Balancing Act

I think I have discovered just how much life is a continuous balancing act the past year. I have not blogged in so long because I have just been so super busy. Lets see here, I stared going to school part time on line, which surprisingly is fairly easy but still time consuming, and between that and working part time at home and being a mama there is very little time to get anything else done. So here is a quick update.

Claire is 19 months old this month! Can't believe it! She is talking so much and is so much fun! But I can see a hint of terrible two's coming on soon ;) She gets quite antsy pantsy when things don't go her way...She even calls herself "pimpess" which means princess...and also likes to PRETEND to get her eye brows done and microdermabrasion. I am probably turning her into some kind of beauty queen monster....haha.......

Other than that we have just been trying to keep up with life and re-do Claire's room and just finished decortating our bathroom. Thor made a Claire a toddler bed which I am trying to finish upholstering. We got the plan off Ana-white.com...I really wanted her to have a cute toddler bed, but all the toddler bed's I found were plastic and ugly, so hopefully this one will turn out cute once I get time to finish it :)

The Big ONE

In just a few short hours my baby girl will be ONE! I just cannot believe how fast time has gone by. It is so crazy to think a year ago I was lying in a hospital bed waiting for my precious girl to arrive. The year has just been filled with such sweet memories.... the first time I saw her angel face.....the first time she laughed..... when she said mama in such a small soft voice....her first steps. Motherhood is the hardest job I've ever had, but the absolute best job I ever had.

We just did a photo shoot of Claire so I could get some pictures to send out for Christmas cards, I was so worried because she was super cranky that afternoon and Thor and I tried for like 2 hours to get her to nap before the photographer got here, but she did not want to sleep. So I thought for sure the pictures would be a nightmare. But she got in the spotlight and was the happiest she had been all day I was so relieved! So here are some of my favorites.

Co Sleeping

I recently got really annoyed with some people bugging me about Claire sleeping in our bed sometimes and so I found this article to shut them all up. So here is the article:

The Benefits of Co-Sleeping

Lower your baby's risk of stress disorders, SIDS and more by Jennifer Cobrun courtesy of The Compleat Mother


Harvard psychiatrist Michael Commons and his colleagues recently presented the American Association for the Advancement of Science with research that suggests that babies who sleep alone are more susceptible to stress disorders.

Notre Dame anthropology professor and leading sleep researcher, James McKenna, has long held that babies who sleep with their mothers enjoy greater immunilogical benefits from breastfeeding because they nurse twice as frequently as their counterparts who sleep alone.

In his book on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, pediatrician William Sears cites co-sleeping as a proactive measure parents can take to reduce the risk of this tragedy. McKenna's research shows that babies who sleep with parents spend less time in Level III sleep, a state of deep sleep when the risk of apneas are increased. Further, co-sleeping babies learn to imitate healthy breathing patterns from their bunkmates.

Every scientific study of infant sleep confirms that babies benefits from co-sleeping. NOT ONE shred of evidence exists to support the widely held notion that co-sleep is detrimental to the psychological or physical health of infants.

If science consistently provides evidence that the American social norm of isolating babies for sleep can have deleterious effects, why do we continue the 150-year crib culture in the United States? Why do parents flock to Toys R' Us to purchase dolls that have heart beats, sing lullabies and snore when they can do the same for free?

McKenna suggests that there are several factors that maintain this cultural norm. Foremost is the American value of self-sufficiency. Independence is an important characteristic for a successful person in our society. We take great pride in watching our babies pick themselves up by their own bootie straps. But the assumption that co-sleeping inhibits independence is pure cultural mythology. In fact, the opposite it true.

Children who share sleep with their parents are actually more independent than their peers. They perform better in school, have higher self esteem, and fewer health problems. After all, who is more likely to be well-adjusted, the child who learns that his needs will be met, or the one who is left alone for long periods of time? McKenna suggests that it is confusing for a baby to receive cuddles during the day while also being taught that the same behavior is inappropriate at night.

The Commons report states that when babies are left alone to cry themselves to sleep, levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, are elevated. Commons suggests that the constant stimulation by cortisol in infancy causes physical changes in the brain. "It makes you more prone to the effects of stress, more prone to illness, including mental illness, and makes it harder to recover from illness," he concludes.

