Monthly Cycle

In the past few months, Lana has become better behaved and more willing to follow directions. It started around the time she was potty trained. I'm not sure if that helped or it was just a coincidence. All I know is a few months ago she would spend half her day in time out, and now she's there only a couple times a week. EXCEPT about once a month. She looses her cool completely for a few days reverting back to ornery Lana. At first I was joking around saying she was PMSing, until I realized her moodiness coincided with another monthly event. THE FULL MOON.

Okay-I know some of you just rolled your eyes, but I'm serious about this. My mom is a first grade teacher and she's always said that her students get a little nutty around the full moon, some more than others. I never really put much stock into it until now. Sonya and Georgia get a bit more loony too, but Lana is the one who really goes off the rails. She goes from no time outs to four in one day. I realized last month, when she was acting a little more crazy than usual, that night was a full moon. Then I remembered the last time she was like that was almost exactly a month before. I made a mental note to keep it in mind for this month. Of course, I forgot about it.

This past weekend the kids were being unusually unruly, especially Lana. I was on the phone with my sister, complaining how terrible the kids were acting with Lana leading the pack. That's when it occurred to me.

"Wait-when is the full moon?" I asked Beth.

"Tonight," she replied.

AH-HA! There IS something to this.

Then... THEN! That night. The very night of the very full moon, Lana woke up screaming. As I've said before she wakes up almost every night, but this time was different. This time she was screaming bloody murder, woke everyone in the house up, and wouldn't calm down for ten minutes. There was nothing I could do to soothe her. She kept crying and screaming. When I tried to hold her she would just punch and kick. I brought her to the living room where she continued to flip out. Nothing I tried was working, until this,

"Wanna watch Mickey?" I asked.

"Yes," she said and immediately stopped screaming.

I wasn't really planning on turning on the TV, but this gave me an opening to hold her and calm her down long enough to put her back to bed. Then she passed out in about thirty seconds of laying her down. Weird. After I thought about it, I realized that the amount of times she wakes up at night and how upset she gets, goes in the same monthly cycle.

So, even if it's not enough evidence to convince you, it is to convince me. There is a real correlation with the full moon and that kid. While there's nothing I can really do about it, at least I can be prepared for the once a month mood swing. I suppose this means I should also be on the look out for abnormal hair growth, fangs, and super strength around the same time.

I Want To Ride My Bicycle, I Want to Ride My Bike!

This past weekend was a "free" weekend for us here at the Dadekian household. That meant there were no birthday parties for us to attend or to throw. There were also no other previous obligations. So, Andy and I made lists of things we needed to get done around the house or with the kids. I mostly have spring cleaning things to do, like clean out closets and get out the girls spring clothes organized. I know you're all jealous! Andy had to do some yard work and run some errands, but one of the main items on Andy's list-teach Sonya to ride her bike.

A few months back we were walking home from school with Sonya's friend Lourdes. Her mom had brought her bike for her to ride home, but we noticed she didn't have training wheels on it. Sonya was intrigued and wanted to try it. Anna, Lourdes mom, helped her try. She wasn't very steady, of course, but decided that when we got home she wanted to take the training wheels off her bike. Like RIGHT NOW! Because Lourdes doesn't have training wheels and that means SHE CAN'T EITHER! After I explained to her that we have to wait until Daddy is around to do such things, she let it go. That weekend the training wheels to her bike came off. We didn't expect too much, I mean she wasn't even five yet, but she sorta tried in the backyard anyway. Then it was "winter" and the bike went away. It's not like we have snow around here, but it does get darker earlier and a bit cooler, plus we had a lot of rain here this winter. Well, a lot for L.A. Thus, the bike spent the past few months in the garage.

Now that the weather is nicer and the days are longer, Andy thought it would be a good time to try and teach her. For real this time. Before she was mostly in our backyard, so she could fall on the grass and just get the feel of it. They went down the street to the school parking lot a couple times but that was it. This weekend, he decided to take her to the bike path about a mile from our house.

Here's the deal with Sonya and learning things. She picks some things up very quickly, mostly academics, as I've mentioned before. Physical challenges, however, take her a bit longer to get the hang of. She was almost 18 months before she walked. She gets frustrated VERY easily and is quick to give up. Just recently I moved her to a more challenging gymnastics class, and she's cried at some point in every class since I moved her. She acts like she's preparing for a suicide mission instead of flipping over the uneven bar. I'm not one of those mom's who makes her kids do what she wants even if they don't like it, but I'm not letting her give up just because something gets a little difficult.

On Saturday morning we told her Daddy was taking her to learn to ride her bike, and there was nothing but sniffles, tears, and a bit of whining from her for a good half hour. Again, we could have let it go and not made her do it, but that only sets a bad precedent. Plus what kid doesn't LOVE riding their bike? It's the only bit of freedom you get until you can drive, which in kid time is like, 100 years away for her. We knew she'd like it once she got the hang of it.

