Embarking on my new career

If you know anything about me, you know my colossally bad luck.  It shouldn't be called Murphy's Law, it should be Lacey's Law.  So, yesterday I had my informational meeting with an Avon lady and I signed up. (Totally easy start-up, PS.  If you're interested in finding out more, please feel free to email me at MrsLThorner{at}gmail{dot}com.)  She is my up-line contact (basically, she's the first I call with questions) and she said that she would get me registered when she got home.  Cool beans.

I figured that by 9 pm last night, she would've had time to do that, so I go to the website to get registered and start going through my online training, only to discover that Avon can't verify my information.  I sent her a text about it and went to bed.  I tried again this morning and got the same message, but I also got a number that I could call.  Turns out that my account number had been registered to someone else.  Cool.  So now what?  Well, today was our district's President's luncheon, so I texted my upline and she was talking about it with all of the other managers and all of her uplines, and guess what?  Among all of them, they have only heard of this happening only three other times in all of their combined years of Avon experience.  STELLAR.  So I had to wait for the help desk to email me a new account number before I could get started.  But, everything is now go!  And, so you all can help me with launching my new career, you all get FREE SHIPPING on your first order through my online store!  Just visit My Avon Store.  And, once I start getting some clientele established, you can bet your booty I'm going to start doing a giveaway or two!

On a different note, unrelated to Avon but in keeping with my luck, I thought the sleep training was going well until we got to the morning nap today.  I tried for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT to get Wylie down for his nap.  Finally, I had to nurse him twice to get him back down.  I also had to NoseFrida him. Twice.  Then he woke up about 2 pm.  Fine.  He didn't show signs of being tired for quite a while, so I just figured that he was skipping his afternoon nap in favor of an early bed time.  NOT SO, INTERNET.  He just woke up.  So I have no idea what my night is going to look like, but I'm guessing it's not going to be pretty.  Pray for me, internet.  Please.  Pray for me to have patience and a glass of wine.  Or two.

And a killer Avon launch.  Please.  Extra money is necessary so I can afford a sitter to get out of the house and drink with other adults.  Or just get out by myself.  Help me.  Thank you!  Oh, and once I get some money coming in, you can maybe look forward to free samples of killer products like the Flash Facial, the Luminosity Pro Brightenig Serum, and the Professional Cellulite Treatment, plus many more as they become available.  Help me support small business - you buy from me, I buy a margarita!  Good night, Internet!

My Own Personal Hell: DAY THREE

So, we're on day three of the sleep (re-) training.  I was reading in one of my parenting magazines (from like four months ago, but I'm just now getting around to reading it) that this one woman and her husband take walks before bedtime with their daughter.  The fresh air tires her out and gives the adults some energy, so I thought, "What the hell?"  Today, after a dinner of rice cereal and squash (Wylie's, not mine), I retied my Reeboks and loaded him into the stroller.  We just a did a nice leisurely walk around the block and he really enjoyed it.  We came home and he rolled around on his quilt with his toys and then I took him upstairs.  I nursed him, read him a couple stories and then rocked him a little.  I put him down drowsy but awake and left the room.  And he cried for maybe 8 minutes and now?  SILENCE.  Blessed silence.  Thank you, Lord!

On a side note: I never got around to making those individual portions of lasagna.  It's been moved up on my to-do calendar.  Right after, "Clean out the freezer some".  You know, so I can fit those individual portions of lasagna in there.  So right now, I'm eating some leftover Italian wedding soup, some chili, some spaghetti sauce, and other little tidbits I have in there.  Which should last me some while until my BFF gets here.

Oh, and I am officially an Avon lady.  Will get you all the website address as soon as I have it finalized.  :)

My Own Personal Hell

So, after being a crappy sleeper this week, I decided it was time to sleep (re) train the baby. He used to be a good sleeper. You know, after I sleep trained him at three months. But then we went to WI, he started teething, we moved him to the crib, and Daddy got deployed. So he's back to being a crappy fall-asleeper. Yes, I just made up that term. So, since he started showing signs of grumpiness almost a full hour earlier than he usually does, I decided there was no time like the present. And honestly, is there a pleasant method for sleep training? I doubt it.

