Three

Carys, you're three months old today.  What say you?  (She would say something, but she's too busy snoozing!)

Some facts about Carys:

She weighs a little over 12 pounds.  

She wears 0 to 3 months clothes.

She smiles at everyone.  I think she loves to show off her one little dimple.

She has very strong leg muscles.  If she had a bit more trunk control, I thinks he would love to sit in an exersaucer.  (And, if she were tall enough to see over the seat!!)

She loves to talk!  She will coo and gurgle at anyone who shows her a bit of attention.

Some nights she will sleep 'through the night.'  Other nights, all bets are off!

She loves to be carried in the sling.  She likes to be able to see everything that we are seeing. . . but, she also likes having the freedom to drift off to sleep when she's ready.

She loves to lay in her play gym.  She will stare at the little sun and talk to it.  Lately she's started batting at the other items that dangle.  I think she is finally realizing that she has some measure of control over those things that flail out from her shoulders!

But, best of all, she LOVES her sister.  Carys gets the biggest grins when she sees and hears Cora.  I hope that they can be best friends!

Wordless Wednesday

I Went to the Zoo!

That is what Cora has been telling everyone she came into contact with between yesterday evening and this morning. I think the girl may be a little bit excited about her little field trip!

On the spur of the moment, we decided to head up to San Antonio for a couple of days.  We went down Sunday and came back Monday afternoon.  Yiayia and Dado are members of the San Antonio Zoo, and they had the inside scoop on all the cool stuff there.  So, Monday morning, we got everyone up and ready and headed to the zoo bright and early to see the hippos get in the water.  Cora was pretty pumped about this.  She jabbered about it in the car on the way there.  It so happens that the hippo enclosure is one of her favorite places at the zoo.  There are lots of stairs and a tunnel to explore.  It was all sunshine and rainbows until the hippos actually started wandering into their habitat.  She did not like those big guys up close.  In fact, she got as close to the back wall of the building as she could all the while telling herself "It's okay.  It's okay."  Apparently some things are better in theory than in reality!

Because we were at the zoo on Monday, it was relatively uncrowded.  We were able to let Cora out of the stroller to wander around on her own two feet.  She had a blast.  We saw the lions, tigers, elephants, jaguars, rhinos, monkeys, hyenas (African wild dogs, but hyenas to her), zebras, kangaroos, birds, fish, and on and on.  It was so much fun to watch her get excited about all of the animals.  Carys, on the other hand, was totally unimpressed with the zoo.  In fact, she was so bored, that she fell asleep in the sling!

When we got home yesterday evening, I took Cora with me when I went next door to pick up Penny.  Cora, of course, told Auntie Linda all about the animals.  She even went into great detail about how the momma jaguar did not want to wake up (she - or he - was cat napping in the rocks in the back of the enclosure) and how the monkeys were using their tails to hold onto the ropes while they drank water.  And, then today, she told as many people as would listen to her at the supermarket that she saw lions and elephants and rhinos and kangaroos at the zoo.  I'm pretty sure we're going to have to start taking her back there more often!

All Day Playdate

On Friday, Cora had a special visitor come to play.  Abby came over to spend the day with us while her mommy and daddy were at work.  Y'all, I was so nervous about this!  I wasn't quite sure how I was going to handle 3 little girls.  Fortunately for me, Cora and Abby got along famously.  Both girls shared the toys and were very obedient.  Thank you Jesus!  What a relief!

My original plan was to make pancakes for the girls for breakfast.  But, when I realized we had about a drop and a half of milk, that plan flew out the window.  Instead, I loaded the big girls into the double stroller, strapped the wee babe into the sling, and trekked to HEB.  John called right as I was getting everyone loaded up.  Our conversation went something like this:

Me:  I think I might be crazy.  I have the double stroller and the sling.
John:  You're going for a walk?
Me:  I'm taking everyone to HEB.
John:  Umm, what?!

I'm pretty sure I got a good workout out of it!  I was pushing over 50 lbs of kids while I had a 12 pounder strapped across my midsection.  I'm kind of surprised that I can even walk today! After a donut apiece for the girls and a couple of Buddy Bucks, I managed to drag my sadly out of shape self and the 60+ pounds of kids back to the house.  It was then that I discovered it was absolutely necessary to deglaze the girls from their little donut snack, hah!

Some pictures of the girls minty fresh and clean running off some of that donut energy in the backyard.

I tried to get them to sit together and smile, but this is the best I could get.

Abby discovered one of Penny's bones and spent the next little while playing with it. It was a baby.

It was a shovel.

Clearly, the dog bone is the multitool of the toy world! Cora, meanwhile, amused herself with a rousing round of peek-a-boo from behind the tree.

Carys wanted to go outside, too.  She decided to chillax in the swing.

She makes it look pretty comfy, huh!

After play time, we had some lunch (dino chicken and mac n cheese).  It was then that the fun began again.  Cora was desperately tired, so I got her ready for a nap.  That's when Abby wandered in looking for a place to settle down.  She chose the overstuffed chair.  Both girls seemed to be super sleepy, and I was absolutely marveling at how I could have gotten so lucky to have both girls go to sleep.   Little did I know that both would get a big second wind shortly!  It was hilarious to watch them on the video monitor.  I told them that they needed to stay put.  So, Cora wound up standing in the windowsill with her dinos.  Abby stood on the chair and got most of the books off of the bookshelf.  Then, they would chatter with each other and laugh and laugh.  I think it was a preview of what sleepovers are going to be like in a few years!  They did both eventually go to sleep, and after a quick snack, it was time for Abby to go home.  Cora, naturally, has been expecting Abby to come over every day now.  We hope she can come again really soon!

Speaking of That Paradigm Shift

Ohhhh, the potty training!  It appears that my mom's curse wish has come true.  I may, in fact, have a daughter just like me.  She is exceedingly stubborn of the 'I'll do it when I darn well want to' variety.  And, sadly, she has no problem taking care of the necessary business in her aDORAble (haha, sorry, couldn't resist the pun) big girl panties.  The one upside to this is that my new washer and dryer are earning their keep.  In fact, I have been using them so much that I have invented a new game.  It's called washer-dryer one-armed bandit.  It's simple.  Just set the washer with your chosen load of laundry.  Then, set the dryer with its batch of freshly washed clothes.  Push the start buttons at the exact same time and wait expectantly to see if the 'time remaining' led lights flash the same amount of time.  They've only matched up once, but oh the madcap celebration we had!  Too bad I can't figure out where my jackpot comes pouring out.  As of yet, I've only found the lint screen!  Fascinating is the life I lead...

If anyone is still reading after that riveting little glimpse into my world, I will let you know that we had 3 successes yesterday.  We also had some pretty spectacular messes including one in the kitchen that is the reason I will no longer let Penny kiss me on the mouth!  I'll let you use your imagination for that one!  But, since, as I have mentioned before in ye olde blog, I am not above bribery positive reinforcement, I decided to give m & m's for a successful #1, and some sort of toy for a successful #2.  And, because I am growing to accept that Cora is not of the fluffy princess variety, I needed to expand my shopping horizons for the needed trinkets.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I ventured into the boys' toy aisle.  I am now in possession of a 5 pack of Hot Wheels race cars and a bag of small miscellaneous dinosaurs.  Maybe one day, she'll actually get to choose one!! (See previous remarks re: stubborn).

Since I am not above positive reinforcement for myself, I got out the sadly neglected sewing machine this week.  (I deserve some fun after spending this week confined to the house putting a squirmy 2 year old on the potty every 30 minutes!)  I found some plain t shirts at the walmarts about a month ago for a price I could not resist.  My plan was to applique something flowery or prissy on them.  Instead, I ended up with this:

Dinosaurs can be girly, right?  I really liked how they looked when I ironed them on (gotta love steam-a-seam!), but I thought they needed a little something more.  So, I embroidered them. . .by hand.  Yikes!  That was a labor of love.  I think it was worth the effort.  I adore how they turned out.  This is the conversation I had with Cora when I showed her the finished product:

Me:  Look, Cora, I made you a dino shirt.

Cora:  Oh, those are brachiosauruses.

Pardonne moi!

Then, I decided it was unfair to neglect the wee babe's fashion needs.  Since apparently when Cora was born I thought I needed one million and five onesies, I decided I would snazz one or two up a bit.  Wee babe front:

Who's a cutesy-wootsy wittle girl?

Wee babe back:

I ruffled her sweet little booty.  Bwahahahaha!  I still have one little one that I can ruffle and bedazzle to my heart's content - at least for now. . .

I Have Totally Ruined My Spring Break

Really, Spring Break is just the arbitrary point in time that I chose to activate my evil plan.  This title could have  just as easily been I have totally ruined my vernal equinox.  But, I digress. . .

We are hitting the potty training hard and heavy over in our little slice of heaven.  We have decided to put Cora in gymnastics once she turns 3.  All of the gyms that I have researched explicitly state that participants must be potty trained.  Dun dun dun.  This gives me three months to get her out of the diapers she loves.  Please, please don't let it take that long!!  I am not ashamed to admit that we added "Please help me put my tee tees in the potty." to Cora's nightly prayer!   So, this week, we are rocking the big girl panties of the Dora the Explorer variety, natch, as well as the plastic cover ups that go over them.  Yes, I am totally that mom.  Yesterday, I tried to put her on the potty about every hour.  We had a total of 0 successes and 1 pretty spectacular accident.  Although, about 1 second before the accident, she did frantically yell "I'm ready to put my tee tees in the potty!"  Alas, it was too late.  But, at least she recognized the sensation.  So far today we have had one accident.  Again, I got the one second warning before the disaster happened.  I am now realizing how limiting this whole process is going to be to our social life.  Until she at least has some measure of success, I am petrified of leaving the house!

On the plus side, I have a brand new washer and dryer to help me take care of all the accidents.  My former washer and dryer served me very well.  I have had those guys since I graduated college, and they did very well considering their limited capabilities.  But, it was time for them to retire. . .the dryer took at least 2 cycles to get the clothes dry. . .it was definitely ready to move to whatever is the appliance version of Florida where it could live out the remainder of its days in peace.  Here's my brand new set.

Ooooh!  Aaaaah!  

 I would like to thank the little tax credit we named Carys for helping to fund this purchase.  Between her digestive pyrotechnics and Cora's potty training, we definitely need these puppies!  I did my first load of kids' clothes last night.  When the dryer signaled, I went and checked the status of the clothes.  Hallelujah! After one cycle, they were dry!  Really, it's the little things in life, you know?! ; )  So, those of you who have successfully potty trained your kids, please think of us this week.  We will need all the prayers we can get!

It's Gonna Be A Total Paradigm Shift

I came to the realization today that I am still holding on to a glimmer of hope that Cora will be my little princess.  I know how physically active Cora is.  I know she doesn't really play mommy or kitchen.  But, deep down, I guess I was hoping it was just a bit of a phase.  Don't get me wrong.  I absolutely adore my daughter's personality. I can't imagine her any other way, nor would I want to.  She is the funniest, cleverest, spunkiest kid I know - not to mention the smartest.  Perhaps I'm biased. . .  I just assumed that when I had a little girl, she would be a little pink princess.  Umm, wrong!

I had to take Cora back to the doctor today.  Turns out there is another stomach virus going around.  This time, it is of the 7 to 10 day variety, loverly!

Sick little girl!  (Please excuse the mess of her hair.  I didn't want to fight the hair battle since she feels so bad!)

 The appointment went as expected.  Cora loved every second of the exam, hah!  The funny part was as we were leaving.  There is a bucket of stickers for the kids to pick from as they leave their appointment.  This time, there were a bunch of sparkly princess stickers on top.  I was so excited and named all of the princess for her to choose from.  She showed not one iota of interest in any of the pretty princesses.  There was one sticker face down that she immediately reached for.  Can I tell you how quickly her eyes lit up when she saw what the sticker was?  I believe her exact words were "Gasp! A wace (race) car!"

Yup, that's my little princess sporting prêt-à-porter a la Lightning McQueen.  (And, yes, she does always put her stickers on upside down.  I *think* it's so she can see it right side up when she looks down.)  She jabbered about her sticker all the way to the car.  My funny little tomboy!  She's taking a nice long nap right now.  Hopefully, she'll be back to normal soon.  Until then, she has her wace cars to cheer her up!

What My Child Taught Me Today

This was Cora's prayer tonight:

Dear God,
Thank you for my race car.
Thank you for Team Umizoomi.
Thank you for the Big Bad Wolf.
Help me feel better.
Help me sleep well.
I love you Jesus.
In Jesus' name,
Amen

John and I had to chuckle a little bit.  This is definitely not really the kind of prayer that typically comes from our lips.  But, then I wondered why we didn't pray this way.  Cora may not yet understand why we are praying or even who this Jesus fellow is, but she did know that she sure was glad to have that race car that reminded her of Umizoomi and for stories about the Big Bad Wolf.  She also knew that her daddy is the one who physically brought her the race car and that her mommy serves as the means through which she can watch Umizoomi as well as the one who plays "little pig, little pig" with her.  Yet, she still offers up her thanks to this Jesus guy at the end of the day for those little bitty things He provided that bring her joy.

It's so easy for me to recognize that God is the creator and provider of life.  I can recognize the talents He has given me.  I can thank Him for the big and obvious things in my life.  But, I think God really desires me to recognize that He is the God over all the little things, too - that He actually enjoys giving us those little happy surprises in the same way that we enjoy giving Cora little indulgences.  He's the one who provided that parking space right next to the supermarket door the day it was cold and rainy and I was out with the girls.  He's the one who provides those yummy grape fruit snacks that I love so much.  He's the one who put the perfect tree in our backyard for Cora to play hide and seek behind.

Don't get me wrong.  I think God may have chuckled a little, too when Cora prayed for the Big Bad Wolf.  But, I know that God was pleased to know that she was truly thankful for what He has provided.


Jesus called a child over and had the child stand near him. Then he said: I promise you this. If you don't change and become like a child, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. But if you are as humble as this child, you are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4)

Sweet Jesus, 

Thank you for Cora's example.

Help us to become more like her.

I love you Jesus!

Amen

She Gets Her Hips from Her Mama

We received a minor bit of bad news after Carys's two month appointment last week.  At her first appointment with Dr. Mitchell, she mentioned that she felt a little bit of movement in Carys's hips.  She wanted to give it a little time, but if it was still there at her 1 month appointment, we would probably need to have some diagnostic testing done.  At the one month appointment, everything appeared to be fine.  Dr. Mitchell even had another doctor come in to check just to have another unbiased opinion.  However, at this last appointment the movement was back.  So, it was recommended that we take Carys in for a diagnostic ultrasound of both of her hips.  Fortunately for us, we were able to schedule everything for Monday morning.  The main issue was the fact that we could not feed Carys for three hours prior to the appointment - yikes!  This was all too familiar territory for me.  I went down that road with Cora when she was diagnosed with reflux. But, John and I claimed 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.  God is so faithful, and Carys did great!

Our appointment was at 10 in the morning, so I set my alarm to go off at 7 for that last feeding.  Sweet baby was so sleepy that I kept having to tickle her to get her to feed.  But, blessedly, she ended up sleeping afterwards until I had to wake her up to dress her and ready her for the appointment.  She was pretty upset about being strapped down into the car seat, but she fell asleep on the trek down to the radiologist.  Our ultrasound technician was amazing.  Thank you, Mary for your patience with our squirmy worm.  Carys did fantastically as well.  She didn't fuss or cry or complain (or poop on Mary!).  She just wiggled a bit - or a lot! - and made the procedure take a bit longer.  But, Mary is very skilled and got the pictures she needed anyway.  Dr. Mitchell called this morning, and it turns out that Carys's hips are just fine.  Praise God!  We require no further intervention at this point.  As I was thinking about it, one of my hips tends to pop slightly out of place.  And as it would turn out, it is the very same joint that was of concern for Carys.  Pobre cita!  I hope this doesn't mean she's also going to get my muffin top and thunder thighs generous curves.  In the mean time, take a look this little slice of sweetness.

I could just bite those chunky thighs!! (But, I won't - well, maybe just a nibble!)

Wordless Wednesday

La Gordita

Carys is my little chunk-a-dunk.  I am told often how sweet and tiny she is, but when compared to how tiny Cora was at the same age, Carys is positively huge!  I've taken to calling her my gordita, and I just love how her fat little belly laps over her diaper and that her thighs have some chunky rolls on them.  There is no stress over her gaining weight unlike with la flaquita (Cora)!

Today was Carys' 2 month appointment.  And, her zeal for food did not go unnoticed.  Sweet baby is up to 11 pounds!  She is in the 60th percentile for weight and the 30th percentile for height.  I'd say she fits her moniker pretty darn well!

Of course, this all could have something to do with the donut Dado gave her when he and Yiayia were here this weekend!  (Is it just me, or does she look positively ecstatic about that pastry?!  And, sorry for cutting off your head, Dado!!)

In Which We Make a Competition Out of Everything

My family is, ummm, competitive.

We like to win.

We like to make competitions out of things that aren't actually competitive.

It's an addiction.

I might need an intervention.  Or just some really great winning strategies.  You know, whatever!

The Oscar's were on Sunday.  This is a big (competitive) deal in my family.  I can't tell you exactly how long we've been having our little grudge match, but I would not be surprised if it was at least 20 years.  The competition is simple: predict the most Oscar winners in any given year.  Everything was hunky-dory until John joined the family.  In his first year in this competition, he beat us all soundly.  To add insult to injury, we were not even married at the time, only engaged.  John has gone on to win 6 out of the 8 years he has been competing.  It makes an otherwise long and boring telecast a lot more exciting!

And, because it is not enough to have a long distance competition, we like to bring our friends in on the insanity.  We found four other couples crazy enough to join us.  Greg and Heidi

"What?! Little Fockers wasn't even nominated?"

Phil and Brittani doing the Oscar acceptance wave

Moises

Look at that cutie in the chair - can you believe she is already a year old?!

Another great Ellie shot with her momma, Jessica

And, the winning team - Susy

and JW sporting the championship look of concentration!

Not to mention the junior league:

Ellie

 Eli

 Cora (being a goofball)

 Carys

and sweet Jonathan

who was wondering where all the boys were!

Sadly, neither John nor I won the family competition this year.  

"No way!"

My dad (P-pa) set a new record of 20 out of 24 correct picks.  John's and my perfectly respectable 18 correct picks each just couldn't cut it this year.  Cora tied with her youngest cousin, Miriam, with 6 correct picks.  Carys tied with her oldest cousin, Hannah, with 5 correct picks.  Ironically, the family dogs Penny and Miles also got 5 correct picks.  

sigh

Until next year. . .

Cora's Kidisms and a Picture Bonus

Can I tell you how much I enjoy having a conversation with a 2 1/2 year old.  I find my child to be absolutely hilarious.  Here are a few nuggets from this week:

She was watching a show about auto racing (Bubble Guppies, not NASCAR - our redneck flag doesn't fly in that wind!)  And, now sporadically throughout the day, she finds an imaginary start line and shouts "Gentlemen, start your oranges!"

We've been having Cora say her own prayers at night.  We have her pick a few things that she's thankful for before we petition for a good night's sleep, etc.  The other night, this was her prayer:
Dear God,
Thank you for my family.
Thank you for Penny.
Thank you for pachycephalosaurus.
I love you Jesus.
Amen.

And, finally, the sight that stopped me in my tracks when I walked into her room the other morning:

Yup.  

Because You May Never See This Again

Voila! Les cheveux droits.

I Am Biased

This may be one of my favorite things ever!

Cora had such a difficult go of it having such severe reflux.  I don't remember ever hearing her coo at this age.  She was either crying or spitting up or sleeping.  So, I am treasuring each coo and smile from this little cutie because I know how precious they are!

Irony IS a Four Letter Word

Despite the fact that both of us practically bathed in Purell, Cora managed to take both of us out of commission with her stomach virus.  Yeesh!  Rest assured that I have enjoyed the past few hours, har har.  And, I am now in possession of Cora's lovely bucket.  Hopefully this will run its course quickly, but if you have a spare minute, say a quick prayer for us.  2 sick parents + 2 kids under age 3 = fun times at our house!

Feats of Brute Strength

I'm scrappy.

I may look dainty and weak, but underneath my tiara, I am surprisingly strong.  A couple of weeks ago as I was going to Bible study, I decided I needed the stroller out of the back of my SUV.   So, like I always do, I hopped out of the car, went around back and pulled on the handle of the door.  .  .and, that is when the latch snapped.  That's right people, I rendered the back hatch of my SUV completely useless.  (I believe John's words when he saw it were something to the effect of "Oh, wow, you completely broke it."  Apparently, he doubts my brute strength!)  I have been assured that John will be able to fix it once we get the replacement part.  But, until then, I am condemned to getting Carys' stroller in and out of my car through the wayback window - something to me that feels much like what it must be to help birth a calf!  Cora finds the whole process hi-larious.  Though on the plus side, each time I get the stroller out, I know that my arms get a little workout (as if I need it?!  hah!)

Flash forward to stroller shopping this week.  (And on a totally unrelated tangent, please understand how hard it has been for me to accept the fact that rather than pushing around a nice little compact stroller, I will now be commandeering what is in effect a small bus.  I have long standing, deep seated psychological issues with large strollers.  I will be seeking out counseling for this, but in the meantime. . .)  After researching and pricing double strollers on the internet, we went to a kids' store to see the beasts in person.  And, after seeing them in person and hating every minute of it, I decided that if I must have a double stroller, I will not be paying over $300 for it!  And, thankfully, God heard my (admittedly selfish) prayer.  I found the exact stroller I was looking for on Craigslist for less than half price - a much easier (although still giant) pill to swallow.  The girls and I picked up the stroller earlier this week.  Here's where I really began to regret my incredible strength. . . I met the mommy in the parking lot of a local gym, inspected the stroller and paid for it.  And then the thought occurred to me that I might not be able to get the stroller into the car.  (Thinking things through might not be one of my strong suits!)  So, if getting the single stroller out of the car is akin to helping to birth a cow, putting the double stroller in the car is much like shoving that calf back in!  You'll be relieved to know that I did get the stroller in the car.  It wasn't a pretty sight, but it worked.

So now, I am the (not so) proud owner of my very own large stroller.  Here's a pic of what I scored.

Carys's carseat will attach to the back seat, and Cora will commandeer the front row.  Lovely!  I would love to show you a picture of the girls in the stroller, but I am not about to attempt to rebirth that cow!  You'll just have to take me word that we (and our small bus) are living in harmony happily ever after.