The best-selling book on infant sleep is frighteningly misdirected and offers absolutely no scientific grounds for its thesis. Richard Ferber suggest that the best way to solve your child's "sleep problems" is to isolate them in another room, shut the door, and let them cry for ten minutes without interruption. Then parents may enter the room and verbally soothe the baby, but are warned against making physical contact with their baby. Shortly after, they are advised to leave the infant to cry for another timed interval a la "Mad About You."

Most sleep disorders are not biologically based, but rather, created by well-intended parents. Making oneself available by intercom is simply not meeting the nighttime needs of an infant.

Many parents argue that they tried "Ferberizing" their baby and enjoyed great success with the technique. Indeed, the infant may stop crying and learn to go to sleep on his own, but this is a short-term pay off for parents. The baby has not suddenly discovered quiet content. He simply is exhausted from his futile efforts to be nurtured. Fifteen years later, the same parents shrug their shoulders and wonder why their kids are shutting them out.

Though co-sleeping is common in most parts of the world, many American parents would not consider it because they fear it will cause them sleep deprivation. Every scientific study concludes that parents who bring their babies to bed sleep longer and better.

A few parents do experience difficulty sleeping with a baby in their bed. For them, a "sidecar" or bedside sleeper is an ideal way to meet their needs for rest and their baby's need for co-sleep. Keeping a crib or bassinet in the parents' room is another option. A "family bed" is not for everyone, but creative solutions for co-sleep are abundant in our consumer-friendly culture.

The most common question co-sleepers are asked is about maintaining a sexual relationship with one's partner. The answer is simple. Go someplace where the baby is not. Enough said.

For those who consider unlimited access to their sexual partner more important than meeting the needs of their baby, cat ownership is a wonderful alternative to parenthood. You can just toss a bowl of Nine Lives on the floor and frolic around the house whenever the mood hits you.

Co-sleeping is not right for everyone. Heavy drinkers and drug addicts should avoid sleeping with their babies. Of course, these folks should probably avoid parenthood altogether.

If scientific research consistently demonstrates that co-sleeping offers tremendous benefits for babies and has no deleterious effects, it's time Americans join the rest of the world and parent our babies 24 hours a day.

Exhausted

This is refreshed Mom and Claire and this is:

Exhausted Mom and Claire

So this week was so hard, especially the last three days, as you might be able to tell by this dreadful picture we took today. Claire has been sick with a fever and rash. We took her to the Doc yesterday and he thought it was some kind of virus and said not to be too worried. She is finally doing better today but seriously I'm actually surprised I didn't have some kind of break down. Although I've been teary, no melt downs yet. It's so hard when you have a sick baby....All Claire wanted to do was be held by me or nursed, not even Thor could hold her until today. And can I say I just HATE HATE HATE giving her medicine. I seriously cringe when 4 hours is up and I have to give her tylenol again for her fever. It is just absolutely horrible. She cries and spits it out and coughs and chokes and gets it all over her clothes and it gets all sticky under her little double chin. It's the worst. But anyways she was doing a lot better today which I am very happy about because I am going to do make up in the morning for a bride and some of her bridesmaids in phx and Thor is going to have to watch her.....Okay to be totally honest he has only watched her by himself 2 other times for like 1 to 2 hours. So everyone please say a prayer that he does okay.

Exciting Mom Stuff

It's so funny the things you get excited about when you become a Mom. and I'm not just talking about when you physically are holding your child, I mean from the moment you become pregnant. It's just so funny to me how suddenly you are just ecstatic about all the tiny clothes you get and the cute car seat cover you have made. So anyways...It was so cute earlier this week because my friend Missy has a baby, Johanna, who is 3 months older than Claire and we went to hobby lobby and we put both babies in the cart with her cart cover. It looked so funny with their little legs sticking out of one hole each. Even though we had a lot of fun sharing the cart cover I really wanted to get Claire her own. So last night I was pretty excited because I finally got our own cart/highchair cover.

I know how to blog now! Thanks Rachel!