9.27.2010

Buh-Bye, Ba-Ba!

Everyday, Londyn steps up her game in the personality department. She is constantly charming us! But, don't be fooled... her sass isn't always becoming.

We're not sure if throwing tantrums has just become a hobby of Londyn's, or if they are a product of her 1st molars sprouting up. Either way, we could sure live without the fits. Our most common battle is usually caused by us not understanding what she wants... and when this kid wants something, I am a witness... she wants it yesterday! The poor thing gets frustrated, spouting off a bunch of mumbo jumbo... with real words mixed in. She has learned to say a very clear, "NO" which is usually paired with a firm shaking of the head. Right now, we think it's pretty cute and funny... we'll see how long that lasts.

Londyn is officially off the bottle! I have tried 3 or 4 different kinds of sippy cups, in the hope that we could start to ween her from her beloved ba-ba but have had no such luck. But, yet another stroll down the sippy aisle at Target, I found one that is similar to a bottle, but definitely a sippy cup. It's a perfect transition cup! Once I knew that Londyn would drink out of the new cup, I cut her off cold turkey. I didn't do any research in the ol' parenting books... so my kid could suffer from PTSD in her adult life, due to premature separation from her "ba-ba" as a wee babe but hey... I'm the mom, and I call the shots. She hasn't had a bottle since Friday and hasn't boycotted the new sippy yet!

We love the Nuby sippy cups!

Just a little funny to share... today, we took Daddy's car through the car wash and in the past Londyn has loved the car wash. We rarely go through it, but when we do she usually just laughs and is fascinated by the chaos. Well, today she must have been really emotional because she broke into tears and was wailing the whole entire time. It's a good thing the car wash is so loud or else someone might have thought my child was in danger! As I tried to calm her down... I did what every good mom would and took a few snapshots.

C'mon... look at that face. You know you would've done it too.

9.23.2010

Toddlerhood

As Londyn is approaching 15 months next week, we are thoroughly enjoying toddlerhood!

I have been able to find several free activities for toddlers that keep our schedule exciting, Londyn learning and I get to socialize with other mom's! So far, we have been attending Story Time at our city library, which is twice a week and totally awesome! The teacher is great with the kids and we sing songs, dance and read stories. Londyn is on the younger side of the group, but I want her to start getting comfortable learning in a group setting.

We also go to a tri-ward playgroup that is held on Wednesdays every other week at our church building. I especially love this because I get to visit with friends from church!

Next week, we're going to try out another toddler class at a cute little toy store right in town.

All of these activities keep us involved, my toddler active and for me... just a little bit closer to sane (but not much).

The best part... they are all FREE!

My little bookworm.

Londyn's Marine

Andrew has been doing annual training for the Marines these past two weeks. He has been getting up at 5am and returning anytime between 5:30 and 9pm with bruises, every sore muscle in the book and pure exhaustion. As much as I love seeing my man in his cami's and cover, I will be glad when I get to see him for more than an hour a day and maybe even share a meal together.

While he has been up at the base, Londyn and I got to go have lunch with him twice in the last week. It was fun to see him with his buddies and Londyn loved seeing her Marine. On the 40 min. drive to the base, she would say Dad..dadda...dadadadada over and over again.


9.22.2010

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Now that Londyn is getting bigger, we have started having Family Home Evening. I have already noticed a difference in our home, even in just the past two weeks of holding FHE. Since Londyn's attention span is that of a 14 month old, we start out with a prayer, read a few scripture verses, show a picture of Jesus, sing lots of songs and then close with a prayer.

When I was lying in bed on Monday night, staring at the ceiling... I started to replay the events of that evening. I realized that all of those times as a young woman, thinking and imagining what it would be like to be a wife and a mother was a reality. My childhood dreams are coming true. Don't get me wrong, not every day is rainbows and smiley faces. But, every once and a while we get those moments. Those moments where everything is right in the world, and you wouldn't trade who you are or the ones you're with, for anything. I had one of those sweet moments that night.

I have recently started reading, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" by Stephen R. Covey which was so lovingly gifted to us from my fabulous ma & pa-in-law. When reading through Habit #1 "Be Proactive", I came across an extremely empowering thought. The thought was based on the following three sentences:

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space.
In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our happiness."

As I sat and thought about this idea, I realized how empowering these sentences truly are. When any situation or circumstance comes along, there is a point where I have the ability to choose my response. When I have a toddler pulling all of the folded laundry out their baskets and throwing it every which way, a pot of water boiling over on the stove in an attempt to prepare dinner, the phone ringing, a scolded toddler flailing on the ground and throwing a tantrum and the dog barking at an imaginary cat outside... I still have the freedom to choose what will happen next. I as "the mom" have the ability to set the tone in my home. In moments like those, I am guilty of responding often in a manner that is everything but in control.

