Anatomy of a Typical Morning

On a typical morning, I get up, use the exercise bike, take care of Orrie and take a shower, trying to be done by 7:45 when Abbey often gets up.  Adam is up before me, often before his father, playing in his room.  I get him out around 7:30am, either before or after my shower, depends on how behind I am.  Sometimes Abbey is up early and I end up taking a shower later (Which is usually a mess because Abbey wants in and then Adam, so recently, I buckle her into her high chair with books if I have to shower when she's up) because I don't want to leave her in her prison.  And as you can see above, she has a tent.  She's had one since she started climbing out of her bed at 15 months.  It was recommended by her doctor, and it was a great idea.  Though we're on our second one and it looks a lot worse for the wear, it's way better than Abbey wandering all around (which she did the week between tents).  She uses it like a bouncy house, running laps in her bed before she goes to sleep.  

I say "Good Morning Princess" or "Abbey-Girl!!!" and she jumps up, excited to go with her monkey blanket and sometimes one her animals.  Below is her favorite, her "Kitty Kitty Meow Meow" names by Adam at Christmas.  Isn't she petty?  She's got a lot of adorable in her, if you ask me.

Come on Mom, stop taking my picture and get me OUT!  But first...kiss my little Hello Kitty.  Abbey loves to have me kiss her animals "MMMMMM" she says before she shoves it in my face.

This is Abbey after I've changed her diaper....ready to get down.  Love the evil eye.  

She has spotted her bin of little Abbey toys behind the chair and grabs them as soon as I get her down.  By the way, if I don't go fast enough, she just jumps down.

Adam in time out before breakfast because he was yelling at me.  The last few weeks, he's been very defiant and rude.  Pushing those three year old limits!

That's his whining face.

All is fine a minute later.  He's at the table for breakfast, asking for "Circle".  He used to say cereal just fine, but the Frosted Mini-Wheats box has had a circular maze on the back for months and he has re-named it "circle" since then.  When I try to remind him it's cereal, he is happy to correct me.

They love Life cereal.  With a few mini-wheats thrown in.  My whole life, I never mixed cereals until I met Todd.  Now we all do.  Abbey tries with her spoon sometimes and other times she just digs in.

Adam uses his spoon more and more, but still digs in some, too.

Mmmm....  "Tastes Good!" he says on some days.  Sometimes he picks toast, which now only means raisin toast.  He will eat bagels only if it's mine or Todd's.  Sometimes I make pancakes and Uncle Bobby does, too as well as his french toast.  When I make coffee cake or muffins on the weekend, they are up for it but no eggs.  Neither one of them want to eat eggs.  Adam will eat bacon here and there but like with most protein, Abbey isn't interested.  Most days, I start them with some type of fruit.  Abbey will eat almost any fruit, but Adam usually sticks to grapes, apples or peach cups. 

After breakfast, they usually play for a bit.  I find if I stick them right in the tub, they get grumpy, so I only do it if we have some place to be in the morning.  They want the chance to see their stuff, I think.  I do some dishes, finish my breakfast and often read at least part of the paper and check email.

Then it's bath time.  Abbey gets in first, usually knocking down the door to get in when I say it's bath time.  I wash her hair then start filling the tub.  Adam gets in, sometimes with toys, sometimes not and I wash his hair.  He's come a long way, but he can still get pretty dramatic about his eyes getting wet.  Sometimes he wants out right away, sometimes he swims around for a half hour.  Abbey has become a mermaid, like to lie back so her ears are covered and she gets this look on her face like she's having the time of her life.  She often likes to be in for about ten minutes.  She gets her hair combed while sitting on the sink and she hates it.  But if I try to skip this step and head right into her room, she complains.  She has a love/hate with this routine I guess!  She loves trying to eat the lotion once I put it on her body after I brush her hair, so maybe that's it.  Her weird obsession with eating lotions is disturbing, but we've gotten used to it.

Here is a picture of them all washed and dressed, sitting together of their own accord.  I has just given them a snack (somewhere between 10-11 am they usually get wheat thins or Goldfish) and they decided to dump them on the chair and share.  Usually, I would, of course, stop the dumping of food, but it was a rare moment of sharing and a nice sign of the bond they are building.