More Photoshop experimentation today....

Okay, so thanks to my friend Shaina and my husband, I have come to the conclusion that the enhanced photo of the plumeria (which is now in the blog header) was superior to the original straight-out-of-the-camera photo that I once thought was rather pretty and now seems somewhat bland (my poor photo! Ha ha). So with that in mind I decided to play around with Photoshop again today and then post the results here to see what you have to say (if anyone has anything to say at all that is :). I'll post the original first and then the two enhanced photos below it. Can I say in advance that I'm aware of the fact that the lines around the clover leaves are not perfect...I couldn't figure out how to go back and correct the 'overflow' of green. If anyone reading this can tell me how, please do!

Alright here is the straight-out-of-the-camera photo:

Now, here is the first enhanced version (what I did before my husband came home and gave me his input, ha ha):

And here the one my husband likes (because the green "pops" out of the picture more):

I know it's not necessarily the most attractive photo to begin with, I just saw it as an opportunity to experiment with...gosh, I don't even know what this result in a photo is called.

Anyhow, thanks for looking and for any feedback you may have (good or bad -- I don't mind if you critique my pictures because that is how I will be able to improve).

Ooo -- two posts in one day! :)

This will just be really quick as I really should be sleeping.... I've been meaning to post this for the last week and a half, but hadn't had a convenient time to do so until now.

Easter Sunday the choir at church sang a song called "Unto the Lamb". I had never heard it before and it was absolutely beautiful...after some searching, I was able to find the song on GrooveShark (awesome site to listen to songs for free -- it's like a customizable radio!), and wanted to post the lyrics and link to the song on here so that others may be as blessed by the song as I was (listen to it here: Unto the Lamb -- it is the version by Christ for the Nations Institute).

Unto the Lamb

I can see Jesus, high and exalted,

My eyes are fixed upon his face,

 It shines like the sun,

I can see Jesus, clothed in glory,

He is high and lifted up,

And his train fills the temple,

And all of the angels cry holy,

All the saints cry holy,

All creation cries holy,

Holy is the Lamb,

All praise unto the Lamb,

Who sits on the throne,

Honor and power, dominion and praise,

Unto the Lamb, Who was and is, and is to come!

Goodnight! 

I'm scared...

...of Photoshop. That's what I discovered today when I decided to do some experimenting with my free trial of CS4. Aside from having hardly any clue as to what I was doing, I constantly second guessed anything I did to the picture I was playing around with. After a while I decided to compare what I'd done to the original -- I was so surprised initially at the amount of difference between the two photos (I didn't realize just how much the original was lacking in color until that moment). I guess what I'm getting at is: how do you know how much is enough -- and when you've overdone it? I don't want my pictures to turn out looking artificial because I went crazy with 'fixing' it. I decided I'd post the before and after here to see if anyone could give me any suggestions.

Here is the original:

And here is what I ended up with:

So, if anyone is still reading this blog, and if you know anything about Photoshop, photography, or just want to add your two cents on which picture you like better -- please, give me feedback! I'm still undecided about whether I like how the picture turned out or not. Does it look too enhanced?

Update on last night....

First of all, please allow me to apologize for my little 'outburst' at the end of last night's post. I was frustrated and didn't mean to come across as harshly as I believe I did. I realize that each individual family has it's own parenting style, and what works for one family may not work for another -- just as what works for one child may not work for another within the same family. That being said, please allow my husband and me to grow and evolve our own parenting style that works for our family without criticizing the choices that we have made or are making. Please trust that we do not take our occupation as parents lightly and are trying to be the best parents that we can be and are constantly striving to improve and better (was that redundant?) our parenting. Criticism is not helpful and only serves to distance us from the criticizer. I think it is safe to say that is the last thing any of us want. Helpful advice, however, is not to be confused with criticism and is welcomed unless it becomes overbearing. *Please don't think that by writing any of this that I am writing this to anyone in particular...I'm simply trying to write out my thoughts.*

Now, for my update on last night....

I ended up trying for three hours to get Peanut Butter Cup to fall asleep in his crib without any success. My husband (who is currently on a night schedule), gave it a try when he got home (also without any success) and so we decided to just go ahead and swaddle him again. Oh blessed relief! After he was swaddled and fed one more time my husband set Peanut Butter Cup down in his crib, where he fussed for maybe 10-15 seconds and then promptly fell back asleep. Praise be to God!

We've since decided to hold off on unswaddling him at night until he is beyond teething as right now having those two things thrown at him at once may just be adding insult to injury. We definitely don't want to compound any discomfort he may be experiencing by removing the comfort and coziness he has when he is swaddled.

Tonight when I put him down he didn't even wake up (and he was in bed just after 8:30 woo-hoo!). Such a huge difference (and relief!) compared to the past couple of nights! Despite the fact that we are eventually going to have to 'break him' of the swaddling (and who knows if given the chance if he would eventually wean himself of it sometime down the road), I highly recommend swaddling as it has definitely helped my little one to sleep better at night (I've never swaddled him for naps, but I know that many parents do). After he outgrew his blankets that we were using to swaddle him we transitioned to the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe (see picture below) and it has been amazing. It works very well and has been an awesome tool in getting our little one to sleep at night.

 
Well, I guess I'd better take this opportunity to get some sleep before Peanut Butter Cup wakes up and wants to eat. Have a goodnight!

Has it really been FIVE months? Already? HOW?

Peanut Butter Cup turned 5 months old yesterday, and I am still in a state of disbelief that it has already been nearly half a year since he arrived and changed our lives forever. How has the time gone by so quickly? I don't think it would be as hard to believe if it had only been 3 months -- but five? That means we are only about a month away before I feel okay about beginning to introduce some solids into his diet. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I am astounded that we are almost to that point. The introduction of solid foods is a HUGE milestone to me and to be so close to it is almost unnerving in a way. Besides, it still seems like it was just last week when he started letting us know that he was VERY interested in trying the foods Mommy and Daddy were eating (when he was just over two months old), and I was telling him, "I know you want this Sweetie, but you have to wait for about another 3 1/2 months."

I think the upcoming solid food milestone coupled with the fact that he will be a year old in seven months instead of ten is what has hit me the hardest since yesterday. My little baby is well on his way to being a toddler, and while I know that particular milestone is still a little ways off it is fast approaching the horizon and will soon be in sight. Each passing day brings it closer and closer while I am powerless to stop it's approach. No one ever prepared me for the bitter-sweetness of watching my precious baby grow and change. The song, "In My Arms" by Plumb (see lyrics below and listen to it here) never fails to bring tears to my eyes because it is so very true.

Your baby blues, So full of wonder
Your Curly Que's, Your contagious smile
And as I watch, You start to grow up
All I can do is hold you tight, Knowing

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Story books, Are full of fairy-tales
Of kings and queens, And the bluest skies
My heart is torn just in knowing
You'll someday see, The truth for lies
When the

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
Cause you are never all alone
Cause I will always
Always love you

Hey I
Hey I
Will always love you

Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

In my arms

I'm sorry if this post is ridiculously sentimental...that's what happens when your baby starts growing up on you -- you become ridiculously sentimental, or at least, I DO. Ha ha! :)

Moving on to a less sentimental topic and on to one that has caused some frustration the past few days....

Since Peanut Butter Cup has become quite proficient at rolling over, he has been rolling over at night and trying to sleep on his tummy instead of his back now. This I wouldn't mind so much as he has good head control and can prop himself up on his arms and move around, but up until a few nights ago we were still swaddling him as it helped him to sleep better. Obviously, when he rolled over while he was swaddled he didn't have the same range of motion as he would if he was not swaddled. With that in mind, about four nights ago I decided to try him in his sleep sack after one of the night feedings and see how he would do and thereby begin to get him adjusted to sleeping without the swaddler. He stayed asleep when I put him back down in his crib, but about 40 minutes later he woke up and was fussing as he rolled around in the crib. After that I re-swaddled him after feeding and changing him again as it seemed like that was the only way to help him go back to sleep. After talking to my mom the next day and her encouraging me to just work through all of the frequent wake-ups for a few nights while he adjusts to  not being swaddled and being 'free', I hesitantly decided to go ahead and work on it over the weekend. The first night Peanut Butter Cup woke up A LOT (and he tried to sleep on his face once too!). The second night I decided I was going to try putting him in a onesie instead of the sleep sack so he wouldn't get it twisted around his legs if he rolled around a lot again. I forgot initially so I ended up changing him to the onesie after he woke up the first time. He woke up more than usual again, would fall asleep nursing and then as soon as I would set him down he would roll over thereby waking himself up again and start to fuss. I tried rubbing his back, singing our special lullaby, keeping my hands on him, letting him hold my hand -- all to no avail (except for one time when he fell back to sleep for about 40 minutes after I rubbed his back for a few minutes). After a few minutes of him working himself up and me realizing he wasn't going to go back to sleep, but was just going to keep fussing and rolling around the crib I'd pick him up, nurse him, and then try again. At one point last night it took four tries over a period of an hour before he went back to sleep after being set down.

So far tonight, we are working on attempt #3...here goes....

Well, that was a no-go...I tried for twenty minutes, without success. I think the worst thing about this besides the lack of sleep for Peanut Butter Cup and myself is that we had finally gotten bedtime established as being between 8:30 and 9:00 (but tonight for example, it's nearly 10:30 and he isn't in bed yet -- and my first try at setting him down was right around 8:30). I'm at a loss...any thoughts or advice are welcome (besides "letting him cry it out" as recent research has shown that method does more harm than good, and I am just not comfortable with it. Period. End of story. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but I'm tired of having my method of parenting criticized -- along with all of the reading and research I've done being called into question...I can assure you it has been extensive).

Anyhow...this post has become a lot longer than I originally intended it to be, so I guess I should end it before it gets any longer and I bore you to death (that is, if you've even made it this far! Ha ha!).

Goodnight Everyone!