So, Andy dragged her up to the bike path and I stayed home with the other two. Then I decided to put them in the jogging stroller and run up to see how it was going. When I got there, Sonya was still teary, and Andy was nearing frustration. I took over for a bit, making her pedal while I held on. Then, as soon as I let go, she would immediately take her feet off the pedals and fall to the side. I did this with her for about 10 minutes, went jogging some more, came back and helped out again. I told Andy it might take a few days for her to get this and to not worry if she didn't get it that day. He agreed and we told Sonya she could be done for the day. Surprisingly, she wanted to keep trying. So, I left them to continue the quest and jogged back home with the younger two. They got back about half an hour later. Sonya seemed more encouraged, while sipping on the Slurpee Andy bought as her reward. Andy was confident she was starting to get it.

This was our opening and when we have an opening with Sonya, we have to take it. After breakfast Sunday morning, they went back out. Sonya again sniffling and teary as she got dressed. Then she convinced Lana to go with them and ride her tricycle. This put her in better spirits and made her more willing to go. They left and about 45 minutes I got a text from Andy saying Lana was being whiny and had to pee. Off I went to pick her up. When I got there Sonya was eager to show me how well was doing. She hopped on her bike and after a few seconds, managed to get herself going all on her own. Then she even pedaled for at least 5 feet before falling over! I was impressed and let her know it. She was beaming.

I went back home with Lana and Georgia. An hour later Andy and Sonya returned. Sonya ran into the house calling for me excitedly.

"How did it go?" I asked.

"GREAT!" Sonya replied. "Show her, Daddy!"

Andy handed me his phone to show me what he had recorded. Wouldn't you know it, she learned to RIDE HER BIKE!

I'm so proud of her for learning so quickly and so impressed with my husband for teaching her so well. Nice job Andy! Fantastic job Sonya!

Now let's just hope it sticks!

Just a quick little button to this story; After I uploaded this video to my post, I watched it back to make sure I did it right. Sonya was sitting here with me and after it ended she said,

"I'm the best!"

Yes, Sonya, you are the best indeed!

Totally Worth It

In the past couple months, I started Lana on a bad habit. I have nobody to blame but myself. As I've mentioned before she wakes up in the middle of the night often. Sometimes it's just a matter of going in her room and covering her back up, but other times it takes more effort. A few months ago, I started letting her come to our bed in the middle of the night, because I needed the sleep so badly. I always told her, "only 5 minutes", and usually it is only that amount of time. Then I take her back to her own bed. There are times, though, when we both fall asleep and I wake up hanging off the side of my bed, with with an arm flung over my forehead, and a knee in my back. At that point I carry her back to her room, where she'll stay until the morning.

A couple weeks ago, I thought I was going to try and break her of this habit, but then Andy said leave it alone, she'll grow out of it. Then one of the mom's at gymnastics said her girls sometimes come in her bed in the middle of the night and she doesn't mind at all. She said she knows soon enough, they'll want nothing to do with her at all, let alone come to her bed when they're scared. So she's enjoying the time with them now. I thought about this and decided they were both right. Instead of fighting her on it, I'd just let it be. Unfortunately, it is a routine we go through just about EVERY night, which interrupts my sleep, but at least she willingly goes back to her bed after a few mintues.

Last night she woke up screaming, and I ran in her room to calm her down. I covered her up and it appeared she was going to go back to sleep. Then, just as I was about to sneak out of the room, I heard,

"Mommy, I come to yoaw bed?"

"Okay," I replied, "but only 5 minutes." She agreed and I picked her up and carried her back to my room.

We layed there for a few minutes, neither of us sleeping, until I decided it was long enough. I told her it was time to go. She agreed. I took her to her room and I tucked her back in. Then I gave her a kiss and just as I turned to go she said,

"I love you, SO much mommy."

After hearing this, I melted into a puddle on the floor.

After I composed myself into a walking human being again, I went over to her bed, gave her a kiss and told her I loved her SO much, too.

I guess we won't be getting our bed back to ourselves anytime soon, and that's just fine by me.

Guilty Conscience

Nobody told me that when I took this mom job I would have more guilt than I ever had growing up in a half Italian, full Catholic family. I mean the guilt from the Catholic part alone is bad enough, but being a mom... well it's guilt on an hourly basis. I suppose I wanted to write this post because, my sister and I have had this conversation, and I've had it with my friend BethAnnDoddKoehn. I wanted to make sure we're not the only ones who feel this way and to reach out to the other mom's who feel like we do. What do I feel guilty about you may ask? Here, let me give you a list.

