pet peeves

Ok when we were going to member classes for Alex' Christening at church we were asked the question "what is your pet peeve?" (I know, it seemed very unchristian like to even mention it!) - after the class I thought of a few extra "peeves" so I thought I'd share them with the readers!
Why do people say "relator" when it's "realtor?"
It's across, not "acrost."
I hate when people chew gum with their mouths open
I hate even more when people eat with their mouths open
My number 1 pet peeve - When people say "give me", ie. give me a Coke, and then don't say please or thankyou.

Ok that's it for today...thanks for mmm...reading.

Yippeeee......Hoppity hop!!!!

Aghhhhsleeeeppppp.

Alex is officially sleeping from 9pm until about 7am most nights now, it's heaven. She is rolling around like crazy and trying to hold herself into an upright position - she still topples over but she thinks that's hysterically funny. If you read Mike's blog you know that we had a typical crazy weekend, but we don't like the alternative of sitting on our arses all weekend, so we had fun even though that last softball game was freezing - fall is here! We had a great week up to the Christening with Mum and Bryan in town. My cousins Alison and Andy came in town too, their first time in the States so now I'm suffering from homesickness and missing my family. Alex is dressing as a lamb for Halloween so watch the blog for pictures - we're really going trick or treating for me as she's too young for candy - I know, I love chocolate so much, I'll steal candy from my own child!

Sleeping!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well we have two whole nights of complete sleep! - hurrah! Alex up until now has been still waking up for a middle of the night feeding - my friend suggested the Ferber method where you let them cry through it until they fall back to sleep - no way. My master plan was to reduce the amount of milk I give her to 4 oz and also to let her sleep until she woke up on her own, even if it was 2am - well I guess she figured the 4 oz wasn't worth waking up for, as she has slept from 8pm until 7am two nights. Of course I lay awake both of those nights waiting for her to wake up - Duh!. She loves her new diet of mushed peas and green beans so it must be helping her sleep. Ah she's awake again, have to sign off....Mum and Stepdad are here so we have a busy week ahead planning the Christening. ttfn,Heather.x

Wriggle worm

Wriggle worm is her new nickname, especially as "Peanut" seems silly now that she has a little chubby belly and is all of about 12lbs now! She is the most active baby, I'm sure more than most even though I have no other babies to compare her to. She refuses to sit still and rolls all the way across the floor in an instant. Needless to say I can't leave her AT ALL anywhere where she might fall or roll off. I've become very creative with the swing and the activity mat where she hangs out when I need to get something done in the house. She gurgles and coos which is adorable, especially in the crib when she's just entertaining herself by babbling. She's been to England for a second time and traveled very well - Mike said that she's the only person to have ever gone to England and come back fat - Grandma and the rest of the Brits thought she was hungry a lot so she ate every four hours around the clock the whole time she was there! I just started packing away her 0-3 mth clothes which made me sad, as she's growing away from the newborn stage and into babyhood. Mmm might have to try and have another baby then..... I'm going to try and pressure Michael to update the videos this weekend, he pulled the first two for technical problems (oh and we noticed on the birth video that we could see something we'd rather not share with the whole world!! Thks for noticing Christi!) Alex is stirring, gotta go....H.x

I wanted to rotate this pic but didn't know how! This is one of my many favorite pics of Alex, there's nothing that melts your heart more than a sleeping baby - haha especially after a few sleepless nights. Someone told me that just when you think you have things on schedule with babies, they change!... sure enough for the last week Alex has been waking up several times a night and crying not from hunger but because she wants her pacifier in her mouth. Short of using duct tape, I have to get out of bed, shove it back in and she drops peacefully back to sleep. Invariably I then lay awake thinking of stupid mundane things like laundry or I get a stupid song in my head that won't leave (last night it was the new Fergie song which is surprisingly very good!) By the time I drift back to sleep it's "binky" time again and I have to wake back up! I'll take any advice by the way. Michael and I did wait last night to see if she "self-soothed" as the books say but she cried sufficiently to break my heart. Anyway even in the middle of the night she is an angel and I love every inch of her! I did notice again today how great Jess is with her little sister, she adores her and is the first family member to actually make Alex laugh - blowing raspberries into a baby's belly button does it every time. I just checked out the updated pics and videos that Mike uploaded, pretty cool, although it's hard to see the videos sometimes unless you have high speed internet, which I think most people have now. Watch this space for more news....H. x

I feel almost human again

Well you think at the time that it will never happen but we are now getting a regular night's sleep and Alex is peacefully sleeping (on her side strangely enough) through the night for up to 6 or 7 hrs, it's heaven. I've started weaning her off breast feeding this week in preparation for me going back to work in Sept (more about breast feeding later!) - the thought of leaving her breaks my heart, I hate being away from her even for a few hours, but I think once I'm at work I'll enjoy traveling to Europe again - I do miss shopping for my wine and food in Rome and Paris, yeah I know I sound like a snobby little brat, but hey, I have to pick up the trash and dirty tissues of hundreds of people on the plane in order to get there! So about the breast feeding - to all my wonderful friends who have done it before - thanks for nothing! Nobody told me, first of all how much it hurts the first few weeks, then how many hours out of the day I have to pump milk, and feed the baby....and how painful it is to try and reduce the amount of milk you produce after three months of frantically trying to increase the amount!! I know it's great for the baby but if she gets a scholarship to Harvard, I WILL say it was because I breast fed her for three months because that's the only way I can justify it. I'm trying to train for a half marathon in Sept and my boobs are so full of milk that I would need a crane to stop them from moving when I run! Yep might have to postpone my running career. Despite those little setbacks, Alex is growing beautifully, and traveled to England like a pro - she is one laid back kid so far. She has like most newborns I suppose, captured our hearts in a way I never could even describe. Getting a baby free day today, and going to see the band Les Nubiens in New York with Peggy - for anyone that likes Jazz with a French/African flavor, they are worth buying-excellent. ta ta for now...Heather. x