Mountain Fair

One year ago tonight I was dancing with my favorite dancing buddy.  Tonight though?  Tonight, I go it alone.  I'm a little more nervous as I can't just stand there and be pregnant if I forget what I'm doing and have people in awe over almost 9 month pregnant body still dancing! 

Last year...

Looking forward to have my tiniest fan in the audience!  She loved dancing with me...wonder what she'll think of it all from the outside!!!  And her Dad is quite possibly my biggest fan...looking forward to having him there as well.  Love you guys!

Hallelujah!

I know this is a little premature, but I didn't get out of bed once last night! 

Eric and I were near our wits end with this sleep business.  On Monday I did the 'pick up put down' method.  She seriously screamed for an hour and a half.  And I picked her up and put her down 37 times...then I lost count.

Last night we did some research and decided we needed to give her a chance to put herself back down.  I said I couldn't let her cry for more than 5 minutes and that was our agreement.  Five minutes, then go check it out.  As we turned out the lights after reading a bit, she started to stir.  She kind of whined for about a minute, maybe two...and then she was lying back down!  VICTORY!!!  She did this a couple more times throughout the night, two times I think...maybe three.  I didn't get a great night of sleep as I was checking the monitor frequently.  BUT....I didn't get out of bed.  Not once.  And definitely not for an hour and a half in the middle of the night! 

And...she woke up in a great mood!  Just talking away to let us know she was awake!  I feel that she was actually rested when she woke up and not feeling already groggy from a night of terrible sleep.  And?  She was hungry!  Sometimes it's a challenge to get her to nurse or eat any breakfast before leaving the house for the day...but not today! 

I feel like the three of us have really accomplished something here.  I had no idea how hard it would be to teach someone such seemingly basic things...and things that I look forward to several times throughout the day.  Sleeping and eating!  On the other hand, I feel that I could have helped this situation months ago, as I have been getting up the moment I hear her stir.  Does she need to eat?  Does she need a diaper change?  Does she need to be held?  We've done it all...being up every hour, having her get up just once a night, etc.  But now?  Now we know she can go through the night without eating, she can put herself back to bed...and we can all get a little more sleep and be a little more rested!

Thank you, sweet baby girl!!!  I feel like a brand new person today!!

10 months

I'm such a slacker...and that's so disappointing to me!!  Life has just gotten busy.  Busy beyond belief!

Neva is crawling up a storm.  Her first attempts were for an outlet and an electrical cord.  Really?  Guess someone was right on when they made all those childproofing products!  She also likes to pull up to stand on anything and everything in sight.  Once she's upright, she likes to practice her dance moves, which include some pretty darn good hip circles and this funny little booty dance.  Seriously, have to get that one on camera.  It even comes out at night when I pat her little buns to sleep.  When she wants me to do it more, she shakes her butt (kind of like Kendra for anyone else who watches crappy reality TV such as 'The Girls Next Door').

She's become an eating machine.  Loving green beans, peas, sweet potato, squash, avocado, carrots, rice cereal and pasta, almost any kind of puff or cracker and now cheese!  Has to be my child, I tell you!  Cheese, crackers and avocados?!?!  We just can't seem to convince her that fruit is yummy...we're still working on that though!  And her new trick is drinking from a straw.  Pretty funny to watch this tiny tot drink out of any cup with a straw.  And I taught her to say, "ah" after drinking, which I thought was hilarious...until she started doing it while nursing, too! 

She likes to 'sing' and dance when we listen to music.  Hilarious, I tell you.  She babbles all the time at home, but gets somewhat shy when out and public and isn't nearly as vocal.  More of an observer in a new situation or around new people, much like her mama.  She's also using a few words regularly, 'mama' and 'dada'.  And we will swear that we've heard, 'cat' and 'dog' a few times over the last few weeks. 

Neva is also going through quite the separation anxiety right now.  Not AT ALL when I leave her at Ronda's in the morning, but almost every time she goes to sleep.  Nap times have become a disaster.  She will avoid sleep like the plague.  Screaming and screeching to get us to come in there.  Same thing in the middle of the night.  She wakes once and all is well, eats and back down.  But then she's added in another awake time...and it is terrible!  We've been up for nearly an hour and a half for that one almost every night for the past week.  SERENITY NOW!!!  I've been reading and reading and most people say that this will just pass.  Let's hope that happens sooner than later!

She is amazing...everyday it's something new.  I love it.  This sleep deprivation business is no joke, but I know that this will be short lived.  I just can't wait to be on the other side of it!!! 

Will post pictures soon....you have to see this little lady!