I can sleep when I'm dead

Tonight ends my 9 days off from work. We had a meeting last night and I just want to say Thank God I was off and out of town this weekend. It was apparently crazy. But I'll be glad to go back if only so I can get a good days sleep. We're still struggling with sleeping and Isaiah. I haven't had a good stretch of sleep since last Tuesday. I was hopeful because he slept all night the lst weekend I worked. But he hasn't slept all night when I'm home and can enjoy it. Husband isn't really being helpful at all. He actually said something very mean spirited, as if it were only my problem that Isaiah doesn't sleep and basically he shouldn't have to deal with it, that he's worse off than me, yada yada yada. We're both on edge and exhausted because he's waking up like a newborn, and wants to be held all night, on top of the new stress of having a kid in school that we're trying to adjust to. Yes, we've tried every trick known to mankind to get this kid to sleep, except giving him meds or whiskey, which I won't do. And it isn't that he's hungry or just wants to nurse. The other night, I assumed that's what he wanted and as I got situated to nurse side-lying, he nuzzled up against me and promptly fell asleep. He just wanted to be held. It was kinda sweet,yes, but not good for mommy's sleep. Someday he'll sleep better, it just may be closer to teenage years and we'll go from not sleeping to having a heck of a time waking him up for school. I guess it's just part of parenting. After having 2 kids that slept all night consistently by 4 months, we erred in thinking things would be the same third time around. I'm a labor nurse, I should know better, right? Anyway, it could be worse. On a lighter note, I though I'd share a funny story. About a week or so ago, my mom took The two big kids over night, husband was working and it was just me and Isaiah at home. He had delivered a very massive load to his diaper, unbeknownst to me. He was standing up holding onto the couch when he lost his balance and landed flat and hard on his butt. Now he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Poop shot out of the back of his diaper from the force of his fall and got on my floor. As gross as it was, it was pretty funny.

Smooth sailing

So we made it through the first day of kindergarten. It went pretty well. We got Jacob on the bus, then followed 2 other mothers (who were also dropping their kids off for 1st day of kindergarten, their boys also go to the same sitter) to the school so we could see them off the bus, get a few more pictures and walk him to his class. Jacob had no problem getting on the bus, or finding his name and chair in the classroom. It was only a half day, but he said he made a new friend, who happens to be a Jacob to and goes to the same sitter. Today was the first full day of school, but I'm sure it was fine. I also thought I'd get emotional, but I didn't even tear up. I guess I was more excited for him because he was so excited to go to school. I'll admit, it's a bit strange to be home and not have Jacob here. Yesterday, we were all in the kitchen and for a split second I wondered where Jacob was. Just a habit of making sure all the kids are accounted for and out of trouble. Clara seems to be adjusting well. She was a little sad watching Jacob get on the bus, but really, she's been okay. I think she's enjoying the extra attention and getting to play with Jacob's toys!

A little R & R, and we're off to kindergarten!

This weekend, I actually didn't have to work. Working the weekend option, you get 2 weekends off a year, and last year I used them for the last 2 weekends left in December after I delivered, so this is the first weekend off since, oh, last April (not counting maternity leave) and the first vacation since June 2006. I was due. I was half-way afraid that I'd get a call from work, saying I was supposed to be there because it seemed so odd to be off work on a Saturday, but that didn't happen. The kids and I made the 4 hour trek up to visit my sister. Despite misbehavior, it was a lot of fun. Isaiah just doesn't seem to like to sleep in the pack-n-play. The first night, he was up every 1.5 hours, fussing, wanting to nurse. So I was tired. The next night, I fell asleep on the couch, sitting straight up. My sister couldn't get me up I was so deep in sleep. I did open my eyes and she told me I should go to bed, I agreed, but I guess I just closed my eyes and went back to sleep. I woke up a few hours later, wondering why I was sleeping on the couch. Anyway, we took the kids to a children's museum, took them to the beach off Lake Michigan, and played at the park. They've never been to a beach, let alone see such a huge body of water. It was a perfect day weather wise and there were tons of boats out on the lake. They really enjoyed the sand and the water. And it feels like a good end to the summer, since Jacob starts kindergarten tomorrow. Husband and I are both off work tomorrow so we're going to take Jacob to the sitters to catch the bus (it's easier that way) and then we're going to follow the bus to the school and walk him in to his class, like they suggested this first wee. The whole bus in a small town thing is confusing to me. Jacob will be a sitter's 2 mornings a week, always Mondays, but I don't have a set day during the week that I work. So it would be too difficult to try and tell the bus driver where he'll be in the mornings. And if I want to take him to school myself when I'm off, I have to call the school and let the bus driver know. Really, it's just easier to take him to the sitters house to catch the bus. I'll admit that I'm a little nervous and feel a bit unprepared to have a kid in school. I don't know the routine, and I'm afraid we'll forget something, or get him to school late, or who knows? We kinda expected that at registration or the kindergarten preview that they would explain things like when school starts, or what bus he'll ride. They didn't. We had to ask. And when we walked into the school at preview, we asked where to go. A couple people said, "to their classrooms". We didn't know where they were. So guess what they said? "Go to the gym". Um, don't know where that is either. I know after a couple days, we'll learn the ins and outs, but it's a bit scary. I didn't expect that. I expected the whole teary "my baby is growing up" but not the worrying that we don't screw something up. It's weird. I'm sure it will be fine. He's super excited about riding the bus, going to school and making new friends. And that's enough for me.

