Sleep, School, and Blow Up Cats

It gets darker earlier now.

All summer, we never once went for after-supper walks. Neither myself nor Ryan even knows why - we ask ourselves every night WHY we waited until we had to bundle up to start going for evening walks. But it's become our ritual - Aryn with her popsicle (yes... a popsicle with gloves and winter coat...) and Lukey in 3 layers - we head out for a twilight walk. Every day it gets darker earlier and earlier.

One of the main reasons we've been going for walks is because of the Halloween decorations out there. Aryn loooooves those big blow up cats. She pets them, hugs them, talks to them. It's too bad she doesn't have a pet of her own to show that love to.

Oh wait. She does. He's just a big jerk and doesn't want anything to do with her.

But I digress.

At Walmart yesterday I saw a blowup cat for $20. I was thisclose to buying it so we could blow it up in front of our house and Aryn could love it to pieces. But then I wondered if our evening walks would get less frequent because she wouldn't want to go see the "big kitty cats" so I put it back on the shelf. Yet every evening, when these darn cats aren't blown up because the owners have actual lives that don't revolve around my 3-year old's obsessive compulsive disorder, I contemplate again running to Walmart to grab that big 4-foot tall blow up cat for $20.

Anything to make that little ginger snap happy.

When Lukey was 3 months old, I had spent about 3 months bragging about what an amazing sleeper he was. I never knocked on wood because he'd always been really good! He went to bed at 8pm, woke up once at around 4am, ate, and then slept until 9am. Every single night, without fail. It was glorious. He was a light eater, and just all around a really great, easy baby.

Then...  he turned 4 months.

I talked about the 4 Month Sleep Regression in my last blog post, and now that we're in Lucas' 5th month, things seem to be "improving". I use that term extremely lightly.

Mind you, he is upstairs extremely pissed off at me right now because I won't come get him after his joke of a 40 minute nap. I'm leaving you until you sleep longer, mister! (FYI, I most definitely lost that battle. I don't win a lot of battles with this kid.)

... seriously, should I go buy Aryn that blow up cat??

It's been a fairly uneventful month, because I am up at the crack of dawn, then go to bed at about 9pm after both kids are asleep and am up anywhere from 2-15 times a night, with one or both of the kids. It's been fun. The zombie apocalypse is upon us in our household.

Every once in awhile, I get a clear realisation that things will be ok and we can handle this. In those moments, I stand here in the ray of the beauty that is my life and just soak it in.

Then one of them wakes up.

Despite our regular battles with sleep, Lukey really is a fantastic little bear. He smiles at anyone and everyone, he rolls around like a champ (except whenever he rolls onto his stomach, he gets seriously pissed off and just flops around like a fish out of water until I flip him over. Never mind that he can roll over from front to back all the time on his own; , holding himself up, getting his bum in the air (I am certain that within the month he will be crawling of some form), and has even begun eating a few kinds of food like rice cereal and random things that we're eating. I know, I know - he's not 6 months yet. But he takes my arm and shoves whatever I have in my hand into his mouth, and eyes up whatever I'm eating. So I'm taking his cues and letting him try it out. Nothing enough to fill up his tummy but enough for him to test it.

We did go through Lucas' first ever cold. It wasn't fun. He had a tough time breathing through his nose and he was coughing a lot. I am chalking it up to the fact that he has no hair so his head gets cold. Oh and Aryn started school so there's germs galore in our house.

Yes. Aryn started school.

It's preschool. She goes Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-11:30.

In my sleep deprived state, I have both forgotten to take her to school and forgotten to pick her up. On more than one occasion. But somehow, we are there around 9am and I somehow make it to pick her up around 11:30am. All in all, it's been a success. She is thriving - and doing remarkably well. She loves everything. She has friends, she is a little teacher pleaser, and she is known in class as the "class mommy" - meaning she is always looking out for everyone.

Yes... Woody... from Toy Story...

"Mrs. Ericson, Jacob needs help opening his lunch."
"Mrs. Ericson, Carys needs help putting her shoes on."
"Mrs. Ericson, someone pooped and is stinky."

Never mind that no one asks her for help. But she's there to offer it.

And this kid is funny.

Like, hilarious. She makes us laugh every day.

Her latest hilarious comment?

"I no want bacon, mommy. Bacon isn't good for me."

Whoever taught her that - you will suffer my wrath!

And obsessed with ladybugs. If there is a ladybug in the vicinity of her field of vision, two of two things will happen:

1. That ladybug WILL get caught.
2. That ladybug WILL die.

She doesn't murder them on purpose. It's purely by accident. She just loves them to death. Either way, those little ladybugs experienced a love like no other before they were squished.

RIP, ladybugs. And run. And hide.

Life is good.