Eating Words & Cereal

Well, I am eating my words. As soon as I posted my last blog entry yesterday, I heard a faint squeal which turned into a monstrous roar. It was about 49 minutes into Jack's afternoon nap and I thought we were in the clear. The intruder is usually very timely. Unfortunately, I was extremely wrong. And again, this morning's nap proved that the intruder is still lingering. After another day of "not so good" naps, I've decided to treat this 45 minute intruder as a hunger issue and see if that helps. Jack will be dining on rice cereal for 2 feedings a day as opposed to just one. Maybe with a full tummy, Jack can make it through the unfortunate visit of the intruder. Before his afternoon nap, Jack took a full liquid feeding and then I offered him a bowl of rice cereal. Initially, I was unsure if he would be interested because he normally does not eat solids at that time. Who was I kidding? Jack would eat a pizza if I gave it to him! So, of course, he ate the entire bowl. After looking very satisfied, we played together for a couple of hours, and then he settled in for his afternoon nap. He fell into a sound sleep as soon as his little head hit the bed. The verdict is still out on whether the additional solid feeding will be a success or not. I have my fingers crossed though! A well rested baby is a happy baby at my house!

Hello Nap! Goodbye Intruder!

Hallelujah! Today the clouds opened up and the angels sang...Jack slept through the intruder and woke up from his morning nap 1 1/2 hours later! It took 5 long, hard, grueling days, but that's better than 3 weeks. What a different baby too. Jack cooed when he woke up as opposed to crying. He smiled and played the morning through. As I type, he is taking his afternoon nap and snoozing through the intruder again...please, tell me I'm not going to eat my words! I think there are a lot of challenging aspects to parenting a baby. But, so far I have found sleep training to be the most difficult. The reward is priceless...a happy well rested baby and a happy well rested mommy. But, the road there hasn't been the easiest. Once you get the nights down, you want to rejoice and tell everyone you know, "my baby made it through the night". However, you're not finished...you still have to work on naps. And just as soon as the naps are established, well for us anyway, here comes the 45 minute intruder. I can see why there are so many books written on children and sleep....they are for babies and mommies who thrive on being well rested. I couldn't help but laugh the other day when a neighbor of mine called it "nap jail". I work so hard to get Jack on a good sleeping schedule and then I can't go anywhere! Yes, some days it does feel like I am in jail...but, for a very good cause...sweet dreams baby Jack.

Baby Blues

You wouldn't know by looking at these pictures, but it has been a rough week ...and it is only Tuesday. It all started with the infamous tooth. A little fussiness was nothing I couldn't handle, but then came the 45 minute intruder. Have you ever heard of it? If you haven't and you have a baby, you are VERY lucky! The name describes it perfectly. 45 minutes into EVERY nap the baby wakes and can not fall back to sleep. The cure? Well, not so fun. You must let the baby learn to fall back asleep on his own and yes, crying is included. The 45 minute intruder can linger anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. It shows up in babies between 5-8 months old. Okay, I did not ask for this milestone...two in one week was enough! Jack and "half a nap" do not mix well. Make that Jack and 2 "half a naps" and they REALLY dont mix well. I should have known on Saturday when his morning nap only lasted 45 minutes. I made excuses like, "oh, Grammy is in town, he wants to spend time with her" or " daddy put him down, Jack is use to me". When this continued through the weekend and still hasn't stopped, I finally had to come to terms with the fact that the 45 minute intruder has reared it's ugly head. So to sum up our week so far...Jack is fussy, overtired, moody, and smiles only if forced to do so. And yet somehow, I still love my little monkey to the moon and back. God knew what he was doing when he gave Jack those big "Baby Blues".

Happy Anniversary

Today Clay and I celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. Wow!, a lot has happened since we met ...new jobs, a new house, and of course a new addition to the family. What was I doing two years ago today?... marrying the love of my life amidst a hurricane, trying to dodge wind and rain to have my dream wedding outside. The wedding did not go exactly as planned, but the rest of my life has so far. As a toast to that memorable day,
I want to tell you the Top 10 Reasons I'd Marry Clay All Over Again:

10. He comes from a wonderful family

9. He loves my family (including Cosby) like they were his own

8. He has the most kind heart of anyone Ive ever met

7. He is so humble

6. He brings me back down to earth when I need it

5. He is a sports fanatic...I love a guy's guy

4. He rubs my head at night before I go to sleep

3. He always ask me where his things are and doesn't mind that I always know the answer

2. He is a FABULOUS daddy

1. He works extremely hard so that I can stay home with the love of my life junior

At our wedding, when I didn't want to hear it, someone said to me "It's suppose to be good luck when it rains on your wedding day". Now, looking back, I can honestly say, "I think they were right"!