Kate repeatedly asked me this morning where her tard was? I was perplexed, confused and not wanting to assume what a Tard was. After much prodding and prying she committed that it was for her ballet class. Ahhhhhh.... a leoTARD, she doesn't realize there is a leo in her tard. :-)
Who knew that you could love three kids in such different ways. I'm learning more and more about my kids every day and I adore them more and more every day. Kate makes me laugh all the time. She is stubborn and independent but incredibly unique and optimistic. Last week as we sat in my bedroom at Grampa's she blurted out, "I really like the pictures in here, especially that one" as she pointed to a pencil drawing of eskimos doing a circle dance. She is always so proud of herself for her accomplishments whether it's taking a nap, finishing a glass of milk, pulling on her pants or going poop in the potty. In her way, she's inspirational and her attitude is contagious to those around her. I admire her so much.
Reilly, now he's the most sensitive and caring old soul I have ever met. He has concern for everyone and everything and is always looking forward for what is next. People say it's because he's the first child, I believe his traits are more than that. He's compassionate and has an amazing sense of humor. He wants to spend all his time creating things, making things or acting out some character he has seen in a book, on tv or someone he wants to be. He is curious to learn - but mostly through other people. He wants us to read to him, to spell words so he can write them, he wants to play UNO or TRASH all the time and wants to make the rules flex to suit his current hand. He's an amazing boy now, he's no longer just my little guy - he's my friend.
As for Shea... I'm learning more about her with each passing day. Right now, we exchange smiles and I love to listen to her coo and try to laugh. As I sang to her in Church last week, she sat in her car seat and smiled... the woman behind me said, "I just watched you sing to your baby... and the way she looked at you was.... indescribable". That was so awesome...
This morning Reilly and Kate asked for some cereal. Reilly asked for Krispies and Kate wasn't sure, so we went thru the list:
Peanut Butter Puffins?
no
Gorilla Munch?
no
Krispies?
no
O's?
no
Honey Comb? (purchased at about month 5 of pregnancy on a whim and most likely VERY stale)
okay
I pull the box out of the pantry and reach my hand in to find a rolled up bag with not even enough cereal for a bowl full. As I am pulling it out Reilly says "that's real fashion cereal". Confused, I said, "it's what?" Real Fashion cereal Mom... although he could not explain what he meant - he implied that it was the kind other people had.
I thought it was a pretty cute expression "Real Fashion" as opposed to??
We are trying to keep Shea up to help her adjust back to the East Coast time vs West Coast - I have enlisted Shad's help on this. I really, selfishly, want to go back to sleeping through the night as we had been prior to the trip. No she's sleeping the same amount of simultaneous hours, they just don't overlap my sleeping hours - so we're trying to refine.
In our efforts Shad opted for tummy time - we wondered how long it would last. Oh, I'd say about one minute although we tried for two. Shea let Shad know that this was unacceptable to her. She screamed at him and he tried to talk to her - she had nothing to do with that. He gave her a pacifier, she talked to him from behind the silicon with an angry tone. He tried the swing and turned it up, she got wide eyed and continued her grunts and groans.... better him than me!
or so my children seem to think. Most everything that Reilly discusses with me I am wrong, he actually knows the answer - his version of the right answer. I'm finding that Kate is adopting this style as well.
Tonight we were driving home from skiing and there is a house that we pass which recently burned. Reilly asked "where is the burned house?" I said "it's not on this road, it's on the next road, Old Wilton Road". He replied, "No, it's on this road, it's coming up", I repeated my earlier reply. He said "no.... it's coming up Mom, you'll see".
He was wrong, it was right where I had said.
Just the latest example, I think I'll add more as they happen.
"Don't play ball in the house"
Well, we weren't throwing a ball we were throwing Kate.
Then of course Reilly wanted to play too!
While in the car after hours and hours of traveling...
Shad: Shea smells
Me: Yah, she needs a bath.
Reilly: What does she smell like?
Kate: Like grapes or something? or maybe apples?
Ahhhh, yah Kate... that's it. Grapes or Apples.
Kate's favorite words. No matter what you say to her, if it's something she doesn't like or didn't want to hear, her first response is... "I just...". For example:
Kate, please don't step on the dog.
I just walking on her.
Kate, please give Reilly back his car.
I just using it.
Kate, please stop touching Shea's head.
I just feeling it.
Kate, can you please get up in your carseat?
I just looking at Reilly's.
Kate, can you please go potty.
I just can in a minute.
It's her world... we're all just living in it with her.
According to MerriamWebster : continuing or following without interruption.
The word defines Kate... she talks incessantly. Those of you who know us knows that she takes after her Dad. I am so soft spoken and shy that I know it is his trait. ahem
Anyway, she talks and talks and talks whether you are paying any attention to her or not. If you are talking to someone else she just chooses a few words from yours to repeat and try to become part of the conversation.
