Katie Cuteness

I had to get this down before I forget it. I took Katie out to see the moon the other night and told her to say hi to the moon.

She said, " Hi, Moon. How you doing? I Katie."

It's times like those that I could just sqeeze the stuffing out of her.

Not ME! Tuesday

For those of you wondering what this is, MckMama over at mycharmingkids.net does a meme called "Not me Mondays" where you can 'fess up about some of your not so perfect moments as a mommy. For example, I most certainly did NOT accidentally tickle Katie's armpits while washing her in the tub causing her to SLAM her face into the shelf on the back of the tub gashing her lip. I always practice by the book tub safety procedures. Then I absolutely wouldn't ever be indecisive about something like my baby's health and ride around with her in the car for another hour trying to decide what to do and ending up letting an off duty nurse friend look at it and advise me to skip the ER. I can ALWAYS surmise a situation at a glance and know the absolute correct course of action. I also didn't waste an hour of time sitting in a flu-infested waiting room just to find out that her lip is fine and I totally overreacted with the trip to the doctor's office. NOT ME!!!! Just because a cut to the lip looks deep and oozes blood for twelve hours doesn't mean it's in the least bit serious and in need of medical attention. NO SIR!!!!! I also didn't secretly think it was funny that my self-absorbed four year old, Maddy, was running around in her panties with wet hair saying, "I'm cold. Can I have some chips? I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't like the hospital. Can I have some chips? I'm cold," while I was trying to call the doctor and figure out how to stop my two year old's lip from bleeding. It would be COLD and CALLOUS and CRUEL to be able to find any humor in that whole situation. Right? I also did NOT find it funny that my husband totally couldn't deal with the whole thing and rather bluntly told Maddy that it "WAS NOT ABOUT HER RIGHT NOW" while she was running around worrying about her creature comforts while her sister was bleeding like crazy. Because the rule in our house is NOT "whoever is bleeding gets the attention". That would totally ignore another child's needs and ego and self-esteem. We would NEVER have a rule like that. All I CAN do is thank God that her lip isn't too sore and doesn't seem to be hampering her appetite much at all.

Scary cookies

After I went to Maddy's room the third time last night, around 5am, I asked her what she dreamed. It went something like this:

Me, "What did you dream about this time?"

Maddy, with terror in her voice,"Cookies!"

Me,"Cookies are NOT scary."

Maddy,"A dinosaur ate up all the cookies and then he ate ME!"

Sigh. I so wish I could just turn her imagination off at night.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 11)

1. We have been sick for a LONG time now. I had a cold leading up to Maddy's birthday, Katie caught that cold the day AFTER Maddy's party which turned into a sinus infection (I think); then we both picked up a nasty stomach bug. Tomorrow makes two weeks since Maddy's party and we're just now all getting back to normal. I'm feeling just a wee bit cracked after all of this.

2. Speaking of stomach bugs, I highly recommend that anyone with children keep a supply of hospital-type gloves on hand. (Literally! I love puns.) Anyway, everytime something disgusting happens that I REALLY don't want to touch, those gloves save me.

3. Katie has a tendency to throw up in her bed in the middle of the night. (She didn't this time around but it's something she's done since she was itty bitty.) I never have a clue until I get her up the next morning. She's very neat about it, I have to say. She obviously sits up, makes a deposit at the far corner of her crib, and then lays back down to sleep. She usually just has a tiny bit on her sleeper at her feet. Clean hands and face. I don't know how she does it, but I appreciate not getting a 2am wake up call.

4. Another thing I love when the ickies are at our house is my ultimate crib sheet. Anything gross goes down in the crib and you've got this great waterproof sheet attached by snaps around the crib bars that shucks right off.

5. Maddy, on the other hand, is a hysterical puker. (Probably why Katie's method always leaves me so surprised.) She only does it about once a year and she has to be really sick for it to even happen. It is always spectacular (in a bad way) and extremely upsetting to her.

