Smiling Through the Rain

Well, my kids hate me. For real. Paisley has been living up to the Terrible Two's like it is her life mission to be the poster child. But today is special. Let's recap because misery loves company. And I definitely need some encouragement through this. Wake Paisley up at 8 am. She smiles and acts silly for approximately 30 seconds until the evil overtook her and she started whining and demanding things. I attempt to get her dressed while she repeatedly tells me "don't like that" and removes each article I just put on her. Finally, I cram her into her clothes and then cuddle her so she can't wiggle out. We get to the coats and she picks her silver one. Fine. Head to the car at a turtle pace. Then she spins around and beelines it back to the front door while her poor brother is in his seat in the car. She is insisting on wearing her pink coat. I try to refuse which causes a major meltdown. In desperation to get her to school, I put her in th...

Sleep training is equivalent to trying to make a 10-year-old feral cat try to learn and use a litter box. Well, at least for me it is. I apparently have the IQ of a two-year-old when it comes to getting my kids to sleep. Paisley was a struggle. But yet, she was in her own crib by now and she took several long naps every day. My sweet boy wakes me up about three times to nurse overnight still, sleeps in our bed and naps in five minute increments all day. Part of the issue is he is still in our room because she is still in what should be his crib. Also, he is just not as good at staying asleep through noise as she was and we're always on the go with her. But I am sooo ready to get a full night's sleep. I'd like to be able to move around without fear of waking my tiny co-sleeper. And I realize that means I have to do some work... We leave for Vegas in two weeks so my plan is to do this when we get back. I figure that trip would just put us back at square one i...

Sweet Graham has been an "easy" baby his whole life. He nurses well, sleeps decently as long as he's close to me, and rarely cries. He is quickly soothed, loves being drug around to all of Paisley's adventures, and smiles at everyone. He just seems like one of those little people who genuinely likes his life. And it's such a welcome change from my first newborn experience that nearly wrecked my marriage and sent me to the crazy house. Seriously. She was BAD... :) But I took a picture of my angel today and caught the looks of an ornery boy peeking out from behind that sweet baby face. Uh-oh. We may be in trouble....

With the recent tragedy in Newtown, I am already freaking out about sending my kids to school. I realize this is "old" news by now, but it really changed my whole perception on things. Thank goodness I have a few years, but I have to wonder if things will be any better then. People are calling for reform, but honestly all I hear about in Oklahoma is people defending their guns. I can't help but feel a bit insulted that in the wake of so many tiny children being murdered that people are more interested in defending their right to bear arms than to look for a way to make our schools safer. And I'm not saying we should or shouldn't change the gun laws. I don't know what needs to be done. The assault weapons seem excessive to me. Not going to be using that to kill a deer. Just saying. And there isn't any open conversation happening with my gun loving state. These things just didn't happen when I was in school. You felt safe and secure there. ...

Paisley is becoming such a little grown up. Of course she is exhibiting massive amounts of independence by doing everything she can by herself (dressing/eating/getting in the car) and choosing the things she eats/wears/plays with. But she also seems to have an interesting sense of what is going on. Recently my Mom's dog passed away and he was around since I was 17. So I cried when I hung up the phone an Paisley was so sweet in comforting me and saying that "mama's sad". She was beyond good the rest of the day. But last night in our lengthy bedtime ritual that entails pee-peeing on the potty several times, excessive tooth brushing and lots of hand washing, we also talk about a picture that is on the counter. Both Aaron and I are in it and she loves to talk about the picture of "mama and dada". But suddenly last night it occurred to her that she was missing and she asked "where Paisley go?" I thought it was so interesting that she would...

Apparently, whatever issue my blogger tried to have with me posting pictures is resolved because I just posted a ton of them!!! I was too cheap to pay their stupid monthly fee for pictures so they have up on me and just let me post then anyways... I should mention after my last post where I am super proud of my post baby body that even though I am back to my pre baby weight that I am not nearly as confident about myself. Lots of insecurities have crept in... Two and a half years ago (precisely when I gave birth the first time), the aging process apparently kicked into high gear. I look back at pictures and I looked like a baby still. Even though I was 30. But now, the gray hair and wrinkles and bags under my eyes have me looking 10 years older. No more getting ID'ed for R-rated movies or spray paint. I look like I could get my AAA membership any day now and discounts at all the local buffets. Complicating the situation even further is that my poor breasts are now o...

