Eight Days and Counting

It has been eight days since our last 45-minute tantrum! Last Thursday, Mr. T and I decided that we had to slow life down a bit. Not that we aren't going to do fun things or go places (we have two more weddings left this summer and a couple more sidetrips - to the farm and to the lake), but we felt that we had to stop pushing her all the time. This has been very difficult for two Type A personalities who like to get things done and done now.

Until we had Baby Mouse and until Miss Mouse turned two, I was really, really good at being slow and patient. We almost always went at the pace Miss Mouse set; if she wanted to stop and look at a flower, re-examine her shoes, etc., we did it. I didn't do the whole: "don't you want to do x-y-z? well then come on! come on! hurry up! one....two....". I didn't do it very often, anyway. If I knew we needed to be somewhere at a certain time, I left with plenty of time (plenty, plenty) for unexpected delays. It was important to me not to constantly rush her, just like it has been important to me that I let her get wet, muddy, rained on, snowed on - experience life in many ways instead of having to stay clean, dry, prim, and proper. I think that is part of how little ones learn about the world.

Lately, though, with Baby Mouse being such a fussbutton for her first four months, I had gotten very rushed. We hurried here so that Baby Mouse would stop crying and hurried there so that she would perhaps be able to nap. I ran us at a frantic pace in hopes of avoiding the sobs of poor Baby Mouse.

Couple that frantic everyday pace with an equally frantic-paced summer schedule, and we can see in hindsight that we've been heading for disaster. A toddler can't handle that. So we've loosened up considerably this past week and have been reaping the rewards. I've handled many-a-normal-toddler-fit, but avoiding the out-of-control ones has been wonderful. We try not to schedule things so back-to-back that we have to push her timeline really hard. That way when we have to do it every now and then, it isn't such a big deal. We've had her biking around the block and up and down the street like crazy (with one of us holding the parent handle bar behind the trike) to increase the happy hormones in her brain. Thankfully, Baby Mouse is a lot less fussy on a day-to-day basis now, so I don't feel as pressured and can let a lot of the pressure off as far as "you have to do this quickly so I can get to Baby Mouse and stop her crying". Some of that is fine, as is some of the rushing around, but things had just gotten to the melting point this summer.

So, we're happy to report that, for the most part, we have our little Miss Mouse back! And I have to believe she is glad to be back!

In the Good Old Summertime....

The Great Wheat Experiment - oh, and carrots, too.New summer toys are so fun - a water table, which doubles as a picnic table, two baby/toddler swings, which make me just feel so full and warm and cuddly when I look out the window (am I weird??), and a tricycle that doesn't force Miss Mouse to have her knees at her chin (her scooter is hanging up in the garage - she points at it regularly and tells me Baby Mouse will use it next year).
Looking for fishies with Daddy - 4th of July weekend
Pontoon-time with Auntie Steph

Grandma watched Baby Mouse so Mommy could join the party on the pontoon. What a fun ride on a beautiful evening!
Although it was a little scary that Miss Mouse was driving - the lake being a nice, quiet, open area, she actually did get to stear most of the time!

Miss Mouse hasn't seen this yet....it's a surprise. How many kids have an airplane built by their Grandpa???!!!!

They caught six!


Baby Mouse joined the Independence Day fun, too!

Lounging on the hamock.

She might be teething, eh?

Why, Daddy?

Ready for church

As you can see through the pictures, we have been busy, busy, busy. We had lots of fun over the 4th of July weekend. Mr. T actually had it off for the first time in, hm, eight years, so that was super fun! The fireworks were not a real hit with Miss Mouse as she didn't really like the noise. We just saw a few over the lake from inside the kitchen windows. Maybe next year they'll be more popular.

