Stuff

So I have atleast 5 blog posts swimming around in my head and I will never get them written unless I just summarize these thoughts and reports now:

-Eva's 6 month check up went well, minus some number corrections: she is in the 10th% in height and weight and was last month as well but they told me 30th%. This makes much more sense. Eva is an itsy bitsy spider. She started solids last month, is rolling around like crazy, and is pushing herself up while on her tummy. Two mobile children, here we come.




-Will is in his bed crying hysterics after 2 times rocking and one more telling him it's time to go to sleep. He is clearly tired but simply refuses to sleep. He hates naps about 50% of the time. Wish I could change this.



-I've been running for the past two weeks and I can now leap tall buildings in a single bound. Not really, but that would be fun. The first few times were kinda hard (especially pushing the ox-cart that is my stroller/children) but it's getting easier and easier. I decided that something had to be done because my waistline was refusing to return to it's pre-child days despite nursing (I'd even take pre-Eva waist).

-Bach Society and Symphony Chorus seasons have now come to an end. It was my 6th season with BSSL (Bach Society of St. Louis) and my 1st with SLSC (St. Louis Symphony Chorus). I am definitely planning a seperate post for my thoughts on Symphony Chorus because it was an unparalleled experience for me. I wish I could put you all in my pocket during rehearsals and concerts so you could see. Please come to a concert. It's really for your own good.

-I need a day off. Many of you wonder why I let Rodney go camping and it's really a practical reason. It is my way of putting money in the bank. When I feel that I need a day all to me, I don't feel so bad for taking it. There was an article in Parenting Magazine this month urging moms to take a day and explaining how to actually do it. My perfect day would involve good friends, good food, a manicure/pedicure, maybe some shopping. Any other moms want to join? Now, if only it was REAL money in that "bank"...

My Little Sponge

Well, it happened. Will is no longer the dog-like, non-understanding creature that he was for so long. Today he finished a song that apparently I've sung quite a bit in his short lifetime because he knew the next line (and I honestly can't remember the last time I sang it).


Me, getting crumbs off of Will's hands after dinner: "Shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake."


Will: "Shake your bootie"


Thank you, Will for making my day.

Love, Mom.

Last Week in Review

Last week was a busy one. And yet, lots of fun. Here's the shakedown/summary of the fun times.

Rodney Turns 30 On the 30th. Complete with an early pre-dawn breakfast, dinner with friends and fam at the Royale, and a "score" on the gift (I got him a Book of Common Prayer and Bible in one) it was a memorable golden birthday.

After our Pre-Dawn Breakfast

Yard Sale. We participated in the neighborhood wide yard sale on Saturday to unload some unwanted stuff. Glad we stayed open till the last minute cause we made most our money in the last 5 minutes. We didn't get rid of everything, but the money we did make we promptly spent it on Trivia Night a few hours later.

Anybody Wanna Buy a Plant Stand?

Trivia Night. Rodney's student service group, Project Badili held their 2nd anual trivia night to raise money for this year's service trip to New Orleans. Glad I'm not having a baby this year because he will NOT be allowed to travel while I'm pregnant in the future (you'll recall that Rodney was scheduled to travel to Africa with this group when my water broke 7 weeks early). Anyway, OUR TABLE WON 2ND PLACE!!! Being a geek is sometimes fun. Rodney and his co-workers did an amazing job. I had a really good time.

The Dream Team

Feverishly Working on Answers (Yes, this one's posed)

Zoo With Good Friends. Laura and I decided that Will and Emma (their youngest who is a month older than Will) should get married because then we could share grandkids. I like it. Emma Malone has a certain ring to it.

Will with Future Wife

Reason #567 that I'd rather be in Michigan for the summer

Imagine my disgust when upon making breakfast, this nasty creature decided to crawl into my sink from the drain.

I just about threw up.

This is the time of year in St. Louis when these little guys rear their ugly heads if you live in an old house. And we do. I've been told that they eat other more harmful bugs, but come on. Aren't good things suppose to also look good?

Wonder of Wonder...

