yup, it's one of those days you hear about before becoming a mama, but you just don't fully grasp it until you're smack dab in the middle of it...
penny's teething situation is still giving her quite a hard time it seems. we got these homeopathic drops the other day, and while they do help to give her some instant relief, they don't really help her sleep any longer at night. so basically for the past two nights she's been waking up every hour and a half, to two hours, crying and wanting to nurse to comfort herself. poor little bean :( it's making for a sad little baby at times, not to mention a sad zombie-like mama too! so today i'm doing my best to not lose my mind, or at least not lose it again (there may have already been one minor breakdown earlier), and just enjoy this time best i can. i'll nap when she naps (even if it means just closing my eyes for 10 mins here and there), i'll snuggle my sweet cuddly girl, and i'll try not to stress about the 30 other things that need to get done. the dishes, the post office, the laundry, they'll all be there tomorrow too!
and let me just say that these really tough nights have been pleasantly balanced out with some really fun playtime in the afternoons. penny is starting to show us glimpses into her personality. she's testing out those vocal chords all the time. she'll "sing" quietly to herself in the backseat as we're driving along, and screech with excitement when we give her a new little toy to explore. we've discovered that her belly button seems to be ticklish, and that makes every diaper change into a little giggle session. the biggest news of all perhaps, is that we've reached one of those milestones that every parenting book talks about. i'll just let you see it for yourself HERE! as much as you we don't go by everything books say, it's still pretty darn exciting when these things happen.
so that's what this parenthood thing is all about i guess. the highs and the lows doing there best to balance each other out, and keep you from going crazy. oh yes, and i'm fully aware that this is only the beginning...
penny made her very first vlog today (anyone else think that word is just silly?). she had been super chatty all day, and then naturally as soon as i try to get it on video she clams right up. what's up with that, girlfriend?!?! so here's a lil' bit-o-penny, the tiniest blogger in town! oh, and don't mind the disaster of a living room in the background. we found a leak in our kitchen and both rooms have been turned upside down because of it... but that's a whole other story!
it would appear as though the dreaded time has come... teething time! we've got all the tell tale signs going on here. drool, check! chomping everything in sight, check! disrupted naps, check! and more poops then you can shake a stick at... big check!
it started last week and i felt so bad for our poor little lady. she would only take a 30 minute nap, wake up super cranky, and then take another 30 minutes just to recover from it. so far today it's been a wee bit better. she at least took a 50 minute nap this morning, and woke up her normal smiley self. that's the little birdie i know and love! we're thinking about starting to do some sleep training to extend her naps and get her sleeping longer stretches at night, but mama needs to mentally prepare for that first. and as i've been a bit under the weather myself, that will just have to wait a few more days. we're using the methods described in this book, so if anyone out there has read it and done it, feel free to let me know how it worked out. the cry it out method just isn't for us, and this has a nice alternative. some friends of ours said it worked great for them and their little girl, so fingers crossed we get the same results! i'll be sure to let you know...