I'll take three Z's please

I have come to dread bedtime and resent  my bed. I describe sleep in our house as laughable. O slept through the night 2 nights in a row last week so I really really thought we were turning the corner. But not yet.

I was waiting a little longer to get Arabelle back into her routine at night. By now it's been almost 2 months so I can't really even call that her routine. She would "figure it out" until 4ish and then I would go in to feed her. She would usually wake up around 2 and fuss for 5 minutes or so back to sleep. Then teething started so I restarted feeding her thru the night. Then we went to sf and I would feed her almost anytime she woke. Then we came home and I continued to feed her when she woke (unless it was <3 hours). These night feeds aren't really a bother, I just stumble down the hall and feed her about 5 mins, set her down, and every time she goes back to sleep no problem.

But /we really want her to have better sleep & coping skills than Owen. He didn't really have a chance to figure this out. And we are all still working on it with him. This is easier in the long run but the short run isn't fun. She is also heart healthy and a little self soothing will do her good.

Last night she woke up at 1145. Her quiet figure it out days are over! She is a loud noise maker, not too sad, but loud as heck! I found myself instantly at her crib, pulling her out and feeding her. Oops. 

2am. Loud Ara. Shouldn't be hungry. No new foods yesterday. Teething stable (I think!) let her figure it out for a loud while. She figured it out about 15 mins later but...

245. She didn't figure it out. Sad and loud Ara= rocking her (no feed) 2 mins and easy lay down like usual. 

Meanwhile back with the boys...

8-9pm Chris and Owen attempt bedtime. Now Owen is crying for water uncontrollably instead of Chris. Wonder when Chris goes back to work tomorrow if Owen will cry for daddy or water more? Multiple pees. Multiple sips. Multiple grey hairs sprouting on Chris's head. 

10pm Owen up. We were in bed at 930 and just asleep. He's crying sadly and hysterically with random über important small requests. "Monkey, yellow blanket, etc". He ended up on the floor next to us. 

Owen woke a series of times in our room but because Chris was so close he went back to bed. 

5am Ara up, I went in and fed her a few mins and back to sleep. 

6 Owen up, ready for the day. We somehow convinced him to lay around another 45 minutes. 

Chris is scoring the morning sleep in today. I'm crossing my fingers for a power nap today, and it's barely 7am. 

I think we are putting ourselves back to sleep at least 5 times thru the night. It's crazy to think about. When the evening comes we have been going straight to bed, which is very unusual for us. 

My look at work yesterday was deer in the headlights. Doc asked me a few questions on the spot and I could feel my synapses misfiring, struggling to connect and provide words that could barely describe that I needed a few minutes to scrounge my brain files for the answers. Yipes! 

I'm longing for the days when I have to wake my kids up for sleeping in, and I wake before them to have a little quiet time to start & prep the day. But these days are just priceless happy awesome too, so maybe I'm just longing for a few hours of consecutive sleep. Yes, that's it! Not too much to ask and pray for. 

Here's a few pictures from the week:

My sweet garden gal

...And handsome helper!

Family firepit nights and story tellingly

Chris and O spend a bit of time on the rc track on the property.

Ara and her BF Evie, a girls walk on the trail last week. (they are a month apart)

Papa and nana enjoying the warm evening with us on the property.

Gazing in love.

Zoey Grace turned 1! My first birth I witnessed other than my own. Such a special bond, love that babe. Probably the smileist kid I've known.

Ara works on her core strength all day. She doesn't fully crawl but rolls and planks and moves all around soft ground. The planks make me giggle she is my little exerciser.

Had a great visit with Heidi and Marsh the other day. I have fond memories of Heidi when I was a kid, as her and my mom have been friends for decades. It was awesome to catch up and for her to meet our babes. Love you ladies so!