Reward

Last week I logged onto my blog to start a new blog entry for the 674th time in two days. As usual, I started writing, wrote two lines and then promptly got interrupted by, well, you know, LIFE WITH THREE UNDER TWO or some lame excuse like that.

Somewhere around try number 539, I noticed that I'd gone from 63 followers to 62.

GASP.

I lost someone.

A reader!

A URL friend!

In the course of a week, someone who used to find me worthy of following, deemed me no longer worthy. And with one swift CLICK, the deed was done.

I was out of their life and feed forever.

They might as well have UNFRIENDED ME, that's how much it smarted.

I'll admit, I *might* have obsessed about it.

Just a little.

Just a teeny bit.

Just -- oh who am I kidding, you all know me too well anyway.

It was a lot.

Because even though I had twins ten weeks ago and can barely string together two coherent sentences, I still found the time to obsess.

Because I'm still, you know, ME.

(Sidenote: Go me! Way to retain your former identity!)

Then I got to thinking.

Wait! There are still 62 followers out there! Sixty two AWESOME followers! Who at some point said to themselves "Hey, this MVK is kind of psycho, OCD, entertaining! I think I'll stay tuned!"

SIXTY TWO PEOPLE STILL LIKE ME!

SQUEEE!!!!

(What can I say, once diagnosed, the prognosis for the Disease to Please is abysmal.)

Then I thought - I need to return the love! I need to show them I'm still here! I need to keep them laughing (and following)!

So here is the reward you all so richly deserve, for following along on what has become a somewhat sporadic recounting of our daily lives.

Aren't you glad you stayed?

I surely am.

P.S. Nursing moms and moms who have ever nursed, I know you know what those things that Piglet tossed over the bed are. Word.

P.P.S. Note Mr. K's guitar in the glider chair, yes, he's still strumming my pain.

Tiny techie

If this video doesn't prove the whole, apple ---> tree theory, I'm not sure what does. I took this a few days after we got our beloved i.Pads. Piglet is *so* like his father!

A few things of note: It's not lost on me that Piglet's hair here makes him look like Eddie Munster. He was in desperate need of a haircut, which he subsequently got that night. Also, did you all notice how he instinctively picks up the tablecloth and starts cleaning off the screen with it? He may be a techie like his dad, but that pesky little need for clean? ONE guess where he got that. :) I actually have better videos of him using his fat little paw to go from one video to the next, but I chose this one to share with you because of the tablecloth action.

I enlarged the font to match my heart which is SWELLING WITH PRIDE.

PS - In case you're wondering, as far as Piglet is concerned, only Daddy's iPad can playback all the fun videos of you riding the streetcar, Mommy's just can't do that. Funny how that works.

And they say Mr. K is a genius...

Holding on

I'll admit it, I've been so preoccupied with this pregnancy, getting ready for the Twinks and wrapping my head around going from one to three children in one fell swoop, that I have completely neglected my blogging roots. I originally started this blog about Piglet. My first, at the time my only, and the greatest love of my life.

Tonight a friend sent me a link to a blog entry written by a friend of hers. It was an entry about her son and his renewed separation anxiety after having missed a week of preschool while they were both sick. This mom wondered if she'd done wrong by her son (as the teacher pried him off her leg) by sending him to school too early. She felt pangs of guilt about her son not having enough time with her because every night he begged her to sit and cuddle with him a minute longer.

One line she wrote really stuck with me: "I know these days are fleeting, but isn't the holding on as important as the letting go?"

That question really gave me pause. Piglet is reaching the age now where many of his peers are being introduced to BIG new things.

Many of my friends are making plans to send their little ones to school next fall when they're all around 2.5. This is awesome and I'm happy for them that this will be a good experience for their children. I'm not 100% sure yet, but I do not think Piglet will be among those heading to preschool next fall. I know I'll get some flack for this and on more than one occasion I've already been accused of being over protective or not making Piglet experience new situations or forcing him outside of him comfort zone because "it'll be good for him." I just know my Piglet and I know that he's the kid that might need more time before that kind of transition. And to be honest, he has a LIFETIME of school ahead of him, waiting until he's three or even 3.5 is not the end of the world in my eyes.

