Finn and I have been trying to get out more and meet people. Occasionally on Mondays we go to the library which is just two blocks from our place. They have a story time called 'Lap Time' that is especially for children 2 years and younger. They lead a few songs, read a short book and then they bring out some toys and bins of books and the children run amok. Most of the children are in the 1-2 range, but Finn loves to watch them all. Also on Mondays, we sometimes go to a group called 'Baby Steps' through the Center for Health and Wellness Promotion. This is for moms and babies under one year. Every meeting, they have a different speaker on some baby topic. We have gone when Sean has Mondays off thus we have the car, or last week, one of the other moms came and picked us up to go. And now we have found an informal play group on Thursdays at a local church. We went yesterday and it was so nice. It was a mix of toddlers and babies, the youngest just 6 weeks old (man, that seems like so long ago).
Overall, it is so nice to be meeting other local moms and Finn has a blast. He sits wide-eyed just taking it all in. He loves to talk to everyone and he smiles easily. He really wants to be on the move as he kicks excitedly every time he sees older kids playing. Boy, are we gonna be in trouble once he is on the move.
Speaking of on the move, Finn is figuring out rolling from back to belly. For awhile now, he has gotten up on his side, but been stymied by his arm on the ground. But then at the beginning of the week, he rolled over, but he had his foot hooked around his play mat bar so it wasn't totally unassisted. This morning however, he completed a roll on his own. It was great fun because he had this very shocked expression on his tummy as if he couldn't figure out how he got there. He really still hates tummy time and shows no interest in trying to roll from belly to back anymore. I try to put him on his tummy as often as possible, but he fusses really quickly so I roll him back over. I guess he will just get to it on his own time.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Book Review
We have all been doing plenty of reading lately so I thought I would do a quick book review.
The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Hogg
In general, I like this book. It is more appropriate to read prior to having a baby because it mostly addresses the newborn. It has a wonderful section on baby cues and how to interpret cries. I do wish I had this when Finn was first born and I would seriously give this to anyone expecting. As for sleep, she takes a middle road between complete attachment parenting and Ferberizing. I like how she sets things up. Unfortunately, according to her, Sean and I have been practicing "accidental parenting" and that is why we have some of the habits ingrained that we are trying to resolve. She goes into one chapter on how to address these "problems", but the suggestions are more geared toward older babies and I didn't find them terribly useful.
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley
This book definitely appeals to me. Pantley sets up a strategy for assessing where we are and looking at Finn's sleep habits objectively. We have been keeping sleep logs for the past few days and we have already realized that Finn has a pattern. Pantley then goes in detail for all sorts of situations suggestions on how to achieve a good night's sleep for everyone in the family. She lists lots of suggestions and then maps out a plan such that you can decide what is best for your family. She says that you should follow your plan for 10 days and then evaluate your progress. You can then see where you need to go from there and try another 10 days, and so on. She is honest that the approach takes time, but the personal planning aspect appeals to me.
We have done our sleep logs and noticed that Finn definitely has a nighttime pattern. We need to begin bedtime routine at 6:30 or he gets too fussy and we can't get through it. He needs to be in bed by 7 or so. We have to rock him to sleep, but he does go down pretty well. Then we get a 4 hour stretch. He always wakes up around 11, give or take. This is certainly excellent. Here is a lovely fact - "sleeping through the night" is actually medically defined as a 5 hour stretch (why they chose to call it STTN, I don't know). So, Finn is actually close to that milestone. I wish it were from midnight to 5, so we could actually get that sleep too, but what can you do? After 11, he will eat and then go back down pretty quickly and sleep for another 2 hours. After that, he will sleep for another hour and be up every hour thereafter. This is problematic, because I never know how often I should feed him in the night. He is definitely dependent on either nursing or paci to sleep, which is something we would like to get him away from. We are in the planning stage now to determine what strategies we are going to implement to encourage him to sleep longer and to become more self sufficient at falling back to sleep. This is a little difficult as I don't know how many strategies to implement at any given 10 day course. Should we just work on him sleeping longer? Should we try to address the suck to sleep issue? Furthermore, should we be working on daily naps too at the risk of him getting less sleep during the day? Our major problem is getting him to sleep anywhere aside from my arms. One confounding problem is in the book, Pantley makes suggestion specific to newborns which she says is 0-4 months and then to older babies (4 months to 2 years). Finn is right on the cusp turning 4 months next week, but it is tough trying to decide what is best for him at his age and what we can realistically expect. Alas, parenting is just not easy, but I am still excited by this book and do recommend it. More updates as we follow our 10 day plan.