Averages

Number of times I have to tell the kids to lay down before they actually go to sleep: 4

Loads of laundry in 1 week: 7

Loads of dishes each day: 2

Bags of chicken nuggets used each week: 1

Gallons of milk each week: 5

Number of times Isaiah nurses: 6

Bags of trash (we're bad): 5-6 per week

Dirty diapers in 1 day: 8

Of those said diapers, ones full of poop: 3

Number of outfit changes due to diaper overfloweth each day: 1

Times each day I use the vaccuum: 2

Times I sweep my floors, trying to get every single piece of stuff Isaiah could put in his mouth: 2

Times I pull something out of Isaiah's mouth that he found, despite my attempt to prevent it: 2

Number of times Clara refuses to sit on the potty before nap/bed each week: 7

Number of times Clara wets the bed in a week: 3

Number of times Clara's sheets get washed: 4. Never fails, after clean sheets are put on, she pees.

Meals refused each day: 4. At least 1 meal by Jacob, usually all 3 by Clara

Number of times work calls looking for extra help: 1 every 2 weeks

Baths given each week: 20-24, depending on diaper blowouts and spit-ups

Times I try to take a relaxing bath each week: 3

Times I successfully take an uninterrupted bath: 0

Tantrums each day: 10 from Clara, 8 from Jacob

Number of times I hear "She hit me" or "He took my toy" etc. : 1 time per hour

Usual number of minutes between arguments between Jacob and Clara: 20

Usual time I get to bed: 11pm

Usual wake up time: 5:30 a.m.

Number of hugs and kisses received: numerous

Number of times each day I realize I wouldn't change anything: every single minute

And we're off..

...to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz. Not really, sorry for the tangent. Tonight we go to the school for kindergarten preview. Its a chance for us newbies to school to meet the teachers, see the classroom, get a tour of the school and have all of our questions answered about how this whole school thing goes. We have to take all 3 kids, but I figure there will be a bunch of kindergarten kids running around, so we won't stand out if our kids misbehave. Then tomorrow, the kids and I are making the 4 our drive to visit my sister for the weekend before Jacob starts school Monday. She's in a big city so there a ton of stuff to do. We plan on going to a childrens museum that looks pretty cool and plus it's by the lake, so we'll get to show the kids a big body of water, which they haven't ever seen. It will be a good time, but the 4 hour trip with a 5 year old, almost 4 y.o and 8 month old isn't exactly a good time. Wish me luck!

8 Months

Where in the world did the last 8 months go? It hardly seems possible that it's been 8 months since Isaiah was born. He's growing like a weed, crawling all over at high speeds, pulling himself up to standing on everything he can, and eating some food he has to chew (although he still doesn't show any signs of teeth). Of course the pulling up on things leads to falls and bruises. Breastfeeding is going well still. I've been a little surprised at some of the reactions people have when they find out I'm still breastfeeding. Especially from co-workers. I kind of expect to hear "You're still nursing him?" "Since he's eating food, you're probably weaning him, right?" "You'll wean him by the time he's a year old won't you" from family, although after 3 breastfeeding kids, I'm surprised they haven't realized how big of an advocate for breastfeeding I am. What surprises me is the reaction from my co-workers. Most everyone seems surprised I'm still breastfeeding. He has to have bmilk or formula until he's a year, so why would I stop? Just so I can give him formula? They are also surprised he's never been supplemented with formula, especially the first 6 months. I guess I figure that my co-workers are educated on the benefits of breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding that they would be more understanding. Not everyone can breastfeed, but it came easy for me. Anyway, I got up on my soapbox, maybe I'll delve into this more in another post. Isaiah's hair is still wild, but not wild like it was a few months ago. Most of it will lie flat, but he's got this cowlick that makes his hair stick up in the back, plus his bald spot is still growing in so it gives the illusion that he's wearing a hair piece. It's a riot. I'm sure he'll be walking before I'm ready. Really, there's no way to completely baby proof, so we're constantly pulling him away from the entertainment center, from the dvd's, taking the older kids toys away, and it goes on. Only in the playpen is he contained and can't get into anything. That is until he's big enough to pull himself out of it! But I think we have a few more months before that happens, hopefully!


