61 Days and counting!

For some reason, I’m abnormally excited about Christmas this year.

Maybe it’s because we will actually have a fire place to hang stockings from this year once we move into our new house next week (ack!). Maybe it’s because I’ve actually had four stockings embroidered with our names – so I’m ahead of the game. Maybe it’s because Tyler has taken a huge liking to new DVDs, and I found this DVD of all the childhood Christmas classics that got me all sorts of nostalgic and I must buy it for him.

Regardless, I can’t wait.

 

That is all.

*I just hope I can fit into some cuter holiday outfits by then, or else I might turn all bah-humbug and scrooge like. These weight-loss plateaus are going to be the death of my cheerful moods.

Sleep and that pesky developmental stage

I think I've jinxed myself. We've been pretty lucky with both kiddos being good sleepers so far. Some of it might be genetic (after all, I really love my sleep) and some of it may have something to do with us being fairly tough in the sleep training department - who knows. But T has consistently slept through the night since he was itty bitty -- and P started around 4 weeks old. Most recently, we've been putting her to bed around 8 and waking her up around 7 in the morning. I totally recognize this is pretty awesome for a 13 week old.

Until this week.

According to the stuff I've been reading online, I've self-diagnosed her to have the 4-month regression a month early. All of the sudden this week, she's been waking up at 4am every single night -- grunting, yelling and finally crying until I go up there and feed her. Granted it's only once a night but it's still a been a killer. First I thought it was a growth spurt because she goes right back to sleep after I feed her -- but as soon as I walk into her room, she gets all smiley and excited to see me -- even though she's just been crying - and to me that's not fussy growth spurt behavior. Last night I decided I was going to let her cry it out....until 5:20am rolled around, it had been going on an hour and a half of her being wide awake, and my alarm for work (did I mention maternity leave is over already? Seriously.) was looming. Fed her and got back into bed for 20 minutes of "sleep" before my alarm went off.

So, several days of this has me feeling like a walking zombie. To the point where a perfect storm of P stretching and her diaper being too loose this AM while feeding her before work led to her somehow peeing out the top of her diaper, staying dry herself but covering my work pants in pee -- and I actually contemplated NOT changing before walking out the door because it would take too much energy.

You'll be relieved to know that I did change out of baby pee-soaked pants before leaving for work. But all I can say is this phase better end soon - or else I can't promise not to get mighty funky looking showing up at the office...

School Pictures

This year’s school pictures came back last night with this gem right on top of the package.

Definitely an outtake

There are so many things wrong with this picture I can’t even begin to list. First, the expression. Part fear, part embarrassment, part Macaulay Culkin of the Home Alone days all show on his face. Then, the shorts are hiked up a few inches too high showing off those pasty white thighs. I’m not sure his sneakers are on the right feet. They usually aren’t. And that tricycle? It’s like out of the 1800s. It looks kind of like a contraption you’d see in a spooky horror movie that a ghost is peddling up and down a driveway. The fake leaves thrown casually in front of the tricycle add to the whole scene.

However, I cannot look at this picture without cracking up. I’ve had some great belly laughs in the past 24 hours, just from looking at it. I find it downright hilarious.

So for that reason, it just might be worth the money to purchase it for the baby book*. So when he’s 15 and feeling way cooler than me, I can whip it out and show it to him. And get another good laugh.

*Luckily one of the other shots is actually picture frame suitable. 

Lost in Translation

I had a pretty funny conversation with T this week that reminded me how literal toddlers are.

We were talking about baby P and how she's a part of our family. He apparently understands that he's the big brother, that P is the little sister, and that she's here to stay. Even daddy is understood to be P's daddy. However, when mommy comes into the equation, he looks at me like I've told some sort of funny joke when I mention I'm P's mommy too. "Oh noooo!" is how T responds, all giggly.

So I ask what I am -- and he says "You are helping. P's mommy is in the hospital."

And that's where all the pre-baby books and conversations failed us. They all may have mentioned that the new baby arrives at the hospital -- and mommy and daddy go to the hospital when it's time for the new baby to arrive --  but they don't mention that a mommy can have more than one kiddo. So my kiddo is squarely under the impression that we're just helping P's mommy out while she's stuck at the hospital, forever.