Fiesta Part II: Siete de Mayo

Jim's birthday falls on May 7, close enough to Cinco de Mayo for me to seize the opportunity to throw another Fiesta-themed party. Since we hosted another fiesta in recent memory, I wanted to change up the decorations a bit.

I went to Michael's and picked up some cheap silk flower bouquets ($3.50/bundle) and colorful flowerpots ($3.99). Using wire clippers, I clipped off the stems to separate the bundles and then mixed up the flowers to make the arrangements more festive. I cut some floral foam to size (leftover from another project), and inserted the flowers into the foam. Voila - four floral arrangements in about 20 minutes. I prefer to use fresh flowers or plants, but I liked the idea of doing something a bit kitschy for the fiesta theme.

Jump Around

I posted this on Facebook, but I'm "cross-posting" in a more permanent place so I can refer back to it when I need a laugh.

Accomplishments

Go me

Like every other mom out there, I'm always juggling a zillion different things. Between managing multi-million dollar projects at work, raising two girls that keep me on my toes, squeezing in marathon training (yeah, putting it out there so I can't back out, I'm going to do another full), I've always got the little nagging in the back of my mind that one of the balls is going to drop. I certainly feel like a complete hack most of the time.

But some days...some days I feel like I've Got It Together. This morning we got out of the house 20 minutes earlier than we normally do (i.e., actually on time). Good thing, because when I got in my car it started making all sorts of noises and flashing dire alerts that my rear tire pressure was low. I calmly went back into the house to grab some quarters, drove slowly to the gas station (yay for run-flats!), aired up my tires, and figured out how to reset my tire pressure monitor. All by myself.  With no tears or cursing as per my normal modus operandi. Today, I am a rock star. It's the little things, people.

Girls update

Reese had a great checkup, and she is 50% in both height and weight. Her dentist appointment last week was good as well; she had no cavities and her permanent molars are starting to work their way out according to the dental x-rays.

Sprinkle was 75% in height and 80% in weight. Her pedi said it's really around 2 or so where you can start making assumptions about adult height based on percentiles, but her guess is that Madeleine will end up taller than Reese. She said the hair pulling is not atypical toddler behavior, and we just need to redirect her if it happens. The hair pulling has actually decreased over the past two weeks, so I'm hoping it's just a phase. She also said we can start trying Miralax since the dietary changes haven't helped. It's a non-stimulant and really, she could take it every day forever if necessary according to Dr. Filak. Obviously I prefer her system to start regulating itself better, but it did make me feel better that there aren't negative side effects. She said we'd have to titrate, but start with 1/4 dosage for now. (Side note: Who tells someone they need to titrate? Do I look like a geek?  I mean, yeah, I did know what she meant, but still... Oh, fine, whatever!)

We officially switched to Dr. Filak as the girls' primary pediatrician. She's another doctor in the practice as the girls' original pediatrician, Dr. Alley. I love, love Dr. Alley, but as Reese has gotten older, I started to think that she might be more comfortable in the preteen/teen years with a female doctor. We had seen Dr. Filak on several occasions when Dr. Alley didn't have an opening, and both girls adore her. I like her straight-forward but relaxed bedside manner, too. So, we made the switch.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also took Sprinkle to a pediatric opthamologist this week. She confirmed that Sprinkle's pseudo-strabismus is indeed pseudo. They dilated her eyes to check her eyes/retina, and everything looks good. Her occasional cross-eyed look has gotten a lot better since I made the appointment almost three months ago, but I figured since I had the appointment I might as well go to clear up any doubt. She showed me some pictures of strabismus vs. pseudostrabismus in children and pointed out the same tip Rachele had told me about (if the flash is centered on the pupil and symmetrical in both eyes, it's not strabismus).

Friday tear-jerker

This one's sweet and not gut-wrenching :)

To Haiti With Love

Not a whole lotta

Blech

I've been fighting a cold for about a week now. Besides that being sick sucks in and of itself, I've only been able to run once since my 12-miler a week and a half ago. I'm in taper mode, so at this point I don't have to get major mileage in, but it makes me nervous to not be able to run as much as I had planned right before a race.

Jim booked a day at the spa for me on Saturday (for Valentine's) - brownie points for him for actually booking the services rather than giving me a gift certificate. Don't get me wrong, I love the GC's, but I get so busy I often don't get around to scheduling appointments. I felt good enough to actually enjoy the treatments, but by evening I was pooped.  We had to cancel the dinner reservations Jim had made, so hopefully we can reschedule that soon.

Happy New Year!

Jim and I spent the afternoon with my parents and sisters on Sunday. We had traditional Banh Tet, which I love. It's really only eaten really once a year (though you can buy them yearlong at some Vietnamese grocers/delis), so I stuffed myself silly. I'm 9 lbs down from my Christmas weight high, and I think I ate that all back in one day. Oh well, once a year, right?

Yeah, she's our kid

A while back, Jim did a really cool setup in Reese's bunk bed with some extra rope lighting. She sleeps in the bottom bunk now since she can drape a blanket from the top bunk to make a clubhouse. Jim threaded the rope lighting underneath the top bunk mattress and attached it to a Christmas light clicker. I have to admit, even I like to hang out in her clubhouse.

