My kid really is normal! :-)

One of the most exciting things about being a mom is watching your kids hit all those milestones.  Rolling over, crawling, walking for the first time are things that not only show your kid is developing normal but also meeting the social standards of development.  There are time frames for all of these things. I dont know who exactly decided these time frames but its like a deadline your kid must meet to still be considered "normal". So if your kid hits six months and still isnt rolling over...YIKES....

People ask...Oh is he/she crawling yet....and if they aren't you get the raised eyebrows...look of concern....and a pat on the shoulder as they say..."dont worry Im sure they'll catch up soon".  Umm...thanks lady but I wasnt worried until you said that....now Im secretly sort of freaking out. 


My kids...God love'em...they left me in freak out mode many many times concerning their milestones. Jackson rolled over at 1 month.  I thought....Sweet we have an advanced baby here! Genius in the making! But then that was it...he didnt do anything after that FOREVER.  The boy rolled everywhere but refused to crawl until he was 10 months old....then wouldnt walk until he was 17 months old. The day he finally took his first steps was so exciting for me...but all I got from everyone else was....Oh Good...I thought something was really wrong with him.  Umm...thanks again...good to know the world thought my kid had issues. 

Now you would think that after Jack's incredibly slow progression in hitting milestones that I would be used to all of that by now.  Well Layla has proved to be a whole different beast.  She is hands down the most stubborn child.  She rolled over front to back just fine right around three months....but then would act stuck when on her back like she had no idea what to do.  This lasted for a very  very long time.  Now dont get me wrong....the crab on its back thing was awesome when I had to do things like unload groceries. She was literally stuck.   She would arch her back and scream but wouldnt roll over. At first this wasnt concerning but at almost nine months and still acting like a freaking fish out of water on her back...I started to freak out.  FINALLY at almost 10 months old she rolled over back to front.

At this point I had very low expectations for hitting other milestones within the "normal" range.  Crawling came at 11 months and she was a pro. Fastest crawler Ive ever seen.  Her poor knees have been purple ever since.  So...everything was fine....until she hit one years old.  At that point everywhere we would go people would ask...is she walking yet? Nope...no she is not.  13 months....Still not walking. 14 months....No no....shes STILL not walking.  "Are you worried"....not yet thanks.  Then we got to her 15month doc appointment.  Her pediatrician gave me a deadline. She had to be walking by 18monhts or we would be discussing physical therapy. PT!! Thats for disabled and hurt kids! I HAD to get this kid walking.

At this point too people stopped asking and just would either laugh and say "That kid will never walk" or if they did ask it was with deep concern.  Come on people! This does not make an already paranoid mommy feel any better.  Within the family it became a joke. Bets were made that she wouldnt walk before she was two.  Layla was so dang stubborn that if someone besides us would try to hold her hands she would go limp and refuse to bear weight on her legs. At home her favorite toy became her walker.  I call her my little old lady because she takes this thing everywhere.  It was the only way she would walk.

Here is the video....WARNING BABY NUDITY INVOLVED....

So let me stop and say. At this point....at 17 months when the naked video was shot...she would stand unsupported by herself.  But she only did these things for her daddy.  If I asked her to walk she would shake her head and say NO NO NO.  And forget anyone else....except Jason. He has never missed a milestone because she refuses to do anything for anyone except him.  Talk about an extreme case of Daddy's lil' girl!

So we have literally 6 days left until she hits that 18month milestone.  And wouldnt you know....last night as Im walking out of Jacksons room from tucking him into bed...there she is...with her daddy....WALKING by herself down the hall.  I was so excited and happy and relieved I cried.  So today...all day....I tried to repeat this amazing feat.  All I got were NO NO NOs.  Then...as soon as daddy gets home...that little stinker stands up and walks and this time I have the proof!. I got it on video for all to see so even when she refuses for everyone except daddy....I have evidence. :) My girl is normal!! Horray!! No physical therapy for us Doctor Jones. We may be slow...but we have successfully hit all those pesky milestones. :)

Crazy pull your hair out Mondays

Mondays are clean days at the Pfeffer household. I like having a routine. So on Mondays I clean the house. Tuesdays Jason is off work so I try to just relax but I do always go and get groceries every Tuesday morning.  Wednesdays are laundry days and lately Ive been trying to pick one place in my house each Wednesday to try and organize. So far Ive done one closet. Its a HUGE work in progress. Anyway...out of all of these days I hate Mondays.  I really do not like to clean...at all. But if my house is messy it gives me major anxiety. So every Monday I clean. Ill go ahead and bore you with the whole routine...

