Attempt #2 went rather well. Preston woke up at 2am at which time Danielle brought him to our bed for me to nurse him. I contemplated keeping him there with us but decided that I needed to follow through with my plan so after nursing he went back to his crib. He woke again around 5am but drifted back off to sleep without any assistance. Then at 6am he woke up again so I brought him to bed knowing that the alarm would go off in 50 minutes. I'm quite proud of myself. In fact tonight doesn't seem as scary.
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Sunday, November 28, 2010
Attempt #2
Well it's 11:49pm and here I am awake in my bed. Preston is sleeping blissfully in his crib. It's cute to see him move around so much and the odd positions he ends up in. It's like he's discovered this new found freedom. I'll admit that I've already been in twice to check on him.
In my room it seems so very quiet. No soft baby breathing next to me. Just the ticking of the clock in his bedroom that I can hear on the monitor.
I can do this.
Yesterday, both Danielle and I were so Ill. I'm convinced it's from thanksgiving dinner but because Danielle's mother is the only other one to get sick, Danielle thinks it's a 24 hour bug. At any rate it was so bad that we had to call Danielle's sister to come watch the baby because neither one of us could function. Today we felt better but I'm left with a nasty cough which was another reason I gave attempt #2 a shot. I didn't want to keep him up with my coughing.
In 4 hours I can bring him to our room if needed. Some day this will be a funny distant memory.
Tomorrow is his christening. Pictures to follow.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
In my room it seems so very quiet. No soft baby breathing next to me. Just the ticking of the clock in his bedroom that I can hear on the monitor.
I can do this.
Yesterday, both Danielle and I were so Ill. I'm convinced it's from thanksgiving dinner but because Danielle's mother is the only other one to get sick, Danielle thinks it's a 24 hour bug. At any rate it was so bad that we had to call Danielle's sister to come watch the baby because neither one of us could function. Today we felt better but I'm left with a nasty cough which was another reason I gave attempt #2 a shot. I didn't want to keep him up with my coughing.
In 4 hours I can bring him to our room if needed. Some day this will be a funny distant memory.
Tomorrow is his christening. Pictures to follow.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
My Dirty Little Secret
Well it's not dirty per se, more like something I'm having a difficult time with and feel embarrassed about because my other mommy friends don't seem to have the same struggle that I do. I will preface this entire post by owning that this is my issue and not the baby's.
Preston has been sleeping in the cradle next to me for the past 7 months. I love having him close by and it's served it's purpose for breastfeeding easily during the night and being able to tend to his needs. I've never felt sleep deprived because it's been so easy to pull him in to bed with me and nurse while we are both half asleep. However, with much regret it has to come to an end and the thought of it literally makes me sick to my stomach and well up with tears.
To be completely honest, I don't want him to move out. I love having him close by. I don't want to get up at 4am and pad in to his room to nurse him. I want to remain cozied up in my warm bed with him just an arm length away. I don't want him to completely awaken because it takes me more time to realize he's crying in the next room. I don't want him to think that I've abandoned him (extreme, I know but honestly it goes through my head). I don't want to deal with sleeping with my door open because it's always freaked me out and I don't think I've ever slept with the door opened since I had control of it. I don't want to have to worry about someone breaking in to our home again and being paralyzed with fear and not being able to protect my son (yes, it was 3 years ago but it still triggers anxiety. Btw- the house is on the market). I want to know that if anything happens to him, I'm right there.
However, I know in my heart it's time to transition him (me? no him). He has a beautiful crib in his room that he's never slept a full night in. He takes naps in there and starts out each night in there until it's time for me to go to bed. However, the cradle next to my bed is only suppose to go up to 15 pounds and my son now weighs 23.7 pounds. Not only that, it's becoming a safety concern because this weekend he perfected his ability to pull to his feet. He doesn't try to stand in the cradle but he tries to sit up which could lead to him very easily tipping out of it. And lastly, my 7 month old is TALL. I noticed the other day that he's pretty much the entire length of the cradle.
So what to do, what to do? I've considered pulling him in to our queen sized bed with us but it's difficult to get a good night's sleep with him in there all night because he spreads out and Danielle and I are plastered to the edge of the bed so not to impose on his space. It's funny to think about a 7 month old taking over!!! I've also considered buying an Arms Reach bed which I could kick myself for not doing in the first place because then I wouldn't have to address this issue for a few more months. But to spend that money for a few more months doesn't make much sense. I've considered bringing his pack and play in to our room but I'm not convinced that would make for a comfortable overnight sleeping space for him. I hate putting him in it for even a short nap. So I'm going to relent and admit that it's time for him to move in to his own room.
