Sleigh bells ringing,
Choir singing,
Wonder what old Santa's bringing
It's the warm and fuzzy time of year
Snowflakes fall
The temp is dropping
Families out together shoppin'
It's the warm and fuzzy time of year
Elves are working over time
Making all our toys
Reindeer hooves on all the roofs
Of good little girls and boys
Big old cups of steamy cider
Fall asleep by a cozy fire
It's the warm and fuzzy time of year
Elves are working over time
Making all our toys
Reindeer hooves on all the roofs
Of good little girls and boys
Big old cups of steamy cider
Fall asleep by a cozy fire
It's the warm and fuzzy time of year
It's the warm and fuzzy time of year
Santa's on his way...
(I love how Billy Gilman has managed to wrap music around the feeling of the holidays!)
11/30/2007
11/29/2007
One More Thing...
Bailey is now sleeping through the night, in her own room. It was a very, very easy transition.
B has been sleeping in her crib for about three months now. Up until a week and a half ago, that crib was in our room, right next to our bed. At night, we would have to sneak into the room and avoid the creaks in the floors and do everything in the dark and then whisper so quietly in bed that we barely heard each other. And still, she woke up. Every little peep out of her caused me to jump up. I was constantly reinserting the binky into her mouth and checking to make sure that her little fusses didn't turn into all out wails that would wake us all up for hours.
Turns out, all that maintenance was wasted time.
After our trip to Hershey, when Bailey didn't sleep AT ALL in the hotel, we dropped her off at daycare and feverishly moved her into her own room. Our exhausted minds didn't give a shit if she cried all night long - we were going to get some rest in our bed, in our room and WITHOUT being constantly woken up. 6 and a half months was long enough.
(One side note - Bailey is not a breast fed child, and hasn't been eating at night for a long time. She goes to sleep around 7 and doesn't need to eat again until sometime between 6 and 7:30 when she wakes up.)
That night, we wore her out with a little help from Karen (who walked her around and around our house...yep, Bailey is up on her feet regularly!). By the time it was bed, B Bear could barely keep her eyes open. I cuddled her, gave her a bottle and then when the bottle was done, I held her to my chest. She laid her head down on my shoulder, wrapped her fingers into my hair, sucked on her binky and fell fast asleep. When I heard her snoring, I brought her to the crib, laid her down and covered her up. After that, I left the room.
The first few nights were difficult. Around 3, Bailey would wake up and freak out. I could only take listening to her scream for about 45 minutes before I would go hold her until she went back to sleep.
Then, one night, I just got over it. She cried a lot that night. That was the worst night. But the next night, and every night after that, Bailey has slept through the night. She wakes up and fusses for a few minutes every now and then, but she always puts herself back to sleep. She is able to find her binky in the night and has perfected reinserting it into her mouth on her own. Now that we've created a pattern, I have a standing rule of a half hour. If Bailey were to ever cry for longer than a half hour without falling back asleep, I'll go in and check on her. So far, in 10 days, that hasn't had to happen.
And, it's a dream. Kelly and I actually get to talk like normal adults. Our room is our own again. We sleep peacefully. We can laugh and play in bed. We can shower with the door open in the morning without the light bothering anyone. We can get dressed in our bedroom instead of the hot, steamy bathroom. We can talk. Have I mentioned that? We can actually use our voices like normal human adults and have a conversation.
There really are some awesome benefits to having your child get older. It's sad to lose those incredibly needy infant days (for some people, anyway...not really for me, though...but that is a different blog), but it sure is nice to gain back some of that Independence that comes with having an older child.
It's just been wonderful!
B has been sleeping in her crib for about three months now. Up until a week and a half ago, that crib was in our room, right next to our bed. At night, we would have to sneak into the room and avoid the creaks in the floors and do everything in the dark and then whisper so quietly in bed that we barely heard each other. And still, she woke up. Every little peep out of her caused me to jump up. I was constantly reinserting the binky into her mouth and checking to make sure that her little fusses didn't turn into all out wails that would wake us all up for hours.
Turns out, all that maintenance was wasted time.
After our trip to Hershey, when Bailey didn't sleep AT ALL in the hotel, we dropped her off at daycare and feverishly moved her into her own room. Our exhausted minds didn't give a shit if she cried all night long - we were going to get some rest in our bed, in our room and WITHOUT being constantly woken up. 6 and a half months was long enough.
(One side note - Bailey is not a breast fed child, and hasn't been eating at night for a long time. She goes to sleep around 7 and doesn't need to eat again until sometime between 6 and 7:30 when she wakes up.)
That night, we wore her out with a little help from Karen (who walked her around and around our house...yep, Bailey is up on her feet regularly!). By the time it was bed, B Bear could barely keep her eyes open. I cuddled her, gave her a bottle and then when the bottle was done, I held her to my chest. She laid her head down on my shoulder, wrapped her fingers into my hair, sucked on her binky and fell fast asleep. When I heard her snoring, I brought her to the crib, laid her down and covered her up. After that, I left the room.
