What a Mess!

We were in the back yard playing after dinner in the tangled mess off shrubbery along the fence in the back yard.  There were some milk weed pods Whitney was playing with, you know they are so fun this time of year with their seeds hooked to feathery flyers.  I told her we were done, but she had to go in herself and get some more, and this is what happened.......

those are those sticky cockle burr like seeds.  They look like prehistoric crustaceans with sticky pricklers.

as I was helping Whitney get unpicked Ellie climbed up on the steps to the house and fell off head first onto our cement patio.  Fun.

Five Minute Friday

This doesn't happen very often, but I'm excited enough about it to share it with you all.  I was able to sleep all night, with a small cry out at 3am that briefly woke me up, and I'm up before the girls.  I could count on one hand, probably three fingers, how many times this has happened and it is such a good feeling.  Those of you who wake up on your own every day, without an alarm clock, without kids, don't take it for granted.

 I'm a bit crazy about getting my sleep and let me tell you why.  I don't fall back asleep easily.  I'm not solving the world's problems, but if I get any consecutive hours of sleep I have a hard time falling back asleep.  I think about stupid things that I think are important in the middle of the night.  Upon waking I push those thoughts aside as petty, even though hours ago those thoughts kept me awake.  I lay awake listening to noises.  Noises from the girls room, the vents popping, the cars driving by.  Wondering if I should go check the basement beause we were at the park and I left the house open, did someone come in?   Would I have time to protect the girls?  I'm not afraid to be here alone with the girls, but if I hear an unfamiliar creak or pop it will keep me up for a while before I determine it is nothing.

I'm ornery when I'm tired.  Some people aren't, but I am.  I have less patience.  I have less understanding.   I have less motivation.  I'm not a very fun mom or wife when I'm tired. I watch the clock and count down the hours until bedtime hoping that night will be the night I can get some decent sleep.   And I'm not talking about losing one night's sleep.  I can deal with that.  It's the chronic night after night or month long or years long of losing sleep.  I don't like to nap because I can't sleep well at night if I do.  When Ellie was about six months old my sister asked me if maybe I was depressed, because she didn't understand my longing for sleep.  She just had her third kid two months prior.  I got defensive and said of course not.  Looking back on my sleep deprived fog, maybe I was.  Who knows. All I know is that I wanted to sleep for at least six hours straight.  I was so focused on my lack of sleep.

After taking away Ellie's early morning bottle over a month ago that I was convinced she needed to sleep the last few hours, she has been sleeping really well.  She does still cry out sometimes that wakes me up, and I lay there wondering if she is going to wake up, is she cold, did she lose her pacifier.  Sometimes I check on her sometimes I let her be. 

Whitney is usually a great sleeper.  She does have the occasional morning she wakes up too early, but if she crawls in bed with me she will go back to sleep.  She doesn't fight bed time, she doesn't wake in the middle of the night. 

I am finally getting some sleep :)  I feel better during the day.  I'm happier during the day.

Some Spring Pictures

I took the girls up to my parents this last weekend.  We had no plans and the weather was nice so we made a four day weekend out of the deal.  It's just under 3 hrs, but I don't love the drive.  I try to drive around nap time so I can drive peacefully and make it without stopping.  No such luck.  Either way.  At least the weekend was fun and the weather was beautiful and made the six hours in the car worth it :)

We spent a lot of time outside, we went to two different parades, parks and I even went out with an old friend into the wee hours of the night morning.  Good thing I don't do that very often, or ever!  The girls were exhausted and slept well every night. 

Whitney was too cute at the parades.  She practically waved the entire time!  We told her you had to wave at the people in the parade and they would throw you candy.

playing in the Mississippi at Prarie du Chein, WI

Five Minute Friday

What do I want to write about today?  It  don't know, I don't know, I don't know.  My sitter has the girls, I walked/ran and now I am sitting at the library.  It took me about two months to figure out that I don't have to buy a $4 coffe and sit at Panera or Starbucks to get my internet time in.  You would think that would have dawned on me earlier since we come here once a week!  Yeah, I'm a quick one!  And if I have nothing to do online, I can read books or magzines and not have to stay awake until 11pm to do so!

