A Cute Baby and A Smooth Criminal

You know how every parent thinks their baby is the cutest baby in the world, and you think to yourself, "I'm not going to be one of those people."  But as it turns out, our baby is the cutest baby in the world, so we couldn't really help thinking that way!

See for yourself:

 Myla likes to be nekkid.

 Check out how hilariously huge her bottom looks in this cloth diaper.  (We are part-time, at-home cloth users). 

 Who doesn't love a good sleep sack?

Sunday nap while Dave bakes.  He made that cake/pie for my birthday!  Also, he won't eat it because "he knows what's in it," so I'm averaging about two pieces a day by myself.  So much for losing the last 15 pregnancy pounds.  I may need to look into lipo.

We made this video to send to Dave's mom, but hey, smiling babies should be shared with the world.  Feel free not judge my awkward camera voice.  Focus on the kid.
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And now for the smooth criminal.  It's actually Penny Lane Livingston, and if you know her, you know she is not so smooth.  Due to the beautiful weather, Penny has gotten to spend a lot of time outside whenever I need to go on an outing and leave the dogs home alone.  She loves being outside.  On the especially yucky days, though we have to put her back in the dreaded crate.  Lately, Penny has been doing everything in her power to break out of this thing.  It used to not be an issue, but after she experienced a few months of freedom, she has rebelled against the box.  Dave and I left for church one morning and came back to this:

 I'm not sure if you can tell at first glance, but the door to the crate is actually up at the front of the picture.  Thus, our beloved dog managed to bust out the back wall of the box to escape.  Dave made her sit next to it for the picture.  You can tell she knows she is in trouble...

Why the long face?

As usual, Penny seemed to pick something random to chew.  That green blanket is a "dog blanket," so no harm done there.  The only thing she found to destroy was a nursing pad fresh out of the laundry...  What a weirdo.

Ten on Tuesday

I feel like I should post another blog, but my creativity level is at zero right now.  I am stealing the Tuesday theme this week from Chelsea.

She wrote this batch of questions, but I believe she gets them from other bloggers as well.  Here goes nothing:

1. What’s your favorite color to paint your nails?
I don't paint my fingernails.  I am a chronic finger-picker, so nail polish never lasts on me.  I do like a good pedicure, though.  My favorite color would be blue, I guess.  I had blue toenails at my wedding.  But I also feel compelled to use bright colors in summer and red around Christmas. 

2. Do you like to sneeze?
I like a good sneeze.  I also hate when you get the build up to a sneeze and then lose it.  What a let down.  Dave hates to sneeze.  He says it hurts.  That doesn't make sense at all!

3. How often do you fill up your car with gas?
Not too often lately since I'm not working.  Normally, weekly maybe?

4. Were you named after anyone?
I was not named after anyone, but my mom had to name me something with the same initials and rhythm as my sister.  (Yes, I know.  Who does that)?  Thus, we are "Kristen Michelle" and "Katy Marie."

5. Have you made any good recipes lately?
No.

Oh, wait.  I did make this pork loin recently.  Dave likes it, but he hasn't raved about it the same way lately that he did the first time I made it two years ago.

6. What’s an easy money-saving tip that you use regularly?
We make a budget every month and check it at the end of the month.  Lately, Dave spends about an hour on this every time while I spend five minutes agreeing to what we've already written.  We also use cash only for going out to eat every month.  When we use cash, we stay under budget 100% of the time.  Oh, and we cancelled cable and don't use smart phones.  These tips aren't as fun, but they do save money.

I guess that's way more than one tip.  Whoops!

7. Would you rather have a sore throat or an ear ache?
I would rather have a sore throat and eat cough drops all day.

8. Do you have any scars? What are they from?
I have a small one on my arm where I had a mole removed.  I also have the remnant of my belly button piercing.  I don't know if that's a scar or not, but pregnancy sure didn't help that one.

