Catchin' Up

Man....life has been a little hectic in the last two and half months. If I ever thought I was busy before, this motherhood of a (now 9 month old!?!?!!) is a whole new personal high in the busy department. I truly, truly do not know how working moms of multiple children manage without a nanny or a maid.

And honestly, I don't even know where to start....

Work has been insanely busy - and it's good to be involved in an exciting projects - but working 65 hour weeks when you're also trying to keep up and home and with your baby girl makes for one tired, stressed out mama. And one dirty house (though my hubsters has been a champ about helping out). One neglected blog. Many, many neglected friends (whom I'm hoping understand, since most of them are working mommies themselves). More than a handful of neglected relatives (who I hate neglecting the most, after Jim and Madelyn). Dying house plants. A Weight Watchers plan that is just that, a plan, not an action. And a long list of personal to dos. Oh - and a computer that died and has now been replaced (which adds more to the "to do" list....Learn Windows 7, get computer set up). Happily, though, we released the system I've been working on for two years (TWO YEARS!) and thus far (day two) it seems to be working very, very smoothly.

Madelyn....my littlest munchkin. She is growing so quickly I just don't know what to do! It's exciting and makes me sad all in the same breath! She's definately not a tiny baby anymore (though she is tiny...she just had her 9 month appointment - she's in the 25th percentile for height, but only 5th percentile for weight. She is still my long, lean baby. Go figure). She's absolutely her mama's daughter - she is a VERY independent girl. Very. And I applaude that. Unless we're talking about changing clothes or diapers (which is something she hates the most - she does NOT like not being in control of her body). Then...it's not so helpful to have a very indpendent girl.

She's ----->thisclose<------- to standing on her own and walking. Since our family vacation to Idaho in September, when she really started pulling herself to standing in earnest, she's been practicing those skills on the couch - and she can now walk around the entire edge of the coffee table if properly motivated (by toys, not food....which is good in the long run - but completely unlike her mama). She's started on finger foods - and not just puffs. She's moved on to Veggie Bootie (a hit), cheese cubes (a REALLY big hit), sliced fruit (the soft kind, bananas, pears, etc), pasta (not a hit....which just floors me), hamburger (a hit at first and now...not so much). We keep experimenting with things we eat that we can start feeding to her.

She's very talkative - especially when she's doing something she doesn't want to do (like letting her mama change those diapers).

She's completely mobile. No more army crawling for her....she's been full on crawling since September and can scoot around pretty darn fast. She's much rather have us carry her, which I think goes to the independent thing, oddly enough. Down low she can't see what's going on. Up high, she can survey the action and decide what she wants to do next - and then, by golly, we better get her there to do whatever it is she wants to do!

She cuddles her lovies (though she doesn't want to take them with her during the day), she is lost without her binkie (and I'm not ready to deal with that anytime soon....I'm okay with it for the near and far future) and her Daddy is still her absolute favorite thing in the world.

She's sleeping through the night (yeah!), though I'd be lying if I didn't say I wished she would sleep well in bed with me. I'd have her in there every night snuggling away. However, being the every independent girl she is, she actually sleeps better in her crib. In her own room. Far from her mama. The mama who is alone most nights and imagines wicked people breaking into the house and stealing her adorable baby. I really do read too many dramatic stories for my vivid imagination.

She had her first serious cold and fever that turned into an ear infection. It wasn't as bad as some of my friends deal with...but I will say that one feels pretty helpless when they're trying to soothe a sick baby. I don't envy anyone who has a seriously sick child - it has to be absolutely heartrending.

And she's still got the most amazingly beautiful smile I've ever seen. It just lights up my whole world.

Around the house, Jim and I have been trying to prepare for the eventual flooding of the Green River this winter. If you've never been to my house, you might not know that our house is about 500 feet from the Green River, give or take 100 feet. We're holding out hope that it's not going to be bad as the Army Core of Engineers have been been warning it will be and that, at most, we're talking messy streets or sewer back ups. But when major players in the Kent Valley start building flood retaining walls around their businesses, you have to pay attention. So, we've purchased flood insurance, are making plans for what we'll do when word comes we need to evacuate, starting to move our irreplaceables to the upstairs, and knowing we need to clean out the garage (because if the garage floods, but the house doesn't flood, cleaning up icky chemicals would be a hazard - especially with a baby in the house), and thinking about what I'd do if word came in the middle of the night that we had X number of hours to evacuate and Jim wasn't around. Part of me would want to sand bag my little brains out and part of me says Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200. Proceed immediately to in-laws with baby and clothes and formula in tow.

As much as I'd love to do some remodeling and have insurance money help pay for that....the reality of such a clean up effort on such a global (or rather, neighborhood) scale is not something I care to deal with.

And on a sad note...for those of you who've known me longer than others....I finally had to let my little boy go. And it tears me up just saying that. George was my best friend and constant companion for the last 15 years. Not having him around the house at night, when I'm alone has been really, really tough. I'm a fairly independent person myself. Except for at night. I really like some companionship at night or my imagination goes in directions that are not comforting. Not having him great me at the door when I come home is surreal. The entire experience is just surreal. I keep feeling like he's just hiding from me and he'll show up in one of his favorite spots at any time.

