Destin is 27 months old!

I can't believe Destin is 27 months old...I just know that the months are going to fly by and then she will be 3 years old!

Destin just amazes me everyday - she is so incredibly smart and has the vocabulary of a typical 3 year old. She learns new words everyday, and loves to read books.

We got this really neat kit called Teach My Toddler - which we have been using almost everyday...it teaches her ABCs (lower & upper), Numbers (up to 10), Shapes, and Colors. I can honestly say that I have seen a lot of results. She is starting to recognize letters, and knows all of her shapes & colors (on most days). I am hoping to hang up some posters with ABCs, and other learning things on her wall later next week.

Potty training - we are pretty much done! She still wears pull ups at night, because she still does not wake herself up to go. But during the day, she goes #1 & #2 whenever she has to go. Yay!

Sleep - still the same...sometimes she will stay in her bed all night, but sometimes she doesn't. And she is still starting out in our bed every night. I really hope that by her 3rd birthday she can start and end in her room - all night!

Eating - she is starting to become pretty picky on what she eats and seems to not be taking in as much as I would like her to. Granted, she is still growing and is very healthy - so I shouldn't complain. She loves fruit (any kind)! She LOVES pizza (she could eat it everyday if I let her). We usually get her the lunchables kind. She really likes Mac n Cheese, Corn dogs (minus the corn part), Corn, Ice cream, popsicles, cake, cookies, and of course all of the things that are NOT good for you! :)

Playing - she loves to go to the park, although lately she has been saying "I can't do it!". Which is very strange - because she is usually willing to do anything (she is a daredevil like her daddy was). She loves playing with her Little People animals/barn, playing in her tent, doing puzzles, pretending to cook/bake, legos, trains, playing with her babies (feeding them, putting them to sleep, singing to them, etc.). She is definitely well rounded and wants to do everything! Outside - she loves to drive her powerwheel from Christmas. She has finally figured out how to make it work :) She also learned how to ride her tricycle last week (thanks to Gma Melanie)!

Creating - she loves to color with crayons, markers, fingerpaint. And loves Playdoh (I hope to create some of our own to save money next time). She loves playing with chalk outside. She loves to help mommy bake too :)


Fav shows/movies - Dora, Diego, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Max & Ruby, Letter Factory, Toy Story, Astro Boy, and more!

Being a sister - I think it is very hard for her to understand that she has to share her toys, and time with mommy. Now that Arwen is crawling/mobile, she is into everything which includes Destin's room and her things. I have seen Destin push Arwen down several times over the last month or so, and I am not sure why she keeps doing this (timeouts, spankings and talking about it is not helping). I know she loves her sister, she gives her hugs & kisses all the time. And sometimes she even likes that Arwen follows her around - I just hope the pushing stops.

She is always singing, dancing and on the go all the time. I have started to take her to the park more often, and have found that she is getting a little better about staying with me. I am debating on going to library time this summer.

We had such a fun time at Happy Tails park yesterday (a dog park with a pretty cool playground on the outside gates)...I got some really great pics (see above) too! Don't you just love Arwen's outfit & Destin's hair clip? I got them from Coco Penny! I cannot wait to write up by blog review on FFF :) Here is my favorite one of Arwen that I took:

Have a wonderful weekend! Take care, Melissa

What's Up Wednesday?

Its been kind of a slow week so far around here...but I wanted to share that over the weekend (while we were in Wichita) Arwen started to crawl more and more...and NOW she is officially crawling all the time (check that off our milestone list!). Last night she was crawling on her hands and knees to get Destin's toys, our feet, and of course Destin! It was so funny to watch her :) I still haven't got a video of it, but I plan to sometime this week. I also need to get a video of Arwen laughing and talking - no one believes me that she is loud and talkative since she gets shy around new people.

I also forgot to mention something about our trip last weekend...when we went to visit my Great Grandma, many of the residents there at the nursing home got to see us too. While we walked through, each of these older men and women just lit up - and started asking us questions...Are they twins? How old are they? What are their names?...we were truly the center of attention. It made me happy that we were able to light up their day, but at the same time it made me so sad to see all of those amazing people of older generations be stuck there - nowhere to go, nothing to do but talk amongst themselves, and wonder why their own loved ones don't visit more often.

I wonder how many other parents with two children (around the same age - our girls are 17.5 months apart) get asked if they are "twins"? I think I remember when my neices were younger - and they would get asked the same thing. :) Now they are school age, so I don't imagine that happens very often now - since they are about the same age apart as our girls.

