Finally some pictures!

Nathan and Cass at Enchanted Forest
Uncle Tom Tom, Aunt Tiff Tiff, Grandma and Cousins Kelsie and Maggie at Enchanted Forest
This is Charleytown Coffee. I work here!
Me and Naphy at work!!

Same crap, just another day...ok, not really!

So we had a great Memorial Day weekend up in Albany. We spent a lot of time with our families which was so nice. Nathan got to spend tons of time with his cousins, Kelsie and Maggie. We spent Friday evening visiting with Cass's parents and then spent Saturday with my mom, Bob, Tiff and the girls and Tommy up at Enchanted Forest. I have pictures I'm just too lazy to upload right now. The kids had a lot of fun and I highly recommend it. Sunday we did a little birthday bbq with my dad and Kathy. Kelsie, my dad and I all have Birthdays within about a week of each other so there was TONS of cake over the weekend. The long weekend went by way to quick though. We headed back early Monday so that we could unwind and head over to my friend Heather's house for a little bbq with her family and another cute little family that we met at swimming. We had a great time and lots of yummy food!!
So I'm working at Charleytown Coffee a few days a week and I find that I really enjoy it. I love coffee so I think I'm in heaven. Judy the owner is great! She is so understanding to our situation and lets me bring Nathan to work with me. I got a babygate and i just block him off from half of the shop (it's a drive through). He is actually a lot better behaved than I thought he would be so it's working out quite nicely. I'm also a "personal assistant" to Stephanies mom. I think it works out great for both of us. I do things that save her time and I get out and about and get to have Nathan with me too! I think I scored big time on landing jobs that allow me to stay with Nathan but help support my family. Cass has nine and a half more months of school left!!!
Nathan update....the walking thing has just gotten better and better. He cruises around our place pretty easily. He has fallen and gotten banged up a little but he's tough. HOWEVER, he has been sick and/or teething terribly the last few days. There has been a lot of crying, fussiness and NO sleep for three days now. Last night was a tough one for me. He woke up this morning bright eyed and bushy tailed though and was like that for most of the day. He even took his normal naps (two naps lasting anywhere from one to two hours). So that was great. I napped when he did so I feel so much better. He went to sleep tonight as if the last few nights never happened. I don't expect him to be perfect but I have a feeling tonight is going to go much better.
I'll be working at the coffee shop both Saturday and Sunday, eight hours each day. It won't be like this every weekend but Judy is headed out of town. I'm sad that I won't get to spend the whole day with Cass and Nathan but I'm happy that they will come out and spend some time with me. I'm ready and willing to do what I have to do to help my family through these "poor college kids" days. It will have big pay offs when Cass is done.
I can't think of anything else I just HAVE to say right now. So now you are updated on life in the Bay with the Beavers!!

Oh, and YEAH for Christina bringing Brody into this world last weekend!!

The End.

THANK YOU!

FRIENDS! Thank you for your comments in my last couple posts. I take them to heart and really appreciate you taking the time. NO more crying for Nathan. In fact, we have been at my moms for the weekend and his sleeping is way out of wack. So Cass and I are taking turns sleeping on the couch and Nathan shares the bed with one of us. He really does have a good life! I'll be posting some pictures of him walking soon!! Thanks again and I'll keep you updated!

5am

It's 5am and I'm a mess. I feel like the worst mom in the world.
Let me give you a small background. Nathan has always had trouble falling to sleep on his own. I take full responsibility for the bad habits I created when he was newborn but take it easy on me, I'm a first time mother. We finally decided on the "cry it out" method about four months ago. I wasn't very consistent. Although we didn't suceed in him going to sleep on his own, he did start sleeping for longer periods of time. But here's the thing, I know he can go to sleep on his own because he has done it before. When he used to wake in the middle of the night, I would feed him, lay him down and he would go right to sleep. So what's the problem??? I don't have that answer.
Last weekend we decided we should try the cry it out again because he is getting older and he really needs to self soothe. This is night five or six and it still hasn't worked. I can't take it anymore. He woke up at 3am. I let him talk and whine for a while because it sounded promising that he would fall back to sleep. At a quarter to four I decided to go see what the problem was. When I go in there, he freaks out 10x more. I decide I should love on him for a second, lay him down and leave. Ten minutes later he is still crying LOUD. So I go in, lay hime down and he screams as if I have just taken a belt to his bum. So now I think "oh, what a good time to try something new" (remember, I'm a first time mom) and I lay him down, leave. He stands up and screams. I go lay him down and leave. We repeat this several times until his is screaming so loud and hard that I can't take it anymore. I go and give him to Cass. This is the point that I just melted down. Why doesn't this method work for him? Maybe this method isn't for everyone. I also noticed this week that Nathan has been so much more clingy towards me. Coincidence? I don't know. What I do know is that there seems to be no right or wrong answer. Even though he was falling a sleep to his bottle or a quick bounce, he was a happy child and sleeping for sometimes nine or ten hours in a row and for eleven or twelve hours total for the night. Now I wonder if I should wait until he's older. Would this be easier or harder? I'm thinking I could wait until he understands what I'm telling him and use a gradual approace (as seen on Nanny 911). Again, there seems to be no right or wrong answer.
What I do know is that once Cass got Nathan calm and relaxed, I came and layed with Nathan on the couch until he feel a sleep. Now he's in bed. I'm a mess. I feel terrible. I feel like I've been torturing my child for the last week and now he's going to hate me. It's 5am and I can't sleep. I just don't think I'm going to continue this sleep training method. I am going to do what works for us and quit worrying about it. IT IS NOT WORTH IT WHEN YOU HAVE NIGHTS LIKE THIS! To see Nathan as upset as he was last night breaks my heart into a million pieces and I wish I could take back that last hour we spent battling for him to go to sleep. All it took was five minutes of holding him. Is that so bad? I don't think so.

