Picture Post

Greta enjoying her new inflatable duck bathtub. She likes to recline on the tail of the duck and stick her feet up on the front of the duck.

We enjoyed lunch one day at work with Daddy. She and I both love this nice sunny warm weather. I was meant to live in the south...or Hawaii!

Family Picture on the Beach at St. Simons Island

Our Happy Fivesome in front of the St. Simons Lighthouse. Our condo was so close we were able to bike to it.

Since the weather has been nice I've been drying Greta's diapers outside. It saves money, energy, and wear and tear on the diapers. It also helps to keep odors and stains down although I really haven't had a problem with that.

Greta enjoying the beautiful April weather on our deck.

Silly slippers I saw and wanted but were more than I wanted to pay. I recently found them in Target on closeout. Yea for a good deal and fun slippers.

Praise Time

We've had quite a few blessings lately and I thought it would be nice to share with everyone.

• During one week both our cars needed to be worked on. The drivers seat in the Concorde suddenly broke and would not sit up. It's very difficult and uncomfortable to drive when the back of the front seat is laying on the back seat (Not to mention dangerous!) Graham and I remembered a recall about this issue so we mentioned it to the dealership when we took it in. It was fixed for free as it was the recall issue and even better, the power recline on his seat that had been broken for 2 years now works. We had previously gotten a quote to get it fixed and it was just too expensive. I'm glad we didn't get it fixed because evidently the motor (what the guy wanted to change) wasn't the issue, it was the bolts. The radio on my car was having issues. While nothing major I really enjoy listening to it. The problem wasn't serious but thankfully it was under warranty so again, no charge! Cars can be so expensive so it's wonderful when you can leave the dealership without leaving your arm and leg there.
  
• We received refund checks from our insurance company for Greta's delivery. We weren't expecting this so it was a wonderful surprise to get in the mail.
  
• Greta's new sleeping habits. See below for details.
• Graham received a bonus at work which paid for his new toy (a wii).
• This is probably kind of silly but I'm really thankful for the wonderful library system Greenville has. They have tons of branches and lots of books. I also really love the online card catalog which allows me to search and request books from home and they deliver it to my closest branch and notify me when they are available. It saves me so much time not having to search at the library myself AND it saves me money since I don't have to go buy the books.
• Request - We had some not so nice neighbors next door. Well, originally our neighbor was nice but she was elderly and died. Her relatives moved in and trashed the place. They were loud (cursing up a storm), smoked outside which blew the smell into our yard, and parked on the front lawn. Needless to say yard work was not one of their priorities. Additionally, once the garbage service she (the prior owner) paid for had run out they just started piling up the trash outside their back door which our deck looks out on. It sat there for weeks and animals got into it. Just as I was about to go over and clean it up we mentioned the issue to our HOA representative and the HOA paid to have the trash picked up and taken away. We also found out they hadn't paid the mortgage after her death so they have been foreclosed on and they have moved out. Our prayer is that whoever buys this home next will be good neighbors. If not, well we're getting a fence anyway. :-P
  

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!

7 Months Already?

Well, Greta isn't quite 7 months but an update post is long overdue.

• As of our last doctor's appointment she is 15lbs 10oz and 26 3/4 inches long. The doctor was very pleased with her development and said she is on track and probably a bit advanced. (I bet he tells that to all the parents! :-D )
• We're still sticking with our vaccination routine. This month we get the last dose of PC and HIB and she'll have all vacs for that and DPT and rotavirus. I'm not sure what the next series we start on is but we do get month 8 off. I give her tylenol before we go to the office and thus far she's had no reactions except for a small knot at the injection site. Again, I know this is a controversial subject but it seems to work best for our family.
  
