Holy SCREAMER Batman!

So our wonderful sleeper has decided to be a falling asleep nightmare.  It's gotten to the point where every nap and every night before bed he SCREAMS.  It sounds like someone is murdering him.  There's not a whole lot that I can do that will help him.

We've been swaddling since birth and he's still getting swaddled.  If we don't swaddle him, he flails hysterically.

I nurse him before this starts, usually.  He won't latch once he gets started anyway.

Rocking doesn't help, walking doesn't help, noise doesn't help, silence doesn't help...nothing helps....he just screams himself to sleep.  I hate that I can't put him down awake anymore and I refuse to put him down screaming.

I've tried giving him Tylenol just to see if it would help...it's hard to tell if it's setting in and helping or if he's just screamed enough to settle.

I just don't know what to do.  I tried putting him down sleepy, go to him after a few minutes of lower level fussing, pat him or stroke him until he settles, then walk away again.  Only each time he fusses it gets louder and more panicked until we're right back into the screaming.  I've tried just cuddling him until he falls asleep, but he'll eventually work into screaming.

It kills me that he's getting so worked up and I want so badly to teach him good sleeping patterns (I've battled with sleeping issues since infancy).  Once he's out, we're golden...it's just getting there :(

Please help!!

Slacker...

So I feel like I've been ignoring my blog lately.  I haven't been...or at least not on purpose.  Life's been picking up speed.  Hubby just finished 10 days of 10 hour shifts.  It was terrible.  He was grumpy and tired and I missed him like mad.

This week started my new career as a "pretend to have twins, stay at home mom."  A friend of a friend desperately needed someone to watch her 6 month old during the day.  I desperately needed to add to the family income.  Match made in heaven.  Her 6 month old and Squirmy are pretty well matched developmentally despite the 2 month gap.  Both can roll in both directions, both can sit up unassisted for a short bit, both can purposefully do just about the same amount, and both are the same height, lol.  It's been fun...and interesting.

I had already previously agreed to sit for a family I used to sit for this week.  The kids are at junior lifeguard camp and need to be picked up at 1.  So off I trudge every day, with 2 infants, to a park that's a solid 30-40 minutes from me, to pick up these other two kids.  The round trip takes me nearly 1.5 hours.  Good times.

So I've had my hands full this week.  I can handle 1 infant and the 2 older kids.  I can handle 2 infants and no older kids.  But 2 infants and 2 older kids and I'm POOPED!!

Hubby was home with me through the chaos today.  He'll be back to work tomorrow and then off for the weekend.  Thankfully he has the weekend off...a rarity around here.  Our anniversary is on Monday and we still haven't made any plans to celebrate.  We need to figure something out.  I need to get his present.  I've figured out what I want to get...just gotta get it.

Squirmy's 4m check up was Monday.  He's still barely on the chart for height earning him the nickname "too tall jones" and only about 50% for weight and head circumference.  He got his shots and had an awful night :( Worst meltdown he's had in his little life.

So there's why I haven't been around (if you even noticed, lol).  I'll leave you with a couple of shots of my boys :)

Day 1...fascination!

Day 3...just hanging out

Day 4...Baby races...it was a tie since the starting and finish line were the same

Wordless Wednesday

4 months and 1 week :)

He did 2- 360 roll overs during nakey time (hence the waterproof pad on the floor--he was having nakey time because of the poopsplosion he had in his car seat while taking lunch to Daddy at work).  All that work made him hungry so I strapped a dipe on him so I could feed him....I'm not all about nursing a nakey boy!  I get peed on enough without taking foolish risks like that.  When he was done, he seemed to want to play some more...

I have to say...I'm pretty darn proud!

Free wedding photography!!

Yes, you read that correctly!  Free wedding photography!  My wonderfully talented and amazingly sweet friend, Kerri McConnell, has decided to pay it forward and offer one lucky couple FREE wedding photography!