I have a weakness in being too passionate about being "right". There. I said it. I like to win, okay? Unfortunately, I am finding out that being a partner in a marriage and a mother isn't always about right and wrong. But, it is about how we get there. In reading through this book, I am learning more about myself and how I can be better. Isn't that why we're here? To learn and be better?

Maki Roll Update

It has been almost three weeks since I starting using my Bodybugg and let me just say, it is more than just weight loss tool. It is teaching me. It is teaching me to stop and think before I eat. It is teaching me to stretch and lift weights while I'm watching my favorite show, instead of plop down on the couch with my two pals Ben and Jerry.

At first I was having a difficult time remembering to wear the Bodybugg. But now when I go to bed, it sits on my nightstand and when I wake up, it goes right back on my arm. It lasts up to 7 days without charging. I also borrowed my friends' Digital Display, which can be worn like a watch or even just clipped on your clothes. The Digital Display syncs with the Bodybugg armband and tells you exactly how many calories you have burned, steps you have taken and how close you are to your daily target. These tools hardcore. I have learned so much in the last three weeks! I have lost 5.5 lbs. to date and although I am used to the bigger numbers lost with quick fix diets and gimmicks, I realize that my 5.5 lbs. lost are real, honest to goodness pounds shed. These aren't pounds in water or pounds that will just come right back when I eat another meal. They are pounds that I worked hard to lose, will continue to lose and eventually maintain at a healthy rate.

If you ask my husband, he will tell you that I can do any insane diet or weight loss program for exactly 1 month. After a month, the work and sacrifice is too hard, I usually get antsy for unrealistic results, non-committal and eventually quit. Approaching on the completion of my third week, I am not feeling anywhere near those feelings. I am eating healthy, finding alternatives to high calorie cravings and feeling great about myself!

I am most excited about the fact that I am getting healthy and setting a good example for my daughter. I want her to see me as an active, healthy and strong woman. It is a lifelong goal of mine, to be that for my children.

Under the weather... again.

Welp, my entire post last week on "Nap Time" might have been premature and completely unnecessary, because soon after that... Londyn got sick, yes... that's right AGAIN! Her crazy sleeping habits that resembled an attempt to drop her AM nap, were probably just symptoms of her upcoming bug.
At work on Tuesday, I received a worried call from my mom, letting me know that Londyn had a temperature of 101 and it was rising. My mom said that Londyn was miserable. I could hear her crying in the background and felt sorry for everyone there taking care of her. I finished up at work and went on my way to pick her up. For the rest of the day, I kept a close eye on her. She was taking medicine to keep the fever down and lot of fluids. The poor thing was a mess.

The next day I took her in to the urgent care and the doctor diagnosed her with an ear infection AND a sinus infection. A double whammy! She was put on antibiotics and is now back to her fun-loving old self. I'm not a huge fan of the continuous diarrhea that goes hand in hand with the antibiotics, but I am definitely grateful for a cure!

Peace Out Dawg


Last weekend, we placed Ollie in a new and loving home. It turned out that Ollie needed WAY more love than we could give. The poor guy would start shaking and get nervous if we weren't petting and giving him love 24/7. He had an issue with barking when we weren't home or when we put him in the backyard for some exercise. All he wanted was constant one-on-one attention from us. It was getting to the point where Londyn wasn't getting my full attention, and she is my top priority. We realize that we are just not "dog people" right now. Maybe someday down the road... when life isn't changing in every direction, we can settle down with a family dog.

For now, life is good as just us three.

9.17.2010

Get with the program!

Yesterday, Andrew and I attended an Orientation meeting for his Electronics Engineering Technology program. I was excited to attend, so that I could get a feel for what Andrew will be doing for the next 4 years. At the orientation, we had the opportunity to hear from the dean, the programs' faculty, the college job recruit and a program graduate. The instructors and school seem to be very dedicated to their students and especially passionate about the field of Engineering.


It was really good for me to attend the orientation with Andrew because I learned how intense and demanding this program is going to be. More than once, we were told that this program is a full-time job and the students will be eating, breathing and sleeping the material. Although it is going to be a long haul, I am so proud of Andrew for diving in and setting his mind to his education. Andrew has known since he was a teenager that he wanted to be an Electronics Engineer. I plan to support him and know that his absence over the next few years will be in the best interest of our future as a family.

He will start school next Friday!

Nap Time

I knew we gave Londyn the middle name "Joy" for a reason, I just wasn't sure what that reason was at the time. She is truly such a joy! Londyn has always been an easy baby, don't get me wrong... the kid has sass, but all in all, it's not too tough to be her mom.

