Home Sweet Home

Yesterday we got the keys to our house in the afternoon. We aren't getting our PODS until later this week but still it's nice to have a house to call our own.

At closing on Thursday the sellers told us that they were having the house cleaned on Saturday after they got their stuff out. I was excited (as was my mother, the cleaner) that the house would be ready for us to move our stuff in. We paid to have our house clean for the family that bought ours and so I was so pleased that we were on the receiving end of that thoughtful gesture too.

If you use the term "clean" loosely, our new house still couldn't be labeled clean. In fact, it turned out to be filthy. The picture above shows of one the drawers in the kitchen full of crumbs, not to mention that the garbage disposal is leaking, the exhaust fan in the master bath is broken and the carpet is even more disgusting than we remembered...we were very disappointed in the condition of the house.
The carpet cleaners are coming today so I hope the carpet man can work some miracles so the carpet can hold us over for a little while.

Overall, the house is perfect for us, just a little more work than we bargained for. There is something to be said for moving into a new house versus a 10 year old house, but Mark and I are thankful that the 40 year old house we tried to buy first was a bust. We can only imagine what would have turned up there! Can't wait for my dad to start painting so the house starts to feel like home.

Right now the kids and I are sitting tight at my in-laws while Mark is on a three day trip, doing our school work and dreaming of our new place. When I have more pictures I'll be sure to post them. :) Happy Sunday!

The House That Started it All

Let me just start by saying that this is not our new house. We closed on our new house on Thursday morning, and we get the keys today, but this is not our house.

This house is 4 houses from my in-laws and it is lovely. I know how lovely it is because I've actually walked through it when it was for sale back in September. In September, I overheard a conversation that this house was in foreclosure and I've watched enough HGTV and the news to know that people can get a really good deal on a foreclosed house. After thinking about this house for a few days, I felt that I at least needed to see if it was an option for us. Mark was very supportive and then we decided that I would go look at it.

When I went through this house with an agent (2 days after I found out it was for sale) we hadn't even considered moving. I had admired this custom home from the street since it was built and I had a feeling that if the outside was so beautiful, surely the inside would match. To keep myself from getting too excited about a house that was way out of our reach, Mark had the agent inquire if the bank would entertain low ball offers. They said they would, but we had to act fast because there were other offers on the table and that the deal would be done in a few days.

While Mark was working I went with our checkbook in hand, to see if the inside matched the outside. When I walked inside it was love at first sight. What's not to love about a 5 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom house on a wooded 1.2 acre lot with an incredible location? Throw in an open floor plan and a floor to ceiling stone fireplace and I was ready to sign on the dotted line. I figured this was a God thing with the timing being so perfect. Mark said that if I felt the house was perfect for us that I should go ahead and make an offer.

The agent thought I was crazy considering that we still had a house to sell on our end. I figured that if this was the house God wanted us to have, that our house would sell and the purchase of this beauty would be contingent on the sale of our house. So you can imagine my disappointment when I was ready to make an offer and the agent representing me called the other agent only to hear that my offer had to be 100K more! I knew at that moment the house probably wasn't for us. I told them to keep us in mind should the other offers fall through.

I went home that night and cried like a baby while I was sitting on the couch explaining the awesomeness of this house to Mark. I felt absurd sobbing over a house when we hadn't even planned on moving! I was heartbroken all the same that these events would fall into place and that God would let me fall in love with a house that wasn't meant to be ours. I would never had stepped foot into that house if the bank wasn't truly interested in low offers. I kept wondering if possibly we could buy the house at the price we could afford if the sale fell through.

In the next weeks I felt that maybe we should organize the house at least and move the toys from our living room in the event that we did want to sell our house. The more we drove to my in-laws house, the more I hated the idea of driving 50 minutes south to get back home. I told Mark that I just felt it was time for us to move across the river to be closer to our families. While we waited for my "Dream Home" to close, we searched the Internet for other houses around Mark's parents. We found a few and even looked at three. One was nice but on a really undesirable lot so we decided we didn't need to rush into anything.