I received all kinds of unwelcome criticism and advice about not letting him cry it out in his crib. Even when he cried so hard he'd throw up (every time), I was met with a lot of head shaking and "he'll never learn to fall asleep on his own if you always give in" talk. I don't judge people who can Ferberize and leave their shrieking child at the gym daycare without a backwards glance. I really don't. I say, good for them for having wills of steel and a child without a strong gag reflex. Even better if they don't have to go through all that and their child is just naturally outgoing and loves new situations and environments.

Piglet however, is not one of these children. He craves proximity to me and to his dad. He co-slept with us for a long time. This was not what we intended to do, but just a response to his personality and ours. Then about five months ago, we moved him into his own full-sized bed in his own room and he loves sleeping there. He still loves it best when we cuddle with him, reading books and singing lullabies until he falls asleep. Sure it's not as easy as putting him in his crib with a lovey and a nightlight and closing the door and yes, there are nights that I wish he was the kind of kid that went to bed so easily, but I accept Piglet as he is. He has an innate need to be close to us and as long as he needs us, we are here for him.

Myself, I am here for him because I know that he won't be 13 and still happy to sit next to me on the couch running a choo choo train up and down my arm (and right now, my belly). He won't always walk around the house bellowing "Maaaaaaamaaaaa!" when I'm just in the next room. I do believe he's more demanding and sensitive than other kids his age, but that's just HIM. It's who he is and that deserves to be nurtured and respected.

As cliché as it sounds, this time goes by in the blink of an eye and I want to cherish it entirely. I want to fill Piglet's life with as much joy and as little discomfort as possible. Of course there are moments when I worry that I am holding him back, that I'm somehow stifling his growth by not nudging him to be more adventurous, more bold, more accepting of new things. Then I look back at all the times I let him get comfortable in his own time and how much better it felt to know that he got there by himself, without me forcing it.

I believe with my entire heart that I am being the parent to him that he needs me to be. As for the question posed by a fellow blogger? My vote goes to holding on...even if it sometimes means holding on for dear life.

It passes the time

In two days we will *hopefully* find out the gender of our twins.  I say gender because whatever they are, they are the same!  So if just one baby cooperates, we'll be golden. In the meantime, we are keeping busy here at Maison de Piglet by playing all kinds of new games and learning critical life skills, both seen below.  What can I say, we hang out with a lot of cute little girls and we need to be prepared. :)  

Oh and you may want to turn the volume down for the first video.  I am not kidding when I tell you I am having an overly effusive mommy moment and I do believe that my squeal is so high it rivals Mariah C.arey.  In fact I may have cringed when I first watched the video.  So, Piglet is cute as a bug but I am just plain annoying and I'm the first to admit it.  Just sayin'!  

Last year

Exactly one year ago today, I took this picture.  

Today I took this picture. 

I wonder what this picture will look like next year?

From the vault

As you may know, I'm a *very* sentimental person.  Not to throw caution to the wind, but my gut tells me that the Twinks are really coming.  It's likely going to be a long road, and probably not without trials, but if I'm right, come March, we will be adding two little ones to our brood.  With this on my mind all the time, I've started to look at Piglet differently. 

Trying to imagine him as a big brother is both easy and impossible.  Impossible because he's my LITTLE boy!  

My monkey!  

My lovebug! 

My baby.  

How could he ever share those titles with anyone else?

It's also easy to imagine because he is so sweet to other babies and whenever I ask him if he wants a baby, he gets a very serious look on his face and nods his head.  

I feel myself getting sentimental about his baby and toddlerhood a lot these days, cherishing our lazy mornings together and trips to the zoo and park.  Because I have always stayed home with Piglet, he's always been my #1 sidekick, received 100%+ of my attention.  We've been spoiled to have this amazing time together. But come spring, I know this is all going to change dramatically.

And while I am excited, so excited and thrilled and filled with lurve for Les Twinks, I can't help but worry about how I am still going to be the same devoted mother I am to Piglet.  How will he react to having to share so much of my time and attention?  I know that I am giving him the best gift in the world - siblings, but I am still wracked with guilt and worry about how his life will change in the immediate future. 

