It's a tough stage

Adjusting to two was tricking, but actively teaching and playing with two is tough.  Lucy is so mature but still so dependent that the clashes between those two dimensions sometimes seem impossible to traverse.  And Reid is learning so much that his little brain won't slow down enough to fall asleep and stay asleep on his own.  Not helping is the pulling himself up skill to which he has no reverse mode to get back down.  I adore these two but I haven't had many opportunities in the past month to feel like a very successful mom. But when all else fails and I have no energy and no ideas - to the bath or shower they both go. It soothes them.  It soothes me.

Treasures

Lucy has recently become a collector of "treasures".  She likes to keep broken glass from the road and pull things out of my D.I. piles.  The more broken the better.  She often assigns them magical powers making them very hard to reclaim.   

  

March Highlights {via the iPhone}

* Mom and dad came to visit and brought us some new furniture

* Lucy got a new bike and a trampoline and is thus in heaven 

* We took a road trip to Utah for Mike's grandpa's furniture 

Easter

Holidays are starting to get fun as Lucy is able to enjoy more and more of the festivities.  We can still pick and choose what we want to do because she doesn't know any different, but what we do do, she usually loves.  

Where's Lucy?

Reid gets picked on.  A lot.  Lucy sits on him and jumps over him and drags him and tips him over and squeezes him. But he also gets loved.  A lot.  Lucy holds him and sings to him and hugs him and watches out for him and tells him stories.  And Reid eats it all up - the terror mixed with love has turned in to adoration.  I think his most restless time of the day is in the morning when Lucy is not awake yet.  He will pull/drag/scoot/crawl himself to be where she is. (And yes, one of article of clothing is always missing from at least one of my children at almost all times.  I feel mostly capable at parenting but I really can't seem to keep them both fully clothed.) 

True Love

This girl wakes up asking for her bike before she even opens her eyes (we know this because she is usually on the floor in our room when morning comes).  She is unmotivated by bribery for treats or new toys, but an extra long ride on her bike...she is game for anything. And as a disclaimer, she is now (post picture) the proud owner of a helmet. 

Around Here

Some observations:

* Lucy lives her life like Benjamin Button...she talks about getting smaller and frequently refers to the teachers she has already had in high school.

* The very day I had decided to sleep train Reid (he was still waking once a night around 2:00 am) he slept through the night.  And every night since then.  I didn't have to do a thing and there were no tears!

* Favorite shows of Lucy's right now are Doc McStuffins, Word World, and Super Why.

* Lucy is taking swimming lessons and karate lessons.  The former being a success.  The later, not so much.

The Zoo

The presence of a real camera at the zoo is clearly evidence that I am getting my act more together as a mom of two.  There have been many times when I reached in to my purse unsure if I would be able to find desperately needed diapers, so an extra item is truly a mark of progress. And the afternoon at the zoo was lovely - Lucy has always loved all things zoo and Reid is mostly up for whatever is on. 

7 Months + 38 Months

No one will sit still for pictures anymore.  Reid is officially on the move.  He has a lunge scoot thing down that takes him across a room in no time.  And every time I venture to capture Lucy she promptly starts building a fort to thwart my efforts.  I desperately want to remember this busy and fun stage but I don't really have words for it.  Technically, not a lot has changed, Lucy still loves forts, swimming, and museums.  Reid still sails pretty patiently and cheerfully through the day. I still feel lucky when I accomplish something grand like the laundry.  My proudest moments are when my three year old feels the need to remind me that whatever we are playing is "just pretend".  I must be pretty good at this whole world of imaginary play. My phone has a rotating list of phrases Lucy uses that I want to remember: The North Cold instead of the The North Pole.  Head fore instead of Forehead.  The way she tells us to "remember with your imagination" if we ever have to audacity to tell her we don't know something. So, I know I will forget what these times feel like but I hope I remember how much I loved them. 

February Highlights {via the iPhone}

*Swim Lessons 

*Teething

*Curtis girls' spa weekend in Arizona