Big Girl

Throughout this entire pregnancy, I've been telling myself and anyone who asks "Meh, we're not worrying about getting ready for the baby until after Christmas." Well, guess what, folks: after Christmas is here.

Grammie and Grampy left on the 27th. Before they left they emptied the furniture from our spare room and took a load of things to Value Village for us in their truck. Then we got busy turning our spare room (what we used to call Kent's room on account of the view of the pool) into a big girl room. I cried for most of the day. Talia has changed so much in the last few weeks - becoming a real walker, eating with utensils, drinking out of a real cup instead of a sippy, talking up a storm - and I was suddenly feeling very guilty about the arrival of a new baby rushing her through her babyhood. Fortunately Raine was here to remind me that a) she didn't walk until she was almost 17 months old, so she's had a good run at being babied, b) she is never going to remember a time when she didn't have a younger sibling, so it's not like she's going to be pining away for these days and c) she's super excited about becoming more & more independent. Still, it was hard on Mama.

We finished the room Monday night after Talia went to bed. On Tuesday I was feeling unsettled all day at work, anxious about the transition and not looking forward to what I expected to be a long night ahead. As it turned out, there was no need. When we got home, we turned her loose in her new room and she loved it! She played in there all evening. After supper we did her regular bedtime routine and tucked her into her new bed, where she stayed for the entire night. (Okay, Daddy found her sleeping on the floor BESIDE her bed a few times, but it still counts!) And so far today she's gone down for 2 naps in her bed with no problem at all. In celebration of her big-girlness, we broke out the Tadoodles this afternoon. We made a glorious mess and celebrated with a nice bath.

So, big girl room: check. Now, on to the rest of our list. This weekend we're shopping for a new crib mattress and a (sigh) double stroller. I think we're going to get a sit'n'stand instead of one with 2 seats. And I suppose I should pick up some newborn-sized diapers and perhaps a nice warm outfit to come home from the hospital in. Eeeeep! We're having a BABY!!!!

Conversations With My Daughter

Talia is hilarious these days. Rainer and I spend a lot of time together saying "She's nothing like her mother!" and vice-versa.

These days our funniest, and most annoying, chats happen in the morning. Tally was spoiled for the last 2 weeks because her daycare was closed, so she had a good run of sleep-in mornings. Now she has to get up early, and she is definitely not a morning person. (Okay, that is 100% from me, I admit it.) On mornings when I go to work, I get up, shower, and get dressed before going in and waking her up. Our morning usually goes like this:

Mama (turning on light): Talia! Taaaaaaaaaaaaaally Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaine!
Talia: (mumble, groan)
Mama: You awake in there?
Talia: Noooooooooooooooooo......
Mama: It's time to get up! Wakey-wakey, eggs and bac-ey!!
Talia (covering head with blanket): Noooooooooooooooooo................................. beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.
Mama (sitting down in glider, poking Talia through the bars): Tally, honey, let's go. It's time to get up.
Talia (laying down along the back side of the crib, where her short mama with the giant belly can't reach her): HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Mama (cursing the fact her 1 year old already mocks her): Don't you want to go to Jojo's house?
Talia (standing up so fast she falls over, tries multiple times before succeeding, hands Ted E. Bear to Mama): Do-do?
Mama (in Ted's voice): Good morning, Tally! Let's get ready to go to Jojo's house!
Talia (taking Ted back and throwing him out of the crib): Oh, hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

If we do any of this out of order, Talia is a little bear. I cannot touch her before she wakes up, or she wakes up screaming her head off. I cannot lift her out of the crib before she throws Ted out, or we have a tantrum-filled morning. Once she says "Oh, hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" like she's just noticed I'm in the room, she's her regular, sunny self and we can get on with our day. How is it that my 1 year old is already a teenager first thing in the morning?

Oh, and in case you're wondering, her father can go into her room, pick her up from a dead sleep, and she is instantly wide-awake and charming, and even gives him a big hug. Hrmph.

It's Been A Long Week

Talia goes to a wonderful home daycare. The daycare provider gives them lots of love and attention, amazing and healthy home-cooked meals, takes them outside twice a day, and keeps them happy & busy all day long. Talia loves going to Jojo's house, and usually tries to hide when I get there to pick her up at the end of the day so that she can stay longer. So I'm not sure who was more disappointed this week when Jojo ended up in the hospital, thus necessitating some quality weekday time for Talia with one or another of her parents. I suspect, however, that it may be Talia, judging by the way she yelled and pointed at Mama while talking on the phone to Grammie today. (Back atcha, kiddo. You're lucky the recycling was already picked up this week, or you would have been out in the blue box this afternoon.)

Poor bunny, I can't really blame her for being less than thrilled with our week so far. Usually on my days off during the week, we're fairly busy in the mornings before coming home so Tally can nap away the afternoon. We take in a Moms & Ones preschool program, we get groceries, we usually have an appointment somewhere with a waiting room full of new toys to explore, we hang out at the park, we have a playdate with friends, etc. This week we missed preschool for a marathon eye appointment in a room freshly emptied of all toys (damn you, H1N1!!,) we had a long grocery/Christmas shopping outing that was pretty boring, Mama has been trying to work from home as much as possible (Talia used up all my sick time while she was still on the inside,) and it's been too cold to play outside very much. Plus, 2-tooth Tally has been having a rough teething week - 3 new toofers have finally poked through - so my usually sunny, easy-going little girl:

has been replaced with a whining, grumpy, bored toddler with a sore mouth.

But things are looking up, friends. I have officially given up trying to get any more work done this week and am embracing my time home with Ms. Crankypants! It looks like we might have a break from teething for a little while! Tomorrow morning Sarah D. and her little darlings Lucy and Charlie are hosting us for a playdate, along with Auntie Erin & Edie! Only one more day until Daddy is home for TWO WHOLE DAYS!! On Saturday Mama is going out to see friends Lisa & Kristin in what is certain to be the best production of RENT ever!! And by the end of the weekend, I hope to be completely done Christmas shopping and baking, with only a mountain of perogies left to be conquered. I think I can, I think I can.