Snuggling.

When your dad and I switch off putting you to bed, sometimes it's a nightmare (pun not intended).  You fight with me, you fight with each other, you are needy, you cry, you argue over blankets and babies and pillows and night lights and who is touching whom... You get my point.  

When it's my turn, once I know that you have both fallen asleep, I usually try to wait until the song I'm listening to on my phone is over so that I can spend just a couple of minutes with you are you are both peaceful (and quiet).

Tonight as I was getting ready to leave, I decided to stay for one more song, and then I looked over and saw this beautiful sight.  In that moment, it made all of the bickering go away, even if only for one night. 

I love you both. 

Christmastime bird

We were leaving Nana and Hugos tonight after looking at Christmas lights, and Hugo  stopped under his misteltoe and explained to Delilah that misteltoe means that you kiss the other person.  She smiled, then flipped him the bird.  

Yup.  

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.  😁

Baby Logic.

Delilah is obsessed with baby dolls - like, really really obsessed.  She takes them everywhere, plays with them all the time, talks about them... The whole bit.  Tonight after her older sister fell asleep, Lilah spent 12 minutes organizing her 6 babies on her bed for sleep.  Lined them up, put the non-animal babies on a pillow (for comfort, of course) and tucked them in.  Then I told her to choose 2 to sleep with.  Her go-to is a bald Cabbage Patch doll from the 80s that she named Ariel, who is caked in dirt from not letting us wash her.  This baby goes everywhere.  Then she chose a baby with a hat and braids, but this was a tough choice.  She struggled that the baby shouldn't go to sleep in a hat, and that the braids might hurt the baby while she slept, and got very upset when I explained that the baby has to wear the hat and braids because that's how she was made.  Then she realized that Disney will not likely let her baby or blanket into the park in a few weeks.  I really hope the excitement from the park overrules the need to take them along, or it may be a long few days.... 

The "D" stands for...

We had a very hard time choosing a name for Delilah when she was "cooking".  At one point, we considered the following names: Isla, Charlotte, Matilda, Madeline, and after she was born, I lamented that Cecelia (Cece) would have been a great name.  It was so different from Gabrielle - I somehow always knew that our first born would be a girl in that her name would be Gabrielle.  One day the name Delilah just popped into my head, and that was pretty much it... Gabs had the final say between our final 2, and her 17 month old self chose Delilah.  

People thought we were nuts... A few people even thought we were joking when we told them the name!  Where on Earth did we get this name?  In 2012, it was #154 on the most "popular" baby girl names... No one even knew anyone with that name!  

So, Delilah was born, and was so named.  She grew into that name!  This kid is a crazy, adorable powerhouse of mischief and giggling and intelligence and energy!  

After she fell asleep tonight, I looked over, and this is how she fell asleep. I had two blankets and a pillow on her bed, and she wouldn't use the pillow, and would only use the smallest blanket with which to cover herself.  Rather than sleeping in a "normal" way on the bed, she is stretched out all over it, like she was awake and then she just passed out where she was.  

This little girl sleeps like she lives - crazy, hectic, adorable, and on her own terms.  

Sometimes when she's naughty or sassy, she gets called a diva, and I must say... She wears it almost proudly.  

How times have changed....

Tomorrow Gabbie starts 4k, and she's so excited.  We spent the weekend practicing how she would introduce herself to the kids in her class, we chose her special first day outfit, and we talked about what she might learn.  I'm a wreck. 

This is her first time away from people who have been specifically chosen for her, to guide her and provide her care.  I understand that they are teachers and are probably quite good at their jobs, however I don't know them beyond the very small introductions we got at the open house two weeks ago.

I remember several years ago (when I was younger and wiser), thinking that all these moms being a blubbering mess on the first day of school were such over-reactors.  What's the big deal?  You knew they would grow!  Aren't they all the most important thing to someone?!  What makes your kid so special/awesome/smart/adorable?

Ummmm....

Yeah.  About that.  

Other things I used to be so smart about.... 

