Wednesday Randomness...

I woke up this morning completely unaware of what day of the week it was. Not really surprising considering how crazy this week has been so far. When I realized that it was, in fact, Wednesday I felt both excited and depressed. Excited because that meant the week was halfway over with, depressed with how little I've accomplished so far this week. Such is life with kids. Anyway, onto the randomness....

• After lamenting the fact that I've gotten little writing done lately I actually sat down and got some work done yesterday. It was quite sporadic since I was working in between taking care of the kids, but I did get a good little bit done. I got the first ten chapters of book two outlined pretty good. Even better I think I've got the plot down in my head, which is huge. I never seem to know for sure where I'm going with it until I start outlining.


• I think outlining is both my favorite and least favorite part of writing. I'll explain. When you start an outline you have basically nothing to start with, but a general idea of where you want the book to go. You have to come up with everything off the cuff, which is not easy. Also, it lacks the really fun part of writing, the words, the dialogue. It's just a raw skeleton. But on the other hand, that's what I love about the outlining, it's where your true creativity kicks it. One minute you're at your wit's end, completely unsure of what's going to happen next, "And then she...." Blank, nothing. You get up, walk around the house, maybe change a diaper or get a snack and the BAM! Suddenly you know exactly what should happen next. It's like magic.


• Now do you know why I love writing so much? That's why.


• Back to the sickies. Elijah is now completely better, which means he's back to talking my arm off 24/7, yay. I'm glad he's feeling better, but oy, that child is a handful. Sophia is still pretty congested and unhappy, which is fun. Surprisingly she slept really good last night, which means I slept surprisingly good, which means I woke up feeling...weird.


• Yeah weird. I think it's also called well-rested? But I'm not completely sure, I've forgotten what that feels like.


• Matthew never did get sick, which is great. Me, well, I seem to have the most lingering symptoms, fun.


• Is it summer yet? I have a general countdown until vacation going on in my head, but I can't mention the number, it's just too darn depressing.


• You know what else is depressing? Snow in the forecast for April. Snow. SNOW!


• What the?


• I keep trying to remind myself that when we do get some warmer temps the weather will be simply gorgeous instead of hot and humid like it will be soon in the south. But still, it's hard to keep that perspective in mind when there is the "S-word" in the forecast.

All for now.

In other news...

Because goodness knows I'm tired of talking about being sick and tired, as I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it! (But to answer your questions, yes we're mostly better today. And YES I finally got some sleep!)

So, what else do we talk about if not sick kids? Oh right, there's not much going on around here other than that.

Well, for one thing it's been a really long time since I sat down and worked on my book. I started out in January with such a good work ethic, writing every single day pretty much. I have the whole thing written by hand, I just need to finish typing it and then edit the entire thing. Okay, so basically I have a lot of work still ahead me. I just can't manage to find any time or inspiration to do it lately. Hmm wonder why? I've already typed up eleven chapters, and I still have three or so to go. It's becoming more and more apparent to me, even thought I've attempted to write a novel before, why I've never finished one. I just can't seem to wrap it up! I've written at least three different versions of my ending, none of which are very different, I just can't seem to find one that fits. I'm sure when I finally sit down to type it all, it will just come to me, as it does most of the time. But until then I'm at a loss.

I'm not sure if it's hurting me or helping me that I'm already working on the second book (hopefully second of three). I can't decide which loose ends I want to tie up in the first and which I want to leave to be discovered in the second. Grrr. I guess I just need to sit down and write, something, anything.

Also, I'm soooo not looking forward to the massive amounts of editing that will be required when I'm done. Though it would be kind of nice to say, "Hey, I wrote a book!" Even if that's all it ever comes to.

Right? Right.

So, what's the problem then, why am I not writing?

It's time for another installment of...

Sleep issues! Wherein we discuss how I can possibly get more sleep and take a look at what a severe lack of sleep can do to you.

You would think that I would be used to sleepless nights by now. I'm on my second baby, second bad sleeper. But no, not used to it, at all. Especially when I had a night that trumps every night, including the Elijah newborn nights. See, I didn't realize how spoiled I was, even though we had plenty of crazy, sleepless nights with Elijah, seriously, nothing like last night. Ever. Sophia wins the prize.

Wait? Is this even coherent? Probably not. Wanna know why? I think I got about two hours of sleep last night, in several fifteen minute segments. Fun stuff. I mentioned yesterday that Sophia had come down the cold that Elijah and I already had. Well, she seemed to get the worst of it. She woke up around three in the afternoon burning up, she had a fever of 103. I gave her some Tylenol and she was fine. She went to bed around the usual time of 7:30 and went right to sleep, no problem. I was seriously planning on going to bed at eight myself, because I was not feeling so good. But she was up at eight, burning up again. So we gave her more Tylenol, a cold rag for her head and sippy full of water and her fever went down again. But she wouldn't go back to sleep. I guess the congestion had set in pretty bad, which is difficult when your baby is a paci baby.

So, basically Matthew and I took turns trying to put her to sleep, none of which worked, ever. She would sleep fifteen minutes in her crib and then wake up screaming. Fifteen minutes in our bed and then wake up screaming. I don't know who was more miserable us or her. The only good news is that Elijah officially sleeps like a rock, since none of this even woke him up.

