That's what Ella said to me the other day during one of our battles over cleaning her room. I pointed out that if she was actually Cinderella she'd be cleaning up everyone's mess and not just her own. She didn't like that point. Another time she started in on how she didn't like to clean up her room, how it was boring, how it took too long. My response was that I didn't like cooking for everyone or washing and folding everyone's clothes and that maybe I should just stop doing it. She wasn't sure what to make of that either and fled the battle field.
But honestly, I'm tired of the same old fights with her over cleaning up and doing some minor chores - dusting, folding towels, vacuuming the kitchen. That's all I ask her to do, other than cleaning up her own messes. But each time it's this huge struggle to get her to do anything. I'm treated to lots of whining and protests about how her sister doesn't have to do chores. My answer that when her sister is 6 she'll start doing chores, too, doesn't help. Offering her an allowance worked at first, but then she got tired of the novelty and decided she was willing to forego allowance if it meant she didn't have to do chores.
I've tried apealing to what little logic she has, and that has fallen flat as well. I explained that in a family everyone has jobs to do - daddy has his work, plus he takes care of things around the house like lightbulbs and the garage and the trash. I have my job plus I cook and clean and fold laundry. Ella's job is to be 6 (which made her giggle), but she also has her own responsibilities like dusting and vacuuming and folding towels. She stopped giggling when I said that.
Despite my frustration, I'll keep pressing on with the lesson. I don't want her to grow up thinking that there will always be someone around to pick up after her and provide for her every need. I don't want her to be one of those spoiled bimbos on My Super Sweet 16 who pitches a fit when her mommy and daddy cut off her credit cards, not that Ella will ever have her own credit cards, but you get the point.
I want to raise a neat, respectful, responsible daughter, but she's making it so hard!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Blogging at the beach
Hello from the beach. Isn't modern technology amazing? I'm sitting here blogging while listening to the waves, which are threatening to swamp my feet, and watching the sun peek in and out from behind the storm clouds off shore that are threatening to rain, but so far haven't done more than threaten. This is about as close to a perfect way to spend a morning as I can think of.
As much as I love bringing the kids to the beach and watching them splash in the waves and body surf and build sand castles and dig huge holes, it's wonderful to only be responsible for myself. Yesterday, B and I came to the beach for the afternoon and read and napped and swam without having to entertain anyone or play lifeguard or provide endless snacks and drinks. It was divine.
I fully admit I was pretty hostile at being forced to go to the beach and leave the kids, actually leaving Campbell was the only real problem, but I am so glad B made me do this. I needed this break in the worst way. I'm not exagerrating in the least when I say I was on the verge of a complete and total breakdown. Brandon found me curled up in the shower crying one night - that was a bad night. At dinner last night we talked about my last trip away from the kids and realized it was in January of 2006 when I went to New York with Lisa and Heidi. The last time B and I went away together, just the two of us, was in January of 2004 when we went to San Antonio for a night. That is just ridiculous that it's been that long. We need to take better care of our marriage.
But now I feel like I can go back to Austin and face daily life again. I can get everyone up and dressed and out the door tomorrow with a smile, or at least without screaming in frustration, because I had this break. Life won't seem so dreary.
Plus, we're all headed to the beach in three weeks with the Roes, Krells and Scanlons. I'll have had three beach trips this summer, which is wonderful. The beach is my favorite place to be. I love the salt air, the sound of the waves. I'm quite content to just sit and watch the world go by with my toes in the sand. So I'm going to sign off and do just that.
As much as I love bringing the kids to the beach and watching them splash in the waves and body surf and build sand castles and dig huge holes, it's wonderful to only be responsible for myself. Yesterday, B and I came to the beach for the afternoon and read and napped and swam without having to entertain anyone or play lifeguard or provide endless snacks and drinks. It was divine.
I fully admit I was pretty hostile at being forced to go to the beach and leave the kids, actually leaving Campbell was the only real problem, but I am so glad B made me do this. I needed this break in the worst way. I'm not exagerrating in the least when I say I was on the verge of a complete and total breakdown. Brandon found me curled up in the shower crying one night - that was a bad night. At dinner last night we talked about my last trip away from the kids and realized it was in January of 2006 when I went to New York with Lisa and Heidi. The last time B and I went away together, just the two of us, was in January of 2004 when we went to San Antonio for a night. That is just ridiculous that it's been that long. We need to take better care of our marriage.
