Etta is still awake. She has been screaming and crying for the last hour. At first she tried stall tactics (she needs a clean diaper, she needs to go poop in the potty) but now her tired little brain is beyond that. She is in the full-on trying to guilt momma mode:
"Dadda, where are you? Dadda, where are you? Addie, where are you? Momma, where are you?
Me. Etta. Where are you?"
One the one hand it makes me chuckle because it is really cute and intelligent of her. On the other hand it is hard not to feel like I am a bad parent who is abandoning her lonely child.
Last night it took her about an hour of on-and-off screaming to fall asleep as well. I attribute this to two things:
-Matt is gone on a hike. He is always the one who does bedtime with her, so she misses him. Last night she was asking/crying for him a lot.
-Also, we had an unfortunate incident over the weekend where she ended up sharing a hotel bed with Matt. As some of you may recall, we had some seriously frustrating sleep issues with her for quite a while. No matter how desperate things got, though, we never brought her to bed with us. So this weekend was an unprecedented event. But I think she now wants others in the same bedroom as her, and even in the same bed.
9:20 - she quieted down for over 60 seconds. I was hopeful she had worn herself down. I am trying to decide how much longer it will take her to scream herself down. I could go in there, but then at some point I have to leave and then the screams will get worse again. I could rock her to sleep or something, but that is not a good long term solution because she will just want that on other nights. Am I a pushover or am I a hard-ass? My skin has gotten thicker over time and my tolerance to the screams has increased. Especially for a kid this age who I know is perfectly capable of falling asleep on her own. But of course it tugs on my heart-strings.
9:30 - all has been quiet for a few minutes now. I had been planning on watching a chick-flick since Matt is gone and last night I was too busy unpacking. If only there was a guarantee that a child who stays awake an hour late at night will sleep in an extra hour in the morning!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The same, but different
Every once in a while I can't resist getting the girls into coordinating outfits. I just can't resist seeing how much they can look like each other but still be their own unique personality. So the big sister/little sisters shirts came out again. And they both condescended to let me do their hair. They both wore skirts. Then I was delighted to find out that they both have purple shoes of the exact same shade, and even better the shoes actually fit them!
So here are their ensembles and although they look like the best of friends, keep in mind I do not take the time to snap photos when they are fighting, yelling at each other, pushing, biting, etc.
So here are their ensembles and although they look like the best of friends, keep in mind I do not take the time to snap photos when they are fighting, yelling at each other, pushing, biting, etc.
(Addie was trying to help show off the matching shoes, Etta was wanting to show off some pine-cones)
Cousin Coen got baptized
Matt took a video of it, but we did not get any stills. He was looking very dapper in a plaid shirt, baby sandals, and khaki shorts.
We decided since we were going to their church on Capital Hill, we might as well make an outing of it and do some things before the service. So we stopped at Top Pot for doughnuts then went to Volunteer Park. (I mentioned to Matt that Sunday mornings seem like a great time to visit parks that are farther away because there is practically nobody on the freeway!) So we sat at the park and ate yummy doughnuts while Addie asked questions about the water reservoir and mole hills and sculptures while Etta was on the lookout for squirrels and dogs and animals that go. We had a great view of the space needle. Too bad it did not show up in the pictures.
It started to drizzle while we were at the park. By the time the church service was over the rain was coming down for real. Grumble, grumble rain in July. Grumble, grumble how am I supposed to enjoy a summer vacation when we don't get above 70 degrees most days.
We decided since we were going to their church on Capital Hill, we might as well make an outing of it and do some things before the service. So we stopped at Top Pot for doughnuts then went to Volunteer Park. (I mentioned to Matt that Sunday mornings seem like a great time to visit parks that are farther away because there is practically nobody on the freeway!) So we sat at the park and ate yummy doughnuts while Addie asked questions about the water reservoir and mole hills and sculptures while Etta was on the lookout for squirrels and dogs and animals that go. We had a great view of the space needle. Too bad it did not show up in the pictures.
It started to drizzle while we were at the park. By the time the church service was over the rain was coming down for real. Grumble, grumble rain in July. Grumble, grumble how am I supposed to enjoy a summer vacation when we don't get above 70 degrees most days.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Hey You!
On Monday we went to Carkeek park for a playdate with some friends from Etta's co-op class. (As a side note, it is interesting how much older kids this age can look when it has been one month since you have seen them. They are becoming full-size toddlers.)
So Etta had four friends her age there at the park who she knows well. But who she wants to play with is a blond 6 year old boy who catches her eye. I am not sure why she become fixated on him, but she sure did. It started with her looking at him and yelling "hey you! hey you!" Then she climbed up to be by him. Since it was very clear to me at this point that she was watching him and wanting to get his attention, I let him know that she wanted to say hi. She pointed to her chest and said "Etta", so I helped the introduction process along a bit. Thankfully the boy had 2 younger sisters so he was patient and kind to her. He let Etta sit by him and then smilingly tolerated it when she followed him around yelling "Hey you!" He then proceeded to gather a bunch of sticks, some long and some short, and yelled that he had weapons for sale. Etta, of course, wanted some. So he was walking around with one long stick in one hand, a handful of short in the other. Miss wants-to-be-a-big-girl was doing the exact same thing. Where he went, she went. Even if she fell on her bum halfway up because it was a steep dirt trail. At one point he clambered over a bunch of big rocks. So she leaned over a big rock, dropped her sticks over, then attempted to find a way around. He sat & waited for her & held her sticks so that other kids would not take them. It was pretty funny to watch. I made sure to thank him at the end for playing so nice with her. And Etta gave him a loud "Dye" ("bye") and a wave.
