Pictures from Christmas

Opening the "Grandkids" gift (AJU5 and all of her cousins)

Sitting on her present - a box of cool bathtoys!

Still on the bath toys - with her steering wheel.

Opening her birthday presents (notice that Cousin G is as interested in her presents as she is).



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Things are going okay today. I had a headache in the night and had to sleep in this mroning until it calmed down. AJU1 stayed home until I was up. Physically, I would say I am about 75% these days. Emotionally I am about 90% (didn't cry much at all yesterday). So, hopefully things will continue to improve. I don't see my doctor again until the 13th (she is on call at the hospital today and then on vacation for the rest of the week), so hopefully by then I will be almost 100%.

Looking at the bright side...

Today was the day we were going to share our pregnancy with those at church. I also planned on announcing it on here today or tomorrow (whenever I had time). But, that is in the past...

Here are the positives I can think of so far for this miscarriage. I know some of them are petty, but it helps for me to still count them.

1. This baby will never have to experience the pain and tortures of this world. Instead, he/she is already in heaven with God waiting for us. This is the biggest positive!
2. We are no longer responsible for this child spiritually. This child is already with God and no longer requires that we raise him/her in the nurture and ammunition of the Lord.
3. AJU5 doesn't have to grow up any faster than she is ready to. She will be our baby AT LEAST until November.
   
4. My body will have a longer time to heal after the c-section - making a vbac more possible.
5. We aren't as rushed on the house (I wanted the inside done before Junior #2 arrived).
6. Financially, it will be easier. We can hold off on buying a new(er) car for me for a little while longer. And there will be one less set of diapers, etc for a while.
7. I will be able to go to my brother-in-laws high school graduation without any concerns (it is 2 months before my due date).
8. I will get to go on a mission trip (VBS) this summer. It will most likely be the week of the due date, so I think being away from home and with church friends will be good!

This pregnancy wasn't planned. It was always in God's hands. Remember this has made it easier to handle the loss. I still cry, but I think I am ahead of the game on the grieving side of things at the moment. Now if only my physical recovery would speed up. I am tired of the headaches! I am tired of being worn out all of the time. I am tired of not being able to care for AJU5 like I had been (luckily AJU1 has been a big help). But, I know my body should recover in the next week or two (or so everyone says)...

Not a good start to the new year...

Thursday - New Years Day - marked 10 weeks of my second pregnancy. That night, I bled like crazy, miscarrying Junior #2. I had an ultrasound yesterday to confirm what had happened. The hardest part for me right now is I have pictures of this Junior from an ultrasound on December 9th. I haven't looked at them the past few days, but I know they are there. My husband has been great through all of this. AJU5 wasn't happy yesterday because I couldn't care for her (I passed out twice while returning to bed from the bathroom). But today I am doing better (I can actually sit up for more than 10 minutes without getting light headed - yippie!).

I don't know how much I will write about this in the upcoming days and weeks. I might just read blogs and not comment. Who knows how I will feel...

The New Year

Not much is going on here. We didn't even try to stay up until midnight last night - something we gave up at least 2 years ago. This week AJU1 has been working some on the family room - removing the last bits of the fire place surround and damaged drywall. Now we have to reinstall drywall and get everything put back together. We have finally decided on the layout for the room, which was a big pain because there are 4 doorways/hallways and one cove to work around plus the fireplace.

AJU5 still isn't walking, but she is getting more adventurous everyday. She is standing up a lot more without holding on and is stepping to us without being coaxed. I think she is just working on the balance thing with her large head and all. Hopefully by the end of the month she will be a true walker! She has been sleeping okay - except for the waking up an hour later around 4am this morning. Other than that, she has been going at least 3 hours each time with at least one 4+ hour stretch a night. I am going to start "requiring" 4 hours here soon I think...

We are also weaning her. She no longer nurses during the day and is drink 12-16 oz of milk (with a little yogurt mixed in for flavor) during the day and then nursing to sleep and in the middle of the night. Until she sleeps through the night, this is about as good as we are going to get! AJU1 tried to give her milk out of her cup at 4ish this morning - but she refused it (as she has done for me before).

Now to go be lazy some more! Hope everyone is having a great new year!

Christmas Recap - Minus Pictures...

We left Christmas Eve morning for my parents. They live 10 hours away by car before AJU5, and luckily it was only about 11 hours each way this time! She did fairly well, but she did prefer that I sit next to her (which wasn't very comfortable since her car seat is in the middle).

We were the first ones to my parents. My sister and her son arrived around midnight (he spent Christmas Eve with his dad). My brother and other sister (and their families) arrived just after noon on Christmas Day after doing the Santa thing at home. AJU5 went down for a nap about 15 minutes before they showed up because she was exhausted! She woke up about 2 hours earlier than normal (the time we had left the day before actually), so she missed the first half of the presents. She wasn't too interested in the present anyways!

The opening was a little chaotic! With five kids pulling presents (AJU5 and cousin G were too little to participate in this), there were often 5+ presents being opened at once. But, it was fun none the less. After presents we hung out until dinner time (we had snacks when everyone arrived). The kids played with their new toys and the Wii's (there were 2 hooked up at that point). I got my first experience with the Wii - and enjoyed it. We just don't think we need to spend $400 right now on it (Wii + Fit).

The kids ate dinner while the adults done everything else ready. Then the kids watched a movie and played while we ate (AJU5 ate during all of this because she is a huge eater!). After dinner and dessert (about 2 hours later), my brother and his family went home (and we didn't see them again).

AJU% kept her 5:00-5:30 wake up time the whole time we were there. She also had a 3:00-3:30 time where she refused to sleep in her bed (without a lot of crying). So, our sleep wasn't the best. Luckily with all of the kids to play with and not having much responsibility in terms of cooking, I didn't get too exhausted! Luckily she did go down to sleep on her own - something she didn't do at the in-laws over Thanksgiving!

Friday the big kids went on a hike with the guys. The rest of the day was spent playing as usual. My mom and sisters are addicted to books and tv, so I often spent my time with AJU1 and my brother-in-law (Dad was usually playing with the kids or with us). Saturday we did a little birthday party of AJU5 and her cousin M who had a birthday on the 19th. AJU5 was actually interested in her presents at this point - at least a little - so that was fun. The biggest issue was that cousin G liked her presents too (He will turn 2 in January). Luckily the whole time we were there AJU5 only pulled him down once to get a toy!

All in all, it was a good trip. My mom had her usual blow-ups, but we all survived those. Last night AJU5 slept great - 5 hours then 3 and 3, so we are happy there. Now to get the house done (AJU1 has this week off as well)...

Pictures to come eventually!

One year ago today...

AJU5 came home from the hospital. She had spent a week in the NICU/Special Care Nursery receiving antibiotics and oxygen (off and on). She ended up coming home on the lowest possible setting of oxygen (1/32 of a liter) because she failed the car seat trial. We will never be sure if she failed due to monitor issues (the day before she came home her pulse oxygen levels were low regardless of the level of O2 they were giving her until they changed the lead) or because she needed it. Luckily she is perfectly healthy now!

Here are a few pictures from a year ago today! Note: One of the babies tested positive for RSV the day I was discharged. So, we had to wear gowns and gloves...

Some people have too much time on their hands...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081219/ap_on_fe_st/rudolph_s_gender

A Year Ago...

Today is the Thursday of finals week. Things seem so much different now! I had to enter grades and complete all of our end of term paperwork with AJU5 in tow. I am no longer a full time faculty member, so I don't have an office on campus (which makes keeping AJU5 entertained slightly harder). But, I would definitely say that I love my current life!

At her doctor's appointment on Tuesday, we found out AJU5 weighed 18 lbs 3.5 oz (10th percentile), was 28 inches tall (25th percentile), and had a head circumference of 48 cm (95th percentile). That makes for one very skinny, somewhat short, and very large headed one year old! This might be why she doesn't want to walk - she isn't proportioned correctly (have you every tried to walk with weights attached to your head?).

