Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Photo Shoot!
These are some of my favorites! If you want to see them all, I posted them on Facebook or on Avery's Shutterfly.
If you need the password, send me an email at new dot michelle at gmail dot com and I'll send it to you!
Friday, May 20, 2011
That was strange
The goshdarn WEIRDEST THING just happened. I was upstairs nursing Avery before her nap and suddenly she stopped nursing and rolled her head back and forth. I thought, oh great, here we go, I'm going to have to walk her down to sleep. But then she nestled her head in to my arm and ... I can hardly even type it ... she just ... went to sleep. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. That has NEVER happened before in her entire life! I feel like the clouds parted and a small beam of hope came through. These have been some rough weeks, sleepwise. But it may be that we are nearing a comparatively easier phase. And I can see a tiny glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. I don't harbor any illusions that this is going to be happening on the regular now or anything, but at least I know it CAN happen.
I know I talk about the child's sleep (or lack thereof) every other time I post here. It's probably my greatest parenting challenge, if not the greatest challenge of my ENTIRE LIFE, and I don't think I'm exaggerating here. I was talking to my aunt the other day and she could not believe Avery was only napping 20-30 minutes. She said she has a friend whose one year old naps for FOUR HOURS each day. FOUR! I can't even imagine what that would be like. I spend hours every day getting Avery to sleep, and that's not even mentioning the nights! And then she naps for an hour. A DAY! If I'm lucky.
And yet, I think about how far we have come. I remember the early days when I could hardly lay her down to sleep. I would just get in bed with her each night because she wouldn't stay asleep without me there. Or then when she was napping four times a day and I would spend 30 minutes walking/bouncing/patting/humming her down and she would wake up as soon as I got back downstairs and need to be resettled again. Things have gotten better, in a sort of spiraling two steps forward one step back kind of way.
It's not just sleep; there's been other evidence that she is pulling out of this regression. Like today she spent a long time playing while I was sitting on the floor with her, and I was alternating between reading blogs on my phone and interacting with her, instead of having to focus my attention 100% on her. Or if I announce that Mommy is going to the potty! she will stand up and start toddling after me instead of exploding into hysterical wails.
Oh, and last week I took her shopping a the outlet mall and she spent the whole afternoon riding around in her stroller or crawling around in the dressing room while I was trying stuff on. It was fun! I can remember when I thought I would NEVER be able to do that. When Avery was about a month old I went with my mom to the base exchange and commissary and spent the whole time sitting in the food court nursing Avery while my mom went in and shopped. And then Avery cried in her carseat on the way home. I remember thinking, what was the point, I could have just stayed home and been more comfortable. And, I am never going to be able to go ANYWHERE! Ah, times have changed!
I don't want to give the impression that the sleep issue is the biggest or most important. It does kind of give me writer's block, though. I mean, if I spend 30 minutes putting her down and I know I probably only have 30 minutes before she wakes up, I don't exactly feel like sitting down to blog about all the adorable things she does. Know what I mean? Even though the majority of the time we are having fun and she is being adorable.
Anyway, here's what we've been up to:
* I'm siiiiiiiiiick. Agaaaaaaiiiin. Seriously, I have been sick more times since I started nursing than in the entire previous decade! I can't help but think it has something to do with nursing depleting my nutrient stores or being run down in general. UGH! Oh, and the toddler? Still here, even when I'm sick and feel like schlepping between the couch and my bed all day.
* We had a professional photographer out to the house to take our family pictures. The same guy who photographed our wedding. I think they will turn out really cute, I can't wait to see them (we should get to see them sometime this week).
* I'm going home to Vegas for a few weeks on Sunday. With Avery, of course! We are super excited.
* Avery is getting good at walking. She is still a bit unsteady on her feet, but she toddles around quite a bit now and it's so WEIRD to see! Watching her grow up is such a trip.
Aaaand she's up! Forty minutes!
I know I talk about the child's sleep (or lack thereof) every other time I post here. It's probably my greatest parenting challenge, if not the greatest challenge of my ENTIRE LIFE, and I don't think I'm exaggerating here. I was talking to my aunt the other day and she could not believe Avery was only napping 20-30 minutes. She said she has a friend whose one year old naps for FOUR HOURS each day. FOUR! I can't even imagine what that would be like. I spend hours every day getting Avery to sleep, and that's not even mentioning the nights! And then she naps for an hour. A DAY! If I'm lucky.
