Remember when I promised...

a blog overhaul MONTHS ago? Well, I'm finally getting around to it. It will be a slow process, but step one is underway.

The Great Flood, Part Deux

Ugh! So, it's raining again/still/more.

All this rain has contributed to a second round of flooding. Early this morning, the girls and I were heading to the mall to burn some money energy, and the one entrance to our complex was closed due to water flowing across the road. As it turned out, the entire road outside the complex was closed.

By the time we came back a few hours later, several other roads (that we had just.been.on) were closed due to the flooding (yikes! phew!) and to top it off, water was bubbling up and flooding the middle of the complex, again. I actually saw an idiot drive through it. ::eye roll::

I, for one, will not be driving through it. I have no doubt that my SUV would make it through the 6 inches or so of water, but.... that whole dam that broke a couple weeks ago? They 'repaired' it with just a pile of loose rocks. I can't say that I really have a whole lot of faith in that holding back the raging flood waters, not to mention the fact that water bubbling up from underneath the sidewalk does not do a whole lot to make me believe in its structural integrity.

No pictures since it's pouring rain and I'm just not as dedicated to becoming a famous blogger as I am to keeping my kids dry. And, my standards for "fame" are pretty low, so that's saying something. Just scroll back a few posts. It's pretty much the same, but different.

My morning cup of Mini Me

Mini Me woke up insanely early this morning. She *thought* she was going to see Daddy, but alas, he has already moved up to our new town to start his new job.

So, instead of trying to argue/reason with a 3yo at well before the buttcrack of dawn, I picked her up and brought her into bed with me. Trying to actually sleep with her in the near proximity is impossible. I swear the kid turns into an octopus when she hits the bed. Arms and legs flying everywhere.

I settled for just being in bed and since it was almost time for the morning news, I turned the tv on. We were just relaxing and chatting, when she gave me this awesome-tastic line:

Do you like weather and coffee? (yes) Because you're old? (...............................................)

Lest you think...

Lest you think that Mini Me has not gotten enough attention here on the blog, let me show you some of her recent endeavors.

Here is Mini Me experimenting with mixing primary colors.



Here is our little puzzle master at work...and all before breakfast! By the time she ate, there were 4 more puzzles completed.



Some Easter fun. Using Easter cookie cutters and finger paint to stamp fun shapes.


The plan for tomorrow, assuming we don't all float away with the new round of drenching rain, is to color easter eggs. She had fun last year, so this should be great!

6 Months

Wow.

It is hard to believe that half a year has passed since Sweet Pea was born. It seems like just yesterday. And, yet, I don't remember what it was like without her. I find the memories of that tiny, helpless newborn fading as I burst with joy over the engaging, curious baby I see emerging.

Sweet Pea is on the verge of crawling and makes it clear that she wants nothing more than to play with her big sister. She is into everything within her reach. She even managed to snag the bacon and cheese off of my chicken the other night at dinner. (Yes, I did manage to wrestle it out of her tiny little death grip before she shoved it all in her mouth)

She is enjoying eating and is generally very happy. But, there are still moments when Mommy is the only one in the universe that can make her happy. She's a momma's girl, without a doubt. At least for now. And, that's OK with me. Daddy has his hands full already, because Mini Me is clearly Daddy's Girl.

This weekend, we took the infant seat out and have replaced it with her "big girl" seat. It's that last little piece of infancy that we have finished with. And, it's bitter sweet. We know the joy that comes as a child grows. But, we also agree that we are most likely done having children. The thought of not experiencing the newborn stage again makes me a little sad. But, for a trillion reasons, we have decided that two children is the perfect number for our family. We, of course, reserve the right to change our mind should life circumstances change.

We are enjoying watching Sweet Pea as her personality emerges. There are elements that are so very different from Mini Me, and others that are the same. Sweet Pea is much more reserved than Mini Me was as a baby. She is more wary of strangers and a little more stingy with the smiles. But, once she feels comfortable, she's a giggly, happy girl. She shows the same determination and intense curiosity that Mini Me has. I think they are going to be the dynamic duo in a few years. Both with different interests, but with skills and attitudes that compliment each other nicely. Or so we hope...

Just for comparison, Mini Me's first Easter at a little over a month old.

Catch that train!

We were very busy this weekend. Mini Me had soccer and a birthday party on Saturday and tons of errands, packing and preparing for Daddy's move on Sunday. But, in between all that, we found time to practice this:

Dam....

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that there is quite a water issue in the northeast (among other places around the country). Record amounts of rain have fallen in the past few days. The water just has no place to go.

Tonight, we are feeling very fortunate that we live at the top of a hill. 3 years ago, we lived in the same apartment complex, but in the middle. We moved up to this building because the apartment was larger and had a washer/dryer in the unit. Since Mini Me was about to be born, we thought that was a good idea.

Turns out it was. Not only for the extra space and convenience, but because....

This is what has become of the pretty waterfall across from the tennis courts:

The dam collapsed and water rushed out of the pond. That was a grassy area with a bench you are looking at there. Well, now its just water, mud, and a collapsed sidewalk & parking lot.