Things on my mind...

Why do you suppose we try so hard sometimes to make a relationship work? If it takes more work and stress than there are pay offs, is it really worth the relationship??? Does that even make sense? I found myself in a situation recently where I finally decided to call it quits with my effort to befriend someone. I like people and I consider myself someone who is easy to get along with. I'm sure I annoy people too. I find myself being nice to people I don't even really like and who aren't so nice themselves. I don't like to have stressful, negative relationships so I figure the best way to avoid it is to suck it up, put a smile on my face and be nice, even going out of my way to do nice things for them. I don't know, I'm starting to think it's a downfall. So I've decided that instead of trying so hard to make that relationship work, I'll be civil, but no more going out of my way. I find that as I get a little older, experience more, and know what's really important in my life, I have less tolerance for people that are disrespectful, rude and quite honestly just too much work to get a long with. I've always been a pretty opinionated person, just ask those that I'm close with (my family, Cass, closest friends) and I've decided that I'm going to start sticking up MORE LOUDLY for what I think, believe and stand for. No more smiling and nodding just to avoid the awkward conflict. Is this a bad thing? Or should I just keep walking on eggshells around people to avoid a possible confrontation? I'm not going to be rude and disrespectful, just more firm you could say. I'm not really sure if what I'm trying to say is coming out right. If you knew the certain situation in detail it might make more sense and I wouldn't sound like such a b*&#@. Blogging about it might not be the best idea but it's what's on my mind lately.
No worries though, if you are reading this, you are not the victim of these thoughts. It's a specific situation that got me thinking about how and why it got to the point that it is at. I conclude that I have contributed to the stress of the relationship because I haven't been true to myself and this other person about how I really feel. Instead I've covered it up by doing things I don't really want to do, putting on a happy face when really all I want to do is ask "are you serious?" and now it's eating at me that I feel so strongly about it. I really need to take a deep breath, remember what's important and not waste my time thinking so much about it and blogging about it to people who now think I'm a psycho idiot. Ok, I'm done!!

BEACH BABIES!

Last week we had awsome weather like I already mentioned. Nathan and his friend Jackson were forced by their mommies to become beach babies!! They really didn't mind! We had a ton of fun and can't wait to do it some more.

I suck!

The previous post was my first slide show ever. So it didn't work right. So click on show pictures and look at them that way. I'll get a lesson in slide shows and improve my blogging abilities asap.

Fun in the sun with friends!

The last few days have been so gorgeous. No wind...just a lot sun! We have been playing really hard at the beach for the last two days and had one good day at the park. The pictures are from our day at what we like to call "Toppets Park." I'm not sure if that's right, but that's what we call it. We had fun taking a walk and then snacking and playing in the grass. Nathan and Jackson are quickly becoming bff's!!! Even though Nathan cries when Jackson makes any kind of noise. Heather and I know that we have the cutest kids, by a LONG SHOT! But take a look anyway...I'll post beach pictures soon!

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Happy Mother's Day

Today we celebrate our moms!! I wanted everyone to know that I have the BEST mom in the whole universe. The world is a better place because of her and I know that my life is what it is today because of her. I love my mom more than words can say! I appreciate her more than she knows and don't take one minute for granted that I spend with her. So here is to the best mom on the planet...Happy Mother's Day mom...I love you!!

Friends are FUN!!

I got to go home for the weekend and see some of my good friends. I had such a good time.

