I saw this photo of a newspaper excerpt on my Facebook feed today and man, did I *like* the junk out of it.
Do you feel you get enough sleep? Chances are, if you're a parent of small children, probably not. Nearly every mom I talk to says the minute their kid(s) go to bed is the time they take to get things done around the house or do something for their own leisure. Plus, with TV, social media and our smartphones, sometimes it's impossible to disconnect and really hit the hay.
This has been on my mind lately as I've thought about how crazy kids can get when they're overly-tired; imagine how it must be draining to us adults as well on so many different levels: physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Not giving our bodies a chance to renew itself every night takes its toll.
So, here's my confession that I need to do a better job of "unplugging" and hop into bed at an earlier hour, and also not to feel guilt that I don't jump out of bed in the morning like Greg but instead to try to catch a few more Z's until I'm the only responsible adult left in the house.
Also, here's a handy tool to help you figure out what time to go to bed if you're trying to get the most restful sleep based on REM cycles. Check it out! http://sleepyti.me/
As we start to say goodbye to the month of September, I realize we're closing the gap on Gabe's first year. Come October, he'll be 11 months, and before I know it, 1 year old in November. This has been one of the fastest years of my life. If I'm honest with myself, I'd have to say I'm going to be kind of sad to see it go. Babies are only babies for so long!
To quote from a poem:
by Ruth Hulbert Hamilton
Not me.
The days are long, but the years are short. If you need me, I'm gonna be with these peeps for a while...
I have stopped and started so many blogs in the last couple of weeks; it seems I never sit down long enough to finish a complete post and have it the way I like it. I feel like I'm on the verge of another change or shift in mentality, and this changing has me questioning my blogging-ness. As if that were a word.
birthday girl enjoying a cupcake
So, instead, let's just play catch up!
...and enjoying the cupcake batter
Mia's birthday and birthday party went swimmingly. If less is more than we certainly scored on that front. For now, park playdates doubling as birthday parties are a big win in mine and Greg's book. It was minimal upkeep while still providing fun, some outdoor activities in the FL sun, and the chance for parents to mingle while their kids burned off some steam.
We met several of ours and Mia's friends at the park on Saturday morning, decorated the covered (and tiny) pavilion area, and went for it. Mia's really been into Hello Kitty lately, so her cupcakes--which, I tried my best, but they still melted a bit--were decorated with a little HK flair. Our other sides were grapes, cheese, crackers, and chips & salsa. Can't really go wrong there.
Hello Kitty!
It's kind of crazy that on the very same day we celebrated our munchkin's 3rd birthday with lots of her friends, Gabe & I packed up to head northward to Indiana. We flew out early Saturday evening with a nonstop flight into IND. Thankfully, Gabe did super well on the flight and even had he not, we sat next to two soon-to-be grandparents who were pleasantly more than thrilled to sit next to a mom and baby. The guy even motioned to his wife, and said, "Honey, do you want to sit here next to the baby?" Not usually the response you get on a plane.
Gabe chilling at Mia's party
Being in Indiana was good. It was good to see family, extended and immediate, and remember Mamaw's life. Rediscovering your roots is a little bit grounding, so it was helpful for me in a way to get out of my normal zone and think about other things -- some important things -- while I had the chance. I get so easily caught in my own life, even though it's not all that complicated, that although it came in the form of a death, I was thankful for a "reprieve." I also find it comforting that even at a time of loss, we're still encouraged and still inspired. Call it the circle of life or just call it God, but having that helped me move on.
Gabe at the TPA airport
Landed! at the IND airport waiting for Uncle J
Gabe hanging in his "chair" at M & PJ's
Mommo's fav: Gabe falling asleep on her at the luncheon post-funeral
resting with Mommy in Indiana
Who can resist a baby post-bath!?
Hang time with Uncle J
Touchdown! Back in Tampa/St. Pete
Let me not forget to mention he cut his two bottom teeth while we were in Indiana! As you can see from these pictures, he likes to chew on his fingers, and most of the time while we were there, he could be found in this position. He'd been wearing a baltic amber teething necklace, which is a natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory, helps reduce drooling and is noted for its natural healing processes, so I'm chocking it up to that amber that I never heard him whine or fuss about his teeth coming in while we were there. However, I've had to take it off because he's had a persistent neck rash, perhaps from the amber necklace, and I'm trying to give his skin a break. I hate that, because I really feel as if it helped, but some babies can react to the amount of (helpful) succinic acid in the amber. I'll be researching that a bit more.
Since then, it's been back to the grindstone. There are still many days around here that I feel like I'm just staying afloat. Today, both kids fell asleep at a really good time, and despite Gabe's newborn-like antics last night (something's going on), I was only able to konk out for real for about 10-15 minutes. My brain only turned off for so long before it turned back on and said, "Check on the kids." I sort of hate that, but I know it's just a mommy instinct. And they were both fine. I just know overlapping naptimes are not something to take for granted...which is why I'm blogging right now.
