Maya and Liam's "House"

Maya and Papa built a "house" out of books, and as soon as Liam was done eating, Maya couldn't wait to get him in the house with her. She was cool with him laying in there until his foot touched her knee, then she said, "No, baby!" and pulled her leg away from him, while she was pushing his foot back over with her hand. It's so funny. She thinks he has control of his arms and legs, so when he does something like kick her, she gets all huffy and tells him, "No, baby!", as she grabs his hand or foot and moves it. Liam just looks at her like, "What's your problem?" It's so cute! I LOVE watching them interact, and I know it's going to get even more entertaining as they get older.

By the way... check out their size difference, or lack thereof (keep in mind, his legs are bent)!

Our First Outing as a Family of Four!

We had our very first outing as a family of four today! It felt good to get out and go somewhere... especially with Will. Usually when we go out, it's me and the kids, me with Maya, me with Liam, or just Will and Maya. It was great to have Will home for the day and to go do something together as a family! We headed to Grand Rapids this morning to visit the Frederick Meijer Gardens butterfly exhibit. After our arrival, we had a short delay to get to the exhibit because it was time for my little buddy, Liam, to eat. I settled into the library to nurse, while Will took Maya walking around the main building. Of course when I finished feeding him, he had a massive explosion in his pants, so I gathered up our stuff and went in search of a bathroom. Finally, with Liam was settled into my Kozy Carrier, we entered the butterfly exhibit. Maya was much more fascinated by the butterflies this year, and she kept holding out her hands saying, "Up, up!"... She wanted to pick the butterflies up... that is until they got near her. A couple of times, one flew right by her as she was saying that, and she pulled her hands in so fast! Maybe "picking up" the butterflies wasn't such a good idea after all!

I'm not sure what Liam was able to see. He cuddled with me in the carrier, sucking on one of the fabric straps, while he observed the activity around him. He was quite content to peer out from inside the carrier. I think his favorite place to be is snuggled up with me, so he couldn't care less about what everyone else was doing. We walked around the exhibit for probably 1/2 an hour before Liam and I just couldn't take the heat any longer. The combination of our body heat paired with the 80+ degree room with 100% humidity finally started getting to both of us. Liam was getting warm and sticky, and we needed some A/C stat. Will and Maya took one last trip through the exhibit before joining us in the main lobby. Maya needed just "ma-moe" (one more) time to see the butterflies. There really were several beautiful butterflies of all colors. It's a great exhibit for anyone who hasn't been, check it out!

After the Gardens, we went out for lunch at Noodles & Co. Maya was starving by the time we got there, so while I was putting in our order, she grabbed a dessert out of the basket on the counter. She chose a rice crispy treat bigger than her head (a girl after my own heart) and attempted to eat it through the plastic wrapper. After paying for the treat, I put it in the diaper bag (out of sight, out of mind for Maya), and we joined Will and Liam at the table. Liam was sound asleep in his car seat, so we gave Maya her drink to get her through until our meal arrived. Both Will and I were a little anxious to have Maya out at a restaurant. It had been quite a while since we had taken her out to eat, and we were in no rush since she started her eating shenanigans at home. However, we have reinstated the rules we used to have (pre-Liam) regarding eating only at the table, only strapped into her chair, and if she throws a fit/food/cup, she's done. Since then, she's been doing better at home, so we thought we'd take a chance in public. While we waited for our meal, another family sat down next to us. They had also chosen a rice crispy treat for dessert and sat it in plain sight on the edge of their table, right next to Maya. Great! There goes my "out of sight, out of mind" plan. Maya pointed at it immediately, and I thought, "Here we go...". I told her she could have hers after she ate her noodles, and that was that. She didn't fuss, whine, cry, or throw a fit!Soon our food came, and she ate her macaroni and cheese with her spoon, just like a big girl (most of the time)! It was only after we finished eating that I pulled out the crispy treat, and we all shared it. Yummy! Shortly after that, we packed up and headed for home.