Another week goes by and I wake up from a nap with Mark telling me he set up an interview with 2 agents from Sibcy Cline. I was surprised but figured if we were going to do this, we might as well get on with it. We got busy getting things in order, called in our professional painter and staged our house to look as pretty and uncluttered as possible while living in it with 3 kids.

The day (October 15) we were meeting with the agent that we ended up hiring to represent us, the awesome Lovita Williams, I was told that I had Placenta Previa and would be on bed rest. I cried on the way home wondering how this could all work out. I couldn't decide if we should press on, after all our house was ready to go or if we should abandon the plan all together. I called my friend, Janice, who is very seasoned in crazy plans that are of God to ask her opinion. Sometimes things seem crazy, like Noah building the ark, but if it's God's plan, then it will all work out. She encouraged us to stick with the plan and trust God.

We pressed on and I laid on the couch for 7 straight weeks without a showing. I was feeling relief that I didn't have to get off the couch for fear I would bleed and lose our baby but I was also thinking maybe God didn't want us to move after all. Either way, I didn't care. I loved our house and we were very content there and would continue to be so if our house didn't sell.

Around Thanksgiving we got our first showing and then nothing. In the 3 weeks following, we had four more showings and then the fifth showing ended up being our buyer! Our house sold in 2 months in a not so hot housing market. Not to mention that there were two other houses identical to ours for sale on our street! It was exciting news to get before Christmas.

It ended up that we then had one month to find a new house. Talk about crazy timing, we ended up finding the charming house that was a death trap/money pit a few days later and then we waited and waited to see if that would work out and it didn't. God shut the door and we were facing homelessness. It was a true testing of our faith but one with great rewards.

Fast forward to this past Thursday, I woke up feeling so in awe of God's work and timing. We found a great house, God provided the finances to make it happen, and gave us a cozy place to stay while we waited. Add in the fact that Mark hasn't had to fly but a few trips since I got put on bed rest and my heart was overflowing with gratitude and peace. I felt so overwhelmed that God would work all this out for little old us. When people talk about the peace of the Lord being with you, I really had no clue what they were talking about. I now know what that means and hope that I never go back to trying to control things like I have in the past.

The little church by our old house in Burlington had posted on their marquee a while ago that "Miracles always start with a problem". Our problem seemed to be Placenta Previa, trying to sell our house while I was on bed rest, finding a house and moving. I've never imagined that I would be the recipient of such an amazing miracle. I feel so blessed to see the hand of God working so intimately in our lives.

Back to my "Dream House"...I figured that God knew it would take a beautiful home like the one 4 doors from my in-laws to uproot us from our comfortable life in Burlington. If you would have told me that we'd have a complicated pregnancy, be moving in 2011, and that it all would work out beautifully, I wouldn't have believed you. The phrase, You have to see it to believe it, definitely applies.

We get the keys to our house today and I'm having a c-section in 13 days. I'm not wasting any mental space worrying if Mark will have to go into work in the next four days or if I'll go into labor early. What I've learned in these past four months is that when I stop worrying and trust God with even the most mundane details, He will provide. It's been a special time for us and we're so excited to start our new life in a new house with a new baby. It's sure to be crazy, but I can't wait! Praise God!

Tuesday's Outing

I love it when Mark is working and doesn't get called into work. It's almost as if he's not working at all. Today Brooke surprised me by getting a head start on her school work. When I got out of bed (at 8 AM) she was busy working on some math pages already. She got a lot accomplished before we ate breakfast and as a result, was finished by 10 AM. That's a personal record for her. With Mark not getting called into work and Brooke's school work finished, we had the rest of the morning and afternoon to go on a field trip. So to IKEA we went!

Our main purpose was to get a bookshelf like the one pictured here. We already own 2 of these, but needed one more for the school room in our new house. It's amazing how school/art supplies seem to multiply through out the year. It's a great buy for $200 because it holds so much stuff.

The kids had a ball playing house. Mark indulged them and began serving them a meal when they crawled up to the island in this particular kitchen.

