Have I Your Heart, My Darling?

So, we looked at the two houses on Saturday. The first house was a smaller version of the house we want, which would have been great. But, it reeked of smoke! The owners (who still lived there) didn't even try to cover up the smell! I left with my stomach upset and a headache. The house had really nice carpet, and I just know the smell of smoke would never come out! The second house was nice, but a very interesting floor plan. You walk in (through the front door) into the "middle" level, which was the kitchen, breakfast nook, dining/living room, half bathroom and a sliding glass door to the backyard. Then, if you go up the stairs (about 6 steps), there's the 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. If you go down the stairs (again, about 6 steps), it's a large living area, glass doors to the backyard, laundry room, and door to the garage. We don't really want a 2 story house (or a 3 story/split level), since Lydia and stairs don't mix just now. Plus, we think we'd get tired of the set up of the house. So, we still love our original house the best.

After looking at the houses on Saturday, we went to Target to get Lydia an umbrella stroller. We didn't want just the simple kind - like my parent's have for the grandkids - we wanted one that would last for a long time. We found a brown stroller that was on clearance (originally $80, on sale for $40). It's really nice. It folds up just as small as a little umbrella stroller, has a small basket underneath, and shoulder straps. I like the shoulder straps since Lydia isn't sitting up on her own yet. Technically, you're not supposed to put a 4 month old baby in this type of stroller, but Lydia loves it. She likes being able to see out, instead of just up (like her car seat stroller). I like carrying her around in the front pack or sling, but we can go on longer walks with this stroller. She liked riding around in it when we went looking for flip flops for Daddy.

Brian is the hardest person to find flip flops for. First of all, flip flops are "out of season" in most stores (although they're year round for Brian), so finding a store that had nice flip flops was difficult. Second of all, Brian has huge feet - size 12 - so finding a store that has flip flops AND his size was difficult. We finally found some at American Eagle (on sale for $10) and then another pair at Hollister (on sale for $10). 

Leah and I went to a kid's consignment store and found tons of new toys for our babies! Leah's mother-in-law gave us a vanity and an outdoor play house that she found at a garage sale. We found a cute little chair, a dinosaur that makes noise and you put balls in, a new see-and-say, and a few other toys. The consignment store is really nice. I even found a Halloween costume for Lydia - she's going to be a little lamb! So cute! We are getting our center set up for toddlerhood. Our babies are all walking, except N (but he'll probably walk before we know it) and need older toys. We also want to make centers for them. We'll have a dramatic play center, quiet area with pillows and books, and the manipulatives center, with all the blocks and puzzles. We're very excited about working with toddlers!

Leah and I also went to HEB to get food for the babies for next month. Lydia came with us so Daddy could play his video game and relax before another week of teaching 6th graders. She rode in my sling the whole time (and of course got a lot of compliments). The sling was very comfortable and my shoulder only started hurting by the time we were finished. Lydia loves riding around in the sling. I knew she wouldn't last long in her car seat, since she loves being held. But, she gets so heavy! So the sling is the best thing. 

Always Dreams With You, Never Common Sense

I never imagined how long the process of buying a house could be! We made an offer on the house down the street, but it's too low of an offer. Before we go up in price, Brian and I are going to look at two other 4 bedroom houses in our neighborhood. These houses are lower in price (about the amount of the offer we made on the first house) and look nice from the pictures online. Of course, they don't come with as much - no washer/dryer, no refrigerator, etc. But, if it's lower in price, we can spend the money on new appliances. I look forward to looking at these new houses. Even though the house down the street is still "perfect" and we both like it, I convinced Brian to look at other houses before we offer a higher price. Maybe we'll end up really liking one of these two houses.

These past two work days have been so easy. Thursday we only had 3 babies and Friday we only had 4! Even though we haven't had all 6 of the babies, we still didn't get out of work until after 6:00. Next week, we may even only have 2 babies on one day, but will still get out after 6:00. At least it's some sort of a break. J's mom mentioned a friend who heard about our daycare and really liked it. He has a son J's age, which is the perfect age we're looking for, so it would be nice if we could get a friend to take Little R's place. The friend is in another daycare, so it may not happen, though. Hopefully we'll find something.