But it was time - even if I didn't want to admit it. Even if I wasn't ready and had been left to my own devices would not have taken him in, he was ready. The toughest part was that the week before hand, he was doing great. No messes. No sick kitty. Playing and romping just like his old self...with no idea what was coming. But it did come and it was over quickly, with him in my arms singing his favorite song to him. And my "cats are a pain in the butt and I'm tired of stained carpet" husband was sobbing right along with me.

I've often wondered what I would do when it came time. I've always feelt so guilty that I didn't stay with Cassie in her last minutes...that I couldn't man up and be a good kitty mama. I've felt bad that I didn't have a nice spot to bury her or the money to have her cremated and returned to me. So, I feel better that I could do that for George. I know that he's just an animal, as was Cassie, but they were both my best friends and companions during a time that my life was not so steady and I wasn't as stable as I am now. While I have absolutely amazing friends and a wonderful husband and a fantastic set of parents and sibiling, only George was with me when I was scared as a bugger on a plane to Korea and wondering what I was going to do, only George was with me during my worst breakups and new experiences. Only George remembers what it's like to drive across country in a car with all of your belongings (okay...Dad and Drew were there for that too). George kept vigil during some pretty intense all nighters getting thesis papers ready and craming for the next big test. George was there when I was so broke I had two jobs and no money to do anything but sit and hang out with my cat. So even when I felt like I was all alone, I wasn't. I had George. And now I don't - and I'm not quite sure how to deal with that sometimes. So, while I asked my in-laws if I could bury him on their (flood free) property, I'm just not ready for that. He sits in a little urn on our fireplace (at the suggestion of said "cats are a pain in the butt" husband - who still tears up when we talk about George). It's small enough that most people wouldn't even notice it. But it'll stay there until I can let go all the way.

Not having to deal with a geriatric getting blind and deaf cat is a bit of a relief in some instances (no more kitty litter is nice while I have a crawling baby) and I wouldn't want another cat until we're either done with babies or the next baby (who does not exist yet for the Grandparents reading the blog) is no longer crawling, mostly I just miss my friend. And I hope that some day my daughter is able to talk her Daddy into another kitty. Because going through life without a constant furry friend who loves you no matter what just isn't the same.

The next set of posts are going to be various pictures I've uploaded to our Shutterfly account...because I'm lazy - and the easiest way to post them is to do it via Shutterfly instead of loading directly into this post.

Enjoy the pictures :)

1 Minute!

We're making headway, folks, we're makin headway!

Last night, I put little miss down, crying, as usual....and this isn't something new to our "sleep training", she's cried at bedtime since day one unless I've rocked (and rocked and rocked and rocked) her to sleep.

But last night, we put on her jammies (normal crying....I hate that :( She always cries when we change her clothes or her diaper), we rocked (no crying), and she started dozing. I stood up, carried her to her bed, we said our prayers, and I layed her down. Of course, the normal crying (Mama! How could you leave me here alone!!??!?!?!) ensued. But it lasted for 1 minute and she fell asleep. ONE MINUTE. Yahooooooo!!!!

And she's really starting to cuddle up to her lovies - it's pretty cute.

Now, if I could just get her to stop crying when we put on her jammies....

Zoom, Zoom!

We have a baby on the move!

Hello, friendly Blog Readers...it's been awhile. And while I want to apologize for that -the reality is that I've been doing what mamas are supposed to be doing....working hard at work and taking care of the family at home. There hasn't been time to keep up the blog. And, our home computer is it's last leg, so uploading photos to anyplace is pretty much impossible. We're going to be buying a new system soon...but we're (read my husband) is waiting for Windows 7 to come out in October, he doesn't want Vista. So...for the time being, I don't have a way to share photos.

In the last few weeks, Madelyn has really made a lot of huge leaps. She is now a baby on the move! No more putting her in one spot and expecting her to be in that spot if you walk away for a minute. She's not full out crawling, but she's doing a pretty good belly crawl. And it's pretty amazing how far she can get on her belly. She's crawling under and around our coffee table, from her bedroom to her bathroom (if I let her get that far), all the way across our bed (so you have to keep a sharp eye!). We'll be childproofing soon - but in the meantime, we're having to keep a darn close eye on her!

Little Miss has also figured out how to pull herself into a standing position. She's can't get from lying down to sitting - but if she's sitting up, she can grab a hold of anything around her and pull herself on up. Which meant, it was time to put the crib down one level. Once she's sitting, we'll have to put it down even further...but for now, one level will do.

And speaking of cribs...our munchkin isn't happy about it, but she's now one of the "victims" of crying it out. I say that because those of us who use some sort of "CIO" method are often lambasted by the mothers who are into the more "attachment" style parenting. And trust me....I tried the "gentler" versions of teaching her to sleep. No one likes to hear their baby cry...at least, any mother with any sense of connection to her child doesn't like to hear that.