I don't want to I tell you. I feel like kicking and screaming. I've been reading Dr. Sears book on Attachment Parenting. He 100% endorses co-sleeping. However, they talk about the possibility of cosleeping with kids until age 4. I was thinking maybe 1 with Preston (age 4 is a bit of a stretch for me). I was hoping they would talk about transitioning (maybe in hopes of validating my feelings) but what they wrote didn't feel relevant to me. I've read both in Dr. Sears book and elsewhere that a reason working full time moms enjoy co sleeping or having their baby close by at night is because it's a way for them to bond over the missed hours during the day while mom was at work and baby at daycare. I totally subscribe to that thought.
So I'm coming up with my own game plan. I ran it past Danielle, and while she said she'd support me on it, I think she thinks I'm a lunatic.
Game plan A: this week is a short work week. Starting Wednesday night I will put Preston in to his crib at his usual bedtime. Nurse and change him when it's time for me to go to bed and put him back in his crib. At 4am when he wakes up to nurse, retrieve him from his crib and bring him back to our bed as usual until the morning. Once he stops with the 4am feeding (an entire post by itself) leave him in his room until the morning.
Game plan B: starting Wednesday, put him in his crib at night. I sleep in his room on the aero bed and work my way out of his room over the following few days (weeks? j/k. maybe).
I'm wondering if this is going to be much easier than anticipated. Maybe the thought just seems more anxiety provoking than the actual action. I remember when Preston was a few months old, I couldn't bare the thought of leaving him. However, a friend, encouraged me to have a date night with Danielle for a few hours. The idea seemed so difficult but I forced myself to do it, discussing my feelings with Danielle and once we were out, we had a blast.
Dang, who knew it would be so. Honestly, if you had asked me about this when I was pregnant I would have laughed so hard. My initial plan was to have him in our room for about 3 months and then transition.
Preston has been sleeping in the cradle next to me for the past 7 months. I love having him close by and it's served it's purpose for breastfeeding easily during the night and being able to tend to his needs. I've never felt sleep deprived because it's been so easy to pull him in to bed with me and nurse while we are both half asleep. However, with much regret it has to come to an end and the thought of it literally makes me sick to my stomach and well up with tears.
To be completely honest, I don't want him to move out. I love having him close by. I don't want to get up at 4am and pad in to his room to nurse him. I want to remain cozied up in my warm bed with him just an arm length away. I don't want him to completely awaken because it takes me more time to realize he's crying in the next room. I don't want him to think that I've abandoned him (extreme, I know but honestly it goes through my head). I don't want to deal with sleeping with my door open because it's always freaked me out and I don't think I've ever slept with the door opened since I had control of it. I don't want to have to worry about someone breaking in to our home again and being paralyzed with fear and not being able to protect my son (yes, it was 3 years ago but it still triggers anxiety. Btw- the house is on the market). I want to know that if anything happens to him, I'm right there.
However, I know in my heart it's time to transition him (me? no him). He has a beautiful crib in his room that he's never slept a full night in. He takes naps in there and starts out each night in there until it's time for me to go to bed. However, the cradle next to my bed is only suppose to go up to 15 pounds and my son now weighs 23.7 pounds. Not only that, it's becoming a safety concern because this weekend he perfected his ability to pull to his feet. He doesn't try to stand in the cradle but he tries to sit up which could lead to him very easily tipping out of it. And lastly, my 7 month old is TALL. I noticed the other day that he's pretty much the entire length of the cradle.
So what to do, what to do? I've considered pulling him in to our queen sized bed with us but it's difficult to get a good night's sleep with him in there all night because he spreads out and Danielle and I are plastered to the edge of the bed so not to impose on his space. It's funny to think about a 7 month old taking over!!! I've also considered buying an Arms Reach bed which I could kick myself for not doing in the first place because then I wouldn't have to address this issue for a few more months. But to spend that money for a few more months doesn't make much sense. I've considered bringing his pack and play in to our room but I'm not convinced that would make for a comfortable overnight sleeping space for him. I hate putting him in it for even a short nap. So I'm going to relent and admit that it's time for him to move in to his own room.
I don't want to I tell you. I feel like kicking and screaming. I've been reading Dr. Sears book on Attachment Parenting. He 100% endorses co-sleeping. However, they talk about the possibility of cosleeping with kids until age 4. I was thinking maybe 1 with Preston (age 4 is a bit of a stretch for me). I was hoping they would talk about transitioning (maybe in hopes of validating my feelings) but what they wrote didn't feel relevant to me. I've read both in Dr. Sears book and elsewhere that a reason working full time moms enjoy co sleeping or having their baby close by at night is because it's a way for them to bond over the missed hours during the day while mom was at work and baby at daycare. I totally subscribe to that thought.
So I'm coming up with my own game plan. I ran it past Danielle, and while she said she'd support me on it, I think she thinks I'm a lunatic.
