sleep training and chickens.

Baby H is almost 6 months old and we are in need of some sleep decisions. We started with her in our bed, loved having her there, but we were afraid that we might miss her rolling into the blankets and suffocating. Also, her favorite way to sleep was on my upper arm, nestled into my body in an amazing cuddle- which is sooo great, but not a good night sleep for momma....

Then, we bought the swing! The swing soothes her to sleep and keeps her that way for a 5 to 6 hour stretch... heaven. The problem is, now she is a bit too long and mobile, so Papa and I are afraid that she might pop herself out.

The crib is up, cute and comfy; we place her there when we are in her room in order to get her used to being in it. We have a sound machine that plays waves (i really enjoy it!) and a light projector of cute monkeys and such on the wall... She just plays !! No matter how tired she is when I put her down, she has come to associate this area with PLAY. grr...

Most of my friends and family ascribe to "Cry it Out," in which the child lays down with familiar items of comfort and is allowed to cry, uninterrupted for a given time, whereby mom or dad comes in and reassures the child. This cycle continues until the child is asleep. The opponents say that this is the child 'giving up' on the comfort of mom and dad, and that is it torture. I'm not exactly sure...

My feeling is Lil H is a fighter... she is a busybody and wants to experience everything... (apples don't fall far). I have noticed that when she is more exhusted, she sleeps better, so I will try a modified version of this...

Gardening, tattoos and cooking

Busy day- we finally got to the backyard aloe plants... Harper was taking a good long nap and we decided it was best to use the time to attack the project. Using a shovel and hoe, we got about 15 large plant out whole, along with numerous shoots to repot and gift to friends.I made a vegetable bake with the leftovers from the weeks meals- I figured that the original meal plus this one was about $5 and was about 8 servings - each chock full of goodness! Cooking was such a treat this week- I made several new recipes for vegans and really enjoyed a delicious raw cookie. We already had all ingredients needed and a vegan friend coming to visit. I would post photos of the yummy goodness, but they were given away before I could snap a few shots!I'm sitting for a tattoo as I type. That you will get a photo of as soon as I can figure it out...



I have a friend in town from back east, she is planning on moving closer and I can't wait. We are headed to nursery and grocery stores tomorrow. Should be lovely! TTFN!

6.22.08
horsetail falls, at the top of the mountian... it was windy and warm, but the elevation was high enough the winter snow hadn't melted yet...