Now, Sean and I are not the only readers in the family. Finn has been enjoying plenty of books too. He really likes all his board books. We are particularly fond of Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep in a Shop both by Nancy Shaw. These are hysterical and I seriously laugh and giggle at the funny rhymes and the crazy sheep illustrations. We have also been enjoying anything by Sandra Boynton. We have Moo, Baa, La La La! and Snuggle Puppy. For some reason, Finn loves Snuggle Puppy. This one is funny because you have to sing portions of it. Well, I have been blessed with an unusual singing ability in that I cannot carry a tune to save my life. Finn seems to find this exceptionally funny and giggles whenever we sing 'ooo...snuggle puppy of mine, everything about you is especially fine' I think I do it differently everytime, but always loud and strong. Sandra Boynton has a ton of kids books out and she also has some song books that come with CDs. We spent some time reading them at the bookstore one day and I am definitely going to have to get Finn some more. We definitely love reading to him.
The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Hogg
In general, I like this book. It is more appropriate to read prior to having a baby because it mostly addresses the newborn. It has a wonderful section on baby cues and how to interpret cries. I do wish I had this when Finn was first born and I would seriously give this to anyone expecting. As for sleep, she takes a middle road between complete attachment parenting and Ferberizing. I like how she sets things up. Unfortunately, according to her, Sean and I have been practicing "accidental parenting" and that is why we have some of the habits ingrained that we are trying to resolve. She goes into one chapter on how to address these "problems", but the suggestions are more geared toward older babies and I didn't find them terribly useful.
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley
This book definitely appeals to me. Pantley sets up a strategy for assessing where we are and looking at Finn's sleep habits objectively. We have been keeping sleep logs for the past few days and we have already realized that Finn has a pattern. Pantley then goes in detail for all sorts of situations suggestions on how to achieve a good night's sleep for everyone in the family. She lists lots of suggestions and then maps out a plan such that you can decide what is best for your family. She says that you should follow your plan for 10 days and then evaluate your progress. You can then see where you need to go from there and try another 10 days, and so on. She is honest that the approach takes time, but the personal planning aspect appeals to me.
We have done our sleep logs and noticed that Finn definitely has a nighttime pattern. We need to begin bedtime routine at 6:30 or he gets too fussy and we can't get through it. He needs to be in bed by 7 or so. We have to rock him to sleep, but he does go down pretty well. Then we get a 4 hour stretch. He always wakes up around 11, give or take. This is certainly excellent. Here is a lovely fact - "sleeping through the night" is actually medically defined as a 5 hour stretch (why they chose to call it STTN, I don't know). So, Finn is actually close to that milestone. I wish it were from midnight to 5, so we could actually get that sleep too, but what can you do? After 11, he will eat and then go back down pretty quickly and sleep for another 2 hours. After that, he will sleep for another hour and be up every hour thereafter. This is problematic, because I never know how often I should feed him in the night. He is definitely dependent on either nursing or paci to sleep, which is something we would like to get him away from. We are in the planning stage now to determine what strategies we are going to implement to encourage him to sleep longer and to become more self sufficient at falling back to sleep. This is a little difficult as I don't know how many strategies to implement at any given 10 day course. Should we just work on him sleeping longer? Should we try to address the suck to sleep issue? Furthermore, should we be working on daily naps too at the risk of him getting less sleep during the day? Our major problem is getting him to sleep anywhere aside from my arms. One confounding problem is in the book, Pantley makes suggestion specific to newborns which she says is 0-4 months and then to older babies (4 months to 2 years). Finn is right on the cusp turning 4 months next week, but it is tough trying to decide what is best for him at his age and what we can realistically expect. Alas, parenting is just not easy, but I am still excited by this book and do recommend it. More updates as we follow our 10 day plan.
