My PRESCHOOLER?!

For those of you who don't know, my daughter turned 2 today. We haven't had a party yet. The party will be next week, since it was just more convinent for everyone. Don't worry though, she did get a present today - a sand & water table. She was soaked after about 15 minutes of playing with it, haha!

So, onto the reason for my title...
I get weekly emails from Babycenter.com that tell me what milestones to except, parenting tips, kid friendly activities, etc. Last week, the subject of the emails said "My Toddler this Week." I log into my email today, and see an email titled, "My Preschooler this Week." PRESCHOOLER? Ok, I wasn't gonna get all sentimental like most mommies on their kids' birthdays, but a PRESCHOOLER? That just sounds like such a big kid!

I have not shed a tear about her turning 2, nor will I. Now when she was 3 1/2 months old and outgrew her bassinet and thus had to be moved to her own room, in her own crib... yeah that's another story. I was crying my eyes out that night, even though her room was RIGHT BESIDE ours. Hubby thought it was cute that I was crying, but I could tell that he also thought I was slightly crazy.

For some reason, Emma knew a few days ago what birthdays were all about. I'm still trying to figure out how she knew all this. I kept telling her each day, "Your birthday is in 7 days" "6 days" and so forth. I said NOTHING about presents or anything like that. So when it was 4 days away from her b-day I said, "Your birthday is in 4 days." She said "4 days and I get presents." WHAT? Holy cow, this girl is smart! (Everyone tells us this. I think we have a little genius on our hands. I only hope when she gets to be a teenager that hubby and I are still smarter than her, LOL!)

Anyway, after I got Emma up this morning, I sang "Happy Birthday" to her. I fed her breakfast and got her ready to go shopping. My mom was coming over and we were going to go shopping for party decorations and things like that. So, Emma is sitting on the floor, watching what else, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She looks at me randomly and asks "I get presents today?" Haha! I said "You might get a present today. It depends on what we find when we are out shopping." She looked at me and asks, "And birthday cake?" Ohmigosh. This kid knows everything. I said "Yes you might get some birthday cake today, but you will definitely get some next week at your party."

Luckily, a little later, my mom arrived with breakfast and a dessert. Yep, you guessed it. A small birthday cake. Which reminds me, last year Emma wanted nothing to do with digging into the cake. She stuck her finger in the icing and then immediately wanted it wiped off. I think we'll try again this year. Should be fun to watch!

A Busted Lip and Blood Make an Upset Toddler & Mommy

If that title doesn't make you want to read, I don't know what will.

Last night my almost 2 year old DD (internet speak for: dear daughter) was standing at the door, waiting for her Daddy to come back inside from chopping wood.

After about 20 minutes, he ran out of daylight and had to come back in. As soon as he walked in, I looked over and saw DD suddenly disappear. I didn't think twice about it. I figured she just sat down or stumbled and fell on her bottom.

Then I saw hubby's face. His eyes got really big and he scooped her up immediately. Meanwhile DD is holding her breath (normal thing for her when she gets hurt) then starts screaming once she actually breathes. Hubby says she hit her head right on the corner of the couch. I'm thinking, weird, she hits her head all the time and just keeps going, she never cries like that.

After she had been crying for a few minutes, we look at her head to see if there is a bump. Wrong. She has busted her lip, or bit it, just something because there is blood all over her mouth and in her mouth. There is blood on hubby's shirt.

I run to grab some ice to put on her lip because it's starting to swell. She screams harder and won't let me put it on there. I try handing her chilled teethers. She won't have those either. So there I am holding a bleeding, screaming child who won't let me do anything to help her.

She has busted her lip before, but it wasn't as bad as this time. The last time, I didn't do well at all. First, let me explain that I don't do well with the sight of blood. As a child, I hated loosing teeth because I would have the taste of blood in my mouth and it would make me nauseous. I would get queasy and feel like I was about to pass out. I thought my own blood was the only blood that bothered me, until DD busted her lip the first time. It was scary to see DD bleeding and screaming. I was shaky after that first time, and it took me a good 10 minutes to calm back down.

This time however, I wasn't freaked out. I just wanted to comfort my baby and hold her as long as she needed holding. Mommies don't get to be queasy when their child is injured. They have to jump into action without even thinking twice.

The lesson I learned from all of this? NEVER run out of Infant's Tylenol and Baby Orajel. You will need it sometime, and chances are, when you are completely out, you will need it.

Here is her swollen lip. This picture is from today. It looked a lot worse last night. (Oh, and please excuse her messy mouth, she just had a snack, haha). See how swollen her left side is? Poor thing.

Mommy Monday Review - Big Bubble Bucket by Little Kids

Welcome to the first installment of Mommy Mondays on my blog. On Mondays, I will review toys, games, and other things that I have recently purchased for my daughter or other children. These may be handmade items or items you buy in a regular store.



Today's item is the No Spill Big Bubble Bucket by Little Kids. I bought this for my 21 month old daughter last week since it is getting warmer outside. When it's warm, we like to go outside and blow bubbles. She is now at the "independent age" where it's no longer entertaining to watch Mommy blow the bubbles and try to catch them, she simply MUST try to blow them herself. So, I purchased this bucket and some bubble liquid.


Thise bucket has 3 bubble wands. These wands have big handles that little hands can hold onto easily. My daughter can even fit them back in the slots, on the top of the bucket, to dip them back into the bubble liquid.


This bucket is a fantastic thing for little ones. It's easy to fill by the parents (simply unscrew the bottom) and easy to use for little hands. I highly recommend this. You can find this bucket at Target stores (although I couldn't find it on their website), or by clicking on the link above to see what stores near you sell it.