Sleep When They Sleep

This is a common phrase spoken to new parents. It is good in theory, but easier said than done.

Right now Cambry is not on a schedule. Her routine is eat, play, sleep throughout the day. But how long she sleeps in each cycle is always different. There is usually one long nap - 2 or 3 hours. The rest are short - 30 or 45 minutes.

Sometimes I nap when she naps, but most of the time I don't. Don't get me wrong, I am tired, but nap time is my opportunity to get things done.

When she is awake I can do little things. I can put her in the bouncer, play some music, then go throw a load of laundry in and make the bed. Then I can move her to her play mat and play with her, then grab a bite to eat. But other things like spending quality time reading the bible, cleaning the house, cooking, getting ready for the day, etc. usually have to get done during nap time.

Last week I was exhausted and desperate for a nap. I tried to sleep during her first nap but by the time I rocked her, got her down, and fell asleep myself I only got 10 minutes before she woke up.

I attempted it again the next cycle but only got 15-20 minutes. I was even more groggy and frustrated that I wasted that time since those few minutes of sleep weren't enough to help.

I finally got an hour long nap on the third try but absolutely nothing got done that day. And that is ok. For that day. But if you implement the "sleep when they sleep" policy every day, nothing will ever get done.

For now I am just trying to go to bed early - as in, before 10. Maybe I should try to move it up to 8:30. Whoa, this brings me back to my first trimester days!

The Christian Atheist

Greg and I have been in a Wednesday night couples bible study for several years. I always look forward to Wednesday nights. It is especially fun to fellowship with the other couples since we aren't in Sunday school on Sundays with them. We are so blessed by these friendships and have grown spiritually through this bible study group.

This picture is old (and missing the Winklers!) but it is the only one I could find. This was before any babies were added to the group. Now we have 5 babies among us and a 6th on the way. It is an even split - 3 boys and 3 girls. It is so fun! It will be a challenge learning what to do with all the babies during bible study, especially as they grow. For now they either sleep in another room, or little ones stay on laps.

We meet at someones house, and go through a study together. Sometimes we break up into guys/girls, and sometimes we stay all together.

We have done different studies over the years. We have done a bunch ad Tim Keller studies. They are great because they go over a book of the bible and have group discussion questions with great commentary/insight into the verses.

We have also gone through the book Sacred Marriage. I enjoyed this book a lot. It was not just about how to have a great marriage, but how marriage is a tool for God's glory, not just our happiness.

The latest study we are going through is called The Christian Atheist, by Craig Groeshel. I love the format and how challenging and convicting it has been for me. We watch a video for about 15 minutes then go over the group discussion questions in the workbook. There is also a book that we read on our own during the week and answer questions on.

The premise of the book is that as Christians we believe in God but often live our lives as though we don't believe in Him. We delight more in watching an hour of television than reading our Bible. We say money can't buy happiness but we would be a little happier if we got a raise or a bigger house. We believe that Hell is real but still aren't sharing our faith.

I think this has been my favorite study we have done so far. I would definitely recommend this one if you are in a group bible study. We are almost done and will have to decide what to do next. If anyone has done a study that they really enjoyed and would recommend please share!

Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things right now, in no particular order.

1) Gap Maternity Lounge Pants

This picture isn't the exact pair I have, but close enough. My SIL took m

e to a resale shop in Waco and found these for me. I think they were $5. I

love them. They are so comfortable and fit perfectly. I refuse to put them up with the rest of my maternity clothes. They are far too wonderful. I will continue to wear them always.

2) Up All Night

I didn't like this show at first, but after giving it a second try it started to grow on me. Maybe it helped that we had been watching Arrested Development a lot on Hulu which made me really like Will Arnett. I really don't like Ava, but that's ok. There is always one hilarious scene per episode that Greg and I can relate to. It is fun to laugh at all the typical new parent moments.

3) Iphone

I have never really been one to have the latest phone. I am usually about 3 years behind. We are cheap so we always get one of the free phones that you can choose from when you renew your contract every 2 years. That is, until Greg got me an iphone for a "retirement" / birthday gift. I love it so much. Especially since having Cambry. I have a baby app where I record her feedings that is so helpful. I also have a baby sound machine app that I can use if we are at a friend's house. I also have been downloading books to the Kindle app that I read while I nurse her. Right now I am reading Shepherding a Child's Heart and also the second in the Hunger Games series. This makes middle of the night feedings more bearable. I love having the camera near by took take pictures quickly and easily and send them to the grandparents.