Destin is quite the artist! She loves to color, paint, and make lots of things with playdoh/blocks/legos. Well...while I went to the grocery store, and daddy was checking his email - she drew a very BIG masterpiece all over her tummy/legs, the living room floor, the fireplace and Bubba Duke with PERMANENT BLACK MARKER!!! Yes, it is quite the sight to see! I am still needing to go get some rubbing alcohol to get it off. She has colored on herself a number of times with markers, but never with permanent marker. Patrick has to use them for work - and it was left out when emptying his pockets...yikes!

In regards to our weather...it is so pretty out, and less windy so I hope to get out of the house and take the girls to the park before the rain comes. Last night we all went outside after dinner and drew with chalk, played with water, and I took some pics.

Today, Destin turns 26 months old...not a whole lot has changed since last month. She is still talking and learning new things everyday. Her newest saying is, "I love it!" Destin is still very much a daddy's girl, and loves to be wherever he is. Sleep is starting to become a little easier (we usually have her go to our bed, and she falls asleep by 8:15 or so, then we transfer Destin to her own bed, where she has been sleeping all night about half the time). She is now starting to let me style her hair (you can see her pigtails in some photos over the last two weeks). We are still working on letter recognition, numbers (she can count up to 20), colors (she knows them most of the time), and shapes (she knows most of them).

And Arwen is 8.5 months old ~ crawling on her hands and knees everywhere, talking/laughing and expressing herself all the time. She is definitely an explorer and I think she will be helping her big sister make messes. Still sleeping great! Still has 2 teeth. Still is very much a mommy's girl, and gets upset when I leave the room (sometimes). She still has her bright blue eyes too...I am starting to think she might be keeping them.

Also...I want to wish a very Happy 4th Birthday to Daisy & Duke! I cannot believe my furbabies are 4 years old! (I am going to write a post just for them...)

From our family to yours, have a great Wednesday!

The Blizzard of 2011 & updates...

Welcome to the first week of February...which will also be known as The Blizzard of 2011. Here in Greenwood (a suburb of Lee's Summit - which is a city about 30 minutes away from Kansas City) we got over 13 inches of snow starting Tuesday morning into Wednesday. This is the third week this year that the schools have been closed! Which means this is the third snow storm we have had. Although this week was definitely the worst & the most snow we have ever had. We haven't gone outside to play this time around since the winds are so strong & its so very cold out...but maybe we can play again sometime this weekend if it warms up.

To top it off - Pat got laid off last week...and with the weather as bad as it is, he probably won't get a job for another week or so. So no job means no money - and we are running low as it is. Its just a scary thought to think how close we are to no money at all...I won't go into great conversations about this, but I just wanted to throw it out there. This blog is for sharing my thoughts, feelings, experiences about my life & my family.

This week we have been trying to prepare for Destin's 2nd birthday (which is next Sunday)...trying to decide what to do, where to go, decorations, cake, presents, etc. Its so crazy to think that my baby girl will be 2 years old! It just doesn't seem possible! Today, my mom & little brother (Gma & Uncle Joe) came over to play for a few hours which was fun for all of us...especially with cabin fever setting in.

I have noticed that over the last few weeks Destin has become more irritable, throwing fits more often - especially if she doesn't get her way...saying bad words, hitting me, and definitely not being a good girl like she needs to be. She is still not wanting to sleep in her own bed (I can definitely say that I do not enjoy co-sleeping)...I just wish she would go to sleep in her own bed and stay there all night. I can only hope & wish that it happens someday soon. I am really worried what will happen as Arwen gets older - and she realizes that her big sister is in our bed every night. :(

Also another update - potty training. We are still "in training" for sure...Destin keeps having accidents off/on every day with no care at all...its just so frustrating! I wish she would go pee/poo in the potty when she needs to AND speaking of - I was approved to host another House Party - the Potty Training Party from Huggies. Its in March - so maybe by then we will have more luck. We have been training since the end of November - maybe we tried doing this too early - since she is still not fully trained and having accidents almost daily. For awhile she was doing great with no accidents - only she wouldn't go #2...now its almost as if she doesn't care :(

Tuesday this week, we took Arwen to her 6 month check-up which went pretty good. She is sitting up, rolling over & starting to eat baby cereal/food for the first time this week (peas were her first). Arwen is so smart - she knew why we were there & immediately started crying when I laid her down on the table. She definitely did not enjoy her shots - who would??? I would cry too! Poor baby girl - at least it only lasted a minute or so & this time around Pat was able to go with me & handle Destin.

