Whenever Staley plays with her princess figurines with Grammie, she always wants to play the same scenario. Staley is the Ariel figurine and Grammie is the Prince Eric figurine. In this little scenario, Ariel is Prince Eric's mom. Staley always wants Prince Eric to fall down and get hurt so he can't talk.
Grammie (as one of the other figurines): "Ariel! Ariel! Prince Eric is hurt and he can't talk. Come quick. You need to help him."
Staley (as Ariel, the mom): "I can't right now. I'm too busy."
So Ariel's child gets hurt so badly that he can't talk, and Staley thinks that the appropriate mom response is to calmly explain that she can't help him right now because she's too busy. Ouch!!
Adelie and Staley's World
Friday, October 31, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Why Do I Even Try?
This past week-end, the weather was gorgeous. The fall colors couldn't have been prettier. We didn't have any after-church plans. And so I thought it would be a fun idea to go to a park with my brother and his family to take some pictures. I take plenty of pictures of the girls throughout the year, but we take very few family pictures. The sun was shining. We had coordinating outfits on. It was just a relaxed afternoon with family. The perfect formula for great family pictures, right???
But for the time being, maybe I'll just stick to taking pictures of the girls.
This is how we started...with a 3 year old who wanted to play with her cousin and NOT get her picture taken.
Then there were tears...
...and expressions like this from our 3 year old while also wrangling a toddler who does NOT sit still.
So while Evan and Melissa were getting picture after picture after perfect picture like this...
(Yes, I was starting to hate this perfectly photogenic family.)
...we were getting picture after picture after picture like this...
When it was all said and done, we got one or two family pictures that were usable (for something other than a blog post about how horrible our family pictures can be.)
Because family pictures, at least with our little family right now, couldn't possibly be worth the headache.
The Secret Is Out
My father-in-law keeps teasing me that I'm not hiding it very well and we'll have to start telling people soon, but I'll let you be the judge...
We had our 20 week ultrasound this morning (although we're actually 21 weeks along), and everything looked great. Praise God! Baby is growing and developing just like he/she should. (Mommy, however, is growing and developing at a faster rate than she probably should.) We are going to be surprised by the gender, but the beginning of March will be here before we know it.
The secret is out...and we couldn't be more excited about adding another blessing to our family.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Sleepless and Helpless
I want to preface this blog post with this comment: I am not complaining and I am not claiming that we have sleep issues at our house. I know many parents who deal with true sleep issues. Children who refuse to go to bed or stay in bed. Children who can't stay asleep. Children who wake early or wake often. Children who just don't sleep period. My heart goes out to these families because there is no feeling more helpless than when all you want is for your child to sleep...and they can't.
My girls are both generally good sleepers. They both go to bed without a fuss and generally fall asleep quickly and easily. Adelie sleeps soundly, and we usually don't hear a peep from her until she wakes up in the morning. (Her sound sleeping habits may be due in part to the fact that she never stops moving when she's awake.) Staley, on the other hand, isn't quite so sound a sleeper. It's not uncommon for her to wake in the night and ask for a drink or to be covered back up or for help finding Yellow Bear hidden in the covers. But when her request is met, she can usually fall back asleep quickly and easily. But she has two rare night time sleep difficulties that have recently reared their ugly heads. And since I blog to remember the little things that seem so big in the moment, I want to record them here.
Firstly, Staley has occasional night terrors. Not nightmares. Night terrors. And as a parent, they are simply that. Terrifying. She'll wake up, usually an hour or two after she goes to sleep, screaming and crying. She writhes around in her bed, and there is nothing we can do to console her. Her eyes are sometimes open, and she'll occasionally say something or answer a question, but she is not truly awake. She'll roll around and kick and cry and scream and mumble while we helplessly sit by, reassuring her and making sure she doesn't hurt herself. They generally last 5-10 minutes and then she'll just suddenly fall back asleep. The first time this happened, we were SO worried, trying to figure out what was wrong with our daughter and why we couldn't make it better. Thank heavens for a quick Google search to help us self-diagnose and realize that Staley wasn't even awake and wouldn't remember this in the morning. Staley has had about 4 of these over the past year or so. They usually come when she is sick or over-tired. However, a few weeks ago, she was under the weather and had them for 3 consecutive nights, including 2 in one night. It was the most she'd ever had that close together.
