Christmas Card 2010

Charming Holly Wreath Christmas

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AVON CALLING

Ok so this post is really for me but figured I'd try to get the word out there. I've been selling Avon for a little over a year now and its been great!! Avon is going on to celebrate its 125th anniversary!!!! Its a fantastic business and is so because of all of its representatives.

Being that I'm a stay at home mom with a very active little boy, this gives me the opportunity to bring in extra income every two weeks and doesn't take up too much of my time. It is basically your business... you put as much or as little into as you'd like to. There are countless women that have made a huge success out of their sales.

Right now if you sign up to become an Avon Independent Sales Rep through me the sign up fee will be waived. This would be especially perfect for any stay at home mom, teacher or just about anyone that has a lot of women friends that love great beauty products! Parents if you have kids in school or involved in sports or other activities, theres your in with a lot of potential costumers! Teachers you work with plenty of other women again all potential costumers..... Its as easy as handing out an awesome catalogue, maybe some samples.... letting the products and prices sell themselves.... you simply submit an order every two weeks, or once a month if you choose... the products get delivered directly to you... you give them to your costumers and collect your money. Of course if you want to just give it a try and decide later on that its not for you, you simply stop no questions asked.

Please check out my website www.youravon.com/slemoine
or email me at angelabeautysales@me.com

Seperation Anxiety?

Here we are yet again. I cannot believe that after 18 months sleeping is still an issue that we are trying to figure out. Jack was doing great for several months. After going on vacation he was completely thrown off and it took about a week to get him back on track. We thought we were good after that and yet here we are at a complete loss yet again.

For the past couple weeks getting Jack to sleep has been a horror. We used to be able to put him in his crib, he'd wimper for a minute or two and then be out cold for the night. Now he screams for what seems to be an eternity and is waking up in the middle of the night again screaming "MAMA" for what seems like forever. Even if we go into his room and try to rub his back he still fights. Several nights weve given in and just brought him into bed with us. We go back and forth... are we screwing up by bringing him in bed with us getting him used to that and creating some evil cycle and that is the reason he is waking during the night... is it a seperation anxiety thing which I've read peaks at 18 months... we are lost lost lost. I thought we had finally gotten past the craziness and here we are again... this time knowing that baby number two will be arriving in April... so not only will we have Jack who is sleeping very light, waking and screaming but we will have a newborn getting up every 2 hours... we are kind of dreading very sleepless nights. Our goal is obvious... get Jack back to sleeping wonderfully and praying that a new baby in the house doesn't throw him off. Problem is we have no idea what to do anymore.

So besides that Jack is great. He is so smart he amazes me though the word "no" doesn't seem to sink in with him... I'm thinking this is a normal thing for his age and he is testing me and Steve to see how much he can get away it... boy does the button pushing mak me nuts sometimes! He started making pee pee on the potty though the actual concept of potty training is not there yet but thats ok, no rush.

I'm feeling good. I go for my 20 week sonogram tomorrow to see how baby is growing and to see if their guess of another boy was correct. We've been keeping busy of course! We're trying to plan ahead a bit and thinking its time to finish the basement.... toys and things are taking over and soon baby baby stuff will be added to the chaos of our home. A pretty big project to take on but sooo soooo needed! Other then that taking one day at a time and trying to enjoy all the little things.

Finally Back At It....

Yes, yes I know I have been a huge slacker. Its not only on my blog though, I've barely touched the computer since getting pregnant again. I am very happy to report though that the nausea and vomitting has finally come to an end! YAY!!! The extreme exhaustion has also faded and I no longer require at least one nap a day to function properly. Oh yes, the joys of the first trimester. I am actually feeling pretty good now. I still have days where I feel like patience is non existence and sleeping all day sounds lovely but definitely sooooo much better now! This one has definitely been tougher then Jack, maybe that means this one will be mellow? One can hope haha. Oh and as of right now they are thinking it looks like we will be having another boy. I willbe very out number, even the cat is a boy.

So a lot has happened since the last time I wrote. Jack has become a little chatter box, no surprise really, maybe he takes after me a bit... my nickname in 6th grade given to me by my teacher was gabby and i'm pretty sure that when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade that a letter went home to my mom about my talking a bit too much during class... oops :-) Anyhow his word list is growing all the time and he has even been putting 2 or 3 words together, my little genius! We also discovered that Jack loves the beach, yea go figure we waiting until after labor day to give it a try but at least we know for next summer. Its funny, the age and having no fear... he would have just jumped right into the water if we let him go. More recently he has developed a new LOVE, choo choos!! He is absolutely crazy about them. We got him a really cute Thomas set while we were on vacation (more on that to come) and then his Papa introduced him to the train set that has been around since we were kids. He now very much associated Papa with choo choos and yes I don't think a day has gone by since getting home from vacation that Jack has not uttered the words... Nana, Papa Choo choo... its pretty hysterical... now if only we could get him to wear the little hat to go with it.

So we just recently got back from our first family vacation. I think I mentioned it before.. we did a 9 night cruise that stopped in Portland and Bar Harbor Maine, Halifax, St Johns and Boston. I must say, vacationing with a little one in tow is definitely not the same as it just being the two of us, not that I actually expected it to be but it was an experience. I am definitely glad we decided to go for it. We are lucky because generally Jack is super easy going with a few meltdowns here and there. He really did do great. I guess it was a matter of just keeping him on somewhat of a schedule. He always got a nap in, otherwise forget it, my sweet little guy turns into a bit of a monster child. We always made sure to find a park or somewhere he could run around, stretch the legs and get the energy out. Amazingly he sat nearly perfectly everynight for dinner in the seated dining room. It was pretty funny because I would guess approx. 90% of the people on the cruise where 65+ and they all got a kick out of Jack. Pretty sure he somehow managed to become the mayor of the boat. Speaking of the boat, Steve was nervous about keeping Jack busy on the sea days... it worked out great... they had a fisher price room where we could bring him to play and color or hear a bedtime story. He also got a HUGE kick out of the arcade, so did Steve and I actually... he likes to sit at the racing games so he can pretend to drive and says beep beep while doing it. So while it was a lot more work and the nights ended very early (not that I really minded going to sleep early) it was so worth it and we did have a great time away together.

So Halloween is just around the corner and Jack got to pick his own costume and he decided to go with a COW! He actually looks very adorable in it! It is however quite a struggle to get him to wear it, we'll see I guess. Our community is doing a childrens Halloween party the day before so we're going to give that a try then on the actual day, I will be at the Giant Packer game with my dad and I think Steve is going to try to take Jack out for a little bit for some trick or treating... yup collecting candy for me and Steve to consume :-)

I'll try not to be such a slacker from now on and keep on updating.

Better Days....