Besides displaying the cabinets, they also showcase accessories and dished to go along with it.

Happy as clams. :)

Tea party for three wee ones. Brooke told my mother-in-law this morning that she's glad she's home schooled so she can go to fun places. Finally, the penny dropped and she's beginning to see the benefits... other than daily struggles with her mother. :)

Children's IKEA. Mark said, "Who needs a playground when you can just come here?" I agree. It was a nice change of pace and somewhere to go. We were getting a little stir crazy in the house since the weather hasn't been very conducive to playing outside.

After rides on the cart, we were all set to pick up the boxes for our bookshelf. Except they were out of stock and expecting them to arrive tomorrow. If we still lived in KY this would be a really big bummer, but now that we are much closer, Mark will just come alone tomorrow to pick it up.

Our mission wasn't a total failure. We got out of the house and everyone was entertained without fighting/arguing and we had Skyline for lunch. That's always a success in Mark's book. No matter what else happens, Skyline rights all wrongs. :)

Five Cavities Later

Brooke again today told us that she doesn't want to move, she wants to stay at Grandma's. We have been very comfortable here and in some ways it feels like a vacation of sorts, a vacation from our "real" lives. However, the above picture of M & M's is probably the #1 reason we can't stay. It's a good thing I'm pregnant so the weight I've gained reaching into this bowl of peanut butter M & M's is disguised, otherwise my self esteem would be in the toilet right now.

My mother-in-law keeps her house well stocked with all things sweet. If it's not brownie bites or cookies or Valentine's Day cakes or a Red Velvet cakes "just because" or Graeter's ice cream or this bottomless bowl of M & M's, then it's something else. It's a good thing we're not diabetic. I feel like we'll all have sugar withdrawal when we leave here. Thankfully, we don't have much longer to "suffer" through this endless supply of junk food. Lord help me, my self control seems to be wavering...just like the scale.

Another One Bites the Dust

Brooke lost her 2nd tooth today. The real story is that Mark bribed her to let him pull it out. In his defense, it was ready but she was too nervous to do it herself. She later confessed that it didn't hurt at all. Brooke doesn't want to put it out for the tooth fairy tonight because she wants to take it to co-op tomorrow to show her friends. I love the toothless look. :)

Down to my Last 5 Shirts

It's coming down to the wire since I'm now 35.5 weeks pregnant. Only 23 days until my scheduled C-section! I'm at that stage where I've outgrown all my shirts except the five that still cover all my belly when my pants won't stay up. Mark says I'm getting bigger by the hour and the way I'm feeling, I'm starting to agree.

Luke saw my belly button (or lack there of since it's completely turned inside out) the other day and he said, "Mom, Nash stole your belly button!" Even if that's not entirely accurate, it does look that way and I hope to regain my lap and belly button very soon.

I've slept so beautifully (courtesy of the memory foam mattress pad and the $70 pregnancy pillow) up until a few days ago, but now I'm waking up several times a night with Nash's feet stuck in my ribs. My complaining stops there because with Luke and Stella about midway through my pregnancy, I slept a few hours in the bed, then a few hours on the couch. Rinse and repeat until the sun came up. It was awful and I was exhausted all the time. Now I'm just exhausted 50% of the time. :)

Call it nesting if you want to, but a few days ago I did some baby laundry and actually packed somewhat of a bag should I go into labor early. It's one thing if we were still living at our old house, I would feel 75% confident in Mark's ability to gather what I need, but here at my in-laws I can barely find what I need. I told him if all else fails, even in the event of an emergency, I want him to at least get my camera. Everything else can be fetched at a later time, but not having my camera would be unforgettable.