Speaking of staying awake to read magazines, i do get US Weekly every friday and I was kinda lovin putting the girls to bed, pouring a glass of wine and reading the mag cover to cover in one evening.  That's not gonna happen tonight.  Whitney took a nap todayt, which means she will be up until 10pm.  Which means I won't being staying up that late to read a magazine.  AND, how I left you yesterday that Ellie was waking up... yeah, she couldn't breathe.  Which meant she had to sleep in bed with me propped up on pillows, which doesn't go so well because she likes to sleep on her tummy.  When she has a cold we usually do this 2-3 nights before she can breathe again.  When Wade is home he is even so gracious as to sleep on the couch so I can sleep with Ellie.  And I have to pray that Whitney wont wake up  for whatever reason in the middle of the night.  Fun times, but we'll get over it.

Packed up the bottles today.  We are done and DONE!!  No more formula or bottles in this house!  Unless a visitor has a baby, of course!  Poor little Belle Belle is going to be so sad/mad after bath tonight.  I have lots of names for Ellie.  Elle Belle,  Ellie Bellie, Elles,  Elle, Ellie.  Basically anything but Ellison Lucille, which is her name if you had forgotten.  That's kind of how my family rolls.  We call my dad Hank.  That's not his name.  Not even close.  We call my sister Jane.  and my brother is Flip.  The only person with out a name is my mom.  She's Mom.  oh, and I'm Bean.

Wow, I'm really rambling today. Got some time on my hands!  Well, off to Target before heading home!

Six weeks until Wade graduates, we're getting there!

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saturday morning side note-  we had a good night last night!  Ellie went to bed at 8:50 (a little late for her, but seems to be working out in my favor), Whitney at 9:40(even with a 2hr nap), me at 10:20 and it's 6:50am and they are still asleep!  Woo hoo!  ( i know you are all concerned about my sleep habits!)  Ellie didn't bat an eye when I gave her a sippy cup of milk last night.  She didn't drink as much as she would have a bottle, but I'll take it!  Bottles are being picked up and delivered today to my SIL.  Formula is gone.  That chapter in my life is done.  I am both sad and happy about this.  Besides diapers and a crib, there is nothing baby in our house any more.

A Day in Our Life

I got the inspiration from my friend over at The Story of Us.  This is our day, morning to night.  I did jot down our day because I knew I would never remember what time we did what.  I can't explain why or how but it made me kind of grumpy to think about what we were doing every minute of the day.   Like in my head I would think.... "8:30 start laundry,  8:35 take a drink of coffee...  But, it will be kind of fun to share our day and then later look back upon this and laugh, or cry, I'm not sure!  A detailed look at our day.........

3:00 am- Ellie wakes up.  I don't normally go to her when she whimpers at night but she cried out pretty loudly like she was upset about something.  Sat with her for a few minutes and she went
 back to bed.  Thankfully I was able to fall asleep as well.  I usually have a hard time going back to bed in the middle of the night.

7:10am- Whitney is up.  She has had a morning cough so as she comes in to get me and we head out to the kitchen she coughs Ellie awake.  Grab Ellie too and hit start on the coffee maker.  Sit with Whitney as she has her morning milk.  Help her go potty and get dressed.  Did not keep the diaper dry last night.  That's a 50/50 chance.

7:30am- breakfast of  brown sugar cinnamon toast and yogurt.  Whitney eats very little of it.  not surprising.   I bring the netbook to the table and do my morning internet check.  After the girls eat I can usually sit at the table myself and finish breakfast and check websites for a little while.

8:30am-  the girls are both dressed, head down to the basement to start laundry and hang out down there for a while

9:15am- talk to my sister for about 25 minutes (in the basement) while the girls played

10:00am- I finally get dressed and get the trash can to the side of the road about 15 minutes before the garbage truck came by

10:26am- head out the door to go to Wal-Mart to pick out a birthday present for Whitney's friend

10:27am- back inside because I can see that Whitney has to pee and I forgot to make her go before we left

10:30am- at Wal-Mart and Ellie is an animal.  She is so curious and excited about everything and will not sit in the cart and will not let me carry her.  I am thankful I have a babysitter and do all my grocery shopping when she watches the girls.   Today panic set in that I am going to have to grocery shop with the two of them again in the very near future.  May have to work something out with Wade's schedule!

