Multitasking

As in rooms. Our house is ever changing these days and with Christmas the need for more changes was evident. We need somewhere to store all those toys and books Connor was gifted. I don't want to keep a bunch of toys in the nursery because he really doesn't spend much time back there. It's clear we need to do some serious shuffling around here.

I hope to make our laundry room serve as the following:

• pantry (it's built in)
• mudroom (holding zone for coats, shoes, bags, umbrellas)
• pet storage (food, treats, litter, other supplies)
• laundry room (this means we need room for hampers and diaper pails too.)

I hope to make the front room serve as

• sitting area
• office
• playroom

Tis The Season

  Our Christmas was a whirlwind event. We always host Christmas Eve. This year we had 23 people. That's a lot of people for our house but we managed. It was low stress and a ton of fun. Our family and friends came over for food and to exchange gifts. Connor got lots of goodies but went to bed before he could open them.

 

Steven and I went back and forth about attending the 11 o'clock service. I love Christmas Eve service but we finally decided it would be too much of a gamble with Connor. We were hopeful he would sleep through it. 

After everyone left we cleaned dishes, stuffed stockings and passed out. 

Christmas morning came a little too early! We all got up and headed to the living room to check out our stockings. Connor was more interested in the stocking than the goodies inside. I have to say that I can't blame him. My mom did an amazing job on his stocking. It even came with a key telling what all the different fabrics were. I cried when I saw it. It's so meaningful and incredibly thoughtful. 

Connor literally pulled the wrapping paper off his gifts piece by teeny, tiny piece. We stopped about halfway through and Connor went down for his first nap! Seriously, he didn't have that much to open! 

Yes we're those people.....and after Ivy though every present was hers. 

After gifts, we planned a visit to Steven's grandma at the nursing home. Connor and I stayed home because he was due for another nap. 

We spent the evening at Steven's parent's house for more food, family and gifts. 

It was a wonderful first Christmas for Connor. I will be forever amazed at the outpouring of love and support from our family and friends. I felt like everyone was as excited for his first Christmas as we were. 

Four Hands Are Better Than Two

It's no secret that Connor is a super needy baby. He cannot be anymore than 3 inches from your face at any given time. He's also 22 lbs! The combination makes for sore arms and a messy house.

Steven and I had a super busy weekend ahead of us and I had a ton to get done on Saturday. I called in reinforcements. Sarah came over Saturday and spent the day tending to Connor while I cooked, cleaned and shopped. OMG! It was so nice. I understand now why Stacey had me come so often! (That being said, I took a tone of breaks to enjoy Connor!) I was in the house most of the day but I could get so much done if I stayed out of site. Thank goodness object permanence hasn't set in yet!

While Connor and Sarah played I cleaned the house from top to bottom, did so many loads of laundry that I lost count, cooked for our Christmas party that night and completed some last minute Christmas shopping. It was amazing!

****Disclaimer**** I know I should be able to do this stuff and be a mother too but I'm so far from super mom it's not even funny....and seriously, Connor is not the kinda kid you can just put down. Sigh, judge me if you must.

Saturday night the Muckler crew came over and babysat Connor so Steven and I could go to our last Christmas party of the season (whew, glad that's over!) It was so strange having Stacey and her kids in my house and being the one to give the instructions. I worked for Stacey for almost 5 years and she's a great mom but boy is she difficult to work for. Steven and I returned home to a sleeping baby, the 4 Muckler children asleep on the floor and Stacey ready to tell all the details of the night.

Sunday was a lazy day for us. Connor and I didn't make it to the Cantata because he fell asleep before church and I didn't want to wake him. Steven headed on without us. After church we had lunch with the Grandparents and Uncle Andrew. Connor and I had a long nap together. ( Have I mentioned how much I'm going to miss this when I go back to work?) Then we all headed to Village park to ride the train and see the Christmas lights. Connor really enjoyed seeing the lights but by the time we got off the train he was falling asleep. It's the second night in a row he's been up past bedtime.  Steven was playing with the settings on the camera so the pictures didn't turn out too well!

Here's to a slow week with no Christmas parties and the real Christmas.

