Looking ahead

I started my work-out today. I got up at 4:30am to start my weight loss journey. This morning I weighed 163.5 lbs. My goal is to weigh 150 lbs. I would love to be 140-145lbs but I don't know if that is realistic or not.
I only planned to do a 30 minute work-out . I ran 2.58 miles in 15 minutes and I did 15 minutes of ab work. This is just the first step. Hopefully I will be able to run 45 minutes without stopping in the near future.
I am looking at doing some classes at the YMCA so if anyone is interested in joining me, I would love a work-out partner. I am thinking about joining The Biggest Loser at work.
Caleb has been sleeping better. He is getting another tooth so he is a bit cranky. I was able to work-out, get ready for work, eat breakfast without being disturbed. It's great.

Here we go again..

I thought by now I would get this sleeping thing on track. We were doing great, until after he weaned. He wakes up at 5am (usually 4:30ish) and is awake. He would then crash at 8:30. My wonderful friends from small group gave me some encouraging advice. I am so glad I have friends who tell me what I need to hear. I decided to gradually get him used to not getting out of his crib until 6:30am. First stage: He is staying in his room until 5:30am. So, on Tuesday night and I turned off the baby monitor in our room. He woke up at 4am. He cried until 5 and then fell back asleep. He woke up again at 5:30 so I took him into my room so I could sleep a little longer. Well, we slept until 9am.
It is now 6:10am and he has not made a noise yet. I hope he keeps this up. I would like to get up and work out in the morning but I need to get him used to his new schedule first.

We are going camping tomorrow. I am very excited. I love camping and this is Caleb's first overnight camping trip. It's going to be a blast!

Blessings!

I got a raise at work yesterday!! I was shocked because I thought it was never going to happen. I get paid directly from my boss's paycheck so I never thought he would decide to give up more money. Michael and I have been struggling financially lately but it seems like things are starting to turn around. Michael is getting a new contract and he is getting a raise with that. We started tithing a couple of months ago. I have felt tempted a few times to not tithe the full amount that we are called to do because of the bank account. However, we have been faithful and I feel like God is providing for us. I hope very soon that we can start paying off our credit cards. I would LOVE to have no credit card debt by the end of this year.

My sleep monster

I seriously believe my sweet little boy is working for the government to do sleep deprivation torture on unsuspecting civilians. This kid will only do short 30 minute cat naps in his crib about twice a day. However if you hold him he will sleep a little bit longer. The past couple of night he has been getting up almost every hour standing up in his crib screaming. It is a little funny at first but the humor quickly goes away at 3 am.

I have tried everything. I am not a fan of the "cry it out" method but I have done Ferber with some success. I blame myself for this little monster I created. Let's be honest, I HATE hearing him cry. The first few nights of doing the Ferber method were torture. I didn't get any sleep which made me question why I was doing it in the first place. The reason why I am doing this is so I can get sleep right? I would always make an excuse why I needed to pick up my boy. I would say, "Well, he is teething so he needs a little extra TLC." or "He is sick". When I mean "sick" i am talking about maybe a stuffy nose.

The Ferber worked ok for a while until one of my excuses came up. Then I would go back to rocking him back to sleep. Don't get me wrong, I love rocking him to sleep. I know that soon he won't want me to hold him. I know that is the reason for his lack of sleep. He likes to be held when its time for bed. I just don't know what to do. I know he needs to learn to soothe himself but its hard when he is standing up in his crib screaming for any period of time. He calms down after i hold him and he will go back to sleep but if I put him down, he screams again.

Michael and I no longer take night shifts because it is impossible for 1 person to take over 1 night and still be able to get up in the morning to go to work. I am probably going to try Ferber again. I know I can't keep going on 2 hours of sleep forever.

9 months

Yep, Caleb had his 9 month check-up today. He is currently weighing in at 22.1 lbs (75 %tile) and is 29.5 inches tall (75 %tile). The doctor couldn't give me a reason why he was having a hard time sleeping through the night. He said it was ok to try sleep training again now that his cold is almost gone. I hope that it won't take him as long to get it as last time. The doctor did suggest filling his bottle with water and leaving it in the crib for him so he can get a drink in the middle in the night if he is thirsty. We also got the OK for finger foods! Yay!

The though that my little boy will be turning one soon scares me. I now have to start his party planning really soon. I am glad that he is growing up to be a strong, independent little man but, i am sad that he won't be a baby anymore. Turning one is a HUGE milestone and part of me is so excited for the next chapter but then I am upset that he will no longer be a baby. He is growing so fast and I just can't keep up. I just want time to slow down just a little bit so I can enjoy this just a little bit longer.

It's been a while..

Wow, I am a horrible blogger. Maybe my life is boring.. or I am just too lazy.

Caleb is doing great. I can't believe that he is almost 9 months. He is growing so much right before our eyes. He is at that stage where he wants to crawl, climb and pulling up on everything. It's exciting to see his independence. I'll admit that sometimes I miss the days that he would lay in my arms and sleep. We seem to be running low on sleep the past couple of days.. err... weeks. He is waking up every 45 minutes screaming! I have no idea why. At first I thought he was teething so I gave him Tylenol, then switched to Motrin when that didn't work. He is not sick or anything so I have no idea why he is doing this. My mother- in-law suggested that maybe he is getting too cold at night. So tonight we are going to put a space heater in his room to see if that helps. He is great during the day but nights are horrible. His naps during the day seem to be shorter. Michael and I are both sleep deprived and it's getting to the point where I am useless. Caleb has a doctors appointment next Wednesday so this will definitely be discussed.

Lately our church has been focusing on adoption/foster parenting. It has really tugged on my heart. I find myself in tears during the sermon. I know that this is in our future, but when? I really want to start the process now. I know that sounds crazy but the feeling in my heart is so strong. It is probably because it is what our study is about. Michael wants to wait until we have our next child and when they are both old enough to understand what is going on. Then the questions is, do we adopt or become foster parents? I honestly have no idea. I can see the pros and cons from each side but what does God want?

I have been off of work for almost a week. I do not want to go back. I loved staying at home with Caleb. I go back to the grind tomorrow and I am dreading it.

Have a great night!

One year ago today..

I got this:
Which lead to this:

Which ended up as this:
I love you my sweet Caleb. Time has flown by to fast. I cherish every moment I have with you.