Unfair Fair.

Big kids drive me crazy!! Is it just me or are pre-teen kids clumsy and reckless?
We took Lu to a fun fair at the school across from our apartment building. It was fun...cotton candy, veggies dogs and raffles. Let's not forget the "bouncy cassuh" as Lu calls it. The only thing that sucked was how much she kept getting knocked around by rambunctious older kids who just plowed her down without a second care. I try my best to keep her close but sometimes she takes a couple steps away...and WHAMMO! A little boy comes flying past and knocks her to the ground...ugh. Where are these kids parents? Seriously pisses me off.

I have no patience for crazy kids. Do they all go through a wild, out-of-control phase? I can't picture Lu being that way and I hope I never have to deal with it.

One boy didn't look more than 7 or so and was throwing golf balls at a glass window....his mom pretended she didn't see him. I couldn't let him keep doing it so I told him to "Be careful because those are glass windows and could break". He gave me this crazed look, almost as though to say, that was what he was attempting to do.

So we grabbed little Miss and got her the hell away from Destructo, much to her displeasure.

I am petrified of her starting school. Don't get me wrong, I trust her to pieces...it's everyone else I'm worried about :/

Sniffles and All Things Cruddy

Little Miss is sick, sniffles and shnots and "mommy snuggle?". I know some people think it's heartbreaking when their kid coughs or sneezes....but I kinda like it...I don't like it when she has a fever or is in a lot of pain, that's not what I mean.
I just enjoy the extra snuggliness, the need she has for her mommy to be nearby for hugs and consoling. As she gets older, she needs me less.

She's already begun with the "I do it!" every two seconds. In the last month, she has learned to put on her Pull-Ups and take off her shirt and pants. It's really remarkable how fast these changes happen.

Speaking of changes (or in this case non-changes), yet another month of nothing on the baby front. I've almost lost hope that this is going to happen again...that my body is failing me at it's most basic level. So we begin again, the early morning u/s's and pokes. Hoping next month is THE month and we can get back to normal over here.

Rebirth.

Going through Lu's closet is a cleansing time...and also a sad time.
Putting away all those teeny tiny onesies and too small shirts. Tiny balled up socks
are the worse, almost too small to fit anyone. They get lost in the recesses of the wardrobe and pop up when you really don't need a reminder that your little miss is growing up.

Lu at 8 months

Thankfully the little lady isn't growing as fast as a lot of kids her age. She's 2 1/2 but still fits in the 18-24 month stuff. I like getting a lot of wear out of her clothes since one of the main complaints by parents is that their children outgrow things before they get a chance to wear them.

The bins of her too small clothing are starting to take over the closet in her room. A sign that she's growing up and another sign that I buy WAY TOO MUCH CLOTHING for this kid! Seriously, they shouldn't make girls clothes so bloody cute.

As summer rears it's lovely little head, it's time to break out the pretty dresses and tiny shorts (last years still fit!).

As much as spring is a rebirth, it's also hard on me. Infertility...that damn word that only those who have suffered from, truly understand. We're a year into our battle again and the pokes and prods have only just begun.

Hoping that next summer I feel differently about tiny balled up socks and find them in the wardrobe again.

I Tumble For Ya...

Yesterday was a little crazy. We had the whole day planned out because of doctors appointments, voting and the little lady's new gymnastics class.

We went to vote first thing in the morning so I could get one thing out of the way. Then, headed downtown for a doctor's appointment at the hospital. I wasn't told ahead of time that I needed someone there to watch Lu so you can imagine my shock when I was told that I couldn't bring her into the quick procedure I was having done. Ugh! The nurse said that I should ask someone in the WAITING ROOM to watch her...ummm NO!! Who does that??

"Hey lady, yeah you...the one in the gown picking her nose...could you watch this kid for ten minutes?"

Seriously, what kind of parent would I be if I handed my child off to a complete stranger? So I told the nurse that that was not an option, she scurried off to see what she could do. I told her I could reschedule if this was going to get crazy but she said she'd figure something out. Five minutes later she comes to get us in the waiting room and ushers me to the nurses lounge. Five young nurses greet us at the door and tell me they'll keep an eye on her. Fabulous! So I wheel Lu's stroller into the nurses lounge and hand her my Iphone with the flashcards app and away I go!

The procedure ended up taking 40 minutes :/ I hurry back to get Lu and find her surrounded by nurses and doctors. One of the doctors looks at me and says "She is SO SMART!" I was floored, I thought she would've been tearing the place up, freaking out because I'd been gone for nearly an hour. A nurse chimes in with "We were looking at flashcards, then we played Angry Birds...and she told me all about Facebook!" My little lady surprises me sometimes.

After grabbing a quick veggie dog we sped off to Lu's first gymnastics class all the way back uptown.

I finally decided to look into something more for Lu since soccer only happens once a week for an hour. She looks forward all week for it but it's over quickly then it's back to pestering me with "Soccer day??" every hour. I wasn't sure if she'd like it but I decided to give it a shot.

We get to the class with ten minutes to spare phewww then it's a trip to the potty and a costume change. I wasn't sure how it was supposed to work since she's only 2, did I need to go in with her? How would she react to making new friends? Well....she bolted into the gym and sat with the group so that meant I was off the hook! I could stay in the "lobby" with the other parents and watch behind the glass. This ALSO means that I can leave for an hour and grab groceries or a coffee! I might try that next week if she's in a good mood, although, I do enjoy watching! She was running, bouncing, twirling, somersaulting and laughing up a storm.

