The Return Of the Hourly Night Grunts...

You probably guessed it from the title of this post...  We didn't get much sleep last night.  Ayden is in his 15th week and I just keep remembering what my midwife told me, "Look for growth spurts every 3 weeks..."  Here's hoping the hourly grunts don't last a whole week this time but if they do, at least I'll know there's an end in sight!

We've recently noticed a few new developments for our little man!  

1)  He seems to be developing the beginnings of object permanence.  I'll notice that if he's tracking me across the room and I walk around behind him, he turns his head and waits for me to come into his line of vision on the other side.  

2)  He is definitely starting to distinguish David and I from other people.  We always felt that he knew us and felt more comfortable with us than others but now he just lights up when he sees us.  Talk about heart melting!  Here is the face he gives us after he hasn't seen us in a while:

When he saw me after I stepped out of the shower.
Biggest smile ever, so stinkin' cute!

3)  Okay... This one's kinda crazy but I'd swear that he helped me turn the pages in a couple of his books today.  I'd been using hand over hand with him to turn pages for a couple of weeks now.  Today I just got the pages ready by separating them from the others and he would totally push it over time and time again. Call me crazy but I got video to prove it!  If I ever get it off of the camcorder I'll include it in a future post.  If he's not actually turning the pages, he's beginning to understand that books are something to touch and manipulate. So cool!

Today was a Little Miss day.  I was worried that it was going to be a very rough day for me after how little sleep I got last night, especially once I realized I wouldn't be able to synchronize their naps, but I barreled through and made it!

Ready to walk Little Miss to sleep :)

It was brought to my attention after yesterday's post that Ayden may be in the beginning stages of teething and I think that's right.  He constantly has his hands, or anything else he can find, in his mouth and is a little clingy and fussy one minute and then his happy usual self the next.  I think this teething process is going to be a little rough on us all but we'll make it through!

Because he was a bit clingy today, I wore him a lot.  It was very hot so I tried leaving his little legs out of the Moby and he loved it.  For some reason it was more comfortable for me too, I suppose since his knees weren't pressing into my stomach, so I think we'll start doing it that way from now on.

Little Miss took a VERY long nap today which was amazing.  It helped me make it through the day!  When she woke up, we had lunch and then took a little field trip to pick up a couple of things from the grocery store.  It was fun to talk to them and point out all of the colors around us.  We even talked about how the produce felt cold, etc.  Even the grocery store can be a learning environment!

When David got home, he walked straight to our sound system, hooked up his iPod, started a slow song and asked me to dance.  I was wearing Ayden in the Moby so the three of us swayed to the music and we smooched a little.  We both had long, tiring days and it was such a nice way to greet one another. David said that the song came on in his shuffle on the way home and it made him think of me and that's why he did it.  He's so romantic <3...  

For dinner, I made what was supposed to be David's birthday dinner (I went to make it last night only to realize that we didn't have a couple of the ingredients...).  He went on and on about how delicious it was which always makes me feel good!  I told him I secretly didn't have the ingredients on purpose so that we could stretch his birthday out for a third day.  He didn't seem to mind that one bit :).

David is already asleep next to me now and as he was saying goodnight he told me I am the love of his life and said, "we haven't lost our relationship at all, have we?" and he's right.  I remember, when I was pregnant, that was one of my main concerns.  As apposed to what challenges that becoming a mother may bring, I was more worried about growing apart from David, since so many couples seem to when they become parents.  We are sticking to the whole, "the best gift you can give your child is keeping your relationship #1"mentality and I truly believe that we've been able to do just that thus far.  

Life is so good :).

~Sarah

Happy Birthday To Daddy!!

Today was David's actual birthday. Somehow the day flew by just like any other Sunday...

We woke up,

We love our morning snuggles!!

Ayden gave his daddy one more present,

It was a double photo frame with pictures of Ayden for his desk at work...

And we had more quality family time which consisted of breakfast, watching an episode of Heroes on Netflix, and a birthday massage for David :).

Then we finally got ready for the day. We went to the grocery, took a short nap (well... Ayden and I napped while David watched part of a movie) and then headed out to my parents house to finish cleaning up from the party. We also picked up some containers for the backyard vegetable garden we plan on growing this summer.

