haha! Life is laughing at me....

So I spoke/wrote to soon. Lilly woke up around 2:30 and slept fitfully form then on. I ended up going into her room with her and trying to get her to sleep in the twin bed with me. Every time I tried to put her in the crib she screamed her head off. When I took her into the bed with me she cried or fussed. I finally spoke very sternly, saying "Lay down." I was at the very end of my rope. I would have actually just let her cry at that point but my husband needs to sleep so that he can go to work in the morning. The way she was screaming...there would be no sleep in our house. And maybe even in out neighbor's house!

The other thing is that she was crying as if something was wrong. I just could not figure out what the heck it was. She had infant Motrin before she went to bed, so I did not think it could be that. I was probably wrong. This morning I was playing with her and I saw a 3rd point poking through her top gums. So at this point she has 2 on the bottom, and on the top she has: 1 broken through, 1 just broken through, and 1 pointy eye tooth beginning to poke through. Poor, poor Lilly. I really wish there was more relief I could give her at night.

I have also remembered that we travelled to PA on Saturday. We had a lovely visit with my in-laws, but it definitely throws off Lilly's schedule. It takes a few days for her to come back to normal. I have also heard and read somewhere that car sleep is not quality sleep. Meaning it does not make up for lost naps. Obviously it is better for us if she sleeps in the car. But maybe it is not better for her? Something to think about.... I will have to try to find that study/article.

Sunday night wind-down

It is Sunday night and I am sitting with my two cats, Calvin and Mr. Hobbes, lying next to me on the couch. They have come to know that when Lilly is in bed I will give them rubs. Sometimes they even wait outside the upstairs gate for me. Sweet guys, even if they do annoy me at times! The best thing is that Lilly has been sleeping better. There are a few things at play there. Her top teeth are basically in. So the torture of the last 2 weeks had a reason behind it. I have instituted a bedtime routine for her. It is not perfect and sometimes, like tonight, she falls asleep before we can get to the routine. LOL I chose a quiet Baby Einstein lullaby CD that I won't want to pitch out the window next week. I play that every time she is going to sleep in her crib, even naps. I usually stop nursing her before she falls asleep so that she is a little awake when I put her in the crib. Sometimes I need her to nurse more than I need to put her into the crib awake, if that makes sense. I had moved up her bedtime by about an hour. On days when I am school, her schedule is totally messed up, but I try to get right back on track the next day.

I have been putting her down for 2 naps. And...she falls asleep on her own most times. I put her in her crib with her blankie and cookie monster and put the music on. I have even left her other toys in there. She will play for several minutes, then lay down and go to sleep. We have one of those video monitors so I can see exactly what is going on. Sometimes she will give a little protesting cry. The great thing with the video monitor is that I can look to see if she is down or up. If she is already laying down with her blankie, I don't need to go in because I know she will be asleep momentarily. If she is hanging on the crib rail, then it is time for me to go in. That was one of the best gifts I did not know I needed!

The good news is that I am slowly feeling that I am a little less sleep deprived. Hopefully over the next few weeks I can catch up on some much-needed sleep, a little at a time.

I am off to do that right now. Lilly will be up for her late-night feeding soon. I am so glad that I had 10 minutes to myself to unwind!

Amazing commercial

Why are all the good commercials in Europe? Why is the U.S. so uptight about what we see on TV? This is a commercial for a mattress company. It shows a woman giving birth on her bed. It is pretty graphic, but I find it beautiful and amazing. Watch it here.

funny cartoon

I was sent this cartoon from The Postpartum Place.  I thought it was pretty funny!

Autism151.com

One of the blogs I follow posted a link to the following page. Autism151.com was created by a woman whose son has autism. She had started Kyle's Treehouse.  I just found out about this site.  Crazy, considering how much online research I have done about autism.  Anyway, if you or someone you know has a child with autism, I invite you to visit Autism151.com and browse and maybe even upload a video.  Their slogan is, "150 stories.  One community of hope."  Beautiful!  Let me know what you think...

