Been a while

The past few months have been a blur, but not always in a good way. They have been very difficult in a lot of ways. However, May is here, school is almost out, and I have survived.

My Mother's Day gift this year was a girl's day and NIGHT! at a cabin nearby. What a time. Bonnie, Elizabeth, Helen and Kristin joined me for probably what was the best time I have had in a long time. Not having much time to myself these days really made me appreciate the day. Nancy Brasher saw us getting our nails done and she said I hadn't stopped smiling since I arrived at the salon. We had our nails done, made dinner, walked around downtown Franklin, ate ice cream, made dinner at the cabin and stayed up way too late. So fun. I'm very thankful for those girls. I only wish a couple others could have been present too.

I have to do better keeping up with stories about he kids. Cali says "Look Momma" about everything. She has started counting up to 16 (the number of steps we have in the house).

I have been trying to get estimates so we can have our HVAC replaced. The other day I was on the computer and talking on the phone. Cali came around the corner, sweet little body with diaper in hand. It evidently became full and either fell off or she took it off, and she was bringing it to me to let me know it needed changing. Whoops!

Mac-man is still the sweetest little guy you will meet. He's eating people food now and wants to do whatever Cali is doing. He can motor up the stairs, even though he knows he's not supposed to. He will look my direction when he gets on the bottom step, smile, and make a dash for it. He has a ton of teeth. Three on the bottom and he's working on three on the top all at once right now. He loves cheerios, broccoli, cheese, whatever you put in front of him.

They go to bed around 8 or 8:30 now, and wake up anywhere from 6 - 7:30. Cali naps once usually and Mac is still at one in the am and one in the late pm usually which leaves us at home most of the day if I don't want to mess up naps. Usually I mess them up.

More later.

Don't blink

Oh, my best friend reminded me just recently what a long time it has been. I think it has been a combination or holiday season, not remembering at a convenient time, and being so totally over mommyness some days. Oh yes, there have been a few days during the past month that I did not want to be home with the two sweet little munchkins. Cali is entering terrible twos some days, and Mac is getting ever more and more mobile...at least wanting to be. He will be crawling very soon. It's mostly when they are both crying, have been up several....several times in the night each, that I have my break downs....I will miss these days...I will miss these days....I will miss these days. Lack of sleep makes everything harder.

Cali decided after we came back from West Virginia for Christmas that she was going to wake up and cry for up to an hour at a time, several times a night. This in combination with Mac waking up and needing a pacifier 4-5 times a night was jsut getting overwhelming. Cali is down to 1 or 2 times a night for shorter durations now.

Mac got his first tooth yesterday. So cute. He's been eating peas and green beans...although not much at a time. He's a lover.

Not to be cliche, but Cali is a sponge. She repeats everything I say. She is OBSESSED with Frosty the snowman and we watch it at least once or twice a day. She wakes up either saying "Frosee, Frosee" or "waffle." Just last night we were watching TV and she said "Bama." Sure enough OBama was on TV. I hadn't taught her who he was, she just said it. So when we were at the store today, I asked her who was on one of the magazines and she said "Bama" again.

The thing that really surprised me though was I had on a BA shirt and I heard her say "A" and she pointed to the "A" on the shirt. So I asked her where the "Y" was and she pointed to it as well.

Cali and Mac have a special bond that only siblings have. They really enjoy being around each other and miss each other when one is missing. They are starting to interact more with toys on the floor, they even squeal back and forth.

These days are going fast though, and I already miss my Cali-baby. She's a little girl now. I also get upset that I haven't been able to relish Mac's babyhood as I did with Cali. I can't believe he is 7 months old. I blinked I guess.

It's been a while

Well, naptimes recently have been shotty at best. Either that or I am tutoring or out and then Cali decides she's going to sleep for 3 hours or more. We know who is really in control around here.

Mac found his tongue today. It's really funny to watch him stick it out and make funny noises with it. He is still the happiest, smileyist baby I've ever seen. I just want to snuggle him all of the time. Yesterday, Marshall went to pick him up at Leigh's (I was tutoring and got my eyebrows controlled) and Mac just about jumped out of Leigh's arms to get to him. At least that's what they tell me. He also continues to adore Cali -- as she does him. Two nights ago I forgot to let Cali kiss Mac goodnight and she kept saying "Mac, Mac," until I took her back downstairs and she got to say goodnight to him. She went right to bed after that.

Cali is at an age where new things happen daily with her. Her vocabulary is ever expanding. She knows two comes after one, and three comes next, as well as six comes after five. Six is her favorite number. She can repeat almost anything and her enunciation is pretty incredible. She is even starting to make the "l" sound properly. since she was born, I have said bless you everytime she has sneezed. The other day I sneezed in the car and from the backseat I heard "bless you!" (It wasn't Mac :)).

