Hey Daddy!

Who's our buddy at night? Tori, of course. She sticks around downstairs talking our heads off while Ollie takes over the family room upstairs. She is constantly yelling, "Hey, Daddy" or "Hey, Mommy." She is also starting to throw more fits. Trying to understand what it is that she wants is never easy, and when we mess it up, she howls. Yep, been in trouble for the fits. Sharon makes her sit on the bed when she becomes too fit to be tied.

I still haven't found the mute or off button on this little device called Tori2005. She's a top of the line non-stop go-go talking destructo machine. She'll constantly want you to play, read or give her a bath. When she's not getting you to do one of the previous activities, she's demanding you do something for her, get her drink, snack, fix her tent, put Dora...teletubies...cailliou on for her. There are times the Tori2005 does play on her own, but you wouldn't be able to even here the TV over the ruckus. It seems the volume knob is broken and she only it broke off at the high level.

On occasion the Tori2005 goes into crouching mode and leaks fluid. Usually this is caused by some grievance against her. Of course the grievance is paltry, but you wouldn't know that by the flood of fluid from her. Often times the Ollie2003 model is the instigator, but generally he treats her well. Give her a few minutes and she recovers well enough to continue on her way.

The Tori2005 still does not sleep well. She hasn't slept well since before Christmas. Her sleep mode must be broken because she wakes around 3 or 4 wanting something, blankie, water, her parental units to sleep with her. Most of the time a quick drink will take care of the dilemma, but it doesn't prevent more wakings. Her internal clock must be off or she is low on fluid, its been a month and we haven't been able to fix the bug to get her to sleep through the night. Its just pre-work for her parental units for Baby2008.

We'll probably get Tori2005 running well, sleeping well, a quiet mode installed and hopefully learning waste disposal by the time Baby2008 comes in August. Ollie2003 will be making his adjustment to school, Baby2008 and new sitter, so I'm sure our docking station will be in complete chaos for much of the rest of the year. Hopefully it'll be an easy one for Tori2005.

Sleepless Nights

Tori returned from her grandparents with plenty of toys. She also returned with her habit of waking in the middle of the night. This is not a welcome development for her parents. It wasn't a big deal when we were all still at home after Christmas. Everyone could sleep late and we did. But once it was time to go back to work, Tori decided to be let us have less sleep.

Tuesday she went down early for a nap at 1, but I had to wake her up at almost 6 pm! Then when we tried to put her in bed at 10, she got out of bed and tried to open our bedroom door. Her Mama tried to get her to sleep with her, but Tori kept talking. Since I was still up, I stayed up with her until 11:30 to wear her out. Yet, she fought getting in bed then and didn't want to go to sleep. Eventually she did, but the only thing it did was make her parents tired.

Last night wasn't much different. She got a decent nap, got up at a good time, but still was a little hellion when it came to bedtime. She howled, "I want up" for 30 minutes. She was given a drink, her 'babies' had there blanket and eventually she went to sleep. Sometime during the night, she started fussing again, so I slept in her bed with her until 5 am. Making for another night of bad sleep. This morning while driving her to the sitter's, Tori mocked my tiredness by sleeping the 20 minute ride to the sitters. I can't wait for the days she sleeps through the night again. Only for baby #3 to invoke its wrath on our sleep schedule.

At Long Last

Seems like the kids have been gone forever, not just a week. Huts is just as ready as I am to see them. I think he has enjoyed kid-free TV viewing, but all good things must come to an end. The house seems so empty without them, almost too big. We need to fill it up again with the sounds of laughter, crying and tons of toys scattered all over.

Cleaning

"I'm cleaning, I'm cleaning," Tori says in the shower as she swipes her dad's puff down the walls. Give that child a rag and she will clean anything. The only bad thing is when she grabs the sopping wet rag out of my bucket and throws water everywhere. Then we've got a mess to clean up, and that's no fun at all.

Corn

Ollie and Tori went to some game place in Kansas City. Ollie won some airplanes while Tori won a unicorn, which she calls "her corn." Oh, how I miss her happy face and scrunched up nose. She is our little imp whom I cannot wait to see again on Saturday. Her grandma gave us some old prints, and I redid one of them. We painted the frame red and put in a new cat and dog in cups print. Huts is going to hang it on the wall tonight. That should excite her. She loves cats and dogs.

