Calling All Mommies!!*

*Even if you are not a mommy, your comments, tips, tricks, theories, sage advice, or magical spells are more than welcome!

Dear Comrades,

Here's the question of the century: Will my chile EVER sleep through the night?!?!

So, Cam is 6 months old.  He wakes up *at least* once a night...most nights two, and occasionally three.  His bedtime is 7:00, which he's gotten used to.  It's pretty easy to just do our routine, lay him in his crib, and walk away.  However, he wakes up pretty much every night at around 4:00am and wants a whole bottle (6 oz.).  Lately, he's been waking up between 10:00 and 11:00 also wanting a whole bottle.  I'm feeding him solid food (1-1.5 oz.) and a bottle around 5:30 or 6:00.  He's sleeping consistently from  7:00pm to 6:00 or 7:00am, which is great!  But when will his sleep be uninterrupted? 

At his recent 6 month check-up, the doctor asked if he was sleeping through the night, and I told her what I've just mentioned.  She said that it's probably out of habit that he wants to be fed, and that I need to stop feeding him at night.  Yikes!  It seems like if I do that, then we'll get even less sleep because when he wakes up and doesn't get any food, he will scream and be inconsolable for who knows how long!  Do I slowly wean him off night feedings?  Maybe give him one or two ounces less until he's not drinking anymore? 

Another question is, how long is "through the night?"  I read somewhere that 6 hours is sleeping through the night.  If that's the case, 1:00am would be time to wake up and that is just plain unreasonable!  Maybe that was for newborns...either way, I don't believe that.  How long should a 6-month-old sleep without waking up?   

Don't get me wrong; I still love this sweet, precious, little angel face to death!  Who wouldn't?!

But what gives??

Growth spurt?

Teething?

Just to spite me?

Help!

Sincerely (if a little cranky),
Sleepless in El Paso

P.S.  Mommies who can say, "My baby slept through the night after the first week," need not respond ;}

Catharsis

Where to begin?  There seems to be no good/easy way to get this out other than to just say it: I had a miscarriage a few weeks ago- March 9th.  I was about 5 weeks along.  Dealing with this has been much more difficult than I thought it would be when it first happened, even though I am thankful it didn't happen further along (I don't want to think about how hard that would  be).  I understand that this happens to so many women...It would take more than two hands to count the number of women I know personally who have had to go through this.  But it's still a loss, and it's still difficult.  I'm having a hard time interacting with people, and I can't really figure out why.  I just want to be alone the majority of the time...maybe because for some reason I'm embarrassed about how long it's taking me to get over this.  I just feel kind of awkward trying to act happy and social when I'm still hurting so much.

I want everyone to know that I'm not writing about this because I'm looking for sympathy...I'm actually terrified of posting this because I hate calling attention to myself...but I feel like I need a way to just let it out so I can continue to move on.  I've been over what happened in my head countless times, and I've talked to a handful of friends about it, and Josh of course, and I've been praying about it a lot, but it doesn't seem to be getting much easier to deal with.  Maybe I need to work through it on "paper," and hopefully find some peace.

We decided we wanted another baby.  I was hesitant at first because I'm an only child and never really had any desire to have siblings.  I had a wonderful childhood and believed that a sibling for Cam wasn't really a necessity.  Then, being a practical thinker, I thought about how Cam having a brother or sister could actually be beneficial for our Army lifestyle.  We will be moving frequently (something I never had to experience as a child), and having a companion with him when we move and change schools would be nice, and would hopefully make the transitions a little easier.  On the other hand, I also thought about how amazing being a parent is, and that I want to experience that feeling again with another baby.  As I'm writing this, I'm thinking about how selfish that sounds.  Maybe it is a little selfish, but I think it's more than that.  After having a baby, I realized that each pregnancy and child is a little miracle...a physical sign of God's awesome power.  When I look at Cameron, see him grow both mentally and physically everyday, see how perfect he is, I feel God's presence in a way I don't think I ever have before, and I can't help but think about how undeserving I am of this blessing that I have been so freely given.  And I think that I deserve more?  There's no way.  I can't even begin to list all the blessings in my life.  But why have i been given so much?  All I can think of is that it is all thanks to God's Grace.  He gives us things we don't deserve, and I am so so grateful for that.  I'm just trying to work out why He gave me the hope and excitement of another baby, then took it away.  Maybe He wanted to remind me who is in charge of my life.  I can make all the plans I want, come up with all the reasons I want for why I should have another child, but it's not my decision.  If it is not His time or according to His plan, then it won't happen. 

