Olivia

Mom Life: Sleep Diaries

I do truly look forward to the day when this “series” concludes… until then. An update… the continuation of our sleep diaries… Started Here… Progressed Here

A friend recently posted a link to this article, Sleep: A Misguided and Unhealthy Obsession that really resonated with the way I’ve been feeling about our family sleep situation lately.

After almost 2 weeks in California, and the obvious de-railers that come with traveling, getting back into a routine has been a difficult transition. In addition, we were all sick on vacation for at least 3-4 days each… overlapping to span basically the entire trip. Basically… our California Christmas was spent snuggling co-sleeping in a full-sized guest bed. Actually… most nights Daniel ended up on the couch… I guess Liv and I take up too much room.

So… where are we now? Co-sleeping? … Only Co-sleeping the half of the night that Olivia refuses to sleep in her crib. Nursing only once… Nursing as much and as frequent as Olivia wants… I can’t say that I really know. All I can say is… I’ve definitely started this series with the “If Momma Ain’t Happy” argument… and I’ve made it 180 degrees. My happiness or ability to be a good mother has little to do with the # of hours or consecutive hours of sleep I get. If I’m totally truthful… I’ve actually gotten pretty used to getting up in the middle of the night… nursing in the middle of the night. Going to bed early… waking up late. Occasionally I’ll even indulge in an afternoon nap with Olivia.

NOW… If we could just figure out how to get Olivia to stop being such a sleeping squirm worm… I think we’d all do just fine.

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Mom Life: Sleep Diaries

I admit I’ve dragged my feet with this long overdue update to our Sleep Diaries.

Almost 2 months ago, Daniel and I agreed that we needed to embrace some kind of sleep training. Obviously our ultimate goal of having a child who would sleep through the night (ideally 7:30 PM – 7:30 AM) in her own bed. The first few nights were rough… but really, it was nothing as bad as I expected. Not nearly as many tears as anticipated (hers or mine) and fairly successful after just a few nights…. AND THEN… An ear infection happened…. AND THEN… A fever/cough/cold/snotty mess happened…. AND THEN…. more teething…. and it seemed like all that hard work all that tearful training was for nothing. We were back at square one.

Fast Forward to present. For the past few weeks, Olivia and I have both been fighting a bit of a cough/cold…  VERY mild symptoms (luckily) but caused an unfortunate dip in my milk supply… READ: results in attempting to nurse as often as humanly possible… even in the overnight hours to help increase production… thus causing our most recent set-back with sleep training. And we arrive at today… Recovering supply. Happy baby. Tooth #6 completely popped. Cough/Cold almost crushed… and ready to get some good sleep… All to be thrown by a 2 hour time change in less than a week when we fly to California for Christmas.

Lately it feels like it’s ALWAYS going to be something… Although sometimes most of the time I envy my friends who have babies who have been sleeping through the night since they were 6-weeks old… I’ve come to terms with the fact that my precious baby girl… is just NOT an excellent sleeper… and I’m OK with that.

Just a note. Tonight, Olivia crashed while nursing around 8, woke up at 11:45 PM (I nursed her back to sleep)… and almost 2 hours of pump/shop/blogging… I’m still awake. Maybe Momma has sleep issues too?

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Olivia: 10 Months

Stats:

17.8 lbs

27.5 inches

Size: 9-12 Months

Size 3 Disposable diapers (on the rare occasion that we use them!)

Tooth Count: 4 on Top, 2 on Bottom

Nicknames: Liv, Liver Dude, Sneekle Freetzie

LOVES:

Sticking her tounge out…

Reading Books, Especially, Bright Baby Merry Christmas Touch & Feel ,Baby Animals Touch and Feel and Where’s Spot? and of course, Rainforest Discoveries AKA “Ooey Gooey”

Loves to Snuggle

Unrolling the toilet paper

Playing in the tupperware drawer

The Christmas Tree and her giraffe ornament

Unrolling wrapping paper

Puffs! & Mum-Mums

Favorite Foods: Avocado, Blueberries, and Peas.

