The Food Went Where?

Tis the season for Halloween candy and we try to limit The Boy's intake to one piece a day. He usually picks out the piece he wants before he leaves for school in the morning...that is how serious he is about getting his quota. He only cashes in on his choice if he eats a good dinner and we try to have him wait an hour before he partakes. Tonight his choice was a Tootsie Pop.

Momma: I want you to wait until 7 to eat your candy.
The Boy: I don't think I can. Why do I need to wait?
Momma: Your food in your belly needs to digest.
The Boy: My food did die. It is in heaven.

Of course, I am laughing as is The Husband at this point. We also find out that food gets reincarnated...he told me the food was now in my belly, so could he have his sucker now?

The World's Largest Halloween Party

That is what our town calls Trick Or Treat through the zoo. I would say that it is a pretty big party, but probably not the world's largest. I am sure there are bigger out there. Last night we made the trek to the zoo so The Boy could do something he has been begging to do for weeks. I really think this is the hardest part of being a parent to more than one child, especially when child number two is an infant, the hard part being finding the time to make sure neither child is being slighted.


I have gone back and forth with things like the zoo excursion for weeks trying to determine if we could go with The Girl. I am still contemplating our trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend. My mind is filled with questions like is it too cold for her to be outside, where will I feed her, will she cry the whole time? On the flip side, The Boy looks forward to these things every year. He is looking forward to going to get pumpkins and I want him to have that experience and I want him to be able to do whatever we plan without having to say he can't because of his baby sister.



We will go to the pumpkin patch this weekend and we will take The Girl. She will become a part of a family tradition as she should. I have to learn how to check my self imposed guilt at the door. Parenting is hard and I should realize that if I am only worrying about this small thing, then we have it pretty good, right?

The Next Generation

It has happened, The Boy has become more technologically advanced than me. While he may not know the ins and outs of the computer, he has conquered a lot for a three year old. Every night is met with the comment that he hasn't played on the computer in a long, long time. For him a long, long time is since the night before. Here he is concentrating on the task at hand.I think the tongue helps him concentrate. I can remember a time before email was mainstream. I didn't even have an email address until college and that system was very archaic compared to where we are now. I can't imagine what things will be like when The Boy gets to college. At the rate he is learning now, he will be teaching me how to do things on the computer in now time.

Privacy, Please

I really didn't think some things The Boy is doing would happen so soon. I am glad that he is such a big boy in some ways, but I am not really ready for some things yet. I guess it is a good thing we had another one, so I can have a small person go through all the fun things again.

We have reached the point where The Boy has become like any other child with the tone of his voice when it comes to him being bothered by something his crazy mom is doing. Yesterday he was on the phone with The Husband and the "tone" reared its ugly head. The Boy knows, by heart, his daddy's cell phone number and now his work number. So, every afternoon after school he wants to call Daddy using my cell phone. He is dialing and then talking and I suggest he tell Daddy about xyz. I get a high pitched Ma-OOOM from the backseat. I was telling him how to do something he already knows how to do. Who teaches kids to say Mom like that? I know I did it to my mom, but not at three years old. And furthermore, I am Momma or Mommy, not Mom. I am not ready for The Boy to drop those words of love. Ugh.

Last night at bath time, I tell The Boy to take off his clothes and get naked. Now, we are not really that modest of a family. The Husband and I still walk around naked in front of the boy. I nurse or pump in front of him...it isn't a big deal. Luckily he hasn't shown any aversion to this, but based on his comment last night, maybe we should be a little more concealed. I don't know if I could live without him congratulating me when I pump milk for The Girl, but hey I can work it out on my own.

After telling him to get naked, something he has done for a long time in front of me, he looks me in the eye and says, "I don't want anyone to see me get undressed." He then runs into his room and shuts the door. When did my three year old turn into a teenager? The funny thing is, not two minutes later, he was out of his room completely naked, in the bathroom asking me to wash his toes. I guess it is the undressing part that needs to remain private.

Fall Walks

Every night the family tries to get out and go for a walk. This helps The Boy run off some of his energy and helps me get back into the habit of exercising. We just bundle The Girl up and walk around the block in our neighborhood. This is the conversation The Boy and I had on yesterday's walk.

As we walk under an oak tree.
The Boy: What are those?
Momma: They look like acorns.
The Boy: No they don't, they aren't big enough.
Momma: Well, they are the tops of the acorns.
The Boy: What happened to the rest of the acorn?
Momma: I think squirrels got the bottoms.
The Boy: Momma, they got the middles too.

I guess they did.

What's Yours is ACTUALLY Mine and Was Mine First

The Boy seems to be adjusting fairly well to the newest addition to our family. He loves her unconditionally it seems. When he wakes up he gives her a good morning kiss. He has to give her kisses every time he sees her. If I pick him up from school without her, he wants to know why I didn't bring Sister with me. It is all very sweet. We really haven's seen any instances of jealousy yet. I am hoping the trend continues.

While jealousy doesn't seem to be an issue, a mix of independence with clingyness does. I know those two things are seemingly opposites, but in this household, they go hand in hand. I don't want your help, give me a hug. I don't need you to help me brush my teeth, but will you stay with me until I go to sleep. These are just a few examples.

Blatant jealousy hasn't reared its ugly head, but subtle issues have especially when it comes to the baby toys we have in the house. Now I know it isn't reasonable to think that The Boy remembers playing with these items, but he is adamant that they are his and that he remembers playing with them. If I say not to touch something that now belongs to The Girl, The Boy will no doubt respond by saying, "It was mine first."

This subtle issue became more than evident yesterday when The Boy got home from school. We live in a house that has hardwood floors and stone floors throughout the main level. The only part of our house that is carpeted is the finished basement. Don't get me wrong, I love the stone floors in our house, but hadn't thought about what it would be like to have a baby when we decided to move here. The thought of The Girl crawling around on the floor frightens me a little, but we will make due I am sure.

Yesterday I brought up a very thick quilt for The Girl to play on when I am upstairs. We gotta make sure that she gets her tummy time, right? As soon as The Boy got home, he saw the blanket on the floor in the family room and made a beeline right to it.

The Boy: "Can I lay on this Momma?"

Momma: "No, that is for your sister to play on."

The Boy: "But, it was on my bed first."

Momma: "I know, but she has to have something to play on that is soft and I picked that blanket. You have new stuff on your bed. That quilt has been in the basement."

The Boy: "Okay."

I thought we had settled the discussion, but as soon as The Husband got home, The Boy asked him if he could use the quilt. Of course, The Husband, not knowing of our previous discussion, said sure! Here is what we have going on now with the quilt.

We Make Big Babies

The girl had her 1 month check up on Monday. Her belly button is healed and she is growing like a weed. She hit 11 pounds in 4 1/2 weeks. She doesn't seem that big but she is. Now we have to see if she will catch her big brother. The Boy was over 13 pounds at his 2 month check up. I think she might be a chunker like her brother was. Aren't they beautiful?