A Little Comparison

I was looking at my kids today and was struck, again, by how much they resemble each other. So many people make comments about how Leila is a "mini-Christian" and I smile, because I know they look alike. But sometimes I forget HOW MUCH they looked alike at the same age.

Leila is softer and her eyes are a little bigger/rounder. But look at the cheeks. The hair. The smile and teeth! Amazing!

Haha. Had to throw this in, just because!

14 Months and walking!

Leila is officially 14 months old and has been "walking" for several weeks now. I put it in quotations because although she CAN walk, she still chooses to crawl about half the time because it is faster. I will say, though, that when she does walk it is pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen. I will try to capture a video of her doing it. It is a crack-up. She doesn't just walk...
she sashays. Everything about this girl is slow and deliberate. However, with that being said, I would say that she is a lot more determined than Christian ever was. She will watch and then as soon as she knows she can do it, she takes off and never looks back!

This video is an example of her determination. She was watching Christian and his friends climb the play structure at Chick-Fil-A. I let her kind of climb around a little bit and all of a sudden she just took off. She climbed all the way to the top and went down the slide by herself. I was in shock! I was so nervous, but I held back and just let her do it (and yes, it almost killed me!). Luckily Christian is an attentive older brother and I knew he would stay with her. It was so exciting and I was so proud of her for doing it!

She constantly surprises me, and that has been fun. Her demeanor is so subdued and she tends to take a little time to warm up to new people and places that I think she will be "shy". I am learning more and more though, that she isn't shy at all. She just goes at her own pace!

I wish I could say that at 14 months she has finally figured out how fun eating can be, but alas, it is not so. I did have an epiphany Saturday though. We were having breakfast and all of a sudden she reached over and grabbed a piece of bacon off my plate. Very crunchy (my favorite!) bacon, I may add. I was kind of shocked, but didn't react. She ate the whole piece. All of it! It was like a light bulb went off in my mind. She has texture issues. She likes crunchy things. THAT is why she didn't want to eat mushy baby food. This is why she will really only eat crackers and dry cereal...unless it is SWEET. If it is sweet (like the ice cream she would eat without issues), she is fine with a softer texture. It all made sense. The complication, of course, is that she still is working on her swallowing therapy so she may want hard and crunchy foods, but she has a hard time eating them without choking. *Sigh*. Needless to say, we are still working through this, and I have a feeling we will continue to for a while.

Okay, now on to the fun stuff:

At 14 months Leila can walk, crawl and loves to climb. I will often find her climbing onto the ottoman so she can reach things she shouldn't. Her favorite toys are whatever Christian is playing with. However, she loves music and so she has a little toy "boombox" that she will constantly play and dance with. Her favorite food is probably still Cheerios, but rice and crackers aren't far behind. She has decided that she does LOVE bananas though, but only if she can hold it herself. And only if it is whole, if you slice it, she usually isn't interested. Her favorite drink is water. She loves to play peek-a-boo and will often cover her own eyes to play "Where's Leila". Her voice is still deep and husky, and she has learned what Jared and I affectionately call the "fat kid laugh". Think Fat Albert as a smoker. It is hilarious.

She still hates most foods, and getting her finger and toe nails clipped. She will scream and SCREECH if she wants to be picked up and you don't do it right away. She hates having bows in her hair and will rip them out immediately. Since she looks so homeless when her hair is in her face, this is a constant battle between us. She can't even see when her hair is down because it covers her eyes...think sheepdog!

All in all, she is a sweet, fun, exciting, loving girl and she makes everyday more special by being a part of it!

Here are a few things I never thought I would EVER say (Or Hear!)

****Warning: We use correct terminology for all anatomy in our house, so if that makes you uncomfortable, please do NOT read this post :) Oh, and if potty talk makes you squeamish this post is also not for you!

As Christian is getting older and more independent, there have been quite a few learning experiences for both of us. He is always trying to figure new things out and since I am trying not to be super controlling or a micro-manager, that sometimes leads to some interesting situations. Here are a few examples. And yes...these all happened within the past 2 days.

1. "Christian! We do NOT put our bums into the toilet water!"

We are in the midst of potty training still. He does pretty well for the most part, but still needs help wiping, etc... Yesterday I walked into the bathroom and he had lifted both seats and was slowly lowering his tush into the toilet water. And yes, he had already peed in it. Gross! 

2. "Christian, do NOT pull toilet paper out of the water once you have used it!"

Bleh. Self-explanatory

3. "Christian! Don't pee on the floor." followed closely by, "Oh no! Leila! No! No! Leila, don't crawl in it!"

I was in the shower. All suds-ed up and Christian had an accident resulting in pee all over the ground. And of course, in comes Leila traipsing through it on her way to find out what all the noise was about. Needless to say, both got pulled into the shower with me. 

4. "Hey. I know you want to wear the butterfly wings, but it is time to share."

