Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Zoe's First Dentist Appointment


Zoe had her first dental appointment today. She was an angel(of course). I think that really surprised the dentist! It was a really cool place - a pediatric dentist - don't think they had those when I was a kid! Look Ma - No Cavities!

Ice Cream - You Scream

Sisters sharing sorbet:)

Momma's helper

I was redo-ing this bookshelf the other day and Zoe was quick to jump in and "help". She likes to help me clean her room, get Fiona a toy, and empty the dishwasher. With her "help" it usually takes me five times as long to get anything done, but it is very sweet. And anyway, I'll take all the help I can get!

Somebody is proud of herself!

Once Fiona started crawling, she very quickly learned how to pull herself up in her crib. She will pull up and sit down, pull up and sit down, pull up and sit down....

Baby Toes Times Ten

I love it when Fiona gets up on her knees and all you can see is the bottom of her baby toes!
PS - These baby toes are already 9 months old!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Gramma and Papa save the Day, well actually, most of the Summer!

We've been living with my Mom and John for almost two months now. Our air conditioner broke and the warranty company (2-10) sucks and is giving us the worse runaround ever. They don't feel that no A/C in North Carolina in the summer with two babies constitutes an emergency. Did I mention they suck? I don't know what we would have done if it wasn't for Mom and John. We have totally overtaken their house, their fridge, their bathroom, their bedroom and not to mention every last second of their free time. THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!!!!! Not all relatives would be so helpful and understanding. We have no idea what we would have done without you and couldn't be more thankful!!!! As usual, you are the best!

An open letter to Mothers

Lately I've read a lot about motherhood. From Mommy bloggers getting their own reality show, to the stay at home vs. working mother conflict, to supermodel moms claiming to know what is right for all, to facebook rantings, to news reports on moms in crisis. One last thing I read was an opinion piece about an article that claimed motherhood was not that hard.
OK, I get it. Moms are people. Some people are easy going and some people are assholes. Some people are smart and some people aren't. Some people are go-getters and some people are lazy. That's why moms have a million different views and opinions. I really believe that the one thing that ties us all together so strongly is the fact that we are Moms. Everyone has one. It's undeniable. Maybe you don't like yours. Maybe you think your's is the best. Maybe you never met her. Maybe you wonder if you are going to end up exactly like her. But the fact is you were someone's baby. At some point you were carried in someone's womb and they thought about you. Chances are they thought about how much they loved you, or wondered how you would change their very existence, or wondered what their life would be like with or without you. After you were born, they became your mother for the rest of your life. Some mothers couldn't take the responsibilty so they gave their baby to someone who could,who then took over the role of mother. Regardless of how one becomes a mother it always involves strong feelings. This goes back to my whole "mothers are people" idea. Strong feelings give some people the courage to take on life. Strong feelings scare some people and make them unsure. Strong feelings get some people talking. Strong feelings shut some people down.
My point is that being a mother is wonderful and tiring and energizing and scary and a million other feelings all at once on any given day. So depending on when you catch us talking about it, it may come across as such. So let's try not to judge each other. I don't think any mother out there starts her day trying to be a bad one. I think it is helpful if we all try to support each other and remind ourselves that we all are mothers and we all are someone's child.
I want to be a good mother. I read somewhere that every second that passes you get a second chance to do it right. That sounds like a Good Mommy kind of place to start to me.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Daddy and his Girls

These girls both looooooove their Daddy!

Sister Act

Momma's girls!

Zoe's Bounty

Veggies from our garden that Zoe loves to eat raw!

Around the Way Girl

Fiona is getting around on her own these days. She started "crawling" which looks more like a military style shuffle (on her elbows and tummy). She also has been trying to pull herself up. I found her sitting in her crib the other day after nap too. When she goes, she is like a woman on a mission and is really fast and totally focused on her target!

Zoe can (kinda)swim and Momma has a heart attack

When Joelle was visiting we stayed in a hotel in Raleigh that had a pool. Zoe hadn't been in a pool since last year. I bought some arm floaties from the dollar store just to try out with the toddler sized life vest I got a few years ago at a yard sale. Not only did she love it, but she caught on really quickly to the swimming motions (doggie paddle style). She loved to jump off the side right into the water with no one catching her!
Fast forward to a birthday pool party a few weeks later...
Zoe was down to just swimming with the arm floats and was really loving it. Now mind you, she obviously was with one of us with her at all times during this "swimming" she was doing. It was time to get out of the water and have cake, so we were all drying off. I was holding Fiona and Zoe was walking around the pool with me. Until, that is, she decided it would be a good time to jump right in - and then totally sunk to the bottom of the pool!!!!!
This is where the slow motion feeling starts and a few seconds feel like a decade...
To my later dismay, I think I instantly froze for a split second before I started yelling to the people in the pool to get her. They all had their backs turned and had no idea she was there.
My false sense of security...
I always expected if a child fell in the water there would be a lot of splashing around and loud gasping for air and everyone would definitely notice. Not even close. It was a split second of total silence and she was under. The people two feet away would never have even noticed (especially because it was a pool party and there was a lot of commotion, but most pools are like that anyway). She was quickly scooped up and was totally fine, but I was a wreck inside. I always knew you have to watch kids around water, but now I really feel the urgency of the possible situation. There is no letting your guard down. Ever. All of those people who think, "oh, they'll be fine" have just been lucky up to this point. I do not want to be one of those parents that has to say "if only I paid attention just a tad more"...