We have also started sleep training AGAIN. Getting up every 2 hours was killing me, so I started making her go three hours on Monday. Tuesday night she refused the three hours once (screamed for 20 minutes before I gave up), but did the 3 hours every other time on her own. Last night she went down close to 9 (we were at church late, but she was happy because she was playing with the other kids). She woke up a little past midnight. Then she cried a little around 1, but she put herself down before I even considered getting her. I didn't hear her again until almost 7! It was amazing to get that kind of sleep! Now, if only I hadn't had to hear my husband's alarm at 4:45...

Here are a few cute, somewhat recent, pictures. One is of one of her melt downs (for an unknown reason - we were right there!). Then there is her winter sweater, hat, and mittens from her grandma. And finally, there is a picture of spiked hair!

Birthday Party Pictures!

The cupcakes

Eating her cupcake (well, the frosting at least)

Opening a present

Crayons - I love crayons!

Here party was fun. It was supposed to be 4-5:15, but as usual, people were late. So, we didn't really start anything until 4:30ish. The kids played with the inflatable duck balls (as well as the guys). Then we had snacks (sorry Jen, didn't have time to try to make the cheese ball because, well, we were running late as it was!). Then came cake and presents. It was nothing fancy, but everyone had a great time. AJU5 had only napped for about 30 minutes all day, so she was a little sleepy. But, she didn't have any melt downs (probably due to having kids to play with). Only one present was wrapped (the others were in bags), so she was good at helping get her presents out. I wonder how she will do with wrapping paper at Christmas?

365 Days Later...

AJU5 was born 365 days ago. When I think back to this time of year last year, I find so much has changed. Her birth wasn't easy, but when it is time for another kid, I am not afraid. Here is a short synopsis of her birth:

• Doctors appointment at 11 - 3 cm dialted, 90% efaced
• Go to work/school. Give last "final" (presentations) and turnin grades.
• Pick up two lost exams from testing center.
• Go home and grade exams and email boss new grades so he can change them (I didn't want to have to go in the next day to fix them in person).
• Take a nap
• Cook dinner
• Feel first contractions between 7 and 8 pm while watching movie
• Take showers and try to go to sleep
• Around 10:30 realize they are coming quickly and not letting up so call the on-call doctor.
• She says come in but we may send you home.
• Get to hospital around 11:30 - 8cm dilated!
• Around 1 am feel the need to push. Water still isn't broken (but bulging) so she breaks it - realizes I am only about 9 cm dilated (inner ring not "visible" due to water)
• Get epidural and oxygen because baby is having some distress
• Try to sleep until about 6 am
• Infection at some point - on antibiotics now as well
  
• Midwife comes in (new shift at 7) and try pushing - more distress
• Around 9 realize the baby isn't going to come out (she was not positioned right, may have been to big) so agree to c-section.
• Tell us baby will go to NICU after birth due to infection I have
• Baby born at 10:04 am
• Get to hold baby around 1pm

AHHHHHH!!!!!

This is a bout work. Since I know I have at least a few readers who are also college instructors/professors, I thought I would rant here!

I am teaching a course for the first time this semester. I somehow miscalculated points to make them add up to the numbers on the syllabus. So, back before Thanksgiving when one student pointed this out, I told them I would adjust the grades based on percentage by dividing by the possible points and then multiplying by the point values on the syllabus. Sounds simple enough - right? Well, I have had to explain it three times today so far! And it is a math class!

How hard is it to get - add them up, divide by x and multiply by y? They keep telling me my points don't add up to what you posted online. Yeah, that would be right! Why can't they get it?

Okay, now off to get more work done. Rant over...

Sleep and Procrastinating...

First, AJU5 has NOT been sleeping well lately! On average, she is going about 1.5 hours between screaming episodes. She seems to only be willing to nurse back to sleep or scream forever. AJU1 is out of town tonight and tomorrow night, so I might let her cry it out more. I want to get back to the 4-5 hours at least! I need more sleep (she is screaming right now - about 1 hour and 15 minutes after going down...)!

On another notes - her birthday (and party) are on Sunday! I still need to ourder her cupcakes... hopefully I can get that done tomorrow. I have meant to do it before, but it was going to be our last stop each time and she wasn't up for the stop... luckily I only want white cupcakes with white frosting and some sprinkles on top... it shouldn't be that hard for them!

Now to go somewhere else (other than the room right next to hers) to let her cry...

*** after 30 minutes of hearing her scream (while I stained some wood), I finally gave in and got her out of bed. I forced her (gently) to take a few sips of milk from her cup (we started milk last week because she has been biting more lately). Once she had a good drink, I let her nurse to sleep... now she is back down 45 minutes later... This is NO fun!

MILESTONES!

First, we got AJU5 to take steps yesterday! Some times she would go 3-4 steps before getting to the other parent without leaning too much. She went back and forth between us for a good 15 minutes. She just laughed and laughed each time. There is hope she will actually be walking at one year!

Second, she has learned about inflatable balls. We have one of the duck balls for her birthday inflated for her to play with. Somehow she got the plug out last night. I found her sitting on the floor sucking in the air. This morning I blew it back up. She cried because I plugged it back up. She spent a good five minutes trying to get it out (much slobber on the ball). So, I unplugged it. Now she is sucking the air out again... At least she likes it.

Finally, I finally dug out one of our old cell phones (they were still in a box in our closet). Now I don't have to worry about her making calls... And fighting to get my phone back...

Preparing for a Birthday Party

AJU5's birthday party is next Sunday (on her birthday). We are having it at our church before evening service (since a good portion of the guests are church members). The theme is ducks. I bought 48 miniature rubber ducks and twelve inflatable balls with ducks inside. I have also bought yellow plates and napkins and clear glasses. I still need to buy silverware. I had thought about baking cupcakes, but after realizing I would need more pans and decorating material, I am going to go store bought (it will probably end up costing about the same). Now I have to figure out snacks. Here are my current ideas:
Chips and salsa
Baby Carrots and Ranch Dressing
Apple Slices
Something with protein yet to be decided (possible cheese and crackers)

I will only have 3 hours between morning service and the party to get ready. The day before is the church holiday party, so I won't have much time then to prep things either. So, I want to keep things easy.

Any other suggestions?

Trip in Review...

We left last Monday morning for our trip to the in-laws. We fly Southwest with one de-planing in the middle. With the reduced number of flights, we now have a two hour lay-over each direction in Las Vegas (not my favorite of airports to say the least). AJU5 flew WONDERFULLY! She slept on all four flights! On the way there, we would get in our seat, install her car seat (the flights weren't full so they let us take her seat), and then top her off. I would then put her in her seat and give her a pretzel. Within minutes of takeoff she would be asleep! Once we are done flying, we have a bout 2.5 hours to car travel to the in-laws. This time we stopped twice on the way there. The first stop was about 30 minutes in for a little shopping and delaying. Then we went to my husbands aunt and uncle's for dinner (about 1 hour farther). We were there until AJU5's bedtime, which worked well in that I was able to top her off and get her to sleep just before we hit the road. Unfortunately she woke up fairly close to the in-laws and didn't go to sleep for a while...

Sleep was the hardest part of the trip. She didn't want to fall asleep on her own. We had to rock her until she was cmpletely out and then transfer her to her bed (or let her sleep in our arms for a nap). With the exception of the last two nights, she didn't sleep for more than 2.5 hours at a time either! Needless to say we were exhausted! On top of AJU5 being a sleep hinderance for us, the bed and pillows weren't great, so the sleep we did get wasn't the most comfortable...

AJU5 did get her first YoBaby though. She loved the stuff! We will have to go tot he grocery store tomorrow to get some (we did Costco today for the basics). She also get corn flakes which she liked. But we don't think she liked what we had for lunch on Sunday. We went to a "Chinese" place. I gave her some chicken (fried but the batter peeled off), french fries, and rice. She ate well, but ended up with a very upset stomach! We went through 5 diapers in about 6 hours! She also did a little spit up/throw up action in there too. Luckily once she got it all out of her she slept for 6 hours straight!

