it's a good day

I'm in an excellent mood today.  Not sure why, everything just seems to be going smoothly today, so I'm just wearing a smile.  I'm listening to the Sara Groves CD I just purchased on iTunes (thanks Emily!), going through pictures, and thinking about Ryann's birthday party.

This morning we met up with a friend of Chris's, as well as his wife and almost one year old son, to have breakfast.  I enjoyed some french toast and eggs.  On the way home Ryann fell asleep, so we drove around for a bit until she woke up.  We played, and then we went to an Open House just because it was something to do, and I have a desire to move right now (probably not going to happen, but a girl can dream right?  the master bedroom in the house we looked at?  amazing.  i 'm jealous).  We came home, played, and now the baby is napping and I am here.  Easy going good day so far.

I'm trying to put together a photo slide show to have playing during Ryann's birthday party, and while browsing iPhoto I came across these recent pictures I haven't shared.  So more random photos for you.  Hooray!

One of us got bored the other day so we decided to play dress up and read books.  I'll let you guess which one of us was bored...

My child is such a goober...

The other day I took a shower, and when I came out Chris informed me that Ryann likes vanilla pudding.  Maybe not the best thing to get her hooked on, but she definitely liked it.

Ugh.  Ok well the day didn't really get worse, but I apparently just filled up all my storage space on google (or wherever the blogger photos end up).  I'm not paying for more so I guess I'm on to flickr.  If my pictures start being messed up bear with me :o).

Now if instead of cold and more snow & ice we could get 60 degrees and sunshine, the rest of my week might look this good too!

10 months

There are only two months until my little babe turns one.  That's it.  She is quickly turning into a little person.  The aspects that keep her a baby are getting harder and harder to find.  But I think I'm finally starting to be ok with it.  I can start to see where we are going and I'm excited.  I'm not wishing away these last months of babyhood, just rather enjoying them as they go by.

you're stupid if you think I'm going to sit here all pretty for pictures

Based on our excellent in home measurements :o), we are guessing Ryann weighs about 20 lbs 3 oz and is 28.75 in long.  As far as Carter's goes, she is walking the line between the 9 month and 12 month clothes.  The 12 month pants are still too big, as are some of the looser fitting shirts, but some leggings and some of the tighter fitting shirts she can pull off.  This week we started putting her in the 12 month sleepers as well.  During the day she is in a size 3 diaper, but we stick a size 4 on at night to try and prevent any leaks (or really, poop explosions.  thank you teething).  Speaking of teeth, the current count is four, but I'm guessing with the excessive amount of drool there are still some more close behind.

We offer Ry 5 bottles a day, 3 of them are 7 ounces, and then we split 7 ounces in to two bottles in the afternoon.  Giving her a little bit before the afternoon nap has seemed to help her sleep a little better.  And somebody throw a party, we have made great strides in the solids department the last couple of days.  Last night she couldn't get enough bites of turkey!  She sits at the table for three meals a day, and even though she screams as we put her into the high chair, she usually will eat at least cheerios.  She has also been happily eating applesauce and yogurt.  Still no luck with the sippy cup, but with her eating I honestly could care less right now.

she so badly wanted to tear the sticker off

Sleep has also gotten SO MUCH better.  Thank you Dr. Ferber.  Naps can still be tough, and she is regularly skipping one or the other each day (even though I KNOW she is tired), but at night?  We give her a bottle, read her a book, and lay her down by 8:00.  Then I don't hear a thing from her until at least 5:50, usually 6:15.  It is amazing.  And she happily (or at least calmly) goes to bed.  She just rolls over and goes to sleep.  It is such a weight lifted off my shoulders.  I think once we switch to one nap a day, she won't really fight that either, but I just don't feel like she is ready.  Maybe I'm wrong, but some mornings she easily goes down for a nap 3.5 hours after she wakes up, and some mornings she screams in her crib for 30 minutes until I come back and get her.  Though the days she fights the morning nap, her afternoon nap is usually 2-3 hours.  Which is tough to complain about.

Ryann is developing such a strong personality.  She is a complete goofball from afar, but if a 'stranger' gets too close to her she completely clams up, and clings to my clothes with a death grip.  She absolutely knows what she wants, and lets you know if you aren't giving it to her.  She is stingy with her smooches, I think because she knows it drives me crazy :o).  That and she doesn't really appreciate people right in her bubble.  Even though she will be the first to invade mine.

We have ourselves a little chatterbox.  Chris and I just love to sit and watch Ryann play, because she is almost always 'talking' to herself.  She is saying 'ma ma ma' more than 'da da da' now, but she has this really forceful 'uh da' sound that she makes regularly too.  We are also getting a lot of 'ga gi ba ba...' it goes on and on.  And a lot of times it definitely seems like she is trying to tell us something specific, and will look at us with those little puppy dog eyes waiting for an answer.  Too bad I rarely have the right one to give to her.  She is still frequently clicking her tongue, and has also started to make this ridiculous gurgling/hacking noise that she thinks is pretty funny.

dork.

Recently Ryann has started locating objects when we ask her where they are.  Such as 'Where is the light?', she will look up to the ceiling and point at a light fixture.  She also knows who Max is (one of our cats), but I'm not sure that she can distinguish between Max and Soph completely yet.  She can also point out her 'da da', and occasionally will respond correctly if Chris asks where ma ma is.  Chris has also gotten her to identify some of her bath toys in the past couple of days, although when I come in to the bathroom to watch she usually won't show off :o).

I can now ask Ryann to hand me something, and she usually will do it.  If I hold out my hand and ask 'May I have the _____', she will pause for a second, and then give it to me.  Sometimes I can tell she really doesn't want to give up whatever she has, because it takes her a little longer to actually comply.  :o)  It is crazy how much she is really starting to understand.  I know she understands 'No' and 'No Thank You', because she will stop what she is doing, pause for a bit, and sometimes decide against whatever she was going to do.  However sometimes she looks right at me, and does it anyway.  Oy.  She also knows that if I use a stern tone and her middle name she definitely better second guess what she is about to do :o).

showing off her standing skills.  it still scares the crap out of me!

As far as gross motor skills, I would say standing unassisted is really the only thing she has started to do in the past month.  She crawls super fast, and can cruise like nobody's business.  The part that stresses me out is when she decides to cruise along a flat surface, like a wall or the cabinets.  I'm terrified she is going to wipe out on the hardwoods or the tile.  I'm sure it is going to happen sooner rather than later, but I just wish it wouldn't.  I try to confine her to the carpeted family room as much as possible!  Ha.

dude, get this thing off my head.

Ryann's favorite books to have read to her this past month are Goldie Locks Has Chicken Pox, Silly Sally, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Wow Says the Owl.  When she is pulling books off the shelf she usually goes for Tails, That's Not My Snowman and Where is Baby's Belly Button?, however I try to keep that last one off the shelf sometimes.  It is already missing two or three flaps thanks to a little one who isn't super gentle with her books all the time.

she was completely done with me

She enjoys playing pat-a-cake, and also 'I'm gonna getcha', which is really just me attacking her with tickles when I bring her in our bed.  She is super ticklish when you squeeze her right inner thigh :o).  She also still LOVES bath time, as well as her fake baths.  Unfortunately she has taken a big interest in climbing on the toilet, so we don't really just let her roam in to the bathroom as much anymore.  Her ability to play happily by herself in general is growing, which is nice.  But you still have to be relatively close to her.  If I get up and start moving around the room, she gets pretty curious about what I am doing.  Apparently Ryann has also developed a love for black lab puppies and ferrets :o).  Chris has turned the pet store into an indoor zoo of sorts, and they have gone three times this month.

Happy ten months beautiful baby girl.  You amaze me more and more each day.

i heart my photographer.

On Monday we had a session for Ryann's 9 month photos with one of my favorite photographers, the beautiful miss Adrienne Maples.  We fell in love with her when she photographed our wedding (well a little before that, but hey) and I'm so happy that she can capture our life with Ryann.  Here are some of the new photos.  The first one makes me smile so so much.

I think these photos perfectly capture our family personality right now.  They depict Ryann's personality exactly.  I LOVE THEM.  Thank you so much Adrienne!

Oh, and for the record, I am pretty sure she was in a decent mood in that last shot.  Lately you can't tell the difference between a grimace and a full out cheese smile :o).

You can see the post she put on her blog here.

you asked...

I uh, totally forgot to work on these the last two days, so I'll have to answer some of the questions another day.  Sorry.  For now I'm just going through the easy ones... some of these questions I've received in e-mails over the last month or so, and some of them come from your comments.  Here you go!

What kind of camera do you use?
I have a Canon Digital Rebel XSi.  My parents gave it to me as a graduation present in '08.  Usually I have my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens on, but I also have a Canon EF-S 18-200mm lens that I switch to.  Sorry I can't find a link on Amazon right now.  Probably because I'm not searching the right thing :o).   Whatever.

