Crawling!

Well this post is a solid week plus overdue but hey- I have two small kids!

Gio is officially crawling. Everywhere. He is also pulling up- on
everything! It cracks me up, he has clearly "mastered" crawling and
has turned his attention to walking. I keep saying he is a big person
in a baby's body but with every new step I find this to be even more
completely true.

In other news gio has two teeth now, and Bella is actively working on
becoming fully potty trained.

It's been a long few weeks. (Months? Years?) But life is good. I say
every single day that I am one lucky mama. These two little people
amaze me and bless me every single day. <3

You will be there too someday

**Disclaimer- this is not inspired by any of my currently pregnant
friends, but rather by a stranger in the grocery store.**

Dear Pregnant Lady,

I noticed you today with your oh so cute belly as you walked around
the wearied mom wrestling with her three kids in the grocery store. I
remember being you. I remember thinking those same thoughts I saw
drift across your face. Trust me when I tell you, someday, that will
be you.

We all think we know what we are getting into. We read the books and
count the weeks. If you're really ahead of the game you're reading
parenting books, not just pregnancy books. You're even listening to
your family and friends who already have children.

And yet, even those of us who are smart enough, aware enough, to know
the insane task we are taking on, still somehow manage to stay a
little smug. You think "I will do it differently. I will never..."
(Please fill in the blank because let's face it- the specifics are
irrelevant.)

You've taken stock of all the pros and cons from your own upbringing
and your partners upbringing. You've watched the successes and
failures of your friends and families as parents. You think you know
how it's going to work.

You don't.

Sorry to be so blunt but no matter how much we (those of us preceding
you into parenthood) share, honestly or otherwise, the problem remains
that you don't know until you get there.

So for those of us on the other side, please try to remove the chip
(whatever size it may be) from your shoulder. I know it's there
because I had one too. Instead when you see that mom give her
screaming kid candy just to finish her grocery shopping, don't think
"I'll never", pray to whoever or whatever you can that your kid will
choose to melt down at a more opportune time. Because that mom is
using whatever tools she has in her arsenal to keep life moving
forward. I assure you it is 100 times tougher than it looks.

In the meantime enjoy your pregnancy- even if it is miserable (they
usually are). We are here waiting for you on the other side offering
humor and hope to the craziest, hardest, most magical thing you will
ever do with your life.

Sincerely and without judgement,

A happily haggard mommy of two

P.S.
Dear moms of one- the transition from one to two is much like from
zero to one. Just remember that when you see the mommy of more than
one losing her shit like you "never" would. :)

A window in

The last couple of weeks I've been struggling with anxiety. I've
always had varying degrees of anxiety but didn't recognize it as that
until I had my first (?) panic attack after a tree fell on our house.
Following that experience I began to realize that anxiety was very
present in my life, I just hadn't named it previously.

Well now I can recognize it, name it, and sometimes even deal with it.
Which brings me to today. There have been some experiences over the
last couple of months that have played directly into my anxieties weak
spots. It's been building and this morning I realized that its
resulted in generalized anxiety. Things that I would normally be
excited about, or at least not bothered by, are leaving me with a pit
in my stomach and desperately searching for excuses and "a way out".

I keep thinking that some part of me is just too darn sensitive for
this world. That I need to grow a thicker skin. But then that seems
less honest or genuine somehow.

Life goes on either way. I only hope I can feel less anxious and
sensitive about it all. :)

First tooth!

My sweet boy got his first tooth! I felt it on Friday (5/31/13) though
can't say 100% that it cut that day. Bittersweet these milestones!

Next up? Crawling any day now!