Milestones

Wow - at the Posey household, we have reached major milestones lately! First of all, Daddy and Mia had a wonderful time watching Elmo's World - Sesame Street Live.



Cole has just been getting bigger...

and bigger...

and angrier...

and bigger...

and happier...

all the time! He has had a few nights of sleeping the entire night...and more than a few nights of not.

We took our first family trip to the zoo, and Mia absolutely loved it!


Cole seemed to enjoy himself too.


We have been spending many hours outside, where Mia enjoys drawing and blowing bubbles. :)


Mia has also learned all about dressing up (thanks to her cousins).

And she enjoys dancing around the house in interesting attire.

Chris and I celebrated our 4th anniversary with a fabulous Couples' Massage. We went to a Memorial Day picnic with our Life Group and had a great time. And I only have 2.5 more days of school until I am home with the kids!!! I can't wait!

Baby Boys

Mr. Cole has started smiling all the time...well, when he is not crying or eating or sleeping! He has the sweetest, biggest, most infectious smile. It doesn't matter if he woke up to eat every three hours the night before (note: a 12 week old baby, according to my many resources, should be sleeping 8 hours at a time during the night), when he shows me that toothless grin, I can't help but forgive him and forget the lack of sleep.

I was talking to a few other teachers at lunch yesterday about being a mom. It is still shocking to me that I am one. I looked at Mia the other day, and could not believe that such a lively, precious individual was my daughter. I can't adequately articulate my emotions. I could literally spend hours just looking at Baby Cole's sweet face. And when I talk to other mothers, I know they understand. It is like a whole new part of me was born when my kids were born. I love my husband, but now I love him even more - since we have created two amazing children. And the mama bear protective instinct becomes instantly fine tuned once that new baby utters his or her first cry. What? You want to touch my miracle? Go bathe in hand sanitizer first, and then I will consider it.

And as I look at my 140 teenage students, I can't help but wonder what Mia and Cole will be like in 12-14 years. I can only hope that they are as mature, kind, caring, and selfless as many of the kids I see each day. Because teaching today's teenagers really does give me hope and reassurance that we are still living in a wonderful world.

Oh, and by the way, Baby Boys are FABULOUS! And I can see why mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws often do not get along. :)

A Little Motherly Panic

I never thought of myself as the stay-at-home-mom type. Before I had children, I just knew that I would still work full-time. But what I did not know was how hard that would be. I returned to work this week. Cole is almost 10 weeks old. And, although I truly do love my job and my students, I am having a really difficult time adjusting. I feel panicky, like I am missing huge milestones in his development. Because they change so fast, and I know that. Just two years ago, my full-sentence-speaking daughter was in Cole's position...a tiny baby. And I feel sick to my stomach.

I recently resigned from directing the girls. It needed to happen. They need someone who is more present - both physically and mentally. And I need time, because it is flying by way too fast.

So that leaves me wanting to be with them, but having to work. I must, then, find a job where I can have them with me. Interestingly enough, there is a possibility on the horizon. I told myself not to get too excited. I know the chances of my actually getting the job are probably slim. But now I am excited, and if it doesn't happen, I will be crushed. I just feel like I am supposed to be with them more. I feel like it is not just my selfish desire. All I can do is pray that it is God's will. I want it to be...I pray for it to be...and yet I don't know if it is.

A Little Bit Goes a Long Way

Do you ever look back at something that has happened and wonder how you got through it? It's like once it is over, you could not imagine doing it again. I sort of feel that way about the last six and a half weeks. Things have calmed down so much and I am having so much fun watching Cole go from a wobbly-headed newborn to an alert, smily baby. About a week ago, I had to go to the hospital to meet with a lactation specialist. I saw a girl there who had obviously just given birth. I looked at her and was so grateful that it was not me. The adjustment period, in hindsight, it really not that long. But when you are in the throes of it all, it seems interminable. And it is not that all things are easy now - just managable.

It is funny because as I write this, Mia is singing and jumping and not napping in her crib. She talks to Elmo and Minnie Mouse (they are in bed with her) and sings her ABCs. Ha!

But I took the two kids by myself to the mall today. It was the first time that I have taken them without Chris or my mom. It was great! Mia was wonderful and in a good mood. I did not buy anything - we just walked around and enjoyed being out of the house.

How am I going to go back to work in two and a half weeks?!?! I mean, look at those sweet faces!

Ah...The Terrible Twos Have Arrived

Well, our little Mia got into trouble at school yesterday. She has been refusing a few naps lately, but on those days, she spends the nap time playing in her bed. This nap-refusal followed her to school yesterday. She did not nap when all the other children napped - she pulled their hair! So, her teacher had to call the Director down to the room. Mia had to leave the room, as she was preventing the others from sleeping. We all had a chat when Daddy got home. We talked about how pulling hair is not nice, and she must be nice to her friends and her teacher. She knew she was in trouble. She was pretty solemn during the chat. Oh, and she napped for over two hours once I got her home. She was exhausted from all that hair-pulling no-napping activity!

And have I mentioned how much fun the no-napping girl is when her brother is incessantly crying? Cole is a crier. Actually, more like a screamer. And, if he had his way, he would eat every hour and a half. It definitely makes me feel a little nuts.

But...watching John and Kate Plus Eight during a middle-of-the-night nursing makes me feel less crazy. :) As does seeing Cole not screaming...

Hints of Normalcy

It's weird, because before having Mia, I never understood how much being a parent changes your life. And it did...and it took some time, but we flowed into a new sense of normal. Well, this time I knew having another baby would rock our world. And, again, it did. But now I am seeing glimpses (however brief) of our new normal. It makes me happy. :)

By the way, kicking Cole out of our room was a brilliant move. Since then, he has slept from about 11 pm until 2ish. Then, after eating, he will sleep again until about 5:30. After another feeding, he will usually go one more hour. This is definite improvement! It may also be that on his first night out of our room, we went back to completely swaddling him. We thought he preferred having his arms out, but they flailed about and kept him awake. Anyhow, I can function with six hours of chopped-up sleep!

That's about all from our house!

Happy Birthday!

My baby girl is 2 years old today - and I can't believe it! We are going to dinner tonight so she can have her favorite...noodles! Then, the family party is Saturday - featuring a chocolate Elmo cake with pink icing.