Holidays!

There are times when I am reminded of why I work where I do, for the smaller salary than my peers. Times like now. I may not earn what most Industrial Engineers with a Master's Degree would make...but I have this week and next to spend with Savannah...one week is vacation days and the other is just holiday for the entire University. It has been such a blessing!

Savannah and I have had a busy first 3 days of our vacation together. We have shopped...and shopped...and shopped for Christmas presents. We have then wrapped the presents (Carl's are all the same color wrapping paper, ribbon, and bow thanks to her!). We've made gingerbread cookies, and colored in wooden ornaments for her own little tree, and we've cleaned the house...and organized some things for Baby Luke/Ella's arrival. We have been busy - but it has been amazingly fun. Today on our way to pick up my mom (to go shopping with us yet again) Savannah said, "We're going to Grandma's?" and I told her yes, and she said "I don't want you to leave me there."...I know most certainly that wasn't a slight to my parents - it was a plus to my side. She just loves being with me since I've been able to play with her more. I am truly blessed to have these two weeks with her...knowing that in 11 weeks or less she will be forced to share her time with me.

Of course, life with a toddler isn't always perfect. We've been working on two big issues at our house recently - potty training and bedtime. Potty training is going well. She has been dry for over a week with maybe 1 or 2 accidents total. Saturday and Monday we were away from the house for the entire day, and she was dry the entire time. We don't ask her, she just tells us. This morning she told me she needed to go to the potty, so we headed that way. She got side-tracked by the Santa advent we have and said she wanted candy. I told her she had to use the potty first...well she didn't want that. So I just went about making breakfast and told her that the advent wouldn't get opened until she used the potty. About a minute later she runs past me to the potty, got her pants down on her own, and used the potty all by herself! I had to help with the clean-up, but she did it all by herself! I was so happy for her. She most definitely isn't 100% trained...but we're a lot closer than we used to be!

As for bedtime...well...she used to be so good about bedtime. We'd put her in her room awake and she would fall asleep all on her own. Then it turned into something much different...and for the past 2 weeks it had been she falls asleep in our bed and at some point Carl would carry her to her room. The nursery was also a place for us to read together...but there's a lot that's going to be happening in the coming weeks that means none of that is good...and in reality, baby or no baby, Savannah needed to get back to her routine. I'm not sure how we got out of that good routine...I know some of it was Nana would watch her on Tuesday nights and stay in her room with her until she fell asleep...and then when we were traveling she'd be in the same room with us...and then she was afraid of the dark...and we'd be busy and out past bedtime...it just got out of hand. So I have taken this opportunity of vacation to work on that. Last night was the first night of enforcement. We had Nana give her a bath at 7:45 so that when we got back from Bible Study she'd be ready for bed. After Nana left, Carl and I read books in Savannah's room. At first she just refused for us to read to her in there...so she went out in the hall. Carl and I just kept reading to her toys and eventually she climbed up to read with us. Then after a brief cuddle we left the room...and so did Savannah. She would cry and tell us she didn't like her room...and she'd be back at our bedroom door...it took 6 trips back to her bed before we just closed our door and waited...she cried outside the door for about 5 minutes. Then it was quiet...so I took my shower. After I got out of the shower Carl said he still hadn't heard a peep from her. I expected to look in the hall and find her in the floor. But to my surprise, she had gone back to her own bed and fallen asleep. So by 9:30 I know she was asleep, but my guess is she was asleep around 9:00...which still is late for a two year old.

So tonight, Carl is out. I was dreading the bedtime battle alone...but I gave her a warning at 7:10 that we'd get a back in a few minutes. She just said okay. Then I gave her a 10 minute warning, and then a 5 minute, and then a two minute. When it was time to go upstairs at 7:45 she just told her toys night-night and got her lovey and headed for the steps. Once we were upstairs she said she was going to "feed" her stuffed Clifford while I got her bath ready...so I said okay and we each did our little jobs. When it was time for bath I cleaned up her tea party stuff, and she didn't fuss. She got into the bath, washed her face and her hair. When we put on PJs I told her that we needed to brush her teeth next (that's usually Carl's job at night). She said, "You are going to brush my teeth because my Daddy isn't here.". So she was fine with that and with brushing her hair. When it was time to read books she tried crying about not using her room again, and stood in the hall...but I just read to her toys. By the second book she was curious enough to come sit with me. So we read all her books and said our prayers. I asked if she wanted to cuddle, and she did. So we got all her toys cuddled in bed with her. I stayed next to her for about 2 minutes, and then told her it was time for me to go. I said my "I love yous" and "night night" and she said, "I love you too. Night night.". I was back to my bedroom by 8:22 and she never once got out of bed. No crying, no fighting, no trips back and forth.

So now it's up to us to keep this routine and make sure everyone is on the same page with it. Carl and I need to be better about not staying out with her past bedtime. I've also decided to stop attending Bible Study...not necessarily because I don't think Nana can handle it, but because it's getting hard to sit in a folding chair for an hour straight...and once the baby is here things are going to get all wacky...and Carl and I both don't want to leave Nana with Savannah and Luke/Ella...that would just be a lot for her. So Carl will continue on, but I will step out for a while.

I know bedtime isn't always going to go smoothly, but I am so, so happy that Savannah made it easy on me tonight. I am exhausted, and I had blood work drawn today (glucola test - the high number that would signal the 3 hour test is 134, I came in at 119), and I just wanted to be able to get it done without crying and pushing buttons. I'm one happy mama now that I have a sleeping toddler before 8:30pm again!!