The Big Boy Bed

Apparently not going as well as I had hoped. I put Alex down for his nap and found him here, an hour later. He is sleeping on the floor at the top of the stairs. He even brought out the toy he had asked to sleep with (a little orange digger). It's not like he couldn't have come downstairs-- I don't know why he chose to just sleep on the floor in the hallway. I was cleaning the house and listening to my ipod- but only with one earbud in so I could hear him! Actually, since this was taken things have improved. There are some protests but he goes to sleep ok at night and at naptime. He has been waking in the middle of the night and coming into my room and standing next to my bed and scaring the shit out of me but not every night. He certainly doesn't want to sleep in his crib. What he wants is to sleep with Sissy-- but on her top bunk, which is obviously unacceptable. Technically SHE'S not even old enough to sleep on a top bunk (you're supposed to be 6 which she won't be until March). Since she got her bunk bed (the same day he got her old bed) she's been sleeping better. I think she's just too lazy to come down the ladder and therefore just goes back to sleep on her own. We've only had this new bed arrangement for two weeks-- one week of which we were on vacation so it's only been a short while. The plan is for them to maybe sleep together but I think we'll wait for summer.

Recent Happenings

I would like to give some excuse for not posting in so long (almost a month!) but I have none. Everything is going relatively smoothly-- this has still been my easiest pregnancy. There are days when I feel less able to move around comfortably (today, for one..) but I can never seem to figure out why. Eight more weeks. I am starting to get stressed out a little bit about that. I'm realizing now that I'll never get all that house organizing done. I wanted to go through each closet, each drawer, each tiny space and get rid of everything I own. Maybe I need to watch an episode of Hoarders each day-- that does get me motivated! Instead I'm sidetracked by the everyday organizing and cleaning (that damn mudroom full of snowboots and snowsuits and school bags and lunchboxes and coats and groceries and...) and rarely get that enough under control to move on to organizing what is hidden away in the closets. I did get to organizing the kids' old clothes and ended up with about 12 huge bins that are organized by size. (Note that I have given away all of Alex's clothes under size 18 months and all of Talia's clothes under 4T so this sadly represents only a year or two. Must watch Hoarders more often!) I still have to go through their more current clothes and lots of miscellaneous shoes and winter gear that are just thrown on the floor in our storage room.

I bought a new point and shoot digital camera, which explains why I haven't been taking many photos (the LCD screen on my old one broke) and so I have some new pictures. I'm actually returning the new camera (too slow to respond...) and trying a different one but that's another story. The pix in the above collage represent the past week or so-- Talia and I went to see the Nutcracker. See how I'm hiding my pregnant self behind my kid? Nice. Hanukkah came and went with big gifts of an American Girl doll for Talia and the Playmobil airplane AND airport terminal for Alex (if we have to play with him we may as well make it fun for ourselves...) and many many many many smaller presents for each. Talia had her first ski lesson and was AMAZING! After an hour-long private lesson she was able to ski down the slope, get on the rope tow, come up, ski down, come up etc. She is even able to stop, troubleshoot, fall and get up. She loved it. I've been on and off with cooking lately but this past week I cooked a bunch of meals (butternut squash risotto, middle eastern chickpeas and spinach with yogurt sauce, orchiette with broccolini, chickpea and bread soup, cauliflower with panko). Last week I picked out a month's worth of recipes and that seems to have worked out pretty well. All the clean up is really too much for me though and keeps me from those other organizing projects (see paragraph number one!).

The kids are now off from school for TWO WEEKS. I'm really excited about not having to get them out of the house in the morning (though now they are used to getting up at 7am so I suspect I won't get to sleep in at all...) but not excited about entertaining them for so many days. I need to force myself to take them out for an activity each day. They don't really want to go (they are pajama homebodies like me) but it will give structure to the day. Tomorrow we are getting a HUGE delivery of a bunk bed for Talia's room. I guess that means that we are finally going to get Alex out of the crib. I wonder how that will go, since it seems like he couldn't care less about it. He's been crying at bedtime (and naptime too sometimes) lately so I can't imagine it will go well. He's welcome to sleep in Talia's room on the bottom bunk but who knows how that will be? Talia is such a light sleeper. If he cries she will certainly wake up and if I spend time cuddling him and trying to get him back to sleep she gets jealous. ("You love him more than me" is a popular phrase in our house; a topic for another day). I guess that's what winter break is for-- to try new sleeping arrangements out! We have no idea where to put the new baby-- not that it will matter for a few months, she'll just stay in our room-- but if Talia and Alex did want to room together it would solve some problems... We have an upcoming vacation as well so don't feel *too* sorry for me having the kids home for two weeks.

