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Sleep Talkin' Woman

Last night, Henry woke up crying (which is fairly typical). Normally, I wake up when this happens, and I get up to address it. This time, I was apparently in a deep sleep. I remember waking up to a very confused Willis who was saying, "What? We've only been asleep two hours, and he's already awake."

This morning, Willis was sure to tell me how our conversation actually started.

Henry's cries.

Me: "I guess your toasted cheese is done."

Willis: "What?"

Me: "Yeah. You had to make a toasted cheese, and Henry's awake, now."

Willis: "What? We've only been asleep two hours, and he's already awake."

Willis gets up and takes care of Henry.

And yes, that is condescension you hear in my voice. Obviously, I was irritated that Willis decided to make that stupid toasted cheese while we were sleeping.

Poor guy.

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

It's been awhile since I've had a minute to even think about posting a good, old fashioned rant, bullet-style. It's comin' fresh to you today, though, and you can thank Amber and Sara for this little Tuesday gem.

Hey, It's Okay . . .

To have to clean your house before you can clean your house. I'm not talking about picking up your kids' toys, people. I'm talking about schluffing off that upper quarter inch of dust and pet hair on everything before you can get to the dirt that you were supposed to have gotten long, long ago.

To not have made a single resolution . . . again. (Why is the beginning of a year more important than the end of a year, anyway? Whatever happened to living every day blah blah blah?)

To vow not to get so many toys (we only had two, but it was two too many) that require a ridiculous amount of assembly for Christmas next year. (Oooh. That could be a resolution.) Nora's freaking trike didn't even have HALF the parts necessary for assembly. I'm still waiting to hear back from customer service on that one. Punks. Poor kid.

To have really enjoyed the movie 500 Days of Summer.

If you get an awesome adrenaline rush from purging stuff from your house via Freecycle. (It makes it almost too easy to get rid of things that you usually hold onto because you can't justify throwing it out in the garbage.)

If you're already looking forward to Groundhog Day being on TV. I'm talking about the movie, people.

If you accidentally dressed your daughter in a strangely loose-fitting dress for Christmas, not realizing that it was actually a coat.

To want to climb a mountain and profess your love for Crest Glide Deep Clean dental floss. I have weird teeth that need more flossing than any normal human being, and that bizness makes it bearable.

If your kid climbed out of his crib for the first time ever while you were typing this. I guess he's not napping!

To be really annoyed that there's not a Pizza King or an Arni's for, like, miles and miles and miles. Or a Chipotle for that matter. Or any place that you'd even consider going into to buy sushi (not that I can have all sushi, by any means). (Welcome back, appetite!)

To be really relieved that your littlest kid is starting to speak some words and make some sense. That time where they can't effectively communicate is fun and all, but I'm ready to get to know this guy. (Speaking of the little guy, he's actually yelling at me for some juice. So, I've gotta go.)

Where Does She Get This Stuff?

Nora came upstairs with Willis this morning, and I was finishing getting dressed (I grabbed a shower before the kids knew I was awake). When she came into the room, she asked me, "Mom, are you going to sleep all day?"

Do you know what time it was? 6:30 a.m.

Willis didn't even tell her to ask me that.

Repeat, Repeat the Sounding Joy

I heard Nora playing with a little, toy nativity that we have. She was singing, "And wonders of His love, and wonders of His love . . ."

It melts the heart!

Whopper of a Morning

Yesterday prior to 1 p.m. was a bit nutty for this moi. I got the kids all dressed and ready, and I loaded them in the car. We went over to Nora's school where Henry and I were able to catch ten minutes of Nora's little Christmas program (which was really neat—she actually sang the songs!). Then, Henry and I had to leave because I had scheduled Henry's 15-month-old checkup for that day (Nora's program was originally supposed to happen on Tuesday).

The wait at the doctor's office is always long (no matter what kind of doctor it is, it seems), so things took a heck of a lot longer than I had hoped. Plus, the doctor discovered that Henry has an ear infection, and it's even possible that Henry has had this ear infection for a long time. 

How stinking sad is that? I had no idea. The kid wakes in the night, but I always assumed it was his general crankiness, teething, or the fact that he always seems to be really wet at night any time he wakes. He also never tugs at his ears. He does wipe out a lot, though, and I figured that had to do with his toddler wobbliness and the fact that he runs too fast trying to keep up with Nora.

The doctor did mention that Henry looked pretty healthy otherwise, and the doctor even cracked up as he came in because Henry was just in a diaper (as requested by the nurse) and was running amuck and squealing throughout the exam room. Our boy is up to 32.25 inches in height, and he was 23.12 pounds. What does that mean? I don't know. On the percentile chart thinger, his height is between the 75 and 90th percentile, and his weight is between the 25 and 50th percentile. What does that mean? I don't really know, either.

