A Typical Day in Our Life

I've done a few day in our life posts, including the most recent one right after Declan was born. At that point in our lives it was all chaos and takeout food and survival mode. Lately we've settled into a nice routine, we're completely unpacked (as of last week - don't judge!) and we're loving our new home, so I wanted to do an updated day in our life post. But then, as soon as I thought, Hey, I've kinda got things under control. Maybe I can handle this whole parenting two kids thing, this happened:

After a night of musical beds where I was woken up so many times that I literally had no idea where I was or who was crying, we woke up to day two of a hoarse, raspy-voiced toddler who was just so pitiful sounding and in pain, so off to the doctor we went. It took me + a nurse to hold Ez down long enough for the doctor to look down his throat. That's all, just shine that light thingy down his throat. Imagine how awful his next round of shots is gonna be. Then we got the news that not only is Ez getting more molars (seriously the most awful, horrible, hateful things ever!), but he's also got bronchitis. My poor baby. We head straight to the pharmacy (aka - Target) to pick up his meds. As soon as I pull into the parking lot both boys fall asleep, and all I've got is the single stroller. So I'm walking through Target, killing half an hour while they fill the prescription, using one hand to push Ez in the stroller while also carrying Declan in his car seat. No less than four people stop to smile and point out that I have my hands full. Really? Do I? I hadn't even noticed. And can I just point out that seeing all that cute fall stuff at Target but not being able to touch or browse was really sad. Like really. I did pick up a get well gift for Ez though, because mom priorities. Once we got home I wrestled Ez to the ground in order to force feed him his medicine. He actually likes the way it tastes, but that doesn't stop him from putting up a fight each and every time. Then I go to pick up Declan, who is also screaming, only to find poo up to his hair. And all over my hands. Emergency bath time. While I'm trying to spray down a wriggly, slippery, screaming baby Ez bursts into the bathroom with such force that the door bounces off the wall and hits him right in the face. Cue screaming baby #2. So for about the 50th or so time both kids are simultaneously screaming bloody murder. And did I mention this was all before lunch?

Lesson learned. Never ever ever tempt fate by thinking you've got things figured out. She will laugh right in your face and throw you curve ball after curve ball until you admit that you know nothing. Nothing at all.

So I totally acknowledge that I'm just taking parenthood day by day, and sometimes it's literally all chaos and tears, but the other days when all pandemonium hasn't broken loose look something like this:

Our weekdays follow the same basic formula. I get up whenever the earliest riser wakes me up (not counting Joe, who usually leaves before we're awake). On the off chance Declan wakes up before 7am, he hangs out with daddy while I get some more zzzs. Typically Ez and Declan wake up between 7 and 8, then Declan likes to cluster nap till 9 or 10. We appreciate lazy mornings and start off with breakfast, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and of course iced coffee for me. 

Ez is generally pretty good at entertaining himself in the mornings. He likes being reunited with all his cars after a whole night away from them. So if Declan is napping this is my blog and chore time.

Late morning/early afternoon is when we gotta get out of the house before everyone starts going crazy. Some things we like to do are story time at the library, a trip to the park, walks around the neighborhood, errands, meeting my sister for lunch, or just playing in the garden. Declan is always strapped to me in his Bjorn carrier, facing outward because he's very social and likes to people watch.

Sometimes Ez falls asleep in his stroller and naps up to two hours, otherwise we eat lunch. Then Declan naps and Ez and I get some one on one time (unless they're both napping - hallelujah!) We read books, color, do puzzles, play monster bowling, or I sit on the floor while he plays cars. Sometimes he just needs an audience. 

Around 5 I'll start prepping dinner while Ez and Declan either join me in the kitchen or entertain themselves (Declan loves playing in his exersaucer - a total lifesaver!) Joe gets home around 6 and we eat dinner shortly after. 

Post dinner we usually head straight to the park where Joe and Ez play together while I walk laps with Declan strapped to me. We usually spend about half an hour there then head home to clean up, bathe everyone, and relax. 

Ez and Declan both go to sleep at 9. Declan was waking up only once or twice a night, but in the past week it jumped up to 4 times. Probably another instance of fate laughing at me.

On Fridays we pick Joe up from work and go out to dinner as a family then walk around, check out some shops, play at the park, and just unwind for the weekend.

Weekends are for exploring and we always like to get out of the house and do stuff together as a family. Now that we're in a brand new area there's so much stuff we wanna check out and our Bay Area bucket list seems to grow daily.

This season of life with multiple littles is just so much everything. So much fun. So tiring. So many laughs. So many tears. So many cuddles. And most importantly it goes by so fast. I know when I look back at this in a month or two our lives and routine will be completely different and I'll probably be laughing at the whole poo bath/door straight to the face memory. (I may have had to turn away and stifle laughter at the door slamming incident right when it happened. Does anyone else's kids injure themselves daily, or is mine just extra accident prone?) I probably won't ever find the bronchitis or molars funny, but by then hopefully it will be a distant memory.

