We have a walker . . . kind of, anyway

Lorelei is on the move. Just this week she has officially become bipedal, and I can honestly say I am not ready for it. She is not very good at walking yet, having only taken single steps without support thus far. She stands, steadies herself, reaches out, takes a single step and then does a face plant before she starts all over again. But I know how quickly that will change as she becomes more practiced. My sweet little snuggly baby is becoming a toddler. Cry, cry, cry.

I can't believe that she is already doing this! Caitlyn could stand alone around 8 months, but she didn't take her first real steps until she was 11 months old. Josh didn't walk until he was over 13 months old, and Jason says Chris was around 11 months for his first steps. So, I figured I had a bit more time before Lorelei took these memorable steps, one of the hallmarks of leaving babyhood behind forever. 

And I know that this is just the beginning. Soon she will start blowing kisses and dancing and running. She will begin to imitate life around her through pretend play. She will sing songs and mispronounce words as her vocabulary explodes. Her hair will grow long, her teeth will fill in, she will stop nursing and sleep through the night, every night. Before I know it, she will be picking out her own clothes, swimming by herself, reading her own books at night and voicing her own opinion on every subject fathomable. 

Before I know it, she will be nearly 3, just like her sister. I'm not ready for my last little baby to grow up so quickly. I have been determined to soak up every baby nuance of her, and I haven't gotten enough yet- not enough warm baby hugs and slobbery kisses, not enough gentle arm pats as she nurses, not enough toothless grins and banana-filled smiles, not enough sweet baby smell and "mamamama" cries as she holds her arms out to me. Not enough, not nearly enough.

The days will continue to race past, and I will continue to try to be content with holding onto warm, sweet memories of how she was as I become entranced and fall in love with who she is, who she is becoming. Who they BOTH are becoming. It truly is a privilege to be their mom. Sometimes I just wish I could hit pause, or at least slow down the racing clock.

Beach Day

Gritty sand, salty air, a light breeze, cool water, brilliant sun- these elements have the makings of a wonderful day. Add 2 cute little girls and a fun husband and you have the makings of a PERFECT day! 

One of the best aspects of living where we do is the proximity to some of nature's greatest gifts. We are within an easy drive of mountains, caverns, rivers and the Pacific Ocean. This weekend, inspired by the perfectly gorgeous weather, we loaded up the girls and spent the day sunning in the sand. 

That is actually oversimplifying a bit. First, we loaded up the gear- sand toys, beach bag, towels, the stroller, sun hats, sunscreen, drinks, snacks, diapers, wipes, extra clothes and all of the other junk we travel with. Then, we got the girls into their bathing suits, which took some time because Caitlyn had to seriously debate the advantages of one suit over the other. We rubbed them down with sunscreen, got ourselves ready, and off we went. 

Because Jason is right in the middle of law school finals, we opted to stay close to home and hit one of the smaller beaches on the James River. They might lack the waves of VA Beach, but these little pockets are great for little kids. We enjoyed lunch at one of the great little seafood spots the area has to offer, walked across the street and plopped down in the sand. 

This was Lorelei's first experience with sand, as well as water outside of a bathtub. The sand was a hit, the water was too cold. She played for a bit, then was content in the shade of the stroller, which was a relief since we worry about her fair skin.

Caitlyn, on the other hand, was a veritable whirl of energy. She loves the water, and on this trip, she discovered the thrill of that age old pastime- hole digging. All up and down the shore, little kids were happily digging holes in the sand, and Caitlyn was eager to try her hand at it. Jason and I joined her, and you know what? There really is something inherently satisfying about digging a hole! After we dug the hole, Caitlyn worked diligently to fill it with water. Then, she was happy to leave the hole, spend the rest of her time splashing in the water, only stopping to run back to check on the hole. Just like every other kid on the beach, it seemed.

After a couple of hours on the beach, we got cleaned up. It took me back to my beach memories of Galveston. As a little girl, I remember spending a long day in the sun and how good it felt to shower off at the end of the day. It was heavenly to take off my sticky, wet swimsuit, rinse off in cool water, and then put on fresh clothes that were clean and warm from being in my mom's beach bag. I hope Caitlyn and Lorelei remember these days when they are all grown up and taking their own kids to the beach.

