Ballerina Baby

C is certainly not lacking in the personality department. Her imagination has really taken off lately. She spends large parts of her day pretending to be something else (a frog, a dog, a chicken, a princess, a ballerina, a super hero) and expects us to play along too. 

If she is a dancer, I must also wear a tutu and spin around the living room. If she is Super Catherine, I must fix her cape and "fly" around the house. If we are frogs, I have to hop.

Today, she woke up in full ballerina mode. She wore her pink tutu, her ballerina shirt, and danced around the room with her Ballerina Baby (I danced too). When we went outside to play, Ballerina Baby came too.

Ballerina Baby wanted to slide and swing. Then, she just wanted to catch Banks (who Catherine has started lovingly referring to as "Catherine's Banks"). Catherine and Baby chased Banks around the yard until he finally sat somewhat close.

Success. As you can see, Ballerina Baby was pretty happy with herself.

Ladies Who Lunch

I haven't written as much lately, mostly because I am utterly exhausted all the time (a little side effect of the first trimester I had conveniently forgotten about); but also because C is in full out toddler mode, which is exhausting and exhilarating all on its own.

In other words, I nap when she naps now.

But since I left a pile of dishes in the sink, pushed the pile of unfolded laundry on our bed onto the floor, and went to sleep at the same time as a two year old last night, I'm actually awake after our toddler-tastic play date with friends.

We were planning to meet my friend Jessica and her two kids at the park when it started pouring, so we revamped and went to Barnes and Noble to drink coffee and watch our kids play with the train table instead - a decision I'm sure the employees appreciated. 

After letting them play and dance on the stage and fight over stuffed animals neither of us were planning to buy, we declared it lunch time and walked over to Panera.

Then chaos ensued. C wanted a sandwich, Ben wanted mac and cheese; but when the food was ready, it turns out that neither of them wanted the food on their plate. Abby (14 months old) was along for the ride, eating whatever we put on her plate while dropping things on the floor all around her. All of the sudden, C stood up in the booth next to me and started crying out undecipherable words, getting louder in her frustration, pairing it with stomping feet for emphasis. I could not understand what she wanted. 

So, I lifted her out of the booth and watched as she climbed in next to Jessica and started eating Ben's mac and cheese. Seriously. That's all she wanted.

I gave Ben C's turkey sandwich and they both sat, quietly eating, for the next three and a half minutes.

Remember when lunching with friends was relaxing?

On our way home, Jessica sent me this pie chart. That about sums it up.

Still, I'm so glad to have a friend living in the same crazy stage of life as me. Plus, she proves that it can even be done with two! 

In all honesty, I probably won't know what to do with myself when I can eat an entire meal, in one sitting, with both hands, without begging someone to sit down and just eat one bite (not that it is happening anytime in the next 3-7 years). I may have just cracked the code to avoiding too much unnecessary weight gain during this pregnancy - dining with a toddler!

No More Trampolines

I remember reading all of the rules of pregnancy when I was expecting C and thinking that the "no jumping on trampolines" was a particularly weird one. Now, I know that rule was clearly written for those who are already mothers of toddlers.

I scheduled a play date last week at iJump, a warehouse full of inflatable bouncy castles and slides, before even considering that I shouldn't be jumping up and down or going down giant inflatable slides with a thirty pound child in my lap. Why? Because #2 will be making his or her debut sometime around January 18th! 

We told family and friends a mere 24 hours after a positive test, but waited until the doctor confirmed that I was, in fact, with child before telling the social media world. I am the worst secret keeper ever.

C is pretty excited about it (as excited as a two year old can be). She calls herself "big sister" and kisses my belly all the time. She thinks poking my belly button tickles the baby. She also thinks the ultrasound photo looks like a cat.

We couldn't be more thrilled about this baby. I can't wait to watch our family grow.

For now, I'll just watch my belly grow (at a much faster rate than the first time around) and try to avoid trampolines.

Big Girl Bed

Friday night, while getting ready for bed, Catherine hiked her leg over the rail of her crib, said ready, set, go!, and climbed right out like she'd been doing it for months.

Uh Oh.

So, Saturday, we made a little trip to Buy Buy Baby for a toddler bed rail; and last night, I installed it while she "helped" by pretending parts were musical instruments and by jumping on the mattress in the middle of her room.

A couple last pics in her crib

We talked all day about how special this new bed is and what a big girl she is. She was genuinely so excited about it. After I removed the foot board,  I hadn't even installed the bed rail yet before she was in the bed.

In hind sight, I probably should have waited for Husband to come home from work and help me (that foot board is heavy); but I'm stubborn and I wanted it done last night, so instead, C learned how to use an allen wrench.

She climbed right in once everything was finished. I had to pry her out to put on pajamas (she refused to take a bath); and we snuggled to read a couple books she had chosen.

She picked Love You Forever (she calls it Back and Forth). It's like she wanted to make me cry. So, I read a tear jerking story about growing up and then my big girl climbed into her bed all by herself and went to sleep.

I watched her on the monitor until she was really asleep, then cracked her door open and left ours open as well.

I slept terribly. I woke up every hour and checked on her. I knew the gate at the top of the stairs was locked. I knew I had closed all doors besides hers and ours; but I was so worried she would wake up and feel scared walking in the dark or not know she could get out. 

Clearly, my worrying was for nothing, because at 6:30, I heard the pitter patter of little feet run into our room and felt little eyes staring at me on my side of the bed.

Big girl bed success!

The Boss of Me

C is a bit on the bossy side. Let's call her "opinionated" or "persistent" or even "driven"-it sounds nicer. She spends her days telling me what to do. 

Sit down, Mommy.

Stop it.

Mommy, try this.

Tonight, we were playing in the backyard. We have a steep hill on one side which Banks climbs so he can pace back and forth and bark at the neighbor's dog. C, of course, wants to go with him. I usually help her, holding her hands, trying to keep her (and myself) from tumbling back down. But tonight, she took her hand from mine, pushed me away, and said, "Mommy, go swing."

Seriously?

Excuse the dark iPhone pic. It was 8:00.

Then she climbed the scary hill all by herself. But, just as I was sitting on the swing, licking my wounds of rejection, she reached out her little hand and said, "Mommy, I help you" and I held her hand on the way back down.

Watching her gain independence is both exciting and heart breaking. I want her to have the courage to try things on her own; but, a part of me still wants her to run to me for help. Can't I be her best friend forever? No. No, I cannot. But, for a little while at least, I still hold the BFF title in her little world. 

I will simply cherish the moments when she grabs my hand, points to the sky and says, Yook (look), Mommy. The Moon!

I will love the moments when she climbs in my lap and says, Mommy, snuggle; but I will watch with pride as she loosens her grip on my finger and climbs mountains all by herself. That's my girl.

Bath Time Chat

While playing with her cow bath poof

Me: What does a cow say?

C: Mooooo

Me: What does a cow eat?

C: Bubbles!

Hooray!

C has a new expression and it is cracking me up. She says, "hooray!" with her hands raised over her head Rocky-style whenever something excites her. More often than not, it's food related.

"Hooray! French fries! I love French fries!"

"Hooray! Breakfast time!"

"Hooray! Banks eat!"

"Hooray! Baseball!"

I have no clue where she learned this expression. It's not one I typically use (Hooray! Nap time?); but it is so funny to watch her get so excited over the tiniest things, little arms raised in jubilation.