Friday, November 30, 2012
tooth #3!
Rose had a third tooth pop through today! All four of her top teeth have been looking like they're ready to break through for well over a month, and finally today we felt a little bit of sharp tooth on top! (No photo, sorry.) Interestingly, her "lower central incisors" (look at me, sounding like a dentist!) came through at only 20 weeks / 4.5 months. According to Dr. Google, it looks like the "upper central incisors" typically come next, but this third tooth is actually an "upper lateral incisor." I guess Rose just likes to keep us guessing!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
A River in Egypt
It's been a rough few weeks in the Burcusa household. I've already caught you up to speed on the physical illnesses that have been taking a toll on our family - particularly poor Rose with her double ear infections! (The good news is that her medicines are working, but the bad news is that giving her medicine is terribly traumatic for all involved, as she clenches her jaw and cries through pursed lips!)
What I haven't yet told you about is the emotional experiences that we've been dealing with. Mike's story is not mine to tell, so I'll just say that he's been coping with a lot of stress at school. Meanwhile, I've been coping with a lot of stress at work.
You probably already know that I crave routine, consistency, and predictability. Apparently the universe is trying to give me a lesson (or two!) in flexibility and adaptability, because the only thing that doesn't change at the Emily Program is that it's constantly changing! In the past three years I've gotten better about coping with the on-going evolution of the business, but one thing that continually stresses me out is "structural re-organization." Ugh. I shudder just thinking about the word "re-org," perhaps because I was laid off from my last job due to "structural re-organization." We just had a re-org about six months ago (which turned out to be totally fine in the end, since I got promoted and all), and now we're going through another one already. The details won't be announced until our staff meeting next week, so of course that stresses me out. I've been told that I don't need to worry at all about the possibility of losing my job (whew!), but I can't help but worry about how the changes will shake out and affect my role. I guess the universe is still trying to teach me flexibility. Sigh.
And as if that wasn't enough to deal with, now I'm waiting to find out more about my boss's health. She was diagnosed with breast cancer about two years ago, and she underwent radiation, chemo, a double mastectomy, reconstructive surgeries, and multiple procedures to address various complications she had along the way. Almost a year ago she had gotten as clean of a bill of health as one can possibly get post-cancer, but last Tuesday she was told that her bloodwork looked suspicious so she had to go in the next day (i.e., the day before Thanksgiving) for a PET scan. The scan apparently found suspicious spots on her spine and on her liver, so she was scheduled for a biopsy first thing Monday morning. (Part of me is relieved that things are moving so quickly for her, but part of me is also worried by the speed at which her doctors are performing these procedures, because I can't help but think that means it's potentially very bad news.) I keep compulsively checking her Caring Bridge site, but she either hasn't gotten her biopsy results back yet or she's not ready to share the results.
Fucking cancer. I'm so sick of it affecting people I know and love. It's not fair! Bad things shouldn't happen to good people.
For the most part I've been operating in total denial. It's kind of been interesting to observe that process in myself because I don't typically operate that way. (Usually I intellectualize instead.) I don't know why it's so fascinating to me, but it's like I have a new-found respect for the true Freudian defense mechanism of denial. (See? I'm already intellectualizing my awareness that I'm using denial! Apparently my psyche is willing to do anything to avoid feeling the utter terror of metastatic breast cancer.)
The stress has also been a reminder of my on-going goal to be more present, mindful and appreciative in my own life. I'm getting better at it overall, but some days are certainly better than others. It's hard to slow down and appreciate each moment for what it is. In some ways Rose pulls me out of the present (hurry up and eat so I can wash the dishes before your bath!), but in most ways she is a wonderful reminder of what's truly important to me (her! Mike! family! relationships!). In addition to my new-found respect for denial, I also have a new-found respect for the overwhelming love I feel for Rose. I had always heard about how the strength of the parent-child bond (the I'd-jump-in-front-of-a-bus-for-you kind of love), but now I have a new appreciation of just how deep those emotions are. I wish I could put into words the depth of the love I feel for her. She's so amazing!
