Sleep Training 101

Welcome to Baby boot camp.

After much thought and prayer, I recently came to some conclusions. First, I don't like the person I am becoming. I told Jim the other day that I feel more like a feeding- and diaper-changing machine than a human being (specifically "Daja"). My entire life revolves around Halle's eating and sleeping (or lack thereof). Activities and relationships I used to participate in have either fallen away or I've lost my desire to participate completely. I don't believe God created me with my unique talents and desires to become someone who is shut-up in the house, either too exhausted or too afraid of how Halle will handle the new situation.

Secondly, Halle is not a happy camper these days. My wonderful newborn has turned into a cranky baby and I've been too exhausted to deal with it properly. I've been developing bad habits with Halle out of desperation to get her to sleep. I want her to have the ability to sleep on her own and be a happy, sociable baby when she is awake. Frazzled Mommy definitely equals frazzled baby!

Finally, Jim and I need some structure back in our home and marriage where every moment together is not spent playing "Baby shuffle" so we can individually get sleep or run errands, etc. We've been blessed that our parents have willing to watch her and give us time out of the house together, but we are craving the ability to have alone-time together at home.

I was pouring out my problems to a dear friend the other day (which seems to be the only conversation I can contribute these days) and she suggested I put Halle on a schedule. I'm not sure why I haven't thought of this before! Currently I allow Halle to eat/sleep/play whenever she wants. This plan is obviously not working!

So here was a solution. I researched out different "baby-training" books and found one with excellent reviews. This book promises 12 hours sleep by 12 weeks of age. This I am not as optimistic about achieving, but I do appreciate how it sets up a day and night schedule and emphasizes teaching your baby to fall asleep on their own.

Needless to say, I bought the book (title of which I will share after my experience) and we are following the steps. And, in one day, we have already achieved several milestones including moving Halle to her crib, eating on a four-hour schedule, and only waking for two night feedings during the 12 hours she was in her crib!

This is already making a huge difference for our family. I feel empowered as a mother and hopeful, for the first time since we brought her home, that we will survive this. Halle is already sleeping more soundly, eating better, and much calmer during her awake hours. Jim and I have enjoyed quiet evening time together alone without having to leave the house.

We will keep you posted on our progress! In the meantime, we are looking forward to meeting our goals:

Happy, healthy baby.
Happy, healthy Mommy.
Happy, healthy family.

8 week stats...

At 8 weeks, we are...

- wearing 3-month sized outfits and 6-month sized jammies. Yes folks, we are a LONG baby! Halle's 2-month appointment is next week, so we'll get the "official" height and weight stats then.

- able to hold our head up steady for quite a while and able to stand on Mommy's lap with minimal support!

- also able to push off with our legs from a squatting to standing position with minimal support. We are a strong little girl!

- very alert and able to stay awake and socialize for longer periods of time.

- able to suck on ANYTHING. The inside of Mommy's arm has multiple bruises to prove that fact. We also recently discovered our fist. Mommy is looking forward to developing our ability to self-soothe!

- showering with Mommy. We gave up on the silly bathtub. Halle loves standing in the shower with Mommy but HATES her head under the sprayer.

- still hating the car, bouncer, swing... we pretty much want to be held all. the. time. Yay.

- eating like a champ. Every 2-3 hours still plus occasional supplementing during growth spurts.

- NOT sleeping like a champ. To all you parents out there whose children slept 6-8 hours at 8 weeks... I hate you. Halle ranges from sleeping between feeds (every 2-3 hours) to taking 15-20 minute cat-naps during her growth spurts. For days at a time. Yay.

- cooing, growling, smiling and trying to mimic Mommy and Daddy's every facial expression. Today I laughed at her and she tried so hard to mimic my laugh. It was a pretty good attempt even though no sound came out!

- the prettiest little girl ever! We love our wild red hair and ability to look good in any color.

8 weeks...

Halle is 8 weeks old today.

And I. am. EXHAUSTED.

Everyone else I know who's had a baby this year had written these cheery posts about THEIR babies sleeping through the night by 8-9 weeks. And, between the 13 of us at work and multiple friends and acquaintances who were expecting this year, that's a lot of babies.

Halle decided to stop sleeping altogether at eight weeks. Always different... and difficult!

Let's just say that in the past 31 hours, we've slept three. Add to that the fact that Jim has been out of town two of the past three weeks and I've been doing the up-straight-for-28 hours business alone. This mama is tired!

I never slept well in my pregnancy beyond the first trimester (in which I felt like Rip Van Winkle... I pretty much sleep-walked from the couch to the toilet for 12 weeks) so I figure in all I have not slept for 35 weeks. I'm pretty much starting to lose my mind from lack of sleep.

We have this wood plaque above our bed and in the past two days it has crossed my mind that if it were to fall on my head it would knock me unconscious... and I felt relief at the thought of being unaware of the incessant crying. I've also planned out my "escape route", or what I'd do if I could get in my car and leave town for a day. Or more.

Like I said, I'm losing it.

Here's to hoping for a little sleep soon!

(and yes, I will post the obligatory picture and 8-week stats later.)

(maybe.)

Smiley girl!

4 weeks old!

Halle is four weeks old today! I can hardly believe it's already been almost a month since she was born. She is growing so fast! At four weeks we are...

- Eating 4-6 ounces every three hours. Halle nurses and takes the bottle very well! I've been fortunate that Halle has not required any supplementing beyond my breastmilk.

- Still wearing newborn-size outfits and diapers, but has moved up to 0-3 month jammies. Halle is too long for her newborn-size jammies!

- Able to push ourselves up off our tummy and hold our head up for several minutes. I recently put Halle is her Bumbo (an infant seat) to see how she would do. She sat and held her head up by herself for 10 minutes! Halle loves to be upright (whether held or sitting) so she can look around.

- Making eye contact. When I come near Halle and talk to her, she turns her head, makes eye contact with me, and her eyes widen. Halle knows her Mommy! Halle also knows her Daddy's voice. I keep Halle with me during our church services, and when Jim starts to sing, Halle will look for him. His voice is also very soothing for her!

- Asserting our independence (already!). Halle has started to develop the nasty habit of fighting sleep. Halle will wear herself out trying to stay awake (especially during daylight and after her "bedtime" feeding at night). I'm not sure if it really is funny or I'm just terribly sleep-deprived, but watching her fight nodding-off can been hilarious at times!

- Still loving motion... of any kind. Halle loves car rides, the stroller, the swing and bouncer (but only on her terms!), and being walked around. She is quite the snuggle-bug as well and the only way I can get her to go down these days is on my chest. Halle also still loves to be all stretched out. If I try to wrap her arms up in her blanket, she will fuss until they are free.

- Now enjoying our bath slightly more. I tried her bath tub again and she is tolerating it... for now. Her hair still has quite a bit of red in it and has thickened since birth. It has started to stick up on top and looks very cute with a headband.

Now I will leave you with pictures of Halle from her very first bath four weeks ago... proof that at one time she did enjoy it!

What we've been up to...

Miss Halle (or "Littles", as Jim calls her) is already three weeks old! We've been quite busy the past few weeks trying to get our lives on some-what of a schedule. Halle is still eating every 2-4 hours but sleeps well between her night feedings and is usually very alert in the mid-morning and evenings. She is growing like a weed and has already grown out of several of her newborn jammies (which makes her Momma sad!).

Halle gets a bath every other day and so far does not enjoy it at all! In fact, we are still doing sponge-baths as the two immersion-baths we attempted in her little tub failed miserably. She does love having her hair washed and being snuggled in her bath towel!

Halle has gained a lot of strength in her neck and loves to be held upright so she can hold her head up and look around. She loves light and the sun and being snuggled. Halle goes through phases with liking the swing and bouncer, but always enjoys walking around, being pushed in the stroller, or riding in the car.

We celebrated the Fourth with a party at our home. Halle slept in her nursery for most of the fireworks but looked so cute in her sundress!

Jim and I have started experimenting with leaving her for short periods of time with her eager grandparents. It's been great to get out of the house and we even managed to squeeze in a date night this week! As much as we love our "Little Tuddles", we've missed the time we used to get with each other.

Jim is gearing up for his summer trips. He is taking a group of youth to Spokane in two weeks for their annual World Changers trip. They will meet up with youth from all over the northwest to help low-income families by working on projects such as painting or re-roofing their homes. In August, Jim will be taking the youth to an adventure camp in Montana for a week. They will be doing all sorts of fun activities such as white water rafting and horseback riding that help them to understand God in new ways and grow closer together. I am excited for how God will reveal himself to the youth and those they interact with this summer, but I am nervous to be a "single mom" for those two weeks. I appreciate Jim's help at home so much, even on his busiest days when he is only able to be here for a quick dinner between commitments. Fortunately I am blessed to have family and friends who are more than willing to help out!

I have to admit, as someone who always has multiple plates spinning in the air at the same time, being at home 24/7 with Halle was very difficult at first. I worked full-time up until she was born and I've never spent this much time at home before. I love Halle and am enjoying my time with her, but being cooped up at home has been hard. I've braved a few trips out with her but usually by the time she is fed and we are both ready to go I have a limited amount of time left before her next feeding. Jim is great at anticipating when I need a break and watching her for a few hours so I can get out of the house.

As for work, I had almost six weeks of paid leave saved up when Halle was born. I am planning on returning to work after those six weeks at a per diem status, which means I won't have a set contract with the hospital and can pick as many or as few shifts as I want. I will also be able to set my own schedule, which means I'll be able to flex around Jim's schedule so one of us will always be home with Halle. I am planning on picking up one six-hour shift a week at first to see how it goes for all three of us. I am so thankful to be blessed with a job that I both enjoy so much and allows me so much flexibility to watch my daughter grow up.

I can't believe how fast this summer is going! I'm sure we'll be posting Halle's three-month pictures before we know it!

Halle's Newborn Photoshoot

A sampling of the amazing pictures my friend and coworker Hillary was able to capture for us... Enjoy!