"I want a hippopotamus..."

...for Christmas. Only a hippopotamus will do!" The song that has been in my head for the past week thanks to W's love of Uncle M's 2007 Christmas CD with that song on it. W has to listen to it every night to go to bed and we keep the CD running on repeat as well. There are more songs on the CD, but the hippo song is by far his favorite right now. When G was his age, she was huge fan of listening to Uncle M's 2006(?) Christmas CD in the car (even in July!) and her favorite song of his to listen to over and over was their impression of the 3 chipmunks singing "Silver Bells."

BUT that was not what I was going to blog about today. Remember me saying that I was going to try to remember 5 things that the kids did to make me smile to tell S when he comes home? Well, had a good one yesterday but apparently was too tired because I didn't remember to tell S until this morning. We have moved W to a mattress on the floor to sleep rather than his crib and it seems to be working better. Yesterday he took a 3 hour nap (wonderful!) and then proceeded to get up on his own and come downstairs (quietly enough I didn't hear it in the monitor). He ran full steam into the sunroom where G and baby C and I were and throws his arms out and yells "TA-DA!!!!!" I died laughing!!!

Now W has been getting up and coming downstairs on his own after naps for a couple days now, but has never gotten up during the night or in the morning until today. W was the first one of us to wake up at 7:30 this morning and he came downstairs and when he didn't find us, he stood at the bottom of the steps and yelled for "MOMMA!" I did not hear him! Then G came in bed with us last night which I also have no recollection of, and she also climbed out this morning when she woke up at 8 without me knowing. Luckily, I am not in this parenting thing alone! S heard W this morning and got up with him, was there when G came downstairs, and left me to sleep an extra hour with the baby while he changed, dressed and fed the other 2. I apparently needed the extra sleep, but still freaks me not to have heard those things. I know that S and I share responsibilities with taking care of the kids especially when he is home, but I am the MOM!

I think I might sleep in the hallway outside their doors tonight...