Mommin' It Up!

March 23, 2009March 22, 2009

Really, She Has Many Endearing Qualities

Last week my friend Cortney and her husband and two boys visited our house church (we all go to the same church but “house church” is what we call our smaller groups that meet in people’s homes throughout the week.) She’d never met my kids (and I’d only met one of hers), and Sophie made a great first impression by serenading Cortney & her hubs with an unintelligible but very in-tune version of “Love Your Neighbor” by the Veggie Tales.

With her eyes closed.

You see she has this “look-at-me-but-don’t-look-at-me-I’m-so-cute-but-I’m-so-shy” face that she pulls out to impress people once in awhile. It looks something like this:

So, anyways, after she was done serenading there was general conversation about how sweet she is, because, really, I promise, this girl is sweet sweet sweet. Then I said:

“Yeah, too bad she has such a bad rap on the internet!”

“Well you’re the one who gave it to her!” Cortney pointed out.

Ah, so true. Generally I write about how crazy Sophie is, and how crazy she makes me, and the crazy things she makes me DO…but she really is my sweetheart girl. She’s hilariously funny and smart, and such a good singer, and I can’t wait to have real conversations with her!

But yo. Girlfriend is certifiably nuts.

Fast forward to last night, we are at a worship concert at our church (it was a live CD recording! Woohoo!) We’d left our kids with a sitter, but Cortney and Jeremy had brought their two boys, who are 26 months and 8 months (right Cortney?) They were sitting in front of us and they. were. SO. GOOD.

I mean, ridiculously good. Neither one of them fussed a bit and we were in there for and hour and 45 minutes. Bobby and I could have pulled that off with Joshua, but never with Sophie.

Why? You ask. Well, as I explained to Cortney when I was commenting on her little angels, “Sophie doesn’t like corporate singing. OR clapping. So, tonight would have been a problem.”

“Really?” Cortney seemed to find that a little odd.

“Yeah, we didn’t even sing happy birthday to her at her own party. She doesn’t care for it at other people’s parties either. It makes her hysterically cry.”

Evidence: Here’s Sophie at Kate’s 4th birthday party 11 months ago, after my husband had calmed her down post-birthday song. (Look at that FACE!)

So, you see, my Sophie has a few quirks. She’s as sweet, funny, and beautiful as can be, but people??

She’s crazy!

And I’m crazy about her.

March 20, 2009March 20, 2009

Such Precious Inconvenience

Ok, I seriously have the worst.cold.EVER. It is kicking my butt, so I am slacking. I wrote this post as a guest post for Arianne’s blog, To Think is To Create. She published it on Monday, but if you didn’t get the chance to read it then, here it is. Hope you enjoy!
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When I was pregnant, I truly had no idea how my life would change when I became a mother. My head knew things would be different, but in terms of putting it into practice, I had no idea what I was in for. No idea that with a baby, toddler, or both in tow, even a simple trip to the store would be, well, inconvenient. (Since I found being pregnant rather inconvenient as well, you’d think I would have clued in earlier, but what can I say? I learn by doing.)

Come to think of it, childbirth was rather inconvenient as well. But of course, being Mommy to those two babies of mine is worth every inconvenience in the motherhood accessory package.

I was reminded of this when I returned from the grocery store one evening last week (having left my hubby with the kids) and my two-year-old daughter, Sophie, exclaimed “MommyMommyMommy!’ as she ran over and gleefully attached herself to me. I set down the groceries, but I had more to bring in, and my hubs wasn’t feeling well so I wasn’t about to send him out in the cold to do it. I gave Sophie a hug and said in my best ‘this-is-good-news voice’, “I’ve got to get the rest of the groceries, baby, I’ll be right back. Right back!”

Sophie wasn’t buying it. “No-oh-oh!” she cried as big tears ran down her cheeks. I stood up but she tightened her grip around my legs, wailing brokenheartedly.

I attempted to detach her. “Right back, honey.”

More tears. The saddest face I’d ever seen.

I sighed, then scooped down and picked her up. Together we went back out and got the rest of the groceries.

Carrying a two-year-old while you’re also carrying in a week’s worth of groceries? Inconvenient.

Your two-year-old loving you so much that she can’t wait sixty seconds while you run out to your car? Precious.

Carrying Sophie and a million grocery bags at the same time, I decided to just savor the precious inconvenience. Because one day, when I’m not the object of her affection, and when it’s not her heart’s desire just to be with me? I imagine I’ll find that rather inconvenient as well.

March 19, 2009March 19, 2009

Note to Sammy: 4a.m. is NOT Playtime!

I do not know what to do with this child. He wakes up every night at 4a.m. like clockwork… he pretty much always has. Most of the time, though, he would go back to sleep after Andy or I went in his room and comforted him.

This week, not so much.

And it’s not just 4:00 anymore, it’s 3:00. And 3:30. And 3:35. And so on, until 5:00, when it’s nearly time for Mommy and Daddy’s alarm to go off. Around that time, though, he’ll sleep peacefully. In fact, he was still asleep when I left for work this morning.

Last week he was teething really bad and when he woke in the middle of the night, we’d go in and rock him, or I’d nurse him, and we just had a grand time (or he did, anyway). Though we needed to do that because he was really hurting, we are paying the piper this week… because now he thinks the middle of the night is playtime.

Last night we implemented the theories of good old Dr. Ferber, which I know work – I know they do – but damn if it isn’t painful while it’s going on. I hope our misery last night will mean more sleep for everyone tonight. I really hope.

For now, though, I am relying on the 24 ounces of coffee sitting next to me. If that doesn’t work, do you think anyone would notice if I sat at my desk with sunglasses on so I could nap?