We stopped for a post-beach smoothie at Ben & Jerry's before we headed home. The girls fell asleep in the car, Jason and I got to spend the quiet time engrossed in conversation, and the drive was beautiful!

What did you say to my child???

Today was the opening day for the new Disney nature film, "Earth." Caitlyn and I were antsy to see it- we'd been watching trailers for weeks! We got to the theater early enough to have a picnic lunch in the plaza, and then went inside to get situated for the show.

One thing that is fabulous about being a stay at home mom is that we never have to deal with crowds, especially at places like the movies or local museums since we always try to go in the middle of the week during the day. There were maybe 20 other people in the theater, Lorelei fell asleep quickly, we got hot, fresh popcorn- the movie gods were definitely smiling on us!

As the movie began, a young, single woman came in and sat down 3 seats down from us. A lot of the kids in theater were excited about the opening and lots of them were quietly commenting on the scenes. "Look! A waterfall! Bears! Whales! I want one!" I realize that movie theater courtesy means that talking is a big, fat no no, but at a G rated movie in the middle of the day, you just have to expect that there is going to be some talking. As a parent, I feel like you need to remind your kids to use a whisper, keep them from constantly talking and keep them in their seats. Within reason, I'd never be offended by little kid commentary, especially from preschoolers. Honestly, the preteens at "Twilight" were far, far more obnoxious.

However, the young woman sitting near us was highly annoyed by the little comments.  She kept repeating, "shhhhhhhhh!" in a progressively louder voice. I reminded Caitlyn to whisper, and she turned to me and said, "Mama, look at that bear's tiny little feet! Aww."  I was so proud of her excitement, her empathy with nature, AND her quiet little whisper voice.

And then, it happened. The young woman looked right at Caitlyn and said, in a very loud voice, "SHUT UP!" 

I instantly saw red- who says that to a kid? Plus, Caitlyn actually was being very, very good. I sat in my seat, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, after about a minute of deep breathing, I went over to the woman, sat down, and said quietly, "I do not tell my daughter to shut up, and I am certainly not ok with someone else saying that to her, either." The woman made a comment about her talking, and I just replied, "If you have an issue with her behavior, please address it with me or the manager of the theater."

I quietly went back to my seat, the woman ended up moving to the back of the theater where there were no other patrons, and Caitlyn and I continued to watch the movie. The movie itself was wonderful. The vistas were incredible, the story equally heart wrenching and celebratory, and the message powerful. Nature is beautiful, cruel, strong and amazing, and this movie did an amazing job conveying that. We were both taken in.

When we left the theater, Caitlyn talked a lot about her favorite animals. She kept saying, "They are sooooo beautiful." Then she looked at me with her big blue eyes and said, "Mama, we have to take care of our planet."

She just gets it- I love her to pieces.

The Circus Comes to Town . . .

I think the circus actually plays in our house daily- we've got an acrobat, a clown, a human garbage disposal, a wild cat, a herd of elephants (or at least something similar), and 3 different sets of action going on at all times. I, of course, am the ring master!

Despite being so familiar with the circus, we decided to take the girls to the Ringling Bros. circus during my mom's visit. They had a great military discount, so our tickets were pretty reasonable for such a big circus. However, that is where "reasonable" ended. The name of the show was "Zing, Zang, Zoom!" which Jason quickly amended to "Zing, Zang, Watch your money ZOOM away!" 

I always expect food and drink to be expensive at these kinds of things.  This show really took the cake, though (which had they sold probably would have cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 bucks). For days before the circus, all Caitlyn could talk about was having cotton candy. She wanted pink and blue, and she was more excited about the sticky stuff than the show. Cotton candy- spun sugar, a thin plastic bag- seems like something that, at most, would cost around $5. 

Not this cotton candy. TWELVE DOLLARS! Yes, 1-2 dollars, no typo there. It did include a cheap plastic clown hat, but I almost passed out when I heard the total. And, of course we bought it. We'd already told Caitlyn she could have it, and she was on her very best behavior all evening- she deserved a treat.  We did, however, pass up the souvenir stand with its $30 stuffed elephants and $22 light up wands. Caitlyn was perfectly happy with the glow in the dark necklace I'd picked up at the dollar store and stashed in my bag. 

The show itself was magic. We were all mesmerized, although Grammie had to squeeze her eyes shut during the tense moments. The girls loved everything- Caitlyn was still and quiet for the entire show, while Lorelei wiggled and squirmed and shrieked in excitement.  

