Almost Over

It is September 1.
Summer technically ends on September 22, but for all intensive purposes is over after Labor day.
Where did the summer go? More importantly how did my girls get so big?
Maeve is already 7 months old and Mo almost 2 1/2. A good portion of our summer has been spent in the car heading all over the place. Thankfully, we've had the refuge of Bram and Pops' house during those 7 heatwaves. Our many sleepovers helped to keep us cool and entertain Mo.



We've had play dates with good friends.



Lunches at the Pop Shop,


Chick Fil'A,
the diner,
and Friendly's



We've gone to the museum,



the street fair,


the zoo,



soccer games,


and one Phillies game.


We jumped,



laughed,


went swinging,



and got wet!


Sometimes we played by ourselves,







but mostly we played together.











Along the way, we became beach babies. Spending time with some of our most favorite people down the shore.

Brammie with the bracelets,



Brammie,


Auntie G,


Uncle Steve


Aunt Lynsay


and even Daddy!


Each day we tried to do something different. I tried to get out of the house with the two girls. Maybe it was just to go to the store or for a walk, or maybe it was to visit the museum or Uncle Jo-Jo's new place. Instead of some supersized vacation, each day we did a little something, storytime at the library, day trips to the zoo or beach or museum, visits from friends and family.
In the end, I will remember this summer mainly because it was the first time I did things as a mom of two. Somedays were long and drawn out and HOT HOT HOT! Other days seemed to fly by and before I knew it it was bedtime. As this summer winds down I realize that somehow along the way things just seemed to fall into place.
Was it easy? Not always. Was it fun? Surprisingly, yes most of the time.
Enjoy your last days of summer!
(Mark your calendars now, Memorial Day 2011, May 30 the unoffical start of summer!)

The Little Things

The giggle when you tickle her belly.
"I love YOU mom!"
Watching them start to play together.
Listening to her sing her ABC's or count to 11.
"Hello, sunshine!"
Observing her almost crawling and then watching as she puts her head down and tries again.
"High Five!" and seeing them hit hands together.
The eyes lighting up when you walk over the crib after nap time.
Pigtails and braids and combing hair after bath time.
"Cheese, apple sauce, and milk.....please!"
Amazed at her ability to keep running back and forth in and out of the ocean.
The sheer look of determination to get that little puff into her fingers and then make it into her mouth.
"Dad. You're Home. You're Home. You're HOME!"
Overhearing her ask him to read it again.

Why do I do what I do? It's these little things that make it worth it.

Old Friends, Good Times

For one year of our married life we lived in the neighborhood right next door to one where our really good friends lived. It was awesome! This was the time before babies and before real grown up responsibilities like owning houses or pets or jobs that required hours upon hours of work. Steve & Lynsay were just nearby and so often we spent Friday or Saturday and sometimes both, hanging out with them. Just like us they liked dining out and good conversation. Bry often says Lynsay is the female version of him (personality wise) while Steve is the male version of me. I guess that's why we have always gotten along well.
Things changed since that year of bliss. Now, two kids, two dogs, one house, one NYC apartment, two states, and three years have passed. We are all in such different places in our lives with different things going on day to day. I often wonder if we still have anything in common.
Then, we get together. For a minute I worry that we're too different now, I mean really I'm a stay at home suburban mom in t-shirts and shorts most days compared to Lynsay who is now NY chic'! The guys, well, they're guys...I don't think men worry about those things. Within no time we're back to having grown up conversation, even with Maeve in the high chair next to me.
When we got home last night, both Bry and I said the same thing. We miss having our good friends so close. We saw for a moment, a glimpse of the past or is it the future? A moment out with friends but now instead of a table for four at nine, it's now a table for four plus one booster and a high chair at six, and do you know what? That's okay.

My Poor Mo-Mo!

Mo is sick.
In her nearly two and half years of life, Moira has been sick twice, that is until yesterday.
She had a fever yesterday and no other symptom, so Tylenol was enough to keep her well. This morning she complained about her mouth hurting. Since we're back at my parents (due to heatwave #7) my mom handed me a penlight and I checked her mouth.
Poor Mo! There were tiny white bumps all over the back of her throat. The diagnosis - coxsackie also known as Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease. I called the pediatrician and was basically told to keep her drinking, give her Popsicles and ice cream or anything else cold, and Motrin every 6 hours. She probably wouldn't want to eat and that's fine. So, we pushed the liquid. A vanilla milkshake from Chick Fil A seemed to help as did three ice pops. I really hope she doesn't think that this is her new meal routine. I'm also trying to keep her from getting too close to her sister. Yes, I realize that that is nearly impossible, so I'll be happy if she just doesn't swap too much fluid with her.

I hate seeing my kid sick and feel really lucky that she has been relatively healthy thus far. I will be pissed, however, if she passes this off to Maeve.

Craptastic Car ride

This past weekend, I had an experience unlike any other and I am so thankful my mom was here to help me cope with it.
Maeve had an explosion like no other and of course, it happened in her car seat on the hour trip home from my cousins' birthday picnic.
I have dealt with poo in various forms and states especially now having two kids in diapers. Unlike my husband who gags and actually has been brought to dry heaving from the odor of toddler poo, I view myself as a diaper champ.
Maeve brought me to my knees.
I still have no clue how the amount of poo escaped the diaper and landed on the seat itself. And poor Maeve, crying in the back of the car for over two thirds of the trip while my mom and I talking, singing, and playing music to her oblivious to her discomfort.
When we finally made it home, she had calmed down a bit and so I brought her into the house in the seat. My dad, Bry, and Mo were already here, having gone out together earlier, and so I gingerly give my hello hugs while Maeve still sits. As I walk over to her seat, I happen to look down and horror comes to my face as I see the mess!
I have no idea what to do first. Do I scoop out the remnants? Do I keep her in the seat and just hose her down outside? Do I put the entire seat, kid and all into the shower?
I bring her, in seat, up to the bathroom, take her out of the seat, and place her in her clothes in the bathtub. After calling for my mommy to help, we remove her soiled clothes and diaper and dispose of them in a plastic bag. I use some wipes to remove the pile of poo from the seat and then hose poor Maeve off in the bathtub. Within minutes she is back to her happy self, while my mom and I debate how to clean the car seat.
Bry comes up and the three of us decide that we probably have a 50/50 chance of actually salvaging the seat so my begins using the shower head and baby soap to clean up the mess.
As I type, the seat sits in our basement on a towel near the dehumidifier hopefully drying out. I intend to put it outside in the sun during the next sunny day. I made a trip all over (okay, it was only three stores) to find a new car seat. Silly me, I had to get the same pattern on the car seat as Moira's.
Why is that a problem?
Mainly because of the three stores I went, none of them carried the car seat, in the cowmooflage pattern, in the style I wanted. They had the seat in two other patterns OR the seat that was the step up in the correct pattern. What should I chose? As I stood with the cell in hand at the third store talking to Bry, he checked the web to find that we could get the seat in the right pattern but to have mailed in two or three days it would cost close to $50 in shipping.
Thus, I had a dilemma. What to do, what to do? Spend the extra money to get the pattern I desire or suck it up and get the other one in the cheaper seat.
I chose the first option and paid more for cow print.
Yes, it's silly. I know, but I wanted matching car seats. I figured it would save future arguments between Mo and Maeve over who gets what seat.
The seat is the step up, so in effect, Maeve got the pimped out car seat. Maybe that will be an issue in the future, but for now it works. She loves it and apparently so does Mo!
The best thing of this whole car seat fiasco, I got a 20% off coupon in the mail and so in the end Maeve's new car seat in the "right" pattern cost the same as the other "lesser" ones.