So, how do you discipline a three year old, exactly?
This age is so interesting to me. Lily is nothing short of hilarious, even when she's being bad. Everyone keeps telling me "Make sure to have a consequence for wrong doing...and follow through!".
Ok, so, she spits her chocolate milk because she thinks it's funny. I warn her twice to stop, the third time the consequence is no more :::ipad, movies, pool, treats, etc.:::::: for X amount of time, or the rest of the day even.
Her response?
"I don't want my :::ipad, movie, treat, pool, etc.::::", with the proverbial devilish grin, and continues undesirable behavior. I follow through with my threat and she follows through with her ability not to give a shit.
It's interesting.
I'm really at a loss in those moments on how to discipline. I always knew discipline would be tricky. THAT is one thing I was kindof-sortof prepared for with parenthood. I did not expect it to be so funny though. I cannot help but laugh when Lily says something snarky right back at me or Dustin. I don't let her see me laugh, of course, but it's funny.

One thing that she does that really irritates me, but, again, it's funny, is when she does the "dead man float" out of water. Does that need elaboration, or do all kids do this? So, it's when I'm trying to get her to do something: take a bath, go potty, etc., and she doesn't want to go.... so she plays dead. Her whole body goes limp and she even closes her eyes. I'll attempt to get her on her feet and she is just dead weight. I literally cannot lift her when she does this and she just lays there and laughs. I cannot muster any verbal commands when this happens because, again, I'm laughing at her creativity.

Sigh. Toddlers.

I'm trying to keep up with blog. I know I will regret it if I don't. This is my memoirs of my only child and my sole purpose is so I can do two things, 1.) let Lily read this someday if she chooses, and 2.) laugh at myself someday when Lily is WAY more challenging, as in the teenage years.

Speaking of teenagers, I read the term "Threenager" on my friend Christie's blog and that is a PERFECT way to describe the age of three. It's much more challenging than two. I'm sorry to break it to my friends with children younger than three, but it's true. Someone wrote in an article that "three is two... with intent", and it's so true. Three year olds are much more calculating, manipulative, and determined. And much more hilarious, which I'm assuming, is what God throws in there to make this all worth it. Emotions run high at this age. It can be downright scary at times...but, it is such a time of learning and exploration, so much different than that of a younger toddler, so it's fun.

Recap from the last couple of months:

Disney...
"The happiest place on earth" is what they all say. I have to argue with that. I mean, if walking around in 100 degree humid heat, waiting in lines for hours, paying a ridiculous amount of money for food, tickets, and souvenirs, watching kids melting down everywhere you look, and battling copious amounts of people is what the happiest place on earth is like then I would HATE to see hell. Ok, so I'm obviously not a fan of theme parks but I have to say every single second of heat and crowds and every penny was worth it. We had a blast.
We took her the week before her 3rd birthday. It was so fun to see her reactions and all the excitement on her face. She was so excited that she didn't sleep well the night before which made for some really interesting tantrums throughout the morning but she did really well overall.
My favorite tantrum story of the day was her meltdown on It's a Small World ride. It was her first ride ever. There was no wait at all. As we're walking onto the boat, Dustin picks her up to help her since she almost fell into the water trying to do it herself. Apparently, it was one of those "I WANT TO DO IT MYSELF" moments and she freaked the hell out. She threw the biggest tantrum for the first five to ten minutes of the ride. Everyone was staring. Classic moment. Then, this sweet lady with two older children turned around and gave me one of those looks to say " I so know what you're going through. Just breathe" and then looked at Lily and said, "Hey, you can't cry on It's a Small World! It's supposed to be happy" and then proceeded to try to calm her down by pointing things out to her. It was all to no avail but sometimes the kindness of strangers reinstates my faith in people. Lily did calm down and did enjoy the rest of the ride. I've never seen her eyes so big.
She got to meet all of her favorite characters and got their signatures in her autograph book (with the help of daddy since we forgot the book when we saw Mickey and Minnie). We only rode a couple of rides since meeting characters was much more important, but it was all perfect.
We spent the night in a hotel, which was a first for her. So, after waking up at 6am, not napping, and being completely in love with everything in the hotel, especially the elevator (or alagavater, as she called it), she finally fell asleep at 10pm, in bed with me, which was also very interesting. It was certainly a very memorable couple of days.

