Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A Day at the Park
With the weather in Spokane finally getting nice, we were able to spend a little time at the park with Morgan on Sunday. We had a nice time hanging out and people-watching at a local park called Mirabeau Meadows. Since it was one of the few nice days we've had so far this year, there were a TON of people there. We had to search to find a shady spot with semi-dry grass.
Morgan was watching some teenagers play with a volleyball. She has also recently discovered her feet and enjoys grabbing her toes and/or socks.
A nice park-goer offered to take a family photo. Can you believe Morgan is looking right at the camera?!
Morgan was watching some teenagers play with a volleyball. She has also recently discovered her feet and enjoys grabbing her toes and/or socks.
A nice park-goer offered to take a family photo. Can you believe Morgan is looking right at the camera?!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Ferberizing
This is a strange term that I have only learned recently. It reminds me of the word you used to see connected to dry cleaners...martinizing. I really never knew what that meant, but somehow they seem like they'd be related.
"Ferberizing" is a term used by parents who adopt the "sleep training" methods of Dr. Richard Ferber. There are all kinds of methods out there to train your baby to go to sleep on their own, some include letting your child cry and some do not. Dr. Ferber supports letting your child cry, but not just closing the bedroom door and letting them cry indefinitely. Though I wasn't sure how I was going to handle the crying, at least I knew that I wasn't going to make my child feel abandoned.
Previously we had been doing our night-time routine, a bath, lotion/massage, put on her jammies, a bottle while being rocked in the glider...then rocked until she was completely asleep. Then very, very carefully get up, walk over to the crib and place her in, praying the whole time that you won't jostle her too much or make any noise to wake her up. If she woke up it was back to the glider until she fell asleep again. Ugh.
From my research at 4-6 months, babies are neurologically able to fall asleep on their own. Some babies just start doing it on their own (lucky parents!), but most need to be "trained." We were ready to start "Ferberizing" at four months, but we had to deal with the elimination of the swaddle first. Now that that's done, here's how it works. You get your child ready to go to sleep in the usual manner, though the first night it is good to start a bit later than normal so the baby is more tired. After you are done with your routine, you put your baby in bed awake. Our doctor recommended putting them to bed drowsy at first, so this is what we did. She had her bottle and was partly asleep, but not completely. Once she was in the crib she fussed around a bit and eventually started to cry. Once she starts to cry you wait a designated amount of time to just let them CIO (or "Cry It Out" - this is another message board term like STTN, Sleeping Through The Night). We started with three minutes. This was harder than I thought. When Morgan cries, she cries loud and hard. We turned down the sound on the monitor (we can watch her on the video screen) and closed the door to the bonus room. When the three minutes are up one of us would go into her room and "soothe" her for a minute or two. We aren't allowed to pick her up, but we would talk to her and rub her tummy and give her some kisses. Usually she would calm down some. Then you have to leave the room making sure she was still awake and aware you are not there.
Then you wait at longer intervals, five minutes, then ten minutes...then continue with the ten minute intervals as long as she is still crying. Friday night Morgan cried on and off for a total of 20 minutes (so the three, five and ten minute intervals with a few minutes that she was not actually crying). She was asleep before the first ten minute interval ended. Yay Morgan! She did about the same thing on Saturday night. Then last night she was asleep before the five minute interval was up...so I think it took her about 6-7 minutes from when we put her down to fall asleep. Fantastic!! You are actually supposed to increase the intervals each night...but until this moment I completely forgot about that. It worked fine anyway. We are still working on this for naps...but it looks like the nights are going well. When/if she wakes up around 3-4 am to eat we put her right back in her crib again...both Saturday and last night she fussed around for about 30 minutes and went back to sleep for a few hours. No real crying. Good girl!
This works great for us as we like to have Morgan go to sleep around 8:00 pm. If we have to rock/soothe her completely to sleep each night it takes much longer. Now we can have more time with her knowing that as soon as she finishes her bottle, she can be put in her crib and go to sleep on her own. This is good for her so she develops the ability to put herself to sleep ..thus she sleeps better and longer because she doesn't need us to "help" her get to sleep.
We'll let you know how this continues to go. We are excited about Morgan's progress. I'm sure teething will totally throw everything out of whack, but for now it's going great.