Here she is, my pride and joy:
She's still not eating a lot because she's sick, but she did have a little taste of pizza tonight. That's my girl! ;)
What I haven't yet told you about is the emotional experiences that we've been dealing with. Mike's story is not mine to tell, so I'll just say that he's been coping with a lot of stress at school. Meanwhile, I've been coping with a lot of stress at work.
You probably already know that I crave routine, consistency, and predictability. Apparently the universe is trying to give me a lesson (or two!) in flexibility and adaptability, because the only thing that doesn't change at the Emily Program is that it's constantly changing! In the past three years I've gotten better about coping with the on-going evolution of the business, but one thing that continually stresses me out is "structural re-organization." Ugh. I shudder just thinking about the word "re-org," perhaps because I was laid off from my last job due to "structural re-organization." We just had a re-org about six months ago (which turned out to be totally fine in the end, since I got promoted and all), and now we're going through another one already. The details won't be announced until our staff meeting next week, so of course that stresses me out. I've been told that I don't need to worry at all about the possibility of losing my job (whew!), but I can't help but worry about how the changes will shake out and affect my role. I guess the universe is still trying to teach me flexibility. Sigh.
And as if that wasn't enough to deal with, now I'm waiting to find out more about my boss's health. She was diagnosed with breast cancer about two years ago, and she underwent radiation, chemo, a double mastectomy, reconstructive surgeries, and multiple procedures to address various complications she had along the way. Almost a year ago she had gotten as clean of a bill of health as one can possibly get post-cancer, but last Tuesday she was told that her bloodwork looked suspicious so she had to go in the next day (i.e., the day before Thanksgiving) for a PET scan. The scan apparently found suspicious spots on her spine and on her liver, so she was scheduled for a biopsy first thing Monday morning. (Part of me is relieved that things are moving so quickly for her, but part of me is also worried by the speed at which her doctors are performing these procedures, because I can't help but think that means it's potentially very bad news.) I keep compulsively checking her Caring Bridge site, but she either hasn't gotten her biopsy results back yet or she's not ready to share the results.
Fucking cancer. I'm so sick of it affecting people I know and love. It's not fair! Bad things shouldn't happen to good people.
For the most part I've been operating in total denial. It's kind of been interesting to observe that process in myself because I don't typically operate that way. (Usually I intellectualize instead.) I don't know why it's so fascinating to me, but it's like I have a new-found respect for the true Freudian defense mechanism of denial. (See? I'm already intellectualizing my awareness that I'm using denial! Apparently my psyche is willing to do anything to avoid feeling the utter terror of metastatic breast cancer.)
The stress has also been a reminder of my on-going goal to be more present, mindful and appreciative in my own life. I'm getting better at it overall, but some days are certainly better than others. It's hard to slow down and appreciate each moment for what it is. In some ways Rose pulls me out of the present (hurry up and eat so I can wash the dishes before your bath!), but in most ways she is a wonderful reminder of what's truly important to me (her! Mike! family! relationships!). In addition to my new-found respect for denial, I also have a new-found respect for the overwhelming love I feel for Rose. I had always heard about how the strength of the parent-child bond (the I'd-jump-in-front-of-a-bus-for-you kind of love), but now I have a new appreciation of just how deep those emotions are. I wish I could put into words the depth of the love I feel for her. She's so amazing!
Here she is, my pride and joy:
She's still not eating a lot because she's sick, but she did have a little taste of pizza tonight. That's my girl! ;)
Monday, November 26, 2012
31 weeks!
Oy vey! Was it only a week ago that I said we were all recovering from the stomach flu? Well, apparently I spoke typed too soon, because the next day Rose came down with a cough. A pretty bad cough which eventually led her to lose her voice! Yet she still seemed mostly healthy so we still took off for Appleton on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving). But by the time we arrived she had a raging fever! Poor baby Rose! It was torture to hear her coughing and whimpering, and to know that there was basically nothing I could do other than give her ibuprofen and lots and lots of love. We kept her dosed up with Tylenol whenever she seemed warm for the next several days, but she's such a good-natured baby that we kept thinking she was on the mend. ("Fussy" for Rose is still pretty happy!) Well, today we found out that she's been fighting off a double ear infection!!! No wonder she's been "fussy," particularly about laying down to sleep. Poor girl! So when you see her in the pictures below, just remember that she was fighting a pretty yucky infection. She's such a trooper!
Thanksgiving 2012
My parents hosted 18 people for dinner! It was so great to see my extended family, but (as always) the time went by way too quickly!
On Friday we took Rose for her first "pilgrimage" to Lambeau!!!
On Friday night my parents watched Rose while Mike and I went out to see Skyfall, the new Bond movie. It was soooo much fun! We hadn't seen a movie in the theatre since we saw The Descendents on Devember 9, 2011 (the day of our 20-week ultrasound). What a treat!
On Saturday we just lounged around - Rose still wasn't feeling well, I was tired, and Mike had contracted Rose's illness. It was great to get some rest! That morning, Romina also introduced us to Skype. Rose seemed to love it!
She also loved all the quality time she got with her grandparents. :)
Rose also got an early Christmas present from her great aunt Dolly and great uncle Peter. She loves it!
She's now officially 7 months old!
In other news, thanks for all the support after my last (venting) post. I feel so much better about my decision to cut down to nursing "only" twice per day. It was such a treat to leave Bertha at home this morning!!! Thanks for not judging me as harshly as I tend to judge myself. :)
Have a great week, everyone!
Thanksgiving 2012
My parents hosted 18 people for dinner! It was so great to see my extended family, but (as always) the time went by way too quickly!
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| Waiting for Turkey! |
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| Our head chef, putting the finishing touches on a delicious meal! |
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| Quality time with Great Gramma |
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| Little Miss was not impressed! (I think her taste buds have been affected by the illness.) |
On Friday we took Rose for her first "pilgrimage" to Lambeau!!!
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| Mmmm...butter burgers at Kroll's! |
On Saturday we just lounged around - Rose still wasn't feeling well, I was tired, and Mike had contracted Rose's illness. It was great to get some rest! That morning, Romina also introduced us to Skype. Rose seemed to love it!
She also loved all the quality time she got with her grandparents. :)
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| Dancing with Ninja! |
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| "I don't want tummy time. I want to stand!" |
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| "Ahhh...much better!" |
Rose also got an early Christmas present from her great aunt Dolly and great uncle Peter. She loves it!
She's now officially 7 months old!
In other news, thanks for all the support after my last (venting) post. I feel so much better about my decision to cut down to nursing "only" twice per day. It was such a treat to leave Bertha at home this morning!!! Thanks for not judging me as harshly as I tend to judge myself. :)
Have a great week, everyone!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
30 weeks!
We seem to have finally recovered from the nasty stomach flu that we all contracted, and now Rose and I are just fighting a run-of-the-mill cold of some sort. Everyone tells me that the payoff after the first year of daycare is that you and your kids are basically never sick ever again, and I really hope this piece of parenting lore is true!
I think part of the reason that I've been so susceptible to things is that I've been continuing to stress about nursing. I never thought I'd say it, but I had actually come to enjoy feeding Rose (at least most of the time). For that most part it's super convenient, and I like that it's free (after the exorbitant sum we paid for her special bottles and nipples). And she so clearly seems to enjoy and thrive on milk, so the thought of giving it up truly saddens me. But at the same time, I feel like Bertha the breastpump not only sucks the milk out of me, but she also sucks out a part of my soul. I feel like I'm dying inside. I truly despise lugging Bertha back and forth to work every day, I'm really starting to resent the amount of time that it takes to pump and wash all the parts, and I also get frustrated that the vast majority of the feeding responsibility falls on my shoulders. I've come to the point that I basically hate it, and I also hate that I hate it. How can I be so selfish? Don't I want to help Rose be as happy and healthy as she can possibly be? What kind of mother am I?
