Ok, I thought for SURE I'd get at least one comment on the "Get in my mouth, Camera" pics from yesterday. Was that not hysterical?!?!? I was dying when I saw the pictures. She literally puts everything in her mouth, including a camera as it's being used... :)
And did you SEE the double butt shot??? Too much.
So today was a tough one. I struggled to search for a giggle to write about, even though I know they were there, because today was our first day...sleep training.
(enter Jaws theme music here)
I wasn't really planning to start it today, especially being a weekday...but it was sort of forced upon me.
Caleb screamed for an HOUR this morning fighting nap time. This was very bizarre for his nap times, he usually will fight for about ten minutes max. It takes about 2-5 binky replacements to get him to fall asleep during the day, but it eventually happens.
Not this morning.
He was having no part in nap time, he was 100% sold on having mommy time instead. As soon as I'd come in the room he'd stop crying. I'd replace the binky, start to walk out, and hear him spit the binky out and start crying. I checked for a dirty diaper, nope. I checked that he wasn't too hot, too cold, lying on something...he had just eaten about an hour or so before, so he wasn't hungry.
I was so frustrated. And Grace was joining him, but she eventually fell asleep and he just kept screaming.
Now, this came after getting approximately two hours of sleep last night. Two.
Two.
He was awake about every 30-45 minutes from 10:30 on, I believe. I was so tired, I'm just not really sure. But I know it was a binky problem. As soon as I'd give him the binky, he'd calm down. But then he'd start to fall asleep, drop the binky, flinch, and be awake for a good amount of time.
Exhausted.
So I decided for his second nap, the binky was finished. I couldn't do it anymore. He only naps for 20-40 min anyway, there's no point in working that hard to put a binky in his mouth. He needs to learn to fall asleep on his own.
And no daycare is going to replace his binky for an hour trying to get him to nap.
And I'm fairly certain I'll lose my job if I'm coming to work after two hours of sleep every day...I was not a very nice person to my poor husband this afternoon.
So, that second nap came and I put him down with his binky knowing that if he dropped it, he was out of luck.
He dropped it about two seconds after I walked away. Ugh.
So I let him cry for three minutes, then went in and put my hand on his chest, said it was time to sleep, and softly shushed him. Then walked out. Crying immediately began again. I let him cry for five minutes this time. Then did the same. Then ten minutes of crying. Same. At this point, that was the max amount of crying without a visit, so I went in again after ten more minutes. I watched him falling asleep and startling himself back awake this time and decided he wasn't going to fall asleep like that, so I tucked his arms in a blanket and walked out. He fell right to sleep.
This wasn't part of the plan and it won't happen again...but I guess I learn as I go, no?
So the boy needs to be swaddled, but he won't be able to be swaddled at daycare, so back to square one.
He woke up about thirty minutes later when his sister woke up. The next nap he only cried for the first three minutes, then five minutes, then fell asleep somewhere in the next ten minutes. But woke up about 20 minutes later with no signs of falling back to sleep.
And then the real test. Bedtime. He is so good at falling asleep with his binky at bedtime. It only takes once or twice of going in there to replace it usually. But after 10:30, all bets are off. Not cool. So I had to teach him how to sleep without it. He fell asleep on the bottle, and then woke up when I burped him (per usual). I put him down without the binky at 6:45, he laid in there for a few minutes without crying and then it started. Went in at 3, 5, then 10 minutes later. Then the second ten minute interval he cried for about 7 minutes and then quieted down. Then about 5 minutes of silence and he started crying again. Three minutes later, he fell asleep for good (at least up until this point at 8pm...we'll see...). So it took about 25 minutes. Not bad.
It's going to be a LONG night, but that was a lot shorter than I thought it was gonna be. I was sure we'd have to hear him cry for an hour or more the first time. I cried one time during that first ten minute cry when he started getting hysterical. Ben had to calm me down because I was about to lose it and give in, but he reminded me that it's not good for him to be awake every hour needing a binky. So I held out and he stopped crying soon after.
I pray to God that it just keeps getting better from here. The book I'm reading (Ferber) says that it shouldn't take more than one week, and usually after only a couple or three days it will be MUCH better. Please pleaseplease.
Anyway, back to the giggle. Hard to find because they were both cranky, especially Caleb (lack of sleep, probably) today, but hidden throughout all of the fussing and discontentment, these babies are still such happy little ones!
First, I put them together again today and it was so cute, Grace started lunging for Caleb's face like she wanted to devour the whole thing (she does that to Daddy sometimes) and he just laid there and smiled at her. She is definitely the agressor- she runs the show when they're together. He sort of just observes and every once in a while tries to reach out and get in the game. Mostly she's sqwaking at him and reaching for him and clawing at his face/eyes. :)
Second, when they were getting a little fussy this evening before bedtime we put them in their swings. Caleb still wasn't feeling it, until I brought out the stuffed monkey. All I had to do was bounce it up and down in front of his face and the famous Caleb grin (HUGE cheeks, big dimple, open mouth, total silence) showed up and he completely lit up. He loves that thing.
Third- Ben was putting lotion on Grace before bedtime and I leaned back on the ottoman (I was sitting playing with Caleb in his swing) and kissed her forehead, provoking a beautiful Gracie smile. So I did it again for an even bigger smile. Then I started kissing her all over her face and she chuckled. So I went full force and was blowing raspberries on her neck when she started doing this hysterical intense laugh, it sounded like an adult! She was almost growling! Really loud and super happy!! :)
See, even on a tough day I get plenty of amazing giggles out of my wonderful babies.
 |
| Alright, if we put our heads together we can figure this whole crying thing out. You think if I cry for the first five minutes then you start after that, then alternate...we can get her to crack? |
