The world=AJH.

The only thing worse than a sick baby is a sick baby hyped up on a steroid. After three nights of edgy, anxious, over-tired baby I needed a little “refreshing.” I was starting to feel like a total failure. And in typical “me” fashion I was equating failing at one thing (putting the baby to sleep) to failing at life.

We have been spoiled because since about six weeks old AJH has slept a good 12 hours every night. Since going (virtually) mobile she gets worn out easily and is normally ready for bed by 7:00 pm at the latest…and she always sleeps until about 7:30 am. I don’t know how we got so blessed, and I am sure our next baby will be the total opposite, but in the meantime we’re enjoying it very much.

So, when she decides bedtime isn’t until past nine, and does the whole body thrust, arching the back screaming thing every time we try to lay her down, it’s not fun.

And I feel pretty lost.

Needless to say, the sushi date came at a perfect time.

I got home, AJH was still awake, and instead of being frustrated and getting anxious, about her needing to sleep, we just played…played with Henry, played the keyboard, played on the school bus. Finally she camped out on my lap, with Berenstain Bears dancing in her glazed over eyes and dozed off.Just a couple of hours out of the house to eat delicious, fresh food and talk with other women was exactly what I needed and for the first time I realize that taking some “me” time could actually make me a better mom.

Speaking of food, I’ve been trying to make more conscious decisions about what I eat. I’ve thought about going vegetarian and/or vegan many times and for lots of different reasons. One of the main reasons at this point in my life is because I am starting to see my body as a machine that needs the best fuel possible. Feeding myself caffeine, and heavy, over-processed foods has not done me well the past 29 years. I used to wonder  why I struggled with anxiety, irritability, exhaustion and digestion problems, never stopping to think about what I was feeding my body. Instead of taking a second to evaluate what I was fueling with, I tried to fix the problem with different medicines, and countless Dr. appointments. I still enjoy my bi-weekly acupuncture and monthly counseling sessions, but realize that what I feed myself is probably the fastest solution to feeling better. Lunches are my downfall because I am too lazy to pack something healthy and have bought school lunch every single day this year except two (when I had excellent, already packaged left-overs).

I nixed the day old chili option for tomato soup, grilled cheese, apple sauce and veggies with ranch. My downfall was the Dr. Pepper AND the sweet tea, as if one caffeinated, sugar filled drink wasn’t enough.I was left feeling okay…somewhat tired but no major stomach eruptions.

Day three (today) I forgot to take a picture (would’ve been a little awkward in the teacher’s lounge) but had two pieces of cheese pizza, salad with ranch, baked apples and some oranges. So far I feel pretty good!

I hope that my food choices will reflect well on my physical well-being. I want to give my body what it needs to feel energized, happy, and healthy. If you have any tips, feel free to share!

Another update on the adoption front–baby Peter from Reece’s Rainbow (part of the Pure Love giveaway I posted about last week) has found a forever family! The only problem is his health is NOT good and his family needs to get him to the USA asap. The only thing stopping them is the money. They don’t have a year to do the fundraising…they need him now, or he may not make it. He is already up to over $13,000 but they will probably need to get closer to $20,000 before they can bring him home. See this post for more information. I donated again today and the awesome thing is, the more times you donate, and spread the word, the more entries you get to win the IPAD on the Pure Love giveaway. See this post for more details.