So New Routines

I am finally getting more sleep at night. AJU7 still isn't a great sleeper - waking 2-4 times a night - but I don't expect any different since her siblings were that way. But, what has made a huge difference the past few weeks is getting AJU5 to stay in her bed and not come to our room unless she sees a light on. The past two mornings, she has opened their door numerous times between 5:30 and 6:15 only to go back to sleep. I have also heard her in the night open it, but she isn't coming to our bed at least. AJU7 will sleep until about 6:15 or 6:30, and AJU6 will sleep past 6:00 if he doesn't hear us, so it is a lot better than the 5:15 they were trying to do. Weekdays are harder though. My husband is up around 4:30 to work out. He then leaves for work by 5:45. It is fine if AJU5 wakes while he is not in the shower or actually leaving the house. But, if she wakes at like 5:35, then I have to get up with her. Also, if she wakes when he is in the shower, I might have to get up.

I am also working out most afternoons while AJU6 (and normally AJU7) are napping. I am using the Kinect Your Shape 2012, and I am trying to get in 30-45 minutes at least a day. I started over a month ago, and I can tell I am in better shape. Unfortunately the weight isn't coming off, but at least I am in better shape! Maybe soon the weight will come off (12 lbs still to go). I guess that is one big positive of AJU7 not really eating solids yet (she spits them back out 99.9% of the time) - I am still her primary food source and hence burning more calories that way.

I am also having to be more diligent with cleaning up, as AJU7 is mobile. She isn't really crawling, but she can inchworm all around the house. She can almost make it up the step from the living room to the kitchen even. It won't be long until we really have to sort through the toys and hide the choking hazards...

When Sleep Gets Complicated

It started out well. AJU7 fell asleep after 9pm, and we headed to bed at 10.
There were 2 in a king bed - lots of room!
Sometimes between midnight and 2am, AJU7 joined us in bed. Still, there was a ton of room. And I didn't have to worry about anyone pushing me out of the bed!
Then 2:45 came. AJU5 "couldn't sleep" in her own bed. Luckily she went to my husband's side of the bed to climb in. So, I still had almost half the bed for AJU7 and myself - still content.
A few minutes pass, and AJU6 enters our room and climbs up on my side of the bed. I knew that wasn't going to work so well. I would be squished and having to protect AJU7 too much. So, I took her to the guest bed room. Two in a queen bed and three in a king bed still seemed fine to me, especially since my "bed partner" is very small.
But, it wasn't meant to be. About 15 minutes later, AJU7 is nursing (after being stirred enough during the move that she couldn't get back to a deep sleep) and AJU6 is crying for mommy. I "yell" that I am stuck with AJU7 eating, so Daddy brings him to me. He (AJU6) proceeds to smack me in the head 2-3 times getting snuggled in. Luckily he does fall asleep, and so do the rest of us.
Daddy wakes up at 4;30am, and I hear him exercise (Kinect Your Shape) and then get ready for work. AJU5 is getting the king bed all to herself, but I am afraid to move AJU7 for fear of waking her (and waking AJU6). So, we stay in the queen bed.
AJU6 wakes at 6:15 - ready for a cup of milk and a show. I oblige and then return to the queen bed to sleep. AJU5 wakes at 7:00, upset that her show isn't on (she was promised the pick this morning). Luckily I was able to calm her with a promise that her choice would be "up" next (and a cup of milk).
I snuggle into the king bed alone (AJU7 is asleep in the queen alone) until AJU7 wakes around 7:30...

Keeping Me on My Toes on a Sunday

I definitely didn't have a restful Sunday yesterday. It wasn't a bad Sunday, but it was full of "fun."

It started with AJU6 joining us in bed around 2. He had been doing this for a few days because of allergies (it is very hard to suck on a paci when your nose is stuffed up). Luckily, AJU1 realized I was SO tired since I had dealt with him the past few nights that he took him. AJU6 likes to be touching you as he sleeps, and half of the time he wants his head on some part of your body. This makes it really hard to find a comfortable position and has resulted in much lost sleep. (Last night I gave up and gave him a small dose of Benadryl before bed so we could all get one good night of sleep, but I don't want to give him drugs every night. Ugh.)

