off the top of my head

I'm really tired and my night's not over yet, so here is a little stream of consciousness. From me to you.

1. I had an appointment to have Silas's pictures made this afternoon at 3:40. I arrived (five minutes early - it's the second time I've been early to something this week. SERIOUSLY what do I win?) to find a waiting room crawling with overdressed children. The lady at the front desk informed me that my appointment time was actually just my scheduled arrival time, and there would be an hour wait. Which reminded me of how policies are always in the best interest of the company, not of the individual. Ever notice that the same company that can automatically withdraw an amount from your account requires 2-3 weeks to deposit the same amount back in? Alas. I rescheduled our "appointment," and didn't complain. Because I love children and still I would HATE to take children's portraits for a living.

2. So. Silas and sleep. How many times have I written about Silas and sleep since he was born? I would hate to know. Both of my babies, at eight months old, have become much more aware of their surroundings. They are no longer passive observers; they want to interact, craning and stretching to reach whatever they want. Which makes it nearly impossible to rock them to sleep any longer. Silas is having a hard time in the mornings, in particular - he doesn't want to take a nap. He wants to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with his brother. Asher made the transition to falling asleep on his own very easily at that age, but Silas - Silas doesn't go quietly into ANYTHING, least of all sleep. But I'm working on it, and so is he. He can wake up during a nap, fuss for a minute, then fall back to sleep on his own, which is a start. But he can't go back to sleep at night without a bottle, which is especially hard when he is teething (like now) and waking up multiple times a night. I don't mind letting him cry a little, but I just don't have it in me to let a kid cry for hours at a time to learn how to sleep on his own. He'll get it though, in time. The story goes that I was a terrible sleeper, and am still not a good napper, and look - I can still function as an adult. So, you know, whatever.

3. I did something yesterday. I herded the toys into specific rooms, so that our house no longer feels quite as much like a dollar store as it used to. We now have the living room, dining room, master bedroom, and front bathroom toy-free, for the first time since Silas was born. Babies use so much STUFF - bouncy chairs, swings, blankets, rattles, etc., etc - but now that Silas is using more toys and less equipment, I arranged the sun room (which was formerly a stroller parking lot) into his play room. He's a little young to play in his bedroom on his own, but the sun room is just off the living room, and he enjoys crawling around in there while we're in the living room. It gives him a little space where nobody is screeching and snatching toys from him, and gives me a little space that has not been completely taken over by lime green plastic (as an aside, I've become aware of how much LIME GREEN is on kids' toys. Lots). Everybody wins.

4. I'm leading Bible study this week, and we're talking about the Triumphal Entry, but rather than researching Mark 11 I'm watching Cars with Brian. We were both laughing out loud at the tractor tipping scene, but we turned the tv down very low to make sure Asher didn't hear the moos. Cows saying moo have become serious business around here, and the LAST thing any of us needs is for him to have another moo wake him up. Even so, it's a funny movie, but it's not helping me prepare for our study at all. But it's an extremely effective procrastination tool.

5. Asher and I had a Mama and Asher morning together. We went grocery shopping, then went to McDon@ld's. Fast food is a big treat for Asher - we just don't eat it very often. I think I had it once when I was pregnant with Silas, and once since Silas was born, and then today. Three times in two years, and that's actually kind of a lot for me. I've gone years without it before. Anyway, Asher has been a few times with grandparents, and definitely likes fast food. When we walked in, he threw open his arms and said as loud as he could, "It's my favorite McDon@ld's EVER!" Super cute.

Happy Saturday.