Back to "Normal" Sleep

Nope it was a oddity. Hoping to get that elusive 5 hours together sleep again, but it was back to "normal" routine the last few nights. Bummer! I love sleep.

Why?

Today has been a day of a pooping, crying, awake infant combined with a motormouth, awake preschooler.

Why didn't I become that professional anthropologist?

Does it smell like Grandma Bonnie?

What does that mean? Just something else Miss Julia said to us yesterday.
They picked up some food from my mom's house & she'd put it in her cooler.
The cooler is sitting on the bench by back door now & I guess Julia smelled it.
When Jai asked her what it smelled like, was it a bad smell, she said no.
So funny!

Glorious Sleep

Jacqueline slept from 9:15p-4a.
That means I slept from 10:30p-3:45a.
OMG! That is 5.5 hours ... TOGETHER!
I cannot remember the last time I slept that many hours in 1 stretch.
That many hours is my usual amount of sleep each night.
However, not consecutive sleep with no interruptions, usually for a feeding.

I fed Jacqueline at 8:30p, only on left side too.
I should have been in bed myself at 9:30p, but I had stuff to do - of course (clean pump stuff!).
Then I decided to pump, felt slightly full, definitely on right side;.
I got about 1.5 ounces which is nice to store.
Good thing I did too as that would have been a long stretch, really uncomfortable.

Julia of course was not asleep when I went upstairs. UGH!
She has so many books she wants to "read."
I was so tired & told her I was going to bed. I didn't even look at my book.
Then Julia comes into my room & says "I cannot see my book, Mommy."
I said "No, you cannot. My light is off. I'm going to sleep."
I don't know what happened after that.

Now as I pump & write this blog post, I hear her moving around upstairs.
WTF! It's 5am! Girl, go to sleep & stay asleep! DANG IT!
I'm going to Y when I finish, hope she's back in bed. I want Jai & Jacqueline to keep sleeping.
Too much going on in her brain! Amazing!

Rushing Part 3

Really! Seriously! My last statement in previous post is so not realistic. Anyone who has seen my house or calendar & the many lists I have, constantly making, editing, crossing off stuff, knows that I am Queen of Multi-Tasking. As much as it seems like a good idea it's not the best plan to do multiple tasks at the same time. Folding laundry while watching TV maybe, writing blog post while pumping, yes possibly, but most tasks need a certain amount of majority attention.

So I forgot to mention about getting home to eat lunch quickly before heading to 1p clinic appt. 
Yep, after the 10am movie, I have my annual well woman exam. It actually worked out in my favor as I went alone & it was quite lovely. I listened to my audio book (Man Made) during drive over & back. Also while waiting in exam room I read book #4 of 5 (Mindy Kaling's satirical memoir) in NPL's Summer Reading Program. Really funny book, I love "The Office" too!

Then after Julia's nap, I decide to go to Y to read book. I dropped girls at Y Play for 45 minutes of quiet time to read book as it was due yesterday. I'm almost finished! I get home at 5pm to feed Jacqueline. However, she fell asleep so had to pump as I'm rushing to leave to pick up Anne Marie (we're carpooling to save the earth & also difficult parking situation). We're going to see "My Sister's Sister" at the Belcourt Theater. Yep I'm seeing another movie, this time without my children. 

We're late of course so running to get ticket so can get code for parking pass. Whew! We're inside finally & we get into DARKEST theater ever, searching for seats & sit down. We're briefly talking, whispering I believe, about what happened, what we missed & we got shushed! We are at the Belcourt so I'm sure that's part of it. So fancy! Really though! The woman stands up with this man, whom we did NOT see sitting there,  & says "of all the seats in this theater you choose this row & then you have to talk" & walks off to some other dark row of seats. Seriously! We just sat down, hardly said anything & not that loud. I doubt you missed anything! I barely thought about it until after the movie, half expecting her to find us & chew us out again. However, when the lights appeared (barely!) it was like the few people in the theater had disappeared into thin air. Strange! Good movie though.