She seems a teeny bit better today, though still not sleeping much at all. If it wasn't for the two large cups of coffee I already had I'd be dead on my feet. Yeah, I'm still sick too, but that's the least of my worries. Elijah is already mostly better, so I'm hoping she bounces back as quickly as he did.

Yay...

*Disclaimer: that is a sarcastic "yay", as will be all my "yays" in this post.

After Friday's exciting news I was quickly brought back down to reality Saturday morning by a very snotty-nosed kid. Yup, Elijah is sick. He doesn't get sick very often, once in the beginning of winter and once at the end. I guess this is the latter. Good news is, it usually only lasts 48 hours or so with him, and he's generally his usual chatty, outgoing self the whole time. (Again, yay.) Bad news is, cold germs spread like a wildfire. Though I was trying hard to avoid him, what mom can avoid her kid? I was Right there wiping his nose, giving him medicine all day yesterday. So at around eight, after the kids went to bed I felt it, the sore, scratchy throat that always seems to signal an oncoming cold. Yay. By the time I went to bed I was feeling pretty crappy, but hoping a good night's sleep would do me some good.

Guess who didn't get a good night's sleep? Me, that's who. Because Sophia got up around midnight, Matthew brought her to bed so I could feed her. As I'm trying really hard to not breath germs on her I can hear her snorting, she's congested now too. Yay. Repeat this scenario about ten times and you'll get my night. Except I didn't feed her all those times. We eventually both got up at seven, yay.

Elijah swears he feels better today and assured me that Sophia and I will be better tomorrow. But he doesn't Fortunately Sophia and I both took a really long nap this morning and I think we're both considering a second one now.

Yay.

That one wasn't sarcastic.

Everyone loves a little good news...

In case you haven't heard by now, and I'm sure you have because I've been broadcasting it everywhere tonight, Sophia got the all-clear from her orthopedist!

I'm so, so happy for her and excited that this is all finally behind us. Her appointment was around 2:45 this afternoon so I had a long time to sit around and think about it. Once we got to the waiting room I was starting to feel really anxious. For the first time in all her hip appointments I was feeling really nervous. For once, I actually didn't have my hopes up for good news. I took her back for her x-ray, which she did really good for, considering it was only her second one and I had to kind of hold her down while they did it. Finally they called us back to report on the x-ray. The first doctor we spoke to wasn't the head orthopedist and he said her hips looked good, but that they would probably recommend she remain sleeping in the brace for a little while longer. Instantly, I was discouraged and began to wonder if, and when she would ever be completely better. But then the head orthopedist came in and said she looked so good she could be done with the brace FOR GOOD!

I swear, I think my jaw hit the floor. I went on to ask a few more questions, like if there was anything she should avoid. We had been told previously not to put her in any jumpers, exersaucers or baby carriers and she said no she could do whatever she wants now. I'm so happy to hear that. She has to go back when she turns one, then again at eighteen months and then every year basically until adulthood, just to make sure nothing reverts. I really don't mind that at all, as long as we can get rid of that brace!

I tossed it in the trash as we were walking out! Tonight will be her first night sleeping with out it in eight months straight! I'm really interested to see how well she sleeps. I'm not crazy, I don't think she's going to magically sleep through the night. But hopefully this will help her habitual night-wakings.

Big sigh of relief.

As we were walking out I was telling Matthew, "Get ready to sign her up for gymnastics, ballet, oh and karate." I'm glad nothing is going to hold her back now.

I don't want to talk about it...

And by it I mean the two inches of snow on the ground outside!

What do I want to talk about? I guess what's at the forefront of my mind today. After all, that's why I have this blog, to be able to write about my thoughts on life and stuff.

So...Sophia has her x-ray and follow-up with the orthopedist tomorrow. This is her first one in the past four months. I guess I should start at the beginning so you can get an idea of the timeline. At her first appointment with her pediatrician when she was six days old, her left hip "clunked" out of the socket (that was the word her ped used). She told us she could have a loose hip and sent us for an ultrasound at Yale Children's Hospital. We were told a lot of babies have loose hips, so it could be nothing, or it could be something. I think it took a while to get the results back. But they informed us that she had "dis-locatable" hips. Meaning her hip sockets were looser than they should be. It took about another month or so, but eventually we got a referral for her to see the orthopedist at Yale. This meant another ultrasound of her hips and then her follow-up. At the time she was two months old. I guess I let the possibility that she might have grown out of it on her own go to far. Because I was completely blindsided when the orthopedist officially diagnosed her with hip-dysplasia and said she would have to be in a brace from now on. Not only that, she would have to be in it for 23 hours a day, for an undetermined period of time.

