Maybe it’s because we often have the television on when HawkInWinter brings Siena into the office to nurse a few hours after bedtime.

Maybe it’s just because we have a toddler with her own plans and preferences.

Whatever the cause, the effect is a screaming toddler jumping angrily in her crib at the moment.  She never quite fell asleep when we put her down at her usual 7:15 bedtime, and the crying intensified rather than dissipated. Sometimes when that happens, she just needs a few more minutes of nursing before falling into a deep sleep.

That wasn’t the case tonight.

Tonight HawkInWinter brought her into the office as usual, and I expected her to snuggle in for a quick nurse as usual. Instead, she pointed to the television, arched her neck to get a better view of the blank screen, and made her whining “eh! eh! eh!” sounds that mean she wants something. This went on for several determined minutes, and she couldn’t be distracted out of it. Guessing she wanted a movie, I stood up and followed her reaching arms all the way to the entertainment center, where she indicated she wanted me to lift her higher so she could grab the Signing Time DVDs from the shelf.

Then she was happy.

The little schemer had been crying in her crib, wanting to get up and watch a movie.

We couldn’t quite believe it.

And now that she’s back in her crib, without getting to watch that coveted movie, she can’t quite believe it either.

And she’s letting us know. At the top of her lungs.

Temper, temper!

I don’t like personality tests. Either none of the answers fit me, or two or more of them would work.  No personality test would ever give me the label of “decisive”. 

And yet, for some reason I took an online quiz today as I nursed Siena. The teaser question was “What Kind of Animal Mother Are You?” 

I had to laugh when my results indicated I apparently have characteristics of motherhood from all their possible animals EXCEPT the hen! I had to laugh again when I read that I supposedly have “a great knack for organization”, especially after today when I went to put the chocolate milk powder in its spot on top of the fridge. There was no room on top of the fridge though, because the gallon of milk was up there instead. Um, oops?

So while I can’t vouch for the validity of this quiz, here are my results:

Your answers correspond to types: 2, 3, 4 and 5

1- HEN – Mother hens are notoriously great moms. Their very nature is to protect their baby chicks. They are loving, proud, and very involved in shaping their children’s lives and governing over daily activities.

2- BADGER – Badgers moms are especially strong mothers; they are keepers of the family schedule and expert disciplinarians. Very good at juggling the complexities of family life, badger moms strive to keep their children on a straight and narrow path.

3- DOLPHIN – Dolphin moms have a free and easy nature; they are very laid back mommas. With a passion for teaching their children everything they can about the world around them. Dolphin mothers long to be not just good moms for their kids, but good friends and confidants as well.

4- ELEPHANT - Elephant moms are very independent and gifted when it comes to remembering all their family’s activities and events. They have a great knack for organization and are able to manage careers, keep their homes clean, get their kids to school on time, and look great through it all.

5- HIPPO - Hippo mothers put everything they have into rearing their children. They are very protective of their little ones’ safety and are willing to sacrifice much of themselves in order to provide what they feel is best for their children. They are patient and affectionate, careful, and loving mothers.

Oh, and putting her in the sleep sack keeps her from getting up on her feet, too

As for all her faceplants while she’s crawling and playing on the floor…

I’ve tried a few things. I put four interlocking foam mats together into a square to make a softer surface, and tried using furniture as a border around it.

She just scooted the barriers as she pulled to stand on them…then fell on her face. So I pulled the couch away from the wall and put the foam mats all in a row.

We call this “the dog run” and it can keep her occupied for quite a while as long as I rotate the toys. She has just started to get fussy when she can’t see me, which led to the newest addition to our household:

Introducing, The Good Old Fashioned Cardboard Box! (The Box, for short)

I love that I can scoot The Box around to the different parts of the house I’m working in and she’s contained and content. Our standing Siena is finally starting to plop to a sitting position rather than fall forward or backward like a plank, so soon these creative little solutions won’t be needed. Until then, I thought they were cute enough to share.

It’s called a Psi Band and I had my choice of colors. I went with black, since I’ll be able to wear it with more outfits. Not as fun as the others, but I was sick for over six months of my pregnancy with Siena so if history repeats itself I”ll be ready to try anything. If there’s anything to the whole acupressure thing, I probably won’t want to ever take it off. 

The contest was through Mom4Life.com, a site I discovered when looking for a good deal on BabyLegs (very helpful for Infant Potty Training, which I mentioned in this post).  I got such a kick out of looking through the site, since it’s full of products made for moms, mostly invented and made BY moms. 

I also won a drawing with my BabyLegs purchase, which meant I got a deal on my next purchase of  a Secure2Me UVA/UVB protective blanket with clips so it won’t fall  off the carseat/stroller/swing/baby carrier… you get the idea.

But so far my absolute favorite products from Mom4Life.com are the Blush topless undershirts. I wish I’d known about them when I was pregnant, since they would have  helped cover my growing belly as a simple layer underneath my regular, non-maternity tops.

I didn’t discover them too late though (unlike the Psi Bands)! I’m loving using them for nursing, since I don’t really like exposing my stomach and back when I lift up the bottom of my shirt to nurse. Nursing tops with easy access on top are great and all, but I can’t exactly buy a complete wardrobe just for  nursing. This thing helps me stay modest, keeps me from getting chilly, and gives me a cute layered look without wearing a full camisole or tank top.  I never really played with the layered look before but I think I’ll keep using it even when I’m not nursing. 

So, since I have had good luck winning things with this website, I thought I’d be a winner and tell you about them. Did I mention that this post also enters me in a huge contest? You can enter, too. Just be sure you have some time to surf around the site, cuz Mom4Life.com is full of innovative stuff to make motherhood just a little bit easier and more fun! And anything that can do that is definitely a winner in my book.

Hawk in Winter posted a short reflection and a moving video on his blog that’s worth checking out by clicking here.

We hope your day was relaxing, spent cherishing your loved ones, and that you found a way to thank or pray for a soldier.