She Laughs! She Loves Him!

Posted by on April 6, 2011 19 Comments

Before Leyna was born, I had a hard time imagining how her puzzle piece would squeeze it’s way into what felt like an already complete puzzle. I worried that Kendall would suffer because of it, or that she wouldn’t get the attention she deserves.

Our puzzle pieces still aren’t perfectly aligned yet. There are some gaps to fill in and some rearranging to do, but every day we get a little closer to forming a perfect new picture from the new pieces. Last night two pieces slid next to each other… and they finally fit.

Kendall and Leyna have had small interactions here and there, but they’ve mainly been ships passing, a sheepish smile or a quick hello exchanged before they moved on. Leyna does adore Kendall, she watches his every move and smiles any time he acknowledges her.

Leyna lives for Kendall to bounce toward her on the trampoline. She lights up every time.

We’ve been trying to get Leyna to laugh for a couple weeks now. She opens her mouth and makes the silent gasp-y laugh, but never anything more. At dinner last night, Kendall let out a loud laugh over who knows what, and Leyna immediately responded, which in turn made Kendall laugh harder, which in turn made Leyna. It was the first of many inside jokes shared between the two of them… and I caught it on camera.

 


Warms my puzzle piece shaped heart.

Kendall is 2 years 11 months and Leyna is 3 months old

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Filed Under: Round 2, Terrific Terrorist Twos |Tagged With: , , |19 Comments

#NintendoEnthused And Loving It! My Solo Seattle Trip Re-cap

Posted by on April 4, 2011 15 Comments

I’m sure you all can gather that everyone survived my trip to Seattle last week. I am actually NOT needed to produce the oxygen that keeps my children and husband breathing, it seems. Though, I could argue that in my absence my children end up looking a wee bit ridiculous (or we could just call it “cute”).

"Dad? Is this really appropriate attire for the batting cages? On that note, BATTING CAGES?"

Don’t worry, I’m told he actually didn’t take them *inside* the batting cages. I don’t know what’s cuter, the above ensemble or the dress she wore to pick me up that was on backwards.

You know how I was saying I sort of hoped my husband wouldn’t have an “easy” time with them? I got a lovely dose of validation in the form of text message the 2nd night I was gone.

Going to bed early. Kids wiped me out. Preparing for tomorrow.

I received it while sitting at a super fancy sushi dinner with hilarious, inspiring bloggers I idolize. It was a pretty great moment, knowing I wasn’t the one in the trenches by myself this time, but instead the one networking and talking shop over an alcoholic beverage in an outfit that was completely free of any and all baby spit up.

And that wasn’t even the coolest part.

Nintendo really outdid themselves for this Nintendo 3DS Summit. We stayed at the lovely Bellevue Hyatt. I had an entire king sized bed and, most importantly, bathroom all to myself for two nights.

"Squish!" That's what it sounded like when I fell onto it. So soft. So fluffy. So obviously missing wandering pacifiers and bed-hog dogs.

And the view!! Beautifully gray. Yes, the gray was actually charming. People from Seattle kept apologizing for the weather, which confused me. Isn’t rainy and gray to be expected in Seattle? Let me tell you, if you come to Texas in August, I’m not going to feel compelled to apologize for our 95+ temps. You, after all, get to leave.

So, the whole point of the trip actually wasn’t to send me on a sanity saving vacation (but super awesome bonus!). It was actually to show me and about 100+ others the MIND BLOWING new Nintendo 3DS. This thing is not your grade school Game Boy. I am not exaggerating one bit when I say this is the coolest game playing device ever (at least in my opinion). It’s 3D without the glasses. And yeah, it may make you feel drunk sometimes (although I learned it’s easy to control this feeling by turning down the amount of 3D on the device by the slide of a switch on the face).

After a super secret behind the scenes tour of the Nintendo building, including a welcome from President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime, and some time trying out a few of the new 3DS games (Nintendogs & Cats makes me wonder if I could convince the family to adopt just virtual pets from now on), we all came home with our very own Nintendo 3DS!

The best part about having a toddler and a newborn is I don’t have to share! Actually, I do plan on letting Kendall play a few games every now and then, especially on long car trips, but I’ll be sure to go into the parental controls first to completely disable the 3D option since it’s not advisable for children under 7 to be exposed to 3D, according to Nintendo.

Y’all, have I told you how much I love this blog and the opportunities it keeps brining me? It has been a dream to align with Nintendo over the last 6 months. They are a brand that’s really doing social media and blogger outreach right. And that is so refreshing, not to mention an honor to be a part of.

