Road to Hana

For the most part, the road to Hana was wonderful. We enjoyed many beautiful scenes and we drove today. We also enjoy some fabulous food along the way. My favorite was some coconut ice cream completely dairy free - made with coconut milk. It was SO delicious! We also enjoyed great smoothies and fresh banana bread! The views along the road were great. We have pictures but they aren't on the computer yet as we just arrived home.

Abigail was a trooper the whole way. She had a major diaper blow out on the way up there but thankfully her bundle me was in the carseat so we just took that out. The worst part of the trip was the ride back. We didn't stop at all and the road is very curvy! The adults were fine but poor Abigail got car sick and threw up! I'm trying not to let my mommy guilt get the best of me (like I'm torturing my baby by taking her out of her routine so I can go on this vacation) and just enjoy myself. She was a brand new girl after the puke. She was happy and smiley and seemed to enjoy the rest of the ride. I guess I know the difference between spit-up and puke now! Anyway, that was it.

Tomorrow is a laid back day for us. We're planning on watching Andrew and Graham snorkel and we're also going to a very nearby beach. I think that's it. We're looking forward to some R&R after our long trip today.

Aloha!

Hawaii Pics

The luau was fun last night. Lots of good food and great dancing. We got a little more sleep last night but Abigail still woke up at 5:45 am ready to be up for the day. So we went for a walk on the beach and she was back down for a nap by 7:30. She has been a great napper! Here are some photos. Enjoy!

Hula dancers at our Luau

Andrew, Abigail, and I at the luau

Yeah, this is the view from our condo lanai (balcony) and that is me and Abigail walking on the beach. You can seriously get to that beach in like 1 minute! Down the elevators and around the corner. We have a laid back day planned with eating, games, snorkeling (not me!), and a little grocery shopping. I believe we're going on the road to Hana tomorrow. Should be fun!

We're In Maui!

We have finally arrived in Maui (yesterday). Our second flight wasn't quite as smooth with Abigail as the first. She fought sleep and was whiney but we made it through. I think most of the problem was that there were rude teenagers on our plane who kept being loud, kicking seats, getting up and down. Who could sleep with all that noise?

We had an interesting experience in Oahu. We stayed at a hotel down by Waikiki beach. Well, let's just say that we picked the PARTY hotel without knowing it. Very noisy, sirens going off, bottles smashing, etc. I may have slept 5 hours. Thankfully Andrew and Abigail fared a little better. We had to rise early again the next day to catch our ride on the SuperFerry.

We LOVED the SuperFerry. It was almost luxurious. We enjoyed seeing more of the islands, the voyage movie, leather couches, etc. Abigail didn't sleep all that well there either but eventually konked out at the end. They kept telling everyone to take their motion sickness tablets and so I was a little concerned about that but we all felt fine the whole way (we didn't take any drugs either).

Upon arriving in Maui, we got our rental car and hung out at a beach and an outlook for a few hours before lunch. We ate a delicious meal at Mama's Fish House. Very yummy. By then we could check into our condo so we headed over here. Our condo is seriously paradise on earth! The view is something out of a post card! I'll get Andrew to upload a photo later and I'll put it on here. It makes me want to come back here all the time. Of course that won't happen, not for a while anyway.

Miss Abigail is still a little mixed up on her time zones but not too bad. She just woke up pretty early this morning. We went for a walk on the beach. She also keeps to have a slightly stuffy nose. I'm wondering if this is related to teething, since she is SERIOUSLY working on her second bottom tooth. Everything is going into her mouth and Andrew says he can see it.

This morning my mother-in-law, father-in-law and I went to a Hawaiian church service (Andrew kept Abigail). It was excellent. The music was great, the message was inspiring, and there was a lady who did a beautiful interpretive dance. The people were very friendly also. I'm glad that we went! The pastor said at the end of his sermon, "God wants to make this week the best week ever (for you)." We couldn't agree more!

Everyone is at our beach right now (which is like 30 second walk away) and I'll head down after Abigail wakes up from her nap. We are headed to our luau tonight. Should be fun!!

Oh, and my father-in-law brought his laptop so that's where I'm blogging from and where I'll post pictures. I could not have typed all this from Andrew's little phone. Hopefully some pictures will follow later.

Aloha!

