Two Months Old...and Almost 27 Months Old :)

Wow...our McHugh mamas are growing up way too fast!! I'm the saddest person thinking that this will be the last baby that I hold to my chest who fits there...but it most certainly will be :)

Cate is growing with leaps and bounds, cooing, following people and objects, loves to look out at the world and observe, sleeping 100% through the night in her crib in Kiera's room (woo hoo!), and is just the sweetest soul! I can't get enough of staring into her deep blue eyes that go on forever. She's just amazing.

Kiera is full of life and is such a fun little girl. She's definitely going through a "mine" phase and is very good at being demanding, but we can usually turn it around. We've been going on many outings to the library for stories and crafts, playing in the pool and around the yard...but most days these summer we've been stuck in the house because of the overwhelmingly oppressive heat!! We're roasting here in the shade.

**I started this on the 13th and it's taken me this long to get back to it...it's now Monday, July 26**

The biggest change right now has been putting Kiera into her own "big girl bed" and putting Cate in the room with her. It's been such a huge success! I'm thrilled!! I was SO worried and it all came together beautifully. Kiera LOVES her bed and climbs right in at night and at nap time and stays there until I come and get her. She's always been an amazing sleeper, so let's just hope this keeps up. Caitlin has been sleeping in her crib for a little over a week now (I think, the days blend). It's been great so far. There was one day that I had to get her at 4am and Kiera heard me come in, but went right back to sleep after I took Cate out. Phew. The biggest "problem" I have with Caitlin and her sleep has been that she weasels her way into the corners of the bed and wakes herself up. So I have to start her all the way down at the very end of the bed at night and by the morning she's all the way up in the front wedged into the corner...we got breathable bumpers for just that reason for her. It's been working out nicely :) So we're thrilled!

Now onto potty training...an area that I have no idea what I'm doing...there are so many, and this is certainly one of them. She's very interested in the potty and usually goes at least once a day, but to get her to go every time she needs to go has been a challenge! I've read about different techniques, rewards, etc. and nothing seems to be 100% working...except time. I don't think she's fully committed and therefore not fully ready! As great as it would be to have her out of diapers asap, I don't think it's going to happen as fast as I'd like. We have a few problems here: #1...Kiera doesn't mind being wet. She could wear the same wet diaper all damn day...gross. We shall see, shall see, shall see :)

Getting into the Swing of Things :)

Yes, we're getting into the swing of things here in the McHugh house...I'm feeling so happy with the way things are going. Although every day is different and Kiera is learning the art of testing and stalling like a champ, we're doing very well!

Caitlin is an absolute delight and we all just want to eat her alive. If she cries it means something and we can usually figure it out...thank goodness. She's getting bigger and more alert by the day, smiling, cooing, interacting, I can't get enough of it.

Kiera is such a wonder. She's a typical two year old in every way. So cute, fun, and lively and then can be grouchy and defiant...she's a pistol! I can't get enough of how well she's forming sentences and recently asking, "why not, Mommy, why not?" I do a lot of "becauses" these days.

I'm having a slightly sad day, however. This morning I spent time with two of my very very good friends who both lost their moms quite recently and both anniversaries are this month....one tomorrow and one next week as a matter of fact. I had someone who used to be very close to me recently call my mom my "adopted mother" in every sentence they spoke. This hurt me to the core because she was never my "adopted mother", she was my mommy....just like I'm Kiera and Cate's mommy. Do you think they know or care that I carried them around in my person for 9 months? Absolutely not. But do they know that I'm the one who hugs and kisses them every day of their life, who gets them up in the morning and tucks them in at night, the one who kisses away every tear and soothes them back to feeling good when they hurt...that's a mom. And that's what we all miss about our moms...even now that we're in our 3os we all still need our moms to kiss, hug, take our tears away, and reassure us that it's all going to be ok. I'm eternally grateful that we have this friendship with empathy that only people who've lost their moms young would ever understand. We all wish that our moms were here for our children (and us) every single day...

I love being the mom of girls and I worry every day about having to leave them...it's irrational, but when you've lost your mom at 17, these are the thoughts you have. I always want them to feel and be safe. They are my heart, my soul, and the deepest parts of my being. I hope that they always know how very much I love them...just like my mom loved me each and every day of her short life...