For awhile, Ellie actually went to sleep pretty easily. But after our trip to Japan to visit Aya’s parents last year, our system fell apart. I tried re-aligning her sleep methods shortly after our return, but in the end, I had failed miserably. Since then, we’ve just accepted the situation. Between Ellie’s ups and downs during the day, and Aya’s pregnant hormonal ups and downs during the night, sitting quietly in Ellie’s room for an hour until she fell asleep seemed much easier than fighting the battle.
ELLIE MEETS SISTER BEAR
We had the baby with no complications and twelve hours later we were back home resting. We were overwhelmed with happiness and awe for our new bundle of joy Chloe. But our family was incomplete. Ellie was at my mom’s house and would be coming home to meet Chloe really soon.
MAMA BEAR AND SISTER BEAR
It appears Aya and I aren’tthe only ones that are having pre-baby jitters. For the longest time, Ellie has seemed un-phased and uninterested in mama’s belly. Sometimes she’d say she had a baby in her belly too, or that I did. But other than that, she wanted nothing to do with Aya’s belly or any talk about a new baby or a sister. But recently, she’s been acknowledging the baby by calling her “sister bear.” And she’s definitely having some strong feelings about it now.
ELLIE AND ELOISE
There’s a monster that lives among us. This monster doesn’t live in the basement, the closet or under the bed. It doesn’t have red eyes, sharp teeth, or even green fur. It’s not the boogeyman, mothman, sasquatch, chupacabra, or the nain rouge. And it’s not limited to appearances after midnight with a full moon. This monster is 30 inches tall, has brown curly hair, an adorable smile, makes cute little airplane noises and on occasion has been known to bite people. You may know her as Ellie, but can you be so sure? You never know when the transformation will begin, for at a moment’s notice that cute smile can disappear and you will be standing face-to-face with the monster we’ve come to call, Eloise.
VACATION WITH A TODDLER?
I ended after a very long, stressful, irritating, exhausting flight asking the question, “Isthis what vacation is like from now on?”
“This” being not really having a moment alone, a moment to relax, a moment to feel rested, a moment that feels like an actual vacation. You know, like you had pre baby. Well, the short answer is, yes. Yes, this is how vacations will be from now on, which sounds awful. But the long answer isn’t a simple yes or no, and it really isn’t as dreadful sounding.