Sleeping, and angry about it
Dressing up at a friend's house
The man chub who would rather stare at me the other day than nap
Both kids had their check-ups the other day. One nice thing about their birthdays being about 6 months apart is that I can double-up on dr's appts in one day...Gabe's 6 month appt and Mia's 3 yr appt conveniently coordinated and so we hit up the pediatrician's office to get their stats. Mia's over 3 feet, woohoo! and Gabe grew another inch since his last check-up (27.5") and is tipping the scales at 17lbs, 12oz. No question that these kids are growing, but have slightly varying frames. Mia is on the sweet petite side, and Gabe's turning out to be some kind of long, stocky kid. I like it, although it's a little bittersweet to already be pulling out 9 month clothes & saying goodbye to the 3-6m section! *Sigh* Time is relative, but if I didn't know otherwise I'd say this time it's moving quite quickly.
6 month dr's appt! Bright & early (for mommy) at 9am
Morning Business: Coloring & Exersaucing
That's about as good an update you'll get from me now...
Next time, I'll tell you about how well he was going to sleep on his own in his crib, and then how he stopped. :P
It's been a crazy week; can I get a witness? Greg drove my childhood bedroom furniture down from Indiana last weekend and it's been sitting in our previous "guest suite" this week while we figure out paint colors & art work and designs and all that fun jazz.
Here is the guest room as it was "full":
Loved it while it lasted
Now it's not:
Bare & being prepped for la Chiquita
I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and all went well...even if my doctor sort of conveniently freaked me out by thinking we don't have much time left for this baby to cook. I know I could sit at my current level of "progress" for weeks so I need not hype myself up, but this weekend, Greg's painting, I'm organizing clothes (hand me downs & other such things) and trying to get a grip on our house before it throws up on itself. Or should I say, it already is.
So last night as a quick, easy and relatively cheap diversion, we went to the FCA Fall Festival and had a good time. Cheap tickets, lots of little activities for young's, and several familiar faces.
Hayride - Mia's not sure what to think!
It sort of looks like "fall," right? Pretend I'm not wearing shorts. I mean, pretend I'm wearing pants & a hoodie instead. We'll get our "fall time"...eventually!
Yesterday, Mia and I "blazed" (as much as one can blaze) through Ikea and picked up a few odds & ends and stopped by Anthropologie to pick up these cute drawer pulls. Since she's moving out of the nursery, we need to de-girlify the room a little bit so her former Anthro knobs will be replaced by these guys. Greg says we should eBay her old knobs but I'm not ready to let go of them just yet.
purchased in blue & green
previously adorning the dresser in red & orange
I also ordered some artwork for the kids' room walls; hopefully I didn't make a huge mistake and if so I am instilling faith in an easy returns process. I wish I could have everything set up STAT but it takes paint a while to dry, artwork a while to ship, and more than just a pregnant lady to hang curtains. If I could multi-task in my sleep, I would.
This is very vintage-y but I could not pass up this little gem for the Bambino's room!
And besides that, I need to be getting ready for childbearing. My chiropractor thinks I've dropped, and I sort of do too. Baby's in a good position (head-down) and I hope he stays that way, so I'm trying to keep him as engaged as possible. Squats, pelvic rocks, upright seating? Here we go!
Speaking of the bambino, I think we have narrowed down our list of names to 2. Mia can say both names but when we ask her which she likes better, there seems to be a clear winner. Interesting. It has been our stronghold name all along, but obviously the reason we're still so torn is because we really like both, regardless.
In time, in time.
That's it for now. I'm going to go pick up dinner for now. It's been one of those Saturdays and Mia is still asleep after a whole week of not napping since Monday so time is of the essence.
This is seriously how she fell asleep today. I had to contain myself from busting out laughing when Greg fixed her blanket so she'd be able to breathe.
We trail blaze every now and then, only to fall off the trail and break twigs and try to figure out our way back. Toddler Boot Camp was becoming quite effective and Greg & I were noticing serious positive changes until last weekend, when I noticed Mia becoming a tad more clingy and then BAM--fever strikes.
After the fever spiked, then settled, the nasal congestion came on, and while Greg, Mia & I were all struggling in the sleep department, we were popping Aconite, Belladonna, or Pulsatilla, and downing teaspoons of Black Elderberry Syrup (say whaaaat??) trying to keep our immune systems afloat and manage the disarray that occurs between a weekend of sleepiness & snot. And hey--it worked! We're all still a bit tired but no one is down & out, thankfully.
Except that Toddler Boot Camp needs a reboot. No pun intended. It's fine. This is what happens. You learn something, apply it, make it work, and then life hits you in the face with a fever, or a new baby, or what have ye, and you readjust. This.is.how.we.do.
So, while life has been generally tame--I find my mounting to-do list makes me thankful for things to do as opposed to being bored out of my mind and twiddling my thumbs--there is always something to keep me on my toes. Namely Mia. ;)
Baby boy is good. He's doing his thing, moving around, having hiccups, switching sides and keeping me occupied when I can't sleep at 2 in the morning. He threw a dance party for me last night when I had some ice cream, and he's really giving me and Greg a run for our money in the name department. We have three solid names...first & middle...but can't decide on which on any given day. It's very temperamental. While the rest of the world won't know until the day he is born as we plan to keep it a secret, maybe we won't either, because we just can't settle.
And there ye have it. Tomorrow = 31 weeks. Doing the countdown.
The thing is, when you say something like I said last week about children being a blessing, and being content on where you are, something will inevitably happen that challenges your stance on these things and causes you to question -- Is this really how I feel?
Who knew this little girl would be up to so much ??