But now I feel like I can go back to Austin and face daily life again. I can get everyone up and dressed and out the door tomorrow with a smile, or at least without screaming in frustration, because I had this break. Life won't seem so dreary.
Plus, we're all headed to the beach in three weeks with the Roes, Krells and Scanlons. I'll have had three beach trips this summer, which is wonderful. The beach is my favorite place to be. I love the salt air, the sound of the waves. I'm quite content to just sit and watch the world go by with my toes in the sand. So I'm going to sign off and do just that.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
But I'm not ready yet
B announced last night during dinner that he and I are going away for the weekend. His dad noticed that B had put a weekend trip on his calendar ages ago and asked if we had ever managed to go away. When B told him that we hadn't, his dad got upset. He reminded B that it's important for us to have time together and gave B the key to the condo in Corpus. So Steve is staying here Friday night with the kids, and my m-i-l is staying Saturday night.
I'm not sure I'm ready though. We're just now getting Campbell on a good sleep schedule, and I'm worried that having grandparents who are willing to get up with him in the middle of the night will set us back. Plus, I stopped trying to pump milk weeks ago, and I don't have any left in the freezer. Campbell still won't take formula, so he could end up being one hungry baby by the time we get home on Sunday. I also worry that after a weekend without nursing, Campbell won't want to anymore. And while I'm looking ahead to the weaning process, this isn't how I wanted to do it. The silver lining in this is that I'll have to pump while I'm gone, so I'll have a supply of milk in the freezer again.
The odd thing is that I'm not at all worried about my f-i-l taking care of the three kids. Steve isn't prone to panic, and he's pretty good about winging it if he needs to. Ever since my m-i-l left him, he's really stepped up as a grandfather, taking the girls to his house for overnights, even giving them baths and washing their hair. I'm not sure my father would be up for such activities, and he was a much more hands-on father than Steve was.
It's my m-i-l I'm worried about. First, I'm going to have to clean the house, top to bottom, so that she doesn't have anything to make her pinchy face or snide comments about. Debbie came over a few weeks ago at the end of a looonnng, rainy day and commented that the girls' room was far messier than B's had ever been as a child. I wanted to scream. Second, she's prone to panicing about things. I just know we're going to get some phone call at some point. Like the time Ella managed to lock herself IN Debbie's apartment, and Debbie couldn't figure out how to get her back out again. I had to drive up and talk to Ella through the back window. It took me 15 seconds to get Ella to unlock the door, but Debbie had been reduced to sitting on the stairs crying. Or the time she left us 3 messages in 15 minutes about how Lily had climbed into the porta-crib and was refusing to get out. Debbie had had her mastectomy two months earlier and still couldn't lift things, especially not kids, but Lily was more than capable of climbing in and out on her own. By the time we called Debbie back, Lily was already out of the crib, but Debbie was still in tears. So there's precedent for my concern about phone calls.
Then there's the worry that she just won't be able to figure things out. Last weekend she took all three kids to B's grandmother's house for the day. Before she left I told her THREE times how to mix Campbell's cereal, and she still managed to do it wrong. How hard could it have been - add water to the cereal until it's a thick paste, then stir in some fruit or sweet potatoes. She forgot the bit about the water and just mixed it with sweet potatoes. Not surprisingly, Campbell refused to eat it.
When B talked to his parents last night about arangements, his dad said, "Just leave me instructions. I'll figure it all out." Debbie wouldn't get off the phone, asking question after question. B kept saying, "Mom, we'll leave instructions. You can send me an e-mail with all your questions, and we'll answer them." She still kept asking for instructions, like she was going to remember anything at that point. I wouldn't have.
So my challenge will be to relax while we are gone and not worry about what is happening here. Campbell may refuse to drink formula, but at least he eats other food and drinks water from a sippy cup. He's not going to starve or get dehydrated while we're gone. And as Heidi pointed out, if he gets really hungry, he'll probably take the formula. The girls, of course, will be just fine. Steve will feed them "Old MacDonald's" for lunch and dinner if they ask, and pancakes with chocolate syrup for breakfast. Debbie will do whatever she does with them. Everyone will survive. And I'll get to spend the weekend at the beach.
