Mermaids

My girls are fish! They just can't get enough of swimming. I haven't had a chance until now to take them and do they LOVE it. Last summer we did the splash park circuit and a wading pool once but a pool is entirely something more fun. They just don't know how to swim yet!

We stayed overnight at a hotel while our house was being packed and the girls wanted to swim the entire time. They would have slept in the pool if they could. Madeleine thinks she can do it all on her own and always wants me to let go of her. She wanted to be in the pool so bad, Madeleine freely jumped from the stairs into 3 ft while I was still standing in it. She had no problems going under. She was watching me teach Olivia this but I had no idea she'd be ready to try it! And if I wasn't already amazed at her drive to be in the water, she and Olivia both crawled along side the pool with their arms while floating their bodies in the water. Fish I tell you, fish. Or mermaids as they prefer.

Needless to say, we have joined the Y and the girls are signed up for swim lessons. So if you're looking for us this summer, check the pool first.

Sibling Rivalry

Little terrors I have! Bundles of energy bursting to run, jump, play, sing, dance...you name it, they're doing it. Chay came home from work today asking what they were on. Who knows but whatever it is, I want some. I'm totally burned out by the time Chay gets home every day and if I could just get some of that natural adrenaline, I'd be set!

Olivia & Madeleine have been fighting nonstop. Hitting each other and just bugging each other just to get a rise. Sometimes they hit and mean it and sometimes they hit and then I hear laughter. I've tried timeouts and I've tried letting things go. Neither are working! Both take their turns instigating but mostly I hear Olivia crying for something and Madeleine's feet quickly running away. (She's real quick!) Madeleine's not afraid to hit back and she usually has to have the last move.

I can only imagine the squabbles in 10 years!

Goodbye Chicago :(

We are officially moved to Sheboygan Falls. I'm working on the unpacking but at least everything is here. We left an empty house in Chicago last Wednesday and although it was only a year and a half, I wasn't quite ready to leave.


I am just a city girl, through and through. When we left Madison, we were both ready for a change and a larger city. While we were in Chicago, we did take advantage of the museums, the aquarium, Navy Pier and downtown whenever we could. And of course the shopping! (Okay, that last statement only applies to me.) All the same, it's not as though we're moving to a desolete area where there will be nothing but I guess since it's not a hop, skip and walk away anymore it'll just take extra effort to get places and do things. Milwaukee is close enough and Chicago is only 2 1/2 hours away. Plus May, Dan & Daniel are there and our kids can't seem to get enough of each other!

Besides the city change, it was incredible to see our entire life boxed up. I'm fortunate the relocation provided packers because if it were up to me, I'd probably still be packing. I'm sure I would have stopped for every little thing and reminsced about something or other... Maybe I'm more sentimental because of all the memories of Madeleine & Olivia. First crawl, first walk, first potty training.... lots of firsts in Chicago. Anyhow, I now have the long road of unpacking and sorting.

I wish I could say the only thing we did last week was move but no, we returned to Falls only to pack up and spend Memorial weekend in Lacrosse. Yes, we were in Chicago for a week, spent a night in Falls and then packed up again for the long weekend. Goodness, I'm tired of traveling!

Now that the end is here, I can't believe I did it for soooo long! I really don't know how I did it. During our many car-rides, Chay and I were talking about all the drives I've made by myself over the last year with the girls. So many miles we've driven and so happy that that chapter is closing.

Birthdays All-Around

It was a jammed weekend that passed too quickly. Saturday afternoon we had Madeleine's birthday party and then Sunday morning we went to a friend's birthday party. Between family visiting and packers arriving this morning, I barely slept to get everything done!

Madeleine's party was jumpin'. Both she and Olivia seemed overjoyed with all their friends and cousins running and chasing. If you'd ask who's birthday it was, she's shout "My birthday!" Cake, frosting and candles made her day.

Sunday we was our first trip to Morton's Arboretum. I'm sad we never went before. It's a great place for kids. Olivia and Madeleine had a blast catching tadpoles, playing in water fountains and climbing through rope bridges. There's so much to explore there, we didn't get to it all.

