Blur

Life feels like a blur, presently. I'm missing important dates left and right. Robbie is about to finish his first year of preschool. The kids keep saying the funniest things and I haven't been writing them down. Our women's bible study ended yesterday and I still have 2 more lessons to finish.

I blame the general state of sleeplessness in our house right now. For real, we are still not sleeping through the night on a regular basis. It's nauseating, literally. Rob and I just look at each other once in a while and say "I've never felt this tired in all my life." Grey hairs are starting to emerge. The dark under eye circles are becoming a permanent feature. I fantasize about stillness and quiet, and vow never to take it for granted or waste it ever again. We love our kids and we knew it would be hard, and we have zero regrets.

But man.

The lack of sleep catches up to you. I have to keep putting out of my mind that Maddie has been sleeping through the night for something like 9 months now, and just last night she slept from 7pm until 9am. 14 HOURS WITHOUT A PEEP OR A STIR. And how much sleep did I get? Maybe 2 hours in a row. Robbie was up coughing until 12:30. Ellie came running into our room crying about being sick 5 minutes after Rob and I finally got Robbie back to sleep. After putting her back to bed and having multiple repeats of this behavior, she finally threw up at 2am. After which I hovered over the toilet for the better part of a half hour, thinking I was going to join her in her misery. We both fell back to sleep until I woke at 4am nauseated again, and laid awake until Rob got ready for work sometime around 5am. At that point I was sure I was going to be sick, but again after a while of waiting around and nothing, I headed back to bed. 1/2 hour later Robbie showed up at my bedside ready to start his glorious day. I shushed him for an hour while I let him play with my phone, since Ellie was asleep on the floor next to the bed, and I could not bring myself to get up. Which I was forced to do once Ellie woke up an hour later.

I put dry cereal in front of the kids for breakfast as we waited for my friend Kacey to drop off the half gallon of milk I had left at her house yesterday (long story). She showed up with our milk and a few movies to get us through the day, at which point Robbie and Ellie decided they would start World War 3. It's a really good thing Kacey is among my closest friends because it was quite a display. One of their worst, I'm afraid.

Again, the sleeplessness is catching up to all of us. After Kacey left, Ellie fussed and cried and begged for things she couldn't have for over an hour in a row. Her stamina is actually very impressive. I used every reserve I had just trying to stay calm, change her clothes, get her upstairs to bed for an early nap that she clearly needed, and soothe her to sleep. And then she pitched an even bigger fit, got out of her bed/room, and wailed on and on from the top of the stairs until she was hysterical again. Does anyone else send threatening texts to their husbands about putting the 2 year old up on craigslist or out on the curb for pickers? Because apparently I did that a lot when Robbie was 2, and I was tempted to do it again about 1,000 different times this morning and in an impressive display of self control, I refrained. Only to cancel out my good behavior by blogging about it.

Enjoy yet another random jumbled post! 

Below: I took the kids to the bookstore one day to play with the train table and read books, and we spent the majority of our time in the bathroom. Kid you not. He kept having to go, and then nothing would happen. Finally I made him sit there for more than 30 seconds and he was not happy with me. It was a good time.

Early morning phone thieves, taking advantage of how deeply mommy sleeps.

Greatly amused by pushing each other around the house in the doll's stroller. Yes, it broke. Robbie would get her going really fast, send the stroller into a spin as he let go of it, and Ellie would spin out. They thought it was awesome. I told them I wasn't in the mood to take anyone to the emergency room that day and they had to stop. I am such a mom now.

Maddie is into everything! She constantly goes for my cookbooks, pulling out the Bride and Groom cookbook my mom gave me at my bridal shower every time.

He plays so sweetly with her. Most of the time. He's starting to get brave or annoyed with her new abilities to swipe toys or something along those lines, because at times he tries to sneak in a tease or a little push or nudge here and there when he thinks I'm not looking. Not to be trusted.

He's getting very good at writing (I adore the "Y" in you on that top line).

We were welcoming Auntie Cheryl back home from Minnesota with lunch, flowers and this sweet note. We missed her. And is anything sweeter than a preschooler's handwriting?!

We had some work done in the backyard one morning, and right in the middle of breakfast the kids both pulled their chairs over to the back door to watch. Robbie thoughtfully pushed Maddie's highchair over so that she could see, too. I love the things that entertain them.

Trying her first chocolate chip pancake. It went over well.

I had a lot to bring down the stairs the other morning, including Maddie in my arms, so I piled it all into a laundry basket and plopped her on top. She's still so light!

Dutiful brother, retrieving Maddie's teething strip from the bathroom for me. They love watching her eat it. He is so helpful to me.

Just a pretty, naked baby.