Miracle of miracles: the girl slept from 8pm (no crying) to 5:30 am, ate, went back to sleep until 8:15, THEN, went down for nap 1 and ALL WITH NO CRYING!!! I love, love, love it. After a week of this schedule I think I could tackle all of my "should be doing" tasks in the day.

Gina's Should-Be-Doing-Daily Task List
1. Exercise
2. Take kids to park if nice
3. Vocalise/practice music
4. Plan/work on a good evening meal

Even if I added two of the four things to my daily tasks I will be happy.

What a difference a good night sleep makes.

Ferber Update

Night 1 recap:
You'll recall that our first night of doing the Ferber method with Eva was not that wonderful: after taking 30 minutes to fall asleep (which was pretty good considering it was our first attempt at letting her cry) she woke a half hour later (not good), cried for an hour, slept for an hour, cried for an hour and repeated this process until 4:30 am at which point we fed her and she slept until 7am. *note: those who are unfamiliar with the method should know that you do not let them cry without checking on them at increasing intervals, assuring them of your presence and you of their safety and well-being (you can touch, talk to and sing to them, just no picking up and for no longer than 2 minutes). I do not advocate letting babies cry on their own without reassurance.

Day 1 (or day 2, whatever- you get it):
That following day I was a walking zombie and Eva was not happy either. She took 3 naps that lasted each no longer than 40 minutes (a change from her 1-2 hour napping norm) and that night at Bach Society rehearsal I had to really concentrate hard on what Dennis was saying because every time he talked or gave directions it felt like I was listening to a foreign language (I'm sure the people sitting next to me were thrilled with my lovely and accurate singing- note sarcasm).

Night 2, day 2:
Rodney informed me after I got back from rehearsal that she fell asleep in 20 minutes and he hadn't heard a thing from her since. She did not wake again until 2 am and it took her an hour to fall back to sleep. She slept from 3 to 5:45, got fed and slept till 8. You can imagine how much better we all felt yesterday. Her naps took on the same format, 3 of them lasting only 40 minutes, but each time no crying.

Night 3:
Eva slept great last night. It took her 15 minutes to fall asleep, she slept from 8:30 pm to 4:30 am, ate and went back to sleep until 7. She is now taking her first nap. I think it's safe to say that she is now sleeping on her own. No swaddle, no pacifier, no rocking (well a little bit as a part of the bedtime routine, but not to fall asleep). Thank you Ferber.

Trading S's: Giving up the Swaddle and Suck for Sleep Sack and Snuggly

Ferber

We decided to bite the bullet and start Ferber just a few days earlier than planned. Originally we wanted to wait until Tuesday night because she's been fighting a cold, but it seems to have cleared up pretty much and we would like to sleep again (I'm sure it can't hurt Eva's overall wellness either to get good sleep).

How we did it- The Set Up:
It was a little tricky trying to figure out how to do this with Will and Eva sharing a room but this is what we came up with. Eva is going to be sleeping in the pack 'n play until Will is ready for a big boy bed (maybe sometime this summer?) so we set it up in their room (which has been Will's room up until now) with Eva alone in there until she's sleeping well. Will is in a borrowed pack 'n play in the living room for nighttime sleep and in our room for naps. We put him in the livingroom so he wouldn't be disturbed by us getting up frequently to reassure Eva of our presence during crying jags. Also, the dining room and living room can be closed off from the rest of the house by a door thereby giving him more quietude. Every sleeper has a fan too (it could be argued that this is an unecessary crutch that should be gotten rid of as well, but we are fan sleepers in this house and there's no reason in my mind that it shouldn't continue).

Ferber-Night 1, Day 1:
Will went down easily in the living room due to a skipped nap and a little later bedtime. Eva went down easily as well due to the same circumstances. Will stayed asleep through the night (phew) and Eva woke every single sleep cycle (just about every hour). During the day Eva has taken 2 short naps and is only happy during waking hours when being held. I am trying not to hold her too much as it is a.) exhausting and b.) not aiding in the forming of the self-soothing techniques that Ferber instills. Will went down for his nap but not without a fight. It's been a hard 16 hours.

I am looking forward to the positive report that I will be giving in a day or two. Until then, I'm trying to hang in there.