Ending things on a good note...

NYE is upon us and I definitely have had a year worth thanking God for. I have healthy children, a great husband, family, friends and the opportunity to continue to grow and learn. I am a blessed woman. To top off the final day of 2010, I have successfully taken a nap and made dinner. Definitely a noteworthy afternoon :) The kids have been playing all day and the night is filled with the prospects of homemade pizza (if I get the dough rising sometime soon) and sparkling grape juice. We are all safe and happy and fortunate. There have been many years when I have been happy to see the old year go, in hopes that the new one will usher in something new or different. But this year has been spectacular in its happy, common, nothing special, everything wonderfulness. No real unhappiness marred the time that has passed...the kids are thriving, C is on the cusp of graduation and we are in a great place in our family. That, my friends, is definitely the hallmark of a great year. So I bid you goodbye 2010, and hope the when you close and 2011 comes upon us that the same humdrum happiness follows.

What makes cheese so delicious?

As I sit here, contemplating my many gastronomic sins and the coming of resolutions and renewed healthiness and all other such blah, I come to realize my one, true culinary weakness. It's not sweets, although they are delicious, or carbs, although they are decadent, but instead, it's cheese. Tummy-numbing, 8 fat gram an ounce at best, cheesy goodness. Everything tastes better with cheese...seriously. We turn it into everything from appetizers to desserts. If I removed the cheese calories from my daily intake, I do believe I could cut it by a third. Damn you, devil cheese.

What brought on this whiny diatribe on such a delight? I am staring at a container of Delallo's hot jalapeno cheese dip, wishing I could eat all of it without a good, old-fashioned case of guilt setting in. But, I can't. Besides the fact Chas and the kids would be mad that I ate it all, it's not good for me (although it is dee-lish). Instead, I should munch carrots or celery or other such untasty wholesomeness. Devil cheese, I say.

Otherwise all is good. I love a day when I can say the most eventful episode was playing Elefun with the kiddos. We're all happy and healthy enough :) Tomorrow we shall toast to the end of the old and the beginning of the new. 2010 and devil cheese...adieu!

Is cleanliness really next to Godliness???

Because if it is, I am just about to quit. I feel like I am falling under a mountain of never ending laundry, a tsunami of dishes and we aren't even going to discuss the toys underfoot in my house. I am definitely developing (or if you ask Chas or the kids, have developed) a clean house complex. I hate cleaning, just like every other red blooded American mom. I vastly prefer taking long baths, ready smut novels and eating decadent treats like bonbons and fudge. But being realistic, I find myself spending far more time cleaning the sink and scrubbing around the toilet than indulging in pampering. Worst of it is, the house is never really clean. It's surface straightened, to say the least. But clean...that's a stretch.

So what to do? Do I throw in the proverbial dish towel and let my home fall to rot and ruin? Or do I buckle down and spend not only my waking hours, but my sleeping ones as well working on running this hovel? I've tried to find a happy medium between the two, but I'm not sure if one exists. So, grumble, grumble...and pass the fudge.

It's getting to the that time of night around here...Diva and Daddy are bathing and Aid will be home from his foray with the uncles soon. Eventually ear piercing screams of bedtime dismay will be replaced with blessed silence and the routine of pick-up the toys and prep for the next day begins again :)

http://365project.org/kastrother/365/2010-12-29

365 Project...

So the New Year is fast approaching and as always, resolutions abound. This year I am going to try something new that I learned about from a friend. I'm going to blog and take a picture every day this year...or at least make a most valiant attempt. I am forever complaining that the kids are growing up too fast (which they are) or that I've missed a moment I wished I could have captured. So, I'm going to document a year in the life of us. That way, many moons from now, I can look back and hopefully smile over the silliness of my kids or wonder what in the world possessed me to wear that/say that/think that...you get the picture. So at the end of every day, I will post the link to the 365 project photo of the day and give myself a little reminder of the day that was.

Today was winterproofing the garage door and straightening the Christmas aftermath. My arm aches from holding it high over my head with the drill for three hours and the stupid door still isn't properly sealed, but it is improved over it's previous state, so I'll take that for what it's worth. As for the straightening, my dining room has been officially converted into the school room/playroom for the kids. This way Aidyn can do school work and Diva can play, hopefully not harassing her brother too much. Gone is my beautiful counter height table (broke about 6 weeks ago), my marble-topped wine rack (relegated to kitchen as an island of sorts) and nearly destroyed is my baker's rack. It's been replaced with a mountain of pink plastic, a table from Craigslist and a desk we picked up off the side of the road after a community yard sale. So between homeschooling and our toddler, the house is now more like Bedlam than a showplace. And we want MORE kids you say?!? I make myself laugh too.