I went to the doctor today and from now on I have to go weekly. I wonder if that's really necessary? They weigh me, I pee in a cup, check my blood pressure, and listen to the heartbeat. When I made my appointment today I forgot that the doctor wanted me to schedule an appointment to have another ultrasound next week as well as a visit with him. I'm hoping that when I call tomorrow to reschedule they'll say that the appointments for the week are booked and I'll get to skip a week. After the 2nd baby going to the doctor isn't as exciting as it used to be. :)

We close on our new house a week from tomorrow and then we'll start moving our things on the following weekend. We're excited, but the thought of unpacking and organizing makes me so tired. Last week Brooke said that Grandma and Grandpa's house was really nice and that she didn't want to move. At this point in my life, I'm starting to see things her way. Everything is moving so quickly, but I'm trying not to focus on the number of days until this or that and trust that God has the perfect plan no matter what and that it will all work out without me trying to control everything. I'm just keeping calm and carrying on. :)

Imagine Our Surprise

Today we got the opportunity to check out a new home school co-op located near our new home. It's very different from the type of co-op we've participated in the last two years and we wanted to make sure it would be a good fit for us before we signed on the dotted line and paid the fees.

Our current co-op is structered, but it is less curriculum focus. I would say the purpose of it is to have fellowship with other homeschool families, learn a little something (not necessarily related to what we're learning at home), and give the kids time to learn alongside same aged peers.

Brooke's classes she's taking this semester are: Games around the World (a little fun and geography), a manners class, and a fairytale class. Luke goes to a preschool class where they do art projects, learn some science and have lots of fun. Stella goes to the nursery where she plays, has a snack, and gets her diaper changed. Fun times for two year olds. :)

The co-op we visited today is called Classical Conversations. It's a bird of a different feather. My friend, Suzanne, has been telling me about it for a while and has been raving about all that her children are learning. It's a little complicated to explain exactly what it is without explaining the classical model of education. There's a great website here that can explain everything so much better than I.

The gist of classical education is that while kids are in K-4th grades they are taught to memorize facts (science, history, English, the arts, latin, and math) in a fun way to prepare them to begin analyzing information by the middle school years. Once they get to high school they are then ready to express their own conclusions by way of writing and speaking.

Based on my research of the classical model of education and conversations with my friend, I had a pretty good idea of what we would be observing today, but I didn't know exactly how it all would be executed. Mark and I started the day observing 6th graders reciting a timeline of history from creation all the way up to slavery. They MEMORIZED this information (plus dates!) and had hand motions to go along with it. I'm glad there wasn't a pop quiz for the parents because I'm sure Mark and I would have struggled. :)

The interesting thing about Classical Conversations is that every grade level is studying the same content on the same week, nationwide. I wondered how this would work but after popping into the class Brooke was sitting in and Luke's kindergarten class, I could see that truly they were learning the same thing, just with slightly different expecations.

Mark and I left feeling like academically this would be a wonderful program and that our kids would learn so much. However, we were slightly concerned with the lack of a preschool program. The kids, ages birth through 4, go to the nursery and then the 4 years olds that are ready, get grouped in with the kindergartners. Luke just turned four in December and although I intend on teaching him to read this fall when he's still 4, I am hesitant to throw him in this rigorous academic setting for fear that he'd be bored learning about Newton's 2nd law of motion and nouns. We weren't really sure if he would actually understand and learn all this information that seems to be so over his head.

However, as we were talking things over at dinner tonight, our minds were put to rest when Luke, who some days struggles to remember the letter we're focusing on for the week, tells us that like Brooke, he learned about nouns today too. Then he proudly spouts off, "A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea!" Mark and I, mouths hanging open, burst into applause. In 6 months when the new school year kicks off, I'm sure he'd do just fine hanging with the kindergartners.

Brooke also did really well today. She's such a participator that during their presentation time she asked the teacher if she could share too. It's kind of a show and tell time where the kids stood up in front of the class and spoke on anything from a recent trip to the Grand Canyon to sea turtles. Brooke got up, looked out at the kids and started telling them what she's been learning about the human body. She threw in a little about muscles contracting and relaxing and then touching on the circulatory system and how the "blood tubes" move blood to and from the heart all day and all night. I was so impressed on two levels: 1. I was shocked at how much she picked up from our reading about the human body just two days a week. And 2. I was floored at how she organized her thoughts on the fly and was able to speak confidently in front of a group of strangers!

