In The Midst of It

2 1/2 weeks of jury duty down, 3 1/2 to go (give or take). We're nice and burnt out by now, if you can imagine. But I try to shake things up pretty regularly by writing surprise messages on the bathroom mirror or having a nice dessert ready when Sean gets home, going shopping with Milo, or going on walks with the dog and boy. I hope to go to a park later today with the kids and hopefully all goes well there. It's starting to get nice and spring-y here so we're really itching to get out.

Also we're in the midst of sleep-training. And although things started out kinda rough, I really feel like there's progress being made! Here is the article where I got most of the ideas I'm trying to implement.
Basically:

• We have a routine and wind-down time before each sleep period including reading books, singing or listening to slow songs, cuddling as much as Milo wants, and ocean noises. 
• I sit in the rocker within his view and sing a couple more songs then just sit quietly while he gets comfortable.
• No more picking him up at night because that just wakes him up more. 
• At night, I go in and do similar to the normal routine but sometimes give him a smaller bottle if he's going crazy.

He fell asleep without any rocking or much fussing for the first time just now and I'm on cloud 9! I'm so praying that it's actually progress and not just a fluke. It took me about 30 minutes both times he woke up last night to put him back down and that's not bad compared to the 40 minutes it was taking to rock him and feed him before. Plus he's eating more during the day so night feedings should be unnecessary besides to calm him down. YAY! 

This weekend we're putting a hitch on the car (something Sean's wanted to do for a while, plus our car is already super prepared for it) in preparation for our first road trip/camping excursion this summer. I can't tell you how much I've research and researched and planned and made lists already and it's still like 4 1/2 months away. I have a list of ideas for things to include in future lists. I know camping with a baby is a tricky thing, especially since we'll already be so far away from home, so I want to be super-ready for it. We're renting a camper because, honestly, I'm not a great fan of camping and anything to make it better I will do. Plus baby reasons. 

I'm always excited for trips to MN but this will be our first time driving with a baby! Good news is, though, that he is a really good car sleeper, so the first 12 hours of driving (hahahaha I know) will - hopefully - be a breeze and the next ~10 won't be bad. Plus, if anything happens, we have a spare day planned in case we need to stay in a hotel for a night and we've done this trip without a kid several times so we know the way pretty well. And Strider is coming along, so we'll just have to see. 

I'm super excited to see all our friends and family! All the Donner kids haven't been together ever with all the spouses and kids, so it's going to be extra exciting! We love family! And Milo just keeps getting more fun every day so I can only imagine what kinds of things he'll be doing. #yikes

PLUS! It's going to be Milo's 1st BIRTHDAY! WHAT?! How is that coming so fast? I almost can't even handle it. He's starting to push himself forward (not exactly crawling because it's with his toes and more of an army crawl) and be mad when I take things away from him. He gets sad almost every night we have to leave dad at work for a few more hours after dinner.

Anyway, I'm sure you're done hearing about how over the moon I am about this kid. HAH. I love him. And You.

Love, Miss Ellen

P.S. I FORGOT TO MENTION! Milo is getting ANOTHER cousin in just a couple months! Congrats, Jeremiah and Kayla! We can't wait for Baby Boy!

Braided Lovelies

Hey, guys! My friend Liahona Patterson has a pretty adorable etsy company called Braided Lovelies and she makes some super cute binky clips. Milo doesn't actually take a binky, but they've been awesome with his teethers. Especially when I'm out grocery shopping and don't exactly want him chewing on the cart (hello, gross) or even if we're just out and I don't want to lose that ever-handy chew giraffe. (Momtip: use the clip as a noose necklace for certain giraffe teethers. They don't get lost as fast that way.)

Anyway, I definitely think all of you need them because they go with seriously all the outfits and are really durable. See?

So cute. Also, they come in so many colors!

Hey, Ellen? What does it mean that the giveaway ends tomorrow? THERE'S A GIVEAWAY!? 
Yes. The answer is yes.
What do I do to get one of these ridiculously adorable clips? My baby needs one pronto!
Well you're in luck.
Just follow these super easy steps!:

Step one: follow braidedlovelies on Instagram 

Step two: like the original giveaway photo 

Step three: tag 3 friends (tagging more than three friends will increase your odds). 

If you can't wait to get your hands on some lovelies visit us on Etsy. All binky clips are on sale for $6. Link in bio or search: braidedlovelies on Etsy.
The winner will be announced on Valentine's Day!

Good Luck!

Go ahead. Do it. Milo loves his and it's a serious lifesaver in car or store or church or outside situations. Basically anytime. Seriously, go.

OH. Here's a link: Braided Lovelies.

NOW GO!
Love, Miss Ellen

February 2016

Hi, all! Sorry for the long wait between posts (sheesh, a whole month? whoops...), we've been in the midst of some difficulties (a little ppd, a f'reals baby cold, and a good touch of lazy/tired) and yesterday was the start of the longest, most difficult challenge we will have dealt with in our marriage, thus far.

Sean has been selected for a 4-6 week long jury duty and the trial started yesterday. He's gone from a little before 7 am until close to 8 pm (or later, depending) every day and we only get to see him when we meet up for dinner around 6:30. Then he'll come home between 7:30 and 8 on good days and then we'll put Milo to bed immediately. He'll even have to work at least a little every Saturday so he can be sure to get his work done.

We're really trying to count our blessings here, seeing as we really don't have another choice. We'll get a little extra money from jury duty and our tax return, we'll be able to pay a bunch of bills off, we can still see each other at night and at dinner, and we're just going to keep making it work. If that means long days and a quick ice cream treat before bed, so be it.

Other than that, we're doing okay. Milo is seriously growing tooooo fast. He's started munching on little puffy treats and toast, making plenty of word-noises, laughing in funny situations (and feet... weird kid), rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling, and falling asleep all on his own (and on his tummy without a swaddle no less)!

His teeth still haven't cut, which is obnoxious for all of us, but they're right there and you can feel them. Hopefully they cut soon because I definitely think it's affecting his night sleep.

In all honesty, I don't think I'd make it as a single mom. First because I like Sean WAY too much, but also because I love being a stay-at-home mom a ton too and I don't think I want to go back to work for a good while.

Anyway, I'm going to go eat a drumstick and watch tv until Sean gets home.
Love, Miss Ellen