Tomorrow (Friday), we are taking Destin to the dentist for the first time (she has over 16 teeth - so I would say she is definitely overdue to go)...I am pretty excited to go! Its a pediatric place in Lee's Summit called Spencer & Spencer. AND I am very happy that Patrick will be with me for extra support. Its hard enough to go somewhere by myself - so it will be nice to get out & meet a milestone with Destin together :)

So anyways, that's my two cents for this week - I hope everyone is staying warm, with power & is healthy (the girls & I are still fighting colds)...take care!

Destin is 22 months old today!

Destin is 22 months old today...only 2 more months until our baby girl is 2 years old! I just can't believe how close it is! I went ahead and ordered her invites from Shutterfly about a month ago...and added a sweet poem which I will post later on :)

Destin just loves playing with her babydolls, legos, watching Elmo & Dora, and she is learning so much! She is still learning Spanish & English - counting to 20, shapes, colors, ABCs and more! She is also mastering potty training. This is the first week we have gone with undies all day (diaper at night) and had no accidents! She is doing awesome! My goal was to be potty trained by Christmas - so that might be coming true! Yay!

She is so excited for Christmas! We bought her a Powerwheels Toyota car, Dora doll, books & more! I know she will have so much fun this year opening her present...and Christmas will be here in less than 2 weeks! I think we are just as excited as she is...this year she will actually be able to open up all of her gifts on her own and I just know she will love it!

She is talking more and more in sentences, singing songs, dancing every time she hears the radio....and is always always on the GO! We have been going without a nap the last couple weeks - which means less time for me, but an earlier bedtime around 8 or 8:30ish. The only downside of bedtime, is that she still won't sleep for us unless we drive her in the car around the block. She will scream, cry and throw a fit in her room for hours, and will just play in our bed...which means we go to bed too early! Hopefully she will learn to go to sleep on her own before her birthday - that is my goal!

Arwen is doing wonderful at 4 months old...she is loving to explore, adores tummy time, and wants to watch/play with her big sister. She is cooing, laughing and smiling all the time - it is very rare to see her sad/crying. She is such a good sleeper too! She sleeps all night in her crib now (for about a week), and takes about 2 naps/day. We are so excited to see her learn new things, and can't wait for her to start crawling and try to keep up with Destin. Pretty soon we will start giving her babyfood/cereal in the next couple months...Oh! And she is getting her first tooth on the bottom - it should be here any day!

Potty training (chart) and Sleeping update

As you know we have been busy with potty training & sleep training Destin...well I think we only have enough patience for one at the moment...so we have been working on potty training!

I posted over the weekend that Destin has been going potty more often...I am trying to keep track of her progress, so here is a potty chart that I am starting for this week:

Thur, 12/2: Pee & Poo x 1
Fri, 12/3: Pee x 1
Sat, 12/4: Pee & Poo x 1
Sun, 12/5: Pee x 2
Mon, 12/6: Pee x 4 - had about 2 accidents - (also put diaper on her)
Tues, 12/7: Pee x 2 - had about 4 accidents (Underwear all day)
Wed, 12/8: Pee x 2 - had 1 accident (Undies all day) as of 1 PM

We are still doing a diaper at night...which I think might be one of the reasons sleep training isn't going well. We are also still working on pooing in the toilet...she has just a few times since we caught her in the act. I am still working on her telling me when she needs to go. Right now she goes in her underwear, and then rushes over to the potty after the fact. We have been lucky enough to stay home, and go when she is dry...trying multiple times/day.

As far as sleep training goes...yeah, not so much! She does not want to nap, so I am keeping her awake all day, and then at around 8ish we take her for a drive. I feel like I am being such a lazy parent...she won't stay in her bed, or bedroom for that matter...she will cry for hours on end..and instead of sticking to it and making her do this - we take her for a drive. We have been driving her at night for about two weeks now, and it works great because she usually is asleep within minutes after going up the road...but she still wakes up in the middle of the night screaming and ends up in our bed hours later. I just don't know what to do..I am so upset that nothing has worked, and I wish we could start over - but it just seems impossible.

I am hoping that Patrick & I can figure out something else to do. I would love for the girls to get on a set schedule for sleeping, eating and more...but I would like some help..Especially since Destin does not want to sleep without daddy. The night he was gone out with his friends, she went to sleep no problem. I think he is the main reason she doesn't want to sleep - she has him wrapped around her finger and he will do anything for her...like letting her sleep in our bed. Maybe if we both read to her, sit with her, etc. she will eventually let me just do it. I don't know?? She is such a daddy's girl, that she needs him for everything when he is home. But if he isn't home, she does okay with my rules. I think Patrick & I need to find some rules/guidelines for bedtime and find a routine that will work for all of us. I just don't know how or when it will happen.

Arwen is sleeping so good! She still naps about twice a day, and will sleep all night (as long as Destin doesn't wake her up screaming). And this week at 4 mos old, I have been putting her down in her crib, instead of her bassinet. She still sleeps good, and we listen for her on the baby monitor. I am still doing my cloth diaper research for her..but right now its on hold due to time and money. It just seems like the right and green thing to do since I do laundry almost everyday anyway.

There is still no schedule, per say...Arwen sleeps at different times per day...and we don't really do anything the same everyday other than dinner (which also changed since Pat is now working 8 hours instead of 10). We need a schedule! That is my goal for the next month is to find one that works during the day, and then figure out what to do for night time...bath, books, snacks, TV time, etc. We mostly need to find how to put both girls to sleep while they are awake so that they go to bed at night and sleep ALL night in their own beds.

Our Thanksgiving & other tidbits

If you read my Shutterfly site, then yes, I did copy & paste this...no sense in reading in twice!

Well I have both the girls asleep at the same time at night! Can you believe it?! And I thought I would catch up on my blog/site here for the family...since Pat is out with friends & I have some quiet time here at the house :)

Speaking of sleep...Destin is still being such a stinker when it comes to bedtime. She doesn't want to have anything to do with naps, unless its accidental when going for a car ride or watching tv. She is just on the go all the time (as everyone got to see at Thanksgiving). Arwen is for the most part, still sleeping wonderful...all night, every night :) Yay! Bedtime for Destin means having to sleep with us (which is NOT what I want, I would love for her to sleep in her bed). Then we transfer her to her own bed after falling asleep in ours - she wakes up a few hours later screaming/crying for us to come get her. :( This has been the new trend for the past two weeks - it is soooo not fun! Of course, I have to mention - tonite is the first time in a long time (I don't even remember when??) Destin went to her bed, and fell asleep with me sitting next to her without crying/playing/talking and was alseep within twenty five minutes or so! I cannot believe it! And to make it even better of a night, Arwen fell asleep - and I put her in the crib to sleep for the first time at night :) She has napped there before, but never at night...My babies are growing up!

So now they are both sound asleep in their bedroom together :) Its so sweet! Oh, and this week, we have been trying to give them both a bath at the same time! Destin loves it! Arwen loves bath time - she smiles, and kicks her legs in the water. And to save on time, water & my sanity I thought I would try it. Tonight was the third time they took a bath together, and it is going pretty well. Granted, Arwen cannot sit up yet - so she lays on her bath mat thing that holds her up & I am able to wash them both, let them play a little bit. Then take turns drying, getting dressed, lotion, brush hair, etc. Maybe this can be the start of a beautiful schedule - I can only hope! I would love love love to have both the girls in bed by 8:30 every night. But for now, I will settle for 9ish.

Destin just never wants to sleep...I mentioned earlier that she does not like naps. Starting last weekend, she just flat out refused to take them. And I thought maybe it would help her fall asleep sooner & faster at night. The first night it did (which was last Saturday). But then the next couple nights, she stayed up just as late 9, 10, 11 PM! HOLY MOLY! She has so much energy all the time day or night! So...I am still trying to figure her out with this whole sleep thing. I have been reading books, looking online, asking other mommies out there...and I have no idea what is going on with her. And in case you were wondering - it was just like this before Arwen came too - so I know that is not it! If you are reading this & have any ideas - please share them with me ASAP!

For Thanksgiving, we went to Tammie's apartment in Hermitage, MO this year. It was Destin's 2nd Thanksgiving & Arwen's 1st :) I had the girls dress up in matching red dresses & pink tights from Old Navy. I got them in the mail, along with the other goodies I bought online (I received them the day before Thanksgiving - Yay!). Oh - just a small tidbit here - I bought almost all of the girls gifts online this year. I think I will keep doing this too, since it saves me time, hassle, and the craziness of going out with both the girls. Destin just runs all over the place any time we go anywhere. Anyways..back to Turkey Day :) We had a great time seeing all of Patrick's family - there were quite a few people there: Tammie & Mick; Vicki, Tink & Jared; Shannon, Rob, Ally, Macy & Sierra (sorry if I'm not spelling that right!); Rick, Debbie, Dalton, Daniel, Amber, Jake, Jaiden & Meghan; Shane, Tammy & Tony; Mike, Darcy, Clara & Abby; and of course us!

There was so much food to eat - turkey, steak, porkloin, mashed potatoes & gravy, mac n cheese, corn, rolls, sweet potatoes (2 kinds), corn casserole thing, green bean casserole (I made this), and more! Then for dessert...there were cookies, butter cake, pumpkin & pecan pie, chocolate pie & mini cheesecake bites with cherries (I made these too!). Yummy, yummy!