Five Things About Going Back To Work

1. I have full faith in Jesse watching Connor. I don't have full faith in our ability to get Connor dropped off and to us work on time. Steven will be taking him to Jesse's but we're not sure how much time this is going to add on his already long commute.

2. It felt good to be in the classroom again. I went into work on Monday to see a couple of new programs we've started this year. It felt like home and it was so nice to be outside of the house. It's going to take a lot of work to get my class and classroom where I want them to be though.

3. It's going to hurt. I haven't kept it a secret that I didn't enjoy the first 6 weeks of motherhood. It was hard and shocked my system. But my, oh my how I love 6 months. Connor is so much fun and I love how his personality is really shining through. The nice thing about Monday was that I could leave at anytime. I made it through lunch and headed out. It breaks my heart to think I won't be the one putting him down for naps. (I'm totally cool with not being the one to change his diapers.)

4. I don't know how I'm going to juggle everything. The thought of working, picking up Connor and making doctor appointments for the current pregnancy is enough to send me into a full blown panic attack. One day at a time, one day at a time.

5. This is my favorite thing about going back to work......The house cleaners are coming back! WOO HOOO! Seriously, biweekly cleanings were one of the smartest decisions Steven and I ever made. It took some convincing at first but even Steven admitted he liked it because we fought less. I know it may seem like a waste of money to some but if makes my marriage happier, I'm all for it!

I Should Probably Mention

This fella

We managed to keep a secret until almost 12 weeks. Today I'm 12 weeks 5 days. 

Connor and Baby 2 will be 12.5 months apart assuming this guy decides to come on time.

FAQ

Will you return to work in the fall?

Yes, staying at home is not for me. I love Connor but I miss people.

Will you find out if it's a boy or a girl?

Yes, I'm not sure what the difference is but I just have to know this time.

Will you get rid of the toy room?

I certainly hope so!

Do you want a boy or a girl?

I can honestly say we'd be happy either way. I'd love to have a girl because we would have one of each. I would love to have a boy because I could name him Max and Connor would have a playmate for live. (BTW don't Connor and Max sound/look super cute together?)

Are you worried people will judge you?

Sure, but very few people have been ugly about it. The worst comment so far was from Steven's grandmother who said "A box of rubbers ain't but $10.00." I wanted to DIE! Thankfully, she was totally joking and is thrilled to have another great grandchild. 

Did you plan it?

We're not stupid, people. We know how babies are made and if you don't just watch this handy clip courtesy of Look Who's Talking. 

Our family is growing so fast! 

6 Months

6 Month Stats

22lbs 6 oz

30 inches long

You, baby boy, have officially outgrown your infant car seat. I can't believe how old and big you are....but the big part, you really could slow that down a bit.

Sleeping Habits

I'm happy to report that your sleeping has improved greatly! PRAISE GOD! Turns out you had an ear infection and after a round of antibiotics things are normal. You're still waking up at night to eat. Twice a night, actually. I think the reason for the first waking is because of your early bedtime. You typically go down between 6:30 and 7 and wake around 11 and 4. The doctor told us today that you really should be sleeping through the night. 

Eating Habits

You've made it very clear that you are not interested in baby food. We're still playing around with food a bit. You have a taste here and there but you're not on a regular eating schedule yet. You are eating between 40 and 48 ounces of formula a day. I think it's so strange that you're not interested in eating as soon as you wake in the morning. You usually wait 30 minutes to an hour to have your first bottle. 

Playing

You still love your jumper. You also enjoy sitting on the floor playing out of your toy basket. Sometimes you prefer the basket to any of the toys. Your favorite toys are the penguin book, caterpillar and cow.  You love to watch Ivy run though the house. You often squeal and laugh hysterically when she runs past you. If she lays to close to you, you always pinch her. She's surprisingly tolerant. 

Other Things Worth Noting

You are a blankey kid and I love it. We actually bought a duplicate of your favorite blanket just in case. We were going to wait and give it to you for Christmas but we had an emergency and busted that bad boy out! 

You're going to bed awake now but we still rock you to sleep for naps. This is more for me than you though. I love snuggling you just before you fall asleep. 

You flirt like a rock star! Seriously, women and men flock to you no matter where we are. You smile and smile and smile. Then, just when they show interest in you, you bury your head in my chest and I'm stuck talking to the strangers that you've just reeled in! Shameless. 

