The Return of Silent Movies

In a recent interview, Kirk Douglas said that when he had his stroke he could no longer speak so he was just hoping that silent movies returned.

I will never again go on a cruise. Not after watching Poseidon on mute. This movie might have fared far better in the theaters if it had been marketed as a silent movie. Nothing like watching people drown in silence.

A child was one of the main characters in Poseidon and since being pregnant with Bella, I cannot watch children suffer on TV, movies, the news or in real life.

My heart raced, I felt short of breath and I clinched the covers with my hand, squinting my eyes to see less misery, taking care not to wake the tiny sleeping beauty next to me. It was more torture than entertainment. Had the sound been on, I'm pretty sure it would've driven me to change the channel.

If you are trying to be sweet to whoever you snuggle with by keeping the TV muted, it is best to watch action shows/movies as opposed to Shakespeare. Takes alot less brain power to follow along. Unless it is a Will Ferrell movie, God love him, no brain power required, muted or not.

Oh, and the new series Dirt on FX with Courtney Cox? That show, muted, is utterly ridiculous. I won't bother watching it with sound.

In conclusion, here's to dry land! CHEERS!!

Pacifiers Suck

Hello, my name is Jenn and my daughter is a paciholic. We both need help.

You think I'm joking. I am not.

It is completely our fault for not getting her off the pacifier before age two. When she had her teeth grinding issues, the dentist said the pacifier would at least help curb it and prevent further injury to her teeth. Apparently, that didn't happen since she had to have surgery anyway.

I'm sure all you moms have heard it debated: thumb vs pacifier.

Bottom line, neither is good!

What I have now is a nearly 3 year old pacifier addiction. She seriously thinks she has to have it. It is no longer a want, it is a need. The dentist explained this to me and we witnessed this weekend just what he meant. When it came naptime for an extremely exhausted little girl who couldn't find her pacifier, the drama that played out deserved an Oscar. We were in the country and my husband was ready to drive 30 minutes to the closest store for a pacifier. We found it, thank God, and the poor thing slept for 3 hours.

Amanda, wise as a teacher and wise as a sister, has told me what I know deep in my heart. We're gonna have to just take the pacifier away and deal with the tsunami of tears, hurt and heart-wrenching begging.

I can't stand for my children to cry. I truly believe there are better ways to handle things than to let a child go from tears of unhappiness to sobs of desperation. However, I cannot let her go beyond age 3 with a pacifier. Her upper jaw is unable to grow properly because of it. She can't put her teeth together in the front! If we end the pacifier use by age 3, she has a 99% chance of her jaws righting themselves.

And it is our fault that we are in this situation. As parents, we should always have our children's best interest at heart. But knowing when to intervene is the tricky part.

If your child is using a pacifier and he or she is past age 2, be prepared for the ugliness of pacifier addiction. If yours weans herself on her own, be very thankful!! If not, my heart goes out to you and your little one.

Thank goodness Ava takes neither thumb nor pacifier. Just boob. And that is A-Oh-Kay. For now. :)

Mmmm..mmmm...Good

While Bella may want puppies in her tummy, Ava wants FOOD!

She showed an interest in food early on but I waited until a little over 5 months to start giving her food once daily. She's had rice cereal, pears, sweet peas, avocado and banana. LOVES the banana. While I'm a believer in fresh foods, I will buy the organic Gerber foods early on for the convenience.

How about you? Did/do you fresh squeeze your babies' juices, steam n' puree fresh veggies, mash delectable fruit?

Do I Have Puppies In My Tummy?

That is the question asked yesterday.

We've had our first toddler version of the birds and the bees. It was humorous and confusing for both of us.

It all started when my aunt got a new teacup Dachsund. Oh yes. It is even SMALLER than a miniature Dachsund. Her name is Minnie and she's the cutest, tiniest weenie dog ever. I will post a pic of her when I retrieve my camera from my MIL's house. When your two kids are bawling and screeching cuz it is past naptime, you tend to lose your wits as you bolt to your vehicle with them.

