Hannah Votes!

I took Hannah and Addi with me to vote today (despite the fact that I swore I would never vote again due to being called to Jury Duty next week) and it put voting for elections in a whole new light.

Our ballots, when viewed by a 3-year-old, are rather dull looking.

"Mommy, the names all look the same. How do you know which person to vote for? None of them have fancy writing."

Maybe she's onto something. Campaign managers should lobby to allow their candidates' names being written in glitter on the ballot to glam it up a bit. They'd get Hannah's vote!

"Mommy, what color of marker are you going to use to color in the circles? Why don't they have more colors than black? Can I draw on that piece of paper?"

On the way out, she told one of the election judges they needed to go to the store. "You only have black markers left!"

It also takes entirely too long to vote for all those positions.

"Mommy ... you already filled in a circle. Let's go get our sticker. I'm done already."

In the end, Hannah grudgingly used the monotonous black pen to fill in the circle next to Candidate H on the kid's ballot. She was relieved her ballot was at least printed on yellow paper. Still no glitter, but at least there was color!

The Bright Side of an Ear Infection

It dawned on me that Daylight Savings Time is just around the corner, and if things kept moving in the direction they have been lately, the girls would never be awake to see Jeff Monday through Friday. As it is, they have an early bedtime of 7 or 7:30, but there are days when we can barely make it to 6:30. No matter what we do to try to push it back, the girls push harder. Neither one of them is a fan of sleeping in, and we already fall FAR short of those stats on how many hours of sleep each one is supposed to get according to their age, so we just take what we can get.

But just when I had given up hope, Addi got an ear infection. While I was cursing the fact that my baby was sick, the sugar from her antibiotics and pain relievers sends her running laps around our kitchen at 8:30 at night!

What's more, the ear infection may have actually gotten two birds with one stone. Verdict's still out, but as of tonight, she doesn't want to nurse, so we may have pushed back bedtime AND weened all at the same time! As for Hannah, she will be an easy one to keep up later. If she knows Addi is awake, there's not a force in the world strong enough to make her go to bed first!

Even an ear infection can be positive!

Fire Safety Lessons from Hannah

It was Fire Safety Week at Hannah's nursery school last week. From songs about how you need to "stop, drop and roll," to art projects centered on fire safety, they covered it all, apparently. They ended the week with a visit from a local fire fighter, who let them climb aboard the truck, try on some gear, etc. John the Fireman even proclaimed all the kids Smoke Detector Inspectors, complete with a shiny gold sticker badge. The sticker was the highlight of Hannah's day! But it wasn't until today that I realized just how serious Hannah took her new job title.

I was getting ready to start lunch, but wasn't at the stove for more than 30 seconds before Hannah jumps up and runs over to me and begins the following conversation at a very loud decibel level.

H: MA MA, WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT!

Me: (gasp!) WHAT? What's wrong, Hannah?!

H: WATCH OUT, WATCH OUT - FIRE, FIRE!

Me: Oh Dear God!

(lots of arm flailing done by me)

Me: Wait ... what? Hannah, what are you talking about?

H: FIRE, FIRE!

Me: Hannah, there is no fire - please stop yelling!

H: But I'm a smoke defector ... FIRE! FIRE!

Me: (suppressed giggle) Do you mean a Smoke Detector Inspector?

H: That's what I said, Mom.

(brief pause as she seemingly scans the premises - looking for something. Anything. Then, suddenly ...)

H: WATCH OUT, WATCH OUT!!

Me: Hannah, you have got to stop yelling. There isn't even any smoke. Well, not yet anyway.

H: But you're cooking, Ma Ma!

(Now ... being that she's only 3 and may not completely understand what she's implying with that comment, I let it slide. Or maybe she did know what she was saying! Either way, I chose the high road ...)

Me: Hannah, there is no fire. The stove is hot, you're right. But there is no fire. It's OK ...

I was cut off. Hannah pulled me away from the stove with all her might and blurted out:

JUST STOP DROP AND ROLL, MA MA!!!

I'm trying not to take it personally! :)

Arithmetic for Babies

3 minus 1 does not equal 5. It also does not equal 6, or 7 or 8 for that matter.

I've been trying to explain this magical equation to Adelaide in hopes that we can cut back on the number of times she nurses a day. But, apparently subtraction is a bit too advanced for an 11-month-old. So rather than simply subtracting the afternoon time, she thinks we should add 3 or 4 more times in the middle of the night to help bring the answer back to its original sum. Can you say backfire? :)

But we are having some rather wild and crazy afternoons in an effort to distract her. I have learned that it's best not to sit down with her from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., or she rears back so she's lying down in my lap and starts flailing about so I am forced to pull her in close so she doesn't fall. Lesson #1: Close proximity = bad idea.

