Let me start by saying that Curt is a fabulous father. Amazing. There are certain things that he just takes care of around this household - such as wiping the kids up after a meal and giving them baths. He does those things so often and naturally that I'm still pretty inept at them myself. He also got less slept during the newborn time than I did. He always (with the exception of a few few nights) got up with me at night while I nursed them. In fact, he got up first and came to bed after I did. Our routine went something like....(if I'm remembering right, parts of it don't make sense...)Curt would get up and get the crier and bring them to me in bed (or I would get up and go to my amazing lazyboy chair), I would nurse the one and then I would nudge Curt when I could tell we were almost done. He would get the second one up, change their diaper, and then we'd switch. He would burp the first while I fed the second, then change the first's diaper, and then lay down for a bit if there was time before it was time to burp the second. As soon as I was done feeding, I would go back to sleep while he burped :) I have an amazing husband.
Why the "amazing husband" lead in? Because of what happened a few weeks ago. See, he is such a good father that I found myself thinking that we were the same. That we played the same role in this family. This little bubble of mine was shattered two weeks ago when I went away for 2 and a half days to Orlando for a conference. First of all, before I left, I of course had to make sure that there was plenty of food for while I was gone (with lists of the options so that he would know what there was) and all the childcare scheduling was all lined up. Then, on the second morning I was gone, I got a text that Marcia, our loving Florida grandmother, was sick and couldn't cover the three time slots that she was going to cover in the next few days. I assumed that this would panic Curt (as it was his schedule that was going to be affected by it) and that he would start looking for replacement childcare. Nope. He had no clue what to do. No clue where to start or who to call. I ended up filling all three of the time slots via facebook shout outs and text messages while I was sitting in meetings at my conference before he even made his first attempt. I say that I filled three time slots...I actually filled four, because one fell through before it could actually happen. This replacement fill in that I found was for Curt during basketball practice. The plan was for him to drop the kids off at my friend's house and then go to practice. I then get a text message (which I'm totally dreading at this point)..."Do you have any idea where my keys are?" Oh my. He can't find his keys so he ends up canceling on my friend (actually he forgets to call and cancel and she has to call him) and just puts the kids in the stroller and walks to practice. Once at practice (25+ 5th through 8th grade boys), he puts the kids on a bleacher and gives them snacks and asks them to stay put. This, as you can guess, did not go so well. So he then makes a pen out of chairs and puts them in the middle of it. They go ballistic at this idea, so he gets in the pen with them and shouts out directions to his basketball players while holding two screaming children. Oh my Oh my.
He then walks the mile home (losing Micah's sippy cup along the way) and feeds the kids before the next babysitter shows up. This was the interesting one. She was a stranger. I had to rely on a friend for a recommendation of a girl she uses and I only got to talk to her on the phone that afternoon. I still have absolutely no idea what she looks like :) Curt gave her some instructions and got a ride to his elders' meeting at church. He left the meeting at 10 PM to come home and relieve the babysitter (since random strangers cost much more than loving Florida-grandmothers). When I talked to him at 11:15 that night, I immediately asked him how it went. He responded, "Oh the meeting went..." No No, that was not what I was asking. How did the stranger do with our children (or rather, how did our children do with the stranger). "Oh, she said it went great. They shared well. Went to bed fine." Sheww. We went on with our conversation until I realized that he hadn't actually said that the kids were currently fine. So I paused and asked him if he had checked on the kids since he had been home. Nope. He had been home for an hour and fifteen minutes and hadn't checked on the kids yet!!! Totally cracked me up. A stranger had been in our home and he just took her word that they were sleeping peacefully in their beds. I'm an obsessive checker on them even when we've been home the whole time. Let alone when someone could have sold our kids while we were gone :) Of course, the kids were fine and sleeping peacefully in their beds just like he had assumed (until he checked on them and she woke up screaming to be held!).
