The Anniversary of a Very Special Day

Almost exactly one year ago, to the hour, Art and I got the surprise of our lives. That was the day we found out about our little Sophia (although we didn't know she was Sophia yet). Read the full story here.

Naps, Anniversary, and Other Topics That Are Not Related to Each Other

So. Nap time. I started working on it last week. And I gave up after 3.5 days.

What usually happens is that Sophia will nurse herself to sleep at some point during the late morning/early afternoon, and then snooze for 10-20 minutes, in my lap. If I attempt to move her, it's game over. She does this several times a day, and has been known to do this off and on for a few hours in a row. So I know she needs naps, and I now she's capable of doing it all in one stretch. But getting her there is not going to be easy.

At night I nurse her to sleep, and then move her to her playpen, and that works just fine. But during the day? Not so much. I'm envious of all you parents who can put your kids to bed while they're still awake. Sophia will just cry. And yes, I have let her cry for a few minutes, just to see if she'll settle down, but it's never worked. And I don't believe in letting her cry it out.

A few people have mentioned getting her a mobile, so I think I will head to a consignment shop today and see if I can find one for cheap. And until then? I'll just have to deal with it.

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On Tuesday, Art and I "celebrated" our third anniversary. Let me break down the day for you:

- It started with Sophia sleeping 11 hours, straight. She's never done that before. I was up before she was, and I wanted to take a shower, but I knew that as soon as I stepped into the tub, she would wake up and start crying, so I just waited.

- She finally woke up, nursed, got a diaper change, I dressed her, and she was a happy girl. I thought, "Perfect! I'll just stick her in her bouncy seat, take her into the bathroom with me, and she'll be fine while I shower!" I don't think so. I had not even begun to wash my hair yet when she started fussing, and it quickly escalated. By the time I put the conditioner in, she was full on wailing.

- So I ended my shower right then and there. No body wash, no face wash, no shaving (and I really needed to shave). I wanted to look and smell pretty for Art, being our anniversary and all. As a stay-at-home mom, I rarely put any effort into my appearance, and the one day I actually tried...

- I got out and dried as quickly as possible, put my pajamas back on (no time for clean clothes), wrapped a towel around my head (no time for brushing my hair or drying it, or putting on deodorant or perfume, or moisturizing my face), picked her up, brought her to the couch, nursed her, and she promptly fell asleep.

- I don't know how long she napped, but when she woke up, she wanted to nurse more (like usual), but thankfully didn't go back to sleep. It's almost 1pm by this time, and I hadn't eaten yet. So I managed to get that done, and then I finally brushed my hair, put some real clothes on, took care of my hygiene, and after yet another nursing and a couple of diaper changes, I got us out the door (I had to run a couple of errands).

- [Side note: Sophia has this new thing where she waits until I'm in the middle of changing her diaper, and then she poops. Last week she pushed so hard she squirted poop directly ON ME. She also gets in on her change pad, or she'll wait until I have a fresh diaper under her bum, then she'll do her thing. I've been trying to wait a little longer to change her diaper, knowing that a poop is coming, but I hate leaving her in a wet diaper, and I can't seem to outsmart her.]

- Anyway, my errand. I went to return something, but when I got there, I realized I didn't have it with me, plus there was a long line-up. Quite frustrating. It meant I had to run the exact same errand the next day. So I abandoned that idea, went to the bank, and stopped in to see my old coworkers (since I was close by). That was probably the only good part about the day.

- We returned home, Sophia did some more nursing and napping, Art came home...and this is where it gets fuzzy. I think we had leftovers for dinner. I managed to make a really easy yummy apple crunch dessert (like apple crisp, but even crispier - recipe here). And Art spent most of the evening in front of the computer, studying for and writing an exam for his summer psychology class.

Yup. That was it. Our third anniversary. We still haven't made any plans to celebrate yet. And it'll have to be something really cheap, like sharing a milkshake, because we're on a really tight budget. I'm glad that Art is working so that I can stay home with Sophia, but it makes it tough when special occasions come around and we don't have the money to really celebrate. I'm also not very creative when it comes to ideas that don't cost money. [This is where your suggestions come in ;)]

* * * *

I'm experiencing postpartum hair loss. It's gross. Every time I run my fingers through my hair, I come away with several strands. And if I run a hairbrush through my hair? Three times as bad. You don't even want to see the bathtub after a shower (when I manage to get around to one). Plus it's also too long. My mom just sent me money to get it cut. I haven't made an appointment yet, because I want to know when Sozan has a day off so that she can come with me and entertain Sophia while I'm otherwise occupied. I hope to have a new head of hair before our trip in August.

