Four Years of Birthdays

Happy Birthday to my sweet Sophia Grace :)

Good (Mama)Vibrations

Once, when I was pregnant with Sophie, I had a vivid dream. I dreamt I was this mama fish. I was in the deep sea, swimming along the ocean floor and there was some sort of predator, a bigger fish, perhaps. My heart was pounding as I tried to herd (school?) all of my baby fish to safety under a large rock/coral thing. It was so real. I woke up feeling panicked and exhausted. It was my first time experiencing that protective mother feeling and I hadn’t even given birth yet!

We have always had a fish tank in our home. I used to think of the fish as I think of a houseplant. It’s something nice to look at, it requires some care once in a while, and that’s about it. Since becoming a mom; however, the fish have become other beings that I care for. And, I SWEAR to you that they know I am the mama. If anyone else is in the room, they hardly notice. They go about their regular business of swimming and poking around. As soon as I WALK PAST THE DOORWAY they immediately form a school and all swim to the top of the tank. It’s so obvious that Shimmy even acknowledges it. And I can’t ignore them. It’s as if one of my children is standing at my feet asking to be held. If I haven’t fed the fish that day, I will feed them. If I have just fed them an hour earlier, I will stand there and talk to them for a while. It’s like they can just sense my mama vibes. And I accept this. I know I am the nurturer of the house and that this applies to nurturing every living thing, be it a human, a fish, or a plant.

Going about their business:

I've been spotted:

HI, MAMA!!!

Sorry in advance...

...but would you all mind terribly if I brag about my genius baby for a minute? If you do mind, don't read this post. I won't be insulted. In fact, I won't even know. I usually don't brag about exceptional things my kids do. I know their strengths, talents, and abilities. I feel thankful to God and I feel proud as a parent, and that's usually enough. I don't need to go out of my way to tell others about them. BUT, this blog is a way for me to archive my memories of their childhoods. And one day I am going to want to be able to recall specific examples of just how amazingly smart Lilah (21 months old) is. Here are those examples:
1. Some of the moms at playgroup were asking their kids where so-and-so was, hoping their kid would point to the correct person. I didn't participate, because I know Lilah knows who everyone is. When they were finished, Lilah said, "Where's Izzie?" Izzie was the one friend not there that day. Lilah pointed that out.
2. I asked Lilah's babysitter what she ate for lunch today. The babysitter said, "The chick patty, cheese, fruit, veggie chips, and water." Lilah, who had been listening the whole time, said, "and milk." Babysitter said, "Oh yea, and milk too."
3. We were leaving the house this afternoon and Lilah said, "right back," and went to get her hat and mittens.
4. We were sitting at the table eating grapes together and I noticed it was time to go get Sophie. I jumped up in a hurry and said, "we have to go now!" Lilah said, "hold on, Mommy." She put grapes back in the bowl and carried it to the refrigerator.

The kid is mad smart. My first clue was when, at just a couple of months old, she would kick the buttons on her mobile to make the music start again. I was clued in again at 15 months when she counted to six (actually pointed to 1,2,3,4,5,6 dots on a ladybug while saying the correct number). Again, and again I am amazed by her.

I would be remiss if I didn't talk about one of Sophie's amazing qualities too, namely, her incredible memory. The girl reminds me about things that happened over a year ago (which is a quarter of her lifetime)! I have always had a rididulous memory, so it's pretty awesome when she remembers things that I don't.

These kids are going to go far, my friends. Thanks for reading, and sorry again about the bragging. I'll try to keep it infrequent.

The Curse of the Vaporizers

I am not a superstitious person. I have always been a firm believer that bad things only come from superstitious activity if you believe they do. However, one thing has been very hard to deny for the past few years. And that, my friends, is the curse of the vaporizers. Like many caring parents, I feel badly for my kids when they are sick with colds and do everything I can to make them feel more comfortable. One thing being setting up a vaporizer in their rooms, delivering soothing puffs of eucalyptus-infused mist. However, I have noticed something very strange. As long as the vaporizers, in all of their sediment-filled tubs and ugly towels underneath glory, are there, the kids are healthy. As soon as I think we’re in the clear (that is to say, there has been nary a sniffle for a good two months) and put away the vaporizers, almost the next day, someone is sick again. We are not just talking about Sick Season (what i call October-March). It is so bizarre. I think I have finally accepted the curse of the vaporizers. Everyone has been healthy for some time now, and though they are so very unsightly, I am leaving those ugly things right where they are. Knock on wood. Poo poo poo.