Game plan A: this week is a short work week. Starting Wednesday night I will put Preston in to his crib at his usual bedtime. Nurse and change him when it's time for me to go to bed and put him back in his crib. At 4am when he wakes up to nurse, retrieve him from his crib and bring him back to our bed as usual until the morning. Once he stops with the 4am feeding (an entire post by itself) leave him in his room until the morning.
Game plan B: starting Wednesday, put him in his crib at night. I sleep in his room on the aero bed and work my way out of his room over the following few days (weeks? j/k. maybe).
I'm wondering if this is going to be much easier than anticipated. Maybe the thought just seems more anxiety provoking than the actual action. I remember when Preston was a few months old, I couldn't bare the thought of leaving him. However, a friend, encouraged me to have a date night with Danielle for a few hours. The idea seemed so difficult but I forced myself to do it, discussing my feelings with Danielle and once we were out, we had a blast.
Dang, who knew it would be so. Honestly, if you had asked me about this when I was pregnant I would have laughed so hard. My initial plan was to have him in our room for about 3 months and then transition.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Playdate
Weekends are now my favorite part of the week. Yes, there are obvious reasons like no work. But in our house, it's Family Time. We usually have something fun planned out in the community and then on some days, nothing but reading, playing, and cuddling at home.
Yesterday, Preston "hosted" his first play date with some of his friends at My Little Outback. It's an indoor space that caters to children ages 6 months to 6 years old. They have a sectioned off space for babies which is awesome. Our group kind of took over the space and the boys really dominated with soon to be 8 month old twin boys, Pleasantlyfurious and her 6 month old son Leo, Preston, my friend Shirley and her 18 month old son Harry, my new friend Sheena and her 11 month old son, and finally we had my friend and her 10 month old daughter. I won't post pics of all of the children because I didn't obtain permission, but here are a few of Preston, Leo and Harry.
Homemade Baby Food Pitch
I'm not one to usually impose my practices on others. However, if you are considering making your own baby food, give it a try. When people find out that I make Preston's food, it's usually followed by a look. If I told people I made my 2 or 5 year old's meal, they wouldn't bat an eye so what's the big hold up that I make my 7 month old son's food? Why is it viewed better that I buy him jarred food vs making my own when it isn't a hardship? I think people feel it's an elitist thing to do in the sense that you feel jarred food isn't good enough or you're striving to be a super mom. However, there are so many perks to making your own food. For one- it's incredibly cheap. I'm not sure of the going rate of jarred food but lets say it's 2 for $1 and you are feeding your baby 3 times a day, that's $1.50 if you're just using one jar per meal. While $1.50 isn't a lot of money, check this out... this week, sweet potatoes, which is one of my son's favorite meals, are on sale for 2 pounds for $1.00. Let's just say you get 5 sweet potatoes in those two pounds. Once you put them in the oven and put them in the food processor and in ice-cube trays, you have 24-36 cubes of food if not more. Each cube is about 1 ounce. Preston only eats one cube but even if your child eats two, you still have 12-18 meals for less than 9 cents a meal. Consider then when you buy a bunch of banana's for 60 cents, a bunch of spinach for $2.00, a bag of carrots for $.99, a butternut squash for $2.50, several apples for $2.50, and or mangos for $1.50 (my son loves mangos), if these are fruits and veggies you are already buying for your family, why not buy an extra one and get several meals for your child?
Another perk of making your own food is that you know and control what's going in it.
I'm working really hard on going partially organic in our home. It's difficult at times because I have to hike it to Whole Foods to shop easily for fresh produce vs figuring it out at my local grocery store who doesn't carry many options due to low demand. However, even if you don't go organic, making your own baby food is still a great alternative, it's fun and it's rewarding. I love the look on my son's face when I see him enjoying the fruit of my labor.
Lately, we've been working on combinations. Last week I made berry and apples. He absolutely loved them. I also mixed Spinach and apples. Cooked apples with a pinch of cinnamon smells heavenily and Preston gobbles it up. They also freeze really well in the ice cube trays along with the other produce I've mentioned (with the exception of bananas). I tried to introduce ground chicken and he's lukewarm about it so I'm thinking about combining it with butternut squash.
In two weeks we are going to Florida to have an early Christmas with my parents. I'm really excited for the new foods he'll try there. My parents grow a lot of fruits and vegetables so it will be neat to have truly organic produce. I love visiting my parents because they make all of my favorite foods and it will be nice to share one of them in particular with Preston. There's a hot cereal Jamaicans make called cornmeal porridge. It's one of my favorite things to eat. I think this visit will be an educational one for me because I want to learn how to make certain things so I can make them for him.
