Week 3: Resolve to Socialize

So, I finished up holiday cards-kinda-and this week I'm working on my resolution to join a playgroup and do ladies night biweekly.
On Tuesday afternoon, I joined 2 other moms for our very first playgroup. Well, expect their babies are 1 month and 4 months so there wasn't much playing. We're planning on meeting again next Tuesday. I also got in contact with a Mother Baby Swim class and I'll be attending on Thursday evenings! I think Logan will love it.
I also did a Ladies Night on Monday. Social Butterfly I am.
I'm now trying to get out to my families cabin where my parents are enjoying the snow, but that snow is car-razy and it is keeping me away.

Week 2: Project 2

Last week I de-cluttered my office. I moved things to storage. I threw things away. I shoved things in the closet. I now have the required workspace for working, but it is a far cry from a space I'd actually want to spend some time in. I did take a trip to the Home ReSource Center and Home Depot. I purchased spray paint for a little leg painting project I have up my sleeve. I also purchased two saw horses to make a trendy little desk. Alas, for another day (anyway I need to secure actual work to do within the workspace fist).

Week 2: This week I am going to finish sending out our Christmas Cards. Which now should just be referred to as Holiday Cards, or perhaps Winter Cards?
I'm also planning a little scouting trip to price out a new electric range and fridge!

Twenty-Twelve

As this is the place I come to attempt to hold myself accountable, it is only fitting that I declare my New Years Resolution unto thee.

·         1. Choose a project a week. 52 projects completed in 2012.

·         2. Recapture some of my pre-mom-ness. 

·         3. Date night once a week.

·         4. Ladies night twice a month.

·         5. Join Playgroup and attend once a week.

·         6. Initiate a lunch twice a month.
   

       Allow me to explain these all in more detail as we carry on and carry out these things to which I resolve.

      But first Week 1, Project 1. Drum Roll..........De-clutter the office and make it fully functional for office happenings.

      Go.

The Great Pacifier Debate

My husband I don't see eye-to-eye when it comes to many parenting decisions. And I love it that way. I am way less of the hippi-type mama I thought I'd be, but instead tend to read every book and blog and article I can get my hands on. Then I attempt to carry out some perfect combination of expert advice with pro-parent precision. Only setting myself, and my son, up to fail.
My husband on the other hand is much less absorbed into the "parenting" of parenting and instead just is a dad. He loves our little dude and tends to choose the path of least resistance. So, in our efforts to "train" our baby to become a "good" sleeper we all hit a wall. One morning nap he woke up and simply would not be consoled. I was crying, he was crying, and finally I plunked in his pacifier. *gasp And you know what, it worked. He slept and I continued to ball my eyes out at the epic fail I was until my husband found me at the kitchen table googling every possible combo of -pacifier -sleep -training -effects that I could think up. My hubs simply did not see what all the fuss was about. If it soothes our son and helps him sleep, big whoop. I, on the other hand, had been grooming our boy to become the world's best sleeper since he was just a few weeks old. No swings, no vibrations on his bouncy chair, set him down in his crib for naps, try to soothe him back to sleep with the least possible intervention and without picking him up when possible, and absolutely no paci expect to aide with napping when he was stuck in his carseat.
I tortured myself over our increasing use of the pacifier to assist with sleep. Then a quick call to my sleep lady and what do you know, Shaun was right. I was never so happy to be wrong. We now have a new, pacifier included, sleep plan that works for us. He now goes down "drowsy, but awake" with his binky. And I am over it. We are not weak for needing a little silicon nipple. And even if we are, we're happy.

Happy Birthday to my Mama turned Grandmama

My mom's pretty much the best. She thinks I'm endlessly funny, even when I'm not. She takes me on spa days and turns me into a lady that lunches. She can just think of a memory and begin to laugh unprompted. She's always, always supported every dream I've ever had and has even given me a pep talk or two, even when I would never admit that I needed one. Heck, she even moved her vacation dream home from "somewhere warm" to Montana, which I'm endlessly thankful for. Bottom line: she's fun and she loves my little man to the moon (and finds him endlessly amusing, even when he's not). What do you get a gal like that on her birthday? Enter Pinhole Press. You know that I have approximately 20 photos for every day that Logan has been on this earth and approximately 19 of them are worthy of higher ground than my computer files. I made my mom/grandma a calender starring her grandson. Everyone can expect photo books for Christmas, including a gift for myself.

Face Lift

We really want to repaint the exterior of our house. And by we, I mean my husband and I. But the actual painting will most likely be left entirely up to yours truly. After all, I'm the only one to ever lift a paint brush/roller in the interior of both our current home and our first home (turned rental). Plus, one of my first jobs was as a painter. AND I'm home all day with the little man. So I've been taking snapshots of neighborhood homes that are inspiring on our stroller walks and I'm also stalking Pinterest. I'd really like get er done before the snow falls and preferably while the weather is still pleasant, so time's a wasting.

Source: None via Cassidy on Pinterest

I love this color scheme but we're leaning towards green as the main color.

Source: younghouselove.com via Cassidy on Pinterest

I'd also like to hang house numbers like this and I'm trying to decide if I should paint the decking/railing or leave it au natural.

Sleeping like a Baby

Yesterday was our sleep consultation and it was not yuck at all. We learned a bit about sleep patterns for our now 4-month-old. He's becoming a little adult and his brain is maturing. As he moves into different sleep stages he has "partial awakenings" (we all do) and he has trouble getting himself back to sleep without our help (i.e. an hour of sh-sh-ing, rocking, soothing measures).

So, how do we teach him to easily slip into a new sleep cycle? We lay him down "drowsy but awake." I've heard this a million times. It just sounds scary. We always rock or lately bounce (on the exercise ball) him into slumber and then ease him into his crib. Our sleep plan is to wait until he's a 9, on a 1-10 scale, and then set him down slightly awake. We'll stay with him and pat him or sh-sh until he's sound asleep. If we need to pick him up to soothe him, we do. The point is to do as little for him as possible so that we give him the opportunity to do for himself. Each time he goes down this way we'll try to scale back to an 8, a 7, a 6 until someday we just set him down and say good-night.
Sounds pretty simple right. Well, in practice it stinks. He's all, "Hey, wait a minute! I'm not sleeping! What do you think you're doing!?" Thus making our simple 10 minute evening rock/bounce, ease into the crib, and tip-toe out routine into a 45 minute ordeal of sh-ing and patting him in the crib then picking him up to rock/bounce him back to a "9" even a "9.5, please Logan you can do it..." followed by more leaning over the crib soothing exercises. Finally we reverted to our tried, but true ways and set him down completely sleepy, a "10," a fail.
Right on cue, my little man woke up 45 minutes later needing our help. So we tried again, we really tried. To not pick him up. We'd think he was back to sleep and then, no. But in the end, success. At the end of it all, he did fall asleep in this crib with a comforting hand on his tummy and he slept through the night.
I'll keep you updated on our "drowsy but awake" life.