Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Drenched Ducks

Remember that time when you were about 2 and 1/2 years old, Bug?  And you, Doodle, were about 5 months old...and Mama let you stand out in a torrential downpour so we could watch rubber ducks float down a creek?  That was pretty awesome, wasn't it!

Hopefully, my girls' answer will be "Yes, Mom, you gave us fun opportunities even in unusual circumstances and we're grateful for them!"  One can certainly dream, right?

Yesterday was the Great Rubber Duckie Race in Lancaster (about 40 minutes from us).  It's one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for Schreiber Pediatric, a rehabilitation center that does amazing things for developmentally and physically disabled or delayed children within the community (PT, OT, speech therapy, etc.).  Basically they have food, games, prizes, and 25,000 rubber duckies.  Yes, you read that right.  People can "buy" duckies (you're given a slip with your duck's number on it and a souvenir duck, prizes are awarded for the first 10 ducks that cross, etc.) and then 25,000 ducks are dropped out of a large box and float a set distance down the creek.  It really was great fun to watch thousands of blue, pink, and yellow ducks float downstream, but in the process we got caught in a torrential downpour.  My sister, her boyfriend's sister-in-law, and myself had taken the three little girls to go find a good place to watch the ducks while the 3 guys stood in line for funnel cakes.  It started to pour soon after we'd found our spot.  My knight of a husband comes running down in the downpour to make sure we were okay with the kids, my sister's boyfriend's brother stands in the rain to get the other 2 funnel cakes, makes sure they're wrapped in foil (after all, who likes a soggy funnel cake?) and runs down as well.  And my sister's boyfriend?  Well, he ate his funnel cake in the dry pavillion and then came to join us:)  Don't get me wrong, we all love him, but he won't be living that down any time soon...especially not since the 3 little ones ages 2 and 1/2, 1, and 5 months were dripping and the rest of us look like drowned rats! 

So while I might not be getting the Mother of the Year Award for letting Bug and Doodle stand out in the rain, hopefully I've created memories for my girls. Bug? She never fussed about being drippy.  Instead she just asked to ride a pony when the rain stopped.  And Doodle?  She just downed her bottle while blinking the raindrops off of her cute little eyelashes.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Haircuts and the Olympics

Today was a pretty big day in the life of Bugaboo.  We had a playdate with new friends she'd never played with before (though I've known their mom for about a year or so through our Mom N' Me group) and she had a blast. The highlight for her was probably a tie between dumping water on each other at our water table and getting to share her watermelon popsicles with her new friend.  Yes, the bond of sharing food starts at a young age.  Even at the ages of 2 and 1/2 and 3 and 1/2 food seems to seal the bonds of friendship and fellowship like no other...that and sharing things like tricycles, baby strollers, and sliding boards.

Then I decided this evening that since I was long overdue for a haircut, I'd take Bug with me and let her get her first haircut.  All of the flyaways and mullet-like strands were starting to drive me crazy!  She did an amazing job sitting like a pro on my lap in her cute little animal cape.  Jodi, my beloved hairdresser, did a phenomenal job explaining each step to her and in the end only about an inch and a half or so was cut off.  Best part of the whole thing for Bug?  The lollipop of course...no, not getting to watch PBS Kids on Daddy's Droid (something that rarely happens), not spending time alone with Mommy (something that rarely happens), not getting to pick out a bracelet...nope, getting to eat a lollipop (which is also something that rarely happens).  I will say that Bug was a bit befuddled by my "eyebrows getting a haircut" which was the best way I knew to explain eyebrow waxing to a 2 year old:)

And finally, I let Aubri stay up for some of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.  My dear husband doesn't seem to understand my enthusiasm or what the fuss is all about, but Bugaboo will be 6 and 1/2 the next time the summer Olympics roll around.  Unfortunately, she only made it until about 8:30 and just didn't quite get all of the fuss over British history and all of the loud drums.  And while I appreciated it a little more, I didn't get all of it either.  It didn't quite live up to the opening ceremonies in Beijing 4 years ago.

So here's to new adventures with my little girl and several weeks of Olympic fun!  Happy weekend everyone!
                                                            Before Bug's first haircut

                                                         After Bug's first haircut

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Naps Are a Good Thing

Dear Baby Girl,
You are only 5 months old.  This is way too young to give up napping!  It is Wednesday and you have napped less than an hour all day long.  It wears me out thinking about it.  I'd be alright with this if you didn't scream at all attempts to put you down for a nap.  Mama is not a big fan of the "cry it out" approach therefore I haven't let you cry it out for much more than 2 minutes, 3 minutes tops.  Instead, I have put you in the Jenny Jump-up, your swing, the bouncy seat, cuddled you, laid you on my chest, nursed you, and taken you outside and cuddled you some more.  I love cuddling you, Little One, but I also know that sleeping is good for your well-being.  Some day you will be a high school and college student who will just want to sleep the summer away and I will remind you of these days as a 5 month old when sleep was the farthest thing from your mind (but not from your mama's). 

If this is a separation anxiety thing, please know that Mommy will be there when you wake up, Little One.  I will hug you and cuddle you and love you.  If this is a teething thing, then I hope your teeth come in soon.  And if this is just a "Doodle thing," then I will try to have enough patience to make it through this sleep-deprived stage!  I love you, Baby Girl!

Love,
Mommy

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Happy Medium Parenting

There's been a lot of talk in the media in recent years about parenting styles: attachment parenting, being a "helicopter" parent, using Baby Wise methods, being a "crunchy" mom, etc. And every time the media talks they bash one side or the other.  So I'm proposing a sort of "happy medium parenting."  Too bad I can't write a book on it and market this idea, but really it comes down to something I recently read on another blog and that is basically the idea of loving your kids unconditionally and wanting what is best for them. 

Me?  I fall somewhere in the middle.  I cloth diaper (except when I don't), I breastfeed (as long as I'm able to), I baby wear (love my Ergo!).  But I also allow my girls to receive most of their vaccines, I feed K on a schedule for the most part (minus the whole middle of the night thing), and I don't co-sleep (at least not very often or intentionally) And you know?  I really like our "happy medium" approach and it works for us.   

The Meaning Behind the Name

Bug-a-boo and Doodle, huh?  Kind of an odd name for a blog, but there are SOOO many blog names out there that have already been taken I had to be creative.  "Mom blogs" are kind of vogue these days so we'll see how this goes.

My two little girls, Aubri and Kenzi, are the apples of my eye and they have received various nicknames from their mama in their short lifetimes.  Aubri has been given the nickname "Aubri-Bug" or Aubrianna Bug-a-Boo" since she was an infant, sometimes just shortened to "Bug."  When Kenzi was born, we decided Kenzi-Bear was a cutesy nickname, but more often than not, we call her our little Kenzi Doodle.  So there you have it, folks...Bug-a-Boo and Doodle.  Welcome to my blog!