David filled them with some high quality farm top soil and loaded them into the back of the car. He actually tipped one on it's way in and when he started to get mad about it he stopped and recalled a quote from a book he's currently reading. "Laugh at your mistakes and you won't repeat them." It's a pretty good quote to keep in mind if you ask me! Right after he said it we paused, looked at the mess, then each other and... laughed. No big deal, it never pays to sweat the small stuff!! I hope that we can continue to model those kinds of reactions for Ayden so that he too can learn not to sweat the small stuff.

Once our future garden was all packed up, it was nap time for Ayden so we took the opportunity to drive around a couple of neighborhoods in our town to see if there are any interesting houses for sale. We didn't really find anything but it's always fun to look.

While I was making dinner, Ayden was really sucking on his fingers. He's been exploring his hands for a while but now it seems he's intentionally trying out different finger sucking options. It's cute but I know finger sucking can be a difficult habit to break. It'll be interesting to see if he finds an option he likes and makes it a habit.

Tonight we are leaving one of Ayden's arms out of his swaddle.  Since he'll start rolling over soon I think it's time we start weaning him from it if we can.  We'll see how it goes...

I am so looking forward to this upcoming week because we have nothing extra planned!! That means we can fall back into our normal groove which will be so nice :).

How do you feel about finger vs. pacifier sucking? We're on the fence... If a baby needs to suck, they're going to. A pacifier can be bad because it can get lost or fall out and wake the child up yet good because someday it can be taken away. With fingers, on the other hand (haha, pun intended), the child can always find yet they can't be taken therefore making a very difficult habit to break. Dilemmas, dilemmas...

Also, any advice on swaddle weaning?  Whenever we go without cold turkey, unless he's on his tummy, Ayden still startles himself awake.  I'm okay with tummy napping, but definitely want him on his back at night while we are sleeping too.  I've heard that leaving one arm out, and alternating which arm is out each night, is a good way to do it so we're giving it a try.  I'm open for other suggestions as well!

~Sarah

Party Time!

Today was the day of David's big 3-0 party! This morning we had some much needed quality family time. After lunch, my little shopping buddy and I stopped at the grocery to pick up a few last minute items then headed to my parents' house to set up and get everything ready.

Loving his Sophie teether!  He was talking to her the whole time :)

Here are some highlights from the party!

The food table (after it had been picked over...)

Our little man.  He did great being passed around from "stranger" to "stranger!"

<3 The two of us <3

The birthday boy!

He got all but 3!  Our reaction scared all of the babies in the room...

You can see the chocolate covered strawberries in the background... That was the best part!  Can't believe that I didn't get some good pics of them.  It was my first time making them and they turned out great!  They were so pretty :).

He LOVED that Ayden "signed" his card...

Ayden is still working on his party animal stamina.

PJ's on and ready to go home!

Sleep sweet!

Overall it was a great day and a great party.  It's always so wonderful to get all of our closest friends and family together.  Our two favorite couples stayed a little later than everyone else and we all just hung out on my parents' porch and chatted.  It's always our favorite way to end an evening :). This mama is TIRED!  My boys are asleep on either side of me as I speak and it's way past time to join them!  

~Sarah

Busy, Busy Friday!

I'm always more tired on Fiday nights than any other. I guess juggling caring for Ayden and teaching dance at the same time takes a lot out of me.

We stayed super busy today! This morning I finally got caught up on putting the house back together after our whirlwind of a weekend last weekend. Then after lunch, Ayden and I headed out to get all of the food for David's 30th birthday party which is tomorrow. We made two stops and I put him in the sling for both.

He was so content to be in it both times. I'm getting better at positioning him properly in it and I think he likes facing out. At the first store he hung out awake for most of the time listening to me tell him everything we needed to find and what I was putting in the cart. He finally fell asleep and of course I had 3 people comment on how cute he was or how neat the sling was. We weren't in the second store quite as long so he stayed awake the whole time and he never once protested being taken in and out of his carseat so much.

After shopping, it was time for Ayden to eat so we stopped back at home before heading to my parents' house to drop off the food (the party will be on their farm tomorrow). After a quick visit I then went to the studio to teach dance.

