First Time For Everything

On Wednesday night, LP crept into our room at 2am...

And went to the Hoos' side of the bed!

"Daddy, I'm scared/tired/lonely.." To be honest, I don't really know what she said because - let me repeat this - SHE WENT TO THE HOOS' SIDE OF THE BED.

And he brought her back to her bed.

And when she returned 10 minutes later...

SHE WENT TO THE HOOS' side of the bed AGAIN.

I love my babies all the time. But I especially love seeing them with their daddy. Especially when it is the middle of the night.

Yee-haw!

Spotlight on: Parents

Just wanted to offer up a public service announcement about how much parents rock. At various times on a daily basis - we make hard things seem effortless, appear to have superhuman amounts of patience, unending depths of love and understanding and infinite wells of energy. Sure, a lot of it is smoke and mirrors or a facade to help get through the day, but most people don't know that.

Today, I want to highlight the awesomeness of parenthood by offering up my parents as an example.

For the 15th year in a row (or so) my parents hosted our family's Passover seder last night. Over the years "our family" has grown to include "my family" and my extended family, and my cousins and their kids and extended families...and last night we were about 36 people.

For a sit down dinner.

With:

• two kinds of kugel,
  
• two kinds of potatoes,
  
• two kinds of asparagus,
  
• homemade matzoh ball soup,
  
• chicken,
  
• brisket,
  
• about a dozen other nibbles, noshes and side dishes,
• 10 loads of dishes,
  
• 10 full trash bags,
  
• countless pieces of rearranged furniture,
• 9 affikomen presents
• and enough leftovers to feed the entire crew again for a second seder.

Of course my parents have helpful (and sometimes not-so-helpful) help by way of my grandmother (who makes at least a half dozen types of not just edible but actually delicious passover desserts) and aunts and uncles and cousins and children, but they shoulder a large swath of the effort. And pull it off every year.

Thanks mom and dad, for leading by example and reminding us all of the wild and wonderful aspects of being born (or married) into our family.

Chiming In

AK is on a roll. The kid never stop talking. For serious.

At my in-law's house a few weeks ago:

"Mommy, we are in the church."

"No, baby, this is the PORCH." Close.

Last night as I tried to get her to go to bed.

"Mommy, Max doesn't have a mommy."

Me, trying to figure out which Max she is talking about, "Who? What?"

"Ruby isn't his mommy. Ruby is his sister. Where his Mommy?"

I do recall some sort of Internet Mom Quiz asking this same question. I still don't know the answer, but at least I know who Max and Ruby are.

This weekend at the "haircutter" for her first haircut:

"Mommy, there are four 'S's' up there!" As she pointed to the name of the salon, Scissors, engraved in the window.

And then there is LP.

Who popped right out of bed this morning, exclaiming, "Mommy! I am so excited!"

Did we have a party? An exciting adventure planned? A special snack in her lunch?

No. We were going to the dentist.

Seriously, my kid loves going to the dentist. Hopefully her little sister will love it too since I made the next appointment for both of them.

LP also rocked it at soccer this weekend.

She hasn't played since last spring and at first she was reluctant to go on the field. But once she warmed up? You couldn't stop her. She played the entire second half without a break and is really shaping up to be one of her team's star players (which isn't saying much). It is a HUGE difference from last year when she would stop midfield and hold conversations with her friends or just walk off the field in need of a snack.

Yup, my babies are growing up!

Not Enough Time in the Day

Even with co-showering, apparently there is just not enough mommy-time in AK's day.

Last night at 2:40, an adorable pajama-clad munchkin appeared at my bedside declaring, "Mommy, I wantchu to sleep with me."

As I returned her to her bed, I grabbed a baby blanket for myself and curled up next to her. As I practically fell asleep, she just stared at me.

After 10 minutes I told her I was returning to bed.

At 3:15 she showed up again, "Mommy, you forgotchu blanket," and handed me the abandoned baby blanket. I thanked her and sent her back to bed.

At 3:35 she returned, crying this time. "Mommy! I! WANT! YOU! TO! SLEEP! WITH! ME!"

I tried to get the Hoos to deal with her, but we both knew it wasn't going to work. First, because he wasn't moving very quickly to react and, more importantly, because she was crying Mommy and not Daddy.

Once again, I returned to her bed. With my baby blanket. After 10 minutes of being stared at, I told her I was going back to check on Daddy and asked if I should take my blanket or if she wanted to snuggle with it.

"You take it, Mommy. G'night."

Sigh...long day ahead.

Never Be Lonely Again

When I got pregnant with AK we used to joke that it was because I wanted someone to snuggle with. LP was not quite two and she was temporarily done with cuddling. Babies have no choice but to share the warmth, and who doesn't love the feeling of an adorable, wonderful little munchkin sleeping on your chest and breathing baby breath into your face?

Apparently, my love of togetherness rubbed off on AK. Because she is up my butt - all. the. time.

For example, yesterday.

About 20 seconds after my alarm went off, LP was bright and shiny and at my bedside. I certainly prefer when she gets out of bed on her own with minimal whining and crying, so I will not complain about that. Or the fact that she climbed in bed and spooned with me.

However, when I told her I had to get up and she should stay in bed and cuddle with the Hoos, she indicated she had other plans and followed me into the bathroom. This still wasn't horrible, although it definitely makes me self-conscious to have an audience in the toilet.

The fun began as I stepped into the shower and LP ran out of the bathroom, telling me, "I am going to wake up AK so she can shower with you!" And she was gone.

Next thing I know there is a knock on the shower door and a bleary eyed, naked AK is standing there with her arms outstretched.

So I got to shower with an audience and a friend.

Sweet.

Our next house will totally have a better lock on the bathroom door.

PS - The other day, the Hoos was in the bathroom and LP actually KNOCKED on the door and asked if she could come in. He responded in the negative, she accepted his answer and walked away. How come no one asks me if I want privacy or listens when I talk?