So I will now finish my chamomile and mint tea and check my FB and such before heading to bed. Good night :)

Frustration and the eight year old...

How-o-how I love my dearest boy. In so many ways I adore him...but in so many ways I abhor his latest foray into badness. He is going through a growth spurt of sorts. One that drives me insane with it's classic boyish nonsense, according to Chas. Today it was stickers on the desk and dining room table, this weekend it was shutting Caroline out of the room, last week it was some other rather innocuous, eight year old onslaught of evil. I think the idea of having a boy has been more of an idea to this point, rather than a fact. But recently, he is becoming the incarnation of something rotten...a little boy.

So the question begs itself asked...do I just let things continue as they have or try to punish the annoying out of him? If it was just a couple things rather than daily irritations, I would probably let it go. If it was more ingenious evil I would probably let it slide...but stickers stuck to the desk? Seriously? He didn't do that at 3, let alone 8. Maybe it's just cold weather and mischief...I'm not certain. But, needless to say, I think Aidyn will be spending more time in his room for the next couple months...sigh.

Jack Frost attacks...

So winter hasn't officially arrived yet, but the first snow is on the ground and I'm already freezing to death. Cold fingers, cold toes, cold nose and all the other cold stuff that comes along with it :) I've been sipping tea nonstop for days and wishing that the sun would come out just long enough to raise the temperature to 80 or so. I'm not holding my breath though...

School is winding down for Chas and finally becoming an established pattern for Aidyn. The most established it becomes, the better for all of us, of course. I'm definitely looking forward to three weeks of him at home, for the kids sake and mine. I could use some time to catch up around the house and finish all those totes and tasks that need put away.

St. Nick's Day went well...kids were happy with their booty and I'm happy with seeing them smile. Now we simply have to wait for Christmas to make its way here...then hopefully spring can come in a hurry!

Thinking fall thoughts...

Thanksgiving is one short week away and fall is definitely on my mind. Or rather, I should say, the fact that fall is just about over and winter is coming in with it's annoying rain and cold is on my mind. You would think here in PA we would have the whole snow thing down, but winter in Pittsburgh is really about rain...cold, bone-chilling rain that seeps into your skin and drips down to your soul. Dramatic, but true :) I cling to my warm sweater/robe and my cup of tea in hopes that the wind howling outside will stay outside instead of venturing in through poorly insulated windows.

All is well on the home front. School is winding to a screeching halt for Chas and in six short months school will be over and we'll be thrust back into the real world of jobs and work. Interesting change, and I know he's ready to give it a go. Graduate school has been an undoubtedly positive experience, but at 30, it's an experience he's ready to end. His graduation dinner is Saturday night and school ends in three weeks. Break will definitely be a welcome change.

School for Aidyn, is, well, school. I think that some days I feel like Wonder Woman and that he's learned tremendous things that other children are missing out on. Other days I feel like I'm not getting through to him and we're missing the point altogether. I definitely feel like we're not working enough. I'm not exactly sure how much we should be working, but this doesn't seem adequate. But then I look at other homeschoolers and realize they are doing alot less. Seeming nothing, if you consider unschooling. Maybe I'm being critical of myself, or of others. But I feel like we need to get a little more involved with school and more intent in our work.

Caroline is well :) That is a statement I thrill to say, especially after our scare with her and the blood work. She's growing and changing and learning so much, so fast, that I can hardly wrap my head around her some days. She is my great little investigator.

Our first week of homeschooling officially...sort of...

Well, we have finished out official first week as homeschoolers, sort of :) We still don't have the text materials, but we do have access to all of the K12 materials and our new-to-you laptop. We have powered through about a week of the math lessons, which surprises me, because I thought this is something he would struggle with more than he has. He seems really comfortable with the material now that we have delved in, but he'd still like to think that I'm going to "forget" school and simply let him slip into the summertime routine. And, I must say, that is a little difficult, because the weather is still so nice and the sun is definitely tempting. But, we have logged our hours and are finally falling into a rhythym that seems to be working for us.

