The Escandon's Family Blog

Saturday morning we all got out of bed and decided at the very last minute possible to go to mass and then to the pumpkin farm to pick out pumpkins and take a family photo. Actually, we were planning on going to mass in the morning and had planned to take the family photos the week before but got busy working on the back yard. So, we got all dolled up and scurried out of the house just in time to make it to mass.

After mass was over at about 9:45 we headed to the pumpkin farm in Wine Country. We quickly found a nice spot to take our photo. Paul took some test shots...

I have no idea what was so interesting over there.


Or what was so disgusting down there.


Whatever it was both girls got a look and didn't like it either.


This is typical. Clare's mischivious grin and Lucy's "What 'cha looking at face". I love test shots, don't you?


This is what we finally came up with.


I am very pleased with the way the photo turned out. I just love the bright blue sky and green grapevines in the background. The colors go well with the brightness of the pumpkins. I had the girls wearing coordinating outfits and they looked adorable. Clare had a great time checking out all the pumpkins and rolling around in the hay. This was her first time to the pumpkin farm. Last year we were out of state visiting friends so we didn't do the whole pumpkin thing. The "farm" also had pig races, a corn maze, petting zoo, pony rides, and a train ride. We decided to forgo all the paid attractions and we were better off. Clare had enough fun watching the pigs and running around the farm and through the corn maze.






Notice the hay on her bum.


She's looking for just the right pumpkin...

Are you in there???


Found it!


Truth be told this isn't the pumpkin she picked out. In fact, she didn't pick out any pumpkins. I had our pumpkins all pick out and ready to go in our wagon. It was already 11:00am and the sun was blazing hot (it was nearly 100 degrees that day). I was ready to GO HOME.

Tonight we got around to carving said pumpkins.



And ta-da! Paul's is on the far left, mine is to the right, Clare's is in the middle with Lucy's righ next to hers.

Labels: clare, Family Life, halloween, holiday, Lucy Rose, paul, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

We're back by popular demand! I have had TWO, yes, TWO requests to update the blog. Shout out to Brian's grandma ! Lots happening here in the Escandon house the past 4 months! I'll try to keep it simple and sweet.

• July 18th at 6:15pm I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Lucy Rose. She is a sweet baby who is adored by her big sister Clare. This photo was taken moments after Lucy's birth.
  

• We had our first successful homebirth, sure not to be the last (birth story to follow)!

• August 21st, 2008 Lucy was baptized.

• On June 20, 2008 (after a very long and nightmarish escrow period) we became homeowners! We just love our new home. Aside from the blazing heat that hits the west side of the house in the afternoon, the house is perfect for our family!
  

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, Lucy Rose, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments

Yesterday we met Paul and his boyfriend John (or is it Jon?) for lunch. My brother came with. We love this place. Lunch is perfect because its half the price of dinner and the portions are a tad smaller... you still get stuffed but its not as much food as dinner time. As it was, we all waddled out of there. This was Clare's first Bonsai experience and I think it freaked her out just a tad.

Labels: clare, Family Life, Friends, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

Nothing makes a Mama more proud than to open the refrigerator door and have your toddler begging you for carrots.

Labels: clare, Family Life, Proud Mama Moments, rachael

Posted by MamaEscandon at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: clare, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: clare, Family Life, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments

Never had breakfast at The Escandon House! Cream of Wheat is the favorite around here. It amazes me how much of this stuff Clare can eat. If I make enough for two (according to package directions), she will eat half. If I make enough just for her, which is one adult size serving, she eats it all up. It is usually accompanied by some sort of fruit, usually fresh. If we don't have fresh, raisins it is. This morning it was fresh blueberries but she had already gobbled them up by the time I found the camera. This bowl is about 1/2 eaten already.


