Sleep Training

A few friends have asked how sleep training went last week, so I thought I'd update here.  It really went awesome!  I started out saying that 5 minutes would be my initial check-in; if she cried for 5 minutes, I'd go in to reassure her I was still here, rub her back, and then leave, slowly increasing the amount of time between checks, just like the Ferber method suggests.  Well, Thursday night, she woke up a total of 8 times, and only once did she make it to the 5 minute mark.  The other times, she laid back down and fell back asleep on her own....but around 4:30 she was still crying, and I decided at that point to go ahead and nurse her, which was against my initial plan, but that was ok with me.  Since then, every night has been the same.  If she wakes up, she puts herself back to sleep, and then around 4-5am, she's up, I nurse her for a few minutes, and then she's back asleep until somewhere between 6 and 7.  There was one night just recently that she woke up around 1, cried for a few minutes, then calmed down and was quiet.  Well, she had woke Jarrod up, and since she was quiet, he assumed she was back to sleep and he went in to check on her.  She, in fact, wasn't asleep, and he picked her up and brought her in to me.  Silly boy.  I just took her right back in, laid her down, and she cried for a few minutes, then fell asleep.  So, sleep training was a huge success...instead of being up every couple of hours, I'm getting much better sleep and so is Riley.  I know sleep begets sleep, and this week, she's been back to taking two naps, which is slightly annoying and throwing off my days, but we'll deal with it for now. I'm just glad she's sleeping!  Now, we'll work in a few weeks to eliminate the 4-5am feeding as we wean her completely and transition her to milk! Yikes...my baby girl is almost ONE!

Wordless Wednesday

CIO Update

So, the first night....Riley cried 55 minutes.  Stubborn, huh?  Well, last night, she cried for ONE minute.  That's it!  One!  It was amazing...but it was also a tease.  She was still up 4 times last night.  But, I'll take the baby steps.  Today, she went down for two naps (2 hour naps, I might add!) by herself with no crying.  That's a huge deal because naps have been pretty much non-existent around here lately.  Now, she's been in her bed for 20 minutes, crying off and on, playing with her blanket, standing up, sitting down, etc.  Who knows how long it will be before she falls asleep, but I do feel like we're making some progress.  Even if she doesn't sleep all night long, I'd love it if we were able to just put her in her bed and let her put herself to sleep.  We'll get there...someday.

Time for CIO?

I've known for a long time that we'd probably do cry-it-out with Riley, but I've been torn on when to start.  She's sleeping like crap, but still...  I'm sure her crying will keep up/wake up Gavin.  I must admit that I love nursing her to sleep and watching her little eyelids flutter.  Jarrod still loves having her come in and snuggle with us through the night and if she's going to be our last baby, I don't want to rush that.  But, we ended up starting on a whim last night.  

She fought sleep for her nap and bedtime so so so bad on Sunday.  I think I spent nearly 2.5 hours nursing her, rocking her, bouncing her, rubbing her back, etc. just trying to get her to fall asleep between nap and bedtime.  Then last night, the same thing started and since Gavin was awake and I had so much to get done, I just started.  I went in at 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 8 minutes, etc. progressively increasing the time in between visits.  Jarrod went in a couple of times, too, and finally, after 55 minutes, she gave in and fell asleep!  


She woke up twice last night to nurse, and today her nap went pretty well.  She cried for 2 minutes, then played in her crib for 10 or so, and cried for 3 more minutes.  I went in and rubbed her back, then she cried for another minute before falling asleep.  I guess we'll see how tonight goes!

Sleepy Girl

 This picture is a few weeks old now, but I just realized I didn't share it. On this morning, Riley woke up at 5:30am and thought it was a good idea to be up for the day.  When Gavin woke up 45 minutes or so later, I went in to get him dressed for school, and when I came back in the living room, Riley was asleep on the floor with her blanket.  <3  I had her blanket hanging over her pack-and-play and she must have pulled it down before crashing.  Such a sweetheart!

Gavin's New Furniture

Well, here it is!  Gavin's new furniture is in and assembled!  The room isn't complete.  We still need to find a bookshelf and add some little things here or there, but here are the photos I took over the weekend.  He LOVES the bed, hence the silly faces.

I've talked about how large this furniture is.  To give you an idea, if I stand next to his bed, the mattress is at my hip.  We got an ottoman to put at the foot of the bed so he and I can use it to climb up onto the bed at night.  

The really cool thing about this bed is that he has a hiding spot in it and a place to play underneath!  

The great thing about getting his furniture in is that the dressers are now in the nursery and I feel like I can really get started on that room.  We emptied all the drawers and started filling them with gender neutral clothes we already have and some girly things that we've started collecting.  I can't wait to get that room together!

We went shopping!

