Highly Entertaining....

peepee on the potty

Maya Grace is 2 1/2. She likes to play outside, read library books with her papa, take walks with her nan, and bug her sister. Maya Grace does NOT like to use the potty.

Last weekend  we made a feeble attempt at wearing undies instead of a diaper. The weather was beautiful, so we brought the potty chair outside and Maya ran around the back yard in her shirt and underpants. We drank lots of juice and water and took many potty breaks. After about two hours of dry pants, she finally relaxed enough to allow herself to pee on the potty. It was pretty exciting :)

My big girl was rewarded with hugs and kisses and high fives and her favorite treat in the world... "beh-nems". Eight of them in a special dish, to be precise. She was more excited about the candy then the actual "movement" that had taken place. When you are 2 1/2, things like M&Ms are pretty special.

We put her undies back on, but there was no more toileting in her afternoon plans. While it was a big deal to her mama, Maya could have cared less. I think she actually thought of it as an inconvenience to her afternoon play to be reminded every 20 minutes to sit on her potty for a little while, to drink some water, to listen and feel for anything changing with her body. She was excited because mama was excited.

We are going to keep trying to use the potty, and hopefully in the coming weeks she will come around to the idea of leaving diapers behind in favor of big girl underpants. She even has a few pair of Dora (the Explorer) undies, and I told her she can't pee on Dora... maybe that will help ;)

I'm not in a big rush to move this girl into the next stage of childhood. I'm trying to encourage her independence and development, but at a pace that is comfortable for her. Soon enough she will be rockin' those Dora underpants like it is nobody's business, and I'll be chasing her out of every public restroom we happen upon. Until then, we will look forward to sunny days out in the back yard with a potty chair and a bare bottom.

Go ahead and master the toileting thing, but don't go growing up too fast, GraceLand...

little ladies

My girls love to be outside. They love running and playing in the grass, pulling wagons and pushing lawn mowers, climbing and sliding and swinging and playing in their little house.

Seriously, could these sisters  be any cuter?? And how lucky am I to be their mom, watching them grow together?

The personality in these two littles is blooming like CRAZY lately. They are both getting a little braver, a little more verbal, a little more head strong. Maya is begining to engage in more pretend play, and is always trying to "mother" her little sister, who, of course, wants NOTHING to do with being mothered (even by her mom sometimes!). Sadie is an explorer, climbing on everything she can and making her mama VERY tired. These sisters are starting to play together rather than annoy each other, and this mama is quite pleased :)

These girls fill my days with laughter and excitement and stress and exhaustion and delight and wonder and tears... and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

 

My Baby Lady and the case of the Very Bad Ears

My sweet Sadie has had infected ears since February. FEBRUARY. Most of the time she has been her chipper, sassy naughty self... bright eyed and fun loving and ready to torment her big sister at any moment. Thats my girl :)

 

This poor baby has been through five different antibiotic treatments, attempts at modifying her diet, and finally a round of super-duper anitbiotic injections, which she has had to endure for three days in a row. You would think that she would shriek on horror every time we pull in to the parking lot at the pediatrician's office. You would think that she would recoil at the sight of a sympathetic faced woman in scrubs wearing a stethescope. You would think she would want to high tail it out of the office as soon as she could.

Not my girl.

My girl sings in the car on the way to the doctor's office. She smiles and waves "hi" to the nurses and kind ladies at the registration desk. She plays with the baby dolls and rocking horse in the waiting room. She points at the different animals on the wallpaper borders of the exam rooms.

She *freaks out* when Dr. Shea listens to her breathing with the stethoscope and looks into her ears. She *FREAKS OUT* when she receives an injection from Janis, the nurse who has taken quite a liking to her. Then she puts her head on mama's shoulder and cries. And mama holds her tight and fights back her own tears, knowing that all the distress and pain will be forgotten by the time we walk back to the waiting room. And it does.

My girl waves to Shirley, the receptionist who checks us out and schedules our next appointment to check up on those ears in a few weeks. She pushes the toy trains along the tracks and bangs pots and pans on the play kitchen while mama packs our things back into the diaper bag. She waves a sweetly subdued "bye! bye!" to the staff as we leave the office, heading home to snuggle our way through the evening until she melts sleepily into my arms.

We are lucky to have a relatively healthy family. We are lucky to have medical providers who care for us, who know us by name and treat my baby girl with gentleness and try to comfort her with sympathetic eyes and smiles... who understand that this mama is overwhelmed with hurt for her little girl, and the tears that escape from behind eyes that are trying desperately to be strong for this little person who looks to us to protect and keep her safe.

I hate to see my little girl in pain. I want to be the sponge that absorbs all the hurt she will ever feel... physical, mental, emotional. I want her to know mama loves her, and all this dragging her to be poked and prodded on a weekly basis is to help her feel better.

