3 going on 30...

As if our kiddos aren't growing up fast enough, these past couple of weeks L and I have had conversations about how she thinks she is ready to grow up. I think it all started when I was eating bubble gum in the car. Apparently, bubble gum is really, really cool. We obviously don't let Laurelei have gum yet, since she would just swallow it immediately anyway, but she really wants to try it.

So, as we were driving down the street Laurelei decided there were lot's of reasons why she wished she was an adult. And, I quote, "When I am bigger, I can shop, paint my own nails, and chew gum." It gave me some important insight as to how L thinks I spend my time! We pulled up outside of Kroger the other day so that I could run in and pick something up while Matt sat in the car with the kids. Laurelei piped up from the back seat, "It's okay mommy, I can just run in. You can sit in the car." Aye, aye, aye! How old does she think she is?

The next time it came up L was filling me in about how she really needed 'boobies.' When she says that, what she really means is a bra. Either way, I disagree! I immediately began an important line of questioning as to why she thought she might 'need' such a thing. After following a 3 year old train of thought I figured out where this was coming from. The conversation went something like this:

L: "I'm a girl, right?"
Me: "Of course your a girl, and daddy's a boy, and Abbott's a boy..."
L: "And you're a girl?"
Me: "Yep."
L: "And you have boobies?"
Me: "WHAT?"
L: "And daddy doesn't?"
Me: "...?"
L:"And daddy's not a girl?"
Me: "...?"
L: "I'm a girl and don't have 'em, and I don't want to be a boy like daddy, so I need my own boobies now, okay mommy? You need to tell daddy to take me to the store and buy me some, okay mommy? Then I can be big and be a girl. Will you tell daddy, okay?"
Me: "Maybe you should tell daddy yourself. I'd like to see what he says when you ask him."

We all knew this conversation would happen eventually, but it still took me a little by surprise!

And finally, the most heart wrenching of all the recent obsessions L has with getting older, was the conversation we had about her getting married. Turns out, shes ready. She thinks she'd look pretty in a big dress. Her wedding dress will be pink of course. And, she would like lots of cupcakes. That only she can eat. Because it's her wedding, so she can tell everyone not to eat her cupcakes. Currently, she is planning to marry herself. She will need to move into her own house though. Apparently ours is too small for all of her 'stuffs' and her baby. She's planning on taking Abby to be her baby at her new house, unless she can 'find' a girl baby first. Hilarious.

Even if all of these conversations are kind of funny through the lens of a three year old, I am still not ready for ANY of these things to happen. She is growing up way to fast.

{linking to lowercase letters}

 

a gaggle

There are lot's of things I want. Naturally, I can't have them all. I can't have the totally gorgeous clothes I saw in my latest JCrew catalog, as I am sure I could find something more important to spend $165 on. I'm certainly not going to get the cloud pillows I wanted from Etsy since the seller went AWOL after our order. Seems though I definitely won't get to sleep in past 8:00 anytime soon, and no where in my future do I see an eternal summer where the skies are clear and breezy at a comfy 70 degrees. Hmph.

Lately though, the one thing I've really been wanting are more babies. I know, shocking right? I mean, I just had a new one what, 8 months ago? Before and for awhile after Laurelei was born I wasn't sure I would want anymore children. I thought having just the one was so special. When I was pregnant with Abbott I was worried that two kids couldn't fit into our house, that despite the fact that we planned for him I still wouldn't be ready or able to handle two whole kids. I wasn't sure before about what I wanted for my family, but now I know. I want more babies. A whole gaggle of babies!

So, what does Matt think about my latest want? He thinks I'm crazy of course! L and Abby have made our lives incredibly happy. We've been blessed beyond measure. We have our hands full. We are on a thin budget. Not to mention the fact that after two difficult pregnancies there is some question as to whether or not I could really even have what I want. Don't worry, we aren't making any plans...yet. I just know what I want in my future. Whether the babies be ours or adopted, I want a big family! It will be many years down the road, when Laurelei and Abbott are in school. When our ducks are in a row and we are ready.

