Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Her sweetest milestone yet
Yesterday, Lyla started giving me hugs. She took a few steps towards me, reached out, and put her head on my shoulder. Awwww!! So sweet!! I don't remember when the other kids started doing this, but I know it was later than 14 months (yes, she's 14 months old today -- how did that happen???). Now, when I ask her for hugs, she reaches out and snuggles her head on my shoulder. And then...as if that wasn't just the way to make my entire day...today she actually started saying "hu" "hu" when she does it. Seriously, my heart could just melt. She's not really a snuggler, so to speak, so this is such a nice new development for us!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Madelyn's Recital
Madelyn's dance recital was so much fun. Really, truly, one of my favorite things this year. Despite all the complaining I did over the past month or so about the time required, the fact that we had to spend our Saturdays and Sundays rehearsing, getting into full costume, driving her back and forth, etc. -- in the end it was so worth it to see how much fun she had and to see her adorable little personality up there on stage.
I have worried that Maddie wasn't having all that much fun in dance, and that she didn't want to continue; I have told her many times that she doesn't have to take dance, that it should be fun, etc., and offered to take her out -- but every time, she assures me that she does want to do it, that she likes it, etc. But I think I've really seen how similar her personality is to mine through this whole process (and sometimes I wish it wasn't quite so similar, because you never want your child to have some of the same faults or tensions you do!), and how hard she can be on herself. She wants to be really good at something right from the start, and when she has to practice something over and over she can get a bit frustrated that she's not "getting it" as fast as she thinks she should. She has complained a couple of times that she's "not as good as the other kids" - which is to be expected, since the other 4 kids in her class all have taken dance for at least one more year than she has. I've really tried to explain to her that it's for fun, but at the same time I'm also trying to explain to her that sometimes, you have to work hard at things and try, try again; this doesn't mean that you're not "good" at it, it just means you're learning and challenging yourself. We had a good talk last week about the fact that some of the things you work hardest at are the things that make you most proud of yourself...because when you finally do figure it out, you have a great sense of accomplishment and it makes you feel really good about yourself. Again, emphasizing how it makes HER feel, how her efforts pay her off for HERSELF -- vs. making her "as good as" others.
Needless to say, I felt really good when I put her to bed last night and we talked about dance, the recital, etc. We were going through what a busy weekend it had been, and how the recital was so exciting (and tiring!), etc., and how proud I was of her. I asked if she wanted to take dance again (the next session starts in another week), and she gave me a very emphatic "Yes! I love dance! I want to learn a new dance!" Then I asked her what her favorite part of the whole dance recital was, and she responded, "I liked that I did a good job and it made me proud." Sometimes, I think they really do hear what I'm saying. So now I'm not only the proudest mommy around because of her very good performance this weekend, but because I think she did come away from the experience feeling really good about herself. What a great kid!
I have worried that Maddie wasn't having all that much fun in dance, and that she didn't want to continue; I have told her many times that she doesn't have to take dance, that it should be fun, etc., and offered to take her out -- but every time, she assures me that she does want to do it, that she likes it, etc. But I think I've really seen how similar her personality is to mine through this whole process (and sometimes I wish it wasn't quite so similar, because you never want your child to have some of the same faults or tensions you do!), and how hard she can be on herself. She wants to be really good at something right from the start, and when she has to practice something over and over she can get a bit frustrated that she's not "getting it" as fast as she thinks she should. She has complained a couple of times that she's "not as good as the other kids" - which is to be expected, since the other 4 kids in her class all have taken dance for at least one more year than she has. I've really tried to explain to her that it's for fun, but at the same time I'm also trying to explain to her that sometimes, you have to work hard at things and try, try again; this doesn't mean that you're not "good" at it, it just means you're learning and challenging yourself. We had a good talk last week about the fact that some of the things you work hardest at are the things that make you most proud of yourself...because when you finally do figure it out, you have a great sense of accomplishment and it makes you feel really good about yourself. Again, emphasizing how it makes HER feel, how her efforts pay her off for HERSELF -- vs. making her "as good as" others.
Needless to say, I felt really good when I put her to bed last night and we talked about dance, the recital, etc. We were going through what a busy weekend it had been, and how the recital was so exciting (and tiring!), etc., and how proud I was of her. I asked if she wanted to take dance again (the next session starts in another week), and she gave me a very emphatic "Yes! I love dance! I want to learn a new dance!" Then I asked her what her favorite part of the whole dance recital was, and she responded, "I liked that I did a good job and it made me proud." Sometimes, I think they really do hear what I'm saying. So now I'm not only the proudest mommy around because of her very good performance this weekend, but because I think she did come away from the experience feeling really good about herself. What a great kid!
Ahh...Quiet!
Here is one of my favorite recent stories; I'm starting with this story because it leads perfectly into one of the strangest - yet very nice - aspects of our Memorial Day Weekend:
Lyla is in the clingy phase...teething up a storm, severe stranger anxiety, freaks out whenever Mommy or Daddy leaves the room or even puts her down. In other words, that really fun phase. So our days over the past few weeks have pretty much consisted of her crawling or cruising around behind me, wherever I go, screaming or yelling at me because I won't pick her up. If I stop for a second, she climbs up my legs; if I don't then pick her up, she yells even louder. It's obviously VERY loud.
This means that putting Sienna in Time Out for hitting Madelyn could nearly put you over the edge, since the volume level more than doubles. But that's where she ended up the other day after getting a little too agressive. So, she was in Time Out (in a small hallway off the kitchen) screaming that she didn't want to be there. Lyla was crawling around behind me in the kitchen, screaming because I was dealing with Sienna and wouldn't pick her up. Thank goodness Maddie wasn't really hurt by the little incident with Sienna, and therefore was NOT crying and was instead satisfied by Sienna going to time out. Lyla managed to crawl her way over in the general vicinity of Sienna's Time Out spot, still yelling and screaming at me. Sienna momentarily stops carrying on enough to shake her little index finger and Lyla and yell, "HEY! NO, Lyla! I'M CRYING!! You don't cry!!" I had all I could do to keep the tears from running down my face. We've reached a new level...they're fighting over who gets to cry!
So back to this weekend...my parents offered to take Sienna overnight after Maddie's dance recital, so that she could have a special night too, in the midst of all of the fanfare over Maddie's performance. Since we've been getting so little sleep lately with her waking up at all hours, we were looking forward to a night of sleep and some time with Maddie and Lyla. Maddie was pretty upset about the arrangement, so my mom and dad ended up taking Sienna on Saturday night, and then Maddie on Sunday night. It really gave us some time to spend a little more in-depth time with each of them. But the thing I noticed most? It is SO much quieter at our house with only two children! I missed them both terribly, but we found ourselves appreciating just a bit of quiet SO much. Obviously we love the loudness and the chaos and pretty much everything about our three kids, but sometimes it's so loud I can't think straight!
So we did some fun things... while Sienna was at Grammy and Grampy's, we took advantage of having no allergy worries and actually going out for breakfast at Percy's Place. OMG, it was delicious! Maddie, Brad and I all had EGGS and loved every bite of it! And little Lyla put away so much pancake I thought she might seriously burst. Then while Maddie was gone, we took Sienna and Lyla to the duck pond and the Grist Mill for a picnic lunch. It was a gorgeous weekend, weather-wise, and we took full advantage. I missed each of the kids tremendously while they were gone (it was especially weird not to have Maddie around after spending so much one-on-one time with her over the past several weeks at dance recitals, rehearsals, etc.), but I think it's always nice to get a little more time to focus on each of them - especially if it's a little quieter and less chaotic!
Lyla is in the clingy phase...teething up a storm, severe stranger anxiety, freaks out whenever Mommy or Daddy leaves the room or even puts her down. In other words, that really fun phase. So our days over the past few weeks have pretty much consisted of her crawling or cruising around behind me, wherever I go, screaming or yelling at me because I won't pick her up. If I stop for a second, she climbs up my legs; if I don't then pick her up, she yells even louder. It's obviously VERY loud.
This means that putting Sienna in Time Out for hitting Madelyn could nearly put you over the edge, since the volume level more than doubles. But that's where she ended up the other day after getting a little too agressive. So, she was in Time Out (in a small hallway off the kitchen) screaming that she didn't want to be there. Lyla was crawling around behind me in the kitchen, screaming because I was dealing with Sienna and wouldn't pick her up. Thank goodness Maddie wasn't really hurt by the little incident with Sienna, and therefore was NOT crying and was instead satisfied by Sienna going to time out. Lyla managed to crawl her way over in the general vicinity of Sienna's Time Out spot, still yelling and screaming at me. Sienna momentarily stops carrying on enough to shake her little index finger and Lyla and yell, "HEY! NO, Lyla! I'M CRYING!! You don't cry!!" I had all I could do to keep the tears from running down my face. We've reached a new level...they're fighting over who gets to cry!
