Of Sleep and Discipline

We are tired.

We moved Leah into Anna Claire's room about a week ago when their new bunk beds were delivered. The goal was to make the entire top floor for all the kids so they had their own space and we have ours - including a guest room on the 1st floor for out-of-town guests to stay as long as they like.

The bedroom turned out adorable - I'll post pictures soon. However, the transition has been a rough one. Leah is still at the age where she REALLY needs a nap in the afternoon - at least 4 days a week. Since she moved into Anna Claire's room, she has only napped once - and that was because she fell asleep in the car and I carried her upstairs. Every other time, she just plays. The end result is that she often falls asleep before dinner or during dinner and then she either doesn't wake up until the next morning or she takes a short snooze then doesn't want to go to bed until after 9 pm. And she's no longer sleeping in like she was before she moved rooms either. This has resulted in a new level of defiance and desire to assert her independence (usually shouting "NO!") at every opportunity, and sometimes she even takes a swing at us. Some of this could be her age, too - it's hard to differentiate what is age-related and what is sleep deprivation-related.

She has also figured out over the summer how to push almost all of Anna Claire's buttons - and vice versa. The fighting between them is crazy. And it's mostly over dumb stuff. Now that I think about it, I'm fairly sure the stuff my brother and I fought about was equally dumb but it seemed important at the time. My mother is a saint - I have no idea how she did it without joining the circus.

Anna Claire is going through an equally frustrating phase. We are trying to teach her the importance of obeying the first time we ask her to do something. Instead, we're met with (a) reasons she can't do it, (b) numerous questions about why we need her to do it, or (c) total avoidance. We've had to come down pretty hard on her lately and take away fun things we'd planned in order to send our message.

I know consistency is a good thing and it's the RIGHT thing to do when it comes to discipline. If we're not consistent now with both girls, they will be monsters by the time the baby is born. But sometimes it would be nice to just take the day (or week) off, you know? There are evenings when I just want everyone to get along and for them to stop needling each other.

I recognize my tolerance level is probably short because I'm so close to having the baby and I'm not sleeping well either. I'm hoping that our consistency, especially in discipline, will pay off soon. After all, it's not a matter of doing the right thing - it's a matter of doing the right thing LONG ENOUGH.

Just Hanging Out, Gettin' the Oil Changed in the Car...

Celebrating Momma's Birthday

We took these pictures of the girls last weekend after my birthday lunch at Cheesecake Factory. The quality isn't spectacular (taken on my cell phone) but the pics are still cute. :)

A Fresh Start

I know, I know. It's been way too long. This has been a much harder pregnancy in some respects. I thought I was really turning the corner on the morning sickness in late January. I was wrong – really wrong. I vomited through the first week of April. I also had a bad sinus infection, bronchitis and a double ear infection for several weeks in March. Add to that the low energy and overall “don't care” mood I feel during the first trimester and it just didn't make for a good combination to get anything accomplished.

The good news is that I'm better now! I've gone over 3 weeks without being sick and I finally have my energy back. Yay! I've been going to BodyPump class at the YMCA, walking, and my nesting instinct has kicked in and I'm busy cleaning out closets. My husband is thrilled. Watch out, Honey, I'm going to start labeling things again!

We had an AWESOME time with my parents, who stayed with us from the end of January through mid-March. It was so fun, and they were an incredible help, especially to me. Most of all, it was just nice to “do life” together for several weeks, and the weather was warm and sunny, so I know they enjoyed it too. We even escaped to San Antonio for a weekend, which is where the picture of the girls (above) was taken.

The girls are doing great in school and here at home and are SO excited that they are having a little brother. Yep, it's a boy! It's been a real mind shift adjusting to the idea that we'll have something other than another princess in our house come August, but we are beyond thrilled and really anticipating his arrival.

School is beginning to wind down and we are looking forward to summer. We're going to try to do swimming lessons for both girls, and Anna Claire wants to take ballet.

OK, I'm off to get kids in bed but I'm officially back into the blogging thing! :)

Let's Play Some Football!

So, we're going to the BIG GAME tonight between our high school and their major rival. It's a big deal here. A REALLY big deal. There was a pep rally this morning at Gary's school at 4:45 AM. No that is not a misprint. They have another one today at 1:30 PM. It's serious business here. So much so that I can't find a babysitter for next Friday night - EVERYONE goes to the football game here.

Anyway, we're going tonight. We're going to tailgate and bring a picnic. Anna Claire is very excited to watch the cheerleaders now that she's been to a few lessons. She's all about doing her cheerleading moves in our house - she's constantly practicing her split jumps and her dance routine that they're going to perform tomorrow at halftime at the local YMCA football game. My mom told me that she spent a good portion of my childhood talking to my feet because I did handstands in the kitchen. I think I know what she was talking about since I now spend a lot of time talking to AC's pom poms.