Cesarean Awareness Month

April is Cesarean Awareness Month.  I am very, very grateful for cesareans because otherwise Lilly might not be with us now.  However, it is major abdominal surgery and should not be approached lightly.  I had approached Lilly's birth planning on using as little medical intervention as possible.  We took classes with a wonderful doula who works out of Shakti Ma Yoga Studio.  We ended up needing almost every medical intervention!  Again, I am grateful it was there for me and for my baby.  My midwife was amazing and calm.  My surgeon was respectful and sweet.  (and amazing...I barely have a scar!)  I hope that if we are blessed with more children that I will be able to VBAC, and do so without fear.  I also hope that one day I will be able to write about my experience.  For now, I will bring awareness to people.  Peace and love...Melanie

exercise is good

I have been feeling positively exhausted for the past several days.  I feel like I got on a roll... school stuff, shopping, cooking, etc.  Then I collapse for 2 days.  Today I finally got off my butt and went for a walk with Lilly in the jogger.  Of course one block into the walk it started drizzling.  I kept with it and walked at a brisk pace for a solid 25 minutes.  It started raining just as we walked up the driveway.  I even did some floor exercises for a bit.  It is challenging trying to use an exercise ball when Lilly is pulling it out from under me!  

I really feel so much better when I get out and do some exercise.  I just wish I could get out there more often.  Then maybe I would lose some of this weight!

Good Friday

I have been raised a Catholic.  I also practice Catholicism, though not as regularly, as say, my Nanny.  I believe in the basic Dogma of the Catholic faith.  There are some things I disagree with, but I don't find that they are central to the beliefs of the Catholic Church.  Some people would disagree and call me a cafeteria Catholic.  Whatever.  :)  

Recently one of my good friends questioned all the secular (my word not hers) celebrations of Easter... chocolate, baskets, etc.  I get that.  I also question any holidays that become over-secularized or Hallmarked.  However, I am still going to enjoy Lilly's 1st Easter.  I plan on putting Cheerios in some eggs and having her "find" them in the backyard.  I am getting her dressed up in a pretty pastel dress for Mass and dinner.  My brothers and I fondly speak of our childhood traditions surrounding Easter.  Those traditions do not in any way take away from the Holiness of the holiday for our family.

I also have been going to Mass most weekdays during Lent.  Lilly now knows when we are getting close to the church as we walk there.  Granted she spends most of the time running around the back while I am chasing her.  But she is hearing the prayers, both the priest's and my responses.  She is seeing me receive Communion.  I think this is so important.  I am not sure I realized how important it was to me until I started going daily.  

There is something really wonderful and centering about starting my day with Mass.  I feel like, even if nothing else goes right or gets done that day, at least we did that.  I hope that I can continue this practice as much as possible in the future.  

I felt a little empty yesterday and today because Mass was not celebrated.  There were other services I could have attended both days.  They are very solemn, though, and not the place for an 11-month-old who likes to hear her voice.  Going to daily Mass has made my Good Friday more meaningful because I can't receive Communion today.  This was a point that was previously lost on me. 

To all those looking for the real meaning of Easter... it is today.  It is not to late to experience what Good Friday and Easter really mean.  There are parishes all over that are hosting live stations of the cross.  It is a meaningful and moving experience that you will not soon forget.  

Loving my new baby gate

So I really should be sleeping, but as I effortlessly walked through our new baby gate I was inspired. We had been using the old school pressure gates that you have to put on and take off each time you are passing through. Or you could always climb over them, inevitable catching something...sneaker, pant leg, etc..on it and almost fall to the ground. Or at the very least spill your glass of water. We bought this gate from Target and I am in love. It was easy to install (we are using the pressure-mounted option) and makes my life so much easier and my house safer. I no longer worry about Lilly falling down the steps. She knows how to crawl down, but has never tried from the top. She usually goes up a few steps from the bottom and then crawls back down. It is very easy for an adult (that would be me or Vinnie) to open and close. I think we are going to get another for the kitchen doorway. Oh, and they are not ugly! I won't go as far to say that they blend, but they are not the horrible.  Okay, now I am really going to bed!

redemption

My mom always says that giving the baby a bath can change their mood. It is calming and relaxing and changes the pace. My mom is so wise. I gave Lilly her bath and it not only changed her mood, but it changed mine as well. It was nice to just forget about everything else on my endless to-do list and play with Lilly in the tub.  It provided some much needed relaxation for both of us.  I used to take baths almost daily.  That was BB, or Before Baby.  I definitely appreciate how wonderful they are for me.  I am realizing how wonderful they are for both me and Lilly.  When she was still a newborn I would sometimes take a bath with her.  It is hard to believe that she is not a tiny baby laying on my chest but a big 11-month-old who has discovered the joys of the toilet paper roll.  The best part is that she nursed right to sleep after her bath!  Aaahhh!

One of those days...

