IT WORKED!!!!!   (And the angels in heaven sing praises)

Last night Little Man fell asleep within 30 minutes of going to bed. That means he was asleep at 8PM. This morning… are you ready for this? He woke up at the usual 5AM, cried in protest that he was in bed for, oh, about 20 seconds, and promptly fell back asleep, knowing that it was too early to get up. At 5:20 Bean cried in her sleep (because that’s what Bean does) - something about “No! I want that cookie!” - really frightening stuff. Anyhow, I crept into the room to calm her, and noticed that Little Man slept through the whole ordeal.

It’s now 6:20. The night light went off 20 minutes ago, meaning that they’re now allowed to get up and roam about the aircraft liberate themselves from their room. And my kids are still asleep in their beds! Both of them!  I’ll give it a few days to sink in with them, and then the night light is being re-programmed for a more ‘humane’ time.

Kids were in bed last night at 7:30. Talked until 10 PM (but stayed mostly in bed). Little Man up at 5. Listened to Little Man cry on-again, off-again for nearly an hour (while guarding the door, as much to keep him in as to keep other concerned family members out). Thankfully, it didn’t disturb Bean until it had been going on for 45 minutes. An hour after it started, said night-light went off, crying immediately stopped (amazing how he can go from 900 decibal crying to silence in the blink of an eye), Little Man said “Light off!”, jumped off his bed and said “mergi jos?” (Romanian for “go downstairs?”) with a great big smile on his face. Just one more piece of evidence that the crying was not true ‘trauma’, only manipulation. Real tears don’t turn off that easily, replaced by a smile big enough to startle a clown.

Kids went downstairs and watched PBS Kids, I made dinner in the crockpot. Then I made breakfast for kids. And lunches. While munching on oranges, because that’s all I had time for. And cleaned the kitchen, broke up fights, and managed to get today’s paperwork ready for work. Little Man refuses to eat. He refuses to do just about anything. And what would you expect from a thoroughly sleep-deprived 2-year-old? Finally, after being awake for 2.75 hours, I had time to make coffee. Have just now sat down for the first time this morning. Am so tired I don’t know how I’ll be able to take a shower, much less make the 20 gagillion appointments I have today. Did I mention I have 20 gagillion appointments today? Starting at 9AM, without even a break for lunch, going strong until 4PM, at which point I will rush home to collapse, hopefully to be undisturbed until next week. (Dream on, right?)

As for the musical beds, yesterday was much more productive, except for the fact that the timer on the night-light didn’t work. Kids went to bed that night easily. Little Man slept until 5:45, and stayed in bed (with me next to him) until 6:30, at which point I unplugged the night-light. Hopefully now that he’s seen this morning that the night-light does indeed go off, and that mama isn’t the softy he expects me to be, he’ll stay in bed tomorrow and wait for the light to go off (it’s been set back to 6AM for now - when he gets used to it we’ll gradually increase it until we make it to 7). But for now, I’m exhausted, and thinking that a bath might be a better idea than a shower, for the simple fact that I don’t have to stand up and might conserve a teensy weensy bit of energy so that I can indeed make it through the day, aided by my coffee, antibiotics, iron pills, and prenatal vitamins.

Have I mentioned that it’s entirely unfair to be pregnant in the third trimester chasing a 2-yr old and 3-yr old, have anemia, and a respiratory infection all at once? The upside is that the kids laugh at my funny voice…

When the in-laws came, my mother-in-law agreed to sleep in Bean’s room. Bean was waking up sometimes 6 or 7 times a night with nightmares, and it’s worked out well. Father-in-law had his own room (our guest room), and Bean only wakes up occasionally at night.

But now that Little Man doesn’t have a binky, he wakes up around 5:30 in the morning. Screaming. If someone comes into his room, he’ll often go back to sleep for another half hour or so. So we figured… We need his room for the nursery soon anyway. Why not put him and his sister in the same room?

So we made the switch on Sunday. That night Bean taught Little Man that he can actually get up out of his big boy bed. And so he did. And he learned to open the door. And the two of them played for 2 1/2 hours before finally falling asleep. There was much fighting, much crying in the meantime as hubby and I went into their room and coerced them into their beds. I hoped that after such a late night they’d both surprise me and sleep in.  Unfortunately Little Man still woke up before 6AM. And he got out of bed and tried to wake big sister. (**the little stinker!**) She stayed asleep anyway until almost 7.

Today I remembered something I read in a Parenting magazine ages ago. It had to do with a night-light on a timer and a rule that when the night-light is on the kids stay in bed. We’re trying it tonight. So far, so good. They’ve been in bed for an hour, and though they’re still awake talking, they’re both in their beds. At first Bean was reminding Little Man that he needs to stay in bed when the light is on. Soon, Little Man was the commenting… “light on… in bed.” And they’re whispering. That alone is a miracle for my kids.

