And The Absent-Minded Mom Award Goes To...

I swear I’ve got a screw loose. Yesterday morning after breakfast, I gave Sam her bath, rubbed her down with lotion, zipped her up in her snug-sack and nursed her for half an hour before putting her down for her morning nap. When I went to get her up at 10:30, I put her on the changing table, unzipped her snug sack, and said, “Uh, Sam? Where the hell is your diaper?”

Fortunately, she was only soaking wet.

Bye-bye Baby

I just took the baby swing and bouncy chair and put them out on the curb for AmVets. I feel kind of sad about it, because I really hate getting rid of any of Cassie and Sam’s baby stuff. However, we’re never using those things again. Sam outgrew the bouncy chair two months ago. If I tried to put little Miss Chunky Butt in it now, it would probably collapse beneath her weight. As for the swing... well I put Sam in that two nights ago only to watch her reach out and grab one of the support legs, thus bringing the whole thing to a grinding halt. She’s just too big for either chair or swing now. My baby’s growing up I guess.

Of course, the good news is I have now reclaimed a significant portion of my living room floor and can practice karate without tripping over baby stuff.

Happy Birthday Cassie!

My little girl turns four today. I can’t believe how much she’s grown. It really is amazing. She can run, jump, sing, dance, wrestle her father, and wear out all four of her uncles. She recognizes all of her ABCs and can even write some of her letters. She draws the most amazing pictures of me, her father and sister, and the occasional monster from under her bed (which looks a lot like me, her father, or her sister). She has a whole slew of friends at preschool. She likes to help cook and hold the beater when we make cake. She still wakes up in the middle of the night and runs into our room screaming, but that only happens a couple of times a month. And she’s tall! Man is that kid tall.

And of course, right now she’s crying. I guess I’d better see what’s going on.

How I Spent Valentine’s Day

Yeah, I know I’m reporting on this a few days late, but Valentine’s Day was just so overwhelming this year.

For Valentine’s Day, I got: kisses from my kids; a flash memory card and chocolate from Michael; and the stomach flu from God only knows where. That last gift was something I just had to share, so I gave it to Michael. Cass had it the weekend before, and I think Sam has it now. Bleah.

The Hazards Of Crawling

Sam has developed a taste for Meow Mix. Joy.

Things I Do Not Want To Hear My Three-Year-Old Scream At 2 AM...

“Mommy! I need a bucket!”

Translation - Mommy, I'm going to vomit all over the place if you don't come flying. I did not want to hear that at 2 AM. Nor did I want to hear it again at 3 AM or at 4.

It was a very long night.

More Disney Memories - Sam Grows

During the last few weeks, Sam has grown quite a bit. She learned to sit up all on her own the week before we left for Disney, and was quite proud of herself. While we were in Orlando, she learned how to clap her hands and she started crawling. Plus, Sam also started eating solid food. She was quite insistent about it. No way was she going to let the rest of the family sample the gourmet cuisine in Disney World and not get a taste herself. The biggest change however, was Sam’s weight. I had to haul little Miss Chunky Butt all through Disney, and let me tell you, that kid just got heavier by the hour. By the time we got home, my left arm and shoulder had seized up from carrying Sam so much. And why did I carry her so much? Because the little fart figured out if she said “Mama!” she could have whatever she wanted.

Smart kid.

Great Moments In Disney Vacation History - Excuses, Excuses...

I don’t know why, but throughout the whole trip in Disney World, Cassandra fought us tooth and nail every time we took her to the bathroom. “I don’t want to go potty!” she’d scream, anytime we said we were taking a bathroom break. I constantly had to threaten her with a time out if she didn’t go. Keep in mind we had scheduled our bathroom breaks to make sure Cassie went at certain points throughout the day; otherwise we risked her having an accident in the middle of a show or a ride. Twice, I actually had to follow through on the threat of time out and sit her on a bench while the rest of the family went on and had fun without us. A few times I just picked her up and hauled her dinky butt into the bathroom and refused to leave until she went. And sometimes, even when we got into the stall, the fighting still continued. I swear that kid came up with every excuse in the book not to use the toilet. “I’m tired.” “I already went last night.” “I’m too thirsty to go potty.” The most outrageous excuse of all? On the day Cassie wore her Little Mermaid costume to the Magic Kingdom, she stood in a stall and loudly proclaimed, “Mommy, mermaids don’t go potty.” The hell of it is, she’s probably right.

I Fell Off The Face Of The Earth And Landed In Disney World

True story. I swear.

We got back last week from a two week vacation in Disney World. I tell you, there is nothing like schlepping around an infant and a preschooler through the Magic Kingdom. Especially if the infant wants to breast feed every two hours and the preschooler has a major princess fixation. The whole trip is a blur of Disney character meet-n-greets, parades, fireworks, song and dance routines, and princess costumes. I swear, Cassie has every gown in the Disney fashion book now. Thanks, Grandmamama.

I would love to share the details of the trip, but I’m still recovering, so until I can get all 900-something photos downloaded and sorted, you’ll just have to settle for these words of advice. If you’re thinking of going on vacation to Disney World with a small child or two, plan on needing another vacation afterwards for yourself. Either that or therapy. Seriously.