Oh and just one more thing... yesterday we traveled with homemade baby food to our play date and it was incredibly easy. I just carried it in the little diaper bag cooler with a spoon and it was great. I have one of these and a batch of these.
Another perk of making your own food is that you know and control what's going in it.
I'm working really hard on going partially organic in our home. It's difficult at times because I have to hike it to Whole Foods to shop easily for fresh produce vs figuring it out at my local grocery store who doesn't carry many options due to low demand. However, even if you don't go organic, making your own baby food is still a great alternative, it's fun and it's rewarding. I love the look on my son's face when I see him enjoying the fruit of my labor.
Lately, we've been working on combinations. Last week I made berry and apples. He absolutely loved them. I also mixed Spinach and apples. Cooked apples with a pinch of cinnamon smells heavenily and Preston gobbles it up. They also freeze really well in the ice cube trays along with the other produce I've mentioned (with the exception of bananas). I tried to introduce ground chicken and he's lukewarm about it so I'm thinking about combining it with butternut squash.
In two weeks we are going to Florida to have an early Christmas with my parents. I'm really excited for the new foods he'll try there. My parents grow a lot of fruits and vegetables so it will be neat to have truly organic produce. I love visiting my parents because they make all of my favorite foods and it will be nice to share one of them in particular with Preston. There's a hot cereal Jamaicans make called cornmeal porridge. It's one of my favorite things to eat. I think this visit will be an educational one for me because I want to learn how to make certain things so I can make them for him.
Oh and just one more thing... yesterday we traveled with homemade baby food to our play date and it was incredibly easy. I just carried it in the little diaper bag cooler with a spoon and it was great. I have one of these and a batch of these.
I Love....
I love:
- being a mom
- breastfeeding my son
- taking care of him
- reading to him
- watching him work on his new skills
- his beautiful eyes and wide mouth smile
- making his baby food
- watching him take in new surroundings. He just quietly sits for 5-10 minutes looking around
- seeing him try new foods. He makes a funny face and then opens up for more and more
- hearing him squeal
- his wet attempts to give kisses.
- the way he manages to scoot super close in bed so that you can feel his breath on you
- the way his face lights up when he sees me enter the room
- the way my heart feels when I see him
I absolutely love being a mom.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Crawling
Preston started to crawl last two Wednesdays ago. At lunch he was scooting and then 4 hours later when it was time to pick him up, he was crawling. I wanted to upload a video but it won't load (maybe it's too big).
Now that he can crawl he likes to exert his independence and will let you know if you are getting in the way of that. For example, in the morning, he generally hangs out in his room playing while we finish up and get bags together, etc. Well playing is not good enough these days, because he crawls to the baby gate, holds on to the bars, and whines for you come get him.
He is working on speed and in the meantime it seems to frustrate him when he can't get to me fast enough. It so cute and pitiful to watch.
In other news, Preston's come down with his first ear infection. Mommy guilt experience #26 occurred around this. About two weeks ago, I noticed that his left ear was kind of crusty. I wondered if milk had somehow dribbled down his chin while nursing and caused it. A few days later he felt warm but I gave him a bit of Tylenol and just kept an eye on him. His temp went down and he continued to be his bright, bubbly, happy self. Well the other day I noticed his ear again but this time there was a crapload of goo coming out of it. I read up in my baby book and concluded that it was a ruptured eardrum from an untreated ear infection. We went to the doctor the following morning who confirmed that this was the case and prescribed ear drops and antibiotics. The poor little lovie. I feel bad for not catching this earlier but the rational side of me knows that I did what I could when it was apparent.
Now that he can crawl he likes to exert his independence and will let you know if you are getting in the way of that. For example, in the morning, he generally hangs out in his room playing while we finish up and get bags together, etc. Well playing is not good enough these days, because he crawls to the baby gate, holds on to the bars, and whines for you come get him.
He is working on speed and in the meantime it seems to frustrate him when he can't get to me fast enough. It so cute and pitiful to watch.
In other news, Preston's come down with his first ear infection. Mommy guilt experience #26 occurred around this. About two weeks ago, I noticed that his left ear was kind of crusty. I wondered if milk had somehow dribbled down his chin while nursing and caused it. A few days later he felt warm but I gave him a bit of Tylenol and just kept an eye on him. His temp went down and he continued to be his bright, bubbly, happy self. Well the other day I noticed his ear again but this time there was a crapload of goo coming out of it. I read up in my baby book and concluded that it was a ruptured eardrum from an untreated ear infection. We went to the doctor the following morning who confirmed that this was the case and prescribed ear drops and antibiotics. The poor little lovie. I feel bad for not catching this earlier but the rational side of me knows that I did what I could when it was apparent.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Art project
Here's a picture of Preston's first art project done at daycare. It's titled "pumpkins"...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, November 1, 2010
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