There were some really good guesses regarding my What’s For Lunch post (Krista – what are baby mums?), but no one got it right. The white stuff in Lily’s fur is actually cubes of tofu.

Our sleep situation seems to be getting worse! For the past four nights, D has been waking up crying EVERY two hours! Sometimes, I am able to give him a quick cuddle and put him back down, but other times, he tosses and turns in my arms for for about 40 minutes before finally going back to sleep (even after a bottle). I’m not sure what’s going on. During the day, he has been all smiles. The only one that is visibly suffering from this situation is me. Really, I should be sleeping now during his nap, but I wanted to post this and ask all of you moms out there for suggestions.

Emily, as promised, these pics are for you…

This was one morning last week. D was super grumpy, so I decided to take him for a walk. It worked!

 

After my last post, D caught a “bug” and had a fever for four days. Poor little thing was still somewhat playful, smiley, and had a good appetite. The best part about it was that he was EXTRA cuddly. The worst part was that he would not sleep by himself at night. No matter how many times we would rock him to sleep, the transition to the crib really upset him. So, I ended up sleeping with him on the floor for a couple nights.

We are starting to get back into our regular routine again, and today has been really good. I guess it started last night with a nice long shower for me (it had been two days)! Wow, did that feel great! Then, even though D still got up three times last night, we had a nice long stretch of about five hours of sleep. I was also able to get up a few minutes before him to use the restroom (by myself!), brush my teeth and wash my face. All of these little things made a huge difference in our morning!

D just woke up from his nap. Gotta go. Here are some pics of Daniel and Lily…

Don't they look totally guilty?

Some mealtime pics…

One can always tell what was for lunch by examining Lily’s fur… Can you guess what it was from the pics below?

Ignore the gross eye boogers

And a closer look…

I realize that I have not written a decent post in a long time. I’m just soooo tired! I know… waah waah waah. When Daniel’s napping, I have to choose between napping, cleaning, watching tv or blogging. Unfortunately, cleaning and blogging have been losing.

I have a lot of catching up to do. I will be posting on our agency’s Chusok celebration (waiting for pics from my FIL) and Halloween (waiting for permission from neighbors to post pics) in the coming days.

Things are going well with our little family of three. Daniel keeps me laughing all day long – maybe that’s why I’m so tired!

Seriously, though, I think I just need to take better care of myself. Since D’s been home, I haven’t been eating well, sleeping well (hmmm… wonder why?) or exercising regularly. So… I know what I need to do, and I think I’ll start by limiting my intake of post-Halloween candy. I don’t know why I’m admitting this, but I’ve gotten into the habit of grabbing a little mini Butterfinger on my way back to bed each time I have to get up with D. This can be up to five times per night. Ugh… Like I said, I know where the problem lies, and I intend to get back on the right track.

I can’t stop yawning as I type this. I am proud to say that I have not had one Butterfinger today!

So, that’s the story of why my blogging has been neglected. I really miss my blog buddies, and I promise I will be back soon. Thank you, Elizabeth, for your recent post and for reminding me again why I blog.

Some random Daniel photos for your viewing pleasure (I hope I haven’t posted these before)…

 

This toy used to be mine!

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

Just some random tidbits…

• I love the way D’s breath still smelled like strawberries for much of the day after his breakfast of oatmeal and strawberries.
• My AMAZING sister completed the last leg of a six-day race across the Sahara Desert today (which, I think, is tomorrow in Egypt). I can’t wait to see her pictures and hear her stories!
• It’s been four weeks now since D’s come home, and I feel like we’ve made so much progress:
  • I’m finally happy with the consistency of D’s poop. Not too soft, not too hard (just one of many things I NEVER thought I would say).
  • We’ve had a couple days of really good sleep – at night AND naps – which results in a happy baby and a happy Mommy.
  • We’ve developed a system that seems to prevent meltdowns at mealtime: 1. ALWAYS have some type of finger food available. 2. Since D wants to feed himself with the spoon, I will put food on it, then give it to him and help guide it into his mouth. When he’s ready for more, he slams places the spoon onto the table (or sometimes throws it at me or the floor).
  • He is getting more and more snuggly and will actually lay his head back on me when I’m reading a book to him. This is something he would only do for a bottle in the past.
  • His favorite book by far is Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle. I read it in rhythm, and he bounces along and even helps turn pages.

Here are some pics of him from today wearing the very first outfit we bought (pre-referral). I apologize for the quality as they were taken with my phone.

 

Today's "light" reading

 

Waking from morning nap

Afternoon nap... still sleeping. I wanted to see if I could actually get one without waking him up! He slept for at least another hour!

And another pic I love…

Children’s books? That was SO yesterday…

Today we’re studying Italian!

Six years ago, B and I were married before about 60 family and friends. The ceremony was outside at sunset, followed by an indoor reception. My favorite local musician, reggae-folk singer Walt Richardson, played, and my cousins (who own a dance studio in CA) performed a few Polynesian dances. It was such an awesome night! I wish we could re-live it every year! I am so inspired by my blog friend Elizabeth, who celebrates re-weddings with her husband and friends. Hmmm… maybe next year?

This year, we’re not exchanging gifts or going on a romantic vacation. Instead, we’re celebrating being a family of three, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Happy anniversary, Brian! What a crazy fun adventure it’s been!