Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Mission: Get Noah to Sleep Longer At Night

We are going on day 3 of our new mission...which is to get Noah to sleep longer at night. He sleeps great for his naps during the day, but we have been struggling with this boy at night for a little while now. At first I chalked it up to just a growth spurt.....then it was that my milk was changing (due to the pregnancy), and then to needing to feed him more... All of those conclusions were right, I think, at some point or another. But he's been waking up like every 2 hours or so lately, and we weren't seeing an end in sight.

So, we had also played around with the idea that Noah was uncomfortable in his bed. We have a two bedroom apartment. Rebekah sleeps in her own bed in her room, and Noah has been sleeping in our room in the pack n play because a)we can't afford a crib for him right now and b)we don't want him to sleep in Bekah's room yet while he's still getting up at night for fear that she'd be up too! and c)it's just easier that way! :)

Well, we had discussed getting a new mattress for Noah when I heard that they make thicker ones for the pack n plays. See, he's been sleeping on just the little mat that comes with it that we had put a blanket down on. Anyway, we haven't had the time or money to track one down, so it's simply just been something we talk about.

Sunday night, after spending a day with our family, we were all exhausted. We were on our way home and I finally just told Jason how miserable I've been. My allergies have been bothering me which was making my ear was hurt, and I was feeling whiny so I was honest with him. He suggested that we go to Babies R Us and buy a mattress right then. You can imagine just how excited I was that he was giving in and willing to help me out (even though Mr. Budget has been strict with us lately). However, it was already past 6 on a Sunday and I knew all the specialty stores would be closed.

So, we went to Walmart (where customer service had no idea what I was talking about and told me to ask the fitting room lady! because she said they would know better! How weird is that?) and they didn't have them. We almost considered buying a toddler bed for Bekah and making Noah sleep in the crib in our living room, but decided against being up all night to put the thing together! haha! Target didn't have them either. But as I confided in the lady that worked there about why I needed it now and didn't want to look online for it, we started brainstorming. She suggested buying a foam mattress topper and putting a blanket on that. In fact, she directed me to the ones they had on clearance where the college bedding/decor stuff was.

And ya'll, I walked outta there with a memory foam mattress topper for under $10!

We went home, cut it to size (well, Jason cut it and everyone else watched!), put a blanket on top of that and then put a crib sheet around both, and made our own mattress! That night Noah slept a little bit longer - a three hour stretch, I think and then a four hour one that same night.

But last night he got up after two hours and then........slept for SIX HOURS STRAIGHT! We were so excited! And Noah's naps have been longer too!

So, we are praying that this is the solution! So far, so good, and Mama and Daddy have been sleeping better too! You can't beat that! I think we are going to put one on Bekah's bed too! :)

And in case you are curious, we will probably end up getting Bekah a toddler bed anyway, moving Noah into her room when it's time (into her crib), and buying that mattress for our pack n play for the baby. But we are just wanting to wait a little longer before that whole transition!













Thursday, September 24, 2009

All I Want For Christmas...

Ok, so I know Christmas is not "just around the corner" but it's still not too far away, right? We have 12 1/2 weeks to go. And it has gotten me thinking about what I want. I do believe that Christmas is about giving, but I just wanted an excuse to share. :)

So, all I want for Christmas is...

a Vitamix......


Sigh.... one can dream, right?
Oh, and I think this officially means I'm an adult... and a mom! But these things can blend anything! And I am so over our regular blender that doesn't even like it when I put frozen fruit in it! haha!
*******
Other things on my list...
1. Medela double electric breast pump.. (maybe tmi, but seriously!)
2. Combi Coccoro for Noah and the new baby! They are slim line design and so cute! I'll take one in Key Lime and Carrot Cake please! haha! (I know, I'm weird for being happy with getting something for the kids...especially carseats!)
3. sewing machine....I really really would love to channel my creativity and make some clothes and blankets and fun stuff for the kids! Not to mention gifts!
4. Some nursing tanks from www.glamourmom.com
5. makeup from the MAC counter!
6. IKEA stuff and organization for the kids' room!
p.s. Please understand this is all in good fun! I know this list is expensive and unrealistic.. and for the family reading this, I don't actually expect anyone to buy me these things for Christmas! :) I just wanted to share!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Love This Song

Heard a song at church last night... I've heard it before, but it really moved me and ministered to me this time. I can't get it out of my head, and that is just fine with me. :)

A couple from our church co-wrote and sing it. It's perfect. Couldn't find it anywhere but here. If you find a downloadable version, let me know! :) Click here and Enjoy!

Here are the lyrics (But really, it's better to listen to it!):

God Be Praised
copyright 2009 David and Alena Moore Gateway Create Publishing

you saved my life from death when i was all but defeated
you spoke your promises and brought life to my weakness
came as a conquering king and you warred for my freedom
my soul can’t help but sing hallelujah

you opened up my eyes for the first time i saw you
your love commanding life and deserving devotion
you told me who i am now in faith i believe it
my soul can’t help but sing hallelujah

you’ve made a place for me silenced all my accusers
leading me forth with peace filled with joy i will follow
your cross demands my life now your grace is my anthem
my soul can’t help but sing hallelujah

hallelujah we’re redeemed and made free
by the blood of the lamb we have won
hallelujah we will sing victory
jesus conquered the grave god be praised

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Jason's Birthday Part 2

On J's actual birthday, we went to On the Border (Thanks to J's friends who gave us....uh...I mean, him a gift card!) for lunch and then back to Main Event to use up the rest of our game cards that we didn't have time to deplete the night before. As a fun sidenote, we were given free soft drinks (I would say "just because" but I know that it was a blessing from God because he does care about the small stuff!) when we tried to buy some. Noah slept once we got to Main Event, so there aren't any pictures of him after lunch. But, our little Reese family had fun celebrating J's birthday again.

Bekah was given a balloon at OTB, and she kept singing "happy day day to you, da da!" We think it's so cute because she either says "day day" or just "happy day". It's never birthday!
Our Sweet Noah
First stop at Main Event was the DDR (dance dance revolution). We'd always seen people do it, but never tried it ourselves. It was SO FUN and such a workout! haha!
Bekah danced while daddy danced...
And then tried it all by herself! (again, so nice to not pay for it, and she actually thinks she's playing! score!)
This one was like jump rope...I was terrible at it..
However, I was really good at real jump rope in school... I even did double dutch at Spring Fling! :)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Jason's Birthday Part 1

Last Monday we celebrated Jason's 27th birthday at Main Event.



While his birthday is actually on Sept. 1st, we love us some Monday Night Madness so that is what he wanted to do for his birthday.


Even though it was a work/school night for most, we had a pretty good turnout. A few friends and some of the family came, and we had a blast! Bekah makes me laugh because she loves to dance to the music there, and it is complete with music videos so she really loves it. She kept telling us that she wanted to "play toys" because that's two year old speak for video/arcade games.

And right now, she has no idea if she is really playing or not so it helps that we don't have to pay for her entertainment! Wish it would stay that way! Haha! She also dug right into the birthday cake and licked the icing before anyone else did. Ha!
The Cake.
Noah did pretty well, too. He had fun for a little while, got really cranky, then conked out for the rest of the night...well he woke up at the very end.


We even got to play laser tag, thanks to Granna and Aunt Julie watching the kiddos for us! At the end of the night, with almost everyone gone, I got a craving for pizza and we decided to play some shuffleboard with Pappy.
Celebrating J was so fun, and I am so proud of my hubby and thankful for his birth! It is an honor to be his wife and to get to share my life (good and everything else) with him! I love that guy!