I kid you not...

This afternoon we were on our way home and were driving along the main street in our town.  While stopped at a traffic light, I saw a man sitting on a bench holding a leash....that was around the neck of a full size GOAT.  Seriously.  In the middle of town.

9 Months!

Or, 3/4 of a year.  Holy Cow!

So, Sweet Pea is 9 months old today.  She is an excellent stair climber, super fast crawler, and a daring cruiser.  She often lets go when standing and, if she is anything like her sister, will be venturing out to take those first precious steps very soon.

Sweet Pea also adores her sister, even when the feelings are not reciprocated.  Although, she does get a devilish grin when Mini Me cries, so perhaps there's more to her than meets the eye.

All in all, she is a very easy going, friendly, happy baby.

At her 9 month appointment today, she weighed 18 pounds, 4.5 ounces and was 28 inches long.

Speaking of her appointment, maybe my expectations are a little too high given how much I loved our old pediatrician, but I'm not impressed with her new office and will start the search again.  I made the appointment for her 1 year visit and will give them one more shot, but I'm not optimistic.

To be fair, we saw the NP, not any of the actual pediatricians.  But, she told me to give juice to my 9 month old.  WTF?  My 3 year old rarely gets juice, and when she does it is watered down.  Per the advice of our previous pediatrician and our own preferences, we have decided that juice is not necessary.  We would prefer that our children get their nutrition from eating fresh fruit and drink water, both lifelong healthy habits, instead of pounding sugary sweet drinks.

Then, when questioned about what else she eats, I explained that we don't give pureed food anymore, that she is only eating solid finger foods.  To which she said, "She's a little too young for that".  Umm, no.  As long as she's eating, what difference does it make whether the banana is in bite size form or mush form???  Are you kidding me??? 

I'm starting to wonder if I should just stick with our old pediatrician 1.5 hours away.  Seems crazy, but if I can't find a pediatrician that is more in line with our views, then I might consider it.

So, posed pictures are not really possible at this point, so here is one attempt, and more importantly, a video.

The good, the bad and the gross

It's been ages since I sat down and actually wrote anything of substance.  Partly, it's because we've been so busy.  But, I'll be honest.  Things here are not all puppies and rainbows lately.

Mini Me is going through a really rough phase.  I have been blessed with having two wonderfully easy babies.  Sure Sweet Pea was a little more needy, but still a piece of cake compared to most other babies.  But, holy hell.  Three year olds suck!

I hate this age.  I hate saying that, because there are moments when Mini Me is so funny, so amazing, and so darn adorable.  But, the majority of the time...suckiness.  As much as I wish they could stay little forever, I am SO FREAKIN DONE with 3.   Seriously.

I know part of it is age, and part of it is the addition of Sweet Pea.  Mini Me is getting increasingly horrible with her.  Hitting her, scratching her, pushing her down, and just in general being mean to her.  Obviously, there is a bunch of jealousy.  Mini Me is threatened by Sweet Pea's newly emerging mobility and "big girlness" in eating and playing.  At some point, I am hoping that Mini Me will see Sweet Pea as a playmate and not a threat.  Perhaps not, but it's that thought that gets me through the day.

In the meantime, Mini Me is acting out in other ways too.  Crazy potty regression-last week she pooped in her panties TWICE, and peed numerous times.  WTF?!?!  We had some pee accidents shortly after we moved, but I was expecting that.  Then things got back on track.   Then, POOP!  GROSS! 

Throw in some stubbornness, highly refined stalling tactics, bossiness and the sudden COMPLETE INABILITY UNWILLINGNESS to entertain herself for even a single second and there's not enough alcohol in the state to calm my nerves at the end of some days.