Now, Sean and I are not the only readers in the family. Finn has been enjoying plenty of books too. He really likes all his board books. We are particularly fond of Sheep in a Jeep and Sheep in a Shop both by Nancy Shaw. These are hysterical and I seriously laugh and giggle at the funny rhymes and the crazy sheep illustrations. We have also been enjoying anything by Sandra Boynton. We have Moo, Baa, La La La! and Snuggle Puppy. For some reason, Finn loves Snuggle Puppy. This one is funny because you have to sing portions of it. Well, I have been blessed with an unusual singing ability in that I cannot carry a tune to save my life. Finn seems to find this exceptionally funny and giggles whenever we sing 'ooo...snuggle puppy of mine, everything about you is especially fine' I think I do it differently everytime, but always loud and strong. Sandra Boynton has a ton of kids books out and she also has some song books that come with CDs. We spent some time reading them at the bookstore one day and I am definitely going to have to get Finn some more. We definitely love reading to him.
Friday, February 20, 2009
A Plan
Well, you all know that i do not do well without plans and organization, almost to the point of a disorder :)
Finn and I went to the bookstore and picked up the books I had ordered. We got Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect and Communicate with your Baby by Tracy Hogg. I have heard this is good for deciphering baby cues. I really hope so because even though he is almost 4 months old, I still haven't figured out what Finn needs at any given time. When I was pregnant, everyone told me I would learn my baby's unique needs, unfortunately I am just not that intuitive. I will let you know what I think of this book soon.
I also got The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley (foreword by Dr. Sears who I really like). I know there are so many different theories and methods out there for getting a baby to sleep well, but I think the attachment parenting concepts appeal to me a lot more and Sean and I both agree that we are not ready to consider any forms of "cry it out." I have just read through the first 2 chapters and my heart is already filled with joy and hope that this book will help us come up with strategies that will work well for us. The author does admit that her methods will not provide the quick solution that the Ferber method and other "cry it out" methods claim, but that they will work if we put in the time, which I am willing to do. The first step is to start keeping a sleep log. Awesome, I do enjoy data collection. I will post out progress on this method to let you all know how it works for us.
I also got an impulse buy while I was there: The No-Cry Nap Solution also by Elizabeth Pantley. I wasn't going to get it until I read the sleep solution, but then I read the back cover and it asked, "Does your child nap only in your arms, a sling, a swing, or the car? Require elaborate rituals before sleeping? Get fussy, act cranky, or throw tantrums due to lack of sleep? take very short naps or none at all?" Well, with a resounding YES to the first question, I was sold. We will see how that one goes too.
So, now that I have the prospect of a plan, I am feeling empowered to deal with some sleepless nights as we progess towards a good night's rest for all of us.
So, you can expect plenty of sleep posts in the future, but I promise to also make sure I post plenty of cute Finn photos.
Much to her chagrin, Lily has become the favored Tummy time entertainment:
You can see how much hair Finn has lost:
There is still plenty of hair to stick up crazily though. This is Lily getting a good ear licking in, I could quite get her mid lick:
When Mandy asked me about my favorite baby wearing device the other day I realized I hadn't been using the sling much since Finn had gotten bigger. I remembered there was a kangaroo hold in the instruction book on how I could wear Finn facing forward, so I thought I would give it a try. I don't know that I got it quite right, but Finn had fun looking in the mirror as I took photos:
Finn and I went to the bookstore and picked up the books I had ordered. We got Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect and Communicate with your Baby by Tracy Hogg. I have heard this is good for deciphering baby cues. I really hope so because even though he is almost 4 months old, I still haven't figured out what Finn needs at any given time. When I was pregnant, everyone told me I would learn my baby's unique needs, unfortunately I am just not that intuitive. I will let you know what I think of this book soon.
I also got The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley (foreword by Dr. Sears who I really like). I know there are so many different theories and methods out there for getting a baby to sleep well, but I think the attachment parenting concepts appeal to me a lot more and Sean and I both agree that we are not ready to consider any forms of "cry it out." I have just read through the first 2 chapters and my heart is already filled with joy and hope that this book will help us come up with strategies that will work well for us. The author does admit that her methods will not provide the quick solution that the Ferber method and other "cry it out" methods claim, but that they will work if we put in the time, which I am willing to do. The first step is to start keeping a sleep log. Awesome, I do enjoy data collection. I will post out progress on this method to let you all know how it works for us.