6. Don't you hate carseats that are never the same after you've had to majorly dissassemble and the reassemble? We found a great deal on a carseat/booster, but after one big mess, it was just never quite the same again. Note to self: Always stick with Graco.


7. I guess that's all for today. I'll have summer fun to blog about next since we're attempting a Dollywood trip next week. This will be both girls' first go at a theme park. God be with us. You can see everyone else's Quick Takes at Jen's blog.

Definitely a dog

This little post is about my two girls' first experience with kittens, as in just a few weeks old, still teeny-tiny kittens. We went to visit a friend of mine whose cat had had five kittens. They were finally old enough to be petted and such, but still really small. Maddy of course was all gung ho and picked one up immediately. I was a bit distracted with Katie and all the kittens running around, but I thought I saw her unceremoniously drop it onto the floor. Since I wasn't 100% sure, I didn't say anything, just watched her more closely. Sure enough, she picked up another one, and suddenly tossed it onto the floor. I realized that since these kittens were so young, their claws were doing that little pokey thing when you picked them up. Maddy would pick one up, get poked by their claws and throw it down. I took her to the side and explained the new "only holding kittens while seated and no tossing them" rules. Meanwhile my friend's daughters looked vastly relieved when they heard me say that we couldn't EVER have a cat since my husband is allergic. I'm sure they would have lost sleep if we'd taken one of their kittens home. Heck, I would have lost sleep, too.

Katie, on the other hand, was very gentle with the kittens and would mostly bend over and squeal at them as they played, earning her suprised little kitten expressions that probably meant, "Why are you screaming at me? What did I ever do to you?". She would occasionally touch one, but usually with only one finger. She could definitely do the cat thing. Alas, with Maddy's tendencies toward wild enthusiasm and playing rough, we will have to eventually get a dog. A very sturdy dog.

Encourage me!

I think the girls and I need more structure. I've always been good about mealtimes being fairly regular and bedtimes being strict, but in between it's always been kind of a free for all. I think that's one reason I don't get as much done as I should. So, today after I fed them breakfast, instead of getting sucked into blogs, I actually stole that moment's peace and read my Bible a little. (I think even that was interrupted by a fight between the girls, but at least I got some Proverbs in.) And then, hold your breath....this is kind of miraculous....we went for a walk! It has finally occurred to me that the easiest way for me to exercise will probably be WITH my children. (I tried the other day to grab 30 minutes of treadmill in the basement during Katie's nap, but it's unnerving to know that Maddy is up here skipping through the empty house even though it's kid-proofed. Yes, I told her to stay in her room and threatened her soundly. It didn't work. Plus, she had to go potty, etc. It's always something.) Anyway, Katie enjoyed kicking back in the stroller, and Maddy walked. She's finally old enough to obey and not get herself flattened in the middle of the road and the exercise was good for both of us. So here's to more structure in our day! Today was a good start. I'm hoping to continue until we get into a new routine. If I can get in daily Bible reading AND exercise, I'll be a whole different person.

And Katie, too!!!

Lest you think it's "all Maddy, all the time", here is a little update on Katie-isms.

Katie has started singing the theme song to Elmo's World, except she sings "la, la, la, la ...... ELMO!". It's really cute.

Katie is also starting to sport some terrible two's attitude here lately. One of her new things is throwing herself in the floor and rolling around to express her displeasure. If she were actually screaming, I would have to stop it and punish her; but as it is, she just sort of flings herself onto her stomach and rolls around while giving me this challenging look as if to say, "There, mom, what are you going to do about that?". I usually end up laughing because she just looks silly.

I'm thinking of seeing if I can sell Katie's scream to some sci-fi special effects guy to use for some kind of alien. You know, the kind that usually emerge all icky from some poor unsuspecting persons stomach and emit strange hideous shrieks. When she's really ticked off or hurt, it's amazing the sounds that can come out of her. Luckily, she usually saves them for home-use only, so most people are unaware that my sweet girl can sound so other worldly.

