Five on Friday

1.  Snow.  More snow.  After the big dump of snow we got on Monday, we had a couple cold days and then more snow today.  I think they said it would be 2-3" when it really got going today, but they were initially calling for 5 more inches!  I am thankful that didn't pan out!

2.  I'm also thankful Matt is home this weekend!  He had business travel scheduled, but it was canceled to due the weather.  I'm glad that didn't pan out either. ;)  We like having Daddy home!  AND his company's building is without power, so he's been home with us an extra day!  TWO three day weekends in a row with him... I could really get used to this. ;)  So could Asa--he was sooooo excited when DADA was the one to retrieve him from bed this morning.  We love Dada. :)

3.  Last night as a surprise, Matt stayed outside after walking Sammy and he built us a huge snowman!  He didn't tell me--I only found out when I went looking for him out the back door afraid he'd been snatched or something.  He wanted to surprise us with something extra fun and special to do while he was (supposed to be) away.  My brother and sister-in-law gave Asa a set of snowman accessories for Christmas--reusable eyes, wooden "carrot" nose, mouth, buttons, and a hat.  It was so fun to take Asa out this afternoon to get our snowman outfitted.  We even added a scarf at Asa's insistence--he thinks scarves are fun and likes to walk around the house wearing a little toddler scarf Poppy & Nana gave him for Christmas; it was only fitting then that our snowman have one too.  I took a bunch of pictures, but I need to retrieve my card reader to upload them.  They'll get a post all of their own very very soon.  It's really cute, and I think Asa really liked it. :)

4.  We are hoping to get keys to the house on Sunday!!!!!  We are just waiting to finalize plans with the owner.  So exciting!  I cannot believe we're moving our whole house twice in 9 months, but that's okay!  Packing boxes feels very much like deja vu, but I am looking forward to getting unpacked and settled.  I know it will be a lot of work again, but there are not all the emotions involved this time that there were in leaving Florida.  I did NOT want to unpack here because that was admitting we were really staying.  This time, I am happy to unpack and stay in that house as opposed to staying in this townhouse. :)

5.  I love that Asa loves his bed.  He's playing around with naps some.  I suspect we're on the cusp of transitioning to one nap, but I'm not "helping" that along until after the move. ;)  Anyway, on days he plays in his crib through his afternoon nap he is extra tired in the evening.  It is not uncommon on those nights for me to be rocking and singing to him (usually 2-3 songs before I put him in bed) only to have him turn around, point at his crib, and happily/excitedly say, "Bed!!"  I'll ask, "Do you want to go to bed?" and he responds, "Yeah!!!  Bed!!!"  I love that bed is a happy place for him.  I love that he knows when he's tired and looks forward to resting.  It is a sweet, sweet gift to us all. :)

Big Boy Carseat Update

Asa is still loving his big boy carseat (Britax Boulevard CS)!  Our Labor Day travels were his first road trip in it, and he took the best car trip naps he has taken in a long time!  He slept about 45 minutes each time (instead of 15-20 in the bucket seat) and he would usually drift off instead of crying and crying first.  YEA!  We love that he's more comfortable, can see out the windows better, and happier.  Hip hooray!

He tends to fall asleep in his new seat more easily around town, too.  It's not uncommon for him to drift off on the way home from church since he misses his morning nap on Sundays.  Here's some photographic evidence of the ease with which he nods off now that he's nice and comfy. :)

On our way back from the farmer's market one Saturday (we went to one about an hour away).  One minute he was looking out the window and playing with his truck.  The next minute, he was out (this was his first time falling asleep in the new seat).

This is actually in G-Ma's car/carseat when she came to visit (his first time facing forward, too!).  He fell asleep on the way home from church.

Once again, Asa fell asleep on the way home from the county fair.

For the Record Books

I just had to record for posterity :) that Asa seems to be making some peace with night time sleep. It's been awhile since he actually *fought* sleep at night--he goes down reasonably well most of the time and almost *always* goes right back to sleep after he eats during the night. The thing is, he's over 10 months old and was still often waking 3 times/night to eat. Until very recently, I didn't really get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep.... ever. I can recall 2 times I've been sleeping deeply enough to dream.

The first night Asa and I were in TN, he had a longer than usual first stretch of sleep (4-5 hours... he had cut down to about 3 prior to that), then the rest of the night was normal--2.5-3 hour stretches. The second night he barely made it to 3 hours each stretch, it was more like 2.5 hour stretches. Then the boy started eating like a HORSE. I had never seen him pack away so much food at lunch and dinner. And slowly, his sleep started shifting as well.

It's almost 2 weeks later, and the past 2 nights, Asa's first 2 stretches of sleep have been 5-5.5 hours EACH (the 2nd stretch is of utmost importance because I am actually in bed during it, and he has traditionally resisted stretching it even when he stretched out the first sleep)! I am sleeping more than 3 consecutive hours! In fact, last night I slept **5** consecutive hours!!! I am THRILLED! I even had to WAKE Asa up the past two mornings (I would let him sleep, but it totally messes up his naps if he sleeps in late)! Praise the LORD!

At our 9 month check up Asa's doctor asked how he's sleeping. She said normally she would encourage us to help him sleep longer, but that if I was willing to feed him whenever he woke she would encourage us to do that instead--it's an easy way to get extra calories into him. I think he has come a LONG way in catching up in his weight, and now he finally weighs enough and his stomach is big enough to hold enough food (that's a lot of enoughs) that he is sleeping longer. How like our God to give this gift right before I go back to pack up our entire house?

I know he could fall off the bandwagon again at anytime, especially when the next round of teething starts. But it is BEYOND encouraging to know we are getting there. We can get back here again after the next round of teething. I WILL sleep again (there's always that little voice that wonders if you really will. I admit I had wondered to myself if he would still be waking so much by the time we, Lord willing, have another baby and if I truly would ever sleep again!)!

This is such a huge breakthrough for Asa I had to record it here--and in his baby book! Yea, Asa! Yea, sleep! Yea, God!