Week in the Life: Saturday

We had early plans this morning so Andy and I got up and moving around 6:00.  Emma woke up at 6:30 and I got her up and dressed.  By 7:30, we were all dressed and had had breakfast.  We were planning on leaving our house around 8:15 to take the kids to visit my parents.  We heard back from the doctor that the culture did show staph, but that the "boil" was getting smaller and was pus free, so her antibiotics were doing their job; making her noncontagious and on the mend. We had made these plans last week and weren't sure if we were going to keep them if she wasn't showing any progress. My parents offered to watch the girls so that Andy and I could catch a matinee of Harry Potter and have a lunch date.  The girls love going to my parents' house because 1) they love my parents, of course; 2) my dad has the energy of a 15 year old and does anything and everything that Emma wants to do; 3) they have a big, empty basement that is full of cars, bikes, and toys for Emma and she can run around and play.

We visited with my parents for a while and then we headed out to make our 10:05 movie.  We wanted to get there pretty early to beat the crowds, and it seemed like everyone had the same idea.  The movie was great, and I'll be honest; I teared up a bit.  I'm sad to see it end.  After the movie, we had lunch at Pei Wei and then walked around the shops for a bit.

My yummy noodle bowl from Pei Wei

When we got back to my parents' house, both of the girls were napping, so we got a chance to visit with them for a while.  When Emma woke up, she was NOT happy to see us, since she knew it meant it was time to go, and immediately grabbed my dad's hand and took him downstairs with her to hide.  Sophia woke up shortly after and then we all headed down to the basement to watch Emma play.  When it was time to go, there were plenty of tears and lots of stalling, but once she got in the car, she was happy reading her books and playing with her toys.

Emma thought she could hula hoop while she drove her car.

When we got home, I didn't have to worry about making dinner, because we were just having leftovers.  Emma had spaghetti, Andy had pizza, Sophia had oatmeal cereal, and I was still full from lunch so I skipped dinner.  We completely transitioned Emma to her booster seat and moved Sophia to the high chair.  It's so nice to have our whole family around the table at dinner.

After dinner, I wanted to go to the mall to find a Winnie the Pooh shirt at the Disney Store for Emma.  We're going to see the movie tomorrow and I thought it would be fun to let her wear a Pooh shirt.  They didn't have anything though.  They had a sweatshirt, but that doesn't really help us since it's been so hot.  We were going to let Emma in the mall's play area, but then decided that her immunity might still be low and didn't want to chance it.  So we went to Chick-fil-a for an ice cream instead.  The kids love seeing all the people at the mall, so we walked around for a bit before we headed home to give the kids their baths.  Sophia went right to bed, and Emma and I read the  new book she got in the mail from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.  When we went up to her room to say her prayers she asked me to turn off her nightlight.  I told her that it stays on all night to help her see and asked if she was sure that she wanted it off.  She said yes, so I did.  She's such a big girl.

Saying hello to friends at the Disney Store

Sophia tried to tackle Andy's hand every time he took a bite.

Emma loved riding the escalator.  She waved to the top floor and said "Bye Up!" and "Hi Down!" to the lower floor.

It was so nice to spend some time with Andy today, but it was great coming home and being with the kids.  Tomorrow will be the end of another busy weekend!

Week in the Life: Friday

I can't believe it's Friday already. I have really enjoyed doing this series.  It hasn't been as much work as I originally thought it was going to be.  I can talk the ear off corn, so it's a pretty easy switch for me to transfer it into written words! ;)

This morning I woke up around 6:00, even though I just wanted to stay in bed.  Everyone was still asleep, but my mind was going a mile a minute and I couldn't stop worrying, thinking about the test results, thinking what else I needed to clean, and who knows what else...so I just decided to get up and get some stuff done before the kids woke up.  I put all of the toys that we had cleaned away, did some laundry, and made an ever important pot of coffee before Emma woke up at 6:30.  I was a little nervous about changing her nighttime diaper because I was afraid that I was going to see a huge boil or more spots.  Luckily, I saw neither.  I covered her in Neosporin and brought her downstairs.  She is such a great helper and she helped me fold one of the millions of loads of laundry I needed to fold.

