Maybe Im meant to be a stay at home mom

I graduated college in December 2006 with a human environment and family science degree with a concentration in child development, it was always my plan from this I would get my teaching license for p-4,and teach little kids. Well the first time I attempted to do this I found out I was pregnant so I put it off and took classes that needed to be taken to enter the teaching program. So in 2010 I applied again and found out I was 3 hours short so I worked and took a class at night 4x a wk, and just as I finish my class I found out I was pregnant again and due in august. Well what school is going to hire someone who has to take off maternity leave right at the start of school, so I put it off again. So I finally got everything taken care of and was getting ready to apply again. I knew this time evrything was in order and taken care of to get in, well or so I thought. Today I got a letter saying I was missing 3 hrs of reading 2. I had taken 6 hrs of reading 1 and didn't have anything for reading two. Which got me thinking maybe I am just meant to be a stay at home mom! I mean it really is the best possible job around. I'm lucky I even have the option to work or stay at home. So I think this has been gods way of saying that he has something better for me in mind and i am just going to continue to pray that his plan is revealed to me in time.

My spirited child

Well as many of y'all know I have had some major challenges with my son. I have been stressed and feeling pretty hopeless on what to do with him, but thankfully that has all started to change. I have been reading a book called raising the spirited child, which I personally think it should be titled raising Blake because everything I read sounds just like him.

So basically this book teaches you how to deal with a spirited child and understand what is really going on inside their brain. I was so stressed thinking I was doing something wrong, but I now realize that this is Blakes temperament and instead of fighting it I need to learn to work with it.

So I'm trying some new skills with him and our power struggles have decreased and I'm not even done with the book yet. I have learned that my sweet child is overly sensitive to his surroundings and gets over stimulated easily so by helping him cope with stimulation before it overwhelms him has become my new mission. Eventually I hope he learns to recognize his own stimulation triggers and will be able to remove himself from the situation, but right now I am trying to help him handle his intensity.

I have to admit just knowing exactly what causes Blakes behavior has really taken a load off my shoulders because now that the issue is identified I can help him deal with it in a acceptable manner. I hope we continue to have success and that my relationship will continue to grow strong with him.

Have a wonderful night! :)

Making progress

Well I ripped the band aid off and made adalynn sleep in her crib, and she did great! She slept for 6 hours straight, which she hasn't done since I stopped using the miracle blanket. I fed her and she slept for another 2 hours. Around 3:30 am she was beginning to jabber and I knew it was only a matter of time before it turned into full blown screams so I took her to the living room to finish out the night in her swing. This is a huge step for her because usually I can only get her to sleep in her crib for a hour tops. So I am one proud momma right now.

So I am going to stick to the plan and really work on adalynn having a set routine with naps and bedtime, and I predict her sleeping issues will just get better and better.

Last night I had adalynn in her crib and asleep around 7:15, and this gave me some time to spend with Blake. I miss our one on one time so I am going to really enjoy when adalynn gets on a regular routine. Blake and I read stories and picked up his toys and snuggled before it was his bedtime at 8. So from 8 I had both kids in bed and I had some much needed me time! I am slowly starting to feel a little less overwhelmed, and just have to realize that my struggles I have with my kids will get better and I just need to be patient with them! So yea for progress!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Adalynn is 6 months old

Time has just flown by and my precious angel is six months old. I can't believe in only 6 short months she will be one!

Milestones reached

Rolling over
Babbling
Transferring object from one hand to another.

Emerging skills
Pushing up on arms
Sitting up without support

Things adalynn loves

Playmat
Exersaucer
Rice cereal
Chewing on her feet
Talking
Playing with her bubba (Blake)

Things adalynn doesn't like

Crib
Swing
Being without mommy
Sleeping
Shots

Adalynn had her 6 month check up on Friday she was nearly 14 lbs and was in the 10% for weight. She was still in the 50% for height and 75% for head circumference. So I have a small,average, big headed baby! :)

We have started to incorporate solids into her diet and she has taken to it like a champ. She grabs the spoon and shoves the food into her mouth. It is the cutest thing. I plan on feeding her baby foods twice a day and work up to 3x a day. Right now all we have tried is the rice cereal, but we will be starting vegetables next week I think.

We are still having sleep issues. She barely naps during the day and still wakes up every 3 or4 hours at night. I am trying a sleep method I used with Blake, and had a lot of success, but so far adalynn has proved to be more stubborn. I'm thinking this week I'm just going to rip off the band aid and force her into her crib. This was actually how I finally got Blake into his crib and out of his hammock. So wish me luck!

