Didn't I spend the entire winter moaning and groaning about how freezing cold it was, how much I hated it, how it depressed me, and on and on and on? I thought about that this past weekend as we got out the deck furniture, restocked the sandbox, added training wheels to the new (used) big girl bikes and then our entire bathroom floor was covered in sand and everyone had scraped their knees. I did a preliminary assessment of our front landscaping and the heavy responsibility of plant life weighed on my shoulders. The morning glory seeds must be planted, but not too early in case of frost. The tulips that I planted while pregnant with E and L are looking pathetic and need to be dug up and new ones planted in the fall. Should I use the small area on the side of the house to grow a few veggies, just some tomatoes and basil and green beans, or should I lean on my regular trips to the daily farmer's markets around our city? THE PRESSURE IS INSANE.
I love the warm summer weather. I washed all of E and L's clothes from their second summer and got all snuffly seeing C in them. I love sundresses and painted toenails and the warm sun and eating grilled food on the deck and going to the parks. I do. I do not love the yardwork and bugs and CONSTANT VIGILANCE that must be maintained so no one gets hit by a car. Am I never happy? I am annoying myself with the grumbling.
E got out of the bath first and put on her mismatched pjs consisting of a soccer t-shirt and dinosaur pants. She asked, "How do I look, Yor-lie?" and L looked her up and down carefully and replied, "Very distinguished."
While we were grocery shopping the other week, E spotted the Cheez Balls, puffs of . . . what? Grease and cheez powder? Anyway, she said brightly, "Oh! We ran out of these! We should get some more, Mama." Um, so we did.
Speaking of less-than-stellar parenting moves, I hate how C loves TV already. I am not Saint NoTV. My kids watch 0-2 hours of TV daily. We try to keep it quasi-educational or at least minimize the violence and swearing. They didn't start until around 2 years old, however, and here C is, craning her neck to see the adventures of Little Bear already. Subsequent children, eh?
And now speaking of C, she is starting the Mobile Phase at just over 7 months. She doesn't move purposefully and she doesn't move forward, but she gets around. Accidentally. For a while she was sort of like a sundial, turning in a circle, plus or minus a foot or so. Now she will start over by the window and slowly back herself up, ending up under the dining room table and pissed about it. She struggles valiantly to lift her belly up off the floor and get onto her hands and knees, but only succeeds one in ten times. The times she's successful cause her to be thrilled and confused and, when she drops down again, ANGRY. She's also a lunger, so she'll be sitting happily and reach for a toy only to discover that now she's on her stomach and that was NOT where she wanted to be. It's fun to watch. I was thinking this summer would be perfect because E and L are old enough to come get me when a toy goes into the street and C isn't mobile yet, but it looks like I might be wrong.
Ohh i hear you! I felt the same way when we lived in Colorado.. and it was only about 3 months of nice non-freezing weather. It's the other way here down under and... i don't miss the snow, but i miss the cooler weather...
Ohhh post summer/spring pics of the girls! They are so adorable, but i think time seems to go faster with kids, they grow up QUICK!
Posted by: Shalini | April 21, 2008 at 05:56 AM
Oh how I love living in a condo, all my plants are in pots and so there is no yardwork. Except that I'd love to have a garden...but probably only if it came with a gardener. The thought of a few cherry tomatoes & some basil is really nice though. Are E & L old enough yet to be interested in planting things and watching them grow? I can't remember how old I was when we brought home green beans in little pots and I was totally fascinated that they came up all on their own.
I got a lecture from the husband yesterday about how sand needs to be emptied from shoes when tiny people return from the park. Elli spent her time there filling a bucket with sand...and then pouring it down her front. The things that we don't do anymore because we've learned how irritating it is to clean up afterwards...honestly, we're missing out here.
Posted by: Today Wendy | April 21, 2008 at 10:07 AM
I believe you can keep many tulips in the ground. Dig them up now, divide them, and replant them in the fall.
(There are better instructions at
http://www.woodenshoe.com/qanda.html)
Posted by: Jody | April 21, 2008 at 12:04 PM
I hear you on the pressure of yardwork. This appears to be the year that our careful system of denial and neglect catch up to us.
Posted by: wavybrains | April 21, 2008 at 02:28 PM
your description of C's mobility and subsequent pissyness sounds v v familiar. deven is doing the same "scooting backwards until she gets stuck" thing. it's pretty entertaining and she loves moving off that play mat and onto the floor. in fact, until she can't move anymore, she's having a blast.
related baby cuteness: she got herself into a sitting position all by herself over the weekend and the absolute surprise and then joy on her face was SO worth it. i'm gushing, i know but, i could see that she knew she accomplished something and was so happy about it. good times. :)
Posted by: Jen | April 21, 2008 at 03:04 PM
And then there's the constant sunscreen application, the hat battles, and the bugs. We seem to have a bad wasp infestation this spring. Fabulous.
My son (#2) is fully mobile and thank god we have a fully fenced backyard. But still, he has managed so far to get sticks, leaves, dirt, sand and a nugget of cat poop into his mouth in the past two weeks. Also, I'm still trying to figure out how to dress him for crawling around outside. Shorts = scraped and dirty knees, but Pants = hot baby and ruined pants. What to do???
The "very distinguished" line is from Little Bear, if I'm not mistaken. I think the episode was called Hat Parade. My son says it too. Pretty cute.
Posted by: Jen H. | April 21, 2008 at 03:38 PM
Maybe this will help.....I just fed my 3 and 4 year olds Spaghettios and a Lunchables for dinner. And a yogurt drink. Not a veggie in sight.
Um.
Posted by: Allison | April 21, 2008 at 07:40 PM
Maybe this will help.....I just fed my 3 and 4 year olds Spaghettios and a Lunchables for dinner. And a yogurt drink. Not a veggie in sight.
Um.
Posted by: Allison | April 21, 2008 at 07:41 PM
I rarely comment here, but I had to speak up and say that the "Very distinguished" remark totally cracked me up. Your kids are adorable!
Posted by: Meggan | April 22, 2008 at 09:34 PM