Update and a Cliffhanger

Okay, so I haven't been the best at blogging lately.  Not REALLY blogging anyway.  Life has sort of fallen into a habit of sameness.  Compound that with unreliable internet and perpetual exhaustion and you have a boring blog.  So here's the goods on what's been happening lately:

Chris is working a lot.  He likes his work, but his boss is sort of... negative.  It's pretty exhausting being around someone who is constantly looking at the cloudy side of things and it wears on Chris a lot.  He is really enjoying the surgery though, and he's made a lot of great contacts at the hospital.  He will also be receiving a super-awesome present for our anniversary on Sunday.  Can you believe it's been 7 years?

Pam is tired a lot.  Chasing after Dutch is exhausting since he seems to have the energy of the Energizer Bunny and Pam has the energy of a rechargeable battery (i.e. very limited).  She's doing a lot of writing, a lot of reading, a lot of coloring, and a lot of playing with Thomas trains.

Dutch is huge!  He continues to be mistaken for a three- or four-year-old instead of a barely-two-year-old.  His favorite things currently include destroying books, taking apart anything that can be taken apart, and tearing any paper that looks remotely important.  His speech is coming along great.  He adores his speech therapist Abby and has added a lot of words to his vocabulary since she's been coming.  The words are both imitated and spontaneous, so he's doing really well with that.  Abby also taught him his first sign language sign (the sign for more), which is in and of itself a small miracle since I have been trying to teach him to sign for ages and he's always stared at me like I'm crazy.

Bo the Wonder Dog has been very protective of Dutch and me lately.  When Dutch throws fits at his speech sessions Bo always gets upset.  When Dutch burned his fingers a few weeks ago Bo wouldn't leave his side while he slept.  He's a very good dog.  Sadly, he's starting to get old.  His paws and muzzle are all graying and I'm pretty sure he's going deaf.  That's right, soon we might have a blind AND deaf dog!

In the next few weeks I will make a fabulous announcement that will leave you all stunned and excited.  Or at least mildly delighted.  NO GUESSING!

Favorite Picture Friday

Our little weirdo getting into as much trouble as he can (and wearing as few clothes as possible).

A List for Tuesday

Five Things That Irritate Me

1. Married couples who have joint Facebook accounts.  I friended you, not your spouse.  Get your own.
2. Anyone who isn't British using the word "whilst."
3. People who are proud of the fact they can't remember the last time they read a book.
4. Fat people wearing clothes made for skinny people and vice versa.
5. The 80s clothing comeback.

Dutch's Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Sleeping Habits

Disclaimer: As I write this my nose is running and my throat is killing me and I'm running off very few hours of sleep, so if this makes no sense blame all of the above.

A few months ago Dutch decided that naps are for suckers.  The only problem is that he still needs a nap!  There are some days when I can trick him into taking one, but this is every other day, if that.  At night it's a constant battle to get him to bed.  He'll get in just fine, but then the minute we close the door he'll scream and cry and kick the door, or keep running in and out of the room.  We keep putting him back to bed and keep putting him back to bed until one of us snaps.  Last night it was me.

I was exhausted and Chris had to work today, so I was in charge of the demon baby.  We finally just pulled out the futon and Dutch and I slept on that.  Only Dutch didn't go to sleep right away, he just wiggled around, or grabbed my hair or tried to tickle me.  FINALLY, somewhere in the haze of my memory, he fell asleep.

But then I woke up at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep because Dutch decided to get off the futon and sleep on the floor and I was terrified that Bo or Chris would step on him.

Anyway, long story short, I have done everything the books say to do to get this guy to sleep and they are not working!  Any help is appreciated.

A List for Tuesday

Five Reasons Why I Miss My Sisters:

1. No one in the world understands me like my sisters.
2. Sometimes it's nice to have someone around who is crazy in the same way I am.
3. They know just how to tickle my arm, play with my hair, or rub my back to calm me down.
4. There's always lots and lots of laughter when I'm with them.
5. I can fall asleep in the middle of the day and they'll watch my kid, no questions asked.

Favorite Picture Friday

Dutch, holding his "sword" innocently.

Which, in and of itself, gave me reason to be suspicious.

The Circle of Life and Blistered Fingers

Last night Chris and I went to go see "The Lion King" at Capitol Theater.  A big thanks to my mom-in-law for the tickets.  This was actually my second time seeing the production.  I saw it 5 years ago while I was in London.  The costuming, of course, is the big draw for the live-action show.  And they ARE amazing, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for the cartoon version.  The first time I saw it I was in love with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who voiced Young Simba.  Chris really liked it and we had a great time.  It was fun to be able to "dissect" it afterward with Josh and Dawn too.  They went the same night as us, but were on the other side of the theatre.  Seeing the show also made us realize that Dutch has never seen "The Lion King" and that is ridiculous.

On a less happy note, today while I was making us lunch Dutch burned his fingers on the burner.  He did not mention this, and I did not see it happen, but I noticed him fussing a lot with his left hand.  When he finally (begrudgingly) showed me his thumb I was horrified by the blister on it!  I called everyone I could think of to figure out what to do.  My sister Carianne calmed me down and told me how to handle it.  Only after I got off the phone with her did I realize ALL his little fingers were blistered on the ends!

So I put some Burt's Bees Res-Q Ointment on his fingers (which he hated), gave him some grape-flavored Tylenol (which he loved), and now he is taking a nap (which I love).

A List for Tuesday

Five Things Dutch Did at the Grocery Store Today:

1. Got to push his very own cart (our local grocery store has carts that are just his size and he LOVES helping me shop).
2. Decided that the grapes in his cart looked too delicious and ate almost half the bag before I realized what he was doing.
3. Had a hard time listening when he saw something he wanted.
4. Was VERY helpful.  He put a lot of things in his cart, even things I didn't want or need!
5. When we were leaving he was mad that the bagger put all the grocery bags in MY cart, so he refused to move until I put one in his cart.

A Plea For Help

Today, for the second Sunday in a row, we had to leave church early because of Dutch's horrible behavior.  I don't know what to do.  I'm really at my wits end as to how to get him to behave better.  I brought snacks, toys, quiet books, coloring books, a stuffed animal, toy trains, and trucks.  What else can I do?

No, seriously, I want to know!

Favorite Picture Friday

Julie and me at the She & Him concert.