Unfortunately, after bedtime she'll turn on the lights and read. We'll see a glow of light underneath her door and walk in to bust her; she's like a deer in the headlights with a pile of books next to her and one in her hands. It's hard to get mad at her since Jim and I did the same thing as kids, and she sees us reading all the time. I had read (LOL) at some point that children seeing their parents read and having books around the house is as much of an influence as reading to them. If that's the case, she's definitely got a lot of environmental influence.

While it tickles us that she "inherited" our love of reading, we've got to deal with the constant rule-breaking and resulting sleepy/cranky kid the next morning. We're okay with her reading for 20-30 minutes in bed after we finish reading her official bedtime story, but we'll find her up at 9 or 10 sometimes when we've clearly said "lights out".

After several days of threats to do so, Jim had to take her lights out last night. Sadness all around. It sucks being a parent sometimes, but a parent's gotta do what a parent's gotta do...

Appointments

I'm taking the girls to the pedi this afternoon for Reese's 5 year checkup and Sprinkle's 15-month. The pedi also wants to see Sprinkle for her hair pulling as well as her constant constipation. We've cut back her milk and added prune juice and prunes to her diet, but it's not helping too much. She'll have a day or two of good BM's, but then she'll go two days without one and really, really has to strain when that happens. She eats a pretty varied diet with plenty of veg and fruit, so it's perplexing that this is still an issue after the milk reduction (which she was definitely getting too much of.)   I'm hoping the pedi has advice other than going with Miralax.

Miscellaneous Monday - 2/8

Cleaning/Organizing

Didn't put together a To Do list this week again. I think I'm going to start a master list as RHG suggested and pick one or two things to do while I get over the hump a really busy period the next month (lots of personal things planned plus work). Jim cleaned out the office this weekend and got 90% of it cleaned out, so that's taken one of the tasks that have been nagging me off the list. It actually looks like a room again and not like a storage unit!

Run

I did my second long run, 12 miles, in my new shoes, and overall it was a really good run. I can tell I'm still adjusting to the new shoes/form because I have weird spots that bother me during the run, but I'm attributing them, for now, to just needing to break in the shoes. It's three weeks until the half-marathon, and I've started my taper. Next week I only have to do 8 miles and 6 after that - woohoo!

Trichotillomania?

About a month ago or so, I noticed that Sprinkle would grab at her hair when she was tired/falling asleep in her crib. I didn't really think too much of it until this weekend when I noticed that her hair is thinner in the front (where she grabs at it). I didn't make the connection with the hair pulling until she started doing it in front of me. If I tried to stop her, she would do it even more, so I just tried to redirect her. That worked pretty well, so I asked her teachers to look out for this and do the same. I meant to call the pediatrician today but didn't get a chance to. I have to admit I'm a little bit worried because I have a family history of OCD (true, clinical OCD and not my OCD-like quirks). Hopefully it's just a toddler habit that can be broken.

Party

My friend Fowler and I are planning a John Hughes Tribute slumber party in March (adults only). How fun is that? Stay tuned for a post-party "entertaining ideas" post.

Friday Tear Jerker

A friend shared this post with me. One of the most beautiful, gut-wrenching, moving birth stories I've ever read.

My takeaway...choose joy.

Break!

I know you've been waiting with baited breath for this week's To Do list, so I am sorry to disappoint, LOL.

I realized Sunday night that I was pooped! It's been so hectic the last few weeks with social commitments, kids' activities, etc. that I was almost too busy to realize that I was on the brink of feeling overwhelmed. So recognizing that, I decided to take a break this week and not put anything on my To Do list nor commit us to anything over the weekend.

We just kicked off a new project at work, so things are starting to get pretty fast and furious, so the timing of my break is perfect. It's nice to be able to go home and just. breathe.

Life is good!

Miscellaneous Monday - 1/25*

Simplify/Organize To Do

I didn't do so hot on my list last week and didn't get to laundering/packing outgrown clothes and cleaning the office closet.   We had such a crazy busy weekend, I just didn't have the time (or energy) to tackle them.  Oh, well, I feel like I'm making some sort of progress, 15 minutes at a time, so I think the system is working for me.  This week:

• Monday, Jan. 25 - check out medicine cabinets in kitchen and bathrooms and toss old meds
• Tuesday, Jan. 26 - Pack up borrowed infant seat & baby outfit to mail to A (will probably get mailed next week)
• Wednesday, Jan. 27 - Find 5 items in the house I don't need/haven't used in a year and put in donation box
• Thursday, Jan. 28 - Go through piles of magazines and books in bedroom and recycle/put in library as applicable
• Friday, Jan. 29 - clean out "junk" cabinet (appliance garage to the left of fridge)
• Saturday, Jan. 30 -  Organize office closet
• Sunday, Jan. 31 - Launder/pack outgrown clothes

Supper Club

On Saturday, we went to a Cajun-themed supper club dinner.  So fun - great company and yummy food.  Can't beat that!  The host did a crawfish boil, and we also had gumbo, dirty rice, crawfish pies, maque choux, and of course, a king cake for dessert.  I love Cajun food, and since I don't eat it often, I never get sick of it.  We have two upcoming trips to New Orleans (February and March), so I'm getting a couple of fixes in soon.  Jazz brunch here I come!

Weekend at Ong Ngoai and Ba Ngoai's

Well, technically, just an overnight.  The girls stayed with my parents while we were at supper club (which typically involves alcohol, so we plan on sleepovers for the girls on supper club nights.)   My parents think Sprinkle is the greatest thing since sliced bread, so Reese has been feeling a little put out since she is...sliced bread.   It's been a bit of a vicious cycle of her getting less attention, causing her to act whiny/needy, in turn causing my parents to think she's being whiny and needy, so they up the ante on talking about how great Sprinkle is, so she feels put out and acts needy...sigh.   I mentioned it to my dad, so they made a point of paying a little more attention to her and not just negatively reacting to her neediness by spending more time with Sprinkle (oh, how do I explain the logic of Asian parents???)  They said she acted great this weekend, and she reported she had a great time and wanted to stay longer, so I'm glad I mentioned it. 

On Sunday morning, my parents took Reese and Sprinkle to a little pond near there house so that Reese could fish and Sprinkle could feed the ducks.   Reese caught her first fish!  I can't wait to get the pics from my dad.  I used to go fishing with my dad every weekend when I was younger, so it's neat that the tradition has extended to another generation.     They gave bread to Sprinkle to feed the ducks, and that went about how I expected - Sprinkle shaking her fist at the ducks, yelling "no, no!" and eating the bread herself. 

Speaking of fish, Sprinkle learned "ca" this weekend.   If you ask her about "ca," she can repeat it and point towards the huge man-eating fish my parents have in their living room.   I wonder if she knows "ca" just means "fish" and not huge man-eating fish.  Or fish tank, for that matter, LOL.

 Run

This weekend's long run was 12 miles.  It was a really beautiful day on Sunday, almost perfect for a run (I could have dealt with a little less wind and maybe 10 less degrees, but I can't really complain.)   I was feeling pretty good up until about mile 10, but the last couple of miles just sucked.  I didn't carry enough water to compensate for the extra two miles and the slightly warmer condition (high 60's), so I was feeling completely dehydrated on top of just simply fatigued.   I ended up having to take a few walk breaks (totalling 3.5 minutes), which was a bummer.   Psychologically I like being able to run the entire workout, even though I end up finishing in the same time because the little rest allows me to run stronger.  Jim switched to 5-1 running last year, and he's much faster doing 5-1 than doing straight running (and now faster than me.  There, I said it.)

I also picked up a pair of Newton Motion Stability Trainers.   They're designed to optimize mid/forefeet heel strikes (which in turn allows you to run faster with less effort).  I can't wait to road test.  They felt great (and super light) on my short treadmill run, but I'm eager to see how they perform in real world conditions.

*Yes, I know it's Tuesday.  Do I get credit for starting this post on Monday?

Miscellaneous Monday, Week of 1/18

Simplify/Organize To Do List

I did pretty good with last week's list.  The only task I didn't fully complete was putting up the Christmas decor, but that's 99% done. This week's list:

• Monday, Jan. 18 - Drop off donation items at Second Blessings
• Tuesday, Jan. 19 - Pack up last of the Christmas décor (nutcrackers and snow globes)
• Wednesday, Jan. 20 - Take pictures/post elliptical on Craigslist (now that I'm running, I don't use the elliptical at home, and we need to make room for Jim's pull-up station)
• Thursday, Jan. 21 - cull through Sprinkle's closet for outgrown clothes
• Friday, Jan. 22 - cull through Reese's closet for outgrown clothes
• Saturday, Jan 23 - launder and pack outgrown clothes
• Sunday, Jan. 24 - organize the closet in the office (and start donation box for office supplies)

Vanguard Testing

Reese is scheduled for Vanguard (G&T) testing this Saturday.  If she qualifies for Vanguard based on the test, then she'll be put in the lottery system for a spot in the schools to which we've applied.   A bit nerve wracking - even if she "passes" the test, it's no guarantee she'll get in anywhere.  Our Plan B is to go to our original Plan A - move so that we're zoned to the schools we like (which if you want to be technical about it, was actually our Plan B to the first Plan A - sending Reese to private school.)    I hate that getting into the program is based on one test rather than yearlong observation/assessment, but I understand the need for it for the initial kindergarten entry.  In SBISD (the school district we had considered moving to), G&T students aren't identified until 1st grade which makes more sense sense as the children can be observed during kindergarten.

Run

This weekend's long run was 10 miles.  It was not as easy as my previous 9 mile run, but I was able to keep my (slow as molasses) pace, so I guess I should be happy about that.   I'd love to be faster, but at this point, I'm just trying to get my endurance back up. 

I was having some hip and knee pain during part of the run, but it seemed to work itself out eventually.   I went to the chiropractor today, and  I think I'm going to make it a standing appointment after every long run for a while. I don't know how much it's helping, but it certainly feels good.  Dr. Darla does massage and stretching in addition to the adjustment, and I leave feeling much better.

Simplify & Organize

Over the past year or so, we've been doing a lot better about simplifying and getting rid of things we don't need,  but we still seem to be overwhelmed with Stuff and Clutter. I keep putting organization off for the weekend, but there never seems to be enough time.


I think this is going to one of those eat-an-elephant efforts, so with that said, I'm going to make a list of daily tasks for myself. They'll be small manageable things (10-15 minutes on weekdays), and I'm going to do this for the next month or two to see how much headway I make.


This week's list (starting mid-week, no time like the present!)

• Wednesday, Jan. 13 - Repack girl's annual crystal ornaments
• Thursday, Jan.14 - Pick 5 clothing items from my closet and add to Jim's donation box
• Friday, Jan 15 - Pick 3+ pairs of shoes from my closet to donate
• Saturday, Jan 16 - Work with Reese to fill one large box for toy donation, finish packing up remaining Christmas decor and move to attic
• Sunday, Jan 17 - Sort, file/trash the paperwork in the "miscellaneous mail/paper drawer (aka,where bills and other important things go to die)
• Monday, Jan 18 - Drop off donations at Second Blessings (charity thrift store by my office). I plan on doing this every week or two and dropping off small amounts as we go through the things we don't need.

I know, the list seems so pathetically unambitious, but one little bite at a time, right?  I get stressed enough about the clutter, so I don't need to add the stress of a big To Do list on top of it.  Wish me luck! 

Fireflies

We like to listen to Pandora at dinner, and sometimes we'll all dance together afterwards.  Tonight, Reese's favorite song Fireflies came on, and I got her on video singing along (apologies in advance for my crappy video-taking).



*note:  Sprinkle is not wearing clothes because we had barbecue for dinner.

Miscellaneous Monday

Baby, the Original

I was looking through old posts and came across this old video of Reese. She was a few month shy of three in this video.  So sweet! It was nice to watch this again, and it totally brought a tear to my eye because now she's a worldly 5-year-old.   Seriously, sometimes I feel like I have a pre-teen/teen living my house!

It also reminds me I need to do a 5-year birthday post for her.  I was a month late posting about Sprinkle's birthday, so I have some time.  I mean, I don't want to show favoritism towards one by posting about her birthday sooner ;-)

Run, Vy, Run

I started running again about two months ago.  I had, for all intents and purposes, stopped running for about a year and a half;  I completed the Houston Chevron Marathon in January 2008 and became pregnant with Sprinkle in February 2008.  I ran a few times the early part of my pregnancy, an after her birth, I jogged a handful of times.    I don't especially enjoy running, but I love how I feel when I'm running consistently and how I feel when I've completed a run.   It was hard to get started back up again, so I decided to sign up for a race to motivate myself to train.   My long runs are up to 9 miles now, and I feel good.  Running seems to be easier this go around even though I'd stopped for so long, and I think the strength training I've been doing must be helping.

I had originally planned to do the Austin Half on Feb. 14, but  some good friends invited Jim and me to run the New Orleans Rock & Roll Half Marathon with them Feb. 28.  We're all staying at a B&B  and making a weekend of it - I can't wait!  It should be a really fun weekend, and I'm looking forward to the run itself.   I hear good things about the Rock & Roll series, and I can't help but think that New Orleans will be a particularly good one.  Plus, I'm only doing a half, which while is not exactly sitting on the couch eating moon pies, is a relatively easy distance that I can actually enjoy while doing.

C-c-crack!

My right foot has been going numb during my runs, and I've been pretty much ignoring it because it's okay a few hours after I'm done.  After last week's workout, the numbness and tingling extended through my entire leg, especially my hamstring area.  In addition, I was having pain in my right shoulder/neck area as well. This area is one I have had issues with on and off throughout the years (computer/desk/seat-related repetitive stress injury.)

I happened to mention it to my eye doctor, and she gave me a recommendation for her chiropractor.  I had an appointment last Thursday and immediately felt better afterwards.  She did a neck, hip, and spine adjustment (my left hip was 3/4" higher than my right hip along with various other skelo-muscular issues), and she showed me stretches I need to do daily to keep in good shape.   I'm also to stop crossing my legs and sitting on them when sitting in a chair (something I do without thinking) as it can put pressure on my sciatic nerve and therefore aggravate my foot/leg issues.  During this weekend's long run, my foot started to go numb, but it was isolated to my foot and was very minor compared to my last runs.   Hopefully things will continue to trend well because I'd like to do a few more half-marys this year.

Children's Art Display

Last Fall, I came up with a solution with a couple of decorating conundrums:

1. I have a large blank space of wall to the right of our library entrance and perpendicular to the front door.   Since it's such a wide space and extends through to the second story, I needed to find something fairly large in scale.  After months of searching, I found nothing that fit the bill (that didn't require me to get a second mortgage.)
2. There is a fair amount of artwork throughout the house, and I wanted to integrate the girls' artwork into the collection.   Reese gets a real kick out of seeing how proud we are of her efforts, and I think children's artwork adds a whimsical touch that can warm up otherwise cold, sterile spaces.   I originally had planned on doing a large magnet board in the kitchen but decided against it as it would have been just a glorified cork board.  I don't have an issue with using cork boards as they're ever so useful, but therein lies the problem for me.  I knew I'd end up tacking up receipts, bills, post-its, and the various daily life effluvia.   The result would be more clutter (contained, but still clutter), and the girls artwork wouldn't be highlighted as I would want.  They'd just look like more messy chaos.

My solution (click on image for larger display):

I love the result!  It's easy to change out artwork (or just stack on top of one another as more projects are brought home from school), and though there are so many different shapes, sizes, and colors, the grid of clipboards imposes a sense of order that really caters to my OCD tendencies.   It's many small pieces, but it reads as one large installation and fills up the wall nicely (and is meaningful and personal to boot).

Originally, I had bought inexpensive 9x12 canvas panels for the girls to paint for display, but I haven't gotten around to doing that.  I'm not sure that I'll still do it since there's no shortage of things for me to display.  I do keep heavyweight water color paper on hand when Reese wants to do watercolors, and few of those are hanging.

While I'm using the clipboards for the girls' art, I could see a non-parent using the display to hang up "real" artwork, random inspiration pictures and the like (in fact I do have a couple of monoprints and a small watercolor mixed in with the girls work.)

It took me a while to actually turn inspiration into reality because I was dreading the process of hanging the clipboards.   Because I'm so anal, it takes me forever to do projects like this because everything has to be perfectly lined up.  It was, to my relief, surprisingly easy.  I didn't take pictures while I did it, but I did do a mock up/simulation of some of the steps after everything was already done.

What you'll need:

• Clipboards.  I bought these Sparco clipboards.   They are much lighter in color in real life, but that's fine because you don't really see much of the clipboard.  I used the Letter size clipboards, but you may want to use Legal size clipboards as I've found that a lot of things that come home are larger than 8.5"x11".
• Nails
• Yard/meter stick
• Laser level
• Hammer
• Pencil
• Newspaper
• Painter's tape
• Step stool (if you're short like me)

Steps:

1. Using newspaper cut out the same size as your clipboards and painter's tape, tape up a mock up of the display.  You don't necessarily need to measure precisely or use a laser level at this point and can just eyeball it; you just want an idea of how many clipboards you'll need and how high and far apart to hang them.

2. Measure the distance from the midpoint of the mock-up of clipboard A1 to clipboard A4 (or whatever your last clipboard is.)  Divide that number by one less than the number of clipboards in that row.  For example, if the distance between the midpoint of A1 and the midpoint of A4 is 100, then your measurement is 100" divided by 3, or 33.33".    Record this measurement.  You can double-check your calculation by measuring between the midpoints of A1/A2, A2/A3, and so forth, as a comparison.
3. Measure the distance between the top of A1 to the top of B1.  Record this measurement. It's not so important to do a precise math calculation on the vertical alignment.
4. Make a pencil mark a 1/2" above the midpoint of the mock-up for clipboard A1.  ~1/2" compensates for the size of the hole on the clipboard clip.  This mark is your starting point for hammering in all the nails for your clipboards.

5. Remove the newspaper.   Using a laser level, make a vertical line through your starting point.  With a yardstick and pencil, measure and mark off your nail holes along the laser line. The distance between nail holes should be your measurement from Step 3.   These will be the nails for the first clipboard of each of your rows (A1, B1, C1, and so forth.).  Go ahead and hammer in your nails at this point and hang up this first column of clipboards to make sure you like the spacing.  If it looks good, remove the clipboards and proceed to the next step.

6. Now you're ready to mark off the remaining nail holes for your display.  Using your laser level, create a horizontal laser line through the starting point (the hole for A1, B1, C1).

7. With a yardstick and pencil, measure and mark off your nail holes along the laser line.   The distance between nail holes should be your measurement from Step 2.
8. Repeat step 7 for each row.
9. Hang up all your clipboards, stand back, and admire how everything lines up so nicely and is so orderly.  Feel a sense of peace and well-being wash over you.

There you have it - cheap and functional kids' art display!

* footnote: I take the clipboards off the wall to clip up new art to avoid accidentally ripping the nails out of the wall.

My Baby-Baby Turned 1!

Madeleine, who quite enjoyed the cream puffs mommy served

Reese on her 1st birthday (notice the dress?)

Ah, where did the time go?  Not surprisingly, I am late with posting about Sprinkle's 1-year birthday. Part of it is that I'm in denial that's she's already one, and part of it is that I find the annual birthday posts a bit intimidating. It's such an important milestone to document, so I find myself putting it on the back burner until I have time to sit, reflect, and say something profound about motherhood.

Alas, it's been over a month since she turned one, and as I should know by now as a mother of two, the time to sit and reflect is never going to come. I figure better to log a stream of consciousness post than not to do one at all, eh?

Oh, No, I Blinked!

Seriously, I know all parents say this, but I do not know where the year went. It seems like yesterday she was still in my belly and I was threatening my builder that I had to be in the house before I dropped the baby right on the porch. The past year has flown by even faster than it did with Reese. While I'm excited that Mads is getting to that "fun" stage (my favorite baby age is 1.5-2.5 where they're learning so much and starting to be like little people), I do feel a bit of regret and guilt… In my mind, that first year with Reese was all about Reese. Of course it's in part that I have two children who divide my attention, but also Madeleine is very definitely the stereotypical second child. With Reese, I spent tons of money on cute new outfits, got professional pictures taken MONTHLY, made sure that every holiday was commemorated (pictures with Santa and the Easter Bunny, personalized Valentine's Day cards, etc.). With Madeleine? Um, aside from her school pictures, we haven't had any professional pictures done and she's never been on Santa's lap. Now that I have two, I don't think this sort of stuff is very important (obviously!), and it's more important that I spend time to *make* memories with the girls rather than documenting them…but still, I hope that Madeleine doesn't look back one day, compare her shoebox of pictures next to Reese's storage-unit-full, and think she was any less loved. Although they have really different personalities and there are different things about them that elicit a smile, laugh, or a tug of the heartstrings, I can truly say that I love them both intensely and equally. Some days one or the other (or both, Lord help me) will drive me bonkers, but I can't even fathom life without either one of them. As I live and breathe, they are my monkeys!