I'm not sure I'm ready though. We're just now getting Campbell on a good sleep schedule, and I'm worried that having grandparents who are willing to get up with him in the middle of the night will set us back. Plus, I stopped trying to pump milk weeks ago, and I don't have any left in the freezer. Campbell still won't take formula, so he could end up being one hungry baby by the time we get home on Sunday. I also worry that after a weekend without nursing, Campbell won't want to anymore. And while I'm looking ahead to the weaning process, this isn't how I wanted to do it. The silver lining in this is that I'll have to pump while I'm gone, so I'll have a supply of milk in the freezer again.
The odd thing is that I'm not at all worried about my f-i-l taking care of the three kids. Steve isn't prone to panic, and he's pretty good about winging it if he needs to. Ever since my m-i-l left him, he's really stepped up as a grandfather, taking the girls to his house for overnights, even giving them baths and washing their hair. I'm not sure my father would be up for such activities, and he was a much more hands-on father than Steve was.
It's my m-i-l I'm worried about. First, I'm going to have to clean the house, top to bottom, so that she doesn't have anything to make her pinchy face or snide comments about. Debbie came over a few weeks ago at the end of a looonnng, rainy day and commented that the girls' room was far messier than B's had ever been as a child. I wanted to scream. Second, she's prone to panicing about things. I just know we're going to get some phone call at some point. Like the time Ella managed to lock herself IN Debbie's apartment, and Debbie couldn't figure out how to get her back out again. I had to drive up and talk to Ella through the back window. It took me 15 seconds to get Ella to unlock the door, but Debbie had been reduced to sitting on the stairs crying. Or the time she left us 3 messages in 15 minutes about how Lily had climbed into the porta-crib and was refusing to get out. Debbie had had her mastectomy two months earlier and still couldn't lift things, especially not kids, but Lily was more than capable of climbing in and out on her own. By the time we called Debbie back, Lily was already out of the crib, but Debbie was still in tears. So there's precedent for my concern about phone calls.
Then there's the worry that she just won't be able to figure things out. Last weekend she took all three kids to B's grandmother's house for the day. Before she left I told her THREE times how to mix Campbell's cereal, and she still managed to do it wrong. How hard could it have been - add water to the cereal until it's a thick paste, then stir in some fruit or sweet potatoes. She forgot the bit about the water and just mixed it with sweet potatoes. Not surprisingly, Campbell refused to eat it.
When B talked to his parents last night about arangements, his dad said, "Just leave me instructions. I'll figure it all out." Debbie wouldn't get off the phone, asking question after question. B kept saying, "Mom, we'll leave instructions. You can send me an e-mail with all your questions, and we'll answer them." She still kept asking for instructions, like she was going to remember anything at that point. I wouldn't have.
So my challenge will be to relax while we are gone and not worry about what is happening here. Campbell may refuse to drink formula, but at least he eats other food and drinks water from a sippy cup. He's not going to starve or get dehydrated while we're gone. And as Heidi pointed out, if he gets really hungry, he'll probably take the formula. The girls, of course, will be just fine. Steve will feed them "Old MacDonald's" for lunch and dinner if they ask, and pancakes with chocolate syrup for breakfast. Debbie will do whatever she does with them. Everyone will survive. And I'll get to spend the weekend at the beach.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
I may have blogged too soon
I've received several e-mails congratulating me on my success with Campbell's sleeping. It turns out I was a tad premature in claiming victory; Campbell has been up partying the last two nights.
Sunday night he woke up at midnight but went right back to sleep after I patted him on the back for a minute. He woke up again at 3 am, and I had to do Ferber for 5 and 10 minutes before he conked out. Then Lily woke up with a wet, leaking pull-up, so I had to clean her up and strip her bed. In the process, Campbell woke up, and I had to start the Ferber routine again. That time I had to go in after 5, 10 and 15 minutes before he fell asleep.
I thought last night would be better because Campbell didn't wake up at midnight like he had the night before. I was wrong; it was much, much worse. He woke up again at 3 and jabbered in his crib for a while. I ignored him until he started crying. I went in and patted him and then waiting another 5 minutes before going back in. He settled down, and I went back to bed thinking he had fallen asleep. But he started jabbering again, and I ignored him until he started crying again. We went through that routine until 5 am - two freaking hours of listening to him alternate between playing and crying. I was ready to cry.
So who knows what tonight holds. I am proud of myself for staying strong, though. It would have been very easy to pull him out of the crib at 4 this morning and nurse him to sleep. But that would have set me back in the whole process. I know he's capable of sleeping through the night; I just have to convince him of it.