I've learned that Lydia really likes The Wiggles. She was screaming and screaming the other night, but it wasn't quite bedtime yet, so I went on netflix and put on a Wiggles movie and she immediately stopped crying! Then, last night when Brian was watching her, but he needed to grade papers, we put her on her tummy to watch The Wiggles and she loved it! She was even talking to them! When I watched it with her, I made sure to talk to her about what we were watching, which made me feel better (it was an "activity" we did together). I don't want to get her addicted to TV already, but it's nice to have something that will distract her for about 15 minutes.

A's mom gave Lydia a ton of her old 3-6 month clothes. A whole, huge bag full! I went through them and am so excited. A was born in September, so she has several jackets that will fit Lydia by the time it gets cold. Plus, lots of cute pajamas (Lydia was growing out of hers), and onesies. I love getting the hand-me-down clothes. Especially A's, since she has tons of different clothes. It will still be hard for me to not buy Lydia anymore clothes. Even though she has more than enough, it's hard to pass up all those cute baby girl clothes!

Today, either after looking at houses or before, we're getting Lydia a small umbrella stroller to take her on walks in. It's sometimes difficult with the front carriers and the sling, and we can go on longer walks with her in the stroller. We're also going to get her a toy, since she likes playing with some of the toys in the center. 

Even though I'm up at 6:00 on a Saturday morning, I know today's going to be a great day!

It Will, If You Want it to Darling

Brian and I have found the "perfect" house. It's just across the street from our current home, has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, breakfast nook, dining room, front room, living room, washer and dryer, two car garage, and a huge backyard. I liked it when I walked past it a few months ago and saw the "for sale" sign out front. I liked it when I looked at the pictures online. And I really liked it when I got to walk around inside it. We're gradually starting the process of owning our own home. I can't believe how expensive homes are, or how long the process of buying a home is! This is all new to both of us, but luckily we have a good Realtor (my parent's friend) who is willing to walk us through the process. I wish we could just up and move into the house this weekend...but it takes much, much longer than that.

Just when we've decided to start looking into buying a house, which will then consist of house payments (much more expensive than the rent we currently pay), our youngest baby is leaving Family Infant Home Care. His unmarried parents (mom is 20, dad 36) are not getting a long, and dad isn't all she thought he'd be. So, mom is taking baby and moving to California. Which means, we're back to 5 babies. This 6th spot has been "cursed", as we like to say. Little R (the one who's leaving), was signed up to come to FIHC before he was even born, but then his mom backed out because of money and transportation issues the week before he was due. Then, we thought a little baby, Miley, was coming at the beginning of June, but her parents backed out the week she was supposed to start. Then, we thought we had found a baby in July, but she was 18 months old (and very tall) and we decided she wasn't a good fit for the center. Then, Little R came back to us, but after 2 months is leaving. We want to start looking for another baby to fill the spot, but at the same time, we are so comfortable with the 5 wonderful babies we have now. But, that extra tuition check a month would be very nice. We think we're going to set a certain time limit - such as the end of October - to find a baby (one that fits our specifications - 10 to 16 months old with parents we like). If we haven't found one by then, then we won't fill the 6th position, and just stick with our 5. Hopefully, if we're meant to have 6 babies, we'll find a good match by then.
Lydia has not joined us in our bed for two nights now. She goes to bed at 7:30, is dreamfed at 9:30, wakes up at 11:30. Brian pats her down, but she has woken up shortly after that, so I feed her and she's asleep again by 12:00. She wakes up again at 3:30 and I nurse her and put her back in her crib. Then she doesn't wake up again until 6:00 - 10 minutes before my alarm! I think I'm going to have Brian pat her down at 3:30 and maybe she'll sleep until 4:00 or 4:30, so she won't wake up until 6:30. At least she's only down to waking up twice a night now. Soon I won't even remember what it was like to wake up every few hours each night and will be enjoying a full nights sleep!

