Beach Front Property

Well, if you're a spider.

I've become quite informed on all things spiders in the past few months.  Ranging from the different types of spiders, to why they don't get stuck in their own web, and I've watched countless episodes of spiders catching bugs and wrapping them up, as well as watching time elapsed videos of them spinning webs.

So when I was walking in our apartment complex the other night and saw this:

I was intrigued.  

As people, we consider the prime pieces of real estate those with great views, lovely landscapes, or great location.

Apparently spiders have the same ideas, but just a little more pertinent to a spider's needs.

I mean, come on. If you are a spider, what could be a better location than right next to this lamp?  You would feast every single night as the literal moth-to-the-flame scenario got you victim after victim faster than you could wrap them.

And just like those houses who have the best locations (like beaches, or sprawling estates) tend to be kept nice, neat and always visitor-ready, I can't help but notice that this spider does not just have a shabby web that you see in the corners of your house or clumsily strewn across things in your garage, this spider web is pristine, perfectly symmetrical, and textbook "orb spiderweb". Its perfect design suits its perfect location.

This is the spider that hosts all other spiders at dinner parties.  If a spider organization needs a fundraiser, they go to this spider's mansion for their event.  When spiders come to visit the neighborhood, this spider's web is on the places-to-see list in their What to Do in San Diego guidebook.    

Yes, perched up there on the most lucrative of positions, this spider rules the roost.  I wonder if there are spider fights, territory battles, or special elections held to determine who gets this spot. Maybe the garage spiders or lowly corner-of-the-house spiders who barely survive on scraps and dust bunnies are planning a coup to overthrow King Spider from his throne. 

I don't know, but I do know that the owner of this web has a fine piece of spider real estate....and he knows it!

Oh Matthew....

Back on Track

So, the past couple of weeks, Molly's been a little....off kilter.

She's still sleeping well, but she went from sleeping from 8pm-8:30am, to 8 am, to 7am, to 6am and, a couple of times... 5:30am.  

Ok. This doesn't fly here.

While I can appreciate the occasional growth spurt and need for extra food, we like to trend towards longer stretches of sleep as opposed to shorter ones.

Unfortunately, I feel I may have contributed to the problem.  Once, I let her sleep on her tummy and she became an addict.

An absolute addict.  From that one split second where I let her roll over just a little too far, she got a taste for the wonderful sensation of tummy sleeping and would not go back to the preferred Back to Sleep.

And so...I gave in to her preference during naps and during the first part of her night sleep, but would come in when I went to bed and would flip her on her back so she spent the better part of the night on her back.

Well, it turns out, Miss Molly did not like changing positions, and when her sleep cycles lightened up in the morning and she found herself on her back, instead of going back to sleep (like a sane person) she would wake up in protest and then insist on being fed, then she would go back to sleep for a few hours.

Now, I actually didn't mind if this was happening around 6, because I was getting up that early to take care of few things.  But, I like to wake up by my own choice...and I certainly don't like waking up at 5:30 when my alarm is set for 6...and I certainly don't like the trend that may not even stop at 5:30. What if it becomes 5am? 4:30? 4?  Uh-uh. Nope. Not here.

So, who do I turn to in times of trouble?  You know it! The Baby Whisperer, who, tried and true, after a more deliberate application of her methods, we were in two days able to whip that sleep schedule back into shape.

And back to her back.

And back to long naps.

And back to decent wake-ups.

And back to nice peaceful bedtimes (without the several minutes of crying in protest while I help to settle her).

So all of us are much happier, and when Molly is good and ready to roll over on her own, she can sleep  on her tummy all she wants, but until then we're back on the right track.

Thanks, Baby Whisperer!

Apparently...

....Some thing are more fun without pants

Twins?

I don't really go anywhere without someone asking me if the boys are twins.

Michael's shorter for his age and still has a little baby chub in his face. Matthew has a big ol' head, so the size difference is sometimes barely perceptible.

But as a Mom who sees their faces everyday (and their ver different personalities to go with them!), sometimes, I think people are crazy for thinking they are twins.  

Other times, I can definitely see the resemblance!

How Michael Passes the Time

It has become an almost daily exercise for Michael to "write letters on the computer."  Sometimes it's jibberish, sometimes it's actual words.


Lately, he just wants to countdown.

Yes. He started at 100.  Yes, he went down to 0.

Getting a little weary in his 30s, but still pressing on

If that's your idea of fun. Have at it, son!

Biggest and Littlest