When I’m bigger

This afternoon I took A to play at the tot-lot. On the way A said “Mommy, when I’m bigger we’ll break the car seat (i.e. take it apart) and then you will sit here and I will sit there and you will give me the keys and I will drive. And I will drive.” When she’s 16 and I hand over the car keys will I remember this?

Finally

Here are some things that have been happening with N:
1. He’s 8 months old.
2. Two of his top front teeth have FINALLY cut through. I think I felt a third today.
3. He FINALLY started going to sleep without screaming and crying (today was an exception – he was heartbroken that he didn’t get put to bed by his favorite person – L). He still wakes up 3-4 times at night, at least once he’s wide awake and ready to do anything but sleep…
4. He’s working very hard on crawling and standing (hence waking up ready to move). He gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth, but so far has only been able to move backwards. He LOVES standing and bouncing.
5. He’s infatuated with L. I’m just the milkwoman.

Sunday morning

Last Sunday A walked into our room shortly after 6 am. She has never done this before. N was sleeping blissfully in his crib. We were zonked. No juice to get us going at all. L got out of bed, but no dice. A wanted me. She wouldn’t get into bed with us. She just stood there and tugged at me for a while. Next thing I know, it’s 7 am and A is standing next to out bed calling me “Mommy, Mommy”. I have no idea what she did in our room for an hour. I tried to ask her, but she had no idea what I was talking about. It was so weird – did we actually sleep in? And what happened in that hour in A’s life?

Two kids, one room

We did it! We finally did it. N is now officially sleeping in his crib in A’s room. Scratch that, in the kids’ room. A wasn’t too excited about the change. She kept insisting that she doesn’t want to do it. But when the moment of truth came she was awesome. After I thought they were both settled and left the room, N started crying again. I was just about to walk in when I heard A: “Don’t cry N. I’m here with you. It’s time to sleep now. Don’t cry. Go to sleep”. Unfortunately (yet, not unexpectedly) he wasn’t convinced. At 4 am she had better luck – he seemed to settle after she talked to him for a while.

And I have my room back! I can read in bed before I go to sleep! I don’t have to tiptoe and worry about making noise when I go to bed. It was weird not having N there. And the multiple trips across the hall in the middle of the night, well, that’s not too convenient… But I got to see my little girl sleeping! Don’t think I’ve done that since she was N’s age.

My babies.

Hot

It’s really hot. Really, really hot. We drove down to RI to visit M & T. Their new house has a beautiful back yard that goes all the way down to the water. They’re just a block away from the Crescent Park carousel. A had to go on three rides and only a popsicle got her off her horse.

It was a long day. Did I mention it is hot? A insisted on sleeping in her fleece purple pajamas, cover herself with her green fleece blanket and refuse to open the window or turn on the fan. She must be SO hot. But she’s sound asleep.

Falafel

Today we had our national food for lunch. N was so excited. He LOVES falafel. He just ate and ate and ate. Yum.
L says that he likes tchina too. Even the garlic.

A little bed

Last night was A’s first night in her new little bed. The transition was uneventful. A’s crib is now N’s crib. Not that he sleeps in it, but it’s there for him to play in and for us to hope for longer occupancy stretches sometime in the future.

A has named one of her baby dolls Baby N. She carries him around in the sling, dresses and undresses him, feeds him from the bottle, nurses him and puts him to sleep. She even put him in her tummy with the other baby doll.

N is trying to get up on all fours. He still hasn’t figured out moving forward, although he makes the funniest faces when he’s trying to make it happen.