The Facts of Life

Lila just asked, with complete exasperation, "Why do my panties ride up my tushie every day?!?"

Stalling

Am... so... sleepy.... Want... to go... to bed.... Must... clean... house.... Am... stalling... with blog....

Have you ever listened to a 3-year-old try to deliberately pick a fight? It usually begins with a seemingly innocent question, such as, "Why is it getting dark?" And then you, the parent, walk into the trap and answer with something logical (if slightly simplified), such as, "Because it's night time and the sun is going to shine on another part of the earth." GOTCHA! Now the 3-year-old comes back with, "Nooo! It's not night time!"

Much to Lila's chagrin, I refuse to engage in these absurd arguments. As she sits there, usually in the back seat, and tries to antagonize me with her powers of contrariness, I politely explain that I'm not going to argue with her. That usually only makes her more angry, but what can I do?!? I'm not going to actually have an argument with the child over whether or not it's night time (or whatever the chosen bait is). A few times she has even responded with, "Yes! I want you to argue with me!" We've decided to find a debate team for her when she gets older.

More of a Tangent than an Update

For those who live in Austin, you might be surprised to know that Freebird's has a really good kids' combo deal. You can get a cheese quesadilla, chips, and a drink for less than $3. I have a policy on Lila's food that I won't pay more in dollars than Lila is in years of age. That means that I currently won't pay more than $3.15 for her food. (don't worry, we don't deny her food altogether. she just eats off our plates.) Most places charge at least $5 for their kids' plates.

Anyway, I think there was something important or amusing I was going to relate... Oh, no, it's neither amusing nor important, but it might be of interest anyway. I rented The Happening and watched it last night. I truly don't know what I was thinking when I rented a creepy movie to watch while Doug was out of town. Thankfully, it was more of a Fascinating Creepy than a Scary Creepy.

I thought it was quite good and worth watching. I was mildly irritated by the environmental message at the end, not because I disagree, but because I GET IT ALREADY and I'm tired of watching that poor dead horse being beaten. Oh and I will warn you that there are some pretty disturbing images, especially at the beginning of the movie. But aside from all that, I enjoyed it!

"That ain't no happy child!"

Eli is on the bed next to me, screaming. I would like to scream too. Unfortunately, we have small group members showing up any minute, so I should probably not be found in a state of hysteria when they arrive. This is what happens when I put him down for his last nap of the afternoon and he refuses to go to sleep. He cries for 45 minutes instead and then I have to get him back up because it's too close to bedtime for him to go to sleep anymore.

Within an hour, he's a screaming maniac. It's too early to put him to bed for the night; too late to put him down for a nap. So we just have to try and keep him happy until bedtime. That means that one of us must be holding him constantly and probably also bouncing around in some way.

I would really like to walk out the door right now and not come back until they are both asleep.

Please do not leave comments about how sweet my children are or platitudes about enjoying these days before they are gone as that is guaranteed NOT to improve my mood. You may, however, leave comments about how you have days like this too, and how you have considered selling your children to gypsies before.

Thank you.

Things I don't want to talk about

Yeah, that whole "getting the kids to sleep" thing - I don't want to talk about it.

I have been a snotty mess all weekend. Actually, I've been sick for the better part of three weeks and I'm getting really tired of it! I think that what's going on now is mostly a heinous allergy attack, but it's compounded by the ulcer in my throat. Hmm... I don't want to talk about that either.

So, UT beat OU yesterday! Woot! Lila and I were gone for the first half of the game, but I got to watch the second half and it was the first fun game of the season. The others have been so one-sided that I lost interest pretty quickly and wandered away from the TV. Apparently Doug and Eli were watching the game before Lila and I got home and it sounds like it was very cute.

Eli was propped up in one corner of the love seat while Doug sat on the other side and ate his lunch. Eli was just staring at the football game, but every once in a while he'd look over at Doug, scowl at the food he was not getting to eat, and then grin at his Daddy. They were just chillin' on the couch, watchin' football!

