Giving up the swaddle!

Yowza!
We've been squeezing Noah into his Miracle Blanket up until yesterday. Yep, he was squished and jammed into that thing without an inch of fabric to spare. In fact, it was totally stretched to the limit. Well, now, he gets out of it pretty much instantly and I just can't cram him in there anymore. But he slept so well in it!
Soooooo, we sadly moved him into a sleep sack. It's been an epic nightmare thus far...he just doesn't know what to do with himself and his arms flail all around. He rolls over and gets stuck. His paci falls out. Blah blah blahhh.
I figured "hey! I'll just swaddle him in one of those fancy swaddle blankets we got! They are bigger!" I did a good tight swaddle but the stretchy material allowed his little arms to come right out of there. Darn it! He just rolls around the bed and cries as he tries to figure out what to do. sigh. Looks like it's going to be a long few days.
I've decided to just rip this band aid off and continue on with the sleep sack and ween off the paci. He has to learn how to soothe himself and fall asleep on his own. But that doesn't mean it will be easy! There will be tears and screaming and rolling around, and then I'll need to deal with Noah! ha!
Wish us luck. I'm gonna need it.

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The Juggler

Photo to simply show off how cute newborn clothes are.
I laugh at this photo every time.

Hi friends!

Today I thought I would share some insights into my new life with 2 kiddos. For anyone who has been there before: this is old news! But, for those people contemplating a second child or who have one on the way, I thought I would share some things I'm slowly learning as I go.

1. Plan ahead
Obviously, right? But you have to plan waaaaaaaay ahead. Here's an example: Paige had an important appointment at 12:30 in the afternoon. So, I wanted to make sure we were out the door at 11:50 to get to the appointment on time. That meant I needed to be sure the process for getting the baby into the carseat and Paige set to go at 11:30 (allowing time for spit up changes, etc.) Well, Paige usually eats lunch at 11:30 so I had to be sure her lunch was served at 11:00 at the earliest. BUT, Noah's feeding was going to hit at 10:30 (counting 3.5 hours from his last morning feeding). Phew! I figured all this out early on in the day. While Noah slept after his first morning feeding, I ran and got his diaper bag ready for that appointment. Then, between moments of playing with Paige, I got dressed and got my things ready. I then ran and packed Paige's things for her appointment and made her lunch. I threw the lunch into the fridge and continued to play with her. Then, I got her all dressed and ready for the day. By the time Noah woke up for his feeding, everything was pretty much ready. Half way through Noah's feeding, I put Paige's lunch out for her and sat with her while I fed him. Then, he needed "burp time" and time to sit up to let the digestion happen. I then sat him in his little recline seat and put Paige's socks and shoes on her while she finished eating. Then, I ran and put Noah's little coat on him and into the car seat he went. The rest of us got our coats and bags and voila! We made it to the car right on schedule and I made it to the appointment 20 minutes early at that! I had to plan and get everything in motion at 8:30 am just to make sure we were at the 12:30 appointment on time. But that advance planning prevented chaos and stress, so it was worth it!

2. Include both kids
When Paige was a baby it was easy to just feed her when she cried to eat. Now, Noah cries to eat while Paige might be crying because she pooped at the start of her nap. Who to go to first? Well, I grab the baby and start the feeding and go upstairs to Paige's room. I then talk to her softly for a moment to tell her that I will change her diaper once Noah has had some food. When I can safely do so, I lay the baby down and change her diaper quickly and tuck her back in. Then, out I go with the baby and finish his feeding elsewhere. This also works in the morning when he cries to eat at the same exact time Paige wants to get up for the day. She can wait longer in that case, so I bring the baby into her room while she plays for a while. It also teaches her all about waiting. When the baby wants to be held and have his awake time, but it's time to play with Paige (for example, we are doing a puzzle together) I will bring Noah's seat down to the floor so he can sit with us and watch. Paige loves including the baby in her activities this way, as long as I am there to supervise. Another way to include the baby when I need to do other things is to put him in the infant carrier (Baby Bjorn or Ergo Carrier as examples). I then can satisfy his wish to be held AND get the pressing things done that need to happen right then too.

3. Use your time wisely
Like I'd said before, you need to plan everything in advance. You know an infant feeding will hit around dinner time? Prep the dinner at lunch time and refrigerate to make it quicker to prepare. Or, make the whole dinner during nap time and just heat it up come dinner time. Then, you can get all the dishes used to make dinner cleaned in the afternoon. Less to do in the chaos of the evening what with bath time, feedings, cleaning up toys, etc. My first pocket of free time is in the morning after breakfast. Paige likes to play by herself for a little bit and the baby is usually sleeping. I then run around and grab all the laundry, dirty burp cloths, bibs, etc. and throw a load into the washer. I then quickly get dressed in the clothes I put out the night before. (Let me quickly say that doing as much prep as you can the night before is a big help! You can set out stuff for breakfast, lay out clothes for the next day, pack bags, take your shower, etc.) If I have any more time at that moment, I quickly do the morning dishes and keep the sink cleaned out. You never know when you'll need that sink for a sudden bath! I hustle around during my free moments to make sure those silly little chores are taken care of so I can spend the rest of my free time relaxing and enjoying life! After all, the rest of my time is spent playing with and caring for the kids.

