The Beatitude Attitude

I really have to post about this - it's outrageously cute and hilarious (at least for me and my mom). My mom wrote (yes WROTE all the songs, dialogue, etc.) and directed a children's musical for her church in champaign called The Beatitude Attitude. It was an amazing performance (May 11th, 2008) and Dylan was thrilled to be there to be in the audience. WELL, fast forward more than two months. We now have the DVD of the performance, and we watch it at least 4 times/week. She LOVES it. No, that is a gross understatement. She is insanely obsessed with it. I can't fully describe how much she is nuts for this thing, but here is my attempt. First of all, she sings her own soundtrack of the musical pretty much all day long (for several weeks now). She busts out with microphone (usually a drumstick, traintrack or baseball bat) and all, and does a very convincing rendition of "Remember What Jesus Said" or "Poor in Spirit" (all with motions and dancing...). It's hysterical and of course adorable. She talks incessantly about the characters, acting like they are celebrities. And most hilarious/cute of all, she quotes the dialogue to me randomly in normal conversation. Here are two examples of the direct quotes from the show she has repeated to me:

"Mom, don't expect me to be your best friend." (as we are walking back to the park from a potty break...ummm...OK!)

(as we are shopping downtown) "Mom, you're not exactly rolling in the dough." Yes, Dylan, you are right on that one.

quick sleep update

I haven't blogged in awhile about my sleep issues with Noah. So, here is a quick update. We are on night 4 tonight of "cry it out with reassurance by daddy." Mommy stays out of the whole bedtime routine and daddy gets the pleasure of one on one time with Noah reading stories, prayers, etc. and then he goes in his crib. He is thrilled let me tell you (that was sarcastic...hard to get that over the internet), but it is getting better and I feel remarkably good about letting my child cry and scream alone in his crib. I am usually quite content on the far side of the other camp - cosleeping, breastfeeding, babywearing - really most things attachment parenting. But when your kid is almost 17 months old and you haven't had a full night of sleep (he still wakes up 3-5 or more times/night) in that long (or more since you don't sleep that well at the end of pregnancy)...well then you take a one way ticket to the "cry it out" camp and you don't look back. At least that's what I'm trying to do here. I still have moments (like the first night when Jason came out and said he was asleep finally - after an hour - standing up, head laying on the side of the crib rail) - where I want to abort and snuggle and nurse and be that mom that I "am." But NO...we must go through this for I will be a better mom when I can finally say, "Wow, that was a good night's sleep." Ahhh, the mouth-watering craving I have for sleep.

Sibling Harmony

Just wanted to post quickly about how much our kids are love love loving each other these days. I think the sharing a room is a huge part of that, and they really are just playing better, hugging more, and talking to one another. Noah mimics everything Dylan does, which at this point does not annoy her whatsoever. Glory be...

Here's a cuddle moment caught on camera: