All posts by Pink Me Not Mom

Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Happy Valentine’s Day

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This is Sophie giving us attitude. She’s been doing that a lot recently. From imitating all of the things we wish Chloe wouldn’t do, to finding her own ways to annoy us to death.

This face, however, was more of a Sophie being silly face while eating a Valentine cupcake. It’s truly thrilling to see what new things she going to do everyday – whether she surprises us with new verbal skills, or acts even more closely like her monkey cousins with her climbing skills – even discovering what pisses her off is somewhat entertaining, once we manage to distance ourselves from her tantrums.

Now that Sophie so eagerly apes her sister, the pressure is on Chloe to behave. But for a 7-year old, that mandate is especially difficult. At dinner, Chloe got up to get a napkin – but she didn’t simply stand, walk and retrieve. She stood, danced (and shook her booty) and eventually retrieved. During which time, Sophie, who usually thinks her sister is the best thing since sliced bread (except when Chloe hits her), stood, danced (and shook her booty) and retrieved nothing.
For a few minutes, dinner devolved into a dance contest.

What to do? They were too cute to get angry. And they did eventually sit back down and finish eating. My husband and I lost control over our girls for a pretty delightful five minutes or so. It wasn’t the first time and it definitely won’t be the last. The joys of parenthood.

Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Lego Mania

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Chloe has rediscovered the joy of Legos. She played with them when she was younger, but until today, she hadn’t tinkered with them in at least a couple of years.

And then, surprise, surprise. When I arrived home earlier tonight, the Village People were waiting for me! OK, not really. But tell me her sculpture doesn’t make you want to sing and dance to “YMCA.”

The unanimous favorite was the clown on the right. Papa knocked over the construction worker on the left, but Chloe handled it extremely well. No tears, no screams. She calmly put the little guy back together and was evidently very proud of her creation.

I love it when Chloe creates something and is proud of what she’s accomplished. It was a great way to end the day.

Chief Mom Officer Musings, Good for a Laugh

Sleep, Sophie, Sleep – Redux

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I first wrote about Sophie’s recent difficulties sleeping through the night a few days ago. But I feel it needs mention again, since it’s now about 11:30 pm on Saturday night, and I am afraid to go to sleep.
The last three nights IN A ROW have been horrible, and last night capped it off. Little Sophie woke up two times – once at 1:30 AM and again at 4:00 AM. Screaming. For the whole world to hear.

Continue reading Sleep, Sophie, Sleep – Redux →

Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

The Great Crib Escape (or Not)

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Sophie is just about 2 1/2 years old. And she’s smart in more ways than one. She is extremely verbal, she defends herself well against her older sister, she knows her shapes. She’s even starting to make serious progress on the potty. She dances and sings. And in a true test of her intelligence, she’s started to imitate our behaviors. Most of the bad ones at that..the heavy sighing when frustrated, throwing things when angry (Chloe hasn’t yet mastered the role model gig), slamming doors, etc.

But for every smarty pants thing she does, some of her other actions perplex us, to say the least. Her mastery of colors is still sketchy (I hope she’s not colorblind – it mostly afflicts males, but you never know). There’s only one pair of shoes that she’ll let us put on her feet (this is reminiscent of the Crocs torture we were subjected to last summer). But what makes us laugh is that she climbs into her crib like a monkey on speed. But even though she’s more than capable of climbing out, she won’t even try. Chloe was light years ahead of her on this score; in fact, she was already in a bed at 2 1/2.

I’ve even encouraged Sophie to climb out of her bed. I know, you’re thinking I’ve got to be an idiot to egg her on. But I don’t understand it, really. This is a toddler rite of passage. They climb (or fall) out of bed, and then climb into mom and dad’s bed. It’s supposed to be a game. Sophie usually loves games. Her lack of interest is slightly worrisome.

On the other hand, she’s saving us money for now. The longer we go without having to buy a new piece of furniture, the better. But, still…Sophie, get your act together! A little rebellion will do you good. Discover the joys of the crib escape before you’re too old!

Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Looking Forward to Thursdays

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This evening marks the start of a new round of “Survivor.” Which means that Chloe and I have something to look forward to enjoying together.

As some of you may recall, I’ve written about her love for “Survivor” before, and I enjoy watching it with her. Definitely a guilty pleasure. When I recently told her that a new season was soon to begin, her face lit up and she grinned a grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat in “Alice in Wonderland.”

I think she likes it mostly because it’s a grown-up show, and she thinks the young, attractive women are the epitome of cool. In this season of fans vs. favorites, she immediately remembered James, the gravedigger, from last season. However, her hopes were dashed when I told her that blond, anorexic Courtney wasn’t selected to return. Then they were raised again – when she saw that Amanda was back.

The show has just started. Micronesia. Downpouring rain. Fun, fun, fun.

Let the games begin!

Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

I’m Sitting Here Watching Primary Returns…

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…and feeling optimistic about the future. Because I have to believe that a talented Democrat,whether a woman or an African-American, is going to win back the White House in November, and put our country back on the right track, both in the eyes of its citizens and in the eyes of the rest of the world.

I voted for Hillary Clinton today. Her last debate appearance convinced me. Her mastery of the issues, and her poised and confident delivery impressed me. And, hell, she is a woman. An extremely accomplished woman, who has succeeded depite all the naysayers, as a senator. And despite the baggage. What politician doesn’t have baggage? And, frankly, I’m not a dreamer. I’m not someone who believes that one person can unite the country (or more important, Congress). To me, that’s naive – a nice sentiment, perhaps, but awfully naive.

I was proud to vote for her, and I hope she becomes the nominee. I want my girls to grow up knowing that, as women, they can reach for the stars and aspire to great things.

And the talk about change (Obama) vs. experience (Clinton) is all well and good, but it is inevitable that a woman in the Oval Office will bring change. Much needed change. And let’s face it, times were pretty good with Hillary’s husband in office before Bush laid waste to everything his predecessor had accomplished.

At the end of this incredibly long primary process, if the nominee turns out to be Barack Obama, I will cast my vote in November with a smile on my face. And with continued hope that someday, before I grow old, we’ll see a woman serving as President of the United States.

Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

One Step Closer to Potty-Trained

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This is our second go at potty-training. And with no more kids coming down the pike, it’s going to be our last (yeah!). Chloe took to it with a bit of difficulty. With her, number two was a piece of cake. But number one took a couple of years.

A few months ago, Sophie started to show some interest in the potty. Every once in a while, perhaps two times a week, she would sit on the potty and try to go. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. But she wsa willing to try, and who were we to say no?

Then, as is often the case with toddlers, she lost interest. Nothing for some time. Lately, however, her potty antenna is up again, and our babysitter has been encouraging her to use it, with some good results.

The latest chapter involves our asking Sophie if she’d like to sit on Diego (the potty seat on the toilet is graced with pictures of the cartoon character – kids’ merchandising at its finest) when we sense that she’s ready to go. Her answer is usually no, and she proceeds to put her diaper to use. But she’s recently taken to asking us to visit Diego when she experiences a break in her movement. So upstairs we go, and she goes to work on the toilet. And she succeeds.

We’re in no particular rush for her to be trained, but we have applied to join a swim club. If we get in (fingers crossed), and if she’s decided she’s able to go diaperless by then, we’ll be all set. Goodbye baby pool. Hello deep end!