Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Workin on the weekend!

So this is what we did over Thanksgiving weekend:

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See what I mean by serious remodel! We are extremely blessed to have Trevor's step-dad who is an AMAZING and extremely talented contractor that can do anything. He is graciously helping us make this a house we can love.
The above picture is what the dining room currently looks like.
Below is the kitchen.
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This is the view from the hallway looking into what was the living room and one of the bedrooms but is now all living room.
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This is the living room/hallway from the former bedroom!
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So far its looking amazing and all we have done is take things out! We still have a LOT of work to do and the next two weeks are going to be just crazy wild so if I don't post for a while you know why!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Taking up a cause...

There are a few things that will always no matter what touch my heart. Two things in particular that whenever I hear or read about an applicable situation it drives me to want to "do" something and causes my heart to well up with emotion.

#1. Anything having to do with Down Syndrome
#2. Anything having to do with adoption.

The first because of this girl right here......
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Thats my baby sister....my amazing, unbelievable, wonderful sister. I love her soooooo much!

And the second one because I have always (or for at least as long as I can remember) had a passion to adopt. Trevor and I have an amazing family! We have so many wonderful people that love and care about us and our child. I have always felt it was almost my duty to adopt and share the wonderful blessings we have been given.

So you can understand why I felt the need to pass along this amazing cause. Why when I was reading I couldn't stop the tears that welled up and why my heart swelled to "do" something (my first thought was that I wanted to take him home!)
Enough blabing I would like to introduce Cliff....



We have donated and I ask that any who feel they can would do the same....thanks for bareing with me while I take this cause on! 

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Confession....again.

Another confession to make.
I know, I know my previous confession was not that big of a deal most people already knew and acknowledged it before I even did.
But this...this is different. So here goes....
I did not fall in love at first sight with Sophie.

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I loved her ohhh my did I love her. I loved her with every part of me in a fierce mama bear sorta way. I loved her in an overwhelming way, she was my world total and complete.
But...I was not in love...there were not any birds singing, no bells ringing, no bright puffy clouds and skipping along humming a little tune. It was hard. I never ever expected that. I have fallen in love at first sight with babies in the checkout stand wanting to hug and kiss and squeeze them with love.
But not with my own baby...I didn't feel that overwhelming joyous rush of sticky sweet love. I knew that it would just take time....just take getting to know this little human being that I carried for nine months that I was caring for the very best I could despite the difficulties! There is only one problem with the it will just take time thing....I am extremely impatient!
And then one day about a month ago I looked at Sophie and just started to cry. At last the bells were ringing out at last we were skipping along down the gumdrop trail filled with birds singing and the prettiest puffy clouds you have ever seen!
I was thrilled with love for her....and it was such a rush I just had to squeeze her! And it just keeps getting better!
And I know how cheesy it is but every time I hear this song I think of my beautiful little girl!

Oh her eyes, her eyes
Make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair
Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so beautiful
And I tell her every day

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile,
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are

Oh you know, you know, you know
Id never ask you to change
If perfect is what you're searching for
Then just stay the same

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are


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Sorry the picture is so fuzzy but she is so cute!
And its all so true.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Plan....Now with new goals!!!

So about a month and a half ago I came up with a four step plan to help get my non-sleeping baby girl to sleep better. At that point in our lives it took anywhere from 20min - 2 hours or more to get her to go to sleep much less stay asleep. Due to some difficult work we are now worlds away from that time but still not in perfect dreamy sleep land.
The Plan:
#1. Ween her off of the "cuddle blankets".
#2. Get her on more of a regular schedule.
#3. Ween her off the swaddle.
#4. Help her learn to go to sleep on her own.

In light of some of the advances we have made I have decided to add additional goals to the sleep plan. I know I am crazy....

#5. Get rid of paci!
#6. Get her to the point where we can just lay her down say goodnight and she will go to sleep.

How The Plan is going:
#2. So apparently this needed to be much further down on the list if not completely off of the list. With the utter unpredictability of naps it is all but impossible to try and keep some kind of regular schedule. And since I have no idea how to get her to sleep for a regular or reasonable amount at nap time I suppose we will remain using the wake, eat, play sleep cycle that we have been using and hope that someday we can add some actual time slots to each of those activities. 

#4. For the most part she puts herself to sleep. She still cry's sometimes when we put her down but never for longer than about 15 min at the extreme most. She does however cry and never goes to sleep when she is put down in the pack and play :-( which is very frustrating since that is where she needs to sleep when we are out. She was doing better sleeping at night going a 9 hour stretch and then a 3 or 4 hour stretch. and. then. she went back to only sleeping a 5 hour stretch and then waking every 2 or 3 hours. I have no idea why and I have no idea what to do about it! For naps she has been doing fairly well for the most part. On good days taking one 1  1/2 hour or more nap and two 45 min to 1 hour naps. On bad days she takes three to four 30 min naps. She seems to be having more good day's than bad.

