day 5 NaBloPoMo: the Snaply

Remember how I said things were changing with our weekend morning routines? That Lovie wasn't interested in snuggling in bed with us while watching cartoons? And I was kinda bummed about it?

Well, that is still the case, but she does still like to snuggle for naps.

Introducing the Snaply, the snugly nap:

room was dark and flash was too bright so i had to keep my eyes shut during the photo

They're the bomb diggity and I highly encourage you to take advantage if you have time.

I know it may seem like you don't have time, but oh man is it worth it if you can make it...


We scored free tickets to the circus yesterday but the show was at 1 o'clock. That's usually nap time if we're lucky. But thanks to the time change and Lovie falling asleep in the car on the way home Saturday night, she woke before any other human in the world yesterday and we were able to get in an earlier than usual nap before the Circus.

At first we tried our regular old read-a-story-lay-your-ass-down-in-bed-and-take-a-nap routine. But someone wasn't having it. So I quietly went into her room--light still out, shades still down--and scooped her up into my arms to tell her a spooky story, which she still requests.

She burrowed into me and I told a story until we both fell asleep...The two of us...Sitting on a super comfy yet cheap ass chair from IKEA.

I woke up about an hour into the nap with a stiff neck and Taye peeked in shortly after. I asked that he take the photo because I know what it feels like to hold her and get an awesome Snaply in, but I wanted to see what it looked like, too.

Just as wonderful as it felt.

Footsie Friday

Lovie is seriously *THIS CLOSE* to crawling. I know I've been saying that for days now, but it's true. Even the day care teachers keep telling me, "She's SO close!"  (I told them yesterday that I didn't want to know if she does it for them.)

I'm blaming this new milestone for the reason she's not napping much at day care again. Yesterday she got in two naps at a half hour a piece. She was out as soon as we got in the car and rolled right over as soon as I laid her in the crib once we got home.

She turned 7 months yesterday so I was hoping to do our usual photo shoot to celebrate. But she just slept and slept and slept.  She did the same thing on Monday, too. Slept from the time we got in the car at roughly 345 and just slept the entire rest of the day and night until the next morning (we wake early- by 530 she's dressed for the day during the week).

I miss my sweet baby doll on days like these.

Oh well, at least I got these cute pics of her feet. : ) 

And my BFF/cousin sent pictures from Lovie's birth day so there are newborn feet too!

 

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Linking up with THREE blog hops this week (Hi Newbies!! Welcome!! Hope you like what you see or read. I'm having computer issues here at work this morning so I may be slow in getting back with you but I'll do my best, I promise. Have a great day.):

1. 

2.  Blog Hop Friday!

3. 

   

You take the good, you take the bad

So daycare (DC). Lovie goes to an independent center that’s actually a Preschool… they even having Kindergarten classrooms. This was an awesome plus when deciding to let Lovie attend the place because she wouldn’t be plopped in front of a tv (none there!) and all of the teachers are sure to have a higher education in early education so there are actual lesson plans- even in the infant room! Sure it’s more expensive than in-home care, but I sincerely feel that this is the best place for Lovie. She’s thrived and I really do attribute a lot of that to the care they provide. Plus, because we’re most likely on team One and Done, she gets the social interaction she most certainly wouldn’t get at home alone with me if we could afford me to stay home with her. (Please, please don’t tell me if we cut back on things and sacrifice here and there, I could be a SAHM. I can’t. Not now. I bring too much debt and a condo that can’t sell for what I owe into the big picture, so until things turn around with the economy, we both have to work full time.)

So for the most part, I really am grateful for Lovie’s DC. It’s been nearly five months now (next week- holy shit eh!) and I really like all of her teachers and even the babies in her room. But there’s one thing I don’t care for- and haven’t since nearly the beginning: Lovie naps like shit when she’s there.

See Lovie’s quite the observer and needs to be up in everyone’s business. It’s not that she has to be right there in the middle of whatever’s happening per say, but she does have to be able to at least see what’s going on. She’s always been like this- even from birth when she was pulled out of me… She wouldn’t scream for the doctors (I think her Agpar- or whatever it's called level- was like 5 or something because of this!!) because she was too busy looking around (true story!)! The doctors even had to zap her with this buzzer thing a couple times to get a cry out of her! I mean, what healthy baby doesn’t scream as soon as they’re set free from the warmth of the womb?!?

Anyway back to the lack of napping thing…I’m tired of picking her up from DC and her passing out as soon as we get in the car. I mean, yes, it’s great that she sleeps so easily in the car because the commute can be over an hour some days but it’s more than that. When we finally do get home, she still naps and naps and naps. Yesterday for example, she napped a total of ONE HOUR at school. She’s there for 9 hours! How is a one hour nap for a near 7 month old even acceptable?!

“She was feisty, today,” was the response I got regarding the one, 1-hour nap.