Of course you'll assume I'm biased because she's my friend...but she really is an amazing photographer.  Just check out her blog if you don't believe me http://kmcconnellblog.com/

So here's the deal...She is offering to do an entire wedding for a couple.  She wants every couple (whether it's for you or submitting on behalf of a friend) to send her their story.  Then she'll pick one couple to get free photography.  This is an AMAZING savings!!  She is willing to travel, but if you live outside of the Tampa Bay area, she is asking you pay her travel expenses.  A plane ticket and a couples nights in a hotel is NOTHING compared to what a good photographer will charge for a wedding!  Go to her blog post to see all the details http://kmcconnellblog.com/?p=401.  Feel free to pass this information along to anyone you know :)

Even if you don't need a wedding shot, or you aren't the lucky winner, take a look at her blog and consider her for your next photos.  I promise you won't regret it!  We didn't!

Yes, I would like a little cheese with my whine.

Bare with me as I whine a little.  If you don't like whiny blog posts, just stop reading and come back another day...no hard feelings. :)

It just feels like no one can catch a break lately.  I'm so sick and tired of hearing about my friends and loved ones going through hell because I'm sick and tired of them having to go through hell.  Maybe I'm just being negatively minded today.  True there are a million blessings that could be counted, perhaps you did tell me/us/them so, and maybe it could be worse.  But you know what?  None of that really makes hell any easier to deal with.

Listen here karma...it's time to turn on some positive vibes for my friends and family!  Or perhaps some prayers would shine some favor on them.  Or maybe just happy thoughts sent their way.  Whatever it is you believe in, whatever you do to ask the cosmos to quit crapping on good people, please take a moment to consider these situations for me. (in no particular order)

• an amazing friend needs something to work out to keep her in the country...through no fault of her own (trust me, no fault at all) she now has to jump through a bajillion hoops to stay in the country she was raised in and has lived in 18 of her 24 years.  She needs school to work out more quickly than they claim it will or an amazing job (btw, any job that would qualify to keep her here would be considered amazing)
• a truly loving man needs a break at work.  He needs a new job that pays well so he can quit working for the devil and actually spend time with his family...and have days off (you know, those things some people call the weekend...he's not fussy, he'll settle for 2 days off in a row no matter which 2 they are)
• an unbelievably great man needs to be able to afford to finalize his divorce to a crazy wench so he can move on with his life and move out of his parent's house...bonus points if you include his defunct teenagers who can't keep themselves clean and/or out of trouble
• a spectacularly sweet and loving couple needs a baby.  Don't care how...her own making, adoption, stork, whatever...just something needs to fall into place and let them be a happy family.  I truly don't know of anyone more deserving.
• a couple of strong women who lost their husband/father who are trying to pick up the pieces and move forward with their lives, while under the cloud of potential lay offs just needs something positive and happy and secure to happen...maybe something to look forward to

So if you're not too busy...I'd really appreciate it.  If you want to leave a comment with something you want me to add to my list, I'll be sure to return the favor.  I'm off to find a soda and some crap to shove in my face...yes, I eat my emotions.

(not really) Wordless Wednesday

When Hubby and I were engaged and planning our wedding, we lived in a part of town that was very restaurant friendly.  This worked since we had a terribly small galley kitchen, no dishwasher, and expendable income.  :)  We fell in love with Mangs, this family own hibachi place.  The owners were the server and chef.  Super sweet people that came to recognize us and ask about how things were going.  They heard about us planning our wedding, recap our honeymoon, and talk about our new house on the other side of town.  They hosted the dinner where we told our parents we were expecting.

They watched my belly grow (from the baby and their amazing food).  We were there just a night or two before Squirmy joined our little family.  They wished us luck and couldn't wait to meet our newest addition.

Then we took Squirmy to pay a visit for the first time! :)

The spoon was empty, just for show.  Clearly he got a taste of the soup anyway..and didn't like it.

Squirmy's new girlfriend :)

Playtime with Daddy