Uplifting moments

It's so easy to complain about those little things in our lives that may be causing us stress at the time, and let slip the small positive occurences. A shame, really. Giving the negative the attention it doesn't deserve, but wants badly, only amplifies its discomfort. It feels us with dread, making it harder to ignore. For some reason, happy thoughts are much easier to banish. They get squashed and seep out through the cracks that the negative thoughts leave.

So today I focus on the good.

I will not dwell on my lack of sleep, but instead be uplifted by the extra hour that my son slept last night. By the way he woke up, then went back to sleep all on his own. He still may not sleep all night, but he is sleeping longer.

I will not dwell on the tightness of my size 6 jeans, but instead be uplifted by the stunning fact that I can wear them at all. By the 5.2 pounds I seem to have misplaced over the last 3 weeks. I may not yet be where I want to be, or weigh what I want to weigh, but I am thinner than I was before I was pregnant. 9 weeks are still left to send the remaining pounds into exile.

I will not dwell on the slowness of my postal worker, who refuses to bring me my new stash, but instead be uplifted by the progress I am making on my current project. I may not yet have my new project, but I will not permit myself to start it until the old project is finished anyway.

I will not dwell on the current tension in the stitching community, but be uplifted by the boards that allow me to share my passion with other passionate stitchers. I may not be as "in the know" as I would like, or post as often as I would like, but I still consider these people my friends.

Lastly, I will not dwell on the slow dissolution of a very dear friendship, but be uplifted by the years of memories I still retain. By my family who give me all the love I need. By my few friends that still remain. I will resign myself to the fact that she wants and needs nothing more from me than an occasional email. I will move on.

Ferberizing and Routines

I haven't had a full night's sleep in 5 months. Whether it was due to experience or good genetics, each of our babies were better-behaved than the last. Until Alex. Apparently a boy is different in EVERYthing! He is a true Mama's Boy. He would be attached to me permanently if he could. I love him to pieces, and this makes me feel very special, but I want my sleep! He has absolutely no problem going to sleep. He has an extreme problem *staying* asleep. 2 hours max. Then he wants to play. This doesn't work for me after midnight. So I have gotten him on a strict schedule. Starting at 8:00, we bathe (he loves the water), get pj's on, get his last meal, and read a story. Then it's off to bed. No problem. He will even put himself to sleep. Only to wake up an hour later.

Hence the Ferberizing. He has to learn how to calm himself and put himslef back to sleep. Let him cry for a few minutes. Go in and pat him, talk to him. Walk out. Let him cry. Go in and pat him. Don't pick him up, don't pick him up, don't pick him up. This is so hard! I stuck it out for 45 minutes. Then I worry that he might still be hungry. I finally cave and get him up to eat. Oh, he's so happy! He's jumping, laughing, playing, but NOT eating. All that time ruined because I caved! I should have stuck it out. Oh well. We'll try it again tonight. I know he won't get it the first day, or even the first few days. But if he started sleeping on his own, it would be sooooo worth it! Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

In stitching news, month two of the Dracolair SAL is over. Click for details. Back to Lilly!

Heart Beeps

I was finishing up the dishes yesterday when my youngest daughter, age 5, came in to keep me company. I told her I was about to go out to the garage to do my workout. She told me "I wanna come work out too, cause I need to make my heart beep." Always tickled pink when my children say something cute, I encouraged her to continue. "Oh yeah? Why?" She answered very convincingly, "Because when your heart beeps, it means you love somebody. If it stops beeping, your heart is broken, and nobody loves you." I assured her that she had nothing to worry about, as she has the strongest heart of anyone I know. I was rewarded with a tight hug.

Speaking of hearts, I finished my Valentine happy I stitched up for fun. It's called Angle of Love by Cross Eyed Kat Designs, and I stitched it with Krenik silks, and an overdyed Dinky Dyes silk (#47 - Cowrie Shell). It's done on a Silkweaver solo. I love the mix of Science and the Arts, since I am a stitcher with a Biology degree ;)