More confessions

So, I have sort of made a pact with myself to post more blogs that will include more of the unpleasantries of life. Not to make us all miserable, but because I am counting this as a journal of sorts - and I feel like I need to document it all - the good, the bad, AND the ugly. Plus, I got a lot of responses that I'm not alone, etc. So I think it's sorta' nice to lay it all out there - so we can all feel a little more normal in our bad moments.

So, with that said, I have to confess. I let Anna roll off my bed yesterday. I had just fed her, and she was almost asleep so I laid her on my bed cuz we were getting ready to leave for church - I didn't want to lay her in her crib then have to get her up 5 minutes later to leave. Anyway, I got dressed then went into the bathroom to do Haylie's hair - totally forgot that I left Anna in my room. All I heard was a thump and knew what happened.

She cried for a couple minutes - I cried for a couple minutes. But she was totally ok. I just could've kicked myself - you know? Everybody knows you don't lay an 8 month old on a bed. DUH!!

Redemption

Ok - sorry my last post was a bit of a downer - but thank you to those of you who helped me realize that I am most definitely not alone! We had two bad nights and two bad days. And amazingly, once Anna started sleeping again, I was able to handle Haylie's moods again!

And to redeem myself, I thought I'd post this video we took the other night when Haylie was supposed to be quieting down for bed. Right. It's a little dark until we realized we should turn on the light - but you'll get a kick out of Miss Anna. She does love her big sister...

Confessions of a Sleep-Deprived Mommy

I usually like to keep my posts pretty upbeat. I try to focus on the positive. I try. Not today. Anna started sleeping through the night when she was 3 months old. I know, I know, that was pure luck. But it has been sooo nice! Then, in July, she started waking up every couple of hours when we were at my mom's house. Ugh. AND, I had to feed her every time she got up because there were other people in the house that I didn't want her to wake up - so the easiest way to quiet her was to feed her. Anyway, when we got home from vacation, she sprung two teeth within a week of each other, and I refused to feed her at night anymore. So the last month, she's been back to normal - sleeping all night, etc. Until 2 nights ago. Once again, every couple of hours. And to make matters worse, she has started pulling herself up in her crib - but once she gets up, she doesn't know how to get back down - so she screams until someone comes to rescue her. So, again, to quiet her, I fed her, etc. Last night, I made up my mind again that I was not going to feed her in the middle of the night - we're not starting that now! Between the hours of 11 and 2, Haylie got up 3 times. Why? I have no idea. But she insists on being carried back into her bed. Fine. Then at 2, Anna wakes up. I gently lay her back down and tell her it is time for bed. She cries, stands up, I lay her back down. This goes on for about 30 minutes during which time I feel like my right eyeball is going to pop out of my head - is it a stress headache? Is it a "I need more sleep" headache? Whatever. I go take some ibuprofen and leave her in her room to cry. Eric got up to try and calm her. He ended up in her room with her for about 20 minutes rubbing her back when I finally went in and told him that he should leave her - we can't create middle-of-the-night habits like that. So I gave her a dose of Tylenol and miraculously, she stopped crying and went back to sleep. I know that I've been incredibly spoiled up to this point, in that I have had some of the best sleeping babies ever. I think that is what makes it more difficult to handle.

Then, on top of that, my sweet little 3 year old has been replaced by some alien creature I do not know. I feel like all I do all day long is argue with her. It doesn't matter what the topic, it seems like everything I ask her to do turns into an epic battle. For example, if we're getting ready to leave the house, I'll ask her to go potty. Her response 9 times out of 10 is this: "I already went yesterday!" Umm...yeah...you gotta go potty more than once a day. Then I either have to drag her to the toilet myself or threaten a time out. Again, I realize that this is normal 3-year-old behavior and I know it could be worse. But, I'm not used to it, and I'm sleep-deprived so I am having a bit of trouble coping.

I love being a mom and I love my girls. I just don't particularly like them right now.

Being a Pretty Princess...

...is exhausting!

The World in Haylie's Eyes

We decided to give Haylie our old camera to play with. She has had lots of fun over the last couple weeks taking pictures. It has been fun to see what the world looks like from her little perspective...

Here she is with her camera


This is a shot of her 3 year old picture on the wall


I think she has a thing for feet...


Anna's feet


Haylie's foot - notice the camera lens cap hanging down


There are about 8 shots identical to this one of her feet...she kept moving her toes


Those are my hands on on the keyboard


A couple shots of Anna


To see all of her silly pictures, click here.

Kristie's No-Fail Weight Loss Plans*

*Patent Pending

Trying to lose some baby weight? Got a few extra pounds that just won't go away? I have just the thing for you. Try one of my 2 plans and I guarantee immediate results! I used Plan 1 to lose baby weight after I had Haylie. Plan 2 after Anna.

Plan 1:
Purchase a beautiful new home. Make sure your next door neighbor is a paranoid schizophrenic determined to eliminate you and your family from existence. After she breaks your bedroom window in the middle of the night and threatens to kill your husband, you'll be too scared to eat (or do anything else for that matter). Bada Bing, Bada Boom. Extra pounds gone.

Plan 2:
Contract gut-wrenching virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea that won't stop until there is absolutely nothing left in your body. Nothing. Then, once again, you'll be too scared to eat. All you have to do is watch the numbers on the scale drop.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY!!! I offer my secrets to you absolutely free of charge!

Happy Belated Anniversary to Us

Eric and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on August 16th. We didn't really have any plans to do anything special - just a quiet dinner at home with the kids. Well, our friends Chris and Stefanie were celebrating their anniversary that weekend as well. I spoke to Stefanie Friday evening and they were over in Pismo Beach - she was shocked to hear that Eric and I had never been to Pismo and we talked about how it would be nice to go over there together sometime. Then she suggested that Eric and I go on Saturday and stay with them. Well, we had Sunday commitments, but ended up getting off the phone at about 6:15, packing, and running out the door by about 7:15 Friday night so we could spend the whole day there on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day and we had such a good time. A surprise trip for all of us!


We went down to the beach in the morning to find seashells - it was overcast and a little chilly, but not too bad.


Anna had no trouble getting comfy in her stroller.


Haylie is definitely a little beach bum. She loves the water!


This was taken after we had spent the whole day at the beach - Anna was so tired she kinda collapsed on my lap.

That evening we went to the Splash Cafe for clam chowder. The line for this place is insane - apparently it is THE place to get clam chowder in Pismo. It WAS rather delicious!!

Thanks to our friends for helping us celebrate our anniversary!

Love you Eric - can you believe it's been 6 years already?? Time flies when you're having fun!