Andy left for work and Emma and I finished folding the laundry, put everything away and then I made breakfast.  Emma wanted scrambled eggs, yogurt, and grapes.  Her medication requires her to drink a lot of water, so she was a little surprised to get that instead of milk, but she didn't question it.  I had a bowl of cereal and Emma had to try mine, of course.  She took a long time eating, so I cleaned up the kitchen, started another load of laundry, and drank another cup of coffee.  I got Emma cleaned up and settled with some toys because Sophia was starting to wake up.  The "Magic Pajamas" worked pretty well last night.  She woke up once around 4:20 to eat and fell right back to sleep, then woke up for the day at 8:30.  The magic continues! ;) I got her ready for the day and brought her downstairs and fed her.  I gave Emma her medicine and she only put up a little fight.  The girls and I played for a little bit and then Emma asked to watch Bambi. We watched the movie while we played and talked on the phone to my mom before Sophia got tired and ready for a nap. Emma wanted to play in her room, so I let her do that while I put Sophia down for a nap.  She ended up not napping at all after I "fought" with her for 30 minutes.  I brought Emma back downstairs and put Sophia in her swing, hoping she would fall asleep.  She did, and while she napped, Emma and I made blueberry zucchini bread.

While it was baking, Emma colored and I cleaned up.  Sophia woke up shortly after and so I brought her into the kitchen with us and put her into her bouncy chair so she could watch Emma color while I made lunch. Today we had tuna sandwiches, cauliflower with cheese, and a piece of the zucchini bread.  The way Emma eats her sandwiches always makes me laugh.  She ate her tuna sandwich in this order: tomatoes, lettuce, tuna, bread.  She likes to deconstruct her sandwiches.  We both really liked the zucchini bread, so that one is definitely a keeper.

While Emma finished and I cleaned (does the cleaning ever stop???).  I got a few phone calls from my sister and my mother-in-law, checking on Emma.  After lunch, Emma wanted to make birthday presents for everyone, so she created sculptures of blocks, stacking cups, and boxes to give to people on their birthdays.  Sophia got hungry again, so I fed her and then she was ready to play some more.  We played and listened to music and before I knew it, it was 1:30 and time for naps.  Emma went down for her nap at 1:45 and Sophia was ready for her nap around 2:00.  She put up another fight, but finally gave in around 2:45.  While the kids napped, I made a fiesta rice salad that we would be having with dinner and (you guessed it!) did some more cleaning.  I swept and mopped the kitchen, dusted the downstairs and started my menu planning for next week.

The kids were still sleeping when Andy got home, but as soon as we sat down to talk, Sophia woke up.  Kids always know when parents sit down. She has started sleeping on her tummy (which I hate) with her hands tucked under her face. When she wakes up, she has dents from where her fingers were and she always looks a little rough.  I took a funny picture of her when she first woke up.

Emma must have been tired because she slept until 5:00.  Actually, I woke her up at 5:00, so who knows how long she would have slept.  Drowsiness is one of the side effects of her medicine, but I didn't want her to sleep too long and not be tired for bed tonight.  Dinner was ready right when she came downstairs, but Sophia was ready for her cereal and Emma was cranky, so we postponed dinner for a little bit while Andy fed Sophia and I comforted Emma.  Finally we were ready for dinner.  Dinner tonight was tacos and fiesta rice.  After dinner, Emma had to have her medicine, and she did not want to take it.  She told Andy "Emma take medicine no, no, no!" Which is her way of saying that she didn't want to take it. I told her that if she took it, I'd give her a little treat.  Yes, I bribe my kids.  It's pretty effective.

A shot of Reddi-Whip helps the medicine go down.

After dinner, we ran around, marched, sang songs, and read books.  I just love when the four of us play and the kids come up with their own games.  We played until bath time and then we got the kids ready for bed.

Sophia went right to sleep at 8:00 and Andy and I read books with Emma before she went to bed. We didn't have much to clean up tonight, so Andy and I are watching TV before we go to bed.  I'm looking forward to hearing good news from the doctor tomorrow, so be sure to keep up in your prayers!

