Denver Adventure

Dear Life,

<-- This girl and I went flew to Denver this past week for my brother's graduation from Dental School. I was kinda nervous about the flying part... and the sleeping part... and the being solo with E 24-7 part... and the everything inbetween part. But can I just tell you for a moment without sounding like a bragging mama, that it really could not have gone better? E slept the whole flight there, made friends with every kid she saw in the airport (and everywhere else for that matter), waved and said "hi" to everyone, absolutely loved my Aunt Marion's dogs (she even learned how to bark like the doggies "oof oof"), slept completely through the night 5 out of 6 nights, took naps on the go wherever we went, woke up happy every.single.time, and was just an all-around sport. Seriously. She wins the flexibility award. Thank you, Jesus!



So while we were there, we decided to go on some adventures. Of course we were there for graduation...

YAY Dr. Michael S. Johnson!!! Can I just say I am truly so proud of him? He is going to be the best dentist ever. You should let him be your dentist. I mean it.




We also hit the Denver Zoo, the Butterfly Pavilion, and the Denver Botanic Gardens. All very fun.

It was an adventure for sure. It was almost sad to leave. Except I was super duper excited to get home and see Jordan. And that wonderful man of mine had the house all spiffed up when I got home and delicious dinner waiting for me in the fridge. Too bad he had to be at work when we arrived home... but we survived the extra few hours.

Sigh. So would we do it again? Well... we're planning on it. Our family reunion is in July in Denver and we are heading back. Aren't we adventurous? Ha. Hopefully it goes as smoothly as the first time!

Sincerely Yours,

Molly

Flying

Dear Life,

Emberly and I are flying to Denver in a few days to celebrate my brother's graduation from Dental School (Jordan won't get to come due to work). I am sooo excited for Mike and am super thankful to get to celebrate with him and go to the graduation ceremony. Yay Brother!

But in order to get there... we have to survive an airplane ride and make our way through the airport. This is possible. I'm sure of it. I am still just slightly nervous. I hope there aren't any baby-haters on our plane. Seriously.

So if you are a praying person, will you please pray that the flight goes well? And while you're at it, could you maybe pray that Emberly will sleep while we are away from home? She is kinda notoriously bad at sleeping away from home... and now that I've stopped feeding her at night, her dad has been on night-duty... and he will not obviously be there. She isn't fond of me not feeding her in the middle of the night still.

Yup. That's my story.

Oh! Emberly has done a little better at sleeping at night. Naps, however, not so much. She just sits right up as soon as I lay her down and then can't get back on her back to sleep. Tricky tricky. But today, she bounced on her mattress awhile and played (I could hear her...) and eventually took a nap on her tummy! Maybe this will be a new wonderful thing. Just maybe.

Sincerely Yours,
Molly

P.S. If you have travel-with-a-baby tips, feel free to shoot them my way!

Molly

8 Months

Dear Life,

So... I'm running a little later with the month updates as each month passes. Fitting, I think... because I think that might be true of every area of my life as E starts to be a bit more of a mover and a shaker. Right now she is sitting next to me on the floor, ripping a piece of paper that I hadn't noticed had fallen to the floor. Hmmm... hope that wasn't important!

Suddenly my sweet, "happy to sit" baby is into everything. I put her on the carpet in the living room and immediately she flops down to her belly and "crawls" to the piano where she likes to play with all the cords underneath. I pull her out from under the piano, and she makes a straight line to the pole lamp in the other corner. I move her again and she's emptying the shoe bins by the front door. Her crawl has morphed from a wiggle with her arms doing all of the work to actually using her legs a little bit too... which means she's only getting faster! :)

Her hair sticks straight up and is the #1 comment we get from strangers or well-intending friends. It doesn't bother me at all... I kinda like the crazy hair. Someone said to her last week, "Who plugged that little girl in??" Ha.

In the last week or so, every time I go in to get her in the morning she is sitting up. This is a new development. Also a slightly frustrating one because unless she is super sleepy at nap time, we have a battle of the wills and she sits up, and I lay her down, and she sits up, and I lay her down. It's quite interesting.

She wants to pull herself up onto everything but isn't coordinated enough to actually stand there yet. We're learning. (Parents included.)

Those are the big things! (And now I'm off to catch a cruising baby... chewing on yet another cord...)

Sincerely Yours,
Molly

Lake

We went to the lake this weekend and it was way fun as usual. We went for walks on the road and took Emberly on her first 4-wheel ride. Grandpa showed Emberly all of the birdies. The boys went fishing and got some trout. We had a campfire and roasted marshmallows. All around, it was lovely.

Sippy Cup

Dear Life,

My daughter now drinks out of a sippy cup with a straw. Very successfully, mind you. Regular sippy cup, not so much. Straw? Yes please. She likes it so much, in fact, that I put formula in it on Monday (I had a free container from some formula maker company) just to see if she'd drink it... and she gobbled it right down. I totally thought it was a fluke... but she has continued to get 2-4 ounces of formula every day since then... and grooves to it. Um... do you even know what this means??

This means that I could potentially be gone for more than 3 hours without feeling like I'm starving my child. Yes, it is true.

Now... does Emberly prefer to get her milk in... uh... other ways? Yes. But at least there are options. That's all I'm saying. :)

Sincerely Yours,
Molly

Sleep

Dear Life,

Just in case you wondered, people do need sleep to survive. I believe with all my heart that sleep is a gift, and a wonderful gift at that, and one I have learned in the last 8 months to not take for granted. Seriously.

I'm not complaining, I promise. I know there are about a million other mamas who get far less sleep than I do. And I am grateful for the opportunity to get to sleep until Emberly wakes up in the morning, whether it be 6:30, 7:30, or 8:30. I am mindful of the fact that when I was teaching, I was up by 6:00 every day, and I could be doing that with a bambino as well. So please hear me when I say I am not complaining. I promise.

But there are days when I wake up in the morning and wonder if I will ever get to sleep through the night again. Sweet Emberly is now 8+ months old, and she most certainly does not need to eat in the middle of the night, even though she thinks she does. She also does not need to cuddle, or be rocked, or put in the swing, or bounced... nope. She could sleep through the night. I'm certain of it.

But she isn't sleeping through the night. And she thinks she needs milk.

So this week I hit a breaking point and decided that I am night weaning her. No matter what it takes. And my gracious, amazing husband sent me to bed in the basement and toughed out the night with Emberly. And let me tell you, it was a long night. But they did it. And the next night was a little better. (And that basement bedroom was about a million kinds of amazing... let me tell you!)

And since things were a little better the second night, I had high hopes for night three, so I ventured back to the upstairs bedroom. And Emberly only woke up twice. The first time Jordan snuck in there and lulled her back to sleep without picking her up. The second time, I snuck in there. But she saw me. And it was Battle Royale. She wanted milk and made sure I knew it. Even if I got her back to sleep in my arms, when I put her down the world ended. After about 45 minutes, Jordan came in and took her from me, rocked her for less than a minute, layed her down, and she fell asleep. Jordan 1. Molly 0.

But that's beside the point. The point is that we've made it 3 nights without milk! And she isn't wasting away or anything. Trust me. And I am hoping that it just gets better from here on out.

Now here's my further dilemma. Are we just prolonging the agony by going in there and soothing her at all? Do I just need to let her cry it out and figure out how to soothe herself a little better? Tie my legs to the bed so I can't go "rescue" her in the middle of the night? It just seems so... awful.

I know there are a million different methods. And quite honestly, if you aren't a parent, I don't want to know what you think. No offense. :) It's just so different when it's your little one screaming a terrible horrible scream in the room next door. Every maternal bone in your body is screaming that your baby needs.you. But maybe instead of suggesting what I should do, you could just tell me what you did? And if it worked or not? And if you survived or not? And if it was worth it or not? I am feeling a little bit like I'm at a dead end. That's all.

We made it through the nap time "scream-it-out" sessions and at least she is kinda sorta taking naps now. So I know that it's possible. I am just a little afraid she'd scream for 2 hours in the middle of the night. And I'm not sure I could handle that. I.am.scared.

Ok, that's my story. If you have stories for me, even if just to make me feel better, please shoot them my way. And I will love you forever for your honesty. Promise.

Sincerely Yours,
Molly

Happy Birthday to Me!

Dear Life,

It was my birthday last Monday, and dare I say it was the most fabulous birthday yet? I was treated all day long by my sweet husband, dear friends, and amazing family. I got the most beautiful yellow daisies from my brother, my phone rang with birthday greetings from friends and family all.day.long, my husband took me out for lunch, and I ended the day with a "date" with my lifetime best friend, Jaimie Lynn, to get pedicures, dinner and ice cream. Who could ask for more? Oh... and a little gem arrived in the mail from Jordan. He purchased it here. I love.love.love it. The words "sing over me" are inspired from Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God is with you, a Powerful One Who wins the battle. He will have much joy over you. With His love He will give you new life. He will have joy over you with singing."

Aren't those powerful, wonderful, truth filled words??


Now I just need to train Emberly to not want to pull on my necklace so I can actually wear it.

Sincerely Yours,
Molly

Moving and Shaking

Dear Life,

Emberly has suddenly started moving. Fast. I don't even know how it happened, but suddenly she can get from sitting up, to her tummy, back to sitting up again. If you walk out of a room, she tries to follow you. If she is on her tummy, she worms herself over to the one thing she absolutely shouldn't touch and tries to chew on it. If there is anything remotely close to her that she could try to stand up next to, she will. She drinks out of a sippy cup with a straw. I suddenly have a need for a baby gate and drawer locks. And I love it. In a "this is going to change my life forever" kind of way.

And she's just cute. And funny. And likes to tease and play little games and has the most wonderful laugh of all time.

Sincerely Yours,
Molly

Watching My Daddy