Found: One Maid & One Father's Day Out

Thank you guys for your input on the childcare situation!  I will look into First Southern.  I did find an opening at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene for April and May.  Hallelu!  They do Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30 - 3:00, and it's $15 a day.  Not bad!  Those are also great days for Steven to be free.  He teaches Wednesday nights, and usually is getting ready for a trip on Fridays.  

We are also going to pay his sister (who lives across the street) to clean our house once or twice a week.  Phew!  She is all things domestic, so I feel safe with our house is in her hands.  

I don't think Steven likes the fact that we are outsourcing things that "we should be doing", but yikes!  If we need some temporary help to get stress levels down, then I'm all about it.  No shame!  

Needed: One Maid & One Father's Day Out Program

It has happened.  Steven and I have had it up to here (I'm holding my arm way up in the air) with the things at the bottom of our lists waiting and waiting to be checked off.  Poor Steven.  He has to work from home during the day, which equals not doing anything at all.  He doesn't even have an office here.  He has a desk - which is the catch-all-clutter table -  in the middle of the house.  Obviously, he doesn't use it.  I'm sure as soon as he sits down to right an e-mail to a client, Davie lets him know she's still around. 

Today we talked about our options.  We can no longer rely solely on family members to watch Davie every once in awhile.  So many times something happens, like an illness or something, where plans fall through.  We have decided to hire someone to clean our house twice a week.  A good cleaning to make us all feel better about life.  We've also decided to start looking for a good Mother's Day Out program at a nearby church.  We may not be able to get into that until August of this year though.  Anyone know of any programs around South OKC?  I was looking into Bethany First Church of the Nazarene (I have a friend who is a youth minister there).  

Davie the She-Devil

Yowza!  What is up with my child?!  In two days, she went from being happy, go-lucky, Miss Independent (even though she had a diaper rash) to being Miss Don't Even Look Away From Me Or I'll Sob With Real Tears.  

The worst is not having any idea what is causing this.  It could be any number of things.  She could be sick, or her diaper rash is bothering her, or she is teething, or she's growing, or her temperament is just changing.  No clue.  OR she could be really hungry, or really tired, and I'm not getting to these needs quickly enough.  

I'm going to try to get Steven to journal (God help us) how she does during the day (and also make sure she is sticking to somewhat of a routine.  

Diaper Rash Update

I cried today.  Just a couple of tears shed . . . for my child's bottom.  She was just so upset, and I changed her diaper and saw the horror of her little sores and then we were both crying.  

Here's the thing.  This little angel has never had diaper rash.  Not once since she was born until this last week.  I envisioned diaper rash to look like a rash, not the holocaust on skin.  Okay, I'm probably exaggerating, but it's really bad and blistery.  I called the doctor yesterday and the nurse said to put her in some warm water (only) for 10-15 minutes and let her play around, and then take her out and use a warm hair dryer for a bit, and then use some neosporin or A&D.  I don't know how long it's supposed to take to get better though.

I did use some Lotrimin (like my sister did with her child), but the next diaper some of her bumps turned white and I didn't know if that was good or bad, but it was scary so I didn't use it again.  

She is so sad.

Diaper Rash

I have absolutely adored being on break.  I'm past the halfway point now though, and I'm dreading going back.  I have had so much fun with Davie.  The only thing that would've made this time better is if Steven wasn't gone for so long.  

Question:  Davie has her first REALLY bad diaper rash.  Probably from new fruits in her diet.  Butt Paste ain't doin' squat.  Anyone have any new ideas?

Two nights down, Seven to go.

Okay, we've got two nights under our belt.  They were both good ones.  She slept from 8pm-7:30am without needing me or anyone else.  Beautiful.  

Yesterday, my mom and I went in to Tulsa.  I got a magnificent stroller on sale for nearly half off at Babies R Us.  I have been in want of a new stroller.  The one we have fits the car seat, but it is very bulky and hard to get open and closed.  I wanted something that would be easy to throw in the car and get out really quickly if we needed to run into the mall or something.  Her car seat is getting SO heavy now, so I want to carry it as little as possible.  Anyways, we looked and looked and looked.  Finally we found one . . . just one item . . . that was left on sale.  It was perfect.  It has custom reclining positions, one hand opening and closing (really, we tested it ourselves), and it's tall enough that you don't have to break your back pushing it.  It also folds up nice and skinny.  

I also got Davie some wider neck bottles so she can learn to hold it herself.  She always starts out by grabbing it and pulling it to her mouth but then she gets so relaxed she lets go.  Oh well.  

Davie has been a true angel the past few days.  My parents are in love with her.  My dad can hardly be a foot from her if they are in the same house.  I am a lucky, lucky mom.

Sleep Sack to the Rescue!

A REVELATION!!!  I had a theory last night.  Let me explain.

