Sweet Sleep

Christopher slept from 7:45 PM to 6:45 AM in HIS OWN CRIB last night.

Let's just take a moment to hear the angels singing, "Hallelujah!"

Along with that, we have two colds (three if you count mine) and pinkeye.

One step forward, two steps back.

So if you're keeping track, that's four family members with 10 sicknesses over the last 15 days. The only one in the family that has not been sick is David, but he has a whopper of a cold sore under his nose, so I think that should count.

Instead of dwelling on all that, let's just revel in the fact that I'm not falling asleep as I type this. It's a big step.

David's first words this morning were, "So, how long do you think it will be before that happens again?"

I won't hold my breath.

Weary

It's been two weeks since my last post. Can I just take a moment to be honest? And maybe vent a little?

I love my children and adore my husband. I have a blessed life. David has a stable job and I have (overall) healthy children. We have a warm home, even when the outside thermometer reads negative temperatures. I am blessed. And thankful. But I'm going to take a moment to be honest.

I'm weary.

Weary of preparing the same three meals over and over because those are the meals the kids are most likely to eat.

Weary of preparing one of the "safe" meals only to have them push away the plate and say, "I don't like it."

Weary of sick kids. Over the last 10 days, 4 family members have been sick; two of these were sick two separate times in that time frame.

Weary of being awoken from deep sleep more than once a night.

Weary of early mornings. This morning it was 5:20.

Weary of hearing crying in the night. (We're working on Christopher...he's learning to "self-soothe", otherwise known as parents-laying-in-bed-wide-awake-listening-to-the-baby-cry-until-he-goes-back-to-sleep.)

Weary of losing our last two social events to sick children.

Weary of losing our last two weekends to sick children.

Weary of worrying about sick children.

Weary of pouring medicine down our children's throats.

Weary of being home-bound.

Weary of tantrums.

Weary of crying as a form of communication.

Weary of pleading with God in the middle of the night to help them sleep so that I can regain some level of sanity.

Weary of not having any energy to clean, cook, organize, play, or write blog-posts.

Weary of people saying, "These are the best years of your life!"

Weary of people saying, "Enjoy these years, it only gets worse when they're teenagers." That is NOT helpful.

Just weary.

Tomorrow I'll be better.

That is, if I'm allowed to sleep tonight.

Otherwise, tomorrow I might still be weary.

Check with me next week.

THREE

It's true. We have officially survived the first three years of raising Natalie.

Our amazingly vivacious middle-child turned three today. She is a bundle of emotions, high-spirited, and temperamental, but she is also such a sweet blessing. She can make us laugh just seconds after we've pulled out our last hair. We're hoping that someday that will be her charm: her ability to sock it to ya' one second, then smother you with love the next.

With Allyson, we thought we had it all figured out. Parenthood, that is. She slept well, ate well, communicated well, obeyed well, responded well to most situations...the list goes on. We took credit for these traits, when they were mostly due to her personality.

Then came Natalie. She entered the world three years ago and had issues immediately. (Maybe that should have served as our first red flag...) She was a large baby and was completely tired of being cooped up within my short frame. Her body went into overdrive and jerked a bit more than the doctors were comfortable with. They nearly sent her to the big city hospital 40 miles away, but lo and behold, 5 hours after starting her mini-convulsion-things, she calmed and begged to be with me (or so I choose to believe). After that, she was a calm, quiet baby.

Until we left the hospital.

Things haven't calmed much since.

She was a very difficult baby and a challenging toddler, but she could stop anyone in their tracks with her smile. Still can. She finds joy in the mundane and trauma in the smallest issues. Her laugh is powerfully contagious and she loves being around people.

Sweet Natalie, you have challenged us and stretched us.
You have made Daddy and me rely on each other and God more than we ever had before.
You teach us something EVERY day (including how to function on less sleep).
You can make us laugh with just the right expression (like the one below).
You are a rare treasure.
We are blessed to be your Mommy and Daddy.

Happy Birthday!

2011 in Fashion

We are proud to present the latest fashion accessory for the new year...handsomely modeled by our own Christopher.



(Really, what were we going to do with all of those video cassettes anyway? They ought to be put to good use!)

Oh, and the pink necklace is another matter entirely.

Clown-Girl

"Look, Mama!"

"I'm a clown!"

Yes. That is my lipstick.

And just so you know, the drawer from which she obtained my lipstick was "protected" with a child lock.

Uh-huh.

Thankfully, she knew (approximately) where the lipstick should go and did not smear it anywhere else.

As far as I know.