Oh, and while I was checking out at the doctor's office, Henry ran down the hallway, tripped on his own two feet, and face-planted directly into the wall . . . right before a live, studio audience. He has a perma-bruise on his forehead these days.

We got out of the doctor's office a little before 11, and I had just enough time to drop of Henry's prescription at CVS and spend 20 minutes at the grocery store before I had to get Nora. I didn't get everything I wanted to get, but I think I got everything I needed to get me through at least part of the weekend.

After I grabbed Nora from preschool, I got the kids back home, got their boots and coats off, and then, I remembered that I needed to go pick up Henry's prescription. So, I put their coats and boots back on, and I stuck them back in the car (where Henry arched his back and fought me a bit). I went through the CVS drive-through, and I picked up Henry's prescription. When I got it back home, I read the instructions, and then, I busted open the medicine to see if it smelled as scary as it looked. It did. Acid death. Plus, I noticed that they didn't even include any sort of dispenser with the medication. This was a bit irritating.

So, I called CVS and asked if I could get some flavor put in Henry's medication and get a dispenser. They said it was possible (it's $2.99 for flavor, by the way). The only thing was, I had to be able to get back over there and have it done. I waited until Willis got home, and I ran out to do it right then so I could give Henry his first dose of meds with dinner.

Last night, Henry actually slept through the night for the first time in several months, I think. I don't know if it was the huge morning we had, if it was the medication, or the fact that he's just probably sick. We'll see, I guess. I kind-of doubt that it had anything to do with the medicine—it's really too soon for antibiotics to be kicking in just yet, I think.

So, yeah. This all happened, and we still have close to two feet of snow on the ground. The roads are plowed, but they're not fantastic. It was neat. I was really tired after that morning yesterday, too, so Henry sleeping through the night was highly welcomed. Willis and I also went to bed prior to 8 p.m. last night without any sort of shame (the kids were in bed by 7 p.m., as always). It was a good idea.

There's no way we could be older and have kids. This bizness is exhausting.

Henry's Word Bank and Other Stuff

Henry doesn't get many posts devoted just to him these days. I guess that's what happens when I'm chasing him around the house, keeping him from death. (You thought I was going to say, "I guess that's what happens when the second baby comes," didn't you?)

He has begun to talk lately, and I just have to get these words down somewhere. (I did it for Nora on here, so I may as well be consistent with this.)

• Mommy (It sounds more like, "Mammy.")


• Daddy


• bye


• hi


• baby


• Wowa (Nora)


• sissy


• doggie


• kitty (His favorite pastime is to shriek at the cat.)


• duuuuuuce (juice)


• yeah (He says it really slow, like, "Yeeeaaah.")


• poopy (He actually tells me if he has a dirty diaper sometimes.)


• cheese (He says this about actual cheese and when he sees a camera.)


• baf (bath)


• mo (milk)


• E, I, E, I, O (Old Macdonald)


• Now and then, you can make out a few words to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."


• no


• boo (book)


• Oh, Toodles!


• cookie


• cracker (That one sounds more like a Spanish curse word.)


• snack (It sounds more like, "NAK!")


• Yay!


• up


• dow (down)


• nana (banana)


• Uh, oh!


• Oh, no!

He seems to understand a lot more than what he can say. He answers, "Yeah," or, "No," to questions I ask him, and usually, the answer seems to be appropriate.

He thinks it's pretty stinking funny to do things that his mother tells him specifically not to do. (He seriously gets this wicked, little grin on his face. He also has an evil laugh.)

He loves to hug on his sister AND drive her nuts, and sometimes, he likes to do those things simultaneously. Sometimes, driving her nuts involves penguin-snatching.

He loves to play with cars. He dances. He sings. He plays with the toy kitchen. He loves to love on dolls and stuffed animals. He also likes to make a particular beanie baby kitten "MEOW!"

When he and Nora get chuckling, you can't tell who is who just by listening.

He's really quirky, and likes things just so.

He also likes to wear necklaces. He likes to wear head bands as necklaces, too.

He likes to stand on his head.

He still doesn't really sleep through the night.

He wipes his own nose with tissues or a wash cloth (much like Nora did at that age).

He loves baths—especially with his sister. (It's not creepy or gross yet, people.)

He loves books, and demands that you read them. Like now.

He loves the snow. (And, somehow, I have no snow pants for him, but I do have boots!)

He loves his dad.

He tries to be just like his sister. Most of the time.

He's got some great-sounding baby gibberish, and he gibber-jabbers a lot when he's playing by himself.

He freaks out when something isn't going his way, and he likes to throw things and make huge messes. Nora went through that, too, I think. (When he does this, we always laugh and go, "Henry SMASH!")

He gives hugs. He gives kisses. (He even goes, "Mmmmm," when he gives kisses!)

He has a funny, little strut when he walks, and that's something I hope I'll always be able to recall in my mind whenever I want.