What a week

Wow! This week has been crazy. Our sweet little boy has turned into a totally different child. While TJ was out of town, Trip decided he did not want to stay in his bed (or room)for naps or night time. That made for some fun days and nights for mom. It got so bad one night that I had to have a friend come over and help me get him to sleep. We've tried so many crazy things, things I never thought I'd have to do to keep him in his room when he's supposed to be sleeping. The saddest part is listening to him scream and cry. This weekend, we decided to cut out his nap in hopes that maybe he'll be able to sleep better at night. We're still hopeful this will work. In the midst of all the madness, Pitty (TJ's mom) came to visit. It was such a blessing to have her presence and help and wisdom as we worked through this and to be able to get out of the house a little. Then, we went to celebrate Grandad's birthday with my family on Saturday. We tried to get him to stay there for the night, but he wanted to come back with us. I really needed the break, but he fell asleep on the way home and slept through the night, so that was good. We've had some great quotes from him this week though. First, we've been telling him about the importance of sleep and how it helps you grow. So, one morning, after Pitty laid with him until he fell asleep, his first question when he got up was, "How old am I?" Apparently, he thought the growth would occur immediately after he slept well. Then, while we were at Grandad's and Kaki's he had to go poop. Afterwards he asked me, "Mommy, how did such a big poop come out of my little bottom?" I think he stole that one from Pitty. :-) He's also become very resourceful. He figured out how to climb out of the pack and play (my first attempt to keep him in his room). Then, he figured out how to break one of those child-proof door locks (our second attempt). Now, it's duct taped! One night, he stayed up until about 11 pm, playing in his room and reading to his loveys. Tonight, we had to remove all the books and toys from his room. And, guess what...he helped. Silly boy!

While all this has been going on, Mady just keeps getting bigger and faster! The other day, I turned around and found her climbing all the way in our toy box, so far that her feet were straight up in the air and her head all the way down. She's so daring and has no fear. She took her first jump off the changing table the other night (as Trip was screaming his head off in his room). I caught her by her ankle as she dangled off the table. Unfortunately, she wasn't scared enough to prevent her from trying again a few minutes later. It's only a matter of time before we end up in the ER for stitches.

Our patience and endurance have been put to the test this week. It's only through God's strength that we've made it this far. Thank goodness he gives us what we need to be the parents he calls us to be. I just hope it will get a little easier soon.