A few days ago I took the kids over to school and let Cali walk around the track a little. It was the first time I have seen her go up and down steps without holding onto anything. She's really getting strong. That same trip she was stepping off the curb and her head went first and she did a summersault. Instead of crying she looked up at me and laughed. I thought she was going to be hurt, but not my tough girl :).

Mac has just figured out how to take out and put in his pacifier (which Cali named "B' a long time ago -- not sure where that came from). Sometimes he puts it in upsidedown of course, but at least he can find his mouth. Looking forward to when he can do it in the middle of the night.

We had Mac's pictures taken a week or so ago and oh my gosh. I thought Cali's were difficult to decide on. He is just so happy, that Jen got so many good shots that really capture my little man's expressions.

We put up our tree after Thanksgiving and Cali helped me decorate it. She brought the balls over and I put them on the tree. She's pretty good about not taking them off and just looking at them, but we still have a tree that is decorated from the middle up. It will be that way for at least a couple more years I'm afraid.

Cali had her 18 month checkup today and the doctor said that it was the easiest 18 month she has had. She says that the children usually wiggle and cry and really resist, but Cali just sat there, curious about the different pieces of equipment the doctor was using on her. She didn't cry until she received her shot, and even then it was only briefly. She really did a good job.

Cali is jumping, rolling on the floor, dancing, discovering, loves the outside. She loves to be tossed around and to swing high on the swingset at the park. She puts Mac's pacifier in when he's crying, and tries to give him milk from her sippy cup. It's really fascinating to watch her become a little lady.

Mac grabs my face and pulls me in for open mouth kisses when he presses his open mouth on my cheek. And when Cali is around it's as though he's about to jump out of his skin to play with her body his body just won't let him. I'm so excited to see them play together in just a few short months.

Worst day ever

Well, yesterday started out ok. It's nice having Marshall home, and he usually lets me sleep in which is awesome! We went out on the town for the after Thanksgiving craziness and were having a great time. That is until we were in Opry Mills and I realized Ellie (Cali's right arm, stuffed elephant that we brought home from the hospital with Cali) was not with us. Initially I didn't exactly freak out, but I was angry. Not sure why, I guess it was just the start of the grieving process. We searched and searched, retraced our steps twice, inquired at every store we went into, and stopped at security twice as well. I think she's really gone. When I finally accepted that in the middle of the mall, I started crying. I just couldn't handle the idea of Cali asking and asking for Ellie and me not being able to give it to her. I wouldn't even be able to explain why she couldn't have her because she wouldn't understand. I had also become very attached to Ellie. It was just so sad. Fortunately, I had a couple of back up Ellie's at home. But I know the difference, and I'm pretty sure Cali does too, and she's just humoring us. I called mom and couldn't control my sobbing, it was as though we had lost a family member. She was trying to be sympathetic, but she was also laughing which made me laugh/cry because I knew how silly I must have sounded, and I know how comical the situation was, I just couldn't help it. I'm going to call security again to see if anyone turned her in, but I'm not hopeful.

Mac just conked out on the floor. I was in here typing and things became awfully quiet (Marshall and Cali are both napping). I went in to check on him, and he had rolled on his side and just fell asleep. He can't be comfortable, but I'm not going to move him for fear he will wake up.

Cali loves her shoes. She even made marshall put them on right before bedtime last night. Of course we took them off before we put her in her crib, she just needed to wear them for a few minutes before. And, as usual, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Cali's vocabulary is expanding rapidly. She communicates very well. She has attached certain words to things that don't make sense, but we know what she trying to say. For example she says "B" for her pacifier, and she says "nee" when she wants up in the chair.

Becky is coming to stay with us tonight. She hasn't met Mac, and she hasn't seen Cali in a long time. I'm going to go clean up a bit.

The scream

Two days ago several things to report. Cali always wakes up and asks for Mac. After we got up, Cali, Mac and I played on the bed. I had to carry Mac down the steps, so Cali was left to come down by herself. On the way down, I dropped Mac's "Butch" stuffed animal. I couldn't pick it up, so I left it on the steps and took Mac to the den. A couple minutes later, Cali arrived in the den and handed Mac's stuffed animal to him. She's always looking after him. I didn't even ask her to pick it up!

That same day, Cali was eating pizza at Costco. I was cutting it up into pieces and had left one of the pieces on the fork. Cali took the fork and shoveled the pizza to her mouth. We ate the rest of the meal with the fork.

One the way home, Mac fell asleep. I was so excited because it was Cali's naptime too and I thought, for once, they would be sleeping at the same time. As I was taking them out of the car, Cali looked at Mac and said "shhhh!" as she often does when he is asleep. She did this three or four times and then all of a sudden she let out the loudest scream ever. Of course this woke Mac up and he was awake the whole time Cali was napping...She thought it was the funniest thing, so after the second scream, I left her in the car all by herself while I went inside with Mac. When I came back out and opened the car door, she greeted me with a nice scream hello...She thinks she's so funny.

