Friday Five

1. I'm technically writing this on Thursday night, but Friday's only about half an hour away. Matt's slaving away outside, and I'm trying to stay awake so he's not jealous that I'm comfy cozy and sound asleep in bed while he's drenched in sweat and dog drool.

Why is he in that state, you ask? He's prepping our yard for the deck he's starting TOMORROW! Oh I can't wait. My Uncle Dennis is coming over to help him with the foundation base tomorrow, and Matt thinks he can be done with the whole thing by the weekend. He's a super-hard worker, so I believe him! I'll post pictures when it's finished.

2. When I was growing up, I loved Beverly Cleary's Ramona books. Loved them. My little sister did, too. So my mom took us to see Ramona and Beezus Thursday, and oh my goodness, it was so surprisingly great! Yes, it's a little kid movie, but I laughed so hard I cried. Parts of it were so sweet that I just cried in those, too. I'm a mess. But mess withstanding, you really should see it. At least add it to your Netflix queue. I'll be adding it to my DVD collection for Avery to watch when she's older. After she's read the books, of course. :)

3. Speaking of Avery, she's smack dab in the middle of baby bedtime bootcamp. Since she was born we've rocked her to sleep and then gently placed her (fast asleep) in her crib, where she sleeps the rest of the night. She's always been a good sleeper, and we just weren't comfortable letting her "cry it out" (not judging anyone else's methodology here, just explaining where we are/were), so rocking her and spending that extra time snuggling was the right choice for us.

However. Now that she's extra-aware of her surroundings and all the fun that is to be had in the world, it's getting harder and harder and taking longer and longer to get her to that sleepy place. Enter bootcamp. The method probably has a more accurate name because I sure didn't come up with it, but I don't know it. Sorry. I read an article in a parenting magazine, and my cousin's wife, Allison, recommended it as well. Anyway, it's the deal where you do your bedtime routine (i.e. bath, bottle, book, bed) and then when the baby is almost asleep (but not all the way), you lay them in their crib. When they wake up (which they usually do), you just talk/sing to them while staying right by the crib until they fall asleep. You do that for 3 days then on the fourth day you move halfway across the room and repeat. Then 3 days after that you sit in the doorway. The principle is that the baby learns to fall asleep on her own.

We've completed day four, and so far so good. She falls asleep within 30 minutes, but it's been closer to 15-20. Bedtime has been a much more relaxing experience for all parties involved.

4. I love Ross and Marshall's. I'm not ashamed. One of my favorite recent purchases was these boots that Allison told me I had to buy lest she hate me forever. Okay maybe it wasn't that dramatic. I'm always ridiculously hesitant to conform to the latest trends (in this case, boots over the jeans), but then my hesitation eventually goes away so I end up a year behind everybody else fashion-wise. Oh well, at least I get said trends for cheaper, even if that does mean that I'm constantly out of style.

The other score was these baskets. I can't wait to sort through Avery's overflowing laundry-basket-turned-toy-box and condense her living room toy options to fit into some cute baskets that actually match the decor.

5. We loved our Thursday evening with the Carlos, Kendra, Nick, and Allison. Carlos and Kendra just moved to an apartment (unfortunately now 40 minutes away...), so we went to check out the place, devour some authentic Venezuelan fare (empanadas with wasakaka sauce), and play games. Minus the working status of the smoke detectors that Carlos inadvertently discovered, it was a very enjoyable way to spend one of the last nights of the summer.

And it is now technically Friday, which means I can officially publish this post. Have a great weekend!