Thursday, December 11, 2008
How to Teach a Baby to Crawl
Learning to Sleep
Two weeks ago, we decided, now that she’s 9 months old, it’s time for our daughter to learn how to sleep.
We tried teaching her at 6 months, by letting her cry it out, but it ended with both or us in tears, so we decided to wait until she was a little older. Now, she’s eating more solids during the day, and she’s figured out crawling and standing, why not sleeping? She was waking every two hours like clockwork.
We decided to try one week of gentle sleep training. The plan was that we would only feed her if it had been five hours or more since she had last eaten, if she woke up in between, her daddy would go in and settle her down. Before our plan, I had been going in and feeding her every time she woke. But, over the last few weeks, she’s gradually started eating less and less at night, which has convinced me that she doesn’t need to be up every 2 hours. She takes a long time to settle down if I go in because, for the last 9 months, anytime I go in at night, she’s been fed. So, for 6 long nights, one of us would go in every two hours, tuck her back in and leave. We were hoping that by leaving her in her crib, and not offering her a bottle, she’d realize that it wasn’t worth waking up.
Well, It turns out that we must be pretty entertaining in the middle of the night, because after 6 nights, she was still waking every 2 hours. So, on Monday night, we decided it was time to try tough love sleep training. We moved our mattress downstairs, in the hopes of getting more sleep. We decided that if she woke before 5 hours, we would leave her and let her cry it out. Everyone I’ve talked to about crying-it-out has said it’s a really awful 2 or 3 nights, but then, it improves quickly.
The first night, there were 4 times we had to let her cry. The first one was the hardest, because I wasn’t sure if she’d settle herself, or how long it would take. I watched the clock while my little girl screamed like the world was ending. At 5 minutes, Steffan and I started talking about whether someone should go tuck her in, but as we were deciding, all of sudden, she was quiet. After that, it was much easier, because we knew that she could settle herself, and the crying wouldn’t last forever. The other 3 times, there was 5 minutes or less of crying.
Last night (night #2), we again slept downstairs, I fed her at 11:30, she woke up at 2:30, and we let her cry, and then, she didn’t wake again until 6:30.
It’s amazing how even 4 consecutive hours of sleep, when you’re used to only 90 minutes can make the world seem like a much better place.
Tonight, we're going to move back up to our bedroom, cross our fingers, and hope for the best. Already, there’s a huge improvement. Not only are we happier and more rested, but she even seems happier.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
9 Months Old!!
Your 9 month birthday was yesterday. You’re growing and changing so fast! In just the last week, you’ve started “cruising” along the couch & coffee table, and just last week, you made it up the stairs all by yourself. Every time you pull yourself up to standing, you look around and smile at everyone in the room and wait for them to tell you what a good job you’ve done. You’re adorable.
Your daddy is so excited for your first Christmas. We bought a new tree, because the old one was good enough when it was just the two of us, but it wasn’t good enough for his little princess. We’re going to decorate it this weekend. We also bought you a stocking. In our 11 Christmases together, I’ve never seen your daddy this excited! We’re also going to take you to Zoolights, your dad & I went, the very first Christmas we were dating, it’s hard to believe that now, we’ll be bringing our daughter!
Every day, I look at you, and I’m so amazed that the fragile little bundle we brought home from the hospital has turned into a beautiful, pudgy, mobile little person. We had to practically beg the doctors to release you from the hospital on March 5. We had to promise to limit your visitors, and keep you nice and warm. The home care nurse told us to keep you in your jammies and wrapped in two blankets all the time. We were checking your temperature a few times every day, just to make sure you were staying warm. Now, just 9 months later, we don’t worry about your temperature, we worry about what you’ll get into next! I’m so proud of you, my little girl, and so grateful that you’re growing and strong.
Your Mama.
Caitlyn's First Christmas Party
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Making a Liar Out of Her Mamma!
I guess daddy needs to move the crib mattress down!!
Time Flies
I know I said I would try to post once a week, and I know I've failed miserably at that...but life's been very busy.