So, all that water is rushing over the grass and down to here:

That's a road, or at least what is left of it, in front of the tennis courts. And, yup. That's a car, that got swept sideways and got stuck when the dam burst.

At least one building in our complex has been evacuated due to flooding and sewage backing up into apartments on the bottom floor.

If were were still living in the old building, we would be completely stranded. Further down this road which leads out of the complex to the main road, there is more flooding due to another dam breech. So, that end of the complex is closed as well. Our old building and several others are right between them....no way out. So, out of all of the buildings only a couple of us are able to get in/out of the complex at all. We have power, water, toilets that are not backed up, and cars that are not under water. We are thankful. And, hopeful that the rain stops soon.'

Here are basically the same pictures, just taken with a camera (instead of a cell phone) with actual 100% organic SUNSHINE. The flood waters are starting to recede, but not by much. Besides, the way the dam collapsed, the debris is blocking the area, so the water has no where to go except to go over the grass and down here to the road.

The Memo

Today begins Daylight Saving Time (remember, no 's' at the end of saving, people...).

Apparently, Sweet Pea got the following memo:

To: Sweet Pea
From: The Universe
Date: March 14 2010
Re: DST

Please be advised that your usual wake up time of 2am will be impacted by DST on the morning of Sunday, March 14, 2010. At 2am on that date, the time will shift from 1:59am to 3am. Therefore, your usual wake up time of 2am will not exist.

In order to remedy this situation, please plan to wake up at 1am and stay awake through the time change to allow for this adjustment. While you are up, remind you mom and dad to check the batteries in the smoke detectors.

You may commence sleeping at 3:03am. We will follow up with you again on November 7, 2010 to discuss further time alterations.

I'm here, I'm here!

Wow, so I've failed at updating this blog lately.

But, I have a very good reason. We are in the middle of a big move. Well, big for us anyway. We are packing up and moving out of state. OK, so it's really less than 100 miles, but still. It's a whole new state, people.

And, I have two small kids. I fully believe that there will be more boxes of kids' stuff, than all the other boxes in the house combined. True Story. It really is insane. Good thing our new place will have a huge playroom.

Anyway, let's see. What else has been going on in our world...

Mini Me loves her swim lessons. She even floated on her back, completely on her own for 10 seconds last week. That was pretty impressive. She is having so much fun. Soccer has not been such a success. There are just way to many kids in the class for the instructor to control and he's not really good at this age group. I think he'd be great with 5 year olds, but the 3 year old crowd...not so much.

Sweet Pea is teething and not really happy about that.

But, this week there was a breakthrough in relations between Mini Me and Sweet Pea. For the past 5.5 months, Mini Me has generally tolerated Sweet Pea. Occasionally taking a swing at her, occasionally giving her a hug, but for the most part ignoring her. I'm beginning to see the change happening. As Sweet Pea becomes more interactive, Mini Me is changing too. In some regards, she's more possessive of her things. Now that Sweet Pea can reach out and grab stuff, Mini Me is starting to realize that the toys are becoming mutual property.

The most amazing thing that I see, though, is the positive interactions starting to increase. The other day I had Sweet Pea sitting on my lap and Mini Me sat next to us. She started singing and Sweet Pea just smiled and watched her intently for a moment and then started "singing" along. They giggled back and forth and it was the most precious thing in the world to me. I need to capture it on video.

Mini Me has been a little rough lately, but I think other than just being 3, she's dealing with all the turmoil. We saw an increase in her acting out just before Christmas. I think all the hype got to her. Then things settled down until we started of 3 weeks of birthday celebration and preparation for the move. But, once we get up there and get settled, I'm hopeful that she will settle back into a routine.

Well, that is that. More updates to come.

Goodbye, my friend. Unless we meet again.

Today, I say goodbye. You have been my bff for the past 5 months, but today will be our last encounter. It's not you, it's me.

You have been my faithful companion, but I've just been using you. And, since I no longer need you: Be banished to the closet! Until, perhaps, you are needed again.

I am officially done pumping.

3 year stats

So, Mini Me had her 3 year appt. today. All was well and she was excellent and cooperative.

She weighs around 32.5 pounds (68th percentile) and is 39.25 inches tall (88th percentile).

She was very eager to demonstrate all of her knowledge of colors, numbers/counting, letters, spelling, shapes, opposites, animal sounds and various other tidbits.

Next month, Sweet Pea has her 6 month appointment and that will be our last visit with our pediatrician. Now, I have to find a new doctor for the girls. :-(

5 months

**Picture to come later**



Name: Sweet Pea (AKA Vidia by Mini Me--Tinkerbell reference)


Age: 5 months


Hobbies: Squealing, chewing on my left foot, trying to lick the dog

Likes: Jumping, rolling, eating pears, squash, oatmeal

Dislikes: When mommy isn't looking at me, eating green beans

Skills: Rolling, putting things/paci in my mouth (except during the hours of 7pm to 7am--that's mommy's job), babbling

Goals: Independent sitting, crawling, more eating, moving to a new house!

Other: We lowered the crib mattress this weekend because Sweet Pea is all over the place in there. She likes her crib.