That's all for now. I get my new new new camera tomorrow or the next day so I guess I will be taking lots more pictures and perhaps will post a little more frequently... Happy holidays to all.

New Haircut for Miss T

T has been asking for a haircut for quite some time. We compromised-- she wanted it a few inches shorter and I wanted to still be able to put it up. I like it and might consider going shorter next time. She likes it too but did cry over it at least once ("I want my long hair back!"). She definitely doesn't like it touching her neck (it "tickles") so she's sporting some cute short pigtails these days. Sleeping lately has been pretty good with both kids. Alex is doing great actually, but Talia is still waking up each night-- usually twice. The first time is usually a night terror and the second she just wants her blankets fixed and some patting. She's so lovey and cute at those times that it's hard to refuse.

Two nights ago she had a weird night terror where she kept licking her hand and then rubbing it on my arms and face, sort of like how a tiger might clean her cub. She was also freaking out, mostly incoherently, but possibly about a bear caught in a trap? Her eyes were darting around the room like she was witnessing something scary. Her class has been reading The Magic Tree House at school and the story takes place in the jungle so... maybe that's the issue? I don't know. It was freaky!

Better

I wrote that the sleeping situation was bad in our house. Miraculously we had two great nights after that. So I wrote that things were getting better. Then we had two bad nights. Now things are good again-- we've had two good nights. Am I jinxing it? I should keep a chart.

In this picture Talia is wearing her "Team Petra" shirt. We wore it to the Ironman Race and got to see our friend Petra who participated (and finished!). I love going to the Ironman; we went last year too. Ron says he feels worthless while watching the racers-- I feel quite the opposite. It is incredible to see people who set such an outlandish goal for themselves-- swim 2.4 miles, then bike 112 miles, then run a marathon of 26.2 miles. All in the same day. I love seeing all the supporters on the sidelines. It brings tears to my eyes to see kids wearing shirts that say "See Mommy Swim. See Mommy Bike. See Mommy Run." Each participant has their name printed with their race number. The people who look especially worn out get the most cheers and encouragement from strangers along the side of the road. It's also striking that some of the participants don't look like what you might expect a triathlete to look like. They look more like, well, me. (Ok, not exactly but closer than you'd think). Watching the race I feel the opposite of worthless. I feel energized to know that when I set an incredible goal for myself someday (whatever and whenever that will be) I'll be able to reach it.

I apologize

I probably shouldn't have said my kids suck. Talia and Alex, I'm sorry and I love you both dearly. I've felt kinda bad ever since I wrote that. Of course the kids have been great sleepers the last two nights. In bed around 8:30-- they both fell asleep easily (Alex cried a bit both nights and then settled down-- whew!) and slept through the night until after 7am.

Today was Alex's first organized activity-- a music class. He was a really good boy. He sat some of the time, ran around some of the time and interacted well with the other kids and adults. I think he was definitely better than Talia was at her music class. At the same time, I longed for Sally's Music and my good friends there. We had such a nice class with real instruments (not just a CD playing the music), mixed ages (0-6 years old) and a great group of parents-- moms and dads-- that stayed together for about two years. This was just Alex's first class, of course, and all the non first-timers seemed really happy to reunite after the summer break so I'll just have to give it a chance. I can't believe my baby has become such a big boy.

My Kids Suck-- am I not supposed to say that?

How on earth did I get two terrible sleepers? I *love* sleeping. It's possibly my most favorite activity.

Things had gotten much better in our house-- I finally figured out a way to get Talia to go to sleep by herself instead of me staying in her room until she was asleep and then creeping out. (I lay with her for 10 minutes and then check on her every 5 minutes until she goes to sleep-- it's working beautifully and I don't think it's taken her more than 15 minutes to fall asleep yet).

