Naptime, Mommy Style

Let me begin this diatribe by sharing that if I had to choose a hobby, it would, hands down, be sleeping. 

Before children, I could sleep 12 hours a night and take a 2 hour nap every day.  I thought people who called other people before 9:00 am were insane.  Connor worked into this routine fairly well, sleeping in late with me, playing for a few hours, eating some lunch, playing some more, and then napping into the early evening (he slept in so late in the mornings because he was often up watching The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in bed with Mommy and Daddy).  Then, along came Kylee.  She was not content to lay in bed and "chill out" in the mornings.  When she was up, she was up.  Lazy mornings were over.  And of course, when Kylee came along, Connor was dangerously close to giving up his afternoon naps.  It was a rough transition for me.

I now consider myself lucky to sleep 8 hours a night, and am reduced to an emotional mess if I consistently get any less than this.  My body has adjusted to the mere 8 hours of sleep at night, but I still LOVE naps.  Bliss is Sunday afternoons when Brandon is home to herd the children so I can lay down for 2 hours and snooze.  I should take a moment and say that one of God's greatest gifts to me was a spouse who doesn't need a lot of sleep.  This is (quite literally) one of my favorite things about my husband.  He is willing to get up in the mornings and get the kids started on breakfast so that I can catch another 15 minutes of sleep before starting my day.  He realizes that this is no small investment in my sanity...and therefore, his also.

Last night, Kylee had some friends over for a sleepover.  So, of course, she's been an emotional mess today because she's so tired (I don't know about you, but at our house, a sleepover means up way past bedtime, some sleep, and then eyes popping back open around 7:00 am).  Connor decided that he just wasn't tired anymore and woke up at 6:00 am this morning.  Hadley, not wanting to be left out, was also up early.  Brandon is away at class (more info on that later) all day today, so I was on duty in the early morning, cooking waffles for our slumber party guests.  I consoled myself by thinking "Everyone will be so tired...there will be a MANDATORY naptime this afternoon!".

So, at 1:30, I laid Hadley down in her crib.  Connor and Kylee, after doing their obligatory whining about having to be banished to their rooms, begrudgingly trudged up the stairs, where I explained that they could play quietly until 2:00, and then were required to make their best attempt at sleeping from 2:00-3:00.  At 3:00, if they weren't sleeping, they could get up and play quietly downstairs.  They acknowledged understanding of the plan and I gloriously retired to my own bed in eager anticipation of approximately 90 minutes of rest.  This is how mandatory naptime went:

1:30-2:00: I enjoyed reading my book.
2:00:I doze off, despite the dog deciding he wants to share the bed with me.
2:24: Tap. Tap. Tap.  I roll over to see Kylee staring at me.  "Mom, can I get up?"  Me: "What time is it?"  Kylee: "2:24."  Me: "Please go back and lay down until 3:00."  She waltzes off.
2:25: I close my eyes again and am beginning to doze.
2:30: I hear thunder.
2:35: Downpour begins.  I realize that there are windows open in the house.  Ugh.  Get up to head to Hadley's room to close window, which of course, squeaks loudly.  Try to sneak out of room unnoticed.
2:35 and 10 seconds: Hear Hadley crying.
2:36: Tell Hadley to lay back down.  Resign myself to laying on the floor beside her bed.
2:40: Success!  Hadley is back asleep.  Head back to bed.
2:45: Connor, hearing the thunder, shows up in my room.  Hops in bed with me.
2:47: Try dozing again.
3:01: Kylee is beside my bed again.  "Mom, can I get up now?  My clock says 3:01."  Me: "That is fine.  Just please go downstairs and play quietly."
3:12: Kylee resurfaces at my bedside with our container of children's Vitamins.  She has decided that she really needs to take her Vitamins NOW.  "Mom, could you please open the jar for me?".  I open the jar and reflect on the amazing sense of humor that God has.
3:15: Connor, hearing Kylee come into the room for the 3rd time, wakes up.  I tell him he can go downstairs.
3:20:  Forget it.  I'm up.

Naptime.  Mommy style.  Gotta love it.

7 Years

Kylee has been in eager anticipation of her birthday this year.  The other day, she proclaimed "Mom, can you believe you've had me for SEVEN YEARS?"  Her comment made me pause and reflect on the time that we've had with Kylee in our lives...and made me feel so very, very blessed.

If you've been following this blog or have been around our family for any length of time, you know that Kylee, or "Miss J" as she is affectionately known around our house, is our child that keeps us laughing....and forever evaluating our parenting skills.

Kylee came into the world late on the evening of September 9, 2006.  The midwife announced that she entered the world "sunny side up", meaning that instead of emerging face down (as is the normal birthing position), she came out face up.  Brandon and I have often reflected on how perhaps that was an early indication of the personality our daughter possesses.

Kylee is our passionate child.  She approaches life with a gusto all her own.  She is dramatic, sensitive, driven, intelligent, creative, loving, and imaginative.  She gets easily frustrated when she feels like she can't get something right and absolutely hates to disappoint anyone.  Kylee challenges us to think about things differently and when she believes in something, there's no stopping her.  She is firm and committed.

Kylee keeps us laughing.  She is so uniquely her that you can't help but crack up.  Be it her jokes ("Why does a dog like living in the Wild, Wild West?  Because it's RUFF!"), her latest dance routine, an art project, or just her viewpoint on life (Kylee is participating in Running Club at school and came home reporting that last week at club, she told Mrs. Wise, her teacher, that she looked like a unicorn when she ran.  I gulped and got up the nerve to ask "Well, why did you say that?".  "Mom, I said that because she looked so beautiful!"), you never quite know what to expect with our middle child.

Kylee is known around our house (and probably, let's face it, outside our house), for her hair.  It is strawberry blonde in color and very distinctive.  Adding to the distinction is the fact that she has inherited her mother's bedhead, so Kylee descending down the steps in the morning is always a bit of an affair as we observe the creation that is her morning hairstyle.  Kylee then insists on correcting her bedhead by "styling" her own hair.  This can range from having every barrette we own in her hair, to a ponytail, or, to that classic look where the front of her hair is wet down, brushed, and then the back of her head looks like something a small rodent could live in unnoticed.  She has conceded this year and allowed me to attack her with a blowdryer and flatiron on school days, which makes me feel like a better Mom because on days this styling intervention doesn't happen, I worry that someone might wonder if an adult lays eyes on our daughter in the mornings.  On weekends, her style comes out in full flair.  It's a wonder to behold.

Being Kylee's mom has made me a better person.  We do not take the responsibility of raising our daughter to be a Godly woman lightly.  Kylee gave her heart to Jesus about a year ago, and reaffirmed her decision this year in VBS.  She is passionate about her Faith, and inspires me as I look for ways to encourage her confidence in Christ.  I hope and pray that our relationship is one of openness, unconditional love, honesty, and respect for years to come. It is my honor to watch her blossom into the woman that God has created her to be.

Kylee Jordan, I really can't believe that you have been ours for 7 years.  I am so thankful that God entrusted you to us.