Friday Footage v.3

This was before he started napping in the crib, so it was a new fun thing to be in it.  It is also why the mobile was still up, it is currently in the garage. 

This week has been exhausting.  Finalizing thesis edits, class work, sick baby, sick husband, puking cat, ugh.  I turned in an awful paper earlier this week because it was all that was going to happen with the time I was given.  Leland kept waking up and having issues staying asleep this week (at nap and bed time) that I had very minimal time to work on stuff.  Awesome, yea... 

We are going to go to the doctor's today, not because I am worried about him right now.  I just want to avoid him possibly becoming worse over the weekend and having to make a trip to the ER since the office is closed.  Because it could easily be something else besides a nasty cold.  He had a fever the past three nights, so out of precaution we are off to the office.  Woohoo, yea...

But at least my thesis is in its final drafts, I am waiting to hear back from my adviser to see his thoughts.  Very nerve racking. 

What is in a name?- TAT

Linkng up today with Growing up Geeky and Simply Stavish for Toddle Along Tuesday.



Leland got his name from my Grandpa (mom's dad) who I never met.  I am big on family names.  When I was pregnant it was the name Jeff and I could both agree on and get excited about.  There were many others that got cut, but Leland always stuck.  His middle name is Oliver, no real significance for it, but it sounds good with Leland and we thought it was a nice strong name.  I think it really fits him too.

We were team green, and thankfully we had a boy because we never really came up with a girl name.  We had an idea (Grace Kaya), but the last month of pregnancy I decided I didn't like it and Jeff agreed. 

But for next time I do have a couple ideas:
Girl- Vera Grace (Vera was a great aunt of mine)
         Edna Violet (Edna is a great aunt of mine)
Boy- Rylan Matthew (love this name!)
         Vilas James (Vilas was a great uncle of mine)
The above names are only approved by me, Jeff probably wouldn't commit to anything until he had to (he is terrible at decisions).  I like old-style names and ones that sound good with Leland that aren't too popular.

Naming is so hard though, I got one of those baby name books when pregnant and it is overwhelming looking at all the names.  It is so much pressure too, I mean they are stuck with their name forever, and you have to decide by the time you leave the hospital.  I am just glad we picked a good one and that it wasn't Henry (there are 4 Henry's in our playgroup- this a playgroup for babies just Leland's age and within our neighborhood, it is kind of crazy). 

So if you are having to decide a name, good luck!  It is challenging but fun too!

11 months

Things have been changing around here...

In the past month Leland has gotten his first tooth, plus three more- yep 4 teeth in one month.  You can consider me lucky.

I blame these wonderful teeth on him being difficult when trying to nurse, and when putting him down for a nap.  The past two days he hasn't taken a morning nap.  And no I don't think he is trying to move to one nap, because he is tired.  When I put him in the car he falls asleep almost immediately. 

In order to win this battle, he is now going to have to take naps in his crib (that dusty thing we never use but at least the cats do), since he can't escape it, yet.  In the mornings he keeps getting out of bed and opening the door.  This rental house really was not meant for babies- super squeaky floors, doors that don't fully shut, noisy doors when you do open them, etc.  So he can open the door no problem, actually his biggest problem is not getting in the way of the door when opening it. 

Anyway, he was having a major issue falling asleep in the morning, in the afternoon it wasn't as bad only because by that point he was so exhausted he would practically pass out.

But I won! This morning after his first attempt of escaping our room, I put him in his crib.  Where he babbled for about 30 minutes before passing out. Momma wins! (and so does her down time).  
I think this will just have to be protocol from now on for nap time. 

Which is a-okay with me, as long as I still get my cuddly baby in my bed at bed time. 

11 Things

I have been tagged a couple of times (Kelly and Melissa), so I should probably get around to doing this.

1.  Post the rules.

2.  Post a photo of yourself & 11 random facts about yourself.

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter/facebook and tell them that you've tagged them.

 (on Mt. Evans with my dad)

11 Things about me

1. I have a terrible time falling asleep at night.  The other night it took me 1.5 hours to fall asleep.  

2. I am addicted to bad TV- Real Housewives and Teen Mom are included in that list.

3. In my dream home the kitchen and a library will be top priority

4. As of right now I think the ideal number of kids is 3, but that changes often.  Also I want to have those three before 30. 

5. I am very excited to finished my graduate program this May, but I know I will miss school.  I would be a student forever if possible.

6. I am nannying two girls this summer, pretty excited about it.  Hopefully I can keep doing this as a new source of income and socialization for Leland.  I am even considering getting licensed.  

7. We don't have a TV, and it is awesome.  I watch my TV online when I have free time.

8. I got my first haircut in a year this week.  Kind of crazy/pathetic.  I blame it on baby.

9. I sometimes miss being pregnant, but that doesn't mean I want to be pregnant right now.

10. I want to live in a city that is actually walkable, sometimes I really miss Manhattan, KS

11. I am slowly becoming addicted to coffee, my favorite is iced coffee with some honey and vanilla

11 Questions

1. What is something that, prior to having a baby, you said you would never do as a parent that you are now doing?  What changed your mind? 

Co-sleeping this long, holding him for every nap for the first six months, breastfeeding past a year.  What changed? Seeing his face.  I will do anything for him now. 