The first few nights were difficult. Around 3, Bailey would wake up and freak out. I could only take listening to her scream for about 45 minutes before I would go hold her until she went back to sleep.
Then, one night, I just got over it. She cried a lot that night. That was the worst night. But the next night, and every night after that, Bailey has slept through the night. She wakes up and fusses for a few minutes every now and then, but she always puts herself back to sleep. She is able to find her binky in the night and has perfected reinserting it into her mouth on her own. Now that we've created a pattern, I have a standing rule of a half hour. If Bailey were to ever cry for longer than a half hour without falling back asleep, I'll go in and check on her. So far, in 10 days, that hasn't had to happen.
And, it's a dream. Kelly and I actually get to talk like normal adults. Our room is our own again. We sleep peacefully. We can laugh and play in bed. We can shower with the door open in the morning without the light bothering anyone. We can get dressed in our bedroom instead of the hot, steamy bathroom. We can talk. Have I mentioned that? We can actually use our voices like normal human adults and have a conversation.
There really are some awesome benefits to having your child get older. It's sad to lose those incredibly needy infant days (for some people, anyway...not really for me, though...but that is a different blog), but it sure is nice to gain back some of that Independence that comes with having an older child.
It's just been wonderful!
She's Trying...
Our Bailey is trying SO HARD to crawl. She gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. She crawls backwards, but she can't put it all together and move forward yet. Eventually, she just gives up, flops on her belly and fusses while waving her arms and legs back and forth.
I laugh at her.
Does that make me a horrible mother???
I also get down on the floor and encourage her to come to me and clap when she moves and I try to give her incentives to make it happen. Any day now we are going to have a crawling child.
I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Speaking of clapping...she now claps her hands when she is given something that she likes. It's the absolute sweetest thing in the entire world! Since she's been old enough to focus on us, we have clapped while saying "yeaaaaa!!!!". Now, she does it too. So sweet.
Finally - Bailey clearly says "Mum mum mum mum" when she is distressed. She won't say it on command and she doesn't mimic us when we say it to her. But when she is nervous or sad or upset about something she clearly says it while looking at us (she doesn't seem to decipher which one of us is Mom...which is GREAT!). It's usually combined with her burying her head in our necks or rubbing her eyes.
Super sweet.
I can't believe that she is almost 7 months old. How the hell did that happen????
I laugh at her.
Does that make me a horrible mother???
I also get down on the floor and encourage her to come to me and clap when she moves and I try to give her incentives to make it happen. Any day now we are going to have a crawling child.
I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Speaking of clapping...she now claps her hands when she is given something that she likes. It's the absolute sweetest thing in the entire world! Since she's been old enough to focus on us, we have clapped while saying "yeaaaaa!!!!". Now, she does it too. So sweet.
Finally - Bailey clearly says "Mum mum mum mum" when she is distressed. She won't say it on command and she doesn't mimic us when we say it to her. But when she is nervous or sad or upset about something she clearly says it while looking at us (she doesn't seem to decipher which one of us is Mom...which is GREAT!). It's usually combined with her burying her head in our necks or rubbing her eyes.
Super sweet.
I can't believe that she is almost 7 months old. How the hell did that happen????
11/26/2007
Bad, Bad Blogger!
I know, I know...I'm a bad blogger! It's amazing how much less time I have now that I'm actually raising a child!
So...during our Christmas kick-off weekend (which was absolutely wonderful...except for the rain...LOL), Bailey didn't sleep. Well, she did...but barely. About three broken hours each night. We were in the hotel with her and it was absolutely exhausting. Kelly and I had even gotten a suite in hopes that it would help her sleep. No such luck. So, after we got home, we moved her into her room!
Yes, you hear right...Bailey is now sleeping in Bailey's very own bedroom and Momma and Mommy have ADULT SPACE again!!!!! Seriously, it's wonderful. The really good news is that the transition for Bailey was very, very easy. We've had no long crying fits. No crazy nights of not sleeping while she cries it out in her room. For the most part, she wakes up and fusses...but then puts her self back to sleep. She goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 PM and sleeps until around 6:30 or 7 AM. Meanwhile, Kelly and I get to be adults for a little bit after she's gone to bed for the night. Being a slave to the binky is over...
It's been an absolutely excellent transition!
That was Monday night. On Tuesday, we brought our B to childcare for part of the day and put up the Christmas tree!!! Remember, this year is the first year that I was willing to go with a fake Christmas tree (last year was so traumatic and I have a horrible fear of the house and Bailey burning up in a tree fire). Well, this is what it looked like right out of the box:
Not the best. Kelly and I were both a little worried. As you can see here, we spent hours (literally) opening up branches and fluffing the tree. Honestly, I had no idea how much work it was to make an artificial tree look good!Well, all our hard work paid off - because here is what it looked like fluffed up and then after it was decorated!
Bailey loves the tree...but honestly, the tree is no match for the stuffed animals and the Santa with a jingly bell that sits on the couch by the tree.
My favorite from this year's christmas decorations is our new stockings...and the fact that there are three of them this year!!! 
