Contentment is the key...

...to happiness. I have been thinking a lot lately about being content in all situations. There are several things that I am tempted to be ungrateful for or sometimes I even envy what others have that I don't. I am learning to be thankful in all things...even the things that don't seem so great. Our faucets in the downstairs bathroom and kitchen broke...so no warm water to wash dishes and bottles, or warm up those bottles. Frustrating. There is, however, warm water upstairs in our bathroom. And while I am not going to tote all my dishes up there, I can bring some water down to mess with the bottles. I am thankful I have water...because some do not. So even if it is not flowing out of all 3 sinks like I would like it to be, it is there, and I am choosing to be grateful.

I am grateful for so many things today:

-water, my sweet little boy, food to eat, a car that runs, a house to live in, my family, knowing that God knows my needs, being able to trust in His unfailing love

How could you not be thankful for this sweet face?

Separation Anxiety

Well, they say that at some point your baby will develop anxiety at being separated from you. For Aidan, this is not yet the case. He happily hangs out with anybody as long as they let him smile at them. So, being a very brave mommy, I have been slowly introducing Aidan to the church nursery. I kinda hoped that he would feel some sort of hesitation when I plopped him down in foreign territory, but this was not the case for Mr. Smileypants. Aidan loves the activity of the nursery. Screaming babies, toys galore, utter chaos, it's his place to thrive. He just watches the other babies and eats whatever toy he can grab (this is the part that I just have to cringe and then walk away, trying not to think about which baby feasted on it last). Anyway, all that to say...while I have been semi-enjoying my newfound freedom of sitting through a church service with little distraction, I am very distracted by the fact that Aidan is in the nursery. I find myself suffering from my own mild case of "separation anxiety" and frantically check the time to see how much longer until I can go and "rescue" him. My worry is usually all in vain because when I go in to check on him or to retrieve him, he is content, cared for, and generally pretty happy. I wonder when he will need me as much as I need him.

Yikes!

The title says it all... "Yikes," I haven't written on here in a long time. :)

Life has been full of business and distractions. As of late my days have been filled with trying to get Aidan adjusted to a 4 hour feeding schedule, 3 naps (2 long ones, 1 short), sleeping until 7:00-7:30ish in the a.m., eating new foods, etc... Motherhood just plain wears me out sometimes. :) All that, and I've been waking up the last few mornings at 5:58 (Seth used to set his alarm for this time, but after several "discussions" we no longer have that disturbance, but my body is adjusted to waking then anyway) with this ridiculous song about bears replaying over and over again in my mind. I heard the song on one of Aidan's cds and it's stuck in my brain now. I've asked God if he wants me to learn anything from the song, but I haven't really gained much spiritual understanding from "bears don't drink from a cup."

Anyway, I am currently looking for a second part-time job and feeling frantic some days about how slow the process is. I am learning once again how to trust in God. My days feel so full now, that I don't know how life will look once God turns things around, but I'm hopeful for some positive change.

Aidan is growing so much...He has developed a strong fascination for tags...tags on clothes, toys, towels, pillows, etc... Who cares how bright and beautiful the toy is Mommy, I just want to lick the tag. :) They must have an extra special flavor because Aidan has tried them all and never stops trying to devour every last one. He also has recently learned to eat his toes and enjoys their unique flavor too. He gets excited about so many things: when I get my keys out to unlock the door, going outside, going downstairs to play, watching the water fill up his bath, getting his diaper changed, watching the news, watching Mommy dance like a crazy person, jumping in his new Johnny Jump-up, and more. I love the little booger.

Things that make me smile...

This was an email my Grandma sent to me this morning that I just had to share.

Grandma, you are the best!

GREETINGS TO OUR DEAR GRANDCHILD.

I CAME DOWN TO MY COMPUTER THIS MORNING AND THERE WAS A SNAKE ON MY DESK. I GOT A LITTLE HYPER AND THOUGHT THIS GUY SHOULD BE OUTSIDE. AS I REACHED TO CATCH HIM HE SHIMMED UNDER MY COMPUTER. I LIFTED UP MY COMPUTER AND GRABBED HIM BY THE TAIL ,I THOUGHT. I KNEW HE WOULD BE HAPPIER OUTSIDE IN A TREE AND SO WOULD I. WHEN I GOT OUTSIDE WITH HIM I COULD SEE BETTER AND GOT A GOOD LOOK AT HIM. I HAD GRABBED HIM BY HIS HEAD INSTEAD OF HIS TAIL AS I HAD THOUGHT. I PUT HIM ON A TREE AND HE SCURRIED OFF. THE ONLY THING HE LEFT ME WS A FOUL ODER ON MY HAND, WHICH I SOON GOT RID OF.

WELL THAT WAS MY STORY FOR TODAY. HAVE A GOOD ONE. grandma

5 months!

I can't believe that Aidan is 5 months old already! He is doing so many new things. Just to list a few:

-grabbing both of his feet (all the time)

-reaching for his bottle and trying to hold it

-rolling over both ways (just figured out back to tummy)

-sitting up all by himself (for a few minutes anyway)

-soothing himself in the car

-eating cereal, veggies, and bananas

-and just being as cute as ever!

The joys of CIO (Cry It Out)

CIO is a controversial topic among many mothers. Some think it is unusually cruel and unloving, while others think it goes hand in hand with the development of good sleeping habits. I would have to agree with the latter.

While I have never been one to let Aidan cry for very long, I do think it is important for him to learn to sleep on his own. For about 2 months, he was the best about going down for naps and bed. He would lay right down without more than a tiny tired fuss. Then 4 months happened and sleep regression occurred. Along with that, he got his first ever cold. Somehow, I found myself rocking, singing, shushing, and patting him to sleep. This was new for me. I felt awful about letting him cry because his nose was stuffy and would only get worse with the crying. So, I gave in. His cold got better, I was still singing and rocking. Two days ago, I went back to square one. Put him in his bed and gave him 5 minutes to calm himself. He was out in about 3-5 minutes. Way to go little one. Just three days of this now and his crying is down to 0-2 minutes. I will be honest and say that I don't know what I would do if he cried for much longer. My rule has always been to give him 5 minutes and then if he is still crying, reassure him and give him another 5. I don't think it's ever gone beyond that, but I'm not sure what the next rule would be if I had to have one. I'm just lucky he loves his sleep enough to not fight it too long. Yet, even 5 minutes seems like too long sometimes...and I want to rush in and comfort him. But I know in the end I will be thankful I did this...and he will be too.

A day in the life...

Here is our day today. An unbelievably pleasant one.

5:58: Wake to Seth's alarm going off. Amazed that Aidan did not wake up in the middle of the night like he has been for the past 2 weeks.

6:57: Aidan wakes up. Yeah for him.

7:00 Nurse Aidan.

7:30: Pump, watch the news, let Aidan play on the floor.

7:50: Out the door for our morning walk.

8:20: Inside again and Aidan down for a nap.

8:20-9:00: Shower for me, time with the Lord, laundry started.

9:20: Aidan wakes up from his nap talking.

9:30-10:00: Bottle then cereal and banana for Aidan.

10:00-10:30: Poopy diaper change, bathtime for Aidan, Aidan down for nap.

10:30-11:15: More laundry stuff. Computer time.

11:15: Aidan wakes and fusses, but goes back to sleep.

11:15-1:00: Finish getting ready for the day, eat lunch, pump, make grocery list and menu plan, read Mere Christianity.

1:00: Aidan wakes up and drinks a bottle.

1:45: Out the door to go to Wal-mart.

2:45: Back home from the store, Aidan down for a nap.

2:45-3:45: Laundry, pump, get ready for work, eat a snack, leave for work.

The rest of the day will look something like this...

4:00-5:30: Work

5:45: Come home, leave for Seth's parent's house.

6:00-8:00: Time with Seth's family.

8:00: Aidan down for the night.....Time to relax before bedtime.

A wonderful day.