My girls finally caught up on sleep this afternoon. They both napped at the same time for 2 1/2 hours. All the running and sugar finally caught up with them. I have yet to catch up on sleep. But wait, as parents we never catch up!

Wanting to go home

It's silly that I'm packing up from our new home for a week's stay at our old home. This will be our last trip as when we come back, we'll be coming back with all our stuff. I miss having everything I need and the girls miss all their stuff. Although I know none of their stuff is as precious as being in one place with Chay.


Every day Olivia says she wants to go home. And when I respond, "We are home Olivia", she gets the biggest smile on her face. Olivia's been adjusting as best she can but she's still quite not sure if this is really going to be our new home. She asks every day so just she can get the reassurance that "Yes, we are staying here and staying with Daddy."

Wash & Dry

My Mother's Day gift is a new washer & dryer. Both of necessity and extra splurge to get a front-loading set rather than the standard top-loader. We've had our washer & dryer since '02 (which really isn't that long) but if there's a possibility of renting our house, we'll need to leave something behind. And since we didn't buy anything new 2 years ago when we moved, now is a perfect time. Although with the choices now days, it might just be easier to keep our old set.

The two stores to shop are Sears & Best Buy, neither of which I'm a fan. Fortunately, I did my research online which saved me time and confusion at the store. I decided on an LG set. Not the brandnew steamwash (although it would have been nice), I couldn't justify spending $2400 not to mention Chay's reaction. So of course after delivery & installation I was very excited to try out my new washer & dryer yesterday. Too bad the builder didn't finish hooking up the water hoses to the laundry room!

I guess I'm headed to the laundromat tomorrow or Monday. Anyway you look at it, it's a depressing thought that I'm excited to do laundry.

Weak Moment

Alright, so obviously this morning I was very frustrated with Olivia and was grasping for anything to help me through the moment. As it turned out, our new pediatrician called today to check on Madeleine so I asked about a psychologist referral and she reassured me that I was doing everything right as a parent and to wait it out a while longer. We're still transitioning between homes and I just need to reassure Olivia that this is our home, we're all together as a family and we're staying right here with Daddy. The pediatrician links Olivia's behavior to all this change we're going through. Olivia's just really in-tune with everything around her and she's also a 3 year old. Give it some more time and we can re-evaluate in a couple months if things don't improve...

That being said, moving on to next hurdles.

Tantrums

Olivia just cannot get over things.

I really hope that this is just a toddler phase. The littlest things set her off and then she cannot get past it. Today, after she went potty I accidently flushed the toilet and she had a fit for 45 minutes! Nothing could console the fact that I flushed away her pee. She wanted me to bring it back. Then she proceeded to sit on the toilet until she could pee again. (Which obviously didn't happen.) This upset her even more and the session started all over again. The crying, the pleading to bring back her pee and that SHE wanted to flush it. 98% of the time I can remember and let her flush. But sometimes when she walks away and I flush, she absolutely freaks out! I've tried explaining to her (as rationale as I can be) and she doesn't want any of it.

This just doesn't happen with potty time. If I forget to let her open or close the garage door, I zip her jacket without letting her finish, putting her jacket on without holding her shirt sleeves....you would think I could just repeat the same process and let her do it that time. Nope. That doesn't work either. Usually after an hour, she'll eventually stop her tantrum. But many times throughout the day she'll repeatedly say "I wanted to flush" or in the middle of the night she'll wake up asking for her turn or whatever upset her.

Now really, is this normal? I really, really, really try to have as much patience as I can. But when she gets into these "sessions", there's no stopping her. No calming her down. Nothing. I just don' t know what to do.

Her last pediatrician suggested a psychologist. At first I was taken aback but after a year of these tantrums and no improvements, I think I'm ready to try that route.

Happy Birthday Madeleine!

Happy 2nd Birthday Madeleine! (....aaaahhh, so little 730 days ago)

We are in Chicago for the weekend and had a small celebration. Dora cupcakes and a new tricycle. Can't get much better than that. I can't believe she's two already. I don't think she can either. Such a big girl with potty training and talking and counting and jumping...oh the joys of being 2.

Happy Birthday Madeleine. Love, Mommy