My girl is a trooper. My girl is teaching me more and more about love and devotion and compassion than I've ever thought I would know. And she has no idea she's doing it. While I strive to be the one who protects and teaches her, she is the one teaching me what it means to love and be loved.

Get better soon, little lady. Please.

{{smooch}}

Last week I created a layout to help Basic Grey and Core'dinations celebrate National Scrapbook Day, and I was obviously distracted by that thing called parenthood to make time to post the page over here on my little space on the web ;)

((Core'dinations Basic Grey Ornate Core Impressions, Basic Grey Indie Bloom patterned paper, stickers, chipboard shapes))

This layout came together so easily… pairing Core’dinations and Basic Grey is one of my favorite combinations. To help the two papers come together seamlessly, I sanded and inked the edges of the Core’dinations Basic Grey Ornate collection embossed cardstocks as well as the Basic Grey patterned paper and chipboard stickers from the Indie Bloom collection. Layering elements and adding texture with sanding techniques gives the page plenty of visual interest and “pop.”

I am a HUGE fan of layering, texture, and mixing products. The banner element at the lower left corner of the layout was created by trimming a 3/4″ strip of Core’dinations cardstock and folding in into a banner shape, then sanding along the edges and folds to add dimension. The chipboard sticker was inked along the edges to soften the brighter white background color to help it blend well with the other elements of the page. I used scalloped edge scissors to trim a coordinating piece of pink Core’dinations cardstock, then sanded and accordian folded it to layer behind the central flower image of the large floral sticker at the top corner of the photo. Foam adhesive was applied to the sticker behind the tips of the vines to add dimension. The tag cluster above the photo is a collection of layered and inked bits and pieces.

I have the two sweetest little sister ladies to call mine. They are wild and crazy and make it a point to constantly irritate one another. They also love to love each other. They hug and kiss and snuggle and hold hands and drag each other around the house reading books and making a ginormous mess. It is all part of that thing called sisterhood :)

 

let her be

Maya Grace, sometimes you are a tough nut to crack.

My girl is happy and carefree and loads of fun and sunshine. Sometimes. Other times, she is crabby. Like when she is told "no". Or she has to wait for something. Or she wants to do something that another child is doing and is reluctant to join in the fun with an unfamilliar face.

I try to encourage her independence. I try to help her ease into social situations without being clingy or sullen. I try to allow her to have the space she needs to warm up on her own.

Sometimes it isn't easy. I want to usher her over to a group of friends and remind her that we have played with them before, have her take someone by the hand and tumble off together towards the swings laughing and giggling. That just isn't my girl.

She can be shy and reserved and stand-off-ish in social settings (or when she's just not in the mood). I am learning not to push her too hard to be outgoing, to give her the space and time she needs to figure it out herself. I love this girl of mine, and we are growing together in this journey of mother and daughterhood.

a day at the zoo

Last week the girls and I took a trip to the Buttonwood Park Zoo with a group of friends. The weather was absolutely amazing for mid-April in New England, and we had a fun time checking out the animals, having a snack-y lunch, and playing on the playground (until Maya tumbled down the big slide...).

 

Maya was a bit impatient walking through the tiny llittle zoo wearing her "cowboy hat". She had spotted the playground earlier and all she wanted to do was climb and explore, not be dragged around looking at exhibits that were under construction (the elephants were inside because they were having new toys installed in their yard). We made our way to the farm animals and she perked up a bit... this little lady loves cows and horses.

 

Sadie Lady was pretty content to hang out in the stroller and check out the scenery and animals around her without much of a fuss.

(someone had a mouth full of Goldfish crackers)

(Dylan and his mama checking out a sheep)

(miss sassafrass Ameila cheesin' it up in her stroller)

(Gavin and Gunnar {or "gabbin" and "gunnah" as Maya Grace says} planning their great escape into the Bull pen)

 

Big Sister lost her cool as we were heading away from the farm area, so we decided to head out of the zoo and make our way to the picnic tables and playground in the interest of not being embarassed by a melting-down toddler. Sometimes an hour at the zoo is enough.

It was a nice day spent with many friends we hadn't seen in a while, and are looking forward to reconnecting with as the weather continues to warm up and schedules lighten for the summer months. I'm not in a big rush to head back there again, the 45 minute drive and the $6 admission isn't bad, but going it solo with one headstrong little lady who just wants to play on the playground that isn't really toddler friendly while trying to keep tabs on a smaller little lady who just wants to eat woodchips and sticks is enough for this mama for a while.

Thanks to Katie and Trevor, Jess and Dylan, Sara and Gavin, Katherine and Gunnar, Jessie and Ridge, Ellie and Amelia... we love spending time with our friends! I am so thankful that my girls have a great group of playmates at such a young age. I am hoping that they will learn to share and cooperate and be patient and kind as they grow with their friends.

 

 

little miss trouble

Our house is currently being run by a very small dictator.

