Updates

First off: The sleeping situation...
I don't think I mentioned earlier, but we started sleep training using the Sleepeasy Solution almost 3 WEEKS ago. I think that E has the stubbornness of Michael and I COMBINED! Good grief it is taking forever. A little bit of the problem is that she is soooo close to having her top two teeth come in, that there are some nights where she is probably a little uncomfortable from that. But all in all, I think we just waited too long and she is becoming more stubborn by the minute :-p
Last night was a good night. I don't think she will ever completely stop crying when I put her down, but this time it was only for about 2 to 3 minutes and she stayed laying down rather than pulling up in the crib and stading there just wailing. Oh and she didn't wake up and bawl for 45 min during the middle of the night either- nice! I'm not ready to claim victory yet though, b/c 3 nights ago was a good night too, followed by a horrible night after that.

On to the next news

E moved to her new class in daycare last Friday. Other than the first day they say she has gotten in almost a 2 hour nap each day. And boy oh boy is she getting all kinds of new things to eat! Up until last week the only solids she was eating were rice and oatmeal cereals and pureed jar foods. Now she is eating all kinds of fruits and veggies, cinnamon toast, waffles, banana bread, the list goes on and on! And the peas and peaches that she spurned from the jar? Apparently she LOVES them in "real" form! I had a feeling this would be the case.

She still seems a little awed in the mornings when we go in there, because the activity level is just racheted up way beyond what there was in her infant room. They say that she is happy all day (except when she gets tired) and is having a blast. My only concern is that all this extra stimuli is just a little too sudden and too much and she will just crash soon. Hopefully not though, b/c I really want this to work out for her!

ME ME ME!

I was tagged by Miche over at Coordinated Chaos, so I guess that means you will have to learn a little about ME!

I am: a full-time working mom and wife

I know: I USED to know the periodic table.

I won: a HUGE bunny (like 6 ft tall) in a drawing when I was in elementary school- that is seriously like the only thing I have ever won. Guess I am not very talented or lucky!

I want: Emily to be able to fall asleep on her own, without having to cry for an hour first

I have: 1 sweet and sassy little girl (almost a year old!), a husband and a crazy cat

I hate: (I'll steal Miche's answer and say...) people who litter. It bugs the crap out of me!

I miss: My Manteo friends

I feel: ok. I usually either feel ok or bad!

I hear: the air handler blowing

I smell: Nothing right now, it doesn't help that my sinuses are still messed up!

I crave: another cookie like the one I just ate!

I search: for good deals on CDs

I love: my family and friends

I care: about my appearance, even though you probably couldn't tell b/c I look like crap most of the time!

I always: spell restaurant wrong! (well a lot of the time anyway, I got it right this time)

I believe: in God

I sing: very off key and off tune (is that the right term?)

I write: very messily. I have very embarrassing handwriting

I lose: my grocery lists pretty much every other week.

I never: eat seafood.

I listen: to mix and oldies stations. Apparently I have already turned middle-aged...

I am scared of: something happening to Emily or to me and therefore leaving her

I need: to be less stressed out and anxious!

I am happy: when E is happy

I guess it is my turn to tag: you're it Nate's Mama and Susan!

Tiptoeing into the world of cloth diapers

I have been contemplating this off and on for a while, but with the ability to only do it part time (can't CD at daycare), I didn't know if it would be worth it. After all, a big part of CDing is the cost savings aspect- as long as you can control your urges to buy every little cute cover, bag, etc out there and just stick to the basics!

Would using cloth be worth it only overnight and on the weekend? Well, I don't know. But I have finally decided to give it a shot anyway, and will be getting a variety of goodies in the mail over the next week or so.

I decided to get several different types including prefolds (which are the most cost effective), all in ones, one size pockets, and a couple of one size fitteds. Throw in a couple of waterproof covers, some doublers for extra absorbancy, and a few other little accessories, and I really hope we are all set for quite a while!

The good thing about only doing it part-time is that the amount of laundry is greatly reduced. I know people say that diaper laundry is not as bad because there isn't a lot of sorting or folding involved, but I will still be greatful not to add another load every other day to the rotation.

Another great thing about CDing is that (as gross as it may sound) there is definitely a large market for used cloth diapers, so if this doesn't work out for us, or even if it does and they are still in good condition, there is a very real possibility that some of this money will be coming back. You definitely can't say that for disposables!

Wish us luck!

Snow day!!!

Tuesday was the first real snow that E has gotten to experience here in NC. We didn't take her out in the snow in NY while we were there for Christmas.
I would say the word that best describes her feelings about the whole situation is "underwhelmed". Why did she have to "put on this ridiculous ting" (My Cousin Vinny reference there) and go outside to look at wet white stuff? She didn't see the point.

But HERE is the point! PHOTO OPS!

On the move

Despite my protest, Emily will be moving into the Toddler One class at her daycare. Apparently there was some big baby boom in Garner and they need room for more infants. Great for those parents who get a spot, but what about us? E shouldn't be moving up for another 3 months.

The main concern here is her naps. Until a year or later she should technically be getting at least 2 naps a day (only staying awake for 2.5 to 3 hours at a time). On the weekends she is definitely ready for a nap after that amount of time. Unfortunately, the madhouse that is the infant room isn't very conducive to her nap schedule, and when she moves to the older room, they have a daily nap that usually begins around 11:30.

I have been assured that they will work on her naps and she will do so much better in the toddler room, because it is so much more calm and quiet and that she will take awesome naps, etc etc. I know how crazy the infant room can get, so I definitely believe that the atmosphere will be more favorable. So now I just have to trust that they know what they are talking about from many years experience and thousands of kids; rather than just covering their asses b/c they promised so and so a spot in the infant room.

I'll choose to be optimistic for now. Fingers crossed for an easy transition next week!

Our Little Reader

Obviously, Emily can't read... But it warms my heart that books have come to be one of her go-to "toys", rather than just something to chew on. She loves to sit and turn the pages, working her little fingers so skillfully now, and sometimes stopping to scratch at a picture to see if she can get it off the page. And I love when she picks a book up and rolls over onto her back to start "reading" it. She looks so content and I can only hope she continues to love books throughout her whole life!

9 month appointment

E had her 9 month doctor visit on Friday. She is still a big girl, with an average size noggin :-p

She is up to 29 inches and 22 pounds 2 ounces! If her legs catch up with the length of her torso she will be wayyy long! Or maybe she will be a female Michael Phelps with weird proportions especially good for swimming...

I can't believe she has already been here for 9 months! When I was pregnant it seemed like that was such a long time, but now she has been in the world for longer than she was baking- crazy. And it also means that I have less than 3 months to get a birthday party figured out. I am an obsessive planner, so that probably is just the right amount of time :) Hopefully April isn't too early for a party in the park!

The talents of others

I just wanted to show off the precious growth chart that I had made by Pami (www.bypami.blogspot.com). She used the quilt that came with our nursery bedding so the chart is the perfect addition to the theme of the room.

Crawling... for real this time!

I really thought E was going to skip this. It's been almost 2 months since she started getting on her knees and rocking. And since then, she has kept on getting better at the "army" crawling and is now standing herself up and has cruised the furniture a little.

So I was a little surprised to see her actually doing some REAL crawling on Saturday!

Sweet Scene

I came upon this while we were in NY over the holidays. My mom and I had gone out to run errands and left E with her daddy. I wanted a picture, but was afraid the flash would wake them up. But of course the phone rang about 2 minutes later so they woke up anyway!
Oh, and E was ecstatic that my grandparents had a kitty that let her pet it!