#5. I never wanted to use a paci to begin with. I just thought why start something we are going to have to try and quit someday? I actually ended up caving in the hospital! Sophie just wanted to eat and eat and since we had to spend three day's in the hospital due to the c-section and they frown on you sleeping in bed with the baby I was desperate to give her something to suck on besides me so I could sleep! She never really took it very well and never ever took it outside of going to sleep. These day's for the most part when I put her down in bed she usually pull's it out anyway! So starting at nights only I will be trying to rock her without the paci and then put her down.

#6. After I get rid of the paci (hopefully) I am going to start trying to move from rocking her and then putting her down to just laying her down and saying goodnight!

And so the plan continues...
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She loves to jump!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Make um laugh!

I was finally able to get Sophie laughing on video! Sorry about the loud "bocking"!



I love baby laughing it just makes you laugh! You can also here her kicking her feet towards the end. That means she is really happy and excited!!!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Home at last!

So uhh yeah we are buying a HOUSE!
I have not posted much about it because well there was not much to say for a while and now when there is much to say its stressful and I usually like to try and ignore stressful things as much as possible.
We close on Nov 30th (hopefully!) its pretty small and needs a lot of work.
I am however despite the stress extremely excited! We have been living in apartments now for a little over five years and its really starting to get old.
Things I am looking forward to:

A backyard!!!!!
A real mailbox.
Storage space.
Not hearing music from upstairs at midnight.
Walls that are some color other than WHITE!
A kitchen that is not a closet.
Having enough space to have people over.
Finally having a home not just a house!

Here is what you all really want to see pictures!
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Front door:
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Dining room:
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View of living room from the dining room:
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Kitchen:
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Sun room:
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Bathroom:
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Bedrooms:
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Backyard! Its huge:
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We have some pretty hefty remodel plans that we are trying to accomplish before we move in Dec. Plus of course we have to pack and then there is Thanksgiving and then Christmas! So the next month should be.......intense.
Its a good thing I am an intense person :-) 

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

4 Months!

I can not believe my baby is four months old!
Watching the miracle of human development every day is simply astounding. Four months ago Sophie was a tiny 6lb 9oz and that couldn't do anything. Now she is a whopping 14lb 3oz and can smile, laugh, play with toys, throw a fit, almost blow raspberries and bring such amazing joy into our lives.

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She loves to grab her feet now!


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Oh how I love watching this miracle unfold!

The raspberrie attempt!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Back in time...

Travel back with me if you will to last week. It was the day after Halloween. Just pretend that its not a week later.
Check out our little gypsy turned werewolf!

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Happy Halloween from the future!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Is that a light I see?

This is how I am feeling right about now....


Though we still have some work to do Sophie's sleep issues are so much improved from about a month ago.
I have been to the grocery store twice now (not just me and Sophie yet we went with Trevor) and she sat happy as can be in her car seat almost the entire time.
I made a Wal-Mart trip just the two of us (risky I know) the other day to get a few things and she once again sat in her car seat for 30 min or more perfectly happy.
During the day she is more content to spend time just sitting playing chilling out. Most of the time even when she is getting fussy if she can see me she is happy.
I knew from the moment that I realized that Sophie was my special challenge supreme baby that someday things would get better. That I needed to endure and find joy through the valley and before you know it the top of the mountain would be there taking our breath away. And what do you know....I am breathless....

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EDIT: OK so this always seems to happen I wrote the above post out a couple of day's ago....and now everything has changed we have had a few bad day's. For almost a week she magically started sleeping 1-2 hours at nap time (which I thought was due to me darking the room by putting a blanket over her window) and was doing a little bit better at night going about a 6 hour stretch and then about every 3 hours after that.
The past few day's NOT SO MUCH! Back to napping only 30 -40 min at a time and will not sleep longer than a 4-5 hour stretch at night and then wakes sometimes an hour after feeding! I am so sleep deprived and at this point have NO idea what to do......so frustrated!!! One step forward two steps back.
I love you Sophie I truly do!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

This is Halloween!

We had so much fun....only four hours worth of makeup time and two hours worth of "trick-or-treating" specifically to both grandparents houses.

It was worth every minuet!

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And the aftermath!

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Somehow I did not get a really good picture of all three of us and any of our little werewolf baby! I will hopefully be able to post some later in the week as i know they exist somewhere in the universe!