Adventures in Sleep Training: Day Two

I'll try to be brief with this recap, since my first two were pretty detailed. Jacob's first nap was pretty similar to day one. The one improvement is that even though he fussed as I laid him in the crib (he really wanted to fall asleep eating), he fell asleep as soon as I left the room. That was an improvement. Unfortunately, he only slept 20 minutes again, and cried the rest of the time. I was a sad Mommy when I went to go get him.

Nap #2 also started with him fussing as I laid him down and then falling asleep right away. It seems he's at least making progress in getting himself to sleep for his nap, so this was encouraging. This time he slept about 25 minutes, and then cried the rest of the time. He did have a few breaks in his crying, so that seemed to be a little bit of progress.

Since his naps were short again today I decided to put him in his swing for nap #3, and it was tough just getting him to pass out. I ended up feeding him until he pretty much passed out. He put his thumb in his mouth the last minute while the swing got started. I had to go in the bathroom and cry for a minute, because I was so exhausted by this day. A few minutes later Jacob woke up, so I ended up feeding him some more and letting him sleep in my arms. I swear that if he wasn't sleeping so well at night I would be really tempted to give up at this point. I just hope Josh has better luck Monday & Tuesday and that Jacob can actually sleep longer during each nap.

Good news is that once again Jacob went to bed pretty easily. He started getting fussy around 6:45, so I started his bedtime routine a little earlier than normal. As soon as I got done feeding him he stuck his thumb straight into his mouth and his eyes already were starting to close. I quickly set him in his crib and turned on his sheep as he fell asleep. It was so precious! He did wake up crying 3-4 times throughout the night and once in the morning, but each time he put himself back to sleep within a minute or two. Josh and I never had to check on him! I'm doing the happy dance now!

After 3 successful nights of sleep training I am so sold on this process. Although the naps have been rough (and may be for awhile) I am amazed at how well he is able to put himself to sleep at night. I highly recommend the book Sleepeasy Solution to everyone who has babies or will in the future. Although I'd love to detail every day as our training continues, I'm sure you would all get bored of my updates. Instead I'll give you an update probably when he turns 5 months. Hopefully I'll be able to say by then that his naps are going as well as his nights!

Adventures in Sleep Training: First Full Day

Well, we made it through night number one quite successfully and have now completed our first full day of sleep training. That means we had to conquer not just night sleep but also naps. According to the book, it can take up to a week to get babies to successfully fall asleep and stay asleep during naptime. The odds were not in our favor.

Nap #1 was pretty rough. Jacob fussed for about 10 minutes, slept for 20, and then cried off and on for the last 30 minutes. Naps are supposed to be at least an hour, so unfortunately I couldn't take him out of his crib before that hour was up. Since he had such a good night, it was rough hearing him cry so much.

Nap #2 also started with crying. This time it was only about 5 minutes, and then he slept for about 20 minutes again. He then woke up and cried for the remaining 35 minutes. Once again, this was not fun for me to hear.

Nap #3 was kind of a cheat. According to the book, if your baby does not get a full nap the first two times around, you are supposed to either use motion (driving in the car or moving in the stroller) or your old ways to get the baby a full length nap. This way the baby will not be overtired and have a harder time settling at bedtime. Since Jacob has never slept in his stroller and rarely sleeps in the car, I decided to feed him and then put him in his swing to sleep. This totally worked. In fact, he only ate for about 5 minutes and then passed out for 1 hour and 40 minutes!

Because he struggled so much with his naps, I began to get worried about putting him to bed that night. Luckily, it ended up being super easy. We went to church before he went to bed, and they gave him a bottle right before we left. They said he tried to go to sleep, but they kept him awake (because I asked them to). As soon as we got home I changed him, read a story, and then put him right into his crib with his sheep. He must have fallen asleep immediately, because he didn't make a peep. I even checked on him 10 minutes later, and he was passed out. It was amazing! I honestly could not believe how easy it was.

Jacob slept great the whole night. He had 3 or 4 times when he woke up crying for about a minute or two, but then he fell right back to sleep on his own. He even woke up 10 minutes before his wake up time, put himself back to sleep, and slept 6 minutes past the wake up time! So he ended up getting a full eleven hours with no difficulty. We still had to feed him, of course, but we started the weaning process and were able to put him back to bed with no problems after each feeding. I am so happy with this process already. I can't wait to see how the next few days go.