So happy she's enjoying it and I even managed to make a couple new mom friends which is always welcome.

Today is a day of recovery, taking it easy and watching movies. Quiet days are going to be few and far between the next little while so we best enjoy it while we can.

"My Eyes Hoit!"

So, we went to the pediatrician's office yesterday. I always feel weird about going, like I'm overreacting to her symptoms or something. I've never taken her for any reason that didn't end up requiring meds or treatment of some kind so that's reassuring. Guess I'm doing ok at this whole mothering deal. I love love love this office...like LOVE love them. Whenever I call, they can squeeze us in that day or early the next morning. The doctor we see is the nicest gentlest man and he's extremely knowledgeable and attentive.

So we get there and she immediately runs to the fishies and chats with a little boy who is also indulging in a little fish action. A minute later we're whisked away to a waiting room (have I mentioned I love this place?).
The doc comes in and this is how it goes:

Doc: "Hi Lula, how are you today?"
Lu: "Good, eyes hurt!"
Doc: "Oh no, are they itchy?"
Lu: "Itchy,scratchy" and then she rubs them for   the millionth time that day

Doc and I discuss treatment options and decide to try out anti-inflammatory eye drops for a week instead of a full course of allergy meds. The doctor writes up the prescription and gives
it to me. Lu requests it, so I hand it to her.

Lu: "Thank you doctor!"
Doc: "You're very welcome!"
Lu: "Doctor fix Lula?"
Doc: "I hope so!"

Lu gets up to leave and the doctor tells me that she's one of the smartest 2 year olds he has ever seen. She acts like a 3-4 year old apparently which rocks my socks off! He keeps saying "Wow!" everytime she talks to him. I love that my baby is a smart little miss but she's super special to me no matter what. As we walk out of the office, she yells "Byeeee, Thanks...See ya later!! LATERS!!!" I love this kid.

SHUSH OUT!

Baby Lu has discovered her inner hellraiser this week. I can't even count the number of times she's been to timeout. It's probably in the triple digits...and that's underestimating. She likes to tell me to "shush out" now. I'm thinking it's a variation of "hush" (which is what I tell her when she's gone on a tangent) and "shut up". I have no idea where she got the "shut up" part because it's not something commonly said in our home but I'm sure she listens to people talking when we're out in the world.

I'm starting to suspect that something else is going on though. She's been rubbing her eyes a lot and complaining that they, as well as her head, hurt. So today we're off to the pediatrician's office in the hopes of getting some answers. Could it be allergies?

Papa Bear and I don't have any allergies at all...like to anything. We could trip and fall into a pit of ragweed, hayfever, cat dander and peanuts and would come out happy/reeking of weeds and nuts.

Another concern is her vision. I have no reason to believe it's anything relating to her eyes other than they hurt her. Her daddy wears glasses and has astigmatism but my eyes are perfecto. She can see things from a mile away and up close so I've never even fathomed we could be dealing with an eye issue.

Despite all of my concerns, here she sits scarfing down oatmeal and asking when we will be going to the doctors to see the fishies. To her, the doctor's office is primarily an aquarium with a detour to see someone in a white coat...then back to the fishies.

Must Reads for Every Mommy!

Anyone who knows us, knows that we are far from the conventional family...but we are happy. I try to instill values in our daughter that we can all be proud of. She's confident, friendly and generous. Hell, that's all I can really strive for at this place in time. I still worry everyday that I'm doing something wrong or that she'll turn into a teenager who hates me despite all of my best efforts. I want to be one of those moms that their child can talk to no matter the reason, without fear of judgement.

I spend as much time as I can snuggling, talking and reading with her. I really think the reading is paying off because her vocabulary has increased 100 fold in the last month. She'll hold a conversation with anyone and will talk your ear off if you let her.

I love buying books that promote acceptance. I want her to know that whoever she becomes in this crazy world, that we'll be here loving her no matter what. Books that show you don't have to fit a certain type or dumb yourself down to make friends are what I hunt for. Accepting who you are is what is most important.

I wanted to share two of our favourite books that promote staying true to one's self. Each of these receive 5 enthusiastic baby Lu thumbs up! They remain at the top of the heap and get read constantly.

Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer

We LOVE this book (serious serious understatement)! Bernadette is a monster, complete with fangs and claws but deep down she has a tender heart. She loves to bake treats and pet kitties despite it causing problems with her classmates at monster school. She finds a way to meld the two worlds and come out on top!

Highly recommend this book to all parents because of the great message, fab illustrations and all-around fun storyline.

Small Saul by Ashley Spires

Saul isn't your conventional pirate, he's a little smaller and gentler than his rough and tough counterparts. He learns at pirate school that pirates only care about three things: their ship, being tough and acquiring lots of treasure. After graduation, Saul is recruited onto The Rusty Squid to begin his life of plundering. He soon realizes that he isn't interested in the life of plunder and sword wielding. Saul wants to sing sea shanties, bake and redecorate which makes him stick out a little. His fellow pirates soon realize (almost a little too late) that despite their differences, Saul is a wonderful addition to the crew.

This is a lighthearted story about a little pirate who is finding his place in the world while staying true to himself.

Saul is a pretty awesome little pirate and would be more than welcome at my house to bake us some pineapple upside-down cake anytime!