Sunday night he woke up at midnight but went right back to sleep after I patted him on the back for a minute. He woke up again at 3 am, and I had to do Ferber for 5 and 10 minutes before he conked out. Then Lily woke up with a wet, leaking pull-up, so I had to clean her up and strip her bed. In the process, Campbell woke up, and I had to start the Ferber routine again. That time I had to go in after 5, 10 and 15 minutes before he fell asleep.
I thought last night would be better because Campbell didn't wake up at midnight like he had the night before. I was wrong; it was much, much worse. He woke up again at 3 and jabbered in his crib for a while. I ignored him until he started crying. I went in and patted him and then waiting another 5 minutes before going back in. He settled down, and I went back to bed thinking he had fallen asleep. But he started jabbering again, and I ignored him until he started crying again. We went through that routine until 5 am - two freaking hours of listening to him alternate between playing and crying. I was ready to cry.
So who knows what tonight holds. I am proud of myself for staying strong, though. It would have been very easy to pull him out of the crib at 4 this morning and nurse him to sleep. But that would have set me back in the whole process. I know he's capable of sleeping through the night; I just have to convince him of it.
The wait is over
No worries, no spoilers about Harry Potter here, even though I am going to talk about the book.
I had pre-ordered my book from Amazon with guaranteed delivery on Saturday. But then I decided I just couldn't wait, and I went to the bookstore at 9:15 and picked up a copy. I'm glad I went. It was really cool to see the steady stream of people going in empty handed and coming out with their copy of the book. One of the clerks said that she thought it was really amazing that pretty much everyone everywhere was reading the new book that morning. I hadn't thought of it that way, but she was right. It was like a big read-in scattered throughout Austin.
I was a bit nervous when I first opened the book. There has been so much speculation and so much anticipation leading up to its publication, how could it ever live up to the hype? After waiting so long to find out how it all ends, it would be horrible if the book was a disappointment.
I was also a bit sad; this was the last time to open a new Harry Potter book and enter Rowling's world, not knowing what was going to happen. This series was amazing in that it held everyone's interest and attention over so many books and so many years. It will be a miracle if another series of books is able to come close to equaling it. The "Series of Unfortunate Events" books got lots of media play for a while, but there were never any lines of people, adults and children, standing outside bookstores waiting for the next installment.
At least B and I will be able to keep the magic alive in our house for a while longer. Ella is in love with the books, and we're reading them with her. Or I should say that Brandon is reading them with her. They're only on the third book, so they have a long way to go together.
Next week I'll do my review of the book, once everyone I know has read it.
I had pre-ordered my book from Amazon with guaranteed delivery on Saturday. But then I decided I just couldn't wait, and I went to the bookstore at 9:15 and picked up a copy. I'm glad I went. It was really cool to see the steady stream of people going in empty handed and coming out with their copy of the book. One of the clerks said that she thought it was really amazing that pretty much everyone everywhere was reading the new book that morning. I hadn't thought of it that way, but she was right. It was like a big read-in scattered throughout Austin.
I was a bit nervous when I first opened the book. There has been so much speculation and so much anticipation leading up to its publication, how could it ever live up to the hype? After waiting so long to find out how it all ends, it would be horrible if the book was a disappointment.
I was also a bit sad; this was the last time to open a new Harry Potter book and enter Rowling's world, not knowing what was going to happen. This series was amazing in that it held everyone's interest and attention over so many books and so many years. It will be a miracle if another series of books is able to come close to equaling it. The "Series of Unfortunate Events" books got lots of media play for a while, but there were never any lines of people, adults and children, standing outside bookstores waiting for the next installment.
At least B and I will be able to keep the magic alive in our house for a while longer. Ella is in love with the books, and we're reading them with her. Or I should say that Brandon is reading them with her. They're only on the third book, so they have a long way to go together.
Next week I'll do my review of the book, once everyone I know has read it.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Dr. Ferber, I salute you
I have been struggling for weeks with Campbell's sleep problems. He had gone from bad to worse in the course of a week - from waking up one time a night to every two hours Thursday night. Plus he's been waking up at 5:00 and refusing to go back to sleep. I felt like I was back in newborn phase. So I borrowed a page from Liz and did some research, pulling out books she had given me when Campbell was born. I had stashed them away thinking that being a mother of three I was seasoned enough to never need a baby book. Ha!