Baby Stuff

I'm listening to Eli fuss as I try to get him to go to sleep on his own. At 3.5 months, when he was still in our room, I would put him down awake and he'd go to sleep with little to no fuss. At that time, he was also sleeping from 8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. When we moved him into Lila's room, we were suddenly unwilling to let him fuss because we didn't want him to wake her up.

We started rocking him until he was totally asleep and then putting him down. He then started regularly waking up in the night again. Due to that, and some severe bedtime drama on Lila's part, we've moved his bedtime half an hour earlier than hers and I'm trying to get him to fall asleep on his own again. Tonight is the first attempt and it mostly seems to be making him angry, so far.

I'll give him one more minute (for a total of 5) and then go in and try to relax him, but not all the way to sleep. I'll keep you updated...

Oh, Eli also got his first "solid" food today - extremely runny rice cereal mixed with breast milk. He thought it was quite good and at it all up. He also tried to eat his bib and the spoon.

I Hate Ragweed!

Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it!

Not a Story about my Children

If I am feeding Eli while Lila is in the bath, I sometimes turn the TV on because there's only so much time that can be spent in contemplation of a nursing baby, no matter how cute he is. I did this last night and ended up getting totally sucked in to a ghost movie on the SciFi channel. (An American Haunting, in case you're interested.) Doug ended up sucked in as well and we watched the whole thing. It wasn't the best movie ever, but it was good enough that I was completely creeped out after it was over.

There are a few things we do while getting ready for bed at night. For me, one of those things is cleaning out the kitties' litter box, and this I did, with only slightly irrational fears that something was going to jump out of it and scare me. When I was carrying the bag of goods out to the trash can, I remembered that all the windows on the playhouse were open and there was a chance of rain. There was no way I was going into the dark backyard and inside a small dark house after that movie, so I decided to ask Doug to do it for me.

I went back inside, finished the rest of my little pre-bed chores, then found Doug and asked him to be chivalrous and do me this favor. He agreed, and, with only minor grumbling, found his shoes and headed for the back door.

At this point, I should probably tell you that one of the other things I do before bed is set the alarm. Since I was operating on auto-pilot, I went ahead and set the alarm as usual, without thinking about Doug needing to go back outside. I should also tell you that, for some unholy reason, opening the back door when the alarm is armed makes it go off instantly...

So I'm brushing my teeth when I hear this remarkably loud noise that sounds something like a banshee, or at least what I imagine a banshee would sound like, if they existed. I then hear the sounds of Doug running for the alarm keypad (halfway across the house, in the laundry room) and slipping and sliding on the wood floors along the way. Charlie, apparently, was in the path of this running and slipping, and was already understandably disturbed by the noise, so he freaks out and starts running and slipping too.

Unfortunately for him, he chose the same destination as Doug and thought that he was being chased, which freaked him out even more. All of this seemed to last much longer than the few seconds it actually did and then Doug reached the keypad and the alarm finally stopped. It had only taken me half a second to realize what was happening and I was fighing very hard to control my laughter when Doug came into the bathroom, looking like he had seen a ghost, and informed me that I could go out and close my own stupid windows.

He was all bark though and went on to close them after all. That gave me a chance to laugh and him a chance to recover his sense of humor about the situation. It still cracks me up. That one's going onto my List of Reasons I Wish we had Video Cameras Installed in Every Room.

The children, incidentally, slept through all of this, despite the fact that the alarm is right outside their room. Amazing.

[cough cough]

Things have been nuts around here for a week! Lila was sick, I was sick, Eli was sick, I was still sick, Eli was sick again, Lila was sick again... I think we are finally all well now. Or mostly well. Eli is still a bit spotty - more so than usual, I mean (see photo). He's also politely requesting some milk, so I have to go. At least I got a brief update in.

All together again

Doug and Lila are back home this evening and, thankfully, both kids are in bed. I felt a bit better today than yesterday, but I'm still pretty icky. (Stupid Evil Ragweed!) Eli had a fever for about 24 hours because of his immunizations, but he's all better now. Lila developed one of her fevers on Thursday afternoon, but that is gone too (though she's still acting sick - i.e., whining a lot).