With Everything I Could Possibly Hope For

This week was long and I was exhausted by Friday. Since Lydia's been sleeping in her room by 7:30 each night, Brian and I have managed to go to bed early (by 9:30 at the latest) every night! I never knew I'd be so excited to get to bed before 10:00 each night.

Despite our exhaustion, Leah and I went out on a "girl's night" Friday night. N's parents gave us a $25 gift card to Red Robin for allowing him to come at 6:45 each morning (and he usually didn't leave until 6:15pm!). So, we got a little cleaned up, left the boys to fend for themselves (they had wings and steak), put Lydia to bed and gave Brian the monitor, and headed off by ourselves! We went to Red Robin, ate too much, then to the Palladium for a movie. We saw THE SWITCH, with Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman. We really wanted to see EASY A, but it was sold out. However, THE SWITCH was actually a really good movie - I really liked the little boy and Jason Bateman's character.

Brian and I got up when Lydia got up on Saturday morning (7:45) and started getting ready for heading to Austin. We tried packing up an extra portable mini crib from the center (now that A, B & C are on cots we have extra cribs that we want to sell) to bring to Brian's parent's house. But, the crib didn't fit (despite Brian taking it completely apart - he can't wait for his truck!). We took Lydia's play gym, her boppy, her quilt, packed her diaper bag with extra diapers (forgot extra wipes), lots of milk and bottles, and headed off. 

We stopped first at Shepler's for Brian to buy his new boots. He wanted boots made out of Caiman (some kind of crocodile or alligator, right?), but they didn't have any his size. After much searching, he found boots he liked made out of python skin (yes, python). At first he was upset because they didn't have a size 12 (he has big feet), but an 11.5 fit him perfectly. The boots were on sale for $319.00 (originally $449.00). He also bought a new button down shirt and a belt. He had a 20% off coupon, so saved a lot of money. After an hour there, we finally headed off to Austin, but not before Lydia had a blow out in the store; Shepler's bathrooms doesn't have a changing table, so I had to change her in the car, and used up all my extra wipes.

Lydia slept the whole way to Austin, which was very nice. We went to HEB to pick up lunch for everyone; three frozen California Pizza Kitchen pizzas and some salads. We made it to the Pfeiffer house by 12:30, had lunch and visited. Lydia played in her play gym. By 2:00, we were ready to go shopping and Lydia was getting fussy - a perfect time to leave her with the grandparents!

I found a really nice pair of jeans at Old Navy - jeans that actually fit really well - so I bought 2 pairs. I also got two new pairs of sweatpants for work, and several t-shirts for work. I spent about $150.00 at Old Navy. Then, on to A'Gaci. It was a small store, so I only found a cute dress and a cute blouse, plus a bunch of my favorite undershirts in a variety of colors (spent about $60.00 there). At Forever 21, I found several cute shirts and spent about $50.00, I think. I bought a super nice bra at Victoria's Secret for $45.00. At Aeropostale, I bought a plaid button down shirt to match Brian (he's been wanting me to get one) and two t-shirts for work; totaling $45.00. At Macy's I bought a long dress (only $4.99!), a cardigan, two three t-shirts and a short dress; totaling $50.00, I think - most of the clothes were on clearance. Then I bought two pairs of shoes at Payless - sneakers and moccasins - totaling $50.00. So, I spent about $450.00 at Barton Creek Mall on my new wardrobe and have about $50.00 left! I think I'm going to buy some more bras at Target, and maybe some more t-shirts for work.

My loot:

9 blouses for the weekends and going out

5 t-shirts for work

3 dresses

2 pairs of shoes

1 bra

5 undershirts

1 cardigan
2 sweatpants 

I am now going to head over to my bedroom and get rid of all the clothes that no longer fit me, or that I no longer wear, and replace them with my new clothes! I will have to take a picture of my closet when I am finished organizing.

Late, Brian and I are going to tour houses in the neighborhood with my parents and their Realtor. Very exciting!

