Eeek! Toady while Jason (luckily) was changing a diaper, the cabinet that we have over the changing pad that holds the diapers PULLED AWAY FROM THE WALL AND FELL. Jason caught the side that was over Leroy. I stared at this happening and was totally frozen for a few moments afterward. That really could have gone really badly. I'd like to think that if I had been changing the diaper I would have reacted and caught the thing too-superhuman mom strength and whatnot, but I just have to say that I'm glad that it wasn't me having to do it. I don't know what I would have done. I was a little freaked out after that happened. And Leroy didn't notice a thing, he continued happily smiling and sucking on his toes throughout...didnt even flinch.
Needless to say, this cabinet has NOT been re-hung and will not be going up back on the wall.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
More Sleep
So, after the newborn stage...it got easy...then way more tricky. At first it was fine. Leroy started waking up only once a night by the time he was 2 months old (he would sleep from 7-about 2 or 3, then sleep until 7 or 8) which was GREAT after getting up multiple times a night for a couple months (I know, quit whining, right? I agree). I swear the difference between getting up twice a night and only once a night to feed him was life-changing and awesome. I was definitely continuing the process of keeping the lights out and no talking or eye contact with Leroy at night, and he was amazingly pretty much going right back to sleep after he was done with his bottle all the time. We were still swaddling at this point (yay swaddle!). For a minute around 3 months I think I decided I wanted to transition him out of the swaddle, but it seemed like he wasn't sleeping the long stretches he was before, so I went back to it was was loving it again. I think I finally stopped at about 4 1/2 months when he was really just too strong for the velcro swaddle blankets and he would pop out of it right away.
I will say that for a little while we were using his baby swing a LOT. When he was first born he slept in it all the time. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but I was really sick when I went into labor (horrendous, phlegm producing coughing, super stuffy nose, no energy, etc.), so, there was not really any way to avoid Leroy getting the same awful sickness on...oh, day 2 of life. So even though it seemed like we were constantly trying to clear his nose out, it was still super clogged. It seemed like sleeping on an incline in the swing helped a lot, so that's where he slept. I did get him out of his swing and into a bassinet (it had a little vibrate button you could press on it so that he would still get some movement to soothe him to sleep initially) after the worst of the sickness was over at night...but naps stayed in the swing. In retrospect, maybe I should have transitioned him to napping in the bassinet, then the crib at the same time, but I didn't. Oops. Sleep crutch. More on that later.
During the day I really wanted to get on a by-the-clock schedule. I paid attention to when he seemed to get sleepy during the day for about a week and then started trying to steer him toward napping at the same times everyday until nap time was really nap time. He would wake up around 7 or 8, then his first nap was at 9:30 or 10 when I would put him in the BOB stroller we have and go for a walk/jog (since I was also feeling really gross about the size I still was, which rationally I know was totally normal, blah, blah blah), then nap number two was at 1. and this was very reliable at this time. Sometimes his first nap would be really long (i.e. 2-2 1/2 hours), but he would still want his 1 o'clock nap. Then he would nap again I think at 3:30 or 4 and this last one was in his vibrating bouncy chair and was a little more difficult. If I'm remembering right I think we would usually have to bounce him while letting him suck on one of our fingers. But, he was napping. And even now, as long as Leroy gets his sleep, he is a happy baby.
I will say that for a little while we were using his baby swing a LOT. When he was first born he slept in it all the time. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but I was really sick when I went into labor (horrendous, phlegm producing coughing, super stuffy nose, no energy, etc.), so, there was not really any way to avoid Leroy getting the same awful sickness on...oh, day 2 of life. So even though it seemed like we were constantly trying to clear his nose out, it was still super clogged. It seemed like sleeping on an incline in the swing helped a lot, so that's where he slept. I did get him out of his swing and into a bassinet (it had a little vibrate button you could press on it so that he would still get some movement to soothe him to sleep initially) after the worst of the sickness was over at night...but naps stayed in the swing. In retrospect, maybe I should have transitioned him to napping in the bassinet, then the crib at the same time, but I didn't. Oops. Sleep crutch. More on that later.
During the day I really wanted to get on a by-the-clock schedule. I paid attention to when he seemed to get sleepy during the day for about a week and then started trying to steer him toward napping at the same times everyday until nap time was really nap time. He would wake up around 7 or 8, then his first nap was at 9:30 or 10 when I would put him in the BOB stroller we have and go for a walk/jog (since I was also feeling really gross about the size I still was, which rationally I know was totally normal, blah, blah blah), then nap number two was at 1. and this was very reliable at this time. Sometimes his first nap would be really long (i.e. 2-2 1/2 hours), but he would still want his 1 o'clock nap. Then he would nap again I think at 3:30 or 4 and this last one was in his vibrating bouncy chair and was a little more difficult. If I'm remembering right I think we would usually have to bounce him while letting him suck on one of our fingers. But, he was napping. And even now, as long as Leroy gets his sleep, he is a happy baby.
Friday, September 23, 2011
And one more thing
The squealing! I forgot to mention the high-pitched adorable squealing that you do now! Are you trying to talk? I have no idea, but it's super cute :)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Dear Baby Leroy
You are 7 1/2 months now and all of a sudden you look so much older and, I swear, have totally changed again. We just got back from visiting all your family in the Bay Area and had a great (and exhausting) time. We went swimming in the pool-when I put you on your tummy you kick your chunky little legs and it is super cute, we visited a ton with your cousins Bella and Lucas-Bella is so cute she always wants to hold your hand and give you kisses, and you started really laughing uncontrollably...but only at your Dad. You just love him so much and think he is HILARIOUS. He can make you start laughing for ten minutes straight like nobody else can (not even me, and believe me I've tried). He shakes his head or opens his mouth or just gives you a funny look and you love it.
You also have started to give us little squeezes back when we hug you, sometimes anyway. I suppose this could just be in my head, but I really don't care at all. And this morning while we were having our enforced (by me) cuddle time between your bottle and video you were sitting on my lap and looked at me, then leaned your little head down and rested it on my chest and gave me the best cuddle ever. I was loving it. There is still no crawling or walking...or signs of it, but I could not care less. You are seeming to get more interested in your books. I am happy to read to you as much as you want (right now anyway, we'll see how I feel when you want to hear The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the tenth time in a row), and you seem like you're actually paying attention for a minute or two before you shove the book into your mouth.
You also have started to give us little squeezes back when we hug you, sometimes anyway. I suppose this could just be in my head, but I really don't care at all. And this morning while we were having our enforced (by me) cuddle time between your bottle and video you were sitting on my lap and looked at me, then leaned your little head down and rested it on my chest and gave me the best cuddle ever. I was loving it. There is still no crawling or walking...or signs of it, but I could not care less. You are seeming to get more interested in your books. I am happy to read to you as much as you want (right now anyway, we'll see how I feel when you want to hear The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the tenth time in a row), and you seem like you're actually paying attention for a minute or two before you shove the book into your mouth.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sleep Time
Leroy has always been a good sleeper and has been sleeping through the night for a couple months now. So, a friend of mine asked what the heck did I do to get this? Well, I know at least part (probably most) of it is that Leroy likes sleep. When we first brought him home from the hospital, it seemed like that was really all he wanted to do--to the detriment of his (then) scrawny little self. Leroy was 7 lbs 5 oz when he was born, and dropped down to 6 lbs 10 oz by day 4 because he just didn't even want to wake up to eat. This has definitely changed since then because now he is a whopping 21 lbs at a little over 7 months old.
So, unfortunately for those reading this and trying to get their babies to sleep, Leroy does just like to sleep, but those who know me know that I can go a little crazy and I definitely read about 8 million articles about baby sleep because as hard as being a parent is, i think it would be about 38 times harder without sleep.
So after the longest ever intro, here is what I can remember of what I did to get a good sleeper:
-Even in the beginning I read that babies need to learn the difference between night and day. During the day when Leroy would sleep we had him sleep in his bouncy chair in the living room with us, with the lights on and usually the tv/music/etc too and when I wanted to show him that it was night time, the lights came down and everything got quieter in the house. This is clearly easier to do with only one baby in the house, but I'm hoping it won't be too hard with two. After a couple months of this it was obvious that he had learned the difference between day and night and he started napping in his room that was dimmed during the day.
-at bedtime (which to be honest I can't remember how we settled on at first, I think it was just whenever he started getting sleepy around 7...also bedtime has changed a couple of times now...more on that in a bit) instead of doing a normal feeding out in the living room, Leroy got a diaper change, changed into his pjs, and got his bottle in his very quiet and mostly dark room with no eye contact (apparently when they are very young and can't do very much, even just eye contact perks them up). Then he got swaddled and put down. This was in our room for a little while, but I had to move him into his own room pretty quickly because he was a very noisy sleeper and I was constantly waking up to look at him because of a grunt, etc and most of the time he was still sleeping.
-the swaddling also helped a lot. We would swaddle him up super tight so he wouldn't whack himself in the head and wake himself up for no reason. At first we just used regular blankets, then he got too strong for those so we moved to the blankets with the Velcro on them...at some point we also wrapped an ace bandage around him on top of the swaddle, but that was definitely the most annoying to put on & take off of him when it was time for a diaper change/feeding.
-at night feedings, this should all stay the same. I got a dimmer switch for the light in the baby room and would turn it on to the minimum amount of light I could change a diaper with, then get him positioned with his bottle and turn off the light completely while he ate. For a while we couldn't figure out why Leroy would go right back to sleep (usually) when I fed him but would be up for a while when Jason would take a shift. Turns out, Jason was watching tv while leroy ate and the light/sounds woke him up to much and he just couldn't settle back down right away.
I think this is all I can remember for that first newborn stage, but I'll write some more about the later months too...
So, unfortunately for those reading this and trying to get their babies to sleep, Leroy does just like to sleep, but those who know me know that I can go a little crazy and I definitely read about 8 million articles about baby sleep because as hard as being a parent is, i think it would be about 38 times harder without sleep.
So after the longest ever intro, here is what I can remember of what I did to get a good sleeper:
-Even in the beginning I read that babies need to learn the difference between night and day. During the day when Leroy would sleep we had him sleep in his bouncy chair in the living room with us, with the lights on and usually the tv/music/etc too and when I wanted to show him that it was night time, the lights came down and everything got quieter in the house. This is clearly easier to do with only one baby in the house, but I'm hoping it won't be too hard with two. After a couple months of this it was obvious that he had learned the difference between day and night and he started napping in his room that was dimmed during the day.
-at bedtime (which to be honest I can't remember how we settled on at first, I think it was just whenever he started getting sleepy around 7...also bedtime has changed a couple of times now...more on that in a bit) instead of doing a normal feeding out in the living room, Leroy got a diaper change, changed into his pjs, and got his bottle in his very quiet and mostly dark room with no eye contact (apparently when they are very young and can't do very much, even just eye contact perks them up). Then he got swaddled and put down. This was in our room for a little while, but I had to move him into his own room pretty quickly because he was a very noisy sleeper and I was constantly waking up to look at him because of a grunt, etc and most of the time he was still sleeping.
-the swaddling also helped a lot. We would swaddle him up super tight so he wouldn't whack himself in the head and wake himself up for no reason. At first we just used regular blankets, then he got too strong for those so we moved to the blankets with the Velcro on them...at some point we also wrapped an ace bandage around him on top of the swaddle, but that was definitely the most annoying to put on & take off of him when it was time for a diaper change/feeding.
-at night feedings, this should all stay the same. I got a dimmer switch for the light in the baby room and would turn it on to the minimum amount of light I could change a diaper with, then get him positioned with his bottle and turn off the light completely while he ate. For a while we couldn't figure out why Leroy would go right back to sleep (usually) when I fed him but would be up for a while when Jason would take a shift. Turns out, Jason was watching tv while leroy ate and the light/sounds woke him up to much and he just couldn't settle back down right away.
I think this is all I can remember for that first newborn stage, but I'll write some more about the later months too...
Sunday, September 11, 2011
maybe a sprinkle of ambien will work?
The naps are seriously starting to get to me. Leroy has always been a good sleeper (AND FOR THAT I AM VERY GRATEFUL THANK YOU SLEEP GODS), but lately he is just not cooperating with his naps. So a week or so ago I went to get him up from a nap in his lamb swing, and he has gotten too something for it because he had apparently sat up and grown himself forward and to the side and was still sleeping but hanging mostly out of the swing...so I figure naps in the swing are done.
