Coffee

I AM CONVINCED THAT IN A LAND WHERE THE SUN DOESN'T SHINE COFFEE IS A NECESSARY EVIL!

Little People out of Wack

No Pacifiers equals no sleep which, of course, equals no sleep for anyone and a very angry household. It is currently 10:40 pm and Jamie and I still hear little feet making very loud noises upstairs. Zane has resorted to saying he is pooping (of course playing me...I don't know when he took up pooping at nearly 11pm, but he says he is - going so far as grunting and pushing, that a boy) really who knows if he is but I'll leave him alone to "poop" just for props for his cleverness.

I'll be honest, they have almost broke me, I'm so close to waving the white flag to surrender and thus giving their plugs, their beloved (my beloved) soothers, the things that fix everything, the things that act as Tylenol PM for toddlers, the things that I was totally against and after weeks and weeks of using my fingers to pacify them became my savior, the things that I am figuring out helped me keep my sanity for so long. Meh, after being EXTREMELY whiny and ready to melt down at any stink eye one might shoot them I am thinking maybe cold turkey was not the way to go.

Around 11 pm when Lost finally ended and the partying finally stopped two little people were found face to face with sleep!

How long does it take till pacifier extinction for two toddlers?

The "pacifier fairy" came to our house today. Two very large, pink, very overpriced, stuffed pigs and two small gray hippos were left in place of the beloved pacifiers in hopes that Zeb and Zane would attach to something new. I wasn't sure how to handle bedtme with 2 over tired, pacifier-addicted (going on 3 years on the sauce) toddlers with pacifier addicted parents. I thought - well maybe since they are pretty upset (taking turns crying for the pacifiers - big crocodile tears, red faces from being so tired and upset) we should each lay down with one and read books in their beds (typically this is done duing our "going to bed" routine as a family) and well I guess prolonging the inevitable. What seemed to be like good idea was really a questionable decision because an hour and a half later a pacifier replacement of crackers and cereal were left with two very tired little people alone in their beds and mom and dad left as normal (minus the teeth brushing-sorry dentist-swear it doesn't happen very often) saying good night, winding the headless wind-up music box and propping the door shut on the doorstop, all without any tears at all like normal resulting in two fast asleep toddlers without pacifiers in 15 minutes from time of departure. hmmmmm - I wondering how it will go tomorrow! 21 days to break (or make, for that matter) a habit, right? I'll start counting down the days or nights now.

I'm secretly a little sad that the pacifiers are gone and a little nervous - are they going to be the same little people as they were before the great pacifier fairy lie or would they change? I know deep down the above is CRAZY and that I should know that the pacifiers only helped soothe them and they will find other healthy ways to soothe themselves (in fact this will be a healthy thing for them) and that I need to embrace the future and the now and not hold onto the past just love it for what it was and remember how great everyday is because it truly is.

Facebook | Tami Bowden's Photos - Holiday Trip 08'

Facebook Tami Bowden's Photos - Holiday Trip 08'

Grandma looks after the boys in her sleep

Jamie and I are super blessed to have family willing to take on almost three year old twin boys over New years but the experience still visits her in her sleep. As told by Grandpa Mark who also had a big hand in looking after the two little people. Grandma has a long history of talking in her sleep......Oh yea....Last night we were in our chairs, Grandma been asleep for at least an hour, - Then she suddenly came alive, looked at me intently & asked " are the kids OK"? I wasn't quite prepared for the sudden interrogation. She continued to stare at me and replete her demand "ARE THE KIDS OK!?". Well, I thought quickly - what am I missing? WHICH kids - Were one of the girls' families traveling or in some sort of dilemma? Z&Z? Then with a demanding zombie stare she asked if Zeb & Zane were asleep yet and pointed downstairs. "I don't know honey- they are in Tacoma & we're in Lewiston". Silence - LOOOng blank stare. Then she shook she head, made a small sound, and promptly went back to sleep. And she doesn't remember a thing.
Thanks mom for the laughs and thanks for the very needed time off!

In A "Napping" House Where No One is Sleeping

While mom is knee deep in wallpaper backing, vinegar and hot water, and bandages all over her hands from the unfriendly but very useful wallpaper scraper Zane and Zeb become a wrecking crew accomplishing a lot on the second floor here at the Tacoma, WA demolition site. I not only swore off sugar for the month of December but also made another questionable decision to finish a job started and given up on 6 months ago during a time that requires all given energies and some artificially given energies (thank you caffeine) - the holiday season! I absolutely need pressure to get something difficult done and the holiday season was a perfect time to accomplish a job I thought impossible (I should say my husband was getting slightly sick of the bare electrical outlets and half finish job as well, creating a little more pressure, which, in my case, is always good)!

Unfortunately when mom is trying to get a job done and so focused she forgets to eat, you know who else is getting neglected (oh ya, little people need to eat more than crackers and cheese and milk in order to poop, hello constipation, sorry guys but I just had to get this done, I'll be one more minute, okay you can watch just ONE more show). The job is done now although I have to admit I felt like I was on a role and decided to try to tackle the wallpaper in the kitchen which is a different kind of wallpaper and I'm finding it to be a bigger pain to get off of the walls than the last so another job for, say the boys' birthday, which is in January so I'd better get finished.

There was one more picture that must be shared as it shows my unbelievable skill at parenting (something anybody would be proud of, well actually no, many would guard this, or not even document this but me I had to as I was surprised it could even be done).

I promise I tried to nap them, he just got sick of waiting for me to be done that he fell asleep right there on the bottom stair, after failing to go to sleep during his nap, hmmm, don't say I didn't tell ya so Zane, poor kid, someone call the authorities.

Peeing in Target!!

Oh what a day. A trip to Target to get a string or two of lights turns into a three hour adventure which involves buying an unexpected pair of jeans because rookie mom forgot a change of clothes but remembered the sandwich that no one wanted. Standing in the middle of the protein bar aisle Zane decides or maybe didn't exactly consciously decide but never the less peed all over. Now I've had this happen where I had to clean up after Bear in Petco but I didn't actually ever think of this scenerio. Hmm, one might say he isn't ready to go out of the house without a diaper but I would say mom needs to be alittle more disciplined herself to take them to the bathroom instead of running around Target for an hour without even thinking of it. I'll admit this is not my strong point as I am and have always been one to feel going to the bathroom is a burden and I wait until the last minute possible! How fun to be in the throws of potty training twins and mom.