Alex also had been getting better with sleeping. I would often lay him down awake and he would turn and wave bye-bye to me as I left. The era of 4 hour naps for him seems to have ended but I'll take 2 hours without complaining. Since our trip to California, however, he has not been going down easily. Lots of crying with self inflicted retching. Ron, who was the primary person to put Alex down, suddenly lost his touch. I'm not doing much better.

Anyway, Talia has been really tired since we came home from vacation either due to the time change or her new school schedule of three days in a row instead of every other day. I actually had her asleep last night BEFORE 8pm. It was a miracle. Then Alex would absolutely not go to sleep. Ron and I each tried twice to put him down. He was hysterical. He was finally down by almost 9pm instead of the usual 7:30 or 8.

Then Talia woke up with a night terror. I don't blame her for it, it's out of her control but it sucks anyway and is scary to me because she is so not herself. Then Alex woke up. Then Alex woke up again. and again. Then Talia woke up again. and again. This happened all night and then finally Alex was up for the day at 6:30 instead of the usual 7:30. Why is it that I have to wake the kids to get Talia to school on time (9am) but they magically get up early on the weekends? Of course Ron is working both days this weekend. I feel burnt out already and I just had a vacation-- but then again, considering my "job" is to take care of the kids and the home at this point in my life I never do actually get a vacation. So my kids suck. Am I allowed to say that?

Still Bored With Winter

And still playing with Alex's hair (notice the barrette this time?) He actually wore Talia's pink and purple pj's out yesterday. I must be having some gender confusion.

Talia had the WORST time going to sleep last night. She naps at school on MWF and we have the most awful time getting her to go to sleep before 10pm. Last night there were major hysterics, of the type we haven't seen in a long time ("I don't want to sleep in my bed, I don't want to be alone, My tummy hurts, etc."). Sometimes kids have sleep trouble before they reach a new milestone. I can only hope she's about to cure cancer. Or win the Nobel Peace Prize. Or learn to read. Or use scissors properly.

Sleep Disruption, Again

Both kids were sleeping pretty well. Talia was sleeping through the night (mostly), and Alex was only getting up once (or twice). Talia's nighttime routine, however, was taking FOREVER and she would freak out if I left her room before she was asleep. I implemented a plan:

Phase one: After bath, hair, teeth, potty, 2 to 3 (really long!) books, making sure she had her softie, her hexagon blanket, her kitties, wasn't too hot, had the right covers, maybe her babydoll, etc. I would set my watch for 10-20 minutes (depending on my assessment of her readiness for sleep) and then I would sit outside her door until she was asleep. This worked pretty well, especially since I could sit and read which is what I wanted to do anyway! The problem has been the days she takes a nap at school (or falls asleep in the car on non-school days). She wouldn't fall asleep until 10 or later. She got used to me sitting outside her door though and therefore got used to falling asleep on her own.

Then Phase two: I reimplemented the bribe. Sleep through the night for 5 nights (with a sticker chart, of course) and you can get a prize. She really wanted ballet slippers-- which I would have bought her anyway-- so we used that for the first prize. I set my watch for 10 minutes and then instead of sitting outside her room I told her I would be in my room. It worked slendidly. The second prize was a ballet skirt. She didn't get it as quickly. It took about 10 nights to get her 5 stickers because she had been "putting herself to sleep" but waking up in the middle of the night as well (There have been some minor illnesses going around). Even that was kind of different though because I didn't have to stay in her room until she was asleep again, just settle her and stay for a few minutes. At the same time, after a while the new plan becomes routine and even last night Talia "put herself to bed" without us setting up a new reward. She woke up once though and only needed me for a few minutes but still, I would like for her to sleep through the night!

Alex, on the other hand, decided to sleep through the night TWO nights in a row. The EXACT SAME TWO NIGHTS that Talia started waking up! Ron wanted to know if they have a telepathic conversation before bed-- "I'll sleep through the night tonight, so you need to wake up, ok?" Then Alex got a little bit sick and he has been waking up about 6-10 times per night for the last few nights. Last night he got up about 8 times and Talia got up once. Can you say TIRED?!?!?

The miracle of 01/02/08

Both children slept through the night! They were both in bed and asleep around 9:30 and Alex didn't wake up until 6:00 (as far as I know). Talia is still sleeping at 7:30am. I'm sure it was just some strange coincidence and won't happen again. Even though I myself was asleep before 10pm and slept all night without interruption I still feel as though someone took a truck and ran me over. Maybe even more so. I guess it doesn't matter whether they sleep through the night or not. I will never feel well rested.

