Sweet Sleeper

Pictures of my child sleeping always make me want to wake her up and love her and squeeze her... and then I remember why she needed to go to bed :)

Abby is a serious caretaker these days. She is allowed to bring an animal with her when we leave the house and she always wants to bring a blanket, bottle and food for said animal. She wraps them in a blanket, make them a pillow with it, and feeds them. I'll hear her in the car talking to them in the most loving voice.

So, it is no surprise that she gives them the majority of her pillow, puts Mickey on the soft purple lovey, and wraps her arms around Pluto. We often catch her getting up after we have put her to bed to go get more blankets for her animals. We even had to feel around the bed one night to find her because she had given her animals the pillow and covers and she was wadded up on the far side of the bed.

Exhausted?

This is one of many reasons we don't share a bed with Abby!

Napping, Water colors, and a Birthday

Abby and I had a fun day of just us! Daddy had to work late, so we spent the whole day together. After dance class, we made a quick stop at the grocery store and then had lunch at Chick-fil-A. Their grilled chicken nuggets are wonderful! A really healthy and yummy new option! We even ran into two friends there and Abby got to play. Good to see you Heather and Brittany.

We got home about 12:30 and I started the dreaded rest time process. Abby hasn't napped in over 2 weeks and I am a little frazzled about it. I wouldn't care if she just had quiet time in her room except she doesn't stay quiet or in her room and she is a whiner from 3-8. I was going to force her sleep today if it took everything I had. It almost did. She finally went to sleep after 3 PM. I bribed her, spanked her, yelled at her, shut her door, took away her toys, you name it! I think she fell asleep from crying so long. We'll see how tomorrow goes. We must keep some sort of nap unless she can keep a good attitude without it ;)

Tonight after dinner while awaiting Daddy's arrival, we pulled out one of our birthday gifts at water colored! I had not done this with her yet, but she had at school because she knew just what it was and what to do! 

She had lots of fun coloring Dora and making brown paint! She also liked having blank sheets to draw on her own. She always draws me a number 11 and then proudly proclaims, "it's your favorite number!" So thoughtful.

I helped with Dora's skirt. She mostly used her right hand tonight? I wonder if that is what it will be. Notice how red her lips are- lucky girl!

Finally, a Happy Birthday to our Aunt Vicki! We love you and hope you have a wonderful day! Abby is coming to stay with Mom for a few days later this month and she has asked to see Aunt Vicki, Uncle Cecil and Kaki, the dog. She doesn't forget anyone!

Big Girl Bed

We are officially a big girl in our very own twin sized bed!

I'll post more room pictures on the Birdie blog soon.

She is sleeping okay in her new bed. Naptime is tough- we've used videos on the iPhone to help her stay calm and fall asleep. Nighttime has been fine- she is tired at the end of the day and falls asleep. Her bed looks a little lumpy- we have foam wedges on each side that help to keep her in the bed in case she tries to sleep wonky. They were in her toddler bed as well.

Tonight a Baby, Tomorrow a Big Girl

This is Abby's last night in her crib/toddler bed. Tomorrow, she will sleep in a twin bed like a real big girl. I have been prepping her for a solid week- she freaks out when I take her sheets off her bed so I am a little concerned. She has also told me every time I've told her she is getting a new bed that she already has a bed.

I am hoping the excitement of her new bedding (which I bought a year ago!) and her new rug, nightstand, and room arrangement will excite her and make her forget about her crib.

I also think having more room should excite her. She sleeps with three animals and three extra blankets. I think she would sleep with 10 if I let her.

Pictures of her new room coming soon!

Big Girl Bed, part 2

While in South Austin last week, I was on the hunt for toddler sized sheet set and blanket. Abby has been in her "big girl bed" for a few weeks, but we were still using the baby blankets we'd used since she arrived. She would complain her feet were cold or she needed help covering her arms. She also would be uncovered most mornings.