But when you haven't gotten more than an hour and a half worth of sleep in a row since the child was born and she's six months old, you start to get desperate. Not to mention that it's not good for your little one, either.

So...finally...we cried it out. And I must say, the first night I cried right along with her. But she's done really, really well. The first night (which was five days ago) she cried for half an hour and woke up once in the night and went back down within 15 minutes. Last night, she cried for 15 minutes and was up once for five minutes. She's starting to figure out it. It still completely sucks when I put her down. She cries as if I've physically hurt her...and I can't stand that...but I know she's fine....and within 15 minutes she's cuddled up to one of her three lovies and she's just fine.

I wish that she'd been one of those kids that would have taken to the gentler approaches, because all in all, while I'm a pretty good mix of "old school" parenting and "new age attachment" parenting. Jim and I both believe in instilling a strong sense of values, clearly defined boundaries, and as she grows, letting life teach her the lessons she needs to be taught instead of enabling her or coddling her. That having been said, I want to be there right by her side to guide her, encourage her, and kiss her boo boos. I've been reading "Positive Discipline" and it has some pretty cool ideas about how to do that - be loving and kind, but firm.

So...I'd have preferred if we didn't have to cry it out. She's my little baby...I don't want her to cry :( But, since she seems to be stubborn like her mama, at least she's catching on quick.

Now eating....eating is easy, peasy with this kid. With solids, at least. She still tends to be a bit of a grazer when it comes to the bottle....but with solids, she's a champ! In addition to the sweet potato, cereal and bananas (her favorite, hands down...) that you've already heard she's into, we've added carrots (loves 'em!), peas (doesn't love 'em unless they're dipped in bananas), green beans (again, only with the naners), pears, peaches, squash (she's so so on these, she'd rather sweet potatoes), apples, prunes, whole grain cereal, turkey (which she flat out won't take any which way...she just gags) and beef (ditto...seems we have a vegetarian on our hands).

We keep being goaded gently pushed into starting to add cheerios or the like to her diet by my pesky more experienced sister-in-law Jenni. I say this in jest because I'd be lost without Jen. She is definitely one of Madelyn's favorite people and she takes amazing care of our little girl while Jim and I work. But since she's raised three of her own and also takes care of her sister's kids (one of Jim's other sisters)...she's been there, done that and is pretty good at letting us know what to do next. And to our credit, we did offer Mads an incredibly soft piece of cooked carrot one night. But she just looked at us like we were insane and spit it out.

So it seems she's not ready for that. I know Mama and Daddy aren't ready for it!

This weekend Maddy and I are going home to Idaho for a family wedding. We're really, really looking forward to that. Or at least, Mama and the family in Idaho are. Maddy probably could care less, as long as she gets her naps on time, relatively, has lots of people to play with and it's not too hot.

After that, we'll just be enjoying the rest of the summer. All three of us will be going home to Idaho again in September, but other than that...we're just enjoying each day as it comes.

And quickly they come, when you're trying to keep up with a precious little munchkin.

This, Exactly.

Read this....

(for my un-net savvy audience, click on the "read this" text).

Heat Wave

If you're in or around the Puget Sound you may have heard, we're having record high temps - into the high 90s in the city and 100s in the outlying areas.

For a week.

In an area that doesn't air condition homes.

We put a thermometer in the munchkin's room last night....it didn't get below 80. Even at 4 in the morning. Even with all the downstairs windows open (which I never do. Never. One of my biggest fears is someone breaking into the house when Jim is gone and I'm there alone with the baby).

She and I took at least two cold showers last night, three the night before, just to get her cool enough to get her back to sleep.

If I won the lottery today, I wouldn't even leave town. I'd check into the poshest hotel with working A.C. I could find. Then I'd figure out what to do with my millions.

I'm thinking any big dollar purchases in the near future are going to include central air for our home....seriously....

Babies and heat just don't mix.

So tell me...what are you stay cool without A.C. when it's broiling tips? I've already tried the ice cube water bath behind the fan one....it didn't really help much. I'm curious what everyone else does.

6 Months!

Time has gone so swiftly....it is hard to believe our little munchkin is 6 whole months old! Things have been moving fast and furious over the last month...work has kept both Jim and I hopping.

We has a wonderful first fourth of July with our little gal - and a visit from Nana (my mom). Nana and Mama took the muchkin out for her first trip to the zoo. She didn't care much about the animals, but it made for a nice little outing. The 4th also marked our little water baby's first foreway into the lake(s) her grandparents live on. We weren't surprised to see that she absolutely loves the water. She's always loved her bath...and the lake is one big bathtub her her. Luckily, she also has an aunt and uncle with a pool....so she's constantly in the water.

Here are a few videos we've taken - enjoy!

Our Swim Monkey


Sittin Up Baby!


Ready Set...I'll Be Crawling Soon

Maddy Month by Month - 6 Months

Click here to view these pictures larger