We continue the journey of getting our oldest son, Cael, to sleep through the night. He has done much better. My husband, who is sleeping in the room next to our son's, makes it 4 nights in a row of our son sleeping through the night, but it never seems to fail that on the 5th, Cael has a wakeful night. Very discouraging for my husband, who would like to come back and sleep in our bed. I would love for him to come back into our bed as well, but I am also working on getting our youngest, Cason, to sleep more comfortably, which often results in him taking over my spot in the bed and I move over to my husband's spot. (We are dealing with some back discomforts with him, and frequently making trips to the chiropractor).
Anyways...
In our efforts to help Cael sleep through the night, I've had an idea in the back of my head to try a 2-way monitor that would allow us to talk to him to comfort him. He will typically wake and require reassurance that we are near-by and then can usually go back to sleep. I thought this would be a great idea. When I looked for a monitor of this type a month or so ago, I didn't find one (although, I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for and if they made one). I had a little extra time (between feedings, playing, lunch, and getting everyone down for naps) to look again the other day. I found exactly what I was looking for!!! So EXCITED!! Just the thing we need. My husband was excited too (he was all ready to come and sleep in our bed)!!
But not so fast...
I asked my husband to sleep in the other room one more night just to make sure the plan worked. It was a good thing he did! I tried out the monitor and demonstrated it with our son before going to bed and reassured him that if he needed anything we would be able to talk to him and get him what he wanted!! Cael woke up in the middle of the night, my husband talked to him through the 2-way monitor, and screams ensued. My husband had to go into Cael's room and reassure him that he was right there, spread out his blanket, and tuck him in! OK, we thought. He just needs to get used to it. I tried using it at nap time and when we were trying to get him to sleep the next night. Each time I used it, he got out of bed panicked. I even made sure to let him see me as I was talking through the monitor so he could try to make the connection that I'm right there. He needed some hugs and squeezes, blanket spread back out, and tucked in again. He even needed another round of milk and a book read to him at one point. Finally he was to sleep. But not for long. At 9:30, just after my husband and I went to bed, Cael woke up. My husband attempted to calm him by reassuring him through the monitor that he was right there. Cael just began to scream bloody murder! Loud enough that I heard him down the hall and through 2 closed doors. My husband went in to console him. I got out of bed to help,but he seemed to be calming down, so I went back to bed. A little premature. Screams came again. Cael and I had milk and a book for a third time. He finally calmed and went to sleep. We decided we probably shouldn't use the 2-way monitor again. I think it is scaring him because he knows we aren't in there, but our voices are.
Well so much for that idea! We were really hoping this would be our fix to be back in the same bed, but it was not meant to be. Our saga of bedtime continues, but hoping not for much longer.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Getting the Oldest to Sleep... Part 4
Getting our oldest to sleep continues to be an experience!! However, things are getting much better! YEAH for us!
The bedtime process begins around 6 with baths (first brother, and then him), milk and a book with mommy, and then into bed. As I've said previously, he has never been able to settle very quickly when going to bed, so I let him read in bed by himself.
Actually getting him to fall asleep is the most difficult process. This is taking anywhere from 30 minutes (VERY rare) to 90 minutes (more typical). He is plenty tired by the time we get ready for bed, but he just has a difficult time shutting down. There have been a couple nights recently we've just forgone bathtime, as it would be too much of a struggle and get him worked up even more. Typically this is if he's fallen and bonked his head or something and gets really mad/upset. So, we go to book and milk. I usually read and give him milk after bath to help relax and prepare him for bed. But, some nights he has other plans. He tries to find some way to stay up. He will try to pick different books in the middle of the one we are reading, or needs medicine on his back, or needs kisses from dad and brother. Usually then, we do what he needs (other than another book) otherwise he will fixate on that and be an all out war, and then tell him he can read in bed. He will read for 15-20 minutes quietly, and then he is in and out, up and down out of bed getting more books, having to show me a picture, ask about something he sees in the book, or need his blankets spread out- again. After a few warnings to stay in bed, I will close the door for a few minutes and let him try again. Usually after about 3-4 times of this, he will eventually let me tuck him in and go to sleep (after calling a few times to make sure I'm nearby).
I know I should just leave the door closed, but I have a hard time even closing it on him to begin with. The look he give me as I close the door makes me feel so bad (a look of worry, sadness, anger all rolled into one). I feel like the meanest mom. And he can be just so darn cute trying to work it when he's attempting to break out of bed (a mischevious grin saying "I'm too cute- you won't do it!"). The other night was particularly entertaining. I walked in to see him breaking out, and as he noticed I was coming in, he ran to a small pile of books on the floor and tried to scoop them up as quickly as he could to get back into bed, all done with a little smile on his face. I had to snicker! It was so hard not too!
