We are currently on night #6 of the new bed time routine. We are putting our little gal to bed earlier with the expectation that she will sleep longer. Now, in my world, which I do believe to be the "real" world, that did not compute. However, let me tell ya, it DOES work. At least, it has in our house.
Now, 2 weeks ago, if you would have told me that putting my sweet girl down earlier for the night would produce less night time crying and allow her to sleep longer I would have promptly told you, "Of course! And if I drink MORE Cabernet at night it will not make me feel like Sophie's dirty diapers the next day, but instead it will allow me to feel like Wonder Woman!" Definitely a study of opposites at play.
I must say, I don't rightfully know where to bestow credit here. The earlier bedtime certainly does not seem to be hurting anyone involved. In fact, I have been able to sit and watch evening television again, and cook dinner, and go to bed early. Ahhh bliss!
The other factor at play in Sophie's successful sleeping is the fact that I don't rush in at every peep. I must state again that I know that seems like an obvious step but it has been the hardest one. I liken my "rush to every cry" response to a story that my husband once told me. When he was young, a game that he and his friends liked to play consisted solely of throwing rocks at one another. I KNOW! But, no, I didn't marry a "short bus" guy. However, he and his friends would take refuge in the ditch-like gullies that flanked his friend's driveway. One group would take cover on one side of the driveway and the other group would be on the other side. They would then throw rocks as hard as they could at one another. I asked him what the purpose of this game was. Apparently there was none. In my opinion, the object was "Don't die." He fully admits that it hurt, that they knew going into it that it would hurt, and yet they happily played it anyway. Hmmm, maybe he is a short bus boy. I mean, how many lobs to the head can one take before they become a bit, shall we say slow. Just kidding, love you hon!
Anyway, my response to Sophie's night cries were much like this game. It hurt (both of us with fully waking up), I knew going in it would hurt, and yet I did it anyway. Well, I finally stopped the madness and acted like the cool, level-headed, haute mama that I always pictured myself to be. Turns out, Sophie didn't "need" me. What she needed was to be left alone to learn to go back to sleep. And, I must brag, she is a genius at this skill.
With absolutely no "help" from me (because my "help" was actually a hindrance), my sweet girl has become a healthy sleeper! Hallelujah! Now, it has only been 6 days but that is like a year in Sophie time.
Now I wonder if that whole "opposites" effect actually does work with increased Cabernet consumption.....
Monday, July 11, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
And Here We Go....
I last left off with my little Sophie going swaddle-free at night for the first time. The first two nights were awesome, amazing! She slept so well and actually slept a little past 6am, which hasn't happened too often in our house thus far. We were like, "what the Hell has been our hold up here?!" Then the bottom dropped out.
On the 3rd night she woke up screaming like she was literally on fire. However, as the night progressed I began to seriously question if demonic possession was at play. Since we had no head spinning and no split pea soup projectiles I guessed we were OK. She woke around 11:30pm ready to rumble and didn't stop the crazy parade until 1am. She then fell into an exhausted slump but was up and at 'em at 5am. We live very much in the city but I swear I heard the rooster crow at that hour.
The next night was pretty drama-free (which we welcome around here!) and then came super fun night number 5. She woke at 9pm, 11:30pm, 2am, 3am and then seriously lit it up at 3:30. At that point, and countless futile attempts to calm her down, my husband and I decided to implement the cry it out technique. It was ugly, it was hard, and it worked! One hour of misery later, we had a peacefully sleeping babe who slept until 7am.
She, again, came out of this event unscathed. Wish I could say the same. Another sorority mate, Becca, suggested a book "Healthy Sleeping Habits, Healthy Child." We hit up Barnes and Noble quick today and bought that baby up.
So here is where I bestow some more "tips". The book made me feel much better because it states that post-colic children's number one symptom is sleep disturbance. Makes sense to me, and since I'm dealing with a post-colic babe, I'll take it. It suggests an earlier bedtime for a nighttime waking baby. So that is what we did tonight. It also states that you should not jump and run in at every cry. I know, I know, that seems obvious. But I have had 3 months of navy seal-like colic boot camp where every fiber of my being is tuned into that cry and conditioned to do WHATEVER I can to make it go away. So, even though colic is gone, it's hard to let go of my training. However, I have renewed confidence after reading this book.
