Wednesday

This week is going fast!

Yesterday I decided that I was going to try and change A and C's schedule. Currently C takes a nap at 2 and goes to bed at 9:30. This was a little late, so I've decided to change it to waking up at 8, taking a nap at 1 and going to bed right at 9. I'm thinking about changing bedtime to 8:30, but we'll see how it all shakes out.

Hubby and I have an ongoing discussion about Dish Network vrs. DirecTV, and also the option of having neither. We currently have Dish Network and have had it for 2 1/2 years. We recently got a letter in the mail stating that our monthly charge would be going up by $3. Over a year that would be $36. Hubby's sister works for DirecTV and they have a great friends and family program that would allow us to sign up without having to sign a contract. They also have 10 more channels for the same price that we are paying now. Also, though they are also having to up their monthly price, it will only be going up by $2. One negative is that they don't have an america's top 60 like Dish network. So we would be trapped at the higher price. One reason I was leaning towards DirecTV was that they were offering a free DVR for friends and family, but I just learned that the offer ended at the end of last year.

We've discussed getting rid of the sattelite alltogether, but I don't know. There are a few shows that I really look forward to. Gilmore Girls (my #1 guilty pleasure), Project runway (way to much swearing), McClouds daughters, and recently reruns of the west wing (I never watched it when it was on network tv). Also, when I get up with A during the night, I need something interesting to keep me awake so I don't fall asleep while feeding her. The recliner I feed her in is comfortable to feed her in, but not to sleep. I have a bad back, and would rather sleep in a bed :)

But if we got rid of the satellite, we could easily afford cell phones or super quick internet access. Hubby has been begging for a faster connection for a few years now, but there is no reason for it. He has access at work and only gets online at home for an hour or two on the weekends. I'm the one who uses it mostly at home, and I don't mind. He has a super quick connection at work though, and I think that's why he notices it.

So today I'm going to tell you all about my sister W. She's the 3rd child. She was my favorite sister growing up. She and I look very much alike also. When we moved to Idaho from oregon, she met and married her husband within a year. W has a very calm and relaxed personality. She is fun to talk to and you never feel like you are being judged. (unlike S). She and her family have lived in several cities in Idaho and Oregon. Her husband went to school and majored in music. He got a degree that would allow him to teach music in the schools, but wasn't able to find a job here. He ended up going to an obscure town about 1 1/2 hours away. W taught piano. He ended up quitting the job (don't remember why) and they moved back here. He ended up working for a couple of different jobs until he settled into his current job. He just finished up another degree (don't actually know what in) through the University of Utah online (I think). I'm glad that this will allow them to be more financially stable.

They have 3 boys and a girl. Very nice kids. I'd go into names, but since I'm just using first initials, all the letters would get hard to keep straight!! The oldest is 13, and starting into the teenage years! All these older nieces and nephews are making me feel old. It's hard to believe that my oldest brother has a 14 year old and in just 4 years she will be going to college, and who knows, she may marry early. Whoa!

OK, C just started this really cute thing I have to mention. She now comes up to me with her arms open and says "hug hug hug!". She asks me for hugs!! I have always had to ask her for hugs! I love this !! She also hugs A a lot without me suggesting or asking her to. It is really sweet.


I feel really bad about last night with C. I put her to bed at 9 on her new schedule. I wasn't worried about her falling asleep though because I couldn't get her to take a nap earlier. So I put her in bed and we went through our routine. Lately she's learned how to open doors, so I put a gate across her door so that if she opens it, she can't come out. (I learned that lesson quickly :) ) So last night after a while (don't remember how long) I heard her crying and she ended up standing in her open doorway with tears just rolling down her cheeks. Now I thought she was just throwing a fit because she didn't want to go to bed. Lately she's learned how to put off going to bed (drink of water!), and I've been watching SuperNanny. So I took her back to her bed and got down and her level and said in a low strong voice "This behavior is unacceptable" She stopped crying and I talked to her about how she knows how to fall asleep and how it wasn't a big deal. I tucked her in again and gave her another drink of water. As I was leaving though, I noticed that her night light was not in the outlet. I realized then why she was freaking out. I put it back in and said goodnight and shut the door and didn't hear another peep. I felt bad though. I disciplined her (though not in a way that was really awful, like putting her on the naughly stool or something) when she didn't need it. C is a really really sweet child and I still feel bad. Next time I'm going to be really sure before I discipline her.

Before we got her the night light, C went through a phase where we would tuck her into bed and then go into the other room. I would hear her get up and after a few minutes I would go and check on her. I would find her behind the door with her stuffed animals and usually a blanket or pillow or both. I thought she might be afraid of the dark, and be sitting by the door because of the light. After we got her the night light that problem stopped totally. She still likes to get up and play with her toys in her room from time to time. I don't mind that though. It doesn't last a long time (hard to play in the dark :) ) and she does go to bed in a reasonable amount of time.

Well, A has started to whine in her swing, so I've got to stop.