Tales of a Yummy Mommy: Spring Thaw

Spring has sprung! The snow has melted; birds are chirping early in the morning outside my window; the bulbs I planted last year are peeking through the soil: seems like a perfect time to play in the backyard right?! Eeeen (buzzer) - WRONG! Over the sunny and warm long Easter weekend I dared to venture into our lovely arriere-court, and what did I see? Pile upon pile upon pile of mountains of dog shit. Sigh. I spent that bright afternoon pooper-scooping our two dogs winter excrements away. Even having filled a bag, I barely put a dent in the disaster and was discouraged by the one measly corner I managed to 'clean'. Tonight Dan and I teamed up, and were back out for more. Though my efforts were doubled, we have only cleared one side of our fence. I must admit that I have never been more disgusted in my life, and it made me seriously question having a dog, let alone two. I am sure most dog owners don't go through this, as they would probably make the effort to clean as they go, at least a few times through the winter, or to let their doggy do their doo-doo on a walk. We do that too (bag in hand, of course), but while I am home with the kids all day, the dogs come and go in and out of the house, and I mean really go.
Clearly, I have been traumatized by my pooper-scooping experience, but I want to move past all that. Let's move on to more enticing topics that this spring has brought us. Back to the children. Back to nature's finer gifts. Elyse can now hold her head up and look around when she is doing tummy time. I jumped for joy when she did this for the first time, because truly it is a milestone Ariel still struggles with, and never 'performed' as an infant. Elyse also likes to look up at me when she's sitting on my lap, and wants to be exactly where the action is at every turn. The 'action' being Ariel.
The other day, I laid her down where Ariel likes to play, and left the two of them alone together (within close range) while I prepared breakfast. I usually like to supervise times when I leave Elyse completely defenseless on the floor, but I was gaging Ariel's mood, and the timing seemed right. Ariel squealed, "Lysie! (how she says, 'Elyse') Sister!" and ran over to kneel down beside her. Ariel rubbed Elyse's belly like she was a little kitten and talked sweetly to her. Elyse was mesmerized. I tried to interject once, coming a bit too close for Ariel's liking, and she said, "No mommy! Go!" Clearly, they were engrossed in private sister-time, something I am coming to learn more about.
Later that morning, peeking through the shower door, I left Ariel and Elyse enclosed in the same area for the first time while I took my shower. Ariel gingerly sat down right beside her sister, even though I had laid a blanket out for her in the adjoining room. She proceeded to talk to her sister and tell her all about the sticker books she had brought upstairs to play with, all the while snuggling in closer to her. When Elyse made a fussing sound, Ariel said, "Shhh..." softly - exactly the way I do - and rubbed her gently on the top of her head. Their relationship is blossoming, and it is such a beautiful thing to observe and be a part of.
Today, during the day, I took both girls to the library by myself. This is no easy feat for many reasons, the least of which is actually getting out the door! But, today, we made it. No sooner had we gotten there than Elyse woke up and was fussing to be fed. Ariel was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but settled in front of the computer long enough for Elyse to have a 'snack'. Though seemingly hectic, it is moments like these that I am coming to appreciate. The time I am privy to spend with my children is something I will never take for granted and truly enjoy on a daily basis. Yes, I am really busy having two under two, as I am constantly reminded by anyone we meet, but it is so wonderful watching my babies develop side-by-side, hand-in-hand, cheek-to-cheek. They are close in age, but are growing closer still to each other.

Doubles tummy-time

Ariel helping herself to raisin bread - so proud of herself!

Just look at these fabulous hands! I could do this all day! (and sometimes do)

Hands meeting at midline of body: developmental milestone, check

cuteness, Elyse

Elyse and Grandpa over Easter

Scavenging for eggs

Bingo!

Each of 12 plastic eggs contained exactly one chocolate egg, which Ariel later learned how to retrieve by laying the plastic egg on the ground and applying just enough pressure with her foot to pop it open