-kids having a fit in public - control your child!

-breast-feeding, cloth-diapering, organic feeding... In the end, I now see that loving care matters the most.  

-dining with kids in public - geez, get a babysitter! It's only $30-$40 more!

-kids being loud at Disney movies - yeah, I literally didn't understand where there were so many kids at Finding Nemo...

-Milestones - isn't the idea of it all to get the kids off the expensive food and out of the diapers? Why is this such a big deal to you all?

-kid art - so your kid drew a bunch of people with no arms and called it a family portrait and you are nearly in tears?  You need some therapy, lady.  (Incidentally, Gabrielle drew me that picture at daycare last week, and I promptly brought it home and laminated it.)

-all the pictures.  Ha!  I'm now proudly the World's Biggest Offender!  

So, on the eve of our older child starting her educational career, I will only say that one of the smartest things I ever learned was to have an open mind and be flexible.

Next year when they both go to school, I am taking the day off to get a massage, a pedicure, and cry my eyes out.  Look for the crazy lady crying at Starbucks, clutching baby pictures and kid art.  

Dealing

Gabs was having a little fit, and Lilah looked at her, rolled her eyes, and said, "I'm not dealing with her right now."

I love these two! 

Bull

To our dear Gabbie: 

After talking your dad about something this morning that has frustrated me I said that it was bull. You looked up and serenely corrected me telling me that it was bullshit.  You are 4.5.

I was equally mortified by the not-kiddo language coming out of your mouth, and proud that the context was accurate.  

Mouseling Lessons

Lately at night, Gabrielle has been begging us to let her take her Kindle to bed with her.  She is currently obsessed with a cartoon called Angelina Ballerina, which is about a ballet dancing mouse in dance school.

We are faithfully telling her every night that her kindle is not allowed in her bed, which usually leads to either an argument, a fit, or tears. Sometimes parenthood is really rewarding. 

Tonight after her episode was over, I told her that she had to turn it off and go up to bed. For 45 minutes she argued with Joel or I about playing it upstairs.  Her very last argument of the night was that the ballerina mouse's mother is teaching them to finish what they start, and Gabrielle should have to finish the TV episode she started.  Ummmm.... No.  Just no.  Good try though, kiddo!  

Firecracker

It's official; Independence Day is my favorite holiday.  It's not about gifts, the weather is perfect, the food is delicious, and the fireworks... Oh, the fireworks!  We ate watermelon all day, the girls played at parks, played in the water at home, and just generally had a perfect day of fun.  We went to the park for fireworks, and the anticipation was driving them crazy.  

Once they started, Gabbie settled right in, but Lilah was still pretty keyed up, and she stayed that way most of the time.  Gabbie, initially thought that she was controlling the fireworks with her glow sticks, which was so adorable, then she fell asleep, and she stayed asleep through most of the fireworks show, including the grand finale at the end.  (Pictured below: glow sticks controlling fireworks.)

I was just in heaven that I got to get all snuggled under a blanket with her on my lap, watch the fireworks and get my cuddles in.  Last year I wondered if she would be "over" snuggling for fireworks this year, and tonight I wondered it for next year.  One day it will come true, and I will be so sad.  One day we won't be cool, or fun, or #1 for them.  We will be walking, talking ATMs, whose very presence is a hinderence to their social status, who they won't want to snuggle at fireworks.  

But that day isn't today.  

So, I didn't even mind that Gabbie went right to our bed tonight when we got home. :)

Back in the "saddle".

I left my little blog for a while.  I tried something else, but it didn't work.  This works the best.  So, I'm back!  

This blog is for our babies.  I look so forward to one day printing these entries in a hardbound book, and handing it over to our children so they can read about the little gems that they said, and little things that they did, that made our world.  These are the things that make the long days and short nights, sleep deprivation, sacrifices, countless frustrating moments... All of it worth it.  (Can you tell what kind of a night it's been?) 

In the meantime, I leave you with an image of the girls yesterday, playing in the water.