EricaN's Journal

So, Kynzie is actually teething now.  We've been blaming everything on teething since she was 2 months old, but now I KNOW it's happening.  Her gums have little sharp spots.  So far, her mood has been tolerable, and I've only given her Tylenol twice.  I'm hoping they cut through soon, though!

Our 11 year old neighbor has been coming over to watch Kynzie for a couple hours on the weekends so that I can get some stuff done.  She took a babysitting class, and is so excited to be "babysitting" Kynzie, even though I only give her $5.  Her parents suggested that she does this (while we're home) to get the practice for awhile.  Kynzie LOVES her, and I get a lot done, so it works out great for everyone.  Then, when they're both a little older, we'll have a babysitter that she already knows, and her parents will be right next door in case anything happens.  Its a perfect scenario. 

I've been enjoying my riding lessons once a week, and DH seems to enjoy the alone time with Kynzie.  This week, my lesson was cancelled, and DH was bummed because he had been planning to take Kynzie and the dogs on a hike.  I told him to go anyways, and I enjoyed a short time to myself instead!!

Naps are getting so much better.  Thank you all for helping me get through all of those sleepless days, and the issues I had with trying to get her down.  Ever since she started going to the sitter, her naps have been getting longer.  She sleeps 1.5-3 hours for the sitter, and her naps for me average 1.5 hours.  Now she's down to 3 descent naps a day, and she's a much happier kiddo since she's well rested.  In turn, she has a much happier mommy as well!!

Life's been going fairly well.  Kynzie and I have settled into our new work/sitter routine fairly well.  It hasn't been too stressful at work, so that helps.  Other than drop-offs, Kynzie is staying happy and well-rested at the sitter's.  Most of her naps for me are still short, but she did sleep almost 3 hours on Wednesday, and I thought I was dreaming!! 

She started pulling herself up on Sunday, and I caught her standing in her crib yesterday.  We'll need to put it down another notch very soon.  She can also crawl circles around the house without tiring.  I can't believe she's growing up so fast!!

My horseback riding lessons have been great so far.  I feel like I'm following a dream, and it's so much fun!

The only bad news is that once again we are in financial hell.  We have to do a $3500 repair on our chimney before winter, and we just had to pay for a $2200 transmission rebuild on our SUV.  We had finally paid off our credit card debt, and now we'll have it all back again.  I'm so tired of living paycheck to paycheck.  I wonder if we'll ever get on our feet.  Grrr. 

One of my DS friends, LDosch is being affected by IKE.  She is PG with twins who should be arriving in 4 weeks or so, and she had to evacuate her town, which is now underwater.  No word on her house yet.  PLEASE keep her and the babies in your thoughts...

Just thought I'd write while I have the chance.  Kynzie is napping, and has been for almost 1.5 hours.  This is a world record for home naps!  She napped over an hour this morning as well!  The sitter has been getting her down for anywhere between 1 and 3 hours at a time.  I'm hoping this will seep into home life as well, and if today is any indication, maybe it has. 

I've been surviving the work scene.  We have a new executive director that is really making some changes.  It's all for the better, and I'm very excited about the future, but change is always difficult at first.  I miss McKynzie a lot during the day, but am grateful that I never have to worry about the quality of her care.  She has had her ups and downs at the sitters.  It seems like the first bottle of the day is always a struggle, and she wants to be near an adult at all times, but she seems to be adjusting fairly well. 

She is becoming quite an accomplished crawler.  I really have to keep my eyes on her, because she likes to get into trouble.  She has not yet figured out that her head leads her body, and has several red bumps on her head from crawling right into furniture and walls! 

I am very excited to be starting horseback riding lessons tonight.  I have always loved horses.  My Grandad trained thouroughbreds for racing, and I feel like riding is in my blood, but I haven't done any riding since I was very young.  Lately, I've just felt the need to do it.  So, wish me luck!