Its been a while, huh? I generally do my blogging while Jack is napping but lately Jacks nap time= mommy nap time. I am just pooped!! I'm nearing 10 weeks now so I am hoping that in about 2 weeks I will be having better days! While some of the intense all day nausea is gone, the vomiting has gotten worse. I guess I was lucky, with Jack I only threw up twice the entire pregnancy... this time I am up to 8 so far. Yes I realize thats not horrible either, that some people do it everyday but either way, I still feel like crap! I had my first appointment almost 2 weeks ago and everything was good. At that point I'd actually lost 2 pounds, which is no surprise really since I have no appetite and getting anything down is a major chore.

This past Monday was a really really difficult day, one I'd rather not have had. I had some spotting in the morning which of course freaked me out and immediately made me think the worst. After a very long day and plenty of crying we had a sonogram appointment that night to check on the baby.... Thankfully I was wrong and the baby is fine! What a huge relief it was to see that little heart beating away, and yea I burst into a hysterical cry as soon as I saw the fluttering! Hoping to never have to go through that again, it was a draining day and we are just glad that everything turned out fine.

Other than all that, I have been a total lazy butt! I have zero energy which makes me no fun for Jack i'm sure. I have no desire to go do anything and I am definitely a little less patient with people... ah hormones. Please cross your fingers that by time our vacation comes around, that all this has passed so I can enjoy it!

Jack is doing good!! Hes such a little wild guy full of energy! This is of course that much more exhausting for me at the moment but hey he is only almost 16 months. He is picking up words a lot more easily lately. We've added pretty, spoon, uh oh, baby and whoa. He is getting so big too fast!! The gym we were bringing him to has closed so we signed up at another one... not nearly as awesome but for now it'll do and he still had fun.

Well little man is waking up from his nap.... tootles :-)

And baby makes four...

Yes I've been slacking lately, I admit, I've been napping every chance I get. So some very big and VERY surprising news.... On July 31st we found out that we are expecting baby #2 which will bring our little family of 3 up to 4!

Have to say this didn't work out the way Jack did. With Jack we came home from a vacation, the timing worked and we gave it a try, the next month we found out it worked and we were expecting our first peanut. I think I may have mentioned this before and yes I'm sure you're all laughing... we had thought we were going to wait until Jack was about 2-2.5 to start trying this way we had plenty of time with just him, he would be old enough to entertain himself for a while, and possibly even out of diapers. So things didn't quite go as planned, but don't get me wrong we are super excited!! This baby was definitely an oops baby, not planned and totally unexpected. I think Steve and I mostly laughed the day we found out. I think the entire family was pretty shocked as well since we told everyone we wanted to wait a while. Of course everyone is thrilled!

So I do have to admit that I am a bit nervous. Jack is a super active, energetic, wild little boy and the thought of watching after him and taking care of a newborn is a little overwhelming. Yes, I had the same nerves with Jack and everything works itself out just like I am sure it will this time around too. I am definitely concerned about the whole pumping thing. I think this was the biggest challenge with Jack, finding enough time to pump as much as I needed and the timing of it as well. This is definitely going to be a bigger challenge this time around. I know that eventually the routine of it all will set in and all will be fine.

So the way I figured it I'm about 6 weeks now, my first doctors appointment is on the 24th, so they will confirm, but according to a calculator I am due April 4th. So yea Jack will be almost 23 months and definitely will not be out of diapers by then. It will be interesting for sure! The great thing is that this new baby (which according to a chinese prediction chart is going to be a boy) and Jack will be so close in age which will be great as they grow up together.

How I'm feeling.... the nausea started a couple days ago and I'm pretty sure that just like with Jack it will be here for awhile, at least until the end of the first trimester. I'm definitely tired and trying to nap whenever Jack does. Other then that I'm doing good. Will keep you updated!

I read this book with Jack and it was definitely helpful!

Please Touch Children's Museum

What a fantastic day!!! This past Friday Steve took off of work to spend the day with us. We went into Philadelphia, to the Please Touch Children's Museum. I must say I was very impressed as soon as we saw it. Its massive, it looks like a "true" museum, not a place for kids to run around. The inside was just as impressive. Must say, the price to get in, only $15 a person is totally worth it!!! I certainly would recommend it as long as your child can walk they will have a ball!

Its broken up into sections... Car garage, Water Play, a Music room, Air Exploration, Alice in Wonderland, Grocery Store, Dump Truck, Childrens Hospital, Trains.... there are a few toddler only spaces throughout but Jack definitely was not limited to these areas. He did a little of everything and seemed to have an amazing time. It was a joy to watch him interact with everything.... sitting at the mad haters tea party and pretending to sip from the cups, walking through the maze, pushing around a mini shopping cart, his first carousel ride.... huge overload in a great way!


Its a great place where kids can explore and you don't have to worry about them touching something they aren't supposed to or breaking something... it is a free for all! I might have had just as much fun as Jack! Its funny to watch how they interact with the other kids too. Jack tried to give a plastic hoe to another little boy but kind of threw it at him, hit him in the face and the poor little guy cried. Oops!

The timing worked out great too... Left home at a time we knew he would nap on the way there, which he did, thankfully since we hit quite a bit of traffic in Philly. We played until 1, had some lunch... also impressive for a little cafe in a museum.... played some more and then that dreaded 300 hit.... Thats when the melt down starts but it worked out because by then we had made our way through just about everything, He passed out about 5 mins into the car ride... he was exhausted and definitely should have been with all the running around he did. It was a perfect day out, just the three of us... will definitely be going back!!

Phases and Stages

I know I have said it a thousand times but I am still amazed at the quick changes that just keep on happening. Yes, I understand that this is what is supposed to happen but it all happens so quick there is sometimes no time to adjust to one phase because it is constant change. Jack is getting bigger and bigger and much smarter all the time. Hes now 14.5 months and I must say it is an interesting age. I look at him now and feel like wow he is a little boy, hes not a helpless baby anymore. Part of me misses that little peanut very much and part of me loves to watch him grow.

Its funny because when he was younger he would do something and my reponse was always, oh he doesn't know what hes doing, its not intentional, he doesn't understand yet. Now, though its only months later its different. Hes running around the house, he makes this crazy mean looking face, he throws things, doesn't listen for beans and can't seem to sit still for two minutes (unless hes asleep). Its funny because while yes he is now able to do so much more he still can't exactly understand right from wrong, he doesn't understand empathy yet, he can't read others emotions... and yet sometimes I find myself expecting way too much from him. He is only a baby still and yet I sometimes expect that he understand that throwng the sippy cup is annoying and not a game, that you are only supposed to use the hockey club with a ball not to hit people. I'm pretty sure there is a name for this, something about looking at a child as a little person when they are not yet capable of comprehending things the same way, that we expect too much of them at a young age.