I try to start each day anew and in a good mood. Sometimes this goes my way, sometimes not. Getting Sonya up and to school in the morning is a feat with in itself. This week has been particularly challenging, because she was off for spring break last week. So before 7:30am most mornings, I've already lost my temper with her and most likely raised my voice, if not yelled at her. Guilt.

Then she goes off to school and I have the younger two. If I've managed to get up early enough to work out, I'm feeling pretty good. If I haven't, I work out around 9:30 which requires me to occupy Lana and Georgia with, what else, the TV. Guilt. I feel like I should be doing something with them, but I NEED to work out. It's something I have to do to feel better about myself, and you know, so I don't weigh 250 pounds. Especially with the sweet tooth I have. I've managed to combat this a bit by getting a double jogging stroller, so at least some days they can BE part of my workout. This does alleviate some of that guilt anyway.

Lunch and naps are usually fine, but the days I decide to write, I feel guilty that I'm not doing something with Sonya. I try to write quickly so I can spend some time with her, but it doesn't always work out that way. As I write this now... GUILT.

Then the end of the day is nothing but a flurry of feeling guilty, because I start to lose my cool as the day goes on. Andy doesn't get home in time to help with bath and bedtime on most days, so sometimes is starts to really wear on me. Most days I'm fine, but then there's those days when I haven't had enough sleep from the night before, or I'm having my "lady time". Those days I turn into mean mommy. I don't like being mean mommy. I don't hit them or anything, although if I'm being honest, sometimes I do want to. I can't imagine the guilt I'd feel then.

There is also the fact that, although I love my girls very much, there are times when I really don't like them. This makes me feel most guilty of all. Especially because I didn't feel this way when they were younger, and therefore don't really feel that way toward Georgia. Well not right now anyway. I don't want to like one of my girls more than another, but I guess there are times when you just do, because one may be easier than another. This kills me. I do realize it will probably change over time. It already has a few times. Still it's something I feel constantly guilty about.

The feeling guilty about not spending enough time with them is just an overall theme for me, as it is for most parents, I suppose. For those parents that work, I'm sure they have the guilt for being at work and not spending more time with the kids. Don't despair though, because it's not really any easier when you're home. At least if you have more than one kid. I have so much to do throughout the day, that it's hard to find time to sit down and play a game or run around outside with them. There's the making all the meals and the cleanup after, grocery shopping, Target shopping, going to gymnastics, picking up from school, bath time, story time, all these things add up and leave little time for the girls during the day. I've been trying my best to change that just a bit. I recently read somewhere that spending even 15 minutes a day playing with them makes a huge difference. I figured I can fit 15 minutes in somewhere, whether it's hide and seek, coloring, games or whatever. They just want the time with me and I do want to give it to them.

This guilt builds up on me all day long that after I put them to bed at night and I have a glass of wine, I wish I would have done more with them. I wish I would have been more patient, would have been less annoyed, would have taught them more. I know they're not this young forever and eventually the guilt will turn to regret for not paying attention during this time. (Cue "Cats In The Cradle") So for any of you parents reading this and nodding along, know that you're not alone. I just wish someone would have forewarned me about the guilt before I signed up for his gig, so I could have at least been prepared. I can just blame my mom for not telling me. Then she can feel guilty too.

The One in the Middle

Yesterday was my sweet Lana's third birthday. Since I started this blog at the end of May last year, she is the last birthday of my girls, therefore the last one I get to talk about coming into this world. Now, if you know me or have been reading this blog a while, you know Lana is my more... challenging one. She is a true middle child, from what I've been told. My easy going sister Beth, apparently, was not. This is probably why I was so thrown off by Lana.

I should have known from the beginning that she would be a force to be reckoned with, by how sick I was for the first FIVE months of my pregnancy. When I found out I was pregnant, toward the end of July 2006, I figured the pregnancy would be easy. I'd spend the bigger part during the winter months, which in L. A. means 60 degrees. At least I wouldn't have to deal with a hot summer and being swollen like I was with Sonya. I didn't think about the fact that when you're nauseous, it's even worse to deal with heat. I didn't leave my house for the entire month of August. It was miserable and I didn't think the nagging nausea would ever end. The only things I could eat were pizza and grilled cheese. Nice diet, I know, but I was lucky to be able to eat something. Finally, around the beginning of October, the nausea and vomiting subsided and I felt like myself again. The rest of the pregnancy was uneventful, except for the low fluid toward the end. I ended up on "modified bed rest", which meant I was to be a couch potato as much as possible. That sounds fantastic, right? Sure, except I had a two year old to take care of. Oh, and a house that was having an addition added to it.

