Okay, so this is going to be super quick since I'm wiped out!
Today, Evie was asking me about a barn shaped coca cola magnet on the fridge. After I told her it was a barn, she pointed to the word coca cola & said "that's the name of a soda mom." I almost peed my pants! I resisted the urge to take out an ad in Okinawa Living, but decided I could trumpet the exciting news here instead! She also recognized the words dog & go today. This is so cool! It's just out of the blue. It's so incredible to see the wheels turning & know how much she is taking in & learning.
Charley Chronicle: trying to roll over & playing with her feet are the obsessions of the moment. That and NEVER napping for longer than 20 minutes. UGH! I think I may have figured out that she is a bit light sensitive & needs NOISE to sleep. So, I'm trying room darkening & white noise tommorow. Stop me when I call Dr. Phil. (I swear I'm almost there. I can't even pee without being in fear of waking her up, since her room is right next to the bathroom.)
I'm off to bed. I am TIRED!!!
luv,
tiffers
Monday, August 21, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
the sweetest sound!
Reading by flashlight, bring back any memories, Mom? 
love me, love my hair
...I've ever heard is the laughter of my children. Charley laughed for the first time today! We were just hanging out after she nursed, playing & doing some baby "exercise" and she just opened her mouth up big enough to catch some flies & the sweetest sound poured forth! Then I laughed & she laughed again and that was that. I've been doing the craziest stuff all day just to see if I can get her to do it again, but as usual, none of it is working. I have these visions of myself doing a Ross & Rachel, singing "I like big butts and I cannot lie..." (for all you Friends fans out there, you know what I'm talkin' about!) She's napping now, but I'm sure it won't last too long, so I'll be conjuring something amusing up soon enough. She also pushed herself up onto her hands and lifted her head on her changing table today. THIS is huge, since she hates tummy time & we've been hard pressed to get her do it at all. I, of course, have been microanalyzing her neck & had completely convinced myself that she was getting torticollis, then all of sudden today, she's lifting her head, looking side to side & lookin' strong! I swear I'm a progressive worrier, with each child I get more anal retentive & worrisome. By #3 I'll be so annoying my friends will start screening my calls & restrict me to email only communication. One of my friends here is a pediatrician & she probably thinks I'm a lunatic! I'm like... "Hi Katie, it's tiff again. I know I've called 16 times this week to ask you about blah blah blah, but I've just thought of SOMETHING ELSE..."
Oh and one more thing about my munchkin, she has this back scoot thing going on now. It's hilarious, she starts off in one direction & totally turns herself in circles to look at stuff. It's also probably a result of her trying with all her might to roll over. I think that's next on the list. I have a feeling little miss charley cupcake is going to be a bit more bold than my eva love when it comes to exploration. Stay tuned for more on the "Chronicles of Charley..."
On to my other light & joy. Eva Grace is growing up TOO FAST! The other day, she's like, "Mom, who am I gonna marry some day?" I was standing there with my mouth hanging open, like, huh? Where do you get this stuff? I HATE CINDERELLA!!!!!!!!!!! Barbie is on the list for eradication as well. I know most of you (except Angie :-}) think I'm crazy, but those stupid fairy tales & that slutty doll don't teach my kid anything except that she needs a man to be happy & her waist should be smaller than her head. The perils of parenthood...when to assasinate fairy tale characters & dolls. Is this a felony? Seriously, it's amazing how quickly she takes in new ideas & tries to understand them & figure out where they fit in her life. She has tons of friends who are starting kindergarten & is very inquisitive about when she'll be attending & what it's all about. Thankfully, we are still 2 years away from that heart crushing moment. Speaking of school, she asked me when she goes back to school the other day. Guess Mom & Charley are a little too boring to hang out with every day. When I asked her if she was excited about going, she said she was, then asked right away if "Bender" was going to be back. I was sad to have to tell her no. :-( Kerri- a shout out to you, you are very missed here & we are thinking of you & praying for a speedy recovery. Kerri Bender was Evie's teacher last year & made her 1st year of pre-school incredibly wonderful. She always took Eva right into her arms every morning, giving snuggles & love to help Evie with her separation anxiety. I don't think we could have done this year without her. She was also the stinker who gave Evie her first BARBIE. LOL!! Kerri is going through treatment for Breast Cancer, so please keep her in your prayers!
