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.

Our First Catch!!

This morning when Joshua woke up I took him straight for a change, knowing that he usually eliminates as soon as he wakes up. His diaper was dry so I took him to the toilet. I held him over the toilet, back against my belly, my hands under his thighs. And he peed and poo'd!! So fun!!

How a Pirate Sleeps

Recently Micah determined that his Caillou chair is a better place to sleep than his bed. He will not be convinced otherwise. And he actually HAS been sleeping in it. Last night when Andrew tried to move him back to his bed, he roused from his slumber to complain and insist that he be left in the chair.

Not only is he sleeping in a chair, he is also using his brand new pirate hook and sword as a pillow. Kids never cease to amaze.

Here are our two little pirates enjoying their new pirate paraphernalia.

A Few Pics

"No photos, please!"

Nana enjoying a snuggle with fly-catching Josh after putting him to sleep

Joshua wearing the diaper cover I crocheted him.

I am loving the wool diaper covers! Especially the pull-on ones with the longer leg part. It means less chance of leaks. Of course, he's still not wetting as much as he will in future, but so far I'm quite happy with those covers. The one I crocheted fits quite snugly right now so it probably won't last too long. I will definitely make another (or more!) in the next size.

We had a tough evening yesterday. He was really upset. I think it was because I had a little chocolate yesterday. Will have to pick the tiny m&m's out of the celebration mix for the next little while. Once it passed, we had a good sleep. Overall, I can't complain about nighttimes one bit.

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.

Denied!

Well that solution won't work... the rear bench doesn't have anchors, so we have to use the seatbelt to hold the carseat in. I guess I'll just hop out and release Eva. Not a really big deal.

Catching Up

This morning Eva weighed in at 40lbs. Micah is not far behind at 33lbs!

Officially I suppose Eva is ready for a booster seat. I'm not in a rush and would leave her at status quo, except that her inability to unbuckle herself from her harness creates a bit of a problem when dropping her off at school in the mornings now that she'll be moving to the back row. I am thinking I will have her continue to use the harness except for in the morning on the way to school. Then she will use the regular seatbelt (still sitting in her car seat which is a booster as well) so she can unbuckle herself and jump out when we pull into the dropoff loop in front of school.