Chasing Babies

Merry Christmas, from Santa & Laim

2012-12-18T11:22:00.000-06:00

Liam met Santa for the second time. Last year he was only a day or two old and happily met Santa at the hospital where we were recovering. This year was a different story. The typical mall Santa set up, hustling (and frankly, not that nice) elves, a little line with kids all dressed up and then the shocked little face upon seeing this white bearded man that quickly turned into a wail that likely scared all the kids behind us away.

Don't worry, he recovered 2 seconds after I picked him up. And really, this picture is pretty sweet. Bless his heart.

Merry Christmas!

Liam's Got a Move

2012-11-20T20:18:00.000-06:00

Liam has been mastering his "move" lately.

This is his very dramatic, I'm-not-completely-enjoying-myself "move."

Or I hate that you are making me sit here to take photos.

Or that every time I crawl away, you put me back here.

In other words, this is how he throws a fit.

And it's kinda cute.

Ten Months

2012-10-13T20:31:00.000-05:00

Our little baby is all grown up and a full fledged toddler these days. He added 4 new teeth this last month, all on top - joining his 2, now much taller ones on the bottom. These 4 teeth really gave him some problems. I felt like he was trying really hard to be happy, but the slightest thing just knocked his spirits down. You could tell he was so uncomfortable, and nights were the WORST. Nothing could distract him from the teething pains then... So, we depended on baby Tylenol and Ibuprofen (as approved by our doctor). There was pretty much 2 weeks of sleep deprivation in there for us all.

Then, once we were getting through teething a bad cold came! A sad cough that would wake him up, gunk in his throat and running into his tummy to make eating hard. Just when we thought we were through a rough patch, this cold came and robbed him of more sleep and made getting over this current bout of teething that much harder! Dang.

Through it all, lack of sleep and not great eats, we had some good times, too. Not feeling good brings more cuddles... he likes to be held when sleepy, and while that's hard for me in the middle of the night, I try to cherish it, because these days he is on the go with no time for hugs!

Pumpkin Patch

2012-10-07T20:47:00.000-05:00

Before Halloween, Liam picked us out some pumpkins at Johnson Farms Pumpkin Patch. He went for the biggest ones, of course. It was a cold day, so we couldn't stay outside too long, but he had fun walking around all the pumpkins. I can't wait to see how he loves the other activities this farm has to offer when he's a little older... a maze, hayride, play areas, etc!

Mimi and Papa got to come along, too!

Back at it, for a new reason...

2012-09-30T22:31:00.003-05:00

A confession & a new purpose: I was feeling unmotivated and uninspired by this space. Not really sure what I really wanted to do with Chasing Babies. So here it's sat, pretty boring. Then I was having lunch with the amazingly talented Heather of Hocus Focus and she was telling me about her blog for her sweet girls. Then it hit me. Duh.

That empty scrapbook I keep telling myself I'll get to one of these days for my little guy is just gathering dust... Oh, don't get me wrong. I want to remember EVERY SECOND of Liam's life, but I'm not a scrapbooker. I can think of a million things I'd rather DIY than cut away at paper and paste things into a book Especially these days, when all my photos are digital and there are great photo books you can make.... And thanks to my Mom's One Line A Day book, I have been jotting down all those little Liam moments.

So my new goal is to put all those moments into a pretty visual with a little more of a story around them and then about once a year, blurb it up into a book (a digitally done for me, hard bound, Liam's own kinda book). This is my scrapbook for Liam where I'll share his milestones, sweet (and hard) moments, things we're loving and things we're doing.

See? Liam doesn't care about paper either. Digital all the way. So hang it there why I have some backtracking catching up to do.

Thanks Heather for the inspiration!

Nine Months

2012-09-13T23:05:00.000-05:00

This is pretty much the face of foreshadowing... teething is not fun. This particular month, it was ok. Liam just loved to put everything he could in his mouth.

(band-aid from his 9 month check up with flu shot)

He's turning into a very active little guy and we like to keep him entertained! We hit up our first KU Football game, tailgate and all. Liam did great! We made it through the first quarter and then went out to the tailgate to play with all the other kids.

