Reality Check

I went to a funeral home viewing last night.

I wish it would have been for a friend's grandparent -
someone who had lived a long and fulfilled life.

But it wasn't.

It was for someone who I went to high school with.

We met before high school -
hanging out at the pool and having fun in the summers.

We were on the track team together,
and even went on a school trip to Italy together.

She went to California after graduation,
and sadly we totally lost touch.

She had become an extreme snowboarder,
and was ranked internationally.

Unfortunately, the mixture of a bad diet and a rigorous exercise plan
ended her life too soon.

You will be missed by all, Lisa, and I will cherish our memories!

So Happy!

Happy Alena waking in the morning - I would be this happy too after the 3rd consecutive night of 12 hours of sleep! Watch - she will wake up at 4am on Tuesday because I have to work!

Figuring it out...

...Alena's sleep pattern, that is:

Monday - no work - awake at 7am

Tuesday - work - awake at 3:30am
Wednesday - work - awake at 4am

Today - no work - STILL ASLEEP - it's 9:45am!!!!

So - she sleeps on days I am off, and needs her early morning snack on days that I work.

She knows!

July 2010 - Alena 3 months

Maternity leave has officially ended - as has baby boot-camp. Going back to work was smoother than I ever thought possible, and Alena is out of that "so-small-infant" phase. Things are definitely easier at home, which has made going back to work much more tolerable.

Our little Alena is not so high-maintenance anymore, which makes me very happy. We are able to lay her on the play mat or even in the swing (with it not swinging because it's busted!) and she is content for long time. This makes it easy to be available to Luci when she is need of attention.

Alena is very much like her big sister and has found her thumb. I hear her in the middle of the night on the monitor sucking away at times, and she is able to pacify herself back to sleep. Speaking of sleep - her sleeping habits are not as consistent as Luci's were at this age. Luci definitely spoiled us. Alena isn't bad by any means, but lately she wakes up at 4am at times, nurses for about 5 minutes, and then falls asleep again until 9am. I am NOT complaining, just comparing. I am just hoping that as the weeks go by that she will not need that 4am snack. She didn't get up until 8:45 yesterday morning, but was up at 4:30 this morning again...so she is just not finding her own groove just yet.

She is getting better control of her head these days. We do little exercises to help her gain neck strength. She is tolerating tummy-time much better as a result. Unlike Luci, she has not attempted to roll over yet. Looking back at Luci's 3 month post, I wrote that she was trying to roll over but would get stuck 3/4 of the way. It's hard not to compare.

Luci has become more brave at the pool. She is plunging herself in the water of the baby pool and puts her face under when she does so. She has been so active this past month - singing, dancing, swimming...it's hard to get her to nap on some days because we are so busy. A quick car ride is a great remedy for that.

I have been looking for a dance school for Luci, but haven't been able to find classes that fit with my work schedule...I am still waiting for some call backs though.

Here are pictures from the last month.