This and That

Mom left this morning :( It was so awesome having her here. She supported me, mothered me, helped in so many practical ways, loved on the kids, and never failed to remind me to take the points for the jack in cribbage. I so appreciated her taking three weeks out of her life to be here for Joshua's arrival!

Today was the first day of my new reality- and Eva had the day off school. It was both a wonderful and a difficult day. After we walked out to wave as Nana's airplane passed overhead, the kids played together beautifully most of the morning, and Josh slept for hours in the sling. I got a bunch of things done, including my first sink of dishes in weeks and it was very low key and enjoyable. Quiet Time had a rocky start, with Micah wandering all over and Eva sobbing because she wanted presents RIGHT NOW. But then it took a sudden turn to peaceful, and I found myself in a remarkable situation: all three kids were sleeping!! I did a bit of reading and then realized that I should be sleeping too. So I got a few zzz's. Sweet. The pendulum swung back the other way once everyone was up. Micah and I had a huge battle of wills about him removing his stinky peed-in Superman jammies. (I won in the end) Eva continued to grump about presents and anything else she could think of. Joshua got fussy. Suppertime and after went well. We planned a new, more strictly structured bedtime routine. It all went well until the part where they were supposed to go to sleep. Eva had a huge accident. Micah had a gigantic meltdown. It's almost 10 and Eva is still awake. When will I learn not to let her nap during the day??

We're going to stick to this new routine for a full week whether it seems to be working or not. I am hoping they will come around. I am SO TIRED of fighting both kids to sleep every night. It is time consuming and exhausting.

In other news, it is incredibly dry here. We had a couple of weird weeks where it was raining almost every day and so humid that everything smelled and felt damp. I thought to myself, I'm glad I live in a dry climate because I don't like this. But now that the relative humidity is zero and my lips are cracked and bleeding and I've drunk 2 litres of water since suppertime... well, I'm not so fond of either option.

Joshua Snoozing

When Joshua sleeps, he SLEEPS. Like, several hours at a stretch. (So far- I'm not counting on it continuing forever. But for now I will take it!) Yesterday he slept from 9am until after 1pm. And again in the afternoon for hours. We put him in our Amby Baby Hammock in the living room and there he snoozes peacefully.

Why Micah Likes to Sleep With Us

Micah has become a pretty good sleeper... sort of. It's conditional upon one of us being within arm's reach. Or closer.

If he were to spend the entire night with one or both of us, he would not wake up until morning. But because he starts in his own bed- after falling asleep clutching the arm or finger of one of us- he is usually up by about midnight looking that missing arm or finger. When we lay down beside him, he falls asleep again quickly. If we go back to our own bed after that, he is up within a couple of hours looking for one of us again. Then, unless we're feeling particularly motivated (and this is rare at 2am) either he ends up in our bed or one of us ends up in his. This isn't a huge problem, especially now that he has a comfortable bed and compared to our earlier sleep issues. It wouldn't really be a problem at all, except that it's not safe to co-sleep with a both a baby and a toddler, so we are trying to work him into sleeping alone in his own bed before Wee3 arrives.

We tried having Micah and Eva share a queen sized bed, but Micah turned himself sideways and pushed her right off the edge. Not a workable solution.

I asked Micah why he likes to sleep in our bed. He said, and I quote, "Because it's cozy and warm and tickley." Hard to argue with that.

Another Rough Night

It never ends...

Ah well, the good news is that I almost always have an opportunity to catch up on the lost sleep in the mornings with Micah. Can't say the same for Andrew though!

Yesterday afternoon Andrew went for a run- first run in quite a long time. This may or may not be relevant.

At about 10pm he started feeling rotten. He got chills and the shakes. No fever though. He had flank and back pain. Makes me wonder if he has some kind of kidney infection. Could pulled muscles or a complaining body cause these sorts of symptoms? He never got a fever. Today he feels a little better. No more chills but still some pain. So weird. I feel bad for him!

Now of course I couldn't sleep soundly knowing he was feeling so rotten. Until he settled down, neither did I. Got a few decent hours after that, and then Micah was up and bugging me. I didn't give in and feed him, but he did ask repeatedly. Then he fell asleep and my restless legs took over keeping me awake.

It is truly amazing to me how there seems to be always something going on to interrupt and disturb our nights. But by now it's the norm. So we work around it. I am so grateful for my nap opportunities, and I will NEVER, EVER take a good night's sleep for granted again!!

Abnormal or New Normal?

Micah's 'normal' is to wake up at least 3 times in the night asking for milk. Sometimes more- more times than my foggy brain can count. Well last night before bed I told him he could have milk ONE TIME between bedtime and the time that Daddy gets up. He agreed. And stuck to his end of the deal!!! He slept more soundly than I've seen him sleep. And much later!

Here's hoping this is new normal!

Hello!!