Birthday...
A couple of months before her birthday, I asked Lily what kind of party she wanted. She vacillated from Curious George to Rio to Up to Minnie/Mickey Mouse. I was super excited about the "Up" theme...but then I realized that it was her party, not mine, and as she became more insistent about the Mickey/Minnie thing, I had to go with it.
I decided to DIY a lot of the decorations, thanks to Pinterest. I made Mickey Mouse plates out of small and large black paper plates, dipped strawberries and marshmellows and covered them with Mickey Mouse sprinkles, and even make Mickey shaped rice krispie treats. No one ever told me that DIYing does NOT mean it will be cheaper. I think I spent more on this party than I did on her first and second combined. Everything did turn out the way I had imagined though and Lily seemed to really like it.

DIYing...

{banner by Paper Lullaby, my friend Shel's company. Love her stuff!}

{Cupcakes by Auntie Kiki, who should have her own business!}

{Cupcake topper designs by my husband, Designs by DN}

 {My daughter was lucky enough to have 2 homemade dresses for her party. Dress #1, compliments of Jessica.}

{ Dress #2, compliments of my friend Cori.}

{And yes, my child had a black eye on her birthday from tripping at Bop's house. It's genetic.}

We hosted around 40 guests at our clubhouse in hopes of a pool party. Of course, true to Lily form, she wanted nothing to do with the pool and was so fixated on her gifts that nothing else mattered, not even cupcakes. 

So, I made the ultimate mistake of allowing her to open her gifts. With 9 other toddlers in attendance. I apparently missed the memo that the reason why parents wait until guests are gone to open gifts is so that bar fights don't break out amongst the children....because that is exactly what happened. Lily received a play golf set from her "Uncle" Nick. Very cute, simple toy with 3 plastic clubs and balls. Well, the clubs soon became weapons and there was a lot of crying involved. Lily couldn't care less because she was onto opening her next gift, but, I won't be making that mistake again. Toddlers are scary. 

This was one of the bar fights. Lola and Gema fighting over golf clubs. Notice Ty on the far right using the club as a bat. He loves baseball. 

It was a really fun party and went by in a blur. She got shy when everyone sang to her but proudly blew out her own candles. She chased her friend Lola around the most, since my child loves to just be one on one, and was so happy the whole day. We didn't get any videos this year. I'm not sure what happened to my brain on that one. All of the DIYing got to me, I think. 

On her real birthday, we celebrated quietly at home with a homemade dinner by Bop and cake by mommy. That was a fun, relaxing day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily now:

- Is in the "why??" phase, which I have always dreaded, but it turns out that it can be kind of entertaining. 

- Can count to 20.

- Can count up to 20 objects when asked "how many _____ are there?".

- Swims with floaties.

- Is in a fearful phase of things like slides.

- Is asking about going back to school.

- Loves playdoh.

- Continues to recite commercials and movies.

- Loves to jump on anything that can be turned into a trampoline.

- Continues to be a tomboy and wants nothing to do with anything princess-like.

-Has a fantastic memory and remembers every.single.promise. you make her.

- Loves old school cartoons like Tom & Jerry, Scobby Doo, and Chip & Dale.

- Is fully potty trained but can be so stubborn about pooping in the potty. 

- Continues to get compliments on a daily basis for her "classic hair".

I know I missed updating a lot but daily life just slips by. I can't believe just 6 more weeks until we leave with Lily for 2 weeks to Costa Rica. I'm starting my prayers now for that trip.

More to come...

Three years ago, I was calm.
I was at peace.
I was ready.

I've talked about how motherhood has thrown me for a loop over and over on this blog. How utterly unprepared I was for this challenge and this life change. But for labor and delivery? I was ready.

Going into my 38 week appointment felt different. I had been feeling really awful that week but being my first experience with pregnancy, I chalked it up to being... well... pregnant. I was so fatigued that I could barely function, I was nauseated all of the time, and I was so swollen, as in abnormally swollen. Walking into that appointment I was 99% sure that things with me and baby were just fine. But that 1% would just not shut the hell up and I had this irritating voice in my head telling me today was not any normal, average day.
Soon after 3pm, it wasn't just the voices in my head talking, it was my doctor sending me to triage telling me that baby needed to come out. My blood pressure was climbing and my pee was apparently pissed off. I had pre-eclampsia, which was a condition I feared my whole pregnancy.

