Yesterday I made a neat discovery. Sometime since Chris deployed, they instituted a child supervision hour at the fitness center on base. I had no idea! It is 3 times a week for 2 hours. During this time they play with the kids while the moms work out. They bounce balls and chase each other and dance. I never looked into going on base to work out because I didn't think that they ever had childcare. Now I know better.
So I went today. I refuse to expose how very out of shape I am by saying what all I did, BUT I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a peaceful moment, and I will be taking advantage of it every chance I get.
On the way home, I ran to the bank. I grabbed the kids out of the car and ran inside. There was no line and thought I'd be out in 10 minutes at the most.
I never noticed the golf-pencil in Kairi's hand. She frequently takes them from church and leaves them in her car seat. And I never imagined that I'd have to spend 10 minutes cleaning her writing off the wall at the bank. Of course, they never asked me to clean it off, but I was not about to let Kairi think she got away with it. I made her help me clean it. And made her say she was sorry to every person in there that I could find.
I think that Friday I'll take advantage of my peace again....
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Magic of Mommy's Bed
When Kairi was first born, we placed a cosleeper in our bed and she slept there for a while. We eventually moved her to a bassinet and when she was a few months old I finally consented to putting her in her own room in a crib. I enjoyed sleeping w/ my baby. I just wish she had enjoyed sleeping with me. From the time she was a few weeks old on, every noise in our room woke her up. Chris' snoring, my rolling over, either of us getting out of bed for any reason -- they all woke her up. The day we moved her into her own room, her sleeping times stretched waaaay out. We loved it.
There were times when I tried to take naps with her or would need her to sleep with me because of bed space -- but it never worked out in my favor. She would thrash and yell and scream and cry for her bed. She needed the walls of the bed. She needed her own space. And she needed quiet. Apparently none of those were to be found in my bed.
Fast forward to today. Kairi still loves her bed. She sleeps no where else, except for the occasional moment in her carseat. But this morning, we had to be up at 4am. Chris had to have a ride to work, and he had to be there by 5. We got home shortly after 5am. I knew it wouldn't work, I just knew it, but I had to try.
First, I put Alex in his bed. I didn't think he'd go back to sleep. But he did! I thought about putting Kairi back in her bed, but thought about the amount of toys in her room. I didn't think that that would work. So I did it ... I took a risk.
Mommy: Kairi, would you like to sleep in mommy's bed?
Kairi: No.
Mommy: Are you tired baby?
Kairi: Yes, Mommy, so tired.
Mommy: Do you want to sleep in your bed or mommy's bed?
Kairi: Mommy's bed! Mommy's bed! Mommy's bed!
Mommy: Ok, but you have to be a really big girl. Can you do that?
Kairi: Yes Mommy! I a big girl!
Mommy: Can you hold really still and be quiet?
Kairi: Yes Mommy! I steeeeeel.
Mommy: Ok, we'll try it. Go climb into Mommy's bed.
It was magical. She held more still in my bed than she does in her own. She didn't freak out about the airplanes, or the garbage truck, or the car next door. Instead, she laid there and stroked my face until I went to sleep. A few minutes later I woke up with her hand still on my face, but she was sound asleep. And every time I woke up, she was sound asleep but touching me.
When I finally did wake up for the day, she was wide awake but laying next to me very still. She patted my face one more time, and said "Good. You wake up. Let's play now. Ok?"
I have no idea when my bed transitioned from the evil thing that a year ago she freaked out about having to be in to the amazing experience we had today, but I'm so thankful that that transition happened. And the next time she won't nap in her own bed because of the airplanes or trucks that are "soo scarwy Mommy!" I'm going to snuggle her up in my own bed and we'll take that nap together.
There were times when I tried to take naps with her or would need her to sleep with me because of bed space -- but it never worked out in my favor. She would thrash and yell and scream and cry for her bed. She needed the walls of the bed. She needed her own space. And she needed quiet. Apparently none of those were to be found in my bed.
Fast forward to today. Kairi still loves her bed. She sleeps no where else, except for the occasional moment in her carseat. But this morning, we had to be up at 4am. Chris had to have a ride to work, and he had to be there by 5. We got home shortly after 5am. I knew it wouldn't work, I just knew it, but I had to try.
First, I put Alex in his bed. I didn't think he'd go back to sleep. But he did! I thought about putting Kairi back in her bed, but thought about the amount of toys in her room. I didn't think that that would work. So I did it ... I took a risk.
Mommy: Kairi, would you like to sleep in mommy's bed?
Kairi: No.
Mommy: Are you tired baby?
Kairi: Yes, Mommy, so tired.
Mommy: Do you want to sleep in your bed or mommy's bed?
Kairi: Mommy's bed! Mommy's bed! Mommy's bed!
Mommy: Ok, but you have to be a really big girl. Can you do that?
Kairi: Yes Mommy! I a big girl!
Mommy: Can you hold really still and be quiet?
Kairi: Yes Mommy! I steeeeeel.
Mommy: Ok, we'll try it. Go climb into Mommy's bed.
It was magical. She held more still in my bed than she does in her own. She didn't freak out about the airplanes, or the garbage truck, or the car next door. Instead, she laid there and stroked my face until I went to sleep. A few minutes later I woke up with her hand still on my face, but she was sound asleep. And every time I woke up, she was sound asleep but touching me.
When I finally did wake up for the day, she was wide awake but laying next to me very still. She patted my face one more time, and said "Good. You wake up. Let's play now. Ok?"
I have no idea when my bed transitioned from the evil thing that a year ago she freaked out about having to be in to the amazing experience we had today, but I'm so thankful that that transition happened. And the next time she won't nap in her own bed because of the airplanes or trucks that are "soo scarwy Mommy!" I'm going to snuggle her up in my own bed and we'll take that nap together.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Secret is in the Sauce: Win a Keurig Platinum Brewing System and $50 worth of K-cups
I know what you're thinking ... another giveaway? Esp if I recently sent you to a link for a few other giveaways that I recently was excited about, but decided not to post for fear of overwhelming you with links. But this one is cool. And I want it. Oh, how I want it.
Do you see this?
It's really cool. It's called a Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker. No, I don't drink coffee. I can stand the way it tastes and will probably always feel that way. BUT it doesn't just make coffee. It does hot tea, chai, etc. Now, I am addicted to both of those. And some of my favorite chai brands make K-Cups. K-Cups are quite simply a cup of your tea/coffee that is also a filter. You simply put the cup in the machine, add water, and turn it on. In less than 60 seconds you have a steaming cup of ___inset whatever you drink here___. ;)
Would you like one? SITS is giving one away! So visit them HERE and enter their giveaway.
Do you see this?
It's really cool. It's called a Keurig Single Cup Coffee Maker. No, I don't drink coffee. I can stand the way it tastes and will probably always feel that way. BUT it doesn't just make coffee. It does hot tea, chai, etc. Now, I am addicted to both of those. And some of my favorite chai brands make K-Cups. K-Cups are quite simply a cup of your tea/coffee that is also a filter. You simply put the cup in the machine, add water, and turn it on. In less than 60 seconds you have a steaming cup of ___inset whatever you drink here___. ;)
Would you like one? SITS is giving one away! So visit them HERE and enter their giveaway.
In Case You Needed Proof....
Alex really does know how to throw a fit. He just doesn't do it very often.
Very Very Interesting
43 Things Personality Test
It says that I am a Organized Self-Knowing Self-Improver, but it should read Trying to Be a Organized Self-Knowing Self-Improver. It's a goal ... but I'm really not sure that I'm there yet. Actually, I know I'm not. :)
I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm an
Organized Self-Knowing Self-Improver
It says that I am a Organized Self-Knowing Self-Improver, but it should read Trying to Be a Organized Self-Knowing Self-Improver. It's a goal ... but I'm really not sure that I'm there yet. Actually, I know I'm not. :)
Monday, January 26, 2009
On the Right
You'll see a link to a really cool blog. It's called Rock and Drool, and Melissa has a great giveaway going on over there.
Now, I'm not discussing the details of the giveaway, b/c that's just not the content you usually find on here right now, but you will love it. At least, I'm 90% certain you will.
So go to http://www.rockanddrool.com/?p=585 and enter the giveaway. Ok? Good.
Now, I'm not discussing the details of the giveaway, b/c that's just not the content you usually find on here right now, but you will love it. At least, I'm 90% certain you will.
So go to http://www.rockanddrool.com/?p=585 and enter the giveaway. Ok? Good.
How I Know It's Monday
Ever had one of those mornings where you have no idea what day it is? When I woke up this morning I was in one of those dazes. No one was in my bed with me, and that confused me. (Chris had duty yesterday; I just couldn't seem remember that at the time.) Alex was crying, but it was so dark outside -- it couldn't be time to get up yet. I couldn't remember what was so important about today, but I had a vague feeling that something was important enough that I should be up. Dreams segments flashed through my mind and I struggled to separate them from reality. I shook my head, told myself that it had to be Sunday, Chris was already up with the kids, and that if I didn't hurry I'd be late for church (although, why Chris would be awake before me on a weekend I'll never know as that has only happened once in the last 5 1/2 years we've been together).
I pulled myself out of bed, turned the baby monitor off, and stumbled through the house into Alex's bedroom. I got him up just in time to hear Kairi start to whine about wanting out of bed. I opened her door, turned on her light and told her to come on.
And then I walked into the living room. At that moment I knew it was Monday.
~The living room floor is covered in toys and clothes from changing out of morning wear to play clothes for Sunday night's services. (When we finally get home from church Sunday night I just go to bed and leave the mess for the next morning -- I hate that I do that too.)
~There are 2 loads of laundry to be folded waiting for me on the couch.
~Movie cases are spread out in front of the tv from where Kairi couldn't decide which movie she wanted us to watch together for our Sunday afternoon movie.
My journey continued into the kitchen.
~Lunch dishes are still piled in the sink.
~More toys on that floor.
~Nothing pre-prepped for breakfast.
Yup, it's definitely a Monday. Back to the madness, while recouping from my Sunday slacking. (Hehehe ... there's a tiny bit of alliteration there. ;) ) Ok, I'm off to strip all reminders that it's Monday from my house.
I pulled myself out of bed, turned the baby monitor off, and stumbled through the house into Alex's bedroom. I got him up just in time to hear Kairi start to whine about wanting out of bed. I opened her door, turned on her light and told her to come on.