I believe that I will help her learn to sleep. When she's a teen she will thank me!
As always, I will keep you posted.
On the 3rd night she woke up screaming like she was literally on fire. However, as the night progressed I began to seriously question if demonic possession was at play. Since we had no head spinning and no split pea soup projectiles I guessed we were OK. She woke around 11:30pm ready to rumble and didn't stop the crazy parade until 1am. She then fell into an exhausted slump but was up and at 'em at 5am. We live very much in the city but I swear I heard the rooster crow at that hour.
The next night was pretty drama-free (which we welcome around here!) and then came super fun night number 5. She woke at 9pm, 11:30pm, 2am, 3am and then seriously lit it up at 3:30. At that point, and countless futile attempts to calm her down, my husband and I decided to implement the cry it out technique. It was ugly, it was hard, and it worked! One hour of misery later, we had a peacefully sleeping babe who slept until 7am.
She, again, came out of this event unscathed. Wish I could say the same. Another sorority mate, Becca, suggested a book "Healthy Sleeping Habits, Healthy Child." We hit up Barnes and Noble quick today and bought that baby up.
So here is where I bestow some more "tips". The book made me feel much better because it states that post-colic children's number one symptom is sleep disturbance. Makes sense to me, and since I'm dealing with a post-colic babe, I'll take it. It suggests an earlier bedtime for a nighttime waking baby. So that is what we did tonight. It also states that you should not jump and run in at every cry. I know, I know, that seems obvious. But I have had 3 months of navy seal-like colic boot camp where every fiber of my being is tuned into that cry and conditioned to do WHATEVER I can to make it go away. So, even though colic is gone, it's hard to let go of my training. However, I have renewed confidence after reading this book.
I believe that I will help her learn to sleep. When she's a teen she will thank me!
As always, I will keep you posted.
Friday, July 1, 2011
A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That.
Since I am so badly overdue on writing, I am going to attempt to catch up on a few past events in one post. So, bear with me here.
I had my first baby-free trip in May. I wish I could say it was to some far-off exotic locale with spa treatments and Michelin Star restaurants but, sadly, no. It was to Wichita, Kansas for my cousin's wedding. Let me tell you, at this point after 6 months of interrupted night time sleep, I would have found a mattress under the freeway overpass to be heaven. So, the 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep (as well as the lovely wedding with family) made the trip so very worthwhile. And, I have turned into an old lady apparently. I used to relish the days of open-bar events. I now find myself saying, "I can't drink too much wine or I won't sleep well!" It is a wild moment when your parents stay out but you go back to the hotel to sleep. Oh how the times have changed!
I did miss my little gal like crazy and had these visions of an overwhelming happy little tyke when I got home. Reality was slightly anti-climactic. I guess you can't expect an Oscar caliber performance for a homecoming from a 6 month old. However, I did get a big smile so that worked for me.
We then took our first road trip to my hometown of Kansas City. Picture this, hubby, me, baby and 90 lb. lab plus a week's worth of luggage and one enormous dog bed crammed into the 4-Runner driving down the highway. If anyone spotted us on the road they probably thought we were evacuating from somewhere. Sophie did so great on the trip and it was awesome to have her home. We did learn some lessons however: 1-An 8 hour trip to KC takes approximately 9 1/2 hours with a 6 month old
2-There is nothing more frightening on this Earth to Sophie than the jet-engined powered hand dryers found at major McDonald's rest stops along I-35.
3-You get alot of dirty looks from a lot of scary looking people when trying to change your screaming child's diaper in the restrooms of such rest stops as she is reeling from the terror of the hand dryers.
4-You decide that it is just better for everyone to change your child's diaper in the car for the remainder of the trip.
