August 10, 2011

Wednesday:

Last night, I slept with Liam in the hotel bed to keep him company, and in the middle of the night, the smoke detector started beeping a high pitched beep every few seconds. I woke and couldn't fall back asleep due to it, and both the kids began to stir. So, I decided I better address it and try to fix it before they both woke. So, in the dark, quietly, sneakily, I ever so gently pull the chair over to under the smoke detector, and climb on top. I reach up, feel around softly, and find the little button. I think, 'Oh, I'll hold it down to turn it off.' BEEEPPP BEEEEPPP BEEEEPPPP!!!! Both the kids wake yelling and crying, and Phillip gets up "What's going on?!?!?" I jiggle the detector a little more, twisting it and it turns off. Phillip goes in bed with Liam to calm him, and I pick up Annabelle, who is now sitting up in bed, crying waving her arms in tired, frustrated and scared. I get her calmed down, and hear Liam ask Phillip, "You want sleep with me." Phillip of course, said okay and climbed in bed next to him. Both the kids settled and I climbed in bed with the boys and we all went back to sleep. Liam was excited to re-tell the story with Gigi and Papa, enthusiastically and accurately imitating the beeping alarm of the smoke detector.

We got dressed to head down stairs for breakfast, where Liam was very trying in getting him to eat. He ate half a cup of yogurt, and that was pretty much it. After a screaming fit, and a tantrum and still, no cooperation in eating, I told him if he didn't have good behavior then he couldn't hang out with Gigi and Papa in the morning before we leave. This didn't do it. I don't know if he thought I was serious or not. I have found though, as a parent, when you put your foot down, it's wise to keep it down, this is why picking your battles is so important. On some things I won't wager, and one of those is what he eats. When we go out of town, of course, I know that the typical food we eat isn't going to be available, but I still prefer for them to eat the most nutritionally sound food at hand, with the exception of avoid fights where I don't want to. Like at dinner, I would have preferred for him to eat all his salad, but it really wasn't something I wanted to fight over then. So, the morning was a little rough, but we made it through to loading the car and heading out. I think Liam was pretty hot, tired and grouchy, and after we got back in the car he slept for bit, only to wake up when we stopped to get food.

We got home after the burial, and we were thankful to have nothing to do, and we able to just hang out. Liam had a lot of fun packing Papa's back-pack-suite-case (his work bag) for him for his trip tomorrow. Papa helped him unpack all the toys, kitty toys, diaper cover, snappi, etc and told him he could put everything in his other bag, that he wasn't taking. Liam was excited about this too.

I tried to get him to nap by allowing him to lay in Gigi's bed with her, but turned out that Sydney was all too distracting for napping to take place, which was kinda cute. He really loves Gigi's cats, and Sydney really loves him. He went back later in the evening to play with her, and came out crying holding his arm, which had a noticeable cat scratch on it. I asked him what happened and he said Sydney bit him. After further questioning, we think we've determined that Liam was trying to pull Sydney off the bed, and she bit him to get him to stop, and most likely scratched him with her back claws. I told him sometimes kitties want their space and we should give them space.

It was also bath night tonight, and Liam wanted to bath in Gigi's bathtub. I bathed Annabelle first and Liam waited patiently to get in till after she was done, his preference of course. As I bathed him, I showed him how to lean back in the tub with his head toward the water so that I could get his head wet. I had just got done getting water in his eyes, which he hates, and assuring him that I wouldn't do it again, when Annabelle hit the button on the side of the bath to turn the jets on. Water shot out at all of us in the bathroom and Liam screamed and yelled. He was not okay with that. It scared him, and got his face totally wet. After I got him calmed down, we told him that Annabelle wouldn't do that again. Gigi and I thought the situation was pretty funny, and Annabelle did too. They have such different personalities, I'm sure they will learn much from each other.

After all the going and going today, bedtime was a breeze. Gigi read a couple stories, and Liam went to his bed, where we said prayers and Little Pumpkin and kissed him goodnight.