I just might get this

A father takes artistic photos with his daughter:

World's Best Father

Disturbed

I used to really like a lot of Stanley Kubrick's movies.  But since becoming a parent, I've found my tolerance level for disturbing footage has shot through the floor.  He does have a way with drama though.

Somniphobia

I am afraid of going to sleep.  Every night, I avoid going to bed, because I know it's going to suck.  I toss and turn all night long.  Then I am guaranteed to wake up between 3:30 and 4:30 when Mila has her congestion cough.  She usually can't breathe through her nose, so she wakes up angry.  I have to use saline spray and a booger bulb to clean her out, but by that point, she's wide awake and takes some coaxing back to sleep.

Even when Travis gets up with her, her crying keeps me awake.  WIDE awake.  When my alarm goes off I feel like I'm in a partial coma.  But in the middle of the night when Mila wakes me, WIDE AWAKE.  Ugh.

So, now I dread going to sleep because I am guaranteed a crappy night of sleep.  Mila has her 4-month check up this week.  I'm hoping the doctor will offer some fabulous, fix-it-all advice.  Preferrably in the form of a prescription.  Mila has also had these random bouts of inconsolable crying for the past week.  I wonder if she has an ear infection, or something more serious.  She doesn't have a fever though.

I've thought about taking Tylenol PM, but then I worry about Travis waking up with the kids if they need him.  He can sleep through a hurricane.  I used to be able to sleep through hurricanes.  That was BC.  Before Children. 

50% of my kids are diaper-free

Aiden has been Pull-Up-free for five days now, with ZERO accidents.  To celebrate, we went and bought more underwear this weekend.  We loaded up on the superhero underwear.  

I cannot get over how much growing both Aiden and Mila have been doing lately.  Aiden has been bringing home worksheets he did at preschool where he traces letters.  Last night he was retracing the 'A' worksheet when he asked if he could cut it.  (He loves using scissors.)  Sure why not?!  We're just going to throw it in the trash.  He then proceeded to cut on the lines between each row of letters!

Last Thursday when I picked him up from daycare, I was talking to him about what we should bring in for Show and Tell the following day.  It was supposed to be the color of the week, red, or start with the letter of the week, 'A'.  I asked him what starts with the letter 'a', not really expecting a correct response when he rattles off, "Ant... Alligator... Acorn... Apple..."  I'm sure he's just regurgitating what he's learned at daycare, but it surprised the pants off of me!

Mila WAS sleeping through the night for a few weeks, but then she developed a nasty cough.  When it was really bad, we found that she slept better in her vibrating chair.  It kept her elevated so the congestion would drain properly.  But now that she only has two or three coughing fits per day, I want her in her crib.  The chair makes me nervous.  Sadly, she has one coughing fit per night.  It always wakes me up and for some reason it always happens between 3:30 and 4:30 in the morning.  It wakes her up enough that she realizes she's hungry, so she won't go back to sleep.  

I think I've figured out the trick to getting her back to sleep.  She doesn't like to be swaddled, but at the same time, she keeps herself up with all the restless arm movements she does when she's fussy.  She rubs her face a lot, which inevitably knocks the pacifier out of her mouth.  Now, I just hold her arms on her chest until she calms down.  Then I leave her to fall asleep.  It works!  I taught Travis this morning so he can help me out.  We take turns getting up with Mila at night.  We need to work together to get her back in the habit of sleeping through the night.  It's amazing how much more aware I am when I get a full-night's sleep.

(PS - I still have not seen her roll over.)

My Kids are Growing Up

Last night I was helping Aiden get ready for bed...  I don't really do anything.  I'm more like a referee.  When he gets sidetracked, I just steer him back into action. Anyway, he announced that he didn't want to wear a Pull-Up to bed.  He wanted to wear his underwear.  I explained that he couldn't go pee in his pants.  If he had to go in the middle of the night, he would need to get up and use the potty.  He seemed on board with it, and who am I to stifle his growth?

I was laying in bed trying to force my eyes open after my alarm went off this morning when I heard Aiden come out of his room.  He went straight to the bathroom, used the facilities, and then headed back into his room.  MY BOY STAYED DRY THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!  I can't even believe it!  I know it's only one time, but this is so exciting.  It would be fabulous if I didn't have to buy Pull-Ups anymore!  Not that we go through them very fast, but still - one less thing to pay for.  

Then!  He picked out his clothes for preschool, got dressed, pulled out his socks and shoes and came to me for help.  We just bought new Spiderman light-up shoes, so he likes to do the Velcro himself.  Seriously, could this be any more exciting??

Every morning, Travis gets Mila dressed for daycare.  It makes me chuckle every time I see him holding up a onesie to a skirt to see if it matches.  Anyway, I have noticed some of Mila's clothes have been a little snug lately, so I asked him to find a 6-month outfit.  It fit so well.  My almost-4-month-old is wearing 6-month clothes already!  =(

Where has the time gone?

Sometimes Farts ARE Funny

HaHas for HooHas: The Fart That (Almost) Altered My Destiny

3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days

Mila will be four months old on the 18th.  It's depressing how quickly time flies.  She rolled over for the first time three weeks ago (front to back) and I have yet to see this happen.  Travis has seen her do it three times.  They said she does it all the time at daycare.  She mostly sleeps when I have her in the evening.  I was hoping to see her in action this weekend, but it was a no go.  I haven't even walked into the room to find her already on her stomach.  I'm starting to wonder if everyone is making it up.

