faith never ends,

but I really just have friends." -- Dar Williams

It's been a stressful start to 2015, but I was treated this past weekend by a wonderful visit from some old friends with new(ish) babies (okay, so mine aren't babies any more). I hosted a brunch so the old gang could get together in a kid-friendly, low pressure environment. My friend Joan traveled in from San Francisco with her younger daughter, Jocelyne; Matt, Tracy and little Connor made the trek from Old Town; and Terri and brand new baby Charlie headed out from Lincoln Park. It was a different gathering than we would have had 10 years ago, but I love seeing us at this stage of our lives and still feeling a connection even when visits are far and few between. I just felt warm inside the entire day!

I got to follow-up my lovely morning by a night out with my guy and a group of friends to celebrate Daryn's 40th birthday (it was at Daryn's 30th birthday party that Mark and I first met). The event was a cooking class, but I'll shamelessly admit that after cracking a few eggs for the homeade pasta, I took a backseat with my glass of wine and just gabbed the night away and waited for my dinner to be served. There were too many cooks in the kitchen anyway...I was helping by staying out of the way, right? Mark had volunteered to be DD this time, so I didn't have to monitor my wine intake and was able to just unwind for a few hours and catch up with the crew. 

And to top off all this wonderful friend time, two of my besties in the world, Meredith and Katie, locked in to come to Chicago in April. We're getting a hotel, and I'm leaving Mark with the kids for 48 hours of non-stop girl time!!! I can't wait! Spending time with these ladies is just like slipping on a favorite, well worn sweatshirt...warm and comfortable. 

A few months ago when I was feeling a little overwhelmed and a lot out-of-touch I wrote a post about my worries that I wasn't tending well enough to my friendships. But, at the end of the day, it's the quality, not the quantity, of time you spend together. And the friendships that are true can weather a lapse in communication and still pick back up where they left off. The true friends will understand and will be happy to see your number pop up on their phone or your email in their inbox or your face at the door...whether its been two days or two years. 

Thanks, friends!

Holding babies instead of beer bottles!

Chefs for a night