Toddler-Induced Insomnia

So little did I know what I had in store for me this week. The second night after Tristan learned his new trick of climbing out of the crib, I was visited at 3 a.m. by the little guy. From that point on I received a visit about every 20 minutes until I finally gave up at 6 a.m. and just let him stay in our room. I was so tired and upset and the tears just flowed down my cheeks. "I can't be up all night with a newborn AND a toddler". The day continued and I had to go to a dentist appointment which meant that we would be away from the house and his bed, in case he wanted to sleep. I had to leave my kids with a friend and luckily he did ok. I was surprised.
Chris and I discussed the problem and decided that the mattress needed to be on the floor and that Tristan would no longer sleep in the crib. We would leave his door open a crack if he stayed in bed but close it if he got out and came out of his room. Luckily he hasn't learned how to open the door yet or I would be toast because so far the system seems to be working. Tristan doesn't always like going down for a nap but he is getting used to his new sleeping arrangements. He does still try to rebel a little though.
The other day he had a few 5-minute cat naps in the car but was tired enough for a nap. He cried for a few minutes after I closed his door but settled down, played for about a half hour and then fell asleep. What does one play in a room with a crib and a dresser? Just take a look at the picture below.
I guess he prefers sleeping on the floor because he moved his mattress himself. You can't really tell but that is a whole container of wipes on the floor that have been pulled out one by one.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Last night something happened. Our life, as we have known it, changed. Tristan took a leap and the crib has been rendered useless! He climbed out for the first time ever. I was hoping he would not figure this out and we would be able to keep him in longer. But, our little boy is growing and I cannot stop him.
Why is this such a problem, you might ask. . .let me explain what happened when Kennedy figured out how to climb out of the crib. At first it was kind of cute but then she started coming into our room very early in the morning. Instead of getting up with her or taking her back to bed, like I should have, I tucked her safely into our covers and sometimes she would fall back to sleep. I didn't really mind this until she started coming into our room in the middle of the night, sometimes we would have multiple visits before morning. Then we moved her to her big girl bed and I couldn't keep her in that either. It was a constant battle trying to get her to sleep there. She would come out of her room, I would take her back, come out, take back, over and over until one of us would give in. Her sleeping patterns completely changed and sometimes I would resort to resting beside her until she finally fell asleep. Then Tristan came. . . .that just complicated the situation even more, but luckily the battle didn't last much longer.
Now I have Tristan who is all of a sudden terrified of the dark room that is his at night. He cries for "Mama" and climbs out at will. His usual bedtime is 7:30 and last night it was 9:30 until he finally let himself fall asleep. He greeted us at our bedside at 6 a.m. carrying his blankie. Too tired to take him back to bed and start a battle, I let him in ours. I am hoping that we can work out some sort of "routine" or figure out what works for him before this baby comes in five weeks. I don't want to be getting up with two babies again! One is enough for me, thanks.

A List

It turns out Chris finished up his residency just in the nick of time. We were always really careful with our money during our student years but somehow managed to get the things that were absolutely necessary. I always had a mental list of things I was going to do or buy when Chris finished his schooling. However, that list has kind of faded to the back of my mind as the replacement of necessities have taken its place. There are so many things we have had to replace the last few months and there is no way we could have done all that on our previous income. Here is a list of a few things that we have had to replace in the past few months:

• computer--our "old" computer was purchased during medical school. We bought one that fit our budget which turned out to be already outdated and not a good computer in the first place.
• filling--I was so bad with my teeth when I was younger, even in high school when I should have known better. I used to buy 100-count boxes of Blow Pops and eat at least one a day. Needless to say, my teeth are pretty silver! I had my last dentist appointment in November and the dentist told me I would need to have a particular filling replaced soon. I never made the appointment, that is, until it started giving me trouble.
• bed--we bought a bed shortly after we moved to NC. The house we purchased was new and we received incentives along with it, one of them being a gift certificate at a local furniture store. Again, we purchased a bed that was in our budget. Lately with my pregnant body and Chris's bad back, we are not getting much sleep. Off to the store this weekend to buy a new bed--this time a better quality that will hopefully last more than 4 1/2 years.
• van--this is not necessarily a replacement but a required upgrade. With #3 on the way there was no way we could fit three car seats in our Corolla.
• vacuum--we received a vacuum for our wedding (12 years ago this Sunday), a Eureka that we used from the time we had our first apartment until we moved into this house. It recently died but I thought 12 years was pretty good for a vacuum cleaner. I started doing some research and found that most vacuums in that category don't last nearly that long. It was difficult to find a vacuum that didn't cost $500 that sounded like it would be a good quality machine. I only have carpet in the upstairs and didn't need the fanciest model. I finally settled on another Eureka. Hopefully it will last another 12 years or so.

I feel incredibly blessed that all these things lasted as long as they did and that we have had the means to replace them all. We have so many other blessings to be thankful for too. This is by no means a brag list but an acknowledgement that we are blessed and I know He is watching out for us. It's good to make a list sometimes. . . .

