Peck Life

Sleeping Problems

Over the last 2 weeks, we have been wearily transitioning Sky from his crib to a twin bed. Today, I’m happy to report we are entering night 5 of him sleeping solid and not waking up {minus one wake up last night}. Before, I wasn’t sure if the bed was the problem. He was waking up multiple times a night just screaming for “more milk, more milk!”,  wanting to play, or read books for hours on end. He was very resistant to sleeping. It was NOT FUN and I was one cranky mama. He was like this before we moved him to the twin bed so I’m thinking that it must have been a developmental thing, or being sick. He’s a happy camper now.

Aside from adapting Sky to this new situation, I’ve been given some sleeping struggles of my own. Now, we read books together, laying  in his bed. After that? He likes me to play with his hair….and I will lay there with him sometimes until he falls asleep. More often than not, I’m out like a light and wake up anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour later with heavy eyelids, wondering where the night went. You see, once bedtime hits, that is my time to get things done – like laundry, dishes, blogging, editing photos, and working on projects. Since waking up from my mid-evening snooze, I’m completely out of it and can’t even fathom loading the dishwasher. Last night, I scrapped even turning on the computer and went straight to bed. I’m not sure whether to take this as a blessing or a curse right now. Time will tell…

Weekending

Ahhh, a low key weekend. Between the dreary rain and colds we are all trying to fight off, it was one of those weekends where the pillow seemed like the best spot. We did, however, manage to not be completely lazy! There was dinner with family, banana bread making, a bit of thrifting, and many challenging hours spent dealing with Sky’s tantrums and poor sleeping.

Do you think he’s teething? I can’t tell. Not only is he sick right now {oh my gosh the snot!}, but we have started to transition him to a big bed via a mattress that’s on the floor of his bedroom. The ratio of bad to good nights is about 50/50 so I’m still trying to figure out if it’s his cold or this new sleeping situation. When he’s not being cranky and totally hysterical, he is a very very sweet boy. In between the spurts of 2-year old ishness, were many snuggles and silly play times, book reading, and of course, throwing a handful of bouncy balls ALL OVER the house.

On Saturday morning, Sky slept until 9:15 am. A world record I think? All this morning free time allowed me to make banana bread with the rotting bananas that had been sitting on our counter all week! Whoo hoo! I used this recipe from our America’s Test Kitchen cookbook.

Saturday afternoon we stepped out to go visit grandma, grandpa, and GREAT grandma! We ended up at Chinese food for dinner where Sky was actually pretty well behaved, thanks to the toys and endless supply of cheese-its and craisins while we waited for the food to arrive.

{Emily: scarf/marshalls, sweater/don’t remember, it’s old!, jeans/american rag, boots/ office via top shop. Sky: fleece/REI, jeans/osh kosh, shoes/etnies}

{linking up with Mandy at Harper’s Happenings}

Sunday was mostly a lazy day at home with the exception of an early evening goodwill drop off. I had 3 huge bags taking up space in the garage! We did a cruise through the store and while there were a few cute things {like the pyrex below}, we walked away mostly empty handed. The big score was a toy caterpillar excavator truck that was nearly brand new and working. It matches the backhoe we already have! Sky spotted it right away and carried it around the entire store, stopping to play with it whenever there was a little break. I get a little freaked about all the germs and grime but our local goodwill is fairly new so it’s not too bad. Definitely need to some wipes and soap when you’re done though.

And so, the weekend comes to close. As I type this, I’m eating giant peppermint patty hearts. They are pink inside….for Valentine’s day…oh such a good way to end a Sunday!

Getting Sh*t Done

Lately I’ve been feeling REALLY busy, yet also really unproductive. The day flies by and I feel like I start it with a million things to do and end it with a million things to do. In a nutshell, work and home life is king right now and creative time is getting squashed. I get that it’s not realistic to think I can sit around all day and do what I want, such as {but not limited to}: learning to knit, making valentines, reading the dottie angel book I got for Christmas, taking pictures, gardening, learning the business of blogging, shaving my legs for once, thinking about BlogHer, editing photos, baking cookies, and working on Sky’s big boy room BUT when it's festering in my head 24/7 vs. getting worked on, I get a little crazy, a little frustrated, and a little stifled. Why is this stuff even important? I don’t know. Sometimes, it just makes me feel better, I guess. Two years into this whole “kid” thing, and I’m still learning to accept that the “me” time I had pre-baby will never, EVER come back. Not ever. Or, maybe it will...when I’m 60.