At gymnastics today, Christian got to wear a butterfly wing headband and he did NOT want to share!

5. And the finale. 

Me: "Christian, what are you doing?"

C: "Nothing."

Me: "What is that?"

C: "It's just bread."

Me: "What!? Why are you rubbing bread on your penis!???"

C: "Uh...."

Me: "Gross. Give that to me" (and I walk over to take it)

He TAKES A BIIIIIIG bite.

Me: "Ew! Don't eat it! We do NOT rub food on our penis and we definitely DO NOT eat it!"

Horrifying! He will kill me for recording this one day, but hey...that's my job, right!?

Learning Love, Humility, and Compassion From a 3 Year Old

Being a SAHM is hard, trying, exhaustive work. I am constantly running around wiping hands and faces, washing dishes, cooking (I have probably cooked more in the last 6 months than I have in the past 6 years combined!), cleaning, putting kids in and out of booster seats, high chairs and car seats. I have chased them, tickled them, played with them, disciplined them, and snuggled them. There are days I long for working, not because I actually want to work, but just so I will not be solely responsible for these two kids and their never-ending needs. But I would be missing SO MUCH if I went back to work.

I have been reminded recently about what incredible kids I have. They are sweet, kind, and loving. By no means are they perfect, but they are good kids. Today I want to focus on Christian. I want to have this written down so I don't forget how amazing he is at this age.

Not every parent can boast having a truly compassionate toddler. I used to think his genuine goodness had to do with some kind of good parenting I was doing. He shares well! He doesn't fight or kick or hit! I must be doing something right!

Ha.

He came this way. It is becoming more and more apparent that I have taught him nothing; the goodness and love he shares are his gifts. I remember in his baby blessing the word "joy" being used again and again. In fact here's an excerpt from part of the blessing I jotted down:

"Christian, you will be joyful on the earth and your smile will bring joy to all those around you....you are blessed with the personality of a peacemaker and will want others to have peace as you have peace..." 

Like I said, he came this way! As he is getting older I find myself in awe of him. I feel like I should start taking notes because I can pretty much guarantee that he is going to teach me more than I ever could him. Here are a few things he has done recently that I want to remember:

-He accidentally smashed Leila's fingers. Instead of running away because he thought he would be in trouble, he ran to her, sat down, pulled her into his lap and held her as she screamed until I could get there. 

-He loves to help me get dressed, and especially to help me put on my shoes. He will ask me if I want shoes or sandals, run and get them and then kneel down in front of me so he can help me put them on. 

-He is fiercely loyal to his friends and sister and will defend, help, and protect them however he is able.

-The last example actually comes from a sweet woman in our ward. Christian is still in nursery and he is by far the biggest in there. There are 3-4 kids who turned 3 toward the beginning of the year and so they kind of group together because the rest of the group are the "babies" (aka the younger nursery kids). On Sunday this older group of nursery kids came into Primary for sharing time. They had them come to the front of the room so we could sing a welcome song. Since I play the piano for Primary, I didn't see what transpired, but I am grateful that Melanie relayed the story for me.

 "I have to tell you about your sweet Christian, yesterday during the Hello song. Not sure you could see from behind the piano what I saw. So they stood up there, SO cute, and Gwen and Aaron were noticeably nervous. Bodies shaking and eyes wide open. Christian sensed this and put himself in the middle and wrapped his arms around both and squeezed! He held them for the entire song and immediately took away their fear. It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen! He melted my heart...You've got a very special little boy."

When I read this I actually cried! Christian will never be the stereotypical boy. He doesn't usually run and shout or play in the dirt or take things apart. He doesn't fight or climb like crazy. But that's okay! What he will bring to the world will be an even greater blessing. He reminds me so much of his Daddy. Jared is the nicest person I have ever known, and I have a feeling that Christian will be following in his footsteps. I must have done something right to deserve him. I love you Christian Douglas!

Recession

I suffer from what is called "Advanced Periodontal Disease". Aka, I have receding gum lines and I need to do something about them or I will lose my teeth. Cool, huh? And you thought I was going to talk about the economy, didn't you? :)

Anyone who knows me, knows that teeth are really important to me. I brush and floss....a lot. I would say, on average, I spend 10 minutes on my teeth 2 to 3 times a day. Obsessive Compulsive anyone? I know. I hear ya. It is a problem. But there could be worse problems, I guess. Like maybe, a fear of toothbrushes or something! I have gone as far as setting timers to try and quicken my routine. All for naught. But I digress.

Gum Recession.

I blame my Dad. Well, his whole family really. My lazy gums are genetic and it is something that he and his siblings suffer from. It seems such a waste to have inherited my Dad's charming and sparkly smile, and also his lazy gums which may ruin said sparkly smile.