Addie, meanwhile, was enjoying going down the salmon slide. It is a big sculpture of a salmon with a tunnel slide through the middle of it. You enter through its open mouth and exit through its rear. Addie was having a lot of fun announcing that the fish was eating her then she was coming out in its poop.
These two keep a smile on my face :)
So Etta had four friends her age there at the park who she knows well. But who she wants to play with is a blond 6 year old boy who catches her eye. I am not sure why she become fixated on him, but she sure did. It started with her looking at him and yelling "hey you! hey you!" Then she climbed up to be by him. Since it was very clear to me at this point that she was watching him and wanting to get his attention, I let him know that she wanted to say hi. She pointed to her chest and said "Etta", so I helped the introduction process along a bit. Thankfully the boy had 2 younger sisters so he was patient and kind to her. He let Etta sit by him and then smilingly tolerated it when she followed him around yelling "Hey you!" He then proceeded to gather a bunch of sticks, some long and some short, and yelled that he had weapons for sale. Etta, of course, wanted some. So he was walking around with one long stick in one hand, a handful of short in the other. Miss wants-to-be-a-big-girl was doing the exact same thing. Where he went, she went. Even if she fell on her bum halfway up because it was a steep dirt trail. At one point he clambered over a bunch of big rocks. So she leaned over a big rock, dropped her sticks over, then attempted to find a way around. He sat & waited for her & held her sticks so that other kids would not take them. It was pretty funny to watch. I made sure to thank him at the end for playing so nice with her. And Etta gave him a loud "Dye" ("bye") and a wave.
Addie, meanwhile, was enjoying going down the salmon slide. It is a big sculpture of a salmon with a tunnel slide through the middle of it. You enter through its open mouth and exit through its rear. Addie was having a lot of fun announcing that the fish was eating her then she was coming out in its poop.
These two keep a smile on my face :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Peanut Butter Pie Cravings
Last night I went out to dinner with some friends. We went to Wild Mountain Cafe, a local favorite of Matt & I's. The food was good. The dessert was REALLY good. They called it Chocolate Peanut Butter Mud Pie. It had a chocolate cookie crust, fluffy peanut butter layer, topped by a fluffy/mousse-style chocolate layer. SO GOOD! I have made regular peanut butter refrigerator pie a number of times before, but this was light years beyond them. I did some looking online to try to find a similar recipe but did not come across one, plus the more I looked the more I craved it. So I am seriously considering calling & asking if they would share the recipe. A couple at a table near us had it too and she liked it so much she asked if she could purchase an entire pie. I would be happy to make it myself, I just do not want to settle for a possibly mediocre recipe I find online.
This sweet tooth of mine could very well be the death of me. My teeth do fine, but my waist-line would benefit from a strong craving for leafy green vegetables :)
This sweet tooth of mine could very well be the death of me. My teeth do fine, but my waist-line would benefit from a strong craving for leafy green vegetables :)
Slip & Slide
So I am about a week behind on this, but we had a great fourth of July weekend! Saturday night was my bookclub, so of course there was yummy food, good conversation and lots of laughter.
Then we spent the 4th down in Kent with Matt's folks. Myron and Lori were there with cousin Coen and Maya doggy of course, plus Lori's parents were in town. The weather was nice so I packed the girls swimsuits so they could have some water play time. Matt decided that a sprinkler was fun, but a slip & slide was even more fun. He pulled out a tarp, hosed it down and slid across it. Etta avoided it, Addie enjoyed it, but Matt clearly had the most fun. Too bad we did not get any good action pictures of him :)
The only fireworks we attempted to do were some sparklers. They would have been a lot more visible & dramatic if it were actually dark out at the time but since I had no intention of keeping the girls up past 9:30pm, we made do.
(Addie was excited to show people her purple PJ's.)
So that was our fourth of July: family, food & fun!
By the way, there are currently some sporadic fireworks going off in our neighborhood from people who wanted to prolong the excitement...
Then we spent the 4th down in Kent with Matt's folks. Myron and Lori were there with cousin Coen and Maya doggy of course, plus Lori's parents were in town. The weather was nice so I packed the girls swimsuits so they could have some water play time. Matt decided that a sprinkler was fun, but a slip & slide was even more fun. He pulled out a tarp, hosed it down and slid across it. Etta avoided it, Addie enjoyed it, but Matt clearly had the most fun. Too bad we did not get any good action pictures of him :)
The only fireworks we attempted to do were some sparklers. They would have been a lot more visible & dramatic if it were actually dark out at the time but since I had no intention of keeping the girls up past 9:30pm, we made do.
So that was our fourth of July: family, food & fun!
By the way, there are currently some sporadic fireworks going off in our neighborhood from people who wanted to prolong the excitement...
Friday, July 1, 2011
In the garden this week
Fresh from our garden this week:
-broccoli
-strawberries*
-raspberries*
Fresh from the farmers market:
-rainier cherries!!!!
-apriums
*These berries are just starting to be ripe enough. There are basically enough for each girl to get a few ripe ones each day. Etta does not like to search and wait for the ripe ones though. I have seen her eat more than one totally green strawberry, and she surprised me by actually swallowing the green berries instead of just spitting them out.
-broccoli
-strawberries*
-raspberries*
Fresh from the farmers market:
-rainier cherries!!!!
-apriums
*These berries are just starting to be ripe enough. There are basically enough for each girl to get a few ripe ones each day. Etta does not like to search and wait for the ripe ones though. I have seen her eat more than one totally green strawberry, and she surprised me by actually swallowing the green berries instead of just spitting them out.
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