While getting him to fall asleep continues to be a work in progress, him staying asleep has become much better. He is usually waking once, if at all, but still hasn't made it the 5 nights in a row my husband is shooting for so he can come back into our bed. Teething has been our enemy, or possibly our friend- I'm undecided. Typically when he is teething, he is more tired than usual and tends to sleep better, but is also extra grumpy during the day because he is uncomfortable. So I'm not sure if this is the reason for better sleep? Or could he just be sleeping better in general, more comfortable with knowing someone is nearby, and the pain with teething is waking him up? I made a weighted blanket a few weeks ago to try with him. He does not like to have it one him when awake, so I can't use it to help settle his body down to fall asleep. But I sneak into his room before I go to bed and drape it over him. It seems to still be on him in the morning if he has slept through the night, so maybe it is helping, too?? Whatever it is, I'm really hoping the trend continues. Either way, my husband and I will be able to share our bed again in August, when we move the baby into his own room. Hopefully he will be able to make it to our room before then, but there is a light at the end of that tunnel! To be continued... but hopefully not too many more times.....
The bedtime process begins around 6 with baths (first brother, and then him), milk and a book with mommy, and then into bed. As I've said previously, he has never been able to settle very quickly when going to bed, so I let him read in bed by himself.
Actually getting him to fall asleep is the most difficult process. This is taking anywhere from 30 minutes (VERY rare) to 90 minutes (more typical). He is plenty tired by the time we get ready for bed, but he just has a difficult time shutting down. There have been a couple nights recently we've just forgone bathtime, as it would be too much of a struggle and get him worked up even more. Typically this is if he's fallen and bonked his head or something and gets really mad/upset. So, we go to book and milk. I usually read and give him milk after bath to help relax and prepare him for bed. But, some nights he has other plans. He tries to find some way to stay up. He will try to pick different books in the middle of the one we are reading, or needs medicine on his back, or needs kisses from dad and brother. Usually then, we do what he needs (other than another book) otherwise he will fixate on that and be an all out war, and then tell him he can read in bed. He will read for 15-20 minutes quietly, and then he is in and out, up and down out of bed getting more books, having to show me a picture, ask about something he sees in the book, or need his blankets spread out- again. After a few warnings to stay in bed, I will close the door for a few minutes and let him try again. Usually after about 3-4 times of this, he will eventually let me tuck him in and go to sleep (after calling a few times to make sure I'm nearby).
I know I should just leave the door closed, but I have a hard time even closing it on him to begin with. The look he give me as I close the door makes me feel so bad (a look of worry, sadness, anger all rolled into one). I feel like the meanest mom. And he can be just so darn cute trying to work it when he's attempting to break out of bed (a mischevious grin saying "I'm too cute- you won't do it!"). The other night was particularly entertaining. I walked in to see him breaking out, and as he noticed I was coming in, he ran to a small pile of books on the floor and tried to scoop them up as quickly as he could to get back into bed, all done with a little smile on his face. I had to snicker! It was so hard not too!
While getting him to fall asleep continues to be a work in progress, him staying asleep has become much better. He is usually waking once, if at all, but still hasn't made it the 5 nights in a row my husband is shooting for so he can come back into our bed. Teething has been our enemy, or possibly our friend- I'm undecided. Typically when he is teething, he is more tired than usual and tends to sleep better, but is also extra grumpy during the day because he is uncomfortable. So I'm not sure if this is the reason for better sleep? Or could he just be sleeping better in general, more comfortable with knowing someone is nearby, and the pain with teething is waking him up? I made a weighted blanket a few weeks ago to try with him. He does not like to have it one him when awake, so I can't use it to help settle his body down to fall asleep. But I sneak into his room before I go to bed and drape it over him. It seems to still be on him in the morning if he has slept through the night, so maybe it is helping, too?? Whatever it is, I'm really hoping the trend continues. Either way, my husband and I will be able to share our bed again in August, when we move the baby into his own room. Hopefully he will be able to make it to our room before then, but there is a light at the end of that tunnel! To be continued... but hopefully not too many more times.....
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Joys of Parenting: Wa-Wa
It has been amazing watching my oldest son grow and learn. Especially lately. He seems to be learning new words daily, and understanding more and more about his world. Today was a great day. He is a kid who has a one-track mind. If you tell him we are going to do something, go somewhere, or get something, he will repeat it over, and over, and over, and over, and over (do you get the idea???) until it happens, we get there, or he gets it. Today we went to the park. He said park every 20 seconds- if not more frequent- making sure that we were in fact going to the park and needed the reassurance that 'yes, we are going to the park,' so that he wouldn't get upset. We told him that when we get home we could have ice cream, and said 'ice' the entire drive home to make sure he was getting some ice cream. We told him our plan that as soon as we got home, dad would jump out of the car, run into the garage, and get our ice cream. So he did alternate use of 'garage' and 'ice' so he understood the plan!
Today we also watched "Pluto." This was his fisrt exposure to the old Disney cartoons. He was watching very intently as we would explain little things- oh no, he got hurt, he fell into the snow pile, he found the bone, etc. It was fun to watch him pick up on little things and even begin to tell us what happened- oh no, snow, bone, etc.
