Maniacal Days

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Proof that the terrible twos are on the way...

My baby will soon be 21 months old, and there is already evidence that this once laid back, smiley, perfect little angel will not be coasting through his terrible twos without a lasting impression and having a little fun.

It began when screaming NO at the top of his lungs became funny.
Then we moved on to the very popular 'Fake Crying' to get what you want.
Accompanied by screaming "MINE! MINE!" whenever someone has something that he wants. Whether it is actually his or not is totally irrelevant.
Of course we can't forget picky eating habits! The child used to totally devour anything I put on his plate before I had a chance to cut Allie's up. Now, he picks through the food and throws whatever he doesn't feel like eating on the floor....to the delight of the cats!
When he doesn't want to go to sleep, he now knows how to talk enough to pull on your heart strings and whimper in his crib "I want my maamaaa......" *sniff *sniff*
To put the icing on the cake, the new favorite thing to say is "I NOT!" which of course means - I NOT listening to YOU mommy!!"

Of course not everything about twos is bad. In fact it's an adorable age. This is where they also learn that being cute is a totally asset to them and they should use it to their advantage whenever possible. For example:

Luke will randomly walk over to you with a huge smile on his face and outstretched arms and say: HUG! and give you a big hug....for no reason.
If he hasn't seen you in.....oh lets say a minute or two....he'll catch a glimpse of you and come running up to you like he hasn't seen you in months and go MAAAMAAAA!!!!! *SMILE* *HUG*
When you tell him that he can't do something he gives you what I affectionately call "The Big Black Eyes" and puts his cheek on his shoulder and gives you the sideways look as if to say: But....LOOK I'm cute!!! Does that change your mind?
He already knows how to get his sister in trouble! He is perfectly aware that if he is in the other room playing with her and he gives out a fake cry....that she will instinctively back away from him till he stops crying so that I wont go in there. And when it works...he gets a little evil smile on his face.
If it doesn't work, however, he's not against pushing her over. And since he's only 2 lbs lighter than her and about 5 inches shorter....that is NOT a problem.

Allie is going the be in trouble very soon. But me? I'm in trouble RIGHT NOW! lol

And if you think that he's growing up too fast...then check this out. Here is proof that he's already in training for being a MAN. This is how he watches TV. Lounging out shirt up and rubbing his belly. LMAO

All he needs is a beer!

Labels: Luke the Linebacker

Posted by Jenn :: 12:54 PM :: # 4 comments

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Friday, March 13, 2009

I'm constantly on the computer - why am I not posting?

I have no freaking idea? I think that maybe it has to do with no longer being able to speak in complete sentences that actual adults would like to read.....or even understand.

Following around two kids, one of which has the energy of well......a 3 year old....and the other who is suddenly a whirlwind of destruction, takes more energy than I have ever had. I've never really been the type of person who is the "GET UP AND GO!!!" type. I'm more of the "Lets hang on the couch and talk about it" type. So these kids take every ounce out of me. My brain on the other hand has never been as underused as it is now. LOL I'm all - DUH!

Which you can obviously tell by reading this post. Where was I? Oh right....no where. K. Bye now.

Labels: It's all about me, you wanted to be a mom

Posted by Jenn :: 6:56 AM :: # 4 comments

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Friday, December 19, 2008

Dora is teaching Luke how to talk.

Luke has a vocabulary of about 16 - 18 words now. I know I say it all the time but he is SO different from Allie. He quietly says stuff under his breath and your like - wait.....did he just talk? Allie on the other hand would flaunt every new skill she had to everyone she met. And she's still like that. Her favorite thing to say is: "Watch this!!"

I think the first time I realized that I needed to pay a little more attention to Luke's mumbling was during Dora.

They both watch Dora and then Diego before bed every night. Luke loves Dora. One night he's sitting there watching, and Dora asks: Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go? And Luke promptly replies MAP!!!! Plain as day. I perk up and go....did he just say "map"? So I go into the living room and listen. A couple minutes later Dora says to them: Say Backpack! And sure as shit he says: PAP PAK! I was totally astonished! About a week later, again during Dora while looking for swiper, she asks them: Do you see Swiper? Where? and Luke em phatically points at the screen and says: "RUT DAIR!!!!!!" (right there) Two words!! IN A ROW!!LOL And still every time something like that happens Mike and I still just look at each other in amazement.