OK so here's another funny tidbit going back to NPL Summer Reading Program. I try to participate every year & this year we registered Julia too. She completed hers, but I forgot to log her 5th star before the deadline. I was doing that last night & also going to log in my 4th star & I cannot find the icon on NPL website. Odd! Then I realize the date & the deadline was LAST Saturday, not this Saturday as I think it is. Trying to reach my goal, cross another item off my list. DANG IT! I was so close too. Jai completed his 5th star on-line so he gets a prize. Oh, well, next year. However, I decided to continue to think this Saturday is my deadline. My 5th star is this YA book "Planet Tad" written by a writer for Daily Show so you know it's funny. It's hilarious! It's written from the perspective of a 7th grade boy & every day is a blog post so wicked easy to read; I'll be done in no time. 3 months a day is my goal. Whatever your age, whether or not you've worked with or lived with a middle school boy, you will enjoy this book. So funny!

Rushing Part 2

OMG! First of all, Julia got it right. She's amazing! Yet I'm focusing on the wrong things. This is time with my family. The other stuff doesn't matter.

The activity is going to see a movie that costs $1 per person. It doesn't matter if we're on time. There probably aren't any previews either which I love. Plus I feel bad & angry trying to do so much that I'm not enjoying the current activity as I think of a zillion other tasks.

I say "come on, Tara - suck it up! Be late! Who cares! Go to the movie with your family." I finish with Jacqueline, put clothes in dryer, hang clothes on line outside (I have to, it's really hot so they'll be dry by the time we return) while Jai puts kids in car seats. I eat my cereal in the car & we arrive at theater in 10 minutes. We pay $3 for tickets & with Regal Crown Club card purchase of tickets on a Tuesday, we receive $2 small popcorn vouchers. Sweet! I buy 2 bags of popcorn = grand total of $7 for this movie experience. Jai & girls are already in theater which is semi-crowded. We climb over a family to seats in middle of row & settle in to watch movie "Rio" which came out last year.

Julia has her own bag of popcorn - so fun for her! : )
I hold baby while Jai eats popcorn from other bag.
Then we switch & he holds Jacqueline while I eat popcorn & watch movie.
I get Jacqueline back & nurse her to sleep for rest of movie.

This Summer Movie Express is a great program. $1 admission on Tuesdays & Wednesdays for 10am showing of "older" movies. You don't have to have children to attend, but most of the movies are aimed at kids plus much more affordable movie going experience for families.

"Rio" was great! Good music, fun story, set in Rio de Janiero, Brazil of course during Carnival. Julia was slightly loud at a few points, asking questions about the story.  It especially seemed like she talked loudly during a quiet moment, & we reminded her to whisper. No one shushed us though as the theater was filled with families with small children. As we left the theater we saw a friend Lisa with her children & she said this was their first time here all summer. Definitely need to do this next summer, especially on hot or rainy days!

Be late, do less tasks, be happy with the now! Rushing around is crazy!

Rushing ...

I feel like this is the title of my life. I'm always trying to get so much done in what feels like the smallest amount of time. Rushing here, rushing there, on a constant treadmill through my life. I also rush other people, especially Jai who seems super slow sometimes & Julia too despite other posts about her constant movement. Even drivers on the road sometimes are slow - well, some are!

It's not that they (Jai & Julia) are that slow, it's that I cannot realistically get everything I want done in the time allowed, especially not with a small baby, also a breastfed baby. Factoring in the time to feed her before, after or during an activity is really annoying sometimes and means things don't get done. Frustrating!

Example:
Yesterday I slept "late" meaning I didn't get up after Jacqueline's typical 5am feeding & do my alone time routine (pump/email or blog posts, laundry, exercise, shower) before everyone else wakes. We ALL slept in MY bed until 8am. OMG! Yes, that is late in our house. I really do not remember how many times Jacqueline ate; I was so tired! At some point Julia came into our room; not finding any room in the middle of bed or on the side by Jai she sleeps perpendicularly at the foot board.