5 Things I Love About Ez

I've already mentioned quite a few times how helpful Joe has been this whole pregnancy, but I think Ez deserves some credit too. For a toddler, (I'm pretty sure calling him a high-energy toddler is a bit redundant, but that he is), he's been making this whole pregnancy fairly easy on me. He can't quite climb up onto the counter to make his own lunch just yet, but aside from needing to be fed several times a day he's a fairly independent little guy. So here's a little list of a few things I really appreciate about him:

1. He entertains himself for hours on end. It's seriously amazing. He already has a great imagination, and will narrate things as he's playing with his cars. I have no idea what he's actually trying to say, but I'm pretty sure he's got a super entertaining scenario going on that would be absolutely captivating if only I spoke toddler fluently.
2. His attention span has grown by leaps and bounds. I know I mentioned in my pregnancy confessions that Cars (the movie) has been a lifesaver, but I'm honestly still a little shocked that he'll even sit through a feature length Disney film. Perhaps watching it daily is overkill, and I sometimes question whether he's been brainwashed by Disney, but from what I've heard from parents of Frozen fanatics, that's pretty much par for the course once you've got kids. (And the answer is yes, we've all been brainwashed by Disney. There's no resisting their magicalness.)
3. He's started reading his books to himself. Usually this only takes place after we've read it together 20 times in a row, but hearing him narrate the story in his cute little toddler voice is pretty much the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Oh, and did I mention that he now sings to himself constantly? I take it back, listening to him sing nursery rhymes is actually the sweetest thing I've ever heard. ABCs, Wheels on the Bus, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star are the current faves. He can already carry a tune better than I can, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. Also, it blows my mind the amount of info he soaks up and retains. Toddler brains are incredible.
4. He follows directions surprisingly well. He'll pick up his messes and fetch me things within his reach, and trust me, I take full advantage of both those things. I'm sure he goes around telling all his friends how much work it is having a parent ;)
5. Lately he's been giving me all kinds of extra snuggles. Maybe he senses that his time as an only child is coming to an end, or maybe he's picked up that mommy now struggles like a beached whale just to get off the couch, but whatever the reason, I'll take those extra snuggles and I'd bottle them up if I could.

Aside from Ez's easy-going and independent nature, here are a few things that have been getting us through these last few weeks:

• puzzles (the peg board kind)
• books (anything involving vehicles of any kind)
• the Cars & Planes movies
• his water table
• coloring books

That's pretty much our daily life lately. I feel bad that Ez is getting a little jipped in the parent department lately, but he's taking it all like a champ. And my parents are coming into town tomorrow, so soon he'll have plenty of doting grandparents to entertain him while I continue the baby waiting game.

Momcation

When Joe asked what I wanted for Mother's Day I didn't really hesitate at all when I told him I wanted a night all to myself. Aka, a night away from him and Ez. Super tactful, I know. 

Don't get me wrong, there is no place I'd rather be than with Joe and Ez. They are my two absolute favorite people to spend time with, but pre-Joe and Ez I was really into alone time. Like if it didn't happen on a frequent basis my world just didn't feel right. So the fact that I made it two whole years without any significant chunk of alone time says a lot about just how much I love spending time with Joe and Ez. At the time Joe asked what I wanted, we were in the midst of weeks-long colds (all 3 of us), plus Ez was teething, then throw in normal 2-year old behavior and my being heavily pregnant on top of all that. It was definitely time for a vacation. 

Thankfully Joe was not offended, and was actually super excited for some one on one guy time with Ez. Win/win. 

So how did I spend my 24 hour momcation? 

To start with, some shopping and bookstore browsing. Then Joe spoiled me real good and I got a prenatal massage (best fiancé ever!). I've never had a prenatal massage before, and to sum it up it was basically the most relaxing hour of my life, and the best I've felt physically at any point during either pregnancy. If you're pregnant and this is in anyway an option, do it! Afterward, to keep the relaxation going I spent some time in the jacuzzi (only my lower half, so baby wasn't cooking in there). The rest of my evening can be summed up as a whole lot of girly R&R. I did my nails, read a whole book (I highly recommend Girl on the Train - such a page turner!), gave myself a facial, and took a nice long bubble bath. I enjoyed the rare commodities of silence and personal space and sleeping in. It was every bit as blissful as it sounds.

And then I rushed home in the morning so I could cuddle my lil guy. What can I say? A day away was rejuvenating and exactly what I needed, but being reunited was a pretty amazing feeling too. For me, anyway. Ez didn't seem to care at all about my being gone and was completely unimpressed when I returned. He and Daddy had way too much fun meeting friends for lunch, watching a Dodgers game, enjoying a Cars movie night, and, of course, running around the park. Mommy who?

I have to take a minute to brag on my man. I'm so lucky to have a partner that takes such incredibly good care of both Ez and I (and our soon-to-be new bundle of joy) - thanks for all you do, babe!

5 (More) Signs You're in Toddlerville

It's been awhile since my first Toddlerville post, and if there's one thing about Toddlerville, it's that the landscape is constantly changing. Toddlers like to keep you on your toes. One day they love something, the next day they hate it. So here are 5 new, updated ways to know when you're in Toddlerville.