Before Rose was born, I really wanted to make it to one year with exclusive breastfeeding. Immediately after she was born, I just wanted to make it through the next feeding! But after about six weeks we hit our stride and I was back to long-term breastfeeding plans. It wasn't too bad after I first got back to work, but as the weeks have worn on I've become increasingly frustrated and resentful - and have been feeling increasing guilt for even feeling such things. (How about some secondary judgment to really lay on the misery!?!) I bought myself some time a few weeks ago when I decided to cut down from pumping twice a day at work (for a total of 3x/day) to only once per workday, but even that isn't enough any more. I've been saying for months now that I'm just taking it week by week, or day by day, or feeding by feeding, and now I've come to realize that I have to stop now if I'm going to keep my sanity. I've reached my breaking point.
I literally broke down with Mike yesterday, and he was incredibly supportive. I don't think he truly understands what a difficult decision this has been for me, but he knows how it's been tearing me up inside and he's a wonderful partner when I'm struggling. Man, I just hate that I feel so guilty about this! I know it's the right decision, but it's so hard not to beat myself up about it.
And even though I'm at my breaking point, I'm still not ready to give it up completely. (Because I want to continue or because I'm a glutton for punishment? I really don't know, and quite frankly I'm not willing to investigate that corner of my psyche tonight when I'm already feeling so raw.) So starting the week after Thanksgiving, I'm going to breastfeed Rose just in the morning and the evening, and Bertha the breastpump will stay at home. The plus side to this plan is self-evident, but the potential drawback is that I'll still have to pump on the four mornings per week that I leave the house before Rose wakes up. And the really big potential drawback is that my milk might dry up completely; we'll just have to wait and see.
So there you have it. I'm publicly admitting defeat. I've waving the white flag to surrender. I'm so sorry, Rose. I hope one day you can understand that I had to make this decision because I love you and want to be there for you, as paradoxical as that might seem.
Here's my beautiful girl. Let's hope she can adapt quickly after the rug gets pulled out from underneath her in a week.
I think part of the reason that I've been so susceptible to things is that I've been continuing to stress about nursing. I never thought I'd say it, but I had actually come to enjoy feeding Rose (at least most of the time). For that most part it's super convenient, and I like that it's free (after the exorbitant sum we paid for her special bottles and nipples). And she so clearly seems to enjoy and thrive on milk, so the thought of giving it up truly saddens me. But at the same time, I feel like Bertha the breastpump not only sucks the milk out of me, but she also sucks out a part of my soul. I feel like I'm dying inside. I truly despise lugging Bertha back and forth to work every day, I'm really starting to resent the amount of time that it takes to pump and wash all the parts, and I also get frustrated that the vast majority of the feeding responsibility falls on my shoulders. I've come to the point that I basically hate it, and I also hate that I hate it. How can I be so selfish? Don't I want to help Rose be as happy and healthy as she can possibly be? What kind of mother am I?
Before Rose was born, I really wanted to make it to one year with exclusive breastfeeding. Immediately after she was born, I just wanted to make it through the next feeding! But after about six weeks we hit our stride and I was back to long-term breastfeeding plans. It wasn't too bad after I first got back to work, but as the weeks have worn on I've become increasingly frustrated and resentful - and have been feeling increasing guilt for even feeling such things. (How about some secondary judgment to really lay on the misery!?!) I bought myself some time a few weeks ago when I decided to cut down from pumping twice a day at work (for a total of 3x/day) to only once per workday, but even that isn't enough any more. I've been saying for months now that I'm just taking it week by week, or day by day, or feeding by feeding, and now I've come to realize that I have to stop now if I'm going to keep my sanity. I've reached my breaking point.
I literally broke down with Mike yesterday, and he was incredibly supportive. I don't think he truly understands what a difficult decision this has been for me, but he knows how it's been tearing me up inside and he's a wonderful partner when I'm struggling. Man, I just hate that I feel so guilty about this! I know it's the right decision, but it's so hard not to beat myself up about it.
And even though I'm at my breaking point, I'm still not ready to give it up completely. (Because I want to continue or because I'm a glutton for punishment? I really don't know, and quite frankly I'm not willing to investigate that corner of my psyche tonight when I'm already feeling so raw.) So starting the week after Thanksgiving, I'm going to breastfeed Rose just in the morning and the evening, and Bertha the breastpump will stay at home. The plus side to this plan is self-evident, but the potential drawback is that I'll still have to pump on the four mornings per week that I leave the house before Rose wakes up. And the really big potential drawback is that my milk might dry up completely; we'll just have to wait and see.
So there you have it. I'm publicly admitting defeat. I've waving the white flag to surrender. I'm so sorry, Rose. I hope one day you can understand that I had to make this decision because I love you and want to be there for you, as paradoxical as that might seem.
Here's my beautiful girl. Let's hope she can adapt quickly after the rug gets pulled out from underneath her in a week.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
29 weeks
Saturday:
Remember how excited I was in my last post on Thursday? Well, that excitement was quickly felled by the stomach virus that hit our entire family on Friday morning. Rose had been crabby and not eating well all week, but we just attributed it to the time change. So we still sent her to school on Friday morning while Mike and I each called in sick to work. He took over the bed in Rose's room and I laid claim to our bed (don't I have a great husband?!). Our day consisted of long naps alternating with hurried trips to the bathroom. Blech. In addition to our GI symptoms, I also had a fever and was getting chills and hot flashes all day. It was miserable! By the time 3:30 rolled around and it was time to pick up Rose at school, we both felt like we had been hit by trains. Mike picked up Rose (doesn't she have a great dad?!) and found out that a stomach virus had hit the school hard. In fact, there were only five toddlers in attendance because the rest of them had called in sick with the exact same symptoms we were experiencing! Rose continued to be crabby all evening, even with her Grandma who had stopped by after work to help us out (don't we have great family?!), but we still didn't think she had the same illness we had... until it was time to put her to bed. As I was sitting in her quiet room nursing her, suddenly I heard her stomach gurgling and she vomited all over me! Now, this girl knows how to spit up, but this was no "spit up." This was projectile vomiting of massive proportions. Poor girl!! We got her all changed into fresh pajamas and cleaned up the mess, and then she immediately fell asleep. Given how little she'd eaten all day, I totally caved when she woke up crying at 1am. But now I'm praying that she sleeps through the night tonight (since all she did was eat and sleep all day - I think she's still recovering) because I don't want to have to go through the trauma (for me) of sleep training again! Fingers crossed...
Sunday:
No luck. Rose woke up crying for over an hour, despite Mike's "longer and longer" reassurances (i.e., "We love you, Rose. But it's night time. Time for sleep. See you in the morning!") Poor sleep coupled with lingering GI symptoms made for a pretty miserable day. After we took Rose's 29-week portraits, we hung out at Mike's mom and stepdad's house all day, watching TV, playing with Rose, and eating very small amounts of Mary's delicious food.
At one point Rose was so tired that she even took a nap on the floor mattress and not in my arms!
Monday:
Once again we had a night-time waker. Mike was already sleeping on the couch due to his horrible GI symptoms and he took the monitor with him, but I could hear Little Miss's cries for about an hour straight. She had done nothing but eat all day on Sunday so I was pretty convinced that she wasn't actually hungry. I was glad Mike was giving his "longer and longer" reassurances, because otherwise I was sure that Rose would think we had abandoned her and hated her. Mike and I both woke up exhausted and with continued GI distress. I'm scraping the bottom of the PTO bank, so I decided to try to go in to work anyway. Let's just say it was a rough day.
Tuesday:
Another hour of over-night crying. I seriously am starting to feel like the worst mother ever! It also didn't help that Mike and I had apparently not communicated well about the nuances of our sleep training plan and ended up arguing about it at 2am - that was supposed to be the point of having a plan, so we wouldn't have to have any discussions about it in the middle of the night! Oh well. We figured it out after we woke up this morning, so now we're prepared for tonight. On the up side, Mike says he's feeling much better and I'm feeling somewhat better (mostly just exhausted). Let's hope this is the end of the sickness for all three of us!
Remember how excited I was in my last post on Thursday? Well, that excitement was quickly felled by the stomach virus that hit our entire family on Friday morning. Rose had been crabby and not eating well all week, but we just attributed it to the time change. So we still sent her to school on Friday morning while Mike and I each called in sick to work. He took over the bed in Rose's room and I laid claim to our bed (don't I have a great husband?!). Our day consisted of long naps alternating with hurried trips to the bathroom. Blech. In addition to our GI symptoms, I also had a fever and was getting chills and hot flashes all day. It was miserable! By the time 3:30 rolled around and it was time to pick up Rose at school, we both felt like we had been hit by trains. Mike picked up Rose (doesn't she have a great dad?!) and found out that a stomach virus had hit the school hard. In fact, there were only five toddlers in attendance because the rest of them had called in sick with the exact same symptoms we were experiencing! Rose continued to be crabby all evening, even with her Grandma who had stopped by after work to help us out (don't we have great family?!), but we still didn't think she had the same illness we had... until it was time to put her to bed. As I was sitting in her quiet room nursing her, suddenly I heard her stomach gurgling and she vomited all over me! Now, this girl knows how to spit up, but this was no "spit up." This was projectile vomiting of massive proportions. Poor girl!! We got her all changed into fresh pajamas and cleaned up the mess, and then she immediately fell asleep. Given how little she'd eaten all day, I totally caved when she woke up crying at 1am. But now I'm praying that she sleeps through the night tonight (since all she did was eat and sleep all day - I think she's still recovering) because I don't want to have to go through the trauma (for me) of sleep training again! Fingers crossed...
Sunday:
No luck. Rose woke up crying for over an hour, despite Mike's "longer and longer" reassurances (i.e., "We love you, Rose. But it's night time. Time for sleep. See you in the morning!") Poor sleep coupled with lingering GI symptoms made for a pretty miserable day. After we took Rose's 29-week portraits, we hung out at Mike's mom and stepdad's house all day, watching TV, playing with Rose, and eating very small amounts of Mary's delicious food.
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| "Look at me! I'm almost 7 months old!" |
At one point Rose was so tired that she even took a nap on the floor mattress and not in my arms!
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| (Let's not talk about all the sleep dangers in this picture, okay?) |
Monday:
Once again we had a night-time waker. Mike was already sleeping on the couch due to his horrible GI symptoms and he took the monitor with him, but I could hear Little Miss's cries for about an hour straight. She had done nothing but eat all day on Sunday so I was pretty convinced that she wasn't actually hungry. I was glad Mike was giving his "longer and longer" reassurances, because otherwise I was sure that Rose would think we had abandoned her and hated her. Mike and I both woke up exhausted and with continued GI distress. I'm scraping the bottom of the PTO bank, so I decided to try to go in to work anyway. Let's just say it was a rough day.
Tuesday:
Another hour of over-night crying. I seriously am starting to feel like the worst mother ever! It also didn't help that Mike and I had apparently not communicated well about the nuances of our sleep training plan and ended up arguing about it at 2am - that was supposed to be the point of having a plan, so we wouldn't have to have any discussions about it in the middle of the night! Oh well. We figured it out after we woke up this morning, so now we're prepared for tonight. On the up side, Mike says he's feeling much better and I'm feeling somewhat better (mostly just exhausted). Let's hope this is the end of the sickness for all three of us!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
sleep training: final update?
It's been awhile since I've posted much other than pictures, so here goes!
