1. Say a prayer for us. Olivia has really been testing us lately. We will not forsake God's plan for childrearing, even when it doesn't seem to "work" as quickly as we think it ought. Livvie is re-learning immediate, cheerful obedience, kindness, and respect for authority & others. [as are we]
2. In the kindness department, the old saying is true: It's either feast or famine. Sometimes I fear they'll never, ever say a kind word to one another, and then I find them playing together like best friends. I'm told this is The Way of the Sibling.
4. Funny conversation last week:
Olivia: "Mommy, please be a little quiet. I'm on the phone."
Mommy: "Oh! Okay, sorry." *wink*
Olivia: "Melissa! Hi! How is college? [pause] Oh, great! [pause] I'm doing fine."
[pause]
"Uh-huh, we went to church last night, too."
[pause]
[gasp] "You do?!???!? REALLY?!?? I HAVE A BABY IN MY TUMMY, TOO!"
5. Ellia's imagination is no less vivid. She and her baby doll are inseparable, and we don't dare call it a doll, but Brienna. Sometimes Elena (her cousin). And Ellia rarely likes to be called Ellia. Usually she's Christopher Robin, sometimes Daddy.
6. Livvie's last day of soccer is this Saturday. I have mixed feelings about that. Though she loves the drills & practice, she still refuses to even try during the games. That's incredibly frustrating. We'll be glad to have our leisurely Saturday mornings back. (We have to be at the field by 9.)
7. I went through the girls' toys (read: JUNK) this week, purging and tossing. We simply MUST find a better way for organizing/storing their stuff. I just can't take the hurricane-zone-in-every-room-of-the-house any longer. They do need to learn how to pick up after themselves, how to put something away before getting something else out. But I think I'll save this
3 comments:
I just love these brain dumps. :-) I really do!! Obviously it is up to you and your preferences for night nursing, but with both kids I did find it easier to just feed them in the night. That is what worked for US and it did, eventually, stop. I got more sleep, which was the most important thing for our family at that time. There are some who think it is a character issue on the part of the child, but that is not how we saw it. *shrug* So if you're sticking to the no night nursing policy, I'm afraid I have no help for you. :-( I would try to think through what you are trying to accomplish and decide based on that and what you think the family/child/momma needs. ((((HUG)))) sorry you aren't getting sleep. :-(
Toy tubs, I have help for you! I love the clear tubs we have - they are labeled things like "toy animals" "vehicles" etc. and are up on a bookshelf that is floor-to-ceiling and about 2 1/2 feet wide - garage sale, $15. We measured the individual shelves and went to the store, spent our kids' Christmas money from relatives on the tubs, and it has been worth every penny. They can play with one tub at a time (there are other toys around on the floor that don't have tubs, but they are easy to round up items like a tool bench, balls, etc.) and let me tell you, my toy clutter has gone down 3000 percent. LOVE IT. Aaron loves it too, he is very much more organized than I am. :-) Our tubs have the handles that flip over the lid, so they are easy enough to open - not sure if that is a bonus or not.
As far as nursing goes - yeah, I have no suggestions. I started making Owen tough it out 11 weeks and Aubrey stopped on her at 8 weeks. In case you have more children, I really recommend BabyWise. I have several friends who still get up with their kids at two years of age because they are just in the habit of getting up for a sip of milk or something. If I were in that situation I would let her cry it out in order to keep this problem from continuing for many more months. But that's just me - you have to do what is best for you and your family.
I often have people comment about how tidy my 600 square ft. apartment is for having two kids of my own and an extra in my home every day. Here's what I do to keep my place from being taken over by toys:
1. They have a toy box - one. And those are the only toys they can play with on their own, without help. And they have to put everything back in when they are done.
2. For holidays and birthdays I ask family to not buy my kids big toys. They can have books, small toys, swim lessons, a pass to the gym, etc - but no big, bulky, toys.
3. My husband built a wide shelf that goes all around their room. On the shelf are crates that color coordinate with their room. One crate has blocks, one has craft supplies, one has train tracks, etc. They can't get them down on their own so they have to have permission to play with those toys. And I won't get down more than one crate at a time.
4. When we find that we have more toys than what fits in the toy box and the crates then we purge and donate. :)
Hope this helps!
Thanks, Jenny. We went with the same system and are LOVING it. The girls like it, too.
Kelly, I'm not sure why, but Babywise did not work with Brienna. Ellia did wonderfully with it, sleeping through at around 5 weeks. Hard though I tried with Brienna, the through-the-night sleep has still eluded us. I'm still a fan of BW and recommend it to others; I know we're definitely the minority. She cries (screams) about every other night. Since she's over a year old, I'm not surprised it's taking a long time.
Thanks, girls~
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