1. If you've ever scooped up a Gumby-like, protesting child who has collapsed into a heap of Jello on the floor of a public place, then welcome to Toddlerville. This is pretty much a rite of passage. Bonus points if you successfully accomplished this while pregnant, because I can speak from experience that it's no easy feat.

2. If you're suddenly aware just how many things in the world are not lickable, and you find yourself saying things on the daily like, "Don't lick that basketball that 20 other toddlers just touched (and licked)" then you're definitely living with a toddler. Good luck, because the amount of unlickable things they still manage to lick is pretty disgusting if you stop to think about it too much. Somehow they survive though.

3. Getting dressed every morning has gone from a simple 2-minute affair to a rousing game of tag, where at least one person is thoroughly not enjoying the process (usually me). Once a certain toddler is caught, he reverts to the Gumby-like position I talked about in #1, which makes getting pants on super easy.

4. You put way more thought and practice into making animal and motorized vehicle sounds than you ever thought possible. If they gave out degrees on how to make elephant sounds, Joe and I would both have Masters by now. Well, Joe would probably have his Doctorate, because Ez has decided he's the top elephant trumpeter in the house. He's basically certified to give lessons now, if any of you are looking to improve your elephant sound game. He also does a good lion, goat, and airplane. If it puts a smile on a fussy toddler's face, there's no shame in pulling our your best choo choo train in public. #happytoddlerhappyparents

5. Despite the physical rigors and public embarrassment that happen daily in Toddlerville, you find yourself saying I love you at least a billion times a day. If a casual acquaintance or a co-worker put you through all of this, you'd most likely block their number or start looking for a new job, but somehow a toddler manages to pull this off and still comes out looking like the cutest, sweetest, cuddliest little person on the planet. It's a mystery of science how one person can be so simultaneously exasperating and completely lovable, but only a toddler can pull it off.

And, while we're on the topic, here are a few of the most recent #reasonsmysoniscrying:

- It's time to brush his teeth

- It's time to stop brushing his teeth (I think we can all agree toddlers are hypocrites)

- It's time to get dressed to go to the park/Gymboree/anywhere

- It's time to leave the park/Gymboree/anywhere

- It was actually not a good idea to leap face first into the hardwood floor

What about you - any crazy toddler moments to share this week? What's the most embarrassing public meltdown you've dealt with? It's nice to know we're all in this together!

5 Signs That You're in Toddlerville

Last night, after Ez went to bed, Joe and I were lying awake talking about this new place we've found ourselves in: Toddlerville. We started joking about how we'd rate it on Yelp, if we could. 

1. Toddlerville is full of little hoodlums. Any toy you've ever bought can and will be used against you. As a weapon. For some reason Ez has gotten into a fun new pre-bed routine when he's tired but still fighting sleep so he decides to start launching everything he can get his hands on at our heads. And he does it with a mischievous smile, that lets you know he knows he's doing something bad. I believe parenting books call this "testing the boundaries." But most people in the real world would call this bullying. Or being a jerk. 

2. I already mentioned that toys are weapons in Toddlerville, but it should also be mentioned that Toddlerville is basically built out of toys. Toys definitely seem to be the roadways of our house, anyway. Here's a picture of my kitchen floor right now, which is pretty standard if we remove the barricade (our ottoman) for a few minutes:

3. Toddlerville is a place where pooh defies gravity. Joe spent a lot of time dwelling on this one last night. How does pooh climb up a back? It just seems like it defies physics.

4. Clearly this Yelp review isn't looking too good for Toddlerville. I'd say we're at about 1 star. (Having a toy car launched at your head will remove a lot of stars real fast.) But the amazing thing about Toddlerville is that a little thing like an impromptu dance party or a smile (of the non-mischeivous, not plotting-harm-against-you variety) can completely wipe the slate clean. I can't even count all the nights when we've finally gotten Ez to sleep, and then we spend our free time looking at pictures of him and contemplating if we should maybe wake him up for just one more snuggle.

5. The learning curve in Toddlerville is pretty astounding. No day in Toddlerville ever looks the same, because Ez is just changing so fast these days. One day he's crying in frustration because he can't make his puzzle piece fit, and the next day he's mastered the puzzle. And the words are starting to come. Real words. Not only ones that start with "B" - this makes Toddlerville a very exciting place.

Final Yelp review for Toddlerville? 5 stars - just like every other stage Ez has gone through. Though this stage is definitely not for the faint-hearted, and is much more challenging than the newborn phase, it's also so fun, and much funnier. That kid cracks me up every day. And watching your kid figuring things out and learning how this world works is one of the most rewarding parenting experiences, if not the most rewarding.

Linking up with The Farmer's Wife for the Oh Hey, Friday series!

Teething or Terrible Twos?

Ezzy has been acting a little wonky lately. There are a lot of teething symptoms. Drooling. Chewing on his hands. And his toys. Basically, everything. Sleeping poorly. Rubbing his ears. However, we're still missing the main telltale symptom: new teeth. And this has been going on awhile. There's also been a ton more tears than usual. I've been finding myself asking how soon the terrible twos starts. I think someone mentioned to me that their son started their terrible twos at like 14 months, and ever since then Ezzy has been bursting into tears and throwing mini tantrums over the tiniest things.