• She is a sitting queen. Every day she gets more steady on her little behind. She still does fall over but not as often and generally only when concentrating REALLY hard on a toy. She hasn't learned to crawl or scoot but can get just about anywhere she wants to by rolling. She does occasionally get stuck and that frustrates her greatly!
• We'll be lowering her crib to the next level as one day I was sitting on the floor singing to her while she was supposed to be calming down for a nap (she was playing) and I see a two little hands come over the side and then she looked over at me. She can't pull herself up yet but better safe than sorry and her surprise us by falling out!
• She's doing better in nursery. She still cries - not when we leave her but after about 20 minutes she realizes we are gone, particularly me. Thankfully, she can make it through the entire service & SS hours with me coming down in between for comfort and a snack. Our church is very BF friendly so they've made it quite nice for the moms. I think most all the moms do BF so sometimes it's hard to get a seat!
• Speaking of realizing we are gone, Greta has definitely reached the stage of separation anxiety. It's not bad everyday but there are some days I cannot leave the room without her screaming. She is particularly attached to me and somewhat to her Daddy. She's OK with being held by strangers as long as she can see us and most family she's OK with being left with while we are gone. Last week she was super clingy but this week has been better.
  
• Sleep - that wonderful topic I have had such angst about. Well let me allay your fears - life on that front is muy bueno! We've been trying a new routine for just under a week and I cannot believe how quickly she has caught on. Last night was our best night yet. She went down around 8:30 and cried for less than 1 minute. She woke up a few times during the night and cried for a very short amount of time and got herself back to sleep. At about a quarter till 5 she woke up again and I could tell by the sound of her cry she was ready to eat. Not too bad compared to a week prior where she was getting up between every 2 and 4 hours to eat! Nap time has been a bit trickier. Up until today I hadn't been able to get her to mimic her night sleeping habits during the day. Even more confusing was that our previous method of getting her to nap (nursing) wasn't working near as well but if I didn't do that, she didn't nap at all. I suspected she was getting mixed signals and was confused AND I think the amount of light in her room kept her up. Her room gets a lot of sun so even with blinds it's very bright and a bit on the warm side. Today I hung a blanket in front of her window. (Temporary measure to see if it works before buying a room darkener). I did our usual evening routine but shortened (and no bath). She went down very agreeably, cried for a short time, and fell asleep. Yea! I am so excited.
  
• My girl is a water baby. We started swimming lessons this week and she has taken to it like a fish. Our instructor was very surprised at how relaxed Greta is in the water. She said most babies that age are much stiffer and a bit on the fearful side. We practice kicking which Greta has no problem with. We also practice reaching by putting a small ball in front of Greta and having her reach for it. She's quite good at this and wants to catch the ball so she can suck on it - yuck! We also put her in a float for a while to get her used to being on her own and not being held. The girl suggested letting her float on her back with me holding her and surprisingly Greta was relaxed and didn't even mind getting her ears wet. She actually doesn't mind her nose and mouth going in. The only thing she really doesn't like is her eyes and although she didn't cry she kind of shut down as far as doing anything but sitting in the float after that. Thankfully class was almost over. We have 2 more lessons but will be going this weekend so Daddy can see how good she is.
• Greta loves to eat - most of the time. Sometimes she can be quite determined not to eat but I think that's usually when she's tired or she's just nursed so she isn't hungry. It's a good thing to not eat when you're not hungry, right? :-) The foods she's tried: Bananas, Avocado, Peaches, Applesauce, Green Beans, Peas, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, & Prunes. We've also done rice and oat cereal. She prefers homemade food to store bought and generally won't eat the runny stuff. She likes it to be thicker and chunkier. I tried making the cereal but I cannot get it fine enough to easily mix up so we'll stick with store bought on that. Veggies & Fruits are super easy to make so one day every few weeks I make up a bunch of cubes of whatever we are low on. The only thing I haven't made is applesauce since I can get unsweetened at the store. Greta is also very interested in feeding herself. She's gotten quite good at it and has fed herself puffs and banana bits. I'm looking for any ideas on other foods finger foods. I plan to try avocado bits once mine ripen up.

She's changing so much and I can't believe how old she is. Graham and I are continually amazed at how different yet wonderful our lives are with her in it.

Thanks and Success!

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions about an evening routine. I think I was making the routine much more complicated than it needed to be. We simplified it to:

• Before bed nursing
• A song or 2 (My repertoire consist of:
• Baby Beluga (with book)
• You Are My Sunshine
• The Muffin Bear (See below for explanation)
• Jesus Loves Me
• Jesus Loves the Little Children
• Read 2 books
• She gets laid in bed with Miss Bunny
• 1 more quiet song, a kiss, say goodnight and we leave.