I also got an impulse buy while I was there: The No-Cry Nap Solution also by Elizabeth Pantley. I wasn't going to get it until I read the sleep solution, but then I read the back cover and it asked, "Does your child nap only in your arms, a sling, a swing, or the car? Require elaborate rituals before sleeping? Get fussy, act cranky, or throw tantrums due to lack of sleep? take very short naps or none at all?" Well, with a resounding YES to the first question, I was sold. We will see how that one goes too.
So, now that I have the prospect of a plan, I am feeling empowered to deal with some sleepless nights as we progess towards a good night's rest for all of us.
So, you can expect plenty of sleep posts in the future, but I promise to also make sure I post plenty of cute Finn photos.
Much to her chagrin, Lily has become the favored Tummy time entertainment:
You can see how much hair Finn has lost:
There is still plenty of hair to stick up crazily though. This is Lily getting a good ear licking in, I could quite get her mid lick:
When Mandy asked me about my favorite baby wearing device the other day I realized I hadn't been using the sling much since Finn had gotten bigger. I remembered there was a kangaroo hold in the instruction book on how I could wear Finn facing forward, so I thought I would give it a try. I don't know that I got it quite right, but Finn had fun looking in the mirror as I took photos:
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Perspective
Okay, I swear I am not bipolar, but it has just been a couple hours since my last post and I feel like a new woman. Finn woke up in a good mood. We got a load of laundry in, he played happily while I began a loaf of bread, we played together and he did some tummy time. We read a book and now he is napping again. Still in my arms, but heck I'll take it!
I also just read some of the mommy boards that I frequent and found some posts of moms at there wit's end because their baby was up 8x + last night. So I guess Finn is actually doing extremely well in comparison. Gotta keep things in perspective I suppose. I don't have the foggiest what I am doing, but I don't think I have screwed him up too badly yet so just gotta keep plugging away.
I also just read some of the mommy boards that I frequent and found some posts of moms at there wit's end because their baby was up 8x + last night. So I guess Finn is actually doing extremely well in comparison. Gotta keep things in perspective I suppose. I don't have the foggiest what I am doing, but I don't think I have screwed him up too badly yet so just gotta keep plugging away.
Operation Crib Transition Part 2
Another night of crib sleeping (?) down. We did a bit better than yesterday. Finn was asleep at 7:30 last night after a bout of screaming while Sean rocked him. Sean was able to put him down and he didn't wake until 11:15. I nursed him and got him back in the crib in about 1/2 hour. Then he woke again at 2:45 I nursed him and got him back to bed by 3, but then he was up again at 3:45. I nursed him again and tried to get him back to bed, but the minute I crawled back in bed he woke up. i asked Sean to give it a go. It took him until about 4:30 to get him back down. At that point, Sean decided to just go ahead and start the day and walk the dog (they are usually out the door a little after 5 anyway). Then Finn woke again at 5:15. As I peered into the crib, I saw a wide awake boy grin at me, so we decided to start our day too. He ate and we played a little, but then he started to get fussy. So, I think he must be tired so I try to rock him again. He goes to sleep, I put him in his crib. Five minutes later he is up. I put him in his bouncy chair as I am brushing my teeth and he becomes more and more agitated. I pick him up to try to sooth and end up with a screaming baby. I nurse him to get him to calm down as nothing else I try works including his paci. He finally conks out in my arms. He seems to be in a deep sleep so I begin to place him in his crib. The minute his bottom touches the mattress his eyes open and he scowls at me accusingly (how dare you put me down?). So I pick him up and now he sleeps soundly on my lap as I type this one handed. I end up crying because I think I must be doing everything wrong. I am clueless about his cues and I never know when i should be feeding him or playing with him or trying to get him to sleep. I am worried I am resorting to the boob to often because he has been spitting up. I am worried he is not getting the rest he needs because he is so cranky when he is awake. I am worried he is not getting the proper developmental activities when he is awake because I am always holding him trying to calm him. I am worried I am going to be holding him to nap when he is 18. All in all I am worried I am a bad mom. I also think I am overtired too (I obviously don't do well with disrupted sleep) and over-analyzing things, but no way that is going to stop given my propensity to worry even before motherhood.
We made it to the bookstore yesterday and they didn't have the books I wanted so they ordered them and will be here in a couple days. I hope they give me a little guidance or reassurance.
