What Does Gator do all Day?

I have been looking over some of my posts and they seem very Baby Girl oriented...and I was sad as a Mama...what about Gator???

Well, Gator starts her day between 5am and 7am...I do my best to try to get her to "rest" until 8am, but that is a rare occurrence.

Then she will eat breakfast...a couple eggs, or oatmeal, or a bunch of pancakes (she LOVES pancakes...I try to hide fruit and other good for you stuff in the pancake when I can)...she will then mess around the house and play area for a bit...climbing what she can, waking up sister, getting into the bathroom...the normal 13 month old stuff.

Then between 9am and 10am I'll put her in her bed and she will take a nap...anywhere from 15 min to 2 1/2 hours....she really is very UNpredictable...

After her long nap she will have lunch...then she will play more with her sister...I try to have out a different basket of toys so she can empty the bag or basket...she really likes to empty things...

Then it is usually time for us to get ready for whatever afternoon, outside the house activity we have going on...Mama works 3 days, we have dance classes, we run errands, or we go visit Mimi.

and that my friends is a day in the life of Gator....

when we get home from our activity...Gator fusses until supper, then she will eat supper...then we let her play with Daddy for a bit...

Then its change, get ready for bed, and off she goes....to dreamland...unfortunately for Gator or me depending on how you look at it...that only means a few hours until we have to settle her back down, repeat process every few hours until I give in at 7 or 8am and let her up to begin the day again.

During her play times, I do try to get down with her and read and play and focus some one on one time with her...mostly she likes to fuss or ride my hip...or climb the dishwasher...or the chairs, or her sister....we should have called her Monkey...not Gator!!! Maybe I will fill you in one day on how that did come about!!! Its funny and it really fits her!!!

Playtime at Our House

For all the folks who think I have been bragging about all the great and wonderful things going on over at our house...here's a quick peak at more of the reality of our house. Don't do it, but if you look closely at all our pictures I have laundry piling up (clean or dirty...take your pick), clutter to put away, toys to be stepped over or on...and notice the girls are almost always in PJs...we may eat good and strive to spend zero money(though we are far from this goal...budgets are a constant battle), and I put a big focus on educational toys...I am just a normal person, who is a mom. I hate cleaning, getting up early (though my kids do), and at the end of the day I have more left on the "To Do" list than crossed off.

 An empty laundry basket became a fun toy for a long time.

Playing with Gator's clock.

Teaching Gator how to take care of the baby.

Gator's favorite thing to do, empty things.

Baby Girl loves to color, but we have to do that up high, out of Gator's reach.

So, there you have a glimpse into the daily happenings around here! Next time Baby Girl stomps off because I said no or Gator screams because she can and is refusing to sleep...I will try to remember to grab the camera...those moments happen here too!

Have a great day!

Popsicles and Gator

I bought some Popsicles a few weeks ago when Baby Girl was feeling under the weather. I never got around to letting her have any of them back then. Lately, she has been having one a night after supper as "bessert" (dessert)...good thing I got the ones made with real fruit juice.

Abby wanted the Popsicle from her sister...so I let her try it...oh my, how funny...she kept coming back for more...

Notice Gator in the background...upset because she wants the Popsicle!

"Hmmmm, cold....yummy?"

Fortunately for us, Baby Girl LOVES to share....sometimes to a fault....she will gladly share her Popsicles with Gator.

We did find out the other day that we shouldn't share suckers from the bank with Gator. Gator realized that she likes those too...and she figured out if she clamps her teeth shut on the stick, Baby Girl cannot get the sucker back. So, needless to say, we are trying to keep Popsicles and suckers out of Gator's sight for now. (I know, what a mean Mama I am....remember my kids eat really good for them food....treats are not really an option in the house....they only know healthy! My plan is to keep it that way for awhile.)

Baby Fashionistas?

Ok, I have never been a SLAVE to fashion, but I always tried to look nice and sort of be in style. Then I got married...as long as Hubby was happy I looked good, right? I have never turned down hand me downs...and I always said yes to the hand me downs from my more Fashionista type friends...

Then kids...and add in the fact that I spend more of my life in PJs and dance clothes (glorified PJs on some days!)

Well, Baby Girl has almost always had a bow in her hair that matched her outfit that well, was very stylish! The more oohs and ahhs I got when in public...the better mommy I am, right??? Then Gator came along...well, her personal style is a little different that Baby Girl's...but I do manage to get a bow or two in her hair during the week and I always try to match the girls...at least in the same color scheme (way easier to spot your child from across the grocery store, since they managed to escape from the buggy, when they are in the same color).

Again, the more oohs and ahhs I can recieve from strangers...the higher my mommy-confidence goes. Now I know your are picturing well groomed children in sweet matching white outfits with bright big blue bows in their perfectly combed hair, being pushed in a buggy by a woman with the same adult version outfit on, perfect nails, hair and make-up...matching shoes and handbag...ok. You. Are. Wrong. (By the way, does that exist in a world without Nannies and salaries without muliple commas? If so, share your secret please!)

Reality: Children are cute, and wearing very stylish (hand me down/consignment sale) clothes, rather matchy (for safety reasons), with cute hair bows (as long as Gator hasn't pulled hers and Baby Girl's out).

Reality: Mama...wearing the jeans(either bought many moons ago or handme downs) that are the cleanest that she could find (or the only ones she can find, sprayed with frebreeze) with a nearly clean shirt....hopefully her right shoe matches her left shoe...hair is always up...ponytail, bun, clip....anything to make it appear cleaner than it is....make-up??? are you nuts? I am still trying to remember if I had time to brush my teeth...ok wait, if medicated chapstick counts as perfect make-up, then yes, perfect make-up.

Oh, Lord forbid, the entire family has to be somewhere, looking nice and put together...I start getting us all ready days in advance!!!

I know I am not the only one. I may be the only one willing to admit it. It's the truth...as long as the kids are cute and put together...people in public nearly always comment on the kids, interact with the kids...nobody really looks at Mama...and its ok, since its not the prettiest sight to be had. (maybe people aren't looking becasue they are praying you won't notice their right and left shoe don't match!)

To all the Mommies out there...hang in there...it's the best job, it's the toughest job, and it is the most worthwhile job that I have ever had...hang in there, we're in this together!

Park Day!

Only in the south will you find Daddies out hunting the last weekend of January, and Mommies and kids picnicing at the park...did I mention it is the last weekend in January that we are doing this?

The girls and I got up this morning and were greeted with sunshine and warm weather...getting near the 70s today!! So, I figured let's head to the park...and that's just what we did.

We put on our jeans and our long sleeved t-shirts (just in case the wind was chilly) and headed to the park. Baby Girl played on all the playground equipment and Gator tried relentlessly to eat the pea gravel. Two long hours later, I called Baby Girl over to a picnic table and we had a quick lunch. I packed up a VERY tired Gator and we made the short trip back home.

As I drug our weary bodies up the front walk, I laughed to myself...only in the South. I hope the girls had a good time, and take a long nap. The next park day may be far in the future...it is the South, and who knows we have snow again that keeps us frozen inside the house!

Homemade Baby Food

One of the things we did differently with Gator vs Baby Girl was that I made her baby food. In a hopes to save some money, I tried my hand at it. And the fact that Gator had ZERO interest in baby food, we were willing to try anything!. We figured, try it and save - YEAH! Try it and bomb - at least we tried.

I hit the produce section. I got a pound of every fruit and vegetable that seemed good for a baby. Then I got to the task of slicing, dicing, steaming, processing, and freezing. Yes, I did large batches and froze them in ice cube trays and stored in freezer bags.

At the end of the day I was tired. Baby Girl felt like a grown up (she LOVED holding the button on the food processsor...she's such a great big sister). And Gator ate it! Really ate it. In fact, she loved the homemade baby food! And I loved it!! I could get $20 of produce for her and make nearly a months worth of baby food. I could never have gotten $20 of jarred baby food to last almost a month. I even added rice cereal to the veggies and meats, and oatmeal to the fruits. I had all of her nutritional needs covered!!

Here's a site that helped me with ideas for good veggies and fruits.
Then came the day that Gator needed more finger food than baby food. I was sad. I had enjoyed my cooking days with Baby Girl. I enjoyed watching Baby Girl wanting to help make Baby Sister's food. She really LOVED it.

I still make Gator's toddler food, somewhat. She eats pretty much anything we do now. As long as she can pick it up with her fingers, she'll eat it. And I know my days of making "her" food are numbered. (Yes, I know, I'll be cooking for her for many years to come...but its not baby food!)

I never thought (A) I would enjoy making baby food as much as I did (B) I would miss it so much.

Anyone else have a similar moment/event as a parent?

What do you miss the most as they grow, that you didn't even think you'd enjoy in the first place?