Bedtime Blues

Almost a year home now and I can officially say bedtime just stinks. If its not one kid *ahem Chloe*, it's another. There is always one more thing that the kids need to tell me, an animal that's 'starving' (that they never voluntarily feed until bedtime), a heart to heart they just need to have ("ummm.... uhhh... i forgot"), or the more obvious bathroom break. Bedtime with four kids is always an adventure.

Chloe has struggled with sleep since we got home. Because Sean works early mornings (anywhere from 1-5 a.m.), Chloe is all mine at bedtime. She takes upwards of 2 hours to go to sleep, and wakes anywhere from two to six times a night. Thankfully, we are moving past the middle of the night wake up calls, but we are still struggling with a decent time frame to fall asleep. I've tried melatonin with mixed results. At first, she seemed to fall asleep quicker, but then it guaranteed at least three wake-ups and a sopping pull up in the morning. We laid off the melatonin and went back to two hour bedtime. This allowed a mostly full night rest, but the price of laying in her room for two hours wears thin quickly.

The last month or so I have been slowly working my way out of her reach so that she self soothes. With our three other kids we never felt bad about allowing them time to self soothe, the end result being that they are great sleepers. However, many experts will tell you that bedtime is a crucial time for bonding and attachment in adoption. I alternate between feeling guilty for not comforting her, and thankful that she is learning to be more self reliant. I have also brought back the melatonin, which so far is letting me escape in under an hour. We've even managed to ditch the pull-ups at bedtime! So there is progress, I am just looking forward to the days when a full nights sleep is less of a luxury and waking children is my new struggle.

Blissful sleep! Why must it be so elusive?!

Easter and more

Chloe's first Easter was full of fun and candy. We started the weekend with a trip to the bowling alley with friends, where she was spoiled by random strangers. She had gotten bored of watching her siblings bowl and wandered down to the game area. There were a couple guys in their early 20's playing games and racking up tickets. I glanced out to check on the other kids and when I turned back, there was Chloe with an armful of tickets. I thought at first she had just grabbed them and run, but no, she charmed their socks off instead. By the end of the night she had collected 590 tickets. The other 5 children were happy to split the winnings, and realized there are many perks to a cute little sister!

The following morning we headed out to my Dad's work Easter party. There were bounce houses, balloons, sno-cones, over 6,000 eggs, the Easter bunny, and prizes galore. I wasn't sure how Chloe would handle the commotion, or if she would understand how this egg hunt business worked. She did just fine, and collected 6 eggs. Was a little disappointing to see other parents jump into the 2-4 yo egg hunt and scoop up as many eggs as they could for their child. Nonetheless, Chloe loved it and got enough prize eggs to pick out a few toys in the "general store".  Ben managed to snag the grand prize for his age category and brought home a fishing rod among other things.

Ben's grand prize

What is this stuff??!

Why are all Easter bunnies so scary looking? 

We ended the day at Downtown Disney visiting a family that we traveled to China with. It was so great to catch up and visit while enjoying the sights and sounds of Disney. The kids played with legos, splashed in the water pad, and whined as we dragged them through stores. All in all, a successful day. I am so grateful for our travel group, we were blessed with an amazing group and have enjoyed keeping up with them via FB. It's a perk of living in Florida that we have managed to see a couple families already this year as they visit the mouse.

This last week has also been full of much hurt and pain. A friend we consider family, lost her life in a sudden tragic accident. The shock and sadness has radiated through our friends, family, and community. It's been a sad reminder that we aren't guaranteed the next breath in this life. Prayers for my friends family are much appreciated as they journey through the dark days of grief.