In other events, I am back to blogging, back to emailing, and back to perusing the net. Although, the degree at which I find is necessary has dramatically decreased. I don't have as much interest in message boards, reading all 30 blogs I have on my RSS feed, and visiting myspace/facebook. It certainly helps that my late night internet time has been replaced by another vice. One day Paul showed up with a borrowed season 1 set and I've been hooked ever since, watching up to 4 or 5 episodes a night (we usually keep it at just 3)! I keep trying to convince myself I just need to catch up to season 4. It shouldn't be hard since we are already at season 3. Then there is Dexter, the serial killer I hate to love (also a borrowed box set). Thankfully season 1's story line ended pretty nicely so I am not agonizing over what is going to happen next. We don't get showtime so we are just waiting for season 2 to come out on DVD.

Clare is getting so big! I can hardly believe it. Her language skills are developing but she isn't putting together words to form little sentences yet. She now says outside, bye bye, bowl, dog, wee (this is the word for stairs, slides, swings, and driving around in the car), balloon, and much more. She loves to play outside in her sandbox and in her cozy coupe car I picked up at a garage sale for 3 bucks. I also scored a picnic table on craigslist for free! She just loves to watch Yo Gabba Gabba, and although I try so hard to distract her with other things to do, sometimes I just need a break and need 20 mins to prepare dinner, hang the clothes on the line, or just to breathe I give in and let her watch an episode from our DVR. I admit, I really love watching the show too!

Easter was great! I was Confirmed and I am filled with the Holy Spirit! We spent the day with my Sister in Law and her family. Clare loved her Easter basket (filled with healthy yummy goodness and organic candies) and had a blast looking for Easter Eggs!


We also became Auntie and Uncle to Baby Rosemary Ludmila Teresa! She was born abotu 5 weeks early and has been in NICU while they plump her up. She is otherwise very, very healthy. Thanks be to God! She is the cutes little thing and came into this world at only 3lbs 12 oz. We are also so very proud and honored that her parents chose us to be Rosemary's godparents! It is such a blessing for all of us. I can't wait for her to come home to be with her family.

Speaking of babies... our little bun in the oven is doing just fine, very active. We had an ultra sound about 3 weeks ago. It was our first time with the 3-D and I am dissapointed we didn't have the opportunity to do the same with Clare.

The baby was still really skinny at this time, hardly any fat so she looks a little like an alien baby still. Shh... don't tell I said that. Oh and if you were wondering... its a GIRL! We are so excited and I have to say both Paul and myself really wanted another girl. Makes shopping so much easier! I had a feeling it was going to be another girl from the very beginning, mama knows best I suppose.

Lets see... what else? Oh, we are officially in the market for a new home! God has certainly blessed us in 2007 and we are in a position to find a house we can put some love and sweat into and make it a home. Lucky for us, the market is just right. After about 10am this morning we will have offers on 3 homes. One is a back up, one we are submitting today and one is in the negotiation stages... still. Our agent is a good friend and my old boss... funny how I used to work for him now he's working for me. :o)

I gotta get going for my day. Just thought I'd pop in and update any readers... if you're still there.

Labels: Announcements, Baby Escandon #2, clare, Family Life, pictures, The Three Of Us

Posted by MamaEscandon at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

I know its been quite a while. Not sure if anyone missed us. With my first trimester behind me, I have been spending a lot of time trying to catch up on the housework and chores that have been neglected lately. I plan on taking another hiatus from the computer starting Wednesday of next week and I won't be back until after Easter. So, I wanted to update and what's been going on around here.

Christmas was great. We spent Christmas Eve at my maternal Grandmothers with my side of the family. We had a delicious meal of pozole and tamales. Christmas morning we got up and went to Mass at The Mission, then went to my dad's for the early afternoon. We came home and all crashed for a family nap. Unfortunately, we do not have many photos. We were too busy enjoying our time. Plus, we didn't do any family gifts on Christmas. Both Paul and myself gave in and gave our presents over a week early. I bought him a rain coat he can use when he is filming in the rain, along with some fleece pajama bottoms. And I got an awesome HP laptop! We figure Clare was still to little to get the whole Christmas thing and we haven't decided on what traditions we are going to be celebrating so we just skipped buying her a present (read on... we make up for it). So we didn't have a Christmas morning at the tree. I will share the few photos we do have.





