Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween friends!

Baby Batman to the rescue!!!

Jacko's 1st Pumpkin Patch

Jason's pumpkin art. :) Ooooh scary!

Hope everyone has a fun Halloween.  I'm off to take a cute. cranky, teething baby Batman to see everyone at Jason's work.  :) (Hopefully this goes better then I'm imagining) hehe.

Friday Updates...

Hi all.  It's Friday!  Which means I'm off to work!?!  haha.  Weird that my "work week" starts on Friday.  My whole two day work week.  Anyways, thought I would do a few "updates" regarding...well, life.  :)

• If you recall there was a very emotional/confused post about sleep training a couple of posts back.  I received a ton of really helpful/encouraging comments.  So...how's it going you may ask?!?  Honestly the night time put down has been going really REALLY well (knock on wood ;) haha).  There is no crying anymore.  We are still having 2 wake ups or so a night (last night there were 3...ugh)  Nap time has been an issue though still.  I KNOW he needs a nap but he will not fall asleep with out crying.  What we end up doing is I put him down and he cries for three 5 minute intervals before I go in to put him down in our bed.  He just gets so worked up.  I don't know why he has so much trouble falling asleep on his own during the day?!?  Basically he gets worn out crying, I lie down on my bed with him and cuddle for maybe 3 minutes max and he's out for a good 2 hours or so.  Weird routine wouldn't you say?!?  I feel like I want him to learn to sleep at nap time on his own but we're just not quite there yet.  That being said I feel like we have made some progress because he was barely taking naps for a good month or so there.  I've noticed too that since taking a good nap during the day the night time process is much more smooth...maybe because he's not over tired???  So that's where we're at with that.  I've determined that I will not wake up with Jack now before 2 am.  I can't do it.  It's killing me and he does not need to eat 2-3 times a night.  I'm totally okay with one feeding but he seems to be slowly adding more and more.  Sooooo, tonight is our first night of letting him cry it out...assuming he wakes up more then once.  Which he probably will.  We'll see how that goes :)
• I feel like I'm really enjoying being a mom.  I mean, I'd love some more sleep and a little more free time once in a while haha, but overall I'm okay not having it.  It's totally worth it really.  Being a mom is the biggest blessing I have ever experienced.  The hardest blessing...but the best.  I am just in awe that God has entrusted us with Jack.  What a great, beautiful gift he is.  I just want to serve my Lord well in motherhood.  :)
• My house is a DISASTER!  Seriously, it's out of control.  I really need to do the dishes but once I put the boy down I just want to zone out and watch TV.  I've never been a TV watcher but it's so enticing now.  It's mind-numbingly relaxing.  Perfect.  :)
• I am going to take advantage of hitting my deductible this year and go to the chiropractor.  I feel like since giving birth I need a few adjustments.  My hips were JACKED for a good couple of months after giving birth.  They still don't feel right but I'm not in the constant pain I was in.   My neck and lower back could use some help.  Really...I just need to be cracked and popped back into shape.  I'm a little excited!  I've only been to one in SLO because of a broken tailbone injury so hopefully I find a good one up here in SF!
• I mentioned that I started attending a "Mom's Group" through my church in hopes that I would make some connections with other moms.  I have been faithfully going each Wednesday (even though I swear the boy sleeps HORRIBLY every Tuesday night).  I am starting to feel more comfortable and it has been really nice and totally necessary!  Community with other moms is so important.  Especially with other moms who love Jesus.  :)
• I am ready READY to go home for Thanksgiving!  I think I just miss being around family.  I want our little man to know his grandparents...and aunts and uncles.  Anyways, Thanksgiving can't come soon enough.

Welp, that's all for now!  Hope you have a marvy harvey weekend!
<3

Baby Leg Warmer Toot!

So Jacko is going to be Batman for Halloween.  I wanted to make him a pair of legwarmers to go with his onesie.  Actually I've been eyeing (did you know that "eyeing" is technically spelled "eying"?  That just looks weird though) a pair of baby leg warmers for a while but they are a bit pricey and I just couldn't justify spending money on a pair.  The idea actually came to me because I was bored and I put my knee high socks on him to make it look like he had 2 foot long legs.  :)  Yeah, these are the things I do to my baby. 

Anyways, I realized, hey!  I could totally make a pair of leg warmers.  I had the perfect pair of old knee highs that I pretty much never wear for his Batman outfit.  So I busted out these puppies and posted them on my Instagram.  :)

Anyways, they were REALLY easy.  It took a couple of tries on old holey socks of mine to get it right before I did the above pair.  I thought I'd spare you the trial and error and give you a little tutorial.  :)

So, first get yourself a pair of knee high socks.  They have super cute ones at Target for cheap.  The below one's are from Forever 21.

Cut the long top part off.  Jack is 4 months old and 10" was prefect for him with a little "scrunch" at the bottom.

So, this is where I messed up quite a few times before I got it right.  To make a nice finished edge cut the middle of the bottom part of the sock.  This is going to be your bottom "hem".  NOTE:  Avoid socks that are not even in thickness.  The sole of this sock was thicker (like some athletic socks) and I ran into problems coming up...as you will see.  :)

Take that middle section and roll it in half...so that both edges are lined up.

Then take the "hem piece" and line it up with the end of the sock that you cut off.

Pin the edge so that all 3 rough edges are lined up and use a some what wide zig zag stitch (messed up on that too originally haha...straight stitch does NOT work).  Sew AROUND the sock edge...don't sew the sock shut.  hehe.

And then you end up with something like this.  This will be the part that scrunches around his/her foot.

For whatever reason though because of the thick/thin part of the sock it ended up turning out a little weird.  The first pair that was an even thickness turned out great.  I actually ended up cutting the hem of this pair off and just folded it under with a zip zag stitch.  Oh well.  haha.  So, even thickness socks are key...you shouldn't have any probs.  :)

And there you go!  The cheapest, fastest sewing project ever.  Perfect for a mama with a baby.  :)

Sleep Training (or lack of)--LIVE

I'm sitting here listening to my baby cry.

He's trying to fall asleep for his afternoon nap.

And I feel like I want to cry.

It was a lot easier last night when Jason was here.  He distracted me from the fact that I feel like I am betraying/abandoning my child.  Seriously.  That's how I feel.

I still don't know where I stand on the cry it out/no cry sleep solution.  I've seriously read just about every book/theory.  I feel like I am seriously, psychologically damaging my child by letting him cry it out (and go figure there is evidence that chemical things are happening in their brains at levels that are REALLY high).  And yet here I am trying it.  I don't know what that says about me.  What I do know is that he needs to nap during the day...and he hasn't been.  I know that he needs to fall asleep easier then it's been lately.  He's fine in the middle of the night.  He wakes up to eat (and he's legit hungry) and immediately falls asleep but nap time and the initial put down at night is a battle.  It used to not be.  But this last month things have changed.

Last night was our first time letting him cry. Jack cried for 20 minutes.  It wasn't a "passionate" cry.  He never got too worked up so I didn't go in until the very end.  I put the binky in his mouth and he was out after that.  But right now for his nap...a different story.  He seems like a "strong willed child" already.  He's also incredibly cuddly and affectionate. I went in just now to calm him back down and he just grabbed my hand and looked up at me with this "why are you leaving me" look.  It seems like torture to him.  Yep, I totally broke down and cried.

I feel like either way I do it I'm screwed.  I feel like if I don't let him cry it out then the whole bed time process is prolonged into this 2 hour ordeal.  2 hours that I should be spending with Jason since I hardly am able to connect with him with his work schedule.  If I let him cry it out though I honestly feel like I am ruining my child.  It's probably wrong.  I want him to feel like he can cry and I'll come when he NEEDS me.  But is he at the point already where he can know to cry just to make me come because he WANTS me?  And is that so bad that he wants me?  He's so little still.  4 months old.  But he needs his sleep.  I need him to sleep too.  I need a break in the day.  I'm with Jack a good 12 hours a day usually...sometimes more.  I need a good hour at least to just relax...or even more so get things done like laundry and dishes.  And eventually he will get older and it seems like it will be harder to teach him to fall asleep then rather than now...I think.

So, he just cried for 10 minutes.  I calmed him down, left him, and all it took was 5 minutes and he was completely worked up again.  I went in and he had barfed on himself (I don't know if it was from being worked up or if it was from feeding him prior), he was completely sweaty, and I just broke down and picked him up.  I just laid with him on our bed and cried...he just snuggled into me and stared at me.  He fell asleep almost immediately with that beat down, I've been crying too much, staccato breathing.  He cried for a whole whopping 15 minutes.  Ugh.  How do people let their baby cry for an hour?   Do they not get worked up like Jack?  Are they just stronger then me?

I think I just need to relax and realize that what I do or don't do is not the sole attributor to the way Jack is going to turn out.  I want him to be a well rounded, obedient toddler (do those even exist? haha) and I feel like everyone is telling me that if I don't sleep train him with CIO then he probably won't be.  On the flip side I see the value of sleep.  That babies really need it.  I need to to trust the Lord and know that He has Jack in His hands and that He loves our little baby even more then we do.

All this to say...I have no clue what I'm doing.
And I totally caved at nap time today.
And I'm okay with it.
For now.

Thanks for being there during the nap time trauma today.  Ya'll the best. ;)

You May or May Not Know...

Well, I'm due for a post but I'm not quite sure what to write about.  I have a "4 month Jack" draft waiting to be published but I first need to find the camera cord to add pictures.  The elusive camera cord.  Why is that thing so hard to find???