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Disney world

Well if you are friends with me on Facebook then you already know that we are taking the kids to Disney world in June. I am so excited because this was something Jeff and I really wanted to do last year with Blake, but I was fat and pregnant and really just wasnt logical at the time. So my whole family is planning on going too so it will really be a fun experience. My parents took us kids to Disney world a lot growing up and I am hoping to share the same experience with my kids.
Now my concerns, I have never traveled in a plane with either one of my babies. I'm hoping if I can just keep a portable DVD player going on the flight Blake will probably be ok. Adalynn will be considered a lap baby so I'm hoping she will just nurse and fall asleep(wishful thinking). Blake doesnt sit still for very long, so I figure he will probably be more of my challenge than adalynn will. Anyone have any tips for making air travel go smoother with little ones?
I have read several helpful tips about saving money in the theme parks so I do think we are going to bring our own stroller, but now I need to find a good lightweight one that would be easy to travel with. I would like to find one that will recline so adalynn can sleep in it when she gets tired. Also did you know that all 4 Disney parks have baby care centers? You can buy baby necessities,nurse, rest, spoon feed, pretty much whatever you need to do for your little one can be done here. I can't tell you how excited I was when I found this out. Not a big fan of nursing in public and at least now I have a nice baby friendly spot to do it in. If anyone out there has any insight to make traveling with the little ones easier in the park too please feel free to share! :)

Some things I want Blake to get to do at the parks.

1 journey into imagination starring figment the dragon, one of my favorite rides as a child
2 anything toy story or cars since these are his favorite Disney movies.
3 the dumbo ride and anything with Mickey mouse
4 Peter pan and it's a small world because they are classic rides every kid needs to go on.
5 pirates of the carribean because again it is a classic must see.
6 just about everything in animal kingdom since he loves animals
7 I'm on the fence about the haunted mansion, but I liked it when I was his age so it is still up in the air.
Anyway there is so much I want to do with him, but probably wont get to do it all in this trip.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Transition

As many of you know adalynn has been sleeping in her carseat since the day we brought her home. Well I figured she is now old enough to sleep in her own crib and decided to start working with her to move from the carseat to the crib. Well let me tell you how well that is going (sarcastic tone).

Last night I started the crib process at 8pm, and I would rock her and get her to sleep and slowly and quietly move her to her crib. Then as soon as her back hit those sheets it was like an alarm went off with screaming, crying, and limbs flailing. So I would pick her up and start the whole process over again. This went on for about two hours when I finally gave up for the night and decided we would sleep in the living room, me on the couch and miss priss in the swing. This of course could not be easy either, and it took about an hour before she went to sleep in her swing.

So I finally get her to sleep and I finally got to sleep and then no less than a hour later she wakes up crying once again, so the whole process begins again and it continues to go on like this every hour until about six in the morning. Finally at six my husband gets ready for work and we move back to the bed where adalynn sleeps from 6 to 9:30. However, Blake doesn't sleep that long so I got to sleep until 8:30 and then Blake let's me know he is ready to get up.

So now on to today I decided to make adalynn sleep in the crib for naps, and it didn't go any better today, so she slept a totally of 30 mins in her crib and that was it for the entire day, so my only hope is that she will be so tired that she won't have the energy to be up all night tonight. I am going to try to be strong though and keep insisting that she sleep iher crib during the day and hopefully that will lead to sleeping in the crib at night. Anyone have any suggestions to get a baby to sleep in a crib or sleeping through the night? I'm afraid if I don't get more sleep soon I might just lose my mind :)

Have a peaceful night everyone!

Websites I love

Hello everyone I wanted to do a post over a few websites that I have done business with lately and absolutely love.

The first website is shelby's sassy bows www.shelbyssassybows.com
I have bought several bows from Shelby and they are absolutely adorable. Each bow is custom made just the way you like it. So go check out shelby's sassy bows, you will be glad that you did.

The next website is eggo in the oven www.eggointheoven.com
I have recently purchase a cute valentine's day onesie for adalynn. It is also custom made and I believe Kim (owner) can do just about anything you want. She features shirts, dresses, onesies, blankets, pants, and vests. She does other products too this is just to name a few. Right now she is making adalynn a new York Yankee romper to match adalynn's ny Yankee bow from shelby's sassy bows. So if you want some super cute clothes for your kids, take a stroll over to eggo in the oven.

The next website some of y'all might o f heard of but it is the honest company www.honest.com
This is an Eco friendly website designed to produced healthy products for your little ones. They have super cute diapers that are free of harmful chemicals, and are affordable. You can sign up for a membership and have diapers and products delivered straight to your home. The best options if you just can't bring yourself to do cloth diapers. So go check them out and give them a try.

These 3 websites are great and based on my opinion only no company has given me money to endorse them, happy shopping!