Diva seems to be developing a new social adaptation...throwing herself on the floor and screaming, throwing a fit of epic proportions for no good reason. Or no good reason I can see. It happens when she's happy, tired, hungry, fed...you get the idea. It's like a lightening bolt from the sky. Happy baby, tantrum baby. You get the drift. I'm hoping this stage doesn't last long, but I have a feeling she is just gearing up for the real show.

C went back to school this week, with mixed results. Classes aren't any more difficult or interesting, but he is missing being home with the kids and I all the time. Time will tell how this new semester works for us. He always gets cranky at the beginning...and then downright mean by the end. Sigh...what can you do? I can't say anything about it, because I do get to stay home with the kiddos and run things my way. But...again sigh. I also envy the experience he is having and somewhat begrudge the attitude of blah that he has during the semester. It's not exactly a coal mine, you know.

Otherwise, all is well in our little corner of the world. Hopefully, with the arrival of our books next week, schooling can begin with a vengeance. It might actually have been best that we moved in slowly to work on school rather than diving in head first!

Our new chapter...

Tomorrow begins our foray into the wild, wonderful, unsocialized and unpredictable world of homeschooling. I am still nervous, still not sure and still completely psyched about starting this particular adventure. I have been pushing the idea of homeschooling at Chas for two years and after the debacle of last year, he has finally relented and allowed us the attempt. But, I am of course petrified as to whether or not this was the right decision for us. I keep wondering if I've bitten off more than I can chew with this wily little man and his conniving ways. In one view I picture him diligently working and learning, head over a book, smiling as he reads well above grade level and enjoying working at his own pace. In another vision I see him in his pajamas, watching ESPN and whining about not having another piece of candy or playing xBox. I guess either scenario could play out, depending on me.

I really, really, really want this to work for our family. I want to educate my kids in the best environment. One without distractions and annoyances from others who care little for their education and one without the disappointments of failed expectations. But, I worry that I'm passing on my distrust of school and discomfort with others onto him. Then I worry what happens if I'm right. See...never ending cycle of doubt! Either way, for better or worse, we are now homeschoolers. We're going to give this our best shot and see how it works. Hopefully we'll fall into a comfortable routine that falls somewhere between the vision of the gifted geek and the grouchy couch lizard!

Tea is delicious...

So, I am trying to get some energy boost mechanism that isn't going to make my stomach revolt in unhappy fashion, so I am on the tea bandwagon again. I am currently trying to banish my chest cold with a cup of English Breakfast with milk and agava. It's doing the trick, I must say, but I do need to branch out.

Kiddos are getting split today. Chas is venturing out with Caroline to a draft and I've got Aidyn for a birthday party. Fun Saturday, right?

Yeah...and that too!

I'm peaking at 31. Or rather, at 31, I realize I've already reached my peak. It's downhill from here, ladies and gents. On the road to rot and ruin, that is. My hair is turning gray faster than I can keep it dyed, my propensity toward hot foods leads on to heartburn and unrest and most annoyingly, functioning without a nap is daily torture. It's safe to say that Miss Clairol and Tums can help, but the nap thing...that, my friends, isn't getting any more likely to improve. Gone are the days when you could snuggle up and cuddle under the covers. Now, I worry whether or not the doors are locked, nothing is on the stove or if the kids are covered up and settled down. Then thoughts drift to the need to change the sheets to get rid of the crumbs from the kids having breakfast in my bed, the need for new detergent, the drum not spinning right on the washer...you see where this is going, right? Nap time dwindles away and kiddos wake up, leaving me drained and filled with another list of tasks to accomplish.

I think what I need to a regime again, a set of accomplishments for each day, a chore chart, per se. Then, I need someone to do it all for me. For my birthday, perhaps? Well, I didn't think so, but it was worth a try :) Now we're off to football practice for the boy...homeschool officially starts on Monday!

Well behaved women seldom make history...

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich was right...and apparently was thinking about my daughter when she penned that phrase 20-some odd years ago. (Because what else could she possibly have been writing about? Puritan women and family rituals? Pish posh!) My dearest Diva is taking that phrase to heart, with a vengeance. This child of mine will someday change the world, for better or worse :) She has, without question, already changed ours. One short year ago, after five long years of hoping and trying and waiting, my Kathryn Caroline entered the world in dramatic fashion. Even birth had to be an event for this girlie :) She has since been the light of our days (and the reason for all of our sleepless nights). From the moment she arrived on the scene, she has been one of those souls that command the attention of all who encounter her. She is decidedly fickle about those she loves and taunting and coy with those she wants to love her. Someday this blue-eyed, blond-ringleted fiery fairy child will break hearts, of this I am sure.

