52:29 & 30 Oh, late on my blog again.

Learn more about my project 52 here and check out styleberry BLOG for links to more Project 52s.

I'm bad. I sometimes lose motivation about this blog. Uh oh...I said it. These last 2 weeks have been stressful. I'm trying to find a part time job in Dallas, and I'm getting worried I won't find something that fits my needs perfectly. I want what I have here: a 2 day per week job that pays well. I don't want any more days, or any less. I know if I even try 3 days per week, I'll be so panicked about leaving Gwen. I know this because it already happened when she was a few months old.

I know I'll find something. I have a few good leads. I just have to keep looking.

On another note, Gwen is waking up at 6:30 instead of 7 now. Not a big deal? Is that what you're thinking? Well it is, because now her naps are back to 45 minutes long. The interval between wake up and her first nap is too long, resulting in a too short nap (sometimes 30 minutes)! Going to try putting her down for her first nap earlier today. I'll let you know how it goes....

Later this morning....
So I put her down at 8:45, and she cried a little. But then she fell asleep. She woke up after 30 minutes crying, but didn't stand and....went back to sleep!! Praise the lord! My baby is a total Weissbluth baby. It's like he wrote an instruction manual for her! Everything he says, works like magic!

Here are some silly pics. Gwen has so many toys, and instead lives to play with bathroom goodies. Not very 'sanitary'! ...Get it? I'm hilarious. Second is Gwen's first ponytail, courtesy of my friend Mehren.

52:28 Another Dallas Trip

Ok, so I'm late I this post! We came up to Dallas yesterday, and I was too busy on Friday getting ready to leave. No time to write.
Update: so our house sold! It was on the market a week before we got a offer...then another...then another! It was an emotional ride. Getting the first offer was fun. We were going back and forth, negotiating price and it was going ok. Then another off came in that was slightly better, but contingent. I started to feel bad for them, knowing they really wanted the house and were willing to risk a lot for it. Then the third offer came in; our neighbors told us they had met the on the street after they viewed our home, and they were so excited; they wanted to add in a pool, and they loved the house. It was a family with two boys. Their offer came in OVER asking price, but they wanted help with closing costs, and they had their own house to sell, too. Because Jeff's company was covering some of the loss, but no buyer closing costs, AND since the first offer was not contingent, we chose the first offer (our realtor was great at staying objective and advised us very wisely- thank god for realtors!!).
So now we're in Dallas looking at homes. We fell in love with Lantana right away. It's a community on a golf course, with 5 pools, it's own schools, daycare, tennis courts, etc. It felt like we were at a resort. Beautiful, but a little pricey. We also liked Flower Mound...
Today we look at Frisco, which is a little cheaper, with lower taxes. The houses are newer, but it's not a master planned community like Lantana. I'm hoping we can fall in love with a house in Fridco, as it's got a fantastic reputation. We'll see today! So far, it's been so fun!
Gwen has been ok, too. We flew up and she slept the whole 45 minute flight. Jean cane up with us to watch her while we go home shoppingShe's not taking naps easily, but that's ok. This morning she woke at 5:30, so now her schedule is off for the day. I'm a little more easy going this trip because I know she can sleep just fine in the pack n play, since she did so well in RI.
So I'm really enjoying Dallas this time. I'm amazed at what we might be able to afford, and the neighborhoods are gorgeous. I can picture my family up here. I think we can do it.

Gwen is 9 months old

Already 3/4 of a year old! The time flies.

At 9 months, you weigh 22 lbs, 11 oz, and ate 28 inches long.

You can sit, crawl, and pull up on everything!

You like all food except peas, and you're warming up to finger foods!

You have cut three more teeth on top for a total of 5 teeth.

You love to drink from an open cup and have not mastered sippy cups yet.

You are starting to play and hold up your tiny fist in a ball and grunt and smile.

You're learning to say 'more' in sign language!

You want mommy to hold you at all times.

You go to sleep pretty easily for naps and bedtime now. Although you will only go down for mommy or Nana.

Love you, my little pooks!

52:27 "Everything's a Phase"

Learn more about my project 52 here and check out styleberry BLOG for links to more Project 52s.

I put the title in quotes because my friend Mehren has said this, and I didn't want her to think I was stealing her thought. ;) Credit given.

It's a pretty strong idea, this "phase" theory. I wholeheartedly agree with it. It's a common thing, people saying, "oh, it's just a phase", but it's a loaded statement and means a lot to a mom with an infant. The "phase" can be anything, and last for any amount of time, even so, the phase idea brings me a lot of comfort.

Maybe it's because it makes be feel like I'm not doing something wrong, and whatever is happening with my baby, I can't fix it, because it's a phase; something she has decided to do.

So for example, when Gwen was screaming in the evenings from 4-6:30 pm and then again from 11-2:30, and so on, as a newborn, it was a phase, and we got through it. Although it was a phase that drove mommy to every baby book known to man, we did get through it. I would have done anything to solve what was bothering her. But it was a phase.

