Sleep-the great love maker

Sleep allows me to love my family more...

Sure, I love them unconditionally, but the sleep conditions my love to be silky and smooth.

Cdubs has been a pretty good sleeper after the first two months.  She nixed her night feeding after 2 months (ok, we nixed it for her).  And we have been pushing up bedtime earlier and earlier to where she was getting 8-9 hours of sleep without waking up.

And then, teething happened and napping more regularly and well a mouse pissed on a cottonball somewhere in the hemisphere and began disturbing her rest....regularly.

However, last night was as close to nights of yore as we've had in a week:
no late night feedings, no inconsolable crying, just a little fuss at midnight that a bit of snuggling cured and nothing else till 6:30.

I have become better with dealing with less sleep...but not by much.  I have always needed sleep.  It is actually the most selfish thought I had when I found out I was pregnant: great, there goes my sleeping habits, esp my naps.  I used to be able to nap at a drop of hat, but now I stay up analyzing random things and/or hearing her noises.  So when I finally do fall asleep (after an hour of getting to a good sleeping place), SOMEONE is ready to get up.  Now, Kdubs, God love him, offers to let me sleep in or take naps and he'll handle her for a couple of hours...except IT NEVER WORKS.

I'll hear her fussing from the next room or not hear her and worry about why I can't hear her and then there goes any progress I had towards deep sleep.

I know, I know that this will be life until she is 30...

However, I have come up with a genius idea: a turkey timer in the baby that goes off before bedtime that tells you "hey, i'm not sleeping tonight."  I think if I knew she wasn't sleeping, I could steal myself for it...like cramming for a test or pulling an all-nighter.  It is the lure of sleep lost that kills me.

This all being said...when she lets me sleep (esp. when I haven't had it in a couple of nights), oh she is gorgeous!  Seriously...beauty sleep with her works transactively...her letting me sleep makes her more gorgeous. 

As if that is possible. (I know I need to take better pictures!  But I am either tired or in spending too much time kissing those cheeks!)

Fun with Photo Booth

We have had some fun photo shoots with our Mac Photo Booth throughout the last few months:

Here is a smattering!

Modeling our new monogram blanket

January

sleeping at Mimi's

January

 sleeping on mom

January

Picture for Dad
February

tummy time
February

Mom as backpack
March

putting on our party dress
March

Being punk rock
March

Falling asleep with Mom and Dad in bed

April

I think it is really funny to see how much hair she had just a few short months ago! I also love looking at these pictures and realize how much more vibrant she has become...how much more fun she is each week.

Medical Questions

One of my biggest fears with a baby is that she will get sick.

Not just THE BIG SICK...I mean the little sick that she will get.

Even though, I made a deal with her two months ago that if she never got sick until she was 60 then I would give her a million dollars.

So, in case she renigs on my deal,  I need to ask all you experts out there what do you do when:

It is the middle of the night (no 24/7 pharmacy here either, so this is pre-planning) and...

1.) the baby is throwing up (do babies throw up?)
2.) the baby has a fever (below the take the hospital line-which I forget what that is now, but I have it written down in her medical book, I swear).
3.) she has diarrhea.

Any other ailments I haven't thought of?

I am making my list of new over the counter medicines to bring back when go to the states next month...because NOTHING here is over the counter.  Not even tylenol or vitamins.

So give me any medical wisdom you got people!

Sorry for the mush

I will blame my last mushy post on homesickness.

And I blame the homesickness on the nasty weather and lack of sleep.

We are trying to get Cdubs to fall asleep without nursing.  She went down okay but kept getting up every couple of hours.

So I was exhausted to boot...

But today is Friday, the sun is shining and the cheeks, they are aplentiful.

The spark

When I first met Ken, we were in Russian politics.  And we didn't actually meet.  We just made eyes at each other, and he wouldn't talk to me when I tried to cross his path after class.  He claims shyness.  Even when we were just eye flirting...we had something...a spark.   That spark let me know that this was something.  Something special.

I don't think that THAT spark is something felt in just romantic love.  I think that with every type of relationship there can be a moment that you just know that they are special.

I have had it at college, I have had it at work, I have even had it with several bloggers (okay, I couldn't think of a way to make a third blog link, but here you go McMommy).

I have met these women and thought, "Oh yes, we will be friends." 

And I haven't had that here.  I mean, it has only been a two months...so I can't expect the first person I meet to be my Austria-friend-soul-mate.  But I would really like it to happen like that. 

Is it just me?  Am I a plutonic-romantic-er-plutontic? 

My mom says I should just be friends with everyone and don't expect perfection...
Thoughts?

Swaddling: THOUGHTS and ADVICE

Oh, how I love the Swaddler.

With the actual swaddling blankets, I am all thumbs and elbows.

Cdubs can get out of those with one tiny puff of those cheeks.

But the velcro lovliness of the Swaddler has been essential in us getting to 8-9 hours of sleep at night.  (I know I am lucky...it is not every night but it is close...and to make you feel better: she barely naps at all unless it is on me.)

Also, with the swaddler we use a sleep positioner to keep her towards one side (I was a "SIDS test baby" and the dr. said that keeping me on the side was best...so says my mom...so does I). 

Now that Cdubs is getting more mobile/squirmy, I am a little worried about her being all pinned in...in case she rolls off of the positioner (which would be a feat of strength, but she is a strong big girl...I would not put it past her).

I have been reading up on transitioning out of the swaddler: when to and how to...but when we've tried to let her sleep half swaddled or with a sleep sack, she keeps waking herself up....

Should we keep trying?  what do we do about the positioner?  when do we stop using that?

Or do we just keep going with nice luxurious sleep until she says otherwise?

THOUGHTS and ADVICE wanted and needed

An unintended bloggy break

Sorry for the bloggy break, but I have been enjoying time with my family...
Mine.
Not my parents' family.
But mine

We have been trying to get out more with varied success.

Part of me has such a hard time leaving my nest...I am quasi-agoraphobic and the baby can both help repress and exacerbate this problem.

We have been going all around Vienna and exploring the different districts and sights.  To the right, is us at the Prater...the old Imperial hunting grounds now turned crazy-ass state fair.  It is tons of fun.

It has been fun and the perfect way to introduce the three of us to traveling together.  Kdubs knows that both of us need to be fed and comfy to be happy travelers.

That being said, most problems are all me.  I get nervous or uncomfortable about changing/nursing/crying baby out in public and I just want to go home.  After I get used to the idea that "hey, it's a baby; get over it people," then I am fine.  But when she gets into a crying jag, it is hard not to feel like a bad mom.

This past weekend, Kdubs surprised us with a boat tour down the Danube (well up the Danube) to the town of Melk. Through the wine region and up to the Abbey (picture right).  It was gorgeous and made me love Austria and miss home at the same time.

The area really reminds me of the Blue Ridge and my favorite lakes from the south, even though the weather was gross.

I wish there were more opportunities for pictures, but we are definitely taking family and friends here when the visit...so COME VISIT!

That being said, I am getting excited about coming home for a month+ in about a month+.  Here are some cute Cdubs pics to distract us all until May 14th.

Rocking her first pair of jeans
and giving what Kdubs refers to as her "judgey" look.

Easter Ready!
I am not a smocking type of mom, but if there ever was an occasion: Easter is it!

I hope everyone is doing well...and forgives this blogging break...but those cheeks are very distracting.