Honestly, I don't even know if anyone reads my blog anymore, but I need some mommy help! After some advice from my friends 6 months or so ago, I started putting Taylor down without rocking her to sleep. There was nothing in the world harder than listening to her cry herself to sleep, but I knew it was best.
6 months later, she is STILL crying herself to sleep! And since I woke up Friday morning to her standing up in her crib, now she immediately starts pulling herself up and screaming when I put her down. (Don't worry... the crib has been lowered). She doesn't care if I'm in the room with her or not. So sitting next to the crib, won't work unless there is a piece I'm missing. The minute I start to put her in her crib, she will start screaming, even if I have just barely rocked her to sleep. I have even stooped to putting her in bed with Dustin and me (once or twice) and she just thinks it's playtime. She sleeps through the night perfectly, it's just the going to sleep part.
I have looked on some mommy forums and there are some books suggested such as "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child", "No Cry Sleep Solution" and "Baby Sleep". I know that what works for one baby doesn't always work for another, but I am willing to take any suggestions you may have even if they may seem crazy. Crying is one thing, but the screaming takes it to a new and very unpleasant level. It's too the point where I don't know if I'll ever be able to take her on a trip because I can't very well let her cry herself to sleep in a hotel room! I could have never made it overnight in ID, if it wasn't for my mom. (Oh yes and I think she slept a total of 4 hours that night). Please post a comment or send an email to the email link on our blog. It's an email for Dustin, but I can access it. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all of your help from a very desperate mommy!!!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Spudman - Round 2
For the second year in a row, Dustin participated in the Spudman Triathlon in Burley, ID. This year, my mom came out for the event too so he had his own little cheering section. However, this year he hit a few blips in the road (literally) that he didn't have to deal with last year. With the training he has been doing, I knew that he was going to break his 2:30 time from last year, I just didn't expect what happened to take place.
He started off the swim well although once they all get out in the river with their orange caps and wetsuits, I can't keep track of who is who. It was about the time that he was supposed to be coming in on the bike when I got a call on my cell. It was a 208 area code so at first I thought maybe it was a friend I had touched base with the day before, but decided to answer it any way. It was Dustin. My heart dropped into my stomach for a minute because I had heard an ambulance leaving not too long before. (And for those of you who don't know, there was a man who died during the swim part of the race the year before, so I was probably a little extra anxious). He told me that he was on his second flat and had to wait to have somebody pick him up. Apparently for the 1400 participants there were only 2 bike techs and he had already used his spare tube on his first flat. He said that he was going to try to get a ride in soon so that he could at least run the 10K. But as the next hour passed, I started to get a little nervous and couldn't imagine what was taking him so long. I also knew that after this amount of time, there was no way he would run the 10K and I was trying to think of ways to offer encouragement because I knew that he was going to be so upset.
After about an hour and 20 minutes, I saw him riding in on a bike, I didn't know if it was his bike or not because he had mentioned that his was beyond repair, but I got so excited and was cheering for him like a mad women as I ran down the final stretch of the bike race behind him. I looked at my watch and it was 15 minutes after he had finished the entire triathlon the year before. Knowing that he knew this, I watched him transition into his running gear as I am still cheering at him like some crazy lady with tears streaming down my face. I couldn't believe that he was going to finish. I know me and I know that I would've said "oh well" and that would have been it, but that wasn't good enough for Dustin. I went running back to my mom and Taylor and I told Taylor that she was so lucky to have such an amazing dad who didn't let the fact that 2 flat tires and a lot of waiting around for help didn't stop him and that he kept going and finished the race. When he finished, I can honestly say that I was even more proud of him and inspired this year than I had been the year before (and I was pretty darn proud and inspired last year...)
