Toast 2 Mom

That didn't get any easier...

Along with presents, parties, balloons and cake, turning four also means a trip to the doctor for a checkup. The first part of the check up was fairly fun. We got to see how much Sydney's grown in the past year. How much she weighs, where she ranks with other kids her age. The four year check up is an even bigger appointment than previous years. They took her blood pressure. They checked her vision and her hearing. They even took a urine sample at this visit. Such big girl things now!

Sydney took several trips to the doctor from the age of six months to two years old. We purchased lots of prescriptions for ear infections. She knew the sound and feel of that crinkle paper on the doctor's table...and wanted no part of it.

As she grew, fortunately, we visited the doctor less and less. So going to the doctor wasn't such a dreaded thing. It became sometimes fun, actually, when she would play with her doctor kit at home and then be able to relate it to the doctor's office.

There's not a parent alive, though, that doesn't dread trips to the doctor on the days when there are shots to be administered. I can't even articulate the uneasiness in my stomach before these appointments. A lot of it is irrational fear. The other part of it is knowing what you know and knowing what they don't know.

Shot visits were so very hard when my babies were little babies. But I'm not sure what is worse, a six month old getting shots or a four year old getting shots. Neither is fun. Neither is easy, but it's a toss up what is worse.

Prior to the nurse coming in today to give the shots, Daddio informed Sydney that she was going to be getting shots and that she'd have to be tough. Her response was, "Ok, but do I have to be happy about it or can I cry?"

The fact that she even thought about trying to be happy about it already brought some tears to my eyes. My happy girl wasn't going to be happy for long. The act wasn't pretty...but it didn't last long. The good news....no more shots until she's eleven.

Wow, eleven...that kind of makes me tear up too.

I Got Nothin' But These Silly Pictures...

We're post birthday and post parties and post visitors in our household. Today Sydney went back to preschool. We have the house all picked up, laundry caught up, party decorations put away and bed routines back on schedule... And my thinking cap is still on a hiatus.

I have been feeling like I want to evolve my blog, but I'm not sure into what. This creative block has been weighing me down for some time. I want to write. I want to share. I want to show pictures. I want to do all of this and more....but I want to do something different too. It'll come to me eventually.

For now, though, I'm going to write when I can, post pictures when I can, share stories and funny tales when I can....and hopefully more...when I can.

Today....you get silly pictures. Some days are just like this...

 

Flapper Party Girl

Sydney's birthday party was a big success. She seems to get beautiful weather days for her parties. Each year we've had sunshine and lovely temperatures for her birthday parties. This year was no exception.

This year's theme was a costume party. We rolled with a Halloween theme. It was great fun to see all of Sydney's friends dressed up, running around in their costumes. Mommy had not planned on a costume, but was asked 30 minutes before guests arrived where my costume was. I put together a costume faster than imaginable because I couldn't let my party girl down.

We ate yummy food, decorated pumpkin and ghost cookies, ate Tinkerbell cake and then sent sugar-high children home with their parents to deal with it. :) My girls crashed pretty early, though. It's been a busy birthday week, that is for sure.

Here are a few photos from our celebration fun!

 
 
 
 
 

And Many More, Cha, Cha, Chaaaaaa

Today my beautiful girl turned four years old. It was a wonderful day to reflect on an even more wonderful day...when this girl entered our lives. It's just unreal how quickly the time goes by. I still remember struggling to put on her "come home from the hospital" outfit - so worried I'd break her. I remember her squeaky little cry. I recall the perfect way she preferred I sway her back and forth to calm her. I remember so clearly the way I propped my feet on the coffee table to form a V-shape with my legs and body for her to perfectly rest on me.

And here we are today... Happy Birthday my sweet bean!

MommyWii

As you can tell by the clock, it is late and I'm just sitting down to the computer. On top of planning birthday parties. On top of painting room(s) in my house for the arrival of my parents this week. On top of thoroughly cleaning my house. I got our new Nintendo Wii today in the mail!! :) I've been earningsome points from my credit card for about the past three years. When I noticed how many I had, I looked online at my gift options, and a Wii was one of them.  I hooked up my new gift after the girlies went to sleep, and I've been playing for over two hours now.

OK, to preface this, I am not a game nerd. I grew up wishing I had Atari - but I did not have it. I would go to sleep-overs and swipe my friend's hand-held Donkey Kong. I also did love Pac-Man and Frogger. And in college I had occasionally sore thumbs from Super Mario Kart challenges with my friend (she knows who she is!). But following these times in my life, I don't consider myself a video nerd. I AM however totally stoked at the possibilities of the Wii Fit.

When I heard about all of the options this new system had, I couldn't resist the temptation anymore to distract myself with some new technology. After getting it set up and figured out tonight, I am quite impressed. I set up my "Mii" status. I got my BMI measured. I determined my fitness and fitness age level (eek, glad I've got the Wii now...I need to get in shape).

I've lost weight over time, but my posture, balance and strength (aka - tone) is so very poor. As I am approaching the half-way to 40 mark, I'm finding myself getting more and more vain. That's not a good thing. I catch myself in the mirror and say, "man, I'm looking old today." The impact of aging is starting to become more and more noticable. There's not a whole lot I can do for the wrinkles that I have already made their mark on my face. However I'm hoping I can change the way I hold myself up - and therefore give myself a younger appearance and feeling.

I don't know, we'll see how this goes. I'm not sure how to track my progress from my blog. But I'll try to keep you posted on whether I get beyond "novice" and "beginner," two words that kept flashing on my television screen tonight - ouch!

Now, I'm going to take my Wii self to bed...

Now I Know My ABC's

Click below....

Cheekers Performs the Letters

Are you sure you know what you're doing?

For some reason, on an almost daily basis lately, I get asked by my (almost) four year old, "Mommy, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

I have no idea where this question came from. It's not a question she hears me say to Daddio. It's not a question he says to me. It's not a question I ask of her. But for some reason or another, she feels it is necessary to ask this of me. I'll get asked this while driving. Orwhile walking around Target. I get asked this while making dinner, looking for objects around the house and a number of other situations.

My response to her always is "yes, Sydney, of course I know what I'm doing. Does it look like I know what I'm doing?" She always replies yes.

But... the truth is, sometimes I don't know what I'm doing. My life did not come with a step-by-step guide book. And there's certainly not a collection of chapters on parenthood. Up until now, I hope that even if I don't know what I'm doing it at least looks like I know what I'm doing.

But as my girl ages and becomes wiser, I'm not sure I need to keep saying to her I know what I'm doing when I don't. Because it's OK to not knowing what you're doing sometimes. And it's OK to let others know that you're not sure what you're doing. It's in those times of uncertainly that it's nice to have the help. And my Sydney... she is a really great helper.