"Ferberizing" is a term used by parents who adopt the "sleep training" methods of Dr. Richard Ferber. There are all kinds of methods out there to train your baby to go to sleep on their own, some include letting your child cry and some do not. Dr. Ferber supports letting your child cry, but not just closing the bedroom door and letting them cry indefinitely. Though I wasn't sure how I was going to handle the crying, at least I knew that I wasn't going to make my child feel abandoned.
Previously we had been doing our night-time routine, a bath, lotion/massage, put on her jammies, a bottle while being rocked in the glider...then rocked until she was completely asleep. Then very, very carefully get up, walk over to the crib and place her in, praying the whole time that you won't jostle her too much or make any noise to wake her up. If she woke up it was back to the glider until she fell asleep again. Ugh.
From my research at 4-6 months, babies are neurologically able to fall asleep on their own. Some babies just start doing it on their own (lucky parents!), but most need to be "trained." We were ready to start "Ferberizing" at four months, but we had to deal with the elimination of the swaddle first. Now that that's done, here's how it works. You get your child ready to go to sleep in the usual manner, though the first night it is good to start a bit later than normal so the baby is more tired. After you are done with your routine, you put your baby in bed awake. Our doctor recommended putting them to bed drowsy at first, so this is what we did. She had her bottle and was partly asleep, but not completely. Once she was in the crib she fussed around a bit and eventually started to cry. Once she starts to cry you wait a designated amount of time to just let them CIO (or "Cry It Out" - this is another message board term like STTN, Sleeping Through The Night). We started with three minutes. This was harder than I thought. When Morgan cries, she cries loud and hard. We turned down the sound on the monitor (we can watch her on the video screen) and closed the door to the bonus room. When the three minutes are up one of us would go into her room and "soothe" her for a minute or two. We aren't allowed to pick her up, but we would talk to her and rub her tummy and give her some kisses. Usually she would calm down some. Then you have to leave the room making sure she was still awake and aware you are not there.
Then you wait at longer intervals, five minutes, then ten minutes...then continue with the ten minute intervals as long as she is still crying. Friday night Morgan cried on and off for a total of 20 minutes (so the three, five and ten minute intervals with a few minutes that she was not actually crying). She was asleep before the first ten minute interval ended. Yay Morgan! She did about the same thing on Saturday night. Then last night she was asleep before the five minute interval was up...so I think it took her about 6-7 minutes from when we put her down to fall asleep. Fantastic!! You are actually supposed to increase the intervals each night...but until this moment I completely forgot about that. It worked fine anyway. We are still working on this for naps...but it looks like the nights are going well. When/if she wakes up around 3-4 am to eat we put her right back in her crib again...both Saturday and last night she fussed around for about 30 minutes and went back to sleep for a few hours. No real crying. Good girl!
This works great for us as we like to have Morgan go to sleep around 8:00 pm. If we have to rock/soothe her completely to sleep each night it takes much longer. Now we can have more time with her knowing that as soon as she finishes her bottle, she can be put in her crib and go to sleep on her own. This is good for her so she develops the ability to put herself to sleep ..thus she sleeps better and longer because she doesn't need us to "help" her get to sleep.
We'll let you know how this continues to go. We are excited about Morgan's progress. I'm sure teething will totally throw everything out of whack, but for now it's going great.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
While Mommy Made Dinner
Morgan's been testing out her high chair some more. She won't be eating any solids for another month, but we are getting her used to sitting in her chair while we do some things around the kitchen. Here's a snippet from last night, while I made dinner.
Mmm. Something smells good. I think I'm kinda hungry. I think I'll blow a raspberry.
Now I'll munch on this for a while.
Bleh! Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I think I'll blow a raspberry.
OK. Now I really mean it! I'm hungry!
Ooh! I see my Daddy! Hi Daddy!
Mmm. Something smells good. I think I'm kinda hungry. I think I'll blow a raspberry.
Now I'll munch on this for a while.
Bleh! Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I think I'll blow a raspberry.
Mommy! I'm ready to eat!
OK. Now I really mean it! I'm hungry!You'll be glad to know Morgan was promptly fed and and happy again. Her teachers at daycare always comment on how sweet she is...and then she gets hungry. It happens so quickly. She'll be happy playing and then all of a sudden screaming to eat. And I mean red-faced, top-of-her-lungs screaming. At least we can say she sure knows how to communicate what she wants.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Teething?!