The girl loves black olives. Great, big, black olives. I can just cut 'em up and throw 'em on the high chair tray and she will scarf them down. Just like her mama.

Kate shares with Maddy. Yes, they fight the normal amount, but nine times out of ten if you give her two crackers, she'll take one to her sissy. I like that.

Four year appointment

Maddy had her four year check up today. We didn't see our usual doctor, a very sweet man with a calm, quiet demeanor. We saw a doctor that we had only seen briefly during her babyhood, a gregarious, Scooby Doo-tie wearing doctor. It was kind of funny because Maddy's naturally boisterous ways seem to elicit an "Oh my!" reaction from our usual doc, but since today's doctor and Maddy were like peas in the same outgoing pod, he actually said he was "thrilled with her social and developmental progress". Ha! It's funny to me how some people think she's a bit much and others revel in her craziness. She weighed 43 pounds, putting her at about 95th percentile for weight , and was 40 1/4 inches tall, putting her around 75th percentile for height. Quiet doc told me last time to keep an eye on her BMI, gregarious doc told me this time that she obviously wasn't fat, just solid. Isn't perception a funny thing? I kind of agree with both of them because I know she has a deep and enduring love for all things salty and crunchy ( ie. fries, chips, popcorn, etc.) but I also know that she has been on the upper end of the scale since she was about six months old. So I will try to be a better mother and cut back on some of the salty, greasy goodness, and, if this monsoon comes to an end, give her more outside playtime so that she can chase butterflies and run herself ragged in the backyard.

Oh, the drama...

Dear Maddy, who will be four next month, has more drama in her pinky finger than I have in my whole, still need to lose pregnancy weight and wasn't skinny to begin with, body. We had a lovely outing at the park today with our playgroup from church. It was a great park with lots of slides, swings, and a good sidewalk for scooter-riding. We brought Maddy's scooter along since I knew that two of her friends were bringing theirs and wanted to avoid being the heartless, forgetful Mommy that doesn't remember all things that bring her joy. Anyway, we had been there only a few minutes when she fell and scraped her knee grandly. Blood and all. However, she was too intent upon scootering and such, so she ran off before I could even produce a wipey and survey the damage. We continued to have a good playdate and came home. She went to her room for "quiet time", which is just time in her room during her sister's nap during which she is expected to amuse herself and give me a modicum of peace. After being in her room about five minutes, she emerged hysterical, condemning me for not snuggling her after she had been hurt "real bad". After examining her knee, she decided that she was horridly injured, needed a bandaid, and may even have to go to the hospital. Oh, the tears and drama and snot that ensued! She is now ensconced in her bed with a snack of blueberries, grapes and crunchy carrots within reach since she may never walk again. Bless her dear little overly dramatic heart. God help me to help her. I have a feeling the teen years are going to be epic.

And she sleeps...

I am very pleased to report that my EIGHTEEN MONTH OLD finally sleeps. She has been sleeping good, UNINTERRUPTED, 12-13 hour nights now for a little over a week. She has dropped that weird 5-6am bottle that helped her not wake up as a grumpy little troll all by herself. That makes us both bottle-free and sleeping like real people for the first time in her life. I just wanted you all to know that. It only took a year of her crying it out, getting back on track, getting screwed up everytime she got sick or the time changed, getting back on track, randomly waking up at 2am to cry, etc. Something has finally clicked and she has realized that nighttime is for sleeping and that 5am snack is unneccessary. It really does make me wonder if she needed that snack though, since it's taken her so long to sleep this well. Anyway, I'm sure some expert would say that "no, she's just been in a bad habit and it's all your fault." Whatever. We're on track now. Now I have to be a productive human being because I'm getting the sleep that I have been SO desperately craving ever since I was pregnant with darling, dear Katie.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol 10)

Oh, where to begin....

