Nocturnal Habits of the Genetically Connected

I have been trying to remember how old Peter was when we stopped swaddling him when he slept. If we didn't wrap him tightly he would twiddle his hands to the point that he woke himself up. Cooper never liked being swaddled. He preferred having his arms and legs free to stretch out in all directions. Phoebe also has busy hands, more when she's asleep than when she's awake. It's those moving fingers that have inspired us to continue the baby-burrito routine each night.

As I was laying Phoebe down to wrap her up for the night I noticed something. She had her left leg bent at the knee with her left foot propped up on her right knee, much like many of the suit-and-tie-crowd sit during church. The reason this is significant is that I've often discovered Peter and Cooper asleep in the same position.

All three of my brothers sleep this way.

And so does my dad.

I love this quirky trait that they all share. I thought it was something just the men did, but Phoebe breaks that theory. I wonder, do I sleep that way too sometimes and it's never been pointed out to me?

Bibliophibian

My brother Jordan sent me the link to this site. Behold, my favorite of the comics:

Granola Tinkering

I've been playing with my granola bar recipe. Thus far I've made two modifications, one major, one minor.

The minor change was that I added cinnamon. I love cinnamon and toss it in whenever I can. Oatmeal? Yup. Chocolate chip cookies? Sure. Homemade chicken nuggets? Absolutely. So the addition of cinnamon was a no-brainer. The first time I used it I added 1 teaspoon. That was too much. The next time I went for 1/2 teaspoon. That was too little. I'm thinking 3/4 teaspoon should work. I'll try that next time.

The major change was that I swapped out the oil for applesauce. In addition to making them healthier, this modification made them softer, thus solving the complaint that they were too crunchy. Unfortunately, some of the flavor was lost. I haven't hit upon a satisfactory solution yet. Maybe half oil, half applesauce?

Easter Sunday Best

I decided last week that I wanted to get Phoebe an Easter dress. Yes, non-girlie me wanted to find a frilly, fluffy, girlie dress for my baby girl. But then we were sick (ear infections, sinus infections) and the weather was yucky and I didn't get out to the store.

And then on Saturday I realized that the next day was Easter. It kind of snuck up on me.

In case you're wondering, the day before Easter is not the best time to buy an Easter dress.

We looked at multiple stores and finally found one that was adequate at Old Navy. I mean, it's a darling dress, it's just not the frilly frock of my imagination.

She's still really cute though.

Maybe next year I'll go out early and get her that frilly dress.

But probably not.

Applause

Phoebe has added a handful of new tricks to her repertoire. She loves to clap and has been doing so for the last month. (Not continuously, otherwise her arms would be very tired.) Waving is another favorite activity. She also loves the camera and will stop crying if she thinks you're taking her picture.

In fact, she stops most actions other than smiling and cooing when the camera is present, which is why this is the best video I could get of her new tricks.

Party Planner

Peter went to his friend's birthday party two weeks ago. It's the second birthday party (and second Pirate-themed party) he's been to this month. He now has birthday parties on the brain. In fact, he's been campaigning for a party of his own.

Peter has never had a birthday party, but with good reason. He understands that his birthday is not well placed for inviting friends to a party. That Christmas break is kind of a no-man's land. So, he suggested having a half-birthday party.

I have to say that I think that's pretty darn clever. It would give him his much sought after party. But would throwing a half-birthday party for your five-year-old (or five-and-a-half-year-old) just seem like a way to con people into giving you stuff? Honestly, we don't want the stuff. We have lots of stuff. We'd like to get rid of most of our stuff. But giving Peter the experience of having a birthday party, well, that does sound nice.

I need opinions on this. What do you think? Yes to the half-birthday party? No and try to work out an early-January party on his next birthday to make it up to him? Does it even matter when you're five?

On The Mend

The last two days have gone well.

Surprisingly well.

What am I talking about? Peter didn't have any major-tantrums. Cooper took a nap. We made it through a trip to Costco without me vowing to never shop with children again. Phoebe had two naps, each day. We all did our chores.

More than all those wonderful things though was the way I felt. I was much less stressed out. I could have started Tuesday morning by freaking out when the boys woke up almost an hour too early or when Cooper (in an attempt to help with breakfast) poured a nearly full box of Cheerios all over the kitchen floor. But I didn't. I was sad about the cereal, but I told him not to worry about it and sent him to the table while I swept.

Bryan and I have been talking a lot lately about what we can do to help Peter. We recognize that Peter's propensity toward freaking out probably comes from us. We tend to be a bit, er, high strung. So, a huge effort has been put forth to stem the over-reacting on our parts. I wonder if we've begun to see the fruits of that change?

Also, I've been putting your wonderful comments on my early bird post into action. I took Camille's suggestion about going to bed at a set time each night, whether or not my to-do list is done. At least, that's how I'm implementing what she said. The result is that I've been getting to bed almost two hours earlier each night. (I also haven't been able to post before going to sleep, hence two late-in-the-day posts in a row.) I knew I was tired, but I hadn't realized how soul-crushingly exhausted I really was. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have energy.

I feel like these are pieces to a bigger puzzle. Sleeping, not over-reacting, focusing on what I need to learn from each of my children instead of wondering what awful thing I did to deserve such naughtiness, each part adds to a happier home, a happier Peter, and a happier family.

I wonder what puzzle piece we'll discover next?

Mac or PC?

PC, just like her daddy.

P.S. I took this picture with my phone, hence its blurry nature.

The Next Generation

Last night during dinner Peter shared with us some of his plans for the future.

Peter: I'm going to have two kids. One girl. One boy.

Me: Why two?

Peter: No, two girls.

Me: Well Peter, if you and your wife pray about it and feel like that's the right number for you to have, then that's great.

Bryan: Do you want to have twenty-one kids?

Peter: No.

Bryan: Do you want to have forty-seven kids?

Peter: No.

Bryan: Why not?

Peter: Too messy.

Mompetitor

I just read this article on MSN about moms that brag about their kids. The sentiment is that moms who talk about the many cute and amazing things that their children do are kind of sad and clearly feel like they have something to prove.

Really?

I am totally and completely one of those moms that talks about what their kids are doing. Granted, I talk about the good and the bad, but I certainly don't shy away from sharing when my children express their natural brilliance.

One of the women in the article said she tries to steer conversations away from talking about her kids, and anyone else's kids for that matter. If someone did that to me, I would have very little to talk about. Sure, I could bring up some weird thing I saw on Facebook or a blog or read in the news, but the conversation would be short. I'm with the small people all day, every day. For me, talking about them is like someone else talking about their job.

I wonder if it's ever occurred to these women that those moms might not be trying to compete with them. I am genuinely amazed at some of the things my kids do and I get so excited that I want to share with anyone who will listen. I'm not trying to prove that my children are better than anyone else's, I'm simply celebrating the things that they are good at.

It's my right and privilege as their mom to thrill over even the smallest things that they do, and if that upsets or offends those around me, then my sincere apologies.

But I'm not going to stop.

In fact, I promise that there will be at least one my-child-is-brilliant-and-amazing post next week. How silly would it be to go around downplaying the cool things that your kids do and say just to make them seem average and like everyone else? You know, maybe they really are average, but to their mom, those kids are magnificent.

Everyone needs at least one person who thinks they're amazing. Who better than their mom?