Sunday, April 25, 2010

cutest thing

I’m sitting here listening to Paul read himself  stories.  Too cute.  Wish I had a camera that recorded voice.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

adjustment

So, this is not something I’m good at, it happens, but I try to live in denial that change must happen and then finally just give in because I’m tired of fighting.  Right now I’m just tired!  Going to sleep around 1 or 2 and being woken by an alarm at a little before 6 is not fun!  I kind of gave myself a day ‘off’ today to mope about and feel sorry for my tired self.  I was done with that by about 3, and had an enjoyable rest of the day.

I’m still not sure what to do with this.  I need to find a way to sleep more, but I can’t seem to get kidlets to go to sleep earlier.  Paul is more pliable with that, but Dolores, wow, I am not going through that again!  She totally revolted!  I may try again next week just to see if it was something else with her.  Right now I am getting them to sleep about a hour earlier than normal, which is progress.  I’m getting to sleep about 2 hours earlier, but I am not having my time at night for cleaning and email, that is taking it’s toll. 

So this weekend I have to be up with Chip both days, tomorrow to meet a friend for a garage sale, and Sunday for Mass of course.  I’m sure I’ll go insane from utter lack of sleep!

In other adjustments, Dolores is growing so much.  She is sitting pretty well on the couch, she can’t sit on the floor though, but the couch.  Her hands are her favorite thing and she is learning to use them well.  I even saw her move a toy from one hand to the other earlier today.  She also discovered paper.  She LOVED that.  I remember Paul at this age, give him a piece of paper and he’d be content for 15 minutes, just chewing away. 

Paul is enjoying the fact that Dolores is more interactive.  He does silly things to get her to giggle up a storm.  He gives her toys to get her to hold them.  He is also very sweet like covering her up when she’s napping or trying to comfort her.  Also, he’s rough with her, she doesn’t seem to mind, but it makes me nervous.  I mostly think Paul’s got something going on, not sure what, but he’s been more hard to handle lately.  That happens from time to time with him, lasts a week or so and then he’s normal.  I always figure he’s working something out in his head or dealing with something.

Paul has fallen asleep so I should get to bed, 5;45 comes very soon!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

The good moments

So many times I dwell or think about the hard moments in life.  I was just thinking today about the good ones, the ones I want to remember, so I thought I’d put them here to be forever remembered.

~the infectious laugher of children, even moreso when they are your children

~Dolores giggling like crazy as the silly things Paul does

~Paul wanting to interact with her and include her, his trying to comfort her

~waking up to a child on each side of you with big grins on their faces, ready to face the day

~watching them learn, grow and explore their world

~children falling asleep on you all cuddled up

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Sweetness from the last few days

Mostly pictures.

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Working on sitting, wearing an outfit from her Godmother and sister (Godmothers’ daughter, would that be Godsister?)

 

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Working on sitting

 

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Not liking the sun, and of course as soon as I grab the camera she starts fussing.

 

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Paul took his tools out to the shed and was measuring the door with his tape measure.

 

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Getting ready to try to put his tools in the shed, like Daddy.

 

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This is how they feel asleep the other night.  I was sitting nursing Dolores and Paul fell asleep next to her/me.

So sad

Chip had some training today after work, so he didn’t get home until 1pm, and he of course went to sleep (been up since like 4pm yesterday).  Tonight he is getting ready to go finish some stuff at work and Paul is SO, SO sad.  He keeps saying, ‘no, no, daddy has to spend all day with Paulie’.  That is what Chip says when he doesn’t have to go to work.  He’ll tell Paul when he gets up that he doesn’t have to go to work, he is going to spend all day with Paulie.  So sad.  And of course, Chip’ll be gone most of tomorrow too.  Poor kid.

Friday, April 16, 2010

changes

Oh how I do not like change.  I know I’d adjust to them in time, but some of the things coming toward us are just not cool (for me at least, kids I don’t think will notice, well, they will notice me being crazy tired, very short tempered and that they house is not ever picked up)!  This is super long!  I found a way to use both hands while nursing Dolores, a whole new world is open to me :).

Having to wake to an alarm most mornings.  I know a lot of people do this, but it is not how I want to wake.  Nothing starts me off to a bad day faster than some machine screaming at me to wake up.  Plus just knowing I HAVE to get up dramatically reduces not only the quality, but also the amount of sleep I get.  I really LIKE waking when my body says it’s time to get up.  On occasion a child wakes me, but normally I’m already at least getting ready to wake.  Also added to this is having to wake to an alarm to wake your husband who doesn’t hear the alarm.  Lucky!  Wish I could sleep through that!

I LIKE having a slightly different schedule than most people.  Walmart, errands, driving, traffic, when everyone else is out is NOT fun at all.  It’s not even bearable.  It’s crowded and frustrating and people are at their worst.  Plus you have to wait in line for like years, even for a self check out.  Waiting in line with a hungry baby and a ‘ready to go home’ toddler is close  enough to  make a person never want to leave home again!  I like being able to go grocery shopping when everyone else is asleep! (our grocery store is open until midnight)

My favorite part of our current schedule, besides waking to two wonderfully smiley happy kids beside me in the morning (we three generally wake within a few minutes of each other) is the end of the day.  After I have gotten the kids to sleep, I usually (on the days Chip works, on the days he’s home, normally we are up later and I’m just so ready for sleep that I fall asleep getting the kids to sleep) I get up and straighten the house, finish up the dishes, pick up toys, clean off the counters, sweep and vacuum.  It’s so nice to go to bed with a clean, ready for the day house.  It’s peaceful for me.  And after I do that, I either take some time for me, like sending emails or writing/responding on blogs/threads, or I take a shower (I don’t need or want daily showers, my skin would fall off if I did that!)  That time is so precious to me.  Then I cuddle up with my kids and read a few pages and fall asleep.  This is something totally new for me, normally I can not fall asleep.  But this new night pattern for me is awesome and leads to decent sleep for me, which is nice and a total change from normal for me.

So there you have it, I think if you read this you will come off with me being very selfish and impatient.  Well, I can’t hide it.  I try, but there you have it. 

Hopefully a new rhythm will be found.  I just really hope I can find a way to sleep through that damn alarm clock, and that Chip will in time wake himself like last time he was on days (took a few months).  But mostly, just hope I can sleep through it and not feel obligated to wake.  Peaceful, restful sleep is most important to me remaining sane and tolerable to live with.  Especially given that I will not have a second to myself, like ever again!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Who knew it was so easy? (aka: potty learning)

We can officially call Paul, potty learned.  I know some people use the term, ‘trained’, but there was no training involved.  Paul did it all himself. 

Over a year ago, more like a year and 4 months, some where around there, I noticed that Paul was dry during naps.  He also wouldn’t go if he didn’t have a diaper (I think it was actually during a bad case of diaper rash when he was not wearing diapers for naps to help it heal).  Then I noticed that he was staying dry at night, so we went over to no diapers at night.  This was helpful during the summer months when his rashes tended to be worse (heat, humidity and no a/c, not a good combo for a diaper clad bottom! :) ).

One morning he asked to go potty when I was going after us waking.  He actually went, and he thought it was awesome!  So we got him a couple of the Bjorn Little Potty’s (not sure of the actual name, but it’s the little potty made by Bjorn).  At first he wasn’t perfect, but he hated to pee on himself, hated it, so it wasn’t long, like maybe a few weeks, maybe only a week, and he was solidly going on the little potty’s or the big one when we were in the back.  But he still didn’t mind his diaper either for when we were out.

We continued like this for a LONG time.  I figured he’d let us know when he was okay with not having a diaper when we went out.  On occasion I’d ask, and he always said he wanted one, so, not really a big deal. 