Now, I know I still need to get that EA Active group together for those of you who want to workout with me on your Wii. It’s making it’s way back to the top of my priority list, and I’ll let you all know when I have more details. For now, I’m going to sign off, still riding my high from my child free 2.5 days, and go help my husband get the kids in bed. Yeah, okay…. so maybe I missed them. A lot.

Kendall is 2 years 11 months, Leyna is 3 months old, and that Nintendo 3DS is allllll mine!

**Disclosure- Nintendo flew me out to Seattle, all expenses paid, and also provided me the Nintendo 3DS at no cost. All opinions are completely my own.

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Filed Under: Reviews, Round 2, Sponsored, Terrific Terrorist Twos |Tagged With: , , , , |15 Comments

Look At Me! I’m An Ostrich! #NintendoEnthused

Posted by on March 30, 2011 15 Comments

I’m burying my head in the sand right now. I’m ignoring the fact that in less than 24 hours I will be in Seattle… by myself.

Well, not *really* by myself. I’ll be there with a whole bunch of other Nintendo Ambassadors for the launch of the Nintendo 3DS, but I will be there without my husband, without my toddler, and without my baby.

You know? The one who relies on me for 100% of her nourishment? The one who empties my boobs every few hours? The one who was only born 3 months ago? She is going to be half way across the country from me.

::excuse me while I take a minute to breathe through the anxiety::

When Nintendo invited me to this launch last month, I was over the moon thrilled. At first, I figured I’d bring Leyna with me and ask my sister-in-law, who lives up there, to babysit for me, but just thinking about all that would entail made things seem very complicated. I’d have to either bring pumped milk with me or pump enough when I got there to leave with her while I was out, and, after reviewing my packed itinerary, I realized I’d be out a lot. Then there was the whole stress of bringing her on a plane with me and packing the baby gear.

I briefly contemplated retracting my acceptance to the event, but my husband encouraged me to go. He will watch both the kids, he assured me. They will ALL be fine without me, he promised. “Go, have fun, enjoy the break,” he said.

And so he will. And so I am.

The freezer is full of pumped milk, and I’ll be bringing along my Hygeia Enjoye double electric pump to maintain my supply while I’m gone. I’m trying to decide on a bag that I can carry through Nintendo HQ that’s big enough to fit my pump in without screaming, “LOOK OUT! LACTATING MOTHER COMING THROUGH!”

Picking out my wardrobe is overwhelming, but I get the added perk of not having to plan my outfits around easy access to the boobs. It will be difficult, though, to make myself take pumping breaks. I’m thinking I’ll set timers on my phone to go off every 3 hours during the day to remind myself (or maybe I can get away with every 4-5 if I pump both sides at once?).

I still have no clue what I’m going to do with the milk once it’s pumped. I hate to think of dumping all of that, but I also hate to think of the hassle of bringing it all home. This trip is already stressing me out more than I’d like it to, and I think I’d feel better if I allow myself to un-complicate things a bit and not worry about the logistics of storing and traveling home with a cooler of breastmilk. We’ll see. I may dump the stuff I pump while out, and keep the stuff I pump at the hotel as a compromise.

I’ve been avoiding actually getting ready for this trip all week. I don’t know why. I really am quite excited about it. I’ve never been to Seattle, the launch is going to freaking rock. I’m hoping to see my brother and sister-in-law there, and I can’t wait to see Nintendo HQ and be a part of the fun and tell you all about it when I get back. It’s just… deep down… well, I’m a mom, and I worry, and of course, I feel like nobody in this house can survive without me, which I get is ridiculously egotistical on my part.

I’m sure Scott will be fine. The kids will be fine. Everyone will be happy when I get home. Nothing disastrous will have happened.  I must admit, though, the last reaction I want to hear from Scott when I get home was that everything was “easy.” Because, for me, 2.5 days by myself with both the kids leaves me wanting a one way ticket to a tropical island or a treatment center. I sort of hope he experiences just an ounce of that same frazzled feeling. I’m a mean wife like that.

So, here I sit. It’s nap time and I really must start packing, but instead I’m blogging. I should color my hair, but I’ll probably return some emails. I should coordinate all my details and print out itineraries, but I’ll probably work on this yarn wreath I’ve been making. (Note- none of my distractions involve cleaning this house. Procrastination doesn’t work that way for me.) And then, sometime around 10 tonight, I’ll probably be an emotional, ridiculous, bitchy mess getting everything together.

