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Introduction

Jessica is thirteen months old!!

We are now starting to see very obvious signs of separation anxiety. Whereas previously she never cried when I dropped her off at daycare, all of a sudden now she whines as soon as I set her down on the floor there--even if I'm not leaving right away and am just setting her down so I can refill her diapers or something. While it is hard for me to leave her when she is crying and reaching for me, it's nice to know that she at least wants me to be there. Before, I often wondered if she was even glad to see me when I picked her up!

Jessica and I played hookey on Monday! Last week was very stressful for me (although it's nothing compared to the fun I'm going to have the next couple weeks--end of the semester tests and papers and projects!), and I felt that Jessica and I just needed to spend some quality time together enjoying each other's company. I only had one class on Monday (at 8AM!)--I had never missed a session and am easily getting an A in that class--so I decided to skip class, keep Jessica home from daycare, and just have a nice day together cuddling as much as we could. We ended up going to Wal-Mart with a friend and her two kids. I found some great bargains on spring and summer clothes for Jessica! We had a nice day just being together. I think we really needed that time, and I don't regret taking the day off one bit.

Jessica has become SO lovey-dovey lately! I LOVE IT! She loves to cuddle now, and so do I, so it works out perfectly! She even likes to cuddle with her Daddy (whom she absolutely adores, by the way), although he still can't put her to sleep at night--Daddy's are for playing!! *grin*

We started "sleep training" again. Things had gotten a little out of hand in the sleep department: she had been going to bed at 9, waking up at midnight, and insisting on sleeping with us the rest of the night. It seems she has been teething constantly for the past two months, so we didn't want to put her through the stress of crying herself to sleep as well.. but it just got to that point. You know, the point where you just can't take it anymore, and you're too TIRED to take it anymore because there's been a little BED-HOGGING MUNCHKIN in your bed for TOO long! :) Don't get me wrong.. I do enjoy sleeping with Jessica between us.. just not all night every night. So three nights ago we decided it was time to retrain her. She went to bed around 9, woke up at 11 and cried. I got her out of her crib and gave her some Motrin, in case her teeth were bothering her (she has two molars cutting through right now). She fell asleep immediately in my arms, but every time I tried to put her in her crib, she woke up and screamed. After several attempts, I decided to just put her in her crib and let her cry it out. Carl came down with a bottle a few seconds later, and got her out of her crib. She didn't want the bottle, so he just took her into bed with him. She fell asleep, and when I went to bed about half an hour later, I asked him to put her in her crib. She woke up and cried as soon as he put her down. We decided it was time to do the dastardly deed and let her cry herself to sleep. She cried for a grand total of probably three hours that night (off and on), but we stuck to our guns.. and I'm so glad we did. The next night she cried for about half an hour altogether, and last night she didn't wake up at all (we are still putting her to sleep before putting her in her crib--it was just the night wakings we were working on). While I feel so cruel making my baby cry herself to sleep, we just couldn't continue on the way we were going. It was getting ridiculous, with her spending less and less time each night in her crib. So the sleep training has been going well for three nights now, and I'm hoping that this continues for a while, because now more than ever (at the end of the semester) I need time to study and to sleep.. peacefully!

I registered for my classes for next semester. Unfortunately, I could only get into three of the seven classes I had picked out (the other four were full already), but I ended up registering for 18 credits and might add one more (PE) on Friday (we are allowed to register for a maximum of 18 credit hours until November 16, at which point we can add one more for a total of 19). One good thing about not getting into the classes I wanted is that I'm not taking a Winterim course. It is only two weeks out of our six-week vacation, but I think it will be better if I take the whole vacation to be with Jessica and the rest of the family. It will be a nice break. Plus it cuts out two weeks of driving half an hour each way on icy and snowy roads! Carl doesn't seem to think I can handle 18 credits, but I think that a few of the classes I registered for will be pretty easy. And, since I registered for six credits more than the minimum for full-time, I will be able to drop up to 6 credits if I feel that I can't handle all of the classes at once. I signed up for class voice! I am so excited about that one! I love to sing, but haven't had much opportunity to do so since high school. This will be a good chance for me to improve my vocal capabilities as well as have fun. Plus, no homework! :) I like to take at least one "fun" class each semester, although it doesn't always turn out that way (as in this semester!).

Anyway, I think I have rambled long enough. I am still waiting to be set up on Toddlers Today, but look for us there soon!

Until next time...
Diana Elena, Proud Mommy of:
Jessica Elizabeth, the 13-month-old!