Now, I know it's not a big deal, compared to what some babies and parents have to go through. But I'd be lying if I said I handled it well. I cried, she cried, no one was happy to see that brace that day. I was assured her condition was very likely to be fixed by just the brace, though surgery or a cast could be in her future if she didn't improve. It took a lot of getting used to, but eventually we all became accustomed to her brace. Initially they gave us a follow-up six weeks later. At that appointment she showed improvement,which meant the brace was working, but not enough to get out of it. This continued for several months, little improvements, but not enough. By October they decided she had shown enough improvement that she could start weaning out of the brace. She was allowed four hours out a day for two weeks, then eight. Then finally, she only had to sleep in it. After having her in it all day, every day, four hours seemed like such a big deal! When we went back in November I was fully expecting, after the six-month weaning process, that they would finally say, "DONE!" and we would be able to toss the brace once and for all.

Since she was six months old then, she was finally old enough for an x-ray instead of an ultrasound. When we were waiting in the room for her follow-up one of her doctors stuck her head in the door and said, "Did you hear the good news? Her x-ray looked great!" I was so, so excited. But, the other orthopedist said that her left hip was still a bit "premature", and added, rather nonchalantly, that she should remain in the brace at night until she was nine months. To say that I was a bit stunned was an understatement. Maybe he didn't realize what that meant. But to me that meant three more months of not sleeping well at night for me and Sophia. (She was practically sleeping through the night at two months before she got her brace!) To make matters worse, they couldn't get her in for her next appointment until March, which meant four more months in the brace, just like that.

So here we are, that appointment is tomorrow and I don't know what to expect. Part of me, the really positive part, thinks that she'll finally be 100%. But the other part of me says, she hasn't gotten better fully after eight months, what makes you think it will happen now? I know it's silly, it's not really a big deal. She crawls and stands, so it can't be that problematic, right? But it's still a Thing. It's still something wrong with my baby and I don't like it. I'm ready to be done. I know she's probably used to it by now, she's slept in it every night for most of her life. So, what if they say two more months, or three, or more? As long as she gets better eventually, right? They said even if and when her hips are tightened up enough to get out of the brace they will still have to follow-up with her once a year until she's an adult, so I guess there will always be a Thing.

For now I'm staying positive, they basically said she was 99% better last time, so theoretically she should be 100% by now. And if she has to wear it a little longer that will be okay too. But I'd really, really like to be done.

I'll let you know what happens.

At least I survived...

My mom and I have this sort of mantra when it comes to Mondays, they are only meant to be survived. Yesterday was one of those Mondays, where I knew I’d be lucky to do even that.

Admittedly, I woke up in a bad mood to begin with. I’m still not getting enough sleep thanks to my little teething monster, and I’ve been having to wake up far too early as well.  You can imagine the effect it had on my already dismal mood when I looked out the window to see that it was cold, dreary and raining outside. Especially when it had been in the seventies and sunny just this past Friday. What happened to Spring?

Anyway, I’m not exactly sure when it became apparent that my whole day was going to go sour eventually. Maybe when the teething monster refused to take a much-needed nap around nine so that Elijah and I could start school. Or maybe it was when my student decided to write all his numbers backwards on his math worksheet. Possibly it was when the rain turned into snow. But perhaps it was when I managed to set off all three smoke detectors in our building’s stairwell…yeah, that was what it was.

I can explain, really. And I didn’t even burn anything. For one thing, I have set them off before, as have my neighbors. They are really finicky smoke detectors in the hallway outside our back door, if I’m ever cooking anything that might get remotely smoky, I make it a point to never open the back door. Well, yesterday I was baking some little cinnamon knots to take to Bible study this morning. I have some really stupid baking sheets with no edges and some of the extra butter that you dip the knots in before dipping them in cinnamon and sugar runs off the edges and gets burned up in the oven. When I came to take them out of the oven nothing smelled burnt, I didn’t even see any smoke. So I moved on to my second task, taking my laundry out of the dryer. The dryer that is in the basement, which meant I had to open the back door to go down. I’ve nearly made it back upstairs and am about to close the door when it happens; that deafening, panicky chirp of a smoke detector. I can tell it’s just ours so I start looking around for a way to shut if off, trying desperately to remember what I’ve seen Matthew do to shut it off before. I vaguely remember seeing people whack their smoke detector with a broom to get it shut off, so I grab a broom. Only one problem, we have ten foot ceilings, I’m 5’3”, which means not tall enough to whack the alarm. Just then there’s an echo from the stairs of more loud beeping, I’ve set off the alarm on the second floor (nope the neighbors weren’t home, so there was no one to help me.) Then there’s more echoing from the stairwell, and I’m pretty sure I have set off the third floor alarm as well (no one lives up there, so I’m still on my own.)

At this point I’ve gone completely deaf. Sophia is still miraculously napping, even though her bedroom door is close to the racket, Elijah is still nonchalantly eating his lunch and watching cartoons, while I’m freaking out. My first thought, as it almost always is on days like these, is to call my mom. At least she would have some idea as to when and how it might shut off. But for once, she doesn’t answer! Second thought is to call my landlord, but I immediately rule that out. There was just no way I was going to be the helpless short girl from the first floor who couldn’t shut off the smoke alarms, no way. Yes, I think that’s called pride, but you haven’t met my landlord.

So, to make a long story a little bit shorter, I eventually got them to shut off by standing on top of the stepladder with Elijah’s little step stool precariously balanced on top. Yay me.

