Hyper Babies & Needs

My daughter will be 10 months tomorrow! This is exciting, only I really wished that her constant being upset and night wakings would have diminished by now. She has put herself (I really didn't do much to force it) on a very strict schedule, which is great, I don't mind. But part of her schedule is waking up every 3 hours. This part I don't like so much. She normally just wants a little bit of her bottle, which is an easy enough need to satisfy, but, I really do need sleep. And by sleep, I mean sleeping consecutively for 5+ hours. Although, a positive to her night wakings is that I can remember my dreams more accurately, as they are shorter, with breaks in between.

Another obstacle I am facing is putting her to sleep. It's fairly simple, all I need to do is cuddle her in her sling and pace around for about 10 minutes. The obstacle is that she is beginning to outgrow the sling, and my already problematic-back is starting to really cause me pain. And so, I ask: What are some other sleep techniques suitable for a 10 month old? Not only getting her to sleep, but keeping her asleep?

On a somewhat different topic. I have a had a dose of "being a stay at home mom" for 3 weeks now, with the exception of three nights over Christmas. I was a stay at home mom for the first 6 months of my daughter's life as well, and I was exclusively nursing her. It was somewhat simpler back then, as I was new to not doing much, and it was somewhat of a nice change. Although, now it's really starting to annoy me. I'm one of those people who strive to do as much as they can, challenge themselves to accomplish as much as they possibly can. And really, what am I accomplishing? I don't understand how women do it, but I think they deserve the WORLD for doing all that they do! Perhaps this is just a phase of sorts, but I'm having a really hard time being a slave to a tiny human.

I wonder how mothers do it...when they get time to shower, or clean, simple things like that. Then there are the super-moms whom bake bread and keep a clean house constantly! Then there's the lack of silence part. Even if she is not crying, noise is being made. Honestly: IT DRIVES ME MAD. I am a big fan of silence. Sudden noises literally make me cringe, I can't stop it.

On a positive note: I am doing very well with my 2009 Resolutions. I have consumed no white sugar all year (saying all year makes it sound like its been a long time! ha!) with the exception of a dark chocolate bar I bought and ate the other day, but that barely has any artificial sugar. I have been living off of soy milk, vegetables (potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli), rice, lentils & chick peas in a yummy curried tomato sauce I make a LOT, and bread (sometimes). This is my diet, now that I am off of dairy products. I don't know how long I should avoid dairy until it may be safe again, but I'll try to go as long as I possibly can. I feel very limited, but I'm doing well with it and have a LOT of energy, which I really need.