Having a toddler can be fun, frustrating, and amusing. My toddler, Ginny, has the ability to be all three at once sometimes. The most amusing and frustrating times with her are when she is trying to communicate with us. There are moments where I swear she is talking to us in sentences that we just can't understand. Every once and a while, she will throw in a word that we know, but it doesn't help with comprehension. All you can do is nod your head and agree with her. I just hope I'm not agreeing to letting her jump off the top of the couch.
Ginny's vocabulary seems to grow daily. She has surprised me with words that we haven't worked on. For example, a couple of days ago she started pointing to a shirt I was wearing and saying "green." The shirt was indeed green. I have mentioned colors to her regularly but this was the first indication that she was paying attention.
What really leaves me amazed is how quickly she is starting to learn new words. In the last week, not only did she show that she knows the word green, but also the words "baby", "more", "bowl", "Barney", and "quack".
Now, this isn't to say that she doesn't confuse things. If Ginny wants to get down from a place, she says "down." If she wants up, she says "down." We are working on the word "up" still.
Not perfect, but she is slowly making progress. If only she would remember the word "Mommy" like she knows "Daddy," then life would be excellent. :-)
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
I'm Losing My Mind...
...or maybe I'm just lacking sleep.
For the past 6 weeks and 2 days, I have not slept longer than 4 1/2 hours in a row. Usually, I only get anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, waking about 2-3 times a night. Once in this time period, I actually got 8 hours of sleep with only one interruption! It was amazing the next morning. It has not happened again.
My lack of sleep is normal. After all, I have a 6-week-old infant, Grace. She is adorable and sweet. In many ways, she sleeps better than her sister did at this age. Most of the time, I am able to cope with my current level of sleep deprivation. Most of the time. However, there are consequences to not getting enough sleep.
I can no longer concentrate for long periods of time. My ability to focus is gone. If I try to concentrate too intently, I'll start to nod off.
Lack of concentration leads to a near-constant inability to understand what is going on around me at the intellectual level. My poor DH will be talking to me, but I don't comprehend what he is telling me a good portion of the time. I have to ask him to repeat things. Even then, I may not "get" what he said at all.
My ability to complete tasks has taken a toll. I have been considering writing in my blog for a couple of weeks now. I will come up with a topic, but when I go to write it, the topic has disappeared from my brain. In fact, I was going to write this current blog about something else entirely. About what? I have no clue. I forgot when I started, but then I thought the reason I forgot would be a good topic.
No energy leads to a lack of motivation, too. I want to bake more cookies for Christmas. I just can't talk myself into exerting that type of energy. Cooking, even, has become a matter of what is quickest and easiest. If we had more money, I would likely order out every time it was my turn to cook.
That being said, I was supposed to cook something in the crock pot the other day. I didn't though. Why? I forgot. You see, sleep deprivation leads to issues with my short-term memory. I didn't remember until my DH woke up around 11 a.m. (he is on overnight-shifts this week).
While I may be losing my mind due to sleep deprivation, it is worth it. My darling baby girl is growing and thriving. Someday, hopefully soon, she will sleep more consistently. When she starts to sleep better, I will get sleep. Until then, I will make it through with a little bit of caffeine. I hope.
For the past 6 weeks and 2 days, I have not slept longer than 4 1/2 hours in a row. Usually, I only get anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, waking about 2-3 times a night. Once in this time period, I actually got 8 hours of sleep with only one interruption! It was amazing the next morning. It has not happened again.
 |
| My sleeping beauty. At least someone is getting sleep. |
I can no longer concentrate for long periods of time. My ability to focus is gone. If I try to concentrate too intently, I'll start to nod off.
Lack of concentration leads to a near-constant inability to understand what is going on around me at the intellectual level. My poor DH will be talking to me, but I don't comprehend what he is telling me a good portion of the time. I have to ask him to repeat things. Even then, I may not "get" what he said at all.
My ability to complete tasks has taken a toll. I have been considering writing in my blog for a couple of weeks now. I will come up with a topic, but when I go to write it, the topic has disappeared from my brain. In fact, I was going to write this current blog about something else entirely. About what? I have no clue. I forgot when I started, but then I thought the reason I forgot would be a good topic.
No energy leads to a lack of motivation, too. I want to bake more cookies for Christmas. I just can't talk myself into exerting that type of energy. Cooking, even, has become a matter of what is quickest and easiest. If we had more money, I would likely order out every time it was my turn to cook.
That being said, I was supposed to cook something in the crock pot the other day. I didn't though. Why? I forgot. You see, sleep deprivation leads to issues with my short-term memory. I didn't remember until my DH woke up around 11 a.m. (he is on overnight-shifts this week).
While I may be losing my mind due to sleep deprivation, it is worth it. My darling baby girl is growing and thriving. Someday, hopefully soon, she will sleep more consistently. When she starts to sleep better, I will get sleep. Until then, I will make it through with a little bit of caffeine. I hope.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Going for a Walk
I am out of shape, and it sucks!