Playing in her stuffed animal corner

Listening to dad play guitar and piano

Watching the yard guy blow leaves

the Durch

the big giant stuffed giraffe at the Macy’s Kids Department

Favorite Toys: Wooden Melissa & Doug Puzzle, Little People Nativity Set, Mom + Dad’s wooden name puzzles, small wood cars (from Canton), anything that’s not really a toy… water bottles, keys, sunglasses, socks, shoes,

Taking Tubs with Dad – Playing with tub toys while Mom gets dressed (as long as she keeps it to under 10 minutes)

The playground at Klyde Warren Park

Being Outside

Waving at strangers at the mall

Removing her socks

WubbaNubs – Definitely knows how to work a Paci

Playing with Dolls and Stuffed Animals

Sipping from Mom’s Tervis Cup

Soft Things

CRANKS:

Getting in the Car Seat

Christmas Shopping

Cranberries

Being out too late, bedtime is usually around 7:30pm

Being covered up while nursing.

Having her diaper changed

Santa

MILESTONES:

Wearing Shoes (and keeping them on!)

 Clapping

Waves Hello/Goodbye

Blows Kisses (sometimes)

 1st Thanksgiving

Meeting Santa for the 1st time

Using a Sippy Cup for water

Grabbing produce as we walk through the grocery store… or sweaters off of hangers… or branches off trees… whatever those little fingers can reach.

Stands and pulls up on EVERYTHING

Shakes Head “No” (but we’re pretty sure this means “wiggle wiggle” not actually “No”)

Signs “All Done”

Says, “Dadada (Dad), Mum Mum Mum (Mom), Geeeeee (all Giraffes), Nay Nay Nay (no idea?), Boooo, Gooo, Gahhh, Blah Blah Blah, and Dug Dug Dug (Dog?).

Talks to herself while playing in a whisper voice… especially when she’s playing with something new… or staring at the Christmas Tree

Still not sleeping through the night consistently. Still frequently wants to nurse at night… sometimes multiple times, especially when she’s sick.

Generally nursing 4-5x during the day, about every 4 hours… plus one more overnight feeding (REALLY trying to eliminate this one!)

Our Christmas Card

10 Months

Olivia: 9 Months | Olivia: 8 Months | Olivia: 7 Months

Reflections: Prego Mego

Lately, Daniel loves to remind me that Olivia has been outside my belly as long as I carried her. It’s so incredibly hard to believe how fast the past 9 months has flown by. I guess it’s time to start planning a first birthday party huh?

They say that you forget the way you felt when you were pregnant so that you’ll still want to do it again. Well… I felt pretty awesome for 90% of my pregnancy (I should probably re-read my own documentation {via Prego Mego} to make sure I haven’t fallen victim to pregnancy amnesia) – I often find myself missing the amazing feeling of baby kicks and constant warmth. Daniel + I agree that we’ll probably wait a bit before growing our little family any more but I just felt the need to admit… I really miss being pregnant.

35 Weeks Pregnant

Maternity Portraits by Shannon Markham Photography

Just in case you were wondering… The only thing I would do differently? NOT gain 62 pounds.

Olivia: 9 Months

Stats:

17.6 lbs, 25th Percentile

27.5 inches, 50th Percentile

Size: 9- 12 Months

Tooth Count: 6 – 3.5 on top, 2 on bottom

Nicknames: Liv, Sneekle Freetzie, Bug, Kates (Like the second half of Baby Cakes… kinda weird, I know)

LOVES:

Puffs & Baby Mum-Mums

Geeeee

Watching other Babies and Kiddos

Grass, dirt, mud, & leaves

Going to the park – Exploring Outside

Klyde Warren Park

Playing with pumpkins

Water Bottles, Tupperware, Pots + Pans

Getting in the the refrigerator

Exploring faces via poking of eyelashes, noses, mouths. Loves wiggly tongues.

Toilet Paper

Zippers

Her “OLIVIA” blanket (From Miss. Jill)

Her WubbaNub Collection

Favorite Foods: Avocado, Peas, Carrots, Squash, Pumpkin… but especially Avocado.

Favorite Books: Rainforest Discoveries, Animal Kisses, All of the DK Touch & Feel Books

The poopy-toot song

Getting in to Dad’s sweaters

Playing in Durch’s water bowl

CRANKS:

Bows

Her Carseat

The Exersaucer

Having her Diaper Changed

Swallowing Medicine

Having Dangerous objects taken away

Swings @ the Park

Milestones:

First Halloween!

