Parks, Patios, and the Pursuit of Propriety

Even though there's still plenty of unpacking/organizing/decorating/settling in to be done, us girls hate to waste a gorgeous day indoors. 

 

 

Lucky for us, there are really cool parks everywhere in our new town.  We have been on a mission to find the ideal one for us.  We set out to find one that's within walking distance, isn't too crowded, and has equipment that's geared for younger children.  That last point is especially important seeing as how Merryn is the ultimate daredevil; if the park featured a trapeze, she'd be the first in line to give it a whirl.

 

On Tuesday, Merryn got to realize her dream of using the big kid swing, as the park we found only had one baby swing.  Girlfriend was looking pretty smug up there!

 

This photo melts my heart.  Josie had gotten upset and her little sister attempted to "make it better" with a kiss. 

While we were at the park, something exciting was happening at our house.  A cement mixer pulled up and started pouring our patio.  Merryn must like heavy machinery...or buff young guys...or watching buff young guys operate heavy machinery.  You couldn't tear her away from that window.  She fancies herself a 21 month-old foreman.

The best part of getting a new patio was the opportunity to take impressions of the girls' hands in the cement. 

What could be sweeter than leaving a legacy in the form of tiny little hand prints?

 Last night we decided to enjoy dinner outdoors.  We don't have steps, we don't have grass, and we have no idea where are grilling utensils are, but we had beautiful weather, Mr. Ed roaming around in the background, and a brand new patio, so gosh darnit, we were determined to fire up the grill!

While dad was busy grilling and mom was preoccupied taking pictures, Merryn decided to tear into the Cheetos.  At least she tossed a few Josie's way...

And since proper mealtime etiquette obviously isn't a priority around here, why not just climb on the table and help yourself to your sister's plate?

Mr. Ed demonstrates better table manners than that!

 

Ah, but we had fun.  And we had the most delicious grilled shrimp.  Travis is the grill master, indeed.

 This morning we set out to find this incredible park our neighbors told us about.  Apparently the appeal of that particular park is not a well-kept secret around here because when we arrived, we were greeted by two busloads of school children.  Mom made the executive decision to to keep walking.  About an hour into our pursuit of the perfect park, the girls' eager anticipation had waned (especially Josie's)...

...and we found ourselves back at the park we discovered on Tuesday.  Apparently this particular park was meant to be our park.

 Love Lil Bit's Aunt Leanne pose.  Spot on, Merryn!

 

The girls had tons of fun, worked up voracious appetites, and napped like Rip Van Winkle...

 ...well, one of them napped like Rip Van Winkle.  The other one had already had her snooze.

So happy to report that we're having a great time in our new home!

You're so smart!

Even though they're young, I usually try to involve the girls in helping to clean up the playroom to teach them the importance of responsibility and caring for their possessions.  As with most toddlers, some days they are more cooperative than others.

The other day, as Josie was picking up the blocks, she began shamelessly showering herself with praise which was cracking me up.  I ran and got the camera so I could film it.  In that moment, it became apparent that she definitely inherited Aunt Leanne's sense of humility:

It calls to mind another excerpt from the article "If People with Down Syndrome Ruled the World":

 

People would be refreshingly honest and genuine.

People with Down syndrome are nothing if not straightforward and unpretentious. As the expression goes, “what you see is what you get.” When you say to people with Down syndrome, “You did a good job,” most will answer simply and matter-of-factly, “Yes, I did.”

 

Well, there you go.  Josie may have some developmental delays but one area that's not the least bit delayed is her self esteem.  You go girl!

Here's to all the moms

Today we celebrate motherhood; the most difficult yet most rewarding vocation in the world.  Becoming a mother has enriched my life more more than I ever could have imagined and I am eternally grateful the blessing of two extraordinary little girls who call me "Mom".  Happy Mother's Day to Mama Hop, YaYa and all of the other incredible mothers out there!

* I look for any excuse to post my favorite family picture featuring my sister flexing her muscles.  Aunt Leanne invented the photo bomb!

A New Chapter Begins...

And the award for most neglected blog goes to...Confessions of the Chromosomally Enhanced!

 

Ugh!  Sorry it's been awhile.  To say that we've been a little busy is a bit of an understatement.  You see, all of our worldly possessions were packed into hundreds of boxes and loaded on to a huge truck and delivered, several days later, to our new residence a few states away. 

 

You see this mess?

These boxes stretched wall-to-wall across our new home and we've been trying to dig ourselves out ever since. 

 

Despite how stressful and labor intensive the past couple of weeks have been, the big move did allow us some cool opportunities.  On the way to our new residence, we were able to stop and visit with some cherished family members.  This is my mom's cousin, John Perry.  They grew up together and they're really close.

 John Perry and his lovely wife, Jan, have a son named Jeff, who is so awesome we asked him to be the godfather of our girls.  "Godfather," as Josie calls him, was kind enough to invite us over for a delicious steak dinner.  It was so funny to hear her refer to him as "Godfather" all night that I may never tell her what his real name is.  Godfather has a super cool bachelor pad that's got all sorts of thoughtful tributes to our family everywhere.