The challenge was today - Mia absolutely wholeheartedly refused her nap. We've had our nap struggles like everyone does, but usually I finally get her to nap whereas today it was truly a lost cause. After going into her room the 4th time, and realizing all my efforts were mostly in vain, I remembered my own words from last week: This doesn't last forever. So she doesn't nap one day, so what? Life will go on. I could be a crabapple about it, but that wouldn't do either of us any good, so I gathered all our almost-overdue library books, schlepped them to the library to trade for another lot of books while she picked out her own books, and called it a day. We cancelled any "let's eat at home" dinner plans and went to Five Guys. By the time we got home from dinner (just after 7), Mia was tired & dirty and totally ready for a bath & bed. So Greg got her ready and by 8:15, he walked out of her bedroom and said in his classic fashion, "She is OUT." Usually by 8:15, we're still in the middle of the bath & bedtime process, which she likes to belabor. I will definitely take advantage of this early bedtime tonight!
Can a girl put her feet up??
PS: Thank you Greg, for taking the reins after you got home, giving Mia her first, "Let's have a talk ... I hear you acted poorly today," spiel and letting Mia know who's the boss. And for not making me twist your arm for Five Guys. Okay, let's be honest, how hard do I ever have to twist your arm for Five Guys Burgers & Fries?? Seriously? Seriously.
Sometimes, it seems like it always revolves around the nap. I never knew sleep was so crucial until I had a kid. I could tell you myself I always feel much better the more rested I am, and the more regular my schedule is, but it seems to be even more paramount with a child.
Ever since our trip, which was totally well-worth it, well, things around here have been a little helter-skelter. The days are getting longer with the sun rising earlier and setting later, and Mia's bedtimes have gotten later & later. We had not intentioned to not honor a strict bedtime for her, but it just wasn't happening how it normally does. Then this week, she had a really high fever two nights in a row, and woke up extremely warm and uncomfortable. She ended up sleeping with us the rest of those nights and slept much more soundly.
Yesterday she even slept past 9am, which is a rarity for her, and took a good afternoon nap and after she woke up, fell asleep on me on the couch for about another hour. That (her sleeping on me outside of her room) never happens either.
So on a day like today, when we had a birthday party playdate to attend and you'd think all the commotion and even the sugar high would send her crashing this afternoon, she is instead thrashing in her crib, rolling around shouting "Noooo!" from time to time. Now, I sit here blogging so I'm able to piece some sentences together, but when she acts like this, I feel like I can't get anything done, or truly relax, until I know she's asleep. Does anyone else feel like that? Am I the only mom whose successes for the day sometimes hinge on the completion of a good solid nap?
I feel fickle being so focused on this nap-thing, and when I talk to other moms, especially those with more than one child, it just sounds like something of which they eventually have to let go. Either their children have long since stopped napping, or they have too many to coordinate perfect nap schedules (baby sleeps in AM, toddler in PM), or once one goes to sleep, they have to wake them up to pick up an older sibling from school. Knowing how crucial it seems for Mia now to get good sleep (especially after being so feverish earlier in the week), I don't know what I'd do if she didn't take a nap. Probably acquiesce to her demands and let her watch Elmo while I try to get something done. For real. I hate to say it, but it's true. TV is sometimes a crutch when it needn't be.
What is different about these pictures??
So my question to other moms out there is, what do you do when you've tried all your tricks (diaper changes, extra drinks, soothing, etc.) and your child doesn't nap? How do you handle it and how do you keep yourself from turning into a crazy-angry-zombie mom?? Is this just a bunch of much ado about nothing?
And now, while after I vent, and have said a quick prayer (yes, sometimes I pray about naps), she is asleep. *Sigh*
Children. Don't know how to live with 'em sometimes, but can't live without 'em, it seems. Always a blessing.
Mia has been waking up about once per night for the last week or so. If I go into her room she stops crying for a minute but then cries for daddy persistently. Instead of wrestling with her for what feels like forever, usually Greg will come in and help get her settled back to sleep. Lately if she's woken up and I can't settle her, I try to go back to bed myself, but by that point my brain is so awake it's gotten really hard for me to settle. There have been a few nights over the last week where it's taken me an hour to get back to sleep.
When this ended up happening last night, I lay in bed planning Mia's birthday party. It's this coming weekend, at our house (EEK!) and I have felt so unprepared. I have a theme, and a few ideas, but I hadn't thought through all the logistics. Where for that? What for this? And how? But after thinking through a lot of the options and getting some suggestions from friends, I've come up with a plan and just this morning ordered a bunch of the supplies from Oriental Trading Company. Their items were quite inexpensive but unfortunately I got hit with a shipping charge :-/. Oh well, ain't nothing a coupon code ($10 off) can't help.
Well, after figuring all that out during the wee hours of 2 and 3am, I was hoping Mia would "sleep in" till past 8 (as she has been doing just a bit lately--so nice). Well, instead she was up at 6:45 crying for daddy. I went into her room and was shocked at what I saw. There was throw-up all over her bed and down her (white) PJ shirt. Uh-oh. As soon as I said, "Oh no Mia, what happened?" She stopped crying and said, "Yeah." That's sometimes her response to our questions; it doesn't always make sense but it's funny.
She had had 1.5 hot dogs last night at dinner, some canteloupe and watermelon, and a few bites of popcorn. It was a "big" dinner, but she didn't eat a lot at lunch, so we figured she was legitimately hungry. However, maybe she was overfull.
