Planning for Everything

I have always been somewhat of a planned person. I like to have a plan and have it worked out to what, where, when, and why. When Matthew and I got married, Matthew wanted to run to Osage Beach (the closest town that has shops and groceries) to run errands everyday. I on the other hand wanted to go once a week and run all of my errands in one night. That was always something we talked about every week on how to handle the errands. Now, that I have Niah, I am even more planned down to when to leave for errands how much time I have to run them, to where to start and finish. I try to start when she has just woke up from her last nap and finish at least an hour before her bedtime. It leaves me 2 1/2 hours but 50 mins is wasted in driving to and from. Just imagine how I want to plan for any kind of trip, anything that involved being gone for more than an hour needed perfect planning. Lots of time to process the trip, pack, and time so just imagine the conversations with a person that does not plan anything beyond 24 hours. I tell you all of this to tell you when you are around people like my husband or my mom, that do not plan, think that I am crazy. For example, a couple weeks ago, we were going to Springfield for Shilah's 1st birthday. I decided that I was not staying the night in Springfield and coming home. Matthew drove separately to church so I could leave straight from church. I left straight from church after feeding Niah, knowing it was her nap time and she would go right to sleep. Half way to Springfield my mom calls saying oh we decided that we would come home tonight to so you do not have to drive by yourself, as you can see my planning and her lack of planning did not match up. The husband calls me slightly ocd but he has learned to love my planning since Niah has been born. It has saved Niah from some terribly uncomfortable situations (especially since she hates car seats). Funny to me how things that drove your spouse crazy because things he is thankful for. Here is the little girl in the car asleep

What can I do?

I just watched the most devastating movie called, "The Whistleblower." It takes place in Bosnia and shows a very factual, sad reality that takes place all of the world, involving over 30 million victims. It showed sex trafficking, not only sex trafficking but how authority figures play a huge role in human sex trafficking. The movie based on a true story showed American officers, UN officers, Local police, and diplomats turning their heads and playing a part to sex trafficking, I sat there sick to my stomach watching. I knew it happened, I knew it involved millions, and I knew it was horrifying but as I sat there I felt more motivated to help than ever. Maybe, I felt motivated because I now have a daughter and those are daughters, sisters, GIRLS that are taken, exploited, and abused. The question is what can I do? It is not enough to sit and feel sorry for those girls, or forget what is happening. I need to do something! Watching the movie, I was working on my little girl's first birthday party and doing lots of crafts, that I could not afford to just buy but could easily make. The thought is still just a thought in the process but thinking how little girls items for sale such as tulle dresses, tulle skirts, pillowcase dresses, and other items I have been making for Niah. The thought is to open up an etsy shop or something similar and sell these items and the proceeds go to a sex trafficking organization (I have not done my research on which one yet). I may not be at a place to GO and personally help these girls but I do feel that I can HELP and I can educate others. As I was sitting there watching all I could think about is if someone was hurting this little girl and how as a mom I would want people to help her.

So the question I have been pondering is not only what can I do? How do I start? Well here is to starting....

A weekend of crafts!

The weekend started out with a few projects and crafts and ended up being a whole weekend of crafts. I made 2 dresses for my uncle's little girls 1st birthday, colored easter eggs, and made hairbows and flowers for Niah. I am going to tell you about the easter eggs. In my family since I was pretty little we have been coloring Easter eggs this way and I am going to continue coloring easter eggs this way. We blow the inside of the egg out before we color the egg, the egg last as long as you want and I keep my best eggs for the following year. 1. you prick the narrow end with a straight pin
2. Then you prick the wider end with a bigger pin, I actually used a metal kabob to prick my end.

3. You need to stick something in the hole to break the yoke, I used my kabob. 4. Then you blow on the smaller hole and the egg will come out the bigger hole. I sometimes had to shake or stick my kabob in the egg to break it up more. 5. Rinses the egg out.

6. Then you are ready to dye your eggs. I used a glitter egg dye package.

Here are some pictures of the dresses I made

10 Months old

Niah is 10 months and a week now. We can hardly believe how fast 10 months have gone, it seems it has only been a few months and it has been almost a year!! Niah is 10 months and around 18.5 lbs. She is cruising and pulling up on everything. Niah talks up a storm and has really started trying to repeat lots of words. Just the other day I was telling her "run, run, run" and then she immediately tried to say, "rua, rua, rua." She loves to have conversations with you and will answer you and talk and wait for you to answer her. After 2 trips in the last week, I am definately sure that Niah is a much better sleeper when she is home. I really think the problem is that when we go somewhere she sleeps right next to me in a pack play and realizes it when she wakes up so refuses to go back to sleep on her own. She goes to sleep just fine away (only takes 5 minutes to go to sleep instead of no minutes) but it is about 3 or 4 in the morning when she wakes up and does not go back to sleep. Other than that and her car seat, Niah does great on trips. Matthew and I took Niah to the park and this is a video of her swinging