Mr. vocal over here has found his voice. Loving the "babababab" in all kinds of tones. He just babbles to himself. If I imitate him, he laughs and makes another noise, then I'll imitate him again, and we go back and forth for a bit. This is especially fun while at Target or the Grocery Store.

He's also just getting stronger and stronger: falling gracefully, crawling very fast and pulling up onto everything to stand. Definitely a mover on our hands.

His 9 month check up stats: 23 lbs 12 oz (80%) / 30 inches (90%)

8 Months

2012-08-13T21:12:00.000-05:00

With thicker thighs and a constant smile, the last month was a good one! Liam was healthy and happy. He's doing a lot of rocking back and forth on all fours, getting really close to crawling!

He loves to be outside, watch the dog, play with any toy that makes noise and lights up and chewing on everything.

Liam tries to eat the eight!

Eight months already, baby blues?

The first 6 months

2012-08-06T15:18:00.000-05:00

I've been avoiding this blog and specifically, this post. It's a little gut wrenching to see my baby boy growing so fast. Don't get me wrong, it's amazing watching him grow and discover new things, but each day he looks a little older and gets a little stronger and I realize how fast life is going.

For instance...

Seriously... how did these first 6 months go so fast, and how can he change and grow that much in such a short amount of time? It's mind boggling! Not to mention... we're really almost at 8 months!

Visit me and my mothership blog - Chasing Davies

Seven Months

2012-07-13T20:52:00.000-05:00

This last month was a big one for us... and rough.

We went on our first Clifford family vacation with little Liam, and he got to experience the beach! That was a great time, but he also had croup right before the trip and then some sort of weird virus that looked like chicken pox when he got back.

From 6 to 7 months, Liam spent probably 3 weeks sick. He was so uncomfortable, couldn't sleep, couldn't go to daycare a few days and had a hard time breathing. Thankfully my mom was home with him one of the days his croup really spiked up and he got to the doctor for some meds.

Liam really worked on his sitting this past month becoming very good ad it! He doesn't like to lay down for long, doing sit ups almost every time. He likes to sit up in bed sometimes too and forgets that it's night time. I heard that whenever a baby learns a new trick, it can distract from bedtime as they perform it in bed. Once he gets use to his new trick, he settles back down.

Happy 7 months, baby love.

Clifford Family Vacation

2012-07-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

2012 Clifford family vacation took place down at the Gulf of Shores in Alabama, on Orange Beach over the week of the Fourth of July. Liam got to hit the beach for the first time and experience the sand, ocean and the best naps he's ever taken.

There is just something about sleeping to the real sound of the ocean (vs. his Sleep Sheep which we love every night inland) with the salty air to help clean out the remnants of crup. We were able to all enjoy our time on the beach thanks to this pop up tent we brought along. It protected L from the sun, heat and sand and allowed for long afternoon naps while we all took turns hitting the waves and laying our next to him. Since coming home, we've found numerous reasons to use that tent here, too. Definitely a good buy.

We had so much fun with my great big family and time down south. We wish we could go back, if not for the beach for all that close time with family. It's so fun to have everyone in one place. We sure are a rowdy crew and boy do we have fun.

Liam with his Gramma & Papa

More from Liam's 1st Fourth of July here!

Until the next family vacation....

Father's Day

2012-06-18T13:42:00.001-05:00

I grew up with an amazing Father who was constantly my role model and still is today. Even now as a mother myself and family of my own, my dad is always there to lend a hand, give me advice and be my dad. You're never to old to have your parents by your side.

I'm so happy that my own son has a dad like that. Just 6 months into being a father, my husband is already the kind, patient and loving dad any child could hope to get. And it melts my heart to see this guy kiss our little boy's forehead each morning, throughout the day and before every night sleep. The boy once himself that I met in line for beer at a party over 10 years ago. Happy Father's Day to my husband, the guy that brings smiles and laughs to our baby's face each day. We love you!

Visit me and my mothership blog - Chasing Davies

The Face of a Teether

2012-06-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

We have a tooth ladies and gents. Which means we also have loose stools, even more drool (was that even possible), constant need to chew and a baby that wants to be happy really bad, but is having a hard time doing so with this new discomfort.

And man, I don't blame him. That new tooth feels like a razor blade.

Here's to 31 more...

Have you entered the current giveaway at Chasing Davies? Amazingly soft, super sweet blanket!

A boy and his blanket(s)

2012-05-31T13:18:00.000-05:00

Once this boy is allowed to sleep with a blanket in his crib (12 months), I think he is really going to dig it. Under supervision, he's such a lovey towards blankets and loves to cuddle with them and rub them on his face. I have a great giveaway coming up at Chasing Davies on Monday for a custom blanket. Maybe your little one will or does love blankets just as much? :)

First time flying with baby

2012-05-15T11:24:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned, a weekend in April we traveled for the first time with Liam. I learned that flying with a baby takes a lot of organization, but very doable!

The short version? I think I was about as prepared and organized as I could have been and wouldn't change a thing (that I could affect). Traveling went pretty well and we'd totally do it again.

The longer version, recommendations for traveling with a wee-one:

Do you airline research!
We looked at airline policies on their websites, called customer service with questions and talked to other people who've flown with babies for information to consider. We then weighted the pros and cons of our airline options and found that Southwest was going to work for us. Even though they didn't have a direct flight to where we were going (a definite con), you can check your baggage for free, they allow you to gate check BOTH the car seat and stroller, super friendly and good family boarding protocol (the pros).

And our check-in, boarding and flight was fine. Even the lay-overs (on the way to CA we didn't have to get off the plane, on the way home we did) both went fine/Liam did great.

Talk to your Pediatrician!
At Liam's 4-month check up (a week before our flight) we told him about our up coming travels and he had some advice for us. If you don't have an appointment - you could definately call your ped to ask for tips and advice for your baby!

What our Pediatrician told us!
- Take disinfectant wipes. The time to be those overly cautious parents that worry about germs is on a plane. The minute we sat down, we used the to-go Clorox Disinfecting Wipes we stocked our baby bag with to wipe down the backs of the seats, arms rests, window and trays with the wipes to try to control some of the germs around us.

- Get your baby sucking. If you can line up your feeding with take off and landing, great. If not - don't fret - get them sucking on a pacifier. This helps their ears to pop and release pressure. Since we had a lay over both ways, we had double the take offs/landings and had him eating and pacifier sucking for each. We had no problems. Sometimes he'd get lazy sucking on his pacifier (especially if he was sleeping), so I'd just wiggle it in his mouth to remind him.

Organize your diaper bag/baby suitcase for easy access to things!
We chose to check (with Southwest's free checked luggage) Liam's main suitcase (filled with a bajillion diapers, formula, lots of extra clothes, some toys & books, sleepwear options for all kinds of tempatures, etc) and carry on a well-stocked diaper bag.

In our diaper bag we packed:
Pre-measured formula (more than we'd think we need - you never know with possible delays) and bottles
Two extra outfits/clothing pieces
Diapers and wipes (again, more than you think you'll need)
Burp cloth, bib, blanket, extra pacifiers and toys/entertainment
Pacifier cleaning wipes & Boogie wipes (more germ-control and helping dry nose)
We kept the disinfectant wipes on the outside pocket for easy and immediate access after we boarded

*One thing I learned, we need a bigger diaper bag.

I used big Ziplock bags to organize everything inside the bag:
Put diapers in one (to keep them from getting smashed to the bottom
Put all the cloth items (bib, burp cloth, toys) in another
Wet items that could possibly leak in another: baby wipes, boogie wipes, pacifier cleaner wipes and butt cream

Everything else was in the front zipper sections on the front, books were in the back slot of the bag and the blanket was stuff in on top.