Greg put her in the bath right away while I started stripping her bed and rinsing stuff off in the sink (blech!) She threw up a tiny amount one more time in the bath (so sad!) and since then, hasn't thrown up yet. She's only had a little bit to eat: crackers, a couple ounces of milk, and a few pieces of banana. She hasn't been super hungry yet, but she's already been rubbing her eyes this morning.
We're watching Sesame Street and taking it easy. Here's hoping the yukkies are just a one time thing. I have been *blessed* up to this point in that Mia has rarely thrown up in her lifetime. Just a couple of times, usually a reaction to food or motion sickness in the car. Not sure what I'd do if she had a stomach bug.
Here's a picture from a better time this past weekend. We went out to eat and got yogurt after dinner. It was a perfect night Friday night!
It's only been a week but it feels longer -- perhaps because a lot has been packed into these past few days.
Updates on la bambina:
She's been sleeping so much better, and even a bit longer too! I usually rely on her to wake me up before 7:30, but these last few mornings, we've slept in till 8:30 at least. I will enjoy it while I can, because this is not "the norm." She's allowed us to put her down in the crib for naps and bedtimes without too much of a fuss. Sometimes she'll whine for up to 15 minutes, but she usually crashes by that point in time and snoozes right on through the night. Naps are lasting about 2 hrs, give or take.
Mia's going through another "willful" stage though too. Everybody's version of "willful" is different, however, so I know what we consider mountains of work others consider molehills. So I guess we trade good sleep for some behavior modification, but I'll take it. At least we're well-rested, right??
Her brain's growing too. She's now saying "Yes" or "Yeah," while nodding her head the correct way. It's quite cute.
"Do you want applesauce?" "Yeah." *one solid head nod*
"Do you want to lay in your crib?" "Yeah." *leans toward crib*
She'll also sort of ask you a question in a Foreigner-speaking-American-English sort of way. Like, "[Banana], no?" as in, "I can have this banana, right? Or not?" It's her way of asking for our approval. "No? No?" We appreciate that.
We're trying to teach her to say, "Merry Christmas," and over the last few days it's taken its own adaptation from sounding like "Mry Kss-ss" to "Mry Ta Ta" to "Sss". I'm not sure why we've dropped so many syllables, but she'll also nod her head as she says this like she's a very dynamic speaker. I don't know who she learned that from, because I'm not dramatic, ever. Srsly.
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I left Mia in the capable hands of Jenn H & her 2 charming daughters this morning while I got my hair did by my fav stylist Liz.
Jenn sent me these pictures while I was out:
She's holding hands with Loren and fiercely maintaining her grip on the travel tube of toothpaste she grabbed before we left the house this morning. I guess she wants to be prepared in case she & Loren head out on a long journey. Through the backyard.
Mia (R) and her buddy Maddie (L). Maddie calls Mia "Mimi"! They love playing together!
It's always nice to know your child is behaving and playing just fine while you're out. Things always take longer than you think they will (I'm a chronic under-estimator) so at least you know your child is in good company.
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The holidays are in full-swing and last weekend after an amazing Thanksgiving we decided to move on right ahead into Christmas. We put our tree up, hung the stockings, furnished the TV stand with some garland, and have some other holiday-type things set up to remind us 'tis the season. I already have ideas about some holiday menus and can't wait to try holiday round II at our house this year. It's also only taken me 3 years of having Bright House Cable to realize that channel 433 plays nonstop holiday music. So I no longer have to play holiday music DJ in the house...I just let the TV do it for me. And as grainy as some of the wintery images on that channel may be, they at least make me think we're some up north, where it would actually SNOW right now.
Speaking of the north, we'll be traveling northward before the actual holiday but will be in town for the 25th, ready to start some Ciampian traditions! We are feeling really blessed and cannot believe 2010 is just about done.
Mia's made some major progress in the sleep department the last week or so, since the appointment with the pediatrician. Not sure exactly what happened, but it seems after enough trials of the Ferber method Mia started to realize beds were made for sleeping in, and not for standing up and crying in. For naps and bedtimes, she's been falling asleep within 15 minutes of being put down, with perhaps a few exceptions. She always gives Greg a bit of a harder time at bedtime since their routine was pretty solid, but for naps with me, she'll roll around or talk to herself for a few minutes before totally knocking out.
This is major progress and exactly what I've been looking for.
Sunday afternoon though was a bit amusing. She was so tired and whiny after having an awful morning at church, but she just wouldn't lay down. She was sitting on her knees crying, then falling asleep sitting up, and then jerking herself awake when she'd start to lean forward, thus starting the crying - sleeping - leaning - awake cycle over and over again! Finally, I went back in and let her pass out while in my lap and laid her back down. Silly silly girl!
The other pro with this is that she's been sleeping through the night again - yay! I haven't had to get up with her in the middle of the night for a whole week, I guess. It is so nice to have a solid stretch of sleep again! Not to say I don't expect it to be thrown off ever again -- because I know it will -- so I will just enjoy it while it lasts.
The "con" right now is that Mia is just not herself. She's been super fussy, whiny and hard to handle. Not the "friendly little spirit" I've proclaimed her to be in months past. Methinks she's just cutting more than one tooth right now and it just hurts! There've been times when she's felt mildly feverish, which is reminiscent of some of her first teething experiences. Now I feel as if I'm really starting to understand what teething can mean. So far, for Mia, teething can mean:
raised body temperature, feet, hands, head warm to the touch
clinginess (especially wanting me -- this is new!)
tempter tantrums
diaper rashes
actually getting sick (congestion, runny nose)
awful diapers
Basically, just being an unhappy camper. Sometimes, these symptoms confuse me, especially if a newer food has been introduced. Is she having a reaction? Is the rash because she's allergic? But, when it goes on for days, I feel it usually tells me that this is a teething thing, not a food allergy/sensitivity. I guess I will always be hyper aware of that, though.