Even though I spend 40 hours a week working, another 10 commuting, and many more in between caring for Sky and not seeing my husband as much as I’d like, I also blame my lack of creative DOING on the internet. Yeah, that’s right. YOU INTERNET. I love it to bits but sometimes I feel like all my free time is spent reading other blogs and keeping up with the constant churn that is Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. It shouldn’t go away completely, and it won’t…but, there has to be balance. I think as bloggers, we have all gone through this, right? It’s a never ending struggle to stay in that sweet space where life feels equally distributed. Ebb and Flow, Shift and Settle. Words that stick in my brain lately. I feel like a buoy.

Kirsten’s ALT recap brought to light a good point, that I’ve heard before, but it can never be said too much. Via Jenny {at little green notebook}:

10% of your time should be spent on inspiration {blogs, pinterest, magazines} and 90% of your time should be spent on doing and acting {working on projects, getting outside and taking photos, decorating, shopping, etc.}.

It’s SO TRUE.

{photo via Ez via Stephanie Reid}

I’m not sure what the answer is to complete balance. Perhaps it’s that spurts of pure balance are few and far between and what keeps us going is the constant corrections we make to stay on the right path. Or, maybe balance is more wine and chocolate. Could be.

Weekending: Hot and Cold

Sometimes, life plans your weekends for you. In our case, it gave us a sick baby with a 103 temperature, 8 inches of snow, and a virus-infected computer. I'm wondering if it was the universe telling me to slow down? I get antsy when I'm not feeling productive but I’m going to decide, right here and now, that snuggling my boy all weekend was enough. It was productiveness in its truest form, being there when someone needs you. We watched Bob the Builder at 3 am, read too many books to count, ate donuts and soup with lots of oyster crackers, snuggled to even more TV, watched the snow dump down, and visited with Grandma and Grandpa {on Saturday as the fever was presenting itself for the first time}, all while ignoring most of the household chores, minus dishes which just need to get done.

The snow started early on Saturday and was off and on all weekend. After Sky woke up from his nap on Sunday, he was begging for "boots" and "sled" so we bundled him up and walked the neighborhood. Josh pulled him in the sled and all he could say was "again!", "again!". He LOVED it. It was snowing too hard to take the new camera with me, boo! I’m dying to try out some snow pictures with it!

One walk in the snow and that was our big outing for the day. Sky was beat and we spent the rest of the day loungin’. Lily {our dog} seems to be his new best bud. He'll come over to her and go "Hey Lily! How ya doinnnn?" It's so dang cute. Sometimes she acts annoyed but I can tell she loves him – she sleeps in his snow sled for crying out loud!

Celebrating Sky: The Second Year

To celebrate my sweet baby boy turning 2 tomorrow {!!!!}, we are taking a trip down memory lane. Here are a few of my all time favorite pictures of Sky in his second year. This concludes the mini-series of Sky, so we will be back to regularly scheduled programming on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!

Celebrating Sky: The First Year

To celebrate my sweet baby boy turning 2 this Sunday, we are taking a trip down memory lane. Here are a few of my all time favorite pictures of Sky in his first year. Such a pumpkin!

Celebrating Sky: The Bump and The Birth

In honor of Sky turning 2 this Sunday, I thought I would take a stroll through memory lane and share a few pictures of what life was like in 2009. Today, we’ll focus on the bump and the birth.

I gained 33 pounds when I was pregnant; it’s really amazing what the human body is capable of. Overall, I didn’t really have any complications, other than heartburn, having to take the “long-version” of the diabetes test {which came back negative!}, and some severe back pain from weeks 20-22, which I fixed with pre-natal acupuncture and massage. Of course, as I got closer to delivery, things got worse. I couldn’t reach my feet, I got CANKLES, I was constantly uncomfortable, I couldn’t sleep, there were little feet and arms kicking my ribs out constantly, and I lost my breath just climbing out of the car. But, I’m thankful. It could have been worse.

I loved having a belly – it’s so surreal. It feels like it’s part of you and not part of you at the same time. It has a life of its own, literally. I loved my team of midwives and I loved going to the doctor to see how things were progressing. It was like my home away from home.