Maya started to fall asleep when we were just about home, so I spent the last 15 minutes of our trip tickling her and making her laugh just to keep her little peepers open. Well, I turned my back for about 30 seconds, and when I turned back around, she was out. So much for that! All in all, it was a great day! It was fun to go on an outing, all of us together, and I was relieved to see how well Maya behaved at a restaurant. It gives me confidence to take her anywhere without having to worry about her acting out. I know she'll have her moments, as all toddlers do, but any apprehension that I had completely disappeared after today's events. I'm so proud of our Little Miss Maya! This is one of my favorite photos of the day. Look at that beautiful little face! Our baby is growing up to be such a wonderful little girl!

I've NEVER Seen That Before!

The only person on the planet with more tenacity than a toddler is the mother of a toddler. Maya has yet to figure that one out. "Battle Nap Time" began today at 10:15am. I took Maya upstairs to let her run around a bit while I put away her clothes that were piled up out in the hallway (lately, laundry finds itself toward the bottom of my to-do list). As she was handing me the hangers, she started to get fussy, and I could tell that she was exhausted. I closed the closet doors, retrieved her paci, blanket, and bear out of her crib, turned on her fish aquarium, and settled into the rocking chair for just a little cuddling before her nap. She was pretty restless. She kept sitting up and trying to get down. She didn't want me to rub her back, hair, or hand. She couldn't get comfortable with her blanket. Finally, after about 20 minutes of this, I told her it was time to lay down in her bed. Well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. As I laid her in her crib, she started bawling, turned over onto her hands and knees, and proceeded to stand up. I tried to lay her back down, but that just made her cry harder. I decided that she would have to work it out herself, so I walked out of the room. Wrong answer. She rushed to the corner of her crib and cried her eyes out.

Now, let me explain why I didn't just rush in there and rescue her... While I do not believe in letting a baby or child "cry it out", I do believe that families are much better off when children are able to soothe themselves to sleep. Since Liam has been born (and especially since Maya's been sick these last few days), we have all let things slide with her that we would have never let her get away with pre-Liam. Call it guilt. I'd agree. Whatever the cause, it's started us on a slippery slope down a path of absolute destruction. I feel like if we don't buckle down and reinstate a schedule and rules, our household will be ran be a two year old. That's unacceptable, in my opinion. So while the ensuing battle may seem petty, it was the first step in regaining my authority.

I let her cry for about 10 minutes, and when I couldn't stand her crying out, "Mama!" over and over again, I returned to her room. She immediately put up her hands and pointed to the rocking chair. "Rock! Rock!" she sobbed. I sat down in the chair with her to rock and sing. After about 5 minutes, she was just about to fall asleep, so I picked her up and made a move to the crib. As soon as she touched the mattress, she lost her mind again. I told her that it was nap time and she needed to lay down. The sobbing intensified, and I walked out. She carried on and on, and eventually, I gave in again. As you can see, no matter how stern I try to be, I'm really a softy. I'm easily swayed by my baby crying, "Mama! Mama!" It's heart wrenching. I went back to her room for the third time, and she began shouting, "Waher, waher!" (Water, water) I couldn't deny her request for water, so I left her in her crib while I retrieved water from the bathroom. She gulped it down and requested to rock again. I told her we were done rocking, and she needed to lay down to rest. That is definitely NOT what she was trying to hear. She started screaming and jumping up and down in her bed. I turned around and walked out. This time I was determined not to return. Every time I went back to her bedside and didn't get her out of bed, it just escalated the situation. I went downstairs and just sat and listened. She cried and screamed and shouted, "Mama!" I wanted to cry.

Finally, silence. I got up and rushed to the monitor. I couldn't believe she had finally, finally settled down. What I saw on the monitor was quite a sight. Maya was still standing in the corner of her crib. She had her blanket balled up on the top of the railing, her head resting on top of it, her hands holding onto the rail. As I watched her stand there, I wondered why she had stopped crying. Not that it was a bad thing, I just wondered why she had given up. Soon I got my answer...