5-It is NOT a good idea to introduce peas to your 6 month old while on vacation. She didn't like them and they didn't like her (as judged from the 4 nasty diaper changes necessary on the ride home to Dallas!)
Finally, tonight is the first night of no night time swaddling. In the past month the swaddle has become the bane of my existence. My child has been breaking out of it like the Hulk but then turns into a crying mess without it. Since she really can't have it both ways we began no-swaddle naps. After a rocky beginning she finally seemed to handle it and possibly prefer it. So, tonight is the big test. Last night was a comedy of errors at best. It reminded me an old "I Love Lucy" style comedic routine. Baby breaks out of swaddle about 4 times before folks go to bed. Mom (me), goes in and re-swaddles baby. After 4th time mom says, "No more! Let's just let her be." Folks turn out lights. 5 minutes later baby starts crying. Mom goes in and re-swaddles, baby appears to be asleep, mom goes back into bedroom, looks at monitor, baby is free again and awake. Now repeat this 4 times in a row with no break and you will get a taste of the fun I had last night. I am officially OVER the swaddle. Let's just pray that she is too. She has been asleep for and hour and a half and so far, so good.
I will keep you posted!
I had my first baby-free trip in May. I wish I could say it was to some far-off exotic locale with spa treatments and Michelin Star restaurants but, sadly, no. It was to Wichita, Kansas for my cousin's wedding. Let me tell you, at this point after 6 months of interrupted night time sleep, I would have found a mattress under the freeway overpass to be heaven. So, the 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep (as well as the lovely wedding with family) made the trip so very worthwhile. And, I have turned into an old lady apparently. I used to relish the days of open-bar events. I now find myself saying, "I can't drink too much wine or I won't sleep well!" It is a wild moment when your parents stay out but you go back to the hotel to sleep. Oh how the times have changed!
I did miss my little gal like crazy and had these visions of an overwhelming happy little tyke when I got home. Reality was slightly anti-climactic. I guess you can't expect an Oscar caliber performance for a homecoming from a 6 month old. However, I did get a big smile so that worked for me.
We then took our first road trip to my hometown of Kansas City. Picture this, hubby, me, baby and 90 lb. lab plus a week's worth of luggage and one enormous dog bed crammed into the 4-Runner driving down the highway. If anyone spotted us on the road they probably thought we were evacuating from somewhere. Sophie did so great on the trip and it was awesome to have her home. We did learn some lessons however: 1-An 8 hour trip to KC takes approximately 9 1/2 hours with a 6 month old
2-There is nothing more frightening on this Earth to Sophie than the jet-engined powered hand dryers found at major McDonald's rest stops along I-35.
3-You get alot of dirty looks from a lot of scary looking people when trying to change your screaming child's diaper in the restrooms of such rest stops as she is reeling from the terror of the hand dryers.
4-You decide that it is just better for everyone to change your child's diaper in the car for the remainder of the trip.
5-It is NOT a good idea to introduce peas to your 6 month old while on vacation. She didn't like them and they didn't like her (as judged from the 4 nasty diaper changes necessary on the ride home to Dallas!)
Finally, tonight is the first night of no night time swaddling. In the past month the swaddle has become the bane of my existence. My child has been breaking out of it like the Hulk but then turns into a crying mess without it. Since she really can't have it both ways we began no-swaddle naps. After a rocky beginning she finally seemed to handle it and possibly prefer it. So, tonight is the big test. Last night was a comedy of errors at best. It reminded me an old "I Love Lucy" style comedic routine. Baby breaks out of swaddle about 4 times before folks go to bed. Mom (me), goes in and re-swaddles baby. After 4th time mom says, "No more! Let's just let her be." Folks turn out lights. 5 minutes later baby starts crying. Mom goes in and re-swaddles, baby appears to be asleep, mom goes back into bedroom, looks at monitor, baby is free again and awake. Now repeat this 4 times in a row with no break and you will get a taste of the fun I had last night. I am officially OVER the swaddle. Let's just pray that she is too. She has been asleep for and hour and a half and so far, so good.