On to other Mac family news. After much discussion & lots of what ifs, we've decided that we are going to put in for DI duty for Charles. We had seriously considered embassy duty, but decided that another overseas post with our little ones & future little ones was too much to take right now. I wish the kids were older, it would be a no brainer. But, we do feel it's time to head back to the good old US of A. We are hopeful that they won't decide Charles' advanced age (HEE HEE, he's reading this & is going to pinch me...) of 37 won't impede his desire to scream, yell, drill & pt some recruits into lean, mean Marines. Just kidding. He's within the age limits, but it is competitive, so we hope he's selected. If not, then I'm voting for Hawaii as our next stop in states. I bet I would have a revolving door of guests if I lived THERE! I'm hoping to head back to school when we return, since I would like to finish my degree before my children do. UGH.
Well, time flies, babies cry & dinner calls!
Miss you & Love you all!!!
tiffers
Saturday, August 12, 2006
My cutie patootie punkins!
Riding the waves with daddy!
Hangin' with Dad!
Here are some pics from our very first family "vacation" to Oura Wan Beach. Eva & I had a great time building our very first sandcastle (improvising building w/tupperware & a hair color bowl), Charley & I hung out in the hammock snoozing, Eva rode the waves with Daddy, then went for a swim in the yard, and I took my girlies for a sunset walk to watch the waves, collect sea glass & shells. We had a fantastic time & it was so wonderful to enjoy the long days with my hubby & girls.
We miss you all!
luv,
tiff
Pay It Forward!
Pay it forward, I say!
My new philosophy. I've had a rough 2 weeks, witness my lack of posts. Kindermusik is back on my calender, registration is stressing me out, Charley is cute as a button, but insists that I hold her ALOT, I have no idea where we're living next year, (Zimbabwe, anyone?), Eva's right eye is totally swollen & I have a crappy cough & sore throat. BUT...
Many small kindnesses made their way to me this week. My bud Annie just took Eva for me on no notice because she knew I needed it, a Kindermusik Mom dropped off a lovely sake set for me, the Okuma reservations lady took pity on me & cancelled our reservation at the last minute w/no penalty, Lucia gave me a sweet thank you note & made my day. These are just the few that I can recall.
Background, if you will. Early this week, a young Mom-to-be called me about a stroller I was selling in Japan Update. I told her to come by when she could & I'd let her take a look. She dropped by the next day with her husband & they decided they wanted it. They were very young & very sweet, obviously so excited to have thier first little one. I decided I'd rather just give it to them than take their money. They were very thankful & I just told them that someday they could pay it forward. Not really sure what made me say it or think it, but I decided then & there that I wanted to pay it forward whenever I could.
I've discovered something living here in Okinawa. We live in a world where paying it forward is a novel concept. No one dares take the time to hold a door, say thanks!, help an overwhelmed or incapacitated person, wait their turn in traffic, the list goes on. But here, it seems as though paying it forward is a way of life for many. I love that when I had to have Charley early, so many of my friends just took over & cared for Eva, never expecting a thing in return. Then in the weeks following, my friends took it upon themselves to bring us a meal almost every night for 2 weeks! All of them have children of thier own, some were pregnant, moving, sick, or stressed out, but they took the time for a kindness. If we all paid it forward, how many lives would be better for it? It would be exponential, amazing.
PAY IT FORWARD!!!!!
My new philosophy. I've had a rough 2 weeks, witness my lack of posts. Kindermusik is back on my calender, registration is stressing me out, Charley is cute as a button, but insists that I hold her ALOT, I have no idea where we're living next year, (Zimbabwe, anyone?), Eva's right eye is totally swollen & I have a crappy cough & sore throat. BUT...
Many small kindnesses made their way to me this week. My bud Annie just took Eva for me on no notice because she knew I needed it, a Kindermusik Mom dropped off a lovely sake set for me, the Okuma reservations lady took pity on me & cancelled our reservation at the last minute w/no penalty, Lucia gave me a sweet thank you note & made my day. These are just the few that I can recall.
Background, if you will. Early this week, a young Mom-to-be called me about a stroller I was selling in Japan Update. I told her to come by when she could & I'd let her take a look. She dropped by the next day with her husband & they decided they wanted it. They were very young & very sweet, obviously so excited to have thier first little one. I decided I'd rather just give it to them than take their money. They were very thankful & I just told them that someday they could pay it forward. Not really sure what made me say it or think it, but I decided then & there that I wanted to pay it forward whenever I could.