As she leaned on her rail, about every 20 seconds or so, her little knees would give out on her. Instinctively, she would quickly straighten her legs, not ever moving the top half of her body. It took me a minute to figure it out, but soon I realized, SHE WAS SOUND ASLEEP!! I could not believe it! In addition to her knees buckling, her blanket was slowly sliding toward the other side of her bed, so every couple of minutes, she had to take a small step to the side to keep from falling over like a tree! It was the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen!! I have seen some pretty crazy things, but I have NEVER seen somebody sleep in a standing position! After about 20 minutes of this, she reached the other end of her bed, at which point she woke up. She sat down in her bed and just started chatting away, like she just woke up from the most restful slumber. It was CRAZY! I decided I would go along with the escapade. I went upstairs to get her out of bed and said, "Did you have a good nap?" She answered, "Yeah!" Okay, whatever! The 20-minute-standing-power nap was all she needed. She was happy as a lark and ready to go have lunch!

Later that day, I laid her down for another (more effective) nap, and I didn't quite know what to expect. To my pleasant surprise, she went down without a fight or fuss. I read a couple of books, rocked for about 5 minutes, and she laid right down. She was exhausted. In retrospect, other than her just flat out being a stubborn toddler, I wonder if that was the ultimate indication that she is done with the morning nap. From now on, I'm ditching the morning nap, and we'll see how she does! I've said it before, and I'll say it again... she never ceases to amaze me!!

Maya's First Online Chat!

Maya had her very first online chat today with her Grandma Cindy ("mam-maw"). She thought it was pretty awesome and spent a lot of time just standing there, smiling. It was pretty cute...

They gave lots of kisses, looked at a bouquet of flowers and practiced colors, played peek-a-boo, waved, and Maya showed off her little Dora doll and some mail. Once she realized she could see herself, she spent quite a bit of time talking to her own little picture on the screen. Toward the end of the conversation, she even told Mom that she had pooped! Just what "mam-maw" wanted to hear! She had a great time, standing in her little tower, talking away! We'll be chatting online quite a bit, I think... if only Mom could babysit and change diapers over the internet... that would be sweet!

A Liam-wich

Maya climbed onto Liam tonight and made a sandwich, just as she had done with Erin and Ashley earlier this week. Liam didn't seem to be phased. He just laid there, looking like, "What the heck is going on? Did someone say 'sandwich'?"! I can't wait until Liam is able to crawl. By then, he'll out-weigh Maya, and if he can catch her, she's sure to become the bottom layer of the sandwich!

Oh, in case you're wondering... Maya has not peed on the potty again. False alarm!

Maya Peed in the Potty!

Tonight, Maya was taking a bath, when she stood up and said, "Pee, pee." I asked her if she needs to go potty, and she replied, "Uh-huh." Then, she said, "Pee. Waher (water)." I asked her if she already peed in the water, and she again said yes. She remained standing and said, "Bye, Doe-da (Dora)." I asked her again if she needs to potty, and again she said, "Uh-huh" and started climbing out of the tub. I helped her out, put on her Dora towel, dried her off a little, and assisted her onto her little potty. As she sat there, we sang the "ABC's" (with special emphasis on the "p", which is her favorite letter that she sings right on cue every time), and at the end of the song, she made a little bit of a "straining face", which she often does when she sits on the potty. I didn't think much of it and just assumed that this was another good "practice" potty. She raised her hands, palms out, and shook them back and forth, while saying, "Deee!" (This is her sign and word for "done.") Anyway, she stood up, and to my shock and surprise, there was pee in the potty!!! Not just a couple of drops like she left last week right before she peed on the carpet, but she has actually drained her bladder into the potty! YAY!!! I gave her a huge hug and kiss, told her I was so proud of her, and then, like any enthusiastic mom, I broke into song and dance! I sang her favorite Dora song, "We did it!", replacing the "we" with "you." Then, I switched it up and started singing, "Pee-pee in the pot-ty! Pee-pee in the pot-ty!", while dancing and bouncing her all around the bathroom and in front of the mirror. She had the biggest smile on her face! I think her excitement came more from my enthusiasm than actually peeing in the potty, but I'll take what I can get! After making a couple of phone calls to announce her accomplishment, we eventually made it through the rest of her bedtime routine.