Then roll with it.
There isn't a ton you can do when/if the baby gets upset. You just have to have all your tools and resources in line as best as possible and roll with the ups and downs. When Liam did get a little upset on a flight home there wasn't much we could do, he was well-fed and diaper clean - he was just tired and wanted his crib and own space. Who can blame him? We just had to smile and apologize at our neighboring passengers and bounce him in the back of the place when the flight attendants allowed.

As with life, do the best you can and don't worry about the onlookers, mean looks nor naysayers and carry on. Let me know if you have any questions or if I missed something you're curious about! :)

Getting through baby's first cold

2012-05-13T14:28:00.000-05:00

We were lucky. Liam didn't get his first cold until he was 4 months old, about 5 weeks after starting daycare. And it was a mild one, at that. But then he quickly caught his second cold, and it was much meaner. Ten days later and we're finally almost done with it.

Here are the items we used every ~~hour~~ day to help him, and us, get through his first cold, full of running noses, major congestion, little baby coughs, and probably more that he couldn't tell us about.

Graco Nasal Clear Nasal Aspirator
A friend recommended this nasal aspirator to us, and we are so thankful. The basic bulb aspirator takes many attempts to get a little. With a squirmy and sad baby, that the last thing you want to be doing. This electric, music playing nasal cleaner takes only a couple seconds in each nostril to get a glob. I ca usually get in there an out before he knows what hit him and keep him distracted by the music. Some people also swear by the NoseFrida.

Safety 1st Soothing Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier
Every night we had Liam sleeping with this humidifier to help loosen his drainage and help his breathing. Turn his room into a misty haze, but I felt like he breathed a lot easier, helping us him sleep for at least a few hours.

Pediacare Fever & Pain Reducer Infants Drops
For the really bad part of the cold (it's got to its worst right before he started to kick it) when the little babe is just miserable. He was at his warmest (100.2), and his cry had a little pang to it. It was just not him (he fusses when he is hungry, wet, etc - never cries) and I knew he was just feeling pretty shitty. After consulting with our pediatrician (always ask your doc about administering meds first) and follow the directions on the box, we gave him some fever/pain reducer and it seemed to help...for a few hours.

Boogie Wipes
Many, many, many boogie wipes... we dabbled with both scents to keep Liam guessing. When trying to wipe his little nose, which he hates, these soft, moist and interesting smelling wipes made it a little better (and kept his skin from getting chapped). Also carry Boogie Wipes to-go.

Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer
The quickest, easiest and less invasive way to take the little babe's temp - and we were taking his temperature a ton. This thermometer quickly scans their forehead or behind their ear, needing only a few seconds of skin contact, for a temp read. When your lil one is sick, keeping track of their temp is key. Once it's at 100.4, it can be pretty serious and their pediatrician/nurse needs to know.

Desitin Rapid Relief Creamy
All that mucus running down their little baby throats has to go somewhere. Colds make for more bowl movements and sore baby butts. Liam never had a rash or any sore of bum discomfort until this nasty cold. We slathered this stuff on all day long and it really helped.

In the middle of the night when Liam felt his worse, and so did we, we turned to the swing (alternatively you could use your car seat). The uplifted position, helped the drainage and he could sleep a bit better here than in his flat bed. Now, this is not an approved place of long-term baby sleep - so use sparingly if possible. We started each night with him in the crib, but usually around 2 or 3 he couldn't take it anymore. He was desperate to sleep (and breath), so we moved the swing to his room (keeping him in the misty haze) and turned the video monitor on him there.

Plus, lots of cuddles from mama and daddy.

Lucky to be his mom...

2012-05-13T13:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there...

I feel blessed to be this little growing man's mama.

And lucky to have my mama who taught me everything.

How Liam did on his first trip!

2012-04-25T07:19:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we traveled half way across the country to sunny California for a whirlwind weekend and Liam's first time out of the Kansas City area. His first plane ride. His first hotel stay. His first time meeting his great-great-grandparents. Our first time traveling with a baby. A lot of firsts. Here is how it went...

Liam checks in and gets his own ticket!
After careful consideration - we flew Southwest. We were required to show his birth certificate at the front desk (where we also checked 2 bags) and he even got his own ticket.

Before getting on the plane!
With Southwest, we were allowed to keep Liam's stroller and car seat (two-piece system) until right before we got on the plane. We left the stroller compacted down and the car seat with the straps pulled tight and void of toys right outside the plane door at the gate.

BUT! Before you can do that, after you get through security, you must check in with the gate attendant to get proper gate-check tags. We saw numerous families have to get our of boarding line to go do this that hadn't gotten that memo first.

Liam on the plane, his first plane ride out to CA!
Our flight out to San Francisco, CA included a touch down at LAX. Thankfully for our first plane ride with baby, we didn't have to get off the plane. However, this did mean double the take offs/landings. Clearly he couldn't eat for all of them, so we made sure he was sucking on his pacifier good!

Liam did great. He slept some, but was mostly up and playing with toys, talking to us, watching out the window or looking at all the new faces around us.

Liam in a hotel!

We stayed at a hotel that provided a baby crib/pack n' play, so we didn't have to lug ours! Huge bonus. Otherwise, it was business as normal - except no dishwasher meant lots of hand washing of bottles! I brought out (in our checked luggage) the bottle brush, dish soap and our own towel (I didn't want to use a hotel towel).

Liam in a rental car/out and about!

We had his car seat and stroller, so walked around with him as usual. When we went in a car (rental car), we buckled him the old fashioned way (without the base) as directed on our car seat (the seat belt went through slots and across him). We took the blanket with us when we were walking around for weather changes (and extra layers in the baby bag)!

On the way home, where hiccups happened!
We were bound to cross a hurdle or two. After a very packed weekend in California, we boarded the plane. It was great timing, because we were taking off right in time for little man to be hungry. So he ate on the way up. Then he got sleepy and was trying to fall asleep. He just couldn't get comfy. We passed him back and forth - you try, now you try. Eventually, about half way to Phoenix, he lost it. He was tired and wanted to sleep. I thought maybe his diaper is bugging him.

Have you ever changed a babies diaper on a plane?

It's terrible. Avoid at all costs (change right before you get on the plane/avoid long flights). The front lavatory has a flip down board* that takes up 2/3 of the already small bathroom. Me, the babe and the diaper bag just barely fit and even then, it felt like a coffin. Even worse, he was screaming in there - totally pissed.

*Bring changing pad

Once I picked him back up - he was ok, but still fussy. We stood in the back of the plane, where the nice flight attendant turned off the lights back there and I was able to rock little man to sleep. He slept until we landed and got off the plane. Phew.

We only received a few death stares and one so very helpful piece advice (try a bottle).

Layover in Phoenix:
This was supposed to be a 40 minute layover, so we had our stroller and car seat gate checked all the way to KC. But we know how that goes... flight delayed due to earlier mechanical problems. So we had new found time on our hands... 3.5 hours of time, and no stroller or car seat.

Liam was awake for a new bottle and wanted to play (was in a good mood now post nap). So we laid out the blanket and used his toys from his car seat (you have to remove those and we carried with us in our carry on bags for entertainment) to provide a makeshift activity gym.

This entertainment him for awhile, before he got tired again (this time for the night). I walked around the airport with him until he fell asleep. He slept in my arms while we boarded, through the flight, back to KC, into his car seat, on the ride home and into his crib. He slept until I had to wake him up at 7:45am to get him ready for daycare.

Us on the other hand got home at about 3am and got little sleep before getting up for work.

Next post will be our flying with baby recommendations! Stay tuned!

Liam goes to Lawrence

2012-04-19T22:40:00.000-05:00

And he let us come with him! We showed little man the University of Kansas this past weekend. This is where his parents met 10 years ago and Auntie Bre was in town (also where we met like 11 years ago)!

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that we first started on Mass St. for brunch, obviously Milton's was our stop...

It was nice enough (despite the crazy storms the night before and cloudy skies above) to sit outside. Liam loved his first trip to Milton's, especially the coffee... oh wait, no that was his mama.

And speaking of, here I am in my favorite not-so-perfect-weather boots.

We showed L Allen Field House and introduced him to Phog Allen. That really hit it off.