Then, it was Wednesday and time to start preparing for Thanksging! But, before we did that, we went and got our first ever round of family pictures taken! Here are just a few of them:
After a much needed nap (for Bailey, anyway), it was time to start making pies! I made the first one...
Bailey helped me with the second one:
The third one got made while she was in bed, and finally the pies were done!
After the pies were prepared, Kelly and I went to bed! We hosted Thanksgiving this year, and I was going to spend Thanksgiving morning preparing my first ever solo Thanksgiving dinner.PHEW. I had absolutely NO IDEA how much work goes into making a full dinner like that. It was insane. I spend hours...literally...hours...prepping, cleaning up, cooking, cleaning up, preparing, cleaning up and then juggling everything to have it all on the table at once. It was wonderful...but I had no idea how much work it was!!! I think it turned out alright, though:
The icing on the cake of a very wonderful day was that there was a beautiful rainbow right after dinner! It was magical!
The rest of our vacation was spent recuperating and actually getting ourselves ready to go back to work. We were low-key and just enjoyed each other and our time together. In some other new - Bailey is now has two teeth on the bottom. She is going through a major growth spurt right now and eating more than she ever has. She is not yet crawling, but it is definately close. She's doing everything but actually crawl at this point. At some point, she's just going to do it and then...boy...it's going to be fun.
I'll leave you with this cutie phot of Miss. B in her winter snowsuit. It's a high-loft fleece suit from LL Bean and it just may be the best thing we've purchased in a long, long time. It's warm, snuggly and easy to put on and take off.
It's perfect!
11/19/2007
Pictures!!!!
SANTA!
Her spoon was so much fun!!!
Kelly and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups...a dreamy combination!
Rudolph!
A Big Tree in Chocolate World
Bailey loved the lights at the National Christmas Center
She touched a lot!
Happy Family in Santa's Workshop!
My Beautiful Girls!
In The Candy Store (it's actually a set in a VERY cool place...)
A very Merry Mikki
Kelly and Scrooge...LOL - how appropriate!
Her jeans are so cute!!!
What a cutie!
Pink goes well with jeans...
Tired, tired, tired...
My beautiful Momma and Miss. B 
Grammy Love
Grammy and Bailey 
11/16/2007
I don't understand...
Do this:
YOUR AGE BY EATING OUT
Don't tell me your age; you probably would tell a falsehood anyway-but your waiter may know!
YOUR AGE BY DINER & RESTAURANT MATH This is pretty neat. DON'T CHEATBY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST! It takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read ... Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.
1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to go out to eat. (more than once but less than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1757... If you haven't, add 1756.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born. You should have a three digit number. The first digit of this was your original number. (I.e., How many times you want to go out to restaurants in a week.) The next two numbers are YOUR AGE ! ------ (Oh YES, it is!!!)
Okay - so, this worked for me. Did it for you?
I know that there is a genius out there who can explain this...how do these number games work????
YOUR AGE BY EATING OUT
Don't tell me your age; you probably would tell a falsehood anyway-but your waiter may know!
YOUR AGE BY DINER & RESTAURANT MATH This is pretty neat. DON'T CHEATBY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST! It takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read ... Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.
1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to go out to eat. (more than once but less than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1757... If you haven't, add 1756.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born. You should have a three digit number. The first digit of this was your original number. (I.e., How many times you want to go out to restaurants in a week.) The next two numbers are YOUR AGE ! ------ (Oh YES, it is!!!)
Okay - so, this worked for me. Did it for you?
I know that there is a genius out there who can explain this...how do these number games work????
11/14/2007
Sickness...and Christmas
The plague effected us all. I got it in Monday morning and spent Monday and Tuesday out of commission. Kelly got it Monday night and spent yesterday out of commission. Bailey is finally starting to feel better...but none of us are eating much. What goes in comes out again...far to quickly and with far too much liquidity. (sorry for the description...but it's truly not fun).
However, this weekend is our annual Kick-Off-The-Holidays event! Every year we do something...even if it is small...to kick off the holidays. This year we are packing up our baby and going to Hershey, PA to enjoy their Candy Cane Lane, Breakfast with Santa and other fun, festive stuff. Bailey will love the crowds...
After that, we are off for the entire Thanksgiving week. We are going to put up our Christmas tree on Tuesday, make pies on Wednesday, host Thanksgiving on Thursday and SHOP black Friday on Friday...
It's gonna be a fun week...
I have great pictures of Bailey and her Grammy to post...just haven't gotten around to it. I promise I will soon, though!
However, this weekend is our annual Kick-Off-The-Holidays event! Every year we do something...even if it is small...to kick off the holidays. This year we are packing up our baby and going to Hershey, PA to enjoy their Candy Cane Lane, Breakfast with Santa and other fun, festive stuff. Bailey will love the crowds...
After that, we are off for the entire Thanksgiving week. We are going to put up our Christmas tree on Tuesday, make pies on Wednesday, host Thanksgiving on Thursday and SHOP black Friday on Friday...