4. Make a list for success
My mother in law gave me a great tip: Sit down and make a list of the few things that MUST HAPPEN each day in order for you to feel like it was a success. Then, if you do everything on the list you can feel proud. If not, you can say that "tomorrow is another day." I sat down and wrote out all the days of the week and put my MUSTS under each one.
For example,
Mondays: Laundry load, dishes, Prepare and cook dinner, Shower and blow dry hair (usually right before bed), floss (I never floss and have made it a resolution for every day).
Tuesdays: Pretty much the same as Monday, no laundry unless needed, but I'm adding in "exercise routine" to the day. I also add in "blog posting and photo editing". I can do more because Paige has more Early Intervention services that day, so people are here playing with her.
Wednesdays: Same as Monday, but no dinner prep or cooking. Wednesdays we eat Monday's leftovers! Time saved!!!
Thursdays are the same as Tuesdays, but again, we're eating Tuesday's leftovers. More time saved!!! And less dishes to do!
Anyway, the point is, each of us has a thing or two that must be done to keep the house afloat. We also have a thing or two for OURSELVES that we must do to stay sane. Showering, putting on makeup, or even just getting dressed.
Make your list and stick to it. Then, if anything else gets accomplished you feel even more like a superstar.

So, these are just a few things I've discovered in the past few weeks that have had to happen to keep things moving smoothly. I've had some days where only one thing on my list got done. Oh well; you can plan for everything (sudden barf-fests or crazy terrible-two tantrums).
I wanted to share so you can see that more than one kiddo doesn't have to be too stressful, as long as you put in the time to plan ahead. (It helps to have a baby who isn't colicky, I will admit right off). I hope this helps anyone out there who may be worriers like me!
Have a great day my friends!

Hmmm. How can I make Mom's life more difficult today?

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an update

Hi friends!

I'm on day 2 of being by myself with the 2 kiddos. So far so good! Yesterday was hard; I won't lie. Not hard work, but I guess it was just stressful for me with lots of juggling. Laundry, dishes, Paige's needs (she has a cold just like me and her dad), her providers coming in and out....the exterminator making his monthly upkeep visit; Noah's needs, MY needs. I managed it all, even during Paige's several afternoon tantrums; some overlapping with Noah's crying for food. The only thing I left out was to eat my own lunch. Oh well.
I'm finding that I'm at the mercy of little Noah's feedings...I cannot control when they fall so it's hard to plan the day around anything. And little Paige has to learn to accept that I'm out of commission during these feedings and that she has to wait. A hard lesson for her, but she's doing better than I thought she would. Paige is extremely loving and caring toward her brother. Whenever she sees him she sends many tender words and pats his way. She also likes to kiss his head and sing him songs. Such a lucky brother!
Noah has been a dreamboat. He sleeps in 4-4.5 hour chunks, wakes up and gives a little raptor-like yelp for food which I oblige with a bottle. He's already taking about 5 ounces per feeding! He's not even a month old yet. Yikes! He's so calm and quiet and just peers around while he's awake. So, I un-swaddle him and let him watch us play. When his kicks slow down, I re-swaddle him and he zonks back out in his little 30 degree recline chair (placed in the Pack N Play in the living room). That's pretty much it! We'll see how that changes as he gets older, but for now I'm soaking in the honeymoon of his disposition and hoping it lasts! I'm very grateful for his calmness!
I have so much I want to write about in this space. I just need to organize my thoughts and get typing! Thanks for visiting and for checking in. Thank you, also, for your kind words and letters. They mean so much to us and I'm so thankful for YOU!
I'll be back soon with the organized thoughts I mentioned. Hopefully. We'll see how these next feedings go!

