Well the past two weeks have been a little crazy. Connor got a sinus infection and then the medicine he got might have caused a minor reaction. And on top of this, he's still not a big fan of sleep. Aaron finally looked up some sleep studies stuff and he wants to go the co-sleeping/attachment parenting route. It's usually the guys that don't want that so I was shocked he does, but okie dokie. Connor is now sleeping 3ish hours in his crib, then comes in with mommy and daddy. We are all sleeping better now. Thank goodness! So I gave into that idea, but another issue is still bugging me.
School has been weighing on my mind a lot. Partially because I need motivation to get some things done and partially because I keep getting roadblocks put in front of me. But after reflection, I'm digging in my heels and getting it done. My parents offered to come over every day for about two hours so I can actually do some school work. That will be a huge help! I'm sucking it up and doing what I have to do to get closer to dissertation writing. And of course I still have a plan in my mind, but I've learned to really take one day at a time. You just never know...
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tears or Sleep
Last night, while not sleeping for the umpteenth time in a row, I had a breakdown. My eyes started to water and I sat up in bed scolding my six month old to please please please let mommy sleep. I actually shook my finger at him questioning what was wrong with him to wake up every 45 minutes by hitting me and tossing and turning. (At this point in the night, the idea of him being in the crib was too far fetched and he was in bed with mommy and daddy.) Aaron looked at me like I had a hole in my head for talking to Connor like that, but I was so exhausted I didn't know what else to do.
I am literally exhausted and vowed that something, SOMETHING, could be done. I'm not asking for 10 hours (like my friend Marissa and her baby Barrett who came out of the womb peacefully giving 8-10 hours a night of sound sleep), but I'd like maybe 4. Is that too much to ask? So Marissa let me borrow two sleep books, (that she never had to use haha) and my other friend Alana let me borrow one as well. I'm working on the No-Cry-Sleep Solution now and am going to do all the necessary logs tomorrow. This method involves writing down all sleep schedules to see patterns. We shall see how it goes. It says that while it takes time to see progress, indeed progress can happen. She even gave the example of what her 12 month old was doing. He was up every 1.5 hours, something I can definitely relate to, and by the end of her method he was sleeping that holy grail of 10 hours! Shocking!
Please keep your fingers crossed for me because I am in desperate need of some sleep.
I am literally exhausted and vowed that something, SOMETHING, could be done. I'm not asking for 10 hours (like my friend Marissa and her baby Barrett who came out of the womb peacefully giving 8-10 hours a night of sound sleep), but I'd like maybe 4. Is that too much to ask? So Marissa let me borrow two sleep books, (that she never had to use haha) and my other friend Alana let me borrow one as well. I'm working on the No-Cry-Sleep Solution now and am going to do all the necessary logs tomorrow. This method involves writing down all sleep schedules to see patterns. We shall see how it goes. It says that while it takes time to see progress, indeed progress can happen. She even gave the example of what her 12 month old was doing. He was up every 1.5 hours, something I can definitely relate to, and by the end of her method he was sleeping that holy grail of 10 hours! Shocking!
Please keep your fingers crossed for me because I am in desperate need of some sleep.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Mr. Model
We finally got some pictures done of the three of us. And it's about time since Connor is 6.5 months. My friend Dena took them and I love them! Connor is way too cute and loves the camera. He showed off his two hats and smiled most of the time. Of course when she took pics of the three of us, he wouldn't smile, little bugger. Oh well! Here are some of my favs...enjoy!! :)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Avoca-No!
Well Connor started solid food!!
First up was bananas and he loved loved loved them! He gobbled them up and wanted more. He got them for four days. (Following the "four day rule" of introducing foods)
Here are some pics of him loving bananas!
Getting ready for some big boy food! And note Stoli ready by his side in case anything drops!
YUM!!
But then today we tried Avocado. I must admit that I never grew up eating this, but once I moved to New Mexico, I started eating it and love it! It's yummy and so good for you. Connor, though, did not think it was so great.
What in the world is this Mommy??
We are going to try avocado again tomorrow and the next two days after that. I've read sometimes babies don't like a food one day and love it the next. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
First up was bananas and he loved loved loved them! He gobbled them up and wanted more. He got them for four days. (Following the "four day rule" of introducing foods)
Here are some pics of him loving bananas!