A few days ago, we took Davie out of the swaddler and put her in a little 0-6 month sleep sack so she could sleep on her tummy.  She did AMAZING for those first two nights, and we were so excited for her.  I washed the sleep sack and it got a little snug so I went to buy a 6-12 month one, which is very roomy.  The next couple nights that she wore that one she did TERRIBLE.  I mean, waking up once every 1-2 hours.  The night before last was awful.  That was also the last night for Steven to be home.  Yesterday Davie and I packed up to meet my parents at the lakehouse.  

I was really nervous about Davie and I being on one end of the house by ourselves, and her sleeping in a new place, and doing so bad the nights before.  I put her in her smaller sleep sack and she went to sleep so easily . . . without a pacifier even.  So weird.  She slept the whole night through without fussing.  I, however, did not sleep so soundly.  Poppa and I both went in to check on her multiple times.  But I'm just so glad to figure this little secret out!!!  She wants to be cozy.  

The End of my Wits

Oy.  I am at my wit's end with this child at night.  Last night she woke up every hour . . . for seemingly no reason.  Steven leaves for the Wichitas tonight and won't be back for 9 days (more importantly, 9 nights!)  I'm going to have to buckle down and let her do some crying it out at night.  This morning she is as happy as a little clam - a little clam who doesn't let her parents sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time.  

Let me tell you some stupid things I've done this week (probably from lack of sleep).

- bought my lunch at the Taco Mayo drive thru, drove all the way back to school, went in the building, and realized I paid for it and left . . . I had to drive all the way back and explain that I was the crazy person who left without my meal

- nearly ran a red light, after I had already stopped for it.  i think i hallucinated and thought it turned green, and steven had to stop me

- forgotten many, many, many things that i had heard just an hour or so before

I don't think good sleep is in the stars for me this week.  I love this little gal.  She is a whole lot cuter to me in the daylight then she is when it's dark out.  Just saying.

Back is best . . . until now

Last night Davie slept on her tummy . . . all night.  She has been rolling to her tummy in her sleep and then waking up mad from the change of position.  Last night, as I was putting her to bed, she would immediately roll to her tummy and then start fussing.  So I patted her back and gave her a paci, and she just collapsed in a little baby heap.  She stayed that way all night and was pretty peaceful.  I, however, was a nervous wreck.  Even though I knew once babies can roll both ways, it's not a risk to sleep on their tummies.  I would wake up without hearing her cry, and go feel her back to make sure she was breathing.  Psycho-mommy.  

She is getting SO active.  Rolling all over the place.  

Oh yeah, we stopped swaddling and we are now using the sleep sack.  Now, we just have to wind down the paci-usage.  

Priorities

Moms and non-moms alike either know or can imagine how your to-do lists change once you have a baby.  It gets much, much longer, and you have less and less time to check things off.  So you end up picking the most important, and everything else will just have to wait.  

Steven and I had a talk this week about moving our relationship back up to the top of that to-do list.  It's so easy to not take care of each other because we are so busy taking care of the baby and our jobs and ourselves.  One of the things that I offered to do to help carry this out was to stay up at least until TEN O'CLOCK PM.  Most adults stay up much, much later than this I understand.  Not I.  I have always been an early to bed person.  I'm also trying to get all of my schoolwork done by 4 or 5, even if I have to stay at school to do it (the last place I want to be after 3pm) so I can come home and be quasi-carefree and spend QUALITY time with my family.  

I'm very lucky to have a husband like Steven who doesn't let any of these issues stay on the back-burner.  I cannot tell you how much I love that human.  

I have been so excited about today.  I was going to spend a day at home with Davie cleaning and just eating her up while Steven is teaching all morning and afternoon.  It hasn't gone exactly as planned.  Davie is SUPER-needy today . . . even for a 6 month old.  Something is up with that gal.  I would swear she is teething, but I see NOTHING.  She has pooped three times already today, and is running a little fever.  Also, unlike the usual laidback Davie, she cries anytime she cannot see me.  That makes it a little difficult to clean while she's awake.  

I've been thinking (for like 6 months now) about when to wean her from the pacifier and the swaddler and maybe letting her cry it out for naps and bedtime.  But everytime I get serious about it, something happens like a growth spurt, or sickness, or I think she is teething.  I don't know, we might wait til Spring Break and have Baby Boot Camp to get all these things under control.  Then again, maybe not.  

6 months

I could be in the middle of a slap-fight with a leprechaun, and this child could make me smile!

She has the funniest little faces.

This is in the car.  She gets REALLY giggly in the car if she has someone to look at.  

People go on and on about how she is my mini-me.  I'm flattered, but honestly, I don't see it so extremely.  I think maybe I just look like a giant 6 month old.  Anyways, I'm just glad she is mine.

Steven's New Workout Partner

The picture quality is terrible, and the video is long, but it is SO worth it.