"NO WOLVES ANYWHERE!"

My heart is breaking a little for Elise right now and, for maybe the first time in our journey as parents, we can't just hug her and make something better or just FIX IT. We THINK it all started Thursday night when Adam read her a book before bed. It was a 'Frog and Toad' book- simple, cute little stories, nothing scary (we thought!). There was one line that said 'a wolf was chasing Frog and Toad, but they were brave and it didn't catch them' or something like that. That's it.
And that one sentence has completely rocked her world. We can't figure it out. She woke up that night 3 or 4 times and called for us to help. Adam went in and she said she had a bad dream about wolves. We kind of dismissed it because she's had 'scary dreams' before and she usually forgets about it the next day...but this hasn't been dropped. She's convinced that there are wolves in her room. We've never seen a wolf.

It makes me sad that she's so frightened that she's literally TREMBLING when it's bedtime. It's not the fake 'let me ask a million questions to stall". She really is scared that there's something in her room. And it kills us that this is a 'new' kind of scared for her. It's all emotional based. We can't hold her hand through a set of shots (did that this week, too!) and then it's over. Adam spent 30 minutes in with her last night and is up there again now. They've walked around the room to make sure there's nothing in there. We 'reasoned' with her that 1.wolves don't live in this state 2.They can't open the door b/c they don't have opposable thumbs, 3.they don't like being inside and 4.They can't go up stairs (ok, they probably could do that, but whatever...) 5. They live in far away forests near Santa, 6. They are friends with Santa, 7. They are friends with the reindeer, 8. They play with bears. NONE of that seems to be helping. We really want to cuddle with her, rub her back, and hold her until she falls asleep, but we know that's not the best answer...she needs to get herself to sleep and learn that there isn't anything in her room.
It almost hurts my pride a little just b/c I want her to trust me. I know she can't reason that deeply, but I want her to know that anything/everything I do is to help and protect our kids. I want her to hear us say, "There are no wolves" and then it's over.
At bath time, she was even scared to go in her room to get her jammies b/c the light wasn't on yet. She's NEVER done anything like this- she usually runs ahead of me up the steps, into a dark closet and hides until I find her. So, I guess we just try talk her through it, be patient when we're sick of going in for the 5th time in 15 minutes, and pray that it'll just pass. I want her to crash into bed and fall asleep within seconds like she usually does...and until then we'll keep listening to her yelling/ crying "No Wolves Anywhere..." and try not to cry a little myself. augh. parenting is hard.
As always, any and all advice is welcome!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I know I'm behind (once again!) on this posting, but I told myself that I couldn't update the blog until I'd sent out all our Thank You notes...the mailman took those just an hour ago, so now I can move on to updating pictures and whatnot on here...
Christmas was so much fun this year! I guess that's how it goes for a few years- as long as "Santa" exists, at least...my (Erica's) whole family was here and it's always a hoot to have everyone together. Paul and Jen brought along their Wii and we enjoyed a bunch of bowling, tennis, and Kid Icarus... we're now considering buying a Wii...although until our kids are a little older, we can't "blame them" for being the reason we buy one! I wouldn't want to share it with Elise, anyway...I'm the one with an addictive personality! I would lose HOURS playing that thing.
We had a lot of fun getting prepped for Christmas morning...the girls decorated cookies with Mimi one afternoon and with Uncle Kelly the next morning. Kelly had a good handle on the situation, I'm sure it just looked like Elise was eating her weight in icing and that Ainsley was actually LICKING the countertop for sprinkles! It was cute, though...

Cooking with Mimi...that's Ainsley's smile, I promise.












Watching cookies bake...












Here are the pics of the girls with Santa's plate of cookies. We also added carrots to the plate for the Reindeer to enjoy...that was Elise's idea- she's sweet like that.













Elise was cute Christmas morning as she wanted to open everything of everyone's at the same time. She really "gets it" for the first time this year- relating good behavior with Santa and presents. (Yes, we're fine with the whole "Santa" thing...I know many Christians think Santa is bad, but we go with the "we believed in Santa and turned out just fine." approach. We try to talk a lot about Jesus, too, because we KNOW that's more important. But Santa is cool, too!). Elise was happy to GIVE gifts, too, which was fun to see. The actual Christmas morning was a little overwhelming for Elise, Ainsley and myself...just lots of commotion, lots of little giggles and quite a few shouts of "mine. mine. mine. mine. mine." Mitchell just hung out and took it all in. That's what that kid does. He's sweet and fun like that. =)

Here are a few pictures. Enjoy:

Both girls LOVE their Bean Bags...

Everyone's heard of the "Snuggie"...we found the "couch sack" that is even cooler! With leg holes built in, we think Paul looks like a flying squirrel!!!!! Poor Jen...does she know what she married into with this family!?!

Elise in gorgeous dress that my friend Lacey made.... I love it!
Uncles Paul and Kelly...enjoying their Jester hats on Christmas morning...