* * * *

Oh, did you hear? We're flying out to visit family in August. My sister is having a baby next month, and my cousin is getting married next month, so we thought it was the perfect time to see everyone and introduce the family to our little girl.

Well, hopefully we'll be flying out. That's the current plan, but I'm starting to get nervous about my travel documents. I renewed my greencard back in April, I had my appointment for my fingerprints and picture, but I still don't have my new card yet. I'm starting to get really nervous, because someone else I know applied after I did, and she already has her new card.

I also had to renew my passport, which I sent away at the beginning of July. Then I got a FedEx package on Wednesday with my OLD passport in it, along with a rejection letter. Apparently my face was too shiny in my pictures. They're so picky! So I got new pictures taken yesterday (at no charge, thankfully), paid a buttload of money to have it zipped back to Passport Canada, and now I'm sweating twice as many bullets as before. I need both documents in my hot little hands in exactly a month, or we can kiss those already-paid-for plane tickets good-bye. Oh dear Jesus...

* * * *

We're attempting to sell some stuff to build up an emergency savings fund and pay off some debt. So if you know anyone who would like to buy an xbox, or a TV, or a coffee table and matching end tables, or speakers, you just send them our way. (And yes, we posted on Craigslist. There was a lady who was going to buy our coffee table set, and we tried to coordinate the pickup for several weeks, but she's disappeared, apparently.) I think I'll have to re-post that one.

* * * *

I've been "published" on my friend's blog! Callie is a friend of mine whom I have never met. We only know each other through blogging. She's doing a feature on her blog, Through Clouded Glass, called "Mommies and Babies." She has a set of questions that she sends out to her various mommy followers, and each week she features a new mom by posting the answers to the questions, and usually including pictures as well.

It's been fun and encouraging to get a glimpse into the lives of other moms, and it's a great way to discover new blogs to follow! I feel very honored, so please, go on over and have a look-see. And if you're a mom and would like to participate, all you have to do is email her, and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to oblige.

Well, that's all folks. It's almost the weekend, and I feel like all I've done is run around town, so I'm looking forward to some relaxation. Maybe I'll watch a movie. Or just sit outside and enjoy some nice summer weather.

* * * *

Just A Little Break

I've been working on several blog posts, but now I just need to step away from the blog for a tiny little while.

It's only Wednesday morning, but it's already been a really frustrating week, and I may or may not have had a few meltdowns.

I'm working on getting Sophia to nap, during the day, in her playpen, for more than 10 minutes at a time, and so far it's not going well. But there's more stuff going on as well (that I'm not going to get into).

So I need to make nap time a priority, and taking care of myself a priority, and put everything else aside until I no longer feel so frazzled.

Feel free to send me hugs and prayers and also lots and lots of cookies. IwillgetthroughthisIwillgetthroughthisIwillgetthroughthisIwillgetthroughthis....

Hey Look, A List!

I pretty much never blog in list form. Which is funny, because I love lists, and "list posts" are very popular with bloggers and blog readers alike. So here is a list of thoughts I wanted to share but was not about to put into posts of their own.

1. I forgot to say, in Sophia's 3.5-Almost-4-Month post that she is grabbing things mostly with her left hand. We think we might have a left-hander. Which is interesting, because both Art and I are right-handed. I wonder if perhaps hand preference/dominance is not driven by genetics? Hmm...

2. A couple of weeks ago, one of the blogs I follow (Pregnant Chicken - very hilarious) did a giveaway, and I won! I never win these things! The giveaway was $25 worth of merchandise from the Etsy shop Lulu's Nest. She makes the cutest wool felt hair accessories for little girls. I chose a ballet slipper clip, a butterfly clip, a dessert clip set, and a cupcake bookmark.




I can't wait to put these in Sophia's hair!

3. My sister and a friend gave me similar advice for Sophia's not-so-good napping situation. I then realized that it was pretty much what I did to get Sophia to sleep in her playpen at night. Duh! I need to employ the same method, but now I'm doing it during the day instead of at night. I'm excited and hopeful, and also nervous that I'm going to give up after one day. So I'm only going to start on Monday. That way Art can enjoy his weekend and not have to deal with the frustration of Nap Time Experimentation. *Fingers crossed!*

4. My mom is going to buy us a swing-that-also-turns-into-a-highchair. I'm hoping this will help keep Sophia entertained a little bit longer than her bouncy seat, and then maybe I can actually prepare a meal! *Again, fingers crossed!*

5. Speaking of preparing meals, Art has been doing most of the cooking these days. And by "cooking" I mean "sometimes baking." It's so cute seeing him in the kitchen, stirring a bowl of flour and sugar and butter, and rolling the dough in his hands, and popping pans in and out of the oven. And since I'm a bit of a cookie monster myself, I don't complain when we end up having cookies for dinner (followed by a little bit of chicken much much later.)