A picture doesn't do it justice, but you can kind of see how it looks like a hairpiece

Tag!

I've been tagged! Jessica tagged me, and here are the rules

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules to your blog
3. Write 6 random things about myself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

1. I have a thing about my socks. It drives me crazy if they aren't situated on my feet just right. My mom told me that my grandmother would pull her socks down to her ankles and then fold the extra underneath her toes, and then put shoes on! The thought of that makes my toes curl, and as a matter of fact, they are curled right now. I constantly mess with my socks to make sure they aren't crooked. One fear I have is that when I'm old and in a nursing home, someone is going to put socks and shoes on my feet and my socks will be crooked and I won't be able to fix them! I've made a few people promise to check out my socks come that day. '

2. I like to climb trees. Now I haven't for years, but given the opportunity (and no one around to watch) I'd probably climb one now. Not like I used to, but there's nothing like reading a book reclined in a tree.

3. I love water parks/pools/beaches. I enjoyed watching my munchkins play at the sprinkler park this summer, but one of the big reasons we went: so I could play in the water.

4. I'm a sorority girl. Yep. I'm not the stereotypical sorority girl, but at the private university I went to, I joined 1 of 3 sororities, and even held the office of VP. I guess I'll go ahead and give a shout out to all my sisters: Together let us seek the heights!

5. I am a pretty quiet person until I get to know someone and I worry WAY too much about what people think of me. I worry that I look like a fool around the physicians I work with, I worry I look dumb when I'm talking to someone new. I even worry I'll offend someone on my blog. Which is why I blog as Nurse Lochia. Plus, I'm a HUGE lurker. Seriously. I frequent every blog on my blogroll, but rarely, if ever do I comment. Not because I don't enjoy the blog, it's because I worry sometimes I'll sound like an idiot. And, I'm quiet. So don't worry, I keep up on everyone's blog, you just might not see too many comments from me. I'm trying to be better about that because I have several people who frequent my blog, but don' t comment and I'd like to be able to read their blog, if they have one, so leave me a comment so I can come visit! Anyway, I tried to "bring me out of my shell" over the years, by taking drama class in H.S., by joining and taking office in a sorority, by being president of a professional college organization. It did help, although I also think just getting older did it too.

6. I am a neat freak with very little patience. I, of course, can't divulge in my need to have a clean house with 3 kids, and a husband, and the whole patience thing I'm working on. Like they say, I prayed for patience, but wasn't specific in how I wanted to get that patience...so I'm being taught how to be patient.

I'm cheating and only tagging 3:
Fertilized
Jody
Jaimie

One more week

This past couple weeks of work, we've had quite of few people having babies with not so good things going on or that have happened in their life. Moms who have been raised by another family member after her mother was murdered, moms living with people who throw beer on them and all over their baby clothes, husbands who committed suicide and killed one of the children, abuse, drug abuse, etc. One mom I'll probably never forget her because of the horrible, horrible situation she's in. I obviously can't give the details, but it just breaks your heart when you try to help someone who doesn't want help. I'll be the first to admit that I grew up under a rock a small town, surrounded by corn and other small towns, but damn, there are some sick people out there. Anyway, moving on...

