A new kind of normal

Our couples bible study was made up of 8 couples; 5 of us were pregnant. Because of this we decided to bring each prego frozen meals at the last bible study prior to their due date. It was decided this was easier then trying to orchestrate taking meals to 5 couples, especially since 3 of us were due in a 1 month span. This was such a blessing. It was so nice to be able to pull a meal out of the freezer, thaw and throw in the oven.

One of our meals was meatloaf. I tell you all of this because tonight as I was making meatloaf for the first time since Lyla was born I starting thinking, "it is so nice to have life back to normal." Then I stopped. Wait, back to normal? Four months ago normal was without a baby. A normal day did not revolve around feedings, poopy diapers, nap time and play time.

However, life is a new kind of normal. A wonderful kind of normal. A normal that is better than anything I could have ever imagined. "Normal" means Lyla does not have to be held every waking moment. "Normal" means that I can leave Lyla to play on her blanket or put her in her swing for a nap and make dinner. This new normal is the best normal in the world.

So here's to you Lyla and the new kind of normal. Thank you for making my normal so much better than I could have ever expected. Thank you for your smiles, coos and laughter that brighten my day and bring joy to our house.

Sixth Sense

Why is it that whenever I have to get up to an alarm I have a hard time sleeping at night? I woke up this morning at 4:10AM. No big deal, I usually fall right back to sleep. But for whatever reason I kept seeing images from the movie the Sixth Sense. I don't know why. I haven't watched the movie in years, but every time I closed my eyes I saw images of the movie which of course freaked me out. I was afraid of falling back asleep because I didn't want to have dreams about it. I kept trying to think of other things, but nothing worked. So after 30 minutes of lying in bed trying not to think about the movie, I decided to get up and get my laptop. If I watch a happy movie online then maybe I can fall back to sleep. Might have worked had Lyla not woken up at 5:45. So here I am, almost 7:00AM and we are both still awake. So much for going to the gym this morning. As soon as she goes back down I am hitting the hay!

Honestly

So my friend Clarissa challenged me to do this. 10 things you might not know about me. Okay, well everyone who knows me knows I'm a control freak. So, I figure instead of making that one of my 10, I'll break down what makes me a control freak.

1. I am a clean, neat and tidy, everything has to have it's place kind of a gal. I can't leave my office without straightening my desk. I also dust and vacuum the office about once a week or so. The bed must be made every day and I could never leave the house without everything being put away. There is nothing like walking into a clean and straightened house. In fact our old couch had throw pillows that I would have to put back in there place before I walked out the door. This drove Andy crazy, so when we bought our new couch about 2 years ago he made sure that they did not have throw pillows. Smart Man!

2. I can't stand chipped nail or toe nail polish. I never paint my nails because the polish wears off or chips too quickly. I clip, file and paint my toe nails every two weeks; even in the winter. My girls and co-workers know this about me and have told me on several occasions that they painted their toes the night before because they knew I would see their feet and say something. I keep nail polish in the office in case anyone needs it. :)

3. I must get a least 7 hours of sleep at night. Anything less and I become cranky and don't function as well. This means on school nights I go to bed at 9:30. This use to drive Andy crazy. He would always ask why I wouldn't stay up with him. I would rebuttal with, are you going to get up at 5:00AM with me? Ha. He now just gives me the count down. "Hunny, it's 9:15, you have 15 minutes."

4. I must have a diet, caffeinated drink every day. Normally, I am controlled enough to only have 1 can a day. At work it is usually around 9:30AM to keep me full until lunch time. (Eating breakfast at 5:30AM and not having lunch until 12:30 is a long way to go.)

5.I don't like change. I hate when administrators leave to take other jobs, or when my students move on to college. I like my routines and don't like for them to be tampered with. This means I'm not very good at spontaneity either. Ask Andy...planning is the spice of life.

6. I hardly go anywhere without make up on. I don't know if this comes from years of dancing when you show up with make up on even to practice, or if it's from my mom's friend Chrie who make me this way. But as my friend Tessa says, "It just makes you feel better to have a little make up on."

