Just a Ramble

 Both of my girls have had an eating disorder of some sort since beginning solids. Luna’s was clearly sensitive gag reflex and she vomited violently 2-4 times per day, every day, for about 2.5 years. It was so traumatic. She would cry when she saw spoons, worried that she was about to be fed. She eventually outgrew it and now eats well. 

We don’t know what is causing Daphne to vomit when she eats solids, but she seems to be slowly outgrowing it and can now eat a very, very few solids. She’s had a lot of testing and has seen various specialists in the past several months, but everything comes back negative. So maybe it will always be a mystery and she’ll just one day outgrow it like Luna did.

All that to say, I can barely get Daphne to eat a chocolate chip or a bite of ice cream. But three days ago she came to me gagging and crying and swiping her hands to clean out the inside of her mouth. She had eaten CAT POOP AND LITTER OUT OF THE LITTER BOX. There were little pieces of litter stuck to her face. Smears of cat poop on her clothes and hands. So I’m wondering if I could just put a piece of broccoli into the litter box and maybe she’d eat it.

Daphne has learned how to remove her zip up pjs. She already knows how to remove almost all other clothing and the zip up footies were my final weapon in the battle ground of “keep your dang clothes on”. The other day I checked on her while she was napping *defeated laughter*, and found her stark naked, dancing in the middle of the bed to her own tune of “Let It Go”. She had peed thru all the pillows, blankets, and mattress cover. 2 loads of laundry later, I had Daphne in the pack n play to hopefully nap. “Keep your clothes on!”, I said, sternly, as if that’s ever made a difference.

Seven minutes later Daphne had pooped, taken her clothes off, somehow managed to keep her diaper on, stuck her hands down her diaper and then helpfully cleaned her hands off on the pack n play sides. The pack n play is still sitting in my back yard drying out in the sun. 

So now we dress her like this. 

She’s very happy about it. She makes this face while staring into my eyes and allowing spit bubbles to form on her lips. The ultimate act of defiance. Not quite brave enough to spit on me, just brave enough to let me know she’s considering it.

It was Luna’s 5th birthday yesterday. We are celebrating her birthday Saturday when we are all off work (she told me an adorable birthday bucket list which I printed off for her). But yesterday she got to open her gifts, and we went to Starbucks for a cake pop. Her favorite gift was a make up set from Aunt Abby. It’s my favorite gift for her as well. It’s the most entertaining thing I’ve ever seen. I LOVE that she feels so incredibly beautiful with all this hot pink stuff smeared all over her face. Look at her skinny little legs. Her nightgown is from 2 years ago so it’s just a little short, haha. 

Both girls dressed up to run errands and for our Starbucks stop. An elderly lady stopped us at Starbucks to take a picture of them. Luna was so embarrassed and curious why a stranger would want a photo of them, but I totally got it because I took 100 pictures that day. 

Every now and then, I see a glimpse into the future of these two girls as big girls. Doing make up in the mirror. Maybe going to college. Choosing a wedding dress. Getting a call that someone is in labor. Taking a picture of them driving their first car or buying their first house. Shyly telling me about their first crush. And it KILLS me. Lord, please come back before they can grow up! But at the same time, I’m so excited for those big kid years and the adult years. I love teenagers! 

When we have a problem, Aaron calls his dad. We go sit on their couch and drink coffee and have long chats. And I think that one day we’ll have that with our girls and I’m so excited for it. Come home to our house, kids, when you’re big with your own life. Come sit and talk to us. Sometimes I get impatient at bedtime because Luna ALWAYS wants a chat. The longer the chat the better. But I remind myself that if I chat with her now, she will want to chat with me when she’s big. The habit will be made, the trust foundation laid.

Wow. Alright, enough of this ramble. I made myself cry. Is anyone ready for Christmas? I’ve already bought Christmas ornaments for the kids (Cinderella for Luna and Belle for Daphne!) and have orange slices dried for garlands and paper strips cut for paper chains. If I manage to wait til November to decorate it will be a true miracle.