On the ride to the hospital, I was nervous but by the time I got to triage I was collected and calm. And I stayed that way. It was the most calm I've ever been. I didn't have a birth plan or even an overnight bag with me. I had no expectations or preconceived notions. I did not over-thing or analyze. It was almost a euphoria. I was certainly worried about Lily's well being, knowing what pre-eclampsia can do, but I knew this was it. I was going to have a baby. I felt meant for it. I was in the moment and I was present.

As the hours passed, the pitocin dripped, the sitcom re-runs with canned laughter played, and the epidural failed, my mood didn't waiver. I had a handle on this labor thing. I was focused on the task at hand and just waited on directives from the medical professionals.

At almost 4am when the nurse said, "It's time to push! You're ready to go.", I was tired, but I was ready. There were moments in that hour of pushing that I was certain my body would not get through it. My medical condition was wanting the best of me and I was convinced that passing out was in my near future but somehow, I was still calm.

At 4:45am on May 15, 2009, my baby girl arrived. She was flipped upside down, tore me a new asshole, and wreaked havoc on my body...but she was there. Healthy. Wailing. Pink. Perfect.

Although the following 10 hours were full of intravenous (legal but should be illegal) drugs, staying in the Critical Care Unit by myself, hourly blood pressure readings and blood draws, I had done it. I created a life and she was healthy and thriving. I was proud. Lonely, being without her, but proud.

I was over come with emotion when I saw her for only the second time at almost 7pm that evening. I had a baby in my arms. She was mine and she needed me, her mama. It was like I knew her for a lifetime, yet she was a stranger. She made so much sense to me even though this whole experience was so foreign. She made me a mom. She made me stronger than I've ever been. She gave me courage that I didn't know I had...and she was only a few hours old.

Thank you, Lily Ocean, for teaching me so much. Most importantly, thank you for teaching me how to love. I love learning so much from you. I am one lucky mama.

Happy 3rd birthday, sweet girl.

Holy shit, my daughter is a comedian.

A story.

She's sick. She has a REALLY runny nose, sneezing frequently, low grade fever, chills, cough, the works...but she's a trooper and in a good mood.

I gave her a really steamy bath complete with the humidifier tonight. She was happily playing, standing up, and she sneezed. With that sneeze came huge snot rockets out of both of her nostrils. You know, the kind that hang past the chin looking like, well, something out of an animated movie.

Now, in order to appreciate the rest of this story, you have to be familiar with the movie Rio and the character Luiz the English bulldog. In case you have no fecking clue what I'm talking about, watch this clip, most importantly from about :41 to :46...

Ok, so you noticed where Luiz the dog is drooling and says, "I got youuuu goooooood!!"?

Back to the bath, my kid leans over with the snot rockets dangling past her chin and says, "I got you gooooood!!", then looks at me and says, "I'm Luiz, mom!! I'm drooling!!".

Funniest.thing.ever.

Today was a rough day. This week has been rough all around. All because of one simple word: sleep.

I remember when Lily was a newborn, and maybe even before she was born, I subscribed to the myth that there would be this magical time called "sleeping through the night", as if this is something that babies actually attain. As if after the first night of sleeping through the night that meant that ALL nights would be full of sound sleep for baby, mommy, and daddy (aside from the expected illness here and there). Sure, this might hold true for SOME babies but no one mentioned to me that my baby could be one of the selected ones that would torture herself, and her mama, with horrible sleep patterns for, oh say... years.

I prepared myself as much as possible for the newborn no-sleep phase. I knew she would wake up every 3-5 hours for the first few weeks/months and that's exactly what she did. I remember her sleeping 6-8 hours a night when she was about 2 months old. "Oh my God", I thought, "here it is, this magical milestone of sleeping through the night!". Clearly she was advanced because all these other babies didn't sleep this kind of stretch for a couple more months into their lives. This was it. The goal was reached. Sleep will now be a part of our lives again. That's all new parents want. Sleep. It has arrived.

Little did I know that for Lily, that lasted about 3 weeks. Oh, how that stung when I realized it wasn't some magical sleep fairy that waved her magic wand and made my child sleep through the night FOREVER. No, that first taste of sleeping through the night would begin a frustrating pattern, a tease if you will, of a semi-sleepless baby.

Around 4 months of age her sleep completely regressed. "4 month wakeful" is what people told me, but somehow that turned into 5 month, 6 month, 7 month, etc. wakefuls. We visited my friend Jaime and her family in New Hampshire when Lily was 6 months old. Lily was to sleep in a pack-n-play in their dining room, right next to the living room where we would sleep. Jaime was absolutely shocked at how Lily fought sleep. Her son, then 14 months old, was the complete opposite of Lily in the sleep world. I was so envious.

