Sunday, July 31, 2011

Will the readers who searched for.....

"He put my hand up my wifes shirt" please reveal themselves?

Blogger tells me what search words people use to find my blog. 

I shit you not, 2 glorious people have stumbled upon the fabulousness that is The Hagaboaters by typing in that wonderful phrase. 

I'd like to know these individuals. Please come forward. 

Thank you. 

Monday, July 25, 2011

Weekend Wrap-Up

I got new running shoes.  
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I like them a lot.  My Asics that I've been wearing for a couple of years were absolutely shot.  

Atticus went with me to test them out the first time:


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He freaking loves that frog.  He yanks on it and yanks on it all the time.  

I went shopping with my mom and Maggie at the outlet center in Calhoun this past weekend.  I got an $8 swimsuit coverup at Gap for myself and spent $160 on Michael.  $160 got him six pocket t-shirts, two polo shirts, one dress shirt with French cuffs, a pair of cuff links, two pairs of shorts, and one pair of boat shoes.  Bass, Izod, and Van Heusen were having awesome sales. 

We spent the night on the boat Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night and played lots of Rummikub. 

Good times.  :)

Friday, July 22, 2011

Pins of the Week

Are you on Pinterest?  I flipping love Pinterest.

Here are some things that caught my interest this week:

Homemade Taco Seasoning -  I LOVE tacos, but I don't love all of the sodium and of the other ingredients I can't pronounce in the seasoning packets.  I'm making this stuff pronto!



Isn't this idea genius for a birthday party?  Pre-scooped ice cream in cupcake wrappers makes serving ice cream quick and easy.  We are so doing this for our next party. 



I have about 9,000,000 paint stir sticks around the house.  I'd never thought to stain them and make a light fixture.  This is going to happen soon!



I know that this is no 5-point harness, but it is kind of like a baby jail for places we go that Atticus won't have access to a high chair or booster seat.  I'm looking forward to making it. 



And finally, the grand finale.  We love Scrabble in this house, and I must have one of these in my backyard ASAP. 

Source: sunset.com via Ashley on Pinterest


Are you on Pinterest?  What were your favorite pins of the week?  Are we following each other?  Do you need an invitation?  If so, put your email addy in the comments, and I'll send you one.  It's much faster to get an invite that way instead of asking the site to let you in.  


Happy Pinning!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

This Past Weekend

This past weekend included a lot of fun things.

Like, cleaning out my nail polish bag:

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That's all trash.  A few years ago, OPI stopped making (or at least stopped selling here in Chattanooga) "Honeymoon Red."  It was my favorite.  I purchased all of these red hues to replace it.  They didn't make the cut.  Nothing will ever be as good as "Honeymoon Red."  

Occasionally, I get in a mindset that we have too much stuff, so I purge.  Most of the time, Michael's stuff gets the boot, but this past Saturday, my nail polish collection took a big hit.

Every night for the past few days, Michael and I have played Rummikub.  It's like Rummy, kind of, but with Scrabble-like tiles instead of cards.  I LOVE it like Uncle Jesse, Zack and Kelly, and The Baby-Sitters Club (as in - it will never go out of style).


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And finally, this past weekend concluded with our chaperoning Atticus' date with Piper and Ireland:




My son is a chick magnet.

Until they want their mommies.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Boobies

I hate when someone asks me if I'm *STILL* nursing (with the half-cocked head and sympathetic face).  Why wouldn't I be?  My son is four months old.

I hate it when someone asks me how long I intend to breast feed.  I respond with, "I think I'd like to go for 18-24 months."  They look at me like I have two heads.

I hate that I can't stand on a podium and shout that I'm proud that I'm an nursing mother without someone getting offended because they couldn't/didn't breast feed.

Something changed yesterday.

A friend who recently had a baby messaged me.  She was having issues in the boob department, and because I'd been so vocal about breast feeding, she thought I could help.

I could help.  I did help.

Through all the controversy I've stirred on facebook, my MIL's house, or just in general regarding what boobs were meant for, I got through to someone.

Every bit was worth it.  I'm going to continue being a breastfeeding advocate.  I don't care if people start actually believing that I have two heads.

Because I also have two boobs. :)

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Our "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" Experience, Part 5 - One Week Later

We've been using "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth for a week now to help get Atticus higher quality and quantity sleep.

The last five days have been...good...for the most part.

Saturday:  We spent the day/night on the boat.  Atticus took both naps at home with minimal fussing and fell asleep at night with about 8 minutes of protest.  He woke once overnight.

Sunday:  Naps were taken at home (one with no fussing!), but we spent the night on the boat.  He only fussed a couple of minutes, but it took him about 20 to fall asleep.  I heard him jabbering over the monitor.  He woke once overnight.

Monday:  Monday was a nightmare.  He didn't nap well.  It took him a long time to fall asleep, and he didn't stay asleep for long.  That night, we took some out of town family downtown on the boat for dinner.  We were eating at TGI Fridays at 8 and didn't get back to the boat until 9:15, so Atticus got down for the night super late.  Then we had to make the two hour trip home.  He was super tired and super fussy.  It seemed like he could not get comfortable.  It took him about 30 minutes to go to sleep.  He didn't cry, but he wasn't all happyhappyjoyjoy in the pack and play.  He woke twice overnight.

Tuesday: Tuesday morning was my monthly Le Leche League meeting at 10.  TEN!  You'd think these people would know that's the time my child needs to be sleeping, but whatever.  We went.  Atticus skipped his morning nap.  I thought it'd be catastrophic, but it wasn't.  He napped for 3.5 hours in the afternoon instead and went down like a champ at bedtime (less than 5 minutes of protest).

Wednesday:  Wednesday was the holy grail of sleep training.  His naps were perfect.  He fell asleep while nursing before both of them and didn't wake as I put him in his crib.  At bedtime, Michael read him a book and put him down instead of me, and he fell asleep without fussing.  ZERO minutes.  I didn't hear a peep out of him!  However, he woke up three times overnight.  I'm going to attest that to the fact that last night was our first night home after five nights on the boat.  The house is significantly quieter than the boat.  The boat air conditioner is loud, but I don't want to put white noise in Atticus' room at home because I want to teach him to sleep in whatever situation we happen to have.

His bedtime has usually fallen around 7 pm because that's when he's started showing signs of tiredness.  He usually wakes up around 7:30 am.  The night wakings have been short and uneventful.  Wake, boob, back to sleep.  He was done, and both of us were back in our beds asleep within 20 minutes (except for that time I stayed up too late reading crap on my iPhone).  He is always put down on his back in his crib, but I always find him on his belly when I go check on him.

I am very glad we are using the Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child book to help Atticus get some better sleep.  Nothing is perfect, and nothing is a guarantee, but we have had significant improvement over his previous sleeping habits.

I give the book an A, and our family collectively gives it 6 thumbs up.  (Elvira can't use her thumbs, or it'd be 8).

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Mid-Week Randoms

This week has been eventful.  Eventful as in we haven't done much, and all I have to talk about is Atticus.

He prefers to hang out with his hand down my shirt.

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Perhaps he's related to his father, no?

Thanks to a facebook friend, I figured out how to put applique patterns on my sewing machine.  I have a Bernina 640, and this was my first ever applique.  :)

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I have no idea what to do with it because I used a scrap piece of fabric to make it.  I've since appliqued a little dinosaur on a plain blue johnjohn.  Looks like I'll be dressing Atticus in appliqued and embroidered clothes until he's in high school. 

This week was Atticus' first time riding in the shopping cart outside of his car seat.  Usually, if I'm grocery shopping, I wear him in the Moby or Ergo, but for some reason, I had neither in the car with me.  He's kind of sitting up.  That's a lie.  He sits for a few seconds and crashes.  I thought if there was a strap to buckle him in and something for him to hold on to, he might be able to ride in the cart. 

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He loved it!

And finally, while I prefer to state that Atticus does not look like either Michael or myself because he looks like Atticus, we receive an overwhelming amount of comments that he is the spitting image of his daddy.  

I think he looks like me too!

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What do you think?

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Atticus - Four Months

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Height: 25.5" (75th %)
Weight: 15 lbs, 12.5 oz (75th %)



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Diapers:  Yep, still exclusively in cloth diapers.


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Sleep:  Sigh.  We are in the process of teaching Atticus to sleep using the "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child" method by Dr. Marc Weissbluth.  He is currently going to sleep on his own and waking 1 (sometimes 2) times to eat.  

Food:  Atticus is still exclusively breastfed.  We've decided to completely forego cereal, as neither of us believe it's nutritionally beneficial.  We've also decided to not feed Atticus "baby food."  We're planning to do baby-led weaning, and we don't plan on giving him solids until he is able to feed himself.  I'll do an entire post on that later.



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Clothes: There is one Petit Ami outfit that is 0-3 months that he can still wear.  I typically dress him in shortalls or johnjohns, and they're usually 3-6 month.  He has a few 6-9 month outfits and a couple 6-12 month outfits that fit.  The 3-6 month sleepers fit but are getting snug, and 6-9 month sleepers fit great.


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Atticus can roll over both ways.  He loves to play in his jumparoo thing.  He loves to pull on my hair and try to put it in his mouth.  He hates sitting down.  He'd prefer to stand.

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Oh, how I wish this picture wasn't blurry. :(

He is still showering or taking a bath with Michael or me (well, me).  He loves water.

We took the pacifier away at 4 months old on the dot.  I've only given in and given it to him once since then.

Just for Ss and Gs, here is a collage of months 1-4.  He's grown up so much!

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Monday, July 11, 2011

You Have GOT to Buy This - Suave Dry Shampoo $2.99

A couple of weeks ago, I read on Veronika's Blushing about a product she raved about.  Suave Dry Shampoo. 

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A few days later, I was grocery shopping at Publix and remembered that I wanted to try this product.  I assumed they wouldn't have it, but holy moly, they did!  AND it was $2.99!  At Publix!  The most expensive grocery store ever!

So I brought that can of potential home and decided not to wash my hair that night.  Or the next night.  Or the next.  People, the last time I washed my hair was Thursday, and today is Monday.  This is what I look like today:

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No oily roots.  No skankalicious hair.  No having to blow dry it for 30 minutes every other day anymore.  I typically wash my hair every other day or so, but I definitely need to wash it after two days.  

The past few days, my morning routine has been shower, brush my hair, spray Suave Dry Shampoo on the roots, massage in, brush hair again, style/fix/curl/whatever, and be done with it.   I am in LOVE with this product.  $2.99!!!!!!!!!!

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Go buy some today!  Or yesterday!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Our "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" Experience - Part 4, The Third Day

Today will be my last daily update, but I will follow-up with this at one week and one month to let my readers (I think now there are 6.... :D) know how it's going.

I was nervous about yesterday.  It was Atticus' 4-month well visit, and I knew he would be getting some shots.  The last time he got shots, he slept all day, and it threw everything off.  I didn't want a repeat in the middle of sleep training.  I thought of postponing our Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child experience a day to make sure I wasn't being mean to Atticus if he was in pain and crying from shot side effects.  Of course, pediatricians are nosy, and he asked how Atticus is sleeping.  I told him that we are smack dab in the middle of sleep training with HSHHC and that I was considering taking the day off.  His response was that 1- Before putting Atticus down, I would make sure all of his needs are met (clean, fed, medicated if needed, etc).  If he was in pain or bothered by fever or something, he wouldn't get into a calm, sleepy state, and thats when you're supposed to put them down anyway.  At that point, if he cries, it is ONLY because he does not want to go to sleep, NOT because of something else; and, 2 - It's never the wrong time to start good habits.  I found it really hard to argue with that one.

Michael wanted to spend the night on the boat last night.  I didn't.  Things were going so well at home, and I didn't want to throw something in the mix that would mess it up.  Unfortunately, I had told Michael what the doctor said about it never being the wrong time to start good habits.  We need good sleep habits on the boat, too.  Atticus has a pack and play in the saloon (the living room of the boat), so last night was spent there, but all naps were done at home.

7:55a - I thought he must still be asleep because I hadn't heard any noise coming from his room, but it was time to wake up to get ready to go to the doctor, so I went in to get him.  He was already awake and was giddy to see me.
9:10a - Atticus' well visit.  This doesn't have anything to do with his sleep, but I thought I'd put it in there in case someone wondered about it.
10:32a - Home from the doctor - nursing Atticus.
10:41a - Put in bed almost asleep.  I know that it's almost the end of what's supposed to be the first naptime of the day, but I'm trying to keep with the book's idea of 2-3 hours of wakeful time instead of scheduled down and up times.
10:46a - Of course he's fussing.  Today has been too easy up until this point.
10:55a - He's asleep.
11:02a - Nope, he's awake.  Little punk.
11:11a - Asleep again.
12:05p - I decide to wake him up.  We have a lunch date with daddy, and I want to leave time for the afternoon nap at a reasonable hour.
1:55p - Put him down halfway asleep.
4:02p - He's still asleep, but I'm going to wake him up.  It's okay to wake a baby when you're sleep training.
7:35p - We're on the boat.  Atticus is down in the pack and play. He was (by the looks of it) asleep when I put him down, but of course, he woke up as soon as I removed my hands from his body.
7:36p - He's crying.
7:43p - No more crying.  He's asleep!
2:20a - Awake.  He wants to eat.  It's amazing how much different this middle of the night cry sounds than the cry when he's protesting sleep.  I really feel like I can tell the difference.  I KNOW he's hungry.
2:33a - Back down.
7:41a - Awake for the day.  I guess he didn't fuss after I put him down a few hours ago.  I didn't hear any. :)

Today gets an A+.  I feel well-rested.  I can tell Atticus is well-rested.

I am glad I am following the HSHHC guidelines for sleep training.  I feel like the book is 100% worth every penny.

And for the skeptics out there who think that letting your baby cry to sleep will make them unhappy, socially awkward, or mess them up, here is a video of Atticus at the doctor's office yesterday.  If this is not a happy, well-rested baby, I don't know what is.




******* OH yeah, I want to add something - through this entire experience, Atticus has been put in his crib, on his back, in a sleep sack, with no pacifier or white noise.  He is truly learning to sleep on his own. *******

Friday, July 8, 2011

Our "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" Experience, Part 3 - The Second Day

7:23a - Woke up for the day.  Hungry!
8:53a - It hasn't been 2 hours yet, but he's showing signs big time signs of tiredness (slower movements, droopy eyes), so I put him down for a nap anyway.
8:55a - Crap.  He's crying.
9:20a - Quiet.  He cried for 25 minutes.
9:25a - Went to check on him.  He's asleep!
9:50a - Whimpering.  Dammit.  I'm not sure what to do because the book didn't really cover this, but I decide that since he has not been asleep for an hour yet, I'm going to leave him in his crib.
9:52a - He's back asleep.
11:50a - I decide to wake him up because 1) it was a long nap, and 2) it's time to meet Michael for lunch.
12:45p - He fell asleep in the car!  No!  The book said not to allow this.  I'm not sure how to prevent it.  Good thing it's a short trip to Costco.
1:35p - Fell asleep in the car AGAIN on the way home from Costco.
1:54p - Took him out of his carseat and tried to put him in the crib without waking him up.  Fail.
1:58p - Of course he's crying.
2:04p - He's asleep.
2:08p - He's screaming.  Hmmm.  He ate about 12:35, so he shouldn't be hungry.  He's supposed to be sleeping now.  Crap crap crap.  I decide to leave him.
2:36p - He's been quiet for a few minutes now, but I just now went to check to make sure he's asleep.  He is!
4:12p - Decide to wake him up.  The book says never to wake a sleeping baby... unless you're sleep training.  I am, so I do.
7:52p - Bedtime routine (no bath, diaper, massage, nurse, hold him until very drowsy/sleepy)
8:14p - Put in bed
8:27p - I hear whimpers
8:29p - Silence.  90 seconds of whimpers.
8:38 - Just went in to check.  He is most definitely asleep.
1:57a - Woke me up by making noise - not really crying.  It was mostly babbling.  Boy was HUNGRY!
2:19a - Whimpers :(
2:24a - Silence.  I get back in bed.
7:00a - I wake up to get ready for the day, and he's still sleeping soundly.
7:55a - I go to wake Atticus up for his big day today (four-month doctor's visit), and he is laying in the crib happily playing.  He's trying to swat a colorful bee I have hanging from a crib rail.

