Cranky

Next week Cata turns 7 months. For Joaquin she is already firmly part of the landscape of life. Daniel and I still discuss life when we had just one. But slowly I am falling more in love with my little girl.
Daytimes she's an easy babe. Oh she's no wallflower, no Buddha- she likes to play especially in the mix with her brother, she likes to sing, she likes a change of scene. Night times, well she won a month round of sleep training. In October, I believed every child could be sleep trained and now I don't. I have been tired and cranky. So tired that I know longer distinguish between awake and asleep times and have been struck with insomnia during nights when long stretches of sleep could be gained.
My mother and mother in law spent a week with us over Thanksgiving. I am thankful for them. Between the two of them, I slept in past eight many mornings. Dinner was served, and the kitchen cleaned without me. So I am still a little tired but no to cranky.
Cata blossomed under the extra attention of her grammies. She was all smiles, and bouncing. She has mastered the pincer grab essential to her new favorite game- eating cheerios. It is quite entertaining to watch her strike out and capture an O and then struggle to release it into her open mouth. Her satisfaction from skill mastery is obvious.

Cata 5 months and Joaquin 5 months

Her is my girl and my boy both at five months. They do not look that much alike to me yet. Cata is much chunkier than Joaquin was. Every ounce of milk goes straight to her cheeks- and her thighs.

 

We spent the weekend in Calistoga

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Twerp

The Twerp, that's what Daniel called Joaquin for the last four weeks. For a month after our five week family odyssey to visit family east, Joaquin entered a stage of defiance and tantrums that lasted a long month. He was horribly argumentative and contrary. I was sending him to his room twice before our day's first outing. On those days my saving grace is his daily three hour naps. I have to admit he was the most trying he has ever been.

I miss my sweet, happy thing that bounced on his toes and found any stick or clever word delightful. Probably the best advice I found on how to handle his trying antics was to help him return to the moment. Some of his tantrums and whining are brought on by desires that can not be met right now.

Joaquin has a new understanding of time. For example, he knows that he watches videos on Friday. Hence his constant asking "Is it Friday?" and "I like Friday." He knows Daniel is home on weekends and he still moans many mornings as Daniel leaves the house.

The tantrums are caused by desires in the future. (He's not really one for worrying about the past.) Two year-olds are generally so happy in the moment. A two year really knows how to enjoy himself. So if I can remind, distract him, into the present then the whining and tantrums for a desire that cannot be met immediately goes away.

It's advice that I should take myself. Stay in the present moment when all is good and let go of thinking of the future or the past which causes stress. No doubt Joaquin is teaching me many things.

Cata is four months

Cata is the most delightful four months. Daniel and I wished last night we could freeze time at this stage (as long as she is not waking more than once at night.) She is sweet, cooperative and draws attention like a movie star.
Daniel seems to love the attention of carrying his four month old around. Daniel walks into a restaurant holding Catalina and every woman between age two to a hundred turns her head, awws and checks them out. Yesterday we walked by the local college bar called the Jupiter. I had Joaquin's hand and Daniel had Cata in his arms. Three lovely college girls stopped mid-sentence to admire Cata. From Daniel's silly grin, I'd guess that not a regular occurrence. Cata is a head turner. She is so wonderfully cooperative while I am busy tending to Joaquin's needs for toys found, food, books read. So while Cata is a doll, Joaquin has entered at last the terrible twos and some days they are terrible.

Structure

We started Joaquin in a little preschool. The program is called La Academia. It runs Monday through Friday from 9am- 12pm. I have such mixed feelings about the program. I love that it's bilingual. I am trying to speak Spanish with him but my Spanish is far from as fluid as I would like. I think that one of the biggest gifts I could give Joaquin is to speak Spanish easily and not struggle to master the language like I have for so many years. I like that I give my undivided attention to Cata while he's at school and she is awake. Cata is easier to ignore and when she is a pest she catches my hard edge since Joaquin is my first and demands so much. Joaquin seems to enjoy the activity at the school and does not display separation anxiety when he's there, though after the first week he asks to stay home with me.

Then there's what I do not feel ready for. I do not feel ready to have his days scripted to a schedule. As it is I am taking him four days a week only. It is hard to get him dressed and out of the house. He doesn't want to go because he likes and is happiest when he is living in the present moment. Urging him to hurry up, we will be late causes anxiety and tantrums. I also miss creating the flow of our days and having outings to the library, the park. Not that we still don't stop at the park most days- it's the structure that I resist. Plus I have to drag Cata there and back.

At least I am riding us around on my bicycle. To avoid the car trips and being the shuttleMom that I dread I never become, I have been riding the 1.6 miles each way with Joaquin in his front bikeseat and Cata is in a carseat in a new bike trailer. I feel both like a champion, hard-core athlete and totally over-extended. Cata does not love the carseat and she hates speed bumps. She cries most days for some of the ride. Its a challenge to soothe her with Joaquin seated on the handlebars. At least Im no soccer-mom but I might be insane. My lovely cranky pregnant neighbor said "Can you drive them like everyone else?" from her Prius window on her way to preschool. So I will give it a month and decide whether to continue or not.

Our family summer visit