In Princess dresses from SC friend Allyson...they looked adorable!

more SNOW!!!!!!

As everyone in the world knows, we got a truckload of snow 2 weeks ago...it was AWESOME! Except the part where I got the sportvan stuck in the driveway...actually, 1/2 in the driveway and 1/2 in the street...I've heard from one neighbor already who laughed at me for over an hour while I tried to 'dig out'...it is funny to look back on it! Not so much at the time.
Anyway, in a little less than 24 hours, we got about 18 inches of snow. That's a LOT- especially since we moved here FROM South Carolina...we're not used to this! But, the kids LOVED it! We went sledding 3 or 4 times and Elise was a total daredevil on the hills...she surprised me with her willingness to go by herself on the icy hills in our neighborhood. Ainsley wasn't as excited about it all, but she was ok to at least hanging out with us in the snow. She was happy to sled with me, asking "More Mommy..." a few times, too. Tons of fun, but not tons of pictures b/c it was hard enough just moving around out there...so here are the few we have.






























At one point, Elise and Adam stayed outside while I stayed in with the little ones...they were out sledding for almost TWO HOURS...that's a lot for someone who isn't even 4! She came in with the rosiest cheeks and so excited. I had hot (well, WARM b/c she doesn't like food to be hot!) chocolate with marshmallows waiting for her. It was sweet and cute. She LOVED the special treat and it was especially adorable watching her "teach" Ainsley about Hot Chocolate and how "that's what you get when you're a big girl and you can sled all day long...". =) Precious.

Phew...

It's been two weeks (yikes!) since I posted a blog and, SOOO THANKFULLY, we're all doing much better around here! I tried to respond to everyone personally who sent along wonderful wisdom, encouragement, and advice (ok, Michelle P- I still owe you an email!), but I guess I should've updated the blog, too...
Mitchell's "non-sleep" spell lasted for about 10 days and, AUGH, that was rough! Looking back on it all, I'm thinking it was a combination of a growth spurt for him with a few other minor disruptions. Part of me feels like I was throwing my own little pity-party, but I know that I needed some wisdom AND "you can do it" cheerleading, so I APPRECIATE it all! We've had three nights in a row of sleeping 10 hours again, so I'm praying that this lasts for good!
I need to update the blog with pictures of our incredible snowfall (about 18 inches!!) and the wonderful Christmas we had, too. Maybe later tonight...or maybe tomorrow. I'll get to it soon, I promise!

Help, other mommies!