I Love You, I Do

Since my last post, Lydia's sleeping habits have changed again. She's back to waking up every 1 to 2 hours. I read through the "Baby Whisperer's" book, but was not impressed. She didn't agree with crying it out, or co-sleeping and tried to stay somewhere in the middle. But, there was no clear way she suggested to get the baby to sleep through the night. I don't agree with Dr. Sears' method, in that I don't want to co-sleep with Lydia, don't think I should walk or rock her to sleep, but I do agree that I want her to feel safe and comfortable and loved when I put her to bed. I don't agree with Dr. Ferber, either. I'm not going to let Lydia cry it out just yet. When she's a toddler, then yes, she should be able to sleep (I like Jo Frost's way of putting children to bed) on her own. But, until then, I'll just have to come up with something on my own.

Last night, I decided I wasn't going to "dreamfeed", which was a mistake since Lydia woke up at 10:30, (3 hours after eating) versus usually waking up at 11:30-12:30. I had Brian go in when she first woke up and pat her down. It took him about 10 minutes. Lydia then woke up at 11:30. I nursed her, she fell right to sleep. She woke up again at 1:45, I nursed her, and went back down at 2:00. She woke up again at 4:15 and I took her to bed with us, nursing her. She woke up at 6:03 - 7 minutes before my alarm. 

Tonight, I'll dreamfeed her, hoping that she'll stay asleep until almost midnight, then have Brian pat her down. I'm trying to get rid of this midnight feeding. I think she's just in the habit of waking up at this time, not because she's hungry. I change her diaper at the 1:45 wake up, since she has a hard time sleeping in a wet diaper.

Yesterday was a hectic Monday with all the kids screaming and tired. I was exhausted, since Lydia didn't sleep well at all (not even in our bed). I was able to take a 30 minute nap on the couch while the kids were sleeping. Luckily, A was picked up by 1:30, so that made the afternoon a lot easier. She is a handful - always pulling hair, grabbing toys, scratching faces. She doesn't understand the meaning of "no" yet, and doesn't listen when her name is called. Today, B went home early (good thing since she's recently started biting) and R showed up late.

I'm ready for the weekend! We're going shopping in Austin while Brian's parents babysit Lydia. Brian gets his first teacher's paycheck on Wednesday (YEAH!) and since he did math camps over the summer, we each get to go on a shopping spree! I haven't bought many  new clothes since I was pregnant, so I want a whole new wardrobe! Very excited.

Did You Ever Think of Marrying Just for Fun?

Lydia has been sleeping great lately! I've changed her routine a bit. Instead of putting her to sleep in our bed, I nurse her in her room and then put her in her crib. The first night I had to pat her for about 10 minutes after placing her in her crib, while last night she went right to sleep. The reason I put her to sleep in our room first was because Brian's computer is in Lydia's room. I didn't want to deny him his computer since the baby is sleeping. But, we talked about it, and if she sleeps better by starting off in her own bed, then no computer after 7:30 at night. (Of course, I have a laptop that he can go on.)

Yesterday, she slept in until 8:00am. I was still SO tired, after a long week of working, so Brian got up with her. I slept in until 9:45! It was amazing! Lydia then went down for a nap around 10:30 and I had 1.5 hours to myself (Brian was at a meeting and then chatted with his parents on the phone). Brian said he'd give me the morning/afternoon off by taking Lydia out to run errands with him (he has never gone out with Lydia by himself). I was excited about the prospect of having time to myself. But, after being on my own for 1.5 hours earlier, I was bored without Lydia and Brian to entertain me, so I went on the errands with them!

We went to First Mark Bank (where Brian worked in the Fall) to hand in Lydia's paperwork for her college account we've already started. Lydia was passed around among his co-workers, something she recently doesn't enjoy, plus she was tired. But, they enjoyed finally seeing Lydia and chatting with Brian. Then, we went to Wal-Mart because I wanted to get a princess mobile for Lydia's bed. It was originally $20, but was on clearance for $7. It's a good thing too, since it's pretty "cheapy" looking, but still cute. I also got her some cute princess bibs (she's been drooling and spitting up more often), a picture frame for her cross-stitch that I finally finished, and Brian got a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt. Then we went to Half-Price Books because his co-worker had mentioned the book "Baby Whisperer" for helping Lydia sleep better at night. I found the book, plus a fun book, and Brian found two books.

