I'm Going to be Rich

Somebody get me on the phone with Hollywood because I have an idea for the next big game show. It will be one of those shows where you have to do an impossible task, but if you actually complete it, the audience goes wild and you win $1,000,000. Kind of like Minute to Win It or that crazy Japanese game show Most Extreme Elimination. The task? Put eye drops in Lydia's eyes.

Two weeks ago, Charlie came down with an obvious case of pinkeye. After a visit to the doctor, it was determined she also had an ear infection. So, off to Target we went to get her prescription. The doctor told us that if either of the other two showed signs of it, to just call and they would phone in a prescription for eye drops. So, last week on Tuesday, it became obvious Lydia and Jayson both had it. Lydia's doctor called in a prescription for her, and Jayson's called one in for him. Off to Target we went for two more prescriptions. I tried the old, "Oh, I have a $10 gift card coupon with a new prescription at home..." and the pharmacist nicely told me that I could bring it back with my receipt and they would make the adjustment. Foiled.

Lydia had to miss school on Tuesday, which was the end of the world. She cried, "My friends will ride the bus without me! What will they do at table time!??!" It was awful, but very much needed. I didn't want to be the mom who sent her highly contagious kid to school and contaminated the whole class.

By the end of the day on Tuesday, it was obvious Audrey was also getting pinkeye, so we used Lydia's drops on her. After dinner on Wednesday, Audrey was crying in pain and telling me her ear hurt. I gave her some Ibuprofen and called the doctor and got the last appointment of the day. The doctor told me she had an ear infection, so off to Target for our fourth prescription in about a week. This pharmacist was much nicer than the other one and told me that he would give me a coupon if I told him a good joke. Luckily, Audrey is practically a stand-up comedian with a cache of 1.5 jokes, and she busted out her best. ("Knock knock!" "Who's there?" "Boo!" "Boo who?" "STOP CRYING!" HAHAHAHAHA.) The next day, a student told me she saw me at Target, but didn't say hi because I was running down the aisle with the cart while Audrey yelled for me to go faster. Ha. Oops.

Luckily, the medications are working. It's pretty much a miracle, because I think only about 10% of the eye drops actually made it into Lydia's eye. We started by holding her down and forcing them in, but the screams and the looks of terror were too much. We let her close her eyes and then put them in the inside corner and then let her "blink" them in. It actually started working, but took about three drops in each eye to get enough in. Audrey did really well with them, opening her eyes wide and then laughing when the drops went in.

Now everybody is pretty much healed except for a lingering cough and a few more doses of amoxicillin. We also have $20 in Target gift cards for our trouble. Not quite the $1,000,000 I would win on my game show, but I'll take it.

The Things Kids Say

One day last week I made breakfast for dinner. French toast. The girls love breakfast foods. Actually, the girls love syrup. Sometimes they will finish their pancakes and I'll turn around to catch them licking syrup off their plates. As the meal was winding down, Lydia asked for more and I told her, "Sorry sweetie, it's all gone." She furrowed her brow, curled her lip, and yelled, "Dammit!" 

I, of course, laughed. Jayson held a straight face and explained to her that that word is grown-up word and kids don't use it. She asked excitedly if she could say it when she's a grown-up and we told her she could. Jayson asked her where she heard that word as I thought to myself, "Don'tsayMommy. Pleasedon'tsayMommy." She told us it was a boy from school. 

Audrey, who can one minute be throwing a raging, screaming, crying, lying-on-the-ground-kicking-her-feet tantrum, and then the next minute be cuddling up into your side and telling you how much she loves you, has been saying something very sweet lately. On Saturday, my grandma was here for the girls' birthday party. She always brings massive quantities of junk for them that she keeps running out to her car to get. Her car is like a clown car with its capacity to store small, tacky, and slightly scary things. One of the things she brought in was a Minnie Mouse costume. She asked if I wanted it for the girls, and I told her I would take it since they love to dress up so much.

After everybody left, I started cleaning up and moved some of the clothes from Grandma towards the basement to be washed. I showed Audrey the dress and told her Great-Grandma got it for her. She got a concerned look on her face and told me, "Oh! I didn't say thank you to her!" Awww. I told her it was OK, and we would tell her next time.

Yesterday, a package arrived from my younger sister with some random fun toys for the girls including a very cool toy that spins around and lights up when you hold it and push the button. I told Audrey it was from her cousin Aidan and again, she looked so concerned and told me, "I didn't say thank you!" I assured her we would Skype him soon and we could thank him. She asked all night if we could Skype Aidan and say thank you.

One!

Today, my sweet little Charlie turned one. We celebrated with a birthday party for both her and Lydia with our extended family. Charlie is such a little trooper. She's always smiling and has a contagious giggle. She only ever really cries when she's tired, and then it's just a quick bottle and she goes to sleep like a champ. She eats whatever we put in front of her, but when she's done, she throws the rest on the floor. She doesn't talk much yet, but has finally started saying "Mama" in addition to Dada, Lydia, and dog. She waves, and she sucks her thumb when she's tired. She loves to wriggle away from you when you change her diaper. She follows her sisters around the house and laughs at them and screams when they get rowdy.

