A Little Parenting Advice

Sometimes I think I might over share a bit when it comes to my experiences as a mom. This isn't necessarily on the blog, but more often in person. I mean, I do have a decent amount of experience when it comes to (1) being pregnant (2) giving birth (3) nursing (4) and so on. I think we as Moms like to share our experiences with other moms or moms-to-be, it just might not be requested or appreciated.

So, I thought I'd share a bit of advice/experience on my blog because you can choose to read it or choose to ignore it. I am offering this advice because I want you all to learn from our mistakes. It's about...

Sleep Training

With Abigail and Sarah we "trained" them to fall asleep on their own around 6 months (maybe a wee bit later). Of course things weren't perfect. We had times where we would have to help them by either rocking them to sleep or patting them on the back. Some nights they would sleep straight through the night, some nights they would wake up often.

I do know though, that sleep training would have benefited Lily greatly! You see, we kept putting it off and then didn't stick to our guns. For as long as I can remember now, we've been either rocking her to sleep or I have nursed her to sleep. This goes for the evening sleep as well as naptime. It is exhausting.

I noticed with Abigail and Sarah that once we "trained" they slept better overall. Even if they were to wake at night they could fall back to sleep on their own or we'd help comfort them, but seldom by nursing (at least at the point where Lily is now-11 months).

I'm not an advocate of any particular sleep training regimen. My advice to you is to (1) have a bedtime routine (2) sleep train between 4-6 months and (3) stick with the plan. If you get into the habit of putting your baby to sleep you can find it is a hard habit to break.

Has anyone had any experience with "sleep training" and older babies? I'd love advice. I think what Jonathan and I really need to do is agree on our strategy and stick to it. It won't be easy and the older girls' sleep might be interrupted, but in the long run it will be worth it.

Bedtime Routine

We've had a pretty solid, consistent bedtime routine since Abigail went to sleep on her own. Over time we've tweaked it here and there. When Abigail started sleeping in a big girl bed it became apparent that we needed to lay down some ground rules. We reminded Abigail of the rules as part of our bedtime routine. It got to the point where she was able to recite them:

1. Cup on shelf (so we wouldn't have to search for it)
   
2. Stay in bed
3. Keep your jammies on (yes, we had to make this a rule)
   
4. Go to sleep
5. We love you (not really a rule, but something fun to say after all the rules)

Over time we didn't have to remind her anymore because she was actually following the rules. Well, now that Sarah has been in her big girl bed, we've found that the rules need to come back. The big rules she's challenging are numbers 2 and 3.

Which brings me to the point of this post. Tonight I went in to check on the girls and found that Sarah broke rule #2, but was quiet enough so we weren't aware of her offense until she obeyed rule #4. I didn't find her in her bed, but soon spotted her. I was reminded of a scene from The Wizard of Oz (when Dorothy discovers that her house ended up on the Wicked Witch of the East).

Sarah got out of bed and went into the little castle tent we bought the girls recently. She fell asleep on one of their Build-a-Bear beds. So funny and cute.

July 4th Weekend

We had a pretty busy weekend celebrating the Fourth.

On Saturday we went to the beach - which was a blast. On Sunday we had what I call Red, White, and Blue Scones (I added blueberries as well as strawberries). Check out this recipe from FamilyFun. They were really good!

We then went to church and then headed to Nonna and Papa's for a cookout. We enjoyed all sorts of grilled meat thanks to Uncle Nick. After lunch we decided to set up the sprinkler for the girls. The sprinkler didn't work though, so Nonna had to do things the old fashioned way.

We then headed to North Andover to my Great-Aunt's house for dinner and fireworks. Unfortunately the town postponed the show due to rain. I'm still glad we went though, and the girls found ways to entertain themselves. Papa also provided some entertainment with his guitar.

Sunday night into Monday morning was rough. Sarah woke up around 1:00 AM pretty upset. Jonathan went in for the rescue and managed to get her back to sleep. A few minutes later, though, she woke up upset again. A little water, Tylenol, and 1 1/2 hours later she fell asleep right smack dab in the middle of our bed. Jonathan went to the couch and I stayed with Sarah.

