We've Got A Mover!!!

So much has been going on with Liliana - I suppose I should take some time to update about my little nutter.

A few weeks ago I spent my first night away from Liliana. (I believe that while I sit here and post...she is filling her third poopie diaper of the day for me) Anyway, the next morning I called Evan to ask him how everything went. He said she woke up a few times and one of those times he went in her room and she looked right past him and towards the door and said "Mama" - now, she has never said it before that and has yet to say it since. So, take it for what it is worth. ;) However, she has started to say "Dada" so that is pretty cool.

I also spent a weekend at the condo to help with Grandpa and so Evan was Mr. Mom during that time...of which he did a great job! So Monday morning comes and I feed Liliana and get ready for and head off to work. I drop Liliana off at my sister's and I put her directly into her crib there because she was napping in the car, and it was nap time. I was almost to work when my sister called to tell me she went in there to get her because she was crying and she was sitting up! My sister told me that I did not tell her she could do that. (She could sit up if you put her sitting up, but could not get there herself.) I said she cannot do that, this was a first. So I proceed to call Evan and tell him and his response is..."oh yeah, she has been doing that all weekend." Oh, thanks for telling me. He thought I already knew. Like I would not tell him. (Men)

What else - oh, we have a cautious crawler! She started out going backwards, that is the routine...then started the rocking - she would rock so hard that her legs would move forward just by the motion of rocking. Then we took a few little "crawls" and face planted. Then in a few days, she was crawling like a pro. She does not speed around, but I am sure that day will come soon enough.

She is starting to try to pull herself up on things. She can get to her knees and actually is quite content that way. If you place her standing up with a toy or something, she will stand on her own for a little while.

She can hold a bottle by herself - when she wants to! She still is not into the whole sippy cup thing, but I think it is because I have not found a good one for her yet. She had a Portillos French Fry. We are starting more solids, I need to get my butt in gear on this one. Oh, somewhere along the way we started waving bye-bye.

I believe that brings us pretty well up to date. Today she is a little under the weather - when we went in to get her up (because I WAS going to work, I was all dressed and ready to go and it was early in the morning for her and I and I would have rather slept in) she looked at us and had snot all over her little face and dripping out of her nose...but she had a huge smile! So her and I have been hanging out today - I have yet to change out of my scrubs. I think she is a little dazed today...and she has been a little more tired than normal.....

IN FACT, she was playing in her exersaucer and I was checking my e mail for about 5 minutes and I thought, hmmm - she is being very quiet (she was right outside the office door, but my desk is around a corner) so I get up and look...and she was almost asleep. She looked at me and smiled. I am a sucker for a picture, so call me what you will - but I left her be for a few more minutes and came back for this:

Shhhh...sleeping baby! :)

Saying Goodbye

It has been a while since I have had the chance to post anything, as the past few weeks have been hectic. My Grandpa died at the age of 88 on Saturday - May 23rd, 2009. The previous few weeks were spent helping my Mom and Aunt take care of him every chance my sister and I were able, while our husband's took care of the kids. I could go into detail about all that went on, but it is better left in the past.

Today was the funeral, our time to say goodbye. Grandpa served in the Army and fought in WWII, and so we had a Military Funeral Honors for him. As we left the church and approached the cemetery chapel two honor guards were standing at the door, waiting our arrival. Grandpa's casket was draped with the American flag - a United States flag drapes the casket of deceased Servicemembers and Veterans to honor their service to America. The flag is placed so that the blue field with stars is at the head and over the left shoulder of the deceased. As the pallbearers (of which Evan was one of them) carried the casket into the chapel, the honor guards saluted the flag. Once the Deacon from the church completed the prayers the honor guards took their places.

One came and stood in front of the flag and held a salute, while the other played Taps just outside the door. Talk about sad. After Taps has been played, the flag is carefully folded into the symbolic tri-cornered shape. It is amazing to watch them fold this flag with such precision and sharp moves.

Some interesting facts: a properly proportioned flag will fold 13 times on the triangles, representing the 13 original colonies. The folded flag is emblematic of the tri-cornered hat worn by the Patriots of the American Revolution. When folded, no red or white stripe is to be evident, leaving only the blue field with stars. The folded flag is then presented as a keepsake to the next of kin or an appropriate family member. Each branch of the Armed Forces uses its own wording for the presentation.

Andrew is my 6 year old nephew. He is named after Grandpa and Grandpa had given him all his medals and everything, so my Mom and Aunt thought it would be fitting that the flag be presented to him. So they play Taps and they fold up this flag and then Andrew holds out his arms and this honor guard stoops over and places the flag in his arms and says: "This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one's honorable and faithful service." What a tearjerker. I do not think there was a dry eye in the place.

Between saying goodbye to Grandpa for the final time, watching Andrew accept the flag, and the words they say - it was a long, emotionally draining day. And after the past few weeks, I feel like I could sleep for days. And so on that note, I am going to bed.

New trend?

Well - what better time to blog than 3am? Ok, maybe 3pm. Liliana's top two teeth are cutting in, so I cannot blame her for being unhappy. I have been up since 2. I was smart though, I wasted no time and changed her diaper - she felt a little cold so I put her in a potato sack and gave her some Tylenol. She did fall asleep for about 10 minutes, and of course woke up right when I was drifting to sleep. Poor kid.

Today was a good day. I got to sleep in, which is always productive to me. Then I went to run some errands and was actually sort of unsuccessful. I had an idea for a Mother's Day gift and that did not work out. I got some grocery items and was going to buy formula and Jewel was out. (That is probably a blessing because it is a little more expensive there, but I was there so that is where I was going to buy it)

I got home and started the laundry and then baking. I made some brownies and the past two times I have made brownies there is a recipe and picture on the back of the box that looks soooo good. So I tried it. I made the brownies and let them cool. Then you spread marshmallow fluff on the top. Then you take some chocolate fudge frosting and melt it, drizzle it on and swirl it in with a knife and put it in the fridge. Pretty good. When Evan saw it he said it looked really good - and like it would give him a diabetic coma! Then I made pretzel salad for Mother's Day dinner tomorrow.

Imagine this - Evan went out to run some errands and I sent him to Target to get the formula and they were out too. Strange.

What else did I do today? I gave Liliana a bath before bed - I have to be honest (I just typed that word 3 times, why do I not put my glasses on in these wee morning hours?) I am not very good at giving her a bath on a regular basis. Bad mom.

I talked to a few friends. I talked to my sister. I texted with a friend that I also talked with. I think we talked for about an hour and then we texted for like 20 minutes later in the evening.

Oh yeah, I worked on Liliana's scrapbook - no, I do not do scrapbooking. I go to this site called srapblog.com and do everything online, order it and put it in a book. It is the best I can do because I am not creative enough to do scrapbooking.

Ok - I just went in there to check on her. She is just laying there sort of crying, sort of chewing on her paci making this yeah yeah yeah yeah noise - hard to describe on here....anyway - I had a good laugh...I put her paci in and walked over to her dresser, which is exactly across from her crib, to turn on her music and I heard a paci hit the floor. I thought to myself - surely she could not have thrown it this far. She can get it pretty far - but not this far. But geez, I know I put it in her mouth - it is not like it was in my hand and it fell out. Well I go over there to give it to her and she has one in her mouth...I realized there was one on the dresser and I must have just knocked it down. Made me laugh.

Then I left and of course she screamed bloody murder. She looks so tired so hopefully for her sake, and mine...she will be able to sleep soon.

Where is the whiskey?

Coupons anyone...

Well, it is 3:20am. I have basically been up since 2am with Liliana. Not straight, maybe I got 20 minutes of sleep in there. I have given her Tylenol, changed her diaper and tried to rock her. I am not 100% sure what the deal is - I am pretty sure it is her top tooth coming in. And most often when she get's this way, she does not want to be held - or just be in her crib even.

At these points I just come into the office and search the internet because getting in and out of bed is a tease and the crying seems to be so much worse when I am just laying in bed waiting for her to stop crying. I think that she is finally on her way to dream land for the second time tonight. The cries are becoming less.

So as I sit and sit about 2cm away from the computer screen because I did not put my glasses on - you may benefit from my lack of sleep. Once I exhausted my routine of websites to look at and Liliana was still not sleeping, I went to my bookmarks and into my "mom" folder and opened up some links.

http://www.couponmom.com is one I found. Now remember, I am not reading any fine print at this point, but I am pretty sure it is straight forward and I found a few good coupons and it is so easy to clip. The only downfall, and I am sure it is because it is 3 in the morning and it is an extra step...is to print them you have to download this coupon printer or something. During the day, I am sure this will not be a big deal to me. So I thought I would share with you my sleepless night find.

I hear it - silence. I must check, and then get a few hours of sleep before that annoying alarm clock goes off and it is time for work once again. At least it is Friday. And it is my Dunkin Donuts morning! At least I have that to look forward to - and my hubby gave me a gift card he won this week at work....so I do not have to pay. Even better.

Good night.
or
Good morning?

Potty

This is my pet peeve: when the word 'potty' is not used properly. Yes, this is my pet peeve. One of them.

This is not a word that can be used by just anyone at any moment. It is reserved and needs a copyright so that it is not used any other way.

When talking to kids, it is okay. "Do you want to use the potty?" "Do you have to go potty?" "Did you go potty?" Fine. I can handle the word in this sense. However, there is a fine line with this word in situations with children too.

Adults - do not use this word when speaking of one's self. I cannot stand it when a certain adult says..."I have to go potty." or "I'm just going to go potty." YOU ARE NOT A CHILD, well...then again, maybe you are.

The fine line - when one adult has a child that needs to use 'the potty' and you are speaking to another adult and you say "he/she has to use the potty." That does not fly. Sorry. It just does not work. This happened to me today at work - a mom came out of a room with her son and asked: "where can I take my son, he has to use the potty." And she got that little shoulder shrug, head tilt, little smerky smile, and little voice change thing going on. You are talking to an adult now. Separate the two. Get in your adult time any way you can and ask where the washroom is. The bathroom. The john. The can. The pisser. Something other than potty.

AND - when your child gets old enough and is potty trained...I believe it is time to let go of the word altogether!

TOILET
VS.
POTTY

Just remember, in the end - it is the toilet they end up on!

Too Much?

When it comes to "reading up" on things, can there be too much reading? I think yes, especially when you just read and read and read and read and search the internet and all the wrong places and blah blah blah... Point in case: I get e-mails from babycenter.com every week about the age of my babycakes and what is going on in her growing world, or rather, her growing in the world. Either way - there is a section called 'Doctor Moms Tell All' and they pick a topic and give you 3 answers. This week's question was "My baby isn't a sound sleeper. What can I do?" (Can't you just hear that being asked, almost as if this whiny mom has her hand on her hip and her other hand out to the side and there is a bit of attitude, frustration, and sarcasim.) Before I go further - I understand that the point of the 3 answers which is to you information and more than one option and you can go from there. Good thing I have a few brain cells. I feel bad for the people who get these e-mails looking for concrete information to follow to raise their children - these responses from today would leave their head spinning...and their baby still not sleeping through the night.

This is what the first mom doc says: After 6 months, babies' night awakenings are almost always due to habit. I've found the best remedy is to gradually reduce stimulus in response to his waking. If you hear him stirring or crying, wait a few minutes. If he doesn't fall back asleep on his own, go in and rub his back. Try to avoid picking him up. If he's really upset, pick him up long enough to settle him, then put him back in bed. Each time he wakes, gradually stay for less time. Be consistent, and usually within a week he'll have taught himself to fall back to sleep.

Mom doc #2 seems wishy washy, to me anyway:
Babies this age who wake at night are probably looking for you. What you choose to do about that is up to you. Some parents want to teach their children that nighttime is for sleeping alone in their own room. If so, consistency is the key. If, on the other hand, you don't mind being available to your baby at night, I advise bringing him to your bed. My rationale is that feedings and other activities will probably prolong the nighttime interlude, whereas bringing your baby into your arms is likely to get him back to sleep quickly.

Mom doc #3 is on board with #1:
Children wake up at night throughout babyhood. They'll go through phases when they don't, but they'll probably start again when they reach a new stage of development. At various points, wake-up triggers include teething or little dreams or nightmares. At 8 months, your baby is probably waking up in response to separation anxiety. I recommend that you let him cry for a few minutes to see whether he puts himself back to sleep. If he doesn't, go into the room, pat him gently, and reassure him that you're there and that he's fine. Then go back to your room. I don't recommend that you bring him to your bed. If you do, you're training him to cry so that you'll pick him up and take him to your room -- a cycle that's very difficult to break. So when you read all of these in the same sitting, which most people do, aren't you sort left back at square one...asking the question you sat down to get answers to? One of these says to bring them in bed and the very next one says to not do that.