See, this is why I don’t bake.

And I haven’t even gotten into all the other reasons why Monday sucked! We’ll save those for another day, shall we? But just to add insult to injury, or maybe the other way around, I did manage to hurt myself no less than four times yesterday. Matthew suggested, sarcastically of course, that I should keep a list like Raymond did of all the times I get hurt. Gee thanks honey.

But like I said, at least I survived, barely.

Crazy busy weekend...

It always seems appropriate, and a little necessary, to start my Monday post with a nice whine... here's today's...I'm tiiiiirrreeddd. As in, really, really tired. Like I haven't slept well since, errr, last Wednesday. Yay me. Sophia seems to not be sleeping well right now for whatever reason, I suspect teeth *sigh* because she's generally pretty crabby during the day.

So, like my post title says, we had a crazy busy weekend. Mainly because Matthew's came to visit on Thursday. They got in super-late on Thursday, around 1:30, and of course I stayed up waiting for them. How? Why? Oh because I had a ton of coffee anyway and was wide awake. Despite staying up so late the night before I got up at seven, like always, with Sophia and cooked breakfast for everyone. Later that day we walked all around New Haven and then went home for dinner. See, I was a little tired at that point, but not too bad. We all decided to go to bed fairly early that night so we could get up early to go to NYC in the morning. I think I went to bed at ten thirty or so. Guess what time you have to get up to get yourself and two kids ready for the early train? Six thirty. Ugh! Actually that was Sophia's idea. But we were all ready and out the door in time.

Fast forward to NYC and lots and lots of walking. I ended up packing Sophia in the Ergo so she could sleep some, so I had an extra eighteen pounds to lug around most of the time. Still, I wasn't that tired. I finally got my cupcake from Crumbs that I had been craving for a year or so! Oh yes, I'm rambling, I'm tired remember? Did I mention I also was up with Sophia a million times the night before? No? Well I was. Saturday night when we go home everyone was pretty tired. Except Sophia who managed to take two hour long naps in the Ergo while I walked. Lucky! Oh and one on the train there, but none on the train back. We ordered pizza and then crashed. HARD. Well, I did for about an hour, until Sophia woke up, then I slept thirty minutes, and Sophia woke up. And so on and so forth throughout the night.

So, yeah, I'm tired. I keep reminding myself that this is the age Elijah started sleeping through the night, but so far I'm not holding my breath for Sophia. My kids just don't like to sleep. Even now they're always both up early and would never go to bed unless I made them. Sophia goes to the orthopedist on Friday to see if her hip is finally better. I'm hopeful that it is, because last time they said she was nearly there, and that was four months ago. Although I'm not holding my breath anymore that she will magically sleep all night long once out of her brace, but it won't hurt either.

Wait, where was I going with this? Oh right, I'm tired. Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be a time when I'm not tired? I don't think so.

Time to go, I have a million things to do today. Yay Monday. Fingers crossed that my sink won't flood or anything.

How far we've come...

Occasionally it's fun to look back on your life and marvel at all you've been through. I know, I'm not that old, but still I feel as though I have lived a very full life already (in good ways and bad). Although at this point I have to look back pretty hard to find a time when I wasn't what I am now, a wife and a mom. Those two things aren't all I am, of course, but they are the two that define me the most these days.

Matthew and I were struck last night by the fact that we've been been married for almost six years now. Six. SIX! Now, to my parents, in-laws and grandparents that's not very much! (They have been married 29, 40 and 50 years!) But it's a lot for a 26 and 29 year old. The thing that makes this even more amazing is how much of that time we have been a family, not just a married couple. Elijah came along just eleven months after our wedding date. It's always been the three of us. In those first three and a half years we moved no less than four times, one of them a 900 mile move. Matthew has switched jobs and schools. We've been through the stress of applying to Phd and Master's programs and being rejected, and then, finally accepted here at Yale. But we stuck together through it all, and I'm positive that all these things just made us stronger as a family.

So, we've been married for almost six years, been a family for nearly five. We've only been a family four for less than ten months now. Another thing Matthew said last night was how it seemed like she's always been a part of our family too. It's weird, because in the beginning I was a little unsure of how she would fit in with the rest of us. I guess it's just one of those silly things you worry about when you're pregnant, like will I love my second baby as much as I loved the first. And then when they're born you realize how it's impossible not to love the second as much as the first. She has definitely completed our family in so many different ways. Not just because she's a girl and we already had a boy, because we would have been just as happy had she been a boy! The thing that still amazes me the most about her is just how much she loves her brother. Their favorite thing to do is play in the bathtub together. Last night I took a book in there with me so I could read and keep an eye on them. I noticed at some point while they were laughing, playing and splashing they were holding hands. They are just too cute together. I hope they are always that way together, though I'm sure they will have their moments when they're older. I hope she always looks up to him and thinks he's the funniest and coolest person on the planet and I hope he always looks out for her and tries to protect her.

Okay, I'm rambling. But I guess I'm feeling sentimental this morning, but I'm allowed, right?

Wednesday Randomness...

Wednesday again? I know, right? Sorry, I think I've said that every Wednesday so far, this week just seems to be flying by. I guess because we've been busy.

Where to start...

• Our neighbors are getting a new roof as of this past Monday (their last one was blown off in a huge wind storm around December). We were awakened around seven a.m. Monday morning by loud hammering, banging, and worst of all, men yelling obnoxiously. All.Day.Long. So, understandably Sophia hasn't napped at all since this started! Thankfully, today it's raining, so they can't work, so it's peaceful today.

• Sophia, oh Sophia. She used to be so happy if you would stand her up against the couch, ottoman or her play table (she still can't pull herself up), but now she's mastered the art of dropping down onto her butt and crawling away. Her current fascination is with the library where there are tons of things she should not get into! Grrrr.


• Thank goodness for coffee, or else I'd never get through a day!


• Speaking of coffee, back on my birthday I got a postcard from Starbucks (because I had registered my giftcard online) for a free drink for my birthday. It said on the card "We'll make you any drink you want!". While out shopping with the kids I decided to get my birthday drink, I tentatively asked the barista if it mattered what size drink, ect. he reiterated that I could get anything I wanted. (Oh and wished me happy birthday, lol!) Anyway, I usually just get a white chocolate mocha, but decided to get something different. Instead I ordered a java chip frap. I didn't specify what size so he made me the biggest, venti, I think? Anyway, holy huge drink! It looked like a Starbucks big gulp! As I was leaving I realized it was probably a $5 cup of coffee and about a billion calories, but man, it was ridiculous it was so good. So yay, now I have a new coffee addiction. Just what I needed.


• Wow, that was a long story about coffee, hey this is my blog!


• Anyway, while at Target yesterday I realized I had five bucks left in my wallet from my birthday money from my grandma, and all the Targets here happen to have, what? Starbucks! Soooo, java chip frap time! This time I only got the medium size though, so only about three-quarters of a billion calories. Yum.


• Speaking of addictions (yes I have a few, though all my vices are purely innocent!) I think I have a jean addiction. Just ask my husband. We all know all woman are pretty obsessed with finding the right pair of jeans. Well, I've found the right pair. And now I happen to own FIVE pairs! Okay, another long, pointless story for you! For Christmas my mom got me a pair of Mossimo brand skinny jeans from Target, they come in short sizes, and to my surprise, fit perfectly! Also, she sent me a pair of jeggings. I know, I know, jeggings, we all do the "side-eye" when we hear that term, but the Mossimo ones are fabulous, they look more like jeans than leggings and are perfect with boots. (In case you hadn't heard, we were boots A LOT up here!). Anyway, I loved them so much I told Matthew I wanted another pair of the jeans, in a lighter color, for my birthday. Normally they cost about $20, so that's not a bad price. The day we went shopping for them? Found them on clearance for...wait for it... $4.98!!! I know, right? Fast forward to my birthday, I got several Target gift cards, I already had my eye on yet another pair of skinny jeans, this time a cropped pair with zippers on the ankle (Um, Sophia is my fashion icon). Again, usually around $20, for Cacey on her birthday, clearance again $4.98! And yesterday, clearance rack, another pair of Mossimo jeggings, in black, you guessed it $4.98! (My mom is reading this now and is very proud!) So that is how I ended up with five pairs of great jeans for....fifteen bucks.


• *sigh* Now if only Spring would get here so I could wear all the short sleeved/sleeveless tops and sandals I got to go with them!


• I have SO much cleaning to do! I know, I always say that, but this time I totally mean it! Monday I just did the usual, tons of laundry and all that. Tuesday I'm gone a good portion of the day, mom's group at church and then errands with the kids. So I have today and tomorrow to get ready for my company!


• Matthew's sister, Angie, is coming for a few days and we're all very excited. We don't get family up here a whole lot since it's so far, but we always have fun when they do come. In the plans, a tour of the Yale campus and a day in NYC!


• I'm a teeny stressed about taking Soph to NYC. We've only been once since she was born and we basically got off the train and walked to the Met and then back to the train. This time we will, hopefully, be all over the place. I'm already planning on taking her umbrella stroller and the Ergo carrier as a back up in case she gets sick of the stroller. This is a pretty good time to go though, since she's nursing much less during the day and eating more real food. It's really hard to find a place to nurse your baby in the city!


• Ugh, speaking of Soph, she didn't sleep well last night, which means I hardly slept. Yay.


• While out shopping yesterday I told Elijah we needed to look for him a Thermos or something he can take his drink in when he packs his lunch for mom's group on Tuesdays. (Just an aside, he calls mom's group, "the lunch party" because he thinks it' such a treat to take his lunchbox.) So we scoured Target for a Thermos. We ended up getting him a blue water bottle thing with a straw and a flip-out nozzle. He is in love with the thing, which is so funny to me. I mean, it's just a water bottle! I guess he takes after his mommy in the sense that little things make him happy (like five dollar jeans!). He's never been good about drinking a lot of water, but now he is. If I would have known that was all it would take I would have bought him one a long time ago!

I guess I should go, we're off to a slow, sleepy start. Matthew has been staying up late working on his paper and I'm trying to keep the kids quiet so he can sleep in. Also, I promised to make him breakfast before work!

What goes up...

Must come down.

Yes, this is my obligatory "Monday sucks" post, but in my defense I have a crabby, teething baby who is getting into everything every second of the day, piles of laundry to do, oh and my neighbors are getting a new roof, which means the old one is getting taken off today, which means a crap-ton of really loud banging and noise! So, yeah, I'm reserving my right to complain today. We're having company this coming weekend too, Matthew's sister is coming to visit (yay!) but that also means I have a lot of cleaning to do before my house is company-ready.

Yay Monday.

But I have to say, Mondays are always worse when you had a really good weekend, and we did. Friday afternoon Matthew came home from work early since he's still on Spring Break from school and we all went to the mall. Somebody, and by somebody I mean me, had some birthday money still to spend. This is completely shocking, if you know me at all, birthday money is usually spent within days, make that hours, of receiving. This time I actually managed to hang on to part of if for more than a day, so off to the mall we went! After picking up some stuff at H&M and Target we had a little dinner at the food court and then headed home to put the kiddos to bed. Fortunately they have both been going to bed early lately, Sophia at 7:30 and Elijah at 8:00. So nice! I love having 2-3 hours of quiet, kid-free time before bed.

Anyway, Saturday morning I went grocery shopping as usual. As soon as I walked in the door I announced that we simply had to go outside, preferably to the park or something, because it was so nice out. Matthew pointed out that it was only 48 degrees and with the windchill it was supposed to feel like 34. I pointed out that the sun was actually shining for once at that it was comparatively warm. Plus, the kids hadn't been to the park since....OCTOBER!!!

So off we went.

A little sneak peek at one of the 20 or so pics I took. More on the fam blog later. Hey, I'm a MOM!

Yeah, it was a little chilly, but with jackets we were fine! Sunday we had church, then we all came home and napped, except for Matthew, who took advantage of the rare peace and quiet to get some work done on his paper. After dinner we all played games together. Oh and best of all, I finally, finally finished the chapter I've been working on for so long! Chapter ten, which is sort of pivotal, which is the reason why I was having so much trouble with it. I finished it, which means I'm just a few chapters away from being done. DONE! I'm beginning to think that this might be the first time I actually finish a book!

So, good weekend! The only downside was the stupid time-change. At 8:30 last night Sophia was still awake and Elijah didn't go to sleep until 9:00. And today Sophia is completely off her napping schedule which is interfering with our school. So bugger.

Confession...

I painted Sophia's toenails yesterday. Yes, I know she's only nine months. Yes, I know I probably need help if I'm painting my baby's toenails. But come on!

Would it make any difference if I told you she wanted me to? No, seriously! I was painting my own toenails yesterday, pretending they might actually see the light of day sometime soon if the weather ever warms up, and she was completely accosting me the whole time. Trying to grab the bottle of nail polish (Cha-Ching Cherry!) and trying to touch my nails. Finally I put her in my lap and painted her little, big toe. She sat perfectly still and watched me do it. You know, she started crawling earlier this week, so for her to be still for anything is pretty epic. Of course I had to get a toothpick to do her other toenails since they are so tiny, but she just sat there and watched. As soon as they were dry she kept trying to touch them and kept staring at them.

You know Matthew had a good laugh when he got home, though I'm sure she wasn't surprised at all, this is just the sort of thing I would do. Girls are so much fun, just wait until she has hair!

PS. You know I'm not the only guilty party around here for going overboard with the girly stuff. She is (so far) the only baby girl on both sides of our families, so she has two Grandma's (Mimi and Nana) and three aunts to totally spoil her with dresses, shoes and hair bows, and they do! Mimi confessed to buying her a bracelet the other day. She definitely is the little Princess of the family.

Wednesday Randomness...

Wednesday already? Eh, alrighty then. Guess I can't complain, Wednesday is better than Monday...

• So, my kids have been crazy lately. I'm not sure what it is, their ages or what, but they're crazy. I guess Sophia is the guilty party, and we can blame teething for that. She just popped tooth number three yesterday. Thankfully, she's been sleeping well despite the teething. But during the day...sister is crazy...and loud.
• It's so loud around here sometimes I feel like I have five kids instead of two! It doesn't help that I've always been overly sensitive to noise. Sophia, not so much. She seems to be at the age where she just loves to hear herself talk (ie, make a lot of noise!). I have NO IDEA where she gets this...none whatsoever.
• Okay maybe just a little.
• The weather has been nice still, yesterday I went out without a jacket! (I seriously think that deserves about ten more exclamation points, but I won't push it.) Unfortunately the weather forecast for tomorrow is rain/SNOW. WHAT?!?!
• And this is explains why I'm feeling so ragged lately...you know what's good for that? Vaca- NO! I won't say it, I won't even think it! From now on we will refer to it only as "That which we do no speak of" (105 days away) (Sorry I've been reading Harry Potter lately) (sorry I really like parenthesis.)
• Grrrr that's a lot of days.
• Do you ever feel some days like your bed has a gravitational pull? I do. Yesterday Sophia was napping, finally, and Elijah was playing quietly while Matthew studied. I think I was supposed to be putting sheets on the bed and I just got to close. It just pulled me right in, I laid down and zonked out for about half an hour. I didn't even think I was that tired. Apparently I'm tired all of the time and just don't realize it. I'll just have to stay away from my bed from now on, and the bedroom for that matter.
• Aaaand someone just threw a thousand Cheerios on the floor. Crunch. I guess I'll be sweeping this morning.
• Nevermind I don't like Wednesdays either...