1. Katie is the queen of kisses. At eighteen months old, she kisses everyone and everything. It's really too cute. I think it's because she has the urge to bite a lot, and then changes her mind because she knows that the kisses are more acceptable behavior. I do believe the sweetest ones she gives me, though, are the ones I get when I'm trimming her toenails. Yes, dear readers, trimming her toenails. I have her sitting on my lap facing forward and I'm leaning over her shoulder snipping away at the teeny nails, and she turns her head and plants a big one right on my cheek. I love it.

2. Maddy has outgrown her last pair of jeans this week. I find this frustrating because I really hoped that pair would get her to shorts weather. They fit fine the other day, and then today she sat down and they popped unsnapped. Darn. I picked her up a pair at Walmart in the size she wears most everywhere else and they're too big. Double darn.

3. On a lighter note, I bought a mop. When I was picking it out, Maddy asked me what it was. (A sure sign that I don't clean nearly enough.)

4. Billy, my dear husband, could use some prayer. His psoriasis has flared and he is very uncomfortable right now. (By the way, I just learned the other day on another blog that the "DH" I'm seeing in all these women's blogs stands for dear husband. I knew they were referring to their husband, but I had no idea that's what it meant. I think it's a little much. They're not dear all the time.)

5. I actually sat down and had some Bible time with Maddy the other day. This was big for us, because honestly, I'm horrible at just making the time to read it myself. I sat down to read a bit, then she came along and started interrupting and asking questions. I started to get irritated and then realized, well instead of just reading, I guess I could act upon what it said. So she flipped and randomly asked me what things said and we went through a couple of Psalms. If I said "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord", she'd go "Woo HOO!". She acted out a few verses and we had fun together.

6. Katie wakes up grumpy from her nap almost EVERY DAY. By this I mean, about once every two weeks or so, she'll take a good long nap and wake up happy. The rest of the time, she wakes up crying and an emotionally fragile wreck. We usually grab a snack and put something on TV that brings her joy and I hold and coddle and pet until she can get a grip on herself. This usually takes at least 30 minutes.

7. All of you out there with kids who have normal poopy habits, thank your God right now. It's something so easy to take for granted, but we're going into year four of Maddy's issues and while she goes regularly now, we still run into her trying to hold it, etc. (Of course, it's really hard to hold it when you're on 3 teaspoons of Miralax a DAY. Therefore I have to wash out panties quite regularly. I refuse to put her back in pull-ups because then, she thinks it's all good and not a problem to have little accidents on the way to the potty.)

Feel free to check out the everyone else's quick takes over at http://conversiondiary.com.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 9)

1. We saw the Parthenon when we visited Nashville. I have to say, that big ol' Athena was pretty impressive. I've been a mythology nut since I was about ten, so seeing her was pretty cool. I was a little bothered by her face, though. It didn't go so well with her body. What do you think?


2. Maddy is in the "knock knock joke" phase. Need I say more?


3. I have learned to make homemade mac and cheese (as in no box and no orange cheesey powder). I wish I hadn't. I don't make it often but when I do, I eat ginormous amounts of it. The sauce is about a million times better than the boxed stuff and I just lap it up.


4. Katie has reached the point where she thinks she's speaking understandable English, but those of us who live with her beg to differ. So I end up with her in the high chair pointing randomly around the kitchen screaming something that sounds like "oooooo" and getting more frustrated by the minute that I don't understand. This happened today and when I got her out of the high chair, I discovered a heinous, large pOOp that was burning her bottom up. In my defense, when I asked her to say poop, it sounded nothing like what she had been saying in her high chair.



5. I am going to read a Joshilyn Jackson book. I have a link to her blog on my blog and I think she is hilarious. It's not often that I read something and laugh out loud, but she makes me. My favorite quote from her post yesterday is, in reference to her cat, "Boggart is hell’s twinkie and he has DEMONS where the cream filling should go." Is that not funny?