The girls slept in a little, but not what we were hoping for. We had a pretty lazy Monday morning. Jonathan and I thought the girls would have fun going to the pool in our complex. That turned out to not be such a great idea. There was a lot of whining because the girls weren't getting what they wanted (which was mostly pool toys that belonged to OTHER kids). We quickly left the pool, had lunch, and then all four of us had a much-needed afternoon nap.

We nixed our Monday night plans to go out to see local fireworks. I was planning on waking Abigail up to see the Boston fireworks on TV. Instead, when I found out that the fireworks in DC were on PBS I let the girls stay up for the fireworks we would have seen if we were down in Virginia. It wasn't quite the same as actually being there, but we still had a lot of fun with it, and the girls went to bed pretty smoothly afterwards.

Abigail took this picture...

What They Don't Tell You

Sleep is a basic need. You need it, I need it, our babies need it.

"They" say it's a good idea to develop a consistent bedtime routine-I agree. We've had pretty much the same bedtime routine for a while now. They also say sleep schedules are good. We've done pretty good in this area as well.

What they don't tell you regarding babies and sleep is this:

Just because your little one falls asleep later than normal or skips a regular nap does not mean they make up for it by sleeping in the next morning. In fact, they may even end up waking up EARLIER than normal.

We are living proof of this. It's 5:30 AM (when I drafted this) and Abigail woke up 15 minutes ago.

Just thought I'd share.

Toddler Shenanigans

Abigail can be very entertaining at times. She also needs to be entertained. She can be a bit, let's say...energetic. The long winter and seemingly endless days of snow does not help. We've been stuck in the house a lot lately and Abigail is getting bored.

Let's start on a light note. Abigail is getting very good at dressing herself. All I have to do is set her clothes for the day in front of her and she is all set (minus me having to sometimes turn things around for her). A few times this week she's wandered off to her room though for a costume change. Here are a few things she's come up with:

Her parings are very edgy. I'm not sure that the "shirt-for-a-skirt" thing will catch on. Oh, and in that second picture she is wearing Sarah's clothes.

Now I have to come out with a disclaimer for this next little diddy-there is no underlying reason why I decided to ask Abigail the questions you'll see in the dialog below (I was just curious):

Me: Abigail, do you want to have a baby brother?
Abigail: Gives me a look. Shakes head. No.
Me: Do you want to have a baby sister?
Abigail: Same look. Shakes head. No.
Me: So you don't want Mommy to have any more babies?
Abigail: Shakes head. No.

There you have it. And just to be clear, I am not expecting.

Here's the not so light note. I typically put Sarah down for her second nap once Abigail is already sleeping. Today I was reminded why I do this. Sarah didn't take a first nap, so the afternoon nap would be her only nap. Well, she fell asleep before Abigail did, so I put her in her crib sleeping sweetly. A few minutes later I walked in to find Abigail standing at the crib and pulling Sarah's leg through the rungs. Sadly no one got a much needed nap today.

I can't leave Sarah out. I know she is small and she is only 16 months old, but she does toddle around and she does things that fit with this post's title. Sarah is climbing now. This scares me! We have a small table and chairs set and she has just figured out how to climb onto the chairs to take a seat. She took it to the next level yesterday though. I was washing dishes and turned around to see her STANDING on one of these chairs at the counter (Abigail stands on them to "help" with baking and such).

And while I was putting Abigail down today for the nap that didn't happen, Sarah had fun making a mess in the kitchen.

I am ready for spring. I think the girls are too.

Another One that Can't Wait

I decided to peek in on Sarah again once she fell asleep for her morning nap. This would have made another great Photo Fridays post (remember this cute one of her sleeping?), but I just couldn't wait. I was shocked to find her asleep in this position:

This does not look comfortable AT ALL.

So Sweet

This would have made for a great Photo Friday post, but I just couldn't wait to get it up here.

