Sleep, not sleep, sicknesses and bottles

The baby is now fully weened. He doesn't exactly realize that yesterday was his last night being nursed to sleep. I've been drinking sage tea, and surprisingly it's working. I was in much more pain and more full when I weened Carolina. I wish I had known about that tea then, it would have saved me 3 days of major discomfort. He's still looking for me to feed him sometimes, but he's adjusted to a bottle with formula better than I expected. I didn't expect much after the first few months of trying. He doesn't take more than 4oz a time, but whatever. It's progress.

Our plan, since he's not sick anymore, is to get him into Carolina's room this weekend. I have been putting him for his first nap, since Carolina is at school, in her room in the pack n' play. It gets him used to both sleeping in her room and the pack n' play. It's a bit hit or miss. He takes forever to stay down in his crib if he's not completely asleep. It's a bad habit, that I'm desperate to break.

He's started to only get up 2x a night BUT he can be up for an hour during that time. It is completely dark and quiet and still, he will be awake. Even if we hold him. He might just lay in our arms or try to get up, but either way, he's awake. If we put him in the crib to be by himself, he will usually do one of the following (for up to 30 minutes as that's the limit we can tolerate): cry, talk/play, call out Maaa-maa, or Pa-paa.

During this time, it is really cute to hear him call out our names regularly.

He seems to think it's his job to wake up at 11.30pm and 4am and get up at 5am. He might also believe that he gets bonus points for waking up sometime in between midnight and 4am. He also, clearly, thinks that he will "win the day" if he stays awake.

This morning is the first time I let him 'cry it out' for a nap. I waited the recommended 20 minutes and, literally, on the 20th minute he stopped crying. He is now in his sister's room in the pack and play and asleep, he did it himself! For the first time since he was only a few months old! God, I hope this is the first of many times he does it himself and hopefully without much crying. (I know this will eventually happen, it's just getting to that point.) If I know this kid, the next time I make him do this, he will resist more. He is pretty stubborn. But, one time is better than never!!

In the meantime, we're getting Carolina ready to welcome her brother into her room. She will help us re-organize where the furniture goes in her room. In fact, we are going to borrow my parent's blow-up bed in case she needs to sleep in our room while we work out what's going on at night with the baby.  JUST IN CASE she gets too tired from him being up and crying. She, cutely, insists she can sleep through it and wants to stay in the room with him, but I know with the way he's been the past month that she may not be able to do that.

Speaking of the past month, Carolina has REALLY enjoyed her ballet class.  She also seems to enjoy that it's just us going to her class, without her brother. The baby doesn't enjoy it as he cries endlessly the last 30 minutes he's with my mom, every week. The class is 45 minutes long and we are gone for just over an hour. My poor mom. She's still willing to do it every week. I have started to look for a baby sitter but I think it'll be worse. My husband disagrees. He wants the baby out of the bedroom and fully adjusted to a non-family babysitter RIGHT NOW. Ha. Yeah.


PS that nap lasted 30 minutes. and he was crying his eyes out.  short but not bad.

Ear infection gone, so are some naps

Well, it looks like the ear infection is gone and the new cold I thought the baby was developing is turning into more of allergies. (Mommy needs to dust more often!)

He seems to be giving up his early morning nap (the 7am one) and getting up a wee bit later (5.30 or 5.45am instead of 5am. Thank you!). And his fourth nap, the 4pm one, seems to be going away too. He gets wicked tired about 4.30/5pm but there's just no putting him down. So he powers through and I get him in bed by 6/6.30pm at the latest. Seems to be working as the last two nights, although he cried out a few times between 7 and 10pm, but wasn't really awake, he only got up to feed around midnight and some 3/4am time.

I realize that this isn't a great situation for a 9 month old in many families, but after the last 4 weeks we've had, this is a blessed relief and I'll take it.

In other news, his big sister is doing very well in school. I went to the parent/teacher conference tonight. She's doing about the same as she was in fall, and has made some improvements. So we'll keep working on her holding her pencil, dealing with her when she's feeling moody, and helping her with her letters and numbers and sounds. Really, though, I'm truly impressed with what she's accomplished in a short amount of time.  She can write pretty well and knows 95% of all the numbers and letters ALL THE TIME. She forgets some when she's feeling tired or stressed sometimes, but mostly she's on top of it.

She's a cutie pie and I'm really proud of her!!

Also, she's really, really enjoying her ballet class. I'm so glad that it's close by and she likes it so much. 

Waving, almost walking and school

Today, for the first time that I've noticed, the baby waved! I had just come home from visiting Carolina's school and my parents were babysitting for a short time. When I picked up the baby and we were talking about them leaving, he started to wave at my mom. I think my mom was waving to him first, which makes sense.

He didn't do it again, but it was the first time I noticed. Hooray!

He's been standing by himself for a second or two a few times now. I've also noticed that when he's crawling, he may stop and look like he's trying to stand up by sticking his butt WAY up in the air. Whatever move that is, he's getting ready to do something new.

Carolina gave us a tour of her school this past weekend. It was for all the children to do for their parents. We got 15 minutes and she led us around her classroom. She was only supposed to talk about what she was showing us but she was desperate to show us how different activities worked. She's a surprisingly good tour guide. I now know what she's talking about when she says she plays with water and beans! She's also been enjoying her ballet class IMMENSELY.

Sign language and pull ups

So, we're still dealing with fractured sleep because of this ear infection (poor baby). And since that's going on, I haven't been expecting much development from the little guy; he's been so tired all day and night.

Just this morning, when I was giving him lunch #1 (just before we go get his sister from school), I made him a bowl of some veggies and cereal and myself a bagel. He was playing with some toy in his mouth when I came with the dish and bowl. He sees his food, then looks at mine and gets REALLY EXCITED. He starts jumping up and down in his chair and clearly wants some bagel.

I give him some of his cereal and then a wee piece of my bagel. (This isn't the first bite of bagel or bread he's had, but I'm just explaining the whole thing...) Like usual, when he wants some more food, I ask him if he wants "more" and I show him the sign with my hands. In the middle of this he starts to put his little fists together! He's clearly trying to show me he wants "more", and he's saying "mmmmmmm! mmmmmmmm!" insistently when I give him some veggie cereal instead of the bagel.

I was well impressed.

And just yesterday he was trying to get something from the kitchen table, which is over his head, and he grabs the edge of the table and actually tries to pull himself up. He quite nearly did a pull up by lifting himself off the floor. I wouldn't let him as I could tell he wasn't steady enough, but this little one is going to walk soon. I'll bet by springtime, I'll have two walkers and each in an opposite direction!

Colds, ear infection, crawling, cruising, talking -- we got it all

On the flight home, I knew I was sick. Then Carolina got my cold. And did the baby, too. Then Carolina got better and the baby worse. Then he got an ear infection. Now he's got antibiotics and can (finally) breathe again. It's been about 3 weeks since he slept well. And so that means the same for me.

At least he's not getting up and staying up for an hour or so. But he's getting up every 2-3 hours. And still thinks there's an obligatory wake up check at 4 and 5am. I'm letting it go until he's done with the antibiotics since, really, it's only been 2 days that he can breathe while sleeping without a disturbing amount of mucus interrupting him.

I do, however, feel like I'm losing the thread that's keeping me sane. So tired.

My kids are very good, mostly. It's just tough being inside all the time and not getting any real rest.

I took the baby for his 9 month checkup (that's when we found out it was an ear infection since a few days before his ears were still clear but looking like it could go either way and his nose was the problem.)

He is, otherwise, growing and developing nicely. 19 pounds even and 28" long. He's about bottom 30-35% for both height and weight and hitting his milestones for development. He's really charming, too. And he's going to be waving and clapping soon.

Carolina has been a good big sister. She thinks she can carry him around and keeps moving him. Even though I tell her not to. Once he can walk (please not too soon!) he's going to be giving her a run for her money. He's a super fast crawler, just like Carolina was, and getting around (standing up, sitting down, and "cruising" between places) very efficiently.

And his sister likes to feed him with a spoon and helps me by being a little parent and telling him, sweetly, "no no" if he's about to go somewhere he shouldn't. She's also aggressively pushing and moving him around to "help mommy" but, you know, she means well.

There was a Teddy Bear party and a Valentine's party at school, both made Carolina very happy. She's now willing to eat pizza. It had to be "Mrs. Karim Pizza" (her teacher) but she does like it. She gets upset when she can't stay at school to eat some with the other kids. So her teacher lets her take a slice home. Very kind.

I know she's ready for a full day, and I know she can survive well with an hour nap. I'm not sure if she'd sleep at school, though. But more to the point, we don't have the money for a full day. Maybe next year. I know it is good for her social development and her teachers would like to see her there. It's just an extra $400/month. I know it's worth it, we just don't have it. I am glad they are so loving and supportive at her school. She's learning so much. She can read a little and can write very nicely. She's much more confident, too. I'm grateful for her happiness. 

Everyone has a cold but crawling and climbing continue

Everyone but papa, who gratefully continues to go to work, has a cold. There's a lot of mucus and not a lot of sleep but we keep rolling.

The baby is now 90% crawling with his belly off the floor and 5-10% still with the belly on the floor. And he is climbing up on everything and cruising around the living room nearly like a pro. He still can't get down without falling. So, he's still working on that.

Carolina helps by pushing him away from the couch. He's figured out how to fall pretty hard a few times that way. She must believe in the "tough love" training style.

The Negotiation

Parent: I offer you a relaxing bath and as much milk and food as you need just before bed. At bedtime a quiet and dark place to relax. Upon finishing the milk, you will lay down in your crib and sleep until morning.
Infant: I counter offer that you hold me until I fall asleep and put me in my crib carefully and slowly as to not wake me and I will wake up a minimum of two times during the night to drink more milk. If you skip this first step, I will cry ceaselessly for up to two hours and at that time begin hyperventilating, requiring you to come in and soothe me in the way and manner that I like.

Parent: I offer that I will hold you until you're asleep and you will sleep until morning.
Infant: I accept that offer and raise you a required minimum three-times-a-night waking and a morning wake up time at 5.30am or, possibly, after.

Parent: Is that the best you can do?
Infant: I can also throw in teething and acid reflux, so that during at least one of those night wakings I will cry endlessly until you hold me and I fall asleep and I will wake up every time you try to put me in my crib so that you are required to hold me while I sleep and you get a minimal amount of sleep.

Parent: Do I have to accept this offer?
Infant: Yes. No backsies.

Welcome to parenthood.