And then I walked into the living room. At that moment I knew it was Monday.
~The living room floor is covered in toys and clothes from changing out of morning wear to play clothes for Sunday night's services. (When we finally get home from church Sunday night I just go to bed and leave the mess for the next morning -- I hate that I do that too.)
~There are 2 loads of laundry to be folded waiting for me on the couch.
~Movie cases are spread out in front of the tv from where Kairi couldn't decide which movie she wanted us to watch together for our Sunday afternoon movie.
My journey continued into the kitchen.
~Lunch dishes are still piled in the sink.
~More toys on that floor.
~Nothing pre-prepped for breakfast.
Yup, it's definitely a Monday. Back to the madness, while recouping from my Sunday slacking. (Hehehe ... there's a tiny bit of alliteration there. ;) ) Ok, I'm off to strip all reminders that it's Monday from my house.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Something terrible happened....
Friday I had a baby. He and his sister colored together for a while. They (mainly he, she just took over) even invented a new use for one of Daddy's computer parts. He was such a sweet baby.
Then yesterday -- he suddenly grew up. Here he is this morning. We had dropped Daddy off for duty. We go to Sonic and at least get drinks if not breakfast every time we drop Daddy off for duty. It's our special tradition. One that both kids love, and I have to carefully budget for.
A half-hearted "hi"
Yup, that's right. His hair is cut. It's cute. I like it. But he looks so old!
And for good measure -- Kairi and Alex sharing a laugh.
I have a new love -- stay tuned for details.
Then yesterday -- he suddenly grew up. Here he is this morning. We had dropped Daddy off for duty. We go to Sonic and at least get drinks if not breakfast every time we drop Daddy off for duty. It's our special tradition. One that both kids love, and I have to carefully budget for.
A half-hearted "hi"
Yup, that's right. His hair is cut. It's cute. I like it. But he looks so old!
And for good measure -- Kairi and Alex sharing a laugh.
I have a new love -- stay tuned for details.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Do you know about
the Crockpot Lady?
If not, you should. Go visit:
http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com
Seriously, amazing meals and so easy. Read her extra info links on the side b/c you can learn so much about crockpots. Enjoy!
If not, you should. Go visit:
http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com
Seriously, amazing meals and so easy. Read her extra info links on the side b/c you can learn so much about crockpots. Enjoy!
A relaxed morning
Breakfast was cereal bars.
TV is playing The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything aka Pirate Tales, although the kids aren't watching it. You know, I really should just buy this movie and send the copy I have back to netflix.
Alex is "cooking" in Kairi's room. Kairi's prancing around the house in nothing but her boots. And I truly mean absolutely nothing else is on that body.
The cat is curled up in my lap.
The dog is asleep in her bed.
Chris will be home around one this afternoon, which means that I actually get to see him today.
Supper will be in the crockpot soon.
All the laundry is done.
Kairi's room needs to be recleaned, but it can wait till this afternoon.
*sigh* Peace. It's nice to have it in this house again. :)
TV is playing The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything aka Pirate Tales, although the kids aren't watching it. You know, I really should just buy this movie and send the copy I have back to netflix.
Alex is "cooking" in Kairi's room. Kairi's prancing around the house in nothing but her boots. And I truly mean absolutely nothing else is on that body.
The cat is curled up in my lap.
The dog is asleep in her bed.
Chris will be home around one this afternoon, which means that I actually get to see him today.
Supper will be in the crockpot soon.
All the laundry is done.
Kairi's room needs to be recleaned, but it can wait till this afternoon.
*sigh* Peace. It's nice to have it in this house again. :)
Friday, January 23, 2009
Another Picture
One more pic to add in addition to the earlier post.
I walked into the kitchen because Alex was suddenly quiet. He had been eating lunch. Not anymore.
I walked into the kitchen because Alex was suddenly quiet. He had been eating lunch. Not anymore.
Pictures
While not much is going on here at the house, I have had a moment to take a few cute pictures.
Clickable pics
Mommy, pictures were NOT what I had in mind when I asked you to help me. I'm STUCK. Get me out.
Pretending to take a nap.
Seriously, Mom, I'm "seepin" -- Stop the pictures!
Bedhead at it's finest -- on top of Mommy's clean laundry.
Mommy, pictures were NOT what I had in mind when I asked you to help me. I'm STUCK. Get me out.
Pretending to take a nap.
Seriously, Mom, I'm "seepin" -- Stop the pictures!
Bedhead at it's finest -- on top of Mommy's clean laundry.
Lack of Motivation
It's been a long week, and it's no where close to being over in this house. That makes for me to have little motivation to blog. There's also not been a lot to blog about.
Chris got home early last night -- 6pm. The rest of this week it's been 7 or later. He is working tomorrow. He has duty Sunday. Wednesday they leave. They'll be home either Friday night or Saturday morning. Not that it matters because he has duty Saturday, so I won't see him again till Monday. Again, and they wanted him to reenlist? He'll have one day off in middle of 3 weeks of work -- 3 weeks of 12 hr days. And they think that he's going to volunteer to do this again? Probably not. Just sayin'.
Chris's grandmother isn't doing very well. There will probably be a funeral in the next couple of months -- possibly in the next 2 weeks. And that scares me because we HAVE to go, and I have no earthly idea how we'll be able to afford it. We're just now getting to the point where we're feeling stable budget wise. I don't need to throw another expense into the mess.
My paternal grandfather was admitted to the hospital in Dallas last night. His feeding tube keeps coming out and when it doesn't come out it's leaking stomach acid all over him. He has spent nearly every day for the last week in the er in Midland. And he's not had food in days. His doctor in Dallas insisted that he be taken out there so that he could assess him himself. I have so much more faith in that doctor than any of them in Midland. I half-joked that he needs to move to Dallas permanently -- better doctors, better care. Or you know, he could move out here. Beaches Baptist is just right around the corner, and Mayo is less than 30 minutes from my house. That'd be better care and he'd be warmer. It'd be the first step in my plan to get all my Texas-folk to Florida so that I don't have to move but can still have family around.
My maternal grandfather was recently diagnosed with hemochromatosis, a genetic disorder that affects your bloods ability to use iron. He's going through genetic testing to determine exactly where the genetic mutation took place, and those type details, as well as how they can make him less anemic so that they can drain some blood from him because treatments is simply draining blood every few days/weeks. Stay tuned because this may offer us more information on some of my problems, seeing as how if he has it, chances are so does my mother and therefore so do I. I need to schedule a blood test to get this figured out I suppose.
Ok, so other than lots of work for Chris (meaning little family time for us) and lots of sick grandparents, there's not much going on here. Kairi is still mischievous. Alex is as well, but he's a charmer and makes you think he's not. And I'm tired. See? No changes here.
Chris got home early last night -- 6pm. The rest of this week it's been 7 or later. He is working tomorrow. He has duty Sunday. Wednesday they leave. They'll be home either Friday night or Saturday morning. Not that it matters because he has duty Saturday, so I won't see him again till Monday. Again, and they wanted him to reenlist? He'll have one day off in middle of 3 weeks of work -- 3 weeks of 12 hr days. And they think that he's going to volunteer to do this again? Probably not. Just sayin'.
Chris's grandmother isn't doing very well. There will probably be a funeral in the next couple of months -- possibly in the next 2 weeks. And that scares me because we HAVE to go, and I have no earthly idea how we'll be able to afford it. We're just now getting to the point where we're feeling stable budget wise. I don't need to throw another expense into the mess.
My paternal grandfather was admitted to the hospital in Dallas last night. His feeding tube keeps coming out and when it doesn't come out it's leaking stomach acid all over him. He has spent nearly every day for the last week in the er in Midland. And he's not had food in days. His doctor in Dallas insisted that he be taken out there so that he could assess him himself. I have so much more faith in that doctor than any of them in Midland. I half-joked that he needs to move to Dallas permanently -- better doctors, better care. Or you know, he could move out here. Beaches Baptist is just right around the corner, and Mayo is less than 30 minutes from my house. That'd be better care and he'd be warmer. It'd be the first step in my plan to get all my Texas-folk to Florida so that I don't have to move but can still have family around.
My maternal grandfather was recently diagnosed with hemochromatosis, a genetic disorder that affects your bloods ability to use iron. He's going through genetic testing to determine exactly where the genetic mutation took place, and those type details, as well as how they can make him less anemic so that they can drain some blood from him because treatments is simply draining blood every few days/weeks. Stay tuned because this may offer us more information on some of my problems, seeing as how if he has it, chances are so does my mother and therefore so do I. I need to schedule a blood test to get this figured out I suppose.
Ok, so other than lots of work for Chris (meaning little family time for us) and lots of sick grandparents, there's not much going on here. Kairi is still mischievous. Alex is as well, but he's a charmer and makes you think he's not. And I'm tired. See? No changes here.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
They didn't think things through....
Today Chris was informed that he wouldn't be home until after 1800, every day this week will be that way, and that Saturday will be a work day.
This same day those chose to ask him to reenlist.
Take a wild guess at what he wants to say to them.
This same day those chose to ask him to reenlist.
Take a wild guess at what he wants to say to them.
Monday, January 19, 2009
An update of sorts
As mentioned before, my laptop is not currently working so my only chance to check in is when Chris isn't home and I can use his desktop. That means that this weekend, I had practically no internet access. That also meant that this weekend I had a million and one blog ideas, most of which I don't remember at the moment. But I do remember one, I wanted to give a short update on both kids.
Alex
1. Alex is now speaking! Not in complete sentences or anything of that nature, but he is saying a few words and a LOT of babble! I cannot describe not only the joy but the relief hearing words and babble come from his lips gives me. His current words are hi (his favorite), bye, none (all done), yay (as in "Yaaaay Alex!" after he says anything), dada, ga (good), na (no), and ni-ni (night-night).
2. He's responding to questions and participating in Bible class! Another huge step for us. He shakes his head yes and no to answer questions, and knows what's expected of him in class. His teachers keep repeating how much more in tune w/ everything he seems to be. :D Nothing makes me happier to hear than to hear that he loves his Bible class and is able to participate.
