The Queen's Rambles

We’ve been in a very bad routine, Elsa and I. She would be falling asleep before Erik’s carpool or as soon as we arrived home from dropping Erik at school. She is such a tired, sleepy baby that I would let her sleep.

I know some of you think this is ridiculous, but she sleeps on me. I don’t like it, particularly, but it’s just what we do. The second I lay her in the crib or on my bed she wakes up screaming. It is possible for me to fight it and do some kind of crying it out or whatever, but I’m not interested. I had tons of people tell me that I was ruining Erik’s sleep habits for life and he’d never be able to sleep by himself, yadda yadda yadda*. Guess what? He’s perfectly fine sleeping by himself and going to sleep on his own. We tell him a story, count to 100, say I love you infinity big, wait five minutes, and go out the door. Done deal. He sleeps all night. So I’m not so worried about Elsa sleeping on me as an indication of future behavior. It just screws with my present schedule, but I know it is not a forever thing. Life with a second child is so much easier because I know nothing is a forever thing.

Point of this post? She wants to sleep and I end up not getting any lunch until after we pick Erik up from school (so around 2:45). By that time I’m hungry and grouchy and my mood is shot for the day even if I do get food.

Add that on to an insanely late dinner (because Elsa naps again around 5 and Mike works late every night) and I’ve been a mess.

But this week I have a new deal! Little, sleepy baby has been forced to cry while I throw something on a plate and bring it downstairs. While she sleeps I eat. It’s not the best food but it feeds my belly and I’m not a hungry grouch monster. The afternoons/evenings have been a lot more manageable with a lot less yelling. Amazing the difference food makes. I’ve long known that I have to throw food down Erik’s gullet when he starts getting cranky. About time I figured out I need to eat just as much as he does.

My high school classmates are planning our 20th reunion on facebook. I feel like a total voyeur even looking at it the page, but I was in that class. I suppose I have every right to look at their planing process even if I will never make a comment or even attend the reunion. Those people don’t even know my name, why would I want to go watch them make drunk fools of themselves?

I find the whole thing irksome for some reason I can’t put my finger on. If I was wise I would remove myself from the group and not look at it at all. The reunion won’t be until the summer of 2012 so that’s a long time to let myself get irked!

Ok, better wrap this up. On the agenda today: pick up a book from the library, buy a heart cookie cutter and go to a science playdate. On your advice I let Erik put the karate Valentines in with the other Valentines he made and I picked up a roll of sugar cookie dough. At first I resisted the idea because I love to bake and I am woman, rawr blah blah blah. Plus it was $4 at Giant and I didn’t want to pay that much for a bunch of fake ingredients when I am perfectly capable of making a batch of cookie dough. Then they had it for $2.50 at Safeway, so I knew it was a sign. The kids are just going to lick the frosting off anyway, right?

*I also had several people tell me he’d be fine. I’m glad they were the ones who were right!