YUM!!
But then today we tried Avocado. I must admit that I never grew up eating this, but once I moved to New Mexico, I started eating it and love it! It's yummy and so good for you. Connor, though, did not think it was so great.
We are going to try avocado again tomorrow and the next two days after that. I've read sometimes babies don't like a food one day and love it the next. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Conversion
Here is my list of ways I'm becoming a 1950's iconic housewife and mom. Here we go!
10. I made the thanksgiving turkey to perfection if I do say so myself and then proceeded to make homemade turkey stock out of the carcass!
9. I whip up a batch of homemade peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies when I know company is coming over.
8. Instead of being covered with history books, news articles, and women's studies magazines, my nightstand now has parenting magazines, baby cookbooks, and Ladies' Home Journal. I still do have one Ms. magazine there though!!
7. My birthday presents this past year consisted of a camera (so I can take pictures of my baby) and a necklace (of course called teething bling so not only I get to enjoy it, but Connor can drool away on it)
6. My friends and I get together once a week, not to go shopping or get mani-pedis, no no no, we have playgroup with our kiddos.
5. And now my girls outing doesn't consist of cocktails, but tea time complete with decaf tea and tasty little sandwiches.
4. My conversations with other people mostly consist of how much our babies weigh, how much they sleep, eat, etc.
3. I'm crazy about gathering new recipes now and super excited to try them all out.
2. I wear an apron, not any apron though, one that says "Domestic Diva" on it.
And the number 1 reason...
I mopped the floor the other day, with curlers in my hair!
10. I made the thanksgiving turkey to perfection if I do say so myself and then proceeded to make homemade turkey stock out of the carcass!
9. I whip up a batch of homemade peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies when I know company is coming over.
8. Instead of being covered with history books, news articles, and women's studies magazines, my nightstand now has parenting magazines, baby cookbooks, and Ladies' Home Journal. I still do have one Ms. magazine there though!!
7. My birthday presents this past year consisted of a camera (so I can take pictures of my baby) and a necklace (of course called teething bling so not only I get to enjoy it, but Connor can drool away on it)
6. My friends and I get together once a week, not to go shopping or get mani-pedis, no no no, we have playgroup with our kiddos.
5. And now my girls outing doesn't consist of cocktails, but tea time complete with decaf tea and tasty little sandwiches.
4. My conversations with other people mostly consist of how much our babies weigh, how much they sleep, eat, etc.
3. I'm crazy about gathering new recipes now and super excited to try them all out.
2. I wear an apron, not any apron though, one that says "Domestic Diva" on it.
And the number 1 reason...
I mopped the floor the other day, with curlers in my hair!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Mrs. Mom
I think it started when Aaron and I took our dog Holly to obedience class. The trainer blatantly told us, "I will only know of you as Holly's parents." I know it sounds silly, but that is the first time that I realized my identity could and in fact will be as someone's something, ie Holly's mom, Aaron's wife, and now Connor's mom. I'm not saying this is bad, it's just different.
I've always seen myself as an independent woman and not someone's qualifier. When I got married, it took me awhile to decide to even hyphenate my last name. Now I get the joy of signing a ridiculously long name, which is annoying in itself. But hey, I kept something. So first came the Mrs.
And now the Mom. I'm now known as Connor's mom. Don't get me wrong, I love being associated with the cutest baby in the entire world (no I'm not partial), but really? I do have a name...
This brings me to the bigger issue of who I am now and my relationships. One of the most important relationships I have is with my husband. Becoming a wife and mother were the best things in my life. It totally changed my life for the better, but it definitely made things different. Right now, I don't have a job outside of going to school. I was very nervous about not having an income to contribute to our household expenses. I remember even talking to my mother in law saying that I was worried Aaron wouldn't respect me anymore. She looked at me and said of course he will, he is madly in love with you. Aaron and I had many discussions about it and he reassured me about it all. But I was still nervous. How would he react when my spending money had to come out of his money? He's been totally great about it, thank goodness. It still weighs on my mind from time to time, but I think of it as he has his jobs (yes multiple) and I have mine (taking care of Connor). I think it definitely affects stay at home moms idea of themselves, but a supportive partner helps. My relationship with Aaron has grown immensely, mostly because we talk things out, experience parenthood together, and support each other's decisions.