We think we may have been a bit too busy this summer. Our oldest Mouse has developed a terrible temper - 45 minute fits, screaming, throwing herself into things, onto the floor, pulling out chunks of my hair, shoving her hand in my mouth and pulling...these are not pretty times. I don't write this because I'm proud of it or think it is funny, by any means. I just want the "mice" to realize what life with them was like at different stages. These times are just wonderful, but there are moments that are as awful as other moments are wonderful. We're going to try to really slow down for the rest of the summer, not rush the Mouse if we don't have to, take time to play and laugh, relax a bit (yeah, I know it looks like we were relaxing in all those pictures, but I fear both Mr. T. and myself have a tendency to do a little too much "hurry up! come on! if you want to go do this-or-that-fun-thing, you have to hurry! now!"). We've had a lot of fun and not realized, perhaps, that even fun stress is stress for a young Miss Mouse. For her sake and the sake of her tiny sister who really does get frightened during these episodes (at one point last week when Mr. T. was in the middle of several 14-hour days in a row, I ran Baby Mouse over to our wonderful neighbors' house to get her out of the noise and clatter), we are making some changes!

On the bright side, Baby Mouse can now sit on her own, if only for a few seconds. She can chew on her toes, and her little giggle is beautiful.

Miss Mouse never ceases to make me chuckle (and I'm going to get better at actually stopping to do so!). Yesterday she hauled my baking and sweet potatoes into the living room saying, "Here I come with tatoes!". As I put the potatoes away, she pulled off two plants leaves, which got her a talking-to, but it wasn't as harsh as I usually would be because she was running around saying "This one Miss Mouse's. This one Baby Mouse's (using their own names of course)." She even ran to the window, called Hubert over, and showed him which was hers and which belonged to Baby Mouse. So, we talked about not pulling leaves off because it will hurt the plant, and then we won't have any.....but we also talked about it being nice to share and be so considerate of your sister.....

Confused

The other day, Baby Mouse was teething on something of mine. I can't remember what. Miss Mouse saw her and asked "What she doing?" I answered that she was "teething". Miss Mouse started to laugh - full-out laughter with her head back and mouth wide open. She finally looked at me and said "Baby Mouse not have teeth!!! Mommy fused!!!" After that I was the one laughing and agreeing that, no, Baby Mouse certainly does not have teeth, and I would be confused if I thought so!

From the Mouths of Babes....

We watched the noon news at 11:30 today while we ate lunch. It was on early to make room for the Michael Jackson funeral. The tv was still on after the news got over, and we saw some elephants being led behind the cameraman who was covering the funeral. Now, I didn't watch the whole funeral, but the snippets that I did see did not have anything to do with elephants. I don't really know where they came in, but it appeared there was a whole line of elephants having something to do with the day. Miss Mouse turned to me and said, "Must be a circus, Mama". Yes, Miss Mouse, must be.

Laughter and Other Accomplishments

Today is a big day! Baby Mouse laughed, a true, sweet, baby laugh this morning! Miss Mouse was in her high chair eating lunch, and I was pat-a-caking with Baby Mouse on the floor when, all of a sudden, there was a "heh-heh" and then another and another! I think she even surprised herself. She's been trying so hard to laugh the past few weeks, and today it just came out! How fun! She is four months, two weeks, and two days (yes, I had to use a calendar to figure it out...).There are few sounds as sweet as those a baby makes.

In other accomplishments, Baby Mouse is almost rolling from her back to her stomach, and she is enjoying tummy-time more and more. We still only do a couple minutes at a time before she cries, and I'm not into making her just scream and get mad so that she'll roll from tummy to back. I never did that with Miss Mouse, and she rolled that way. So I don't figure it's going to stunt Baby Mouse, either. Miss Mouse rolled from back to tummy at about four and a half months, so I'm looking for Baby Mouse to roll any day now! She's really trying!

Baby Mouse has also found her voice. As of last Thursday, so, about four months and one week, she started just squealing and "talking" up a storm! Miss Mouse had to adjust to it a bit. She now goes around saying "That's how babies talk" as if she's comforting herself that it is just normal what Baby Mouse is doing. Baby Mouse also tends to kick her feet and sometimes kick her sister in the process. Miss Mouse got a little upset at first (probably because I've given her time-outs for kicking me - and thankfully have broken the "habit"), but I explained that that is how Baby Mouse shows she loves Miss Mouse. She trusts her to play with her and not get angry and to be gentle with her. So now when Baby Mouse kicks her with her little baby feet, Miss Mouse looks at her lovingly and says "That's how shows loves you".

