Nightmare of a Day

8 Months, Going on 9... (37.5 Weeks Old)

This has been a day. Actually a week. I thought I'd give you a little taste of life at home now.
Yesterday Aldo and I did nothing all morning (meaning we watched tv and held Mila) because I had to go into work at 3. Well, just because Aldo was being nice, scooting on the couch closer beside him I pointed to my shoulder and asked him to massage it. It wasn't necessarily hurting, but it could use a little love and attention. He didn't do much; not what I wanted him to do anyways, and so a few minutes later I got in the shower and ready to go to work.
When I got out of the shower, it felt like I got a crick in my neck! (And that my dears is why you are supposed to drink water…) There wasn't any issue before though, so why would it do this now? The rest of the night at the library my neck gradually grew more sore to where I couldn't move it, couldn't bend over because that strained it, and couldn't cough even.

So this morning I'm hoping the crick is gone. It's not. Mila still likes to be held. I was dreading holding her, not because I didn't want to… I just didn't want the neck pain. Mila ended up waking up at 7:00 am! Before Luke even LEFT for school! She usually wakes up around 10. Sometimes 12. I guess the sleep schedule is changing again. Ugh. So instead of having a quiet morning, I had to shuffle things, and make it work so I could finish the newsletter, clean the living room, have some quiet time, and still watch her and feed her. I had to pick up Luke's eye patch from the eye doctor (that we've been waiting on for months… and I'm not exaggerating). I had to cash a check today for Aldo so that he has his spending money (and I haven't even gotten my "blow money" in cash this month). And I had to get groceries because I'm out of cereal and almost milk and almost diapers (don't want to run out of those for sure) and baby food. BUT, of course, the other day I went on a field trip with Luke to the Sea Life Aquarium by Crown Center. We had a fun time and by the end I was exhausted. So that I wouldn't have to carry around a purse, etc. I decided to just put my credit card, ID, and health info all in my back pocket in the little insurance holder I keep everything in… and this morning couldn't find it. I distinctly remember it on the green chair, but also in the laundry room on the dryer, and a time when Mila was digging through stuff and I caught her with it, took it away and put it somewhere. So I couldn't find it. How am I going to pay for groceries? I called, and they said they accept checks. Whew, I thought, I can still get some work done, come back and find my cards later. I go shopping. I probably spend 30 minutes to an hour looking at Mother's Day cards only to NOT find anything that describes mom or our relationship, or her taste (sorry that hot pink zebra stripe/cheetah print will not work!) and since she works at Hallmark, I have this inner desire and conviction that I have to pick out the right card. I get the rest of my groceries, and by the end there, Mila is getting fussy and ready to go, so I cut the list short and go to purchase my cart-ful of items.
Checks require an ID. I don't have my ID. Thank goodness I have my ATM card. And thank goodness there's money in the bank. Oh my gosh, what a hassle. So I stood there like a dummy entering and re-entering my 4-digit passcode trying to get money out and it continued to say there's an error. After the 7th or 8th time, I figure out that I don't have a checking account and maybe I should select "savings". Error. Ok, try the numbers flipped. Finally, it works! Hallelujah! I barely bought anything and it cost $128. By that time, I was almost like - forget it. It's the end of the month and I'm spending this much on milk and bread? (No meat in the basket?) That's ridiculous!

For the rest of the afternoon I've been looking for this stupid card packet. It's not in the green chair. Not in the new couch. Not in the Franken-couch. Not in the laundry room. Not in my pockets, purses, library bag, dresser, clothes pile… where did it go?

Mila likes to pull stuff out of her diaper bag and out of my purse, and today she kindly helped me by emptying out one of the grocery bags. (There's a trail, showing where she's been.) Right now the dishes are clean, so I'm thinking it's about time for me to get my life together….!
And to start - let's catch up on some blogging, some likes/dislikes, some pictures!!