Her determination is admirable, however. She has begun to pick up a flare for drama, thanks to her older sister, so if she falls down or I take a toy out of her mouth, Adelaide can stick out her lip and have her eyes brimming with tears before she's even turned around to look at you. Yesterday, she thought she'd try throwing herself on the floor and burying her head in her hands while weeping. She was so convincing, I think she had Hannah taking notes. Lesson #2: Two dramatic girls in one house = one exhausted mom.

Needless to say, our household needs to work on our math. Addition is apparently easier than subtraction, for there are days when 3-1 = 4 and others when 3-1 = 7. But mostly, 3-1 = 3. Those studies you hear on the news about math scores dropping across the country must start at such an early age. It has to be her teachers, like all those well-informed parents tell Anderson Cooper or Amelia Santaniello. Oh wait ... I can't use that excuse yet! :)

Alas, she's due to wake up from her nap any moment now, so the art of distraction is about to begin. I wonder what equation we'll come up with today!

School Isn't for Mommies

We have learned a lot of new things these first couple days of nursery school: running isn't allowed, there is another girl named Hannah in her class, hopping on one foot isn't a prerequisite like Hannah thought it should be, and they have these very yummy snacks called donut holes - "and some are sprinkled with sugar, Ma Ma!" :)

However the most important lesson Hannah has learned, is that mommies and daddies don't come to school. This was something we talked about in depth (for both of our sakes!), but I think Hannah must have thought it only applied to other children. She, of course, would be exempt!

So on Tuesday, that fateful first day, a chord was played on the piano, and the older kids who attended this school last year began to say goodbye to their parents and take a seat on the rug to begin the day. I looked down at Hannah and she was stiff as a board, leaning slightly to the side so she was able to seek refuge behind my legs, yet keep everyone in her sight at the same time. (As a side note, I should say that I am truly amazed a teacher can play a simple chord on the piano, and upon hearing that chord, the mob of children drop what they are doing and go to sit on the rug quietly. Is it a magic piano? Does it release some sort of neuron gas that forces children to be cooperative? But most importantly ... why doesn't my piano work like that?!)

I took Hannah's hand and guided her to the rug, telling her she was going to have SO much fun ... bla ... bla ... bla. But Hannah wasn't listening to me and she could see straight through my blabbering. Her eyes and attention were glued to a little boy who was sobbing uncontrollably a few feet away. His mother had just left the room and a teacher was holding him, trying to comfort him. Hannah turns to me with big, pleading eyes and says,

"Mommy, I just want you to come with me."

I don't remember exactly what I said at this point. What with listening to the little boy's heart-wrenching whimpers and looking at Hannah's lip starting to quiver ... I was on thin ice myself.
Then, out of nowhere, a teacher swooped in, severed the bond between Hannah and I and practically boxed me out in a move that was reminiscent of high school basketball. She flashed a smile as she turned away, pulling my daughter with her, and said she would take it from here and I should join the parents downstairs for a quick meeting.

But ... But ...

Jeff started to tug at my sleeve, coaxing me to follow the group of parents walking out the door. But ... But ... I hadn't gotten a chance to tell Hannah I loved her for the 105th time! I didn't have a chance to reiterate for the 96th time that she was not to leave the building with anyone but me. I didn't get a chance to introduce her to the teacher who had swept her away ... and that makes her a stranger ... which then made me realize I never really finished our "don't talk to strangers" talk with Hannah, and ... oh ... there were just so many things I had to cram into those last few precious seconds of saying goodbye!

It's no wonder children cry when their parents leave! I was ready to shovel 15 life lessons down her throat and top it off with a few kisses and some "I love yous" in 10 seconds or less. Good grief!

But Hannah did great. Her teacher said she stood and watched everyone pretty much the whole time the first day, but by the second day, she had learned how to make stars out of Play-Doh. This apparently gave her just enough confidence to loosen up a bit and have some fun.

So with some extra snuggling and a promise of ice cream pie every night to celebrate, it seems our little girl can fly. Hopping on one foot may not be required as she thought it was, but I told her I thought maybe they saved that for Clown School! :)

A Whole New World - Addi Update

While I'm not about to break out into the Aladdin song with the same title, things are quite different around here, and it definitely makes me want to sing! Adelaide seems to have outgrown most of her intolerances (eggs, possibly soy, and preservatives being the only ones left right now), and she is finally sleeping through the night! Not having to get up 5 times a night and having some decent meals can do a LOT for a person!

Gone are the days spent scouring (and scowling at) recipes for something that could withstand upteen substitutions (not to mention my cooking), and it's been at least a few days since Hannah's put down her fork and said, "Ma Ma, this tastes like bugs," so there must be an improvement! Kudos to my mom for providing several recipes and making food that not only didn't taste like bugs, but was good! She even found and had a grocer order "butter" that had ingredients we could all pronounce, yet was still dairy, soy and preservative free! Who knew?!

