The holidays are coming up, and I am excited/grateful about lots of things:
- I got to see my friend Whitney last week. Best friends shouldn't go a whole year without seeing each other. It was a much-needed reunion, and it was a blast watching Reagan meet and adore Whitney. Sometimes it makes me sad that my daughter is intrigued by just about everyone except me. She is just a tough audience and I am always in need of new material! Anyways, Whit had that new material and had Reagan laughing so hard she had tears running down her face...seriously. Who would have thought that happened to babies too? I love Whitney like a sister and it was so great to be able to see her. Have you ever met my beautiful friend Whitney? If not, here is the one picture I had from my phone of her and Reagan cuddling. They seriously love each other.

- My little baby girl is growing up so fast. She will be six months next week. I can't handle it, but it is so fun at the same time. She is such a big girl! Jason just commented recently on how much more "grown up" she acts and how she is definitely developing a hilarious little personality. She totally knows when she is being funny. Most recently, she has started giving Jason little smirks along with a "can you believe this?" eye roll when I am trying to change her diaper, feed her, etc. Sometimes I feel so "functional" while everyone else gets the funny faces...that's okay. She still loves me too. Some of her other tricks include: hugging and kissing back (in her own little way), waving back at people when they wave to her (she will not do this for me, but loves to mimic certain people), sitting up (finally!), "dancing," singing along when we are singing to her in the morning or at night, spitting whatever we are trying to feed her back in our faces (so sweet), shrieking at random people she sees (embarassing), putting her pacifier back in her mouth on her own (I still hate seeing that paci in her mouth), she is really starting to concentrate on the sounds coming out of her mouth, and she loves playing with anything that isn't a toy. I will give her a toy, and instead she grabs for: my cell phone, a hairbrush, a nose plunger (I don't know the technical term), napkins, etc. She can seriously differentiate from things that are for fun and those that have actual uses. Today Jason told me that I need to start "using" her toys and then she will maybe want to play with them. So I wiped off the counter with her stuffed animal. Just kidding.





- I am so grateful for Jason. I really hate talking about it a lot and hate sounding cliche, but in a world full of craziness and irrationality, he is the most down to earth, rational person that I know. I am so glad that he understands me, and accepts me despite my faults. I am more in love with him now than the day I married him, and that love grows deeper every day. We definitely need each other. I was gone for a little while last week, and when I got back he let me know that his life was falling apart without me here - he was late to things, and probably watched more TV than one should in a week (don't worry, it was probably all educational). I also think that he spent the majority of my time gone huddled in a corner of our condo in the fetal position. As sad as it sounds, it makes me feel pretty good knowing that his life falls apart without me here. I need him just as much too. He is sometimes the only one in the world that I feel like I can have a logical conversation with, and the fact that we love each other only makes it better.

- I am becoming more and more aware of how blessed I am. I don't feel deserving of it all, but I will take all I can get! Sometimes my life feels too right - but then I realize that it's because all of my happiness lies in the people that surround me - Jason, Reagan, my great friends, my sweet family. And they are all amazing, so why wouldn't I be happy? I mean, I could be really grateful for all the money I have and my smokin' hot bod, but that seems just a little too superficial. (I hope everyone can sense my sarcasm in that last remark.)

Life is good.

p.s. My Uncle Matt, owner of "Goodburger" restaurant off of the Guide, is hosting a free Thanksgiving dinner all day at his restaurant on Thursday for those that do not have family here or for one reason another are not able to have a big Thanksgiving dinner of their own. If anyone knows of people in the Bellingham/Lynden/Ferndale area that are in need of Thanksgiving dinner, send them that way! There will be delicious food and lots of fun people to visit with (including me!) A picture of Uncle Matt with my cute little cousin Mylo was on the front page of today's Herald. Check it out!

Reagan Penelope 6 months

Belated Halloween Pics

Update, Advice, and Videos...oh my!

