The Yacht Club

Evidently, my children are boaters. One small problem.... we do not, nor can we afford to, own a boat. The pictured boat belongs to my brother-in-law and his father. While a modest income can certainly afford a boat (we grew up with one), the additional costs of maintaining, storing, and using one can be far outside the limits. In my mind, I would imagine the only people who have boats and use them more than once or twice a year are either (a) fishermen or (b) people who use the names of seasons as verbs (e.g., "We shall summer in New England this year").

Siblings on Uncle's boat 

Meanwhile, the babies are no babies. My, how they've grown! My girl is now a five-year-old who has completed a year of pre-K at a lovely school in our area. She moves on to kindergarten this fall. Her aunt (wife of the boat-owner, and my sister) is pregnant. So, now my darling daughter pretends to be pregnant as well. She has no idea how much the prospect of her becoming pregnant (like EVER) terrifies me. Of course, someday this fear will vanish, I'm sure. There will come a time when grandchildren will seem like fun (rather than the death knell of my youth).

Five years old - the Skipper

We experienced our first (ever) fracture. During soccer, she had an avulsion fracture of her right fibula after tripping over a soccer ball. Never mind that it occurred because I might have allowed her to wear inappropriate shoes. She's taking it well, and is allowed to walk around with an air-cast. However, I should clarify that this child does not walk. She hops. She skips. She jumps, dips, dives, and does pretty much everything her doctor said not to do. And why not? She's five.

Two years old - the First Mate

My boy is two, and not the terrible kind. I'm convinced two is "terrific" and three is the "terrible" one. We'll see, come this time next year. Potty-training will be on the agenda for this year (hopefully this summer). He already senses the bodily urge and knows how to use the toilet, but his interest waxes and wanes (or, more appropriate to the theme, ebbs and flows like the tides).

He speaks rather well, but we've learned that his adenoids are enlarged and may be impacting his speech and breathing. While he gets sufficient oxygen, his sleep is likely impacted from snoring, and his speech is affected by the poor airflow during specific lip and mouth movements. We have a follow-up otolaryngology (ENT) consultation to determine if he will need surgery. While I try to wrap my mind around surgery on my baby boy, I have heard from other moms whose children managed to survive adenoidectomies.

Finally, we consider for a moment the possibility of expanding our family. What might that do to our great dynamic? How will the first two react to a third? They each have selected a same-sex sibling, as well as a name - the daughter wishes for a sister named Daisy Sunrose, and the son wishes for a brother with the same name as he has (because it is SO EPIC). And then, there are the financial considerations of how to manage upgrading a car (a must, to fit in a third child seat), where we'd all sleep, and how to pay for child care (which already costs more than our mortgage). So much for the yacht club.

Sibling Needed

Our toddler is adorable. A biased mother can say so. And even though I hear her talking to herself, her toys, me, her imagination, or the cats from inside her bedroom when she should be sleeping, I know deep down I cannot be upset with this child just yet. One thing, however, is very clear to me: she needs a sibling. And soon.

Sharing is something she's learned at daycare, but at home she believes that everything is hers (perception is reality, of course, because EVERYTHING seems to be hers). She acts less polite, more unruly, and more defiant at home. At daycare, her teachers report that she's a marvel, a wonder, well-behaved, well-read, and highly entertaining to them and the rest of her peers. She LOVES to be the center of attention.

This, however, is also a problem. More than just a personality trait, if this child isn't the center of attention ALL THE TIME, I fear she'll become destructive and engage in behaviors totally unbecoming of her (and totally embarrassing for me). Therefore, she must have a sibling. Besides, I love my sister and am so glad to have her. She needs a brother or sister, too. Like, now.

Let the planning phase begin!

E is TWO

Two years ago today, E was born. She is our first child. She is probably the most wonderful, creative, imaginative, perfect representations of both my husband's and my best (and worst) qualities.

With toddlerhood (and more importantly, two-year-old-ness), comes the magic word we have come to understand as "NO!" No nap, no lunch, no milk, no clean up, no Mama, no Daddy, no come here, no bye-bye, no-no-no-no-no. All of these are fashionable for a toddler to try on. The best we can hope for is that she will tire of it quickly.

The majority of her antics are on full display around naptime or bedtime. These are some of the more creative adventures we've had in recent weeks with our very own "little monster" :

• While my mother (who snores) was lying down beside E to help her fall asleep, my mom accidentally fell asleep also. On the first snore to escape Mom's lips, E sat BOLT UPRIGHT in bed and (very seriously) asked, "Who farted?"
• When she was supposed to be napping, my mom went to check on her and caught her sitting with her back to the door. When asked what she was doing, E responded, "E is a bad girl." On closer inspection, she'd taken all of my mother's post-it notes (like 24 pads) out of cellophane and began sticking them all over everything in sight.
• When she was supposed to be in bed, we found her asleep on the floor, with a sock on one hand, a boot on one foot, and the other foot bare.
• On waking from a nap, she yelled down the hall from her room (which is protected with a baby gate). She wanted to be taken out, so she yelled, "Anybody? Hello? I want to get out of this gate."

E is quite a little charmer as well, and has tried everything to prolong the bedtime routine. She asks for the cliche "drink of water" as well as for "just one more book," and has also been more direct in stating that she wanted to "go back in there [living room] and play with toys."

Her speech is quite amazing for someone so small, and her vocabulary is vast and rapidly expanding. She says some of the craziest things, like, "Oh, my Lo-o-ord!" and "Careful, Mama!" when you have to hit the brakes really hard in the car because of other maniacs on the road. She is also a backseat driver, telling me when there's a red light, and that it means stop.

She is a clever little one, and definitely the most fun and challenging little thing I've yet faced. Can't wait for the rest of this year and whatever is next!