Through this whole experience I have reflected on one of my favorite Bible verses: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11.  I find so much comfort in this.  I have been so prosperous in my life so far.  And God didn't let this happen to punish me...he doesn't want to harm me.  My hope is that I will have another child one day, but I know that if it is meant to be, He has the perfect time planned, and I will continue to pray for strength and strive to put my trust Him.  In the meantime, I will count my blessings.       

Here are a couple more Bible verses that I thought of:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Psalm 3:5
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philipians 4:13

I'm feeling better already.

Two Tickets To That Thing You Love

Happy Day-after Valentine's y'all!  I hope you enjoyed  a day full of love!  One of my Facebook friends reminded me that February 14th isn't just about whether you have a "Valentine" or not, it's about celebrating love in all it's forms.  And I am SO thankful for all of the friends and family in my life who love me, and I want all of you to know that I cherish and love you all dearly :} 

Ok...enough mushy stuff.

Yesterday was the first day we left Cameron at day-care or the CDC as we call it here in Army Land (no, not the Center for Disease Control, which, of course, I can't help but think about every single time!...the Child Development Center).  Josh and I had plans to go to lunch at a sushi restaurant, so we dropped him off around noon.  I was feeling pangs of guilt as I walked in the building, but as soon as Cam laid eyes on the nice ladies who were going to take care of him, he was all smiles.  So that made me feel tons better :}  Josh and I said our goodbyes and went out to enjoy a very nice lunch, coffee, and a bit of shopping at the PX before we went to pick up the little one.  I couldn't wait to see him and hear how he did.  We walked in, looked around and saw a tiny little baby sleeping in a bouncy seat, facing away from us.  We thought "he can't possibly be ours...he's too small" (the different outfit didn't help either...he had apparently spit up all over the outfit we brought him in and they had to change him!).  But, sure enough the lady picked him up and he stretched and yawned and looked over at us and smiled!  It reminded me just how small and precious he is :} The ladies said he did great...no problems at all! Yay! That really put my mind at ease, and now maybe I won't feel as guilty when I leave him there. No, I'm sure I will  :/  As we were leaving, I looked in the diaper bag and found a sweet surprise ( Caution: it's about to get mushy again)...Cam had made me a Valentine:

 Melt!  I'd say it was a successful first day :}

So, since the hubby and I went out for lunch, I decided to cook him a nice meal for dinner.  We had mini Beef Wellingtons, roasted veggies, and garlic parmesan mashed potatoes.  Then we had apple crisp for dessert.  Here's what dinner looked like:

It was delish!  As we sat there eating dinner, complete with our bottles of water (fancy-schmancy), while Cam was asleep, I was thinking about just how happy I am...then Josh gave me my Valentine's gift, which was presented on  a homemade Valentine (yes, he even used the Cricut!! He probably didn't want me to share that :/ ).  Two tickets to Cirque du Soleil: Dralion for Thursday night!  His sister will be in town and she has already volunteered to babysit :}  I'm beyond excited!  I'm pretty sure I have the best son and husband in the world! :}

February Photography Update

It is now day 5 of the February picture project and I have more pictures! I have not taken a a picture on "Auto" mode since way back in January; this makes me pretty proud of myself even if I am nowhere near mastering my camera!  Here's what I have so far:

Day 2- Words

Day 3- Hands (I actually have two for this one...)

Day 4- A Stranger

Day 5- 10am (if you had seen the lighting conditions in this room, you'd be impressed!)

So that's it so far! Loving this project :}
P.S. Happy Superbowl Sunday!

Miscellaneous

It's been a month since my last blog.  So today, I'm just going to get it all out!  Be prepared to jump from topic to topic in seconds flat!