So back to this weekend...my parents offered to take Sienna overnight after Maddie's dance recital, so that she could have a special night too, in the midst of all of the fanfare over Maddie's performance. Since we've been getting so little sleep lately with her waking up at all hours, we were looking forward to a night of sleep and some time with Maddie and Lyla. Maddie was pretty upset about the arrangement, so my mom and dad ended up taking Sienna on Saturday night, and then Maddie on Sunday night. It really gave us some time to spend a little more in-depth time with each of them. But the thing I noticed most? It is SO much quieter at our house with only two children! I missed them both terribly, but we found ourselves appreciating just a bit of quiet SO much. Obviously we love the loudness and the chaos and pretty much everything about our three kids, but sometimes it's so loud I can't think straight!
So we did some fun things... while Sienna was at Grammy and Grampy's, we took advantage of having no allergy worries and actually going out for breakfast at Percy's Place. OMG, it was delicious! Maddie, Brad and I all had EGGS and loved every bite of it! And little Lyla put away so much pancake I thought she might seriously burst. Then while Maddie was gone, we took Sienna and Lyla to the duck pond and the Grist Mill for a picnic lunch. It was a gorgeous weekend, weather-wise, and we took full advantage. I missed each of the kids tremendously while they were gone (it was especially weird not to have Maddie around after spending so much one-on-one time with her over the past several weeks at dance recitals, rehearsals, etc.), but I think it's always nice to get a little more time to focus on each of them - especially if it's a little quieter and less chaotic!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Okay, okay...
The anonymous poster who keeps "whispering" in my blogging ear has won out...and I'm dragging myself back to update after a two month break! I just can't seem to find time in the days anymore, and once you've been out of the habit for a week or two, it just seems easy to let it go. But that said, I have no shortage of stories and updates these days, so I'm going to try to keep it up. I'm not sure how many people even read this... so if you're out there, please do post and let me know you're here! :-)
I swear, the kids have grown so much since I put up the three pictures on the top of this blog that even *I* barely recognize them. Lyla has of course turned one since then, and is now 13 months old and heading straight into toddlerhood. She's not walking yet, but she's extremely mobile and get very much into the climbing stage. She says a few words -- mama, dada, more, up, clap, buh-bye, no -- but not too much yet. She's got a pretty funny sense of humor and is most amused by her sisters, but she has an awful attachment to Mommy that results in a whole lot of screaming if I step more than two feet away from her in any direction. Hopefully this separation anxiety phase will pass soon...but it's been going on for a while now!
Madelyn and Sienna are very busy with activities this spring. Maddie is totally immersed in rehearsals for her dance recitals, which are coming up on Memorial Day weekend. That will be a whole other post, though... Sienna started gymnastics this weekend and just loved it. She's already asking when she can go back again.
I will definitely post more soon, including hopefully some updated pics. But for now, this post should at least serve to say the blog is not *entirely* dead!
I swear, the kids have grown so much since I put up the three pictures on the top of this blog that even *I* barely recognize them. Lyla has of course turned one since then, and is now 13 months old and heading straight into toddlerhood. She's not walking yet, but she's extremely mobile and get very much into the climbing stage. She says a few words -- mama, dada, more, up, clap, buh-bye, no -- but not too much yet. She's got a pretty funny sense of humor and is most amused by her sisters, but she has an awful attachment to Mommy that results in a whole lot of screaming if I step more than two feet away from her in any direction. Hopefully this separation anxiety phase will pass soon...but it's been going on for a while now!
Madelyn and Sienna are very busy with activities this spring. Maddie is totally immersed in rehearsals for her dance recitals, which are coming up on Memorial Day weekend. That will be a whole other post, though... Sienna started gymnastics this weekend and just loved it. She's already asking when she can go back again.
I will definitely post more soon, including hopefully some updated pics. But for now, this post should at least serve to say the blog is not *entirely* dead!
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