Forces Aligned

Todd has been on this earth for almost 15 weeks and already he and Hayley are conspiring against me. They both have decided to go on nap strike. I'm quite certain that this turn of events is going to cause me to lose my ever-lovin' mind.

Hayley has always been an early adapter of the whole "less naps are more" philosophy. She went down to one nap a day long before her other playmates had eliminated their morning naps and I was okay with that because her afternoon naps were consistently two plus hours long. She's always been a good sleeper, had a six to seven o'clock bedtime, and I can count on one hand the number of times she's woken up in the middle of the night since the age of 6 months. Granted, the amount of energy that Hurricane expends certainly explains her (and my) need for sleep. Shortly after Todd was born Hayley decided that afternoon naps weren't near as much fun as playing in her room during her supposed naptime. And now, she apparently has told Todd what fun life can be with NO naps during the day.

I'm a BIG fan of Dr. Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" book. Until this point, all of Hayley's sleep habits have been spot on with Dr. Weissbluth's guidelines. But I'm feeling incredibly misled. Dr. Weissbluth led me to believe that I would be Hurricane free for 2 hours every afternoon until Hurricane reached the ripe old age of at least three. This is not so. And I am so sad that I could cry. When exactly am I supposed to feed my Internet addiction now?

Todd's napping habits are a whole other issue entirely. He absolutely refuses to nap for any period in excess of 20 minutes. I've tried EVERYTHING and have resigned myself to grasping at the hope that he'll grow out of this and into the nap pattern that I expect him to have. I will say that Todd's strong resistance to the idea of napping has definitely opened my eyes to the fact that he may not be quite as laid back as I think. It appears that this little fella may have a temper on him. Hayley just may have met her match.

I'm Gonna Brag

Kudos to my incredibly conscience and overachieving husband who was recently named 2007's Outstanding Financial Management Officer for the United States Special Operations Command. You can rest assured that your tax dollars are being managed wisely at SOCOM. Brian's brother and sister tell a funny story about how they once visited Brian at Fort Hood during a sweltering Texas summer. Upon entering Brian's apartment they couldn't help but comment on the lack of air conditioning, to which Brian responded, "I try to save money. Usually I just lay real still." Is it any wonder I fell madly in love with him? He's obviously my soulmate!

I'm still trying to decipher the authenticity of this picture. Brian likes to tell me that really, he's part of "The Unit." You know, he just masquerades as an Army bean counter to cover his true identity of top secretive operative for Delta Force. I'm pretty sure he's making it up. If his hair starts getting long and he doesn't shave for days, then I'll start to worry.

Beginning to "Sprout"

Today we visited Hayley's "soon-to-be" preschool for a morning playdate. We had the opportunity to meet the children, parents, and teachers for her class. Judging by the size of the tantrum Hayley threw when it was time to leave, I think she's going to like preschool. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but my daughter? My daughter is NOT what you would call a wallflower. I truly believe that God blessed me with Hayley in an effort to challenge my comfort zone, because me? I am a wallflower and I prefer to go about my business unnoticed for the most part. Yep, I'm perfectly happy to just blend in with society. But blending? That's just not going to happen with Hayley in tow. Well, at least all the preschool moms know exactly who I am. I'm Hurricane's mommy... God bless me.

I'm excited to see how Hayley will develop over the upcoming school year. I am operating under the assumption that she doesn't get kicked out of preschool, and yes, I know what happens when one "assumes." There are nine children in Hayley's class. Six boys and three girls which is the perfect class for my non-prissy daughter. As Hayley's two female classmates played house this morning, Hayley was over with the boys trying to steal their trucks. I was in the corner P-R-A-Y-I-N-G that Hayley didn't tell those little boys what it was she wanted. (Sprouts is a Christian preschool and I'm pretty certain that Hayley's terminology for truck would be immediate grounds for expulsion... have I mentioned that she's now fascinated with Dump TRucks, which Hayley pronounces as Dumb ***** and Fire TRucks? It ain't pretty.) Needless to say, we will be having daily pronounciation lessons from now until school starts.

