Odds, Ends, and Then-Some...

Kiera is currently 26 months old and full of life! She's quite a character and knows more than I think we'd like her to know right now. Here are some things that she's doing:

• She can recognize a "K" anywhere and calls it "My K!"


• She can recite the ABCS and has memorized her Dr. Seuss ABC book to read to Cate.


• She pretty much knows how to spell her name thanks to "BINGO"...There was a Mommy who had a girl and Kiera was her name-o, K-I-E-R-A...you get the picture :)


• She's so helpful with Cate, bringing diapers, helping wipe her, helping give her a bath, hugs, and kisses.


• Currently her favorite movies are "Shrek" and "Monster's Inc." I LOVE it when she says, "Silly Monster!"


• She loves to color...thank GOD for Color Wonder markers and paper and aqua doodles...and can draw a circle.


• She recognizes all her shapes, including hexagons?!, and all her colors.


• She LOVES to dance and it's hysterical to watch!


• She loves to eat...Goldfish still being a fan favorite...Favorite veggie is broccoli and recently enjoyed edamame. Favorite fruits are strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, and mango. Still isn't thrilled with meat unless it's in the form of a nugget. We keep trying. Loves PBJs and waffles...can eat them at any time of day!

Here's a quick, What I've Learned in Five Weeks of Having a Two Year Old and Infant...

It was a piece of CAKE having just an infant when Kiera was born! CAKE! If I ever complained, said that we were having a rough day, or was overwhelmed, it's nothing compared to now :) It's THE best thing and the most exhausting all wrapped in one! And this is with Kiera being a great little girl who listens 89% of the time. It's not that it's necessarily hard, but it's just difficult juggling everyone. I'd LOVE to get outside and play, but Cate can't be in the sun and even when there's shade it's still HOT and she is the hottest child I've ever met! We've taken them to the beach, but it's generally 10ish degrees cooler there and I have Sean to help. When I'm home I feel like I'm often trapped in the house because to bring both of them out is a challenge...to say the least.

Bringing Kiera to her Pirate Party today was such a small breath of fresh air. Did I miss Cate, yes, but did I enjoy having time with my peanut, yes! And I remember bringing her to the beach every day I had free last year so she could play. I can't do that for her this summer. So it was so nice to pick up and go with her and spend the morning on the river in a pirate ship :)

Cate is One Month Old!

We cannot believe that one month has gone by so fast! We also can't remember what our life was like before we had two beautiful girls in it!



Caitlin has been the absolute perfect addition to our McHugh Crew. She is so precious and wonderful and adorable and GOOD! She's content and kind with these big dark blue eyes that you can swim in. She began smiling this week and if we didn't want to eat her alive before, we certainly do now :) She's cooing and interacting. She loves books and bright colors. Her head is getting stronger by the day and she's holding it up more and more. She also LOVES to be held...which can be difficult with a demanding two year old in the house.

It's sometimes easy to forget that she's still a newborn considering how big she is, but it just makes it easier to maneuver her about. She's already been to a Blueclaw's Game, the Boardwalk, the beach (twice), shopping on too many occasions, BBQs and parties. She's a seasoned traveler already.

Today we celebrated not only her one month day, but an early Daddy Daughter/Granddaughter day with Papa in Connecticut. Caitlin slept away most of the day and Kiera was a total crankstar due to not napping, but it was a lovely day none-the-less. She's an excellent car baby, as is Kiera since we invested in a DVD player for her...thank Christ...but Cate slept all the way there and all the way home...phew. Grandma and Papa spoiled them both rotten as well as Daddy and fed us to the gills...we had to be rolled out of there...great time had by all :)

I'm still balancing everything on a very flimsy tray, but we're getting better. Every day is different...which for a person with slight OCD isn't always the easiest to handle...but we're doing it. So what if Kiera has watched "Monsters Inc" so many times that she's memorized every line so that I can sit with Cate and feed her or clean the house or sit and stare into the oblivion for a moment. She'll live, right? And won't remember this part of Mommy getting it all together?!

The summer has only just begun and I'm hoping to have it into an OK routine by the beginning of July...we shall see...A few goals for the summer:

• Have Kiera potty trained by September.
• Get Cate into a crib and into Kiera's room.
• Get Kiera into a bed so that Cate can have a crib :)

And that's it. Everything else will just be icing on the cake. One of my very good friends, Molly, said that her friend, a mother of four, said, "Learn to lower your standards" and "It's a great day when no one visits the ER." And I say, "I'll drink to that!" So what if my house looks like a tornado blew through and the dishes are filling the sink and there's enough dog hair in clumps to make a new dog...we'll get through it with smiles, I hope...I'm sure a few tears too some days.

So, here's to Miss Cate growing up way too fast already! Happy One Month our Baby Girl!! xo

Balancing Act...Without a Net?!

I feel like I'm walking a tightrope with no protection under me recently...ok, when Kiera is here with me all day...and I feel like, "I should be able to do this more easily!! Other people do this with more children then two for Pete's sake!"

I think I overestimate how much I am able to do on so little sleep due to the size of Cate and how "good" I feel already. But I'm still trying to get into a feeding routine with Caitlin, which I feel is like every hour during the day. Plus, she, like Kiera, enjoys to be held all the time. I'm trying hard to put her down when she falls asleep so that she can get used to not being in my arms and so I can spend more time playing with Kiera. Not easy right now.

Today I decided to venture out in the backyard with both girls for literally one hour. Number one, it's hot as hell out there!! Kiera was sweating like a faucet...although she didn't mind at all, but I had to find a shady and cool spot for Cate, which in our yard is next to impossible! So I decided to get our beach tent from the garage. Kiera and I bring Cate inside, put her in her swing and head to the garage to get it...which alone takes 10 minutes with a toddler who wants to wear certain sandals outside, her sunglasses, and a hat...that mind you she WASN'T wearing out in the backyard, but must wear out to the front of the house...and then she dawdles picking flowers on the lawn...cute, yes, must get back inside, YES! After we get inside I pop out to the deck for ONE minute to open the tent and I come back in to Kiera swinging Caitlin like a crazy person in the swing! Holy Heart Attack! Cate, however, seemed to be enjoying it and actually wasn't crying anymore. Mommy wasn't quite as happy.

We successfully got the tent up in the backyard, Cate inside, and Kiera playing all around it like a monkey...fun :) However, once Kiera got bored with this she began a new game, the "climbing up and down the deck stairs" game. If you've ever been in my backyard, it's pretty big as backyards go in New Jersey. I put the tent up in the flat part of the yard all the way at the bottom of our property, so Kiera running up and down stairs when I needed to be close to Cate as well was not easy. Finally, I'd had enough and said that we were going in to have lunch. I told Kiera that I was going to get Cate and we were going in. I turn around to get Caitlin out of the tent and Kiera flops down two of the deck stairs...Holy Heart Attack! Thank goodness she didn't fall farther or faster because the bottom is a slab of concrete. Note to self: get a gate for the bottom of the deck stairs.

I babysat for years and years and years!! The last families that I sat for had four and five children! Including babies in each family and toddlers...have I lost my touch completely?? I feel like I should be able to do this with ease, yet I'm having these issues three weeks in??!! And the whole summer lies ahead of me...holy moly.

Please think of me and send me positive thoughts...I'm nervous :)