Sleep

Over the past couple of nights I have actually had the luxury of sleep! Full nights of it. Hayden has started sleeping from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am and then she goes back to sleep until 9:00 am. Yippee! I feel like a new woman. I can concentrate better and feel more able to handle Dylan's little outbursts. Actually, she hasn't had one for a couple of days... hum?!?! I'm sure she's sleeping better, too. I really think her sleep was interrupted when she would hear Hayden cry in the middle of the night.

Luckily we are all rested and happy because today I'm flying with Hayden and Dylan to visit my parents in So. Cal. Having two happy kids will make the trip and the visit so much easier. Hopefully I'm not counting my chickens too soon and Hayden will continue to sleep through the night.

Dylan slept though the night at six weeks and didn't start waking up in the middle of the night until she was two and potty trained. She still will get up every few nights to use the bathroom but luckily she can do it mostly by herself and just requires an audience rather than actual help. We've tried limiting water before bed but, like me, she loves to drink water throughout the night.

So I'm off on a flying adventure today... should be fun!

Ode to the Waterslide

For Dylan's 3rd birthday last month, Mike's dad sent her an enormous waterslide! Lucky kid. Watching her slide down over and over again reminded me of my own child hood and the places we used to go to ride the water slide. I remember the excitement associated with knowing where we were headed.

I actually remember my first water slide. It was at a place off the 60 fwy in So. Cal that also had miniature golf, race cars, etc. I must have been fairly small because I had to ride with my brother. The experience began at the bottom of a fake mountain where we grabbed a yellow, squishy pad to ride down on, we slowly hiked up the stairs and waited in line. My brother told me not to cry or he wouldn't take me again. (Funny to think how kind he is now as an adult...) The ride was exhilarating and so much fun! The water up my nose didn't even scare me. I remember my Dad went with me the next time because my brother didn't really want to ride double again.

Years later we often went to Raging Waters and it was more of a place to pick-up boys. During those teen years I never once thought twice about wearing a bikini to the water park. My how times have changed. As much as I love the thrill of the waterslides, you wouldn't catch me dead wearing a bathing suit without some sort of cover-up at one of those water parks now. Lucky for me, my father-in-law was creative enough to send Dylan her own waterslide so I shouldn't have to visit a water park for a few more years!!!!

Rosebud

Happy Hayden loves taking baths. She loves to splash and squeal in the water. She coos, giggles and snorts while kicking as fast as she can. I love to watch her enjoy the bath. We are so lucky to have another baby that loves the water.

My TWO kids

When Mike and I first had Dylan, I thought the adjustment from having no kids to having one wasn't that hard. I expected the adjustment from having one to two to be a little harder but not too bad. I really am a smart person and would like to blame that last statement on sleep deprivation or pregnancy brain or whatever. Because now that I have two I must admit the adjustment to having two is much harder than the adjustment to having one.

I have to qualify this all by stating that the things I thought would be hard are very easy, but I had no idea the time commitment would triple rather than double... or at least that's how it feels. With just one I had tons of down time thanks to naps. Now that just doesn't ring true. If Dylan takes a nap, Hayden is usually awake. Luckily Mike and I make a decent team. One of us can typically pick up where the other leaves off. I have a new found respect for single mothers who have more than one child. One set of hands just isn't enough.

From experience, I know how fast this time with Hayden as an infant is going to go, so I remind myself each morning to enjoy the ride. This gentle reminder makes each day easier and helps me to forget the downtime I used to crave.

Did I say Double D's? I meant Triple D's

Same kid- new day, yes she's still daring and darling, but now I have to add DEMON to the list. I've just spent three days with my dear friend Shelli in her new home in Pacifica. Two months ago this same trip would have been a wonderful chance to catch up with Shelli; we would have gabbed and gossiped all hours of the night. Instead we were outnumbered by kids. Now that I have two and she has one (the cutest little boy named Joe) we spent more time corralling kids then actually speaking to one another. We sounded like broken records as we tried to tell one another stories but due to the constant interruptions, had to keep starting over.

Dylan was a demon the entire time. OK maybe not the entire time, she did sleep. Really, she was like a child I had never meant before. If I was blind I would have swore on the bible she was not mine. She screamed like a banshee, forgot what sharing was, and was demanding. I had to constantly remind her to use please and thank you. For the first time ever I actually thought I might lose my ability to stay rational.

We went to dinner the first night with the Murphy's as well as my best friend, Marian, and her beau, Chris. Dylan was horrible. She refused to remain seated, kicked me, hit me and lost her shoes. I finally had to take her outside so I could talk to her. I thought she was going to be fine. Once we returned she was "lovingly" rubbing my back. I felt like I had won this round... but I was wrong! It turns out the entire time she was rubbing my back, she was actually smearing sour cream all over my shirt. My sweet little girl has turned demonic.

I called Mike and told him I needed parenting classes because I've obviously lost my way. I've turned into a screamer, too. I've forgotten to say please and thank you, too. Of course I blame my lack of good manners on the fact that I have to repeat myself 10 times before she actually does as asked. By the fifth time, I'm no longer using please and I'm no longer asking nicely. I'm screaming. (I'm afraid Hayden is going to learn to speak by screaming, too.) I've also started using consequences that I could never actually stick to. Like, "if you don't get dressed now I'm leaving you here." I'm not able to think clearly; maybe it has to do with lack of sleep. Hopefully I'll pull my parenting skills back together and MY Dylan will return from wherever she has gone. Pray for me, I could really use the extra help.

Double D's- Daring and Darling

Yes, she is darling and so very daring. She'll try anything once, and maybe twice, especially if whatever she has done instills fear in the hearts of others. Being a parent to a true daredevil has shaved years off of my life while adding thousands of gray hairs to my head.

In my mind, adrenaline junkies were not born with these genes, but now I know different. My husband is incapable of doing things the way "normal" people do. He can master any sport in seconds and then has to change the limits to make it more fun. He jumps out of airplanes and does flips on his wakeboard. As I write of him, I'm reminded of one of his childhood school (1st or 2nd grade) photos taken of the entire class next to a jungle gym... but one kid is not in the group, he is at the top of the jungle gym waving with both arms, guess who?!?!

Our daughter has those same genes. At 17 months old, my parents gave her a tricycle. She rode on the seat for about 30 seconds, then she stood on the seat, then she stood on the seat with one foot. At three years old she loves roller coasters and begs me to drive faster. Climbing up and then jumping down from any surface is just a part of her day.

She scares me, infuriates me and makes me proud all at once. Going to the park is a practice in patience for me. I want her to be cautious but secretly love to watch her outperform the older kids. Where is the line between being outgoing and just plain crazy? I wish I knew. I question Dylan's ability to stay safe. I want her to grow and be happy without being stifled by an overly cautious mom. I struggle everyday with the balance of it. I don't want her to be afraid, just careful.

Note to self...

A friend of mine has had an entertaining blog for the past couple of months that has inspired me to begin my own. I enjoy reading her daily ranting, ravings, curiosities and accomplishements. I feel "normal" when I read about her life because so much of it mirrors my own. There is a part of me that feels like a bit of a peeping tom because I know quite a bit about her life though her thoughts, but nontheless, I'm hooked.

My "note to self" for the past month has been to start my own blog to log my own life. Today is the day. My to do list is short and therefore I have no other excuse for not starting. Here it is, in all of its glory. Enjoy. I know I will.