And changing the subject, we had an awesome cloth diaper demo this past Saturday. I can't believe I haven't posted more about it, as I thought I'd be detailing everything!, but there really hasn't been that much time. We were able to video it for all those long-distance peeps wanting to get the 411 on cloth diapers, but since we borrowed our friends' camera and don't know the ins & outs of uploading the vid to the computer, it might be a while before it's up, edited, and ready for viewing. I learned a ton though, and I've already been doing this for a year! The biggest thing it reinforced is that I feel I'm making a great decision for our family - financially, healthfully and environmentally. And it encouraged me to try some other brands the next time around, whene'er that is. Do I sometimes feel silly that I am "so into" this? Yes ... but I think it's just evidence that sometimes you just gotta work with the state you're in. Young childhood is where I'm at, so I'm gonna make it work for us! Find your groove and let the other stuff be. That's what I'm telling myself!
It seems like every post I write on here is either a) a video or b) a story of some ridiculous antic or c) a tirade about sleep deprivation. Well, true to form, I'm going to deliver on option b with a little of option c mixed in for good measure.
After what felt like months--but was really only a week and a half or so--Mia's sleeping patterns straightened out from our trip. Yet, I've learned to cautiously tread on such statements, so to rephrase that, Mia slept really well Sunday and Monday night, as well as during the day. Tuesday night, however, was a different story. While she woke up sometime after midnight and seemed fairly easy to soothe back to sleep, staying asleep was the challenge. Even after bringing her to our bed where sometimes she konks out being so close to her parents didn't work (pretty sure she thought that was a 2am playdate), she finally went down again until 6:30ish.
Feeling like a zombie after such little sleep, I really didn't expect her to stay up long for her midmorning nap, so to move things along, Mia & I took a trip to one our favorite destinations, SuperTarget. After a moderately quick spree at Target, sped up at the end by her insistence that I hold her while I pay for the groceries at checkout, we exited the store and headed for the car.
Mia's a bit precocious. She knows a fake cell phone from a real one, a fake laptop from a Mac, and fake kiddy keys from mommy's only set. While we walking out to the car, to be able to steer the cart with all my stuff & Mia, I appeased her by giving her the [real] car keys to play with. I set her in her carseat, closed her door so she wouldn't chuck the keys elsewhere, and unloaded the groceries in the trunk and then closing it. As I was briskly walking to the driver's side door I hear * click click * and suddenly realize that Mia has most definitely locked herself in the car.
Staying calm, staying calm, I walk over to her side of the car and peek through the window and ask Mia, "Can you touch the other button? Mia, can you press the unlock button? I need you to unlock the car!" This doesn't really help or get the message across and Mia's sitting there a bit dumbfoundedly wondering why we're talking through this tinted glass.
About this time, a Target employee is coming out for his smoke break and notices I'm bargaining with what he assumes to be a small child. He asks if there's someone in the car and I say, "Yes, my 16 month old daughter just locked herself in!" He radios to the "AP" (Assets Protection), the Target Security guy who promptly contacts the county fire department. As I'm on the phone with Greg trying to reason this out, I hear sirens almost immediately. Yikes, they're fast! I'm being asked, "Ma'am, is it okay if they have to break your window?" Umm...I guess so? I didn't even really think about that one.
A nice police officer rolls up, starts asking me what happened (which always makes you feel like a guilty, irresponsible loser) as I look in to see Mia's starting to get a bit more alarmed. I can barely even explain what's happening when the fire department shows up and immediately surrounds the car with all their unlocking equipment. One firefighter was trying to assess Mia through the windows and even though she was crying pretty frantically at that point, he said she was still okay. That was sad though, to try to console your little one through a window while all these guys are trying to break into the car.
After a while, the firefighters were finally successful with opening up the lock through the window without breaking it. Yay!!! I immediately opened Mia's door and pulled her out, with her hair all sweaty and face beading with perspiration. I think much of that was from her own freaking out, and not necessarily from the heat of the car, but it had probably been at least 15 minutes.
After a quick visual rundown and an official report to the FD, plus some tips from the police officer, we were good to go. Amazingly or just via plain divine intervention, my friend Leanne had pulled up in the parking lot with her 2 yr old son just as this was all going down. So, while I was a bit mentally preoccupied with the guys arriving, trying to stay present with Mia, and explain to Greg what was happening, it was nice to have some moral support.
A few upsides:
learning the quick response time of the Pasco Fire Dept & Police Dept.
having a friend nearby, and her son to share grapes with Mia afterwards (one of her fav fruits)
Greg coming home anyway for the rest of the day
taking the hardest 1.5 hr nap I've had in quite some time later in the day
learning just one more thing to put in my arsenal / parent handbook for the rest of our lives!
... And speaking of sleep, I think I should go get some.
Mia and I went on a leisurely walk this morning. Even though there's a heat index of 105°F (sick), it was still earlier in the morning and I felt like our past two days of major inactivity (unless you count going to the store or the chiropractor as exciting) necessitated a walk in the Florida sunshine.
