To Sleep or Not To Sleep

I don't know about you, but I love that moment in the day when all the kids are in bed and I can climb into my bed, pull the covers over my head and go to sleep. Granted it's sometimes hard to tune out the noise of the TV, the crackling baby monitor and my 3 year old whom doesn't require much sleep. I need a drink of water. I need to go potty. I'm scared, I heard a noise. I saw a moth - come get it. I didn't give you a kiss or hug. Call it what you will, but this child hit the age of "throwing oneself out of the crib", was moved into a big girl bed, and hasn't really slept much since. Did I mention that she was 18 months at the time? I tried gating her in her room and she climbed that too! It was then that I lost my ability as a parent to enforce nap. If I tried to get her to nap it usually resulted in a 3hr battle - ending in no nap. If I avoided the whole nap battle, it usually resulted in a little girl nodding off while eating dinner. I'm pretty sure we thought she was narcoleptic at one point. In fact, she goes from awake and active to passed out. She doesnt seem to have an "about to fall asleep" phase. The best part is this: when she DID nap it usually resulted in a delayed bedtime! She would get her second wind and stay up for hours past us adults! Seriously, the kid "needs" her sleep, but doesn't seem to require it. Now she is 3.5 and will nap on occasion, but that typically means the whole house will be kept up way too late. Here are some rare napping moments. Notice that NONE are in her bed!


Dayton has always been a pretty good napper. If we skipped nap, it usually meant he would fall asleep somewhere.


This was after nap - he came out of his room and fell asleep a bit longer. Too cute.


And a human sized Dora always helped him sleep.


Perhaps Dora was magic. This is actually Saige passed out.


I remember this nap battle. She is just outside her doorway. It appears as though I won.


These chairs do recline.


I got pushed out of my own bed.


Refusing to sleep in her bed. Obviously waiting for an important call.


A back rub from brother helped with this nap - even though he used his feet.


A cold travertine floor instead of the sofa beside her and pillow behind her. Seriously.


Kicked out of my bed again. I bet this was a Saturday morning at 6am.


Who falls asleep on the way TO the beach? Saige.


Again in the chair that reclines. But chooses to sleep on the arm.


Notice adult bed with no adults. Probably a Sunday morning at 5am.


Sweet brother holding her hand.


Not reclined recliner again.


Apparently a very tough day at preschool.


Is she crying? Hiding? Counting? Nope - she's sleeping in the middle of the cold travertine floor again.
Thank goodness for preschool - they are able to get her to nap every single day. I just have to deal with her staying up 2 hours past bedtime.

Raising A Princess

This could also be titled "Raising A Middle Child", "A Diva", "A Spirited Child"....you get the picture. I don't claim to know much about raising a girl even though I am one myself. I have come to realize that raising girls is MUCH different than raising boys. While neither one is easy, girls are most definitely more difficult. Of course one needs to factor in personality and temperament and I'm sure some mothers of girls reading this may disagree, but I digress. (I've wanted to use that in a sentence for a long time) That poem comes to mind....sugar and spice and all things nice, that's what girls are made of. That's the fairytale version. This is how I see it:


More often than not, girls are dirtier than boys.


Girls can wear clothing that says princess and yet act the exact opposite. Hands on hips and rubber boots automatically add sass.


Girls develop strange eating habits at a young age. Snacks taste better when eaten in roasting pans.


Cake pans work well too.


A girl's creativity has it's own set of rules.


Girls are always pretty in pink.


Girls are born to nurture. Babies are their best friends.


A girl has MANY moods. This is Saige's angry face.


Sunglasses often hide these many moods. The bigger the better.


Girls like to do things their own way. Saige wore this garden glove for a week. She even slept in it.


The middle child often likes to pretend she is the youngest child. Who says you can't be swaddled at 3?


Girls love chocolate.


They like to style their own hair.


Girls love babies of all types. These babies were given cookies for being good.


Girls sometimes have double standards. Babies must have naps but not big girls?


Girls can be fiercely independent.


Girls love presents of all sizes. The more presents the bigger the smile. This does not change as a girl ages.


Girls are not always so graceful or coordinated.


Every girl must own a pettiskirt and tutu. It is a wardrobe essential.


Girls also love jewelry.


A girl is never too young to have a spa day.


Accessories are also an important component of a girls wardrobe.


Girls are natural multitaskers.


Girls love flowers. This also does not change as a girl ages.


When a girl has confidence, she can pull off any look.


When given the option to dress oneself, a girl will always choose princess garb.


The more sparkles the better.


Ballerina garb is also loved.


It is important to a girl to look stylish at all times, even sunbathing.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Raising A Boy

Plenty of my friends are moms to all boys, my sister included. I have 1 boy and 2 girls and thus have the unique perspective that raising different genders is.... well, different. There is much to be said for that famous phrase "boys will be boys". Here are a few of my old iPhone photo "boy moments".


They like to experiment.


They think little sisters are bugs for catching.


They like to climb and flip and roll and have no regard for consequences like hard cabinets.


They learn differently.


They are good at finding alternate uses for sisters' belongings.


They are clowns.


They learn how to be cool at a young age.


They see things differently.


They idolize their daddy's.


Bad hair days don't bother them.


They like to be pampered.


Competitive by nature and never to young to take pride in ones accomplishments!

And just to be fair of course, a post will follow about raising a princess.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone