In the 60's!

I can't believe this weather. I was reading back in my journal and saw an entry from mid-October, the weather was in the 50's and I was like, "oh we won't have a day this nice again for several months". I guess I was wrong. It's supposed to start cooling off after today though.

I went to the mall yesterday to help my mom pick out some new clothes for her trip to Chicago. Lucy slept the whole time. She seems to do that whenever we're out and about, so I guess I shouldn't worry too much about running errands with her. However, if we're out too long, she sleeps through her feeding time, and it sort of throws her "schedule" off. I think that is why all the holiday partying messed her up a little. At home, things stay fairly routine. It's weird how that works...

I got molasses and am going to attempt gingerbread cookies in a couple of weeks. I tried once, years ago, and they burned. I discovered that they burn very easily, so it's crucial to monitor the cookies closely while baking... they go from raw to ruined in about 10 seconds. At least that one time I tried... maybe the recipe you use makes a difference. Either way, I got snowflake shaped cookie cutters and I am going to pipe icing on to make the designs. I'll do my best and hopefully have better luck this time.

Napping Again

Okay, after the holiday weekend, Lucy's nap schedule was all but completely dismantled. She would become over-tired and cranky at night, doing everything in her power not to fall asleep. After a decent night (10:15-3:30-7:30) she is a much happier, more alert little girl. I even have her down for a morning nap (usually don't have success at that till closer to 11 AM). She'll wake up and want to eat again, and hopefully the cycle can continue like this. If she stays well-rested, she will generally have better sleeping habits, and hopefully soon be sleeping through the night! I would sure love that! I can't believe that for the last 8 weeks I have been essentially functioning on naps, with a couple exceptional nights of 6-8 hours of continuous sleep. It's a good thing I have gotten my taste for coffee back. I think I figured out what the challenge of parenthood really is... it's not the caretaking tasks, or even the emotional giving that takes its toll. Those things come very naturally. What is difficult is the fact that there really is no end of the day... it just keeps going! That's why a night away here and there can do wonders. I miss her so much when she's not with me, but I am grateful for a chance to think about something else. It's good to have her back though.

I can't believe this weather - it's late November and in the mid-50's! I almost wish it would snow so it would feel more Christmasy, but I'm sure we'll get our fair share soon enough. I'll just enjoy this warm spell for the time being and maybe even take a walk this afternoon...

couldn't resist

The other day I was taking tons of pictures of Lucy playing on the floor. She was looking really cute and happy. There are more at our photo site.

Happy Holidays (already!)

I know this is a bit early for some people, but I have started getting ready for the holidays around our house. I put the green pine garland on the front porch, with red bows at each post. I think it looks pretty nice (and I am glad it's done, and I didn't wait until a snowstorm to put it up, like the last 2 years).

I also put up and decorated the small tree in the dining room. The big tree (for the living room) may not go up until after Thanksgiving, but we haven't decided for sure. The greens with little white lights are up above the kitchen windows (that's easy.. and it was time for the fall leaves to come down).

Yesterday was the big Thanksgiving dinner at the Hiddemas. I was smart and didn't stuff myself. Lucy slept almost the entire time. Afterward we went to the Wnuk's for a party they were having (for the last NASCAR race of the season... but I really am not into NASCAR, so whatever). Lisa took a picture of Lucy and Lauren in the crib at her house... I am waiting for her to e-mail it to me so I can post it :). They're only 9 days apart, so they're about the same size... it was really cute to see our little girls laying in there... again Lucy slept almost the whole time we were there (which in turn made her stay up a bit later than usual, but the night was just as easy as any other). We finally met Keith's girlfriend Shannon... she seems really nice. I'm happy he found a good girl who appreciates him. I hope things work out for the best. I have a feeling they will...

The Difference a Week Can Make

8 Hours!

Lucy's face is already clearing up! Don't know if it's the vinegar, keeping her face up while she sleeps (using rolled cloth diapers to stop her from laying her cheek on the bed), or if it's just time working things out, but it looks much better today...

Last night she had her usual "fussy" time around 9:00 PM, so instead of trying to ride it out and get her to take a nap (which is almost always impossible.. I get her all calmed down, she appears to be asleep and I lay her in the crib.. only to have her wake up screaming 2 min. later.. so...), I just gave her another small bottle. We almost always "give up" and give her one anyway, and by then it usually has been about 2 hours since she last ate (which isn't long, but it's not like she JUST ate)... so anyway, there is a definite pattern to this, and I think she just needs to eat a little bit more to settle down for bedtime. For whatever reason, it works... and she was asleep around 9:45 or 10:00 PM.

Around 3 AM I heard her making little whiney groaning noises, and I thought she was waking up to eat. I went downstairs and got a bottle ready, and went into her room to get her up. I saw that she was sound asleep! She must have just been in a light sleep phase, and drifted back off... no complaints here. I put the bottle in the fridge and went back to bed. Around 5:00 I woke up again and couldn't believe that she was still sleeping. So I did the stupid thing that apparently everyone does at some point: I went to check on her and see if she was still breathing. She was, of course, so I went back to bed for another hour. She finally woke up around 6:00 AM... so between 10:00 and 6:00 = 8 hours of sleep. That's sleeping through the night! Hope she keeps it up, but even if she doesn't, at least the capability is there, so that's a good first step.

What's that I see? Oh yes, it's that light I keep hearing about.

Our 1972 Chevrolet Nova, that I have been restoring for about 3 years now, is almost finished. The final coat of paint is on the car finally, and all that remains on the body work is some buffing. By buffing the paint, it'll bring it to a very nice shine, plus it'll get rid of any overspray that might be present. All that remains is to clean the chorme, such as the bumpers and door handles, assemble those, then finish the engine. That's it! I'll be sure to give an update on here as it progresses, but you can also follow the entire restoration by clicking here.