All About Will & Elizabeth

What does a Stay-At-Home Mom do anyways?

(I got this idea from my friend Amy)

Let's assume this is a day where we don't have to go anywhere at all.

6:45-7:00 a.m.     Kids awake...parents snooze.
7:00-8:30 a.m.     Get kids dressed, make 4 different breakfasts and force Will to eat some of his.  It really takes this long to get all of those things done, sigh.
8:30-9:15 a.m.     Mommy does some work on the computer (for my work from home job) while kids play.
9:15-11:00 a.m.     Will plays alone for a bit while I feed Elizabeth her snack and put her down for a nap (if I'm lucky she'll sleep instead of spitting out her paci and crying for me to get it over and over).  Once Elizabeth is down, I either play with Will or work on the computer or play with Will and do random chores in between playing games.
11:00-12:00 p.m.     Make 3 separate lunches and force Will to eat his.
12:00-12:45 p.m.     Play with the kids and clean up the disasterous mess they've made so far (Will actually "helps" me!).
12:45-3 or 4 p.m.     Will naps and Elizabeth has reading time with me, a snack and then bed.  I usually do chores and computer work during this time (sometimes I do get a nap which is AWESOME).
4:00-5:00p.m.     This is GROUCHY time.  The kids are grouchy when they wake up.  So they usually watch a video while I frantically cook/make dinner for everyone.
5:00-6:00 p.m.     Battle Dinner with the kids.  Force Will to eat 3 bites.
6:00-6:30 p.m.     Bath time for both kids. (Why is this so tiring and so darn HOT?!)
6:30-7:00 p.m.     Playtime with Daddy, me and the kids.
7:00 p.m. I feed Elizabeth her bottle and (woo-hoo!!!) my husband plays with Will and puts him to bed.
8:00 p.m. and on is Daddy and Mommy time (which includes cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, filing for my husband's job, doing more of my job on the computer, and watching some much needed TV, etc.)

In addition to a "regular day," this is our weekly schedule outside the home:

Monday: The second Monday of each month, feed kids SUPER early, have sitter arrive at 5 p.m. so I can get to a meeting at church.
Tuesday: Leave at 8 a.m. and drive to Alabama so I can clean my parent's home (another job of mine) and try to get home in time for dinner.  It takes all day to clean and deal with the kids and drive the hour back home.
Wednesday: Feed the kids early and leave out the door at 6 p.m.  My husband and I will be at church working, having Bible Study and Praise Team practice until about 9:15 p.m when we get home and hurry to get the kids to bed.
Thursday: My mostly normal day!!
Friday: Do errands with both kids...not so fun. Also get Sunday stuff done (i.e. the stuff I do as church secretary) on the computer.
Saturday: Various home improvement projects, church events, etc.
Sunday: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. church (my husband and I sing on the Praise Team and in the choir and I teach the Youth Sunday School class), quick nap and then 4:30-7 p.m. is church choir rehearsal.

So, in addition to the full-time job of the kids, I work part-time as the church secretary (thank God, I can do most of it at home, which is awesome!!) and I clean my parent's house as well as sometimes cook meals for them (which I actually enjoy doing).  I would think that most mothers do this much (and probably much more).  It's a tough job, but I'm glad I'm doing it!!!!

Smart Girl and update.

Now, of course all parents believe their children are the most beautiful and the smartest children in all existence.  But mine really are ;)

Elizabeth is blossoming!  It's been SO fun to watch her...and hear her.  She is now 16 months old.  And as you could see from a previous blog, she's actually walking now!  She's walking and climbing.  Climbing everything in sight.  It's adorable when she's not scaring me to death.

Her speech has changed so much in only a few short weeks.  She talks ALL the time.  I think she's going to take after her mother.  If she doesn't know what something is, she makes up a word for it.  She can mimic whatever we say pretty well.  She's mimicking Will saying "All Right!" as I type this.  It's adorable.

She's really into these Baby Einstein Discovery Flash Cards.  As you can see from the picture, I was not "forcing" her to do these. :)  She loves to spend time looking at each card and identifying what is on the card (or making up a word if she doesn't know or saying "whatisit" if she doesn't know).  The cool thing is that the other day I showed her these different, cheap flash cards I got at Wal-Mart and she was identifying the same objects with completely different pictures.  The light bulb has gone on and she really understands what these are pictures of.  They're little sponges at this age...it's fascinating (at least for the mother and teacher in me).

Of course Will is still a genius in the making.  At least we think so ;)  My husband was teasing me in the car yesterday.  "Kelly, does everything have to be a teaching lesson?"  I replied, "Yes."  Will seems to enjoy it, so why not?  He's been learning about the planets.  He's very interested in them right now.  He has a Space book at Gramma and Grandpa's house that he LOVES to pour over.  He also has a planets puzzle that he does over and over.  He can identify all the planets by sight, but we were working on asking him questions like, "Will, which planet is closest to the sun." and things like that.

I'm also starting to ask him to "read" to me.  I have him look at the pictures and tell me the story.  Sometimes he is hilariously creative in what he says.  If you haven't done this with your pre-schooler, I highly recommend it...it's insight into their minds.  Oh, and he's beginning to understand the rudiments of addition.  He knows 1 + any number and can do 2 + etc. if we use fingers.  He can count to 100 with prodding, but likes to make jokes when he's counting.  i.e. 1,2,3, ... 19, 20, 100!! (then he giggles hysterically).  Or he'll say 29, 20-10 and giggle like mad.  As I think of it...he likes to talk all the time too.  He's doing his planet puzzle right now and telling me, "Mercury is the closest one to the sun Mama.  You 'member?  Mama, do you remember that?  Do you?"  So cute and a little annoying at the same time. :)

As far as me...I've been a busy girl lately.  We just had an amazing women's conference at our church with an amazing speaker.  God was doing some awesome stuff in our midst.  It was a LOT of work getting the conference together (and a lot of ladies put in a lot of hours), but it was well worth it!  Next on my list, our church yard sale.  If you live in town, check it out.  We'll be across from the Winn-Dixie in the Bank Trust parking lot on Saturday, October 4 from 8 a.m. until it's all sold.  I think it's going to be VERY big with LOTS of stuff!!  We've also already begun working on Christmas music in choir.  It's one mass of business until Christmas!

OK, that was a mistake...

Everything with a pre-schooler is a lesson.  Not just for him, but for you as well.

Yesterday, I was at my parent's house.  They have a pool, so we were all out swimming.  Will, who is no longer wearing swimmy diapers, started doing the "pee pee dance."  Those of you with pre-schoolers know this dance well.  He was soaking wet, as was I, so I didn't want to drag our dripping bodies all through my parents' house.  So, I ran him over to a grassy patch...I know you know where this is going...and had him pee in the grass.  No problem.  He got back in the pool and we were all swimming again.  In the blink of an eye, my mom and I see Will out of the pool and naked peeing in the same spot.  And then he ran back to get in the pool, naked.  My mom and I tried to explain to him that he needed to keep his clothes on, etc. etc.

Today, after the drive back from my parents', I decided to take the kids to McDonald's for lunch.  The kids did great.  They ate chicken nuggets, milk, and those apple slices they do now.  Our McD's has a very small, fenced playground and Elizabeth was still eating, so I allowed Will to go out by himself (there were no other kids or parents out there and I was sitting where I could see him and get to him if needed).  He's playing, having a great time, when he signals to me at the grassy area.  I'm thinking he wants to play in the grass...I know you know where this is going...  The next thing I hear is about 5 people saying, "Look at that little boy just peeing right out there on the playground!!"  OMG!  I ran to the window, and there was my son, pants down, peeing in the McDonald's playground grassy area.  I ran out to him, pulled up his pants, and explained that we don't do that in public and that he wasn't in trouble, he just didn't know and now he did.  I sneaked back into the McDonald's to clean up and several other parents said their boys had done similar things at some point.  My bad for every letting him do that in the first place!

Off topic:

Me: Will, where do we live?

Will: Wal-Mart and Church.

Me: We live in Florida!

Will: Mama, we live at Wal-Mart and Church.

(He's practically correct).

Pump It Up!

My sister-in-law was in town for the beginning of the week.  We had rain from the edge of Gustav, so I was trying to figure out something fun we could do with the kids indoors.  A friend of mine from on-line had told me about this really cool place called Pump It Up!  So, I went on-line and checked out where the nearest one to us was (a little over an hour away) and saw that they had Pre-K "Pop-In Playtime" on Monday morning from 10 - 11:30 a.m.  That means that you can pay $6 per child and let them run around in their play area for 90 minutes.  They had 4 huge bouncy houses with slides, obstacles, basketball hoops, etc.  Both Will and Elizabeth had an absolute BLAST!  The grown-ups had a lot of fun too, but got a little more exhausted than my energy filled little ones.  My husband had the day off (being Labor Day) and so me, my sister-in-law, my husband and Will and Elizabeth all went for $12.  Cool huh?

 

Perfection (to me)

            

 

Steps!

Elizabeth took her first steps today that didn't involve holding on to anything!  I know she's a little behind in this area as she turned 15 months old last week, but we're excited.  She may walk before she's 21 years old - haha.  She's already been standing alone and doing this adorable boogie when she does, but every time she wanted something, no matter how close, she would get down and bear crawl (really fast, btw) over to whatever she wanted.  Today she was trying to reach the kitchen gate while she was already standing, so she took a step toward it, on her own, before crawling.  Then an hour later I enticed her with some food and she took two steps toward it before crawling.  Am I seeing a light at the end of the tunnel?  Will she be all over the place the next time I write?  We'll see!

Um, on a stupid parent note... I was in a hurry to put Will down for nap today.  I took the kids to the park today and we played in the fountains there and in the dirt, etc.  By the time we got home, it was already past nap time, but the kids (and I) were filthy, so I HAD to give them a bath first.  Typically after a bath, I dress Will in undies.  That's what I did this time...and then sent him to bed for 2 hours.  Um, he's not sleep potty trained yet.  He woke up screaming for me.  I go in there and he's completely naked and telling me there's pee pee everywhere.  He was right.  What a mess.  Hopefully, I won't make that mistake again.  DOH!

Organic Painting

Elizabeth has started a new thing.  Let's call it "organic painting."  It involves her hands, her diaper, and painting on every available surface imaginable (including her hair, clothes, toys, furniture, carpet, etc.).  I am not pleased with this new "ability."  We are being VERY vigilant with her diaper changes (we have a window of about 2 seconds after the deed).

Honestly, though, could you really get mad at that cutie girl?  We can't.  On a good note, she's talking up a storm (about 20 words) and she's identifying things in books, videos and the world around her.  It's very cute.

Meal Times

First off, let me say, I think for the most part I'm a good mother.  I spend time with my children.  We read together.  We do arts and crafts.  We run around and climb each other.  We listen to and sing to and dance to music (even real Classical music, too!).  They are bathed regularly.  I work on teaching them the fundamentals (like shapes, colors, the alphabet, etc.).  We pray every day and learn about God and Jesus.  They always have clean clothes.  Etc., etc., etc.

Here's one area I feel like a failure: EATING!  Will won't eat anything at all right now except open-faced peanut butter sandwiches, the occasional tomato or cucumber, and of course any kind of carb like crackers and junk food like cookies, chips, etc.  Where did I go wrong?  Since birth he had only breast milk.  Then I introduced veggies into his diet first (green beans because they're the least sweet).  He literally didn't have ANY sugary foods until the cake at his 1st birthday.  As he entered his second year, he loved vegetables and I strongly encouraged it.  I remember one time my mom offered him Jello and he cried because he wanted to eat his broccoli instead.  Fast forward to now.  Breakfast today: 1/2 container of YoBaby Yogurt (at least it has a lot of vitamins...even if it's higher in sugar than I'd like), 1/4 piece of whole grain raisin bread, 2 teeny tiny bites of scrambled eggs.  Lunch today: 1/2 open-faced peanut butter sandwich, grape tomatoes w/ Ranch, and a handful of pretzels (given after he ate all the tomatoes, sigh).  Dinner today: I think he ate three bites.  What was offered was some soy hamburger (he used to LOVE this), salad chopped up with a little Ranch dressing, and chopped, peeled apples.  What he did eat, I fished out of his mouth.  You see, he "chipmunks" food that he doesn't want to eat (and even some he really loves).  That means he chews it and then stores it in his cheeks without swallowing it.  I do NOT know how to break him of this habit.  I've tried a LOT of things, BELIEVE me!!!  Ok, re-reading this, it's not so bad exept dinner.  He won't eat ANYTHING for dinner.  He will only eat the yogurt and peanut butter.  I guess this is semi-normal?  I'm frustrated if you can't tell.

Each meal is a battle zone.  Will just sits there.  I have to say, "take a bite" every few minutes or he'll literally just stare into space.  Weird.  He loves drinking milk though.  I've scaled back on the amount I let him have (and we're on 2%), but if I cut it any more...I mean, he STILL doesn't weigh 30 pounds yet (29 at last well-visit exam).

Elizabeth has a good appetite...so far!  She's into trying to feed herself with a fork, which is a disasterous mess, but at least she'll eat right now.

PS-the peanut butter is natural, so no trans-fat, the bread is double fiber, whole wheat, and the yogurt is all organic...if that's all he'll eat, then THOSE will be semi-healthy.

Great Visit

I just got back from a visit to Texas to meet my brand new niece.  My brother and sister-in-law had their third child in late July, so I flew in for a (unfortunately) short visit.

I left on Friday 8/1 and got back Monday 8/4 (in the late evening).  I was even brave enough to leave Will and Elizabeth at home!!  They were in EXCELLENT care (my dad, my husband, and a good friend), but it's tough for a mother to leave her children!!  I missed them dearly.  I have to say, though, that it was great to get to be an "Aunt" to my nephews and niece.  I really got to spend good quality time with all of them.  I had a blast.

My new niece is beautiful and perfect.  She's strong and healthy and two weeks old.  My nephews were sweet and well-behaved.  The oldest turns 6 in a few months and the youngest boy is 2 years old.  I had a lot of fun playing with them, reading to them, giving them a bath, etc.

When I got home, even though Will & Elizabeth were already asleep, I had to sneak in and kiss them both.  We're back to regular schedule today!

Words

It's so much fun when your little one starts to communicate.

Elizabeth has learned a little sign language and uses it to indicate when she wants milk, to eat, or more.

She's also using some words consistently and for the most part correctly.  Now, all these words are said with her particular baby-speak dialect :)

1. Mama
2. Daddy
3. Uh-Oh!
4. Night Night
5. Bye-Bye
6. Book
7. Ball
8. Cracker (for all "dry" food)
9. Bear (for all stuffed animals)
10. Doggie
11. Circle
12. Bottle
13. Wow
14. Go

It's so fun to communicate with her finally.  I remember with Will that at about 16 months, he started adding words like CRAZY.  Now, if we can only get our 14 1/2 month old to WALK!!