Im a zombie

It's 7AM I probably got about 3 hours of sleep last night.
I just want to have record of this so Carsyn can read it later in life.

I don't know what is going on with my child. I feel so helpless. We had several weeks of great sleep through the night then starting on Thurs night it started going down hill. She has a runny nose and I could hear her snoring and gasping for air which goes with my sleep apnea possibility.

This is what happended last night/this morning.

Also the bedtime battle is getting ridiculous. I have to end this.

Carsyn finally went to sleep at 8:40 after starting bedtime at 7:55. She had had a late nap due to a car ride from Columbia.

I went to bed at 9 seeing as how I was exhausted from being up pretty much since 4:45 that morning. At 10:30 Carsyn woke screaming- Danny went in and I came in after she wouldn't stop. She had a small dirty diaper. She immediately went back to sleep. She seemed to have gas and/or acid reflux. I got in bed at 11:00- she woke back up at 11:30. I let her cry a tad- I went in she just wanted me to pat her not pick her up. Then she immediately went back to sleep. I laid down on the floor beside her crib thinking she might wake back up soon. I could hear the gasping for air and snoring. I laid/slept on the floor until 1. I had been in my bed 15 minutes and she woke back up screaming at 1:20. I went in- she immediately requested milk (oh jeez here we go again) I gave it to her because I knew it would help her acid reflux. She passed back out shortly after. I got into the guest bed at 2. At 4:45 she woke screaming- I walked in her room- she kept pointing to the door saying Go. I told her it was still night time. I walked out and let her see the dark and then we went back to her room. I rocked her for 30 minutes- still not going to sleep. I put her in her crib. She started screaming. I walked out and went to my bedroom- of course I couldn't go back to sleep. I went and got her and brought her to our bed- she started screaming even louder. So then what does an exhausted and stressed mommy do? I start crying even louder- sobbing pleading for her to go to sleep. She lays down beside me and goes to sleep somewhere probably around 5:45- it's 7- we've beeen up for 20 minutes.

:(

Separation Anxiety

So apparently Carsyn Belle is going through ANOTHER stage of separation anxiety! *sigh* I love her with all of my being but OH the clinginess! And it's not just me this time either- now she has it with her daddy too. If either of us departs she melts down. When she goes to bed usually she has to see both of us before she finally goes to sleep. And yesterday while visiting Grandparents Smith she would have NOTHING to do with them and if we went out of sight she would freak out!

This does not come at good timing considering she will be attending new "preschool" in 2 weeks and we leave for our first ever vacation post-baby at the end of the month. Do you think she can sense the impending separation?!

OH me....

My life is too good...

So After we returned from the Coast Carsyn had Mom's Morning Out on Thursday. Then that night I got to go to our Monthly Mom's Night Out. WHOOHOO! We had our largest group yet! 9 MOMMIES! It was such a blast. We ate at Santa Fe- I give them 3 stars- my food was pretty good but it never fails that they ALWAYS mess up at least half of the orders. Next month is going to be at Chilly Willy's in their new dining section. I am super stoked!
On Friday Carsyn and I met up with Dawne/Hannah and Jennifer/Abigail to go swimming and then tested out the Chilly Willy's new dining. THEN that night the Webb neighbors had us over for Steaks! YUM! Carsyn was so worked up it took me until 9 to get her to go to sleep! We have entered a new sleep phase- we now will sleep longer but getting her to slow down and go to sleep is the new challenge! SO MUCH TO SEE and DO! I know I have said it before but I am saying it again now that I can for see the future... I want her to sleep in a crib FOREVER!!!!!!

Saturday Danny actually gave me a surprise break and took Carsyn to work with him at the store. I got 2 hours by myself to shower and run to JC Penny. Penny's coerced me with their darn $10 off coupons dang them...spent $30 I didn't need to! Then Saturday afternoon was spent just playing outside enjoying this unbelievable weather! Really 65 degrees in August! We are loving it!

Carsyn said a new phrase on Sunday morning as we were leaving for Church "LET's GO!" but once we were in Church and the guest speaker was going a little long-winded she started saying a new phrase "Outside" "Outside!" HA HA! That little girl says something new everyday. She also told me cereal- bowl this past week.

Sunday afternoon my dad come over to visit. With the cooler temperatures arriving (at least for this week) it always gets me in the mood to cook. Well I made a big dinner for Me, Danny, Dad, and Mr. Alan. I have to say it was Scrumptious but the most labor intensive meal I have ever prepared! I was in the kitchen well over 2 hrs and couldn't leave. See the recipe here if you want to try it. Then Carsyn and I went outside with the men and played a few rounds of football. This girl LOVES the outside and anything related to a ball. I will be interested to see what/if sport she decides to participate in. Once again the weather was INCREDIBLE!

So here is a new sleep story- yesterday morning Carsyn awoke at 5:15 and I let her cry till 5:30 then afraid she wasn't going to go back to sleep and mess up our wonderfully fun day I went in to get her to sleep. She cried while I held her for a good 15 minutes and then just passed back out at 6. I was holding her in the recliner and just fell back asleep myself. When I awoke at 7:30 I was tired of sitting in the chair so I was able to roll out of the recliner and leave her in it. It was so funny to see her curled up in the recliner and she slept until 8!!!! She also took a 2 hr nap yesterday!

Storytime started back at the library yesterday and we were SUPER excited! We also had a picnic at the park with some of our SAHM group friends.

So like I said right now life is too good and I feel so fortunate. Tomorrow Danny is off and we are going to find some type of adventure to get into!

Stay tuned!

Poopoo in the potty

FORGOT to mention another tiny detail....Carsyn poopooed in the potty for the first time on her own initiative at the Coast House!!! WHOOOHOOOO!

Random road trip to GulfCoast

So before children when you or your husband said "Hey let's drive down to the Coast house for the night just to get out of town" you were like "OKAY HECK YEAH!" Now post children when your significant other gets a wild hair up his booty you say "WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY? Drive down 2 hrs and then drive right back the next day?"

I am not SPONTANEOUS! I repeat I am NOT SPONTANEOUS! But for the sake of not being the mean anal wife/mom I tried to be when my husband presented this scenario to me on Sunday. Up until 3:30 on Tuesday I STILL didn't know if we were going that night or what! I am a PLANNER! I have to pack bags and get snacks/food/milk prepared for baby. I have to worry about baby sleeping- and mommy sleeping. At 4:00 my husband said okay let's go.

I threw cares to the wind and said Okay let's see how this goes. We left at 4:30 and headed to the Coast. The plan was to meet my dad at a Greek restaurant he wanted us to try in Biloxi. The Belle did FANTASTIC! Not a peep the entire way! Just played and played. We stopped in Wiggins to get gas/bathroom break and got her some dinner ( I didn't think she would want Greek or to eat that late?) Nutritious dinner for her? No, but sometimes you just let the toddler eat a happy meal. I did squeeze in a banana and yogurt with the meal. We arrived at Mr. Greek's at 7. After eating we headed back West to Pass Christian- love this house! The Belle fell asleep on the ride over as I had planned and I carefully transported her to Pack-n-play.

Danny, my dad, and 2 guests fished off the pier while I enjoyed a long bath soak and then got to bed. Some point in the middle of the night Carsyn awoke freaked out because she didn't know where she was. It only took me about 30 minutes and she went back to sleep and slept until 7!!!! WHOOHOO!! While her daddy continued to sleep we ran down to the deli for some breakfast and then I decided we might as well go see the beach. She has not been back to the beach since last year's summer beach trip and I had no beach pics for 09.

