The Gateway Cosmetic

So my one fan told me I haven't updated. I guess I should be flattered I have a fan. Thanks fan.

So the house, the kids and the sickness have been keeping me from updating. As my mom used to say when I was growing up, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." Well, it's not that bad, but we have been passing the cold around the house. Well, the girls have been anyhow. Amazingly Mr. D has avoided it, as has Paul.

The house is still for sale. We are more than halfway through our 90 day listing. I think at the end of the 90 days we are going to pull it down for a while and rethink and pray about what to do. We have been going around in circles with our association and the State concerning the sad burned-out hill behind our home. We may end up investing some of our own funds into landscaping, or even more desirable, a nice block wall. If that's the case, we will definitely end up staying put for a while.

So that's the house and the sickness. The kids are good too. I think of cute and clever little stories about them to share, but then just never get around to typing them out. And they aren't so clever and cute two weeks later.

But I've got a cute one for tonight. Yes, it's actually from tonight.

So there's this show on TLC called Toddlers & Tiaras. I've never actually watched the show from start to finish, but have caught enough tidbits to get the gist. It's a beauty pageants for the diaper-wearing set. These little girls are fluffed, styled and made up with oodles of ribbons, lace, make-up, and fake hairpieces. They look like little walking and talking dolls.



There have been a few times when I shake my head as I flip past the show and wonder, "who does this to their 2 year old?"

Well, we don't go as far as the spray tans and false eyelashes around here... yet. We're just sticking to fake curls for now. Grace was super excited to go to bed like this.




I'm not sure why I feel a little guilty about rolling up my 2 year old's hair in sponge curlers. Perhaps I am subconsciously telling her that her straight hair isn't cute enough? Or are sponge curlers the gateway cosmetic and next week I am telling her to stand still until the eyelash adhesive dries? Or is this the start of a lifetime of beauty regimes aimed to improve one's appearance. Really, I think Grace's mommy over analyzes to a fault and the fact is that I just want her hair to look cute and curly for the family picture tomorrow.

Next week we'll introduce her to the eyelash curler.

All These Photos

My computer is getting old and tired. We've had it for about six years - which is what, like 600 in computer years. Plus I realized that it is bogged down with pictures. Serious amounts of pictures.

My mom has a box full of pictures of cute little Sara-baby. She made me an album of my childhood a few years back - taking the best of the yellowed photos, which didn't amount to too many. My life from 0-2 years is depicted in about three pages of photos.

My kids?
Grace can review her life from 0-2 years in about oh, 1,000+ pictures. On second thought, we took about 1,000 pictures alone when we made the 2008 calendar of her last year. Granted, I went back and deleted about 1/3 of those, but still, that was just ONE month.

It's a little overwhelming how to handle all the photos.

My goal for now is to go back through them - weed out the blurry, unflattering, screaming baby shots. Okay, I may leave a few screaming baby shots - I don't want Grace to grow up thinking she was smiling all the time. I don't want to edit her a new reality.

After that, I need to back them up to my external hard drive. I've been printing the best of the best each month and putting them in photo albums. I know many people feel that is passe - but I can't break the habit yet. Besides, who wants to sit in front of my computer and review pictures? I need to be annoying mom and bust out photo albums.

So what does everyone else do these days?

I keep trying to catch up on my photos, but then there are just more there waiting to be downloaded, saved, and printed.

What a Surprise

Kids are just little surprises all the time. Like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.

Last Friday I had an appointment to take Grace in for a hearing test. Since she seems to be a little delayed with her language skills, our pediatrician recommended the test just as a precaution. I could have told her as Dr. Mom that Grace's hearing is just fine. She can instantly recognize the theme to her favorite cartoons from the other room. But then again, there are times when she just doesn't seem to hear me tell her to pick up her toys. And I'll be standing right next to her. Funny how that works.

Anyhow, back to my Friday. Grace woke up at the crack of dawn, okay, 6:20, but way too early. She was cranky, and wanted to eat right away, so we did breakfast and then we had to start getting ready to go. However, her crankiness wasn't soothed by yogurt and peanut butter toast. She didn't want to go upstairs, she didn't want to go potty, she didn't want to get dressed. It's taking all my self-control to remain calm with her.... through gritted teeth.

Finally she gets onboard with the fact that we ARE getting ready, and we ARE going to get dressed, and we ARE going bye-bye. Fortunately, Paul took a nice long morning nap while we got ready.

So we're ready. Finally. And running late. What else is new?

We get to the medical offices. I'm not sure where the Audiology department is located. I'm maneuvering the beast of a double stroller through hallways and on elevators. I find the office. And the doctor has been waiting for me. Yes, cause I'm late.

I apologize. Tell her I was lost... blah,blah,blah. She doesn't look too amused as I squish my beastie stroller into her office.

She hesitates.
"Did you get the letter," she asks me.

What letter?

"The letter that recommends you leave small children at home or bring a companion because you are going to have to be in the test room with Grace. Will your baby be quiet?"

I hesitate.

Who knows? I look at Paul, wide-eyed from his morning nap, and think, "Lady, your guess is as good as mine."

"Let's try it," I tell her. Oh, and I didn't get any letter. I promise.

So we go through all the tests. Grace gets prodded and poked. She takes it all in stride. She even smiles and interacts with the doctor. We leave Paul as we go into a sound booth to listen to noises. He waits patiently, playing with his little chew toy. Never making a peep.

The doctor tells me repeatedly how great my kids are behaving. She says most 2-year-olds don't like to sit still and have things stuck in their ears. And the baby is so good too she mentions.

I don't know what to say. Should I tell her that I suspect that these are some sort of pod children that resemble my own in a freakish way.

But then like I said, kids are just a surprise everyday. I never know what to expect... and sometimes, it can be a pleasant surprise.