Trick-Or-Treating

Pulling-Up

First Ear Infection

First High Fever (102.1 degrees)

Waves and Points & Pinches to Pick-Up small objects (like Peas & Puffs)

Signs “All-Done”

Says “Mum Mum Mum,” “Da Da Da,” “GEEEEEE,” “Bye”

 Growing, Growing…

9 Months

Olivia: 8 Months  |  Olivia: 7 Months  |  Olivia: 6 Months

Mom Life: Ain’t Nobody Happy (Sleep Diaries)

5:10AM Olivia is finally asleep in her crib… I think.

Am I asleep? No. I’m wide awake. Coffee Brewed. Googling… “Alternative to Cry it Out Method.” Several message board posts later – I feel horrible about ignoring my gut instinct to ALWAYS comfort my baby when she cries. I talked to our pediatrician, and consulted many friends about their experiences with sleep training and developing healthy sleep habits for/with their babies this past week. Everyone has an opinion about what works – but it all boils down to the baby. (I don’t think I like using the word BOIL and BABY in the same sentence).  I never really fully backed the Ferber-type method for sleep training; never judged those who did, just didn’t think it could work for me (and Olivia). Most of my friends made suggestions like, “quit nursing her at night,” and “let her sleep with you until she decides she’s ready to sleep in her own bed – cribs are prisons” and of course, the flip side, “you just need to let her cry it out!” We were at the pediatrician on Tuesday for an ear re-check when Dr. Diaz encouraged me to try the CIO method. She made arguments like, “It’s your responsibility to help your baby develop healthy sleep habits in the same way that it’s your responsibility to help them develop healthy eating habits” and “Babies cry, that’s just what they do.” I really couldn’t disagree with these statements more – It’s not like I’m encouraging POOR sleeping habits! and I certainly don’t think that letting your baby cry just because “it’s what they’re supposed to do” is acceptable. Babies cry because they NEED something – food, diaper, cuddling… etc. (We’re switching Doctors, by the way – more on that later).

OK – So I’ll set the stage. To help paint a picture of what the past few months have been like… and show you just how sleep deprived I am.

At around 6 months – Olivia’s sleep habits changed… and I have a feeling it’s mostly my fault. (This is where I do agree with owning the responsibility of developing healthy sleep habits.) Pre-6 month old Olivia would nurse to sleep in the evening, go down in her crib… wake up to nurse once, maybe twice, but generally sleep for 10-12 hours in two 5-6 hour stretches. During her nighttime feedings, she frequently fell asleep within a few minutes of nursing – a big sign that she probably wasn’t REALLY hungry, just needed a snuggle. Here’s what I should have done at this point – Slowly eliminate nursing at night, instead just rock, cuddle, sing her back to sleep. Instead, at 6 months, when I was so totally sick of the zombie feed, I started bringing her to bed with us, (BIG MISTAKE family cuddling is kind of the best) where I could roll over, nurse, then fall back asleep. Just as I was convinced that I needed to be the one to break this habit and let Olivia start sleeping in her own bed again… we had 4 straight weeks of cough cold/ ear infection/ cutting teeth… and my plan was shot. So here we are (Oct. 31)- a typical night (for the last 2 months) for us looks like this:

8:00PM I nurse Olivia then usually rock her for 15-20 minutes, sing, say prayers, etc. until she’s pretty much konk’d out

10:30PM We usually get to sleep – It’s really nice to have that extra couple of hours alone!

1:30AM (or so…) Olivia wakes up, I nurse her in the rocking chair in her room, then rock her for 15-20 (sometimes 30 minutes) then put her down in her crib… and her little eyes POP open… like, “BUT MOM! I want to sleep with you!”

2:00AM So I usually make a second attempt to get her to go back to sleep… Another 30 minutes of rocking… and I put her down… and her eyes POP open.

2:30AM Occasionally I make a third attempt – but usually I’m frustrated and tire by this point so I usually just let her come to bed with us – where I give her a pacifier and she crashes pretty quick.