We’ll see what happens in the morning. I have a feeling Little Man will forget about the rule between now and then. But wouldn’t it be nice if he wakes up, reminisces about his pleasant evening of conversation, and chooses not only to let his sister sleep, but also obey the rules and stay in bed until… can it be? 7 AM!   (That’s when the timer is set to turn the light off.)

My very good friend Jessica has returned to blogging after a wee sabbatical. She’s one of those truly interesting people who keeps you on your toes. She lives in Christian community - really, the kind where they have all things in common and encourage each other in the Word and seek to live more like Christ. Together. In unity. She’s a deep thinker with profound ideas and a quick wit. And she’s getting ready to go onto college campuses to minister to international students - where better to share the gospel with unreached people groups and creative-access countries than right here? She’s awesome. Head over and check her blog out. She’s also a freelance writer and you’ll find some of her creative juices flowing there.

Wanna know who I just got off the phone with? The county commissioner. He’s also the local head of the John McCain campaign. And guess what - they called me to ask if I’d volunteer! Apparently big brother really IS watching. To be fair, I registered on McCain’s website as a supporter, so in their plea to round up volunteers they called me. Me! (I feel so loved!)

I might actually be volunteering with the campaign sometime between now and Super Tuesday, and I hope they’re smart enough not to put me on the phone. Because the reasons I support the man have more to do with gut feeling and “I read something once somewhere that really convinced me” than with any strong arguments or the ability to have an intelligent conversation about it.

So it kind of boils down to a few things for me. His life story speaks for itself - he’s shown more dedication to this country than any candidate in recent history (except, perhaps, Colin Powell when he ran a few elections ago). He and his family have been willing to give all for this nation for generations. He also has the political experience, respect, and connections to be the leader of the free world. And he has a strong record of defending what’s right - even if it isn’t popular, or if the big money industries don’t agree. In fact, that may be why his campaign has had a harder time with finances. Unlike some other presidential candidates, McCain doesn’t court big industry or sell his vote for the sake of popularity or money. He has integrity. And balance too. He recognizes the importance of environmental concerns, but makes decisions with a great deal of wisdom, balancing all sides of the issue. And you know what else? He’s not afraid to break the status quo. He’s come up with some pretty inventive solution, even if it meant challenging ‘the way things have always been done.’

Well, that’s enough for my political soap box. I’ll cry if McCain doesn’t win the nomination. Really. I was devastated when he dropped out of the election 8 years ago, I don’t know if I can handle it again. Well, I’d probably recover. But I would be bitter about it for the next, oh, 8-12 years.

I suppose the point of this is to be an informed voter. Know who the candidates are and have reasons for your vote. And, well, this should go without saying, but do actually get out and vote. You’re welcome to comment about my political soap box, but beware that since this is my blog, I have every right to delete any comment that doesn’t wax lyrical about my political hero.

… that I’m pregnant. (As if I really need reminders here in the 3rd trimester.) But I can always count on 3-year old Bean to make sure I don’t forget.

MA-MA! You don’t have enough lap for me!

Ooh, feel my tummy mama! My baby’s kicking!

Now that we have built-in babysitters and my company is booming, I’m working full time and basically running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I don’t think stress management is one of my strong points.

A typical day for me: Wake up at 6, make an effort to read something from the Bible (if I can keep my mind from wandering to either work, kids, or sleep), rush out the door around 7:30 to do something work-related. Come home around 9 AM, just in time to make the kids’ lunches if they have preschool, usher them into the car and drop them off at preschool. Work like a mad woman until pick-up time, at which point I race into the school with barely enough time to grab them and their bags and pretend that it doesn’t bother me that it takes them 20 minutes to wander to the car. Drop the kids off at home, put at least one of them down for a nap and let my in-laws deal with the other, and rush back to work where I spend the rest of the day until I have to run home to make dinner. Race in the door, head straight for the kitchen, waving to the kids as I walk by (at which point they’re usually deposited in front of the TV), get dinner going as I try to talk above the TV and get reacquainted with my family. Finally take off my coat, scarf, and boots just in time to put the plates on the table and sit down. Mask my stress while I try to calmly cajole the kids to eat (and not tell me they ‘hate’ whatever I put on their plates) and hopefully finish my dinner before everything breaks down. Get the kids into bed, only to realize that I haven’t even started getting all the paperwork / bills / whatever ready for the next day. Take care of all of that while wondering if Bean spent the entire day screaming like she did at dinner, or if she just broke down when I got home. Measure out the flour, salt, yeast, etc. into the bread machine for tomorrow’s fresh loaf. Attempt to blog, and possibly read a few blogs. Resort to knitting for about 3 minutes as some sort of reminder of what life was like back when I had time to relax in the evenings ( I don’t think I’ll ever finish that baby hat at a pace of 3 minutes a night. He’ll be in college by the time I’m done). Crash into bed, hoping that the next day will bring much more energy than I had today.