1. Sleep training was one of the best parenting decisions we have ever made. (Whew!) Rose is generally sleeping through the night now, and I'm finally letting myself fall into a deep sleep. It's so amazing to feel rested! I still haven't fully caught up on my ridiculous sleep debt, but I'm enjoying having a few hours to myself each evening and to having uninterrupted sleep most nights. I wish I could convey to you all how much I love becoming more rested again!
2. Speaking of parenting decisions, I've been down to pumping only twice per day (once when I get up at 5:15 am and once at work, usually around 10 or 11 am) for the past two weeks. I've still been able to keep up with Rose's bottle needs, plus have a little surplus. (How I still I have a surplus, I don't know! We have milk frozen since back in July!) I set the goal of ending pumping at work on January 1, which I am oh-so-eagerly counting down to. It's been so nice to only pump once per workday, I can't even imagine how liberating it will feel to have an entire day of work that is uninterrupted by Bertha The Breast Pump. I think I'm going to try to continue nursing in the morning and the evening come January, which means I would have to continue pumping on weekday mornings; I'm a little torn about that decision, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But at least I can stop hauling Bertha to work with me every day!
3. I'm growing out my hair. We'll see how long this decision lasts, but at this point I'm shooting for shoulder length. I haven't had long hair in ages! I'm looking forward to wearing a ponytail again, and a bun, and french braids. We're going to Appleton for Thanksgiving, and I'm hoping to find a picture of the last time I had long hair back in 5th grade. I'll keep you posted, loyal blog readers.
4. Remember back when I said that I realized that I could have hobbies if Rose went to bed regularly? I think I've been so deprived of "Steph time" for so long that I might have gone a little overboard with this. (Oops.) In the two weeks since we started sleep training, I've taken on two pretty major tasks: first is making all of our family Christmas presents, and second is repainting our bathroom.
The bathroom is something that I've been meaning to do literally for years, but never took on first because I might have been pregnant and then because I actually was pregnant. So now I finally have the health clearance to expose myself to paint fumes in a small, enclosed space! I spent a few nights looking at paint chips, then another afternoon I bought all the supplies, and tonight I painted the ceiling.
Tonight I learned that: my arms are probably going to be really sore tomorrow, the ugly edging will make me want to start on the walls tomorrow night (can't wait for the new color!), and I'm renewing my vow to never paint another ceiling ever again! (I said that after I painted the kitchen ceiling two years ago, and you can see how long that vow lasted! Ceilings are miserable! At least we have small rooms in our house.)
As for the Christmas presents, I spent several days scouring Pinterest for ideas, then ordered some supplies so I could do a trial run of my chosen project. It seemed to work, so now I'm waiting for the rest of the supplies to come in and for Mike to clean out a work area in the basement for me. I'm excited to get going on this, but also a little nervous about whether I'll actually be able to get it all done before Christmas. And a little nervous hoping that our parents will actually like the gifts once they're finished...
5. Only two more weeks to go until I can start listening to Christmas music again! I'm so excited to sing holiday songs to Rose!!!
6. I'm pretty sure there was something else I was going to post, but I can't remember and I *really* need to get to bed. Hope you've all been happy, productive, and well rested!
1. Sleep training was one of the best parenting decisions we have ever made. (Whew!) Rose is generally sleeping through the night now, and I'm finally letting myself fall into a deep sleep. It's so amazing to feel rested! I still haven't fully caught up on my ridiculous sleep debt, but I'm enjoying having a few hours to myself each evening and to having uninterrupted sleep most nights. I wish I could convey to you all how much I love becoming more rested again!
2. Speaking of parenting decisions, I've been down to pumping only twice per day (once when I get up at 5:15 am and once at work, usually around 10 or 11 am) for the past two weeks. I've still been able to keep up with Rose's bottle needs, plus have a little surplus. (How I still I have a surplus, I don't know! We have milk frozen since back in July!) I set the goal of ending pumping at work on January 1, which I am oh-so-eagerly counting down to. It's been so nice to only pump once per workday, I can't even imagine how liberating it will feel to have an entire day of work that is uninterrupted by Bertha The Breast Pump. I think I'm going to try to continue nursing in the morning and the evening come January, which means I would have to continue pumping on weekday mornings; I'm a little torn about that decision, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But at least I can stop hauling Bertha to work with me every day!
