Weekend

So this is crazy.

My Partner in Crime turns 4 on Sunday.

Yes, we are shocked.

It is weird crossing over from the "young family" to the "family with big kids".

After what seems like YEARS (almost 10!), the only thing that is left in the house that reminds us that we had babies living with us is the crib that is sitting in our garage (if you are interested in it, let me know...) and a car seat that will go into retirement on Sunday.

We are officially out of the baby stage and moving on to the "kids have busy schedules and are beginning to have their own lives" stage.

CRAZY.

And my baby is four.

FOUR!

I now know what they mean when they say that the youngest will always the baby.

She is my other half in this family of boys and I smile when I think about how many fun things we have done together and how many more things we will experience together as she gets older.

What is she up to at four?

Shoes, Mom's makeup, coloring, dresses that twirl, princesses, music, playing soccer, Mom's high heels, punching her brothers, reading stories, saying inappropriate words that her brothers teach her, swinging, hugs and kisses, picky eating, and sure she can be crazy but so can her mother so who can blame her?

Oh yes, and of course, selfies.

We just cannot take enough of them.

You should see how many are sitting on my phone.

Happy Weekend and Happy 4th Birthday Baby Girl!

Future BFFs

Once upon a time, there were Best Friends.

They both had daughters the same age.

Even though they live in different states, they decided their daughters needed to be Best Friends too.

So far, it is working.

Where You At?

It has been a while since I have given an update on this thing we call "parenting" so I thought I would give it a whirl.

Yesterday the Oldest asked about A-Rod.  With all the Sports Center he watches, I was curious as to whether he would ever take notice of his suspension or look right past it.  It seems he takes it all in and wanted to ask some questions about the whole thing.  It was the first time we have been faced with someone our son looks up to falling from grace and him acknowledging that they did something wrong.    I do wish that we would have brought it up first and next time I will.  If he would not have asked, we would have never had the opportunity to talk about this and we should.  He is 9 in November and the world around is becoming more and more exposed to him.  Time for us to stop being naive about what he does and doesn't see and hear.    

The Middle Man is in one of my favorite stages.  He is in the "Mom, will you cuddle with me?" stage and I LOVE IT.  He loves to just sit with me on the couch and it is one of my most favorite things to do in the morning.  He continues to struggle with his anxiety but he has also come so far that I know it is going to simply be a continued effort for us all and probably always will be.  We have also entered the "every potty word is the funniest word ever and so I am going to say it all the time, no matter where we are..." stage.  Let me tell you.  There is nothing like your son yelling out "butts! boobs!" at a museum.  It is awesome.

The hubby saw a post on Facebook the other day that said, "The Terrible Twos are just a precursor to the Terrorist Threes".  When I spent 2am to 5am arguing with Baby Girl to go back to sleep on Saturday night as she screamed that she was not tired, I would now say WE ARE THERE!  The girl wants it her way and that is the only option right now.  It is pretty amazing how stubborn she actually is.  I will admit, she is a Mini-Me....for sure.  It just gets hard arguing with your three year old self.  On the flip side, when she is not pissed off, she is the sweetest little thing who loves to play dolls, brush my hair and dance like it is nobody's business.  

So there is a little glimpse of where we are.  I swear, no matter how many years I do this parenting thing, just when I think I have got it, I am thrown another curve ball.  That is what makes it so fun though isn't it?  Who wants same old, same old?  That would just be boring.

Tiny Dancer

Last week Baby Girl had her first dance recital at her preschool. 

 It was chaotic, kids were everywhere, no one was doing the same thing at the same time.

And it was AMAZING.  

I loved every second of it and so did she.

Dance class, here we come.

Three

What???!!!

Baby Girl, how did you go from this...

to this?

Tomorrow she turns 3 and I know this is so cliche but the youngest seems to get older the fastest.

She is independent, happy, determined, loving, and stubborn.
She loves clothes and refuses to let me get her dressed in the morning.
She cannot get enough of her brothers and absolutely loves to be with with them.  
She is as tall as a 5 year old and tells people that is how old she is turning.
She walks around in my heels and carries as many dolls as she can.
She brings the spunk to this family and we all love her to pieces.