3. Alex has recently begun to throw fits. I think it's a combination of being frustrated with not being able to talk, and entering the stage where he expects Mommy to immediately obey and doesn't know how to respond when she doesn't. On a similar note, he's beginning to learn the word "obey" and comes at least 50% of the time when I tell him to obey me immediately. We're still working on the other 50%, but it's progress! :D But the point of this bullet to was to share how cute he is when he's throwing a fit. He keeps his feet on the floor, and then puts his hands and head on the floor so that he creates a triangle effect while screaming. Eventually he falls to the floor. And the entire time, Mommy laughs. I think it's cute and compared to his sister's fits (then and now), it's nothing. I love it. ;)
Kairi
1. Kairi's imagination still runs wild! In the past week she has been a kitty, a pig, a cow, a frog, a spider, a princess, and a pirate. My favorite was when she was a princess pirate. She had me put on her tutu and her red princess shoes, and then she grabbed her "sword" (think plastic play shovel that really should be outside) and then she pretended to sword fight with me (I had the vacuum cleaner extension) while she hollered "pincess py-it is hewo! pincess py-it is da besssssst!". Of course in the end, Mommy surrendered her sword and the princess pirate won. She's such a good hero. ;)
2. Potty training is going great! There were next to no accidents yesterday -- she even went potty at church several times! I am so very proud of her. And she's proud of herself which is awesome. I'm going to buy her a ring to sit on the big potty as that's the next step in this process. I can't wait till I'm not dumping potty seats anymore. :)
Ok, that's as far as I'm going to get it looks like as I need to get dishes washed and toys put away so that I can go grocery shopping -- let's see how far I can make this money stretch!
Alex
1. Alex is now speaking! Not in complete sentences or anything of that nature, but he is saying a few words and a LOT of babble! I cannot describe not only the joy but the relief hearing words and babble come from his lips gives me. His current words are hi (his favorite), bye, none (all done), yay (as in "Yaaaay Alex!" after he says anything), dada, ga (good), na (no), and ni-ni (night-night).
2. He's responding to questions and participating in Bible class! Another huge step for us. He shakes his head yes and no to answer questions, and knows what's expected of him in class. His teachers keep repeating how much more in tune w/ everything he seems to be. :D Nothing makes me happier to hear than to hear that he loves his Bible class and is able to participate.
3. Alex has recently begun to throw fits. I think it's a combination of being frustrated with not being able to talk, and entering the stage where he expects Mommy to immediately obey and doesn't know how to respond when she doesn't. On a similar note, he's beginning to learn the word "obey" and comes at least 50% of the time when I tell him to obey me immediately. We're still working on the other 50%, but it's progress! :D But the point of this bullet to was to share how cute he is when he's throwing a fit. He keeps his feet on the floor, and then puts his hands and head on the floor so that he creates a triangle effect while screaming. Eventually he falls to the floor. And the entire time, Mommy laughs. I think it's cute and compared to his sister's fits (then and now), it's nothing. I love it. ;)
Kairi
1. Kairi's imagination still runs wild! In the past week she has been a kitty, a pig, a cow, a frog, a spider, a princess, and a pirate. My favorite was when she was a princess pirate. She had me put on her tutu and her red princess shoes, and then she grabbed her "sword" (think plastic play shovel that really should be outside) and then she pretended to sword fight with me (I had the vacuum cleaner extension) while she hollered "pincess py-it is hewo! pincess py-it is da besssssst!". Of course in the end, Mommy surrendered her sword and the princess pirate won. She's such a good hero. ;)
2. Potty training is going great! There were next to no accidents yesterday -- she even went potty at church several times! I am so very proud of her. And she's proud of herself which is awesome. I'm going to buy her a ring to sit on the big potty as that's the next step in this process. I can't wait till I'm not dumping potty seats anymore. :)
Ok, that's as far as I'm going to get it looks like as I need to get dishes washed and toys put away so that I can go grocery shopping -- let's see how far I can make this money stretch!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Dear Neighbor's Handyman,
When I told you that you had access to the backyard to paint the trim on the side of the house you're working on, it did not mean whenever you damn well pleased. It meant that for that day you could enter and leave my backyard at will. It did NOT meant that you still had access to it 2 weeks later when you haven't even been at the house for the last week.
Also, when I reminded you today that you are supposed to knock and ask permission before working in my backyard, I did not mean EVERY FREAKING TIME you walk back there. I meant, this morning you should have gone "knock knock" and let me go "yes?" and you have gone "Do mind if I'm in your yard today to finish up painting?" and allowed me to say "yes you can. That's not a problem." Instead, you're knocking on my door every 15 minutes because you can't seem to remember to take all your supplies into the backyard at once, and apparently you're too stupid to grasp that I only need you to ask me ONCE a day. I would seriously think you're being a smartass if you weren't so damn nice about it every time.
So now, are we clear? Every morning you need in my backyard, ask me ONCE to go back there. After I've given you the all-clear, you can enter and leave at will. Then the next time, ask me again. I won't ever tell you no, it's just nice to know that I can't walk through the house after my shower w/ nothing but a towel wrapped around my body. See, not only would that embarrass me, but it would blind and horrify you. So for both our sakes, try to remember this. K?
Good, glad that's settled.
Sincerely,
Steph
Also, when I reminded you today that you are supposed to knock and ask permission before working in my backyard, I did not mean EVERY FREAKING TIME you walk back there. I meant, this morning you should have gone "knock knock" and let me go "yes?" and you have gone "Do mind if I'm in your yard today to finish up painting?" and allowed me to say "yes you can. That's not a problem." Instead, you're knocking on my door every 15 minutes because you can't seem to remember to take all your supplies into the backyard at once, and apparently you're too stupid to grasp that I only need you to ask me ONCE a day. I would seriously think you're being a smartass if you weren't so damn nice about it every time.
So now, are we clear? Every morning you need in my backyard, ask me ONCE to go back there. After I've given you the all-clear, you can enter and leave at will. Then the next time, ask me again. I won't ever tell you no, it's just nice to know that I can't walk through the house after my shower w/ nothing but a towel wrapped around my body. See, not only would that embarrass me, but it would blind and horrify you. So for both our sakes, try to remember this. K?
Good, glad that's settled.
Sincerely,
Steph
Pictures
But not nearly as many as planned. My laptop is no longer in commission. The cord has split and until Chris fixes it, it's not able to stay powered for more than about 30 seconds. (Yeah, I need a new battery too.) All the pictures saved there are not accessible at the moment, but I do have some pictures that I hadn't taken off the camera, and a couple from last night that I can share today. :)
So without further ado:
Alex in sepia to help the grossness of food not be so gross ... but what a cute smile!
Pouty face!
There's that pretty grin!
Kairi as a kitty cat! I'll tell this story after the pictures.
Meeeooooowwww!
Here kitty kitty!
Last night we joined some friends at Zaxby's for supper. Thursday nights are kids eat free nights, and they bring in a face painter. Carter went first, but refused to have his face painted -- he wanted it on his hand. Kairi crawled up next.
Lady painting faces: Hi! How are you?
Kairi is all business: I Keye-wee. Paint!
Lady looks at me for interpretation. I explain that her name is Kairi.
Lady to Kairi: Hi Kairi, my name is xxxx. Do you want me to paint your face or your hand.
Kairi patting her face, again very serious: FACE. Paint.
Lady to Kairi: Do you want to be a kitty or a butterfly or ...
Kairi interupts: KITTY.
Lady to Kairi: Or you could be a puppy...
Kairi: KITTY PAINT!
Kairi did really well and followed directions as best as she could. I was really proud of her. Afterwards she ran to her daddy telling everyone in between her and him that she was a kitty. On the way home she repeated over and over:
K: Hi Mommy!
M: Hi Kairi!
K: No Mommy, I kitty!
M: Ok, kitty.
K: Hi Mommy!
M: Hi Kitty Kairi!
K: Good job Mommy!
repeat
So without further ado:
Alex in sepia to help the grossness of food not be so gross ... but what a cute smile!
Pouty face!
There's that pretty grin!
Kairi as a kitty cat! I'll tell this story after the pictures.
Meeeooooowwww!
Here kitty kitty!
Last night we joined some friends at Zaxby's for supper. Thursday nights are kids eat free nights, and they bring in a face painter. Carter went first, but refused to have his face painted -- he wanted it on his hand. Kairi crawled up next.
Lady painting faces: Hi! How are you?
Kairi is all business: I Keye-wee. Paint!
Lady looks at me for interpretation. I explain that her name is Kairi.
Lady to Kairi: Hi Kairi, my name is xxxx. Do you want me to paint your face or your hand.
Kairi patting her face, again very serious: FACE. Paint.
Lady to Kairi: Do you want to be a kitty or a butterfly or ...
Kairi interupts: KITTY.
Lady to Kairi: Or you could be a puppy...
Kairi: KITTY PAINT!
Kairi did really well and followed directions as best as she could. I was really proud of her. Afterwards she ran to her daddy telling everyone in between her and him that she was a kitty. On the way home she repeated over and over:
K: Hi Mommy!
M: Hi Kairi!
K: No Mommy, I kitty!
M: Ok, kitty.
K: Hi Mommy!
M: Hi Kitty Kairi!
K: Good job Mommy!
repeat
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Flying piss
Now that I'm calm enough to talk about it, let me share with you why my daughter is lucky to be alive. Or at least lucky that she can still sit down.
To begin with, Kairi had not had an accident all day long. So proud! Even poop went in the potty yesterday. But she developed this terrible habit. She'll pee, realize she's peeing, get excited, want to immediately take the bowl to the bit "toe-let" and flush it. Then she repeats the cycle. It happens about once every 2 minutes for a good half hour, and then she's FINALLY done and ready to go play. I'm being patient, because this is all still so new, but it gets old quickly.
Last night after supper, I was trying to change Alex's diaper while Kairi sat on the potty. I was working as quickly as possible knowing that in mere seconds she would want me to empty the potty so she could flush it and repeat her cycle.
I didn't finish fast enough.
"Mommy! I did it! Fush it mommy! Put in toe-let and fush it!"
"Wait a minute while I finish changing this diaper."
"No! MOMMY NOW!"
At which point she picked up the potty bowl, and threw it -- AT MY HEAD.
Pee went everywhere. On me, on Alex, on the floor. EVERYWHERE.
I yelled. Chris yelled. She bawled. I knew that I was too angry to spank her, and I never want to spank while angry. I put her in the bathtub, scrubbed her down, and put her to bed. It wasn't quite 6pm, but I didn't care. She went to bed.
I know that she just threw it simply because it was the object that she wanted attention with, and she had no idea that pee would fly everywhere. She's two, she doesn't get that. But that knowledge made me no less angry.