Day 1: Blog from the road

We're in LAX at the moment. Our first flight was great!! We upgraded ourselves to first class for a few bucks. It was our first time and it was great! We both had cheese scrambled eggs with meat and fresh fruit. We think the "others" had water and pretzels! Abigail did great and ended up sleeping most of the time and then playing nicely. Let's hope the next flight which is longer is just as smooth.

On our way

I amm blogging this from A's phone on our way ti Indy. Sorry for any typos. The keyboard on this thing is tough! We managed to get packed up and left by 6pm so we'll get to our hotel by 8pm. Miss Abigail is peacefully asleep in her seat and I just finished reading a chapter of The Shack to Andrew. Aloha!

We're Packed

I think we're almost packed. We have those last minute items to put in the suitcase (curling iron, alarm clock, etc) but it should only take minutes! :) I am going to shock all of you with the next statement . . . .

Andrew, me and Abigail ALL PACKED in ONE (1!!!!) SUITCASE!! The only thing that my thwart our amazing packing abilities would be if it is over the suitcase weight limit. We're going to weigh it before we leave. Seriously - I love being a low maintenance packer! It's not even stuffed full - amazing!

I keep going over the packing list in my mind. I think there are several things that we can even take out of the suitcase. For example, Abigail's PJ's. She usually wears one pair for several nights, as she is clean when she goes to bed and rarely does anything escape the diaper at night. I have three pair of PJ's packed and I think she can do with two of them. I'll put one in the carryon for comfy plane sleeping (please, please, please Abigail, sleep on the plane!!) and plan on doing laundry at least once.

Ok, I'm rambling on. Andrew keeps debating the laptop, so it may come with us (in his carry-on).

I may not post before we leave. So - Aloha! :)

**Oh, and thanks to whoever it was who left the LittleTykes play thing (for lack of a better description), toddler bed, and open pack of diapers in our garage yesterday. To be honest, I'm a little creeped out by the whole experience but I'm sure the stuff will come in handy in the future. :) And I will feel better when we figure out who did it!**

We Have Teeth!

Our big announcement of the day is that Abigail is getting a tooth! I can feel a tiny little jagged edge poking up through the gums. I'm kind of surprised. She hasn't been fussier lately. She's been quite happy, actually. She has been putting lots of stuff in her mouth and has been drooling more lately. Also . . . no fever. Anyway, I hope it fully comes through before our flight!

I wish I could post a picture on here but I can hardly get her to let me hold down her bottom lip long enough to look at her bottom gums, let alone take a picture!

Wonderful!

We had such a wonderful visit with my family. I don't know what we would have done if my parents wouldn't have spent the entire visit working! They cleaned our house, did laundry, mowed the yard, made meals for us, watched Abigail, etc! Thanks Mom and Dad! It is so nice to just finish up a little laundry, pack, and be ready for travel!

I am planning on doing a bit of blogging from the road. In an effort to travel "lightly" (is that possible with a baby?) we decided not to bring the laptop, so there won't be pictures until we get back. I can access the internet from Andrew's phone so I will blog from there. Could I really go 11 days without blogging or worse yet . . . reading blogs?! Yikes!

Anyway, tomorrow night we're leaving for this (we're actually flying out on Friday but at this point that doesn't matter!):

More Pics

Mutual Adoration between Grandpa and Abigail

Figuring out who these people are that love me so much!

Giggles and Kisses!

I LOVE it when my mommy kisses my cheeks! :)

Family Visit and 6 month pics

We have been having a WONDERFUL time with my family visiting. Jenny and Luke had to go home yesterday but my parents are still here. They are babysitting Abigail for me today! We took some family photos yesterday (I will post more later) and then some 6 month photos of Abigail. They turned out very cute!

Uncle Luke and Aunt Jenny with Abigail

Aunt, Mommy, and Grandma with Abigail

She looks so big in this picture! When did she grow up so much?!

Tagged *updated*

Ari, over at thecorcofam.blogspot.com tagged me on this. Enjoy!