#reasonsmysoniscrying:

• I told him he can't push my glass of water off the table. (Well, he can. And he has. But I told him not to.)
• He drank all his milk and I had to go to the fridge to get more.
• I wouldn't let him play in the trash can.
• I picked up all his snacks that he'd scattered on the floor.

So basically any time I tell him no he flails his arms and throws his head back and starts crying. Sigh. Are we really here already? I know he's just communicating the best way he knows how, and learning boundaries and all that, but I thought the tantrums wouldn't really start for a few more months. Or maybe terrible twos is much worse and one day I'll look back at this and laugh at my rookie mistake?

I don't want to paint a picture like Ezzy is just crying all day long. He usually gets over his tantrums quickly, and he's pretty smiley and happy most of the time. But this is definitely new territory for us.

Does this sound like terrible twos to anybody else? When did you kids start (and stop) the terrible twos?

See? Already back to my sweet, smiling Ez.

1 Year Postpartum Weight Loss + Recovery Reflections

2 days postpartum (not sure why my lips look blue??) vs. 1 year postpartum

One whole year of being a mom...wow. What an amazing year it has been. Books and advice really can't prepare you for the changes that happen once you take on the role of parent, least of all the changes that happen to your body after pregnancy. During my pregnancy I was all about researching my symptoms and learning how Ezzy was developing from a little tadpole creature, to an alien-looking creature, and finally to a sweet baby in my womb. I did a little bit of research on childbirth and delivery, but my mindset about that was more along the lines of ignorance is bliss. I didn't want to psych myself out by reading labor horror stories. One thing that I neglected to research at all was what happens to your (my) body postpartum. So quite a few things took me by surprise. I should probably warn you now that there's a lot of yucky stuff that you may not want to be reminded of from your own postpartum recovery, or, if you're a guy, you may just want to skip this post altogether. Here's a list of things I wish I was a little more prepared for:

1. Even with a natural (i.e. - vaginal) delivery, the recovery still takes awhile. I knew that if I had to have a c-section, I'd be pretty sore and useless for at least a month. The ectopic surgery I had was very similar to a c-section, and walking, sitting, laughing...pretty much anything that involved my abs (which is everything) was painful for at least a month. But I'd read that many women who have vaginal deliveries are "up and walking around" on the same day, so I thought, great, I'll avoid a c-section and be back to my normal self within a few hours of delivery. (Seriously, I actually thought that?!?) What they didn't mention is that you'll be walking at about .2 miles per hour, and even at that pace it's painful. 

2. Going to the bathroom for the first time after delivery sucks. Apparently all the pressure put on those muscles during delivery makes it very difficult to have your first bowel movement. Plus, with the tear and stitches and pain down there, I was really dreading my first bowel movement. I took a few doses of milk of magnesia, and after a day or two that worked for me, and it wasn't as painful as I had built it up in my head to be. 

3. After 9 months without a period, your body will make it up to you right after childbirth by bleeding for months. That's what it feels like anyway. I think I bled for at least 6 weeks afterwards. And the first few days after childbirth is so bad they pretty much give you adult diapers to wear at the hospital. 

4. Your body still looks 6 months pregnant when you leave the hospital. I had actually read that beforehand, so I was expecting to have a swollen uterus. Except in my case, after 2 straight days on IV fluids, I still looked 8 or 9 months pregnant. My cankles hadn't shrunk at all. I had Fred Flintstone feet. My face was puffier than before I went to the hospital. That "dress" I'm wearing in the picture on the left is actually a nightgown (and one of the few things that fit), and the sandals I'm wearing are the only pair that fit me. I took water pills for about a week and the puffiness went away to the point that I could wear some of my shoes again. My uterus was still huge for another month or two though. 

5. My eyes were bloodshot for a week because I burst all the blood vessels while pushing. I don't know how they expect you to push for 10 seconds straight without breathing, take a deep breath, and do it again three times in a row without bursting your blood vessels. I should also point out that this method is the exact thing they told us not to do in our child birth classes. They said it's an outdated method and it doesn't get the baby out any faster than if you were to breathe while pushing. But the doctors and nurses yelled at me when I stopped to take a breath, so I did it their way. That was probably my biggest complaint about my doctor during this whole process. 

6. There's an old wives tale that says you lose a tooth for every child you have, and that totally happened to me (well, I need a root canal). I'm sure I can't blame it all on the pregnancy, though the timing was suspicious.

7. Also, without warning your hair starts falling out by the handful around 3 months postpartum. I still remember being in Target with Joe and he started picking hair after hair off the back of my shirt. It's like the hairs were just leaping off my head with no provocation whatsoever. For a few months after that, every time I brushed or ran my hand through my hair I'd have a gerbil-sized clump of hair in my hand/brush. I had to start collecting my hairs in the shower otherwise we would have had some major plumbing issues. This is all hormonal, so I can't be sure any of the measures I took had any effect, or if it's just the result of my hormones going back to normal on their own, but I made an effort to remember my vitamin every day, and I started using this Lush Roots hair mask, which has a ton of mint in it and feels nice and tingly on my scalp. Now I have 2 inch hairs all over my head that like to curl or stick straight up, which means that hats are my new best friend.