The Mississippi Coast has a special place in my heart since that is where I was originally born. As I have said before I am very proud at how far the revitalization the Coast has come now 4 years later almost on the anniversary of Katrina. Anyway as I drove down looking at the water and trying to find a safe spot for us to pull over for some pics- I see the picture below. A beautiful rainbow in the sky over the water in between the most beautiful fluffy clouds. My Mamommy would have said

" How can you not believe in God with a beauty in nature like that!" On the other side of the water you could see the rain storms coming down from the clouds. It was a very peaceful morning and I was glad I had agreed to the road trip. We went back to the house after a few non-cooperating pics were taken. The belle is not a big fan of sand on her body- can't blame her- neither am I!

We left about 11:30 to head back and planned to stop and eat lunch in Hburg. I was hoping if time permitted to see my cousin Adam's new baby Aiden who arrived on Monday. Well this is where the story takes a slight turn. Yep I am going to call my husband out on this one and say I told you so! I have been driving down to my dad's on the Coast BY MYSELF since I was 15. I know these roads. But what do husbands do? They tell you that you don't know directions and they know a short cut that takes us 45 minutes out of the way back to where you started!!!!!!!!! In the time that we would have been to Hattiesburg per my directions we were back in Gulfport!!! And it was 1PM with no lunch! Needless to say he was a little peeved at himself. Being the good wife I didn't gloat too much. I just wanted food.

So we made it back home around 3:30 just 24 hours shy of when we departed. The Belle was a trooper! It was a nice little change of pace. I will try to remember that next time Husband gets a wild hair.

Breathtaking!

UPDATE

OKAY so after putting myself and Carsyn through a week of Hell I decided to call her Pediatric Dentist (also a family friend) and ask her opinion on the cups. She said that as long as she didn't go to sleep with it and I brushed her teeth that they were okay. The sucking she does on the nipple shouldn't be a problem and hopefully she will outgrow the cup. So yesterday morning when she woke I went and got her cup of milk....when I handed it to her she cuddled up in my arms looked up at me with her BIG BROWN EYES and said "DANK YOU." I said, "Did you just say Thank You?" and she repeated "Dank You." Man did I feel like dooky. However by taking the cup away I was able to stop the night wakings we were having so I do think that was beneficial. She now will sleep all night but only for 10 hours which means she is up before 6 most of the time.

Also on Saturday, we went to Hburg to visit with my dad and mom. While we were eating at the restaurant Carsyn came and got in my lap and was trying to get in the diaper bag. Often times she just likes to pull everything out of the diaper bag so I told her NO. This erupted into a major screaming fit and mom had to take her outside. When she brought her back in Carsyn immediately came to me and the diaper bag again- she reached in and got out the diaper and wipes and handed them to me. I said "Do you need to go potty?"and off she ran, so after she had gone teetee I felt like DOOKY AGAIN! She was trying to tell me she had to go! This is probably a scenario where my friend's class would have come in handy. Oh and lest I not forget that her diaper was dry so she had not gone since we left Mccomb 3 hrs earlier. She went several more times at my mom's house. Major progress!

Talking- My little chatterbox has probably doubled the vocabulary she speaks in the last week. All of the sudden she just started saying new words. Last night while preparing dinner she sat on the floor with her Nursery Rhyme book- she said "Clock" wanting me to read Hickory Dickory Dock and then when I finished she said The End. It was so exciting!

Okay I think this week will be a MUCH better week...I can already tell!

How do you outsmart a 20month old?

Okay so to follow up to my previous post this has NOT been a good week. Really a battle in all areas. First it started with the milk cup and then with the coinciding of her 20month birthday apparently we entered the terrible 2 phase!

Let's back track to the milk cup. The milk cup is a Nuk cup. When Carsyn was 1 she gave up the bottle no problem. She had been drinking from a sippy cup since month 5. She LOVES cups. However she only wanted her milk in a Nuk, so I always gave it to her that way. I started noticing that she was using the cup as almost a pacifier or comforter. At her 9 month appointment the pedi told me not to give her those sippys because they like bottles if used prolonged could cause dental problems. So after the continual wakings last week I threw them away because I knew they were part of the problem. I have had to be strong and I mean VERY STRONG because I have one stubborn toddler. Grandparents have said "Oh what will it hurt just let her have it." But I have not given in.

