My Friends...

It's time to tighten our belts another notch in this household. I am seriously thinking about switching to all cash for one month to track and control wasteful spending. I watched a Oprah episode about dealing with the financial situation in America today. I found I was already doing most of the things, for example, we are cooking almost all meals at home, and buying toys and baby stuff second hand. I cloth diaper which saves a lot, and make my own baby food, we have one car, one cell, etc. Starbucks and I still have too close of a relationship and though it will be hard, I may have to break up with him. I only go 2 or 3 times a week, but even that adds up fast. Damn You Starbucks! Why do you have to tempt me with a coffee beverage that tastes like Pumpkin Pie? It's going to be a Cratchit like Christmas this year, but I don't think Will can play Tiny Tim....

Every 2 Hours!

Yep, it's teething! Will has a low fever, very clingy, and diarreah. He is also drooling a ton and has the same red cheek he did last time. Mystery solved. Last time it took so long for these little teeth to finally poke through, I hope it doesn't take quite as long this time. It is nice to know there is a reason for his crankiness and waking, it makes getting up a little more tolerable.

Boop!

Today Will copied Jason. Jason was across the baby gate and was saying "BOOP!" to Will over and over and Will said it back very sweetly, "Boop!" I tried it later as well and Lo and Behold - He did it! Amazing! Next thing you know he will be reciting the Gettysburg Address!

What would you do?

All right- For the last 2 nights we seem to be entering a bad pattern and things have been getting worse over the last few weeks. Will is waking up at night very hungry, or at least wanting to suck back to sleep on a bottle, but I think he is hungry. His day goes like this:
5am- Bottle
anywhere from 6-8:30 up for the day- offered bottle- usually drinks 4 oz
Cereal and Yogurt at 9
Nap at around 9:30- unless he woke up late- goes to sleep on his own
Sleeps anywhere from 30 min to 2 hours
Wakes up,plays and eats lunch at 12- 6 oz baby food and cereal
Offered bottle at around 1- drinks 6 oz
Plays for a while then about 2:30 or 3 goes down for a nap
Wakes up around 4:30 then has a bottle- 6oz
Eats dinner around 6- 8oz of baby food and cereal
7:30 Tubby Time, Jammies
8pm- Bottle in Rocker with Jason- 6 oz
Now the fun begins- he has been waking between midnight - two am and eating again.
Am I missing something? I don't mind the 5 am, it makes sense, but the 1 am kills us. I tried letting him cry but he just gets more and more furious and since we live in an apartment I hate to do that. What options do I have? Do I need a more rigid schedule? I have tried just holding him back to sleep but it takes forever or it doesn't work, he will either keep crying or wake up in 1 hour crying again! Any advice is greatly appreciated. I don't want to encourage this night feeding, it will rot his cute little teeth!

Beautiful Boy...

Happy to be Home...

I am so glad that I get to stay home. I don't know how Mom's that work full time do it. I feel like my day is so full with William's needs and I barely have enough time to do it all. I am very glad that Jason and I have made the conscious decision years ago that when we had a baby I could stay home. I would be so sad if I had to work and miss out on all the little milestones. I would much rather struggle financially forever than go back to work full time. I love nursing but I only work on weekends because I have to. The plus side is that Jason and Will get time together without me and that's really good for both of them. I really appreciate Jason for allowing me to stay home, so many couples get themselves in so deep financially that they can't manage any other way than to have both parents work. Of course, if this financial crisis keeps up even Will may have to become a baby model or go do more research studies...

Cruisin...at 7 months!

If there is such a thing as a baby prison I think we may have created it. Will is now officially enclosed by baby gates all over the house. The living room and his room are free range, but the kitchen, our bedroom and the entryway are all off limits! It is a little strange maneuvering through the house now since we have so many barriers. We found a gate at Target though that swings open allowing me to walk through rather than jumping the high hurdles every time I need to get into the kitchen. We also found an umbrella stroller today that we are both happy with, the handles on most umbrella strollers are very low, causing back pain for both Jason and I. This one has higher handles and reclines a bit which is a nice feature. I worked this morning but got off at noon so we had lots of family fun today. Will is currently enjoying 3 games. One is called Monster, in which you chase after him crawling and roaring like a monster. He loves it! The next is good old peekaboo, or sometimes called "Where's Mommy?" He is thrilled when he pulls the blanket off my head and finds me underneath. The last is called "Baby Seal". After his nightly bath Jason kneels at the side of our bed and Will repeatedly slides himself off head first into Daddy's arms. He laughs and laughs and I worry and worry! Will is now able to pull up anywhere and can transfer from one piece of furniture to the other as long as he can reach with one hand across. We have had lots of bumps and bruises but he is improving by the day. He is officially cruising now which amazes me, he is 7 MONTHS tomorrow. I can't believe how fast time has gone!