Lots to Catch up On

Danielle said her very first word on Sunday, Mom! I was so thrilled. It's so cute hearing her say it, and Mom no less - not the typical Mama. Carter's first word was Dada, so it only makes sense that Danielle said Mom first. I have a feeling she is going to be quite the talker! Carter can say a lot of words now, but he's definitely a motor kid (aka monkey). Danielle is also rolling all over the place now, tummy to back and back to tummy. She'll bring her knees up under her belly when she's laying on her stomach, but so far no real signs of crawling. It's gonna be a hoot once she gets going and seeing Carter interact with her. Yes, I said hoot. I'm getting old, or maybe just wise beyond my years. At least that's what I like to think. :-)

Ken and I drove down to Columbus to spend the 4th of July with my sister and her family. She always has a party with some of her closest friends. It was a lot of fun. We had Mai Tai's and enjoyed some good food and great company. It was a bit challenging at times. We spent most of the night following Carter around to make sure he didn't hurt himself of get into trouble. Some of the kids there were older than Carter and a bit wild, so I wanted to make sure he was safe playing with them. I guess I'm still a bit of a nervous nelly Mom. It's just never fun seeing your own child in pain or hurt, so of course I try to protect him to the best of my ability.

I can now trust Carter to be alone with Danielle at any given moment. He knows how to be gentle and plays well with her. She sits up in her boppy and he'll bring her toys to play with. He talks to her - still mostly "Carter Gibberish". They smile at each other and laugh together. It is so endearing. I'm so glad I ended up having 2 kids.

Carter is also becoming quite the little helper. He understands so much, it amazes me. He can follow simple commands, like go get that or turn that light off, etc. He's very smart. Just last night Ken and I were joking that he has a bit of OCD in him. He kept stacking books on top of each other & lined them up perfectly on the couch. Then he would move them, one my one, to a stack on the floor. Granted, it was the end of the night and he was pretty zoned out and tired. It was still funny - he's our little organizer. Now if we could just teach him to put away his toys.

Life is getting busier for me day by day. It feels like I have less time for myself as each day passes. I'm lucky if I get a shower before noon! I found it hilarious to discover one of my male facebook friends, a man I went to high school with, could totally relate. His one update read "Finally got a shower in today. Whew, I thought it was gonna be one of those "Daddy's stinky" days." I thought that was so funny because I swore I was the only parent who had this problem. The little things I used to do out of boredom prior to having kids, like paint my toe nails while enjoying a glass of wine, are now a distant memory. I do miss the extra time I used to have. It feels like there are never enough hours in the day. When it all boils down, my kids and their needs come first. They are my number one priority. I treat them as a masterpiece in the making. My one personal goal is to have regular date nights with my husband once I'm finished nursing Danielle. He and I have really lost touch since having kids. It's all about them, taking care of them and our day to day routines. It's time to put some of the focus back on us as a couple. I remember telling my newly pregnant friends my one pice of advice after their baby is born - make sur eyou take time for just the two of you (date nights), and yet I'm not practicing what I preached. It really is important. Once you bcome a parent, it's so easy to just get lost in it all. So, that's where I'm at with that.

Random thoughts:

Tiny Dancer: Carter has got the moves! He is a dancing machine. It cracks me up watching him. I love it!

Beautiful Babies: Do all parents think their kids are the most beautiful babies on the planet? I certainly think mine are. Maybe it's just one of those things.

Moocher Alert: Danielle is a total moocher! She is always giving me the stare-down whenever I'm eating something. It's so cute! She has already had a taste of graham crackers and really enjoyed it.