6 Months

Lillian,

You are 6 months now! I just can not believe it. I know I say something like that every time I update, but seriously. 6 months! That's 1/2 a year! What's even more weird is to think that 1 year ago, I was only 3 months pregnant with you!

You are awesome, by the way. You laugh a lot and are much more responsive to Daddy and me. You are starting to get a little shy around other people that you don't see as often. Everyone says you are pleasant, cute, and happy.

You are able to sit up without any help now. It's amazing to just sit and watch you play by yourself. A couple of weeks ago, I looked over at you sitting in your playpen. You were sitting by yourself, holding your doll and jabbering on about something. It was sooooo cute! It made me tear up, though, because my little baby is getting to be a big girl.

The crawling thing isn't happening yet, but I have a feeling you are getting close. You love to be on your belly now. Occasionally you will get up on your knees and start rocking. Just last night I saw you do it more than I ever had before. Time to baby proof!

You might be starting to get some teeth. I don't feel any yet, but you get cranky and sore sometimes. I feel bad for you, but I do love it when you want to snuggle!

Sleeping is going much better (I say this as you are in your crib whimpering). You take a predictable 9:00 morning nap. It can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. You will take another nap after lunch around 12:30. That one usually lasts about an hour to two hours. You've recently been needing a short 20-45 min nap around 4:30 or so. Power nap to get you to bedtime.

Usual Daily Schedule (I can do this part now, because you have actually got a predictable schedule now):

7:30 - wake up, nurse, play
8:45 - breakfast (usually a container of fruit)
9:00 - nurse briefly, nap
10:30 - wake up,snack (puffs and a tippy cup of water -- that you don't get much out of yet), play
12:15 - lunch (usually a serving and a half of cereal and 1/2 a container of veggies)
12:30 - nurse briefly, nap
2:00 - wake up, snack (same as before), play
4:30 - nurse, nap
5:00 - wake up, play
6:00 - dinner (usually a serving and a half of cereal, 1/2 container of veggies, 1/2 container of fruit)
6:30 - bath time
6:45 - play
7:15 - nurse, story, bedtime


Weight: 15 lbs. 2 0z.
Height: 26 3/4"
Head circumference: 16 3/4"


You are amazing, Lil. I love you so much. Keep making us love you!!

Love,
Mommy

That was a rant...

So, I reread the last post. Could I be any more of a complainer? (yes, I was channeling my inner-Chandler)

My house is fine. I just needed to rearrange somethings. Get some things cleaner. Organize a little. Get rid of crap.

The house is looking/feeling much better to me. And I don't feel as bad now, because as I read other posts by other moms, it seems we are all going through this. Cabin fever? Winter blues? Either way... I love my home. I want to love it even more.

On other news... I have to pack a purse tomorrow.

I usually just through my phone and wallet into the diaper bag --- but I'm going to work tomorrow. For a FULL day. Without seeing Lil AT. ALL. I have enough milk stored for my mom to not have to bring her to the school to meet me for lunch to have me feed her/give her pumped milk. So sad. I am excited to go to work. I love working. I know I'll have a good day. I know Lil will, too. My mom is being really supportive of the nap schedule, so that really helps me to feel confident in leaving her.

Even today, I was at Mom's. Lillian needed a nap, so we laid her down and mom let her cry. She told Lil, "It is ten til 11. I will give you until 11. Then I'm picking you up if you aren't asleep." By 5 til, she was asleep. Mom was a little disappointed.

But I told Mom - Lil thrives on social interaction. She wants to be held. She wants to play. So, if you feed into that, she won't nap. And missing a nap now doesn't mean she'll sleep longer later.

So, anyway, I feel good about it. I feel good about my house. I feel good about a lot of things lately.

A new beginning

Maybe it's the SAHM thing. Maybe it's the new year. Maybe I'm just maturing?

I feel very cluttered. My house, my cabinets, my mind... Everything is cluttered. I have a lot to do, yet so little to do, it seems (which, in itself is totally contradictory.... see what I mean about my mind?).

I need more organization in my life. I've always been a planner person. I have my planner by my side everyday. It all started in junior high when it was mandatory to have the school's planner...

But, that's not all I need now. I was getting so down on myself towards the end of December because I wasn't living the SAHM experience I expected. A talk with Brandon really helped me figure that out. I was overwhelmed with what I wanted to accomplish and what I needed to accomplish. This week, I broke down the week by day and divided my house cleaning chores among the days. Now, instead of expecting myself to clean the ENTIRE house, top to bottom, Martha-style, I do one, maybe two, things each day. I have achievable goals. I have everything crossed off my list by the end of the day... and I love it.

We've started using Quicken for our finances. Oh, I was organized about it before. But now, instead of paper reminders and post-its all over with due dates, I have a program on my computer. I don't have all this crap on my desk all the time.

But now I need more. I read these blogs that make me want to be creative and organized. But, it seems like I make myself think that I'd have to spend money to do that... or I don't have the time to do this...

I need calmness. And as much as I LOVE the color of our living room, it isn't calm. I mean, it can be... but not usually. So, I'm tossing around the idea of painting that room. And keeping in mind this time around that just because I love the color doesn't mean I have to paint my living room walls that color.

I also feel like that room has too much furniture. Especially now with baby jumperoos and bouncy seats. I love the entertainment center that was a hand-me-down from my parents, but it really makes the room look crowded... and that's the only thing we can get rid of in there.

Ideally, we'd love to get a flatscreen and mount it on the wall, but that's not going to happen anytime soon. (I know, we're behind the times.) We have a smaller entertainment center, but it is too small for the room. I have an idea or two that Brandon probably won't like, but we'll see. Until then, I'll be dreaming of color swatches and organizing shelves...