No pacifiers! And other things I said I'd never do...

I think this picture really says it all...

This is how we nap.  Note the pacifier.

Ok, so maybe it's not how we nap ALL the time, but after putting E down for her nap this afternoon, I found her 10 minutes later in her crib happily cooing at her ceiling fan.  No nap.  Wide awake. Now this kid had been up for over 2 hours, and I know she's tired, but alas, no nap.  Car seat?  Nap!

Not only is she napping in her car seat (and ready to go for a voyage from the looks of it), there lies the dreaded pacifier! A background story here... If there was one thing I was certain of going into the hospital to deliver our precious little girl, it was that I would not by any means offer her a pacifier.  Visions of 5 year olds still holding onto their binky between their teeth haunted my brain. How long did that last? Twenty-four hours.  That was it.  Baby E was one day old.

On a related note, I was also determined not to have a thumb sucker.  Now, I'm not so sure as to how I was going to prevent this, but I was determined.  It turns out E likes to suck. Pacifiers AND her thumb.  And this week, she found it :)

Caught in the act!

On a positive note, I never thought I'd exclusively breastfeed my child, or ever want to be a stay at home mom.  Both are turning out to be two of the best decisions I've ever made in my life, aside from marrying Paul, and trying to have a baby. We're just so blessed to have such a happy, healthy little girl, regardless of whether or not she naps in a chair while sucking on her thumb next to Copley with the TV on in the background :)

Best friends :)

That's all for this week!  Hope everyone is having a happy one,

Mrs. Kuda

Sleep Deprivation

I'm a researcher.  I like to find everyone's opinion, so that once fully educated, I feel I can make a sound decision.  For the past 7 weeks, I have read what feels like every sleep book ever written. I have asked friends, I've consulted the internet.  While E is a great night sleeper, she is pretty stuck to her 3 hour routine both day and night.  And don't get me started on napping! We'll just say she's not a fan...

Ok, so you parent veterans are probably giggling to yourselves as I try to figure out this whole sleep thing.  As the echos of my mom's voice haunt me each and every night: "You were sleeping through the night at 4 weeks!" Let's go through the list of what we've tried here at Casa de Kuda...

Earlier bedtime, later bedtime, bath before bedtime, bath in the morning, wide awake before bedtime, napping before bedtime. The oh-so-fun dreamfeed!  Nothing seems to extend her sleeping at night!

So according to my schedule, I went in for my "dreamfeed" at 11 o'clock the other night, only to find E so conked that there was no way she was going to stir enough to eat anything.  I went back to bed, feeling defeated. Paul patted me on the shoulder, "Just try again tomorrow." What happens next? I wake up at 4 am panicking...Is E ok? As I snuck into her room, there she was, my sweet little breathing girl, sleeping away as if she has done it every night since she was born.  She slept through the night! I am a champion mom!  Baby books? Internet? I laugh at you!  I was actually so excited that I could not go back to sleep to save my life, and woke Paul to tell him the news.

Now, before I get ahead of myself I am fully aware that this may have been a fluke, and she is only 7 weeks old.  I am fully prepared for another night of every 3 hours, on the hour for another month or two. But God is good, and He knew both E and I needed more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep at a time last night.  This morning was a happy time, all of us smiling in disbelief of this first.

Happy E = Happy Parents!

Hope everyone is having a happy and restful week!

Mrs. Kuda

E's Baptism

Last weekend was a whirlwind of family and friends, but most importantly, E's baptism at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. It was a beautiful ceremony, and we felt so blessed to have so many come to celebrate with us!  E was such a champ the entire weekend. She didn't even cry while getting the holy water poured over her head. After the main event, we went to the Columbia Firehouse in Old Town Alexandria for some delicious brunch. Yum!

Here's a mini photo montage of the weekend...

Some firsts from this week...

Well friends, hell must have frozen over, because I have actually prepared our dinner for this evening.  This may have come to fruition as a result of an explicit list of instructions from Mr. Kuda over the phone, but I have officially put together the FIRST meal of our marriage.  I'm not kidding. For those of you keeping track, that would be three and a half years that Paul has been cooking for us. This is one for the records!  Meet my first pork roast:

E has been very busy the past few days, too!  She's learning to push herself up on her hands.  A few trial and errors, but she's getting it!

First try...

Taking a break...

By George, I think she's got it!

Today was also the first day E has taken 3 naps. Without screaming.  I'm almost euphoric, as is she!

I'm fully aware that the wonderful little nap schedule we had today will likely change tomorrow, but I'm going to enjoy it while I can.  Hope everyone is having a great week!

Mrs. Kuda

Here we go!

All right.  For those of you who know me, you must be thinking, "Is Kristin really a blog kind of person, and can she really pull this off?"  And while the pre-2011 Kristin would agree, this newer version of myself has spent the past 48 hours determined (and screaming at my computer, mind you) to figure out the elusive HTML code. To my computer-savvy friends out there, I am fully aware that all I had to do was copy and paste a code, and not actually "code" anything. But believe me, it was a feat in itself, and I'm just proud to be here. Hopefully my efforts have resulted in a purty little blog for you to enjoy.  I'm not so sure who will visit, but my bet is on a few grandparents, and maybe those who have introduced me to blogging in the first place (thank you, Stacy!).

What has prompted this, you ask?  A little girl, E, who is so darned cute I can hardly stand it (a little biased, maybe), and our new role as parents. So sit back, relax, and enjoy as we try to figure out how to actually raise this little human, and watch her grow as a Kuda.