Just Sleep Already!

Photo taken by sis-in-law

Whooo, last night was rough. Lately, Bridget has been waking up three times a night instead of the one time it used to be for awhile. Up until last night, I hadn't really noticed since we've had family helping take care of her. Luckily, there are two of us, so it's not as bad as it could've been, but still.

I put her to bed at 7 since she was really fussy as usual. 6:30 is her fussy time of day. It took her about an hour to fall asleep; and even then, it was definitely not a deep sleep. Every couple minutes, she would start wiggling and grunting. But, she wasn't crying, so I left her to have some quiet time and eventually fall asleep for real.

I was just starting to get comfortable in our bed when she started crying at quarter after 9. This is when I started to problem solve. My first theory was that she was too cold since she's in a fuzzy sleeper but only a thin, T-shirt-weight swaddle blanket. She had outgrown her fleece swaddle blanket already, but I got the seemingly brilliant at the time idea of cutting the bottom part so that she'd have a hole for her legs to stick through. My new method did not cure her wigging, though. She kept shaking her head from side to side and lifting her feet up. But again, she was quiet, so I went back to bed after feeding and rocking her.

I think it was about midnight when hubs got up with her. When she woke me up again at 3, she was still in the fleece swaddler with the cut-out bottom. My new theory was that she was too hot now, and the thicker blanket wasn't doing any good anyway, so I switched her back to the thin one.

She didn't eat much food, so I put her back in bed, and she continued to wiggle like she was Houdini trying to escape her blanket. So then, I thought maybe she was over the whole swaddling thing and wanted her arms free. Her little arms went right above her head when I freed them, and she seemed content for a minute. It wasn't long, though, before she started lifting her legs again and grunting.

At 5:00, she was crying again, so Nate got up with her while I slept another half hour until my alarm went off. He said at that time, she didn't even want any food, and she went right back to sleep after he changed her wet diaper.

So I'm at a loss. If she's just adjusting to her new schedule, that's fine, but it's not good for any of us if this becomes routine. Nate mentioned that he heard there was some kind of diaper that was bigger for overnight usage. Has anyone heard of such a thing? If so, where can these be purchased? Any other suggestions of how to get Bridget to sleep more soundly and longer would be welcome, too.

Photo taken by sis-in-law

Bonus Footage

Nigel Barker's new hair (right)

Sabreen's and my first attempt at vlogging seemed to be a hit last week, so that's exciting.  Stay tuned for attempt #2 on Wednesday.  In the meantime, I wanted to post some footage that didn't make the cut.  I surprised Sabreen with a picture of Nigel Barker's new hair with pretty amusing results.  Although I know she hates surprises, I wanted to get a genuine reaction to his new look.



Another funny moment that resulted from our vlog was a conversation with my mom, where she told me that I reminded her of Amy Farrah Fowler (played by Mayim Bialik, also known as Blossom) from Big Bang Theory.

I can kind of see it!

Getting Discovered

I was certainly not the one getting discovered over the weekend, but a friend did!  Since I spent my weekend sleepily rushing around, I thought it'd be more exciting to talk about someone else's weekend success.

So file this one under "cool things you always wish would happen but never do but actually did!"  My sis-in-law was visiting this weekend and went out for karaoke with friend, Jane, Saturday night.  Jane is an AMAZING singer and tried out for American Idol once several years ago.  Although she is way more talented than even some of the people who made it, she was not chosen because she is the all-American-type girl, which is apparently not marketable.  Anywho, after belting out a toe-tapping, head-bobbing, fist-pumping (I can only imagine, as I was not actually present) rendition of Ceelo Green's "F--- You" (Right?  I'm totally recounting this story second hand; and remember, I'm the worst storyteller ever.), a woman approached her.  I also have to mention that my sis also has a great voice and sang a country song, and this woman was also interested in her.

As described by sis, this woman was middle age but very put together and looked like she probably had work done.  So basically, very L.A.  She told the girls that she's a stunt woman who has been in over a hundred movies and also writes songs for Capitol Records in her free time.  Ya know, no big deal, right?  The woman gave them her card, and sis encouraged her to focus her attention on Jane.  She told them that she had a little falling out with her contact at Capitol, but that she would definitely kiss some major bootay and pass on Jane's information.  It may take a little time, but her friend would be contacting Jane, said the woman. 

How cool is that!  That never happens!  I guess the moral of the story is, if you have real talent and drive, doors will open.  And Jane's karaoke song of the night can hopefully soon be dedicated to the producers of American Idol!

In other news, who watched the Oscars last night?  I was honestly kind of bored and turned it off halfway through.  I am bummed I missed Mandy Moore singing.  She looked spectacular as always from what I saw online.  I was pretty amused by this article that compared her to an Anne Hathaway wannabe.  I can kind of see it.  They're both fabulous, though.

Work it Like a Blogger

While taking pictures in my lame photo location--at least the paint color is awesome--I started to get a little creative.  There were a couple awkward outtakes where I was grasping the wall or leaning up against it, but those obviously did not make the cut.