Happy 3rd Birthday Baby Girl!
XOXO

American Girls

On Saturday I headed up to the American Girl Store at The Grove with Baby Girl, my mom, my sister and her daughter.  Baby Girl turns 3 on Saturday and my niece (and Goddaughter) turns 4 on June 1st so it made perfect sense to celebrate both birthdays at once!  We shopped, visited the "doll salon", ate lunch and enjoyed some girl time.  I love that three generations of women were represented and look forward to making this a tradition.  Now I am responsible for changing Baby Girl's doll's outfit a couple times a day.  Apparently the doll likes to change her clothes as much as Baby Girl does.  

Unexpected

This weekend took an unexpected turn when Baby Girl got sick Friday night.  Our plans of baseball in the morning and a trip to the beach in the afternoon were put to a halt and I spent all of Saturday sitting in our bedroom with Baby Girl.  This was her first "real" sickness and I had forgotten how sad it was to watch a really little one cope with being sick and not understanding why they feel the way that they do.  There was not an option of me leaving the room.  She would not stand for it.    

Baby Girl watched Monsters Inc, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Toy Story while I caught up on all the magazines that have been piling up, fell for this really cozy looking padded sweatshirt, finally found the perfect Bubble Ceramic Sidetable for our family room and perused the DVF Loves Gapkids collection.  I also took care of some Mother's Day shopping at the Tory Burch Friends and Family event.  Let's just say that I am not one who should be left in a room all day with a computer at my disposal.  

From left: Zara sweatshirt,  West Elm Sidetable, DVF Loves Gapkids Collection

Baby Girl is now on the mend and the household is returning to normal.  As always, I am just hoping no one else gets sick too.  Fingers crossed, toes crossed, hair crossed.....everything crossed!

How was everyone else's weekend?

So What Happened?

I mentioned a little over a week ago that I was FINALLY taking away Baby Girl's pacifier after allowing her to have it a bit too long.  Thank you to everyone who commented or emailed me regarding suggestions on how to make the process easier for her.  I decided to try the Pacifier Fairy since that seemed to work for a lot of people and Baby Girl is a sucker for Cinderella.  I threw out the pacifiers, placed a Cinderella doll in front of her bedroom door and hoped for the best.

I would love to say that it worked like a charm and she never asked for the pacifier again, but that wasn't the case.  It worked for a couple hours before she decided that she did not want the doll, she wants her pacifier back and the fairy was mean to take it.  I obviously could not have the pacifier reappear so we had to keep going with it.  

Over the next week she continued to ask for her pacifier but the amount of times she asked became few and far between.  FINALLY, this past weekend, I only heard her ask for it ONCE.  She is sleeping fine, doesn't mention the mean fairy anymore and I think, has finally given up.  

At the same time, I figured that if she was already working through losing the pacifier, we should rip the bandaid off and get her potty trained too.  If she was going to be crazy for a while I would rather have it all at once.  So, I also took the diaper away a week ago Sunday and we have not gone back.  The best surprise here is that it took only a day for Baby Girl to be potty trained.  I still have to remind her sometimes to go use the restroom but we are officially done with diapers too.  

Pacifiers and diapers, farewell.

And with that, my Baby Girl suddenly stopped being a baby and suddenly became a girl.  It is really strange to me that we have moved out of the baby stage for good in our family and I no longer need to run to Costco to pick up diapers or search through bags for the missing pacifier.  I have been doing this for 8 1/2 years!  

Am I sad about leaving this phase?  Nope.  Not at all.  I am actually excited about the next.  We spent the weekend in the mountains (photos will come soon) and it was strange how light the packing was.  And we did not have to race home for a nap while having fun.  And no changing diapers standing up in a dirty stall!  This is all incredibly new to me and though there are going to be moments that I miss the baby stage, I have to admit, this next step already seems pretty great.

The Pacifier

See this photo?  

This was a sweet moment taken by the hubby while we were in Santa Ynez.

I love this photo and keep looking at it to remind myself of that sweet little girl that has since turned into a monster.

That's right.

A monster.

After our trip we decided that at almost three, Baby Girl should no longer be using a pacifier.  It was time.......FINALLY.  But we are paying for waiting so long.

We should have known better.  With the boys, the day their turned 2 was the day we took the pacifier away.  Sure they had a rough night but after that, it was over.  I am not sure if it is because she is our only girl, the youngest, or we know that this is our last but Baby Girl turned 2 and we let her keep it.  Each month we would say "this is the last month!" but then would never do anything.  I am amazed at the difference a few months makes.  For the two year olds who were slightly attached, it was sad.  To an almost three year old, it has been devastating.  

