Two's setting in

About a month ago, I started noticing subtle changes in Maggie that were showing that the her two's we've heard about were starting to show their colors. I'm not going to say terrible two's because that just sounds negative. She is still our sweet Maggie but with a little more umph! Reading a friend's blog today and I could relate. Parenthood is bittersweet and it is hard to be completely in the moment when there is so much going on around us but I also try to enjoy and appreciate these special moments when they happen. One thing that had me laughing the other day is the potty training process. We had a friend over so my attention was divided and we were practicing underwear/no underwear-time in the house. Next thing I know I find Maggie using the toilet but a little too late. She had the wiping down but then told me "there is poop everwhere!" and then proceeded to show me where it was. Good times.

We've been on the go a lot. We're in the middle of swim lessons as it is that time of year that we hear of very tragic events in the water involving children and I just don't want Maggie to go down that road. She also showed a huge exhuberance for water this spring so I knew it was time. Lessons have been great. The pool looks so inviting but dad has been having fun in the pool.

My goal this summer is to get out and go camping a lot and spend time outside with family and friends. So far, we're doing good. We are having friends over for meals, riding our bikes, walking to the park, and enjoying our yard and garden.

Beach crafting

During our May vacation, I played around with my jewelry-making stash with my friend Erin, who took up making jewelry a few years prior when we were hanging at her beachhouse. I collect things here and there for my stash but don't make much in the end :-) Erin quickly surpassed me in this area and has a huge stash and lots of homemade jewelry. She can really pump out some cool pieces fast.

Anyways, this time around, I stuck with it and made myself a matching necklace and earrings from beads in my stash with a little piecing help from Erin. I also made a stretchy necklace for Maggie and she helped by yielding some of the tools. Her necklace is on a lightweight stretchy string and I used jewelry glue to secure the knot in place. This is a fun and easy craft to do with kids. There was no rhyme or reason to my bead selection. I just wanted Maggie's necklace to be fun with bright colors and chunky beads. 

Now for more crafting this summer. It feels like it is flying by.

Sneaky

A good binky story...

We eliminated the binky but I thought it would be good transition-wise to keep it around for sleeping only. This has worked well for one of Maggie's playmates. I was strict about this though and explained to Maggie that the binky could only be used while sleeping and that it would remain in the crib when she wasn't. The process of eliminating the binky in this way at age 26 months has worked incredibly well.

Maggie was proud to show everyone that she was a big girl and that she could only have the binky when it was naptime or night time and she has become increasingly less dependent on it since we started this. It's really great to watch (especially when she was so (annoyingly) attached to it before :-)). It's a love/hate thing for parents.

Maggie has been learning how to open and shut doors, including her own and we've found that sometimes when she shuts her door she really does want to be in there alone for whatever reason. Maggie has been well aware that the binky resides just within her reach if she sticks her skinny little arms through the slats of her crib.

One morning, Michael heard her door shut and then silence. Too much silence in our house (with a toddler) is bad. So, he goes to check on her and finds Maggie reclining in the rocking chair all relaxed, reading Jamberry, with the binky in her mouth. The second Michael opens the door and sees this, she looks like she's been caught red-handed and quickly takes the binky out of her mouth like nothing was going on and hides it behind her back.

While this had happened with me previously, I hadn't mentioned it to Michael. So when this happened, he ran in to tell me what he's just seen and it had us cracking up! What can you do but smile and laugh at your sneaky but precious 2-year old? I love this stuff.

Ramble

Taking a moment during Maggie's nap to clear my mind that is currently hopped up on too much caffeine. I should have gone decaf this morning when pulling through the drive through to get a latte :-) I knew ordering a medium (2 shots) was not going to go well (because I'm usually a one cup of tea kind of girl) but it sounded so good in the moment! Coffee bought at 10:30 am. It's nearing 4 pm and just now coming off my buzz after a late lunch.

So glad to have storytime back in our lives on Tuesdays. Summer session at the library has started and I'm thankful for it to be added back into our weekly routine. I've had a few nice chats with moms while there over the past year, but generally Maggie and I keep to ourselves...maybe because it's the library and it's a place to practice being quiet :-) I like this storytime though because it's a mixed bag in terms of the types of families that show up. And wow, take a few months off and lots of moms have baby bumps!

