Morning Routine

Addy goes to bed really easily now, most nights. And typically sleeps 12 hours even if we put her to bed late. This is really nice. We put Addy to bed really late last night because Jordan was in Portland until 11pm. I heard Addy squawk at 7am and then didn't hear her again. She'll often squawk if she's lost her binky and then find it and go back to sleep. I got up at 9am - I know, I'm blessed to be able to do this. I didn't hear Addy at all. I started a load of laundry, which is kind of loud.

At 11am I went to check on Addy, since this would be about 12 hours of sleep. She was standing up in her crib. I walked in and she just smiled big at me. She must have been awake for a while because she was completely cognizant and rational. I asked her how long she'd been awake. She said, "Two hours". Now I don't know if that's true, it probably is, but I thought it was so funny that she responded that way. I didn't think she knew anything about time, let alone time estimation. I was just asking as part of a normal conversation which I do with her a lot. Anyway, I taught her that she can say, "Mommy, come get me up now." She repeated it several times. We'll see if she does that tomorrow and saves herself from 2 hours of staring at the wall crib time.

Two New Hairdos

Hairdo #1

I love the little ponytails so much because they hold her little short hairs and stay in forever. She had this hairdo for over a week. We washed the back part once, but the top didn't need it. Wow, I'm in love with cute, easy, forget about it syles!

Hairdo #2

This was what I put in Addy's hair yesterday. It wasn't as easy. The top pieces were, but when I got to the sides, she had to stay perfectly still in order for me to keep the parts right. That is why it took 2 hours! There were tears (Addy's), there were hugs (Daddy's), and now there is a cute hairstyle.

She has gotten nothing but praise from strangers all yesterday and today. She doesn't really know what to do. The old ladies come up to her and say, "Who did your hair?" She is silent, so then I have to of course answer for her. I feel kind of silly, because they say things like, "Who is the one with all the talent?" or "Your hair is really neat, who's responsible?" I'm not quite sure how to respond. Do I say, "I am!" or just answer as if I was Addy, "My mommy!" Anyway, the hairstyles aren't that hard, it just takes time and patience, which I need to work on anyway and it's totally worth it.

A mind of her own

Addy has become very strong willed lately. Okay, maybe she's always been that way, but as her language development is taking off, she is able to communicate her wants more easily. She wants to do everything herself, even if she's not capable yet. Last week she had a very dirty bum from a spilling out the edges diaper, so I told her she needed to take a bath. Well, she didn't want to take a bath, so I thought of an alternative.

Hey, she got clean. Works for me!

New Way of Eating

I have decided once and for all, that I need to eat healthier. I eat too much sugar, cheese, and refined carbohydrates. I am fat, tired, moody, and infertile. I believe these problems can be solved through diet changes. But my problem is that if I try to just eat less of these foods I still crave them and end up eating too much. So I've decided to cut them out of my diet completely. No more sugar, cheese, or Processed foods for me! I am going to be eating mostly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (quiona, millet, amaranth, wild rice), and beans. I have found a few yummy recipes so far, but am trying to gather more. So if you have any recipes that you could send my way, that would be greatly appreciated. Recipes using whole grains, beans, or vegetables - raw or cooked, but no dairy or meat is what I'm looking for. Also any salad recipes would be perfect. I tried one recipe last week that was really good. It is a stir fry that I put on Wild Rice. It has shredded carrots, broccoli, and bok choy (a leafy vegetable similar to cabbage). Addy loved it too.



My mother in law Myrna is going to be trying out this way of eating as well, so I'll have some support. Also, I have a friend in the ward, Annalise, who has been eating this way for over 3 years and originally lost 60 lbs and has kept it off. She is my inspiration right now. Jordan is being supportive by saying he'll try dinners that I cook and the rest of the meals he'll take care of himself, so I don't have to make separate meals for him. I'll let you know how this goes. It will obviously, only be effective if I switch my diet permanantly, so that is what I hope to do. I've been doing it for a week now and my cravings are almost gone. I eat as much as I want at regular intervals, every 2-3 hours. Wish me luck.

Daddy's Girl

Jordan and Addy spend a lot of time together. Here are some of those moments captured in time.

Addy has hair and it is fun to do!

These are a few pictures of Addy's recent hairdos. Her hair has started to grow long enough to actually do something with it. I'm just beginning to learn and I hope I get better, but here's a start anyway. Her hair is curly in the back now. Sarah showed me how to get it to curl the best. I wet it down, comb it out, then scrunch it. If I wet it and scrunch it without combing it out it is more frizzy and has less defined curls. Thanks Sarah.



I guess these are corn rows here's a view from the top and then from the front. The side-swipe bangs have worked pretty well.




This picture is of her hair after taking out the corn rows. It gave her hair volume and looked as if I had styled it, so we got a couple days out of the corn rows because of this.

This hairdo is definitely my favorite so far! She has so many little short hairs that putting them in sections and then little ponytails really contains the flyaways. It also has lasted forever. I did this hairdo on Sunday and she is still sporting it today. She got many compliments on it this morning, so it still looks good. I'm all for doing her hair as little as possible, and this hairdo has made that possible.

Caring for Your Introvert

As most of you know, I am married to an introvert. I am an extrovert and have never understood Jordan's behaviors and need to be alone. I love being with people and feel stir crazy when I am not. I have a hard time when I want to be with someone and Jordan's the only one around and he doesn't want to spend time with me. I take it personally. I think that he must not like me because he'd rather sit in the bedroom or on the couch alone and read a book then sit on the couch with me and talk.

Apparantly, Jordan isn't as unique as I thought. I thought he was "special" :). But according to this article, Jordan's actions are normal for an introvert and nothing I do will change that. Just like nothing he can do can change the fact that I gain energy from being with people. His energy is drained by being with people and can only be restored by having alone time. Jordan found this article and shared it with me. If you have anyone in your life who is an introvert, this is invaluable information. Please Read and share with other people who live with or love an introvert.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200303/rauch

It is so true! So now I know how to care for my introvert. Any ideas on how to care for myself as an extrovert living with an introvert?