Bedtime Woes

In spite of this title, I do want to start with this exciting (and somewhat pitiful) announcement:

For the first time since I got pregnant with Judah, I got in my bed last night at 10:30 p.m. and didn't get out of it until 6:00 a.m. I had forgotten how good that felt. I've fantasized about it for almost a year, and it was amazing.

The bedtime woes extend beyond having a newborn, unfortunately. When we went to Georgia for spring break, Eli started climbing out of the pack n' play. The sad part is that he neglected to leave this new trick at Grandma's, and now he is climbing out of his crib. (Yes, my almost three year old is still in a crib, and I am totally happy with that. It has saved my sanity in so many ways. You have no idea.) At midnight, 1:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m., 6:30 a.m., I have been awakened to two big, blinking blue eyeballs and the heavy breathing of a two year old who just trucked it across the house in the dark. This is, of course, in addition to the 4:00 a.m. booby call from Judah. Sigh.

We've been just putting him back in his bed while explaining to him so sweetly (which I have to say is a great accomplishment for me in the middle of the night because that is the worst period of time in my 24 hour day to ask me to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit) that he absolutely MUST stay in his bed. The frequency of awakenings has decreased every night, thankfully, so imagine my surprise two nights ago when I got up to go to the bathroom at 1:30 and tripped over Eli, sleeping on the floor at the foot of our bed. He knew if he woke us up we would just put him back in his bed, so he decided the next best thing would be to curl up on the carpet and sleep at our feet like a dog. Pitiful.

So, last night was wonderful. Judah slept until 6:00 and Eli stayed in his bed until 6:40. Next goal: teaching both of them to read when the clock says 7:00 a.m.

March In Photos

The month came and went in too much of a hurry for me to keep up with, so here is the quick version of our month.

Judah has been roped into the silliness.

Kris was in his undies, too, but he didn't want to be in the picture. Probably knew it would go on my blog.

Lovin' the great weather!

Luke likes to pretend our big bathtub is a swimming pool.

Cousins spent the night.

Rainy day entertainment

Before the clothes came off.

Judah At Three Months

Judah turned three months a couple of weeks ago, but since we were away last week for spring break (more to come) I'm just now getting to it.

What a sweet fella'! We are so loving this little boy. And he is huge. I don't know what he weighs because he won't have another appointment until next month, but he is wearing a lot of 6-9 month clothes. He smiles all the time. Even when he's fussing, if you talk to him, he will smile while he fusses. He has worked out his fussy time at nights, and now he's happy until he goes to bed at the same time as the big boys. We've moved him into his own room (well, the guest room). We're happy to have our room back, but I am not loving having to walk across the house to tend to him when he wakes up. He is still getting up once at night, but we're (read: I'm) getting tired of that, so change is coming.

Judah's hands are starting to cooperate a little, and he's able to grab things now, even though he can't always control what happens after he grabs hold of it. He likes to be talked to and to be a part of the action. It's easy to tell he's the third child because he does NOT like to be left alone. He loves snuggling, which I love, and he is just an all around great baby.

He's seriously half my length already!

It Happened To Me

You know that section in your Parents magazine where moms tell stories about horrible things that happened to their children and how you should beware so the same thing doesn't happen to your child? I now have one of those stories.

Zhu Zhu Pets. When the sticker on them says, "Keep away from hair", it really means for you to keep them away from hair.

I was sitting in the van at Luke's school, about to go in and get him, when Eli starts screaming. I turn around, and it looks like the little hamster Grandma gave him last night is attacking his head. It's still making the animal noises and other random sounds it makes while it's eating Eli's hair! It has wheels on the bottom that, apparently, have traction on them, which can, if put on top of your head, stick to even the finest of baby hair and twist it into a nasty knot. Oh, and if this should happen to one of your children, the off button is on the top of the Zhu Zhu Pet, near its hind end. Would have been nice to know that before this little episode.

I had to holler for help at one of the moms passing by my van. (It wasn't hard to get her attention because she was already curiously looking in my direction since Eli was screaming bloody murder.) and ask her to go find some scissors to cut the beast out of Eli's hair and Oh, by the way, do you know how to cut the damn thing off?! (I was a little stressed.)