When Bella woke up from her nap, the first thing she asked for was a puppy like Minnie. She will name it Mickey Mouse.

I told her that maybe her grandmother's black weenie dog (Maggie) would one day have puppies. Bella wanted to go to Gran's immediately to get her puppy. Thus began the long conversation:

Mama, I want a buppy for my OWN.

Well, Maggie hasn't had puppies yet.

Theya not bone yet?

No, honey, they are not born.

I'm not bone yet?

Yes, you are born. The puppies are not.

Do I have buppies in my tummy?

No, dogs have puppies. You will have human babies when you are a grown up.

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? (the word "why" always sounds so nasal)

But I want to have a buppy, not a uma baby. Can we go to the hospial to get one?

Husband chimes in.

Bella, puppies don't come from the hospital. The mommy dog gets pregnant and carries the babies in her tummy like your Mommy carried Ava in hers and then one day the mommy dog gives birth.

Bella and I just stare at him.

Mama, can I have a buppy now?

Grin n' Piglet

Will her gummy smile at age 115 be this cute?

Still Kickin...

Hello, everyone! I finally found my way out of the mountain of laundry in time to post before the week's end.

We returned from visiting my family on Sunday and it has taken this long to get our life somewhat back on track. Working to get Ava back on a sleep schedule just so we can screw with it all over again in two weeks when we go see more family!

I love to see my family. While it isn't necessarily relaxing, it is nice to have a bunch more arms to hold Ava and a few more legs to chase Bella. Her favorite chaser is my parents' dog, Lilly. Lilly is like the Energizer Dog on speed. She's sweet as can be but OH MY LORD does the animal ever sit still?

Yes. When a 2 1/2 yr old is holding her ball and gets too distracted by Dora to throw it. Lilly waited breathlessly for Bella to throw it. And waited. Then looked perplexed. Then the full-body wiggles began and just before blowing up with all that patience, Bella returned to reality to throw the blessed ball.

We also took family pictures. Um. Let me just say that attempting to get three kids under the age of three to cooperate was comical. Throw in some wind, goosebumps and two grandmothers teetering on little chairs on a hill, it would've been more memorable just to video the event.

Upon leaving, Bella announced "that gurl" (photographer) is her new best friend. God love her. Everyone is her best friend these days. And if someone ignores her, she will loudly point it out. "Mama, why that man not tawking to me?" I know the day is coming when she starts to point out obvious differences or characteristics of others. In preparation, I'm practicing my not-shocked-response face.

We are on our way to the dentist to make sure those pretty and expensive teeth Bella owns are doing well. We're also begging the dentist to wave a magic wand to make her hate the pacifier.

Here's hoping...

Toddler Tidbits

This morning Bella was bathing joyfully and then there were screams. I thought surely she'd rubbed soap into her eyes or hurt herself with one of the million bath toys.

Nope. It was a bug. The teeniest, tiniest bug. I tried to convince her that the microscopic critter just wanted a bath too. She'd have none of it. So I made the mistake of flushing the offender down the toilet. If she ever pees in the toilet again, I'll be amazed.

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Bella has educated me. She'll spin the globe in her dad's office and point to somewhere on the ocean, telling me it is the Chocolut Micky Way.

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Last night, Bella was sitting with Ava laying across her lap while I read a book to her for the tenth time. I look over and Bella's holding her shirt up while Ava is rooting for a nonexistent snack.

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Isn't it incredible how much a baby

changes in just ONE YEAR??

I can't even imagine what Ava will look

like or her personality a year from now.

It is exciting being a mom!

Okay, that was overly enthusiastic because we all know it isn't always exciting. Especially if you wake up one morning and it dawns on you that you haven't worn your hair any other way than a ponytail for four months. Or you realize that you DO own something other than Mommy Attire.(ie. t-shirts, nursing bra, sweatpants, tennis shoes). I actually still own a skirt and heels!

What's your daily Mommy Attire? Don't make me hate you.