8. Everyone has seen the celebrity stories of moms who lose weight within weeks (or hours) of giving birth. I was realistic enough to know that my body doesn't work that way, so instead I listened to the advice that it takes 9 months to put on the weight, so you should give yourself 9 months to take it off. Well, 9 months later I was still about 7 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, and 12 - 15 pounds away from my pre-surgery weight (which is my goal weight). I gained 50 pounds, so it took me one full year to lose all that weight (and I'm still working on the last 5 pounds to get to my pre-surgery weight/normal weight). If I had gained the recommended 35 pounds, I think I would have been back to my pre-pregnancy weight within a few months, but I would've been much squishier than before. Breastfeeding has not been a magical diet aid for me. The first 25 pounds melted off, so at first I thought the whole breastfeeding-melts-calories thing was true, but then I realized that was mostly Ezzy weight and water weight. After that I went about a month without losing any weight at all, and finally came to the realization that losing the weight was gonna take some work.

I started logging my calories (using MyFitnessPal) and making an effort to get off the couch and move every now and then. To start with I would strap Ezzy to my chest using the Bjorn carrier and then walk slowly around the neighborhood. Eventually (maybe 3 or 4 months postpartum), I hopped on the treadmill for short (5 minute jogs) mixed with walking during Ezzy's naps. Keep in mind that my initial jogging pace (4 mph) was more like a brisk walk. In fact, now I walk at that pace at an incline for my warmup. I didn't really restrict calories, my goal was just to keep them around 2,000. Every day I set these 4 small goals for myself:

• drink 8 glasses of water
• 2,000 calories
• workout (or walk) 30 minutes
• eat 8 servings fruits/veggies

I still ate dessert and we still ate out so my weight loss was slow but consistent, at a rate of 2-3 pounds per month. Also, my workouts have been short but consistent. I have to be able to fit them in during naptime, because I generally don't like to cut into family time once Joe is home in the evening. The treadmill has been my best workout tool, but I also like YouTube videos (blogilates & barre workouts), as well as some dance dvds or wii games, and some Jillian Michaels or strength training using dumbbells. On days when Ezzy doesn't nap, we'll take a walk, and a lot of times we'll go for a family walk after dinner too.

Before pregnancy, if I knew it would take a year to lose the weight, I think it would have really upset me, but now that Ezzy is here it really doesn't bother me too much. He's such a great source of joy that it would be silly to get upset over something small like my weight. And Joe always makes me feel beautiful, even when I didn't fit into most of my clothes and my hair was falling out by the handful. He's such a catch - I really got lucky with him.

So there you have it, all the things I kinda wish I'd known going into postpartum recovery. I know all women and all pregnancies are different though, so when/if we have another one, who knows if I'll go through these experiences again, or if a whole new crop of issues will come up?

Coffee Date Friday: Sleep Battles

Happy Friday! How has your week gone? If we were sitting down for a much-needed coffee date, I'll warn you right now that lots and lots and lots of coffee is needed today. Also, I have a long rant/plea for help. I mentioned in Ezzy's one year update that I'm not happy with our sleep situation, and am working on changing it. When I started thinking about it more, and reading the No Cry Sleep Solution, I realized I actually have three tasks at hand: weaning, getting Ezzy to sleep only in his crib, and getting him to sleep through the night. As much as I'd magically like for all three of those issues to be solved immediately, I think we're gonna have to tackle one at a time. So first on the list is getting Ezzy to sleep only in his crib. Currently he takes naps in our bed, and he sleeps the first part of the night in his crib, but I bring him to bed with me when he wakes up, and then after he's back asleep I move to the couch until Joe gets up for work. So you can see why that would be inconvenient for pretty much everyone except Ezzy. Yesterday I started with the nap, gave Ezzy a snack then nursed him like usual, then put him in his crib when he was pretty much asleep and he took a nice long nap in there. That was actually a pretty smooth transition. Our initial bedtime was pretty smooth too, he was in his crib asleep by 9:30. However, he woke up a little after midnight, and that's when the real battle began. Let me tell you, when I first woke up, my initial thought was "Let's do this crib thing another night," cause when you're sleep deprived the last thing you want to do is start a new routine that can potentially leave you more sleep deprived. But, in the hopes of getting more sleep in the long run (and giving my neck and back a break from sleeping on the couch!) I pepped myself up to stick to my guns and not bring Ezzy to bed with me. Here's a rough timeline of how that worked out: 12:00 - 12:30 nurse Ezzy, place him back in crib mostly asleep. Ezzy immediately wakes up crying. Decide to let him cry himself to sleep. I last exactly 17 minutes before I go back in his room. Decide I will stay in the room with him until he tires himself out (it's about 12:50 by this point). Ezzy gets giddy with excitement, chattering, bouncing up and down in his bed, giggling, throwing the stuffed animal I put in bed with him at me repeatedly. Periodically I give him "goodnight kisses" and lay him down and tell him it's bedtime. He immediately rolls over and stands back up. I decide to read Winnie the Pooh to him. We finish about half the book. It's been at least an hour since I went back in his room, he's wide awake, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I move over to the rocking chair and start dozing off. Ezzy starts crying. I nurse him again. Again he falls asleep. I put him in his crib. Again he wakes right back up. Again I try leaving the room and letting him cry. This time I last less than ten minutes. Try nursing again. He falls asleep again. Finally manage to successfully transfer him to crib. Total time spent: 3 hours! 3 precious hours of sleep lost. I need seconds on my coffee just thinking about it. So basically he went to sleep around 3:00 am. Woke up again at 6, when Joe offered to bring him to bed, and I was too tired to protest. I guess that counts as a partial success? Doesn't feel like it though. Anyone else with experience or tips in this area?