Our little girl has become uber-mobile. She still army crawls more than she actually crawls, but she's started pulling herself up on things. She can't quite pull herself up to standing, but she's getting close. She can crawl up one or two steps by herself.
She just woke up from a nap, and I went to go get her, I found her sitting in the corner of her crib. I didn't even know she could get from laying down to sitting up by herself.
We had our last swimming lesson last We had our last swimming lesson last Monday, and I'm proud to say Caitlyn passed Parent & Tot 1 with flying colors!!
I've spent the last few weeks trying to decide what to do about the fact that she's still waking up twice a night to eat. All the experts say that at this point in her life, it's more out of habit than anything, and that she doesn't need to eat during the night. But, every night, she eats between 12 and 20 ounces during the night, which I think is a lot. Also, I feel guilty for being gone from her all day, and I enjoy our middle of the night cuddle time. So, I've decided to keep waking up with her until she's a year old, then, we'll reevaluate.
It's so fun watching her turn into a little person. She looks at you when you call her name now, so she's officially smarter than the cat!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Eight Months Old
She loves sound effects and funny noises. She knows now what noises are “normal” and which ones are funny, and if you make funny noises for her, she’ll grab your face and giggle.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
In the Halloween Spirit
Ikea – Made in China
On Saturday, we went to our favorite Swedish shopping destination for the best, most affordable breakfast in town, and to pick up a few little things for around the house. For just the second time in my memory, we left without buying ANYTHING.
How could this happen?Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thanksgiving (Better Late Than Never)
The alarm went off too early this morning, but I am grateful because it means I have a job to go to where I earn a paycheque that will pay our bills and allow my husband to be the one at home raising the most precious thing in our lives.
Our lives are very different now than they were last Thanksgiving. A year ago, we were just telling people about this bundle of joy that was about to invade our lives. We were talking about how our lives were going to change, but we were so wrong in so many ways. Our lives have changed, turned upside down really, but we are having so much fun watching our little girl who was so small and fragile turn into a little person.
I have so much to be thankful for this year, but mostly I am grateful that my little family is together and healthy. We laugh together everyday, and as long as the three of us can sit in the middle of the chaos and laugh, it’s a good day at our house! The best part of my day is coming home to Caitlyn’s chubby little cheeks. She usually lets out a big laugh when she first sees me, how can anything else matter?
Monday, October 6, 2008
7 Months Old!!
The princess turned 7 months old last Thursday. In some ways it’s hard to imagine our lives before her, it feels like she’s always been a part of our family. I’m loving this age. It’s so much fun! It’s so neat to watch her play with things and try to figure them out. She’s so curious about everything. We were shopping on Saturday, and Steffan picked up a package of light bulbs. Caitlyn grabbed for them and they almost dropped to the floor! We really have to start being more careful about what’s in her ever-expanding reach. Even though she’s not talking yet, she’s got her own way of telling us what she’s after. If I’m holding her and she wants her dad, she’ll lunge her whole body in his direction, it’s adorable. She’s VERY rambunctious. She’s constantly on the move. Her dad & I keep saying that as soon as she can crawl, we’re in big trouble!
She loves trying to feed herself, and the look of intense concentration as she tries to get the cracker into her mouth makes me and her dad laugh.
Steffan has adjusted really well to being a stay at home dad. He told me last night, “I feel like this is what I was meant to do”. I’m so grateful that my little girl has such a fantastic father who loves her so much and has the patience and the personality to take care of her all day so that I can go to work knowing that she’s in the best possible hands having a great time with her favourite person in the world!Sunday, September 28, 2008
A Great Weekend
After lunch, we went to play some pool. We used to play a lot of pool, but obviously we haven't played much in the last year and a half. It was really nice to get out and have some fun. Steffan said it best when we got home. He said "I love Caitlyn, and I love spending time with her, but that was refreshing". That's exactly how I felt.
When we went to pick up Caitlyn we realized we still had the stroller in the car, so Caitlyn and I walked home through the beautiful fall leaves. It was great!
