RushingAround

And what do you do as a parent when you’re sick?…

Exactly the same thing as if you weren’t sick, except you feel like crap while doing it.

I told Steven he was sick last time and I pampered him, so he better pamper me this time.

He listened for a total of 0.2 seconds and then went to the bathroom.

…drove a motorcycle
…met Sara face to face
…attended my first traditional wedding
…sucked at both Rockband and GuitarHero
…bought 3 pairs of shoes
…destroyed the newlyweds home (with the help of Seporah)
…learned how to make enchiladas and tater tot casserole
…drove/rode an SUV 762 miles
…spent A LOT of money on gas
…ate at The Olive Garden for the first time in about a year
…played the Rabbit game for Wii that my mom likes
…embarrassed Jason
…had a blast spending $120.83 on junk at Target
…dressed my daughters alike for the very first time
…played in a really cool park in Holtville
…slept in air conditioning while it was 86 degrees at 2am
…ate at Sonic for the first time
…changed about 25 diarrhea diapers
…realized how old I was when we stayed up until 1am with the boys and then got up at 6am with the girls
…only checked my email once
…watched Cars 8 times
…introduced the girls to their Great-Grandfather
…laughed until my sides were sore at Apples to Apples
…did not take anywhere near enough pictures

It was pretty cool.

So Mother’s Day has come. I realized it last Sunday and I was like, yes, Steven’s gotta have something good for me planned. Me being the ever forgetful person did NOT send my mother a Mother’s Day card (I also neglected my one and only nephew’s birthday on the 8th and almost forgot my wedding anniversary on the 3rd but I ordered Steven’s stuff 6 weeks in advance so I was cool). So I thought I would write a post to tell everyone how MY mom is the best mom in the whole world (hopefully she’ll forget about the forgotten card that way, besides she’s got 3 other kids someone should have remembered to send her a card, right?)

It’s said that a mother and daughter’s relationship changes when the daughter has a child herself. That now the daughter understands what it means to be a mother and can put her own mother into a whole new light. Well sorry mom, I didn’t think of you any differently once I had Seporah, I thought you were pretty cool before hand and afterwards. Besides Seporah was the easiest baby in the world, what was so tough about this motherhood business? It took until I had 2 children to realize that you qualify for sainthood. It took until I had one terrible two and one colicky baby to realize my mom deserved a direct entry to the Celestial Kingdom for not killing any of us.

Between the four of us, Russell, Jeremy, Josh and I, we kept my mom hopping. One of us was colicky, 2 of us spent months in the NICU, 2 of us were crazy active toddlers, we won’t even go into the school-age or teenager years categories. And I mean, come on, there was 4 of us and one of her (plus Dad). She’d still take all of us to the coolest kid’s places even though we out numbered her. And even though we didn’t have a lot of money when I was a kid she’d still find ways to take us to the Kaleidoscope Museum, the amusement park, the water park, the library (I developed a love of reading in a large part to her), every park under the sun, and Disneyland (oh, man have I been to Disneyland, it took until I was much older to realize that most people don’t go there once every 1-2 years).

My mom was was a pretty Hip Mom. She listened to the Top 40 (and still knows all the words to all the cool songs). She dressed like a peacock (as opposed to a Dawdy Mormon Housewife, ha inside joke). She would answer all of our questions (and yes I do mean THOSE questions). She was cool like a friend, but not TOO cool, she was still the mom and knew that. I got disciplined when needed, she says it wasn’t nearly as much as Russell or Jeremy, hehehe.

She cleaned the house and she cleaned the house and she cleaned the house and then she did it some more and well it never quite got clean due to the 4 of us just trailing right behind her. And then she cooked breakfast and then she cooked lunch and then she cooked dinner (and possibly dessert) to a group of people, one of which probably turned our nose up each meal.

She helped with science project’s (well, ok there was a couple that she probably did all by herself) and went to concerts (and didn’t even bring earplugs that I know of) and patched the boo-boos. She took us to church every week even though I’m now positively sure there were Sundays that were spent not listening to talks but quieting children in the hopes that one day we’d grow up and learn why she was taking us.

Now she’s Grandma Pam and living far away. I call and chat 3 times a week, mostly it’s me going yada, yada, yada and her listening. I tell about work or the kid’s or the lack of sleep, we talk for 30 minutes and she’s talks for maybe like 3 minutes of it. She sends me stuff when I ask for it and my girl’s way too many clothes. Yeah so that’s way my mom’s the best mom in the whole world.

P.S. Thank you to Karen who helped Seporah and Felicity make me a killer Mother’s Day card, It is adorable.

less pictures, less updates, less of everything, except for love. So FYI about Felicity, now that she is 6 months old! That’s half a year! She now has TWO teeth, the front 2 on the bottom and wow-sers I had no idea how lucky we had it with Seporah. I’ll tell you what when Felicity is teething, you’d think she was dying. She now crawls up a storm and can stand holding on to something, we took the bumpers off her crib. I don’t know her height and weight, but I can tell you she’s getting bigger and finally has a few chubs and she’s in size 3-6 month clothes. She’s still a hot tempered redhead, but has the best baby smile in the world. She’s been an exclusive boob lady for 6 months now. She also eats sweet potatoes, green beans, and peas and thanks to her sister french fries, pizza crust, and grill cheese sandwiches. She loves toys and trash, putting both to her mouth equally. She HATES the carseat, thinking it’s a daily source of torture. She idolizes her big sister who largely dismisses and ignores her despite their parents best effort. She will put both hands on your cheeks and lean in with an open mouth to give the best slobbery kisses in the world. Yep that’s pretty much our little baby girl. Felicity means happiness.

(yeah, not the best picture, but whatever)

So in the mommy blogging land, there was a contest (that apparently I’m 2 days late to enter, so I won’t, but they had killer prizes anyways) where you could write a blog “The Second One is Easier…Right?” It was a virtual baby shower for 3 mommys (no it is not mommies) who are due with number 2 and the blog was suppose to be about advice for them. *To see a complete list of the blogs go to http://www.betterthanaplaydate.com/2008/05/twos-a-charm.html * Anyways I thought it would be funny to see what others posted, since there’s got to be other moms who have no clue what they’re doing. Here’s a couple things I learned from others. *Note, I DID actually read the 75 or so posts, but it was at 3am. Had I tried to read even one at say 3pm, it just wouldn’t have happened. I tend to do a lot at 3am now that I think about it, it’s quiet and there’s no one asking for anything at that point*.

It is normal to want to throw both your children out the window. It is not normal to actually do it.

Apparently other toddlers have climbed into their baby sib’s crib, slept with them, and they’ve survived.

A baby can’t die from a few minutes of crying (THANK GOD because Felicity would be so dead by this point).

Make sure you own no Sharpies, as the older one will use them when you are tending to the baby (oops missed this memo as the couch, carpet and walls can tell you).

Raising kids is easy…if you drug them first (she was joking…I think).

Some mommys say 2 is easy, it’s 3 that throw you for a loop, but I say they’re lying.

The first 2 years of 2 babies under 2 are the hardest, it gets easier after that (how I pray this one is true).

There are other mommys with really messy houses in stinky pajamas eating chicken nuggets and french fries that are doing just fine thank you very much.

You, the mommy, are a person, realize that and LEAVE (they meant for a couple hours at time, darn it).

One is an accessory, two is a lifestyle (my mommy said, one is a plaything, two is a hobby, and three is dirty work).

You should never have a third child, once they outnumber you, you’re screwed.

Many mommys decide to have number two so number one has a playmate, some day they will be thankful for the their relationships (well I knew that one already, who else besides Josh helps me figure out what to get Steven for presents).

Things you will need: ear plugs, chocolate, wine, locks on doors, a good babysitter, and bleach (if I drank, I would so be an alcoholic by this point).

Put aside the books, trust your gut and do what works for you.

Set your personal auto play button to “NO!!!!!”

Nothing melts your heart more than seeing them kiss or hug.

OMG, THERE’S A MOMMY OUT THERE THAT WORKS AS A NURSE, WIFE, AND MOMMY TO 3 KIDS UNFER 3!!!! (she didn’t actually post the blog, her friend did who’s a wife, nurse and mommy to 1 under 1)

For the love of your sanity, beg and plead with your husband to stay home with one or the other of the children during grocery shopping.

One mommy to a 7 and a 4 1/2 year old asked her kids what it takes to be a good mommy to more than one kid. Their replies? “A lot of love and patience” “And gum.”

There are many mommys, like me, who actually gain weight during breastfeeding, not lose it, due to ravenous hunger (I’m now at 23 pounds to lose, not 18 and I am ALWAYS hungry).

The second one is worth it.

and Tasha
and Uniqua
and Austin
and Tyrone

Actually I think they’re really cool, collectively called The Backyardigans. Karen introduced us to them and they are the best preschool show in this hemisphere. Way more than Dora or Spongebob or Blue’s Clues or even Sesame Street. These little err, animals sing jazz, pop, light rock, while using their imaginations in their backyards to go on killer adventures. The girls also have consistent PMS and the boys are kinda submissive, you can tell the producers are either angry women or whipped men, I love it. If you have toddlers or preschoolers you should definitely check it out. If you don’t have one, borrow one and then go watch it.

“We know what we want,
We know what we don’t want,
So get us what we want.”

“We’ll get you what you want.”

~Volcano Sisters and Luau Brothers.

Kay I’m awake at 12:30AM because I’m scared and freaking out. Moving Seporah to a toddler bed was not something I wanted to do. If Steven would have had his way, she would have been moved when she was 15 months, really. But I’m well aware of my child’s wild-ness, so I waited until she was climbing out of her crib. Unfortunately she can also climb into Felicity’s. Felicity woke me up, I’m not sure if it was to eat, or because she was being squeezed by her big sister. This freaked me out. I’m afraid Seporah will break her limbs, or suffocate her, or something to that effect. I have no clue how to keep Seporah out of there. Ideas? Suggestions? Impart of your wisdom oh knowledgeable elders, please.