Last night I told Jai I wanted to be ready to leave for that day's activity at 9am. Usually I set the time about an hour before we need to be at destination. No way it's going to happen now! Instead of jumping in shower & focusing on essential tasks, I put a load of laundry in washer. They're all still upstairs doing I don't know what. Now I realize I won't be able to shower with washer on (weirdness) so I start to vacuum as the dog hair is SO annoying right now, well really always! Family downstairs now, Jai starts breakfast. I get clothes from washer to hang outside & put ANOTHER load in washer.  I leave basket with wet clean clothes (to hang on clothes line outside) on bench by back door. I figure I'll get to them later.

Finally I decide to jump in shower - it's past 9am now. I hear Jacqueline crying as I'm dressing & I cannot remember how long it's been since I fed her. I hurry to get her & remind Jai that we need to leave in 30 minutes max & he still needs to shower. I'm also hungry so this is making me extra irritable of course. While feeding Jacqueline, I brush Julia's hair & help her put some lotion on her arms & legs. Jai brings me bacon & heads upstairs to shower. As 9:45am approaches I decide I'm not going - I say aloud "I need to feed myself, feed Jacqueline, hang laundry, put other laundry in dryer."  Jai has showered & dressed already & come downstairs really quickly - he's amazingly fast at this task. Julia walks to kitchen to tell him that "Mommy isn't going with us to the movie."  "What? Why?" I hear him ask. Her reply - "She has things she wants to get done."

Post is too long - to be continued.

6 months of Jacqueline

HAPPY MONTHIVERSARY!
I cannot believe it has already been 6 months!
You are a cutie pie, with your constant smiles, real laughter & that busy tongue!
What an easy temperament too & you let many people hold you. Thanks! : )
You weighed 14.4 pounds, 26 inches long & 41 cm head circumference.
Lots of growth since 4 month clinic visit, definitely since you arrived!
A couple more pounds & you'll have tripled your weight! That's amazing since you started so small!

Jai - insert photo here. please : )

Julia goes to the Dentist Part 2

I forgot to write about this event.

Julia went to dentist in early April for first cleaning.
Sometime soon after that & before I went to my June dentist appointment, Julia fell while at Grandma Bonnie's & 1 of her front "eye" teeth came out, "roots & all" Jai told me. The tooth next to it was loose, getting looser every day.

In mid-June when I go to dentist, Julia comes with me for more dentist exposure & we ask them to look at it. It's OK. As the days/weeks go by, the tooth getting looser, Julia is more irritable (in pain naturally). So we call our favorite pediatric dentist referral (he helped us during the tooth pushed up in gum incident 2 years ago) & he has an opening at 4pm TODAY! We go!

Very calmly after examining the tooth situation & consulting with us about taking it out to which we both immediately say YES, Dr. Adams with gauze in hand while talking with Julia, removes the tooth. Minimal blood & pain almost unmentionable, we now have a 3 year old with 2 missing front teeth.

When asked about the Tooth Fairy, we reply "uh, no, not at this time." We're not trying to encourage "accidents" to happen for monetary gain. In due time we realize, but most kids lose their teeth around 6-7 years old, maybe 5, but definitely not 3. Oh, Julia, always ahead of the curve, well some curves! : )

Serenus

What Julia calls Serena & Venus Williams! Hilarious!

June is tennis month in our house.
The French Open ends at the beginning of the month & Wimbledon starts at the end of the month so I watch a LOT of tennis; so do Julia & Jai by default. Jai loves soccer so he watched some of Euro 2012, but I cannot wait for Julia to take some tennis lessons. She'll also probably play on a soccer team first as that is conveniently located at our very close Y. Plus swimming lessons started yesterday. Julia is a very physical child with TONS of energy so we are trying to channel it appropriately.

Back to Serenus ...

Also I have a continuous slideshow of pictures on my computer, including Wimbledon 2008 that I attended with my Wellesley friend, Pauline, when I was pregnant with Julia. She LOVES looking at them, especially the many ones of S & V. We saw the Williams sisters play in 2 doubles matches, once on Centre Court (so lucky, so cool!). However, the photos (taken by P, they are so good) are from seeing them play on a side court, an unexpected court change, so we had front row seats! So awesome!

Anyway, what a clever way to combine their names. So adorable! : )