We've wondered for a while whether Morgan has actually started teething yet. The faucet of drool has gradually increased over the past month or two. She has taken to sucking on everything in sight, including Mommy's fingers and her lower lip. It is so cute when she sucks on her lower lip...it just totally disappears into her mouth. I've tried to get a picture of it with no luck.
When she bites down on my finger it's not a gentle bite anymore. She's got lots of teething "toys" to chew on. Every once in a while I run my finger along her lower gums to see if I feel anything. Nothing yet and they are are not red or irritated yet.
We keep getting teased by this teething thing. I figure when it really happens we'll know for certain! In the meantime we'll enjoy our girl's cute little gummy smile.
When she bites down on my finger it's not a gentle bite anymore. She's got lots of teething "toys" to chew on. Every once in a while I run my finger along her lower gums to see if I feel anything. Nothing yet and they are are not red or irritated yet.
We keep getting teased by this teething thing. I figure when it really happens we'll know for certain! In the meantime we'll enjoy our girl's cute little gummy smile.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Mommy Time
David's new job takes him out of town a few days each week. Sometimes I dread these days. David is so hands-on with Morgan that when he's gone he is missed dearly by both Mommy and Baby. The mornings are the most stressful. I have to get myself ready for work and Morgan ready for daycare. Every morning is different depending on when Morgan wakes up...so only so much planning ahead can be done.
Aside from the mornings...one thing I've noticed...I dread the days David's gone, but when I'm in the midst of it I really appreciate the time alone I get with Morgan. There is always something new and special for us to experience together. A few things from last night:
* Morgan spent a little time in her Jumperoo again. I'm trying not to leave her in there for too long, but I really needed to get something to eat. She continued to jump herself silly again. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they have the same one at her daycare. One of her teachers left a note on her daily report that she liked it so much she fell asleep in it! I hope they're not keeping her in there too long either...
* Morgan laughed for me again! Last time I made her laugh by kissing her cheeks and making funny sounds. I've been trying to do that again for a while with no luck. Last night I added a variation. When I kissed her I made a little "buzzing" sound with my lips on her cheeks that tickled a little. She especially liked it when I kissed her little chin. We called Daddy and he got to hear a few giggles too. Her little laughs are so sweet, like sparkles of sunshine. I know that sounds cheesy, but it makes me so happy!
* Bath time brought a new discovery. I was carefully cleaning some tender areas and I looked at her face and noticed she was sucking her thumb! She usually sucks her fist or a few fingers, but I'd never seen her actually put her thumb in her mouth.
* When I dropped her off at daycare this morning, I went to leave and the "pouty face" came out and she started to cry. I think we're seeing the start of some separation anxiety. The teacher was able to distract her with some toys before she really got going...and I slipped out the door. I don't want to her to get upset, but secretly I was a little proud of the fact that she would miss her Mommy.
Tune in next week for some more "Mommy Time" stories!
Aside from the mornings...one thing I've noticed...I dread the days David's gone, but when I'm in the midst of it I really appreciate the time alone I get with Morgan. There is always something new and special for us to experience together. A few things from last night:
* Morgan spent a little time in her Jumperoo again. I'm trying not to leave her in there for too long, but I really needed to get something to eat. She continued to jump herself silly again. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they have the same one at her daycare. One of her teachers left a note on her daily report that she liked it so much she fell asleep in it! I hope they're not keeping her in there too long either...
* Morgan laughed for me again! Last time I made her laugh by kissing her cheeks and making funny sounds. I've been trying to do that again for a while with no luck. Last night I added a variation. When I kissed her I made a little "buzzing" sound with my lips on her cheeks that tickled a little. She especially liked it when I kissed her little chin. We called Daddy and he got to hear a few giggles too. Her little laughs are so sweet, like sparkles of sunshine. I know that sounds cheesy, but it makes me so happy!
* Bath time brought a new discovery. I was carefully cleaning some tender areas and I looked at her face and noticed she was sucking her thumb! She usually sucks her fist or a few fingers, but I'd never seen her actually put her thumb in her mouth.
* When I dropped her off at daycare this morning, I went to leave and the "pouty face" came out and she started to cry. I think we're seeing the start of some separation anxiety. The teacher was able to distract her with some toys before she really got going...and I slipped out the door. I don't want to her to get upset, but secretly I was a little proud of the fact that she would miss her Mommy.
Tune in next week for some more "Mommy Time" stories!
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