6. Have I mentioned that I tend to avoid Christian fiction? I have trouble reading any book that isn't written well. I have read Christian fiction that is well-written, but not very often. I have to say that Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is a good one. And, of course, anything C.S. Lewis has ever done is great, including his science fiction.



7. My oldest has a lot of OCD tendencies. One of her most recent adventures in anal retentiveness involved her stuffed animals. She has quite a lot of stuffed animals, large and small. She has two plastic bins in her closet, one for the large ones and one for the small. After telling her repeatedly the other night to straighten up her room, I walked into her closet and just tossed them into whichever bin they happened to land in. Right before bed, she noticed this and lost it....to the point that I realized she wouldn't even be able to sleep with them in the wrong places. So after threatening to make her go to bed without redoing them, I let her put it to rights while I put her sister down. She finally climbed into bed and I noticed a couple of small stuffed animals that had not been put away, I grabbed them and tossed them into her closet. She proceeded to want to get out of bed to check and make sure that I put them in the right place. I assured her that I had and then looked her in the eye and said, "Mommy does not LIE. If I told you I put it in the right place, I did." She has trust issues, too.

Keep on keepin' on

So we saw a hepatologist in Nashville at Vanderbilt just to get a relationship started with them since when my husband needs a transplant, that's the place we'll go. He has Hepatitis C and has had it for years. (Pay attention, kiddies, don't ever experiment with drugs.) Billy sees his gastroenterologist here but we just wanted to meet the doctor in Nashville and get them on board with monitoring him. It went well. We're looking at a transplant in ten years or so, depending on the progression of the virus. The doctor in Nashville basically just said live as healthfully as possible, lose a few pounds, exercise regularly and make some dietary changes. Our goal is to get him off his prescription meds for blood pressure and diabetes, and it's totally doable if he starts a good exercise program. Also, of course, no alcohol, tobacco, etc. Anything you put into your body that God didn't make is processed through your liver so the fewer drugs you take, the less stress you put on your liver. All in all, we praise God that things went well. Everytime he has an appointment and they go over all the symptoms he could have and the only thing that is bothering him is fatigue, I'm so grateful. He could be facing jaundice, fluid retention, chills, fever, and fuzzy thinking, just to name a few. We can work around fatigue. Anyway, there's my update. Thanks for the prayers! It was an encouraging trip. To quote the doctor, he said to my husband, "You still have some tread left on you." And that's good enough for me.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 8)

1. I started a teeny cross stitch project last night. It will have my wedding date and my husband's and my name on it with a wreath of flowers. I thought it would make my husband happy when I finished it because I am SO not crafty. So far it says," they lived happily". I'd have to say it's pretty accurate.


2. My mom bought Maddy, my three year old, a pretty little jewelry box yesterday at Target, the kind that's heart-shaped and has the little ballerina that spins when you open it. I wondered what Maddy would keep in it. Her potty prize button collection? Her Hello Kitty little girl jewelry? Or two rocks? I bet you can guess which one she chose.


3. Maddy slept in today. My husband was already in the bathroom getting ready for work when Maddy busted into our bedroom. She usually climbs into bed for a snuggle and a little PBS before we start our day, but today she chose to fling open the bathroom door on a very naked, very startled Daddy. He screamed like a little girl. I love it when this happens.


4. Is anyone else horrified by those Kidzbop CD commercials? They play on Nickelodeon and show tweens singing current hits. For example, three 9-10 year old girls singing and dancing to "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls. Inappropriate anyone? And I wonder what they do about the line in that song that says "I want to have boobies"? We're sticking with Choo Choo Soul, thank you very much.


5. I love facebook. There, I said it. I read on so many blogs how much people hate facebook, but it has actually helped me be closer to the people in my life. Especially my church family. So many people you know at church, you may not know well enough to call regularly (and who has time?) but on facebook I can get all the little updates and know if someone needs prayer, has a sick kid, etc. Then when I DO see them in person, I'm better informed. I think it's great.


