I was feeling refreshed after all of the quiet, the spontaneity, the music, the wine, chocolate, fire ablaze, card-playing, & fun-having... The perusing where we pleased with no time constraints, arguing with unruly toddlers, or wishing we hadn't bothered to leave the house in the first place. And of course... the staying up late and the sleeping-in :) Marvelous dinner for 2 at the Sample Room... and just plain ol' good times and new memories for Joel and I to revel in.
Of course, reality set back in pretty abruptly after retrieving our over-tired, under-slept, sugar-crashing babettes. (Something to look forward to as a grandparent one day, eh?)
Taking it all in stride... (after outing some frustration via loud noise and use of profanity) I realized this is a short week... a little hop, skip, & jump on our path to the celebration of CHRISTMAS! Joel will be home from work for 4 whole days. We will eat, drink, share some love with the fam, and be oh-so-merry.
This morning (and throughout the day) Myla was nothing less than angelic! (Thank you Lord!) Perhaps she (in her strife over the need to adjust to change while sleeping in a less-familiar locale) found herself rather appreciative of her daily (boring) routine with her good ol' mom. (I plan to mix it up once they are a little tiny bit older! Right now - Addie's going through a phase, and it truly isn't worth attempting any new and exciting "projects" with the girls at this juncture. Trust me on this one.) Maybe this newly-spun enjoyment of mommy will last?? We can hope. And hope we must!
Addie, on the other hand, is still her crabby, clingy, attention-requiring not-herself-self again... The whining. The screaming. Today - I did a remarkable job (2 days, 2 days, 2 days... Wednesday is Grandma and Grandpa day... then we're on to the weekend!!! Ohm.) of staying unfathomably calm during the continuous riot, while also ignoring all outbursts and unnecessary whimpering. She is nearly 2. She is NOT an infant... not even close. She doesn't need the coddling she thinks she does. It's hard. I mean - she is the baby. AND, she's seen too often how Myla has been able to maintain her daddy's coddling via similar means leading up to just recently. Joel and I have really turned a new leaf in the way of upholding a like-minded and consistent approach to child-rearing - together. This (combined with her recent new-found appreciation for the day-to-day) are conjoining to provide a fab and well-deserved reprieve from her previous typical, regular drama. SO BE IT. (Whoot!)
Now... It's play time! I'm served a cup of tea, and when asked what flavor, Myla's response came as such, "It's Strawberry-WATERMELON!!!" (Pause... begin to walk away, and return to conclude...) "WITH chocolate-sauce with blueberries and WATERMELON!" Mmmmm. How could I refuse?! She was quick to follow-up with a warning, "Um. It's kind of spicy... It might be too spicy for little mamas... " Upon hearing this - Addie decided she'd better step-it-up a notch if she wanted to remain part of this restaurant's service. She turned to the "cabinet" and extracted the little red "bottle". "Ketchup?!!?" She asked enthusiastically, while "pouring" some into a cup for me. Sure, why not? It will probably only enhance my strawberry-watermelon tea with blueberry and watermelon chocolate sauce.
Just when I started giggling, and didn't think it could get any cuter or funnier... it was bed-time for me (according to baby-watches, that is.) Okay! (This is my favorite game! I get to "pretend" to snooze... Yeah. I know. Best game ever.) But... this time I had a serious case of the giggles - as I lay there thinking about all of the personality and imagination just mixing away in these little, growing people... I was reprimanded without delay, "It is BED-TIME mommy! You have to be quiet and go to sleep now." This only turned up the intensity of my laughing fit (now officially a fit, indeed), because it was just too damn ironic!!!! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! (I just got a tiny sliver of revenge, and I didn't even have to try.) Hmmmm. How's that medicine tasting there little lady of no-sleep-ever-if-she-could-help-it?? Hmm?? Kind of tart? I decided it was best to use this open window and elaborate. "What happens to me if I don't listen to you and sleep?? What are you gonna do?!" She placed her hands on her hips, gave me sly-eyes, and said without hesitation, "I will put you in, um, mommy and daddy's - wait - in YOUR - okay in YOUR room by yourself!" (She seemed to realize, as she stuttered, that when we separate her from her sister by placing her in our room - that this might not be the best form of "punishment" for me... as it is in fact, MY room.) She also said I don't get an ice cream cone. (Dang. Now that one I might have to give into! I am a sucker for ice cream.) But, nonetheless, the laughter ensued, as I had completely lost all control. (Man - it felt really good to laugh that hard - even though no one around me at the time understood.) I think the mere fact that Myla wanted me to be "sleeping" during this laugh-fest, made it that much more enjoyable - despite the fact that she was in no way whiny or dramatic at all today - [aside from this hands-on-hips sternness she'd acquired for the purpose of making sure I get my rest - like a good mommy should.] ;)
A friend had dropped by with a b-day and Christmas gift for Joel and I (his b-day is just a couple of weeks away as well...) We received a TJ's G.C. - which means none other than - MORE WINE! (We enjoy trying the different wines, and it really is just a relaxing thing to sip on during the weekends. Also happens to be good for you in such moderation. Hey - we have 2 toddlers, and we don't get to get out much right now... Therefore,our "going out" is often a matter of trying new wines when we can!) I expressed this to Myla as we opened our respective gifts. So fun!!
Daddy came home shortly thereafter, and Myla showed exuberance over the newly acquired goods. She held in her hand the venerated gift card while Joel asked her, "What do you have there?" (She was really excited. This is a direct reflection of my exclamation of joy earlier.) She stated in reply, "A Trader Joe's card for WINE!!" Joel and I just laughed until we cried. If only you could have heard her!
So begins a new week, shortly following a new moon, and leading up to a new year... And I too have a fresh new perspective on the day-to-day :)
TIP! We gotta stop "babying" our babies! (You know - the youngest one... the one you can't let grow up too quickly because they are your last baby.) It will catch up with you if it hasn't already. Ignoring the outbursts did result in eventual (spurts) of quiet with each occurrence, accompanied by a sudden willingness to eat meals where appropriate. I kind of like this approach. We have to be a little bit more diligent now - to reverse the trend. Seems to be helping gradually. Every bit helps when your kid is throwing tantrums!
A QUOTE: "A perfect example of minority rule is a baby in the house." ~ Milwaukee Journal
WHIDFML: Celebrated my birthday just the way I wanted to - with just the hubby and me - and a little flying by the seat of our pants into pure relaxation. 
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