Gonna Get Away

I am really looking forward to this weekend. My husband, Charla and I are going to go on a long weekend vacation with my parents, my brother and my sister-in-law. This will be our first vacation as a family! It will also be the first time Charla's slept over night somewhere besides her bedroom. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things will work out okay but I may need a vacation after this vacation!

Yesterday I was looking for a boarding kennel for our dog to stay at. I am amazed at all the luxury kennels out there! Seriously, kennels had swimming pools, televisions, stereos and privacy walls. My dog just needs food, water and a place to relieve herself! I did end up finding a good kennel at a fraction of the price because guess what?! There weren't any unnecessary accommodations! I know some people treat their dogs as their kids, and I'm not knocking that. But to me, my dog is my dog, she's a member of the family and deserves comfort but that doesn't mean a television in her kennel.

Preschool has been going really well for Charla so far. Every afternoon when I pick her up, she tells me that she had fun. Then she'll tell me a little about what she did. Usually she says she played with the little ponies and the drums! My sister-in-law is a teacher in Charla's room and she's been telling me all about the cool stuff Charla's been doing. I guess she's starting to make friends with some of the other kids. She's talking a lot (this doesn't surprise me!) and knows almost all of her shapes and colors. She still cries a little when I drop her off in the morning, but she's done before I've even walked out the door. Right now she's only going twice per week but I might increase that to 3 times per week in the winter depending on how bored she is at home.

My husband, who has been laid off since early November, finally got a job. However it's only temporary. It was supposed to last 9 weeks but it looks like it's going to take even less time than that. The construction industry just isn't good right now. Hopefully next spring things will start picking up. In the meantime we've been trying to make the most of his being home. In the end of October he'll probably be running out of unemployment. I could write an entire post ranting about the unfairness of this but I'm not even going to go there. The only thing I will say is that so many politicians seem to think my husband must be lazy to have been out of work for so long. That is not the case at all. Open your eyes, there's no work! End rant.

Just Can't Decide!

I think we have now entered the "terrible two" stage! Of course, things aren't terrible all the time, there's plenty of terrific moments as well. I love hearing all the new words and phrases Charla comes up with on a daily basis. I enjoy watching her try new things for herself and telling me that she will "do self". The problem enters in the form of indecision and dissatisfaction of an outcome.

Many child experts say to give your child choices. This way they feel in charge of their life to a certain extent and will hopefully be more cooperative. However, this is how choices around here are working:

Me: Do you want cereal or oatmeal for breakfast?
Charla: Oatmeal.
Me: Ok, I will make you oatmeal. (Getting her bowl down to mix her oatmeal.)
Charla: No, cereal.
Me: Last time, do you want cereal or oatmeal?
Charla: Cereal

This seems to be what happens with every option I give her. Sometimes she will even throw a fit because she said one thing but really wanted another. I have gotten to the point that I will let her change her mind once. After that though, she needs to stick with her decision!

She's also starting to cut back on her sleep, but I'm not sure she's ready to. By the afternoon the indecision starts getting even worse, to the point that she's telling me she doesn't want to eat dinner when I know for a fact she's hungry! I try telling myself this is only a phase, but it's not working because life is basically one big phase and when this one is over it will be time for a new one!

Busy!

We had a busy weekend and this week is going to be pretty busy as well. On Saturday my husband, Charla and I went to a Pirate Festival. Charla got to see a pirate ship, watch cannons go off and listen to a guitar player sing some songs. She had a great time. There was a huge blow up bouncy house/slide thing that she really wanted to try out, but I thought it would probably be better if she waited until next year.

This morning we went out to brunch with my brother and sister-in-law. I haven't gone to a brunch in a long time and it was really good. Charla had a great time and seemed to enjoy the food. Afterwards, we went to a really overpriced sporting goods store to buy a net. My husband wants to take Charla to a pond and do some frog catching, so she was really excited.

Tomorrow will be Charla's first day in preschool! We decided she needed to start socializing with other kids a bit more so signed her up for 2 mornings per week. My sister-in-law is an assistant director/teacher in a preschool/day care nearby so that is the one Charla will be attending. I'm a bit nervous about how this is going to go. She has been going through a bit of separation anxiety lately, but I'm hoping the worst of that is over. It will help that her aunt will be a teacher in her room.

