Sleep, or the Lack Thereof

Sleep.  Very LONG Sigh..... This is a serious battle.  Let me preface this by saying that we are by no means on the worst end of the sleep deprivation spectrum (i.e. the *clock* post over at Jon & Kelly). This I realize. We're probably somewhere in the middle, which is still VERY hard and VERY frustrating.  I think the last time I posted about sleep I was raving (big mistake) about how great Maddyx slept at night, and how awful his naps were. Well, the tables have completely turned. Maddyx's naps are all sorts of AWESOMENESS (not sure if that's an actual word, but it fits the bill) and his nighttime sleep stinks (understatement of the year)!  I am so tired of waking up every couple of hours to a screeching child only to find him perfectly fine when I arrive to his room.  And sometimes almost gitty.  Really?  Maddyx, honey, I DON'T DO WELL ON LITTLE SLEEP!  Didn't we cover this on day one?  Apparently not.  

The positive, the silver lining, or whatever you want to call it (can you tell I'm a bit crabby today?) is he *typically* will go to bed without any problems. We hang in his room for about 30 minutes or so reading books and having quiet time, and then we pick our 3 books, rock in the chair with his water bottle while I read to him. I put him down and he puts himself to sleep without any fuss. This is nice.  Especially considering we didn't start out like this.  Feels like at least some of my hard work has paid off.  I just miss the days where I put him down at 7:30 pm and didn't hear back from him until 6am-ish.  Where did those days go?!?  They were just here.  And I worked so hard to get to them.  Uuuurg!  

Last night.  He went down without a problem at 7:45 and woke up YELLING, not crying, YELLING, at about midnight.  I went to his room, laid him back down and rubbed his belly to soothe him.  He laid there for less than a minute and then popped right back up.  I laid him back down.  He got back up.  I laid him back down.  He got back up.  And we did this song and dance about four more times.  Then I grabbed a crappy pillow from the guest room and laid on the floor of his room.  I  just knew this was going to be a long night.  So I lay there on the hard floor, without a blanket, and not happy.  AT. ALL.  He stood up in his crib a few more times looking down at me and yelling, until eventually he gave up and laid down.  After about 45 minutes or so I heard the heavy breathing and knew he'd had fallen back asleep.  I went back to bed and tried to wind down myself, only to get a nice summons (yell) again at 2:00 am.  I think I might have mumbled "I hate my life" as I pulled myself out of bed AGAIN to do the same thing I just did!  (for the record, I don't really hate my life.  Just want to be clear on that!  But I'm not gonna lie, I do think those thoughts in the heat of the moment, in the middle of the night, when sleep deprived.  Not gonna lie.).  This time it took about an hour to get him to wind down.  Once he calmed down I decided to just take myself to guest bed right next to his room, so my husband could hopefully get some sleep, and I could await his next summons.  It's now 3:00 am and I'm thinking I've had about an hour and a half of sleep so far.  I laid there until 4:00 am listening to him wake, but not cry out, a couple more times and then I finally fell asleep from 4-6.  I think that gives me a total of 3.5 hours of sleep last night.  And I'm not a daytime napper, so what I get at night is all I have to work with for the entire day.  Looking back on this past week I think I'm averaging about 4 hours or so a night.   

THIS SUCKS!!  I AM FRUSTRATED!!  I'm only somewhat accepting of it because I'm still on leave from work, but my biggest fear is still battling this war when I'm back to work in January.  That is what I think about in the wee hours of the night, when I'm lying there awake.  And you know what makes this even more frustrating, he {was} sleeping through the night.  It was great.  I felt like we worked so hard to get to that point and now we're back to square one.  Again.  

So here I am at 9:30 pm, sipping on a glass of chardonnay, watching reality tv and blogging.  I should be taking advantage of the 8-midnight window of almost guaranteed sleep, but of course I can't sleep.  So here I am.

Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maddyx - you're luck you're so darn cute!  Seriously.