It's gonna be a fun week...
I have great pictures of Bailey and her Grammy to post...just haven't gotten around to it. I promise I will soon, though!
11/12/2007
Bunches of New
This weekend was lots and lots of fun. Poor Miss. B spent Saturday night vomiting everything she had in her belly and then finally fell asleep exhausted on her Mommy's chest. Sunday morning, she seemed alright...but 8 ounces later, she vomited everything onto me and our bed. Poor, poor baby...
She spent the rest of the day drinking half strength formula in tiny amounts and sleeping. We tried to keep her playing to a minimum. Honestly, it wasn't hard...she just was so under the weather. She wanted to spend most of her time in our arms.
Last night, she fell asleep in my arms after having a nice long bath and some half strength formula. She slept through the night, only waking a couple of times for her binky.
She was up super early, and Kelly reports that she had extreme diareha that went up the back, up the front and all over. It was GROSS!!! And this is the first time that this has happened. After that, she was extremely fussy for a couple of hours. Kelly told me that her second tooth is finally pushing through...which explains the fussiness and the pain.
So, everything is working against our little girl. She's just struggling right now. Lots and lots of Mommy and Momma hugs are in order and we are just doing what we can to cuddle and love her through it. Whoever said that teething SUCKS...well...they knew exactly what they were talking about!
She spent the rest of the day drinking half strength formula in tiny amounts and sleeping. We tried to keep her playing to a minimum. Honestly, it wasn't hard...she just was so under the weather. She wanted to spend most of her time in our arms.
Last night, she fell asleep in my arms after having a nice long bath and some half strength formula. She slept through the night, only waking a couple of times for her binky.
She was up super early, and Kelly reports that she had extreme diareha that went up the back, up the front and all over. It was GROSS!!! And this is the first time that this has happened. After that, she was extremely fussy for a couple of hours. Kelly told me that her second tooth is finally pushing through...which explains the fussiness and the pain.
So, everything is working against our little girl. She's just struggling right now. Lots and lots of Mommy and Momma hugs are in order and we are just doing what we can to cuddle and love her through it. Whoever said that teething SUCKS...well...they knew exactly what they were talking about!
11/09/2007
On and Off
So, she slept with us on Wednesday night, but last night had another great all night sleep-fest. In fact, she's still sleeping now. I have to wake her up in just a minute.
Not sure what the new routine is all about. We're working on letting her get it worked out on her own. It's hard. I hate to hear her cry.
Anyway.
Yesterday she was enjoying a teething biscuit in her high chair while I was cleaning up the kitchen and prepping the bottles. She was literally five feet away from me. She had been going at her biscuit for about 15 minutes when I heard her start to cough. I looked over and saw that she wasn't coughing...she was choking. Within seconds I had rushed to her and, using the skills I learned in our baby first aid class, pulled the obstruction from her throat.
What had happened was that the biscuit had gotten soft enough for her to break if apart with her gums. A small piece broke off and lodged itself in her throat.
Needless to say, I'm extremely happy that I had both the knowledge of what to do (although, it was kind of common sense) and that it wasn't a bigger issue. We now have a rule that, until she actually has real teeth, we'll be taking the biscuits away after 10-15 minutes!
Not sure what the new routine is all about. We're working on letting her get it worked out on her own. It's hard. I hate to hear her cry.
Anyway.
Yesterday she was enjoying a teething biscuit in her high chair while I was cleaning up the kitchen and prepping the bottles. She was literally five feet away from me. She had been going at her biscuit for about 15 minutes when I heard her start to cough. I looked over and saw that she wasn't coughing...she was choking. Within seconds I had rushed to her and, using the skills I learned in our baby first aid class, pulled the obstruction from her throat.
What had happened was that the biscuit had gotten soft enough for her to break if apart with her gums. A small piece broke off and lodged itself in her throat.
Needless to say, I'm extremely happy that I had both the knowledge of what to do (although, it was kind of common sense) and that it wasn't a bigger issue. We now have a rule that, until she actually has real teeth, we'll be taking the biscuits away after 10-15 minutes!
11/07/2007
Bad Momma
I've had my first official "bad Momma" moment.
Bailey's horrible temper the last couple of days and her extreme clingyness was completely related to the fact that her first tooth popped through yesterday.
*sigh*
Needless to say, I didn't wage war on my daughter. Instead, I cuddled her and congratulated her on her new tooth and kicked myself over and over again.
After the normal routine, Bailey slept beautifully in her crib all night long, waking only twice. She was easily settled in seconds with a gentle touch and her binky. She slept for 12 hours.
Bailey's horrible temper the last couple of days and her extreme clingyness was completely related to the fact that her first tooth popped through yesterday.
*sigh*
Needless to say, I didn't wage war on my daughter. Instead, I cuddled her and congratulated her on her new tooth and kicked myself over and over again.
After the normal routine, Bailey slept beautifully in her crib all night long, waking only twice. She was easily settled in seconds with a gentle touch and her binky. She slept for 12 hours.