AJU5 also got a new word - CAT. The in-laws have an indoor cat named Kitty. AJU5 loved to watch her! She wasn't too interested in touching the cat, but whenever she saw her, she would smile (and stop crying if she had been upset). It Kitty was in my lap, she would come over and "ask" to sit in my lap too and just be near Kitty. It was fun to watch the two of them interact. Kitty would sit near AJU5 but not close enough to be touched. AJU5 would crawl over to Kitty, but normally wouldn't get close enough to touch her.

Teh in-laws bought this instead of a standard high chair. I think I prefer the regular high chair. Food kept falling between the table and the chair. Plus, it is a non-machine washable fabric that kept getting dirty. I washed it in the sink, but vinyl is a lot nicer...

ON the way home, we ended up being delayed in Las Vegas for over an hour. We ended up sitting at a gate other than the one we were to depart from because ours was packed with people on another flight that was delyed two hours (and took off just before ours). We ended up talking to a "couple" - high school seniors - one from Indiana and one from Austrailia. She (Indiana) had spent 5 months in Austrailia studying (friends of the family were there on sabbatical). She met him at school. So, when it was time for her to come back to the States, he came with her (it is summer there, so he was free to travel). They had been traveling for 40 hours so far and weren't to land in Indiana until 2 am local time after all of the delays. I felt sorry for them, but we did have a good time chatting with them while waiting!

Okay, I think that is it... Now that we are home I can be more diligent at reading blogs and posting comments!

MADE IT!

To day is the last day of November, and I have successfully posted on both of my blogs each day as part of NaBloPoMo.

I know the last week or so I have been struggling to write good posts. Sixty posts in a month is a lot! I don't know if I will do it again though. I think I prefer "quality" to quantity in my posts.

Did you do NaBloPoMo? What did you think of it? Would you do it (again)?

Z is for...

Zealous.

I am zealous about a lot of things, many of which I shouldn't be.

Things I should be zealous about:

• My faith
• My family

Things I shouldn't be so zealous about:

• Watching tv (most of which is pretty bad)
• Computers/internet

What are you zealous about?

Y is for...

Young.

I am the youngest in my family (3 older siblings). Around them, I am definitely young.

At church we are one of the youngest families (the youngest with kids - one couple younger than us). At evening services, we are definitely the youngest. So, I definitely feel young there.

AJU5 is the youngest on both sides of the family right now. She has no cousins on one side and 6 older cousins on the other side (11 months older - almost 8 years older). So, she is definitely young!

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On to other things... We are at the in-laws. They have a small farm, so when we come, AJU1 ends up spending a lot of time helping out around the place. So, what do I get to do? Help him mum... That normally means cleaning and some cooking. My husband loves coming out here, but I don't. I have a hard time explaining to him why it is so not fun for me. He has no sisters and only one sister-in-law. She lives close by, but works and doesn't get along with the MIL, so it is normally just the MIL and me - sometimes a grandmother as well. So, I am stuck trying to help them organize their house (and clean) while he gets to go play with big toys...

And on this trip AJU5 has been refusing to sleep well. So, I am trying to deal with a very cranky 11 month old. I really wish he were around more to play with her and get her happier. He did take her for about an hour this afternoon (I napped), but still...

I know he doesn't like being at my parents because my mom is a little annoying (we have a 3-4 day max around her - a "rule" set by my siblings and I that my dad completely understands). But, at least when we are there he has my BIL to hang out with... And there are other kids...

X is for...

Well, I can't think of an x word.

So, here is a post about something else...

Today was Thanksgiving. There is a lot to be thankful for:
A house
A job
Food
A wonderful husband
A beautiful daughter
Family
Friends

There are often times I forget about the little things - like clothes - that I should be thankful for. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

W is for...

Worn out!

Yesterday I was worn out. Today, I feel a little more rested. Monday night AJU5 refused to go to bed until one in the morning. She had slept a little bit in the car between 8 and 9, but then she woke up just before we got home. She was quite awake, so we let her play. Then we tried to go to bed around 10 or 11. She SCREAMED. Nothing w did helped calm her down. Finally my husband took her into another room and let her play for about an hour. She eventually crawled over to him and snuggled into his lap and fell sleep. He was then able to put her int he pack-n-play in the room we were in and she slept for about 2 hours at a time. I had to make sure she was completely asleep before putting her back. We have had to do the same thing all day yesterday and today - fall asleep in my arms and then put her down. At least it is working...

V is for...

Victorious.

I like to win. I hate losing. It is really bad when my husband and I play games - just the two of us - because we both hate losing. I want to be victorious. Luckily, we are both getting better at losing as we get older. But, it still isn't fun to loss.

In the future though, we are going to have to teach AJU5 that it is okay to lose. We aren't going to win all the time when we play games with her, but we also aren't going to let her win every time.

What V word describes you? How good of a loser are you?

U is for...

Unique.

I beat to my own drummer. AJU5 seems to be taking after me in this way as well.

Okay, I am tired. We just got to our destination. I didn't sleep too long last night. So, I can't think... hopefully tomorrow will be a better post.

On the positive, AJU5 traveled well. She slept on both flights and some in the car. She only had one melt down in the car, and that was less than 5 miles from a stop. It was definitely a blessing!

T is for...

TIRED!

Today, I am especially tired. AJU5 went to bed late, work up every hour for 4 hours, and then was up earlier than normal by about an hour. On top of that, we ended up spending the WHOLE DAY at church - 9 am to 7 pm. We normally get to church a little before 9. Then we leave around 12:30 and go back from 6 to 7. But, because it is Thanksgiving week, we moved the Tuesday night class to today (1-4). Then, our pastor is sick (little to no voice), so AJU1 had to bring the message tonight (he could have said no, but there aren't many options at our small church). So, instead of coming home for about 1.5 hours between class and evening service, we just stayed. And now I still need to pack because we leave tomorrow morning. Hopefully AJU5 will sleep well tonight or tomorrow while we travel...

S is for...

Successful.

If I set my eyes on something, I see it through the end. I make sure I am successful. If I don't think I can be successful, I normally won't try. AJU5 seems to be the same way. She won't stand alone because she "knows" she will fall down. She won't walk alone because, again, she is scared of failure. She is getting more courageous though. She let go twice today while playing standing up. They were only for a few seconds each, but it gives us hope that she will learn to walk before too long.

What S word best describes you or your child?

Q is for...

Quick.

Okay, I know I got off on the alphabet, doing R before Q. I blame it on Blogger. I have made a draft for each letter (and a possible adjective that I have changed in some of them already). Blogger then orders them based on when I first made the draft. So, when I took a day off, that one was above the drafts. And it confused me... So, now back to quick...

I tend to rush through things. I like to get them over with. Cleaning, eating, and general house chores are the biggest ones I rush through. AJU5 is also quick with the eating! She can down a cup of fruit faster than I think she can. She is also quick with getting to the bathroom via crawling and at emptying things out (cabinets, etc). I would also have to say she is a quick reader. Unfortunately, I don't think she is comprehending what she is reading. We will have to work on that when she gets bigger...

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Okay - I was a BAD mommy last night. But it wasn't purposeful. AJU5 woke up two hours after she went down. I let her nurse and put her back in bed. She cried, I tried it again after about 10 minutes of wailing. I had been getting ready for bed at this point and had accidentally gotten my sleeve wet. So, I didn't notice she was wet... Her diaper had come unhooked on one side. Her pj was wet. She was cold. There was a wet spot on her sheet. Luckily I realized it on try 3 and changed her. I then let her nurse AGAIN and put her to bed with only a few short cries. She then slept for 4 hours and another 4 hours! I can definitely deal with that kind of sleep!

R is for...

Rambling.