We got up a little earlier than normal because with AJU6 in bed with us, AJU5 couldn't snuggle with me until he cried. Instead, he stood up and tried to walk to the end of the bed, got down, and then motioned us to go downstairs with his hands and grunts. Luckily it wasn't too early.

From there it is was Sunday morning as usual, although I did curl my hair for the first time on a Sunday in AGES. I started curling the ends about a week and a half ago when I went someplace other than walks/very quick trips to the store. It looks so much better with a little curl/body!

Sunday School went fine. AJU5 was a little quirky, but it wasn't a bad thing. She just didn't want to color. Luckily her friend (and the only other student in her class other than AJU6 this week) was willing to color her finger puppets for her so we could make them.

Church started out fine. AJU6 fell asleep in my arms during the songs. AJU5 was playing with the figures from Sunday School (paper cut-outs), and all was going well. Then it came the prayer between the message and the invitational. AJU5 had found the fruit leather in the diaper bag and wanted a piece. AJU6 of course started bouncing and begging for some too. So, I broke off small pieces for each one. They were content. Until AJU6 started choking. Before I knew it, he was throwing up... all over himself and me. I rushed us to the nursery to start washing it off. I ended up taking off both of our shirts. Luckily I had a tank top on and had AJU5 get my jacket for me. AJU6 just went topless. But, it was off of us and the smell was basically gone (oh the fun of milk puke).

After we got home, I got lunch on the table, and the boys snuggled up for some NASCAR watching as AJU5 and I ran to the mall. I realized how much I hate going to the mall on weekends when I saw the parking lot. But, I needed another pair of pants and AJU1 needed a tie for work. We hit up JcPenney, and luckily they had everything we needed. Unfortunately AJU5 had fallen asleep in the car on the way there. I carried her asleep all the way across the parking lot into the section where I found my pants. I laid her on the floor when I went to look at the pants, and she woke up. Within minutes she wanted her jacket off and to go look at dresses... I quickly found my pants and we headed downstairs to look for ties. Unfortunately my husband is not normal when it comes to ties. He refused to wear solids, stripes, plaids, and geometric patterns. That basically means no ties are left to pick from. I picked out four, some with some pattern, took a picture, and emailed him. I wasn't too happy with his choice, but it was done. While we waited for the picture to send, we went to the kids section and looked at dresses. Boy are they expensive - even at 40% off! With how much AJU5 wears them, I bet we would get our money's worth, but she has so many already. We picked out one I thought was cheaper than it actually was (due to bad sign-age), and went to look at things for AJU6. Of course she founda toy and debated over and over again between it and the dress. I found AJU6 a polo shirt for Easter, AJU1 emailed me back, and I convinced AJU5 to leave everything as I wasn't spending $18 on a small stuffed bunny or $30 on a dress yesterday. Maybe closer to Easter we will get a dress that expensive, but I know if I bought it now she would wear it every day she could, at least for a few weeks.

Luckily the rest of the day wasn't unpredictable. We watched the end of the race together. We went to evening service where AJU6 fought falling asleep on me many times. And then we came home, put AJU6 in bed, made popcorn, and watched a little TV before and after sending AJU5 to bed.

Hopefully next Sunday I can sleep in a little, won't be thrown up on, and won't have to go to the mall!

Maybe I won't Scrapbook This, as He Might Kill Me Later

I am referring to AJU6 and his current "room."

On our road trip, he became a TERRIBLE sleeper again - up every 2 hours. I thought it might be the dog, who slept right outside their window most nights. Or it might be teething. But, after over a week of not getting more than 2 hours of sleep in a row, I decided we needed to try a little CIO. But, I couldn't have him waking AJU5, as that would be worse as she would want to sleep with us (which means I get kicked all night).