One book was by Sears, who wasn't helpful at all. He's a big proponent of letting babies sleep in bed with parents. I'm fine with that when they're tiny. Ella slept with us for her first three months - it was the only way she would sleep. But I wasn't about to put Campbell in bed with us at 10 months old. It seemed like that was a path that would just lead to more problems.
Another book had a table with information on all the different sleep training philosophies, from Ferber to Baby Whisperer to Baby Wise. The table was just what I needed. It gave a nice recap of Ferber, which I used with Ella and Lily with great success. It contained information I had forgotten - like increasing the time between visits to the crib by 5 minutes each time. It also reassured me that the baby wasn't going to calm down when I went in to check on him. I had been trying to do Ferber last week, but I kept getting freaked out that Campbell cried harder each time I went in. I thought I was doing something wrong. The book reassured me that it was normal for him to sound "possessed" while he was screaming.
Armed with this knowledge, I decided Friday night was the night. Campbell went to bed without a problem as usual, but then he woke up at 9:30. I knew he wasn't hungry, so I went in and patted him and talked to him for a few moments and left. I went back after 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. Each time he cried harder after I left him. I sat on the sofa, grinding my teeth in agony. But then, 10 minutes after my last visit and 10 minutes before I was supposed to go in again, Campbell stopped crying. The silence worried me. What if he had suffocated on his lovey? What if? What if? What if? B kept me from going in to check, and I went off to bed, so tired I was shaking.
The next thing I knew, it was 4 am and the dog was whining at the back bedroom door because it was pouring. I let her in and realized I hadn't been up with Campbell. I resisted the temptation to go check on him and went back to sleep. Campbell slept through until 6:30! That's the latest he's slept in weeks. And he woke up happy and chattering, rather than screaming, as usual.
Last night I put him down at 6:30 and crossed my fingers. He slept through until 6:30 again! Actually, that's not quite true. I heard him jabbering at one point over the monitor, but he didn't start crying and fell back asleep on his own.
Hallelujah.
So now I know he's capable of sleeping through, and I know that I can tough it out and do the Ferber method again if I need to. And I'm feeling more rested than I have in months and months.
One book was by Sears, who wasn't helpful at all. He's a big proponent of letting babies sleep in bed with parents. I'm fine with that when they're tiny. Ella slept with us for her first three months - it was the only way she would sleep. But I wasn't about to put Campbell in bed with us at 10 months old. It seemed like that was a path that would just lead to more problems.
Another book had a table with information on all the different sleep training philosophies, from Ferber to Baby Whisperer to Baby Wise. The table was just what I needed. It gave a nice recap of Ferber, which I used with Ella and Lily with great success. It contained information I had forgotten - like increasing the time between visits to the crib by 5 minutes each time. It also reassured me that the baby wasn't going to calm down when I went in to check on him. I had been trying to do Ferber last week, but I kept getting freaked out that Campbell cried harder each time I went in. I thought I was doing something wrong. The book reassured me that it was normal for him to sound "possessed" while he was screaming.
Armed with this knowledge, I decided Friday night was the night. Campbell went to bed without a problem as usual, but then he woke up at 9:30. I knew he wasn't hungry, so I went in and patted him and talked to him for a few moments and left. I went back after 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. Each time he cried harder after I left him. I sat on the sofa, grinding my teeth in agony. But then, 10 minutes after my last visit and 10 minutes before I was supposed to go in again, Campbell stopped crying. The silence worried me. What if he had suffocated on his lovey? What if? What if? What if? B kept me from going in to check, and I went off to bed, so tired I was shaking.
The next thing I knew, it was 4 am and the dog was whining at the back bedroom door because it was pouring. I let her in and realized I hadn't been up with Campbell. I resisted the temptation to go check on him and went back to sleep. Campbell slept through until 6:30! That's the latest he's slept in weeks. And he woke up happy and chattering, rather than screaming, as usual.
Last night I put him down at 6:30 and crossed my fingers. He slept through until 6:30 again! Actually, that's not quite true. I heard him jabbering at one point over the monitor, but he didn't start crying and fell back asleep on his own.
Hallelujah.
So now I know he's capable of sleeping through, and I know that I can tough it out and do the Ferber method again if I need to. And I'm feeling more rested than I have in months and months.
Friday, July 20, 2007
See! I knew it.