Caitlyn says her favorite part was the "noisy part where there was noise and the people flied," also known as the human cannon! Both girls passed out on the way home, and in the end, the experience was worth every penny we spent.

Grammie's here!!!

Living far away from my family is really the only drawback to being in Virginia. I really miss seeing all of them, especially my mom, as well as the friends I have back in Texas. Oh, and the bluebonnets and other special Texas things- I miss those things, too!

Anyway, back to the subject of family- since our move, I have been able to see my mom about every other month. We try to swap off who visits where, and this time it was her turn to come to Virginia. The girls love seeing their Grammie, and I know the feeling is mutual. In the weeks leading up to her visit, Caitlyn constantly asks which day Grammie will be here. She talks about what she wants to do with Grammie, what we are going to eat while she's here, and tells me all of the things Grammie likes. 

So, my mom got here on Thursday, and we have been going nonstop since then. We always shop ( a LOT!) when we are together, which means that the girls go from having way to many clothes to having an obscene amount of clothes. But, hey, they look really cute!  We also usually work on some project. Last time it was to switch and repaint the kids' rooms so the girls could have the bigger room. This time it is to convert a coffee table to a bench. I'll post pictures when it is done.

Tomorrow, we are going to the circus. I haven't been to a circus in years unless you count the little carnie circus in Lawton. Caitlyn is looking forward to the clowns, cotton candy and lions. I'll be sure to share what happens!

Easter pictures!

Easter was a great success at our house this year, and the girls had a great time. On Saturday, we went to an easter egg hunt. It wasn't so much a hunt, as an easter egg run. They lined up all of the kids, separated by age, blew a whistle, and let the kids charge onto a soccer field with hundreds of eggs. It was utter chaos, but the kids loved it. Caitlyn ran from egg to egg, filling her basket, and Lorelei watched from the safety and comfort of the stroller. 

On Sunday, we got up early- we always get up early around here. The Easter Bunny brought the girls some fantastic loot- a bunny Mr. Potato Head, coloring books, flowers to plant, silly putty, books, princess socks, and just a little bit of candy. 

Lorelei got to try her very first Peep which was actually the very first piece of any type of candy or sweet she has ever had. Her expression was priceless, and you could almost hear her thinking, "What the heck is this?" She tried it a couple of times before abandoning it to chow down on the cheerios from her other eggs. And just for the record, that will be the last candy treat she has for quite a while!

The girls and I spent the morning at the movie theater, watching Monsters vs. Aliens. We don't attend church, so we normally go see a movie on big religious holidays with the other heathens. Caitlyn LOVED the movie, as did I, and Lorelei snoozed.

On Sunday evening, we had some friends over for dinner. It was fun, and the perfect end to a pretty perfect day.

The boys don't stand a chance

Jason has been in Oklahoma for the past 4 days to visit the boys, and they had a great time together. Jason was able to go see both of them at school, visit with their teachers, go to a spring football game at OU, check out the Sam Noble Museum, attend an Easter egg hunt at our friends' home, and see Monsters vs. Aliens. It was a very, very busy weekend for them, and I am so happy that they all got to spend time together. 

This morning, I logged into facebook and was thrilled to see that my friend Jessica uploaded pictures to her profile from the easter egg hunt. Her kids are so adorable, and her oldest and Caitlyn were the best of friends when we lived in Oklahoma. I was looking through the pictures at all of kids in their cute easter clothes, when all of a sudden I realized that the miniature gangsters in the photos were none other than my stepsons. They were both wearing huge, baggy athletic pants, oversized undershirts, and enormous basketball style jerseys. And chains- big, silver chains. Cute, huh? Just what every 4 and 6 year old should wear on Easter.  

Although Jason probably should have anticipated that they would be wearing such things (since they always are), he didn't get to pick up the boys until late afternoon and didn't want to waste time going back to the hotel to get different clothes. At least they were clean clothes- the last time they came to visit us, they were wearing holey sweats that hadn't seen the inside of a washing machine for quite some time.  

This kind of thing just makes me so sad. We send this woman more money each month than someone earning minimum wage makes working full time for 4 weeks, plus we pay more than half of their daycare costs. You'd think that somewhere in the budget would be some money for clothes that fit, socks without holes, laundry detergent, a visit to some sort of educational venue and toothbrushes. But hey, mom's got a brand new car, 23 year old stepdad has a brand new car- the money's gotta come from somewhere, right?