The Tantrum

Overall, Maddyx is a pretty easygoing and happy little guy.  I really can't complain (too much).  OK, I probably could, but I wont! However, I have noticed recently that we've been seeing a little bit more of *this* side of Maddyx.  Hmmm....not sure what I think of this intruder.  I'd like my son back, please.  Unfortunately, I'm thinking with the terrible two's and the unbearable three's right around the corner, he may be staying awhile.

Mama has one answer to all of this.  Nite-Nite time!  This equals happy baby and even happier Mama!

What We're Dancin' To......

If you haven't enjoyed this song with your little one yet - you should!  It is such a feel good song and Maddyx goes wild every time I play it for him.  I actually dvr'd it from Sesame Street so he can watch the video along with the song.  Even better.  HE. LOVES. IT.  The best part about it, Mama enjoys the song just as much as Maddyx!  I just can't help but to dance around the house when this song is on. :)  I love music, and I'm always searching for great songs that BOTH Maddyx and I can enjoy together.  So glad we found this!  Thanks Will.i.am!

Enjoy getting your 'toddler' groove on!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyVzjoj96vs

Delish Fall Cupcakes!

So although fall is definitely not in the air here in San Diego (currently 98 degrees!), I still feel fall is in my heart.  Meaning, fall decor and fall food!  You can't scare me heat wave.  I'll still turn my oven on in the midst of this hundred degree weather. There's just something about having the oven on and the smell of whatever you're baking filling the home.  Oh, and of course having delicious yummy stuff to eat afterwards is always a plus. 

So one recipe that I ran across this year that is absolutely DELISH is a pumpkin cupcake with maple frosting recipe.  OOOH, they are soooo good!  I've already made them three times and will be making them several more times before the end of the month.  As much as I'd like to hold this recipe under lock and key as if it were my very own that I just whipped up in the kitchen right off of the top of my head, the truth is, I didn't.  It's not mine, and can easily be found on the internet.  Therefore, in the art of giving, I will share it with all of you!  Hoping that you will enjoy them just as much as we do here in our house.  Maddyx just about devoured my hand along with the cupcake when I was trying to *share* mine with him. And then had a meltdown when I told him "All done" - yea, that didn't go over well.  AT. ALL.

So here it is.  And if you make them, please let me know if you loved them!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
Makes 10 cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Maple Frosting (recipe follows)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars, for serving (2 1.4-ounce bars)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with 10 paper liners.

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins (I use a level 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

4. Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped toffee bits (DO NOT SKIP THE TOFFEE BITS!  THEY ARE A MUST.).
Maple Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon Boyajian Natural Maple Flavor

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Halloween 2010 - Nothing but Pictures

This was our first Halloween with Maddyx and we had a month full of fun fall'ish festivities.  Well, as fall as you can get here in San Diego.  As I look at the weather forecast for this first week of November, it's supposed to reach the high 80's and 90's.  I guess I'll have to put my love affair with sweaters and boots on hold for yet another week.  Sigh...

Our actual Halloween ended up being very uneventful.  We had big plans of getting Maddyx dressed up in his costume and heading over to our friend's house for pizza and trick-or-treating, but Maddyx was just not having it.  He had been in a bit of a cranky mood all afternoon and then after we put his costume on he was even more irritated.  I really don't see any point in torchering a 15 month old for the pure entertainment of the adults, especially since he's way too young to understand.  So instead, we lit some candles, put on a movie and had some snacks at home.  It was perfect.  There's always next year for TRICK or TREATING!

((WARNING))  There are a lot of pictures.  So if you're not family, I apologize!!

Bates Nut Farm with the grandparents and cousins (not shown in these pics).

And here's our Mini Moo!  Unfortunately, you don't get to hear the cow bell around his neck jingle in the pictures.

Just hangin' in the kitchen with Mom.  That is until he started chucking those lemons and limes onto the floor.

Even as a cow, he must read.

