Being the youngest has it’s challenges and rewards. In some cases, they are the same…

After much fuss, Delaney finally found a spot that comforted her. Patient Grandpa just seemed to know. No fluster, no pass off—just welcome calm and slight adjustment after adjustment until she was settled peacefully on his shoulder. A very nice break for both of us, I think!

Delaney has no sleep schedule.  I never know when or how long she is going to sleep.  The only constant is that she seems to fall asleep for the night around 8:30-9 pm and that she wakes up in the morning at 5:30 for a short time and then nods off again until 7:30 am.  Everything in between is very unpredictable.  Sounds harmless, but it does make it difficult to plan out the daily routine.  Reading books before naps/quiet time, fixing meals, trying to find time to exercise, cleaning, finding small, sporadic periods of time to spend with the older kids individually, even eating—all are a challenge.  I am anxious for her to settle into a pattern so we can all feel more settled.  I readily accept that I will have an underlying feeling of fatigue for the foreseeable future, as her nightly 2-3 wakeful periods continue—a state that I know contributes to my frequent frazzled tendencies, which makes everything all that much more difficult to balance.  But, for myself, I would much rather have the daytime schedule than sleep a continuous eight hour stretch.  I can manage sleep deprivation, but routine deprivation is my biggest challenge.  Am I rambling?  Probably so….  But, Miss D did just fall asleep, so now it is time for pilates.  After that, is anyone’s guess.

Magnolia fountain from T on Vimeo.

There are days that I really feel for Delaney. She is frequently literally surrounded by her two siblings and is constantly bombarded with affection. Although they both adore her, they also have a hard time understanding the impact their enthusiastic (for lack of a better word) behavior has on her. I though that Cole had it rough in his early months, but Delaney has that multiplied by two! At least I can be comforted knowing that it is intended to be positive affection. It’s no wonder she spent the first seven weeks of her life sleeping around the clock!

As a sleep-deprived mom of three children under five years, sometimes life gets hard whether or not it need be. This week, a number of things have come up that have left me unsettled, at the foremost the loss of a family friend. Thankfully, I have a wonderful family that picks me up and gets me centered. Tonight, we packed another impromptu picnic and headed down to the Bethany fountain that the kids love, for some family fun together. It was a wonderful, beautiful, relaxing evening. Amazingly, we had the whole place to ourselves. Delaney laid on a blanket next to me on the grass and was perfectly content for the hour and a half we were there. The kids ran in the fountain with Rick. Watching them, I couldn’t help but think how lucky they are to have such a silly daddy who always puts them ahead of everything else. We have such a good life. And, it is so wonderful to know that.

There is no better way to start and end the day…

When I ask Cole what his favorite part of the fair was, his response--everytime--is Playing the drum, drum, drums! So, here he is, playing the drums a the Pioneer Village.

Drums from T on Vimeo.

Untitled from T on Vimeo

And, here he is feeling the vibration of the drum...

I could probably edit this and the next entry (Music Man Part 2) into one with just two videos, but I just couldn't decide which videos to omit, so I broke it down into two different posts.

Cole has been impacted by music since he was three months old, when he would smile up at me from the Baby Bjorn throughout Franny's music class. When he began signing, one of his key communications was asking for music first thing in the morning. This was later replaced by a very sweet Music, please! If the radio isn't playing in the car, he will definitely let me know. Now, music is continuously playing at our house like a soundtrack; and, almost any kind of music will evoke some kind of reaction.

Yesterday, at the fair, we ate lunch and listened to some live music in the grove. It began with the tapping of his hand, followed by the tapping of his foot. Then, a little clapping and little head bobbing...

Cole rockin' at the fair from T on Vimeo.