I loved all the pics that I got on this wonderful holiday - be sure to check them out in the November photo album on my Shutterfly site (http://destinpaisleyroach.shutterfly.com/)! Thank you to everyone for being so loving and caring ~ and of course, talkative! It was nice to have a Thanksgiving with everyone down there! I wish we would get together more often!! I know Destin had so much fun playing with all the girls - Meghan, Jaiden, Macy, Sierra, Ally, Clara & Abby.

Other stuff...

Potty training: We started at the end of September, and Destin did great for about one weekend. She went poop & pee pee in the potty (that Gpa Todd bought her in the beginning of August). But then she kept having accidents (even with her cute Dora undies) and so we stopped. We kept trying all month of October & November. She would sit & try, but never really go. I think she may have went once or twice in October...but only if we caught her at the right time. Last Sunday, she went twice (not a lot but sat, tried & went). Then today, at the end of November (almost two months later) she went pee pee in the potty again (a whole bunch)! Yay! Daddy even gave her some M&Ms for going :) So we put her in her undies again, but I am sorry to report she had an accident on the floor after bath time (about an hour after) and she didn't really care. I even had her in a new nightgown from Old Navy (her first one ever, since she was a baby). I would love to get more nightgowns for her, if she starts going potty again. I told Pat maybe we could start a treasure box, or a sticker chart - or both to encourage her to go potty! So...we will see what happens. My goal was to have her trained by Christmas...but now I would like to change that goal to her birthday. I would love to say she is going potty by the time she was 2 years old! Lord knows, she is smart enough to do it! She is soo smart!

How do I know she is smart, you ask? She is learning to say her ABCs, count to 10 in English & Spanish, learning Spanish words like Gracias, DeNada (from Dora the Explorer - her second fav show), recognizing & trying to draw shapes, colors, dressing herself and more!

Arwen is learning so many new things too...she is starting to push up on her hands & knees during tummy time. She blows bubbles/raspberries with her mouth. She cries "mama" (although I am not going to count this is as her first word). We are still working on rolling over, and learning how to sit up on her own. She loves to stand up too (in her bouncy seat - it was Destin's old one). We also have her sitting up in Destin's old blue seat too. She just loves looking around and seeing what everyone is doing.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Take care & keep in touch!

Oh, I almost forgot...Arwen will be 4 months old on Monday :) Her checkup will be December 1st! So look for an update about her visit/shots/weight/height!

Its a conspiracy...

Okay, so I have officially discovered that my girls are conspiring against me! Ha! They both cry at the same time, poop at the same time & want my attention at the same time (conspiracy - I think so!)...if only I could get them to sleep at the same time! Granted, Arwen sleeps alot...so I will rephrase what I just said - if only they would sleep at nap/night time - wouldn't that be great?

The whole everyday same schedule doesn't always work out the way I would like for it to...and the same goes for sleeping at night. Yep - you guessed it! Destin is still not sleeping in her bed - its different every night/week & this week all she wants is daddy. She will scream, cry and throw the biggest fit until he comes in there. Its awful - and it will last hours before she stops! AHH!

I am slacking on picture taking this week...so I am hoping to get some type of pics taken soon. I have been busy working on Christmas gifts for the girls (ordering them online) and making gifts on Shutterfly. I can't believe Christmas will be here soon...we are in the works of making our lists of what to get, where to get it, how much we have to spend, etc. Until next time, I'm off to go spend more money - woo hoo!

Running away, potty training & more...

Wow! What a day/week it has been! We went to Music with Mar today (we met Holly, Karly & Kynly at Great Beginnings Early Childhood Center - thanks for coming by the way!), and the whole time we were there Destin decided to run away, down the hall and laugh the whole time. You would think, she would want to play, sing & dance with her friends, but NO! She stayed with me, only when I was holding her in my lap (and not just holding her, with my arms around hers so that she wouldn't run away).

Sadly, this is not something that is new. Since bringing home Arwen (and possibly even a couple months before hand), every time we go somewhere she stays with me for a little while, then she decides to run away. It doesn't seem to matter what we are doing, or where we are (Walmart, Target, the grocery store, a parking lot, a park, a school, etc.) she thinks its funny/sneaky/attention getting to run away as fast as she can from mommy.

I have to tell you, I absolutely hate it! It scares me to death knowing that she is this brave little girl wanting to go anywhere she wants, no matter what faces her...she could get stolen, hurt, lost, scared, etc. Ahhh! I have had a couple family members & friends say to invest in a wristband/backpack that ties to her..I just feel that I am being a bad parent b/c she won't stay with me...and I am basically restricting where she can go. I mean, could you imagine me holding on to her like that at a park? I just don't know what to do...I knew that the terrible twos were approaching, but I think she hit them about six months ago (which is way too soon!). Destin will be 2 in less than four months...so who knows what will happen when we hit that milestone?!?!

Then to top it off, we have been letting Daisy & Duke stay out whenever we leave the house...and they make it a point to find something that I forgot to put up & tear it up to shreds. Whether it be a wrapper (not a big deal), a toy, plastic bags, the trash, etc. Today it was a extra large plastic bag that holds an electronic toy & accessories (which now we are missing two pieces) & Destin's plastic pumpkin that we got for 50 cents at Target the other night. Grrr...

Destin has decided that each time she goes potty, that she has to take off her pants & her diaper...no matter what or where we are! Or what she has done (whether it be poop or pee)...very gross, and absolutely not okay, by any means! I would say this is very good sign that she is ready to start potty training again :) She loves to be naked, and sometimes she will go hide & take off all her clothes & diaper....but I would really like to try doing the potty thing again. We took a break for a little while, just because she had no interest, didn't really care when she went (unless it was a BM), and would scream & run away anytime I would mention the potty chair. But now, she tells me when she goes & immediately starts to strip off her diaper.

I'm thinking about starting a sticker & schedule chart with pictures for her. This might help motivate some potty time & could possibly help me (and daddy) put her on a good schedule for sleeping. These would be two separate, different things.

Sleeping is still not going well either...I'm not sure what week we are on since I started our so-called routine, but it went out the window & we are back to her going to sleep/falling asleep in our bed - then we transfer her to her own bed. For the most part, she sleeps all night, every night. But she still won't go to sleep on her own, in her own room or bed. I just don't understand why she wants to be with us so badly. We really aren't that exciting, and all we do is either watch tv, or go to bed ourselves.

In all honesty, I would like to have more "alone" time with Patrick too. We hardly see each other as it is, with him working 10 hours, 6 days a week...then we eat dinner, play, bathtime & then its time for bed. Our nights go by pretty fast...which I just don't see how making her go to sleep any earlier would help. It would be nice, but she has so much energy it would almost be silly to start any earlier than 9 pm. I am hoping that daylight savings this Sunday will help us out...but we will see how that goes!

Naptime is hit & miss, or so I think. This week, with the exception of one day, Destin has been going to sleep about fifteen minutes or less after I put her in bed. I tell her Iove her, give her a kiss, and after one trip to see me (or sometimes she will stay in there), she goes to sleep. The other day I found her buried underneath all of her stuffed animals in her bed (see pic below). Then she will sleep for usually an hour & a half or longer. Usually, she fights me for two or more hours until 3 pm (starting at 1 ish or so). I tried having her nap earlier, but it made it worse...so 1 pm is the magical time for now. I don't think she is ready to give up naps just yet, and I am not ready for her to either.

Arwen is sleeping great! She sleeps through the night, every night...and goes to sleep after about ten or fifteen minutes after I lay her down (as long as she isn't hungry, wet/dirty, or has an upset tummy). She is such a sweet girl! I just hope that Arwen stays this way for a very very long time(and believe it or not, Destin was too at this age! She slept through the night, every night from 6 weeks old til about 5 mos old). I am not sure what we are going to do, if both girls won't go to sleep when we want them to. Lets just hope we only have 1 to worry about for now!

Until next time, take care & have a great weekend! We are going to a friend's birthday party on Sunday :) Happy Birthday Anakin! I can't believe he is 2 already! Here are some pics I found from his birthday last year (its so hard to believe how much they have changed in a year!):

I remember Anakin was just learning how to walk & Destin loved playing with him for the first time :)

Sleeping update - Week 2

I have decided that my children do not like to sleep. For the most part, Arwen sleeps fairly well. She would sleep all day on most days if I would let her. Almost every trip/outing/visit, she sleeps! But there are times when she will stay up all night if we let her - she talks, coos, laughs and will cry if she is hungry enough. She is such a sweet girl :)

Destin does not like to sleep. She hates naptime/bedtime - she tells me 'No mommy!' every time. If we sit in there with her, it leads to her talking/playing...if we don't sit with her, it leads to the same thing, and you have to add that she won't stay in her bed/room longer than a couple minutes. It is still taking over an hour, to sometimes up to two hours for her to fall asleep. I am so tired of her not wanting to sleep. You would think she would have no energy, and would fall asleep after not having enough rest - but, no...she is full of energy, hyper at times and would rather dance/sing/jump/run/talk/give kisses/hugs/pretend/etc...all day/night! I can only keep thinking happy thoughts, that this too shall pass with time & until then wish us luck & sleepy naps/nights for the future.

