It has, indeed, been a long time coming...but I'm back.
So much has happened, it's hard to know where to start. Bug has turned 1. Her party was great, though she wouldn't touch her cake. She's teetering around on her shaky feet trying to walk, but she can shimmy up the stairs faster than any creature on this Earth, be it two- or four-legged.
Pumpkin continues to co-mother her with me. What would I do without her. When I hear Bug crying, she makes sure to tell me Bug is crying. When I hear Bug babbling, she makes sure to tell me Bug is awake. When Bug is hungry, tired, or mad, she makes sure to tell me Bug is hungry, tired, or mad. When Bug escapes to the stairs, she makes sure to tell me Bug is on the stairs. You get the picture.
Halloween this year was interesting, to say the least. It was the first Halloween that Pumpkin really understood what was going on and looked forward to it. I, for one, have always despised Halloween, though this year I found myself eagerly awaiting trick-or-treating. As I've said before, when you get to see it through the wondrous eyes of a child, everything is new again.
As fate would have it, this Halloween was doomed from the start. It all started with Pumpkin's costume choice. She wanted to be Izzy from Jake and the Neverland Pirates (Disney Jr.). Now, keep in mind that she doesn't even watch Jake. Also keep in mind that this "costume" was basically blue capri pants and a pink t-shirt and bandana. Hardly a costume at all if you ask me and hardly what I expected from the girl who prances around the house almost daily in a tiara and high heels. I even brought out the big guns - every costume magazine and internet site I could find. We spent hours looking. The sky was the limit, no price was too high. We talked about Audrey Hepburn (my first choice, of course), princesses, mermaids, fairies, and any other candy covered, sparkly, poofy, colorful costume idea I could come up with. She dug in. Izzy it was.
Since she was Izzy and I was determined for the girls to match (this may, after all, be the last year I can require that if there is any chance Bug turns out as stubborn as her sister), Bug got to be a pirate too. She was just a regular, non-television character pirate. In Pumpkin Izzy's mind Bug was her "Captain Hook." Truth is Bug didn't care much about any of it other than the wagon ride and the goldfish one of the neighbors passed out.
Not only was Pumpkin Izzy (and not only did I come to the harsh realization that at 3 she is already into digging in to whatever position is contrary to mine), but she was an Izzy whose goofy pink shirt came apart at the seams every time she put it over her head. Between pumpkin patch, class party, and TWO trick or treats, I ended up using an ENTIRE spool of pink thread just to keep her clothed.
Now, you might have noticed that I said TWO trick or treats. That is because on the day before Halloween at approximately 3:30 PM I got word that Halloween was being moved up a day due to bad weather expected on the 31st. It was a rumor that was absolutely impossible to confirm. Nonetheless, my neighbor, myself, and about 10 other parents and 15 children under the age of 10 loaded up in a trailer hitched to a pickup truck, drove to two neighborhoods that we "heard" were having Halloween early and trick or treated. Only every third house or so got the "early Halloween memo", so it was only a moderate success. Then before we could get home the rain started.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, Halloween morning brought with it torrential downpours and even a shelter in place. But then it cleared up. The rain stopped. It was Halloween and guess what - it was BACK ON. So Pumpkin got to trick or treat again. She isn't going to understand only doing it once next year.
Other than Halloween, we've been crazy busy. Pumpkin has just adored having a new baby boy cousin who she calls "the cutie man" and we've been to visit him a few times. Pumpkin has also been taking dance class (and from what I can tell based on Pumpkin's practices at home is that in an hour all they do is somersaults) and both girls are also taking swimming lessons.
Of all the things we do with the girls, the swimming lessons have perhaps been the best glance into the teen years. Bug's class is first and it's "Mommy and Me" style, so I'm in the pool with her. Bug spends about 60% of the class trying to splash and otherwise distract the other babies in the class, laughing her signature two note laugh (huh-huh). The remaining 40% of the time she is waiting to "swim" underwater with her mouth wide open and her tongue out KISS style. She has no fear. Amazingly enough, she is actually holding her breath - the open mouth is all just for show. Definitely my class clown.
Pumpkin on the other hand sits dutifully in her spot, awaits a teacher's direction, seeks approval of every adult in the room, and takes challenges that she is actually terrified to do but will do for a teacher without a second thought (like touching the bottom of the pool!). Defintely my teacher's pet. I can close my eyes and almost see them at 15 and 17, Bug hanging out of the sun roof and Pumpkin at the wheel with hands at ten and two praying she doesn't get in trouble for something Bug probably talked her into! Now that I think about it, I guess my realization is that our girls are Aaron and me made over. I don't guess I need to tell you which one is which.
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