I will keep you posted!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
How To Age 20 Years in One Minute
I did my research and it is universally agreed upon that the fastest creature on Earth is the Peregrine Falcon, which can dive out of the sky at a speed upwards of 200 miles per hour. I would like to dispute this apparently well known fact and add my daughter, Sophie, to the list of contenders.
Before I get into the "Why?" of the above statement I must say that I almost didn't write about this incident. However, to be fair to the "reality" of this blog, I think it is necessary to report the good and the funny with the scary and the bad. I know that I have said that you have to try to find humor in the hard situations of parenthood but what happened last night is hard to find funny. However, I will try to inject some humor if possible.
Last night as I was getting my little gal ready for her bath I learned the lesson of "I should have known better." Ever since Sophie was a teeny tiny little squirt we have laid her on a towel on the bathroom counter to undress her before bathtime, and again to dry her off and get her into her p.j.'s. This has worked out pretty well up until last night.
Sophie has become very skilled at rolling over which is where the "should have known better" lesson comes into play. I knew that she should probably not be set up on the counter anymore and I have kept a very close distance and eye on her when she is up there. Last night after getting her undressed I pivoted to the side to turn on the bath tub water. The sound that I heard in the split second that my back was turned will, literally, stay with me forever.
In that fraction of a second, the world's newest fastest creature - Sophie, flipped herself off the counter landing SMACK on her back on our saltillo tile bathroom floor. The pandemonium that ensued would probably make it onto America's Funniest Home Videos. You know that cry that little kids do where they turn apple red, their faces are scrunched, mouth open but no sound comes out? Well, that's what I got. When the wail did finally come to her it was a doozy!
My wonderful neighbor is a Dr. so he got a madwoman crazed phone call from me. He ran over and took a look and advised me better to be safe than sorry and head to the E.R.. Flash forward to me driving down the highway, bawling, with an actually quite composed baby in the back. I must say that Sophie handled the whole incident with much more grace than I.
Long story short, one CT scan later we were in the clear. She just sustained a bad bump, possibly a very mild concussion, and we were sent home. She had a bottle and went to sleep while I felt like I had gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson and basically stayed up all night listening for any little peep out of her. I do honestly believe that I may have aged about 20 years!
Lessons Learned: 1) No more counter tops for little one, 2) I know now that I go into Autopilot mode in a crisis seeing as the details right after the fall are a little hazy to me, 3) Apparently my body still works even when my heart stops beating 4) Sophie is the world's fastest creature in my book. 4) Kids are pretty darn resilient little things.
I have to thank: Presbyterian Plano ER - the nurses and Dr. Holland, our pediatrician Dr. Thai - who calmed me down while I was crying and careening down the highway to the hospital, Mark and Glen for being the greatest neighbors and, most importantly, my little angel Sophie for being one strong chick. You may look more like your dad but you are as hard headed as your mom!
Before I get into the "Why?" of the above statement I must say that I almost didn't write about this incident. However, to be fair to the "reality" of this blog, I think it is necessary to report the good and the funny with the scary and the bad. I know that I have said that you have to try to find humor in the hard situations of parenthood but what happened last night is hard to find funny. However, I will try to inject some humor if possible.
Last night as I was getting my little gal ready for her bath I learned the lesson of "I should have known better." Ever since Sophie was a teeny tiny little squirt we have laid her on a towel on the bathroom counter to undress her before bathtime, and again to dry her off and get her into her p.j.'s. This has worked out pretty well up until last night.
Sophie has become very skilled at rolling over which is where the "should have known better" lesson comes into play. I knew that she should probably not be set up on the counter anymore and I have kept a very close distance and eye on her when she is up there. Last night after getting her undressed I pivoted to the side to turn on the bath tub water. The sound that I heard in the split second that my back was turned will, literally, stay with me forever.