I've discovered something living here in Okinawa. We live in a world where paying it forward is a novel concept. No one dares take the time to hold a door, say thanks!, help an overwhelmed or incapacitated person, wait their turn in traffic, the list goes on. But here, it seems as though paying it forward is a way of life for many. I love that when I had to have Charley early, so many of my friends just took over & cared for Eva, never expecting a thing in return. Then in the weeks following, my friends took it upon themselves to bring us a meal almost every night for 2 weeks! All of them have children of thier own, some were pregnant, moving, sick, or stressed out, but they took the time for a kindness. If we all paid it forward, how many lives would be better for it? It would be exponential, amazing.
PAY IT FORWARD!!!!!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Christmas on the brain!
Okay, I know I promised I'd write sooner, but the time just flies by lately. My little high maintenance drool machine is keeping me busy.
So, my pity party is over. I just had a rejuvenating conversation with Angie, spent a great day with Annie, talked to my Mom & had great news from Michelle that Nicholas is doing fabulous. So, on to the happy stuff of life.
Eva Grace is utterly obsessed with Christmas. I think that this wait for our trip home is going to be a billion times worse than waiting for boot camp graduation day. I've totally done this to myself, since every time she asks about any family member, angie's family & now michelle's family, I tell her we'll see them at Christmas. Guess I shoulda thought a bit about that. DUH. It's kind of like when you threaten your child with taking away TV time or a really neat activity because you're so aggravated you want to spit & then you realize that what just flew out of your mouth earned you the idiot of the month award at Parenting for Dummies.com. OY. But, truth be told, I'm totally psyched about Christmas, so Eva & I can drive each other crazy waiting.
Speaking of Eva...
She is SO grown up lately! She carries on these full on conversations with me and anyone else who will listen. I swear she learns a new word every 5 minutes. And, of course, because I have a penchant for large words, she is quite funny when she incorporates my vocabulary into hers. "Mom, I'd PREFER to watch Dora, not Sesame Street." Her other thing lately is that she has decided that after 3 1/2 yrs of asking me to sing, she has decided that I should no longer vocalize in her presence, "Mom, could you PLEASE stop singing!" Beginning to erode my confidence a bit! Seriously. She has also reached the "JoJo" stage. This is a family stage that my sister & I have been forced to endure from our children that requires that our precious genetic offspring withdraw all forms of snuggling, hugging, cuddling, kisses or any other signs of affection. IT SUCKS. I have now resorted to out and out bribery for even a hug, never mind a kiss. So, you can imagine my surprise & pleasure when my punkin opted to give me many kisses today & told me last night she loved me! She's been really good the past few days & this was just the icing on the cake. Makes all the tough other stuff so insignificant.
Vacation Bible School is fast approaching & I just can't believe my baby is going to a "camp." The time really just flies too fast. I wish I could freeze my babies right where they are & cherish thier innocence forever.
Speaking of babies, it's time for the Chronicles of Charley...
HOLY MACARONI, what a cutie. This child just melts my heart. I spent so much time worrying about how I would feel when my second little bundle got here, always scared I wouldn't do right by her. I never imagined that I could love another human being as much as I loved my first little one. Then she got here & I not only fell completely head over boobie for this kid, but it made me love my Evie even more. Funny, it made me want more babies. We are hoping a 3rd will happen sometime after Charley is 9 mos. Guess we'll just leave it in God's hands. Even more oddly, today made me think I could even do 4. Someone HELP ME, I'VE LOST MY MIND... I'm sure Annie will smack the crap out of me when she reads this, so I'm good.
Charley is still sporting her mohawk. It will totally break my heart when she doesn't have it any more. She gets more fun every day. She coos up a storm. I think she's going to be a VERY early talker. Then today, I swear she laughed when she was hanging out on the couch with Daddy. She is such a happy baby. She smiles all the time & just loves to be around people. I think she'd nap better if I could just plop her down in the middle of a kids cafeteria than if I put her down in her bed. Prime example: today we trekked over to the indoor pool at the Grand Mer Hotel. 40 gazillion kids screaming at the full volume, plus us lunatic parents & of course it's like a sauna in there too. Guess who slept pretty much the entire 2 hours? Charley Cupcake. Personally, I think she's just very considerate of her sister & wishes to allow Mommy some one on one with Eva. Yes, my children are perfect in the eyes of their Mommy. (OK, I admit to a beer or 2 before I made that statement.)