We got the chance to take the kids to an indoor pool this weekend and we had a great time!!! Paisley is becoming quite the swimmer and loves the water. And sweet Graham is already loving it too. It was my first debut back in the bikini since popping out baby número dos 5 months ago. And I am so pleased to say that I think it was okay. I didn't see anyone dry heave and all the essential parts went into the suit and stayed there. Thank you Graham for being an amazing nurser. :)

As office manager of our veterinary clinic, one of my most important duties is keeping the books and dealing with taxes. So the end of the year and beginning of the next is always busy for me as I complete our books, fill out and submit tax forms and prepare our paperwork for our accountant so that she may decide how many more thousands of dollars we owe our dear government. This all terrifies me because I feel like I'm going to end up in jail for a totally accidental error... So right now is not the best time for me to spend on my least favorite job responsibility. Hiring. This leaves me shorthanded with a pile of applications. Everyone wants to work in a vet clinic. They picture it as playing with cute, healthy puppies all day while they skip around and everyone giggles joyfully. Unfortunately, that's a small part of our job. And we require employees who can learn a lot and multitask well. They are responsible for answering phones, selling products at the front...

We have a demon living in the house. It comes out at the most inopportune times and strikes without warning. There is no way to control it or predict it. And we are seeing it around more and more as of late. It lives within my adorable little 2-year-old. She can be happy and adorable one minute. Then out of absolutely nowhere, she loses her flippin mind. It's like something evil possesses her and starts making crazy talk. She suddenly doesn't like anything ("Paisley don't like that") and the demands start pouring out. "Paisley NEEDS water", "Turn TV on", "Blankie pleeeeease". And while you're attempting to fulfill one of Her Majesty's many ridiculous requests, she is already spouting out the next 50 at an auctioneer's speed. By the time the cycle of insanity has ceased due to the diva either a.) falling asleep or b.) finding someone else to drive crazy, I am so mentally exhausted that I find it hard to ...

Gymboree has always been a fun place for us to take our kids and let them explore and burn off energy. Well mainly Paisley, but Graham will be running soon enough. But I've blogged before about feeling different from the other moms there. I described them as movie-like moms who create amazing homemade crafts and clothes and meals. They join tons of parenting type clubs and receive all of the best mother magazines. They have a large group that regularly gets together for play dates. And it all just makes me want to run the other way as if you're inviting me to your Tupperware party or other such girls only affair. I bail out the front doors and toss my semi-clean, ill-behaving children into my always dirty vehicle that is overflowing with large (non-car friendly) toys Paisley insists on bringing with us, sippy cups half-full of milk that we forgot a week ago, and a carseat lined with spilled Cheerios. I rush to the house that I have cleaned by a housekeeper and put on ...

Veterinary medicine is obviously a huge part of our lives. We own a vet clinic where we regularly take our kids while we're working. Paisley absolutely loves it there and feels comfortable just roaming around the whole place like she herself owns it. She is known to greet all of our clients and play with every dog who comes in and comfort the pets during surgery. This little vet wears her stethoscope around and listens to everyone's heartbeat. She is willing to hold or pet anything we give her the chance to. But one area that is going to be particularly difficult is when a pet dies. And unfortunately they do that. A lot. Our job is not just seeing cute puppies and kitties. We are there for end of life too. For example, this week we had to put down a neighbor's dog due to cancer. Paisley was there and wanted to pet her as she laid on the table. I knew she would have a fit if I moved her away and there was no chance of distracting her while we did it, so I le...

If I went back through all of my blog posts, I have probably written about 100 focusing on sleep. Or usually, the lack thereof. For 28 months now, rest has been an elusive creature. We have tried many things to turn our non-sleepers into book perfect sleepers. Much to no avail. Paisley is now sleeping in her crib all night for about 12 hours and taking a 2-3 hour nap in there. This is the best it's ever been. Problem is- the crib should be Graham's by now. So, Graham is still sleeping with us in our bed. And honestly, I think even if the crib were available, he would be anyways because he just doesn't EVER sleep for long stretches. Not for naps or overnight. This sweet pea has always been good overnight meaning he never cries or stays awake. But he literally wakes me up every 1-3 hours to nurse. Sometimes it's just a little and sometimes it's a lot. I never need to pump in the mornings like I did with her because he's eaten enough to keep th...