A good night and "wishful" thinking

Thanks so much for all of the kind words that have been sent our way regarding our lack of sleep. Mad's apparently got the memo because she slept through the night last night! I've been giving her praise and affirmation all day. I don't know if it will happen again but it's the first full night's rest she's had in over 3 months so I'm thrilled. She seems to be a different kid getting that much sleep.

On a different note, not to be too pretentious, but I thought it might be helpful for any family members who were interested in getting M or P gifts for Christmas to have an idea as to what they're into. I've created a new link on the left side of the page to Amazon wishlists I've made for P and M. The items there are examples of the things they like playing with these days. Plus it's pretty easy to get free shipping and I'm happy to wrap anything that's sent right to our house. Just an idea...

Thanks again for all of the support you all offer us in cyberland! It helps us not feel so alone or isolated while we struggle with the journey of parenthood.

Jabberwocky nights

I hope you enjoyed the last post because this one isn't so light-hearted. Justin and I love our kids; we really do. However, 2-3 times a week they challenge us to the brink of sanity. Tonight, I got up with Parker at 11:45. It is now 3:10am and he's still awake (although quiet, finally). Madeleine woke up at midnight and finally fell back asleep around 2:30am. Out of desperation I went to the pediatrician for help after trying everything from herbal tinctures to letting them cry it out. She recommended giving them Benedryl on nights like this because even if it isn't ideal, Justin and I have to get some sleep. But this isn't a permanent solution. We already give them a very small dose of melatonin to help them fall asleep at night but just when they should be entering the deepest sleep, one of them wakes up. And if Justin or I don't do exactly as they want (M wants us to sleep in her bed with her all night), one tends to wake the other with screaming. And the cycle begins. I am an empty shell when they do this. I have no capacity to express compassion or comfort when they deprive me of the only time I'm not supposed to be needed by them. Nothing makes me detach from my kids more than when they're both crying/screaming for Momma. I cannot physically be in both places at once so one has to settle for Justin who does his best but also feels emotionless as one of his own kids won't accept the care he's offering. So these are our Jabberwocky nights: when Justin and I battle an indescribable foe, where there is no rhyme or reason as to what's happening, and the result is us feeling completely empty. If any of you have experienced this, I'd love to hear what you tried in case there's something we've missed. At this point I'm left wanting to call a sleep expert to see what advice they have. We have to start getting good rest soon. Our family and especially our marriage is depending on it.

The hunt

Snow bibs, jackets, mittens, boots, hats, sleds, hot chocolate, a saw, and some string and you've got yourselves a Cline Christmas tree hunt. We bundled up today and hit the road with kids and dog in tow to the Lolo National Forest. Justin and I have done this 3 of the 5 years we've lived in Missoula and we hope to make it a yearly tradition with M and P.

Because we've had tons of snow already this year, it made sense to pull the kids in on sleds which went wonderfully for the trek out. The trek in was a bit tedious as we continuously scanned the woods for "the one" with the kids telling us they were cold (it was only a high of 22 today so they weren't lying). Once we found a winner, the real whining began. Fortunately we bribed some positive outlooks with M&Ms and hot chocolate.

It took J merely seconds to cut the tree down and prep it for carrying out. By then P and I were long gone with Drake and me trying to keep up with his sled as it wanted to fly down the trail. He giggled when I nearly fell over a few times as his sled knocked my feet out from underneath me.

Justin came out of the woods looking like Paul Bunyan. The kids and I enjoyed sledding down a small hill while J tied the tree to the car. Once we got too cold, we packed in, headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant, chowed down and considered the day to have been a delightful one. Unfortunately I've run out of Christmas lights (these straggly ones suck the lights right up) so the kids won't wake up to a beautiful tree; instead they'll get to help in the ornament hanging...another adventure is in store!

Dear Santa

Madeleine's the perfect age this year to start understanding all of the excitement around Christmas. The other day she was telling me that she wanted some new things so I asked if she'd like to write Santa a letter asking for some of them. It was pretty endearing! She held the marker and I helped her make all of the letters except for the last sentence (she ran out of steam). However, at the very end she wanted to write her name all by herself and she did a great job! (And yes, I know we misspelled "puzzle" in the rush to finish but I think ol' St. Nick will forgive us.) Now to teach her the part about being naughty or nice...

While I was celebrating my b-day...

Justin discovered this after laying Parker down for bed:

Madeleine passed out cold on top of Drake; they were both were snoring. Makes a very cute picture.

Birthday snow

Today is my 31st birthday. No denying it now...I'm really in my 30s! I'm welcoming this year with a new hairstyle (will try to post pics later) and a hopeful disposition. By this time next year both kids will be in preschool and I'll have a lot more free time on my hands. I have no idea what I'll be doing with it but the prospect is titillating! I am meeting some girlfriends at a bar tonight to share beer, appetizers, but most of all companionship. I've been very fortunate to meet a few really neat women over the last few weeks and I'm looking forward to some kid-free time to enjoy conversations with them. We'll save the family celebration for tomorrow night when we don't have to suffer the effects of kids and sugar highs on a school night. And Mother Nature is sending some snow as a reminder of how quickly time does pass. Next week Thanksgiving then Christmas, New Years, and then my trip to San Diego with Carol! I'm gonna like being 31!

Unplanned projects

On Monday I burned a bag of popcorn in the microwave. Really burned it! After airing out the house as much as possible, Justin could still detect it when he came home. That finally pushed him over the edge and he agreed it was the excuse we needed to get an over-the-range microwave. I'd had my eye on one on Craigslist for a while and fortunately it was still available. Thanks to having yesterday off, we actually started and finished a project in one day (not common in our house)!

Look past Parker's head. Our old black microwave stood out like a sore thumb on the counter, taking up valuable space, especially during canning season.

Excuse the disaster but this pic shows what our cabinets looked like prior to installing the OTR microwave. The mess on the counters was all for a good cause...notice the jars of red and green salsa and canned pears and pear sauce. They should last us the year!

Installation in progress.

Space saver wonder!

Crown of the kitchen :) Justin and I are so happy with the final results! So our cabinets look a little different...it's totally worth it (we had to ensure enough clearance for the canner)! I won't have to worry about the kids trying to microwave toys (it's almost happened), provides a perfect nightlight, and isn't as loud as our old one. Now my goal is to keep the reclaimed counter space clean, at least until next canning season!