Charlie made quite an entrance into the world. Both her sisters were induced after their due dates. I was sure Charlie would also be late. I went to a Brewers game for my sister-in-law's bachelor party the Saturday before the Thursday I was due. When coworkers would say, "Maybe you won't be here tomorrow!" I would say, "Don't worry, I'll be in."

On my due date, Lydia had a rehearsal for her dance recital. I took her to the rehearsal and then we got home and went to bed. I woke up at about 1:00 am with very light contractions, and as they became more frequent, I figured I would be having her the next day, and tried to sleep some more. They got to be about 10 minutes apart, but didn't increase in intensity. I called the doctor on call for my OB/GYN office and she told me to call the delivery room to see if they wanted me to come in. I explained that my contractions were consistently 10 minutes apart, but not very strong. They said to come in, but sounded like it wasn't a big deal. We called Jayson's mom to come over to watch the girls and while we waited for her, I took a shower and got some things together.

As I walked around more, the contractions became stronger and more frequently. Suddenly, I was sitting down in pain and gasping as they came. I told Jayson I was going to wait in the car, and when his mom drove up, I forced a smile and waved. Jayson rushed to the hospital as I gripped the arm rest. Luckily, the hospital was only ten minutes away. When we arrived, the triage nurse checked me immediately and said we were ready to go. She told me usually moms walk from triage to the room, but she was just going to wheel me. When we got into the room, I asked with hope if I could still get an epidural and the nurse looked at me like I was a little kid who just discovered the truth about Santa Claus and said, "No, not enough time!"

So, we started. I couldn't even breath. I had not planned for this. I was used to slow labors without much pain. When I had Lydia, the nurse told me to push the button when I needed more pain meds, and I pushed happily away. She told me that I should still be able to feel the contractions and I smiled and said I could even though I couldn't. As contractions came, the nurse would excitedly look at me and say, "Do you feel this one coming?" and I would smile and nod and pretend I felt it, and push when it seemed like I should be pushing. Not with Charlie. Oh man, did I feel it. I think all of West Allis knew I felt it. Luckily, it took all of 20 minutes, if that, and she was out.

All 9 lbs, 12.5 ounces of her. With a fractured collarbone because she was so big and came so quickly. Charlie will always be my reminder of what I can do. This past year, when I've been afraid of something, I tell myself, "I gave birth to an (almost) ten pound baby without drugs. I can do this." And now look what I have! Such an amazing, sweet, little girl. As I look at her older sisters -- Lydia with her curly blonde hair, blue eyes, wild imagination, and zest for life; Audrey with her wavy brown hair, green eyes, serious attitude, and quick temper; and I wonder what life will bring for Charlie. I can't wait to find out.

Five!

Lydia turned five yesterday. It seems so strange to me that she was four because she has been getting so big and learning so much. A lot of people say things like, "Can you believe she's five already?!" and yes, I can. In fact, I almost can't believe she's not a teenager yet. I feel like I've known her forever and I'm constantly amazed by how big she is.

Lydia has always been able to make me laugh. She has always been very silly and very smart. The things she sometimes says are pretty awesome. I remember when she first started counting and we were amazed. I remember when she learned the alphabet and we couldn't believe it. Now she explains to me what a hypothesis is (An idea that can be tested!), tells me all about the solar system (Did you know the sun is a STAR?!?!), and listens intently and asks questions as I explain the water cycle to her. She has a thirst for knowledge that fills me with pride.

She also cares deeply for her friends. I love seeing the little trinkets her friends trade her on the school bus and at school. I'm curious what she gives them when she returns with broken buttons, Happy Meal toys, and Hindu prayer cards. She is friendly with everybody. She frequently comes home from school to tell me about her new friends. When we're in the grocery store, she waves and says, "hi!" to people. She's also very sweet to her sisters, and frequently tells them she loves them. She fights with them, but when it comes down to it, she is very concerned about them and rushes to help them when they need it.

Lydia has ALWAYS been a performer. Even as a baby, she would flirt and smile at anybody who paid her any attention. As she got older, she would set up stages and sing and dance. Whenever I video record her, she does a huge intro like a newscaster. When she first started getting into watching TV, she would watch a show and then act like the story was her own and everything she just saw happened to her. She remembers movie scenes and lines and reenacts them. She absolutely loves an audience.

I love her big, blue eyes. I love her crazy mess of curls. I love her big smile.

So, happy birthday to my little Lyd-face, who has brought so much joy into my life. I remember how nervous we were to meet her. I remember those last few weeks before she was born, how we understood that in just days, our lives would change forever. I remember before I went into the hospital to be induced the next morning, Jayson and I ate dinner for his birthday and just kind of looked at each other like, "Holy crap, this is it." We knew a change was coming, we just didn't understand just how great that change would be.