I don't know what it is about summer that makes us go, "health food shmealth food." It was like this last summer too. Pizza and slurpees and ice cream and Taco Bell. All the time. I think it's so funny that people told us we got pregnant because of our healthy eating. I kept thinking to myself, "But we haven't eaten healthy in a couple of months now!"

6. A year ago today I was approximately one week pregnant, and I had no idea!

7. We basically didn't do anything for the 4th of July this year. We were going to watch the parade in Oak Harbor, but we left the house too late for that. So we hung out with Art's parents instead. Which means we sat inside and watched TV for several hours. And then we went home before it got dark, so we didn't get to watch any fireworks. I could hear them going on somewhere outside (and some were so loud! I can't believe Sophia slept at all that night), but I couldn't see them. Oh well. July 4th comes around every year. It won't always be like this.

8. I changed my blog. Did you notice? Do you see the white space behind these words? I have wanted my blog to look like this for a reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally long time, and I finally figured out how! And then I changed the background (outside of this white space) to something "coast-like", to better represent the name of my blog. I'm quite happy with it. Except the header. It's close, but not quite perfect. But I think it's a huge improvement.

9. It is a perfectly warm and sunny day, and Sozan and I going to a small market that sells farm-fresh produce. I've been dying to get my hands on some strawberries and raspberries and Ranier cherries. We also promised that we would go berry picking this summer. We have promised to do so every summer since I moved here, but it has never happened. This year WILL be the year. There are so many U-Pick farms around here, so we have no excuse.

10. And now I must stop typing, because I have reached the magical number (10), and Sophia just woke up from her first of many lap naps, and Art is about to serve up some peppercorn steak and eggs for "breakfast." (It's noon.)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

3.5, Almost 4 Month Update

My little girl has changed so much in the past couple of months. All of a sudden she started cooing and "talking" and moving and playing.

Some of the new things she's up to are:

1. She has discovered her hands and is very quickly learning how to use them. She sucks on her fists when she's hungry, grabs at things, and even brings them to her mouth.



2. She blows bubbles and drools like crazy.


Here is what her talking now sounds like:




3. I got her weighed today, and she is 11.5 pounds. Four weeks ago she was measured and, at that time, was 24 inches long. That's five inches in less than three months! I wouldn't be surprised if she has grown another inch since then. She's a tall girl.




4. She still doesn't like tummy time very much, but she's very strong. She can push herself up quite far! She also loves to "stand." If she feels something solid beneath her feet, she'll straighten her legs and try to support herself.


She's still very wobbly of course, and I know it will be months before she can do it on her own. But it's still exciting to see her try.


5. She's starting new fashion trends. She came up with this one all by herself!



6. She sleeps through the night. She has a late bedtime (10pm, sometimes later) and she's usually up around 6:00 (sometimes a little earlier), but that still means I'm getting a solid seven hours, at least, so I can't complain. Plus, after her 6am feeding, she goes back down

Daytime sleeping isn't going as well though. She takes several short naps (between 15-20 minutes long), and she takes them in my lap. If I try to move her, she wakes up. So I'm praying that naptime will get better, but in the meantime, I can deal with it (since she's sleeping so well at night).


7. She is a much more efficient eater. Most nursing sessions last less than half an hour. Sometimes, she's done in under 10 minutes! She's not really on any feeding schedule though. Sometimes she has a nice long playtime and goes an hour and a half between feedings. Other times she cluster feeds for a couple of hours at a time.

I don't know how other mothers do it. I haven't fully prepared a meal (other than breakfast) since she was born. Art does all of the cooking now. I'm trying not to wish that time would pass quickly, but I'm definitely looking forward to her being able to entertain herself long enough for me to make dinner.

Of course, when she becomes more independent, I'll probably tell you that I miss having a little baby who needs me all the time... :)

Smiles

These days, Art and I find ourselves doing all kinds of silly things in order to get Sophia to smile. Eliciting a smile is getting easier and easier. Capturing it on camera? Not so much.







Finally I decided just to take a video when Art was playing with her.



I live for my little girl's smiles.