I sit here, early in the morning, unable to sleep. My sweet Caroline, darlingest of demanding darlings, has once again woken up the household and made it impossible for me to get back to sleep. She has definitely lived up to her nickname, and Diva she will remain for years to come. She has a way about her that makes you always want to come back for more...hoping this time will be the time that she gives you that smile and her heart. But of course, she simply gives you that little look that says "I love you, dear one, but not as much as you love me" and makes you come back for more. My birthday girl has more personality than most people I know, and far more flair for daring and drama than I myself can command.

Did you ever picture yourself as a certain person, in college, perhaps? I always thought of myself as a bit of a feminist, an individualist, a person with all the answers in the world under my brilliant head of curls? When I look at Caroline, I realize she already is the person I thought I was years ago. She has already accomplished in one year what many women search a lifetime for...she has found self-confidence and a love for her own soul. This is one woman who will not follow the crowds, but instead will be leading the pack. Of this, I am certain.

Many, or any, who read this will think to themselves that this the romanticized dribble of an overindulgent momma who dotes too much on her children. And those people are undoubtedly correct in their assumption :) But for those that know my Cara, you will see a glimmer of truth in my ramblings and hopefully say a prayer in your hearts for her continued health and well being.

Happy Birthday, wee sweet one. You are loved.

Smiles all around...

Summer has finally arrived for this family :) School has officially been out a week, as of today, and slowly but surely, we are adjusting to the change. Aidyn has been keyed up because Nana has been up visiting for the week, but otherwise he will compromise with an afternoon of Animal Planet and DS to help with the pain of the separation caused by her leaving. Caroline is napping currently, but will undoubtedly be up and crying in just a little while. Her right upper front tooth is coming in...slowly. She's uncomfortable and unhappy, especially when not being the object of my attention. Other than trying to bend to her psycho-baby demands, we are getting by with minimal fuss.

On a more somber note, Caroline is crawling like a machine. Why is this a somber note, you ask? Because I am cleaning the floors obsessively. I've vacuumed the house three times a day...and I have hardwood floors with only two area rugs! The kitchen floor has become my arch nemesis. I spot clean, swiffer and then steam mop...after every meal. Truthfully, you'd think the thing would be spotless, but somehow, even after hands and knees scrubbing, it still seems filthy. Grrr. Needless to say, floors are my least favorite cleaning chore. And dishes. And laundry. And bathrooms....notice a pattern here? SAHM was probably not the ideal profession for me to choose :)

I am almost ready to start Aidyn's summer curriculum. I was going to start a little later in the summer, giving him a little breathing room and rest from the school system, but he is bored senseless already, so I'm thinking that just jumping in next week is the best thing to do. We're doing the library's summer reading program, plus our adventure geography program. I think working out a schedule now might make more sense than waiting and it not working best anyways. We'll see :)

Now off to make an herb garden...

After a relatively sleepless night (thank you, Cara my love) and too much restless energy, I am sitting here enjoying my private time with Earl Grey and the internet. After heading to the much touted Greensburg Farmer's Market today, I got some great goodies to try (think swiss chard) and strawberries for waffles tomorrow morning. I also got some oregano, so now with my dill, basil, sage and mint, I believe I have a respectable little herb garden started. I'm going to peruse the 'net to find some layouts and ideas for a sustainable addition to my little gardening enterprise. More on that later :)

On the kidlet front, all is well. Aidyn has two days left until the torment formally known as first grade is finished and a summer of repairing his love of learning and self-esteem begins. I know this sounds terribly dramatic, but at this point, the kid pretty much needs to go into terrible teacher rehab. He's excited about the program we're doing this summer though, and I think when all is said and done, he'll be repaired and renewed when September comes around again. Caroline is her dear, darling little self, driving me mad with her weird sleeping habits and determined lack of interest in formula. We're slowly introducing her to goat's milk because of her lactose sensitivity and all is well on that front. Her blood work came back normal, so we are sure her petite size is CGD, which is an easy fix for us. We know how to feed a kid up from that :)

Otherwise, all is well in our world. Smile...it's time to clean Aidyn's bedroom. If I don't return, I was eaten by the hockey equipment.

