Surprise Ending

Well, it's been a rough few days at our house. Something has gotten into Sofia and she turned back into a terror! I was hoping these days were behind us. But, alas.... "Sofie" (her not-so-nice alter ego) has returned. Everything, and I mean everything, is an argument. Nothing we do is right. "No" means nothing to her. And threats? Forget it. She knows us too well. And let me tell you something about these fancy hardwood floors that I have yet to show off. They make her screams even louder.

She recently broke the bedrail we had on her bed. You know the things that are supposed to keep them from rolling off into the floor. Yea, those things that are made to withstand the entire weight of a child. Yep, she broke it. We assume by kicking it, but who knows. So now, bedtime is a nightmare. I think she's scared she's going to fall so she is really acting out. She's begging to sleep with us or finding a million excuses to get out of bed or get us in there. It's getting old... fast.

Thank God for Olivia. I mean that in every way possible. But lately, I say thank God that she is as easy as she is. We had a rough start with her, but she is really a dream. She loves bedtime and can usually sleep through her sister's meltdowns. I know things could change on a dime, but I am enjoying it while it lasts.

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In other news, I am shocked and amazed how fast my photography business is taking off. Thus the lack of posts lately. I have been getting lots of inquiries and several firm jobs set up. Every day it amazes me how quickly it's taking off. Never in a million years did I see myself doing this. It's pretty awesome. Finding childcare is not so awesome. We have the opportunity to put Sofia back in preschool this fall and there is also one opening being held for Olivia on the same days. It's just 2 days a week for 5 hours a day, but I am beyond hesitant to put Olivia in there yet. Yes, the time off would be nice. I could set up sessions and editing time specifically on those days. I could have some time for me and time for my house which has been sorely neglected lately. But, she is only 8 months old (today) and it just seems too much. Sofia would do fine, I think. She's done it before and she is at the age where she really needs interaction with other kids which she barely gets now. And I think that's part of her problem. She is understimulated. I just don't know if I can commit to sending my baby to anything like that just yet. Especially when I am a stay at home mom. Isn't my job to stay home with them?

Ideally, I'd love to find a Mother's Day Out program, one day a week for a few hours. That I could probably handle. 2 days seems too much. Or even better, I'd love to find a casual babysitter that I could call on here and there. At least for Olivia.

The school literally had 2 spots left after some drop outs. One for the 3 year old class and one for the nursery. Both on the same schedule. It's like it was meant to be. I just don't know. I know if I worked, it would be a no brainer. Not that it would be easy, but I would know it was necessary. That's where my hesitation comes in. Right now, it's not necessary for either of them to go. Ugh.... this is hard.

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So, we made some long awaited progress on the living room over the weekend. Seriously, it's almost done. Only taken 3 months or more and living in mass disorganization all along. But, the shifting of everything has worked out well for my photography. The dining room has been my temporary studio (along with the garage) and having all the furniture shoved to the back of the room has given me space in the one room that has tons of natural light. I would kind of love to store all the dining room furniture for a while and use that room for photography. But, that would mean looking at an eyesore when you first walk into my house. And Jose suggested storing the furniture a year or so ago and making it a playroom so we could use the playroom as an office/guest room and I was opposed. So, it would be pretty selfish of me to bring it up for my own use. Wouldn't it???

Well, I guess you are all caught up. Here's the surprise ending. While we were cleaning out the garage last week (and by "we", I mean Jose) we found some tutus I made for a craft show that I never entered. So, I am giving one away! It's orange and black and will be tutu cute for fall and Halloween. I don't have a tag on it, but by looking at it and using my best memory, my guess is that it work best on size 12/18 months up to about a size 3/4. They're are pretty stretchy and Sofia has been able to wear the same ones for 2 years now. They just get shorter!

So, leave me a comment and sometimes in the few days, I will pick a winner. Easy Peasy. Just please, only enter if you live in the US. That's all I ask! And please take note of how cute my Sofia is in these pictures. These were taken 2 whole years ago. (No, the tutu I'm giving away is not 2 years old, but it looks identical to this one) She still looks like a baby here. Sniff....