Grrr. I really try not to let it get to me but it’s just hard. I do understand it’s hard for them because she really does like to constantly be in the middle of everything but golly gee, maybe if her crib wasn’t RIGHT NEXT TO THE PLAY AREA, she might be able to close her eyes?!

I guess I just need to pull up my big girl panties and confront them once and for all and ask WHY her crib is first and if they can move it to the back of the room.

I mean I totally understand that she naps much better at home because there isn’t 11 other babies running, screaming, crying, playing, eating, shitting, whatever. I get that. But it’s not like it’s a library at home, either; we talk in our normal voices, we watch TV at a regular level, etc.

I just miss my baby doll so much during the work day and rush to pick her up to spend some time with her- but then when we get home all she does is nap (yesterday was the worst- napping from the time we hit the car until her bedtime, waking up once to have a bottle and going right back down!).. And, yes, I can be selfish and keep her awake (most days) but that’s really not good for her. She, like every baby, needs to get their rest.

This is all just one more reason why I don’t even think I’m going to do a trial two week run with a compressed work week my job is offering – because it’ll mean she get even LESS nap time in during the nine days I’d be working later.

Ughs. Anywaaaaaaaaay. It’s Friday. Tomorrow I have to get a root canal (which I’m actually looking forward to so hopefully I can go one day without a screaming headache by the end of it) and Sunday the husband has to go into work early which means it’s just me and my Lovie! Cannot wait!

empty

I miss her so much this morning.

I think it has something to do with the fact that she only napped like an hour and a half all day yesterday while at daycare. I knew she was ass tired so I let her sleep (obviously) in the car during the ride home yesterday, as well as when we got home. I didn't try taking her out of the car seat or anything either because I knew she needed to sleep.

She proved me right by not waking until almost 6.

Her bedtime is at 7.

I pick her up at 330 everyday and by the time we get home (city traffic can blow chunks), it's usually around 445.

In plainer terms, she slept from 330-6 yesterday. Then she woke and I gave her a bottle after trying to give her carrots first (she just cried- she was starving and couldn't wait for the carrots). Daddy came home and snuggled her for a bit. Then he gave her the rest of the carrots (she's such a good eater!), then a bath, then I read a couple stories, and then she went to bed.

I hate days like yesterday. I hate getting an hour with the love of my life. I want more time with her. I miss her so stinkin' much.

And now I'm at work and she's at daycare and they get to see her smiles and hear her giggles and all I get is an empty car seat in the back of my car.

Until 330.

Gosh, I hope she takes a longer nap(s) there today.

...7.5 more hours peanut butter (dear god please make it go by fast!)

Post-free Weekends

Funny how I claim not to post on the weekends because I'm all up in Lovie's buisness and then, lo and behold, this is like week three with a post. But, again, it's because she's napping.

And I'm certain she's still napping (three hours now) because she's catching up on her lack of napping that gets done at daycare; because while there's classical music playing in the background pretty loudly, it's still pretty quiet here and she's able to sleep instead of catnap and be woken up by a screaming kid or a flying toy (or both, eh).

Happy early Mother's Day everyone... including those not officially moms. You know - like aunts, sisters, cousins, even some dads. I know it used to steam me every Mother's Day that passed and I would never get wished a HMD even though I always loved my nephews and nieces as if they were my own.  I don't believe there's an Aunt's Day or anything.

So Happy early Mother's Day to anyone and everyone out there who loves, nurtures, cares for another in a motherly way.

nappies

Once again, it's been a long week. It just doesn't seem to go by as fast as it does when I'm with Lovie all day.

Sigh.

Every day this week, I've been holding her when we get home from work/school. She's ALWAYS asleep when we get home and because I really do think she needs the sleep, I let her sleep in the car seat while I log the times that she ate and the quantities and get a few other things done. Then, I'll carefully get her out of the car seat and just hold her... and all week she's been letting me do this and just continues to sleep on my chest as scrunched up as she can get.

It's not like it used to be though.

When she was younger, she'd scrunch up on me and fit perfectly on me - her body would lay on my stomach under my huge boobs, and she'd use those as a pillow. Now, she still tries to scrunch up but her legs often fall and hang in my lap and her arms drape across my neck while she uses my neck as a pillow.

She's grown SO much.

I love when she sleeps on me. I love that I can provide that comfort for her... something I hope I can always do for her.

How tired?

Last night I fell asleep on the couch.

(heh, I love this picture. thank you google images)

This was after Lovie had her bottle and was taking a snooze in her swing - and before dinner arrived.

That's how tired I've been.

How tired?

So tired that I fell asleep on the couch waiting for dinner to come. I have so little energy that I not only don't cook these days but I also nap between Lovie's naps and dinner time.

I'm a sad Momma. (And by sad I mean pathetic)

I hope I can get used to all of this soon... though I reckon missing her whilst I'm at work will be one of those things I never get used to.