I knew the guest bedroom wasn't a great idea because the one other time we let him cry for more than a couple of minutes he woke his sister in the next room. The office wouldn't be much better, as the distance to her would be about the same. And of course our room wasn't an option. Downstairs wasn't a good idea because he would be woken up by AJU1 when he goes to work in the morning - before 6am. So, there was one option - their bathroom.

Luckily the bathroom is big enough for the pack-n-play plus access to the bathtub, both sinks, and the drawers. The potty isn't accessible, but it is rarely used anyways since AJU5 prefers the downstairs bathroom for some reason (probably because that is where we trained her). We started Tuesday night. He woke around 8;15, and screamed for a while. Since we weren't in bed yet, I got him and tried to get him to sleep. I also offered him his cup. But, he just screamed. So, before too long, I put him back in bed and he fell asleep within a few minutes. He slept for 3 hours at a time, and I was "happy."

Wednesday night AJU1 watches him while I go to church (and AJU5 comes with me now). So, when he cried when I got home (well, a little after that), I did let him nurse since he didn't have that option before going to bed. He nursed well, and then he slept for about 4 hours at a time. I was happier than the night before.

Last night he did okay. He didn't wake when I got home (from Awana with AJU5), so when he woke about 4 hours after going to bed, he was definitely thirsty/hungry. After that, he slept for about 3 hours at a time. At one point I realized AJU1 didn't change him before bed, which might have been why he was waking so much (very soggy diaper!). Also, he didn't have jammies on, so his legs were a little cold. But still, it was better than the every 2 hours he had done before. AND!!! he slept in until 7 (he had been up by 6 most of the week, beating his sister up).

Tonight he went to bed early - before 6. Four hours later, and he is still asleep. He did get two shots today (MMR and PCV), so he was tired and fussy this afternoon. I dosed him with Tylenol before he went down, and I have Advil ready if he needs it tonight. Hopefully it will be another night of good sleep.

I don't expect him to sleep 10+ hours at night for a few more months. AJU5 was definitely older before she did it regularly. But, I will be happy as long as I don't have to get up more than twice a night! Oh, and there has been very little CIO it turns out. I am just afraid to put them back in the same room right now... maybe a week before Christmas we will try again.

Word Wednesday - Sleep

Ahh, what sleep will do for you!

Last night was an adventure. We put both kids in the same room for the first time. AJU6 went down just fine, but then AJU5 woke him up protesting the removal of her dress (in another room). So, we got him up while we got AJU5 to bed. Then, we went back to bed about 20 minutes later (after dirtying a diaper), and AJU5 was still awake but quiet. It took AJU6 a few minutes of fuss,a nd he was out (fuss is not his mad cry, it is just him complaining). He woke up twice through the night (like he has the past three nights), and both slept until 5:30ish this morning. It was wonderful to sleep in almost a full hour more. It is also nice to have the guest bedroom available since we have company coming tomorrow morning.

Now here is to praying we have another good night tonight!

Topic Tuesday - Daylight Savings Time

I will make this short.

I hate it.

I am tired.

AJU5 has been the first one up the last two days - at 4:45 am.

Goodnight.

Silly Saturday

Yesterday we were outside playing before dinner. AJU5 took the little push car up the hill for a ride down (as usual), and then got bored. She wanted her "button" - the motorized four wheeler my parents got her last year for her birthday. So, we got it out. But, AJU6 took the opportunity to take the push car for a spin. He pushed it all the way up the hill, and then we let him ride down. And he did it again. Then, he tried to push the car down the hill. Unfortunately, they ended badly with a bump/scrape on the head. Luckily he got his hands down first, and then tumbled head first. But, once he had a little snuggle, he was ready to go again. By this point, AJU5 was driving her four wheeler around. AJU1 was trying to teach her to turn at the end of the sidewalk area and come back on the grass. It was taking lots of coaching, but eventually she got it. So, AJU6 decided to copy his sister - he tried to push his car in the grass. He didn't get very far though. Then AJU5 drove her vehicle to the door (after AJU1 tried to tell her to turn to go back for nother loop). At this point, AJU6 was in my arms, abandoning the car after not being able to push it through the grass. He saw the four wheeler "available" and tried to jump out of my arms. I told AJU1 he wanted to ride. AJU1 didn't believe him. But, I put him down, and he crawled/toddled over to it and tried to climb on. AJU1 took him for a loop, and he was ready to get down (tired and hungry I think). He almost is big enough to climb off on his own - if only his little feet would move a little easier when turning to get off.