Paul went to the Rose Bowl with his father. Second year in a row, by the way.






The second week in January we took a mini-vacation to Big Bear Mountain. It was Clare's first time in the snow. Sadly, we forgot our camera so we didn't get the best photos. But I got two from my camera phone and a cute video of Clare and Paul sledding. I did try sledding but it was a little bouncy so I didn't want to do it again. I got a couple cute shots of her checking out the snow in her snow suit. She was really cute, she hated being inside the room in the lodge and wanted to be outside the whole time!



Clare is getting so stinkin' big! I can't believe it. She is no longer my baby but my big walking, running, toddler. She helps me all around the house and wants to do everything on her own. Her vocabulary is growing. She can now say baby, uh ooh, & mama (in addition to the words she was saying at Christmas time). She loves stuffed animals and loves to cuddle with them and take the small ones with her everywhere. Funny thing is that I don't care much for them. They are mere dust collectors. But hey, they make her happy and that makes me happy. I love watching her cuddle and kiss the animals. She is such a lover girl. She sees my belly and says "baby" and puts her lips out to kiss it! She loves other children also and wants to give them all love! I know she is just going to be a loving big sister. I can't wait! Here she is helping me rake the leaves in the front yard.



As I said, we made up for Christmas. I had been eying the Radio Flyer walker wagon for a while now... and I fell in love when Clare and I went to visit our friends in Washington (who happen to have one). So one Saturday afternoon we got in the car and drove down to Escondido to my favorite store. I am hooked to that store and we buy every gift for children there. They have a wonderful collection of wooden and classic toys. Just my style. They also carry organic baby and children's clothes, soft shoes, cloth diapers & accessories, baby slings, and so much other awesome stuff! Ok, commercial over. Clare loves her walker wagon. She plays with it more than her other walking toys. She loves to sit in it-even when playing by herself and loves to put her toys and stuffed animals in it and push them around. We took it with us one day when we went to mass so she could play with it afterwards. She and another boy from church had a good time. I blocked out his face because I did not get permission from his mother to post his photo on the internet.

And now there is me. I am currently about 14 weeks pregnant. Now that I am in the second trimester, I have a lot more energy to keep up on my wifely and motherly duties. The house is slowly starting to come together... although all it takes is a blink and Clare destroys or annihilates something. :o) She certainly is keeping me busy. I am being confirmed this Easter and that is exciting for me. I am attending RCIA with other converts to the Faith. So, my Lenten preparation for Easter I will be taking a hiatus from the computer and will be trying to immerse myself in prayer, spiritual reading, and my vocation. I hope to return with a new attitude on life and my Faith.

That's pretty much it for now... Paul's going to Las Vegas this weekend with work so Clare and I will spend the next 5 days or so trying to keep busy. I think a trip to the Wild Animal Park is in order!

Labels: clare, Family Life, holiday, paul, pictures, rachael, The Three Of Us, Thoughts, video

Posted by MamaEscandon at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

Make a photobook - it's easy!

Please excuse our daughter's unruly hair! She won't let me near it with the brush. I tried putting something in it to hold it back and she pulled it out along with a chunk of hair! We had a great Christmas, I just wish we got some more/better photos. We were too busy enjoying ourselves! We went to my Grandmother's for Christmas Eve, went to a beautiful mass at the Mission, then to my Dad's for Christmas day. On Christmas night Paul's Dad came over to exchange gifts. We spent the rest of the time relaxing. Thursday night my sister in law and her bunch came over to hang out and exchange gifts. It was so much fun watching Clare have a good time playing with her cousins! She got to bed really late (almost 11pm) but she had a blast running around with them! Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures. Maybe next time!