11/06/2007
War
It's war in our house. We're fighting for the bed.
Bailey slept with us for one night. ONE NIGHT. And now, she won't sleep in her crib.
Her very, very, very, VERY tired Momma and Mommy are fighting back. Tonight, her crib is being moved from our bedroom into her bedroom. She will be put to bed at her usual time. We will do the usual routine. We will lay her down and we will love on her and we will give her the binky and we will snuggle her.
After that - we will NOT go into her room. We will NOT be slaves to the binky. We will NOT get up with her constantly. She WILL scream herself to sleep if that is what she insists on doing.
One thing is for sure - Momma's will is just as strong as Miss. Bailey's. She's about to learn that.
Bailey slept with us for one night. ONE NIGHT. And now, she won't sleep in her crib.
Her very, very, very, VERY tired Momma and Mommy are fighting back. Tonight, her crib is being moved from our bedroom into her bedroom. She will be put to bed at her usual time. We will do the usual routine. We will lay her down and we will love on her and we will give her the binky and we will snuggle her.
After that - we will NOT go into her room. We will NOT be slaves to the binky. We will NOT get up with her constantly. She WILL scream herself to sleep if that is what she insists on doing.
One thing is for sure - Momma's will is just as strong as Miss. Bailey's. She's about to learn that.
11/03/2007
10/30/2007
Question
So, I like to think that Kelly and I are pretty good about not catering to Miss. B at every moment of the day. You know, we like to be just a little moderate.
The one thing that we do is get up at night and put the binky back in her mouth when it falls out. I've been reading (and have been told) that this isn't a good thing. I'm interested in what people think...
YES...this is your ONE chance to give us a little SOLICITED advice!
The one thing that we do is get up at night and put the binky back in her mouth when it falls out. I've been reading (and have been told) that this isn't a good thing. I'm interested in what people think...
YES...this is your ONE chance to give us a little SOLICITED advice!
Kelly and Miss. B
Now that we are almost six months into this parenting thing, there are a couple of observations that I have to make.
First, Kelly and Bailey are SO SIMILAR!!! Really. Sure, Bailey may look like me and she may have my temperment, but her Mommy is her hero and it shows. Bailey just lights up when Kelly is around. In fact, she smiles and giggles at her in a way that is just amazing. Even in the little things it's obvious...like, they both play with their hair the same way. At night, we all snuggle on the bed. I hold Bailey while I am giving her a final bottle. She's usually very tired at this point, having just come out of a warm bath and being snuggled in her PJ's. She curls up into my arms and Kelly curls up beside me. The last few nights, I have watched them and they both just lay back and run their fingers through their hair as they space out. Kelly saw me watching the other night and noticed that I was trying not to laugh. She saw what was happening and got the most beautiful smile on her face.
Second observation - what I expected didn't happen. LOL - that's loaded and it's very true...but what I'm actually talking about is in the way that we parent. I really did expect that I would be the easy one (the "nurturer" as my mother-in-law put it). But that isn't what happened. Honestly, Kelly is the person that Bailey needs when she needs to be calm and relax. She is the easy going, light-hearted one with Bailey. Don't get me wrong, Bailey and I snuggle and love each other all the time. But for Kelly and Bailey, it's a sacred thing.
Third observation - I apparently can't dress Bailey. Kelly hates my clothing choices for her! LOL - yesterday, I put her in a gray onsie with a pair of orange sweatpants. She made fun of me!!!! I thought it looked fine. LOL - there is no doubt that I am NOT the most fashion focused girl and I would even call myself tacky. But I didn't realize it was THAT bad...LOL!
Fourth observation - Bailey loves playing in her high chair with non-toys. In fact, this is the only thing that will keep her occupied for longer than 10 minutes. Put the girl in her high chair with some wooden spoons, some condiment cups, some measuring cups and measuring spoons and she is a seriously happy girl! She'll pick one up, spend some time tasting it and then put it down and select another. She just keeps picking up a different item when she is bored with the first one. I think she likes that she can see what is happening in the house - she is "tall" enough to see what is going on, but has something to do with her hands.
Final observation - our little girl has a shoe fetish. She really does. Of course, she's had interest in her feet and toes the way that any little baby does. But during the weekend that her Nana and Pappy Dale were in town, she literally spent a long time licking Pappy Dale's sneakers. Gross, I know...but have you ever tried to stop a determined infant from doing something? We thought it was just a weird fluke...but last weekend she attacked little Danny's shoes with the same frenzy. In order to get her to leave his feet alone, we had to give her one of her new sneakers. She spent about a half hour eating the shoe. LOL - the girl has a shoe fetish.
First, Kelly and Bailey are SO SIMILAR!!! Really. Sure, Bailey may look like me and she may have my temperment, but her Mommy is her hero and it shows. Bailey just lights up when Kelly is around. In fact, she smiles and giggles at her in a way that is just amazing. Even in the little things it's obvious...like, they both play with their hair the same way. At night, we all snuggle on the bed. I hold Bailey while I am giving her a final bottle. She's usually very tired at this point, having just come out of a warm bath and being snuggled in her PJ's. She curls up into my arms and Kelly curls up beside me. The last few nights, I have watched them and they both just lay back and run their fingers through their hair as they space out. Kelly saw me watching the other night and noticed that I was trying not to laugh. She saw what was happening and got the most beautiful smile on her face.
