A little update.

So, as predicted, the naptime was a total fluke, and I wish I knew what made it so easy! haha! Last night for bedtime he cried for about 15 mintues, and then the same for naptime today. So, we'll see how it goes. I am not caving on this, as sucky as it is. I actaully took the option away to cave by bagging up the bottles and putting them away in the attic. I hate getting up into the attic, it really scares me, so I opened it up and threw the bag up and as far back in there as I could get it. Therefore, I can't use them, becasue A) I hate the attic and B) nick has forbidden me from climbing up the attic stairs while pregnant. So, issue solved, I dont even know where they landed up there, they are just among the piles of other junk up there. haha. Anyway, wish us luck, hopefully tonight we'll get it down to 10 mintues? Yeah right, just for saying that tonight will be my hour of fighting with him.

For now though, he's doing well with it, just gets upset when he realizes that the routine has been broken. I wonder how long this will stick in his head and how long until the new routine is routine?

Another mini-update. Tonight I went to put him down, and as I started to tell him good night he started crying, he wasnt even in his crib yet. So, I layed him down and went through the rest of the routine with him screaming at me, and left. 3 minutes later he was still having the worst temper tantrum ever, and suddenly, he stopped, took a deep breath, layed down and said "ni ni doggie" (saying goodnight to his favorite stuffed dog) I swear, sometimes that kid is the strangest thing! Oh well, at least 3 minutes was our time for the night, hopefully tomorrow goes well, because after that, it's back to work for me, and I really need him to nap well while I'm watching Luke.

Valentines day

So this morning, I woke, and a sudden new determination hit me. Today is the day.

Let me explain. Gavin is almost 19months old now, and despite the fact that this has needed to happen for MANY months now, it hadnt. Gavin still takes a bottle to go to sleep. Most general advice, is between 12-15 months is the time that the bottle goes bye-bye. Well, I'm lame, and I havent ever taken it away, it's just been easier to let him have it to go to sleep. He only has it when he is falling asleep for a nap or at night, but, none the less, he's still taking a bottle. It's comforting to him, and I've not wanted to disturb that. Plus, it makes it INCREDIBLY easy to put him to bed, just lay him down, hand him the bottle and I dont hear another peep until morning. Well, today, I wake up and think this is ridiculous, this isnt right, I have to cut the bottle. I know it stresses nick out when gavin cries, so I figure while nick is gone and i have the next 3 days off, it's time.

So, this afternoon comes, and Im watching the clock dreading when it hits naptime. Naptime comes, and I take Gavin back to his room, change his diaper like always, and he stands up, turns off his light and asks for his bottle. (it's routine here..) I told him no, sorry, we didnt have anymore bottles, and that he would have to go to sleep without it from now on, and put him into his crib, told him good night along with the rest of the normal naptime routine minus the bottle. I walk out, close the door and brace myself for what I am sure is going to be a horrible fight for an hour + of him screaming his head off in an attempt to get his beloved bottle back. To my suprise.. silence. 5 minutes pass and I hear softly from his room "mama, wan baba" (mama I want a bottle) I ignore it, despite the fact that I know he's using his sweet voice in a last ditch effort to get me to bring him one. It's the softest sweetest voice imaginable, completly adorable and makes you wnat to do whatever he is asking of you. Well, I ignore him, and again, brace myself for the temper tantrum that is sure to follow, but again to my suprise, silence. That was 2.5 hours ago. He has been peacefully asleep without a bottle ever since.

I can not believe that he did not fight. I am completly shocked. This is the child that has drank a bottle EVERY time he has went to sleep for almost a year. I am beside myself right now. I am so excited that it went this well for the first nap. I seriously doubt that bedtime will go even partially as well as naptime did, but I'm so encouraged by the fact that he DID go easily to sleep without a bottle. It's proof that it CAN be done! I'm so excited to be a bottle free house.. at least for a few more months. Thats one of the big reasons it hit me today. I can't very well take away his bottles the day before we bring the baby home and start feeding it with bottles you know? Thats just mean. Plus, with potty training coming up fast, I can't be letting him drink himself to sleep, thats just setting him up for failure. Anyway, I'm so excited I had to share! Take care!


Oh, and Happy Valentines day!

The unexpected reaction

For the first time since we moved to Virginia, today, Nick went out to sea. Well, sort of. The ship left for what is called sea trials, in which basically, they are going out to see what will break during normal wear & use on the ship. They're gone for less than a week, so its not even like they are getting fully underway. I had no issues with this, I mean really, we've done much much longer seperations than this, so it's not really a big deal.

So now, on to the point of this blog. As I was watching the news today at noon, I see video of the carrier pulling out to sea. As weird as this sounds, I almost had a panic attack. Like I said, it's only a few days, and he's been gone for the last few weeks, so really we are in the home stretch. It's not a big deal. But, when I saw the ship under it's own power moving out to sea, a very unexpected thing happened. All the feelings from the last 4 years on the lincoln, and saying goodbye and watching the ship move out to sea more times than I can count. It was a realy strange feeling. I honestly didn't expect any feelings over this, but the underlying feeling for me, was a weird empty sadness. Even though I know its only for a few days, and I'm really not upset, I mean really, I'm pregnant, and I've got the bed to myself, it's not a bad thing completly. Of course I'd rather him be home, but if he's got to be gone, nows the time for it to happen. It just caught me completly off guard the way the feelings that I had every time the lincoln left hit me when I saw the ship pulling out today. It was really just strange. I've heard people say that you are conditioned for certain things, and some things will always stir the same emotions in you, and heck, I took several psychology classes devoted to just that topic in college, but I never fully understood it until recently.

I started to understand this conditioning phenomenon when we were at the commisioning ceremony back in January. Part of this ceremony, is "bringing the ship to life." During which, people run onboard and man the rails, the move on like no one has been on the ship before (which is kind of entertaining, but whatever) and then all the sirens are tested, lights are lit up, and the end finale is a sounding of the ships whistle. For those who have never heard a ships whistle go off, its a very deep loud sound, the kind that you feel in your chest and makes the ground move. Literally. It is very loud. Well, every time a ship goes out to sea and comes back into port, the first thing it does as it is untied from the dock and as it is officially "in port" is blow it's whistle. I've heard this sound many times, alwas signaling the coming or going of the ship. So, it has always been emotional when I heard it, it meant saying goodbye for months or reconnecting after months. Now, after being in VA for over a year, I was sitting on the pier in January, with my husband standing less than 100ft away from me, and knowing fully that that dumb boat wasnt going anywhere, but when the whistle sounded, tears started running out of my eyes. My mom looked at me like I was insane. Heck, I looked at me like I was insane. I mean really, its a whistle, he's not coming or going, but to me, the sound of a ships whistle was a deep reminder of the past for us, and hopefully, not our future, but possibly.

So, after the commisioning and the tearful blow of the whistle, and today's almost panic attack at the sight of a ship going to sea and knowing that my husband was on it, I will say I am a complete and full believer in that people can be conditioned and trained to certain sights and sounds pulling out emotions that we never know are there. Anyway, not that anyone cares, I just wanted to write it down, because right now, it's either write out stuff, or go do dishes. :) So, anyway, I guess I'm off.