It has been a rough week. Hard to put my finger on it, but it just seems that if I am not holding one child, then I am holding the other.
On Tuesday morning, I reached my limit with Ava and I made the call—she was going in the big girl bed, and no nursing at night. If she wanted to join Carter and myself in our bed just across the room, that was fine, but only to snuggle. So, I converted the crib to a toddler bed, made a HUGE deal about it being a special bed, and discussed the no nursing at night rule relentlessly through the day. And with a few protests, it worked. She actually fell asleep in her big girl bed with me sitting with Carter in the rocking chair next to her. At midnight she toddled across the room, asked to nurse, and I said no, and she just rolled over. She did get up at 5:30 though. Then last night, it worked again, she came into the bed at 1:30, and we only had a huge issue at 5:30 but she did fall back asleep til 6:30. So proud of her. It certainly helped my attitude during the day. Which I need, since they are so demanding right now.
I have been putting Carter in the backpack for the majority of the day—definitely if I am out and about, but also at home, so that I can get the chores done. He seems to be ok with it, but I feel like all four of my limbs are about to fall off—he is heavy. He has his 6 mo appointment this morning, so we will see just how heavy he is. It is the trips up and down the basement stairs that kill me—just to qualify, these are not normal stairs—the rise on them is about 12 inches, and they do a number on your knees even if you are not carrying anything. Each trip downstairs requires putting Carter in the backpack, hoisting that up on my back, getting Ava in a pair of shoes--any shoes, carrying Carter and the laundry basket out to the porch and throwing the basket over the gate, going back and getting Ava, stepping over the gate and then lifting her over, carrying the 2 of them down the stairs, climbing back up the stairs to get the laundry basket, carrying it and Carter back down the stairs, doing the laundry, and then carrying the laundry and Carter up the stairs, throwing it over the gate, going back down with Carter to get Ava, carrying the 2 of them up and throwing her over the gate, then stepping over the gate, putting Ava inside the house, going back and getting the basket, and finally we are done. Aside from folding and putting it away. And then it starts all over again in an hour or so.
We went to tumbling yesterday—no major disasters, aside from Lena dumping a large octagon mat-thing on Ava’s head. It is roughly 6 feet across and 2 feet high, and was positioned on its side, and Lena decided to push it over. Ava was directly in its path. Fortunately it is not heavy. She was a bit startled, but nothing more. She can hold onto a bar and bring her legs up in front of her to touch the bar and then can get her feet hooked onto the bar—picture kids on trapezes on swing sets flipping up and around so that they are hanging by their knees. This got an amazed reaction from the teacher, Donna. And then everything she did after that was met with “DONNA LOOK AT ME!!”
Today is dance class. So, Carter is off to the doctor, we will go to the airport for lunch (a huge favorite) and then hit the studio.