3. I'm growing out my hair. We'll see how long this decision lasts, but at this point I'm shooting for shoulder length. I haven't had long hair in ages! I'm looking forward to wearing a ponytail again, and a bun, and french braids. We're going to Appleton for Thanksgiving, and I'm hoping to find a picture of the last time I had long hair back in 5th grade. I'll keep you posted, loyal blog readers.
4. Remember back when I said that I realized that I could have hobbies if Rose went to bed regularly? I think I've been so deprived of "Steph time" for so long that I might have gone a little overboard with this. (Oops.) In the two weeks since we started sleep training, I've taken on two pretty major tasks: first is making all of our family Christmas presents, and second is repainting our bathroom.
The bathroom is something that I've been meaning to do literally for years, but never took on first because I might have been pregnant and then because I actually was pregnant. So now I finally have the health clearance to expose myself to paint fumes in a small, enclosed space! I spent a few nights looking at paint chips, then another afternoon I bought all the supplies, and tonight I painted the ceiling.
As for the Christmas presents, I spent several days scouring Pinterest for ideas, then ordered some supplies so I could do a trial run of my chosen project. It seemed to work, so now I'm waiting for the rest of the supplies to come in and for Mike to clean out a work area in the basement for me. I'm excited to get going on this, but also a little nervous about whether I'll actually be able to get it all done before Christmas. And a little nervous hoping that our parents will actually like the gifts once they're finished...
5. Only two more weeks to go until I can start listening to Christmas music again! I'm so excited to sing holiday songs to Rose!!!
6. I'm pretty sure there was something else I was going to post, but I can't remember and I *really* need to get to bed. Hope you've all been happy, productive, and well rested!
28 weeks
It's been a busy week! But I figured I should probably post Rose's 28-week portraits before she turns 29 weeks old this weekend! :) She is growing and developing every day - yesterday she started for-real babbling! She particularly likes practicing the "da" and "ba" sounds. Mike is convinced it's because she's desperately eager to say "Dada"!
Last Sunday we had dinner with Grammy and Grandpa Jack. What a fun time! Rose loved trying the BBQ ribs, cheesy potatoes and broccoli. She's so over purees now that she knows what real food tastes like!
We tried taking a family Christmas photo, and here is one of the outtakes. (Once again, I don't want to spoil whatever photo the grandparents choose to send out for the holidays.) It was hard to get 6 people smiling at the camera, and harder still to do it with the auto-timer on my camera! We did get one good picture in the end, though.
(Isn't she cute?)
Rose loved all the TV she got to watch ... much to my chagrin. (I tried to play it cool, but I'm not sure I was that successful.)
Here are two of the Vikings fans, one of whom is totally zoned out with the TV behind my shoulder!
Hope you're all having a great week!
Last Sunday we had dinner with Grammy and Grandpa Jack. What a fun time! Rose loved trying the BBQ ribs, cheesy potatoes and broccoli. She's so over purees now that she knows what real food tastes like!
We tried taking a family Christmas photo, and here is one of the outtakes. (Once again, I don't want to spoil whatever photo the grandparents choose to send out for the holidays.) It was hard to get 6 people smiling at the camera, and harder still to do it with the auto-timer on my camera! We did get one good picture in the end, though.
(Isn't she cute?)
Rose loved all the TV she got to watch ... much to my chagrin. (I tried to play it cool, but I'm not sure I was that successful.)
Here are two of the Vikings fans, one of whom is totally zoned out with the TV behind my shoulder!
Hope you're all having a great week!
Monday, November 5, 2012
bonfire
I'm a little behind on my blogging. Haven't had a chance to sort through Rose's 28-week pictures yet. So, to tide you over, here is a photo that Mike took of us last Saturday. He was busy doing yardwork, so he built Rose her first bonfire to enjoy!