In that fraction of a second, the world's newest fastest creature - Sophie, flipped herself off the counter landing SMACK on her back on our saltillo tile bathroom floor. The pandemonium that ensued would probably make it onto America's Funniest Home Videos. You know that cry that little kids do where they turn apple red, their faces are scrunched, mouth open but no sound comes out? Well, that's what I got. When the wail did finally come to her it was a doozy!
My wonderful neighbor is a Dr. so he got a madwoman crazed phone call from me. He ran over and took a look and advised me better to be safe than sorry and head to the E.R.. Flash forward to me driving down the highway, bawling, with an actually quite composed baby in the back. I must say that Sophie handled the whole incident with much more grace than I.
Long story short, one CT scan later we were in the clear. She just sustained a bad bump, possibly a very mild concussion, and we were sent home. She had a bottle and went to sleep while I felt like I had gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson and basically stayed up all night listening for any little peep out of her. I do honestly believe that I may have aged about 20 years!
Lessons Learned: 1) No more counter tops for little one, 2) I know now that I go into Autopilot mode in a crisis seeing as the details right after the fall are a little hazy to me, 3) Apparently my body still works even when my heart stops beating 4) Sophie is the world's fastest creature in my book. 4) Kids are pretty darn resilient little things.
I have to thank: Presbyterian Plano ER - the nurses and Dr. Holland, our pediatrician Dr. Thai - who calmed me down while I was crying and careening down the highway to the hospital, Mark and Glen for being the greatest neighbors and, most importantly, my little angel Sophie for being one strong chick. You may look more like your dad but you are as hard headed as your mom!
Monday, May 23, 2011
To Swaddle or Not To Swaddle? That Is The Question.
If you have read any of my previous posts then you know that our little Sophie suffered from a colic-rager the first 3 months of her life. Since we tried everything except voodoo (which I would have resorted to if I thought it would have worked) to calm the savage beast that was our child, we have been big advocates of the swaddle. Swaddling, in our case, really did help calm her down for naps and bedtime. We used the Aden + Anais muslin swaddles for their breathability and stretchiness. We would wrap her up like a little cigar and she would settle right down.
Well, we are almost to her 6 month birthday. Colic left the building 3 months ago but the swaddle remains. What was once a blessing has now become our curse because Sophie can not and will not sleep without being swaddled.
Last week we implemented Project No Swaddle in which we decided to forgo the swaddle at naptime (I'm waaaay too big of a weakling to attempt it at night yet, I need my beauty sleep!). I was ready to go and fired up over getting Sophie over the swaddle. My sorority-mate, Brenna, was going through the same thing with her son so I recruited her (long-distance as she is in Chicago) to be my wingman through this difficult process. We wrote back and forth each day discussing our success and failures. SIDENOTE- Ladies! A Wingman is very helpful for surviving motherhood obstacles with grace and sanity! So thank you Brenna!
First off I must say that Brenna is a stronger woman than I as she went swaddle-free at night as well. And, I must say that she mostly shared success stories while I shared failures. Her little guy seemed a bit more open to the idea of going free-arming during sleep than my gal.
Here is how it went down in my home. Sophie would get very sleepy for her nap. I would rock her (which I don't normally do to get her to sleep) but I wanted her good and asleep before I put her down. I then got her in her sleep sack and put her down. She would sleep about 30 minutes and be up rubbing her face, waving those little arms and being generally miserable. Poor lady just can't do it. Those arms are a great and powerful mystery to her. Although I try to explain to her that they are attached to her body and that SHE controls them she just doesn't seem to get it!
Five days later of basically no napping we finally gave up on Project No Swaddle. Brenna is still going strong! Go Brenna!
We determined that Soph is just not ready for the big time yet. I, personally, am trying to adopt a more go with the flow attitude to this motherhood gig and, let me tell ya, that can be hard at times. Anyway, we are taking a more organic approach with the swaddle and letting her work it out. As my neighbor Annette told me, "You aren't going to have to swaddle her to sleep when she is 15." My gawd I certainly hope not.