Adventures in Sleep Training: Night One

Well, last night I decided to start sleep training with Jacob to see if we could finally work towards getting him to sleep all night long. For those who don't know, sleep training is basically letting your baby "cry it out" until they learn to put themselves to sleep. This keeps them from constantly relying on their parents to get them to sleep night after night. The book I am using is called The Sleepeasy Solution, and it involves several methods to get your child to fall asleep and stay asleep, including slowly weaning them off of night feedings, setting up a predictable bedtime routine, and creating a good sleep environment. Originally I planned to wait another week, but for whatever reason I just decided to go ahead and start this weekend. I am just sick of being so tired and never knowing if he will fall asleep easily or how long he will sleep.

Anyways, last night began our adventure, and I was very nervous about starting the whole process. The book states that babies may cry for up to an hour the first night, and I was expecting the worst based on Jacob's struggle with sleep. I went through our sleep routine which involved a bath (this will only every other night), a diaper change and pajamas, reading a book with Mommy, and a feeding. The hardest part is that I wasn't supposed to let him fall asleep while feeding, because the book said it would make it harder for him to fall asleep on his own and possibly cry longer. The whole time I fed him I was moving his legs, rubbing his belly, and doing whatever I could to keep him awake. He was not very happy about this, because he wanted to fall asleep like usual. After he finished and fussed for about a minute he was calm while I burped him. Then came the time to lie him down and leave. I gave him lots of kisses, turned on his sleep sheep, and left the room. He was totally calm. I went in 5 minutes later to check on him, and he was just lying there sucking his thumb. I then had to wait 10 minutes to check on him again, so I washed some bottles to distract myself and when I went back in he was asleep! I could not believe it. He slept until about 10:05 and then woke up crying. Josh checked on him, since I was trying to go to sleep, and I guess he kept crying off and on for 30 minutes. That was the only crying he did all night. Josh and I fed him according to the book's directions, and he went straight back to sleep each time.

According to the book, since we laid him down at 8:00 his wake time should be 7:00 unless he sleeps later on his own. At about 6:40 I heard him wake up on the monitor and just make noises. He started crying about 5 minutes before wake up, but the book said not to get him up early. So I just waited the 5 minutes, went in and gave him hugs/kisses, and then gave him his morning feeding. I was so proud of my baby!

Now that the first night is over, we are supposed to start working on his naps today and then resume the same bedtime schedule tonight. The book said naps are much harder, usually, so I know that it could be a rough day. I'll keep you posted on how the first full day goes!

4 Months Old

This past month has brought many exciting changes for Jacob. The best change of
all is that our fussy newborn has blossomed into a happy, sweet infant! Of
course, he can still be fussy and temperamental at times, but his fussing is
what I would consider "normal" baby crankiness rather than the unpredictable,
unconsolable fussing that we dealt with the first 3 months of his life. In fact,
the change happened so suddenly that I'm starting to think he was a colicky
baby. Luckily, the worst seems to be behind us, and we are able to have a lot
more fun and do much more with our sweet baby boy. He has been able to get out
and about with Mommy and Daddy much more. He's now been to the mall, Olive
Garden, and Babies R Us in addition to many other places. It is so nice to be
able to get out of the apartment with him without the constant anxiety of
whether or not he will start wailing.

In addition to being less fussy, Jacob is doing many new things. He now puts almost everything into his mouth. It all started with his fists and fingers, and lately he has started sucking on his thumb. He also likes putting his bibs and blankets in his mouth. Another thing Jacob has started doing is batting and grabbing things. Instead of just lying on his activity mat, he now hits and grabs the toys that dangle from it. He can also hold his rattle for several minutes and shake it himself! It is so fun to watch him playing with these things and interacting more. Jacob also loves smiling, "talking," squealing, and lately he has even started to laugh! The first day he did it was so fun, and it almost made me cry- the sound was so sweet and cute. Finally, Jacob is getting better at sitting up in his bumbo chair and is getting close to rolling over from his back to his stomach. All of these developments have been so fun to watch, and it is crazy how much he is developing in just these past few weeks.

Jacob has been doing well with eating but sleeping continues to be a challenge. I have started doing whatever it takes to get him to sleep- usually resorting to feeding him or putting him in his swing to get him to pass out. His naps are very unpredictable, and he often sleeps best when being held. Nights are also all over the place. Some nights he wakes up only once or twice, and other times he wakes up 3-4 times. These nights I end up putting him in the swing to sleep so that he won't wake up again. Although his sleeping has not improved, I have somehow managed to get a decent amount of sleep each night, and this past week really helped me catch up a bit. I have been on Spring Break, so it has helped not having an alarm wake me up and being able to sleep until Jacob finally gets up for the day. At the end of the month I plan to start sleep training with him to hopefully get him to sleep straight through the whole night and take good naps consistently. I know it will probably be a challenge at first, but I am eager to get to the point when his sleep is more predictable and we can all get some good rest.

Finally, I thought I would share some of the things that Jacob likes and dislikes, now that his little personality is starting to come through. Jacob seems to love taking baths, playing on his activity mat in the morning, playing with his blankets, listening to Mommy sing songs, playing with Daddy, looking at lights, practicing standing up (when we hold him, of course), hearing us clap our hands, and playing with his toys. Jacob does not like waiting for things (to be picked up, be fed, etc.), having his nose cleaned out, riding in the carseat in Daddy's car, tummy time flat on the floor (he prefers the boppy so he can see things easily), not being able to fit things in his mouth, and sitting in the carseat when we're out at restaurants. It is so fun to see his personality developing! I can't wait to see what this next month brings as he continues to grow and change!

3 Months Old

Wow, Jacob is growing so fast! It is hard to believe it has been 3 months since this little guy came into our lives. The past month has been very busy and kind of rough for all of us. Right when Jacob turned 2 months old he got his first cold and had to stay home from daycare for 2 days, since he was getting a bad cough from all the drainage. Then the following Monday he had his 2 month check-up and had to get shots. All of this resulted in a very cranky baby, and Josh and I also ended up getting colds as well. Then just as Jacob was recovering he got super snotty again, and then developed pink eye. Our poor baby just could not catch a break! So basically he's been sick almost the entire month. Not fun! I have also been sick most of the month, so this has made for a miserable time in our household.

This month was also my first month back at work, and Jacob's first full month in daycare. Both of us are doing very well, although some days I come home pretty exhausted and end up passing out while Jacob is napping. He is also exhausted and usually sleeps 3-4 hours when we come home from daycare. He does not nap very well while he is there unless he falls asleep in the boppy pillow, but somehow he makes it through the day. I am just glad that he is doing well and not being fussy all day for them.

Speaking of sleep, Jacob still is not sleeping through the night, but we have had some good nights sprinkled in here and there. Of course his illness did not help him sleep, and there were a few really rough nights for awhile. In fact, two days after his doctor's appointment he was pretty much awake all night, and Josh and I had to take turns holding and feeding him throughout the evening. I think we got about 4 hours of sleep each so that was the worst night since he was first born. When he hasn't been sick, though, he has done much better. There were 2 nights right after he started daycare when he slept about 6 hours before waking up, and he has started doing this again in the past week now that he is feeling better. I have been trying to get him to sleep by about 8:00 at the latest, and then he will sleep until around 2:30/3:00 to eat. Once I put him back down he will sleep until about 6:00/6:30. So we're making progress. Now we just need to work on his naps, because he has really been fighting those lately. I did get a new baby sleep book that someone recommended at work, and if he is still struggling to sleep through the night and take his naps then I will use that to do sleep training once he turns 4 months old.

Finally, Jacob has changed so much this past month and is doing cute little things everyday. He is becoming much less fussy than he used to be, which is a huge relief. When he is awake he will smile and coo at us. He seems to do this the most when he is in his bouncy seat, swing, or boppy pillow, and he loves it when we get in his face and talk to him or give him kisses. My favorite time is in the morning, because I will strap him in his bouncy seat and put it in the bathroom while I shower and get ready. He will just sit there making noises and "talking" to me, and it is so cute! He is also very active and will kick his legs and wave his arms around like crazy. He hasn't started grabbing things very much unless he is pulling on a blanket or our shirts when we hold him. I have tried to get him to grab or bat at the animals that dangle on his activity mat, but he just still isn't ready to do that. He is still getting used to his new activity mat, and does not like having tummy time on it. Lately I have been putting him on the boppy for tummy time, and he prefers this much more. I think it is just because his head is raised up higher, allowing him to look around. Another new thing Jacob has been doing is sucking/chewing on his hands and fingers. You would think those things were made of candy! It's pretty funny to watch, and sometimes he will end up with drool all over his chin from all the sucking. Jacob also loves being naked while having his diaper changed or taking a bath. The other day he was being pretty fussy after I fed him, but as soon as I turned on the bath water and started undressing him he got a big smile on his face and calmed down. Usually he sort of lies there with a shocked look on his face and his fists clenched because he gets so cold, but the last few times in the bath he started waving his arms and legs and kind of splashing the water. I can't wait until he is big enough to sit up and start playing in the bath! Although I miss how little he was when he was first born, I love all the things he is doing now and how playful he is becoming. Josh even said the other day that he thinks Jacob is cuter now than when he was born. Josh said he loves that Jacob has chubby cheeks, legs, and arms now! I thought that was pretty funny. As hard as it has been to adjust to this new life, we definitely love our little guy and are excited to see what this next month brings!

