Personality

So the Newbie has a very strong personality. And she's different from her sisters. Strong willed, knows what she wants. Not afraid to fight for things. Likes to be in charge. What we affectionately like to call "leadership skills." For example, she loves coffee, wine and beer. At first we thought she just wanted to have what everyone else was having. Now, we know. If she sees you with a cup of something she likes, she's not shy about picking up your finger, dipping it in the liquid, and sucking the liquid off of your finger. If she likes it, and she hasn't met a beverage she doesn't like, she goes it and tries to take a big gulp. The first time it happened, I thought, once she tries the wine (dry white) she'll hate the taste and that would be the end of it. Not so! Then it was, well, she'll hate red wine. Wrong again. Then beer, we thought for SURE she would hate beer. Nope. Then coffee...well at least with the coffee maybe she had some in Ethiopia. Here are a few photos of her in action with my coffee. Now, before you get all up in arms that we are feeding our baby these things, we let her have a taste and that was it.

After the coffee it was the diaper. She's figured out, with her clothes on, how to undo the tabs on her diaper. So occasionally we'll find her with a wet diaper peeking out of one leg of her pants. We're thinking of investing in some duct tape.

On Christmas, she tried to choke herself multiple times by putting chocolate in her mouth with the wrappers on. We had to do an all-out manhunt at home for the chocolate ornament balls from Fannie May, since those seemed to be her favorite. Part of the Christmas video shows me sweeping out her mouth and trying to explain about the wrappers. Ahh, such a warm family moment caught on tape!

And then it was the outfits. I had one of my favorite holiday outfits for the Newbie to wear on Christmas. It was a hand-me-down from the older girls. I laid it out on the foot of her bed while she was taking her nap. When she woke up, I was greeted with the odor of poop, and somehow she had drooled/peed all over the outfit. Outfit number two was destroyed when she spilled her sisters' apple juice all over it. Outfit number three got drool and corn smeared all over it, but we just kept her in it. I didn't have anything festive left for her to put on, and there wasn't much time left in the day.

Then it was the water bottles. We keep the non-breakable stuff in the low drawers of the kitchen so the Newbie can play with them. Last week she managed to get both of her hands stuck in stainless steel water bottles. She clumped around crawling for a while before I figured out that she wasn't just having fun, they were stuck. A little soap and they came off--thankfully. It could have been much worse.

I could go on and on. Needless to say, it is very interesting at our house. I find myself saying the damnedest things and sweeping her mouth out all the time. Her sisters now know to do it, too. You never know what you'll find in her mouth. It's an adventure, but a fun one, too. People used to look at the older girls sitting at a restaurant and say, "I hope you get a boy." Gender has nothing to do with it. It's all personality, and we've got it in spades.

Merry Christmas Eve!

We're cooking here, and the wee ones are looking for Santa. Here's a few live action shots of our Santa tracking using NORAD. We'll be hollering when he reaches Ethiopia.

Thank you, Internet!!! Or Denise, really

So I read the comments on my last post, all two of them. Particularly, Denise's comment. I checked for teeth-- nothing. Then I thought, a little tylenol can't hurt. I also changed the white noise to soothing ocean sounds. The Newbie slept from 8:30ish p.m. until 3. A peep at 3 and back to sleep. This morning at 5:30?? Drool fest. YEAH Denise! If I could kiss you, I would. Sometimes I think in the heat of the moment, even an experienced mom loses the magic.

Please sleep!

I should have known that we were going to have a sleep issue soon, since Moo has been sleeping in her own bed in her own room (not Doodle's room) all night long for quite some time now. So it was time for the sleep bitch to mess with us again.

The Newbie has generally been a champion sleeper. Put her down, she goes right to sleep and sleeps on through the night. A few times before a milestone or with her ear infection we had rough nights, but generally, things are great. The only issue we had was the crib. She hated it and refused to sleep in it. Maybe it reminded her of her crib in the care center? All was well, until a week or so ago.

We keep having these nights where she wakes up crying and we try everything-- rocking, milk, singing, laying down next to her, bringing her in our bed. She wants to go back to sleep but can't. Even if you get her to doze, when you lower her to the bed she wakes up screaming. I've determined that it isn't the type of pajamas, the prescense or absence of white noise, whether the fan is off or on, whether she has covers on or off, the time she goes to bed, the temperature in her room, who puts her to sleep, etc. Her ears are fine, her tummy is fine, she's not hungry. She's just awake. ANd wants you to be awake with her. For HOURS and HOURS.

Dan takes a turn, then me. Two nights ago, he had her for a while, I tried for over an hour, tried to give her back, but Dan was all, "Nut uh. You have at least another hour and a half before you can hand her back. I've been up for over two hours. Good luck." I got her back to sleep for an hour and a half, gave her to Dan at 7 am and went back to sleep myself.

Last night, I had had it. From 12:45 until 2 I tried the soothing and the milk. Then I did the impossible. I let her cry it out. She cried in her room, I cried just outside the door. The first time, I lasted 3 minutes. Went in and started over. Then 5 minutes of crying. Went in, started over. Then 10 minutes. By then, she woke up Doodle, who joined her Dad in our bed. I'm still crying outside her room. Wondering if this is the right thing to do. Worried because of possible abandonment issues. Feeling like a failure since I never did this with the older girls and can't figure out how to help her. Was I stronger then, with them? More patient? More resilient?

Why couldn't she just curl in next to me and sleep? Then it stopped. I laid down on the hardwood floor outside her room. I was trapped. To move would mean the floor would creak and then she would wake up. I think I laid there for about 45 minutes. I slooowly got up. The floor creaked. She started to cry. Son of a B!

I gave up, and settled into bed. Crying again. Of lack of sleep and frustration. She quieted down after a minute. I slept. For a very few hours. I had to send Dan in to get my glasses in the am and she was up. No ill effects to be seen except she was tired. Well, sister, join the club!

I don't know what we'll do tonight. Probably try everything until we have to resort to the crying it out. Dan thinks it's fine. A different sleep solution for each girl. He thinks we were just lucky the first six months or so. We'll see. In the meantime, I need to try and stay awake.

Can I get in on that? Or, the Accidental Shower

Today, Dan is home with the girls. Moo is sleeping, Dan and Doodle are walking to her school and I've locked the Newbie in the bathroom with me so I can take a shower. As I'm rinsing my hair with my eyes shut, I hear Thump! Thump! Thump! It's the sound of the myriad of products I have perched on the edge of the tub being pushed aside, one by one. I open my eyes, trying to avoid slipping on the bottles and see the Newbie, leaning into the tub. Her Pj's are soaking wet, she leaning as far in as she can go to get the water to run down her face. Her eyes are closed but she has this satisfied grin on her face. She occasionally moves her head from side to side to be sure both cheeks are equally wet.

At that point, I strip her down and take her in the shower with me. I guess she really wanted a shower this morning!

Thankfully, by the time we needed to get out, Dan was home, so he scored me a towel and took a dripping Newbie from me. It might have gotten ugly if he wasn't home. One towel and my robe weren't enough for the flood on the bathroom floor.

Referralversary!

Today is the anniversary of when we received the referral for the Newbie. Here is a copy of the referral pic and a pic of her from Halloween. I'm amazed at home much she has grown. I also can't believe it has been a year since we saw her face for the first time. We are so blessed.

Nutty Family Conversations

Moo: Mom, I have something important to tell you, but don't worry, it's not bad news. But I hafta pee first.

Bathroom visit.

Me: What was it you need to talk to me about, Moo?

Moo: Dad needs the scissors downstairs.

*******

Doodle: Doodle reporting for duty (to help make cookies).

******

Doodle drops her sippy.

Doodle: Darn it!

Me: Where did you learn that phrase?

Doodle: At school. Kids say it.

Me: Ohh.

Moo: You can't say that, Santa is watching.

Doodle: It's better than saying the "s" word.

Me: What is the "s" word.

Doodle: Stupid.

Moo: Yeah, that's really bad.

Are you gonna eat that?

In the mornings, Doodle needs about 20 minutes to become fully conscious. We give her a warm chocolate milk, her "coffee," and let her watch a few minutes of TV until she can function. This Thursday, she was ensconced on the couch with her warm chocolate milk, a waffle cut into pieces, a fork, and a small bowl containing 2 gummy vitamins and 2 calcium gummy bears. The Newbie was on the floor with her cheerios and banana also enjoying a little Sponge Bob. Dan was in the shower, and I took two minutes to grab Doodle's clothes from upstairs. When I came back down, Doodle asks,"Mom, where are the gummy bears?" While she was spaced out, the Newbie had eaten the gummy bears, 1/2 of the waffle and stuck the syrupy spoon in her hair like a pic. Oh, and she had finished her 1/2 of banana and the cheerios. Doodle saw nothing, heard nothing, did nothing. By the time I got the camera, the Newbie had removed the fork and the moment was over.

Now that the Newbie is walking, nothing is safe. There is usually a trail of food in her wake.

P.S. Dan says it was fine she ate the vitamins. I was freaked, but it is nice to have a doctor in the house.