That’s quite a change from my (very) recent stay-at-home-mom days. I wonder if the routine will ever stop driving me mad. I wonder if I’ll ever learn to cope with the stress.

I chose to take today off to spend with the kids. I got through all of about 4 hours with them before realizing that my pregnant, anemic body is crashing and desperately in need of sleep. But at least I had 4 uninterrupted hours with my kids. And now I’m off to the tub for a good soak. Hopefully a nice 20-minute soak will refresh me and I’ll be able to return to the kids without needing an hour-long nap. I’m also hoping that by the time they’re ready for naps this afternoon I’ll have enough energy to bake some cookies or brownies from scratch for the school bake sale (and extras for my family to enjoy). And prepare my company’s donation for the school’s silent auction. And run all the errands I haven’t had time to run for the last 2 weeks. And figure out something to make for dinner. And catch up on the laundry pile that’s about to eat my closet. Ambitious? Maybe. But this super-mom laughs in the face of a challenge… (note the sarcasm)

It snowed today. And it stuck. I don’t think I’ve seen that much snow since we moved here 4 years ago. In fact, it accumulated! There must have been 2 inches in the front yard. It was enough to build a snowman, but the really great part is that it only accumulated on the grass and bushes - the sidewalks, roads, and driveways stayed perfectly clear.

So, no snow to shovel. But plenty to build a snowman. And have our first snowball fight. (Bean loves it, Little Man hates it.) And, since we’re in Georgia, the whole darn city shuts down. That’s right. We even got an email today saying that church has been canceled due to ‘inclement weather.’ Do you know what that means? If the snow stays until tomorrow we have the perfect excuse to repair our decapitated snowman (don’t ask) and have another snowball fight!

Note: church will re-open tomorrow afternoon and there will be an evening service. So, I’m not celebrating that I get to ’skip out’ on church - we’ll go in the evening. But it’s great to be in a place where snow brings the world to a crashing halt because everyone’s too busy reveling in the fun of it to be bothered with doing anything remotely productive.

In less than 3 months we’ll be bringing home a baby boy. Bean knows what’s going on (sort of). She knows that there’s a baby growing in my belly. And that it’s her new baby brother.

But she announced to us last night that she wants a baby sister. And her name should be Rosie. (As in, the same as Calliou’s little sister from PBS Kids).  I’m not sure if that means she wants to bring home a cartoon character or if she’d rather turn her new baby brother into a sister (because, hey! she’s already got one brother - why would she need a second?). Regardless, I don’t think she’s going to be thrilled with having a second baby boy around. Especially when we break the news that we won’t name him Rosie or Brattress.

I’ve officially entered the world of the working mom. I started my own company about a year ago, and for the first year it was a very part-time thing I did from home. Really, it was more of a hobby that I did while the kids were napping.

But in the last month business has picked up significantly. I’m out of the house a lot more. And with my in-laws here, they’ve taken on more of a ‘nanny’ role while I’m at work. My office is still in my home, but the nature of the business has me out visiting clients, training employees, and just generally being away from my desk.

It came to me as a sad revelation this week. My days as a stay at home mom are numbered. In fact, looking at my schedule for the week, I’ve been able to keep one morning open to spend with my kids. That’s all - just one half-day. And I’m going to cherish that day like none other.

I wasn’t ready to become a working mom. I really wasn’t ready to turn my kids over to someone else’s care. The good news is that I have the best of both worlds in a way. The people who care for my kids are family. The grandparents. And sure, I have differences with them in child-rearing, but it’s free, and I know exactly who they’ll be with and what they’ll be doing and eating each day. Also, I can build my schedule so that I can have breakfast and/or lunch with my kids most days, and sometimes even be around to put them down for their naps, read them stories, or be the first face they see when they wake up from naps. I’m also home in time to make them a healthy dinner without being too rushed, and just generally make time for them.

Looking at it with some perspective, I know that I kind of have it all. But that doesn’t keep me from bemoaning the fact that I’m not really a stay at home mom anymore. I have a better perspective on what working moms do every day, and I honestly don’t know how those of you who work outside the home for a real boss do it.  It’s hard enough for me to sacrifice bits of time with my kids, even with all those other things in my favor. But if I had to do it 9 to 5 every day, I really think I’d jump off a bridge.  Working moms, I salute you. I’m just not ready to join your ranks.