We finally went shopping on Sunday and finalized Gavin's new bedroom furniture. It should be here the 3rd week of March and then we can work on moving his dressers into the nursery and getting his new room all put together.  After shopping at many stores, and going back to Hank's (where we bought his) three different times, we decided on this set:

We ordered it in a full size though, so it should be something he can keep until he's college age (but who wants to think about that?!?!?).  It has the 4 drawers under the bed, and there's a door at the foot of the bed that he can go into to hide or use for storage.  Jarrod already has plans of using tap lights under there for it to be a little hideout.  

So now we need to buy a full size mattress and new bedding.  He's really getting into playing soccer and baseball, so he decided he wants a sports theme in his new room.  We're looking at this bedding set right now...it seems like a really good deal.

Then we can accent the rest of the room with other sports items.  He really likes the soccer ball pillow.  But, my concern is that his bed rails won't work on this new bed, and it's even higher up than his current bed, so we made need to buy these so he doesn't fall out of the bed:

I've never seen anything like them, but One Step Ahead (the catalog that has everything you could ever want for a child!) has them and they get great reviews.  Maybe we'll see how he does in the bed without them first...I'm not sure.

One last thing - we also found a bathing suit for me for this summer.  While we were out shopping, we went into Motherhood for me to try some on and I ended up with this one:

Except I'm planning to wear it with my current brown swim bottoms, which are more like boy-shorts...they cover more of the fat!

The clock

So, we broke down and bought this clock for Gavin:

He was so excited about using it, and it has worked pretty well.  Most mornings he is still awake early, like 5, because he has to go to the bathroom, but he will usually go back to sleep.  Three days during the last week he actually slept til 6:30!  Wonderful!  One morning he woke up ten minutes before 6 (the clock was set for 6) and Jarrod went in to get him up, but Gavin refused to get up because the light wasn't green yet.  Most mornings we hear from his room, "It turned green, guys!  Woohoo!"  The last two nights he has slept awful.  I'm not sure why...just up a lot. This morning, we'd set the clock forward to 6:20 to see what happened.  It obviously wasn't happening today.  He woke up at 5:45 to go potty, then sat on his bed for like 30 minutes, yelling, "Mom!  Mom!  Mommy!  Mom!  Mommy!  Jen!  Jen!  Jen!"  At one point he started growling my name, more like he was a monster, and we heard, "Mom!  Come back in here!"  It was cute, but we were tired...so I eventually came in to lay on his bed until it turned green so Jarrod could sleep in, since he let me sleep in yesterday.  Overall, I'm happy with the clock...I think it will keep getting better.  I'm glad we decided to get it!

We have to do something!

It's no secret our child is an early bird.  Waking up at 5:30 to 6:00 isn't uncommon for him.  Of course, I'd love for him to sleep a little longer, but we can't really change his internal clock, right? Well, we're going to have to try.  This morning, I heard him crying at 4am and rolled over to check the monitor.  A lot of times if he's still laying down, I'll let him cry for a little bit and he falls back to sleep.  If he's sitting up, I usually go in because he usually has to pee.  Well, I flipped the monitor on just in time to see him climbing out of bed, something he's never done before!  I told Jarrod he was climbing out of bed, so Jarrod got up and met him in the hallway.  He's still crying and when Jarrod asked him what he was doing, he said he was ready to watch his show.  Um....no!  It's 4:00!  It's not time for TV.  I came out, carried him back to the bathroom, changed his pull-up, got him milk and laid on his bed with him for 10 minutes or so.  He cried most of the time but finally did lay back down.  Still, he woke up for the day by 6.  Needless to say, we're tired. 


So, I'm thinking about shelling out some money for something like this: Stoplight Clock  I don't like the bear on it at all, and they only have a girl in a car, but we need to try something!  They also have this one: My Tot Clock This one is more pricey, but it has other features, like a naptime setting and a time out setting, which I kind of like.  And lastly, they have this one: Good Nite Lite This one is more basic, and got mostly good reviews, but it seems like it might be a little on the small side.  


So now I need your help.  If you're reading this and you've used one of these lights or something similar, can you give me your input?  We need something!  I'm not expecting him to sleep until 9 or anything.  He's in bed around 7:30 each night, but if we can get something that will help him stay in bed until 6:30 or 7, especially before Baby Hamm gets here, I think that would be great!  Help me choose!  :)

Sweet Dreamin'

You know how most kids that wake up in the middle of the night crying end up in bed with mom and dad?  Not our kid... He prefers the couch.  At 4:30 this morning, he woke up screaming.  I went in, tried to calm him down, but he just kept saying he wanted 'up.'  We looked out the window and I showed him that the sun was still sleeping, so he still needed to be sleeping.  I tried getting him a cup of milk to calm him down, but it didn't work.  He just cried.  Jarrod finally came in and asked him if he wanted to sleep in our bed.  No.  I asked if he wanted to sleep on the couch.  He actually said no this time, but we knew from past experience it would work.

