I Had Five Hours of Continuous Sleep

If you really know me you know I can, and will, sleep just about anywhere at any time.

Under a row of seats in an airport? No problem.

On a couch during a party? Absolutely.

In a bar while I'm trying to have a conversation with you? At least once a month back when I went out.

Having a baby has been really hard on my sleep needs. I think my sleep debt was near crisis level a couple of weeks ago when Norie had a cold and was teething and waking up just about every 45 minutes all. night. long.

It was painful. I shouted at my husband. I was a wreck.

I'm not sure if it was getting over the cold, her new sleep sack pajamas or the introduction of solid foods. I'm leaning towards solid foods since she wanted to nurse every single time she woke up, but they all happened at the same time so it's really hard to tell what caused this miraculous change.

The first night she only woke up around 10pm, 1am, and 4am. My mom was a bit distressed when I told her the next morning that she had "only" been up three times the night before. It sounds like a lot if you don't have a kid, but compared to the 9-10 times a night we had been dealing with it was AMAZING. The first time was before I even went to bed. I can totally handle that. I felt super well rested.
 
The next night she did it again and the one after that she only woke up twice. Last night she woke up three or four times before 9pm and I fell sleep nursing her in a chair, but when I woke up around 12:15am I put her to bed in her crib and she didn't wake up again until I was out of the shower this morning. I stayed up watching election coverage and didn't go to bed until 1 so I missed out on almost an hour of sleep, but I still got in 5 whole hours in a row. I don't remember the last time I slept that long, but I'm pretty sure it was in March.

Speaking of election coverage, I'm very happy to know that I wasn't the only person fixated on Flag Head Lady. If you didn't notice her originally, please, please go look. If you don't you'll be late to discover an entire internet meme.

So this whole sleep thing is still a pretty recent development and I've spent the last week recovering rather than working super hard on projects after I put Norie to bed. I am happy to report that at least a couple of projects are off the list. I finished the tablescape in time to have dinner although I didn't take any pictures, cleaned up the porch with the help of my family before everyone arrived and delegated the fixing and painting of the coffee table to my parents. Check, check, and check.

1. Buy a bracket and rehang the blinds in the bedroom
2. Plant the mum by friend Nancy gave me
3. Write something on my DIY Chalkboard
4. Finish my fall mantel
5. Take Norie's four month pictures before she's five months old
6. Finish the wedding plate wall art
7. Make some bunting for my office
8. Build a pallet bar/wall art to cover up the attic fan switch
9. Make a DIY ribbon chandelier for Norie's room
10. Do something with the shutters my aunt got me last year
11. Put the label plates back on the enormous drawer thing and label the drawers
12. Finish the wall art I started for the Song print I got for donating to Love Without Boundaries
13. Finish my desk
14. Finish the table scape for Campbell Family Thanksgiving 2012
15. Hang the awesome owl latch hook my sister gave me at Norie's baby shower
16. Clean up the porch
17. Finish the October page in my pregnancy scrapbook (yes, that would be last October)
18. Fix the leg on the coffee table and finish repainting it
19. Sell the coffee and end tables
20. Make a coffee table
21. Create a gift wrapping/gift wrap organizing space
22. Start working on fun holiday decorations
23. Finish the other Dream Dollhouse from last year's Make Two Challenge
24. Make some DIY cake stands from wedding plates and candlesticks.
25. Make map mats for vacation photos

Suffrage

Has everyone you know been saying something they are thankful for every day in November?

Maybe I just have a super grateful group of friends. I've thought about it, but I'm torn. I love gratitude journaling and expressing my appreciation for all the wonderful things in my life, but I'm generally not one for hopping on bandwagons.

I think Gratitude will win out in the end.

Today I'm thankful that I live in a country where I can vote as a woman.

And on that note



I'm also thankful for Lady Gaga. Feel free to think whatever you want about that.

I finally wrote something on the DIY Chalkboard

Norie is pretty well over her cough and only woke up two or three times Saturday night. It was so amazing I woke up Sunday morning with the post communion canticle from the Lutheran Book of Worship in my head.

What, you're not Lutheran?

It starts, "Thank the Lord and sing his praise."

Now imagine me as a child singing with glee because the end of communion is pretty much the end of a Lutheran church service. Thank the Lord indeed.

That's pretty much the level of excitement that was occurring in my head.

I had the energy to take on a project and I wrote on the DIY Chalkboard.

I got inspired after finding this quote by Henry David Thoreau

I'd rather sit alone on a pumpkin

and have it all to myself

than be crowded on a velvet cushion.

Only thing is I wouldn't rather sit on a pumpkin by myself.

Hence,

I'd rather sit on a pumpkin with you.

I'm pretty sure Austin thinks it's cheesy.

I'd rather sit with him on a pumpkin anyway.

1. Buy a bracket and rehang the blinds in the bedroom
2. Plant the mum by friend Nancy gave me
3. Write something on my DIY Chalkboard
4. Finish my fall mantel
5. Take Norie's four month pictures before she's five months old
6. Finish the wedding plate wall art
7. Make some bunting for my office
8. Build a pallet bar/wall art to cover up the attic fan switch
9. Make a DIY ribbon chandelier for Norie's room
10. Do something with the shutters my aunt got me last year
11. Put the label plates back on the enormous drawer thing and label the drawers
12. Finish the wall art I started for the Song print I got for donating to Love Without Boundaries
13. Finish my desk
14. Finish the table scape for Campbell Family Thanksgiving 2012
15. Hang the awesome owl latch hook my sister gave me at Norie's baby shower
16. Clean up the porch
17. Finish the October page in my pregnancy scrapbook (yes, that would be last October)
18. Fix the leg on the coffee table and finish repainting it
19. Sell the coffee and end tables
20. Make a coffee table
21. Create a gift wrapping/gift wrap organizing space
22. Start working on fun holiday decorations
23. Finish the other Dream Dollhouse from last year's Make Two Challenge
24. Make some DIY cake stands from wedding plates and candlesticks.
25. Make map mats for vacation photos