We made it to the bookstore yesterday and they didn't have the books I wanted so they ordered them and will be here in a couple days. I hope they give me a little guidance or reassurance.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Operation Crib Transition
I will never sleep again. Okay, I know this is temporary, but I am exhausted. Finn is rapidly approaching the weight limit to his bassinet so Sean and I decided to begin putting him in his crib to sleep at night. We have gone through two nights now and I am planning on going to the bookstore this morning and looking at every book on infant sleep they have.
The first night was not so bad. We got through bedtime routine and rocked him to sleep. He slept happily in his crib until about 11:30 which is pretty much what he used to do in his bassinet. I jumped up when he woke and nursed him. He fell asleep after his snack, but he woke up the minute I tried to put him back in the crib. So, I broke down and brought him to bed with us.
In all honesty, I would happily co-sleep until he turns one, but he doesn't seem to sleep that much better in bed with us. He thrashes around a lot and none of us get any rest. Plus our bed just isn't big enough and I am so hyper-aware of his presence that I don't feel rested.
Last night was tough. We got him to sleep in his crib at 8pm, but then he was up again at 10pm. Then again at midnight and every hour thereafter. I know he wasn't hungry every time because he would nurse for just a couple minutes then fall asleep. I would rock him until he seemed in a deep sleep which could take awhile and then once I got him down, I would get a half hour before we had to repeat. Ugh.
I know Finn is not feeling well rested either because he is currently sleeping soundly on my lap. I think he just wants to be held all the time to sleep. I wish I could provide it for him, but obviously we need to move past this as he gets older.
I think I am going to see if they have The No-Cry Sleep Solution at the bookstore. I have also heard good things about The Baby Whisperer for getting a baby on a bit of a schedule, but I don't really know the whole basis of that one. This is so difficult because I want to make sure I am doing what his best for Finn and not just for myself. I want to accurately understand what his needs are regarding sleep and nutrition at this age, but also I want to meet his emotional needs. I feel like these are such huge decisions given that our actions can directly affect his brain development and how he views the world.
Nothing like a heck of a lot of pressure on tired parents!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Ready to face the world
Finn has been wiggly and fussy every time I tried to put him in the moby facing me lately. I think he just felt too confined. I had been holding off facing him forward because they recommend doing so at 4 months. Well, he is so big and has gotten such good head control, I decided to try it out. I have been carrying him facing forward because he wants to check everything out now anyway. It was a big hit. We were over at his cousins' house yesterday and he got to get bundled up and watch them sled. He was fascinated. Then today, I took him to the grocery store and he was so happy to watch me pick out items and cross them off my list. Facing the world it fantastic!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
3 Months!
Finnbar is three months old, a newborn no longer. I can't believe we made it through the 'fourth trimester' and have entered infanthood. It is amazing to think how much Finn has changed. I swear he develops new skills daily. I now understand why everyone told me to cherish every moment because it goes so quickly and things change all the time.
Finn has really gotten some great head control and he likes to be held upright or is an upright sitting position so he can really take things in:
He is also exceptionally proud of his ability to grab his toys now:
Finn has really gotten some great head control and he likes to be held upright or is an upright sitting position so he can really take things in:
He is also exceptionally proud of his ability to grab his toys now:
Monday, February 2, 2009
Happy Groundhog Day!
Alas, the groundhog saw his shadow and we have 6 more weeks of winter. Typically I would be very happy for such a forecast, but I must say I was hoping for an early spring this year. It will just be that much easier to take Finn and Lily for walks. We did get out today and it was pretty nice. I just have to stick to the downtown where they clear the sidewalks well when I have the stroller. Finn has gotten a bit wiggly in the Moby wrap. I think he really wants a bit more freedom of movement now, but he is still too young to move him facing forward. It occurred to me today how great spring is going to be when Finn was staring at the trees when we go past and I thought, he has never seen leaves! How amazing and new spring will be for him and he is going to be at a great curious age.
Well, here are a few of our latest photos. Finn rocked to sleep:
This is where the expression "sleeping like a baby" comes from:
Finn often protests tummy time, so we find creative ways to get him on his belly:
Gosh, do I have some handsome men in my life!
Well, here are a few of our latest photos. Finn rocked to sleep:
This is where the expression "sleeping like a baby" comes from:
Finn often protests tummy time, so we find creative ways to get him on his belly:
Gosh, do I have some handsome men in my life!
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