9. What are you “known for” in your circle of friends/family? 
I'm not sure that I'm really "known for" anything by my friends...  My family knows that I tend to be a people pleaser and sometimes have trouble telling people no.  But overall, I'm not really famous for anything with the fam.

10. How do you like to eat your pancakes?
I like to eat gingerbread or pumpkin (when it's in season) pancakes at Kerbey Lane, but I always start off with queso.  Yes, it is acceptable to eat queso and pancakes in the same meal.  Ask any Longhorn.

It's a Miracle!

Ah, sleep.

We have loosely been Babywise with the pooper.  I actually didn't find the book to be too militant at all.  You just take from it what you like.  For example, the suggestions I liked from this book are:

1)  From the beginning, your main goal is to make sure baby gets a full meal.  There are ways in the book to check (with pumping and such) that you are producing enough milk to be a full meal.  This has worked out for us.  Myla naturally ended up on a 2.5-3 hour schedule, although she started off on more of a 2-3 hour one.  I also have found that it hasn't caused any milk supply issues at all, since she is getting a full meal every time she eats. 
2)  Assess what baby's real problem is when she cries.  The most comforting thing to hear was this: babies cry.  It usually means they need something, yes, but not always that they're hungry.  I don't want to stick her on the boob every time she cries.  I want her to use those for eating.  Now, if she cries an hour after eating, I know she's not hungry.  She's usually gassy, poopy, or tired.  It has helped me to figure her out a little bit better.

There are also some things in Babywise that I don't really follow:
1) I use sleep "props."  I nurse her to sleep at night.  If executed well, she can go down drama-free.

I am not one of those extremists (I hope) with "attachment" parenting or the other side.  What is the other side even called?  Schedulers?  I think we are attached.  I meet my kid's needs.  I cuddle her and wear her in a sling sometimes.  The truth about parenting is that everyone just does what they feel is right.  When I confess to people my guilt trips about what I am breaking the rules on (i.e. tummy sleeping) people always come out of the woodwork to tell me all the things they did "wrong."  Makes me feel a little bit better.

And for the miracle?  My kid kind of sleeps at night!  I usually put her down between 9 and 10.  She wakes up once sometime between 2 and 3.  Then, she wakes up between 5 and 6.  She has slept SIX hours in a row before!  It really just spontaneously happened, and has been going strong for almost a week.

And, although I had never decided one way or another whether I would be a "cry it out" parent, I accidentally became one on accident.  One night, I put her down to sleep and she caught me.  She caught me and hollered.  I just needed a few minutes to gather myself, so I gave myself a break for a few minutes.  Ten minutes, and the kid was silent.  SILENT.  Now I have become a "cry it out for ten minutes" parent.  If I know she's tired, I leave her.  It usually only takes her five minutes to be knocked out.  I hope that doesn't make me abusive. 

This was a pointless blog post!  But hey, it's all I've got going on right now. 

Fotos de la Vacacion

 Sometimes we break the rules about snuggling in bed with a baby...

Houdini.  Not a fan of the swaddle.

Triple nap on the couch.

This is her "Yay, it's my first Christmas!" face.

Laci on the way to Nana's to get presents

Penny on the way to Nana's to get presents






NOW, on to the road trip to Wisconsin pics:

This is Penny's road trip position.

She managed to have a freak gasoline fight accident and injure her paw.  (Actually she caught her toenail somewhere and ripped it pretty badly.  Dr. Livingston gauzed it up and put this fancy doggie snowboot on the injured limb.  It didn't slow her down one bit.  I'm glad Penny came along so Dave had someone to go sledding with).

Granny, Pop Pop, Myla, Dave.
Myla wasn't really in the mood for this photo shoot I guess.

Three men and a baby.
Four Livingston generations.
(My husband looks pretty handsome even though he doesn't like to take pictures)

Granny + Pop Pop + Myla

The whole Livingston gang.

