Post No. 398568 about my kids' sleep habits

One of the things no one tells you about having kids is that for the next 10 years, you will talk about sleep. The thing about it is, I really like it. And I really don't like it when the kids decide I don't need it.

Case is point, Meg is too big for her crib now. She can get out of it (and/or throw herself out of it) so it's time. I knew this which is why months ago I bought a big girl bed for her that she promptly refused to sleep in. Then the house went on the market and the toddler bed went into the attic. But now, she and I are having a stand off about it. Last Thursday she cried and wailed and threw herself out of the bed finally in a stand off that lasted hours. I finally got her to sleep on my bed and then transferred her to her room where the crib mattress was on the floor. Around 5 a.m., she "fell out of bed" and wailed and wailed. I picked her up and brought her into my bed where she proceeded to kick me and flop her head on my boobs for about two hours.

Tonight, I tried to get both kids to sleep in Andy's room. He's got an adorable loft bed and the bottom bunk is really just a mattress on the floor. Perfect. I started bedtime around 8:30. We read two books and then left. I tried this for about 45 minutes until Meg kept getting out of bed. I tried to take her back into her crib and she pretty much hooked a leg on the crib rail before I could get her in there so I knew that wouldn't work. I took the mattress out and put it on the floor. She cried for a bit once she realized I have a baby lock on the door handle preventing her escape. I told her I was going to lock up and I would come check on her in five minutes. Ten minutes later, she was asleep. Phew!

The bonus of this whole exercise? Andy went to sleep before 10. Sadly, he hasn't done that in a long time.

Oh, and speaking of sleep, props to Jennifer. She babysat the kids while I flew to Dallas and I believe graciously helped fix them. She also took them to the mall for Pillow Pets. I can't believe I actually bought something because of an annoying ad during kids TV shows, but they are really pretty cool.

The 36-hour adventure, or why buying a house is harder than it looks

I flew to Dallas on Friday for a 36-hour trip so I could look at the finalists in the house hunt and hopefully make an offer on something. It was quite the whirlwind. It didn't help that Meg had decidedas  sleeping in her crib is for babies and under penalty of death or Benadryl she is not going to stay in there. That meant I was going on like six hours sleep for the whole thing. I know, no pressure there.

It was so cool to look at the houses though. We have found a neighborhood we like with great schools and apparently a very good football team (it is Texas, ya'll). My biggest complaint is apparently Texas wants to put the master bedroom on the first floor. That might be fine if the kids were six and nine, but with Meg and Andy both still getting up too often for my taste and the thought of them also falling down the stairs at 3 a.m. doesn't thrill me. It also has wallpaper -- the bane of my existence. After spending seven years here removing wallpaper, I vowed never to do it again. And then I fell in love with a four bedroom, four bath with a pool, a study and a three car garage. It will be heaven. Assuming we can negotiate a deal. You know, before we leave for a two week trip on the other side of the world.

The whole thing is coming together. Well, at least the big pieces like the jobs and selling our house (fingers crossed it closes!) Things we still have to do include buying a house, packing and moving. I swear, we've talked to a dozen movers and each one seems crazier and more expensive than the rest.

Wistful

Bjorn was home this weekend. He was barely home for 48 hours, but it took us all no time to get back into our normal family groove. The little kids absolutely loved it. I could tell Margaret especially had really missed him. Andy's old enough to understand more of what we're doing, but Meg really isn't. She's definitely been more clingy lately and picks up a lot of my tension trying to get it all together. We made the mistake of trying to cram too much into such a short time, but it was totally worth it. Except that it wasn't. Seeing him in some ways made it harder because it was just so good to all be together. So today we're all just sad. Part of me is also sad that our life here is coming to an end. Our life in this house -- where we brought both our babies home from the hospital -- is almost up. Bjorn will likely not be back here until it's time to move out.

Fortunately, I'll see him again Friday when I fly down to hopefully make an offer on a new house on Saturday. By then, I think I'll start to get super excited about the options down in Dallas rather than dwelling on all the work that has to be done. I am about 2/3rds of the way on this marathon and I'll admit I'm pretty tired.

Our home inspection was today. Fingers crossed it went okay. We have a weird radon detector set up in our basement, too, with all sorts of signs saying don't touch. I don't think the radon detector has any idea of it's up against with Monsters 1 and 2 in this house.

What a weekend

Bjorn turned 34 today (convenient what we me turning 29 and all a couple weeks ago). He came home for the weekend. It was so nice and normal that I have sort of forgotten that the next time he's here will be when we move out.

My mom came to visit. She bought me a new camera for my birthday to replace the one the beach destroyed and all I could do nice for her was take this awful picture. Thanks, Mom!

I have no idea what he's doing, but I love it.

Andy celebrated his end of soccer season party and got a trophy. Yay for trophies! I used to mock "participation trophies." Now I get it. I then tried to get him into watching the USA v. England game but he decried it "boring" and I decried his attitude one that must be in another room.

I didn't mean to take this artistic picture of her, but look how awesome and perfect her face is?

We had Andy's preschool graduation Friday. The folks at the George Mason CDC really did a nice job. Here they are preparing for a song to sing the parents.