Well, my train of though just came to a screeching halt & I am bloody exhausted. (my use of the word bloody is a tribute to my Nana. cute, huh. hee hee. Oh I am a funny, funny girl.) So, I'm off to the bed.
Miss & Luv everyone!
Counting the days to Christmas!
tiff
(p.s. I can't get my pics to upload right now. I'll try again tomorrow.)
So, my pity party is over. I just had a rejuvenating conversation with Angie, spent a great day with Annie, talked to my Mom & had great news from Michelle that Nicholas is doing fabulous. So, on to the happy stuff of life.
Eva Grace is utterly obsessed with Christmas. I think that this wait for our trip home is going to be a billion times worse than waiting for boot camp graduation day. I've totally done this to myself, since every time she asks about any family member, angie's family & now michelle's family, I tell her we'll see them at Christmas. Guess I shoulda thought a bit about that. DUH. It's kind of like when you threaten your child with taking away TV time or a really neat activity because you're so aggravated you want to spit & then you realize that what just flew out of your mouth earned you the idiot of the month award at Parenting for Dummies.com. OY. But, truth be told, I'm totally psyched about Christmas, so Eva & I can drive each other crazy waiting.
Speaking of Eva...
She is SO grown up lately! She carries on these full on conversations with me and anyone else who will listen. I swear she learns a new word every 5 minutes. And, of course, because I have a penchant for large words, she is quite funny when she incorporates my vocabulary into hers. "Mom, I'd PREFER to watch Dora, not Sesame Street." Her other thing lately is that she has decided that after 3 1/2 yrs of asking me to sing, she has decided that I should no longer vocalize in her presence, "Mom, could you PLEASE stop singing!" Beginning to erode my confidence a bit! Seriously. She has also reached the "JoJo" stage. This is a family stage that my sister & I have been forced to endure from our children that requires that our precious genetic offspring withdraw all forms of snuggling, hugging, cuddling, kisses or any other signs of affection. IT SUCKS. I have now resorted to out and out bribery for even a hug, never mind a kiss. So, you can imagine my surprise & pleasure when my punkin opted to give me many kisses today & told me last night she loved me! She's been really good the past few days & this was just the icing on the cake. Makes all the tough other stuff so insignificant.
Vacation Bible School is fast approaching & I just can't believe my baby is going to a "camp." The time really just flies too fast. I wish I could freeze my babies right where they are & cherish thier innocence forever.
Speaking of babies, it's time for the Chronicles of Charley...
HOLY MACARONI, what a cutie. This child just melts my heart. I spent so much time worrying about how I would feel when my second little bundle got here, always scared I wouldn't do right by her. I never imagined that I could love another human being as much as I loved my first little one. Then she got here & I not only fell completely head over boobie for this kid, but it made me love my Evie even more. Funny, it made me want more babies. We are hoping a 3rd will happen sometime after Charley is 9 mos. Guess we'll just leave it in God's hands. Even more oddly, today made me think I could even do 4. Someone HELP ME, I'VE LOST MY MIND... I'm sure Annie will smack the crap out of me when she reads this, so I'm good.
Charley is still sporting her mohawk. It will totally break my heart when she doesn't have it any more. She gets more fun every day. She coos up a storm. I think she's going to be a VERY early talker. Then today, I swear she laughed when she was hanging out on the couch with Daddy. She is such a happy baby. She smiles all the time & just loves to be around people. I think she'd nap better if I could just plop her down in the middle of a kids cafeteria than if I put her down in her bed. Prime example: today we trekked over to the indoor pool at the Grand Mer Hotel. 40 gazillion kids screaming at the full volume, plus us lunatic parents & of course it's like a sauna in there too. Guess who slept pretty much the entire 2 hours? Charley Cupcake. Personally, I think she's just very considerate of her sister & wishes to allow Mommy some one on one with Eva. Yes, my children are perfect in the eyes of their Mommy. (OK, I admit to a beer or 2 before I made that statement.)
Well, my train of though just came to a screeching halt & I am bloody exhausted. (my use of the word bloody is a tribute to my Nana. cute, huh. hee hee. Oh I am a funny, funny girl.) So, I'm off to the bed.
Miss & Luv everyone!
Counting the days to Christmas!
tiff
(p.s. I can't get my pics to upload right now. I'll try again tomorrow.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)