What is a mom to do? Ask a mom you know and trust, and then...do what is best for you and baby! Some of the best advice I got before having Liliana (and it probably came from the internet! Just kidding.....it came from a book, a lot better...I know) Anyway - it was to remember that babies are individuals too and they have their own preferences, likes and dislikes. And boy, or in my case, girl is that ever true! Liliana has had her own preferences from the second she was born, ever reminding me that she is her own person made by God.

Now I must go search the internet to find out the exact date my baby should be crawling....

(totally just kidding)

Liliana @ 3 months

Whirlwind

Wow, it has been quite a while since I have posted. Imagine that, a homebody got a life for a few days and has not had time to post. It really has been busy with a considerable amount of things. I barely responded to any e mails, the only reason I know I have them is because I check e mail on my cell phone all the time. Lame, I know. I feel like the last few days have been a whirlwind!

(Just a quick shout out to a co-worker of mine, she is such a P.I.T.A. No joke!) ;)

Anyway, so I guess Wednesday was the last day I posted - I shall try to think back to Thursday. Oh, it is coming back to me and I must actually fill you in on a small detail from Wednesday, a discussion/possibility actually about us buying a house. It is a much longer story than need be posted at this juncture. So Thursday - I was gearing up to be a homebody after my half day of work and grocery shopping. I went to my sister's to pick up Liliana and was promptly going to leave to go grocery shopping and be home by the time Liliana needed to eat lunch. Well, I tend to stay longer at my sister's than intended. So by the time I was ready to go - I realized the time and so fed Liliana at my sister's. Shortly before we left, I got a call from Evan asking if I wanted to go look at the house after he gets off work, I said sure. So Liliana and I head to good ole Super Target for the grocery's. We get home and I unload the car and put away the goods. Then I feed Liliana and relax for a short time before Evan came to pick us up.

Off we went to look at the house. It's a nice house. 3 bedroom, 2 car attached garage and fenced in yard. Then we went out to eat. From there we stopped at my parent's to feed Liliana, because it was getting late and she did not want to eat at the restaurant, and to discuss the house a little. By the time we got home, I went straight to bed!

The house is something that we are praying about - if it works out, it is completely God's provision. We were not even looking for a house, but this would be a good opportunity on many levels. You could pray with us...

Friday was work out in the Naperville office. Yippee. I do not really mind working there, I would quickly ditch the commute though. It was slow there. Around 2:45pm the supervisor needed someone to run to the Aurora office to pick something up and bring it back and then they could leave - bye bye! :) I was at my sister's by maybe 4ish.

So we were talking, we always have something to talk about! We talk in the morning and when I pick Liliana up - ah, sisters. I was going to leave when her husband called and said he was going to be late - well, I stayed. My sister and I took the kids...Liliana and her 3 to Q Doba, we walked there. Probably about 1 mile away. And my sister was nice enough to buy my dinner! I do not even remember what the rest of Friday looked like, probably just me sleeping.

Saturday morning was a lazy, lazy, lazy morning for me. Evan went to help some friend's of our's move and I just could not find the motivation to do anything. Not a single thing, other than take care of Liliana. When she woke up from her afternoon nap, I was going to start doing something...the dishes. I was going to start with the dishes. In the last 20 minutes of her nap, I found myself taking a shower and getting ready to go to my friend's new house to see everyone. Evan and I did not get home until 9 Saturday night. I fed Liliana and off to bed we all went.

Sunday morning is when Evan takes care of Liliana while I sleep in a little. Well this Sunday I had every good intention of taking her in the morning because I knew he would be tired, I guess my body is trained because I did not hear one peep and slept until 11am. (Thank you Doobie) Now it was time for me to get ready to go to a friend's wedding shower. It was so nice to see friend's that I have not seen in quite a while!

After the wedding shower I picked up my sister, we stopped at Oberweiss, and then went to visit my Aunt and Grandpa.

So by the time I got home last night, I was pooped just watched a show I taped and then it was time for bed. I still have shows to watch from earlier in the week that I usually watch very punctually!

Another thing that has been going on is that Evan has had 2 interviews for a new position at work. We are really praying about this new job because we do not want to focus solely on the financial aspect, we want to follow God's Will and see where He wants Evan to be. We could use some prayers in this area for wisdom.

And now it is 9pm and I might just watch some tv and then go to bed by 10, sleep is good!