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.

* * * *

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....