For the record, Mommy went to bed with a migraine 3 hours later. That migraine has eased up, but is not gone. And yes, I blame Kairi.
To begin with, Kairi had not had an accident all day long. So proud! Even poop went in the potty yesterday. But she developed this terrible habit. She'll pee, realize she's peeing, get excited, want to immediately take the bowl to the bit "toe-let" and flush it. Then she repeats the cycle. It happens about once every 2 minutes for a good half hour, and then she's FINALLY done and ready to go play. I'm being patient, because this is all still so new, but it gets old quickly.
Last night after supper, I was trying to change Alex's diaper while Kairi sat on the potty. I was working as quickly as possible knowing that in mere seconds she would want me to empty the potty so she could flush it and repeat her cycle.
I didn't finish fast enough.
"Mommy! I did it! Fush it mommy! Put in toe-let and fush it!"
"Wait a minute while I finish changing this diaper."
"No! MOMMY NOW!"
At which point she picked up the potty bowl, and threw it -- AT MY HEAD.
Pee went everywhere. On me, on Alex, on the floor. EVERYWHERE.
I yelled. Chris yelled. She bawled. I knew that I was too angry to spank her, and I never want to spank while angry. I put her in the bathtub, scrubbed her down, and put her to bed. It wasn't quite 6pm, but I didn't care. She went to bed.
I know that she just threw it simply because it was the object that she wanted attention with, and she had no idea that pee would fly everywhere. She's two, she doesn't get that. But that knowledge made me no less angry.
For the record, Mommy went to bed with a migraine 3 hours later. That migraine has eased up, but is not gone. And yes, I blame Kairi.
Monday, January 12, 2009
I've become my ...
DAD. That's right. I've always acknowledged how much I'm like my mom, but I've never felt that my personality was that much like my dad's until just recently. I won't complain about that too much. He's a good man and father. He is loyal, passionate, and caring.
But he's also a bit of a hothead and complains about everything that bothers him. He will not allow anyone to step on his toes, and when he feels that he's being treated unjustly he WILL complain. If he simply doesn't like the service, he WILL complain. If he doesn't agree with business practices, he WILL complain. I remember doing whatever I could to keep my dad from learning about things I knew he wouldn't like at school, just so that I didnt' have to hear him yell at my teacher/principal/friend's parent.
I swore that that would never be me, but when last week I was so very angry at DirectTV (who is straight from hell, I swear it), I remember wondering why it is that my dad can command so much respect over the phone but I can't. I think that it's because I'm a girl with a soft voice whereas his voice is loud and usually angry sounding even when he's not angry. Either way, I'm upset that I don't command that type of respect over the phone. Maybe I should practice.
But if I needed any proof that I am becoming like my father, here's the list of people I have complained to/about in the last 2 weeks.
~DirectTV
~Nuvell (car finance company) (won't stop freaking calling me even though it was taken care of before they called the first time)
~Gillette
~PapaJohns (got me 2 free pizzas out of that one!)
~my landlord
~Operation Rescue about the "Truth Truck"
Chris would never do more than laugh when I say that I'm probably just being really bitchy, but I know he thinks that this is the case. I think that I'm just getting tired of bending over backwards and then getting run over in the process.
But he's also a bit of a hothead and complains about everything that bothers him. He will not allow anyone to step on his toes, and when he feels that he's being treated unjustly he WILL complain. If he simply doesn't like the service, he WILL complain. If he doesn't agree with business practices, he WILL complain. I remember doing whatever I could to keep my dad from learning about things I knew he wouldn't like at school, just so that I didnt' have to hear him yell at my teacher/principal/friend's parent.
I swore that that would never be me, but when last week I was so very angry at DirectTV (who is straight from hell, I swear it), I remember wondering why it is that my dad can command so much respect over the phone but I can't. I think that it's because I'm a girl with a soft voice whereas his voice is loud and usually angry sounding even when he's not angry. Either way, I'm upset that I don't command that type of respect over the phone. Maybe I should practice.
But if I needed any proof that I am becoming like my father, here's the list of people I have complained to/about in the last 2 weeks.
~DirectTV
~Nuvell (car finance company) (won't stop freaking calling me even though it was taken care of before they called the first time)
~Gillette
~PapaJohns (got me 2 free pizzas out of that one!)
~my landlord
~Operation Rescue about the "Truth Truck"
Chris would never do more than laugh when I say that I'm probably just being really bitchy, but I know he thinks that this is the case. I think that I'm just getting tired of bending over backwards and then getting run over in the process.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
"Truth Truck" -- Let's have some honesty here
My mother has been volunteering at the Crisis Pregnancy Center (now known as The Life Center) in Midland since I was in high school. Maybe before that even, but I can't say that with certainty. I remember volunteering there in high school and even doing a little bit of data entry for them in college. My youngest brother still dedicates time whenever he's able to helping out there. To say that my family wholeheartedly supports The Life Center and believes in their cause would be an understatement. We are committed to doing what we can to help those girls that are considering abortion in order to change their minds. The Life Center focuses on loving their clients, promoting sexual purity, and educating teens and parents on sexual purity, stds and abortion.
The preacher at my church has recently been talking on truthful grace. It is the balance of standing up for what is right, standing firm on our values, while still showing the grace and compassion that Christ showed us to the rest of the world. None of us are righteous on our own in the eyes of God. It is only through the blood of Christ which was spilled because of His LOVE for us, that we are able to have a relationship with God and to be called His children. Truthful grace -- what a concept.
Where is this coming from? Why all the information?
I am furious.
I recently learned of a "ministry" called Operation Rescue. I use the term ministry lightly as I believe that a true ministry is devoted to showing others the love of Christ and to reaching them through that love. This ministry has created a truck called the Truth Truck. It is based on the theory that when people are faced with the truth about abortion through pictures of aborted babies, that they will have no choice but to change their mind and not support abortion. And it's probably right. But they put it into practice by plastering pictures of aborted babies all over a cargo truck, and then driving that truck through major cities. BAD PRACTICE.
Visit www.truthtruck.com in order to see pictures of this truck. WARNING -- VERY VERY VERY GRAPHIC.
To me, this sounds exactly like something that an overzealous teenager would dream up. I say teenager, because only a teenager would not think through the consequences of such an action:
~Young children will see this. Can you imagine driving through traffic in Sacramento and your 2 year old son being terrified by this truck, and then being stuck NEXT to the truck for over 20 minutes? Can you hear him crying for you to save him and help him because of the "scawy tuck Mommy! Scawy tuck!"? Can you imagine not being able to hold him and tell him it's ok because you're on the freeway stuck in traffic? And that, my friends, is a true story. A friend of mine was on her way home when her 2 year old alerted her to the truck with his tears. And it's through her that I now know of this truck.
~Parents are going to have to explain to 4-10+ year olds who are much too young to have to face the horrors of abortion what it is and try to explain to them that we love the people but hate the action -- something that a child that young cannot understand. It should be a parent's choice to decide when to explain abortion to their child. Most children that young will not be able to comprehend that a baby in a mommy's tummy is not equivalent to a baby outside mommy's tummy and may feel threatened themselves. It is one thing to show these pictures to a grown adult that has the emotional maturity to handle it -- it is another thing entirely to force those pictures on a young child.
~Women that have already had abortions and are in severely depressed states because of it (and research shows that most women go through major depression as a result of their abortions) are going to see these pictures. Maybe to a few it will be an eye opener of what really happened (which will simply force them into a severe depression without them knowing what resources are available to help them through it), but most others could be sent into a downward spiral with no one there to help them. We should be striving to provide support, education, and showing compassion to these women. It would be an even greater tragedy than already exists if the mothers hurt themselves or committed suicide because of something that a follower of Christ did, especially when all that Christ wants is to show these women how much he loves them and is willing to forgive them. Jesus preached against leading others into temptation, as did Paul ... we need to remember that that goes for ALL sinners. A mother who had an abortion's sin is no greater than my own in the eyes of God.
~It hurts the pro-Life cause rather than helps it because it associates all pro-Life people with this truck. It tells the world that pro-Life advocates have no problem terrifying people, as long as they get their message across. It reflects condemnation rather than compassion.
I suppose what set me off on this is that MY children should not be held as collateral damage in this "ministries" zeal to end abortion.
Is abortion wrong? YES
Does God hate abortion? YES
Does abortion break his heart? YES
Do we need to educate people on abortion? YES
Is the world wrong on when life truly begins? YES
Does legislation need to be corrected? YES
But do I believe for one moment that the "Truth Truck" honors God? NO!!!
I am praying that this organization takes this truck off the streets. I want your help in trying to get rid of it. I emailed them last night explaining why I firmly believed that this was not honoring God and how hurtful it could be. I asked them to end this crusade. Please join me in pressuring them to take it down. I know that California's legislature is being contacted by the previously mentioned mother and they are taking steps to try to stop this organization, but I would hope that with enough pressure from fellow pro-Life Christians that the organization would recognize their errors and end it on their own.
Their contact information (taken from their website):
Operation Rescue West
PO Box 601150
Sacramento, CA 95860
Phone: 800-705-1175
Fax: 916-244-2636
info@operationrescue.org
The preacher at my church has recently been talking on truthful grace. It is the balance of standing up for what is right, standing firm on our values, while still showing the grace and compassion that Christ showed us to the rest of the world. None of us are righteous on our own in the eyes of God. It is only through the blood of Christ which was spilled because of His LOVE for us, that we are able to have a relationship with God and to be called His children. Truthful grace -- what a concept.
Where is this coming from? Why all the information?
I am furious.
I recently learned of a "ministry" called Operation Rescue. I use the term ministry lightly as I believe that a true ministry is devoted to showing others the love of Christ and to reaching them through that love. This ministry has created a truck called the Truth Truck. It is based on the theory that when people are faced with the truth about abortion through pictures of aborted babies, that they will have no choice but to change their mind and not support abortion. And it's probably right. But they put it into practice by plastering pictures of aborted babies all over a cargo truck, and then driving that truck through major cities. BAD PRACTICE.
Visit www.truthtruck.com in order to see pictures of this truck. WARNING -- VERY VERY VERY GRAPHIC.