Week in the Life: Thursday

Today was not a very good day.

I woke up this morning at 6:00.  Everyone was still sleeping, even Andy, so I got up and got ready while I enjoyed the quiet time to myself.  Sophia had a doctor's appointment at 9:00, so I needed to get things organized before we left.  She had some blood work done a couple of weeks ago and we were meeting with the doctor to go over the results.  Emma woke up around 7:00, and I got her up and dressed, then made her scrambled eggs for breakfast.  As I was changing her diaper this morning, I noticed a white little bump in her diaper area.  She had a couple of small, red bumps (they looked like mosquito bites) a couple of days ago down there, but I didn't think too much of it.  This morning, one of them had developed a white head, like a pimple.  I mentioned it to Andy and we agreed that one of us would take her to the doctor, while the other took Sophia.  Unfortunately, they were not the same doctor, or office. 

I headed out with Sophia and got great news regarding the results.  All of the tests came back normal, which is a huge relief.  She weighed 15 pounds, 12 ounces. That's half of a pound bigger than last week.  WOW! Sophia did really well and never got fussy.  She fell asleep as soon as we left the parking lot, so I stopped by Starbucks for a coffee and a treat for Emma.

When I got home, I got an text from Andy from the doctor's office.  The doctor said that the bumps looked like staph and prescribed an antibiotic. Oh my word. I can't even believe it.  I immediately panicked and hated that I wasn't there.  I sent a million questions to Andy to ask the doctor.  Then I did the dumbest thing I could have done.  I got on the internet.  By the time Andy and Emma got home, I was in tears and in full panic mode.  Andy assured me that this was a common problem, especially in the summer and the doctors didn't think it was serious, especially since we caught it early.   They did a culture, but we won't get the results until Saturday.  The antibiotic that they prescribed is the one that is used for MRSA, the staph "superbug," which made me feel more confident that she would be ok. Once I calmed down, I gave Emma her treat, a birthday cake pop, which she thought was the best thing in the world. 

Andy and I spent a lot of time talking when he got home and did some research so that we could be prepared with even more questions to ask the doctor.  One of our biggest concerns was the potential transfer to Sophia.  Andy left to pick up Emma's prescription and I played with the girls.  When he got home, we gave her her first dose and she took it like a champ!  I made her lunch right after and we all sat down to eat.  Andy left for work shortly after and I made some phone calls.  Andy ended up coming right back home so that I could get started cleaning and disinfecting right away.  I went to Walmart to load up on sanitizer, bleach, and other germ killing cleaners.

Say hello to my new best friends.

I spent the rest of the day washing clothes, bed linens, towels, cleaning the bathrooms, disinfecting toys, etc.  My hands may permanently smell like bleach.  Andy made spaghetti and breadsticks for dinner, which is Emma's favorite meal.  She loves practicing twirling her spaghetti with her fork.

Sophia didn't take a long nap today, so she took a quick catnap after dinner.  Doesn't this just melt your heart?

After dinner, I went back to cleaning.  After I finished, I gave Emma a shower.  Several resources recommended showers instead of baths to decrease the chance of spreading.  Andy got Sophia ready for bed and put her in a pair of special pajamas.  When Emma was younger, she wore these same pajamas and slept through the night for the first time, earning them the name "Magic Pajamas."  You can read all about them in this post.  Seeing them on Sophia brought back so many memories of Emma at this age.  They look so much alike, that sometimes it's hard to tell who is who!

Emma was feeling extra loving toward her sister tonight and asked me to take their picture.  I was happy to oblige. :)  After we played for a bit, we cleaned up and read a few books.  Emma and I said a few extra special prayers for her quick healing.

These two make it all worth it.

Andy and I are getting ready to do one last round of disinfecting of the downstairs toys and then I'll be heading to bed.  It's been a long, emotional day.

Here are a few scenes from our cleaning spree...

Week in the Life: Wednesday

Today was a busy day, but I wasn't home for most of the day due to a workshop I had for school.

