For Grandpappy Dave

This is E sporting a very special outfit from Grandpappy Dave. It reads "Someone Who Loves Me Went to Bass Pro Shop". Ain't she cute?

Peep Wars Part 2

Here's the video from Tournament 2005. Enjoy!

How Marshmallow Peeps Are Born

Easter is just around the corner and although this is hardly a significant portion of Easter... it has become a tradition in the Spencer-Bossert-Reyes household(s) to have Peep Wars. I'll get a movie up if 1) I can find it and 2) I have time to figure out how to get it online. Basically though, it's taking Peeps and modifying them with toothpick arms (for the fighting). Then popping them into the microwave (making sure you know which Peep is your fighter) and letting them go at each other (as they expand). The last one standing is the Easter Peep War Winner. Considerations for winning is mainly how unmangeled your Peep is in the end.

If you want to try this at home too, let me suggest a few things. 1) Use wax paper in the microwave, it's easier to clean than a plate with burnt marshmellows and sugar. 2) DO NOT microwave the peeps longer than 30 seconds... but really set it for something less and make sure you stop it in case anything does start to get brown and burnt. 3) Buy the cheapest peeps you can find, because it's lot so fun.. so the more the merrier... AND you're not going to eat them in the end anyways.

Also, on the topic of peeps... from a friend's blog... here's the story of how peeps are born... interesting, eh?

Crib Chilin'

Yesterday was the first night that E slept in her crib (for most of the night). She did much better than I thought she would. I don't think she even noticed that she had graduated to a much larger bed area that wasn't "closed" (compared to her bassinet) or that she was in a different room than us. She slept from about 8:30 pm to about 6pm... of which then she awoke, light starting to come through the window and she didn't want to sleep anymore. So then she came to our bed... where she still didn't sleep (and kept us up instead). Oh well. Not bad for the first night I'd say.

Hopefully over the next month she'll make the connection that her crib is for sleeping and napping. And by then, we'll hopefully have figured out "the way" to feed her and get her back into her crib without her waking up. Last night, we tried to change her diaper and feed her in her room... and then the plan was to have Ian put her back to bed. We were using the baby monitor to hear if she was awake, which worked find. Then Ian would take her to the other room to change her. Then I would follow and feed her... all in her own room. Then I was to "call" to Ian through the monitor on the other side of the room ,without waking E up, so that he could get back up (I know, hard awakening) and take her to put her to sleep. That didn't work. Ok, you're probably thinking.. "Why don't you (gilda) just put her down, if you're alerady up?" Well the short answers is because it's hard to get up with her (it takes both hands), discard of the boppy (without tripping on it or soemthing) and get her down all without waking her up ... on top of the fact that if she awakes (which is half the time), having daddy there instead of mommy-food-source helps in the going back to sleep process. So back to my story, ... so, both times when I tried to awaken Ian from across our apartment through the montior with no luck, I ended up having to get up off the futon ,where I was feeding E , while holding her up on the boppy (mind you, she was still attached and "eating") and walk down the hall to the other bedroom and physically get Ian up (usually with my foot, since my hands were occupied holding up E and the boppy).

Therefore, I conclude, it is time to formulate a new plan .. and tonight, hopefully, our new plan will work. We're aiming that by the time E turns 6 months old, she'll be sleeping exclusively in her crib and enjoying it too. That gives us just over a month to work out all the kinks and for her to get used to her new slightly more lit (from lights outside), slightly noiseier (but it's a good thing to be learn, to sleep with a little noise), room of her own. We'll see!

Sleepless nights and Frustrating days

The last few days have been hard hard days and nights. E has been a fussy, crying, needy and moody baby. Sure, she has her super happy moments... will play with us... and will even sit quietly in her BeBe Pod while we catch a bite to eat. But beware of the "turning"... where she becomes the inconsolable crying babe. No diaper change, no nursing, no rocking or toy will do. Actually diaper changes turn into wrestling matches (see below, her new "stomp" move), nursing becomes a teething chew time (ouch) and rocking becomes a power struggle. Add on the fact that she is pooping nonstop and with new larger diaper covers (she outgrew the last size) that means she is leaking everywhere (on to the couch, the bed, her clothes, our clothes, etc).

It all started last week when she woke up in the middle of the night at around 4 am and wouldn't go back to bed till her next feeding (that's about 2 hours). For some reason, she just wasn't sleepy and was hyper alert so even after Ian faithfully rocked her to slumber, she instantly awoke with a vengeance as she was put down in her bassinet. After several tries at this, we let her stay awake and then put her to bed at her next feeding. This has happened before, but it usually rectifies itself in a day or two. This time it didn't.

Then on Thursday she had her "4 month" set of shots. This gave her a mild fever and increased her hyper alertness and overall crankiness. We totally understood her poor mood and we consoled her as much as possible. The weather also started to get warmer... so she was just uncomfortable all the time. Poor baby. We still weren't so sleep deprived to not be frustrated long.

Then on Saturday night we had daylight savings time. Although it seems that babies shouldn't be cognisant enough to notice something as simple as daylight savings time, people swear that it throws off their babies already fickle sleep cycles. I don't know if it's true, but I won't discount it at this point.

And lastly, to top it off, E has discovered the strength of her legs. She was always a strong legged infant, pushing up to stand on us at 2 weeks old and pushing off anything she could get her feat on. BUT now she uses her legs to project herself "forward" (whichever way her head is pointed) while on her back... and uses her legs to roll herself from side to side (along with some 80s dance move with her head, even though she still can't turn completely over at will either way)... and uses her legs to forcefully "stomp" while lying on her back (meaning she'll lift her legs up so her feet are pointing towards the ceiling and then throw her legs down while arching her back, so her feet land on the floor/bottom of the bassinet/whatever surface she is on. This also can propel her "forward" several inches.) During the day (and not on the changing table when you're trying to get a diaper on her after an already frustrating day) this is very very cute and admirable (because it means she is growing and learning to be mobile, albeit all from a back lying position). Sometimes we actually just watch her and laugh. Though at night it's not welcome, especially after you've only gotten 6 hours of sleep for multiple days in a row.

And so, a week later, E is still getting up in the middle of the night... completely awake... refusing to sleep or worse, being very tired and still refusing to sleep. This has made for a very tired Mommy and Daddy (who was late for class today as he woke up really late)... and also a very short fused Mommy during the day. (SAHM know what I'm talking about - the times when you want to just leave your baby to cry in the crib so you can regain some sanity... or when you can't get your precious infant to stop fussing/crying and you've reached the point that it is making you simply mad - all to quickly melt away to being very protective and wanting again to make your dear babies tears disappear) To add to the sleepless nights is the overall frustrating days. It's not all day.. but one or two episodes of "crying because I'm tired but refusing to sleep" or "crying because I want to be held and entertained" even though I may already be holding and entertaining her... can sap all energy and desire to care for her. It's the "turning", from cute darling baby to crazed monster infant. How can she have so much crying fussiness energy!

P.S. OK.. I also want to add a disclaimer (although I think even without, this last week would still be remembered as being quite a hard week in the life of mommy- and daddy- hood) - I think I might be coming down with a cold or at least some allergies. I don't usually have any allergies... but sometimes when tired or sick I get more sensitive to stuff. Not to mention, everyone says living in Davis, even previously non-allergy prone people develop allergies. Sigh. Lately I've had a earache, my throat is often irritated, I've been sneezing and have a runny nose... all only on one side. So this could probably add to my poor mood. What a bad combination, poor condition mommy coupled with currently needy baby.