Dave's cousin Mercedes ("Mercy") loved Myla.  She's faking the nap, Myla isn't.

This photo is hilarious to me because Myla looks like Crazy Eyes McGee.  She is also sporting the bathtime mohawk crafted by Dave.  By the way, the mohawk somehow lasted overnight and the entire next day.  Amazing.

Four generations on the Thompson side.  Grandpa Thompson just loved Miss Myla.  He gave her a kiss as soon as we handed her to him.  He is 93 years old, so this was a special day.

Myla + her puppy friends.
This is Myla's road trip face.  Apparently, she cries more at our house than she does in the car...  I blame Dave's gassy genes.

Things I have Learned from my 366 Days of Having a Husband (in no particular order)...

1. It is inexcusable to use your husband's razor to shave your legs, even if it appears that he has plenty of blades to spare.
2. Dinner must include meat.  There are no exceptions to this rule.
3. Ground turkey does not count as meat.  Any substitution of ground turkey for ground beef is unacceptable.  
4. Your husband may want a grace period with little to no conversation for thirty minutes after arriving home from work.  This grace period may involve food, but no heavy chatting.
5. Your husband may decide to do different "projects" around the house.  At times these projects involve you walking into the garage to find a truck in two pieces or wondering what exactly he is about to use a power drill on in the house...
6. Don't jump straight to nagging about aforementioned projects, because they may at times save you a lot of money.  Stressing is often needless (unless the car being worked on is the one you drive).
7. Wait, the project might also cost you money.  Maybe you should nag then?  I'm not sure.  Wait until I have another 366 days, and I'll let you know.
8. Not all husbands want to share their bed with their wife and her beloved wiener dog.  This one still doesn't sit well with me...
9. Some husbands should not be in charge of keeping fertility charts.  ;)
10. My husband is amazing because he can remember to do things without writing them down on the notepad he has to constantly keep in his purse.  
11. My husband can bake better than I ever will, and it's pretty awesome.  I planned months ago for him to make this for my birthday (from the PickyApple blog): http://www.thepickyapple.com/blog/2010/11/26/black-bottom-pecan-cheeseake-pie/
12. Husbands can be great when you need help carrying things.
13. Oh, and when you just can't get that jar opened.
14. Living with a husband may cause you to end up buying many techno-gadgets that you never knew you wanted or needed.  You will never learn the function of some of these gadgets.
15. Some husbands are happy to have you be in charge from now to forevermore of all gift-purchasing, card-writing, and event planning to occur in your lives.
16. Some husbands are also happy to have you handle any and all verbal communication with outside parties in order to arrange a date of some kind.  These husbands would only like to be told when and where to be shortly before said date is to occur.
17. Some husbands like to use spreadsheets and think aloud to make important decisions, such as which insurance provider to use.  This could take over an hour.  You may never understand this method, but you should sit quietly and act supportive until the last part where the actual decision is almost made.  You can put your two cents in at that point. 
18. This spreadsheet method also may cause you to save a lot of money.  Blah.
19. Some husbands take everything in stride and don't stress as much as their wives... (not that I am ever a worry wart).
20. Some husbands don't seem to make any sense to you, and then your dad informs you that you just don't understand men.  That can be frustrating.
21. My husband will never be supportive of my possibly-unhealthy interest in celebrity gossip.
22. Some husbands are better housekeepers than their wives...
23. Your husband may suggest that you go on a 24-hour road trip with an infant to visit family.  It just might go great even if you pout the whole way.  That still doesn't mean you will ever want to make the drive again...
24. Some husbands (like mine) are amazing servant leaders.  They help you without holding it over your head, and they teach you to be a better person by their actions.
25. Some husbands bring great in-laws.  I have two sets, and they are both awesome!
26. Some husbands, even in the event of an earlier-than-planned pregnancy, turn out to be wonderful fathers who bring a tear to your eye when you see them holding the baby girl God gave you.