The Dairy Cow and Miss Piggy go to Sea World

This is a long one...sit back and relax!

I've had a little bit of a rough couple of days. They haven't been too bad, just bad enough to think "what was I thinking" having 2 kids! Ha! I remember fondly the days and weeks after Elijah was born "sleeping when the baby sleeps" and cuddling all day with my newborn. I actually thought that was tough. I was what I considered sleep deprived and now I look back and just laugh at my ignorance.

Yesterday I was awakened at 9am by Elijah coming to "check on Mama". You may think getting to sleep into 9am sounds great, but let me assure you its not considered sleeping in when you were up for an hour at a time at 2am and 6am and now its time for yet another "feeding". Sadie has a very distinct cry when she's hungry. (side note: if you have a newborn or are pregnant you need to look up the baby whisperer. She was on Oprah once and it got erased off our DVR just before Sadie was born, we saved it from when Elijah was born, but when we switched to Uverse it was erased. Anyway, this lady explains what each cry means from your baby - like they're talking to you and I swear it worked perfectly with Elijah and now Sadie.) she squeals and snorts like a pig when she's hungry. Its pretty funny. She only does it when she's hungry. As soon as we got up at 9am Beau had to leave, I made Elijah breakfast while I nursed Sadie, then threw some clothes on us all and jumped into the car just in time to make it to McDonalds for Elijah's playgroup on the playground. I know what you're thinking...why did I go to playgroup? Well, Elijah is in serious need of some interaction. It took me almost the whole hour and a half to wake up enough to formulate a sentence with the other moms. When we're home I'm either nursing Sadie or too tired to play (and lately the mosquitoes have been too bad to even think about playing outside) so I am taking every opportunity to get him out of the house and stimulated. I have looked into taking him to Mother's Day Out at the Methodist church in town on Tuesdays and Thursdays - it ends in May though, so he would only make a few. After registration and supply fees and the cost per day it comes out to about $30 a day for 6 days. I think, for the sake of mine and Elijah's relationship it will be worth the money. He is just bored and knows exactly what to do to get my attention - good or bad. Anyway, yesterday Sadie ate about every two hours (she normally goes at least 3). I'm starting to feel like a dairy cow! After I finally got both of them down for a nap and paid some bills online and wrote some thank you notes it was 3pm and I thought "man, I'm already hungry! I need to get up and get a snack!" Then it hit me! I never ate lunch! That rarely happens. I would normally have my children go without food before I would! (just kidding, sorta)

She was up again 3 times last night. When I got up this morning I was exhausted. I woke up to her squealing to be fed and Elijah telling me I "better go check on Sadie". I tried to drink a cup of coffee, but can't remember the last time I was able to finish one while it was still warm and today was no exception. Elijah wanted a snack and I asked what he wanted (dumb move number 1) and he said strawberries. I told him we didn't have any. That was dumb move number 2. He got very mad, yelled "stop saying that! Yes you do, they're at Frobergs!" I told him we could go get some if he wanted (what am I thinking!) and he got all excited. I called Aimee and begged her to come along and thankfully she agreed. I was, of course, nursing Sadie so as soon as we were done I threw some clothes on us all (the same clothes they wore yesterday because they're still laying in the floor of the living room) and we headed to Frobergs. That went well.

As soon as we got home I hurriedly fed Elijah and I since Sadie was off schedule and for once I could eat lunch at noon too (I'm usually feeding Elijah and nursing her at noon and I don't get to eat until 1 or so - if I remember to). Well, she started crying just as I was finishing eating as fast as I could. I picked her up...poop explosion!! CODE BROWN! CODE BROWN! POOP IS EVERYWHERE! I tried taking her onesie off...now poop is even in her hair. I threw her (gently) into the sink for a quick bath while Elijah is yelling "I'm done, I want down!" (I'm yelling in my head "JUST A MINUTE"!)

I redress Sadie, nurse her and try to put her down for a nap. I go and put Elijah down for a nap. He insists on sleeping in his sleeping bag on his bed...whatever. I lay down on the couch (its about 1:45) Sadie won't fall asleep. She is now snorting. Are you kidding...I just fed you. I nurse her again and put her down. I rock her in the cradle till 2:15. I lay down again. I finally fall asleep...Elijah is crying. I think "oh, he's just crying himself to sleep" (he does that some times). I try to fall back asleep but for some reason I can't sleep thru my kids' crying (I've tried). I finally get up to check on him. He's crying because his diaper has come apart on one side. SERIOUSLY! I scold him again for not being a big boy and wearing big boy underwear and using the big boy potty. He doesn't care...now he wants up. We go to the living room and he wants to watch a show. I think "hmmm...maybe I can get 20 minutes of rest while he's watching a show". He chooses Dora. Has anyone ever tried to sleep thru Dora...impossible. So I get up and try to straighten the house (which includes my daily chore of gathering the 87 diapers we've accumulated since this time yesterday in the various trash cans around the house and throwing them in the garage trash). Now Sadie is asleep again and Elijah is getting the special treat of watching another show (2 in one day really is a lot for us).

We are leaving on Friday afternoon for San Antonio for a whirlwind weekend trip. We are taking 4 of the Juniors and Seniors to Sea World and the Magic Time Machine Saturday for their "Prom Alternative Weekend". I wasn't going to go originally then my parents said they would go and take Elijah and Brooklyn to Sea World with them Saturday. Then I thought I would go ahead and go and hang out at the hotel Saturday. Then my mom called and said Jon and Katy wanted to go, so they were bringing Cale too. I started thinking I might go with them. Then mom called again a few days later and said Lya, Zac and Heather found out about the trip and wanted to go too. So now its gone from my parents going to help with Elijah to being Erica's Family Reunion at Sea World. I haven't seen my brothers since Christmas, and no one but my parents have met Sadie so I decided I would go. I'm sure taking a newborn to Sea World will be totally easy (not to mention, I probably won't have to pack much for a weekend away with a newborn and 2 year old). I am seriously delusional.

So we'll be gone this weekend, home Mother's Day weekend, in Rosebud for a wedding the next weekend, in Stephenville for Memorial Day weekend. Wow! If I survive May (and both Beau and the kids do) it'll be quite a feat!

Here are a couple pics of Elijah enjoying his new Thomas the Train Sleeping Bag/ Air Mattress. Thanks Pawpaw and Juju!