Sweet Dreams are Made of These

My name is Amanda & I am a sleep junkie.

Well not as much as I used to be.  I've always been one for my sleep.  I love to snuggle into bed, especially in clean, crisp sheets & rest my head on my pillow.  I love the 'cool side' of the pillow.  I love to be covered up under blankets- the more, the better.  If given the chance, I would always sleep for exactly 9.5 hours.  I used to say 'I required 9.5 hours of sleep to function.'

If only that were a possibility anymore!

B will be 11 months old this week & he has 'slept through the night' 4 times in his short life.  And by through the night I mean that he went down between 7:30-8pm, woke up once- before I went to bed between 10:30-11pm, & then didn't wake up until Hubs was getting up- 5:30-6am.  Most of the time, he wakes up once before midnight, then once around 3am, & then when Hubs is up.

At this point, I'd kill for more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep.

We've been away from home for four of the past five (came home last night) nights & each night that we were away, B slept worse.  Saturday night B was up every two hours. And we were awake from 3:30 - 5am.  Luckily we were at my in-laws & when B woke up at 6:45, Hubs picked him up & took him to his mom, so that we could sleep in.  Oh boy, did we! We slept until 9:30.  Amazing!

I'm not sure what the issue is anymore.  When we're away, B is typically sleeping in a pack & play, in the same room as us.  I think a myriad of things bother him in that situation- the inevitable noise of us coming into the room, getting into bed, & tossing & turning in a bed that might as well be a tiny pile of rocks.  When we're at home, however, I don't understand why he doesn't sleep better.  I've tried everything I can think of- soothies (as in pacifiers), music, lovies, rocking, patting his bum, rubbing his back, different pajamas, hanging blankets of his crib to darken it, noise makers, a fan, & as much as I hated it , crying it out... the list goes on & on.  Generally his awaking results in my nursing him back to sleep, because I KNOW that's the one thing that is guaranteed to work.  However, nursing 2-3 times in the night doesn't really work for me anymore... I want my son to sleep.  He is tired.  He wakes up tired.  He naps tired.  He plays tired.  I am tired.  I wake up tired.  I wish for naps, although they don't come.  I am constantly tired.  I think we both deserve more (as does Hubs, who wishes for a wife who wasn't so tired, come 9pm.)

Does anyone have any suggestions?  How can I get this child to sleep?  How can I get him to consistently sleep? ...how can I get some more sleep?

View from a 4 Year Old

I 'loaned' my 4 year old niece our camera (in actuality, I was taking pictures & she kept asking if she could try too) & here's the results: 

visiting Grandma & Grandpa- from a 4 year old's place in the world...

(Niece K & her Uncle M- My Hubs, of course!)

(K's "baby" B- She always refers to him as hers)

(Aunt Mandy & K's 'Disney Princesses on Ice' wand- it was a very impressive wand!)

(Your guess is as good as mine... The TV??)

(Self Portrait)

Softbums Winner!!!

Here's my Softbums winner!  Entry number 246.

Gigi said...

I follow your blog. ruth dot gray at gmail dot com

Wednesday, November 25, 2009 8:16:00 PM

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:246Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Ruth- I'll send you an email & you'll have 24 hours to respond... Otherwise I'll have to re-pick... Thanks for following my blog!

ETA: I had to manually count each entry last night to ensure the correct number, as Blogger was listing 3 different amounts in different places.  Also, my random number generator reset the max number to 100 when I copied & pasted.  I want to assure you all that number 246, out of 270 comments was the winner... I don't want anyone too confused!  Does that happen to anyone else (the RNG thing?)

Extra Entries on Softbums - Winner!

Thanks to my friend Madison, aka @mama2moose, aka Life Happens During Naptime, for making me my button! I love it :)

Go get your 20 entries, Madison!

Extra Entries on Softbums

I've been slacking, so I apologize.  I have no excuse. I'm just lazy.

So here's a chance for extra entries!

I want a button for my blog, but I have no idea how to make one...

Make me a button & you can have TWENTY extra entries! Does that seem fair?

Tupperware Online Party

I am hosting an online Tupperware party for a friend.  If you like Tupperware & want to check out the party, leave me an email address & I'll send you an invite.  The party is open until November 30th.

Tupperware Party!

Stand Up Redo

Small post related to my last entry...

I feel bad now, cause my good friend said she felt bad for giving B some puffs one day when we were together! Oh no, don't feel bad! That was not my intent!

I want to say that my previous post is meant to be more about standing up for your child & yourself for anything you believe in, rather than specifically a food issue.  I was just using the food issue because that's what's currently on my mind & currently an issue with others.  I tend to be submissive about telling others to stop something or to not do something, & that is what I want to change (along with some of my eating/buying habits).

So to recap, it doesn't matter if I say I think Gerber puffs are crap & you don't agree.  What matters is that whatever you think is crap, you stand up for that!

Standing up for a Healthy Crunch.

When I was pregnant I knew that I would cloth diaper.  I thought (& hoped!) that I'd be a stay at home mom, because I didn't want someone else 'raising' my child.  I wanted to do yoga & be healthy.  I wanted to breastfeed (so badly, I'd hoped I could do it).  I just really wanted to do everything I could so that my son would be healthy while he was inside me & I really, really hoped he'd be healthy when he was outside of me.  I guess I wanted to be a little crunchy.

