mundane echo

It’s been a while since I posted anything about Naomi’s sleep habits.  Since I just pointed a couple of people here to read about our experience with the Ferber method, I thought it would be good to issue an update.

When we moved, our bedtime routine broke.  The baby no longer has her own room, as we are now in a 3 bedroom home and my Mom still lives with us *.  So Naomi’s crib is in our room, and we had to make a new bedtime routine.  I love our new routine, it has been such a good thing for our family, as a whole.  Between 7 and 7:30pm we take her upstairs and change her diaper and put on PJs.  Then we may play a little bit, depending on the night and how tired she is.  Grab the Glow Worm and head over to our bed.  Mark lays on one side, I on the other.  Nomes, of course, in the middle.  We play with the Glow Worm, she rolls around on the bed in between us, we sing songs to her, and then Mark and I start chatting.  Naomi usually continues to roll back and forth between us, touching our faces or snuggling into our chest.  While we talk she watches and listens and then eventually falls asleep.  We continue to chat for a bit until she’s “out out” and then move her to her crib.

This is great because she doesn’t go to sleep with a bottle or pacifier, she is safe and secure between her parents, and we have a routine that we can do anywhere (hotel, Grandparent’s house, etc.).  The family time together has been awesome.  It’s one of the only times that all three of us can get together and hang out.  Mark and I are able to recap on the day, chat about tomorrow’s events, or whatever is on our mind.  Our communication has improved because we have a daily talk time.

The whole bedtime routine lasts between 10 and 30 minutes.  If she’s really tired, but not overly (aka: grouchy) then she’ll fall asleep right away.  If she is overly tired (usually because we were busy and didn’t notice the signs of sleepiness or weren’t paying attention to the time) then bedtime is a little more difficult.  She fusses and doesn’t want to lay down on the bed with us.  We have a few different methods for dealing with it:  1) flying Glow Worm.  She lays down and we make the Glow Worm “fly” above her head and play music.  She likes to watch the movement with the light and sound.  After a song or two, the Glow Worm lands gently in her lap and she grabs it to investigate. 2) More songs, louder.  Sometimes we just start singing an easy repetitive song (like my Bonnie lies over the ocean, only we’ve substituted “Naomi” for “Bonnie”).  We start out loud so she can hear us over her fussing and then quiet as she does.  3) Last resort, give her a couple ounces of ounces in a bottle.  Not too much, it’s not a “meal”, just enough to calm her down so she can settle in.  She usually will unlatch from the bottle on her own and begin her rolling back and forth between the two of us.  If she cries again after a couple of ounces then that usually means she’s hungry and we’ll give her a regular bottle (which is 6-8 ounces, minus the 2 that we already gave to her).  I don’t like to resort to the bottle often because I do not want her to become dependent on it.  However, sometimes it’s necessary and parents shouldn’t be afraid to use the tools are available to them to ease their child’s stress (and their own stress!)

Our most recent change in sleep has been nap time.  Until recently I would lay down with Naomi and take a nap with her.  Sadly I can’t afford that time anymore as I need to start bringing in new clients (clients = work = money).  So I’m laying her down for her naps and letting her CIO (cry it out).   It’s only been a couple of days and she’s already adjusting to it.  She cries for 10 minutes before falling asleep.  She wakes up 30 minutes into the nap and cries.  I don’t go to her, and she falls back asleep for an hour.  She’s happy and playful after a good nap and Mama’s happy because she had some alone time.  I fully expect her to be napping a full hour to 1.5 hours without waking up soon.  So we’ll see!

Today we’re heading to the Smith Farms in Oakley for some pumpkin fun.  Pictures to come on Facebook

* Mom found a really cute place in the same town we’re in!  She won’t be too far (but far enough).  I’m really excited for her.  Her move date is next week – so Nomes is going to have her own bedroom again soon!  And we’ll have some extra room in the garage!

I feel like so much has happened in such a short period of time.

• We moved
• I stopped breastfeeding
• Nomes started crawling
• Nomes started pulling up
• We need a new roof
  • subsequently I’m looking for new clients or going back to work

On the gainful employment end, it is the holiday season and I could get a seasonal position in retail.  That would be an easy way to bring in a few extra dollars.  It would also be an easy way to contract any of those nasty viruses that are flying about this time of year.  While I am not overly concerned over the flu, including H1N1, I do want to be cautious.  The numbers on H1N1 are minimal.  2009 has less than 6,000 death cases world-wide (appx 1,200 in the US).  While 500,000+ have contracted the virus that leaves a very small percent who have not survived.  In the US alone, seasonal flu causes an average of 36,000 deaths each year (according to the CDC).  I understand that we are just entering the flu season and the number of deaths are going to increase… I just have a hard time accepting that we are all going to die this year.  Especially since people are taking strong precautions.  I would love to see the numbers decrease in H1N1 and the seasonal flu this year.  That would be fantastic… and I believe it to be possible.  Just be smart people.

Alright, off my soap box.  So we’ll see how it all works out.  In the meantime I need to start sending out my resume and see what bites and then make a decision from there.

In other news, the house is coming along.  While still a bit of a OCD/clean-freak’s bad dream (no longer a nightmare) it doesn’t make me crazy anymore.  I don’t mind having people over now.  Well, at least close friends.  I wouldn’t throw a party yet. Ha!  We’ll get there.  The furniture has found their final resting place, things are finding their way onto the walls.  It’s coming along.  Nomes will have a bedroom again in a few weeks, which means we can pull her things out of boxes and clear out space in the garage.

Relationally, this move has been great for my marriage.  Mark has turned into a totally different person since we’ve been here.  He is motivated to turn a house into a home.  He is stretching his comfort zone in Husbandhood, Fatherhood.  As a team we are challenging our spirituality and faith.  We are pulling off the heavy blankets and putting on our swim wear… because its time to dive in again.

It seems as though we have found a new church.  I need to write about that… but not now.  The wind is kicking up and I need to watch the trees dance for a while.  Because if love’s like a hurricane, I am a tree.  Bending under Your wind and mercy.

A friend recently lost their baby during delivery.   Their faith through the entire thing has me floored. Grounded.  Jaw open.  In awe.  It’s beautiful.

… and challenging.