I consider myself to be a smart person and yet I find myself getting aggrivated over the silliest things sometimes and then one minute later I'm like, well of course hes laughing, hes a baby and everything is funny. I then just get annoyed at myself. Its sometimes hard to step back and just take a breath. I'm not at all saying that there is no need to correct and try to explain because I know at some point he will begin to see a pattern and start to understand what is ok and what is not. I can't fault him for not understanding, he has a long way to go and I must learn to be more patient. I think most of us have these moments. I know that new challenges will continue to arise and some things will get easier. These are the phases and stages that we as mothers go through right along with our children. I guess it is all part of the learning process for all of us and working hard to find the ways that work for us.

He is a doll, hes so funny and has little quirks about him. He has a way of just looking at me and Steve that melts our hearts and makes us forget in the blink of an eye that he just dumped a dish of food on the floor, or pulled on the cats tail. We can't help but laugh at the things he does, when sometimes laughing probably isn't the right reaction. He is growing into an amazing little person and all these little bumps in the road are part of life to be taken one step at a time. I never did think this would be easy....

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Home Sweet Home

Ahhh, vacations are always wonderful but I always feel the need to get home by the end of it. By the way, when I say home sweet home, I do not mean NJ but simply my home where my husband was and all our things. We left for Canada last Thursday and arrived home at 2 am Tuesday morning... oh yea that is a story!

Here it was Jacks first real vacation and his first flight. If you have been reading my blog then you know I was quite nervous about the whole process. Thankfully Jack proved me totally wrong! He did amazing!!! Granted the actual airport part isn't easy because he wanted to run around but the flights themselves could not have gone any better! Both flights he was pretty content just hanging out on my lap, flipping through the sky mall to find pictures of kitties. He didn't make a single cry of pain or frustration, there were however a few screams of excitement. He even clapped at the end of the flight when we arrived in CA. I was so nervous that the pressure in his ears would make for a miserable trip but he didn't seem to be bothered at all. Certainly the quietest baby on a plane ever, I'm sure!


Our first day was just a hang out day with the family. Jack and I finally got to meet cousin Nolan! Him and Jack had lots of fun together though Jack was a bit rough with him... and yea Nolan is 3 but Jack didn't seem to mind the size difference! We had a lovely lunch, spent the afternoon hanging out in the yard, Jack played in the kiddie pool with Nolan and then we had a wonderful dinner. I have no idea how he did it but Jack was up at 520 am on Thursday to leave the house, he napped in the airport for about 25 minutes and then didn't sleep again until 830 that night... he was out cold by then! I guess there were too many new people and there was too much to do to give into sleep. He was a trooper! No surprise though that a playpen didn't work... just like home he screamed his head off when I put him in so instead I took out the mattress and put it on the floor.... I could lay with him until he fell asleep and then leave him. It worked out prefect and he adjusted to it quickly!

Day 2... Hung out at the house, did some grocery shopping and waited for some more canadian family to arrive. It was so great to see everyone! And yea Jack spent most of the day in and out of the pool again. That night my moms cousin had made reservations for the family (40 of us) to go have dinner at a massive chinese buffet while they went to the rehearsal dinner. This buffet was not like they have here... this place was massive and packed! Jack, though I fed him dinner before since we weren't going until 7....well he ate like a little piggie... he had his first taste of noodles and chicken dumplings. I have no idea where my little guy fits all the food but he definitely loves to eat! It was a late night but he did great again! While he has his moments he is so good and easy going!

Day 3... My cousin Alex's wedding day!!! Ok so I must say with like 15 family members in one house, full blown Italians... the morning was not a peaceful one... there is always a bit of drama... who doesn't like their hair... me I brought 2 black dress shoes from different pairs... any how we all managed to get ourselves together after there were a few screaming matches between a couple of aunts..... The wedding was at the Toronto Botanical Gardens... a beautiful setting.. perfect for the outdoor ceremony. Its funny because the receptions there are so different then here... a lot more causal and not nearly as foo foo.... Jack took a liking to the DJ, perhaps he liked his long red curly hair??? It was adorable to watch Jack run around with the other kids even if he had no idea what was going on. It was great to see everyone! My the end of the night Jack was pooped so we cut out a little early otherwise he would have been a very unhappy camper... I must say thank goodness for GPS! I got drove us all over Toronto no problems!

Day 4... Breakfast with the family then we headed over to the Toronto Zoo with my mom, uncle, cousin Vin, his wife and daughter and my moms cousin. What a massive place! We got some more use out of the harness! He fights it a little but once he's distracted he doesn't seem to mind as long as he gets to run around. It was a hot day which made it rough, maybe more so for me then Jack, I am not a heat person! Makes me a bit cranky actually. I think the only thing that Jack really got into were the big "kitties" and the seagulls flying around... yup good ol seagulls, but hey the kid likes birds! Jack and I shared lunch, chicken fingers and fries... Jack had his first taste of ketchup and just like his mommy, he loved it, even tried to stick the whole little cup in his mouth. He just kept on dipping the same fry into it, so cute! He was pooped from all the excitement and totally conked out in the car!

Thats it last day.... Spent a little while at this cute place, Spring Ridge Farm... they had an adorable store, a enormous sand box, a little maze (with no turns) which Jack enjoyed running through, an area with giant hay stacks that Jack enjoyed running through and getting on top of, a little tractor ride (which we skipped) and a area you could feed goats and chickens. Jack had fun! We grabbed some lunch there, Jacks came in a sand pail, really cute!

WOW I missed Steve and couldn't wait to go home but it did go by fast and I am so glad that I went. We don't get to see each other often enough! Actually the flight home is the best part of the story... Its amazing that always when your trip is at its end and you are super ready to get home... thats when all the crap begins! So our flight was supposed to depart at 540 pm. Before leaving for the airport I checked the flight and it was listed as on time. Yippie! We get there to check in and are told there is a 2 hour delay already. FANTASTIC... who knew it was going to just keep getting worse... The customs line was ridiculous and took an hour to get through... Jack was not very happy so yea that was a bit of a struggle... we get through there, breeze through security and start making our way to the gate.... still the flight is listed as being delayed 2 hours... we go to grab dinner and surprise surprise the restaurant doesn't have high chairs... can't catch a break! We go back to the little stand and get a pre wrapped sandwich, yuck! Go back down to the gate, which I might add was in a corner downstairs all by itself... at this point Jack is getting fussy, he hadn't had an afternoon nap and is being very stubborn. Me and my mom try for a while to get him to sleep but he keeps fighting... finally he fell asleep around 730 pm. Oh and did I mention that at this point they have made an announcement that all flights going in and out of Newark were grounded due to bad storms.... great further delays or who knew at that point if we were even getting out of there that night... I was determined to stick it out especially since we finally got Jack to sleep. The flights were back on and then off again and then finally some good news.... the plane we were getting on had finally left Newark at 930 pm! YAY we were going to get home, I didn't care how late at this point... just wanted to get home! Jack, thankfully slept until 10.. he ran around for a while and then finally around 11 we boarded the plane.... The flight itself was perfect. Jack did amazing again! Finally made it home a little after 2am Tuesday morning, ugh it was a long long day but so great to see Steve and be home

Overall a great first vacation experience with the peanut! Really looking forward to the cruise with the three of us!