As helpless and sad as the night terrors make me, Staley's other occasional night time issue has a bigger impact on us all. Staley has occasional bouts where she will wake in the night and be unable to go back to sleep...for hours. She doesn't cry. She doesn't get out of bed. She doesn't make a big deal out of it. But she will make a request every 10-15 minutes for a drink of water, a hug, a lullabye, or an extra blanket. She'll then lie quietly for another 10-15 minutes and then make another request. It's such a helpless feeling, knowing that we both need the sleep and not knowing how to make that happen. Again, she's done this about 4 times in the past year and a half or so, but has done it one night each of the past 2 weeks. Last night was one of those nights. I think she functioned better today that I did. :)
There are some things we can make our kids do. We can make them brush their teeth or clean up their toys or get dressed. But we can't make them sleep. And sometimes we can't even help them sleep, even when it's what we both want. There is no worse feeling as a parent than helplessness, the inability to give our child what they need. But feeling helpless and sleepless...well, that's even worse.
My girls are both generally good sleepers. They both go to bed without a fuss and generally fall asleep quickly and easily. Adelie sleeps soundly, and we usually don't hear a peep from her until she wakes up in the morning. (Her sound sleeping habits may be due in part to the fact that she never stops moving when she's awake.) Staley, on the other hand, isn't quite so sound a sleeper. It's not uncommon for her to wake in the night and ask for a drink or to be covered back up or for help finding Yellow Bear hidden in the covers. But when her request is met, she can usually fall back asleep quickly and easily. But she has two rare night time sleep difficulties that have recently reared their ugly heads. And since I blog to remember the little things that seem so big in the moment, I want to record them here.
Firstly, Staley has occasional night terrors. Not nightmares. Night terrors. And as a parent, they are simply that. Terrifying. She'll wake up, usually an hour or two after she goes to sleep, screaming and crying. She writhes around in her bed, and there is nothing we can do to console her. Her eyes are sometimes open, and she'll occasionally say something or answer a question, but she is not truly awake. She'll roll around and kick and cry and scream and mumble while we helplessly sit by, reassuring her and making sure she doesn't hurt herself. They generally last 5-10 minutes and then she'll just suddenly fall back asleep. The first time this happened, we were SO worried, trying to figure out what was wrong with our daughter and why we couldn't make it better. Thank heavens for a quick Google search to help us self-diagnose and realize that Staley wasn't even awake and wouldn't remember this in the morning. Staley has had about 4 of these over the past year or so. They usually come when she is sick or over-tired. However, a few weeks ago, she was under the weather and had them for 3 consecutive nights, including 2 in one night. It was the most she'd ever had that close together.
As helpless and sad as the night terrors make me, Staley's other occasional night time issue has a bigger impact on us all. Staley has occasional bouts where she will wake in the night and be unable to go back to sleep...for hours. She doesn't cry. She doesn't get out of bed. She doesn't make a big deal out of it. But she will make a request every 10-15 minutes for a drink of water, a hug, a lullabye, or an extra blanket. She'll then lie quietly for another 10-15 minutes and then make another request. It's such a helpless feeling, knowing that we both need the sleep and not knowing how to make that happen. Again, she's done this about 4 times in the past year and a half or so, but has done it one night each of the past 2 weeks. Last night was one of those nights. I think she functioned better today that I did. :)
There are some things we can make our kids do. We can make them brush their teeth or clean up their toys or get dressed. But we can't make them sleep. And sometimes we can't even help them sleep, even when it's what we both want. There is no worse feeling as a parent than helplessness, the inability to give our child what they need. But feeling helpless and sleepless...well, that's even worse.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Ellen Day
I thought today was going to be an ordinary, stay-at-home-with-the-girls day. No plans. No agenda. Sticking around the house because, per my husband, the water meter guy was coming and I had to be home. Just one of those play with the girls, get a few things done, wear my yoga pants and t-shirt kinda days.
Sleeping in until 8, I woke up when the girls did. We were in our pj's, reading books when my husband (who should have been at work) came upstairs to tell us breakfast was on the table. Huh?! Over a home-cooked breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes, my husband informed me that he couldn't go to work today because today was Ellen Day. After presenting me with gift cards to several of my favorite stores and letting me know that my massage was scheduled for 1:00, he sent me upstairs for a long, uninterrupted shower and to get ready for my day.
A morning of shopping started off Ellen Day. I enjoyed a rare treat--shopping for myself (not for the girls or groceries or household needs) with my mother-in-law (who is a fabulous shopping partner). Then I relaxed with an hour massage, hit a few more stores, and got home just as the girls were getting up from naps/rest time. We took advantage of the beautiful weather with a family walk on my favorite nature trails, and then my husband made dinner and did the dishes.
Ellen Day was a very special treat. I enjoyed the shopping. I loved the massage. I can't get enough of this beautiful weather. But none of those were the best part of today. My biggest blessing was (and always is) my family and the amazingly thoughtful man I married.
But I won't argue with the pampering. :)
Sleeping in until 8, I woke up when the girls did. We were in our pj's, reading books when my husband (who should have been at work) came upstairs to tell us breakfast was on the table. Huh?! Over a home-cooked breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes, my husband informed me that he couldn't go to work today because today was Ellen Day. After presenting me with gift cards to several of my favorite stores and letting me know that my massage was scheduled for 1:00, he sent me upstairs for a long, uninterrupted shower and to get ready for my day.
A morning of shopping started off Ellen Day. I enjoyed a rare treat--shopping for myself (not for the girls or groceries or household needs) with my mother-in-law (who is a fabulous shopping partner). Then I relaxed with an hour massage, hit a few more stores, and got home just as the girls were getting up from naps/rest time. We took advantage of the beautiful weather with a family walk on my favorite nature trails, and then my husband made dinner and did the dishes.
Ellen Day was a very special treat. I enjoyed the shopping. I loved the massage. I can't get enough of this beautiful weather. But none of those were the best part of today. My biggest blessing was (and always is) my family and the amazingly thoughtful man I married.
But I won't argue with the pampering. :)
Friday, October 24, 2014
Laughs with Adelie
Adelie had her 18 month shots this past week. While discussing them at dinner that night, Adelie came up with a new, funny game. She was talking about her nurse Amy giving her shot. She said, "Amy. Shot." We asked Adelie if she cried, to which Adelie replied "No." (Partly true. She only cried for about 10 seconds before she was distracted by the fun sticker that nurse Amy gave her.) Then Adelie asked, "Amy. Cry?" And we asked, "Did nurse Amy cry?" With a big smile, Adelie responded, "No." You can imagine where it went from there...
Adelie: "Sissy. Cry?"
Us: "Did sissy cry?"
Adelie: "No."
Adelie: "Mommy. Cry?"
Us: "Did Mommy cry?"
Adelie: "No."
Then she went through Daddy, Grammie, Grandpa, Uma, Papa, and then back to nurse Amy. We were all laughing, partly at how pleased Adelie was with her funny new game and partly at how hard Staley was giggling about it. Even while we were cleaning up after dinner, Staley and Adelie continued to play their new game. It makes me smile to see Adelie expressing herself more and more, and to see Staley clearly enjoying it.
Adelie: "Sissy. Cry?"
Us: "Did sissy cry?"
Adelie: "No."
Adelie: "Mommy. Cry?"
Us: "Did Mommy cry?"
Adelie: "No."
Then she went through Daddy, Grammie, Grandpa, Uma, Papa, and then back to nurse Amy. We were all laughing, partly at how pleased Adelie was with her funny new game and partly at how hard Staley was giggling about it. Even while we were cleaning up after dinner, Staley and Adelie continued to play their new game. It makes me smile to see Adelie expressing herself more and more, and to see Staley clearly enjoying it.
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