Thursday, April 10, 2008

random random


*We are backsliding a bit on the whole sleep issue! She has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks...and started sleeping 9 hours at about 8.5 weeks. For the past 3 nights she has been getting up every hour or so and crying for her paci. She is still in the cradle in our room (I know, I know...we're terrible) for several reasons. The major reason being that her nursery seems soooooo far away. In reality, it's just right upstairs. But to me, it seems something like this...

out our bedroom door, through the great room, around the corner and through the dining room, through the foyer, up 35 steps, around the corner, down the hallway, through her door, across her room, and finally....to her crib.

Now, that seems like too far away to me for safety purposes (I realize this is irrational) and it also seems like too long a trip for who ever is on paci police duty that night. Plus, there is the whole door dilemma with the dogs. I feel too closed off from her if I shut our door or hers....but then I feel like it's too unsafe to have two 80 pound dogs roaming the house at night when each of them is easily able to jump the height of her crib. (It should be noted that both dogs have been wonderful with her...but dogs are unpredictable. Also, I worry that they might try to get in bed and snuggle with her or something. Not good.
Also, I am now obsessing about the cornice and tapestry that hangs above her bed. What if it falls on her in the night. Tommy has pulled on it to test it...but I am not convinced.
So for now, I have to keep her in the cradle in our room. Though this situation won't last much longer as her arms are starting to poke through the slats. But anyway, let's take a vote from some other mom's. Do you think I should start rice cereal with her? She's old enough and maybe it would help her sleep more soundly?? Here's whats holding me back on the rice cereal...she doesn't wake up at night hungry. She seems to be perfectly happy...even smiling at me as if to say, "Hmmmmm, why is it still dark. I am quite sure it is time to get up."
Here's what I do know: Waking every hour to play "Pin the Paci to the Mouth" in that dark is not getting it. To add to the broken up sleep, she has also developed a cute little rodeo arm that circles wildly in the air before slamming repeatedly into the mattress. It's lovely, truly.

*The weather.....we are loving it. It has been amazing. I took the fleece Bundle-Me off of the car seat just in time to see that temperatures will plummet this weekend and that there is a chance of SNOW on Monday. We will be so glad when the weather turns for good. Sunday-Wednesday felt like Florida minus the sand and palm trees. I was like an excited native showing my daughter (who played the role of tourist) all around town in the balmy weather. There is so much we haven't been able to do with her because it's been so cold since she was born. And a new season of baby clothes! And the summer shoes! The cuteness abounds!

*I've been proofing photos into the wee hours. I need to get everything done before this weekend because of Erin's wedding photography. We have our fingers tightly crossed that the weather holds out. Rain+wedding photography=very nervous photographer. I am really looking forward to the event. Erin, it's going to be beautiful!!
Mom will have Isabella for lots of hours on Friday and Saturday. I hope she is good.

*Last night for date night (my turn) I rented Kite Runner for us. I read and loved the book. The movie was very good, but had a lot of subtitles...which is kind of annoying...especially with a baby involved. If you look away for even a second, you miss something. The movie was heavy...but moving.
Then, before bed, we watched the tivo'ed Oprah show on puppy mills. Too heavy for me. Too sad. Unbelievable and completely disturbing. The ONLY show on which I have ever seen Oprah cry.

*This would be my favorite summer song. An odd video, yes...but a great windows down song, nonetheless. Give it a listen.


*And...my favorite summer dinner song.... (add Moet and candles and open windows...or even better, a large body of water nearby)


*Last one. Forgive me..I'm in a bit of a You Tube phase. My favorite song that reminds me of Thomas! Love you, babe!



Lastly, baby brother...I'll put your package in the mail on Monday. Sorry to disappoint!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love
Thank you for the wonderful date night. The movie was a good reminder of how blessed we really are.
I want the baby girl to stay in our room. I will miss her too much if she is upstairs!
I Love You! TJF

Anonymous said...

Also, the song is beautiful. It feels like home to me whenever I have you in my presence, preferably in my arms. You have repeatedly shown me the true meaning of love and I am forever thankful for our journey together.
Love You- TJF

Anonymous said...

I love, love all the songs and I say absolutely on the rice cereal. C loves some rice cereal! We can't wait for warmer weather either. We'll take walks with the babes.

