May 23, 2012
Things I am supremely thankful today:
1) My brother chose ME to share a lovely secret the other day. It made me SO HAPPY that he chose me! heehee!
2) The wife of a very close family friend told me that she considers us sisters. LOVELY.
3) Even though it’s probably messing up DS’s sleep training, I love how DS will request DH to snuggle with him and cozy with him and fall asleep together in DS’s room. It’s sweet.
4) When DD wakes up refreshed from sleep, she has the most beautiful and radiant grin. It’s lovely. The smiles come through her eyes.
5) I got to chat with an online friend yesterday. Haven’t live chatted in years. Made me very happy. 
We discussed The Vampire Diaries because it is fun and fluffy and not at all serious.
May 21, 2012
I must say, I will no longer call my trips to LA vacation. In fact, we’ll just call them family trips, because it was a trip and it was with family to visit family. The only relaxing part was when we showed up at my friend, CB’s place in San Diego. That was awesome. I didn’t have to think about what to feed my family for four days. CB took care of everything. She held DD; her boys entertained DS. She planned fun and engaging activities. It was awesome.
In LA, we mostly just saw DH’s family and some old friends. It was fun, but really stressful since the kids were getting used to sleeping in the same room. Plus, DD really didn’t get good naps in until maybe the third day. Poor thing was exhausted. DS was too excited to sleep on the way down and he kept asking to go home. (In between asking for Gran Gran.)
The drive home was rough. From SD to LA was fantastic. DD was asleep before we pulled away from CB’s house. DS fell asleep shortly after. Then when we got to LA, the last 2 miles to DH’s mom’s house was brutal traffic. I hate LA. (I never thought I would say those words.)
Of course, because DH’s mom is not normal and is a hoarder, we couldn’t stop at her house. Both kids weren’t having the car anymore and DD pooped. We tried to go to a park but there was no parking and they were filming something so we ended up in a Ralph’s parking lot. DS just ran up and down the aisles.
Of course, my MIL was no help. DH was so pissed at her because she would just stand as DS disappeared. DH was on the phone trying to take care of a tax thing for her and I was carrying DD. It was madness. We had to go to the bathroom at the grocery store because her house was too fucking disgusting.
We dropped her back home because seriously, what was there to do? The last thing any of us wanted was to force the kids to sit still again in a restaurant. DD was crying again so we stopped at a parking lot to feed. DS just ran around and screamed.
Then we started off. As soon as we put DD back in her seat, she started to cry. This would become a pattern. She finally fell asleep but then DS had to poo.
We stopped, changed DS and grab some fast food. We head off and DD was pissed. She was so happy to be out. Ten minutes later, DS had to poo again. We took a break and fed DD and DS stared at my phone because I had to bribe him to get back into his seat. DD was weeping as soon as I put her down. I started to cry.
This is where it gets awesome. Fifteen minutes later, DS demands to get out of his seat. Of course we can’t so I give him the iPad telling him there are no videos/YouTube on there. Desperately playing with the iPad hoping for videos, DS finally pushes it away.
He starts to cry and demand to get out. I didn’t want him to wake up DD so I give him my phone for half an hour. After that, he gives it back and begins to beg to get out. It is 830. We have another 3.5 hrs to go.
Then he says he pooped. By now, he has pooped twice and I think he will say anything to get out. DD was asleep and I didn’t want to stop the car, have her wake up and cry again.
DS proceeds to scream for the next hour as if I am killing him. “Open! No more bye bye! Up! Mommy!” DD also screams hoarsely, for about half an hour. She finally falls back asleep and DS screams on. He finally falls asleep.
Around 1030, with about an hour to go, DH goes over a bumpy stretch of road and DS wakes up screaming for another half hour or so. DD of course wakes up, too.
Finally they fall asleep again about 15 minutes from the house and we make it home. Thank God.
Of course, DS’s diaper was full of orange poo. I forgot he drank so much good juice after a week of bad food that the kid had been sitting in poop for three hours. No wonder he was pissed. Poor guy.
He refused to sleep in his room so DH slept with him and he’s out around 1am. DD is out, too. Promptly at 7am, DS pops up and is up for the day. Of course he wakes DD.
I am still traumatized. We are never leaving the house again. (Except, of course, when we leave for Hawaii at the end of June. I am completely dreading this.)
So, in a nutshell: LA OK. SD Awesome. Driving SUCKED.
May 7, 2012
It’s been awhile since the last update so here are a few for DD:
1) 4/24/12 – DD turned over! I was very excited because she was about a month behind DS in the turning over department. Now, if she’s not tired enough for her naps, she will flip over and get stuck like a turtle on her back. It’s hilarious. She doesn’t think it’s that awesome, but that’s because she’s the one who’s flipped over. heehee.
2) DD is now an expert in her exersaucer and her feet can finally touch the ground. (I feel that in the last two weeks, it went from just tip-toes/balls of her feet to almost ALL her feet.) She is far more coordinated at playing with all the toys and rings and buttons than DS ever was.
3) DD is SUPER aggressive. When she sees something she wants, she just laser focuses and grabs it! Then shoves it into her mouth. heehee. Our fatty girl knows what she wants and knows how to get it!
4) I was a bad Mommy and found DD with the monitor cable in her mouth this afternoon. Of course, I promptly put the cable in a higher/safer place.
5) Remember when I said DD had four teeth? Welp, I was totally wrong. I could’ve sworn I saw them – but it’s been a few months and NONE. Zip. Nada. Still hurts like a MF when she clamps down and tears, though. YIPES.
