It's getting worse

Yesterday was complete chaos!!! Our morning was fairly good, I got Lilia some lunch, but I didn't have a chance to eat. I got her upstairs for her alone time, which leads to a nap. So I put her up in her room, read a little and went downstairs to heat up some leftover soup. It was finished and I was just sitting down to eat when I hear, "Mom! Mom!"

I go upstairs to find that Lilia has taken off her diaper...and pooped on her floor!!!!!!!!! I didn't yell at her, I was able to keep my cool. I ran her to the bathroom where she soon after peed on the floor. I cleaned her up, cleaned up the floor and explained that we can only poop in our diapers or on the potty.

After that craziness was over I was able to eat lunch and start over with her alone time. She ended up napping for at least 2 hours. Alex had a good feeding so I could nap and rest on the couch and spend some time with God.

Frustrations

Lilia insists on wearing her big girl underwear. She takes off her diaper and puts on her underwear. Sometimes she wears it over her diaper so I don't always check. Several times during naps or before bed I have caught her with just underwear. Tonight she did it and made a puddle on the floor.

I'm assuming she's ready for potty training, but now's not a good time with a demanding 4 week old little baby to take care of.

What's the ONE question you never ask???

Today after church I stopped into Michael's Arts and Crafts store. I had to pick up some ribbon to hang pictures in our living room. I also picked up a scrapbook kit for Alex. I did one for Lilia and had so much fun.

Dave was in the car with the kids. I was checking out and I was wearing a long sleeve shirt that was fitting. The women who was scanning my purchases asked me the ONE question that you never ask..."So when are you due?"

I responded that I just gave birth 4 weeks ago. The women behind me in line broke what would have been incredibly awkward for the sales women with a comment about her pregnant daughter with twins.

I left the store laughing. Dave had a good laugh too!

Polite Chinese Gangsters

The following is the end of an Americans tale of rehabbing an apartment in China from last weeks NY Times.

The total cost of the project, once everything was added up — materials, labor, furniture, fixtures and appliances — was about $60,000. But the final chapter of the construction story didn’t occur until several weeks after we had moved in.

One morning, I found a letter to Andy in the mailbox, handwritten in Chinese. It said, in effect, “We are a large gang of dangerous men. We know you are rich” — we are not — “and unless you give us 10,000 yuan” — about $1,500 — “we will kidnap you and torture you and then ask for an even larger sum. If you pay, we will leave you alone.”

From the details the writer had provided about us and our belongings, it wasn’t hard to figure out that the “gang” members were among the local laborers who had been in the apartment during the post-construction decorating process.

In the family powwow that followed, I argued that if we conceded, they would be back for more. Andy’s parents thought it wasn’t worth the risk and insisted that Chinese criminals are usually men of their word. So we paid.

A week later I found a nicely worded thank-you note in the mailbox. So far, we have heard nothing more from our extortionists.

Drawbacks of breast feeding with a toddler around

Lilia got this awesome present from Lauren of these huge princess coloring pages. Tonight she was coloring in one of the pages. I looked over at her drawing and said, "Oh, are you making her dress have polka dots?"

Lilia replied, "No, I'm drawing boobies."

Most kids mimic their mothers by breast feeding their baby dolls. My daughter draws boobs on coloring pages!

Bride Princess trick or treating

Alex the Giraffe