1. Where is your cell phone? on My Desk
2. Your significant other? Working hard at work
4. Your mother? Babysitting Abigail!!
5. Your father? Babysitting Abigail and mowing our yard! Thanks Dad!
6. Your favorite thing? Books and Hawaii Vacations
7. Your dream last night? Didn't sleep enough to dream!
8 Your favorite drink? Archer Farms Peace Pear Soda
9. Your dream/goal? To live fully in God's will!
10. The room you’re in? Office
11. Your hobby? Reading
12. Your fear? Losing my husband or daughter
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Right here . . . with more kids!
14. What you’re not? A Shopaholic
15. Muffins? Pear
16. One of your wish list items? No Debt (I agree with Ari on this one)
17. Where you grew up? Kansas
18. The last thing you did? Drank Tea
19. What are you wearing? Khaki Pants and a brown shirt
20. Favorite gadget? The Bouncy Seat!
21. Your pets? Dewey the Dog
22. Your computer? Some Thing Andrew built.
23. Your mood? Ready for Hawaii - to spend time with my sweet husband and daughter!
24. Missing someone? Yes
25. Your car? Toyota
26. Something you’re not wearing? Socks
27. Favorite store? Probably Target or Kohls
28. Like someone? I like lots of people!
29. Your favorite color? Red
30. When is the last time you laughed? Last Night
31. Last time you cried? It's been a while. I don't remember.

**I forgot to tag people. I tag Jenn W. and Laura! :)*

What's In a Name? *Updated*

I have decided that I need a new name for my blog. It really needs to be catchy yet defining. Please leave any ideas in the comments section. All ideas are welcome!

Abigail slept through the night...again! She cried out once but got back to sleep before I had time to make it into her room, which was a good thing. I'm very afraid that I'm being spoiled!

*Please note the updates to my newly organized blog roll (to the right). Happy reading!*

Guess who . . .

Guess who slept through the night last night. . . me! . . . oh and Abigail as well!

We are super excited about all the fun things coming up.

1) My parents, sister, and her fiance visit this weekend! We are looking forward to their visit and for them to get to experience Abigail in all her "fun"ness". Oh and they are bringing lots of goodies from the Fairchild Farms. Can you say "sweet corn"?!

2) Um, yeah, we're going to Hawaii!!! We actually leave for the airport one week from today! The airport is about 1 1/2 hrs away and since our flight leaves at 7 am, we're staying the night before and parking there for the trip.

3) When we get back from Hawaii I will be cutting back my hours at work. It hard to work full-time with a new baby, especially when your husband has a new job, a longer commute, oh and two other jobs as well (means the house work, most of the mowing, cooking, laundry, etc is my job!). I will be working 4 days a week. I'm so excited to be able to spend more time with Abigail, perhaps have a clean house, and feel more relaxed instead of rushing around all the time. I really do love my job and the people I work with (they are FABULOUS . . . really!) and I'm so thankful for that but it's time to spend a little more time at home.

I am also planning on making a lot of Abigail's baby food. I find store bought baby food extremely gross (although perhaps the baby doesn't mind), expensive, and probably full of preservatives. I'm sure that I won't be able to make ALL of it but having Fridays off will give me more time to puree, freeze and bag food for her to have at Grandma's house and with the babysitter.

I promise that more pictures are coming soon. We haven't taken any in so long but I'm sure we'll have a big six month photo shoot.

Nourishment and Sleep Update

This isn't a subject I write a lot about. I want to touch on the subject of breastfeeding. It has been a very important part of Abigail's life so far and I just wanted to share my experience a bit.

It was pretty easy from the start. She had trouble latching on just a bit the first or second time we tried but she soon caught on. I occasionally used a shield to help her for the first week or two of her life.

Our biggest trial came on Wendesday, the 6th of February. Oh my! My milk had finally come in and the poor girl could not figure out what was going on. We all suspected she was hungry but when I tried to nurse her, she'd just scream. It was truly the night of terror! After about 4 hours of crying, she finally fell asleep in bed with me but that only lasted about an hour. In desperation, I called the LLL hotline. At first the lady was groggy and I was panicked but she soon came around with some suggestions. She recommended that I pump a little to relieve the pressure.

Bingo! That worked. We all (husband, mother-in-law, and me) watched and held our breath as she lactched on and finally at after 5 or 6 hours of crying! I fought with a little fear at this point that we'd relieve that night of terror but we never did.

After that things really went smoothly. When I first started pumping I was so concerned that I couldn't only get 1 to 2 ounces at a time. I was a nervous wreck thinking that I wouldn't be able to successfully go back to work and breastfeed. However, time and practice paid off and I was able to still pump and work.