What did I learn from this? Well - Curt is an excellent father, but he is not a mother. I'm a necessary part of this family. Case in point - Curt is now in the middle of a five day "gone" stretch. Did he line up childcare for the kids before he left? Did he do the laundry before he left? He left and it was me who took both kids to the grocery store to get us food to eat. Marcia happens to be sick again, and he didn't pull any shananigans to arrange any babysitters to cover her "shifts." He simply packed his suitcase and left. And while he is gone - he will actually be gone. Life will go on here at home without frantic text messages asking where the sippy cups are. Now if toilets get clogged or trash needs to be taken out - that is a different story - but the mom stuff, I've got that handled, even though it is harder when I'm alone. It was a funny experience, and in some ways an encouraging one. It is good to feel needed. And loved - I think.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Some Videos
I thought a few people might need a little cheering up today. Here are my best shots at that...
Sunday, January 10, 2010
18 Months
Micah took his first steps in Indiana (mid to late July) at Grandma and Grandpa Sharbaugh's house before the family reunion. Both mom and dad got to see it. He didn't really start walking until later. In Indiana, Mackenna figured out how to stand up from a sitting position; she didn't take any steps there though. When we got back to Florida (early August), she took some steps for the video camera when Micah was playing with his ball popper toy. It was kind of a shock. Since she also knew how to stand up once she fell, she really picked up speed from there. Her Meshugana personality shone through as she would fall down and get back up many many times as she would walk somewhere, completely unfazed and crazily happy about it. Micah showed some signs of being a cautious perfectionist engineer type as he had to figure out the walking thing perfectly before he would try it. Once he figured it out, he would walk quite a ways without falling. He even figured out how to turn corners pretty close to his first steps. However, he couldn't figure out how to stand back up after he fell, maybe this was part of the reason he didn't fall often. It took him awhile to figure this out instead of having to crawl over to something to pull up on. Now, quite a few months later, it is crazy to see them crawling from time to time. They definitely have the walking, and running, thing mastered.
Micah's hair really had started to turn into a surfer boy/mullet. It would have some good days, but it also would look pretty shaggy and scraggly at times. He got his first haircut right before he turned 14 months old. He sat in the big chair like a big boy. He did really well the whole time, staying pretty calm and looking around. He did get a little distracted towards the end, so mommy gave him her phone and he talked on it for awhile (trading stocks on e-trade). Mom did have a pretty hard time being okay with her baby getting a haircut, but she had to admit that he looked pretty handsome at the time. Dad took him for his second haircut a few months after that.
Mackenna's hair has really changed since her first birthday. The sides have really grown long and she is able to almost put it all up in two pigtails. She has graduated from the pebbles ponytail in the middle of her head and will either wear it on the side in one ponytail or partially up in two pigtails.
The twins stopped nursing in middle to late September. I recorded a bit about how that really happened here.
Right now Micah is really into cars, trucks, tractors, airplanes, boats, etc. He likes reading about them (pointing them out in picture books) and playing with them. He will actually sit really still on your lap while you look at a book as long as it involves one of the above things. He also has certain truck books that he really likes and will go find if you ask him to. He likes throwing them, kicking them (he can do this on command sometimes), and getting them knocked out of his hand by daddy. He really likes that he gets to face forward in his carseat now, especially when he is riding in a car that he is high enough that he can point out all the trucks that are passing by. He is also a little obsessed with shoes. Usually the first thing he will ask for when he gets out of his crib in the morning is his shoes. He even wants them on over his footed pajamas. He also wants everyone else to be wearing shoes and will bring you your shoes if he finds them in the house (we have a special place that we hide our shoes so that he can't do this). He will also put on other people's shoes and walk around the house. The other day he may have interacted with the Little Einsteins TV show, patting his lap when he was supposed to and maybe taking some steps along with the directions. He also likes to play tackle/wrestle/tickle with daddy. Daddy plays a game where he says "hut hut hike" and Micah runs away and then he gets tackled and tickled by daddy - this involves lots of laughing. He gives "knuckles" and expects to be tickled after he gives it. When Mackenna hears the "hut hut hike" game, she comes running toward daddy for a tickle.