I thought for sure Sky would be late but when contractions started the day before my due date, things got going pretty fast. I think it was a combo of having a 40 week check up, eating spicy thai food for lunch, and going for a very long walk afterwards. By that evening, I was having regular contractions, although they were still pretty far apart. By 1 am – there were every 2-3 minutes and we got to the hospital around 3:30 am. I was dilated to a 5, got an epidural shortly after, started pushing in the 9 o’clock hour, and had Sky at 10:44 am.

I wish I could tell you that Sky’s birth was magical and that soft music played in the background while I did focused breathing exercises and when he came out I cried a million tears of joy and was instantly in love. But, that’s not really how it went down.

Not ever having had a child before, I knew what was supposed to happen, but I also knew that I didn’t know what I was in for. There’s no way to be able to expect something like this. I don’t really remember much and I wish I would have written more down, taken more pictures, and been present in the moment. It’s all one giant huge fog.

I remember feeling completely out of control. I couldn’t feel my lower half so I was at the mercy and direction of the nurses and midwives telling me when to start and stop pushing. It was confusing and I was not at all in tune with my body. I dislike this VERY MUCH and wonder what would happen if I tried to do it naturally next time. I know it would hurt a lot but would it be better to be able to listen to yourself? There was so much noise! As labor went on, more and more staff started showing up….another nurse, another midwife, an OB..…hmmm. I was distracted and later found out that Sky’s heart rate was dropping so they were going to have to intervene. I’ll leave out the gory details here so use your imagination.

When Sky came out, he was a hefty 8 pounds, 4 ounces. It took a few minutes to realize that just came out of ME and then it sunk in. I have a baby. This baby is mine? I have no idea what to do. It doesn’t even feel real. I think it’s one of those things where you are so deeply attached, that you just can’t recognize or process the magnitude at which it rocks you to your core. It’s so big it can seem like nothing. I knew he was my baby but there wasn’t that instant “in love” connection. It was more like “oh, hi, nice to meet you!”. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my baby but it definitely took a while for me to have that bonded feeling that the media portrays as “automatic”. I think nursing helped A LOT and so did staying home with him for 3 months.

Sometimes, it makes me angry to think back on Sky’s birth because I don’t remember much of what he was like those first few days and I can’t believe I didn’t try to capture more of what was going on. Then, it makes me angry that I’m angry – I mean, it was traumatic so isn’t it ok that I didn’t journal the entire event? I felt out of it, I was in pain, and I was deathly afraid of trying to care for, touch, diaper, or feed him. It was just a huge shock that I didn’t expect. Surprisingly, the recovery was almost as bad as the delivery. It took weeks and months to fully recover.

Knowing what I know now, next time I have a baby, I hope I will be more relaxed, calm and mindful of what’s happening. I hope there will be a picture of that first look, and of Sky seeing his sibling for the first time, and of us as a family. Even though it was a very traumatic experience, it was still very good in the big picture. The hospital and staff were wonderful, nothing life threatening happened, I was taken care of, I had great family and friends for support, and Sky was as healthy as can be. After all, those are the most important things! I hope this post doesn't seem too "debbie downer" - just tellin' it like it was! I'm sure someone can relate?

Weekending

There is lots of planning a plotting going on right now. With Christmas and Sky’s birthday on the horizon, my mind is in overdrive with ideas; things to make, presents to buy, crafts to create…my weekend brain felt full of lists and although nothing was put into action, I feel like I accomplished my mental plan for the next few weeks. Outside of my brain, we had family time. A Saturday spent in snowy Leavenworth, and a Sunday lounging at home {although Josh did let me venture to town alone for groceries!}. When I got home, Sky wanted to read stories in the bed so that’s what we did, and then we both fell asleep. It makes me look forward to “big boy bed” days a little more. How was your weekend?

22 Months

*Note: I talk about breastfeeding so read at your own risk, it’s not that gross though, promise*

 
I always knew I wanted to breastfeed. I always thought that's just what everyone did, it came naturally. But, as I grew up and my friends started to have babies, I watched their struggles, and then when I was pregnant with Sky, I started to really second guess how this was all gonna work. I read books...probably too many of them, which made me even MORE anxious. It seemed really technical and hard. Right after I gave birth to Sky, they sent a lactation consultant to “show me the ropes” but I could barely comprehend our conversation or remember any of the details.