So, we headed to the living room.  He had his Thomas pillow and Thomas blanket, and of course, Dog Dog.  Jarrod got my pillow for me and a blanket, then headed back to bed.  Gavin laid there and drank his milk, and then asked for more.  I told him he could have more in the morning.  He said, "Ask mom. Please," which basically is his way of saying, 'I said please, now get it.'  I reassured him he could have more milk when he woke up.  Then we laid there, and he kept talking.  "No blanket.  Want brown blanket." {So, I re-tucked him in with another blanket.}  "Ouch, my knee hurts.  Kiss it?"  {Baby, your knee is all tucked in the blanket now.  It will feel better when you sleep and I'll kiss it in the morning.}  "Hear Daddy!" {Yes, that's daddy.  He's trying to go back to sleep, too.} 

The next thing I knew, Jarrod was waking me up at 6:40 before he left for work so I could see Gavin.  And of course - I had to take a picture.  Or several.

Sunshine

"You Are My Sunshine" has always been on the list of songs I sing to Gavin. When we did sleep training at 15 months and created more of a routine, it became a regular song. We'd read books, then one of us would rock him while we sang "You Are Our Sunshine" (we changed the words a little since we were both singing!) When Gavin moved to his twin bed, we still followed the same routine. Now, he's not interested in being rocked though. We sit together on his bed and read a few books, and then he lays right down on his pillow while I sing. Last night was no different - we read The Cat in the Hat and Mommy's Little Star before singing. First, I sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" with him. I love hearing him try to sing that with me. I was still laying right next to him, and he was being silly and smiling. I said, "What song should we sing next, Gav?" and he looked at me with this adorable little grin and said, "Sunshine!" It was so sweet! He's never requested that song before, but to me, it was like his way of telling me that that song is a special part of his bedtime routine. It brought tears to my eyes.

Jarrod and I always took turns doing the bedtime routine with Gavin, or we did it together. When I have a Tastefully Simple party, Jarrod's in charge. Since I haven't had a party in a while because of moving, I've kind of taken over the bedtime routine. I'm not sure how it happened; Daddy still comes in to kiss Gavin, but the reading and singing has been all me lately. And, I love it! It's such a special time for us - I try to lay there next to him and soak it all in. I know someday he won't need me to read and sing to him. So for now, I'll take all the snuggles, smiles, books, and songs I can get. I love you, Gav. You are our sunshine!

Taking the leap

I'm not sure I'm ready to admit this, but our baby boy is growing up! You've heard that he's started climbing out of his crib. He's only gotten out once, but I've watched him attempt it several more times. So, Jarrod finally convinced me to change him to a big boy bed. I was worried that adjusting to a new house would be hard enough for him and I didn't want to throw a new bed into the mix as well. But, I was finally convinced that if it's going to be a big adjustment, we might as well get it all over with at once!

So, when we get to Bentonville, we're going to go out and buy him a twin bed. After talking to other moms, I decided we'd bypass the toddler bed. His crib does convert into a toddler bed, but I don't think it's fair to him to get him used to it and then take it away when we need it for another baby (no....I'm not pregnant. Just thinking ahead....) And even though toddler beds are cute, they just don't get used for long and it made more sense to us to just go to a twin bed.

After searching a lot, we ordered his bedding last night. I liked a lot that I found that were just 'train' related. One set was really cute with cars, trucks, and trains. But, Jarrod really wanted it to be Thomas. Gavin is soooo obsessed with Thomas these days. He doesn't even call Shirley by her name but he knows Thomas, Edward, Percy, and James. And when I showed this to Gavin, he got such a smile on his face.

It won't let me attach just the pictures, so this is what we ordered. If you click on the link, we got him the comforter, sheet set, an adorable 'cuddle' pillow (that I predict will replace Dog Dog), and the fleece throw. We probably don't need the fleece throw, but I loved how it said "Ready, Set, Go!" since Gavin says that a lot.
http://www.target.com/Thomas-Train-Sheet-Set-Twin/dp/B000UU5IYS/ref=in_de_detail-item-display

I've been talking to him about his 'big boy bed' a lot and tell him when we get to the new house, he'll have a big boy bed to sleep in with choo choos! He just smiles, but I don't think he quite gets it. It will probably make for a stressful week full of changes, but fingers crossed that I'm wrong! :)

A milestone I don't know if I should be proud of...

Gavin's sleep schedule hasn't been the best since we traveled to Arkansas. He's been getting up earlier than normal, which I think is because of the time change there. Yesterday was no different - he was up by 6:15. By 10, I could tell he was tired, as was I....Jarrod and I both had a touch of a stomach bug or food poisoning and didn't sleep much the night before. So, I took Gavin in, read him his book, rocked him and sang, and in his crib he went for his nap. I came back out and realized I'd missed a call from my dad. After calling him, I had to call the bank. I was on hold for them when I heard a noise - it sounded like Gavin was dropping his trains behind his crib, which is normal. Then I heard another noise and thought I'd grab the monitor to check on him. While still on hold, I started back toward my bedroom to get the monitor. Just as I turned the corner, there was Gavin, walking down the hall toward me.... ?!?!?!?

He was holding his arm, almost like he'd hurt it, but he had the straightest face and just looked at me as he walked by me. I have no idea exactly how he got out of the crib, but he did. Once I was finished with the bank, I told him he had to get back in his bed for a nap and he cried and cried and cried. I left the room and watched him cry on the monitor, kind of hoping he'd try it again so that I could see how he got out. But, he didn't....he eventually laid down and went back to sleep. No attempts at climbing out at bedtime, either. Hopefully it was a one time thing!

Just for the grandparents

We'll be in Arkansas until Wednesday evening, but I know a lot of you, especially Mimi, Beepa, and Grandma Pate check regularly to see pictures and updates about their favorite grandson (ok...only grandson, but he's still their favorite!) So, I scheduled quick posts of pictures for while we're gone to make them smile. :)

Picture this...

I couldn't get a picture, so use your imagination and picture this: Around 3:45 this morning, I got up to go to the bathroom. (Ok, don't picture that...) I went into Gavin's room to make sure he was covered up. Of course, I walk in and it's dark, so it takes a second for my eyes to adjust, but when they do, Gavin's is laying there, on his belly, with his pillow on top on him! A few weeks ago, we swapped out his small travel-size pillow for a regular size pillow. He looked so funny laying there, with only his head and his feet showing....the pillow was on him like a blanket would be. It was so cute! I wish I could have gotten a picture. Not sure how he ended up that way!

5am Conversation

Gavin woke up at 4:45 this morning. At first, it was just a little whimpering, so I let it go. Within 10 minutes or so, he was standing and full blown crying. So, I went into him, and this is the conversation we had:

Mama: "What's the matter, bug?"
Gavin: "Eww!"
Mama: as I'm picking him up, "What's 'ewww'?"
Gavin: "Poo Poo"
Mama: as I'm feeling his diaper to see if I can tell if he pooped, "Did you poop?"
Gavin: laying his head on my shoulder, "Puuuuuush!"

:) No poopy diaper, but apparently he felt like he needed to. I changed a very wet diaper, and rocked him, and he went back to sleep. He then woke up at 7am saying, "Snap, snap" and making the hand movements he does when he sees an alligator. He must be having some strange dreams these days!

Wordless Wednesday

Teething?

Man, it's been a long few nights. I think Gavin's teeth must be bothering him. We've been doing so well with the sleep situation, and I didn't want to rush in and get him every time he woke up, but we also have Alex here staying with us, and I hated that he was screaming and keeping everyone up. Friday night he was awake from 10:30 until probably 1...eventually Jarrod and I gave in and let him watch Elmo in bed with us just so he wouldn't cry. He fell asleep on me, but woke back up around 3:30 and cried for an hour straight. Not even Elmo could calm him! Saturday, he woke up again around 3...Jarrod was the one that finally got him to sleep by rocking him and laying in his room with him for an hour. Sunday night he slept all night - almost 12 hours actually! But, last night...again...uggh! He woke up around 12:30. I went in to give him Motrin since I forgot to give it to him before he went to bed, but he refused to take it. He laid in bed with us for a little while, but it wasn't helping, so I finally went in and tried rocking him and singing to him in his room. I did get him to sleep, but as soon as he heard me leaving he was awake again and crying even harder. Jarrod came in and got him calmed down probably around 2 and I slept on his floor for the rest of the night. Not fun! These molars better just come all the way in real fast!

I know what I said...

...but this is too exciting not to share! Gavin cried for 15 minutes last night, fell asleep around 7:40 and I didn't go back in to him room until....are you ready???....7:15AM!!! He made some noises between 10 and 11, and I watched him on the monitor sit up and move around, but he never cried out for me. I slept in my own bed all night!!! :) AMAZING!

Ferber: Night 3

Last update, I promise. I know some of you may be getting tired of these sleep updates :)

Last night, he laid down right away and Jarrod and I kept looking at each other in amazement, but then started standing up and screaming about 5 minutes later. When Jarrod went in at the 10 minute point, the room smelled horrible! No wonder he was screaming! Jarrod changed his diaper, and within 20 minutes, he was asleep. He woke up once, about 4 1/2 hours later, and again was asleep within 20 minutes...no nursing needed. He slept until 6:30 this morning! So, he made it all night without me feeding him. Great progress!

We'll see how things go the next couple of nights while Jarrod's out of town and not here to help!