What a Difference a Day (or Night!) makes...

There are moments in our lives that change us. It may be when we are introduced to someone new, when someone we know is no longer with us, when something is diagnosed, when a choice is made, but a moment or day that alters the path we thought we were on. I have thought a lot about this recently. Challenges and heartaches that are not foreseen seem to smack us in the face and our reality becomes different. We can't go back and remake a decision, but there are things we can hopefully prevent from happening again. I am learning this in my day to day sojourn and I would like to now apply this to a certain two year old. It's time to discuss Brenna.

Brenna came to us with a lot of spunk and ambition. Hanging from chandeliers and walking at 8 months is no small feat. While it is not uncommon for a child to climb out of their crib, I was unprepared for the distress it would cause in my day without my restful slumber. Little B has mastered the art of crib entry and exit and as of late would swing open her door in the middle of the night (say 2am) and insist on staying up for hours. We were frustrated and exhausted and debated on a crib tent, a door cover, etc. Last week, I just switched out our door handle from the bathroom with her bedroom handle. Now I can lock her in. The first days were rough. She would use her little fist and pound against the door saying, "Knock, Knock. Out momma." She stubbornly refused to re-enter the crib, but sat in her baby shopping cart until I would release her from her room. As I type this, she is slumbering away peacefully. So, I think our efforts have paid off. I laid her down after reading her favorite book, and she said, "Knock Knock, momma. Stay in bed." That's her way of retelling how last week went. She had said the first phrase, and she has my answer drilled in her brain. What a difference in our happiness a night of rest makes!

She has grown up a lot this month, her language switch has flipped on and we are fully conversing now. My niece claims that while she was babysitting Brenna, Brenna wrote her numbers 1-5. She has yet to repeat that (well, for me, at least!); but with Brenna, I don't know that I can put anything past her! Next step: potty training.

I wanted to get a picture of Brenna when she jumped in Katelee's bath with her clothes on, and then Katelee made this disturbing face. It's an image I may not get out of my brain, ever!