Showing posts with label Sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sleep. Show all posts

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Jumping Beans Babies

I'm having a bit of blogger's block and quite frankly I'm just to tired these days to be creative in the evening. Cause really, who needs to sleep through the night? Not me, huh! If your baby sleeps through the night than I'm not sure we can be friends.

Well, maybe...

Speaking of sleep, Samuel gave up naps about 2 weeks ago and my life has never been the same. I have what "they" call a sensory seeking child. Curious - is an under statement. Busy - sort of describes him. Bright - I'll take that one. Impulsive - for sure. A natural born scientist as his doctor would say. I say he's a little bit mommy and a little bit daddy. If you know us, your nodding your head right now. Anyway, the little guy keeps me on my toes ALL day long.

Oh and this same little guy admonished me in the car yesterday for not stopping at a stop sign (it wasn't actually for me) and proceeded to tell me that I was NOT obeying the rules and the police man would NOT be happy.

Gabrielle decided to take an advanced course in mobility. She is already cruising and every once in awhile I catch her letting go to see if she can stand. She's into everything now and especially her brothers stuff. That is not going over so well. Enter the referee - that's me!

Needless to say, my daytime blogging window is now nonexistent!

ANYWAY...
To kill some time and burn some energy we started doing this...



If Gabrielle could talk, I think she would say, "Look mom, no hands!!!"

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Randomness

Gabrielle's ear infection is totally gone and she has remained snot free for over a week now. This is oh so glorious my friends!!! So, so Glorious!!! Unfortunately for the little chap, she is now being held responsible for doing what your average 8 month old should do and that is SLEEP!!! Yes, we have been back to sleep training. She's got her day sleep down pat but we are learning a thing or two about sleeping at night. My sweet baby girl has spent the past 3 nights in her crib (right next to my bed of course). There have been some tears but I am too tired to get all hormonal about it all.

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Who says girl's don't like cars?

Hot wheels are all the rage to this one!

(and don't freak out, all y'all that are worried about her choking - I was right there!)
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During a play date:

Me: "Samuel, please take your hands out of your pants."
Samuel: No response
Me: "Samuel please take your hands out of your pants."
(as if asking politely will somehow convince him to do what I am asking)
Samuel: No response
Me: "Samuel Owen, you need to take your hands out of your pants!!!"
Samuel: (looking at me very seriously) "Mommy! I'm fixing IT!!!!"
Me: Oh...OK, sorry about that. (as I run for the sanitizer)

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Speaking of sanitizer...


When your child mashes bright yellow silly putty into your brand spankin' new slip cover (which happened to be the 5th or 6th one you tried since you just couldn't find the right one); and you just got up from a lousy night of sleep; and your just not fit for human interaction - HAVE NO FEAR, HAND SANITIZER IS HERE!! Yes, that's right my friends. You can turn that frown upside down because hand sanitizer basically melts that silly putty right off your fabric without leaving a stain. Now silly putty can be silly again!


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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Sleeping like a baby!

I've always hated the phrase "sleeping like a baby."

Why? Because my babies don't sleep! Nor do my 3 year olds!

Tim and I even sleep in separate rooms right now. Samuel is his responsibility at night and Gabrielle is mine. That way we are only woken by one child. This is our temporary solution. It keeps us sane for now. But I do miss my husband.

In my blogging absence, we've been sleep training my little petunia. We are only working on naps right now. It was high time she learn how to fall asleep and STAY asleep without my assistance. It's been hard. There has been crying - both hers and mine. It needed to happen so we can have some structure to our day, but I must admit I miss nursing my little baby to sweet slumber.

Anyway, today was the big payoff. It took about 21 naps total, but my little girl finally slept a full 2 1/2 hour nap today without any assistance! AND she did it while Samuel was napping. WOW!! That was the best few alone hours I've had in awhile.

In a few weeks we'll tackle night sleep. Daddy would like his spot back in the bed. But at least I get to snuggle with her just a little bit longer.


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Saturday, August 30, 2008

My Dream Come True!!!


Remember the ugly day I just blogged about. Well, this is what Gabrielle did for the FIRST time while chilling out in her bouncer over dinner that evening! There is a God!!!

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Sweet Sleep!!!

So, the hold me all day long thing is sweet but getting old. Samuel is wondering if Gabrielle has become permanently attached to my body. He is now spending 2 mornings a week at Katie Care thanks to my generous mother. Gabrielle's reflux is somewhat better but not completely.

So today we are starting some sleep training. Wish me luck!!!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Sleep Solutions Anyone???

Samuel has never slept well! And he's always slept less hours at night than your average child but takes a good nap in the afternoon. He's the kind of kid whose mind is on auto pilot and he's always ready to go the second his eyes open. He has never been the type to just pass out from exhaustion. Never! The past month has brought some really difficult sleep problems our way and I'm looking for suggestions. Tim and I are going crazy and with the baby about to arrive we are fearing the worst.

Samuel must be going through some serious separation anxiety and responding to me being very pregnant and not quite the energetic Mommy I once was. All of a sudden, he refuses to go to bed, begging me to sing to him, stay with him, etc. He always went to bed without a problem. So, I've been sitting in a chair in his room as a compromise but it still takes him forever and a day to settle down and actually fall asleep. I rarely get him to fall asleep before 9pm, no matter what time we start his bedtime routine. Which by the way has not changed one bit.

He is also night waking several times a night and must come sleep next to me on the couch (my new bed). Tim and I have been sticklers about not letting Samuel sleep with us. No-one really sleeps anyway when 3 of us are in bed. So, I let him cuddle for 5-10 minutes, get a Mommy fix and then Tim takes him back to bed. Sometimes he falls right back to sleep but often it takes quite a bit of soothing. And then ever other week it seems like we have a really bad night and Samuel is up for 2-3 hours.

Samuel is also up at the crack of dawn - 6 am on the dot! This is actually an improvement from the 5 o' clock hour we were plagued with for so long. We wound up putting an alarm clock in his bedroom and telling him he couldn't get out of bed until 6am. It worked for awhile, but lately he comes out to snuggle with me no matter what time it is.

Needless to say, Samuel takes long naps about 2-2.5 hours each day.

It's really hard on a us to have him in bed so late and up so early. We feel like we never have any down time without him around. Marriages need that if ya know what I mean. Anyway, just wondering if anyone out there might have some suggestions???

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

It was a long night!

Samuel woke up around 2:30am and I'm pretty sure he never really went back to bed.... Nothing wrong, just a toddler with a creative mind racing and a body ready to go. I think he came into our room 6 times. I went to bed at 11pm, woke to pee at 2am and I'm pretty sure I never went back to bed until 6am when Tim let me sleep for a few hours. Poor Tim - no sleep for him.

Monday, January 14, 2008

The Quest for a Good Night's Sleep

For those of you who've been pregnant, you are well aware of the increasing bundles of pillows that wind up in your bed in an attempt to sleep comfortably. You've got a body pillow for in between your knees and tummy support, a pillow for your head and of course a pillow for your back so that you don't do the unmentionable - sleep on your back !! Then when you need to switch to the other side or get up to pee (1,2,3 or 4 times a night) you've got to readjust all those pillows. Ugh...

I am a belly or back sleeper and sleeping on my side is a major adjustment. Unfortunately it makes my hips hurt and gives me a back ache. It seems like this dreaded back ache is starting a lot sooner with this baby than with Samuel. Have I mentioned that sleep is the number one predictor of my attitude the next day?

So, I did some research into maternity pillows. I'm wondering if it's worth the investment for a better sleep. Has anyone ever used one and do you have any suggestions? These are the few that I liked.

The Leachco Body Pillow - $75
Only problem with this one is you can't just flip over.

