It's all good

This girl is one Gemini gone wild these days. Our new bedtime routine has one of us walking her around the block until she passes out. It's amazing how they keep us guessing. Tonight, as she climbed up and down our front stairs a seemingly infinite amount of times, I finally embraced it. I love her process. I love how she is *done* with crawling and wants to walk and talk like yesterday. Go girl.
They both had an early bath tonight after not sleeping all afternoon. Avi passed out early. Leeor joked that he'll probs be up around 4 am.
Lilit has been waking anytime between 4:45 and 5:20. This morning, I thanked her for making it past 5 am. She has been so freaking cute about her crazy changes. A fierce daddy's girl, she has also been super into her mama, which I love. Except when I need to use the bathroom. We have come up with a new routine that has her holding onto my legs. It seems to work okay.
I was talking to my girlfriend today about good mom/bad mom moments. Baking with the kids is definitely up there on the good mom list.
So are fun outings. Yesterday we had an epic Tilden day and hit the steam train, the carousel, and the Little Farm. Avi exclaimed as we boarded the train, "Oh, I'm so excited!"
Lilit just wants to be wherever Avi is.
Avi had a date at the Little Farm on Sunday with his BFF, Gigi. These two are so sweet together. They have only had one big fight during their relationship. Mostly they just love on each other.
The billy goats are my favorite.
We love Lilit's curls. Avi calls it "wiggly hair."
My modern dancing little yogi.
My little cow making a fish face, eating the fruits of our labor last Friday. Another point for the good mom.
Sitting next to the oven, waiting for the cookies to be ready.
Something about this photo, both kids on the counter with a giant bag of sugar, cracked me up.
I love these two so much. And I have to also say that during my worst mama moments today, I couldn't wait to go back to work tomorrow.

This whole good mom/bad mom thing makes me crazy sometimes. Combined with not enough sleep and days that go by where I forget to eat well, I find myself feeling depleted. Eventually, everyone goes to bed and I have a moment of feeling utterly lost and aimless without these little ones to guide my every moment. It's such a mixed bag.

It amazes me that I am able to counsel pregnant and postpartum women so well and yet I am one of them; we are all one. Good, bad, ultimately, good enough.

My friend turned me on to that famous article, The Second Shift, and as I read it, I couldn't believe I'd never heard of it. What struck me the most was that partners of working moms didn't seem to struggle so much with the balance of it all, but they all recognized how desperately the working moms felt about trying to do it all well.

Tomorrow, I will leave work early to take Avi to an open house at his new school. I can't wait.

PS. Avi showed up in our room around midnight, wondering about breakfast and Sesame Street. Eventually, after a cup of applesauce and some milk, we settled back into bed. While he usually gravitates to my side and I am hanging on for dear life most of the night, he actually migrated to Leeor's side--poor Leeor was literally on the edge of the bed, sound asleep, with Avi hogging his pillow. My favorite part about recent mornings is Avi's dreamtelling, "Oh, Mama, let me tell you 'bout my dreams . . . "

And Lilit slept in until 6:30. They are perfect, just the way they are. And now that I'm at work, I can't wait to get back home to them. Though I could also use a nap.