My sweet Baby Girl from only a few days ago is now throwing tantrums, not going to sleep easily and continues to ask for her pacifier.  Getting a "no" makes it even worse and I think we are both getting on each other's nerves.  The plus in all of this is that she is at least not waking up at night, but the easy bedtime routine has taken a sudden shift.  I had no idea how much she liked her pacifier.

I know that in a few days all will return to normal and she will have moved passed her need for the pacifier, but for now, I am not happy with myself that I let it go this long.  You would think that by Baby #3 I would know better and keep to what works but I let the convenience of the pacifier overrule and believe me, LESSON LEARNED.  

For that, it is deep breathes.  More deep breathes.  And more deep breathes. 

Next stop?  Potty Training!

This is going to be an awesome few months. 

UPDATE: 
Thank you S.N. for the suggestion of the "Paci Fairy"! 
Baby Girl loves her new Cinderella doll but keeps telling me the fairy is bringing her pacifier back and she doesn't want someone else to have it.
STUBBORN little one here!
I will let you know if it works!

Warm

Even as a baby, Baby Girl has loved the sun just as much as her momma.

After what feels like an eternity (or maybe it was just a week or two) it is finally warm in Southern California again.

I have learned that even though I throw out all the time that moving to New York would be fun, I could probably not handle the winters.

I am SO looking forward to enjoying this 80 degree heat over this long weekend and hope you do the same.

"See" you next week!

2 going on 16

Well, we are there.

Baby Girl no longer allows me to dress her each day.  She is ADAMANT about what she puts on and will refuse anything else.  Everyone told me we were going to get here, I just did not realize it would be this soon.  

I am totally letting her go with it though.  Fashion is about creativity and I do love that she is so invested in her "look".  Does she sometimes look like a homeless Man Repeller?  Yes.  Does it kill me to take her to church in a teal tutu?  Absolutely.  But she owns it and isn't that the whole point of fashion?  Also, if you weren't sure, pink boots are in.  Especially if Hello Kitty is on them.

Anyone else have a daughter who is defining her own style?

Also, I want to thank Wendy, a reader who saw yesterday's post and picked up the scarf for me!  

Dying!  Thank you thank you thank you! 

Bellacures Laguna Beach

Last week I had another "First" with Baby Girl.  One I didn't expect.

I have always heard of these moms, but I swore I would never be one of them.

I am taking my foot out of my mouth now.

Baby Girl and I got manicures and pedicures together.... and I LOVED IT!

Bellacures Laguna Beach was kind enough to invite Baby Girl and I in for a lovely afternoon of girl pampering.  I was going to relax with the Mom-i-cure and Pedicure while Baby Girl was scheduled for the Kid-i-cure Mani and Kid-i-cure Pedi.  I was excited to visit this recently opened nail spa but was a tad bit nervous on how it would go.

The setting of Bellacures is much more inviting than many nail spas I have been to.  It is simple yet elegant and rather than sitting in big manicure/pedicure chairs, you were welcomed by a row of extremely comfortable sofa chairs that could have easily been in my living room instead of a nail spa.  It was so inviting in fact that Baby Girl did not even hesitate to sit in her own chair and get ready.  She was a natural.

Lucky for me Baby Girl could handle her own because I was then able to sit back, relax and enjoy the Mom-i-cure.  This was designed for the expectant mother to help ease the concerns many have with manicures while pregnant.  NO, I am NOT pregnant!  But it doesn't mean I cannot indulge like I was.  The entire manicure consisted of no soaps or alcohol, Karma organic nail polish remover, Karma organic cuticle remover, Cuticle Oil: 100% grape seed oil, Made From Earth lavender calm lotion with jojoba, sea salt exfoliant, and Ginger+Liz Base/top coat and polish.  From start to finish, everything was organic and extremely enjoyable.

Along with my manicure, I also enjoyed my pedicure and I was extremely pleased with how great they were with Baby Girl.  Some how they even managed to get her to sit still and let her nails dry before running around again.  If only I could take them home with me.  It was such a great time and I now know Baby Girl will actually do this so I can keep up with manis and pedis again!  Hooray!!  Gross nails be gone!  