6) She absolutely LOVES it when we include her into our conversations, games, and daily rhythms. She loves chasing her big brother and screams in delight.
7) Incidentally, I think DD thinks that screaming is the only way to talk because all she hears is DS yelling and screeching with joy and me yelling and screaming at DS to stop something or other. DD is a REALLY excellent screecher. Adorbs.
8) She is an excellent sleeper now. I can pretty much put her down awake and she’ll be asleep (usually) without any fuss. I love that when I exit her room, she props herself on her fat little arms and smiles as me as I tell her that I love her and that it’s sleepy time. So sweet. In fact, I often leave her to her own devices even when she wakes up. She usually pulls and chews on the bumper or practices creeping and flipping over for about ten minutes before I go in to get her.
9) Even though I put DD down at one end of the crib at night, she usually wakes up in the morning on the other end. She is sleep creeping! Hilarious!
10) DD blows raspberries ALL the time now. And wow – there certainly is a LOT of spit. hahaha. It’s so cute. She sometimes even blows raspberries when she’s supposed to be nursing. Needless to say, she doesn’t get much milk that way.
11) DD still hates the bottle but after I left for a weekend girls’ trip to Napa, she finally started taking the bottle. DH was awesome and found a position she doesn’t mind. Also, I think she was starving. DH weighed her after and she lost half a pound!
12) DD LOVES it when DS pays her any attention. She doesn’t mind (and in fact, lights up and laughs and gets super excited) when DS grabs her to give her kisses, climbs into her crib to play with/near her, and in general, steals or gives her toys. It’s lovely to see them interact and love each other. LOVELY.
13) I keep forgetting to take DD in for her 6 month checkup. Yes, I am aware that she’s almost 7 months now.
14) DD is a fatty. heehee. At least she has grown a little taller so that she is no longer as short. Just meaty and full of muscles! I picked up my friend’s daughter who is three days older than DD and I almost launched her into the air. Who would’ve thought that 2-3 pounds would feel SO MUCH lighter?
15) I thought I wouldn’t be able to love another kid as much as I loved DS, but I was WRONG. I love DD totally and completely and have also surrendered to her mighty will. 
I have TWO centers of the universe now.
May 5, 2012
DH comes home tonight after a few days in NYC. YAY! That is all.
May 2, 2012
Once again, I snooped in my mother’s email to see if she’d been chatting with my dad. *sigh* After a month or so of inactivity, they had quite a few conversations lately. I don’t know exactly what compels me to find out. Clearly, I am not over my dad and still want to know what’s going on with him. Their conversations are unbearably sad. My dad is full of self-pity and delusion. My mother is sad and reaching out and kind.
Part of me feels bad that I am very obviously violating my mother’s privacy (I don’t really care if I’m violating my dad’s). Part of me is fascinated and can’t wait to find out more. But mostly, I am just sad. 
I will do all I can to make sure I do not go through this with DH. Plus, I will do all I can in my power to ensure my kids don’t have to go through this either.
April 30, 2012
I had so much fun with the Mandarin Mommies! We truly get along very well (especially since we’re all essentially pigs at heart and just scarf down food). I don’t think I’ve laughed that much in a long time. We ate and ate and ate. And since none of us are big drinkers, we had more money to spend on food – which we all pretty much split family style so we got to try many things. YAY!
It’s so funny because even though we’ve really only been hanging out about a year, I feel as if they are family and that I’ve always known them. There is something beautiful and awesome about that feeling of being known and loved and actually liked! One of the other mommies said it best, “I just want to hang out with you guys.” I totally agree!
DH was awesome with the kiddos (despite DD not really wanting to drink from the bottle – but by the end of the weekend, DH got it down and DD was drinking like a pro). My mom dropped by to help him on Saturday night and she told me today that DH was so patient and kind and sweet to DD when she was struggling with the bottle. My mom seemed very moved. Lovely.
All in all, fantastic weekend.
April 29, 2012
The BEST part of the wedding was at the end. I hugged my brother, told him I loved him, and he hugged me back and said, “I love you, too.”
o.O
This never happens. It pleases me. I am chuffed. I will cherish that moment forever. *sigh* Lovely.
April 27, 2012
Sorry for being so lazy this week. I think last week’s heat wave sucked all the energy out of me. This week, I reveled in reading and watching TV. I didn’t feel like blogging. Bad me!
My brother’s wedding went off well! It was good to be around family and friends. I have a new sister! The kiddos were awesomely cute. DS had cold feet last minute and refused to pull the wagon with DD in it so I had to walk him down the aisle and a bridesman pulled the wagon. It was the most physically miserable I’ve ever been at a wedding. 90+, facing the hot afternoon sun – and I was in a dress! I can only imagine how hot and miserable (physically – not emotionally) all the guys at the wedding were! Sheesh!
The reception was lovely (although hot!) and the food was delicious. DS had an entourage of at least five adults and they were all exhausted chasing him around. He had an awesome time. He as really tired, though – and requested to go home and go to sleep in his bed while we were driving home. Of course, I threw both kiddos in the bath first because they were disgusting. Yick.
This weekend, I’m going on a girls’ weekend and leaving DD for the first time. Granted, she’ll be with DH (and so will DS) but I am a lot worried. Not because DH can’t handle it, but because DD refuses the bottle. But as everyone keeps reassuring me, she will eat when she’s hungry enough, and if she doesn’t, 27 hours is not long enough for her to starve. (Especially as she is SO FAT.)
Ok. Off to read.
