All I want for Christmas...

...is my 2 front teeth!

I found Claire's second tooth last night.

Lately, Lara's given us some trouble with brushing her teeth. It's become a chore, and she doesn't like doing it. She loved doing it by herself when we initially gave her that independence, but now she's used to it, so she usually throws a fit about it. I find myself just brushing her teeth for her, or skipping it all together, so I don't have to deal with it. So I pulled out Lara's old potty chart, and made some adjustments.

Every time she brushes her teeth by herself and doesn't throw a fit, she gets a sticker. After so many stickers, she will get a special treat, preferrably not candy, as that seems to defeat the purpose of the thing. So yesterday morning, after receiving her first sticker, she said, "But I want to brush my teeth again!"

Claire has slept well the last few nights, going at least 7 hours straight. She is no longer swaddled for naps or bed, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. But she's also been eating really great lately too, now that her nasty cold is over. She wakes up once to nurse, and my opinion is that is completely acceptable until about 12 months, or until I see it become a habit, then I wean. So I get up, nurse, and she goes back to sleep. Last night, she woke up a couple hours later, and Dustin made the decision to just let her cry. I was too tired to care, though she was crying really hard. After just a few minutes, she went back to sleep by herself. She's never done this before in the middle of the night, so we see this as a huge step in reaching a good sleep pattern. Also, Claire is now down to two naps a day, which is a relief. It was hard for me to put her down for naps so much during the day. She is very ready for those naps, so she goes right to sleep as soon as we lay her down. Her bedtime is 7pm, and she's usually wakes at 6:30. I love early bedtimes, and it certainly makes it easier for the babysitter, but it also means being stuck at home early on. Nonetheless, I am hoping I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. This morning's nap was rudely interrupted by the [testing of the] tornado siren. This, however, is good, because I could totally sleep through Atlanta's siren. Claire's cries, however, I could not.

Here is what we bought Lara for Christmas. (The veil is mine.)When watching the video, please keep in mind that Lara's understanding of "getting married" is only half complete, and for the most part, she sees it as going to a grand ball, not actually getting married.

I had a bad dream last night about losing Lara. I sent her off for something, and sent her off in a mode akin to Moses in the basket. But when she did not arrive where she was supposed to on time, and I realized I lost her, life fell apart. Thankfully, Dumbledore was there to help. She was found, and while bruised, she was fine and didn't know what happened. So when Lara woke up this morning, I squeezed her really tight and wouldn't let go.

Oh, terrible number 5 on my weatherbug, you should get married to a 7. Then everyone would live happily ever after.