Napping while I'm tapping!

We got home around 7:15 or so and were ready to start our Friday family time when Ayden had a huge meltdown all of the sudden... We tried bouncing and singing to him, I tried feeding him and swaddling him and none of our usual tools worked. His cries quickly turned to the screams we hadn't heard for months. We finally resorted to colic calm. Just 5 minutes after taking it, Ayden was his happy smiley self again. It must have been a belly related issue of some sort. David and I were just so happy we had what we needed to make him feel better and equally as happy to have each other to take turns with while we figured it out.

After recalling all of the events of the day it's no wonder I'm so tired! Ayden is already sleeping now and David and I are watching Jonah Hex on Netflix. I'll probably regret not going to sleep since Ayden already is but who wants to go to bed at 9:00 on a Friday night?? Hopefully I can make some time for a nap before the party tomorrow. Until then!

~Sarah

Happy Birthday To Mommy!!

Hello 28!  I absolutely do not feel as old as I am...  In my head I'm still around 24 or so.  David is turning 30 on Sunday and in a couple years I'll be there too.  Crazy!

Here are some pictures from this fabulous day:

David surprised me with an hour long massage:

It was my first real massage and it was heavenly!  The atmosphere was so relaxing and the massage was even better!

My hubby is the best!  The massage therapist kept saying how sweet he was for arranging it all for me. He always knows just what to do to spoil me and make me feel so special <3.

On our way home we stopped by Caramanda's, a gourmet cupcake shoppe, and picked up this sweet thing:

"Chocolate Explosion"

It was definitely not paleo and totally gave me a sugar high headache but it was oh so worth it.

I may or may not have wished for a full night's sleep but if I told you for sure, it would never come true... ;)

We finished off the evening with ribeye's (my FAVE!) and broccoli on the grill:

I forgot to take a before picture but the after picture is what really matters anyway... it shows just how delicious it really was!

I finished the night hanging with my to favorite people:

 <3 My love <3

and my little love <3

My 28th year was amazing.  I got to experience pregnancy (we conceived right around this time last year... happy birthday to me (wink, wink) and I became a mommy!  I can't imagine how my 29th year could possibly be any better but I can't wait to see what unfolds.

~Sarah

Field Trip!

I took Little Miss and Ayden out for the first time today. I have been wanting to get out of the house on days that I have her but haven't been brave enough. I had walked them to a nearby grocery store once but nothing more than that. The thought of wrangling an 18 month old while caring for Ayden just seemed so daunting that i kept putting it off... When my mom told me that she wanted to take me shopping for my birthday, I told her I wanted to when I had Little Miss so I could practice getting out and about with both kiddos. The bonus was that I would have her help and it went great!

Still has some growing to do for this stroller, but we made it work...

I had planned on even letting Little Miss play in the play area while we were there but she ended up falling asleep before we made it there.

Ayden enjoyed his nap in the Moby :)

We'll have to go back just for that because I think she'd really like it and I think I'm ready to start getting out with them. There's also a toddler story time on Wednesday mornings at the library that we might try next...

Of course my mom took me to my all time favorite store!

And I came away with these:

<3 LOVE <3

I've taken to wearing a nursing tank under any top that I like. That way I can still wear pretty much anything and I just pull the top shirt up leaving the nursing tank down to cover my midrif. It works out perfectly and makes shopping much easier!

Little Miss ended up staying late today. When we got home from the mall we played for a bit (Ayden smiled at her for the first time! And then she screamed and scared him so then he cried...). She was still here when David got home. She's always so shy around him and looks at him like she's thinking, "Why are you at Sarah's house?" but by the time her parents picked her up he had her smiling as always.

Now that I know I can get out and about with both kids it's going to open a whole new world of fun for us! :)

Do you have a toddler and an infant? Was it hard to get out and about with them at first? Any funny/interesting stories to share about it?

~Sarah

No Coincidence...

Guess who slept in until 9:00am this morning?!?

This guy!

And guess what?? Ayden napped independently again today and this time in his crib!

Nap #1:

He started out with his head to the left, fell asleep sideways as pictured above, then woke up a complete 180* from where we started.

Woke up so happy!

Swaddle free sleeping is opening up a whole new wiggly realm for Ayden...

Nap #2 was taken in the carseat while we were out buying a projection mobile at a consignment store for only $9! WIN!

Source

Brand new, the mobile is around $50 but it was priced for $18 at the consignment store.  The umbrella portion of the mobile had gotten misplaced and the remote wasn't with it either, so I talked them down to  getting it half price.  The best part is that I wasn't going to use the umbrella anyway because it is meant for younger babies that can't see very far.  Since Ayden is enjoying the ceiling fan on our vaulted living room ceiling, I think he's ready for the mobile to project onto his bedroom ceiling.

Source

Nap #3 was on his own in his crib again.

Wearing one of my favorite little outfits :)

I'd say it's safe to say it wasn't a fluke or a coincidence. I'm pretty confident that we've figured it out!!  Now we just need to figure out how to get these naps to last longer than 20 minutes...

After he fell asleep for the first nap, I couldn't believe it was happening again! I had to share the exciting news with David.

He misses us so much while he's at work so I try to send a lot of pictures and videos throughout the day. He's always so supportive and gets just as excited over all of Ayden's accomplishments as I do. He was who I vented to last week while trying to get Ayden to nap on his own was so frustrating, so he knows what an accomplishment this is. It's so amazing to be going through all of this with my best friend :).

David and I did learn something useful this evening while we were attempting a boxing workout on our punching bag... Ayden was playing on his playmat while we were punching away when he started his sleepy whining. He would start to doze off and then we'd punch and it would wake him up. He wasn't scared or anything, and would start to drift again right away but I decided it would be best to move him to his crib. Yeah, that was a mistake. As soon as I picked him up his sleepy whine turned into full on crying, tears and all, and there was no turning back. Into the Moby he went as I made a mental note to, if I can, just leave him be; even if he's falling to sleep in an awkward place. If we want him to stay asleep, moving him at that stage in the game isn't an option.

Tomorrow, my mom is taking me shopping for my birthday (which is on Thursday) and both Ayden and Little Miss get to tag along. Should be interesting!!

Yay for tummy time!! :)

~Sarah

Another Piece To the Puzzle...

Sooo... You'll never guess what happened today....

Ayden took not one,

not two,

but THREE

naps on his own!!! And by on his own I mean absolutely no bouncing, walking, patting, etc.

I know, I'm pretty shocked too. The secret?

Who needs a mobile when you've got a ceiling fan??

It appears as though we've found another piece to the independent sleep puzzle!!!

Ayden has really taken an interest in ceiling fans recently. He even spotted one while we were at brunch yesterday and kept looking up at it every few minutes. We have a big one in our living room that he really enjoys watching. When he began showing signs that he was ready for his morning nap today, for some reason I decided to lay him in the pack and play. He started to do his sleepy whining, which is more intense than cooing but isn't quite a cry, so I just stayed nearby and observed. After a few minutes he quieted and got lost in the fan. After a couple more minutes he was out! The nap was unfortunately cut short (it was only about 25 minutes), due to the doorbell signaling the arrival of Little Miss, but even so he woke up peaceful and smiling which hasn't happened in a while.

The second nap happened even more peacefully than the first but was also cut short by Little Miss' playing so he had to finish it in the Moby...I'm just stoked that Ayden is showing signs that he can, in fact, self sooth enough to fall asleep independently.

The same thing happened for nap number three and I couldn't be more
happy and proud! I needed a day like today to help me persevere with this sleep training!

So, our next step is to purchase something for Ayden's bedroom that will have a similar effect to the fan. Maybe one of those nightligts that projects rotating lights on the ceiling? All we know is that our boy must enjoy some soothing entertainment while winding down and we have no problem with accommodating such a need :). I'm going on the hunt for a solution tomorrow. I plan to hit up all of the consignment and re-sale shops first. Hopefully we'll get lucky and get a good deal on exactly what we're looking for!

Now that we have one more piece to the puzzle, maybe we're one step closer to the day where we can tuck him in, say our good nights and walk out of the room leaving him to peacefully, and independently, fall asleep for the night. :)

Does your child like to have any soothing "entertainment" at night? What brand/product would you recommend?

~Sarah