Finn Screams

OK, I'm too lazy to edit these videos. But I think it's kinda cute, and I'll keep the link here for posterity. I'm not sure if any of these would be interesting to anyone other than me.

Olivia Goes!

Olivia sort of crawls.

Grandma Makes Good Caps

And she made this cute as can be one-piece knicker suit too!

Sleeping Through The Night!

OK. I can't believe it works. Apparently you don't have to believe it works for it to work, though. We have combined our research, and, with help from my parents, we have found a system that works! Recently I was forwarded a book on PDF from my ex-nanny Jess and my Aunt Michelle, both recommended it highly. When I read it, it was a concise description of the techniques we had read about in the Ferber book and the Weissbluth book, and what my parents advised us to do.

Books/link:

Ferber Book

Weissbluth Book

Sleep Sense Website

Basically, we put them to bed at 7-8pm and they wake up around 7am.

1. put them in sleepers
2. fresh diapers
3. Tylenol (if there is intense teething going on)
4. go upstairs
5. feed a bottle
6. rocking/patting and/or singing 
7. burp (if possible)
8. put him/her down in the crib
9. give blanket
10. "Nighty Night"
11. kiss
12. walk out
13. stay out for 30 minutes
14. If they cry, they stop crying in less than 5 minutes (to my utter shock)

When I walk out I think to myself, this won't work, he/she's wide awake. And then the crying stops! Like, fast! And then it doesn't start up again! Very strange. Who are these babies?

More Baby Led Weaning!

Sleep!

So the parents (mine) took Olivia for five nights and she's back now. Last night was a vast improvement. I think if we could stop the animals from making noise at night we''d be in great shape. Just 3 wake ups last night (? I think, as usual it's a blur). And of course, I had to pump too. I'm looking forward to getting a spring back in my step after I catch up a bit on the sleep thing. And spring coming!

Solid Food - mostly "Baby Led Weaning" Style

So far we have eaten:

1. chicken
2. turkey
3. eggs
4. french toast
5. toast
6. bread
7. potatoes
8. carrots
9. green beans
10. apple sauce
11. cauliflower
12. broccoli
13. apple
14. banana
15. avocado
16. stewed pears
17. rice cereal
18. oatmeal
19. fish sticks
20. ice-cream
21. Mum Mums 
22. cucumber
23. waffles

Olivia learns to sleep

Olivia's grandparents have been caring for her at night, since that crazy night I posted about. She's been sleeping very well! So...wow! They have a secret and they are doing their thing, and we are so grateful and happy. Hopefully when she comes home she'll remember all the skills they taught her. Also, hopefully we will be able to do what they do, I definitely ask a lot of questions. We are working on getting Finn sleeping well while we have the opportunity to focus on just him. By the way, she spends her days here, and goes over there to sleep. So far, so good.

Finn and I went swimming!

This night will never end

There is a solution to this. We just have to get organized and figure it out. (and figure out a strategy that doesn't involve listening to heart-breaking cries OR waking up the neighbours) And this wasn't a  normal night, it was worse than normal. It just happened that this night was the night I decided to keep a record of the events. 

 

The night of February 18th 2013:

8:00 both in bed asleep
8:35 wake up Olivia
8:42 back to sleep Olivia
9:35 wake-up Olivia & Finn
9:40 Olivia back to sleep
9:59 Finn back to sleep
11:17 Finn wake-up
11:50 left Finn's room - still awake but very relaxed
12:00 Finn makes noise again
12:35 left Finn's room - he's mostly asleep
12:35 some peeps heard from Olivia - we didn't enter her room
12:37 some peeps heard from Olivia - we didn't enter her room
12:47 someone peeping - both? - I think in their sleep
12:49 now Finn's really yelling/crying
We decide to start Ferberizing as this situation's untenable. Where is that damn book?
1:09 update: full-on crazy screaming, this hurts my heart! Doing wild Internet searches for help. eg. Trying to Ferber can't stand it
1:24 Finn asleep - David calmed him out of his tantrum and now he's asleep
1:25 Finn crying again
1:30 No more crying
2:22 Olivia confusional? or crying? hitting head against bars, picked her up
2:30 Finn crying/kicking, re-wrapped, rocked, rubbed chest, back to sleep
2:40 Finn back asleep
3:13 David dancing with swaddled O, post good feed, her eyes open
3:30 Olivia asleep, on belly one arm out of swaddle
Do I dare try to sleep?
5:15 Finn wake-up he was pretty hungry, nursed and then bottle
5:40 left him calm and awake, he probably fell asleep again
7:15 Finn demanded to be gotten up
7:25 Olivia demanded to be gotten up

Mint Nursery (Olivia's)

Blue Nursery (Finn's)

Baby Led Weaning

 

What is Baby Led Weaning? Click Here

Confusional Episodes

Posted to Facebook Group:

Oy Vey! Why is my little girl the one always suffering these maladies (and driving us crazy?) Confusional Episodes. Anyone have these in their kid? It is basically like sleep-walking for babies. But they look possesed and sound like they are in pain. Can't wake her up easily from it. She motors around the crib and out of the swaddle in her little way. They say: don't wake her up, she'll grow out of it. OK, but for now, she's hitting her head against the crib bars and moaning and crying. I don't know what to do next. I don't want to just leave her, but I also don't want to have to go up to that room 5-8 times every night. And sometimes when I do go I CAN'T wake her, she just keeps yelling and back-arching in my arms. And then when I do wake her - yay, now I have to put her back to sleep. Argh. Pediatrician shrugged it off. She doesn't know what it really looks like, just read about it in books. I'm video-taping these things so she'll understand. HELP anyone!

Update: 

She stayed at my mom and dad's last night and only woke up once for an hour! Hmmmm... I want to know why! (or are they just too deaf to wake up from her episodes?) If I can narrow it down...It has to be where she sleeps, position, swaddle, temperature, sounds - or ghost? Maybe we have a ghost and they don't. (OK maybe not that last one)

 

Posterior Tongue-tie

I need to write more later, but for now: we got the laser cut on Olivia's posterior tongue-tie. We also got the lip-tie cut. Jimmy Chan in North Vancouver did it. I'd rather it was a doctor, not a dentist, but this was our best option. We have to massage the wound sites 5 times a day. This sucks. It causes her so much pain. We have to take a happy baby and cause her pain so she screams and cries. We don't manage it 5 times a day, but we do our best. It's heart-breaking, but we came this far, and I can already see a difference in her tongue movement. I'm anticipating it hurting her less as it heals. It had better.

Personalities

Finn's still easygoing and expressive. If he's in a situation he doesn't like he'll scream and cry to get us to do something about it, or he'll just say, whatever.

Olivia's still the most stubborn, determined, motivated baby in the world. I showed her the glowing ladybug nightlight, held a few feet away, and she practically learned to crawl right then and there to reach it. Meanwhile, she's grunting like and Olympic weightlifter.

Same personalities since birth!