Separation Anxiety has started....and it's killing me that it's happening just before I go back to work full time.

Oh and...J Con totally stuck. Sorry kid. 

Your First Christmas Cookie

I love you Baby Connor! 

It's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

or at least it's going to be.

Steven's mom is sick. The deal was that if they got sick while watching Connor, we would host Thanksgiving.

Our house looks like a bomb went off. It's bad...but it will be clean and every surface sanitized before lunch time tomorrow.

We have no food for Thanksgiving except the few things I bought for my contribution to the meal we were supposed to have tomorrow. But we will have food by lunch time tomorrow.

We have no time. But it will come from somewhere!

It's all going to get done somehow.

This will be the first Thanksgiving we've hosted and it could be an interesting one! Even if the menu looks like this

We have a lot to be thankful for.

I Had Big Plans

So I realize that I'm not great about updating my blog and what makes a blog more interesting than updates right?

So I planned to update everyday this week starting Sunday.

But...something else started on Sunday instead.

The 24 hour bug from HELL!

Seriously people, that's what it looked/felt like. 

It hit me at 2:30 am and Steven turned the corner at 6 am. It was so bad we called his parents to take Connor for the day. We couldn't get out of bed. Unless of course it was to vomit. 

I made it through 10 months of pregnancy and didn't vomit once. But I found myself on all fours on the dog bed leaning over a pot a good part of the night. (I told you the picture above was pretty accurate didn't I?)

Steven's parents called to say Connor was suffering with diarrhea later that afternoon. That seems to be about as bad as it got for him. 

By Monday evening we were  feeling well enough to venture out of bed, eat some soup, drink some ginger ale and call the in-laws to bring Connor back. It was his bedtime and we figured we could manage that.    

Steven changed one nasty diaper and back to the bathroom he went! Poor guy, I think it stuck with him a little longer than me. 

We seem to be fully recovered today but just a little weak. Needless to say I didn't blog yesterday or Sunday evening. I'll try and stick it out for the rest of the week.

Oh interesting side note: The entire time Steven and I have been together I've never heard him vomit. It's very theatrical (just like his sneezes that I can't stand.) In all my misery, I couldn't help but laugh as his gags echoed through the house. At one point it was so bad the he scared Connor and Ivy. Steven got mad at me because he didn't realize I was joking when I said I thought he was just trying to one up me and be the "most sick." 

Happy 5 Months James Connor!

Let me start this post by saying PRAISE GOD! You slept last night! We've been having trouble in the sleeping department lately and last night was a much needed break! Then, you took a 3 hour nap today. I couldn't believe it!  Now, on to the good stuff.

Eating
We have yet to feed you solids but I will admit I was thisclose to starting you on them today to see if they helped with the sleep situation. You are taking 8 oz every 3-4 hours. You never finish your first bottle of the day anymore. This seems a little strange to me but I'm not going to force it down. Your reflux seems to have improved greatly too!

Sleeping
This has been a huge frustration the past month. You've been waking non stop. Last night was such a welcome relief. We've started a bedtime routine and that is helping you to settle at night now. We have been able to lay you down awake and leave the room. You've put yourself to sleep the last several nights. Now if we could just get you to stay asleep.

Playtime
You're rolling both directions now. You really don't roll from your tummy to your back much but if we put you on your back you're pretty quick to roll to your tummy. Then you do full on push ups. You're thinking about moving but when you decide you want to you pivot on your stomach and make a full circle. It's pretty entertaining. You love Ivy. She's the only thing that makes you consistently laugh.

Craptastic sleep

Last night looked like this
5:30 Begin bedtime routine. (for the first time)
6:30 Connor fell asleep with no tears
8:30-9:30 Connor was awake and crying. We tried everything if we left/put him down/blinked he started to cry.
9:30 Sleep for baby C
10:00 Connor's awake....again
11:00-3:00 Sleep for baby C
3:00-4:00 I'm up with Connor. He's not hungry, just wants to be held.
4:00 I needed a bathroom break....Connor freaked, Steven took a turn.
5:00 Steven slept, Connor and I stayed up.
5:30 Finally got Connor back to sleep.
5:30-7:00 We all slept
7:00 up for the day

Tally that mess up and Connor slept 7.5 hours last night. Pretty bad considering he's supposed to be getting around 12 at night.  Oh, I fed him in there somewhere too. The nights a blur so I don't remember the time.