There you have it. Liam's first trip to one of my very favorite places, Lawrence, Kansas.

See Liam Roll

2012-04-17T13:28:00.001-05:00

At about 8 weeks, little man quickly figured out how to get out of tummy time...

And 9 weeks later, he's still rolling!

Liam's First Easter

2012-04-11T09:27:00.000-05:00

Complete with white pants before Memorial Day and all... my son is a fashion rebel I tell ya.

and of course the Easter bunny visited...

Though, I think he had Liam's parents in mind more than Liam. Better luck next year, L! ;)

For my outfit details visit Chasing Davies

This Laugh.

2012-04-05T10:59:00.000-05:00

Melts my heart. Every time.

Drool and all.

Oh Well

2012-04-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

Even though we lost last night, I wanted to share our Rock Chalk Gear with you all.

Mine:

Little Man:

I guess #2 ain't bad.

Visit me and my mothership blog - Chasing Davies

Alone with a baby

2012-03-26T09:19:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I experienced life as a single mom for 3 nights and days while my husband went out of town for a bachelor party weekend with the boys. Every single mom out there deserves the highest amount respect possible. That is one hell of a job. Being a mom with a partner is hard enough, but alone was even harder. Here's how it went.

1st night started off great. We had company over, dinner and off to a good bedtime start. Liam went down well after his new routine of new diaper, book and bottle around 9:30. I was feeling pretty good around 10:30 when he was still sound asleep and started to hunker down myself.

Then 11pm hit and little man awoke. I went in to soothe him, put his fallen pacifier back in and turn the Sleep Sheep back on. 12:30, again, same thing. 2:30, again, same thing. This time, not working. 3am I fed him a bottle and rocked him back to sleep by 3:30. 4am - again, more soothing. 6:30, up again, this time wide awake. Except I was dog tired. So I tried to soothe him a bit to catch some extra zzzz's when we really should have been getting up for the day.

7:30am we got up for the day to try to get myself and him ready by 8am (hah). At 8am, I was at least dressed and working on getting him dressed when I noticed he had had a huge blowout. I noticed this while holding him against me, so naturally I got covered in poo. It was bad enough that he should have gotten a bath, but we were already running late. So I used about 15 wet wipes and got him cleaned up and changed. Now I had to get re-dressed myself. I left our poo clothes on the floor and started to pack him up when I realized the poor dog hadn't been let our or fed!

All in all, we made it to school 30 minutes late, then I was off to work with no make up and a messy (bad) bun. With only 3 hours of sleep all broken up, I was super tired, but made it through the day and even managed to get home to take a shower before picking that little guy up from school.

We spent Friday night at our friend's, whose husband was on the same trip as mine. We had pizza and played with the kids. It was a fun night! I changed Liam into his pjs and a new diaper before heading home, so we ended the night with a bottle in his room and he was asleep by 10. And didn't.wake.up.until.5. O.M.G. SEVEN hours! It was a miracle!

At 5 I changed and fed him and he was back to sleep by 5:30 until 8:20 (and so was I). We got up and played and then about 10:15 went and picked up my sister who came in from Chicago!! She was going to spend the whole next 2 days with us!!

She even came bearing new cool duds for the little dude!

Saturday we napped, took a long walk and then went to my parents' house for a party they were having for friends. We partied until about 9:30, then changed the little man into his jammies (like the night before) and headed home. I gave him his last bottle and rocked him in his room and he was down by 10:30. At 3:30 he woke me up for a quick soothe and pacifier check and then back to sleep. Then he got at 5:15 for a feeding, and again at 8am. Another pretty good night! We then cuddled until 10am (when my sister finally got up - jeesh, to be young again).

We went on another walk, and hit up Einstein Bros Bagels for breakfast. Then we went to the plaza to shop the day away.

We ended the weekend with husband returning, family over and watching the Jayhawks win to advance to the Final Four.

Things got off to a rough start, but with help from my family and friends, we ended up having a pretty good time. It was good to know that I could do it by myself and we even had some special bonding.

