Day 754 of January...

So... It's cold :(  Woke up this morning to temps around -4 degrees...

I haven't been the best about blogging - obviously, since it has been about a month since I have graced you with my written words.

Diana is 9 months old now!  She weighs 18 pounds, and is 28 inches long!!  She is crawling all over the place, pulling up on everything, trying to hang on things (like a tv tray at my mom's house...).  Still sleeping through the night, which is completely awesome.  And she has started trying new foods.  Mostly purees because I am a nervous momma, but she loves puffs and is a really good eater! 

If you follow me on facebook, then you noticed that today I posted a ridiculously vague post about changes for me.  Let me clarify and be perfectly blunt - I AM NOT PREGNANT.  I DO NOT WANT TO BE PREGNANT.  WE ARE NOT PLANNING TO GET PREGNANT AGAIN. 

I don't mean to yell, but I am just putting this out there to cut out some questions... I will dive deeper in a later post, but Diana is it.

The changes I am referring to are kind of hard for me to put into words.  Since Diana was born, I have really started to come in to being a different person.  I have never been one to care about fashion, or jewelry, or makeup,  or really anything one might consider "girly".  At all.  I don't know how to braid, I don't own a straightener (or even a blow dryer for that matter)  I barely know how to put on the tiny bit of makeup I own.

And then along comes 2019.  I started to think about things differently.  I pretty much shop at Torrid or Target, but most of my clothes come from Torrid.  Long story short, until a few years ago I HATED shopping.  To the point of having a panic attack in the middle of stores...

And then Torrid - again, this is a post for a different day.  I walked in and they treated me so kindly, and they even noticed when I started to get a little panicky and took their time with me.  Now, they all know me, Brandon, AND Diana by name.  I highly recommend them!!

When we shopped a couple weeks ago, something inside told me to try a different color and look... when I tried it on, I LOVED IT!! It was a pink and mauve sweater... very NOT me.  But I loved the way I looked.  Which led me to start thinking about makeup, which also led me to start thinking about accessories/jewelry.

My sister in law is starting to sell Mary Kay - that takes care of my wanting to TRY makeup (not sure I have the time to devote to putting a face on every single day...)

My cousin introduced me to Paparazzi Accessories - each piece is only $5 each!! I have a couple pieces on the way to me to try it out.

So... the changes of 2019 are coming and they are helping me feel beautiful in my skin.  I do have instagram, and will do my best to post pics of the changes as they happen :) 

Thank you for loving me, and allowing me to stretch my legs - so to speak.

Love you, and love yourself!!

Oops...

Well... I made it 22 days of my challenge... right?  That counts for something!!

I have to really give a shout out to the parents who deal with a no sleeping baby... Diana has hit something called "the 8 month sleep regression"  meaning she has decided that sleep is completely overrated and refuses to do so.

Saturday afternoon she napped quite a bit (I may have been napping with her, but this isn't about me!!) and Sunday was too cold to do anything but stay in bed and cuddle for most of the day... So I wasn't too terribly shocked when she didn't want to sleep.  I tried everything - her routine, another bottle, singing and rocking, rocking and no singing... I even tried my last resort which is putting her in her bed with her mobile on.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - at 1am I was willing to try anything.

I finally caved and brought Diana to bed with us - we do NOT co sleep... that is a habit that does not work for us personally.  No offense to those who do, parenting techniques work for some but not all... but this momma needed sleep for work the next day.

I hoped that her lack of sleep would cause her to sleep Monday night... boy was I ever wrong!!  Since I didn't have my partner in parenting (Brandon had to work...) she again ended up in bed with me.  Every time I moved, her eyes popped open... Was she cold? Nope.  Was she hungry? Nope.  She just had zero plans of sleeping Monday night.

Tuesday night, we changed our whole approach.  We played with her, laughed with her... and didn't let her take an evening nap!  by 8:30, she was in a fleece sleep sack, covered in night time lotion, and her eyes were starting to get heavy!!  She slept through the night!!!  WHEW!!

Now, I know that this is not that big of a deal compared to what other parents have to handle on a nightly basis... We know very well how blessed we are with a babe who sleeps for more than 2 hours at a time.  This was just completely out of character for her!

So, with 8 teeth coming in (yep... 8!! All at once!!) and growing like a weed, we have a 2 days shy of 8 month old who has hit the 8 month sleep regression!!

Good luck mommies and daddies!!!  Get some rest, and continue to be each others greatest cheerleader... We are finding that parenting is certainly difficult if you don't...

Day 22 - Thanksgiving Day

I don't have much of a post today, because we will be spending the majority of the day with family.  As I advise you to do as well.

Define family = that's who you should spend today with!

Enjoy!!!

Day 21 - Turkey Day Eve

The woman who loves wisdom is elegant beyond compare.

Today's post really has nothing to do with my desk calendar... Today, I just want to make a simple thank you.

Thank you to my readers, who join me on this journey.  Thank you to my family for always being my biggest fan and support.  Thank you, especially, to my husband for putting up with my brand of crazy.  And finally, this might sound silly but... Thank you to God.

He has brought me through so many things in my life, I can't even begin to count the blessings.  Through addiction, through loss, through relationships, through fertility issues, through pregnancy and birth... And now, He is bringing me through parenthood.  I mess up every single day, I don't do anything perfectly, but He never leaves me.

For that, I am thankful.

What are you thankful for today??