Sleep

It's not happening for anybody around here.

Connor came home from the hospital a baby that knew how to sleep. Then we hit the 4 month mark.

Connor's nights used to look like this:
8:00 Bed time
3:00 Feeding
8:00 Awake for the day.

Now they look like this:
7:00 Bed
10:00 Wake for no obvious reaason.
12:00 Feeding
1:00 Wake for no obvious reason.
2:00 Wake for no obvious reason
4:00 Wake for no obvious reason but we feed him in hopes of sleeping a little later.
7:30 Wake for the day
*sometimes he wakes more, sometimes less*

We are tired.

He's taking only quick cat naps and averaging 1.5 to 2 hours of nap time a day.

Connor is tired.
And fussy.
And cranky.

So are we.

I've read articles and talked to other moms. Everyone suggests the Ferber method.....sigh. This is sooooooooooooo not for us.

I'm currently reading The No Cry Sleep Solution. It's not a quick fix and Elizabeth Pantley is very clear about that.

I don't need immediate, I just need to know there is an end in site.

Connor's Baptism

Today our family, friends and church committed to help grow Connor's faith and belief in Him. 

It was such an excited and proud moment. 

I can't wait to see what He has planned for this boy. 

Connor, you are a child of God and we love you. 

It's a SAHM's Life For Me

and I hate it.

I'm thanking my lucky stars every day that I'm going back to work in January.

I'm not in a good place right now. I hate being home all day. I'm bored......bored to the point of depression. Okay, not full on depression but I can see it lurking around the corner.

I keep telling myself that it could be better.....if my husband made it home before 7 PM.

12 hours a day it's just me and Connor. I love that baby but I love adults too....and conversation that doesn't mostly consist of "BOO" and "that's a nasty diaper."

Being at home all day has zapped my energy. You know how on a lazy day you just feel tired and yucky? That's how I'm feeling every day. ...... EVERY DAY.

Some days I don't shower until 4ish. Ewww, I know.

My house is a wreck.

I'm cranky.

All.The.Time

Who knew the job that drives me insane would actually be my key to sanity.

I will be sad in January when I go back to work but I'll still welcome the return with open arms.

4 months(ish)

Eat
You're eating hasn't changed much. You eat 6 ounces every 3-4 hours. You wake up once a night for a bottle and sometimes sleep through the night. I am pleased to say that you are spitting up much less now. Duh me...I forgot about different nipple sizes. As soon as we moved you to a size 2 nipple your feedings have been faster, less noisy and resulted in MUCH less spit up.

Play
You look at everything and smile at everything that moves. You mostly watch me, your dad and Ivy. I think it's so funny you smile at the dog.
You spend long stretches of time in your activity center. You keep teasing me with rolling over. You've done it a couple times and we haven't seen it since. You go to your side and we cheer you on only for you to flop back down on your back or front...wherever it was you started.

Growth
You are a horse....or one year old. Whatever. You weighed in at your four month check at 18lbs 7oz and measured 28 1/2 inches!!!!! Seriously kid, the size of a one year old. But, we love you anyway!

Bridal Showers, Sunday School and Nursery, OH MY!

We had a busy, busy weekend here. Saturday we celebrated with bff Michael in her first of two bridal showers. Happy Hour was the theme and we had a blast. We played a game where she had to match panties to the person who brought them, she opened presents and of course, we ate. The eating was definitely my favorite part. The food turned out just how I had envisioned it. I hope to get pictures from Nhia soon so I can upload them.

Sunday was the first day for Steven to teach Sunday School. Our class had stopped meeting for awhile because our church switched pastors and our old pastor taught the class. Everyone was kind of bummed and then Steven and Chris decided they would teach it. Last night was Chris's bachelor party so Steven went solo today. I was so proud of my husband.

Connor's Outfit for his first day of Sunday School.