I had the hardest time finding a flat sheet! I didn't want to use twin sheets and have her end up with bunched up covers because everything was way too big! Buy Buy Baby had white sheet set and then I bought a really soft and plain blanket at Pottery Barn Kids.

She has slept so much better in her new covers! Yeah! I love that she is snuggly in her bed, can adjust her covers on her own, and we can truly tuck her in at night.

So Serious

Anyone else's children look like they are solving the world's problems while they sleep? Abby is a funny, lighthearted, smiling kid when she is awake! But, asleep, she always looks so serious.

A Major First for Marcus :)

We left Abby with her first babysitter last night and no joke Marcus asked if we could call and check on her before we had even left the neighborhood. Mary is Marcus' coworkers daughter and we were at her house for his company Christmas party. We had Abby playing at the party and then brought her home and put her to bed. Mary just hung out and listened for the monitor. Abby never made a sound and has no idea there even was a babysitter! We came home about 11:30 and Mary was just hanging out watching TV while Abby slept. It was wonderful!

Here is a question since we are so new at this- what is the going rate for a babysitter these days? I think I made $5 per hour 20 years ago.

Bananas and Crib Changes

Next week Abby will be 8 months old and we will move to 3 meals per day per our pediatrician. Abby is ready! She loves the food we give her and is having a harder time in between bottles. So, today, we gave her a banana in her netting at "lunchtime". She did a great job with it, eating most of a banana. She also had fun making a mess with it. I found banana in all of her 3000 parts!

Yesterday was a busy day and she didn't nap well. I kept having to wake her up to get where we needed to be on time. So, today we kept her up after church with food and then put her down for a nap. She kept showing off her sitting up skills when we would lay her down. We eventually left the room and this is what we found.

She literally fell over sleepy. Her left foot is under her body and was purple from lack of circulation. I repositioned her and she didn't even wake up. She slept for over 3 hours!

After she woke up we lowered her bed and flipped her mattress. The mattress we bought is softer on the Stage 2 side for babies over 20 pounds. The stage 1 side is a little firmer to aid in SIDS prevention. We are past that stage and were able to give her a softer bed. We also lowered her mattress one notch so that when she sits up she isn't so close to the top of the railing. It makes me more comfortable.

Abby's 3rd Hotel Visit

Marcus and Abby came to visit me at my meeting this weekend and she slept in her pod and did much better than the last time we were in a hotel. I am so gald we had it- I was exhausted and would not have been much good to her or my coworkers had she been up all night! My cell phone made more noise than Abby did!Not only did she sleep in her pod, but it was the perfect recliner for her to watch her videos while Daddy got ready, unpacked, prepped food, etc. Praise Baby DVDs save our life!
Thank you again to Tabriah for sharing Keirsten and Kaylinn's pod with us!

The Nesting Pod

My girlfriend Tabriah let us borrow her nesting pod for the next week. I am out of town at a conference and Marcus and Abby Lu are joining on Saturday night. Last time we went out of town Abby didn't sleep so well in the playpen. Tabriah recommended the pod. It is like a giant fluffy bed- the bottom and sides are soft and cushioned.
We let her play in it last night, have her bottle in it this morning and she is currently napping in it. We are hoping she'll get acquainted with it this week and sleep well in it next weekend. I could sleep in it!

Here are details on the pod if you want one for yourself!

Geoffrey, the Giraffe

Remember Fifi the poodle?

Along the Fifi and her fuzzy ladybug, Abby Lu likes to sleep with Geoffrey, her giraffe. I put her in bed on her back with him and she almost always ends up on her side with him touching her face. It is darling!

Thank you Heather for providing Abby Lu a sweet little friend to love on while she sleeps!

Learning to Sit is HARD WORK!!!!

Abby's teachers spent some extra time with her today practicing sitting up. She is SO CLOSE and really wants to sit up. She gets so frustrated because almost all of the other kids in her class can sit up. She wants to see more and play more.
This afternoon when I picked her up, she fell asleep on the short 5 minute ride home and stayed asleep as I took her out of the car, held her while folding clothes and was still asleep when I laid her in bed. I eventually woke her up at 6:15 for cereal and bathtime.

