You Rock! Monster Valentines

Sometimes I get random crafty urges that need to be taken care of immediately.  When we collected these beach rocks weeks ago, (before it started snowing forever and always) I just had to draw monster faces on them.  A few paint pens and half-an-hour later, voila!  Rock monsters.

Whenever I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get the dishes and laundry done, I remind myself that there would be if I were not too busy doing stupid things like painting rocks.  Oh well, priorities.  

Those little rock monsters turned out cute, but then the problem becomes what to do them.  They sat in a bowl on our table for a month.  Maddie played with them.  Occasionally Vivi would try to eat one.  Don't eat rocks, Vivi.  You only have four teeth.  

So I decided to turn them into Valentines for Maddie's classmates.  I realize that this makes me that mom who gave out rocks for Valentine's Day, but at least it's not candy, right?  Maybe?  

I wrote, "You Rock!" on some neon pink index cards we already had, and taped the monsters in place.  

Madeline signed the backs and added some stickers.  

I put them in little 3 x 4 plastic bags, and they're good to go. 

If you have any extra rocks lying around, you too could give out rocks for Valentine's Day.  Cause nothing says, "I love you," like a rock.  And it doesn't have to be a rock monster.  Rock bunnies? Rock bugs? Rock lobsters?  The possibilities are endless.  

Happy Valentine's Day!  

Cabin Fever

Here at Casa de Redhead, we've been couped up indoors too long.  I wouldn't even call it cabin fever.  Cabin fever means you get a little antsy and start reorganizing your sock drawers for fun.  We're beyond that.

We've played all the games, stacked all the blocks, undressed all the dolls, and painted all the surfaces.

This morning Madeline ran around the house naked for twenty minutes.  The floor is paved with Cheerios, but I never stop vacuuming. I've done laundry, organized cabinets, and picked up toys, which we all know is a big waste of time.  And that pig who likes parties.  Oh that pig.  Vivi has a cold with conjunctivitis, which she was kind enough to pass along to her dear ole mum. 

Have you ever had to administer eye drops to a four-year-old child?  Torture!  Don't mind the screams, neighbors.  That's just the sound of me keeping my daughter healthy against her will.  

Madeline had to miss pajama day at school today due to our disgusting condition and will probably be out tomorrow too.  Meanwhile, there's more snow (if that's even possible) headed our way.  We're all going to go mad before spring arrives.  Mad, I tell you!  

Parenting Currently

I just read If You Give a Pig a Party for the fifth time today, and it's still hours till bedtime.  I don't know how many times I read it yesterday, but at least five, probably closer to ten.  I estimate that there have been at least forty readings of that particular book this week alone.

Vivi is obsessed.  She toddles over to me with the book in her hands and presses it into my face until I read it.  As soon as we're done, she flips right back to the beginning.  A half-an-hour or so later, the book is back, and Vivi is grunting to read it again.  

Round and round we go.  There should be a book called If You Read a Book to a Vivi.

I think we all know how the plot would go.

I'm very glad that Vivi loves books so much, but my enthusiasm for that pig's shenanigans is starting to wane.  Boy, does she love to party!  

Snowed In

As promised, more snow photos!  We got almost three FEET of snow this week in sunny Massachusetts!  Almost three feet. 

 I don't remember ever getting this much snow at once before.  There's no place to put it all.  Plus, we're supposed to get a few more inches over the weekend.  What's another 6 inches, though, right?  

The whole state shut down, so Eric was home from work.  He spent the entire day shoveling basically.  Better him than me.  

I stayed indoors and baked all the things and ate all the food.  What is it about snow storms that make me want to stuff my face?  It's like my body is preparing to hibernate.  I bet I'd weigh twenty pounds less if I lived in a warmer climate.  

We did not bring Vivi in the snow this time because we wouldn't find her again till March.  She did enjoy watching Dada out the windows though.  

Madeline, on the other hand, burried herself in a snow drift until Eric carried her out kicking and screaming.  She stayed out so long that I was worried her rosy cheeks had frostbite.  She's a real snow bunny.  

Schools (at least in our area) opened back up today, so we're back to our regular scheduled programming.  And the sun seems to be working extra hard to melt all that white stuff today. 

Vivi in the Snow...And Angry

I love that my Facebook feed fills up with pictures of my friends' kids playing in the snow every time we get a decent amount.  Parenting can sometimes feel isolating, but it's such a shared experience.  At the very moment I was bundling my girls up to go sledding, thousands of other parents across Eastern Massachusetts were doing the same exact thing.  Whether it's fun in the snow, or fielding bedtime meltdowns, 

it's comforting to know that we're all in the same boat.  

Anyhow...before I get too carried away and start singing Kumbaya...

We got a good amount of snow over the weekend.  Madeline was thrilled.  When I broke the news that ballet was cancelled on Saturday morning, I was prepared for some frowns.  

Instead, she grinned and cried, "That means I get to go outside and play in the snow!"  

And when she says "play in the snow," she really means lie down face-first and eat the snow.  

She ate enough snow to make me think she might have a problem.  Seriously, Maddie Bear, stop eating the snow.

In the afternoon, we decided to bring Vivi outside and toss her in the white stuff for the first time.  

We put so many layers on the poor girl that she couldn't move.  At all.  She was not amused.  

We pulled the girls around the yard on their sled, but Vivi couldn't even sit due to the absurd amount of clothing she was wearing.  So she lay on her back, snow falling in her face, and gave us the Vivi glare of doom.  

We quickly rescued her from sledding hell.  Although I may have made her cry a few minutes later when I tried sliding her down a snow bank.  

 She was content to watch Madeline and our neighbors run around like snow beasts for a bit, but overall, she wasn't a fan.  

That's too bad, Vivi, cause we're about to get hit with a blizzard. Our local weathermen can't even contain their excitement.  Those sick bastards.

 I predict more snow-day pictures in our future.  

Happy Birthday, Olaf!

On Tuesday, Madeline declared, "Tomorrow is Olaf's birthday!"  

In case you're new around here, Olaf is Maddie's bear and best buddy.  http://ourlittlebabywl.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-girl-and-her-bear.html?m=1

And for the record, he was Olaf long before any snowman came along.  

I don't know what put the idea in her head, but she didn't forget about celebrating Olaf's birthday like I expected she would.  She spent the rest of the afternoon making invitations to his party and hanging up decorations.   

I found the feather boas from her dress-up box draped around the banister, and every figurine she possesses lined up in anticipation for his party, which she informed me, would be the following afternoon.   

I figured, what the heck, Olaf deserves a birthday.  So I told her that if she cleaned the playroom, (now covered in figurines and dress-up clothes) she could have a party for Olaf when she got home from school the next day.  

She woke up the next morning, Olaf tucked under her arm as always, and exclaimed, "Olaf's party is today!" 

I did some grocery shopping while she was at school and picked up a cupcake for "Olaf" while I was there.  

Later, as promised, we broke out the fancy tea set, and Madeline set up her party.  She very happily poured water into the teacups and chatted with her bears.  

When I showed her the cupcake, the smile faded from her face though.  

"Mumma, Olaf's not real," she told me gently.  

I'm not sure if she was making sure that she would get to eat the cupcake, or if she was worried that her mother had actually lost her mind.  But once I clarified that she could eat it in Olaf's place, and that I knew he wasn't a living bear, the party was back on.  

Happy birthday, Olaf.  You're a very good bear.  

Vivi: Thirteen Months

Vivi's first birthday seems like it was eons ago instead of a mere month.  Once we got past the sparkle of the holidays, we fell quickly back into our regular routine.  Now that it's cold and gray, and we are stuck indoors, time starts to crawl.  Not that I mind.  I know the next few months will be gone in a snap, and I'll be back at work pouting.

At thirteen months, Vivi is still quite the peanut.  I don't really worry about it.  To us, she's just her normal self.  But it always shocks me to see her beside babies her own age.  We visited a play center last week where there were babies  bigger than Vivi who were just learning to sit up.  Meanwhile, a baby the same age as Vivi looked twice as big.  The lack of hair doesn't help.  Maddie's didn't grow till she was three, Viv. You've got a ways to go.  Sorry.  

Vivienne isn't walking yet.  We keep thinking it's going to happen, but she's just happier, and faster, crawling. She'll randomly stand up and walk a few steps across the living room, but the second we look at her, she lowers herself back down to her knees.  It's like trying to catch a glimpse of Sasquatch.  

But holy cow, our girl is a climber.  On Christmas Day she climbed all the way up the stairs and into her bedroom before any of we responsible adults noticed.  She really loves to climb on furniture.  Standing on her rocking chair is a favorite pastime and a good way to keep Mumma on her toes. 

She loves looking out the window at the world.  She can peer over the ledge of the windowsill if she stands on her tiptoes.  Otherwise she uses a chair.  She  'll stay that way for a long time pointing and babbling at everything she sees.  

She's not talking much, but in the past week, words seem to be coming more rapidly.  Tonight she was whining in her high chair at dinner when clear as a bell out came, "All done."  Eric and I both heard it.  

She's got the D sound down.  Dada is Eric.  Duh is Madeline.  A short Dah is That.  There are various sounds for "down" and "done" and "doll."  

 She's constantly babbling, screeching, giggling, or blowing raspberries.  

When words fail, Vivi gestures nicely.  She points, or hands us items she wants to explore.  Yesterday, she opened my fingers and placed a brush in my hand because she wanted me to brush her lack of hair.  She signs for more when she wants more food...usually blueberries.  

She's starting to get picky about what she eats.  She loves all forms of fruit, especially blueberries, but hates most vegetables.  She doesn't like meat.  She does like pasta and bread.  Sometimes she loves beans and sometimes she throws them across the kitchen.  Babies are fickle.  

I'm figuring out what she can eat with her food allergies.  It's easier than I thought it would be.  And she still takes formula in her bottle a few times a day to make sure she's getting the nutrients she needs.  

  She's still very shy of people.  She ducks her head to avoid eye contact with strangers, and she doesn't like being the center of attention.  Yet, she's pretty fearless about everything else.  She often tries to wiggle away from me in stores because she wants to get down to explore.  

She's happy and sweet and full of cuddles most of the time, but she has a bad temper.  She screams in frustration when she doesn't get her way.  She's been known to throw things.  

She's also so clever.  She got her hands on the tissue box today.  I watched her pull out a tissue and got ready to stop her from pulling them all out of the box.  Instead, she carefully used it to wipe her runny nose.  Then she carried the tissue around, stopping to wipe as needed.  Then she tried to eat the tissue...so, baby steps.  Still, I was impressed.  

Team Vivi.  All the way.