Jolie woke me up this morning at nine o'clock. That's right. Nine. Not 3am, not 5am, not 7am. Nine.
My little girl slept through the night.
I kept her up last night (well, nursed her around seven and let her doze in my arms while I watched Private Practice) since we had had an exhausting afternoon. (Note: If you're interested in talking poop, give us a call. It's been a major focal point of our family as of late.) Then Derek gave her a bottle and put her down at about 10:30pm. She didn't wake up until (yep- you guessed it): NINE. Ah... What a life.
And Jolie isn't the only one on my "I-love-you-so-much-right-now" list. James woke up at seven, apparently. Derek was leaving the house to take his last (this semester) final and says he heard him bumping around in his room about then. But he didn't call my name or bang on the door like he often does to get out (yes, we lock our kid in his room). I didn't hear from him at all until Jolie started fussing. Then I heard a, "Mommy?" and opened his door.
What I found was this:
As much as I hate messes, I
LOVE when he gets out all of his toys and just goes nuts. Generally, I wonder if he even likes them. Toy boxes tend to hide more than organize. But he had found his toys and was having a blast (albeit a messy one)... for TWO HOURS! And all the while mommy was asleep! What a good boy.
I really have amazing kids.
I nursed Jolie in James' room while he played even more. He likes me to watch him play. That has worked out nicely, actually. I stressed a lot while I was pregnant about how I would manage nursing Jolie with a busy toddler. I figured he'd have major jealousy issues or wouldn't hold still for long enough for me to. But things have worked out great. James absolutely adores his sister and has yet to show any resentment at all! (Well, one time she was crying pretty hard, and I heard him mumble, "Sister is so annoying." lol. Oops. That must mean I've called him annoying. I thought of getting after him for the negative comment, but then I realized it was true. Listening to crying like that is annoying. So I let it slide. Besides that, though, he generally finds her quite delightful.)
I was taking pictures of James and his messy room. Then I started taking a few of Jolie. James decided he needed to take some himself, on his "phone."
A while later, we were playing in my room (okay, I was checking my blog/email). I laid Jolie on the bed, and soon James joined her. Here he is, giving her kisses...
... and hugs. (Seriously, check out her face! He wasn't being too rowdy or rough, so I didn't stop him. But BOY, she wasn't quite sure what to think of it!)
Ah... all alone. That's better.
Then James discovered the Bumbo chair I had gotten out of storage last night. Jolie is constantly trying to sit up lately (probably to reach her feet; she quite loves them), and I figured she might enjoy sitting in this. Anyway, James thought it was for him and was a little put out when I told him it was for babies. (Though later I let him sit in it while watching Word World, so all was well.)
Jolie wasn't quite sure what to think of the whole thing... until she discovered her glorious right foot! :)
Jolie loves her right foot. Maybe because her right hand is especially coordinated (well, more I should say) and can grab at it especially well. She's a silly girl.
And a good sleeper. Mmm... hooray for getting a good night's sleep. It's been a while. Let's hope it continues! xo
Growing up, when my dad would go out of town for some conference or another, my mom and sisters and I would have what we called Bra and Panty Parties. We were too young for any real bras, but we had those little belly-shirt tank types that came with our nightgowns (remember those?). We would watch a movie, eat popcorn, and just hang out in our undies. I remember these parties fondly. They were lots of fun and made us girls feel a little bit like women. 