In one week, Jacob is going to kindergarten. I just can't believe it. I know I've said it before and it's kinda cliche', but I just don't know where the time has gone. And it's hard to explain exactly why I'm going to be a little sad come next Monday watching him get on that bus. It's a big milestone, I think it will help end some of the bickering between him and Clara because they won't be together all the time, and I'll be able to get stuff done. I think it's because it's the end of his "babyhood" even though he hasn't been a baby for a long time now. You don't notice that the days and hours go as quickly as they do until you look and your sweet baby is now crawling, then walking and running, talking in sentences, writing his name, getting on the bus to kindergarten, getting a driver's license and heading out the door to college. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy Jacob is going to school, and at the end of next summer, I'll be ready for him to go back I'm sure. And the thought of having all 3 in school and having 5 days all to myself sounds fabulous at times, but then again, what will I do? I think Jacob is going to have a ball in kindergarten. We were hoping he'd get our neighbor as his teacher and he did. She has a daughter just a couple weeks younger than Isaiah and Jacob was entertaining her one night while we were over at another neighbors house. So he'll know her. We have basically an orientation next Thursday where they'll clue us first-timers in on everything. It's a good thing, I just have to keep reminding myself I'll get through that first day.

Me and Jacob, December 42003, Jacob was 5 months. And man, I look a lot younger, well, I guess I was younger... and thinner...and less sleep deprived! Me and Jacob, he loved his paci, a little too much as he got older. He loved being rocked to sleep and he liked having his paci and being held really close, like he was nursing, to fall asleep.

Naked baby Jacob on our bed, playing under the towel. I remember this night, he was being so cute. Luckily, he didn't pee on the bed!
Notice the wild hair? Seems to be a thing in our family with the boys.
Jacob now, at a big 5 years old. Don't worry, he's since had a hair cut :) I just can't believe how much he's changed!

Work and kid updates

Last Thursday after my phone call I took, it got to be incredibly busy. On busy nights, I always said to myself "at least it's not as busy as a busy day in critical care". I'd just remember running from room to room, always behind, when I worked critical care. But, last Thursday, I couldn't say that. I can honestly say I've never been busier. We were short-staffed due to a call-in, no one would come in and there were only 3 labor nurses. By morning, we had transferred a 32 week ruptured patient to a hospital with a NICU, admitted and discharged a few outpatient questionable labors, had several active labor patients come in, another active labor come in who was a repeat c-section, and we had a 19 week ruptured twin mom deliver the second twin, and an elective induction that her doc said to go ahead and bring in. Never mind we don't have any labor rooms open (we have 7 labor rooms and 4 outpatient chairs for). Most of this happened between 4:30 and 6:00. By that time, I ended up with the repeat c-section mom (who was from India and spoke just a little english), had my two active labors who were 9 cm/ and 6 cm, and also my antepartum watch over night for increased blood pressure patient. Thank God for the dayshift.

Yesterday, I registered Jacob for kindergarten. I still can't believe in a week and a half, he'll be getting on the bus to go to school. I'm sure I'll be a little teary that first day or two, but I'm also excited. He seems to be excited to go to his new school, and husband and I are planning to be involved in some way in the school. I never thought husband would want to be involved with like the parents organization, but he's actually pretty excited to get involved. It was weird walking into a grade school, because even though I didn't go to this grade school, it still had that smell and feeling that took me back to when I was in grade school. Clara is being ornery as ever. She's been potty trained during the day for awhile now, but we're still struggling with nighttime. I know kids have a hard time at night sometimes, but it's still frustrating. Last night, she put her pull-up on, but apparently decided in the middle of the night to take it off, so of course she peed in her bed. I had just washed her bedding yesterday for the same thing. And I hate washing bedding. Oh well. Eventually she'll get it. She's still pretty into her babies, and has to put them to bed before she'll go to bed at night. It's pretty cute to watch her cover them up, and pat them to sleep. Isaiah has been a bit trying lately. I swear this kid hates to sleep. He doesn't take naps very well, and nighttime sleep is sporadic. The last two nights have been rough. He'll go to sleep, but wake up super early and not go back to sleep. Last night, he was up at 2:00a.m., nursed for quite awhile, and kicked and squirmed and finally at 5:15 or so, I got frustrated with being his pacifier, took him downstairs, put him in the swing, hoping that would work. After 30 minutes of crying, he did go back to sleep for a little bit. He just wants to suckle on and off all night. We've tried a multitude of things, but to no avail. If I thought it would actually work, I'd wean him so he'd sleep more. And that's a HUGE thing for me to say, considering I'm a self-proclaimed breastfeeding nazi. I think he's just going to be one of those kids who doesn't sleep well until he's 2 or 3. He had been sleeping better for awhile, so maybe he's about to finally get teeth, or it's just a phase.

Can people really be this clueless?

People never cease to amaze (and amuse) me. Evolution and survival of the fittest? Sometimes people make it through that natural selection. Here's an actual phone conversation I had last night:

Nurse Lochia (NL): "Hi, this Nurse Lochia, can I help you?"

