Princess Diaries

 Recently Orelia and most of her gal pals have become obsessed with dress up, and in particular dressing up like princesses.

 It's pretty clear that little girls just have this universal desire to dress up in frilly dresses and prance around in fancy shoes.  She certainly hasn't seen me in dresses and heels.

 Princesses get a pretty bad rap these days.  Mothers see it as a goal that their little girls have no interest in tiaras and are instead wearing fire hats and pretending to be train conductors.

Why is a little girl celebrated for wearing a construction hat or building a train?  I know a princess isn't a viable occupation, but it's not as if her career goals are set by how she dresses up when she's a toddler.

Her favorite movie is Cinderella, but I certainly have never heard her say "I want to be rescued by a prince."  Actually she says "I want Cinderella to come to my house.  No Prince."

My little girly girl has been this way since her personality started showing itself.  But being a girly girl isn't a bad thing.  There's plenty of room for purple and sequins.  

While she may love high heels, she also is a very strong-willed, determined, and bossy little toddler.  We certainly have no worries that her princess interests will get in the way of her being a C.E.O. if she so chooses.

Frankly, most days I wish she was less of a little dictator and more submissive, but she is who she is.

Our girl may wear "princess" dresses, but she's more like a queen.

She rules the roost with a sequined fist, and we love her just as she is.

Certified Organic Children

 As I pulled out my nursing cover to nurse Bennett in the cafe while Orelia pranced away at ballet class, my friends and I had a good laugh over how my nursing cover was made from organic cotton.  Clearly this was a nursing cover for my first child because I wanted only organic cotton to touch her skin.  Cue the peels of laughter.

 Yes, it would be wonderful if my children only wore organic cotton and only ate organic food and all of that food was actually fruits and vegetables.  We would sing songs by the fire every night and hold hands.

 I think it's only natural to have idealized visions with your first child where you think you can control everything and you actually think you want to control everything.

 But with the second it's all more practical.  Sure, Bennett has a few wooden toys, but only the ones that I know he will like.  If there is a beeping, flashing toy that will keep him calm, then, trust me, I reach for that one first.  The thought that I would deny my baby and myself the easy way out is laughable.  And once your first child has logged many hours of screen time, that Baby Einstein singing toy does not seem so bad for your baby.

 Occasionally the second child will put on a cute outfit, but it sure better be easy to get on and off.  Zippered pajamas only for the second child.  Snaps are for suckers.  And if he spits up on his clothes he will only get changed if he is absolutely soaked.  Or if his sister is asleep.

It's not that you love your second child less. You are just more relaxed about everything because likely by the time your second rolls around you've already relaxed your rules with the first.

Orelia is wearing polyester Cinderella gowns seven days a week because that's what she wants and that's what makes her happy.  She goes to germy places, and I don't even flinch.  She eats ice cream and Oreos and funnel cakes - and I've never seen an organic funnel cake.  That is a lovely toddler life, if you ask me.

Bennett gets to be covered by my certified organic nursing cover.  He can look up at me and smiles his gummy smile knowing that his days or Oreos are just around the corner.

The Two

For every bit that he is sweet and simple,

 She is fierce and complex.

For every soft coo and gurgle,

She is overflowing with laughter or tantrum tears.

For every moment he stays still,

She is sprinting, sprinting, sprinting.

For every soft cuddle he gets or cradle of his sweet, delicate head,

She does ten somersaults or falls off a swing just to get right back on.

For every bit he is a baby,

She is a toddler.  They are my two and we are appreciating both of them for being exactly who they are supposed to be.

Bennett at Five Months

Oh, sweet Bennett, please stop growing up so quickly!   I'm treasuring the moments, but they still slip by too fast.

 Our smiley guy is now 5 months old and constantly babbling and screeching and laughing (often at Orelia).

 He's flipping tummy to back and back to tummy and getting stronger every day.

 He discovered his feet just yesterday, and has been yanking at his socks ever since.

 We started him on solids, but he hasn't shown much interest yet.  So I'm backing off for now and will be more diligent about it soon.

 He's out of his velcro swaddle and sleeps in his Zippadee Zip, which has been a lifesaver.  I highly recommend it for the swaddle transition.

He loves going for walks in the stroller or the Bjorn and still loves his play mats.  He never took to the bouncer chair, but seems to like the Bumbo at mealtimes with the family.

 He enjoys his three naps each day and sleeps about 12 hours at night.  I appreciate every hour of his sleep, and I think he does too.

We adore our happy, fun, and sweet five month-old!

Sweater Weather

 I had to laugh when I came upon these photos from November.

 Her exuberance shines through and she's thoroughly enjoying a fun fall day.

 But I mostly laughed at what made me immediately know that these are old photos.  It wasn't the fall foliage or that she's grown or changed her hair.

 I knew these photos must be old because she's wearing such warm clothes.  A sweater!  And jeans (admittedly not fitting quite right).

While we have gotten out of the bathing suit phase, we have somehow gotten stuck in a wear-as-little-as-possible phase.  Tank tops and a diaper would be the preferred attire every day.  Inside of the house and outside.  The other day we had a big disagreement about whether it was okay to wear a tank top and only bloomers to preschool.  Somehow we were able to recover and put on a sundress with the bloomers, and that was moderately appropriate.  Thank God we live in California.

I guess she's just thrilled she can fight these battles now that she can take off her own clothes and jackets.  Toddlers love choosing!

First Ballet Class

The days of tutus and slippers are upon us as Orelia has started ballet class.

She is thrilled to be able to wear a "costume" and follow along (mostly) with Teacher Fran.

Her best pals are in class with her, which makes it even more special.  Mommies come to this class too, and I was thrilled to be able to record her first ballet lesson.

She had a blast, and it's so fun to see her enjoying such a quintessential little girl activity.

Some Complaints

 I've received some complaints lately.

 Complaints about my lack of posting this week.

 Complaints from my husband who sees these two cute kids in the flesh every day anyway.

 So without further delay, here are O and B from this week.  B with his beautiful gummy smiles and O with her sundress and rain boots and Personality.

This is our life and our life is good.