Follow your heart

I was a little impatient with Talia yesterday while she was (not) getting ready for school. Alex has a cold and I'm a little extra sleep-deprived. I kept telling her to get dressed, eat breakfast, get her snow boots on etc. and was getting very frustrated with her pokiness. This was how she described her feelings about the situation:

"I'm trying to follow my own heart and you just want me to follow yours!"

Perhaps we're watching and reading too many princess stories?

I take naps now!

Alex has finally learned how to take a nap. He will sleep 2 hours in the morning if conditions are right. Of course, you have to be careful what you wish for-- he often falls asleep in the car when I'm taking Talia to school. I have to beg someone I know to either take Talia in or wait in the car with Alex while I do it. I feel bad asking this of people but I just CAN'T wake him up! Then I have the dilemma of what to do next. When it wasn't so cold I was able to drive home and leave him in the car with some blankets and a baby monitor in the garage. Now it's too cold to do that. So I can sit in the car for two hours (and waste gas and ruin the environment) or wake him. I've been listening to some books on tape and the next thing I'm going to do is maybe cut a small quilt to hand-quilt while I'm sitting. If I try to go home before he falls asleep I'm stuck at home all day and will never get my errands done. And then if I do go home and he DOESN'T take a nap I will be frustrated. I know I'm not the only person with this problem and it's time limited so I guess I shouldn't complain... Somehow Alex also seems to fall asleep in the car when I'm picking Talia UP from school too. It's embarassing the way I scope the parking lot for the parents of her classmates...

Happy Half Birthday!

This is definitely my favorite time of development. Every day Alex tries something new or learns something new. He now sleeps in his own room, sits in a high chair and eats food (sort of), sits up by himself (my favorite!), babbles and blows raspberries, really plays with toys, moved up to sized 3 diapers and is now starting to wear 9 mo clothes. He's super cute and has become a really good baby! We are finally settled in as a 4 person family. Alex really loves his big sister and we all adore him.

On the edge

"I'm kind of like a baby but kind of like a big girl too."

Out of the mouths of babes! What do you do when you child is mature enough to stay dry overnight but not mature enough to get out of bed and go to the bathroom at night without freaking out? Talia has NEVER been a good sleeper and still rarely sleeps through the night. Now that she can stay dry overnight we have a new set of problems. Up until a few weeks ago, she would just pee in a diaper overnight and not really notice. Now that she stays dry, she wakes up crying hysterically if she has to pee. The trick has been to give her "milky" early so she won't have to pee overnight. But we often go out after dinner to the park or somewhere else and she doesn't always get her milk in early enough. She has no problem wearing a diaper to bed but instead of peeing and staying asleep she now will wake up and cry if she has to pee. She thought she HAD peed in her diaper the other night and was really upset-- even though we weren't upset at all! I think I have created a monster. She still will forget to go to the bathroom during the day once in a while and pee "just a teeny tiny bit" in her panties and certainly doesn't feel any shame about that so... what's the deal!?!?

Three nights ago Talia had a fever and woke up with nightmares about "people who grew taller and taller." She also freaked out because her water bottle was in front of her clock and it created a prism effect and the water bottle glowed red. She kept thinking people were coming into her room. She woke up hysterical and talking nonsense three times. Now she won't sleep with her nightlight and wants the door open and the hall light on. I bet Alex will sleep through the night before she does.

On another note, we moved Alex to his room (out of ours) and of course, he got his first fever/sickness that very night and is now back in our room. He woke up 4 times before 11:30pm. Last night I kept him well-medicated and we was acutally fine (in our room). We'll try again in another night or two.

The Prize Jar: Bribes Work... sometimes

Can you believe I have a 3 1/2 year old who rarely sleeps through the night? I went to Party City and bought about a dozen little prizes under $1, like a ball with a butterly on it, a Hello Kitty pencil, a Cinderella Pez dispenser etc. and put them in a jar. I told Talia that she could have a prize if she went to sleep without making a big fuss, didn't call for us overnight (thunderstorms excluded, of course) and didn't get out of bed until her clock said 7:00. Well... it totally worked! She got each of her prizes in the morning and now that we're out of prizes she still seems to be sleeping through the night without a problem. Whew.