Mackenna is really into snuggling right now. She wants to be held in someone's arms or lap most of the time. Also, she would prefer if we let her have her little flannel blankie all of the time. She puts it into her mouth and then rubs her nose with the wet corner. If her blankie is not available, she loves to have a wet wipe to accomplish this with. She will also use many other things if neither of these are options - napkin, washcloth, toilet paper, towel, clothing, stuffed animals, etc. She also says "hi" in a singsong, two-syllable, high-pitched way when she sees someone or they come into the room. She really is a mimicer and is picking up on things really quickly right now. She learned to do the "itsybitsy" part of the song after only observing it once. She also can do most all of the motions for "where are the bees" now (he can do almost as many as she can). She learned "head and shoulders" after probably 10 times hearing it. She will also tip over to one side when she hears "i'm a little teapot." She says most of the things that Micah says, because she will mimic him, however, because she will also mimic many other things, she does say more words than he says. She is really picking up on using silverware right now - stabbing food with her fork and getting it in her mouth really well. She is really emotional right now - still kind of an all or nothing girl. She can get really upset about things when they don't go her way - like when she can't have the pigs that are in the TV show. She is into coloring or scribbling with pencils or pens right now. She is also a little more into the Magna Doodle than he is. She is a biter - this has been an off and on problem for her - mostly motivated by her brother taking toys from her. We are working on both sides of this. When Micah wants to keep her from getting something or take something from her, he will fall on her or the object with his whole body and just lay there, protecting the item. Sharing is not going well right now, and it involves lots of screaming (and some biting).
They are both pretty into opening and closing doors right now. They like to be on opposite side of doors and open and close them at each other, playing a version of hide/peekaboo with each other. They both like putting hats and other dress up like clothing on.
List of words
Mommy
Daddy
Car
Tractor (Micah)
Boat (Micah)
Up
Nana
Papa
GG (Mackenna)
Emma
Diaper (Mackenna)
Poopy (Mackenna)
Cheese
Juice
Water (Mackenna...Micah would only ever ask for juice - no need to learn this one)
Sign for More, Please, All Done
Micah says please by saying oheeoheeohee accompanied with the sign for all done
Baby (Mackenna)
Siren Noise
Eieio (Micah)
Shoes
Cicah (Mackenna's version of Micah)
Cacah (Mackenna's version of Mackenna)
Cookie
Cracker
Nana (Banana)
No
"I want this" - a concoction of syllables that sounds a lot like this (Micah) and fits based on context and how he uses it consistently and repeatedly back to back - we are guessing on this one
Animal Sounds
Roar
Meow
Woof
Moo
Oink
Gobble Gobble
Words that have alternate meanings -
Daddy - means "here I have something for you" or "take this" - they will both say this with their hand outstretched, consistently having something in their hand that they want us to take
Mommy - pick me up
Favorite foods right now -
Green Beans
Chicken Nuggets with SAUCE
yogurt smoothies
yogurt - if they get to feed themselves
Peas (Micah)
Carrots (Mackenna)
Strawberries
Meat with Sauce
Peaches
Bananas
Cookies :)
Crackers :)
Whatever mom and dad are eating
They eat pretty much whatever....
They know so much and can follow so many commands that it is hard to think about what they can say and what they can't, because I get confused as to what they can say and what they just can do. Here are some things they can do when asked -
Get up around 8ish
Breakfast
Nap around 9:30 - 11:00
Change into clothes
Lunch
Nap around 2 - 4
Snack
Dinner
Bed around 8ish - Mom and Dad sing "Jesus Loves You" "Oh how he loves you and me" and "Oh how I love Micah/Mackenna" and then play "Come to the Cradle" CD by Michael Card
Daily routine (18 months)
Get up around 8ish
Breakfast
"Rest time" from 10 - 10:30 (lights on, play with toys and books in cribs and cuddle with their lovies)
Lunch
Nap around 1 - 3
Snack
Dinner
Bed around 8ish - same songs
Micah's hair really had started to turn into a surfer boy/mullet. It would have some good days, but it also would look pretty shaggy and scraggly at times. He got his first haircut right before he turned 14 months old. He sat in the big chair like a big boy. He did really well the whole time, staying pretty calm and looking around. He did get a little distracted towards the end, so mommy gave him her phone and he talked on it for awhile (trading stocks on e-trade). Mom did have a pretty hard time being okay with her baby getting a haircut, but she had to admit that he looked pretty handsome at the time. Dad took him for his second haircut a few months after that.