Enjoy the picture book!

Labels: clare, Family Life, holiday, paul, pictures, rachael, The Three Of Us

Posted by MamaEscandon at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

Nuff said.

Labels: clare, Family Life, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

If you recall when I wrote this, the whole Cry-it-Out thing just wasn't working. But I couldn't go back. So I decided to try something different.

When I put Clare to sleep I gently forced her onto her tummy. Well, I didn't really force her, just guided her. I stood there with her and rubbed her back until she fell asleep. She went down beautifully! No tears at all! She even stayed laying down. She goes down now so easy and even points to her crib. She doesn't fuss but some nights she takes longer and she likes to chat with me. She babbles and will stand up, kiss me, and lay back down on her stomach. Nights like that I will stay with her for 10 minutes or so then kiss her and walk out. She has yet to object. She also has a new friend. He is a huge elephant that Paul bought for her before she was born. It is as big as she is! She loves to cuddle and snuggle him and usually falls asleep clenching him. We were still having a hard time with naps and I didn't press the issue... but it is starting to be painful for me to nurse so I thought I had to do something since nursing at naps isn't working anymore. I nursed her for a few minutes today and then put her in the crib. She fell asleep in minutes. I am so relieved. I can hear her through the monitor; she is snoring!

Now we just have to work on the weaning thing...

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

My sweet baby has developed an ugly side. When she is upset and not getting her way she does this.



My natural reaction is to laugh. I guess that is better than giving in and letting her have what she wants.

Labels: clare, Family Life, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments

Paul's been very busy all week long and is gone this weekend on a shoot/edit job. We only have 1 car and it rained all day yesterday. Cabin fever anyone? So this morning I packed Clare up and we got on the bike and rose down about 2 miles (very hilly miles) to the farmer's market in old town. I bout some Gouda cheese... from the dairy down the street...and some deliciously sweet Fuji apples. About halfway home Clare decided to take a snooze... you would think she was the one cycling up and down those hills! She just loves to ride on the bike. I can't take her in the garage anymore unless I am prepared to take her on a little ride, even if it is just up the street and back. I feel sorry for her... in about 5 or 6 months I may not be able to get on it!

Labels: clare, Family Life, pictures, rachael

Posted by MamaEscandon at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments

At 15 months old Clare finally started walking. She took her very first steps at around 7pm. So far she's getting the hang of it. Although we didn't give her much practice time since bedtime is usually 7:30-8ish.

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, video

Posted by MamaEscandon at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments

Anyone find it odd that our daughter refuses to walk? In fact, she has skipped that step and goes from a crawl to a climb! I caught her climbing on her kid furniture just a second ago and she has been trying to climb on top of the couch!! I keep saying walking is any day away... but I have been saying that since August. That's about how long she has been walking around furniture.

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, Nonsense

Posted by MamaEscandon at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: clare, Family Life, holiday, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: clare, Family Life, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

It's been a rough couple of nights for Clare with our new sleep routine. For some reason (as well as it was going) we are going completely backwards. She is crying for longer times as if she is dying. She is fed, warm, clean, and pain free. I am at a total loss. She is trying to sleep. But the thing is she has been trying to sleep standing up for the past two nights. Her head lays on the edge of the crib and she tries to nod off. If she would just cry laying down and fall asleep that way it would be just fine and I am sure she would get some decent sleep. I don't think she is sleeping well while standing up. She is VERY noisy. She whimpers and lets out a cry about every 90 seconds or so. I just know she is trying to sleep comfortably while standing. Which, isn't going to happen. I don't know what to do anymore. I went to check on her tonight about an hour after she stopped crying and I caught her standing again with her head on the end of the crib and eyes closed. She woke up immediately. I picked her up and nursed her. I sat in my rocker and cried... I am upset that we have these problems, that I have to put her through crying it out, and that nothing we have tried (even the most gentle of approaches) has worked. I feel like there is no end in sight, and wonder why it hasn't gotten easier like everyone said it is supposed to! I am fearful at the possibility of having to go back to the way things were and trying to lay still for 12 hours a night to nurse her while being 6,7, or 8 months pregnant. I like having free time at night to catch up on housework, spend time with Paul, and just surf the net if I want (something that is near impossible with her around).