On the other hand, this week has not reflected the above bragging. We have always been super lucky with Londyn's sleeping habits. At only a month old, she was sleeping through the night in her crib. She has been taking a morning and afternoon nap, lasting 2-3 hours for as long as I can remember. But, this week she has been flirting with the idea of cutting out her morning nap. Considering she is almost 14 months old, I knew it was bound to happen one of these days... but was not eager by any means. Now when I say flirting... I really mean, dropping it all together, cold turkey. Go big, or go home... right? WRONG! She has been a mess... walking around like a drunken sailor and one minute she's sobbing, the next she's cracking up. Seriously, this kid is nuts. Her schedule is so out of whack, at about 6:30pm she grabs her "dog" and walks around saying "nigh nigh... nigh nigh" to put her to bed.

Now this morning is another story, she woke up at 7am, had her morning bottle, watched her show and cuddled... then ate breakfast, played and went down for her morning nap. This is her normal routine... going to bed about an hour and a half after she wakes up. I'm not going to lie, I am a routine kinda mom so it was a relief when she reverted back to the norm.

We'll see what tomorrow will bring! Ya never know, with Londie Lou!


9.14.2010

Slides & Laughs



We love to go on walks, especially to the park that is conveniently right around the corner from our house. Recently, Londyn has figured out how to climb to the top of the slide and go down all by herself. She laughs and squeals the whole way down! This kid laughs at everything! Whenever she hears us laughing at a joke or when watching something funny on tv, she always has to be included, laughing a long with us. She also laughs at herself all the time. She thinks she's hilarious by doing even the simplest things. Such a ham!


9.13.2010

Shop til' We Drop

Andrew has been at drill all weekend and now has AT for the next two weeks. The poor guy will probably be home less than when he's on his night shift schedule at work. But on the bright side, when these two weeks are over, he gets to start school which he is very excited about!

Today, Londie Lou and I were on a quest to find the perfect dress for me to wear to the USMC Birthday Ball in November. I have started my search now because if I have to order one... it could take forever to get it here in time. When we headed to the mall this morning, I was sure that out of all the bazillions of stores that carry formal wear, I was bound to find a reasonably priced, fashionable frock. Lo and behold... 3 1/2 hours later, we exited as one worn out mama and one screaming toddler... empty-handed.

On the drive home, the toddler was out like a light the minute my keys were in the ignition... and I mulled over the last few hours of unproductive shopping. The experience was a total and complete flashback of all the many shopping trips with my brave mom in search for homecoming, winter formal and prom dresses. It was just as unpleasant today, at it was 9 years ago.

Londyn did have fun at the playground inside the mall, which was a huge plus for her to get some wiggles out. She thinks she's one of the big kids now.






9.11.2010

Remembering 9/11

It has been 9 years ago today that the attacks of 9/11 occurred. I have been reflecting on that tragic day all week, and remembering where I was and the person that I was at that time. I remember not being able to fully understand the severity of the situation as I had just arrived to early morning seminary, being a new freshman in high school. Seminary was held in the community senior center and so when I walked in, the news was on and everyone was watching the terrifying footage of what was taking place at ground zero.

Not only do I think of the events of that day, but also our country and the families that lost that day. I sent Andrew off to drill this morning and thought of the sacrifices that he and his fellow servicemen have made for our country. I realize more and more everyday how the freedom of our country is not free. So many have gone before us, fighting for the integrity of our great nation. I admire and pray for the mothers, fathers, wives, siblings, children and all who grieve their loved ones today.


9.08.2010

Under the weather


It seems like I have been "under the weather" for the past 3 weeks... and it is sure getting old! I'm starting to feel better today. I still don't have a ton of energy but at least I'm not in pain and I don't feel so yucky!
Londyn on the other hand, who knows what's wrong with that kid of mine. She has had a runny nose and low grade fever for the past week and a half, but when I picked her up last night to put her to bed... she had another agenda. Londyn started projectile vomiting all over me, herself and the floor. Thrice as a matter of fact. This was another one of those "mom" moments mentioned in past posts. I had no one else to do the dirty work... no one to take care of me, and most importantly I was responsible for consoling and medicating the sick child, bathing her, scooping up "dinner", cleaning the carpet and laundering our clothes. Definite "mom" jobs.

To cheer Andrew up about being at a long night of work, I sent him a picture of the scene of the crime. I'm sure at that point, he would've rather been at work. He called later, and I told him how he is always so conveniently gone when these disasters take place. Disasters such as this or recently finding our daughter in her crib, having removed her poop-filled diaper and smearing it all over her once clean pink walls. I suppose you could say, she was caught "brown handed."

Well, I'm hoping little miss Londyn is on the mend. She isn't acting 100% herself and still has a runny nose. But, if she isn't better by this afternoon, I will be taking her in to the doctor. It seems like someone in our home is in the doctors' office at least once a month. Lucky us!