Second observation - what I expected didn't happen. LOL - that's loaded and it's very true...but what I'm actually talking about is in the way that we parent. I really did expect that I would be the easy one (the "nurturer" as my mother-in-law put it). But that isn't what happened. Honestly, Kelly is the person that Bailey needs when she needs to be calm and relax. She is the easy going, light-hearted one with Bailey. Don't get me wrong, Bailey and I snuggle and love each other all the time. But for Kelly and Bailey, it's a sacred thing.
Third observation - I apparently can't dress Bailey. Kelly hates my clothing choices for her! LOL - yesterday, I put her in a gray onsie with a pair of orange sweatpants. She made fun of me!!!! I thought it looked fine. LOL - there is no doubt that I am NOT the most fashion focused girl and I would even call myself tacky. But I didn't realize it was THAT bad...LOL!
Fourth observation - Bailey loves playing in her high chair with non-toys. In fact, this is the only thing that will keep her occupied for longer than 10 minutes. Put the girl in her high chair with some wooden spoons, some condiment cups, some measuring cups and measuring spoons and she is a seriously happy girl! She'll pick one up, spend some time tasting it and then put it down and select another. She just keeps picking up a different item when she is bored with the first one. I think she likes that she can see what is happening in the house - she is "tall" enough to see what is going on, but has something to do with her hands.
Final observation - our little girl has a shoe fetish. She really does. Of course, she's had interest in her feet and toes the way that any little baby does. But during the weekend that her Nana and Pappy Dale were in town, she literally spent a long time licking Pappy Dale's sneakers. Gross, I know...but have you ever tried to stop a determined infant from doing something? We thought it was just a weird fluke...but last weekend she attacked little Danny's shoes with the same frenzy. In order to get her to leave his feet alone, we had to give her one of her new sneakers. She spent about a half hour eating the shoe. LOL - the girl has a shoe fetish.
10/29/2007
Danny
One other thing...yesterday our dear friends M&S came down to watch the Patriots slaughter the Skins and they, of course, brought their little boy, Danny.
Now, I have spent lots of time being very happy and proud of Bailey...but I just have to say that Danny is one of the sweetest little guys I have EVER met. He is such a laid back, gentle baby with the most infectous smile. He is just so sweet. I had the distinct pleasure of being able to hold him while he just hung out, sucking on his little thumb and chillin'.
Absolutely adorable!!!!!!
Anyway...I was just thinking about him and his Mommy and Mama. Thought I'd share!
Now, I have spent lots of time being very happy and proud of Bailey...but I just have to say that Danny is one of the sweetest little guys I have EVER met. He is such a laid back, gentle baby with the most infectous smile. He is just so sweet. I had the distinct pleasure of being able to hold him while he just hung out, sucking on his little thumb and chillin'.
Absolutely adorable!!!!!!
Anyway...I was just thinking about him and his Mommy and Mama. Thought I'd share!
Party In Our Bed at 11:30 PM
Yep, that's right. There was a party in our bed at 11:30 PM last night. It lasted until 2:30 AM. Isn't that awesome???
LOL - our cherub baby woke up at 11:30 for some unknown reason. After a couple of binky attempts, I pulled her out of her crib and changed and fed her. This will usually knock her out cold. Not so last night. She fussed. She rolled. She cried. She rolled. She fussed some more. Kelly got up and snuggled her for a while. Usually, this will have the effect of sleeping drugs on Bailey...it has ALWAYS worked in the past. Not so last night. She was quiet for about 20 minutes. We both thought that Kelly had worked her magic again. And then...can you guess it??? She cried. She rolled. She fussed.
I got up and turned on her mobile...the music will often calm her and give her something to look at. This will often lead to sleep. Nope. Not last night.
Finally, we just got up. We turned on the light and let her play on the bed for about a half hour. We tried hard to be mad, but it's really difficult when she's smiling and laughing and looking so sweet and snuggly in her fleece PJ's. I mean, honestly.
After a while, we decided it was bedtime again. I laid her back down and she fussed and cried. We decided to feed her again. She ate about half her bottle and then FINALLY crashed out.
Three hours. It took three hours for all of this to occur.
It goes without saying that Kelly and I are absolutely exhausted today.
LOL - our cherub baby woke up at 11:30 for some unknown reason. After a couple of binky attempts, I pulled her out of her crib and changed and fed her. This will usually knock her out cold. Not so last night. She fussed. She rolled. She cried. She rolled. She fussed some more. Kelly got up and snuggled her for a while. Usually, this will have the effect of sleeping drugs on Bailey...it has ALWAYS worked in the past. Not so last night. She was quiet for about 20 minutes. We both thought that Kelly had worked her magic again. And then...can you guess it??? She cried. She rolled. She fussed.
