How To Train Your Baby...

...to sleep, that is.  That's been my predominant Google search over the last week.  For the first 3 months since Colin was born, we were amazed at what a good little sleeper our darling baby was.  He napped pretty well, and was sleeping 6 hours at night beginning at 6 weeks old.  But around 4 months, that all changed...it was like Colin forgot how to sleep!  After scouring through many books on sleep training which I had borrowed from friends, I came away feeling more confused than ever.  The advice I was reading all seemed to contradict each other...one book said to let baby cry, so he could learn how to self-soothe.  Another book claimed that if you didn't tend to every whimper, that baby would feel stress, anxiety, abandonment, and mistrust.  There were even different ways to go about letting baby cry (or CIO - Cry It Out).  The Ferber method instructs you to put baby down for bed, then check in on him and console after 5 minutes of crying, then 10, then 15, and so on until baby falls asleep.  We had dabbled with this method a bit, but with no success.  At bedtime, Colin would usually fall asleep while nursing, but would wake up about 4 hours later and not be able to get back to sleep.  I tried feeding him, changing him, rocking him, going back in time and again to give him his pacifier after he would pull it out in anger.  He would fall asleep in our arms, then wake up the moment we laid him in his crib.  Nap time was better, but he still needed to be fully rocked to sleep, and even then he would only sleep for about 30-45 minutes at a time.  After around 2 hours of fighting it at 1 am for several nights in a row, Marshall and I were not only sleep deprived, but starting to give up hope that we'd ever get a good night's sleep again.  I began to search for solutions on the Internet.  I came across a page called Troublesome Tots, a guide to bedtime battles and baby sleep by Alexis Dubief.  This writer seems to be the unofficial spokesperson for CIO, and I was relieved to find many of the answers to some questions I had been having.  I knew that our main problems were that 1) Colin wasn't able to fall asleep on his own without our assistance (being rocked or given his paci); 2) he would often fall asleep while feeding; and 3) we eventually gave into his cries and came to his rescue, starting us back at square one.  I learned that by going in to check on Colin and offer him his paci, I was essentially teaching him that I'd eventually come back in, no matter how long he cried.  I also learned that when he fell asleep while eating or being rocked, he would wake up and expect that same scenario to get back to sleep.  The author equated this to falling asleep in your bed, and then waking up on your front lawn - you'd holler to get back to where you were too!  I also found out that sleep training needs to start with bedtime, and that nap time training comes after good night time sleep is well-established.  After all, baby has to have slept well during the day in order to sleep well at night.  So while that definitely took some of the pressure off, I knew the challenge ahead was to just let Colin cry it out by way of the "extinction method."  Basically, you follow through with a consistent bedtime routine, and then it's good night and walk away.  THE END.  The author recommends this method when all else fails, particularly if you've already tried the check and console route.  She also recommends giving baby his last meal at least 20-30 minutes before bedtime, so that eating doesn't become a sleep association.  So a few nights ago, we decided to give it a try.  I fed Colin while playing a CD of soft lullaby music, then we gave him a bath and massage with lotion, followed by jammies, a story, a cuddle and a prayer, then lights out.  Long story short (too late, I know...), IT WORKED.  It was heart-wrenching to listen to our little nugget wail, so we turned down the sound, poured a glass of wine, and tried to distract ourselves for the next hour.  And miracle of all miracles, he finally fell asleep.  We kept peeking at him on the video monitor, and could see how he was really tiring himself out...he'd turn on his side and begin to fall asleep, and then start flailing again, as if he forgot that he was just pissed off a moment ago.  The brilliant thing was that he actually stayed asleep for 7 hours in a row!  It was the first time he'd slept that long in a while.  On the first night, he actually woke up briefly around 2 am and whimpered for a few minutes, but I resisted the urge to go in and he fell right asleep.  He woke up to eat at his normal time (around 5 am), then went back to sleep until 9 am!  Reeling after a restful night and having my confidence lifted, I knew we could make it through round 2 the second night.  He still cried for an hour at bedtime, but stayed asleep the remainder of the night.  On night 3 he cried for just 45 minutes, and last night it was only about 15 minutes!  I think we're making real progress, and we couldn't be happier.  Colin is even starting to make the transition to self-soothing during naps.  So bring on the next challenge!  I can handle anything, now that I've had a bit more sleep :)

Here is a link to the resource page I found on CIO from Troublesome Tots, in case you're interested:
 http://www.troublesometots.com/cry-it-out/

And when he gets a good night's sleep...

He wakes up in such a good mood!  What a silly goose :)

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Colin!

Today, Colin is 6 months old...I just can't get over how fast the time has gone by!  It seems like just yesterday that we met our little baby for the very first time, felt him squeeze our fingers tightly, and instantly fell in love.  As I reflect on all that has happened in the last 6 months, I'm astounded at the rapid development that's taken place.  Colin has always been pretty strong, and we were amazed to see him hold his head up on his own, just a few days after his birth.  But now, he holds his entire body weight up, and can even stand on his own while holding on to something for support.  He sits on his own for minutes at a time too, but we're always ready to catch him when he loses his balance.  It won't be long before he's really on the go, and he's already so eager to explore the world around him.  We celebrated Colin's half-birthday by having some "mommy and Colin time" at the YMCA pool.  Colin loves the water and watching all the kids and fountains in the splash park.  He even puts his hand in the sprayers and doesn't mind getting splashed in his face.  I bet he'll follow in my footsteps and become quite the little fish!  It was such a lovely afternoon with my little man.  Here's the latest milestones on the chalkboard wall!

