Their Sayings: Post 2

Durham:
Just so you know, Durham is at that point when he's starting to say more complex sentences. Every sentence sends this mama's heart a fluttering. The following sayings might not mean much to you, but they are super special to me. :)
Turn the light on! I brush teeth. (I was trying to get him out of the bathroom.)
Great job! Yea! (When I was putting on his shoes for him.)
My shoes under the bed? No. My shoes in toy box? No. (While searching for his shoes.)
Uh oh! Car go WAY fast! (Talking to himself while playing.)
Don't leave.  I gonna cry.  (When Mama was trying to go out to dinner.)
I kiss the baby?  (He's starting to notice her and want to interact with her now.)
I play basketball!! (To neighbors in their driveways as we pass by while going for a walk.)

Ainsley:
Ainsley can do this. Ainsley can do this. (While practicing batting with Daddy. She's started talking in the third person when she needs to pump herself up.)
You and Daddy should go on a date tonight. I'll come with you and take pictures of you kissing.  IT WILL BE YOUR FIRST KISS.
Mom thinks the neighbors are going to call CPS.  (See the last post about that one.)
I didn't want to wear the sweatshirt so I changed when I got to school.  (Telling my why she was wearing just her spaghetti strap tank top at school.  This is against the dress code.  My daughter is ALREADY violating the dress code behind my back.)
When I grow up, I'm going to live in the hotels in Florida.  You can come visit me if you want.
Ok.  I'll eat a healthy snack after nap, but then I get ice cream after supper.  (This child is always negotiating.)
But if I eat my grilled cheese, where will my fingers dance?
I try to be good, but sometimes I just CAN'T think.

Wrenn 3 Months Old

Where has the time gone with my sweet, little newborn?  It seems like just a few days ago she was born.  Can you see the changes in her?  

Feeding:  She's eating 4 ounces every 2-3 hours.  She'll usually eat 28-32 oz in a day.  She's quite close to needing 5 oz per bottle, but we're holding her off until we can use up all our 4 oz liners.  

Sleeping:  We put her down in the crib, swaddled, and in a positioner at about 9pm-10pm every night.  She'll either get up once at 3-4am or sleep all the way through to 7am.  She has slept for 10 hours straight multiple times!  She was sleeping through the night nearly every night at 11 weeks, but then Mama went back to work.  It must have thrown her off, because she's been getting up more often at night since.  For naps, she's either in someone's arms or in the swing seat.  We haven't mastered crib naps yet. Maybe this summer?  

Diapers:  Size 1

Clothes:  Size 3-6, 6-9, or 12 months depending on the brand.  

Disposition:  She's still pretty content as long as she's being held.  She prefers to be held while standing and put up to the shoulder instead of cradled.  She's much more smiley than the other two were at this age.  

Places:  She's been walked around town by her parents and babysitters.  She went garage saling, and on many trips to Saginaw to go shopping.  It's still difficult to take her far while she's eating every three hours.  She's like a ticking time bomb.  Feed her and you have exactly three hours to get as much stuff done before she explodes and we need to be back at the house.  A special trip this month was to the Bavarian Inn Lodge for a birthday party.  She was held by lots of different people.  It was also her first time sleeping through a meeting with the peacocks near the covered bridge.  She's starting to get used to going on walks while in the baby carrier.  (Thanks, Rachel!)

Fun Facts:  She still loves her pacifier.  She's quite drooly.  It seems a little early for teeth though.  She's started sucking on her fist.  She hasn't tried to reach for toys yet, but it seems like she's beginning to understand that moving her limbs around will make the bouncer move.  She definitely knows the difference between everyone else and her Mama.  

Milestones:  She's ALMOST laughing.  Every once in a while it'll seem like she laughed, but I'm not quite sure if it counts.  Mama just went back to work, so she's getting used to snuggling with babysitters this week.  

All Three (Try 2)

Here we go.

We don't even attempt matchy outfits.  I know better.  

You can see Durham's interest in this activity has waned in the first 10 seconds.  

Ainsley, on the other hand, LOVES anything to do with holding her sister.

And then a commercial came on the TV.  My kids like the commercials better than the actual shows.  "Mom!  We can buy an ICE CREAM MAKER!  It's only $14.99!"

Durham thought he was going to escape.  

Not a chance, kid.  Mama will give you a job.  Hold your sister.  

Maybe this was a bad idea.  

Close enough to perfection to make this Mama cry.  LOVIES.  

Mother's Day Project

The kids and I worked on a little Mother's Day craft this year.  Inspired by Pinterest, we decided to paint a flower using the kids' hands and feet.  We started by venturing out to Hobby Lobby to purchase the supplies.  I went with just myself and the kids.  This isn't something I do often, but I was feeling ambitious.  It was my last week of maternity leave, so I had to go out with a bang.  