Anyways, so let's talk about ME.  :)  This is my blog and all so why not?
15 things you may or may not know about me.  :)

1) I cannot stand the sound of someone who smacks when they eat.
2) When I was in 2nd grade a dog tried to attack me and my Dad kicked it so hard that he broke his shoe...and probably the dogs ribs and I got MAD at my Dad.  haha.  Silly child.
3) I feel the prettiest in my favorite jeans and a white shirt.
4) One day I would like to make my own cheese...and sell it. :)
5) I thought that having a baby would quench my desire for more kids for a while...and yet I think it's made it worse. ;)
6) Jason and I lived in Chile for the first year of our marriage.  I think people thought we were slightly nuts but it was such an amazing experience.
7) One day I would like to get my Masters in Philosophy and teach as a lecturer (my undergrad was in Philosophy).
8) I LOVE sushi.  And I also really like beer. yum.
9) I grew up in North Carolina.
10) I lived in Chile for a year and seriously can still barely speak Spanish.
11) I love to cook/bake.  As in I get excited to cook dinner every night...having a baby makes this complicated/almost non existent.  He's worth it though.  :)
12) I love season changes...but in the end prefer that it would always go back to 80 degree weather. 
13) My first car, and what I learned to drive in was a stick shift.  Our house was on top of one of the steepest hills in the town.  There was a stop light at the steepest part and once I actually got out when we were stopped and told a guy to get off my butt or I would hit him from rolling back.  He did too.  haha
14) I thought that working was harder then staying home as a mom...and then I had a baby and let me tell you.  Working outside of the home is WAY easier haha.  At least my job was easier.
15) I have 3 younger bro-shmos.

Have a happy Wednesday!  <3

Your Opinion Matters

Ok, not really.
HA!
Just kidding.  It DOES matter...sorta.  :)

Anyways.

So, I have an absurd quantity of hair.  It's pretty thick but it's soooooo long right now.

And I want to CUT IT OFF.

No really.  If I get a haircut it's always extreme.  I go back and forth between letting my hair grow really long and cutting it all off.  I am currently going through the "postpartum shed".  Have mercy.  I'm slightly convinced that I'm going to go bald in the end.  I can't believe how much hair I'm losing.  Wads I tell you.  WADS!  There is hair all over my house.  I find it on Jack, on Jason.  Let's not even talk about my bathroom drain.

So, I think it's time.

There are a few hairstyles I've been looking at.  I think that I would like bangs (side bangs I guess).  I've asked Jason just how short I can go.  He doesn't mind...as long as it looks good.  haha.  Whatever that means!  :)  I feel like I really need a change.  I call it my "Mom life Crisis".  I'm a mom now and I feel like I need to spice it up a bit.

Here are some styles I've had my eye on.....

                                                                        

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Ok, what do you think???  Granted some of these are very similar.  And granted I can't steal their faces...cause you know...having a gorgeous face makes it a little easier to have whatever type of haircut.  The haircut on the brunette would be by far the craziest, gutsy one.  I hate making these type of decisions.  It's hair though!  It'll grow.  So bring it on.  How crazy should I go?!?!? ;) (please ignore the wonky state these photos are in...formatting ain't my forte.)

Jack-O

Oh this child of mine.

Just when I think I've got him nailed down and figured out he does a complete 180.  He was the sweetest, most calm little newborn.  Then around 3 weeks he started getting a bit more fussy and pretty much wanted to be held ALWAYS.  Then 2 1/2 or so months rolled around and he became easy, smiley, and happy once again...oh and he was sleeping through the night.  :)

And then shortly after 3 months he decided to wake up a few times each night.  He took on this new cry that involves an ear piercing screech.  The second he's on the floor he rolls over but hates to be on his stomach...like really hates it.  I think he's teething too.  The boy is keeping me on my toes.

Yesterday I was with my Jack-O from 6am-9pm...Jason worked all day and then went to his jiu-jitsu class.  Jack was so very fussy the.whole.darn.day.  I needed to go to the post office in the evening so I bundled him up, got him all ready, and then he proceeded to barf all over himself...and me.  Now he's wet and will be cold if I take him out.  For some reason that was all I could handle.  The crying, the fussing, the continuous never ending flow of baby puke...I did what every sane mother would do...let out a literal roar/yell of frustration.  One that scared the bejeebers out of my little wet, barfed on babe that I was holding.  So, he cried his very sad, "scared cry" (which is a sure fire way to break my heart).

In the end I felt like the world's most stellar mother.  NOT.

Call it sleep deprivation, call it whatever you want to call it.  Sometimes this mama gig is a tough one eh?

But then I woke up this morning with a sleepy little boy snuggled in next to me.  The alarm went off for Mom's Group and the little booger didn't want to wake up.  He just wanted to snuggle.  Today he was a dream.  Sweet, snuggly, not fussy.  A completely different baby.  Sometimes I just want to get into their heads.  Figure out what's up.  Either way though...fussy or sweet.  I am blessed.  Really and truly blessed to be the mama of such a sweet little man.  Baby puke and all.  :)