To me, this sounds exactly like something that an overzealous teenager would dream up. I say teenager, because only a teenager would not think through the consequences of such an action:
~Young children will see this. Can you imagine driving through traffic in Sacramento and your 2 year old son being terrified by this truck, and then being stuck NEXT to the truck for over 20 minutes? Can you hear him crying for you to save him and help him because of the "scawy tuck Mommy! Scawy tuck!"? Can you imagine not being able to hold him and tell him it's ok because you're on the freeway stuck in traffic? And that, my friends, is a true story. A friend of mine was on her way home when her 2 year old alerted her to the truck with his tears. And it's through her that I now know of this truck.
~Parents are going to have to explain to 4-10+ year olds who are much too young to have to face the horrors of abortion what it is and try to explain to them that we love the people but hate the action -- something that a child that young cannot understand. It should be a parent's choice to decide when to explain abortion to their child. Most children that young will not be able to comprehend that a baby in a mommy's tummy is not equivalent to a baby outside mommy's tummy and may feel threatened themselves. It is one thing to show these pictures to a grown adult that has the emotional maturity to handle it -- it is another thing entirely to force those pictures on a young child.
~Women that have already had abortions and are in severely depressed states because of it (and research shows that most women go through major depression as a result of their abortions) are going to see these pictures. Maybe to a few it will be an eye opener of what really happened (which will simply force them into a severe depression without them knowing what resources are available to help them through it), but most others could be sent into a downward spiral with no one there to help them. We should be striving to provide support, education, and showing compassion to these women. It would be an even greater tragedy than already exists if the mothers hurt themselves or committed suicide because of something that a follower of Christ did, especially when all that Christ wants is to show these women how much he loves them and is willing to forgive them. Jesus preached against leading others into temptation, as did Paul ... we need to remember that that goes for ALL sinners. A mother who had an abortion's sin is no greater than my own in the eyes of God.
~It hurts the pro-Life cause rather than helps it because it associates all pro-Life people with this truck. It tells the world that pro-Life advocates have no problem terrifying people, as long as they get their message across. It reflects condemnation rather than compassion.
I suppose what set me off on this is that MY children should not be held as collateral damage in this "ministries" zeal to end abortion.
Is abortion wrong? YES
Does God hate abortion? YES
Does abortion break his heart? YES
Do we need to educate people on abortion? YES
Is the world wrong on when life truly begins? YES
Does legislation need to be corrected? YES
But do I believe for one moment that the "Truth Truck" honors God? NO!!!
I am praying that this organization takes this truck off the streets. I want your help in trying to get rid of it. I emailed them last night explaining why I firmly believed that this was not honoring God and how hurtful it could be. I asked them to end this crusade. Please join me in pressuring them to take it down. I know that California's legislature is being contacted by the previously mentioned mother and they are taking steps to try to stop this organization, but I would hope that with enough pressure from fellow pro-Life Christians that the organization would recognize their errors and end it on their own.
Their contact information (taken from their website):
Operation Rescue West
PO Box 601150
Sacramento, CA 95860
Phone: 800-705-1175
Fax: 916-244-2636
info@operationrescue.org
Thursday, January 8, 2009
It's None of Your Business........
Chris and I decided that when he deploys I'm not moving back to Midland. Kairi doesn't need the extra stress -- we're already dealing with anxiety issues thankyouverymuch. I don't want Alex to feel the constant change that Kairi had to endure. AND THIS IS MY DECISION.
Jacksonville is home now. Stop telling me that I need to come home, because I am already there.
It is not my fault there is constant fighting in your house. The person you are fighting with does not want to spend time w/ me because I'm "uncool and too responsible". If I moved back "home", it would not help your situation. You caused that, not my absence.
I'm sorry that I'm so far away that you don't get to watch the kids grow up. If you checked the family blog every once in a while, you wouldn't be so out of the loop. Besides, while I was there, you only came to see them ONCE and that time I basically had to bribe you to come see us. Stop sobbing about how mistreated you are... you push people away by being mean, manipulative and controlling, and then get mad when they're not by your side to help you out of the hole you keep digging for yourself.
I know that it'd be great if my kids grew up with their cousin like my brother and I grew up with ours, but it's not going to happen. Sorry. Besides, I don't want to expose them to constant negativity.
And I get it. You miss me. Actually, you probably just miss having one more person to call and try to manipulate into doing your errands and paying your bills.
One final comment. Don't try to lay on guilt trips, manipulate me, or talk badly about other family to me. 1) I don't feel guilty for not living near you. Actually, I feel better about it. 2) I am wise to your ways. I will not be taken in that easily. 3) They are as much family as you are, and I like them more. I will NOT take your side. Especially since it's your fault to begin with.
When it comes down to it, Jacksonville is home. We love our church. We love our friends. We love the area. We love the weather (except for tropical storms and hurricanes). We love the convenience of everything. We're not moving back to Texas for a while, not if we can help it.
We DO miss our families, especially during the holidays. But as we continue to get on our feet financially, we'll get to the point where we can fly out there more regularly. In the meantime, we're happy where we're at.
Jacksonville is home now. Stop telling me that I need to come home, because I am already there.
It is not my fault there is constant fighting in your house. The person you are fighting with does not want to spend time w/ me because I'm "uncool and too responsible". If I moved back "home", it would not help your situation. You caused that, not my absence.
I'm sorry that I'm so far away that you don't get to watch the kids grow up. If you checked the family blog every once in a while, you wouldn't be so out of the loop. Besides, while I was there, you only came to see them ONCE and that time I basically had to bribe you to come see us. Stop sobbing about how mistreated you are... you push people away by being mean, manipulative and controlling, and then get mad when they're not by your side to help you out of the hole you keep digging for yourself.
I know that it'd be great if my kids grew up with their cousin like my brother and I grew up with ours, but it's not going to happen. Sorry. Besides, I don't want to expose them to constant negativity.
And I get it. You miss me. Actually, you probably just miss having one more person to call and try to manipulate into doing your errands and paying your bills.
One final comment. Don't try to lay on guilt trips, manipulate me, or talk badly about other family to me. 1) I don't feel guilty for not living near you. Actually, I feel better about it. 2) I am wise to your ways. I will not be taken in that easily. 3) They are as much family as you are, and I like them more. I will NOT take your side. Especially since it's your fault to begin with.
When it comes down to it, Jacksonville is home. We love our church. We love our friends. We love the area. We love the weather (except for tropical storms and hurricanes). We love the convenience of everything. We're not moving back to Texas for a while, not if we can help it.
We DO miss our families, especially during the holidays. But as we continue to get on our feet financially, we'll get to the point where we can fly out there more regularly. In the meantime, we're happy where we're at.
A Work in Progress
We began potty training Monday. It's been a long week, but every day this week Kairi's peed in the potty once! We are going through all of her panties every day, but at least she's beginning to get the idea.
Right before going out, I decided that Kairi had peed so much in the last 30 minutes that she could not have any more pee in her system. I dressed her in a cute skirt and boots (although the "Brobee shirt" was NOT coming off she said). I was pleased and chased her w/ the camera for about 2 minutes.
First decent shot:
Last picture:
Click on that picture. See exactly what she's doing.
Apparently, Mommy was wrong. Kairi had more pee left in her.
We went to the bank in a diaper.
Right before going out, I decided that Kairi had peed so much in the last 30 minutes that she could not have any more pee in her system. I dressed her in a cute skirt and boots (although the "Brobee shirt" was NOT coming off she said). I was pleased and chased her w/ the camera for about 2 minutes.
First decent shot:
Last picture:
Click on that picture. See exactly what she's doing.
Apparently, Mommy was wrong. Kairi had more pee left in her.
We went to the bank in a diaper.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
New Fun Activity -- Fail
Today I was going to be that nifty super mom that did all sorts of fun activities w/ her kids. Ok, so I do make sure that we color and play games together every day, but I am always hesitant to do something that requires intensive clean up. For example, painting, play dough, anything that includes glue. I'm just not that great w/ cleaning up after doing something fun.
Anyway, last night as I was going through the art box (in other words, putting it back together since Princess had destroyed it again), I found our sidewalk chalk. It's a giant case. Opened once, never been used. So I got it out, thinking "This will be an easy thing to do tomorrow, and the only cleanup will be bath time for the kids before church!"
This morning, I don't think it's happening. It's been raining off and on all morning. And the wind has been recorded up to 23mph. Yeah, we're not going outside at all. No thank you.
The kids can wait until inspiration strikes next time. Maye if I get the house clean today, MAYBE, we'll paint. I know it's not a fun clean up thing, but then I wouldn't feel so guilty about not doing those messy things more often.
Anyway, last night as I was going through the art box (in other words, putting it back together since Princess had destroyed it again), I found our sidewalk chalk. It's a giant case. Opened once, never been used. So I got it out, thinking "This will be an easy thing to do tomorrow, and the only cleanup will be bath time for the kids before church!"
This morning, I don't think it's happening. It's been raining off and on all morning. And the wind has been recorded up to 23mph. Yeah, we're not going outside at all. No thank you.
The kids can wait until inspiration strikes next time. Maye if I get the house clean today, MAYBE, we'll paint. I know it's not a fun clean up thing, but then I wouldn't feel so guilty about not doing those messy things more often.
How things have changed...
Before I had kids, I slept late every day that I got the chance. Sleeping late meant past 10am.
Before I had kids, cleaning my house/apartment took 2 hours even if I hadn't cleaned in over a week.
Before I had kids, if I had to get up early I didn't feel like I was going to die. Probably because I knew that I could sneak a nap in either that day or the next.
Since kids, I never get a day to truly sleep late. If the kids don't wake up with morning light, then I consider myself sleeping late. This never is later than 8am. It's usually 7:30.
Since kids, I could spend 2 hours in one room, go into another room for 15 minutes, and come back to the first room to discover that I have another 2 hours worth of cleaning to do before it's as clean as it was 15 minutes ago.
Since kids, days that I have to haul my butt out of bed at 5:15am make me feel like I'm not going to survive the day. I know that there is no nap in the near future. I know that there is too much to do to go back to bed. And my whole body aches because of it.
Today is one of those 5:15am days. Blech. Chris had duty which meant that we had to take him to work because I need the car today/tonight. I'll pick him up sometime tomorrow morning. Or maybe he'll get a ride home. That'd be phenomenal.
I still have a million things on my to do list. I'm tired. I'm grumpy. Maybe I can time the kids' naps to coincide just right so that I can sneak a nap in there as well.
Before I had kids, cleaning my house/apartment took 2 hours even if I hadn't cleaned in over a week.