Before, I totally did the modified (?) Ferber method. You know - put him down. If he cries, give him five minutes, then go in, calm him, and walk back out. If he cries again, up it to 10 minutes. Etcetera. However, I recently read an article by a woman who tried a different method (IDK what it's called - I'm going to call it sit-and-soothe). So in S-A-S, you sit next to the crib, and pat the baby, and talk to him, yadda yadda yadda, until he falls asleep. I tried that two nights ago. Except I was there for over an hour and he wasn't getting any more tired. Turns out, Wylie just like to hang out with mama. So I went back to my modified Ferber for today. I nursed him (it's like his bed time snack), gave him the paci, rocked him till he was drowsy, put him down and turned on the seahorse. I shut the door even though I could hear him start to object. I gave him five minutes of crying-like-he-means-it before going back in (it usually takes him about 20 minutes to get to this point. I know he usually just moves around the crib, bouncing on his knees (his newest accomplishment) and pushing the crib soother before he actually gets pissed). Then I gave him 10 minutes. That time, he sat up and came over to the side and put his arms up to me. I picked him up, gave him a hug and his paci and put him back down. Except that this time, while I was waiting for him to get down to business one way or the other (crying or sleeping), he started SCREAMING. I'm pretty sure that he bonked his head on the crib while he was messing around. The fact that I found him with his head canted at what I can only presume to be an uncomfortable angle against the bars seems to confirm this. So I picked him up, soothed him, and rocked him until drowsy again. Then I put him back in the crib. And I listened to him fuss around for 30 minutes (didn't really cry in earnest, so I just left him to it). And right now? SILENCE. Blessed silence.

And for mama? A drink. And maybe some chicken wings. Yes. Yesssss.

Some Observations from the Other Side

ONE
I finally changed my blog picture.  Yes, I know it's now six weeks old.  But that's the best I can do because blogspot is being weird and won't import a photo from facebook that I wanted to use, so I had to make do with one that Chad had sent me and I have already uploaded to my computer and exported for use online.  I STILL don't know where my camera charger is (I finally caved to Chad pressuring me and have agreed to just get a new one, even though I still like my old one).  I do have some photos in my inbox from my mom from when they were visiting, but frankly, I haven't uploaded or exported those yet.

TWO
I have a profound new respect for single mothers.  Holy shit.  Chad left on Sunday for WA and will be there until the 19th.  Sunday went alright, but Monday.  People, Monday sucked.  I ate 1.5 meals.  THAT'S IT.  I was starving, but that wasn't the worst part.  The worst part was then that Wylie refused to actually sleep Monday night (or was it Sunday night?  I don't even remember now).  I think I got a solid 45 minutes at a time.  Sigh.  Things are better now.  Yesterday I was able to put him in his bassinet twice in order to quick inhale some waffles and then get dinner started.  Today, I'm on my third time with him sleeping in his bassinet.  But I still cannot wait for Chad to get home.

THREE
On the 19th, Chad gets home, his mom flies in, and our friends Mike and Saranya arrive as well for a visit.  They're all flying in to Denver: Chad first, his mom an hour later, and then Mike and Saranya about an hour and a half after that.  So Chad is going to hang out until everyone arrives.  Which means that over this next week and a half that is left while Chad is gone, I have to somehow make sure that house stays in company ready condition.  Right.

FOUR
Wylie is finally growing.  Well, not that he wasn't before, but it's a palpable growth now.  At first, the newborn onesies were getting tight in the crotch area, so I decided it was time to start using the 3 mos. onesies.  Well, today, he wore his first complete outfit in the 3 mos. size.  It's adorable - it's one that Sharon (MIL) bought for him.

FIVE
The last time I shaved my legs was in August.  It just got too hard to shave them.  I kept telling myself, once I have the baby, then I'll be able to shave them.  Yeah, right.  I don't even get to wash my face twice a day every day.  I will just say this: I'm at Man Status.  Ew.

SIX
As much as I want Chad to come home, it's so nice to have the bed to myself and not have to worry about whether he gets back to sleep okay when Wylie wakes up for a nighttime feeding.  Calvin likes it too.  Silly cat resumes sleeping with me while Chad's gone.

SEVEN
I have my six week postpartum checkup next week.  So far, I'm feeling pretty good about things.  Yes, I'm tired.  Duh.  I love my baby and feel close to him.  (BTW: he smiled at me for the first time yesterday.  I thought I was going to melt, people!)  I feel pretty okay about my postpartum body (though my stomach looks like crepe paper and I sincerely vow that my midriff will never again see the light of day in public) - I am already weighing less than I was when I first got pregnant (at least that was the case the last time I was weighed at the doctors).  Chad helps around the house as much as he can.  Though, I will say that I really, really miss my family and friends from back home.  I kind of feel like the pregnancy totally embittered me toward Colorado.  Yes, it's pretty here and I do like it, but I really just feel pretty resentful toward Colorado a lot of the time now.  I hope that passes some - spending the next three to four years feeling like this is going to be rough.

Alright, the baby is stirring, so I must be off.  But I just wanted to update some :)

And here are some more photos....

 This is a blanket sleeper that Grandma Sharon bought for him.  She loved this one (it was in the box of clothes she mailed to us) - it was her favorite.
















In most of these next pictures, he's still jaundiced, so you can tell these are older.  These are when he's between 1 week and 3 weeks of age...

He's so precious!  And I love the faces that he makes!