A Fourth Kid and Selfies...

This was an actual conversation I had with my sister the other day. She had some insightful comments about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

"I feel like Daisy has a really strange relationship with Mickey. I mean, she is supposed to like Donald but I feel like she really doesn't. Then she is all awkward and like 'Hey Mickey, watch my dance.' And then she is supposed to be BFFs with Minnie but it kind of seems like she is hitting on her man. I just don't understand it." 

These can be legit conversations with other adults when you have toddlers. And sidenote, I think the people who write/produce Yo Gabba Gabba are on acid or something. It is so trippy. Picture Jack Black (guest star for an episode) in an orange spandex singing about friends. Scary. 

So you may have seen that we transitioned Olivia to a 'big girl bed'... 

I think 'transition' is a funny word to use, because we pretty much just switched the crib side to the rail thingy and told her to stay in bed. We have our video monitor that we can also talk to her through, so if she ever started to get out, I could just be this booming voice from above and say, "Olivia. STAY IN BED." Back in she goes. I think random voices coming from a camera are scarier than mommy herself. She discovered long ago that the voice actually comes from the camera. She picks it up sometimes to talk back to it. 

So it was definitely time for this "transition." Disregarding the fact that her climbing out of her crib was constantly dangerous, I went in to put her back in bed last Saturday and I discovered her lamp on the floor, the rug rolled up, all of her drawers open and she was standing on the rocking chair. Awesome. 

Given the fact that this is my youngest and we no longer technically have a crib in the house, I was forced to deal with all of these emotions that I no longer have a 'baby.' That is a concept that is hard for me to understand, because I really have had or was expecting one nonstop for the last six years. This obviously brought up thoughts of having a fourth, which sort of makes me want one/throw up in my mouth. We are finally getting to the point where we can do things again, and I am thinking about starting all over?? Am I nuts? I do think part of it is the fact that I am only 29, and the theory of being done with that phase of my life is hard. I was 23 with my first, 26 with my second, 27 with my third... and that is just not the norm in this day and age (yes, I just wrote 'day and age.' I think that makes me older than 29). Most people are barely even STARTING to have kids at my age. I made a meal yesterday for my cousin and his wife who just had their first baby, I went last week to see my best friend's first baby at the hospital, my other best friend is due next month with her first, and I went out for another friend's 30th and his wife is due in December with their first. I am surrounded!!!! But I am the weirdo who spent essentially my entire 20's knocked up and breastfeeding. I don't regret it for a second, but it does feel strange to close the door on that. So many people say, "Oh you are so young wait a couple years and you may want another." But I was always of the thought process that I wanted to have them closer together in age and then be done. No big age gaps. (Sidenote... Layla and Olivia were most definitely not supposed to be a mere 17 months apart. A shocking, yet wonderful surprise she was).  

So, I'm having all these daydreams about a teeny little perfect baby... and then the last two days occurred. While changing probably the schmillionth poopy diaper of my mommy career on the kitchen floor with another one sobbing over some stupid little thing, I looked up at Matt as he was walking out the door to go to work and said, "Honey. I'm good with three." A table for five is far easier to get than a table for six. So I'm like 93% sure we are done. 

Then there are plenty of days that I sit down and think, "Wow. My the three kids I have are just flat-out bad. I am completely failing at this. Why would I even consider a fourth?" I took Summer to ballet the other day (she begged for years to be signed up and absolutely loves it every week). Right before class started, she just started sobbing and gripping onto my neck and would not let go. We ended up having to leave because she was crying and said she just wanted me. Her teacher was extremely sweet and said it was very unlike her. I agreed, lamely saying she must not feel well. Now this was something that I just didn't know how to handle. No freaking idea. She obviously cannot act that way, but what was causing it?? She was quite aware that I was unhappy with her. But I was just confused. I know she has had a hard time being away from me all day, every day at school... but she can't act like that. I had previously told her she could go to the store with me that night for some one-on-one time. I told her if she wasn't feeling up to ballet than she couldn't go to the store with me. The epic sobbing continued, and I had her go up to her room by herself and read some books until she got herself together. All I could hear in between sobs was, "What was I thinking? [Sob, sniffle, sob] I just don't know why I would act like that!! [Sob, sniffle, sob] I'm ready to accept my consequences! [Sob, sniffle, sob]." I mean, talk about drama queen. It's not like I want to push her to do something she doesn't want to do, but we discussed activities for the fall and she wanted to do ballet. And she LOVES it. It was just a weird day. I truly had absolutely no idea what the best way was to handle it. She is only five... but those of you who know Summer are aware she isn't the typical five year old. Her maturity and wisdom can be far beyond mine. But I don't want to hold her to that. She is obviously allowed to act like a five year old... just not a five year old brat. Fast-forward to the grocery store with Olivia and Layla which started out on a positive note (we got the cart with the pink car on the front. Bonus!). It ended with a random woman asking me if I had anyone with pink crocs that she found randomly in the middle of an aisle, both girls whining for candy, scratching each other, and sobbing. I'm telling you, don't ever take for granted the blissfulness of a grocery store trip by yourself. You just don't understand the peace and ease that it once was until it is too late. It got to the point yesterday that I set them up with a movie in the car. I'm talking I had to strap them in to keep them contained while I finished things up for the meal I was making. 

(Sidenote... We got The Little Mermaid in the mail yesterday (which I was beyond thrilled about and quoted pretty much every line and sang every song), so in the DVD player it went. You do what you gotta do sometimes). 

So between the seemingly constant whining, disobedience, fighting, etc... they always seem to do something so stinkin cute. And my kids really aren't THAT bad. It just feels like it sometimes. Whenever I want to strangle them or myself the most, I always tend to find random selfies on my phone. And they are hilarious. Here are just a few over the last few weeks (you may be able to figure out who is the selfie queen in our house):

I always just laugh when I find stuff like this. Or random/horrific pics of myself that I had no idea where taken (I try to delete those asap but usually they have already automatically synced to facebook and I just can't ever really get rid of them). One of the funniest things that has happened in a while was last night, when Summer was doing her homework. I know many of you saw it, but it deserves an additional look... Because I essentially peed myself laughing so hard. She told me that she was supposed to try to sound out different fruits and write them out. She requested to use one of my favorite pens, and of course I said yes. When she showed me her results, I'm pretty sure I choked on my own spit. Here is what it looked like: 

Apparently, the middle letter is an "h" and she forgot the "c." What she was TRYING to spell was PEACHES. PEACHES. So after I literally cried from laughing so hard and tried to not let on to Summer that I was laughing at her, I explained what I think she needed to add. This was her "adjusted" homework: 

I was texting with my mother-in-law and she said, "Love life with kids! They make a bad day a good day with humor when they don't even mean it!" How true that is. 

Happy Wednesday!!! 

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