I feel hopeless... I suppose the next thing we can try is weaning. I was hoping to have at least 3 months of nursing left in us. But how can I wean her when all she wants to do is nurse all night long and won't get any sleep unless she does?

Arrrg. I wish there was an easy answer.

....

Oh, and I don't mean that I just love to surf the net and ignore my daughter. I do have legitimate things I have to do online. For example: pay my bills, keep track of our budget (which I am behind a good 4 months), and things of similar nature. These are the things that are most important... but I will admit, I do love catching up with friends online via email or catching up on my favorite blogs.

Labels: clare, Family Life, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments

I am frustrated and exhausted today. Clare was doing so well sleeping in the crib. I started earlier in the week putting her in the crib at nap times. I figure with the new baby coming we really have to get a handle on her sleep and I just don't have the time to sleep with her for 2 hours every day for a nap (as much as I really would love to). Today is Saturday and I left Clare with Paul so I could go to the "gym". Well, I got in the car and realized that alone, with no baby in tow, I could get a lot more done errand wise. So I went to Targ*et to buy some diapers, then to Tj*Maxx to get some awesome dinnerware I saw earlier in the week (more on that later), went by Time Warner to return a modem from our first apartment (nearly 2 years ago), then to the dry cleaners to pick up Paul's suit coat and a sweater that I dropped off to have cleaned in July. It was on their "inventory"rack. By the time I was done with all of the running around town, it was lunch time and I had to get home to make sure Paul had enough time to get ready for a wedding he is doing tonight and I had to get Clare down for her nap. I realize our routine was waaaay off this morning me being gone. We got through lunch and tried to get Clare down for a nap. Three times. The first time she started screaming as if her arm fell off or something so I went to check on her. She was fine, but I remembered I didn't changer her diaper. So I got her all cleaned up, nursed again, and back in the crib she went. I decided I was just going to let her cry because I didn't want to confuse her. She cried, and cried, and cried. For almost an hour and a half (towards the end it was intermittent). I gave in. I swooped her up and we laid down in the bed and nursed. She was out in less than 30 seconds. So there I lay for hours for her to nap watching the only movie on TV (which happened to be one of the worst J-Lo movies EVER). I snoozed off for about 20 mins. I woke Clare up at 5 and she has been a cranky baby all evening. We played and I made some dinner, we ate, played some more, and it was time for bed. She's not going down easy. Not at all. We nurse in the rocker and she starts falling asleep. I stand up and hold her. She squeezes me tight with her arms around my body, puts her head on my shoulder "Don't leave me mama". I can feel her begging. It makes me sad. I start to pull away and she looks at me and kisses me twice right on the lips and gives me one more squeeze. Brakes my heart. But I can't go back. If I go back to the way it was we are going to have to start at day 1 all over again. I am also beginning to enjoy my evenings alone and free. It is now 7:47pm. I laid her down in her crib 15 minutes ago and she is still fussing. This is the longest she has cried since our first night. I feel like a horrible mother and as if my daughter is giving up on me. This is for the best though. I know she is OK up there. She is clean, fed, and I am pretty sure she isn't in any pain (I can only imagine it would be teething but I did give her some pain meds earlier today and it didn't help with her nap). I plus, she can sleep just fine with me. We only have 9 more months to get her sleeping at least a little more independently. I know a lot can happen in 9 months but sometimes I fear I will still be dealing with Clare and her sleep issues along with a newborn. I'd be a walking zombie! Oye... she's screaming again.