It’s probably best that way. Then everyone will be really happy to see me leave.

I leave you all with a question- What would you wear for such an event when the temps in Seattle are in the 50s and rain is predicted the entire time I’m there? I was thinking some boots over my new Yummie Tummie leggings (wheee!! skinny!!!) and some sort of top with my jean jacket??? But, alas, I am fashion clueless and am open to all suggestions. Also, there will be a night we go out to a fancy dinner. I honestly don’t know what to do with myself.

I guess I need to give some disclosure on this post. Nintendo is sending me to Seattle for the launch of the Nintendo 3DS at no cost to me. I’ll be blogging and tweeting about it as I see fit.

 


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Filed Under: Reviews, Round 2, Sponsored, Terrific Terrorist Twos |Tagged With: , , , , , |15 Comments

Surviving and Recharging While Flying Solo

Posted by on March 17, 2011 24 Comments

Thanks to Crystal Light for sponsoring this post. To learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight.

I picked Scott up from the airport yesterday after a 3 day business trip. It’s something that happens pretty frequently, especially this time of year. Let me tell you, I have a whole lot of respect for parents who do the whole single parenting thing for long stretches. The weeks and half weeks that I’m left to manage a house, two kids, and 3 animals, (who all seem to need my undivided attention at the VERY SAME MOMENT) completely drain me.

Finding time for myself is hard enough when I’m just managing things on my own during the workday. As much as Scott tries to relieve me of all my duties and give me some much needed time to myself when he’s home, it just doesn’t alway happen with so many things going on and growing up around here that really need 2 grownups’ help.

Most weeks he’s home, though, I do manage to get out or decompress in some way, even if that means not coming to bed until 12:30. I’d say the majority of my “me” time happens from 10:30 until midnight.

But when he’s gone? Oh my. It’s next to IMPOSSIBLE. And yet, I know that’s when it’s most important to recharge myself. I’ve learned to cope, to carve out just a smidge of “me” time over the last couple years by doing the following when he’s gone:

1. The house is at the BOTTOM of the priority list. I keep this place livable, one step above gross. Beyond that, all bets are off. If I get around to the laundry, I do. We go out to eat far more when Scott’s gone just so I don’t have to deal with dishes 3 times a day.

2. I take small breaks when I really need them. Sometimes that means turning on a 30 minute show that I know will keep Kendall on the couch just so I can make myself some iced tea, sit down and flip through a magazine. I’ve even gone so far as to load the kids up in the car, drive to the Sonic, get a 1/2 price slush for me and Kendall (happy hour FTW!), and sit in the car and catch up on emails from my phone.

Laundry unfolded, kids in jammies at noon, Disney Junior on the TV... just another day flying solo.

3. My latest sanctuary is the late night bath (I rediscovered their awesomeness while looking for a little buoyant relief while pregnant). The late night part is key. If I attempt to take a bath at anytime while Kendall is awake, he, of course, expects an invitation to join me. I’ve got a stack of magazines, some luxurious bath oils, bubbles and salts, and many times I bring a glass of wine with me. Even if it’s only for 15 minutes at 11:30 at night before I climb into bed, it really helps calm me and get me ready to start all over again the next day when I will wake and…

Leyna stirs, she’s hungry, I put her in bed with me, nurse her and hear Kendall over the monitor waking.

He begins banging on his door, “Momma!! I have to go poopy! I AWAKE!”

I pop Leyna off my boob and dart for his room, hoping I get there in time to get him on the toilet and avoid changing a poopy nighttime diaper (toddler poop is so much worse once you regress back to newborn poop).

Leyna’s screaming in the other room because she wasn’t done eating yet, so I leave Kendall on the toilet, run back to get her.

ALL THE WHILE the freaking dogs are chasing me around the house, back and forth, their noses up my ass, and the cat is weaving in and out of my legs, nearly tripping me, meowing at me for food.

Why does EVERY. LIVING. THING. in this house always need me at the same exact moment?

And so another day begins, and it goes on like this for hours until I decide that I must make a little time for me for fear I might explode from exasperation.

What about you? How do you make time to recharge? What do you like to do? Am I the only one who loses her mind a little bit the first hour everyone is awake in the morning?

Remember, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight to learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors. I was selected and paid for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

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Filed Under: Round 2, Sponsored, Terrific Terrorist Twos |Tagged With: , , |24 Comments
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