Heart Trimmings

Our search for a house has left us a little doubtful that we will find the perfect compromise for both Kee and I.  If you haven't read the "Home Sweet Home" post yet...you should..  http://twigsoffthebranches.blogspot.com/2011/03/home-sweet-home.html

Last week we decided to explore the possibility of building a home.  Kee went and talked with a builder.  He came home very excited with lots of brochures.  He explained to me how we could make as many upgrades as we'd like to the bathroom fixtures, kitchen cabinets, trim, etc.

These decisions must have been weighing heavily on his mind, because when I returned to bed after a late-night waking with Z he was "sleep-talking" about it. I pulled the covers over me only to be greeted by a fretting husband. 

Kee: "I just don't know what trim package to pick!!!"

Knowing how difficult it is for my husband to make any type of decision (what grocery store we'll stop at, where we go to eat, what shoes to wear with his outfit) I thought I would humor him and help him come to a conclusion.  I thought in my sleep-deprived reasoning that if I could uncover what trim package my sleeping husband desired, my waking husband would surely appreciate the information.

So I asked, "What is your heart telling you?"

Kee replied: "Ba-bum....ba-bum.....ba-bum......"

Well, I guess my waking husband will have to make this decision on his own!

Home Sweet Home

It has been a long time since I have written a post, but we have been busy hunting for a house.  We close on our current house next week, and have yet to find the perfect house to call our next home.  Part of the problem is that Kee and I want different things in a home.  His back-woods roots are starting to show and he wants some land, while I want a house that feels just right.

For those of you who know us, you can imagine how different my husband's taste is from mine. If you don't know us, let me try to explain.  I am a list-maker and visuals are my friend.  So tonight I created two charts. 

This first chart shows some of the things I want in a house.  The houses in both charts are numbered in the order that we viewed them.

	# of bedrooms that we want	Good Layout	Toy Room?	Good School District	Storage	Nice Bathroom Fixtures	Nice countertops
House #1	YES	NO	YES	?	?	NO	NO
House #2	NO	YES	NO	YES	YES	YES	YES
House #3	NO	?	?	YES	YES	YES	NO
House #4	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES	YES

I think it is kind of nice to step back and look at the "facts" of the search.  Of course there are a few more details that I didn't include in my chart...but these are the biggies. 

Well, let's muddy up this mess a bit more.  After viewing lots of houses and looking at many real estate pages online with my husband, I have gathered that these are his big deciding factors.  Check out his chart!

	Fly Kites	Play Banjo on back porch	Shoot guns	Ride go-carts that we do not own	Pee off the back porch @ night	Man cave	Ride Bikes
House #1	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	NO
House #2	NO	YES	NO	YES	?	YES	YES
House #3	?	YES	NO	NO	?	YES	?
House #4	?	?	NO	NO	NO	YES	NO

Please don't judge my husband!  I still love him, but now you can feel my pain.  I know we will eventually find a home that we can both be excited about, but until then it IS entertaining!

Where's the Magic? How did you get your child to sleep through the night?

Usually I try to write about what is working for us, but now I need to know what worked for you!

Alright. Z turned one on St. Patty's Day! I have been anxiously awaiting him to start magically sleeping through the night.  Okay, I will even settle for him waking up once in the night.  But my wand must not be working.  I'm not sure that it ever worked. My daughter was 15 months old before she slept through the night.
Here's what I'm doing:
I lay Z down for bed about 8:30 (awake) with a pacifier and Spot (his lovey).  He falls asleep on his own.  We have a Cloud B Sleep Giraffe for white noise.

He usually wakes up again around 12ish, 2:00, and 4:30.  Then he's up for good at 6:30.  Did I mention that he is not a newborn?  I have tried to lay him back down at these times, and sometimes after long bouts of crying he will fall asleep.  But he will wake up 30 minutes later still hungry.  So usually when he wakes up, I will nurse him.  He will typically go right back to sleep.  I know it could be worse...he could be staying awake for an hour or more (but I'm so tired I kinda feel like complaining).

I was hopeful that I would get some tips or tricks from the pediatrician when I took Z for his 12 month checkup yesterday.  I asked the question and braced myself for some criticism.  I was ready to hear that I needed to be tougher, that I should try to cut back on the night-time nursing session, or that I just needed to be consistent.  I sat dumbfounded when the doctor told me, "Well, I think he just needs the calories.  Try to sneak-feed him before you go to bed and then feed him when he wakes up in the night."  What?!  He is one and a good-sized boy!  It makes sense though.  She said it isn't like he is nursing at night only to bulk up and be a chubby baby, so he must need the nutrition.  She also said that he probably needs more mommy-time and during the night is when he can have my undivided attention.

It is getting to the point that all the caffeine and concealer in the world can't hide how tired I really am!  Seriously, I need your tips!  Did you have trouble getting your precious little one to sleep through the night?  What did you finally do?

Good Grief! Z is One!

We celebrated Z's first birthday this past weekend!  We had a great time spending the afternoon with friends and family at the indoor carousel park for his Charlie Brown themed party.

