hey lew

Dear Lewis,
Who are those kids? Anyway, happy anniversary the other day!! How crazy is it that we have 3 kids, 2 dogs, 4 1/2 years of residency left, and live in Alabama?!?!?!?! If you would have told me 9 years ago on our wedding day I probably wouldn't have believed it, but it's so great. An adventure for sure. (and I have the same hairdo today, is that a problem? yikes.)
You rock.
No, seriously, look how awesome you are. (oh, and you too Matt, John, and Ryan)
Thanks for letting me go pick Cate up last night. After 2 1/2 hours of crying (on the fourth night of "sleep training") I decided enough is enough. It's just not worth it. She's just a baby and before we know it she'll be off to kindergarten then off to high school and thinking we are so lame and then off to college and never looking back. So, while she's small I think I'll just rock her to sleep and hold her while she sleeps. I remember a woman that I worked with before I had Aiden telling me that she rocked her last baby to sleep for naps every day and then just held her while she slept. I totally didn't get it then. It seemed like the BIGGEST waste of time. But. Now I get it.
I totally get it.
See, it's just not worth hearing her cry and cry and cry. It's different than Aiden because Aiden wouldn't be rocked to sleep. She just hated (or should I say hateS) to sleep. It's not like Brooks either because he cried and cried if we were holding him or not. It really wasn't so bad listening to him cry himself to sleep because he was crying all the time anyway and at least when he was in the crib we could close the door! Am I right or what? But, with Cate it's just so sad. She never cries. Seriously. Isn't it amazing? If she does ever cry or fuss we just don't know what to do because it's so out of the ordinary. She is absolutely, positively, the sweetest and most gentle person I have ever encountered. Her soul is so tender and sweet, she is so mild and wonderful. I think that's what makes it so hard for me to listen to her cry.
So, thanks again for not minding that I'm giving up on sleep training my little love bug. Cate the great. I do want her to be able to fall asleep on her own and learn to soothe herself, SOMEDAY. But for now, while she's still so little and so easy to get to sleep (1:39.05, a new record!!!), I think I'll just rock her. Plus, she sleeps through the night, so I can't complain. Thanks for being so understanding and for not judging me.
We appreciate it.
(this is Cate sitting on my mom's lap while Aiden is admiring some ostrich eggs in the background. seriously, how many grandmas slash yayas have ostrich eggs at their house?)
I'd better run, yeesh. The kids are pushing the exersaucer up and down the hall with Cate IN IT!!!!
love, JJ