Countdown to Canada!

I have to admit that as it gets closer, leaving in a few days, I am getting a bit more nervous. I don't at all regret deciding to take the trip because I am thrilled that I will get to see everyone!! I'm so glad that I will be there for my cousins wedding since we have missed several events in the past few years because of conflicting schedules.

I think its a few things that are running through my head at this point. The first being that Steve won't be with us, so theres two things there, my first time traveling without him and that he won't be there to help out with Jack. Yes my mom will be there but she hates flying so it will be interesting. Then there is the simple thing of being away from Steve for 4 days, yes I know thats really not a long time but we haven't been apart for that long in a very long time!! Yes we are that couple, can't sleep well when the other isn't right there next to us. Then there is the whole pain the butt process at the airport! Ugh... finding your gate, security, waiting and waiting because there is never a flight on time at Newark! I have decided to check my bag. Was going to try and get away with just a carry on but thinking if I check it, well thats one less thing I have to worry about dragging around... instead I will only have to worry about my backpack filled with diapers and bottles and Jack of course! The flight itself is a big worry. I am kind of dreading how Jack will do. My child doesn't sit still for more then a couple minutes unless he is asleep so it will be interesting to see how he does. Then there is the whole pressure in the ears which bugs me so I can't imagine how Jack will feel. Hoping he will just take a bottle, so help with the pressure and that maybe, just maybe he will fall asleep since it will be an early start to the morning.

It is just going to be so weird to be away from Steve! Ok, so backwards a bit... I've started packing and as I go I seem to remember more and more things that I use for Jack on a daily basis, and yea that is a LOT of stuff! I am lucky because my cousin has a car seat and play pen for me to use. Steve then remember the little travel booster seat thing too which I might shove into the suitcase since I am bringing the big one now anyhow. Its funny how such a little person needs so many things! We've never been away from home for more then a night so this is all new to me and I have no doubt that for this one I will be overpacked! Oh well, live and learn I suppose. This will also be a good tester to see how he handles flying since we may fly out to Arizona next winter to visit family.

Fingers crossed! Wish us luck! Will post after we get home on how everything went!

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Its a Damn Shame

This is a short one but figured it is important to make others aware...

What a shame... I just read an article about a new study done on lead content of childrens juices and snacks. The article I read is posted on the seventh generation website (unfortunately i'm having trouble linking it)

Here I am, I try as often as possible to get items for Jack that are all natural or organic and even that isn't enough. A new study has shown that some very huge brands are putting out products for consumption with high levels of lead in them... "The results: 125 out of 146 products tested, or 85 percent, contained alarming amounts of lead." You can view the list of products and whether or not the items tested positive on the seventh generation website.

Its just aggravating when you think you are doing good and in fact these companies are not as safe as they claim to be. How are we supposed to know this, who are we supposed to trust? Its a bit ridiculous that we pay extra for organic items and even those might still be harmful. Is there any alternative short of raising your own meat, growing your own produce, etc??

I guess we should be very thankful for these independent research groups that blow the whistle on these things but it's ridiculous that this is what has to be done to get a safe product. Shouldn't these things be tested for before a product is given the okay to get out there on the grocery store shelves? Makes you wonder what the hell have we been consuming over our lifetimes? Who knows what it could have done or is doing to our bodies.... we need to go back in time and become self sustainable like the amish!

Fireworks!

Before I go into the exciting weekend we had figured I'd give a quick update on the new things Jack has been doing. So first, still expanding the variety of food for him. He downed a fresh fig yesterday! He has at least tried just about anything, except seafood and nuts but besides that the list is endless! I am lucky, my kid loves to eat! And even better he will eat almost anything you give him! He loves ice cream just like his mommy and actually like pickles also like mommy, but no not together! He is getting so big, it kind of makes me sad! I feel like hes going to be taller then me soon. So he's been saying mama for a while now and knows its me, his new thing is that he points and taps my arm and says mama... so cute!!! Dada is still a little rough... comes out either as bubba, gaga or even mama (opps!). His vocabulary is getting there too! Bubbles, ball, bbrrrr (yup when he touches something cold), woah... its so cute to hear that little voice! He is also starting to climb up on things taller then hes been and now enjoys spinning himself in circles!! He is so much fun to play with and his laugh just makes us smile! He is still chasing the kitties around with whatever he can swing, yes we are working on being gentle. And swinging.... he loves anything that resembles a stick that he can run around the house with and swing at all the balls, his or the cats, doesn't make a difference to him. I'm thinking he just might be an awesome golfer or hockey player!

That leads me into this weekend, and yea definitely a busy one. Friday night is daddys hockey night so we went to watch and as usual Jack loved it! Everyone gets a kick out of him when he cheers and after the games he grabs whoevers stick is laying on the ground and starts walking around with it. They won by the way! YAY still undefeated... this from a team that two years ago lost every single game! GO MITSUBARU!

Saturday I took Jack for a bike ride with his papa (my dad). Jack I think still has mixed feelings about the whole thing. He certainly isn't a fan of being strapped down and the whole helmet thing is a mini battle. Once we get going hes generally content though most rides he ends up toting along with a bottle in his mouth... we always go in the morning before it gets uber hot which means that half way through is usually around nap time so thats when the crankiness begins and the bottle goes in. For me, I was also feeling a bit on the cranky side, actually for the past two bike rides... my knees are bugging me on those hills! Hoping it eventually fades. ((On a side note... still going to ZUMBA and still loving it!!! I've lost 2 lbs so far, slow and steady i guess. I've actually also signed up for a trial membership at gym where I can do a classes only membership. First class there I think will be Wednesday night zumba, so we'll see how it goes.)) After the bike ride we went to lunch with Steve and my parents and Jack very much enjoyed his ice cream after his grilled cheese. He gets so darn mad when you take it away... pretty sure if we left it up to him, he'd finish it all. Then the fun... we rented a carpet cleaner to do the rugs at the house... i am a bit embarrassed to say but this is the first time since we've moved into the house, yea 3 years... and yup as expected... it was gross how black that water came out! Certainly going to be doing this more often now! And for a while anyhow I will be one one of the crazies that makes you take your shoes off at the front door.