Yesterday, Steffan went to help my LITTLE brother with the nursery for his coming bundle of joy. It was the first time I've been home with Caitlyn on my own for any real length of time since I went back to work in August. It made me realize that I love my little girl, but I'm very glad to be back at work. I'm definitely not cut out to be a full time stay at home mom. Luckily, I married a great man, who loves staying home and taking care of our precious bundle of joy.
After Steffan got home, I tried out a new dinner recipe, and it turned out fantastic.
It's been a really great weekend at our house, hopefully yours is going well too!
Swimming!!!
We took Caitlyn for her first swimming lesson on Monday night. It was a lot of fun!! She did really well. We did a bunch of songs and she practiced floating on her back and on her stomach. She likes being on her stomach, but we haven't figured out yet that even though the water looks really neat, you have to keep your head up or else...
But, for the most part, we had a lot of fun practicing going in & out of the water!
I'm glad Steffan came with us, I can't imagine the logisitcs of getting myself & a baby ready and into the pool and then back out, all while keeping her warm and the dry clothes dry.
It was a lot of fun, and we're really looking forward to to going back tomorrow!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Dear Caitlyn
We've started feeding you solid foods now, and you're eating like a pro. We started you on rice cereal, but you've already had green beans, banana, chicken noodle casserole, and mashed potatoes. You really would like to use the spoon yourself, but for now, you have to let me help you, even with my help, we get green beans up the nose and chicken casserole in between your toes!!
You've started trying to brush your teeth and it's adorable!
Right now, your daddy's staying home with you while I'm at work. You two have a lot of fun together. Your favorite part of the day is when daddy takes you out for a walk in the Snuggli.
One of your favorite things to stare at is the fish tank, you love to watch the plants move in the water. You've just started to realize that the cat exists, and you like to pet her soft fur.
You already like books, which makes me very happy.
You LOVE your exersaucer and your jolly jumper, anything that will let you move around.
You're a very precious little girl, and your daddy and I love you so much. When I think about how different our lives are now compared to a year ago, it's like comparing night and day. I still love my job, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. All that matters is coming home to my amazing family and seeing your beautiful smile!
You're growing up so fast. It's hard to believer that just six months ago, you were this little:
...and now, you look like this!
You're such a precious little girl, and we're really enjoying getting to know you. Thank you for making us a family!!!
Caitlyn's Growth
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Program?!?!
For June & July we lived the dream. Hubby & I both stayed home with Caitlyn. It was a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time at the zoo and just hanging out as a family.
Then, in August, since we hadn't won the lottery or found our stash of wealth, I went back to work part time. I was happy to go back to work, but it was a big adjustment for all of us. Caitlyn had never spent a full day away from me and it took her & daddy a few weeks to get into a groove, but eventually it happened, and now things are running pretty smoothly.
I'm going to try to update the blog about once a week. There's so much happening that I want to remember, I just have to make the time to jot it down.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
One Month Old
She's doing really well. She's consistently sleeping for 4 hours straight each night, which is fantastic!!
Our little family has kind of settled into a routine. We're starting to figure out what she likes and doesn't like, so there's less crying.
We had her one month doctor's appointment yesterday and our little girl is 6 lb, 13 oz. She's gained 2 full pounds in a month, so we're ecstatic about that. She's growing up so fast already! When she's on her stomach, she can lift her head and turn it. She loves to be free to kick and move around. She's trying desperately to crawl and gets frustrated when she can't get anywhere. Once she figures out how to move, we're going to be really busy!!!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Eight Glorious Hours!!!
Okay, so it wasn't eight hours straight. It was four hours, and then a hour and half of rocking and soothing, and then four more hours, but it adds up to eight hours!!
Of course, who know when it will happen again, but for today, I'm feeling great!!
Steffan was off of work today, so I took the opportunity to have a bubble bath. I LOVE hot bubble baths and haven't had one in waaaaay too long. It was fantastic!!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Routine
We're still going for walks every day. Yesterday, we went to the grocery store on our walk, and she slept through the whole thing! I've decided it's time to roll all the coins in our spare change jar. This should be a fairly simple thing to do. I have the change, all I need is the rollers. Well, yesterday, we went to the dollar store, the pharmacy, the post office, and the grocery store, and nobody had them. So, that means I get to postpone that job for a little while longer.