6. I shaved my legs last night. I don't mean, took a quick shower and ran a razor haphazardly over them. I took a real bath, exfoliated the heck out of them with a scrub meant for feet, and really did a good job. I even lotioned after. (And it had nothing to do with s*x. I just needed a little pampering. I think it had been two weeks since I'd shaved. I know, ew.)

7. We go to Nashville next week to get my husband in the system at Vanderbilt so that when the time comes for a liver transplant, he already has a file started. We're not apprehensive about this trip, but prayer over his liver in general would be nice. His last report from the doctor said we'd probably be looking at a transplant in about 10 years. Mommy that I am, I'm doing the math in my head thinking, "Okay, a thirteen year old and an eleven year old. I hope I'll be able to help him and my kids through this when/if it happens." And of course, since I lost my father at a young age, I'm praying that God will let us keep him at least until they're grown.

Maddy's version

So tonight on the way home from church, Maddy tells me she knows "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". I asked her to tell it to me. This is how it went.

"Once upon a time, there were three bears and a little girl named Goldilocks. The end."

Then she said she also knew "Little Red Riding Hood". This one is even better.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood and a wolf came and blowed her down. The end." (It took me a while to understand the word blowed. She still pronounces her l's as w's.)

I love this kid.

Loser

So, I've discovered that I'm a much better blog-reader than blog-writer, but does anybody really care? I don't think the blog police are going to come get me. I just wish I was better at throwing random things about the kids on here because I'm going to forget all their crazy little ways. For example, the other night at 3am Katie asked me for Benadryl. Yes, the child that can't talk let me know exactly what she wanted. She was pinching her nose, which usually just means that she needs it cleaned, and pointing at her room door over and over. Finally I said, "Do you want medicine?" and she did this little maniac giggle that always means yes. So since we've had colds pretty much non-stop this winter, who am I to question the kid that knows better than anyone else what's going on in her little sinuses? I gave her a hit of Benadryl and she went right back down. No more drama. And Maddy, where do I even begin? She went to a princess birthday party over the weekend and came home with a "princess" voice. I can't even describe it. She speaks much more properly and ends everything with this lilt in her voice. (Let me add that she has seen NO princess movies. She can't handle anything intense.) And she also starting referring to me as "Princess Mommy". At least she's not elitist. She even called her daddy "Princess Daddy", my mama "Princess Nanny" and Katie was "Princess Katie". I like that she didn't take it all to mean that SHE was somehow more special than everyone else. Equal opportunity royalty, gotta love that.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol 7)

1. I memorized the Jabberwocky in its entirety in eighth grade just for fun. It's still in my head, with all its brillig and slithey, and manxome. I thought it might come in handy some day. So far, not so much.

2. I have been eating hot Grape Nuts cereal lately. For those of you who do not know, Grape Nuts are kind of like gravel when eaten cold. I actually laughed out loud at my husband who asked if they tasted grapey at all. Why in the world they're called that, I'll never know. But for those of you who would like to give it a try, here's the recipe for hot grape nuts: 1/2 cup Grape Nuts cereal, 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk (depending on how juicy you want them), and a squirt of honey (again a purely personal preference). The directions I read online said you could microwave them for 30-60 seconds depending on the texture you prefer. I go sixty. It softens them up enough, but still leaves the center al dente. YUM-O! (I've been watching Food Network, can you tell? That was a little Giada, a little Rachel.)

3. My mother in law cleaned my kitchen when I took Maddy to see "Elmo Live" this week. She came over supposedly to visit with Billy and Katie and I came home to find her PULLING MY REFRIGERATOR OUT to clean behind it. She then proceeded to clean my kitchen floor with a bowl of soapy water and a rag. On her hands and knees. Besides the obvious amount of clean she left behind, I also could tell she had been there from the zip lock bags left to dry on my dish rack. Not really a habit of mine, washing used zip lock bags. I have mixed emotions on all of this. They run the gamut from grateful (who wouldn't be?) and shame. I think I will just stick with grateful. This is how she shows love. I would rather sit and chat over some sweet tea, hear what's been on your heart and mind; she would rather work her butt off to show you that she cares. Either way, it's done out of love.

