So Tired... again

I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm so tired!! Levi has been sleeping terribly recently and I am just not able to catch up when the weekends roll around. I guess that is the problem with doing the bathroom remodel right now because our house is nice and noisy on the weekends. It is so hard to find the solution to get him to sleep. Yes, we have tried everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. You name it- We have tried it. I'm not sure how Jason is functioning as well as he is. Oh wait, he doesn't have to entertain 22 2nd graders all day long on 4-5 hours of sleep. Ugh. I told him I am going to NEED a nap today, so hopefully he gets enough done in the bathroom to give me some time to sleep and not worry about the baby.

Other than that we are all doing really well. Work is going just fine for both of us. Jason has been doing a lot of trainings recently so he is learning a whole bunch of new stuff, so he is really enjoying that. He is ready to have his security clearance so he can work on real projects, but for right now he is enjoying learning. My kids are getting better with each day and we are all making progress towards being a well-functioning classroom. I am thrilled at how well they are learning Spanish, considering many of them have never heard a word of Spanish in their lives. It is going to be so interesting to see how much they know by the end of the year.

I also need to ask for some prayers for a family friend. They adopted a boy at the same time my parents did and he is threatening to leave to go back to Ukraine. Long story short, his dad is fed up and bought him a plane ticket, but cancelled it when the boy decided to stay for "a little longer." They are living moment by moment through this emotional roller coaster and it is stressful for everyone involved. Thankfully, though all this, my family realized how my brothers feel about going back to Ukraine and they both think it is a completely idiotic idea, which we are really glad to hear. Both of them have talked about going back before, but they both understand how much better their life is going to be here. But this other boy does not have the maturity to see that. Please pray for this family.

Sleep situation and remodel

Our little Levi decided he does not like sleep. At least, he doesn't like it as much as his dad and I do... So, unfortunately for all of us, we have started having he just cry himself to sleep when he wakes up in the middle of the night. We always go in to check on him when he wakes up, and then periodically while he is awake to make sure he isn't stuck up against the side of the crib or anything like that, but we are not picking him up (or feeding him) anymore. His doctor said that after they reach 9 lbs they have enough sugar reserves to be able to last the night and they just get up out of habit. Last night was the 4th night we have done it and so far we are seeing few results. Although, he doesn't just cry uncontrollably. He will cry for a little bit (3 minutes maybe), then whimper for a bit, then is usually back asleep well within 20 minutes of when he woke up. If it was longer than that then we would know something else was going on and we would pick him up and feed him. It is so hard on a mama to hear her baby crying when she knows she can fix it, but at what cost? It isn't good for any of us for him to eat several times at night when we know he doesn't need to. So hopefully we will get into a good routine soon and he will start sleeping longer than 4 hour stretches. It is so hard to be working and not getting much sleep. I know people do it all the time, and I am one of them currently, but I would love to get just a little more sleep at night! We have also started giving him a tiny bit of rice cereal to see if that helps him sleep longer at night. So far no luck, but hopefully soon.

We have started the last remodel project in our house. We are completely redoing our master bathroom now. It is gutted, down to the studs and the concrete, and the rebuilding will start this weekend. I'm so excited to FINALLY have a nice, clean bathroom. The people before us didn't really take care of the bathroom so it was disgusting when we moved in. The drywall was falling apart, there were holes from where mice (?) once lived, the floor was peeling up, there was mildew and possibly mold in the shower, and not to mention it was horribly outdated. It's going to be so much different and I can't wait! We even got a fancy bathtub that has little air bubble holes. They aren't strong like jets, but there is like 100 little holes where heated air can come out and it just stirs the water a little. I think Levi will love it when he gets a little bigger, too.

So there is the most recent update. Thank you, Lord, for the amazing family I have and that, even though I am exhausted, I have such a fantastic blessing that is making me feel that way. Please help me through the day with my second graders!

Must... sleep...

We are severely lacking in the sleep department these days. Levi got sick while Jason was out of town and was up three times a night during that period. Well, he hasn't slept well since then. It is SUPER frustrating to know he isn't hungry but to have to feed him anyway to get him to go back to sleep. We are probably going to just let him cry (with us rubbing his back and trying to soothe him in his bed) and see if we can get it down to just once, or no times, a night. I'm so exhausted, I hope something works quickly because I can't keep this up! It's even more frustrating because he was down to just once a night before he got sick, then I don't know if he got in the habit of waking up or what, but now he is up at least twice, but usually more like 3-4 times each night. Not easy on this working mama! Speaking of, I should head to bed. Here are some recent pictures of our little guy.


"I'm 4 months old today!"

Playing with mommy


Going to work in the garden with dad. (He promptly fell asleep as Jason was watering the garden)

Rolling over

Levi rolled over for the first time this evening!! Unfortunately Jason is in South Carolina for a business trip so he wasn't here to see it. He will see it tomorrow though, and I'm so excited for it! Levi had help twice then did it completely by himself twice, and it was such a strange feeling that I had. I felt so proud, even though I had nothing to do with it. I guess that is what it feels like to be a parent, and what it feels like to be proud of your kids. I loved it. It is so fun to see him reach all his milestones. I know I am not supposed to wish away any of his stages, because he won't be little forever, but it is so much fun seeing him grow and change so much. Hopefully I can get some pictures of him rolling so I can show him off :-)

Memaw

My great-grandmother, Beulah "Memaw," passed away yesterday afternoon. She had been battling some kidney issues for a couple of weeks, and I'm not sure if that is what the major issue was, but she was in a nursing home because her daughter could no longer care for her at her home. At 94 years old she was still living "alone" at her home, and relatively healthy, although she had a lot of back pain from a surgery she had several years ago.

Enough about her physical health... She was so sweet and loved all of her children, grand children, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren so tenderly. I believe she had 8 great great grandchildren, Levi being the youngest. She was a phenomenal baker and made the best pies in Texas. She also made biscuits and chocolate sauce that were amazing! And the very best part about her was her heart for Jesus. She always, as long as I have known her, has exemplified the Christ-centered life and I'm so happy that she is now dancing in Heaven with her husband, both praising Jesus with everything in them. It is such an amazing thought to know that I will see both of them again some day!

I am so blessed to have known my great grandmother. I'm sad that Levi won't get to know her but he will certainly hear stories about her. I love you, Memaw, and I'm glad you are no longer in pain. See you soon!!

Pictures

I was told that I failed to keep my promise of uploading pictures, so here you go, I'm making up for it. These are all within the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Lack of sleep

My little boy has decided he does not want to sleep anymore. Last night, for example, he woke up 6 times between 12:30 and 5:45. You do the math. We are completely exhausted and have no idea what to do to help him stay asleep. He is not hungry and rarely needs anything except to be cuddled and put back down. It is so FRUSTRATING!! This has been going on for the past 3 weeks and I'm at my wit's end. He sleeps great on his tummy during the day and I can get some good naps out of him. But nighttime is a different story. I spent more time praying last night for better sleep than I did actually sleeping. I don't know what else to do. I know some babies sleep well and others don't and there is nothing we can really do about it, but we keep trying new things and NOTHING is working. We've tried swaddling, inclining his bed a little, white noise, different pajamas, fewer blankets, more blankets, bath before bed, no bath before bed, many naps during the day, keeping him awake during the day, etc. ARGH!! I'm so exhausted I can barely think straight, and all that is running through my mind is how I am going back to work in two weeks. It makes me want to cry when I think about it. Please pray for us that we can make it through this and keep our sanity, and that whatever is waking Levi up will sort out and go away so he sleeps better at night.