And whose to say I will ever get what I want. We've already established that life is funny that way. This thought has just been on my mind lately. I just had to get it down on paper. Someday I can look back at what came or what didn't and know that for a time, I was absolutely convinced that the only thing I wanted in the world was the double the happiness my babies have brought me. To do it all over again. To smell that yummy baby smell and hear those first soft cries. To carry on the most random conversations on the way home from school. That's what I want.

oops

So, we've all heard of cry-it-out. I've even championed it after Laurelei's sleeping success as a wee one. Somehow though, despite all it's old magic, crying it out is not working for either Abbott or myself. I see the reason as not necessarily being just one thing, but more a long strand of oopses that led us to where we currently are (which for the record, is with VERY little sleep.)

First, and foremost, Abbott has been nursed where as L pretty much always took the bottle before bed. No matter how hard I tried early on, I just couldn't get Abbott to stay awake through his last feeding. I even tried feeding him earlier in the night, when he wasn't so sleepy, but that just led to an even earlier bedtime. He must be a creature of habit, because as soon as he used to start his last feeding, he was out like a light, no matter what time!

From the beginning, he could have also cared less about a paci. L didn't really ever take one either, so I wasn't too worried about it. Another oops. You'll understand why in a minute or so.

Well as time has moved on and he as grown, he has also grown out of the whole falling asleep nursing thing. He see's this last feeding as like social hour or something. He's chatty, excited, entertaining. When he's full he's got his second wind or something! And every single time one hair touches his crib, he screams like he's never screamed before. He rolls over, pulls up in his crib, and just wails. And since he won't take a paci, there is hardly any way to comfort him. It took three rounds of crying-it-out  before he was at least crying in a horizontal position and eventually fell to sleep. 

It's painful, 100% painful. He doesn't seem to be calming down either. In fact, each night it just seems as though his cries are getting more desperate! I can't stand it! Seems like I'll probably be rocking him until he is 5 at this rate. I swore up and down that this time around we'd get the whole 'sleep' thing down. Not so sure I am on the railroad to success here. Oops.

thick as thieves

These two...

they entertain each other,

they love each other, 

they pick on each other, 

they have my whole heart.

8 whole months...

We are now officially 2/3 of the way through Abbott's first year, and that totally sinks my heart! I cannot believe we are well on our way to having a toddler instead of a newborn. Time flies! Birthday party planning has already begun, I am sure it will be here before I even know it.

Here are some special things about our little Abby Rabbit this month...

he's on the move! It was a lot harder to get his pictures this month. He refuses to sit still. It took about 5 seconds for him to roll over and crawl away, if you didn't notice from the pictures above! He decided to ring in his 8 month birthday last night with an official crawl. He's been army crawling and scooting and pushing all over the floor. It just took a little extra coordination to get those arms and legs in tune, and I think we've done it! The boy climbs and pulls up on everything. He'd rather be sitting than lying, and standing than sitting, so it's a shift from one to the other. It doesn't take a whole lot for him to go from standing to lying again though, if you know what I mean, and he has a fair amount of bruises to show for it!

eating...We haven't really added anything new or exciting this month, but he is feeding himself more and more these days. He manages to get about half of what we put on his high chair into his mouth, and I call that a success! He loves his yogurt and sweet potato puffs, and so does Laurelei. She has rediscovered some yummy baby foods and demands that Abbott share with her. It's pretty funny watching her graze off his high chair occasionally. 

kisses... Abbott gives the sweetest kisses these days. If you give him a kiss, he just has to give one right back! It is probably the best part of any day. He even puts his hands on either side of your face before laying a big wet one on you. They might be slobbery, but they sure are sweet! 

he's a mommy's boy! Ha! I finally got one! Abbott will make his way to me no matter where I am in the house, and I LOVE IT! I can hardly get down on the floor to play with him without him just crawling up into my lap. I am so totally spoiled with cuddles between him and L, and I don't mind a bit! I think it's just my turn to enjoy all the favoritism since L was such a daddy's girl. I just love watching those chubby little arms reach out for me! It's the absolute best. 