Okay... that might not have been that silly. But, I am tired. AJU6 was up at 10, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30. At 2:30 I was done, so AJU1 tried to get him back to sleep. After a few failed attempts, we decided to just let him cry it out. It took almost an hour from AJU1s last attempt until he was completely out. And of course all that screaming woke AJU5 up. So, she came and joined us in our bed, using me as a kicking bag part of the night (well, morning since it was 4am when she joined us). But, they both let us stay in bed until 7 this morning, and we "get" another hour tonight. Hopefully he will do better tonight. At almost a year old, he shouldn't be waking every hour or two at night. I could deal with one or two wakings, but the every hour is not cool. So, we aren't going to allow it. But it is hard to listen to him cry. AJU1 tried to rock him to sleep. He rocked for about 20 minutes, and he was completely out. But, as soon as he put him in bed, he was awake and crying again in minutes. I tried nursing, but that only gave us 30 minutes. And I don't feel comfortable co-sleeping because he moves a lot (and might crawl out of bed). So, we are somewhat stuck with the cry-it-out method even if he screams...

Oh What a Night...

I left AJU6 with AJU1 instead of taking him to Cubbies tonight with AJU5. My goal was to work on training AJU5 to sit, listen, and participate. Now that AJU6 is very mobile, it is hard to corral him and AJU5. Only having one is definitely easier, but we have a long way to go! AJU5 has a hard time going from play to listening. Add a very short nap (30 minutes vs. the normal 1.5-2.5 hours), and it was a struggle tonight. I had to remove her from teh room many times to discipline her. And she refused to say her verse. But, I think tonight was a learning experience for her - and hopefully next week will be better.

One thing I need to let go of is the external praise I want her to get. I need to become "fine" with her not getting her stickers and patches for saying her verses. It is not what matters. What matters is that she is learning the verses and learning about God. If she doesn't want to say the verse to the leaders, I need to learn to not force it too much. Hopefully seeing others with the "rewards" will motivate her if she wants them.

I hope AJU6 was good for AJU1. I know he was asleep when I left, woke up a little later, and was asleep again when I got home. AJU1 did not change his diaper - claiming he didn't know he was wet - before putting him back to sleep. I think he is just out of practice... I thought it was common sense that you changed a kid's diaper before putting them down for the night! And I even left him 3 velcro pocket diapers to use - the ones that are like disposables when it comes to putting them on. Oh well. AJU5 woke him up with her tantrum about having to put on jammies anyways, so I changed him, fed him, and got him back to sleep.

I wonder if next week will be more adventurous?

On the Move

AJU6, at 10 months 1 day, took his first steps last Monday. Since then, he has increased to 5-6 steps in a row before falling down. The boy is definitely going to beat his sister to the independent walking stage, since she didn't get there until 13-14 months.

He has also learned to clap and has started to use it to get our attention. If he is done eating and has started to exit his chair, he claps half the time to "inform" us of his accomplishment.

It is fun to watch him grow. He is definitely doing things differently than his sister, and I bet part of it is because he has a role model. The other part is that he is boy.

AJU5 is a hoot these days too. She was "performing" for her daddy last night - singing songs for him to record. Her two favorites right now are ABCs and the Cubbies song. Now if only she would sing the Cubbies song at Cubbies class...

Sleep hasn't improved much. AJU6 can't have too much diary or his belly gets upset. And he doesn't like meat, so his diet is fruits, veggies, and starches mostly (and bm). None of these things really fill him up. So, Luckily he gets that one big stretch of sleep at night OR does 3 hours stretches. So, I am not a complete zombie.

Well, this post just went completely random... Maybe next time I can stick to my title :)

Yawn!

Between my two kids - I am tired! AJU5 has become an early bird most days. I am lucky to get to stay in bed past 6:30. This morning, she arrived at our bed around 5am - before AJU1 got up for the day. And, shortly after he left for work, she demanded I get out of bed too. It wasn't even 6am... Luckily her routine is to watch a show in the morning. So, twice this week I have gotten to snooze while she watches Veggie Tales "with me."

Then, you add AJU6 and his terrible sleeping. At 10 months old, he still wakes 3 times a night to nurse. The first two are on about 2 to 2.5 hour increments. Then, he sleeps for about 4 hours and then until he is woken up (or around 7am if AJU5 is actually quiet). I so wish he would sleep better. But, crying it out doesn't seem to be an option. Sometimes I let him fuss for a few minutes while I try to convince myself it isn't him I hear. But, he just gets louder. And, he throws all of his pacifiers out of his bed. So, his main comfort items are not available if he were to give up and try to go to sleep.

So, last night I thought I would try a little formula. Since the smallest "dosage" you can do with the powder is 2 ounces, that is what I tried. And guess what - he refused it! He took a few sips at his first two feedings, but he only drank 1 ounce total. Some of it may have been that it was cold (since I used the filtered water from the fridge). So, tonight I am going to try again. I am also going to try mixing a little bm in to see if that helps. I tried giving him the bottle, then letting him nurse, then when he was ready to switch sides, I tried the bottle again. But, by the second feeding, he was having none of it. And since he is really nursing, not just seeking comfort, I think he is actually hungry. Ugh! Hopefully by 15 months he will be sleeping through the night...

At least yhey both take decent naps right now so I can get a veg period each day!

Dinner Adventures

Part 1: "Conversation" between AJU6 and I
Me: AJU6, you need to eat your (green) beans before I give you more potato.
AJU6: Picks up beans and "eats" them.
Me; Give him more potato (and chicken).
AJU6: Eats some more, but not everything.

Later, I go to clean his chair,and I find the beans, uneaten, at the bottom. I hope this is not a sign of things to come...

Part 2: AJU5
I hear AJU5 mumble something, so I turn to look at her (she is sitting next to me), and I notice she is turning around in her chair. I think she is getting down, but then I look closer - her eyes are shut! She is asleep at the dinner table for the first time ever. And it wasn't even 6 (she normally goes to bed around 8). I was able to carry her to bed, put a diaper on her, and tuck her in without waking up. She later cried a little, but she was still asleep. Hopefully morning won't come too early...

Wow!

Let's just say AJU5 surprised me this morning - and last night.

First, she went to bed without a fight - something we had been dealing with for a week or two. Then she stayed in bed even though her door wasn't shut and just played until she fell asleep. We heard her singing the Awana Cubbie song at one point.

Then, I heard her this morning playing in her room. Then I heard AJU6 whine a little bit. The next thing I knew I heard them both laughing. She had gone to his room and was playing with him. It was a lot better way to wake than two screaming kids!

Next, once she came to get me, I noticed she had on different pants than she went to bed with. She had taken her pants off with the diaper inside (I knew she COULD do that), and then put on undies and different pants. Normally I have to ask her to change in the morning after her shows.

This little girl is growing up, and part of me is happy. But, then I miss my baby at times too...

Let the Whining... I Mean Weaning Begin

I decided to "force" the pacifier weaning on Saturday. AJU5 has gotten WAY too whiny about her pacifiers, so I knew it was time. With VBS over, I was ready to take the "plunge." We had friends suggest (via my husband) cutting the tip off of the pacifier a little bit at a time until they didn't want it any more. So I tried it Saturday night before she went to bed. Well, I guess I cut too much off. She has not wanted that pacifier since that night...