4) Energy Bites

See previous post for recipe. I eat WAY more now that I am nursing than I ever did when I was pregnant. I eat so many snacks and this is a favorite.

5) City Mini Stroller

I love my stroller. You can attach an infant car seat to it (if you buy the adapter), so that's what we are doing now. It is the EASIEST folding stroller ever. I remember Greg and I test driving all the strollers at BabiesRUs and looking like fools trying to collapse and set up all the different kinds. This one is amazing. It is good indoors and out. Even though the brand is called Baby Jogger I guess it is technically not a jogger since it doesn't have inflatable wheels. But it is still great for walks outdoors. And I don't really plan on jogging with it anyway. I do want to start working out again soon, but not by running with the stroller.

6) And lastly, this girl is my favorite of course!

Recipes

I wanted to share 2 great recipes. First up - Energy Bites! My sister made these for me right after I had Cambry. They are such a yummy snack and very easy to make. And they are not too bad for you either (well compared to a cookie or other baked good). They contain oats, peanut butter, unsweetened coconut, honey, unsweetened cocoa, flax seed, mini chocolate chips, and vanilla. I felt cool and healthy making something with flax seed - ha! I didn't even know where to find it in the grocery store. Turns out it is in the "healthy/organic" section of Kroger. Good to know. Ever since Lauren made these for us, we have been making them constantly. They may not look extremely appetizing, but they are delicious. The recipe is here.

Next is Chicken and White Bean Stuffed Peppers. The recipe comes from here. I can't remember whose blog I saw this website linked from, but I saw this recipe on there and thought it looked great. Next time I make it I will add more seasoning/spice, but other than that I thought it was delicious and so healthy. It was a bit time consuming though. Cooking is different now with a baby. I make things in stages throughout the day. I also try to pick easy recipes or crockpot recipes. Although this was neither, I made it on the weekend and thought it was worth the time. Yum!

Monthly Photos: Month 2

Sunday Best

We took Cambry to church for the first time this Sunday. My friend Julie got her this precious dress and I was so excited for her to wear it.

I wasn't quite ready to put her in the nursery, so we took her with us to the youth class. I was nervous how she would be, and what I would have to do if in the middle of teaching my youth girls I had to go calm down a crying baby, or leave to nurse her. The Lord really answered our prayers and she was perfect the entire time! She fell asleep as we were walking into church and she slept THE WHOLE TIME. That is a miracle considering that a room with 50+ middle school kids is pretty much the loudest environment possible. I don't know what will happen next week, but today was great!

Two Months Old

(I will have to add her official 2 month photos after we take them this weekend)

Happy two months to my sweet Cambry Paige! She is such a joy to us. Babies are truly a gift from the Lord!

This is what is going on with her at 2 months...

Size: At her check up today she weighed 12 lbs. 12 oz. (93%), head was 15 3/4 in. (81%), and length was 24 1/2 in. (100%). WHOA - long baby!! She wears 0-3 month clothes and is in cloth diapers full time.

Likes: Bath time, car rides, running errands, walks, paci (she is taking it more and more now), being swaddled with one arm out, being rocked to sleep, "airplane" with Daddy (zooming wildly around the house with accompanying noises)

Dislikes: After bath time - for some reason once bath time is over, even when she is dry and warm and dressed she is always cranky, evenings (usually fussy), tummy time

Working On: Tummy time - I find that if I put something under her chest to prop her up a bit she will tolerate tummy time longer. We haven't been doing many bottles lately. It seems to be hit or miss. Sometimes she will take them, sometimes not. Baby bjorn - have used it twice now for grocery shopping and several times for other errands. I have kind of given up on the Maya wrap for now. Maybe I will try again when she is older and I can position her on the hip or facing out.