Bellacures has numerous locations throughout Southern California and I highly suggest you check them out, whether or not you are expecting.  

Thank you Bellacures from me and Baby Girl!

* Disclaimer: Juggling in Heels did receive a complimentary Mom-i-cure and Pedicure but my opinion is 100% my own. 

Unexpected

Every time our family goes on a vacation, I tend to set low expectations.  Please don't take this the wrong way.  Do I set expectations low?  Absolutely.  Do I think we are going to still have an incredible time?  Definitely.

I have just found that through almost 8 years of having children and traveling with them, something always comes up.  Gone are the days of perfectly planned vacations.  My mindset has developed into, "I have no expectations, no matter what happens, it is going to be great, and whatever happens will happen".

This trip has been no exception.  On our first day here I posted this picture on Instagram, kicking off the week that was going to be spent by the pool and relaxing.

    
Eleven hours after taking this photo it was 5:30am, I was covered in throw up and I was turning on the shower.  Poor Baby Girl had come down with the flu and beginning at 4am she could not sleep.  Too much liquid got to her and it was a massive explosion in the bed, 99% on me.  This led to the two of us spending the day inside coloring, watching movies and resting while the boys hit the pool.

Was I planning on someone getting sick?  Nope.  Was I planning on spending the first day of vacation inside all day?  Nope.  Did I expect to do three loads of laundry?  Nope.  But you know what?  It was still a great day.  Baby Girl and I enjoyed our time just hanging out together and while she napped I was able to read the September issue of Elle from front to back over a three hour period.  Something that I have not done in AGES.  Sure I would have hoped that she felt well and that we could have spent the day as a family but that is okay.  No expectations remember?

Baby Girl went to bed feeling a little better last night and I am hoping this means she wakes up this morning on the mend.  I am also crossing my fingers no one else gets sick.  Perhaps our vacation will get back on the "traditional" track today but if not, that is okay too.

Traveling with children can be tricky, exhausting and not always according to the plans but there is still nothing better than getting away with the family.  Wouldn't you agree?

I am going to take tomorrow off from posting but I will be back later in the week to announce who won the It's Just Darlin Mason Jar Glasses giveaway.  Also, the voting for the "Top 25 So Cal Mom Blogs" closes on August 22nd so if you have a chance to vote today and tomorrow, I would really appreciate it!

Happy Fourth!

Baby Girl - Fourth of July 2011

 Baby Girl wants to wish you all a wonderful Fourth of July holiday filled with family, friends, celebrations and awesome shades.

The Happiest Place on Earth

As you know from this post, Baby Girl turned two on Friday and we decided to spend the day at "The Happiest Place on Earth".  I LOVE Disneyland.  There is absolutely something magical about the entire place.  Baby Girl had been before but was too young at the time to really take it all in.  This time around, it was completely different.  She was in Mickey Mouse Heaven and LOVED every second of it.  It is always so much fun to watch a little one take in Disneyland for the first time.  It truly is a world of fantasy.

And my favorite photo of the entire day...

Two

Baby Girl is two today.  TWO!  I cannot believe it.  I know they say time goes faster with each child, but the third has flown.  I still remember when we decided to go to three.  Our middle man had just turned two and we felt that someone was missing.  Nine months later (literally, nine months later....she came fast) Baby Girl arrived and I was SHOCKED.  We did not find out the sex and I was SURE that it was Boy #3.  Now here we are, two years later, and I cannot remember what it was like to not have her in our life.  


Who is this girl?  Well......
1. She is STUBBORN and STRONG WILLED, just like her mommy.  Good for all the men that try to come into her life (watch out boys) but bad for me at times.  She believes her way is the only way.
2.  Mickey Mouse is King.  She adores the guy.
3. She has expensive taste in shoes and handbags.  There will be a lock on my closet one day.
4. She adores her brothers and they adore her.
5. Her favorite foods are chicken and black beans.
6. She is not fond of others saying no but it is her favorite word.
7. She has a major sweet tooth, just like her mommy.
8. She already knows that if she wants something, she needs to go to daddy.
9. She knows the words to the chorus of "Rock Party Anthem".  Totally inappropriate, I know.
10. She LOVES the beach and will run as far into the water as you will let her.  Complete hazard.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!