The Serenity Star Pillow - $129
Of course I like this one the best b/c it comes apart (for use later on) and it's down which molds to my neck. The last thing I need is a stiff neck in the morning. Plus you can turn over without adjusting pillows BUT...It's quite expensive!

Today's Mom Cozy Comfort Pillow - $50
I like this one too b/c you can just turn over without having to adjust the pillow. Looks comfy to me but will it be to stiff?
Back N Belly Contoured Pillow - $54
Price is right, BUT...Looks like it's really big - not sure if it will fit in my queen size bed comfortably. Plus the neck looks like it might be uncomfortable?

Friday, December 7, 2007

Big Boy Bed!


Thank you all for your input. We finally made the transition to a bed the night before last and Samuel is loving his new bed! We decided on the toddler bed. We just didn't have the funds to buy a twin mattress at this point in time, plus Samuel's room is exceptionally small. So, toddler bed it is and he's loving it. Tim gave Samuel a screwdriver and he helped his Daddy put that bed together. There were a few tears when we were breaking down the crib but it was short lived. Samuel found his bedtime buddies, "blankie" and "ducky", and climbed into his new bed. He laid down and pretended to snore. Then sat up and smiled. Somehow I knew this was a good move.


The first night it took over an hour to get to sleep. He woke once in the middle of the night and came into our room. Last night he fell asleep without a problem, but was in our room again at about midnight. He just needed a little comforting and he went right back to sleep in his bed.


I've been peeking in on him more often than usual. There's just something about seeing my "baby" sleeping in a bed. He's growing into a big boy slowly but surely and I'm privileged to help him along that journey. Sweet dreams Samuel Owen!

Friday, November 30, 2007

Crib Climbing - HELP!

If you've been through the toddler years with your children then I need your help!!! Samuel figured how to climb out of his crib several months ago but only did it once and that was it. He is now 2 1/2 years old and he has decided that climbing out of the crib on a regular basis is a fun thing to do or at least a good way to start training for the Olympics early. Tim and I discussed the possibility of getting a crib tent but it seemed silly to spend $70 on such a device when we'll probably be buying a bed for him really soon. Plus, I just don't think he'll tolerate the tent at this stage of life. It would probably be a distraction. So with that said, a few days ago we lowered the crib rail and put the ottoman next to the crib so he could get in and out safely. He loves it and thinks it's great that he can get in and out of his bed on his own. He's at that stage where he wants to do everything himself and let's us know that he is NOT appreciative of our assistance. Anyway, nap time has been fine - no getting out of bed. He's usually so tired that he goes right to sleep after a bit of singing and cuddling. Bedtime however is the problem. He seems to understand just fine that he is supposed to stay in bed and he obeys us. The problem is that he climbs on his pillow and tries to reach over the taller part of the crib to reach his dresser which is just a few feet away. He wants to get to his lamp and humidifier to turn them on and off on his own. Well, the other night he actually fell over the tall part of the crib because he was reaching so far to get to his dresser - he must of went right over head first. It's a miracle that he did not injure himself. So today I moved his dresser to the other side of the room thinking this would solve the problem. But no, again at bedtime Tim caught him scaling the tall part of the crib and for what reason I'm not sure. So, it seems to me that the inevitable must happen sooner than I hoped. I think it is time for a big boy bed. My question to you is weather to go with a twin mattress on the floor with a side rail or a toddler bed??? Samuel loves his crib. He loves the coziness of having his bumper and often snuggles right up against it. He also sleeps in a million positions. Not to mention his room is tiny. I like the idea of a toddler bed b/c it seems a bit cozier than a regular mattress and it's still the same size as his crib. But I'm not sure if that's just a waste of money. Any opinions??? Has anyone had this problem??? Any suggestions are welcome. We have to do something ASAP for safety reasons plus we are going away in less than 2 weeks and we need to know he's comfortable with his sleeping arrangement. Thanks. By the way I am writing this post at midnight so excuse the typos and poor grammar.