....there is nothing quite like being a mom and being sick. Nothing stops. Life just keeps happening and you suck it up and pray you don't give it to your little guy.
...ps. I'm very glad it's Friday and Daddy Zak will be home to help in just a few short hours!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Gotta love bumbo time!
So I just about completely forgot the beloved bumbo until just last week. For some reason I thought they had to be older to use it, but nope little Will absolutely loves bumbo time.... but what I really think he loves is being right with me in the kitchen while I cook dinner. I know I am biased but I do believe he's the cutest little man I have ever seen!Friday, January 20, 2012
Sleep Training- The Final Update
Day Five- Well... My sweet, precious little man made his momma proud. Last night, he slept through the WHOLE NIGHT. We were so shocked that for a moment we were afraid something bad might have happened! But nope, sure enough he was snug as a bug and right at 7am he woke up happy and babbling at his favorite thing in his room- the ceiling fan.
All in all, this has been an incredibly tough week, both emotionally and physically, but I can confidently say it has been more than worth it. It has been a roller coaster, but I am so greatful as it has brought me to my knees more times than I can count. So for anyone who is on the fence about sleep training or "ferberizing," I say, go for it!
Praise Jesus, we survived! Hopefully, tonight will continue the trend with many hours of shut eye!
All in all, this has been an incredibly tough week, both emotionally and physically, but I can confidently say it has been more than worth it. It has been a roller coaster, but I am so greatful as it has brought me to my knees more times than I can count. So for anyone who is on the fence about sleep training or "ferberizing," I say, go for it!
Praise Jesus, we survived! Hopefully, tonight will continue the trend with many hours of shut eye!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Sleep Training- Day Three Perfection, Day Four Regression
Day Three:
Well... The third day of working on naps went off without a hitch! Will woke up stuck, yet again at the top of the crib at 5:20 but then fell back asleep til 6:30am, which was success enough for me. So we ate some milk and started the day. All four naps were perfection, not even so much as a peep was heard from little William! I was sooo proud of him! He did fantastic and he was in great spirits!
Day Four:
After yesterday, I was absolutely convinced that we had completely mastered the naps and were in our new stride....and then the regression hit! And it came with a vengeance! The ugly backlash of one last attempt to get things back to the way they were. Will SCREAMED all day long. He literally took only 45 minute naps and then screamed bloody murder for the remainder of the naps. It was as if all that hard work went right out the window! ahhh!!!
After doing some research on this, I found that this is text book for what happens in the first week of sleep training. The baby makes one last attempt to assert their will before giving in for good. I pray for the Shipman household that the regression only lasts one day!
Well... The third day of working on naps went off without a hitch! Will woke up stuck, yet again at the top of the crib at 5:20 but then fell back asleep til 6:30am, which was success enough for me. So we ate some milk and started the day. All four naps were perfection, not even so much as a peep was heard from little William! I was sooo proud of him! He did fantastic and he was in great spirits!
( gotta love the bags under my eyes and the shell shocked look on my little man's face )
Day Four:
After yesterday, I was absolutely convinced that we had completely mastered the naps and were in our new stride....and then the regression hit! And it came with a vengeance! The ugly backlash of one last attempt to get things back to the way they were. Will SCREAMED all day long. He literally took only 45 minute naps and then screamed bloody murder for the remainder of the naps. It was as if all that hard work went right out the window! ahhh!!!
After doing some research on this, I found that this is text book for what happens in the first week of sleep training. The baby makes one last attempt to assert their will before giving in for good. I pray for the Shipman household that the regression only lasts one day!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Sleep Training- Night Two, Day Two
...a light at the end of the tunnel!Well...things are looking up in the Shipman household, and it appears that all these sad tears were worth it!
Night Two:
Ok, so night two certainly isn't as impressive as day 2, but it's still progress. Will slept til 4:40am and woke up because, yet again, he got stuck at the top of the crib. I moved him down and replaced his paci and he fell back to sleep... for 20 minutes :) Then the early morning crying commenced...and he cried off and on until 6am when I fed him and put him back to bed til 7am.
Day Two:
Day Two is where the Lord really answered my prayers! Nap #1 Will slept for 50 minutes and cried the remainder of the nap. But then.... the remainder of the naps yesterday he put himself back to sleep. Nap #2 he only cried off and on for 20 minutes and then put himself back to sleep. Nap #3 he put himself back to sleep for the first time EVER without his paci! Yey!!!