I tried my best to rest, but eventually my fluid became to low and they decided to induce me on March 20th. I was more favorable for induction than I had been with Sonya, so I was hoping things would go more smoothly. Most people opt for a scheduled C-section once they've had one, but I did not want to go that route. I really wanted to try for a vaginal birth after C-section, more commonly known as a VBAC. I didn't want to go through the surgery, and mostly the recovery again. I really wanted to have the experience of giving birth the way nature intended. Well with a few man made drugs thrown in. No need to get crazy!

Things did go better than they did with Sonya. They didn't have to turn off my pitocin every ten minutes, and I continued to progress. My doctors and nurses were really on board with my VBAC. They even pushed me when I thought I couldn't take it anymore and ASKED for the C-section. I did. I hit the wall and didn't want to deal with the labor anymore. Not that I could feel much, but what I could was starting to really wear on me. It had been 20 hours at that point, and I was done. I told them as much and the nurse said we would wait a bit more. Then when she came in and checked me and told me I was ready to go. I was immediately energized and had never been more excited. I had made it to ten centimeters!! Lucky for me, the pushing part was easy. From the time I started pushing to the time she came out was about all of 20 minutes.

She was screaming (as most babies are), but she just had a pissed off look on her face. I love my little Lana and she's absolutely adorable now, but well...let's just say she took a while to grow into herself. I didn't care, she was adorable to me cone headed and all. I had just pushed her out, damnit!

Then there was the issue of her name. We were pretty much all set to name her Holly. Despite the fact that Andy had an ex-girlfriend with that name. I've always liked the name and didn't really care about the ex, but when she came out we realized she was NOT a Holly. So for about a day she went without a name. We went back to our list and Lana was on my long list of names at one point, but Andy had never approved. When we went back over the list, he had a change of heart. Looking at her now, Lana is really the most suitable name for her, in both looks and personality.

For the first couple months she was a pretty good baby. Better than Sonya had been and we were thankful, because that addition project I mentioned, well, we were smack in the middle of it when she was born. We had to move out of the house for a month when she was six weeks old. Let me tell you about how much fun THAT was! We had to pack up our bedrooms and half our house to move to a furnished ONE BEDROOM where we all slept for a month. With a two year old. And a six week old. On the plus side, there was a pool.

After we moved back in the house, the quiet easy baby disappeared. At about 4 months, Lana would wake up screaming in the middle of the night arching her back. She was also a chronic spit upper. I thought something was really wrong with her. However, it wasn't as bad as I let the Internet websites lead me to believe, she only had acid reflux. It took us a month and a half to figure it out and help her with a little medication. She finally stopped screaming that is until I started starving her. Then she got cranky again. Turns out not every woman's body can accommodate breast feeding a baby while growing another one. Lana was only seven months old when I became pregnant with Georgia.

The Doctor was concerned when we went to her nine month checkup and she had gained half a pound in three months. Now, for those of you without babies-that's not a lot. Just to give you perspective. I immediately stopped breastfeeding her and put her on formula. She gained half a pound in just ONE week. Poor thing. You should know the only way to get the formula in her was to liquify her food with it, because she plain out REFUSED the bottle. My mom tried for two days to get her to take the bottle but she wouldn't, and if my mom couldn't do it, then it wasn't going to happen. Needless to say, Lana was not happy when the boobs got taken away. Something else she can blame Georgia for later in life.

The lack of weight gain led to blood tests and trips to the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. I knew it was probably my body just not making enough milk, but the doctor wanted to be sure. I am so thankful there was nothing seriously wrong with her to the point where the Children's Hospital became her second home. I feel so sad for those kids and families in there who that is the case for.

There was also the physical therapy we had her do, because she didn't seem to be on par with movement like other kids her age. This, again, wasn't because something was really wrong with her, but she just didn't want to. When she was ready, she did sit up, crawl, and walk. It was always on HER terms though. This was just Lana. She had a few bumps her first year, but nothing major. As it turns out she's just a stubborn little girl with a sassy diva attitude. I try to curb it as best I can, but it is her personality. Being in the middle only gives her more fuel. She's very smart, but not in the same way as Sonya. She knows how to get what she wants and when to give in. She'll decide if she wants to learn her letters or numbers when SHE'S ready and not before. Out of my three girls, she is the one I am worried most about in her teenage years and also the one I know will be most successful as an adult, because she will not take "no" for an answer. She will have all the boys wrapped around her little finger. That might actually be a good thing.

There is just something that draws people to her. I hear it all the time from friends and family. There is that fire that some people have, that makes you want to know them. Lana has that. Perhaps it's because she was born on the first day of spring. There is an old saying about spring coming in like a lion. Lana personifies that saying. She IS that lion. Only I don't think she'll be going out like a lamb anytime soon. I love her and her sisters incredibly, and look forward to watching each of them grow. However, Lana is the one I'm most interested in seeing how she will set the world on fire. I just hope it's not literally.