I did relatively well with my self-imposed Internet ban yesterday. I only checked CNN once when I was online for work-related stuff. No accidental Harry Potter spoils anywhere.
But at 2:00 am, after putting Campbell to bed for the third time, I couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to check the headlines. After scanning CNN, I switched to Salon.com. The lead article? "Is Harry Potter's ending what everyone has been hoping for." I didn't read the artile. Instead, I cured Salon's editors and shut down the Internet. I know the article wouldn't have had any spoilers, but I still didn't want to read everyone's theories about what is going to happen.
So I've learned my lesson - no more middle-of-the-night surfing for me.
But at 2:00 am, after putting Campbell to bed for the third time, I couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to check the headlines. After scanning CNN, I switched to Salon.com. The lead article? "Is Harry Potter's ending what everyone has been hoping for." I didn't read the artile. Instead, I cured Salon's editors and shut down the Internet. I know the article wouldn't have had any spoilers, but I still didn't want to read everyone's theories about what is going to happen.
So I've learned my lesson - no more middle-of-the-night surfing for me.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Spoil sports
As of today, and until I finish the new Harry Potter book, I'm taking a break from the Internet. There are some spoil sports out there who have supposedly posted the entire new book online. Obviously I'm not going to visit any of those sites. Waiting for the new book to come out, standing at the front window waiting for the mailman to deliver my copy is all part of the fun. The people who have posted the book are ruining the whole spirit of the process.
But it's not those sites that worry me. I'm more concerned that one of the news sites I read - salon.com or cnn.com and the like - will accidentally spoil it. I could just see them saying something like, "According to the book posted on such-and-such site, So-and-so dies. But this site says something different." I don't want to stumble on a spoiler like that.
This Internet break will be hard, for sure. I've developed a new addiction - reading blogs. For the past two years I've had a small handful of blogs I've read on a regular basis, but in the past few weeks, the handful has exploded. I can't even count how many work hours I've wasted wandering through the ether reading postings of random writers all over the country. Plus, I've sucked other people into the abyss with me. I've sent links to my mom, who retaliates by sending me other links. I've sent links to my neighbor, which is dangerous given her eBay problem a while back.
But now I'm going cold turkey. No more Internet until Monday. I'll limit myself to computer Scrabble if I need something to do instead of working.
But it's not those sites that worry me. I'm more concerned that one of the news sites I read - salon.com or cnn.com and the like - will accidentally spoil it. I could just see them saying something like, "According to the book posted on such-and-such site, So-and-so dies. But this site says something different." I don't want to stumble on a spoiler like that.
This Internet break will be hard, for sure. I've developed a new addiction - reading blogs. For the past two years I've had a small handful of blogs I've read on a regular basis, but in the past few weeks, the handful has exploded. I can't even count how many work hours I've wasted wandering through the ether reading postings of random writers all over the country. Plus, I've sucked other people into the abyss with me. I've sent links to my mom, who retaliates by sending me other links. I've sent links to my neighbor, which is dangerous given her eBay problem a while back.
But now I'm going cold turkey. No more Internet until Monday. I'll limit myself to computer Scrabble if I need something to do instead of working.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
"Bye-bye Flutter!"
Our callipidder had turned himself into a chrysalis about two weeks ago, and I'd almost given up hope that we were going to get a butterfly out of the deal. Each day we'd check on him, and the girls would ask how much longer it was going to take. I tried to look up information the other night, but for the first time ever, Google failed me. My search led to lots of arts and crafts projects and classroom-style lessons for homeschooling parents. I gave up after half an hour of fruitless clicking.
This morning the little guy was still in his chrysalis, but I happened to look up as I was stirring the girls' lunch and noticed that there was a beautiful butterfly in the little cage. We all were so thrilled. I carried the cage outside very carefully, while the butterfly slowly flapped his wings. They were so beautiful - pale greens and browns with big eye spots. I wanted to take a picture, but my camera would only focus on the mesh of the cage, not the butterfly. I'm sure there's some way to override the auto focus, but I don't know how and I didn't have time to research it.
I opened the little door in the side of the cage, hoping the butterfly would find his way out, and he did as soon as I turned the cage on end so the door was facing up. He poked his head out, Ella announced that his name was Flutter, and he flew off as she shouted good-bye.
It was a really cool little experience, and I'm glad I was able to share it with the girls. And I'm glad the little callipidder didn't die.
This morning the little guy was still in his chrysalis, but I happened to look up as I was stirring the girls' lunch and noticed that there was a beautiful butterfly in the little cage. We all were so thrilled. I carried the cage outside very carefully, while the butterfly slowly flapped his wings. They were so beautiful - pale greens and browns with big eye spots. I wanted to take a picture, but my camera would only focus on the mesh of the cage, not the butterfly. I'm sure there's some way to override the auto focus, but I don't know how and I didn't have time to research it.
I opened the little door in the side of the cage, hoping the butterfly would find his way out, and he did as soon as I turned the cage on end so the door was facing up. He poked his head out, Ella announced that his name was Flutter, and he flew off as she shouted good-bye.
It was a really cool little experience, and I'm glad I was able to share it with the girls. And I'm glad the little callipidder didn't die.
Is it really too much to ask?
Really, is getting one good night's sleep too much to ask for? Campbell is just killing me with his sleep habits, and I don't know what to do. He doesn't really fit into any of the typical categories that baby experts write about.
Most nights he goes to sleep on his own without a problem. I nurse him until he's drowsy and pop him in his crib while he's still awake. I putter around in there for a minute, closing blinds and turning on his white-noise machine before closing the door. Sometimes he'll jabber or sqwak for a minute or two, but then he goes to sleep. Up until a month ago, he would sleep from 6:30 or 7:00 until about 4:30 without a problem. I didn't complain too much because he was sleeping for about 9 hours straight, even if they weren't the 9 hours I would have liked. He'd wake up, nurse and go back to sleep until about 7:30, which was perfect. This schedule allowed me to run at 5:30 and still have time to shower and get dressed before Campbell woke up.
But a month ago it all fell apart. I think he hit his 9-month growth spurt AND started teething all at the same time, which just caused so many problems.
He still goes to bed most nights without a problem, but now I have no idea how long he'll sleep and how many times he'll wake up in the night. Some nights he sleeps through. Some, like last night, he'll wake up twice. Each time he wakes up he nurses like he's starving, so I don't think it's a case of waking up and not knowing how to go back to sleep. Plus, he knows how to go to sleep on his own.
In addition to the middle of the night stuff, Campbell has now been waking up between 5:30 and 6:00 and refusing to go back to sleep. I nurse him and put him back in bed, hoping he'll go back to sleep, but he usually starts screaming after playing quietly for about 15 minutes. At that hour, I hate to let him scream it out because a. it doesn't work, and b. he wakes up the girls. Having one child awake at the crack of dawn is bad enough, three is awful.
So I'm stumped. Do I Ferberize him? Do I let him cry it out in the middle of the night? I've got to do something, though. I'm as tired now as I was when he was just weeks old. Suggestions anyone?
Most nights he goes to sleep on his own without a problem. I nurse him until he's drowsy and pop him in his crib while he's still awake. I putter around in there for a minute, closing blinds and turning on his white-noise machine before closing the door. Sometimes he'll jabber or sqwak for a minute or two, but then he goes to sleep. Up until a month ago, he would sleep from 6:30 or 7:00 until about 4:30 without a problem. I didn't complain too much because he was sleeping for about 9 hours straight, even if they weren't the 9 hours I would have liked. He'd wake up, nurse and go back to sleep until about 7:30, which was perfect. This schedule allowed me to run at 5:30 and still have time to shower and get dressed before Campbell woke up.
But a month ago it all fell apart. I think he hit his 9-month growth spurt AND started teething all at the same time, which just caused so many problems.
He still goes to bed most nights without a problem, but now I have no idea how long he'll sleep and how many times he'll wake up in the night. Some nights he sleeps through. Some, like last night, he'll wake up twice. Each time he wakes up he nurses like he's starving, so I don't think it's a case of waking up and not knowing how to go back to sleep. Plus, he knows how to go to sleep on his own.
In addition to the middle of the night stuff, Campbell has now been waking up between 5:30 and 6:00 and refusing to go back to sleep. I nurse him and put him back in bed, hoping he'll go back to sleep, but he usually starts screaming after playing quietly for about 15 minutes. At that hour, I hate to let him scream it out because a. it doesn't work, and b. he wakes up the girls. Having one child awake at the crack of dawn is bad enough, three is awful.
So I'm stumped. Do I Ferberize him? Do I let him cry it out in the middle of the night? I've got to do something, though. I'm as tired now as I was when he was just weeks old. Suggestions anyone?
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