This "Mommy" Thing

It seems to be really weird timing, but since David's been out of commission for a while, I really feel like I've gotten the hang of this "mommy" thing. (I know I'm going to regret saying that and today I'll have a totally horrible day and then come on here and blog about it!) Anyways, back to my point, maybe it's the fact that I've been the sole care-taker for over a month, but I find myself getting less frustrated and overwhelmed which is strange because I figured that it would be completely the opposite. Now, don't get me wrong, there are still times that I'd like to pull every single hair out of my head, but those instances are far less frequent. It could be due to a few things. The boys are playing a lot more with each other which is nice to at least be able to unload the dishwasher or put in a load of laundry without a "helper" at my feet. We've been able to get to the swimming pool a few times (which Jackson loves and Carter hates). We've kind of gotten into a daily routine since summer began and we can count on the weather to be consistent...scorching HOT!!! It usually consists of walking to the park in the morning and then having lunch, then nap and then either pool, errands or playtime, then dinner, bath, etc. I know lots of people that just fly by the seat of their pants and don't have any sort of schedule, but I keep my sanity by having one and I think the boys like it as well. We have always kept the boys on a pretty regular routine including nap times and bed time. As soon as we could get Carter on Jackson's schedule we did it and it helped so much! Although I mentioned that they boys are playing a lot together and having so much fun, this also means that they are fighting over toys and TRAINS. Oh, the TRAINS! We have a new rule, if Jackson wants to play with the trains without Carter interfering (which is always), he has to go to his room and shut the door. Otherwise, it's a neverending battle and screams and yelling can be heard down the street. Those darn trains!!! It's so funny, when Jackson's at school, Carter will take all the trains and gather them up and carry them around as if he thinks someone is going to take them away. I can't imagine where he would get that idea!

Although I said that David has been out of commission, he has really been able to help out a little more this last week or so. He got up with the boys the last 2 Sundays. He can't change any diapers, but he was able to feed them breakfast and I got to sleep a little later which was very nice. Sadly, I think the hardest part of the day is getting up in the mornings. It's taken a while to get used to getting up every morning with the boys since David and I usually switch off mornings. Every other day one of us sleeps in until 8 while the other one gets up with the kiddos. I know, I'm spoiled! But, this is how we have always done it and it really is wonderful! David's like that though. When the boys were waking up in the night for a feeding when they were babies, we would always rotate shifts and every other night he would get the middle of the night feeding and THEN go to work! Yep, I have it pretty good!

I know I said that mornings are rough (although I'm pretty used to it now), but bedtime has gotten a bit stressful as well. Carter has decided that he wants nothing to do with bedtime. He wants to stay up and party like a rock star. He went thru this phase when he was about 13 months old, but then it ended. Well, it's now back with a vengeance. The other night he was up until 9:30 after trying to put him down at 8:15, 8:45 and then 9pm. We would get the screaming child out of bed and then bring him back into the living room to watch a movie, which is what we usually do before bedtime to calm them down. Well, after 3 times of doing this, we thought "DUH!" Why would he want to go to bed when he gets to come out here and watch movies if he cries??? So, now we have been laying him down at around 8:15 and then letting him cry for a bit (which never gets easier to hear might I add) and he only cries for a minute or 2 now before falling asleep. He has gone as long as 30 minutes though. He throws his pacifiers out of his crib so after he falls asleep I have to ever so quietly go in there and put them back in his bed so he doesn't wake up. It's pretty comical now that I think about it. I open the door and then shut it and then get on my hands and knees raking the floor with my hands looking for his 2 or 3 binkies in pitch black. Yes, he sleeps with multiple binkies in case he loses one in the night over the edge of the crib :-)

Ok, I think I'm done rambling!!! Here are a few pics and a video of Jackson singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". I was shocked at how well he stayed on key!

Stay tuned for birthday party pics. Jackson's birthday is Thursday, the 17th and his party is this Sunday. Big 4 year old!!!