Labels: clare, Family Life, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 7:31 PM | Permalink | Comments

I thought I'd catch up a little here with what you missed this summer. I have been told recently that we actually have a number of readers! Yipppeeeeeee!

We went camping at a local campground this summer with my cousin Lisa, her boyfriend Greg, and friend Mary Carmen. We had a lot of fun... even though we were one of the few groups at the campground. We went camping at the La Jolla Indian Reservation. My cousin and I grew up camping there almost every year of our childhood. I remember it being a real "party" campground. It is owned & operated by the Native Americans on the La Jolla Reservation. The San Louis Rey river runs right through it and you can camp right on the water. The campground has inner tube rentals and you can start at the top and ride down the river on the tubes. Its a blast! Well, our trip was a little late in the season (after labor day even) so the water district closed off the water which left the river bone dry. We didn't know until the week of our planned trip but decided to go anyway. We had a great time. Although the tent we borrowed from my parents was missing some pieces so Mary Carmen kindly gave up her tent and bunked with Lisa and Greg. She is a brave women... after all we did have baked beans for dinner! Clare did really well sleeping in the tent and hanging round the campground. She just loved playing in the dirt! We played card games and sat around the campfire making smores. It was actually really nice having some piece and quiet.

Sadly, the recent fires here (Poomocha Fire) ravaged the La Jolla Reservation and I am unsure whether or not the campground was destroyed. There is no information on the website. If the campground survived, we plan on camping next summer a little earlier in the season to enjoy the water!

Labels: clare, Family Life, paul, pictures, rachael, The Three Of Us

Posted by MamaEscandon at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

Sunday night I was itching to get out of the house. Paul had a good idea of taking Clare to one of those pottery places where you paint the pottery they have in house. When you're finished painting they fire it in the kiln for you. It takes about a week so we won't get ours back until Sunday. I wanted to share our photos. Clare had a good time eating the paint! We made two mugs. One for Paul and one for Grandpa (who just had a birthday).

Labels: clare, Family Life, pictures, rachael

Posted by MamaEscandon at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

Yes, to all our readers... We are back! After taking a couple months to think about it (and an inspiring trip to Washington State) we finally decided to put Clare in the crib to cry it out. It was time and I have been "feeling" like it was the right time. 2 or 3 months ago I wasn't ready. This time I was. Call it mother's intuition, or the fact that I was going to bed at 8pm with my daughter while on a visit with a friend... but I'd like to think it was The Holy Spirit guiding me and telling me it was time to let it go and let my daughter sleep in her crib with out me.

I simply copied what my friend Ellie practices with her children. I like it because it lets the babe know its time for bed and I can still co-sleep. It was so easy (more confirmation for me that it was the right time). I nursed her in the rocker and just put her in the crib. She cried for only 15 minutes the first night, 20 seconds the second night, stopped before I got down my stairs the 3rd night and tonight I didn't even get a chance to close the door. She is in our room so she has been waking up when we come to bed. So we just grab her and bring her in with us and so far it hasn't had any affect on the next night.

I miss her at night but I am also relieved a little because I have some free time to do laundry, clean up, work on special projects, and spend time with Paul.

That said, I am going to have some more opportunity to post photos and updates with our family. Stay tuned!

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments

Clare's Aunt gave her a wooden train for her birthday and Clare loves it. She is really good at taking the pieces off and putting them back on the train. When she encounters a problem she takes it apart and tries again!

