Crib Strike

So for the past 2 1/2 - 3 months, Colm has decided that he likes Mommy and Daddy's bed SO MUCH BETTER than his own. I am not sure what exactly forced us to venture down this path to begin with, but I keep hoping this is merely just a phase. All though, we're beginning to have our doubts. I can remember the good old days where he'd sleep all night in his crib, no waking up, no crying, no problem. Those days are a fond and distant memory and I'm desperately trying anything to get back to that place of serenity, but it's not going very well. It seems to have started during the last teething cycle....he'd wake up SCREAMING and Matt or I would come running. We'd pick him up and try to get him back down by walking or rocking him to sleep, but the only thing that would really soothe him was laying with us, snugly in the middle. Normally, this would not be much of an issue. We've got space in our bed and Matt and I seem to fit comfortably with no problem. But when you throw a toddler in the mix, who loves to turn and twist and spin around and sleep completely sideways in his sleep, this presents an issue where neither of us have any space and are practically falling off of the edges of the bed. How can something so small take up so much room?? It's amazing! See diagram:

I am having a really hard time just letting him cry it out, but that's my next step. But I'm so torn because he is still so young and not fully able to tell me exactly what he wants or needs yet. I've read on one hand that it's good to let him just cry....it helps build independence. OMG...it's sooo hard. I've been so used to waking up and tending to my sweet baby for a year and 1/2 now, that it's hard to let him go and just wail. I feel almost like I'm betraying his trust...he's trusting me to come in there when he needs me. And when I don't show up, it's like "Where's my Mama?? I need my Mama and she's not here!" UGG....rip your heart out, right? But I've also read that it's good to let them sleep with you and good to come when they cry. Crying is their form of communication to you. When you come when they cry, it helps build trust and have a sense of security. I've read that by letting them sleep with you, there's a lower risk of SIDS because the parents are more in tune with the baby's breathing and the kid comes out to be a more well adjusted adult for having a good sense of security early on. So I have no idea what to do here. We're both so low on sleep that we're dragging during the day. I'm going to try letting him cry himself to sleep as much as I can stand it. If that doesn't work, I think I'm just going to let him fall asleep in our bed and try to sneak him back in his crib for the rest of the night. Man, being a Mom is seriously a tough job! I really wish these kids would pop out with an instruction manual! That would be pretty sweet!

Go Vegan Go!

In my plight to slim down and lose weight for my brother's wedding, I am not only trying to do yoga several times a week, but I'm also toying with the idea of completely changing my diet and going vegan. Now, my husband is a complete carnivore, the complete antithesis of a vegan and everything a vegan stands for. Can we say MEAT EATER?? He was Tyrannosaurus Rex in his past life, I swear! He's not aware of my new game plan yet and when he figures it out, I'm sure he'll be, to put it mildly, annoyed, but he'll get over it...after making fun of me for a few hours. So at the risk of sounding like an uber hippie, what's turned me onto vegan eating is the sheer practice of eating everything organically grown (which I already try to do anyway), stripped of chemicals, free of all dairy and all meat, and infused with super nutrients and natural detoxifiers and how good all of this is for your body. I'm sure that whole sentence just got an eye roll or several, but I don't care! I've recently discovered this restaurant and have fallen in love! I tried the rawsagna the other day and was so surprised at how good it actually tasted! I was expecting a bland blob of hippie food mixed with tofu, too much cumin and topped with something green and unidentifiable, but it actually tasted like lasagna and had similar textures and flavors. I was shocked! What shocked me even further was how GOOD I felt after eating it. It was like my body had a complete and total recharge. I had so much energy and felt like running a marathon! So why not try it out? I mean, if I like the food and it makes me feel so good, what's the harm in it? So, I'm going to try making a few recipes I found here and hope I don't overdose on tofu. Wish me luck!

Crazy Days are almost here...as if they weren't crazy enough already....

