Thoughts...

BEWARE! Below are the mind-ramblings of a sleep-deprived, often-incoherent mother:

1.KEZI: Sleep...how I miss you. So terribly. Kezi went from being a solid sleeper to waking up 3-4+ times a night the past few weeks. And what does that equal? A tired, ornery, non-motivated, sad, sad mommy and wife. Not fun. I've tried to put on my detective hat here. Teething? Growth pains? Gas pains? I've tried Tylenol, schedule changes, crying-it-out, etc. Nothing seems to make a difference. I'm hoping it's just a phase (I found in my journal that Ireland did the same thing at 3 months). Anyone that has suggestions, though, please send them on. I'm about ready to try anything.

2.IRELAND: I keep wondering when to start potty training her. She'll be 3 in July. She keeps wanting to go - keeps taking her diaper off and sitting on the potty. Sometimes she goes, sometimes not. My reluctance comes from my first experience with potty training. McKinley kept regressing and it ended up being this big power-struggle thing. I hated it. Maybe Ireland will be a cinch. Who knows? I don't want to miss what might be a window, but if she's like McKinley I have neither the mental nor emotional strength to go through that right now.
3.McKINLEY: My sister thinks that McKinley will be super-bored in school if we put her through another year of preschool (she barely misses the deadline - Sept 9). McKinley knows pretty much all her letters, sounds, and can read small words with a little help. She was doing some of her cousin's homework with him & even helped him with some of it. I know she's not a genius or anything, but most of her friends are going to Kindergarten this year. I have no idea what kind of effort it would take to try & get her in this year. Any help from anyone who has gone through this would be helpful!

4. No updates on Jason's job search. He's had quite a few interviews & even though he feels really good about them, there's just so many applicants, it's hard to compete. It's been a full year now with no income. I can't say it doesn't weigh us down sometimes - it's always there in the background. The stress never completely goes away. We are hopeful, though, and cannot deny the miracles we've seen as we've gone through this. An entire year with no help from the government? I'd definitely call that a miracle - I didn't think our savings would last us 6 months, let alone a year. Definitely a miracle. And we definitely will take this trial over so many that we have seen others go through. We have much to be thankful for...

5. I've read a couple good books lately - The Giver and The Secret Journal of Brett Colton. I think I read The Giver in middle school or something. I remember it being a good book. And it definitely gave me something to think about - and things to feel blessed about. The Secret Journal of Brett Colton was just a great book with a creative story line. It was an easy read. For more in-depth reviews, become my goodreads.com friend! I'd love to see what you're reading!