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So much of what I like is outdated or old-fashioned.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...