Not Napping, but Pottying

I've always been a nap encourager:) In fact, some of my "bigger" kids would still take a nap if I had them take a "quiet time" during the day... which I really need to phase back into the afternoon... somewhere:/

For months now Nate has been a non-napper. Most of the reason is that we use the time to run errands and that I spoil him by staying in the room with him until he falls asleep. And we had been using the time it took him to fall asleep as read aloud time (a sweet hour of the day) until the stillness made me sleepy too;)

The ending of our read aloud/Nate falls asleep time was due to the fact that in the evenings, after he had a nap, he would be up to 11-12 at night!!! Yes, when the older ones would head to bed Nate would be wide-eyed... while we'd read in bed all the older ones would crash and Nate would look at us and say, " I go downstairs with you, now!" Not quite the relaxing evenings parents look forward to during the busy days... especially since Brian and I use our evenings to work:/

Nate actually does very well without a nap... sure he can get fussy at 8ish... but that's totally reasonable for a tired 2 yr old. Anyway, we're working on some solutions...

Two days last week he came up with his own plan of crashing on the couch at 6-6:30 and sleeping through the night:) Definitely shows that this little guy NEEDS sleep... even when he fights it hard:)

This week he had us all laughing as he fell asleep eating a bowl of cereal at 6:30ish pm... it was the only thing he wanted to eat!I call it "picking my battles":)


After the video I cleaned him up, changed him into a diaper and laid him on the couch to be with everyone else... he totally fell soundly back to sleep, I moved him upstairs about 9ish (and brushed his teeth) and he slept through the night.

He woke me up at 6:45am with a dry diaper because he needed to go potty:) 

Oh yes!! He's doing that too:) Gotta love kid-led potty training... he was ready without me!! Totally awesome and it's been very easy (besides tending to the tot on the pot with 3 kiddos needing to be schooled)....

NEVER thought I'd say that!!

SOOC: ZONKed and Asking

Totally ZONKed from an afternoon at the aquarium:)

And just for fun.... (from this horrible blurry pic)

What is Nate asking for??

Background... we had just finished lunch and I was in the process of cleaning off his hands/face:)
And yes, his eye is swollen.... a mosquito bite right next to his eye caused it to swell that morning!

There's also a lot going on at SIMPLE this week.... lots of reviews and giveaways:) You might even see Anna helping me feature a game;)

8 Weeks - 2 Months - BabyWise??

My "little" Nate is 2 MOnths!! Amazing that we'll probably be talking about him in terms of MONTHS now instead of weeks!

The time has seemed to "fly" by!! While I know we had some "rough" days, they have been forgotten and now we are trying to savor these sweet baby days that are quickly fleeting!

I haven't talked much about my baby-parenting style.... there's all sorts of stuff out there... attachment parenting, BabyWise, etc! Well I haven't talked much b/c I don't really fit into a certain "model" I kinda just take ideas and use what works for us.

When we had little Anna, I was soo determined to be a mom with it "all together". When a seasoned mom suggest I read through BabyWise, I did. And when little Anna came home and was a few weeks old we started putting the BabyWise model into practice!

I was a stressed wreck. My babe was constantly off her 3 hour schedule. I didn't enjoy the newborn days. She screamed during nursing times. We let her cry (scream her head off) for almost an hour to "train" her how to fall asleep on her own when we was less than 2 months old. It was terrible.

My sweet friend saw the stress and suggested I take some of the ideas from BabyWise and ditch the rest that was stressing me out. So we did!

The things I have liked about BabyWise is the sleep-eat-play routine and the goal of having them learn to sleep soundly. So with Anna, Chris and Lydia that's what we focused on. And they were and are very sound, good little sleepers!!

With the older three I also kept a log of when they ate, about how long they ate, what I had eaten and some of their fussy behavior. I did this partially to keep a record to make sure I was feeding them enough:) And partially to figure out the foods that were making them fussy or spitting up a lot.

I'm a little more laid back with NATE not keeping track of everything, not looking at the clock constantly, etc!!

I've started to get Nate on the sleep-eat-play routine these last 2 or 3 weeks just because he's been in such a fussy spell. And it seemed like he's been too tired to nurse well sometimes. Or really hyper so he has a hard time falling asleep!

So this week it started to fall into place and make sense (for Nate).

I have found that he's usually on a 2-hour -ish schedule during the day:

He'll wake and immediately want to nurse. We'll nurse, change a diaper and burp. Then he'll have a 20 -30 minute window to "play". The goal is to get him into one spot that he can stay for a NAP.

