This Week in Mommyhood

Another week has gone by and I honestly feel like I'm stuck in a time warp. While everyday feels the same because of Elina and her schedule, everyday also feels different because of Cati and how rapidly her mind is developing. Most of the time I don't know what day it is and, far too often, the day is ending just as I find my groove. All I ever know for sure is that I love my girls immensely and I'm thankful for every second I get to spend with them.

Here are the fun developments from this week:

Language, Language, and More Language. I find myself laughing constantly with Cati and the things she says. Lately she's gotten into saying "umm" when she can't think of the answer to a question soon enough and "mmm-hmm" when she means to answer "yes" to a question. She's also been adding -ita to words so leche has become lechita and agua has become aguita. The most interesting one is the increased use of the word "necessita" ("need"). Things aren't a matter of want anymore, everything is need. My favorite has been "Cati necessita cupcake."  

 

Playtime. We've been going to the playground by the house everyday after school. Partly to get out of the house with both girls, but mostly so Cati can expend all the energy necessary to ensure an afternoon nap. One day this past week there were these two little girls playing next to me, they were each grabbing onto a pole and spinning around the pole as they sang a song. Cati saw this and joined them. She saw an opening and started spinning around the pole with the girls. This simultaneously warmed and broke my heart. I love that Cati is becoming more social and putting herself out there, but it scares me to think that while there will be moments of acceptance, there will also be instances of rejection. Not everyone will want to play with her and one day she will know how rejection feels. I wish I could protect her or be there every time rejection happens.

Name Game.  I used to always hate when my mom called me my sister's name. I never understood why she did it when we were different people. Having two kids, I get it. I am constantly calling Elina Cati. I'm just used to saying Cati's name all the time so it's taking some time to get used to saying another name all the time as well. I made an improvement and called Cati Elina. I stopped myself and giggled. Let the years of name confusion begin.

Cheeks. Elina's cheeks have been in development for weeks, but this week I really noticed their chunkiness. I don't think I have ever seen a child with chunkier cheeks. I love it!

Sleep Tease. I thought I hit the jackpot. Elina slept through the night last week. I didn't because I was constantly waking up to check on her, but she slept from 8:15pm to 7:00am. I was floored. She can do it! Now, if only she would do it every night. Then, I'd only be getting up multiple times a night to take out our dogs (more on that later!) who have forgotten they were potty trained.

Slinging It. My friend lent me her Baby K'tan sling and I adore it. If I would have had this sling with Cati, I would have worn her more. Elina gets put in the sling multiple times during the day and I prefer wearing her over carrying her around in the car seat. For the most part Elina loves the sling and she gets really, really cozy in it. The other day she moved herself around so much to get comfortable to sleep that her feet were sticking out of the sling. What I find really entertaining are the looks I get from people when I wear the sling. I had a woman ask me if a baby was in the sling and then she proceeded to touch the sling and move the fabric so as to see if there really was a baby. I am a human kangaroo.

Elina has her two-month appointment tomorrow. I'm curious to see how much she's grown and how her growth compares to Cati's. Have I told you yet how much I love my girls because I really do. Here's to getting lost in another week.