Sleepy Time Update

As you all know, we started sleep training Marshall. Much to our surprise, it is TOTALLY working. We start the bedtime routine at 2130 and he's in his bed at 2200. He has never screamed himself to sleep since we began this process a week ago, and he sleeps until atleast 0500 every morning.

Last night he was so sleepy at 2100 and I thought, "Oh no. He's going to fall alseep early and then awaken in the middle of the night." I was able to keep him awake until 2130 when we start the routine, but at 2145 and after 6oz of milk, he was crashed out. I think that he is slowly beginning to move his bedtime up a little, which is fine with me!

I was still concerned that he wouldn't make it until 0500, but when we checked on him he was still sleeping away. We turned on the monitor and he didn't get up to eat until 0630! Then he went back to sleep until 0930.

I'm so glad that I got over my anxiety about sleep training him because we are all doing so much better now that we've done it.

Five Months

Yesterday Marshall turned five months old, so I snapped some photos of his favorite past times. He weighs 19.5lbs and the outfit he is wearing in these pics is for 6-12 months (according to Gymboree). He's still not rolling over, but tries very hard.

Enjoy the pics of my super-cute son (I'm not biased...)

Maybe We're On To Something

First of all, thank you ladies for all of your advice (Mindy, of course you can comment! I didn't think you followed my blog very closely, but you're always welcome!).

After much internal struggle, two long conversations with two of sister-in-laws and a phone call to my pediatrician we implemented "Operation Good Night"; effective yesterday.

Apparently, my first parenting problem was not having and maintaining a consistent bedtime for Marshall. We fixed that. Last night at 2130 we headed into the nursery. With just the nightlight on I changed his diaper, sat down with him in the rocking chair and fed him (7 oz...little pig). After he was finished and burped, we rocked for a few minutes, I sang to him, and I put him in his bed. It was 2200 (our pre-determined bedtime, for now); he was awake. He got a goodnight kiss and I left the room and shut the door.

Figuring that he would cry himself to sleep, I went into the office to study for my state boards and listen for a crying baby (I needed to know how long the crying would last). Much to my surprise, I heard nothing. Not a peep. At 2300 I snuck into his room, peered over the crib to behold infront of me a SLEEPING BABY! Simultaneously, the heaven's parted and angels sang.

I went skipping off to bed, left the monitor turned off, set my alarm clock for 0500 and drifted away to dreamland.

Problem number two (as identified by my pediatrician's office) - a 5 month old baby weighing just shy of 20lbs does not need to eat every four hours in the night; he was awakening out of habit for food and needs to learn to go to sleep by himself without eating. That explains why the monitor was turned off and my alarm clock was turned on. I did not want to hear him in the middle of the night; I have no idea if he woke up and if he did, he put himself back to sleep.

At 0500 when my alarm went off, I tip-toed to his room and could hear him crying some (not screaming at all, but he was awake). I went to the kitchen, fixed him a bottle, and he greeted me with a smile. He was fed and changed and back into bed by 0535, awake but sleepy.

I went back to bed, turned on the monitor this time and did not hear a thing from him until 0945!!

We will repeat the forementioned pattern tonight and pray fervently that this holds. My fingers are crossed and I am holding my breath.

I Don't Like This

I would like you to note the time that this post was published...

Yes, it is after midnight and I am sitting here amidst the glow of a computer screen listening to my son scream is if being tortured. I'm not a fan. I hope that this works. He does not want to eat, does not need a clean diaper; he is tired and wants me to rock him to sleep. Well, I am tired too and would like someone to come over to my house and deal with this for me so that I can get some sleep. But that's not going to happen, so Marshall listent to your mother and GO TO BED.

I Was Afraid of This

Attention: Susan, Berkley, Jill & Kate -

Ladies, I need your advice. You are all new mothers and I need some help. My sweet Marshall has started rebelling against sleep. He fights going to bed with all his might. He gets so irritable and fussy. I'll change him, feed him and try to comfort him as best I can and once he falls asleep I lay him in his crib. But every night without fail, he will wake up about 20 minutes after I've laid him down. I go in, I do not pick him up, but I'll give him his binky or let him have a little more milk from a bottle, then he'll doze off again. About 20 minutes later he will do the same thing! So after an hour of fighting it initially, and going in every 20 minutes atleast two or three times, he will finally go to bed. I am just exhausted!

When he's in the midst of the fight he doesn't want to be put down and every time I start to go to sleep once the fight is over, I hear him on the monitor and have to go in and calm him down. It's getting to be a huge joke and I don't know what to do.

Part of me just wants to kiss him on the forehead, lay him down after he's fed, changed and sleepy and be done with it; the other part is worried about being a bad parent and not "loving" my son enough. I feel like I'm doing something right by never picking him back up after he's in bed, but am I doing too much by going back in there? I don't know. What do you girls think? I'm open to any and all suggestions.

A New Year

I suppose that I will maintain my pace with my blog posts during this new year, meaning, I will continue to be terrible at it and allow it to lapse by weeks at a time. Sorry.

Hope you all had wonderful new year's celebrations across the globe. I didn't even get to watch the ball drop, or get a new year's kiss, why? I was in the delivery of the New Year's baby! The first baby to be born on the record's of St. Mary's Hospital for 2009. It was great. All the family was crying... a very happy moment.

I suppose that I will put up some pics of us lately, certainly someone wants to know what we've been up to.

Christmas was very low key. Just my parents and Bob; no one from Kreat's family was home either. It was pretty nice. Quiet.

Marshall got a Johnny Jump Up and was not quite sure what to do with it:



Mom dressed up Elvis and Lola like Santa Claus; don't they look happy?


Jordan and Casey: we all enjoyed playing with the prizes that came in our crackers! The crowns were a big hit!



And over the holidays Marshall proved that he must be strapped into his bouncy chair from now on:



The holidays were a lot of fun. Marshall is really growing. He is now in size 3 diapers! He loves baby food (prunes and squash...weird. I know.) continues to sleep through the night, but not without putting up a pretty good fight. Kreat loves being a parent so much that he asked me if we could have another baby soon, like get pregnant this year...uh, NO. Crazy hubbie. You grow a uterus and have another baby. I'm good with where I'm at! Thanks.