Was last night a success?  Um, YES.  I LOVE Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child!  It works!  He took 90 seconds to fall asleep at the start of the night, and he only woke once to eat.  This is a significant improvement from two nights ago when he woke up eleven times.

I understand that there is a lot of controversy regarding letting your baby cry it out.  Any reputable sleep training method that advocates crying it out DOES NOT mean that you should put your baby in their bed and listen to them scream for the hell of it.  You are supposed to learn and watch for signs of tiredness, and put them down then after all of their other needs have been met.  Will some babies protest (cry) if they don't want to go to sleep?  Yes.  Did mine?  Yes, for 49 minutes the first night and 90 seconds the second night.  I don't see that as any different than a baby crying because he wants to stick his finger in an electrical outlet, and you won't let him.

Yesterday, I thought he slept way too much.  I suppose he didn't because he slept a ton last night.  I noticed yesterday that his wakeful periods were much more happy and playful.  He was not fussy.  I am still EBFing, and BST (before sleep training), I was constantly questioning my supply because he always wanted to eat (snacking!), and I never felt full.  Yesterday, he had full meals at the breastaurant, and ate 6-7 times instead of 10-15.

I give yesterday an A!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Our "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" Experience, Part 2 - The First Day

I bought the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book around lunchtime, but coincidentally, Atticus' morning nap had followed the schedule the book recommends, so I just went with it.  I have been making notes on a legal pad by the minute, so I'll type those out here verbatim and put my current thoughts at the bottom of the post.

July 6, 2011
9:10a - Down for morning nap after nursing
10:55a - Awake from morning nap
1:35p - Nursed Atticus and put him down for the afternoon nap
2:35p - Atticus has cried for a full hour (the daytime limit the book suggests), so I go get him out of his crib
6:50p - Start bedtime routine: bath, lotion, book, nurse
7:17p - Put Atticus in bed.  He's drowsy but awake.  I'm nervous.
7:20p - Crying starts.
7:35p - Still crying.  I haven't checked on him.  I'm surprisingly okay with sitting here listening to it.
7:41p - Yep, still crying.  Damn.  This is sucky.  Go to sleep!
7:42p - Silence.  Is he dead?  Did he go to sleep?  I'm scared to go check.
7:44p - Crap.  More crying, but it's very sporadic and quiet.
7:46p - Silence.
7:49p - Wow, that scream was loud.  His poor voice is so hoarse!
8:09p - I think he's asleep.
8:29p - Yep.  He's asleep.  He's not dead.  I went to check on him.
9:02p - He's awake.  Screaming.  I will not go in there.  I will not go in there  OMG.  He sounds terrible.  I don't even recognize his cry.  I keep telling myself that I am not doing this TO him.  I'm doing it FOR him.
1:31a - He's awake.  It's been 6.5 hours since his last meal, so I'm getting up to feed him.  I feel almost normal after 3.5 hours of sleep.  I kind of miss him. :)
1:46a - He ate both boobs.  He never does that.  I'm going back to bed.
1:51a - Is that a cricket outside?  Or is that my baby's poor voice, and it's so hoarse that I don't recognize it?
4:17a - He's crying. It hasn't been four hours since he last ate, so I'm not supposed to go in there.  What the crap am I supposed to do?  I hope Michael doesn't wake up.  I'm going to play 10 minutes of white noise on my phone and hope that we both go back to sleep.  Fingers crossed.
5:32a - I guess he went back to sleep, but he's crying now.  It's been exactly 4 hours since his last meal, so I'm going to feed him.
5:51a - I'm on my way back to bed.
7:23a - Atticus woke up for the day.  He wasn't crying like normal for me to pick him up.  He was playing in his bed and jabbering.  He doesn't act like he doesn't trust me anymore, and he's very happy to see me.

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Was last night hard?  Well, no.  Not really.  Michael and I decided that this was what we were going to do.  I expected him to cry, and I expected to go a lot worse, actually.  He's used to sleeping on his belly, and I put him down on his back each time.  When I went to check on him or get him out of bed, he was on his back or side.  He used to fidget but not wake when I would walk in the room to check on him.  When I checked on him last night, he was sleeping so soundly that he didn't move.  His temperament this morning was more playful and less fussy than normal.

Dr. Weissbluth talks about two methods for crying.  One involves going to check on him, and the other doesn't.  One is kinder, but the other is quicker and more effective.  We chose quicker and more effective, so while we are training Atticus to sleep, we won't be checking on him if he cries after we put him down in his crib.  If he cries for one hour after being put down for a nap, we are supposed to go get him and try naptime tomorrow. At bedtime, however, there is no time limit.  If he wants to cry for 2 hours, we're not going in there.  Atticus is safe in his crib.  He is alone with no toys or blankets.  He sleeps in a sleeper and a Halo sleep sack.  He can't sit up, much less stand up or crawl/fall out of the crib.  That was part of the reason we felt like it was necessary to sleep train sooner rather than later.

I'd give the first night a B.  It was significantly improved over headbanging and waking up 11 times in one night.

HSHHC - Part 1 - Why We Are Doing This FOR Atticus

**I know that not everyone is kosher with crying it out.  That's totally your prerogative.  This is mine, and I believe that this is not something I'm doing TO my son.  I'm doing it FOR him.  End of discussion. You have another method?  Write about it on your blog.  This one is mine. **

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Our "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" Experience, Part 1 - Why We Are Doing This FOR Atticus

From the time Atticus was a week old (except for the occasional night here and there), he was a great sleeper.  He'd go to sleep on his own, wake up once to eat in the middle of the night, and sleep to a reasonable hour in the morning.  I'd brag to people how awesome my baby was at everything.  He rolled over at 3 weeks old, nursed like a champ, and slept wonderfully.  Clearly, it was due to my awesome mothering skills.

Or not.  

I might have been just a touch arrogant. 

Side note:  Why do people feel the need to ask how your baby sleeps?  It's not like it makes any difference to them at 2 am!

Enter age three months.  Atticus decided that he only wanted to sleep on his belly.  Because he was capable of rolling both ways, I decided that it wasn't a fight I wanted to pick, and I put him down for naps and bedtime on his belly.  He would usually go to sleep on his own within a few minutes.  He used the pacifier to fall asleep, but would spit it out as soon as he was in dreamland without waking himself.  I tried to pay attention to signs of tiredness, but I often took too long to get him to bed, and he was usually overtired and fussy.  

The last few weeks have been torturous for me, as Atticus has learned to scoot across his crib.  He wakes both of us up multiple times a night because he has made his way to the opposite side of his crib and is banging his head repeatedly.  He is causing himself pain and causing both of us to get crappy sleep.  I go in there to sooth him, scoot him back in the middle of the crib, and end up nursing him for comfort (not hunger) 3-5 times a night.  (I am all about nursing on demand, but I am not for using my boob as a pacifier). 

I posted on facebook asking what to do.  How could I get my baby to stop banging his head?  The best solution was to get the miracle bumpers.  I started to make some but thought, This will minimize the effects of the problem.  It won't make it go away.  I want it to go away.  We both NEED it to go away. 

We spent the next five nights on the boat, and last night, I got up 11 times (what?  I was am am sometimes an accountant.  I count things like that) between 10:30 pm and 7 am.  Atticus previously slept very well in his pack and play. 