Jabberwocky

Oh, does Sprinkle like to talk. Loud. Several of her teachers have commented how she has full-on "conversations" with them. You can talk to her, she'll blabber nonsensical sounds back to you, and then she'll pause waiting for your response. It's really cute, and it makes me wonder if she thinks she's actually saying something since she gets such intense facial expressions when she's "converses." She does have a limited verbal vocabulary which she uses in context:

• Thank You ("ta-too!)
• Bye
• Hi
• Ball (which she drawls - baaawwwlllll)
• Mama
• Dada
• Nose (which is more like "Noooohhhw" as she touches your nose and sometimes her own)
• No-no! (sigh… the joys of having an older sibling to teach a younger one. She says this and swings her arm around in front of if you're doing something she doesn't like)

She's very alert and recognizes a few names as well. If we ask "Where's Ong Ngoai?" or "Where's Ba Ngoai?" she'll look or point in the direction of her grandfather or grandmother.

Oh, and she blows kisses (puts open palm on her mouth and then makes a "Mah" sound) and waves bye-bye (opens and closes her fists).

Let's Get Physical

Since she was a large baby at birth and a very hearty eater, I've always considered her my BIG baby. At her 12 month appointment, however, she was just in the 80th percentile in height and weight (and 90th in head size - that's Jim's genes, I'm sure). She's by no means a delicate flower, LOL, but Reese was close behind in the 75th percentile at the same age, and in my mind Reese was small. Clothes-wise, she's starting to outgrow some of her 12-18 months outfits and is wearing 2T in some brands that run small (like Circo from Target).

Little (one of her nicknames - Reese is "Big") started walking at 11 months and of course immediately made a beeline to our stairs. The first time she escaped, she was all the way up to the first landing before we could catch her. We've put a baby gate in between the family room and the front of the house where the stairs start, and it's been working fairly well. If we forget to lock it or close it completely, she'll actually walk through and shut the door behind her. Sneaky monkey!

Like Big, she started getting teeth early (5 months) and now has four upper and four lower teeth.

Life's Essentials

She continues to eat and sleep well. We feed her adult food, and she's switched to cow's milk. I forgot how much I loved this stage because it means we always have whole milk in the fridge. Oh my god, whole milk is heaven! The week after she turned one, we cut her off from the bottle cold turkey. I was a bit worried - not so much because of a love of bottles but because she would never take her milk unwarmed. We gave it a go with unwarmed milk and after a couple of days of drinking less than normal (never outright refusing a sippy), she made the switch to cold milk sippies. Relief! In the first few weeks when I was feeling kind of like a sucker, I'd warm up her dinner milk, but she's fine without it. Foodwise, I'll say she's an adventurous eater (which is a nice way of saying that she'll inhale anything put in front of her and steal your food while she's at it.) Reese is in this extremely finicky stage and hardly eats, so it's nice that one of my kids will eat what I make for dinner without tears and threats involved.

She's doing two naps a day at home (around 11AM and another around 4-5ish. Her morning nap is usually about 2 hours and her late afternoon is 1-1.5). At school, they only put them down for a nap once, and she sleeps from 11:30-2:30 there. They just transitioned her to sleeping on a cot because she sleeps better for them on the cot. Apparently she'll sleep the full 3 hours on the cot, but in the crib, she'll only sleep 1-2 hours, get up, and start talking and rattling the side of her crib. Go figure! I'm definitely not doing a cot/bed at home yet - I have no doubt that she'll be off somewhere with her sister rather than sleeping.   Bedtime is at 8, and we usually hear from her around 7-7:15am.  If we're unlucky, then 6:30am, but we put pillows over our heads until 7, because we're good parents like that.

Mostly Mama's Girl

By all accounts (my parents, sisters, and her daycare teachers), Sprinkle is very easy to watch - cheerful and low maintenance.  When I'M in the room, however, she becomes oh-so-clingy and gets so mad and throws the most dramatic fits if I don't hold her.  We're talking full on laying on the ground, sobbing, huge wet tears... you'd think her very soul was being ripped out.  The minute I pick her up, she utters a "haha" (seriously) and all is good.   If I'm out of the room, she's easy-peasy again.   Needless to say, I've perfected the art of the commando roll in and out of the family room to keep out of her line of sight.   When Mommy's in the room, only Mommy will do.   Recently, however, she's been reaching out for Jim when I've been holding her.   She's always loved her Daddy but has never preferred him, so this a good turn of events for me.   There is a god!  I know, I'm a terrible mom for saying that, but seriously, we joke about Mommy being Sprinkle's bitch, LOL.

Second in line to Mommy is her sissy.   She loves following her around, and Reese is still good about playing with her.  I watched them play recently together for a good 15 minutes with Reese's little Bakugans.  I was holding my breath because I was sure that a) Sprinkle would try to eat one, b) Sprinkle would break one and then eat the parts, and c) Reese would flip out that Sprinkle was eating/breaking her toys.   I couldn't stand it any longer and broke up the party before the spell was broken by fighting.   Reese, oddly, loves to play with baby toys, and she'll play with Sprinkle with her Fisher Price toys and they'll push each other around on Madeleine's scooter.  Yep, you read that right - they take turns pushing each other around.  Reese with get on the riding toy, and Madeleine will stand behind her and push her.  So funny! 

There are a million things I've left out or already forgotten (sadness!).  Let's hope I'm better about documenting year two.

House of Sick

Reese started coughing last Friday night when she was at my parents', and when we picked her up Saturday, and she was still coughing.  On Sunday, she developed a fever, and we're now on day 6 of her fever spiking to 102-103+ when the Tylenol/Motrin wears off.    I feel so helpless to get her well!   She's thankfully in good spirits and playing, singing, talking (and talking, talking, talking) as normal, but her cough isn't getting any better nor is her temperature.