But I have to say, those middle of the night up and down are not only exhausting, but lonely. It's nice to have another adult there, even if they're sleeping. Just in case you get so tired you just can't do it. Or if something goes wrong. I imagine things get easier as the child grows, but with a 3 month old, life and nights are still very unpredictable. Which is a little scary to face alone.

And I'm a wimp.

Visit me and my mothership blog - Chasing Davies

Resemblance

2012-03-23T12:13:00.001-05:00

Liam is definitely our child. No doubt about that. I love looking at him and seeing my husband, and then a second later seeing me. He has such a great blend of the two of us. What do you think?

Baby Liam and me

Baby Liam and Greg

Visit me and my mothership blog - Chasing Davies
P.S. 20% off coupon for H&M Kids clothes here!

Into his own room...

2012-03-22T12:23:00.006-05:00

I swore my baby would sleep in our room, right next to our bed in his cradle until about 6 months. But at 14 weeks, we decided to make the switch. I caved for a few of reasons.

1). Liam was not on any kind of schedule and we were having a hard time implementing one with him going to sleep in our room. We didn't have the monitor set up in there, so I didn't want him out of my site. He'd usually begin the night sleeping in a pack n' play we have up in our living room (or in my arms), and then we transfer him to the cradle after a late night feeding.

Everything I read hammers home the importance of getting your baby use to a night time routine early and especially at the 3-4 month mark. It's important to be consistent and get them use to their room.

2). He has never been a good night sleeper. He sleeps in 2-3 hour chucks all day long - loves the nap length of sleep. So, I figured we needed to change something. Maybe being in his own room would help. Maybe we were keeping him up/waking him up?

3). The boy was keeping me up! While I was actually lulled to sleep by the sounds of his breathing and snoring, he is an active sleeper and moves around. I was constantly thinking he needed something, when really he was just moving in his sleep. I would wake up to what sounded like calisthenics coming from his cradle. He lifts his legs up in the air and then flops them down... this boy will have strong abs.

4). He was starting to outgrow his cradle. While it's bigger than a bassinet, with his wild night time movements, he'd hit the solid wood walls waking us all (him included) up.

So I started having him take naps in his crib to get him use to his new bed...

Then we made the switch a few nights ago with a bedtime routine in his own room and all! This way he wouldn't feel banished to his room just to sleep. Our typical routine (as of now)...

1). Once he starts to get sleepy (I can usually tell by him rubbing his eyes or starting to get cranky), usually between 8 and 9:30pm depending on his naps that day, we start the routine.

2). We go change him into his pjs in his room and get him a fresh diaper. If it's bath night (2x a week) we'll do that first.

3). Then we sit in his big comfy rocking-recliner chair, and read some books until his eyes start getting really sleepy.

4). Then I give him a bottle. He usually falls asleep eating, but when I burp him, it kind of wakes him back up.

5). So then we read some more, or I talk to him or sing (but I'm not sure that's pleasing to the ear so we're working on a lullaby play list). I've started asking him what the best and worst part of his day was (the peaks and pits), but he hasn't answered me yet, so I just tell him mine.

6). Then when he is almost asleep I transfer him from my arms to his crib. He usually kind of wake up again (I swear he'd sleep 12 hours straight in my arms if he could) - so I put on his Sleep Sheep sound machine, rub his belly and head and tell him I love him and good night with a few Shhhs (he likes that sound).

Then the hardest part.

7). I walk away and out of his room. I quickly grab the video monitor and watch him the rest of the night...

Sometimes he'll start fussing a bit and it'll take a few trips of me going in to rub his belly and Shhh him, put his pacifier back in or turn back on the Sleep Sheep (which is on a timer) before he's really asleep for the long haul. The main thing is, I am trying to be consistent. I know it'll take a little time till he gets use to it, but so far I think his sleeping is already a little better!

And I'm getting use to it, too. The good news is - our house isn't that big and his room is right across from ours. At night, when all is quiet, I can even hear him without the monitor, though I have that right by my head any ways.

What is your bedtime routine? When did you move baby to the crib/own room?

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