I'm waiting to hear if there is another campus of Classical Conversations nearby that has a preschool program for Stella. We are going to be elbow deep in preschoolers for the foreseeable future and I'm hoping to find a campus that could accomodate us all.

For now I'm just relieved that I don't have to recite the history timeline in front of a group and that I actually remembered the definitions of potential and kenetic energy. You can read here if you want to find out for yourself. :) What I love about homeschooling is the opportunity to learn as a family and the satisfaction of incorporating that information into our everyday lives. As we saw with Luke today, the only limit in learning something new is how we limit ourselves. I think I better go study now. :)

Kind of a Big Deal

I'm not sure how it happened, but suddenly, Valentine's Day was catapulted to a major holiday in our family. Brooke and Luke have been talking about it for weeks now. I usually get the kids a little something and some candy, but this year I was really under the gun. That's why we had heart shaped pancakes this morning courtesy of this heart shaped form (I'm not sure it's truly a cookie cutter) made by Wilton that I got at Michael's the other day for 57 cents.

Ta-da! Add in some Dollar Store plates and a little powder sugar and the kids were feelin' the love. :)

Stella was thrilled with drinking from a big girl cup, just like Brooke and Luke. How 'bout that bed head? I'm seeing pony tails in her future.

This does seem like I went overboard, but my mother-in-law also felt the pressure to give the kids a Valentine's Day present, hence the Christmas like mess. It's really not as bad as it looks, Brooke added to the chaos with the handmade presents she's been making out of white printer paper these last 2 weeks. She made Stella a "stick pony" and even a gift bag from scratch!

Of course I had to add to our sunglasses collection with new glasses for the kids from The Children's Place. I love shopping and browsing. I'm making up for lost time, just ask our bank account. :)

I bought Brooke this peace sign raincoat from Target. When I purchased that beautiful garment (insert sarcasm) I felt compelled to tell the cashier that I was buying it under protest. I knew Brooke would LOVE it so that's why she's the proud owner of one of the prettiest raincoats I've every laid my eyes on. :)

Last week, Mark took Brooke and Luke to the Dollar Store because they were begging us day after day to take them to buy presents for people. The Dollar Store is very kid friendly, you don't have to tell them that what they want to buy is too expensive and they end up buying crap for presents anyway. I highly, highly recommend it especially if the dad is the one who gets to take them. :) Pictured above are my presents. Brooke bought me the "travel wipes" to use for Nash and Luke bought me the teddy bear. Pretty sweet kids.

Miss Thing got a new bathing suit (a "puit" as she pronounces it), two books, a set of her own barrettes, and a pair of sunglasses. We'll have a difficult time prying that bathing suit off her body today. I think we might have to kill her first.

Yes, Brooke and Luke are shaving. Luke has been pretending to shave (with his toothbrush) now for a while. I found this shaving kit made by Alex Toys at Target. He told me the other night before bed that he was going to have to shave in the morning. I wanted to know, since he uses his toothbrush, if he shaves before he brushes his teeth or vice versa. He told me, "It depends." Brooke was very jealous, but Luke in a rare moment of generosity, let Brooke give the shaver a spin (without the shaving cream that will only be used in the bathtub!).

Right now the kids are watching a love themed Veggie Tales that I found in my mother-in-law's DVD stash. Lucky for me, she likes to shop and browse too. :) I have to go make heart shaped PB & J's for lunch for my loves to complete the theme.

Hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day! Remember, if you are reading this, you are loved. Thanks for checking in!

Fun at the YMCA

We went to the YMCA by my parents house on Thursday. Your weekday is our weekend. :) This Y (The Clippard YMCA) is awesome because it has a zero depth pool and we don't have to worry about our pint size people needing life jackets or drowning. Best of all, hardly anyone else is there during the week.

I need to tell you that I did not swim. This whale was beached.

Brooke definitely needs some more swimming lessons this spring. She's out of practice and looked like a fish having a seizure at times.

Pasty white is how we roll in this family (except for Mark, of course). I'd like to think of my children and I as little china dolls. White, brown, or blue, I love this boy.