I tend to ramble. I am introverted by nature, so my social skills aren't always the greatest. I have a hard time determining when to shut up. This isn't a problem with people I don't know because then I just don't talk much at all. But with those I do know I tend to ramble on and on and on. I think I also ramble in the blog-o-sphere - both in my posts and in comments I leave. I just don't know when to stop!

AJU5 rambles in her own ways. She babbles nonstop some times. Other times she is very quiet. We plan on homeschooling (the public schools here are terrible!), so I am hoping I will be able to teach her not to ramble as much as I do.

Oh - when do I not ramble? I am very good at not rambling when it comes to writing papers. I hated page limits because I was normally done about a page too soon. So, then I HAD to ramble to meet the requirement (and it made the paper not flow as well). That might be where I picked the rambling up... Luckily since I will be teaching AJU5, she won't have to deal with page limits until college!

P is for...

Punctual.

I hate being late. Before AJU5, I was always EARLY. And by early, I mean 15 minutes or more most of the time. Now, with AJU5, I try to be early but it doesn't always happen. Luckily, we don't have too many places to be at certain times. It often takes me longer to get her ready to go than I expect. I forget something and have to run around the house trying to find it. I forget to pack something and have to rush to get everything ready. Luckily I don't think I have been late to anything with a true start time yet.

Are you punctual or are you one who likes to be late? Is there another P word that better describes you?

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The booster seat seems to be keeping AJU5 in her seat at meal times. I have yet to have to tell her to sit down. I don't think there is as much room between the seat and tray, so she can't get her feet up. I wonder how she will do at the in-laws... I don't know what kind of chair they got for her (she is the first on that side). It might be an adventure...

Taking a Break From the Alphabet...

We have know owned this house for one year! And we still aren't done remodeling it... Luckily we are almost there! We have cabinets, etc to install in the half bath (one cabinet arrived broken, so we need to wait until that gets here to finish it), redo the family room, and then install base board, door casing, and window sills downstairs. The upstairs is done minus two sets of bifold doors and a mast closet organizer. But, these projects aren't that important!

Here are a few pictures:

Kitchen Before and After:


Guest and AJU5's Rooms Before:


AJU5's Room After (Guest looks very similar - same color, etc):


Family Room Fire Place - Which We Plan on Refacing:


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In other news, I am looking at car seats fo AJU5. She was only 16 lbs 8.5 oz at 9 months, so she hasn't outgrown her infant seat. I hope she is 20 lbs by next month so she can be forward facing. She screams in the car a lot of the time now, and we think it is because she can't see us. But, I don't know what kind of car seat to get. The Britax as SO expensive that I am not going to go that way. I was thinking about forward facing only, but I am not sure anymore. I might go convertible that goes up to 65 lbs. Any ideas? I drive a 97 Chevy Cavalier which doesn't have a latch system. But, we want to get a new car in the next couple of years, so it will have latch...

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Finally, I thought last night was going to be a bad night of sleep. AJU5 got cranky around 4, so I put her down for an extra nap (her afternoon nap had been short though). When she woke up, she was EXTREMELY cranky. Nothing we did made her happy. She was a little warm, but she wasn't running a temp really. So, we just let her stay up and hang out with us. She went to bed 2 hours after I normally would have tried to get her down. She slept for 4 hours. Then for 2.5 hours and then for 3 hours. It was nice! And going to bed later isn't a big deal right now. We are going to be traveling west one time zone next week, so a later bed time is actually preferred...

O is for...

Old-fashioned.

So much of what I like is outdated or old-fashioned. I don't spend time getting the latest wardrobe. I prefer to wear jeans and solid tops most of the time. It doesn't matter what is in style - I will wear what is comfortable for me.

I also get called old-fashioned because I am a traditionalist. I think the parents are the best ones to teach and raise their kids. I am willing to give up my career to raise and teach my kids. We don't need to have all of the new toys either. We do have computers and an XBox 360, but that is because my husband loves technology. But, we currently don't have a TV. Our cars are 6 and 11 years old. We want to buy our next car for cash. We want to have our house paid off in 7-10 years from when we bought it. We don't have any debt other than the house.

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I almost had a heart attack this morning. I was eating my cereal and reading blogs when I glanced to see if AJU5 needed more food. She was OUT of her high chair! Her hands were on the countertop and only one food was perched on the tray to her high chair. It definitely scared me. I am now watching her a lot closer. Also, I am going to move her booster chair back downstairs and use that in the future. She is just too good and squirming out of the high chair. It doesn't have the shoulder straps, and she is skinny enough to wiggle out of the lap belt (which is tight when I put her in). Then she can fit between the tray and the back even though the tray is pushed all the way in...

I also didn't post about the fact she is 11 months old! Can you believe that? In a month she will have a birthday! We are planning on doing somethings mall at church that night - duck theme. Then my mom will do something for her when we are there for Christmas (the family doesn't live within 8 hours of here, so they won't be able to attend her party on her birthday).

Finally, I gave her cheese with lunch today. She seems to like it. I want to get her onto milk at a year. I want to have her weaned by anout 18 months (2 years at the latest). Her teeth are making it uncomfortable to breastfeed a lot of the time. She had rubbed one spot raw that is finally healing by changing positions...

N is for...

Nerdy.

I am a math nerd. That is all there is to it. I love to do (simple) math and logic problems. I get addicted to Sudoku - to the point I dream about it (well, before AJU5 when I dreamed). I didn't love school, but I was very grades oriented. So, I did well because I wanted the good grades. I wasn't a big reader until about 8 years ago. I am most likely dyslexic (never tested though), so reading was hard. Now I read a lot! Well, not as much these days as I would like with AJU5, but I do like to read.

What N word describes you?

M is for...

Mellow.

I can be very mellow and laid back. I like to go with the flow. I hate to disrupt things. Now, if you get enough sugar (or possibly caffeine) in me, my mellow state goes out the window. But, otherwise I am very low-key. We aren't ones to go out on a regular basis. AJU1 and I both grew up with few friends nearby. So, we are used to entertaining ourselves. A good weekend for us (prior to AJU5 and the house remodel) involved watching a movie or two, playing some on the XBox (AJU1 playing, me watching most of the time), and about once a month - a hike. The XBox involved friends both here and town and throughout the world (friends in the military stationed overseas, etc). I never liked going to clubs - they were just too crowded for me. So a mellow lifestyle is what I live...

Sorry for the rambling. It has been a busy day. We grouted the last of the tile, made a dump run, and went to a Ladies Meeting at church. All of that on top of a very bad night sleep (3, 1, 1, 1 - stayed up with AJU1 for 1, 2, 2 hrs sleep)! Hopefully I can think better tomorrow!

L is for...

Lazy.

I can definitely be lazy at times! Growing up, I would spend a lot of time in a chair in front of the TV. Now, I spend a lot of time at my desk in front of the computer. Or laying somewhere reading a book. I do get exercise - I try to take a walk with AJU5 at least every other day. We normally go shopping at least one day a week. So, I am not a complete bump on a log. But, I do love a lazy day!

Unfortunately, with a little one I cannot be completely lazy. She demands to be played with, fed, changed, and taken care of. So, the days of just vegging all day are gone. I am not looking forward to when I get pregnant again though! Morning sickness about killed me. I spent days just laying around and throwing up. I don't think I could be as lazy this next time because of AJU5...

Are you lazy? Is there another L word that better describes you?

K is for...

Knowledgeable.

Okay, it is sad about the variety of topics I know at least a little about. I blame it on going to a liberal arts college for undergrad and having a WEIRD memory. I remember little things but often forget big things. I can remember when someone told me something 5 years ago but I can't remember where I put my keys yesterday (well, not today, but about half of the time). Here is a short list of the topics I know something about:

Math
Exercise and Sport Science
Education
Tennis
Swimming
Basketball
NASCAR
Football
Bible/Christianity
Britain
Computers
Geography
States I won't mention for privacy reasons
Board Games and Card Games

I know there is more, but alas, I only remember things at weird times...
We are planning on homeschooling AJU5, so this should come in handy at least!

J is for...

Juvenile.

I have a tendency to act like a little kid sometimes. I whine, I complain, and I in general don't always act my age. I normally don't do it in public luckily. I think part of it is because I was the youngest and was treated like a baby for a while. Part of it is that I just don't want to grow up. But, now that I have a child of my own, I need to work on growing up and getting over my juvenile ways. How am I going to teach her not to do the things I do? "Not as I do, but as I say" doesn't work too well!

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I have been posting some on the Circle of Moms (Facebook). Some people are very opinionated there! One person posted on my wall because I let my daughter cry some times! Hello - I can't make her be happy 24/7! Some times I just have to let her cry it out because that is really the only way she will get in a better mood. Luckily, I am not the only one that is posting about letting them cry sometimes...

Also - new lesson learned a few minutes ago: check AJU5's socks before putting her down. I normally check her hands and her shirt, but today she got pear on the bottom of her foot. It then ended up on the stairs... Luckily I caught it early enough that it didn't make a big mess!

I is for...

Indecisive!

I am definitely indecisive. AJU1 and I get into arguments because I refuse to decide sometimes. Making decisions for myself isn't too hard. Making decisions for AJU5 isn't bad yet either. But making a decision for another person who may have an opinion is HARD. I don't want to make the wrong decision. So, I often refuse to make one at all. I am getting better at it though. I think it is because I know what I want more. If I have a strong opinion then I am not afraid to voice it. But, I still struggle when I don't care either way. How can you make a decision when you don't have any feelings on the matter?

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In other news, AJU5 is still having sleeping issues. She was up about every two hours last night. AJU1 even tried to get her back down after the first wake-up, but the only think that would calm her was playing (other than nursing). I think she might be getting molars...

She is eating well though. She has had two pears already today (4 halves - canned)! She has also had some cheerios, chicken, peas, and veggie sticks. She does love to eat!

H is for...

Healthy.

I have had good health my whole life - well, other than pesky ear infections as a kid because I lived in a pool during the summers. I missed two days of school for illness - one for the Chicken Pox (I got it over Christmas break, so I only needed one final day at home) and once for some sort of bug that caused me to throw up a bunch. As an adult, I have had two kidney infections (one while pregnant) and the flu once. And I blame the flu on those pesky school kids I was around while subbing!

AJU5 has had one cold - that is it. It was a long week, but we haven't had to go to the doctor for illness yet! She MIGHT have had an infection at birth because I got one during labor, but they never proved it. The home health care nurse that came and visited four times said once that she was disgustingly healthy!

I just hope we can continue this streak of being healthy! I am not a huge fan of doctors, so the fewer times we have to go, the better!

What H word describes you or your child? Are you prone to being healthy or sick?

G is for...

Grateful.

I am grateful for all of the things I have: a loving husband, an adorable little girl, a nice house, a job that lets me work from home, a good church, family that is there for me when I need them. How much of this do I deserve? None. I think these are all gifts from God and often need to remind myself of this...


Sorry this post is lacking much thought. I am exhausted! AJU5 didn't go to sleep until 9:30 last night. We tried to put her down at 6:30. Then at 7, I went in and topped her off since she was crying and hadn't nursed much before bed. At 7:30, she was screaming, so I picked her up and tried to rock her to sleep. She heard my husband on his computer and became very "awake." So, we let her play until 8:30ish. I topped her off again and put her in bed. Before too long she was screaming again! So, my husband played with her while I finished painting the ahll and aprt of the bathroom downstairs (we were going to do it together...). When I was almost done, they came downstairs for water. I then topped her off again and put her to bed. She slept for 3 hours. Then for 1 hour. Then for two hours. Two more hours. Finally one hour (it was 7am - her normal wake-up time). She is down for a nap now, but we need to go to church soon... Hopefully she doesn't better tonight!

F is for....

Fearful.

I am AFRAID of heights. I almost lost it Thursday night when we were installing a new light in our entry way. I had to stand three steps up and hold the monstrosity while my husband got it attached. But, we made it... I am also afraid of bugs and spiders. I have gotten a little better at killing them, but it is only for AJU5's safety. If AJU1 is home, I try to make him do it (he doesn't like them either). I am also afraid of failure. Sometimes I refuse to try something because I think I will fail (or not do a good enough job).

AJU5 is afraid of standing on her own. Or walking with only one hand sometimes. She drops as soon as we let go most of the time. She will talk one handed if the other hand is occupied (with a spoon for example), but otherwise she will just stand there and wait until we give her the second hand. The stairs can also be scary to her. She is GREAT at going up. She doesn't even think twice most of the time. But, she isn't so sure about going down... She does like to play a "chase me" game where she crawls to the top of the steps and acts like she is going down, but most of the time she stops well short (which is good!).

What "F" work would you use to describe yourself or your child? What are you afraid of?

E is for...

Efficient

I have to be efficient with just about everything these days. If i am not efficient enough, AJU5 becomes a ball of tears because I am not playing with her. I have to grade as efficiently as possible. I have to clean as efficiently as possible. I have to shop as efficiently as possible. Some times I can take my time, but I definitely have to judge it on her mood at the moment and if I can entertain her in the process.

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Now, a question:
I have a bunch of clothes (hand-me-downs) that I don't think I will ever put AJU5 in. Should I donate them to Goodwill or to the local crisis pregnancy center?

(Note: My friend who passed them down has no issues with me passing them on.)

D is for...

Determined.

There are quite a few descent choices for D actually, but i have chosen to go with determined. AJU5 is definitely determined to do some things. She will crawl over anything to get to what she wants. She will cry until we give into her request some times. She will refuse a substitute if it isn't exactly what she wants.

I am also determined most of the time. Once I set my mind to doing something, I see it to completion. It doesn't matter how hard it gets, I will keep going. In college, I was this way with some of the activities I was involved in. I had made the commitment to them, and I wasn't willing to back down even though my schedule was crazy! I ended up being involved in a social sorority, a service fraternity, two honor societies, two department organizations, and two varsity sports*. I also had 17 credits int he spring... I made it through though and enjoyed most of it. I have a hard time quitting. I don't like to admit defeat or weakness. As a result, I tend to push myself farther than I need to. So, being determine is both a good and a bad attribute for me.

*I went to a SMALL university - about 1500 students total. We competed in Division III athletics. I am not great at either sport, but my determination made me competitive especially in tennis (I would just wear my opponents out sometimes).

Sort of Wordless Wednesday

During Wednesday Night Bible Study at Church (a few weeks ago):

I posted on my other blog about the election. If you feel that Obama will bring hope (and I know many of you do), please read my post and comment!

Now back to grading exams...

Houston, we have a problem...

So after the shower (see other post from today), I realize AJU5 has a poopy diaper. So, I change her. She is yawning and looks tired, so I put her in bed (second attempt at a nap - first attempt was before the shower). She doesn't seem to be sleeping, but I don't get her until she is truly crying. She is standing in bed - NAKED! I hadn't put clothes on her because her pjs were wet (from the shower) and she was do for a bath this morning. The diaper was on her pillow... Luckily, she didn't make any messes in her bed. So, I picked her up, carried her to the bathroom for her bath, and called my husband to tell him... Now she is down for her nap in a diaper and onsie.

I guess I can't let her play in just a diaper anymore...

C is for...

Cranky and Critical

I couldn't pick just one...

First, there are definitely times I am cranky. Sleep deprivation, a not so happy child or husband, and work are the normal causes. So times I deal with my crankiness well. Other times, I take it out on those around me. I put AJU5 in her room and let her cry when she just wants to be held. I yell at my husband or am just snappy around him. I retreat into my little box and hide (not a real box though...). Luckily, I am learning to do better with my emotions. I still get frustrated and cranky, but I don't resort to the worst of my habits during those times. If it is work or AJU5, then we go for a walk a lot of the time. If it is my husband, then I tell him why I am upset and get over it...

Critical - this is one of my majors flaws I think. I am quick to judge a lot of the time. I don't verbalize by critical feelings towards others. Instead, they just rattle around in my head. I try not to judge the person at least, but I am not always able to do this. I find myself watching people and saying in my head, "I will not do that" or "Wow, that person is ___". As I have faced some of the challenges I have judged others about, I have realized that maybe they weren't doing anything wrong. For example, I was shocked that our friends just let their kids go into the backyard and play. I thought I would always be keeping an eye on my kids until they were at least 4 or 5. But now I let AJU5 play out of sight as long as I know she is in a safe place (i.e. can't get to the stairs or construction zones).

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AJU5 has learned how to open our shower door... it made for a "fun" shower this morning! I had one hand keeping the door shut while the other hand was busy shaving my legs. She is no longer allowed in the bathroom while I shower!

B is for...

Bravery.

Now, I don't have to be that brave most days, but AJU5 is certainly getting brave! She almost crawled onto the tray of her highchair this morning (luckily I got her down and out before that happened). Other times, she isn't so brave. She is scared to stand on her own - dropping almost immediately after we let go of her hands. But on the flip side again, she is fine with "strangers" most of the time (unless she is hungry or sleepy).

I know when she gets older I am going to have to put on a brave face when we go to the doctors office and such. She has also made me more brave in a way already. I am very introverted. But, with her (and because my husband makes me), I am having to be more outgoing and do things I wouldn't have done otherwise. It is still a struggle sometimes, but we are both working on the bravery!

What is your favorite b adjective to describe yourself (that isn't a bad word)?

A is for...

Active. Being a wife and mother definitely keeps me active. Between the chasing around of AJU5 and the basic household chores, I don't have too much time to be lazy. Now, I love to just sit and read or watch tv, so being a mom and wife is probably a good thing.

My sisters and my mom have all dealt with weight problems. I am 4 inches (or more) taller than all three of them, but I weigh the least most of the time. My mom has lost a lot of weight in the last two years through strict dieting and walking. But I don't think she would have done this without some health concerns popping up (blood pressure, early signs of diabetes, etc). My sisters don't have that push yet. As a result, I try to be more active than I have to - taking AJU5 for walks, etc.

What A words would you use to describe yourself as a mom and/or wife?

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As a way to keep the posts going for the month, I am going to post about a different adjective/letter each day. There will also be a few other posts throughout - like AJU5's 11 month birthday and Thanksgiving. Hopefully I can come up with some good adjectives!

To NaBloPoMo or Not....

November is the national blogging month where they want you to blog daily. Now I have to decide if I am going to do it or not. The biggest problem will be Thanksgiving while we are at the in-laws for a week. I don't know if I will be able to blog then or not. I could set up post to automatically post for those days, but I am not sure.

Last night went fairly well. We got our first trick-or-treaters when we were getting ready to go vote. I was upstairs looking to see if we needed our voter id cards or not when the door bell rang. Since I was upstairs, AJU1 got the opportunity to give out candy at Halloween for the first time in his life! We then went a voted - NO LINE! - in a swing state! It was a great choice of when to vote. I will post a picture of AJU5 outside of the voting place later. When we got home, we went ahead and turned on the lights (since I was making dinner anyways). We got more than I expected. We turned off the lights when we went upstairs to put AJU1 to bed. We got one more set of kids while we were getting her in her pjs, and then it was quiet the rest of the night.

Now we are getting ready to go on a short hike this morning with one of my husband's coworkers and his 5 year old son. We are only going as far as the 5 year old can go, so it should be a lot shorter than last weekend! Now to go get ready...

Halloween

My husband never celebrated Halloween growing up. Part of it is because of our beliefs, and part of it is that up until he was 13, it was over a mile to the nearest neighbors (other than his grandparents). The past 6 years we haven't done anything. One year we did play games at a friend's house, last year we had church, and every other year we locked ourselves in our home and watched tv or a movie in the back room. The back room in this house is one of the two rooms that isn't done, so we can't just act like we aren't home. So, we bought some tracts and some candy to hand out if anyone comes by. We aren't going to turn on the front porch light, but the office is on the front of the house and we will probably turn on the upstairs hall light which is visible through the entryway window (two story entry)...

Did we dress AJU5 up? No. She is wearing an orange shirt with a squirral and fall leaves on it. So, she is sort of in a Halloween outfit. I thought about putting her in her cheerleading outfit, but I decided to save it for tomorrow (big game against the other team I root for!).

So, why are we not all for Halloween? Well, first there is the pagan background. We (as a nation) have moved away from some of this, but the ghosts and goblins are still part of the day. Also, there is all of the scary things that I don't think kids need to be exposed to. Plus, what is the redeeming quality of the day? Dressing up? Candy? I think you can give your kids an opportunity to do these things at other times of the year. We will have dress-up constumes and probably have at least one themed birthday party. Candy will be allowed in moderation at other times of the year (and even at Halloween when she is older).

What about Fall Parties? We aren't against these but we also are for them. We go to a really little church, so we don't have one. If the curch did have one, we might go. It just depends...

Feel free to comment about your thoughts on Halloween. Some of our best friends celebrate it - others don't. It is a personal decision...

Wordless Wednesday - Drinking and Driving?

Sunday...

Our church had a cook out on Sunday. So, we were at church for about 7 hours (we skipped evening service because we were so tired already). AJU5 had a lot of fun though. During Sunday School, she happily (and nicely) played with E who is 9 months older than her. Then, during service she napped in my arms. She was hungry before the food was ready, so that lead to some cries, but she survived with snacks until I could get her some chicken (we had cheerios and raisins with us). She got to play with grass, eat outside while listening to music, and play with all of the toys in the classroom with Daddy.

Then, last night she slept like a champ -well, sort of. I didn't have to get up for about 8 hours. SHe did whimper a few times, but it never lasted long enough (or was loud enough) to warrant me getting her. Sarah asked how 8 hours of sleep feels - well, I haven't gotten that yet. She has us trained to wake up at night. But 8 hours in bed is great! I didn't sleep great last night because I had a nap when we got home from church, but I am not dragging too much today.

AJU5 is also getting better at "sharing" and stacking. She will give us toys and try to put her stackers in a pile sometimes! It is great to see her play grow!

Saturday...

We went for a 6 hour hike on Saturday... all uphill (well, there are some flat spots, but it is generally all uphill). Then we had a game night with friends (he went with us, she is 8 months pregnant and was at work...). It was a long but great day!

Before we started off - AJU5 fell asleep as I was waiting for the guys to get back from dropping the car off at the destination.


At the "throne" - the place we take a picture each time (it is an annual hike for us).


Eating on the trail...


Diaper Change Time...


Asleep on the "flat" part.

Eight Hours - What????

That is right - AJU5 slept for 8 hours straight last night! She went down at 6:30ish and then work up between 9 and 9:30. I got her up, let her say hi to her daddy (who was home from his trip), and let her nurse. I didn't her from her for over 4 hours. Some time between 1 and 4 (I don't remember what the clock said - I was sleepy), I heard her cry. I got up and went to her door. But, she was already quiet again (we are right next door - so it must have just been a need to find the paci cry). I then didn't remember anything until 6 this morning! That meant I also didn't hear my husband get up, etc. (he leaves for work before 6). Although 6 is still an hour and a half before she normally gets up, I let her come into the room with me. She played and laid in bed with me (off an on between the bed and playing) until 7 when she demanded breakfast (30minutes to an hour earlier than normal). She has already had lunch - again early - and is down for her second nap. Hopefully she will sleep well tonight! We have a busy day tomorrow and Sunday, so I would prefer both of us to be in good moods!

Last Night (and a little of this morning)

So, we had class at church last night. I thought AJU5 would fall asleep in the car on the way there because she was so tired. But, she didn't. Then I tried to get her to go to sleep at 7:30 (class starts at 6:30), and she refused. She woudn't even rest her head on my shoulder while I held her standing up. So, we gave up and went back to sit down next to AJU1. Then, at 8:30, she was getting cranky just sitting with us, so I tried to get her to fall asleep by rocking her standing up. Then I noticed she smelled bad. So, we went back to the kid's room to change her. It was just gas... but while we were back there she started to play (happily) with the toys. So, I just let her play until the end of class. She fell asleep int he car ont he way home, and I was able to get her into the bed without much of a fuss. Then, 2 hours later she was awake. So, I let her nurse (she hadn't done this since 7:30ish), gave her some gas drops, and got her back to sleep. Then, she woke up an hour later screaming like a banshee. So, I got up to calm her down, let her nurse a little (because nothing else was calming her down), and went back to bed. Thirty minutes later, she was screaming AGAIN. So, I tired to walk around with her to get her to calm down. It didn't work, so AJU1 came to give it a try. He wasn't successful either. Eventually, I decided to try and see if she would sleep with us (she hasn't wanted to sleep with me since we started to train her to sleep in her bed). After some nursing-for-comfort-only, she fell asleep on my arm. She slept for about three hours like this. Only two problems though... at the two hour mark, my arm was hurting and I woke up to hear my computer playing kids music (for church tonight). I had the CD in, so when I computer woke itself up it started to play it! So, I had to slip my arm out from under her, go and turn off the music, and then go back to bed. Then she woke up less than an hour later. So, after some nursing, she fell asleep for an hour. Then more crying... sleep for less than an hour... crying... I eventually gave up at 6:45 and took her to her room to play. I laid on the floor (where there are two body pillows and a blanket) dosing in and out for 45 minutes. Then I thought she was sleepy, so I put her to bed. After about 5 inutes, I realized she wasn't going to sleep, so I went to the bathroom, etc, and then got her up for breakfast. She has had about a 30 minutes nap since breakfast...

We think the crankiness is either the result of a nightmare or teeth (she has three teeth now - and the other top one might be coming in). She also has a stuffed up nose (like I do) to add to the mix (nice weather change to do that to us...). Hopefully she will sleep better tonight. AJU1 is on a business trip tonight, so I am alone in dealing with her if she doesn't sleep well...

CRIB!

AJU5 is now sleeping a a crib. We do have one issue with it though - the pacifiers are getting thrown overboard. This means she cries when she can't find one. So, I am off today to get bumpers for the crib in hopes they will keep the pacifiers in... Saturday night she didn't sleep well, but she was off schedule all day (lunch and afternoon nap were totally off schedule!). But, last night she did well. She went for almost 5 hours and then 2 hours and then 5 hours. I bet if I had looked at the clock at the 2 hour one and let her cry she would have gone longer.

As for finding a babysitter - ours all go to church somewhere on Wednesday nights. Sunday nights she normally does okay because she gets her naps and food later due to morning church. She normally has dinner during evening service, and we normally get home by 7:15. Tuesdays are are pain, but we will be over with those in December (I am not going to take the class in the spring). So, it is just Wednesday nights that can be hard. Service tends to run late and she has had dinner before we go (she does get snacks at church though)... My current hope is to get her on a 7:00pm bedtime schedule, so then that won't be so bad either.

We are slowly starting the weaning process. She is now getting a sippy of milk (mine). I will run out of it this week (I just pumped occasionally April-June), and then I am going to use the free formula we got when she was born. I calculated that we have enough for one 6-oz serving a day until she turns 1 (and gets cow's milk). Then we will try for two sippy cups of milk, etc. Hopefully we can get to totally weaned by 18 months... but I am not too stressed over it (it isn't that bad, etc).

Now to go shopping!

Rambling Again...

Yesterday I bought AJU5 a crib mattress. I ended up going with the Simmons Faraway Dream Ultra from Baby Depot (Burlington Coat Factory). It was only $59.99, so I hope it is a decent mattress. Target didn't have any Simmons mattresses at our store, and Babies-r-Us was expensive. I haven't been able to find anything out about this exact mattress, so hopefully it is as good as the other Simmons mattresses commented on (thanks for the suggestions!).

We should get the crib today or tomorrow, so I will have infor about her sleeping then.

When I first read on Becca's blog that Charlies's bed time was 6:30, I was shocked! I thought that was SO early. I thought why is he going to bed so early? No AJU5 seems to want to go to bed between 6:30 and 7.... The only problem is that we have church until 7ish two nights a week (Tuesdays we are out way past her bedtime, but we won't go there). The other thing on my mind is what are we going to do at Thanksgiving when we are west one time zone? Will she adjust like we do (we will be there one week) or will she want to go to bed around 5:30? I wish I could get her to go to bed at 7:30, but then she doesn't sleep as well. So, early bed time it is 4 days a week...

Got to go chase AJU5 downt he hall and see if hubby needs help witht eh window removal (and replacement later)...

Ramblings... A Post of Many Topics...

Topic One - First Experience Teaching Little Kids...
Last night I took the leap of faith and started teaching the kids on Wednesday nights at our church. We had just been letting them play, but since I was having to go back their with AJU5 (she isn't big enough to play on her own with other kids yet), the pastor and I thought we might as well do some lessons. We are using the Veggie Tales Connections material, which is pretty good. It is meant for larger groups than ours, but it hasn't been hard to adapt to our church. Last night I had a 6.5 year old, a 5 yr old, a 3.5 yr old, a 19 month old that didn't really participate at all, AJU5, and a 12 year old helper. It went pretty good when AJU5 was happy. But, there were the cranky times that were hard...

Topic Two - Not Getting Baby to Bed When She is Tired...
The last two nights have been hard. Tuesday nights we have class at church until a little after 9. I try to get AJU5 to sleep on the floor with her blankets and pillow, but she isn't too keen on this. This week she slept for about 30 minutes and then was a total cranky-pants until we got home and her into bed. She then decided to only sleep for 3 hours at a time...
Last night we got home from church around 7:30 - which is when she is normally getting into bed. AJU1 was installing baseboards in her room (he didn't get home from work early enough to go to church). So, she didn't get to go to bed until a little after 8. She then woke up every two hours (10, 12, and 2). At 2:30, she was screaming again. This time AJU1 went and laid down on the floor with her. Eventually she fell asleep and he was able to put her into her bed. She did sleep from then until about 7 though luckily! We don't have any late nights planned until Sunday (get home around 7/7:30), so hopefully that will help her sleep better!

Topic Three - Houdini!
AJU5 managed to work her way out of the belt on her high chair last night. Our friends have an extra booster seat (the very portable kind that we actually use at church), so they are going to give it to us. Hopefully this will keep her in her seat when I am trying to cook dinner while she has a snack! I did not enjoy turning to see how she was doing and seeing her standing up!

Topic Four - AJU5's Room!
Her room is almost done - well, in terms of remodeling at least. As I mentioned earlier, AJU1 got the baseboards installed last night. I still need to go around and fill the holes and touch up a little paint on the wall. AJU1 also has to install a valence board over her closet doors to cover up the metal track. The board needs one more coat of poly (to be applied tonight), cut to length, and installed. We should be able to get it in by Friday morning at the latest (he has this Friday off).

Topic Five - Cold Weather
It was supposedly in the upper 40's when we left for the library story time today. So, I put AJU5 in a light weight jacket, hat, mittens, and put a blanket over her for the walk, Once we got to the corner, I realized it was warm enough for her not to have her mittens (she didn't like them anyways - she couldn't pick up anything!). On the way home, I just put her jacket on her. It is so hard to know what to put her in these days... I want to keep her warm but I don't want her to sweat as well. My body is weird with temperatures, so it isn't always a good gauge. Now I can't wait for the day when she can tell me she is cold or hot!

Topic Six - Warning: Some People May Find This Gross!
AJU5 loves raisins. The only problem is she doesn't seem to really digest them. They come out looking like raisins! Have you had this experience? I don't think it is a big issue, but it sure does look funny!

Paci Wars - Well, Sort of...

AJU5 is becoming more and more opinionated and smart. At night, when she gets up to nurse, I normally try to grab a pacifier out of her bed in the process. My goal is to put it in while I am carrying her to her bed. Well, she won't take it anymore! She keeps her lips closed and even moves her head away from it. The problem is that once I lay her down she screams without the paci. So, I have to put it in quickly. I think she is almost ready to give it up completely - but she isn't quite there yet. She only gets them in bed or when we are out of the house. There are a few of her non-favorite ones floating around, but she normally only plays with these and doesn't use them for more than a minute. The pacifier no longer works as a stop-gap if she is hungry - she does the same thing she does when I put her in bed. So, as soon as she stops screaming when I put her down at night and waking with a paci in her mouth (sometimes not the one she started with even), then it will go away completely.

In other news, last night started off weird. She went down 30 minutes to an hour before normal due to extreme crankiness and sleepiness. She woke up about 3 hours later, right as my husband and I were getting in bed. She started the very made screams, so I went and let her nurse. She then slept for 6 hours followed by 3 hours. Technically, she only woke me up once! I am not actually sure if she woke me up that time or if I woke up first because 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep - I haven't had that in over a year!

Finally, she is 10 months old today. It is hard to believe she is already 10 months old. This year is just flying by. There are only two more months before she turns a year old. I have started to think of what to get her for her birthday and what to put on the list for Christmas, but if you have any big winners of things for a one year old who should be walking by then, let me know (she walks with one hand now...)

Trying for 4 - Takes 1 and 2

So, Friday night we started to make AJU5 go 4 hours at night without us getting her. Friday didn't start out well, with her crying after only 3 hours. But, she didn't get too upset when we made her wait for an hour. She then made if 3.5 hours or so. The 30 minutes of crying off an on was hard, but she made it. Then she went for about two hours and wanted to be awake.

Last night she did a little better to begin with - waking just before 4 hours. Then she went for over 5 hours! Now, if she can keep that up... We did move my computer out of her room yesterday. It is kind of loud, so maybe that helped. Her fan makes some noise, but it is a better sound than my computer I think.

We are finally getting her a crib here soon. Our friends were gifted with a barely used one when they thought they would need two. But, they moved the 18 (almost 19) month old into a toddler bed instead of keeping her in a crib (they have an almost 1 month old now too). So, I just need to buy a crib mattress. Do you have any suggestions for a relatively inexpensive one? I don't want to spend over $75 on it, but I want it to last and be fairly comfortable (remember, she has been sleeping in a pack n' play all her life basically, so it doesn't have to be too soft).

Late Night...

We were out until almost 9 last night at Lowe's, where we spent too much money... Luckily we did get a lot of stuff - 5 doors, shelving for 3 closets, a weedwacker, cabinets, and a utility sink. AJU5 fell asleep in my arms around her bedtime, but she woke back up as our friend was loading the big things into his truck. Well, I think she woke up because I sat down on the tailgate to rest actually. Luckily, she was fairly happy at this point (although sleepy) and didn't cry until she was put in her car seat (and then when we got home). She slept like she has been the last few nights - at least 2.5 hours at a time. But, she was up early this morning and is now napping. Tonight we start the 4 hour sleeping...

Oh - Bug Story...
There was a big bug on my car when we got to it int he parking lot last night. It was crawling on the roof and jumping when I shut the doors. Somehow it managed to stay attached to the car on the ride home - which include about 4 miles on a 50 mph road. Unfortunately, he jumped off before I could get his picture... I did get a picture of AJU5 in her car seat though - because she was all smiles for the camera at that point (but cried as soon as i put it away).

I hear a voice in her room - so I better go get her out of bed (although she does sound content at this point)...

Chapped Lips...

We had story time again today at our library. Shortly after we got there I noticed AJU5 had a little bit of blood on her lip. After closer inspection, I realized that her top lip was chapped and cracked. Unfortunately I didn't have any chap stick on me. But, I took care of it when we got home. She now has her own chap stick that I plan on putting on daily.

She also had fun walking around the library pushing the stroller. There are times when I have to help her, but she walks just fine. She is now even willing to walk one-handed when she is in the mood. Unfortunately it is not so easy for me to walk so slow and bow-legged to let her walk. But, I will keep doing it because she enjoys it and gives her exercises!

Now back to grading - my least favorite part of teaching!

Tooth #3!

Tooth #3 has finally poked through! It is the top left one. Now, we are just waiting on the top right one. Then I might have a happy baby again!

Baby Time-Out and Other Odds and Ends

So, AJU5 is getting cranky more and more often. She shows signs of being tired, and nothing I do makes her happy - well, other than standing up and holding her which wears me out! So, I put her in her bed and shut the door for a few minutes. If I hear her playing (and not upset), I will go get her. Other times, she falls asleep. But, it seems to be working. I didn't realize time-outs would work this young!

Now, to catch up on her sleeping. Saturday night/Sunday morning she went for almost 6 hours! Then, Sunday night/Monday morning it was a struggle to get her to do 3 hours at a time. Last night was better. I let her nurse around 10, although it had only been 2.5 hours (but we were trying to go to sleep and she had been crying for a while). Then she did 2 four hour stretches. Tonight will be a challenge. We have class at church until 9:15ish, and most of the time she refuses to sleep there. So, we will see how she does.

She did do something for the first time yesterday though. We had gone to my work to see everyone. She had two rings in her hands (one in each) and we were walking around. She let go of my hand and walked with only one hand. She had refused to do this before - sitting down whenever I let go of her one hand.

Finally, AJU1 made a big mistake this morning - he took AJU5's lunch instead of his. Luckily the food items were almost identical. The problem is the quantities. So, he will be hungry when he gets home!

Trying for 3 hours - Takes 2 and 3

Thursday night wans't as good as Wednesday night - but still I am not complaining. AJU5 went to bed a little later than she had wanted (because we weren't home until 7:30), and I think that hurt her. She was up just before 10:30 and then again at 1:30. From there, she slept until 5:15 and got up around 7. All in all, it wasn't bad.

Last night she went down just after 7. We (AJU1 and I) heard her cry around 8:45, but we did nothing. She was awake again around 11. Then she cried again around 1, but since it hadn't been 3 hours, I let her go. She eventually went back asleep and slept until 3. Then she slept until 7 (when we got up).

The plan is to keep with the 3 hours for the week. Next Friday we will go for 4 hours each time. I know she can go 4 hours without nursing, so it is just a matter of training her to do so.

In other (silly AJU5) news, she decided to eat dinner last night with a plate from the door knob (the part that goes around the latch on the door) in her hand. It didn't slow her down any though. She ate all the chicken I had set aside for her plus a bunch of green beans. She was just shoveling it in last night - as soon as she got one piece in her mouth , her hand was picking up the next piece. It is amazing how much and how fast this little one can eat!

Trying for 3 hours - Take 1

5:50-7:00 Dinner and church. Dinner consists of fries, hamburger bun, hamburger meat, and raisins (great meal - I know...)
7:05 Nurse
7:15 Diaper Change and Pajama Time
7:20 In Bed
9:15 I head down stairs to stain some trim, etc. I think I hear her upstairs, but I don't do anything.
10:05 Head upstairs and check on her - she is starting to wake up
10:10 Nurse
10:15 Back in Bed and asleep!
11:00 hour Hear her a few times but don't get up
1:30 Check on her - she is waking again so I go and get her up and let her nurse
1:40 Back in bed!
4:30 I wake up - listen and hear nothing so fall back asleep
5:30 Same as 4:30
6:15 She is crying so I go in and let her nurse and lay down together
6:45 I move back to my bed because she is too squirmy to sleep with
7:15 I hear her up but I let her play
7:30 I get up

Wow - she did great! tonight we will try it again!

Wordless Wednesday - Take 2!

Wordless Wednesday - Our Current Sleeping Arrangment

This will one day be the office, but for now, it is where she sleeps and where I have slept about 90% of the time...