And honestly, it might be laughable if it weren't so stereotypical. I have so many friends who have stepkids in similar situations, and they are just as frustrated as I am. What makes a court see two homes- one that offers educational and cultural experiences, discipline, healthy habits, stability, attention to medical issues and child-centered priorities and one that offers constant babysitting, dirty clothes, a run wild and talk back mentality, ignorance towards health issues, fast food and beer pong- and choose the latter just because that is where mom lives?

The funny thing is that over the years we have had to step in and problem solve for mom more times that I care to count. Just this evening, I got an irate phone call that Jason hadn't left Christopher's car seat. Number one, of course Jason left the seat (with Chris, at his school). Number two, he sent mom a text message telling her where it was when he dropped the boys off this morning. And number three, what the heck am I supposed to do about it from Virginia? Off the top of my head, I can think of half a dozen ways to resolve the issue (had the seat actually been forgotten), and not a single one involves calling someone from out of state!

At this point, I refuse to be any sort of contact for someone who can't be nice to me unless it suits their own needs. It is actually rather refreshing to simply state, "I'm sorry- you need to talk to Jason. Please don't contact me."

I think this will be my last post from my standpoint as a stepmom. It is just too damn disheartening to write about.

They grow up so fast!

I swear, sometimes Caitlyn makes me feel like I need to be doing mini lessons with her all the time. She picks stuff up very quickly, and she remembers everything. A couple of weeks ago, we found out by accident that she can spell her name. We'd never worked on it- this is the kind of thing she does all the time.

Another unusual thing that she knows all about is her body. Back in January, she became obsessed with an anatomy book for kids at the bookstore. Every time we are in Barnes and Noble, she wants to look at (and buy!) this book, but Mama refuses to pay $22 because I think that is terribly overpriced. So, poor Caitlyn is relegated to looking at it once a week or so. Honestly, I probably should just buy it for her because she has learned a lot from it, and the book itself is really well done. Caitlyn knows most major bones, where to find some of her organs, the parts of a cell- she just thinks that stuff is fascinating. When we saw Body Worlds in San Diego, she was enthralled for the entire hour and  a half that we toured the exhibit.

Yesterday, she fell and bit her tongue, causing blood to dribble down her chin. As I was cleaning her up, she freaked out about the "red stuff." I told her that it was just a little bit of blood and that she was fine.

"Is that the blood from my heart?????" She was utterly horrified, but I reassured her that it was ok. Once she calmed down, she thought it was really cool to see her blood. Her last words on the subject were, "Look at my blood- it is so beautiful."

What am I supposed to do with this kid? :)

Weekend with the Girls

For some reason, the lyrics, "Girls just wanna have fu-un!" keep running through my head. Jason is off to Oklahoma to see the boys for Easter, so it is just the girls and I this weekend, and I have a whole host of girly fun lined up for us. 

We kicked off the weekend with our weekly trip to the library for story time, and each of us got to pick out our books for the week. This afternoon we are going to go shopping for some yummy bubble bath since both of the girls LOVE to take baths with Mama. I think we will also pick up some new nail polish because it is about time that Lorelei gets to experience the fun of a pedicure, and Caitlyn cannot wait to help. 

Tomorrow, we are going to the zoo as long as the weather is as gorgeous as it is today, and then we will dye easter eggs so the girls have a couple of days to enjoy them before Sunday. Saturday is the giant easter egg hunt in Williamsburg, and Caitlyn absolutely cannot wait to wear her new "Gabriella" dress. The girls actually have two easter dresses- one for the hunt and one for Sunday.

On Sunday, we have several friends coming over for dinner, and of course, the girls will get their baskets from the Easter bunny. All in all, it will be a busy weekend, and I am excited to spend it with the girlies. I actually feel a bit bad that Jason has to spend Easter alone in Lawton. He will see the boys Friday, Saturday and Monday, but suffice it to say that the beast always does her best to keep the boys from their dad. As a great friend of mine says, "She hates him more than she loves her kids." I am so proud of Jason for never letting it get to him.

I will be sure to update with pictures of the girls and I, as well as Jason and the boys.

