Proof of Emma's crazy sleeping habits

There's a lot going on in the month of July

Emma and I just got back from our two week vacation to Pennsylvania. We were very entertained while we were there. Went to an amusement park, the beach, the board walk, Jason's Pappy's house in Maryland, Jason's Dad's house out in the woods, the "ice cream park" (as Emma calls it) which is really a tasty freeze with a kids play area, and other wise just hung out with Nana and Jeff. Nana had a kiddie pool for Emma to play in, I got a few runs in during the cool of the evening, and we saw some relatives we hadn't seen in a while. It was fun, but it's good to be back in Tucson. There is so much going on here. I often felt, while I was away, that I was missing out on all the wedding planning. But, I'm here now and there is PLENTY to do. Between starting a new, strict weight loss program of running 3 miles morning and night and eating 1200 calories a day, putting together the bridal shower with mom, putting together the bachlorette party with the girls, organizing the wedding budget, planning Jason's home coming, and of course playing scrabble; Emma and I are going to be busy bees the rest of this summer.
As I sit here and ponder all that I have going on and delving pretty deeply in the lives and activities of those around me, I find it hard not to think back on my own past experiences. Past weddings, past home comings, past vacations. Life has not always been a bed of roses and it would be easy to let bitterness take it's place in my heart again, a home it's felt so safe at for many, many years. But, life does go on and I try very hard not to dwell in the past. Instead, I'm trying to make sure my family's future is better.
I am determined to nip Emma's discipline in the bud before Jason gets back. I have to become more consistent and Emma needs less distraction while she's learning new life lessons.I've gotten pretty behind on the pre-preschool that I had hoped to do with her when she turned 2. I was hoping Emma would be a wealth of knowledge by now and while I wish I had worked harder with her, I am proud to say she knows quite a number of letters from the alphabet, holds a pencil correctly, and is learning how to draw letters and spell words. I jest, of course, about her being a wealth of knowledge at this age. However, I do expect her to know her alphabet by the age of 4 and she really should be able to count to 10 by now. This falls on me and I have neglected her educational upbringing while concentrating a lot on spiritual and social which is important as well. It will be nice when the other parents of the home is here so I don't have to do all this on my own.
My mind spirals as I think about all that July will hold. I'm anxious to find out when Jason's going to officially coming home. I'm nervous about moving back to Washington as I've been doing so well here with my depression and involvement in the church. At this point, I think it's important to just take one day at a time. Though, I have to give my mom the credit for that thought because it is she who will tell me that often times when I'm stressing about things that are too far in the future to worry about.

Rather fond of my daughter

Disclosure: I'm writing this on my phone so i appologise for any obvious mistakes.)It all started when Emma found a bug on her perfectly comfortable mattress, bought especially for her visit at my parents house. She refused to sleep on the mattress that lays on the floor next to my bed. For several nights, Emma slept on the floor just off her mattress or half on, half Off her mattress. I guess she eventually found that uncomfortable and she began getting up in the middle of the night and squeezing in on the twin sized bed that I slept on. Most nights I tried to fight it. I would tell her to get back into her bed which resulted in a lot of crying and soothing. I tried a few methods to make the nights easier for her, including rearranging the whole room so her mattress could be right next to mine and we could hold hands at night. (I did this at midnight, moving quite heavy furniture all by my self.) But, alas, after a week or so of this, Emma continued to crawl in my bed at night and I was fighting it less and less. (Mainly because often times I had been sleepin so deeply I didn't notice until morning.) Recently, Emma and I randomly decided to visit Jason's family in PA for a couple weeks. The first night of our vacation Emma and I shared a queen bed. That is, after Emma bed hopped between Karen's bed and mine for quite a while, she finally decided to stay with me. Later, at Karen's house we shared a full sized bed and another queen when at Jason's dad's house. Though out these vacation nights Emma was more and more clingy at night. Half the time she insisted on sleeping right on top of me. If I was playing around on my phone, she had to be watching. Strangely, I found it wasn't bothering me. At times I would tell her to stop wallowing on me but when I was turning over to go to sleep I got used to having my arm around her. In fact, her preciously angelic sleeping body next to mine comforted me quite a bit as most of my nights lately were spent lying awake sometimes until after four am. The morning. I watched Emma sleep, her funny positions, the conversations she had with someone in her dreams, how often she turned over or re-adjusted her pillow. (I couldn't help but notice how similar her sleeping patterns are to Jason's.) We were most recently in a king sized bed while visiting Jason's Grnadpa, Pappy. You would think two people would have plenty of room on a king mattress bed. But, not with my toddler. I lay there trying to sleep and all of a sudden WHAP! Right accross my face goes Emma's little arm. I kindly fold it back over her chest and relax again after the startle. WHAP! Not two seconds later. I was startled again, moving her arm and FOUR more times she whapped me. She was extremely unconsciously insistent that her arm lay exactly on my face. So I did the logical thing and scooter her over to the far side of the bed. The next night she got revenge by sleeping completely perpendicular to me all night. On a king size bed I still had her feet in my ribs. (and I wonder why I don't sleep at night.) However, it never fails. Each night no matter whether I've been whapped or stabbed or sleep talked too, I roll over each night, put my arm around her and dread having to change our style. Tonight, Emma wanted to sleep with Nana. I honestly missed her and was feeling really lonely when an hour later she came waltzing back in stating that Nana was asleep. She got back in bed and much like a grown adult relayed how the rest of her night was going to play out. I currently lay on the edge of the bed while Emma sleeps comfortably in the middle. And I wouldn't have it any other way.