Up Again...

Maybe I'm being prepared for the next 4 months of having to be awake all night for on the hour feedings AND having being alert enough during the day to keep Aimee from practicing her jumping from the top of the stairs. (She's been practicing her jumping lately).

For the 2nd night in a row, it's 4 am and I've already been awake for an hour. Wide awake. My friend's husband and I were commenting that we think there might be a sleep vampire in the house, since he's been having trouble sleeping too, except on the nights that I'm awake all night he sleeps well and vice-versa.

Not much more to say except that If I weren't so lazy, I'd get up and go to McDonalds for a cheeseburger or to Krispy Kreme for a donut. (You hear that my dear Mother-In-Law and Uncle Ray? How about stopping at Krispy Kreme on your way over later on today? I like raspberry filled and the regular glazed).

Brian's alarm is about to go off. I'm going to go make sure he get's up for work on time and doesn't let the alarm wake everyone else in the house up.

Annoyed

I think I had a bad parent moment. Our Sunday School classes are taught by a rotating schedule of parents, so each couple only teaches every six weeks. Aimee just joined the 2-3 year old class and she's done really well.

Last week the class was taught by some parents that I really like and respect, but use a parenting philosophy that I would never use. Ever. But it works for them.

My bad parent moment came toward the end of church, when they called us to go pick Aimee up because had been crying on and off the entire time. I was told that she was crying because she was mad.

"Well, I think she just had a little bit of anxiety about us leaving her. She's done really well the past 2 Sundays. I'm surprised she didn't do well this week." was my reply.

"You should really look into taking the class that teaches the parenting method we use. It's done wonders for our family." she said.

"Ok. Thanks for keeping her as long as you did. I appreciate it. See you later!" I said.

Then, then it happened. Aimee asked me for a snack....and she said "Please".

WHAT? OUTRAGE! I've never taught her to say "Please"! She says "Thank You" all day long, but NEVER please.

"Aimee, you say "Please" when Mommy teaches you to say it. For now, you can demand what you want. Next week, we'll learn how to say "Please ok?".

She smiled sweetly after I gave her a mini doughnut. "Thank you, Mommy! MORE!"

Satisfaction....

Cuteness

Somedays I feel like I'm going to overload on the cuteness of the relationship that is forming between Judah and Aimee. Here's an example of why...

Today they were playing "Coffee shop" with Aimee's Disney Princess Kitchen. Judah turned the pretend burners on to warm up the pretend coffee that Remmy had just purchased. Aimee's hand touched the burner and Judah freaked out because he didn't want her to get burned.

It's like a nice version of the Real World.

Our good friends have come to stay with us. They are relocating back to the area after 3 years of living out of state. This week, we invited them to share our little nest until they get settled into their jobs and rent a little nest of their own.

For Aimee, Christmas has come early in the form of their 3 year old son, Judah, also known as the household hero and Aimee's knight in shining armour. He regularly displays his compassion for her when she is being punished in time out by sneaking her toys, letting her wear his super hero helmet (one of his most dearly loved possessions), and anxiously waiting for me to take her out of time out, even when she was put in there for violations against HIM, like hitting or snatching a toy out of his hand.

Judah has been added to her list of things to thank God for every night, right along with Elmo, the Wiggles, and her baby doll. He is the first person she asks for when she wakes up in the morning, and refuses to take a nap or go to bed without hugging him first.

However, we are having some adjustment issues. She loves playing with him, but is having a hard time sharing toys. She loves to watch videos with him, but don't let him cuddle up next to me or hold my hand, because that is just crossing the line. I've also noticed that the physical manifestations of her anger (don't know where she got THAT from) are NOT CUTE when she's taking them out on other children. This is providing me with the opportunity to prepare her what life will be like for her with a little brother. Judah has been a merciful and patient participant, not letting his 20 lb advantage in size or year and a half age difference have any effect on the gentleness and kindness of his attitude toward her.

As for what life is like with the sudden doubling of our household occupancy, I have to say that it's been like Jesus and the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Our small little house has not felt crowded, there hasn't been a shortage of Nutella or cookies, and miracles of all miracles...there have been no bathroom conflicts!

The Tough and Tender Years

I've been reading lots of parenting books over the past few months, books about parenting toddlers. At least 2 of them had "the tough and tender years" as part of the subtitle. Appropriate.

Tough:

• Aimee's random tantrums outside grocery stores.
• Her throwing full cups of juice and the sippy top breaking away from the bottom of the cup, right after I spent hours mopping all the floors in the house.
• Her obsesssion with The Wiggles.
• Trying to get her out of her "pretty" pajamas in the morning. She will hold her arms down and in her annoyed voice yell "PRETTY!".
• The never ending requests she yells from her crib at bedtime, and that sometimes they are valid and other times just ploys to get me back in the room. "Diaper, Mommy!", "Juice!", "Song, Mommy!", "Read to you!", "Baby, Blankie".

Oh So Tender:

• When she wakes up from her nap and asks for Grapes. "Greats?"
• The sympathtic "Ohhhh...it's ok" she gives with her little head tilted to the side whenever one of her friends cries or has a tantrum.
• When she gets into her white car and pretends to go somewhere. "Mommy! Bye-Bye! Store! Be back!" and how she frantically looks for her purse and keys before she leaves.
• Her excitement when she gets to wear a new outfit and how she'll run into the room to show whoever hasn't seen her yet.
• She loves to help me with laundry.
• When she sits her baby down in the toy high chair, goes to the pantry for a packet of oatmeal and pretends to feed it to her, than does a complete diaper change along with declarations that her baby went "yucky poo-poo", or "Wow!" at how full the diaper is.
• That she loves music so much that at my mom's church she started singing made up baby words to the communion song David played and made do the "I'm trying to control myself silent laugh" that caused me to get dirty looks from a few people.
• When she fed Remmy a chicken nugget after I told her to stop it and just looked at me with her big brown eyes and very matter of factly said, "Mommy, I LOVE Remmy".
• When she takes one of her bedtime books and starts to read it to me.

Self Control, Schmelf Control

With almost 6 weeks left until the little guy arrives (SIX WEEKS!), and having had a MUCH healthier pregnancy this time around, I've decided to throw caution to the wind and allow myself little treats more often.

Yesterday's trip to the fancy Dominick's yielded the following:

2 Containers of Welch's Passion Fruit Juice, God's gift to mankind in hot humid weather.

2 Packages of cookies, Matt's Peanut Butter and ghetto chocolate chip.

1 Fried Chicken Lunch Special drenched in bright orange hot sauce. This is some hard to get stuff, it's made by the Veterans group in the South Side of Chicago. It can only be purchased by the gallon at the corner grocery stores, or by the "cent's worth" when you buy a bag of chips. "Can I have 15 cents worth of hot sauce on my little 25 cent bag of chips?"

3 containers of Cherry Yogurt

I've also gotten up in the middle of the night for Milk and Cookies, English Muffins slathered in Nutella, and bowls of cereal with lots and lots of strawberries.

Lunch this week has included California Rolls, Fried Chicken, Pozole, and Sweet and Sour chicken covered in Hot mustard.

Cheer up