In the meantime, as I have also stated before, you have to laugh at tough situations or your just won't make it through. So, I downloaded Run DMC "It's Tricky" and my husband and I had a great time watching the video monitor, listening to that song, and watching Soph wave those arms around. She may have a future in break dancing.
Well, we are almost to her 6 month birthday. Colic left the building 3 months ago but the swaddle remains. What was once a blessing has now become our curse because Sophie can not and will not sleep without being swaddled.
Last week we implemented Project No Swaddle in which we decided to forgo the swaddle at naptime (I'm waaaay too big of a weakling to attempt it at night yet, I need my beauty sleep!). I was ready to go and fired up over getting Sophie over the swaddle. My sorority-mate, Brenna, was going through the same thing with her son so I recruited her (long-distance as she is in Chicago) to be my wingman through this difficult process. We wrote back and forth each day discussing our success and failures. SIDENOTE- Ladies! A Wingman is very helpful for surviving motherhood obstacles with grace and sanity! So thank you Brenna!
First off I must say that Brenna is a stronger woman than I as she went swaddle-free at night as well. And, I must say that she mostly shared success stories while I shared failures. Her little guy seemed a bit more open to the idea of going free-arming during sleep than my gal.
Here is how it went down in my home. Sophie would get very sleepy for her nap. I would rock her (which I don't normally do to get her to sleep) but I wanted her good and asleep before I put her down. I then got her in her sleep sack and put her down. She would sleep about 30 minutes and be up rubbing her face, waving those little arms and being generally miserable. Poor lady just can't do it. Those arms are a great and powerful mystery to her. Although I try to explain to her that they are attached to her body and that SHE controls them she just doesn't seem to get it!
Five days later of basically no napping we finally gave up on Project No Swaddle. Brenna is still going strong! Go Brenna!
We determined that Soph is just not ready for the big time yet. I, personally, am trying to adopt a more go with the flow attitude to this motherhood gig and, let me tell ya, that can be hard at times. Anyway, we are taking a more organic approach with the swaddle and letting her work it out. As my neighbor Annette told me, "You aren't going to have to swaddle her to sleep when she is 15." My gawd I certainly hope not.
In the meantime, as I have also stated before, you have to laugh at tough situations or your just won't make it through. So, I downloaded Run DMC "It's Tricky" and my husband and I had a great time watching the video monitor, listening to that song, and watching Soph wave those arms around. She may have a future in break dancing.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Happy (Very Belated) Mother's Day! And I Swear You Can't Make This Stuff Up!
I want to wish a long overdue Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and especially to the new mothers.
I don't know what I really expected for my first Mother's Day but I must admit that hazy, happy visions of sleeping in, followed by brunch, maybe a shopping trip to Northpark (all by myself!) or a spa package dreamily ran through my head. Reality, as it tends to be, ended up being far more colorful.
I swear the following is all true, even I'm not creative enough to make this stuff up, but I'm now going to walk you through my memorable and "hit you in the face with a frying pan" real first Mother's Day.
I am the wife of a die-hard sports freak. Not just a "fan", not a "fanatic" but a true blue FREAK. I am a football widow. I am a fantasy football survivor. Basically, I am an awesome wife for putting up with the level of freakness that goes on in this house. For example, we did a slide show of photos at our rehearsal dinner and about 75% of the photos of the two of us were taken at some sporting event. Anyway, you get the idea. Well, as luck would have it, the Dallas Mavericks (of which we are season ticket holders - Freak) happened to be in the playoffs vs. the Lakers the weekend of Mother's Day. So my husband invites a friend in town, who shall remain nameless, but you know who you are. They go to the game Friday night of Mother's Day weekend which means I'm babysitting, home, alone.
Oh Wait! I'm not home alone! I'm also home with my dog who has an ear infection and is on steroids. Poor poor baby has to go pee about every 10 minutes due to the steroids and I can't let him in the backyard because we have 3 baby bluejays who have taken up residence, can't fly yet, and who my dog would promptly kill if he was allowed out there. So every time he has to go to the bathroom I have to bjorn up the baby and leash up the dog and head out to the front yard. Let me tell ya, it wasn't a beating at all!
Saturday comes around and we still have our guest in town because now the boys are all meeting up for Fantasy Football Lotto! REALLY! So, yes, that means that it's me, baby and over-peeing pooch again. However, to make it a little more interesting, our guest uses the guest bath, flushes, and every toilet, bathtub and shower in the house begin to overflow. So now I'm home alone (b/c the boys have lotto), waiting for a plumber with the over-peeing pooch and baby who is getting cranky because it's past bedtime. Once the plumber fixes the problem and baby goes to bed I then got the honor of cleaning all the poo water off the floors, toilets, tubs and showers. IT WAS AWESOME!
This brings us to Sunday, Mother's Day. Well guess what? The Mavs have another home game. Bye bye hubs! Off to the game again which again leaves me with (say it with me) baby and over-peeing pooch.
I deserve a medal!
Hope you all had a good one that did not require Lysol-ing your entire house.
I don't know what I really expected for my first Mother's Day but I must admit that hazy, happy visions of sleeping in, followed by brunch, maybe a shopping trip to Northpark (all by myself!) or a spa package dreamily ran through my head. Reality, as it tends to be, ended up being far more colorful.
I swear the following is all true, even I'm not creative enough to make this stuff up, but I'm now going to walk you through my memorable and "hit you in the face with a frying pan" real first Mother's Day.
I am the wife of a die-hard sports freak. Not just a "fan", not a "fanatic" but a true blue FREAK. I am a football widow. I am a fantasy football survivor. Basically, I am an awesome wife for putting up with the level of freakness that goes on in this house. For example, we did a slide show of photos at our rehearsal dinner and about 75% of the photos of the two of us were taken at some sporting event. Anyway, you get the idea. Well, as luck would have it, the Dallas Mavericks (of which we are season ticket holders - Freak) happened to be in the playoffs vs. the Lakers the weekend of Mother's Day. So my husband invites a friend in town, who shall remain nameless, but you know who you are. They go to the game Friday night of Mother's Day weekend which means I'm babysitting, home, alone.
Oh Wait! I'm not home alone! I'm also home with my dog who has an ear infection and is on steroids. Poor poor baby has to go pee about every 10 minutes due to the steroids and I can't let him in the backyard because we have 3 baby bluejays who have taken up residence, can't fly yet, and who my dog would promptly kill if he was allowed out there. So every time he has to go to the bathroom I have to bjorn up the baby and leash up the dog and head out to the front yard. Let me tell ya, it wasn't a beating at all!
Saturday comes around and we still have our guest in town because now the boys are all meeting up for Fantasy Football Lotto! REALLY! So, yes, that means that it's me, baby and over-peeing pooch again. However, to make it a little more interesting, our guest uses the guest bath, flushes, and every toilet, bathtub and shower in the house begin to overflow. So now I'm home alone (b/c the boys have lotto), waiting for a plumber with the over-peeing pooch and baby who is getting cranky because it's past bedtime. Once the plumber fixes the problem and baby goes to bed I then got the honor of cleaning all the poo water off the floors, toilets, tubs and showers. IT WAS AWESOME!
This brings us to Sunday, Mother's Day. Well guess what? The Mavs have another home game. Bye bye hubs! Off to the game again which again leaves me with (say it with me) baby and over-peeing pooch.
I deserve a medal!
Hope you all had a good one that did not require Lysol-ing your entire house.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tips
In my first post I stated that I would share any tips that have been helpful throughout this adventure. Well, here are a few.
In regards to a colic baby. Here is what worked for us.
-I stopped nursing at 3 months and we put her on Enfamil Nutramigen. I don't know if we just reached that golden age of the colic stopping or if the formula did the trick, but she did soooooo much better after the switch. Of course I was hesitant to stop nursing so soon but this worked for us so I'm not gonna question it. Buyer Beware!!! - Nutramigen is stinky and the spit up is stinky, be warned. We have since moved to regular Enfamil Infant and she is doing great.
