Is this what being rested feels like?
I really can't remember. I've been compensated for the year of hell Courtney put me through because now she is just an angel of a sleeper. I know I'm probably jinxing myself by writing this, but I really feel the need to celebrate! She sleeps from 8PM to 7AM every morning and takes one nap a day for 2-3 hours! She's a much happier child because of it, and we are much happier parents. It makes the time I spend with her more enjoyable because we're both not so cranky from being overly tired.
The bottle weaning, on the other hand, is not going so well. Still 2 a day. I've decided to not obsess....yeah like that's going to happen!
Her speech is continuing to improve. She repeats the last word of every sentence I say. So, the other day when I told her that I was changing her shirt because it was too tight and it made her look like a hoochie, she proceede to say "hoochie" for the next hour as we're shopping in Target. Nice! And last week, when I changed the ring on my cell phone to the Gwen Stefani song "Hollaback Girl", she asked that we play it "Again! Again! Again!" Then busted out in the chorus..."hollaback geerlll!" It was a very proud moment. She has a very bad lisp because she's tongue-tied, meaning the flap of skin connecting her tongue to her mouth is too close to the tip of her tongue. We'd been warned when she was born it could affect her speech, but we opted not to get the skin cut, in hopes the tongue would grow and the problem would improve. Well, it hasn't much, so I hope she doesn't have to go to speech therapy or anything. I'm having flashbacks to the Brady Bunch episode where Cindy Brady gets teased for her lisp "baby talk, baby talk, it's a wonder you can walk!" I guess there are worse things.
Well, that's it for now. I was going to post a photo taken last Wednesday at the portrait studio, but when I inserted the CD with the proofs on it, I was suddenly looking at this tiny, hispanic baby that was definitely not mine! I'm hoping they didn't give ours to someone else. The idea of someone else looking at photos of my little girl on their computer is creeping my husband out!
Monday, November 28, 2005
Friday, November 18, 2005
The Hug Game
Things have been hectic in the Houtz household because we've had contractors finally installing our new floors after an unfortunate plumbing mishap last month. The babysitter has been watching Court at her house and her routine has been majorly thrown off. I've created a creature of habit (much like myself) and she doesn't respond well to change. This is good and bad. Good because her schedule has helped her sleep and eat better and because we can all predict how the day will unfold, more or less. It's bad because it's made her a bit..umm..."inflexible", if you will. It really killed the bottle weaning process this week. When she's upset or out of sorts, she cries for her baba as her one and only comfort item (besides me, that is). So, I've relented and she's back to 3 or 4 bottles a day, after getting her down to 2. Sucks, but it is what it is. I went online to find some mothers in similar situations so that I can get some advice, and all I get is responses from zealous stay-at-home moms going on and on about how their kids have been off the bottle since they were like 10 months. Now, how is that supposed to be helpful? Don't these women have better things to do than make other moms feel bad? They should just concentrate on mothering their perfect children...Ok...vent over! I'm just boycotting that site.
There are some awesome things going on, though. Courtney is continuing to blossom into this incredible little girl (wow, I sound like Tom Cruise gushing over Katie Holmes)., but it's true. She will constantly say the last word in whatever sentence you just finished. She is stringing together 2-3 words into her own little mini-sentences. "mommy, elmo book". "mommy, up night-night". Of course, all her sentences start with mommy! She also loves to say her name. She'll run down the hall and I'll yell"Courtney" where are you? and she'll yell "Courtney" back because she thinks it's a game. Only when she says it, she sounds like she's from Boston. Her R's aren't very pronounced. It's cute.
The best thing that's going on is that she now LOVES to give hugs. It's become a game in the morning. I'll put my arms up and say "big hug" and she runs into my arms and gives me the biggest bear hug. We'll do that like 20 times in a row. I can't even describe the feeling. It's neat to see her develop these new desires to show affection. You know your kid loves you, but it's better to have them show it. It brightens my day no matter how much my house is in disarray!
Things have been hectic in the Houtz household because we've had contractors finally installing our new floors after an unfortunate plumbing mishap last month. The babysitter has been watching Court at her house and her routine has been majorly thrown off. I've created a creature of habit (much like myself) and she doesn't respond well to change. This is good and bad. Good because her schedule has helped her sleep and eat better and because we can all predict how the day will unfold, more or less. It's bad because it's made her a bit..umm..."inflexible", if you will. It really killed the bottle weaning process this week. When she's upset or out of sorts, she cries for her baba as her one and only comfort item (besides me, that is). So, I've relented and she's back to 3 or 4 bottles a day, after getting her down to 2. Sucks, but it is what it is. I went online to find some mothers in similar situations so that I can get some advice, and all I get is responses from zealous stay-at-home moms going on and on about how their kids have been off the bottle since they were like 10 months. Now, how is that supposed to be helpful? Don't these women have better things to do than make other moms feel bad? They should just concentrate on mothering their perfect children...Ok...vent over! I'm just boycotting that site.