 
During Sunday School, Connor attended the church nursery for the first time. The woman volunteering in the nursery today was excited about his cloth diapers. I was relieved that she was okay using them. She did however think that Connor was "very sick" when I picked him back up because he vomited the whole time.....yeah, he just has re flux.....and it's bad!

 The afternoon was spent setting up, throwing and tearing down Michael's second shower. This one was at church and the food was awesome. I have pictures of this one!!!

Oh Him?

That would be my baby. You know, they guy who woke up a different kid this morning.  The one who decided today was the day to take life by the horns. 

This kid....has been holding back. BIG TIME.

Today he decided he was going to be interested in toys and actively play with them. 

and roll over.....

and why not do some army crawling while we're counting. 

Ummmm what happened today?!?!

Boot Scootin Boogie

Or just scootin'

Connor has scooted a bald spot on the back of his head. He moves all around the place.....on his back.

This child is content to wait for the world to come to him.

Happy, Sad, Mad

I distinctly remember a home video of me when I was about 5 years old. I was at my grandma's farm about 6 inches from the camera making faces and repeating over and over "happy,sad, mad, happy, sad, mad." My mom (not on camera) says "Elizabeth" in a way that lets me know I'm supposed to stop. And in my super annoying, push my mom to the edge kinda way, I reply "What? Happy, sad, mad." The camera cut off.......

Slight flashback there.....my point being, that's how I felt last night.

Michael is getting married in less than a month and last night began the wedding festivities. We went out for her bachlorette party. (I hope to dedicate a whole post to this soon. I'm waiting for the pictures because in true Elizabeth style, I pulled out my camera to snap the first picture of the night and the battery was dead.....)

....anyone else feel like this post isn't going anywhere?? I swear it's getting there.

Happy, Sad, Mad.....The emotional roller coaster of last night.

Happy

• Michael is getting married.
• We had blast at her bachlorette party
• I slept in a hotel room without worry that my baby was waking up. 
• I didn't know how much I missed going out!

Sad

• OH MY it was hard to be away from my baby for the night. I had no idea how tough it would be!
• I can't drink like I used to!
• I feel sooooooo old in clubs!
• Did I mention I spent the night away from my baby?!? (But oh did I make up for it this morning when I saw him!)
• After a night away from Connor, I'm seriously rethinking the going back to work in January thing. 

Mad

• Drunk people are rude and obnoxious.
• The girl in the bathroom actually asked us for tips!
• I'm too old for this crap! 

Happy 3 Months Connor!

Disclaimer #1 Opps! I just realized this never posted! It's been sitting open on the computer for days!
 Disclaimer #2 Ugh, ugh, ugh.....after several attempts, I give up trying to put pictures in this blog.

It's amazing how much you have changed in the past 3 months!

Things You Love

• activity mat
• mom and dad
• Ivy
• pacifier
• bouncy seat
• sucking your fist
• chewing anything fabric
• putting weight on your feet

Things You Hate

• car seat
• being put down
• tummy time
• changing your clothes

Things We're Working On

• playing in the jumper
• sitting in the bumbo
• "swimming" while on your stomach
• mini crunches

You recognize us when we are in your line of sight and your face lights up! You love to look at yourself in the mirror and shy away when you see your own reflection.  

We love you James Connor! 

Pictures

These Are My Confessions

It's about to get shameful. 

(Pssttt....The Glee Mash Up is way better than the original!)

• Sometimes Ivy gets to the spit up on the floor before I do.
• I rarely put Connor's clothes in his drawers/closet. They normally sit on top of the dresser at the door. 
• I wish I breastfed for multiple reasons but  mostly because a boob is easier to clean than a bottle. 
• The only reason the dishes get done most nights is to wash said bottles. 
• The dirty cloth diapers don't always immediately go into the diaper pail.
• Connor is often caught in clothes that are just a bit too small. 
• I complain about the once a night feedings that Connor wakes up for. 
• I'm letting Connor fuss a little right now so I can finish this post.

Oh, It's you again.

Today started out as a pretty lazy day. Connor and I hung out this morning and took a nap together for about an hour. Then I left him in the bed and he continued his nap for another hour! I got a lot done and it was fantastic. Once Connor woke up, I jumped in the shower and went to pick up Michael. 