I'm looking forward to some quiet mornings, but I'm also going to miss Charla. I have a feeling drop off is going to be hard tomorrow, for both of us. I've been talking about school with Charla and she seems excited but I know when the time comes she's going to be nervous and wondering what's going on. I just hope that after the initial sadness/fear she'll dive in and have fun.

Random Thoughts

Lately I've been feeling like I need to do something with my life other than being a mom. I love staying home with my daughter, but I feel so isolated. I've been missing my pre-child life. Don't get me wrong, I love Charla to pieces but I've been feeling trapped. There are a few things I wish I had done differently. I should have waited to get married. Perhaps I should have even waited to have a baby. I miss going out on weekends, random car trips and sleeping in. I miss my body before having a baby. Now I just feel old and out of touch with the world and I'm only 26!

Fun In the Sun!

Today was another beautiful day. Our spring so far this year has been absolutely wonderful. It's been great being able to get outside with Charla basically every day. This morning was a little breezy but she still got out to play in her sandbox. Later on the breeze stopped and we got outside again. Hubby hung her swing up and we finally managed to convince her to try it out. We started out by having her push her stuffed moose and telling her how much fun Moosey was having!

We had a play date last Saturday with someone I knew from high school and her family. They have a son 5 months younger than Charla. It was so adorable watching them give each other hugs and kisses. We walked to a nearby park and flew a kite. Charla got a huge kick out of that and is still talking about it! Then the kids played in our backyard while we grilled out. At first Charla wasn't too sure about having to share her sandbox and balls, but she got over that pretty quick. The next morning when we went outside all she talked about was how good of a sharer she was with her friend. Hubby and I are going to look into some part time daycare so she will get more opportunities to socialize. I take her to a playgroup, but I think some time away from mommy will do her a bit of good too.

Tomorrow I get to take 2 cats and our dog to the vet. They are all due shots, especially the dog who will get boarded in June when we go on vacation. One of our cats also needs to have her teeth looked at. She's always had bad teeth, but now one is red and swollen. Not sure if she's going to need antibiotics or have it pulled. Financially we can't afford that right now. I know, I know, if you own pets you have to be able to take care of them. However, we weren't planning on having my husband laid off for almost 2 years now, so money is pretty tight. Hopefully a round of antibiotics will do the trick and the tooth will fall out on its own.

Keep on Going

My husband and I continue trying for a second baby. This was only the 4th month of trying so I really can't complain and who knows, maybe it worked this time! We were sort of on the fence about trying this month because my due date will be Christmas Eve. So of course this will be the month I get pregnant just because that's how fate works.

My big concern was how to deal with separating a birthday from a major family holiday without causing issues for either of my children. I was worried that Charla would be mad that her little brother or sister would be getting more gifts than her. I was worried that the second child would feel like attention was taken away from his/her birthday. I was worried about possibly having to spend next Christmas in the hospital. I don't have everything figured out, but I think a lot of my fears have been put to rest.

If this is the way life goes, I now realize I have options regarding the way I want to deal with things. When my proverbial second child is old enough to want a birthday party, I can have it during June as a half birthday party. Charla's jealousy's will have to be dealt with by honesty, this is the way life is, she gets gifts on her birthday as well. And spending one holiday in the hospital won't be the end of the world. I sort of think a baby brother or sister is the best Christmas present I could give to Charla.

So we continue trying, crossing our fingers that one of these months will be our month to celebrate.

Second Easter

Our second Easter as a family has been great so far. When Charla woke up she found her Easter basket sitting on the kitchen table. The Easter bunny had brought her a stuffed rabbit, a chocolate rabbit, M&M's and some mini Kit Kats. She was thrilled!

For breakfast I made homemade pancakes, fresh strawberries and, of course, hard boiled eggs. We had dyed the eggs yesterday but I'm not sure if she remembered that they were the same ones or not. She didn't really care, she kept asking for chocolate! She loved the fresh strawberries though, I was sort of surprised because last summer she didn't care for them much.

After she's done napping, we're heading over to my Aunt and Uncle's house for Easter dinner where I'm sure she'll be spoiled rotten. My mom has already told me some of the things she bought Charla and you would think it was Christmas all over again! What I love about my parent's though is that, even though they do buy her a lot of things, nothing is over the top and it's not always toys. My mom made her up a little Easter basket of crackers and some candy, got her a Dora The Explorer sand pail and a princess beach towel for this summer.

I had found a cute Easter dress a month ago that will double as a birthday dress. That's the nice thing about this holiday being so close to her birthday. I can't believe she's going to turn 2 next month. Where does the time go?!