Mackenna's hair has really changed since her first birthday. The sides have really grown long and she is able to almost put it all up in two pigtails. She has graduated from the pebbles ponytail in the middle of her head and will either wear it on the side in one ponytail or partially up in two pigtails.
The twins stopped nursing in middle to late September. I recorded a bit about how that really happened here.
Right now Micah is really into cars, trucks, tractors, airplanes, boats, etc. He likes reading about them (pointing them out in picture books) and playing with them. He will actually sit really still on your lap while you look at a book as long as it involves one of the above things. He also has certain truck books that he really likes and will go find if you ask him to. He likes throwing them, kicking them (he can do this on command sometimes), and getting them knocked out of his hand by daddy. He really likes that he gets to face forward in his carseat now, especially when he is riding in a car that he is high enough that he can point out all the trucks that are passing by. He is also a little obsessed with shoes. Usually the first thing he will ask for when he gets out of his crib in the morning is his shoes. He even wants them on over his footed pajamas. He also wants everyone else to be wearing shoes and will bring you your shoes if he finds them in the house (we have a special place that we hide our shoes so that he can't do this). He will also put on other people's shoes and walk around the house. The other day he may have interacted with the Little Einsteins TV show, patting his lap when he was supposed to and maybe taking some steps along with the directions. He also likes to play tackle/wrestle/tickle with daddy. Daddy plays a game where he says "hut hut hike" and Micah runs away and then he gets tackled and tickled by daddy - this involves lots of laughing. He gives "knuckles" and expects to be tickled after he gives it. When Mackenna hears the "hut hut hike" game, she comes running toward daddy for a tickle.
Mackenna is really into snuggling right now. She wants to be held in someone's arms or lap most of the time. Also, she would prefer if we let her have her little flannel blankie all of the time. She puts it into her mouth and then rubs her nose with the wet corner. If her blankie is not available, she loves to have a wet wipe to accomplish this with. She will also use many other things if neither of these are options - napkin, washcloth, toilet paper, towel, clothing, stuffed animals, etc. She also says "hi" in a singsong, two-syllable, high-pitched way when she sees someone or they come into the room. She really is a mimicer and is picking up on things really quickly right now. She learned to do the "itsybitsy" part of the song after only observing it once. She also can do most all of the motions for "where are the bees" now (he can do almost as many as she can). She learned "head and shoulders" after probably 10 times hearing it. She will also tip over to one side when she hears "i'm a little teapot." She says most of the things that Micah says, because she will mimic him, however, because she will also mimic many other things, she does say more words than he says. She is really picking up on using silverware right now - stabbing food with her fork and getting it in her mouth really well. She is really emotional right now - still kind of an all or nothing girl. She can get really upset about things when they don't go her way - like when she can't have the pigs that are in the TV show. She is into coloring or scribbling with pencils or pens right now. She is also a little more into the Magna Doodle than he is. She is a biter - this has been an off and on problem for her - mostly motivated by her brother taking toys from her. We are working on both sides of this. When Micah wants to keep her from getting something or take something from her, he will fall on her or the object with his whole body and just lay there, protecting the item. Sharing is not going well right now, and it involves lots of screaming (and some biting).
They are both pretty into opening and closing doors right now. They like to be on opposite side of doors and open and close them at each other, playing a version of hide/peekaboo with each other. They both like putting hats and other dress up like clothing on.
List of words
Mommy
Daddy
Car
Tractor (Micah)
Boat (Micah)
Up
Nana
Papa
GG (Mackenna)
Emma
Diaper (Mackenna)
Poopy (Mackenna)
Cheese
Juice
Water (Mackenna...Micah would only ever ask for juice - no need to learn this one)
Sign for More, Please, All Done
Micah says please by saying oheeoheeohee accompanied with the sign for all done
Baby (Mackenna)
Siren Noise
Eieio (Micah)
Shoes
Cicah (Mackenna's version of Micah)
Cacah (Mackenna's version of Mackenna)
Cookie
Cracker
Nana (Banana)
No
"I want this" - a concoction of syllables that sounds a lot like this (Micah) and fits based on context and how he uses it consistently and repeatedly back to back - we are guessing on this one
Animal Sounds
Roar
Meow
Woof
Moo
Oink
Gobble Gobble
Words that have alternate meanings -
Daddy - means "here I have something for you" or "take this" - they will both say this with their hand outstretched, consistently having something in their hand that they want us to take
Mommy - pick me up
Favorite foods right now -
Green Beans
Chicken Nuggets with SAUCE
yogurt smoothies
yogurt - if they get to feed themselves
Peas (Micah)
Carrots (Mackenna)
Strawberries
Meat with Sauce
Peaches
Bananas
Cookies :)
Crackers :)
Whatever mom and dad are eating
They eat pretty much whatever....