Bye-Bye

Tori was exhausted by the time we got to St. Louis but very happy to see Grandpa and Grandma. She hopped into Grandpa's arms and away she went, never once demanding to know where she was going. I am sure she enjoyed the Christmas tree, presents and all of Grandma's talking Santas. I sent the dancing pigs with the kids so they could use them to annoy Grandma and Grandpa. Going to be a quiet, peaceful week at our house, which is good considering how much nastiness this third one is giving me,

Big Sister

Tori has absolutely no idea that she is going to be a big sister. We haven't really gotten around to telling her, nor will she get it. Right now, we are preparing to start potty-training her. She will sit on the potty chair before her bath but has yet to go. Yesterday, she came home in shorts because her diaper worked loose while she was sleeping. We sent clothes with her this morning for the babysitter to keep just in case of another accident. More on this topic in April when I am nice and round.

Kailey...that was the name of the little girl Tori played with last night at the beauty shop. Kailey was just learning to walk and liked to run up to Tori and touch her. Tori got a little taken aback, as though the crawler at the sitter's had never touched her. Oh well. She is going to have her own baby brother or sister to touch her soon enough.

Pretty Girl

Tori got her hair cut yesterday. She is all cute again with her pixie cut. She woke up this morning and put on her sunglasses to show off. Off she went to the sitter's in her red corduroys and pink, red and white-striped shirt.

Talk, Talk, Talk

That's how Tori has done all weekend long. If she doesn't have your attention when she walks into the room, she most certainly will get it. She has got things to say and you better listen up. Sometimes, she sings, sometimes she chants, sometimes she just talks. She just likes for everyone to know that she has arrived and has things to say. Get ready for an earful when you see Tori running.

Round 2

Tori woke up in the middle of the night with a croup. I think she gave it to Nathan and got well, only to get it again. Ollie was coughing a little bit too. Here we go again. The only good thing about colds is that they tire Tori out and help her sleep through the night. We are supposed to go to a Christmas potluck next Wednesday, but I am not sure if the kids are going to be up to it. They should either be getting better or right in the middle of this thing.

Knock Down Drag Out

Tori has begun fighting back. After we got home the other night from the store, both Ollie and Tori wanted to play with the spare light bulbs from the the new outside Christmas decorations. They both sat at the counter on the stools with the spare light packet between them. Ollie grabbed them, Tori wanted them.

"No Owwie", she proclaimed as she smacked at him.

He smacked back while she was trying to grab the lights. In turn she smacked him back and then it started to escalate into a slap fest. They aren't the most coordinated fighters, but it was still funny to watch them try to smack the crap out of each other while grabbing for the packet of spare lights. I broke up the brawl and took the lights from both of them. Not much wailing over the grievance ensued and not long later, they were plotting there revenge on me! It never came as they were too distracted by the toys and the next thing to fight over.

Rough Night

Once again, Tori woke up moaning, so I put her in bed with Huts without realizing she had poopy pants. He figured it out, changed her, got her a new drink and her bear, and she went to sleep. She woke up in a better mood than she has in some time. Must be sleeping in our bed. I slept in her bed with Piper and woke up feeling OK. Guess I better take over tonight because I know Huts is gonna be tired from the crazy night.

Shrek is on tonight. Last night was Charlie Brown. Ollie and Tori watched the show a little bit. Ollie kept going upstairs to watch something else. Tori kept running around. Charlie Brown just didn't hold their attention.

All Well

Ollie still has his cold, but Tori does not, She seems to be well, and like her brother, she had a blast at home over Thanksgiving. She played with her castle tent constantly, pulling it everywhere and sitting in it to eat and watch TV out of the window. She likes the tent to be upside down and says that the picture of Princess Aurora is her. Yes, she thinks she is a princess and flounces around with her tiara or yellow crown. No dresses on this princess, but occasionally some beads. She really got a kick out of dressing up the Christmas tree, but was upset when the tinsel went on. That seemed to spoil it for her and she bawled like a baby. Oh well. Maybe she will get it next year.