Time to get to work, and stop pining for "that which we do not speak of".

There's no such thing...

as too much sleep. Or, at least that's the way I see it. Seriously, I could sleep twelve hours at night (yes please!) and still take a two hour nap in the afternoon. Now, when have I ever gotten to do that? Um, probably the last time was when I was a teenager with little or no responsibilities. So, yeah, I love sleep just a little, I mean a lot.

I haven't had a full nights sleep, eight hours straight, in...let's see...eighteen months, give or take. That's nine for the nine months I was pregnant and didn't sleep well, and nine for the nine months I've had a baby that insists on being nursed at night still. Okay, that's about as bad as counting down the days to your beach vacation when you're still 100+ days out, but what can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment. Just to add insult to injury, I never take a nap either. Occasionally on a Sunday afternoon I might manage a hour nap if I can time it just right, but that's about it.

I guess it just comes with the territory. The funny thing is, even with the minimum amount of sleep I'm getting these days, I'm really not that tired most days. I chalk that up to just doing so much my body doesn't even have a chance to recognize that it's tired, and if it does, I just drink another cup of coffee! Works every time! Although there is the inevitable crash at the end of the day that comes at the exact time the kids go to bed. Eight o clock and I'm on the couch, done. Usually I watch TV with Matthew or write. Sometimes I do both. For as I tired as I am, I can never convince myself to go to bed before eleven. I need those three hours to myself!

Last night was not a typical night. I guess because it was Monday and I tend to do ten times as much on a Monday than a usual day. But I went to bed at nine thirty! I haven't gone to bed that early in ages. Even better Sophia slept longer than usual too. She's usually up for her night feeding at around one-ish, last night she never made a peep until three! Actually I was the one who woke of first, disoriented from the huge amount of sleep I had gotten. Ha! Ever after I fed her and put her back in her bed I laid awake for a few minutes, strangely wide awake.

Hmmm, maybe there is such a thing as too much sleep? And apparently six hours straight is all I need. Great, just great. I'll still take twice that amount any day! And a nap too, please.

Spring break...

Errr, or not!



Matthew is on Spring break from school this week and next. Unfortunately the weather is anything but Spring-like. Sunday started off dreary and rainy and we haven't seen the sun since. It's not like I was expecting warm, sunny days, but come on! At least it's warm(ish) out. You know, mid-forties. And I'm pretty sure we've seen the last of the snow. I hope!



Anyway, Matthew doesn't have school, but that doesn't mean much a break for any of us. For him it means still working at the library and catching up on his homework and paper writing. As for Elijah, well, there's no Spring break when you're homeschooled, kid, sorry. And there's certainly no Spring break for mommies! So, basically, it's business as usual around here.



Mainly, I'm just trying to stay on top of things around here. And trying not to long too much for June 22nd (the day our vacation starts.) It's pretty hard, considering the state of things here, especially the weather. But on the other hand I don't want summer to come too quickly! It's starting to freak me out a little the fact that I will have a five year old and my baby girl will be one!


WHAT??? I feel like she was just born, seriously. It goes by waaaay too fast.



How many days until June 22nd again?

107

Yup, I counted.

Saturday Sarcasm...

I love winter, I hope it never ends...

26...

So this is probably going to be a little bit of repeat of what I've already said on my family blog, but whatever!

My birthday was great, no, not great, fabulous! Everything I wanted it to be!

Around 2:30, while I was working out, the doorbell rang. And it was flowers for me! Of course they were from my awesome husband. Sophia absolutely loved them too, she's such a girl. Oh and also, by then I talked to many of my lovely family members wishing me happy birthday and I'd also gotten a landslide (okay like four) of birthday cards. Ooh and some of them contained giftcards, which most likely will not last until tomorrow. See why I love my birthday so much?

When Matthew came home around four we all started getting ready to go out for some shopping and an early dinner. He went ahead and let me open my present from my in-laws, a new charm for my Pandora bracelet! (It was a cute little flip-flop, which is making me long desperately for flip-flop weather!). We went to Best Buy first because Matthew wanted me to pick out a movie for us to watch. (See, he's always encouraging me to buy something other than clothes, it rarely works!).  I ended up with the first season of Battlestar Galactica (nerd alert, I know!). After that we went out for some yummy Italian. It was such a treat, having a nice dinner as a family, since we rarely go out. The kids were both well-behaved and enjoyed themselves. Wait, scratch that last, Sophia hollered loudly when we weren't stuffing food in her mouth and Elijah struck up a very in-depth conversation with the people in the booth next to us, but other than that it was great! After dinner we went shopping at Kohls where I picked out a new pair of shoes. It wasn't a hard decision to make, since I spotted a pair on the mannequin when we walked in and was like "THOSE!". I'm such a decisive shopper, I swear. Anyway, I'm sort of in love with them. Matthew was a little freaked out by how tall they make me, since I usually wear flats these days, but I was like, "Dude, I'm 5'3" I can afford some extra height!"