Sleeping: Not a lot has changed. She usually will go for one 4 hour stretch, then the next is usually 3. And for those who don't have kids, that doesn't mean I am getting 4 hours of sleep the first stretch. 4 hours is the length of time between the start of one feeding to the start of the next. So if she eats at 10:00PM and I can get her to sleep by 10:45 and then I fall asleep by 11:00, I get 3 hours of sleep before her 2:00AM feeding. Which is actually not bad. Just thought I would clear that up because I definitely didn't realize that before I had her! Every now and then she will go for a 6 hour stretch, but that is rare. The whole nursing/burping/diaper changing/re-swaddling/rocking process is still taking a long time. I don't know how, but it usually takes an hour, sometimes even an hour and a half when she is wide awake after eating. She usually is ready to wake up for the day between 7:30 and 8:00. She isn't always hungry then, but will fuss until I get her up. I usually just get her out of her basket, and we sit in bed together and talk :)

Eating: I would say on average she eats about every 2 1/2 hours during the day.

I am loving her precious smiles - they melt my heart, her coos, her softest-in-the-world baby skin, her little thighs with all the creases...basically everything about her!

Bed Time Snuggles

The other night we laid Cambry in bed just for fun and we thought she looked so funny - like a big girl. No one panic - she doesn't sleep in our bed, we were just having some play time before bed.

I love snuggling with her.

Kiss # 65 of the day.

Time for bed!

Happy Valentines Day!

I know this holiday is kind of silly and we don't do anything big, but it is still a fun excuse to celebrate.

My Valentine and I went on a brunch date on Saturday as our celebration. We took our mini Valentine with us and she was so good. We decided on brunch instead of dinner since Cambry is fussy in the evenings but good during the morning and day. We set her car seat in the booth and she fell asleep - she was so adorable. We went to a restaurant in the Heights called Shade. It was delicious. I love breakfast food. I could eat it for every meal.

New Nephew

I have a new nephew! Hayes Davis was born Monday, February 6th. Isn't he the most precious? Look at that face. So kissable. Baby and mama Lauren are doing great.

Greg and I went up for the birth. We of course just packed the essentials for the short 2 day road trip.

We broke up the trip into 2 parts on the way there which worked out great. We first drove to Waco and stayed with Greg's family. It was fun to see them all even if it was just for the night. Then we drove the rest of the way to Dallas the next morning. So we got to see both families over the past few days.

Here is the cute big brother Kyler. He has no idea. Poor thing was so sick though. And then my mom got sick too.

Paw-Dad and Cambry.

Here is the first cousins picture. Look at those two - only 7 weeks apart! That will be so fun for them to have eachother as cousins so close in age.

And I'll just close with a few pictures of Cambry lately. I could just stare at that cute face all day long. And sometimes I do. And I still have plenty of moments where I think - I can't believe there is a baby living in this house. A REAL baby. And she is ours. She is the cutest thing in the world. I can't stop kissing her. Probably at least 35 kisses a day.

How can I resist those cheeks? I need to go kiss her now.

First Grocery Trip

It has been raining for 3 days. I have been waiting to go to Kroger for 3 days. Today was the day. The rain finally cleared a bit. First shopping trip.

Well technically not the first, but the first major trip. I have taken Cambry to the grocery store twice, when I only needed a few things. I had her in her car seat in the basket and put my groceries in the child seat.

For this trip I needed lots of groceries so I put Cambry in the Baby Bjorn. She did great and fell asleep while I was shopping. There was no crying involved. I felt like I just won the Olympics.

Of course this is nothing compared to the mom in the produce department who is wearing one child, has one in the child seat, and another walking beside her. Nonetheless, I still had a successful trip...you gotta celebrate the small victories.

Thoughts From A New Mom

Did I just step outside the front door to check the weather with my nursing tank down? Yep, sure did.

If I put the car seat in the basket, where are the groceries supposed to go?

I thought breastfed babies diapers weren't supposed to stink. I have been tricked.

I have 5 free minutes...should I use that time to go to the bathroom, get a snack, or check the laundry? Next opportunity to do anything will be in approximately 45 minutes.

Reminder to self: do not be fooled by the slit eyes, she is not asleep! If you put her down now those eyes will pop right open and crying will ensue. Keep rocking, just stay the course...

Why is it 1:30 in the morning and I am wide awake with a baby in my arms writing a blog and I am contemplating getting a bowl of cereal?

She's Got It Covered

All the important parts, that is.

We are trying to teach modesty from an early age.