Quick 5

Let's blame it on baby brain, but I'd forgotten how spectacular fall can be in Colorado.  You should visit sometime to see for yourself.

1.  Today is the day.  If Alaina can go the whole day and night without sucking her thumb, then she has earned herself the scoop of her choice from Magill's World of Ice Cream.  And I have full confidence in her.  I was really second-guessing our whole band-aid strategy, since it seemed like all I was beginning to hear and read was "DON'T intervene!  She'll give it up on her own when she's ready! Doing something to take away her thumb will ruin her for life and turn her into a hermit/psycho/weirdo!"  But it worked for us.  Chalk it up to knowing my kid, I guess.  It wasn't a coping mechanism; it was a mindless habit.  And the band-aid worked.

2.  Which means, of course, that Joya is constantly coming up to me and saying, "I don't want to suck my thumb anymore!  I have ice cream now?"  She knows the impending reward and is desperate to jump on the band wagon.  I've reminded her many times about the new Curious George buddy that she got as a reward for giving up the paci, to which she replies, "Oh, I don't want him anymore!"  It's so cute and sad.  We plan to take Alaina on her reward after we put Joya to bed, since Joya goes to bed at 6:45 and Alaina doesn't go to bed until 8:00.  I'd rather deal with the aftermath when Alaina inevitable tells her all about it than deal with the drama of saying goodbye and leaving her behind.  (You can bet there will be a lengthy discussion while we eat our ice cream about not rubbing our special things in other peoples' faces.)

3.  Bria has graduated from the infant tub in the sink to the bath seat in the bath tub.  This was a necessity, since that girl can splash.  After the last time I gave her a bath in the sink, Lee came home and thought our pipes had sprung a leak or something in the kitchen.  Nope, it was just Bria, throwing all her bathwater on the floor.  However, she is NOT impressed by the tub.  I try to hand her toys and she just stares at me.  It takes longer to get the bath ready than it does to actually bathe her, since I see no reason to let her just sit in the tub and stare at me for too long. 

The face she gives me during the whole bath.  No smiles, no chatter.  Just a girl and her thoughts.

4.  Here are my girls on just a normal afternoon:

Bria is not crying or anything.  This is how she likes to sleep at night.  On her belly, face in the mattress.  Freaks me out every time.

 5.  I just finished the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker.  Have any of you read it?  She's hilarious and a great writer and the book messed me up.  I feel like I need to process.  It might be transformational, if I can follow through.  I highly recommend it. 

Next up: October.  I'll be participating in the 31 Days blogging challenge over on The Pumpkin Pie Patch.  Also, Joya turns 3.  It should be a lovely month.