Aren't they fabulous? I'm going to wear them while I vaccum later.

I wanted to keep shopping since I had a bunch of giftcards from my parents and grandparents burning a hole in my pocket, but the kiddos were falling out sleepy, so we headed home for cake. Finally we got the kids in bed and sat down to watch my new DVD (trying to convince Matthew that Battlestar Galatica is awesome and not lame). Admittedly, we went to bed at ten because we were both completely exhausted. I guess that's what life is like when you're pushing thirty! Ha.

The best day ever!

Well not yet, but I'm sure it will be, right?

Am I officially twenty-six now or do I have to wait until my actual birth-time? (4:11 pm, Pacific time). I guess I can wait until then to be another year older.

So far so good over here. Matthew made me breakfast and then headed off to work and class. I'm here with the kids doing laundry and about to start school just like any other day. BUT, around one I'm totally going to start stalking the mailman for birthday cards! I love how Facebook is currently nagging all my friends to go wish me happy birthday! Ha ha.

Anyway, Matthew is hopefully coming home early this afternoon. The kids and I are going to make a cake later today and tonight we're going out to dinner.

Should be a great day!

Wednesday Randomness....

Two things...

Tomorrow is my birthday!!!!!!!!

Also...

We just bought our tickets to Florida in Jun!!!!!!!

Yay!

• Too bad my birthday is on a Thursday, weekend birthdays are so much better. Matthew has to work and go to class. I've got to teach school, do laundry and stuff. Oh well, there will be dinner, cake and presents later!
• Elijah just tried to convince me to play Star Wars figures with him. Literally the second I crawled out of bed. I told him I don't do anything until I've had my coffee. And then he asked me if I would snuggle with my four year old (LOL that's what he called himself). And then he crawled up in my lap for a nice snuggle. Not a bad way to start your day.
• And then he breathed in my face with his milk breath. Lovely.
• Sophia is still sleeping! Going on thirteen hours (not straight of course). I think we wore her out yesterday.
• We went to mom's group at church, she usually goes in the nursery with the other kids but yesterday I could hear her hollering halfway through Bible study so I went and got her. Turns out she was hungry, but she won't nurse in a room full of people, so I fed her a few bites of apple until she calmed down. Then she growled during the prayer. That girl...
• Also, it looks like she's going to need a toothbrush soon.
• Elijah just asked me to do Yoga with him. NOT BEFORE COFFEE!
• So, the trip. I think it would be a HUGE understatement to say I'm excited. I was super-excited to go back South last year as well, but this year will be even better for several reasons. For one, Matthew is flying down to Florida with us! Last year he only went to Georgia and then back home, so my parents missed out on seeing him and he missed out on the beach time. This year he's coming with us to Florida then to Georgia. He is going home earlier than us, so I will be flying home alone with the kids. Also, Sophia will be thirteen months when we leave (EEK!) so she will be able to spend a lot more time at the beach and the pool. Last year she wasn't old enough for sunscreen and it was pretty tricky. What else? Shhhh, I'm ten pounds lighter this summer so yay.
• SO EXCITED. Family, beach, pool, food, sun... the list goes on and on. Chick Fil A!!! Matthew always laughs at me because when I'm down south I have to have Chick Fil A and Zaxby's.
• Oh also, shopping at Ross with my mom. Shopping with my mom in general!
• One little downside. Matthew and I will be apart on our anniversary this year *sadface*. He's coming home on the third so he can get back to work, and the kids and I are coming home on the eleventh. I guess it's not a big deal, we have a lot more anniversaries to come. I'm sure we'll try to go out a few times while we have the grandparents available to watch the kids.
• So excited. Wait, I said that didn't I?

Falling asleep at my desk...

Not that I actually have a desk, or a job or anything, but you get the idea. I'm so tired this morning. I was just in the middle of feeding Sophia breakfast and had to fight off the urge to lay my head down on the kitchen table and zonk out. I need to drink this coffee faster.

Yesterday was a long, crazy day. Like only Mondays can be long and crazy. When Matthew and I were going to bed last night I made the fatal mistake of mentioning to him, though Sophia was teething and super crabby during the day at least she was still sleeping okay.

Major mistake.

I swear she heard me, because minutes later, before I could even doze off, she was up. Not only was she up, she stayed up until 1:30! Good greif. She was up again at four, and I think that was it. Though I could have forgotton other times in my sleep-fogged haze.

Yay teething.

It's not like I'm used to getting a ton of sleep at night, but the past month she has been sleeping relatively good and I guess I've gotton spoiled. Not anymore. I checked her mouth again when she would let me, and those teeth are still just below the surface. It must hurt a lot because she won't let me touch her mouth, and if I do she bites me! Ow!

Someday I'll sleep again. Maybe in another year or two? Yeah, that sounds promising...