Sleeping Here, There and Everywhere

Aidan,

You might have gotten accustomed to sleeping in the same room as us when were in Galveston.

Or maybe you sense that a change is coming, in the form of your little sister Julia.

Or maybe you're too cold at night. Or having active dreams. Or the air conditioner (which is right outside your bedroom) is too loud when it kicks on (because the compressor is slowly dying). Or maybe your bed is uncomfortable. Or maybe you want more shelter...like a little cave or something.

But, ever since Galveston, you've been off your sleep cycles.

First of all, in Galveston, since you were upstairs in a new place all by yourself, your Mom and I took turns laying down with you at nap and night until you fell asleep. You are a strong little boy and were determined to sleep in the new place. You took your blanket by the hand and gave it a 'let's do this' speech: the now famous, "Okay, blankies!"

You are, as we knew, very talkative when you are going to bed. But that, plus new place, plus excitement at the beach, plus a bit of heat stroke made for some very talkative night times at the beach. Take a listen:

But the sleep adventures have only continued once we got back home.

We put you to bed, and you talk up a storm, singing, laughing, fighting it and finally fall asleep. You request that Mommy lays down with you for a bit by saying "Mommy nighttime please." But then normally in the wee hours of the morning you and your blankies at the side off our bed asking to get in. The first couple of nights we obliged, trying to transition you back to dry land, and brought you into bed instead of waking up and carrying you back to bed and starting the whole nighttime please ritual again.

Okay, so it was just me. But it was way easier that way. But, as it turns out, you only cuddle with me for a few minutes and then roll right on to your already-very-uncomfortable-with-one-child-in-her-ribs mother and latch right onto her neck (really, her neck is your comfort spot...and you kind of choke her unwittingly). So, for a few nights your mother got no rest at all. Which wasn't good.

So we made a pact: Put Mr. Aidan back in bed.

This lead to some funny situations. Not once, but twice, we've gone into your room to check on you before we go to be and have not found you in bed at all. You've taken to setting up camp in your closet:

And last night you really set up camp in there good. No half-in, half-out for you: you were all the way in. With two blankets, and a stuffed elephant.

So we pick you up and put you back in bed and hope for the best. But, we're still getting one or two pop-ups per night where we take you back to bed, and then you realize that we're not going to let you in bed with us, and if you wake us, you'll be put back in bed. So, you have been wising up and deciding just to sleep near us...as near as you can get. With hilarious and precious results.

Here you were this morning at the foot of our bed:

And earlier this week, in a more comfortable spot. Though who knows where you displaced Toby to.

We know that this is adorable, for sure, but we're not quite sure exactly what it means.

So we're looking into it and trying to find the best way to make sure that you- and all of us- can get the best night's sleep possible.

Hopefully soon we'll all return to sleeping through the night, so that when Julia arrives and immediately starts sleeping through the night, we'll all be rested and ready to go! Well...at least one can dream.

Good night and sweet dreams, my traveling-while-sleeping son.



Week 31- The Magic All-Telling Bump

Julia,

We are now 31 weeks along with you. Your Mom is growing and tired and beautiful! Her feet stink a little, but I rub them every night. I (apparently) stink a lot to her, due to her incredible super smelling powers, but your Mom lets me close enough to her to rub the aforementioned feet. I don't remember smelling this awful to her with Aidan, so hopefully you won't think I stink when you come out.

At any rate, let's try to move on to some non-stink related news.

Developmentally, you are going through major brain and nerve developments AND it says that all 5 of your senses are working wonderfully. Which would be good news if we weren't trying to avoid discussing the olfactory funk that apparently has consumed my being. Hopefully since you'll have taste now, you'll have good taste and you really won't inherit your mother's perception that I am a big stink bomb. I don't smell of garlic and onions and general stank; think of me as sweet...with a hint of sharpness.

Like a pineapple!

Which is quite coincidental, because at week 31, that's about how big you are!

Which is not surprising at all: Look how beautiful your Mother looks!