Of course, I have promised her everything in the world if she would JUST POOP ON THE POTTY. She's been peeing on the potty for almost a year. I mean, really! What's the problem?

Never enough time...

Well, I never seem to have time to update this. I feel like I can't write about the mundane everyday stuff without writing about the big events of moving and the new baby but I'd rather write about the small stuff so here's a brief update:



The baby:

Alex is almost 12 weeks old and seems to finally be getting better. He was extremely colicky and driving us crazy. We started giving him lactobacillus and also changed his formula to a reduced soy, broken down proteins one and something is helping. (or he's just growing out of that fussy stage). Now he still cries a ton but is consolable. We're not walking him around for hours while he screams. He still rarely sleeps during the day and only if I'm holding him but yesterday he slept in his swing for 45 minutes! He still HATES the car and screams every time we get in the car for the entire car ride. I've learned how to drive while holding his binky in. Basically I have to be double-jointed in my right shoulder. At home I can sort of rotate him around a few different seating areas, like the swing for a minute, his bouncy chair for 5 minutes,his playmat for 5 minutes, and his bumbo seat for 5 minutes. It's a lot better than before so I guess I'll take it!

The house:
Love it. Love everything about it-- except that it's hard to keep the kitchen clean. Why would granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a glass top electric range be so desirable if they just show spots and handprints everywhere? There are many things about the house that I didn't discover until we got here (hidden storage, fantastic lighting etc.) and I'll take pictures and post something later.

The town:
Well, Middleton is Money Magazine's number one small town to live in for a reason. It is great here. People are friendly and helpful, the air is clean and fresh (although you can certainly smell "farm" if the wind is blowing a certain way), and life is certainly convenient. I love love love the nature trail two blocks from my house. I was there a few days ago and was so jealous of the families biking and walking. I figure Talia will be able to walk for a longer period of time... when? Probably never. And perhaps we'll be able to bike it as a family in about... 5 years? Lots of people have tandem attachments for the kids. Maybe we'll get one of those sometime. I want to borrow a neighbor's jogging stroller to see if T will tolerate that. She hates strollers and doesn't like the "bumps" in particular so I doubt she'll enjoy it. It's too hot these days anyway. Looks like Ron and I will have to give each other time to go there separately.

Money:
I'm acting like I have more money but I don't yet. I'm buying more organic produce and more prepared items at Whole Foods. I'm sending gifts to friends. I'm practically hemorrhaging money to Target. I bought the kids some new clothes and FOUR shirts for myself (at H&M, so it wasn't too much). We haven't received a paycheck yet. Housecleaners are more expensive here-- I guess they're not illegal immigrants like in Philly and have to actually pay the government and give themselves health insurance here. We're going to start with once every other week but I really want it once a week.

Family and Friends:
I miss everyone but they don't feel that far away. Since I never really talked to my Philly friends on the phone it seems weird to do so now, so I miss having close relationships with people I see every day. I am becoming closer to some neighbors and will meet people outside of the neighborhood someday.

Talia:
She seems to have adjusted perfectly fine. She loves having neighbor friends, likes school, loves swimming and gymnastic classes. She definitely wants me to play with her more and does not want to go to bed. We gave up the nap in this whole moving situation and that's fine with me-- I like the freedom of not having to be home everyday after lunch-- but she doesn't go to bed any earlier. And when she does nap at school it's even harder to get her to bed and she STILL wakes up in the middle of the night once or twice to get her covers put back on. I mean, really, how hard is it to put the blankets on yourself?!?! Alex sleeps at night better than she does.

Time for me:
Haven't had much. Went on the nature trail once. Sewed a little the other day while T played with fabric and Alex napped. Had a babysitter and had a "date" with Ron, if you call furniture shopping a date.

Ok, now that that stuff if out of the way I can start talking about the little stuff again. Like how I love my new laundry detergent. It smells soooooo good! Downy Simple Pleasures in Water Lily and Jasmine. You will NOT be disappointed!

I also went to a few garage sales and bought a big rubbermaid tote filled with fabric for $25 and got a lot of good stuff. A bunch of 30's reproduction type prints and a pile of batiks as well. I'm trying to make this flag garland from Land of Nod. It's going to look great!