Ok so Saturday night (deserves its own paragraph)... We met up with my brother, his fiance and some of their friends for dinner. Afterwards we headed over to Red Bank for the fireworks... what a mess!!! Good thing is that they closed off the streets because there were a lot of teenager roaming around!! We had to park far away and walk but it was nice out so it wasn't so bad. There was a zillion people all over to we figured that when Jack got tired of sitting in the stroller we'd give the harness a try. As i've mentioned before my opinion of the child harness has made a 360* since having Jack... previous opinion is that they were ridiculous and that leashes were meant for pets not kids... now the complete opposite! They are brilliant! Kids want to run around and parents want to not have their child lost = the harness is a great solution! So we gave it a try and yes I still think it looks silly, it totally works... Jack felt like he had some freedom to roam but I was never more then a couple feet behind him with a hold on him. Oh course we got looks and even some lovely gentlemen made a comment as he walked by with his friends... "oh look at the cute little dog"... c'mon really? Its really not nice to call some ones child a dog! Learn some manners. Anyhow jack was getting tired and cranky but finally the fireworks started and he got a kick out of them... pointing and "oohhh", so cute! The real mess started at the end... trying to clear out was ridiculous with the amount of people... I was actually waiting to get trampled.. we finally made it out onto the street and there in the middle of the road to our right are a bunch of idiots fighting... then town minutes later to our left another idiot is setting off fireworks in the middle of the very crowded road! Why do people have to do stupid things when there are young people, kids, and well behaved adults all around??? GROW UP!!!! So to avoid all that chaos we go down an alley where there happens to be two cops running over to another fight... I really couldn't believe that this was the scene in Red Bank! We finally make it back to the car and just sit there because we can't get out of the parking lot... to cut to the end... it took about 45 minutes just to get to the parkway... thankfully Jack passed out 10 minutes into the car ride.

Sunday... HAPPY 4TH!!! BBQ, pool and wiffle ball game at my Uncles house.... it was a good day! Especially good since we won!!!!

So there you go... an eventful weekend! Hope everyone had a fun and safe weekend of festivities!!!

Something Just for Me

Ah Ha I've found it... something just for me... ZUMBA! OK yes I know I am a bit behind and everyone has been doing this for a long time already but I finally experienced it for myself yesterday. I have to say after just one class, I just might be hooked! Heres my plug for a HS friend... Avenue to Broadway in Lakehurst NJ, Mondays at 645 and Thursdays at 630... the instructor was great. For my first time I didn't feel lost with the routine, he makes it easy to follow and is not overly complicated but it was an AMAZING workout!!! I haven't sweated like that, probably since a high school field hockey game! If you love to dance and want to burn a lot of calories in just an hour... definitely check it out!

Its so easy to kind of forget about taking care of yourself when you have a little one at home, everything becomes about making sure that they are taken care of and happy. I really do think that all us mommies need some time away to reenergize and to make sure that we too are happy and less stressed. Getting out for a little while just to do something that makes me feel good inside and out is great and I am so glad that I enjoyed it as much as I did. The music pumping, dancing, sweating... I really did feel good afterwards... a boost of energy! I never have been a gym person, I get so bored doing those machines, watching everyone else and my mind wonders and I keep thinking about that good ol' list of things to do. Zumba didn't let me think about anything but the steps, getting it somewhat right and not making a fool of myself. It was exhausting and a little painful at times but so worth it!

My goal... twice a week zumba class, once a week bike ride around the reservoir and maybe some walking in between. Its been over a year and I've been not feeling thrilled about the post baby body (yes I admit, I really haven't done anything to change it up until yesterday) and I'm hoping to lose 15 pounds by the end of summer... I think thats a realistic goal... I'm tired of feeling tired and sluggish and I'm really hoping this does the trick! Now I must keep with it!!! Will keep you posted on my progress.

Jacks Show Day

January 22nd, Jack had his trial class at the Little Gym. At this point he was only crawling and certainly towered over at the class. The age group is 10-19 months, Jack was just over 8 months at the time. It was funny because most of the kids were running around, tumbling and playing... then there was Jack. During the warm up walk while all the kids ran in a circle, I held Jack and we walked. While a seated activity was going on there were some kids running to the play area while Jack just sat and observed everything going on around him. While all the kids were climbing and tumbling all over the play area, Jack enjoyed hanging out in the center of the big "donut". The moment that shocked me was when, with the assistance of the teacher, he held on to the parallel bar by himself for a good 10-15 seconds! My strong little guy! Granted he cried at the end of it and didn't want to grab on afterwards... he had the cutest look on his face... I was so proud of him!


Here we are months later, Jack is 13 months, running, tumbling, climbing and having a ball! Today at the gym is his first show day... meaning friends and family can come on in and watch the special class. The theme, Hawaiian so of course Jack, Steve and I will all be wearing our authentic clothes from Hawaii (thank you to my parents... though the bonus would have been if they brought us with them). My mom will be the only one there today that hasn't yet come to a class and I'm sure she will get a kick out of him!

That music starts going and so does Jack... my son is certainly not a shy little guy... he tends to be one of the only ones standing and in the center of the group bouncing to the music. So I mentioned that during the seated activities at the first class Jack just sat and observed... well not anymore! He is now one of the crazy energetic ones that doesn't want to sit still so yes I spend a good portion of the warm up time just chasing him around to attempt to get him to do the activity on the big mat. He is now able to climb all over everything and has learned at the gym how to shimmy himself off of things and now does it at home
on the couch and our bed. He is amazingly strong and I love watching him develop physically and to interact with the other kids!


Again, I know, it amazes me how things have changed just in the past few months and I know that by the end of the summer session he will be accomplishing even more!! It is a great opportunity for both os us to get out and do something active together... Jack loves it! Its so funny how after the trial class I knew it was something I wanted to do with him but there was that little bit of hesitation in me because he was so much younger and less mobile then all the other kids at the time but I am so glad we started when we did, its been a wonderful experience for us both!

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Dear Daddy

((Steves First Fathers Day))

Jack can't yet express his gratitude for his daddy so I figured I'd give it a try for him.

Yesterday was Steves 2nd Fathers Day and wow what a difference a year makes. Last year Jack was just over a month old and now here we are at 13 months! We figured out that what Jack babbles to Steve is "bubba" instead of dada (Steve calls Jack bubba and we are pretty sure that is what Jack has been calling him!). A very cute bonus on fathers day and yes Jack does actually respond correctly when dada is mentioned, so he's not actually completely confused. Jack is very much a little man now and I think Steve is really enjoying the time with him now. Not saying he didn't adore him any less but I think the mommies tend to adore the cuddle time and gazes of a newborn and the daddies tend to love when play time is possible. Steve will be the first to tell you that it is a ton of fun but so much more exhausting now, yes even with the extra sleep we now get.

Steve was always a great boyfriend, is a wonderful husband and is an amazing dad!! Who knew that a person that had never even held a baby before would have picked it all up as quickly as he did. He was our rock at the hospital when Jack was born and in weeks following at home while I was recovering from the c-section. Steve has stepped up for both of us and Jack and I couldn't ask for a better guy!

