Atypical

So, Wednesday night I was sitting at the computer when my little Stephanie comes up to me and asks me if I would lay down with her in her bed. I said I would since I was planning to get Philip in bed before the other kids' bedtime anyway. The poor little thing had to ask me 3 times before I realized she wanted to go to bed NOW. (yes, Mommy is a little dense sometimes - Duh!) It was 6:30 - bedtime is usually at 9. We went and laid down in her bed and it only took about a minute and a half for her to go to sleep. I guess I should have known something was wrong then, but I figured she was just worn out from her busy day - they had a bar-b-q and swam in the kiddie pool all day at daycare. She woke up at 9:30 and had a cup of milk, then she put herself back in bed. OK, by now I was concerned, she was just a little warm so I gave her some Motrin thinking she would be fine by morning.

In the morning, she got up, refused to eat anything, had some milk, and put herself back to bed. So I took Philip to daycare. Steffi was up when I got home but we laid down in her bed and she went to sleep. She had 2 naps before noon. We had to take the older kids to swim lessons at 6. When we got home, I started the bath, but Stephanie had already gone to bed. Luckily, this morning there was no sign of a fever. She wanted to stay home (of course) but I have to work today so I took her to daycare and am hoping she will be fine.

Now John's not feeling well. His throat hurts again. Now I ask - do you think he took all of his medicine for the strep throat 2 weeks ago? Of course not. I told him to go take his medicine. What I want to know is, how do he and Stephanie get sick together while I remain healthy. She never leaves my side so shouldn't I be in the middle of this somehow? Not that I'm complaining, I'm just confused. I'll just count my lucky stars and knock on wood that I can stay healthy.

Sleepy Head

Philip actually took a nap at naptime this weekend. So I got to lay down with my little Stephanie for her nap. It was really annoying - she kept wiggling and whispering to herself. Until - I finally reached over and started rubbing her head. Then she lay still and shut her eyes and her mouth and just relaxed. After a little while I had to stop to switch positions and with her eyes still shut and still lying still, she whispered, "Please do it again." She really is my little sweetheart.

My Heart Sweetie

I was talking to Stephanie the other day and she was being onery so I told her she was being a "little booger."

She said, "I am not a booger."

I said, "That's right - you're the googoo."

"No, I'm not. I'm your heart sweetie."

"Heart sweetie?"

"Yes, heart sweetie."

"You mean Sweetheart?"

"Yes, I am your sweetheart."

"Yes, baby, you are."

Yippee! Yay! Hoorah!

Steffi is housebroken!

Finally, I manage to get a kid trained before they turn 3. The pull-ups actually worked this time. With the first 2, they just thought it was another diaper or something and couldn't be bothered to go to the actual bathROOM. I say I trained her but it really was HER idea. She had been bugging me for a few weeks before I got around to getting her the pull-ups and Grandma really worked with her. Then she started daycare and before that week was out, she was totally trained. Then she got a stomach virus over the weekend and I had to put her back in the diapers for a day so I was afraid I messed the whole thing up but - really, I HAD to. But she has been wearing her big girl underwear since Monday and all is well. One accident at night but that was my fault as well - forgot that just because she kept asking for drinks didn't mean I had to give them all to her. She really is a smart little girl!

Daycare Diva

Stephanie and Philip started at a new daycare this week. Philip just switched from a different daycare but this is Steffi's first time going since she was 2 months old. She is actually dealing with it pretty well - when she is there. In the mornings before we leave, you would think I was taking her to be a virgin sacrifice to the volcano gods. The first night after I picked her up, she tried to get me to send Meredith in her place the next day. Mommy really likes this lady and I know Steffi will too once the "transistioning phase" is over.

On the plus side, we have been housebreaking Steffi for a couple of weeks now and yesterday she came home with "big girl underwear" on. She is doing very well now and we are all so happy! Soon I'll only have 1 kid in diapers and next month I'll have none on formula. Hooray!

Too bad that also means that soon I'll have no more snugglebabies. Sigh!

Chatty

You know, when Hayden was smaller people always commented on how much he talked. He still talks quite a lot but now I would have to say that Stephanie has him beat. She talks constantly and there is no amount of bribing, begging, pleading, or threatening that can get her to stop. She will not stop even when she is in bed - she will talk to herself, to Hayden, to Meredith, to me for an hour or more while she is supposed to be in bed sleeping.

Yesterday, I was trying to make dinner and I finally had to tell her to "Not talk anymore." So she walks a little ways away and starts saying, "I'm not talking anymore. I'm not talking anymore. Mommy, I said 'I'm not talking anymore. I'm not talking anymore. I'm not talking anymore..." You get the idea. I finally told her again to stop talking to which she replied, "I'm not talking to you. I'm not talking anymore...."

Sigh

Stephanie

What Stephanie Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I like the part about "You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak."