Insert cheesy (but totally adorable) fall photos here

October...the abridged version

Josie turned one...seriously.  Where did the year go!  Great birthday party, LOTS of guests.  Grandpa Bob and Mimi came, so did Aunt Sophie and Grandpa Mickey.  She was a lucky girl.

Jace is full swing into his new full-time college student life.

Took a trip to the central Oregon coast.  Amazing weather with friends and my dad.

Halloween is coming.  I am keeping tradition alive by making Josie's costume.  Stay tuned for completed photos.

Let the packing begin!  We depart on the 31st for an entire month in Maui.  We are beside ourselves with excitement and to-do lists. O how I wish we were leaving tomorrow...I am not ready to put away my flip flops yet.

 

And away she goes!

My little baby is walking! 11 months old and she has places to be, apparently. Go go baby go!

September is one of my favorite things

September is one of my favorite months.  The weather is wonderful, it's when I met Eric, the Huckleberry Festival happens, it's when our apple tree and walnut trees are ready, and it's when I got married.  Here are some photos of the festival and how we celebrated our 3rd anniversary.  I love you, sweetie!

You're never fully dressed without a smile

My dear friend and blogger, Michele, recently wrote a post that I couldn't help but love.  The question that she shared asked, "Aside from your kids, pets, your husband, your coffee and your wine…what makes you smile?"   Those 5 things constantly make me smile, but here are a few more:

• flip flops
• the smell of BBQ
• summer dresses
• the woods
• long showers
• swimming in a lake
• guacamole
• paddling on my board
• pedicures
• live music
• my girlfriends
• going out to dinner
• living in scenery
• sea otters
• hawaii
• my sunroof
• crisp mornings
• picking my own fruit
• the ocean

Sleep Training Update

It's been almost a week since we started our new night time procedures (as I like to call them).  The first 3 nights, I was sleeping on the sofa, while Eric was attending to her constant awakenings.  He did sooooo great.  He was able to calm her down as she yelled and cried out for me.  I went in only twice to nurse her.  I am happy to report that she is no longer seeking out my "nums nums" to soothe her to sleep.  She is still waking up a gazillion times, but a simple hand on her back and some reassuring that everything-is-ok-we-are-there-and-its-ok-to-go-back-to-sleep, is all it takes.  She still isn't able to stay asleep for more than an hour or two, but I am very  hopeful that we will reach that milestone in the next 6 months.  We did successfully can the night nursings.  Hooray for baby steps. 

In other news, she is going to be turning 1 in a month!  I wasn't too interested in doing a big birthday, but as the time gets closer, I am all ABOUT throwing a big party.  Let the planning begin!   

Sleep Training Log Entry 1

I can't take it anymore. The sleepless nights, the constant nursing, the endless times that I get up to soothe my daughter. It has to stop. She has gone mental with the nursing. Instead of just sucking her thumb when she woke up (which she USED to do)...she searches for me and my breasts. When she can't find them, she screams.....and screams....and screams....and screams.  I have had dozens of women share their night-time tricks to getting their breast-fed babies to sleep through the night, but ALL of them have one lucky aspect working in their favor. All of their babies sleep in a different room. None of them are forced to be in a crib in their bedroom.  I have yet to get sound advice from somebody in this situation.  Even Dr. Sears has nothing for me.  You can only imagine how hard it must be for a little baby to see, smell and hear their Mommy just feet away and be unable to get to her....so she screams.....and screams....and screams...I am too exhausted to fight, so I give in.  This happens about every 1-3hrs.  It's been manage-able up until lately.  Lately she has been only hold onto sleep for less than 60min at a time.  We both get up exhausted in the morning and she is so fussy and tired.  This is no way to be.  Our mind, body and souls are being damaged.  So here is the first entry log in our Sleep Training Boot Camp.  Here is the plan: 

I am moving out of the bedroom indefinately.  The sofa will be my new bed.  Josie will remain in the bedroom with Daddy.  He is going to be the first responder to her wakenings and try to comfort her.  This will include long hours of crying-it-out.  But I know she will be safe and she will hopefully learn that she can soothe herself or allow Daddy to soothe her back to sleep.  I will come into the bedroom only twice to nurse her for the first few days.  I can't quit nursing her cold turkey, since she does get a majority of her calories at night.  This will dwindle to eventually no night nursing.  As Daddy is in the bedroom working out the crying times, I will be suffering on the sofa....earplugs in place, headphones ready, or whatever else I need to get through the agony of listening to my dear baby crying her heart out for me.        And here it goes.....