Lastly, I love GPS. It's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

Arrival in the Midwest

ahhhh.... It's so quiet. All I can hear are birds chirping. I have the most spectacular view-- an unobstructed expanse of rolling farmland with actual barns and silos-- no joke! I think I love it here.

Perhaps I wasn't meant to live in the city?

We arrived almost a week ago and have the essential parts of the house out of boxes, if not in order. I love the house, I love the neighborhood, I love the town, I love the QUIET! We haven't heard a siren since we got here.

So the house is great. It's very sunny, very spacious, has tons of storage. I honestly think I'll be able to keep the house neat, if you can believe that. I love that the playroom has all the toys which can disappear at night. I love my fireplace and covered tv cabinet. I like the kitchen, I'm getting used to the open design. Ron put away all the kitchen wares out of the boxes so soon I will have to re-organize everything to my liking. I'm not going to continue on and on about the house; you'll just have to come visit to see it. My in-laws were here for a couple of days and I never even went into the basement guest room and they seemed very much out of the way so guests are welcome welcome welcome!

My neighboorhood is great so far. It's been super hot so no one has been out the last day or two but there was the cutest parade on July 4th-- a firetruck followed with all the kids in the neighborhood on bikes or being pulled in wagons with balloons and flags etc. Then in the evening there was a pot-luck at the park (1 block away) for the families on our street and there are tons of kids here. Supposedly there are two princess-y sisters right near us ages 3 and 5 but we haven't met them yet. My next door neighbor ACTUALLY BAKED ME A PIE. I'm not kidding. Other neighbors dropped off rice krispie treats and chocolate covered oreos. One neighbor lent us their brand new lawn mower so Ron could do the yard (which took all of 20 minutes). People wave. A girl had a lemonade stand out yesterday and cups of lemonade were 10 cents.

We joined the pool, which is really big, VERY cool (a huge sand area with shade and water structures, two huge water slides, snack bar etc.) and only cost $130 for a family of 5. It doesn't open until 1:30 though because of swim team. Talia is going to take lessons starting in two weeks. I got my library card and the library is very nice with a kids play area. Luckily it has the whole online reservation thing so I can get whatever books I want from 7 counties.

Yesterday we went into downtown Madison (15 minutes) and went to the farmer's market. I am unable to describe the magnitude of the market so I won't even try. Those of you who've been here know what I'm talking about. It just confirms the whole atmosphere of Madison in general-- people are really into local agriculture and outdoor activities. I bought lots of fresh local produce, cheese, bread and rainbow tie-dye socks for Talia. I even got shelled peas. I bought the MOST BEAUTIFUL flower bouquet (I don't even have a vase big enough) for $5.

Talia's school is the coolest place ever. There was a little table at the entrance last week that had a foam board and next to it a basket filled with found and donated objects in red, white and blue-- detergent caps, lego pieces, a few small knitted squares etc. and a bunch of rolls of tape. A sign said- please add to our sculpture as the week goes by. So simple and yet so creative. There are live birds in the school. They get produce from a CSA for snack. The director decided not to charge me for the full month because Talia was really only going three weeks. THIS is what the Midwest is like! Someone came by today with cookies and gave us a Kettler tricycle for Talia to ride for the summer since her boys had moved on to bikes.

Alex seems to like Wisconsin also. He has hopefully grown out of his colicky stage and does not cry for hours on end for no reason. He still really doesn't sleep during the day at all. It's quite strange. All you want to do is put him down and every time you try he wakes up within 10 minutes. He does generally sleep ok at night, waking mostly to eat but sometimes will wiggle around and grunt for hours between feedings but not really awake-- he doesn't open his eyes and doesn't exactly cry. He does need care during that time-- binky, patting etc. and thus we are exhausted. We bought him a fancy swing and a bouncy chair so he's not as neglected as he was in Philly.

Well I'm really tired. I wrote this email in two sessions so sorry if I've repeated myself. Ron has another week off and then he's working full time. He *might* take Talia to Chicago this weekend for his dad's 60th and I might stay here with Alex. Even if the kid doesn't sleep during the day I can just sit with him in front of the tv, maybe run some errands (I think I've given Target about $1000 this week) and try to RELAX. I'm going to bed.

