Lankford Love

Dear Lilleigh, Just wanted to say that I had a lot of fun with you today! This one nap thing isn't so bad! We had a great outing to the mall this morning to meet up with one of our favorite mommy and baby duos . Normally I'd be worrying about how to schedule such an outing around your nap, but not this morning. You were wide awake and ready for an adventure. You even let me pop in a few stores while we were there! From the mall, we went to the mat room, where we played our hearts out with more of your baby friends (and mommy friends). After that, we came home for lunch and a 2 hour 45 minute nap for you! (Who's counting the minutes?) I got a lot done during this time, so thanks for that. Then Daddy surprised us by coming home early before his church meeting. So we went on a walk and hung out with Daddy, Sammy, and the chickens - and brought some eggs to our neighbors. You walked in circles around a cooler on the sidewalk while we talked to our neighbor across the street. ...

Well we made it through a year of breast feeding! And I've kinda been dragging my feet on weaning. Yesterday I decided to try skipping a feeding, only it didn't work out so smoothly. Apparently there was a clog, so when I had uncontrollable chills last night, I knew I had mastitis. It was four hours of chills, sweating, vomiting (only once, thank the Lord), head throbbing and achiness. I don't wish to repeat such an episode! It was AWFUL. Still in the midst of it, I remembered 2 Thessalonians 5:17, "give thanks in all circumstances." I thanked God for the chance to provide this nutrition to my child. For a full year of nursing. For an awesome husband to care for me. And for this happening on a weekend when we had family in town to help with Lil in the morning. (thanks, Grammy!) Today I'm feeling like my normal self! So thankful!

It's hard to believe that it's almost been a year since we brought sweet Lilleigh home from the hospital. This past year has gone quickly! There have been some sleepless nights (though thankfully not many!), some tears, some frustrations, and a lot of joy, a lot of laugh, and a lot of learning! Being a mom has taught me a lot. I've done a couple of " mommy lessons " posts, and I guess this is similar, only this isn't so much what I've learned about being a mom, but what I have learned from being a mom. Over the first year, sweet Lilleigh has taught me a lot! I've had to confront, head-on, my own selfishness - ouch. Many times my plans for the day are thwarted because Lilleigh doesn't want to nap or feels sick or is extra clingy and teething {or insert baby issue}... how hard is it to drop everything and hang out with her? Apparently, for me, very. I'm working on that. I've had to prioritize my time, figuring out the things that needed...

Some updates for ya... 1. Lilleigh - She is doing MUCH better! Yea! Her fever broke Tuesday night, and she's been oh so happy ever since! Yea! Her runny nose is lingering, but we can manage that. Meanwhile, I got sick Wednesday night (on top of the cold I already had), but after some elderberry Brendon picked up at Sprouts, I've been feeling much better! And today my cold seems to almost be gone! ...Just in time for Brendon to get a cold. Ugh! No one told me how much sickness comes with having a baby! They get something from other babies, and then it spread through the house like wildfire! Pretty crazy. 2. Sleeping - Still not a whole lot of sleeping happening here. Lilleigh has been averaging two wake ups per night. (Notice the word "averaging.") This weekend her Mimi is in town, so we'll let Mimi sleep. But after this weekend, it's Lilleigh boot camp ! It's like Ab Ripper X - "I hate it, but I love it." I'm prepared for several sleeples...

My dad has asked where the 8 month pics of Lil are. I know other family members are wondering too. I used to be so prompt about this. But then my iPhone broke. Wah. So I've been using my sister's old 3G, which quite a bit slower than my old 3GS. Hence I don't snap the photos in time... well usually it just takes too long for the camera to open up, so I don't try. So that's one hindrance. Just a minor one though because my contract is up on November 4th, my birthday anyway. So I'm just deciding if I want an iPhone 4 or 4S... I'd love your thoughts! The real reason I haven't posted though is because I'm exhausted! When I was a new mom, I had the adrenaline kicking in. And I napped often. Plus I expected no sleep, so things were on par. But now I am expecting sleep and not getting it. About a month ago Lil decided to start waking up in the middle of the night again. She's woken up at 4 or 5 AM off and one since she started sleeping through the n...

Brendon is on a business trip until Wednesday. He's been gone less than 48 hours. But I think Lilleigh detects his disappearance and doesn't like it. Here's the play by play of our weekend thus far. Both today and yesterday she decided to take naps half the length of her normal naps. Personally, I'm was fine with it. But that means she's more likely to be cranky. Not okay. Despite her short naps, Lilleigh was okay yesterday. So I decided to brave it and take her with me to our Young Couples cook out for the first hour (6-7 PM - nothing crazy). She was happy in the car. Great. But the moment we walked in the door, she started crying. And each time someone greeted her, she burst into tears... starting with the "oooooh" and {enter the loud cry}. Lovely. I stayed long enough to eat. I had come all that way, might as well. Fun times. Then bath time went terribly awry this evening. I've heard mommas talk about their babies making little "floaties...

I've been stuck at 8 lbs for awhile now. And lately I've been discouraged. It seems I'll have a spurt of weight loss and then a lull. I'm tired of the lull. But good news, my friends! I just bought shorts at Target yesterday - and they are two sizes smaller than a pair I bought right after having Lil! So I braved the scale...   I'm down to 5 pounds!!!   Wahoo!!

No this is not a picture of me and sweet Lil. I took it from How Mama Got Her Swag Back .  Funny baby weight post actually. Check it out. I am thrilled to report that since my baby weight complaint , I have lost 5 lbs! Yea! And that's something, especially since we went to Colorado and then Houston and ate terribly. I was dreading stepping on the scale. I was feeling terrible about myself. But my curiosity got the best of me. I stepped on the scale and cringed. But then I opened my eyes. FIVE POUNDS! Only 12 lbs to go! I am making progress!! And funny thing. Once I stepped off the scale, I was beaming. Five minutes before I had been feeling awful about my weight and my body and suddenly I felt like a superstar. Funny how that works. I'm not sure what I'm doing. I am trying to eat healthier, but I already confessed about the unhealthy food we ate while traveling. I am walking daily, but I've been doing that pretty much since Lil was born and before. I did recent...

If you aren't comfortable with the topic of breastfeeding, skip this post. Can I just say that I never thought I'd love breastfeeding so much. I know it sounds crazy. I thought it'd be so painful. And such an inconvenience. But the truth is, I love it. The surge of oxytocin makes me happy. It makes me fall more and more in love with this baby girl. As my neighbor put it, "It's like a drug. If I'm having a bad day, I just put the baby to the breast. The oxytocin feels so good. I'm suddenly relaxed." For anyone unaware, oxytocin is the "love hormone." Females release it during labor and sex. This hormone acts as a bonding agent. So when you see a sexually active teenage girl all hung up over some loser of a guy, you can thank the oxytocin. The hormone has been released during intercourse, and now she feels bonded to him. This is why girls can't "play the field." It's also a great reason to wait to have sex until marria...