Bend it like Avery

There is no pressure to be the next Pele or Mia Hamm. But if I am going to sign up for a mother-daughter toddler class, doesn’t soccer just make sense? Her brother started at 22 months, but we had the opportunity to get her into the Cincinnati Lil' Kickers’ Bunny class at 18 months ... which really means even less time spent touching an actual soccer ball and more time stomping on bubbles, flying like an airplane, stacking cones and singing songs underneath a parachute (I just can’t seem to escape that activity).

Plus, Alex is now playing in one of their advanced classes just two fields down, requiring Andy to sit on the sidelines holding his water bottle. So it might not have been too early to get Avery to start kicking the ball around, but we are beginning to think it is too soon for our Saturday mornings to be dominated by youth soccer and the traditional trip to Wendy’s that follows any type practice or athletic event.

Below is a short video of Avery in action or click here for more pictures from Avery’s first soccer season.

Going Beyond One Degree of Separation

Despite the title and my new obsession, I am not going to talk about Facebook. Instead, I am contemplating a big decision. One I didn’t know I was going to have to make today. One that stemmed from a simple question in an e-mail. One that may require me to consult my husband and possibly my doctor!

Can Kathy pass on my maternity sweaters, newborn sleepers and other baby gear to a friend in Germany?

In other words, am I ready for all my “baby-on-the way” and “baby-on-board” related items go beyond one degree of separation? Now anyone that has had a parental conversation with Andy and I over the past two years knows that we describe ourselves – and adamantly at that – as two-kid material and we even like to brag about our efficient, tag-team methodology. That is, to bring a third child into this family, means bringing a third adult into our relationship, and none of us are interested in exploring the Big Love lifestyle.

But at the same time, nothing official (or physical) has been arranged. All we have is our steadfast determination and rhetoric, and because of that, I found great comfort in knowing that if something did happen – by accident or a 180 degree change of mind – that I could easily re-collect all clothing, shoes, bedding, bouncy seats, toys, breast pumps, strollers and car seats that I started passing out to friend or foe the minute Avery (or I) outgrew the need for them. Not that I have been keeping a list on who has what – it really is scattered across the tri-state and oversees – but I figured at such breaking news anyone with one of our baby swings would be knocking on our door eager to return it. So passing on Avery’s Pink Velour Ralph Lauren Track Suit (size 9 months) to a friend of a friend really makes our decision to have a family of five (remember, I am counting Casey now) seem very permanent.

Grandparents, don’t get your hopes up, but Kathy, I might need to sleep on this one.

Haircuts: Boys and Girls are Different!

Once again, I stumbled my way through parenting last week when I took Avery to get her first hair cut. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how it all works – you pick the car she will sit in, the video she will watch and you be as positive and comforting as possible without getting in the stylists’ way no matter how hard she is screaming. The problem was that I did not show up with a game plan or one tiny clue on how I would like my little girl’s hair to be cut.

It was so easy with Alex. His locks were growing a bit too long (think baby mullet), so I asked for the “typical little boy” haircut, which equals some length on the top, parted to the side and touched up with clippers over the ears and on the neck (and then I always made the special request for sideburns … what else would you expect from a 90210 generation parent?).

But with Avery, I could not throw out one single suggestion and unfortunately the stylist we had did not seem to think there was a “typical little girl” haircut. This must mean the number and variety of choices for women starts at age one. How overwhelming! So I just pointed out the obvious reasons we were there, which was because Avery’s sides were growing faster and thicker than that back. And although Victoria Beckham introduced the chic, forward wedge bob last summer, when you have baby curls, it looks more like a wind-blown bozo the clown.

Luckily, everything turned out OK. Her hair is under control and the curly locks are as cute as ever (just a bit shorter). And more importantly, I now know to do more research and come in with a specific request for haircut number two.

Losing My Mind

I just got schooled in a game of Memory by my three year old. Do I blame it on mommy brain, drugs in college, genetics and hereditary, too much wine in my 30s or the mere fact the kid is already smarter than me?