In an unusual turn of events, I started preparing for school early this week. Usually, I'm preparing at 10 p.m. the night before, which leads to difficulties when I discover that I don't have something I'll need. This time, I read the list of needed supplies early enough in the day that I was able to go out and get some tempera paint (which has been called for every week and i keep having to improvise)!

Now I think I'm going to sit down with a bowl of ice cream and try to ignore the fact that my eyelids feel like sandpaper and my throat is sore and swollen. (hey, if i can't complain on my blog, then where CAN i complain?!?)

Doctor Chuy

Eli had his 4 month check-up today (a bit late). He's up to 14 lbs 13 oz and 23.5 inches. So, he's still a bit short and big-headed, but he's average overall. They gave him some more immunizations, which he did not appreciate and the doctor gave us a referral to a dermatologist for his eyelid problem. He was born with all those red blotches - just birthmarks - but his eyelids started being dry and flaky several weeks ago. It's probably nothing, but this doctor likes to be careful.

Doug and Lila are on their way to Dallas without Eli and I right now. They are going to meet our new nephew, Cole Peeler, who was born last week. Originally, we were all going to visit together, but I am sick. Most likely, it is a case of Evil Allergies, but I don't want to risk bringing any germs around the baby. Plus, if I'm going to feel crummy, I'd rather feel crummy at home.

Eli and I are distraught at being left behind, so I think we will be having dinner at Chuy's tonight to console ourselves. It's purely for medicinal purposes, you understand...

My baby is cute.

Exotic Pets

A pygmy possum peed on my son's back this morning. And my daughter had a python around her neck. We had our preschool field trip to the Pet Store and it was fraught with amusement! I brought along a camera, but it stayed in my bag the whole time. I'm hoping that one of the other moms, who brought her camera and actually used it, will share a few photos with me. I asked Lila which animal was her favorite and she said all of them were!

The only part of the trip that I didn't like was when they fed a small rat to a very big python. The two older brothers of one of the girls were there with us and they really wanted to see what would happen. Boys. I was hesitant about witnessing the event myself because I really like small furry animals, but my curiosity got the better of me. It only took about 30 seconds to decide that I didn't need to see any more.

I mean, if the snake had just grabbed the thing and consumed it, I think I could have handled watching. But nooo. The snake first had to squeeze the poor thing to death and that took FAR too long. I was on the verge of tears for about ten minutes after that. I helped myself recover by holding a floppy little ferret. I know they are stinky and I'll never own one, but it doesn't stop them from being really cute!

P.S. - Would you get a load of the fat rolls on this baby!

Sharks

We set Lila up with 'Finding Nemo' during our church small group meeting tonight. She usually hangs out with a few other kids during that time, but none of them were there this week. Anyway, she's seen this movie before, but always with other people around. Apparently, when watching it alone, the movie is too scary. She was particularly frightened by the sharks. Later, after we were home and doing before-bed prayers, she said of them, "Yeah. They're still freaking me out."

Quick One

I have approximately two minutes to finish this email before Eli must be fed. He's currently watching The Muppet Show with Lila (really, he's watching it - it's very cute). Once the video is over, we're going out for some fantastic New Jersey style pizza at Saccone's, so I want to get the boy fed before we leave. If he's feeling agreeable, then he'll just hang out while we eat. We'll see what happens.

This photo is from Lila's Olympic debut. Yesterday, her swim school held the 2008 Munchkin Olympics. She's showing off her medal (and her extreme fatigue) in this picture. That's my little swimmer!

Behold! A post!

Right now I have a headache and a soggy shoulder. The headache is from having my hair pulled back all day. The soggy shoulder is from the baby (that would be Eli) who insisted on spitting out his pacifier and licking my shirt while I was rocking him before bed. This is a symptom of his new love of fabric. He's not really interested in toys that we give him, but he'll play play endlessly with soft blankets and burp cloths. And they are always soggy when he returns them.

For those who haven't heard, we started our preschool class last week and it's going great! The girls love it and it's scratching the Teacher Itch that I've had as long as I can remember. We spent this week talking about Pockets, and next week we're moving on to Pets. We're even taking a field trip to an exotic pet store next weekend, where the girls will get to touch/hold some of the animals!

Oh, and Eli is out of our room! He has made a seamless transition to his crib in Lila's room and we have regained full use of our bedroom. Unfortunately, the aforementioned shirt-sogging baby is now fussing and needs to be rocked again...

A few free moments...

Ugh. I am sorry that it's been so long between posts lately. I don't have time to do it during the day and I can't do it in the evenings when I do have time. Soon, however, Eli will be sleeping in the room with Lila and I'll have full access to my bedroom again! I cannot wait!

Anyway, big things are happening here. Peeler Preschool starts tomorrow! For those who don't know, I'm going to be homeschooling Lila and three other little girls. I have a great preschool curriculum and we'll have class three mornings per week. I'm so excited that I could barely sleep last night and I'm not expecting tonight to be any better. I've wanted to be a teacher since I was a little kid!

Eli is growing and steadily improving his Skills of a Flirter. Lila, as an infant, liked to watch people. She'd make eye contact and just stare at you. She had one of those gazes that makes you uncomfortably suspicous that she might actually be reading your soul. Eli, on the other hand, wants to engage with people. He's not content to just be held or stare at things. He wants to be talked to and interacted with. It's fun to see his personality developing!

Long Time, No Post

I finally found a way to use this sling that works for Eli and I both. He loved being carried around this way because he was touching me, which is his favorite place to be, and he could look around at the world. I loved it because he wasn't crying and I could still use both my hands! Woot!

Things have been crazy busy since just before our vacation. We've been home for nearly a week, but I think it is only this afternoon that I can honestly say things are getting back to normal. I still have a disturbing pile of dirty laundry in my bathroom, but at least my to-do list is no longer following me around and throwing tomatoes at my head.

The beach was lovely and we took a LOT of photos. The cousins had a fantastic time playing together and kept each other nicely entertained most of the time. They did start to wear on each other by the end of the week, however. At the airport on Saturday, I was beginning to think that Lila and Olivia were going to end up in a fist-fight.

Oh, and one other great outcome from the girls spending so much time together: After seeing Liv go pee-pee on the big potty, Lila finally found the motivation she needed to potty train! She has been wearing Big Girl Panties most of the time since we got home and is doing a fantastic job! Hooray!

I tried...

I keep trying to type a post to go along with this photo, but Eli keeps sabotaging my efforts. I think it's time to give up and just leave you with a picture. :oI~

Alternate Identities and String Cheese

Lila and I have somewhat-recently discovered a kids' TV show called "Signing Time". The show teaches sign language and has hideously catchy songs that will get stuck in your head for days. The two main kids on the show are named Alex and Leah. Today, Lila has decided that she is Leah and her stuffed pig, normally known as Piggie, is now Alex.

She has been referring to herself in the third person all day. For example, "Leah is going to put some shoes on so the litter doesn't get on her feet." and "Are Leah's fingernails long?" One time, I accidentally referred to her as Lila and she corrected me. "No, I'm Leah!" Yes, of course. Excuse me. :oI~

On a different topic, I've discovered something odd about Charlie. Yesterday, I was eating a piece of string cheese and he started shadowing me and meowing like he thought I had something for him. I told him it was just cheese and let him smell it. Our cats, with a couple of amusing exceptions, have no interest in human food. Charlie has a weakness for peanut butter cookies and Cordelia can't resist barbecue potato chips.

Anyway, he sniffed the cheese and then kept hounding me, so I finally pulled of a small piece and gave it to him. He ate it and then started begging for more! I gave him one more piece, told him he was done, and thought no more of it. Today, Lila ate most of a piece of string cheese and then left a hunk on a plate on the coffee table when she went down for her nap. I looked up a bit later to see Charlie standing on his hind feet by the table and trying to rake the cheese off onto the floor! I guess he likes string cheese.