Apparently a large, rusty industrial pin was what blew out Dustin's tire and since the tire was so ruined, the spare tubes didn't really give him the help he needed. (How does a race like this not clean the streets before the race??? We saw at least 5 people carrying bikes in on their shoulders and a few people who just didn't finish so that was definitely a problem this year.) His first flat happened 3/4 of a mile into the bike and his cartridge only filled up the tire 30% so he had to walk back to the starting line (in his bike cleats) to get another cartridge to fill up the bike. At 7 miles is where the tube couldn't hold up and he waited 45 minutes for a tech to help him patch that up letting him know that it may not last another 18 miles. When Dustin was riding in, his tire was flat. I know he's still pretty upset, but both his swim and run were faster than last year despite all of his emotional turmoil this year. I couldn't be more proud to call him my husband and Taylor's daddy!
This was just before the swim started. Look at that beautiful view over the Snake River, not to mention that sexy bod my hubby has. 
Talking with his friend Dave right before the swim.
He started off the swim well although once they all get out in the river with their orange caps and wetsuits, I can't keep track of who is who. It was about the time that he was supposed to be coming in on the bike when I got a call on my cell. It was a 208 area code so at first I thought maybe it was a friend I had touched base with the day before, but decided to answer it any way. It was Dustin. My heart dropped into my stomach for a minute because I had heard an ambulance leaving not too long before. (And for those of you who don't know, there was a man who died during the swim part of the race the year before, so I was probably a little extra anxious). He told me that he was on his second flat and had to wait to have somebody pick him up. Apparently for the 1400 participants there were only 2 bike techs and he had already used his spare tube on his first flat. He said that he was going to try to get a ride in soon so that he could at least run the 10K. But as the next hour passed, I started to get a little nervous and couldn't imagine what was taking him so long. I also knew that after this amount of time, there was no way he would run the 10K and I was trying to think of ways to offer encouragement because I knew that he was going to be so upset.
After about an hour and 20 minutes, I saw him riding in on a bike, I didn't know if it was his bike or not because he had mentioned that his was beyond repair, but I got so excited and was cheering for him like a mad women as I ran down the final stretch of the bike race behind him. I looked at my watch and it was 15 minutes after he had finished the entire triathlon the year before. Knowing that he knew this, I watched him transition into his running gear as I am still cheering at him like some crazy lady with tears streaming down my face. I couldn't believe that he was going to finish. I know me and I know that I would've said "oh well" and that would have been it, but that wasn't good enough for Dustin. I went running back to my mom and Taylor and I told Taylor that she was so lucky to have such an amazing dad who didn't let the fact that 2 flat tires and a lot of waiting around for help didn't stop him and that he kept going and finished the race. When he finished, I can honestly say that I was even more proud of him and inspired this year than I had been the year before (and I was pretty darn proud and inspired last year...)
Apparently a large, rusty industrial pin was what blew out Dustin's tire and since the tire was so ruined, the spare tubes didn't really give him the help he needed. (How does a race like this not clean the streets before the race??? We saw at least 5 people carrying bikes in on their shoulders and a few people who just didn't finish so that was definitely a problem this year.) His first flat happened 3/4 of a mile into the bike and his cartridge only filled up the tire 30% so he had to walk back to the starting line (in his bike cleats) to get another cartridge to fill up the bike. At 7 miles is where the tube couldn't hold up and he waited 45 minutes for a tech to help him patch that up letting him know that it may not last another 18 miles. When Dustin was riding in, his tire was flat. I know he's still pretty upset, but both his swim and run were faster than last year despite all of his emotional turmoil this year. I couldn't be more proud to call him my husband and Taylor's daddy!
This was just before the swim started. Look at that beautiful view over the Snake River, not to mention that sexy bod my hubby has.Talking with his friend Dave right before the swim. The very last stretch and he was still going strong!
After the inspiring race, Taylor had had enough and was ready for a nap.