-She was prescribed by our Dr. .5ml Prevacid twice a day. This stopped the spit-ups that shot out of her nose which made us all much happier. She will probably be on this for at least 6 mos.
-Swaddling! Do it! She felt secure and it truly helps her sleep. We use the Aiden and Anais brand. They are large, which makes for good wrapping and they have a stretch to them which allows for a snug swaddle. I have also heard good things about the "magic blanket" and the Summertime swaddles that velcro but I have not personally used those.
-Babywise. OK, I'm on the fence with this one. On one hand, it was good to have a schedule as a guide. But, on the other hand, our baby was a little more of a challenge and a schedule just didn't work with her. You can make yourself (and your baby) a little crazy trying to fit into a schedule. Sometimes you just have to let nature take it's course. DO NOT feel bad if Babywise does not work for you. There is nothing wrong with you or your baby if their methods just don't pan out. However, I do have friends who swear by Babywise and have happy, healthy babies who sleep great. So, if it works for you - Awesome!, if not- no big deal.
-Baby Einstein Takealong Tunes! OMG! This toy, which plays classical music and lights up, was a miracle! That is really all I can say. You have to get one. She stopped crying instantly and would watch those lights dance like they were the most interesting soap opera ever!
-Vacuuming. I would put Sophie in the Baby Bjorn and vacuum. She seemed to like the noise. Now, there is only so much time you can vacuum. But it worked for us.
-Music in general. Calmed the savage beast.
Overall, just hang in there. It will get better and the happy baby you envisioned will emerge. For us, it took 4 months. We are just starting to meet the fun, cute Sophie that we dreamed about. I promise, you DO NOT have the unhappiest baby in the world. I thought this many times and wondered what the Hell we were doing wrong. Sometimes all it takes is time.
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In regards to a colic baby. Here is what worked for us.
-I stopped nursing at 3 months and we put her on Enfamil Nutramigen. I don't know if we just reached that golden age of the colic stopping or if the formula did the trick, but she did soooooo much better after the switch. Of course I was hesitant to stop nursing so soon but this worked for us so I'm not gonna question it. Buyer Beware!!! - Nutramigen is stinky and the spit up is stinky, be warned. We have since moved to regular Enfamil Infant and she is doing great.
-She was prescribed by our Dr. .5ml Prevacid twice a day. This stopped the spit-ups that shot out of her nose which made us all much happier. She will probably be on this for at least 6 mos.
-Swaddling! Do it! She felt secure and it truly helps her sleep. We use the Aiden and Anais brand. They are large, which makes for good wrapping and they have a stretch to them which allows for a snug swaddle. I have also heard good things about the "magic blanket" and the Summertime swaddles that velcro but I have not personally used those.
-Babywise. OK, I'm on the fence with this one. On one hand, it was good to have a schedule as a guide. But, on the other hand, our baby was a little more of a challenge and a schedule just didn't work with her. You can make yourself (and your baby) a little crazy trying to fit into a schedule. Sometimes you just have to let nature take it's course. DO NOT feel bad if Babywise does not work for you. There is nothing wrong with you or your baby if their methods just don't pan out. However, I do have friends who swear by Babywise and have happy, healthy babies who sleep great. So, if it works for you - Awesome!, if not- no big deal.
-Baby Einstein Takealong Tunes! OMG! This toy, which plays classical music and lights up, was a miracle! That is really all I can say. You have to get one. She stopped crying instantly and would watch those lights dance like they were the most interesting soap opera ever!
-Vacuuming. I would put Sophie in the Baby Bjorn and vacuum. She seemed to like the noise. Now, there is only so much time you can vacuum. But it worked for us.
-Music in general. Calmed the savage beast.
Overall, just hang in there. It will get better and the happy baby you envisioned will emerge. For us, it took 4 months. We are just starting to meet the fun, cute Sophie that we dreamed about. I promise, you DO NOT have the unhappiest baby in the world. I thought this many times and wondered what the Hell we were doing wrong. Sometimes all it takes is time.
-
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