THIS CHILD is nothing but t.r.o.u.b.l.e. She is a climber. She is a cabinet door opener. She is a toy stealer and a book hogger and a stereo turner-oner. She likes to get into the package of juice boxes and rip off all the straws. She likes to squish the second half of her banana into a smooshy mess all over her pajamas. She likes to dump the bath toys all over the bathroom floor. She likes to cling to her mama while that mama is trying to do important not-baby-appropriate activities like grilling burgers and draining steaming vegetables.

THIS CHILD is an instigator who likes to steal things from her big sister, then run across the house cackling like a wicked little witch. THIS CHILD wakes up at 5 am and needs a nap by 8:30. THIS CHILD likes to attack clean baskets of laundry and "hay-yah!" scatter articles across the livingroom while mama is trying to sort and fold. THIS CHILD has a terrible temper and throws angry fits when she doesn't get what she wants (or if she is tired).

THIS CHILD will be the LAST CHILD that is added to the Oliveira family ;)

But.....

This child is supremely lovey and affectionate. This child tries to sing songs and repeat fingerplays like Wheels on the Bus and many of the nursery rhymes we recite each week at the library. She is FUNNY and makes us laugh with her silly sounds and faces. She likes to dance and twirl and chase her sister naked through the house after bath time. She is adding new words to her vocabulary every day, most recently "thank you" and "all done". She is SUPER ticklish on her ribs and has the.best.laugh.ever.

She exhausts me, but I can't imagine life without her shining little personality, no matter how much trouble she is.

 

just ducky

When I was growing up, a pair of ducks visited our neighborhood every spring, and most of the way through the summer. The elderly lady at the end of the road named them Henry and Henrietta. We would save stale bread and crackers in anticipation of their arrival every other day or so.

Last year, Henry and Henrietta visited my grown-up yard. Maya Grade was in love with them, and I found myself almost as excited to see them as she was.

The ducks are back again this year, and are super happy to sit in our yard all morning or afternoon. We put out fresh water for them, and they receive our bread scraps when they are available. Maya and Sadie like to watch them through the window, and Sadie quacks at them. Well, she  "kack"s at them. They don't seem to mind.

I am reminded how simple little things like this are what makes childhood special. I hope that my girls will one day have a home and children, and that they will be visited by Henry and Henrietta, too.

At this time in my life, I am finding that I am wanting to make the most our of every little moment with my family as I can. I want to hang out in our back yard, or at the playground, or running around on the sand at the beach. I want to blow bubbles and dig holes and collect rocks. I want to listen to the birds sing, watch the stars come out, and chase little ants into their holes.

I don't need to go lots of places and spend money on things we don't need. Neighborhood ducks and puddles to splash in and piggy toes that have been dirtied from playing outside all afternoon to wash in the tub are just fine for me.

 

happy (belated) birthday, Sadie Rose!!

On March 11th, my Sadie Lady turned one.

She wasn't feeling 100% (a few days later we took her to the doctor and found out her ears were still infected after two previous rounds of antibiotics), and I almost canceled the "party". We ended up with a handful of family and friends who celebrated with cupcakes and a pinata and lots of smiles from the birthday girl.

Like any great party, the birthday girl wound up running around with her dress off most of the time (after an unfortunate cupcake incedent, the dress had to be scrapped!).

Uncle Kael made Sadie the most beatiful set of natural blocks... they were a hit with the "big kids", and Sade is still carrying them around the house, tapping them together and marching around looking very important.

We had a fun, low-key celebration for my baby-girl-who-isn't-so-much-of-a-baby-anymore. I really can't believe one year has already passed since this beauty came into our world, and while times are sometimes tough, we are complete with her in our family. Her bubbly, sassy, stubborn disposition and sweet snuggles are such an amazing addition to the blend of personalities that swirl around our home.

((newborn photo courtesy Sweet Jane Photography))

Sadie Rose, you are trouble through and through. You are my sweet smoocher, my temper-tantrum-thrower, my "happy feet" dancing girl, my milk monster, my Sadie Baby Lady/ Sweetie Peetie/Kickin' Chicken.

Thank you for letting me be your mom. You have shown me that I can do things I never thought I could as a parent. That my love could multiply a million times more than I thought possible. That my patience could be tested (and tested... and tested...) and at the end of the day I would still be able to wrap my arms around your snuggly warm body and rock you to sleep, feeling the stress melt away with each little breath you take. You are going to be a tough little cookie; but you are MY cookie, and I'm going to nibble away at you and savor every bite for as long as I can.

I love you, Little Sister. Happy Birthday.

Under the weather

Right now in our house there is one little girl with a fever and a cough, and another (smaller) girl with a nasty habit of throwing temper tantrums.

Last week the weather was 65 degrees and sunny. Today it's 40 degrees and raining/hailing. Really???

Looks like a pajama day for sure.