 This picture was so sweet.  But I think Cooper's just wondering what Maddyx had for breakfast.

Outtakes - Take One

I have more photos than I know what to do with these days.  I think I've taken somewhere around 1500 photos in the last two months since Maddyx has been home with us.  Crazy, right?  I'm sure I could delete some of them, but for some reason I just CAN'T bring myself to do it!  I mean let's get real, am I ever going to need 20 shots of the same exact thing?  For crying out loud, delete the 15 bad ones and just keep the 5 good.  Makes perfect sense, but still can't do it.

That said, in trying to figure out what on earth I can do with all of these photos, since I'm clearly not going to delete them, I thought it would be fun to do a post including all of the outtakes. Maybe I'll start doing a weekly or monthly outtake post? hmmmmmmmm.....

So these photos were more about how funny I thought our 29 pound son looked in the moby wrap carrier, and how ridiculous we must look to outsiders carrying him in it.  He looks 4 in this thing!  I think his body span is half of mine.  I might as well throw my dog in this thing and walk around the neighborhood.  But on a serious note, he really does love the darn thing.  Unfortunately, I can only handle short increments of time carrying him in it before my back says I AM DONE!

I know you can't tell he likes the moby from this first shot, but I swear he does. :)

My husband was the one taking the pictures that day and for some reason he felt compelled to take this shot.  And to top it off, he was so proud of this picture.  I know my dog has an adorable booty, but really?  And yes people, we know his tail barely covers it!!  We rescued him...and his tail was already cropped when got him!

So here's what we ended up with after all of those photos!

Travel Warning for Korea

Just an FYI to any of my fellow bloggers that might be traveling to Korea during the month of November.

Travel Alert

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Korea, Republic of
October 27, 2010


The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in South Korea to safety and security issues related to expected public demonstrations around venues for the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in Seoul, November 11-12, 2010. The expected demonstrations will disrupt travel and have the possibility of becoming violent. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul recommends that if you are not directly involved with the G20 Summit, you should avoid host sites, including the Coex Center in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, in south Seoul. You should avoid areas near the Summit sites or areas where there are large gatherings or increased police presence. This Travel Alert expires on November 13, 2010.
 The Group of 20 (G20) is composed of the world’s 19 leading economies plus the European Union, and over 32 heads of state and 10,000 participants will gather in Seoul for the Summit. Seoul will be on heightened security alert during the Summit, and visitors should expect delays when traveling into or around the city. The Coex Center in south Seoul will be closed to the public on November 12, and automobile and pedestrian traffic for two kilometers around the complex will be restricted from November 8-12. Expect delays on all forms of transportation throughout Seoul the week of November 8-12, including roads, subways, buses, and at airports.


Protests at previous G20 Summits have resulted in outbreaks of violence. Korean authorities are preparing for potential protests from both international and local groups. Large numbers of police and security personnel will be deployed to assist with security during the Summit. A protest area has been designated at Olympic Park, but demonstrations could also occur in areas throughout Seoul. Security will be especially tight at the Coex Center, which will have a two-kilometer radius of security checks. Security will also be higher than normal at airports, hotels and other Summit venues. Be alert and aware of your surroundings and pay attention to what the local news media has to say about local conditions.

U.S. citizens traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate so they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Travelers to Korea should regularly monitor U.S. Embassy Seoul’s website and the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the U.S. Department of State where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Korea can be found. The U.S. Embassy also encourages you to review "A Safe Trip Abroad," which includes valuable security information for those living and traveling abroad. In addition to information on the Internet, you may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or outside the United States and Canada, on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is located at 32 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu. The email for the Consular Section at Embassy Seoul is seoulinfo@state.gov. Embassy Seoul’s emergency telephone number is 02-397-4114 (domestic) or 82-2-397-4114 (international). Embassy Seoul will be closed on November 11, 2010, for the Veterans Day holiday, but otherwise will be open for routine American citizen services during the G20 Summit.