While he is learning so many things, I've pondered what kind of concepts he hasn't picked up on yet. As he gets older, I have been wondering about how potty training will go. We already bought him a potty, hoping he might get interested in it to make potty training easier. But I got to thinking... I don't know if he truly understands what it means to pee? He knows when his diaper is wet, but has he really made the connection to how it happened? He understands that mommy and daddy have to go potty and is even able to offer up the sound effects (pssssssssssss). But when we ask if he needs to pee, does he understand what we mean?? Well today I found out I'm pretty sure he doesn't. We had a beautiful, warm, sunny day. After the park we put some water in his wading pool and let him walk and splash around. I took his pants off before he got in so he was walking around in his diaper and t-shirt. He kept squatting in the water trying to drink it. He got the back of his shirt and bottom of his diaper wet and asked to take them off. Sure, why not? All kids should run naked at some point!! I have to say, it was one of the cutest things. (I'm not going to post any pictures or videos so I don't embarrass the poor little man, so you'll have to trust me!) He tried to squat in the water a few times, but it was a little cold on his weenie. The dog was barking, so he ran across the yard to try to tell him to stop. He apparently sat on the runner on the car to take a load off. But the best part was when he started peeing on the lawn. He stopped, watched the arc and pointed at the "wa-wa" (water), tried to get out as much wa-wa as he could, and then looked at us and asked for "more." I have been chuckling about it all day since. What a learning experience for him, I guess. He's peed on the floor if I've let him walk around naked a little too long after bath, but never made much acknowledgement of the fact. So this was fun to observe how much more aware of things he is, how much he is learning, but how much he has yet to learn.
I enjoy every day with my boys. It is the best thing in the world to watch them grow and learn and give them an opportunity to experience as much as we can offer!
Today we also watched "Pluto." This was his fisrt exposure to the old Disney cartoons. He was watching very intently as we would explain little things- oh no, he got hurt, he fell into the snow pile, he found the bone, etc. It was fun to watch him pick up on little things and even begin to tell us what happened- oh no, snow, bone, etc.
While he is learning so many things, I've pondered what kind of concepts he hasn't picked up on yet. As he gets older, I have been wondering about how potty training will go. We already bought him a potty, hoping he might get interested in it to make potty training easier. But I got to thinking... I don't know if he truly understands what it means to pee? He knows when his diaper is wet, but has he really made the connection to how it happened? He understands that mommy and daddy have to go potty and is even able to offer up the sound effects (pssssssssssss). But when we ask if he needs to pee, does he understand what we mean?? Well today I found out I'm pretty sure he doesn't. We had a beautiful, warm, sunny day. After the park we put some water in his wading pool and let him walk and splash around. I took his pants off before he got in so he was walking around in his diaper and t-shirt. He kept squatting in the water trying to drink it. He got the back of his shirt and bottom of his diaper wet and asked to take them off. Sure, why not? All kids should run naked at some point!! I have to say, it was one of the cutest things. (I'm not going to post any pictures or videos so I don't embarrass the poor little man, so you'll have to trust me!) He tried to squat in the water a few times, but it was a little cold on his weenie. The dog was barking, so he ran across the yard to try to tell him to stop. He apparently sat on the runner on the car to take a load off. But the best part was when he started peeing on the lawn. He stopped, watched the arc and pointed at the "wa-wa" (water), tried to get out as much wa-wa as he could, and then looked at us and asked for "more." I have been chuckling about it all day since. What a learning experience for him, I guess. He's peed on the floor if I've let him walk around naked a little too long after bath, but never made much acknowledgement of the fact. So this was fun to observe how much more aware of things he is, how much he is learning, but how much he has yet to learn.
I enjoy every day with my boys. It is the best thing in the world to watch them grow and learn and give them an opportunity to experience as much as we can offer!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Sun Dried Tomato Basil Cashew Cream Sauce
My favorite discovery in searching for non-dairy options is definitely the cashew cream. It has such a yummy, nutty flavor that I can't seem to get enough of! I made a batch of cashew cream last night to make my banana "cream" pie dessert- sooo good!! So I used the leftover cashew cream to make a sauce to go over noodles. This was the best noodle sauce I've made with it, and my husband really liked it as well! Cael has yet to eat a sauce (however I'm not sure if it was the just the noodles or the sauce as he didn't like the noodles at all tonight)- although he does devour the banana "cream" pie. I dipped some leftover french bread in this tomato basil sauce to test my experiment. I found two great uses in one. Make it thick for a dip/spread and make it thinner for a noodle sauce. Soo YUMMY!!
Ingredients
1/2 c. thick cashew cream
1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes
4 tsp. basil
1 tsp. crushed garlic
3 pinches salt
Combine all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Add water until desired consistency is reached. We made noodles and chopped up chicken and covered it with this sauce. ENJOY!!
Ingredients
1/2 c. thick cashew cream
1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes
4 tsp. basil
1 tsp. crushed garlic
3 pinches salt
Combine all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Add water until desired consistency is reached. We made noodles and chopped up chicken and covered it with this sauce. ENJOY!!
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