A Tired Mother's Prayer

God, help me not to lose my mind when I have been up five times in the night with one child, and the other decides to start the day bright and early.

Help me to be the best mother I can be, but God, help me not to beat myself up over the times that I fail.

Give me endless amounts of love for my babies, and help me to keep my cool even when one of them throws a fit because of something that seems so insignificant, but apparently can turn a toddler's world upside down.

Lord, give me the wisdom to know when I just need a break. Help me not to feel guilty about those moments to myself, and to understand that they make me a better mother.

When my paid leave time off is all used up at work and someone comes down with yet another illness, give me the strength I need to wipe the boogers away for the millionth time, or to squirt Tylenol into the mouth of a screaming child, or to do a load of laundry and give a bath at three in the morning because a certain someone threw up all over himself.

God, please help me to remember that this won't last forever. Help me to hold onto the sweet moments and banish the memories I'd rather not hold onto. Show me how to be the best version of myself, for the sake of my husband and children.

And for goodness' sake, please, Lord, let both children sleep through the night. Just once. Please?

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Update on the Boys

At 2 years and 3 months, Colin:

• is totally obsessed with Thomas the Train, and trains in general
• can sing his ABCs and count to 10
• eats well and loves to snack
• is sleeping through the night in his big boy bed
• asks for seconds when I give him applesauce or mandarin oranges
• is nowhere near ready to potty train just yet
• still takes a nap each day, thank goodness
• likes to read books, do puzzles, play with bubbles and play outside
• still uses a paci, but only when it's time to sleep
• is a whiz kid on the iPad and likes to play games and use Netflix
• will kiss your owies better if you point them out
• is a great big brother to Reid, who he loves like crazy

 At 4 months, Reid:

• weighs 15 pounds and is 25 inches tall
• drinks pumped breast milk at daycare and nurses when we're together
• smiles a ton and has laughed a couple times
• sleeps well in his crib, usually waking once a night to eat
• can support his weight and hold up his head like a champ
• sucks his thumb to soothe himself
• loves the swing and naps well in it
• has sensitive skin, just like his brother did at this age
• drools quite a bit and can soak through a onesie in no time
• has a few blowout diapers each week. the kid can poop.
• is still comfortable being held by new people
• has the most adorable little voice when he coos and "talks"

I can't believe how fast these boys of mine are growing. I really can't.

Colin's Big Boy Bed

Guys, we did it. We moved our "little" Colin out of his crib and into a big boy bed. Is it just me, or does he look like a mini teenager here? Where has my baby gone? (Good thing I have another one. hehe.)

 

We decided it was time to make the switch when he started trying to climb out of his crib. He never actually made it out, but we caught him quite a few times with one leg hiked up over the side, like he was getting ready to throw himself over the edge. So, we broke out the crib conversion kit, bought some Thomas bedding to get him excited about it, and voila! Colin's big boy bed was born. Cute, right?

The first night was ridiculously smooth. Too smooth. Too good to be true. Yeah, he fell out of bed a couple times, but he snoozed right through it. On the second night, it's like he realized he had the freedom to hop right out of bed if he wanted to. CRAP. This is when the Battle of the Bed commenced. I started to dread bedtime, and so did he. We tried reading stories in bed, but somehow that got him even more riled up. He hopped out to get more books, flipped through them quickly, and then ran to get more. Oh dear goodness.

We tried singing songs. Praying together. Snuggling. Not snuggling. Anything to get him to settle down and go to sleep. What we finally learned, through trial and error and a few tough nights, was that we were trying too hard.

It was really my husband who stumbled upon the "right" way to tuck him in. He sat on the bed next to him, sang "Twinkle twinkle little star" with him one time, gave him a kiss, said goodnight, and left the room. He pulled the door until it was almost closed, just enough to peek through and check on him. Colin whined a little bit, but - wonder of wonders - did not get out! I was amazed!

Last night, it was my turn to give it a try. I did exactly what Justin had done the night before, and it worked! A little bit of whining, and then silence. He fell asleep within a few minutes! Now, I don't expect for every night to be this easy, but so far our short and sweet bedtime routine seems to be making a big difference.

I am so proud of my big boy!

And speaking of big boys, Reid will be 4 months old on Thursday. Holy moly! I will update with his 4 month stats after his appointment Friday. I may be a little biased, but there is a whole lotta handsome going on here.

 

These boys. They have my heart.

More to come!  

Reality

An old friend from college recently blogged about the importance of sharing real life experiences, rather than creating unrealistic images of ourselves through social media. After some thought, I realized that people's perception of me may not be totally accurate. People who know me only through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram may think that my house is usually clean. What they can't see, though, is that the pictures I take are almost always strategically cropped to avoid showing a pile of dirty laundry or a folded-up dirty diaper that hasn't yet made it to the trash.

I think it's important for parents of young children, especially, to share our realities with each other. If nothing else, it allows us to see that we are normal when we ignore a mess a little longer than we'd like to, or have a "bad parenting" moment, or go a couple days without a shower (ahem). These things shouldn't embarrass us. They are our reality. Due to my job, and the time it takes me to commute each day, I'm away from home about 50 hours a week. When I am home, my family is my top priority. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time to be Martha Stewart. So, this is me coming clean and telling you that at this very moment, I am sitting on the couch blogging while Saved by the Bell reruns play in the background. In my pajamas. At 11:30 am. With disheveled hair and coffee breath, and a toddler who refuses to nap. Like it or not, this is who I am on a Saturday morning.

Why won't you nap, child?!

Don't worry; this blog isn't about to become a place to rant about my imperfections and failures. But I do think that it's time we stop painting an unrealistic picture of ourselves, and be up front and honest about the moments that we ALL share. This is real life, people!

Won't you join me in my quest for being real?

 

A Thought for the Day