I felt bad when we got home though as we were both quite sweaty and I was afraid of Mia becoming dehydrated. After wiping her down with a cool rag and changing her, I gave her a water bottle but she wasn't much interested in that, so I gave her her new favorite milk: coconut. I sat her in her highchair so I could take care of a few things. I tried to feed her a few bites of mango in between her guzzling of the bottle, but she was more interested in drinking than eating. I must have gotten distracted because I looked over a few minutes later, and her eyes were closed. Poor baby! She was drifting off to sleep with her bottle while still sitting in the highchair. I quickly decided the highchair is not where I want her to nap, so I scooped her up and we went to her room where she was properly attired for the nap, with her little fan on for white noise, and let her finish the rest of her bottle, fall back asleep (which she did promptly) and laid her down in her crib.
She must've been tired. I would take a nap too, but I have a list of things to do before our trip. Surprisingly, blogging is not one of them!
...that our little munchkin is not sleeping as well anymore.
Chalk it up to the time change, teeth, a developmental milestone, or who knows what, but the relative ease with which I used to be able to put Mia down for a nap has quickly escaped in the last few days and weeks. It started with the afternoon nap becoming a major challenge, when it moved back an hour or two from 2ish to 3 or even 4pm.
At least the morning naps were easy, right? (PSYCH!) The last few days we've gone from easy morning naps where she snuggles with me and then snuggles in her crib and passes out for a good 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours to wrestling with that morning nap for 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours before she's really down. It's noon and she's just now settled for her "morning" nap, and the same thing happened yesterday.
We're at a major loss so I've called in the troops. My friend just lent me her Dr. Ferber book, which significantly helped her sleeping problems with her 11 month old. He now sleeps through the night, for the first time in his whole life. Bless their hearts! Mia has been sleeping through the night for the last few months thankfully, but has just become a very difficult napper. Although if the napping problem isn't corrected it will most likely affect her nighttime sleep too. This book has lots of suggestions and solutions for solving children's sleep problems and I hope it provides some answers and success for us.
So here's to hoping for a better report sometime soon because the joy of our days is quickly draining when half of it is spent trying to get a wee little one to just sleep!!
I'll try to resist the urge to commence every blog post with the definition of the word in the title, but I curiously looked up "jostle" and was intrigued enough by its etymology & date, that I thought in this case, hey, if the blog commencement definition thang ain't broke, don't fix it.
Etymology: alteration of justle, frequentative of 1joust
Date: 1546
intransitive verb1 a: to come in contact or into collision b: to make one's way by pushing and shoving <jostling toward the exit>c: to exist in close proximity
2: to vie in gaining an objective :contend<jostled to get a glimpse of the celebrity>transitive verb1 a: to come in contact or into collision with b: to force by pushing :elbowc: to stir up :agitatejostled us awake>d: to exist in close proximity with
2: to vie with in attaining an objective
You may think I'm going to talk about the jostling that occurs when shifting just one hour forward with a baby thanks to Daylight Savings Time. In fact, I could very easily discuss that. (She napped about 2 seconds yesterday, and then slept soundly from 9pm-1am, then 2am-9am last night. I wasn't a big fan of the 1-2am party, but I loved sleeping in till 9!)
But while I'm not really going to talk about Daylight Savings Time, it does play a factor in today's story.
So, as stated, Mia woke up a bit late today, especially compared to last week's standard, where awaking around 6:30am was scarily becoming the norm. This resulted in her napping through lunchtime, which was cool until she woke up around 1:45pm, and then I really wasn't sure what to do. Most days, she goes back to sleep for a late afternoon nap around 3 or 4pm, but seeing as how everything was just a few hours off today, and it was a beautiful day out, I was feeling the need to get outside/out of the house and socialize with somebody. It had been a while since I had called upon my friend Daphne, but lo & behold, I found her on Facebook Chat and she graciously welcomed us over to her house as one of her little ones would be napping and she couldn't meet for the walk I had proposed.
We made our way over to Daphne's, with a quick stop at the Coffee Beanery--unfortunately another disappointing visit. As I used to work there...almost 6 years ago...I like to give it some support in a very Starbucks-proliferated market (which I do indeed love & take advantage of at nearly every opportunity). However, I was again reminded why they have not really exploded on the Tampa scene: their customer service leaves much to be desired. Another example where "culture" plays a big role in the delivery of service and products. It's almost like comparing Publix to Sweetbay. Publix ("where shopping is a pleasure") vs. Sweetbay (unfortunately can't even think of their slogan) ... I gotta throw SB a few bones, but Publix is always a better experience. Alas, I digress. I picked up two iced mochas for me & Daphne, as I thought I recalled there being a "Mocha Monday" deal, although I felt like I had to finagle both baristas who assisted me as it seemed as if they had never heard of this. I wasn't trying to pull a fast one on them, I just recalled receiving several emails some time back about this promo that seemed to last a few months. So perhaps they were newer employees or perhaps their short/long-term memory was inept because while they honored this deal, they looked at me like I didn't even know what a mocha was. Excuse me. (I did not mention I was one of the inaugurating employees!!)
So, at Daphne's, Mia checked out the risen sandbox tray on the patio, while Ava made us a few delectable treats: soup, cake, milkshakes, etc., of course all from the finest of sands. Daphne & I shot the breeze, while literally enjoying the breeze, and just caught up on life. (Corbin was napping his little self out.) Eventually I realized Mia's window of non-napping had come to a close and it was time for us to go. We grabbed our belongings, thanked Daphne for her hospitality, and Ava for all the treats, and were on our way.