If not for my gimpy ovaries and the need to speed up our timeline as a result, I would have waited one more year to do IVF, given Piglet a little more time to mature and be able to understand why I have to feed the babies before I can put his train track together.  Maybe I'm underestimating him and he will be just fine, helpful even.  Right?  

Anyway, I've been watching a lot of classic Piglet videos lately.  I've posted these before, but since they're my favorites, I thought I'd post them one more time in no particular order. :)  

April 2009 - I love this one because he says only one syllable "da" but is so expressive not to mention hilariously demanding! 

September 2008 - The first loooong giggle we ever caught on video.

October 2008 - The first time Piglet truly mimicked anyone. 

Staying true to the title

So as you know, my blog title is "Our adventures in parenthood."  

And Piglet is hilariously staying very true to it.  

A few recent examples for you...

It rained and got pretty chilly here over the weekend.  No kidding, I woke up and said to myself "Oh, I guess it's November."  Piglet refused to wear a sunhat all summer and wouldn't let the hood on his sweatshirt touch his noggin either, so I wasn't holding out much hope for a hat this fall/winter.  

But as you know, Piglet is all about being given a choice.  

And he chose this hat.  And he LOVES it.  I think it has to do with the way it hugs his head but doesn't obstruct his view.  I think the cashmere lining doesn't hurt either. And now he wants to wear it all the time.  So I have to hide it sometimes.  

Next, I noticed that Piglet had a runny nose this afternoon.  Does not make me happy since we have somehow avoided being sick since March.  He also seemed a little congested, so I dug out the saline drops and instrument of t.orture bulb syringe to take a little evasive action.  

This did not make him happy.  No siree bob.  Not at all.  

So tonight, when I put him in the cradle hold to give him his vitamins (otherwise he'd spit them out) he thought I was trying to put more saline drops in his nose.  And while flailing and yelling, promptly stuck his fingers UP HIS NOSE to block the "entry."  I was crying I was laughing so hard.

I tried to capture it on film for you all, but chasing after my child with the bulb syringe just to get a picture seemed a little mean.  Even for me. ;)  However, not being one who likes to disappoint, I did at least try and I got the picture below.  Not both fingers, but you get the idea. Hehe.  

Last but not least.  

You all know I can hardly eat anything lately.  But one of the few things I can stomach are saltines.  So there are sleeves of them everywhere - right now from where I'm sitting I count three and I know there are two more upstairs.  Piglet has developed quite a taste for them, or rather the SALT sprinkled on top of them.  

So today I ran upstairs to put some laundry in the dryer and put another load of wash in and I came down to find this.  

All of those saltines were slightly "used" and all discarded.  And look at that innocent face.  "Who ME?  No, it t'wasn't moi.  I didn't empty the entire sleeve of saltines, lick most of them and and leave all these crumbs everywhere. Was surely the bad doggy." Who incidentally had been fed the rest of the sleeve of crackers. 

Keeping it real over here at Maison de Piglet!

Gin-gee

Remember how I told you Piglet can now say our killer Kujo-like labradoodle dog's name?  Here he is saying it loud and clear.  And I must say I love the squishy-face he makes in between saying "Gin-gee!"  Piglet is so expressive and funny these days.  I will have to capture and share his new and sometimes very emphatic "noooo!" It is truly hilarious. Enjoy and stay tuned for upcoming posts from my temporary, remote, super secret location.  

P.S. Lest I forget to mention Baby Deux, we are t-minus six days until ultrasound. (Insert high pitched, happy but anxiety-filled squeal that can possibly be heard only by canines.)

Evolution of a smile

Piglet turned 19 months last week. I still need to write the update, but let's be honest. You're only in it for the pictures. I don't blame you. I'm the same. Sure, the list of words he can say and sign is completely scintillating, but that chubby cheeked grin still wins! For the record, my favorite new word he learned to say is "Ginger" (our killer labradoodle dog's name).

So until I can manage to string two words together that don't involve the words "beta" and "ultrasound" I'll leave you with this brand new series of snaps I took of my ever-growing Piglet. And by brand new I mean taken about five hours ago. Do I deliver, or what?

