Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

9 months, 2nd tooth, sleep re-training, crawling monkey

Wowee I think that's the longest I've ever gone without posting!!! I've been super pre-occupied with Elliott as I'm well aware that I will be going back to work in 4 months!! So every minute is definitely counting more when I know that I won't get to see him 12 hrs a day like I do now.


Gosh where do I start there has been so so much that has happened since the last post I may not remember it all.

To recap, we had to do some really hard sleep re-training because of his whole cold/separation anxiety period.  I knew it was too good to be true that my babe had slept through the night pretty much since he was 3 - 8 months! but somehow forgot how to amidst all the changes in the last little while. I am happy to report though, that for about a month now (knock on lots of wood), Elliott has been able to be put down and fall asleep on his own (no crying) and sleeps his reg 10-12 hrs a night. How'd we do it?  I'll tell you what method I followed in a bit. Got you hooked right?



So back to the recap. We tried everything, I mean everything to get him to go to sleep and stay asleep but all the 'nice' ways just weren't cutting it and I knew that it was important to find a solution right away because he was just becoming overtired and miserable. Neither my hubby nor I were getting any good straight sleep so we said enough is enough, we know our baby and he is a good sleeper so let's do this!  My DH googled some methods to try out and he showed me this site that had a step-by-step of the controlled crying method. Now I know some of you mama's are against letting your babe cry it out but this was really our last resort before we went mental. Trust me. 


So here's what we followed TO A TEE. The first night, Elliott cried for about an hour and a half. From the beginning, we went in every 5 mins, then 10 mins to pat him and tell him it's ok it's just bedtime, but stay no longer than 2 mins (we literally timed it on our phones and my hubby would wave at the door for me to come out.) We must gone in more than a dozen times and halfway through we heard him puke he was so upset. So we rushed in, cleaned him up, changed him, changed the sheets, and reassured him and started again.  He was mad as anything I'll tell ya.  But sure enough, he slowly calmed down, and then all of a sudden, silence, and blissful sleep overcame our tired out baby.  I felt horrible hearing him cry like that but I kept reminding myself that this was for his own good and that we were re-teaching him this very important skill that will benefit him million-fold down the road. 


We did the same method Day 2 and there was also vomit and crying and it took about the same time, an hour and a half to finally settle.  Now here's where it got interesting - Day 3 - E went down with a whimper and then settled himself into sleep as my hubby creeped out of his room.  I KNOW RIGHT?! We thought this must be a fluke but seriously, from that point on, he ate his solids, had a bottle, bedtime story (Goodnigh.t Moon) and into the crib with some eye rubbing and yawns.  


I'm not saying everyone should try this, do what's comfortable for you but if you are at your wit's end, you really have nothing to lose. But I have to say, you better be prepared to almost cry yourself, and have your partner there to support you because you really need to lean on each other. and stick to it. Don't waver and give in because consistency really is the key here. 


Here's the link to the site if you're interested (scroll down to the Controll.ed Crying section as there's a few methods on that site)

My well rested monkey

Teething
Elliott's second bottom tooth is out now and the teething pain was still as bad as the first but he seemed to get over the pain a few days quicker than the last. No top teeth yet but he continues to drool like a baby bulldog and bites and put anything and everything into his mouth.


Moving fast
About 3 weeks ago he went from a bum bum up in the air to a full on hand knee hand knee movement and I shrieked in excitement but then realized it was over for me. Gone are the days that I can put him beside me on the bed and cuddle, and gone are the days that I relax beside him or on the couch while he played on the activity mat.  He is become a super curious and inquisitive baby and I love watching him discover new things, whether it be different textures (grass, water, measuring cups, new foods) and I'm sure there is lots to look forward to but I want to freeze this moment in time because it is just so sweet.  Even if I am sweating every day chasing him around. He pulls himself up on a lot of things now, the coffee table, our headboard, the couches, just hasn't been able to pull to stand yet but I'm sure it's coming because he is SOLID on his legs. 


Weight

He is a bit on on the light side of the chart for weight, but the pediatrician says that he's growing right on track according to his own growth rate and there is nothing to worry about.  He weighed about 17 ish at his 9 month appt. We also swapped the order of his meals as he used to take a 5 oz bottle before his solids (mainly because he used to be so darn impatient) - so now we do solids and then the bottle and he still finishes it all. The idea is to get the most we could in him first with veggies, starches, fruits and calcium and so far it's working wonderfully.  I'm not overly concerned about his weight gain or slow gain as I know my hubby was a thin child by nature too (his family has CRAZY, I mean, CRAZY high metabolism - his sisters are all thin and gorge *jealous* ) so I'm sure Elliott has something of the same.  It's hard not to compare to other babies his age but I have to remember that as adults, we are all different shapes and sizes, and he is just the right size and on track for parents who are not 6 feet tall and big boned. 