And Carsyn has not drank milk. I gave it to her in 10 different styles of cups that she drinks all of her other beverages from but when its milk she wrinkles her nose and throws it across the floor. In concern of her reaching her dairy quota I tried to come up with other ways to deceive her. First, I let her drink it from my glass- NOPE. Next, I told her it was Cow Juice and put it in a cup she couldn't see- NOPE she didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday. Then at a play date I got the mom to give her one of their cups and made a big deal out of it being her new milk cup- It worked for a bit but not really. Then I got Ovaltine thinking if I could make it chocolate it would work- NOPE! Then finally I had the brilliant idea to freeze the ovaltine mixture into a popsicle- SUCCESSS! For the first time ever I heard my little girl say "MORE MORE MORE" as clear as day. It only took me 3 days to outsmart a 20 month old! I was excited and embarrassed at the same time! Today I did get her to drink a little of the ovaltine but she didn't see me pour the milk into the cup. I hope if I persists eventually she will come back around to loving milk.

In regards to the sleep/milk relationship...She has slept through the night since I took it way but only for 10 hours and up by 5:30 every morning only taking an hour nap once a day. This makes for a VERY long week for mommy. Today was the worst day- she was a grumpypuss ALL DAY!

Ahhhh God grant me the serenity....

The Smith's are getting smarter

Well Carsyn Belle isn't the only one in the family who is expanding her knowledge. I always loved school and enjoy learning- yeah you can call me a dork. Anywho, I can completely relate to my little Carsyn Belle lately as she experiences the thrill of learning new things. Every day she is saying a new word and understanding comprehension more and more. While I get tired of reading the same books to her over and over about 50 times a day I know how excited she is to point with her little finger to an object saying "what's that?" and hear me tell her. I have tried to explain to her that I can not do this while driving but she still continues to ask "what's that?"


Daddy has also now entered into a new "hobby" that will allow him to learn new things and expand his extracurricular mind. While he works works works all of the time and we hate to see him gone anymore I am happy for him that he will have something to look forward to as he has now become a Referee for the Private High School football Assoc. He begins this Friday at the Parklane jamboree and he has a lot of learning to do to!



I can relate to her excitement because I too have been learning by leaps and bounds new photography methods and editing techniques. It is so thrilling and gratifying to look at an artist you love and be able to figure out how they did what they did to make the picture look so appealing. My husband thinks my booty is glued to the computer lately but the only time I have free are the 2 hours at night before I have to go to bed because the Belle doesn't allow mommy computer time during the day.


I am excited for all of us and I am looking for outlets in town where Carsyn can experience new skills. She is finally at the age where she can actually grasp a concept and I want to give her every opportunity there is.


Soo Carsyn Belle is 20 months today! We are quickly on our way to 2!! I know it is early but of course I have pretty much planned her birthday party down to the outfit for her 2 year old pictures and invite that I will design. (Oh yeah I can design invites now! YIPPIE!) She is such a silly and funny girl and she keeps me and her daddy in stitches all of the time. The pictures below are examples of her non-stop silliness. That is when she is awake....