Before I had kids, if I had to get up early I didn't feel like I was going to die. Probably because I knew that I could sneak a nap in either that day or the next.
Since kids, I never get a day to truly sleep late. If the kids don't wake up with morning light, then I consider myself sleeping late. This never is later than 8am. It's usually 7:30.
Since kids, I could spend 2 hours in one room, go into another room for 15 minutes, and come back to the first room to discover that I have another 2 hours worth of cleaning to do before it's as clean as it was 15 minutes ago.
Since kids, days that I have to haul my butt out of bed at 5:15am make me feel like I'm not going to survive the day. I know that there is no nap in the near future. I know that there is too much to do to go back to bed. And my whole body aches because of it.
Today is one of those 5:15am days. Blech. Chris had duty which meant that we had to take him to work because I need the car today/tonight. I'll pick him up sometime tomorrow morning. Or maybe he'll get a ride home. That'd be phenomenal.
I still have a million things on my to do list. I'm tired. I'm grumpy. Maybe I can time the kids' naps to coincide just right so that I can sneak a nap in there as well.
Monday, January 5, 2009
It didn't happen...
You know that long list from yesterday? Do you know why next to nothing is crossed off? It's because it didn't happen. Everything I tried to do I got sidetracked on and by the end of the night, all I could think of doing was staring at a computer screen. Don't get me wrong, I started a LOT of things. It just didn't all happen the way it should have.
So today I get to do it all. And hopefully before Chris is ready to come home (yeah right).
No more blogging. Things have to be done.
So today I get to do it all. And hopefully before Chris is ready to come home (yeah right).
No more blogging. Things have to be done.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Today's To-Do List
I promised my friend Jammie (see, I can name drop too ;) ) that I would clean and read my Bible today while she did the same. And I'm going to, but first I'm blogging my to-do list so that I have a way of keeping track of what I'm doing. Ok, and also to give me a reason to procrastinate. ;)
1. Two million dishes. Ok, so maybe just 4-5 sink fulls, but it might as well be 2 million.1 sink full
2. Clean the fridge out.
3. Sweep and mop the kitchen.
4. Fold 4-5 loads of laundry.
5.Wash and fold diapers.
6. Clean my bathroom.
7. Reclean Alex's room.
8. Take down the Christmas tree.
9. Take MK inventory.
10. Vacuum where Chris allowed the kids to dump potting soil in the office. Thanks Chris.
11. Read Romans 1.
I don't think that evening church is fitting on this list. Do you?
Ok, no more excuses. Going off to clean.
1. Two million dishes. Ok, so maybe just 4-5 sink fulls, but it might as well be 2 million.
2. Clean the fridge out.
3. Sweep and mop the kitchen.
4. Fold 4-5 loads of laundry.
5.
6. Clean my bathroom.
7. Reclean Alex's room.
8. Take down the Christmas tree.
9. Take MK inventory.
10. Vacuum where Chris allowed the kids to dump potting soil in the office. Thanks Chris.
11. Read Romans 1.
I don't think that evening church is fitting on this list. Do you?
Ok, no more excuses. Going off to clean.
A Story
I promised my friend Kris Marie that I'd post my birth stories if she would post hers. I didn't expect it to happen so fast though! ;) This morning I read her birth story, so now I'll share mine. I know, I could be cooking breakfast or doing dishes or getting the kids ready for church. But there will still be time for some of that after I'm done, right? ;)
And an assignment for Jammie and Joyce: You're going to write out your birth stories on your blog! Don't c&p it from Babycenter. Write it out now looking back at how you currently feel about all of it. Oh yeah, and I want it for BOTH kids. Got it?
(There, that'll make you blog for me. ;) )
Kairi Hope's Birth Story
Let me begin by telling you that there was a lot of drama involved when we first found out I was pregnant. Not only had I only been married a few weeks and my husband living in another state, but things had happened to me before I was married that I had refused to tell anyone until I absolutely had to. In which case, it was when I was 2 mo pregnant for some people and 4 mo when I told the rest. The up side to all of it, though, was that I had several extra ultrasounds to make sure everything was ok! :D
Pregnancy was miserable for me. I'm sure that me not wanting to be pregnant and not feeling ready for it all added to that miserableness. But the never endingmorning all-day sickness didn't help.
And then the most defining day of my pregnancy happened. I was about 20 weeks pregnant. Chris had finished his school in Illinois and the Navy was sending him to another one in Virginia. He was going to fly out to see me, and then planned on taking a truck to his new school. I was to buy the truck before he got there. Daddy agreed to help me go look. We were driving on a service road next to Wall St/Hwy 80. It's where most of the car dealerships in town are. At one of the entrances to the service road we saw a white towncar. The driver was obviously distracted and moving quickly so Daddy slowed down (fully expecting him to run his yield sign), but we both saw him start to slow down. So Daddy started back up. Just as we were feet away from his front bumper, he slammed on the gas. Daddy slammed on the gas and swerved. We spun as he hit our tail end.
To this day he swears he didn't see us. I don't know how. We were in a bright red car and literally FEET from him when he hit the gas. Daddy's swerving, although it spun us, probably saved Kairi's life as he was headed straight for my door.
I called my ob from the scene. He didn't think that I had to go to the er, but wanted to see me on the coming Monday. (I don't remember why, but I know that the school I had been teaching at was on a 3 day weekend.) That weekend I did end up going to the er because I was in so much pain. My back hurt, my hips hurt, and the pain was making me throw up more than normal. Dr. Martinez told me that while he couldn't force me to stop working because I wasn't endangering my child by doing so, that I was endangering myself and that I NEEDED to get off my feet.
The moment Chris heard this he announced that I was no longer working. He had me get all my things in order with the school, and when he showed up that weekend, he helped me pack up 3 suitcases, and I moved with him. (My mom and bff later packed up my apartment (putting my belongings in storage) and cleaned it up for me once my lease was over as that was cheaper than me breaking my lease and having to get a storage unit.
Because were stationed in VA for only 4-5 months, the Navy wasn't willing to assign us housing. Instead, Chris' parents loaned us their travel trailer which we lived in for the rest of our time in Virginia at an RV park. We lived in Virginia Beach -- a tourist trap if there ever was one.
It was a little while before I found an ob that was willing to take me that far along in pregnancy. Navy doctors were going to take even longer though. I eventually found a practice in Chesapeake that sounded like it would work. There were 2 obs and a midwife. The midwife was wonderful and monitored me the closest. I was sent through a 6 week physical therapy course where it was determined that my pelvis was unstable and had been twisted in the wreck. Can you say ouch? The pt really helped, though, and it taught me good practices for when my pelvis starts to hurt again even now.
I was constantly being told that I was gaining too much weight. They didn't believe me when I said that I threw up everything I ate and for the most part just didn't eat because of it. I started keeping a food log where I showed what I ate and what came back up. That's when they started listening. Well, then and when my blood pressure starting rising. After some testing it was determined that I was pre-eclamptic. NOT. FUN. It was determined at about 30 weeks, which was too early to do anything about. Our goal was that I would make it to 35 weeks before Kairi would have to come out. But it all depended on my blood pressure. I was put on bed rest and had to go in every few days for a non-stress test (nst).
By the time I reached 33 1/2 weeks, my feet were literally balls. I was gaining all sorts of water weight. And we had NOTHING for our child. My cousin eventually mailed me a box of clothes/toys and other family members starting buying clothes as fast as they could. My grandparents sent us money to buy some basic supplies. But of course, we were living in a 27' travel trailer, so there was no room for any big items.
The Friday before I was 34 weeks, I had a kidney stone. I was terrified driving to the hospital that morning. I spent the 30 minute drive on the phone with the Life Center's nurse (in Midland) while she coached me through the pain. We didn't think I was in labor, but something was definitely wrong. Chris got to the hospital about an hour after I was admitted. I was in the l&d ward for a while passing that. Monday morning I went to the hospital for a nst and had a dr appt later that morning. The nurse was worried because nothing they tried could get my blood pressure in a safe range. She immediately sent me to my ob's office. Dr. Burfoot examined me (who was technically my ob). I scared everyone there because I was so swollen and my blood pressure was so very high. They made me take a nap at the office in hopes that it would lower my bp. It didn't. I was sent home with instructions that that night I was to report to the hospital at 6pm for an induction. This baby had to come immediately. The next day I was 34 weeks.
That afternoon Chris had to go buy a baby bouncer, a car seat, and an outfit for our child. I had just received the blankets that my mom had made for our little girl.
We got to the hospital a few minutes early. I will admit the rest is really hazy. I was told initially that they were going to start the pictocin in the morning. But they started it that night -- my blood pressure scared them. I remember them starting the magnesium sulfate that would lower my blood pressure. I was told that in some cases it makes people feel a little weird. And moments later I was vomiting and hot then cold and back. It made me miserable. My mom flew out the next day. I remember her walking in my room and suddenly back out as she didn't recognize me. I yelled for her and she came running in there. She didn't tell me that she didn't recognize me then. (She saved that for months later.) Apparently my face was swollen nearly beyond recognition. She said that one side was bigger than the other, and that it looked like someone had been beating me up because of all the swelling. I was in and out of it for the rest of the day. I do remember intense back pains. Another kidney stone. And that I couldn't stay conscious for long periods of time (a side effect of the mag).
That night Dr Corney walked into my room. I clearly remember this part. She told me that there was no way that I could continue. The baby's heartbeat was starting to act up and it scared them. My blood pressure was continuing to rise -- I could start having seizures or a stroke at any moment. The baby had to come.
I was never so scared as when they put the spinal tap in me and then strapped my arms down to my bed in the er. Chris was allowed in there with me, thankfully. I remember feeling them touch me, thinking that they need to stop poking and just get her out. About that moment I heard her scream. It was the most beautiful sound. Chris swears that they showed her to me before they did anything else, but I don't remember it. I do remember taking a couple of pictures after she was bundled up, but I couldn't see her -- just her eyes. I don't remember much else from that night. I do know that she had some problems breathing at first, but that they quickly worked it out.
It took them several hours before they brought her to me. I asked for her constantly. I wasn't allowed to hold her in the room by myself because the magnesium (that I was still on as they were trying to get my bp down still) acts as a muscle relaxant. The first time I tried to nurse she latched right now. But they said that she wouldn't stop crying in the nursery. Only Mike (one of the night nurses) could get her to calm down. That first night, after they finally brought her to us, Chris held her after she stopped nursing. I told him to call the nurses to come get her -- there was no way I could take care of her that night. I woke up hours later to find him still holding her, just staring at her. I cried because it was so touching.