Say it like you mean it

Piglet learned the sign for "cold" a few weeks ago and now when he touches something cold, he makes the sign and purses his lips.  It's so funny! Sometimes he feels more strongly about it than others.  I'd say he feels pretty strongly about it in the video below. :)  

Chatterbox

Piglet has been really verbose lately.  He just chatters away to me, to himself, to the dog, to no one in particular.  It's so funny!  I'll hear him bossing around the dog, saying "dohhhh" (down) and "uh-oh" or rather his version of "uh-oh" which you'll hear in the video below. It just cracks me up! It's hilarious the way his little face gets very serious because he's inching towards the "oh" in "uh-oh."  As for his "excited" expression, he's been doing that for months, so it was great to be able to capture it in tandem with "uh-oh." Finally, in honor of his very favorite food in the world, I thought I would include him saying "cheese."  :)  

By the way, yes, I did finally just let the poor kid eat his wagon wheel. Ha!

Hug requests

Piglet has been sooooo sweet lately.  Don't get me wrong, he's had plenty of super "special" moments too (more on that later). But his newest thing is to request hugs from me.  I swear it is the cutest thing I have ever seen.  I am defenseless against him when he does this and he knows it. Stinker.  Usually what happens is he's playing with his toys, walking around torturing the dog or whatever, and then he'll see that I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop. He'll make a beeline for me and the next thing I know, a little hand is tap tap tapping on my thigh.  Then I'll look down at him and say "Hey baby, what do you need?" And then he will wrap his arms around himself and put his hands under his chin.

LIKE THIS.

  

Seriously. Could YOU resist?  

Then I move my laptop and scoop him up and kiss him about 800,000 times while he tightly clasps his arms around my neck and sometimes taps his little paw on my shoulder (like I do to him).  Sometimes he coos "mamamamamamamama." Melt.

Here is me "encouraging" a hug request, it's really better when he just does it on his own, but you get the idea.  You can hear me being all moony with adoration in the background.  I'm such a rookie like that.

 

So even though Piglet may have just fallen in a heap crying because I would not let him walk around with a fork in his mouth (call me paranoid), he recovers, goes about his business and then a few minutes later, I'll feel that tap, tap tapping again.  

And that is the rhythm of our day. 

Summer fruits

Peaches

and strawberries.

Love them BOTH!

It seemed like a sure thing!

As you might recall, Piglet loves cars, trucks, trains, basically anything with an engine and wheels.  His first real word was "car" or rather "cah."  He has a picture book called "Things that move" and he is obsessed with looking through it.  He'll just sit on the floor and turn the pages and exclaim "cah! cah!" over and over again.  

Our local zoo has an awesome steam engine train that takes you on a scenic ride through the woods and park.  It's hugely popular and there is always a long(ish) line to ride it.  Oh and it costs $4.50 a person in addition to your zoo admission (unless you are awesome like us and have a zoo membership).  Piglet and I have been on several zoo adventures together, but just recently decided to invite daddy along too.  Right when we arrived we heard the conductor say "all aboard!" and we immediately decided we should take Piglet on his first train ride.  

How fun for Piglet and for us as a family!

What a great memory for all of us!  

Who cares that there's a 30 minute wait!  

It will be worth it!  

Yeah, right.  

Piglet loved the train in THEORY.  And actually, he loved it in person too.  What he didn't love was being ON the train.  We handed our tickets over to the nice person in the green polo shirt and with a Piglet on my hip, I slid into the first compartment of the second train car.  No sooner did I do that and dh pull the door shut did Piglet frantically sign "All done!  All done! Help! Help!" and scramble from my lap to dh's lap (highly unusual) and smack at the door trying to get it open.  Of course at that moment, the train started moving and that was that.  

To his credit, Piglet, though terrified, did not cry or utter a sound more than a whimper.  For a moment when the train stopped while the other zoo train passed, he even seemed mildly OK with the whole "I'm on a real live train" thing.  Then as quickly as the other train passed, so did that thought.  He scrambled from the perch on my lap, back over to his dad who he perceived to be stronger and safer.  At one point dh loosened his arms from around Piglet's belly for a moment and Piglet grabbed his arms and pulled them close and tight around him again.  He also maintained a tight kung-fu grip on dh's shirt sleeve.  