When I put him down happy, content, not-even looking sleepy, he'll unwind and look round then fall asleep with NO help and NO paci.

When I miss the "content time", he fusses for a bit or plays the "spit out the paci I want" game before settling down with our help.

If I really miss the time - it's ROUGH. He'll want to nurse earlier than the 2 hours, but not nurse completely and fuss through the feeding. He wants to be held with the paci the whole time until we finally coax (or bounce) him to sleep.

The funny thing is that when we're away from the house - at the store, library, park,etc- he shuts down and sleeps. He'll miss his "expected" feedings and be super fussy as we work him back into "his" routine when we get home.

These realizations have made for an "easier" week with Nate. I've actually been hands-free, not wearing baby to get some housework and homeschooling done this week.... nice to have clean toilets again and be finished a couple of chapters of history:)

And honestly, with Nate being a little more content, the days are a little more enjoyable instead of "draining". Not to say that we've got it all figured out...

if I remember ANYTHING about infants it's that their routine changes constantly:) But at least we've figured out that Nate likes sleep, sleeps often and will easily fall asleep on his own when put down BEFORE he is fussy.

Other changes:

• Baby acne continues to clear up:)
  
• Smiling at the kids more and more
• Likes to watch TV while Anna holds him "upright"
• Seems like his head/neck has more control - he's holding upright more often and for longer periods
• Really likes to he held so he can look around, unless he's sleepy
  
• Smiling at toys
• Doesn't like it when Mommy eats baked beans :(
• Sleeping in two 4-5 hour blocks at night - might be why he's eating every 2 hours during the day - I'll take it:)
• Making more cooo-ing type noises and stares at us like he's trying to talk:)

What to do with the Valentine candy?? **UPDATED!

Well Andrea and I made plans to to SOMETHING...ANYTHING together today.... and in brainstorming we figured out we had a BUCKET LOAD of candy that we could use to make grahamcracker houses!! LOL

My mom makes beautiful, homemade gingerbread for houses almost every Thanksgiving/Christmas season... this year she was extremely busy... moving from Saudi Arabia back to the US and then make plans to travel abroad again for 2.5 months:)Maybe next year we can make them with Grammie... if they stay close by

So in an effort to have something FUN for the kids, to use up the candy and to be creative we DOVE right in:)

These were our "supplies" : CANDY, graham cracker (allergy friendly), icing (allergy friendly), plastic spoons and plates to attempt organization!! LOL

After letting the kids decorate their "sides" we realized it was going to be harder than we thought to actually BUILD houses... hmmm?? that's why we always used milk cartons at school!! LOL

Our final graham cracker "creations"... Chris' first and then Anna's :

None the less!! The kids had a GREAT time!! Lydia and Taite even napped in the same room... eventually... he hehee! The trampoline was a big hit and so were the chicken nuggets!! Anna got to play with Caleb's Leapster and teach Caleb how to drive the GATOR! So funny... and sweet!

Andrea blogged with more of our day together... including video and pictures!! Check it out HERE!

Thanks for a great day guys!! See you at the library tomorrow for reading time!!!

Getting Some AIR!!

It's fun how HIGH the kids have learned how to jump. Seriously, EVERY warm day we have had the kids have been standing at the kitchen door ready to go jump on the trampoline!! They LOVE it and they have soo much fun together on it:)

This morning we went outside before lunch and played for over an hour! Finally I talked them into having lunch :) We had lunch with Brian, watched the end of Curious George (while I cleaned up the kitchen ) and read 3 or 4 books!!

Then they CRASHED!! I didn't hear a peek out of them during naptime. Usually Christopher or Lydia will play for 30 minutes or so. Or Anna will come walking out when Lydia falls right asleep wanting me to let her nap on the couch:)

NOT today!! They CRASHED... it's amazing how much fresh air and physical activity outside effects the kids!! They were ready for their naps:)

Soooo busy... they put themselves to bed

Have the days just been flying by for anyone else??????

I seriously had to remind myself today that it was Tuesday.... the EVE of Christmas Eve!!! WHOA.... Christmas Eve???

The next few days will be filled with family, church family and friends visiting and meals being prepared/served. Laughter, gifts, memories, thankfulness, embraces, little kid antics and everything else that makes Christmas time with family and friends special!!!

But before the fun stuff happens there is WORK to be done. Cleaning, planning, purchasing, cleaning, baking, cleaning, phone calls, visits and more "clutter control"!! There is always plenty to do at MY house:)

One of the most precious parts of Christmas though is the hymns and music of the "season" that remind me of my Savior and this time of remembrance. It doesn't take long to address Christmas cards, scrub the floor or tie bows on gifts when my heart is ready to serve the Lord through serving my family and friends:)

Just to show how busy we've been.....