No more than half a mile from Daphne's house, I was stopped in a curved right turn lane--yielding--as I waited for the right moment to enter the now more heavily ensuing traffic on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. There's barely any room to merge at that particular spot, so picking the right time is important. As I checked and waited, I suddenly felt this BOOM! and realized we had been jostled a bit (how much, I'm not sure). I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a little Jaguar convertible right behind us, and then looked at Mia and realized she had been startled as she began to cry.
I really wasn't sure what to do at that point. From where I was, still sitting in the driver's seat, I could not have imagined that the damage could be very bad. Yet I could already see the driver getting out of his car, ready to assess the damage. I hopped out and saw he was an older gentleman, a grandpa, perhaps, who already seemed quite apologetic while also deflecting much of the damage. "I think it looks like my headlight popped out and made a bit of scratch on your bumper. It could probably be buffed out really easily." From what I could tell, he seemed correct, but you know you never want to be talked out of something that needs to be taken care of when it may be very costly for you down the road. He said he wanted to avoid making an insurance claim, which I think I probably wanted to avoid too. I didn't really know what to do, so I called Greg. The man offered to talk to Greg but Greg turned that down. I just took two pictures with my camera phone, got the man's number, and listened as he explained why he bumped into me. He said something about talking to his wife on the phone, not realizing I had stopped, and then hitting me. I said, "This is understandable, it could easily happen to anyone, we'll get it figured out." I think that may have avoided completely letting him off the hook, while also trying to reduce a bit of the guilt he seemed to be feeling. Honestly, what do you do in that case? I did feel bad for him, but I also felt protective of us. In the car, Mia was freaking out. I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to handle this and be gracious towards him, and I think he's trying to slightly minimize the situation. Anyway, we exchanged names, I got his digits and then we drove off.
Mia was still spazzing and unfortunately I really need to get gas in the car, so while I was filling up the tank, I could see her through the windows desperately crying at me. Poor baby! Her bottle had ran out and nothing else was appeasing her, so while we made the mad dash home there was little I could do but hope the hum of the road would soothe her a bit.
It didn't, so when we got home, she got a fresh diaper, I heated up a bottle and then we settled into the glider where she fell asleep while eating. When she does that you know she's pretty tired. She slept for a good hour & a half (a bit late in the day for her but she's still a bit off from DST).
I thought that was enough havoc for one day, but after she woke up from the nap, Greg went to get her and as he was taking care of her dirty diaper (just a step or two away from the changing table), I heard a noise and then heard Greg say, "I just caught her midair as she rolled off the changing table." I ran into the room to see Greg holding a half-naked baby looking a little freaked out.
What's more is during bathtime, Mia swallowed a bunch of water while she was rolling around in the tub and I had to pat her back to make sure she was okay. I was right there next to her but babies are so slippery in the tub and she's so mobile that she rolled around and swallowed that water before I could prevent it from happening. You can be sure that was the end of bathtime!
If things come in 3's, then I'm *hoping* we met our quota today.
Just so you know, I am working on that cloth diapering post, but, as I've started it about 75,432 different times, I'm just not sure how I want it to land. Softly, I suppose.
But in the meantime....
the "shirt"
It must have been the shirt. Or something. I'm really not sure what it was and I could definitely call out teething to be the culprit, because, until all 20 something of Mia's baby teeth are in, won't she always be teething? But lo & behold, today I put her in "My Uncle is My Hero" t-shirt, lovingly given to her by her Uncle Nate at Christmas. Tomorrow's her Uncle Luke's birthday, and the weather is a bit warmer today than it has been of late, so I thought a t-shirt would suffice.
But the girl won't nap. Well, she napped pretty easily this morning, falling asleep in my arms still desperately sucking on an empty bottle. I even placed her in the crib and her suction was so strong that the bottle was sticking 90° straight up in the air. Yet this afternoon was a different story, and while it's frustrating, there comes a point where you just have to brush your shoulders off.
Since she woke up from her AM nap around 10:30, I figured by 1:30 she'd probably be tired for her PM nap. Except that at 2:27pm she was still awake in her crib and not happy.
See? Not happy. Blurry picture because mommy took it so quickly walking into my room.
Oh wait, now I'm okay. I see you are taking a picture of me, so that must mean it's party-time and I'm down with that. I wasn't crying. No, not me. I'm cool. Brushing my shoulders off as we speak.
Plan B: Drive around until she falls asleep. Around 3:17pm I no longer hear her playing with her pacifier in her carseat on I-75, and I turn around to see her head's tilted to the side and she's sleeping. Man, she looks almost perfect, like an angel. I head on home and deliberate if I should try the carseat-to-crib transfer that Greg demonstrated so ably yesterday. As I set her carseat in her room with her still asleep in it, I breathe a sigh of relief that she is finally asleep and maybe now I'll get some "me-time". A few minutes later I wander into her room, check on her and consider just how I'd transfer her to her crib if I were to. She must have heard the voices in my head because her eyes flickered open, and then realized I was staring at her. Oops. I closed the door, thinking maybe she's so tired she'll go back to sleep.
Waaaaaaah.