Sisters

Growing up, I always wanted to have a sister. I thought it would be great to have someone to share clothes, stay up late with and confide in, and I assumed that sisters must be the best of friends. Instead, I had a brother, and we really didn't have all that much in common (but I love him!). And I got to do all of the girly things with my best girlfriends, which was also great.

Now, I am lucky enough to be raising sisters, and I gotta say, it is just as much fun as I thought it would be. 

When I was pregnant with Caitlyn, I just knew she was a girl right from the beginning. Boys are great (spoken as a stepmom to two of them), but I really wanted a daughter. When I was pregnant with Lorelei, I think most people expected me to be wishing for a boy. Nope. First and foremost, I wanted a healthy baby, but a close second was a wish for another girl. 

I love saying things like "the girls" and "my girlies." I love the clothes, the hair bows, and all of the other girly junk that comes with the X chromosomes. Just recently, Caitlyn and Lorelei have REALLY started to interact with each other, and Jason and I crack up watching them. Mostly, Caitlyn is very sweet and loving to her little sister, and mostly Lorelei just giggles at anything and everything Caitlyn does. But, even at the tender ages of 2.5 and 8 months, we have seen glimpses of the epic battles that are in store for us. 

"Give me that!" "Mama, make Lorelei move." "That is MY dolly." "Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

But, when push comes to shove, they love each other. Caitlyn turns into a little mama sometimes, and she worries about things like how badly Lorelei's budding teeth hurt and whether or not she needs a nap. When anyone, including her brothers, is too rough with Lorelei, Caitlyn lets them have it. During Christmas break, Josh kicked at Lorelei, and Caitlyn ripped into him with all the fervor that her little body could muster- "You don't hit my sister! She is so little, and you don't ever, ever do that. I love her!" 

I'm sure that is a story I will be reminding the girls of in about 12 years when they claim that they really can't stand each other- you are always there for your sister.

A trip down memory lane . . . in cloth

Most of our friends and family know that we use cloth diapers. We started using them on Caitlyn when she was 2 months old, and then also began using them on Josh. Josh had super sensitive skin, and the cloth diapers really helped clear his terrible rashes up. Caitlyn wasn't really sensitive to many things, but cloth diapers were cute and better for the environment. See how cute??

When Lorelei came along, I was excited to use cloth right from the beginning. In fact, she wore her first cloth diaper in the hospital, and all of the doctors and nurses kept commenting on how neat it was. Her first diapers were so tiny and cute! 

If you haven't seen them, today's cloth diapers are a far cry from the cotton flats, pins and plastic pants of 25 years ago. Today, many of them wick wetness away from baby, go on all in one piece, wash easily and are really leakproof.  Even Jason likes the cloth diapers, and I think that says a lot! 

I'm sorry to share such old pictures, but I couldn't resist when I came across them last night.

A girl and her kitty

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not really a cat person. However, Jason is a total cat person, and Caitlyn loves anything with fur, scales or feathers. One rainy Sunday, we stopped by the local shelter to see about volunteering and to just kill a few hours. I should have known better.

We'd been there for all of 5 minutes when a sweet, gray kitty claimed Caitlyn. I say claimed because he watched her walk by his cage, got up, stuck his paw through the bars, and began meowing. When Caitlyn bent down to pet him, he turned on a nonstop purr and rubbed against her hand. How could we not bring him home?

Nermal, named for the character from Garfield, is a really neat cat. He loves people, he is gentle with the girls, he likes to snuggle and play, and he comes when you call his (ridiculous) name. He also drives me crazy sometimes. At least twice a day, usually naptime and bedtime, he is overcome by the urge to race through the house, leaping into doorways, knocking over toys and generally creating chaos. 
I always forgive him though, simply because the girls are in love with him, especially Lorelei. She is crazy about the silly animal. In fact, I think he was one of her greatest incentives in learning to crawl. She chases him all over the place. Surprisingly, he is really tolerant of being the object of her affection. He will often lay still and let her crawl right on top of him. Lorelei likes to pet Nermal, which mostly means that she grabs handfuls of his fur with her sticky fingers and pulls. He tolerates it for a minute before he seeks refuge on the couch or under the bed. This, of course, gives Lorelei the giggles, and then she is off to chase him down again.

Poor kitty. He doesn't know that in a short while she will be walking. I hope having two little rambunctious girls to contend with doesn't ruin his sweet disposition.