Oh yes the sleep drama....I take part blame for this as I know it is my fault for allowing it to continue but enough is enough. Let me try to explain. When Carsyn wakes at night I usually give her milk because it is the only way to get her back to sleep. However I don't feel it is the milk I think it is the cup that she drinks the milk from. You see when she switched from bottle to cup she drank everything else- water, juice from any cup but milk had to come from a NUK cup which is pretty much a modified bottle- atleast that is what the Pedi called it in Mobile. Well enough is enough I have had it with the NUK cups. It is almost as if it is a pacifier to her. So cold turkey I am taking them away. Last night she went to bed at 8- woke at 11:30 screaming when I went in she said "Mil Mil," I said No. She went back to sleep about 15 min later. At 3:30 she woke screaming- I went in she said "Mil Mil, "I said No well it took until 5AM to get her back to sleep and then she awoke at 6:30! I think it will be a rough battle for the next several days but I am trying to be strong. I have given her milk in 10 different cups in the past 2 days and even given it to her without a lid because she loves to drink like an adult but still she refuses to drink from them and throws it across the floor. I am not too concerned about her dairy as I make up for it with cheese and yogurt but I hate to see a child who has always loved milk refuse to drink it simply because it is in a different cup. My hopes are that once she realizes the cup is gone perhaps she will not wake up wanting it at night. I know a little late for this intervention but I had to sleep.

So fingers crossed..... I will update at the end of the week!



She got one of my headbands and put it on....
This is her CHEESE smile- I don't know where she learned it!

Cheese smile with her dog Trey in the bed with her- she thought it was HILARIOUS!

Who is the most beautiful toddler?

Carsyn Belle! Okay maybe we are partial but these pics just make me smile. She FINALLY let me put her hair up in a ponytail yesterday to go to the pool and it was soooo precious!





And this morning she climbed in the recliner in her room grabbed several books and I heard


" dabba nappa tabba BALL dabba nappa tabba MEOW dabba nappa tabba EYE" ha ha I love to see/hear her read to herself!

Playing in our rain boots in a summer shower..
Beautiful little girl in a ponytail! Doesn't she look like a big girl?! :( Tear

The past and the present and the future

Okay I have totally slacked on Carsyn's blog this week because I have been soooooooo busy with my photography and that blog. This is allll very good and exciting but I feel I am finding myself turning in a thousand different directions! Hopefully now that summer is coming to an end so to speak and Preschool is starting back we can get back into our groove! I like having a groove! And order!

So this weekend marks our 1 yr anniversary to relocate to Mccomb. This time last year Carsyn was just beginning to crawl and I was adjusting to being a stay at home mom. It is AMAZING how quickly the time flies! While I had my reservations about leaving my beloved Mobile the transition has been good for Carsyn and our family. After several months my husband now has 2 days off a week (most of the time) while before he worked 7 days a week almost all of the time! Carsyn and I are slowly making new friends and I look forward to expanding our circle once fall arrives. I started a Mother's Night Out group and while the entire invite list has not been able to make an appearance we have had 3 meals at area restaurants. I look forward to continuing this and exploring the area.

What's new with my Carsyn belle as we approach month 20? Well it seems we are entering a new phase of our already terrible sleep issues. When before she used to go to sleep with no problems but awaken shortly- now she does not want me to leave her. The bedtime/naptime battle has already gotten worse. And it is only with my presence because her daddy can go in and she lays right back down so apparently she just wants my presence. While I appreciate the unconditional love I am not enjoying this phase. AND I dread the day we enter toddlerbed instead of a crib! I am hoping we can stay in the crib until atleast next summer! She shows no signs of climbing out of it.
Pottying is still hit and miss- ha ha literally. I do think she is grasping when she needs to go but she seems to go often so does their body start holding it so they go less frequently?
Everyday she says a new word this week I know I heard Juice and we have gone from "Mine" to That's Mine! I also think I heard something like "What's That?"

To recap from the previous blog after several rounds of discussion with the Mobile pedi and the Mccomb pedi apparently Carsyn definitely did not get her 3rd polio vaccine although no one has yet to tell me why. I still have my reservations about the thought of her accidentally receiving a double dose but I guess she will get this make-up shot at her 2 year.

Also since my last post Danny and I decided upon our fall trip- we will be traveling up the Northeast coast from Boston to Maine in October. Hopefully we will see some beautiful fall foliage and I will survive being away from my baby 5 days! Our trip will begin on his 30th birthday- a coincidence but memorable none the less.

Okay I have to get back to "editing" while I still have some quite time!