Dustin and his friend Aaron
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Taylor (in Review)
A few weeks back we went to Dustin's family's cabin for a short 4th of July get away. We were there for less than 48 hours and I think it took me almost 24 hours just to get everything ready and packed. Having a baby more than doubles your load! Taylor had a great time with her cousins as you will see below, but one of the cutest things that happened was with Quique. Quique loves to go to the cabin, and even though she gets to roam free for the most part, she still seems to follow Dustin or I around wherever we go. One morning Dustin and I decided to go for a bike ride so we left Taylor behind with Grandma and Quique. When I got home, Taylor had been down for a nap for the past hour or so and apparently, Quique had been sleeping by the closed door to Taylor's room and had not moved since Taylor went down for her nap. I don't know if she went into protection mode or if she just didn't want to leave the one member of her immediate family that was left, but when I went downstairs in the dark to see her curled up by the door, I honestly wanted to cry.
I am always weeks and weeks behind, and I am so bad about taking pictures, but here are just a few pics and a few quick thoughts on the sweetest girl to enter my life. Although she hasn't been as sweet the last couple of days due to her top teeth coming in, but she is still a really good baby, so I shouldn't complain.
Apparently Mia was thinking "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" as we celebrated her 1st birthday and all of the princesses each got to make a crown to wear.
Taylor's crown wasn't enough. I guess she wanted Allie's crown too.
The girls playing in the blow up pool on the deck
I know I am a little bias, but seriously... could she be any cuter? (Side note - the bracelet is not cutting off circulation, it is in one of her fat crevasses, however we have now taken off the bracelet).
The 3 Amigos/Cousins
I am always weeks and weeks behind, and I am so bad about taking pictures, but here are just a few pics and a few quick thoughts on the sweetest girl to enter my life. Although she hasn't been as sweet the last couple of days due to her top teeth coming in, but she is still a really good baby, so I shouldn't complain.
Apparently Mia was thinking "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" as we celebrated her 1st birthday and all of the princesses each got to make a crown to wear.
Taylor's crown wasn't enough. I guess she wanted Allie's crown too.The girls playing in the blow up pool on the deck
I know I am a little bias, but seriously... could she be any cuter? (Side note - the bracelet is not cutting off circulation, it is in one of her fat crevasses, however we have now taken off the bracelet).The latest updates on Taylor are:
- With her top teeth coming in, she has been making this horrible sound as she scrapes her gums/teeth together and it sounds like nails down a chalkboard... ugh!
- Although she has been army crawling for a bit, she has officially started crawling like a big girl on all fours. This first occurrence was out front on the grass while I was attempting to ride a road bike and eating asphalt trying to clip out of the bike.
- She is pulling herself up on everything she can (as you will see below). She has no sense of balance, so I am sure it will be quite a few months before she's walking, but she loves to pull herself up and stand whenever she can.
- She HATES going to bed. After almost 6 months of putting her down without rocking her to sleep, you would think she would be able to soothe herself, but 99% of the time she kicks and screams and cries herself to sleep (whether it's bedtime or nap time). She has also refused a 2nd nap so for the last month or so we have been down to one nap a day. But I will say once she is down, she is a great sleeper, but the stubbornness is coming through strong!
- She plays peek-a-boo on her daddy's chest. She will nuzzle her head in his chest and then she'll throw her head up to look at him and he'll yell "peek-a-boo" and then she'll throw her head into his chest again.
- She LOVES little kids. Our friend's kids will dote all over her and they can get her belly laughing like nothing else. She just gets excited to see them. It's so cute!
- She loves the water. We have been doing a mom and tot swim class and she loves it. She never cries except this past week, when the instructor came out with a dive stick for one of the other kids and she had to have it and screamed and cried until she could hold it and put it in her mouth. See... I'm not over exaggerating about the stubbornness.
Taylor started doing a model pose. This doesn't fully capture the pose, but I think she's telling me to talk to the hand...
Great Grandma Jean, Taylor and Grandma TT. This is special to me, because I never had Great Grandparents, in fact I never met one of my grandparents and another one died when I was 5 and Taylor wasn't ever able to meet any of her great grandparents on my side of the family so I think that this is pretty cool!