I love cloth diapers

I thought I would do a quick post to share how my cloth diaper experience is going, since I chose to order some before Jacob was born and try them out. So far I am loving them! As you can see from the pictures above, they are super cute, and clean very well. The top picture is after he has worn them each about 3 times and pooped in every one! You would never even know!

So far the cloth diapers have been pretty easy to use. They require a little extra work, but they are much better than disposables. I have only had one experience with poop coming out of the cloth diapers, but in disposables we experience poop blowouts at least once a week if not more. Yuck! That is proof that there will be poop in the washing machine whether you use cloth diapers or not. And speaking of poop, since Jacob is pretty much solely breastfed I don't have to do any extra rinsing of the diapers before washing them. I just stick them in my cute cloth diaper wet bag and then throw the bag and diapers in the washing machine after he has worn them all. There have even been a few times where I took a few days to wash the diapers, but the stains still came out really well. It's pretty amazing!

Right now I only have the 7 diapers you see above, but I may invest in some more later to reduce the number of disposables we use at home. I currently have 3 Fuzzibunz diapers (on the left), and 4 BumGenius diapers (on the right). They all work well, but I think I like the BumGenius a little better. The Fuzzibunz require you to adjust the elastic as the baby grows, while the BumGenius just uses snaps on the outside to adjust the fit of the diaper. Still, though, I am very happy with the diaper choices I made and am glad I decided to try out cloth. I would highly recommend them to any mommies or future mommies out there!

2 Months Old

How do I have a 2 month old already? I just can't believe it. The past month has been pretty crazy and very busy for all of us. I went back to work last week, and Jacob started daycare. I am eager to see how he does with this new schedule over the next month, but so far it is going well.

Jacob continues to eat well. He still mostly eats every 2 hours, but he can often go longer if he takes a good nap. He is still mainly on breastmilk, but he does get a bottle of formula almost every day at bedtime so Mommy can get some extra sleep! I think Josh enjoys having his Daddy time with Jacob at night, so it works out well for everyone.

Jacob's sleeping patterns have been kind of crazy this month. We have continued to work on the whole 90-minute sleep cycle thing, with some mixed results. For a long time he would fight us on taking a nap even when he appeared to be tired, and if he missed a nap he would get pretty cranky. Recently, though, he has started falling asleep in his swing and carseat, so this has helped a lot and allowed us to get him to sleep and then transfer him to the crib. At daycare he doesn't nap very well. So far he only naps for a total of 2 hours while he is there (not all at once), since he can't be swaddled or have his heater blowing on him. He definitely makes up for it by napping when he gets home though. Hopefully he will get used to the cribs there and sleep at least a little more during the day. And he also has not been too fussy or cranky at daycare, which has been exciting to hear. That being said, he is NOT sleeping through the night. Although he sleeps pretty well at night he still gets up once or twice to eat. He has been going to bed around 11 or 12 at night and waking up around 7 or 8 AM, so he's getting some pretty good stretches of sleep even with waking up in between to eat. I, of course, am hoping he will give up nighttime feedings and just sleep straight through from night until morning. Maybe all the excitement of daycare will help make this happen, since he comes home so tired when I pick him up. Overall, though, I can't be too upset about his night sleeping, since I know some babies this age wake up even more often at night.

Jacob's 2nd month ended with him catching his first cold. He has been really snotty and coughing since Sunday night, and I felt so bad for him. Luckily he was home with Josh on Monday and Tuesday instead of at daycare with other little ones.

Overall, I have to say that Jacob has made a lot of progress this past month. He is starting to make lots of sounds and smile, especially when he is in his swing or lying on the boppy pillow. He also seems to slowly be getting less fussy, especially after he started at daycare. This has been really encouraging and allowed me to start taking him out a little bit more. On Sunday I even got to go to church and was able to leave him in the infant room. It made me nervous, but he did fine. I can't wait to see where the next month takes us and how he grows and develops!