On a happier note, my college roommate is in town this week and Ezzy and I have a play date scheduled with her and her two boys this afternoon. I haven't even met her youngest son, that's how long it's been, so I'm super excited :) Also, I hear we may be going swimming, and in this 100+ degree weather, that's pretty much the only thing that will lure me out of the air-conditioned house. 

What's new with you this week and what fun stuff do you have planned for the weekend? Any hellish sleep stories to share to let me know I'm not alone and that it gets better? Please?

Spring Photo Shoot (the first batch)

Here's the first batch of Spring photos! Our photographer, Amber, got sooo many great ones that I can't fit them all in one post, so expect one or two more in the near future. As I mentioned in the behind the scenes post, Ezzy was a champ for an hour, but as soon as his sixty minutes was up, he turned into a fussy, cranky, crying baby. I understand. Hunger does that to me too. Thankfully an hour was all we needed. Ezzy looks like such a big boy with his hat and bow tie. 

Before we move on to the photos though, I do have one question for the moms out there. How the heck do you de-snot a baby's nose? I swear it requires at least six hands. Two to hold down his arms, two to hold his face in place, and two to do the actual de-snotting. Even with that little snot-sucker bulb thingy. Ezzy flails, and throws his head around, and screams, and tries to eat the bulb when it gets near his face... Is there some magical technique besides putting him in a straight jacket that I'm missing? This is the kind of stuff they really should have gone over in our child care classes. I'm sure we could have figured out swaddling and diaper changes on our own, but I could've used some tips on nose-blowing, fingernail clipping (I'm still scared of that!), and baby-proofing (I swear 80% of the stuff Ezzy finds on the ground is invisible to the naked eye).

The Sleep Chronicles, Part lll

I've written two other posts about sleep on this blog. One was a very naive and hopeful blog about the first (and only) time Ezzy slept all night long. Ten blissful hours of sleep. That was way back in late September, and sleep has been pretty hard to come by since then. The other post I had somewhat resigned myself that sleep as I knew it was a thing of the past.

This post is about my weekend attempt to try to get Ezzy to sleep the whole night in his own crib. Here is how our attempt over the weekend went. To start with, the way our sleep schedule has worked so far is I put Ezzy down (already asleep) into his own crib, where he sleeps about three hours, until he wakes up for the first feeding of the night (out of anywhere from 2-4 feedings). Then I bring him to bed with me and feed him until he falls back asleep, at which point I move to the couch and leave him and Joe in our bed. The main reason for this is I'm too tired/lazy to sit up with him at 2 am. But now he's been waking up with Joe's alarm at 5 am, and I'm also too tired/lazy to get up at 5 am, so I basically have to pick the lesser of two evils at this point.

I've read so many other blogger's say that their child instantly took to the crib, and started sleeping twelve hours straight, without a single tear, once they transitioned to the crib. In my experience, that's magical fairytale nonsense. I'm pretty sure these accounts couldn't have come from real mothers of real babies, and I refuse to believe it's actually that easy for anyone. (And if your experience really was that easy, please wait to share it with me until I've had at least 8 hours of sleep - so in another 18 years or so.)

Here's how my real-life, non-magical, very sleep deprived and unsuccessful attempt went. To start with, I read The No Cry Sleep Solution. (Ok, I didn't actually read it cover to cover, but I skimmed it and picked out a few pointers.) Some of the tips I picked up from the book were:

• Create a consistent bedtime routine - Check. We've already been doing this routine for awhile now: bath, jammies, story time, nurse Ezzy to sleep.
• Don't nurse baby to sleep. (Whoops.) If the baby is already used to being nursed to sleep, start trying many other methods, such as driving them to sleep, rocking to sleep, etc., so they get used to falling asleep in a variety of situations. 
• The bedtime routine should always end in the room the baby will sleep in. Whoops again. I had been nursing Ezzy to sleep on the couch, which watching TV. And that used to work fine, until lately when Ezzy will almost fall asleep, then suddenly wake up totally wide-eyed and smiley.
• Put baby to sleep earlier. Supposedly the earlier babies go to sleep, the longer they sleep. As in 7 pm is the normal bedtime for babies. Ezzy's bedtime is anywhere between 9-10 pm. 
• Keep a log of baby's sleep habits. I already unofficially do this, just out of curiosity of how much sleep we're getting each night. 
• Make sure naps don't exceed 4 hours per day, and don't go past 6 pm. Ezzy's nap schedule varies. He doesn't usually sleep more than 4 hours per day, though now that he's started taking 2 naps per day, it has happened a few times. Same with the 6 pm thing.
• Get baby attached to a "lovey" - aka, a stuffed animal, piece of cloth with mama's scent on it, etc. I'm trying to get him attached to several different "loveys" to see what he takes to. So far he doesn't seem particularly attached to anything.
• Use a sound machine and a night light. 
• Put baby in his crib several times during the day while you're in the room so he gets used to it and considers it a safe place. I've already been doing this for awhile. Ezzy has no problem with his crib, so long as he's not supposed to be sleeping it.

Ok, so those were the tips I planned on putting into place over the weekend. I chose the weekend as our start point, because I figured Joe might need to take on some early morning shifts if this didn't work out. And boy am I glad he was around, because things did not work out very well.

Friday night we did our normal bedtime routine, but we started about 15 minutes earlier than usual, and this time after story time, I turned on his night light and sound machine and nursed him in his own room. I tried to lay him down while he was sleepy, but hadn't nursed himself completely to sleep. He immediately woke up crying. I tried again, with the same result. Then I gave up and nursed him to sleep. With a slightly earlier bedtime, he still woke up in 3 hours. Instead of bringing him into my room, I nursed him in his room, tried putting him back in his crib, which promptly made him hysterical. I tried bouncing him and rubbing his back, and he was so tired he almost fell asleep, but woke up crying as soon as his head touched the crib. I tried nursing him in the rocking chair and putting him in his crib. No such luck. That's when I gave up and brought him to bed with me, where he immediately nursed himself to sleep. And apparently the whole ordeal tuckered him out so much that he slept 6 straight hours. That was actually the most sleep I'd gotten in a row in a long time. So even though it was technically a fail, it worked out ok.

Saturday night I tried putting him to bed even earlier. I started bathtime at 7:00, instead of our usual 8:00. He was asleep by 8:30. He was awake a little after 11:00. Then I went through the same routine we tried on Friday night, except when I finally gave up and brought him to bed with me (almost two hours after he first woke up), I was completely drained - literally - so he couldn't nurse himself to sleep. That made him distraught and angry and kept flailing his head around and screaming. It was around that time I left him to "cry it out" next to Joe in bed. So of course Joe got up with him, and they spent two hours watching TV until I nursed him to sleep in our bed.

Here are a few things I take from all of this:

• Maybe it's easier to just give Ezzy my bed and take over his room instead?
• I clearly lack the patience at 2 am to be as consistent as I need to be for any actual sleep training to take place. 
• Perhaps I should give The No Cry Sleep Solution a more thorough study. 

That's all I've got. For anyone else that had a less than magical experience with getting their child to sleep in their crib, please share what eventually worked for you. Or just commiserate with me. Because, you know, misery loves company.

"They Grow So Fast"

2 days old vs. 8 months 

It seems like every time I go anywhere with Ezzy at least one person tells me, "enjoy it while you can, they grow so fast." Which is true. Joe and I were marveling over the picture above a few days ago. He used to be so tiny in his carseat, and now his feet are hanging off the edge and the belt needs to be adjusted to the third highest setting. But every time someone tells me that, I never really know how to respond. I feel like I'm just constantly saying, "I know" or "so I've heard" or "yeah, he's already grown so much." I know they mean well,  and they're probably just wistfully thinking about when their children were this young, but I guess it's just odd to me how often random strangers comment about Ezzy. Like I walked into the store today, and immediately one of the checkers just exclaimed "His cheeks!" I assume she meant his chubby cheeks are cute, but again, what do I say to that? "Yeah...his cheeks!"? or "Thanks?" or look the other way and pretend I didn't hear (which is Joe's normal response)? Maybe being around a baby who only yells nonsense at me all day long has dampened my ability to have small talk with adults.

Sleep.

Actually, lack of sleep, would be more accurate for this post's title. You may remember that right around 5 months I was really excited that Ezzy started sleeping 7-8 hours through the night. Well, like all things baby-related, that was just a short (but blissful) phase. Not too long after I wrote that Ezzy started waking up every 2-3 hours throughout the night, and would want to nurse for an hour each time. Pre-Ezzy, eight hours was the minimum amount of sleep I needed to feel good. Anything below 6 hours and I wasn't even functioning. Nowadays, six hours is pretty much the max amount of sleep I get. And it's not even six straight hours. It's six hours of sleep spread out over a nine hour span. Naps have been pretty rare too. And lately my naps are a sleepy tango between dreamland and groggy awakedness (yeah, I know that's not a real word) where I'm always half listening for Ezzy to wake up. Honestly, this sleep deprivation is way worse than when Ezzy was a newborn. Even though he woke up every few hours, he still slept a lot throughout the day when he was a tiny baby. Now he'll wake up before 7 and be up for the day, getting by on just a few 20 minute cat naps here and there.