She woke a few times Saturday night/Sunday morning, and finally around 5:30, I gave her a different pacifier so I could get a little more sleep. Sunday at church, I offered her the cut one, and she refused it. She fell asleep in the pew without it - snuggled up next to me. Sunday night, she told me it was broken, and when I gave it to her, she threw it. I had to lay down with her in the middle of the night to get her back to sleep, but she didn't want a pacifier.

Yesterday's nap was a challenge. She refused to go down at her normal time. Then, around 3pm, while I was busy folding clothes, she fell asleep in our bed. There were more cries out of her during her nap than normal, but she was completely pacifier free. Last night she didn't even ask for her "other" pacifiers like she did at the failed nap time. She wanted me to lay with her for a while, but eventually she went to sleep on her own. AND!!! she didn't wake us up last night with her crying. So, I think the weaning (for her) is over.

I also started keeping AJU6's pacifier in his bed unless we are leaving the house. He seems okay with this. We do occasionally have to get it out about an hour before bed time, but that is it. We have tried putting him down an hour earlier, and he refuses. He wants to snuggle and be held before bed, and he wants his pacifier then too. And, I am okay with that. Hopefully he will be easier to break of the bedtime habit than AJU5. But, only time will tell...

Is It Nap Time Yet?

This week is killing me! VBS is a lot of work. We are averaging 34 kids with under 10 adult helpers and under 10 teen helpers. Oh, and I am not counting AJU6 in those 34 kids...

Add to that a teething infant who is waking every few hours at night, and you have one tired mommy. (The boy has cute 3 teeth in less than a month, and a fourth one is coming soon)

Luckily VBS is going well. We had a great family night yesterday at church, and the kids are enjoying the whole experience. Games have been hit or miss, but that is mainly due to heat (middle group - too hot and tired to play much by their turn) and age (youngest group). Lunch has been a huge hit, and the crafts have gone well. I haven't seen much of the lesson (since there are secluded for maximum attention), but supposedly that has been going well too.

One more day... I can make it...

Getting Ready

Next week is our church's VBS. So, I am working on getting the kids on a good schedule for that - and it hasn't been easy. Sunday went great - AJU5 took a late nap and we had no issues. Monday was okay - a little fight to get her to actually nap after 1pm once I had pushed her passed the normal 11 or 12 - but it worked.

Then came Tuesday...

AJU1 is on a different work schedule this week because of a class he is taking at work. He now leaves just before 7am and gets home around 6pm. Well, AJU5 started to fuss at 5:30am, and he let her out of bed. So, at 6:30 when she normally gets up, she had already had her two morning shows - the shows I count on to wake up, get a shower, and check my work things (plus Facebook and Google Reader of course). To top it off, she bawled when he left because she thought he would be home all day (like the weekend). She fell asleep on our walk - in an uncomfortable position at that - long before her normal nap. She did take a nap later in the day, but it still wasn't fun.

That night she didn't sleep well. I finally realized it was because she was cold at 5am - and I had already had to comfort her twice before then. She did sleep until almost 7 - just early enough to see daddy and bawl when he left. Luckily she napped well around 12:30.

Today has been okay. Nap at 1ish, etc. Luckily AJU6 FINALLY got with the picture and napped some while she napped. The lack of simul-nap was killing me! That, and having to deal with the kids for 1-2 more waking hours by myself... at the cranky/needy hours...

Lets see if this works for next week...

July Trip 2010 - Part 3

The third part of the adventure was a VBS for a Native American chapter that our church has run the past 7 or 8 years. This was my third time going, and I have enjoyed it each year. I love seeing the kids learn about God and enjoy the activities we have for them. I would show more pictures, but I decided not to post ones with other kids in them.

This leg was just the kids an I - AJU1 had to return to work. Luckily I did have help from the rest of our "mission" team with the kids when I needed it. AJU6 was passed around a lot at dinners. It was really cute seeing the male teens wanting to hold him! They were great wtih him too. As long as he didn't see me, he was happy with whoever was willing to hold him.

Each day we would get up fairly early and have breakfast at the hotel. Then, sometime between 8;30 and 9:00 we would leave for VBS (the teens and most adults left around 8). VBS ran from 10-12 (ish) each day. This year we were outside teh whole time as they were remodeling the chapter house. This meant AJU6 was stuck attached to some adult/teen ALL the time. I tried to put him down a few times,a nd he crawled right off the blanket to the dirt. And then he picked up rocks and tried to eat them. After a few attempts to get him to stop, I gave up. Luckily I had a carrier for him with me...

AJU5 did okay with her class. Some times she behaved, and other times she wanted me. But, that was to be expected. She loved the craft time the most, and finally on the last day participated in the music. I hope she does even better at our church VBS in a few weeks!

In the afternoons we went swimming at the hotel pool. AJU5 did not like her swimsuit/flotation device combo that much, but I was very thankful for it. It meant I didn't have to watch her like a hawk. If she stepped off the steps, she wouldn't go under compeltely - if she relaxed she had no issues whatsoever. Some days she was adventurous - jumping off the side of the pool without hands, floating near the steps on her own, etc. Other days she wouldn't leave the top step without me. AJU6 liked the water too - he even fell asleep in the pool one day!

The hardest part was sleeping. AJU6 cut his upper two teeth while we were there, so he wasn't a happy camper. Since I couldn't "lock" AJU5 in a room by herself, it was hard to get her to fall asleep too. Some nights she was up until 10:30. The latest we slept in was 7am. Each day both kids would fall asleep on the way back to the hotel, but they would wake up once I got them out of the van. I tried to get them to sleep/nap before swimming, but it never worked. Luckily, the both took naps from 3ish until I woke them for dinner.

I wan't wait until next year - I already miss the kids out there!

The kids and i at Wednesday evening service.

AJU5 and I at the missionaries' house at sunset (ignore the wrinkled skort - I was too lazy to iron it)

I will let you interpret this one yourself...

AJU5 with bubbles at VBS.

Sleeping on the couch isn't terrible...

Friday night and last night I sleep part of the night on the couch. And no, AJU1 did not kick me out of bed. AJU6 (and AJU1 and AJU5) is sick. He has a head cold sort of bug, and laying flat makes it almost impossible to breathe. Both nights, I have tried and tried to get him to sleep - in his bed, in my arms, anywhere. Both nights I found success in his car seat. It keeps him reclined but not flat, and he can't escape! Our pediatrician recommended it when he had RSV, so it was on the list of things to try this time around (I have also put a pillow under the "mattress" of him pack n play so that has an incline too).

I wanted to sleep near him so I could pop the pacifier back in when he spit it out - hopefully before he was too awake to fall back asleep. So, I was relegated to the couch. For some reason he is awake for over an hour every night (while sick) between midnight and 3am. It is getting old for sure! Last night is was about an hour and a half. Then he finally agreed to sleeping in his pack n play, and slept for almost 4 hours (a huge relief).

As you can guess, I am a bit of a zombie. I was hoping AJU5 would sleep until 7 this morning, but she was up at 6. So, I put on an hour long Veggie Tales. Now to go take a nap...

Moved

AJU6 moved rooms this weekend. He is now sleeping in the guest bedroom. And I think I like this.

It all started when he slept terribly a few nights in a row. I think it was Thursday night that he cried and fussed for an hour- and nothing I did helped. So, I decided to move him to the guest room. That way only one of us would be awake with him, instead of two. So, Friday he made the big move to his own room. I start the night in our bed, and when he wakes I go deal with him. Sometimes I go back to our bed, some times I sleep on the guest bed. Sunday night I figured out what was actually the issue most likely - he is working on his top teeth! I thought it was his belly (we just started solids), but Motrin did the trick Sunday night. Since then, he is sleeping a lot better (with a dose of Motrin at night if he is being fussy). He doesn't want to co-sleep anymore, so I just put him back in his pack-n-play after he eats. Half of the time he wakes just because he needs his pacifier back. He only needed to eat twice last night, and I was very happy about that!