Needless to say I am soo encouraged. Before each nap and bedtime I hold his sweet little hand and we talk to Jesus asking him to help Will soothe himself back to sleep. And oh how faithful He has been! Looking forward to even more progress today!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Sleep Training- Night One, Day One
Well...I have successfully survived the first 24 hours of sleep training. We decided the best course of action for our little guy was the progressive waiting approach, but we modified it in that we still give him his paci.
Night One: Will went right to sleep at 7:30 after his bottle and bath. We did the dreamfeed at 10:30 and then right back to sleep. He woke up at 3:55am stuck up at the top of his crib. We swaddle him in what I call the straight jacket and he has started to almost be able to roll from his back to his tummy. In attempting to do this he lately has been getting stuck at the top of the crib. I went in after 3 min, then 5, then 7 and he cried ...well more like screamed for a good 30 minutes but then put himself back to sleep. He woke up again at 6am at which point I went ahead and fed him and then put him right back to bed until it was time for him to get up at 7am.
Day One: Well... today started off rough. I put him down for his first morning nap at 8:15am and he slept for a good 50 minutes! But then... the crying began. He cried for the remainder of his nap so for about an hour and was having no part of going back to sleep. I went in at the predetermined intervals but he was having none of it. However, the second nap of the day was a HUGE success. He slept for the first 45 minutes and then only cried for a total of 8 minutes before putting himself back to sleep. The afternoon nap didn't go so hot as he cried for a good 45 minutes, stopped for 10 and then it was time for him to eat. But the last nap of the day from 5:30-6:45 he put himself back to sleep after 5-7 minute of crying.
Soo.... PROGRESS is definitely being made! I have doubted myself all day and wondered if I could make it any longer and then the Lord brought relief by allowing my sweet little man to have the first 2 successful naps EVER!!! Praise Jesus!
I'm geared up for another challenging night as I have been up since 4am and praying that all these efforts will begin to pay off. This is truly one for the hardest things I've ever done!
I'm off to bed early to get a jump start on what may be a rough night #2.
Night One: Will went right to sleep at 7:30 after his bottle and bath. We did the dreamfeed at 10:30 and then right back to sleep. He woke up at 3:55am stuck up at the top of his crib. We swaddle him in what I call the straight jacket and he has started to almost be able to roll from his back to his tummy. In attempting to do this he lately has been getting stuck at the top of the crib. I went in after 3 min, then 5, then 7 and he cried ...well more like screamed for a good 30 minutes but then put himself back to sleep. He woke up again at 6am at which point I went ahead and fed him and then put him right back to bed until it was time for him to get up at 7am.
Day One: Well... today started off rough. I put him down for his first morning nap at 8:15am and he slept for a good 50 minutes! But then... the crying began. He cried for the remainder of his nap so for about an hour and was having no part of going back to sleep. I went in at the predetermined intervals but he was having none of it. However, the second nap of the day was a HUGE success. He slept for the first 45 minutes and then only cried for a total of 8 minutes before putting himself back to sleep. The afternoon nap didn't go so hot as he cried for a good 45 minutes, stopped for 10 and then it was time for him to eat. But the last nap of the day from 5:30-6:45 he put himself back to sleep after 5-7 minute of crying.
Soo.... PROGRESS is definitely being made! I have doubted myself all day and wondered if I could make it any longer and then the Lord brought relief by allowing my sweet little man to have the first 2 successful naps EVER!!! Praise Jesus!
I'm geared up for another challenging night as I have been up since 4am and praying that all these efforts will begin to pay off. This is truly one for the hardest things I've ever done!
I'm off to bed early to get a jump start on what may be a rough night #2.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
"This to shall pass... " or "Grab the Bull by the Horns..."
...currently that is our dilemma. Our little man continues to fight sleep like a rock star. I have read an infinite amount of books, blogs and articles on how to address these sleep issues.
The Problem:
1. Will will only take 45 minutes naps where he wakes up in his crib crying unable to put himself back to sleep. We then move him to his swing to finish out the remainder of his nap.
2. He continues to wake up once during the middle of the night at various times unable to put himself back to sleep. We know he doesn't need the additional feeding because once we put the paci in he usually goes back to sleep for several more hours.
Possible Solutions:
All the sleep training articles I have read say that almost any of the methods will work as long as they are consistently carried out and the parents are willing to stay the course.
#1 The first option is to utilize the Pick Up, Put Down Method from the author of "The Baby Whisperer" where when the baby wakes up and begins to cry the parent comes in the room and places a hand on the baby and reassures the baby that they are ok but need to go back to sleep. At which point the child will likely begin to cry harder. The parent then picks up the child, but the moment the crying stops they are to be placed back in the crib. This may have to be repeated for up to 100 times until the child finally nods back off to sleep without any sleep prop such as a paci. This method allows the child to cry, but not alone and only for a moment.