Quite frankly, I blame pregnancy. Not going to a gym in a few years may play a part, but being pregnant with Grace pushed it over the edge. The reason? Well, my asthma got so bad that I could barely walk across the street without having issues breathing, much less walking a mile.
Now that I am nearly 4 weeks postpartum, recovering from the c-section, I feel the need to be more active. But how in the world do I manage that in the middle autumn with a 19-month-old and newborn? A special blessing of good weather I suppose. :) Starting yesterday and for the next few days, the temperatures are supposed to be in the upper 50s and lower 60s. Yee haw! I do LOVE winter and the temps involved don't bother me one bit; however, this warmth means I can get out of the house and go for a walk. What a wonderful blessing!
In anticipation of this lovely weather, I had my lovely husband put together the new double stroller that we just bought. He got it together for me, and yesterday morning, my girls and I went for a walk in our neighborhood. My street is basically one big loop, just under a mile long. Despite not going for long walks in a while, I decided to go for it and do that large loop. I managed it okay. It did take me longer than normal, but I walked the length.
Last night, I began regretting the decision to walk the long loop instead of a shorter walk. My muscles ached in ways I haven't felt in a while. I also was exhausted. I had sworn to myself that each day we had this nice weather, I would go for a walk with my girls. Because of the aches, I was doubtful I would be able to do the daily walk.
This morning, I awoke (after little Grace started fussing because she was hungry), got dressed, and weighed my options. I decided that I had to do this walk. It was good for me and good for the girls to get the fresh air. Then I figured I could always go for a shorter walk instead. At 10:15 this morning, the girls and I started on our walk. Instead of going on the shorter walk, though, I challenged myself by doing the longer walk again. I'm not sure if that was the right choice since right now my arms and back are sore from pushing the stroller; however, I'm glad we went for our walk. It was beautiful out and felt great to be out of the house.
I know this nice weather will not last. Soon we will find ourselves under the cold temperatures winter offers us. Once that happens, I don't imagine I will be walking with the stroller around the neighborhood. It would be too cold for my girls. As for me, I hope to start doing pilates during Ginny's naps, provided Grace "lets" me. Come March, once Grace is 4 months old, I plan on joining a local gym with daycare offered so I can start really working on getting in shape again. And, as the temperatures warm up, I want to start taking regular walks with my girls. I even have a goal. I want to walk a 5K** again. In May, Springfield has a 5K that I have my eyes on, the Fat Ass 5K. Hopefully, my girls and I will be able to tackle that.
**For those wondering, I do NOT run. Never will run. I can't run. I can't run for two reasons: my asthma and my drop foot. Before I had drop foot, I attempted several times to become a runner, but my asthma kicked my butt every time. Now, because of my drop foot, I would trip and do a face plant if I even tried to run. Now there is an image for you. LOL! ;)
Quite frankly, I blame pregnancy. Not going to a gym in a few years may play a part, but being pregnant with Grace pushed it over the edge. The reason? Well, my asthma got so bad that I could barely walk across the street without having issues breathing, much less walking a mile.
Now that I am nearly 4 weeks postpartum, recovering from the c-section, I feel the need to be more active. But how in the world do I manage that in the middle autumn with a 19-month-old and newborn? A special blessing of good weather I suppose. :) Starting yesterday and for the next few days, the temperatures are supposed to be in the upper 50s and lower 60s. Yee haw! I do LOVE winter and the temps involved don't bother me one bit; however, this warmth means I can get out of the house and go for a walk. What a wonderful blessing!
In anticipation of this lovely weather, I had my lovely husband put together the new double stroller that we just bought. He got it together for me, and yesterday morning, my girls and I went for a walk in our neighborhood. My street is basically one big loop, just under a mile long. Despite not going for long walks in a while, I decided to go for it and do that large loop. I managed it okay. It did take me longer than normal, but I walked the length.
 |
| Ginny & Grace ready to go. Ginny loves the new stroller! |
This morning, I awoke (after little Grace started fussing because she was hungry), got dressed, and weighed my options. I decided that I had to do this walk. It was good for me and good for the girls to get the fresh air. Then I figured I could always go for a shorter walk instead. At 10:15 this morning, the girls and I started on our walk. Instead of going on the shorter walk, though, I challenged myself by doing the longer walk again. I'm not sure if that was the right choice since right now my arms and back are sore from pushing the stroller; however, I'm glad we went for our walk. It was beautiful out and felt great to be out of the house.
 |
| My view before we started our walk this morning. |
**For those wondering, I do NOT run. Never will run. I can't run. I can't run for two reasons: my asthma and my drop foot. Before I had drop foot, I attempted several times to become a runner, but my asthma kicked my butt every time. Now, because of my drop foot, I would trip and do a face plant if I even tried to run. Now there is an image for you. LOL! ;)
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