Bye Philadelphia

It's been nice knowing you.

T, Alex and I leave tomorrow morning. I'm nervous about a solo three and a half hour car trip. For Talia we have a DVD player and about $100 worth of new toys (for the 16 hour ride to Madison but also this ride too). I'm not too worried about dealing with her. On the other hand... Alex really hates the car. He's either going to SCREAM or SLEEP the entire way.

I'm trying to look forward to relaxing at my sister's. I'm stressed about taking care of both kids by myself- well, not so much caring for them but sharing a room (a bed) with both of them. Alex will wake up at night and Talia will be in the room too but I think that will be ok because he mostly just eats and sleeps at night. Usually when we sleep somewhere other than home Talia and I share a bed and I go to bed when she does-- but now I have to take care of Alex too and he doesn't go to sleep at the same time so she will have to sleep alone which may be a problem in a strange room. I have to just relax and let it go. It will be what it is and it's only for a few nights. On the other hand, I don't have anywhere else to be, packing will be done and I can't do anything about moving in until I get to Wisconsin so it could be great to be at Jo's.

We move in 7/2 so I might be radio silent for a while. I'll catch you on the flip side.

Father's Day

Of course I told Ron he could sleep in. The kids woke up at 5:30. Thanks.

My baby's all grown up

I remember when Talia was born I just wanted a week to have gone by. The first few days seemed to go so S-L-O-W-L-Y. I remember that by the time she was one month old, I felt like I pretty much had everything under control. I wasn't so stressed anymore and was able to enjoy her more. A schedule of some sort had emerged. I felt competent.



This time around, I can't believe a month has almost gone by ALREADY. I don't know where the time has gone. There have been some major changes in my baby. For one thing, somehow I noticed the other day that he got HUGE! I put him in an outfit that I had looked at when he first came home and LAUGHED at how big it looked! Now it totally fits. He also needs a little more entertainment than he first did. We've been putting him in the swing, putting him on the playmat, talking to him more. He also has infant acne. Yuck. I was hoping that somehow he wouldn't get it. It's not too bad yet and if I remember correctly, goes away pretty quickly. For some reason it doesn't really show up in basic photoraphs either. If it's not documented then I guess it doesn't really exist.



I know I'm supposed to really enjoy this time because they aren't small forever. I know I should spend more time looking at him, exploring him, savoring him at this age. It's hard to do that though. I'm still overwhelmed with taking care of two kids. I'm definitely stressed about the move (1 month from tomorrow) and now I'm nervous about this upcoming weekend-- Ron is working/ on call for FOUR days in a row. It's not that he won't be around at all, he spends a lot of time working from home but-- if he's particularly busy he won't be able to help much, he'll be stressed too and if he doesn't get sleep at night he'll be pretty worthless to me for days to come. We have plans for each day but that doesn't always mean an easy time...

Not using my time wisely

My daughter, son and husband are sleeping. I'm cleaning, checking email, trying to find some dinner for my family. I haven't napped in a few days and I'm pretty tired. Somehow so far, miraculously, Alex seems to be asleep during Talia's bedtime routine (a long procedure that seems to get longer) and sometimes dinner too. He's not too bad at night. He seems to mostly sleep and eat with maybe an hour of fussiness (so far). My problem is that I can stay up late and get up in the middle of the night but come, say, 4 am- 8am and I just CAN'T get out of bed. I become lazy, not changing his diaper and feeding him in bed instead of getting up. Not putting him back in the co-sleeper after feeding him but letting him sleep on me because it's easier. This time around I didn't remove the featherbed or switch from our death trap down comforters or anything. It's interesting to see how things are different with the second kid (but that's another post).

Ron has been sleeping upstairs and coming down at 4am to do a feeding before getting up and going to work. I don't know if it's him or Alex but the baby doesn't seem to go back to sleep as easily at that time and Ron's a light sleeper so he's feeling very tired as well. He says he's more tired than me. What a laugh.

Ok, maybe I'll lay down on the couch for a little while since everyone else is sleeping. I can look at all the books I took out from the library today about parenting and discipline for toddlers. One is called something like, "getting up, getting dressed, going to bed and eating-- ending the everyday battles." Sounds like exactly our problem!

I hear some squeaks from the other room. Looks like maybe I won't get to lie down today after all...