7. Bras and panties must match! Yes, everyone thinks I'm crazy, but there is nothing better than knowing that you are matching under your clothes. You might ask, "who will see them?" And the answer is probably no one, but it just makes me feel good. Besides, you never know when you'll be in a wreck and they have to cut your clothes off. If I'm ever in that situation the EMTs will be so impressed to see that I coordinate. Again, I got this habit from my mom's friend Chrie. (Since I have mentioned her twice, I might want to tell you who she is. We lived in our first house until I was 7. Chrie was the next door neighbor who was a very close family friend. My mom is a go with the flow, if you don't like your hair cut it will grow back, and quick and easy is best. My mom will go shopping at the mall wih no make-up on. Chrie is the exact opposite. I never saw her not completely put together. She did nails out of her house and use to give me manicures. When I told her it hurt she replied, "beauty is painful." She taught me that thongs are the best because panty lines aren't pretty. That even if a shoe doesn't come in your size, if it's cute, by it anyways. I sometimes believe she is really my mom because we are so much a like. Honestly though, I was just a sponge soaking up all of her wisdom."

8. I do not have a compassionate bone in my body. You might think I'm kidding. I'm not. Ask Andy, or my students. I can cut you down to the ground without a second thought. I don't have the time or patience for tears at my practice. But on the flip side my girls know they can come into my office and tell me anything. I will listen and give them my advice. I can also cry at the drop of the hat.

9. I don't have patience for people who don't have it together. I have always had a plan. I knew where I wanted to go to school, what I wanted to major in. When I wanted to get married, when I wanted to have a baby (and I got pregnant when I said I would). I live by the book (the book I wrote). I don't understand people who are older than me and still can't get it together. I don't get why someone who is 30 years old would still prefer to live home rather than get their life together. People always say, "what will you do if your daughter is just like you?" My fear is what if she's not? I won't even understand her.

10. I'm a daddy's girl, but my mom is my very best friend. I usually don't go a day without talking to my mom. She is my confidant. She gives me advice, and doesn't always side with me when I tell her about an argument Andy and I have had. Her best advice, "do you want to be happy, or do you want to be right?" My answer, "both!" Just kidding. I get what she is saying. My dad will come to my rescue at any time. Whether it's to bring me a bra at school, come hang frames at my house, or take time off work to watch Lyla so mom and I can go to the pool; he is my hero! Both my parents are wonderful and loving. They go to every football game and cheer me on every step of the way. I am who I am because of and sometimes in spite of them. (Neither of my parents are control freaks or cleaning fanatics. They are way too laid back, but love me any ways).

So that's me. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'm not perfect, I'm just Aubrey. I might be a bit over bearing and hard to live with but my house will always be clean. I am thankful that God gives me opposites. My husband has taught me to be more laid back and spontaneous and my parents show me how to love without boundaries. And Lyla is teaching me that life comes without rule books, you just have to follow your heart. She has also forced my heart to grow in ways I could have never imagined.

I pass this on to the following:
- Gabi because you are just like me
- Nicole because I know you'll do it
- Tessa because you're my bestie

I'll sleep when I'm good and ready

I bought a onesie for Lyla (before we knew she was a Lyla) that had this quote, "I'll sleep when I'm good and ready". I had forgotten about the onesie because is was a 3 month. I just recently pulled it out and had to laugh thinking about buying it and how Lyla has been such a good sleeper. Well, up until 2 nights ago.

Lyla has been sleeping really well at night. She usually goes down around 10:00-10:30 and sleeps until about 7:00-7:30. Thankfully she was so great while Andy was at choir camp and I was holding down the fort solo. Two nights ago everything changed. We put her down, she was good for about 15 minutes and then started screaming. Let me just pause to say that I always thought I would be the tough parent. Let her cry, she'll learn. Well, that was until I heard my sweet baby screaming in her crib. Andy held strong and said we have to let her cry herself to sleep. Sleep finally came around 11:30. She did the same thing last night as well. I even went in and gave her another bottle (while she was still in her crib) thinking she needed a little more in her tummy. That kept her calm for about 10 minutes before the screaming started again. I don't know what her deal is? We have started taking away the swaddle because she wasn't needing it. She kicks and pushes out of it and sometimes get frustrated when we put her in it. She is really using her hands and thumb as a soothing device as much as she is using her pacifier, so I hate to take her hands away from her. She had been doing so good without the swaddle. Now I'm not sure what is going on. I'm hoping this is just a phase and she will get over it quickly. I just want her to get over it by the time I go back to work.

I told Andy last night maybe we should start putting her down earlier if we are having this much trouble with her getting to sleep. Because even though she isn't falling asleep until 11:30, she is still waking up around 7:30. In fact, both night she woke up around 5:00. The first night I fed her again. Last night, I covered her back up and turned her cd back on and she went right back to sleep. Whenever we think we have something down, Lyla throws us a little curve ball. Ah the joys of parenting.

Three Months Old

Lyla is three months. I can't believe how fast the time goes and how much she is changing. She is getting to be so much fun. Everyone told me that the first 3 months are the hardest. I wouldn't say that was necessarily true with Lyla because she has been such an easy baby, but they do get more fun. I am so thankful that I have been able to be home with her for her first few months of life. She brings so much joy to Andy and I. We love spending time with her and laugh at all her voices.

Some things I want to remember:

- On June 17th Lyla slept through the night (9 hours). About a week later she started making it a habit.
- Lyla loves belly time. She now prefers it to being on her back.
- She moves all around on her blanket when she is on her belly.
- She is grabbing for her toys and holding on to them (especially Lion and Bunny)
- She is putting everything in her mouth. In fact, two days ago she tried to put her friend Grace in her mouth.
- She likes to be an active participant during feedings. She holds on to her bottle and pushes it around which can make keeping the bottle in her mouth quite a struggle for mommy.
- She is talking, laughing and squealing. She gets very serious at times and it makes me wonder what she is telling me.
- On July 15th she rolled from her back to her belly while hanging out in mommy's bed. It took her some work, but she finally pulled that arm out from under her.

Patriotic Swimming

Friday, July 3rd we finally took Lyla swimming for the first time. I love, love, love being at the pool in the summer. I loved swimming, I love laying out, I just love being outside. I want to instill that in Lyla and so I figured the sooner the better. My parents came up and we all took Lyla to the pool. Her first pool experience was very interesting. She didn't not like it, but I'm not sure she liked it. She was very unsure of all the water. She did last about 30 minutes playing with everyone before she had enough. It was so much fun!

Checking out the SPF facts.

Family pool pictures.

1, 2, 3.....

Jump!

Playing with Grammy Tammy and Big Guy.


Saturday my parents and Andy's friend Joel came up for hamburgers and then we drove out to the baseball fields at Boerne High School to watch the fireworks. Our fire department puts on a great show every year. The firework display lasted almost 45 minutes. Lyla was not scared, which was great. I think it was because we were so far away that the big booms weren't too loud. She did fall asleep about half way through.

Lyla and Lion hanging out in the yard, waiting to go watch fireworks.

Patriotic Family!

Pumpin like a rock, Pumpin like a rockstar

As you know, Lyla and I did not have a successful nursing experience. When I gave up on the breastfeeding experience, I took on the expressed milk experience. My goal was and is to still keep Lyla on breast milk even if it comes from a bottle. This means that I must hook my self up to my pump several times a day. I was so worried that I would stop producing milk. Well, let me tell you that is no longer a concern.

I started out pumping every 3-4 hours and was barely pumping enough to get her through. I definitely didn't have any left over to store. This stressed me out because I know we need a lot stored up when I go back to school in the fall. I'm not sure how long I will be able to keep up pumping with my crazy work schedule, so I want a lot stored up to keep her on breast milk even when I am done pumping. So, I just kept pumping away and slowly but surely I started producing more milk.

Then June came and with June comes summer dance camps. I took my pump on the road, but with my busy camp schedule I wasn't able to pump as often. I had to extend it to 5-8 hours. However, I started producing more milk. Instead of averaging 4 ounces a pump session, I started producing around 6-7 ounces.

Now I'm still pumping every 5-8 hours and I'm pumping more milk than I know what to do with. I'm averaging 8-11 ounces. Holy Cow!!! The great thing is I am able to store a ton of milk. You should see our deep freeze. We had to start sectioning of the milk in HEB bags by month so we know which ones to use first. Praise God Andy talked me into purchasing a used deep freeze back in the fall. He thought we would fill it with deer meat. I'm not sure there will be enough room for deer meat come the fall. It is going to be filled to the brim with breast milk.