Luckily, I have an amazing family who stepped in to help me. My dear dad took the first week, my mom the second, and my sisters (with a little help from my good friend Lindsay) weeks three and four. How can you even begin to thank people who help you out like that? You can't. Because any way you try to do it is completely inadequate. I owe so much to them. Even if I had all the money in the world, I would have no idea how to repay them. I'm one lucky girl to have a family like that and at the end of the month one thing was obvious: this boy is so loved!
Here's my mom at the end of her week--still smiling!
Amy is a lot like my dad. She has some kind of magic with little kids--they adore her.
I love watching Andrea with JB. It's weird to think that since our DNA is identical, he's kind of part her, too. I sure love my sisters!
On another note, as we speak, JB is currently upstairs in his crib crying/screaming. I am trying to get him to fall asleep on his own (currently, his preferred method to fall alseep is to be held--which makes it nearly impossible to get anything done). If anyone has any advice on the best way to sleep train a baby, please let me know! I need all the help I can get. I don't think I have the heart to let him keep crying it out (which so far hasn't worked). Y0u can't blame me--look at this face and tell me you could do it:
Aw, I miss you guys. Soon you and I are going to be far apart, and I don't like that.
ReplyDeleteI miss him.
ReplyDeleteSwaddling with the arms in. I have heard so many mom's say but my baby doesn't like it. Well Kyra started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks and Ian at 8 weeks. Plus yes crying it out. I think Kyra peaked at I think 4 hours of crying when she went through a rough patch of sleeping at 6 months. It is hard but ohso worth it in the end.
ReplyDeleteHi Brittany! Okay, I know every kid is different...but we totally had the same sleeping thing as you are having! We're still working through some of it...but we ultimately just decided we couldn't bear to let him bawl for hours (literally, we tried and he wouldn't stop!) so we just kept rocking him to sleep or letting him chill while Seth and I were chatting. We set up our pack and play in our living room and during the day I'd put him in there to play or chill while I made food or cleaned up, etc. Turns out last week he started just falling asleep when we'd put him down! We still have to rock him at night because he gets too tired to just chill out, but at least during the day he's starting to put himself to sleep and stay asleep in the pack and play or crib!! Let me know if you guys come up with any brilliant solutions, too, we'd LOVE to hear them!
ReplyDeleteBrittany-there is no secret. Every child is different. And the only thing you need to know is that he has more will power than you. He can outlast no matter what-it is like they are born with this 6th sense that tells them how long you can stand to hear him cry and then-they cry 5 seconds longer than that until you go and rescue them. A couple things that helped me:
ReplyDelete1. Kids cry-that is how they communicate. If you know they are fed, comfortable, dry and you know they are tired I say put them in the bed.
2. The earlier the better-the older they get the better they are at communicating and if you think it is hard now while they are little it is so much harder when they can say 'mama' in between sobs.
3. It is some of the hardest few days but if you can stand it just do it-Miles was 8 months before we let him and he cried for like 6 hours the first night, 45 minutes the second and 10 the third and has not had a prob since. Colemania has been a good sleeper forever. Call me sometime we can discuss but you are doing great. Keep it up. When are yall coming to look at places to live?
he is sooooo sweet!!! I know what you mean, I am SO thankful for my family's help too, we are so lucky girl!
ReplyDeleteHe is a cutie! I'm a softy and do whatever my kids need to fall asleep. They've all been different. Usually though, if I cuddle and rock them for a little while first until they're almost asleep, but not quite and lay them down, then there is no crying. And eventually the cuddling and rocking takes less and less time because they know whats coming. I can't listen to them cry.... And, as much time as it takes, pretty soon they won't want to be cuddled or rocked anymore! (I'm really no expert on this though!) Obviously it's a different story when they are old enough to understand what I mean when I say "good night" or "it's bed time". Then it's spankings and off to bed!! Just kidding... sort of... :)
ReplyDeleteHi Brittany, You've got so many good suggestions, I hope they're working!!! I know how hard it is to get things done when they want to be held and cuddled. This too shall pass! Congrats on your move, hope it all goes well!
ReplyDeleteI am glad your family could help so much! If you have time to read the book Healthy Sleep Habits; Happy Child--I would highly recommend it! It saved me when Clara would not sleep unless I was holding her! It has great ideas and really worked for me (since having Clara scream for 2 hours straight was not!)
ReplyDeleteHe is so cute, oh my goodness, I want to smooch his cheeks!
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time with the whole "let them cry", I would try that when he's a little older, he's still a little young. I know its so frustrating when they won't nap, but just wait it out a little bit more and see what happens. Just stick him in the baby swing for now! If he likes that... and use a fan to block out any other noise. Carter and Braden still use their!
from Lorena:
ReplyDeleteBrit - first of all, congrats on finishing what must have been a very difficult time of going back to work! I'm so happy that everyone stepped in for you because it's hard to imagine how you'd have done it otherwise.
I recommend the same book Emily recommended - Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child by Dr. Weissbluth. I don't know where I would be without his advice. I did end up using the "let cry" method to help sleep train Michael and although it is never easy to listen to your baby cry, in the end I realized that letting him cry for those initial nights would actually mean LESS crying in the end. The first night I was sweating and felt so unsure and felt so bad for Michael, and I thought it would go on forever. But it was only 19 minutes. And then instead of waking up 6 times in the night crying, he only woke up once to feed and that was it. There were a lot of ups and downs that first week (the second night he cried off and on for an hour and I almost caved in) but I stuck to it and now he totally knows how to settle himself and we are all so much better rested and happier. He still cries sometimes for 5 - 10 mins sometimes before going down for a nap, but that is it. But more often he actually coos and chatters happily off to sleep.
I think Dr. Weissbluth recommends starting the training around 3.5 - 4 months because that is when they start to learn how to self sooth. I decided to try it once I knew Michael had found his hands and liked to suck on them so they could replace his pacifier. I'm sure you will be able to find some kind of similar cue with JB that will tell you when he is developmentally ready for sleep training. I know some people say not to try until 6 months or later but I totally disagree - you just have to know what works for YOU and HIM. Even if he is ready, if you are not then it will never work because you have to be consistent. So you have to do it at a time when you have the strength, motivation, and support to make the changes. I'm sure this is stuff you already know, but hopefully it helps to hear it again. Call me if you want support. I talked it over with my sister for an hour the night I decided I had to make some changes. Without her support I would have caved because it's easier to just keep doing what you are already doing. But it is NOT easier in the long run. It is SO worth the trouble now, and I bet you'll find out it is not as bad as you worry it will be.
Honestly though, I think the most important thing is to do it at a time when you are really ready to do it and commit to it.
If the "let cry" method is not your style (I know some people can't swallow it) then I think The Baby Whisperer was also a good book. Her method is more middle of the road. But I guess it just comes down to knowing your self and your baby. I don't think her method would have worked well for Michael because before I tried the "let cry" method, he actually got MORE worked up and cried harder when I would go into the room for him, and that ended up producing more crying in the middle of the night than when I just didn't go in at all.
And lastly, although most importantly - pray about it. And trust that God opens all sorts of inspiration and blessings on mothers or we'd never survive! Only you will know what is best for you and your family.
Oh - a good link - Dr. Weissbluth's blog:
http://weissbluthmethod.wordpress.com/
I haven't looked at your blog in forever! Tons of cute posts. It looks like you are loving being a Mom!
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