Jack gets the biggest smile when daddy walks through the door at the end of the work day and I think the feeling of happiness is mutual. You can tell by Steves look that he is equally as happy to be home and to see that beautiful boys face! Watching them play together melts my heart and especially the way they can make each other laugh, it is truly precious!

So here it is... if Jack could talk this is what I think he'd say... Dear Daddy... thank you for loving me, even when I'm not listening and hitting the kitty with my golf club... thank you for showing me how to hold a golf club and hockey stick... thank you for the silly tickle fingers... thank you for the hugs and kisses... thanks for playing with me and making me laugh... thanks for doing lots of fun stuff with me and mommy... thanks for being the best daddy ever! I love you!

Its all about making memories and above all putting our family and love for each other first... everything else will fall into place! Thank you Steve, my best friend for nearly 12 years, my husband for nearly 3 years and for being a wonderful daddy for 13 months (and counting...)!

Where are you Money Tree?

I think most people would agree that they are totally feeling the pinch lately... we are no different! I am in search of that good ole money tree! Things just can't seem to go in our favor lately and its getting frustrating as can be! Yes I admit that I easily get anxious when it comes to the finances but ugh, something has go to give here!

Lately I feel like we take one step forward and three back. The good news, no fantastic news... Steve received a letter in the mail this week stating that the Board of Architects have approved his application and he is officially a licensed landscape architect (just waiting on the fancy wall license and press). This alone would generally be a great thing not only for Steve and his career but for our family. Unfortunately this doesn't look like its going to change anything. Basically the sheer fact that he is now licensed should automatically mean a decent raise but the way the company and economy is going he's lucky just to have a job. A raise definitely would have helped, especially since I am not working. I pray that I am wrong and once that fancy certificate and press arrive that something will change but we shall see.

Next, we applied for that whole mortgage readjustment thing and we were denied again, yes we've tried twice! It is so frustrating because we had sucky timing and bought our place right before everything went to *hit meaning our house is no where near being worth what we paid. It really isn't fun to be paying all this money for something that isn't even worth it anymore... and the way things are going who knows how long its going to take to get back. This of course ties into the whole wanting to move but not being able to.

I don't know what it is. We aren't huge spenders, though our vice is eating out at awesome restaurants, and yet the bills keep piling up... mostly gas and groceries which you can't exactly eliminate. I rarely go shopping for myself, its generally just the necessities for Jack. This month is killer also... parties and fathers day... all requiring gifts. I hate that I feel guilt just because I buy something for myself... must say it was much easier when I had a job that paid a bunch of cash but that was a long time ago and here we are struggling like so many people, frustrated with the situation and slightly clueless on how to fix it. We'll keep chugging along and pray that things take a turn for the better soon!

BTW... how adorable is that new picture of Jack!!! He is entered into the Parents Magazine 2010 Cover Contest! Fingers crossed... besides the cover of the November issue of Parents Magazine... I lovely college fund is included! Hey, you gotta be in it to win it!

A Great Weekend

This past weekend was a busy, but wonderful one. We started with Steves hockey game, went onto an engagement party, late night Pete and Eldas and to end it was the Belmar Seafood Festival.

Steve started playing hockey again, on a team with my brothers and their friends. Now I must first mention that when they tried this organized league thing a few years ago, they lost every single game they played, being mercied for a majority of them. Lets just say it was terrible to watch! So far this time around, a whole different story! They have actually won their first two games! Must say Jack loves to watch lives sports! Being that I was the only spectator this Friday, Jack actually sat in his stroller and watched the entire game... amazing what is possible when he isn't all distracted. You should hear how he screams while the game is going on and how cute it is that is constantly waving to all the players... he is Mitsubarus biggest fan! Then after the game when all the guys come out and plop their bags and sticks down... Jack helps himself to the sticks and walks around swinging... the next pro for sure! We are very excited that a good number of the games are at 7pm so Jack can watch his daddy play!

Saturday was the big celebration... Dom (my brother) and Jens Engagement Party!!! For anyone that has had to plan a big important event, you know that almost never does it go off without at least one little mishap... this one was that Jen showed up a bit late because of a hair appointment... happens to the best of us and it always ends up being a fun story later on. Besides that the day was perfect... they both looked wonderful and their friends and family were there to celebrate their love with them! We are so excited for them.... Jack had fun too! Of course he is only one so he spent probably a quarter of the time walking around outside. He is so cute though... will eat just about anything you give to him... before the meal he snacked on grano padano, bread and fried zucchini.((On a side note... Jack eats just about anything at this point, even organic skinless hot dogs, except for fish, honey and nuts... he is a great eater and his favorite food groups are definitely carbs and fruit! He loves strawberries, melon, nectarines, cherries...)) Of course by time dinner same, it was 3 which meant Jack was keeping to schedule and showed no interest in eating but went down for a nap in no time. I must say... Jack was looking wonderful at this party... wearing a four piece Nautica outfit... dress pants, button down shirt, vest and tie... by the way we got a coordinating outfit for Steve... SO CUTE! It was a great party.. they did a wonderful job planning!

Saturday after the party we headed home to give Jack dinner and then called Steves mom to come babysit the munchkin... we headed to the beach where some of the guys were surfing... and as usual by time we get there, they are packing up to leave... instead of ending the night there... we went to Pete and Eldas, which I haven't been to since I was pregnant... it was delish but starting to question whether my stomach can handle late night grease the way it used to be... We had some good laughs!!

Sunday we took Jack to the seafood festival... no worries we fed him before hand figuring it wouldn't be easy to find him something to eat there... It was so hot out but jack was a trooper! He took a nice long walk on the boardwalk with Nana and Papa while we ate our lunch. Then to cool down some Jack had a little sampling of a strawberry banana smoothie and orange cream smoothie... go figure that he liked it... shouldn't be surprised really....

It was a good weekend! Of course Monday creeps up way too quickly and its back to the daily routine things. I am so glad though, that Jack while he probably doesn't quite understand whats going on, he is experiencing lots of different things! He is great in all situations and it makes it that much easier to go out anywhere.

So a little update on Jack... he turned 13 months on Saturday! He is not only walking now but is getting faster and faster. He cracks us up as well as himself! He loves to play and laugh... He is understanding more and more everyday... while he still ignores when we say NO he does respond when we ask him to get a specific item. He knows when I am making him lunch and ask if he wants t sit in his chair he walks over to his high chair... So cute, he now says BOO back to us when playing peek a boo, which happens to be a favorite game of his. He plays with his hands or a book and he finds it hysterical! He is eating and sleeping great. His sleeping schedule has been working out great... 9am and 3pm are nap time and 730/8pm is bedtime... he is so much happier during the day and waking up in a great mood... we should all try to get some extra sleep! Jack is a doll... Steve and I are enjoying this playful stage!

Oh Canada!

Canada here we come.... Jack and I will be traveling sooner then expected. My Canadian cousin is getting married next month and Jack and I are attending. Very bummed because Steve can't come with us, not enough vacation time with the cruise in October, so its just the two of us.

