Some may think being whisked off to Paris for a weekend is ideal or going to a spa, but I’m more of a simpler girl. When I used to dream of my perfect life and family when I was younger, it would have been mostly like this weekend. With a few exceptions of course.
First exception, Lily cried most of the night Friday into Saturday morning. Even when she joined us in bed, she either wanted to play or cry. She finally fell asleep around 4am. Ugh. I brought her into the pediatrician’s urgent care Saturday morning for an ear check while Loran brought Ella to gymnastics. Lily has one perfect ear and one suspect ear. It’s not an ear infection, but it’s not clear. So, I walked out with a prescription to hold onto in case anything breaks out between now and her one year check-up. It’s hanging on the fridge, like insurance. That’s comforting in itself.
The rest of our day consisted of a family nap, church, leftovers for dinner, and watching Toy Story 3 piled on the couch with popcorn. We had a fun day playing, hanging out and being together. Probably somewhat lame to some, but for me, it was perfect. Loran’s traveling and work hours help me appreciate the time we are together. Sunday morning we all slept in to 8:30 and we were joined by Ella who came in to wake us up. She crawled into bed to snuggle with us. It’s fun to chat with her now. Yes, she may have wet our bed, but I’m going to choose to focus on the cuddling and conversation that only a three year old can provide.
You have to savor the mundane. Baby bath time and the way Lillian’s hair curls in the back. Precious!
Loran’s been traveling or busy for work most of January. Yesterday was his birthday and he’s in Seattle for the week. I surprised him by sending a homemade card to the hotel which they placed on his pillow yesterday while he was away at meetings.
Lillian has been dabbling with the idea of walking. She’s taken a step here and there. We were able to get three to four steps from her this weekend, but that was inconsistent. On Monday, while in her ECFE class, she took six steps! She would take two steps, pause, two more, pause and by this time, all eyes were on her. Then she got a HUGE smile, took two more and crashed. Everyone applauded and she just soaked it in. Lily likes an audience! She’s gaining a bit of confidence, a few shuffles here and there. It won’t be long now! I’m excited. She wears these adorable fleece outfits that are so warm and soft, but she looks like a human Swiffer.
Lillian had her last bottle Tuesday morning. Loran and I were chatting on Skype so he could share in the momentous occasion. Of course, it was the poor child’s last bottle and I totally messed it up and gave her a clogged bottle. She was working so hard to get the milk out and eventually fell apart in tears. It wasn’t helped when I took her bottle away from her. So, the last one was a little more traumatic, but memorable. We’re all out of liners, so she’s stuck with cups. I have a supply of sippy cups, but started her on straw cups. She always steals Ella’s straw cups and finishes whatever Ella has so I know she can do it. Yesterday was quite messy. She would suck up a ton of milk and fill her mouth, then let it dribble down her front. Today, she’s much more efficient. She has a very small learning curve.
Just when Ella started to enjoy “giving” Lily a bottle, Lily drinks her last bottle.
Tonight, we’re getting Ella’s hair cut – again. It’s not particularly long, but it needs to be shorter. Ella is not good at participating in her daily hair regimen. At this point, it’s a necessary evil. And while I’d love to just let her hair go, I can’t because she has the Swiffer of hair. If there is anything sticky within the vicinity, it will be in her hair. Every night, she wakes up with a giant tangle. We joke that birdies come and make a nest in her hair while she sleeps. She finds this hilarious and giggles, until I have to douse it with detangler and comb it out. Then she wishes she had a hunting license for those very birdies. So, we’ll bring it up to the chin and hope that helps.
Of course, as with any school, Ella’s school has had their share of illness. We’ve had stomach flu, colds, strep and now the notice that lice has been reported. My mom and I checked Ella last night and she checked out fine. We’ll keep an eye on it. I can’t imagine having to pick through Ella’s hair with a lice comb. She’d have to be tranquilized. It’s one of those childhood things we have to deal with. I think this year is one pink eye notice away from being complete in the health category. I’ll be asking about the lice preventative at the hair cut tonight.
And in even more excitement, we’ll be adding a furry member to our family tonight. While I’d been lobbying for a dog for the past month, we decided that we travel too much for a dog. We’re a cat family. A friend of mine has been trying to find a home for a cat that lost it’s home when her owner suddenly passed away (on Ella’s birthday…). There were two cats and one already found a home. We’re adopting the other one. She’s all black, declawed, spayed and very affectionate. She’ll fit in well here and I think Stollen will like having another buddy, or someone else for Lily to set her sights on! Ella’s excited. She’s under the impression that it’s a baby cat. But I told her it was all grown up. She was singing in the car on the way to school, “New cat! Two cats!” She wants to name it Baby. We’re going to work on that. We’re not naming it Baby.
To beat the winter blahs, I brought the ball pit up. Ella is very cautious with it. Lillian stands at the side of it and dives/falls in. Future diver on our hands? Probably sky diving!
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