Why I (sort of) Hate T-Ball (And Other News About the Girls)

I imagine I can't be the first parent to sort of hate t-ball. There are a few things I dislike about it:

1. T-ball starts at 5:15. I get home at 4:45. My children cannot leave the house without 10 toys each, 6 snacks, water, etc. Do the math. Getting Ella to t-ball on time is the most stressful part of my day. Which is really saying something. Add in the whole "when do we eat dinner?" factor, and you get an idea of why t-ball is a pain in my ass.

2. T-ball is mass chaos. I am a person who thrives on order. There is no order in t-ball.

3. Ella's team kind of sucks. Not in a "not very good at t-ball" kind of way but in a "never shows up for practice" kind of way. Practice is on Tuesday. Games are on Thursdays. We've had TWO Tuesdays in a row now where not one single member of Ella's team has actually shown up for practice. Not ONE. This past Tuesday, as the three of us stood alone by the bag of equipment, Ella said, "Mommy, I feel frustrated and sad that no one from my team showed up today."

Ultimately, we ended up practicing with another team. I got a glimpse of a world in which t-ball doesn't suck quite as much. First off, this other team has a coach. I am not sure E's team has a coach. If it does, I honestly could not tell you what this person looks like. This other team started practice by doing fun little drills. This other team also did this cute thing where they all put their hands together and shouted their team name before heading out onto the field. And finally, this other team takes turns bringing SNACKS to the games. We have, apparently, gotten the very short end of the t-ball stick. Or should I say "bat"?

But I guess none of the reasons I have for hating t-ball matter because Ella really likes it. She likes playing the field best. I don't think I've ever met a kid who actually liked playing the field. Or maybe I am just remembering my own softball days, where I was always stuck in the farthest corner of the field since I couldn't catch for anything. When the ball DID come my way, I inevitably missed it, causing my dad to say, "You should have had that one!" I was a *great* disappointment when it came to softball. But, as it turns out, your success in softball has no bearing on future success as an adult. Right, Dad?

I guess I hated softball too.

Here are some photos of the cutest t-ball player on the planet:

So What About Sadie?
A few weeks ago, Sadie had her two-year well-child checkup. The child is 24 pounds. That puts her in the 20th percentile for weight. By comparison, Ella was 27 pounds (50th percentile for weight) at two. One of Ella's classmates has a one-year-old sister who is also 24 pounds. This all basically means that Sadie is a peanut. I think she has the Ruppert metabolism.

According to the sheet we got from the doctor, at age two, Sadie should be stringing two or three words together. The pediatrician didn't even ask about Sadie's speech, because--of course--my children can not stop talking for the life of them. So our beloved Dr. H heard all she needed to hear about how Sadie is doing in this particular area. Here's a sample Sadie sentence for those of you at home:

"I have to bring my blankie and my noodle to the park because sometimes I have tantrums, and my blankie and noodle make me feel better." [Sadie to Grandpa on Tuesday] So, Sadie isn't stringing two or three words together. Nope. She's talking in 23-word sentences.

Ella was also pretty verbal for her age. In fact, I had mentally prepared myself for the fact that Sadie would be a late talker. I didn't want to start freaking out if she wasn't talking much at age two since that's NORMAL. But, as it turns out, I am fairly certain Sadie is MORE verbal than Ella was at this age. Not just in terms of how much she speaks, but also in terms of the things she says. She's a sharp little firecracker, that one.

Sades is also using the potty. She will tell us she needs to use the potty at least once a day. Last night, she actually got out of the bathtub so that she could pee on the potty. Tomorrow, I'm putting the kid in undies (new Little Mermaid ones!) just to see how it goes.

In other (sad) news: Sadie has managed to tear one half of blankie all to heck again. I don't know how this keeps happening, but I just don't think there's any point in trying to keep repairing it. Luckily, one half remains unscathed, so I'm trying to keep the one least likely to strangle her in her sleep as the "crib" blankie. See what a good mom I am?