3 months

Can you believe it? Three months already? We LOVE our little Cassidy. She celebrated last night by displaying her not oft seen explosive spewing technique, all over Dad, the couch, and the carpet. (thank goodness for The Little Green Machine. Got kids? Got carpet or furniture? Get it!) She looked so sad afterward and cuddled with me for about 90 minutes. I loved the cuddle time but felt so bad for her.

A whole bunch of nothing

I thought it would be fun to post a little video of Cassidy doing tummy time. She really doesn't like it and has stopped trying to push up or even hold her head up. She just lies there and cries till she falls asleep. It is an easy way to put her down for a nap though. :) The video doesn't show her crying, I thought that wouldn't be enjoyable, but it shows her newest discovery, her hands.
I thought I would post a little about what I've been up to in the past little while. In December I graduated from San Jose State with a BS in Kinesiology (the study of human movement) and a concentration in Athletic Training. I know that there is a lot of confusion and questions about what athletic training is so let me explain a little. If you've ever watched a sporting event when someone got injured, the person or people who ran out to check on the athlete is/are athletic trainers. We work with active populations, most often athletes, in the prevention, recognition, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries. We are considered allied health professionals and can actually bill health insurance companies, in some states, for our services. To become an athletic trainer one most graduate from a BOC accredited college program then pass a national certification exam. While in the AT education program one must accumulate a certain number of internship hours. At SJSU the requirement was a minimum of 200 hours per semesters, that was 200 hours outside of the classroom. After certification we must acquire 75 continuing education credits every three years to maintain our certification.
In talking to others, athletic training is often confused with personal training. Those professionals work with individuals to design and/or implement exercise programs, often at gyms and health clubs. To my knowledge, some companies require their personal trainers to obtain CSCS certification, some do not. The CSCS certification test can be taken by anyone 18 years or older. Obviously one would need to study but there is no degree requirement.
Does that make the difference between the two professions clear?

I have been working with my mother-in-law, who is an artist, for the past 3 years. Here is a link to her site www.melanielacki.com. She's really good. I help out with cutting mats for paintings, putting together frames, and assembling everything together. I really enjoy getting to work with her and also learning how to do the different tasks needed to get from pretty painting to framed piece of art on the wall. So if you are ever in need of framing work done or just an opinion or have a question just ask.
Earlier this year I was working in a tax preparation office. I really really liked working there. I enjoyed those I worked for and with as well as the clients. A great benefit from working there was learning all about the tax system and laws and the ins and outs. The knowledge I gained have really benefited us in making decisions about our money. There is a lot of little stuff that is really good to know to maximize your dollar and minimize, legally, your tax liability. So if you ever need some help with your taxes I can refer you to a great office with great employees who want to help you keep your money in your pocket, legally.
Obviously now I'm at home with Cassidy, though some days I think it would be a lot easier to be back at a 9-5 job. I love being home with her though and wouldn't trade this time for anything. I don't get as much done as I'd like, but I am learning how to get more done and with Cassidy sleeping better and better during the day, there is more and more time.

What a cutie!!

I never did post any pictures of little Cassidy from Halloween, we didn't go trick or treating but we did dress her up in her pumpkin jumper and hat and went to Grandma and Grandpa's. They have life size wood cut outs of Frankenstein and a witch. I will have to post those pictures later as I have to scan them first. But here is Cassidy all cute.
She is doing so well. We have started "training" her to sleep. One night at 4 in the morning, I was trying to put her to bed after nursing her and after my third failed attempt I couldn't take it any more. I remembered that she would fall asleep after about 15 minutes of tummy time (and screaming because she doesn't like tummy time) so I thought well than let's see if she'll go to sleep on her own if I just put her in her crib. It worked. She cried for about 10 minutes then fell asleep. The next night I would put her in her crib whether she was asleep or not after feeding her. She would whimper for a few minutes then fall asleep. Yeah. The fourth night Joe got brave and put her down for the night completely awake and not in a good mood if I must be truthful. But after about 20 minutes asleep she was. Last night was even easier. She is really getting the hang of it, or so it seems right now. Crib=sleep. No going in after she's down unless she hasn't nursed on both sides and she's still crying after 20 minutes.
I thought I would do that until she was 3 months (in 8 days) before I started trying it with naps. But today I tried it. We were doing a little grocery shopping and she looked tired. She had been awake for about an hour and a half but was looking like it was time to sleep again. So we got home, I wrapped her in a blanket and put her in her crib. She whimpered for about 5 minutes, that was 30 minutes ago.
I am glad that we waited to really "train" her till we could see that she was capable of calming herself down and falling asleep. In the past if we put her down she would cry and cry and cry and work herself up so we kept waiting. And I think we hit the nail on the head in terms of timing. And get this. When she goes down at night, between 8-9 she'll be down for 11-13 hours in total, only getting up to eat 2 times!! Talk about a good night!! Woo hoo.
Sorry to always be talking about Cassidy sleeping. It seems like that has been the biggest "problem" or thing that we have. She eats great, always has, she loves to be outside and go for walks, she gets bored with being in one spot or not being able to look around. I am sure that most new parents would put dealing with the sleep interruptions as one of the top "things" that most be figured out with a new baby. So they, you, understand, where I am coming from.
What else is new? Joe and I celebrate our second anniversary this month!! Woohoo!! We've been together for 4 years now, crazy how time flies. Throw in a baby and it really gets moving. We are getting our yard and garden ready for winter. Lots of onions and garlic and maybe even some beans and lettuce, I don't have a green thumb for lettuces. We are using up the last of our summer garden items. We still have bushes of tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. There are a number of baby watermelon still on the vine but there is no way those will mature. Darn. Next year we'll have tons (I hope). How nice it's been to be able to make homemade soups and stews and breads using the stuff from our garden. That is one good thing about having a yard that is virtually full sun EVERYWHERE, lots of veggie and fruit plants like the sun. I'm already planning for the next summer harvest because those seeds get started in January. Early start means early harvest! I love having a garden, except for the weeds.