Guess not. So, she got a 20-25 minute nap, which is better than nothing, but now my gas light is on empty and I've lost my motivation to make a more involved dinner (anything that requires skinning potatoes, boiling them & then mashing is involved in my book).
So, why would the shirt be the culprit? Because you see, my older brothers loved to taunt & tease me as wee little lass so I wouldn't be so shocked to find out that that one of them found a way to torture me via my infant child now, even if it meant haunting her t-shirt resulting in wakeful, restless afternoons for the both of us. Bros, could you have done such a thing??
Yes, for you, I have added the tag "indignation" to this post. Luke, happy birthday tomorrow, and Nate, while you may be Mia's hero, next time you see her, you are on diaper duty. Full-time. Booyah.
The views expressed on this blog may at times be exaggerated for the sake of comic relief and so that the writer can focus on something other than the fact that she spent 2.5 hrs trying to get her little one to sleep this afternoon with barely any respite. And she typed this out so she could use words like "respite," "lass," and "indignation." Thank you for reading.
Yesterday was a funny day for us, but I believe the story starts on Saturday. We were expecting company late Saturday/early Sunday morning, so Saturday Greg & I were busy cleaning up our house for our guest. Having people over is always a good motivation for us to tackle projects around the house, and we got three major projects out of the way (getting rid of old computers; returning borrowed baby equipment; and moving a bunch of storage stuff into the garage, thus cleaning up our front room). Even though I felt stressed on Saturday trying to get everything done + grocery shopping, somehow it did all get done, and we were able to turn in before midnight. Yet, it was one of those nights where you know your visitor is coming after-hours, and even though you leave instructions, a key, etc., you are still anxious hoping they make it in okay. We heard our visitor make it in okay and get settled, but for whatever reason, we ourselves couldn't get settled. I think we tossed and turned for a couple of hours before we fell asleep, and even then, I think I clenched my jaw, hunched my shoulders, and thought, I hope I remember to wake up in the morning, or I hope I make coffee early enough ... just silly things that prevented a good slumber.
We must've sent those vibes to Mia's room, because she woke up at the odd hour of 6:30/6:45am Sunday. She would whine on and off for a few minutes until I finally did get her ten minutes till 7. She was fussy and irritable -- already cranky, I believe, from her early wake-up time. Sunday was the first day Mia could have gone to the babies bible class at church, since she just passed 9 months, but based on the way she was acting, I didn't think it was the best time to try it. So, anyway, off we went to church, and no lie...after getting there, I'm not really even sure what happened. Sometime during bible class I took her to the nursery so she could eat and hopefully fall asleep. She ate but wouldn't fall asleep. I was trying all my tricks, but it seemed futile. So, I brought her back out during the beginning of worship, and she sat in between me and Greg for a bit, but eventually got a little too loud/fussy. So, Greg took her back to the training room, where she got to sit with other loud children who need help learning how to sit in the auditorium. Sometimes it's a hilarious room to be in. I could see Greg & Mia in the room from my viewpoint in the auditorium and could tell she still wasn't having the best of times. Greg texted me (during church, scandal!) and said, "Work called. I need help," which I thought was code for, "Mia's crying, please come help me." But no, he actually meant that HIS work had called. Odd for a Sunday, I tell you. So, Greg had to take a call outside, while I was holding Mia in the foyer.
Turns out, it was a bad day for lots of kids. One kid, who shall go by "E," was taken out more than once and given a few good swats. Another parent, who shall go by "C," told me that his daughter "J" "doesn't really like church." That statement made me laugh out loud. My friend "J" was out with her daughter "L," who had slumped on the floor reading books. And then there were whole families in the foyer, and a baby "A" just a couple months older than Mia, whining and not wanting to go to sleep.
So, what was the sermon about? I think it was about Grace, but I'm not really sure. Reminds me of the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9 where Paul quotes the Lord: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness," where I know that God gives us enough grace for each day.
Well, back to our story, where I explain my title of "Wishin'". You may think I was just wishing she'd fall asleep during church, and while this is true, this isn't what I really wished for after Sunday morning services were said and done. Mia was in the overtired and quiet phase, and when her Aunt Amanda asked to hold her after church, I wasn't optimistic that it would necessarily go over well, seeing that Mia was so ready for a nap.
However, Amanda was wearing a long necklace with little beads interspersed along the chain, which Mia found fascinating and almost like a little comfort tool, and snuggled contentedly against Amanda. Greg and I left Mia with Amanda for a while as we chatted with some friends & visitors. Later, I wondered where Mia was as some visitors wanted to see her, and the look of shock on my face when I saw my two good friends Linz & Laura, surrounded by Amanda & Mia, also shocked, was due to this scene:
Mia is not the kind of baby that will fall asleep on anybody just anywhere. She hasn't pulled a move like that since was probably 3 months old. Only in rare occasions will she just pacify herself to sleep in public on another person, although I wish that were not the norm. So here I was seeing this sight, just shocked that she had done that. And righteously jealous too, I believe.
Thus, the "wishin'" is because I wish she would do that more often for me or Greg. It would make certain situations so much easier!! (And while it looks like Mia is sucking her thumb, she actually has one of the beads from Amanda's necklace clasped in her hand almost to her mouth.) Silly bebe!
PS: We were all granted grace later in the day, as Mia took an almost unprecedented Sunday afternoon nap for about 2.5-3 hrs, and Greg & I got our own naps in too. Very good!
