September 4

I am beginning to feel a sense of despair that Eli will never go to sleep in his crib at bedtime like a normal baby. I was okay with him needing to be worn in the evenings when I thought it was just a phase, but now it seems to just be how he is. At 7 months old, I expected that he would be able to go to bed at a reasonable time, wake three hours later to nurse, and then go back to sleep until 5 or 6 am.  That seems normal and acceptable to me.

However, Eli seems to have missed that memo.

He prefers to nurse at bedtime, then sleep while Chris wears him for a few hours, then nurse, then snuggle in bed with me, nursing every hour or so all night long. It is exhausting, and this mama needs some real sleep! Before his six-month birthday, it seemed like he was starting to sleep for longer chunks at night. Then we switched sides of the bed, and all hell broke loose. I don't even have time to dream anymore because I am constantly waking to nurse him. I know it's just a season, and it will pass, but it's so discouraging because I thought this season would be much shorter than it's turning out to be. Plus, I like my children more and I'm a much better mama when I'm well-rested.

Sorry for ranting; it's just on my mind at this moment as Chris does dishes with Eli in the Ergo.

Before I quit dairy, our family tradition was Friday night pizza nights. We all loved it, and not doing pizza nights anymore has been one of the hardest parts of being dairy-free. I've been trying to come up with a good Friday night tradition for us; something inexpensive, that feels celebratory, that sets the tone for a fun weekend. I think we've finally found our tradition:

family movie night

Our early-to-bed, early-to-rise kiddos require that we eat dinner while watching the movie, though, which makes it even more fun. And best of all is that we have gluten-free grilled cheese and PBJs. (BLT for me. Yum.)

Caleb practically flew home from the bus stop today when I told him we were having grilled cheese and family movie night. It's his favorite.

The little ones and I made a quick trip to the library this morning, and Daisy chose our movie: Mickey Mouse's The Three Musketeers. All three kids loved it, and laughed so hard!

Eli joined us in his high chair, pointed away from the movie. He's too little for movies just yet.

I love the look of delight on Lily's face!

I also love Chris' dining posture and the food in his mouth. Sorry for the unflattering photo, dear.

Eli ate some dinner, too: a cheese stick and some red bell pepper slices.

I'm really not sure how much food he's actually ingesting, but he is really, really happy when we give him food, and devastated when he drops his food.

Look at that focus. He wants that food!

Yum. Red bell peppers.

This is my favorite part of the night, before Eli starts squawking for Mommy, before the kids start bickering, before Chris snuggles Lily and leaves her in her room and she screams for 20 minutes. Before all that, everyone is happy for about five minutes, and it is lovely.

(Also, we just got this copy of The Day the Crayons Came Home from the library, and it is fabulous. Funnier even than The Day the Crayons Quit. Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers are geniuses, and we need to buy a copy of this book. You should read it, too.)