Malia's "happy place"

Malia knows a good thing when she sees it...so when she saw the Ergo (backpack) sitting in the family room during her pre-dinner fussy period, she knew exactly what to do. She picked it up and carried it into the kitchen where I was prepping dinner and talking with Livy, and proceeded to hand it to me. Once she had handed it over, she thrust her arms up at me and whined until I put the pack on my front and put her inside. And then? She snuggled up, all became blissfully quiet and I think we both sighed contentedly. Honestly, I think a cozy baby pressed against you must lower one's blood pressure...or maybe my blood pressure drops because there's one less person whining and fussing at me...

I adore the Ergo: I love wearing my babies, it has made life with two kids undeniably easier, and obviously Malia takes comfort in being close to me. Think I can wrap her up close to me when she's thirteen and mad because I won't let her attend a boy-girl party? I need to find the Moby/Ergo for teenagers I think...

Can It Be Summer All Year Long?

There is nothing like having a kid to remind you how fun it is to be a kid. This summer has been insanely fun; we've been outside for hours each day spending lots of time in the yard, at the beach, walking downtown, eating Sunday dinners down at Surfer's Point...I'm not sure who enjoyed summer more, me or my kids. And yes, my husband is incredibly jealous and I am incredibly lucky to be able to do all this fun stuff with my kids any day of the week. It's not fair, and I totally agree.

Boogie board time...even more fun at the beach than on the grass at home...

Anyone else see trouble in the making with four girl cousins within four years of each other?

The chalk 'stache...all the rage this summer.

Also the rage: the exfoliating sand scrub featured at only the most chic salons. Please note: requires one long, cold rinse in the ocean which might result in one very angry, screaming preschooler. Results may vary and include such side effects as multiple hair washings, knots in hair and sand spread throughout home, carseat and bed.

Rowdy pool days at the Seay's. Watch out for the one in the purple shoulder pads.

Indoctrinating the girls into our annual fair ritual (which began with both girls in utero).

Destructor (a.k.a. Malia) taking apart my beach set-up as swiftly as she destroys the Tubberware cabinet at home, albeit with a lot less clean up on my part.

Attack of the Tutu

As if having a child obsessed with all things ballet isn't enough ("Mom, do first position. Okay, now curtsy. MOMMY! CURTSY NOW!") we have a wild tutu running about the house. It attacks when least expected, and attacks everyone except Olivia, strangely enough.

Such a bizarre phenomenon.

Thankfully those that are attacked don't seem any worse for the wear (beyond looking downright silly) and actually appear quite happy, as these pictures can attest to.

These fabulous tutus were created by a friend for her daughter's birthday party last year and although at times it is worn as a tutu, it also lends itself to the most creative of play (Grandma is such a good sport).

Go Away!

Will these allergies/intolerances/sensitivities or whatever damn thing it could possibly be, please just go away?

Malia had a delicious turkey meatball from TJ's last night for dinner. She ate about 6 or 7 bites, maybe half of the meatball. I got her to sleep at 7:30 p.m.

She subsequently cried(well, screamed is more like it) and then nursed at:
8:00 p.m.
10:45 p.m.
1:05 a.m.
3:20 a.m. (from here she wouldn't fall back to sleep until 5:00 a.m.)

This is the child that either sleeps through the night, or wakes ONCE to be nursed and go back to sleep. She almost never wakes more than once a night unless something is very wrong.

What was wrong last night, you ask? The meatball had soy in it, and it was her first soy in months. By this age, Olivia, who had similar food issues, was able to eat soy and was just starting to eat dairy. So I got my hopes up and tried Malia on soy. Bad bad bad idea! Poor girl was a disaster during the night and although we're all a bit of a cranky mess today, Miss M took the brunt of it. She's got nasty diapers, eczema dots on her chin and cheeks and she won't let me leave her sight without throwing a fit. And yes, this from 6 bites of a *&$@ meatball.

And I feel like the world's worst mother for giving her the dang soy in the first place and making her feel terrible. The worst part is, I don't even know how/where it hurts and it's not like I can dose her with Motrin and think it'll bring her any relief.

Ugh! I hate you dairy/soy/citrus...how you make life so difficult! All my little girl wants is to enjoy those yummy goldfish her sister gets to eat.

And I have a new respect for all you food-allergy moms that brave the birthday parties with peanut/dairy allergic kids...how do you do it when I struggle just keeping goldfish out of my baby's reach?

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

As I sing along with the Go-Gos, I recall the fabulous week we spent at the beach house up in Solimar thanks to our friends, the McCalisters. Liv and Malia lived like true beach bums, waking up to the sound of the waves crashing and heading straight out for the water. The weather was less than ideal; fog every morning and wind in the afternoons, but it didn't keep our water girls out of the ocean. Plenty of goose bumps but the laughs and shrieks assured us they weren't ready to get out just yet.

We stared out at the ocean as we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner and the kids loved playing on the deck, hopping in and out of the warm kiddie pool and standing on the "stage" to perform ballet dances. During our daily beach walks, Liv collected hundreds of shells and spent her days washing and sorting through her shell collection. She found lobster tails, lots of sea snail shells and even a completely closed clam or oyster shell, with the animal still inside. And Malia did her best to win the sand-eating contest, of which she earned top prize, every time.

And although it's hard to believe, we were able to grudgingly convince some friends to join us for a few hours at the shore. Candice and the boys came out for dinner along with Grandma Yolie and Sandy; Livy loved sharing her temporary beach home with Luke and Jake, and it looks like the Imbler boys enjoyed their time as well http://mytwoblondeboys.blogspot.com/


Uncle Jon joined us for a few games of horseshoes and some kayaking, and later that afternoon our happy-hour friends Amy and Tracy and their husbands and kids came out for a happy hour bbq. Liv had a blast with Kate and Hayley and the girls ran wild, eating junk food and heading into the ocean fully clothed after dinner.

A perfect ending to a perfect beach retreat...