First, I know you're all dying to hear about my weight loss progress.  I've lost 3 pounds.  Not stellar, but it's three less than I started with.  The really frustrating thing is that I lost those 3 pounds within the first two days of the diet during the "jump start" phase!  I guess I should consider it a success that I've actually kept them off!  I did really well at first with the healthy eating; it was about 2 weeks before I started to slip down the proverbial slope.  But this week, I've gotten back on track.  Last night we had pretty amazing turkey lettuce wraps (recipe to follow)!  The 10 minute workout videos aren't going so well either.  That lasted about a week :{  But I'm going to try to start those again.  However, Jessica and I are going to start going to the Power Pump class at the gym (hopefully twice a week).  I went with her last week and was sore for 3 days!  She's been 3 times now and is starting to get some muscle definition...she's definitely a beast :}  I haven't been more than the one time because I've been trying to get Cam registered with on-post child care.  Which is hopefully complete now and I can start taking him.  I'm extremely nervous about it.  I wasn't at all before, but the more I think about it, the harder I think it is going to be to say goodbye to his sweet face!

Speaking of Cam...this leads me to the second topic :}  I haven't talked about him much on the blog, and I just wanted to let everyone know what he's up to these days...he's quite the busy four-month-old!

Milestones:
Smiling (at pretty much everything and everyone!)
Laughing
Rolling from back to tummy (almost ready to go from tummy to back)
Sitting up with his hands propping him- "the tripod" :}
Reaching and grabbing
"Babbling" (he seems to have a lot to say!)
He's just starting to hold his bottle by himself

Favorite Things:
Eating his hands
Playing with and eating his toes
"Flying"- throwing him in the air or running around the room while making swooshing sounds
Dancing with Mom (especially if it's to Yellow Submarine!)
Blowing raspberries (hilarious!)
High pitched squealing
Playing and spending time with Mom and Dad

He's such a good baby :}  So much fun...exhausting, but fun!!  This week has been tough because it's the first time he's been sick.  I think he just had a little stomach bug.  Subsequently, this brought on our first experience with diaper rash, too.  We were just about to start adding rice cereal to his bananas when he got sick, so I stopped the solid food altogether until he get's well.  So, more to follow on the solid food adventure!

Thirdly, as some of you know, I've been really into getting my house decorated.  It's going really well and it's pretty exciting!!  I actually can't wait to have visitors (i.e. my Sister-in-law in two weeks!)  My recent projects have been the dining room, laundry room, my bathroom, and the living room.  Here's what I've done so far (with some help from Josh :} ):

And finally, during the month of February I'm going to start taking a picture everyday.  A pin on Pinterest has a list of "subjects"- one for every day.  I'm so excited to practice my photography and use my awesome zoom lens that my hubby got me for Christmas! Today's subject is "Your view today."  Here's my pic:

It's called "Positive."  I view today with positivity :}  I like the way it turned out, except that it's slightly blue tinted.  Any photography tips?

So, thanks for hanging in there for the entire post!  I promise to blog more often so they're not quite as long :\  And now, for those who are interested, the recipe:

Quick Sriracha Beef Lettuce Wraps
(Makes 3-4 servings or 6-8 lettuce wraps; recipe adapted from Nigella Fresh.)

Ingredients:
2 tsp. neutral-flavored oil like grapeseed or peanut oil
1 lb. lean ground beef [I used ground turkey and it was delish!]
1 T fish sauce (I like Three Crabs Fish sauce by far the best)
1-2 T Sriracha Sauce (depending on how much heat you want)
1 T water
zest from one large lime
juice from one large lime (about 1 1/2 T juice)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion (or double that amount if you're not using the cilantro)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 head iceberg lettuce

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan, then saute the beef until it's cooked through and starting to brown, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks.  

While beef cooks, mix together the fish sauce, Sriracha Sauce, and water in a small bowl.  Zest the skin of the lime and squeeze the juice.  (You may need two limes to get enough juice, but only use the zest from one lime.)  Thinly slice the green onions and chop the cilantro.  (Most iceberg lettuce doesn't need washing, but if yours does break the heads apart gently and wash and dry the lettuce.)

When the beef is done, add the Sriracha Sauce mixture and let it sizzle until the water has evaporated, stirring a few times to get the flavor mixed through the meat.  Turn off the heat and stir in the lime zest, lime juice, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro.

Serve meat mixture with iceberg lettuce leaves to fill with meat and wrap around it, to be eaten with your hands.

