High heeled babies and thoughts on being Mom

The other day I turned the corner and saw this and then ran to get a camera. I rarely wear heals, only when dressing up. Why is it that when trying to be "grownup" both my girls put on my heels and walk around proudly doing "adult" things as uncomfortably as possible? Probably for the same reason they love to wear dresses, especially princess dresses. Like one of Jackie's favorite literary characters, Nancy, they like to be fancy! I also like how Bridget has dishes, food and a book in the basket and then cars and trucks in the bottom. She's well-rounded in her interests!

Still, it's endearing that they seem to want to be like their mom. One of Jackie's favorite games to play with friends is Family and she and her friends fight for the role of Mom. I'm kind of surprised when I watch, because in the wide world out there it seems many find the role of Mom less glamorous than, well, anything that pays more. Still, just as I found my low-paying writing positions immensely rewarding, so do I find these moments I get with my girls. I was surprised when I had children at how rewarding, intellectually stimulating and demanding in a fun, creative kind of way, I found parenting. Of course, I was terrified of parenthood, half convinced it would ruin my life. I'm happy to report it hasn't, yet. There's a new rhythm to learn, though, with joy to be found.

A bedtime moment

It's 8:18 p.m., which means it's 18 minutes past my three-year-old's bedtime. She's sitting on our green, red and gold plaid couch cushion on the floor of our Ann Arbor townhouse, ready to jump on her make-shift trampoline, even though she's not supposed to jump on cushions. Mommy's feeding little sis' and tells Daddy to put the three-year-old, who didn't take her nap, to bed. Life in our new home here is good, but both adults are already looking forward to rest.

"Go to bed, Jackie," Daddy says.

"No, I want to do my jumping," she says.

Renn looks at his iPad a while longer, while Mommy feeds Bridget and types, then Daddy tries to encourage Jackie to go to bed. Finally, Jackie issues these words of wisdom:

"I'm too tired to go to bed."

That remark prompted me to finally update my blog. Meanwhile, Renn gets Jackie to go upstairs and a few minutes later, Bridget and I go up and see this:

After writing this blog, Bridget and I went to check on Jackie and found her and her daddy sound asleep.

Something to celebrate: our six-month birthday tradition

Sometimes it's fun to do something totally frivolous, like celebrate a six-month birthday. My mother started the tradition, something that I never thought twice about until my mother-in-law got a kick out of this picture in my wedding video:

The six-month birthday cake my mother made me

Bridget's five-month milestones

According to Bridget's doctor, she was ready for rice cereal at four months, although Jackie's doctor had advised holding off until six months. Since Renn and I found the latter advice more in line with our philosophy, so far we've waited. We'll let her stay a milkitarian baby a little longer.

Cinderella goes to the ball after marriage and two children

When Cinderella's fairy godmother appeared, did she also give her a bath? Do her hair? 

I wonder because Saturday when the clock struck 10 p.m. I finally did get to go to the ball, thanks to my fairy godmother (i.e. a friend and visiting teacher who offered to watch my kids).

But before that happy moment, I spent a whole day with time running out.

When the clock struck 7, 8 and 9 a.m. I was making biscuits for breakfast, helping the two sweet baby sisters eat breakfast, and taking a shower, hoping to go snowshoeing.

When the clock struck 10 a.m. I felt weary, and just needed to sit down. Perhaps my lack of sleep, due to my nearly five-month-old was showing, because I felt a sort of exhausted sick. I ended up falling asleep and when I woke up I felt much better.

When the clock struck 12 p.m. We still needed to get too many things done to go snowshoeing, in order to prepare for the ball! I began sweeping the floors, then warmed up leftover soup for lunch and fed children.

When the clock struck 2 p.m. I somewhat grumpily attended a leadership meeting with my husband and my two children, hoping to go snowshoeing after.

When the clock struck 4 p.m. it was over and the greater vision I had for life more than compensated for the lost two hours, but it had taken long enough we postponed our snowshoeing.

When the clock struck 4:30 p.m. I was serving hotdogs for dinner and then was cleaning the bathroom.

When the clock struck 6 p.m. I told my handsome prince that I needed to stop cleaning and start getting ready. He was still washing dishes, putting away laundry and placating children. Shall we call him Rennderella? But, there's a reason princes don't need fairy godmothers in the old stories. It takes them like 30 minutes to get ready. To look extra nice that evening Renn did spend an extra 30 seconds putting some gel in his hair.

As the clock struck 7:30 p.m., I had finished pumping milk for my daughter, and was in my bedroom feeding my baby, half dressed, thinking I'd failed with my hair, and then my fairy godmother arrived. I told the prince to tell her I'd be right out and I was. She said I looked great. I told her my dress had come for the magical price of $1 from Keewanaw Consignment where they were clearing out the old stuff, priced just right for a graduate student budget. She took our picture and we were off to the Library Restaurant, a wonderful kind of place where they decorate with books and letters of the alphabet.

At the Library Restaurant, I took more pictures, enjoyed a dinner of salmon and Mediterranean salad (my husband and I always order two platters and then split each in half),

and attracted the attention of a boy at the neighboring table who seeing me with my camera and fancy gown, asked if I was a spy.

Then my husband and I went to the Snow Ball -- frequented by first year students -- and at first thought all everyone did was sit at the tables and talk.

But, when the jazz band started their tunes the couples came out and turned, swang and swayed.

Renn and I chatted with a retired couple who took a picture for us

and then danced part of a swing song and all of a slow song, before hurrying home to get our kids before the clock chimed 10:30 p.m. We were late by about five minutes. Fortunately, I brought boots and slipped them on to walk through the snow to the door as my glass slippers vanished into thin air.