She once decided she'd rather roll around on the bed and laugh at mommy when we were having our nighttime nursing session, it was a phase. She said, this is fun, let's do this now. It was a phase, and now she lays calmly.

That's the thing- this is a little person I'm growing here. She has her own free will and her own thoughts and baby ideas on what should be happening in her life. Now, she doesn't want me to put her down and she only wants mommy. I call this her mommy phase and I'm loving it... Although it'll be nice when she gets past this because it's physically exhausting! that reminds me, I need to start working out.

So when she's screaming in her carseat for no apparent reason, I have to remind myself, this is a phase. There's nothing I can do anyway- she has to stay in her carseat in the car.
It's horrible to hear your baby cry though.

Peace out!

52:26 Vacation to RI

Gwen is about 8.5 months old and we flew to RI. The flight was hard- she fussed quite a bit, but she also napped while nursing and I think she did just fine for a baby her age. Jeff and I were exhausted from waking up at 3:30 (the flight was a 6 am-er), and wrestling with her on the plane, trying to keep her entertained, but we made it. Everyone around us was super nice and understanding.

Last night, the first night in RI, was a huge success. I tried to keep her on TX time and put her down at 8:30 instead of 7:30, and that worked well. I thought for sure she would wake multiple times in the night, but she slept the whole way through! What a (nice) surprise for mommy and daddy!

Then this morning she was extra fussy and very clingy to me (which I secretly love- the mommy phase is the best!) I thought for sure she would need to be nursed for naps the whole vacation. I put her down for her morning nap crying, just to see if she could get used to the idea of napping in the pack n' play. She fell asleep in 10 minutes!! She slept for a quick 30 minutes, but then her afternoon nap was even better. Cried for 5 seconds and then slept for 1 hour, 10 min (which is a very nice, long nap for her)!

I'm amazed at how smart she is! I never expected her to fall asleep on her own in a different place. I thought for sure she would work herself up and not be able to nap, like she did in Dallas a few weeks ago. But no, she's learned the routine, and nap means nap. I'm very proud of her. :)

Stay tuned for how the peanut does with her first time at the beach!

52:25 This Week Flew By!

Learn more about my project 52 here and check out styleberry BLOG for links to more Project 52s.

So Gwen is crawling, we all know that already, but now she's crawling FAST! I tried cleaning out the pantry today and every time I turned around she was somewhere else getting into something else she wasn't supposed to; oh, not the cord! oh oops, the broom! Wait, don't touch the fly swatter! Oh shoot, she fell over that box. Gwen, leave that grocery bag! Crap, I have to remember to hide the broom! Not the cord again!

I think it took me 8 hours...

But she's fun. Physically exhausting, but the most fun ever. I write so much on this blog about my concerns and how I wonder if things are going 'right'. But I also need to mention how amazing motherhood is, even when it's stressful. I try to remind myself every day that these times are fleeting, and someday she'll be grown up, and I'll miss having my baby cry for me when I take 3 steps away...and cuddling with her at bedtime and nursing her to sleep (like right now). No matter how much I want to slow time down though, time is time. It doesn't go fast or slow. But the saying 'time flies when you're having fun' is so true! Gwen, we have to stop having so much fun! ;) Well that'll never happen.

So we're listing the house next week before we leave for RI. This weekend will be full of yard work and fence painting for Jeff and organizing for me. The stager came by and made a long list of things for us to organize. Can't wait until we're done with all this.

52:24 Our Trip to Dallas

So this weekend we all drove to Dallas to visit Jeff's brother and family, and check out some areas since we may be moving up there soon. Jeff's company us relocating up there... We drove up on Friday morning and are coming back now, on Sunday.

I was so nervous Gwen was going to sleep terrible, keep us all up, and be miserable during the day; I was preparing myself for the worst. But everything was fine. The drives up and back were great, with naps and feedings timing out perfectly. She still doesn't eat many solids, so that helped a bit.

We got there, and things were good. She got tired out while playing with her cousins, Grace and Hazel, and we stuck to our bedtime routine: bath, pjs, music, nursing. She went to sleep around 7, and everything seemed fine until midnight. She woke up crying loud. I ended up having to nurse her for the rest of the night. She wouldn't fall asleep for 2 hours! Not sure why, but thinking it had to do with teething and the new surroundings. It'll be much easier when she can tell us what the heck is bothering her!

The next day was great! She spent the day with Nana, who had driven up with us. She took a nap on a walk in the stroller, and played with cousins. Jeff and I drove around some areas, trying to get a feel for the neighborhoods, since we might he moving up there soon. We got home in time for her next nap, when I nursed her to sleep. Then we, the adults, had Mai tais, and played in the pool with the kids.

The second night went awesome! She went down easily and slept the entire night! Totally beat!

Got home and now I'm nursing yet to sleep for the night. The trip was a success and I'm do happy things went well!

Happy 1st Father's Day, to my amazing husband! (He got a massage for his gift from Gwen)