I decided I was done with this crappy sleep crap, and this morning I made a trip to Barnes and Noble with the intention of buying a book to help fix my baby my baby (and me) get some sleep.

I pulled all (yes, ALL) of the sleep books off the shelf and sat in the floor to read excerpts from all of them.  A mommy group walked over to me because I'm sure it was very apparent by my large stack of books, frazzled and tired appearance, and screaming baby that I needed help.  This group of moms overwhelmingly recommended Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth.  One lady said that it was the book that saved her life and kept her from throwing her baby out the window.  In my head, I identified with her because I've often joked at 3 am that one of us is about to go out the window.  I was sold.  I bought the book, came home, put Atticus down for a nap, and started reading. 

Dr. Weissbluth is one smart cookie.  I've never talked to him, and I don't know if he's even hot or not, but his book described EXACTLY what my baby has been doing for the first four months of his life.  I took all kinds of notes from the chapter on months five through eight. (Atticus will be four months old tomorrow and will be starting month five, so I figured that's where we should start).  

So, according to Dr. McSpartypants we are shooting for something like this:
  • Wake and start the day around 7 am
  • Have a morning nap around 9
  • Have a mid afternoon nap around 1
  • Maybe have a late afternoon nap
  • Go to bed between 6-8
Sounds great, right?  Well, except for my better half and I decided that of the two options (rip bandaid off slowly or rip bandaid off quickly), we'd rather get it over with.  That means that we're going to let Atticus cry (as the book says to) for up to an hour for nap times and for an unlimited period of time when it's time to go to bed for the night.  

I read reviews of this book online.  I know it works.  I asked Dr. Google.  Relived moms on Amazon told me it works.  Message board moms told me it works.  What they didn't tell me was the process it took to get there.  You know, like:  Exactly how many minutes did your baby cry each time you put him to bed? How many times did you cry when he was crying?  How many times did you tell your husband that if he didn't shut up, you'd punch him and make him cry like a little girl?  I need details, and these details are no where to be found on all of the internets.  Trust me on that, because I looked. 

So, for a reference for myself (for potential future babies) and for everyone who has googled "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child Experience Not a Review I Need to Read the Play-by-play Please Help My Super Tired Baby We Both Need Some Consistent Sleep" and come up empty handed, I'm here to fill that void. 

TA-DAA!!!  I'm here!!!

The posts to follow will contain more details about my son's sleep and how much crying it took for him to get it than you ever thought you'd want to know.

HSHHC - Part 2 - The First Day

**I know that not everyone is kosher with crying it out.  That's totally your prerogative.  This is mine, and I believe that this is not something I'm doing TO my son.  I'm doing it FOR him.  End of discussion. You have another method?  Write about it on your blog.  This one is mine. **


Friday, July 1, 2011

Five on Friday

1 - I gave in and spent $80 on some baby crap to take up space in the den.  :(  I always said I'd never have one of those houses with baby stuff everywhere.  Well, I now do.

I got the Fisher-Price Luv U Zoo Jumperoo this morning (with a BRU coupon), came home, put it together, and plopped little mister in it.  It was love at first sight.

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2 - My parents and Maggie were going to keep Atticus for a couple hours on Wednesday, so I had a pumped bottle of breast milk ready to go for them.  Our plans failed, so I hung out with them for a little while on their bus (they're camping this week).  I asked Maggie if she wanted to feed Atticus.  She did, so I was sitting there talking to my mom when I realized Maggie wasn't standing beside Atticus anymore.  He was holding his own bottle!  I was so impressed.  I don't really know when this "milestone" is supposed to occur because Atticus is exclusively breastfed and has had only 6 bottes (of breast milk) his entire life.  He's growing up too quickly. :(

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3 - We are going to spend the next four days on the boat.  YIPPEE.

4 - The industry Michael works in closes the week of the 4th, so even though he's supposed to be off work completely, he'll only work a few hours next week.  I. Can't. Wait!

5 - We got a Wii this week and subscribed to Netflix.  My productivity has decreased substantially.  Who knew there were so many movies and TV shows that I'd want to watch? :)