I've been looking at photos of Mila recently and I've decided she officially no longer looks like a little newborn.  She is a big chunky girl that can hold her head up just fine.  We're working on the torso now.  I can't quite prop her up on my hip yet. 



It cooled down enough for us to take Mila outside this weekend.



She loves to look around. When Mila's on the ground, she immediately rolls to her side so she can watch whatever Aiden is doing. When she's on her stomach, her head is held up high. If we're holding her, she will turn her head towards the action - sometimes that means she's trying to swivel her entire body around.

She is such a good baby.  She is always so happy and alert.  Mila is already exhibiting characteristics that remind me of her brother.  She HATES sleeping.  She fights naptime tooth and nail.  Sometimes, the only way I can get her to sleep is by putting a blanket over her eyes.  Her teachers said she barely sleeps at daycare, which explains why she falls asleep on the car ride home and doesn't wake up until the next morning.  I wake her up for a couple bottles before going to bed, but she always goes right back to sleep.  Crazy kid.

Mila drools SO MUCH.  I forgot Aiden did this.  He used to get a rash on his chin from all the drooling he did.  I used to have to put Vaseline on his chin to help protect it from the saliva.  Ick.  Mila hasn't reached that point just yet.  Instead of teething rings, I give her a burp cloth to chew on.  Gives her something to do AND it absorbs the drool. I think because of this, her favorite toy has quickly become the little blanket with a plush giraffe head sewn in the center (similar to this).  If I give her multiple toys to chew on, that one always ends up in her grip.  When she's drinking from her bottle, she likes to hold onto a blanket as well. I need to go buy another one we can leave at the daycare!

Aiden loves her.  He is always giving her hugs and kisses.  If he can't find her, he asks, "Where's Mila?"  When she cries, he shushes her and says, "It's okay Mila!"  He likes to do goofy things to make her laugh.  They're going to be such a pair. 



Sunday morning cartoons with Aiden and Phage.





Awkward Stage

I am at a weird inbetween stage with my clothes right now.  So far I have been wearing my maternity clothes, but lately some of them have ceased to fit me.  Now I just look pregnant when I wear them.  BUT, I don't quite fit most of my pre-pregnancy clothes. 

I don't remember this being such a huge issue after I had Aiden and I've come to a conclusion.  After I had Aiden, I was working in a lab where I could wear jeans and a t-shirt if I so desired.  Many of my jeans are stretch fabric, which makes them easy to fit if my body size is within a certain range.  This time around, I'm working at a job that requires me to dress up a bit.  That means fitted pants, skirts and tops.  I don't have many clothes appropriate for this position.  I was hoping to go shopping after I'd lost the baby weight, but I'm lost as to what to do during this transition time.  I'd hate to go purchase clothes that fit me now only to put them in storage after I lose the weight.

My clothes are DRIVING ME BATTY.  When they are too loose, I feel like I'm in a bag.  Plus, I have to wear a tank top underneath so nothing is exposed when the fabric flaps around when I go outside.  When my clothes are too tight, I'm uncomfortable.  I'm constantly aware of some section digging in, or the shirt rides up constantly.

What's troubling me lately is wondering how long it will take me to get back to pre-pregnancy (or at least really close).  With Aiden, it took me about seven months.  I didn't lose the last 7 lbs until after I had quit breastfeeding.  This time, I had hoped my weight would drop easier when I quit breastfeeding as well.  It probably would've helped if I'd breastfed for a little longer (since it does help you lose most of your weight).

I'm losing about a pound every two weeks.  I still have 11 lbs to lose.  At this rate, I won't be back to my pre-pregnancy weight until February.  Do I really want to deal with too-tight and too-loose clothing until then??  I have been asked on three separate occasions when I am due.  I am so tired of fighting back the tears while explaining that I have a 3-month old at home.  I wish I had the energy to speed up this weight loss.

Wrong Side of the Bed

Most morning I get annoyed when Aiden wakes up at the same time as my alarm.  That means he's following me around asking me questions or trying to get me to help him with things.  I set my alarm at a time that allows enough time to get ready (myself, pack a lunch, eat breakfast) and then to help Travis dress the kids for daycare.  That means I don't have time to pause every three seconds to talk to Aiden.  Ergo, the annoyance with his early waking. 

I have learned that if I set him at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal or oatmeal he will leave me alone except when he needs a refill.  I usually get parental guilt when I walk by the table to do something in the kitchen and he asks, "Will you sit with me, Mommy?"  Ugh.  I would love to sit with you!  But I have to get ready for work, so I can't.  Poo.

I have decided that the mornings where he wakes up early are WAY better than the days when he sleeps in and we have to wake him up to get ready.  He is SO GRUMPY if we have to wake him.  This morning, I turned on the lamp on his night stand and propped the door open to help him get rolling.  I went back to the bathroom to continue what I was doing.  Aiden got out of bed and shut the bedroom door.  I stuck my head out in the hallway to see if Travis had done it, but he gave me the same look.  We opened the door to his room to find him turning off the light. 

"It's still dark out," he says.

It was all I could do to get in the hallway before I burst into laughter.  He kept saying he wanted to go back to sleep.  I really wish he could understand that this is how we feel EVERY WEEKEND.  Someday...

Pure Awesomeness

As terrified as I am of birds...