Thursday, June 30, 2011

A sleeping breakthrough?! And library story hour...

I'm kind of afraid to say anything, because it seems like bad karma or something. Even though I don't believe in karma. But the past two nights, Anne has slept for 5.5-6 hours at the beginning of the night. I actually feel *rested*. That's like a miracle right there, people. She's 6 weeks now, and this is the week that allegedly babies start producing melatonin and are able to sleep longer stretches, so could it be?! I'm sure now that I've written this, she'll be up every hour and a half for the next 2 years. Just you wait and see.

At any rate, I'm grateful. Although, when she wakes, she eats so heartily that she gives herself gas and is then up for an hour. But at that point, it's about 4-4:30 am or so, and I've had a decent stretch of sleep (shows how much you lower your sleep standards as a parent when 4-5 hours of continuous sleep is labelled as "decent") and don't mind bouncing her around and burping her for a bit. It's going good.

In Henry news, today was our first public library children's story hour. It is targeted at 3-6 year olds, so I knew he was at the upper end of the age range. I was hoping that he'd like it, since it's free and something for him to do each week.

Well, the first challenge was getting out of the house this morning. I've had both kids by myself a number of times now, and I'm definitely getting used to it. Notice that I didn't say that I was getting *good* at it, but I'm getting used to it. Mike was teaching, so I showered while Anne napped in the swing (I try for the crib everyday, but so far, that has been an epic failure) and Hank watched tv. I had to dry off, put some makeup on, and pull my hair into a clip. I managed all that before Anne started to wail. I nursed her while watching Dora with Hank. Anne allowed me to put her under her mobile in her crib so that I could throw a load of clothes in the washer.

Then I realized that it was 10:15 (story hour begins at 10:30) and I panicked. I had to lug the stroller out to my car, and given that it's nearly as large as I am, that's no easy feat. I got the diaper bag ready, and in a fit of ambition, also packed my knitting bag in case Anne slept the whole time. I brushed a reluctant Hank's teeth and tore him away from the tv. I strapped Anne into her car seat ("WAH WAH") and got her and everything else out to the car. I felt like Super Woman. Then I saw that it was already 10:26. Oh well. I do my best.

We arrive, and although Anne had fallen asleep in the car, she woke up immediately upon the cessation of movement and began to sob. I had to lug the stroller out of the trunk, get her snapped in, get our bags, and hustle Henry along. We arrived just a few minutes late.

Already, Henry seemed less than enthusiastic. Most of the kids were younger than him, but he gamely went to sit on the rug. I had to walk Anne around outside a bit to get her to fall asleep. Blessedly, she did.

I was able to sneak in and sit down with Anne beside me in the stroller sleeping. Immediately, I could sense Hank's boredom. The age level was definitely below where he's at. But he's well trained enough to not express dissatisfaction until after we're out in the car. I knit a sock quietly while thinking how grateful I am that I'm not a children's librarian. I do like children, but I have a hard time being around a large crowd of them all at the same time. :) That's definitely not my calling in life.

Once the kids were done making their story-related craft, we headed out to the car. When I asked Hank what he thought, he said:

"I didn't care for it, Mommy."

I was very impressed with his articulation. So, alas. I don't think we'll be going back to the library story hour. Frankly, it exhausted me, so maybe that's not a bad thing. His swimming lesson went great, and Mike can take him to those while I stay home with Anne, so it's a lot easier. Plus, he has Vacation Bible School in July. We've been keeping him entertained pretty well. The summer is actually flying by.

I go back to work in 7.5 weeks. :( I can't believe it. And my 6 week postpartum visit with my ob/gyn is today. Holy smokes. Where did the time go?

2 comments:

  1. I'm surprised that it's not more divide. We have baby, toddler, pre-school, and family story hours. They separate the kids according to age-appropriate stuff. But maybe you're in a smaller city.

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  2. I'm sorry that story hour didn't work out, but I'm glad that Hank was able to tell you that it wasn't his cup of tea. :) Have you tried the local park to see if they have any type of activities going on? I used to be a park leader and we had all sorts of ages (3-16) who would stop by all times of the day. There is usually a craft hour and a story hour involved and it's completely free (thanks to your tax dollars!). Perhaps he'd enjoy something like that? I loved the park growing up and I loved working at it too. Such a variety of kids with so many personalities -- and a great way to make new friends!

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