The event was complete with caps. Sadly, no gowns as I had expected or I might have dressed him a little better. Also weird is that while he has "graduated," he's still got the summer there. Good thing he doesn't really understand what it means yet.

Andy standing outside his school. I've been quite impressed with them. I hope we can find something as good in Southlake for Meg.

Under contract

So our plan is all coming together. I'm almost embarrassed to say it for fear it will jinx it, but we got a contract on the house this week, praise heavens and Realtor Viv. Ironically, it's a family moving here from Texas. I wonder if our Texana around the house sealed the deal. I am beyond thrilled about the whole thing, but now I'm starting to get terrified about the next steps, like, oh, packing and moving, plus picking a new house, securing a mortgage and trying to coincide two closings with a trip to Australia, two jobs, two small children and a cross country move. Really, universe, I am not an overachiever like this so it all makes me pretty nervous to try to get everything together.

We have the home inspection on our place on Monday, which is good that it's then since my mom is visiting now for Andy's adorable yet completely unnecessary pre-school graduation today. Bjorn's also flying in late tonight so we can celebrate his birthday. I'm then going to fly down to Dallas next weekend for 24 hours to see Bjorn's top house candidates and hopefully make an offer on something.

As my folks would say, I've got some high-class problems.

Vacation

Over Memorial Day, some friends and I got a beach house. The whole thing was quite impromptu and ended up being a husbands/spouses free weekend with kids. It also ended up being hilarious.

Meg and Liam. It's amazing to see someone else's kid grow up and to see him be so nice to my kid just makes me so proud.

It poured down rain so they went to Funland. I was home with a napping baby and even missed that it rained at all. Bless good friends willing to make my kid so at home.

Happy birthday to us!

It's a shame I couldn't match Meg's clothes in time for this group photo. Meanwhile, Limocello is not just for birthday girls.

She's not just my realtor, she's my tricycle crusher.

Hrmph

So the house has been on the market for approximately 72 hours and hasn't sold yet. What gives, universe? Don't you know how totally impatient I am? Don't you know how impossible it is trying to keep the house clean with 2 1/2 children in the house? I feel like I'm following behind a bull in a china shop, constantly trying to put things back in order and prevent disaster. Plus, Bjorn's down in Dallas finding all these amazing, 3,500+ square foot monstrosities with pools and playgrounds in a great school district and begging me to come down to make an offer on one. I know these things take time, but I really don't much like waiting. Sure we've been waiting to make this move for five years already, but now that we're here, I want to go now, now, now!

Speaking of going somewhere, my friend Catherine is headed to South Africa. for the World Cup and blogging about it. How cool is that?

And we're live

Isn't this finished basement awesome? And so, so clean!

The house officially went on the market today. I was half expecting that when it landed in the MLS at 3 p.m., that hoards of people would start calling demanding to make an offer on my house. As it is, one realtor wants to come preview it tomorrow. Right now it feels a little kind getting all dressed up for the prom and having my cousin be the only person ask me to dance. I know, it's early, way early, but I am an impatient person. Plus, I have an adorable husband in Dallas breathing down my neck to get down there and buy a new house already. Sure, he has to be separated from his family and venture out into the great unknown by himself, blah, blah, blah, but I think his job has been easier.

The house does look amazing though. It's so clean and empty right now it actually echoes. I'm not sure I could really live like this. Fastidious is not a word anyone would ever, ever associate with me unless it had something to do with AP style. But I will admit it's nice to come home and have the place not look like Toys R Us threw up on my rug.

The one with all the cake

It was my birthday yesterday. It wasn't even an interesting birthday like one that ended in five or zero of even nine or one. Nope, just your average middle, gasp, late 30s birthday and my friends (and husband) are the very bestest in the whole while world. Better still, some of my friends came over without even being bribed to help me get the house (somewhat) properly cleaned and staged. Liz even brought cake. While I'm doling out the thanks, I must say Bjorn's family and gone above and beyond in this whole getting the house ready to list ordeal. They even worked last weekend while I was out of town finishing cleaning, mowing and tidying. Stunningly awesome, those folks.

How much better does it get? Sure, I'm stressed out and sleep deprived, but I also want to cry out of happiness I am so honored by the whole damn thing.

The house lists tomorrow. I am ready to get on with it already, but it's sort of like having a baby, I'm sure. It's not like the work ends tomorrow. Rather, in a sense it's just starting.

The monster

Meg has turned into a monster. An adorable, lovely, cuddly, curly haired, sweet talking monster. We went to the beach this weekend where she played her own special game of Shit My Kids Ruined. At the beach, she managed to break my iPhone, my prescription sunglasses, my camera and my own will to live, at times. Actually, I can't really blame the camera's demise on her. It got some sand in it most likely, but still.

I must say that, my warranty expired on Sunday, but I went to the Apple store yesterday and they fixed the LCD screen for free in less than half an hour. They even didn't complain too much when a little soft serve Dairy Queen ice cream ended up on the floor in their white store with computers everywhere. It's a good thing they were so obnoxious actually. I might have ended up buying myself a Macbook. They looked dreamy and might actually work unlike my current laptop.