This morning started a lot later than the past few days.  I actually got to "sleep in" until 6:15.  Sophia woke up once during the night and then slept until 8:30!!! I can't even believe it.  I think it's because she knew I had to get up and leave.  Isn't that the way it always happens? My mom got here a little early so I was able to finish getting ready and actually sit down and eat breakfast while she played with Emma.  I left the house at 7:45 to make it downtown in time for my 8:30 workshop.  Unfortunately, the confirmation e-mail sent out the wrong time to half of the people and it actually started at 8:00.  I am NEVER late, so of course I freaked out when I arrived at 8:10.  Luckily, they were aware of the error and knew that people would be arriving "late."

The workshop was interesting and it was nice to spend the day with my colleagues.  I got home at 4:30, so Andy got home before I did.  I didn't get to see my mom, but I called her to get a recap of the day.  The girls did great and they both took great naps.  Sophia was happy all day and fell asleep without any problems for both of her naps.  When I got home Emma was still sleeping and actually slept until 5:00.  I don't know why the girls don't sleep like this for me.  I like to tell myself that they have so much fun with me that they don't want to sleep.  :)

We have a weekly date night every Wednesday and the girls spend the evening with their Mimi and Papa.  I'm not sure who enjoys it more; us or the girls.  When Emma woke up, she was SO grumpy and just wanted to cuddle and I didn't want to put her straight in the car after I had been gone all day, I held her and let her calm down.  Once she completely woke up, I asked her if she was ready to see her Mimi and Papa and she jumped up and shouted "YES!" so I knew she was ready to go.

Once we dropped the kids off, Andy and I went to Calhoun's for dinner.  He had ribs and I had a really yummy salad with turkey, strawberries, feta, and pecans.  Oh, it was good.  From there, we went to Target to pick up a few things and then it was time to pick up the kids.   They had a great time, as usual, and Emma stalled to leave.  Sophia fell asleep in the car, even though we tried to keep her awake to keep her on her normal bedtime schedule.  No amount of loud singing woke her up.

We got home around 8:15 and gave both girls a quick bath.  Sophia went straight to bed and Emma read a few books.  Andy found a pirate cup for her while we were at Target, and since she has been pirate crazy lately, she loved it.  She got to bed a little later than normal because she wanted me to read her one of her longer books and she asked a million questions while I was reading.  She always does this when she doesn't want to go to bed.  She is such a kid.

She loved the sound of her voice when she talked into her cup.

Both girls were in bed and asleep by 8:45 and then Andy and I did our normal nightly cleaning routine.  Now we're watching a movie before we go to bed ourselves.  It's been a long day and I'm ready to relax on the couch with some comfortable clothes and a bowl of ice cream. :)

Week in the Life: Tuesday

 Well, I guess I didn't scare you off too badly if you're reading today's Week in the Life! :)

This morning I woke up at 5:00 to feed Sophia.  She didn't want to go back to sleep, so we got up for the day.  We had thunderstorms move through early this morning and the thunder woke Emma up around 6:30.  Luckily, Andy and I were able to get the girls ready for the day, and I was able to get myself ready, before he left for work.  We watched the news for a little bit to keep an eye on the weather.  It can change at the drop of a hat around here.  There was a heat advisory for today, which I really don't like, but it actually stayed much cooler than they were predicting (which was 97).

Emma got hungry for breakfast around 7:00, so I let her watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while Sophia played in her jumper and I made breakfast (Emma: french toast, yogurt, blueberries. Me: oatmeal).  Sophia was really fussy all during breakfast, so I didn't get to finish mine.  The only thing that calmed her down was walking with her so by the time I got back to my bowl my oatmeal had become a brick.  So I ate a banana and called it a day.

After breakfast, I was pretty tired and Sophia was obviously tired, so we just lounged around.  Sophia laid on her blanket and chewed on a cold cloth, Emma played with her babies, and I enjoyed the quiet.  Sophia started falling asleep on the floor, so I put her in her swing and let her sleep.  I let Emma color in the dining room while I packed up the diaper bag.  Emma has Kindermusik on Tuesdays and Sophia goes to the girls' Mimi's house, so I needed to get Sophia's bag ready for the morning/afternoon.  I got a snack and drink ready for Emma for her to have in the car.

