A moment of silence

Lord, I am tired.

With Tess and Connor walking I find myself on constant pointe all day long. This might seem an obvious result of having two children to care for but it is combined with the fact that Tess and Connor really don't get along. If I put them in the same area to play, they will, with no hesitation, beat the crap out of each other. Connor is a hitter and his two favorite targets are my hand when I am holding a spoon full of oatmeal or yogurt and Tess' face. On Friday he slapped her so hard she was knocked to the ground and I put him in a baby time-out in his crib for about two minutes while he screamed so loud I am honestly surprised that no one came to investigate what I could possibly be doing to this child. Because I do not want battered and beaten children, I separate them throughout the day and alternate their positions. Connor uses the playyard more because he had a tendency to pull lamps onto his head and eat things he finds on the ground. Tess is a very careful walker and tends to follow me around so I can let her toddle without too much trouble. That is...until her daddy gets home.

For reasons that are unclear to me, seeing as I am the one who gets her dressed most of the time, changes her, gives her most of her baths, feeds her, nurses her three times during the day and once in the night, lets her sit on my lap while I pee because God forbid I should use the bathroom alone and allows her to get into bed with me if she wakes up at five in the morning...if my husband is home, she doesn't want to have anything to do with me.

If he is holding her and I try to take her from him she will scream and bury her face in his shoulder. If he puts her in my lap she will arch her back and smack her head into my chest repeatedly. She also does this if my mom is around. Daddy and/or Nanny = No Mommy.

During the day, when it's just the two of us, she is perfectly content. We play, I get hugs and kisses, she comes to me if she bumps her knee and pulls on my legs while I do dishes. Then, all of a sudden someone else comes home and she acts like I beat her all day long.

Has anyone else had this problem? Because I gotta tell you, I am starting to take it personally.

Tomorrow we have her one year checkup and she will get the chicken pox vaccine which should be thrilling to say the least. I think she got taller but I don't think she gained much weight. She was nearly 33 inches last time, I am hoping she hit 34 and maybe 26 and a half pounds. I will update when I have the stats.

Bed for me now.

The Best of the Season!

I have decided to share with you the winner of my Favorite Holiday Photo. This particular picture is already on it's way to being immortalized into next year's Christmas card. When you see it...and appreciate all that it has to offer, I am sure you will see why.

Without further adieu, here is the winning photo. I call it, "Three Why's"...







For your edification, I have taken the time to point out all of the characteristics or 'why's' that make this photo great. I think that there is no question that these are elements that everyone should strive for when attempting to take a great picture.

First and foremost, there is the overwhelming theme of child labor brilliantly portrayed by my daughter as she clutches a garbage bag and smiles bravely for a camera illustrating the sentiment, "Why does that baby have a garbage bag?". You can't tell, but my husband was brandishing a bullwhip over her head. Turning to my husband for a moment, his contribution to the photo allows us a sneak peek into his drawers, quite literally, as we have a dead-on crotch shot in gaily striped pajamas bringing to the table, "Why the crotch shot?". The third, and I think most powerful, element in this fabulous bit of photography would be my sister standing in the rear decked out in striped socks and polka dot rain boots asking the final question..."Why is that girl wearing rain boots indoors?". Obvious to only the keenest eye, this element is haunting in it's subtlety. Avoiding a potentially photo-wrecking clash, the socks are also in stripes, although horizontal this time to avoid tiresome repitition. The addition of the rain boots, my sister's favorite Christmas present, adds a much needed sense of safety and protection, if you will. Rest assured that she did not remove those boots until three days later.

So there you have it! Christmas at my house, brilliantly captured and now a timeless treasure.