An exhibit:

Labels: clare, Family Life, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

When I was writing this, I was waiting for Paul to finish putting Clare to bed and come downstairs to watch a movie with me. After about 40 minutes I went to check on him. This is how I found them both:



She slept for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT! Then woke up looking for Mama. We have been having a tiny problem lately though. When she wakes up we go in to put her back to sleep and the past couple of nights our roommate's dog (a lab mix) has been barking. He is a very well behaved dog and usually doesn't make a peep. But because we have been coming in and out of the room at night, he sees us and barks. Its just a couple of barks and he doesn't go on and on, so that's good. But even just 1 or 2 barks wakes up Clare and I think it scares her because it is after being woken up by barks she refuses to go back in the crib. I am hoping that as the dog gets to know us a little more he will stop barking at us. I try to play with him during the day but he isn't very excited about me and especially Clare! :o) I think I might have to continue to camp out in the room until Clare starts sleeping longer stretches on nights Jared and the dog are home and inside the house.

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

The answer is no. We had a run of some good nights of 3 hours of sleep at a time but it didn't last long. The first night when I went upstairs to check on Paul and Clare she was alseep in his arms. He laid her down and she slept for 2 or 3 hours or so. I think once this week she went back asleep with out needing to be picked up. I just rubbed her tummy and hummed her back to sleep. We decided that putting her to sleep in the crib drowsy or semi-asleep after holding her would be more gentle than just laying her in there wide awake. The combination of anticipating her first birthday and her party and the transition really was exhausting me. I didn't sleep much Wednesday-Saturday. I kept thinking about her alone in the crib and I was missing her. You see, it isn't the co-sleeping that bothers us. We really enjoy co-sleeping... its the having no life and going to bed at 7:30pm that is bothersome. Even though Clare is an all night nurser, I never awaken from it anymore. She can easily find the breast, latch on, and just fall back asleep with out me ever waking up. I haven't felt as sleep deprived as I did last week since she was a newborn. So in a desperate attempt for some sleep... I just would bring her to bed with me once I was ready and she woke up. It worked OK. Until last night. I just threw in the towel. I put her in the bed drowsy and she looked as if she was going to sleep, which lasted maybe 60 seconds, then she woke up, rolled on her belly, got on all fours, and then on her knees and started bouncing. So, I picked her up and tried to lull her to sleep again. Then I put her back in the bed. I did this a total of 3 times. Paul tried to put her to sleep also and that didn't work either. So, I just brought her into the bed.

Tonight Paul got her to sleep. She has been asleep for maybe 20 mins. We'll see how it lasts. I am still a little conflicted about this whole thing, but I know in the long run its the best thing to do. I am slightly concerned about how it is effecting her. Since we have began this last week she has become more clingy to me and won't let me out of her sight. She won't even let me put her on the floor in the morning when I am trying to get out of bed and make it. I can't sit on the couch, I have to sit on the floor with her. She used to be a very friendly baby and wouldn't mind being held by just about anyone. Now she doesn't even want my mom to hold her! The only change that I can think of is this sleep thing. It was making me feel really bad last night. But I think if we are just really persistent about this is the way things are going to be and she knows she is taken care of just fine during the day, then things will just work themselves out. Eventually she will quit waking up... right? Maybe when she stops nursing all together? As long as she knows she needs to go in for the first chunk of the night. I would love also for her to be able to just lay in my bed in the morning for at least an hour or so... as it is, she is still nursing a lot once she comes to the bed. I can't get up with out her waking up even if she hasn't had enough sleep.

For now, I guess I will just go with the flow... see how this works out and pray that she gets the point! If any of you moms have any advice, I am sure happy to take it!

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 8:38 PM | Permalink | Comments

And just about anything else she can shimmy too.



Notice at the end when the song changes Clare looks at the screen like "What happened"?