Meme: Thoughts on bad weather, marriage, movies, motherhood and majors

I was tagged by Lara who responded to a meme. Now, not being an avid reader of blogs, I had never before heard of a meme. While, the concept seems similar to a chain letter -- something I'm not too keen on receiving and try not to forward -- the questions were interesting, and I was flattered to be tagged by a REAL blogger. Then I made my best effort to respond, only to struggle, write and rewrite, especially in response to the first question. So, sorry for the ongoing edits the last few hours. However, I'm finally happy with my response and don't plan to change it again. And, I found it satisfying to look around inside myself to try to understand my thoughts -- one of the reasons I love writing!

1. How do you cope with the yucky season where you live?

Right now the sky is a cool gray and it is cold. The day's half over and I don't anticipate much change in brightness or warmness, except that it will eventually get darker and colder. It will get better over the next month or two.

This is an interesting time in my life anyway. A great quiet after a torrent of busyness. For the last few months I've had the luxury of long, quiet hours with my two daughters. That sense of luxury can make even gray days beautiful. Some days as I soak in the warmth of radiant heating and look out the window above my row of fresh herbs growing on the sill, I dream of blue skies, warm afternoons and walks with my daughters, and berate myself that I don't bring them outside more. Maybe today. Still, the cold gives me a desire to stay in these small, warmly heated rooms. I will go out and hopefully soon. My husband and I go cross country skiing on date nights. (We found old-style skis for my husband and I for $10 a pair from a couple of snowbirds and were given a hand-me-down kid's pair for our two-year-old, and so it's not too expensive for our student budget.) We tried it once as a family, with Bridget in my Moby wrap, but it made me too nervous that I'd fall on her and she'd get hurt. She's only four months, after all. So, for the rest of this year if we take Bridget skiing, the person holding her will be on foot. However, the added stability of snowshoeing makes it something I can do with both my daughters. My two-year-old now owns her own snowshoes (her main Christmas present) and the younger one rides in my Moby when we go out. There are other things I love about this time of year. I enjoy watching the ice sculptures of palaces, people and imaginary beings rising up for Winter Carnival. Icicles, snowflakes, and dense forests seem almost romantic to me.

Inside with our radiant heating, my two-year-old and I fill our day with art projects, music, reading books, and occasional television shows, and I stay busy administering breakfast, snacks, lunch, naptime, potty training, along with washing mounds of laundry, cooking dinner, calling relatives, taking care of baby Bridget, etc., etc. So, I suppose I cope by cultivating a sense of wonder for the everyday moments, and also finding time to continue to develop my talents. When I do feel fear, depression, worry and so forth, I try to set a new goal with my writing or photography, or perhaps forget myself and look for someone to serve. (My mother would always tell me that when I was feeling bad for myself I'd feel better if I'd spend more time thinking of others). Or, sometimes I just need to get out and go to the library or on a walk. Lastly, sometimes I just try to accept that there's nothing wrong with having a good, depressing day now and then -- and then move on.

2. Tell me something you like about me or my blog? (I need a little self esteem boost lately)

You make your family a high priority and it shows in your life and in your blog. I admire your daughters' broad smiles when my daughter runs over to them in excitement and how they come up with funny games to play with her -- like Sophia letting Jackie push her and pretending to fall to the ground dead -- building up Jackie's confidence and helping her feel loved. I also admire their musical skills, cute personalities and fashion flair -- all a good reflection on their mother :) In addition, you have many talents, like singing, photography, and blogging, which you take the time to develop and use to serve others.

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3. Name a movie you can quote several lines from.

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I'm not a huge movie buff. So, I'll have to revert to the overquoted Princess Bride:

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"Maarrrriaage is what brings us together today."

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Oh, wait, I'm struggling to think of any more lines ...

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Did I mention I'm not a movie buff?

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4. Least thing you like about mothering.

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Car seats have to be among the worst, especially when you have a five person coupe, that with carseats added only holds four. While I want my children to be safe, the frustration of leaning over the front seat and putting them into the car seat, often meeting a loud, "No," from my two-year-old, and then taking them out has the effect of making me not want to go anywhere (I still do go) and if I need to do an errand, I'll always choose the drive-through option, where before I liked to go inside and talk to people face-to-face.

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5. Favorite thing about being a wife

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Always having a date. Of course, those dates go better because I was lucky enough to marry one of the nicest guys in the world. (So, cheezy, I know.) Plus, it's fun to work with him to raise our two daughters!

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6. If you could've majored in anything in college, without thought to what you'd do with it afterwards, what would it have been?

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I was fairly idealistic in college and wanted to be a writer. That's why I majored in journalism and later earned a Master's degree in American Studies, with an emphasis in nonfiction writing. I became a writer and plan to continue to write. I enjoyed those majors, although sometimes I have a moment when I wish I would have chosen something like teaching high school, speech pathology, dentistry or medicine, which are quite marketable and present so many options. But, most days I don't regret my majors. I'd still like to complete a couple of others, given unlimited time. For instance, I would have loved to complete a degree in fine art as I want a foundation in art theory. I also wish I knew a few more languages ... Really, I just like to learn EVERYTHING. I also miss math and some days wish I could go back and take calculus, and maybe physics (somehow I haven't taken physics since around Middle School.) I'm sure that would lead to some fulfilling conversations with my dad and brother Brian, who majored in math and physics, respectively.

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This is where I'm supposed to tag someone, I suppose. Oh, wait, I hate sending on chain letters. I guess I'll tag my sis', Christie, and my sister-in-law Tiffany. They'll like me anyway, after all. (Sorry you two, I'm not even a professional blogger and so there's no incentive at all to comply :) But, if you feel like it, I'd love to hear what you have to say -- and it's kind of fun.)