 The most memorable part of Godfather's home is his man cave.  It puts you in the mood to party as soon as you walk in!  The girls loved the jukebox and they proudly showed off their seated dancing skills while being serenaded by some classic Michael Jackson hits.

 We had so much fun and we wish we could have hung out with John Perry, Jan, and Godfather more, but we needed to resume our journey to our new home.

 It was super exciting to be able to see our new place all finished.  The girls zeroed in on a few favorite features including these built-in nightlights.  They quickly realized that if you cover up the light sensor, the nightlight will come on.  Talk about a fascinating discovery!  Aunt Leanne is a nightlight connoisseur.  She's going to love them, too.

 Oh and then there's the pint-sized potty in the girls' bathroom.  We had that installed to accommodate Josie's gross motor delays.  At 3 years old, she seems ready to potty train but she just doesn't have the strength or coordination to climb up on a stool and use a normal-sized toilet.  We figured this miniature version would help her achieve toileting independence sooner.  This tiny toilet was my favorite feature of the new house until...

 ...we looked out the kitchen window and discovered that our backyard "neigh"bor is Mr. Ed!  How cool is that?! 

 Travis' mom was kind enough to fly to our new residence to help with the big move and we could not be more grateful.  Because we were consumed from sun up to sun down with unpacking (and toddler supervision - a full-time job in itself), my MamaRazzi duties were neglected so the only photos documenting this week are those featured on Instagram...

...and this little gem.  Yes, Merryn's pajamas are on backwards.  The child has left us no choice.  She instantly removes every article of clothing I put on her - including her diaper.  And because she's not *ahem* potty trained just yet, having a "nekkid baby" running around the house just won't work.  The backwards pajamas thing seems to be an effective solution...for now.  Give her time.

 

We made a lot of progress this week but we're still a ways away from being settled.  It's an adventure and we're committed to enjoying the ride!

Top 10 lessons learned from moving with toddlers

Text from my beloved friend, Courtney: Is moving with 2 toddlers the perpetual bliss I'm envisioning?

My response: Omitted due to inappropriate content

Yes, Folks.  It's been a stressful, fun, sad, joyous, boring, exciting, overwhelming and tearful week.  Here are a few lessons we've learned:

1.  Keep up on the laundry.  Because trying to do 8 loads the day before you leave, while packing for 10 days in a hotel room, with two toddlers undertow, is not fun. 

2.  Regardless of the size of the hotel room that your husband's company benevolently permits you to reserve, it will quickly close in on you when occupied by two adults, two toddlers, one dog, and all of their possessions.  I have some ugly bruises from tripping over stuff. 

3.  Hotel rooms are not babyproof.  Overturned coffee tables and strategically rearranged furniture do not constitute adequate baby-proofing.  Those little rug rats delight in the thrill of a new obstacle course.

 4.  If Mom wants to enjoy a meal in peace, she should probably lock herself in the bathroom and inhale it on the toilet.  The ambiance is less than appetizing, but at least each spoonful won't be interrupted by the pathetic pleas of a shameless toddler and her trusty four-legged sidekick.  "Eat!  Mer-nyn bite?  Lillian bite?   Mer-nyn and Lillian bite!"

5.  Entertaining toddlers in hotel rooms requires creativity.  Whether it's the impromptu toga party or allowing your 3 year-old to prank call the front desk and utter "Call me, maybe!", if it eradicates the whining, do it.

6.   Kids don't sleep as well on interrupted schedules in unfamiliar environments.  Instead of listening to your 3 year-old talk, whine, cry, shake the metal hotel crib and yell "Any Man of Miiiiiiine" for 2 hours during nap time, just put her in the car.  It's like an Ambien on wheels.

7.  Husbands:  When your wife has an unanticipated, irrational, tearful, pre-menstrual breakdown about how she can't take it anymore when you've simply asked her to try to expedite her morning routine, do not try and reason with her.  Just give her a hug and let her have her moment.

8.  On second thought, do not ask a woman who has been solo parenting for 2.5 months, trapped in a car with toddlers for 9 hours, going on her seventh day living out of a suitcase, hauling around two toddlers (one who barely walks and the other who barely listens) without a stroller, to expedite her morning routine.

9.  Bring extra cash to tip the hotel housekeeping staff really well.  When a hotel room is occupied by two toddlers and a canine, you never know when a play-doh-on-the-carpet/blowout-on-the-bed/accident/on-purpose/spill/toss/can-we-please-have-extra-towels-don't-ask-why is going to happen!

10.  All of the above is totally worth it when a side effect of sharing such close quarters means you get to overhear the following conversation spoken between cribs:

Merryn: Night Night JoJo

Josie: Night Night Merryn

Weekend at Mama Hop's House

With our big move just days away, we decided to go see Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne while they are still a toddler-tolerable road trip away.  The Diva hug fest commenced as soon as we walked in the door!

 Considering how difficult it is to pack up and travel with two little ones, Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne usually come to us.  It was a fun change of pace to be on their turf.

My big sister showed me the fundamentals of modeling.