5:45...wake up read scriptures and exercise before kids wake up
7:30...kids up...feed and dress them
9:00...shower
10:00...clean kitchen, laundry room, and living room and finish this by 11 so I can sit for half an hour
11:30...lunch time
12:30...nap time...my FAVORITE part of the day because I sleep with them until around 130
1:30...up again to clean bathrooms before kids wake up
3:00...kids up and eating snacks
3:30...sweep mop and vaccuum floors
4:30...fold any left over laundry from last week
5:30...dinner which most mondays has been in the crockpot all day so its easy to prepare because by now I am exhausted
7:30...baths
8:00...scriptures and family prayer and BED just in time for me to collapse on the couch and watch Dancing with the Stars.

This literally is how my day goes every single Monday. And most Mondays I trudge through because I know that if I dont get this house clean Ill have anxiety about it the rest of the week. Medication needed for this OCD behavior?  Possibly....I wont deny it, but its how Ive always been.
Today however has been a huge challenge. Even as Im writing this someone somewhere in my house is screaming.  I dont know if its the weather or the change in time (which SUCKS btw) but the kids have been a mess today. 

Example one...only picture with high pitch screaming

this is the collapse I give up mode...a little more quiet than the first so a little more bearable.

this one just stopped screaming but is clawing at my leg for me to hold her which is fine but then Jack is in the background crying that its his turn for me to hold him

This has been my day...all day. What has gotten me through you might ask? Let me just show you...

Thank goodness for the invention of caffeine

So...now it is 4:00...and despite the chaos, the house is clean. There is yummy orange chicken in the crockpot that is making my house smell delicious and I only have 4 more hours until bedtime.

This may all seem crazy to some of you. But now that its all said and done...I feel relief...and I can go about the rest of my week a bit more relaxed than I other wise would have been and enjoy my children that much more without the anxiety of a dirty house. 
And wait...could it be? No one is crying right now! Time to go play with the kids....and watch some HGTV :)

Halloween!

Since having kids holidays have really taken on a new meaning. It is so much more fun now to plan things and watch how much they love everything I used to love as a kid. This year is the first year that Jackson really had a say in what he wanted to be and was super excited about all the fun things we had planned.

Jack is just a tiny bit obsessed with Harry Potter. So of course that was his costume of choice for the year.  And I have to say...He was the cutest little Potter I have ever seen :).

My adorable lady bug and Mr. Harry Potter himself :)

 Everywhere we went from zoo boo to the church trunk or treat and then finally trick or treating on Halloween night people would stop to comment on him and some people were actually taking his picture. That was a little weird to me....but by the time I noticed they were taking his picture it was done. 

So I wanted to make the whole day special for the kids.  We made Halloween cookies in the afternoon, and for dinner before trick or treating I made a delicious meal of scary cheeseburgers.

Can you guess which ones Jack did?

super scary huh?

 Thank you Pinterest for helping me come up with fun creative things to do for and with my kids.  Jackson was so impressed by his burger he didnt want to eat it. He said he wanted to save it and I had to convince him how nasty that would be.  He did eventually eat it but he kept apoligizing to it like he was killing it or something. Silly boy.

By the time we were ready to go trick or treating he could barely contain his excitement.  My little Potter was convinced that the wand my mom got him from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida was really going to work some magic that night.  While walking up and down the streets he would point his wand at people and yell STUPIFY! and EXPECTO PATRONUM!! very loudly.  It was hilarious.  His Patronus is an elephant btw...at least that's what he tells me.  I love his imagination and I love that he had so much fun.

Harry and his wand

When we got home that night he said...Mommy this was the best Halloween! I love Halloween can we do it again tomorrow?  I had to explain that Halloween is over but dont worry...the best holiday yet is just around the corner...Christmas!  He fell asleep singing jingle bells. So stinking cute!

I cant wait for next year when Layla can start to enjoy these things as much as Jack does now.  We kind of just stuffed her into her costume and drug her around everywhere.  She did love the suckers and she loved carrying around her purple pumpkin.

All ready to go :)

 Jas and I had an exhausting and wonderful time. We got home, tucked the kids in bed, and watched some scary movies while we took our pick from the loot of candy the kids brought home. Dont worry...we did leave just a bit for them to enjoy too.

yum!!

I hope everyone had as fun of a Halloween as we did. Happy Halloween!!