Zzzzzzzzz.......

Holy cow, I'm TIRED!!!! Midnight movies and Amy apparently no longer get along. 

Today

The scores for today:

Ellie: 0 for 2

Lindy: 1 for 2

Mom: 2 for 2

I guess 50% isn't necessarily a bad day. But I don't know that it's a good day either. 

Life Is Good

      

Okay, I have to admit that there's one good thing about the weather getting colder. I can stash chocolate and Diet Coke in my van for those emergency cravings. The chocolate won't melt and the coke will still be cold and refreshing. Love it.

Art Projects

Lindy's new favorite thing is doing "art projects". I keep finding the most random assortment of household items put together in creative ways. Todays' examples: 

Should I?

This is one of those posts that will, undoubtedly, provide endless moments of embarrassment for my daughter. But, I can't help it.

While getting ready for school this morning I ran across a rare form of reluctance from Lindy. She did NOT want to change her underwear. When asked why, she simply told me that she liked them the best. (I might have believed her if it hadn't been for the fact that they were plain white and she had another pair exactly like them.) After I told her that she'd just have to change them she suddenly got a little more desperate. She said that she'd change them if we all left the room. By that point my super-mom powers had kicked in and I could tell she was trying to hide something. I wasn't, however, prepared for what ensued.

Upon pulling down her drawers a deluge of gum fell out onto the carpet. From the look of the wrappers I could tell they'd been in there for some time. As it turns out it was the whole night. As I went to take them away she cried, "You can't have them...uh...I tooted on them!!!". If she thought that little tidbit of information would convince me to hand them over she was sorely mistaken. Into the garbage they went. For my part in keeping my child safe from all things disgusting I was treated with several minutes of wailing. 

Wow.

Stubborness

One word I find myself using lately to describe my Lindy is "contrary". If there's an argument to be made it seems she will find a way to make it, regardless of the legitimacy of her point of view. For example, a few weeks ago we were out walking and I had something to drop off in a neighbors' mailbox. Lindy wanted to help, so as we approached I helpfully pointed out that it was the white mailbox (it was right next to a black one). She responded, "That mailbox is grey." At first I just thought she wasn't looking at the right one, so I tried to correct her. My bad, apparently. This "criticism" sparked a desperate need to be right in my first born which I have honestly never seen before. She wouldn't bend. She was bound and determined to make that white mailbox grey. Now, I know what you're saying...why argue with her? Why not just let it go? Well, you're right. That would have been the mature adult response, but where exactly do you think my daughter got this particular personality trait? You guessed it...me.

Since that day I have found that Lindy will argue with me about anything and everything. While it's frustrating (and, believe me, I've reached the pinnacle of frustration with my child about this) I keep telling myself that her stubborn pig-headedness could be a positive characteristic IF I can just turn it in the right direction. If we can figure out how to teach her right from wrong, and that it's better to argue about what is right rather than just about what is opposite, we might be able to give her some excellent tools in resisting peer pressure as she grows up. 

How's that for looking at the glass as half full? Now all I need to do is figure out how to do it. Oh boy.

Pants On Fire

Don't be fooled by this sweet little face. Most of the time she seems quite innocent and harmless, but we've found our Ellie has something of a devilish streak. This morning Ian and I were still laying in bed while the girls played in their room across the hall. Our peace was shattered by the ear-splitting cry of our oldest. Suddenly Ellie came running in our room with a guilty look plastered on her cherubic face. I kindly pulled her on my lap and asked her, "What happened?"

She thought for a moment and said, "Lindy bit herself."

Now, if I had bought that for even one split second, the emphatic "NO I DID NOT" that followed would have given me cause to reconsider...as would the teeth marks on Lindy's upper arm.

I'm not exactly pleased that we've entered the lying phase of Ellie's childhood, but at least at this stage it's fairly easy to figure out what is really going on.

Here We Go...

My children and I disagree on many things, but nothing so profoundly as the emotions elicited by the first snow of the year. I looked out of my window this morning and suddenly felt the burden of years fall on my shoulders. (Okay, I'm exaggerating slightly. But still...) Meanwhile, the girls shrieked their delight while dancing around the house singing songs of winter bliss. Even Curtis formed a "glass is half full" opinion of the view from the back window. I am friendless.

