No More Nights Away!

In the same realm of the whole routine dilemma comes the issue of vacations. We just had a really nice one in Corpus, but it was only nice during the waking hours. Nights were NOT good for me or Sawyer. He wakes up, confused about where he is, and cries. Then, he doesn't want to go back in his pack and play, since it's not his bed. (This is me interpreting his actions--but I think I'm pretty close since this behavior is different than at home.) I end up trying to put him in bed with us, just desperate to go back to bed, and then he wants to nurse all night, which I do NOT want. But when you're sharing a room with baby, leaving him to scream in the pack and play two feet from your bed really is ineffective for sleep as a whole. In fact, our vacay to Louisiana, wonderful as it was, ended Sawyer's first week of sleeping through the night, and it has never resumed.

Last night Rob and I stayed at some church friends' house who were out of town. Rob wanted me to try their Temper Pedic mattress, which he thinks will save his back. Suffice to say that I don't remember how I liked the mattress because I barely slept. In fact, I had a middle of the night meltdown like never before, where I'm pretty sure I cussed and may or may not have thrown things, and where I dragged Sawyer's pack and play down the hall and left him screaming in it. Not my best moment.

Thankfully, there's Rob, who calmed Sawyer down (who was probably more freaked out by me freaking out than the strange hallway he was sleeping in at that point) and calmed me down. But still. I made a vow in the night not to travel anymore because I just can't handle Sawyer's inability to sleep in a strange environment right now. Especially after a long week, which began at the beach with no sleep for the same reasons. Next week, it's all routine, baby, all the way. I don't want to go anywhere unusual. I don't want to change one thing about Sawyer's routine. I want us both to sleep in peace.

So, I'm sure now that I've made this vow, a hundred things will go wrong, but don't take it away from me yet, okay? I'm still somewhat hopeful for a person running on four non-consecutive hours of sleep.

Your Best Birth Web-i-sodes

Ricki Lake is back, following up her documentary (The Business of Being Born) and her book (Your Best Birth) with a new documentary called My Best Birth. The website is airing mini-episodes that serve as teaser trailers, and feature celebs like Cindy Crawford, Kimberley Williams-Paisley, and Laila Ali. You can check it out here. Personally, I think the more women talk about birth experiences and birth choices, the better.

The Wheels Are Turning

Lately, Sawyer's mind is really turning on. Or, it's becoming more obvious to us that there is stuff going on in there. His talking is picking up, even though I don't have a lot of new words to add to his list. But he's gotten to be quite the imitator, patterning his voice and sounds after things we're saying. When we were at the beach and shouting for different kids to come out of the ocean, Sawyer would mimic our syllables and tone, shouting along with us. Super cute. He will also say "yeah!" sometimes when he ask him questions. A very enthusiastic yeah. His range of animal sounds now extends from dog to snake to peacock. (Yes, peacock. I know it's random. He's pretty good at it, though.)

The other thing that really scares me is how he is trying to figure things out. Like the car seat. He now watches very carefully as I strap him in, and will sometimes hand me the bottom buckle when it's time to use it. Now it's just a matter of time before he figures out how to get it off. Eek! He also spent several minutes yesterday trying to figure out how to attach the tray of his portable travel booster/high chair. He notices everything and definitely seems interested in how things work. He's a wild man, I tell you. A wild man.

When Sawyer Gets Mad, He _________

Fill in the blank. I'll give you a moment to think about it. (Cue Jeopardy music.)

Time's up! If you said, "When Sawyer gets mad, he STRIPS," you are correct sir! Yes, my funny child likes to take his clothes off in protest. Last night, he had a little trouble giving into sleep while Lynn and Sandi were watching him and I was at derby. During his protests, he took off his pajama pants and threw them in the floor. Then this morning when I cam in to get him, he had wrangled one arm out of his sleeve and through the neck of his shirt. He kind of looked like he was wearing one of those dresses with only one sleeve. It was pretty funny.

Thankfully he hasn't figured out how to take his diaper off...then we'll really be in trouble.

Gnawing at the Store

Today I took Sawyer to the grocery store, and it's always a battle of trying to keep him occupied and in the cart. Kind of a race against time. I love HEB because they have all these great samples. Today he snacked on pineapple and cheese, but I couldn't quite keep him out of the other groceries. He took a giant bite out of an avocado, peel and all before I could stop him. I gave him the little net of Babybel cheese, which I thought was safe since it's a bunch of little cheeses inside wax shells, all inside a net. Nope. He chewed through the net, through the wax, and into the cheese. He's a gnawer, I tell you--a gnawer!

Corpus Christi Photos

Here are our beach photos! They don't really show the whole trip, as our camera pooped out. Technology hates us. (And also, the ocean.) You can see the salt air in the last few photos, literally. Overall, it was a great trip, and we had a fun family time. Thanks, Peter!!
Sawyer doing his part to help clean. Rob playing with a bunch o boys in the hot tub.
David caught and ate (okay, not really) a crab. Saw, the beach. Beach, Saw.



Rob needed some eye relaxation, and I needed to nibble some cucumbers.Puffy eyes! We think from salt water.Saw intently checking out the fireworks. Boys like fire.
Watching the mini-fireworks display.
Checking out the great fireworks, thanks to a neighbor who really shelled out.

Saw Chasing the Birds

Please ignore the obnoxious wind in this video, and instead enjoy the cuteness of Sawyer running on the beach with his crazy arms, chasing a bird just like Daddy does.

Dirty Boy

This is what happens when Sawyer gets the hose and then falls down in the flower bed. Oh, boys!

To Schedule or Not to Schedule

I've posted about this before, but this week, the whole idea of a schedule is driving me nuts with Sawyer! If I want to go out and do things, he gets thrown off and misses naps and is crazy and cranky. If we stay on his schedule, I'm basically forced to be a recluse. What to do??

Today I decided to do a lot in the morning and stretch out his awake time until around 1pm, then put him down for one nap instead of trying for the two he usually takes. So far so good--he's been down for an hour and was only a little grumpy just before he went to sleep. Of course, we're about to go to Corpus with family, so it's not like it matters what schedule I try.

Still, I think this can be a dilemma. He does better when we're on a schedule and so do I, but keeping that schedule makes the rest of life very hard.

New Nickname

Sawyer has a new nickname from me. My nicknames just kind of evolve. I love this new one: Saucer. Or, just Sauce. I got a few weird looks today when I was in public and said, "Come here, Sauce!" But I think it's cute.