However, my transition to work was also a bit of a challenge. At first, I could pump so much more than she was eating. It was wonderful to have the assurance that she wouldn't go hungry but when the weekend rolled around and I wasn't pumping but only feeding her, I had terrible engorgement like I'd never had before! I soon learned to regulate and only pump the amount she was eating each day and things got better.

She has grown since then (obviously) and at one point I realized all my freezer supply was being used up. Oops! This means that I wasn't keeping up with her anymore. I've been working hard over the last few weeks to keep up. This means that on days when I don't have her with me at work, I'll pump 4 maybe 5 times to keep up and increase my supply a bit. Sometimes if she eats and I don't think she at a lot, I will take her into my little pumping room with her and pump what she missed. It's not often that I can get a lot that way, but it helps, I think.

I have also been pumping on the weekends when I'm exclusively nursing her. For me, the hardest part of breastfeeding is the pumping. I am thankful that I am successful at it but it can be painful, lonely, boring, and time consuming!

Needless to say, I have found breastfeeding to be one of the most challenging yet rewarding things I have ever done. It gives me great satisfaction to know what is going into her body (because it's what went into mine) and to keep her as healthy as I can. I also look at my strong healthy girl and am proud that it was my body that did that. I not only grew her inside of me but for the past 5 1/2 months, she has only received nourishment from me! It has definitely changed the way I think about myself. I understand there are medical reasons why some women cannot breastfeed but if you get the chance, I highly recommend it. It is hard work but is an extremely satisfying and empowering experience.

Sleep Update:
She has been such a bear to get to sleep lately. She fussed, cried, etc from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm last night. Someone suggested that perhaps she wasn't tired but that was not the case. She was asleep at certain points during this time period but just woke up screaming. When I went to bed at 10 pm, I was very restless listening for her cry and thinking that we were in for a bad night. Fortunately, she only woke once and went down easily after she ate. I am so thankful she is sleeping better at night. . . once she gets to sleep. Also, for her afternoon nap, she fell asleep WITHOUT TEARS, in her bouncy seat, which she hasn't done in quite a while for me.

My parents, sister, and her fiance are coming this weekend to see us. We're so excited to have them visit and for them to see Abigail in all her cuteness! I hope they don't mind that things will probably be a bit boring, since we'll be cleaning and doing laundry in preparation for our trip to Hawaii! I am hoping we'll find the time to sneak away to the Dayton airshow or the bodies exhibit downtown. We'll see what they want to do.

Packing List

Ok. Here is the packing list for Hawaii of what I'm bringing for Abigail. I think I have everything on there. If anyone has any suggestions, please leave me a comment! I don't want to forget anything vital!

3 swimming suits (yes, she has these already)
Wipes
Diapers
Swim Diapers
Swimming Cover Up
PJ's (3 pair, 1 for carryon and two for suitcase)
Clothes (5 or 6 outfits)
Laundry Soap (we have a washer/dryer in our condo)
Shampoo
Brush
Plastic Bags for Carry-on
Teething Toy
Hylands Teething Tablets
Cortisone Cream, just in case
Lotion
Diaper Rash Cream
Pacifiers (6 to 8 of them)
Blanket (for carryon)
Pillow (for carryon)
2 Hats
Birth Certificate copy for travel
Thermometer
Pak N Play Sheet
Disposable Changing Pads (for travel)
Baby Monitor
Toys
Nail Clippers
Nightlight
3 bibs
3 pair of socks
1 jacket (for cool evenings)
1 pair of jeans (also for cool evenings)

I will also bring baby Tylenol, just in case of a very high fever or extreme pain.

Any other suggestions?

Not-So-Great Clips * Updated

As I'm sure all of my readers know by know, I am cheap (frugal, conservative, whatever). It's not that I wouldn't be able to spend money if I had it, but I just always feel like I don't have enough to be wildly spending it everywhere. One place where I have tried to be conservative lately is the beauty line item. I stopped coloring my hair several years ago for several reasons, one of which was that I didn't have gray hair so why was I spending tons of money on that when my natural color was just fine. So, I don't spend on that anymore. Since Abigail has been born, I have only gotten my hair cut once. Unfortunately, trying to be cheap, I picked not-so-great-clips. Hopefully none of you work there! :0 I'm sure there are some terrific stylists at those places but let's just say, I did not get one!

