karate chop

Ok the fake flu is outta here and we can get back to normal life starting tomorrow. I kept Olive home from school today as she woke up warm but by the late morning she was 100% back to normal. We hung at home, crafted, went on a walk, and both kids actually took good naps. Damn miracle. When the kids were napping it actually gave me time to regroup and get stuff done. I was able to plan some play dates and just organize my thoughts. I know it seems like a simple thing to do but when I'm busy with both of them I can't really get much done which is fine but sometimes it just feels good to feel accomplished.

We had our last day of Karate today. The class was great as she learned about discipline, strangers, and a tiny bit of karate. Not sure what will stick around in her little head but it was good. I think I may start her in t-ball but I have one more day to decide as it starts this week. Having all the activities is fun especially since she is napping so rarely these days. I also like seeing what she likes and doesn't like. I think at this age she is starting to figure that out. She did well with karate as she is good with direction and mimic which is why dance is so great for her. But she also checked herself out the entire time in the mirror at karate and flipped her hair when she would talk to the instructor. Oye!

Collecting flowers and random tree parts for our craft. 

The pink flowers were way too big but she didn't seem to care that it was messy. 

Every single time I see this book it makes me smile. In Brooklyn we lived below two guys that were photographers. One day we heard/felt the louded thump.They had thrown this book (well their copy of it) on a rat. I know it sounds brutal but tiny brooklyn apts and critters are just plain nasty. 

She generally wants to paint everything so she did. 

After we were done she was so interested in looking at all the work in the book. Some of the images are not super kid friendly (dude with flowers coming out of his butt) but she was way into it and that image actually made her laugh. She asked me every single persons name in the book. I didn't know half the names so we made them up and she was satisfied. 

After we hung out on the hammock I found a HUGE jumping spider so now  I don't even want to go in my backyard again. I flung it across the grass hoping the chickens would eat it. I've found them in my house before and apparently they are harmless but they are super hairy and gross to look at. They are way too big to squash so hopefully it will just stay away from my space. 

My mom brought these down last time she visited. I thought Olive would love them but she was horrified by it and wouldn't even think of putting it in her mouth. I had fun....

I had to post a few of these. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Otto was seriously trying so hard to grab Sierra and just laughing and smiling at her. Sierra was actually letting it happen and ket going back over to him. Maybe Sierra will like this one. 

flu poo

I'm kinda weird about vaccines. I've talked up and down and around it on this blog since Olive was born. I made the choice to vaccinate both of my kids because the guilt I would have if they got any of the diseases would just be too much. I know thats not the best reason but it just felt like you could go in circles with the pros and cons. Like anything in parenting I think its best to go with your gut and of course common sense so for me breaking the shots down and only doing two at a time seemed like the right thing. I don't think they cause autism or anything weird like that but I do think injecting a bunch of shit into a baby that can prevent a deadly disease is brutal and probably doing a ton at a time is bad. I dunno maybe it doesn't  matter but for me it makes sense. Unfortunately with Blake's new job we have new insurance and the co pay is ridiculous so my stupid way of doing things is totally costing us an arm and a leg so I don't know what to do. Taking that one each month at a time.

Anyways the whole reason for this post was the flu shot. We went in for a vaccines on friday. I actually hadn't planned on getting Olive the flu shot but the dr suggested it. She said it was the nasal spray and that is was much more effective than the shot but because it was live there was more risk for flu like symptoms. She was so casual about it so I figured why not. She is in preschool and will probably bring home every nasty sick this year so lets do it. That shit backfired and she ended up with the flu or I guess as the side effects say flu like symptoms. I've read a bunch of different sites and I can't actually figure out if the flu symptoms she has are contagious or not. Guess we will find out. She spent last night with a fever and a stomach ache. Blake slept in her bed and said she was up pretty much all night feeling crappy. When she got up in the morning she seemed totally fine. We got ready to head out to Blake's bike race and right before we were heading out the door she just melted down and her fever came right back. Blake ended up going to the race which is a whole other story. I'll spare everyone my husband bashing but lets just say I'm pissed. The morning was pretty bad. Her fever got pretty high and she just wanted me to hold her. It was so sad. She ended up passing out for a little bit which was good as Otto was ready to party. Still trying to figure out how to juggle two when one is needy and sick.  She downed 3 otter pops and then I finally gave in to the meds which helped and she was able to play and not be so sad and sick on the couch. It was just a long day. When Blake got home I took a power nap. I had been up all night with Otto. He was up every hour for some reason. I have never experienced a night like that, not even with Olive. Something was obviously wrong and I'm sure it was teeth. Normally when he wakes up to eat he squirms around a bit and slowly gets into a little whimper. It takes a while for a cry but he was waking up and immediately crying. I had to nurse him back everytime. He did not want to be rocked, he wanted comfort boob. My poor boobs had quite the night. I'm hoping it was just a random night and that will never happen again. Luckily I was so tired that I wasn't tired if that makes sense. 