Grandma to be(GTB): "Yeah, I know you guys can't really give out too much advice, but my 18 year old daughter is 3 months pregnant and she's constipated. She can't have a bowel movement, actually she had a bowel movement but it won't come out. What do I do and can I give her any medication tohelp"

NL: "What do you mean, won't come out? She feels the need to go, but can't?"

GTB: "She had a bowel movement and it won't come all the way out. The turd is halfway out of her butt but she can't get it out and she's still on the toilet".

NL (speechless): "Um, yeah, okay, I can't tell you what medications she can take, so I'd just call
the office in the a.m. and ask.

GTB "But what does she do in the meantime with the turd hanging out?"

NL: "Um, have her take toilet paper and wipe/pull it out? I'm sorry but that's the only advice I can tell you".

GTB: "Okay, thank you." click.

I can honestly say I sat there in a state of shock. I mean, really, who sits on the toilet, when they're 18 years old, with stool hanging out of their butt, tells their mother she can't get it to drop, and so her mom calls the labor and deliver department?

When it rains, it pours

Tonight, husband was giving the kids a bath and I was getting clothes together for the weekend. We are going to visit his family tomorrow night and coming back Saturday afternoon. As I was fulfilling my need to be organized and feeling pretty good, I heard the shower going and my husband going "shit, shit, shit,..". Curious, I walked into the bathroom and quickly realized that the sound I was hearing wasn't the shower - there was water shooting everywhere from under the sink. Shit. What had happened was the hot water valve came loose and shot everywhere before he got the water turned off. I went downstairs and there was water dripping onto my living room floor from the ceiling fan, which is right underneath the upstairs bathroom. I watched as huge water marks spread across that part of the ceiling and watched water drip from the ceiling, onto the fan, and drip onto the floor. I of course freaked out, called my dad for advice, and wanted husband to call a plumber for advice. The dripping continued for quite awhile, we turned off the water main, and finally, the water stopped. Probably it was just the water from where the valve broke, but I was so afraid it was something more serious, like a cracked water pipe in the second floor ceiling. So, water is turned back on, we don't have hot water in the upstairs bathroom sink, but thankfully, no water is dripping. I think we're good, and I think it's a cheap, easy fix. Hard to believe, a plumbing problem that is cheap AND we can do. Maybe next time it'll be a major problem. Makes me glad we decided to buy a house built in the late 1800's. Good times, good times.

Confessions of a Roadside Scavenger

Over the weekend, I scored a new cabinet for the bath towels. We live in an old house and apparently back in the late 1800's, they didn't use closets as much as we do now. So in order to hold all of our bathroom stuff (towels, lotion, toilet paper, etc.) I've gotten cabinets, shelves to hold everything. It's actually a microwave cart, but it's got a lot of space for towels, shelves on top and matches the bathroom cabinets. Funny thing is, I didn't go to the store to get it. I noticed the neighbor across the street carrying it out to the curb. So my FIL walked across the street, chatted with the neighbor and then my neighbor and FIL carried across the street and into my house. Yep, I'm a dumpster diver. And proud of it. I mean, come on, some people put out some great stuff. I wasn't always into being a curbside scavenger. When I first moved here right after college, my roommate and I didn't have much in the way of furniture, nor the funds to buy a living room set. So, we took a walk and 2 blocks away was a couch. It was hideous with an orange, yellow and brown 70's flower motif. But, we carried that puppy home, cleaned it up and covered it with a sheet. A few weeks later, we found another couch, farther away, so husband/then boyfriend helped us get it on top of my poor T-bird and we drove it home. We upgraded, you could say, 4 times until we had a nice off-white couch and a green couch with a pull out bed. I also found a good-as-new chair a coffee table and a computer desk. I rubbed of on my roommate, and since she's been married, she and her husband have a cedar chest and a bunk bed frame they picked up off the curb. Even after I got married and bought new things, I couldn't stop myself. We no longer use most of those deals, but a couple have served us well. The lazyboy recliner has rocked all 3 of my kids to sleep (now covered with a slip cover) and the nice decorative table looks great with the woodwork in my dining room. And a couple of the kids outside plastic toys and plastic picnic table were curbside deals. People sometimes just have things they want to get rid of that are in good condition, so they set them out, knowing someone will pick it up. Now I do have my limits. If it's actually in the dumpster or covered with trash, no way. And my standards are much higher than they were 8 years ago. I thought I was alone in my odd obsession but after talking with a couple nurses a few years ago, I discovered they did the same thing. They'd found some antiques set out and they took them home, cleaned them up and refinished them and they were good as new. So I'm thrilled with my good-as-new towel cabinet .

