Babies No More

I feel like it has just dawned on me in the last couple of days that we don't have a baby anymore. We are now the parents of a preschooler and a toddler. The kids seem to have grown up more in the past month than in the six months before that.

I am amazed that we are going to have to register Claudia for kindergarten one year from now. How is it possible that she is going to be in elementary school in a year and a half? I am so excited for her to start on that path--new friends, adventures, learning. I must admit that I am sad too that she isn't my little baby girl anymore. (Well, I tell her she will always be my baby girl, but you know what I mean.)

I have also found it very hard to know how I should be parenting her lately. She still is just 3, but she seems to be "maturing" well beyond what I expected her to be at 3. She still has the temper tantrums (almost daily) but she is also wanting to be more independent from me, which isn't all that different from before, but what is different is that she can actually do so much more independently than she used to.

I am trying to give her the independence that she craves. I am trying to step back and let her try things her way even if it isn't the way I would do it. It is hard. I keep questioning if I am guiding her enough or being to strict.

If anyone has any advice or wants to commiserate with me, leave me a comment. Please!

Let's Dance!

Claudia and Wilson LOVE to dance. Take a look! (Oh, and sorry for my annoying commentary.)

Wilson Is Officially a Walker

No, I didn't get any paternity results back. There really wasn't any need for that; the evidence was pretty clear when he was born and looked exactly like Claudia. But, our little guy is walking all the time now.

It is pretty amazing to think that just a year ago he was just basically still an eating/sleeping/pooping lump-a very cute lump, but still just a tiny lil' babe.

One peculiar habit that he is displaying is that he holds his arms very high out in front of him as he walks. I am assuming that it is for balance, but it does look just a little funny.

Way to go little monkey!

New Look

As you can see, I am trying out a new look for the blog. What do you think? Any comments? I know that I have at least 2 people that read this still. (Hi Grandma and Sandy!)

Goldfish or Elephant?

I have heard that a goldfish has such a short memory that by the time one swims in a circle they forget that they just did it and so swim in circles all day. Do they think, "Wow, this looks cool, I think I'll swim this way!" each time? Sad.

I have also heard that elephants have such amazing memories that they can find a watering hole when the only other time they visited it was when they were tiny calves many, many years before. Cool.

I have found that Claudia alternates between having a memory like a goldfish and an elephant daily (or hourly or by the minute). We can have a conversation like:

Me: Claudia, get your coat we are going to go.

C: Where are we going Mama?

Me: inevitably: Target.

2.2 seconds later...

Me: Claudie. Go. Get. Your. Coat.

C: Why? Where are we going?

Did we just circle around the fishbowl?

Then there are other times that that she will remember a place that we have visited once or she will remember something I told her in passing weeks before. She at times will pick up and continue a conversation that was started days before.

Did we just find the watering hole?