Lookin' Up

Fourteen days and ninety-three indoor art projects later, I can finally say things are lookin' up.  We're all on the mend.  Buddy Boy still feels pretty puny, but it's hard to know whether it's lingering germs or the SEVEN teeth he's been popping out.  The rest of us just have the last of a cough.  Hallelujah!  Thank y'all so much for all your kind words and well wishes over the last couple of weeks.  Y'all really cheered me up!

We had a fairly warm day this weekend, so we ventured out to the Zoo.  Little Guy was perfectly content to be pushed around by his baby brother.

I love what buddies they are these days.  They play together all the time, and are still getting along remarkably well.  Little Guy takes very seriously his role as protector.  The other day I caught him giving Buddy Boy a spanking for standing on the coffee table.  I explained that discipline was not in his job description, and he said, "I scared he might fall off!"  Now, when he finds his little brother in a safety violation, he calls out "Children not give spankings?" and I know to come running.

I really love the curls atop this little head.  And, okay, I'll admit that I style them every morning.  Oh, to have curls.  Glorious, glorious curls!

We are really struggling with Little Guy's nighttime sleep.  He wakes up every night around 4 AM, and wants to be up for the day.  Sometimes, he is.  He wants to eat and he wants to sleep in our bed.  We've been working on sleep re-training for about 6 weeks now.  We got one of those stoplight alarm clocks and created a prize box of party store favors, and had slowly worked our way up to his staying in bed until 5:55, but the time change and the sickness really set us back.  So now, his allowed waking time is 5:10, and each morning, we've already had a few visits from him by then.  He'll go back to bed, but most of the time, he never falls back to sleep.  Then, he yawns mid-morning and gets cranky and tired.

I consider 6 to be an acceptable waking time, but just don't know how to get there.  We have the added complication of Buddy Boy sharing the room, so we are reluctant to do anything that's going to create a lot of noise and upset, because if there's anything worse than a crying child at 4 AM, it's two crying children at 4 AM.  Anybody out there dealt with this issue?  I'd love to know how you conquered it.  We're all a little tired!  Especially the Mister, who heroically takes most of the morning shifts and lets me sleep in!

 Did I mention SEVEN teeth?  All at once?  Poor baby.

 We caught the orangutans crossing the O-Line again.  So much fun!  Both the boys were enchanted.

My friend is starting a photography business and very kindly offered to take some pictures of our family.  Unfortunately, the two littlest subjects weren't too keen on the idea.  I love this picture, though, because how often am I going to get professional documentation of this very real part of my life?!  Two times the tantrums!  Keeps things exciting!

This Thanksgiving week, I could not be more thankful for my sweet family of soon-to-be five.  And for our safety, our comfort, our health, and our happiness.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!