So this fiercely independent woman has become a Mrs. Mom. However, if I meet a new person I am totally proud of saying "Hello, my name is Rebecca, Connor's mom and Aaron's wife." :)
I've always seen myself as an independent woman and not someone's qualifier. When I got married, it took me awhile to decide to even hyphenate my last name. Now I get the joy of signing a ridiculously long name, which is annoying in itself. But hey, I kept something. So first came the Mrs.
And now the Mom. I'm now known as Connor's mom. Don't get me wrong, I love being associated with the cutest baby in the entire world (no I'm not partial), but really? I do have a name...
This brings me to the bigger issue of who I am now and my relationships. One of the most important relationships I have is with my husband. Becoming a wife and mother were the best things in my life. It totally changed my life for the better, but it definitely made things different. Right now, I don't have a job outside of going to school. I was very nervous about not having an income to contribute to our household expenses. I remember even talking to my mother in law saying that I was worried Aaron wouldn't respect me anymore. She looked at me and said of course he will, he is madly in love with you. Aaron and I had many discussions about it and he reassured me about it all. But I was still nervous. How would he react when my spending money had to come out of his money? He's been totally great about it, thank goodness. It still weighs on my mind from time to time, but I think of it as he has his jobs (yes multiple) and I have mine (taking care of Connor). I think it definitely affects stay at home moms idea of themselves, but a supportive partner helps. My relationship with Aaron has grown immensely, mostly because we talk things out, experience parenthood together, and support each other's decisions.
So this fiercely independent woman has become a Mrs. Mom. However, if I meet a new person I am totally proud of saying "Hello, my name is Rebecca, Connor's mom and Aaron's wife." :)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Gearing Up
I've always been an analytical person. Since I've had Connor, however, I am always thinking ahead and planning. I have a crazy spreadsheet for all my finances, come up with a weekly menu of meals, and keep a running list of what I need at various stores.
Since Connor is turning six months old at the end of the month, that marks his entry into eating solid food. And of course I've been gearing up for this much anticipated event. I've read a ton of articles on what foods to start with, when, how, etc. I recently purchased some baby cookbooks to help me along the way. With all the crazy food recalls, toy recalls, and questionable additives to regular food, I made the decision to make my own baby food. This should be an interesting journey, but I'd much rather know exactly what my baby is eating than some weird jar of who knows what. The preservatives, sugar, and salt added to baby food is ridiculous! No wonder why we have an obesity epidemic in this country!
So here are a couple helpful books and websites that I've been looking into for my baby food experience:
I'm a big fan of babycenter.com for just quick easy reference material. Here's their article on making your own baby food.
Since Connor is turning six months old at the end of the month, that marks his entry into eating solid food. And of course I've been gearing up for this much anticipated event. I've read a ton of articles on what foods to start with, when, how, etc. I recently purchased some baby cookbooks to help me along the way. With all the crazy food recalls, toy recalls, and questionable additives to regular food, I made the decision to make my own baby food. This should be an interesting journey, but I'd much rather know exactly what my baby is eating than some weird jar of who knows what. The preservatives, sugar, and salt added to baby food is ridiculous! No wonder why we have an obesity epidemic in this country!
So here are a couple helpful books and websites that I've been looking into for my baby food experience:
This book has tons of pictures to help you along the way. It gives step by step instructions and also nutritional information for the various foods. This is a must buy!
This breaks down what babies should eat at each age. This has a variety of recipes full of pictures. (can you tell I like to see pictures?)
I'm a big fan of babycenter.com for just quick easy reference material. Here's their article on making your own baby food.
My friends Alana and Kristen gave me a lot of guidance in how to do this whole making my own baby food thing. They suggested the website www.wholesomebabyfood.com and I just say it's amazing! Tons of great information!
So we shall see how this journey goes and how Connor likes food. I bet he's going to love it because he's already trying to grab everything I eat and drink. He loves drinking little bits of water from a cup. He's such a big boy! Wish me luck!!
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