Mac has found his feet. It's fun to watch him play with them. He also can stand in the exersaucer now. He hates the little green monster toy on it. He tries to eat it and gets really mad. He always ends up crying.

Last night Cali ate a ton. She finished off a full tub of blueberries and still said "more, more."

Cali has been getting up around 5:30 which needs to stop. Between Mac getting up around 4 -5 times and Cali waking at 5:30am, I feel like a zombie most days.

We are going to Connie's house tonight for dinner with Lily, Connie, Lee, and Marilyn. It should be fun as long as we can keep Cali contained :). She's busy and into everything.

Another one of Cali's favorite foods: salmon!

Breaking my heart

So, I'm starting to really realize Cali is learning right and wrong, and emotions. Yesterday, Marshall and Cali were playing on the floor and Cali bit Marshall. It really hurt so Marshall kind of yelped and said in an appropriately firm voice "Cali, we don't bite." Well Cali got really sad and reached out to hug Marshall, then she teared up. Her eyes got all red aroudn the edges. It was so sad, it made me cry. She was just so upset that she hurt Marshall.

She is testing her limits. I will tell her she can't do something, and she will look right at me and do it again. Of course she has an ornery smile on her face the whole time.

Mac is still as sweet as ever. We are trying to get him to eat cereal, but he is not interested at the moment. He still loves attention, and he is the happiest little guy ever!

We went to Target and a few other stores today and so many people commented about or talked to Cali and Mac. They both were just taking and jabbering away in Target. We were having a good ol time. It's amazing how much better the day goes if I just have 30 minutes in the morning by myself before the kids get up. I can brush my teeth, get their clothes ready, gather myself, and start the day. I was even able to make myself pancakes!

Nights have been a little rough again lately. Cali is waking up and wanting me to pick her up. I go in and sit in the chair for a little while. Two nights ago, she started crying again when I got up to leave, but last night she just watched me go. Between that and Mac needing his paci several times a night, I haven't been sleeping very well. Mac has been in the pack and play downstairs because I don't want him to wake Cali. However, going up and down the stairs is no fun either. And I hop up very quickly because I'm so afraid he's going to be too loud and Cali is going to hear him.

At night, Cali and I rub faces and she thinks it's the funniest thing. She is happy, but doesn't belly laugh a lot. When we rub faces, she belly laughs and snorts. I'm going to be sad when she doesn't do that anymore. She's a climber and a daredevil, I think she's going to like gynmastics. She also like animals.

I forgot to list brocolli on Cali's list of favorite foods. She LOVES it above all else. Whenever she gets it she says "yum!" and gobbles it like popcorn. She even makes sure she doesn't drop any. I can't give her all she wants or she won't eat anything else. Brocolli, salmon, cheese and goldfish crackers...

Cali is asleep. Mac is sleeping on the couch with his Daddy. So I am going to call it a day as well.

Saturday is nap day

I was a little bummed today because Marshall had a meeting in the morning, but I still was able to sleep in a little...around 7.30 or 8.00 not sure. Anyway, this morning was the longest morning ever as I waited for him to return. Some mornings are just like that.

Mac's big accomplishment of the day was he finally rolled over. He's been working on it for weeks. I was actually talking to Mom when he did.

Cali's fun thing was she drank out of a straw. I didn't know she could do it until I gave her Marshall pop and she drank it through the straw. It was pretty cool. We took a family trip to Costco which is always fun.

Cali is very good at saying please and thank you. It's really awesome. She says thank you whether giving or receiving something. And she knows please will get her whatever she wants...for now. Her first sentence was "up, please."

We ended up not going to Alex Harvey last night because our friends cancelled on us. Marshall wanted to go to the Ensworth vs BA game but I didn't really want to go. It was rainy and I didn't really feel like seeing people. I felt bad thought because I know Katrina really wanted to watch the kids, and Cali loves her "Meena" so Marshall and I got ice cream at Sonic and then went to TJ Maxx. It was actually really fun. I came back home at 8:30 while Marshall went to the second half of the game. Katrina stayed until about 10pm helping me wrap Christmas presents. It was fun.

Sometimes I just want one day where I don't have to be responsible for anyone but myself. Sometimes I just want to sit and be, but I can't. Diapers don't change themselves, babies will starve...I guess I never really thought about the fact that you are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week whether you feel like it or not. I thought I was busy with teaching, but at least you could take 30 minutes, heck...5 minutes, and not have to think about anything if you wanted to. Even when I am away from the kids, I still think about them. It's a strange thing really.

I did get a nap this afternoon. And why is it that the kids sleep at the same time for a long time on Saturdays. A nice, long, Wednesday afternoon nap would be nice...