4. Maddy, my three year old, is on Miralax and has been from an early age. Prayers would be appreciated. We've had a rough couple of weeks in that department.

5. I get ridiculously excited when I see OPI nail polish on sale. Seriously, though, I've had a couple of bottles since before my Maddy was born and they still work fabulously. They have yet to get all gloppy and separated. So while it's a little pricey, it's so worth it. And their colors are gorgeous!

6. I'm actually making a list of books I want to read this year. I'm the worst to see a book recommeneded by someone, think it looks like a great read and then forgetting all about it. So I'm trying to keep a notebook by me when I'm checking out blogs so that I can write down anything that looks interesting.

7. Maddy has decided she likes to clean her room. It is kind of wonderful and weird all at the same time. It's great to have her actually pick up after herself on occasion but after she picks her room up, she gets all crazy OCD and won't let her little sister touch anything for fear that Katie will wreck the now clean room. No happy mediums with this girl!

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 6)

1. My 15 month old is obsessed with hygiene. You can't even say the b-word (bath) without her running to the bathroom and attempting to pull her own clothes off. It goes further, though. She also wants me to clean her ears and will sit very still and let me. The same goes for her nose. If she has something bothering her in her nose, she will point to it and let me know something needs to be done. She has also become obsessed with getting her teeth brushed. Now at every diaper change, she will yell at me until I get her toothbrush and put some of the fluoride-free baby teeth cleaner stuff on it. I try to get away with just the toothbrush, but she doesn't ever go for that. I always lotion her up after bath and she will sit there on her cute, naked tushy and scratch at her lower back so that I know exactly where she needs the lotion. Bossy? Katie? Never!

2. My resolution is taking better care of myself and all that stuff that falls under that category. You know, healthier eating (which has to translate into weight loss, because I mostly eat crap), exercise, more sleep, even little stuff like shaving my legs more often and doing my nails. You have a baby and all of a sudden, they're the only ones who really looked groomed. I'd like to look like somebody who really loves me is taking care of me, too.

3. I am de-cluttering. We have stuff that we have not unpacked since we moved to this house almost two years ago. Obviously those things are entirely unnecessary to our existence. I intend to go to the basement and make a garage sale/Goodwill pile. (Who am I kidding? I always do Goodwill because I dislike the early morning effort a garage sale entails.)

4. I have figured out the huge appeal of Elmo for toddlers. They can say it! How many one year olds can say "Barney" or "Diego"? But they can all get something out that sounds like "MO" for that little red monster! Mine has gone Elmo crazy. It's the only thing on TV that she will sit down and watch with rapt attention. She has gotten a little too smart about it, too. She will bring me the remote and say "Elmo!" I can't remember my first being quite so tech savvy. Of course, she had no competition, so she didn't have to make her requests so forcefully known.

5. Speaking of what's on TV, we got Maddy, my three year old, a Choo Choo Soul dvd and cd for Christmas. We all love it and the music is so rockin' that my Maddy always dances around like a crazy fool every time.

6. My husband is bubble retarded. I mean, when it comes to blowing bubbles, for some reason, he's really bad at it. And it's not the fault of the bubble liquid because I can use the same stuff and get a bunch.


7. Maddy, my three year old, got a vanity table with a mirror for Christmas. After staring at herself for an unspecified amount of time, she came into the living room and announced that she had lost a tooth. Poor baby, we had to explain to her that she just has such a big gap between her front teeth that it looks like she's lost a tooth. (I actually had an eleven year old boy at church ask me if she'd lost a tooth already.) I think it's cute on her. She's got enough character to pull something like that off.

Check out the other quick takes at http://conversiondiary.com/.