A Big Sleep

We had a happy surprise last night. Noah slept from around 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM! What's more is that he wasn't really even fussing at 5:00.

I don't think that this is going to be the norm, but Amanda was very glad for it last night. He didn't get up again until around 8:00.

First Day

Today is the beginning of Lily's academic career. We were a little afraid that she would have a fit when we left the school, but she was all smiles. She gave both of us big hugs, kisses, and wished us good days. I felt a tad choked up, but Amanda was all smiles too. Amanda isn't one to get too emotional over things like this anyway, and on top of it I think she feels a certain sense of freedom. She is pretty excited to have her mornings free. One nice thing is that one of Cary's premier parks is just across the street from Lily's preschool, so Amanda plans on walking with Noah. She did it today with the Baby Bjorn. It was hot, but it was a good walk.

We originally forgot that today was also dance class day for Lily. She learned how to Releve today. Apparently she totally crashed when it was naptime today. These are all good things.

A Quiet Labor Day

After this busy weekend we had a nice day of just relaxing. Lily and I went shopping for some non-chocolate treats for Amanda at Fresh Market. We did OK, but nothing great. The BBQ we were going to fell through because one of our hosts was sick. I ended up doing brats on the grill instead. It felt just like a Sunday except we didn't go to church in the morning.

Right now I'm working on reviewing my Greek vocabulary and Noah is trying to relax in the bouncy seat. He likes it on vibrate. The problem is that we loaned it to some friends and they lost the cover for the battery compartment. The battery doesn't sit in it firmly, so it makes an awful vibrating sound. Still, I'll take vibrating over crying!

Tomorrow is the first day of preschool. I look forward to writing a report of that...

A Very Full Weekend

We're having one of those weekends where we just don't seem to slow down much. Yesterday I finally got around to hanging the wallpaper border in Noah's room. I also got the crib parts down from the attic and put that together. Noah is now sleeping in a room that resembles a nursery, except for the queen-sized bed that is in it. At least it has a border, a crib, and matching curtains. I don't think he cares much, but we're glad for it. It's nice not to have that hanging over our heads anymore.

Today has been a solid party day. We went to church this morning and then met at Carrabba's for Natalie's birthday lunch. We went over to Nat & Eric's apartment for the party, had some dessert, hung out, and then came home so Amanda and Lily could nap. Noah and I went to Sam's Club to get some much-needed supplies and then I did some homework when we got home. I woke up Amanda and Lily so that we could go to a BBQ hosted by one of my coworkers. We had a good time there and Lily was really into chasing their dog around. We got back home, I gave Lily a bath, and now I'm in the man-cave with Noah while Amanda has some quiet reading time.

Tomorrow should be a bit more low-key. One of my coworkers is coming by for us to go jogging and then the rest of the day is free until we go to another BBQ at another friends' house. It's been great to stay busy with good stuff. However, I do feel like we need to take it more easy tomorrow afternoon. I have homework to do besides.

A Great Night

We got to bed at our normal time of around 10:00 PM last night. I had the alarm set for 5:15 so that I would have time to work out before I had to start my day of working from home. I woke up around 4:30 or 4:45 to the sound of Noah eating next to me. It turns out that he slept from about 10 to 4 last night. Amanda fed him, put him back down, and then he slept until about 7:30. Overall, I think Amanda got over 8 hours of sleep! Of course, it was still interrupted, but she feels pretty good this morning. I think that it was a much-needed rest.

Meanwhile, Lily seemed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. She ended up getting a timeout in the basement because of her attitude. In fact, she got so hysterical that she ended up spitting up at the top of the basement stairs. I made her clean it up though. Hopefully she will learn that there are wrong ways to address mommy and daddy.

To paraphrase Darth Vader, "The Force is strong with this one".

Endurance

Amanda verified that chocolate is a factor in Noah's GER. She had a little bit last night despite her chocolate fast and he spit up a lot more today. The thought of a chocolateless existence is a bleak one for Amanda. It's been a rough day. For better or worse she has to take the kids to Lily's open house tonight. I would go, but I have class tonight. I am looking forward to going for Lily's first day on Tuesday though.

If you can please do pray for Amanda. We know it will get better, but it's hard to see that sometimes when things are so dark. I plan to work from home tomorrow, which might help except that they are having guests in the morning. Amanda is hoping that she can nap while Lily is at daycare since Noah tends to take good naps then.

We're working on it, but always appreciate prayers.

Feeling Thrifty

Amanda is looking for teacups for Lily's upcoming ballerina tea party. She figured that she could get some cheap at the various thrift stores in the area. She went to one today and came up dry. However, she did find two dresses and a jumper for Lily. They were only $2.50 each and Lily was very excited to get them.

When Lily and I were saying prayers tonight I asked her what she was thankful for. We talked about the dresses. I explained to her that some little girls don't have any dresses. She thought about it for a minute and asked, "They only have shorts?" In other words, to Lily there are only dresses and shorts/T-shirt combinations. I explained to her that some girls don't have any clothes (I was thinking some of Africa, for example) and she said, "Then you can see their panties?"

It's just not conceivable to Lily that anyone could be completely impoverished. I guess it's tough for me to conceive either. I've never really wanted for anything in my life. Lily hasn't either. I'm glad that we're providing for her, but I do think that we might want to do a family mission trip at some point so that we can get a dose of what reality is to some people.