Never a Dull Moment

The girls were watching cartoons this morning after breakfast, Natalie was fluttering from one toy to the next. I told Charlotte I was going to run up to take a quick shower before we set out on a few errands. I pulled the door to the downstairs bathroom shut on my way upstairs. I put the gate up at the bottom of the stairs.

Natalie can open doors now.

During my race against the clock, right as my shampoo was getting sudsy, I hear shrieking. I turn the water off & call downstairs, "Charlotte? What's going on?"

"Natalie trapped herself in the bathroom!" she calls back up to me.

I tell Charlotte to let her sister out of the bathroom & I ask if she pinched her fingers, since the crying seems frantic. Charlotte says no, her fingers are all okay. I holler down that I'll be out in just a minute.

I can hear Natalie crying at the bottom of the stairs. Crying hard enough that she's not even calling "Mimi." I rinse my hair, grab a towel, and find Natalie standing at the bottom of the stairs. I pick her up to check her over & right as I notice she's wet - her socks are wet, her pants are wet, parts of her shirt art wet - Charlotte points and laughs, "Look, Mommy! Natalie has wipes stuck to her feet!"

And then I see it. And the puzzle pieces all fall into place. Not wipes, guys. Wet toilet paper.

And it's not only all over Natalie's feet, but it's in the carpet on the bottom step. And there are clumps down the hallway. And puddles. And smears of other stuff.

Because three-year-olds don't remember to flush the toilet when they're done. Or at least mine doesn't.

"Natalie spilled water in the bathroom and now we have a water slide in the hallway!" Charlotte says. And I see the feet of her jammies are wet. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

You see, Natalie used the potty for the first time earlier this week and has since been trying to climb into the toilet at any given opportunity. I thought closing the bathroom door would keep her out of it for 5 minutes. Wrong.

So I haul Natalie up to the bathtub then haul Charlotte up to the bathtub, the whole time saying "ew ew ew ew ew ew" and cursing myself for not showering last night after they went to bed, or for not being one of those moms who set an alarm for 6:00 to get a shower before the kids wake up. I'd made sure the food was done - no choking! I'd made sure the stairs were blocked - no falls! I'd made sure the bathroom door was shut! Not enough, guys. Not enough.

The thing that kills me is that it happened so fast - literally 90 seconds from the time I put the gate up and went upstairs. It could have happened while I was in the basement running a load of laundry. Or taking a trip to the mailbox. Or making a phone call in another room. I'm not allowed even 90 seconds to put my attention elsewhere. At least not while they're awake.

On the bright side, my bathrooms and hallway are the cleanest they've ever been!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Christmas recap is a little late this year!

My sister came home from Mumbai and stayed with us for two weeks and we had a wonderful time while she was here. The week of Christmas was packed with lots of fun - Christmas Eve we spent the afternoon at my Aunt Carol's with my cousins and their families. Later on, we went to Ben's parents' house to have dinner and hang out. We ended the night back in Bloomington at St. Mary's for midnight mass. Afterward, the girls changed into Christmas pjs, read The Night Before Christmas, and left out carrots and cookies for Santa & his reindeer. 

Ahhh, sisterly love

On Christmas morning, the girls actually slept in until about 9:00!!!  Woohoo! We came downstairs to find presents under the tree & cinnamon rolls with breakfast casserole to be eaten! Natalie was pretty excited to eat breakfast, but Charlotte was all about the presents!

mmm Breakfast! 

Around 11, we headed over to my parents' house to play the manger game, open presents, and have a big ham dinner. 

what happens when I ask for a cute picture

On the 26th, we went over to Ben's parents' again & had a big dinner with his parents, brothers, and grandparents. We spent most of the afternoon unwrapping gifts! I think it's safe to say my kids want for nothing! :-) 

Charlotte loves her light up Frozen shoes!

On the 27th my family came over to our house for dinner (ribs - Ken shared his manger game prize with all of us) for Brandon's birthday.

So. We were busy!! We had so much fun, and are so blessed to have our families all within easy driving distance to be able to enjoy the holidays together. 

I wanted to share my favorite Christmas memory from this year, and I hope I'll never forget it. 
On Christmas Eve, we left Ben's parents' house right after 9pm and headed to church. The plan was that the girls would take a nap in the car and not be cranky for the late mass. Natalie zonked out almost immediately, and all was quiet in the backseat, so we assumed Charlotte had fallen asleep, too. Ben and I chatted up front, listening to Christmas carols on the radio. About 5 minutes into the drive, I heard whispering in the back... "You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town." Then it got a little louder, and a little louder, and a little louder. Just like in the movie "Elf," Ben and I joined in. And then she sang it again. And again. And again. The three of us spent more than half an hour singing the same song over & over on the way to church. It was adorable!! I just love watching the magic of Christmas through my kids' eyes. It's precious!
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, too!

Natalie Faith - 18 Months

I'm a little late posting, but we've been a little busy with all of the Christmas festivities! 

At her 18 month checkup, she weighed 21 lbs 10 oz (37%ile), was 31" tall, and head circumference 18.5". No big growth spurts since her 15 month checkup, but lots of development! 

She is adding new words, the best one being that she calls me "Mimi" now. There is just nothing better than coming home from a time away and hearing Natalie run for the door calling "Mimi! Mimi! Mimi!" She says somewhere around 15-20 words and pants like a dog in addition to mooing like a cow.  :)  She can identify more than 10 body parts and follows simple directions like "put the baby in the stroller" or "give the book to Charlotte." She's a pro at climbing stairs and can now go down the stairs backwards on her tummy, we've caught her trying to climb out of her crib once, and she is fearless on playground structures. 

Natalie is a sweet, funny, independent, and curious little one. She loves her babies and will move them around all day - feeding them, covering them for a nap, making them dance and walk, and just hugging on them. 

We can't believe how big Natalie is, even though she's pint-sized. She's a full-blown toddler with lots of personality and an infectious smile. Happy half birthday, Natalie!!