In case you've been wondering why there haven't been any new blogs for the past week or so, it's because I've been in a zombie-like barely-functioning state over here. I consider it a good day if I manage to make dinner, wash the dishes, AND shower. More likely it's a combination of just two of those things.

All of this is likely the result of Ezzy going through wonder week 26, also known at mental leap 5 - The World of Relationships. Ezzy is exactly 26 weeks today, but wonder week 26 actually begins around week 23. There's a whole book about wonder weeks, which I haven't read. I only know about them from reading what other mommy bloggers who have already been through this stage have to say. If you're interested, here's a chart explaining all of the wonder weeks. So far the wonder weeks have been pretty accurate and right on schedule. Basically they outline mental growth spurts, when babies become super fussy and clingy and refuse to sleep because there's so much going on in their brains. It's probably similar to knowing you have to give a huge presentation in front of tons of important people in the morning, so instead of sleeping you lie awake worrying and planning - or in Ezzy's case, you scream and fuss until someone puts a boob in your mouth. In this particular wonder week, Ezzy is learning about distances, which sounds really simple, but it's a pretty big deal for babies. He's starting to learn that even though he can't see something, it still exists. Apparently before, when Joe or I left the room, Ezzy would just forget about us. Now he knows that we do still exist, he just can't see us, which usually makes him pretty upset. It's around this time that babies start to have fun playing peek-a-boo, and also when they start getting stranger anxiety - both are true for Ezzy.

On Saturday night and Sunday morning Joe gave me a much much much appreciated break. I really can't emphasize enough how much I appreciate Joe. On Saturday night, Ezzy fell asleep around 9:00, and then woke up at 11:00, just as I was getting ready to go to bed. I fed him for about 30 minutes, put him back to bed, and he promptly woke up again just as my head was hitting the pillow. Joe took over and walked Ezzy around for 2 or 3 hours while I slept. Best. Dad. Ever. And then Sunday morning he took Ezzy on a little sunrise nature walk to the reservoir near our house while I slept like a baby. I didn't even know they had left the house, that's how deep I was sleeping. I spent Sunday feeling rested and productive while Joe walked around like a zombie with (I assume) a greater appreciation for the coffee maker we just bought. By the way, a coffee maker should be on every soon-to-be mom's registry (if she doesn't have one already).

Now that Ezzy is 26 weeks we are (hopefully!) on the other side of this wonder week. Last night he went to sleep before 7:00 pm and didn't wake up till 2:30 am. And he's actually napping right now. Fingers crossed this trend continues!

A Weekend of Firsts & My 1 Year Anniversary

Sleepy baby.

Poptart ice cream & lucky charms ice cream.

Breakfast with the fam.

Pita Jungle & 21 Choices

Mmm... Hefeweizen I've missed you!

Rice cereal passed the taste test.

I'll look after you, Paddington!

Ezzy and the Paddington family.

This weekend was full of firsts. Ezzy's first time meeting his family on Joe's dad's side. My first time going out minus Ezzy. Joe's first time watching Ezzy. Grandma's first time giving Ezzy a bottle. Ezzy's first time eating "solids" (really liquidy rice cereal, to be more exact). Ezzy's first stuffed nose.

We kicked off the weekend with a little mall excursion on Friday night, where the highlight (for me, anyway) was finding a new store called Sweet XO which had every kind of ice cream flavor you could possible want. I got strawberry poptart and lucky charms, Joe got glazed donut. I want to go back for the animal cookie and cake batter flavors.

Saturday morning we met up with Joe's uncle and cousins for breakfast. Since Ezzy got his shots on Friday, he was a little sleepier and fussier than normal. After getting passed around the table (the waitress called him the community baby), and having a little chat with his cousin who's four months older than him, he finally fell asleep in my arms.

Saturday afternoon my friend Millie and I met up for some much-needed girl time in downtown Fullerton. It was so nice to catch up and talk about adult things and give someone besides Ezzy my undivided attention. I didn't feel as much separation anxiety as I thought I would. Ezzy was in good hands, so I didn't have anything to worry about. As soon as I got home though I bee-lined straight to him and I didn't let him out of my arms for awhile.

Sunday morning Ezzy woke up really snotty, but otherwise in a smily, cheerful mood. We fed Ezzy his first taste of rice cereal. He loved it. You can see from the pics above that he was skeptical at first, but after a bite or two he was reaching eagerly for the spoon to shove more of the cereal into his mouth. Apparently mommy's hand wasn't move fast enough. He finished about half of it, and a good amount of it ended up on his face and clothes. So basically a typical first-time feeding. After Ezzy was nice and full, we went out to breakfast and then to the Pasadena swap meet where I found an adorable Paddington in a tux with the original tag still attached. I HAD to bring it home to join the rest of our Paddingtons.

In other news, today is the one year anniversary of the beginning of this blog! If you feel like revisiting Ezzy's first ultrasounds, when he still looked like a tiny bean, you can check out the first post here.