It has been one of those days. I am sleep deprived to the max...stayed up late 3 nights in a row to finish a grad school project/paper. Lilly was nap-resistant today. There are some days when I feel like all I do is attempt to get her to nap. Notice the word attempt!

I never got to the library. I swear they can pay at least one librarian's salary on my fines. Never got to Target to get stuff for Lilly's Easter Basket. Never got to Stop & Shop for garbage bags so we are using the little grocery bags. Never did laundry so Lilly may not have jammies to wear tonight.

Well, at least I got to Whole Foods and bought stuff for dinner and for meatballs. I got dinner on the table at a reasonable hour and it was fairly nutritious. I made mashed potatoes and grilled london broil. Paired it with a steam fresh and we were good to go. Whoever thought of those was brilliant! It makes eating healthy so much more convenient.

I will be making meatballs tomorrow for my friends who just had babies. :) And I am supposed to be gathering Lilly's laundry now from her room so that I can do it after she *hopefully* goes to sleep at a relatively early hour. I won't tell if you won't! wink wink

Tiny Tillia Review

A local woman runs Celebrity Baby Blog and asked for local product reviewers. My review of Tiny Tillia bath products has finally been posted. I think it would have been better if I did it now, if only because Lilly is so much more interactive during bath time. Oh well! Enjoy!

Onion Goggles...why didn't I think of these?

So for anyone who cries over chopping onions, here is the product for you! Onion goggles are used by such famous chefs as Paula Deen. I can imagine it would take the literal sting out of chopping onions. Now if only they made baby-sized ones for when Lilly is playing at my feet in the kitchen. Then I would not have to banish her to play in her play yard in the other room during onion chopping time!  

Speaking of cooking, I have been on a bit of a roll with cooking lately.  I think that I am going to post some of my recipes in the coming weeks.  The fact that I don't measure may cause a little difficulty, though.  

Okay, back to writing that darn paper.  I am also waiting for shoes to be delivered by UPS.  Anyone who knows me well knows about my difficulty in finding shoes that fit.  Thank goodness for Zappos free shipping and return policy!

Funniest blog ever

If you want a few laughs and you are not overly sensitive or offended by fowl, I mean, foul language... check out this link!  It provided a desperately needed laugh this morning.  I found it courtesy of Maplewoodonline.  Now I have to pound out a paper while Grammy is watching Lilly for me.  Wish me luck... I am operating on a minimal amount of sleep...

Yo Gabba Gabba

How did I miss the new Yo Gabba Gabba with Jack Black?  It was apparently the best yet.  I thought I was taping it on the DVR but it recorded the old one.  Did I record the wrong channel?  UGH!  Annoying.  Oh well...I'll get over it.

I just saw the commercial for the filet of fish in which the singing fish is asking for its parts back.  I know some people hate that commercial but I think it is really funny.  I actually laugh out loud at it.  Is that wrong?

I am supposed to be writing a paper so I guess I better get back to it.  Of course Lilly is due to wake up soon....

update:  I was able to dvr it earlier this week and watched it yesterday.  That was THE best YGG EVER!  Jack Black rocks!!

xoxo

Here we are again...

So I decided to start blogging again.  Not that I have anything deep and important to share but sometimes I think to myself, Oh, I should write that down, and I don't.  Lots of things have happened since I last blogged.  side note: My cat is snoring.  It is really, really annoying.  So, we had all the holidays...Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, etc.  Vinnie and I celebrated our 1st anniversary...yeah us!  

Lilly has hit so many milestones.  She crawled, cruised and is now walking.  She looks so cute toddling around.  It makes me really sad though, to realize how fast she has grown.  This year has just really flown by.

I finished the Fall semester with 2 As.  I have the same professors this semester, so I kind of feel like I know what to expect.  Unfortunately the one is pretty tough in that her assignments are vague.  I have one paper due for the whole semester and it is due this coming Tuesday.  It is a good thing I have at least one page done already.  :)  

I feel like I am surrounded by pregnant women lately.  I know several women who are due sometime between now and next fall.  It is so exciting!  

Two of my closest friends had their babies in the last week.  Caroline had Bridget Elisabeth and Colleen had Fiona Marie.  I am alrady in love with them and so happy that Lilly will have some girlfriends.  I have known both Caroline and Colleen since we were about 5 years old, so it seems so fitting that we all have girls now.

Okay, hopefully I will keep up with this and make it more than just a once every 6 months thing.

xoxo