2005: A Year in Review

Sparked by Crista's year in review, I decided to make myself find the time to do the same. It's been quite the year! I just couldn't stick to only one sentence, but here it is:

January 2005: Bad Dreams Again...
I slept horribly last night. The people upstairs had a party while we were out, and I guess they decided 1-2AM was a great time to clean up after it. All the thumping and heavy-footed walking made it extremely difficult for me to sleep. I had a lot of dreams (which explains why I feel terrible today - I obviously had poor quality sleep). The most vivid was another one of those things that tends to come with pregnancy, but it was just plain horrible.

February 2005: Sick :(
I knew it was coming. I had an earache over the weekend and I haven't had one of those in a while. I've been a lot more tired than usual, too. And sure enough, I woke up (if you can call it that since I didn't sleep too well to begin with) in the middle of the night with post-nasal drip, a sore throat, and congestion.

March 2005: Appointment Today
I got to leave work after only an hour to run off for another ultrasound today. It was supposed to be because the tech didn't get all the measurements she needed and so she could get a better look at the heart, but she claimed today that she had all the measurements she needed. (This comes back to bite her in the end...)

April 2005: I Should Have Known Better
Yesterday was crib shopping day with Mom.

May 2005: Difference Of Opinion
All weekend long, Brian talked about how he wants a house. He wants more space. He wants to move. He doesn't want to live where we do anymore. But most especially, he doesn't want to rent anymore.

June 2005: Dressing Up The Pup
We have a lot of fun with our dog, Becky. Besides taking her just about everywhere with us, she's sort of like having a furry little kid. She loves her people, in spite of the things we make her endure. Like dressing her up.

July 2005: Amnesia
I realized today that, for the life of me, I could not recall the pain of true labor that I had near the end.

August 2005: Just As Predicted... [UPDATED]
1) Maggie did not sleep through the night last night. The previous 2 nights must have been a fluke. We were back to waking up around 3:30AM and then 7AM. At least I knew to expect it...
2) I don't want to return to work.

September 2005: Doing Well...and Not
Maggie is doing very well at daycare. She's happy to be there and I hear their biggest problem is that she smiles too much when they feed her. She has quickly become a favorite of much of the staff (at least, that's what I've been told).

October 2005: A Day At The Fair
Margaret went to her first fair today. It was actually my birthday present since Brian isn't a fan of fairs (doesn't like the smell of the animals). Since it was my birthday, though, he agreed to go.

November 2005: Back To Normal
Sorry to leave everyone hanging like that! It got to be quite a busy week!
Tuesday Margaret started acting more like her old self again. Smiles were abundant and she was in a playful mood. It came just in time, as I wasn't sure how much more I could take of the changeling child we had.

December 2005: Time Flies
I have been so busy, I actually *forgot* I had a blog! Hard to believe, I know, but it's true!

I contemplated going against the trend and posting my messages from the end of every month instead of the beginning. :D But it's nice to go back and see how I put the last year into words. We've come so far, and have so much to be thankful for. I can only hope that next year is even better, for all of us!

A Lesson in Baby Carriers

Kat's question got me thinking. Most people probably aren't familiar with the vast opportunities available in the world of baby-wearing. (And no, I'm not talking about some weird fashion trend...)

The best source for info on baby-wearing is http://thebabywearer.com. That's where I found my info on how to make a pouch and ring sling when I set off on those ventures back in the spring. Since Margaret wasn't fond of either, however, I researched my other options this fall. That's how I stumbled upon mei tais, which are probably my favorite baby carrier.

Mei tais (which are pronounced may tie, or may die, depending on the source) work somewhat like the familiar Bjorns and Snuglis in that the baby is supported in an upright position against your body. However, these are based on traditional Asian Baby Carriers, so they're a much older design (read: no buckles; these babies tie onto you). Mei tais traditionally are for front and back carries, but they can also be used to carry a toddler on your hip. They consist of long shoulder straps that you wrap around you and baby, and a pair of waist straps to close in the bottom of the panel.

I also have an onbuhimo, another traditional Asian Baby Carrier (ABC). This has long shoulder straps like the mei tai, but instead of waist straps, there are rings on the sides that you thread the shoulder straps through before knotting them. These traditionally were used for back carries only. I know of people who have used them for front carries, but it seems a bit awkward. A mei tai would be much quicker for a front carry, although an onbu can be faster for a back carry.

Here are the others in my collection of ABCs:

Red mod dots Baby Hawk extra tall mei tai with red minkee lining and (extra long) black straps:


Succulent Dahlia Blooms Baby Hawk onbuhimo with sage minkee lining and black straps (sans baby...Margaret was asleep when I was able to get a picture of it):


And of course, the one in my original post. My goldfish custom framed Nestlings mei tai with natural (extra long) straps:


Just like anything else, these can become an addiction. Brian still thinks they're a frivalous expenditure. However, with how happy they make Margaret during her fussy moments (which occur *every* day lately), they've been worth every penny!

Excuses, Excuses

I know, I know. I've been MIA for a while now. Being a mom is much more time-consuming than I ever thought it would be...I have no idea how I will manage when I am a mom of two!

Margaret's sleep habits have gone down hill again. She's still battling a cold, which is directly to blame for her more frequent middle-of-the-night wakings. And some days she does great with her naps (2 1.5-2 hour naps), but most days, she barely manages 3 45-minute naps. The combination of her poor sleeping habits, with her recent clinginess, has turned me into a sort of AP mom. I never planned on being crunchy, it's just sort of happened. I spend much of our evenings together with her in a mei tai or onbuhimo carrier on my back. She's content to be there, and prefers that I actually do something with her on my back (like wash dishes or do laundry) than just sit around. So it helps in that I manage to get some things done around the house, but I never imagined it would be this way.

(Here's an example of one of my mei tais, but with her on the front)


Which is funny. I've always been a planner. I intended to do things a certain way. Then I learned to listen to Margaret's cues, and since I started to go with the flow, things have turned out entirely differently than I planned. But it works for us so that's all that matters. I don't mind being a bit of a hippy chick if it makes my baby happy. :)

Margaret's trying earnestly to crawl. When she does actually get on her hands and knees, she goes backwards instead of forwards. But she can spin a mean circle on the floor, as well as roll to just about anywhere she wants to get. I suppose it's time to finish baby-proofing. She's mobile!

We do have exciting news to share! My SIL will be getting married at a Sandals resort on Antigua in February. And they are bringing us to witness the event (and get a little R&R!). This includes Margaret!! Brian isn't as enthused as I would like him to be. We do prefer cold weather to hot, and he would rather spend time in February skiing than sitting on a tropical beach. But there aren't many opportunities like this in life. And I would so love to see Margaret enjoy the beach and ocean! We've never been to the Caribbean before so I'm really looking forward to this event! :)

Other than that, just day to day life here. We're planning on moving in the spring to a bigger apartment...and quite possibly, to Vermont if we can find a way. We've dreamt of moving "up North" for years now and we may have enough money to at least make the move possible (to an apartment), if we can find jobs. That's problematic since Brian doesn't have a college degree, and I only have an Associate's. I'm really hoping that we can make it work, though. It would be so wonderful to live where there's cleaner air and less people!

12 Days and Counting...

Are there really less than 2 weeks left until Christmas? I've barely even started my shopping! I feel so disorganized this year...and I hate being disorganized. My own living space drives me crazy due to the apparent whirlwind that has gone crashing through here. I washed dipes and baby clothes 2 days ago and still haven't had a chance to fold and put them away. Now that Margaret's asleep, here goes another night in trying to attempt that task. And I know there's important paperwork on the kitchen table somewhere... I think... At least, that's if my memory isn't failing me yet again. Who knew I would lose my mind?

Margaret now consistently sleeps 7PM to 6:30AM... but has a huge cranky meltdown hour between 5 and 6PM every night. Now that Brian is working his winter 2nd job again, I'm on my own Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and all day Saturday. Tonight, she was crankier than usual. It was an extremely difficult evening. But at least she was asleep by 7. Do they ever outgrow this? Apparently, she's wonderful all day long...but by the time I get her, she's had enough and can't contain herself anymore. I'm sure she's just not napping enough and that's the problem. But I'm not sending her to bed any earlier... I think 11.5 hours of sleep is certainly within the realm of normal. I'm even a little jealous. Even though she goes to bed early and sleeps through the night, I still am up past 11PM every night trying to get all the things done that I can't do when she's awake.

Time Flies

I have been so busy, I actually *forgot* I had a blog! Hard to believe, I know, but it's true!

We started sleep training a little over a week ago. It's based on this book, Good Night, Sleep Tight ... (the title is incredibly long!). I was skeptical at first, but Margaret's sleep has vastly improved. Part of our problem was that we were keeping her up too late at night. Once we shifted her to an earlier bedtime, amazingly she started sleeping through the night again. Well, there were 2 nights that she woke up in the middle of the night - but she went back to sleep quickly. The book also addresses early wakings, and how to get your child to sleep later. Again, I was a skeptic. Margaret started waking between 5 and 6AM when we started this system. But somehow, it's like she's getting the message, because last night she slept from 7:05PM until 6:15AM! She's also learned how to put herself to sleep, instead of requiring us to put her to sleep. This is huge as we always had to do something to get her to sleep before. Now, I can put her in her crib and she's asleep within 10 minutes. The downside is that I get very little time with her when I get home from work. But her health and well-being are worth it.

Some of you may have noticed that I removed the links to Margaret's photo albums. While nothing has happened, I did read some stories recently on the message boards I frequent of families who had photos of their precious babies stolen and put on baby fetish websites. I immediately took whatever measures I could to keep Margaret safe from these pedophiles. Nothing is ever 100%, I know, but I'll do what I can to make it all that much harder for them to get those photos. It's a shame that we have to be so cautious, that instead of sharing the joy of our children's lives, we have to be worried about what unscrupulous people may do with that information in their hands.

Margaret is enjoying the Christmas tree. I almost didn't even put it up this year as space is scarce in our little apartment. But the spirit of the season won in the end, and I just couldn't imagine Margaret spending her first Christmas without one. Granted, it only has lights, garland, and about 6 ornaments on it... but it's better than nothing. She enjoys trying with all her might to reach the branches so she can pull on them. I think we may have to switch to a table-top tree on top of our entertainment center next year...

Lastly, my message to you all for this holiday season: