Toe Sucker

Cole loves to suck on his toes! I wonder where he gets it from! =)

Can you guess?

-Tammi

New toy!

Today, Cole reached the MOST important male developmental milestone of his life:

He found his penis!

He thinks if he squeezes and pulls it hard enough it will play a song or at least light up? Hmmm....I guess he will keep trying until his new toy does something fun! 

~ a very concerned mother

Is it worth it or not worth it?

Everyday Chris and I have to decide if it worth it to go or is it not worth it? We consider all the invitations, events, errands and activities and decide if the event would be worth the consequences of an over-tired child!  Please understand, it is NOT personal and it doesn't mean you are not worth it!! Too often do we find ourselves after the fact saying "that was not worth it"

For example this weeks decisions:

Family dinner out: Not worth it!

Raelynn's LTC award ceremony: Completely worth it!

Evening church which starts at 7:00pm: Not worth it!

Easter sunday church (during naptime): Worth it!

Lunch out with friends (during naptime): Not worth it!

Bathing suit shopping with Cole: Not worth it

Running to the grocery store to buy something to make for dinner: Totally Not worth it!

Going to sonic during happy hour while my child is screaming: So worth it!!!  

Lawn boy in training

Chris was so excited to show Cole the lawnmower, he thinks he should start teaching him early so he can hand off the yard work as soon as possible!

Big news!!!!

Most of you know that my child has refused a pacifier since he was born but he has had a strong desire to suck. Most of you also know that I have begged pleaded, prayed, forced and done anything and everything I can to get my child to take a pacifier.  How do you convince an infant that he really will love once he tried it!!! 

Well today Cole is six months old and just for kicks I decided to try the pacifier again when he was fussing and ....HE TOOK IT and HE LOVED IT!!!! 

Oh and he hasn't taken it out of his mouth for the past hour!

My handsome boy

             Cole 5 1/2 months old                  

 All dressed up for church

News Flash: Stay-at-home Mother Goes Wild

(This news story is based on true events but not all information is factual and the true events will not be disclosed)

A middle aged stay-at-home mother met her husband at the door and immediately said "I am not normally the kind of wife who hands you the baby as soon as you walk in the door but here's the baby I am late for my night out"  She drove way to fast to the restaurant to meet her girlfriends for dinner.  As soon as she sat down she ordered a margarita and started shoveling chips and salsa in her mouth.  She drank her margarita with the same speed thinking she had to hurry because the baby would start crying and she wouldn't be able to finish...oh but the baby is not with her but she is sure she hears him crying.  After a few minutes, she begins to relax and laughs at everything.  She blames the bartender for making her margarita too strong.  She has absolutely no tolerance for alcohol because she doesn't get out much.  She becomes extremely silly and has to ask a friend to drive her home.  She is confused because before she had a baby she could drink two margaritas and feel fine?? On the way home she reverts back to her teenage years and climbs out of the sunroof and flashes her friends in the car behind her.  After she sits down she remembers she was wearing an ugly nursing bra... how embarrassing!  Then she hears police sirens and the officer tells her "Ma'am you are too old to be out after 9pm and you really should stick to drinking diet coke" After she drives away the officer says to his partner "she must not get out much"!!!   

(the identity of those involved will remain anonymous)

A happy Mommy

Before Cole was born I always knew that sleep was SO important to me and I wanted a child that sleeps.  I learned from our foster baby that life was SO much better when he and I slept! My sister gave me a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and can I say that it was the best gift I have ever received!!!  I read parts of it before he was born and lets just say I was ready to tackle any sleep problems or at least I thought I was.  The first five months have not been as easy as I thought it would be BUT I can finally say that all my hard word, dedication and complete obsession has paid off! My child finally sleeps. Without this book I would have never known my child's sleepy cues and I would never have rocked him to sleep just because he has been awake one hour and he didn't even look tired.  I am so glad I did not give up or give in!  Now my child wakes up about 7:00 or 7:30 each morning, then takes a two hour nap in the morning, another two hour nap in the afternoon and a shorter third nap in the evening and he still goes to bed at 7:30pm!! And the best part is I can put him to bed awake and he will fall asleep on his own.

I still am not confident enough to give advice because he is my first child and I know every child is different. But I do believe that if I had not been committed to helping him learn to fall asleep he would still be resisting naps, fussy and spend most of the day overtired.  The only advice I would give is to make a plan and stick with it even if it is hard.  For awhile, Cole did not want to sleep in his crib but I knew for my sanity he had to. Some days I would rock him and put him in his crib 5 or 6 times just for one short nap, and each time he woke up screaming and I had to start all over again! It was exhausting but I am so glad I did it because now I have time to myself!  It may be very challenging at times but I believe it will pay off in the end if you stick with it!

Now my child sleeps like an angel and Mommy is SO much happier!