Sleep Training

Sleep training is not for the weak at heart. We've been at it consistently for about 8 weeks and while Bug is trained, it is still an ongoing process.

First, we tackled naps. Turns out I was waiting for Bug to get overtired, instead of just tired. I discovered that what most children exhibit as "sleepy" signs are Bug's "overtired" signs. His sleepy cues are much, much more subtle and I had to watch him very closely for about 2 days to really learn them. Now, I can spot them a mile away and we rarely get to the overtired point.

Then we moved on to adjusting his bedtime. It was 8pm. We slowly moved it back in 15 minute increments until we figured out that 7:30 is much, much better. He doesn't fight us now, we rarely have evening melt-downs and he still sleeps 10-11 hours each night.

Now we're working on wake-up. We've been working on wake-up time for about 4 weeks now. And it's definitely improving. While we were trying to figure out the right bedtime, once we got to 7:15pm, Bug started waking up at 5:30am. Ummmm, no. Not gonna happen. And even once we pushed back bedtime to 7:30, he still continued to wake up before 6am. Still not a decent wake time. My goal is for him to wake up between 6:30-7 each morning. The book I've been reading and following is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. In the book, it recommends ignoring your child until the wake hour. Disclaimers: this is for children older than 12 months and in the book 6am is considered a decent "wake time."

I was very hesitant to try this, even though almost every other thing in the book had proven true (at least for my child). I just didn't think it would work. But after a week of pre-6am wake-up calls, I was willing to give it a try. It took 2 days and Bug was sleeping past 6. So, the next week I "ignored" till after 6:15 - after 1 day (Monday) he consistently slept until after 6:15, most days until 6:40 or so. I did that for 2 weeks, now I've moved it to 6:30. This is only day 2 and while Bug wakes up at about 6:15, he babbles and "snoozes" for another 30 minutes or so. Both days this week we've not really gotten up for the day until at least 6:40. I'm ok with that.

This weekend he granted his Daddy and I sleep on Saturday until 7 and Sunday til 6:45!Now, that I could get used to!

TGIF... uh Saturday?

Thank goodness it's the weekend. My parents are awesome and keep Bug for us every Saturday night. And oh do I need it! It's not that Bug doesn't sleep well, he is an awesome sleeper! It's just that I don't really, truly relax or fall into a deep, heavy sleep. I guess it's a "Momma-light-sleeping" thing.

I don't know, but on Saturday night I actually get to SLEEP. And since we attend a later starting church, I do get to sleep in just a touch! Plus the hubs and I get a little time together. We rarely do "date nights" but we do have dinner and then usually tackle one of the home projects together.

Tonight we are just hanging out, watching football and picking up the house a bit. It nice not to HAVE to do something or be somewhere.

Foodie

I have been really picky about how and what Bug eats. I introduced vegetables as purees really slowly, starting with the foods with the least sugars (albeit natural sugars) and worked our way up. Bug wasn't introduced to fruit until he was almost 10 months old. And I'll admit that I waited a little too long on that one.

But he eats fantastically. He has better eating habits than anyone I know! He loves his fruits and veggies and so far we've been able to determine he has no dairy or nut allergies. Whew! I would have been really upset about a nut allergy. It's not only a pain in the patoot, but my husband & I both love peanut butter and it would have been hard to part with it.

Now we're venturing away from the purees. Bug has been eating pick-up foods for about 8 weeks now. He does not eat Cheerios/Goldfish or any of the puffs. I call them "useless carbohydrates." They are just fillers and I just don't see the point in simply "filling him up" with them. He does love cantaloupe and grapes as snacks though! And just recently I introduced honey graham cracker sticks with organic peanut butter - he gobbles that up, too.

I don't allow Bug to graze all day. Part of my objection to the puff thing. We have 5 eating times that are pretty evenly spaced out during the day. Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. I'm hoping this helps his metabolism to develop properly without him thinking we can just eat all the time. He can have water anytime he wants it, and juice with food.

With Friends Like Her...

Grrr... I am really frustrated today. I have a "friend" who has made it her mission in life to make sure I know that she doesn't agree with a lot of my parenting decisions. This friend and her husband have taken permanent steps to remain child-free - so he has no first-hand parenting experience of her own. Not that that makes her opinions invalid, but untried to say the least.