Weekend in Review

As usual, this weekend had it's highs and lows. Saturday I admitted an outpatient, possible labor. She was a G5 P4, repeat c-section who'd been in the night before. She came in because she was having occasional contractions and spotting that she thought was probably from vag exams earlier. Nothing going on, saw 1 contraction in 45 minutes...discharged to home. Admitted another patient, early labor, and she just wasn't changing her cervix and she was frustrated she was still 2 cm, but having contractions. She had that "labor feel" and I really thought she'd do it. Doc said to keep until the a.m. Her contractions started to slow down in frequency and intensity and she ended up sleeping for about 4 hours, but when she woke up, she was contracting regularly and she was 4-5 cm dilated. I had told her when her contractions were starting to slow, that maybe she would be able to sleep and when she woke up, she'd be in good labor...I love being right. we had a patient who was about 26 weeks who was afraid her water broke - it did not. Also had a couple of really nice deliveries without complications. We also had a fair share of sadness. One mom delivered her first baby, a girl, by c-section because she was breech. Her husband had committed suicide when she was 6 months pregnant. She said he never gave any indication that anything was wrong. The baby's middle name is her father's first name. I just can't imagine - he was so depressed that he chose death over life and meeting his unborn child. Another couple came in, she was about 21 weeks, not yet at viability, and she had noticed after a bowel movement that there was something in her vagina. Turned out to be her amniotic membranes bulging through. The hope was to keep her on bed rest and get her to at least viability. But, her lab work indicated she had some kind of infection, plus she started having contractions. She delivered a perfect baby girl. The delivering doc, who most everyone agrees is a moron, told the parents after the baby delivered that it was gone. As happens sometimes, the parents weren't ready to see the baby, so the labor nurse took the baby to another room to do footprints and pictures. She thought "man, this baby looks alive" and then she noticed it was breathing. Had a heartbeat. So she took her back to her parents where they had 2 hours with her before she died. Personally, I'd like my caregivers to know the difference between living and not. And I don't think that's too much to ask. The mom knew this doc because she is a nurse and wasn't thrilled he was on call for her regular doc to begin with. He's also made several incredibly inappropriate comments lately. This couple had suffered through 4-5 years of infertility, got pregnant with their first IUI. They said at least they got 2 hours with their daughter and had hope for future pregnancies. On a happier note, this morning, we had two patients, both laboring with their 2nd baby in a kind of race to see who would deliver before the other. There's always a fine line with privacy, but they knew there was someone else laboring who was about as close as they were. Believe it or not, they delivered within 3 minutes of each other. Both moms seemed to be into this friendly competition with a stranger they'd never meet. My grandmother was a nurse she always said that "the happiest and saddest place in the hospital is the labor and delivery ward". She was right.

Boring Ramblings

Good news, good news! I don't have to stay awake for 2 days. Funny enough, it's my in-laws that decided to go ahead and come down and watch the kids. I had been pumping myself up for the task of functioning on little to no sleep, and thank God, I don't have to now. Sleep seems to always be on my brain these days. I think it started back when I went from day shift to night shift. Sure, there were days I was beat because I just didn't get enough sleep at night, but I knew I'd get to return to my bed the next night. After working nights, I don't always get to go to bed after a long night. Then I've had 2 children since working nights, so I'm even more focused on sleep. Last night I got a decent nights sleep. If Isaiah hadn't decided it was time to party at 5:00 a.m., I couldn't have slept until 8a.m. Jacob is almost always up by 6:30 but today he sleep until 8am. We went to the water park again, and I think that's what's working. Both mornings after playing at the water park, the kids both slept later, except Isaiah of course.
Isaiah has officially started crawling up on all fours. He's been mobile since June, doing the army crawl, but he just couldn't get going up on his knees. He figured it out Sunday. Now there's no stopping him. So the gates are up and I'm going to do some shopping around for a couple sturdy, long gates. We mounted gates at the other house we lived in, but we have nice woodwork here and we don't want to tear it up. The regular pressure mounted gates don't last as long as we'd like, so we're going to put a little bit more money into something that will hopefully last until we don't need them anymore. And one that has a small gate in it that will swing open so we don't have to constantly step over it. Plus, Jacob and Clara need to be able to get around. So we'll see what's out there.