So, in order to remedy the situation, I'm going back to my old salon today and will drop around $40 on a hair cut, after tip. I have learned my lesson, however. A good haircut will last much longer than a bad one!

Now, I just have to decide how to get it cut . . . hmm.

Since my appointment is at 11:30 am today, I doubt I have time to ask for suggestions, but if you have one before then, feel free to post it. My old hair cut is getting well . . . old. I'm thinking a little longer style will make me look at little more youthful. I think I will have to break down and ask the stylist her opinion. I wonder if they get tired of that.

**Update: Abigail slept through the night last night. I am just totally bewildered. We did nothing different than we have the past 5 months! :) In fact, I even gave in a rocked her to sleep since she was SO fussy and had been crying for over an hour. I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to totally figure out babies.**

New Blogs

I have come across a lot of new fun blogs lately, but the best one is from my cousin, Laura. Here is a link: http://mountainmillards.blogspot.com/.

Enjoy!

Goodnight Sweetheart . . .

We're still having some sleeping issues at night. Abigail has always been a good sleeper. At about week 2, she started to even out and would only wake once, maybe twice, a night. This trend continued until about the middle of May. Then she became fussy for naps and fussy for bedtime. She was also more restless at bedtime. I do believe this has a direct connection with the time she learned to roll-over and other developmental milestones. However, the middle of May was also when she first slept clear through the night. She did it for 5 days in one week. Little did I know that she was tricking me! Then came the RASH . . .

Now that we have that cleared up, I was expecting her to go back to her old ways of sleeping but I did get up three times last night to nurse her. This definitely shakes my confidence as a mother. I keep asking myself all the time: WHY?! Well, I have been doing a lot of research today and I think I may have discovered at least part of the reason why.

First of all, she could possibly be teething. I don't see any teeth or swelling, however, and she doesn't seem to be gumming or drooling more than normal. My second thought has to do with her daytime nursing. She is very restless during the day when she nurses from me. I do believe this primarily comes from her new ability to SEE and INTERACT with things around her. She is really distracted . . . . . . except at night, when she nurses for 20 to 30 minutes at a stretch. Hmm, this got me thinking that perhaps she isn't getting enough calories during the day and is making up for it at night. Her nursing times during the day, seriously only last 5 to 10 minutes (10 minutes is a good day). I have some ideas in mind that I might try to see if things go better.

My last thought on this . . . and then I promise I will try to post about something A LITTLE more interesting in the future, is that she now knows that mom will come to her and give her comfort in the middle of the night when she wakes up. I was doing that during her rashy time and maybe it's just a habit now. Who knows! I think it's a little early in her life to totally let her cry-it-out at night. There is still the good possibility that she is actually hungry.

When she was a newborn, I kept a sleep journal. I wrote down when she woke up, when she ate, and when she fell back asleep at night. It was helpful to see that nighttime sleep was improving after a few weeks. I think I need to do that again to see if I can find a pattern to the madness!

I am looking forward to trying solid foods (29 days) with her. It will give me a little more freedom . . . I think it will be fun . . . and hopefully she can stay full longer at night!

New Pacifier

Abigail has discovered a new pacifier. Her big toe! I had her at work today. When I looked down to see what she was up to, I caught her sucking on her big toe! I quickly grabbed my phone (the camera was in the car) and snapped the photo below. It had slipped out of her mouth but you can see how high she was lifting her legs! Yes, the things she is holding in her hands are her feet!




This photo is from when she had the rash. You can see it on her face and the expression on her face definitely shows how she was feeling. Poor babe!

New Things

If you'll notice, there have been some changes to my right side bar. I'm now the proud hostess to BlogHer Ads. Some of you will be thrilled to know that this means I must keep blogging (frequently) in order to keep these on my site. If you see something over there that interests you, don't hesitate to click on it and check it out!

Not much new in our world . . . since my post yesterday, that is. Andrew has another orientation session tonight for his professorship (ok, the place where he will be an instructor), so I'm on my own for supper and bedtime. I don't mind. This means I will get to make myself something with Tuna and I can head to bed/computer time early after cleaning up the house.