Meal Planning Monday

This week is shaping up to be as crazy as the rest of the month, so I've got a flexible plan for the week. We'll see how it goes though :)

Monday: Chicken Enchiladas with rice and beans
Tuesday: Soy sausage and spaghetti squash with feta
Wednesday: Chili
Thursday: Chicken with zucchini and quinoa
Friday: Ahi tuna steaks and bean salad with broccoli

Meal Planning Monday

Well, it's Monday again. And needless to say, we're broke again :) Added to the brokeness, we had to take Chas to the ER yesterday for another allergic reaction like the one he had in June. Not as severe this time, but still enough for a shot of nasty steroids to combat the problem. Needless to say, his new insurance through Chatham is terrible, so the copay was steep. So all this aside (he is okay), we do much better financially when I plan out the meals for the week. Plus I am less likely to be scratching my head at dinner time and asking the question "What's for dinner?" and getting starred at blankly. So here's a go on our very plebian menu for the week...

Monday: Hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes with peas
Tuesday: Corned beef and cabbage, boiled potatoes
Wednesday: Potato soup and sandwiches
Thursday: Beef and barley veggie soup
Friday: Fish Fry Friday

Of fangs and such things...

After a terrible, miserable, no-good night, we awoke this morning to a diva as decided cranky as she was the night before. I was worried that we could have a cold or an allergy issue since she was at a new sitter's house last night...but as I was talking on the phone to Mom about her disquiet, I commented that it wasn't teeth. And at the same time, like every day, I swipe my finger over her gums to check, just in case, and lo-and-behold! Teeth! In multiples! Both bottom baby fangs are coming in simultaneously. No wonder the poor thing hates the world today :) So she's sleeping it off right now and I'm wishing I could do the same. But...nothing says "ring off the hook, telephone" like a momma that desperately needs a nap. So here I sit, in the silence of a sleeping diva and the glare of the screen, looking for diaper deals.

Yup, I know. I'm hooked. Who would have thought this would become such an obsession!

My newest love...

So...I am in love. Those first wonderful, sweet days when the world is wonderful and bright and everything is joyful. I'm happy and pass that happiness off to others. What has brought on this new found bliss you ask? Why, cloth diapering, of course! I am totally converted :) Caroline hasn't had a disposable diaper on her bottom in two weeks and I, for one, am thrilled. I'm proud that I've kept the laundry up with my busy household, proud that I haven't broken down and used disposables at night and proud that I've made this choice for our family and the environment. (Plus I'm impressed with the savings....I've spent $240 dollars on my 22 diapers and that's it for the rest of my diapering existence. And when baby number 3 comes along, no diapering costs at all, because these will work for him/her!) Yeah us!

So go out and buy yourself some diapers and give it a try...it's worth the effort!

I could really use some diapers!

So I usually don't do this, but Smartipants cloth diapers is having a 900th fan giveaway and I could really use some! Check out their facebook page for a chance to win!

Surviving Snowpocalypse 2010

So the worst of the snow has gone...Aidyn hasn't been in school since Feb 5 and Chas just got back today. Needless to say, we're out of food and the house is a wreck. It's been a mini-break around here with the boys. Basically 9 straight days of having them home. Nice to say the least :) We have about 30 inches of snow now, by far the most I've ever seen in my life. I'll be glad when Easter comes and melts it all away.

Cara has a nasty cough developing. That dry, hacky cough that just makes me nervous hearing it. I worry so much about her chest, considering the way that Aidyn is, who knows what kind of problems we'll have with her. It seems like she's starting even younger than he did. What can be done for it though? Other than watching and waiting for two years, that is. Poor girl..she's such a smiler though...so happy and so sweet. She's an absolute dream. She completes us:)

On other fronts, we are pretty set. I'm not even trying to lose weight right now. I could probably make the case that I am actively gaining weight actually. I'm sunk motivation-wise and can't wait for spring to come. I feel like if I could get out and have to burn calories, I would appreciate those calories far more. Right now, I just want to eat until I can't move. I know it's not healthy, but it's true. I've gained all but 20 lbs of my weight back. That's 70 lbs back...it's unhealthy and unnecessary. I've no excuses, but also no interest other than complaining in correcting the situation.

Babies and crazies and such...

Carla had her baby...Miss Maggie Elaine. 8 lb, 1.5 oz and 20 inches! Yeah! We get to have babies together again :) All is well in their world, as it is in ours. Other than the snow storm expected to erupt at any minute, nothing much in the way of news otherwise. Caroline did say dadadadadada the other day and is having a language eruption of sorts. Also what sounds curiously like Aidyn's name, but we of course know better (even though I secretly think she's that smart and can say it already).

My birthday is this weekend...nooooo fun. I'm not really looking forward to it. Just another day...birthdays have become boring. Nothing of interest will happen and nothing much to look forward to will result. I'm pretty much a birthday hum-bug these days :) That said, the Super Bowl is Sunday too, so needless to say, not much to expect.

Off to the theater tonight!

Tonight we have tickets to Rent at the Byham! I'm excited, but already tired thinking of the late night and tired kids tomorrow. We're taking the kids to their grandparents and then heading down to the city. My biggest problem to date is finding an outfit that satisfies me and removes the feeling of self-loathing I have when I put clothes on now :( I'm Miss Negativity, I know. Right now Caroline is asleep in my arms and I should be curling my hair...she's not likely to want to be put down.

And of course, I'm not exactly wanting to put her down either.

Meal Planning Monday

Here it is...late but present for the week!

Monday: Spaghetti squash, sauteed with EVOO, garlic and bacon...topped with feta.
Tuesday: Crockpot roast pork with sauerkraut and potatoes
Wednesday: Potato soup and salad
Thursday: Chicken stir fry over quinoa
Friday: Tuna Noodle casserole

Let's get cooking! (or not...)

Rather than whine about being tired AGAIN, I'll skip that and whine instead about broken appliances. The oven officially died yesterday, and the dishwasher will soon join its ranks. I'm about to be teleported back to the days of hand dish washing and stove-only cooking. The money isn't there for it to be replaced any time soon, so I going to have to learn to live without it. It's not terrible, just inconvenient. So of course, tonight I want to bake something and am going to have to settle for simply using the pressure cooker and then frying. I'm thinking spaghetti squash will be on the menu tonight. Chas seems to like it and was asking for it the other day.

A little less tired, but twinged of course with guilt...

So I have searched the internet all the afternoon searching for articles promoting cosleeping to assuage my niggling guilt over putting Caroline in bed with me after her night feeding. She wakes for that first feeding, takes only a little and then in sleeping inconsistently the remainder of the night. I have searched the McKenna articles and feel somewhat justified, but then I remind myself that those are mostly confined to bfing moms and infants, and after our eping debacle, Cara and I don't qualify. But I'm so tired otherwise, I don't know what to do other than justify myself and her in finding some rest. She sleeps so much more soundly, without the jerking and starting awake that she does otherwise. And of course, I sleep much better myself without her constantly shifting and mewling in discomfort.

That said...sleepy girl and I are finally getting back to our more normal schedule. She's seeming to be herself again, as am I. But the weekend is upon us again, so I am sure that we will undoubtedly be on the move again. I know that we will be going to a birthday party, but I'm almost certain that I would rather stay home and vegetate. Nothing more than sitting around in my pajamas would please me, and probably Chas and the kids, but we never actually do.

On a side note, I am looking into baby sign language for Cara. Aidyn is so excited at the idea of trying this, so I figure we'll give it a go. Now we have to look around on the internet or find a good book illustrating the signs, making it easy for he and I to distinguish the signs.

So sleepy...

I am just not getting any better at this new mom~sleepless mom schedule the way I did at 23. I know that with Aidyn I had more energy, more stamina...more something. I'm in an incredible slump of late. It seems a bit late for PPD to be setting in, and I'm not necessarily sad or overwrought, just tired. Weary, dreary, wear-my-robe-as-a-fashion-statement tired. You know the feeling, right? I look in the mirror and think that I could survive another day or so before my hair needs washed, because showering is such a PROCESS. And we aren't even going to talk about the state of my house or my diet of late...it bears no mention, to be sure.

Caroline is currently in my arms, dreaming sweet diva-baby dreams. I've now perfected the art of one handed typing. (I'm at least proficient.) She is catching up on some much needed rest after days of fighting sleep. I've never seen a kid who could go as long as her without sound naps and still remain relatively pleasant. For certain, it is not a skill she inherited from me. After a weekend of perpetual going, plus a day with Daddy at Chatham on Tuesday, she has finally hit her wall. But of course, no nap is really a nap unless Mommy is holding her :) And as out of sync as she is, I'm going to ignore my better judgement and just let her be. She'll have plenty of time alone in her crib...some other time,