Love you little Abby! Happy 8 months!

May

May has been a busy month around here. It's funny though, because I also don't remember a whole lot of what was making things so crazy. Seems like just a few stand out to me.

We started the month as all good Kentuckians do, celebrating Derby! We made a weekend of it, by driving to Dayton to see Jess and Jarod, before heading to Louisville. Jess and Jarod just bought their first house and it is AWESOME! I cannot believe how cute and perfect it is for their growing little family. It was so much fun to reminisce, eat puppy chow, and just enjoy good conversation with great friends!

In Louisville we did the traditional Forcht family Derby day. The kids fished, the adults talked, everyone picked horses. Laurelei caught her very first fish! It was so sweet. The fish was too heavy for her little princess fishing pole, so Matt had to help her reel it in by pulling the line with his hands. She was really excited!

Abbott and I got in some good cuddle time too. And I was super excited when the horse I picked won! It was a great day. 

The next weekend was Mother's day. It kind of snuck up on us because of all the things that were going on in Matt's family. Matt's sweet Mamaw passed away the Thursday of that week. It was incredibly hard on Matt's whole family to say goodbye to such a wonderful person. As far as Mamaw's go, I'm certain she was one of the best. The visitation and service was held on Mother's day, and it was a long day for everyone. I know Mamaw will be missed by so many people.

Somewhere in the midst of all that was going on, we got to spend an afternoon at May Fest in Gratz park as a family. It's a small arts and crafts fair held each may in Lexington. I love walking through the park on a sunny day, holding hands with Matt, pushing strollers full of sweet babies. It was just what we needed, reconnecting and spending time as a family. Remembering how important each passing moment and memory is. Cherishing the little things and each other. 

This month has held some definite highs and lows so far. I think what we've gotten most out of the beginning of May is an awareness of how important family is, and how fast time truly goes. 

Bath Babies

Abbott occasionally gets to join L in the 'big' bath these days. Tonight as I sat and watched them play I was just soaking in their personalities. Abbott was totally playing the part of mister serious. He was in complete awe of the water surrounding him. He took his job of splashing very seriously.

L, in comparison, took her job of being the big sister very seriously. She kept letting me know she'd keep an eye on him and urging me to leave them alone (no worries, I didn't oblige!) She loved on him and gave him toys to play with, she washed her baby while I washed Abbott.

Watching the two of them together was the highlight of my night. If even for just a minute, I was able to forget about all the anxieties in our life right now and focus 100% on sweet baby bath feet.

Time?

Time, what time?

I've realized that as a mommy of two life comes and goes in seasons. Some days I think, 'this isn't so hard, I could do this with my eyes closed!' Life is all rainbows and sunshine and play dates. Then, other days, it's like a freaking torential down pour of crap. The baby is sick, and then L starts waking up again at night, then we literally have lost the bottom of our bedrooms somewhere under the hu-massive piles of clothes and sundries we've left lying around. Before I know it, everything has just completely fallen to pieces!

I bet you can guess that this past couple of weeks (the weeks I haven't even dared to blog or pretend to have it all together!) have been more of the later type mentioned above. It seems like as soon as we got things together here at home everything fell apart at work, or vice-versa. I am pretty sure that tomorrow's day off school was just preordained for me. Someone knew I would not likely survive without a moment to just sit and breath and forget how much some things just stink! I'm loving the fact that it's 9:05 and I feel like I can stay up just a little later and decompress, finally!

You know what I've been wondering lately? How with all that is going on around here, how in the world I think I have the time to squeeze in grad school too? I know what you are thinking, "I can't believe she hasn't started that yet!" And your disbelief would be well placed. I probably should have started a good 2 or 3 years ago I guess. I just really, really, really don't want to do it! However, now that I've put it off as long as professionally possible, I absolutely have to. I guess if you don't hear from me for the next several weeks, you will now know why.

Happy Thursday Friday!