The 3 Amigos/Cousins Our newest G2 sponsor. I seriously left her for a minute or so as I was working in the kitchen and she managed to get herself up on the box. This is also the way that she says hello... she salutes you with an extended arm. (No Heil jokes are necessary ;)
Daddy and 2 of his favorite girls
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
To My Favorite Sister in the Whole Wide World
It's kind of the running joke that I call my sister my favorite sister, since she is my only sister, but today I want to wish my favorite sister in the whole wide world a very happy birthday. Growing up, I was a horrible big sister. I wasn't good at including Ashley in things that I did and I wasn't someone that she could look up to or lean on for anything. It is one of the biggest regrets that I have. But Ashley is a fighter. She has been since she was born 27 years ago at 3 lbs 12 oz. She has had so much thrown at her throughout her life and she still fights her way to survive and be happy. We are so different and so the same in so many ways. People think that we look alike, but she is way more gorgeous than I will ever be, however we do sound alike. And even though we haven't lived in the same house for 12 years, we have similar mannerisms and phrases. It's almost kind of scary. And even though I'm the "big" sister, I look up to Ashley. She has had a very rough couple of years, but people who don't know that would probably never know. She can light up a room in seconds. She can talk to anyone and she has an incredible gift at making others feel special and loved. She is extremely creative and very talented. And right now, even though I don't know how she does it, she is living her dream from when she was a little girl... in front of the camera. She has done some modeling and now she has had some extra parts in a movie and some tv shows. I could never imagine living that moment to moment lifestyle of never having a steady job or knowing if you can pay the bills that month, but Ashley embraces it.
Even though this girl is tough as nails, she has a heart of gold. I remember when we were little and somebody swatted a moth and she cried and cried trying to nurse it back to health. She even took care of our Great Aunt's dog for years after our Great Aunt died. If you had seen this gray poodle, you would think that she was on death's door, but Ashley would cradle and cuddle her and hand feed her to the point that this dog lived years longer than she ever would have under normal circumstances. No matter what physical ailments a person may have, while other people are staring, Ashley sees right past that into the soul of someone and treats them for who they really are. She can frustrate me like no one else, but it usually has to do with those free spirit traits of hers that make her so special and so unique.
So here is to my favorite sister and best friend, Ashley. I have always said that I would choose her to be my only sister than to have multiple brothers and sisters because she fulfills and surpasses anything that I would and have ever wanted in a sibling. I love you so much and here's to having an amazing year!
Even since we were little, Ashley has always been the life of the party and so fun to hang out with. She always makes me laugh!
We did go through some years with some pretty cute hairstyles... my always seemed to be worse... :)
Yet through it all, Ashley has always been able to ham it up for the camera.
Even though this girl is tough as nails, she has a heart of gold. I remember when we were little and somebody swatted a moth and she cried and cried trying to nurse it back to health. She even took care of our Great Aunt's dog for years after our Great Aunt died. If you had seen this gray poodle, you would think that she was on death's door, but Ashley would cradle and cuddle her and hand feed her to the point that this dog lived years longer than she ever would have under normal circumstances. No matter what physical ailments a person may have, while other people are staring, Ashley sees right past that into the soul of someone and treats them for who they really are. She can frustrate me like no one else, but it usually has to do with those free spirit traits of hers that make her so special and so unique.
So here is to my favorite sister and best friend, Ashley. I have always said that I would choose her to be my only sister than to have multiple brothers and sisters because she fulfills and surpasses anything that I would and have ever wanted in a sibling. I love you so much and here's to having an amazing year!
Even since we were little, Ashley has always been the life of the party and so fun to hang out with. She always makes me laugh!We did go through some years with some pretty cute hairstyles... my always seemed to be worse... :)Yet through it all, Ashley has always been able to ham it up for the camera.I couldn't ask for a better Aunt to Taylor. Even though Ashley doesn't get to see her very often, she is so amazing to Taylor when she does get to see her. I'm so glad that Taylor has Ashley to look up to and to teach her the things that I can't (like nutrition, skin care, putting on make-up)!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Happy Birthday Dear Jennifer!