Songs - I'm not sure if I've written down that Miss Mouse now will sing the entire Lord's Prayer. I memorized it when I was five, and I have very special memories of doing so. However, it seems that perhaps music memorization is the way to go! Either that, or I was just pretty slow :) Miss Mouse also sings Mary Had a Little Lamb, Baa Baa Black Sheep, part of the ABC song (the beginning four letters and the last four letters with the "won't you sing with me"), and part of I've Been Workin' on the Railroad (Dinah won't you blow - repeatedly, over and over).

Cheering section - last night as Baby Mouse was giving it her "all" to roll over, I started clapping and saying "Yay!" Pretty soon Miss Mouse joined in, clapping and cheering with "Yay!" and even "Way go!" Miss Mouse has some pretty impressive tantrums these days, and Baby Mouse has some really fussy moments. As tough as those moments are, the "cheering section" moments, the first laugh, the hugs and kisses between sisters - those make up for it ten thousandfold.

Pictures

Headin' to the farm.Four hours in the car, and we're only halfway there????

Miss Mouse and Grandpa Bob on an adventure (hence the song playing in the background).

Starting the Mouse off right.


Grandpa Bob never would have let me speed up and slow down the tractor....Although I did get to "drive", he told me if I touched anything else "it will explode". Aaahh, how different it is with grandchildren!

After church

Looking shockingly like her older sister!


Striking a pose during a picnic on Great Grandma Muriel's patio

Miss Mouse had her second cousin (?) wrapped around her finger!

Trying out the new raincoat....looks like it will fit for a while!

Miss Mouse enjoying her new favorite activity - watching the gas company work on the lines. By the way, it is not her mother's favorite summer activity, though I do appreciate the entertainment for the Mouse.

Summer Vacations

We've been in frantic vacation mode around here. It started with one cousin's wedding in Minnesota. Then we moved on to welcoming Grammy and Grandpa Bob here for a week of hard labor, er, projects around the house and playing with the girls. Then the girls, I, and Hubert trekked off to the farm to be joined a few days later by Mr. T (we were able to end up with all of us at the farm and only one vehicle to bring home - long story, but we did it!) for the week. We were at the farm during the county fair which was pretty exciting for Miss Mouse. She even got a chicken egg! We happened to be at the animal barn at the same time as one of the chicken owners who thought Miss Mouse was cute and deserved the egg her chicken had laid earlier in the day. Being a bit leary of salmonella, we cooked Miss Mouse up a store-bought egg in the morning, but she didn't know the difference....we had hoped she'd be able to find a fresh egg the next day (we were given permission to swipe any eggs we saw), but the chickens had gone home before we had a chance to see them. Anyway. I'll include some farm pictures here soon to show what else was up in the Northland. There were also the ever-popular sheep.

After returning from the farm and doing some laundry, we took off to the lake to visit Mr. T's cousin and his family whom we hadn't seen for three years now. Wow - what a difference three years makes in small children! Previously, they had a grade school boy, a young grade school boy, and a preschooler. Now they have a young man and two grade school children. All of them are either taller than I am or getting frighteningly close!

We made it back from the lake on Saturday night just in time to turn around to head to our former home to celebrate one of the church's 125th anniversary. It was so fun being back and visiting with many people we don't often get a chance to see! I have to confess that it was a terribly odd feeling seeing someone else in Mr. T's pulpit.....just another good way for me to realize it never really was his to begin with.....time moves on. But we had great fellowship with friends there. It was quite a treat, even if it was just for one Sunday.

We leave again for the lake in a couple of days to celebrate Independence Day.

I have to acknowledge a few Miss Mouse phrases that have been particularly fun lately:
*To Baby Mouse: "Oooohhhh, L'il Pumpun sleeping/pooping/tooting/smiling". I'm not sure where she came up with Little Pumpkin, but that is her new pet name for her sister.
*To Daddy after seeing him attach feathers to his new batch of arrows: "Good job, Daddy! Daddy did those all by himself!!!" That's a word-for-word quote.
*After eating a new concoction of cottage cheese and hot salsa: "All done. Poor little girl." I searched out the only salsa in the store without msg....I guess it was a bit too hot.