So my new method of letting her fall asleep on her own is a FAIL! I am hoping to find something new in the next week or so...I am reading the no cry method right now, still trying to find some answer.

Sleeping update

I lost track of the days/nights of Destin's sleep schedule...but I can say they are not getting any better. It is still taking over an hour. She still won't stay in her bed or her room....I am still waiting for things to click! We got messed up on Saturday, because she didn't take a nap until almost 3 PM...then Sunday, we went to birthday party which was at night from 7 - 9 PM.

You would think that if we let her stay up later she would fall asleep faster, but it doesn't make a difference. The earlier we have her go to bed, the longer it takes for her to fall asleep :( The later we have her go to bed, it takes just as long usually. I am hoping that the books I get from the library this week will give me some new light on the subject of how to teach your children to fall asleep on their own.

Arwen has no problem falling asleep and staying asleep. She would sleep all day if I would let her! My children are opposite right now :P, but just wait...give it time & I am sure they will both not sleep! Ahh!

Sleeping Schedule - Day 4/5, Night 3/4

A couple of days ago I posted how we are trying to put Destin on a good sleep schedule...it was working rather well - but now, I am not so sure. On Friday (Day 4) she got out of her bed at least twenty times...and after about an hour (she was yawning at 1) she fell asleep about 2:00 and woke up at 3:30. That night (Night 3), we put her to bed at 8:30 and she got up more than fifty times at least, and we kept putting her back each time...she didn't fall asleep until almost two hours later at 10:20ish. Pat and I finally went to bed before she did!

Today, Saturday (Day 5) was horrible! Since Destin woke up at 700ish AM I decided to put her down about 12:30ish…she got up probably fifty plus times again (just like last night) and did not go to sleep until 2:45ish. So almost 2 ½ hours long it took her to fall asleep. I know she is testing me and I just want to give in and tell her she doesn’t have to take a nap – but I know she won’t learn anything. I know that her tears and mine are happening for a reason – so she learns to fall asleep on her own. I have always said she is the energizer bunny in disguise..and this day does prove it beyond any belief.

On a day like this it makes me question if I am a good parent, what am I doing wrong, what am I doing right? I know I am, but I still have to wonder. Is she too hot? Is she too cold? The weather here is crazy – one day last week it was so cold there was frost on our roof and we were wearing jackets and bundling the kids up; then a couple days later it feels like it summer again and I had open up all the windows & turn the attic fan on. It is as if summer does not want to go away and wants to fight fall for some more “air time”!

Did she watch too much TV? I have been limiting how much TV Destin watches, a couple hours in the morning, and then I turn it off. I have been limiting how much I watch too; just so that I can get more stuff done around the house and take some time enjoy life. Did she not get enough exercise/book time/mommy & me time? The list goes on and on…

I will stick with this routine…but because of the time it took her to fall asleep for her nap, I will have to alter her time that she goes to bed (Night 4) as well. Then we have a birthday party Sunday night to attend which will change things as well…stay tuned!

Sleeping schedule

As a stay at home mom for almost two years you would think I would be the queen of routine, but I have come to realize that I am still learning...Routine is something that must be done every day/night without really needing to stress out about it. Stress is something that I have always have plenty of...so I am hoping that by setting a routine I will allow myself to be a little bit less stressed out and little more at ease when it comes to being a mommy of two little girls.

Just as every child must learn to talk, eat, crawl, and walk - children must also learn how to sleep. Destin has never been that great of a sleeper...at 6 weeks old she slept through the night until about 5 months old old! I never knew how much I truly missed those restful nights until she turned 5 months old...I'm not really sure what happened - if she realized she could stay up or wake up whenever she wanted to, but she did it all the time every night. Patrick and I eventually gave in to her wanting to sleep with us, rather than having her sleep in her own crib/bed. Boy, was that a mistake! Destin slept in our bed pretty much all night every night - that is even how we got her to go to sleep...not rocking, no bedtime story, and most importantly no routine!

When Destin was 9 months old, we found out we were expecting baby number two...and I was so worried to have Destin go to sleep on her own, getting her on a schedule/routine, etc. So I tried it at naptime, and it worked for a little while...but then she started to cry. Nothing is worse than hearing your own child cry, and Pat and I eventually gave up. Giving up was not very smart! From then on, we had her sleep with us...and then after she fell asleep she would go into her own crib/bed. Then she started to wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes two or three times a night - so we started to keep her in bed with us all night long. This was not very good either..by the time she fell asleep, Pat and I were already asleep! She would talk, play, kick, do flips - you can imagine!

