Rahn Family Updates: We Fight Dirty...

So, in the last post I said that the battle for nighttime sleeping was on. It was not a fair fight. Levi didn't stand a chance. We fight dirty--we just flopped that little booger on his tummy and he is now sleeping for 7-8 hour stints at night. (Thanks to some encouragement from some other mommas!) And he goes to bed between 8 and 9. Hahaha! Victory is always sweet, but even sweeter when your sleep is at stake. (And why is it so satisfying to win battles against your children? It shouldn't be when your opponent can't form sentences and poops his pants, but it feels so good!) He's so strong that we don't have to worry about him smothering himself like we did when he was a newborn. He plants his hands on either side of himself, arches his back, and roars when he's unhappy on his tummy. So, he's good.

The secret to its success is twofold. First, little man LOVES to snuggle up against whoever is holding him, so he's used to having his tummy be nice and warm. (I've developed a seamless strategy for getting him from snuggling in my arms to tummy down on the bed in 0.5 seconds so as to keep that tummy toasty!) Second, he falls asleep instantly when we pat his back to burp him for a bottle. So even if he's on his tummy and unhappy, we have full access to his back and can pat away until he passes back out. It's magic. We realize we did not invent this, but it feels like an amazing revelation for our little family!

In other news, my darling Isabel has inherited some of her momma's rage-aholic tendencies. I think I am usually pretty go with the flow (here's where you can laugh if you disagree--but remember I'm a rager), but occasionally something random will happen and I will RAGE. Full on. Poor darling has inherited that trait. Combine that with a toddler mentality and a limited ability to manage emotions, and things can get hairy. Something as simple as accidentally kicking a chair can throw her into a tizzy...

"I just stubbed my toe!!! This is the worst thing that has ever happened to anyone ever!!! I'm going to scream and cry and then hit Mommy even though she had nothing to do with this (rage) because I'm so mad about it! But then I'm going to cry because I hit Mommy and I feel bad (tender heart)! But when she tries to talk to me about it I will for sure rage again and maybe just spit at her this time so I don't have to feel as bad!"

This is usually followed by her crumpling into my arms in a heap of exhausted emotion. And then 10 minutes later she can do a full facial on our hardwood floor while walking in her Rapunzel heels and she barely peeps. Gets up, brushes herself off and says, "Whoa. These shoes are slippery."

I was perplexed about this trait when it first showed up in her...until the day when I hit my head while getting something out of the car and slammed the door so hard I think the entire garage shook. It was like a cartoon where the little lightbulb goes on above someone's head. I maybe even said, "Ohhhh..." out loud. I shared my revelation with Bryan, and he was like, "Yeah, you didn't know that?" Guess it was only a secret to me...

Izzie still is hysterical and cracks me up daily, however. She has a computer that asks her questions about animals and she has to choose the right picture. The other day she was talking to it:

What animal like to eat hay?
"Horsey!"

What animal likes to eat seeds?
"Squirrel!"
Oops. Try again. What animal likes to eat seeds?
(quite irritated) "SQUIRREL!"
I'm sorry. The answer is mouse.
(angry grunt)

What animal likes to eat bananas?
"ME!"

Funny girl.