Success!

Remember the window issue in Novak's room?

It's fixed. (at least, it's vastly improved)

The solution?

Window darkening film. Less than $20 and it's like putting sunglasses on your windows.  I only put it on the arch top window.  I'm considering getting more for the bottom windows, but we'll see how this does first.

The room is much darker...let me create a "before and after" for you.

Before: (Note the sunlight streaming in the top window)

After: (much improved!)

These two pictures were taken the same time of day, on super sunny evenings.  It may not look like that much of a difference in the photos - but it's an incredible improvement.  Hooray!

And Novak was able to put himself to sleep tonight.

Double Hooray!

watch out world...

Novak is mobile!

I placed him, on his back, on the floor under his play gym while Nile and I were baking cookies today.  

I looked over a few minutes later to see him here:

So, it was then that I took this video:

I walked away, only to look over a few seconds later and find him here:

Watch out, big brothers!  

Those toys you love to leave on the floor are fair game now!

calm within the chaos

I'm sitting here in the recliner in our living room, nursing Novak. All around me is laundry. In one basket, a load of Nate's clothes I folded this morning. In another, a pile of Nile's clothes, clean, but needing to be folded. And in another, a half-folded load of diapers. The rest of the diapers are on the floor partially sorted, patiently waiting for me to stuff and fold them. And, I can hear the washer entering it's final spin cycle on a load of swim trunks and beach towels (we have swim lessons tomorrow). All of these will need to be put away, hopefully before Tom gets home from work. Hopefully.

The kitchen is a disaster from Nile and my baking experiment this morning. (peanut butter oatmeal sandwich cookies - which are very, very good! Maybe too good...)

I have a to-do list a mile long, some things that I should have already done (preschool registration papers for next year), and some I would just like to do (scrapbooks are way out of date, I need to set up the boys' college savings accounts...)

But I'm not complaining one bit.

I am exactly where I want to be. And I wouldn't change a thing.

Unless, of course, you know of any laundry fairies that are available...?

A room aglow

This is Novak's bedroom at 6:45 pm.
Not really conducive to sleeping, eh?
This weekend I will be getting something, anything, to darken his room.

Budding Reader

Last week Nate's kindergarten class took a field trip to the library.  At the library, they found out that they could get their own library card when they were 5.  They also got to go "behind the scenes" and see what goes on at the library.  He thought this was pretty cool.

Nate came home and asked Tom if "mommy would take me to the library to get a library card?"

Um, like I had to think about this one.  Of course!  He was so excited.  He told me about how we would get him a card, and that he would get to pick out books, and we talked a lot about what type of books he wanted to get.

We were planning to go on Monday.  But Nile was sick, and Tom was out of town.  I didn't relish the thought of taking Nate to the library with a sick 4 year old, a fussy baby, and no backup parent.  So I promised him that we would go on Friday, and it would be just him and me.  So, fast forward to today.

This morning, Nate had (for the first time ever) a school friend come over for a playdate.  So, after Caleb left, Nate and I headed to the library.  So mature, Nate walks up to the checkout desk and, when the librarian asked if she could help us, asked:

"I was wondering if I could get my very own library card?"

So I filled out the paperwork, and she promptly created a library card.  While we waited, two girls who were waiting to check out a huge pile of insect books showed Nate where to find them.  As soon as we got his card (and a bookmark, and a sticker), we headed to the non-fiction area.  We picked up a few books on bugs and frogs, then headed over to the graphic novels, and then the "early reader" books.  Nate sat down at a table and went through the books, too excited to wait until we got home.

So we checked out his books (as well as two novels for me), and headed off to the grocery store before heading home.  He read all the way to the grocery store, and all the way home in the car.  And I should have taken a picture.  It was precious.  But what was more special to me was the question he asked me on the way to the car as we walked out of the library.

"Mom, can we come to the library every week?"
"Sure, Nate."  But we can't come when you're at school, so we will have to go on Saturdays."
"Okay, Mom.  Can we go to the library every Saturday?"

Yes.  Yes we can.

His stash from today's trip?
  Finding Zemo (a superhero graphic novel)
  See Otto
  Anakin to the Rescue
  Tale of a Tadpole
  Frogs
  Stink Bugs

And tonight, he read me See Otto.  All by himself.

I am so proud of my little reader!  And I am definitely going to encourage this habit!  Off to the library we will go every Saturday!

And now, I'm going to curl up with one of my books and a cup of decaf coffee while Tom watches basketball.  Goodnight all!

Sleep, again

This time change has done a number on Nile. It is 9:15 am and he is back in bed, sound asleep. I hope this is from the time change and not a new illness.

Oh, and a note: last night Novak didn't sleep all that well. The curse of publicly posting strikes again. :) I did knock on wood, really!

The above was originally written on Monday morning. Now it is Tuesday morning. Turns out Nile was/is actually sick. He laid around the house all day, taking another 2.5 hour nap in the early afternoon. Finally I took his temperature at 3:30 and it was slightly elevated (100.3)- so I gave him some ibuprofen. An hour later and he was back to normal. So we went out to dinner. Now it is 7 am and he is still asleep in bed. And I am hoping he is feeling better...I am supposed to go to work today.

I think it's safe to say...

That we have FINALLY entered a new chapter in the sleep saga that is Novak. (as I breathe a deep sigh of relief...)

For the last three nights, Novak has slept, from when we put him down (around 7), until approximately 2 am, then after nursing, back to sleep until 6-7. And, blessedly, he is happy when he wakes up.

This is truly amazing stuff.

He is 5.5 months old, and for the last two months (since Christmas), he was up about every 2-3 hours every night. And, I've been having a really hard time getting him to nap. So hard, in fact, that I was (and still am, a bit) convinced that he wasn't napping because his room isn't dark enough. Yesterday he didn't nap AT ALL. Literally. A few 20 min cat naps in my arms, but the moment he was put down in his room, wide awake.

But right now, he's asleep in his room, and has been for the last 2 hours. Can you see me dancing?

And the best part?  He's been happy!  Very happy!  All day! He plays, he talks, he rolls around the floor, and he now can play in his Exersaucer (that Nile and I brought up from the basement and cleaned off for him on Friday).

I have been reluctant to post this because I was sure that the moment I did, he'd revert back. So I have held off for three days. (Last time I posted, it didn't last more than that one night).  So I waited for a few days to see if it was really true.

Hold on while I knock on wood...

I think we might have broken the night waking habit!

Well, my sweet baby just woke up.  Going to go get him now! :)

laughter

I will admit that I'm a bit biased, but that "baby laughing at ripping paper" has some competition.

the sun also rises

Oh, glorious day!

Oh, happy day!

I love mornings! (well, not really, but I think you get the idea)

Novak slept last night. He SLEPT! He went to bed at 6:30, and didn't wake me until 2:20 am - then slept until 5:45!

After the last few weeks of being up almost every two hours, crying and needing to be nursed to sleep, last night was like pure bliss.

Why the change, you might ask?

Well, last week we decided to take him to the doctor to make sure there wasn't a medical reason for him to be waking so much. Turns out he had the start of an ear infection, but more telling, a red, irritated throat. Nate had two rounds of strep earlier in the month. Poor baby probably had it too.

Either way, I'm taking this new sleep one day at a time. Who knows, tomorrow he may be up four times again!