The first night we let her cry for 10 minutes before comforting her and letting her nurse to sleep. Tonight was our 2nd try and she cried for 8 minutes (not very hard) and then had the sniffles for 12 more minutes before going to sleep. I could definitely tell a difference in her cries this time. She was more, "Please check on me" not, "I'm inconsolable and greatly upset". Once we have the evening routine down I'll start working on naps. She's much harder to get down at nap time because she's not as tired.

I'm hoping to get her sleeping longer mainly because she's just not getting enough sleep. Even though I strive to get her sufficient naps during the day I'm pretty certain she's a bit sleep deprived because she's such a light sleeper and is so hard to get down (whether day or night). When she does sleep more than normal I can tell such a difference in her daytime demeanor. She's generally a happy baby but it's even more so on days when she sleeps extra.

Lyrics to The Muffin Bear by Mommy
(I call Greta my Muffin Bear)

Do you know, the muffin bear
the muffin bear, the muffin bear
Do you know, the muffin bear
who lives on Bathurst Lane?

Yes, I know, the muffin bear
the muffin bear, the muffin bear
Yes, I know, the muffin bear
and Greta is her name.

Update: She fussed a bit around 11:30 so I went in to check on her. She cried more when I walked in there! I settled her (without picking her up) and told her good night again. She calmed down quickly and slept until 6. We did get her out of her bed around 5 because I REALLY needed her to eat but she never woke up and went back into her bed easily. It's crazy that 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep can make me feel so rested.

Calling all Mii's

Does anyone out there have a Wii? We've recently acquired one as an early birthday present for Graham and would like to register our friends. If you have a Wii e-mail me your address and I'll send you mine.

Tag Happy

The Lovely Liz tagged me.

Here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

The strange yet true facts about me:

1. I had a friend when I was younger and her mom believed in being very open with her about everything. One of those items was what happens at the GYN's office. My friend decided to share such facts with me and to my little 8 or 9 year old mind it was terrifying. I remember praying very hard that I would never have children because I figured if I didn't have children I wouldn't have to go there. Little did I know . . . :-) It's a good thing God doesn't answer all our prayers with a yes.

2. I love to read and if I don't have anything new to read I'll re-read a book. I won't re-read just any book but ones that I loved I will. I also love to read while eating and would rather read than watch t.v. or carry on a conversation, most of the time.

3. I haven't had an uninterrupted nights sleep in 9-12 months.

4. When I clean my house my last item in each room is to light a candle. I just enjoy the scent of a candle but Graham says it's my "sign" that the room is done.

5. I am a recovering hypochondriac. At different points in my life I have been convinced I had: appendicitis, Parkinson's disease, and AIDS (and too many more to name). My imagined illness usually coincided with seeing a television news story or documentary on the illness and then I "developed" those symptoms. I had an overactive imagination as a child.

6. I cannot watch horror movies. They disturb me greatly and I end up having horrible dreams. Graham's sister and brother in law love these types of movies and find them funny so they have a huge collection of them. Needless to say, I do not borrow them.

7. I had a definite dislike of pants without elastic while growing up. I found anything with a zipper and button uncomfortable. For that reason, I rarely had jeans because it was hard to find them with an elastic waist. I can remember the first time I wore jeans with a zipper and didn't hate them...I think I was 12.

I don't have 7 people to tag but here are the lucky ones:

1. Katie
2. Mandi
3. Rachel
4. Rebecca

Desperate, need suggestions

We've been trying for a while to get a good bedtime routine in place for Greta. We've tried various permutations and thus far haven't found one that we stick to. We tend to fall back into the same old thing (which is nursing her to sleep when she gets tired). Anyway, I'm wondering:

1. Do you have a bedtime routine (for your child)?
2. If so, what is it?
3. How long does it take?
4. What time do you start the routine?
5. What is your child's bedtime?
6. Do you have a nap routine?

TIA!