3:30AM Somebody squirms, coughs or rolls over and Olivia wakes up – so I nurse her back to sleep.

5:00AM Daniel gets up for work, Olivia starts to squirm so I give her a pacifier and pray that she’ll go back to sleep.

5:30AM Still squirming, I make another attempt to feed Olivia thinking that it might help her sleep a little longer.

5:30 – 6:30AM I endure an hour or so of kicking and squirming… which gradually escalates to hair-pulling and poking (She really likes to poke my nose and eyes and stick her pointer finger in my mouth)…

so by 6:30… I get up.. make the coffee… turn on the news, pump, etc.

So basically, I get a 3 hour (or so) stretch of sleep, then am up for an hour and a half, then get another 2 hour stretch, then an hour and a half of “half-sleep.” NOT ENOUGH SLEEP. I do feel guilty that I don’t want to share our bed anymore with our squirmy baby. HOWEVER, “Ain’t Nobody Happy if Momma Ain’t Happy Rested.”

So last night. Actually… this morning. or today. We let Olivia calm herself back to sleep – I won’t really say we let her cry it out – because I definitely didn’t follow all the rules to Ferber’s method. We had a bit of an off night,  (Olivia boycotted her afternoon nap yesterday then fell asleep at 6:30 while we were out trick-or-treating) so we extended her bedtime a bit. When she woke up at 3:30AM (actually much later than usual!) – I went in and fed her, we cuddled for 30 min or so then I put her down with a pacifier (eyes popped open), tuned her mobile on (I don’t usually do this – but figured maybe it would help her drift off to sleep) and walked out of her room. She fussed a bit (not even real crying) for about 10 minutes then I let her cry or 5 minutes before I went in to find her standing in the crib. I gently kissed her head and helped her lay back down, gave her a pacifier, rubbed her tummy a bit, turned her mobile on and again walked out. Tears definitely welled up in her eyes (mine too) as I was going through the process… and she started to cry as I walked about again. I waited 15 before going back in and repeated the processes. When I walked out this time, I set my stop watch for 30 minutes… thinking, “there’s no way I’m going to be able to endure this!” –  but she cried for less than 5 minutes.. and that was an hour and ago.

So I’ve been awake since 3:30AM. Not the desired result but I do see more sleep in my future. And a more rested Momma (and Olivia) will make for a happier family. Stay Tuned for night #2 of “Healthy Sleep Habit Building”… that’s what I’m going to call it.

UPDATE: Night 2 was much easier… Olivia, again, woke up around 3:00AM – I fed her, rocked + snuggled her for a few minutes then put her down in her crib with a pacifier + mobile on. She cried for about 20 minutes (which was much less heartbreaking on the second night since it was more of a whine than a cry). I checked on her, rubbed her back for a minute or two then left her room. She cried for 12 minutes (I’d set my stopwatch for 45 minutes this time) before falling asleep. Again – she slept much later than she would have if she was in bed with us… until around 7:15AM. Go Liv!

 

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Family P: Halloween Happenings

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I guess, I get that from my Dad. He always made sure that Halloween was extra special for us growing up. We ALWAYS carved pumpkins together as a family in the garage, usually with Jimmy Buffet or George Straight tunes playing in the background. When our carved masterpieces were complete, we’d line up our pumpkins, have a grand lighting ceremony then admire our work from the street. Even through college, my siblings and I all continued to participate in this tradition – sometimes with friends or love interests in tow. When we were little(er), on Halloween night, my Dad would set up “Jack,” the giant (actually larger than life) stuffed gorilla, in the study window and playa creepy tunes through the intercom system to spook the trick-or-treaters. My family has definitely always been big on traditions so Dan and I are having a blast creating some new ones with Olivia’s firsts.

Needless to say… October is definitely my favorite month of the year. Maybe it’s the predictably beautiful weather (both here in Dallas and in SoCal)… or Pumpkin Spice Lattes, boots + sweaters… carving pumpkins, the texas state fair… Dan’s birthday, our wedding anniversary, halloween… it’s always a pretty eventful month in our house.