Curious about everything!



He's recently started to squeal and yell randomly.  Sometimes it's out of excitement and sometimes just being whiny.  I am starting to realize that the next steps of teaching are to be manners and right and wrong. So far the words 'no no' bring a smile to his face more than I would like it to.  I'm sure we'll get there soon :) 

Watching us eat at Ribfest



My hubby and I celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary next week -I still can't believe that within those 5 years we moved twice, lost 3 babies, and have one now.  There have been lots of ups and our share of downs but 5 years is a milestone of great importance to us as I'm sure with a lot of married couples out there.  I am looking forward to what the next chapter looks like now that we have sorta gotten the hang of this whole 'being parents' thing.  Scared to death about trying for #2. 



13 comments:

  1. Welcome back...miss ya. Elliott is so adorable and growing so fast...so many firsts. I had to do that same sleep training method you used with a little boy I was a nanny for back years ago and yes it was hard hearing him cry and get so upset, but I stuck to this method with his parents and it worked out so well for him too and I was totally impressed. It would have been a method I would have tried as well. Enjoy all those moments with Elliott during the time left on your leave from work...time flies by so fast. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you guys did a great job with the sleep training. Not many parents can do what you did. I have two friends that now have a older tots/kids still co-sleeping with them because at their age now it's almost impossible to reverse what the parents created.
    He is so cute and they become more fun every month as they learn and do new things. Their little personality that starts molding now will bring a smile to your face each day. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, good for you for hanging in there for 90 mins. Ten mins feels like an eternity in the middle of the night! I hope it sticks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We just had a slip up and it was so hard to hear my little G cry. Some tears were certainly shed by me as well. But, we are giving them the gift of learning how to sleep. At least that is how I had to look at it!

    Enjoy these next four months!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Welcome back! I am sorry to hear you had to re-train E! We dealt with the same thing around 5 months & it was no fun. I'm glad that you found something that works for you. It was great of you to share the link for others.

    Oh & teething?! Ugh! Addy got her first tooth a week before turning 11 months & each one just gets worse. They take WEEKS just to pop through. She still only has 3 & one more is SLOWLY making it's way through.

    Addy is also very small for her age (19.12lb @ 13 months) and my hubby is 6'4". I stressed a lot at first but I am 5'2" & petite so I am done worrying about it. She is eating a TON & is happy. That is all that matters.

    Happy Anniversary! It was so great to hear how you are all doing. Ok my novel post is done now :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love love love the pictures! Hang in there, and enjoy this time with Elliott!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good for you for sticking with the CIO method. So many parents can't do it, and no one gets any sleep! Eek. Happy 5th anniversary. We just had ours in May. :)
    I agree that you shouldn't worry about his size. He'll be perfect. :)
    E has also been screaming and squealing a lot more lately. They sure are animated at this age!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a cutie pie! Maddie is going through the same thing. Teething and growth, not to mention the constant movement. Time flies! I hope you get to enjoy those small moments of snuggling when elliot sleeps :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Please read this article.

    http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/crying-dangerous-kids-one-expert-says-222400379.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wendy! We miss you! Hope all is well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where have you been mama! How was the big move? Miss your posts and hearing how you're doing!

      Delete
  12. i can recommend these for teething.
    our daughter was an absolute nightmare with her teeth until we tried this. she has been wearing it since she was 8 months old and we haven't looked back since. i never take hers off, she sleeps with it on too. i have heard from a few people that take their lo's necklaces off at night and they all say that they still get sleepless nights due to teething. i think that they should be worn 24hrs a day. i feel quite happy that they are not a choking hazard. the necklace has a low breaking strain so if it had to get caught on something(an unlikely occurence) then it would snap. if it were to snap for any reason, each bead has been double knotted on, so that they wouldn't all fall off. i got mine off an Latvian Amber store. it was $15, so not expensive at all.

    http://www.latvianamberstore.com/#ecwid:category=2287307&mode=category&offset=0&sort=addedTimeDesc

    ReplyDelete