It wasn't until 9.5 months (too late, in my opinion) that we went to see Lily's pediatrician, in tears (me, not Lily), begging her for answers to Lily's sleep issues. She was waking up 6-15 times a night, more than once an hour, wanting one of us to come in and comfort her. The pediatrician's answer was simple, "Grab a glass of wine and let her cry it out".
And so we did. And it work. Kind of.
I was only able to stand the crying for 30 minutes, which was usually all it took for her to fall asleep. This method, although controversial, worked for Lily. It gave her much needed rest, and her parent's too.

So THAT'S when I was sure we achieved it, this sleeping through the night. After letting her cry it out, she started sleeping a normal amount of hours at night. I was certain we have arrived to a better place and I would start gaining some sanity back.

But no.
That helped, a LOT, but she still threw us for a loop every few weeks, waking in the middle of the night, or waking up really early, ready for the day. It was just unpredictable.

For about the past year, we got into a pattern of about 10 hours of sleep a night, or rest at least, meaning she at least stays in her bed quietly. Yes, she would still throw in a random night of waking up once or twice because of a bad dream or something, but this pattern seemed to be sticking.

But no.
This week we changed her crib into a toddler bed, which we expected to be challenged with... and our expectations were dead on. She isn't getting up and roaming around the house like I expected but she is waking up a couple/few times a night crying, saying she's scared, and she is skipping almost all naps, everyday.

So, here we are, 5 weeks from her third birthday, still battling sleep (as I'm sitting here listening to her on the monitor, at 11pm, still not asleep after being put to bed at 9pm). Throw in the fact that she is so incredibly over tired that she started having her hour long plus meltdowns today, you know, as a Happy Easter to all of us, where she is inconsolable and downright frightening. (Those beauties began about 9 months ago after waking up from naps but were in remission for the past couple of months. Glad to see they came back with a vengeance. :::eyetroll:::)

Am I complaining? You're Goddamn right, I am. Lack of sleep=mentally unstable in my world and I am fucking tired.

But more than just complaining, I am sending out a warning, my friends: Babies may NEVER sleep through the night consistently. Do not set yourself up for failure and expect it. Just adopt the notion that sleeping through the night is for childless couples.

Oh, and the terrible twos are not half as terrible as the torturous threes, from what I can see so far.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

DIsclaimer: this post was written 4 days before my period is due. Nuff said.

As Lily ran into my office dressed in her Halloween costume of a bumble bee, sans clothes, just a tutu, wings, and antennae, I looked at my mom and said, "I NEED to start blogging about all of these little moments before I forget them".

Here she is, 3 going on 10 at times, and I am striving to just soak it all in. I know, I say that often, but at this age she is just so full of fun, and innocent, and happy, and joy. Please, time, stand still.

A story and some random thoughts.
So, this first one is not so full of fun, joy or happy, but it's pretty funny.

One day last week, she decided to skip a nap. It was a work day for me and I had sent my childcare home before her nap time, assuming she would do her usual 1.5-2 hour nap and I could finish my work then. Well, the best laid plans...So, I told her to pick out a movie and lay on the couch for some "quiet time". She obliged, picked out "Rio", sat quietly and watched her movie while I worked on my lap top next to her.
About an hour into he movie, she got a little restless, as she does with movies, and played quietly in the living room with random toys she brought over. At one point, she went into my bathroom, brought out a bag of cotton balls out and said, "Can I play wit these, mama?". Sure.
So, she continues playing. I was marveling at her, thinking, "wow, she's such a good girl. She's entertaining herself right now. Man, I'm lucky".
Immediately following that thought, I look up to see her squeezing some cotton balls, saying, "Mama, look. I making dough like Bop Bop".  "Awww, good job, pumpkin" I reply.
She then stands up, takes a step and slips and falls on the tile. I notice the floor is wet. I look around and notice her portable Elmo potty is a few feet away...full if cotton balls...and pee. Sigh. She was soaking the cotton balls in pee and squeezing them everywhere. You know, making "dough".