Josie in Maine

This month, I took Josie to Maine for her first summer vacation.  Here are some photos to prove we were there. Some highlights that weren't shown was all the swimming in the lake, the delicious meals, throwing rocks into the water, and some fantastic napping. My favorite part of the trip was seeing my dear friends, Rachel, Michele, Tabatha, Elli....and Dawn. I forgot how much I miss these girls.

I QUIT

....my job, that is. Did I get your attention? I have been unemployed for 2 1/2 months now and it's been so surreal. First of all, I didn't think I would really do it. But now, the life I once had of working and travelling seems so far away. I have spent the last 12 years of my life working for the same company. And before that, I have had a handful of random jobs since I was 14 years old. I always regret not taking time off after college. I officially proclaim that this is MY time. YES INDEED!! I have some friends who are on the fence about working or staying home to raise their children. If had any part in their decision, I would vote hands-down "No work". When I looked at the expense of daycare and time away from home, whether I was travelling or just doing a 9-5 gig, it made NO sense to work. I would barely break even financially. But furthermore, I would lose a much more valuable aspect......time watching my baby grow and thrive. Not to mention the benefit for her to be with her family and friends during the most critical years. And later down the road, if I am feeling an urge for some adult interaction, a loss of self, or just plain boredom, then it will be time to pick up something a few hours a week. What a great excuse to volunteer or take a class, right? I have attached an old photo of my former life....traveling the world as a corporate field trainer and now as a mom who has travelled all over the world and found her place here.

 

Josie post: 10 months old

Little Josie....oh, little Josie.  What a stinking riot it is to have her around.  She continually makes me laugh.  A quick update on her growing up:
She stands up without holding onto anything.  Especially likes to do this while eating.
She crawls on one knee, while using the other foot propels her forward. Only one knee gets dirty.
She would rather put everything in her mouth except food.  The video below was hours of waiting for her to eat.
She can jump into the water without fear and go under water.  She is an amphibian.
Lots of teeth to not eat with.
Favorite words are Hi, Daddy, Kitty, Ma, and Dadu (not sure what that is).
Favorite book is a 62 page Dr. Suess ABC book.  She is captivated by all the rhymes.
She enjoys wiping down surfaces and walls with towels, tissues, and clothes.
Sesame street always calms her down
Photos of her big brother as a baby make her giggle and bounce
...there are so many more wonderful wonders in the world of Josie.  We head to Maine in a couple days, so you can look forward to those adventures!

A lot has happened.....stay tuned

In the past couple of months, SO much has happened.  Please stay tuned for a new blog look and recent updates.  Please keep following me! 

Josie and Jace discover Maui

This was, by far, one of my favorite vacations.  Enjoy the show!

Cousins are the best

Josie and Jace's cousins came to visit over spring break. It was so great having a house full of kids and excitement. It was a bit weird that I was enjoying cooking and cleaning up after 4 kids...until they all left. Then I realized how happy I was that it was over. Mica and Josie are so wonderful together. Josie never complained or fussed whenever Mica was nearby. Come over anytime Mica and Eli....we love you both so much.

Bye Grandpa

My Grandpa Max passed away this week. He was 94 years old. The youngest of a half dozen children to Gustav & Helene Felder who immigrated here from Austria in 1906. He was quite a man. A love of math, bridge, music, food, science, politics, investing, movies, technology, and humor. He was such a sharp dresser, too. I have so many great memories of visiting him and Grandma in NYC and Florida, also playing lakeside in Maine. I will miss him, but I imagine a beautiful reunion with him and my Grandma. I went to visit him just a couple months ago so he could meet his first great grandchild, Josephine Minna. Since then, he has met another great-grandchild (Ada Grace) and has learned there another little girl on the way. Thinking of you, Grandpa.

They grow up so fast, don't they?

Let the travels begin

Josie is 4 months old, I am back to work, and life is getting a bit more exciting these days. January started out with a family trip to Anacortes, WA and ended with some sunshine in Phoenix. February will be equally as exciting with 2 east coast trips planned. Enjoy some photos!

Passport

Trying to capture her best for her passport photo. She wouldn't stop talking to the camera...I was cracking up.

3 months already?!

What the hell happened to the time? My maternity leave is over, my daughter is 3 months old already and it's 2012. Time just zips by when you are playing with this little dollface. Her new tricks are swatting at her hanging toys, sucking her thumb whenever she feels like it, talking ALL the time, and my personal favorite...the giggling. I am also a sucker to the flirty bashful smile she does when she wants to be ubur cute. She already loves her childcare lady (and our dear friend), so that's a relief! Her Grandma is visiting from Maine this weekend, more pics of that visit soon.