The next day I spent trying to get Kairi to nurse. I was still attached to the mag, though, and that was preventing my milk from coming in. Kairi was born at 5lb 3oz. By the next night she had dropped to 4-12. Sometimes she would nurse, but most of the time she just screamed. She was hungry and couldn't figure out how to latch. That night I was attacked. At 3am a pedi and several nurses came in my room to inform me that my baby was going to die if I didn't start supplementing. I had to immediately. I was given a SNS (supplemental nursing system) which attaches to your breast and they learn to nurse while receiving formula. It took several different systems until we found one that she could use without it pouring into her mouth. Now knowing what I do, I know that she was truly in danger, but I also stand by the fact that 3am is NOT the time to talk to a mother about it. Especially not one that was drugged up on mag. They should have waited till the next morning. She would have been ok for another 5 hours.
They eventually moved me to the mother-baby unit. That's when we were told that she was too small to go home. She had to gain some weight, or at least stop losing it. The day she went from 4-10 to 4-11 we were really excited! I remember spending days pumping, nursing, pumping, nursing. Still no milk. I found a pedi (which I hadn't done yet) who agreed that he would see Kairi the next day (Saturday) if I was released with her that day. First of all, he was great. He was so very pro-breastfeeding. But he also wanted to get Kairi to 5 pounds before we started trying to teach her how to really nurse. So I was told to nurse on each side for 20 minutes, and then to have Chris give her a bottle.
She reached 5 lbs when she was 1 1/2 weeks old! My milk had come in the day before, and while she hated nursing (that never changed) it was great for her. The day she reached our goal, our pedi told me to stop the formula. She had to learn to nurse now that she was healthy enough to push the issue, he wanted us to.
Kairi was 2 weeks old the day my mom traveled back to Midland. I remember dropping her off at the airport and bawling because I felt all alone. That day was Chris' last day of classes, that night we were going to begin packing up so that when he got his orders in a few weeks we would be ready to go. So I left the airport, went home, and collapsed in bed with Kairi. I had been asleep not more than 30 minutes when Chris came in. His orders had come early. That morning he was ordered to report to Mayport, FL in 14 days. From there he was going to be flown out to Bahrain to meet the ship he was stationed to. The next day we finished tying up the trailer and began our journey to Texas where I would stay while he was gone.
During our travels, his orders were changed. He only had to report to FL, he didn't have to meet the ship. That was a relief. I was able to meet him in Florida a month later once we had housing.
Oh, and from that experience, just let me recommend that you NOT drive half-way across the country in a standard (because your husband is in the truck pulling the trailer) with a c-section and a 2 week old baby that has a hard time nursing. Not fun. Not fun at all.
And an assignment for Jammie and Joyce: You're going to write out your birth stories on your blog! Don't c&p it from Babycenter. Write it out now looking back at how you currently feel about all of it. Oh yeah, and I want it for BOTH kids. Got it?
(There, that'll make you blog for me. ;) )
Kairi Hope's Birth Story
Let me begin by telling you that there was a lot of drama involved when we first found out I was pregnant. Not only had I only been married a few weeks and my husband living in another state, but things had happened to me before I was married that I had refused to tell anyone until I absolutely had to. In which case, it was when I was 2 mo pregnant for some people and 4 mo when I told the rest. The up side to all of it, though, was that I had several extra ultrasounds to make sure everything was ok! :D
Pregnancy was miserable for me. I'm sure that me not wanting to be pregnant and not feeling ready for it all added to that miserableness. But the never ending
And then the most defining day of my pregnancy happened. I was about 20 weeks pregnant. Chris had finished his school in Illinois and the Navy was sending him to another one in Virginia. He was going to fly out to see me, and then planned on taking a truck to his new school. I was to buy the truck before he got there. Daddy agreed to help me go look. We were driving on a service road next to Wall St/Hwy 80. It's where most of the car dealerships in town are. At one of the entrances to the service road we saw a white towncar. The driver was obviously distracted and moving quickly so Daddy slowed down (fully expecting him to run his yield sign), but we both saw him start to slow down. So Daddy started back up. Just as we were feet away from his front bumper, he slammed on the gas. Daddy slammed on the gas and swerved. We spun as he hit our tail end.
To this day he swears he didn't see us. I don't know how. We were in a bright red car and literally FEET from him when he hit the gas. Daddy's swerving, although it spun us, probably saved Kairi's life as he was headed straight for my door.
I called my ob from the scene. He didn't think that I had to go to the er, but wanted to see me on the coming Monday. (I don't remember why, but I know that the school I had been teaching at was on a 3 day weekend.) That weekend I did end up going to the er because I was in so much pain. My back hurt, my hips hurt, and the pain was making me throw up more than normal. Dr. Martinez told me that while he couldn't force me to stop working because I wasn't endangering my child by doing so, that I was endangering myself and that I NEEDED to get off my feet.
The moment Chris heard this he announced that I was no longer working. He had me get all my things in order with the school, and when he showed up that weekend, he helped me pack up 3 suitcases, and I moved with him. (My mom and bff later packed up my apartment (putting my belongings in storage) and cleaned it up for me once my lease was over as that was cheaper than me breaking my lease and having to get a storage unit.
Because were stationed in VA for only 4-5 months, the Navy wasn't willing to assign us housing. Instead, Chris' parents loaned us their travel trailer which we lived in for the rest of our time in Virginia at an RV park. We lived in Virginia Beach -- a tourist trap if there ever was one.
It was a little while before I found an ob that was willing to take me that far along in pregnancy. Navy doctors were going to take even longer though. I eventually found a practice in Chesapeake that sounded like it would work. There were 2 obs and a midwife. The midwife was wonderful and monitored me the closest. I was sent through a 6 week physical therapy course where it was determined that my pelvis was unstable and had been twisted in the wreck. Can you say ouch? The pt really helped, though, and it taught me good practices for when my pelvis starts to hurt again even now.
I was constantly being told that I was gaining too much weight. They didn't believe me when I said that I threw up everything I ate and for the most part just didn't eat because of it. I started keeping a food log where I showed what I ate and what came back up. That's when they started listening. Well, then and when my blood pressure starting rising. After some testing it was determined that I was pre-eclamptic. NOT. FUN. It was determined at about 30 weeks, which was too early to do anything about. Our goal was that I would make it to 35 weeks before Kairi would have to come out. But it all depended on my blood pressure. I was put on bed rest and had to go in every few days for a non-stress test (nst).
By the time I reached 33 1/2 weeks, my feet were literally balls. I was gaining all sorts of water weight. And we had NOTHING for our child. My cousin eventually mailed me a box of clothes/toys and other family members starting buying clothes as fast as they could. My grandparents sent us money to buy some basic supplies. But of course, we were living in a 27' travel trailer, so there was no room for any big items.
The Friday before I was 34 weeks, I had a kidney stone. I was terrified driving to the hospital that morning. I spent the 30 minute drive on the phone with the Life Center's nurse (in Midland) while she coached me through the pain. We didn't think I was in labor, but something was definitely wrong. Chris got to the hospital about an hour after I was admitted. I was in the l&d ward for a while passing that. Monday morning I went to the hospital for a nst and had a dr appt later that morning. The nurse was worried because nothing they tried could get my blood pressure in a safe range. She immediately sent me to my ob's office. Dr. Burfoot examined me (who was technically my ob). I scared everyone there because I was so swollen and my blood pressure was so very high. They made me take a nap at the office in hopes that it would lower my bp. It didn't. I was sent home with instructions that that night I was to report to the hospital at 6pm for an induction. This baby had to come immediately. The next day I was 34 weeks.
That afternoon Chris had to go buy a baby bouncer, a car seat, and an outfit for our child. I had just received the blankets that my mom had made for our little girl.
We got to the hospital a few minutes early. I will admit the rest is really hazy. I was told initially that they were going to start the pictocin in the morning. But they started it that night -- my blood pressure scared them. I remember them starting the magnesium sulfate that would lower my blood pressure. I was told that in some cases it makes people feel a little weird. And moments later I was vomiting and hot then cold and back. It made me miserable. My mom flew out the next day. I remember her walking in my room and suddenly back out as she didn't recognize me. I yelled for her and she came running in there. She didn't tell me that she didn't recognize me then. (She saved that for months later.) Apparently my face was swollen nearly beyond recognition. She said that one side was bigger than the other, and that it looked like someone had been beating me up because of all the swelling. I was in and out of it for the rest of the day. I do remember intense back pains. Another kidney stone. And that I couldn't stay conscious for long periods of time (a side effect of the mag).
That night Dr Corney walked into my room. I clearly remember this part. She told me that there was no way that I could continue. The baby's heartbeat was starting to act up and it scared them. My blood pressure was continuing to rise -- I could start having seizures or a stroke at any moment. The baby had to come.
I was never so scared as when they put the spinal tap in me and then strapped my arms down to my bed in the er. Chris was allowed in there with me, thankfully. I remember feeling them touch me, thinking that they need to stop poking and just get her out. About that moment I heard her scream. It was the most beautiful sound. Chris swears that they showed her to me before they did anything else, but I don't remember it. I do remember taking a couple of pictures after she was bundled up, but I couldn't see her -- just her eyes. I don't remember much else from that night. I do know that she had some problems breathing at first, but that they quickly worked it out.
It took them several hours before they brought her to me. I asked for her constantly. I wasn't allowed to hold her in the room by myself because the magnesium (that I was still on as they were trying to get my bp down still) acts as a muscle relaxant. The first time I tried to nurse she latched right now. But they said that she wouldn't stop crying in the nursery. Only Mike (one of the night nurses) could get her to calm down. That first night, after they finally brought her to us, Chris held her after she stopped nursing. I told him to call the nurses to come get her -- there was no way I could take care of her that night. I woke up hours later to find him still holding her, just staring at her. I cried because it was so touching.
