Some Things Never Change

With every holiday that comes and goes my sentimental heart likes to take a little jog down memory lane. I like to ponder what it was that we were doing that exact day, just one year ago. Recently I played this little mind game on the Fourth of July, and it is amazing all that can change in 365 days. Last year we had just moved back to Arizona from Texas. Since then we had bought our first home. We added a new addition to our little family. I gained ten pounds. Brad lost more hair. And Khage... well it seems he is still walking around a few garments short of an outfit.

Although he did upgrade from a diaper to some very patriotic under-roos.

 July 4th, 2012

 

July 4th, 2013

 

It seems that in one year a whole heck of a lot can change... while other things stay exactly the same. Next year I vow to make sure he is fully dressed on this holiday, if not for the sake of this blog then purely just out of respect for this country. I guess he could always argue that he rocks a modest birthday suit on this fair nations birthday. To that I say nice try but no sparkler.

 

A Letter to Woody

Woody,
You are one lucky toy. You get played with more then anything else that Khage owns. At first I felt sorry for you because of the abuse you take on everyday from this rambunctious boy. You have been buried in the sand, soaked with the hose and ran over by his scooter. You are filthy, stained and your poor cowhide vest is fading. You look well over a few years old and yet he has had you less then two months. He begs me to let you in the bath with him, and as much as you need a good bathing, I don't think you soaking up his dirty bath water will help you smell any better. And I now get the constant request that you be strapped into a seat belt whenever you accompany us to the store. You were gifted to Khage from Harlyn on the day she was born, an attempt at easing the change that came along with getting a new sibling and I think it has worked wonderfully. Khage quickly attached himself to you, with the buddy system in full affect since the day you were freed from your box. You sleep with him during the night, sometimes you accompany us during dinner, I don't doubt that one day you will vacation with us as well. But then there are days that you get benched, he will set you down somewhere and days will pass before you are played with again and I will think your sweet friendship has finally come to end. I figure the bond between boy and toy has finally dwindled but its never too long before he has picked you right up and you are back to being lovingly abused. I have come to realize that the happiest toys are the ones that are worn and tattered by constant use, if battle wounds are proof of love then you cowboy are one loved toy. You truly got a friend in him.

Baby Day Spa

The bath is Harlyn's happy place. Bath time to her is what dinner time is to me. It doesn't matter what kind of mood I am in, when that dinner bell rings: serenity now. Harlyn's evenings are brutal, like getting smacked repeatedly in the face by a baby brutal. Once she begins her crying fit those little arms will flail and anything in arms reach is fair game. So we like to interrupt her punching match  with an impromptu bath knowing that her little whale jacuzzi will set her mood right. But yesterday Harlyn took her bath time to a whole different level of comfort and relaxation. I don't know if she was overly tired or if she just finds her Daddy's bath routine a drag, because this girl was out within minutes of her toes touching the water. I felt like we were working at a day spa and we should have been rubbing her feet with tiny stones and placing cucumbers on her eyes. I mean who does this?

 



40 Weeks, 6 weeks ago

Looking back just a few short weeks ago I have come to a conclusion: I was a big fat fatty. Well I realized that and something else: I am ridiculously sentimental. Its been six weeks and already I'm feeling nostalgic about being pregnant. I can literally be holding my newborn and be daydreaming about being pregnant again. Part of it is that people around me are continuing to have babies, so with every baby that pops into this world my uterus aches. Which is ironic because my uterus just got over the post pregnancy aches from Harlyns birth. Don't let me trick you into thinking that having two kids ain't no thang for me and that I am anxious to juggle another. I am barely keeping my head above water with these two people. Its just that pregnancy is beautiful, and if I ever get to be pregnant again I plan on relishing in the moment so much more.

And maybe I will eat a lot less sugar.

Easier said then done on both counts.

She's One Month Old

 

A few little facts about our sweet girl:

 She held her head up within minutes of her birth

Brad thinks she looks like a baby rhesus monkey

She has shoulders like a linebacker and they are covered with blonde fuzzy hair

She has flashed her adorable grin since the day she was born

She falls asleep the best with her face smashed right up against the boob

Her arms, fingers and legs are all so long for her little body

She makes a face like a whistler, with her mouth puckered into an O

She refuses to nurse if her head is covered, creating quite a predicament when she needs to eat in public

She cries just about every time Khage comes near her

She wakes up 1-2 times a night and every so often she spoils me and doesn't wake until morning

She is a super eater and Mommy is a super feeder, making us one incredible team

She cannot handle heat, breaking out in a heat rash within moments of being outside

Poor thing loves the outdoors but rarely gets to go out (see above)

She wont take a pacifier but loves to suckle

Just about every night, from 7 until she falls asleep, she is ticked at the world and doesn't know why

She clenches her fingers in the tightest little fists making it impossible for us to force her to hold our fingers

and we cannot believe she is only one month old and yet we feel like we have loved her forever.

If A Caveman Can Do It

I am loving this whole brother sister thing going on in this house.

Khage loves Harlyn.

Harlyn will grow to love Khage.

Currently Harlyn would rather Khage didn't bother her. 