The 4th of July is a very special day in 2 regards. Of course we get to celebrate the birth of this glorious nation that we live in and all of the freedoms that we are blessed with, but we also get to celebrate the birth of one of my dearest friends, Jennifer. (I will refrain from using her last name since she probably would appreciate that I don't). Of course everyone is different and unique, but I can promise you that if you don't know Jennifer, you haven't met anyone like her... (and you are definitely missing out!
I met Jennifer when I started Synchronized Swimming. She of course was one of the best in our age group and even better than some of the older girls. I don't know how others felt when they first met her, but I seriously thought she was so cool. She didn't care what anybody else thought of her and she felt free to tell you exactly how she felt, no matter what. We must have been 9 years old and she invited me to her house for a Halloween party and I thought that was the coolest thing ever! From that time forward, Jennifer was a staple in my life. Her parents were my parents and even though we went to different high schools, we were inseparable. We swam on the same swim team in the summers around age 13, we had all of the same jobs, whether it was working the snack bar, coaching Synchronized Swimming or working at Sunflower.
I was talking to Dustin the other day about Jennifer because something reminded me of her. We were so different in so many ways. I have always been a people pleaser and she could care less what others thought of her, she was an extremely talented swimmer and Water Polo player (far better than me), she is so funny, she is so creative. She was everything I wanted to be and wasn't. The only thing that we were both really good at, was being each other's friend. In fact Jennifer is one of the best friends you could have. Some of my fondest memories in the world are with her and I am reminded of her all of the time by the most random of things, but they are memories that I treasure forever. Since she lives across the country, we don't get to see each other much. The last time was at my wedding which was almost 7 years ago, but no matter what, she will always be one of my very best friends. I am sure she is going to be so bugged when she reads this because she hates it when I write long posts. (I had to return the birthday tribute favor.) Honestly, you only have to read a couple of posts on her blog to get a glimpse of how funny she is and the places her mind goes. She is one of the most special people that I know.
I love you Jennifer and I hope you had the happiest birthday! Here's to joining the ranks of the big 3-0!
I met Jennifer when I started Synchronized Swimming. She of course was one of the best in our age group and even better than some of the older girls. I don't know how others felt when they first met her, but I seriously thought she was so cool. She didn't care what anybody else thought of her and she felt free to tell you exactly how she felt, no matter what. We must have been 9 years old and she invited me to her house for a Halloween party and I thought that was the coolest thing ever! From that time forward, Jennifer was a staple in my life. Her parents were my parents and even though we went to different high schools, we were inseparable. We swam on the same swim team in the summers around age 13, we had all of the same jobs, whether it was working the snack bar, coaching Synchronized Swimming or working at Sunflower.
I was talking to Dustin the other day about Jennifer because something reminded me of her. We were so different in so many ways. I have always been a people pleaser and she could care less what others thought of her, she was an extremely talented swimmer and Water Polo player (far better than me), she is so funny, she is so creative. She was everything I wanted to be and wasn't. The only thing that we were both really good at, was being each other's friend. In fact Jennifer is one of the best friends you could have. Some of my fondest memories in the world are with her and I am reminded of her all of the time by the most random of things, but they are memories that I treasure forever. Since she lives across the country, we don't get to see each other much. The last time was at my wedding which was almost 7 years ago, but no matter what, she will always be one of my very best friends. I am sure she is going to be so bugged when she reads this because she hates it when I write long posts. (I had to return the birthday tribute favor.) Honestly, you only have to read a couple of posts on her blog to get a glimpse of how funny she is and the places her mind goes. She is one of the most special people that I know.
I love you Jennifer and I hope you had the happiest birthday! Here's to joining the ranks of the big 3-0!
August of 1995 - Just before leaving for the famous WCSC Sausalito Dinner. Too funny that I spent my life with this girl and yet we have very few pictures together... or maybe I just need to track some down from my mom.
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