We are now officially sleeping through the night. I'm calling it. Although Amber did cry a few times last night and Tyler still comes into our bed sometime in the middle of the night, we are, for the most part, getting a full nights sleep. It really feels good. I'm even able to stay up a little after everyone goes to bed to get a few things done. I'm feeling a little more motivated at night and I'm feeling like I need to start washing my hair more often than just 3-4 times a week. Wow.
Now that Amber is sleeping well at night, we need to work on Tyler so that he sleeps all night in his own bed. He's not feeling really well right now, so I have a hard time turning him away, but when he starts feeling well, we're going to have to take him back to his room when he comes in.
Cory is still our great sleeper. I know he doesn't always go to sleep right away, but he lays quietly in his bed. I hope that we can use him as an example for Tyler. Not sure how that will work, I don't want to compare them, but maybe a way to motivate him to sleep all night. We'll see.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Great Weekend
I'm having trouble finding the time to post right now. I'm also having trouble thinking about what to write. There is so much going on for us right now. Working through the personal and closer relationship with my parents as they continue to provide care for the boys 3 days a week, getting through the city process so that we can start building our house and working full time. Also the pressure to try to write about something interesting. Although I know that I'll love coming back to read these pages years from now when the house is done, the kids are moving away and my parents are needing more care from us.
We did have a wonderful weekend. The boys are growing so fast and are starting to communicate with each other. Instead of just talking to us and including the other, they are actually asking each other questions and playing together. I had no idea it would take 2 1/2 years to get here. I got the video camera out a lot over the weekend and did get to catch some of the fun conversations. What a kick.
Amber continues to exert her presence on us as well. She is crawling all over the place and pulling things out of the cupboards. I wonder if the boys have communicated that to her in their own way...
I will try to post more often. I haven't forgotten about you, my blog, but I'm having trouble fitting you in. I will be back again soon. Maybe today or maybe tomorrow.
We did have a wonderful weekend. The boys are growing so fast and are starting to communicate with each other. Instead of just talking to us and including the other, they are actually asking each other questions and playing together. I had no idea it would take 2 1/2 years to get here. I got the video camera out a lot over the weekend and did get to catch some of the fun conversations. What a kick.
Amber continues to exert her presence on us as well. She is crawling all over the place and pulling things out of the cupboards. I wonder if the boys have communicated that to her in their own way...
I will try to post more often. I haven't forgotten about you, my blog, but I'm having trouble fitting you in. I will be back again soon. Maybe today or maybe tomorrow.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Crawling
Amber has been scooting across the floor on her belly for several weeks now. I realize how dirty our wood floors continually are! I guess I can at least blame the boys...
Every day she would get up on all four, rock a bit, then plop down and scoot. She wiggles her legs and feet and looks like a fish out of water. Both Cory and Tyler scooted before they crawled too. Tyler started crawling pretty quickly, but Cory had the army crawl down so well, he could zip across the floor almost as quickly as Tyler. I think he finally saw that crawling was more advantageous and got up to crawl.
Today Amber took about 10-15 crawling steps across the floor to come see me. I have such mixed feelings about these huge milestones. I love watching them grow and I can't wait until she says, "I love you Mommy". But she's our last baby and it makes me sad to see her growing up so fast.
Every day she would get up on all four, rock a bit, then plop down and scoot. She wiggles her legs and feet and looks like a fish out of water. Both Cory and Tyler scooted before they crawled too. Tyler started crawling pretty quickly, but Cory had the army crawl down so well, he could zip across the floor almost as quickly as Tyler. I think he finally saw that crawling was more advantageous and got up to crawl.
Today Amber took about 10-15 crawling steps across the floor to come see me. I have such mixed feelings about these huge milestones. I love watching them grow and I can't wait until she says, "I love you Mommy". But she's our last baby and it makes me sad to see her growing up so fast.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Thoughts on Breastfeeding
This post by one of my favorite bloggers got me thinking about this subject and I just want to write about my thoughts and experiences. I bounce between feeling incredibly guilty and then justifying my decision about doing what I needed to do.
Here's my story. I breastfed the boys until they were 6 months old. I think that was a pretty darn good achievement. They were big boys and ate a LOT. When they turned 6 months, I went back to work, they got hungrier and I just couldn't keep up. Plus, the pumping at work thing just wasn't working either. I did it for awhile, but after I realized I wasn't producing enough milk for them, I made the choice to go to formula.
My hope was to do the same for Amber, 6 months and then move to formula. I knew that I was going back to work after 4 months, but was committed to give it another try. I had finally purchased the industrial breast pump after the boys were about 4 months old.