I am constantly telling Khage how much she loves him, hoping he doesn't already recognize that shes kinda not that into him. I think there are so many reasons to blame for this; when he holds her he squeezes her and he has this thing about not so gently rubbing her face with, what Brad calls, his big ol' paws. Then there was that time that he lugged her around like a caveman. Sister was only seven days old when he took her out of her swing and hauled her to the couch where he was fixing to hold her. We caught him just as he was securing a comfortable spot for himself before he was set to drag her onto his lap. After we did a quick scan of her body for damage, we couldn't help but laugh. And all the while this darn narcoleptic didn't even bother to wake up, he could of dropped her and she still wouldn't have come out of her milk induced coma. In fact were not even sure he didn't drop her, or carry her upside down, or drag her by her legs. Poor thing has no idea what is in store for her being that boy's little sister. Sorry Harlyn, your brothers kind of a neanderthal. But a very sweet and loving neanderthal.

 

She's Here.

In all reality she has been here for three weeks and three days... but when you have a newborn reality slowly fades away and your replaced by a mindless breastfeeding, dinner making, house cleaning, diaper changing, toddler playing machine of a human being. My thoughts revolve around these two littles and things that used to seem so important, like brushing my teeth, quickly get thrown on the back burner. Not even joking, and totally disgusting, at one point I realized I hadn't brushed my teeth for TWO days. Yes, two whole days. Please don't hold it against me, I have then started brushing again. Cross my heart.
Back to my sweet girl, she's here and she's lovely. We are all so smitten with everything about her; the way her lips curl into those impish grins while she sleeps and the incredibly funky manner in which her hair stands straight up all on its own. We know she has passed the test and can stay as long as she wants because her big brother gave her the stamp of approval. Since she has arrived he has doted over her; sweetly placing random kisses on her face and begging us to let him hold her insistently through the day. And sometimes he doesn't even ask... but that's for another post.
We are so happy to welcome this beautiful girl into our family. She is truly a blessing and we have felt overwhelmed with gratitude from the moment she was placed in our arms. Our little family has never felt so complete. Harly Mae we love you through and through.

My first born.

"Khage, my little boy, our precious first born, and very soon to be big brother. Sometimes when you call out for me all I can do is smile because two years and five months later it still shocks me to the core that some little being calls me Mama. When I imagined what you would be like before I even met you I never considered the notion that you wouldn't be purely pieces borrowed from your Daddy and I, but also little bits of your own peculiar self all compiled together to form one imperfectly perfect child. You are my first real and true selfless love. I didn't grow to love you over time, I don't take away pieces of my love based on your actions and overtime I only manage to cram my overflowing heart with more and more precious memories that include your adorable face. As you lay in my bed napping I sit here scribbling this post because I'm worried how life will change for you in a few short days with Harlyn's birth. I'm worried I haven't told you enough how much I love you. And looking back I fear that I have not made it perfectly clear that my heart bursts daily when you hold my hand, or wrap your arms around my neck and kiss me with your little puckered lips. I love you Khagey with all that I am."

These were a few words I jotted down days before your sister was born. I don't remember what caused me to not publish this post that day but the fears I was carrying were weighing heavy on my heart and I just couldn't stand that your life was going to be changing. Looking back it was all so petty; my fear of splitting the love that I had for you was in retrospect quite silly... my heart is certainly big enough for you and your sister. Nothing got cut in half, everything just grew.

Gollum called, He Wants His Teeth Back.

It all started when Brad dared me to eat dirt. Normally I'm above those things but Khage was there pressuring me with his eyes; I could tell he wanted me to do it and I figured I could always use some Cool Mom points so I ate it and instantly he was impressed. And now Khage can often times be found in the yard snacking on some earth.

He will randomly walk up looking like this

and it takes me a few seconds before I realize that's dirt in his teeth and all over his face and not something much much worse.

 

And those my friends are the scariest few seconds of my life.

 

 

Just a Little Accident

Last night Khage wanders into our room at 2 a.m., stark naked and holding a fresh pair of undies. If your the parent of a toddler you know these signs don't add up to anything good.

First he made his way to Brad's side of the bed, so naturally I pretended to be asleep with the hope that Brad was gonna hop out of bed and handle it. But what I temporarily forgot was that Brad is Night of the Living Dead between the wee hours of 12 a.m to 4 a.m. If your not a barking dog or burglarizing our home then he probably won't hear you, sorry Khage.*

So I heave ho this pregnant bod out of bed to assess the situation. He either peed himself while he slept or was unsuccessfully filling up water balloons in his bed during the night. I'm going with my initial hypothesis: he peed.

Immediately once he sees the scene of the accident he looses it. He begins to verbally beat himself up, crying about how he peed all over his blankets and pillows, begging me to comfort him, and basically hating himself for what he's done. So there I stand trying to talk this kid off a ledge and reassuring him that it can all be cleaned up and accidents happen sometimes. This is the FIRST accident he has had in his bed so I'm not gonna loose sleep over it... and apparently Brad wont either. See what I did there? But the poor guy just wouldn't let it go.

I'm like can't we all just get along and get these urine soaked sheets off your bed.
And he's like down on his knees screaming whyyyy? with his fists to the sky.

My memory is a little fuzzy on the details but I'm pretty sure I nailed it on the dialogue.

And because Khage did not find any fun in posing with his pee pee sheets you get this image instead

*(Sidenote to burglars I sleep with one eye open and the gun is in reach so don't be so quick to label us easy targets just because my husband sleeps in a coma - I'm like a mama bear, I will handle you)