And behold, a miracle has occurred. In a stroke of pure luck, I was able to get a picture of Hayley and Todd TOGETHER. Yes, I mean both in the same picture. Todd is performing "The Superman" pose. We do this same position in my pilates class. Todd is well aware of the value of a strong core. Lock up your daughters... this beefcake comes with a six pack.

Todd at 3 Months

Today Todd celebrated his three month birthday! He's come a long ways in three months and we've been enjoying every second with him. For the most part he has mastered sleeping through the night and for the first time last Wednesday morning he woke up just talking (rather than crying) at 6:45am. He's close to rolling over and absolutely loves to grab anything within his reach. He really is just the sweetest little thing and loves to have long conversations with his Mama. He's absolutely fascinated by Hayley and Chloe... yes, he seems to have great affection for the females in his life! Daddy makes it home in time to give him a bath each evening and I think it is the part of the day that Todd most looks forward to. He still absolutely loves his baths and getting his silky mane washed.

Here's Hayley and Todd at 3 months. Todd wants you to know that he is secure enough in his manhood that he doesn't mind sitting in his big sister's pink chair.

Happy Independence Day Weekend!

Hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing weekend! We spent the 4th of July at the home of some good friends. All of the kids (big and little) got to spend the day in the pool and enjoy some some great barbeque. We got home at about 6pm, bathed both Todd and Hayley, and had two passed out kiddos by 6:30pm. I'm not sure I've ever seen Hayley that exhausted! Maybe next year we'll be able to try keeping them awake for a fireworks show!

Unfortunately, Hayley was in no mood for pictures. What's new?! It's hard enough to get a picture of her alone that is decent. It's absolutely impossible to get a picure of both her and Todd together that is decent.


Our littlest firecracker! (Big drool comes in small packages!)

The best we could get of Hayley in her 4th of July dress


Playing with buddy Satchley


Did I hear my name?

Baby Fat

And I'm not referring to the cute little rolls that Todd has or those that were nonexistent on skinny minny Hayley as that is called "Baby Phat." Baby Fat is what Mommy is left with after giving birth to two little kiddos. Make no mistake about it, Baby Fat is NOT cute. And so my journey to eliminate Baby Fat begins and I've once again enrolled in boot camp. Meet my instructors:



I know, they don't look that threatening, but trust me, they are. (Don't worry, there is room for Chloe on top!) I did participate in boot camp after Hayley was born. But this time, she has a partner and the workouts are even more grueling then ever. See apparently Hayley is aware of the fact that she will be heading off to preschool in the fall, leaving Todd to be my primary instructor on the mornings that she is gone. She should be pleased with his training so far because in her likeness, Todd screams at me if I break my jog for a walk. Hayley tells me that Todd just likes to feel the wind blow through his hair, a pleasure that Hayley has just recently been able to experience. And apparently the natural west coast Florida breeze is insufficient and therefore I must RUN in order to create enough wind to ruffle my little boy's locks. Which I find ironic because I'm not sure how any wind could be left after all that I suck during these "runs" pushing their "bus." Yep, that Mercedes of jogging strollers that I'm ever so proud of? Consider the 40 pounds of kid plus the weight of the stroller and I feel like I'm literally pushing a Mercedes... a Mercedes SUV... actually, does Mercedes make a semi truck? To add to my misery, I'm good and sore at the beginning of every run thanks to the postpartum pilates class I've been taking. Trust me, this class makes childbirth feel like a cake walk because unfortunately, there is no epidural involved in pilates. I'd be willing to bet that if they made incarcerated criminals participate in daily pilates classes there would be a significant decrease in the rate of repeat offenders.

But the torture is all part of the sacrifice of being a good mom. It's important that I have the energy to keep up with my little ones and endurance is an essential part of keeping my children safe. After all, we live in Florida and I never know when I'll have to grab my children and run from a snake, gator, or sniper (right Mimi)??!!