Recipe courtesy
Kalyn's Kitchen

El Paso friends: I have fish sauce and Siracha if you would like to borrow them :}

Operation: Eighty-six the Baby Weight

Well, it's been 3 months and I've lost 20 of the 40 pounds I gained during pregnancy (I'm still amazed that a 6 pound baby caused me to gain that much weight...it could have been the eat-whatever-I-want philosophy too...)  Also, when I say 20 pounds, I mean give or take...I'm pretty sure I gained a couple or five during the Christmas break, but it was totally worth it :}  So, for Christmas Josh got me (among other things) Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer kit (by the guy who does P90X).  I figure I can spare 10 minutes at a time rather than the grueling hour and a half sessions of P90X...and I'm all about doing as little exercise as possible while still seeing results!  I'm also going to stick with the meal plan that is included in the kit.  I love to eat.  I love to eat unhealthy food (I've pretty much never met anyone who doesn't).  But I really feel like I need to change my eating habits to not only lose weight, but to get healthier.  I probably won't be quite as rigid with the meal plan as Tony would prefer, but I figure any change will be a good change (I don't care for the meal replacement shakes that he suggests you use, so I won't do that, but I won't eat 3 pieces of fried chicken for lunch either...mmm fried chicken...). 

Now, I've bought countless exercise videos in the past and have never seen any results; however, I'm feeling very motivated.  I've also never had a blog before and I plan to track my progress publicly to try to keep myself accountable.  Don't get excited...I'm not going to reveal my actual weight (I'm way too self-conscious for that!), but I'll let you know how much weight I've lost (probably monthly) and when I've reached my pre-pregnancy weight...which is my goal (once I hit that, I'll set a new goal!).  I'll even let you know how many inches I lose...Tony (I might as well call him by his first name since we'll be spending so much time together) included a handy measuring tape in the kit too :}  He seems to be pretty confident that his plan will show results in as little as one month.  We'll see!

And so begins the journey...       

Hobbits, Halloween, and Homesickness

Cam's 1st Halloween: Huge success.

I admit, I wasn't going to put him in a costume this year...he is only 5 weeks old.  However, a walk through Walmart a couple of weeks ago made me feel a little nostalgic and set me in motion to create a costume.  And some gentle nudging by some friends (Jessica Norton and Nancy Galas) sealed the deal.

As Josh and I shopped at Walmart towards the beginning of October, we happened to stroll by the sewing section.  I glanced over and saw all the different Halloween costume patterns on display, which immediately brought me back to my childhood.  My mom and I used to go pick out a pattern every year and she would hand-make my costumes.  If I didn't see a pattern for exactly what I wanted to be that year, we would find what we needed and make it up ourselves.  I never once wore a store-bought costume.  I never realized how special that would be.  Some of my favorite costumes include Fievel, Maid Marian (from the Disney Robin Hood...complete with fox ears and nose), Donatello from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Emmet Kelly the clown (a character my granddad loved).  Oh yeah, I was this guy when I was 11 years old...probably the only 11-year-old who had ever heard of him (possibly the only 26-year-old to have heard of him...).  This, I believe, was the last costume my grandfather saw me in before he passed away. 

So, since homemade costumes bring back such strong and special memories of my happy childhood, I decided that I had to come up with a costume for Cameron.  Unfortunately, I had no idea what he should be.  Josh really pushed for a Star Wars character...which is fine!  I really like Star Wars, but it's not my favorite thing ever, and for some reason, I feel entitled to decided what Cam's first costume should be!  Maybe because I had to give up my body for almost a year (more than a year actually...pretty much for the rest of my life, because it will never be the same) and then push him out. Just sayin' ;} I did promise Josh that Cam could be a Star Wars character next year though...so stay tuned!  This is where Jessica and Nancy come in.  I told them I had pretty much decided to dress him up, but didn't know what he should be.  After throwing around a couple of ideas, Nancy, knowing how much I love The Lord of the Rings, suggested a Hobbit.  Jessica, who didn't actually know what a Hobbit is until I explained, was totally on board!  So I made the decision that Cameron would be Frodo Baggins (or "Grodo" as Jessica called him).  And he was literally the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life :}  I'm SO glad I did this.  All it took was $3.00.  I really hope that this little piece of felt, this little piece of foam, and the hair I drew on his feet with eyeliner will be the beginning of many many happy childhood memories for my sweet Hobbit.