This swing is by far the best purchase we have ever made.  It has helped us survive two fussy babies!

Sophia slept until it was time for us to leave, so I had to wake her up to put her in her car seat.  Luckily, she didn't get too upset and Emma's singing kept her entertained during the car ride.  Once we dropped her off, Emma and I headed to Kindermusik.  This is such a great program.  It incorporates music (obviously) and movement.  The theme for this session is "Wonders of the Ocean," which is right up Emma's alley.  On the way to the class, she told me over and over again that she was going to see her teacher.  She has two friends in her class as well, which makes it extra fun.  One of the instruments the kids played with today was bells, including belly bells, which go around the waist.  I was so proud of my girl for dancing around and shaking her bells.  She can sometimes be shy and unsure of herself, so I was happy to see her having fun.

After her class, we did what girls do--we went shopping and then had lunch. We went to Smart Toys and Books, which is a great place to look around because you can play with all the toys.  Emma had fun playing with the dolls and the tea set.  After the store, we went to Chick-fil-a, which is Emma's favorite place to eat.  It was so busy there because it was right around lunchtime.  It took quite a while to get our food and to find a table, but it was worth it as always! 

After lunch, we left to pick up Sophia and visit with Mimi for a bit.  Emma fell asleep on the way home, even though Sophia cried periodically throughout the trip.  As soon as we got home, I carried Sophia into the house and then carried Emma straight upstairs and into bed.  Thankfully she stayed asleep and slept for two and a half hours.  Kindermusik always wears her out!  Sophia and I played while Emma napped until she started to get sleepy around 3:00.  Her early morning completely threw off her "schedule."  I use that term loosely, however. I fed her, rocked her and put her down for a nap. Thankfully, both girls took great naps this afternoon. I love days like that.  Andy and I tag teamed making dinner (Buffalo wings, white cheddar macaroni & cheese, and corn on the cob) and Sophia was so happy from her long nap that she was happy all during dinner.

This is a common sight after Emma's nap.  She usually wakes up pretty grumpy and wants to have some snuggle time with me in my bed, but that can't always happen if Sophia is awake. She's still adjusting to having a sibling.

After dinner, we hit a big milestone and gave Sophia her first meal of rice cereal.  She loved it and I could barely keep up with her.  We're hoping that introducing solids will help with her reflux.  We'll stick to cereal for a while though until we figure out if she has any allergies or not.

She LOVED it!

After we cleaned up the kitchen, Andy went to a HOA meeting and the girls and I listened to music and danced.  A few weeks ago, we made a video for my sister to watch while she was in the hospital.  She HATES the song "Car Wash" so being the loving sister that I am, I made her video of the girls dancing to that song (she loved it though).  Ever since then, the girls love that song.  Emma will ask for it and she'll dance all around the house.  Sophia kicks, laughs and shrieks.  We danced to that and sang "Jesus Loves Me," which Emma wanted to listen to over and over again.  :)

Skyped with Auntie Tonia and Auntie Kimi.  Both girls really hammed it up for the camera.  I took the girls upstairs and let Sophia play on the floor in Emma's room while I got her washed up and ready for bed.  Since Andy wasn't here, I didn't attempt both baths on my own, so each girl just got a sponge bath.  He got home while I was getting Emma in her pajamas so he was able to help me finish.  After that, we came downstairs to clean up the toys and read a book before bed.  Emma got a Pinocchio book from Chick-fil-a today and she wanted me to read that.  It was weird...unlike any version I have ever heard.  It might magically disappear, if you know what I mean. ;)

I just put Emma to bed and Andy is giving Sophia her last bottle of the night and putting her to bed too.  I'm hoping we can both make it an early night.  I just have to finish washing bottles and getting things ready for tomorrow and then it will be time for bed.

Week in the Life: Monday

A couple of weeks ago, Kelly, from Kelly's Korner, did a Week in the Life series.  I really enjoyed reading about her day with her two girls, and thought that I'd give it a try.  Her girls are very similarly aged to our girls, so it was fun to see that we faced similar challenges.