• Dad (PaPa) came over to visit - Mila still takes a while to warm up to him - and he mentioned that when I was little, I liked to climb up his belly to his neck and shoulders. Literally, the very next day, Mila started doing the same thing. She loves to walk up my belly to my shoulders and jump on my neck. It doesn't help the crick. It's the cutest thing though when her smile is from ear to ear and you see her big "toofers" popping out because her feet are in your face.
• Mila eats baby food now. Stage 2: Sitter. Even though she's crawling and pulling up, she likes Stage 2 best, too many chunks to gag on in the Stage 3, and Stage 1 is too soupy. Best flavors are in Stage 2 also. She likes the "calm" fruity things (apples, pears, bananas, sweet potato). But, she enjoys a little cinnamon added. Or a sip from my Gatorade or Horchata. (Now that I think about it, I'm not as stickler about things with her as I was with Luke. Darn! I said I wouldn't be THAT parent. The one that lets the second child get away with everything and is more harsh on the first and expects more out of the first… They're the first child - how are they supposed to know what to do?! They don't have an older example! …rant over.) Macaroni and cheese flavor is out of the question. And so is anything green. Hey, and can finally suck on those first baby cereal snacks without choking! But if she gets two or more in her mouth, she'll gag. Lesson learned. 
• I got her this cow toy that you can put balls in. She likes the balls. She likes blocks. She likes things that shake, light up, make noise, or shine. She likes bracelets. She likes brushes (hair or tooth). She looooooves remotes. She likes anything that I want and say she can't have.
• She can pull up on things and she's beginning to walk along the couch, etc. It won't be long until she's walking on her own. 
• She recognizes Elmo. She recognizes Peppa Pig.
• She knows sign language!! She's been tugging on her shirts for the longest time and finally we got it… she's saying please!!! I thought she had it switched with "ta da", but she didn't. She was doing the tug without me knowing. Momma wasn't getting it. Aldo figured it out the other day. So for future reference, when you teach your child something, the next step is to be aware when they use it!
• We're still working on the sleeping in her crib and out of a bottle. And teaching her "no" or "ouch" means stop what she's doing. And also, "night night" or "lay down" because lately she's been staying up wayyy past what a little baby should. We get in bed and instantly she wants to crawl around, blow on mommy's belly, look adorable in front of daddy, look at the touch light between our headboard, and climb around the headboard. Being sick these last few days has put a hiccup in our weaning off of mommy and out of our bed. First, I am exhausted. Second, Mucinex lowers your milk supply, as well as do a lot of other things. I'm trying to stay away from formula… it's just so expensive. And if I have the milk supply… well then, I guess I can bear the bites a bit longer.

The whole urgency for sleeping in a crib and going to bottle is because in June we have the Awaken Camp with the church youth again. And this year they want me to come even though I'll have Mila. (They're breaking their "no kids" rule for me!) And even though I'll be completely distracted with her and won't be able to do much. I don't know if they understand how clingy to momma she is…

Speaking of clingyness - She is still clingy, but she'll go to a few people. Amber Springer during our On Pointe classes on Tuesday nights. It was an easy thing to do. Probably because she's in the nursery with all the toys and Luke is in there too. Sheri Smith. I have no idea why. Ricky Skaggs. These last few times at Bible study he's held her and she just stares at him. (He is a bit strange, isn't he? Ha!) And there are people she hasn't warmed up to yet, that you think she would… Maecy and Ember for instance. 

And here are some major pictures I have missed.

Big Girl's First Bath

Mateo Came to Visit!

Early April - We Like to Watch Brother Play Soccer

Go Great White Sharks! Go #2! (P.S. Spring Soccer is freezing)

Happy Easter!

* Favorite: April - First Teeth on Top *

(Middle Right, Gap, Next to Middle Left)

On/Off Schedule

I could pull my hair out.. Thank goodness it's the end of the day. This morning we slept in a little; Luke's game wasn't until noon but he had pictures so he did have to look good-ish. I woke up at 8 and started on drying the laundry and washing some dishes. We've run out of bowls and spoons and pans and pots so many times... I hate dishes. I'd really like to just go buy more bowls and silverware, but I know if I did that then out dirty pile would become a mound and start molding if it hasn't already. Anyway, Luke had a pretty good game (he had a nice save as goalie, laying down to block the ball, and even though they lost 6-3, he didn't seem disappointed or wanting to give up completely). Note to self for future kids: spring sports that are outside are going to be cold. I use my Mommy wrap thing and snuggle her in there and then wear one of Aldo's jackets and zip us up together. We look weird I'm sure, but at least she's warm. I hope. Luke went with Grammy and Mila and I headed home.

She fell asleep in the car seat (I should've done something productive now that I think about it) and so I played Cooking Fever on my phone, waiting forever for Luke to come home. When he didn't and Mila had finally woken up, I took her out and let her play with her basket of toys while I watched an episode of Falling Skies. By the end, I had layed down, across our new couch, telling myself I can't fall asleep because Mila can't be alone without someone watching her constantly. She pulls on cords, she eats paper, she'll crawl under tables and get stuck, she pull up things and get stuck because she'll bop her head if she falls down. I ended up falling asleep. When I closed my eyes I know she was playing with the microphoned robot that's out of batteries on one side of her car seat, when I snapped awake realizing what I had done, she was on the other side of the car seat. Did I only snooze for 15 minutes, was it an hour? I don't know because it honestly felt like 4 hours. I don't know where the time went.... 

For the rest of the day Mila has been high-pitched yelling at me. Feed me. Change me. Watch me. Entertain me, monkey. You're not getting it. I'm tired. But I don't want to sleep. Figure it out. 

The problem is, she has no set schedule like Luke did. I could tell you within 15 minutes Luke's nap time and eating time, etc. Mila wakes up at noon. Mila wakes 8:00 am. Mila wakes up at 10:00 am. Mila has 3 naps. Mila has no naps. Mila goes right to sleep when we go to bed. Mila wants to stay up and play, look at the light on the wall, play with Daddy, take Mommy's glasses. I know she has some form of schedule there... Maybe right now she's going through a growth spurt or something and so it's changing, but goodness... I would really like to know what it is. 

Success story of the day: tonight putting her in bed was difficult. So I thought, we're going to quiet down and get prepped for this night night time... Make the atmosphere. I out a movie in my computer for us to watch in bed. It was Peppa Pig playing with bubbles. And Mila laughed at it! She giggles and tried to hit the keyboard. Finally! Something she enjoys!!!

As I'm laying here in bed typing this out, I feel wonderful. Dang, I'm a good mom. Pat yourself on the back cause you is awesome!

Mila Unchained

34 Weeks.

I'm not doing very well on my blogging. Let's just say March was utter madness, mainly because we were all sick and it went around in this vicious circle. But we are all better now. No more breathing treatments, no more kleenex boxes, no more pink medicine.

Mila got her third tooth on March 21. It isn't the typical middle one on top, it is one next to the middle one (to her, left side). Days later she got the middle one (right top). Grammy and I were joking that she'll look like a hill billy (Aldo's "I eat dirt" face comes to mind), but yesterday I saw that her other middle tooth is showing, not popped through yet, but showing. She gets on her knees and can inch forward on them, but she's faster army crawling with her left arm strength and left toes pushing. Over the weekend I caught her sitting on her knees looking into her car seat, playing with the seat belts. On Tuesday, I was on the phone with mom for maybe 20 seconds searching for a recipe, I came into the living room and found her STANDING, holding onto her walker. Now she pulls up on it every day. Last night she pulled up on the side of her crib.

