I constantly feel like my brain is going a mile a minute… Like I’m always thinking of 20+ things at once, in the middle of 7 or more text conversations. The house is a disaster. I should be cleaning. Or doing laundry. Or cleaning out the fridge. But instead I’m sitting in Nora’s room, her rocker is extra comfy, reading. I’ll clean later. The mess will wait.
Nadia Turns 2
I seriously can’t believe Nadia is two already. I remember her birth like it was yesterday. And now she’s a toddler! Who is starting to talk like crazy!
In case you want to read about Nadia’s birth…
Eric is on-call this week so staying up in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, but he was able to pop home for a bit last night so we could celebrate. We had dinner, a pasta dish, of which the girls ate nothing, decorated and devoured strawberry and chocolate cupcakes, and opened a few presents. Nora wasn’t so sure about Nadia getting to do all the present opening. And Nadia wasn’t so sure about the candles on her cupcake at first, but after Eric blew them out about 15 times she was ready to try herself. And then very angry when the candles were eventually removed. Toddlers…
I am planning a party with family for later in September, so we only opened a few gifts last night. More to come on that party. Invites have been ordered but nothing else is planned yet, except that it’s lunch at our home. And hopefully Eric’s mom decides not to show.
Below are a few pictures from last night, and a few pictures I like from shortly after Nadia’s birth. Browsing back through Nadia’s baby days makes me really miss having a newborn 🙁
The cupcakes we made and decorated last night were taken to daycare this morning for celebration. I actually felt like quite the awful mom taking her today. Like I should have kept Nadia home and made it a special day for her and I… but I wasn’t exactly sure how to celebrate with just a two year-old. So instead I met and had coffee with several ladies from my MOMS Club, which was actually really nice. Chatting with them is good therapy, calming.
I was able to capture just a few pictures of Nadia this morning to mark the occasion!
After I met with my MOMS Club ladies this morning I dropped by a nursery (as in trees and landscaping) to make an appointment. Eric and I have been meaning to make our yard look more complete, but have yet to get around to it… Somehow the stuff the builder had put it just isn’t doing it for me. So we’ll see on that. Appointment isn’t for a couple of weeks yet.
And finally… what do we think of replacing the regular-sized toilet in the girls’ bathroom with this? I know, would only be temporary, but I’m seriously so sick of buying crap to adapt our toilet to make it easier for the girls to use. I might be over thinking this, but I was hoping the current plumbing would work… and then when they are a little older we’d just put the regular toilet back on. We’ll see.
Nap Routine
Our nap routine isn’t working. Like seriously causes me more stress. Isn’t nap time supposed to be my break??
I start with Nadia, my youngest, who will be two in about a week. I usually hand Nora, my 3 ½ year-old, the iPad to keep her busy in the living room… Nadia still gets a bottle of milk, actually toddler formula meant for kids ages 1-3. I warm that, collect her 3 million binkies and blanket and head for her room. Quick diaper change before we read anywhere from 0-3 books depending on how tired and cranky she is. Then I turn out the light and we rock. Sometimes she wants more milk, sometimes she just wants to alternate her binkies in and out of her mouth, other times she will babble or sing. Sometimes she falls right to sleep in a few minutes and then I transition her to her crib. Most likely though we rock for 15 mins or so, she is still rather awake, but I lay her in bed and she will usually happily lay there until she falls asleep on her own. By this point we’re maybe 30 minutes into our nap time routine.
Back out to the living room to somehow steal the iPad back from Nora, who is usually pissed as still mid-show. I tell her to run in and go potty, as we’re in underwear most of the day, including naps. She will fight going potty sometimes, so I drag her in while she’s whining and resisting most days. If you’ve ever been to our home, the bathroom is in the hall between the two girl’s bedrooms, thus at this point, if Nadia was sleeping, she’s probably awake, standing and screaming for me in her crib. Awesome. Cue stress.
We’ve been liberal about what Nora has before naps and bed, as we’re still in the mode of, whatever we can get her to eat or drink the better, as she’s still so small. Today she wanted Captain Crunch cereal and apple juice. We snuggle in her rocking hair, her hugging her binkie (which needs to be ditched ASAP), blanket, and pink bunny. She starts crunching on her baggy of cereal while I read the two library books I let her pick from the pile in her room. Two pages in she spills some of her apple juice, mostly on me. Cue angry text to Eric we need new nap time routine and no more liquid in the bedrooms! He doesn’t respond. He’s on-call, but could just be ignoring me.
I change Nora’s PJs and she asks me for new underwear as well. A smear of poop. Great. Pooping in the potty is another post I need to write. Another day though. So she’s in clean clothing, I take the apple juice out to the kitchen, we settle in to finish reading, she’s whining quite loudly for her juice. Nadia must be able to hear, as she is still crying from when Nora woke her while peeing. We finish the second book, Nora whines for milk, we walk out into kitchen to drink, back to her room, I cover her up, she asks me to rub her back, I try to leave her room three times and am successful on the fourth.
60 minutes for nap time! That is so much time, and that’s not even the bedtime routine, which is similar but with teeth brushing, sometimes more books, etc. Too much time! What does everyone else do? We try to be really consistent. This all takes awhile, but should I not complain since once they are in bed, they stay in bed, usually all night?
Day 4
So to be honest, I haven’t showered since Friday morning. It’s now Sunday morning. Granted, we didn’t leave the house yesterday. Well, except for a walk, which was a horrible idea as it was stinking hot and pushing a double jogger up the hills around my home is impossible to start with… The girls are still in PJs from yesterday and badly need baths. Tonight. I promise. Most of this morning has been spent cleaning the kitchen area while the girls alternate between screaming and fighting and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Does that make me a bad mom, that I’m entertaining them with TV? I feel bad sticking them in front of electronics, but the dishes really need to get done! I need a few things from Target, maybe when the girls wake from naps later this afternoon we’ll venture out. Maybe.
Here is a picture I was able to snap last night of them actually happy and smiling and playing together. But as you know, there was screaming and fighting 10 seconds before and after this was taken 🙂 Ah toddlers.
Since Eric hasn’t been home I’m doing pretty well on my diet. I cheated a few times with watermelon… but… carbs be damned, at least it was fruit! I’m down a bit more! I’m beginning to love all the bacon this low-carb diets allows!
More screaming… I better go intervene.
Day 3
It’s those days when my daycare is closed. So day 3 of home with my girls and no Eric. My therapist suggested this for anxiety. I’m by no means recommending you take it yourself, as I’m not a medical professional, but I’ll let you know if their constant fighting bothers me less today! 
Nora – 41 Months
Nora keeps getting taller and taller. And the things that come out of her mouth… Toddlers. They are really something!
