Some thoughts

Lily has found a new sleeping position. She likes to sleep with her Night-night on top of her face. I don't know how we discovered it, but there she was one day...under her lovey. She even laughs about it in the morning when she gets us, "Mommy, Nigh-nigh seepin' on my face! ha ha ha" Strange girl. Last night she was screaming in the middle of the night...I'm assuming because of a bad dream (nothing else seemed wrong). After I rubbed her chest a few times and told her it was okay now, I asked her if she'd like me to sing to her. She sleepily said no and then pulled her night-night back over her face. Like in the movies when people slowly pull those eye covers back over. So funny. Even at 1:30 am.

Mike likes pizza. We had it delivered a few nights ago, and he couldn't get it in his mouth fast enough. He and Lily each polished off an entire piece. At this rate, we're going to have to order more than one pizza. (I know...in a few years it will be a pizza for each kid...yikes).

He has also decided that baby food will not enter his mouth. If it is pureed veggies or fruit or cereal he purses his lips together and refuses to open for anything. So I have this huge box of baby food jars and boxes of baby cereal from BJ's that are now useless. But offer him "big people" food and he will eat for EVER. In fact, I feel like in a 24 hour period he spends 1/2 of the time sleeping, 1/4 of the time eating. I swear he is eating at least 6 hours a day. It's crazy. Last night he had 4 strawberries, a chicken nugget, 2 crackers, a girl scout cookie, and 8 ounces of milk for dinner.

By the way...these smiles were totally unprompted. He was literally grinning like an idiot the whole time he was eating pizza. It was a little piece of Nirvana for the boy.

Oh, Lily. We're getting closer to a smile for the camera, but now instead of just the head tilt, it is a dental check. And on that note...Lily is FINALLY getting her canines. I can see the tips of the ones on top just starting to peek through. Aren't they supposed to get those around a year? Um...Lily is almost 2 1/2 and still has 4 gaps where those teeth are supposed to be.

Andrew has been an emotional basket case this past week. Tantrums...full-on thrashing on the floor...the likes which haven't been seen since he was 3. He's just crabby and emotional and unpredictable. Please tell me puberty hasn't started yet. Yesterday he refused to get dressed for school...or brush his teeth...or eat breakfast...just didn't want to do what needed to get done. I actually said, "I am going to NOT see you between the hours of 9:15 and 11:45 today, no matter what. Either I can NOT see you while you are having fun at school, or I can NOT see you while you spend the time alone in your room. Your choice." If you are on the Mother of the Year committee, you can e-mail me to let me know about my award.

And I know we are all bored and stir-crazy and full of cabin fever. I KNOW. That is the name of the game in March...everyone is sick of being cozily trapped in their home. But do we have to fight over EVERYTHING? Constantly tease each other? Can't we play together? I swear that 10 times a day Lily asks me to play neighbor ("mommy? Play neighbor? You be Daisy and I be Minnie?"). And 10 times a day Andrew asks me to play neighbor ("mom? Can we play neighbor now?). Don't you think they are a match made in heaven? But NOOOOOOO. They won't play neighbor together...just with me. Arghhhhh.

Here's a little tape of the tail end of an "oatmeal tantrum". She had been crying and carrying on so I decided to get it on tape. You know, to pull out when she is whining about her own toddler is a freak of nature. ;) As you will see, almost the instant the camera turned on, she calmed down. I think I may have found a new tactic for stopping tantrums. And I did use my sister's idea of adding milk so that her oatmeal would be ready quicker...but then I realized that Lily needs to learn that not everything in life is instant gratification. I watched Lily so pleased and TRIUMPHANT that she didn't have to wait, and I immediately envisioned being at a restaurant and getting hot food and her having a MONSTER tantrum. And I decided that I would rather wage this battle at home over oatmeal rather than elsewhere. And after several days of time outs and hot oatmeal, when she starts to hyperventilate because her breakfast isn't ready, I give her a stern look and she says, "Mommy not mad? Me not go to time-out. Yiddy have milk and wait." Atta girl...let's start getting the message.