Can you believe how far you've come in just 20 weeks?

WHOA!

And the 31 week-old belly apparently is giving off 'Julia vibes' like crazy!

A few weeks ago a random Dad at our local yogurtery approached your Mom and said "I'm not trying to be creepy, but are you having a girl?" He could just tell! Amazing...and he was a bit creepy.

Then, this week, we went to a local salad bar, at which kids eat for free (so we'll be going there a lot) and we walk in the door. The employee who opened the door stopped us after we had taken a few steps and said "Excuse me. When is the little girl due?"

It took a moment to click that he- without knowing us from a cherry tomato- could tell you were a girl just form looking at your Mom's belly!

Isn't that incredible?

I gave him a high five and asked how he knew. He said "A man always knows."

Okay.

He also thought your name was beautiful and wanted us to make your middle name your first name. He also wanted us to spell it with a lot of apostrophes in it: perhaps "S'Keineh" or something. Sorry, magic oracle salad bar guy, you're very nice and your gender detection senses are very keen. But, Julia Sekina is Julia Sekina...although the spelling of your middle name is still being debated. But we do know there will be no apostrophes for you, little girl.

But, a rose by another name would smell as sweet. And you, little one, apparently are setting off all the oracles radars with your sweetness: they know you're a girl the moment they see how you're riding in the womb. We are so pleased with the seeming magical nature of these two random occurences, and think it's a good omen that you will be a great girl and strong woman. And nothing stinks about that.

Life's a Beach, Galveston during week 30

We woke up one Saturday morning in a new place, after driving all night Friday.

We opened the window, and Aidan, you looked outside and said, "Beach!"

Your Mom helped you out a little. She said, "Ocean."

"Ocean," You said.

Then you thought...

"Fish," you said...

And finally, "Nemo?"

It was an amazing mental connection, and the perfect beginning to a great week filled with family fun, food (lots of food), fun in the sun, ice cream ice cream ice cream and crabs.

I think this our third annual Family Beach trip, which would totally make it YOUR third family beach trip too, Aidan!

And this time you had even more fun than the last two. You're old enough to wrestle with and chase your cousins (although, I recall you chasing your cousins last time too). Even though you got a little heat-strokey and vomity near the end of the trip (just a little), it was a great time. You got to watch movies with your cousins, play with them, hang out with your family and say hi to people you don't get to very often (Hi Taff! Hi Nanny! Hi Beau! Hi Ross! Hi Bekka! Hi Grace! Hi Holdy!).

You got to eat some new foods...You like cocktail shrimp! Who knew?

You got to literally be a kid in a candy store at the Strand's Historic "La King's Confectionary." You liked candy too...but we knew that already!

And you just had a blast every day of our vacation!

So did we! (okay...except for the little part where you got sick. you weren't enjoying that. and mommy didn't like being thrown up on twice. but we did enjoy the cuddles)

You got especially close to "Addson" and "Auma" (Addison and Autumn). It was really cute to watch the three of you bonding.

There are mazillions of pictures between mine, Mimi's and Pops' cameras. Here are a select million for you to enjoy.  

It was a week filled with screaming kids, running kids, sleeping kids, dolphins (we saw dolphins!), gumbo, sand and sun screen, grandparents and aunts and uncles.

It was idyllic!

Looking back on these photos makes me feel nostalgic already, and we've only been gone a week.

But you know me, I'm a sucker for the beach.

Julia, you made a big splash at your first trip to the beach too! Everyone was so excited to learn your beautiful name!

And they couldn't wait to feel your Mommy's tummy to get a chance at feeling you kick!

And, at 30 weeks, they definitely had a lot to feel!

While at the beach we hit the 2-month mark...that's right, Julia you will be here in less than 2 months! And we can't wait to meet you...and soon enough you'll wake up one morning in a strange place...first stop, earth. And later on, because we can't stay away, you'll arise to find yourself at the beach to have fun in the sun, sand and surf with your cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, Mommy and Daddy...and your big brother too!