Several months ago when it seemed everything under the sun was causing Addi problems, I would often dream about my first meal and all of the indulgences I would have once Addi stopped nursing. But since we've slowly been testing one item at a time and she's been handling it so well, my "one perfect meal" has been replaced with a month's worth of gluttony! Our family rarely eats out, and since December when Addi started having problems, it wasn't even an option. But we've hit the restaurant scene this past month like rock stars! It's been great knowing I don't HAVE to cook all the time!

But the other night when Hannah (who is also a devout ice cream lover) asked why we were having ice cream "again," I realized maybe I was going a bit overboard. But then again ... I have at least 8+ months of catching up to do, so maybe I'll just have to wait until she goes to bed ... then hit the freezer!

Whoooo hoooo!!!!!

Born to Run

Our little Addi is on the run! Perhaps from her sister, or maybe the dog ... maybe even the law someday, although we hope not! But she is moving those two feet of hers faster than anyone can get out of her way. Only her squeals of laughter precede her!

Although, like her older sister, I'm not quite sure it can be considered walking as she does it so quickly. In fact, when people ask when Hannah first started walking, I never really quite know what to say. She went from crawling to running, and at 3 years of age, we're still waiting for the day she starts walking. (the exception being when we need to go someplace in a hurry, and then Hannah can make a snail look fast.)

Between dodging Hannah who's continually flying around and the dog's tail that is at a killer height, it's kind of like watching Addi bounce around like a pin ball machine. But she doesn't seem to mind! On days when her big-butt diapers are in the wash and she's wearing skinny-butt disposables, she looks rather startled when she falls down and there's not 3 inches of padding protecting her, but even then she doesn't protest much. At least she's learned at an early age - you have to be kind of tough in this house to make it!

Now I definitely need to get a new pair of sneakers ...

Just Go, Ma Ma!

The other night, Jeff and I got to have a little date night ... alone ... without the girls! It was very exciting! No laughing - this was a big change for us. The girls come everywhere with us! Healthy or not ... it's just what works for us.

So I'm building it up with Hannah that afternoon about how she gets to go to Auntie Melanie and Uncle Burke's house and have dinner there ... all ... by ... herself! If she were older, I would add, "like OMG!" She immediately started picking out the dress she was going to wear, her necklaces that would adorn her neck, and instructing me on how she wanted her hair to be braided.

SOO not my child. :)

But a little bit of her girliness rubbed off on me, and while she was in quiet time and Addi was napping, I headed upstairs to fancy it up a bit myself. When Hannah came out of her room, she stopped and stared at me, mouth gaping open.

"What's on your eyes, Ma Ma? Why are you wearing earrings? Are you being ... fancy?"

I'm not sure mascara and a ponytail qualifies as fancy, but I didn't want to be even more of a disappointment to her, so I played along.

"It's just some make-up, Honey. I thought I'd get fancy, too!"

"But you're not going to Auntie Melanie's. Just Me and Adelaide. ALL ... BY ... OURSELVES. Not you."

Lest I should forget!

So the hour when Caleb and Melanie come to pick the girls up finally arrives and Hannah barely even turns around to wave goodbye to me. I tried to brush it off by finding the positive: she's getting to be such a big girl. We won't have any issues with nursery school in the fall. Look at her take charge - she'll be a strong leader someday!

But all through the movie, even walking past the storefronts after the movie, my arms felt awkward. They weren't carrying Addi or holding Hannah's hand. They were just ... empty! And they weren't doing anything! I tried putting my hands in my pockets in an effort to give them some sort of purpose. But then I thought if I tripped, the outcome would end very badly! Maybe the problem was that I was walking with a slight tilt as I didn't have Addi's weight holding one side of me down. But then I think I overcompensated and was leaning the other way. Nothing worked - it just felt dumb. Sad, I know! Especially when there are days when having empty arms is all I want!!

Somehow I managed to stumble to the restaurant without tripping over myself, and we sit down next to a table that has about 12-14 people sitting around it. Among them is a cute little girl who is prancing around on her tip toes, showing off a ring she borrowed from her mom on her tiny little finger. Her face was beaming!

She was Hannah with blond hair!

But one look at Jeff told me he didn't see the resemblance. Looking back on it, I think only a delirious mother who had just seen a very sappy movie and obviously needs to get out without her kids more would see any such resemblance! But then the little girl skips over to a little boy, leans over and starts whispering to him about the beautiful ring she is wearing. He looked to be about the same age as Addi.

That was it. I couldn't keep my eyes off of them for the rest of our meal! The mom must have noticed me ogling her children as she practically pulls her chair over to our table and starts chatting with us. Turns out both our kids were just a few weeks apart, and it was all I could do to keep from sweeping her two kids up in my arms!

Needless to say, the girls fared far better than I did on their adventure. Shocking, I know! :) While we were settling down for bed, Hannah and I were snuggling, and she turns to me and says,

"Ma Ma. I'm all done snugglin'. Just go."

Ouch. Two points for being blunt!
But I think that girl's on to something! If a little bling and make-up shocks her and I can't even make it a measly few hours without seeing my children in others ... I obviously need to just GO!