Tomorrow, my girlfriend is bringing over her 6 month old son. That should be a fun day. I haven't seen her in a couple of months. Her son is going to make our little princess look sooo tiny!
Monday, I went to the registry to order Caitlyn's birth certificate. I walked up to the counter and said, "Hi, I need to order a birth certificate." The helpful lady said, "Is it for yourself?". to which I replied, "No, it's for my daughter...holy cow, I have a daughter!!". In some ways it still doesn't seem real. It's like we're babysitting and waiting for someone to come pick her up. I wonder when it'll really sink in that this is our life now.
Monday evening, I drove a friend home, and came back to find this:
Somehow, the sleep deprivation is all worth it!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Day 1
I think we did pretty well. I didn't nap, but we went out for a walk. I'd like to try to get out for a walk with her everyday. I think it's important for us both to get some fresh air, and it's definitely important for me to get out of the house. I definitely don't have the stamina I had before I got pregnant, so the walk yesterday was fairly short, but at least I got out there. I also made dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. I think for a first day it went really well.
Today, I went back to bed after feeding her at 8:30 and slept til her 11:30 feeding, so I'm feeling good about that.
With all the excitement having her early, I totally forgot about a book club that I'm in. We're meeting to discuss Northanger Abbey on Saturday. I finally started the book yesterday, so I have a lot of reading to do over the next couple of days.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
One Week Ago
I was induced early because my kidneys were acting up. They started the induction at 12:30pm on Saturday, and our little princess was born at 3:59 Sunday morning. I was released from the hospital at 9:00 Sunday night. Since she was so tiny (4 lbs 13 oz at birth) she had to stay in the NICU until Thursday afternoon. Leaving her in the NICU those four nights was hard, ut it let me get some sleep which I really think has helped me to recover faster. The nurses in the NICU were absolutely amazing, they took such good care of our little girl.
It's amazing to think that she's a week old already. It doesn't even really feel like she's ours.
Tomorrow's our first doctor's appointment, hopefully she's back up over her birth weight.
Since she's a preemie, I have to wake her every 2 1/2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night to feed her. Mommy & daddy are both starting to feel a little sleep deprived.
I feel like there's so much to say, but I don't even know where to start...
Monday, February 11, 2008
What's New
The nursery is DONE!!! It's really exciting, and I'm thrilled with the way it turned out, but I can't post and pictures yet, because my family's coming to see it for the first time on Sunday.
I'm going for ultrasounds every two weeks, and everything's looking really good. The baby's growing well, and moving around like crazy.
Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that everything's still going well. Just a few more weeks to go!!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Who Knew?
I feel like a huge weight's been lifted off my shoulders, and I didn't even know it was there!
I also let them know that my last day will be February 29, that seems so soon. I have lots to do!!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
It's All Coming Together
The nursery is coming together. The painting's almost done, the flooring and mouldings are sitting in the living room. I'm so lucky to have Steffan and his dad working so hard on this project. It's making the idea that we are going to have a baby in our house that much more real.
I had an OB appointment Friday morning. I don't have gestational diabetes, so that's a good thing. My blood pressure was about the same as two weeks ago, which is a little high. Because my blood pressure is a bit high, she's recommended that I cut back my hours at work, so I'm talking to my boss about that tomorrow.
We had our first childbirth class Tuesday. It was really interesting. I think these classes are going to be really helpful.
Other than that, not much is new. I'm hoping the nursery will be done by the end of this month. I've been putting off shopping for baby clothes, diapers, etc. until the nursery's done so that we don't end up with stacks of baby stuff everywhere, so I'm looking forward to being able to start that.
We had a freezer delivered on Saturday. Until now, we've just had the freezer compartment in our fridge. I'm so excited, it's hard to buy ice cream in the 4L buckets without a freezer!!