2 days until spring break!

Thank God. I am so ready for my hubby to be here with us for 4 whole days. I need a break. Is that bad to say? Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my baby boy. I just hate having to be the only one home during the day when he goes down for a nap. Or when he wakes up in the middle of one. He cries. I cry. It breaks my heart to just leave him in the crib. I do go in and try to soothe, but I try not to pick him up. I am hoping against hope that it will get easier. A little guy his age is supposed to take a 1 1/2 to 2 hour nap. He wakes up after about an hour sometimes. I know he needs his sleep, but is it really sleeping when he is crying? He is supposed to learn to soothe himself to sleep. I just want to soothe him myself. This is sooo hard. Can you tell I'm typing this as I listen to him cry? Come on Spring Break!!!

Am I Babywise...or do I have a wise baby?

Both. Drake is wise. He knows how to tug at my heartstrings to get what he wants. However, this week, we are trying Babywise again. I tried it when he was first born...not so much. I was stressing myself out over it. I did take the eat/wake/sleep idea and ran with it. That has worked out well. Now, I'm trying the sleep part. So far, it sucks. The first nap went swimmingly. He slept from 10:45-12:15. His second nap is not going as well. Apparently the 45 minute intruder snuck in and woke him up. So I fed him. And changed him. And he's still crying. Not just wimpering, but screaming crying. I hate it! I know there is nothing wrong with him physically, but I just ache to go pick him up. Oh Lord, how long is this going to last?

Thursday = rainy yuckliness

So, it's not raining yet, but I know it's coming. You can tell by looking outside. It's very gray and cold looking. Has been all day. But, it's not cold...not yet. I took Drake, aka he who never takes naps at least not long naps, outside earlier and it was really windy, but, not cold. Nice change. Now, just need to get rid of the gray clouds and wind and we'll be all set. I need sunshine! We do get to get out of the house today though. We are going to Target! Love Target. I have money to spend, but I know as soon as I get there, I won't want to spend any of it. Because, if I do, that means I won't have any money to spend on my next shopping trip. The more money I have, the less I want to spend. The less money I have, the more I want to spend. I'm messed up.

This and That

Well, Drake is sleeping so I figured I would take advantage and blog. Here are a few things:

1. We did get our BOB! It is wonderful, amazing, fabulous...and too big for our son at this point in his life. Bummer. I was so excited to use it. I can put him in it and go for walks, but if I were to jog with him in it, he would be jostled all around. So, we must wait.
2. I registered for the Peachtree Road Race. Last year, the AJC had online registration. It was HORRIBLE. I was online for 3 hours trying to register 2 people. I kept getting a message that said the website was experiencing a billion people at once and they weren't prepared for that. Not prepared?! Do they know how big this race is? Well, this year, I almost missed the registration until my sis reminded me. I was psyched to go to Wal-mart and pick up the AJC because surely they wouldn't commit the colossal mistake of doing it online again. They learn from their mistakes, right? NOPE. It was online again and again I got the same stupid message. When are they going to learn?
3. I went for my first run last night since August. My excuse from August to December was "I'm way pregnant. I can't run." My excuse from January until last night was "I think running will hurt my milk supply." Well, I bit the bullet and ran. All the websites I read and all of my friends who are runners and mothers said running would hurt my supply. I trust them. And, if it does, I have a freezer full of milk to last for at least 1-1 1/2 months. I hope it doesn't though. Formula is WAY too expensive.
4. Every time I finally get Drake to sleep (albeit in his swing), Toby, our puppy, decides he has to bark at whatever is outside. Today, it was the wind. I mean, this dog barks at anything when the timing is just right. Ask him to speak and he looks at you like you're an idiot. Go figure.

Well, that's all for now. Thank God for naps and sweet baby boys!

2 hours!

Drake slept for 2 whole hours!!! Wah-hoo!!!

To have and to hold

That is what Drake wants. To have his mommy hold him...24/7. Just within the last few days too. He was doing just fine. He would eat around 9, we would play until around 11, then I would put him down for a nap in his swing...the only place he would even think about napping. I gave up on the naps in the crib a long time ago. Well, since Sunday or so, he has REFUSED to nap. His schedule is all messed up now. He will sleep for about 30 minutes in the swing, then he is done. He wakes up fussing and as soon as I pick him up, he stops. I can't hold him all day long, and that is what he wants. What to do, what to do. He is in his swing, at this moment, fussing because he is soooo tired, yet wants to be awake and held. Oh, wait. He is asleep...oh, for how long though? Another 30 minutes? Please oh please let it be for 1 1/2 to 2 hours! Stay tuned...

You know the drill

Well, the hubby is at drill this weekend. That's something you have to deal with when your hubby is in the National Guard. Drill. And at drill, they do nothing, so he is away from us on this beautiful spring day for nothing. Boo. It's just me and Drake this weekend. The first time I've ever spent the night alone with him. So far, the day is going well, with a little bit of a rocky morning. We went to a bridal shower that was during his morning nap. Big no-no. I'll never do that again. I do know the drill and I didn't do it. Cried, cried, cried. As soon as I put him in the car, he stopped. Nice. Now, he's sleeping for his afternoon nap. I hope until 5:00. Then he'll eat and hopefully, we can get a little shopping done. Wish us luck!

The BOB

We are going to REI tonight to pick up our BOB jogging stroller! I am so excited! This means that I can start running again with my sweet baby boy right there with me. And, it's Friday! What a great day!

2 Days in a row!

I'm on a roll. I guess I just realized how much I love to read everyone else's blogs and how disappointed I am when I go to read them and they are not updated.

I read a great blog yesterday and stole the following little story from it. It is so sweet/sad, that I just wanted to keep it and share it all at the same time. It's about what love means to children and this was an excerpt from the story:
*There was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

In the midst of teaching, I forgot how sweet and innocent children are. This story brought tears to my eyes because it made me think of my grandfather when he lost my grandmother. It was Christmas 2008, just 2 weeks after she passed. My husband, sister and I were at my grandpa's house when he gave us our Christmas presents. Grandma had made them before she passed. It was a letter from her and a candle that smelled like her scent. We all cried when we opened them. After we calmed down, grandpa started to cry. It was then that my dad came in and just went over to grandpa and held him.

Just thinking about that memory makes me cry. In a way, my dad was that little boy helping his dad cry.

I'm back!

Hopefully for good! I get so busy during the day that I forget to blog...no, sorry. I can't lie. I get so lazy during the day that I forget to blog. Yeah, that's more like it. Drake takes mini naps throughout the day and when he does, I surf the web. Mostly facebook and other blogs. Or, I shop the web. I feel like I'm doing so much when he's alseep, but at the end of the day, I realize I haven't done squat.

Drake is still doing well. He is so used to being held that when I try to put him down for a long nap, he cries. Then I go comfort him and he falls asleep. I leave the room. He wakes up and cries. I comfort him...it's a vicious cycle. I eventually just pick him up and let him sleep in my arms. Not good if I want to get things done around the house. When the hubby comes home at 4:15, I'm usually holding Drake, who is sound asleep.

Drake has moved on to a 4 hour feeding schedule, which is FABULOUS!!! I feel like I am getting some of my life back. I can actually go out and shop a little before he has to eat again. And, he sleeps so well during the night. So far. I'm still waiting for those 12-hour nights. :)

I have found the most wonderful baby carrier. I can carry Drake 9 different ways with one carrier. It's better than the Baby Bjorn because it doesn't have any buckles or buttons. Drake never really seemed to like the Baby Bjorn. I hope he likes the new carrier. It's coming in the mail any day now!! A pic of Drake:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!