Our own apartment

Ian and I have acquired our own apartment. No, we haven't vacated the Arlington townhouse that Steve and I have lovingly made into a home stashed full of all types of gear to make two little boys very happy (and spoiled). Instead, we have retreated to the basement area for the night-time hours.

We traveled to Gatlinburg, TN for Thanksgiving for our annual visit with Steve's extended family. We stopped in Roanoke, VA on the way to break up the trip and after a horrendous night in the hotel we were dreading spending 4 more nights together in the guest accommodations at my in-laws newly acquired home in the Cobbly Nob neighborhood. Graeme has become a good sleeper, but not with Ian yelling at regular intervals throughout the night. Once woken, Graeme doesn't not settle down easily which makes for a very unhappy mama and daddy. Driving around the windy mountain roads of Cobbly Nob at 3AM to get Graeme back to sleep (akin to what Steve did in Roanoke) was not going to work for us. So, when we arrived at the new mountain home and saw that there were actually TWO guest rooms (one doubling as an office with a futon) we were thrilled. That's where Ian and I are sleeping, I declared. My very hospitable MIL quickly made up the futon, complete with an extra set of fluffy pillows that I love.

It was a beautiful thing. I could rock and walk and cuss all night long without fear of waking Steve (and having him observe my poor nighttime parenting, not that he would EVER pass judgement). And, I could sleep past Graeme's unreasonable 6AM wake-up time without feeling guilty for ignoring his calls for "mom-eee." Steve could get a full night's sleep and feel refreshed for Graeme's early waking and calls that have sadly morphed into "dad-eee."

It worked so well that we decided to replicate it at home with Ian and I sleeping in our basement office/den/guest quarters. Ian still likes his midnight fussy time which I can handle much better while surfing the Internet or watching the Discovery Health Channel (I am so SICK of Jon and Kate, particularly Kate, plus 8, though). Steve isn't particularly fond of Graeme's early rising, but until he starts lactating he's on Graeme-duty. In the meantime, Ian and I are growing quite fond of our apartment.