So, can you tell that school has started?? Blog posts may be few and far between because, as it turns out, working full time with all the school start up stuff to take care of, running after two kids and tucking them in (solo) many nights, going to the gym 3 mornings a week, keeping up with photos, keeping up with facebook, doing laundry and dishes, occasionally noticing the dog, and trying to spend some social time with Nat and friends on weekends-- spare moments are a bit hard to come by. I think I need a secretary. I think of lovely things to post here, all day long, but by the time I sit down after bedtimes, and try to work within the 3-20 minute segments of sleep Ivy gives us for the first bit of the night, it's hard to arrange my mind into a writing mood. Sigh. There is certainly a part of me that is feeling happy and fulfilled and excited to be at work (it's a good year so far, delightful group of kids, a nice laid back vibe to the day... hope that sticks!!)-- a whole lot of me is longing for the stretched out time of summer and our full-time, two parent household.
It's a big adjustment, two on my own. I know there are so, so many mommas who take care of their two, virtually or totally on their own, from day 1. But you see, I got spoiled, soft. So now I need to tone those multi-tasking muscles and develop a rhythm to balance my time and arms and patience between two and it is a slow process for me, I think. I am very, very tired these days. Sleepy-on-the-drive home from work tired, even with more coffee than I should drink, and I am not used to this. Hopefully I will toughen up soon.
It would help if Ivy Jane would remember how to sleep, I tell you that. The Great Crib Transition appeared to be moving in the right direction for about a week, even including one night with a 6 hour stretch in the crib. Then I went back to work and it all fell apart. We now have a girl who wakes 4-7 times a night (shades of little Jack!) and some nights can't even maintain sleep in the swing anymore. I try to be patient and realize that this is a big change for her, a transition, and she too needs to adjust. That she may not yet be drinking her fill from bottles during the day, and might actually need to nurse more at night. I try to remember that at not-yet-four months old, she is too young to be doing this with malicious intent, set on making me to exhausted to think straight at work. That this is normal, not spiteful. But in the dark of night when she won't go back to sleep I can't help but think I must have done something very wrong in a past life, to have these non-sleeping babies. She's a little sleep-shark, this one. Lulled us into complacency with her comparatively excellent sleep early on, and then bam! hits us with nights like this just when we think she should be getting even better. Cruel, cute little thing...
But enough about sleep. Need to actually play catch up, here, before sleep overtakes me for the night...
Quick updates on current milestones for the kiddos.
Ivy: At almost 4 months old, Ivy has discovered her feet. She spends most of her time when on her back or in supported sitting, grabbing onto her toes. She hasn't thought of bringing them to her mouth yet but that's just a matter of time. Her hands sure go there! She likes to suck on the middle two fingers on her hand. Or on one of ours. Drooly, drooly little thing, she is. No teeth yet that I can tell, though. Today she "said" a /g/ sound in her babbling. She's quite vocal and has a terrific range of "ah!" sounds that she makes with great intention.
She seems to be following in Jack's footsteps when it comes to rolling, as well as sleep. Having rolled from tummy to back 3 times, she has decreed that milestone "complete" and has not bothered to do it again. She does, however, pivot around in a full circle when placed on her tummy, and kicks and "crawls" with her legs with great determination. Still loves to stand up on our laps, and loves sitting up, too. On something squishy like the couch, with the help of her freakishly long arms, she can sit in a tri-pod without our support for a second or two.
She also laughs a log and continues to be a happy little girl, impressing the ladies in the daycare at the JCC and worming her way into our good graces in the days that follow these rough nights.
Jack's big update is: He has pooped on the potty!!!!! ( I really was doubting this would ever happen) After about 6 attempts yesterday he managed to do it and then liked to talk about pooping "a really BIIIG one" for the rest of the day. Nothing like a 3 year old to change the focus on conversation topics around the house.
He also spent ALL day today (including nap) in underwear and earned a cupcake for a dry day. Of course, we have no cupcakes right now so he is working on delayed gratification...
Perhaps the boy will be potty trained before college after all. Maybe even before pre-school. Orientation starts next week. First he turns 3. Then he starts wearing underwear (can I tell you how cute his little bum looks in train print undies???) Then he starts school. Not sure I can handle the pace at which this is all happening. My baby boy, my little love, cutest child in the universe-- all grown up.
Which he took pains to remind me of, on the way to the park this afternoon. I mentioned something about "my little boy" and he quickly corrected me: "I'm not a little boy, I'm a big boy. I'm growing tall. (pause) My legs are 16 long!! (pause) I'm taller than a mustache."
Taller than a mustache. How can I NOT love him more than anything?
It is a consolation to think that, with the way time moves, it'll only be a moment til Ivy is cracking me up with strange little phrases and these hour-by-hour nights are a thing of the past. The nights are long, the years are short. Right now, in the evening, dark of night not yet upon us, coming off a fairly successful evening on my own with the babes-- the years to come are looking like they might be pretty nice...
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