In keeping with the fashion blogger awards from today, I tried to channel other bloggers for some pose inspiration. The picture below is me trying to be fellow Wisconsin blogger, Elena of Caffeinerd, except that I am not wearing one of her fabulous skirts from Anthropologie.  We should totally hang out sometime--I work walking distance from Anthro!  Hehe.

Cardigan, Necklace, Pants: New York & Co; Tank Top, Lace Top: Target 

My outfit felt springy to me today.  Corporate springy, I guess, with my brown dress pants.  Bus-casz springy.  Sorry, everyone's talking in the room, and I'm terrible at multitasking, so I'm just gonna call it a post and join the cribbage game starting up.  'Cause this is just getting way rambly.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

And the Award Goes to...

Still excited from Wed.'s Top Model premiere, so here's Tyra with her Fiercee Award.

Get in on the Fashion Beauty Friend Friday (FBFF) action.

1. Creative Juices (most creative): This one was hard, but I think the two birds ladies are pretty creative style-wise.  I love their Style Me feature where they find odd thrift store clothes and make them cute and fashionable.  They have serious remixing skills.  Plus, after Megan's recent hallway makeover, I know they're pretty crafty as well.

2. The Real Deal (authenticity):  I know a lot of people are going to put Kendi.  Well, so am I!

3. Spark Notes (most helpful): Let's say the academichic ladies.  Not only are there four of them (four times the knowledge), but they're all ridiculously smart and insightful.  You often find yourself learning something new while reading their blog.

4. Newbie (best blogger less than a year old): She has a fun shiny new blog, and we have the same name, so I had to put Bekah from matters of merrymaking.

Although the blog is not fashion/beauty related, I would also like to add PsychoBabble by Lindsey, who is one of my real life BFFs and shopping buddy.  She writes about mommyhood, and one of my favorite topics of hers is baby names.  Plus, I just like looking at pictures of her freakin' adorable son!

5. Can You Hear Me Now (most connected): I took this to mean who has the most/best connections to other people. Not sure if that's how it was intended or not. Anyway, I would say Jessica at What I Wore for her fashion week adventures alone, not to mention her book she has coming out this fall.

6. If I had a Hammer (best DIY): Keira from a pretty penny.  I've really been enjoying her restyle projects lately.

7. Tribe Leader (blogger who leads others and brings bloggers together): It would only make sense to our FBFF hostess with the mostest, Katy from Modly Chic since she is the reason for these awards in the first place.

8. Practically Perfect (most fashionable): How about Jentine at my edit.  That girl can get away with things most people can't.  She also can be a pretty fearless pattern mixer.

9. Paint by Numbers (best beauty blogger): I don't follow any blogs that are strictly beauty-related, so this one was the toughest.  I did check out FIERCE today and enjoyed the read, so I'll go with M.J.!

10. Renaissance Woman (best all around blogger, fashion, beauty, lifestyle): Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere.  She can cook, decorate, shop, etc., etc.  Not to mention, she has gorgeous hair! 

Speaking of awards, have you RSVPed to the Oscar Live Chat yet? Why not??

ANTM Cycle 16 Episode 1 recap vlog

My friend, Sabreen, and I have been fans of America's Next Top Model pretty much since it began although I didn't start watching regularly until a few cycles in. When we used to work together, we would discuss the episodes every Thursday morning, cracking each other up with our reactions. Although we may be the only ones who think we're funny. We often joked that we should start a vlog; and now that I have a blog to put it on, I figured now was as good a time as ever! So here's our vlogging debut. Enjoy!

Family History

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier:  Photo grabbed from Ann Lauren

Jackie Kennedy Onassis (at the time, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier), maybe the greatest American style icon, babysat my husband's grandmother once.  Wow.

The fam and I were having dinner at Water Street Brewery last night, and the in-laws were telling me some really fun facts about their family history.  Hub's great grandfather played chess (Wait, was it chess? And should there be one more "great" in there?) with Jackie O's father, which, I imagine, is how Jackie came to watch Gram one time.  We're supposed to remember these stories to pass them on to future generations, so I better get the facts straight before then.  And as you can probably already tell, I'm a terrible storyteller.

From the maternal side of the family (Right?  Dangit, I should've been taking notes) comes the owner of  Ballantine Brewery (For you designer-types out there, please excuse the blinding yellow background, center-aligned text, and Comic Sans font on this web page.), which, at its peak, was the 4th largest brewer in the US, according to Wikipedia.  Apparently, Milwaukee has always known good beer because Pabst Brewing Co. acquired Ballantine Ale in 1990, and it is now brewed by Miller.  It can be found and consumed today at Yankee Stadium.

I am truly not a history buff at all.  I enjoy reading historical fiction, and that's about it.  But, I do like fashion, and I do like beer, so both these stories were fun to hear!  Totally didn't mean to rhyme that.

In my own family tree, is Betsy Ross, who was rumored to have created the first American flag. Do you have fun historical figures in your family trees?