I'm still working on our packing lists for Hawaii. I actually think I might post them on here (at least the baby's list) to see if anyone has any other suggestions of things to bring. I only have a few more calls to make to set things up and we'll be good to go. Here is my to-do list.

1) Call Hawaii hotel where we'll be staying 3 nights to get a portable crib!
2) Call Super Ferry to check on whether a copy of Abigail's birth certificate will suffice or if I need to bring the actual thing.
3) Reserve Dewey's spot in the kennel. Poor boy, he will think we've left for good!
4) Call airline to check on gate checking seat/stroller combo and also birth certificate.

Hmm, I think that's it.

--------Abigail update----------
Of course I can't post without writing about the darling, right?! She seems to be doing better all around with sleep. She only woke once, again, last night and she actually just fell asleep for an afternoon nap (hopefully a long one) without ANY crying. I'm doing my best not to consider this action or lack of action "normal" incase she starts waking 2+ times at night or being fussy for naps again. I'm so much better off if I have low expectations! :)

All for now . . .

My Hope

You are righteous

You love justice

and those who honor You

will see Your face.

I will arise

And lift my eyes to see

Your majesty, Your holiness

And all I am will bless You.

My hope is in the name of the Lord,

Where my help comes from.

Your my strength, my song.

My trust is in the name of the Lord.

I will sing your praise,

you are faithful.

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Above are the lyrics to one of my new favorite songs. It has just really spoken to my heart recently. I especially love the line that says, "Your my strength, my song." I feel like as a new mom that I need a lot of strength and singing lately! I am so blessed today that I know where my strength comes from!

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Abigail's sleep continues to improve. Sometimes we have nights where she still wakes twice but she seems much more comfortable than before. She was awake only once last night. She is back to her old self (from 8 weeks to 4 months) when it comes to bedtime. She has been SO fussy the last few weeks when it came to bedtime but last night, I actually laid her in her crib and she fell asleep . . . . no crying, no screaming and NO PACIFIER! I couldn't believe it! She struggled with naps yesterday but we kept running her around and not letting her sleep the way she likes so I don't blame her for being a little cranky!

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I have been thinking about this whole clothes/fashion thing lately. It's not as if I can't dress myself, it just seems like such an effort right now, taking up my energy, time, and money when I don't have extra of any of those things! I have been reading on Proverbs 31 a lot lately and these verses have meant a lot to me. I want to be beautiful without having my whole life focused on the things this world considers beautiful. I don't want to be frumpy or a martyr (at all). So finding that balance is my challenge!

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Prov 31: 25, 26, 27 - She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Prov 31:30 - Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Travel Advice Needed

Thanks for all the book advice! I think a trip to the Library is in order . . . even though that means paying my $13 fine! :) I only got that fine because I had a DVD checked out when I went into labor. Needless to say I didn't get it back to the Library (and then my mother-in-law took it back for me) until the week after Abigail was born.

Ok, I am starting to think ahead to our trip to Hawaii. Does anyone have baby travel advice? We have flown with her before and she did great. This, of course, is not going to be a one hour flight like last time. It will be more like 7 hours, and she is bigger. Anyway, I am really looking for any tips on flying with an infant (yes we know about the sucking during take off and landing) and how to successfully change time zones with your baby. I would like to enjoy Hawaii during the day and not have Abigail's clock mixed up the whole time we're there, if possible.

Originally, we weren't going to bring her car seat and stroller into the airport (but check it as baggage) but I think we've changed our minds and will check it at the gate. It will be a little more hassle to get through security but once we have our long layover at LAX it will give her a comfortable and familiar place to nap, also giving our arms and backs a break from carrying her around. I was also planning on just putting in our luggage a little baby travel bed but that will no longer work. She moves around a lot at night and could easily knock the side of this bed down and just roll out onto the floor. So we'll have to rent a travel bed but that's ok.

Any advice is welcome! I want to have as enjoyable a trip as possible!

**I want to say thanks to my wonderful in-laws who came over and mowed our WHOLE yard last night (2 acres and it took 2 mowers). It is so nice that we have all weekend to just do whatever and we don't have to worry about mowing!!**

I need book advice!