I chose not to breastfeed. Gasp! Shocking, I know. It was a well thought-out and researched decision. She thought I was being selfish and uneducated. You know, because she has experience... oh no, that's right, she's basing that on the few articles she's read and the fact that her only other friend who has a baby did it! So therefore she knows what's best for me, Bug and my husband. Wow, now that's some super-power.

I chose to put Bug on a very set schedule right from the start. You know, how lots and lots and lots of parenting books/experts recommend. How dare I have a nap and eating schedule for him so that his days are consistent and I know he's getting the rest and nutrition he needs? Because you know who knows what's really best for my child. Oh, but that's really because she's mad that I refuse to go out to dinner after 7... seeing as Bug's bedtime is 7:30.

She has about another dozen examples of how I've made poor parenting decisions. And she has taken it upon herself to proclaim another friend of ours the "better" mother. What's funny is that our other friend argues with me this morning as I was ranting and said I was by far the better mother! I disagreed, because really there is no such thing (barring moms who neglect/abuse, that's inexcusable)... I believe that, by and large, moms are doing their best and trying their hardest.

I don't want to be titled the "better mother," I just don't want to be put down because I made different decisions. Bug is a happy, healthy child who is social and growing and learning. I'm happy with that. I jokingly proclaimed his first year a success because I was able to keep him alive!

Women can be really hard on each other, and it's so frustrating and infuriating to watch let alone be a part of it.

*this close!*

Bug is *this close* to walking... He's been walking along the furniture for weeks now, but this morning he intentionally let go and stood there with his hands out balancing himself. It lasted for all of 3 seconds... and then he did it again about 5 minutes later.

We're close, y'all. Very, very close to having a true "toddler"... Momma sure isn't ready for this!

Miss-This Moment #1: Holding him while he naps

Today has been a really good day. Bug slept til a decent time and has been in a really cheerful mood. We went to church and I always go get him from the nursery and bring him into the worship service for the music at the beginning. He really enjoys it and since we're there for almost 3 hours and he'd be in the same room all that time, I think it's a nice break.

His morning nap during the week is at 9:30, but with Sunday School starting at 9, that just isn't going to happen. Most Sundays though I can get him to go to sleep during the worship music... and we have a praise band and ensemble that pretty often rocks out. So it's not slow hymns or anything, but since he was about 6 months old, he's slept through at least part of most every Sunday service.

This morning he laid his head down on my shoulder and slept like a cute little rock for about 40 minutes. I think he really likes waking up to me holding him! I know it isn't the best nap, but it's a nap and that's better than nothing!

Then this afternoon, we curled up in the recliner for his early afternoon bottle and he went to sleep and I just had to cuddle him some more. More and more he is just really drowsy at the end of his bottle and I go and lay him in his crib, like I'm "supposed" to... but today he had fallen asleep and I just really wanted to hold him a bit longer. So I rocked him for about 20 more minutes and then put him in his crib.

Holding while he sleeps is becoming a rarer thing and I already miss it. While I know it's good that he can be put in his crib and he'll soothe himself to sleep with little to no crying, I still miss the days when I got to rock him a good 20-30 minutes before laying him down.

He looked just downright angelic in my arms today. He looked like a baby instead of the "big boy" he is quickly becoming. I took time to take in his smell and his gentle sleeping pout. I kissed his head and thought back to the days only a year ago when I would tell him that he'd never sleep better than in his momma's arms.

Hi there!

Whew! It's been a long time since I sat down to blog. Once upon a time, when I was trying to get pregnant (you know, for about 31 months all told!) I had a little place that I could write and vent and complain and just get it all out there. Then I got pregnant and posts got fewer and fewer between. Then I had a baby and they pretty much stopped completely. But that was my "trying and failing to get pregnant" space. And I said goodbye to it about 7 months ago.

But I've missed it! Writing and talking about day-to-day stuff and the place to vent and complain and rant and celebrate.

So, here I am. Starting fresh. Now that the Bug is almost 13 months old and I'm getting a little more comfortable with this whole "Mom" business (feel free to laugh at that statement), I really wanted a new little place on the internet.

I don't plan on talking a whole lot about Bug as a person, but I probably will, more my adventures being his mommy.