Where did the curtains in Ryann's room come from?
I got them online from Urban Outfitters.  You can find them here.  Although it doesn't look like they have the yellow right now.


What paint colors did you use in Ryann's room?
The paint is from Sherwin Williams, the colors are Aloof Grey and Sensible Hue.  Honestly?  Can't remember which color is for the walls and which one I used on the stencil.  I'm sure if you decided to get them you would figure it out :o).

Where did you get the furniture in Ryann's room?
We purchased everything at Nebraska Furniture Mart, but the crib and dresser are the Urban Collection by Munire, and the chair is by Best Chairs.

Where is the bedding in Ryann's room from?
My lovely mother made the bumpers and crib skirt.  She used Amy Butler and Heather Bailey fabric.

Where is your entertainment center in the family room from?
It was part of the Kingston collection from Crate and Barrel.  I'm not sure if it is available anymore.

Where are me and the hubby originally from?
I was born in Omaha, but my family moved to Kansas when I was a little over one.  Chris was born and raised in Kansas.

Where did I go to school, what is my degree?
I graduated from the University of Kansas (ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!) with a degree in graphic design.  I almost switched to early childhood education midway through my junior year, but that would have left me with pretty much another 3-3.5 years of school, and I just wanted to be done.

What did I do before baby, and do I plan to go back to work?
Before Ryann was born I was working at a preschool/daycare facility as well as designing custom wedding stationery though my business I started.  I had no plans to go back to work outside of the home until Ryann is at least one, and I'm still not sure if I will or not.  I am still designing wedding stationery.


How many children would we like and when do we plan for number 2?
Before Ryann was born we wanted 3-4 kids.  Now, I know I definitely want 2, but we will see how crazy life is after that.  I'm guessing we will end up with three God willing.  Thanks to being induced because of pre-e, we are a little worried how my body will handle more pregnancies.  So we will just wait and see.  As for nubmer 2?  I know for sure we won't start trying until at least July or August of this year, but it more than likely we will wait until late next spring.  Kind of depends on where Chris ends up for residency, and again, just how I am doing with the whole mom thing :o).

Am I already planning Ry's first birthday?
Oh heck yes I've definitely started :o).  Nothing too hardcore done yet, but I do know we will probably be using pink, yellow and grey, and some owls might pop up here and there.  I've got my first versions of her invite done.

Any good party planning websites or blogs I know of?
The ones I like to oogle:  One Charming Party, The TomKat Studio, Kara's Party Ideas, Sara's Party Perfect.

How old are me and the hubby?
I'm 24, will be 25 in April.  Chris is 25.  He is nine months older than me.

Do we eat dinner at our table every night?
Generally it depends on if Ryann goes to bed before Chris and I sit down to dinner.  We are trying to all sit at the table together for dinner.  But if Ryann is already asleep Chris and I usually eat on the couch in front of the TV.  Way classy but it works :o).


Do we have bumpers in Ryann's crib?
Yes.  We had regular bumpers on when she was first born.  Then just before 4 months we switched to the breathable bumpers.  We were completely sans bumpers for two days, but she kept getting stuck in the sides of the crib.  When she turned 9 months we switched back to the pretty ones :o).

Do I edit my photos much/at all?  With what program?
Usually my editing consists of adjusting levels, as well as the shadows and highlights.  Nothing crazy, just trying to get the best looking photo I can.  Sometimes I think it would be fun to try some different processing techniques, but I just never have.  I use Adobe Photoshop (I have Adobe CS4).

Ok those are all the easy questions I can answer quickly (especially since the wee one is deciding not to nap).  I'll get to the harder/lengthy answer questions in a couple days.

embrace the camera

Nothing earth shattering with embrace the camera today, as usual. Just pics of us and the wee one.

 obviously had to get the pointer going 

And I'm obviously a fool.  I  kept trying to get the headband on Ryann, and my child has decided she doesn't do headbands anymore (NOOOOOOOOOOO!) so I stuck it on my own head...

after I tried to put the headband on her again...

We had to get Daddy in on the action of course :o)

a day in the life - melissa

EDIT:  Sorry I forgot to add the link to Melissa's blog!  It should be working now :o).

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Let me introduce you to Melissa, from Jack and the Kumquat.  Her daughter Alice is ADORABLE, so jealous of all that hair :o).  Enjoy a day in her life!

***

Hi!

I’m Melissa, Ben is my husband, Jack is our dog, and Alice (almost 10 months old) is the kumquat.

I’m blessed to have the opportunity to be Stay-at-Home mom.

I prefer to say it like, “Stay at Home, Mom!”

Makes me laugh.

The thing is, we rarely stay at home all day.

Here’s a little glimpse into a typical day around here.

Disclaimer: These pictures were taken over a series of “typical" days.

  

7:00ish- We're up!

First I make coffee (Priorities.), then nurse the baby, and make breakfast and Ben’s lunch.

7:30- Ben is off to work. Alice and I have some play time.

She loves standing at her little toy basket and looking out the window.

I pump.

Like most mamas, I hate the pump.
But, I love the Alice-free time it gives me.

8:30- Naptime!

I’m convinced naps are really for moms, not babies.

I take this time to catch up on emails, Google Reader, and Facebook.

Then, I have more coffee, fold some diapers, Google “can you paint a countertop?” (yes, you can), call UPS about a strange bill, talk to our realtor, and take a shower. 

Post-nap bedhead. It's out of control.

9:30/10- This is when we get out of the house to do fun things…

Baby Time at the library, a Bible study, play group, walk, mom’s hiking group, MOPS, etc.

My child suffers from vehicular narcolepsy. It's a serious condition. 

12/12:30- Nurse the little girl and lunch for me.
Followed by more play time.
The Johnny Jump-up is always a huge hit. 

1:30- Nap time! Wahoo!

I’ve been cleaning the house and clearing out junk during this time.

There’s a sliiiight chance we’ll be moving soon, so that’s keeping me busy.

A clean kitchen makes me happy.

3:00- Time to get out of the house again.

This time it’s usually for errands…

Grocery shopping, bank, Costco, pick up our milk, oil change, etc.

Nurse Alice.

Costco is a perfect place to poo, right?

5- Start dinner.
I would love to start menu planning, but I haven’t yet.

I open the fridge, freezer, and cabinets and roll with what I find.

Tonight it’s pasta with pesto, roasted veggies, and chicken sausage.

Thankfully, I have an easygoing husband who will eat just about anything.

Also, we took the Baby Led Weaning path with Alice, so she eats whatever we eat.

5:30- Ben’s home! We eat dinner and have some daddy play time.

6:30- Alice is starting to come undone.

Time to begin the bedtime routine: change diaper, put on pajamas, stories with Daddy, nurse, and bed.

7:00- Alice is asleep.

Tonight Ben and I veg out; both of us on our laptops.

I have a glass of wine.

Sometimes we read, or play a game, or Ben plays a video game, or I do some sort of craft project.

9:30-10:30ish- We head to bed.

Middle of the night- Last night Alice was up at 10:30, 1:00, and 5:00.

See why coffee is a priority?

I’m super intrigued by Ashley’s sleep training post from the other day.

Oh, how I miss sleep.
----------

Now for the questions:

1. What's the most surprising thing about being a mom?

For me, it's the whole "your heart is on the outside of your body" thing.
I never understood how much my mom loves me until I had Alice.
It's indescribable how such a tiny baby can own your heart.

2. What are some tips you would give to new moms, or soon to be mamas? 

My sister-in-law recently had a baby.
A couple hours after delivery a doctor came in to check on her and the baby.
He told her, "You know what to do, you just don't know you know yet."
I loved that!
So, trust your gut.

Secondly, accept help.
I'm not very good at doing that.
I wish I had allowed friends and family to help out more during those first few weeks.

Lastly, read The Happiest Baby on the Block.
It's a quick read and was a lifesaver!

3. What are your top 3 baby products?

Like many other moms who have answered this question, I'd go with a sling/carrier, a Boppy, and items needed to implement The Happiest Baby on the Block suggestions: swaddle blankets, white noise, swing, and a pacifier.
(I kinda cheated with that last one, didn't I?)

***

Thank you so much, Melissa, for sharing a day in your life!

look ma, no hands!

Don't forget you can ask me anything in the comments section of this post.  I will probably post all of the answers on Friday.  Probably :o).

I just wanted to share a couple of videos.  The first, is Ryann showing off her new skill.  She can now balance for a decent amount of time in a standing position.  While she is playing she will set herself up, then balance for a few seconds before putting her arms down.  Then she looks at you with a big smile like, "I did good!  Right?  :o)".

Unfortunately her most frequent method of getting down is that flat out free fall.  Not the brightest idea when no one is there to catch you.

And then of course my two favorite people showing off their tongue clicking skills.  It is become a part of their greeting.  Whenever Chris comes in to the room Ryann will smile and click her tongue at him.

Chris and Ryann also frequently do this to each other...

Great little party trick :o).  She still refuses to copy me when I try to play 'so big' with her.  But she smiles at me.  Whatever.  At least we can get her to shake her head like a nut right?

crafting success!

Remember when I said I wanted to make this wreath?  Well, I actually did it.  And I am freaking proud of it.

When I was finished I asked Chris what he thought...
Chris:  "It looks great.  I wasn't so sure when you started making it, but it turned out really good."
Me:  "Why weren't you sure?"
Chris:  "Well I knew what it was supposed to look like, but I wasn't sure you could pull it off."

And you know what?  I wasn't mad at him at all.  Because I am notorious for being a failure at crafts.  I always have these big ideas, but 90% of the time I never finish the project because I hate how they are turning out.  So I am super proud of this wreath.

Ugh.  I did a really bad job taking pictures of it.  Oh well.

I was surprised, it actually didn't take me that long to complete.  I probably spent 45 minutes cutting out circles Friday night, and maybe another 45 minutes to an hour on Saturday.  And then maybe a couple hours to pin all of the circles on.  That sounds like a lot more than it really seemed like even.  Pinning all the circles is a pretty mindless activity, so you can do it while watching tv... or talking weddings with your recently married and recently engaged friends :o).

I used the top of a pringles can and a hot pink permanent marker to trace my circles on to the felt.  The maker showed up just enough for me to see it, but you can't really tell that I marked on the circles.  Plus I tried to cut on the inside of the line, you know.  Even though it sounded like it would probably be a bad idea, I folded my felt in half and cut out two circles at a time.  And you know what?  When the circles were folded you can't tell if they aren't perfect.  I mean you would be able to tell if they were super jaggedy or something, but you can't tell that they aren't perfect circles.

The wreath will grace my front door probably through February, and then will make another appearance for Ryann's first birthday.  But more on that some other time!

Ryann really likes my new wreath too :o).

I swear Ryann looks like she is the right color in those pictures... but man the color of the door and the wreath?  Really bad.  Sorry about that.

Oh and don't forget, if you have any questions for me, make sure to leave them in the comments section on this post!

what do you want to know?

Lately I've been getting several e-mails with random questions (the most common, and not so random, is what camera do I have... Canon Rebel XSi).  So I figured I might as well go ahead and find out all the questions you have.

You can asking my anything, and I'll answer almost everything (almost... I'm not one for sharing all of my personal details on the web).  I was thinking mostly along the lines of where did this piece of furniture come from, what is that paint color, or which baby products do you prefer.  But like I said, you can ask anything, I mean if there is something you just NEED to know about me, just ask :o).

And because no post is complete without pictures...

oh you :o)

less than impressed with my smooches

she falls asleep in the weirdest positions now... sorry it is tough to see

such a goofy cheesy grin with those teeth!

Have a great relaxing Sunday!

an update on the sleep training

Well I can't say it is fun at all.  I knew Ryann would resist.  She is a pretty tough and determined little cookie, so she isn't making this super easy on us.  But I think we are seeing some improvement.  I haven't rocked Ryann to sleep since Friday afternoon.  Here is how the days have broken down so far...

Saturday afternoon I laid her down in the crib.  After five minutes she was still crying, so I checked on her, and left.  After another 10 minutes I went in, and unfortunately she had pooped, so we had to change the diaper and get her all cleaned up.  That obviously ticked her off so after another 15 minutes she was still crying.  No afternoon nap.  Thanks to the lack of that nap, Saturday she was incredibly tired and fell asleep in 8 minutes at 7:20pm.  She slept until 5:05am.

For the morning nap on Sunday our first interval was 10 minutes.  She was still crying so we check on her and left.  6 minutes later she was asleep, but she only slept for 30 minutes.  She has been falling asleep on her back, and she is a stomach sleeper so I think that wasn't helping.  Sunday afternoon we thought she fell asleep after only five minutes, but then two minutes later she was screaming.  After a total of ten we check on her and left.  She still wasn't asleep after the 12 minute interval, but then was asleep 7 minutes later.  Unfortunately she only slept 25 minutes.  At bedtime she fell asleep after 15 minutes of fussing, not crying.  But she fell asleep sitting up around 7:45pm.  It looked incredibly uncomfortable.  I tip toed in and laid her down.  She slept until 6:40am.

Monday morning I get really excited, because she didn't cry when we put her down for her nap.  But that only lasted about 3 minutes before she was screaming again.  We checked her after 15 minutes.  Then 9 minutes later she was asleep.  She slept for a little over and hour, and we woke her because it was 11:30.   Monday afternoon she wasn't asleep after two 15 minute intervals, so no nap.  Monday night she fell asleep in four minutes at 7:15pm.

Worst part of the experience so far... she woke up at 3:10am Tuesday morning.  She just played in her crib for 20 minutes, and then she started crying.  Our first interval was supposed to be 15 minutes, she fell asleep around the 10 minute mark, but then started crying again so I left her a little extra to see if she would fall asleep.  No luck.  We went through a 17 minute interval and then another 18 minutes before she fell back to sleep around 4:30.  She slept until 7.

Tuesday morning nap she went to sleep in 10 minutes and slept for an hour and fifteen minutes.  Tuesday afternoon, no nap :o(.  Tuesday night she fell asleep in 7 minutes at 7:20pm, and slept until I woke her at 7:00am.  It was glorious :o).

Wednesday morning nap she fussed for about 15 minutes, fell asleep and slept for 45 minutes.  Wednesday afternoon she fussed for about 10 minutes, and actually fell asleep!!!  She slept for about an hour.  But I'll take it.  Wednesday night she fell asleep in about ten minutes at 8:00pm and slept until 7:00am.

Thursday morning around 9:45 I could tell she wasn't as tired as she usually was by this time, but I was hoping that she was just getting used to a schedule or something.  Mommy fail.  I laid her in her crib for nap and she yelled for 20 minutes straight.  I went back and checked on her, and left again.  She cried another 20 minutes.  No morning nap.  So you would think by the afternoon she would be all ready to sleep.  We laid her down at 1:55, a little less than an hour earlier than we had been laying her down in the afternoon, but come on, she had been up since 7.  She cried for a minute, and then got up and started cruising around the crib.  She fussed on and off, played a little.  And then all of a sudden around 17 or 18 minutes she just tipped over and went to sleep.  It was a bit strange, but hey.  She was sleeping :o).  She napped for two hours.

Thursday night bedtime was great.  She still cried instantly when I laid her down.  One of those painful make you hate yourself baby cries.  But this time it lasted maybe a minute.  Then she just laid there and played with her owl blankie, and only 5 or 10 minutes later she just rolled over and went to sleep at 8:00pm.  We didn't hear a peep from her until 6:40am.

Friday morning we laid her down for her morning nap at 10.  She did the usual scream for a minute, and then she was cruising around in her crib and playing with her owl blanket.  She hung out just playing with her owl and rolling around for 30 minutes.  At that point I didn't know what to do, but I figured since she seemed happy enough I'd just leave her.  For the next ten minutes she rolled around and you could tell she was trying to fall asleep.  And she finally did.  We were impressed, but felt bad that she had hung out in there for so long.  We woke her after an hour.

Friday afternoon was a similar scenario.  She cried when I put her down, and then just got up and started playing.  But this time she laid down after 15 minutes and was asleep 5 minutes later.  She slept for an hour and twenty minutes.  At bedtime when I put her in her crib she didn't cry at all.  By the time I turned on the monitor she had rolled over, and a couple minutes later she was asleep.  Chris and I absolutely couldn't believe it.  It is currently 7:05am and she is still out.  Now I'm just debating on whether I wake her or let her sleep!

 seriously lady.  i took my nap.  quit taking my picture and get me outta here!

So it took a week for her to really get it, and I was pretty skeptical the first couple of days, but I am most definitely a Ferber advocate now.  Yes, I hated making her cry.  But oh my word she can put herself to sleep!!  I don't have to be the one to rock her every time she needs some shut eye.  Now we just need to better figure out our schedule.  Currently I feel like we are always waking her from naps so that she is tired enough for the next one, or for bedtime.  Maybe we will really work on that if this next week is as successful as this last one has been.

If you are considering the Ferber method, I would suggest doing it before your little one starts pulling up in the crib.  If not, I think you should wait until they are pretty good at it.  You might remember my horrible experience, that made me want to never try sleep training again.  But I'm so glad we did.  I can't believe the amount of sleep I've gotten in the last week (except for Monday night, obviously).  If Ryann continues to sleep until 6:45 or 7 in the morning, I might actually consider working out in the mornings again... Might :o)