Painting again

After a four month hiatus, I'm back at the easel and it feels so good. I've had to make adjustments to the way I paint since Jonah needs to be fed every few hours, but I'm learning to be more productive with the limited time that I have. This most recent commission needed to be finished by Mother's Day which fell during Ryan's finals week.
As you can imagine, Ryan didn't have much time to help with Jonah, so my father-in-law, Randy, graciously offered to watch Jonah for a day so that I could get a good start on my painting and so that Ryan could study. Jonah received his two-month shots the day that Randy came up but you wouldn't know it from all the laughs and smiles that Randy (AKA Papa) got out of him! They had fun and were pretty wiped out by the end of the day! =)
This was probably my most challenging portrait to date. My client only had a 2"x3" photo of his deceased grandma (Nana) which presented some challenges as he wanted a 16"x20" painting. Her lazy eye was also problematic but I managed to fix it in photoshop and then in the final painting. I wouldn't say that this is my favorite painting but I certainly grew a lot through the process!

Ashilene is here!

My sister Merilee called Saturday afternoon and told me she was having serious cramps and was thinking it might be the real thing! This was not at all part of her plan for the day (Ashilene was not due for several more days) but Ashilene couldn't wait any longer! Ashilene Maria Rieta was born May 16th at 9:15pm, 7 lbs 8 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. Merilee and Rojohn have waited a long time for this angel to join their family and I know they will be fantastic parents. I am so happy that we don't live too far away so that Jonah will get to know his precious cousin! Congratulations Merilee and Rojohn! We are so happy for you and will see you very soon!

Jonah and his Pacifier

Jonah really finds his pacifier comforting, especially when going to sleep. Often if he's really tired and getting fussy we put him in his bouncer, pop in the pacifier, and his whole body seems to relax. This can be helpful if he falls right to sleep. But if he isn't quite tired enough, the pacifier can actually keep him awake longer. Just when he's on the verge of sleep, his pacifier will fall out and he gets really upset! I've often thought, "If only he could figure out how to pop it back in!" In this clip he's napping on the couch and you'll see that he gets pretty close to figuring it out! (And you can see the love he has for his pacifier!)

Pay it Forward

I know I've been a complete blog slacker! This game will help me find out if anyone is still checking my blog! I copied this from my friend Jessica's blog and I already have a fun gift idea so you should play! Pay it FORWARD--How it works: The FIRST THREE people to leave a comment on this post will receive at some point during this year a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive will be a total surprise--to both of us. The CATCH is that YOU MUST PLAY TOO! Before you leave your comment here, write a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (you can cut and paste these instructions). Then come back and let me know that you are going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift. It's THAT easy! Remember, only the FIRST THREE comments will qualify. Good luck!

Fun Times

I just love my little angel...especially during quiet moments like this when I can hear and feel him breathing on my chest and can enjoy his warmth, his smell, and his occasional sighs of contentment.

My new favorite game to play with him is the "hokie pokie." We don't have a video of it yet but I love to sing and dance with him. Many mornings after he is fed I just put on some music and we dance together in the living room. I know he won't remember dancing with momma but I will always treasure these times.

Ryan also loves his little angel...especially when Jonah is in what we like to call, "Jonah Party Time" mode. Ryan takes him all around the house checking out every painting, picture, and mirror in the house, helps him fly like a super hero (one of my personal favorites), and tries to read him stories.

The key word here is tries!

When Jonah gets fussy we have discovered a fail proof, insta-happy Jonah maker: The Bouncy Ball, a.k.a. Jonah's happy place. No matter how unhappy he is, the bouncy ball works like magic to bring back our calm, happy baby...every time!


(Thank you, Julie, for mentioning how much Henry likes to be bounced on the birthing ball...it's wonderful!)

New Toy

Waking Up

Jonah is becoming a much better sleeper. He still doesn't like to sleep on his back but he sleeps in his car seat just fine. (The angle seems to be easier on his tummy.) Here's our current nightly routine:

I feed Jonah around 9:30pm and then let Ryan burp/change/ and put him down while I go to bed. (Jonah sleeps in his car seat in the living room with daddy while he studies.) Then when Jonah needs to eat (usually between 1-2am) Ryan brings him to me. After I feed him, Ryan burps and changes him and puts him back down to sleep. Then Ryan goes to bed and I'm on Jonah duty the rest of the night. Lately he only needs to be fed again between 6-7am so I get plenty of sleep.

Jonah used to have his party hour between 3-5am so my shift used to be pretty tough. But now that he eats and then goes right back to sleep, I've got it easy! We've decided that Ryan can now go to bed earlier if he needs to, and I can handle the 1-2am shift. We know it sounds crazy to the average person but you must understand that Ryan's internal clock doesn't get tired until after midnight, and he only needs around 6 hours of sleep! So this has been working well for us.

Here are two cute videos of Jonah waking up. (Or of us trying to wake him up!) I took him out of his car seat and laid him in the crib to help him wake up.