23 months

This is it, Critter Girl. The last time I can talk about your age in months, without people thinking it is weird. Honestly, I've been saying "She'll be two in January" for a few months now, because 23 months just sounds sort of odd to my ears. You are almost 2! Let's see what this month brought us:

Singing! You are starting to sing! You like to sing the Thomas song ("Thomas and his Frieeeeends!") and Twinkle, Twinkle and the ABC song. Granted, I don't know if anyone else would call what you are doing singing, let along recognize the song, but Momma knows. You are doubly excited when I sing with you. It is very cute.

Another molar! Oy, it has been back to drooly, gooey, chewy Critter again with these darn 2-year molars coming in. You even told me it hurt one day. Poor girl. Your sleep has been a bit off, especially falling asleep at night, and I think it is because your teeth hurt. This is you other bottom molar. I cannot see the tops ones at all (I've tried!) so maybe them too. Gosh, I hope so, I'm ready to be done with the teething. I'm sure you are too.

Tantrums? I don't know if they fully qualify as tantrums, as they pretty much only last like 30 seconds, but you are certainly becoming more frustrated with things lately. You will throw your hands in the air in frustration (and send whatever was in your hands flying) and make a frustrated grunting noise. You are easily distracted from this frustration, and it doesn't last long, but it sure looks like the first of the "terrible twos" I've been warned about. Let's hope it stays like this.

I was looking at last year's Xmas card picture of you, and cannot believe the changes in you, in just this one year. You look so much like a kid now, compared to that baby from last year. You walk, you talk, you have opinions. You are a little person now. But you'll always and forever be my baby. I'm so happy to be here, watching you grow and change ever day. I love you, my sweetest of sweet Critter Girl.

Please help her out!!

My dear bloggy friend Patience has just matched with an expectant birth mom! If you don't already read her blog, Searching for the Missing Piece, she has been down a looooong IF road. She is a wonderfully supportive and kind lady, and I'm just so very excited for her!

So please check out her Etsy shop and Good Wishes page, and if you can, help out.

Danka!

Wavering

I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but I've found myself wavering in the last few weeks. Back and forth, back and forth, and back again.

As the time begins to draw near to make a decision about doing the hail-mary cycle, I'm wavering.

I sort of thought this might happen. As the sting of the two FET failures this summer wears off, I am thinking more rationally about cycling again. Not just FET prep, mind you, but full-on cycling. Like at least a week, probably more, away at the far-away clinic. With a toddler. At 40 years old. With semi-crappy eggs and potentially crappy lining.

It just seems like a daunting task, one I'm not 100% sure I'm up for anymore.

But then I see all the moms in the Critter's Gymbo class, pregnant and managing to raise a toddler too. And I think, hey, I can do that too! But then I have to remind myself, it is most likely that they did not have to go to the far away clinic (or any clinic, for that matter) and pay all the money and inject all the crazy-making hormones and go through all the hoops to get that pretty belly bump. Which I think makes a difference.

I dunno. I'm wavering. It's true.

again.

Good lord help me, it happened again. AGAIN.

Do you long-time readers remember my friend that had the whoopsie pregnancy a few months before their wedding? The girl that tried to pretend she wasn't 5 months pregnant in her wedding dress? Who got pregnant at 40, without even trying? Who then had their second kid (on their first try, mind you) 17 months later?

Can you guess where this is going? Yeah. Uh huh.

Baby #3, due in April. Mind you, she will be flirting with 43 at delivery. ARGH!

Oh, and to add insult to my already super-green-with-jealousy injury, they weren't even trying. Another fucking whoopsie. Which is shocking to me, given they should know how babies are made by this point. And of course they are, among our friends, voted most likely to divorce or kill each other. So glad they are bringing yet another child into the chaos that is their life.

Now they will have three kids under 3.

Fuck me.

Good times

Our first family vacation was a resounding success. It was so fun to see my sweet Critter Girl ask to go to the beach every day, and her eyes light up when she sees her swimsuit. She knows what that suit means - FUN!

She is so great on the airplane, a born traveler. I think the key is we get her her own seat, and she sits in her own car seat. It's familiar, she is used to being in it. She's used to having to stay in it for periods of time. And I don't have a squirming toddler in my lap. It is worth every penny of airfare to get her her own seat. Mr. P even registered her for her own frequent flier number. We use this awesome wheelie thing to wheel her ginourmous carseat through the airport. It can even be used with her in it - like a stroller. Genius.

She loved loved loved the beach - a girl after my own heart. Mr. P and I are warm weather people, and vacation can only mean one thing to us - beach. And Critter is no different it seems.

Now that we all happily survived our first vacation, e are already thinking about the next time. Good times, very good times.

22 months

Almost 2 years! I can't begin to believe it is only 2 months until you are two. Time really does fly when we are having so much fun! Let's see what happened this month...

Critter's Turn! You use this phrase a lot now. You have gotten the idea of taking turns, and you will tell me when it is my turn, or your turn, or your teddy bear's turn. Sometimes though, it is only your turn, forever. Working on sharing still.

Cry! You now say "cry" in the saddest voice when you are upset about something, particularly when Dada leaves for work. You'll say, "Dada leaving. Cry." And then sort of pout, sniffle, look sad, lay on the floor. Sometimes you actually cry too. I still think it is so cute, even though you are sad.

Regression. I don't know why, but you have regressed in some ways this month. You are having major separation anxiety again, after we were over that for a few months. I have to reassure you endlessly that even though Mama leaves, Mama always comes back. You want me in eye-shot at all times. Honestly, it has been a bit exhausting for Mama. I'm hoping we get through this phase soon.

Molars! You went for your first dentist visit this month. You did a nice job, I mean you screamed while they actually examined and cleaned your teeth, but you recovered well and didn't seem too upset. You now have 17 of your 20 baby teeth, because your first 2-year molar has already arrived. I knew something was up, you've been chewing everything in sight. It's hard to get a good look all the way back in your mouth though, so I'm not sure if any more have come in or are about to. Have to wait and see.

Another fun month, sweet Critter Girl. Gotta start planning that 2 year birthday party!!

Vacation

Sorry for the radio silence. I'm in a blog funk I guess. We are not really doing anything with the TTC/IVF/far away clinic stuff right now, so my mind is elsewhere.

Elsewhere, like Florida!! We leave on Sunday for a 6 night trip to the Gulf Coast. To say I'm excited would be an understatement. We haven't taken a family vacation (other than to visit family, which does not count as vacation) since the Critter was born. Long overdue, if you ask me.

It was originally going to coincide with a conference that Mr. P was attending. However, he dropped out of the conference (too long of a his-work-drama story) so now it is a real family vacation. I'm so excited for the Critter though. She has no idea what's coming.

For a girl that likes water as much as she does, there is a kiddie pool and the beach. I think just those two things will keep us busy for the entire week. Endless sandbox? Unlimited water? Done and done.

So bon voyage! See ya later, gators!