11:30am- make lunch of grilled cheese sandwich while dealing with two whiney kids.  Ellie starts to get so tired she doesn't know whether to eat or fall asleep in her chair.

11:52am- Ellie is out

Noon- Whitney and I eat lunch.  I eat the discarded grilled cheese and Whitney decides she wants a cold hot dog.  Whatever.  Clean up, etc.

12:40pm- send out mail, with Whitney's "help"

1:00pm- tighten knobs on the drawers, only because the screwdriver was right above the drawer knobs that were loose.  Play "hide the puppy" with Whitney.  I hide a stuffed dog and Whitney comes in the living room to find it.  She loves it.  It's a quiet game.  Win win.

1:40pm- paint Whitney's toenails pink "just like mommy's",  Ellie stirs, must have heard us.

2:00pm- chips and dip snack on the kitchen floor with Whitney

2:15pm- Ellie is up.

2:30pm- change a poopy diaper and a very uncooperative Ellie

3:00pm-  coats on to play outside

3:30pm- back inside because the wind is darn chilly.  Snack time.

4:15pm- change another poopy diaper.  Again, uncooperative.

4:30pm- catch Whitney trying to sleep on the couch.  Too late for that.  Get her up and head downstairs for more laundry.  The cool basement air snaps her out of her sleepiness.  Go up and down the stairs a million times as Ellie has learned she can scoot down the steps on her bottom.

5:45pm- leftover ham and scalloped potatoes for dinner

6:00pm- pour a glass of wine and clean up.  The girls played in the kitchen sink while we Skyped with daddy.  Well, it all started with cleaning Whitney's muddy shoes and Ellie just had to be on the chair too, so I got her her own chair and then had to call Wade to show them what a mess they were.

7:20pm- bath time and pajamas

8:00pm- milk for Whitney and a bottle for Ellie.  That was the last of her formula.  Last bottle for Ellie.  In the last few days she has been really excited for her night time bottle and seems attatched to that part of her routine.  Great.  Tomorrow night will be fun.

8:20pm- quickly brush Ellie's teeth, kiss from sister and off to bed.

8:30pm- brush Whitney's teeth and she is off to bed.

8:37pm- clean up

8:45pm- sit down, blog

9:30pm- I'm going to add a few pictures and it's off to bed!   You can tell I'm tired, my commentary is getting shorter and shorter for each time slot!  And we're all sick again so who knows what the next few nights will bring.  Coffee in the morning, that's for sure!  And Ellie's crying already....

Ellison- One Year Appt

The dreaded one year appointment.  I truly hate this appoitment and am relieved we will never have a one year appoitment again!  Ellie was not happy from the get go.  I was dreading the shots since Whitney got sick and a case of the chicken pox after her one year vaccines.  And Ellie is just getting over hand, foot, mouth disease.  Poor girl. 

30in- 75%

20.3lbs- 30%

The doctor was very impressed with her intelligence and coordination and joked this should be her 18 mo appt.  Makes a mommy feel good :)

Whitney did great for the appointment sitting in the chair reading books while Ellie screamed.  Then when we went to the lab for the one year blood draw and Ellie was REALLY screaming, Whitney started singing to her.  Just when I thought she didn't care about her little sister :)

I have been giving Ellie a bottle after bath as her only bottle for about a week now.  We have maybe two or three nights left.  I hadn't felt bad about ending the bottle because she will only drink 2-3 oz of it, but lately after her jammies are on she gets excited and has started saying "ba ba, ba ba!"  Sorry Ellie babe, you're going to have to get used to milk.  She hasn't been crazy about milk but just in the lat few days she has been drinking a little more of it.  She primarily drinks water during the day.

It seems like they hit their first birthday and just grow and learn lightning fast!  I love this age!  Completely my favorite baby stage and now that she is one, I am starting to get sentimental about losing my baby/babies.  Whitney is such a big girl lately too!  We were reading her favorite Llama Llama book last night and she was asking what every word was and some what did they mean.  It tugged at my heart that she is ready to learn like that!