Wanna be my friend?

Ok, I have been avoiding it all this time, but tonight I have finally jumped on the bandwagon and joined Facebook. Let's see who notices me first. ((I'm gonna guess my mother.))

My Granny visited us this weekend. We had fun just hanging out at home, watching movies, pigging out on good food. She is disappointed that we won't be visiting them for Thanksgiving, for the second year in a row. But traveling this week is next to impossible because Mike only has 48 hours off between Tuesday and Thursday. It just doesn't work out. Anyways, Granny sent us a beautiful flower arrangement to say "thanks for your hospitality", which was very sweet of her.

This morning we had a playdate with some new friends. That was fun. Their 2 girls are about six months apart from Hannah and Aliah, so everyone had a playmate, and us moms got to have a little bit of grown-up conversation at the same time.

Aliah's eighth tooth is coming through this week. Tylenol helped her calm down last night, but I don't know if that's going to cut it for her tonight. We'll see.

Don't Send Him to the Grocery Store

Marriage Rule Number 167:
Do not ever send your husband to the grocery store alone. Even if he has a specific, detailed list, he will spend at least twice as much as you want him to.

CASE IN POINT:
Mike said he was just going to "get out of the house", and then he went out and bought over $500 worth of groceries this afternoon!!! Granted, he got enough food for a month and a half... but seriously, don't you think that's a little excessive?! 0ur food budget just is not that large. Money does not grow on trees or magically fall out of the sky these days, you know.

Monster in the night

Chubby Monster Baby Aliah has been awake since 12:30.
We are going into hour number three now, and I want to rip out my hair.
This is a rare occurrence for her. Usually she cries for 2 mins and goes right back to sleep. But no, not tonight! Tylenol is helping her, to keep her from screaming.... but I am really running out of steam.
We need to sleep!

Edited to add: She just conked out. It's 3:45am.
Now I am wide awake. Ahhhhh!

Growing Up

To my dear Hannah,
You are such a sweet, loving girl! You are so caring and loving to your baby sister, and you are mommy's best-ever helper! I am very proud of you and all the grown-up things you've been learning and doing lately. But it is really bittersweet to watch you grow up.
There are many times, at the end of the day, when everything is quiet and calm and still, when I am overwhelmed by you. I might not always say it or show it correctly , but I love you so very much, pretty girl! I hope you know that. Even when I get frustrated or angry (especially when you scream and kick and cry about brushing your teeth!), I still love you just as much as ever. And during those quiet bedtime moments, when you are all snuggled up in your warm comfty bed, underneath pink & purple sheets, inside fluffy clean pjs, holding your favorite bear blanket - it is then, right there, that I want time to stop.
I just want more time with you. More time, just like this.
I ask if you can stay this age, this child size and shape, for always. And your reply is the same every time I ask: No mommy, I have to grow up.
You accept it as a fact of life, so simply and whole-heartedly. You think: Everyone grows up, so I will too. Then there is me, the grown-up, struggling to keep up with the reality of so much daily change and growth.
Even so, no matter how big you get, no matter how much you learn or how far you go, you will still be my little girl.
That's the way it is with children and parents.