And yet, I think about how far we have come. I remember the early days when I could hardly lay her down to sleep. I would just get in bed with her each night because she wouldn't stay asleep without me there. Or then when she was napping four times a day and I would spend 30 minutes walking/bouncing/patting/humming her down and she would wake up as soon as I got back downstairs and need to be resettled again. Things have gotten better, in a sort of spiraling two steps forward one step back kind of way.
It's not just sleep; there's been other evidence that she is pulling out of this regression. Like today she spent a long time playing while I was sitting on the floor with her, and I was alternating between reading blogs on my phone and interacting with her, instead of having to focus my attention 100% on her. Or if I announce that Mommy is going to the potty! she will stand up and start toddling after me instead of exploding into hysterical wails.
Oh, and last week I took her shopping a the outlet mall and she spent the whole afternoon riding around in her stroller or crawling around in the dressing room while I was trying stuff on. It was fun! I can remember when I thought I would NEVER be able to do that. When Avery was about a month old I went with my mom to the base exchange and commissary and spent the whole time sitting in the food court nursing Avery while my mom went in and shopped. And then Avery cried in her carseat on the way home. I remember thinking, what was the point, I could have just stayed home and been more comfortable. And, I am never going to be able to go ANYWHERE! Ah, times have changed!
I don't want to give the impression that the sleep issue is the biggest or most important. It does kind of give me writer's block, though. I mean, if I spend 30 minutes putting her down and I know I probably only have 30 minutes before she wakes up, I don't exactly feel like sitting down to blog about all the adorable things she does. Know what I mean? Even though the majority of the time we are having fun and she is being adorable.
Anyway, here's what we've been up to:
* I'm siiiiiiiiiick. Agaaaaaaiiiin. Seriously, I have been sick more times since I started nursing than in the entire previous decade! I can't help but think it has something to do with nursing depleting my nutrient stores or being run down in general. UGH! Oh, and the toddler? Still here, even when I'm sick and feel like schlepping between the couch and my bed all day.
* We had a professional photographer out to the house to take our family pictures. The same guy who photographed our wedding. I think they will turn out really cute, I can't wait to see them (we should get to see them sometime this week).
* I'm going home to Vegas for a few weeks on Sunday. With Avery, of course! We are super excited.
* Avery is getting good at walking. She is still a bit unsteady on her feet, but she toddles around quite a bit now and it's so WEIRD to see! Watching her grow up is such a trip.
Aaaand she's up! Forty minutes!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Another developmental spurt
A few days ago I got an email from the Wonder Weeks saying that Avery was starting another developmental leap.* Which explains a LOT that's been going on around here! The sleep being even more wacky than usual (one night she was up for FOUR HOURS in the middle of the night), the whining, the clinging, crying whenever I'm not paying full attention to her... of course it's because she's discovering "the world of programs". Sure enough, I've seen her doing a couple of things that indicate she is catching on to "programs" (mopping the floor is a program, for example). If you hand her a rag, she will wipe the table; with a bowl and spoon, she will stir and offer you a taste. Apparently when they hit these developmental leaps, their brains change so they actually see the world differently and it seems scary and overwhelming to them so they fuss, cling, and regress for a while.
Yesterday we were playing a game while she was nursing. She was swatting/patting/grabbing for my mouth, so I pretended like I was going to chomp her hand and she cracked up. She kept putting her hand up for me to pretend-chomp over and over again. I'm not sure what was so hilarious about it, but she was laughing so hard.
* If you go to the Wonder Weeks website you can enter your email address and they will send you an email right before your baby is supposed to hit a developmental leap.
Yesterday we were playing a game while she was nursing. She was swatting/patting/grabbing for my mouth, so I pretended like I was going to chomp her hand and she cracked up. She kept putting her hand up for me to pretend-chomp over and over again. I'm not sure what was so hilarious about it, but she was laughing so hard.
* If you go to the Wonder Weeks website you can enter your email address and they will send you an email right before your baby is supposed to hit a developmental leap.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Thursday, May 05, 2011
I guess there's a first for everything
My poor baby has her first fever. Boo! It started Tuesday night and got up to 103 last night. I just took her to the pediatrician and looks like there's no infection, so just a virus that has to run its course. No other symptoms, though, thank goodness. She's napping right now. Somehow being sick is actually making her sleep LESS, if that's even possible... she only napped for 20 minutes all day yesterday! I hope she gets some sleep today, fingers crossed.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Historic Moment
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