Playdates, Mountain Trips, and Special Occasions

We've had a very busy week filled with lots of momentous firsts!  On June 4th, Colin had his first play date with Hunter Poole, Laramie and Carlton's little cutie.  Laramie brought Hunter over to our house and the boys played on the activity mat while the mommas did some catching up.  Carlton and Marshall joined us after work and we all had a nice evening together.  Here's some photos of the boys getting to know each other :)

 

 

The next day, we met Erin for a birthday lunch, and then joined her with family and friends at the White Water Center.  We asked Erin to be Colin's Godmother, and she graciously accepted!  I hope it made her birthday even more special...I know it was so meaningful to us, as she has already been such a big part of Colin's life.  She was even there to witness his birth!  Happy birthday, "Aunt" Erin!

On Friday - after much packing, planning, and stalling - we finally left for our trip to Dad and Mary's mountain house (and eventually arrived about 4 hours later...gotta love traveling with an infant, a dog, a rooftop cargo carrier, and a packed SUV!).  The weekend was spent enjoying a concert in Valle Crucis Park, a visit to the garden at Grandfather Home for Children, peaceful afternoon naps, bonfires, church on Sunday, and some shopping at Mast General Store.  Marshall headed back to Charlotte Sunday afternoon, to prepare for his week-long business conference in San Antonio, TX; Colin and I planned to stay the rest of the week enjoying the mountains and time with family.  Dad and Mary provided all the comforts of home for us, and Colin acclimated to his new surroundings very nicely!  We had a great week visiting with their friends, walking in the park, relaxing, and enjoying each other's company.  Dad and Mary drove us back to Charlotte on Friday, and we were reunited with Marshall after his long week away.

 

 

 

 

 
This past Sunday was another very special day.  It was Marshall's 1st Father's Day, and Colin's Christening!  John, Kimmie, Ginna, Blake, and Erin met us with Dad and Mary at Harrison United Methodist for the church service.  Colin looked adorable in his white seersucker romper and hat.  He was totally at peace as Pastor Shane baptized him and carried him down the aisle as the congregation sang "Jesus Loves Me."  It was such a sweet sight to see.  Everyone gathered back at our house for brunch and cake to celebrate the day.  It was so great to share the occasion with all the wonderful dads on Father's Day, and even more special to me because I was also baptized on this same day, 34 years ago (which was also Father's Day, and my mom's birthday!).  We received some very special gifts which will always remind us of this important occasion.  We went to bed that evening reflecting on all of the incredible blessings in our life. 

 

 

A (Nearly) Perfect Weekend

This past weekend was one of my favorites to date :)  Marshall came home from his week-long business trip on Friday afternoon, and we couldn't have been happier to see him!  It was a long and emotional week, full of sleep training (which was mostly unsuccessful), recovering from sicknesses, and getting back into our regular routine.  I prepared a yummy dinner of chicken and cheese lasagna roll-ups (courtesy of Pinterest!) and we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine and caught up on some shows. 

On Saturday we made a plan to meet up with Erin and Melissa for lunch at the White Water Center.  They were paddle boarding first, so we decided to do a little shopping at Stein Mart before heading out.  If you've been keeping up with my blog, you probably know that Colin has had a little poo-poo trouble since beginning solid foods.  Gone are the days of our regular dirty diapers, and the moment I'd been dreading finally arrived as we were checking out.  Marshall noticed that Colin was turning red and really bearing down...he turned to me and said, "Uh oh..." and instantly I knew we had to get out of there ASAP.  Poop had started coming out of the side of his shorts, and onto his carseat which was attached to the stroller.  I knew there weren't enough wipes in the diaper bag to clean up this disaster, so we headed home to stick his tushie in the tub.  I even had to sit in the back with him to keep a hold of his hands and feet!  After cleaning and disinfecting the baby and all his gear, we made our way to the WWC for an enjoyable afternoon.  Good thing it didn't happen there at least!

Sunday morning began with an inspiring church service, followed by Colin's first experience at the pool.  We got him in his swim diaper (and felt relieved that the blowout happened yesterday!), trunks, swim shirt, and sun hat and headed to the YMCA splash park.  It was definitely sensory overload for our little fish!  He loved the water, but it took some getting used to since it was much cooler than the bath he loves splashing in.  The splash park has all kinds of fun fountains and slides for kids, and I know Colin will love playing in it all one day when he's a bit bigger.  He was completely intrigued by watching the other kids having fun in the water.  When he got a bit sleepy and fussy, it was time to go...but we were already looking forward to our next visit.  I think this will be a great way to spend those hot days!

We finished the evening with a delicious surf and turf dinner (Marshall is quite the master of the grill), and went to bed feeling grateful for all the blessings in our life.  Cheers to the beginning of an incredible summer!

Here are some photos from our fun weekend!  Enjoy!

(Daddy says not til you're two! Ha!)