Bath toys masquerading as pool toys. :)

Brooke sporting her new Hello Kitty suit from Old Navy.

Stella missed Mark while he was gone on his four day trip and on Wednesday was on him like glue.

Sometimes a nontraditional lifestyle can be taxing (especially Saturdays and Sundays when everyone else seems to have somewhere to go and something to do as a family). But when we get to go on field trips during the week all together, it's really fun. I guess what I really want is Mark to never go to work at all. We've come pretty close to that these last few months, but I'd like to instate that schedule permanently. Who do I call for that? The Ohio Lottery?

Something to Ponder

I came across this quote today in a magazine that I recently got a subscription to called Seeing the Everyday. I found this magazine through another blog I read by Becky Higgins. The magazine doesn't seem like much, some photo essays and a handful of articles submitted by readers, but it's what the magazine stands for that I find most profound. Here is their "mission" statement that is printed just inside the front cover:

Our lives are the sum of each moment and interaction.

Each day we work, eat, laugh, teach, play, read, remember...

And work at it all again the next day.

Within seemingly small moments we find opportunity to build relationships,

develop character, find joy...

for the price of our time.

Life's most essential possibilities are realized at home.

Where we share, teach, grow, learn, serve, give...

our best without praise or fanfare.

Because every effort, every moment matters in the development of a person.

Noting is really routine.

As a mother of young children this kind of statement validates and scares me to realize that it's not the big tests so to speak that are most significant, but the small ones. You, like me, know how imperfect we are and sometimes we can be weighted down by that knowledge, feeling like we might some how ruin our children. Take heart, God made us imperfect but also gave us families that are perfect for us. Some days you may be wondering how or why, but it's true. God doesn't make mistakes.

But what really spoke to me today is a quote from inside the magazine that said this:

Educated women in the home? What an odd thing to deplore!

What better place to have us "end up"...

What more important job is there than sharing the values we are learning

to cherish with the next generation of adults?

What more strategic place could there be for the educated woman?

-Edith F. Hunter

I've been questioned on my choice to stay home after I spent all that time (and money) in college to get a "real" job. Teaching in a public school is an important job, but I have never felt that my education or skills were wasted staying home with my children. We've made adjustments financially so that I can stay home and I feel that my time is best spent with those that I cherish most. (I'm not preaching home schooling for all, but rather spending time with your kids in whatever capacity you are capable of.)

If God matched our children perfectly to us, then who could be more suited to teach them? It's not easy and it's not supposed to be, but God is there waiting for us to ask for help so He can teach us to teach them.

P.S. Just so you know it's very ironic that I am posting this now when I'm elbow deep in Brooke's drama. No, we don't formally study drama as one of our subjects, but it tends to be an unforseen consequence as she is telling me lately day after day, "Mom, you don't like my work." or "Mom, you don't think I do a good job." She's a bit digruntled with her teacher at the moment who insists that her handwriting be legible and her addition/subtraction problems be correct. It's just the way the cookie crumbles when your mom wants the best for you. I'm just keeping it real. :)

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

It was just like old times today, Mark at work and me home by myself with the kids. It was actually kind of a nice change and I really enjoyed spending time with them.

Not only did we have Saturday school yesterday, but we had Sunday school today as well. There is no way that I was going to take the three kids to an unfamiliar church by myself, so we did school instead. So much for the day of rest. :) Although, if we didn't do school then there probably would have been a lot of fighting while they played.


Since Mark wasn't here to keep Stella out of our hair, I went with the motto If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's what we did, Stella joined us doing her own "school"/busy work. Above is a mini ice cube try that she spend a few minutes filling every single hole with little, tiny pom poms. She loved it.

Then she painted in a water color book that required no actual paint. Just add a wet paint brush and it's as good as painting.

After I put Stella down for a rest (nope, no nap for her!) I took Brooke and Luke outside. I was talking with Mark about Brooke's excessively fidgety behavior and we concluded it's because they haven't been outside to burn off any energy, so going outside was a must. At 35 degrees, we bundled up and went outside to play on the driveway.