Another approach she has happened this morning, it went like this:
Kate: "Reilly"
silence
Kate: "Reilly"
silence
Kate: "Reilly"
silence
Kate: "Reilly, answer me"
sigh
Kate: "Reilly Andrew, I'm talking to you, answer me"
Reilly: "What Kate"
Kate: "Ummmm, ahhhhh, I don't know"
Reilly had is ski lesson today. There are a couple little guys in his class - as everyone readied themselves for the upcoming hour, I helped Reilly get his skis on. We started moving toward the lift and he said:
"I have to go the bathroom." Oh man... I was ready to ring his neck b/c we had already gone. I said "Are you serious" which is really a dumb question because with children it usually doesn't come out of their mouth unless it's true. So the next 7 minutes went like this:
Okay, hurry, come on.
scamper scamper (tough in ski boots)
into the ladies room
Mom, can you take off my mittens?
No, I'm going to help you.
I take down his ski pants and two pair of long underwear and the SpongeBob boxers, I line him up and expect him to just go.
Mom, I can't concentrate like this.
delay.... delay....
Phew, with that short delay we were back out on the slopes in just a few minutes.
Sounds like a dirty word, doesn't it? It's actually the little ski place down the street where Reilly is in a preschool program. Today was his first day, I wasn't sure how he would do since he's only really skied with Shad and last year was when he broke his leg skiing at this mountain. However, his sister, Kate that is, positively reinforced him on the way over:
Kate: Rye, you are going skiing
Reilly: Yah
Kate: You falled last time
Reilly: Yah
Me: That's okay people fall all the time when they are learning to ski.
Reilly: Yah Kate Mom falls when she skis.
Kate: Yah, but Rye, you fall A LOT.
silence and frost heaves... more silence and more frost heaves...
He skied for an hour with other kids his age. It went well. They stayed on the magic carpet the whole time and Reilly was "assisted" by the instructor most of the time. But, whatever works, we don't want him to be intimidated by skiing since he got hurt doing it.
Afterward he had a BIG smile on his face, rosey cheeks and was thrilled. He was also so excited to be able to wear his ski jacket with his lift ticket on it to school.
NOTE: Thankfully Nannie could help me today, I'm not sure how I would have done it with a stroller/infant, a toddler and Reilly that needed help with all his equipment.
As Kate and I lay in bed today with Shea - we discussed what the day held in store for us.
Me: Today we're going to clean this room. said in a high pitch to make it sound fun and exciting
Kate: Can I help?
Me: Of course, that would be great!
Kate: Shea has hands, but she can't help.
pause
She has feet but she can't walk.
She can't walk down the stairs.
Shea can't help us.
You've got to appreciate such thoughtfulness.
says Tacky the penguin.
Reilly asked where which restaurant we were going to for dinner, I asked him to guess (since we only go to four different ones that the kids will eat at AND that are kid friendly). He began guessing then had this to say: "I know it's Sunshine on the Iceberg".
Shad and I looked at one another, wondered what the heck he was talking about and he broke into a story about Tacky the penguin, apparently one of the books he is reading at school.
We're still in the dark, but he's got us curious now.
It's fun to watch Kate and Reilly since the birth of Shea. They were close before since they share a room but they seem to actually be friends now - playmates. Shad and I love to watch them talk, play, share, veg and more. Kate has a maternal way about her, even at two. She's constantly checking on Reilly, repeating what we say (as though he didn't hear), correcting him, and generally watching over him. He adores her and compliments her on things she does. They are also the first to tattle on one another - specifically at bed time. Some nights they spend two hours tattling on each other, playing, reading, giggling, playing flashlight tag and more things that get them into trouble.
All that being said it's been so great to watch them grow closer to one another and growing in general. With Shea part of our family now, the two of them seem much older and appear to grow inches each day!
He spends most of his free time at school making books, here is a photo of him and his latest:
Reilly just told Shad that he loves Tom Brady as much as he loves Shad. Shad replied with "is it the same kind of love?" (total set-up in my opinion) and Reilly replied with a "yes, the same kind of love".
Okay, well Happy First Month of life in the outside world. For her birthday, she went on her first run with Daddy. Here she is all bundled up and ready to go. Apparently she slept the entire time, when she got home, she got placed on the ottoman and did not move for another thirty minutes. I think she likes the fresh air, and like most other newborns motion is good too!
I played soccer twice this week. I wanted to get out and do something that brought me back to what I thought of as "my old self" - just so I knew it was still there... somewhere. Shea and the kiddos hung with Dad for the two and a half hours while I was out. Shea was challenged with a bottle during these times, thankfully, she did okay.
I played with my "chick" team on Monday and the coed team on Tuesday. I found that my head really knew what to do but my body could not keep up. Three weeks after her birth, it's about what I expected. What I didn't fully expect but got a chuckle out of - in hindsight of course - was the loss of bodily fluid during exercise. Not only was it feeding time, I was reminded of why kegels are important and how pelvic floor muscles are more important than I gave them credit for. Oh... not even forty yet and dealing with the issues of my mother and grandmother. How sad...
Regardless, of my premature exercise, it felt soooo good to be running around again. It makes me so happy to run around not to mention being able to do it with friends.
Reilly: Mom I know why your nibbles are fat.
Mom: Why?
Reilly: Because they have all the milk in them.
Mom: Ahhhh..... uh huh.
