Curiosity

I have discovered something about Erica over the last few weeks.
Curiosity > Hunger
I have never had a baby so curious!  She wants to know what is going on all the time.  And actually, she never knows what is going on, but she wants to be a part of what is going on.  If she hears a noise, she snaps out of sleep or away from food.  Anything that has to do with her sisters being home, she does NOT want to miss.  Columbus Day weekend was horrible because everyone was home all day for three days. She didn't sleep or eat very well. She was so tired (and so was I) by Monday afternoon.
I finally realized that I can't fight this curiosity.  If she doesn't eat for four hours, she doesn't eat for four hours. And hopefully when she does eat, she will pay attention and eat a full meal.  It seems to be working.  I was even in the habit of offering to nurse her before we went someplace because I knew we would be gone when she needed to eat, but she didn't know I was offering a meal.  To her everything was just snacktime. Now I wait at least three hours, sometimes four.  And she EATS!
Better eating also brings about better sleeping.  And that makes everyone happier.
Whose idea was it for mothers to be woken up continually through the night?  We all know that a tired Mom is a grumpy Mom and that does not bode well for anyone in the entire family.  When Mom is tired- not taking out the garbage can somehow prevent her from being able to make dinner?  When Mom is tired, she starts making absurd threats, "If you don't clean your room you won't be able to read a book for a month." (there is no way of enforcing that punishment).  When Mom is tired all her energy is spent changing diapers (again), feeding the baby (again), and trying to get the baby to sleep (again).  Chocolate Chip cookies just don't get made.  And if they do, most of the dough is eaten before the kids come home anyway.  Then I just feel guilty, and tired, and fat.
But I'm feeling better now and I am going to bed as soon as I'm done typing this. :)

Just a few other things about the rest of life:
Elizabeth is going to try out for the fall musical at middle school and is writing a TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) fan fiction story.
Sarah is trying to put together a bake sale to donate money to the red cross.
Maire is learning to read.  There is nothing more fun than watching a child have the world open up to them with words.
Rachael CRACKS ME UP!!  she is the cutest 8-year-old blonde you'll ever see with a grin full of mischief every second.  I hear her tell Maire, "Maire, did you know you are in mid-air?"
"You are. You are in mid-air right now.  Do you see this?  It is air.  It is everywhere, all the time.  So, we are mid-air."  
One night we were playing Apples to Apples and everyone was counting their cards to make sure they had enough.  Rachael starts counting her cards which are in one stack in her hand.  As she starts to count, she puts the card she just counted back in her hand on the bottom of her stack.  She just kept counting and counting, all the while putting her cards back in the stack.  I lost it!
Shoot, I can't remember the other funny things I was going to share about Rachael.  I'll have to remember later.