I got up and turned on her mobile...the music will often calm her and give her something to look at. This will often lead to sleep. Nope. Not last night.
Finally, we just got up. We turned on the light and let her play on the bed for about a half hour. We tried hard to be mad, but it's really difficult when she's smiling and laughing and looking so sweet and snuggly in her fleece PJ's. I mean, honestly.
After a while, we decided it was bedtime again. I laid her back down and she fussed and cried. We decided to feed her again. She ate about half her bottle and then FINALLY crashed out.
Three hours. It took three hours for all of this to occur.
It goes without saying that Kelly and I are absolutely exhausted today.
10/26/2007
All Good
Sometimes joy just comes around and takes hold. The three of us are all doing so well right now. Maybe it is the approaching holidays. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's just that we needed a little easy happiness and so it's come around. Whatever the reason, I am grateful.
Bailey is making leaps and bounds in her development. She's really just becoming a little girl rather than a baby. The "one-hand" rule has been implemented in our house. One hand must be on the baby at all times, unless she is already on the floor. She is so wiggly and squirmy. Now that she can roll in all directions and can scoot on her back, nothing is sacred. Bailey can get what she wants and with her determined attitude, she will.
Last night, while Kelly was getting her bath ready, she decided she wanted the trash bag that I was about to put her dirty diaper in. She was on one side of our king-sized bed. I turned around for one second (literally) to put something in the trash and when I turned back around she had rolled to the other side of the bed and had the garbage bag in her mouth. LOL - so...no back turning, no leaving her alone, no quick trips to the bathroom while she hangs out on the floor. Bailey is mobile and Mommy and Momma are on notice!
Kelly and I are both doing really well. Kelly is working really hard right now as she learns her new job and jumps in with both feet. She's putting in lots of hours and is still checking her blackberry from home. It's actually quite cute. She probably wouldn't agree...she doesn't like to bring her work home with her...but I think there is something really funny (sexy?) about her checking her email before bed. LOL! Honestly, she's doing a great job. She got her evaluation and just rocked. She's good at what she does and I'm so proud of her. I'm glad that she is getting the recognition that she deserves for the work that she is doing. It makes me proud...
As for me, things are status quo. I feel so much better than I did a month ago. The problem with being an over-emotional drama queen (yes, I'll admit it) is that I often have to hit rock bottom to be able to bounce back. I was hoping that Prozac would be the cure-all...but as with anything in life, a little pill didn't fix it all. It has helped, but it has also taken some mental healing for me to come back to myself. The last six months have been tough, but I made it through and that is all that matters. I've come out on the other side of postpartum armed with lots of knowledge about how my body reacts to all those hormones and about how difficult it can truly get. I may not be able to prevent depression with the next child, but at least I'll be able to recognize the feelings and signs before they become so horrible.
It's just another lesson in my life, and I'll take it and grow from it.
So that is how we're doing! Bailey is going to be six months in a week. Six months old. How did that happen????? It's just amazing. Anyway. Have a great weekend everyone!
Bailey is making leaps and bounds in her development. She's really just becoming a little girl rather than a baby. The "one-hand" rule has been implemented in our house. One hand must be on the baby at all times, unless she is already on the floor. She is so wiggly and squirmy. Now that she can roll in all directions and can scoot on her back, nothing is sacred. Bailey can get what she wants and with her determined attitude, she will.
Last night, while Kelly was getting her bath ready, she decided she wanted the trash bag that I was about to put her dirty diaper in. She was on one side of our king-sized bed. I turned around for one second (literally) to put something in the trash and when I turned back around she had rolled to the other side of the bed and had the garbage bag in her mouth. LOL - so...no back turning, no leaving her alone, no quick trips to the bathroom while she hangs out on the floor. Bailey is mobile and Mommy and Momma are on notice!
Kelly and I are both doing really well. Kelly is working really hard right now as she learns her new job and jumps in with both feet. She's putting in lots of hours and is still checking her blackberry from home. It's actually quite cute. She probably wouldn't agree...she doesn't like to bring her work home with her...but I think there is something really funny (sexy?) about her checking her email before bed. LOL! Honestly, she's doing a great job. She got her evaluation and just rocked. She's good at what she does and I'm so proud of her. I'm glad that she is getting the recognition that she deserves for the work that she is doing. It makes me proud...
As for me, things are status quo. I feel so much better than I did a month ago. The problem with being an over-emotional drama queen (yes, I'll admit it) is that I often have to hit rock bottom to be able to bounce back. I was hoping that Prozac would be the cure-all...but as with anything in life, a little pill didn't fix it all. It has helped, but it has also taken some mental healing for me to come back to myself. The last six months have been tough, but I made it through and that is all that matters. I've come out on the other side of postpartum armed with lots of knowledge about how my body reacts to all those hormones and about how difficult it can truly get. I may not be able to prevent depression with the next child, but at least I'll be able to recognize the feelings and signs before they become so horrible.