One of my favorite things to do is sneak into the girls' room after they've fallen asleep to see what position they ultimately fall asleep in. My girls like to move around a lot. Abigail, for instance, often does not stay in the head-on-the-pillow-feet-towards-the-foot-of-the-bed position. She sometimes will sleep with her head on one side of the bed and her feet on the other. Sometimes her feet will be towards the pillow end of the bed and her head towards the foot of the bed.

Sarah is finally getting used to falling asleep on her own again. Sometimes it takes longer than other times, but she'll do it. Today it took her 35 minutes to fall asleep for her morning nap. Once she finally did I sneaked in to get a peak and this is what I found:

Her stuffed animals are always kept in the corner. She only started playing with them a few weeks ago. It's like she lined them up next to her to keep her company. So cute!

The Twilight Zone

I don't know who those two little girls sleeping peacefully in the other room are. I feel like I'm in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Today has been a remarkably great day! It started with both girls sleeping through the night last night.

I got advice from a friend to take the girls out every morning in an effort to help with the nap struggles we've been having (particularly with Abigail and not going to sleep). Today was the second day we ventured out. We went to the mall. Yes, to the mall. Oh, and did I mention we took the double stroller? Better yet, Abigail actually sat in the double stroller! I explained to her a few times during Sarah's morning nap that we were going to the mall, that we had a few stores to go to, and that she would have to sit in the stroller. Abigail and Sarah did great and stayed put while I did some shopping. We finished our mall visit with a trip to the indoor play-place. And then it was time to leave. Abigail sat in the stroller again for our trip to the van. She did cry for a bit once we actually exited the mall, but went into the van without a fight.

It was lunchtime when we got home. Abigail ate all of her lunch. All of it!

Then came the dreaded nap time. Abigail got out of bed a few times, but she fell asleep. Sarah slept too.

I had a dermatologist appointment this afternoon and had to drop Abigail off at a friend's house so I would only have to take Sarah with me. We arrived on time and Abigail was more than happy to play with her friends. Sarah and I headed off to my appointment and I thought of ways I'd entertain her in the waiting area when BOOM! YOU FORGOT YOUR WALLET IN THE DIAPER BAG!!! YOUR DAY IS NOW A BAD ONE!! HA! I had to turn around to get it. We were only 10 minutes late. Sarah screamed during the second half of my appointment, but she got over it.

This is turning into a long post. I must share the icing on the cake though. Tonight I put Sarah in her crib while she was still awake (gasp)! She fell asleep 10 minutes later. And Abigail is sleeping too. Thank you God for such a great day!

Here is Abigail modeling a new dress we got today:

My Love/Hate Relationship with Sleep

I love sleep. Not to the point of excess, of course. I mean, I have not had the opportunity to indulge in excessive amounts of sleep in a good three years or so. I just love a good nights' sleep-cozy and under the covers.

What I hate about sleep is how long it has been taking lately to get the girls to sleep.

Abigail is a big girl now, so she is more than capable of falling asleep on her own. Abigail is a big girl now, so she has now become aware of lots of ways she can prolong the inevitable. We put her down with a sippy of milk. She'll down the milk and ask for water. Then she'll down the water and as for more milk. The past few nights she's mentioned she needs to go potty. Sometimes she'll ask for Mommy when Daddy comes in. She even tries to break out of her room (we have a baby gate up with the door open). If we're desperate, we cave and pat her back as she falls asleep. Otherwise she'll eventually go to sleep, but it is exhausting just getting her to that point.

We went through sleep training with Sarah a while back and it went surprisingly well. I longingly remember an evening a few months ago when I talked with Jonathan about how nice it was that the girls would chat and giggle and both fall asleep on their own. Sarah hasn't done this in quite a while, probably not since she started climbing the side of her crib. We end up helping her get to sleep 9 times out of 10.

What makes this even trickier is the fact that they share a room.

I love sleep. I hate how long it takes to get the girls to sleep. It isn't just how long it takes, but all the crying/screaming/whining that goes along with it.

Someday I'll be struggling with getting them up in the morning-in another 10 years or so!