Is this Wrong?

Is it wrong to show Abby a DVD inside her crib on my laptop?

Girlfriend WOULD NOT go down for a nap this afternoon. She was fussy, rubbing her eyes and too tired to do much, but she didn't want to sleep.

So, I put her nighttime Praise Baby DVD on the laptop and tried to help her go to sleep.







Look at this set-up, wouldn't you konk out? She looks so sleepy!

She did eventually fally asleep in my arms while I rocked her and she watched the DVD. Thank goodness something worked!

Just like her Momma...

I caught Abby sleeping with her booty in the air just like I did as a baby. Aww- how cute!

New Sleep Position

Oh how this concerns me!

(forget the blanket- I only did that this afternoon because it was cold and she fell asleep without pants on. I was checking on her often. We don't put her down with a blanket normally.)

Why oh why does my child chose to sleep FACE DOWN? Doesn't she know it makes me nervous! I was so scared when she learned to roll over and sleep on her belly, but got comfortable with it as I know she can breathe when her head is to the side. Now, she is sleeping with her face on the sheet. I go in after she falls asleep and turn her head. I just can't keep it like that all night. This is one of those situations where I do all I can and trust Him to do the rest.

Pictures from our day

Abby spent a few minutes in her exersaucer this morning while Daddy was loading up his truck with her bags and his breakfast. I had to take her picture because she is so happy playing these days; however, I couldn't capture a smile.

I will brag on her- for 2 nights in a row, she has gone down and fallen asleep without crying at all! She also slept for 10.5 hours straight last night. Love it!

This is a sleepy girl we kept our late tonight eating outside at Mighty Fine Burgers with our friends Mo and Jessica. The burgers were good and Abby cooperated past her bedtime so we could talk. It was lovely!

Great Sleep Progress

Look at this cute little girl WHO PUT HERSELF BACK TO SLEEP twice last night!

Isn't she just fabulous! She awoke at 2:00 AM and 5:15 AM and put herself back to sleep. No bottle, no pat on the back, no sshhing from us. Just a few minutes of talking and the silence as she fell back asleep. We are on night #4 of no bottle in the middle of the night and she is already made it from needing a bottle, to needing comfort, to putting herself down alone.

She has also discovered the ceiling fan and will happily contort her body to glimpse the wonder of spinning blades on the ceiling.

Teething?

We think Abby might be teething. It is hard to tell- I can see white bumps on her bottom middle gums, but don't know if they have always been there or are new. She has been extra fussy today and only her Praise Baby DVD has calmed her. We have watched it ALL.DAY.LONG.

So, tonight, we pulled out the teething gel and tried applying it. She did not like the taste of it. The tears flowed and the yucky faces were made. We'll keep watching those white spots and let you know.

On the sleep front, she did nap in her bed some this weekend which is big. Last night she fussed multiple times until 10:30 when she finally fell asleep and she awoke at 5:00 and was moved into the swing. Tonight, she fussed going down, but has been out for about 45 minutes without fussing. I hope she stays out and gets a good night's rest.

Sleeping Training Step Two

Last night we began phase 2 of sleep training. Once they have going to bed down (Abby Lu goes down at 7:15 and cries for less than 5 minutes) you begin to use the same sleep methods during the middle of the night. We had been getting her out of bed when she awoke and giving her 3 ounces of formula and then putting her back down. She would go to sleep easily, but our pediatrician felt like it was time to drop those final 3 ounces.

We did it last night. She went down at 7:15 and awoke at 3:30. I went into her room and patted her back, shh'ed her and then waited 3 minutes and repeated. She was back asleep in less than 15 minutes. It took me another 30 to go to sleep! She awoke at 6:30 and was ready to tackle her day. Daddy wasn't so ready!