It's just another lesson in my life, and I'll take it and grow from it.
So that is how we're doing! Bailey is going to be six months in a week. Six months old. How did that happen????? It's just amazing. Anyway. Have a great weekend everyone!
10/25/2007
Happy, Happy...
Joy, Joy!!
I'm so happy today! I can't wait to get home and love my baby girl and give my honey a kiss. This has been a long, drawn out week and I'm ready for it to be over!!!!
I love you, Kelly and Bailey! I'll be home soon!
I'm so happy today! I can't wait to get home and love my baby girl and give my honey a kiss. This has been a long, drawn out week and I'm ready for it to be over!!!!
I love you, Kelly and Bailey! I'll be home soon!
Commuting Hell
The last couple of days here in DC have been horrible!!!
First, let me say that we are finally getting rain. This is the first measurable rain that we've gotten since April (literally) and the drought conditions are horrible. Many people (farmers in particular) are seriously hurting for water. So, from that perspective, I'm glad that it is raining.
But, holy hell!!!!! Kelly and I have spent approximately 2-3 hours EACH WAY commuting. Not only is this ridiculously frustrating...it's horrible for the time we get to spend with Bailey. Add that to the fact that we are both incredibly busy right now and you can see...we have a perfect storm. Poor Kelly hasn't gotten home the last two nights before 7:30. Last night it was 8:15. Both nights, Bailey was already bathed and having her final bottle. Kelly was able to hug her and put her down, but that is it. It's been very hard on both of them. To make it all worse, Kelly had to work this past weekend, so she didn't get to spend any time with her on Saturday either.
Poor girls! They miss each other. Seriously. Last night, Bailey kept staring at the spot where Kelly sits during her bath, looking for her. It broke my heart!!!!
This weekend is looking normal. Kelly may have to work, but I'm not sure. Either way, Bailey and I will be doing the grocery shopping and cleaning the house together. It's our weekend routine. I'm going to do lots of cooking again this weekend.
Next week is going to be fabulous! My mom (Grammy) is coming to visit. She's flying in on Thursday and we'll have her all weekend and then bring her back to the airport (maybe) on Monday. We may decide to keep her...we'll see... ;-)
That's all for now. We're praying to the commute gods that tonight is a bit easier. Pray for us!
First, let me say that we are finally getting rain. This is the first measurable rain that we've gotten since April (literally) and the drought conditions are horrible. Many people (farmers in particular) are seriously hurting for water. So, from that perspective, I'm glad that it is raining.
But, holy hell!!!!! Kelly and I have spent approximately 2-3 hours EACH WAY commuting. Not only is this ridiculously frustrating...it's horrible for the time we get to spend with Bailey. Add that to the fact that we are both incredibly busy right now and you can see...we have a perfect storm. Poor Kelly hasn't gotten home the last two nights before 7:30. Last night it was 8:15. Both nights, Bailey was already bathed and having her final bottle. Kelly was able to hug her and put her down, but that is it. It's been very hard on both of them. To make it all worse, Kelly had to work this past weekend, so she didn't get to spend any time with her on Saturday either.
Poor girls! They miss each other. Seriously. Last night, Bailey kept staring at the spot where Kelly sits during her bath, looking for her. It broke my heart!!!!
This weekend is looking normal. Kelly may have to work, but I'm not sure. Either way, Bailey and I will be doing the grocery shopping and cleaning the house together. It's our weekend routine. I'm going to do lots of cooking again this weekend.
Next week is going to be fabulous! My mom (Grammy) is coming to visit. She's flying in on Thursday and we'll have her all weekend and then bring her back to the airport (maybe) on Monday. We may decide to keep her...we'll see... ;-)
That's all for now. We're praying to the commute gods that tonight is a bit easier. Pray for us!
10/24/2007
Feeling Good
It feels so good to be loved. I am so lucky. I can't believe that I have spent the last couple of months wishing that my life were different.
What I can say is that post partum deppression is very real. It's horrible and it's debilitating and it made me fucking crazy. Prozac helped at first, but it didn't cure it all.
All my love to my partner. Kelly, I don't know what I would do without you. Honestly, I can't thank you enough for standing by my side when I didn't deserve it and for loving me even if I was a fucking shit. You are the best. Seriously, the best partner a woman could ask for. My love is yours forever.
Phew. I feel like I'm finally coming out of the dregs of depression and shaking off the last six months. God, it's been rough for me. Finally, finally, finally, I feel normal again.
It's good to be back.
What I can say is that post partum deppression is very real. It's horrible and it's debilitating and it made me fucking crazy. Prozac helped at first, but it didn't cure it all.
All my love to my partner. Kelly, I don't know what I would do without you. Honestly, I can't thank you enough for standing by my side when I didn't deserve it and for loving me even if I was a fucking shit. You are the best. Seriously, the best partner a woman could ask for. My love is yours forever.
Phew. I feel like I'm finally coming out of the dregs of depression and shaking off the last six months. God, it's been rough for me. Finally, finally, finally, I feel normal again.
It's good to be back.
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