I am by no means a cake decorator, but I had fun making his smash cake and the Charlie Brown shirt cake.  Z wasn’t too excited to smash into his cake.  He picked off the black icing and ate it.  I think he had enough cake on his actually birthday, just days before.

He had lots and lots of presents to open.  You can guess who did most of the opening (me).  Of course the older kids wanted to help, which I was glad to let them!

A guitar and a spare!

Kee reading Z's Ninja card that my sister carefully picked out!

All the kiddos wanted to help!

Everyone had lots of fun riding the carousel.  It was so loud though, and I was extremely surprised at how fast it moved.  Kee said he just might be sick if he looked at one more ticket, I don’t think his stomach could handle it.

Not sure if this is a happy or scared face

There are no germs on this pole, right?

All the kids took home some favors.

Favor boxes

Linus Lovey's for the kids to make at home

Charlie Brown Magnets

Z was all tuckered out on the way home.

Z....Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing

Embarrassing Moments of Breastfeeding: Z Eats the 2 B's

I have been blessed to have been able to nurse both my children.  I say blessed, because not everyone is able to do it.  For something that is supposed to be so natural, it comes with quite a learning curve for both the mommy and the baby! Along with lessons to be learned, breastfeeding comes with its fair share of embarrassing moments! And if you add a preschooler to the mix...embarrassing moments are a sure thing!

I remember my friend telling me how her oldest daughter pretended to nurse her dolls when she was feeding her infant.  I wondered what types of questions my daughter would have.  Twiggy was a little over 2 years old when Z was born.  She never seemed to ask questions, but instead came up with her own conclusions.

When I started back to work after maternity leave, Twiggy and her daddy discussed what Z likes to eat.  She frankly told him, "He eats the two b's." When her daddy asked what she meant, she explained, "Boobies and bottles!" She told everyone her new revelation!
One time she informed me, "He can only eat one boobie, Mommy!"

Kee said it was my fault for encouraging her with Twiggy-sized boppy pillows. I couldn't help it...it is in my nature to foster pretend play!

Well, I may have to stand corrected!  Kee was gone on business, which meant that I was in charge of the drop-off and pick-up at daycare.  First I picked up Twiggy from her classroom.  She was as chatty as ever. We went to the infant room to get Z.  Twiggy immediately fulfilled her role in putting his empty bottles into his bag. 

Z was fussing a bit, so I said, "You must be hungry, Little Man."

Twiggy took on the role of her brother, which meant that her already high voice became an incredibly squeaky tone.  Think the chipmunks. 

"Him said, I want boooooobs!" Twiggy said as she used her little finger to move her brother's lips as if he was a ventriloquist dummy.

In case you were wondering, yes both daycare teachers were snickering and looking at me.

I suppose it is great that Twiggy knows that babies can both nurse and drink bottles.  I guess I cannot expect her to know that at daycare...it is bottles!

I'm a Kid at Heart: American Girl Catalogue

This Friday, I'm definitely falling for...

I have to admit...my heart skipped a little beat when I got the mail the other day!  I love love love anything girly and it doesn't get much girlier than American Girl!

Santa brought Twiggy a set of the American Girl Bitty Twins for Christmas.  I may or may not have swayed Santa's decision into getting them for her.

I skipped all the bills and junk mail and sat down with Z to peruse the endless possibilities of all things AG.  Let me just inform you, looking through this with a boy is not the same.  I was so anxious for Twiggy to wake up so we could dream through the glossy pages.

She finally (I don't usually use this word when referring to naptime arousal) woke up and we gazed through the catalogue. 

Watching her eyes light up reminded me of being a kid looking through the Sears book at Christmas with my cousin.  It was wonderful.

365 Day Scrapbook, A Picture a Day!

After Twiggy turned a year old, I made her a 365 Day Scrapbook.  Every day I took a photo of her or something of importance for the day. I journaled about the day's events. 

The scrapbook defintely was a labor of love.  In the first few weeks, I was so excited to snap the picture, jot down my thoughts, and upload the photos to be printed.  Well, as months went on...I began to struggle.  At one point I had 3 months worth of pictures on my digital camera and the only journaling I had done was on slips of paper in my purse.  I finally finished the book, and I am so thankful I did.  Twiggy loves her book.  It is amazing to see the changes in her from day to day, week to week, and month to month.  I think the age from 1-2 years is fascinating! This is the time when kids learn something new every day!

Almost as soon as the word was out that I was expecting Z, my coworkers made me promise that I would make him a 365 Day Scrapbook, too.  I vowed that I would start one after his first birthday.

Next Thursday is Z's first birthday...and this time I'm ready to tackle this scrapbook!  I think preparation may be the key! 

Today I cut out all my journaling cards.

I cut out and made tags for my Weekly Header cards.

I assembled all the supplies into a notecard box, so I can keep it in my nightstand.  Check up on me...but my intentions are to journal each night.  At the end of the week, I want to upload the photos to a file on my computer.  And the end of the month, I WILL get the photos printed!

My intentions are good...but even if I do get behind...I promise Z will have a 365 Day Scrapbook!