Since Maggie became mobile around 1 and eager to get out of the house after ditching the morning nap, I make a point to get out mid-morning to do something just for Maggie on my days home during the week (and to be efficient it's combined with an errand or two). Going to storytime, for example, has been good for so many reasons - change of pace from home play/me getting caught up in chores, providing consistency in terms of what she is learning at daycare (preschool-type lessons), socializing with other toddlers, learning about the library and how to check out books, creating mommy and me time, and playing at the park if the weather is nice and we've got the time. I've found so much enjoyment in watching Maggie develop her understanding about all of this as time flies by. I've really seen all the little things I've shown her and taught her (not excluding everyone else helping in this area) build upon itself day by day, month by month. So far, this has been one of the greatest joys of being a parent because I've seen the time we've spent with her and the time she has spent with others developing in this way pay off in creating a well-rounded cheerful and loving little lady. The cherry on top is recieving compliments from acquaintances that spend time with Maggie and tell me what a joy she is to be around. Keep 'em coming!

Funny moment that our family cannot forget - misplacing Howie, oh my! I knew this day would come, it was just a matter of when. I hadn't put much thought into it happening besides a fleeting thought about how I should possibly find another Howie just to be safe and stash it away for the day that it did. Well, a few months ago, my mom, who watches Maggie one day a week, was going about her day with Maggie and by naptime Howie was missing. My mom was stalling with Maggie as long as she could but she let us know he was missing by the afternoon because we all knew the shiz was going to hit the fan at some point that night if he wasn't found! While my mom retraced her steps, I took action by recalling where we'd gotten him from (mom had bought him for Maggie at Barnes and Noble) and then Michael ran out to find and buy Howie #2. Turns out all his brothers were waiting to find a home and Michael returned with Howie #2 so fresh and clean. In the meantime, I cook up a friendly story for Maggie about how she had left Howie at nana's house that day (I had an inkling that he really was there) and that daddy went to go get him before bedtime. We offer super clean #2 to her hoping she doesn't notice the subtle differences. She doesn't seem to mind or know and quickly tucks him under her arm. We laugh over the evening's events and get the call from my mom that Howie #1 is at her house. So, now we have a permanent backup. #2 quickly became as loved as #1. Maggie does not know she's got Howie twins in the house but now we're set if this ever happens again :-)

Cheers!

Botanicals

More Table Mountain goodness. I spent a day in April with Maggie and friends exploring this wonderful botanical paradise outside Sacramento.

Onto summer. My mom helped me get my summer vegetables in (squash, gourds, cucumber, basil, cherry tomatoes, and regular tomatoes (mix of common and heirloom varieties)). Still need to plant the pole beans where the lettuce is growing. We also planted pretty shrubs in the front yard in a lonely area that faces the street and has been plant-less since we moved in.

If you haven't discovered hot lips sage yet, buy it! It's amazing! Also loving our native deer grass, English lavender, roses, and native California fushia. Planting purple needlegrass soon, found at our local CNPS native plant nursery run by volunteers at a Day on the Farm (Soil Born Farm-sponsored). Had forgotten purple needlegrass is our state grass. It's a native bunchgrass that is near and dear to botanists and occurs in our regional grasslands.

Ok plants, grow, grow, grow...

Picture time

Easter has come and gone, our spring vacation is over, birthdays have passed, and summer softball begins soon. We just travelled for a week through central California visiting family, the beach, and friends. Maggie was our little travelling buddy and she impressed us. We logged 1,200 miles and she barely made a fuss. I think it's a combination of her getting used to road trips, growing up/enjoying her surroundings more, and having a DVD handy with her favorite shows if the ride got too long.

The Tour of California is filling our nights. Maggie and I watched the racers whiz through old Folsom during Stage 3 in the drizzly rain, Maggie yelling "Go, go, go..." to anyone and everyone that was listening. We're enjoying the cute things Maggie says and does every day. She's repeating things more than ever (Michael...watch it :-) and copying everyone around her, especially kids. She wants to: cook, find the cat, draw, jump, go to storytime, hide, swim, go to the store and push her own cart (thank you Trader Joe's for having kid-sized carts), eat her vitamins, drink milk before bed in the sippy, hold my hand in the car, wear Hello Kitty bandaids, crack her own hard-boiled eggs with an "I did it!" at the end of the 1/2 hour process :-), be naked, go to the park, see her closest buddies, and the list goes on. This is the stuff I want to remember for myself and for her sake. We've had great success in elimating the binky to strictly sleeping - woo hoo! I was waiting for this day to arrive. With milestones like that, my best success is in letting go and then letting it happen more naturally to wear there is less fighting, some ah-hah! moments, and a happy family in the end.

 Life is good.

Maggie eyeing Eden's Easter loot



Look what I found Dad! (the real prize inside was jelly beans-thanks Uncle Dave!)



Table Mountain day trip - Maggie's first time holding lizard



Feeding giraffe at the zoo - Maggie got cold feet at last minute

Such a fun experience and great day at the zoo with 4 moms and 6 kids

Daddy and daughter in Cayucos

Tidepooling and playing with beach rocks - who me?



Visiting Amber and family, SLO college friend