the one when I'm up all night

For those of you new mommies, you know that the question you dread is, "are they sleeping through the night?" For those mommies whose kiddos slept through the night at 8 weeks, they wear it around like a badge of honor. For those of us whose kiddos are still waking up at 13 weeks, it's the mark of the beast.

Last night I was up all night, and I want to tell you why I love it.

9:30pm: I feed Lily around 10:30 each night. Usually I don't go to sleep until after she eats but last night I was exhausted so I fell asleep with my husband, which is rare, around 9:30

10:20pm: Alarm goes off. Somehow my husband knows I don't want to get up [maybe it was all the groaning and fussing?] and he rolls over to whisper sweet encouragement in my ear. I love my man. I go to feed Lily. I love pulling her up from the crib when she's in a deep sleep. I love how she stretches and smacks on her little hands without ever waking up. She's a cutie.

10:45pm: Luckily my little Lily is a champion eater, so I'm back in the bed.

11:15pm: Chloe Belle starts crying. I remember that she's cutting teeth bad and I forgot to give her motrin before bed. I get up, get the motrin from the kitchen, and go into her room. I pull her up from the crib, give her the motrin, and sit down on the edge of the bed [cb's room doubles as the guest bedroom]. She snuggles up to me, wraps her little arms around my neck, and lays her head in the crook of my neck, falling asleep. I hold her for a few moments, praying I'll always remember what that feels like.

3:00am: Chloe Belle is crying again. This time sweet husband goes in to comfort her. He tells me later that he laid down on the bed with her and could have stayed there all night. I love how he loves her.

5:15am: Lily wakes up. She's so close to sleeping through the night! One of my favorite things about feeding her in the middle of the night is how when she's done she rolls back, stretches her arms and legs reeeeaaaal far, belly bulging, and then curls up in a little ball against me. Chloe Belle did it exactly the same way. Even if its 3 am I love to just sit there for a few minutes, holding my sleeping sweet baby, and adore her precious little life.

5:45am: back in bed. Chloe Belle is crying again. I hold hands with my husband and listen to him say how sad he is that she's in pain. He closes his eyes and I think about how much I love him. Then I close my eyes and think about how much I love my girls.

6:10am: Time to get up and start a new day. Today I go back to work/church for the first time since Lily arrived. I love my job/church.

So you see, waking up in the middle of the night isn't so bad after all.

the one with my beautiful baby

she may not sleep through the night, but she's one good looking baby.

the one about gone with the wind (spoiler alert)

Remember how I said I wanted to see all the movies that have won Academy Award for Best Picture?

Well, I've seen a couple since that post:

The King's Speech. Incredible. Lots of bad words. Incredible story and incredible movie.


Gone With the Wind. This movie totally sucked. Why in the world does everyone love Scarlett O'Hara????? She is spoiled. Hideous. She is a horrible friend-consistently makes out with her only friend's husband. Which makes her an adulterer. She is beyond arrogant. She slaps her slave around. She's a rotten mother. Terrible wife.
So what if she's a survivor? She's one of the worst people ever.
Plus, I always thought the famous line, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" would be some big romantic moment where they finally get together and have one of those old school movie kisses that look uncomfortable. Nope. He says it to her as he leaves her alone, childless, and friendless (which is no less than she deserves.)
total letdown.
Anyway, despite my one epic fail, I'm gonna keep trying to watch all those movies....Any suggestions for which one I should go for next?

the one with the little bird family

A little bird family lives right outside our kitchen window. I'm in love with them. The mommy and daddy are so sweet; the fly around and play together and work together to feed the babies. The two little ones are pretty demanding. That sweet little Momma spends all her time feeding them. I feel like she and I are going through this together...

two baby birdies

daddy bird taking care of his kiddos

fuzzy little thing

sweet mama bird

the one where I'm that mom

I remember when I was childless and I'd be in a public place and I'd run into that mom.You know the one: in the restaurant her kid is throwing food on the floor, in the grocery store her kid is screaming and flailing about in the cart, in the store her kid is having a total come apart over a toy. You always pity that mom and her child and assume she is the worst mother ever and her kid will grow up to be an emotional wreck.

Well, hello. Today I was that mom. CB has been throwing more temper tantrums lately and we've haven't quite figured out how to deal with it. We should have realized it's not the best time in life to go out to eat, but we thought we'd have a little family fun date. [mistake #1] We walk in the door of Chick fil A and Lily starts crying. [problem #2] I'm trying to soothe her and get CB in the highchair while Adam orders. For some reason CB is all weird and fussy. [problem #3] I figure she'll calm down when food arrives because she loves Chick fil A food. Food arrives and she doesn't calm down. She's fussing, whining, throwing apple chunks on the floor-the whole deal. [problem #4] CB has never turned down food in her life. We can't figure out what's going on till we realize she wants the playground. So, in an effort to shut her up [mistake #2] I take her to the playground. At first things are going well. Then she starts to climb up the steps leading to the tunnel. Now, I know she's not old enough for the tunnel, but I figure I'll let her climb the steps to avoid a temper tantrum [big mistake #3]. Of course she eventually gets stuck in the tunnel and starts freaking out [problem #5]. I don't know what to do. I go get Adam to fetch her, he gets her down, [I hope you realize we're causing a scene at this point] she's crying, we pick up Lily, and leave the restaurant in shame.

I promise I'll never judge another mother who's kid is freaking out in public again.

the one for Chloe Belle

Happy Day sweet girl! Today you are officially a year and a half old. It's amazing to me how quickly the time has passed. Each day with you is better than the last. I keep dreading you growing up and leaving each sweet little baby phase behind you, but I have thoroughly enjoyed each new little phase as it comes.
Today you are full of curiosity and what seems like boundless energy. Your hair is growing out; it finally lays down on your head, but we can't seem to keep it out of your eyes. Today you scream like a madwoman when getting your diaper changed. Mommy painted your toes for the first time to celebrate being a big girl. Your favorite foods are cheerios, oranges, chicken, and strawberries. Oh, and let's not forget milk. Milk makes your world go round. Today you are struggling with having more temper tantrums. Sometimes you wear mommy and daddy out. You love to climb on any and everything. You love bubbles. Today you love to play outside, finding wonder in every clod of dirt, leaf, and flower. You love Mr. Bear more than life itself. Your favorite toys are books. You scream "boookie" whenever you bring a book to mommy and daddy you want read. You love your little sister. You brush her hair, pat her mouth with a burp cloth, sing to her in her bouncy seat, and sometimes even give her Mr. Bear to show her you love her. You give the best hugs and kisses in the world, well, right after daddy.
You can say all of these words: mommy, daddy, woof, book, bear, ball, eyes, nose, nana, papa, abby, brush, shoe, flower, apple, nana [for banana], fish, no, hi, bye, baby, duck, bubble, sit, and amen.
When asked, you can point to all these body parts on you or your baby sister: hair, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, ears, belly, leg, knee, and toes. When asked to find your belly you always pull up your shirt and pat your big tummy, and when asked to find your toes you always stick them in your mouth. Your daddy taught you those...
You make the best animal sounds: quack, woof, baa, sssss for snake, oh ah ah for a monkey, and the cutest little roar of all time.

You are one awesome 18 month old Chloe Belle. I love you.

the one about 28 in pictures