I'm sure you are all relieved that this post won't be a long drawn out explaination of Abigail's sleep. I will include an update at the end however. I am writing this post because I need some suggestions of good books to read. I need a good long book to take with me to Hawaii. I only want to bring one book because we're already going to be cramped for space in our luggage. Any ideas? I also just want titles of good books in general. Thanks!

** Sleep Update: Abigail's rash seems to be so much better. She did wake up twice last night however, but didn't seem to be irritated and fell back asleep, after nursing, in her crib very easily. She didn't eat much at 7 pm when I fed her, so I wasn't surprised when she woke at 11:45 to eat again. She woke again at 4:45 am. Really, it doesn't seem bad to live with that, especially after Sunday night!**

-----Updated-----
I just got done reading The Chamber by John Grisham. Very thought provoking! I am currently reading Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom. I am also going through "For this Child I Prayed" (thanks Mom and Dad!) but it's not really a book you just read straight through.

Eureka!

Yes, we like the TV show Eureka but we also figured out what was causing the sleep problems! Itching! Miss Abigail slept clear through the night, bless her heart. I did wake up a few times because it was so weird that she wasn't crying. I just looked at the monitor to see she was alright and went back to sleep. She fell asleep (was fussy going down!) at 9 pm and woke up a little after 6 am.

The doctor said she has a bad case of eczema and gave us a few different things to try. He is a holistic doctor, so he is into treating the whole person. He has a medical degree too. I feel so good going to him because he will take a look at the whole picture. We LOVE him. I'm so glad that I found him when Abigail was born. Andrew and I probably ought to go as a new patient . . . so we actually have a doctor, just in case we would ever need to go.

Anyway, he did give me a prescription for cortizone cream. I'm sure that is what stopped the itching last night but he also gave me some other things to try: a homeopathic remedy, and diet limitations for me (no dairy, eggs, soy, citrus, chocolate, or peanuts).

My mom and the lady I talked to at the health food store gave me ideas for other things to try to clear this up, so I am taking extra fish oil, vitamin B, and probiotics to help her. I also tried putting a little epsom salt in her bath to help soothe the skin and we got some calendula cream. Whew! I think that's it. Oh, I left her out of her diaper for almost 2 hours yesterday afternoon! I had puppy pads (yes, funny, I know) for her to lay on the floor on, but I had her outside for about an hour of that and she peed on me three times! I was soaked with baby pee but I didn't care. It was fun! She laughed and giggled every time she went on me like it was fun! :)

I'm not getting my hopes up that she will sleep through every night but hopefully this will settle her down and help her sleep! I really want to try and have this cleared up by the time we take our trip to Hawaii. It would be miserable for everyone to have any itchy baby on a 7 hour plane ride!

I am surprised at how good my attitude has been about the diet thing. I've been praying for a good attitude A LOT lately. I am just excited that someone is making me eat this way. Hopefully I will lose some weight in the process! :) I had a banana and blueberries for breakfast and I'm hungry! I have got to figure out what to eat for breakfast! I'm thinking of rice milk with a few things. I've just got to get some. For lunch I have carrots, an apple, veggie chips, and a homemade chicken salad sandwich, without the mayo (eggs and dairy in that). I hope that is all free of the stuff I'm not supposed to eat. It's hard to remember everything!

That's it for the update today. I was starting to feel like she was a newborn again (and sort of "baby blues ish") last night. If you haven't experienced that . . . it's rough. A good nights sleep did the trick. I feel like a new person today. Here are a few pictures from the last week.

Taken during our sleep deprived weekend! Abigail looks like she's watching TV but we don't have a TV in our bedroom. Abigail loves hanging out with dad on Saturday morning.

Isn't she precious?! This is taken in the bathroom. Ha ha! She loves sitting in here while I take a shower and get ready for the day. What will we do when she out grows this?

And finally, her weird sleeping positions. Last night she mostly slept on her side with her back to one of the crib bumpers. Weird girl! She loves the tummy and side sleeping the most. We've tried using a sleep positioner this past week, to keep her on her back but she's figured out how to get out of it these past two nights so it seems more dangerous to have that thing loose in her crib than to have her on her back.



She was still very tired this morning and fell asleep before we left the house! She's probably just as worn out as we are by not being able to sleep. She only got about 9 hours last night and should have between 10 to 12 for her age. We'll work on an earlier bedtime tonight.