who sleeps like this?

I had a friend who ran a "who sleeps like this" series for her little girl. My little girl only slept in designated sleeping area...until now, of course. Our foster bebe, however, sleeps where he falls. Tonight was a good example. He litterally passed out on his own lap. :) Funny kid.

Traveling Sleeper

H has been in a big girl bed for about 2 months now. She has been potty trained for well over a year. I tried, a few weeks back, to convince her that when she needed to use the potty, to just get up and go. While this "freedom" has not yet resulted in her leaving her bed to arrive at the potty, she has arrived (and passed out) in a number of new locations. While this may not be Supernanny approved, I don't mind too much...yet. My only complaint is the rush of fear when I go to kiss her in her bed and she is not there. OR, walking into the living room (tonight) and seeing a body on the couch. Her favorite place to land is my side of the bed - and if I try to share, she will fight me for that space.

I do believe this is someone connected from our co-sleeping past (the first year). Perhaps soon we will look up some old Supernanny clips for help...but for now, we enjoy her antics - even the sleep'capades.

Update to add more pictures...an hour after I posted this, I moved her to her bed and went back to chat with my husband. She relocated herself to my bed. Will try again soon to move her back so I can sleep in my bed.

Who sleeps like this Anyhow??

I am stealing this blog title from a friend who has a regular series on her blog. Until now, H has never slept in any noteworthy fashion. UNTIL NOW. These have all been taken over the last 48 hours. Newfound mobility has taken it's toll! Since I still have not yet figured out how to individually label each picture....here are a couple labels :
Pic 1/2 "Sitting up sleep style"
Pic 3/4 "The trouble with co-sleeping"
Pic 5 "Mommy's spot is my favorite"

No, She is NOT sleeping through the night

It has been awhile since I blogged...and awhile since I blogged about this topic. H's sleep saga continues:

For some reason, I find myself skirting around this question all the time. "So, is she sleeping through the night yet?" It always seems to come with an expectation that the answer is "yes, of course!" Sometimes, that is the answer I give. The quick way out. If my answer is anything else, I open myself up to the wide world of baby-sleeping politics.

Disclaimer: I am grateful for helpful suggestions, when offered lovingly and understandingly.

I am on Night #2 of logging H's sleep habits for the No Cry Sleep Solution. Last night she awoke 9 times between bedtime, 7:30pm, and wake time, 7:30am. For those of you gasping out there, this is my truth: "Hello, my name is Elisabeth, and I am a Sleep-Deprived Mom." PRAISE GOD, I'M A MOM!!! :-) And yes, this is a part of my reality for which I am eternally grateful!

So, I am logging tonight, just to double check our status and formulating a sleep plan. I think we are going to give the NCSS a go before trying anything else. A friend mentioned that around 6 months is when parenting can start to get tough. The lack of sleep starts wearing on you, making you do crazy things....like, for instance, opening yourself up to the politics of infant sleeping by posting such a controversial topic on your blog! :-P

For all those who just like to look at my pictures...more to come soon. :)

Every day, more lessons learned!

Before H made her way into our arms, vaccinations were a topic that Paul and I discussed and researched. I was convinced I wanted to selectively vaccinate and I carefully chose a pediatrician that would allow us that flexibility. Two things changed for us since then:
1. I got whopping cough in my last trimester (which I do NOT recommend)
2. That carefully chosen pediatrician gave my baby a shot when she was two days old, which left me shaking and in tears (there was much more to this story...but overall, I was not happy with the office)

I decided to switch to a more popular pediatrician to maintain my sanity. While I love the doctor and the office, they do require all vaccinations be given in a timely fashion.

Last week, H had her 4 month shots. Subsequently, I stayed up all.night.long with a feverish, crying baby. From that night, I learned that my instincts for dealing with a feverish child were right on! Next, I learned that when taking a rectal temperature (as our Dr recommends), it is a good idea to be awake enough to deal with the OUTcome...if you know what I mean (not only did I have a feverish baby...but I had poop - all over). I also learned that baths are WAY more fun at 3 AM, at least according to H.

So, we have now survived three rounds of vaccinations - each with their own challenges. I still have research to do on this topic - for moral reasons, as well as the hope of making the right decisions for my baby.

Oh, and re: sleeping....I have also learned that swaddling is amazing! I have not swaddled Hannah since she was a newborn. It is quite different, and slightly hilarious, trying to swaddle an 18 pounder...but she naps so much better. There is more on the topic of sleep...but I will save that for another post. :)

The Sleeping Saga

The newborn honeymoon (of sleep) has worn off. When we brought her home, H slept quite a bit. She would easily fall asleep while nursing or in our arms and sleep pretty much any where we put her. That was then. :) I have been trying to establish some sort of bedtime routine...and at least, trying to put her down around 8pm. Occasionally, miraculously, it will work. Oftentimes, 8pm becomes 9pm and then 10, 11 and wah-lah, she is asleep by midnight.

In addition to the many parenting books I have received, I now have two solely dedicated to the topic of sleep. Right now I am reading the "No Cry Sleep Solution." It is pretty good...but I haven't gotten to the solution part yet. I am too tired (j/k)! :) One of the things that I read was that oftentimes a good nap means an easier bedtime routine.

So yesterday, H had an awesome nap so I was all geared up for an easy night. I decided it would be a good night to try to get her to sleep in her crib. 8pm we were upstairs, nursing, rocking and she fell asleep. "Yes!" 8:15 I handed her off to Paul to put her in the crib. 8:17 - crying. Settle her down, 8:20 crying. After several such attempts, she was out of the crib. An hour and a half later, she was peacefully asleep again. Crib attempt Take 2. After a few minutes, crying again. So I tried the "lay hands on the baby to let her know you are there" attempt. After 30 minutes and numb fingers, I slllloooowwwllly moved my hands and crept out of the room. By the time I was in the hallway, she was awake! (was she ever really asleep??) However, she was groggy. "Great" I thought "I just need something to make the crib seem more familiar to her." I thought about leaving my shirt, but I kinda needed that. I decided her favorite mobile would be just the thing to make her feel comfortable. So I moved the mobile up to her crib. Her mobile plays classical music...."just the thing to settle her and put her into a deep sleep." Five minutes later I went to check on her....

She was waving her arms and kicking her legs in utter delight! Smiling, cooing...talking to her mobile, lol. She loves this thing too much! "So much for that idea!"

And now, tonight after pathetic napping, she was asleep by 7pm. She fell asleep in our bed and I am too afraid to move her yet! We will keep you posted.