I was covered up in a hat, scarf, gloves and wrapped in Mark's winter coat and still I was a bit chilly. I love my children so much that I let them stay out for an hour and a half.

Brooke was so disappointed when she couldn't make a fire by rubbing the sticks she and Luke collected together. When I tried to explain to her that it's very difficult and not likely to happen, she protested by telling me that they did it on Curious George. Sure, and that show is soooo realistic. (Did you every notice how George's friend Bill always says something like, "You're pretty good at {this or that} for a city kid". Really? Did he miss the memo where it explains that George is a monkey?)

After they got tired of riding bikes they spent a good while scooping leftover snow into this dump truck with a little garden shovel and a dust pan. I kid you not. When your grandparents live in a landominium you have to improvise. :)

Here's one for the mom. Love this kid. I think he'll always be 3 in my mind and that's okay because the things he says are so cute...mostly. He's always saying, "It didn't turn out as I expected."

We managed our first day alone really well. It kind of feels like I cheated though because Uncle Poodle/Steve came over and cooked dinner and cleaned it up too, my in-laws made it back from their sunny vacation and the cousins came over at dinner time. I'm not even sure that I can count this as a day alone except I still had to give Luke and Stella a bath and tuck everyone in myself. I'm looking forward to the return of my body and my stamina to be able to take care of my family the way I used to. I should be careful what I wish for because it won't be long and I'll be looking for a break. :)

The Reason Stella Will Stay in a Crib Until She's Four

If you've been reading my blog from its inception you might recall how I took Luke's pacifier away when he was two. In hindsight, it was one of the dumbest ideas I've had and had I known how it would throw my world into chaos and turmoil, I would have let him keep his "paci" until he was 3. The gist of this is that when I took away his pacifier, I also took away his ability to settle down and take a nap. I thought it would be a short adjustment period and then we would settle back into our routine of him napping two hours a day. It turns out that I am still waiting two years later.

When Stella came along and wanted nothing to do with a pacifier I thought that life was fabulous. If your child has ever had a pacifier you probably spent the first 6 to 9 months running to their crib and plugging that blasted thing back in their mouth so they could return to sleep and you could too. After they could roll around and find it themselves then you spent a few blissful months on the verge of worshiping the thing and taking every precaution to make sure you didn't leave it at home when you ventured out. Fast forward to the time they started talking and you probably (like me) chastised yourself for not having the guts to take it away. There is something inherently disturbing and annoying about trying to have a conversation with a child who has a pacifier stuck in their mouth. Don't get me wrong, if life is good with a pacifier in your life, then by all means don't feel guilty about it. Sometimes you do what you've got to do to make it through a day.

The hitch with my non-pacifier taking daughter is that at two (with or without a pacifier) she won't nap. For the last several months she might nap every 3 days which usually meant she napped on average twice a week. These past two weeks, she's napped ONCE a week. Do you know what two year olds do that don't nap for two hours a day? They jump around their crib, sing to themselves, take their clothes on and off, call for their parents, and try to escape. Do you know what the parents of a non-napping two year old does for those two hours? Curse under their breath and cringe every time they hear a suspicious loud thump and feel compelled to check on said non-napper or at least feel guilty that they don't care enough to check. Then they watch the clock and dread when that two hours is up and it's time to get Lucy (remember short for Lucifer) out of bed knowing that she'll be in no better spirits or less trouble than when you laid her down. That's all hypothetical, of course.

But if this were to be true, then I am not looking forward to training the non crib sleeper to stay in her room and play quietly during quiet time. I love my darling children so, so much, but everyone is better off when parents get a break from their children in the middle of the day to recharge and be able to press on until bedtime.

So the moral of this story is that Stella is going to have to stay in her crib until she's 4 or she can disassemble the crib herself or she can say in a complete sentence, "Excuse me Mom and Dad, I would really appreciate the opportunity to sleep in a big girl bed like all other 3 year olds." Given her speech progress, she better start practicing with a screwdriver now.