So while there is going to be a ton of family attending, its just going to be me, Jack and my mom flying out to Toronto. I must admit I am a bit nervous and uncertain... I debated whether I should even go since Steve couldn't come but we rarely get to see this side of the family, its been way too long and no one has met Jack yet and I have not met Nolan (my cousins son) yet. Steve said he was fine with us going so I decided to make the trek! I considered for a brief moment driving up, but 9 hours in the car with just me and my mom driving and the Jack... I think it would be way too crazy so we opted to fly... I got our tickets yesterday!

The nerves come in here... first time away from home with Jack (not counting a night over at Steve's dads or a day at my grandparents), we're going from Thursday to Monday so yea a decent trip! So back to nerves... first time away so I have to certainly make a packing list for Jacks stuff, then there is the whole flying thing... it will be his first time on a plane and my first time flying without Steve (btw my mom is the worst to fly with... she is not a fan). If anyone has tips on comforting a baby on a plane, please send them my way!! I'm all worried about the pressure and the pain he will feel then the fact that if he is unhappy and crying everyone on the plane will be hating me. Yea its only a 2 hour flight but I feel like it could feel like 6 hours if Jack doesn't sleep some.

It will also be interesting how I manage to keep Jack on somewhat of a schedule so he gets enough rest to not be cranky. How is he going to sleep since its not going to be his room and his crib... I am hoping that someone there has an extra car seat and pack and play so I don't have to fly with all that stuff.

Besides all the nervousness about the unknown of traveling with Jack, I am super thrilled I decided to go! I cannot wait to see all the family and for all the family to meet Jack! We missed the last Canadian wedding because we were on our honeymoon and then a reunion because we were in Italy again. Sigh... I love traveling! Should be a blast with my little munchkin as my wedding date! Details of course will follow...

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Damn you NJ

I know there are plenty of you that love living in NJ, especially this time of year with all the beach activity... me on the other hand couldn't care less... I am not a beach person what so ever so the big draw that people have to NJ is so not my thing...

I so badly wish we were elsewhere, for so many reasons. We've been talking again lately about the whole idea of moving. We both agree that at this point neither of us would have any problem moving just over the border to PA. Close enough that visiting family is easy enough but out of this money sucking ugly state ((sorry to those o you that see beauty here, I just don't see it)). For several nights last week I played around on the realtor.com app in search of homes... got to say it is so frustrating to see what you can get for your money just an hour away. Heres the problem though, we bought our townhouse right before the market went to to shit, so here we are stuck at the moment. Our house is no longer worth nearly what we paid for it which in turn means if we were to sell now we wouldn't have enough for a down payment on a new home, even if it is cheaper.

So unfortunately right now we will be staying put until the house value returns to at least what we paid. The tough part is that until then we will continue to struggle. Its certainly not easy with just one salary coming in, though neither of us would change the fact that I am home raising Jack. Every month is the same thing... where are we pulling money from to get by.... no matter what, we can't seem to keep the credit card clear (and might I mention that the majority of that is only groceries and gas). I am constantly in disbelief over the amount of money we have to pay this ridiculous town for taxes... we have a townhouse with no land besides our driveway and the tiny plot that the house sits on! It is absurd! Don't get me wrong I do love our house but I am starting to really get the picture that if we had just looked a little further from the family we would have been saving a lot more money!

Lesson learned... we need to start doing what is best for us and not what is just going to please everyone else. Its funny because if you aren't in the same situation its so easy to just say that we can't move because all our family is here... why is it okay that every month we struggle to simply live... and no I'm not denying that our major vice is going out to dinner but honestly going out to dinner a hand full of times is not whats breaking the bank here... we are getting to the point where something has got to give! Hopefully soon the value of the house goes up and we can make a small move for now to test the waters... who knows what will happen at this point... for now we are stuck where we are...

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Now I Understand

Its funny how when we are growing up we don't believe anything anyone tells us and how we question peoples decisions without actually having any experience with what we are judging.... can't say I still don't catch myself judging but maybe I've learned a few things along the way that have made me a bit wiser...

Its easy to judge how someone else deals with parenthood before you have walked in their shoes and now I understand a little better why people may do some of the things they do. I recall having a conversation with a friend about the strict schedule a women had for her child and how it seemed ridiculous to plan everything around a nap time or bedtime. Now I get it, while it may not be the most convenient thing, getting Jack to bed earlier had improved our daily lives and sleep tremendously. So we can't hang out late or go to dinner late... so what... We have am happier, well rested baby which equals a happier and well rested mommy and daddy. Other people looking in may see this as overly rigid but I see it as consistency that leads to a lot less stress!

Another example... We are planning our first family vacation, a 10 day NorthEast cruise. I admit that I am seriously considering getting one of those harness things for Jack. Yup, one of those things that makes your child look like they are on a dog lease. Again, now I get it... for example... on the boat Jack is going to want to walk around, so isn't it safer if I can stop him immediately if need be and when in an area with a lot of people while being within a couple feet of him he is free to walk but I don't have to worry about some crazy grabbing him since he can't run off. My opinion of these things was always, oh how ridiculous is that, the kid looks like a dog... well now that I have Jack it totally makes sense to me.

I understand how it can be so easy to lose your cool when your child is screaming in a restaurant. How you forget that you are surrounded by people and you go ahead and bite off your spouses head not because they did anything wrong but instead because you are in a stressful situation that sometimes gets the best of you for a brief moment.

Now I understand that constant worry about the health, safety and happiness of a child, something I really don't think you can truly appreciate until you are a parent, no matter how many times you are told by your own parents. There is that feeling that you need to be able to provide everything for your child no matter what.

The immediate understanding once your baby is born that that little life is your priority and clothes shopping, nail appointments and 2 week vacations to Europe are no longer the important things in life.

While I can go on and on I guess the point is that we live and learn. There is no way at the age of 12, 15, 17 can you possibly understand where your parents are coming from when they are trying to steer you in the right direction. We all do stupid things and I'm sure we would love to take back now that we know better but its all part of the process... growing up, taking responsibility for our own lives and becoming wiser so that we can one day sound just like our parents did to us...

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Day Tripping

We had a great busy weekend. Saturday night we went out for sushi with my brother, his fiance and two of their friends. Jack is a huge fan of edamme, I couldn't peel them fast enough for him. Afterwards we hit up Hoffmans for some delish ice cream, Jacks also a big fan, just like mommy! Yesterday was the Memorial Day BBQ at Steves uncles house. The day great, Jack had his first dip in a real pool and loved it. We got him one of those floats with the canopy, his is a frog... so cute! He loved playing with everyone in the water, splashing and laughing... it was adorable! Family, good food and fun in the sun... a good day! Today Steve and I took Jack to the reservoir for a bike ride, it was hot and painful at times but it really does feel great at the end (going to try to make it a more frequent thing) and Jack fell asleep while in tow. Felt so bad having to wake him up, looking so cute in his piggie helmet! Afterwards we picked up some lunch to bring with us to Monmouth Park for Jacks first outing to the horse races. We lost, of course, but it was a fun day out. So this is what got me thinking.... we need to make it a priority to plan these day trips for the three of us to spend good ole fashined family time together....