There are some awesome things going on, though. Courtney is continuing to blossom into this incredible little girl (wow, I sound like Tom Cruise gushing over Katie Holmes)., but it's true. She will constantly say the last word in whatever sentence you just finished. She is stringing together 2-3 words into her own little mini-sentences. "mommy, elmo book". "mommy, up night-night". Of course, all her sentences start with mommy! She also loves to say her name. She'll run down the hall and I'll yell"Courtney" where are you? and she'll yell "Courtney" back because she thinks it's a game. Only when she says it, she sounds like she's from Boston. Her R's aren't very pronounced. It's cute.
The best thing that's going on is that she now LOVES to give hugs. It's become a game in the morning. I'll put my arms up and say "big hug" and she runs into my arms and gives me the biggest bear hug. We'll do that like 20 times in a row. I can't even describe the feeling. It's neat to see her develop these new desires to show affection. You know your kid loves you, but it's better to have them show it. It brightens my day no matter how much my house is in disarray!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Where does the time go?
My life is a blur! I wake up between 6 and 6:30, feed and change Court, feed the dogs, make Court's lunch, lay out her clothes for the day, try and shower before the babysitter gets there, but that doesn't usually happen. When the she gets to my house at 8AM, I am usually sitting on the couch watching Playhouse Disney with Court on my lap, feeding her Cheerios, in my pajamas and my hair all askew. I would normally be embarrassed having someone see me like that, but I pick my battles...trying to blow dry my hair and put makeup on with a 14 month old clinging to my leg, is just not one of them!
The current battle du jour is weaning my little angel from the bottle. It is supposed to be done by the time she's 15 months old (that's in 16 days) per her pediatrician. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! She's down to 2 bottles a day normally, for her naptime and bedtime, but when she's upset about her routine being changed or is cutting a tooth, all she wants is her bottle. It's the one comfort item she's ever had. No pacifier, blanky, dirty teddy bear...just her baba! Unfortunately, it's the worst thing healthwise. I lay in bed worrying about her teeth rotting while she sleeps! I go online and see these disgusting photos of "bottlemouth" that literally make my stomach turn. But I'm just not ready to force the issue. In most ways, it's awesome that she can tell me exactly what she wants now that her communication skills are better than most 2-year olds (I'm not exaggerating), but it sucks in some ways because it's harder to say now, when she asks for things so pitifully!
She is down to one nap a day, and it's awesome, because it's for like 2-3 hours. You can get a lot done in that time, but most of the time, I just take a nap myself! I missed those naps! Used to be my favorite thing in the world to do! Might still be!
Halloween was fun. Did the trick or treating thing. She was a beautiful butterfuly running down the sidewalk. When she gets excited, as she did that night, her right arm swings really fast back and forth in front of her body, like she's saying "Clear a path people, I'm on a mission". It's hilarious. I'll attach a photo soon of her in her cute little costume.
Otherwise, things are going great. Getting plenty of sleep. Enjoying the heck out of the conversations I have with my daughter. We're having conversations now! She can say just about anything now....in two languages no less. I will have to update more often now that quarterend is over at work because I can't possibly remember all the cute things she's done the last 2 weeks.
My life is a blur! I wake up between 6 and 6:30, feed and change Court, feed the dogs, make Court's lunch, lay out her clothes for the day, try and shower before the babysitter gets there, but that doesn't usually happen. When the she gets to my house at 8AM, I am usually sitting on the couch watching Playhouse Disney with Court on my lap, feeding her Cheerios, in my pajamas and my hair all askew. I would normally be embarrassed having someone see me like that, but I pick my battles...trying to blow dry my hair and put makeup on with a 14 month old clinging to my leg, is just not one of them!
The current battle du jour is weaning my little angel from the bottle. It is supposed to be done by the time she's 15 months old (that's in 16 days) per her pediatrician. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! She's down to 2 bottles a day normally, for her naptime and bedtime, but when she's upset about her routine being changed or is cutting a tooth, all she wants is her bottle. It's the one comfort item she's ever had. No pacifier, blanky, dirty teddy bear...just her baba! Unfortunately, it's the worst thing healthwise. I lay in bed worrying about her teeth rotting while she sleeps! I go online and see these disgusting photos of "bottlemouth" that literally make my stomach turn. But I'm just not ready to force the issue. In most ways, it's awesome that she can tell me exactly what she wants now that her communication skills are better than most 2-year olds (I'm not exaggerating), but it sucks in some ways because it's harder to say now, when she asks for things so pitifully!
She is down to one nap a day, and it's awesome, because it's for like 2-3 hours. You can get a lot done in that time, but most of the time, I just take a nap myself! I missed those naps! Used to be my favorite thing in the world to do! Might still be!
Halloween was fun. Did the trick or treating thing. She was a beautiful butterfuly running down the sidewalk. When she gets excited, as she did that night, her right arm swings really fast back and forth in front of her body, like she's saying "Clear a path people, I'm on a mission". It's hilarious. I'll attach a photo soon of her in her cute little costume.
Otherwise, things are going great. Getting plenty of sleep. Enjoying the heck out of the conversations I have with my daughter. We're having conversations now! She can say just about anything now....in two languages no less. I will have to update more often now that quarterend is over at work because I can't possibly remember all the cute things she's done the last 2 weeks.
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