Waving My White Flag

Yep, that's right...we gave back the binky. After lots of tears, for me and for Lyla, we decided to surrender to the sleeplessness and give back the pacifier. I gave it all I had (as I am not one to give in easily), but we were not making progress. She never found her fist or thumb to suck on, therefore could not get to sleep except through exhaustion (even when I held and rocked her she was crying because she didn't know how to fall asleep). I kept telling myself that lots of kids don't need to suck to get to sleep, she'll learn after a couple more days...but things were not getting better, they were actually getting worse. Lyla was getting to sleep okay, after rather minimal fussing, but couldn't stay asleep because she was overtired and/or wasn't transitioning through sleep cycles (many of us moms call it the 45 minute intruder). Then the whole process would start over again...adding up to lots of inconsolable crying and tiredness. So, now I am praying that God would continue to light my path in the direction we should go. Do I just continue to play "the binky game" until she has found her hands and has more muscle control in a couple months? Do I play "the binky game" until she can keep it in her mouth better, and replace it herself when it falls out? Maybe I should switch brands of binkies and see if that helps. Ugh! Defeat. I have surrendered to the binky for now, but we'll just have to see who wins this war! (Oh, I should mention that I gave her the binky in the middle of the night, and she slept for six hours last night without me needing to replace it...so maybe she still made some strides toward self soothing during this whole process??)

Lyla Update

So after doing a little posting yesterday, I realized that I didn't even mention my other child!

Lyla is doing fantastic, and growing like a weed! She "talks" nonstop now, and smiles all of the time. However, once she sees the flash of the camera...I can't get her to smile at all. Oh well, use your imaginations! We went and got her two month vaccinations today (yeah, I know, a little late...but I chose to reschedule because of a lingering cold when we were there initially for the two month well child visit). She did spectacular and only cried until I could pick her up. I did give her a little Tylenol before we left, and hopefully she won't be too out of sorts tonight. She is still sleeping about two hours out of every three during the day...and she wakes up to nurse once in the middle of the night. Her cheeks seem to be filling out a little lately, which is always so much fun. I love those rolls - only time in life when they are cute!

Oh! And another big update! We took the binky away yesterday. Man, does it take a lot of resolve to get rid of the plug for all cries, but I know it is for the best. Unfortunately, Lyla did the exact same thing that Evelynn did with the binky. They love the binky, need it to get to sleep, but can't keep it in their mouth once they fall asleep. This means mom has to go in every hour and stick it back in! It makes it impossible for them to learn how to soothe themselves to sleep, which is a must if I ever want a decent night's sleep before she turns 8 months! So, the time had come for Lyla's binky to go back into the drawer. She is doing incredible, and there has only been minimal crying in comparison to Evelynn. This could have to do with the fact that I waited to take Evelynn's until she was nearly five months old...so she was a little more stubborn! Anyway, pray for us! Even though I know this is best, it is still so difficult to know what my baby wants, and not be able to give it to her! Oh, and for those of you who think this is cruel, please don't leave a comment telling me so, this is hard enough as it is. Just remember what Thumper's mom told him, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. =)

For those of you who like the comparison photos - I found one of Evelynn in a similar pose at the same age. Enjoy!

My Sweet Family

When I got home from my usual shopping trip on Sunday afternoon, I was greeted with my Valentine present! Evelynn had picked me out a cute little BumbleBear, and my high school sweetheart made me a bouquet of panties! That's right ladies, he bought some silk flowers, and used rolled up panties for the roses! He says he got the idea from my diaper cake for my baby shower. What a sweetheart!

Evelynn's Sweet Tooth

The back story:

Evelynn helped me use some Cocoa Pebbles cereal to make yummy rice krispies squares a little while back. And then the other day, this is what I found:

Yup! Notice the measuring cup she is using for a spoon. I am guessing that this is because this is the tool she used to measure the cereal when we made the dessert.

Busted!

"I'm eating chocolate!"

"Yes, I see that." Deep breath. 1, 2, 3...

More Doggie Destruction!

Believe it or not, this is all that was left of my poor Kelly Barbie when I found her. Sammy was a VERY BAD DOG!

The Girls' Valentines

Evelynn and Lyla received a package from Grandma and Papa Woods a little while back for Valentine's Day!

Here is Evelynn "reading" her card.

The excitement begins!

Yay! Dinosaurs! Which she immediately lined up and began to name. I believe there is a Nah-nah, George, and even a Chocolate. I can't remember all of their names, but they are certainly creative.

And a Valentine shirt! If you look closely, she also had a homemade Valentine necklace, and Lyla has a book in the background too! Too many fun gifts in that box to name! Thanks Grandma and Papa!

Lyla's 2 month Doctor Visit

For those of you who like to keep up with stats:

We went to the doctor today for Lyla's two month old visit. She still had the sniffles from a recent cold, so I opted out of her vaccinations today, but we did get her checked out while we were there. The doctor said everything was great! She weighed 10 lb. 2 oz. and was 22 1/2 inches tall. I did a little comparing when I got home and Evelynn was the exact same height and weighed a little more at 11 lb. 4 oz. when she was this age.

I knew it would happen sooner or later...

Potato Chips from Scratch

If Brad had more time in his days, he would definitely be the kind of guy who would be constantly exploring culinary crafts. His newest endeavor left all of our palates craving more!

POTATO CHIPS!

The above picture is one of the batches he prepared. In the words of Rachel Ray, YUMMO!

He used a blend of peanut and canola oil (leaving me to borrow some oil from my sweet neighbor to make muffins for Sunday school the next morning, but that's another story) and heated it to around 375 degrees. He used my mandolin slicer and sliced the potatoes directly into the pot (making chips by the term: dirty potato chips) and let them fry for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally - until they were done sizzling.

He then pulled them out and added a little sea salt. We stored ours in a paper bag, and they were good the whole week. I am not sure how long they would last stored in that manner, because chips never last that long at my house!

If you decide to try it, let us know how yours turn out and if you have any tips!

A Few Smiles

Lyla has definitely found her smile!

We have so much fun "talking" back and forth with her as she tries to communicate. We hear lots of "agoo" and gurgles these days! It is so fun to watch little babies come alive before your eyes!

If you are wondering if her hair is always sticking up, the answer is simply, yes.

And as all moms of two or more know, it is nearly impossible to get everyone to look at the camera, let alone with a smile on their face. So, this is as good as I could do for the time being. My girls are truly a gift from above!