So here are a few things on my list of things to check out...

*Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia (thank you Nikki)
*Allaire state park for a picnic and train ride
*Maybe do a ferry ride into the city and do something, not sure what yet
*Cape May for the zoo and walking around town for the afternoon
*Maybe Storybook Land (not sure if hes too young and it may be best to wait for next year)

Ok so thats all I have for the moment... I'll gladly take some suggestions if you have any. Its funny and sad how fast the weeks go by and sometimes we are so wrapped up in everything work, or house maintenance that we forget to take the time to go out and do fun things just the three of us... to forget about the laundry piling up and everything else that will still be there the next day to be done... I want to make sure that Jack experiences all sorts of things and though he may not remember it I do think that he can learn and just plain old has fun while its happening... these are the important moments... and hey we'll have plenty of pictures to show him so he knows of all the fun things we did together as a family.

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Here are a couple books about Day Trips in NJ and surrounding areas...

One Proud Mama

I must say, I truly am one proud mama! I am proud of Steve and I for sticking to a routine and program to get Jack into healthier sleep habits and I am crazy proud of Jack for doing so well with this big step!

So you all know of the terribly hard time we have been having with Jacks super inconsistent sleeping. We have tried a few different things and nothing seemed to be helping. We were getting more and more frustrated, especially me, spending hours everyday just trying to get him to nap or go to sleep at night. It was exhausting and starting to drive me slightly nutty. It was so hard to just take a deep breath when at night we'd stick with the routine of bottle, rocking in the chair until he fell asleep and then we'd lay him down in his crib. That did actually work for a long time, but not so much in the past couple months. He would sleep in our arms then jump up screaming as soon as we laid him down. It sometimes felt like it took forever to finally get him so asleep that he didn't care that he was put into his crib. Then after all that he was getting up once, twice and sometimes three times a night. It felt like we were going backwards instead of forward! Many nights just so that all three of us could get a good nights rest, we would just bring Jack into our bed if he woke up during the night.

So while we really didn't mind having him in bed with us, we also knew that it really wasn't good to do every night. We knew something had to give but we really felt pretty clueless at that point. Steve had talked with a woman from work for several days about the problems we were having. She too has a young child and had recommended a book to us. "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child" by Marc Weissbluth MD. This past Friday, she let us borrow it to see if we liked it enough to buy. So Friday night came and I put Jack to sleep just as we had been doing. Once asleep I plopped down on the couch and turned straight to the section on Jacks age group.

There it was right in front of me, our story was in that book. Within the authors writing were stories of real parents who also had sleep troubles.... the child that fell asleep standing up on more then one occasion, trying all these different methods, and so on.... I couldn't help but smile knowing that we were not the only ones...

I read on and here are the main points.... There was a huge emphasis on the importance of a routine, naps and consistency. He stated that most of the time when children have trouble at night it is because the parents don't allow the child to learn the important skill of self soothing and how to put themselves to sleep. We knew Jack was not getting a goof nights sleep because he wasn't waking up happy. Everything he wrote made complete sense, we would let him cry but would always run to the rescue hence defeating the whole point. They somehow know that if they continue to cry that you will come rushing in, if you don't then they learn that that is what happens when it is time to sleep and that they must go to sleep themselves. We figured we'd give it a try. We realized that we were not making the situation any better when we went in so maybe this time it would work.

Early into the night Jack woke up crying, we left him and he cried for an hour before falling asleep. Te next day for nap time I went in laid him down and left, 50 minutes later he fell asleep (he recommends not letting them cry for more then an hour at nap time but no time limit at night). Every time, nap and night after that went even better. Tonight I kissed him goodnight, told him I love him, laid him down and closed the door. He cried for less then two minutes!! He is now waking up happy, napping better, can very quickly put himself back to sleep if he wakes during the night and has had fewer cranky moments during the day. We also moved his bed time earlier, also recommended in the book...It is helping!

I am so glad we gave it another try, the right way this time and that we are making real progress! Now the next huge thing will be the day I lay him down and he just rolls over and goes to sleep. I certainly recommend checking out the book, it completely made sense and I think in a way gave us the boost and confidence that it could be done, that even though its hard at first, a well rested happy baby in the en is the most important thing! A plus too was that through numerous of his studies, it appears that a well rested child has fewer nightmares and night terrors and that these healthy sleep habits developed at an early age continue on into adulthood.

Losing My Mind

Yea, its yet another entry about my sleeping habit battle with Jack. I am a complete loss. He is amazing during the day, eats well, plays... he is super easy going... until sleepy time comes around. Lately it's not even just at night anymore. It seems that as soon as we seem to be making progress we are just as quickly thrown backwards. It is incredibly frustrating to not know how to fix it.

So we tried the whole letting him cry it out thing and it seemed to be working but never did hit that sleep through the night marker and then again we seemed to have gone backwards again. It used to be a five minute effort to get him to nap. He was napping on a great schedule and for a decent amount of time each one. Now it is a 45 minute process. He has no problem falling asleep on me but when it comes time to lay him down all hell breaks lose. There is the screaming, crying and clinging. We are at a loss! So now napping is barely on a schedule and they last long enough for me to maybe eat breakfast and get dressed.

Completely clueless as to what happened. Our night time routine is the same. At this point the only successful part of the past month is that he doesn't need a bottle in the middle of the night anymore. I guess I should be glad about that, right, it is something. This week he actually hasn't even wanted to take a bottle to fall asleep at night. That part has been going generally smoothly, taking maybe 15 minutes for the initial lay down... the problem comes in when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Nothing we do seems to help and we get so frustrated that we end up just bringing him into our bed. Yup, he manages to sleep amazingly perfect in our bed, waking up at 7:30.

Its kind of like, okay we are creating a bad habit of sleeping in our bed BUT he is sleeping well and isn't that kind of more important? He wakes up happy. It drives me nuts to hear how people were able to let their kid cry for three nights and then from that point on they have slept through... we have been battling for weeks and we still can't figure it out! I never ever had even expected that most difficult part of having a baby would be getting him to sleep well.

I am open to suggestions... any tips, good books, anythiiinnngggg!!!!

On a better note.... Jacks first birthday party.... it went great! Funny the night before the party he slept great and took two good naps the day of... he had a ball... he loves being around people! The weather was perfect and we were so glad to be around people that love Jack! His cake turned out amazing and I hugely recommend Pink Cake Box.... they are fantastic!

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