#2 The second option is to "Ferberize". The Ferber method is a variation of the "Cry it Out" in that you start off by allowing the child to cry for 3 minutes before going in and calming the child (without picking them up or giving them a paci) then waiting 5 minutes, then 10 up to 15 minutes. This approach is also known as the progressive waiting approach.... It is suppose to be for the more resilient, stubborn children such as ours :).
#3 The last option is to continue to wait it out and hope that things resolve themselves. I can see that happening for the nighttime as he is going til 5:30 or 6am several nights a week before waking up with the occasional 3am greeting. But the 45 minute nap intruder does not appear to be correcting itself any time soon and will likely need to be addressed head on.
....much to pray about. Either way, the plan is to tackle naps starting Monday and the nights next weekend! I should certainly have plenty of excitement to blog about this week ....
The Problem:
1. Will will only take 45 minutes naps where he wakes up in his crib crying unable to put himself back to sleep. We then move him to his swing to finish out the remainder of his nap.
2. He continues to wake up once during the middle of the night at various times unable to put himself back to sleep. We know he doesn't need the additional feeding because once we put the paci in he usually goes back to sleep for several more hours.
Possible Solutions:
All the sleep training articles I have read say that almost any of the methods will work as long as they are consistently carried out and the parents are willing to stay the course.
#1 The first option is to utilize the Pick Up, Put Down Method from the author of "The Baby Whisperer" where when the baby wakes up and begins to cry the parent comes in the room and places a hand on the baby and reassures the baby that they are ok but need to go back to sleep. At which point the child will likely begin to cry harder. The parent then picks up the child, but the moment the crying stops they are to be placed back in the crib. This may have to be repeated for up to 100 times until the child finally nods back off to sleep without any sleep prop such as a paci. This method allows the child to cry, but not alone and only for a moment.
#2 The second option is to "Ferberize". The Ferber method is a variation of the "Cry it Out" in that you start off by allowing the child to cry for 3 minutes before going in and calming the child (without picking them up or giving them a paci) then waiting 5 minutes, then 10 up to 15 minutes. This approach is also known as the progressive waiting approach.... It is suppose to be for the more resilient, stubborn children such as ours :).
#3 The last option is to continue to wait it out and hope that things resolve themselves. I can see that happening for the nighttime as he is going til 5:30 or 6am several nights a week before waking up with the occasional 3am greeting. But the 45 minute nap intruder does not appear to be correcting itself any time soon and will likely need to be addressed head on.
....much to pray about. Either way, the plan is to tackle naps starting Monday and the nights next weekend! I should certainly have plenty of excitement to blog about this week ....
Thursday, January 12, 2012
3 Months and Counting...
I can hardly believe that our sweet little man is already 3 months old! What an adventure it has been in the land of motherhood. Will truly is the greatest joy of my life. His sweet, happy spirit is contageous. He is growing beautifully and developing at a rapid pace!The Skinny on our little Man:
Weeks: 13
Weight: He was 13 pounds as of a week ago (was 50 percentile at 2 months)
Length: won't know a current length til next month (was 65 percentile at 2 months)
Head: Also was 50 percentile at last appointment
If I had to guess our little man is continuing to fall right in the middle of the baby gang and growing strong! And strong he is! Our little guy has been rolling over since 8 weeks and holding his head up since 6 weeks. He absolutely LOVES people and already cries if we leave the room. At 2 months he was developing at a 4 month level which while it sounds great, teething at 8 weeks is a bit of a nightmare. The poor little guy can't hold anything to chomp down on so we have spent many a day with my nuckle in his mouth to chew on and plenty of tylenol at night. He is talking up a storm ( in his language of course) and loves to sit and stand up while holding onto us.Sleep.... oh sleep... Well Will continues to only take 45 minute naps in his crib and then has to be moved to the swing to put him back to sleep, which continues to provide a challenge for leaving the house. As for the nights...he slept through the whole night for the first time on Sunday night!!!! Yey!!! ... but he must have decided that sleeping through was not all it was cracked up to be and decided waking us up for a visit at 3 and 4am was much more fun! Soo... we continue to pray each night that the day would come soon where he would beging sleeping through the night and not look back. In the meantime, praise the Lord for Paci!
But all and all we are hanging in there an enjoying every second of loving on our sweet baby Will...how quickly the weeks go by. I am trying to treasure every minute!
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