Labels: Luke the Linebacker

Posted by Jenn :: 1:11 PM :: # 6 comments

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Sunday, October 26, 2008

One Liners

I've been playing with Facebook lately. Why? Because time constraints, or maybe it's short attention span, makes it easier to sum up my feelings in a one-liner than a whole blog post.

"Jennifer Maniacal is sick of being in charge"

A whole blog post could be written on how: Allie is driving me crazy testing her boundaries on every.single.solitary.thing. that I ask of her, and it's draining and taking a toll on me.

But it's much easier to pass by the computer and write that one line and be done with it. Plus now that a bunch of people I know read this blog, I end up with phone calls from people like - OMG are you ok???? *ick*

Tuesday's one-liner: "Jenn Maniacal finally went back to the gym last night after years of slacking."

That's a nice one that is a title to a post about how good it felt to go to the gym again after so long. How I wasn't even sore the next day and can't wait to go back. But also has an underlying thought in it about how I wish I was able to make it part of my daily routine, as easy as I used to be able to, instead of barely being able to make it once a week. Especially now that I need it more than ever.

"Jenn Maniacal is cleaning"

ALL THE EFFING TIME, and yet still has a messy house. Which makes her not want to do it anymore.

Future one-liners:

Jenn Maniacal can't seem to find balance.

Jenn Maniacal is sick of hearing the word Daaaadyyyyyy every time Allie doesn't like what she says.

Jenn Maniacal makes pretty cute kids. =o)

Labels: you wanted to be a mom

Posted by Jenn :: 8:49 PM :: # 5 comments

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Monday, September 29, 2008

This is me NOT working

I always think it's funny when people say to me: Are you still not working?
I start by saying
"Yea" and then correct myself....
"Wait scratch that....I'm working three jobs. Just none of them are 9 - 5."

In the morning at 7am my neighbor walks her two kids (boy 6, and girl 4) to my house. I feed all 4 kids breakfast, breakup the "NO I had that FIRST" squabbles between the 4 year old and Allie, walk everyone to the bus stop for the 6 year old's 8:30 bus. Then hop in the car and drive the 4 year old to preschool by 9am.

Then job #2, I go back home and clean up the mess in my house that somehow 4 kids can make in 2 hours, then put Luke down for a nap, do some sort of project or game with Allie. Luke wakes up, everyone gets lunch, then both the kids play for a bit while I eat lunch. Then I try and play with them for a bit, clean or do laundry, and then Luke goes down for his second nap. While he is sleeping I set up Allie with something to do (or TV) and attempt to figure out dinner.

Once Mike gets home I show him what's for dinner and then I leave for job #3 (2 - 3 days a week) and go to my parents house to do wedding flowers till midnight. I get home around 12:30 - 12:45 and start all over again.

HA so yea....that's me NOT working!!!
Goin to the office was MUCH easier.

Although, that all being said, I still like being home with the kids.
It's just not a walk in the park.

Labels: A Day in the Life, you wanted to be a mom

Posted by Jenn :: 8:49 AM :: # 4 comments

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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Not a baby

My baby is officially not a baby. *sigh* How did such a thing happen? A whole year just flew by in the blink of an eye! Wow.

Luke turned one year old this week. He is now officially no longer an infant. He's crawling, finally. He's starting to talk, which still amazes me. He's like a little person. I, however, am in disbelief.

The frail little baby that I had to bring back to the hospital only a couple of days after bringing him home, to ensure he was gaining weight and getting stronger, is now crawling all over my house pointing at everything that catches his eye and saying: Book - ah?

He's not only NOT a baby, but he's huge! He's wearing 24 months, he's getting all these adorable curls all over his head, and he probably weighs the same as Allie, who is going to be three in a week.

We originally had some concerns about him not crawling, but he's a crawling maniac now. I was giving him till his first birthday to crawl, before starting PT, and about a week or two before his birthday he perfected it. He crawled just like he does everything else: He's in no rush, he's laid back, he's happy, he goes with the flow, he smiles through life.

I've been neglecting this blog. Everyday I have posts written in my head, but they never make it here. For some reason, by the time I get on the computer my brain is so fried that I can't write anything. I'm lucky if I can check email and facebook. LOL I've mostly felt bad about this because I have neglected keeping tract of Luke's first year on this blog...or at all, actually. With Allie, I wrote every day, every first was documented. Every feeling contemplated.

