The Moments I Love~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mommyhood, and Daddyhood, is HARD! It never gets easier. "It just gets different." True, true. As of about a week ago, Wendy decided she is afraid of going to bed! Perhaps our neighbors here on Fraternity Row had a late night party outside her bedroom window, which faces the parking lot of our row of town houses. Perhaps she truly had a bad nightmare and is terrified of reliving it! We were totally surprised by this new routine of hysteria at bedtime, the 1 am trek Wendy makes down the hall to our bedroom to tell us she had a night-mirror, and our frustration due to not knowing what to do to fix it. We tried a flashlight--a princess flashlight. Despite my telling her to turn it off before falling asleep, and hanging it on her bedpost so that it doesn't get lost under her blankets, we wound up having to replace the batteries after night #1 and night #2, we were repeatedly awakened when she lost it under her pillow and when it wasn't working right. It was more trouble than it was helpful. We did away with that and got a nightlight. My mom came two days ago, from Houston, to help us figure it out. She came up with a new routine of the usual things (tee-tee, pjs, teeth brushed, stories, prayers, noise machine), but followed now with 20 slow, relaxing strokes of the hairbrush accompanied by 20 pleasant thoughts to dream about and..the nightlight. Oh, and sitting on a tiny Wendy chair outside her bedroom door for a while. Last night it was back to just me and James. I did the whole routine and after she sprang out of her bed, about 5 times, I told her I'd have to take her gorgeous new chandelier nightlight back to Target if it's not working, and ---she stayed put. Until morning. YAY! These truly exhausting ordeals are part of mommy and daddy-hood, BUT so are the precious moments below...
"A playmate for my bathtime at LAST!"
Wendy seems to bond with her brother when I plop them both down into a warm, bubbly bath filled with toys. I LOVE it that my mom first did this and we discovered where her love for Brother blooms!

He's got brains....and he knows how to use them! (Sing to the tune of "She's got legs..")

SHARING!

"Look, Lincoln! It SQUIRTS LIKE THIS!" "Wendy, not in his face!" "Like THIS I mean!"

"Wendy. NOT in his face." "Oh yeah."

Any attention from Sister is welcomed as far as Linc is concerned.

Happy, clean boy.

My two rascals, as squeeky clean as they can be!

Yesterday, Linc helped me with the laundry while Sister was at school.

"Mom, your hanger!"

Linc as he looks in his crib. I used my camera's night setting.
Lincoln James Tanneberger.

Transportation Day at school. We got to take her trike. She's not much of a peddler, so we'll have to work on that.
Lickin' his lips after a tasty treat!
The lovings, the laughter, the joys of parenthood far outweigh the rough patches, however, won't it be NICE when Wendy outgrows this new bizarre fear of sleeping? Yes, I agree.