It is hard to believe that I am starting this list on time this month. Please don’t get used to it. By the way, I figure now is the time to start transitioning to being a family of five, so there will now occasionally be mention of the antics of Baby Q., our unborn new addition.
18 October 2006: JUST GO TO SLEEP!
This is what I get for bragging that both my kids slept through the night before ten weeks of age. Now they are four and one and waking me up.
Let’s take last night, for instance. First, Baby Q. goes to gymnastics class from approximately 11:15pm to 12:15am. Mommy cannot fall asleep, for this is the most intense movement of the day. But soon after the antics are over, I am fast asleep, only to be rudely awakened by a screaming, terrified toddler. It’s 1am, and A. has had a nightmare. I tuck her in bed and take a long nap. At 3:45, E. is fearful of the dark, but his bladder is full. Around 4, some cats have a fight in our backyard, right beneath our bedroom window. At 4:45, A. has a repeat nightmare, and at 6, she is up again and yelling because she is angry about how the night has gone for her. Around 7:30, we are all up and facing the day, and I am feeling like I already have a newborn.
14 October 2006: Cuddly A.
A. occasionally gets in these moods where she wants to cuddle. Usually, Big Brother is her target. This morning, E. and Si were wrestling on the living room floor. While E. ran away to get something, A. plopped herself down on Si and waited for her return. E. has been trained to be gentle with girls and protective of his sister, so he was trying to still enjoy the time with Si without breaking the rules. But A. was there, and wouldn’t budge. Every time E. leaned into Si, A. would reach forward, pat E.’s head and say “Baby” in this loving squeak, and then stretch with both arms to give him a big hug. And I do mean every time. This went on and on until Si finally felt sorry for the poor boy, who simply wanted to play like a boy, and here a silly girl was trying to love on him. So A. was sent to cuddle with Mommy, who, of course, was busy doing nothing with her injured foot propped up in the air. And Mommy likes to cuddle, so we were a good match.
4 October 2006: Looks Like Heaven
Tonight, as we were driving E. to Cubbies, the sun was setting. He was amazed when he saw it. “Oooh! Do you see that fire line? It looks like heaven! It looks like heaven! I think I can see Jesus making a house for us.”
3 October 2006: Nightly Ritual
I have a ritual that is probably similar to that of other moms of young children. Late at night, before I go to sleep, long after the children have been placed in their beds, I wander the house and “check on them.” I put this in quotes because, though the toddler usually does need to be checked on {she can’t keep a blanket on to save her life, and it’s getting cold now}, the four-year-old really doesn’t need me. But I can’t help it.
There isn’t much that is more beautiful than a sleeping toddler. Looks can fool a person, and our baby girl looks just like an angel when she’s asleep. In fact, so does the boy. Even after a tough day, where E. has required much discipline and tried his mother’s patience, if I sneak in and watch him sleep, I can feel my heart melting as I watch his peaceful slumber.
My kids can be quite sweet while awake, but they are perfect when they sleep.
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