Ok, not too big a deal, right? He sleeps at night in his crib, he'll get used to it I'm sure. And at first it was really going ok. Sure, the naps were shorter, but I was pretty much expecting that and figured they would get longer again as he got used to it. BUT, now he really does not want to fall asleep in his crib. We have a little play swing out in the backyard that he really likes, so he falls asleep in there and then I transfer him to his crib and it was fine. WAS. FINE. No longer. Now as soon as I get into his room the eyes are wide open and he is PISSED if I put him in his crib (even though he had just been asleep a moment earlier).
Um...advice? Should I try to figure out a nap routine? Does anyone have one? I really don't want it to get too crazy long...Should I just let him cry in the crib for a few minutes? Suck it up and stop complaining about a baby that still sleeps through the night? All suggestions are welcome!
Ok, not too big a deal, right? He sleeps at night in his crib, he'll get used to it I'm sure. And at first it was really going ok. Sure, the naps were shorter, but I was pretty much expecting that and figured they would get longer again as he got used to it. BUT, now he really does not want to fall asleep in his crib. We have a little play swing out in the backyard that he really likes, so he falls asleep in there and then I transfer him to his crib and it was fine. WAS. FINE. No longer. Now as soon as I get into his room the eyes are wide open and he is PISSED if I put him in his crib (even though he had just been asleep a moment earlier).
Um...advice? Should I try to figure out a nap routine? Does anyone have one? I really don't want it to get too crazy long...Should I just let him cry in the crib for a few minutes? Suck it up and stop complaining about a baby that still sleeps through the night? All suggestions are welcome!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Oh no
Baby Leroy, you are already 6 1/2 months old and you have changed so much since the little lump you started out as. I realized today that I've already forgotten a bunch of the adorable little quirks that you used to do and have now grown out of.
That said, your current favorite thing to do is stare at your dad or me while we shake your heads, then nod, then shake, then nod...quickly. It kind of makes us dizzy (and your dad want to throw up a little), but this makes you laugh so hard and it is too friggin cute for words. Half the time when we shake our heads and wait a minute, you'll shake your head too.
We have a lovely morning routine that you seem to like and I know I love. You wake up and I make your bottle and some coffee for me while you watch your under the sea soothie thing in your crib. Then when i come to change your diaper, you give me the biggest smiles ever and wave your hands and kick your feet. Even when i REALLY do not feel Ike getting up in the morning, this is so cute I'm always smiling by this point. You eat your bottle then it's time for cuddles. I may like this part more than you, but you put up with it so I'm going to continue it for as long as I can. After I've gotten as many cuddles as I can squeeze out of you, you get to watch your 'Your Babay Can Read' video and I get approximately 27 minutes and 30 seconds of free time to do whatever I want. Then I tuck you into the moby wrap and we take Roscoe for a walk around the neighborhood until you fall asleep, then into your swing for the first nap of the day, which is usually the longest one.
Your favorite sound to make is ridiculous fart noises while you blow spit bubbles. It is ridiculous.
Love you so much boo boo bear
That said, your current favorite thing to do is stare at your dad or me while we shake your heads, then nod, then shake, then nod...quickly. It kind of makes us dizzy (and your dad want to throw up a little), but this makes you laugh so hard and it is too friggin cute for words. Half the time when we shake our heads and wait a minute, you'll shake your head too.
We have a lovely morning routine that you seem to like and I know I love. You wake up and I make your bottle and some coffee for me while you watch your under the sea soothie thing in your crib. Then when i come to change your diaper, you give me the biggest smiles ever and wave your hands and kick your feet. Even when i REALLY do not feel Ike getting up in the morning, this is so cute I'm always smiling by this point. You eat your bottle then it's time for cuddles. I may like this part more than you, but you put up with it so I'm going to continue it for as long as I can. After I've gotten as many cuddles as I can squeeze out of you, you get to watch your 'Your Babay Can Read' video and I get approximately 27 minutes and 30 seconds of free time to do whatever I want. Then I tuck you into the moby wrap and we take Roscoe for a walk around the neighborhood until you fall asleep, then into your swing for the first nap of the day, which is usually the longest one.
Your favorite sound to make is ridiculous fart noises while you blow spit bubbles. It is ridiculous.
Love you so much boo boo bear
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