One of the drawbacks of an OCD nature is that I can't stand to drive on my driveway when there's snow on it. So, I bundled up and dragged myself outside to shovel the 5 feet of white stuff that dumped on my driveway. With a husband who is typically hundreds of miles away (conveniently) whenever snow falls, the task is generally mine to perform. Unfortunately, within minutes of accomplishing this back-breaking feat I can usually look out the window to see a fresh coat starting to gather. Grumble, grumble.

I don't like winter.

Words of Advice

A few words of advice for my artistically-motivated young daughter:

When committing acts of vandalism you might want to resist the urge to sign your name.

Otherwise blame and responsibility will, regretfully, be quite easy to ascertain.

Halle-freaking-lujah!

We have experienced a much-needed breakthrough with our little boy's sleeping habits. Last night Curtis officially slept through the night. He went to bed at 6:30pm (I know, holy cow!) and didn't wake up, or make a peep, until 6:30 this morning. Wahoo!

Now, before you think this miracle happened of its own accord, let me assure you that it didn't come without a fairly high price. First, it was preceded by 7 months of him waking up at least every two hours each night. As you can imagine, this took its toll on the rest of us...especially his mom. I've always been rather adept at adjusting to life without sleep, but for some reason (I'm tempted to blame it on age) this time I wasn't dealing with the sleep deprivation very well. It finally reached a point where I could tell that I was physically and mentally suffering. I had a long talk with his pediatrician and, after establishing that there was nothing preventing him from sleeping (other than his fondness for his mother's company), we decided it was time to let the poor boy cry. It took a few days to work up the courage, but after a couple particularly rough nights I decided it just needed to be done. 

The first night was horrific. At least for me. Two hours after his bedtime he was ready for a little company. When I didn't respond to his cute cry he took it up a few notches. For three...yes, three...hours he screamed steadily and heartily. He finally quieted down only to resume an hour and a half later for another 90 minutes. Then, a half hour later he decided to make one last ditch effort and bellowed his lungs out for another hour. Wow.

I was pretty worried that I'd walk into his room in the morning and wouldn't see an excited, smiling face like usual. But apparently he doesn't hold grudges because I was greeted with just as much (if not more) enthusiasm as ever. Whew. We were a tired mom and baby the next day but I was anxious to see if one night of holding my ground would make a difference. And it did. Each night he has improved and each morning he is happy as ever to see me. His sleep time has increased and his daytime naps have improved. What a great day!

The Eye of the Beholder

Some days my kids make me feel like a million bucks. Especially when they pull out the "You're the bestest mommy in the whole wide world!" On days like that I feel like I'm maybe doing okay.

Then there are days like today. First thing this morning I was helping Lindy get ready for school. She stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection for a while. After spitting, she promptly informed me that she "saw something on TV that would help get rid of the little zits" on my face. Infomercials strike again. 

Then later, Ellie decided my hair needed to be "fixed". She took her fingers, shoved them in her mouth, covered them thoroughly with spit and proceeded to style my locks into a more aesthetically pleasing coiffure. Gee, thanks.

Tomorrow I might try to shower before they wake up... 

Seven Months

What a month! I do believe that our little guy might actually be one of the most spoiled little babies on the planet. From the second he wakes up in the morning he has all four of us totally wrapped around his fingers. His sisters constantly want to hold him, talk to him, tickle him, or make him laugh. And, to be honest, Ian and I seem to enjoy doing those things just as much.

He is getting around quite well. He's not crawling, thank heavens, but by rolling, pivoting, and rolling a little more he manages to get pretty much anywhere he wants to. He hit the 18 pound mark at his 6-month check up. He's still average for a boy, but compared to his sisters he's a brute! Lindy didn't hit 18 pounds until her 1st birthday! I guess it's probably because he LOVES to eat. He's developing a little bit of a beta-carotene tan due to his love of all foods orange. Hopefully we'll be able to convince him to round out the diet a little and add in some green beans, peas, or even some fruit.

We just adore you, Curtis. Thanks for making our home such an amazing place to be!