Justin said...

wow....i love the affection b/t you too, but get a chatroom. :)

yes! i package!! the only problem is i will spend next week waiting and checking it. i'm excited tho

thanks you are too good to us

ps: why do you always have to spell a word to leave a comment? my word is boaqijn

rhonda said...

hello sara.
i keep up with your blog bc/ our babies are very near in age and you always say just almost exactly what i want to say to my annaleigh....unfortunately, you are going through what i have dreaded (but fortunately not going through) with her not sleeping through the night.....annaleigh is still doing REAL good but it may be because i still swaddle her up...like - in a swaddle that we bought after she outgrew her first one!! will your daughter allow you to do this? or would she feel like she's in a straight jacket?? it seems that every time i lay annaleigh down without it, she wakes herself up by either tugging at her pacifier ribbon that is attached to her or by being startled, jumping and hitting her self in the face(ha) or just allowing her arms to flare all up in the air, etc...so, that is an option?? also, she could be teething?? although annaleigh is not getting up to eat during the night, she has been known (a lot lately) to get up once in the night for a diaper change...all i do is get her up, change her diaper, reswaddle her and give her the paci...she goes right back to sleep.....and as far as the cereal goes - my nurse last month (at annaleigh's 4 mo. checkup) told me that they are mainly learning to eat, not getting any nutrition from the cereal...she said that unless they are REAL good at eating and can really swallow, eat (truly eat), they are just wasting more than they are eating....so, you may try it - just to see what she takes in, but that may not have an effect on her sleeping...of course, each child is different and you just do what you want...and what helps her sleep...
i also have a suggestion regarding your puppies and her room...after reading your blog, i actually posted about my suggestion on my own blog tonight..but, i have to invite you by email so you can read the blog...i would love to share the idea with you so please email me at:
crarichard AT hotmail DOT com
(btw, i apologize for writing you a novel in your comment section).

Chesnye said...

Sara,
What a beautiful post!! I really love the last song, and what a great movie that was. As far as Bella and her sleeping... I am a SIDS freak. The suggestions right now are to keep the baby in the parents room for the first year (in their own crib), use a pacifier to go to sleep, when they start rolling over use the zip-up sleep blanket (we have 2 from Cotton LullaBag and they are the best we have found after using differnt ones with all three children) and of course on their back to sleep. I have a couple other things so you can email me if you want that info (one does involved a pacifier use). As for the cereal, our pediatrician says cereal at 6 months because of future allergy and diabetes issues. I will say that Clark had cereal at 4 months at has BAD allergies, Bella Ruth had it at 6 months and has slight allergies. Who knows!
So the sleeping situation at our home, Will Henry has his crib, changing table, and rocker in our room. He sleeps in a sleep sack and takes a pacifier. I have a stash of about 10 pacies next to my bed and I have to replace his about 2 times a night. Other nights he sleeps and we never hear from him. This was how it was with each of our children and I will say the others are great sleepers in their own beds now. I try to take them away at a year, but Will Henry is 13 months and still has it.:)
I hope this helps. Please email me if you want to know the other Pacifier info with SIDS and sleeping. csteward7100@msn.com
Hugs,
Chesnye

susan said...

ok. you surely don't need our 2 cents b/c you are a GREAT mom and will go with your gut and that is always the right thing:)
as for the vickers--
1) sleeping arrangements--we bought this big ole house and redid it while i was pregnant w/ mm. when we showed all the main street passers-by what we were doing--every single stinking one of them would say--you are putting that baby upstairs and your bedroom downstairs? i was like--YEAH??? now. i. understand.:) but we have made it--we stayed up w/ her or her down w/ us most of the first year, and continue to do so when either she or we feel like we need to be close! is there a place (guest room?) where you all could camp up near her room so she could get used to her bed and room? when baby boy arrives--rest assured there is still a place up there for me to crawl into and sleep when i just need to be near them!!
2) food allergies--the cereal thing is so tempting when they hit a sleepless spurt--but this food allergy mom and advocate has to tell you that the evidence shows that witholding solids until at least 6 months can help ward off food allergies.
keep up the good work--again--you are an incredible mom!