So I'm hoping the morning will bring a happy fever free kid. Its so hard to decide what to do as a parent. I mean if I didn't give her the flu shot and she got some awful flu how bad would I feel?? Hopefully this "flu" she had will be it and protect her from all the other nasty that she is going to come across at school. I seriously just want a weekend re-do.

I wore this costume for Halloween when I was 3. It took a little bribe to get it on, you know cause its not a princess dress and all. We compromised on the glass slippers. 

Watermelon thief. 

She looks so big here and I actually see me in her face! 

Sick. 

He is trying so hard to roll over. 

Opie is one massive chicken. 

We sat outside while Olive napped and it was just lovely out. Summer is sticking around in these parts and I do love the mornings. The afternoons not so much. 

 

woe is me

I miss this space just to vent and blab about nothing and everything. And a little bitching and moaning with no one to tell me to suck it up. It's amazing how busy life can get. We are pretty non stop around here and sometimes it feels good just to sit down and stare at my computer. This week Olive has decided that she isn't going to nap much so I pretty much just have to leave her in her room and wait it out till I feel she has had enough "quiet time" or till I get annoyed with her screaming at me that she can't sleep. The nap break would be nice but it is what it is. Otto is a great sleeper but a super short napper. He takes about 3 or 4 30 min naps per day. I know this will change so I'm rolling with it. He is getting teeth on the bottom which I think will pop up any day now so night times are a bit fussy with him. He seems annoyed and just wants to chew on something. I've given him a bunch of toys and while he can hold things he doesn't totally get how to maneuver it to his mouth or keep a good grip. He is trying so hard to roll over from his back to tummy. He has mastered the roll over from tummy to back but is getting so close to the other way. He's also pulling himself up when he is laying down at an incline. Better stomach muscles then me thats for sure! 

I'm starting to really fear his teeth coming in. The other night he clamped down on my nipple in a weird way and it hurt so so so so bad and that feeling of teeth biting down on my nipple seriously came back to me so quickly. Funny how birth was crazy intense and I can't really remember that but the pain of a nipple bite makes me cringe and a little reminder brings back the memory of it. 

Most people you talk to are always interested in asking you about the transition from one kid to two. Sometimes I don't even know how to answer as I honestly feel like I'm in a whirlwind of craziness most of the time. Like there is literally not one second where I get a break except when the kids are in bed which is usually pretty late these days as Olive still hates sleep. I remember people telling me that when you have a second kid you will just laugh at how easy one was. I couldn't possibly understand that as Olive kept me on my toes all the time but now I so get that. It's not harder its just more constant and a million times more exhausting. Otto is a super easy baby and is pretty content most of the time but its the balance of keeping both of them happy. Oh and somehow taking care of myself in there which I haven't quite figured out. I took a photo of myself and Otto yesterday and it was the first time I looked at myself and thought holy shit I look old. The bags under my eyes were just super deep and I looked like shit. It was sad. It was the first time I got really bummed out about something like that.  Somehow in there I need to take the time to take care of me. So speaking of no time Blake doesn't get home till 7ish which means he has missed dinner with us and sometimes will miss bath time. I know he wishes he was home and its not his fault but if I can have a woe is me moment I'm fucking exhausted by 7. I know EVERYONE does this and my parents did this before me and there are a million other moms that do this everyday and have it way worse bla bla bla but I don't really give a shit. It sucks and I'm human and I get tired. The American dream is complete bullshit. I love my family and I miss us having dinner together and spending more than 20 minutes before bedtime. There, my woe is me vent is done!!