She was so cute at bedtime, too. She has a Disney Princesses Seek and Find book, and there's a certain page that has the Cinderella ball scene on it with several princesses dancing around in beautiful ball gowns. She took the clip out of my hair and had me put it in hers (another obsession of late... "pri-ee" (pretty) she'll say). Then, she took my hands in hers and said, "Up! Up! (as in "stand up") Da-ss (dance)!" We dance around in a circle, around and around. She loves it, and I soak up the moments I get to spend holding her little hands in mine. I know she thinks she's a princess while we dance, and I assure her that she is a very beautiful princess. Shouldn't every little girl believe that?

After settling Maya into bed and feeding Liam, I called Janet, my next-door neighbor, to see if she could come over and sit with the kids. I told her about Maya peeing in the potty, and that I really wanted to go out and get a special potty, a book about using the potty, and some sort of reward chart, snack, or something. She had just got her kids into their jammies, and she said she'd be right over. About 5 minutes later, the doorbell rang, and my neighbor was ready to stay with my babies while I ran to Target. I was so happy to get out of the house and go shopping for my little pottier! I can't tell you how thankful I am to have such great neighbors. It's so nice to have someone I trust to take care of Maya and Liam living right next door! What's better is that I can call her on a whim when I need help, and she's always right over within minutes! What a blessing.

I ran up to Target, and about 45 minutes later, I walked out armed with 3 different potties (one that sings, one that looks like a frog, one with Dora all over it), a book, a reward chart, stickers, and M&M's! I may be way ahead of myself (Janet warned me against being disappointed if there are set-backs), but since Maya initiated it, I thought that I better take advantage and run with it! If it doesn't happen now, I won't be disappointed, but I'm definitely going to give her the opportunity to try. Even if she just goes in the potty after her bath at night, at least she's getting used to the sensation of controlling her pee. That's something! Anything I can do to encourage her practice, I'm willing to try. I'll keep everyone updated on the status! I can't wait to see her reaction to the singing potty! Hahaha...

Scrub-a-Dub-Dub...

...Maya got her baby brother in the tub! Big sister, Maya, helped with Liam's bath today. He really loves the bath, so he was game to kick back and let her scrub him down and splash him with water. Maya got a kick out of cleaning him up, but mostly, she enjoyed playing in the water. When Liam was done with the bath and laying in his towel, waiting to be dressed, Maya stood up on the table and declared, "Bat! Yiya, too!", which translates to "Bath! Maya, too!" She was determined to strip down and hop into the little bathtub. I didn't let her, only because she actually had a dirty diaper on, and I didn't have anything to clean her up with at that moment. Next time, I'll let her into the tub, mainly because I'm dying to see what exactly she thinks she's going to do in there! I found that giving Liam a bath is a great activity for Maya because it takes up a good chunk of time, keeps her busy and happy, and gets Liam smelling squeaky clean. Yummy!

It's fun for me to watch them interact, too. Maya is such a good "little mommy". She's always giving Liam random kisses and hugs, and yesterday she displayed the ultimate nurturing gesture... she tried to nurse him! She wanted to hold him, so she climbed under the Boppy pillow (like I always have it for nursing) and held out her hands. I sat him inside the pillow, facing her, and she lifted up her shirt and said, "Eat, eat." as she pulled his little shoulder toward her body. It was so cute. I told her that she doesn't have any "baby milk". She just looked at him for a second, put her shirt down, looked at him a moment longer, then she said, "deee" (done) while she gently pushed him towards me. As humorous as the story is, it really was a special moment, to see that level of love pour out from such a little girl. You could say that she was just mimicking what she sees several times a day, but I really think deep down it was more than that. Not only does she witness breastfeeding several times per day, but I'm sure she notices that eating is comforting to him. It's a surefire way to calm him when he cries. Although he wasn't crying when she wanted to hold him, it melted my heart to see her attempt to give of herself in that way. It was a touching moment that may never happen again, so I am thankful that I was lucky enough to witness it. Maya is really turning out to be a great, loving big sister. I'm so proud of her.