Kezzie, Maliah and Jillian
And Jillian, me and Jerri!!

I've been tagged....twice!!

I was tagged twice so here it goes....ENJOY!

Four jobs I've had:
1) TACO BELL (don't judge, I was only 15)
2)Maurices
3) Child Care
4) Citizens Bank

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1)Girls just want to have fun
2)Dirty Dancing
3)Sleepless in Seattle
4)National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Four places I've lived:
1) Corvallis,
2) Philomath
3) Utah
4) Currently, North Bend

Four TV shows I watch:
1)American Idol
2)Survivor
3)Big Brother (just ended)
4)Cops

Four Places I've been:
1)Florida
2)California
3)Tijuana Mexico!!
4)Colorado

Four people who email me regularly::
1)Babycenter.com
2)Mary Gilbert
3)My mom
4)Sears...I wish they would go away

Four of my favorite foods:
1)Home made Mac and Cheese
2)Dutch oven stuff
3)lots of chocolate desserts
4)Thanksgiving dinner

Four places I would like to visit:
1) Africa
2) New York
3) Italy
4)Istanbul Turkey

Four things I'm looking forward to in the coming year:
1)Nathan turning 1!!
2)Annual Utah road trip
3)Running Y in September
4) Christmas! (who doesn't?)

Four friends I'm tagging:
1)Amber
2) Tiffani (start a blog and get going!)
3)ditto for mom
4)ditto for anyone else out there who doesn't blog but should!

BEST SURPRISE EVER!!

My sister and Kelsie came to surprise me for the weekend! I've never been so happy! I've been pretty lonely down here in North Bend so this was the best surprise I could have ever asked for. We had so much fun. We went to Stephanie's shower, the beach, the Outdoor In restaurant and the Pancake Mill:) Nathan LOVES his cousin Kelsie and followed her around and watched her the whole time she was here. The picture above with Tiff and Kelsie was taken at Steph's shower...we had a great time and Steph scored big on baby gifts!
Nathan and Kelsie road in the little race car. It was so cute. Nathan was Kelsie's "little buddy" all weekend. It was great. He sure loves his older cousin! We can't wait to see them again over Memorial Day weekend. I will get more pictures up of our weekend when I get a little more time. Nathan and I just got home from our first swimming class and he was so cute. He splashed and kicked and laughed. He was so much fun. Now he is sound a sleep and I have got to get my shower in otherwise I may not get a chance!
Cass and I are going to start running tonight. We feel ambitious. We both really want to get in to shape so we are trying to motivate each other. We are going to go to the high school track and do laps.
OH....most importantly...I made a friend today. Her name is Heather and her and her son are in our swim class. I'm so excited. We are going to go to the public library on Thursday for story time and see how the kids like it. Hooray for me!
Well, if Tiff reads this, thank you so much for coming! I couldn't have asked for anything better. It made life so much better for the short time you were here. Then you left and I realize how lonely and bored I get:) J/K. Thanks for making the long drive. I hope you can come again with the whole family. We will surely return the favor sometime soon!! We love you and miss you so much!

The Culprit

Get a good look at this face. He is the reason that I got NO sleep last night. Don't think I'm exaggerating...I'm NOT.

Update

Lots happening...Nathan is cutting more teeth! I can feel his top left tooth. It has broken through the gum and it is just a matter of days until we see the pearly white! I can see where the right one is ready to come through any day. He is such a champ about it. He doesn't seem to struggle too much. Me on the other hand, I'm still having some issues with the sinus infection. I'm feeling so much better than I did at the beginning of the week. I can't wait until it is completely gone. So Stephanie is in town and we went to some cool beaches today that aren't too far. It's actually a nice little drive so I'm really excited to take Cass.
I also might have a couple jobs lined up. They are still in the works so when they come through for sure I'll tell you all about it. I'm super excited because they are things I can do with Nathan:)
Cass is halfway through his first term of clinicals! Only ten months to go...WE CAN DO IT!
We are headed home a week from tomorrow and I'm so excited! It will be the weekend of Mother's Day. Last year for Mother's Day I was pregnant. So Cass and my moms husband, Bob, made my mom and I a delicious dinner. They did dutch oven...potatoes, chicken, cheese, carrotts...YUM! I think we should repeat this year! I just can't believe that was a whole year ago..time has just flown by!
There are also some very special Birthdays this month. Kelsie, my neice, turns four on the 22nd and my dad turns 49 (?) on the 23rd....but that's not all. I have my 27th Birthday on the 31st:) CRAZY...
Nathan and I start our swimming class on Monday. Super excited! Nathan is going to love it.

I'm missing The Office.