I had the kids out for our last big grocery shop before friends and family arrive tomorrow! We finally left the house at 11am with our lunch being munched on as we drove:) We visited 3 different stores and the kids held up sooo well.

I was soo proud of their behavior and desire to "help" me. After our last few groery trips I had been kind of dreading this BIG shop, but they oulled it off and did WONDERFULLY... they even received complements at the final store after checking out:)

On the trip home (about mid-afternoon) I asked if they wanted to play quietly in Christopher's room or NAP.... Anna and Christopher both immediately agreed to play in Christopher's room, Lydia was muching on fruit snacks or grapes by then:)

Well by the time we were home, Lydia was asleep... so I brought her in, changed her diaper and laid her down to finish her nap:) While unloading groceries and "helping" a neighbor with a very special delivery for the kids on Christmas morning.... the kids were silent....

Hmmm?? whats up with that silence??? Yep, they had put themselves down for naps:) Christopher had actually climbed INTO his bed and Anna had falled asleep next to the heat vent by the couch (nice and snug)!!!

I guess all that grcery shopping tired them out :)

Sweet Sunday Sleep

The girls napped for almost 2 hours this afternoon, but Lydia woke up grumpy and so I pulled her into the couch with me. Second later Anna was climbing onto the couch with us! And minutes later both girls were alseep again:)

Brian came in and thought we were soo cute:)

The Rest of our Monday

From the reports I heard the Kidz Club went well this afternoon (at least 55 kids there). They held it from 1:30 to 3:30ish.... my plan was to let the kids nap (at their normal time) and then participate in the last hour or so.....but as the kids and I pulled onto the road the park was on, I saw our teammates driving by....they had ended a little early......

If you know me, my heart to serve, and my struggles with ministry vs motherhood... you know how disappointed I was. And then the guys told me I had missed an opportunity to spend time with the pastor's wife.....but I held it together and figured we have two more afternoons???......

So tomorrow I'm hoping to go straight to Kidz Club and then delay the naptime until we've spent some time at Club.... so that's the plan, let's see if they make it through lunch, or else plans will change:)

After dinner we headed off to the Skate Park.....we got there at 7pm and there were few kids out there skateboarding, biking, etc!! As it got later more and more people started pouring in.....I am totally not knowledgeable about skateboarding or the skateboarding culture.....

Here is part of the group forming....this was just ONE corner of a very busy skating ramp thingy

Here are some of the "smaller" guys....I can't believe how HIGH they can get:)

So, I got a little skateboarding culture info.....and was really amazed of the ministry opportunities involved with this sport.

Who Naps at Your House???

Dora is currently napping at ours ;)

Ahhhhh, Naptime

Finally!!!!!! Naptime!! It's been another wet/
rainy stay-inside-day....I'm trying to get the house in tip-top shape so we can return to a clean house:) And the kids are running around wild looking for the next mess to make!! They're not actually THAT bad but they are getting a little stir-crazy.......

Hmm??? Friday night, Stir-crazy kids (and parents) and some errands to run, sounds like a good night to GET OUT!!!! And I think we'll be meeting some friends while we're out who are ready to GET OUT, too!!!

WATCH out, here we (all) come:)

And for those interested in our Nap Experiment..... we've decided the best thing for our little Anna is to have a quick nap in the afternoon (no more than 1 hour)!! It seems on no-nap evenings she can get emotional over goofy things and find herself in trouble over something silly. So she cat naps on the couch and then reads, watches a video or runs local errands with Brian or I. And it's been working out fine:)

An Update on the Nap Experiment

Anna went with Daddy and a deacon yesterday to do some visiting. This is what I found in the backseat when they returned.......

She really does LOVE an afternoon nap. But like I said yesterday in my post, if she gets an afternoon nap she will be awake until 11pm or so....too late for Momma:)

She was fussy when we woke her and tried to keep her awake. I had the kids alone last night because Brian had a meeting and so Anna challenged me a little (since it was only me she was trying to get away with stuff). But when I check on her at 9:40pm....she was asleep.

As I'm typing this Anna is on my computer "working" doing PBSkids and watching videos off my blog and some friends' blogs:) She's not acting the least bit sleepy :)

Evidence of a Good Morning at the Park

Check out the pretzel still in his hand :) He is really sleeping hard. The cool thing was that I changed his diaper, wiped off his hands and face and put him in his bed. He was back asleep before I even walked out of his room. A VERY Good Morning at the park!