As If I Didn't Know!

I couldn't find the doll Theo was looking for, so he showed me a picture he drew of her and said very seriously, "This is what she looks like."

My Valentine's Day Smile

Last July, we decided that in order to get some sleep around here, we were going to let Melody start crying herself to sleep. CIO (crying it out, a common method used by parents) usually just lasts for a month, and the baby usually adjusts.

But months later, Melody was still crying herself to sleep. She wasn't scared--she was just crying out of protest, every single night. But that 5-10 minutes of crying in exchange for a full night's sleep were worth it to us. She learned to sleep through the night, which was better for the whole family.

Still, I was sad to be deprived of one of the sweetest joys of bedtime--tucking in your child, kissing her good night, and singing her a lullaby. Whenever I tried to sing to her, she screamed, knowing that meant the next step was my leaving the room.

About a month ago, kind of by accident, we started putting the kids to bed in their room at the same time. Prior to that, we would put Melody down first and put Theo on our bed or the couch, and transfer the sleeping boy to his bed once Melody was finally asleep. But one day she lay on his bed and put the blanket over herself. Once we put her in her crib, she started to yell at us. But the lightbulb went off...hmm, if she sees Theo get tucked in, maybe she'll go to sleep more readily.

That didn't happen at first. She continued to cry when put in her crib. We felt guilty making him lie in bed listening to her cry, but within ten minutes they were both asleep and so we stuck to the plan. Once we bought him a nightlight, he no longer complained. He said he wasn't scared anymore.

Then, a miracle happened a couple of weeks ago. After watching me tuck Theo into bed, Melody lay down in her crib, put her head on her pillow, and pulled her blanket over her. WOW! It seemed too good to be true.

For the past week, she has been going to sleep with no tears every night. Not only that, but she's been going to bed smiling. She even says "Good night, EO. Good night, mommy. Good night, daddy," as we leave the room.

On Valentine's Day I put her in her crib and I sang her a lullaby. She shot me with a grin so big I'm surprised it didn't burn right through me. Thanks for the VDay gift, my little love.

Starring Theo as Baby Bear

Since the minute Theo flew out of the womb (practically literally), I dreamt about seeing him in his theatrical debut. What's cuter than a kid in a bad schoool play? And it didn't get any badder than this.

This one kid broke down into tears, hysterical tears, because his mom wasn't there. Everyone agreed to wait for her to start the play, but by 9:30 (a half-hour after showtime) she still hadn't come so they started. The poor kid was so sad he wouldn't say his lines. The play ended with her entering the room and him running to her shouting MOMMY!

The teacher asked if we'd mind watching the play a second time--and that's what they did! You should have seen the kid's face when read his lines that time. He was beaming. I was so happy! Actually, you can see. Look at 4:09 on the video, there he is.

As for Theo, he was the most excited kid there. He couldn't stop smiling before it started! (photo:right) He said his lines with a high pitched voice the first time and it was hard to hear him (Joe thinks he was trying to be Baby Bear...so does Grandma...I'm not sure. I'll ask the teacher). UPDATE: Theo WAS told to use the high voice! Which officially makes him the best actor in the class!

If you would like to see the first version, I posted it here. 
 

Theo waits "offstage" to re-enter. Could he be any more excited?

This photo is my favorite. He's accusing Goldilocks "Someone's been sleeping on my bed, and there she is!"

Pretty funny that Baby Bear was taller than Papa and Mama

Lucky.

Melody takes me aback every day with new words that come out of her perfect pink mouth. She repeats everything. Like a little sponge, she takes it all in.

Our favorite thing right now is "Yeaaah."
Are you hungry? "Unree. Yeaaah."
Want to go play with Theo? "Eo. Yeaaaah."

Though we also adore her raspy little "No."
Can I have a hug? "No ug" she says, with a fierce head-shaking.
A lady in the pizzeria says hi. Say hi to the lady, Melody! "No hi."

But don't be mistaken--this toddler doesn't lack affection! In fact, she's currently the Queen of kisses. Her newest thing is grabbing my face before planting one on, which kills me. When she gets into kissing mode, she insists on taking turns kissing all of us, over and over. She also offers big hugs, which get me emotional every time.

I know all moms love getting hugs and kisses from their toddlers. But they can't possibly know how lucky they are if they haven't experienced a toddler who can't kiss and hug. I know it's taboo to compare kids, but this blog is about full frontal honesty--and Theo did not kiss and hug at 2. It's OK for me to talk about this. We all know what a mushball he is now. But at the time, I didn't know if he'd ever kiss or hug or say I love you. I was still waiting to hear "Mommy."

Which is why I get that little extra heartstring tug when I open the door and hear Melody shout "Mommyyyyyy!" All moms feel lucky, but I get that extra pang with each kiss.

But hey, guess who's teaching her to be such a good linguist and skilled affectionado--her big brother. Which makes me really, really lucky.

Proud Mama Bear

This stage mom considers Theo the male lead in his class' reading of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. He's Baby Bear. So while Papa and Mama just say someone's been eating my porridge, sitting in my chair, and sleeping in my bed, Theo gets those lines PLUS the qualifiers--And ate it all up! And broke it! And there she is! So that makes him the lead, right? Right?

Can't wait to see him in his first role on Friday. He has his lines memorized, as well as all the lines of his classmates. But he may be very shy and quiet when the time comes. Either way, we couldn't be more excited if he was about to open Hamlet in London!

Confirmed: The Tooth Fairy Came

Mean mom woke up her sleeping boy hoping to capture a rare moment on tape--the discovery of what's under the pillow.

What's cuter than a groggy kid?



I think Theo didn't open the envelope right away because he already knew what was in there, since it's always the same thing. Just knowing the envelope was there was enough for him. I adore the double take he did when he remembered it was morning and realized what that meant, and made a dive under the pillow.