::head hitting desk::

Potty Training 5 days before we move, a brilliant idea. No, not my brilliant idea, but because apparently it's the cool thing to do at daycare, so June Bug insists on trying it at home.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all about not having to change a toddler diaper for sure, but his timing sucks.  I'm sure moving will hinder any progress we've made, maybe not, but big life changes tend to do that sort of thing.

His favorite blankie hard at work!

Second, Lady Bug is in a stage where she only naps on me.  Inevitably June Bug will be stripped down sitting on the potty, Lady Bug will fall asleep on my shoulder, and that's when June Bug will decide he's done and wants to run around.  I'm left with two options:

A. Wake up Lady Bug in order to re-diaper June Bug=no accident but a screaming baby

B. Let Lady Bug sleep while June Bug romps diaper free= inevitable accident, but happy baby

Last time I pondered this decision for a split second too long and the result: an accident AND a screaming baby because I yelped in her ear. Wouldn't you yelp if your toddler peed on your feet? ::sigh::

And of course June Bug is very particular when it comes to the tactiles and doesn't like the plastic seat sticking to his bum. His solution: put a blanket between him and toilet. Awesome. I foresee our future potty training days going swimmingly.

And thus it begins...

...Sibling competition. As we near our big moving date, it dawned on Lady Bug that June Bug had a celebrity BFF  and she was not to be shown up.  But let's be realistic, the midwestern suburbs aren't exactly packed with celebrity goodness like Southern California. So the clock was ticking...

Plotting babies!

Being a little young to scout on her own she recruited her BFF and future husband baby E (I'm not at all opposed to arranged marriages) and baby E's mom, la Tía favorita. Off they went to lunch at a local restaurant in an area not exactly foreign to celebrity traffic and sure enough they hit the jackpot.  Lady Bug, being the daring girl she is (and in an attempt to one-up her brother) hits up an older guy and his mama: 10 month old adorable Arthur and his mama Selma Blair. Baby E, Arthur and Lady Bug enjoyed, well a predominantly mute lunch on their part, while their moms did the usual baby chit-chat and dined.

Arthur's mom was most definitely charming and witty and hopefully has a good sense of humor. Since this sleep-deprived Mama Bug asked her if she was a working mom...um yes, clearly she is.  In my defense, I'm a little slow on the uptake when it comes to recognizing the "easily recognizable," it's part of my charm. But as a result my naiveté, she was happy to chat with Tía and I over lunch.  And Arthur is one good looking baby boy.  So Lady Bug can move happily, knowing she's found her celebrity BFF. But don't worry Baby E, he's no competition for you ;-)

Toddler Trouble Times Two!

Two toddlers + 8 hours = 4 very tired parents and 2 riled up two-year-olds.

We spent the day down south with June Bug's favorite gal pal.  It's hard to believe they're as big as they are.  If I could bottle that energy, I'd be a billionaire. And of course running around like crazy actually inhibits a nap. I'm pretty confident June Bug was snoring before he even laid down.

June Bug will surely miss his favorite gal pal, how could he not? She's too adorable for words and so much fun! It's crazy to see how much they've grown and hysterical to see them interact.  I know Lady Bug's sad she won't get to meet gal pal's soon-to-arrive little brother. They would have been besties for sure.  Though she is thankful for the celebrity-sized wardrobe that was passed on to her. I can almost guarantee if Lady Bug's wearing something cute, it started with June Bug's gal pal.

Of course June Bug found the "prized" possession in one of the many bins of girl clothes: a pink fleece Elmo hoodie that he insists on wearing even though:
A. it's clearly for a girl  B. it's waaaaay to small and C. it's 80 degrees out.

I will never, ever, understand the crazy devoted love my toddler has for Elmo. He drives me batty (Elmo, not my toddler...ok sometimes my toddler too). But that's another post.  Instead I'll leave you with pictures on how much these tiny tots have grown over the last year!

in our pre-hair days

 a head of hair, a whole lot taller and clearly flirting

can't stop running

pre-walking

Pack your passport...

Because we're moving! Ok, so a passport isn't really necessary, unless your the cashier at CVS with whom I had this conversation as I put four L.A. Times on the belt and prepared to pay:

Cashier:  What's with all the papers? Are you in this or something?

Me:  No, just moving. We need paper for breakables.

Cashier:  Are you moving locally?

Me: No, across the country.

Cashier: What country?

Ummmm, the one we currently live in?! I probably stared at her, dumbfounded, for a good 30 seconds before I realized that I actually needed to utter the words "The United States".

My excited face

In hindsight I realized leaving SoCal is a lot like moving out of the country. It's a bubble of sorts and let's be honest, CA does have a  GDP bigger than most countries. California, however, will hold a special place for us. I've spent nearly half of my life here as a Los Angeles native; my kids and I were even born at the same hospital. It is a bittersweet move as we say goodbye to some wonderful friends whom I love dearly, my awesome job and our picture perfect weather...ok, that's a lie. I'll only miss CA weather when it's sub zero in the midwest. Call me crazy, but I'm looking forward to seasons. 

Are you up to the challenge mom?

But we have a lot to gain by heading east with family, much more living space and my dream job to be a stay-at-home-mom. It's not a "career" that many would chose and I'd be lying if  I said I wasn't nervous.  I know Lady Bug's excited for sure! June Bug, well I think he's uncertain about my stay-at-home-mom abilities. He's spent the last few weeks putting me to the test and sizing me up...

I'm fairly confident June Bug is looking forward to giving me a run for my money and possibly driving me back to work! Here's proof that he's literally a kid on the run!

Science vs. The Old Wives Tale

All my awesome science-inclined friends and co-workers are probably spitting out their coffee at this one.  But come on, no one loves an old wives' tale (OWT) like a woman trying to get pregnant, who is pregnant, or who's trying to induce labor.  When it comes to OWT, if the trick worked for 1 woman, it's reason enough for another 3.4 million desperate women to try it too.

Since were were "team green" with Lady Bug,  people were dying to know how my pregnancies compared.  So let's see put science and OWTs on the court and let them duke it out.  Everyone swears that "different" pregnancies=different sex.  Ultimately this post is more for me and my terrible memory, so that if there's a third bug (Daddy Bug just choked on his tea), we can compare the data!  And for the record, this is the most "scientific" I can be. If we were going to truly be "scientific" then the ultra sound tech would probably get an opinion.  So really, it's not very scientific at all but here are the stats...

So "science" wins on this one!!!  Oh and as for any OWT that says it'll induce labor...yeah, I tried them all, several times.  I still don't know what it means to "go into labor" and I have two kids.