Brian went for a hair cut while Lydia took a nap, and then we went to FreeBirds to get dinner and rented two movies from Redbox - CLASH OF THE TITANS and THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. Lydia went to bed by 8:00 and we started the movies.

CLASH OF THE TITANS was pretty good. Of course, I had to look up about the gods on wikipedia during the movie and pointed out the differences between the myths and what the movie portrayed. Perseus didn't marry Andromeda! I don't even think Io was part of Perseus' myth; what was she doing in this movie?! Overall, the movie was action packed and kept Brian's attention. I framed Lydia's cross-stitch and went on wikipedia throughout the movie.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG started off good. I liked the animation and the characters. However, I did not like the Shadow Man character and how he had "friends on the other side". His magic was way too dark for a Disney movie. I would expect that from a Warner Brothers movie (like in THE SWAN PRINCESS or ANASTASIA), but never in a Disney movie. The shadow creatures were way too scary and dark. Plus, the little firefly DIES! A good character dying?! No way! I decided that Lydia will not watch this movie, and we will not own it as a Disney princess movie. I love the classic Disney princess movies: damsels in distress, handsome princes who come to the rescue, catchy songs, lovable characters, etc. These new, modern-day princess movies are not and never will be as good as the original ones.

Lydia slept until 2:30! From 7:30 to 2:30! I "dream-fed" her at 11:30 when we went to bed, so that might have helped (and she was getting a little restless). Then she slept until 5:00, when she joined us in our bed. She woke up at 7:00, but I convinced her to sleep until 8:00. Now I'm trying to get her to take nap, then I'll get Brian up so I can shower and get ready for church.

I'll see if the "baby whisperer" has better ideas about getting Lydia to sleep through the night, so her routine may change again. But, I really want to get rid of at least one of her night time feedings.

The Happiest Days are When Babies Come

Every time I look at Lydia, I think back to when she was "tiny". At 3 1/2 months, she's over 12 pounds and nearly 24 inches long. To think that I thought 7 pounds and 21 inches was big! Luckily for Lydia, her Daddy is 6'2" and skinny (as is the rest of his family), so she'll probably be tall and slender. Hopefully taller than me; at 5'2" it won't be too hard to beat.

Here are some pictures of Lydia's progress so far.

Me at about 8 1/2 months pregnant.

Lydia at only an hour old.

Lydia at 3 days old.

Lydia at 1 month old.

Lydia at 2 months old.

Lydia at 3 months old.

I'm Going to Live Through This....

Things I miss doing before we had Lydia:

- playing the piano anytime I wanted to, without having to worry about waking up a baby, or being distracted by her cries

- reading a book whenever I wanted and for however long I wanted

- sleeping straight through the night (haven't done that since I was 5 months pregnant)

- sleeping in late on the weekends

Things I miss about being pregnant:

- the excited/nervous/expectant feeling I always felt when I looked down at my growing belly

- how I could get away with taking naps anytime I wanted

- how I got away with calling in "sick" at work

- being able to weigh however much I wanted to, and eat however much I wanted to

Things I love about taking care of a baby:

- snuggling with someone who depends solely on you

- waking up early (the weekends feel longer when you're awake for most of them)

- her smiles

- looking up new techniques for getting her to sleep through the night, get rid of a cold, etc.

- getting excited about each and every milestone she reaches (smiling, rolling over, cooing, not screaming all the time)

- how everyone compliments me on how beautiful my baby is

- putting her to sleep at night (giving a bath, getting her into pajamas, reading and singing to her)

- singing silly kid songs

- watching her daddy hold her and spoil her

- having someone else to worry about other than myself (it has helped me become less selfish)