Once I got to Hobby Lobby, I realized that I hadn't thought ahead enough about the logistics of taking three kids in to shop.  They have these tiny little carts that just don't work well with my brood.  I decided to put Wrenn's carseat in the basket of the cart, Durham in the seat of the cart, and let Ainsley walk.  This was dangerous for so many reasons.  I had to carry all of our supplies because the cart was filled with just my kids.  :)

Once we got home we started painting!  The plan was that Durham's feet would be the leaves, Ainsley's hands would be the petals, and Wrenn's feet would be a butterfly.  Here we go.  Preschool teachers do this all the time, right?

Ainsley and I began by luring Durham outside to paint his feet.  We quickly discovered that Durham had no interest in getting his feet painted.  This little boy fought us TOOTH AND NAIL.  I had to hold his feet still to paint them, but then he swatted at us with his arms.  

Ainsley and I then developed a plan that she would hold his hands while I just dunked his foot in the paint.  Screaming ensued as Durham fought for his life.  I made a comment to Ainsley that the neighbors were probably going to call CPS on us!  Unfortunately, she listened to me and told a friend of mine that the neighbors call CPS on us.  I've learned not to make that joke anymore.  

This was before Durham swatted her in the face.  

"Can you hold still, Durham?"

We soon released Durham from his Mother's Day duties and worked on the rest of the project with just the girls on the deck.  Durham retired to the living room to watch Cars.  

Ainsley quickly finished the stem of the flower for Durham.  

Ainsley then got to mix the paint to make orange.  She was quite proud of herself for knowing exactly what colors needed to be mixed for each of our endeavors.  She was also quite excited that I let her use her hands.  

Proud as a peacock.

Now it was Wrenn's turn to help.  She was wiggly as we painted her feet, but luckily Ainsley and I were fully capable of overpowering her and forcing her to participate.  When Ainsley and I set our minds to something, you just can't stop us.  

We're going to paint your feet and you will like it. 

Ainsley added her handprints and we were headed towards artistic perfection.  

Midway through the project.  

We let the paint dry for a day and then decided our painting needed some embellishment.  Grass, sunshine, butterfly, and flowers will fill out the painting nicely.  

Then they were ready to deliver.  On Mother's Day we made our rounds to deliver these precious paintings to the Mamas in our life.  

Happy Mother's Day to our Mamas!  

Leaving the House

I've told quite a few people that I just don't plan on leaving the house for a year.  I'm pretty sure everyone thought I was joking.  

I was NOT joking.  

It's just so hard to take Durham and Wrenn anywhere together when there's only one adult attending to them.  I did it when Ainsley was 2 and Durham was a baby, but things are very different now.  Durham is something else.  He's a holy terror.  I could put him in a ring with other two year olds and he'd eat them up.  I just cannot believe his temper tantrums.  I'm just waiting on the day he gives me a black eye for trying to get him to come inside the house.  Or when I get kicked in the face for asking him to hold my hand as we walk in a public place.  

And so we stay in the house.  We don't even go into the grassy area of my fenced in backyard.  Tried that.  Tried that about 10 times.  Each time ended poorly.  Very poorly.  

And so we stay in the house.  Luckily we have a deck.  With a gate, we've managed to create our own little outdoor area that isn't nearly so tantrum-inducing.  [I'm beginning to notice that gates have been solving all my Durham problems lately.  I guess he's just one of those kids baby gates are made for.]

So we play on the deck.  It's great for bubble-blowing and playdoughing.  It's great for being within 10 steps of the bottle supplies and the bathroom.  

My kids think I'm the meanest mom ever for not letting them play in the backyard when there's no other adults around to help.  In fact, Ainsley has told me that I'm the real-life Mother Gothel.  

Thanks, babe.  

We've even resorted to only going to church when we have booked another family to assist us in child-corralling.  When we do go to church, I usually end up taking Durham.  He's got the most piss and vinegar of the bunch.  Sometime before the sermon, Durham and I often have to head out into the hallways to have a come-to-Jesus meeting.  He'll start by trying to throw pamphlets all over the floor.  When I won't allow it, he'll lay on the floor, scream, and kick.  He won't even get back up.  He's impossible to pick him up during these tantrums, so we end up having to sit on the floor together, Durham screaming and kicking, and Mama holding him so he doesn't hurt himself.  It's quite a spectacle.  

Have I told you that he's a holy terror right now?

It's not so bad until another mother walks by.  A mother who obviously had children who weren't holy terrors.  I try not to make eye contact with these mothers.  It wouldn't be good for either of us.

And don't try to tell me that all 2 year olds are like this.  I'm smarter than that.  

I just keep saying to myself that his spunk will become an asset someday.  Someday he'll find an outlet for all that piss and vinegar.  

And so we don't leave the house.  Here are a few pictures of my children who aren't allowed out in public.  

Holding her head up like a champ.  2 months old.  

Playdough on the deck.  Playing with her sister.  4 years old.  

Refusing to look at the camera.  Pushing the camera to the side.  Knocking over a scooter that wouldn't cooperate with him.  2 years old.