January 2011

Things Jeff and I are learning:

*Lucy, you really like to be naked from the waist down. You have been known to strip off your socks, pants, and diaper in record time when you're supposed to be napping. So far, no dirties...

*Outie belly buttons should be gently finagled inside out more often than once every 14 months to clean out debris. Jane, I don't know what you were storing in there, but seriously. Seriously.

*Our girls have minds of their own. This is a good thing, sure, but I'm surprised by how quickly it has happened. Por ejemplo, if I had a say in it, they would both be delighted to see (and eat) the next homemade (and delicious and relatively healthy) thing we put on their plates. As it turns out, that is actually not at all what happens. Generally, there is a decent amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth (or gums in Lucy's case), and more often than not, the kitchen ends up looking like a small junior high food fight took place. My other example is about books. We have some really lovely little kid books. Funny ones even. With great pictures. What does Jane want to read? What does Jane pitch a fit about if you try to take it from her? What does Jane cart around with her while she's wandering from room to room upstairs? Tony Robbins. Don't tell me it's a coincidence that this kid's book of choice is "Awaken the Giant Within".

*Sometimes, a little distance between cribs is necessary to prevent one sister from trying to bite off another sister's finger.

*It's hard not to cheer a little when there are stair races going on.

*It doesn't matter how many times we vacuum, sweep, or pick up. We will forever be cruching cheerios under our feet.

AND, my most recent life lesson: I'm going to try really hard to stop judging parents from Johnson County whose kids wear Uggs. Perhaps their grandparents gave them to the kids for Christmas. Perhaps it makes the kids really happy to wear them when they fight their mom about putting on any other pair of shoes. Perhaps they're deliciously warm and cozy and look crazy cute.