 

Both girls were eager to spend time with Neko, Mama Hop's (in)famous Siamese cat.  To add an extra element of entertainment, we brought our ferocious not-quite-4-lb Maltese, Lillian, to challenge Neko's "alpha" title.  Bark, hiss, scamper, chase, repeat was the soundtrack to our weekend.

 The gorgeous and conceited cat wasn't the only entertainment available to the girls; they also had a fantastic time exploring Mama Hop's breakable treasures including her global bell collection...

 ...and her prized baby grand piano...

 ...which houses the shrine to our little clan.

 Mama "MacGyver" Hop set out to prove how you can baby proof a home with nothing more than a few rubber bands and paper clips.  Merryn happily accepted that challenge and raised Mama Hop one set of antique china.

 

It's a good thing Aunt Leanne was there to lay down the law and keep those little girls in line.

 We find that spending time outdoors is a perfect way to entertain toddlers. 

 The benefit is twofold: 1. If they're outdoors, they're not inside tearing up the house and

 2. All that fresh air and exercise wears 'em out so they go to bed early and sleep really well!

Leanne put Merryn in her bed.  Merryn thought she was a big deal! 

 

Our other weekend activities consisted of going to church (so Mama Hop could show off those grand babies, of course), eating at Mama Hop's second choice Mexican restaurant (first choice was closed), a little shopping (Folks, I am a Maxxonista!), and enjoying time together as a family around a table full of Mama Hop's delicious home cooking.

 Leanne insists everyone smell her after she gets out of the shower.  She says "Do I smell clean?"  It's a strange tradition but it's important to Leanne so we play along.

 

One of the funniest moments of the weekend involved Aunt Leanne's signature pose.

 I pointed the camera at Josie and asked her to "pose like Aunt Leanne" and she whipped this out:

Yes, our 3 year-old's size 2T pants are sagging worse than Justin Bieber's.

 

They both crack me up!

It was sad to have to say goodbye to Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne but we know we'll see them as often as possible regardless of the increased distance between us.  Furthermore, Mama Hop has learned how to Skype so we "see" each other all the time!

 

Just a warning that the blog may be neglected for awhile as we set out on our moving adventure.  While Travis' company sends movers to pack up our stuff and load the truck, we still have to pack up the essentials for this family of four (plus Lillian) in anticipation of what could be a 10 day hotel stay (hopefully less)!  I am currently procrastinating packing as we speak :-) 

We will try our best to update you along the journey up north but we can't promise.  Either way, we will take lots and lots of photos and we can't wait to post again from our new house as our new adventure begins!

 

Footnote: While at Mama Hop's house, I swiped some photo albums so that I could scan and share some more childhood photos of Aunt Leanne and I.  I got some priceless material that I can't wait to reveal!



Busy & Busier

Tying up loose ends around here has kept us mighty busy.  Josie had all of her exit appointments scheduled with her specialists on Thursday.  The children's hospital is an hour away and we anticipated being there for the better part of the day.  Imagine the fun of trying to keep two toddlers confined to a stroller and entertained for hours...

 But as luck would have it, Papa happened to be in town on business.  And because he's the best Papa in the world, he rearranged his meeting schedule so he could keep Merryn, leaving mom with one less toddler to worry about at the hospital.  God bless him! 

According to Papa, with the exception of one particularly nauseating diaper, the afternoon went well. 

Josie appointments were also very successful.  Even though she hasn't used the Mic-Key button in months, we opted to keep it in for the time being, so she got a shiny new one.  Her GI specialist helped us find a new pediatric GI doc in our new residence so we're all set there!

Josie had the best time admiring her reflection in this mirror in the waiting room.

The most anticipated appointment was the one with her pulmonologist and according to him, Josie is doing really well.  He warned me that if Josie were to get sick in the future, she would likely require oxygen, but for now, she's breathing easy!

Today, Josie had her last appointment with her beloved physical therapist, Bea.  Immediately after breakfast, Josie broke out her crayons and colored Bea a nice thank you note.

 We opted to take advantage of the beautiful spring morning and meet Bea at the park where Bea diverted Josie from her standard park activity - sitting in one spot, playing with mulch.  Instead, with a little encouragement from Bea, Josie did some walking, climbing and sliding. 

 As Josie's physical therapist, Bea had the greatest challenge of any of Josie's therapists - overcoming Josie's strong aversion to all gross motor activities.  But Bea never gave up!  Every week she brought new equipment and customized new approaches to inspire Josie to move.  And even when things seemed particularly discouraging, Bea always injected positivity into each session by finding a sign of progress ("Did you see how she transitioned into half kneel?!  That's terrific!").  For parents of children with special needs, having a therapist who remains positive and offers encouraging words is so critical to providing the motivation to keep going.  We are very grateful for Bea!

I'm beyond elated to announce that today marks my last day of solo parenting!  Dad has been living and working in our new residence for the past couple of months and the separation has been tough on everyone.  He has flown home most weekends but tonight he is flying home for the last time and we will be reunited as a family as we embark upon our big move up north!

But before that happens, we are spending our last weekend with Mama Hop and Aunt Leanne.  We can't wait!