He is also on the move these days! He is a master of the reverse, and can now creep forward. He gets into a push-up position, and lunges forward most of the time. It isn't very affective, but it does get the job done sometimes. He just needs to get the coordination of the arms and legs, and he will be crawling. Then I will have my hands full...

Feeling Good!

First, Jersey #2 is feeling pretty good. She even startled the nurses this morning by getting out of bed all by herself (and tried to get back in alone too, but they caught her). She is really recovering well from everything, but there are still a few hurdles to cross before she can come home!

Second, a friend and I have been walking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It has been great. The walking is making both of us feel better, and having a chance to talk to another adult is also nice. We stop at the park near the end to let the kids play, so there is an added bonus for AJU5 there.

In other news, AJU6 can now roll over. This is a mixed blessing. First, once he crawls he will be truly mobile (and he is getting close). Second, when I lay him down to sleep, he rolls over. And of course he doesn't want to sleep on his stomach, so he cries. I had to flip him three times this afternoon before he finally fell asleep. At least he isn't cranky like he was yesterday. What ended up being a 2.5 hour visit to the service shop for my car got him off schedule. He was cranky as all get out yesterday afternoon - refusing to eat because he was so tired but refusing to sleep because he was hungry.

What has been making you feel good lately?

Abort and Other Short Outtakes

We have aborted potty training at least for a few days. Here is what happened yesterday:
At 9, I got AJU5 dressed and we got ready to go outside. AJU6 woke up, so I ran to get him while AJU5 lingered in the bathroom. Next thing I know she comes up to me and her pants are wet. So, I change her and we go outside. After 45 minutes, we sat on the potty. Then we repeated 30 minutes later. Almost 30 minutes later, AJU5 was ready to go inside. She was clearly tired, so I told her she needed to sit on the potty and then we would go inside and she could nap. She very reluctantly agreed - crying during most of the experience. I of course put a diaper on her because I didn't want a wet bed (there had been no success with the use of the potty). She was almost completely dry when she woke up, so I tried to get her to sit on the potty. But, she wasn't having it. AJU6 was asleep in the same room, so I couldn't push too hard (for fear of waking him). She didn't want to wear a diaper, so I eventually succeeded in putting her in undies, pull-up, and then pants. She uses the pull-up and doesn't care that she has the wet undies up against her skim. I tried to get her to sit on the potty again (because I can tell she isn't done), and it was a battle with tears. So, potty training is aborted. I am not going to force her to sit on the potty if it is making her that upset. We will keep trying to get her to sit ont he potty when we go and before bath time. Maybe in a week or two she will be ready.

Last night she confirmed to me that this was a good idea. AJU1 and I asked her if she wanted a bath. She said yes, but insisted he take her to the bathroom. Reason - he doesn't make her sit on the potty before baths, and I do.


In other news - AJU5 was a dare-devil on Sunday. She tried to scale her dresser. The result was in falling down on top of her. Luckily, her TinkerToy can was there to support the dresser. The only damage to her was a few very tiny little pink/red marks. But, it sure did scare everyone!

AJU6 has been a handful. I think the boy is teething. He is demanding to be rocked to sleep AND stay in my arms for the whole nap (other than his first morning nap). Yesterday I was finally able to get him to sleep in the crib at 5pm. He took one nap in the stroller for about 30 minutes after I walked and walked and walked him to sleep. It made for a long day.

Now to write my last final. Then I just have to do some grading before the term is over. I am so ready for 2 weeks off! Well, I will have to get my classes ready for the summer, but that isn't too hard to do.