Second Easter

Our second Easter was quite a bit easier than the first. We started off in Gloucester as usual with Jackson catching a 20 minute nap on the way (none for Maddie). They were both pretty clingy when we first got there. After an hour or so they were running all over. Jackson was crawling all around the living room playing with toys and Madison was continually walking back and forth from the kitchen to the living room to get a bite of some one's cookie. I brought Maddie outside with me while the older kids hunted for eggs. Some of the kids were nice enough to give Maddie an egg.

We were there for 4 hours (no naps for either kid) then we headed to Salem to my aunt's house. They both snoozed for 30 minutes in the car. As soon as we got there they were tearing the place apart looking for stuff to get into. They had some birthday presents to open and Easter baskets from Grandma. We visited for about an hour and a half and then headed home. We only live about a 7 minute drive from my aunt's house but the entire way home Madison was grunting or squealing and Chris would imitate her. Then she'd immediately make a different noise and he would imitate her. They went back and forth the ENTIRE ride home. You could tell she was smiling and laughing. I was laughing so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants!

Bedtime was actually very good that night. They both went down at 9 with no fussing. I thought with the bad nap day it would be a bad sleep night but it was very good. They were up at 7:30 though which is a lot earlier than usual.

The previous two nights Madison cried for 45 mintues then Jackson took over for 30 minutes but we stuck to our guns and just left them. It really is the only thing we can do for them. I mean if we could hold them to sleep when they cry like that and put them down asleep I might consider doing it (even though I know it's a bad habit), but getting them up just means we'll have to put them down awake again and go through the whole cycle again. I do wish I/we could go in and soothe them but the sight of us leaving the room makes them hysterical and the screaming is 10 times louder and heartbreaking than before.

So tough love mode it is. It sucks but it really is the best thing we can do for them.

I still feel guilty that we don't have the monitor on during the night but not guilty enough to turn it back on. I don't think I've ever gotten up in the middle of the night since we turned it off a few weeks ago (we've been up late with them but nothing after they fall asleep). But I worry that I won't hear them. Like this morning at 7:30 Chris got up. I heard him get up and when he opened our door I heard the babies crying. How long had they been crying? I don't know. Is that bad?