I went to the dentist on Tuesday and she said something has to be done or I will start losing teeth...soon...like within 6-12 months soon. Can you imagine me not having my gorgeous smile anymore? Yeah, me either.

Here's my issue. I have always been told that in order to really fix the problem, I need braces to correct my bite. But if I get braces, my gums will get worse because they won't be stimulated. Meaning, I will probably have to have several gum replacement surgeries while the braces are on, to correct all the gum recession that will happen because of the braces before the braces can fix my teeth/bite enough so that the gums won't recede. Did you catch all that? In other words, it has always been a catch-22. Things would have to get much worse before they could get better. 

In talking to the dentist, I have several treatment options:

1. Have gum replacement surgery. I have actually had this done to two teeth already and it suuuuuuucks. They extract gum tissue from the roof of your mouth and then basically stitch it onto your existing gums hoping it will regenerate. Horrible. Painful. I looked like I had Frankenstein gums. Well, let's be honest, I I DID have Frankenstein gums. And the worst part is, it isn't a long-term solution. Those two teeth I had done? Yeah, they have to be done again.

2. Get traditional braces and deal with the catch-22 for around $2,000 + the gum surgeries.

3. FINALLY there was an option 3! In 15 years there has never been an option 3! Option 3 is Invisalign. Since these come off, I can remove them to brush and floss, therefore stimulating my gums and hopefully avoid making the recession worse! They have even seen gums GET BETTER ON THEIR OWN! *Halleluia* Oh, wait, there's a catch. It is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive because these are the "braces" people get to avoid the ugly hunks of metal traditional braces consist of. Booo.

I don't know what I am going to do. Probably get a job to pay for the Invisalign. Either way, I am sort of excited to enter the not-so-exclusive club of people who get their teeth fixed. I can't wait to be a frumpy mother of 2 with a plastic-in-my-mouth-induced lisp. Maybe I will sound like the sloth from Ice Age! I can only hope to be as funny. Wish me luck!

A Hard Day and Mormon Misfits

Today is the day most SAHM's dread.

My kids woke up almost every hour last night. Leila woke up at 6:45 screaming bloody murder and woke the whole house. It wouldn't be the end of the world except my kids usually sleep until AT LEAST 9:00 am, so waking up this early means complete and total crabbiness.

And boy oh boy have they have been crabby!

The icing on the cake is that today is Jared's 12 hour day. Fan-freaking-tastic.

I love the screaming and crying and whining. Leila has taken to following me around while screaming like a banshee this morning. It is now 1:00 pm and I FINALLY got her down for a nap. I put on Cars for Christian and let him eat Cap'n Crunch. Mother of the year award, I know. I am now blogging instead of showering. Fail.

But you know what? I am also listening to the latest Podcast from Mormon Misfit. Not only is it making me laugh, but it is reminding me that I am so grateful to be a stay at home mommy. If you haven't listened to them yet, you definitely should. Today's is great because the host has his wife as the special guest. I have known them both for a while now and I am sitting here wishing that I had kept in better contact because they are awesome.

And to a certain couple who is moving to Idaho soon to attend BYU-I, David and Jaycee and their family are too. You guys should be friends :)

Okay, plug over.

I am grateful to be a member of a church and community that has such wonderful people for me to learn from. I have meaning in my life because I know why I am on earth and I know that my purpose as a mother is divine...even when it seems like all I do is feed them and clean up the tornado's they cause. I matter. The work I am doing matters. And that's exactly what I needed to be reminded of today.

Happy Birthday Party Leila!

For Leila's birthday party, Jared and I decided to have a family-only shindig. Luckily, just with our local family, we had 21 people there! And yes, I know how blessed I am to be surrounded by so many people I love! I am a pretty low-key party thrower. I like it easy and simple because otherwise I get really stressed and overwhelmed and all of the fun of a party gets sucked out. So we had family over for hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and soda. What more do you need, right?

Before the party, I did a little photoshoot of the birthday girl in her cute little dress.

Christian giving her a "hug"

Trying to eat her birthday bracelet.

I didn't get any pictures of dinner, but here we are opening a few presents. She got cute outfits, shoes and some books!

I don't think that outfit will fit you brother...

Dad and sister

Leila just wanted to eat the paper. No surprise there.

Her new favorite toys!

After gifts, we did the customary birthday cake for the birthday girl!

Daddy "Helping" put her hand into the cake

And she tastes it!

Still not sure...

A little encouragement from Aunt Jamie!

Oh! But she hates the messy fingers!

And a belly-laugh from Jared!

She leaves the cake behind to crawl around the table!

Oooooh, but a spoon is brought to her. Now we're talking!

She starts to dig in

But NOTHING makes her happier than watermelon!

Well, except a fork in one hand and a spoon in the other!

Mmmmmmmmm!

Messy fave.

And the classic "ugly-pretty" pose

The aftermath

Thank you to my family for coming and help her celebrate her first birthday!