Hello, faithful readers! Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. It's almost a little weird blogging about people whom I know read it.

Let's see, what's the latest....

I'm trying very hard to convince Micah to sleep through the night. Or at least to not be looking to nurse all night long. It means that neither of us get a good sleep. The last two nights have been a little bit better, with me managing to fend him off until 5:30am. So maybe one day (soon?!?) he'll decide it's not worth it to wake up and just sleep through.

We're starting to work into a little bit of a routine here which feels good. Also I am getting more exercise than I have in months which also feels good. I have been taking the kids to the grocery store and/or the park and for some reason they want to ride in the stroller! Giving me 70 lbs or so to push. I am glad for the workout!! I'm thinking of taking one of those exercise balls home and pairing that with some trampolining to get me into better shape. Mom has an exercise ball so theoretically I could try it out... theoretically... (as I avoid acknowledging that I can see it in my peripheral vision at this very moment).

I'm filling my days with as much visiting as possible, and shopping during most of the lulls. Tomorrow I will get an eye exam and then order my first new pair of glasses in at least five years!! I am extremely excited to have the option to go out in public in glasses again.

Sleep Update

Thank you to all who offered advice and ideas about our sleep situation. We have made a few minor adjustments, including offering Micah cheerios to munch on in his crib in the morning (bought us 10 minutes) and putting Blue Baby in with him (negligible effect). The major change though, is in our attitudes. Micah wakes up perky and raring to go, and doesn't generally get grumpy during the day. So I am pretty sure that either this is a phase or simply the way he is made. We are now taking turns getting up with him and choosing to enjoy the extra hours and the beginning of the day. We are also getting to bed somewhat earlier. That helps.

Sleep... what is that?

Last night Eva had insomnia. She up for a couple of hours starting about 12:30am. And Micah was up for the day at 4:15am. Is it possible that our 17 month old child only needs 9 hours of nighttime sleep? He only sleeps about an hour in the day. At this point I still have hope it might be related to the last of his molars which is pushing through. Though maybe having hope makes it worse. I refuse to believe that the only way to get my full night's rest is to go to bed as soon as Eva is asleep. At this point. But I am swiftly moving toward bleak dispair. I hate the impact it has on my days and I hate how powerless I am in this situation.

We can't even try the "letting him cry" method until a reasonable hour- we share a wall with our neighbors and would feel terrible subjecting them to the wailing as well.

I am open to ideas about how to remedy this situation. Comment away!

Sleep

Everytime I think we're getting somewhere with Micah in the sleep department, we have a night like last night. He was up about every hour from midnight on, and didn't sleep after about 4:30am. Or was it 4:00? I don't remember. I finally snapped out of my denial and got up at 5:30. No sense in more than one of the rest of us being up. But I don't want him to think that it's ok to be up for the day at that ridiculous hour either.

This business is sharply contrasted by the beautiful blessing I received yesterday afternoon. Eva likes to play at "going to sleep" and told me that was what she was going to do. I said good night and took Micah into the living room. He asked to nurse and to my surprise- since he had already napped- he fell asleep! And it was awfully quiet in the bedroom as well. Both kids sleeping in the middle of the day! A full blown miracle!! I'm no dummy so I had a rest too. It was a glorious hour of snoozing. Maybe more. Incredible.

At Least He Wasn't Crying...?

The last few days Micah has been awake at precisely 5:54am (less the 10 minutes my clock runs fast). I have been bringing him to bed at that time, where he nurses quietly until 6:20 when Andrew gets up and showers with him. Then I get a blissful 30 extra responsibility-free minutes of sleep. While the day starts a little earlier than I'd like, it's a sustainable arrangement.

This morning Micah was awake at 5:15. Not crying to get our attention, which is good. But singing. Loudly. Which we could probably tune out. But we don't expect Eva to tune it out, since she sleeps in a bed right next to him. (We recently redubbed her room the playroom and moved her to the bed in Micah's room. We are reconsidering the wisdom of this decision). Andrew tried to convince him to go back to sleep without success and finally brought him into our room. There, the situation deteriorated. The loud singing was punctuated by loud cries as he railed against my strong suggestions that he lay down quietly. Eva let loose with an anguished, frustrated cry. Andrew went to attend to her. Again I was up long before I cared to be up. Ah well.

I remember wee me dashing into my parents' room in the mornings, raring to go. I remember my mom's groggy requests for more sleep and I remember that I didn't understand how she could possibly still be sleepy. And I also remember their admonishments to teen me that I was wasting my day by sleeping in to the noonday hours. And I know that soon enough I'll have the opportunity to sleep in again and I won't want it!

Officially a Sleeper!

I think I can make an official announcement now: Micah sleeps through the night! He's been consistently enough sleeping until at least 5:30. He then usually goes back to sleep or at least doesn't put up too much of a fuss until 7ish. It's so hugely better than the situation up to a few weeks ago. I am thrilled!!

