Family Time

We've been lazy and food-stuffed over the past few days.  We're hanging out in pajamas for way too long, avoiding the outside world, hanging around with family, eating leftovers and enjoying the calm.

But we will be venturing out soon.  In the meantime, some glimpses into the last few days at our house.

Hanging with Daddy, Grandpa Mike and Grandma Pam

Making pumpkin pie.  My, what a good helper!

Story time!

One of my favorite parts of the week has been watching Cora gradually get more comfortable around Grandpa Mike.  In the past year or so she's been more nervous around men than women. And she doesn't get to see her Grandpa as often as we'd like.  So she usually keeps her distance.  But this time, she came around to some snuggles, and even christened him with his very own name:  "Bop bop," said while signing "Grandpa."  Pretty cute, indeed.

Baby Adelyn is getting so big!

Cousins.  This is about as close as they get.  Notice how Cora needs to be held in place.

Uncle Nick is so funny.

My sweet little niece.

Hoping your time with family and friends was as lovely as ours.

Transitions

We've been on a pretty long and slow path in our quest to get a decent night's sleep around here.  I've blogged about it before, although it's been a while.  And although things have improved, it's been a constant struggle.

Before Cora had her tonsils and adenoids out in early 2012, it was not uncommon for her to wake up 50 times a night and to need help to get back to sleep every time.  When you're singing Hallelujah when you get a solid 1-hour block of sleep, you can resort to pretty desperate measures.  Ours included doing whatever it took to get her to sleep as quickly as possible. 

So we co-slept.  Since she had significant sleep apnea, it also helped alleviate our nervousness over her breathing.

Since her tonsillectomy, things got a little better.  But still, she'd awaken quite a few times a night and always need help going back to sleep, often waking for hours in the middle of the night. 

Eventually, she got a mattress on the floor next to our bed, where she'd spend part of the night, and then come in with us, snuggled up face-to-face with her Daddy until morning.

But yesterday, we took a big step:  we got her a real toddler bed and we moved it INTO HER ROOM! Cora's room at our new house has been a play room up until this point.  But now, it's her honest to goodness bedroom, and she couldn't be more thrilled.  (You may notice Cora's unusual shirt-wearing style in these photos: she was also learning to take off her shirt yesterday.)

We're not expecting any sudden or drastic miracles.  Last night she took a long time to get to sleep, and then slept in her room until midnight or so, when she came back in with us.  And I imagine it will take some time.  Our hope is obviously that she can sleep longer in her own bed and get used to being in her room. 

But this is our first real big step.  It feels exciting and a little scary too.  While I was having my own pangs yesterday realizing that I'd be going to sleep in a room without an easy-waking little goose in the corner, I suddenly didn't feel ready.

And I wasn't the only one, apparently.  Even Nick had his own moment of sadness, as he looked at the empty space in the corner of our room where her little mattress had been.

But it's time.  Right now my little girlie is snoozing away in her own little bed, having her mid-day repose.

I'm crossing our fingers for the three of us.

Noodles

Does learning to slurp up noodles count as a milestone?

It seems to me that it should.  I'm sure Cora's occupational therapist and speech therapists would be proud. 

 Last night my good friend came over for dinner and some catch-up time.  I spent the afternoon making chicken pho from scratch.  There's not much that satisfies in the same way, especially on a crisp fall day.

Photo by Christine Shelton

Usually I give Cora's pho a spin in the blender, like she wants the rest of her soups.  But last night she had nothing to do with that.  She wanted to eat it like the rest of us did.  Watching her sit at the table and feed herself with a fork like a big girl (overlooking the noodles I had to scrape off the floor afterward, of course), makes me pretty happy.  It's not often that she shares the same meal that we do in the same form, either due to her allergies, her issues with texture, or her picky nature.

My little eater is coming up in the world.  And she knows good soup and good company.

Why I'm Still Nursing My Almost-3-Year-Old

I've been having a bit of blogging withdrawal, and will be writing some more in the next few days.

But for now, check out my new post our ongoing breastfeeding story on What to Expect.

Why I'm Still Nursing My Almost 3-Year-Old.