YaYas Are The Greatest Gift

Ya-Ya...the name given to my mother in law when she became a "grandparent"....loved by both Dayton & Saige and treasured by me. She is such a help and a huge blessing to our family. Many people I know roll their eyes when in laws are mentioned - not me. She arrived on Wednesday to help out during these final days of swollen fatness and will be staying through the birth of the baby. Always willing and ready to cook, clean, run errands or occupy the kids. This time (as with all other times) she came packed with goodies for the children. She is handing out surprises each day...on the condition that the kids listen and are good. (Yeah right!...that's what she says, but we all know that even if bad they would still get a surprise the next day) So far we've acquired a large bouncy ball, some new princess jewelry, sidewalk chalk, a magnifying glass and a magic princess wand. Dayton says that if she runs out of surprises then "we can go to my mall and buy some more." Spoiled? Nah.... Yesterday she and Dayton went to the grocery and they came home with a box of Trix. He asked if he could eat it for lunch...I said no. He asked his YaYa, she said maybe if he took a nap he could have some after nap. He asked me if "that be alright." I said yes. He napped for 2 hours! I was able to nap for over an hour....after that I was agreeable to just about anything. She might not have a chance to read this while she's here (right now she is outside hunting for bugs and it isn't even 9am) but eventually she will and I certainly hope she knows how much I appreciate her help. One of the many blessings in my life.

The Hidden Meaning Behind A Broken Toe

So, I broke my baby toe yesterday. I jammed it really hard on a doorframe. How do I know it is broken? Well, I don't, I can only assume it is since it is twice it's normal size, mostly purple/black and the popping crunch sound it made when it happened dropped me to my knees. Ok, I'm exaggerating a little bit...given the big belly, I couldn't drop to my knees...so instead, I just sat down and moaned for awhile. Saige said, "what just happened mommy?". How sweet of her to notice. So I spent the better part of yesterday going about my neurotic nesting, limping and complaining. I'm wondering if it is a sign that I should slow down a little and maybe put my feet up and relax? Easier said than done. Someone needs to do some studies on nesting. It's quite fascinating to step outside oneself and watch one clean/organize ridiculous things like coupon drawers as if they have no control over their actions. I mean really, why does a coupon drawer need wiping out? I really should be sleeping or have my feet up and eat moon pies. 5 days left...ouchie...bad contraction...what else can I clean today? Hmmm...endless possibilities.

Awaiting Baby

At what point do you look at your kids and get grossed out by them? They go from these sweet, baby smelling newborns that make kitty cat noises to these larger, sassy beings that are just sometimes gross. Of course you always love your kids and they say you never see the "bad" stuff, but to be completely honest, today I was confronted by how gross kids can be...regardless of whether they are your own or belong to someone else. In most cases, it involves someone else's child. This morning Dayton started laughing at Saige and saying "gross Saige, what is in your hair?" I could immediately tell that it was something he had put there. I asked him what he did and he said, "my just picked my nose and wiped it in Saige's hair". I wanted to vomit. How disgusting. I usually reserve time outs for things like hitting and pushing but "boogie wiping" got a time out today. Later, he was playing with a tin frog (it is actually a garden ornament that you put a tea light candle in) and shoving a snake (a rubber one) in it's mouth. How do boys come up with these things? In all fairness though, I cannot say today's acts of grossness were limited to my sweet angel boy...Saige did something pretty gross too. She was using the potty (in case you all didn't know, she's potty trained now and in big girl princess undies) and decided that she wanted to stick her hands in her pee stream. I asked what in the world she was doing and she said, "washing my hands mama." That's when I realized how much I was looking forward to that sweet smelling newborn stage again.

9 Months Is All Of A Sudden 9 Days

Yes, only 9 days to go until my scheduled surgery date and our little baby girl will be celebrating her birthday. Not to be confused with my current little baby girl that will also be celebrating her birthday...her 2nd birthday on July 9th! So much has gone on the past few weeks and so much is yet to come. Dayton has finished preschool for the summer and won't be returning until the end of August. He has adjusted to "summer vacation" quite well, but I have not. I've done a great job of keeping him busy with little outings and projects, but now that I'm at the very end I am having a hard time finding the energy to get him out of his pj's each day. I've spent quite a few days in my pj's myself! Shhh don't tell anyone!

We've hunted crabs at the beach, gotten craft projects from the store, done some baking/cooking, a few playdates, some swimming, painting rocks, flying kites, a trip to the aquarium and somehow managed to fit in a small vacation as a family. Now I am in high nesting gear. I'm cleaning out closets that haven't been opened since we've moved in here, throwing out things I haven't used, giving away clothes, packing up old bedding and sealing it, organizing under sinks and in cabinets. Why you ask? I don't know the answer to that. Surely, I could find something more useful to do...like put the infant car seat back together, dust the baby's room, or maybe put my feet up and take a nap? I'm not sure what the purpose of nesting is, but it sort of reminds me of college days when you wait until the last night to start a 10 page paper. Your best work is often accomplished under such deadlines.

Saige is approaching "two-hood" and all that comes with it. I can't say I'm expecting a terrible two phase once she blows her candles out, but I am expecting some serious sibling rivalry and adjustment difficulties with the baby. She is most certainly a mommy's girl (I was always under the impression that little girls were somehow automatically daddy's girls) and frequently fights with Dayton over who sits beside me at any given moment. (or should I say EVERY given moment?) She talks and sings constantly and I am always impressed with her expressive language skills and clarity. She is almost potty trained and has undertaken that task all by herself. No rewards necessary. My only complaint is that I feel like I spend most of my day in the bathroom with her because she hasn't figured out that her little bladder does have SOME capacity. She is so darn cute waddling around in her big girl princess undies. She continues to show left hand dominance despite my efforts to always place things in her right hand. Lately she has made up "nicknames" for everyone and it is so funny because I have no idea where they came from. She calls her daddy "daddy paddio", Dayton "buddy", "Dayton Eero A-koski" or "Dayton bear" and I am "mommy bear" or "mommy lemonade". She continues to fight sleep and cause us all grief, but remains joyful despite getting only 8-9 hours of sleep each day. The other day I was ignoring her and she finally raised her voice and said "mama, I'm talking for you" in an exasperated tone! She's very into drama and crossing her arms while saying "no way"!

I probably have some new pictures to upload, but that is low on my nesting priority list right now...so you will all have to be patient. Will keep you all posted on any possible developments before June 29th! So, 9 days or less to go...