I first took her to the pediatrician on Monday - I was worried she had H1N1 since she had gotten the mist the Tuesday before.   Since she was getting her seasonal flu vaccine at the same time, she had to get one vaccine as a shot and the other as the mist (the attenuated vaccine).  At the time she was getting her vaccination, the pediatrician said the risk of her developing flu from the mist was very, very, very slim and that I also didn't need to worry about Sprinkle contracting it through viral shedding, either.  I was okay with it at the time, but then when my baby got sick, I really started to second guess.    When Dr. Alley saw on her Monday, he said she didn't have the flu based on her level of energy.    I asked about having her tested to make sure, and he said that the tests are only 70% accurate, and at this point (over 48 hours after symptom onset), they would treat her the same whether or not she had the flu.   The 48 hours is important as that's the window in which Tamiflu is most effective for alleviating flu symptoms.   He also mentioned that they've been getting reports of bad reactions to Tamiflu in children such as nightmares, so he advised against it based on the fact that she likely didn't have the flu and even if she did, it wouldn't be very effective at this point in time.  He did, however, give me a prescription for it as a preventative since we thought Jim might have the flu (which we now think was just food poisoning).

I took Reese to the pediatrician again yesterday since she started saying her ears hurt.  I was actually HOPING she had an ear infection, which at least can be treated with antibiotics and would explain the prolonged fever.     We saw another doctor in the practice, and Reese's ears, lungs, and throat were still clear.  She went ahead and prescribed an antibiotic to stave off a secondary sinus infection based since she was complaining of ear pain.   She said that if Reese had had the flu, the fever would have been gone by now.  Nice.

Sprinkle to date is still healthy, but I worry so  much that she's going to get ill the longer Reese is sick and contagious.   Jim and I are supposed to leave for Cozumel on Thursday for his Ironman, and I can just see Sprinkle starting to get sick as Reese finally (hopefully!) getting better.  I don't mind missing a vacation, but I really want to be there to support Jim.    At this point we just both want our girls to be well, of course.

Fall-themed Supper Club

We hosted a supper club dinner last week - such a great time!  The theme was "Fall Supper," and the weather obliged with a teensy bit of a cool spell.   I tried out a new recipe, New England Sausage, Apple, and Dried Cranberry Stuffing that's a keeper.  Easy and yummy as leftovers.   I also made wassail.  I was hoping the smell would permeate the house more, but it did taste good and was a good base for a hot toddy of sorts.

So on to decor:  I wanted to keep it pretty simple since it was a dinner and not a "party" party.   For seated meals, I keep everything low and "nudge-able" so that people can see each other from across the table and food is easily passed around.

I bought these glass votives at Ross, $5.95 for a pack of three (I used two packs).  

White pumpkins from the grocery store, 59 cents each. I bought different sizes and elevated a couple with some napkin rings.  From the floral department of the same grocery store, I picked up a pack of fall oak leaves for $2.99.  If I were lucky enough to live in a city that actually had four seasons, these would have been free, LOL.

Fall napkins - I usually don't buy napkins, plates, etc. that are too theme-y, but I liked the graphic look of the leaves on black.  They were about $2/napkin with a Macy's 20% off coupon.

Not decor-related, but our friend Nicole made a scrumptious pumpkin stew.  I loved that it's baked and served in a pumpkin.   I'm definitely getting the recipe from her!

UPDATE:   Here's the yummy Pumpkin Stew recipe!

Party Decorating Design on a Dime

The Fajitas & 'Ritas gathering was a big success - we started at 4 and we finally shut it down about midnight.

I received several nice compliments about how I always throw a great party and go "all out."   While the key to a successful party is the company and plenty of food and drink, I do like to add a few little extra touches.  It's really not much extra work and doesn't have to cost very much, either.   When I Google for party decorating ideas, most of the hits are either cheap, plastic decorations or professional-event-planner quality (read:  expensive.)   I thought I'd start chronicling some of the my events to share some easy, inexpensive ideas to give the impression you went the extra mile for your guests.

Okay, I know some of you are going to roll your eyes when I say I did a cactus arrangement for the dining room table.  I normally make flower arrangements (which I'll share in a different post on how I do affordably).  I have to admit that after I got the idea and bought the supplies, I was slightly dreading it.   When I finally got around to re-potting the plants, it was pretty easy and took about 30 minutes.   Materials were ~$25 (cacti from Lowes and Craigslist, clay plots from Michael's Craft store).   Rounding out the tablescape were two table runners from Target and Mexican Prayer Candles from the dollar store.   The table runners happened to be on clearance (2 for $1.97), but regularly priced at $4 each, they're still not a bad deal.  They're reusable, too.   I love Target for accessories since they work with lot of great designers.
 

Since the powder room would be used quite a bit, I added a cactus on the vanity as well as switching out the normal guest towels with fiesta-colored ones ($1.58/package, again on clearance.)

 Since it was a small party, I was just going to set out my regular dinner forks.  At the last minute, I remembered that I had disposable napkins and utensils from when I threw a Cinco de Mayo party for Jim's 30th birthday.  Yes, I still had them after 5 years!  It's just a simple paper napkin wrapped around a fork/knife and tied off with raffia.  If I'm using disposables for a really large event, I like to go with solids for the paper goods and clear or silver for the utensils so extras can be used for other events.

Just my regular everyday dinner plates.  A little confession - I really don't like the look of placemats.   Alas, I'm too lazy and have no desire to iron a tablecloth, but I don't want the table damaged from my pretty heavy dinner plates.  So, I use placemats and try to get ones that don't look so grandma's table.  Since this was a casual buffet, I didn't set the table and just set a pile of the placemats out so that anyone who ate at the table could grab one.

These placemats are from Ikea (another great source for inexpensive accessories).  They're $1.99/each and come in black, red, lime, and purple.  I like the fun lime color because they can work with a variety of different themes - from a fiesta to a casual/elegant summer dinner party.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I like to use glass.  I actually had enough margarita glasses I had been given as gifts over the years, but margarita glasses are something everyone probably has a set of, so if I didn't have enough I would have borrowed them.  I like that they don't all match, too.  It helps people keep track of their drinks, and it looks fun grouped on the table.

I also set out simple bar glasses that can be used for water, cocktails, and sodas.  $9.99/dozen at Marshall's.

If it's a buffet-style party, I like to use chafing dishes to keep food warm.   I bought these disposable chafing trays years ago and have used them over and over again.  I buy the food pans in bulk at Costco.   Costco has a much better price than party supply stores or even the dollar store.

All my everyday dishes are simple white so again, they can be used for everything.  I transfer all condiments, sauces, etc. to simple white bowls.

So that's it for Margaritas & 'Ritas.  So, not much effort and money for good overall effect.  Can't wait for the next party!

Sisters

Some variation of this scene is repeated several times a day, in the car, at dinner, before bed...  it never gets old!

Tennis Match Laughing from mom2reese on Vimeo.

Like a Hamster in a Wheel

I'd been keeping an eye out on Craigslist for a decent elliptical, and one came up this week, a Vision Fitness X6200.  While in an ideal world, I'd get a used gym-quality Precor, I don't have the thousands they go for used.   The X6200 seemed to fit the bill, and I stopped by the seller's house after work yesterday to check it out.  It was in good condition and had a nice, smooth action when I tried it, so we struck a deal.  She even volunteered her husband to deliver it because she's in the neighborhood.  Can't beat that!

I'm excited.  While I hate, hate, hate running on a treadmill, I don't mind the elliptical so much.  I think part of the reason is that when I run on a treadmill, it just feels like something I should be doing outside, not trapped on a machine indoors.   The elliptical is also not as hard on my lower back and knees as the treadmill is, which sadly, has become more of an issue with age.  

My trainer is really big on the idea that if you don't have time for a long cardio session, a hard, 20-minute workout is just as good.  The idea of getting ready and leaving the house just to do a 20 minute workout (oh, the inefficiency!) is just as unappealing as going to go do an hour-long workout.  Having access to get the quick workouts in is going to be nice.   Hopefully it doesn't just become an expensive clothes rack.

I weighed myself this morning, and I'm 1-lb over my pre-Portland weight.  I'm not really suprised since I ate like crap (burgers, fries, pizza, biscuits & gravy, cookies, cake....all things I do allow myself to eat, but not all in one weekend!), but it's still a tad annoying since I'm trying to LOSE weight.   Just not making progress would have been preferable.  Oh well, back on the wagon.  It was worth it!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

I flew up to Portland this weekend to visit Rachele and her family (and their latest adorable addition, Nolan).    Rachele hosted a dinner Saturday night, so I got to see the Smiths and the Lurixes as well.  On the menu was an assortment of pizzas, and it was fun helping out Rachele and Jay in their lovely new kitchen.   What an arm workout -  if I do this at home, it'll definitely be Jim's task to roll out the crust, LOL.

While in Portland, I also met up for breakfast with a friend I met through an online parenting board.  We'd never met in person before, but we fell into easy conversation just like "real" friends that just hadn't seen each other in a while. We actually HAVE known each other for a while - I "met" her when I joined the parents.com parenting board when I was pregnant with Reese, looking for advise on this new phase of my life.   Eventually, a group of women splintered off and started their own board, and for the past five years we've been together through the terrible 2's, pregnancies, the first days of kindergarten, cancer scares, cancer ass-kicking, laughs, and tears.  It's also a really diverse group of women, running the gamut from teachers and lawyers, IT geeks, and SAHMs, and I've really learned a lot from all of them.

While it was great fun and only a short visit, I really missed Jim and the girls.  We were happy before, but something *happened* after Sprinkle was born.  To be cheesy, we feel a completeness now as a family that we didn't know was missing before.   Jim and I talk about this often (we sit on the porch every night before going to bed for 15 minutes just talking and reconnecting), and it's like we are just completely in tune with one another and our goals.  I can honestly say that I've never been happier or more content.  Content is the perfect word to describe it actually - like all is right in the world and how it should be.

Okay, enough sap and back to reality.    I have so much to do this week!  We're throwing a Fajitas and 'ritas party Saturday for our friend Jason and his new bride, Seyi.  Seyi's recently relocated to Houston from North Carolina, and what better way to welcome someone to Texas than Tex-Mex and tequila?    Normally I wouldn't be too stressed about throwing a party, but Jim (aka Vy's Party Bitch, and I say that with love) is going to be out of town Wednesday thru Saturday.  Fortunately, it's being catered, but at some point I got the wild hair that I was going to do cactus arrangements instead of flowers for decoration.  Now I've got a box full of cacti taunting me from the back porch.   Somewhere in between work and taking care of two kids on my own, I have to channel my inner Martha to finish the project.  Seriously, where do I get these dumb ideas?