Speaking of crib - this is the newest thing we have going on - we're trying to get Mila sleeping in her crib. She has slept with us every night since she was born, and I will admit, I don't mind her sleeping with us, except that eventually she'll need to sleep on her own. And, I believe that the marriage bed is a sacred place. Kids are welcome every now and then, but that time has come to an end for Mila. So, with this change, I have to get her on the bottle. Easier said than done. We've done it for two days and I've found she doesn't have a problem with the bottle or even drinking formula, although you can totally tell by her face that it's not her favorite. (Score for Mommy!) The difficult part is getting her to take a nap or go to bed with the bottle. It's one step at a time. Literally one step. First, we got her used to the bottle rather than me. Then formula. Then sitting in her crib for maybe 5 minutes with me there holding her bottle. She may be scared of the crib, I'm not really sure. Because last night while I was doing my 5 minutes, pushing it type-of-thing, I showed her the big pink paper balls that I hung as decoration from the baby shower. She wouldn't touch them. She would look at them, turn away and shake her head like she had the jitters. I took them down, but when we went back in, she looked for them still, and still shook her head. It was kind of cute, kind of sad that she's already maybe scared of something. I have breastfed every day for 8 months strictly from myself. They say sometimes moms get sad when then stop breast-feeding because it's like the baby no longer depends on you. I can see that. Mila bites, and she bites hard. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it, for continuing to breastfeed when it hurt, for continuing when it seemed tough like my milk was going low during growth spurts, for continuing when my milk was low through sickness. It's not an easy thing. Once you do it, it's like this huge accomplishment. And so it's kind of surreal that it's ending. I'll let you know how it goes. And maybe my body will go back to normal. (You know how when I was pregnant, everything was because I was pregnant? Now that I'm not pregnant, everything is because I'm breastfeeding. Examples: not touchy-feely physically or emotionally, dehydrated, and not on a cycle.)

I looked up the development for 34-week-olds the other day and it said that they'll start reaching up for things, and pulling themselves up. (Mila's ahead of the game.) But it also said that now is the time to start "labeling". They're learning the words, even if they may not speak them right away, they're learning them and remembering them. So you just repeat, repeat, repeat. We were playing with her toys, so I showed her BALL, PUPPY, BOOK, TOYS. She tried to feed me her BALL. It was so cute. I said, "Yum yum" and she kept feeding it to me, like it was play food. Do I remember when Luke used to do that? No. Sad face. I'm also teaching her KISS KISS. I always kiss her on the hand. I don't know why… it's just a thing. She always reaches out her hands wide open to me and so I kiss them I guess. I say, "Mommy kisses Mila's hand. Mommy kisses Mila's feet. Mommy kisses MILA!" and I finish by kissing her on the belly or in the crevices of her neck. She loves when I kiss her. She's been kissing us!! She'll kiss me near the inside of my elbow by falling forward with her mouth open and wait a few seconds and then laugh. Repeat. Slobber seeping out until my arm is covered because she's teething. Oh, my 8-month-old girl - you are adorable.

Her hair lays down. :(

Now for Luke, he is playing with her more and more - more rough too. He really gets her laughing, because he's willing to be loud and do crazy things. Mommy and Daddy aren't that loud. And we don't have the energy to jump up and down from squatting position. Especially for more than 5 minutes.

Luke started soccer at the end of March. He had his first game this past Saturday. He's good about staying in the game, not getting bored. He gets excited though and hops around on the field, galloping on his right side, so it gives away what leg he's going to kick with. And also he'll hesitate before his kick because he wasn't ready because he was galloping! Haha. I remember when Maecy played soccer she would get the ball and laugh, and wouldn't be able to keep it or control it. Luke is actually really good about kicking the ball down the field. During his game he assisted in many attempts at goal. The other thing he does really well, in Aldo's words, is "read the play" - so while every Kindergartener and First grader is in a huddle chasing the ball, he goes where no one else and is at the ready. "It's the mind of a defender." He still needs to work on the position of goalie and also shooting the ball in the goal, but in the that one game, I saw him improve so much. Yes, he let one ball pass him, giving the other team one point, but after that he dove for the ball! He saved two out of three shots. I couldn't be more proud. It was kind of tough because I didn't want him to feel disappointment for that shot - it tied up the game. I could imagine in that moment the other team winning later and him blaming himself. I reminded myself that I would cheer for him and the team the whole game, win or lose. Not let them lose heart. And also, that the point (agreed by other parents and the coach) was for the kids to have fun and learn some soccer basics. We're succeeding in that. Luke will walk around the house with his soccer ball. Whenever the weather is warm…. -ish…. Luke will ask if we can play soccer outside. He loves it! It was just an idea that we wanted him to get involved in a sport, whatever it may be, and he's embraced it. And Mila enjoys watching too! Oh, and I forgot to say, first game score 3-2… we won! And it was freezing! Never. Again.