This year we celebrated our 2nd Anniversary (10/10/10) with a celebratory dinner at Sissy’s Southern Kitchen – followed by a night at the Texas State Fair. Even got to see Big Tex before tragedy struck. We’ve made several trips to the arboretum, a trip to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch, and enjoyed the gorgeous October weather – granted it’s been ALL over the place this year… 80s one day, 50s the next.

This past weekend, we had a bunch of friends over (for a VERY last-minute-non-party) to carve a few pumpkins, enjoy some festive food and watch a scary movie. I don’t know how it happens, but it seems that WAY too much time goes between getting our big(ger) group of friends together. (Thank You Brian Kress for pointing that out!) It got me thinking, I always blame our anti-social tendencies on the baby &/or tight budget – but in reality it’s just plain difficult to get everyone’s schedules and availability aligned. Dan and I debated for weeks on wether or not to throw a Halloween “party.” Then, just a few days prior – feeling slightly bummed that I STILL hadn’t organized anything… We decided, What the Heck! – NOBODY CARES if our yard is a mess, or our house isn’t totally spotless clean… What really matters is just getting together with good people… catching up, sharing a meal… and having a little fun!

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Unfortunately, Daniel had to travel for work again this week and he won’t be home in time for trick-or-treating. Liv and I may make a spin around the block (Swiss Ave. is a pretty happenin’ place on Halloween) or we may call it an early night… just thankful that Halloween becomes a 2 week ordeal when you have kiddos… and we’ve already celebrated in lots of festive ways!

Ten MORE Things I love about October (And Fall in general)

1. Finally feeling legitimate about wearing sweaters + boots

2. Pumpkin Spiced Lattes + Pumpkin Bread

3. Wearing Daniel’s Flannels

4. Carving Pumpkins

5. Using the seat warmer in my car

6. Slippers, Sweatpants + Hoodies

7. Soup + Cornbread

8. Enjoying the crisp cool air outside.

9. Reminiscing while looking through our wedding “album”

10. Darker, earlier evenings… makes me feel like I’m staying up REALLY late.

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Family P: Weekend REcap

Even as a stay-at-home Momma, I look forward to the weekends. Everything just seems better when Daddy is home; Liv and I are both happier. We’re really very lucky that Daniel + I enjoy our work as much as we do. Dan is finally enjoying the type of work he’s doing – most days his job is equally fulfilling as it is challenging. I obviously LOVE staying home and can’t imagine what life would be like if I’d returned to work after Olivia was born. Still, sometimes M-F seems like an eternity in comparison to the weekend blur.

This past weekend we actually got to sleep in a little bit. And by “both” I mean… He slept in on Saturday and I got up with the baby and on Sunday we swapped. Also – by “slept-in” I mean… 8:30AM. Mostly, I’m a morning person and my little 5AM alarm clock (A tiny kicking and giggling, co-sleeper) usually   doesn’t bother me at all… HOWEVER, lately, with the pitch black mornings… I’ve not been as happy to hop out of bed that early. On Saturday we started the day with Beer Biscuits + Bacon… always a good way to kick off the weekend. Olivia took a good long nap. Momma got an uninterrupted shower! We enjoyed a late lunch with Uncle Dallas at Stackhouse Burgers (Mentioned Here) If you live in the East Dallas area, I highly recommend giving it a try. Wonderful burgers (in my opinion, much better than Twisted Root), great salads, specials and sides. Definitely our go-to neighborhood joint. We enjoy the shaded patio, friendly staff and delicious food at least 2-3x a month. (Liv enjoyed the Avocado!)

Saturday afternoon Liv and I played on the floor of Daniel’s new office while he worked for a few hours then we spent a quiet night at home.

Sunday after church we made the trek out to Flower Mound to play at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch – Definitely glad we checked it out but will probably stick to a quiet(er) day at the arboretum next year. Closer, less crowded and 100% FREE for us as pass holders.

 

As uneventful as they are, our weekends lately are pretty much perfect.