The next day I spent trying to get Kairi to nurse. I was still attached to the mag, though, and that was preventing my milk from coming in. Kairi was born at 5lb 3oz. By the next night she had dropped to 4-12. Sometimes she would nurse, but most of the time she just screamed. She was hungry and couldn't figure out how to latch. That night I was attacked. At 3am a pedi and several nurses came in my room to inform me that my baby was going to die if I didn't start supplementing. I had to immediately. I was given a SNS (supplemental nursing system) which attaches to your breast and they learn to nurse while receiving formula. It took several different systems until we found one that she could use without it pouring into her mouth. Now knowing what I do, I know that she was truly in danger, but I also stand by the fact that 3am is NOT the time to talk to a mother about it. Especially not one that was drugged up on mag. They should have waited till the next morning. She would have been ok for another 5 hours.
They eventually moved me to the mother-baby unit. That's when we were told that she was too small to go home. She had to gain some weight, or at least stop losing it. The day she went from 4-10 to 4-11 we were really excited! I remember spending days pumping, nursing, pumping, nursing. Still no milk. I found a pedi (which I hadn't done yet) who agreed that he would see Kairi the next day (Saturday) if I was released with her that day. First of all, he was great. He was so very pro-breastfeeding. But he also wanted to get Kairi to 5 pounds before we started trying to teach her how to really nurse. So I was told to nurse on each side for 20 minutes, and then to have Chris give her a bottle.
She reached 5 lbs when she was 1 1/2 weeks old! My milk had come in the day before, and while she hated nursing (that never changed) it was great for her. The day she reached our goal, our pedi told me to stop the formula. She had to learn to nurse now that she was healthy enough to push the issue, he wanted us to.
Kairi was 2 weeks old the day my mom traveled back to Midland. I remember dropping her off at the airport and bawling because I felt all alone. That day was Chris' last day of classes, that night we were going to begin packing up so that when he got his orders in a few weeks we would be ready to go. So I left the airport, went home, and collapsed in bed with Kairi. I had been asleep not more than 30 minutes when Chris came in. His orders had come early. That morning he was ordered to report to Mayport, FL in 14 days. From there he was going to be flown out to Bahrain to meet the ship he was stationed to. The next day we finished tying up the trailer and began our journey to Texas where I would stay while he was gone.
During our travels, his orders were changed. He only had to report to FL, he didn't have to meet the ship. That was a relief. I was able to meet him in Florida a month later once we had housing.
Oh, and from that experience, just let me recommend that you NOT drive half-way across the country in a standard (because your husband is in the truck pulling the trailer) with a c-section and a 2 week old baby that has a hard time nursing. Not fun. Not fun at all.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
My Son
Alex walked up to me holding Sister's bow. He hit his head with it several times. I put it in his hair expecting him to immediately pull it out, afterall Kairi did at that age.
Instead, 30 minutes later I was able to get this picture.
Instead, 30 minutes later I was able to get this picture.
An Update on Sleep
Yesterday Alex only took one nap. It wasn't going to be that way, but Daddy got home right around nap time making Alex and Kairi too hyper for Alex to consider sleep. Besides, I was trying (but not succeeding) to clean the kids rooms. So as soon as PapaJohns (FINALLY) delivered our pizza and the kids stuffed themselves, they both took naps. Alex slept for 3 1/2 hours!
I was going to put him to bed at his normal time again last night (about 7), but we didn't even make it out the door to eat supper until 7 last night. Yesterday was Chris' birthday (in case you didn't catch that from the previous post ;) ), so we went to Sticky Fingers. First of all, it's not as good as my dad's bbq sauce. His is the best E.V.E.R. But it is the best bbq in town. Super yummy. Alex refused to eat his ribs. But Kairi loved them. Alex is just not a fan of any sort of meat other than chicken for some reason.
Anyway, we didn't get home until after 8. They did both go to bed as soon as we got home.
And they slept until after 7 this morning. But now I'm not sure if it's because Alex skipped a nap, or because they stayed up that much later two nights in a row. And Alex woke up this morning with a soaking wet, but not soaked through diaper. If he had peed one more time before I changed him it would have been all over, but thankfully it wasn't so I don't have to change sheets for the millionth time in the last week.
I was going to put him to bed at his normal time again last night (about 7), but we didn't even make it out the door to eat supper until 7 last night. Yesterday was Chris' birthday (in case you didn't catch that from the previous post ;) ), so we went to Sticky Fingers. First of all, it's not as good as my dad's bbq sauce. His is the best E.V.E.R. But it is the best bbq in town. Super yummy. Alex refused to eat his ribs. But Kairi loved them. Alex is just not a fan of any sort of meat other than chicken for some reason.
Anyway, we didn't get home until after 8. They did both go to bed as soon as we got home.
And they slept until after 7 this morning. But now I'm not sure if it's because Alex skipped a nap, or because they stayed up that much later two nights in a row. And Alex woke up this morning with a soaking wet, but not soaked through diaper. If he had peed one more time before I changed him it would have been all over, but thankfully it wasn't so I don't have to change sheets for the millionth time in the last week.
Friday, January 2, 2009
An FYI to current and future fathers
Even on your birthday, you still have responsibilities. One of those would be watching the kids when your wife says "Give me a few to vacuum the girl's floor." During that 15 minutes you should be able to watch the children closely enough to keep them from climbing up on the cabinet and break into various food containers. Your wife will NOT accept the "It's my birthday" excuse when she finds gravy dumped on your son's head and the wall painted with it. Especially when she just finished cleaning the room that was painted.
Do not expect her to wish you a happy birthday, to cook your birthday dinner, or to even be congenial when you take the family out to dinner. And if you don't know why she's angry, then you had better leave her alone because just asking repeatedly "what's wrong" is only going to piss her off more. You should be able to figure it out and if you can't then you're not as smart as she gives you credit for.
Do not expect her to wish you a happy birthday, to cook your birthday dinner, or to even be congenial when you take the family out to dinner. And if you don't know why she's angry, then you had better leave her alone because just asking repeatedly "what's wrong" is only going to piss her off more. You should be able to figure it out and if you can't then you're not as smart as she gives you credit for.
Oh yeah....
I forgot another hypothesis.
Every night when Alex has been getting up, I have found his diaper soaked all the way through. That's after having 3-4 liners in it. So I also theorized that by keeping him from drinking anything after supper that he wouldn't have as wet as a diaper as normal. But since last night things were more a little off-schedule, supper was later than normal, so I don't think it made an impact.
Alex slept until 5:45 this morning, when he woke up covered in pee and poop. The biggest diaper blow-out yet. You know, I really do have a hard time dealing with things that early in the morning. I got him to lay back down (didn't last long though). And then discovered a "prize" as I walked into my room.
Reason #113 I don't care for the dog. As I walked into the room, I stepped in her mess. :X So the next 30 minutes that Alex was quiet was spent cleaning up that mess instead of sleeping.
One of these days, something's got to give.
Every night when Alex has been getting up, I have found his diaper soaked all the way through. That's after having 3-4 liners in it. So I also theorized that by keeping him from drinking anything after supper that he wouldn't have as wet as a diaper as normal. But since last night things were more a little off-schedule, supper was later than normal, so I don't think it made an impact.
Alex slept until 5:45 this morning, when he woke up covered in pee and poop. The biggest diaper blow-out yet. You know, I really do have a hard time dealing with things that early in the morning. I got him to lay back down (didn't last long though). And then discovered a "prize" as I walked into my room.
Reason #113 I don't care for the dog. As I walked into the room, I stepped in her mess. :X So the next 30 minutes that Alex was quiet was spent cleaning up that mess instead of sleeping.
One of these days, something's got to give.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
An Experiement to Not Be Repeated
I have several hypotheses on why Alex is not sleeping at night. He wakes up frequently, no matter what my techniques with Kairi were they will not work with Alex. He decides about 5:00am that it's time to get up for the day. I've tried everything you can think of. Once upon a time we coslept, and I'd be willing to go back to it, if it would get him to sleep, but he refuses. (We stopped co-sleeping when he began to be rambunctious in bed ... besides, I didn't think Chris would be too thrilled about coming home to his wife after not seeing her for 7+ months and having to share our bed with Alex.) For a long time I excused the poor sleeping habits because I knew his ears hurt. But Monday his ears were completely clear, and that's when this started to get bad.
So here are my hypotheses:
1) He needs a later bedtime as he's not completely worn out when going to bed. It keeps him from sleeping well at night. If nothing else, it makes him wake up earlier than I can deal with, even if it doesn't explain the multiple wakings at night.
2) Being able to hear again means that he's not used to all the night time sounds and that when he's had a decent amount of sleep that he just can't continue to sleep with the strange sounds all around him. It would explain the frequent night wakings, and why when his ears are clogged he sleeps later.
3) He is ready to switch from two naps to one. He's getting too much sleep to sleep well at night. (Dear God, please let it NOT be this one.)
Out of those options, I chose to test the first one today. I let the kids stay up until I just couldn't take it any more. Also known as 8pm. Now, if I had tried this on a night that Chris was home, I might have been able to hold out for another hour or so. My theory is if it's truly his bedtime that's an issue, that tomorrow he'll sleep later. If I'm right, his bedtime gets moved later -- NOT Kairi's. NO. That will not happen again. She still sleeps at night just fine with her early bedtime. Tonight I was hit, kicked, jumped on top of, had things thrown at my head, and had my ears pierced w/ shrieks. Yes, we had lots of fun together, but my body aches. And by the end she was sooo grumpy that neither of us were happy with the situation.
So here are my hypotheses:
1) He needs a later bedtime as he's not completely worn out when going to bed. It keeps him from sleeping well at night. If nothing else, it makes him wake up earlier than I can deal with, even if it doesn't explain the multiple wakings at night.
2) Being able to hear again means that he's not used to all the night time sounds and that when he's had a decent amount of sleep that he just can't continue to sleep with the strange sounds all around him. It would explain the frequent night wakings, and why when his ears are clogged he sleeps later.
3) He is ready to switch from two naps to one. He's getting too much sleep to sleep well at night. (Dear God, please let it NOT be this one.)
Out of those options, I chose to test the first one today. I let the kids stay up until I just couldn't take it any more. Also known as 8pm. Now, if I had tried this on a night that Chris was home, I might have been able to hold out for another hour or so. My theory is if it's truly his bedtime that's an issue, that tomorrow he'll sleep later. If I'm right, his bedtime gets moved later -- NOT Kairi's. NO. That will not happen again. She still sleeps at night just fine with her early bedtime. Tonight I was hit, kicked, jumped on top of, had things thrown at my head, and had my ears pierced w/ shrieks. Yes, we had lots of fun together, but my body aches. And by the end she was sooo grumpy that neither of us were happy with the situation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