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Addicted

Hello!
So, yes, I've finally cut off the television for Paige during the day. No biggie, right? Well, it's a big deal to ME. See, my name is Megan and I'm a T.V.-holic. The second I wake up until the second I go to bed the television is on in the background. It always has been. With Paige around, I've kept it on Nick Jr. and she'll watch a show or two and play the rest of the time (glancing up on occasion to check it out). I know what all the research has said about television and how it has a negative effect on babies and young children and should be limited to very little or no exposure. There are a lot of factors as to why, which I won't get into here. But, I've noticed that Paige has a bit of a speech lag going on. She's not delayed as of now, just a bit of a lag. And I realized that having the T.V. on distracts her from what I am saying and so she's missing out on valuable development time. The more time spent focused on TV equals less time "talking" or listening to Mama and interacting with her. The other issue is I'm fully addicted to having the tv on. I'm fine with her watching a show here or there. But that's not how I do it...it's just on ALL the time. And I find that I can't control myself and leave it on constantly...I feel like I need it for company or something. I'm not sure what the deal is. So, as of Tuesday I turned it off for the day and have decided to do AT LEAST this whole week and continue on with no tv for Paige going forward. At least until I feel I can handle having the tv on for a show or two and trust myself to turn it back off. That first day was HARD! I was getting itchy for the tv around mid-morning and again around 4:00 or so. I had to force myself to avoid the entire tv area. And it's a lot more work to entertain and play with a busy toddler when there isn't the distraction box blaring. I'm more tired for sure. But, in a good way. The second day went well. It was still hard, but I felt more bonded to Paige and we spent more quality time doing fun things together. She seems much happier with this arrangement and is so much more cheerful (although, I detect a bit of clinginess taking place). Her focus already seems better. She's certainly able to hear everything I say and react to it. Last night, Chris even thanked me for trying this arrangement. He found he enjoyed his "Paige time" after work without the tv blaring and distracting his thoughts. They had a lot more fun together chasing each other around the house and laughing. We even ate together at the kitchen table and had quality conversation as a family. Quality all around! Something so simple is already making such a big change! It's wonderful to be present for life's beautiful little moments and I'm already starting to enjoy the peace and quiet. Did I just say that??! One day I promise myself I'll be able to put on a fun show or movie for Paige to enjoy and I will be able to turn it off once it is over; thus being able to move on to other things. I won't let it rule my life. For now, think we've made a good start and are moving in the right direction.

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Many faces

Hi friends!
For those of you who have been following along with Paige's morning sleep chronicles, here is my latest update. It's going well! She's making it to nap time at about 12:15 or 12:30. She's usually up around 2:30 or 2:15 or so. But, she's never ready to go to bed 4 hours after that, so we just stick with 7:00pm for being in bed by. Knock on wood, she's been typically getting up at 6:15AM as the average. MUCH better than 5:15 or 5:30, right? Every minute counts darnit! I'm thrilled with the results so far. Now, I'm working on introducing more activities during the day that will tire her out.

WHAT??!! TIRE ME OUT!!??? NEVEEEEEEEERRR!!!!


(Isn't that photo hilarious? She was walking around shrieking as loudly as she could at the moment)

As I was saying, I want to tire her out more during the day. Now that she's walking so steadily I figured now was the time to try out a Gymboree class. She loved it! Paige runs around that place like a wild woman, trying out all the climbing stuff and getting into everything. She certainly isn't interested in the "class" part of it...the circle time and such...but she loves the music, bubbles, and playing on the equipment. I'm looking forward to seeing her have fun there and also enjoying the open gym times they offer. Great for indoor play when it's raining or cold!
I also have a membership for her at the gym where she can use the pool with me. It's another great way to kill a chunk of time while tiring her out. (Although I think I'M the one getting more tired out).

I thought you only wanted to tire ME out!!!??????


And..... we have a picket fence going up around our yard...I'm so excited to be able to let Maren the Wonder Dog out to run freely (no more stupid doggie run where she gets tangled or pushes her toy out of reach) and Paige can zip around without me having to worry about her running to the road or any number of dangerous "treats." I dream of being able to sit in a chair to watch her play. Because I'm a lazy bastard. C'mon, you know what I mean. Chasing her away from the street or the front steps of doom become pretty boring AND tiring after the 100th time and a girl needs to sit every once in a while, right? Again, my goal is to tire HER out, not ME. I'm tired enough for all of us anyway. So, there's a few days left until the fence is done, but now there's a rainstorm from hell blowing through for most of this week so we shall see! It doesn't rain most of the summer, and when it finally does, it's right when I'm most excited for this fence. Not that we're going to be playing out in the rain anyway so I guess it doesn't matter, does it? Indoor playing here we come! I'll stop rambling now and wish you a great start to your week!!! I hope all is well with YOU!

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Paige slept late Vlog 3

Hallelujah!!!!!

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Sleep Solutions Vlog 2

Thanks for all your thoughts and tips on my last post!!!! See you soon (my camera just got back from being cleaned/serviced so hopefully I can start putting some more pictures up)!!

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Vlog 1...on Mornings

Hello! I thought I'd try a vlog post today...not for the faint of heart as I look like poo. But, I thought it would be a good way to illustrate how I feel every day in the morning. It's the real reality, baby! woo! If you decide to watch; the topic is about our daily EARLY wakeup and how I hate it and hate feeling alone at that time of day. Anyone out there in a similar predicament with a wee one who is an early bird?
(edit) In the video I say Chris lets me sleep in one day on the weekend. ACTUALLY on Sundays I let him sleep in and when he gets up I go back to bed! haha! So, really, I'm getting extra sleep during the WHOLE weekend and not just Saturday. :)

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