One Long Week

This has been a really long week...

I have been trying to get Sarah into some kind of bedtime routine. Being a third child has its disadvantages, I guess. With Emily, I had a bedtime routine for her right from the beginning...bath, read books, feed, sleep. Eliana also stuck fairly close to a schedule. I am hoping this week will help transition Sarah to the stage where I can just lay her in her crib, walk out, and she will fall asleep. Before this week, I had just been feeding her to get her to fall asleep and it was anywhere from 7:30 to 10:00 before she would actually conk out. I was always too busy trying to get the other girls through their bedtime routine to think about having one for her. So this past Sunday, I decided that I would try my hardest to give Sarah a bath every night, read her a couple of books, turn on some music while I feed her, and lay her down. It has worked out so great! She has been asleep by 8:00 every night this week. I wait until her music is playing a certain song and then I lay her down. She is awake, but drowsy and she goes right to sleep. She is still getting up a couple of times a night, but only for 5 or 10 minutes so that will be my next goal.

The girls still get to have their routine also and I am not as hurried whenever I go up to tuck them in. While I am giving Sarah her bath, they are putting on their PJs, brushing their teeth, going potty, and getting a drink. Once I am ready to read Sarah her books, they can read books in bed until I come up to tuck them in. They are a lot calmer at night and seem to fall asleep faster. Plus, it is only just after 8:00 when I come back downstairs with all of the girls in their beds for the night so it is a win-win in all directions!

I got a call from Emily's school today. She came back from speech and said she was having trouble swallowing. Her teacher called asking if I could bring some cough drops up to her to see if that would help. I bought some cherry flavored ones at the mini-mart down the street and dropped them off to her. It reminded me of last year whenever I got a call from her teacher telling me that Emily thought she had a feather stuck in her throat from their art project that morning and wanted to go home. She really has a hard time with her mouth. She is constantly biting her tongue and she takes forever to chew her meat. I think she thinks the meat is just supposed to dissolve in her mouth eventually because no matter how tiny the pieces are cut up, she will chew on one piece of meat for ten minutes. I think I'll mention it to her pediatrician at her next well-check.

Eliana is doing really well in her school work. I have been very surprised at how focused she can be and how excited she is to learn. We are actually ahead of my lesson plans because she will sometimes ask to do another lesson in the afternoon. She has surprised me in another way as well. I am teaching her cursive writing as per the Abeka curriculum and her writing is excellent! She really takes her time and tries her best. I would have thought her writing would be hurriedly scribbled out. She is usually so wild, running around everywhere, being goofy, and I am impressed that she is doing so well with it. I have saved a couple of sheets for her keepsake box.

My MT work has been absolutely insane this week. I feel like I am walking around in a haze from the lack of sleep. I know that I talk to people, but I have a hard time remembering the conversations. It's normally not this bad, but there are periods where I get a lot piled on me and this week has been one of those times. I could always tell them that I need to pass some off to someone else, but I get paid by the line so the more I type, the more money I make. I can see that it is a little better tonight so hopefully it is winding down to my normal workload.

I am very glad tomorrow is Friday! I am going to drag the weekend out for as long as I can!