It's Friday! So I don't have to come up with an original idea, instead I jump on Jen's train of genius for 7 Quick Takes...
-1-
Sooo this weekend is Mother's Day! My first one with a baby in my arms! Wooo!
I also thought that I'd be celebrating it with my own mama, but a few things came up and she will not be traveling down to see me. I have no idea why (hormones? crazy genes?), but this has severely depressed me. Dinner last night was, therefore, 2 homemade chai tea lattes and two homemade Vietnamese banana muffins.
I might have cried into my baked goods...just a little bit.
Banana bread recipe and picture from Simply Recipes...I call it Vietnamese banana muffins because a) I do not have a bread pan, therefore I make them into muffins, and 2) the only time I make it is when my Vietnamese friend brings me 10 thousand of these special bananas that grow in her parent's yard.
-2-
So I was telling Jen this the other day, but when I first came to Naples, I was so excited to be part of this dynamic Catholic community...but it seemed like everyone I would meet would suddenly reveal their SH. What is a SH? SECRET HERESY. These faithful Catholics would suddenly bust out with, "I believe in reincarnation!" or "abortion can be a loving choice."
I have to admit, it's made me still a little wary of Catholics down here...is it in the water?!?
-3-
My husband did yard work today - gritty, hard work in the yard in the beating sun. He came in smelling of sunscreen and sweat.
Moments like that I love looking at him and thinking, he is AAALLL mine. hashtag: something sappy and possibly inappropriate.
This is where we got all that free mulch - the lot being cleared down the street.
-4-
I made my own hummus today - really pretty easy. I'd like to take this opportunity and apologize to my grad school roommate because, when she suggested that I make my own hummus, I reacted like she'd just told me to bugger off.
Sorry Rose. You were right - really wasn't that hard and it's better for me.
All of my grad school roommates - Rose in red, Jess in yellow, Ashley - head only, Abbie in blue? white?, Jen of course, and then me in grey (with short hair - before I dyed it blue).
-5-
What are people's policies on nap schedules...stick to them religiously, have roughly the same time every day, or just intervals (2-3-4 schedule)? What's important enough to move them? Just searching for some advice out there...I've been trying to keep Zuz on a schedule, but it inevitably means I miss out on a lot - play dates, girls night out, etc.
happy morning baby
-6-
I've been thinking of starting to pump so I can have a bit more 'freedom' - but I honestly don't know how it would work. My angel is...not the best sleeper (to put it sooo lightly). I put her down for her 1.5 hour nap in the morning...and I have to go back in to soothe her to sleep at least twice. At nighttime, the soothing can be endless - sometimes I just give up and go to bed. And soothing = nursing.
Is this just a phase I deal with until she self-weans? Which...I really hope she does. Because I cannot imagine trying to wean her - it breaks my heart. Sometimes I read weaning stories on the internet and cry. (did I just put that on the internet, Lorda mercy, someone do an intervention for me)
-7-
Although I do not get to see my mom this weekend, I DO get to travel to Orlando next week to see the WHOLE FAMILY. Beyond excited. I am so looking forward to seeing all of my siblings, nieces, nephews, parents, heck even my parents' crazy dog (also known as my Father's fourth daughter). Really really pumped to see everyone!
Family time, Florida style...my caption for this pic on facebook is a perfect description of our beach days:
pass the SPF 4, chatting chatting, what are you reading, do you see the kids, anymore pretzels, oops watch that wave, man I wish we'd brought beer...
We do no schedules but routines. We try to watch sleep cues and go from there it works for us because I'm home. I think pumping is easier...this is from someine who pumped exclusively for 7 mo with number one and nursed exclusively to 13mo with number 2. But it didn't feel right to pump and give bottles to #2 so I didn't do it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are Boston.
ReplyDeleteAre these older Catholics? Who take Vatican II as something it is not?
Vatican II actually was meant to prevent this, to think we have everything online in our own language to help understand our faith.
So, good thing I never told you my SH (secret heresy). Ha, ha, just kidding...I actually don't have one.
ReplyDeleteAs far as naps go, my only policy is that I have no policy. I basically just drag my baby around wherever I go, nap schedule be damned. She can sleep or not sleep, and I don't care, but I'm not going to stay home or work around her naps at this age...with three older kids I just can't and I NEED the outside interaction. I also can't really leave her...she needs to be soothed (nursed) down for naps, during naps, etc...so I just drag her along wherever I go...even to girls night out. Somehow it all works.
As far as naps go, what I have read and follow is pay attention to when they normally fall asleep and try to plan to nap around that time. If you want her to be a good sleeper having a routine in important. It might take a week or two but if you are consistently putting her to sleep around 10am for an hour nap and then again at 1pm for a two hour nap and then maybe a cat nap btwn 5:30-6 and then to bed around 9...Now this varies for every kid but this is what Juls did and Miriam is doing too. They tend to drop the cat nap around 9 months and are on two naps til about 15 months. Then it's just one nap a day.
ReplyDeleteYes I plan my days around their naps. It makes them nice children for when dad get's home. And it's my down time. You need that once they get a little older and run you ragged. It's harder to establish a nap routine as they get older.