When Amber was 7 weeks old, she came down with a nasty virus. She didn't eat for an entire day, we ended up in the emergency room and an overnight stay in the hospital. The Dr. thought it could be pyloric stenosis (that's another post...), but good thing it JUST ended up being a virus. Anyway, I pumped in the hospital, but my milk supply had already suffered and was being stubborn about coming back. I did get enough I think for her to be satisfied with, but I never really totally recovered.
In addition to that blip, Amber was sleeping most of the night. I was home on maternity leave with the 3 of them by myself and was exhausted most days. I just couldn't fathom setting my alarm to get up in the night to pump. I also couldn't get the time to pump during the day. So, after Amber was about 3 months, I gave up on the breastfeeding altogether.
Like I mentioned, I do have some regrets. I wish I would have put forth more effort, especially when I read comments like this...
"The benefits of breastfeeding last a lifetime. This is scientific fact. Children who are breastfed tend to be slimmer, smarter, and healthier as a group. Are there exceptions? Yes. Can formula-fed children be healthy, thin, smart, and happy? Of course. Should women be made to feel guilty for not breastfeeding? Most definitely not.
But, please, ladies, don't pretend the benefits of breastfeeding are fleeting as that's an insult to science and the millions of women worldwide who go to the trouble of breastfeeding."
So I am trying not to beat myself up and trying to tell myself that Amber is going to be happy and healthy despite my failure to breastfeed for longer than 3 months. I hope the 3 months gave her enough of a boost that she still gets a benefit from it.
Only time will tell, I guess.
Here's my story. I breastfed the boys until they were 6 months old. I think that was a pretty darn good achievement. They were big boys and ate a LOT. When they turned 6 months, I went back to work, they got hungrier and I just couldn't keep up. Plus, the pumping at work thing just wasn't working either. I did it for awhile, but after I realized I wasn't producing enough milk for them, I made the choice to go to formula.
My hope was to do the same for Amber, 6 months and then move to formula. I knew that I was going back to work after 4 months, but was committed to give it another try. I had finally purchased the industrial breast pump after the boys were about 4 months old.
When Amber was 7 weeks old, she came down with a nasty virus. She didn't eat for an entire day, we ended up in the emergency room and an overnight stay in the hospital. The Dr. thought it could be pyloric stenosis (that's another post...), but good thing it JUST ended up being a virus. Anyway, I pumped in the hospital, but my milk supply had already suffered and was being stubborn about coming back. I did get enough I think for her to be satisfied with, but I never really totally recovered.
In addition to that blip, Amber was sleeping most of the night. I was home on maternity leave with the 3 of them by myself and was exhausted most days. I just couldn't fathom setting my alarm to get up in the night to pump. I also couldn't get the time to pump during the day. So, after Amber was about 3 months, I gave up on the breastfeeding altogether.
Like I mentioned, I do have some regrets. I wish I would have put forth more effort, especially when I read comments like this...
"The benefits of breastfeeding last a lifetime. This is scientific fact. Children who are breastfed tend to be slimmer, smarter, and healthier as a group. Are there exceptions? Yes. Can formula-fed children be healthy, thin, smart, and happy? Of course. Should women be made to feel guilty for not breastfeeding? Most definitely not.
But, please, ladies, don't pretend the benefits of breastfeeding are fleeting as that's an insult to science and the millions of women worldwide who go to the trouble of breastfeeding."
So I am trying not to beat myself up and trying to tell myself that Amber is going to be happy and healthy despite my failure to breastfeed for longer than 3 months. I hope the 3 months gave her enough of a boost that she still gets a benefit from it.
Only time will tell, I guess.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Getting There
At Amber's 9 month appointment, the Dr. asked if she was sleeping through the night. She's not. She does sometimes, I know she can, but mostly she wakes up anywhere from midnight to 3AM for a tasty bottle in the middle of the night. I've posted about this before. It's frustrating because she's only gotten up once since the day she was born. She started out as a really easy baby, only wanting a feeding once at night from day one.
When I explained to the Dr. that the reason I'm still getting up when I was able to let the boys cry it out by the time they were 9 months old, is that the truth is I don't want her to wake up Tyler. Spending 15 minutes in the middle of the night to cuddle and feed her and put her right back down is no big deal. Dealing with a full on toddler tantrum in the middle of the night is an entirely different story. So, I've been getting up and quietly hoping that she'll eventually grow out of it. But she's not.
The Dr. thought that she's probably now just using me, or the bottle, as a pacifier to go back to sleep. She certainly doesn't need it from a nutrition standpoint. (Which is another post, she's already eating table food...). I digress. The Dr. suggested that I slowly decrease the amount of formula that I offer her in the middle of the night. If I'm giving her 6 oz., then the next few nights go to 4, then 2, then 1 oz. of water, etc. I thought that was a very reasonable thing to try and something that I can certainly do.