Then we bought her a toddler bed, and thought she would love it! She did love it, but not enough to stay in there all night. Well...9 months later Arwen was born :) And I finally decided I no longer wanted Destin in bed with us, so we started to sit with Destin while she laid in her bed. She would talk, play, jump up and down, ask for a drink, etc...this is the way it has been for the last two months for naptime & bedtime until about three days ago. We would have to sit with her for up to an hour each day and night so that she would go to sleep.

Three days ago, we had a visit from our Parents as Teachers (PAT) lady and she gave me some advice on how to get Destin to go to sleep. She said to put up a babygate in her door. I tried it out for two days at nap time. The first day was horrible - she cried for over an hour, but eventually did fall alseep. She tore up her room, took off her diaper/clothes, and cried all the while...Here is a copy of the email I sent to my PAT lady:

“So...I officially am trying out your advice on sleeping... I have some questions for you:
- How long is too long to let her "cry it out"? She has been crying for over an hour and still not asleep.
- What do I do if she takes off all of her clothes/diaper? She has done three times..I have gone in, put them back on and she takes them off as soon I leave again.
- What if she is physically hurting herself with the door or gate? What do I do then? She was banging her feet/head against them both.
I just don't know what to do....”

With no response, I decided that night we did our usual routine of sitting with her. Then on the second day, I put the gate up again in her doorway, and she cried again, stripped off her clothes, but was asleep within thirty minutes..I thought maybe it could be working and it would take time (just as the PAT lady said), so…that night we tried putting the gate up in her room, and she figured out how to climb over the gate. You know how people give you advice, and sometimes you take and sometimes you leave it…I really wish I would have left it in the first place. Pat and I both hate hearing Destin cry. I felt as if I was punishing her for not wanting to sleep, and to make it worse I was “locking” her in her room with no way out – wouldn’t you cry too? Pat wanted to give up, but I told him we had to take the gate down and see if she would stay in her bed...

So to my surprise she did! Granted she did get out of bed about five times, but she stayed in there without either one of us in there with her and after about an hour she fell asleep on her own! I couldn't believe it! For naptime the next day, I tried this leaving her alone in her room with the door open. She got up twice, but after the second time stayed in her room and after about thirty minutes, she fell asleep on her own. Then last night (we did it again, minus the horrifying gate), I read her a story twice, gave her a kiss, told her good night, turned off the light and left the room with the door open. A half hour passed and she stayed in her bed the whole time, but then she got up. We put her back. She got up again. I put her back. And she stayed there – she sang, talked, played with her puppy, but after another twenty minutes passed she finally fell asleep on her own (again!).

I have to say that I am very proud of myself as a parent, and I am proud of my daughter. She is doing very well for having a major change in her day/night…she is learning how to go to sleep on her own. Yes, it will take time. Yes, “it will get worse, before it gets better”. I have read numerous articles, books and online resources on how a good bedtime routine must be in place, as well as how children wake up on their own in the middle of the night several times, and how children need to have 12 hours or more of sleep each night at her age. Research has shown all of these things…which leads to why we had to this. Having Destin learn this new concept is not only good for her, but also good for us as her parents. We like to have some alone time and it is hard to when she takes up over an hour, sometimes two when she needs to go to sleep. Now, she will have a schedule to follow, which will lead to us being able to put Arwen on a good schedule.

Something else I forgot to add, is that I have also limited her watching tv, started a quiet time twice a day (before nap & before bedtime) and have started a schedule/routine that I will try to stick by no matter what. We will do bath at 7:30, read books, puzzles and do quiet activities until bedtime at 8:30. Eventually I would like to move it up…since right now she is still falling asleep around 9:30ish.

I have asked for advice on this subject from several sources – friends, family, PAT, online message boards, Facebook…and all have left me with this result: As a parent, you have to do what is right for you and your children. Every child is different, which means they must have different routines, schedules, naptimes, bedtimes and ways of falling asleep. Every child learns differently - as a teacher, I know this first hand. I know that not every child will learn their math the same way, just as my children will not learn how to fall asleep like everyone else. I do blame myself for not doing this earlier; for not trying something new to see if it would work…but I won’t dwell on that. I will look forward and hope that this struggle we have been having is and will get better over time. We just have to stick to it!

In case you were wondering, her PAT lady did email me and she even called me after a couple days. She said that she just never saw my email. But I was happy to report to her that letting Destin "cry it out" was something I did not like and we were starting our own method. My PAT lady gave me lots of praise and support and said that she will always be there for me no matter what :) I am just glad that I am trying out new things as a parent - don't be afraid to try new things!

Wish us luck - hopefully this will work and hopefully she won't leave her bed when she should be sleeping. I just have to stay positive and hope that it will get better.