Our days are far from exciting, but I want to document them so I can look back at how we spent our time during our first summer together.  When school ends next summer, they'll be one and three and our days will be completely unrecognizable from now. When Emma was a baby, I felt like I was always busy and tired.  Now with two kids I often wonder what in the world I did, because now I really feel busy and tired.

Each day I will write about our day, from Monday through Sunday.  I'll most likely add to the post throughout the day because if I wait until the end of the day, my Mommy brain will be fried and I won't remember one thing. They're going to be pretty long detailed, so I hope you won't get too bored! I enjoy reading about what other people do (I'm nosy like that), so I hope you enjoy taking a glimpse into our life.

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My day started at 5:00 when Sophia woke up to be fed.  She fell asleep pretty quickly after she ate and by the time I left her room around 5:30, Andy was ready to get up and get ready for work.  Sophia decided that she wanted to start sleeping on her tummy when I put her back down, with most of her face smashed into the mattress, even though I tried moving her head many times.  Between wanting to keep an eye on her and the fact that Emma is an early riser, I figured it was pointless to try to go back to sleep. I got up, did a workout video, and jumped in the shower.  Emma woke up while I was getting out of the shower (around 6:15), so I got her up and brought her downstairs.

On most mornings, she takes a while to get going and wants to snuggle, so we snuggled on the couch for a while.  She isn't very cuddly anymore, now that she's Miss Independent, so I really cherish the time I get.  Shortly after Andy left, she wanted to watch a cartoon (right now her favorite is Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney Junior) so I let her watch an episode while I got ready for the day.  I have found that it's easiest to do my hair and makeup downstairs in the living room, rather than in my bathroom.  I have to try to fit it in while I have a chance, and this lets me keep an eye on the kids while I do what I need to do.

Once I was done, I started getting Emma's breakfast ready.  We sat down to eat breakfast (Emma: waffles, strawberries, oranges, part of my banana, and milk.  Me: waffle, banana, and coffee) and Emma talked and talked.  She has such a great imagination and her vocabulary grows in leaps and bounds every day.  I've lost track of how many words she knows.  She's moved on to sentences and long stories now.  Sometimes she will say a word or a phrase and Andy and I will wonder where in the world she learned it.  She picks everything up so quickly and always has an ear tuned in on our conversations.  This means that Mommy has to be very careful in the car, if you know what I mean.  ;) One of our favorite things she currently says is when she asks a question, she immediately follows it with an OK? and then confirms it with a head nod, as in "Emma wants goldfish and chocolate milk for breakfast, ok?" nod, nod, nod).  It's pretty funny because she usually only does it with things where she knows the answer will be no.

Just as we were finishing breakfast, Sophia woke up.  I went upstairs and got her dressed and ready for the day while Emma finished her milk in her chair.  I brought Sophia downstairs and put her in her bouncy seat so that she and Emma could "talk."  I usually let them listen to a CD while I clean up the kitchen so they can sing/dance/whatever.  Today's choice was Peek-a-Boo I Love You, which is a CD we got from the Kindermusik program last summer. We Peek-a-Boo to everyone we know, which keeps them entertained while I clean up.

Once the kitchen was clean, we headed into the living room to play.  We have a toy shelf in the living room full of toys and books, so Emma has lots to choose from.  I swap them out periodically to keep her interested.  Sophia rotates playing in her jumper, to the floor to do tummy time (which now only consists of rolling around the room), and sitting in her Bumbo where I give her toys to play with on the tray.  Her favorite right now is a monkey that suctions to the Bumbo tray and spins around.  While they played, I folded a load of laundry and then I was free to join in on playtime.

After we played for a bit, I took the girls upstairs to get Emma ready for the day and I fed Sophia.  Emma loves playing in her room (that's where all the big toys are) so she was happy to have some time to herself for a while.  Once we were done, I packed the kids in the car and we headed out.

When Sophia was first born, I was terrified of taking both kids out alone.  Now it's a matter of survival.  Even if we don't have anywhere in particular to go, I try to get out of the house for a little while, just for a change of scenery. 

