MOM wants the pacifier back

I sit here trying to drown out eli's crying with the television.

Every bedtime and naptime since early this week has been rough to say the least.

I blame the loss of the pacifier, even though he didn't notice at first.

He refuses his blankets, pillow, will not hug me, kiss me, or let me cover him up.

Sometimes it's wanting the fan on, sometimes off. Sometimes it's turn off my sound machine, sometimes not. I fell for it the first few times, and waited for him to cry for his blankets, and then I would bring them in and he would kiss/hug/fistbump/five... the whole routine and then he would go to sleep. 

Now if I go back in, he says I want my blankets.
I cover him up, and he says I don't want my blankets and throws them out.

ugggggghhhhh

if it goes on long enough, he cries "i want my pacifiiiiiiiier!!"

Tonight he is up there saying over and over "want mommy to rock you to sleep?"

really? 

come on. 

I'm so over this.

Sammy the angel child laid down awake at 830 and never made a peep.

Have a mentioned that I like Sam best?

 And to think I almost converted his bed to a toddler bed this week.

this boy is a wild man

Oh, the parenting challenges you never quite see coming. 

I was armed and ready for teething... I got my tylenol infant drops stocked up before they took them off the market.  Orajel, check.

Teethers in the fridge, check.

(fists in mouth, check.)

While I'm busy worrying about Sam's gums (which are still toothless by the way),
 Eli swoops in to find a better reason to need my attention. 

And here I sit playing cry it out with my 2 and 1/2 year old.

Other than a few moments, my vacation is wonderful. 

I have put on makeup all of ONE time so far... to go out with Mike for a date night.

I wore pj's all day today til 5, showered, and put clean pjs on. 

That, my friends, is a vacation.

floor puzzles in pjs, even better.

 I love watching Eli and Sammy interact.

(if I would have video taped just 10 more seconds, eli yells, NOOO we forgot to wash his pee-pee!)
They really are cute together.
Sam loves to watch Eli do anything.
And Eli likes to say, see sam. see this car, it's orange. It's fast too.
And Sammy just watches. Giggles at him, and watches.
I am going to be in BIG trouble when these two team up against ME.


We are half done with Eli's room...

the john deere green paint is really,
um, green.
Mike spent hours and hours and hours in there, painting just 2 walls. 2 coats so far, and a third tomorrow.
Then he will turn me loose to "junk up the walls" as he likes to call it.
The conversion to a toddler bed will be at a (much) later date. 
Maybe when he's 12.

(eli gave up and went to sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


Mimi came for a few days (to let us have a night out!) and she literally chased Eli around this house for hours. He made this face at me the morning she was coming...

You know ... the excited face.
ELI -  "you excited?"
 ME (laughing) - "ya buddy, you're excited."
ELI -"you excited mimi's comin?"
ME - "you ARE?"
ELI - "YESSSSS".
(I wonder if he will ever stop talking in my voice.
"you want your juice?" - i thoroughly enjoy it, so i hope it never stops.)

They played with their matching ipads too.

Mimi is the baby whisperer.
Sam likes to be put in bed awake, not rocked to sleep.
Yet, somehow, every time I turned around, I saw this.

whatever.
taking care of babies is part of her (nursing) job.

Sam has a few fussy days where I think the tooth will be there any second, and I keep feeling his gums...
and then the next day he acts like the happiest baby on the block.


5 more days left...go slow vacation. go slow.