Southern Hospitality

I have often been asked of the "southern hospitality" here in North Carolina. "Don't you just LOVE southern hospitality?" I've heard people say. Well, let me just tell you, I haven't really noticed that people here are any nicer than anywhere else I have lived. Here is an example of the "hospitality" that I often encounter.
The other day I was grocery shopping with my two children, not my favorite activity. I had a cart full of groceries and proceeded to the checkout. There was only one line open as the store was almost empty of customers (I could hear crickets in the background). The light above the counter read, "EXPRESS LANE 15-item limit". I knew I had more than 15 items but since it was the only open line and there were no other customers, I pulled my cart forward and started unloading. This is the conversation that followed between me and the checker:

Checker: "Good morning, Ma'am. Uh, how many items do you have in your cart? Oh, you have more than 15-items. You can't come through this line."
(crickets)
Me: "Well, this is the only open line, where am I SUPPOSED to go?????"
Checker (to another employee): "Hey, David, are you open?"
David: "I will be in a minute, I am just opening my register."
Checker: "You can go to the other line. Sorry for the inconvenience."

So, I put my items back in my cart and wheeled it over to another counter and waited for the register to to be put in working order. After a few of my items were rung in the checker from the Express Lane came over and started bagging my groceries!
So much for hospitality. . . .

How Did That Dinosaur Get Under My Lip. . . .And Other Random Thoughts

Here are some thoughts I wanted to write down this week but have been "consumed" by life and haven't made my self sit down to write a full blog about each.

• I found out this week that the preschool I took Kennedy out of is closing the end of May and will not open next fall. I know some parents are upset because all the other preschools are full now but all the same, I think it's for the best. I think there is one original teacher who will finish out the school year. Some of the teachers have turned over twice. There is obviously something going on with that place. I know that this is not solely a consequence of our situation but I am sure it was one more thing to add to the list. From what I have learned, the pastor has not been happy with the director this year, neither have I.
• My garden is doing really well. Strawberries have blossoms, peas are over a foot tall, ferns finally poked up and the raspberry bushes are really starting to get some good leaves.
• I took Tristan to his 2-year check up last week and there is only a 5 pound difference between him and Kennedy. Last year she could still wear size 3T and he is now in size 3T. He was 97th percentile for weight and about 95 for height. It is funny to watch him tackle Kennedy and wrestle her down. She won't be bigger than him much longer if he keeps it up.
• Saturday we had a nice little gathering to celebrate Tristan's birthday. He was a little intimidated by being the center of attention (something Kennedy never shies away from).
• Kennedy is turning out to be quite the orator. A few weeks ago we got a book on CD from the library, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs", my favorite when I was a kid. We had only had it for about a week when Kennedy started reciting it back to me word for word. I was amazed and she has told the whole story several times. It's not a short book either. Her mind amazes me.
• You are probably wondering where my title came from. Chris has been having trouble with his back again and took some pain medicine one night before going to bed. He dozed off while saying his prayers and I had to wake him up and help him into bed before he fainted. In the process he looked up and asked, "How did that dinosaur get under my lip?" I don't know sweetie, maybe the tooth fairy put it there.

I'm Two

Happy birthday Tristan! Tristan's birthday started out with a typical two-year-old's tantrum. He was upset because I wouldn't give him a piece of candy for breakfast. Then he didn't like the shirt I put on him. He was running around the house, throwing himself at me and the floor and screaming. I couldn't do anything to calm him.

Things didn't get any better when I took him to get a haircut. He was throwing such a tantrum that the lady didn't even get to finish the haircut. And I had to still pay for a haircut.

The situation got even worse when the next stop was the dentist. He was fine until he had to sit in the chair. This was his first visit and he already hates having his teeth brushed. It took me and the hygienist to hold him down so the dentist could look at his teeth. Poor thing. I wonder what he will think when I take him to the doctor tomorrow for his shots.

I felt so bad that I took him and Kennedy to Chick Fil-a for lunch and let them play on the playground. That made everything better according to Tristan. He was happy until we left and saw a little girl with a balloon. He decided he wanted one too and threw another tantrum until I managed to find one for him.

What's that "terrible twos?" I never experienced this with Kennedy but I have also heard that for boys it's two and for girls it's three. So far, that's what it seems in my family.

I will say that after Tristan's nap he was very pleasant for the rest of the day. He really is a sweet boy and I'm glad he is my son.

Happy birthday, sweet boy!

Conference Weekend

Saturday Tristan slept much later than usual. So late that I checked on him twice before we finally woke him up. We all came downstairs and he was clearly not himself. He was very lethargic and just wanted to be held. He asked for a "gulk" so I gave him a sippy cup of milk. Chris made French toast for breakfast and shortly after starting our meal Tristan started gagging and the milk and toast were all over the table. Poor thing has never had a vomiting illness and was very confused by the whole incident.

We cleaned up the mess, gave Tristan a bath and set him in front of the t.v. watching "Cars". He was content for the moment. After conference started he fell asleep in my lap. I took him up to bed and hoped for the best.

By the afternoon Tristan had perked up and wanted to eat. I begrudgingly gave him some yogurt and a bit of water. He kept that down and by the time dinner came he was back to his old self again.

Sunday we continued our tradition of visiting Duke Gardens between sessions. It was the first time we have worn coats on our Conference outing.

The grounds were very wet. I didn't think we would be going to the gardens because of Tristan's recent illness and the wet weather we had been having. I thought I could safely dress Kennedy in white pants. She saw the hill that she typically likes to barrel roll down and made a dash for it. Chris and I were trying to keep Tristan from going into a little stream near by when we turned around and saw Kennedy rolling down the muddy hill. She stood up and then slid down on her bum. Her white pants were and are no longer white. It was one of those "oh well" moments.

The kids really enjoy the gardens and we ended up going with the neighbors kids the next day too.