Ok, so this may be Too Much Information for some of you, but deal with it. We're having major issues with Mitchell and I need the wisdom of other Moms who've maybe experienced similar situations...so, if you're not experienced in breastfeeding, you may want to stop reading! =) Sorry.
Mitchell is 3 months +1 week old. He's great. Since (LITERALLY) Day 2 of his life, he's followed a 4 hour schedule of eating, awake-time, then sleeping. He'll eat at 8am, noon, 4pm, 8pm, and then usually 1x overnight. That's GREAT and I love, love, love the routine of it all! We follow the 'Babywise' principles of scheduling, but also know that sometimes there has to be some flexibility. Also, I LOVE breastfeeding. Of course it's not always the most convenient, but I love the overall bonding experience, the health benefits to everyone, the ease of it all, etc... but the last week has been a nightmare with Mitchell! So, I would appreciate any and all advice in figuring out what to do...
A week ago, Mitchell had slept all through the night (like 10 hours straight) for 5 nights in a row. I was a NEW PERSON...I loved the full night's sleep, I was a better mommy to Elise and Ainsley, I had plenty of energy to work out during naptimes, etc...it was great. I figured we'd turned the corner on Mitchell's overnight sleeping and he was going to follow Elise's footsteps and sleep through the night from 3 months on. Yay. I thought.
About 10 days ago, Mitchell 'changed' his nursing routine a little...just started eating only about 10 minutes instead of 20. No matter what I did, he WOULD NOT eat more than that. He was totally content and would still last until his next feeding four hours later. So, no big deal, I guess. And, hey, it's easier on everyone if he eats quicker. I assumed he was just more efficient. Maybe that was unrelated, but I'm trying to give out all the info possible. =)
Last Monday night, he woke up just 3 hours into nighttime sleep. I was shocked, groggy, and confused. I fed him, no biggie, I'd only been used to a full night's sleep for a week or so anyway. He ate well (actually, he ate MORE than he usually does- probably 25 minutes!) and then went right back to sleep. He woke up again 3-4 hours later. Same thing. That was a rough night. I figured it was nothing and just a bad night but it would go back to 'normal' after that. The following day was fine, he ate/wake/slept just like he'd been doing for the last few months. UNFORTUNATELY, that has continued for 6 days now!!!!!!!!!!!! It's killing me. Adam worked a ton of crazy hours last week and that didn't help, either. During the day, he's still following his normal routine, he's not sick at all, nothing new going on, etc...but he's just a disaster at night.
Overnight, he's actually getting worse! Last night, he woke up every 2 1/2 hours and I ended up feeding him at 10:30, 2am, 5:30, and he's waking up now at 8am. WHAT!?! We've tried letting him "cry it out" some- after 30 minutes of hysterics, I have to go in and feed him. He eats great so I really think he's hungry and not just 'stuck in the routine' of eating every few hours... Last night I even tried to 'force cluster feed' him in the evening in hopes that he'd 'store up' to get him through the night. I fed him yesterday at 4:30, 7:30pm, 10:30- that's squeezing in an extra full feeding. No such luck.
So, not only am i totally exhausted b/c I'm chasing around Elise and Ainsley, but I'm losing over an hour of sleep a night feeding him, PLUS the extra energy that is sucked out of me with two or three extra feedings in a day. I don't have any energy to work out (which is a cyclical thing, I know...IF I could work out, I'd have more energy in general..but it's absolutely impossible!). I have absolutely NO patience with Elise and Ainsley b/c my lack of sleep and I HATE that they're feeling the brunt of this! I don't know if this is just a growth spurt (how long do those last? I forget....), we know his room isn't too hot, too cold, etc... nothing else seems to have changed. And still being fairly new to this city, we don't have any "people" that I can go to and drop off Ainsley for an hour, or just sit and talk with across the kitchen table (JEAN and ALLYSON especially, I NEED YOU GUYS!!!!). And that old concept of "sleep when the baby sleeps" is impossible with three kids under 4 years old. There's no way it works out that they all sleep at the same time... and, Yeah, it's the Holiday Season, so there's extra stress in life overall, right? We're having a party here this coming week for Adam's co-workers, and then my entire family is coming a week from now. I've GOT to figure this out!
So, PLEASE! If you have any advice, let me know! shoot me an email or FB message and know that I'll be eternally grateful. We also tried giving Mitchell a bottle 2x last week of breast milk, just so we would KNOW if he'd take a bottle. No luck. Adam worked with him for about 30 minutes and so did Nana (Adam's mom was here for a few days' visit). Mitchell won't even close his mouth around the bottle. So, as of right now, the idea of supplementing with a little formula to fill him up a little isn't really feasible. I want that to be a last resort anyway...I'd love to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6-8 months. But, I'm getting desperate!
Thanks again, everyone! I appreciate your patience with reading a million details and being long distance "people" for me. Love you all, Erica =)

3 months...

It's amazing that Mitchell is already THREE MONTHS old. Wow. He's a sweet, sweet little boy and it's so fun to have him in our chaotic and goofy family. He's been smiling like crazy and giggles whenever we tickle his ribs or thighs. His giggle is outstanding, too! The girls love to listen to him and they come running when he's laughing. I love it. We love his two webbed toes and the fact that he has one goofy "Moseley" ear and one normal "Martin" ear. Outside of the last two nights, he's slept 8-10 hours at night for the last week and I (Erica) LOVE getting a full night's sleep. He's a great eater, and that's saying a lot! The poor kid is constantly hugged, kissed, petted, tickled, AS he is breastfeeding! Ainsley is potty-training, and of course she wants to 'practice on the potty' whenever he's eating...so the peaceful, quiet bonding time that I cherished with Elise....absolutely NONEXISTENT. He'll be resilient b/c of all this, right?! We love you, Mitchell. =)

ssssssnnnnnooooooowwwwwwww!!!

After six years of living in basically "snowless" cities/states, I (Erica) squealed with delight when we woke up Saturday morning to a solid dusting of snow here in VA. YAY! It's been pretty mild up until this weekend, and it's now officially winter. The girls had never seen snow, but were all kinds of excited to play in it...I'll put a little description next to each picture I've posted and let those tell the story of the morning.


This was Elise's first few seconds in the snow...she thought it was so pretty and was amazed that it was COLD!!! I guess we never really elaborated on that part when prepping her for a Winter Wonderland. We don't have snow boots for her, so rain boots + extra socks worked fine.

Elise LOVED trying to catch snowflakes in her mouth. It was so sweet to watch.


After Breakfast, Ainsley was all bundled up to go outside! Notice the SOCKS on her right hand! So pitiful....we had that other glove just a few days ago!

Just moments later, she pulled off the glove/socks and stepped out into the snow...she wasn't really excited about the cold, wind, and wet. But she is cute.

Elise in HEAVEN in the snow! She loved running, throwing snowballs, chasing Gus, etc...

You can see Elise off in the corner & Adam playing with Gus who was running like crazy!

Mitchell came out for a few minutes- totally wrapped up and warm. We had so much fun!

If there is one picture in the world that sums up Ainsley's attitude, this is it! Click on the photo and check out her bottom lip...we see "this face" ALL THE TIME!