I was going to sit down to type a new post, but the sleepless 3.5 month old started screaming again. He’s only gotten 2.5 hours of sleep in 12 hours of daytime. I am so frustrated, and apparently, so is he.
A young couple moved into the other half of our duplex last November. We’ve observed them advance through the stages of just having gotten out of college (new truck, then one weekend a shiny new yellow crotch rocket, ah, I mean sportbike, then we noticed they must have bought new components for their entertainment center because the surround sound started shaking our center wall)… and they recently even had a baby, though I never once saw the young woman with a belly. I’m not a spy, I promise.
We’ve deduced by the pattern of bass rumblings and cheers coming through the center wall of our duplex that the young couple who lives next door and just had a baby also just obtained guitar hero. Probably for xbox as David has had controller interference since they moved in last November. I don’t mind the bass as it adds a nice ambient background noise which tends to lull Lowell and me to sleep but common sense would tell them that they live in a duplex and should be courteous after, say, about 11 p.m. At least voices don’t seem to travel through the center wall very easily.
In other news, David and I finally made the decision to buy a house, though it will be in a year and we will be staying here in our current duplex for the 11 month renewal period that our craptastic management has offered us. Anyone with any desire whatsoever to pass on some advice, please add a comment or an email our way. I am both thrilled and scared about this decision and want to make the wisest choices possible for our family and I currently have no idea how to do that. If you’re family, we’ll be emailing asking questions over the next year, so be prepared.
This was his first time in flip flops and he said, “They hurt!” Thanks goes to James’ Great Uncle Jay for the cool outfit and shoes. I’m sure he’ll warm up to them if we keep trying them on.
It’s so delicious I just want to roll around in it… Peregrine Merino in the Carrick colorway.
*typed 1-handed due to feeding Lowell, so please forgive all the lower-case
we have to turn in a letter of intent in a week and have yet to receive renewal notice from the management. i was very (and still am) upset by the management’s lack of professionalism. after a phone call or two or three, i got word-of-mouth conditions of the renewal status. basically, rent is going up by $25 per month and they’re only offering us an 11 month lease. this means we’d be at the end of our lease on May 31st — and David’s school year won’t be out until the middle of June. I would rather move in June/July this summer than in May next summer, so we’re looking. even though we don’t have the renewal proposition in our hands, we’re pretty sure we need to relocate.
so, please pray that we find someplace closer to David’s school that we can afford and that we find it quickly. also pray as we start to get serious about buying in the next 2 years — that God will be preparing our home (the ones we eventually end up renting and buying) and guide us in our home searches.
Anyone who has asked us how we’re doing since Lowell was born received the reply, “We just want to survive the first three months.” Goal accomplished. Lowell turned 3 months old last night, and we’re all alive!
It’s been harder than I ever imagined while at the same time also being easier. Lowell is (or was?) a high-needs baby, meaning that he needs more attention, more motion, more nursing, more swaddling than I could have predicted. He is still nursing on a 2 hour schedule except for the one 4 hour stretch he gives me (typically from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.) and I still have to nurse him while he’s swaddled (those pesky little arms are STRONG) but I have been able to sit still while nursing him which is a relief from walking back and forth or bouncing on the exercise ball. I don’t know what I would have done if he had been my first baby because nursing in itself has a learning curve… I know some women who can’t nurse without their boppy who balk at the idea of nursing while walking. I do just wish I had mastered (or more accurately, that Lowell would have settled down) nursing in the sling so I could have my arms free. Well, I gave up on that.
Easier? Yes! Cloth diapering is so easy with him because I’m not afraid of it this time around. I was pretty timid with James as a wee one. I guess I’m more educated now that I’ve already cloth diapered one baby. Plus, we already have a pretty good stash built up. It’s not my dream stash, but we couldn’t afford my dream stash so no big loss. It’s also easier knowing he’ll live if he’s crying. I let him cry more than a first time mom would find acceptable. Like now. He’s hollering and I want to get this posted. I know he’s okay. I know he’s just wanting to be in mommy’s arms, but mommy’s arms just held him for an hour and need a bit of a break. It’s easier to put myself first (like getting a shower in the morning) so that I stay sane. It’s easier because Lowell does not spit up. He just doesn’t. His outfits stay clean. It’s amazing!
So, yeah, we survived. We’re still surviving and will continue to survive, but I no longer feel like we are in “survival mode” and that’s a nice feeling. Next goal: lets get this kid sitting on his own! Woo-hoo!
EDITED TO ADD - it’s night now and Lowell went through 3 outfits today. No, he didn’t spit up. Those darned paper sposies (disposable diapers) had blowouts… I guess I should pack the diaper bag with cloth instead of those poorly made disposable diapers from now on since cloth dipes have fewer blowouts.
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These pictures were the first few that we took on our bluebonnet picture day. Well, I still had the manual settings in full manual mode set up for indoor photography and the sun, she is a bright bright thing and overexposed about half a dozen or so photographs including these two. Here and here are the originals. The thing that bugged me so much about this is that James stopped smiling after I noticed and fixed the settings on the camera. I bet he perceived my aggravation. That boy is so observant and perceptive.
Well, in a mutual agreement, Dave and I gave each other some money to spend however we wanted. I’d been eyeing the 52 actions set (previously only 40 actions) at ittybittyactions.com so I got ‘em. And this is the result of just one of those actions. I used urban intensify on these after adjusting the exposure in photoshop’s RAW converter. I love it! I’m having so much fun!
This booster seat rocks! We love that it is way cheaper than a high chair and fits on a chair we already own and slides completely under the table, unlike any highchair. Also? It reclines. How cool is that?
**note, yes, we already own a highchair but it is pretty lightweight (and James is getting pretty strong so we worry about him pulling on it and tipping it over) — it doesn’t fit under/around the table well or recline (so Lowell’d have to be able to sit up before he could use it) — and with the booster seat, all four of us can sit around the table even though Lowell is only 12 weeks old
I can’t believe my cousin graduates high school tomorrow. I remember her at the age she was at our wedding… I guess time doesn’t stand still afterall!
Congratulations, Kylie and best wishes for a fun, healthy future!