Yes, it's late, and once again...I CAN'T SLEEP! Don't get me wrong, I love sleep, but night time has become "Emily Time." It's my time to clean the house, get things done that I've been needing to, and just relax. My days are filled with lots and lots of Reagan bliss (I can never get enough) and not much Reagan nap time. She has become a fan of lots of 15-20 minute naps throughout the day. There's probably some theory or book about scheduling that would have a hayday with ripping apart and trying to fix our schedule but so far it works for us and that's all that matters. One thing that I AM excited about, though, is Reagan sleeping through the night. I know I am probably jinxing this, but for the past few nights she has been sleeping for 10+ hours. This doesn't mean that I am getting LOTS more sleep, since I am still up a lot checking on her. (I'm a paranoid parent...dang it), but it does mean that I can actually rest and am not constantly getting up feeding her and trying to get her back to sleep. Few problems with this...maybe all of you out there in blogging world can help a mother out.
1) Blow-outs...every night. I was under the impression that it was okay to not change their diapers in the middle of the night until they got up in the morning, but so far this advice has not rung true. I used to change it every time it needed to be changed, but this made for many a sleepless night. Reagan is not prone to diaper rash at all, so that is not the problem, but nearly every morning I find her "filled to the brim" and more often than not, overflowing. Oops. Do I change her diaper once during the night, as discretely as possible, so as not to wake her up? Note: she is a VERY light sleeper, unfortunately. Changing her diaper would mean her definitely waking up. What does everyone else do? This actually wasn't a problem until we had to switch types of diapers. She never blew out with Pampers Swaddlers (our favorite), but it is very hard to find these in Size 3, so we've had to resort to the Pampers Baby Dry kind. I guess I need diaper advice? Not really sure. Tonight I honestly thought about putting two diapers on her. Probably not the best idea. haha
2) Since she is sleeping through most of the night, I am not nursing as often during the early morning hours but unfortunately, how do I say this tactfully, I am also "filled to the brim" by the time morning comes (different than Reagan, don't worry...with milk). It has become really painful being so "swollen" when I wake up in the morning. I am assuming this will eventually die down as my milk supply lessens, but for right now getting her to nurse off of two extremely inflated, about-to-burst, water (or should I say milk) balloons in the morning has been an interesting experience. I would get up in the middle of the night and pump, but to be honest - really don't want to, and my pump just recently stopped working. Anyone know of any decent, cheap breast pumps? Is it REALLY gross to buy them secondhand? Because I must say, it is SO much cheaper that way, but it grosses me out just a little bit. What to do??
3) Aright, just one more advice request. (Sorry to bore everyone!) So, we swaddled Reagan for quite a while when she slept at night, because she slept so much better that way. But, since she is too big to swaddle now, and she should probably get used to NOT being wrapped up, we have stopped. She is sleeping just fine without it, but now she moves all over the place while she sleeps. She rolls around in her crib in her sleep, which may be weird, but it's just how she rolls. =) Anyways, every book I read says that it is still important for her to sleep on her back, but good luck with that! She almost always ends up on her tummy, and although I turn her over a couple times before I go to bed, I can't be doing this all night. Is it ok for her to sleep on her tummy? I know that people did it for years before the whole "babies must sleep on their backs" thing, but as a paranoid parent, it still scares me. She seems to do whatever she can to scare me - sleep on her tummy, face smothered in blankets or up against the side of her crib, etc. She is always fine, but it makes me a bit uneasy. She does know how to roll both ways, so should I not be too worried? (Yes, I added pictures to make it less boring. Did it work?) =) Other than these few little concerns (which are pretty much just all me, not Reagan), she is just the happiest little camper, and I am so grateful every day that I have such an easy-going little girl. When we have our next baby, I am not going to be prepared to deal with a fussy one because she has been so easy. I really have not had to learn any major "calming down" techniques or anything. She is just not a crier. In fact, when she does cry, I think it's so cute (I'm so mean) and sometimes wish she'd do it more often so I know that she is actually human! She is cracking us up with her rolling and scooting everywhere, and we love her babbling. I still have not gotten a very good video of her saying "Obama," but one of these days I will. Also, some of you may have noticed that our Halloween pictures aren't up yet. I'm debating whether or not to ever try and get them up here. They are certainly cute, but our camera is just not wanting to put pictures onto the computer. And by the time we figure it out, it may be too late! Would it be a "blogging-sin" to put them up this late? Anyways, thank you (in advance) everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. Here are some videos for your enjoyment. One of them is Reagan babbling (if you listen closely, it sounds like she says "hello, dad"). The other is Reagan cracking up at Tiana as she runs and falls onto the wood floor. She just adores Tiana. And, if you can hear her laughing at all amidst my very loud obnoxious laughing, it's pretty cute).

