my two faves....

Ryan won't be too thrilled that I'm posting this... but I think its precious. He offered to put her down for a nap while I got some stuff done around the house, after a 1/2 hour this is what I found...

I don't know who looks more relaxed, but they both slept for 2 hours like that

houdini returns....

well the new bumper lasted all of 2 nights before houdini made her return.... at this point i give up...

I heard her chirping away, I walk in and find this.... (in the dark)

note the "haha i did it again!" face

busted

who needs crawling anyway???

Its been a month... and Jayme is STILL crawling (not scooting anymore, but actual crawling) backwards! Everyone (family, friends, Ryan and I) has worked with her to try and get her going forward- she is either stubborn, likes her method, or really just doesn't get it.... funny part is that if there is something she wants to get to, she will roll, shimmy, scoot, then position herself backwards and crawl in reverse to get to it! This past week we noticed she is trying to pull herself up to standing (still a ways off), but I guess my child thinks she can do without that whole crawling business...

dragging her blanket with her to her toys...

"a little help mom" (she LOOOOVES water bottles)

making her plan of attack

just a little more....

I may have given her a slight boost ;-)

5 seconds later...

looks like a crazy yoga pose as she tries to pull up and out of my idea of a playpen

third times a charm....

Up until she started REALLY moving around in her crib (about 5 months), we didn't put a bumper on Jayme's crib (that whole first-time parent fear of our precious child suffocating herself, or an extra measure to prevent SIDS)... Then she started scooting, which led to her bumping her head (and crying), getting arms/legs stuck (and crying out of frustration), and dropping her pacifier (and crying for someone to be her personal golden retriever)... I decided it was time to bust out the super cute bumper that came with the bedding my girlfriend got us. One problem... as cute as it was (and cushy), it didn't quite fit our convertible crib, which our Houdini child figured out right away... she always seemed to find the exact spot where she could wedge her feet and legs out of the crib and get herself stuck- We thought this was hilarious at first because she would do this fighting sleep, and when i moved her back to the center, we would find her in the same position (but in her sleep)... a few weeks went by and this was getting old. Ryan's solution- Moby wrap! That was genius, and we probably would have left his idea of Moby wrapping the crib if it weren't for two things- it is a pain to remove and redo EVERY TIME I go to change the sheets, and secondly,  its just not pretty. So after much debate about more options, I went to my trusted source (the internet) and researched various bumpers for larger cribs (for whatever reason convertible cribs are bulkier)... we ended up with the Carter's super soft bumper. (of course if I was changing out the bumper, I had to change out the skirt too for aesthetic reasons- Ryan didn't even notice ;-) So far (2 naps and an overnight later) I think we found a match for our lil' Houdini!

The Original (cute one, bummed it didn't fit right- if only I knew how to sew)

Why we had to do away with the original...

I would find her like this in the morning or after nap time (too often)

Ryan's Moby Solution

Did the job, but not up to my "cute" standards...

New bedding (bumper and crib skirt)

Fits PERFECTLY, and the best part is no more Houdini (for now)!

"special" aunts and uncles...

As I was sorting through my Christmas pictures, I came to realize where my sweet little girl gets the special quirks in her animated personality....

meet eclectic aunt tay (note the shoes)

the infamous "uncle" buck

uncle alex (he may look normal, but don't judge the book by his cover)

she <3's uncle benny-benny-boo-bear... ALOT (he brings normalcy to her life)

its no wonder, with so much personality in the family, that my little bug is such a character....

she is one super happy, silly, sassy little girl!

Routinely out of routine...

we were doing soooo well with naptime and bedtime routines... UNTIL the holidays! With Ryan gone away on work trips (up to 2 weeks at a time) I feel more secure having Jayme in bed with me (I think we both sleep better); however, with the busyness of our days during the holidays, slumber parties on nights when Ryan is out of town, and lots of car travel time, Jayme's sleep schedule seems to have gone berserk. Add into that teething and my overdose of coffee and holiday sweets (chocoholic!) filtering through her milk, and I have one totally out of sync baby girl. I am trying to get back on track, but it seems 10 times more difficult this go-around... any suggestions???

Promises for the new year...

