Tuesday, March 23, 2010

April...Updates and Stories

And....now it's April. Blogging has sure taken a backseat these days. So much stuff going on: life (Erin's decided that sleeping through the night is stupid), politics (I try to just keep my opinions to myself, even when I'm about to scream), work (mind-blowing job stress continues)...but I try to focus on what's good. :-)

Despite her midnight demands for attention, Erin is such a good baby. I know...I'm supposed to say that, right? But really--she's about as easy-going as babies get. She smiles, laughs, experiments, eats. All with David's laid-back nature. The getting-sick-all-the-time thing is kind of a drag (thanks, daycare!) but really--no complaints. She's crawling up the stairs all by herself now (with momma arms about 2 inches away, of course) and I know she'll be walking any day now... Snif.

Rachael is no longer wearing the brown pants!! Just about the time D and I were ready to put her in poo-therapy, she somehow turned a corner and is taking care of all business appropriately, independently. I am loving not having to wash poo-ed up clothes every evening, and R is SO PROUD of herself. I think this has given her more confidence at school too, since now she's interacting more and more with the other kids and even has a best friend--Nolan.

Now that my quickie update is out of the way, I thought I'd entertain you with my story of the day--hurrah! Here goes:

We took my mother out to dinner for her birthday last night. We told her we'd pick her up at 5:30.

4 years ago, we would get to my mother's house by 5:30 by the following means:

1) go upstairs around 5pm, brush hair, apply makeup, ponder wardrobe change.
2) pick up gift, wrapped weeks earlier, from kitchen counter.
3) get in car, which is clean.
4) leave by 5:20, arrive at mother's house at 5:30.

Today, we get to my mother's house by 5:47 by the following means:

1) time Erin's naps so she will be conscious at 5:30pm.
2) pack as though leaving on an expedition: toys, books, diapers, wipes, binkies. Then pack similarly for Rachael.
3) clean and dress Erin.
4) clean and dress Rachael.
4a) coax Rachael through clothing-related meltdown, which precipitated over me suggesting I help her with...anything. "I DO IT MYSELF MOMMA!!
5) clean and dress Erin again, as she has just barfed all over outfit #1.
6) convince Rachael that putting her left shoe on her right foot really isn't OK.
6a) stop to teach impromptu lesson on 'left' and 'right'.
7) convince husband that if he wanted to take a shower, he needed to do that yesterday.
8) get children buckled into car. Realize I'm still wearing barf-stained shirt. Time check: 5:30.
9) put on yesterday's (nearly) barf-free shirt.
10) realize that gift has not wrapped itself. Time check: 5:35.
11) wrap gift, ignore scent of barf in hair.
12) get in car, which is littered with Cheerios and smells of stale coffee.
13) leave by 5:37, arrive a tad late but who cares--we showed up, we're all smiling, and that all makes me proud.

I was cracking myself up while recapping this in my head on the way to work today. I wonder sometimes how we ever manage to get out of the house--good thing it makes me laugh! :-)

Check out my big girls:

Rach on her new two-wheeler...

...Erin with her four-wheeler :-)