Leah and I have had a great day just cuddling on the couch, watching Frosty The Snowman, and potty training. She is so proud of herself. She's not a particularly cuddly child, so I'm taking whatever I can get and loving every minute of it...if I blink, she'll be as tall as AC and not able to fit in my lap anymore.

So, last week, Anna Claire had just come home and we opened the frig to get a snack, and staring at us was a LIVE green lizard. I completely freaked out. I really did not expect that. Anna Claire was quick to point out that it was an "IVY green lizard." I was quick to point out to my husband that I thought it was probably part kimono dragon. Turns out it was a baby lizard and he was hiding under my deli drawer. I called Gary at work and told him I wasn't cooking or opening the frig until he got it out of there. He was a dutiful husband and came home to protect us from the dragon and took the little guy outside. I feel like I've done pretty well with the large roaches and the geckos in the garage, but the lizard in my frig was more than I was willing to take on!

A Few Updates

Well, Leah is fully recovered from whatever stomach virus she had. Thank goodness! She is now busy climbing up on top of the dining room table whenever she can, and has now set a new all-time record for how quickly she can undress herself - in less than 2 minutes the other night (after her bath), she had taken off a t-shirt, her jammies, a onesie and her diaper and was standing completely naked in the pack-n-play. During this time, all I did was get Anna Claire out of the tub, put a towel around her, and walked with her into my bedroom. Oy! I know Gary is so proud that his older daughter wants to give people massages when she grows up and Leah loves taking her clothes off. It's what every daddy dreams for his girls - one working in a massage parlor, the other in a strip club. I've recommended that Gary increase his blood pressure medicine. :)

I finally figured out that if I put Leah's diaper on backwards, she couldn't get it off. It worked - all night! Score one for Momma!

Gary is still in a lot of pain from his rib injury - he went to the doctor on Monday before he left town and they were kind enough to give him a stronger painkiller and some antibiotics for his respiratory infection. He seems to be holding up OK now though.

Anna Claire is very excited about Valentine's Day - though she was completely grossed out yesterday when I told her she needed to make valentines for the boys in her class as well as the girls. She looked disgusted and said, "Why? They're BOYS! Ugh." I know those words made her daddy proud - ha! I think he'd prefer that she not date until she's 40.

On Monday, we took Gary to Reagan National airport to fly to Houston for Dorothy's funeral. When we were driving toward home, Anna Claire pointed to the Capitol and said, "Momma, that's where Daddy used to work!" I said, "Good job, honey!" Then she said, "See that tall pointy thing?"

Me: "Do you mean the Washington Monument, honey?"

AC: "Yep, that's where Jesus died on the cross."

Um, not quite.

Then, last night, when I put her to bed, I had been talking to her about not being so bossy to her little sister. I was fairly certain she was basically ignoring me. So, I decided to move on to having her say her prayers. She prayed, "Lord, thank you for today. Please help Aunt Dorothy be nice to everyone in heaven and not boss the other people around."

Out of the mouths of babes!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

We had a great weekend!

Anna Claire had her friend Sarah over yesterday. Sarah's expecting a baby sister in April, so her mom and dad needed to spend some time getting their house ready. Sarah came around 11 am, and the girls played with their Polly Pockets for awhile, changed clothes approximately 4 times (sometimes wearing each other's clothes) then I took them out to lunch. After that, we made a trip to Target, then came home and made some neat stained glass crafts that can hang on a suction cup in your window. After we finished that, Gary, Leah, the girls and I all went out for pizza, then to FamJam, a kids' program at our church. Sarah and Anna Claire had the best time dancing and singing. After we came home, the girls changed into their jammies and then I painted their fingernails and toenails. They had a fabulous time together. I did have to laugh though - two firstborn girls, bossing each other around all day. I can relate since I am a firstborn girl (I've blocked my little brother from being able to post a comment - ha ha), but I couldn't hold a candle to these two! We were exhausted by the end of the day, but we'd had a great time.

Today, we just relaxed, I watched a movie with a good friend, and we watched the superbowl and ate some awesome chicken enchiladas that Gary made. Also noteworthy would be Leah's new tricks she's learned this weekend, which include climbing up on a dining room chair and sitting at the table (which means we can no longer put stuff on the table we don't want her to see), pulling the tablecloth off the dining room table - and whatever else may be on it - if she thinks there's something she should see, dropping her baby doll in the toilet, and dragging the stool out of the bathroom into the living room, then standing on it so she could climb up on the coffee table so she could stand on IT! She was so proud of herself. I'm contemplating adding on another level to the house because I'm running out of space to put stuff that I don't want her to have. She also has figured out how to open my cabinet with my big bins of flour and sugar, so I'll have to find a new hiding place for them as well. Anyone besides me tired yet?

Leah, wearing her pajamas and jewelry, taking a look at Anna Claire's freshly-painted toes.