I have been contemplating my "promises" for the new year for several weeks now... Ryan and I sat and watched the ball drop at midnight (not just any ball... a Snookie filled ball- we both felt lame telling anyone that we forwent the NY ball for the New Jersey ball filled with one orange and scantily-clad Snookie), and as we went to bed shortly after, I still hadn't firmed up my promises to myself for the new year. I am typically goal oriented, but the word "promise" seems to have more meaning (or oomph)... so I've decided to share them and put them in writing in an effort to hold myself accountable for my promises.
Of course a new year is a great motivation to promise or set goals for the usual lose the baby weight, get more organized, eat less junk food, watch less TV, etc.... but this year I have specifics:

1. My first one probably needs the most explanation- I WILL go to church at least one Sunday a month (as hethan as this sounds, once a month is more than we went this past year). Somehow getting to church on time (an hour away) with a baby has been one of our biggest challenges (figures the church we fall in love with is such a drive, but sooo worth it when we do make it). Basically it comes down to time management, commitment, and not making excuses even when Ryan is out of town (too often these days). If we can get to church every Sunday in a row, that would be awesome, but I am being realistic for the moment.
2. Do a MINIMUM of one charitable act or good deed a week... whether its volunteering my time to a greater purpose, or letting the little old lady/man go in front of me at the grocery store... a simple act can make all the difference, or no difference at all- but at least I will know I tried (I am a fan of paying it forward).
3. Start and finish (maybe not so much finish as it is continue) P90x with Ryan... He got it for us for Christmas (knowing I've been complaining about no more bootcamp). Obviously it will help both of us toward our objective of getting into shape (no need to look like the ripped models, but some tone isn't too much to ask for- right???), but more important is both of our desires to have more energy and stamina throughout the day. Another plus will be the together time we gain working out together.
4. Run at least one half-marathon (fingers crossed Nike Women lets me in this year with the whole lottery situation)... maybe the Disney Half also??? Time to put my BOB to good use!
5. Write more thank you notes, and be genuine about them... too many times I write them because I've been trained to do so since I can remember... this year I want to take the time to express my gratitude more promptly and more often.
6. Finally... scrapbook Jayme's first year... I have all the stuff and have yet to start ONE scrapbook about anything! I am putting an end to procrastination (well not completely... but in the area of her scrapbook- its a start ;-)

Here's to a prosperous and healthy New Year and new promises!

piggy-back baby...

my lil' bug helped me clean today (more like helped me burn extra calories by providing an extra 18lbs of weight on my back)...

 after some vacuuming, laundry, mopping, and counter detail, someone became less active... (about an hour-and-a-half into my cleaning spree) i took a look in the mirror and found this :-)

 

thank you ryan for the upgrade ergo carrier (she is too big for the bjorn i wore her in everyday)... however, i'm not so sure i want to tell him how much i got done in an hour-and-a-half while wearing her, he might expect that kind of productivity all the time now that its "more convenient" to wear her comfortably on my back.

scooting in rewind...

after an informal lesson in crawling from her friend Jeremy, my lil' bug decided she was determined to move like him... one minor difference in her method- she is scooting backwards... the cutest part is that she can't figure out why she is going the opposite direction from her reach.

"ummm mom... a little help here please"

christmas pictures...

Because we like to procrastinate, our christmas picture became quite the ordeal... originally we were going to start a picture tradition of taking jayme (and future lil white's) to the mission inn to see the lights and take out christmas card picture there; however, time got away from us and with ryan leaving for work in canada for 2 weeks, we are out of time and had to make do with our christmas tree as the backdrop... only one problem... we didn't have a photographer. not such a big deal when its adults or kids that can respond accordingly when you say "smile" when its time for the camera to snap a 10 second delay self portrait... with a 6 month old however, she had an agenda of her own. after 10 snaps and deer in-the-head-lights looks later, ryan opted to put her baby einstein on the computer in front of us, then we could time out her laughs/smiles with our picture... after 5 minutes spent putting the dvd in and getting it started, we realize its the lullabye dvd (no smiles, just yawns)... fast forward to 10 more snaps and a teething baby sucking on her dress, her fingers, our fingers, my hair, her shoes (she tried anyway)... we tried in vain for a couple more snaps (59 in total to be
exact)...
in the end (30 minutes later), we decided to go with a couple non-traditional pictures for this years card... maybe next year we can plan better and make sure we have someone behind the camera with the mission inn as the back drop???? here are the out-takes...

"had enough guys... and this bow needs to go"