Here's a sampling of pictures from our train ride of terror.  ;)

When the 35 minutes was up and our train ride of woe came to an end, I said "Piglet...all done, baby!  We're back!" He smiled with relief, shrieked with happiness and clapped his chubby hands together.  Oh, Piglet.  How we adore you our funny little boy.  

Sunny downtown walk

This is how the pictures turn out when you're holding Piglet's hand with one hand and walking while snapping pictures with the other. I kinda dig it. :)

Hope your weekend is long and sunny just like ours. 

Self-restraint

For some time now, Piglet has been showing self-restraint when it comes to things he knows are off-limits. He used to look at me and then do the naughty thing anyway, but now he stops just short. This doesn't necessarily mean he's happy about it, but he shows that he knows he's not supposed to be doing [insert naughty action] and he doesn't do it. Most of the time. :) Not bad for 16 months.

My Piglet is growing up! (tear)

Notice how instead of digging around in the dog bowls (strictly verboten) he slams the blinds around instead. You can just *see* the wheels turning in his little head. If he could talk in complete sentences, I bet he'd be saying "I'm not supposed to touch those, but man, they look like SO much fun. Damn, this is so infuriating! I guess I'll smash these around instead." Reminds me of how the dog used to avoid eye contact and start biting herself to look busy after being caught doing something naughty! They ARE siblings afterall.

P.S. Sorry about my shoddy camera work. I was drinking coffee while filming. Maybe if someone had been standing there saying "No, no..." to me, I would've put the coffee down. ;)

PeeWee Piglet?

Piglet has officially been weaned for two+ weeks now.  There was some concern that he might lose weight from not nursing.  I worried I might have to change his moniker to PeeWee.  According to this picture taken at bath time last night, that concern appears to have been (ahem) unnecessary and his moniker remains intact.  (insert relieved sigh.  haha)

Piglet thinks it's funny!

In my monthly update (below) I told you how Piglet now laughs when HE thinks something is funny. It's cute. It's almost as if he's saying "I don't know what YOU think, but I think this is HI-LAR-IOUS!!!"

I captured this moment recently while Piglet was watching some guy cluck like a chicken. Please forgive his attire and food 'stache, I put a smock (Bumikins!) on him when he eats yogurt. The mess is epic otherwise.

Enjoy the video. I've watched it about a THOUSAND times and it still cracks me up. I love how he pauses between the bits that tickle his funny bone. Have I mentioned how much I ADORE my child? Because I do. More. Than. Anything.

The Sidewalk Studio

We recently had Piglet's one year photos taken by our favorite and very talented photographer Jill, from The Sidewalk Studio. Before Piglet was born, I agonized over selecting a photographer who would capture our as yet unborn child's growth spurts and milestones, helping us preserve those precious times forever. I had seen Jill's work before and ultimately decided that she and her studio were the right fit for our family. We bought "The Growth Chart" package which included four sittings over approximately one year and a bound photo book at the end. I have loved every session with Jill. She is so accommodating and easy going, often encouraging me to go and nurse Piglet or even let him have a little snooze to ensure the best possible outcome from our session. A mother of three herself, she really understands that kids won't always do what you ask of them, particularly on an empty stomach or when the Sandman calls.  People if you take one piece of advice from me, take this one.  Do no skimp on your child's photographs!  The mall photographers are great for a quick shot, but if you want photos of your child in their natural habitat, pictures that you can imagine passing down for generations, ones that make your heart full...hire someone like Jill from The Sidewalk Studio. You will not regret it.  

There are a few examples of our Fall '08 session on my sidebar and here are a few of my favorites (and there were many) from our most recent session capturing Piglet at one year-old. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Then again, I cried when I first saw some of these images of Piglet.
Jill.
She's THAT good.
If you're lucky enough to live in my neck of the woods, you should give her a call.
You can reach her and her charming studio here.

Piglet gets dressed up.

We recently traveled to Boulder, Colorado for Piglet's aunt's wedding (my SIL) and Piglet got a chance to get dressed up for the occasion. Arguably, Piglet is always a little dressed up, but this was his first time in dress pants that need to be dry cleaned. :)

Here he is in his rehearsal dinner outfit.  

His wedding outfit.  The bowtie was a big hit with the ladies.