No one was permanently damaged. Eli wanted his "animal" back as soon as I got it off him. It will remain out of his reach for at least a little while. I made a new friend. (Did I mention I had never before spoken to the mom that helped me in my life, and I was too flustered to even be embarrassed.) All's well that ends well.

Just beware of Zhu Zhu Pets.

Daily Manna

I am often frustrated by the way my children seem to not hear me when I speak. They keep moving in the direction they've chosen as if I had been completely silent. Am I even here? Do I even exist? If a mom speaks in a forest of children and nobody responds, did she really even speak?

So many times I have to say, "Luke, stop what you're doing and listen to me." Or, I have to get on my knees and put Eli's face in my hands to get his attention. Even then I have to ask him, "Do you understand" and wait for, "Yes, ma'am" or I may as well have never gotten on my knees.

Lord, make me stop what I'm doing and listen. Take my face in your hands and don't let go until I answer you. Don't let me ignore you when you speak to me. You are the ONE in my day that matters most. I give my children and my husband, my family and friends NOTHING that matters more than you. I cannot give them You if I, myself, do not partake.

I'm dry, Lord. Absolutely parched. My soul thirsts for YOU. Why do I refuse to stop and drink? Nothing else will satisfy the unsatisfied places in my soul that I attempt to satiate with food, computer, reading, being busy. Nothing. The house being clean will not make me full. Getting my children in the bed will not give me rest. The restlessness and dissatisfaction I feel will only be remedied in your presence.

I complain about the "same-ness" of my day. Washing the same clothes. Kissing the same b00-boos. Correcting the same behavior. Cooking the same meals. Cleaning the same toilet. (On that note, I have three potty-trained boys in this house. I cut myself some slack about complaining in that area.) Picking up the same toys. Driving the same route to and from Luke's school. The same routine, the same little faces, the same, the same, the same...

The Israelites complained about the same, too. They despised the manna that you provided daily. It wasn't interesting enough, they said. They had just been delivered from slavery, and they complained. They were free but so unsatisfied. Sounds familiar.

"So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years." Deut. 8:3-4

Father, I choose this day to thank you for freedom. Thank you for manna. Thank you for our clothes. Thank you that I have the privilege of being the one who kisses my boys' boo-boos. Thank you that you give me the wisdom on how to correct their behavior. Thank you for food for our meals. Thank you for a working toilet and that I only have one boy in diapers! (And that one day they will be able to clean the toilet themselves!) Thank you for all the fun toys we have. Thank you for the car that takes us to and from Luke's school and that he is so happy to go there. Thank you for the stability in our home that allows the same routine. And, oh God! Thank you for the sweet little faces that are my joy and my treasure.

"When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you." Deut. 8:10

Chatty Cathy

Judah is eleven weeks (I think. I keep losing count.), and what a sweetie! He is absolutely delightful. He smiles so often now, but I still am overwhelmed by the cuteness of each smile. It starts as a little crooked half-smile and then splits into a gummy, open-mouthed attempt at a laugh. I can tell already that he is going to be sweet natured and always appreciative of Luke's crazy antics and Eli's jokes.

Judah is wearing 3-6 month clothes and completely filling them out. He likes to eat, but he's willing to wait patiently as long as he has a passy. It's a good thing around here, because, unfortunately, he gets ignored a lot. I tried giving him a bottle today (I've been lazy about giving them to him lately, and I think I'm going to pay for it.) After about twenty minutes of sweetly saying, "No, thank you, Mama", he looked at me and said, "All right, Woman, give me the boob before it gets ugly in here." I quickly acquiesced. At least he can stand up for himself when necessary. That will be an important quality in this family.

Nights have been going fine. He gets up once. I'm getting a little tired of it, though, and I made him wait last night. He went back to sleep after a bit, so maybe it won't be so difficult to train him to sleep through the night. It might be easier than getting him to take a bottle. Sigh.

Judah's getting pretty chatty these days. I caught some of it on video.

Triple Trouble

Serious sweetness. I love these boys so much! And, at the same time, I have to confess that seeing all three of them in this picture together makes me think, "I am WAY too young to be responsible for all three of these children!"

Do they look alike at all?
Judah is praying he was adopted.

We moved Eli for Judah's safety.

This is after we threatened that if they didn't lay still for the picture they had to all go to their own beds. Typical. Luke looks chastised, and Eli looks like he's planning his next move.

I love my boys!