Labels: clare, Family Life, video

Posted by MamaEscandon at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments

For Clare to be in her own bed. We have been co-sleeping since she came home from the hospital. I have really enjoyed it and I will definitely miss our midnight cuddles. But, it is just become too draining for our family and after 12 months we are ready for some change. Its not easy. She isn't happy about it at all. I guess I wouldn't be either. She has had the best seat in the house. Her favorite food and comfort has been available to her all night and she has a warm cuddly body to lay next to. Now, she has a cold cage to sleep in. Tonight is night one of trying to get her in the crib. We have carefully decided that this is the right time and we, I mean she no longer needs our all night nursing marathons. She does fall asleep with out nursing and doesn't need to nurse to sleep, given the right situation of course.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to be able to continue to co-sleep. Maybe we will go back once Clare is sleeping through the night and night-weaned. I hope so anyway. This is probably just as hard for me as it is for her. But, I need to reclaim my life back and my marriage! Night after night I go into our bedroom with Clare and zone out in front of the boob tube until I fall sleep. Usually Paul is in a different room in the other side of the house. Sometimes we go 3 hours or more with out even seeing each other. Sad really, our couple time has really diminished. I really look forward to being able to just sit and watch an entire movie together again. Or maybe.. gasp... so out to see a late night flick! I also can't wait to get some exercise back into my routine.

So we started off our night routine with a bath, pjs, story time, a lullaby, and nursing. Then we put her in the crib. Paul and I took breaks laying our hands on her and trying to comfort her and let her know we were there. So, thats where I left them. He is upstairs with her and I told him I would be back in 15 mins... its been more like 25.

I'll let you know how it goes. Afterall, I should have plenty of time to blog!

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, rachael, The Three Of Us

Posted by MamaEscandon at 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments

Clare had her first brownie today... I think she liked it.





Daddy thought Clare would be yummy with a dollip of whip cream on her head!

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments

I know Clare is mimicking sounds but I believe she is really trying to communicate and "talk"! She has variations of Daddy, Dadda, Dad, etc. In the morning she wakes up, takes one look at her Daddy lying in the bed and starts saying "Daddaddadda" or "daaaaaaaaadieee" (high pitched voice) while trying to climb on him and grab his nose to wake him up. She also says this when he comes home for lunch and when she sees him. She says "mehm mehm mehm", usually when she is cranky and upset, wants to nurse, or just wants her mama! Her new "word" is puppy. It sounds more like peh-peh. Our roommate Jared has a big dog, not exactly a puppy. But when I see it, I say look at the puppy. And she says peh-peh. Clare likes him. A lot. She hasn't gotten close enough to poke an eye or pull an ear off... but thats mostly because he is scared of her. He isn't too sure what to think about this tiny person that screams and giggles at him! He comes to peak in the back door in the kitchen in the mornings when she is sitting in her highchair and she talks to him through the glass door. He is an extremely gentle and mellow dog. Hopefully he warms up to her as she gets a little older.

My little Clare Bear is a lover of life! She just loves to look at and talk to all of God's beautiful creatures.

Labels: Announcements, clare

Posted by MamaEscandon at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments

I'm not going to name the truck... unless I get a hefty compensation check from F*ord.


But my dad has one of these and we borrowed it to go pick some stuff in a storage unit about an hour away. Clare slept the entire ride there, the entire time we spent emptying the unit and putting everything in the truck, and about halfway home! I left the truck on while we were loading in and she slept through all the commotion!

Its too bad my dad isn't parting with his $50,000 truck anytime soon.

Labels: clare, Nonsense, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

I caught her trying to get into my closet.... OK so she actually got into my closet.

Labels: clare, Family Life, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

My sweet baby Clare has finally started crawling! And she is getting into everything! Here I am putting the nice crisp clean sheets on my bed and she is getting into our laundry basket with all of our lonely singleton socks. Apologies for the photo quality, I took it with the camera on our computer.

She started crawling the day before yesterday. It is somewhat of a relief because she can entertain herself for longer periods of time and I can finally get to cleaning the bathrooms (I don't like to clean them with her around with all those yucky chemicals- I am slowly working on all natural cleansers). However, she really likes to play with everything she isn't supposed to be playing with. Despite the mounds of toys she has! For now, she is enjoying the socks and hangers!

I know I always say this, but more post to come!

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, pictures, rachael

Posted by MamaEscandon at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments