Today's blog title is from the song Wildflowers by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt. I heard it on Big Love on Sunday night, and I've been loving it since. I played it for Lyla, and for once in her life she both allowed me to play music deemed as "mommy's" and actually enjoyed it.I don't like to get too mushy on the walterbean, and I don't often pat myself on the back for anything, but I have to say, in the very few weeks since I've been home with Lyla, I have found our relationship growing stronger, and also her willingness to comply with our parental requests changing. I've definitely stood some ground to get her over the hump, but she has been so very good and sweet I could just eat her up. And my other sugar lump has been such a good girl too. Cute, good sleeper and eater, and seems to really enjoy her new fam.
I vowed during the short three months I was home, that I would do a few things:
1. I would cook lunch and dinner for Lyla as often as I could.
2. We would sit down for family dinner every night at the table.
3. Lyla will try new foods.
4. We would cut tv to a minimum when there are a million other things to do in the world.
5. I would go to all of the things I don't get to see Lyla do when I'm at work: ballet, school, gym.
6. I would spend more time with Trent and Lyla and Eden every day.
The results in such a short time are staggering already.
1. Because I get home so late from work, I never really get to cook for my family on week days. I'll just say that she gets a not-so-special combination of meals during the day. Every day for the last two weeks Lyla has helped me make almost all lunches, and now, some dinners. She loves to be given jobs to do, and tonight, she said she couldn't wait to taste what we made. Since those not-so-special meals consist of not-so-great ingredients, that I would rather Lyla not be eating every day, I'm jazzed that she is helping and understanding what real food is. I always leave veggies and hint at my preferences of what I would like her to eat, but when those veggies are mashed up with spaghetti-o's and weird hot dogs, it appeals to Lyla about as much as it appeals to you. Enough said.
2. Since we've been eating together, Lyla will sit at the table the whole time, which is crazy. It was very hard in the past to get her to sit at the table because we rarely did it. There is some bargaining about getting a Crayon Popsicle involved, but hey, I'm not a complete miracle worker. This is the one thing I would like to really try to figure out after I go back to work. I ate with my family every night, and it's where everyone came together. All the time.
3. So, to jump to #3, Lyla has had pierogies, pasta with pesto, tilapia, meat loaf, and a host of vegetables to boot. Some nights she fights a bit, but she eventually caves. Tonight, I was so proud to be a mom. Corny yes. True? Yes. I diced the garlic, Lyla put it in the pot. She then added some reggiano to the string beans. She also poured in the olive oil, the salt and pepper, and threw the pasta into the pot. She even picked all the basil from the plant, and tasted the leaves! The whole time it was cooking, she was asking when it would be ready, and that this would be the best dinner ever. Lyla set the table, and the two of us (Trent is away for work this week) sat together, talked about the food and life. I was so proud of me and her for getting to this. It seems like a no brainer. The family dinner. However, my work doesn't allow me to do this on a regular basis, so being able to get to this place was pretty special for me.
4. We waited until Lyla was two before we allowed tv. She doesn't watch a ton of tv, but she does love it. Some days, she watches more tv than I would like. I don't know what happens during the day when I'm at work, but let's just say I'm surprised how many tv theme songs Lyla knows considering she only watches three shows with us. It is very tempting during continuous snow days to park her in front of movies, but it has been really fun having in-house adventures instead. Normally, when I have Lyla all day, I plan the whole day so we're out and doing things all the time. Lately, I've just enjoyed staying home, making Valentines, painting, singing, and having cooking shows (which consists of Lyla pulling out every tupperware, utensil, and serving piece we own and acting out an elaborate meal prep). Most days, she watches one or two shows when she wakes up, then doesn't watch anything else. The other night, she actually turned down the opportunity to watch Max and Ruby, and tonight, when I let her watch a show, right in the middle, she asked for me to turn off the tv so we could go upstairs to read. It's just amazing how enjoyable this time has been, and how we can kill six or eight hours without it even seeming long. I have no voice at the end of every day, but it's worth it.
5. I usually do get to take Lyla to school and pick her up which is awesome, but I never get to see her at ballet. This is truly a laugh. Lyla stares at herself in the mirror the whole time, an
d either makes faces, or pulls her tutu up to her chest. The whole thing is a bit of a joke, but she likes it, and the teacher seems pretty patient. Although, Lyla told us the teacher told her she wasn't paying attention last week.6. Overall, it's nice to relax and take some time to just be laid back with my girls. It's also so nice to be home when Trent gets home. It seems like we're together so much longer. It's going to be really hard to go back to the fast-paced, stressful workplace. There are rewards to my work, and when I'm there and in it, I feel my confidence. But it's gonna be hard to let these little cookies go in April. But, I won't be withering in place either.
So far so good on action items 1 through 6.