Today we had to return a few library books and drop some clothing off at Goodwill (so long, maternity clothes!).  After that, we ran by Walmart because they were having a good deal on Gerber Puffs and I had a coupon as well.  Sophia fell asleep in her carrier while we shopped,  so Emma and I just walked around, enjoying the air conditioning.  Emma has been needing a bike helmet, so we checked those out while we were there. 

We got back home around 11:15, so I put Sophia down on a blanket to stretch out and cool off while Emma gave her babies a bath.  While the girls were playing, I made lunch (Emma: turkey sandwich with cheese and tomato, blueberries, and some of the Puffs we bought today...she asked for them all through the store.  Me: salad, pita, and hummus.  Sophia: frozen teething ring). Sophia started to get hungry at the end of lunch, so as soon as Emma finished eating, I fed Sophia.

While she ate, Emma played with her magnetic paper dolls.  The girls' Mimi and Papa brought them back for her from their trip a few weeks ago.  They're really cool, but since they have a lot of pieces, they aren't a toy that we keep out all the time.  She's always happy to see them and they keep her occupied for a long time. After Sophia finished eating, I started to get them settled down before their nap.  I always close the blinds and play quiet games with them before nap time.  Today we played with Emma's dolls, read LOTS of books, and built towers with Sophia's soft blocks.

Did you notice the wardrobe change?  We had a spit-up situation.

I took Emma up to her room for her nap at 1:30 while Sophia relaxed in her swing.  Emma's nap time and nighttime routine are the same.  We say prayers, I sing the same four songs (in the same order), I tuck her in and leave.  She usually falls asleep quickly, but she must have been tired today, because she fell asleep during the third song.  I came back downstairs, got Sophia, took her up to her room and put her down for her nap at 1:45.  She has a hard time staying asleep and woke up at 2:15.  I got her to go back to sleep, but she woke up every five minutes for the next 20 minutes until I gave up and brought her downstairs to see if the swing could work it's magic.  After 25 more minutes of fussing, I gave up.  Sometimes I have to stop trying to get her to sleep, even though I know she's tired, just to save my own sanity. I get so frustrated with her sometimes, because she's so incredibly stubborn. I have to constantly remind myself that she isn't doing it on purpose.

Andy got home a little bit early today because I had an orthodontist appointment at 4:30.  When I got home, Emma was awake and Sophia was tired and grumpy.  I made dinner while Andy played with the kids. We always plan a quick and easy dinner when one of us has something going on in the afternoon, because it's so hard for one person to cook during "The Witching Hour."  If you have kids, I'm sure you know what that is.  If it gets too late, Emma gets too hungry and starts to break down.  So we need fast on days like today.

After dinner, we took the girls upstairs to play while I organized their closets.  Sophia has been growing like a weed, so I had to pull out Emma's old clothes in bigger sizes and put the smaller stuff away (sniff sniff).  Sophia loves playing in Emma's room.  There's so much to see and everything is bright and makes music...what's not to love?

If you're going to cook in the kitchen, you have to dress the part!

When we came downstairs, we enjoyed some ice cream for dessert and then it was time for baths.  Andy does Sophia's and I do Emma's.  We still bathe Sophia in the little tub that fits into the sink and Emma has hers in the regular tub, of course.  We haven't tried doing the dual bath yet.  We'll wait until Sophia can hold her own against her sister.  Right after baths, we got the girls into their pajamas and we let Emma watch one last episode of Jake. Since Sophia was so tired from not taking a nap this afternoon, Andy put her down earlier, at 8:00.  I put Emma down at 8:30.  She's been really clingy lately, and insists that I be the one to put her to bed, and Andy has really been missing it.  I know it's just a phase, and I always tell him that I need to enjoy it while it lasts.  She and I will battle when she's a teenager, but she'll always be a Daddy's girl.

After the girls were in bed, Andy an I did our normal routine of picking up the house and getting things ready for the next day.  Unfortunately, Sophia is having another bad night and is having a hard time falling asleep.  Andy has been up there twice to get her back to sleep. I'm getting ready to go to bed so that I can be ready for the 1:00 shift.

I know this got incredibly long, and I apologize.  I hope you weren't scared away and will come back to see what our day looks like tomorrow!