Happy Birthday Lana Drew, Lana Lu! I love you my sassy girl!

Solidifying Her Place as "The Easy One"

There's something that has been going on with one of my girls lately that I haven't written about on here. Mostly because I was afraid if I wrote about it, she'd stop doing it. I think it's okay to write about now, since its been a while. For the past two months Georgia, most days, has been pooping in the POTTY! THE POTTY! You know... the toilet. The thing that you flush the waste down and don't have to even THINK about cleaning a messy diaper. The place I STILL get no peace. That's right my friends, in that potty. I can't even begin to tell you how excited this makes me, and let me assure you this was not ANY of my doing.

During Lana's potty training a couple months ago, Georgia would sometimes tell me she wanted to go potty. Usually it was when Lana was going. I would oblige her, but most of the time she wouldn't do anything. I never pushed her, but when she asked to go, I'd put her on.

Then one day she said, "I poo-poo in pa-yee!"

This was in her seat during breakfast and she was making a face that told me even if she didn't get to the "pa-yee", she was going. So I gave it a try. Lo and behold, she did indeed go in the toilet. I made a big deal about it, gave her M&M's and sent her on her way. I was sure this was a one time deal, and I wouldn't give it another thought for at least a year, when she was closer to real potty training. Both her sisters did the same thing once her twice at her age. She decided to prove me wrong and beat then in the potty training game. The next day she said the same thing and we went through the same routine.

Now here we are two months later, and she has used the potty more than I've had to clean up a diaper. There have been some days where she's woken up from a nap with a dirty diaper, because she didn't tell me in time. Other times I didn't get to her soon enough as she was yelling for the potty, but for the most part, she is poop potty trained. And really isn't that the part we're really looking for anyway. As far as I'm concerned, I'll change pee diapers for the next two years if it means not cleaning anymore dirty ones.

I never really believed people when they said their kids potty trained all on their own, but now I understand. I guess the most obvious reason why, is because she watched Lana potty train and wanted to do the same thing. Lana was just a baby when Sonya potty trained so it was never the same. As it turns out, having babies REALLY close together DOES have it's advantages. Like the potty training each other! There's also the fact that soon they'll even be wearing the same size clothes. Then I'll only have more drawer and closet space! Oh the possibilities! I suppose it sort of makes up for the entire year of sleep I lost having a newborn and a 15 month old. Sort of.

So now, technically, I only have half a kid in diapers now. The light at the end of the Diaper Genie is burning oh so bright!

HALF!

Spring Forward

I'm convinced that Daylight Saving Time was only invented to torture parents. Sure on the one hand it's been great that the girls have slept past 7am over the last few days. Getting them to GO to sleep is another story. Last night, as I was getting ready to put them in the bath, Sonya said to me,

"You know it's to early for our bath right?"

"What?" I asked.

"It's too early," she said again, and looked outside.

"Oh, because it's still light out, you mean?"

"Yeah, it's too early," she replied matter of factly.

"Well, it's actually not. It's the same time it always is when you take a bath, but now it's going to be lighter. Plus there's going to be more light when you go to bed too, because we changed the time on Sunday," I explained.

" Oh. Okay." This seemed to satisfy her.

Then she didn't fall asleep last night until almost 9pm. Yay. The worst part about all of this?They will get into this routine, get used to the time and going to bed with sunlight, then guess what happens in October? Stupid time change.

Maybe we should just move to Arizona.

Judgy McJudgerson

A lifetime, or six years ago, before I had kids, I used to be able to go to shopping in peace. When I would come upon some poor mother, whose child had temporarily lost all voice control and was throwing a tantrum, I would think to myself,

"That's too bad. She must not know what she's doing. My kids will NEVER be like that."

I'd like to go back in time and slap that stupid, childless, judgemental idiot upside her head. Little did I know I would be on the other side of those tantrums someday, no matter how good a mother I was. It's happened to me many times now, and I've felt the judgmental thoughts and stares from others when it happens in public.

Thursday morning I decided was a Costco shopping day. Costco is a place where taking two kids during the middle of the week FAR outweighs going by myself on the weekend. That place is a nuthouse on the weekend, and I want no part of it. At least when I go during the week, I can go at 10am. We have the Executive membership, so I can go right at 10, before the rest of the crowd gets there at 11. It's a little less crazy, but the downside is the free samples aren't set up yet. Still, I get out of there just as it's starting to get really busy.

Usually, the girls do well at Costco. They sit side by side in the shopping car, eat their snacks and are generally well behaved. I'm not sure what happened this past time. Maybe they ran out of their snacks too early, or I was taking too long, or a little of both. About ten minutes before we were done shopping, they started to fight. I'm not talking about a little hit here or smack there, but full on fighting. I had my back turned, and started to hear yelling. When I looked back at them, Lana was pushing on Georgia's neck. Georgia was pushing Lana away with her hand and almost had a finger in her eye, and her other hand had a fist full of Lana's hair. They were both SCREAMING. Then I heard from behind me,

"Look at those two fighting."

This statement came from an older couple. I would guess they were in their seventies. They weren't saying it in a mean judgemental way, but more in an amused, "remember when we were there? Haha!" sorta way. I decided to separate the girls before Lana put Georgia in a sleeper hold. Lana had been asking to walk, so I pulled her out of the cart and placed her on the ground. She was more than happy to be down there. Georgia, on the other hand, was angry she was still confined and began to scream louder.

"I WAN TO WOK!!" She yelled.

There was no way I was letting this happen, for two reasons. She is at the age where she wants to be out of the stroller or cart and walk everywhere, but she doesn't stay WITH me when I do let her out. She either runs away from me or lags far behind. I just didn't have time for it. I had about thirty minutes before I had to pick up Sonya from school. I still needed to finish shopping, check out and get everything and everybody in the car. Not to mention I promised the girls we'd get pizza and hot dogs from the Costco food area for lunch. I mean what's a Costco trip without the pizza and hot dogs? Especially since we missed the free samples. I did not have time to corral her. So, I had no choice. I let her scream.

Then I felt the stares. There was really nothing I could do. The one thing she wanted I couldn't give her, and she's not old enough where threatening to take things away, like TV or treats would have any affect on her. She'd have no idea what I was talking about. I tried giving her a drink or a random goldfish I found in the cart, but the only thing she wanted was DOWN.

There I was walking through Costco with a child in the shopping cart, throwing a terrible tantrum. I know people were looking at me. Perhaps some were other moms who were empathetic and understood my plight, but I know there were those out there like my former self. Childless people who shook their heads and thought they knew better. I just ignored everyone, finished my shopping, and let Georgia cry it out. By the time I got to check out, she had calmed down some and Lana wanted back in the cart. Then I distracted them by making them sing their ABC's and everyone around us thought I had the most adorable, best, well behaved little girls, and I was a super mom. Little did they know what had transpired not five minutes before.

So for those of you out there without kids, hopefully you're not as judgemental as I was and you give others the benefit of the doubt. However, if you do find yourself sitting in judgement of a mom with a kid throwing a temper tantrum, just remember, it's MUCH harder than you think, and you don't know the circumstances. Not to mention you may be on the other side of that judgement someday, and what us moms really need is your sympathy. And a glass of wine would be nice.

Big Head

I realized the other day that we may be giving Sonya a bit of an ego, in regards to how smart she is. She hears us talk to other people about her intelligence. Plus we tell her how smart she is on a regular basis, since it usually amazes us. So when I heard her toot her own horn, so to speak, one day last week, it kinda threw me off.

The girls were having their lunch, and I heard Sonya talking to Lana about things that were plain and things that had designs. She was trying to explain how there are some things that have different patterns on them and that was called a design. She used their place mats as examples. Then she said the chairs were just plain, and they are, they're just pine color wooden dining chairs. I think she used fashion as examples as well at one point. At first I was only half listening to this, but then I started to pay more attention. I was trying to figure out where she had heard something like this. I hadn't told her, but thought she may have learned it at school. It made sense because, they are learning about different modern artists lately. I know this since yesterday when she came home and told me,

"Andy Warhol had 25 cats and they were all named Sam. Why would he name them all the same thing? That's boring!"

I guess boring is one word for it. Anyway, I just assumed learning about things that were plain and things that had designs had to be from school, but I decided to ask anyway.

"Sonya where did you learn that from, about the designs and things?" I asked.

She looked right at me, cocked her head to the side, put her hand on her hip, and with a slight roll of her eyes said,

"Ya know, S-M-A-R-T," and yes she spelled it.

I do believe we've created a monster. A S-M-A-R-T monster, but a monster nonetheless.

A Little Known Fact

Yesterday during lunch:

Sonya: "Hey Lana, this is really true, Pirate's Booty is made by REAL Pirates!"

Lana: "It IS??"

Sonya: "Uh-huh. It's really true."

Me (laughing): "Sonya where did you get that idea from?"

Sonya: "I'll show you!"

She runs over to the bag of Pirate's Booty, picks it up and points to the cartoon pirate on the front of the bag.

Sonya: "See! Here's the Pirate. It's made by Pirates! It really IS true, mom!"

I just thought I should let you all know about this, because I certainly was not aware that Pirates were into making a cheesy puffed corn snack product, that is totally addicting I might add. It must be the way they supplement their income in between boat hijacks.