Cry it out?

Despite all of my natural motherly instincts...I did it. I let Reagan cry herself back to sleep for the first time tonight. This is why it is almost 2 am and I am up, and to be honest, feeling pretty terrible about it! She didn't even cry for long...probably a good 15-20 minutes, but I am just not used to not picking her up and soothing her when she is crying. I should be enjoying sleep right now, but I can't help but stay awake, wondering if I did the right thing! Being a mother is funny...I am so exhausted from getting up time and time again throughout the night, and yet when I finally let my daughter cry herself back to sleep, I am wide awake, unsure of the ramifications of my decision. And now I miss her... is it her that needs me throughout the night, or me that needs her? We may never know.

Oh, and despite all that we have taught her about what is good and true, my daughter says "Obama." We've tried to record it and I think I got a pretty good clip of it the other night that I'll upload sometime when it is not 2 am. She even said it during closing prayer tonight at the mutual activity. I'm pretty sure it is a new combination of her sounds "bababababa" and "mamamamama," but it really just sounds like she is saying "Obama." Child prodigy? Possessed? We may never know.

Vote

While I am waiting for Halloween pictures to upload (such a slow process on my computer), some thoughts on the impending election day come to mind. First off, I hope everyone is able to VOTE tomorrow. I, for one, am incredibly grateful for absentee ballots, because I think that I would get all nervous having to actually go somewhere to vote...pathetic, I know, but true. Standing in a booth surrounded by the anxious chattering of people would make me nervous and I feel like I would try and hurry to get done and get out of there as soon as possible. I might even do something as crazy as voting for Oba...never mind, no I wouldn't. With absentee voting, Jason and I were able to sit down in a comfortable and judgment-free zone and talk about each person running for each position, and even do some research on each of the propositions. Even though I was already certain of the way I was going to vote, it felt good to do a little research and really reiterate why I am voting the way I am. I felt confident this year about being an informed voter and keeping up with the election process, as it is the first election that I have really become involved in and stayed informed about (even though I must admit I am SICK AND TIRED of it now - especially the governor election...anyone?). Do not be deceived, just because my daughter shares a name with one of the greatest Presidents that ever was (and no, not named AFTER), I am so glad that politics are not my life. Let's face it - as fun and rousing as they are, they are just downright dirty. The tactics used to "scare" people into voting various ways are really just ridiculous in my opinion. This doesn't mean that I am immune to it, however. I still find myself getting overly involved in debates, interviews, commercials, you name it. But, when I really take the time to think about it, I have remind myself of a few things. First off, thank goodness for the gospel that we have. Some people (just watch the the national conventions and scan the crowd for proof) act like this election is a big religious rally - the candidates, their religious leaders. I am so grateful that I do not have to put my faith and everything I hold dear to me (the gospel, my family, etc.) in a political leader that does not have the knowledge that we as members of the church have. If I had to, it would be scary. I do believe that the Presidential position is an inspired one and one that, if held by righteous people, can have a significant impact on our country and the rest of the world. However, when all is said and done, politics do not have anything to do with what makes me truly happy. Some issues are very important to me, but those are the ones that involve my religious freedom and the sanctity of families. In the end, I have my faith and I have my family and as long as those are protected, I can and will be happy. No matter what the outcome of the election, I will support and respect the President as the leader of our country, even if I do not agree with everything he or she does. After the results are in, I will still be a proud American. It is far from perfect, but it is the country that has given me the opportunities that I have been given. I am free to live where I want, work where and if I want, go to school where and if I want, say what I want, go to church and practice my religion how I want to, and raise my children to do the same. I do love our country - it has immense potential. No matter what the results are tomorrow, my heart will still swell with pride when I see an American flag being raised. Tears of gratitude will still fill my eyes when I sing or hear the national anthem and think of the brave men and women who have fought and are still fighting to keep our country free and our families safe. I may not always be a proud "Republican" or a proud "Democrat" (in fact, I will NEVER be a proud Democrat), but I hope I am always a proud American.
Anyways, just some thoughts...