I must be insane....no certifiable.....for I have decided to take 6 hours of nutrition classes at TWU, starting August 31st. What am I thinking?? I'm struggling enough to work 40 hours a week, being a full-time mom, wife-extraordinaire, doer of all laundry, bill payer, budget planner, all while trying to maintain my girlish figure and squeeze in a few yoga workouts each week. So now I'm adding even more pressure on my life by taking a few classes?? In Denton??? Well, the way I see it, if I don't do this now, it's never going to get done and I know that I cannot, must not, will not continue down my current career path forever. I will literally shrivel up and die....someone will find me on the floor in a desicatted mass of what once resembled a human being. My job will suck the life out of me....so I have to do this! I have to go to school and I have to get on path to doing something I love, so I can quit doing credentialing for now and forever. So I've been running through in my head of how to maintain some type of schedule and salvaging what little sanity I have left. So far, the best thing I've come up will go something like this:

1. Wake up at 6:30 am - shower, dress, get kid dressed, feed kid breakfast, grab breakfast/lunch for the day, throw load of clothes in washer.
2. 7: 45 am- Drive to work - work. Eat/Study at lunch.
3. 5:30 pm - Come home - eat. feed kid, play with kid, bathe kid, get him down for bed (hopefully by 9:00 pm). Dry/Fold clothes. Study. Sleep.
4. If Tuesday or Thursday, yoga class at night will take place and daddy will feed/bathe kid those evenings. End day with studying and hopefully sleeping.
5. Weekends - Squeeze in a yoga class or 2, if possible in the early morning (8:15ish). Finish up whatever laundry is left. Play, feed, bathe kid. Study whenever available. Sleep.

Obviously, this schedule needs some tweaking, but I think if I can stick to this basic outline, I should be able to stay on top of things. Of course, in between all of that, I'm going to have to squeeze in my brother's wedding, moving into our new house and all of the holiday madness that will ensue. I really need to find a way to clone myself...seriously! But for now, I'll just settle for not going crazy....we'll see how that goes.

Mom, this is for you!

I love you Mom....and I totally understand now!

Pouty Face

If ever I thought my kid didn't resemble me in any way, shape, form or fashion, I was wrong. This is TOTALLY one of my faces! Even though he's pouting, this picture makes me happy! Enjoy...

Goodbye Spike

Yesterday was not a good day for us. Our baby Boston, Spike Jones, had to be put down. He was lethargic, had labored breathing and started peeing blood. Matt rushed him to the vet yesterday and they ran a bunch of tests on him and determined that his heart was enlarged and said he had congestive heart failure. They ran blood tests on him and sent him home last night, but his condition got so much worse in a span of hours. We rushed him back up to the ER vet and they said his lungs were filling up with fluid, his heart rate was highly elevated and he was having a difficult time breathing. He was in pain. They said they could do exploratory surgery, but couldn't guarantee that whatever they found could be treated. It was apparent that his health was rapidly deteriorating. We debated the situation for awhile and came to the conclusion he had to be put down. It was very peaceful when he went, but I am so heartbroken, because he was so young. He was only 4 years old. He was such a good dog...so sweet and loving and faithful. I'll miss him so much. We got a call this morning from the lab and they said he had cancer, so this was the right thing to do. He would not have had any quality of life if we opted to get treatment for him, if he was even treatable. Even though we both feel like we made the right decision, it just doesn't take the heartache away. I know our other 2 dogs suspect something is wrong, as they keep pacing around the house looking for him. Dilly immediately went into his kennel last night and slept there. She knows he's gone. My dear, sweet, lovable baby will be sorely missed, but I know he's in a better place and with no pain. I love you so much, my Baby Spike.

Yoga Nazi

So my brother is getting hitched in October and my goal is to try to be down at least 2 dress sizes by then. After having the kid, my body is stretched out in places that is not supposed to be stretched out! Weight wise, I actually weigh less than I did before I got pregnant. It's just that STUFF is dispersed a lot differently than before, and it's seriously annoying! I think I'd be happy if I lost about 15 pounds, which isn't a lot, but it's so hard when you are surrounded by constant temptation (my husband is King of Temptation....here honey, here's a bowl of ice cream....want a cookie with that??). So, I've started going back to yoga again. I do the power yoga, where the room is heated to a mere 98 degrees and the classes are instructed by tiny little yoga nazi instructors. Am I glutton for special self-torture? Probably. But it seems to be the only thing that helps me slim down and slim down fast. I love how I feel afterwards, even though during most of the classes, I feel like hurling. I really do feel healthy and strong. I just need to keep that mindset and stick with it. I have to force myself to find time to get to class. So the plan is to squeeze at least 3 workouts a week and cut back on sweets. I think if I can manage that, I can get down to my goal size by October. I've only got 2 1/2 more months, so I better get to it!