I learned the ins & outs of cloth diapering, I get to be a stay at home mom, I practice yoga (on & off... a little off right now, but planning to change that asap).  I've lost two sizes (hopefully that's in part because I'm healthy), I breastfeed (exclusively for 6 months & still quite often now).  When we moved, I told Hubs I required a Whole Foods within 15 minutes of our home.  When B started eating baby food/ table food I went all organic for him.  Organic jarred food, organic puffs, organic veggies & fruits... We started with organic avocado, not rice cereal.  In fact, B has only tasted rice cereal once... it did not go over well.  I was not in love with the baby food idea... Why is pureed baby food better than pureed table food- fruits & veggies?  I don't think it is better... I think it's easier, sometimes.  And so, yes, we have jars of organic baby food in our cabinets for those times when we're traveling or out to lunch or when we're eating something that B cannot have.

In recent weeks, I've become lax about some things... B has been eating a lot of Ritz crackers (this stops now).  B has been given bites of things that make me cringe... on the inside.  I try to only purchase whole grain, whole wheat, & mostly, organic items for our home, but I'm not the only person who can provide food for him anymore.  He can take food from plates, he can be left for a few hours at a time with someone else.  He can have only organic puffs on his shelf at our home, but regular Gerber puffs in the pantry at someone else's house.   I guess I've become lax because 1) it's easier & 2) I didn't want to offend anyone.

Over the weekend I had a thought.  This is MY son (well of course, with the hubs!) & this is MY son's health, as well as our health.  And I don't have to 'make it easier' on anyone else.  I have always packed food for B & I will continue to do so.  The next time I tell someone "no, it's okay, I've got these organic puffs for him" & they say "but let's let him try these yummy Gerber ones", I WILL stand up & say NO. No. It's not okay.  I don't want these scary things in his body.  I don't want these scary things in my body or my husband's.  What scary things, you ask?  Well sugar for one,  & then super scary ingredients like "partially hydrogenated oils".  Those words (as well as others) scare the hell out of me.  Do you know what those are? Do you know what those do to you? Do you know that you might as well inhale some cigarette smoke, cause partially hydrogenated oils are just as bad, if not worse! ?

 Bottom line... there will be some more posts regarding this.  I'm working on researching different ingredients & I'm learning more & more about what I want my family to consume & what I don't want in my house.  While I learn, I will post.  If you'd like to learn with me, feel free to read along, feel free to comment.  If you think it's crap & you want to sit by & eat your crackers while smoking your cigarettes, then that's your right too, but don't drag me down with you.

I'll be (slowly, I'm sure) restocking our pantry & fridge with yummy, healthy foods that don't contain these ingredients.  I'll be navigating my way around playdates where my son is offered not so healthy options.  I'll be learning how to save money while buying the better items.  I'll be trying out a new way of life... & I'll be letting you all know how it's going.

Holiday Public Service Announcement

Need some extra cash for the holidays? 

Need some inexpensive, yet gorgeous gifts for the holidays?

Need some profits for a fundraiser? 

Whatever your need, I can be there for you... well, me & Cookie Lee, that is!

What's Cookie Lee? It's this fabulous jewelry company that allows me to work when I feel like it, from where I feel like it, however I feel like it.  Want to check it out?

Cookie Lee website

View the Cookie Lee Catalog here!

A little fineprint for you:  I would love to send you a catalog, book a catalog show for you or give you more information about Cookie Lee. Our shows are a blast because there is no presentation -- just pure shopping with beautiful jewelry at great prices. We also have fantastic rewards for hostesses, including free jewelry and items at 50% off. If you already know you love the jewelry and want to purchase the jewelry 50% off ALL the time, becoming a Consultant might be the perfect choice for you!  Whatever your level of interest in Cookie Lee, I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Do you do direct sales? Let's support each other! Leave me a comment telling me what you sell & what you love or don't love about it!

How Kushie is it?

Ahh, Kushies Ultra-Lite washable diapers, how fantastic are you?

It's an All-in-One diaper with 6 layers of 100% cotton flannel (oh so soft!).  It's a one size form fitting diaper with an adjustable hook & loop closure.  They fit from 10-22 pounds, although I'm certain these will fit B for quite awhile (he weighs 18 pounds right now & has plenty of room to go).  Best of all, the prints are spectacular!

I received the Ultra-Lite Infant Trial pack in blue (B is a boy, afterall).

The pack includes 2 Ultra-Lite diapers, 2 washable liners, 2 washcloths, & a 10 pack of biodegradable diaper liners.  I immediately prepped the diapers & got to reviewing!  At first glance, I was pretty sure that the diapers would be too big for B's tinyness, but they actually fit him very well.  The flushable diaper liners are great too. Makes for super easy cleanup! The washable liners are nice to give extra absorbancy for heavy wetters or nighttime use, or even to pad the diaper a little for smaller babies.

So, what would I change, if I had that kind of power in Kushie land? Of course, I'd have snaps as an option for closure.  However, that said, even with hook & loop closures, these diapers are so easy to use.  They're trim, absorbant, & soft.  I love that they truly are a wash, dry, & wear diaper!

Kushies are a Canadian company that has more than just cloth diapers.  They also have (award winning) toys, bedding, clothes, bibs & diaper accessories, just to name a few.  You can truly do a little one stop shopping at Kushiesonline.com.

Want to buy some Kushies products? Take advantage of this 10% discount that they'll give you, if you use the code: bwal10 at kushiesonline.com