Sleep Dilemma

Hey Moms, I need your help.
Micaiah is 7 1/2 months old now. He has been sleeping 12 hours straight through the night for several months. He normally goes to bed around 6:30 and gets up at 6:30am so I can nurse him before I go to school. He takes two 1 1/2 hour naps in the day, for a total of about 15 hours sleep. Lateley he has been waking up about 5 or 5:30am. He is very sensitive to sound, so we took steps to make his room more quiet, but it didn't really help. I tried putting him to bed a little later, but that didn't help. I tried putting him to bed a little earlier, but that didn't help. I know when he wakes up that early he's not well rested, because he wakes up crying, whereas normally he wakes up very happy and cooing. Have any of you had this problem? What worked for you? Any suggestions?

Our Not-Growing Family

Well, we almost added another member to our family last night. We have been waiting to get to Peru to get a dog, but yesterday Elliott got tired of waiting. He went to a few places, looked at some puppies and fell in love with a female boxer. He even picked out a name for her. He came home and brought me to the store hoping I would fall in love with her, too. I did (she licked my face and nibbled my ear-how could I resist?), but after careful thought we realized we really should wait until Peru. Micaiah even liked her. He squealed and slapped her paws (we'll have to work on that) and laughed. But in the end, we came home with no new family members. But hopefully in about three months you all can read about the new puppy we will have in Peru.

The New Me

Finally cut my hair on Monday. I've been contemplating it for a while. I was tired of spending time every morning making my long hair look pretty. Besides, I almost always end up pulling it back in a pony tail to do something with Micaiah, work on homework, or do housework. So what's the point? Anyway, I thought I'd let you all see the new (quicker-to-get-ready-in-the-morning) me. I'm not sure how good the pics are, but at least you get the idea.

What Rapture

I must say there is no feeling like the sheer joy my little boy brings to me. Don't get me wrong, there are trying days, but nothing compares to the utter rapture of when he cuddles into me upon waking from a nap, or when Mommy's hug can make a boo boo all better. The smell of his head right after a bath is like a little whiff of heaven. There is absolutely no comparision to his cute smile and his addictive laugh. Now that I am a Mommy, I am perpetually exhausted, various parts of my body ache from carrying around a little bundle all day, and I'm constantly wiping spit-up, but it is all worth it!