Olivia: 8 Months

Stats:

16.14 lbs

Size: “9 Months”

Nicknames: Liv, Liver Dude, Sneekle Freetzie

Loves:

Riding in the Wagon

Playing with pumpkins at the Arboretum

 Kissing “the Baby” in the Mirror

Teething Toys (and Carrots)

the Durch

wiggling fingers, toes, faces + tounges

giving kisses

being outside

Cranks:

Ear Infection

Sleeping in the crib all night

Taking antibiotics

wearing bows

Milestones:

Says “Mum Mum Mum Mum”,  “DaDaDa” and “Gee Gee Gee”

Waving Hello/Goodbye, starting to understand the signs for “All Done” and “More”

Pulling Up

2 teeth (middle bottom)… 1 top tooth just cutting through

Crawling all over the place

Dropped the crib mattress to the lowest setting

Getting in to EVERYTHING – Baby proofed Kitchen & Guest Bathroom cabinets

Baby Led Weaning

First Rangers Game

Growing up so fast…

Olivia: Bed Time, Best Time

In so many ways I really do believe that we were blessed with one of the BEST babies in the world. Olivia is generally happy, doesn’t cry or fuss much, nurses like a champ, is easily entertained, etc. HOWEVER – she still struggles with that whole sleep-through-the-night thing… Let me preface this quick rant awesome praise, by saying that I would NEVER trade her sweet temperament for 12-hour nights and that I LOVE LOVE LOVE our precious girl, even in the sleepless nights. That being said, bedtime is our favorite part of the day – maybe it’s the hope that tonight will be the night… the night that Olivia finally sleeps through the night.  I’m sure that day will come… hopefully sooner than later… until then, I’ll share the good.

Our evening routine usually starts after dinner, around 7. Olivia and I usually snuggle up in our big bed and read 3-5 books. These are our favorites:

Baby Einstein Rain-forest Discoveries – Here

Baby Touch and Feel Animals –  Here

Where’s Spot? – Here

Olivia – Here

Mommies Are for Counting Stars – Here

Book time usually lasts around 30 minutes, then Daniel takes over for bath time. I usually take advantage of the next 20 minutes or so and finish up the dishes from dinner, fold laundry, etc. Daniel LOVES giving Olivia a bath (with bubbles) – it’s kind of become their special alone time. After her bath, I spend about 15 minutes giving Olivia a little massage with our favorite baby lotion (Thanks Poppa G for introducing me to the good stuff!), brush/rub her gums, condition/brush her fuzzy head, get jammies on, etc.

Weleda Calendula Baby Lotion – Here

The Honest Company Shampoo + Body Wash – Here

California Baby Calming Bubble Bath – Here

Then we sit in the rocker and I say our prayers and sing a few songs while Olivia nurses… usually another 15-20 minutes. (She eats a TON at her last feeding of the day).

So total that up – Our bedtime routine takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Although that sounds like quite the process – I think Dan + I agree… it’s a pretty great part of the day…

UNTIL…

11:30 PM rolls around – Dan + I have been asleep about an hour (If we’re lucky!)… and Olivia lets out a few mild complaints… Rarely resulting in rolling over and going back to sleep. Usually I go in – let her nurse for a few minutes… rock her for a few more, thinking “surely this will be enough to top-her-off and she’ll definitely make it though the night”

THEN…

3:30 AM… and she wants to eat again… Except this time… we rock for a few minutes, I put her down…and her eyes POP open… “Mom! I’m not asleep yet!” so we rock a few more minutes… and I try again. Occasionally she drifts back to sleep. More often than not… after the 2nd or 3rd attempt, I’m too delirious and/or keep rocking myself to sleep, so I just throw up the white flag and let Olivia join us in bed. Immediately – she crashes. What is it about our bed? (Actually I know EXACTLY what it is about the super fancy memory foam mattress is AWESOME and pre-baby gave me some of the best nights sleep I’d ever had…)

BEEP BEEP BEEP…

5:00 AM Daniel’s alarm goes off… always enough to wake me up… luckily, Olivia sleeps through it. Daniel tip-toes around, showers + makes the coffee… Olivia squirms (still mostly asleep) and wiggles kicks for another 2 hours… I TRY to stay out of her way… and eventually get up, get a cup of coffee… read, check email, etc. only slightly irritated that she’s still sleeping… and I’m NOT.

I know we’ll get there eventually… Until then, I plan on joining my napping baby at least once a day.

Happy Siesta,

XO

Momma Meg

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