the longest time

I think this is the longest I've gone between posts since I started blogging.  There's just so much going on, and so few hours in each day.  The girls are wonderful, almost all of the time.  Maggie is going through a verbal explosion right now- clearly speaking new words daily.  One of my favorites is "Daddy."  For a while, she would run through the house yelling, "Die!  Die!  Die!," and I wasn't sure what she was really saying since no 15-month-old in my life knows the word "die."  One day, it evolved into "Da-eee," and the next it became "Daddy!"  Needless to say, C is much happier now to see Maggie running to him when he gets home from work than he was a week ago, when it sounded like she was cursing him.  She also clearly says, "I want that," "Orange (understanding both the color and the fruit)," [enough with the quotation marks] up, down, more, thanks, yes, yeah, hi, bye, Momma, Grampa, and Gamma (for Grandma).  She meows like a pro and seems to enjoy pretending to BE a cat.  She has moved on to the "big kid" Signing Time videos and asks to watch them by signing "signing time."  I can't count the number of signs she uses regularly, her current favorite being "picnic."  She has an infectious laugh, extremely ticklish armpits, and a love for putting things in the trash (we have to inspect daily to make sure we don't take anything to the dump that shouldn't go there).

Charlotte goes from angel to demon and back again in the blink of an eye.  She's easy-going and fun to be around for about 22 hours a day, but those other two hours test my patience and sometimes leave me wondering why I ever wanted to become a mom.  We're still working out the best way to handle her tantrums, which generally center on either nap/bedtime or she and I disagreeing on what needs to be done at a given time.  Sometimes, I think we've made it past a situation that could have triggered an outburst, only to see her blow up at something trivial.  Leaving her alone to cool off usually works, but sometimes her fits involve pushing or hitting Maggie- I need to discipline her and attend to Maggie, but I really don't know how to discipline a child her age so I simply hug Maggie in my lap and tell Charlotte that I don't want to be near her when she's being mean.  I have told her on several occasions that, even though I will always love her with all my heart, I sometimes don't like her very much.  She understands, and when we're getting along she likes to tell me that she loves me and likes me.  Three is challenging, but she's becoming such an amazing little girl.  She's incredibly articulate and likes to tell knock-knock jokes.  She's been in a tap/ballet class since September and will have a recital in 2 weeks.  She grew nearly an inch in the last two months; more than 2 inches since Thanksgiving.

The bottom line is that I love my girls more than I ever imagined possible, and I'm amazed at how quickly they learn and grow and change.

As for me, I twisted my knee a month ago while brushing my teeth.  Dramatic, no?  I had to turn abruptly when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Charlotte shove Maggie. My knee is already unstable because what was left of my ACL was removed in October 2010, so my quick pivoting tore some cartilage.  An arthroscopy to clean up my torn meniscus should alleviate the pain and stiffness, allowing me to walk without a limp again.  My orthopedist would also remove two screws that were installed in a 1991 ACL reconstruction so that another reconstruction effort would not have to work around old hardware.  Then, if my knee continues to be too unstable to run on, he'll reconstruct the ACL in a separate procedure.  I hope to have the first procedure within the next couple of weeks.  I currently can't walk without a dramatic limp, and I'm in near-constant pain.  I know from experience that the arthroscopy will take care of my immediate issues.  I guess my soccer "career" is over, but I think I'd be happy to simply run again.  I don't know how we'll pay for it, but I can't imagine continuing in this state for any longer than absolutely necessary.  I am so lucky to have my parents nearby, and in good health, to help out with caring for my girls.