2.  What is your favorite "me" time activity? Catching up on blogs, watching bad TV
3.  You can go back and relive one day in your life - what day would you choose? Hard decision, probably a day with my Grandpa though. 
4.  What is your dream vacation destination? Right now- France or Italy for the food
5.  If you are going to happy hour what is your go to drink? A pale ale on tap
6.  Is there anything that your parents did during your upbringing that you are determined not to do with your kids? Not anything major that stands out.  I don't plan on having a TV in Leland's room, or having video games be a thing in our house.
7.  If you were given tickets to any concert possible who would you want to see?  Who would it have been 10 years ago? Neil Young, outside at Red Rocks.  Ten years ago- Dave Matthews Band
8.  You only have 20 minutes to go online - what sites do you absolutely have to check before your time is up? Growing a Foosa, Jet's Journey, Growing up Geeky, E Tells Tales, Growing Baby Shelton, Froggy and Mouse, Kath Eats Real Food

9.  Where are you in the birth order in your family (oldest, youngest, only child)? Has that had an impact on the number of kids that you want to have? Middle, no impact really.  My thoughts on kids varies often between 2-4, it is more a sanity issue than anything else

10.  If the world was ending tomorrow what would you eat for your last meal? A dinner at Il Posto
11.  If you could trade places with anyone for one day who would it be?  Why? Right now, my cat so I could sleep all day.

Tagging: Erin, E, and Taylor

11 new questions:

1. What are you currently reading?

2. What is your favorite book?

3. What are you looking forward to this summer?

4. How many kids do you want in total?

5. What are your favorite blogs?

6. What is your favorite holiday?

7. What is the reason behind your kid's name?

8. Where would your dream home be?

9.  What is your favorite meal/recipe?

10. What is your dream job?

11. MAC or PC?

Friday Footage

Happy Friday! 



Next week is Spring Break, meaning I have to fore myself to sit down and write my thesis, because it is due to my adviser the Monday after Spring Break.  Wish me luck!

Playgroup

We have a playgroup we go to every Friday.  It is great, all these kids that are Leland's age.  It is mainly boys which is crazy.  They are starting to cause trouble, but in a good way.

Here is a photo I got last Friday that is just awesome.  I think it says a lot on its own.

New lens - cat style

Friday Footage

New series.  I am going to try and take more videos.  The plan is to post my favorite of the week, every week.  We will see how long that lasts. 



Do you have a favorite video you took this week?

Embrace the Camera

This past weekend we all took turn embracing the camera with Leland. 

What is in my head

Each night before I go to bed I think about everything that has happened that day and everything that needs to be accomplished the next.  I think I have said this before, but each day I focus on one school assignment or task.  Well that works for the most part but then there are days or weeks where everything is piling up and I freak.  Meaning I just stop thinking about school and want to read The Hunger Games.  Which I am in the midst of book three right now and it is all I can think about.  (Team Peeta!)

Also this past week I have had my first serious cold in a long time.  I had a couple minor ones while pregnant, but nothing this serious.  It is hard to get past it when I am stressed about school and not sleeping enough from that and Leland.  

I am looking forward to Spring Break, which is right around the corner so I can do the many needed assignments and thesis work that are piling up.  Not too much longer until this semester is over!  I am longing for summer.  The past two days it has been in the 60's, like spring is laughing in my face that I still have a couple months left until freedom or relaxation.  I am going to miss going to school, but I won't miss the work or stress. 

 Leland is a cruising machine!  He loves to walk with his walker. 

 He is also getting a serious side.  That photo makes him look so old!

  Grandma Patty was here this past weekend, and got him an early birthday present (is it really that time already!?).  He loves it.  He knows how to get off by himself now.  When you put him on it to ride around the house, he holds on and just sits there patiently while you zoom him around the house. 

 Other new things:

 A new organizer in Leland's room, it really helps.  He likes standing up with it and being able to dig toys out of the boxes. 

A new lens!  It is wonderful.  It is just sometimes hard to take photos with it, since Leland moves so quickly.  I just need to be faster. 

Cleaning Schedule

Time is a funny thing.  There is rarely enough of it.  When extra time comes up you are so shocked by it you just sit there wasting it.  Since time is limited one of the things that gets ignored in our house is cleaning.  We get the dishes done and Jeff thankfully cleans the litter box and takes the trash out.  It is just the other things that get forgotten.  Deep cleaning is the worst.

So starting at the beginning of the this year I made a cleaning schedule for those other tasks.  It has been very helpful.  I am a person that strictly follows my to do list or calendar, it helps me feel sane and checking things off is a wonderful feeling.  I have make to-do lists for a very long time, just ask my mom.

Having a task assigned each day has been a good way to go about it, so I don't feel like I have to clean everything over the weekend.  I also know that on days that are generally more hectic (Thursday and Friday) I generally won't have the 'extra time' to clean, so I avoid assigning a task on those days.

Here is our chore chart, having it iCal is also very handy, I can make tasks repeat as often as necessary.  Some are weekly, every other week or every month.  Another great thing about this schedule is my house feels clean, almost all of the time.  Nothing better than a clean house.  

Do you have a chore chart? Or just clean as you feel necessary?