Resolutions

Before I left for Utah I had all these big plans about setting new goals for this year and getting organized. Do you want to know how many goals I have actually written down? None, haha. I had it planned out how I would organize my goals, I had written down the different categories that my goals would fall into, too bad all of that thought has gone to waste so far. 

I think I am still recovering from being on vacation, at least I hope that I am still just recovering. Then again, I might just be being lazy. That's much more likely, I'm sure that I'm just being lazy. Over the last year I have used my lack of sleep as an excuse not to be productive. In all honesty though, I am just as unproductive on days that I get an adequate amount of sleep. 

Maybe on Monday I will turn over a new leaf, write down some of my goals and make a game plan. Maybe on Monday I will have a productive day. Maybe on Monday I will get all of the laundry done that I have procrastinated doing since Utah. Maybe on Monday I will eat start eating healthier... it's a lot of maybes but for right now maybe is good enough for me. 

SLEEP

We have had a couple of really rough nights with Lacey. She has been waking up 3-4 times a night and it has been really difficult to get her back down.  She hasn't been a perfect sleeper, but ever since we stopped giving her cows milk throughout the day and before bed she has been a much better sleeper. I realized that the last few days we have been eating a lot of dairy during dinner. 

Last night we were super careful not to give Lacey anything with milk in it before bed. She slept ALL night. I was pretty tired so I went to bed at a reasonable hour and I got 9.5 hours of sleep. I was awesome! I'm too afraid to get my hopes up, but wouldn't it just be lovely if she made sleeping a habit?

It really isn't that hard

Right before we left to come to Utah I was offered a nannying job, actually two of them. It has been a long time since we have had an income and  I thought it was a great idea since it is something I can do with Lacey.

It has only been 3 days and I haven't even started the second job. I'm just not used to having to work around any schedule other than Lacey's nap schedule. Now I am trying to get everything done, get Lacey down for a nap, and make it to the school to pick up the kids I am watching. Writing it out makes me realize that it isn't really that much, but right now it's a little overwhelming. I'm sure that I will figure it all out eventually and it will become easier.

I just keep telling myself that I am lucky enough to be able to be with Lacey all day. It's true, I wouldn't want it any other way. I know that this is a wonderful opportunity for. I just have been spoiled over the last 14 months not needing to do anything other than hang out with Lacey and do the occasional grocery shopping (and food prep, and house cleaning).

Having the extra money will definitely be worth it, I just need to buck up and stop being lazy.

Adjusting

I feel like Lacey and I usually bounce right back into our groove when Scott goes back to school but for some reason this time we seem to be having a harder time adjusting. Before we went to Utah Lacey and I followed a pretty good schedule. I knew what time she would be ready for a nap, when she would want a snack and I feel like we are all over the place right now.

While we were in Utah, Lacey started sleeping through the night... which was AMAZING! I cannot tell you how much I missed having a good nights sleep over the last 14 months. She was on a one nap a day schedule (different than our two naps in Wisconsin), she took a great nap and woke up happy. Since being back to to Wisconsin, she has yet to sleep through the night or take a decent nap... what's up with that?

Hopefully in the next week or so I can figure out what the magic formula is so both Lacey and I can get the sleep we need. 

My little helper

Making dinner every night has become more and more difficult as Lacey has gotten older. Recently, she has decided that she is a momma's girl and if she knows that I am around then she doesn't want anyone else. Sometimes I love that she is a momma's girl. I get the most kisses and hugs, and I get snuggles when nobody else does.

While I am making dinner she wants nothing to do with Scott. She will stand at my feet crying and tugging on my pants until I pick her up. Depending on what I am making it isn't always an option to hold her while I make dinner. Just a couple days ago I decided to pull up a chair and let her play with a mixing bowl and spoon on the counter while I was chopping up vegetables. When I had something she could help me stir or mix she would happily do whatever she could. She loved it. She was so happy to be helping me with dinner. Dinner prep is a little more messy now, but it is less frustrating than a crying toddler pulling on my leg.

I have been planning on building some kind of stool for her to stand on that will keep her enclosed so she can't fall off, but I haven't done it yet. Until then, I guess I just have to watch her carefully while she helps me prepare dinner.

Missing Home

While we were out in Utah I was curious if Lacey missed being home. I am always curious about how much she understands and remembers. I wasn't sure if she would be happy about being back in our small apartment or sad that she didn't have the space to run around like she did at my in-laws house.

She was asleep when we got home from the airport and she didn't even flinch when I moved her from her carseat to her crib. When she woke up in the morning she was back in her own crib, in her own room, with her own toys. She was so excited to be back! She ran to her toy box and pulled out each of her toys and came to show them to me. Then she just went out into the living room and looked around for a while like she couldn't actually believe we were home.

Lacey is so observant of all the things going on around her. I should have known that she wouldn't forget her home.

I Was "That" Lady on the Plane

Scott and I are so grateful that his parents paid to fly us back home so we could spend Christmas with them. Before our flight out I read a lot of articles on flying with a toddler and I got as prepared as I could for our trip. Lacey was perfect on both flights home. She didn't make a peep, she napped, she quietly played with the activities I brought for her. She seriously was PERFECT.

Then on the first leg of our flight back to Milwaukee she fell asleep as we were boarding and didn't wake up until after we landed in Denver. At this point I was pretty confident that I had everything under control. I had the whole traveling with a toddler thing down. Not too long into our second flight Lacey was screaming and everyone was turning around to see what all the fuss was about. I was frantically digging through the diaper bag trying to find something that would help settle her down while Scott was looking at me like, "Do something! Fix This! People are Staring at us!!!" Finally we were able to calm her down and people stopped staring.

With about an hour and a half left in the flight Lacey was sitting in my lap being a little fussy when she threw up all over the two of us. I was able to catch most of it in my hand and on the doll we were holding, but it also ended up getting in the diaper bag, on my shoes, on the floor, and all over Lacey's outfit and my jeans. It wasn't just a little bit on throw up either. It was a mess. One of those moments that you just want to forget even happened. Luckily, Scott was sitting with me and was able to pull out our wipes and help get the two of us a little cleaned up. We undressed Lacey, but I didn't want to put on a clean outfit yet just incase everything wasn't out of her system.

Once she threw up she was pretty calm, and just wanted to hang out and sit on my lap. I'm thinking she must not have been feeling very well and that was causing the screaming earlier on the flight. My story doesn't end there, though  I wish it did. Right after they announced we were starting our descent and turned on the seatbelt light Scott leans over and asks me in Lacey was poopy. I lifted her up to find that not only was she poopy, but I also had poop smeared on my jeans where she was hanging out. It was a bummer that we used all of our wipes during the vomit fiasco only an hour before. Luckily our neighbors were sitting behind us and they were willing to lend us a couple wipes to get us cleaned up.

Scott just kept telling me that he was glad it was me that was pooped on and thrown up on because he didn't know if he could handle it. (He definitely wouldn't have been able to handle it) All I could do was laugh. That's one thing I have learned. Life is much more manageable when you are willing to laugh through the most frustrating situations. I'm hoping this experience is something that I never have to deal with again, once is enough.