To The Letter

For the past few months, Andy and I have been trying to get Lana to learn her letters. She doesn't learn by osmosis, like her sister does, apparently. We actually have to WORK with her to get her to learn something. People tell me this is normal, but I prefer the way Sonya did it, which was show her once or twice and she knows it. I know I shouldn't compare, and I'm not really. It just seems Lana doesn't really CARE to learn. Nonetheless, we are still trying to teach her. We have flash cards that we show her and test her when we feel like putting the energy into it, which to be honest, isn't nearly as often as it should be. Still, she does seem to be making some progress. She knows the three letters in her name no problem, and also a few random letters like 'O' and 'B'. Sometimes she'll recognize a letter on a sign I didn't even know she new, so it gives me faith that she's at least paying a little attention.

This morning I took her and Georgia to the grocery store for our weekly stock up. Sonya was at school, because I do everything in my power to not bring all three of them shopping. I can't even begin to tell you how nerve racking it is. I was getting Lana out of the car when she shouted out,

"Q!"

"What? Where?" I asked.

"Q" she said again, and pointed in the direction behind me.

I didn't know she knew this letter and was skeptical at first. Where would a Q be in a sign around the Ralph's parking lot? I spun around and saw where she was pointing. It was the side of the CVS, which is in the same parking lot, and indeed there was a Q in a word on the side of the building. She DID recognize a letter I didn't think she knew! She IS paying attention! I was so proud. Then I saw the word in which the Q resided...

LIQUOR

Nice.

OCD

Lately, Georgia has been insistent on closing drawers, doors, closets, anything that is open. Sometimes this is cute, but sometimes it's a bit annoying, like when I'm looking for something IN the refrigerator and she's trying to close it. She'll walk into the kitchen and if a cabinet or drawer is open she'll say,

"I cose it."

Then she'll slam it shut. Today I realized she's starting to take it a bit too far when we went to pick up Sonya from school. On the walk back to our car, there was a woman sitting in the passenger side of her own car with the door open watching her daughter run around. Georgia saw the car door was open, walked over to it, and started to push it closed while saying,

"I cose it!"

"No, no Georgia. You don't need to close that lady's car door," I told her.

Thank goodness the woman found it funny that my daughter tried to close the car door on her feet. Georgia was a little worried about the door being open, as I pulled her away from the car. She continued to look back at it with a look that said, "Why is that door STILL OPEN?!" However, by the time we got to our own car she had forgotten about it.

This new obsession has given me a great idea on how to keep her occupied next time I need it. I'll just open every door and drawer in the kitchen and let her go at it. That should take up at LEAST 45 seconds. Okay, so it's not a huge time killer, but at least it's 45 seconds without whining.

Fright Night

I know I've mentioned on here a few times before about Sonya being a bit of a scared kid, mostly when it comes to movies. Truth be told this is an inherited trait, as I am a bit of a baby myself when it comes to watching scary movies or shows. Well, that's not entirely true. I actually LIKE to watch them to scare the crap out of myself. This always leads to me having nightmares for a couple nights. Although, I should point out that I won't watch ALL scary movies. I can no longer watch Zombie movies, because they really freak me out, for whatever reason. I've never been a fan of slasher/gory movies either, like Saw. I prefer a good ghost story or other supernatural type of tale. Poltergeist is probably my all time favorite, as far as scary movies go, and I love the TV show Supernatural. So the other night when I saw Andy had recorded Amityville Horror on our DVR, I was all for watching it. Even if it was the silly remake with Ryan Reynolds. (At least he's fun to look at.) However, it was what happened at the very end of the movie that frightened me the most.

The kids have had colds for a few days now and nobody has been sleeping great in our house. The night that we watched the movie, was probably the night Lana was feeling the worst. Thankfully, she didn't wake up at all during the movie, as I sat on the couch tense yelling at the stupid people in the movie to GET OUT OF THE FREAKING HOUSE, ALREADY! If you haven't seen it, I don't want to spoil for you entirely, but they do finally leave at the end. Okay, I spoiled it, sorry.

Anyway, after they make their escape, the camera goes back to a shot of the creepy house. It leads you back inside where the little ghost girl, with a bullet shot in her head, stands at the bottom of the staircase. She's about four years old and clutching her stuffed bear with a single tear on her face. I ask you is there anything creepier than little ghost kids or demonic kids, like in The Omen? For some reason when kids are evil, it's just extra creepy. I digress. So there the little ghost girl stands at the bottom of the stairs. Then, suddenly, she gets pulled through the floor by another ghost and credits roll. The moment right before the credits, right after the ghost girl disappears, we hear a loud THUD! from Sonya and Lana's room. I look at Andy he looks at me and we both freeze for a minute. Needless to say I was completely FREAKED OUT.

"What the HELL was that?" I asked.

"Don't know," Andy answered. "Sounds like someone fell out of bed."

Andy being the more rational and much less scared one in the family, immediately stood up and walked toward the direction of the noise, while I sat glued to the couch. Then Lana started to cry.

We open the door to find Lana lying on the ground whimpering. She had indeed fallen out of her little bed. Now, this act in itself isn't so weird, because kids fall out of their beds all the time. Sonya used to fall out of hers when she first started sleeping in it, even though there is a guard rail. Because they are all over the place when they sleep, they manage to work past the rail and fall out at the end of the bed. Here's the weird part, Lana has been sleeping in her bed since November and NOT ONCE has she fallen out. So why now, on a night we watch a SCARY MOVIE, does she fall out? And the timing! At the very end when the scary ghost girl gets pulled through the floor? Why? WHY? Well, I was of course convinced she was pushed by the ghost girl, but knowing that Andy would just roll his eyes at me, I kept this thought to myself.

We calmed her down and placed her back in her bed. Then for the rest of the night when I had to get up to check on her or one of the other girls, I was convinced I was going to be greeted by a ghost girl in the hallway. The only way to combat this... run into the hall to get the light to pop on. Ghosts don't like the light.

That little experience reminded me of how ridiculous I can be when I watch something scary. I have a bit of an overactive imagination I guess. So I suppose the next time Sonya freaks out about not wanting to watch The Little Mermaid because of the Sea Witch, I'll be more compassionate. After all, the Sea Witch to her is the creepy ghost girl to me. Crap, I think I may be scared of The Little Mermaid now.

Noteworthy

Yesterday, Sonya got a bit ticked off at me, because I wouldn't let her have a notebook. Here's the thing, I bought a couple notebooks at Target last week in the dollar section for myself. I need notebooks to jot down thoughts and things that happen throughout the day, so I have all these lovely stories to present you with. I find if I don't write things down I'm walking around going, "I KNOW there was SOMETHING funny Lana said yesterday. What the hell was it?" I've bought quite a few notebooks in the past, and they are always absconded by one of the girls. They find a notebook and immediately it belongs to them. No matter that mommy has writing in it. Instead, it becomes a place to draw flowers and rainbows. Recently, Sonya has even started writing sentences in the notebooks. I appreciate that they love to draw, and that Sonya loves to write, but all I wanted was ONE notebook all to myself. Is that so wrong?? If you ask my oldest, then yes.

She found my new notebook in our secretary/desk/junk holder, in the kitchen. As soon as she saw it she, oooohhed and went to grab it.

"No, no, no," I said. "That one is mine. You can't have it."

"Please!" She said. "Can't I just draw in a few pages?"

"No, Sonya. Here is another pad and pen you can write with." I handed her one of those free notepads you get in the mail from Realtors.

She frowned at it and claimed it wasn't pretty like the other notebook.

"Too bad, " I said. "It's this or nothing. Besides, you have other notebooks that used to be mine somewhere."

"I don't know where they are!" She was getting angry now.

"Oh well. You'll have to use this. The other one is mine. Sorry." I tried to hand her the other paper again. This time she grabbed it from me scowling, and stomped off to her room.

I took Georgia in to her room to change her diaper and put her down for her nap. When I left the room, there was a piece of the paper that I had given her, lying on the ground. I picked it up and read this:

"Mom is macing me mad and I am going to hit her"

Nice, right? Now rest assured that we do not, in any way,, hit in this house. Our kids are punished through time-outs. Not that I haven't WANTED to smack them a time or two, but I just don't think it's an effective way to discipline. Nonetheless, Sonya wanted to hit me. So then we had a discussion about how this wasn't a nice thing to write and how it hurt my feelings. I could tell she felt bad and in the middle of our discussion, began writing another note. This one read:

"Mom, I loves me Sonya"

I wasn't sure what this meant, and at first I thought she was being nice, but no. She was taking a page out of her father's playbook and was trying to joke her way of the situation, or at least so she told me. She said it was a joke and that it meant she was telling me she loved herself. At this point I just walked away from the situation. That's when she started to really feel bad, because this was the flurry of notes that I received over the next ten minutes:

"I love mom" Followed by:

"I am sorry I gave you that not I wille give you a new one" And finally:

"Mom is the Geratist"

I know... awwwwww. Okay, so she redeemed herself in the end. She did feel remorse for the original note, which is a good sign. I showed Andy the notes when he got home and we had a good chuckle over them. And because she made things right and apologized on her own accord, when I went to Target today I spent a WHOLE dollar on a new notebook for her. Too bad it'll be gone in a week, and she'll be back to trying to steal mine.