Mommy to Bell, Snow White, Mary and Ellie

After nap today, Ellie, Max and I were playing on the floor in the living room. Ellie was walking around looking cute as ever in her Bell dress. I reached for her and said, "Ellie, will you give you Mommy a hug? I didn't get one after naps."

She falls into my lap for a cuddle and quickly says, "I'm not Ellie, I'm Bell"

I asked, "Well, am I still your Mommy then?"

Ellie, "Yes."

Me, "What about when you are Snow White, who's your Mommy then?"

Ellie, "You are."

Ellie, "and when I'm Mary, you are my Mommy too!"

Me, "So, I am Mommy to Ellie, Bell, Snow White and Mary?"

Ellie, "Yes." and she's back to cooking in her kitchen.

Washing with Olive Oil

Max has a little cradle cap and it keeps getting worse. Google says - use olive oil to rub it and comb it, then wash it. So, tonight I decided to try this out.

Max is a little sensitive sole. He was a sport at first, until I started rubbing and combing. He proceeded to scream bloody murder from that point on until I removed him from the tub after the full hairwash and body wash. You would've thought I was really trying to hurt him.

I'm not sure if it really hurt or he just doesn't like me picking at him. I didn't even get to warsh it all out as well as I would've liked. He smells ripe as used olive oil, which, suprisingly, isn't nice. Olive oil smells nice in a frying pan while sauteing onions, but not in your infant son's hair. That lovely baby smell is all gone tonight. I sure hope it comes back.

And check out the greese streaks and spike forming.

My poor little man couldn't even calm down to get himself to sleep tonight. I swear he was having a little identity crisis becuase he didn't recognize his own little scent. 1 hour and some Tylenol later (Eventually thinking perhaps it's those teeth that have been wanting to come through for over 5 months now), he's finally asleep. (In my bed :-) )

I don't think we'll be doing the olive oil bath and scrub again. I will give it another few months of o'natural healing and hope for the best. Sorry Max!

Kisses

Ellie and I were on our way to swim lessons this morning in the van when Faith Hill's song "This Kiss" came on the radio. I was just signing along. A few minutes into it Ellie says with all seriousness, "Mommy, those girls in that song really want a lot of Kisses."

Ellie is Mary

On New Years Day, the family was over playing games. Ellie was walking around looking like this:

We all asked why she was wearing a blanket and even some tried to remove it while she was running around for the game. She said, "I'm being Mary."

She even insited we call her Mary that night!

January Snow

The snow season is upon us again. Ellie's at a great age for it this year. Luckily David is patient and doesn't mind hanging outside in the snow for long periods of time with Ellie. Last week, Ellie spent 2 hours outside with David while he cleared the driveway from our foot of snow. She just loves tredging through it in her boots and watching her Daddy.

They built a snowman that Ellie was very proud of. She used sticks to give it body parts (so much for coal).

Max and I went out for a few minutes to join them and watch them attempt a few sled runs down the hill. They both said, "It's hard walking back up that hill."

Check out these rosey red cheeks and crazy hair from when she finally came inside. She needed to wear Mommy's slippers to "keep her feet warm":

When are you thinking Max will sleep in his own bed?

I had a much harder time getting Max to sleep when he came home from the hostpital then I did with Ellie. Perhaps I was spoiled with Ellie. Ellie knew it was nighttime and once we did get her to sleep, she always gave me a good stretch of 5 or 6 hours of sleep. This is a lifesaving blessing (for both mom and baby) with a new born. Max was not this way. For the first month, he thought that nighttime was about 6am - 3pm. This is not good when you have a todler who also wants your attention.

Max and I struggled through the first few weeks and quickly developed into a pattern of him sleeping in the bed with me. This was the best way for me to pretend to get a nights sleep, becuase although he was still up alot, I would roll over to tend him and try to stay asleep. There was a brief period when he was about 2.5 months old where I had him transitioned to his crib and sleeping there nearly through the night, untill he developed a bad cough which had me running to him multiple times in the night in a panic. He quickly landed himself back in the bed with David and I, and honestly hasn't left since.

I have grown to love having him snuggled beside me. He snuggles his head right up against my pillow and me at night. He reaches over to touch me to just know that I am there. He's my little snuggle buddy and I am enjoying this. It's especially helpful to have this snuggle time at night to help with the guilt of being away from him all day. (Mom's shouldn't have to work until kids are 5 - I like FRANCE or SWEEDEN or whichever country this is the case in).

Max is now 7.5 months. I keep making up little milestones to say when I will transition him to his crib. First it was when he was better, then it was when he could put his own pacifier in, then it was when he was warmer in the night...

The other night when heading to bed David asks innocently, "So, when are you thinking Max might start sleeping in his own bed? Anytime soon?"

My response, "When he's one maybe...."

I don't think David was impressed, but I am honestly not ready to give up these snuggles. Max is growing so fast. I swear this year has been a big blur. Part of this is still holding on and realizing Max may be my last little baby. They are both special, and if there is a 3rd or 4th they will be too. But I just don't want to rush the milestones we are enjoying.

I think I feel okay to allow this to persist in a way I never thought I would thanks to some final words of wisdom from my favorite Great Aunt Vonita. One of the last conversations we had was when she asked me how was Max sleeping at night. I replied "Well Vonita, I have to admit, he's sleeping with me right now, so he's doing great." She said, "Don't feel guilty Julie. Just enjoy it!"

Thanks Vonita!

Marco, Polo

Recently Max has starting communicating in little cooing grunts. When he wants attention or to say hi or I come in from work I'm greated with a quiet sweet little "Uintttg," sort of like a grunt and definitily a little male sound. It's cute and it's always followed by an anticipating look on his little face.

I look at him and smile and he does it again.

I say something and he does it again.

I have decided it's a bit like the game Marco, Polo. So I have started playing Marco, Polo with him. He grunts, I say "Marco," he grunts, I say "Polo."