Cheers to the weekend!

Family breakfast.

Tea time. 

Visits with Ashley. also isn't La Jolla beautiful???

Visits from Andrea. 

Bandaids are now just a fun accessory. 

Little bits of fall. 

His chubby belly and legs are the best. 

All things girly. 

Summer keeps popping in to say hi. 

James

We have entered the imaginary friend stage around these parts and our new addition to the family is James. The last month or so Olive started talking about James (of Sofia the First) being in her bed when she woke up (I don't care how young your daughter is, boy in bed=creepy). We later figured out she was having dreams about him. I'm sure I talked about this in one of my posts. They danced, drank wine, got married, etc. Well now James exists and he comes everywhere. It generally starts off in the morning with her eating breakfast and then pretending to hear a knock. She then has to open the door and ask him to come in. From then on James is part of the day. Today I squashed James when I sat on the couch to feed Otto. Geez! She holds hands with him and she brings him everywhere. Its funny and a bit creepy all at the same time. At first it was a bit bizarre to hear her carry on full conversations with air but then again I talk to myself ALL day and I'm kinda getting used to James and having him part of our life. I wonder why kids do this? I mean I know its totally normal but its just such an interesting stage.  She has a really vivid and creative imagination so I'm kinda excited to see how long James will stick around and what other friends will appear.

You know when you hear those stories about kids seeing ghosts and shit? The other day we were in the hallway and Olive screamed "BEARS!!!!" and I swear to you for a split second I was like holy shit there is a bear in the house. Just the way she said it, it was so real and the look on her face was like I'd imagine if someone saw a bear in their house. She has this weird fear of bears and she told me they were in the hallway. I know it sounds insane and totally crazy but what if kids just have a wild imagination and can see stuff that we can't.

I still remember to this day a dream I had or at least I think it was a dream. I was so young but it felt so real that till this day I can still remember the feeling. As I've gotten older I have forgotten details of the dream. I'm guessing this was when I was around 4 or 5 ish. It was my stuffed animals and they were talking. I remember looking into my closet at some part of the dream and it is so clear even now when I think about it. I remember the feeling of being scared and I think I was trying to tell my mom about it in my dream. There was a ton more to it but like I said over the years its faded but the feeling of the dream always remains. What the dream was isn't important but the fact that 30 years later I can still remember the feeling is kinda insane. There are actually a good handful of dreams that I had as a kid that I can still remember. I think its just so amazing how our memory works and what we retain and hold on to. Totally off the subject of imaginary friends but just crazy how kid brains work. Keeping it nice and weird around here.

Holding hands with James. 

Olive is THREE

Olive turned 3 on monday and its been a full week of birthday celebrating. I like the idea of birthday week anyhow. The fun started on saturday. We met my parents in Long Beach for a live show of Sofia the First and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Disney seriously knows how to do it. She LOVED it! On her actual birthday she had school so when she woke up we had her birthday table all set and decorated her room with balloons. The first thing she said when walking up was "who made this mess, you need to clean it up." Way to party birthday girl. After she realized how awesome a room full of balloons was she kinda got over it. She requested oatmeal for breakfast and washed it down with a lick of frosting on a cupcake. She opened up her presents (she got rollerskates and a Jake book) and was off to school.

Blake took a half day and we went to Disneyland/California Adventures for the rest of the afternoon and night. She passed out at dinner so I'd say it was a pretty good night. Today my mom was in town and we went back to California Adventures for lunch at Ariel's Grotto. Its totally overpriced character dining but she loved it. The food is actually descent but I think its more about the experience. Before you are seated you get a photo with Ariel and then during your meal a few of the princesses visit your table. She mostly talked their ears off. It was loud so it was hard to hear what she was saying but man that kid can talk. We hit up a few of the rides before heading home. I'd say thats a pretty damn good birthday week!

When I look at her now I see a 3 year old. Her face is starting to change and she just looks like a big kid now. I love watching her come into her own little person but man is it bittersweet. I don't see that baby anymore and sometimes its hard to imagine she was the same size as Otto. Her energy and excitement is contagious even if she can drive me totally insane sometimes. Her personality is strong and she is beyond confident. I love her creativity and fun spirit. I'm so proud she is mine!