We headed to downtown Concord to look in all the antique stores and "gift shops" and enjoy the wind and warmth brought in from hurricane Irene. I wore Connor as we walked around because I knew his stroller wouldn't fit well in the tiny cramped stores. I was thisclose to buying a tiny rocker to refinish from an antique store but it was $45.00. I almost offered them $30 but I wasn't sure if bargaining was appropriate or not. I can't get the picture of that rocker out of my mind. We may have to go back and get it! 

Next we headed to drop off Micheal and Connor was ready to eat. Micheal was nice enough to let us come in so I could feed him there and not drive a screaming baby home. We ended up hanging out for awhile and discussing Michael's upcoming bachlorette party and bridal shower. We also made plans for the night. Chris was so nice and said he would fix our plumbing woes and they would stay for dinner. 

Chris worked on our bathtub and kitchen sink while Michael and I cooked dinner/tended to Connor and Jacob. Steven mowed the lawn while we worked inside. We all sat down to a nice dinner of enchiladas and left over margarita cupcakes for dessert. I totally understand the benefit of having more that one family under the same roof. With all the extra hands around making dinner and taking care of Connor was nearly the challenge it usually is! 

It was a pretty easy day!

A Picture...

Is worth a  thousand words. Sigh.

"Long Weekend"

It wasn't a  long weekend for most people but anytime Steven has a Saturday and Sunday off is a long weekend for us. Yesterday we woke up with a happy Connor and just laid around a played for a good piece of the morning. Then we set off to Babies R Us to buy a play mat for Connor using a 20% off coupon. BUST! They wouldn't honor the coupon because a play mat is not considered a baby item but a toy. FOR REAL! Joke's on them. We ordered it for twenty dollars less from Amazon. Free shipping and all. BOOOO BRU. The play mat should be here Tuesday. Wahoo.

Later that night we met the grandparents for dinner and then headed to the park. There was live music and fireworks. Connor was in very good spirits and even fell asleep in his stroller. Ivy loved the mass of people and the cool night. We ran into my assistant Toni and her daughters and stopped to talk. Ivy loved Sydney. They were so stinkin' cute. I wish I was better at taking pictures!

Sunday morning came early but we made it to church. This was the first time in a month we made it. Connor must find some secret comfort in Sunday mornings because it's the only day he sleep in! We enjoyed listening to our new pastor's sermon. Connor enjoyed it so much that he cooed and gabbed through the whole thing. Seriously, this was the most I have ever heard him talk. I loved it, as did the rest of the congregation!

Sunday afternoon I went with my book club to see The Help. I loved it and it was so true to the book. It was also super nice to get out and see a movie like a big girl!

We had a lazy and uneventful Sunday evening. Fantastic!

So there you have it, our "long weekend." Here's to another long weekend...in 6 weeks.

2 months old

Dear Connor,
     At two months old, you've captured my heart and I didn't even know it. I was sick with worry as we drove to your 2 month check today. It was worse than when I was on the way to the hospital to have you! I couldn't even watch them give you your shots.

     You smile constantly when you see my face and of course I can't help but smile back! You've even got a little giggle starting to work it's way out. Tummy time is still your least favorite time of the day. The good news is that the doctor said it wasn't necessary as long as you have plenty of other times to practice your head control. I still want you to spend some time on your stomach though.

     You sir, are an amazing sleeper! You slept through the night for the first time when you were 8 weeks old. You haven't slept through the night since but I'm okay with that. You only wake up once to eat between the hours of 2 and 4 then wake up each morning between 7 and 8. I can't complain. Oh and you are sleeping in your crib all night now. The pack n play is coming out of our room tomorrow.

    Food is your friend and gripe water is my hero! Since we began putting gripe water in your bottles, you are the happiest baby around. You haven't fussed much at all! Every 2.5 to 3 hours you're eating 6oz of formula. The doctor said this is more frequent then a normal baby would eat during the day but since you sleep so soundly at night it evens out.

    14 lbs 13 oz and 25 3/4 inches long, those were you measurements at your 2 month check. You are in the 99% for both. This explains the 3-6 month clothes you are now wearing.

Happy two months baby Connor!

Love Always,
 Mom

This picture cracks me up. CHUNKY!

 

Happy Anniversary Babe