Angela Lollar

All About Bree...kinda

Well, my "All About Bree" post isn't quite coming together like I had thought it would.  Last Wednesday we had the potential to have a mommy & Bree day with her staying home sick, but unlike Ashely's relatively less annoying pink eye, my baby Bree was home sick with a fever and just needed to sleep.  So we didn't get to have as much face time the way Ashely and I did.  Plus we got a call at 1p that big sissy Ashley was not feeling well and we ended up going in to bring her home, too.

Instead, we're getting our mommy and Bree time a little bit differently.  I've been using the On Becoming Baby Wise concept on sleep and happy baby since it was suggested to me by my sister, and confirmed by my mommy friends, Lynsie and Melissa. (Mel is lucky enough to actually have Dr. Bucknam as her pediatrician!) I know it is very controversial, but it is working WONDERS for us and 90% of the time when I wake my babies in the morning, I am greeted with a laugh and a huge grin.  Plus their temperament throughout the day is happy and playful, Phill and I are able to stay more organized and we ALL have a better idea what to expect each day.

Since the girls were sick last week, they've been a little off on their eating habits and schedule.  Ashley has completely got her appetite back and is eating BETTER than she was before taking 6 oz. at each feeding and she's back to sleeping through the whole night, right on track with Baby Wise.  But Bree is still struggling with taking any more than 5 oz. at any one sitting, which was a bit of a problem before but she was at least sleeping through the night, so I know she can do it. The difference now is that I used to feed them 5 oz. six times a day with the last feeding being 9p.  Now I'm feeding them 6 oz. five times a day with the last feeding at 7p and while Ashley is doing great with the new change, Bree just isn't ready yet to take that extra ounce.

So the mommy and Bree time is coming every morning at 2a when Bree wakes up hungry and needing that extra feeding that Ashley makes up throughout the day.  While Ashley is sleeping away in her crib across the room, Bree and I start out with a little fuss since she cried to wake me up, but once we're settled into our FABULOUS glider chair and nursing that hungry belly, all is good and she stares up at me and we "talk".  After she's done we often have a few extra minutes of time with her smiling at me to say "thank you!" and "I love you, mommy!"

I'll be honest, it's been very frustrating these past few weeks with moving, all three of us being sick - myself STILL congested to a point that I can't breathe - AND not sleeping through the night anymore like we once did, but I'm realizing just like they all say that they are TWO different little people and they will advance and grow differently.  We'll continue with our special mommy and Bree 2a feedings until she's ready to take that next step. So until then, one of my girls is sleeping through the night and the other one is CLOSE to getting back there.  And even though my hair looks a little funky now and I'm not getting as much sleep, we're both giggling the whole way.

Moving OUT and Building UP!

Moving OUT should be self explanatory. The boxes are packed.

Building UP - We should FINALLY be making some real visible progress this weekend in alot of areas.  The email update this morning was that they were pouring the basement today, the lumber pack is being delivered tomorrow and framing should start this weekend. The house will now be taking shape and the hole that I've been staring at for weeks now will start moving UP!  Once the walls go up, I'll feel like we're getting somewhere.

Our current house is packed and ready for the movers this weekend and we'll be saying good-bye to our little house.  It's still a bit surreal for me to believe this is all really happening and I've got alot of mixed emotions about it.  I had a tearful day this past weekend packing up the girls room.  This was the safe place that we created for them.  It was were we first brought them home from the hospital.  I've seen them staring at the walls and noticing the absence of all the monkey's they are used to looking at.  I think they are aware that something is happening and I'm sure they are a little confused by all the sudden changes, but they'll understand soon enough once we're settled in to the new place in a few months.  The monkey's will be back up soon girls, and mommy and daddy are building a NEW safe place just for you!  Just be glad that while you're staying in my old room at Gigi's house that you're not staring at WEED-MEN!  (Shout out there to my sissy. And thank you that I won't be staring at yellow daisies!)

"Sacrifice is giving up something great for something even better."  These were the same words that helped me when I left my condo to move in with my then boyfriend, Phill.  Now HUSBAND Phill and I lean on these same set of words as we leave our home, our friends, our neighborhood and our past and take our really big step towards to our future. We're ready for it!

It's been a great house and served its many purposes over the last eight years.  It was Phill's first home, it was the foundation for his bromance with boy BFF/roommate Aaron, it was where we first lived together and where we were married and brought home our children.  But the new house is going to be where our family grows.  Where we make new friends, where we'll all be taking our first steps in the front door equally and the place all of us will invest in to make it our home.

It's a busy weekend ahead for us, so wish us luck! 

This Never Gets Old!

Waking up every morning at the wee hour of 5:00a to see these two always bright and cheery faces never gets old!  Thanks girls for teaching mommy that mornings can be fun!