They know so much and can follow so many commands that it is hard to think about what they can say and what they can't, because I get confused as to what they can say and what they just can do. Here are some things they can do when asked -
- go to the door - either the garage door or front door depending on what they are asked
- throw away their diaper out in the garage - take the diaper from their room to the garage, open the garage door, put it in the diaper champ, and pull the diaper champ handle to push the diaper down
- find their shoes (micah is really good at this one)
- bring mommy a book
- go take a bath
- put froggie back in bed
- pick up the cars and put them back in the bag (especially if they see mommy start doing this with them)
- go get in their highchair (they will stand by them)
- get in their little chairs for snacktime
- give it to mommy or daddy
Get up around 8ish
Breakfast
Nap around 9:30 - 11:00
Change into clothes
Lunch
Nap around 2 - 4
Snack
Dinner
Bed around 8ish - Mom and Dad sing "Jesus Loves You" "Oh how he loves you and me" and "Oh how I love Micah/Mackenna" and then play "Come to the Cradle" CD by Michael Card
Daily routine (18 months)
Get up around 8ish
Breakfast
"Rest time" from 10 - 10:30 (lights on, play with toys and books in cribs and cuddle with their lovies)
Lunch
Nap around 1 - 3
Snack
Dinner
Bed around 8ish - same songs
Friday, January 8, 2010
Why does bringing another baby into my house petrify me?
So if having two kids isn't so bad, why does having a third one kind of weird me out? I've been thinking a lot about this one. A big part of my brain can't fathom loving anyone other kids like Micah and Mackenna. You would think the fact that I've made the transition before from not loving a baby, to meeting two babies, getting to know them, and falling crazy in love with them would make this idea of loving another one not seem so alien-like. But it doesn't. In fact, I think I decided (while I was scrubbing the milk out of the sippy cups), that it actually makes this idea seem even weirder. You see, before, when I was childless and longing to be a mother, I didn't really understand what a mother's obsession would really be like. Oh, I thought I did, and I really did to some extent, but not fully. I actually thought that I wouldn't love my kids as much I loved some of the other darlings in my life. Oh my - was I wrong. So, then, I would see a baby or a toddler and think how cute they were and I could imagine myself bringing them into my home and loving them. Because I thought I already loved them. But now, I see a different baby or toddler and I can't imagine bringing something like them into my home to love. They seem strange and alienlike to me. I enjoy them, I like them, and some of them I love - but they are not Micah and Mackenna - and they don't fill my heart with obsession. I think this is why the thought of bringing a third stranger into my home - Curt, Laura, Micah, and Mackenna's home - feels really weird. In my head I know I will fall obsessively in love with any child God brings into our home, however he does it. But in my heart, the idea just seems off. Like ET coming to live with us - an ET that comes with a lot of mess and crusty milk in sippy cups.
Crazy idea
So I have a crazy idea. Next week, I'm going to do this. Get up an hour before the kids get up, make myself something yummy to drink, shower, dry my hair, and read something. That's all. Then during naptimes, I'm going to do actual housework, nothing related to the computer. (well, maybe not nothing...) Then in the evenings, I will only do fun things (sew, watch TV, catch up on blogs). We'll see how this goes. It's not a New Year's Resolution - it's a new week resolution. I can try it for a week, and see if it's worth it, right!?
...oh wait...one small problem...next week I will only be home two of five days. Hmm...
...oh wait...one small problem...next week I will only be home two of five days. Hmm...
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