Teeth brings lots of talking

Niah's bottome 2 teeth came in while we were on vacation but now her top 2 teeth are coming in. She looks so cute with her little teeth.
Here is a picture with her teeth... You have no idea how long it took me to get a pic of them


Not only is Niah getting teeth but she is talking up a storm. She says hi, bye, dada, mama, whoa, huh,oww and a whole lot of other consonant sounds. Niah learned whoa because we would say it and she would mimmick and now she says it all the time like when she did something she thinks is cool or when she falls down. She tries to mimmick not only sounds but words a few words she will mimmick is oww, rubber ducky, and ohh. You never know what word she will choose to mimmick but when she does it is so funny and absolutely cute.

Niah is pulling up on furniture and just started walking from one piece of furniture to the next. She will walk around furniture so she has became quite the cruiser. I have quit buying toys because she will not play with them. Her favorite "toys" are mommy's kitchen gadgets. Niah has drawer she pulls out and plays with and so mommy puts different kitchen things on it such as mixing cups, mixing spoons, bowls, and she loves it!!
Here is Niah playing in her cabinet


Everyday she is doing new things and it is such a joy to watch her grow and develop and be apart of that.

My first failure as a mother: sleeping

Sleeping sells more baby books than any other topic (I looked it up) and I can tell you why. Sleeping determines everything for your child, if you will have a happy child, or a sad grouchy child, a child able to have a fun day, or a bad day, what errands you can run with your child, or what activities you can do with your child. Studies show a well rested child performs better academically. Everyone has a technique on how to put your child to sleep and how to keep them to sleep, and everyone is an expert.
As Niah's mom, I feel like I have made my first of many failures, I am sure. Lets face it every parent fails their child thousands of times in their lifetime. Niah was a wonderful sleeper up until the holidays with traveling and activities I became more relaxed. She had started going to sleep on her own with little to no crying at about 4 months and did so till november. Then we went on a trip in November and had a new surroundings and new people which puts Niah on overload, I felt bad for her and would rock and nurse her to sleep. She was not going to bed at her normal time and stayed exhausted she was waking in the night, so again I would rock or nurse her to sleep. This would have been fine but it continued because she liked it and protested going to sleep any other way. In fact even now when she wakes up she sobs and cries so hard until she gets in my arms, if someone else goes to get her (even Matthew) she cries harder until she sees me and gets in my arms. Then at Christmas we went on another trip and the habit got worse and more night wakings. She was till an excellent napper taking two, two hour naps but again lost the ability to go to sleep on her own.
After vacation which she did fairly well on and I had finished my research on the importance of sleep, I decided that I was hurting her rather than helping her without making her have good sleep habits. The process has began again on making healthy sleep habits. My favorite book on sleep is "Healthy sleep habits, happy child" and he says, "You do not stop changing your child's diaper because they cry and sleep is the same way." So my approach now is that this is the best for my child and I hate that it is harder on her now because she is older and more aware than when I originally trained her and there was no tears. There have been a few more tears but it is working.
Niah has been sleeping through the night not waking up till after 7 for over a week now. She may wake up in the night and I see her on the moniter adjust and move to a new sleeping position and goes right back to sleep!! Niah has a 7 to 7:30 bedtime(with the exception of wed. at 8), a 9:30 am nap sleeps till noon or 12:30, and an afternoon nap of 2 or 2:30. I have to tell myself when she fights sleep, I do not want a child that can not sleep as a teenager or adult because I failed to teach her to self soothe as a baby. I am so proud of my little one for learning to self soothe.

Niah's first Vacation

Niah went on her first family vacation and she loves vacation and warm weather as much as I do. This vacation was alot of firsts for Niah, first time out of the country (first stamp in passport), first time to the ocean, first time to play in sand. Among those first were her first teeth... thats right teeth, before now Niah has had no teeth to come through and on the 2nd or 3rd day she bit my finger like always and a sharp thing was in her mouth. By the end of the trip you could see not one but TWO teeth coming through.
Niah loved the sand and the water from the ocean. She loved playing with Kyah!! Niah gets so excited when she sees Kyah, it is so cute.
Here is Niah and Kyah at the ocean


Niah loved the pool and floating around in the pool.


Niah perfected the pulling up and tries it with everything including Kyah's head and that is more of pushing down on Kyah's head to stand up. Don't worry Kyah pushes her off. She also tries to walk now... They grow up way to fast. Here is Niah trying to stand and walk but can't stand on her own so she just tries to walk with her hands. This how she crawled all morning and was frustrated she could not stand all the way

This is where Niah took one of her naps every day :-)

Our family!!


We loved vacation and Niah had a blast.... Can't wait for the next one but for now it is good to be HOME!!