Sister act.

Time marches on.

   Wasn't it yesterday that I was staring in disbelief at that little pink line that meant a human was growing inside of me for the very first time?!  Who was I to think I could be a mother?  I was never one of those 16-year olds that scurried around church looking for a baby to hold.  I didn't just l-o-o-o-o-o-ve babies like some girls do.  I didn't dislike them, I just liked other things better.

    And now somehow, here I am, with a two year old, and a 6-month old.  Can it be?  Sometimes I look at them together and just shake my head thinking, "Do those really belong to me?" This is craziness. And since I'm a little overdue on their 2-yr and 6-month updates, we will do those now. 

Jocelyn
    Her most recent favorite activity is "tea party".  As I type (and nurse) she is bustling around her little table and chairs, pouring tea, arranging fake food and letting her imagination run wild.  I love it.

  I think I can now say she is officially potty-trained. During the day. She is doing wonderfully and rarely has an accident, but her mama chickened out and is doing diapers at nap time and night.  I started out doing underwear only, and she woke up a few times from a nap dry, so I know she can do it, but I just did not feel the motivation to stick with it through such a busy holiday season.  Now that the holidays are over, I am ready to start thinking about it again.  I still think if I had stuck with the panties-only thing, it would have worked.  As soon as she wakes up, she doesn't go in her diaper.  Even if I'm busy and leave it on for a while, she asks to go potty in the potty.  So maybe I will have to test my "all-or-nothing" theory out with Charlotte.:)

    Ever since the play, Jocelyn has been all about Mary.  She points to every Biblical figure in a storybook, nativity scene, poster, etc.  that looks somewhat close to Mary and shouts, "Mary!"  She even called me Mary for a while, and I think she thought that's what my name was. We corrected her, and now she likes to call me Shelley.  There is something so stinkin' cute about her little voice saying my name, but I'd rather go by mama, thank you very much.

  She truly loves her sister, and has started playing so much nicer with Charlotte. I am thrilled.  This week for the first time I have even been able to leave them together, alone, in their room, as Charlotte plays on the floor with toys, and Jocelyn is busy with her own activities.  Not quite playing "together" yet, but happily co-existing is plenty for me. 

 She is going to be my big helper, I can already tell.  She is hardly ever more pleased than when I let her measure ingredients for me, load laundry into the dryer, sweep the floor, or dust with a rag.   Those are some of her favorite things to 'play'.

 She is still sleeping in her crib, and I want to prolong  switching to a toddler bed as long as I possibly can, because naptime and bedtime is so easy right now.  We do her routine of stories, prayers, brushing teeth, etc. and lay her down and she talks happily to herself and her toys until falling asleep.  I really need to transition them soon as Charlotte is getting too big for her cradle, but I don't want to yet!  Any advice for making that transition go smoothly?

 Of course she is not perfect, and we have quite a few things we are working on right now.  For example, don't ride your sister like a pony, and don't eat the clay Mary figurine, even if she is your favorite......................

   It's nice to hug, but it is not so nice to hug and squeeze and tackle and squish.  This goes for sisters AND friends.  And strangers at the library. Sigh.  And pouting is not becoming to a lady.

 But even less becoming, are full-out fits.

   But in spite of all her areas that need improvement, I refuse to fall prey to the "Terrible Twos" mentality.  I think the reason they seem so "terrible" is because they are morphing from basically a baby into a little person who suddenly wants to explore, investigate, taste, feel and experience everything, all at once.  That desire to learn and that budding curiosity is something I think we can extinguish, if we're not careful.  We can create fear, worry, distrust and anxiety in a child, when I believe it is more natural at first to be fearless and brave.  And so I am determined to approach this time as a great threshold for learning and opportunity and not wave it off as the "Terrible twos" and throw my hands in the air in despair.  I actually really cringe whenever I hear someone refer to this age that way.

Charlotte
   Is 6 months old! *confetti* *cheers*  Each time with a baby I feel as if I round a giant corner at 6 months.  Raising an infant 0-6 is climbing Mt Everest, and 6-12 months is the way back down.  I always feel my subconscious heaving a great sigh of relief as if to say, "We made it.  We did it.  You are still in one piece.  Take a moment and celebrate your survival."  And I am SO happy to be here, where I am right now, and not 5 months ago. :)

 Charli has two teeth! Did I say that one last time?  I can't remember. She's had them for a while.  She occasionally tries to test them out on me, but realizes her mistake pretty quickly.

  She has also started solid foods, but I am taking it REALLY slow as she is extremely prone to constipation.  Any suggestions of helping that?  Other than prune juice and Karo syrup?  Jocelyn struggled with it terribly too.

   Her most recent acquired skill is crawling!!!  She sort of army crawls and pulls herself by her arms and scoots all over the place.  That counts, right?  She is fascinated with toys, dolls, and crinkly things, and can entertain herself happily for quite some time.  Still working on sitting up though, not quite there yet.

   Holy blue eyes!  Those continue to take me by surprise.  She is more vocal than I remember Jocelyn being, and babbles to herself quite a bit.  And talks to us too, for that matter.  Sometimes she can sound quite demanding with her little "words" even without crying, and I find that so cute.  I'm sure I won't forever, but for now, it's definitely sweet.:)

    Mama likes to match her two little girlies, and occasionally, gets in on the fun herself.  Poor Daddy feels like he lives in a zoo sometimes with all the animal print going on around here.  On second thought, maybe he just feels left out 'cuz he doesn't have any.....I'll have to work on that. ;)

   Well I must run.  Duty calls, and my Little Miss needs some Mommy time!  Hope you're all gearing up for a fabulous weekend.

P.S.  I know, I know those tabs on the side aren't working yet. That is totally my fault, and totally something I will (hopefully soon) remedy.  In the meantime, I hope it doesn't bother anyone too much!  This blog is a work in progress.:)