Oh, Micah is 16 months today! Happy birthday buddy.

Officially Through the Night!!!!

Micah slept from 7 to 6!!

Is It Really Over?

Today we step back into Time. For the past 6 weeks we have been living in a different world, off the calendar. It has been magnificent. Also a bit dizzying, I suppose. But so enriching. I feel like the kids have grown a lot. They had a lot of special times with people who love them. They have learned how to adapt to different situations and locations. They are getting along amazingly well. Part of me thinks twice about sending Eva to school in fall because I know Micah will miss her so much. I wish there were part time preschool here; that would be perfect.

We had a great time with Al & Alice. The kids ate truckloads of rice krispies with sugar and milk, crunchy toast, and tic tacs. Alice very nearly completed a 1,000 piece puzzle. The other night Eva perched on the tall stool and worked on it too. I think that will be our special time during Micah's naps this week- working on finishing the last little bit of the puzzle together. We crowned Andrew with the Daft Tiara (a highlight!), we played many games of Scrabble, and we got into Rook. There are many more special memories to note as I think back through the last month and a half, but right now is not the time. Had another tough night and the kids are starting to clamour for attention so my focus is poor.

This day marks the beginning of the end of Micah's constant night-waking, as far as I'm concerned. He is old enough to sleep through without needing intervention every single night. He understands our expectations. And now that he is not sharing a room with Eva (who woke up two nights ago so pitifully complaining that she couldn't sleep very well because Micah was crying so loud, poor Wee), we can hold the line a little more. Hope and pray that this won't take too long and be too hard on everyone. With Eva, once it was time it took about 2 nights as I recall. Then it was amazing.

The Countdown is On

So many countdowns are on right now. VERY exciting!

2 more sleeps 'til Jen & Andrey are here
3 more sleeps to Christmas dinner
4 more sleeps to Christmas Day
6 more sleeps to the arrival of the rest of our cool tour group
8 more sleeps to tour departure day

It's going to go by so fast, I know it. Must be certain to thoroughly enjoy and appreciate every moment.

Hopefully Micah will cooperate and not leave me in a sleep deprived fog... last night was horrible. What the heck? He's 14 months old and awake so darned much most nights. I wish I understood. Last night I was not feeling very loving and motherly. Mainly driven by not wanting to wake up the rest of the house.

Losing Hope....

... that we'll ever have an uneventful, restful night around here. The norm is weird happenings in the night. If it's not one thing, it's another. Last night, not only was Micah up 3 times, including one time when he was extremely restless, Eva was up once to go to the bathroom (which do I appreciate; much better than a wet bed) and woke up screaming and crying about wanting me (who was in Micah's room, grateful he was asleep), and wanting to shower. This, of course, woke Micah up again. The good news is that the kids and I 'slept in' til about 7, which was amazing. Poor Andrew was late for work yet again, though. I just want to feel rested. I would love to have the energy to really accomplish things and spend energetic focussed time with my kids, instead of just trying to get through the days.

Longer Stretches

Looks like things are finally changing in the sleep department! Micah is sleeping heavier and longer stretches at night! Two nights ago he slept from 7:30pm-5:00am! Last night he was up only once, at 4am, then not 'til after 7. Eva filled the gap though, getting me up at 2am a couple of times and finally climbing in with us at 3am. It was a weird night. We actually went to bed early for once, which was very fortunate. A couple of hours in, Andrew freaked out and put the light on, convinced that there was a cockroach in the bed. Not entirely out of the realm of possibility, since last Saturday I saw one on the guest bed pillow (I'll change the case before you get here, Mom & Dad), right beside where I nurse Micah at night- gahhh! Anyway I just figured that Andrew's mind was playing tricks based on that incident, and refused to be distracted from my rest by the idea of bugs in the bed. To clarify for those of you who will actually be in our house in a few weeks... we see cockroaches in the house probably as often as you find spiders in your house. Gross, but not enough to panic about. And they don't come around during winter, as I recall. So no need to get yourself all worked up, if you were.

Oh, so the other weird thing about the night was a bad dream that the van got stolen. Very "dark"-feeling night. I prayed while I was feeding Micah at 4am and slept nice and heavy 'til almost 7. I didn't even hear Andrew's alarm.

Late last week we ran out of coffee beans. There is an import store here carries Starbucks beans but they were all out! And the Starbucks opening in Torreon isn't ready yet. Now, there might be good coffee beans available elsewhere in Torreon, but I tried buying some grocery store beans once and the coffee was almost undrinkable. So we were in a bit of a pickle. But joy of joys! On Tuesday at Bible Study, what should greet me but my friend Meg with.... a bag of Starbucks breakfast blend!! She made my week! And Andrew's too.

Oh, back to Micah and his sleep. This longer stretches thing is a mixed blessing. He seems to have dropped one of his naps since he's sleeping better at night.