Interview With Audrey

One of my favorite things about Audrey is her ability to carry on a very serious conversation. I decided to interview her the other day about her baby doll (she's very serious about those, too). The result was some classic Audrey serious faces and some insight into the life of her baby doll.

Rehearsal Fail

Lydia had her rehearsal for her dance recital on Thursday night. First off, dance lessons are a racket. It's fairly inexpensive throughout the year, but then at the end of the year, they're like, "Hey, you want to be in the recital? Well, the costume costs about as much as your monthly mortgage payment. Oh, you actually want to watch your kid dance? That will be more than the price of a movie ticket for you to be able to see your own kid dance for three minutes and then hundreds of other people's kids dance for the remaining 87 minutes. And there will be two recitals. You want pictures? Pay up. A DVD of the performance? You might need a loan for that. Ka-ching!" Then, for a brief few minutes, you see your own little person up there, dancing her little heart out and beaming as she looks for you in the audience and waves excitedly. And it almost seems worth it.

As I said, Thursday night was the rehearsal. It was at a high school in the auditorium, so the girls are up there on the stage and the parents are in the audience. It's the only time parents can record the performance. Video recording is not allowed at the actual recital. So, I excitedly waited for her to come out, checking and double checking that I could find the record button on my camcorder in the dark theater. Then her group came out. Their little hands making an oval above their heads, dancing in on their tiny little toes, and my daughter, bawling. My heart dropped. It was that feeling of helplessness when you see your kid crying and it's not that obnoxious I-didn't-get-my-way-and-I-need-a-nap-and-somebody-better-give-me-what-I-want-right-now-or-I-will-start-stomping-my-feet cry. It was the heartbroken-I-am-so-hurt-and-sad-and-the-only-thing-I-want-right-now-is-a-hug cry. 

I stopped recording and waved her over to the front of the stage and discovered the reason for the giant crocodile tears. Her bow fell out. I put it back in her hair, gave her a big hug, and asked her if she was ready to go back. She nodded and I tossed her back on stage and she went back to the other little ballerinas. She got into the dance a for a bit, but soon started wailing again. It was well past her bedtime, and she was exhausted and the whole bow thing was just too much. After the rehearsal I taught her how to put her bow in so we wouldn't have another bow incident. 

Here are two videos, split from when I turned off the camcorder to fix the bow, and then started recording again.

Her first recital was today. She did amazing. The bow stayed in her hair and she remembered most of her steps and she smiled and looked adorable. I'm looking forward to tomorrow going just as well.

A offshoot of the dance story... I let Lydia wear some make-up for it and when I was putting it on, she asked me, "Mommy, when do you put your rosy cheeks on?" She meant blush. I told her I do in the morning. "But when in the morning?" I told her when I'm getting ready at the gym. "To make you look beautiful?" 

"Yes," I said, "Do you think it's working?"

"Oh, yes!" she assured me.

Audrey got a sly smile on her face and laughed and said, "I don't think it is!!!"

This is the Story of Two Sisters...

One of my favorite books to read the girls is one called, "Sisters" by David McPhail. It starts with "This is the story of two sisters who, in many ways, were different." It then lists the many ways they were different. One was big (Lydia), one was little (Audrey.) One liked to wear two different colored socks (not really Audrey), one didn't like to wear socks (or shoes) at all (definitely Lydia.) One liked baseball (Audrey seems to be the one more interested in sports), the other found it boring (Lydia has very little interest in sports and during soccer practice has been known to hide behind trees and eat grass.) It then goes on to say, "The two sisters were alike in many ways, too." They both like sugar-snap peas fresh from the garden, both like to help bake cookies, both like to play in puddles and piles of leaves, both like to draw and dance. At the end, it says, "But the way they were most alike was the most special way o fall. Because, you see, they loved each other so very much," which will on occasion make me tear up just a little bit if I'm feeling particularly emo that night.

The book came to mind yesterday. Grandma Deb came to visit and watch the girls last night. As usual, she brought a surprise for them. As usual, Lydia begged to see what it was and we told her to stop being rude. Grandma Deb finally went out to her car to bring the surprise in and unveiled two new baby dolls. Audrey got a huge smile on her face and her eyes widened and she gasped, "Thank you!" Lydia looked at it in disgust and started crying. Lydia hates dolls. Audrey loves dolls. Audrey has always loved to cuddle things (see previous blog entry.) She often carries dolls around the house and feeds them, tucks them into bed, reads to them, rocks them, etc. She even has one doll that she always brings to church.

She was pretty excited when Charlie was born and she got a real live baby doll.

Lydia, on the other hand, would much rather play games, do art projects, or play dress-up. She has a large collection of dolls she has gotten as gifts and really has no interest in them at all. Every once in a while, if Audrey is playing with a doll, Lydia will too, but never really does it on her own. I once found one of Lydia's dolls shoved into a corner behind a box and I asked her why her doll was there and she said, "Oh. That's its home." She does like to pretend Audrey is her daughter and will pretend to put her down for a nap and drop her off at school, but she has no interest at all in her dolls.

And of course, they love each other so very much.