About a month ago he got home from my parents house and started to take his pants and diaper off (they always put a pull up on him).  He then went in the little potty.  I was impressed, but he had done it a few times before, so I thought nothing of it.  Later that day we had to run a few errands so I put the pull up back on, we were gone for a few hours and again when we got home he took it off.  So now it’s been a month and he hasn’t gone in a diaper once, and we have run errands/been gone for over 4 hours, and he’s held it.  He will not go in the public ones, I think because most are those automatic ones, and kind of unpredictable.

I am truly amazed at how simple it was.  Sure, we could have made it stressful if we had wanted it to not take so long, but that’s not us :).  Again we learn a lesson is trusting our child to do/learn what he needs to learn in his own time. 

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Saturday, April 10, 2010

big effects of little things

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Who would think that a shelf could make so much difference?  We haven’t had a place to put books for about 3 years.  The very simple act of putting up a shelf just for books, so they don’t get ruined and lost, has had such a profound effect on me.  I don’t know why.  Life has been so transient for the last several years, and adding a shelf is, I don’t know, just makes it more permanent.  Maybe because we kept waiting to BE permanent, and now it seems real?  I don’t know.  But I love looking at that shelf, it makes me happy and content.  A big thanks to Chip for putting that up! :)

Now for some other pictures from the last few days.

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A not so good picture of me, but Chip thought it was cute that Dolores was leaning on me :).  Beth, do you remember making those pants? :)

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Right after taking that picture, Chip got this excellent one of Paul.  I think this is the best one yet of him.  It is SO hard to get good photos because the camera has such a huge delay, and this one came out perfect :).

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Pictures from the wedding

 

Here are what I have from our camera.  It went well.  Now to let it sink in :).  Thanks for all the prayers throughout this long, long, long process!

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Vows

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Vows, with Paul’s head and half of Beth

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Dolores

 

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Canon Avis and us after Mass

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Monday, April 05, 2010

end of the day

To close out our night Paul is washing his toys, while Chip is washing his tools.  It started with Paul watching Chip, then Paul started bringing up his things to wash to, it’s incredibly cute.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Dolores at almost 5 months

Just a few pictures from today.

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A few more pictures

I was uploading the pictures from the camera and found these of Paul on the first time we put a few chickens out.  You will notice the logs around the cage, that was Paul making a fence for them, he lined the logs up perfectly, carried them over himself too!

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April 4, 2010

I just could not think of a title today!  I have a few pictures to share.  Really enjoying this windows live writer for writing posts, so much easier than through blogger!

Paul has blossomed with words lately.  He talks so much and is so articulate.  He will correct himself when he’s talking, like if he picked the wrong word and he’ll keep at his sentence until he gets it how he wants it.  It’s also kind of neat to see him talk about things.  Like if he can’t think of what something is called, he just pauses and you can see him thinking, and he’ll say ‘that thing’ or ‘this’.  He is also really getting into imaginative play, like  real pretend play, it’s neat to see him work things out.

Paul’s recent thing is building fences around things.  I Put Dolores on the floor so she could watch him play and Paul thought it would be nice to build a fence for her.  The pictures are backwards though, the first one is on the right.  And I don’t really know what this album thing is.  I found out I can add many photos at a time and it did that, so who knows!

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I had taken Paul outside and came back in because she was fussing, so I sat her up and Paul came running in saying that Pepper went in the street, so I quickly went to go call her back (not a busy street at all, but there are loose dogs over there and she’s a little aggressive, plus, cars do drive crazy fast on that road).  When I got back inside less than 2 minutes later, this is how she was, I guess she kind of rolled over and landed there.  It was just to cute to not take a picture.

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A very blurry picture that Paul took of me sitting with Dolores.

Friday, April 02, 2010

Ups and Downs

  • listening to Paul giggling to get Dolores to belly laugh
  • backed up sewer…. again, third time in 5 months…..so tired of having the washer force poop into our driveway…want sewer that works
  • chickens outside
  • beautiful sunny weather
  • realizing summer – and hot- are around the corner….trying to sic myself out for that……..no a/c
  • cats deleted the message saved the on machine of Paul talking about the coyotes, so sad, it was precious
  • clean catroom!