I realize only one of these is a promising choice.

Casey and Me

Who would have ever thought an Owen Wilson movie would make me want to be an overall better person and point out a few areas of improvement in my life? But we just saw Marley and Me and I walked away realizing a few important things: 1) our life – which is filled with many trails of marriage and parenting – may not be normal, but it is not uncommon, and 2) our life does include a dog – which we consciously choose almost seven years ago – so we need to start following through with that commitment, and stop acting like it was un-invited burden.

Poor Casey. She ran the show for almost four years and then immediately – but what probably seemed like out of nowhere to her – was low man on the totem pole. Things were still pretty good for her when Alex was first born as she got to go on walks, snuggle in bed and eat on a regular schedule because we quickly learned that two people can’t hold a baby or change a diaper at the same time. So we could divide and concur: baby or canine? But when we moved and Alex became mobile, our life elevated to a new level of disorganization. Then add one more child in the mix when Avery born in 2007 and Casey’s life was never the same. While Andy and I tried to keep up with feedings, bedtimes, vaccinations, daycare decisions and the growing curiosity, independence and defiance of emerging toddlerhood, her needs went un-noticed and un-acted upon.

But it is a new year and a chance for a fresh start. Alex and Avery are closer to being self-sufficient, and therefore lower maintenance, giving me less excuses and more time to ensure the water dish has water, outdoor play goes beyond five minutes and a scratch on the head happens every time Casey sits down in front of me. So I am adding one more resolution to my list – which already included reading more to my kids and eating more vegetables – and that is to be a better dog owner.

PS. This is a file photo of Casey and Alex from 2005. Guess I need a current one.

The Highs and Lows of December

Could it finally be our Christmas miracle or just a simple case of the second child imitating the first? In either case, after watching Avery hover around the bathroom for three days and then finally actually pee in the toilet, I think we need to dust of the potty chair and get ready for whatever 2009 has in store for us. Because after a month of ups and downs, good times and sick times, snow days and unseasonably sunny days, as well as holiday parties and holiday mishaps, we are ready to close the book on December and push forward with the reality of raising two kids (not babies) in the new year.

Click here for more pictures from December 2008.

Celebrating the Last Day of the Year

Kids. Drinks. Food. Games. Festivities. Our annual New Year’s Eve celebration had it all except one thing: Andy. We reversed roles for this holiday, and I headed to Columbus as a single mom while Andy stayed in bed with our family’s latest round of sickness. Luckily, everyone survived (and managed to have some fun). Although, I have to admit that the appeal of NYE drastically changes when the primary activity for the night is trying to get six kids in bed before the ball drops.

Click here for pictures from New Year’s Eve.

The Unfinished Christmas

The bug hit me about 4:00 pm on Christmas Eve. The fact I missed Christmas hit me on December 28. It’s probably because it was then I was still wrapping presents (about a 1/3 did not make it under the tree) and still waiting for my sister to e-mail me a photo so I can see what Avery looked like in her Christmas dress (why do husbands hate cameras?).

But from what I do remember, the holidays were off to a great start, with plenty of cheer for kids and adults, and even Santa pulled through despite an ice storm, which kept us stranded on the road for four hours and more importantly kept us away from our final hours of last minute holiday shopping, planning and prepping.

So on Christmas morning there were no ornaments on the tree. There was no mom with a camcorder. There were no unfinished cookies and carrots to throw away on the Santa plate. There was no order to how the few wrapped gifts were to be opened. But despite all that, the kids and Andy did not miss a beat and from the cozy corner of the couch (where I propped myself up all morning), Christmas was still a hit for Alex and Avery and all their newly acquired babies, trains, cars, princess carriages, little people, videos, books, legos and small utility kitchens. And yes, bubble bath, too. And that is the way it should be.

Click here for more pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Christmas Lights with the Foley’s

We didn’t make it downtown to watch Santa repel off of Macy’s this year, but we did meet in Centerville for a holiday inspired evening of lights, cameras and live reindeer.

Click here to see more pictures from the Washington Township Park festival of lights.