But, lest you think I'm just wallowing in this dark tunnel of crapiness, there are good things about this age.  She loves going out and making new friends.  There are times when she does adhere to rules, even if she needs to be reminded of them frequently, she can do a lot more independently (dishes to the sink, put her shoes on/off, help unload the dishwasher, feed the dog).  And, she can be incredibly funny and sweet, when she wants to be.  She is a performer, through and through.  Give the kid anything that even remotely resembles a microphone and she will sing and dance for you for as long as you cheer and clap at the end of every song.

I've been feeling a little sad about Sweet Pea getting to be such a big girl and have thought about the possibility of having another baby.  I love having little babies.  But, then I look at Mini Me, and I wonder how many more times I can go through the 3 year old phase.  That, my friends, is the most effective form of birth control known to mankind. 

Summer fun

Because Girls Can Be Rock Stars Too!

Fireworks?  Who cares about that?  I've discovered GRASS!!

Too much grass exploration.  Must.Nap.Before.Fireworks.

Oooohhhh, so pretty

Let's not tell her we forgot to pick up this masterpiece at the end of the day.  Whoops!

Soap ::check:: Water ::check:: Toys ::check::  It's like bathtime in the middle of the street!

Woof!  Woof!

She'll be in therapy for this...

A recently overheard conversation between Mini Me and Daddy:

Upon being questioned by Daddy about her itching, I heard a reply: 'No, Daddy.  It's not my bum.  It's my china.'

.....................

Bikes R Us

Not so much.

Mini Me asked for a bike a while ago, and I promised her that when we got to our new house, we would buy her a bike.  And, so we did.

I got her in the car and we made the trip to our neighborhood Target.  We were trying to decide what size bike was appropriate for her.  The store only had a 12" on display, but not the 16".  So, we went to Wally world.  No bikes in her size.  So, I begrudgingly went to the toy store.  You know, the one with the big backwards R.  The one that I have now sworn that I will never step foot in again. (There are other reasons besides this stupidity that has led me to despise this chain store.  This is just the final scam straw).

Mini Me spent several minutes on and off the various bikes and with the "help" of a sales dude, I decide to stick with the 12" (so, FYI, that means that we could have gotten an almost identical bike at Target).  Anyway, she picks one and sales dude asks if we want one in the box or assembled for an additional fee.  I ask for one in a box and he grabs the ticket and tells me to meet him at the register.

So, I'm in the store with a 3 year old on the verge of a meltdown because she didn't want to get off the bike and didn't believe me that the dude was going to meet us up front with her brand new bike.  We finally get up there and the dude comes and says they don't have anymore.   

Wait for it....

And that my choices are wait until Tuesday when they get more in (um, really?  I promised my kid we were going to get a bike.  We are waiting to pay for said bike.  Waiting 3 days is not an option)  My other "choice" was to pay the additional assembly fee and take the floor model.  I guess my third option was to just go back to Target, but at that point, the kid was going to be heartbroken if we left without the bike she picked out.

So, as I'm loading up the assembled bike into the car.....  LOL

We get home and she wants to ride it that very instant:

And that was it. We tried to get her outside to ride it, and she refused. So, the princess bike that was such a headache to get, sat untouched for weeks. Memorial Day weekend, we actually convinced her to give it a try. It was only a few minutes, but she had fun and in the end, that's all that matters.

We've been so busy...

that our kids are exhausted. 

Here's Mini Me who was reading on her bed...and just fell asleep.

And here's Sweet Pea, who was jumping in her Jumperoo...and just fell asleep.

Look Mom, no hands!

Today at art group, while I was helping Mini Me scoop the ice cream we had just made into her cup, Sweet Pea crawled over to me and pulled herself up.  I felt her let go but since I was busy trying to keep the icy cold goodness I had just spent 10 minutes freezing my hands off to make from melting before Mini Me got a chance to eat it...I didn't look over at first.  But, when I finally did, I was mesmerized by the beaming little face staring up at me...standing all by herself.

Of course, then she got wicked excited and started to wave her arms, lost her balance and fell onto her cushioned bum.  But still.  She stood all.by.her.self!!!!  Yay!