I was SO angry because OMG the mess. I immediately raised my voice, yelling, "LILY, OH MY GOD! THAT'S PEE!!! YOU DON'T PLAY IN PEE. WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION ALREADY!", yes we had a similar episode the week prior, "OH MY GOD, LILY!". Pee was everywhere.
It was actually one of those motherhood moments that I was not proud of because, truth be told, I was mad at myself. What mother leaves pee in a toddler potty for over an hour? Me. What mother doesn't watch her child close enough to realize that there is URINE being squeezed all over the flipping living room? Me. Yet, I took it out on her, to the point of her jumping on the couch, throwing her blanket over her head with her "baby" in her arms, telling her "baby", "it's ok, baby. It's ok. It's gunna be ok, baby"...Oh.my.God. That's when I died.
She was afraid of me. She's so sensitive and I was yelling. She was scared. Of course, I ran over and comforted her, apologizing for yelling.
Then, I looked around the room, filled with 85 yellow-tinted cotton balls thrown everywhere, and I laughed. This was not a big deal. This was funny. This is easily cleanable. This was her learning.
That will be a good story for the teenage years.
~~~

She's suddenly into dressing up. As in, within the last 3 days. Today, aside from the bumblebee Halloween costume, she also put on the flower girl dress she wore in a wedding a few months ago, complete with pirate accessories.
This is coinciding with a lot of pretend play...but should I be concerned that she couldn't care less about baby dolls or nurturing anything? The apple does not fall far, my friends.

~~~

She loves googles and "beyockuners" (binoculars).
She loves playing in the dirt.
She loves swimming.
She loves her gymnastics class.
She loves this random little teenage girl named Courtney.
She loves her Auntie Cole and Ty.
She loves the "playground wit the fire truck".
She's in the "I want" phase when we go to the store.
She wants a toddler bed but daddy and I are afraid to make the transition because, for the love of God, we just started sleeping through the night less than a year ago.
She is considerate.
She talks to herself sometimes.
She loves to fart in the bathtub and thinks it's hilarious.
For her third birthday, she wants a Mickey Party, an Up party, a Rio party, a Curious George party, amongst others.


Ah, I know there are so many more little moments I'm forgetting to mention but at least there is a snapshot of my almost-three-year-old.

Dear Lily,

I haven't written to you in quite some time. It isn't because I don't have anything to say, it's definitely the opposite. I have so much to say that I can't even organize my thoughts. So much to say because you are just so brilliant and I want to capture who you are, in every moment, day in and day out.

You're going to be three in just three months. 3. I have to repeat this number in my head a couple times a day, preparing for this to be reality. You are getting so far away from that baby that I held in my arms that needed every ounce of my attention and turning into this gorgeous, funny, intelligent, spirited, passionate little girl. One that I am so proud of.

I have already started thinking about your third birthday, (because that's what your mama does, she over plans). You had said you wanted the party to have a theme of your favorite movie, "Up", but you have now changed it to "Curious George". It's simply amazing to me that you now have the cognitive skills to make decisions like this. You know what you want, in many facets on your little world, and you are adamant about achieving your goals. God, I pray this stays with you- that you always have such passion.

But before you turn three, you will start gymnastics in less than two weeks. You're so excited about this. You practice on mama's bed by doing somersaults and also on bop bop's couch cushions by using them as a trampoline. You just have such passion and spirit. I just love it.

Your passion leaks out in some negative ways, in the form of tantrums and fits of frustration, but dad and I are doing our very best to embrace it and know that this too shall pass. You're just learning and exploring so many new emotions, of course you can't be expected to articulate it all at your age.

But you are truly such a good girl... You love to help, as you show me when you bring my phone to me when it's ringing, without me asking for it. You love to tell stories, as you share with me when you and daddy go to the park and "go down the biggest slide". You love to teach, as you reprimand Ty to "sit down in the bath tub" when he comes over to share an evening with you. You love to learn, as you always ask, "What's that mean?" or "What's that do?", when something is unfamiliar. You are generous, as you will share your cookie with me. You are compassionate, as you show by asking, "You ok, mama?", if I sneeze or bump my knee.

I am just smitten with you. Our bond has grown even stronger since I've gotten to know who you are. You give me more joy than I ever imagined was available in life.

So, Lily girl. As you head into a new year of your life, just know your mama is doing her best to soak you in. Know that I'm look forward to every day with you. Know that I am holding on to each morning that you run into my room at 7am every day, so excited to snuggle with me for 30 minutes. I know these mornings will fly by and soon you will be so much more independent than you already are. Know that I am already so, so proud of you. Know that you are teaching me so much and I love you more each day.

Love,
Your mama