When we took Sky back to the hospital 2 days later for a weigh in, he had dropped too much, so from there, we embarked on our 48 hour journey of feeding and pumping every 2 hours for 2 days straight plus supplementing with a syringe of formula each time to get his weight back up. It was probably the most exhausting thing I've ever done. Not only was I scared to even hold my baby or change his diaper {poor Josh had to teach me!}, I felt like I didn't know how to nurse him right....I felt like he wasn't getting enough milk, I didn't know what I was doing! I wasn't comfortable. I had so many pillows and finding the right chair and position was so hard. There were lots of tears and lots of "I can't do this..." and lots of "Maybe we should just do formula".

Every baby/mom relationship is different and everyone has their own personal choice on whether they choose to do breast vs. bottle so I’m all for people doing what’s right for them. But for me? I couldn’t do formula. I knew I had it in me to keep up and every time I thought about giving up, I just couldn’t bring myself to go through with it. It wasn't because I thought formula was evil, it was because there was some inner pull telling me this is what I needed to do.

My self-doubt and frustration went on for a while and then eventually, maybe 2 months in, it finally started to get a little easier. Those frustrating moments were replaced with warm cuddle time and those to-die-for rosy cheeks and milk face. We were finally getting into a rhythm when the time came for me to return to work! Then, things got hard again. Pumping twice a day at work, cleaning the massive amounts of pump parts and bottles day in and day out, racing the clock to get home in time to feed him, storing, freezing, thawing, measuring, trying as hard as possible not to waste a single drop! Have you ever had the security guard at an airport open all of your pumped milk and test it for drugs? It’s fun, you should try it sometime. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve pumped in a parking lot or pulled over on the side of the road to nurse Sky. For me, it’s really stressful. I totally envy the people that can do it anywhere and it comes easy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure formula has it’s own set of unique challenges and headaches too!

The weaning process has been long....and gradual. Since about 14 months, we've slowly been cutting back a little here, a little there. It's definitely not something that happens overnight. The last 2 months it's been scattered and minimal, really only when he asks or when he was sick.

Flash forward to present day and I think it’s safe to say Sky has 100% weaned himself and we are DONE. It’s been almost 2 weeks now since he’s asked. It’s a little bit bittersweet but it’s also a new freedom and makes me feel like my pre-baby self again. I’m actually really proud of myself that we made it this long – one of life’s major achievements, no? I’ll miss our snuggle time but it’s been replaced now with a different snuggle time - evening stories tucked in the big guest bed together. The other night he started to lift up my shirt and I thought “here we go…” but NOPE! He just wanted to give me raspberries on my stomach, haha – guess who he learned that one from?!

13 {and a half} months.

Well, it seems this boy is changing by the day so here is a quick "top 10" rundown!

1. mama, da, na na, ga, ba ba ba, ssss, nie nie - yep, that's how we communicate these days.

2. Movin' and shakin'. Whether he's dancing or speed crawling, Sky is always on the move. He likes it when we dance to Elizabeth Mitchell and he also likes to crawl into rooms and shut the door behind himself, locking us out!

3. Smoosh smoosh / bonk bonk - this boy is so snuggly. He will snuggle you {or bonk you} almost anytime you ask. In fact, he also likes to smoosh his blanket, the floor, chairs, lily, and his toys.

4. Tennis balls? YES please! This is his current favorite toy. The other favorites? Rides in his radio-flyer wagon and BATH TIME!!!!!!

5. Free standing but no walking! Is that good or bad? I don't know but I can barely keep up with him as it is so I'm happy to wait a little longer for the running to begin.

6. More sleep! Yes, he is ALMOST successfully night weaned {no more nursing 2x a night for me YAY} which means more solid uninterruped sleep for all of us.

7. Clapping, snapping, palms together swirly hands - he will mimic almost anything we do with our hands. He also mimics facial expressions like a champ...so funny!

8. Foods! So far, Sky has a very diverse diet. Current favorites are craisins with oatmeal, yogurt, and deli ham although this changes day by day. He's also liking his goat milk - he seemed to be having a rough time on the whole milk so we are holding off for now.

9. Weaning. It's bittersweet - it's been the hardest and one of the best things I've ever done. I nurse him in the morning and at bedtime and usually one other time if i'm home with him on the weekend. Otherwise, he gets goat milk or has water. Each session is getting faster and shorter and his interest is elsewhere {like on the lamp next to the chair}. Sigh. 

10. He's a thinker. Spend 5 minutes with Sky and you will see he is thoughful and has an inherent engineering brain. He likes to take things apart and try to put them back together. He likes to think about things before going for it....he's just....thoughful.