Will we ever sleep again?

Webster dictionary defines sleep deprivation as, "A form of psychological torture inflicted by depriving the victim of sleep."

There are times in the middle of the night when I truly feel this way. I feel like I'm slowly going insane. I can't tell you how many times I've said to Vivi that it's a good thing she's cute. :) Vivi is going to be 8 weeks old on Wednesday and sleeping through the night seems so far away right now. I can't even imagine it. I've read every single book, cover to cover, that you can imagine. Here are a few:

Baby Wise

The Baby Whisperer

Baby 411

The Happiest Baby on the Block

Moms on Call Guide to Baby Care

What I really want to do is throw all of those books in the fire and at least I'll get some warmth from the fire so they won't be a complete waste. We had about 8 days in a row when Vivi slept in 4-5 hour blocks and I thought we were over the hump. I felt like a new woman. Then this whole entire past week we're up every 2-3 hours again. She's also eating like crazy, which makes me think she's probably going through a growth spurt. But really, I have no idea what is going on. We like to call it at our house, "The Guessing Game".

So, on that note, I need to get off the computer because it's now time to feed Vivi and hopefully put her to sleep for the night! She's going to sleep 6 hours tonight, I can just feel it! (That's what I tell myself every night and one day there will be truth to this!)

Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk!

So now I know where that saying comes from! Breast milk is like liquid gold these days. After every time that I pump, I walk into the kitchen praying that I don't spill the milk. I would cry...I really would! I wonder what the true origin of that saying is? I wouldn't be surprised at all if I'm right!

I had to take a picture of Vivi when she's mad. She's so cute even when she cries. Her little bottom lip pouts and quivers right before she bursts into tears. I still haven't quite captured the bottom lip, but I got close. She goes from laughing to crying in an instant...just like the picture says!

Eat Pray Love

So, I recently rented Eat Pray Love and there was a funny scene right in the beginning. Julia Robert's character was talking with her friend that had a baby and asked her if she knew when she wanted to have kids. Her friend replied, "Having a baby is kind of like getting a tatoo on your face...you kind of have to be committed." I laughed out loud at that quote. It's so true! I then began to think about how the title of that movie pretty much fits my life to a "T" right now.

EAT - I'm talking about Vivi right now, not me. Let's face it, she's eating ALL the time. We call her our little piglet. I told Drew, my nephew, that we call her our little piglet and his response was, "Why? Because she looks like a pig?" :) I forgot that 5 year olds are very literal. You know the song, "I'm Just a Love Machine"?? Well, in our house we substitute the word 'milk' for 'love'. I have to admit I don't love breastfeeding at all, but I know it's best for Vivi, so I'm going to try to stick it out as long as I can. I definitely know that I won't make it to a year, which is what pediatrician's recommend. I'm going to try to aim for 3-6 months at this point. We shall see.

PRAY - I've never prayed so much for two reasons. One reason is that I'm so thankful for our healthy little bambino that I can't help but feel blessed. Another reason is because I happen to be awake at all hours of the night and the prayer that comes out the most at that point is: "Dear God, please let her sleep!" ha ha....I joke about it, however she is getting a lot better. Last night was the 6th night in a row that she's gone almost 5 hours between feedings at night. I think that's pretty good for an almost 6 week old, so I can't complain (although I do!).

LOVE - How could you not love that face?!?! She's so darn cute. She's smiling so much now and we can't wait for her to laugh. I tell her daily that she's the cutest baby in the whole world. She really is...just look at her! :) Love is an understatement.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!! Love - Frank, Caryn, & Little Miss Vivi!

Guess who's one month old today?!

Look at me! I'm one month old today!!! Already I've grown so much. I now can make eye contact and follow your voice across the room. I also love watching the mobile in my swing, which I couldn't even see until last week! I like to lay on my changing table and coo and talk to whoever is around to hear me! I'm growing up so fast....already some of my newborn clothes are too tight! This week I've even gone almost 5 hours between feedings at night....but that was only once or twice to give my parents a sneak peek of what is to come. I'm still a little piglet and like to eat every 2-3 hours! Stay tuned to watch me grow....

XOXO-

Vivi

This Is Vivi's World And We're Just Livin' In It!

I finally have two hands to type! My plan is to update this blog'o'mine a little more than I have in the past now that Vivi's in the picture. What a whirlwind these last three and a half weeks have been. Frank and I have been in this weird twilight zone where we have no idea what day it is or what time it is. Last night I fell asleep on the couch and woke up to Saturday Night Live on TV. I had no idea it was even Saturday!

Things are getting better each day. It's either getting easier or we're getting used to surviving on no sleep. My body is feeling normal again too. Can I just say how amazing the human body is?! It's hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago I was HUGE and uncomfortable. Now, I can sleep on my stomach and back again AND without that huge pregnancy pillow that took up half our bed! Besides the whole breastfeeding thing and what that's doing to my body, I feel pretty normal again. It's a great feeling. I'm still about 10 pounds over where I started and I got a little overzealous the other day and tried on a pair of pre-pregnancy jean....HA! What a joke. Not quite ready for the pre-pregnancy jeans. :)

Well, gotta go...I hear Vivi waking up. Like I said, this is Vivi's world and we're just living in it.

More to come later!

Meet Vivienne Grace Arnold!!!

Little miss Vivi made her appearance on Wednesday, November 24th at 4:27 p.m.!! She weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and was 20 1/2 inches long! More to come later when I actually have two hands available to type! :)