Lets Get Real Here..

so i think theres a part of us thats not being honest.

at some point we have to get "real" with one another.

whats real? we all love our babies, kids, children etc. but there are days, sometimes weeks, or unfortunately months for some, where the frustration can seem overwhelming.
and we never really talk about it? we all say..."oooo she was a little fussy late week, but she's just so sweet...etc" when we REALLY want to say, " OMG she drove me NUTS last week, i had no clue, still don't, what was wrong and i wanted to just get in bed and pull the covers over my head"

we don't "get real" because were afraid to sound like bad mothers. were afraid others will judge us on our lack of "compassion" and "tolerance" and "faith".

you know what though? i think it would be nice to know that I'm not the only one sometimes, that there is SOMEONE out there who's feeling the same way. that I'm not surrounded by support in the loving moments, but completely alone in the struggles.

so lets do it..lets GET REAL. let talk about it ALL....the joy, the love, the precious moments...AND the pain, the misunderstanding, the confusion. its ALL part of mother hood, its ALL part of our day to day...and were denying ourselves the truth if we say to each other ..EVERYTHING IS JUST PEACHY...all the time.

so whats my real moment?

Leighton won't nap...she naps for 45 minutes...on. the. dot. and wakes, plays, then cries. 70% of the time she goes back to sleep...but other times she won't. its frustrating. this girl used to take a 2 hour nap no problem, she actually took 4 of them. then she dropped the last nap around 4 months which is normal. then her wake time extended slowly, then we were slammed with holiday interruptions, 2 colds, a growth spurt, solids, and RSV. somewhere in that 2 months span i lost leighton. i don't know what she needs anymore, and its is frustrating to say the least. she still sleeps through the night, thank the Lord ( because God is good all the time, even if we don't get it ) but lets be HONEST...we want our kids to nap. kids that nap are happier, they learn better and quicker, then focus intently on things, then strive to reach goals sooner, their overall health and demeanor is better, studies even show sleep deprived babies tend to lean towards learning problems, i.e.: ADHD, ADD etc.

SO we are in the process of nap training this week. we will not be going ANYWHERE that interferes with nap time. HERE is our goal..since i can't read Leighton, she will read me, it all lines up with "Parent Led" raising..which i firmly believe in..and were gonna do this until i get my baby back!! :)


7:00am wake, 5 ounce bottle, 2 1/2 TBS oatmeal, 2 TBS bananas

8:15-8:30am nap 1

10:30-11:00 wake, 5 ounce bottle, 4 TBS butternut squash, 2 TBS sweet potatoes

12:00-12:30 nap 2

2:00-2:30 wake, 5 ounce bottle

3:30-4:30 nap 3 (this nap is always shorter for her )

5:00-5:30 wake. 5 ounce bottle, 4 TBS avocados, 2 TBS peas

6:30 bath, massage, PJS, books

7:00 bottle..however much she will take, around 3 ounces most of the time
( she's ready to drop this last feeding, but we can't do that until she has extended to a full 4 hour schedule.)

as of right now we aren't doing the dream feed anymore, if she begins to wake early, like 5 am, i will re-introduce it until we have everything perfected. upon which I'm sure she will change it up on me :) sweet baby.

so there. i got real. be praying for us.

now its your turn!