So a few nights ago, I decreased the amount of formula to 4 oz. She was angry when she drained it. She cried, grabbed the bottle, tried to get more out of it, threw it, then I laid her down and she put her thumb in her mouth and went right to sleep. Good. :-) About 4 days of that, then I decreased her amount down to 2 oz. on Saturday night. Again, she was really mad at me, but when I laid her down, she went right back to sleep. Last night she peeped a little bit, but went back to sleep. I didn't have to go in at all.
I know this won't be the last, she'll probably wake up in the middle of the night again, but I feel like this approach is working for us. If she wakes up again tonight, I'll give her the reduced 2 oz. again. I'll do that for a few more nights, then go to water.
A friend of mine said that when she gave her baby water in the middle of the night, she never woke up again.
After we get Amber straightened out, we'll have to work on Tyler. He's getting up anywhere between midnight and 4AM to come sleep the rest of the night in our bed. I don't have the energy to focus on both in the middle of the night, but once Amber is sleeping, Tyler will have to sleep all night in his own bed.
When I explained to the Dr. that the reason I'm still getting up when I was able to let the boys cry it out by the time they were 9 months old, is that the truth is I don't want her to wake up Tyler. Spending 15 minutes in the middle of the night to cuddle and feed her and put her right back down is no big deal. Dealing with a full on toddler tantrum in the middle of the night is an entirely different story. So, I've been getting up and quietly hoping that she'll eventually grow out of it. But she's not.
The Dr. thought that she's probably now just using me, or the bottle, as a pacifier to go back to sleep. She certainly doesn't need it from a nutrition standpoint. (Which is another post, she's already eating table food...). I digress. The Dr. suggested that I slowly decrease the amount of formula that I offer her in the middle of the night. If I'm giving her 6 oz., then the next few nights go to 4, then 2, then 1 oz. of water, etc. I thought that was a very reasonable thing to try and something that I can certainly do.
So a few nights ago, I decreased the amount of formula to 4 oz. She was angry when she drained it. She cried, grabbed the bottle, tried to get more out of it, threw it, then I laid her down and she put her thumb in her mouth and went right to sleep. Good. :-) About 4 days of that, then I decreased her amount down to 2 oz. on Saturday night. Again, she was really mad at me, but when I laid her down, she went right back to sleep. Last night she peeped a little bit, but went back to sleep. I didn't have to go in at all.
I know this won't be the last, she'll probably wake up in the middle of the night again, but I feel like this approach is working for us. If she wakes up again tonight, I'll give her the reduced 2 oz. again. I'll do that for a few more nights, then go to water.
A friend of mine said that when she gave her baby water in the middle of the night, she never woke up again.
After we get Amber straightened out, we'll have to work on Tyler. He's getting up anywhere between midnight and 4AM to come sleep the rest of the night in our bed. I don't have the energy to focus on both in the middle of the night, but once Amber is sleeping, Tyler will have to sleep all night in his own bed.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
9 Months
Amber had her nine month appointment this week. Again, she's still tracking right in between both Cory and Tyler at their 9 month appointment.
Amber
Height: 28 3/4" (85%)
Weight: 21 lbs. 11oz. (90%)
Head: 18 1/4": (96%)
Cory (9 month appointment on: 7/27/06)
Height: 28" (40%)
Weight: 21 lbs. 1oz. (55%)
Head: 18 1/2": (85%)
Tyler (9 month appointment on: 7/27/06)
Height: 30 1/4" (97%)
Weight: 22 lbs. 14oz. (75%)
Head: 19": (>97%)
Amber
Height: 28 3/4" (85%)
Weight: 21 lbs. 11oz. (90%)
Head: 18 1/4": (96%)
Cory (9 month appointment on: 7/27/06)
Height: 28" (40%)
Weight: 21 lbs. 1oz. (55%)
Head: 18 1/2": (85%)
Tyler (9 month appointment on: 7/27/06)
Height: 30 1/4" (97%)
Weight: 22 lbs. 14oz. (75%)
Head: 19": (>97%)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Sudoku
This is a quick post because I don't have a lot of time right now, but I wanted to get some thoughts out since it has been so long!
The boys like to play Sudoku at night as part of their nightly ritual. They will pick a page, "This is a good puzzle." And then start to fill in the squares. Cory likes to scribble over the whole puzzle and Tyler likes to make little circles in each one of the squares. If they see a finished puzzle where I've had to make some changes by scratching out a wrong number, they'll ask "What happened, Mommy?"
I think we need to call Mensa or something.
The boys like to play Sudoku at night as part of their nightly ritual. They will pick a page, "This is a good puzzle." And then start to fill in the squares. Cory likes to scribble over the whole puzzle and Tyler likes to make little circles in each one of the squares. If they see a finished puzzle where I've had to make some changes by scratching out a wrong number, they'll ask "What happened, Mommy?"
I think we need to call Mensa or something.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
