The Happenings

It's been quite a while since I've written, so I thought give you guys an update on the things that have been going on around here. First of all - major victory! The boy takes good naps now!!!! How did I do it, you may ask? Several different ways. 2 books I found useful were, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth and Pre-Toddler Wise by Bucknam & Ezzo. Between those two books I learned a lot about sleep and how to fix his issues. Other than reading the books, I made his bedtime earlier, shortened his first nap, and stayed consistent - but I will admit, at times I thought I was going to lose my mind dealing with a child who was determined not to take good naps! It took about 2.5 months to work out it, but we did it!!!! Celebration! I can't even begin to tell you guys how much more pleasant my life has become since we have finally conquered the napping battle and I no longer have a consistently cranky baby! These days he only takes a 30 minute nap in the morning (but sometimes it's just a rest time if he isn't tired) and then a solid 3 hour nap immediately after lunch. I LOVE IT. Do you guys know how much I can get done in 3 hours? TONS!

But I do have to say, the boy has had more cranky moments over the past couple of weeks because he is getting 5 teeth at once! 4 molars and 1 more in the front. Poor kid! And let me tell you all of these teeth are coming in SO slowly! 3 molars have started to peek through his gums, and the other two are close behind. His track record so far has been to get his teeth at least 2 at a time. At least we get it over with quickly.

 Change of subject. I've recently gotten to the point to where I feel like I need to get a job. An extra income would be incredibly helpful right now. However, the job market scene is kind of scarce right now. And to be honest with you, I'm not willing to work odd hours, nights, or weekends. (We do have to have some family time). And I want a photography job with steady income. So that narrows down my options even more. I found one job that I really wanted, but never heard back from them after I submitted my resume. Honestly, I was kind of shocked that they didn't at least call me back, (because I think my resume looked great) but I think it was because I wasn't willing to work on Sundays. Anyway, I've had my eye on the photography jobs out here (with steady income  - not commission, good hours, free weekends - at least not on Sunday), and I really haven't found a good fit. Surprise, surprise. So after a lot of contemplation I've decided to pursue free-lance photography full force. My goal is to get 2 jobs a week, which will also give me time to edit the photos in a timely manner, and still spend lots of time with my boys! So Joel and I have reworked my photography website over the past several weeks, and the other details that come with it - blogging, twitter, facebook, etc - all of these things to drive traffic to my website, make my site appear on the first page of the google search engine, and get my name and business out there. So make sure to check out my brand-spankin-new photography website, read a couple of my photography blogs, follow my twitters, and hit the Like button on my facebook fan page (all of which are also linked to my site under the About Me section). And if you're in my area, hire me!