Here's the reason, or excuse, however you want to take it. With Allie, I wasn't there. Everyday I was at work, missing everything, and most of all missing her. So the only way that I could keep connected to her, is by using my lunch break to write about what was going on with her that day. It kept me feeling connected. With Luke, I'm here! I'm witnessing every day of him growing and changing, so the NEED to document it isn't there.

It's sad kinda, sad that it's not documented anyway, but happy! So here's the documentation: Luke is a year old! He's smiley. He's laid back. He finally started crawling about two weeks before his first birthday, and will probably be walking in a month or two. Besides "ma ma" and "da da" he says "book(ah)", "more", "no", and "boo". He's trying to say Allie (aahhh EE), Thank You (annn ooh), Elmo (BA MO), Bus (baaah...??), and Luke (ook)! He's a mama's boy, and is very attached to me. The only person that he will willingly go to regularly is Mike. He'll go to other people, but as soon as he sees me, he's lunging out of thier arms for me.

which...I may kick myself for saying this one day...but for now...I kinda enjoy. *smile*

Labels: A Day in the Life, Luke the Linebacker

Posted by Jenn :: 9:17 PM :: # 3 comments

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Things...

Things I know.

Allie is adorable. Everyone we meet tells me the same thing. She's gorgeous. She's got beautiful eyes, hair, skin, etc. All I keep doing is looking at her and thinking....oh man.....all the boys are gonna think the same thing. I need to get Mike some Valium starting now.

Luke is huge! Also everywhere I go people are shocked by Luke's age and how chunky he is. At last weigh in he was 26 pounds. He's 9 months and he wears size 18 months. Allie is 2.5 yrs and is 29 pounds and can also wear 18 months in some things.

My arm and back are broken from carrying that chunker around. I swear I think I might need surgery on my right arm....and I'm not even kidding.

Thinks I don't know.

When Luke is going to crawl! Or walk! Or SOMETHING that makes him mobile so I don't have to lug his ass around all the time!!! Cause seriously!!!! OUCH!

How much longer I'm going to be able to stand potty training before I crack and just let her wear diapers (oh wait excuse me - PULL UPS - I get in trouble when I call them diapers. But ummm yea.....SAME DAMN THING!!) **UPDATE** I've cracked while waiting for this post to come out of my drafts....new post to follow.

WHY I ever bought that first bag of Pull Ups. CURSE THAT DAY!!! If your reading this and you have a child under the age of potty training age...DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT ever buy Pull Ups!! They create a dependency for your toddler. They still can go potty in them but they still think that they are big! It's pretty much a horrible idea and it fucks up your potty training royally!

Things I wish I didn't do.

Wait to potty train Allie. She was ready at 20 months and I just let it slide. I was really pregnant at the time and didn't realize that I let the perfect age for training just slip through my fingertips. The older they are the more attitude you get and they more it becomes a power struggle. 2.5 yrs is mentally probably the worst age to train them to do anything. Cause if YOU want them to do it. They "don't wanna!!!!!"

Things I heard but didn't really know.

That boys are rougher than girls. I've heard this, but I'm not really sure that I grasped it completely. Luke is 9 months old and ALREADY he's rough! He pulls mine and Allie's hair all the time. Like ALL DAY. And not like he's playing with your hair and accidentally pulls it. NO. This child pulls your hair ON PURPOSE! He reaches for it...gets a nice big handful and practically lurches his whole body to pull it as hard as he can. Then when he gets the *OWW* reaction....he giggles. Then does it again. If I say NO! He also giggles. Considering he pulls Allie's hair like 10 or more times a day, she is really good with him. She turns around and says NO!! and then kisses him. Then cries to me. I'm waiting for her to whack him one. And I'm not sure I can yell at her that much for doing it either.

That potty training is hard.

Things I worry about.

Is Luke delayed? He can sit up. He can pick up little things with his fingers. Transfer them from one hand to another. He babbles up a storm. He's finally rolling over regularly at 9 months. He doesn't even want to crawl really. He doesn't eat any finger foods. I hate to compare him and Allie but she's all I know.....and she was crawling, rolling, walking with help, and eating like a champ by herself already!

Money, now that I'm not working. And stress on Mike for being the sole breadwinner.

Everyone in the family's health. It's so weird how this happens to you all of a sudden, but for one reason or another I worry about everyone in this house's health.

If we are going to make it to start preschool in October. 2 reasons: We need to be able to afford it, and Allie actually needs to be totally potty trained by October 1st.

Labels: A Day in the Life, you wanted to be a mom

Posted by Jenn :: 9:55 PM :: # 10 comments

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